#on the gay little niche interests website

[bengiyo]

Hi! I'm here for the ask game and ready for you to choose violence! I'm interested in questions #3, 12, 18, and 25. If you don't mind, I want to narrow these questions to BL only, unless you have a particularly violent non-BL answer that's too good not to share. I don't have any specific BLs in mind, but if a restriction like "only those that finished or will finish airing this year" or "not this year" is interesting or productive, have at it. Thanks!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I'm just gonna keep talking about La Pluie. I saw multiple reactions calling most of episode 8 boring. I am sorry, but if you came to the show interrogating the concept of soulmates and were bored because the two romantic leads said that they choose each other even if they aren't destined to be together, I think you are too jaded and need to take a break from romance.

Sincerely, it baffles me to see people engaging with genre stories and seemingly getting mad that a show is playing around with the conventions of the drama. The spoiler culture brain rot is destroying media literacy and it really makes me sad that it seems like we're chasing the high of something new and unexpected. This on the website of the people reading the same kind of fanfic for the umpteenth time to get their fix.

I just don't get going into romance and being mad that they're doing the big romance things in a show literally about big romance.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I am going to interpret this to mean a character that the fandom doesn't like, and not just someone that folks don't know about. I could write about Uncle Man from 21 Days Theory, and I've already written about Framboise.

So I'm going to write about Korn from UWMA. Sometimes I will say on the podcast that "y'all don't like gay men when we're not pretty, funny, sexy, or entertaining." I have to suffer through comments about how Kao is a bad actor or that Korn sucks all the time, and both are wrong. Y'all just don't care about the stoic gay boys that try their damndest to pass and quietly suffer.

Korn is a tragic character because he was trying to be the man that he was expected to be, and then Intouch came along. He was harsh to Intouch throughout much of their romance because he knew what he was going to do. You can see the pain leaking out of that man's eyes the entire time. Intouch tried to save him. Hell, they brought Perth Tanapon to cry about their deaths to hammer home how sad the whole thing was.

It just makes me really sad sometimes around here that we're only ever going to get worked up about the loud and flamboyant characters, or the especially pretty and charming ones.

I am here for characters like Korn (UWMA), Mamoru (Kabe Koji), Shiro (WDYEY), Mitsuru (EY), Teh (IPYTM), Cairo (Gameboys), Shin (3WBF), Inthawut (180DLPTU), and many more.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Currently, I feel some kinda way about how people keep looking for reasons to hate Patts in La Pluie, as if his ideal partner signalling is somehow to be mistrusted. It's just a bit sad for me that folks seem determined to hate the lead in this.

I don't really ever get second lead syndrome that often, so everyone on the Lomfon-Tai train confuses me. Lomfon is RUDE, and I do not fuck with that boy.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

Not a specific complaint, but I've said many times around here that I really hate when folks abuse the tools of criticism to say that they didn't like something. Y'all really don't need to pathologize why you don't like something and reach for flaws in the storytelling or production to justify why you don't like something.

We are a niche fandom. We are not seeing the huge sums of money poured into our productions that huge setpieces are going to get. Y'all need to show a little fucking grace to the creators bringing these things to us.

🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

[kattestrophe]

Hi, a friend of mine in uni is thinking of getting into the topic of queerness in modern royal families, you got any good recs and sources about Fritz in particular?

Thanks

Hi there!

For biographies that sum up some of his presumably queer relationships I can offer the ones by Burgdorf and Blanning with the latter being far better to work with on a university level and the former giving a clearer list of the possible partners. However, Burgdorf is a little iffy source wise because it's a very commercial and short biography without footnotes, sooo grain of salt.

A classic from 2012 is the article by Reinhard Alings entitled "Don't ask, don't tell - War Friedrich der Große schwul?" which was originally published with the Friederisiko exhibition catalogue and can be viewed here on the website of the SPSG. Then there's two articles about him and his court in "Homosexualität am Hof. Praktiken und Diskurse vom Mittelalter bis heute", published by Domeier and Mühling, which also has other interesting articles. The latter is pretty new, so your friend could probably use it for source mining and go from there.

I would say that when talking about Fritz's queerness it is also worth looking into his brother Henry's queerness. There's a biography about him, "Prinz Heinrich von Preußen" by Eva Ziebura, and an exhibition catalogue entitled "Prinz Heinrich von Preussen. Ein Europäer in Rheinsberg". And for petty gay drama and yearning I recommend "Die Tagebücher des Grafen Lehndorf" because Lehndorf is hilarious to read and very in love with Henry.

I am answering this on my phone while doing other things, so if any of the usual people of this niche have more to add, please feel free to do so!

Frohes Schaffen! :D

[ifridiot]

I posted 8,089 times in 2022

70 posts created (1%)

8,019 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@wambin

@tabakabhangigkeit

@jawnwicks

@grassfire

@rainbow-smite

I tagged 442 of my posts in 2022

#tagged for me - 27 posts

#luce writes - 23 posts

#tyler bait - 13 posts

#frank castle - 10 posts

#uuu - 10 posts

#wade wilson - 10 posts

#cable - 9 posts

#nathan summers - 9 posts

#cablepool - 8 posts

#deadpool - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#or they tell you you're remembering your own life wrong because the story you tell 'couldn't have happened to a child that young'

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I believe with all my heart that he can do this

29 notes - Posted August 5, 2022

#4

For the mini fic: Cablepool, with the prompt 'noise'

Noise

There's a noise Cable makes when Wade does something just right, and call Wade a sucker, but he can't get enough of it.

It's not (shockingly) a sex thing. Or at least, not strictly. Wade can get Nate to make the sound when they're in bed (or on Nate's couch, or in the kitchen, or wherever else clothes happen to come off), but it's just as likely to happen elsewhere.

It's an approval sound, low and throaty, somewhere between a grunt and a hum. With Nate's growly Charlton Heston voice, it's a sexy sound, even when the moment isn't right for sexy things.

Just a little sound, soft even, but Wade loves it. He finds himself, on his best behaviour – or at least his most useful behaviour – going out of his way to make it happen.

39 notes - Posted July 31, 2022

#3

Cash-strapped sexy writer seeks YOUR wallet TODAY!

Home repairs are hell and I’m trying to get out from under a doozy of a bill I’ve had to put on credit. If I can pay my tab before April 30th 2023, I won't owe any interest, which would be rad. Unfortunately, disability pays like shit. SO.

Would you like to buy a series of commissions? Now's your chance. How about a backstory for your new OC? Wham. Want to read some niche porn? I've gotcha there too.

What’s on offer:

Original fiction (includes erotica) – 10c per word

Fanfiction (includes erotica) – 5c per word

Editing (fiction, non fiction, essays) – 5c per word

Copy writing for websites, flyers, etc. – 10c per word

I’m willing to write for basically any fandom, or even OCs if you provide me with character details. However, if you want me to do lots of research (watch a show, read a book, study a wiki about your obscure fave), I have to charge for my time.

Opening five slots a month, starting today!

OCTOBER

1. TAKEN

2.

3. 

4.

5.

Examples of my writing are HERE

Venmo (@Ifridiot) or PayPal accepted

GOAL: 000/ 375 month

TARGET AMOUNT: 1081/$3000 by April 2023

170 notes - Posted August 2, 2022

#2

Hey all, so I finally found a good therapist who doesn’t think that lupus can be cured with positive vibes and veggies, and although he’s only charging me 40$ a session, I’ve now got to find an extra $160 a month on top of the utilities, student loans and the other fun shit that I barely meet each month. I also need to get my cat groomed and vaccinated this or next month, which was planned for until the electric company decided to double my usual bill.

I’m a disabled trans writer. I write gay erotica, angst, and monster fucking, both in fanfic and original work. I’m willing to write for most any fandom, or even OCs if you can provide me with character and plot detail. However, if I’m being asked to do extensive research (watch a show, read a book, study a wiki about your obscure fave, learn the nuance of your OC), I will need to be compensated for time.

I’m doing at least 500 words per $12 spent. This means you are GUARANTEED 500 words, but likely will get something more like 750. The more money you spend, the more words I write you. Spend more, get more words, easy peasy. Max commission at this point is 5000 words guaranteed ($120).

 Please talk to me first before paying for a commission, in case what you want is something I can’t or won’t write. Hard no’s include but are not limited to: incest, bigoted anything (no racism, trans/homophobia, ableism), gratuitous violence against animals or minors, pedophilia.

Email me (fixyouupnice @ gmail) or send an ask to discuss what you’d like written.

I’m currently opening six (6) slots to start!

1. @eritela

2. @formlessvoidbeast

3. @eritela again

4.

