#they are still bigots but tend to be less

[just-an-enby-lemon]

The upside of having catholic christian trauma instead of protestant christian trauma is that my trauma is waaay more aesthetic.

Like you get all the guilty and the bigotry but you get it at a boring room by a man in a suit and there is no chance of getting playfully bitch slaped by an old man wearing a pointy hat on confirmation.

[lucy-moderatz]

The perpetrators of the mob violence have retreated into their own business. To my knowledge, Odo has received no apologies.

[lgbtlunaverse]

I think a lot of people's perception of "US centrism" on this site is "americans assuming us-specific problems are universal" but i've found it just as often if not more often manifests as the opposite. Usamericans thinking a problem people deal with worldwide (food deserts, late stage capitalism, bigotry) or a problem that did start primarily in the US but has been exported worldwide via cultural imperialism (this particular example is not the us but canada, but I sure did looooove having trucker protests in my country after they got 'inspired' by those in north america /s) are things only they have to deal with. I regularly get tags on this post that say something like 'blame the puritans for ruining american society' or will straight up go '#usa #fuck this country #i bet the rest of the world doesn't have this problem' I am from the Netherlands and have never set foot on the american continent.

[yesokayiknow]

Why is there so much transmisogyny in UK politics?

in general people in positions of power tend to have gotten there by a) appealing to the majority by b) publicly shitting on the minority

[robo-beasty]

human!voxval

They've been playing this little game for months, now. The will we, won't we, do you even deserve me?

Would you tolerate this for a chance with me, would you do as i say in hopes of a reward, would you even be here if there wasn't something you still wanted out of all this?

(...)

And after all the foreplay, all the drama, they lay together in what's nothing less then all-encompassing fervor. It's hot, and it's great, but it's mechanical and then...

Val pulls back for something as simple as a breath. And Vox chases, he chases without a hint of the coy playfulness that should come with such an act.

No, instead, it's a pursuit full of admission. Don't go. I want more of you. I can play nice, see? —His kiss turns soft, and he drags his fingers to trace the line of his jaw, the stubble that frames that gorgeous face— Stay with me. I can't look away. You're a work of art. And I need you.

...Suddenly, as much as Val loves to pretend, it's not a joke anymore. Like a wild fire tamed to a little candle, sheepish, yet alive all the same. Pretty, and dim compared to it's previous rage; quivering to break at the smallest gust of wind, were hands not bound to encasing it's heart. Hands that Vox replaces with his own, that cup rather than enclose, admire rather than hide, and love instead of fear.

And Valentino is in awe. That such a merciless, cruel bigot like Vox would both show his own red, beating heart to him like this, and tend so gently to Valentino's own in the same breath. In the same kiss. In the same deep, helpless look in his eye that turns Val's world and his insides upside down.

They've gone from heated to slow, from mindless to curious, from nothing to everything. —And Valentino can't quite bring himself to lament any of it.

[communistkenobi]

What I’m about to say is probably a much less generous interpretation of what people usually intend when they say “transphobia hurts cis people too,” but the problem this framing runs into, over and over again, is the implied argument that often runs underneath it, which is that if transphobia were contained to just trans people, that if 100% of its targets were transgender, it would be somehow more legitimate or more reasonable, even if you still concede it’s wrong to be transphobic to trans people. Like the logic being used here isn't that transphobia at its core is destructive and irrational because it harms trans people, it’s that the people doing the transphobia are doing it “wrong” by picking the “wrong” targets. And I think this framing tends to put a lot of emphasis on individual transphobic actors or individual instances of transphobic violence (eg people attacking cis women who “look like men” in bathrooms, transvestigators, etc) by way of arguing that these bigoted people are incapable of governing their own bigotry appropriately, that it keeps spilling out into the broader cis public (where it ought not to be) because they’re too stupid to recognise their real targets and mistakenly keep picking the wrong ones, and because of this we need to do something about it. Like what keeps getting highlighted in conversations where I see people repeat this line are the bigots’ errors in judgement, that these pattern recognition errors (this continued failure to clock “real trans people”) are too frequent for the cis public to ignore - effectively, transphobia is spilling out of the transphobia department and into other departments of social life, and this is the problem that needs correcting. Fundamentally what I keep hearing when people use this argument is that reactionaries are getting too unruly, too imprecise in their targeting mechanisms, and that this is the cause for concern, not the underlying bigotry itself. Yes, transphobia is expansionary, it will continue to find fresh victims even in hypothetical futures where “the transgender problem” has been fully dealt with, but that shouldn’t be your primary concern lol

[autolenaphilia]

To remind people, callouts only work if they are punching down. It's wielding your greater social capital against someone vulnerable and isolated to deprive them of what remaining human connections they still have. It's why it's so effective against transfems, who are very isolated and tend to rely on the few queer/feminist spaces that will accept them, or the internet. And these spaces are only accepting on paper, loving the idealized transfem in their heads, while being ruthless against an actual flesh-and-blood transfem who has human flaws. Her human connections and social standing are very tenuous. A callout can result in a transfem's total isolation, which can be devastating and often result in suicide.

