#regressive thought

[otatma]

okay, so neopronouns.

lemme get my bona fides in the open first. your neopronouns are valid, likely to have more historical precedent than you think, and you have every right to be called with the words that feel good to you.

that said.

what I want to talk about is the regressive / conservative hostility to neopronouns.

even that is too much for me to cover exhaustively, but there's one particular aspect of it that I want to dig into a little bit.

the aspect in question is a problem I'll call the Regal Couch problem. Stay with me for a bit.

there's a game children play. It has no name that I know of, so I call it Regal Couch. Regal Couch is a game about phonics. The goal of this game is to ambush a child and get them to utter curses as fast as possible, with large bonuses for making this goal within earshot of an overbearing adult. The speed is important, because if you get slowed down in any way then the intended victim's thoughts catch up and they begin to figure out that they're being pranked.

Yeah, this is the game people were playing when they tried to get you to unwittingly say "so fucking" or "I see you pee" or whatever low-hanging profanity felt the most fun on that day.

(This was a very frustrating thing to encounter as a neurodivergent fun-hating kid, but I digress.)

So, there's a lot going on here. It's almost a template. The important thing about Regal Couch for the neurodivergent person is the particularities - the phonics, the speed of the hustle, the proximity to gullible authority figures, the viscerality of the desired curses, etc.

It's important to outline these particularities because it's important not to be distracted by them. The important thing about Regal Couch for the perpetrator is that if your hustle is good enough, you get a pull on a slot machine. The prize you get when those reels line up is someone else feels bad, ragefits, gets in trouble, or all of the above. Which is to say, some agency and control over another human. (Kindly remember how these can be potent rewards when you're eight and every adult thinks they have to train you like some kind of dumb animal.)

Despite being neurodivergent, I'm not (just) bringing this up to fulminate about how kids can be monsters sometimes. It's relevant to the neopronouns thing. It's relevant because it captures an important aspect of regressive praxis, and that is the relation it establishes between hustling and speech and power.

When we ask people to use pronouns unfamiliar to them, it shouldn't be too surprising when the more regressive ones react as if we're playing Regal Couch. And they often do. Many of the same elements are there. They don't know what these sounds mean. Etymology doesn't get as much traction on neopronouns. They're already in a tenuous situation (learning about a new person living in a category that they feel is a threat). For the same reasons they're much more likely to be preoccupied with the precedent and power relations that Regal Couch is actually about. (And of course there's a massive raft of regressive preoccupations that don't relate to Regal Couch in any way, which I still refuse to treat with exhaustively today — but they're there and I do see them.)

The difference of course is that neopronouns are not about establishing who can play dirtiest for stakes, they are about courtesy and comfort and acceptance. If I was going to compare neopronouns to a game that it's actually similar to, I'd probably say it's got more in common with a trust fall.

Q: So what? Why make this comparison in this kind of detail?

A: There's one grain of truth here. The meaning of these words - the neopronouns themselves - is often unclear.

We therefore shouldn't have any trouble asking "Okay, and what does that mean?" This does a few useful things - it seizes on an opportunity to learn, it creates more detailed patterns to remember the neopronouns with, it proves we're not regressives*, and it models the right behavior for the situation.

It isn't without risk though, because of tone. If someone asks you in sincerity to practice a trust fall and your reaction is suspicious and hostile in tone, you probably don't ever get to know that person. Also asking people to do any extra work at a time like this will never be ideal.

That question "What does that mean?", then, should be as soft as the circumstances allow for. Make it a real and vulnerable request for information, not a micro-aggressive riposte on the entire project of neopronouns. Listen hard to the answer, even if it was nothing like you expected. Ignorance is curable, if you want.

* — for various reasons which I don't have time to list, regressives consider this kind of earnest vulnerability in any social situation to be literal suicide.

[orobeori]

When the realization hits that you’ve finally captured the Avatar 💥💥💥

Continuation of my NATLA x ATLA photo-booth series that I hope to make more of, esp of Iroh and Ozai 💪, you can find the first one I did of Aang and Katara here‼️

Been trying to experiment more with how I draw them, and the process for this one in particular was very fun :’] Still not too sure on how I did the lighting lol, i need to study more on how light works 💀

Any duo/trio/group you'd like to see in particular?

[divi-138]

My Favorite Scene of the Fic

Started reading MNMC and BOY ITS GOOD

no pressure to finish the fic but,, PELASE I GOTTA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT @mutantninjamidlifecrisis

Comic layout and f!Leo inspo by @somerandomdudelmao

[kaidee-koo]

Baby boy bath time 🧼🍼🩵

I love bubble baths sm!! They’re so bubbly and fun! This mood board is mainly for masc littles who typically like pastel colors and softer tones! Some littles like me feel overwhelmed by super bright and bold colors which is why i love this regression aesthetic! :3 🩵🍼⭐️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I enjoy doing mood boards so if you have any ideas please let me know!

🛁⭐️🛁⭐️🛁🛁⭐️🛁⭐️🛁⭐️🛁⭐️🛁⭐️🛁



[little-pup-pip]

Baking!!

[truepsychicbedtimestories]

A Personal Observation I’ve Made About The Agere Community

I haven't been very active on the Tumblr side of the agere community for quite some time, but now that I'm interacting with the community again, I've noticed how white-centric the agere community can sometimes be. Granted, a lot of online communities tend to have that problem, but it’s especially noticeable in the agere community.

Now, I don't want to assume that all age regressors are automatically racist because they don't make content that specifically caters to regressors of color, but I have noticed that a lot of general posts about age regressors tend to assume that the regressor in question is white. They don't really take into account the different cultural practices, holidays or hobbies that might be more relatable for regressors of color, and tend to assume that every regressor is a white American who grew up in the suburbs.