5.

6.

If you can’t donate or don’t want to commission, please help by reblogging.

Paypal is HERE

Examples of my writing are HERE

UPDATE: the electric bill has been paid! I'm still working on the medical debt. Unfortunately, I just got stuck with another 500$ bill on top of the 230$ I owe for various blood tests and imaging stuff. Help is still very much needed and appreciated!

387/730$

407 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Nobody's stopping you from taking 4 tablespoons of butter, melting it in a pot, and adding two tablespoons of minced garlic. Nobody's stopping you from letting that garlic saute for like two minutes, or from then adding in two tablespoons of shaved parmesan. And nobody will stop you from stirring half a pound of al dented pasta into that buttery mess, cracking some pepper over it, and feasting on the garlicky spoils gained from such labours.

Nobody's stopping you. The cops can't even arrest you for it.

33,223 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[avese23]

if you spend hours of your life stalking some poor girl, accuse her of being an abuse victim with no evidence and knowing she wants nothing with this, then falsify 24 pages of “proof,” you are the creep. Go write a fucking book, it’s what I did if I had the creative energy to spit out that much fiction in so little time. It’s wild how the clearly twitter bullshit that has no founding in real life cases or the real people behind the screen is given so much weight irl (specifically in gen z spaces. People who regularly touch grass and/or don’t watch much YouTube don’t know enough to care. This is a very uniquely nerd problem where niche interests become far more mainstream than they meant to. Hence why I’m posting about this on tumblr the website with nerds and a slightly higher reading comprehension level than the rest of the internet. Twitter scared me far before it died)

it’s annoying feeling a pressure to not voice opinions when meeting new people who think they know something about a fan space you’re on because twitter decides mass opinion equates facts. And that young adults on the internet that twitter likes are “helpless babies who never lie or say anything offensive” but the young adults that they don’t like are irredeemable monsters who deserve to die a horrible death.

anywho I deleted a bunch of social media apps for the holiday season but couldn’t hold back from giving a quick desktop rant to the one place you can usually get away with uncensored language and having unique thoughts. No tags cuz I don’t want to come back to hate in January but if you know what this is about then hello nerd. Also don’t want to tag cuz the girl mentioned above is getting enough unwanted attention from people using her as a pawn in their drama

TL:DR If this upsets you please unfollow, we’re probably both sick of this drama tbh. I don’t understand why people get to so into hate trains when all it does is stifle joy and creativity from whole communities. Anywho gonna use my energies to write 24 pages of gay wlw fantasy adventure (if I manage that with my headache I will redownload tumblr to gush highkey)

[baegarrick]

idk if you've read/seen the book/movie but just... love, simon zukka au ?? sokka as simon and zuko as bram because blue spirit ( though if we r going for it personality-wise maybe switch their roles? idk ! ) — also in this one the friends are exponentially better

ok im so sorry I haven’t actually seen love, simon or read the book but.... I HAVE ACCESS TO WIKIPEDIA SO LETS GO

ok so I was considering Zuko as Simon bc of the musical thing/the loving parent (Iroh), the girl he sees Sokka (Bram) kiss is Suki.... but also bc I just love writing Zuko (maybe I’ll parse that out at the end)

BUT lets go with Sokka as Simon bc I also love writing the Gaang

Sokka is Simon

Katara is both Nora and Abby

Jet is Martin

Aang is Nick (but slightly also Abby)

Zuko is blue/Bram

Suki is Leah (but slightly also Nick)

Toph is Ethan (sorta)

Haru is Lyle

Ok so, obv this follows the plot of the movie/book. Sokka is a gay + closeted junior, not that his dad isn’t loving, but he’s in the military, and occasionally makes homophobic jokes, and Sokka feels like he has to be tough for him, esp. since his mom died. But he really likes making people laugh and so he joins the school musical, which is a comedy this year.

His best friend is Suki, who he’s known since he was a kid, but he’s kinda been withdrawing from her since he got to high school. He loves her, he really does, but everyone always thinks they’re dating, and it kinda makes him uncomfortable. He tried to like her, when they were younger, but he just... isn’t into girls. His friend group is Suki, Katara (his sister, and it was the two of them against the world since their mom died, but he’s pulled away from her too), Aang (a transfer freshman from out of state), and Toph (who spent up till 8th grade at a private school).

Also in the musical is Zuko, a hot senior who’s like.... super lofty. He gets really into theater, but he rarely interacts with people outside his friend group, like he’s better than them or something. (Mai and Ty Lee are also there, they’re Zuko’s friends.) Not in the musical, but in one of the other clubs Sokka is in, is Jet. He got kicked off the football team for being too rough with the other team last year, so he mostly just hangs out behind the bleachers smoking.

Sokka’s on the school’s tumblr one day (shut up, Katara, I don’t have a tumblr!!) when he sees someone posted an anonymous confession saying they’re gay but they really don’t have anyone they can talk to because of their family situation. Sokka gets their email (BlueSpirit) and start emailing (BoomerangDude) them for a couple of months. He learns that Blue’s family has really high expectations of him, and since he’s only a year away from college he can’t mess them up because if he does he’ll be cut off, and he can’t afford college if that happens. He’s got a sadistic little sister (who isn’t actually terrible, she’s just got her own shit going on, and if shoving Zuko in the warpath of their father takes the spotlight off of her, all the better) who would absolutely out him if she knew, a girl he’s pretty sure wants to date him (Mai), and an after-school job (the tea shop) thats cutting into his extra-curricular activities.

This is.... really similar to Sokka, actually, and he likes making Blue laugh (they switch to chatting online sometimes, like discord or some chat app), and Blue has a lot of insights on things Sokka likes (some of the same music,

Meanwhile, Sokka ends up going to this tea shop he heard about from Blue (it had been a slip, Zuko had NOT meant to say too many personal details, but he’d mentioned getting some kind of boba drink) and studying there with his friends. While he’s there, he’s surprised to see Zuko, who he’s never spoken to outside of the musical they’re working on!! (At some point, Zuko checks his phone and laughs, and Sokka’s like, oh no, I’m crushing on.... TWO DUDES???? BAD SOKKA). He starts to wonder if maybe.... Zuko is Blue?? it generally sorta fits, he knows Zuko is also a senior, and the tea shop Blue mentioned.... (to be fair, though, they see like three other kids from school there, so it’s not really a niche place)

Before Sokka can test out this theory, though, there’s a Halloween party which Sokka goes to with his friends. (They go as the Power Rangers.) He sees Zuko there (he’s in some some Kabuki costume), but with him is.... Mai from the play. They’re making out, and Sokka feels his stomach drop-- he’s not gay and Sokka’s crushing on a straight guy. He gets drunk. He throws up in the bushes outside, and Katara finds him, chews him out, and then sneaks him back home.

He emails Blue again, drunk, and says some stupid stuff like he wishes things were easier, and that he thought he knew who Blue was, but he didn’t. (Blue doesn’t reply.)

He’s checking his email on a school computer in the library when the bell rings, and he doesn’t log out properly, and Jet, who is skipping class, finds Sokka’s emails. He confronts Sokka about them, and says he won’t reveal Sokka’s secret... if Sokka helps Jet get with Sokka’s hot sister. Sokka hates the idea, but also, the idea of being outed is really terrifying. So he says yes, and tries to talk up Jet to Katara, who’s a little surprised bc while she thinks Jet is hot, Sokka was super against Jet whenever she mentioned it. Katara is involved in school politics, and convinces Jet to pretend to be interested to spend time with her. (he ends up running against her...)

Around Thanksgiving, with all their extended family there, ribbing him about getting a girlfriend (asking about Suki), Sokka leaves and goes to sit on the roof. Katara finds him there, and demands he spill whats up and why he’s acting so weird, especially about Suki. (she looks freaked out for a moment, and is like.... oh my god, sokka, is suki pregnant?????? sokka blanches at that) He admits he’s gay, and she hugs him, and they stay out there until their dad sticks his head out the window and calls them inside.

Feeling guilty about Jet, Sokka admits to Blue their emails might have been compromised. Blue starts to back away, taking longer and longer to answer emails.

At a football game, Sokka runs into Haru, who starts asking him stuff, and Sokka wonders if he’s Blue, but it turns out Haru is interested in Katara. Upset, again, that he doesn’t know who Blue is, he encourages Jet to “go big or go home”-- and so Jet asks Katara out by bribing the kid who does the scoreboard to switch out his campaign ad for asking Katara out. Katara is shocked, as she thought Jet was really interested in her campaign. She slaps him.