Of course, it's not just being transfem that can create vulnerable targets for callouts, you are also vulnerable if you are non-white or disabled to name a few marginalized groups. And those can of course intersect with being transfem, creating extra-vulnerable people.

It's of no use to punch up, to wield it against actually privileged and powerful people. This is despite them being the people who actually use that privilege and power to commit real acts of abuse, not the "abuse" of writing weird incest ship fics on ao3. Abusers tend to be popular people with lots of social capital, and can actually use callouts or similar methods of mobbing to succesfully DARVO their less privileged victims. Their social networks are often robust and will seldom turn on them. If you try to expose their abuse, they have the privilege and social capital to not only evade consequences, but often to strike back in revenge .

And when they are like literally rich and famous even the most public exposure and criticism of their actions has no effect. J.K. Rowling has forced people into silence by threatening to sue for libel, because she has the wealth to do that. Her buddy Johnny Depp actually did that successfully to the woman he abused. You can call the public criticism of them "callout posts", but they have little real-world effect.

And real open bigots will always embrace each other. You can call out open terfs and nazis all day long, the purpose of hate groups is to back each other up and protect each other. And it's seldom someone faces serious social consequences for being a white supremacist transmisogynist anyway. It's why callout posts of actual open terfs and nazis is so rare, there is no point to it.

A transfem accusing a tme person of transmisogyny basically never leads to lasting consequences for the transmisogynist for this very reason. That is not really callout culture, because the person doing it has less power than the person she is calling out.

Whereas some random trans woman can be hounded off the internet and exlucded from irl queer support groups because of something questionable she said a decade ago and has apologized for, and that some random tme person dug up.

Callout culture and mobbing can basically only hurt those who are marginalized and vulnerable, while the privileged can avoid consequences. Because of this it's frequently used by actual abusers as a method of furthering their abuse of vulnerable victims and doing DARVO on them.

[good7luck]

My quick personal thought on Noe in VNC manga latest chapter 61.5

(more under the cut)

.

I do NOT think Noe "pretended" to not notice the racism towards Dham in the office because he didn't "want" to accept the harsh reality that his "good" fellows are being bad / racists. It didn't happen...yet, at least.

I'm rather sure Noe simply, sincerely had NO "concept" of the racism ITSELF towards Dham AT ALL. "They probably still don't know their individual name each" was the ONLY and "best" guess Noe could ever make ON HIS OWN, within HIS (extremely limited) "common sense".

Noe does NOT realize the word Dham was being used like a slur purposefully in THEIR context, because Noe believes it's "by definition" not inherently an offensive term. They're Dhams, it's who they are, what's the problem? Vani is a human, so there's nothing wrong to call him human, cuz it's what he is, isn't it? But yeah, it's weird to keep calling all of them as just Dham when they all have their own name, let's fix it now!

Well, Noe does not have the same view / experience as other characters, much less we audience. He tends to listen well, but he's not always good at catching the hints / full context quickly. Of course, Noe hated to be called only "vampire" on and on by Vani in the previous arc, but Vani was clearly super hostile and seriously fighting Noe to death at that time, while this is happening "in peace", so Noe couldn't possibly imagine the people were hostile, "too", just in a different or "softer" form, perhaps? Or Noe failed to notice it because it's not directly about Vani lol

I get that it's very tempting to call Noe "stupid / annoying" etc for not noticing the "obvious" malice. But it's NOT obvious to him, unfortunately; he's plain ignorant and oblivious for real, because he literally has had NO chance to learn until now. He can't magically know what he doesn't know. He isn't even a genius character. This is the first time Noe witnessed the subtle and explicit racism, and honestly...I highly doubt if even now he truly understands that he watched people being openly bigoted and that it's never from their "innocent ignorance" as he first believed. Sadly, it indeed doesn't help that those people are the ones who Noe does NOT see as an enemy.

Noe never heard of Ruthven, who "can't" be unknown to anyone. Noe genuinely believed everyone else (Vani & Domi) was lost, when it's actually him alone who was lost. This is the Noe we're talking about!

Shapeless One didn't teach Noe anything about Dham and the prevailing racism (which is surely suspicious and irresponsible). It seems he at least didn't tell Noe that Dham should be oppressed / hated, and thankfully Noe has grown up not to discriminate people merely for race. Since he arrived in Paris, Vani has never bothered Dante and others for being Dham in front of Noe, either. But yeah, now Noe should get to know more and face the unjust reality that the Dham has to deal with.

"Noe should've known better because, Archiviste!!" I feel he believes that it's NOT the same and mostly the matter of the "rightfully creepy" (he thinks) "ability" of the memory-reading (for now, at least). When you think about it...no VNC character has negatively reacted to Noe for being Archiviste so far (and like, most of them barely know in detail or get interested a little) - except Vani XD and we all know Vani currently doesn't care, as long as Noe doesn't try to drink his blood. Astolfo hated Noe, but it's because he equally hates any "vampire".

However, in regards to Dham, people are loudly making "the existence ITSELF" a huge problem, including their mere "appearance" difference. People "discuss" their "right to exist", which is similar to Jeanne, Bourreau, the slaves. Yeah, I suppose Noe has been kinda "lucky" not to be the target of discrimination...until now. I won't be surprised if Noe still doesn't understand what makes Dham "deserve" all the disgust when they don't even have any "disgusting" ability "like his". I'd like to also add that...Noe might've been safe solely thanks to his (problematic) "guardian" Shapeless One, the (in)famous & powerful vampire that no one can casually ignore, similar to Ruthven ^^;;

In short, I think Noe did NOT "forcedly" "choose" to "ignore" the racism and try to make an "excuse" for his "cannot-be-racist" fellows "instead"; how can he "choose" to believe "otherwise", when he doesn't even notice the deep racism "specifically" towards Dham in the first place? Though I can agree that it'd be hard for Noe to properly process what's going on in the office because he unconsciously believes the fellows he trusts wouldn't be "weird" or "malicious" to other fellows "for an unreasonable reason".

.

This was written quite quickly, and I might regret it and remake a similar post later...or not XD

Thank for you reading my current personal opinion!!

[thelordofgifs]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @sallysavestheday and @grey-gazania! I was eyeing this one and hoping for a tag, some great questions here.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 51, although one's a podfic.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 250,683. More than half of which is from last year alone!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently exclusively the Silmarillion, with the occasional little LoTR ficlet.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? the fairest stars, Inflection, an ancient song, all those that follow, Ilimbë. I'm always surprised by an ancient song's popularity – it was a pretty low-effort ficlet – but a solid list nonetheless!

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, always! (Glances nervously at the pile I've accumulated in the last couple of weeks of travelling). I love replying to comments, though. It's so nice to be able to engage with all my lovely thoughtful readers and their excellent thoughts!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ever an anguish that pursued is pretty bleak. before the black gale is also a tragedy of sorts, though I'm not sure that makes it qualify as angsty as such.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Ilimbë ends quite joyfully, although while writing the final scene I did have the shadow of their unhappy future in mind! I think the cleaving's ending is also quite happy, or at the very least cathartic.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, thankfully! All my readers have been very kind and appreciative <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Three fics so far! All of which were gifts for friends, and made me push my boundaries a little. I'm proud of all of them, though! Smut is less scary than I used to think :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? No, never! If I did, it would probably be more of a retelling/AU than straight-up having characters from different fandoms meet.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No – I fear I am rather too much of a control freak for this, and would rather not inflict myself and my pedantry on an unsuspecting co-writer.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Russingon... it's the forbidden romance and the doomed nature of it all and the fact that love wasn't enough to save them :( also the murders, of course.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? boats against the current, the "Maedhros doesn't swear the Oath" AU I blithely started back in 2022, is simply not going anywhere at any sort of speed. Perhaps this is the year! Let's see.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and characterisation! I'm good at emotional beats, I think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description... I tend to write VERY minimally and then have to go back on edits and add in some descriptive language so that the entire story isn't just two talking heads in an empty room. Always very pleased when people compliment my descriptions for that reason – they take conscious effort!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Fine if it's footnoted, I think. I tend to avoid it on the basis that all the dialogue I write has been "translated" from one of Tolkien's languages anyway; and I don't know any real languages well enough to write fic in them.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Harry Potter, although I've soured on the fandom now for obvious reasons :/ For a while I used to think that I could still enjoy the books I loved so much growing up while separating them from the author, but she's so continually hateful and bigoted that I just... can't gain any enjoyment from the franchise anymore. Which is painful, but I'm glad I have the silm fandom to absorb all my creative energy now!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? the fairest stars! My weird gremlin baby, I love it so. I never expected to care about this fic as much as I did, but I've poured so much thought and heart into it that it was perhaps inevitable. And it's taught me so much about writing cliffhangers :)

