#us conservatism hello

[genderkoolaid]

Hello! Non binary here. I'm trying to genuinely understand how saying bi lesbians are a thing are not harmful to the trans, lesbian and bi community. I saw some of the bi lesbians history and this label seems to be something they used to say to identify that they felt mostly attraction to women but could eventually like a man / people that liked men in the past but now go as lesbians. On the first example, Isn't it just bisexuality with a preference to women? and in the second, lesbians with comphet. I understand the need to use those labels in the past, but now it seems harmful to use bi lesbian because lesbians are not attracted men and bisexuals are not lesbians. I have also seen that the use of bi lesbian was a reactionary push to the TERF movement of excluding men from queer spaces as in a way to "purify" women

While someone in either of the groups you described might identify as a bi lesbian, that is certainly not the extent of bi lesbianism.

I think the problem emerges for many people because they are viewing the definitions of queer terms as objective descriptions we discovered. From this perspective, people used to use lesbian in a more expansive sense essentially because they didn't know any better. But I dislike that; our foreparents were not identifying how they did because they didn't know better, their constructions of gender and sexuality are just as valid. And it's important to understand why those definitions formed instead of going “well it's different now so stop it.”

I'm not sure if you are saying you've heard TERFs came up with the term bi lesbian. I wouldn't be surprised, since it's a fairly common rumor. But it's very wrong. To give a very general history, “bi lesbian” came about to describe people who identified with lesbianism– in the sense that they identified with being queer, having some personal relationship with womanhood and loved or desired women– who also were multisexual in some way. “Lesbian” emphasized your love/desire for women as an important part of your identity, and “bisexual” gave nuance to that, creating visibility for bi people within the community. The outrage against bi lesbians came from the same source as the hatred for trans lesbians (of all kinds): radical feminist beliefs in political lesbianism, the insistence that being a lesbian is a political choice to end all personal relationships with men & manhood.

The idea that “lesbians, universally, aren't attracted to men” largely comes out of this shift. You cannot separate the idea that “bi lesbians” don't/shouldn't exist and the legacy of transphobic radical feminism which encourage black-and-white thinking and hostility towards Bad Queers who dared to love or desire men, be men, dress like men, or fuck like men (anything from BDSM to using a strap-on). This divide is artificial and we do not need to just accept it. Bi lesbians are not the source of harm, the ideology that insists on their exclusion is. On top of this, in many physical queer communities bi lesbians & other people with complicated identities are very easily accepted; the idea that it's somehow impossible for these identities to be safely normalized is just queer conservatism.

There are many reasons someone might enjoy the bi lesbian label: personally, I'm multigender and using a single sexuality label doesn't accurately express my sexuality. A lot of times I see people who counter reasons for bi lesbian identity by saying “but that's just being a lesbian/bisexual!” which is another product of this black-and-white thinking. The idea that someone else with a similar experience using a different label than you– or someone with a different experience using the same label– is somehow a threat to your identity is very reminiscent of the way radical feminism relies on patriarchal ideas that everyone in a gender group must self-police that group to ensure homogeneity. Someone with a totally “normal” bisexual experience may still identify as a bi lesbian, or use both bisexual and lesbian in varying contexts, because they feel it accurately expresses their personal sexuality & relationship to queer communities.

There's famously an Alison Bechdel strip about a character being a bi lesbian, but I think my favorite piece of bi lesbian art is this poem by Dajenya. It's a very defiant and wholehearted response to anti-bi-lesbian sentiment and how it harms people within the community far more than bi lesbian identity does. this site is a collection of primary resources on bi lesbianism, including a few interviews from bi lesbians which might be helpful for you.

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Fuck Harris and all the fucking pinkwashing/homonationalism!

You are not supporting LGBT+ people when you support pinkwashing! Stop lying about fighting for us when you do shit!

Now that I have your attention:

---------------------------------------------

Well, sorry, Zionism, fascism, conservatism, pinkwashing, homonationalism are not positive, remember this, blue liberal!

[dykeulous]

tras: “radical feminism is the pinnacle of white feminism. radfems are a racist hate group and they center their feminism around hatred of women of color.”

also tras:

like… hello??? can we not do this thing where we compare transphobia/transmisogyny to the misogynoir & sexism black women experience??? tras are full of ignorance, historical revisionism & willful stupidity it’s actually insane. they pretend to care & advocate for black women & then say insane stuff like this. the colonizers, imperialists & white nationalists knew who the women were. they knew who was female and who was male. they coerced black women to execute physically exhausting labor, not because they thought they were male, but because they knew they were female. to deny this is to deny the fact that misogynoir exists. racists know who is female. racists are not sex-blind. they knew black women were female, and they oppressed them on the basis of that. black women are not “masculinized” in the way tras claim they are. their view of black women is narrow, racist & misogynistic. comparing them to trans women, a group of male people who transition due to sex dysphoria, is insanely racist. they are the ones denying black women womanhood, something that they claim is the biggest issue black women face (it is a big issue, but it’s not womanhood they’re denied (womanhood is a social construct used to oppress female people, not some magical universal bond that connects all female people); tras are just way too narrow-minded to actually understand the real issue).

quit calling your feminism intersectional. quit co-opting the term & making it seem like intersectional feminism is its own school of theory. it is not. it is a central strategy/tactic/needed element of feminism. all feminism should be intersectional by default. and yours it is not. you’re weaponizing the pain black women experience & use it against real feminists. and on top of it, you’re interpreting it wrongly. you’re not a progressive revolutionary anti-racist feminist if you propagate misogynoir on the daily. your ideology is not any less harmful than conservatism. you’re not helping sex dysphoric people either. trans women, real trans women, know their experiences differ from those of black female people. and they aren’t afraid of admitting it. they aren’t afraid of admitting your ideology does them more harm than good as well.

(images taken from @tra-archive)

[bbygirl-aemond]

i don't think baela and rhaena really apply. they're going to be married to jace and luke so they'll still have everything they would otherwise.

(i'm using this ask as an excuse to rant about the showrunners making house velaryon black given what happens to them and also about how baela and rhaena's situation is still very unfair)

i think making house velaryon black is another decision the showrunners didn't think through properly. i think it was entirely for the diversity aspect, since they'd shot themselves in the foot by making all of the houses in game of thrones white and had very rightfully received criticism for doing so. the velaryons are one of the only houses that aren't depicted in game of thrones, so were one of the only options for doing this. i was even pretty happy at first, because the velaryons are a very powerful and ancient house, and the only house aside from the targaryens to ever wield dragons.

but i do think it casts some aspects of team black in a more unfortunate light. here's where baela and rhaena come in. let me make it clear, i understand that after her sons are born rhaenyra has no choice but to present them as legitimate out of very warranted fear for their safety. so i'm not saying that rhaenyra has malevolently done this, nor that after the boys' birth she had any real choice, but...

the optics of setting aside two black women's rightful inheritance in order to uplift white men is not exactly great. it's certainly not groundbreaking. especially when you consider that black characters have such little power overall- driftmark is really the only thing black nobles have to their name in westeros. and now they are being expected to pass it along to white men. the fact that future generations will be mixed doesn't make it much better- in fact i honestly think it's worse. the white targaryens aren't just colonizing one generation out of hundreds that rules driftmark; they're colonizing the entire subsequent velaryon bloodline. you know, the same house whose black members are vocally unhappy with this colonization- that is, until the colonizers kill them or cut out their tongues (hello, vaemond + silent five). i just think it makes the velaryons' anger at the whole situation seem a little more... legitimate? at least through modern eyes, it's not just that the boys are born out of wedlock (though obviously, hello misogyny and conservatism, that's a big part of it). it's also that the boys, by virtue of being out of wedlock, straight up do not possess any of the black heritage that makes house velaryon unique. (if they'd made harwin black as well, i think it could have solved this issue btw)

and i know that baela and rhaena are being married to jace and luke, but i need y'all to understand that this is not the same as them holding their power by their own right. every single bit of wealth, power, or property that these girls will ever have, save for their dragons, will not actually belong to them. it will all legally belong to their husbands. any decision-making power they have, anything they buy or do, will only ever be because their husbands are permitting them. their agency and their strength will be entirely contingent on the white men in their lives. jace and luke have inherent titles and power- they are princes by birth. baela and rhaena aren't princesses, or even ladies. the only political title they will ever hold will be as a consort- as an extension of the more powerful white man they are married to.