Mad that Katara wasn’t interested after all, and from the slap, Jet outs Sokka anyway, posting the emails on the school’s gossip site. Katara, who was mad at Sokka, instantly forgives him and is on a WARPATH against Jet, but Sokka just wants it left alone. Suki shows up a few hours later, and finds him on the roof. She admits that she had a crush on him, which was why she never said anything when people asked if they were a couple, but she knew Sokka wasn’t interested in her, so she never pushed it. She’s sorry she made it difficult for him to come out to her.

Blue is upset their emails have leaked, and deletes his account.

He comes out to his dad later, in the car, on the way to school on the last couple of days before winter break. His dad takes it well, and apologizes for all of the jokes he used to make-- it doesn’t make it right, but it was the kind of things he and the other soldiers used to say to each other. He ends up taking them to this tea shop he heard about (it’s Zuko’s/Iroh’s shop), and while there, he comes out to the owner of the shop, Iroh, as sort of..... practice. It’s liberating and also terrifying. Iroh is super cool about it, and tells them about his own son, who passed away a few years ago in an accident, was gay. It’s way later than Sokka thought, and when he looks up from the conversation with Iroh, Zuko’s standing in the doorway. not wanting to deal with people from school, Sokka leaves the tea shop without waiting for his dad to follow him.

The next couple of days at school are rough. His friends stick by his side, but Jet’s friends are obnoxious and loud, and Katara punches one of them. She goes to the school, but they’re eternally unhelpful bc.... what can tey do... its not a school website..... Later, Toph tells Sokka she’s a lesbian, and it’s not that she’s hiding it, but... it’s already tough enough when people treat her like she’s glass because she’s blind. They all go home for winter break, and when they come back, Sokka is refreshed and determined not to be put down by a couple of assholes.

He’s wildly surprised when Blue posts on the school’s tumblr that he wants to meet Sokka at the school’s carnival. This draws a crowd, which makes Sokka worried he’s gonna be pranked, but when he sits down on the Ferris wheel, he’s surprised that Zuko from the tea shop/musical sits down next to him.

Zuko says he’s sorry for ignoring Sokka’s emails, and he’s sorry that Sokka got outed to the school, and it wasn’t his fault that Sokka was blackmailed, and he should have reacted better to it. Sokka apologizes too, because Zuko shouldn’t have to be outed either, which... is why they’re here? Zuko blushes, and says he came out to his uncle, who’s letting him stay with him, since he’s tired of going home to his shitty dad, and that he might go live with his mom while he’s in college. He admits the Mai thing at the party was a drunken misunderstanding, and that he likes Sokka. He thinks he’s funny, and they like the same things (theater, music, strange taste in food...), and he’s hoping after this... Sokka might like him too? (they kiss on the Ferris wheel, and Katara takes like, 30 pictures.)

....

alternatively////

Zuko as Simon au-- bc I just wanted to write it out. he lives with his uncle, who’s the loving parent here, not Ozai!! (or his Mom/stepdad but I kinda forgot they existed for like 5 minutes)

Zuko is Simon

Katara is Abby (she’s his lab partner, and they have the same temperment)

Azula is Nora, but she doesn’t really play a big role (she’s an asshole, but also she’s 14 and is Going Through Things. she’s also in the closet and in love with Mai, but she doesn’t know it yet. it takes her a couple of years to figure that out.)

Mai is Leah

Aang is Martin (but less of an asshole. just the embarrassing + frustrated bits.)

Sokka is blue/Bram

Suki is the girl at the party Sokka kisses

Ty Lee is Ethan

---

I HOPE THIS WAS OK, like I said I haven’t actually seen the thing, but now I actually know what the plot is about!! <3333

[my-darling-boy]

hello! i really want to learn more about ww1, i saw 1917 and it sparked something in me and ww1 specifically seems so complex and interesting, but it is has a lotttt of information, do u have any advice for any specific things to read/learn about first? or should i just dive in head first and learn about random stuff?

Good question! Also, I’m REALLY happy 1917 is bringing in a lot of new people wanting to learn more about WWI!

The good news is I find WWI is a subject that naturally allows you to branch out your knowledge no matter where you start. My best tip for learning more about the history: start out with ANY area that interests you, find a fact about it, and see where it takes you! I guarantee you’ll start out just wanting to know a little more about food served in the trenches and by the end of the week, you’ll be chest deep in a million other things you got caught up in learning!

For example, one of the first things that got me interested in WWI was a memoir (which I HIGHLY recommend) by Vera Brittain: Testament of Youth. From there, I researched her brother, Captain Edward Brittain and stumbled upon the story of his death and his homosexuality. It led me to Geoffrey Thurlow, a friend he showed clear evidence of having been in love with, and then the changes in male affection during the 1900s. It led me to learn of the “Edwardian Period” and delve into the social, political, and aesthetic aspects of the era. I started watching WWI films, reading academic articles, buying books, and one piece of information led to the next!

If 1917 is what got you into this, that’s a good sign! Cos I bet you were just as hurt as I was seeing depictions of that tragedy and were moved by that heartbreak! But while you’re learning about uniforms and trench foot and so on, I think a good chunk of time should also be dedicated to understanding why it’s simultaneously important to be critical of the war, and understand more about why people were very critical of it at the time, and the lasting impact it had on soldiers all the way up to young people today because it’s a HUGE theme throughout the conflict. I do a much more eloquent job explaining it in an ask someone sent me about my interest in studying, but like I said, VERY important to understand the extent of its effects and how what happened catalysed the modern lust for violence, and why a lot of mainstream remembrance efforts today end up exploiting this tragedy for nationalist-like agendas

I will say, even though it’s not filled with as many Insufferable White Boys as the ones found lurking in WWII forums, it’s war, so you still get your fair share of nationalist, white supremacist, imperialist, pro-war, sexist/misogynist pricks, so please do research with discretion and try to avoid these people (i.e. don’t even look at the comment sections on some websites) and watch out for those boasting about how “honourable” it is for boys to have joined up and died for their country at 15 and that there is something “glorious” to be had in war (because is the biggest lie men have invented for themselves and perpetuate the bs well into the 21st century unfortunately)

Some classic things I recommend reading/watching because they got me started on bits of my own research over time and one of them might be of some interest to you:

Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain (Book)

This true memoir details how the war affected a young British university student and how the tragedies she witnessed led her to become a VAD nurse, feminist, and pacifist. If you are a more visual learner, it was made into a beautifully shot 2014 film (obviously with some inaccuracies and omitted details) and a more in depth BBC miniseries available for free on YouTube. You may also enjoy the books “Letters From a Lost Generation”, “Because You Died”, and “Vera Brittain and the First World War” which give even more information about the Brittains and the war written by the family’s historian

The Christmas Truce commercial everyone still cries over (video)

It’s a couple minutes long, perfectly sums up what draws me to keep studying the war and my love for learning about the unique changes in human connection during the war

All Quiet in the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (Book)

Another classic example of anti-war literature a lot of people start out by reading from a German perspective. You can also watch the 1930 film adaptation of the book if you would like a visual (even if it has American actors)

They Shall Not Grow Old (Film)

AMAZING first hand accounts and original newly remastered footage from the First World War. It’s arguably neautral in its stance on various factors on the war, but it does a tremendous job showing what life was like at the front and giving voices to the soldiers that lived through it to share their stories.

Oh What a Lovely War! (Film)

Another solid (and entertaining) example of media showing high criticism for the war. This film was revolutionary for its time after roughly 50 years of societal silence about the consequences and negative impacts of WWI. It is incredibly condescending and an absolute anti-war gem

Great War Tommy: the British Soldier 1914-18 (Book)

If you’re a visual learner like me and want information about the kit of a British soldier and drill among other kit care details with LOTS of photos, this a GREAT book

British Uniforms and Equipment of the First World War (Book)

Like the above but has a VERY extensive library of photos for uniforms and equipment, and even shows niche patches and what some uniforms look like inside-out! It’s available for download through MLRS Books online

Valiant Hearts (Game)

From the French perspective. Very heartbreaking game about a French soldier produced in a very unique art style and has a wonderful soundtrack. Great if you like causal, story rich games

11:11 Memories Retold (Game)

This very artistic, stylised game tells the story of a Canadian photographer hired to take photos during the war as well as a German soldier looking for his son at the front. Again, superb soundtrack, and excellent if you love causal, story rich games

Shepard’s War, by James Campbell (Book)

A lovely compilation of original artwork and biographical details about E. H. Shepard during his time as an officer in WWI. If you don’t know, Shepard is the illustrator for Winnie the Pooh! Very intriguing to see his depictions of WWI soldiers as someone who was responsible for a childhood classic

Journey’s End, by R. C. Sherriff (Play)

This play tells the story of a trio of British officers on the frontline and how the effects of shellshock has greatly impacted one of the main characters. It was also made into a film in 2018 staring Asa Butterfield, Sam Claflin, and Paul Bettany

Not About Heroes, by Stephen MacDonald (Play)

A play which tells about the gay friendship between wartime poets and officers Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen

Blackadder: Blackadder Goes Forth (Show)

You might have grown up watching reruns of this show already, but in case you haven’t, it’s the fourth series of the BBC historical comedy show Blackadder and is about as condescending as Oh What a Lovely War, but much less Heavy, aside from the last episode that is. I’ve learned it’s kind of a staple in references made by some reenactment groups :P

YouTube also has TONS of WWI documentaries from every subject under the sun, ranging anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours. Obviously it will be a little harder to tell if the information given is without bias, misinformation, or has questionable undertones, but it’s usually a good way to teach yourself how to always be critical of any information you take in, and also a low-maitence way to keep learning. I find it’s nice to keep a balance between informative non-fiction and historical fiction when doing WWI research to keep variation in my study and also to test my ability to tell apart inaccuracies, or just to take a break from the crushing reality of it all!