No-pressure tags for @eilinelsghost, @searchingforserendipity25, @welcomingdisaster, @that-angry-noldo, @swanmaids, @echo-bleu, @jouissants, @tanoraqui and anyone else who, like me, was eyeing this one hoping to be tagged – @ me and say I tagged you!

[obaewankenope]

Thinking about stuff and doodling and I just had the thought that Muslim art, Celtic art, and Native American art often gets lumped together as being sort of... Uncultured? No, not that, overly simplistic in that way where someone looks at it and goes "I don't get the symbolism, ugh boring" and assumes the cultures and people who created this art (and still create it) are somehow less civilised than other groups/people (Romans vs Celts, for example, Western vs Islamic art, European vs Native American art etc) because the ways the art actually works isn't the same as the Majority Think Art Should Work.

Like, Celtic art is something I love and it's full of patterns, geometric, repeating, animalistic etc that a lot of the time, people don't get the meaning of. They'll look at it and just Not Understand why that design is circular, or where that particular repeating pattern originated and potentially why, and because of that, they just assume it's from some barbarian, uncivilised, savage people.

And this is the same sort of perspective that is all over historical perspectives of art from non-European, non-white spaces.

.

Islamic art is seen as simple and never measures up to the 'amazing' renaissance art (fuck you Boris Johnson and anyone who thinks like you) because it doesn't use actual people in its work (which meant geometry had to be a whole fucking level and meant the Islamic Golden Age was fucking Lit AF™).

[source]

I mean, just LOOK at the complexity that has been HANDCRAFTED, CHISELED, INTO FUCKING STONE that you can see on MULTIPLE buildings. How the hell can any of that be uncivilised or 'lesser' to European art? It just- it just can't.

.

Celtic art is compared to contemporary Roman and Grecian art of the time by scholars and the general public who tend to perceive it as representative of a Simple Mindset and shit which, yeah no. Like, Roman and Grecian art is amazing, I totally agree, but like it's not "better" or more "Civilised" or whatever bullshit metric is used to measure how Worthy Of Being Respected scholars used to determine how Great™ a civilisation/culture was back in Ye Olden Days. I mean, ffs go and look at some of the AMAZING torques and brooches made by celtic artisans and tell me they're Simple. You're wrong. They're amazing.

[source]

This is an 8th century brooch, the Tara Brooch, and is literally amazing. Just look at it! How tf can anyone ever think Celts were just simple or uncivilised or sth with art that fucking beautiful jfc.

.

And Native American artwork? Oh boy. The WHOLE colonialism and genocide of near enough an entire continent by European settlers and all that came after meant that anything non-European was automatically savage and lesser and needed to be Made To Look Civilised. So yeah, some of the most amazing artwork of Native American people's is just... From a European (art with people and fancy realism and all that shit, perspective) is just apparently less. Like wtf, you can see how historians and scholars for decades looked down on native American art as somehow lesser in the 'research' done on it.

When it's absolutely fucking AMAZING TOO.

[source]

This is a totem pole. That shit gets hand carved, painted, and engraved ffs. How is ANY of that barbaric or representative of a supposedly lesser or savage culture and people? Fuck colonialism and it's bullshit effect on perception of people and art and history. Just fuck that shit.

.

Like, sure, in recent years there's definitely been a push to recognise that these types of art aren't lesser or uncivilised or whatever. And I appreciate that, greatly. But then I see some bullshit hot take by Boris Fucking Johnson or some other bigoted piece of shit gain traction for whatever reason and I R A G E.

Anyway. Love all art. It's amazing.

Art is universal human expression. Treasure it.

.

.

