let me start by saying, I'm okay to agree to disagree on this, and I respect you greatly as my queer elder. I hesitate to even send this because I don't think this cause is worth dogpiling (and not even the fun way) on anyone against and , like , I will continue to follow and admire you as a mutual who has been through a lot of the hell that I'm going through right now and got to a place I want to someday be. (for context, I am currently housing & food insecure and am trying to live in a queer-accepting city)
Posting will never be praxis, you are my brother in arms no matter what you call trump or cops or whatever. There are some fat liberation blogs that take issue with calling cops "pigs" for a lot of the reasons I bristle at calling Trump a fatass, and like, if someone is actively fighting cops who can and will actively hurt me and my found family, I don't care what names they shout while doing it. So I see where you are coming from and I'm glad you fight for me. I fight for us too, in what little ways I can while I keep me and my found family afloat. I do better work in the community just by existing around people as a living breathing transgender than I could do in a million posts on this website.
I do think that this is a valuable conversation to have, though, even though you are completely right that this is a trivial thing and not at all the bigger, more real issue at hand. I think it's still important, on online platforms such as this, to talk about how we refer to the other people on this planet.
Think about why you didn't call Trump a "retard". You certainly could have, it doesn't *not* apply to some of his behavior. I know people of our generations once used that word a lot, and we don't anymore. Why and when did we change that? I honestly don't remember. For me, my aunt was medically classified as "retarded" and she was the best person I'd ever met, so I decided that word shouldn't mean bad things. The first time I ever hit someone was over them using that word in a derogative way. it wasn't about "mental illness positivity" it was about humanizing the people that word has been used against - people who have been stigmatized and oppressed with that word.
Right now, hopefully, the same thing is happening to the word "obese". Fat people are less likely to be hired, granted loans or secure housing. they can be kicked out of airplanes and fired from their jobs because of their body size. There have been laws proposed to take fat children away from their parents and "treatments" proposed to wire children's jaws shut and starve them to make them thinner. They are often medically mistreated and misdiagnosed. I once went to a doctor with an ear infection and instead of antibiotics, he prescribed me *bariatric surgery.* I have been refused transgender top-surgery because of my BMI, which keeps me at a passively higher risk for self-injury and worse.
I do not care about body positivity. Honestly, between being fat, trans, and poor, I'm at a point where I've given up on ever feeling good about my body again. All I care about is getting jobs and meds and keeping a roof over my family's head and food on our table. Normalizing the idea that fat is a bad thing that anyone can change continues that stigma. When you use Fat as an insult, you are saying fat=bad. Fat is a neutral thing that some bodies can be, like short or tall or lean. The revolution needs to be intersectional, and body size is another axis of oppression that needs to be acknowledged, just like sexuality, gender, race, class, disability, etc.
If you've gotten this far, thank you for hearing me out. I'm sorry that others are just performatively parroting the same things over and over. Civility is bullshit, and if you still want to use body shaming as one of the ways you fight against bigotry, it doesn't really matter to me. Just as long as you acknowledge anti-fat bias as part of that bigotry too.
Thank you for writing and sharing your life experiences with me, and for your solidarity as well. You're striving to make your way as part of a despised minority in a world that's turned unspeakably harsh toward you in an aggressively mean way seemingly overnight, and I admire you for the life you have lived, for your courage and perseverance during this difficult time where resources are scant and your housing and food security is uncertain at best.
(FWIW, after I was bombed out of my Lower Manhattan home on September 11th, my income went from six figures down to nothing overnight, and I was homeless and destitute for years. Twenty years ago, I was where you are now, and I can tell you that what you're enduring today will not last forever, that there is light and hope and blessing in your future, that you're not as alone as you might think, that you must never give up.)
What more can I do to make the point that "fat" has nothing to do with this? As I've said, I grew up obese, and it wasn't until I enlisted in the Army at age 17 that I was able to free myself from my violent and abusive family and unlock the potential of the body that had been hidden under layers of fat and shame all my life. I know that my path is not for everybody, that many others are not so fortunate, and I ceased long ago to think that fat equals bad or lack of character or any other pejorative attitude that society has attached to it for generations. I hope I've made that clear and that you take my word as truth.
I am not saying "let's fat-shame Donald Trump to make him feel bad." I am saying that I'm deeply troubled by the LGBTQ+ community prioritizing hurt feelings over the very real damage that's being done to us right now all over the country by Trump, his minions, his proxies, and his cult of bloodthirsty followers and worshippers.
Trump's accomplices in Congress and state legislatures and Moms For Liberty are taking over school boards all over the country, banning books and emptying library shelves and harassing teachers and librarians to the point where they're being run out of town, where the State of Missouri has defunded its entire public library system rather than follow a court order to restore books banned just for featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
DeSantis and Abbott have put in place policies that are unspeakably brutal, that are forcing trans people in Florida to slowly and brutally revert to their pre-transition state, that have given health care providers in Florida the right to deny treatment to you and me and all LGBTQ+ people because we are gay, lesbian, non-binary, trans... but God forbid we should call Trump mean names!