i very much don't think that jace and luke have any intention of curtailing these girls' power. but that doesn't change the fact that it won't truly be theirs. it's also unrealistic to expect that couples will go their entire lives without ever once disagreeing on something. the moment they do, the power imbalance will become clear. additionally, the show has set a precedent of those in power within the targaryen family in particular unintentionally harming others with ignorance of how their power allows them to steamroll over others' agency. viserys does not recognize the power he has over alicent due to his position, and she suffers for it. rhaenyra does not recognize the power she has over criston due to her position, and he suffers for it. a lack of intentional abuse does not preclude these boys from accidentally imposing their will on others.

a good real-world comparison for baela and rhaena's situation would be that of a stay-at-home mom who has staked her entire life on her husband's goodwill. she has no degree and no job. she has no money or property. her house and everything inside it belongs to her husband, not her. and even if her husband never leaves her, even if in some false universe with no conflict he never even disagrees with her, it does not change the fact that her livelihood is forever dependent on his permission. this is a power imbalance that must, by virtue of its significance, seep its way into their relationship. it's why relationships between a boss and employee are illegal in the united states- because it's understood that this power imbalance absolutely does have a compromising affect on the less powerful person's consent and agency.

anyways, like i said, i don't have good answers here for how this situation might be resolved, and i don't think that this move condemns rhaenyra as some intentional thief of black women's inheritance. she was choosing between baela and rhaena's agency and her children's lives, after all. but i know that making baela and rhaena black, and jace and luke white, makes the unfairness of baela and rhaena being sidelined as a result of powerful white people's actions sting even more. like yay, more black women whose entire life is dependent on a white man's goodwill and whose plot relevance is solely tied to their ability to benefit said white men's reputations. it's just not revolutionary in the way the showrunners seem to think it is. it's old, and it's tired, and i'm tired of it.

i really hope they'll do more with baela and rhaena's storylines and find some way to give them power in their own right, but i'm afraid it will never trump the agency that has already been taken from them and gifted to white men. and, given the way most of the girls' dialogue has been cut so far in favor of other characters... i'm not optimistic.

[sapphyreopal5]

Hi there, I have just found your blog and I have found it very interesting.

I was wondering if you could do a reading on Drake Rodger, particularly his relationship to Jensen. Tbh I find it slightly creepy and he seems to be trying to emulate the relationship he and Jared had in the early years of supernatural but the big difference is he is now a middle aged man and Drake is not.

Hello Anon, thank you for the ask. I also want to say thank you for complimenting my blog, I'm glad you enjoy reading and I hope you continue to do so :) I find your question interesting given the timing you sent this in given there's a convention coming up this weekend that I am attending in Charlotte, NC where both of them will be at! So, with this being said I was told by Loki to only shuffle my deck once, which is quite interesting and is a new occurrence on my part. First I'm gonna talk about the associated keywords with each of these cards and then throw in the interpretation work. This is a bit of a long read so please bear with me, I hope you find this answer insightful and a pleasurable read nonetheless.

In the tarot, the keywords associated with The Moon card include intuition, illusion, dreams, vagueness, instability, deception, anxiety, fear, misconception, subconscious, and insecurity. The 3 of Wands indicates progress, expansion, foresight, overseas opportunities, or possibly playing small, lack of foresight, unexpected delays. The 4 of Wands often can signify celebration, excitement, homecoming, family unity (or instead and frankly more fitting in this case) an unhappy family, cancellations, and feeling unwelcome. The King of Wands in the tarot often represents a natural born leader, an entrepreneur, and a visionary or possibly on the contrary impulsiveness, haste, ruthless, high expectations. The 4 of Pentacles tends to mean either saving money, security, conservatism, scarcity, control or in this case, over-spending, greed, and self-protection. The 4 of Swords connotes to rest, relaxation, meditation, contemplation, recuperation, or on the opposite end of things exhaustion, burn-out, deep contemplation, or stagnation. Of course, the 8 of Pentacles often indicates apprenticeship, repetitive tasks, mastery, skill development, self-development, perfectionism, and possibly misdirected activity.

The card with what I believe to be the most significant one and indicates the overall tone of this reading is The Moon. If you noticed in this particular post when I was initially discussing the keywords for each card I used words and phrases like "or", "on the contrary", "instead", etc. when I mentioned what the keywords for each of the cards are as opposed to just mentioning so called relevant keywords. I chose to do this for this post because a lot of the card combinations based on typical interpretations of such tend to be more positive. In this case however, there was a lot of deception going on with the creation of The Winchesters from start to finish, behind the scenes and on social media which The Moon card confirms.

I think many of the readers here are going to be quite familiar with the so called "Prequel Gate" that happened which started seemingly when Jared Padalecki made a post on Twitter saying "Dude. Happy for you. Wish I heard about this some way other than Twitter. I’m excited to watch, but bummed that Sam Winchester had no involvement whatsoever." and when people thought he was kidding, he responded with "No. It’s not. This is the first I’ve heard about it. I’m gutted." Also, when the show was introduced it was supposed to be "an epic love story". Instead, the big climax of the show and the highly anticipated tidbit ended up being the return of Dean Winchester on the screen. I feel a relevant movie to bring up is Bewitched with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell starring, which is the movie where the remake of Bewitched is being filmed. As a synopsis, the show gets really poor ratings initially, as Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) made Darrin get most of the lines initially and the so called unknown girl Isabel Bigalow (Nicole Kidman) as Samantha got barely any lines. It's when Isabel calls Jack out on why the show was getting poor ratings and threatened to quit is when Jack comes to his senses and when he finally listens, the show ends up getting better ratings. See why I also included a photo of the movie's cover below?

The location of the King of Wands (man on the elephant) being below the 4 of Wands (a crown) is interesting because we know that Jensen has a crown tattoo on his lower inner arm by his hand (which funnily enough was a topic of interest due to a photo edit "oopsies" some people saw on Twitter and here on Tumblr). Both of these cards showing up in the orientation they are is very interesting and definitely points to Jensen as I'll discuss here why. This particular quote stands out to me and sounds very relevant to Jensen regarding The King of Wands: "The King of Wands represents pure fire energy in its masculine form. Unlike the other Wands court cards, the King is not so interested in creation and creativity, or in dreaming up ideas and implementing them himself. Instead, he is more inclined to take an idea and then enlist others to help him actualise it." Also another interesting tidbit I saw from this same site about the King of Wands: "At times, the reversed King of Wands can be aggressive and even arrogant in the pursuit of his goals. Be mindful that as you strive towards your dream, you are not putting others off-side, dis-empowering them or taking their contributions for granted. You need their support one hundred percent of the way."