Sidenote: In my defence rn, I'm very under-caffeinated and limited on things I can do so research quality is definitely not as good as I'd like. If you have any info, advice, or additional links for further reading/learning about these amazing art types, add them in reblogs, message me, or throw an ask my way. I live to learn and be angry on main about indignities like bigotry. ~ Kat.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

August MC of the Month: Jensen Valentine

Please welcome our sixth MC of the month! Each month, we will highlight one MC or OC that is currently on our Meet My MC / OC List. The MC / OC is selected randomly on the Wheel of Names, and eligibility requirements can be found here. We accept MC / OC profiles on an ongoing basis. Please feel free to send yours in!

This month's MC of the month is...

@mydemonsdrivealimo's Jensen Valentine

In your words, tell us what you like most about your MC. 

What I like most about Jensen is his resilience. He has never been dealt the perfect cards, or even good ones, at that, but that didn’t stop him from striving for great things. He hasn’t always been like that; some setbacks were worse than others, and he considered giving up, but he knew he couldn’t let himself do that. His intrinsic motivation to amount to something has usually been enough, but it’s also his interactions with other people that have helped him along. Some of them were good, sure, but, in all honesty, it’s usually the bad ones that kept him going. 

A good example would be one of his med school professors, who publicly called Jensen out as the perfect example of what not to be like, citing how a man having painted nails shouldn’t be allowed in society, much less is it professional when going into the medical field. Jensen has never been one to sit quietly (no matter how many times it’s gotten him into trouble), and he wasn’t going to start. He pressed that professor, asking him what his evidence was, why he thought like that, and if he had any other reasons besides being a bigot who couldn’t handle seeing people different than himself. Not only that, but he also didn’t transfer from the class for the rest of the semester, making sure that the professor was as uncomfortable sharing flawed ideas as everyone else was hearing them.

The thought that there were still medical professionals out in the world who shared the same ideas the professor didn’t sit well with Jensen. No way could he let that slide when it came to patients and people seeking help, which was just another boost for him to keep going and try to make the changes he wanted to see. Even though he has been knocked down, it’s never made him hide his personality or beliefs.

Do you feel your MC is like you at all? How are you alike or different?

Jensen and I definitely share the same demeanor, especially around how people treat others. People making others feel small, for any reason and on any scale, is fucked up, and being an inactive bystander is never going to solve it. Especially knowing how American healthcare works, I knew I could never make Jensen someone who’s proud of how it currently runs and how it treats the patients. Though he is not the softest, or kindest, or sweetest, he would still do anything it takes to make some sort of change or impact, on a large scale or just one-on-one with a patient. I know I tend to come off in ways I don’t necessarily mean (it’s the rbf for the most part, lbr), and I wanted to reflect that in Jensen’s character, particularly in his day-to-day, as quiet and not-overly-optimistic characters are often synonymous with rude, brooding, or otherwise unapproachable, which is definitely not the case.

As for differences, Jensen is really like this cool, elevated, eloquent person, which is definitely Not me. I stumble through most things, and I hope I get spit out the other side more-or-less okay, whereas Jensen usually has a plan and, you know, thinks through things before he does them.

What is most important to your MC? What is their motivation in life?

What’s most important to Jensen is being able to use his position and the opportunities he’s been granted to help elevate other voices in the community and within certain issues he deems important. Being able to make more opportunities for other people, especially those who are or were in similar situations to himself when he was younger, is a big motivation for him. For most of his life, he was not in a place to be making any types of calls or really have anyone listen to him at all, and being granted such a high position within his career, and therefore his life, isn’t something he takes lightly. He has never been one to support how much power people with money or in high-ranking positions have because he knows what it's like to be on the bottom of that chain, and he knows he’s incredibly fortunate not to be in that position anymore, so he wants to able to use everything he’s been given to support others who need it or who are otherwise flushed out of “adult” conversations purely because they don’t fit the top 1%’s model.

What are their biggest pet peeves/dislikes? 

Entitled people. Of course, he has some more petty ones, but if Anyone shows people disrespect for 1. No reason, or 2. A shitty reason, he’s going to have a problem with it, and he will be saying something to them about it. He has been the recipient of it many times growing up, and he knows it is never called for, nor does it have a good impact on anyone involved. Again, now that he is in a more respected position, rather than having his “turn” as the entitled one, he will continue to stand up for those who need it and speak out against the people who treat their power like a free pass to be a pos.

If your MC could change one thing - anything - what would it be? 

Jensen has big aspirations, and while he’d like it to be the entirety of society, social standards, government, systemic bigotry, healthcare, etc. etc, I think being able to positively impact one person’s day is enough for him. During med school was when he really started carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, but after the first few years at Edenbrook, he realizes it’s an impossible goal that will only lead him to disappointment. He will help where he can, but it’s nothing compared to reassuring a patient or getting them a life-changing diagnosis, surgery, or something else. Not every case has a happy ending, but being able to take any amount of worry away from someone makes it all worth it for him. Changing someone’s view of something into a more healthy and accepting lens, whether it be their life as a whole or even just something affecting their day, is one of the most rewarding things for him.

What is your MC’s favorite quote or song? 

This was one of the hardest questions for me so I narrowed it down to a few options, and I think (one of) Jensen’s favorite song(s) would be Boring by The Brobecks. He most certainly would’ve seen it live while The Brobecks were still a thing, and though the lyrics are simple, it would’ve hit him at a very particular yet perfectly-timed place in his life. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MC:

Being a fiction and original character writer at my core, I have poured pieces of myself into Jensen, and I have developed him during some of my worst and best moments (which, of course, changed the plot of his life). I went through many different phases and stories with him before ever joining the fandom, and years ago, when I first played Open Heart I never would’ve imagined it would end up on my hyperfixations list. I remember one night, at least two and a half years ago, I was up until 2 in the morning jotting down random backstories for him, running through the stages of his life in my head. I never looked at it again, never thought it would mean anything, and now here I am, at my one-year anniversary in the Open Heart fandom (August 2nd), with an almost completely different character that I love and think about every day.

The one thing that’s stayed the same though is how much he’s overcome. Though the struggles were very different in the beginning, his overall disposition has always been the same. He has been a loud activist for queer people and poc despite that it was never the most “convenient” for him, but he has also never been the sunshine character. Even through all the overhauls his character has been through, he has always been fighting for the same causes and has been using what he’s been given for good, which I wanted to share because it is arguably the most important part of his character. Even though he does not always have a smile on, doesn’t jump to be a part of every conversation, and doesn’t try to befriend everyone, he still cares just as much as anyone who does those things. It’s been fundamentally rooted in his character since day one, and it’s important to me that it gets seen.

[vintagerpg]

No Humans Allowed (1992) is the genetic manipulation sourcebook for XXVc. The concept of genetically modified people and animals is introduced in the core rules, primarily in a mechanical sense. It’s pretty obvious that large scale genetic manipulation has made exploring and inhabiting space possible, but the core box doesn’t really dig into the greater moral and social conundrums that are introduced by creating new species of human (there is a passing mentions that bigots view gene-altered species as lesser than human, but that’s about it). This book acknowledges that those questions exist, but doesn’t attempt to answer them either. Rather, this is a mix between a powers book and a monster book.

A monster book? Yeaaaaah. See, advantageous genetic manipulation in humans is pretty commonplace in XXVc to allow, say, Martian humans to live comfortably in Mars’ less Earthly environment. They’re still recognizably human, though. More extreme modifications for more extreme environments or for particular tasks (like hard labor) tend to produce “monsters,” who are perfectly suited for the tasks they are designed for. Woof, not great! This sure sounds like boutique slave labor and, like Dark Sun’s slave races, rises from racist concepts of eugenics. Dark Sun at least confronts and attempts to break down those concepts. Here they are either glossed over or presented uncritically. You can kind of get the vibe from the cover — it should read as a Frankenstein-esque mad scientist tableau, but instead it has all the critique of a portrait of a former CEO hung in an office lobby.

This all seems like a missed opportunity: genetic manipulation is essentially identified as XXVc’s central question and then all the books I have seem to quietly avoid even attempted to answer it. Maybe this sort of stuff is tackled in the adventures or other sourcebooks (I’ll never know), but it seems a shame at best and (given the racism in the source material, which is also present in the Buck Rogers Adventure Game produced in 1993) sinister at worst.

[kaida-beifong]