In conclusion, the answer is jump right in! You’ll learn the ins and outs of WWI research as you go along! The more you learn, the more you’ll get the hang of it!

Happy researching!

[romewritingshop]

Wake up Parker! Chapter 2: The Deal

Relationship: Peter Parker x Tall Older Reader (Peter is 22 and Reader is 26/27)

Warnings: Mention of sex

Word Count Total: 2136 (This Chapter)

Summary: Peter Parker is a student in the city of Brooklyn. He’s lazy, spoilt and he procrastinates a lot. He meets a woman named (Y/N), She’s recently moved to Brooklyn for an independent life. Something Peter is fascinated by. Over the course of a few months, Peter needs to realise that he has to grow up and become responsible for his life.

Tagged: @bggerbtch​

WAKE UP PARKER! MASTERLIST

After the long day of partying with friends, Peter came home six in the morning. Falling right asleep for several hours before waking up around four in the afternoon to mess around in his room. Uploading the photos of his day out and picking the best ones to save on his laptop. He changed his shirt into another print shirt with an Iron Man mask on the front. A tall woman with vibrant orange hair stepped into the room, with a resigned look on her face. Mrs Pepper Stark.

She was dressed in a simple white sweater and blue denim jeans. Taking in the jungle that is Peter's room. She stepped over the possible dirty clothes and dropped herself down beside Peter. Who was laying on his front, with his laptop in front and simply staring at the screen. Pepper cared for Peter more than she would like to admit. Sure, Morgan was her actual daughter, but her heart always went out for Peter.

Pepper smiled and gently rubbed Peter's shoulder, noticing a smiling picture of Peter and his friends. She recognised one of them "That's Ned, isn't it?"

Peter simply hummed and asked a different question "Why don't you knock?"

"It's because we have a cool open relationship."

Peter simply rolled his eyes. "What is it, Mrs. Stark?"

"I came to see you. Check how you've been because you're always busy with friends and college. It's been a while since we've sat down together."

"I'm fine."

Pepper pursed her lips and glanced around uncomfortably. She really did try to relate to Peter on his level but she couldn't seem to get through to him well enough. She decided to change the subject, remembering Peter's exam.

"How was your exam yesterday, Pete?"

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

Peter hummed in agreement, not really paying attention to Mrs. Stark. Peter wanted to be alone right now and Mrs. Stark was just not getting the hint. Pepper stood up and started picking up the clothes off the floor, tossing most of them into the straw hamper by Peter's desk table.

"Just know Peter, Tony and I are so proud of you. Your Aunt would be proud that you're a graduate now." No response from Peter. "So I guess now is a good time to learn some organization Peter. Start folding some clothes. Clean clothes in the wardrobe and dirty ones in the hamper by your desk drawer."

She turned to see Peter hadn't moved from his place.

"Come on, Peter."

"I'll do it later, Mrs. Stark."

Pepper noticed a tray of dirty dishes on the dresser opposite his bed. She rolled her eyes and stepped to the tray, now slightly irked from Peter's habits. "Peter. Every time you bring food to your room, can you please take the tray back down to the kitchen? You could get ants if you leave dishes like this."

Peter was starting to feel irritated by Mrs. Stark's constant nagging. He was a fully grown adult and Mrs. Stark shouldn't have to keep treating him like a child. Though he remained patient, knowing that if he retaliated, the situation would unnecessarily escalate. Pepper went forward to Peter's wardrobe and slid the door open. Sighing at the many printed t-shirts that Peter had.

"Another thing Peter. I do like your t-shirts but maybe you could start wearing button shirts and cardigans. You'll look much smarter and I heard this saying from a movie: 'Clothes maketh a man.' Or was it manners?"

Peter heavily huffed and turned to face Mrs. Stark.

"It's manners! And leave my clothes alone! I said, I'd sort it out!"

Pepper's shoulders dropped slightly as she gave a dejected nod towards Peter. Walking to the straw hamper and picking up the bin to pin between her hips to take it down to the washing machine. Peter watched Mrs Stark's shoulders sag as she picked up the straw hamper beside his bedside table. Peter felt a little guilty and understood she only meant well. Peter closes his laptop and stands up. Grabbing the tray of dirty dishes.

"Mrs. Stark, I didn't mean to shout at you. It was a long day yesterday. I'll help you take this tray down."

Peter hoped that was a good enough excuse and it seemed to work. Pepper smiled and knew Peter didn't mean to be angry. Sure the excuse of yesterday was bullshit but she let it go, knowing Peter felt guilty for his actions. She rubbed his left shoulder and gave a short nod.

"Sure. I want to ask: Will you eat dinner with us? I’m making your favourites: Larb, Tom Kha Gai and Sticky Rice Pudding."

Peter gave a smile, agreeing to Mrs. Stark's invitation for dinner. Pepper held the door open for Peter, letting him walk through followed by her as they both made their way to the kitchen. After Peter dumped the dishes in the sink, he sat down at the dining table next to Morgan who was doing maths homework. Going on his phone to look at the latest car models.

"Peter, can you help me with this question?"

"In a minute."

As he swiped through the website, his eyes stopped at the one. That car. It was beautiful. A tall smooth curve roof and elongated body. A nice shade of black and it was electric. A wide front and lots of space in the boot of the car. This is the car. The Mercedes - Benz EQC. It had style and sophistication and it was totally Peter’s style.

“I’m home!”

Peter knew just who to ask as Peter turned to the direction of the voice. Mr. Tony Stark. Trim styled beard and grey pinstripe suit with a bright colourful picasso artistic tie. Peter’s adopted father. He was good friends with May and when May passed away, she handed Peter to Tony’s care when Peter was nine. Mr. Stark was awesome for the most part. Although, recently Mr. Stark has really been bugging Peter to join the business. Hopefully today’s not the day.

Pepper steps away from the kitchen and towards Tony, who was standing in the doorway between the hallway and the kitchen/dining room. Morgan jumps up and goes to hug Tony, who placed his briefcase down and engulfs Morgan into a hug. Pepper and Tony share a quick kiss and Morgan leads Tony to sit next to her at the head of the table. Pepper heads back to the kitchen to finish off dinner, watching the family converse about their day. Peter also gives a small quick greeting to Mr. Stark but Tony rolls his eyes. 

“So Maguna, how was your day today?”

“Awesome! Miss. Cho loved my science project and thinks I should enter it into the Junior’s National Science Fair.”

“That’s great Maguna, I told you if you kept at it you’d have a badass project.”

“Then my day got bad because Mr. Russo gave me difficult maths homework.” 

“Well, I’m sure he gave it to help you. Did you ask for help?”

“I asked Peter, but he’s too busy on his phone.”

Peter stopped swiping on his phone at the mention of his name. Leave it to Morgan to expose Peter to Mr. Stark like that but Peter glanced up and defended himself. 

“I said I’d help in a minute. Was just looking at something.”

“And what was so interesting that you couldn’t spare a minute to help Morgan with her maths homework?”

Pepper called out to Tony in a warning tone. Peter showed the screen of the car to Tony.

“The new Mercedes Benz Electric car.”

“Okay. So what do you want me to do with this?”

“It looks awesome, doesn’t it?”

Pepper smiles knowingly at Peter’s sales pitch. She was starting the prep work for Larb by chopping up the veg. Even Tony knows where Peter was trying to go with this car. He and Pepper shared a glance before Tony decided to say.

“It does look awesome, Peter. That also reminds me, college is finished right?”