If you watch this interview of Jensen and Danneel discussing The Winchesters back in October 2022, around the 2:03 marker Jensen says "we've got touchstones that have been laid out in the mothership you know our lore. Maybe we can hit those markers in a way that isn't expected", which correlates with that quote I mentioned above I got from Biddy Tarot regarding the King of Wands talking about being more inclined to take an idea and enlisting others to make it happen. It's also interesting to notate that in this interview, Jensen is wearing velvet, which was often worn by aristocrats in Middle Aged Europe. Velvet has a long history that dates back to Ancient China and Egypt where it was also seen as a luxury and sign of royalty and still is seen as such today.

As I mentioned earlier, Jensen even has a crown tattoo on his lower right arm by his hand that he got the same year he was crowned king in Mardi Gras back in 2019 (The W on the crown apparently stands for Winchesters). It appears him, Jared and John getting this tattoo is a "seers hint" that was missed regarding The Winchesters (don't worry, we all apparently have missed some). Interestingly so, there are 3 cards in this reading with the number 4 (2019 was 4 years ago when all 3 of them got this tattoo) that are diagonal from one another. Oh and the Charlotte convention starts in 3 days this upcoming Friday (I however will be going Saturday and Sunday, or starting 4 days from now). Jensen said also he, John and Jared now call themselves "The Three Kings". Jensen at least prior to the cancellation of The Winchesters perceived himself as a "king". I do believe the King of Wands card quote above stated that the "King of Wands can be aggressive and even arrogant in the pursuit of his dreams", which is 100% fitting in this case. Ironically, the 4 of Wands as I mentioned earlier can foretell of cancellations. If only Jensen had a bit more foresight as the 3 of Wands suggests he lacked.

It seems in his arrogant approach as a so called "veteran" actor in taking away the spotlight from Drake, Meg, Jojo and the rest of the "apprentice" actors he ironically killed his and his wife's project. Perhaps he should've followed Jack Wyatt's approach and listened when fans asked legitimate questions and expressed genuine concerns about the storyline of the show. Instead Jensen chose the path of not listening to anyone else and even said something along the lines of "if people don't like the show, were they ever fans to begin with?"

So... to answer your bottom line question about Drake and Jensen's overall relationship. This reading 100% states Drake needs to trust his own instincts more. It also indicates that Drake was side-blinded quite a few times by Jensen and perhaps is not really seeing the entire picture. Clearly Drake sees Jensen as someone to look up to and seek career advice from because "he's a good actor with a lot of experience and knowledge in the entertainment industry". A father figure so to speak, and perhaps sees the rest of the cast of The Winchesters as "a family" and is part of the extended "spn family". However, Jensen quite frankly has talked a big game since he left Supernatural which can be seen in the clothing he chooses to wear and even in the things he's said as aforementioned in this post. Frankly, his career is not on such a high note currently. It seems the failure of The Winchesters may have served as a bit of a reality check for Jensen. Not sure if you agree with me here but lately I believe Jensen's been starting to look a little thin, pale, exhausted, and downright depressed.

As for Drake, he clearly is an ambitious, handsome young man who genuinely wants to succeed in the entertainment industry. He may not have been quite the same as JDM's John Winchester, and was criticized for not having the right personality or look to play young John. Casting Drake as John Winchester yet Jensen expecting a Sam Winchester tie to Drake and therefore placing high expectations on him is perhaps indicated in the King of Wands card. I sense Drake has been contemplating on his time on the set of The Winchesters in a more nostalgic way and is in a bit of a recuperation period, which I think is reflected in his reblogging this post on Twitter. It sees he was quite thrown off guard and shocked about the announcement of Jensen and Danneel's Chaos Machine Productions entering a deal with Amazon and Jensen. Jensen has withheld a lot of things from Drake I suspect but also has given some good advice to Drake at the same time based on what he said in an interview Drake did in April.

I know this was a longer answer and such but I hope that you found this insightful and interesting. Thank you again for this ask!

[transbpdpartner]

Hello! ~An Introduction Post~

Hiya! I'm Atlas, or Trans BPD Partner. I'm a small artist that makes leftist/far left political/activism art, mental health art, and some random things. I'm still learning and just started a few months ago, so my style is still slowly evolving and I'm learning new techniques! I started on Facebook as Trans Stoner bf. My page got falsely banned for "Impersonation," so I now use the page Trans BPD Partner - This blog is to go along with that page, particularly in the event my page gets taken down again (there seems to be a surge of pages being banned currently.)

I do better at making lists instead of paragraphs so~

Some basic info!:

23

Queer

Transmasculine Nonbinary

Leftist

Autistic/AuDHD

BPD

Polyamorous/ENM

Pagan Witch

Disabled

Gamer

420

On this page, we believe:

Trans Rights are Human Rights

BLM

1312

No TERFs

No SWERFs

Free🍉

JKR and HP are trash

Self diagnosis is valid, professional diagnosis is a privilege

Neopronouns are valid

It/Its pronouns are valid

Neogenders and Xenogenders are valid

All good faith identities are valid

Armchair diagnosis is never okay - This also applies to slapping "narcissist" on everyone you don't like. NPD is a genuine disorder.

Asexuals/Aromantics are queer

Centrism is just conservatism lite

Kink is not inherently sexual

Kinkshaming sucks, who cares what consenting adults do in the bedroom?

There's a good chance that if you don't align with these values, you may not like it here. And that's okay! But don't make it my problem.

So yeah, enjoy my silly little page.

[drdamiang]

CONCERNING KYLE SHANAHAN

CONCERNING KYLE SHANAHAN

I feel sorry for Kyle Shanahan. I too had a barrier that to me was absolutely necessary to break through but seemed insurmountable. It almost destroyed me, but I broke through. My barrier also, as Shanahan's may well do too, involved the figure of a father -- not a successful one like Kyle's father, Mike, but one who resented and could not handle my success (getting a Ph D and being called "Doctor") at some level in his psyche.

Some things need to be spelled out and we need to figure out how we can deal with them in the best, perhaps only, way possible.

1. we need to win a SB in the next couple of years, otherwise the great legacy of the 80s and 90s will be lost. Even though we went 5-0, we still have twinges about the NFC title game v the New York Giants that we lost before they went on to beat the Buffalo Bills and started that terrible legacy for them we seem to be getting to close to ourselves for comfort.

2. we need to do this without the absolute buy in of Jed York who is just happy with a winning season

3. we cannot go to another SB and lose. Kyle Shanahan cannot go to another SB and lose, it will be bad for us but very very bad for him. We cannot allow him to get to the SB and not win. Going to SB LVIII and losing was not good. Losing how he did (hello deja vu) was worse, going there embarrassingly unprepared was worst of all -- but also made it as clear as day that to win with Kyle, an intervention needs to be made, because ...

4. Kyle Shanahan is not going anywhere. Colin Cowherd shocked me by saying he thought Shanahan managed the game really well and made the right play calls! Such is his aura with some pundits and analysts, that they just miss-see things.

5. Kyle Shanahan is not going to win us a 6th SB if left to his own devices. This is as plain as day. And he will most likely get us to another SB, and if not Mahomes it will be against another top top AFC quarterback (who beat Mahomes en route).

6. If Shanahan is helped to win himself a first SB and give us our 6th, you would not be wise to rule out a 2nd/7th and more to follow.