Personal Headcanons/Theories

These are personal headcanon's I have on Hazbin Hotel (Yes I am taking into account that Lucius is apart of this) I head canon that Hell has a book of sinners just as heaven has a book of winners. It claims some of their final moments before dying and ultimately going to hell or some of the actions that could have had them sent. (Rules getting more strict as the years went on) Lucius had his theories about Vaggie being "Different" but did he assume angel, no. He tends to check the book every few weeks to keep an eye on new comers or people who could be a danger to Charlie as a whole and couldn't find anything on Vaggie despite looking. He eventually does let it go while keeping a close eye on her for the next two years. (Note: He only lets it go because Charlie does eventually get annoyed and snaps at him for pushing his redirect on Charlie. Even though she knows it's out of fear for her safety, she insists she can handle herself) Vaggie and Lute had flings, the "Vile and blasphemous" comment I feel could be from two different junctions. One being on the fact that Vaggie is screwing around with a demon/nephilim and maybe becoming bigotted and hostile due to the possibility that Vaggie dumped her. I also theorize that in Lute's comment "What is SHE doing here." was more towards Vaggie and not Charlie. I will die on this fucking hill! Royals view sinners as garbage/left overs. So dating one is considered the lowest form to them. (Lower then dating an imp or hell hound) as in dating someone that even earth itself doesn't want. I also theorize that Lucifer and Sera we're once pretty close. (Whether you guys view it as siblings or friends is up to you. I am choosing to be open for many reasons until we're told they're family) I am open to them being best friends or maybe even Sera having feelings for Lucifer at one point which is why she's a bit more bitter towards sinners then most elders. (Yes I am taking the Lin and Pema approach to this because I was right once and that's all I need lol jk jk) Exorcists are okay to date each other (And Adam) but aren't permitted to go after Winners or Seraphim's (Seraphim's being a big no no) due to their "life style" and the possibility of them turning or revealing information to those they love out of guilt is far higher. I headcanon that Nephilim magic has the power to overwrite heavenly and hellish laws, they just don't know it. Hence meaning that Charlie herself is able to prove others wrong. I.E. Sir Pentious being redeemed proved sinners can be "fixed" and be better. I honestly do believe Charlie being a nephilim is a big reason as to why. Does it make sense, no but when does shit ever make sense. This also means Charlie (And By Proxy Lucius) have the ability to break deals if using enough power. Note that forcing a deal to break can take an immense amount of energy and be painful to both parties (The one breaking the deal and the one who holds said soul) Charlie (and Lucius in my verse) are technically one of the strongest but are also viewed rather lowly because their mother is a sinner. First created sinner but still a sinner none the less. I may have more but this is all I got right now.

[diaryofamadsunwukongfan]

Sorry to bring this up on anon, but I needed to get my thoughts out about that screenshot you posted earlier, of the person defending BB for “being normalized for general audiences,” but I was worried about posting rwde to my main since some of my mutuals are still really into the series.

The following rant in response to said screenshot.

Just, first of all, the presentation of lgbt+ as being in opposition to “general audiences” just feels like a really bigoted starting position. As does them presenting lgbt+ representation as typically rushed. Heck, as an aroace person I typically prefer same-gender ships over different-gender ships because the same-gender ones tend to feel less rushed to me. Using Legend of Korra for example: it felt to me like Mak/orra were only ever interested in each other due to physical attraction, and rushed into a relationship before figuring out if they had any chemistry, while Korrasami took time to get to know each other and develop good chemistry.

BB, by contrast, feels so much more rushed, despite the technically slower pacing, because they never really show us why they bonded. They barely interacted in the first 5 volumes, and when they did it was usually just Yang acting like they were super close. Then volume 6 begins with Blake and Sun going their separate ways, followed by Blake finally returning Yang’s over-familiarity, coming across as she’s just looking for a rebound. Which could’ve been interesting if they explored that dynamic, but instead the writers decided to act like they’re a perfect couple from that point onwards. They skipped over potentially the most interesting part of their dynamic, and for what? 3 seasons of kinda bland flirting, then them being forced to hook up at metaphorical gunpoint in volume 9.

Sorry if this doesn’t make much sense, it’s early, and I need to finish this so I can get ready for work. I just needed to get this off my chest after seeing that screenshot.

[sophieinwonderland]

what the hell why people are so cruel to aimkid..................... Why the... why??? like damn..... idk i never just get it... why stalk and harass person who did "wrong thing" by having trauma and different opinion... did they personally kill your family member by not harassing endos?? WHY. they really just need excuses to be cruel to someone but still seem "good" and morally superior somehow. litteral fascism. i hate human species, it's like a highschool bullies but worse. and if you arent rich with connections and millions of dollars you would just straight up end miserable no matter what you do because these husks will do anything to ruin your life. like wtf can't they see that by bullying queers neurodivergent people they make life of said minority as a group WORSE and they're not an allies? i mean like. they can harass litteral children and minors (and they really do. because apparently it's so cool to fakeclaim minors and bully them), and even looking on such shit from outside is very traumatizing, esp for someone vulnerable who already traumatized by bullying and abuse. why the hell they just choose the most vulnerable spots who do *litterally* no harm???