“Yeah?”

 “So you’re a free agent and you don't have classes to skip anymore?”

“Where are you going with this, Mr. Stark?”

Tony turned to glance at Pepper, who shook her head. She was not going to help Tony with this conversation. Tony started it and he should finish it. Tony sighed. He didn’t want to have to spell it out to Parker but luckily he had one person that could help him.

“Maguna, you wanna help out Peter?”

Morgan gave a nod, having already figured out what her dad was trying to tell Peter. Morgan was a smart kid. She took after her dad and grandad.

“Dad is saying that you should join the office.”

Tony smiled and patted Morgan’s head.

“Exactly. Maguna, you just earned yourself a popsicle.”

Peter frowned at this team up. The office. Peter had a feeling that one day, Mr. Stark would ask him to join the office. Although he didn’t expect that the day would be today. Peter was not ready.

“Mr. Stark, the office?”

“You’ve finished with college right?”

“Yeah but -”

“Then till you get your exam results, you’ll be working in the office.”

“But Mr. Stark, what am I going to do there?”

“Work, what else?”

“But Mr. Stark, your company makes security alarms. 'Stark Security'. It's just - it's so not my thing!”

“Not your thing? Peter, our company ensures clients are safe and secure in their homes. Sure the name isn’t creative but I’m sure with you on board, you’ll make us relevant with the times. We are close to developing an AI security system that could keep you safe and help you with your daily chores. Law enforcement recommend having our security system. Peter, you could find your niche here.”

“Mr. Stark. No! No! No way! I'm not joining the office! I’m sure you mean well but … no!”

Peter got up and was heading upstairs when Mr. Stark upped the ante. Tony knew the best way to get Peter to agree. Sure it was a little sneaky but it would definitely be an encouraging start to get Peter to be serious about life.

“Ok then. The more I think about it, the more I realise that the car you were showing me is actually awesome. You know what would make it even better. If that car was sitting in our garage.”

Peter stopped in the doorway and slowly turned to Mr. Stark who had a smug smile on his face. Surely he wasn’t serious. Morgan and Pepper watched the conversation carefully. Pepper shook her head at Tony’s bribery and knew it wasn’t the right way. Peter slowly walked back and stood opposite to Mr. Stark.

“You're not serious? Are you?”

Mr Stark gave a nod and began the bargaining.

“Just work at the office for six months. The car is yours.”

“Six months? That's so long! Fifteen days.”

“Do I look like an idiot? Maguna, help me out here.”

Morgan gave a nod and stepped in for her dad.

“Ninety days. It’s better than working a year for that car.”

“Twenty days.”

Mr Stark rolled his eyes and reduced the amount. “Minimum sixty days.”

“No more than thirty days.”

Morgan tapped her Dad’s arm, nodding at that offer. Tony creased his eyebrows and Morgan gave a bright smile. That was the offer to take. Thirty days would definitely make/break Peter. Tony gave a nod, agreeing with his negotiating daughter.

“My legal advisor, Maguna has spoken to me and thinks thirty days is enough and no less. You can start work tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“The sooner you start work, the quicker you get the car, right?”

Peter had a smile and shook Tony’s outstretched hand. A new car. Thirty days will go by quickly and Peter will have a new car. He can do this. Hang on! Peter frowned as he watched Tony help Morgan with her homework. Pepper was stirring a big pot of food in the kitchen as Peter sat back in his chair. Something was up.

“Mr. Stark, this is a test right?”

“What do you mean, Peter?”

“A Mercedes for a month's work?”

“You’re joining my office. That's the biggest deal. That and you’ll finally get serious about what you want to do in life.”

A twinkle sound rings as Peter checks his phone, to see a text message from his friends. They were waiting for him outside. Crap! Peter forgot he had to go to Wanda’s stupid college farewell party. At that moment, Pepper called Morgan and Mr. Stark to help set the table when Peter ran up to grab his rucksack. He trudged down the stairs and was about to go through the front door when Pepper called out to him.

“Peter!”

“Mrs. Stark. I’m so sorry. I completely forgot there’s a college farewell party that my friends want to go to.”

“But Larb?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Stark. Today’s my last night of freedom before I join the office tomorrow. Please.”

Pepper’s face softened at Peter’s face. She gave a nod and Peter smiled. Rushing out the door and calling out a ‘goodbye’ to the Starks’. Pepper closes the front door and heads back to the dining table as she watches Tony and Morgan chow down on the Tom Kha Gai and Larb.

“You really think he’ll work for thirty days?”

Tony gave a nod and took a spoonful of rice and curry. Swallowing it and answering Pepper’s concern.

“I expect he’ll realise he needs to get serious about life. This is the only way he’ll realise that he needs to work hard for money.”

Pepper gave a nod and sat to the right of Tony and served herself so Tom Kha Gai and rice. Eating happily along with Morgan and Tony.

CHAPTER 3: MEETING INDEPENDENCE

[firstginger]

I'm not familiar with this website, sorry. I feel like I'm barging onto a stage mid-concert. I'm asking for daemon form suggestions. My daemon's name is Paskel, rhymes with rascal. I'm introverted. I enjoy spending time with people I trust because I can act naturally. The general human population confuses me, and it takes energy to make sure all my words and actions won't be taken as being overly blunt. I'm creative. I like to come up with stories and draw. 1/4

I can come up with outside the box solutions to problems. I'm curious. I like knowing how things work. I detest being given "just because" as an answer. Everything has a reason behind it and it's so much easier for me to understand things if I know why it is that way. I'm loyal to my friends and parents. I'm not good at making new friends so I'm rather determined to keep the ones I have. Losing everyone and being completely alone is a worst-case scenario for me. 2/4

I'm passive. I don't like people looking at me and I don't stick my neck out unless it directly affects me or someone I care about. I have no problem letting other people make most of the decisions. Humor is my defense mechanism. You can bet I'm always the one cracking a joke in the middle of a depressing conversation or if I'm embarrassed. My Myers-Briggs type is solidly INTP-T. On Enneagram, I 98% match with type 5 and 95% match with type 9. I'm looking for a starting point 3/4

whether that's a specific species or not. Only preference is that I'm scared of house cats and bees and I'd rather not have one in my mind. Also I have a few questions about daemon gender. Is it something that will settle with time? Does it mean anything? Right now Paskel is male, but sometimes he's female and sometimes he doesn't have a gender. I'm a trans guy and I'm not sure if that's affecting it. Thank you so much for any help you can give. 4/4

you sound incredibly INTP! between enneagram 9 and 5 (9s often misidentify themselves as 5s too, i think less so than vice versa?), think primarily about level of detail: enneagram 5s are detail-oriented and become very focused on the thing that interests them, while enneagram 9s, while still profound, are typically more imaginative, idealistic, and generalists. they’re less focused on consequences and tend to be more nonjudgmental than 5s. in short, enneagram 9 is the dreamer while enneagram 5 is the pragmatist.

with your daemon’s gender, honestly i toss that out the window. the source material was written with little consideration for gender theory and some indication that gay people would have a same-sex daemon. this of course introduces questions about bi and pansexuality, and moreover if someone is trans does their daemon transition, or if they’re agender or genderfluid what does that mean for their daemon’s gender. in short i find the opposite sex thing to be a bit archaic and for people to just call their daemon whatever gender they want! they’re manifestations of the soul after all, and can really go by whatever pronouns you feel is good for them.

when we’re talking about human social behavior, i tend to think it’s more relevant to know how much one depends on their friends versus whether one has friends (not having any social support in humans is very detrimental and i would argue a sign of an unhealthy individual; it would really skew typing to only type unhealthily isolated people as extremely solitary animals). you say you’re loyal to your friends, but do you find yourself in frequent need of their company, emotional support, or physical support? do you do most of your projects independently, or do you appreciate assistance or need encouragement to see things through?

i think eupleridaes strike a good balance between your introversion and passivity, and your social tolerance and loyalty. in particular i was looking at species such as the ring-tailed mongoose, malagasy civet, and grandidier's mongoose. all of these species are going to be socially tolerant and attached to a specific group, but have a need to recharge alone. they’re all solitary hunters, which i would expect indicates that you have a private inner world and most prefer pursuing your goals alone. guarded and polite people, definitely more passive and not prone to conflict. considering they all have a very restricted habitat, i’d consider all of these species more habitual and not inclined towards change or spontaneity. in a few short words, the ring-tailed mongoose would be a capable and efficient person within their niche, humorous and playful, and happy to be together with others or alone; the malagasy civet would be more introverted but still passive and polite, a private person who plans ahead; and the grandidier’s mongoose someone who is intensely loyal, and more interested in new experiences and capable of being adaptable so long as they have their companions.

as far as birds go, i was thinking that frogmouths might be a good option for you. these species are going to be intensely loyal to their loved ones, but not so much interested in making new friends and have boundaries they don’t like strangers to cross. very and patient people, not terribly ambitious and prefer to let opportunities come to them. so, so dedicated and caring to their friends and family; they get expressive around those they love, while they tend to be quiet otherwise. the tawny frogmouth is going to be pretty stereotypical of this; the marbled frogmouth more shy, private, and conflict-averse; and the sri lanka frogmouth very passive, avoids attention, and often can be doormattish.

you said you were scared of house cats so i won’t go into too much detail in this section unless requested, but i could also see some smaller and more social breeds of felinaes for you... though usually i’d associate them more with INTJ, in particular i was thinking the jaguarundi (socially tolerant but also retains an essential degree of privacy, very passive and unassertive and tactful, cautious and intuitive and looks before they leap). the serval also came to mind, but i think is too private and not loyal enough for you.

and finally, if you’re open to an unconventional daemon, i just have to suggest the seahorse. these people would live very much in their own heads but like to be around those they’re close to, are generally very easy-going and cooperative, and tend to be rather passive people who are just happy to go with the flow and do what the group wants. ultimately very socially aware and group-bonding, but not pushy and tend to be on the anxious side. incredibly observant, watchful, and good at planning ahead and being opportune, but not the type to be spontaneous at all. they come in a delightful array of species with small distinctions, such as the lined seahorse being someone more adaptable, and the cape seahorse being someone much more shy.

[freedom-of-fanfic]

how web 2.0 (and especially tumblr) is ruining fandom

there's so much to tell about this subject that I might add more to some points on subsequent posts.

everything in the below post is from observation and reading about the experiences of others on web 2.0. please feel free to add anything you feel is necessary.

(socmed = social media in shorthand.)

What even is web 2.0?

Web 1.0: web model where dotcoms generated their own content and presented it to users for free, depending on advertisers for their income. 'social media' mostly made up of mailing lists and forums on these content-oriented sites. collapsed because ad revenue wasn't sufficient to support site maintainance costs.

Web 2.0: web model where dotcoms create a free space for users to generate their own content, depending on advertisers for their income. these sites define social media today. likely to collapse because ad revenue still isn't sufficient to support site maintainance costs (even after shucking the cost of paying content creators).

(if you want to read more about how ad revenue is the social media Achilles Heel, check this link out: Why Monetizing Social Media Through Advertising Is Doomed To Failure.)

What makes Web 2.0 social media so much worse than web 1.0?

mostly: web 2.0 socmed exacerbates the pre-existing conflict of interest between users and site owners: site owners need ads. Users want to avoid ads.

With web 1.0, users were attracted by site-created content that had to appeal to them: users were the clients and advertisers were the sponsors. (Forum interaction was a side offering. sites dedicated to user interaction were small, scattered, and supported by banner ads.)

Web 2.0 socmed strips users of client status entirely; the content we generate (for free!) and our eyes/eyes we attract to the site are products the site owner sells to the actual site client: advertisers.

early web 2.0 social media sites (livejournal, myspace) used hybridization to pay site costs - users could buy paid accounts or extra blog perks. they also had privacy/limited-spread sharing functions and closed communities, which still 'exist' but with limited capabilities on current socmed sites.  privacy, it seems, isn't very profitable.

now web 2.0 is geared towards spreading content as far as possible - and further if you'll choke up a little cash to grease the algorithms. ;)

--

Web 1.0 had its fair share of problems. Web 2.0 generated new ones:

following people instead of joining communities based on interests has negative emotional and social implications

social media sites benefit from knocking down privacy walls. Maximizing content spread and minimizing blocking/blacklisting capabilities benefits advertisers - the true clients of websites.

social media sites benefit from eroding online anonymity. they track user site interaction, searches, and more to precisely target their ads at your interests (unless you deliberately turn it off). tracking data can endanger anonymity and make doxxing easier.

social media sites benefit from conflict. Conflict generates user response much more effectively than harmony/peace. More user interaction means more eyes on ads, increasing ad space value.

social media sites are therefore deincentivized to address abuse reports, increase moderation, improve blacklisting tools, or offer privacy options. and there's nothing you can do about it because

there's nowhere different to go. it's difficult to compete with existing social media sites as a startup. to draw social media users, a newcomer must offer something bigger, better, and equally free*, and offering any of this on startup capital is ... unlikely, at best.

*'I'd move if they just had privacy features!' the joke is: any successful socmed site that starts with privacy features will have a hard time keeping them down the road under the present profit model. they will be forced to cater to their advertisers if they want to keep afloat.

--

how does the structure of web 2.0 socmed harm fandom?

in aggregate: it forces fandom[$], a diverse space where people go to indulge niche interests and specific tastes, into overexposure to outsiders and to one another, and exacerbates the situation by removing all semi-private interaction spaces, all moderation tools, all content-limiting tools, and all abuse protection.

The result is that fandom on web 2.0 - tumblr in particular - is overrun with widespread misinformation, black & white reasoning obliterating nuanced debates, mob rule and shame culture as substitutes for moderation features, fear of dissent and oversensitivity to disagreement, hatedoms and anti- communities, and large/expanding pockets of extremist echo chambers that have no reality check to protect those trapped inside.

to be more specific:

moderated communities were replaced by following unmoderated tags, directly leading to and encouraging the creation of hate spaces - ‘don’t tag your hate’ leads to negativity-specific tags that could themselves be followed, forming a foundation for anti- communities to develop from

no privacy, minimal blacklisting options, poor blocking tools, lack of oversight, lack of meaningful consequences for TOS violations = 'fandom police'/vigilanteism (attempts to assert authority over others without actually having that authority) - some people react to the inability to get away from content that they hate by trying to force that content to stop existing entirely. without actual moderating authority, they accomplish this by social pressure, intimidation, and shame tactics.

the people-following structure of web 2.0 is fundamentally incompatible with web 2.0 reshare functions and search engines. content posted on a personal blog is rarely intended to stand alone because people who follow the blog presumably see all the blog’s content in an ongoing stream. but reshare functions and search results separate the content from the context in which is was presented, causing misunderstandings and strife. (for site owners, the strife is a feature, not a bug.)

following people instead of joining communities based on a shared interest creates social stress - following/unfollowing an individual has more social & emotional implications than joining/leaving interest communities

Unmoderated conflict is polarizing. Web 2.0 specializes in causing unmoderated conflict. - exacerbated by the depersonalizing effect of not being able to see or hear other users, conflict in the unmoderated spaces on web 2.0 social media quickly devolves into extremism and nastiness. web 2.0 socmed structure even eggs the conflict on: people are more likely to interact with content that makes them angry (’someone is wrong on the internet!’ effect), which shares the content with more users, which makes them angry, so they interact (and on, and on).

The extreme antagonism generated by web 2.0 socmed creates echo chambers - the aggregate effect of unmoderated conflict is that the most extreme and polarizing content gets spread around the most. polarizing content doesn’t tend to convince people to change their minds, but rather entrenches them further in their ideas and undermines the credit of opposing points of view. it also increases sensitivity to dissent and drives people closer to those who share their opinions, creating echo chambers of agreement.

reacting to content that enrages you increases the chances of encountering it again because algorithms - social media site algorithms are generally designed to bring users more of the content they interact with the most because they want more site interaction to happen. if you interact with posts that make you mad, you’ll get more recs related to content that makes you mad.

everyone has an opinion to share and everyone's opinion has to be reshared: reactionary blogging as a group solidarity exercise. when something notable happens and everybody has to share their reaction on social media, the reaction itself becomes an emotional and social experience, sometimes overwhelming and damaging.

when the reaction is righteous anger that everyone can reaffirm in one another, it creates an addictive emotional high. one way to reproduce it? find more enraging content to be mad about (and web 2.0 is happy to bring it to you).

It's easy to spread misinformation (and hard to correct it) - no modern social media site offers ways to edit content and have that edit affect all reshares. Corrections can only reach fractions of the original audience of a misleading viral post.

web 2.0 social media discourages leaving the site with new content notifications and by lacking tools that keep your ‘place’ on your dash, deincentivizing verification checks before resharing content.

web 2.0's viral qualities + misinformation machine + rage as a social bonding experience = shame culture and fear of being 'next' (tumblr bonus: no time stamps and everything you post is eternal) - when offending content is spread virally, each individual reaction may have proportion to the original offense, but the combined response is overwhelming and punishing. many people feel the right to have their anger heard and felt by the offender, resulting in a dogpile effect. fear of inciting this kind of widespread negative reaction depresses creativity and the willingness to take risks with shared content or fanworks.

absolute democracy of information & misinformation plus too much available information leads to uncertainty of who/what is trustworthy and encourages equating feelings to facts - social media doesn’t give content increased spread and weight based on its truthfulness or the credibility of the OP. misinformation is as likely to spread as truth, and the sheer amount of available information - conflicting or not - on the web is overwhelming. when fact-checking, it’s hard to know who to trust, who is twisting the facts, or who is simply looking at the same fact from a different viewpoint. information moves so fast it’s hard to know what ‘fact’ will be debunked by new information tomorrow. People give up; they decide the truth is unknowable, or they go with what ‘feels’ right, out of sheer exhaustion.

information fatigue caused by web 2.0 makes black & white thinking look attractive - conflict and polarization and partisanship erodes communication to the point that opposing points of view no longer even use language the same way, much less can reach a compromise. the wildly different reference points for looking at the same issue makes it difficult to even know what the middle ground is. from an outside point of view this makes everyone on both sides seem untrustworthy and distances the objective truth from everyone even more.

it's easy to radicalize people who are looking for someone or something to trust/are tired of being uncertain - information fatigue leads to people just wanting to be told what to think. who’s good and who’s bad? whose fault is this? and don’t worry - lots of people are ready to jump in and tell you what to think and who to blame.

everyone is only 2 seconds away from being doxxed: our anonymity on the net is paper-thin thanks to web 2.0 - before facebook encouraged using our real names and the gradual aggregation of most people to a few major socmed sites, anonymity was easier to maintain. now we have long internet histories with consistent usernames and sites that track everything we do to improve ad targeting. anyone with minimal hacking knowledge could doxx the large majority of socmed users. 

and all it takes is one poorly-worded, virally spread tweet to send the whole of twitter after you with pitchforks.

[$] using the vld discourse survey as a reference, fandom is (probably) largely neurodivergent, largely queer/lesbian/gay/bi/pan/not straight, has many non-cis and/or afab members, and around 20% are abuse survivors/victims. fandom is a space we made for ourselves to cater to the interests we have in common with each other but mainstream society doesn’t often acknowledge. 

[jemandrr]

Thoughts on the NSFW Purge

So, like, I’m nobody and my thoughts are unorganized, but hey, it’s my opinion time.

First of all, I don’t consider the concept of sexuality to be inherently corrosive, including for minors.  I can’t personally draw a line that defines what age someone is suddenly ready to explore their sexuality.  It’s probably a futile endeavor, to be honest, and there’s always drawbacks to any way you could handle it: If the parent controls it, then they could groom their child, oversight of any kind really could facilitate forced out-ing, etc. (Though, sex is not the only kind of abuse that can be harmfully ideologically groomed for by an adult who can control what media their child has access to...).  And no matter what, kids find porn.  It’s basically an open secret.  Adults’ job is not to enable it, is all.  When I was 11, like half the dudes in my grade talked about it at some time or another. 

It’s a complicated subject and it isn’t tumblr’s job to navigate that, as the laws are what dictate that.  I didn’t go into that to say there was an easy answer.  It’s just relevant.  For someone whose value system considers keeping porn out of the hands of kids to be of paramount moral importance in order to keep the chaste purity of the generation that will guide the future, or something like that (i suspect they don’t actually think that far ahead, reacting simply to the negative stimuli rather than any particular consequence), then I can see why they’d consider this a move worth making moralistically.  I don’t believe in that consequence, and I don’t consider porn (or porn-adjacent content, given the restrictions) to be a negative stimulus, so that tells you a bit about how I weigh the situation.

And on that, I want to note that economics are not on my mind.  Verizon will act on money.  That’s not something I’m equipped to argue with.  I don’t care or know, and I have no idea if they’re financially in the right.  But plenty of people agree with the move, or are only bothered by the side effects and juxtaposed inactions (Which isn’t to say that I disagree with these latter two points, nor that there aren’t people who use them to support beliefs similar to mine).  I may infinitely begrudge Verizon, but my quarrel is with those people, who are moralistically opposed to me.  Verizon has no beliefs, so there’s no point arguing with them on that axis.

So there’s a couple points that I want to add/complicate on top of the more popularly discussed narratives, which I’ll do in whatever order.

The first of which is the relatively underwhelming presentation of most tumblr blogs.  Blogs aren’t designed to shower you in content; as each element is curated, there’s generally more focus on individual posts than on other sites that allow nsfw.  On the creator side, that means posts are longer, images and videos are better supported, and both of these things tend to be expressed in preview without needing to open the post separately.  That’s a totally different user experience that also influences content creation/curation.  Other websites have different primary goals, which is why migration is both difficult and imperfect.  This general concept also applies to things like tags (which are used for a variety of things on tumblr.  The existence, implementation, AND COMMUNITY TREATMENT of tags on other sites are all different).  

These types of implementation details can change the tone of things a lot.  It can be a lot more personal, connecting you with a person and allowing you to see other things they’re interested in, or how they communicate with people.  Plenty of blogs with porn on them aren’t just porn blogs.  

There’s also massive interconnectedness due to reblogging.  And it’s not the same as having a video in your playlist that you saw in someone else’s, or retweeting.  There’s context and captions and the choices people make to add to, remove, or replace them.  It serves as an extremely easy way to find yourself in similarly-curated content, it gives you a better sense of how active a post is than a view count.  Its also harder to be a purely passive commenter.  It’s easier and more beneficial to like/reblog things you enjoy and incidentally create a porn side-blog if you already have an account, than it is to have a half-decent pornhub or twitter account.  In that way, you get more vectors of exploration and more curated content.  Sure, you might retweet all the porn you like, but it’s really not going to be the same for a user to navigate (though the vector of exploration aspect is there, sure).

Also, images and short clips just seem to flow through tumblr a lot more smoothly than the alternatives.  There’s also something to say about the centralization of videos and stuff.  If pornhub is working, then there’s one video, and you go there.  On Tumblr, you don’t *go* anywhere unless you want to.  

Next, Curation of sex content is super important.  I’ve yet to find twitter or pornhub accounts that approach it quite the same way, though I admit I haven’t looked too hard.  Anyways, tumblr porn blogs are generally suited to an individual’s taste (or an aspect of it).  This is actually super important.  As a byproduct, you can often avoid overexposure to the branches of even niche fetishes or focuses that you’re not into.  There’s a lot of often subtle variation in taste and extremism that is absolutely huge when navigating this.  Not just for sheer ease-of-fap-ness, but also in learning about what you’re into, what your limits are (and what they might be in real life, often different from what you’re capable of getting of to the idea of), etc.  Further, any minority or people into something niche (and harmless) has something to gain when it comes to representation and stuff.  I’ve found it very difficult to really find good content along specific lines on other platforms.  (Though I’ve already outed myself as a deviant, I ain’t giving examples).  And when I do, it tends to be super mixed in styles and extents.  

Now, in both of the above categories, I touched on exploration (both the ability to do it, and the enabling of a range of things to explore that can be meaningfully different).  And that’s, like, super super important and adjacent to the ultimate point I intended to come to.

And that’s (indirectly) because allowing pure porn to mix with casual subjects in the same platform makes a massive difference.  That’s the crux of it, to me.  The idea that you go to some sites for porn and some sites for memes and that there’s no point in intersection is what gets me the most.  That’s certainly a sustainable way of doing things, and most people probably get by in that manner.

But it absolutely affects peoples’ behavior on that platform in a unique manner.  Like...say what you will, but a forum where people can just argue while nudes are being posted along the same thread is fundamentally a different experience and you can totally expect that the topic and way the conversation goes will be influenced by that.  It’s a different type of being open, that influences behavior and interpersonal communication.  Talking to someone who knows what you’re into, even if you’re anonymous, is unique.  It’s a vector of understanding.

And this type of unique environment can be huge for communities centered around a sexual orientation.  Which is where my life comes in.  I’ve been on places that mixed politics, cute things, funny things, and gay sex for...a long time.  Longer than I was even aware I was gay.  (Not because I knew what being gay was and I was in denial, but because there was such a lack of narrative around homosexuality that even when I came across things that were explicitly gay, it never crossed my mind.  I also didn’t think of my life in straight terms either, really.  Though I had crushes, and urges, and looked at things, it took a long time for me to actually consciously realize that there was this part of my identity that..existed.)