7. There is a sense in which Shanahan is both 0-3 at the SB, but also, in a peverse way 3-0. Did he lose to Andy Reid twice, or lose to himself twice? So if he lost to himself twice, he won twice. Same story with the Atlanta 28-3 fiasco. The other Kyle who beats the one we see losing in finals is that split-off self he needs to integrate. We need to help him to do this. We need to help him to change. Let's think about how this bad cycle started. What got lost in the 28-3 disaster v the Patriots was that he was destroying Brady and the Patriots, the supreme SB winning team organization 28-3 going into the third quarter. Would he ever coach/co-ordinate/play call with such confidence and so innovatively/positively/aggressively in a SB (or NFC title game, for that matter, again)? What were our fears going into SB LVIII regarding Kyle's coaching and game management? Were we scared he would disregard risk and go aggressive, using our known strengths in pushing the envelope, going full on Napoleon at Austerlitz against Andy Reid? Or were we scared he would be inhibited, risk-averse and err on the side of conservatism and all things vanilla (with a few over-thought tricks thrown in)? You cannot go conservative against Patrick Mahomes, but you also need to be blend what is innovative and will take by surprise with what works for us, with what we are good at. A sign of how this conservatism fails is that it produces initial dominance, the dominance fails to produce points on the board, it gets countered by the opponent, they put crucial points on the board and it is all over and we are the team of what ifs.

8. The 49ers, judging by social

media, are becoming despised by opposing fanbase because of us losing and droning on about what ifs. We are starting to surpass the Cowboys as the team America loves to hate. This is not good at all. Suddenly, out of nowhere we have extended existing rivalries and developed new ones. And yet we have nothing to feel absolutely good about, and our rival fans, especially the all-new bitter ones (the Eagles fans) know this. The downfall from this unwarranted confidence bordering on pn arrogance has delighted rival fans and been a boon for therapists getting hired to address the horrible feeling Niners fans have that their team are not going to win anything that matters (and in the NFL, unlike in English and World football, there is only one trophy that matters, in terms of which everything gets evaluated). If the team loses then inevitablg fans are to see it as a mirror of their own life failures.

9. Kyle has to change. For us and for himself. Change his practice and change his mindset. Otherwise this marriage is going to go off the rails completely.

[paschalitsa]

hello :)

my name is pearl! i'm 22 and i'm making this blog in an attempt to reconnect with my faith. i've been really lost recently because my mom passed away in september, and i've stumbled my way to God in that time. here is a list of facts about myself so you can get to know me! also, if you don't like or agree with me, you can just block me. i'm not entertaining debates, so if you try to engage, i'll just block you anyway. thog dont caare

i wasn't raised in a religious household. my mom grew up missionary baptist and switched to methodism when she got older, and she was quite open about her faith. my dad, on the other hand, is private about it, but he's told me he shares my mom's beliefs

my parents took me and my brother to our local methodist church for a short while when we were little, but they didn't make us go for long because we didn't enjoy it. so, this is the first time in my adult life that i am connecting to God :)

i'm from east tennessee, so i'm surrounded by conservatism and evangelicalism

i'm a lesbian and i am pro-lgbt! i do not believe that being lgbt or "practicing" any of it is a sin

i am also pro-choice and pro-science

i don't take a lot of the things in the bible literally, and i've been heavily influenced by niebuhr in this regard (specifically niebuhr's the nature and destiny of man)

before finding my way to God, i took a couple theology classes in college

i have a bachelor's degree in english literature, and my thesis was how satire in christian literature has changed using chaucer's canterbury tales and sinclair lewis' elmer gantry

as it says in my bio, i love talking about christianity during the black death (as well as medieval christianity in general), prosperity gospel, megachurches, televangelists, and modern evangelist influencers! exploitation and hypocrisy in christianity, as well as how christians deal with disasters such as the black death and covid, really interest me :) feel free to talk to me about them!

my interest in these topics means that i am very critical about christian institutions and public figures

i also love looking at conservative evangelicalism in america

love you! 💞

[ghostofpolaris]

Hello there! I hope everything is going well. May I have a free reading from you, please? Nothing specific, just how things will be in general (career, studying, love). My initials are LMC, 23, Gemini Sun. Thanks in advance!!!

Hello hello @night-of-mine! I am so sorry that it took so long to get to your reading, but I hope that perhaps this will help you still. As every reading I do goes, a song also comes with it and for you, the song that came was: Not a Lullaby by The Weepies

Whether it resonates with you on a deeper level or perhaps is just a nice tune, that is up to you at the end of the day! To me, I feel like it really fits the vibe you get off with the smooth piano and vocals. With that being said, let's go ahead and see what the cards have to say. <3

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

General November Reading

Career (Three of Pentacles)- Before I begin to dig at the cards, I feel that perhaps it is important to talk about the Pentacles as a suit right quick as it shows up twice here in your reading. Pentacles are a suit associated with the element of Earth and speak of health, finances, and work. This is a suit that asks for stability, grounding, and growth. For this card, it speaks on teamwork, collaboration, implementation, and learning. Looks like you are going to need to work in a team for the month of November! Remember that Rome was not built in a day, and it certainly was not built alone. Enjoy and appreciate the different experiences and perspectives that may lie within your team.

There is no "us versus them" here. This is a time to acknowledge the value each person brings to the table even if you may not get along with them all of the time. You have the skills, capabilities, and resources to achieve your goals here, you just need to utilize them. You are on the right track though! Good work.

Academics (Seven of Swords)- The Swords suit is of the element of Air and it talks a lot of action, and balancing your intellect and heart. This handles the quality of your mind in your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. This is a card that talks of betrayal, deception, acting strategically, and getting away with something. Obviously not a good look here, as this perhaps shows that something has betrayed you here and is going unnoticed. Or, perhaps there is a mess going on here where you have the need to act strategically whether it is for damage control or avoiding any kind of betrayal and deception. Don't be afraid to utilize some shortcuts to help quickly resolve problems that pop up in this month. Say you missed getting into a course you wanted to go into, maybe write a letter to the Dean or utilize your connections. Think on your feed and be proactive on your situations. Put yourself first even if you may feel it is selfish. There is nothing wrong with being a bit selfish so as long as you do not hurt yourself and/or others.

Love (Four of Pentacles)- The Four of Pentacles talks of security, control, conservatism, scarcity, and saving money. Now, why this shows in a love reading may be your question, but I think this may have to do with feelings within the relationship. Perhaps the focus is on money and material things you may need/want. Sadly these are definitely things can tear apart a relationship for sure, but I don't think we have to see this as a grim message. Instead, perhaps you are doing quite well by acting conservatively thus far and maybe a little milestone has been reached? While things may be scarce at times, remember that there is more to a relationship of any kind other than money and material things. Everything in moderation is key and I think you are allowed to splurge with loved ones every once in a while. Maybe ease up on your laser focus on money just a bit and realize that wealth can come in other forms.

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

I hope that this reading helps you! Feel free to look back on it anytime you need and may you have a happy Samhain!

Free Tarot Readings Closed

[daisys-reality]

ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛɪɴɢ

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

hello guys this is for my reality shifters <3 This reading is for making us more aware about our hidden desires and true intentions especially on our shifting journey.

how to choose a picture: try to calm down, take deep breaths & use your intuition to select. Take you time and chose the picture you feel the most drawn to. (You can choose more than one picture.)

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟏

Hello pile one :D You are my eagle children. You guys are truly strongly independent! You are definitely both physically and spiritually very strong. Fire and earth could be also strong in your natal chart if you're into astrology. I feel like when people mess with you they are hit with karma (as they should ofc). Your past seems kinda heavy and I think you went through many (internal) transformations throughout your life. You always look forward, seeking the truth and your freedom in this world. You might like strong and bright colors (yellow, blue, green) as well as black. Your energy is confident, you know what you want and you know how to take care of yourself. When going forth with your actions, you do it boldly and fearlessly. You work hard and always push yourself because you truly want to become the best and the brightest version of yourself. (I can tell you already shine really bright <3) I feel like because you are such a strong force, you won’t stop at nothing until you reach your personal goal- being at peace with yourself and enjoying your freedom. The people in your life come and go, they don’t seem to keep your company for too long because they often can’t keep up with you. And that’s not bad because those people are not the people you need! You might sometimes feel lonely on this path but soon it will be all worth it.