Agreed. It's truly monstrous how they've treated her.

It doesn't help anyone. It's just preying on innocent people out of pure hate.

i hate human species

I do disagree on this.

I'll admit, there are some bad humans out there. And in general, people can be complicated.

I don't think the people who are bullying Aimkid should be appointed as representatives for all of humanity though. Maybe I'm still secretly an optimist even after everything I've seen, but I think most people are good.

The problem is, when you have people with large followings, even a fraction being bad can make their life Hell.

Aimkid's Twitter has 144k followers. If even 1% of those were the people harassing her, that would be 1,440. The real number though is likely less than that. These are just a fraction a percent. A loud fraction, but a fraction.

I refuse to believe that bigots and hategroups represent who humanity is, even if they tend to be among the loudest because they want you to believe they're more powerful and influential than they actually are.

[drdemonprince]

Do you have any advice for an autistic & trans therapist to safely establish a job in the mental health field amongst NT cishet coworkers? I’ve experienced discrimination every step of the way in this field and the only way for me to have job security is to finish up my licensure hours somewhere so I can be on my own when licensed.

To be blunt, being Autistic & trans and a therapist will never come with any guarantee of safety, because the entire field of institutionalized mental health is built upon a bedrock of ableism and (often violent) rejection of gender and sexual non-conformity. It's not just the NT and cishet coworkers as individual people that are the problem, it is the entire foundation of the field and what it sets out to do.

Look at what happened to Marsha Linehan -- she was one of the foremost, most accomplished researchers and treatment developers in her subfield and saved thousands of lives, yet she still had her competence challenged and lost a ton of professional respect the moment she came out about being BPD. That is not just the work of biased or bigoted NT individuals, that is the natural consequence of a line of work that by definition categorizes some classes of people as less competent and worthy than others.

I have taught and done consulting work for many organizations and I have never yet seen a mental health facility of any kind where persons with mental illness or neurodivergence are not discriminated against, nor have I ever been particularly impressed with the therapeutic practices or clinical psychology programs that profess to be queer affirming.

Even orgs run and led by trans or Autistic people are still forced to operate by the rules and standards of institutionalized psychology and psychiatry, and so they are invested in promoting respectability politics, stigma, and the theft of disabled people's autonomy to some extent. Obviously some are far more egregious than others. But they are all institutions with unjust power they can leverage over the marginalized, and they're invested as institutions into holding onto that power.

Counseling psychology programs and their graduates tend to be a bit more open minded and less prone to pathologization than clinical psychs, as are the licensed social workers who do not come from conservative Christian background or educational tradition (unfortunately, many social workers do have that kind of background). I wish I could recommend some queer-owned practices but all the ones I'm familiar with are run by rainbow capitalist grifters with no true conception of intracommunity dynamics such as transmisogyny.

When I taught for the Chicago School of Professional Psych, I heard from many of my students about their many licensure hour placements, and none of them sounded like good or safe places to be -- and many of those facilities were far worse to their Black and brown patients than they were for their (majority white) therapists-in-training. But on the whole everyone relatively lacking in power in those spaces was either exploited or judged as inferior or both.

I imagine that working on your own/for yourself would be the best route ultimately-- the few ND therapists I know who are doing a more liberatory practice are quietly doing so on their own. I think that's a sensible long-term goal for you to have. But on the way to getting there, you will be working in spaces that are not safe to you. I would never trust any institution or therapuetic practice to keep you safe, no matter how they brand themselves or how progressive they profess to be. 

I think the real question, then,  is what supports will you have in place to make getting your licensure hours possible for you? When a colleague microaggresses against you or is discriminatory toward a patient, what will your emotional recovery plan look like? What are the absolute dealbreakers that will make a facility or organization unworkable for you, and what are the nice-to-haves that you can live without?

Basically, if you want to get your necessary hours, you might have to be in survival mode for a while -- and I think having realistic expectations about that and a plan for dealing with the secondary trauma and systemic biases you'll endure is what will make it possible. That said, I'm not a therapist, I've only seen this stuff from the sidelines as a teacher, trainer, program evaluator, and sometimes as a patient. So I would also encourage you to try and find a neurodivergent and queer therapist who has gone through this stuff before, who can serve as a mentor for you. Getting through this process will be tough, and I think it’s important to be realistic about that. You’ll need to steel yourself for a lot of unfairness and ignorance, and you’ll need a good support system in place to help keep you feeling strong in the face of it.