We've seen what happens when we buy into the "when they go low, we go high" fantasy pipe dream. This is not the way the world works, it has never been, and we need to put this loser idea in the trash bin where it belongs once and for all.
We're being attacked and harmed in unspeakable ways that are happening now. This is not theoretical or hypothetical. It's happening to us, to those we love, this minute and every minute of every day. And worse is in the pipeline - they're writing laws that will place us under virtual house arrest, that will regulate where we're allowed to go in our own cities and towns, when we're allowed to be seen in public, when and where we can shop, how we're allowed to dress, even what we're allowed to say and SING, for Christ's sake!
And I'm supposed to be concerned about some minuscule hypothetical percentage of my own people being OFFENDED because I'm somehow being insensitive and violating some trivial picayune social justice warrior philosophy, because there's a possibility of some fragile flower taking it personally, and that I should shut my mouth and let the MAGA nutjobs run roughshod over us? Oh, come let Daddy kiss it! while our brothers and sisters are suffering in real time. Sickening.
Anyone who has a problem with my stance doesn't have to follow me or emulate my proven effective tactics as an activist with 37 years of successfully defending our rights under my belt if they're so dainty and delicate and easily bruised. Everyone else that sees this for the strawman bullshit it is, get ready to hit the streets with bullhorns and whistles once again. We've got work to do.
Your arguments are strong and well-reasoned, and I accept and acknowledge everything you're saying. We can disagree on this, certainly, and still work together to turn back the progress that the MAGAs are making, restore our rights, and protect ourselves and each other. But that will require the snowflake contingent among us to get their collective head out of their collective ass, stop whining, and get with the damn program. Calling me names and telling me I'm being a bad gay activist is a waste of time and energy that should be spent fighting the fascists and the haters who are out to kill us.
And to you, my friend and fellow traveler with a radiantly beautiful soul and spirit, I urge you to hang in there, to keep the faith, to keep caring about life, to work with me to secure our own future and the future of our kind. I send to you my very best wishes, energy, and prayers that you will find your way to a place of health, security, stability, and love for yourself and for this precious community to whom we've both dedicated our lives, who mean the world to us.
Yours In Service,
Animal J. Smith
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treebury upon avon crispin lore!!
crispin's mother's side of the family is almost entirely composed of vampires. this is not a thing he takes pride in, and actively denies the fact.
he is unable to recognize people's features properly, meaning that everyone's faces are slightly blurred to him.
since crispin is very sensitive to sunlight, he is most often awake at night, tending to his flowers. this unfortunately results in him being very tired throughout the day.
when working at the flower stall with star, he will usually fall asleep while talking to the customers, which makes him seem somewhat impolite. however, this is not actually the case, as crispin can be somewhat of a people-pleaser, trying to make others like him. he just has no idea how to talk to people properly as he comes off as slightly strange (':
crispin is extremely fond of berries, and especially adores eating raspberry/strawberry jam on toast from chanterelle coffee. it is the only thing he orders, and if ever they are out, he simply refuses to eat anything else.
that being said, crispin has been seen trying to consume the flowers when he thinks no-one is looking. to delve into specifics, he likes the white roses the best. please don't tell star.
crispin is naturally a very dramatic person, and enjoys pursuing the arts whenever he isn't helping with the flower stall. he likes to sing to the flowers at night, while the rest of the world is asleep (or, at least, trying to sleep, because they are silently hoping that this idiot will shut the fuck up)
he also likes to have conversations with the flowers, telling them about his dreams, a new piece of music inside his mind, a memory from his childhood. they do not respond, of course, but crispin quite likes talking to them. perhaps it is an effect of sleep deprivation.
despite sharing a lovely house on a hill with star, he is rarely seen there. he prefers it outside, where he can spend time with the flowers. if ever he wants to sleep, he sleeps with them, on a bed of moss.
he loves his flowers more than anything, even more than himself, which is surprising. he considers himself to be quite attractive, despite not ever being able to clearly see his own face. he likes to take a look at himself every chance he gets in the reflection of the river, hoping to recognize himself. but his flowers still come before everything and everyone as he is absolutely enamored with them (:
(i decided to do this because of @felixlib because i can't be an original person. feel free to turn me into a crispin-shaped knife block)
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Harp's Kongzilla (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire) Thoughts
(Update ??? 6: [Mission log. I can't tell if it has been 6 minutes since I lost contact with the outside world, or 6 years. Time doesn't move the same in this space. Will I ever be home again, or will I have to make this hellscape my "home"?] Even if you don't care about Godzilla this might be fun to watch the ✨ chaotic progression of my mental breakdown✨! Who needs Kongzilla, when you can pop some corn and watch a ✨ timelapse of Harp's kaiju-inspired demise✨?)
Just got back from seeing Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in a really nice, really big theater and I have a torrential hurricane of thoughts I MUST get out RIGHT NOW.
THIS MOVIE FUCKS SEVERELY!!!!!!!!!!
(Edit: [kind of an edit I haven't posted this yet] It has been an 1hr and 1/2 since I started typing and I haven't gotten through my spoiler-free review. Kongzilla was only 1hr 55min bro. I am so fucking lost in the sauce bro.)
(Edit 2: [still haven't posted] sorry about the colored text and the bolding and the effects. It is the only way I could keep myself sane. Yes it will continue into the spoiler reblog.)
Usually the first thing I do after seeing a movie at the cinema (not including rambling about it with whoever went with me to the theaters) is look up what other people are saying on the internet. Reviewers, Tumblr, general internet surfing (I'm a nosey bitch who likes to see who I disagree with, sue me).
But I COULD NOT with this one. I turned all my notifs off. They are staying off until I fucking finish this post.
(Edit 3: [I'll post eventually] YES I intend to keep that promise until I finish the spoiler-filled reblog. I took an extra of my ADHD meds to stay up this late. I HAVE to expend that energy somehow.)
Also, I am going to refer to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire as Kongzilla going forward. I still haven't checked tumblr so it's probs a ship name but it's what I've been calling the movie in my head since I was told I was going to watch it in theaters.
Big Godzilla and Kaiju buffs PLEASE take all my commentary with a grain of salt. I don't know goddamn ANYTHING in depth about Godzilla movies or lore.
Also this is a sequel! I haven't seen the first one!! But I didn't even need to see it bc there is just the right amount of context that you don't have to have seen the 1st to watch this one! So, truly not a point against me. Rather, a point TOWARDS this movie.
The only reason I've seen so many Godzilla movies in theaters is because my brother has been OBSESSED WITH and ENAMORED BY classic kaiju movies and their successors since before my brain was able to make long-term memories, probably even before I was born.
So I go to all the big Kaiju blockbusters with him because he is my big bro and I care about his interests (and also because no matter the movie quality, I didn't pay for the ticket and I probably also got free popcorn). Pretty much ALL of what I know about Godzilla lore is from him and also manga that have kaiju (or are at least kaiju inspired).
Okay, I am gonna ramble all my thoughts. BUT!!!! If you are like me and end up checking Tumblr to see if you'll like a movie, I'll leave something for you. It starts at the TL;DR in purple and goes past the read more.
(Edit 4: [This rambling review I initially wanted to make for the tumblr interaction for fun has turned into my own personal Purgatory/Saw trap. Free me.] Moved the read more cutoff further up because I rambled MORE during my read through. I also ended up removing most of the purple emphasis coloring, bc if people don't read this fucking thing because of too much color I'm EATING THIS FUCKING LAPTOP.)
I was gonna do my spoiler rambling here too but I have been going for over and hour and several paragraphs, so the spoilery rambling will be in a reblog of this post. If you're even interested. IF YOU EVEN CARE.
TL;DR WATCH THIS MOVIE.
Even if you're not the biggest Godzilla or kaiju buff, even if you haven't seen the first movie in this series. WATCH IT.
Also, once more I am a Godzilla layman. The lore is my brother's zone. I do not speak for what Godzilla and kaiju buffs would think. Please Godzilla Tumblr fandom don't kill me!!!! If I say I thought Kong and Godzilla were kinda hot ( I mean this in the monster fucker way NOT the furry way [not that I'm bashing furries. I'm not a furry tho.]) will that make you like me more or less?????
ANYWAYS
It is fucking fun!!!!! And also the WEIRDEST whiplash between heartwarming and funny that I have never seen work before. BUT IT WORKS HERE!! SO WELL!!!!!
Even if you are jaded about seeing movies (especially franchise films, reboots, and actions) I recommend it. I am also jaded, it's been so long since there has been something I wanted to see in theaters.
And as of 1:26 AM my time, about 1hr and 30min since I left the theater (please let me ouuuut) I AM 100000% WILLING TO SEE IT AGAIN. I'D PAY FOR MY OWN TICKET !!!!! (I never pay for my own ticket! People have to bribe me into the theaters!)
The only other recent one I've enjoyed has, funnily enough, been Godzilla Minus One. And for similar(???) but also very different(!!!!) reasons.
Godzilla -1 was very thoughtful and painful and it made you sit in the despair the characters felt as their lives were razed to the ground. I also 10000% recommend you see Godzilla -1, but only if you want to experience a story that flays open a lot of the devil-may-care destruction that action (and monster) movies revel in.
Kongzilla didn't give me any fucking time to think (I mean that in the BEST way). It was 1hr 55min long (very refreshing) and it was batting me around like a fucking pinball in a Godzilla-Kong-FoundFam pinball machine. I was just along for the ride, but now I am left bereft in my many many thoughts. Which is why we are here.
Jesus I am rambling more than I expected okay uh uh. Now for a DO WATCH IF vs DON'T WATCH IF, in case my words have failed to compel you.
Pros Coloring Code
Pink = Emotional reasons to watch
Blue = Action reasons to watch
Orange = Horknee reasons to watch (hey, it happens)
Green = ????
DO watch if:
You are a sucker for found family
You are a sucker for big monster found family
ACTION!! THRILLS!!! BIG MONSTERS FIGHT RAAAAA
You have been looking for a heartfelt, yet funny (and fun) action that actually feels like it has a heart (I am subtly critiquing you superhero movie industrial complex)
YASSIFIED PINK GODZILLA
BIG MONSTER CGI THAT LOOKS ACTUALLY GOOD!!!!
Pretty ladies!!!!! (I could see the main lady's shimmery gloss and freckles in hi def it was a spiritual experience. God shes gorgeous I'm gonna reblog so many gifsets)
Pretty men!!!!! (Australian vet weirdgirl [but man] was treated as the seductive hottie by the movie and goddamn they were RIGHT. Also conspiracy theorist dude was so fucking handsome too. I don't even LIKE men!)
A cute kid dealing with the loss of her entire world and thrust into a place she doesn't feel she belongs.
That cute kid being the DAUGHTER of the main lady. They communicate in sign and it is so fucking heartfelt and genuine!!! (more l8er)
Unexpected (to me) polycule???? Not ACTUALLY canon but bro it felt like it (even more l8er). Idc if some element was queer/ship bait. I fell hook, line, and SINKER. Get that kid 2 extra dads with her order of mom!!!!!!
Silver fox (ba dum tss) grizzled GILF Kong???? I was not expecting that the wet meow meow of the movie would be KONG, but... here we are
Seriously an alt title could be Kong and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
POW! BWAAAAA!!!!! VWOOOOOO
Godzilla destroys a nuclear facility in France.
Bro this got so long I had to go back and fucking color code.
(Edit 5: You have no fucking idea bro. Your rambling [and emotional state] gets worse!)
DO NOT watch if:
You have photosensitive epilepsy or if you feel there is ANY chance flashing or flickering lights might trigger a seizure. It fucking sucks how few movies are safe for people dealing with photosensitive seizures (or any photosensitivity issues) but this IS one of the ones that'll fuck you up. Do NOT risk your health for GILF Kong. He would want you to stay safe and healthy!
I'm 10000% serious about the warning. There is a scene where they were warping into Hollow Earth and the flashing and flickering and general sight fuckery got bad enough to make ME have to look away. It lasted for at least a minute too. Jesus.
DO NOT SEE THIS IF FLASHING LIGHTS AND CINEMA FUCKERY WILL RISK YOUR HEALTH.
In a similar vein, if you experience vertigo or really bad motion sickness this movie will be hell. The story deals with gravity and spacial fuckery and the cinematography reflects that. The opening shot was REALLY COOL but it was dizzying. You could probably get away with watching it at home, but it'll FUCK YOU UP at the cinema.
You just in general don't like back-to-back always bumping action. If you wanna see a newer Godzilla movie but don't fancy the roller-coaster movie feel, look into Godzilla Minus One.
Okay!!!! I think this is finally fucking it? For the spoiler-free discussion at least. God. Whatever is happening to me is unholy.
If i wake up tomorrow (today) and I'm still as fucked up about this movie, if this isn't just the fucking extra ADHD med, if it turns out my newest hyperfixation is a fucking Western Godzilla x Kong movie series????
I think I'll have to toss myself into a panic chamber, in case I am suddenly overcome by the impulse to buy kaiju models worth hundreds of dollars (I know there are more expensive ones but I am poor enough to know my own limits) for ME to keep instead of for my brother.
Oh Jesus, I won't even be able to ramble with him about it because I'd become fixated in a queer/monsterfucker way and either he wouldn't at all understand or I would be forced to reckon with a reality where I know my brother's romantic preferences and those preferences are giant monsters. I couldn't take that man it'd be joever for me.
OKAY WRAP IT UP LOSER!!!!
That's it for the spoiler free section! Either I will pass out as soon as I hit post or I'll end up writing for like 3 more hours regarding spoilers.
SO CHECK THE REBLOGS (not right away give me time) FOR MY SPOILERY THOUGHTS!!!!!!
I am NOT allowing myself to look this fucking thing over again. I need to have self control.
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