You are a lone wolf, usually enjoying your own solitude. You like challenges and stepping into the unknown. The possibility of shifting to other realities gives you so much freedom. It fuels your desire to experience and learn more and it helps ultimately to find yourself and getting closer to your own truth. You went through lots of pain and heartbreak but it encouraged you to use your pain as a lesson learned. Now, you want to heal, to release all this past pain and to let go - and reality shifting helps you heal your inner child.

I think you hated being denied things or not being able to stuff because of this society and their dull way of thinking. You might hate conservatism and superficiality. You don’t want to follow what you’re being told or follow trends. You have a rebellious side to you and you also seem a bit greedy - you’ve been starved of so many things in your life till now and you just want to have it all - you are tired of lack and restrictions. Reality shifting is like an opportunity - not your destiny. You are an opportunist and you’d take all of the things that seem advantages to you.

You are intelligent and have so much creativity. And you just wanna make use of all those ideas you have and try them out - you are the type who enjoys learning by doing or by watching other people cuz you’re so smart ;) You don’t want a boring standard life - it would never satisfy you. You want to escape the ordinary and live a magical and adventurous life - and reality shifting brings you closer to this kind of life you desire.

Lots of blessings to you!

-> check out my other pac readings

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟐

Hello my pile two sweethearts <3 You bring light into this world, tbh you are a blessing. I feel like you are my spiritual pile. You’re innately intelligent like your way of thinking is so different - your gifts are beyond what the normal human mind can grasp. You may be drawn to the healing arts, as you are sensitive to the subtle and enjoy working on the level of spirit(s). Though I feel like you are the type to underestimate the impact you make in the world. Oh, and setting personal boundaries might also be something you struggle with. You’re probably more extroverted and really friendly, caring and empathetic. Coming in contact with you inspires people and triggers their desire to change - it like … changes their life lmao. If you’re not into spirituality yet - I think you should get into it, cuz I feel like you’d connect really well with it and you could find like-minded people/spirits :) (I love your energy <3)

I think you also really enjoy art, beauty, love and creative expression. And that is surely represented in the type of desired realites you’re shifting to. You have an idealistic, playful side to you and I think you just want to enjoy yourself - especially in your DRs. YOu might be a bit scatter-brained and easily feel bored which could lead to you often changing your script or being indecisive about certain things - I just wanna tell that you don’t need to script that much, like… trust your subconsciousness because it’s also you and it knows how you are and what you want - and it will be represented in your DRs, so don’t worry too much.

Your shifting ideas might be quite abstract or unusual - I feel like you really enjoy the fantasy genre and like fairy tales and stuff like that. It’s all about pleasure with you guys. I feel like you also romantice material wealth and drama (you know those princess/duchess stories) in your Drs. You want to experience unconditional love and luxus and to follow your heart and passion. Overall, you are more the type to put heart over head. You want to start exploring and putting your dreams and passion to action. Tho, I feel like you also enjoy that aspect of using your mind (head) for scripting and not just act out of compassion (heart).

I think you sometimes get tired of this ‘gray’ world we’re living in - the news are full of politics, wars, crime, climate change etc and it really drains you and your spirit. The energy is too heavy for you and you just wanna escape - even though escapism can be unhealthy, I feel like your spirit/soul is so precious it needs this kind of escapism to survive. Before getting to know about reality shifting, you might have daydreamed often as a coping mechanism. I hope you develop a healthy approach to reality shifting. Don’t feel bad for ‘escaping’ because it feeds your soul and inner child. But please ground yourself in each reality and don’t get unhealthily attached <3

To me it seems you are also very romantic and you love those stories where a love couple endures a lot of hardships but survive and end up in their own paradise - love that last endlessly long. You might have scripts of this kind of magical love - relationships build on respect, harmony and support. It inspires you and gives you that emotional fulfillment. Tho, if it is not about romantic relationships it could also signify non-romantic partners. Like those types of friendship where you go on an adventure together - it’s about bonding with like-minded people, feeling understood and appreciated - feeling like you belong to somewhere.

Another reason for shifting could also be that sometimes you feel stuck and can’t make a decision, so you shift somewhere else (like to your waiting room) to find time to think and reflect and get a change of view and then come back. It’s like cheating lmao…(I’d do that too). Does time stress you out sometimes? You probably script it that way so that no time passes when you go back to your main reality/current reality. Also, I feel like there is cruelty around you that you want to escape or you suffer through anxiety and/or fears from time to time and you want to escape that? Although, I think you sometimes tend to worry about certain situations a little too much, when in reality it isn’t as bad as you think it is. That’s why it’s important to ground yourself in each reality even in your main reality.

Your energy reminds me of lots of warm pastel colors - baby pink, baby blue, light yellow - it’s very comfortable. Lots of blessings to you!

-> check out my other pac readings

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟑

Hello pile three~ Puh, your eyes/energy is intense… I just heard “intelligence is the sexiest attribute” lmao okkk you guys are the intense and intelligent ones (any scorpios here? lol). You are very private and mysterious individuals and you are very protective of yourself. I feel like you are the type to experience the most crazy stuff while shifting but like no one knows about it… like I got “if you commit the perfect heist, make sure you don’t brag about it.” … Are you like… killing people in your DRs?? oh my gosh this is so crazy. You definitely have the mindset of - if you share your personal life, it’s not personal. You enjoy leaving other people oblivious. You feel powerful because of that. Having more knowledge and experience than others makes you feel superior. Ngl that’s attractive… ok I gotta stop simping. It seems like you are more the introverted type and prefer retreating and being in solitude but when provoked you might get aggressive lol and you don’t fear looking someone straight into their eyes. There is a side of you that is kinda cold-hearted and you might generally shove people away from you. You don’t mind waiting or pausing and watching how things solve themselves. You are always present but just prefer observing others from a slight distance. So, you might shift to your favorite series/anime/movies and I am sure you would not turn the story and make it about yourself but you would just want to be there and see the story for yourself with your own eyes. You don’t want to intervene or change something, you want to see the raw and original including all its dark sides.

Even though you might seem cold at first there is a deep-loving side beneath that facade you wear. And I feel like you only have that strong and cold facade because you yourself are very fragile in a way and you might have strong emotions - like almost overwhelmingly. You are deep and introspective and I think you’d make a great teacher and leader - helping others finding their path in life. But you are also a ‘student of life’ and eager for knowledge. Overall it seems like you are quite humble and wise. But in your dark times, you might act a bit know-it-all and egocentric - I think learning something new in those times might help you ground yourself again.

Anyways, so… as another reason you’re shifting to other realities could also be about experiencing being on top, in a powerful position and exercising authority… like an emperor/empress. You have high ambitions and you want to provide for others and experiencing stuff like that (being in a powerful position and taking responsibility) creates a solid foundation for you. Also, being in control, creating structures exercising law and order are things that you really enjoy - you kinda want to be like a father figure to others. Make sure not to let your need for control get to your head <3

You might also enjoy being in a strange place/world and feeling lost and confused …idk. It’s something about your subconsciousness or surreal worlds (DRs)... Do you have many fears? There is a theme of projecting your own fears into your external environment. But also breaking illusions … sorry for being so vague, the energy is hard to identify. But please don’t do yourself any harm in your DRs </3

Moving on, you also like shifting to other realities to spend some time replenishing your strength and to refresh your mind in a calm space. It’s like… not always having to be present in your main reality/current reality and enjoying taking on a passive role without feeling bad about it. I think you do that in stressful times or when you’re almost having a burn out.

I think you also are very attached to memories and you like making new memories and reflecting back on them from time to time. It’s like something that only belongs to you… your own world/reality and those realities get more and more important to you the more time you spend in them. It’s a very nostalgic and innocent energy. Did you perhaps shift back to your childhood times? To reunite with past people?

Last but not least, you also like the aspect of limitlessness and resourcefulness, you have all you need (your mind) to experience anything you want. And you enjoy utilizing your mind to create what you want in life. You’re in charge of your reality and that gives you the power you crave! You’re are very creative and have many unique ideas - so make use of them! :)

Lots of blessings to you!

-> check out my other pac readings

© daisys-reality

[qqueenofhades]

So... *checks notes* a leftist black man says guns were needed to put down slave revolts with NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER and we just believe it? Right. Cool, cool.

Hello, local anonymous social media racist! Welcome* to my inbox! I think you'll find that this may have been a bad move!

There are plenty of ways I am looking forward to this answer, but first, we're all just going to take a moment and sit here in breathless awe of your truly colossal idiocy in claiming that there is "NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER" (caps, of course, [sic]) that guns, knives, dogs, gas, batons, whips, chains, ropes, or indeed, any other weapon you can possibly think of have EVER been used to put down slave revolts, or oppress black people in any way, in the entire history of America. NO EVIDENCE THAT SLAVERY WAS BAD!!! screams the anonymous dingbat who has decided that the best use of their precious Friday evening is to lecture me, tumblr user qqueenofhades, on their deeply held belief that nobody in the history of time has ever personally witnessed Americans being horrible to black people in any way. Bro. Please. Spend five minutes on Google, and not Truth Social, Facebook, or wherever you are getting what I hesitate to term "information," and then we can talk again. I do hope you're well rested after sleeping through literally your entire life to date.

Next, evidently, a "leftist black man" is clearly an unreliable source by nature, no matter that he went to Harvard Law and writes professionally on the subject. However, since you asked, we'll bring Professor Carl Bogus from Roger Williams University School of Law into the discussion. Here is a picture of the delightful-name-for-a-law-professor Honorable Dr. Bogus:

Yep. Yessirree bob. 10 out of 10 racists agree, that sure is an old white man (J.D. Syracuse University 1972.) Since it might belabor you unduly to click on a link with information that could challenge your beliefs, here is the first paragraph of his biography, listing his academic and professional expertise:

Professor Bogus has written extensively about political ideology, torts and products liability, and gun control and the Second Amendment. He is the author of two books – Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism (Bloomsbury Press 2011) and Why Lawsuits Are Good for America: Big Business, Disciplined Democracy and the Common Law (NYU Press 2001). He is also the editor of The Second Amendment in Law and History: Historians and Constitutional Scholars on the Right to Bear Arms (The New Press 2001). In addition to professional journals, his writings have appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Washington Times, Providence Journal; The Nation, American Prospect, and American Conservative magazines; CNN's website, and National Review Online.

Hmm. I don't know about you, but that seems like a) this guy might possibly know what he's talking about, and b) anyone who writes for the American Conservative and the National Review is, uh, not exactly a flaming communist liberal. Elie Mystal, the "leftist black man" in question, cites Professor Bogus's May 2018 New York Times article, "Was Slavery a Factor in the Second Amendment?", which laid out the information that I have briefly summarized in the last ask (James Madison included the Second Amendment as an opt-out clause so the Southern states could defend themselves against a slave uprising, but the North wouldn't have to get involved). This was a boiled-down and distilled-for-a-popular audience version of Professor Bogus's (seriously, gotta love that name) earlier 102-page paper from 1998, suggested-citation-of-which is as follows:

Bogus, Carl T., "The Hidden History of the Second Amendment" (Winter 1998). U.C. Davis Law Review, Vol. 31, p. 309, 1998, Roger Williams Univ. Legal Studies Paper No. 80, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1465114

Yet again, I will assist you here in providing the abstract:

Professor Bogus argues that there is strong reason to believe that, in significant part, James Madison drafted the Second Amendment to assure his constituents in Virginia, and the South generally, that Congress could not use its newly-acquired powers to indirectly undermine the slave system by disarming the militia, on which the South relied for slave control. His argument is based on a multiplicity of the historical evidence, including debates between James Madison and George Mason and Patrick Henry at the Constitutional Ratifying Convention in Richmond, Virginia in June 1788; the record from the First Congress; and the antecedent of the American right to bear arms provision in the English Declaration of Rights of 1688.

Huh. That's..... also what the Leftist Black Man was saying!!! That can't possibly be right! I WANT A REFUND! QUICK, RUN TO MATT GAETZ'S TWITTER ACCOUNT BEFORE WE LEARN ANYTHING!

You see, this is because I, unlike you, don't "just believe" things that I read. I hope this has answered your question sufficiently. Now please have a nice night, and don't go harassing any more random strangers on social media. Surely you have another hobby.

*Lmao. No. Now get the fuck out.

[interact-if]

Final Day of our Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Featured Author Interviews, continuing with Ze Hai Lu!

Ze Hai Lu, one of authors of Chronicles of Tal’Dun: The Remainder

(VN)

This is a story of two magi, Vyn and Ilar, who find themselves trapped in a collapsing tower with their only hope for salvation being a difficult ritual. Or at least that is what Ilar tells you. The thing is - you don’t remember anything, and Ilar’s story makes less and less sense the closer you are to the ritual. Are they hiding things to protect you from the bitter truth, or are they deceiving you for some more nefarious reason?

Guide Vyn’s actions to death and beyond and uncover Ilar’s truth. Are they your colleague, lover or something completely different? Read between the lines of what they are telling you, explore your surroundings for clues and use hands-on deduction to break the viscious circle and set them free.

Read more about Chronicles of Tal’Dun: The Remainder here. Play the Game on Steam or Itch. Tags: Fantasy, Mystery.

[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1. Hello! Could you tell us a little bit about to yourself and your project?

Chronicles of Tal'dun: The Remainder is a dark fantasy mystery game. I made it because I really wished that more games existed that focused on story, characters, mystery and surprises. My partner and I made it together, we learned how to write, produce music, script, and design in the process of making this game

I was a game artist for several years before this. I've always played casually with building stories and worlds, but never made a complete project until now.

I used to feel like I wasn't ready to create a compelling story, and was waiting until I became ready to start creating one, but making the Remainder has taught me that I'm ready when I decide I am.

Q2. What inspired your current project?

Games: Dark Souls, Hades, Dragon Age

Writers: Lois McMaster Bujold, Joe Abercrombie, Robert Anton Wilson

Film: Miyazaki

Q3. Do you pull from your own identity for inspiration? How has that been reflected in your work?

I've moved every few years for most of my life, from several provinces in China, to Canada, to Germany, to America, to Croatia. I shifted through many worldviews, atheism, agnosticism, buddhism, christianity, agnosticism, sufism, liberalism, conservatism, anarchism, and more. I played with changing my body and my mind, and I never settled on one thing and said 'I am this'. I guess you could say I had a fluid identity. I think that's why the Remainder's story has a lot to do with change, and its characters are very diverse and weird. They're non-binary, they're non human, they anything but normal. Normal is a concept, an illusion. 

I've also dabbled in a few different spiritual practices and philosophies, and had a number of mind-altering experiences. A near-death experience, heroic doses of psychedelics, ayahuasca ceremonies, and deep meditative states. I borrow liberally from these to enrich the world and the story. The most inspiring one to me is Buddhism and its marks are all over the world and culture.

Q4. What are you most excited about your project?

I really enjoy the fact that since only two people work on the game, and we have no obligations to investors or publishers, we're free to experiment on many unconventional mechanics, subjedt matters, and storytelling techniques. We ended up with a story unlike any other I've read.

Q5. What has your experience writing an IF and with the IF community been like?

We didn’t know what to expect at first, but we're positively surprised at how helpful and friendly people have been. 

Q6. What changes in the IF community would you like to see?

We're relatively new to the community but we either got very lucky or the community is just very supportive and nice. We have no complaints at all.

Q7. What piece of advice would you give to fellow creators?

I've heard a few people express a desire to write a story but struggle with some sort of inhibitions that stop them from doing so. I hope they will give it a shot in spite of these fears. Even if it doesn't turn out perfectly at first, improvements will come. So long as you put down one word after another, you'll get better. There is no perfect, but all you need is good enough.

Not everyone will like your work, not everyone will care, but that's OK, the world is so big and filled with so many people that you will find those who will love it, and they will make it worthwhile. 

[betweentheracks]

Hello and yay for this blog!!! I have a question :D. If a certain Chinese star were to wear jeans that say "my cock is gluten free" and "pull me down and fuck me," do you think his stylist would have chosen this knowingly, or do you think it's possible they just were like "hmm english words looks good" and didn't bother to look up the meaning? If they did know the meaning, would they have likely informed the star? Very desperate for the thought process behind this Choice hehehe. Thank you!

Ah, I was wondering hoping if I would get asked about those infamous jeans and here you are!

First and foremost; the following is all speculation from my experiences in the business and is wholly subjective. 

It isn’t impossible that they weren’t aware of what was written on the jeans, but it also isn’t all that likely either. When you pull up these jeans on the Dsquared2 site there’s a listing of what is doodled and written on the jeans and it’s not something that would be overlooked by neither stylist nor client. 

That said, Yibo does know some English and while he may not have known these words exactly, there’s more than enough ways of discerning their meaning. I would also bet half a year of my salary that his stylist would have known what was written here, or any number of personnel that works with them for that matter. I would also take into consideration that even if the jeans had slipped by all these people that may or may not have had the ability to see what was all over them, some of Yibo’s fellow idols should have (looking at you specifically, Seungyoun).

Setting this aside for a moment, I’ll go into who I think is responsible for the jeans being worn to begin with - Wang Yibo himself is the likely culprit. 

Why do I think this? There’s many reasons but most are inconsequential while two points frame the scene as I see it. 

This is markedly not a choice a stylist would make. Stylists, at the end of it all, are employees and therefore it shouldn’t be too surprising to know we have rules in place we must abide no matter if we are working outside the purview of the company we are housed under. Even when we work exclusively with a client, we are still taking the name of our company as well as our own with us and are operating as an extension of the brand the company promotes and promises. I don’t know of any company here (and I live in rather free faring place which welcomes eccentricities, mind) that would allow these jeans to be submitted as part of a pitch to either buy or borrow unless they were very specifically in line with a client’s public image and style. Technically these jeans would classify as offensive and profane which means they would invite trouble and cause a stir. While stylists are not associated much with the PR side of things we are still essentially a team playing for the same client - this selection, if gone badly, would be like asking for lightning to strike twice in one place at the same time. If a scandal amounted from them PR would have to handle it and that means the stylist would come under fire for making such a bold and risky choice, most especially with a younger client that thus far didn’t have the sort of image one would think to associate with jeans such as these. 

The second reason is that, from what I can tell, this is in line with Yibo’s personality. He’s very serious about style and engages with it as he does most things; by overtaking it completely and rebranding it to suit him to the point that it makes one wonder if the style wasn’t designed with him in mind. He makes full use of what fashion is all about at it’s core; expression. These jeans in particular would have suited the Yibo of the time he wore them (2018, if I remember right?) as he was trying to break away from the image he held as a pretty boy with demure and soft looks which held the shock value of being in such contrast with his dancing and rapping. He’s mentioned before that he doesn’t really like being “cute/sy” and having to do things in the way of that since it’s not true to who he feels he is. Which, honestly, a lot of idols and stars go through this experience where they no longer wish to be constrained by the persona they play for the public and one of the most impactful means of going about it is to address the styling since it is the focal point of public image. 

The Dsquared2 jeans don’t only say “my cock is gluten free,” there’s actually quite a lot to them and I think it would help if more were aware of it so here’s the description of them on the website: 

D Squared Limited Edition Jeans. Sexy Twist Printed Low Rise. Fun, Evil Boy, Love Sucks, Pull Me Down, Open Me, Unzip, Buttons, Wine Is My Water, Tic Tac Toe, Dean & Dan, Sex, Gluten Free Cock, Hot Patches

The jeans actually say “pull me down and fuck me” right there on the ass, but naturally they can’t list the expletives in the marketing. Not strictly important to this post, but still worth mentioning given the hushed treatment of what the placement of such words could easily imply and the effect that could have had. 

Anyway, the bit that is very telling in my opinion is that “evil boy” tag. I’m not terribly certain due to having never been fortunate enough to work with these jeans myself and the internet only has so many pictures from so many angles, but “evil boy” is either written somewhere (which I think is the case since there’s devil horns present as well) or they’re being promoted as such for aesthetic value. Regardless, I am fairly certain this would be the feature which caught Yibo’s eye. It’s on brand for someone seeking to shatter the conceptual ideal of being naive, innocent, youthful, or soft.

The jeans as a whole fit with Yibo’s sense of humor, as I’ve seen it at least. He lost his mind and fell into full laughter and hysterics over a dick joke, not even minding that he was being filmed or anything. He was still laughing about it even after the other hosts had moved beyond it, making them circle back around to it and in turn making it all the more hilarious for him to enjoy. You can see it clearly in the bts footage from the CQL set that he enjoys being mischievous and stirring things up and having a good time. 

This is who he is, I believe, and it makes a lot of sense for him to have made this stylistic choice and then either convince his stylist to let him run with it or change out at the last second. Both of these are possible, though one of them is less probable than the other given how tricky it actually would be to sneak a wardrobe alteration past the many people that make up the staffing roster for any events, and then to be able to change in the limited time frame available between exiting the dressing room to being in the public sphere would be one in a thousand. Much simpler to goad your stylist into being lenient enough to give you free reign over your own styling - we can only hold out and say no when the grounds for it are met, which this wouldn’t have done in all likelihood - and most of the time we build up a good enough relationship and rapport with clients that we end up doting on them a bit and heed their requests when we can.

That’s all from me on this token moment in Yibo’s very stacked fashion history. Thanks for asking!

Furthermore, there’s the third possibility that this wasn’t a styling choice whatsoever. Or at least not one that involved the stylist in any real regard. It is very plausible that this was just Yibo in his own clothes, having dressed down after the main events wound down. I’ve never actually watched to see what that night looked like overall, but from the videos I have seen it looked to me like the actual do had passed and they were all just goofing around and having their own dance competitions and such when he was wearing them. I can’t say for sure that he did or did not have them on for the whole thing or if they were his own self packed casual wear. In which case it would fall back to his studio to tend to since stylists generally don’t hold authority over personal clothing choices and only ever have a hand in it when it is expressly stated in contracts or temporary clauses, and it just isn’t too common anymore. 

Worth a quick mention for means of distinction, here in the US this choice wouldn't have raised many eyebrows no matter if it was chosen by an artist or a stylist. The only reason I feel it necessary to say this is simply because this is not so in China and that alone lends context to the controversy of these jeans. In the scope of conservatism these jeans are outrageous and I think that a stylist would steer clear of utilizing them at all if they value their job. This is why I don't consider it likely at all that Yibo and his stylist collaborated to make use of these jeans as a way to shake away the remnants of his pretty boy aesthetic.

[stormblessed95]

Hello!

I came across this ask that India army is tkkrs. I always wanted to discuss this but then I had doubts if it would make me look like an outsider for questioning the things in my own community. If you are comfortable with my response below, please do share it.

I'm an Indian and the first shipping video I came across was of TK. (I'mma leave the door open by JK and V singing along in an butter era interview... this was turned into a moan in a funny way). I don't know how Instagram algorithm works but I think it shows up post based on the region you live in / the people you follow who have viewed the tags you follow (#bts in my case).

Since I understand the local language I also read the comments under the shipping videos. I tend to agree that these shippers are very young not even 24-25 because of the way they put their words. They are convinced that TK is real 😂 I'm okay with it because they are not using any words to spread hate against JM. Mostly I come across "JM is tk shipper, he's a good brother to JK and protecting their ship"

Some are simply there to troll and make fun (vegetarian joking) but yes they choose to be a tkkr. Like under one jikook video someone said "what's V thinking of this" and people were just casually laughing or supporting it (in an entertaining way, nothing offensive against JM).

All these comments were in Hindi language of India and I am just trying to give you a context. The videos are very much sexualized but they don't hate JM (is what I feel). I'm mentioning JM because I have seen people call out males who embrace feminity, taunting in a humorous way. This I have not seen and it's a good thing I feel. They rather accept JM as the curtain to their ship and I am fine with it but I am uncomfortable watching the content. The slo mo is less than x2 🤣🤣

This is a reason I follow international blogs. There are more jikook supporters + content overall. I kinda feel that even in India there's a stigma of LGBT. People are accepting in recent times but only if it's not from their own relatives or acquaintances. I'm an ally, I find gay jokes very uncomfortable (common here in Indian middle class culture - referring to the calling out males I mentioned above). Jikookers are less here (or I have not come across) could be because of homophobia/LGBT stigma. Because jikook seems real from any sane guy's lenses. That's why they are okay to turn tk skinship into shipping (it's a psychological thing maybe reverse psychology). Indian tkkrs are fine with LGBT jokes also and that's why their content is the top. It's basically delulu shipping+LGBT stigma turned into jokes. It churns out views, likes and comments.

But again three of us Indian jikookers are on your blog, means there are jikookers also. Rather jikook supporters. And I mean no offense to any shippers in India but it is kind of a fact that taekook is most famous here.

Anon 2: About the fact that Taekook is the most popular ship in India, Indonesia and countries such as SEA, I don’t think it has to do with a specific culture but much more about conservatism? I encountered a lot of Taekookers from Turkey or Middle East countries as well for example. In countries where homophobia is still very rampant and deeply ingrained in its inhabitants mentality (I mean, homophobia is still present everywhere even in progressive countries but at a different degree), Taekook is a safe ship. Shippers can enjoy the fantasy of these two together precisely because deep down they know there is close to no chance this ship is real. The way their vision of a gay couple is so stereotypical and ingrained in toxic narratives such as hypersexualisation, jealousy, cheating is quite telling in my opinion. That’s just a personal POV but I don’t think 99% of Taekookers truly believe they are a hidden couple yada yada. Hence their epidermal reactions to Jikook which looks a bit too real for a looot of people, Taekookers included. Taekook fits their vision of what gay men are supposed to look like, how a gay couple behave, because in the end it’s all about the game and the fantasy for them and it has not much to do with love, real emotions and attraction and reality.

Last post I'll do about this. I have a lot of anons about the Indian/SEA armys/tkkr posts. These 2 summed up basically all the core messages and covered all the topics, so I'll just post these 2 anons to cover it. I read all of them and super appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts and experiences with me and us all here. Thank you. Also there are quite a few Indian ARMY who follow me here apparently, I appreciate you all 💜 thank you!

[womenfrommars]

Your response to the seppie’s post about het sex killed me because it’s true. 💀 And we all know that these rad lesbians would have a complete meltdown if any of us suggests they abstain from recreational (gay) sex due to the TRA conversion rape rhetoric that is still raging on nowadays that have gotten so many lesbians raped and nearly impregnated. Gays and lesbians do have a strong hook up culture and have a lot of indiscriminate sex/NSA sex, and although I did felt bad about how they kept getting assaulted and raped when they go to bars, go on hookup apps, etc etc etc, because they wanted to continue to hook up casually with the same sex…. For them to turn around and tell straight people to stop fucking each other unless they’re okay with pregnancy or the risk of rape is just first rate hypocrisy. Like hello??????? 😭

I understand pregnancy is a natural consequence of heterosexual sex, and I feel like people who consent to sex therefore also consent to the possibility of pregnancy (not the pregnancy itself). It's kind of like going on a wild water ride in a theme park. You may or may not get wet, but despite not knowing the outcome, you go on the ride anyways.

When you hook up with someone, you are also aware that other person might have an STD. And you can carry an STD for up to twenty years without having any symptoms of it, so the other person may not even know they have one. But you still consent regardless, meaning you accept the possibility of catching an STD (which again is different from deliberately seeking out STDs).

Simply saying people should abstain from sex is not going to work because people have sexual feelings. Especially in more liberal environments there is also little to no social control anymore (i.e. people shaming you for it). It's unrealistic to expect abstinence from (heterosexual) women and ironically speaking it's a conservative talking point, though radical feminists want nothing to do with conservatism.

Previously I have compared ''PIV strikes'' and political celibacy to the Catholic Church's view on homosexuality. The Church expects homosexuals to abstain from all sexual relations, which is routinely criticised for being unrealistic. But somehow abstinence is realistic when it comes to heterosexual activity?

I don't know how the gay scene looks at hook up culture but I think gay men tend to be the most promiscuous. Not even because they are gay, but rather because men have higher sex drives than women do. In a heterosexual scenario, this is not going to work because women turn down men for sex more often than the other way around. But in a gay male scenario, the sex drives of two partners will likely match more.

Evolutionary biologists speculate that (heterosexual) men have a higher sex drive to have sex with multiple different women to ensure offspring. Women, on the other hand, tend to want a secure relationship before sexual intercourse to ensure she won't have to raise a child by herself in the case of pregnancy. Women have a higher share of the reproductive burden and therefore are less likely to engage in casual sex. Hook up culture is only able to exist because of inventions like anti-conception pills and abortion. Some even speculate the overturning of Roe vs Wade will lead to the death of hook up culture for this reason. Some conservatives also morally oppose birth control pills and condoms for religious reasons.

I don't know if hook up culture is big in a lesbian scene because on the one hand, women have lower sex drives than men, so you might expect that heterosexual couples have sex more frequently due to the man insisting. On the other hand, lesbians don't risk pregnancy when having sex, so that might remove a mental barrier for them. I haven't looked into it so I can't say. We should also keep in mind that reckless behaviours (i.e. unprotected sex, drug abuse, reckless driving) are also coping mechanisms for trauma and mental illness, which occur more frequently in homosexuals compared to heterosexuals.

But yes, I do feel like there is some hypocrisy going on, especially because some of the ''lesbians'' on radblr have a sexual history with men themselves lol. They also oppose the Church's approach to homosexuality whilst they themselves use the exact same argument in the other direction (''Just because you're attracted to men doesn't mean you have to act on it'')

[androgynousblackbox]

hello! do you know if there's an archived version of Danae Rifa's reaction to saz's video on anti vs proshipping?

They deleted it? I searched on their account in Twitch but I know fuck all of how to use the platform and don't know if they did or what happened. Either way, no, I am sorry, I don't know of an archived version. On the other hand, searching for it I found this video "Proshipper reacting to SZ's video". They have some excelente points, even if I don't entirely agree with some stuff and I think they give Sarah way too much good faith. They also have another video talking about Conservatism in Fandom, which is something we end up talking a lot.