I have no idea how long it would have taken me to realize, let alone explore, my identity without that kind of place.  It really helped a lot with learning how to process and express my sexuality and what that did and didn’t mean about the rest of my life.  I got to know a lot of people, learn a lot of things, hear about a lot of life experiences, good, bad, unverifiable.  Major influences, and I won’t pretend that often times these major influences were enabled because i was a horny teen with a crush or who had a particular interest in someone’s taste.  (Oh gods, I still hate the fact that I can now say teen entirely as a retrospective)

To some extent, what I know about boundaries and self control and respect and consent is because of overpursuing people (aka being a creep) and being shut down.  Part of the reason I prefer to be compassionate than cynical is because of interactions and stories that crop up because sex and sexuality often lead to very earnest conversations about the darker side of life.  I had and have no way to verify that other guys weren’t just, y’know, being overdramatic or ‘attention-seeking’ but it was conversations like that that made me realize i didn’t want to be the kind of person who overlooked these things if they were true.  And it was there I decided that even people who just want attention probably need it.  You see different sides of people in that kind of community.  I’m not saying anything in this paragraph is the only conclusion to the same situation, just that I question what opinions I would have without these experiences.  I regret that I have so little memory of a lot of these things that I know shaped me.

Exploring your sexuality is huge on its own, but the other opportunities to explore yourself that are opened up by being in a place where you can freely express and explore your sexuality.  That’s big too.  

And the place I had a majority of those kind of experiences, at some point years ago, got a separate channel to put nsfw.  And that just...was a fundamental change in the community.  Especially when old people left and new people came who hadn’t been socialized in the old ways.  It’s hard to succinctly describe, which is why I’ve simply said it’s unique so many times above, but things change a lot when you just put the nsfw elsewhere, even if you contact the same people between the nsfw and non-nsfw areas.  Not just in obvious ways, or even ways that really have a visible cause and effect.  But I’ve seen the shift a few times and I do believe it to be profound.

That’s the reason that I, someone who has never put anything visually sexually explicit on my blog, utterly protest against this change, and why after the change goes through, I’ll let my queue run, and I won’t just leave, but I fully expect and intend to gradually migrate off.  And I hope there’s some platform out there to catch me by the time it’s tapered off to nothing.

[ranzal]

i added google analytics to my site a couple days ago because i was curious about how many people were using it and like which pages people were using and it's actually interesting

the hemospectrum page is by far the most popular with 144 accesses, then repiton sweeps with 43, followed by the etchelizer page with 31

it makes sense pretty much; hemospectrum has the most overlap with homestuck in that it can be helpful for people just making a troll oc of any type, then it makes sense for repiton sweeps to have more usage than the etchelizer because the etchelizer is cool but more niche in practical usage

i'm most interested to see the traffic around updates where there's alchemy, or a new troll or stuff like that

i don't have ads on my website ofc because it's just my gay little website for hot people shit but i am still very interested in knowing which pages people use the most heehee....

[plestibenoch]

do other social media websites have like? little niches like tumblr does? like i mean for example if i follow someone a mutual is following there is a good chance they are probably gay and trans and will have the same interestes and humor yunno??? idk if im even making sense

[bitterwholesomegay]

sebastian brother + spirituality headcanons

otherwise known as: one queer exmormon has finally found their fandom niche

tw for descriptions of anxiety/panic attacks, depression, and church-related guilt (but also it’s not all sad, i swear)

(put under a cut bc this got LONG AS HELL)

sebastian brother, even after he’s well and thoroughly questioned the church and their stance on just about everything, doesn’t go looking into church history. autumn tells him where to find the deets on all the sketchy church history stuff, but sebastian...never looks it up.

he feels disillusioned enough as it is, and his family life Revolves around the church. he feels like if he questions the institution itself and not just his relationship to it, he might lose respect for the people he still cares a lot about—even if they’re not his biggest fans right now

even though several of his family members aren’t talking to him (might never talk to him again, as far as he knows), he refuses to become jaded towards them. lots of his friends he’s met through affirmation have distanced themselves from the families they were born into, and more than a few of them try not to care about those people anymore. sebastian totally sees why—kind of wishes he could join them in their not caring—but he can’t. he still cares about them deeply and is still, despite everything that’s happened, trying to think the best of them.

tanner tried to call them “a bunch of homophobic dickwads with all the critical thinking skills of a blind lemming” once, and sebastian fucking lost it. he Insisted they were still good people, and they’re just trying to act according to their moral compass (that happens to be externalized in the form of anything the church says, wHICH WE CAN ARGUE ABOUT LATER, TANNER. THE POINT IS THEY’RE JUST TRYING TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT, FOLLOW THE PROPHET, AND HOLD TO THE IRON ROD.)

privately, he thinks about what tanner said a lot though. he wonders how much prejudice is blindly following the guidance of their leaders. he wonders if they would follow suit if the church made a 180° about-face on their views on homosexuality tomorrow. he wonders if they did if it would make him feel better or worse. on the one hand, it would mean none of this was personal. on the other hand, tanner’s point about lemmings...

sebastian brother doesn’t leave the church immediately. his existential crisis is long and drawn out and filled with guilt and shame—not just for being gay, but also for having a crisis of faith at all.

tanner really doesn’t get it and isn’t always the best at being supportive. gay aunt emily chews him out for it though. (“emily, I’M your nephew, shouldn’t you be giving sebastian the shovel talk, not me?” “nope. you need it more than him.”)

incidentally, gay aunt emily and sebastian end up becoming pretty good friends. she hasn’t engaged with church stuff in years, but someone has to be there for this poor gay mormon boy and if no one else is going to be, then So Help Her God-that-she-no-longer-believes-in, she will.

back to sebastian though

sebastian doesn’t stop going to church right away. he’s wracked with guilt every time he does go, and trying to figure out if he’s worthy of taking the sacrament when he’s sinning but has no intention of stopping is a nightmare, but he still goes.

the first time he goes and doesn’t take the sacrament, he ends up dry-heaving in the men’s room. he misses all of the talks and slinks back in and sits on the back pew during the last verse of the closing hymn. after the closing prayer, he gets up, grabs his scriptures from where he left them, and bolts. he doesn’t stay for the rest of the block.

the first general conference he doesn’t watch, he spends the whole weekend in bed crying. tanner tries to get him to go out with him and let himself have fun and be distracted, tries to get him to the kitchen to eat some soup when the going out plan clearly isn’t gonna happen, and then eventually brings the soup to him in bed. sebastian ignores tanner and his admittedly good-smelling soup, and tanner leaves it on his nightstand for when he’s ready for it.

after sebastian continues to not get out of bed for a week after, tanner convinces him to go see a therapist. tanner recognizes a depression spiral when he sees one, and while sebastian refused to admit it, church was giving him literal panic attacks.

sebastian gets into see a local counselor who specializes in the intersection of faith and LGBTQ identities.

his counselor helps him identify what he gets from church and what things he might be able to find at other non-mormon churches. he’s initially very resistant to the idea of investigating other churches, but one night when the guilt insomnia keeps him awake, he googles “lgbt-friendly churches near me”, and is on gaychurch.org until daylight starts creeping through his window.

while he’s not ready to go to a service anytime soon, he did make note of the ones that sounded interesting.

he thinks about the list he made often and several times he visits websites of some of the churches he found.

eventually he decides that he wants to visit one or two of the churches whose websites he keeps returning to.

when he tells this to tanner, he’s not expecting anything, but tanner immediately volunteers to go with him. sebastian hadn’t thought tanner would really want to, since he’s not really religious himself, but tanner insists, saying he wants to be there for moral support. sebastian is honestly really touched, and it means a lot that tanner would want to be there for him like that.

it takes him a couple sundays to build up to it, but when he finally does, he gets to the steps of the church, annnnnnnnnnnd nearly runs away. would have, if tanner didn’t stop him and talk him through his panic.

when they do go in, they sit unassumingly near the back, providing sebastian an easy exit, if he needs one.

it turns out that he doesn’t.

the sermon is about love—loving one another, god’s love for all his children, and how love should never be linked with shame. the minister makes mention of her wife, and sebastian cries. tanner looks a little worried, but sebastian makes no move for the door, so he assumes they were good tears, and keeps listening to the sermon.

afterwards, sebastian kind of wants to go thank the minister for what she said, but is also absolutely terrified of doing that, so he and tanner go home instead of staying to mingle.

after they get home, sebastian texts emily. she knew he was going to check out a new church today and asks him how it was. he talks about how he felt the spirit in a way that he hadn’t in a long time at church.

he doesn’t know what this means for a long time after. he goes to a couple different churches with tanner and texts emily about all of them. he goes back to the first one a few times. all he really knows is he feels god’s love more than he has in years.