The optimist in me wants to believe that these are simply oversights on the part of people unfamiliar with different cultures and their customs. But in my opinion, to make the agere community a much more inclusive and welcoming place, more people should take into consideration the fact that age regression is a universal thing. No two regressors are exactly the same, whether it's the food they eat or the holidays they celebrate.

Diversity is what makes the world so special, and I think the agere community should celebrate it more often! The best thing about a community is learning more about the people in it, where they come from and what makes their culture so unique. A little open-mindedness can go a long way, and can certainly help regressors of color feel less like outsiders.

Obviously, I realize I cannot speak on behalf of every single age regressor of color. These are just my personal thoughts on the matter. If anyone has their own two-cents they’d like to chip in with, feel free! I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

[White age regressors are allowed and encouraged to reblog this, but please don’t add any commentary that’d be less than helpful]

[doe-eyed-dreamr]

Late night drive with cg ~☆

- Getting tucked into your seat and buckled up with a gentle kiss to your nose

"Ready for our adventure little one?"

The gentle rocking of the car soothing you till everything feels dreamy and soft around the edges

Holding your stuffie to the window and pretending they can fly, making "whoosh" sound effects so your Cg giggles

Mama/Papa humming along to quiet music

Finally being lulled to sleep, the feeling of being scooped up and carried back inside when the journey is over

[frommike]

The Mike not being able to say ily to El in season 4 plotline is stupid as fuck if he really loves her. She already thought he loved her by the end of season 3 and Mike was not able to reaffirm that, when confronted with losing her if he didn't. Instead he just decided to be a defensive little shit about it and call her ridiculous

[k4ijynxx]

Shout out to the age regressors / system littles who have a cluster b personality disorder. You being a narcissist, sociopath, borderline, or histrionic does NOT make you a bad person and does NOT invalidate your experience. Take care <33

Edit: radqueers please stop interacting, it makes me uncomfortable /neg

[story-book-sillies]

As an older sibling who is a regressor, I wish I wasn’t the oldest. I wish I had an older brother.

I want someone to baby me, to look out for me, instead of the other way around. I want someone who wants to protect me and is capable of doing so. I want someone who is supportive of my femininity but also indulges me in more masculine activities. Someone older to confide in when parents just don’t understand. I want to be the one who has to “tag along.” I don’t want to be responsible, I want someone to be responsible for me. I want an older brother.

“Oh, take your little sister with you.” And he does and he includes me and makes me feel special.

“This is my little sister. I hope you don’t mind that she hangs around.” Is what he would say as he introduces me to his friends who I think are so cool.

He would say things like, “Hold brother’s hand,” or ask me what was wrong. I could confide in him because big brother always knows how to make me smile when my eyes are teary or comfort me when I’m scared. He would be silly and make me laugh.

I know that’s such a fictional idea of an older brother and probably not realistic, but I crave that specific type of affection and attention. Most of the time when I envision having a caregiver, the image is usually platonic, and the older brother figure is the one I always return to. I want to be little and small and I want my kind older brother to be my whole world… Does that make sense?

[bl00dy-pup]

I feel like an unwanted dog dropped off at a shelter for having bad behaviour. I only bite when I'm scared.

[sadodere-puppy]

*paws at u* am i a good dog

[plutos-dying-star]

A 🍓Little🍓 Reminder

🧸 that your regression is there for you

🌙 At the end of the day, it’s you. it’s always been you and no one is allowed to change that. No one can take it away

🧸 they can make snide comments or hurl insults but they can’t forcefully take it because it’s yours and you have the power to defend the inner child that couldn’t

[ceryulean]

I don't remember if it was in the novel or in some fic I read but this scene has been in my head for too long so

[quincywillows]

like i remember the vitriol that came out when the mere PREMISE for ballad of songbirds and snakes came out bc it was “about the villain” and wasn’t instead a novella of one of the many cute likeable faves of the masses. i remember how fast people were to tear down the book before it even came out (and still do now). and it’s like look, i get it, suzanne created so many interesting characters that it would be incredible to learn more about and get more content for. but her choosing to write about snow for a prequel isn’t like Romanticizing The Villain or whatever bullshit y’all are claiming as hot takes on twitter -- ballad fits right into the common themes and tone of the series in that its not a romanticization but a reflection on how snow became what we know him as in the original series. both in how he already had some less than charming or healthy traits (just like katniss does -- suzanne is always clear that people are not inherently good nor evil and parallels were drawn between how snow and katniss view the world and think strategically, etc, from the second book), but also in how society and the choices of the greater community in panem created snow. like ballad is a really interesting piece of lore and history and worldbuilding for an already rich and elaborate setting that suzanne created, allowing us to see how that world even came to be and the kind of toxic impact it had on the people surviving in it while still pointing out that those people are human and that everyone has humanity and yet can still cause unfathomable harm to one another based on circumstance and need to survive and pressures of all kinds and like i have lost the plot here now but suzanne is one of the best authors of our time who actually gives a shit about creating layered, nuanced characters and worlds rather than black and white good and evil and unfortunately the hyperpolarization of our hot takes social media culture nowadays just can’t handle her anymore. suzanne im so sorry we don’t deserve your storytelling. anyway i’ll be seated for this movie y’all can skip and keep giving lukewarm takes on twitter to make urself seem so smart for hating a book you probably didnt even actually read

[littleprincerianne]

"electric car or car that runs on gasoline?" no boo, these: