#we're a beautiful and varied community and we're not all the same

[iloveonionsverymuch]

Hey can we as a community stop combining ace and aro and aroace by default?

I love being ace. I love aro and aroace people (yall are cool). But i hate not having anything to relate to because im still romantic despite a lack of sexual attraction.

Idk just thinkin

[kimmiessimmies]

Just a ramble about aesthetics and things

Like most of us, I also saw that aesthetics question going round and since reading it and the responses to it, I've been thinking about it more than I should, which in turn got me thinking about other things Simblr and community related and I decided to share my two cents about it as well.

The question stated in the poll was "How important do you think 'aesthetic quality' is in the simblr community?" and the answers varied immensely. Doing a quick Tumblr/Simblr scroll, the answer would have to be 'very important', because most images showing up are very gorgeous: beautiful colours, great compositions, perfect lighting. However, when I check the tab that shows which posts I have liked, the pattern changes: it's the storytellers who get most of my Tumblr hearts. And then it doesn't matter whether it's part of an elaborate story that's been going on for years with several plot twists, or just a family having breakfast. I like both equally, because both tell a story. Sure, I like a nice Sim picture as much as the next person, but for me, it will always be about the story it tells much more than the aesthetics of it.

The same is true for my own posts: I just want to tell my stories, share my Sims, my town. Yes, I sometimes post picture posts of lots I've built. At first glance, you could say that's about aesthetics more than storytelling. But it's not. Because of the way I play, everything is connected: the story is Honeycomb Valley and everything from the lots to the Sims to the seemingly random things that happen to them are all part of it. Sure, I love creating beautiful lots, but that's mostly because I like realism in my game. I like to see my sims in places that look true to life. And because this is a self-created world, it can look like the best version of that life. 😉

In taking pictures, I try to get the best angle and before posting I run my pictures through Picmonkey to do a bit of basic editing, which is mostly just an auto adjust of brightness and shadows. Literally two clicks and I'm done. I hadn't even heard of Reshade and all those other -shades until a month or two ago. 😄

I read another reply saying how everyone who has a Simblr does so for the notes, because if you're not in it for the notes, why have a Simblr in the first place? This made me laugh. I get the point, but if I was in it for the notes, I might as well leave today. I averaged around 20 notes per post during my glory days and only around 9 since returning after my hiatus. I can think of many reasons why this is:

My posts can seem very incoherent: I can be posting about James Wyler one day and about Luke Bennett the next. These two have never even crossed paths and their stories have no apparent connection whatsoever. I can imagine how this makes my stories and my Sims hard to follow for most.

I don’t post my full stories on here. Reading them requires a visit to my WordPress blog. I understand how most people just want to do a quick scroll, read, like, and move on.

I am and will forever be TS3 player. And we're simply a smaller crowd in the Simblr universe currently.

I was gone for five years.

Now, I could change all of this (except for that last one) and possibly get more followers and more notes. But I don't want to. Yes, of course, I love getting a notification saying someone liked my post. I appreciate the support and the love and it makes me very happy to see there are people out there who like the stories I write, the lots I build and feel connected to my Sims to some degree. So in that sense, I get why someone would say we're all in it for the notes. But I don't care about the quantity. I love those 9 just as much as I love the 195 I once received on my much-reblogged post of The Greenery.

So, I'm not changing a thing. I'm keeping my WordPress blog as my main Sims home because that's where everything connects. Where it does make sense that I'm posting about James on day 1 and about Luke on day 2. Where the story is Honeycomb Valley. Where you can click from a story to a Sim profile and vice versa. And my Simblr will remain a place to just post bits and pieces (and rambles like this) and to stay connected to the ones who are interested in me, my stories and my Sims. I love my 9 notes and I love the 3 people who click on to visit my WordPress blog and read my full stories a little bit extra. 😉❤️

One last thing I would like to add to this already much too-long rant is how much I miss the old Sim community. The days of the forums and the tight-knit online group us Sims veterans were. Discovering and becoming a part of the Sim community back then has meant a lot to me. I miss that. I realise I sound like a grandmother now, reminiscing about the good old days, so maybe it's time to end this post. 😄

Anyway, that's my ramble of thoughts on aesthetics, Simblrs and community. Thanks for reading. 😊

[echologname]

♾️Autistic and Christian✝️

I CHOSE God, more like, He chose me and reached out to me with His love, but my point stands. Some think autistic individuals are too trusting and guillable, and I think that HIGHLY depends on each individual because no autistic person is quite the same as another. So, no, this faith was not forced upon me just because I was taught it from a young age. In fact, that's the LAST thing my parents wanted! No matter the age, they let my siblings and I choose if we wanted to go to Church or not. I was in several youth groups and LOVED them and that I had a community to help me as a teen. Even when I didn't want to have anything to do with Christianity (I was young and angsty and wanted to rebel), I still went with my Nana on Sundays and volunteered with the Youth Ministry because, I love my family and you just gotta help them out. I came back to God because I NEED Him, I needed His healing and His love and there was NO where else to rest my hopes in than Him.

Sometimes being spiritual isn't easy for autistic individuals because a lot of times, nothing's "concrete," it's all feelings and whispers in your mind, it's not always tangible. Like God doesn't text, I can't DM Him a question and get a reply that'll soothe any fears and doubts (that's what The Bible's for, anything that ever needs to be said, can be found there). So, how am I supposed to know what The Holy Spirit is saying when it's not a voice speaking as clear as day? I just trust that God knows how I function and if He REALLY has something to say, He'll get the message across somehow.

This relates, and we can maybe have more doubts than neurotypical siblings in Christ, because we can have minds like tunnel vision, it's not always easy to understand abstract concepts in The Bible's teachings, and a lot of times, we don't even know if we're hungry or not, so, how are we supposed to know how we feel about God when our poor interoception doesn't even tell us what's going on in our bodies. Also, we can be way more sensitive and emotional than NTs or the opposite and not display much emotion. All of these spiritual experiences are completely shaped in different ways because how our brains process and interpret our whole lives differently.

So, being spiritually attacked by demons is hard enough but a lot of us have varying mental health issues on top of it.

Also, being Christian is being a part of the COMMUNITY. It's common for us to have poor social skills, so, either we misunderstand someone or they misunderstand us in the infinite unspoken ways of body language and it creates a rift that neither sides know how to bridge.

I don't always have answers for other autistics or Christians but I'd like to share that sometimes, it makes it harder to be a Christian but sometimes easier due to our heightened sensitivity to the world around us because that's where we find God, in Creation and the faint nudges He gives us.

I have a very analytical brain and above average language comprehension processing (one of my special interests is learning different languages) and LOVE to read and write, so, Bible study is fun and easy for me but I understand not for everyone.

But no matter what ability or neurotype you are, God has a beautiful and unique path for each of us and has called all of us to use our skills and abilities for good in different ways.

I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.What you have done is wonderful.I know this very well.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps.139.14&version=ICB

[mickmundy]

fic rec anon here! ty for the recommendations :] I read the fics and aughhhh im even more hooked now akdjsoxjs all the artists are *chef's kiss* amazing the brain rot truly has reached its peak

just coming in here to say once again that your bushmedicine slow burn is sooooo good augh <3 <3 I finally caught up to the latest fic of the series

its like you're twisting a knife in my heart excruciatingly slowly and the pining and yearning between these two is SOOO good waugh (PLEASE draw out the yearning more i love the building of their relationship and repressed internal dilemas akdhskdhdoah no pressure of course)

once again, I hope when you eat your favorite dish, it'll be the best it has ever been :]

YAAAY ^__^ mission complete... we got em my friends... we bring the bushmed!! HEHEHE i'm so happy to hear that!! ^v^ <333

AND EEEE THANK YOUUUU ;__; <333 i'm literally SO excited that you feel that way, i know my fic series is quite long so i'm always afraid people are like oh jeez fuck that when they see how long it is SKDFKSDK... i'm so glad you feel that way!! ^_^ i'll always talk about it too but i just feel annoying when i do sdflmsdkfm.., trying to overcome that! but your asks make me SO happy you have no idea!! ;__; <333

i'm not sure if you use tumblr a lot, and if you've seen this stuff please forgive me! but you can also check out some of my tags:

a bushmed aesthetic tag for things i think suit them

a thou giveth fever tag for wips, musings/asks about the series, and more!

my personal medic/sniper tag with everything i've ever posted about them in it, like headcanons, asks, and so on!

a tag full of fun ask games that i always encourage my followers to send me numbers from (just tell me what post!) that i'll happily fill out for medic and sniper anytime!

you can also, as you know, always send me asks about them, my fic series, anything you want! i always love hearing from fellow bushmed enjoyers!! ;u; <333

AND OHOHOO don't worry... i still have Many Plans for beloved medic and sniper... >:) i'd say at this point right now, the current fic i'm posting is probably the like... halfway-ish mark, leaning Slightly closer to the end... but we're still nowhere near the conclusion! HEHEHEHE... at the rate i'm writing, my beloved readers will have weekly bushmed fic updates for the next few months, if i can keep going at the pace i have been!! ^v^

about loving the pining... absolutely! i feel the same. i think it can work really well for both of these mercs specifically too, since sniper is so used to being repressed and has to learn to put himself out there, and medic is so used to being so abrupt and up front that he has to learn to be a bit more sensitive to others (and not just when it suits him!)... the feelings are there, but is the communication?, and so on...

i've said it before but i think true love is when people come together and feel something for one another and work at that relationship.. (nothing against soulmates stuff or anything ofc) but i just prefer to portray love how i feel/see/perceive it, which is something Tender between people who are flawed but what they feel is Real... and i also think that romance is what You define it as and it's just as beautiful and varied as love itself! :') which as i'm sure you've gleaned is also a huge part of my series!

we still have quite a bit of time left on our journey together my friend... you need'nt worry.... i won't spoil anything, but things are going to get.... complicated.... HEEEHEE >:)c

[anchordentalak]

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[smilecreations3d]

Smile Creations

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[platonicpinotnoir]

Mankind has such a wealth of art and science due to admiration for the natural world and a desire to touch the stars ... But also sooo much of it has been forwarded by our obsession with self-observation, due to the various forms of self-detachment present in like every freakin' culture (and to varying degrees) ... We want to find ourselves and pin ourselves like a moth because on some level, we feel the imperative to come home, and we want to force ourselves back in .. I think ... That's how it feels anyway.

So much art is expression of disarray or repressed experiences, and an attempt to reconcile with it or communicate it to ourselves or others. So much science is an attempt to reconnect with the natural world or to mollify the confusion of our minds, having been severed from our bodies.

That self-disconnect and rigidity against the rhythm of healing manifests in such bizarre ways, I'm telling you - and once you start seeing it, you notice it everywhere.

We have a limitless wealth of culture, art, science, and dialogue pertaining; having taken mankind thousands of years to gather and build it all; and that's a beautiful thing, because life is robust, and this gives us much to admire.

But also, at some point, you have to learn how to LIVE the life you're observing.

Until then, we will keep creating branches of change and progress and mistakes, sprouting like fungi and spreading like tendrils; limitless; and what we find is remarkable, but driven by an obsession to break apart, understand, and find a way in; it's not necessarily embodied.

As an animal species, we've probably chased our way out of any chance for total embodiment, just because we've been going this way for too long now. We're not just gonna one day start living like bonobos do. We're too creative and complex (and spiritually driven) for that, anyway.

But I think at the beginning (and still, in several places) we were embodied, in tuned with the world, and speaking the same language as our instincts. Things change, though, and as it turns out, all of our gifts of evolution (our powerful frontal cortex, for one) also make it possible for us to avoid healing from trauma, so we just gather up the dysfunction with the generations.

I'm not asking everyone on the entire planet to drop everything and form matrist cultures or anything. Or for every individual to join a Buddhist monastery. I mean what the hell do I know.

But erasing the mind-body disconnect integral to Western culture would be a great start. It's already kind of going that way, with authors like Peter A. Levine, Gabor Maté, and Bessel van der Kolk leading the West's understanding of trauma healing.

I mean this is just the way it is. No amount of self-subjugation can eliminate the fact that humans are animals, and from the earliest link in the evolutionary chain have been capable of responding and adapting to shocks or hardships. Nature is on our side with this one. It's just a matter of gathering the courage, knowledge, patience, and mutual support to invite some healing into us.

[lena-in-her-mind-palace]

You know, I don't think we talk enough about what it's like for a person of color to grow up in a community that's mostly white.

For this reason I shall be sharing my experience. Why? Because I have a lot to say and I need to get it off my chest :) So, uh feel free to read my rambles...

oh and if you relate to any part of this or want to share your own story, please tag me I'd love to hear about other people's experiences.

-------

I was born in India. The state where I'm from mostly spoke a language called Telugu. But I don't usually tell people that because I don't want to spend ten minutes helping them pronounce it correctly. Sure, I could just ignore it when they say it wrong but then that would feel like I'm disrespecting my own culture. So normally I just avoid saying it to begin with.

Because of this barely anyone knows how literate I am in my mother tongue. And honestly it's kind of sad that it's an accomplishment. there are so many people that I know that genuinely can't pronounce some of the simplest words and it's honestly painful. I can speak, read, and write in Telugu. But no one knows this because I don't tell them. Why would I when it's more effort to have to explain that "No, Indian is not a language. Hindu isn't one either that's a religion".

India has 22 official languages, many more tribal languages, and thousands of unique regional dialects. I can guess roughly what region of India someone is from with the accent they have in English.

And don't get me started on my name. I'm not doxxing myself obviously, but my name happens to sound very similar to a particular English word. And boy, do I know it. It's not like I'm told every single time I introduced myself to someone. As a kid I thought it was cool. But I'm 18 now and knowing that some people assume what my name means because it sounds like a different word is beyond infuriating. While again, I'm not revealing the actual definition, my name is pretty common in telugu and Tamil songs because it's meaning is really poetic. it's a beautiful name and I love it, and to know that 80% of the people I meet won't respect that because of silly ignorance is just so frustrating.

Friendships are weird too. Like 2% of my school was brown. and of that only like .1% of my school is from the same area of India as me. See that's significant, because the culture in different regions of India varies greatly so if I were to meet a Punjabi, the most we'd probably relate to is maybe a Bollywood movie we both like (yes this is anectdotal).

And that isn't to say I don't have Indian friends. I have desi friends but it sometimes feels like the only reason we're friends is because we have the same skin tone. We barely relate beyond that. And even then it's barely even that. So many people of color, for one reason or another lose touch with their culture. Somehow I'm in the group that hasn't fallen victim to this, but it's so hard. You never feel american enough, or Indian enough. (or whatever culture you're from).

I try super hard to stay connected to my culture and heritage. because it's such big part of who I am. Whether it's pairing jhumkis with a really cute sundress and a Lengha blouse with ripped jeans, or practicing reading and writing in Telugu so that I stay fluent and don't forget. And most importantly, I've dedicated a significant portion of my life to learning Indian classical dance. through that I've learnt so much about our history, customs, religion, mythos. I've been learning since I was 3 years old (and I'm doing my arangetram in September which is exciting!!)

Sometimes when I'm out and about and I see an Indian person, and bonus if overhear them speaking Telugu, I'll just start humming a popular song or pretend I got a call from my mom and talk really loudly in Telugu, and they always look at me and smile and there's this random sense of kinship with strangers.

But then I'll be with my friends, who while aren't all white, they are all much more.... American (?) than me? and I just won't bring up anything culture related.

It's like my identity is split in two. American me at school, and Indian me for family friends. And I'm sure a lot of bipoc can relate to this particular identity crisis lol. At times I feel like I fit into the stereotype too much and by doing so I'm perpetuating it. Ahead in school, teacher's pet, know it all, etc. But at the same time it feels like I don't fit the stereotype enough and that no one will take me seriously as an Indian because of. I have shit grades, horrible work ethic, didn't get into any fancy colleges and whatever.

I will say though the one positive is that I have, by some stroke of luck, never faced racism growing up. I've heard the horror stories but I have been so fortunate as to growing up in an mostly open-minded, welcoming, and friendly community. Although it is dominantly white, most people are respectful enough to say anything thats outright cruel or harmful.

There is a catch, however. While no one intends harm doesn't mean harm is done. I can't even fault people for it because I know it comes from a place of ignorance and genuine curiosity. 90% of people wouldn't say those things if they realized how rude or whatever it can come across.

A little example: When a friend of mine was in 8th grade this white kid leans over to her and asks "Are all Indian babies born with a dot on their forehead?" She wasn't even wearing a bindi that day! At the time it happened both of us were doubled over laughing with literal tears in our eyes. But looking back, that question really was incredibly ludicrous. But the boy genuinely thought it.

And of course almost every brown person has been asked "do you speak Indian, or Hindu." Which again, comes from a place of ignorance and frankly stupidity.

I thank every person in my life for how kind and welcoming they are. But for the love of god, think critically about what you're about to say before you say stuff like that, it would prevent a lot unintentional harm. If you leave this rant with anything, let it be that.

And if you're not sure, just ask if it's okay to say it. Be conscious of it. It's okay to make mistakes, but be open to be educated on what is or isn't okay. We're the experts. We're not going to get mad when we know you don't mean any harm.

The same goes for any minority group. LGBTQIA+ and its infinite sub-sects, bipoc, the various neurodivergent communities.

I did not talk about religion because I'm still figuring out my stance on that. But it's worth mentioning that I don't eat beef out of respect .

phew

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk :D

And if you relate to any part of this or want to share your own story, please tag me I'd really love to hear about other people's experiences.

[smaidjor]

the 21k word novella about e!scott is done guys

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the hit game show 'this isn't what I was supposed to be writing but now there's twenty-one thousand words of this so I guess that's what we're doing now', featuring me, me, me, and me.

Anyways, disclaimers time!

Firstly, this is a work of fiction and any characterizations of the Noxcrew are not intended to reflect on the actual people, more on how I imagine a group of gods who run an event like MCC in universe would be like. Scott's characterization is based entirely off his empires character with a bit of added backstory. All other characters are based roughly off varying smps. Also, empires!Gem and hermitcraft!Gem are the same person in this, though I know canonically they're different characters. Her characterization is based mainly off empires!Gem.

Secondly, some events have been altered. Obviously Empires canon, but also in MCC. More on this in later chapter notes.

Third, there will be content warnings before each chapter as usual. This does get quite dark at points, as e!Scott is not in a good place emotionally like, at all. So be warned!

Finally, if any ccs see this: hello and I am so sorry.

Title: no one loves me now (someday somebody will)

Wordcount: 3363

Chapter title: i'll be with you

Content warnings: heavy self-hatred, suicidal thoughts, light injury.

Summary: MCC!Scott and Empires!Scott are the same person. When the holiday MCC rolls around and Scott is still stuck in his self-imposed exile, some of his friends notice that something is very wrong.

Actual fic under the cut:

Ding.

It’s a small sound, barely audible over the howling of the wind outside, but it fills Scott’s stomach with dread. A communicator is, after all, intended for communication, as its name might suggest. And communication with anyone is the antithesis to the safety of Scott’s isolation. He is many things, but he is not without weakness. No man is. His weakness just happens to be smiles like sunshine and warm embraces rather than the cold touch of steel, something Scott long ago learned not to fear.

Jimmy is his achilles heel, perhaps. Perhaps all his friends are, Jimmy only one amongst the number of people who hold sway- too much sway- over Scott’s aching, frozen heart.

Communication is dangerous, contact with people moreso. He doesn’t know what he’d do with himself if reminded of the everpresent longing for home, for warmth- for something so wonderfully, horribly bittersweet that he doubts he could put a name to it, the feeling of being loved so gently it feels like violence to his scarred, bitter self.

He reaches for the comm, and hesitates.

It could be Shubble, or Katherine, his allies who he’s abandoned.

It could be Gem, who he hurt, or Fwhip or Joey or any of the many people who have reason to hate him.

It could be Jimmy, the sun to Scott’s moon, the fire to his ice, the blazing, beautiful man whose warmth is the kind that makes Scott desperate to never let go.

Ding.

Scott swallows the fear rising in his throat and pulls up the screen. Please not Jimmy, please not Jimmy, he begs the universe.

For once, the universe shows him mercy.

Noxite - 2 unread messages.

Scott clicks on it.

<Noxite> Hey Scott

<Noxite> I got the team list you sent me, but I think there’s some error.

He takes a breath, holding it for a second before letting it all out in a rush, the ice that had formed at his fingertips slowly receding.

<Smajor> what makes you say that?

The response is near instant.

<Noxite> you’re not on here

<Noxite> did you decide to sit out, or was that an oversight?

<Smajor> I decided to sit out

He had to. There’s no way he’ll be able to control his powers enough by then for him to be safe to be around.

This time, the response is much slower, giving time for Scott to try and calm his shallow breaths and pray that Noxite doesn’t question him on this.

<Noxite> alright! Just checking.

For a second, he thinks he’s clear, and then another ding sounds.

<Noxite> Are you okay, though? You’ve competed in every mcc we’ve held.

<Noxite> what makes this different?

Concern. His first thought was concern. Scott suddenly finds it very hard to swallow around the lump in his throat.

<Smajor> I’m fine.

<Noxite> Are you sure?

<Smajor> Yes.

<Noxite> Do you want to hop on a call? Just a quick one, we haven’t talked in a while. I know you’re busy with your kingdom on empires, but we all miss you.

A droplet of water splashes onto the screen of his comm with a gentle plink. Scott reaches up to find his cheeks wet with tears, though quickly freezing over.

<Smajor> does it have to be now?

<Noxite> I was going to test the changes to grid runners afterwards, but I can do that now and call you later, if that’s better. I just want to make sure you’re alright.

And damn Scott’s soft heart, damn the barriers of steel and ice he’s built around it for failing, damn Noxite for knowing exactly how to get to him.

<Smajor> no, calling now is fine. Just no facecam today.

<Noxite> Okay!

His comm rings, a familiar sound, and Scott does his best to take a deep breath before he picks up.

“Hey, Noxite.”

“Hey, Scott. How are you doing?”

“Good,” he lies.

“Built anything cute lately?”

“Not really.”

“How’s your friend? Jimmy, right?”

“He’s-” Scott nearly chokes with the force of holding back tears. “He’s fine. They’re all doing fine.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m more worried about you,” Noxite hums, gentle in the way only a god trying not to harm a mortal could be. “You haven’t ever missed an mcc, you love competing. What’s going on, Scott?”

“Nothing.” He barely gets the word out, guilt choking him as the lies pile up on his tongue. He can’t tell him anything. No one can know.

“Are you sure it’s nothing?”

Scott goes to open his mouth and lie again. A sob slips out instead, choked but unmistakable.

“Scott? Are you crying?”

He can’t stop the way his face flushes; it’s an ugly thing to be caught in such raw, aching vulnerability, shame burning harsher than the frostbite nipping at his fingers. He clamps a hand over his mouth, body shaking as he tries to muffle another sob.

“Scott, Scott, talk to me. Please.”

And he’s gone, crushed under the weight of his own sorrow and longing, choking on his sobs as his tears turn to ice. The comm slips from his frozen fingers, clattering to the ground as he sinks down right beside it. The cold is everywhere- his hands, his wings, his tears, his heart- and the worst part is, he can feel it now. Noxite’s words are the barest hint of warmth, but they’re enough to make him realize how he’s freezing. The world is frozen- he’s frozen too, but not because of the snow piled at the cabin door. Scott is cold on a level so deep he’s not sure he remembers what it feels like to be warm, to be safe and happy and not chained by his doubt, his past, himself. He’s been drowning so long he’s not sure he remembers how to breathe.

Vaguely, he’s aware Noxite is talking again, voice so, so soft for a god capable of all that he is. “It’s alright. It’s okay. Whatever’s going on, we can help. You’re not alone.”

You’re not alone. He didn’t realize how desperate he was for that to be true until now.

“You can talk about it whenever you’re ready. Or even never. Just...let me help. You don’t have to be alone.”

He manages to pull himself together enough to rasp out “You promise?”

“Promise.”

Something in Scott breaks with that word, sudden and sharp and a relief much as it is a hurt. He finds himself spilling everything, the whole story, from Xornoth to the ice powers that currently control his life. All his bottled feelings, mixed with sobs and shaky, shuddering breaths.

He’s sure at least half of it is mostly incomprehensible with how hard he’s crying, but Noxite must get the gist of it because there’s gentle understanding in his voice when Scott’s finally done. “So you’re struggling with your powers?”

He nods, then remembers Noxite can’t see him. “Yeah.”

“Right. I think you should come back to the MCC server.”

“I- but-”

“I know you’re scared to hurt us, but isolating yourself will only make it worse. You need guidance, and I can help. Your powers are not the same as mine, but I’m certain there are commonalities. Remember when you first realized the extent of your world hopping ability?”

“I was so scared,” Scott rasps.

“And what did you do?”

“I let you teach me how to use it.”

“Exactly. Come home, Scott.”

Home. Doesn’t that sound so lovely? He wants- he needs somewhere to feel like home, like safety.

“You promise it’ll be okay?” His voice comes out so small.

“I promise. Everything will be okay.”

He is many things, but he is not without weakness. No man is. And Scott’s weakness is gentle words and soft promises that he wants so desperately to believe.

“Okay. I’ll come- I’ll come home.” He stumbles over the last word, the syllables coming out awkward and clumsy, as if they don’t quite fit right in his mouth. Maybe they don’t. Scott’s never fit anywhere, why should the word home fit him? He’s been searching his whole life for somewhere that feels right, and yet there’s still the quiet ache of not belonging nestled in his chest.

Noxite, blissfully unaware of Scott’s internal angst, starts talking again, never once dropping the gentle concern from his voice. “Do you want us to come meet you at the portal out of empires? I’d come into the server itself, but I’m not whitelisted.”

He should say that he’s fine getting to MCC on his own, but “Yes.” slips out before he can stop it. There’s a part of him (childish, afraid) that wishes they could come all the way to where he is, but god knows Fwhip isn’t going to whitelist them if Scott messages him to ask. Not to mention the shame of anyone seeing this sad little cabin, seeing Scott at his absolute lowest. The part of him that got him through years under the thumb of his parents’ advisors urges him to hide any hint of weakness, any sign of vulnerability. Don’t let them know how to hurt you.

A little too late for that, Scott thinks, bitterly amused. Distantly, he registers that Noxite said something else, something in a tone far kinder than Scott deserves, though he couldn’t tell you the actual words being said. He nods anyways, offers a hum of agreement.

There’s a short pause.

“When should we get there?” Noxite asks.

“Couple of hours. Maybe six,” Scott shrugs. “I’m a long flight away.”

“Okay. Do you want to stay on call?”

That’s a harder question. He wants to say yes- needy, clingy-, he wants to say no.

He settles for a shrug and “I’ll be fine either way.”

“Alright. I’ll give you space, but I’ll have my comm on me. Call again if you need, alright?”

“Alright.”

“Goodbye for now.”

“Bye, love you,” Scott blurts, and immediately hangs up before Noxite has a chance to reply.

For a solid minute, he resists the urge to bang his head against a wall. As if his day could get any more embarrassing, between having a sobbing breakdown and nearly caving and just begging Noxite to come get him even though he’s an adult fully capable of traveling on his own. Why must Aeor torment him like this?

He also considers, in that solid minute, curling up in the corner and just hoping no one’s dedicated enough to search for and find him. Certainly, collapsing into a puddle of tears and despair would be easier than facing his godly friends, let alone his more human ones.

Ultimately, though, his heart- soft, foolish, aching- wins out. He wants to see his friends. He wants someone to help him control his powers. He wants to feel warm again.

That desperate desire is what gets him to stagger to his feet and start throwing the few items he brought into his shulker box. He packs roughly, quickly, not bothering to fold things as long as he can cram them in. His hands are too numb for that, his grip clumsy at best. The clothes will just have to stay crumpled- finery means nothing to him now regardless.

Just as he’s making his way out the door, his comm dings again. His hands are too full to check it- not that he particularly wants to face the humiliating consequences of blurting that out anyways- and he resolves to check it later. That can be a problem for future Scott.

He takes to the sky on icy wings long since gone numb, the wind rushing by his face in a way that should bite, should make his cheeks sting with cold, but doesn’t. Distantly, he registers his vision blurring as the wind forces him to squint, eyes watering. Reduced visibility when flying is never good, Scott’s instincts scream. He could crash, he could get hurt, he could die.

That should matter more to him. It doesn’t. Any sting of the cold is gone, leaving in its wake numbness, nothingness. Not the absence of feeling, so much feeling that it overwhelms him and leaves him unable to tell the joy from the pain.

Scott’s shaken back into awareness with the realization that there’s a mountain looming large in front of him. Instinctually, he tries to swerve. What he doesn’t account for is the wind, buffeting him as he makes his half-hearted attempt at dodging and ends up crashing straight into the branches of a scraggly mountain tree. Pain explodes from at least three places in his body, though not severe enough to suggest broken bones. Or possibly he’s just even more numb than he thought. The trunk of the tree is slippery as well, sending him sliding down to the harsh ground below. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, his impact is enough to shake the upper branches and deposit their snow directly on top of him. Though every place he touched on the tree has already turned to ice, and he’s equally frozen, so it makes no difference in the end. Still, that hurt.

He expresses his feelings on the matter with a small groan and “fuck.”

Predictably, the tree doesn’t respond.

Scott hauls himself to his feet, body aching all over, and retrieves his dropped shulker. Thankfully, he wasn’t carrying anything too breakable, and his comm seems to be intact as well when he picks it up and powers it on. It takes him to the last messages he sent, where his eyes are immediately drawn to a new one.

<Noxite> I love you too, Scott

Oh. Fuck. He bites back a sob, refusing to let his pride take another hit today. He’s the elvenking- well, not anymore, he reminds himself bitterly- he’s a grown adult capable of handling a kingdom. He is not going to cry because he flew into a tree and then someone expressed the bare minimum of affection towards him, for fuck’s sake. Is he really this pathetic?

Maybe he is that pathetic because all he really wants is to lay down in the snow and not have to get up for at least three years. Yes, he would probably die of hypothermia, but that doesn’t mean the urge to just go to sleep and avoid his problems isn’t there.

Unfortunately, Scott is a grown adult with a sense of responsibility, so he tucks his shulker back on his back and takes to the sky again, ignoring the way his muscles scream at him. It’s another three hours to the exit portal, after all.

Three hours of flying later, he swerves around the jungle trees, praying that Joey isn’t anywhere nearby, and makes an ungraceful landing in front of the exit portal.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. He has to remind himself that Noxite asked him to come back. His friends want him there. He’s certain that he’s still burdening them, but at least it’s a burden they didn’t object to.

Scott takes one more deep breath and steps into the portal.

For a few tense, heart-breaking moments, he thinks no one actually came to greet him. But when he blinks the swirls of the portal out of his vision, he can see that not only did Noxite show up, he brought most of the crew of gods that Scott’s been working with for the past few years.

Oh.

“Hey, guys,” Scott manages, though his voice comes out as a rasp.

Before he has a chance to make a joke about the way his voice cracks, Noxite takes a few steps forward, looks him up and down, and pulls him into a hug. It’s startling, a bit off from how most humans hug, and- most of all- familiar.

-

“So mortals embrace to show affection?”

Scott hums, swinging his legs over the edge of the newly built Decision Dome. “Some of them. Some people don’t really like hugs, and some people aren’t really affectionate anyways.”

“Don’t do that, you could fall. You’re very breakable,” Noxite reprimands. Scott hasn’t yet managed to explain to him that referring to humans as breakable is a little weird. And honestly, he’s not that fragile, but he pulls his legs back onto the edge anyways.

Noxite hesitates before speaking again, staring out across the server. “Are you one of the mortals who doesn’t prefer affection?”

“What- Why do you ask?”

“Well, you don’t seem to give embraces very often. Or receive them.”

Scott shrugs, putting his legs back down so he can kick his heels against the edge of the Dome. “It’s not that I mind hugs, really, it’s just that you all are gods. You don’t really do human affection. And I didn’t get a lot of affection even before I came here, so it’s not like I’m not used to it.”

Noxite frowns at him but says nothing about the leg-swinging. “Are hugs something elves need?”

“Not really. Apparently humans need four hugs a day for mental health, but I’m not human.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to go without something you need because we don’t know enough about humans.”

“Not human,” Scott reminds him again. “And seriously, no one ever hugged me back in R- back where I came from. If I was going to die from lack of physical touch, I would have done it already.”

“Hmm. Alright.”

For a moment, Scott thinks that’s the end of it, and then he’s nearly being crushed in an awkward approximation of a hug. “Oof! Noxite!”

“Is this too tight?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Sorry,” Noxite says, sounding a little abashed as he lets Scott go.

“It’s alright. I just- I told you I don’t need hugs.”

“If you aren’t comfortable, I can stop. I just wanted to express that you’re my friend the way humans do.”

Scott suddenly finds his eyes stinging. Probably just the wind. “No, I- that’s fine. Just let me show you how to do it properly.”

“Alright.”

It’s been long enough since he properly hugged someone that he feels a little stiff and awkward, but he wraps his arms around Noxite anyways, reminding himself that he can’t possibly be any worse at giving hugs than the god who just nearly broke his ribs. Noxite’s arms come up to embrace him a lot more hesitantly this time, a far gentler hug. If he’s honest with himself, it’s almost nice. No one’s held him like this, with no strings attached or bittersweet parting, in...a long time. Longer than Scott cares to think about or admit.

“Is this right?”

“Yeah,” Scott manages around the lump in his throat. “That’s about how you do it.”

“Good, good.”

Scott tries to pull away, overbalences, and topples off the roof.

Well, fuck. Thank Aeor, he’s quick enough with his wings to flip around and mostly catch himself, gliding down in a way that could be called graceful- if it was being compared to a particularly clumsy baby slime, that is. He ends up crashing into one of the bushes at the bottom, smashing his face into the dirt, but at least nothing but his pride appears to be injured.

There’s a small crack of spacetime being bent beside him, and Noxite appears, somehow managing to convey both concern and smugness with his deadpan expression.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine, just bruised.”

“Hm.” A brief moment of silence, and then. “I told you so.”

“Oh, fuck off, Noxite.”

-

It’s not as rough a hug as the first time they hugged, nor as awkward as the second. It’s just...soft. Nice. It’s been a long time since he’s been held like this, gently, as if he deserves that kindness.

He doesn’t cry, but it’s a near thing.

Noxite doesn’t let go, not until Scott pulls away, managing a wobbly smile. “You’ve gotten better at human affection. You didn’t crush my ribs that time.”

“I haven’t crushed your ribs in a long time,” the god protests.

Scott laughs, though it sounds exhausted and bitter even to his own ears. “Uh-huh, Noxite.”

“Anyways. You’re deflecting.”

“I’m not.”

“Uh-huh. Let’s go home, then we’ll talk about the ice powers, okay?”

“Okay,” Scott says, and he lets himself relax, just a tiny bit.

[nerdygaymormon]

Hey, it's national coming out day and I wanted to tell someone I'm girlflux. Sometimes I feel really masculine but never like a boy. I feel sort of comfortable about it but I'm still getting used to it because it means I'm not cis. I won't come out to the family I live with bcuz they won't understand. Pls tell me it's okay to not be cis bc I think have some trauma around the idea of not being cis. Thanks for reading😊

I'm honored you chose to share this with me on this important day. Coming Out is sort of like your queer birthday (except that you were queer when you were born, so I guess your actual birthday is your queer birthday, but you get what I'm trying to say)

We’ve always had non-cis people, they can be found in history. It’s a natural variation of the human condition. We know that non-cis people were honored and respected members of communities in the Americas, Pacific Islands, and in Asia. Some societies even had multiple classifications of non-cis people.

I'm glad we're finally at a time where we are developing the language to describe how people experience the world and we're moving slowly towards acceptance and inclusion.

Your Heavenly Parents love you as you are and for who you are. You are precious to them.

This church teaches that we’re each entitled to pray and seek revelation and confirmation. You can pray to ask if God loves you, all of you. You can seek confirmation for decisions on your path.

We are that we might have joy! That is a beautiful teaching. Find joy. Take steps towards it.

There is a difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is what you feel if you do something bad. If you don’t feel guilt for an action, chances are it’s not “bad.” Shame is what you feel about yourself. You should not feel shame for who you are, for the things you’re dealing with and for having the life you do. It's the difference between "I did something bad," and "I am bad."

I know there's harmful teachings in this church about queer people, and we receive those messages before we even realize we are queer. Those messages come from an institution and people we respect and even love. They find a home in our head and our heart. That makes those words difficult to overcome when we come to understand we're queer.

Keep in mind, the people teaching these things, they are not queer. They don't have any knowledge of what it is like to be us. They see themselves as the norm and the rest of us as abnormities. That is incorrect.

When you hear or remember unaffirming words, replace them. Speak or think positive words about yourself, your gender identity, and your worth.

If we want to know God, we should look at what God creates. Look around you, the world is diverse. Queer activity has been observed in practically all species of mammals. Surely queerness is a natural, beautiful, and necessary part of this world. God loves wild meadows of diversity, not lawns of sameness.

What you wear and things you display in your room can be ways of affirming yourself that won't out you from the closet. Mormons have a lot of expectations regarding dress and appearance, but it’s okay to do things your own way.

Btw, I didn't know there is a girlflux flag! It's beautiful. The girlflux flag has varying colors of pink and red representing the fluctuating intensity of the female identity, and a tan stripe in the middle to represent agender, or a lack of gender.

Something you may not know, but Tumblr has been a very important part of queer history. Many of the different Pride flags we know and celebrate were first shared on Tumblr.

In 2015, a Tumblr user created the terms girlflux and boyflux to describe their gender identity. Their post had ideas for girlflux and boyflux flags, but people ultimately settled on the one I shared with you, maybe because using the horizontal stripes helps people know it is related to the group of non-binary, agender, bigender, polygender, and so on.

Much love to you on National Coming Out Day 2021. Thank you for being brave enough to share with me.

[savnofilter]

no nuance november!

a/n: which is basically you have a bunch of opinions and dont explain any of em' and let your followers discuss them (much more suited for tiktok sjsnj). i'll be doing it since it compiles with many topics like fandom, racism, lgbtq+, politics and etc. i highly encourage people to do this simply because why not? feel free to send your own opinions n stuff, i wanna know what my followers think!!

disclaimer!! ⚠️ all of these are broad, not pin pointing certain people or situations. even though these are my opinions these were all in fun and have been collected over the years and will change as time goes on. nothing is sugar-coated so thread carefully. feel free to agree or disagree. :)

warning(s): mentions of racism, p*do micro aggression, fetishizing, toxicity, abuse, politics, labelling, mental health, cancelling, fandoms, ages.

key:

iswis = i said what i said, no explanation to that one.

whe = will happily explain.

stop sexualizing gay/m|m/yaoi relationships. it's not only demonizing to the males, it's also very fetishizing. (iswis)

most times /10 yall root for "feminine men" when you really mean white boys and fetishised asian men on social media. (whe)

bullying someone isnt educating. you either cant cope with the fact people have different opinions from you or you have a struggle with things either always never going your way or the opposite. (iswis)

straight people will never have a say in lgbtq+ issues. stop inserting yourself. (iswis)

white people will never have a say in poc issues. stop inserting yourself. (iswis)

poc will never have a say in black people issues. stop inserting yourself. (vice versa but im black and it happens more often to us lol) (iswis)

using the defense, "but black lives matter, right?" when one black person does something bad isnt facts, youre racist. (iswis)

fandom adults need to stop gatekeeping the target audience (demographics) to animes/shows. (iswis)

poc people can be racist. (whe)

even if a certain site was adult doesnt mean that every adult wants to see your porn. either keep it to yourself or tag properly. (iswis)

saying shit like, "im more xyz than you and im not even xyz" is not only disrespectful but disgusting. just because you believe in a popular opinion of a group does NOT suddenly make you a person in it, get over yourself. (iswis)

dont hate on people for the same things you have done at a young age. (ex: writing fanfic, seggs, etc) (iswis)

blaming a minor/someone mentally unstable for being abused is not only victim blaming, but it enables the notion that people who go those things that they wanted it. (iswis)

going off of that last point, if you do victim blame for situations and been in them yourself you either still havent coped with what you went through and still think it was your fault when it wasnt. (whe)

it's stupid people hate minors for being undeveloped when adults are the reason as to why people get traumas, abused and quite literally are destroying the world right now. (iswis)

gen z is white as fuck. (iswis)

early 2000s kids are equivalent to 90s kids who use to post, "only 90s kids under this" and post something that 2000-5 experienced. (iswis)

dear 2005+ kids, abusing harmful substances and having sex doesnt make you grown. stop it. (iswis)

adults, being able to post porn doesnt make you grown or mature, stop believing that it does. (iswis)

just because it's a coping mechanism doesnt mean it's healthy. (iswis)

avoiding conflict doesnt mean youre mature. if there is an active problem and you know ignoring it will only benefit you and not the actual problem at hand that is selfish. (iswis)

black women generate clout for everyone. when we're hated the person gets patted on the back, someone appreciates black girls they are praised, and people of many groups repeatedly steal from our culture. (iswis)

YES THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN. (whe)

if youre black you do not have to be democrat OR republican, there are many other parties. (whe)

i do not trust either parties, no minority should. (whe)

this 2020 election was not a win for poc people no matter who won. (iswis)

we do not decide whether or not what to do on columbus day. it is up to the natives themselves. (whe)

pointing out other countries (current) faults is not racist. although the issue can be misconstrued, if proper research is done it safe to say it's an educated observation or opinion. (whe)

privilege heavily varies; ex, americans are seen as privileged, while the people who live in it experience a disadvantage because of the societal standards. within the country itself. (whe)

americans, stop saying that america is the worst country and there are other countries who are suffering much worse than we are. yes sometimes it sucks but do not label it as the worst. (iswis + whe)

white people are privileged and will always be until we break the racist issues deep rooted in EVERY community. (iswis)

9/10 when marginalized groups like (women, lgbt) are mostly focused on white people and never address the poc counter parts. using the excuse "well idk much about that" is not good enough and just promotes pseudo-white supremecy. (iswis + whe)

do not use aave. (iswis)

aave is not gen z language, stop calling it that. (iswis)

gay men (white especially) use black women and get praised for the things we do that are called ghetto. (iswis)

yes it is offensive if you touch a black persons hair with or without permission. we are not your pets nor zoo animals. (iswis)

and yes it is offensive if you see a black women with beautiful hair and assume it's fake or ask, "is it yours?" "is it real?" (iswis)

using jailbait as an excuse to lewd minors is just as disgusting. (iswis)

beauty standards for women is rooted from pedophilia. (iswis)

using other pedophilic relationships as an excuse to ship yours is disturbing and you shouldnt be near children at any capacity. (iswis)

everything doesnt need a label. (iswis)

the fact that gangs have been criminalized while mafias havent is racist and feeds the stereotypes that poc are criminals. (iswis)

people are more forgiving to white predators than to poc (neither are good but people let white off the hook more often). (iswis)

if youre okay with your friends being racists, creeps, abusers you are just as bad. (iswis)

although you can like what you like, making dark content shouldnt be as glorified as much as it is. (iswis)

some kinks do deserve to be kink shamed. (iswis)

adults need to be more held accountable when held in situations with minors. (iswis + whe)

everyone perceives the world differently, many people will see the same things you see differently. (iswis)

calling people crazy for questioning the things around them doesnt make them crazy, youre just asleep. (iswis)

the human body can function without a soul. (iswis)

stop disrespecting christianity. you wouldnt do the same with hinduism, islam and etc. (iswis)

the bible was altered by white men and the true meanings have been misconstrued. (iswis + whe)

bullying someone who you THINK is problematic is not excuse to be hateful. youre just scum and feel the need to justify your actions. (iswis)

not everyone has to like you and dont need a reason. (iswis)

just because you dont like someone doesnt mean you have to make a show of it. be mature and move along. (iswis)

yes callouts/cancelling has its place but it's never done right. (iswis)

"cancel culture" wasnt a thing till white people joined in. (iswis)

dont cancel someone for stuff they did years ago. bringing it up is important but not allowing them to understand, reflect, and apologize is not only bullying it defeats the purpose of bringing awareness. (iswis)

big writers need to stop complaining when one fic or a few dont do good. not only does it rub in small writers faces, it shows that if you need people's validation to write you probably shouldnt be writing. some works will be popular and some will flop, get over it. (iswis)

stop witch hunting & crucifying people for shit you have done or your friends have done and going "uwu sorry" when you get caught. (iswis)

90% people believe content creators with bigger audiences. (iswis)

people spontaneously posting, "uwu take care of your mental health" doesnt mean that they actually care. (iswis)

people are always quick to judge people with real mental health such as depression, anxiety, adhd, and etc are always the one to turn and pretend to be exactly what they just mocked. (iswis)

dont have kids if youre not going to take care of them. (iswis)

stop baiting baby otakus (people freshly getting into anime) into watching cp like yarichin bitch club or boku no pico. they are minors, it's not funny, stop it. (iswis)

stop being protective & toxic over anime characters. if they were real they probably wouldnt even like you. (iswis)

just because someone is your friend doesnt mean that they arent toxic or abusive. (iswis)

start believing when people show their true traits. (iswis)

trauma happens in different forms, stop saying something didnt happen because it didnt go the way that has commonly happened or the way it occurred to you. (iswis)

stop saying minors should "know" while also being the loudest to say that our brains arent even developed till 25. (iswis)

the adult age should be raised to 20 years old. (iswis + whe)

tos should be raised to 16 years old. (iswis + whe)

minors take "18+" & "minors dni" out of your bio. (iswis)

yelling at minors for finding the content you freely put out without any care is your fault not theirs. (iswis)

there are plenty of adult sites that are more confined for adults but you guys ignore them because youd rather get popular on writing erotica on a popular social media platform. (iswis)

trying to cancel someone over one mistake and or blowing said things out of proportion is toxic and stupid. (iswis)

if you take someone saying they need to distance themselves for mental health reasons personally and make them feel bad for it youre an actual shitty person. (iswis)

if someone disrespects you, you have the right to say whatever you want in response. (iswis + whe)

stop hypersexualizing everything (adults especially). (iswis)

the excuses of, "they look grown" "i mentally think xyz" "theyre fake" is creepy and weird and yall should come up with a better excuse. (iswis)

yes i do believe minors should be writing for minors only, but i will not give a shit if an adult does if said characters are aged up in every work sfw or not. (iswis)

stop saying teens cant go through traumatic things and cant experience mental illnesses. it just shows that you werent cared for as a child and never get the therapy for it. (iswis)

gen z has a very colonized idea of activism. (iswis)

feminism was never for all women until the rest of us forced ourselves in. and even now it's still an issue whether or not people realize it or not. (iswis)

poc solidarity doesnt exist as much as we try to make it happen. (iswis)

colorism is an issue, and no you will not tell me otherwise. (iswis)

the hot cheeto girl is offensive and demeans black & hispanic culture. (iswis)

stop bashing minors for breathing, just say youre mad youre not young anymore and move on. (iswis)

black men are the white people of black people. (iswis)

there is no reason as to why you anyone would refer to black people as "blacks". nor should you (non-black people) be arguing whether or not to say nigga even with the hard r. (iswis)

if you (pertains to white people) think white privilege doesnt exist but go on to make fun of or ignore minority problems you are the living and breathing example of what we are talking about. (iswis)

loli/shotas are fucking disgusting and people who like it deserve to be tortured for eternity. (iswis)

seriously, stop using theyre "fake" as an excuse. (iswis)

if youre comfortable with being hateful to someone but still consider yourself a nice person because you do the hate minimum to be a decent human, youre either a narcissist or have a god complex. (iswis)

coons have no say in black issues. (iswis)

people need to stop blaming the "home wrecker" for ruining the relationship when it was the s/o's fault as well. there is no home to enter without an owner. (iswis)

stop saying any asian man yo see reminds you of a haikyuu character and or any anime character. it's racist. (iswis)

stop saying any asian person looks like a kpop idol, it's racist. (iswis)

stop downplaying and invalidating when black women go through traumatic things. not only does it promote that we have to be strong and save everyone else's problems, it says that we dont have emotions and cant be a victim which is disgusting. (iswis)

if you say shit like "minors curate your own experience" then go and turn around to say you REFUSE TO TAG YOUR SHIT YOU ARE LITERALLY MAKING THE PROCESS OF CENSORING HARD! (iswis)

white women are just as much of a problem as white men. only difference is sex keeping them apart. (iswis)

stop saying kpop is racist. expecting artists from a different political progression to understand that things can be offensive is bland. (iswis)

people accept boy groups fuck-ups more than they accept girl groups. and most times out of ten, the males are worse. (iswis)

if you engage in nsfw conversation with a minor, it is your fault they responded. (iswis)

anyone can be abused. (iswis)

stop coddling adults and bullying minors. (iswis)

most of you females have internalized misogyny and dont even know it. (iswis)

you can callout issues without having to drag a group of people. same with uplifting. (iswis)

if youre fine with being a sheep unfollow me. (iswis)

seven deadly sins is not a good anime. (iswis)

there is a difference between boku no hero academia fans based on if they call it "bnha" or "mha". (iswis)

ships literally are not serious stop harassing people over ships. (iswis)

do not harass creators of series because they do something with THEIR story. make your own. (iswis)

stop saying horikoshi sexualizes his women too much/mineta is the worst when you guys enjoy shows like one piece, hunter x hunter, naruto and etc. (iswis)

minors often or not are sheeps (heres your sign you dont have to agree with everything other people say). (iswis)

just because minors can be mature doesnt mean that they are adults. stop treating them as such. (iswis)

we should give more voice actors in the asmr (idk what to call it) community more recognition instead of just one. (iswis)

writers are the ones that send hate to other writers. anon hate is so corny and if you do it that goes to show that you are truly a toxic person wearing a fake mask of kindness when youre not on anonymous. (iswis)

stop being mean to smaller writers because they did not have as much luck as you. (iswis)

stop blaming your readers because one story flopped. (iswis)

ignoring someone's shitty actions encourages them to do it more. (iswis)

going to school and getting a job is much harder now than it was before. (iswis)

being an adult doesnt automatically make you mature. just because youre older doesnt mean youre better or you opinion is more valuable. it just shows that you werent heard when you were younger. (iswis)

there should be no reason as to why someone of the age of 18 should be having any romantic relationship with someone who is a minor. (iswis)

hawks is a shitty character. (iswis)

bakudeku isnt toxic. (iswis)

just because bakugo is in a ship, doesnt mean it's toxic. (iswis)

stop shipping male characters together simply because they have screen time together. it's creepy. (iswis)

almost all of 1-a students have ptsd and anything close to the after effects of being traumatized. (iswis)

no, editing characters to be poc is not racist. youre just mad they arent "white" when they never were. theyre asian and come in many colors as well. (iswis)

wanting to only be with a different race to get a mixed baby is fucking disgusting. (iswis)

stop ignoring pedo relationships between older women and younger boys and or with older women in general. (iswis)

males can be abused, stop telling them to suck it up or that they cant go through things. (iswis)

shaming young females about things they cant control is misogynistic and is damaging to their identity and shouldnt be excused. (iswis + whe)

not all females have to shave. (iswis)

what you dont like in someone is the projections you see of yourself on other people that you dont like about yourself. (whe)

popular bl stories extremely misrepresent gay relationships and frankly it's disgusting that theyre boosted as much as they are. (iswis)

jjba isnt ugly, you just watch animes to sexualize the characters. (iswis)

it's shitty that anime and kpop only became cool once white people stated to like it and made it mainstream. go gatekeep family guy or something. (iswis)

if you have been anime fan for a long time you were with bullied/teased for just generally liking it or you were a weirdo who recreated shit from it. (iswis)

weaboo and weeb were bad terms till we made them positive?? literally otaku is the word for it but we use weeb instead lol. (whe)

normalize and promote educating someone without going straight to bullying them. (whe)

haikyuu isnt really a good manga/anime nor is the art style the best but the characters make up for it. (iswis)

stop misusing terms and stop nitpicking definitions to manipulate your narrative. (iswis)

toxic positivity is manipulative and if you have to make it back handed you are not as nice as you like to make it seem. (iswis)

studying a major doesnt mean youre actually good in the subject. (iswis)

normalize people realizing their past mistakes and growing from it. (iswis)

do not self diagnos unless you actually feel like you may have that issue and would like to seek help. mental health is not a personality trait. (iswis)

stop projecting onto people. (iswis)

stop misusing terms and stop nitpicking definitions to fit your narrative. (iswis)

stealing any type of work should not be tolerated. (iswis)

constantly trying to trigger someone to go back to their old ways (being toxic, abusive, addiction, suicidal etc) after changing is toxic and manipulative. (iswis)

if you make jokes about hurting kids and or feel the need speak badly about them i do not want to speak to you. (iswis)

the human brain wasnt developed to understand complex ideas such as death or the universe. (iswis)

we will never truly know what is beyond our skies. (iswis)

thats all, thanks for sifting!

[wanderlustinwonderland18]

Boikova & Kozlovskii: Gaining The Momentum

The youngest pair to stand on the European podium since the legendary Gordeeva/Grinkov, Aleksandra and Dmitrii are now finishing their third full season as a team.

Is it true that it was your decision to partner up?

Dmitrii: Yes, it is true, more or less. I had a different partner, but you can say that at that time, I was mostly skating by myself... And when Sasha came to our rink for tryouts, I immediately noticed her and said that I want to skate only with her.

Aleksandra: We’ve known each other since childhood, and we trained in the same group as single skaters when we were little.

Dmitrii: We skated together in Alexei Mishin's group and our development was alongside each other. It is still a bit surprising that we formed a pair. Five or six years ago, if someone told me this, I would have said: "Are you crazy?"

This is your third full season together. There is a common opinion that pairs needs at least three years to really become a pair. Do you agree with that?

Dmitrii: I think we're heading in this direction. Little by little, we're becoming a pair, starting to feel small things, fine details about each other. Indeed it takes time. You don't get this in a month. But it varies - for some, this might take one year, and for some, this might take ten years. I can tell that we're at this stage where we have deeper communication between us.

You're considered to be a rather tall pair, which pros and cons do you see in it?

Dmitrii: I don't see any downside at all. Actually our height is optimal, we're neither too tall nor too short. We have a good presence on the ice, and we have high throws and twists, so I can't name any disadvantages. We have good control over our bodies and so our height is comfortable for us.

Do you plan to raise the technical difficulty of your programs? In previous seasons, you showed a throw triple flip, you also had triple-euler-triple combination, tano double jumps. Are any of those coming back?

Aleksandra: Our main goal for this season was to skate clean. We only reduced our technical content because we wanted to show better quality and more confidence. Of course, we plan to work on higher-level elements including triple-triple or triple-euler-triple combinations.

The triples are going to be toe loops?

Aleksandra: We will see. There are a few options. We trust our coaches to help us in this. We will also work on throws. Unfortunately, throw triple flip which was compulsory for us in juniors last season, did not always work... But when we succeeded, it was indeed impressive and scored positive GOE. So we definitely plan to work on these elements and improve our technical content.

Dmitrii: This season we made an emphasis on our skating skills and interpretation. As the rules were changed, mistakes are now much more costly... You can lose ten points on one mistake. Nowadays in pair skating, you almost never know how the program will go. So you always have a chance to rebound. The fight for medals is focused less on the base value and more on the quality. Quality is the key. To add those difficult elements, Sasha mentioned before that we need to be 100% sure in them, otherwise too many points might be deducted and nothing would "save" the program.

What would you say is your trademark element?

Aleksandra: I think our trademark element is our twist lift. We perform it with ease, and we pick it up very fast. I started doing the triple twist one month after I switched to pairs. Before that, I tried the double twist but that took time.

Dmitrii: It's just that she needed to readjust from single skating to pairs. If you think about it, pair skating is the discipline with the most varied elements. We have so many different elements — jumps, throws, twists, lifts, death spirals, step sequences, spins. Eight absolutely different elements! And you need to work on every single one of them.

In one of your interviews, you mentioned that you love Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès for their style. And what is your style? Do you feel you already have one?

Dmitrii: We have good lines. Not many people can skate in classical style, as it doesn't suit everyone. It requires not only a high level of skating, but also aesthetic. That's natural. It just turned out that way that we can perform classical style well. We can really feel it. Do you agree with me?

Aleksandra: Absolutely.

During the first half of the season, you had a very lovely exhibition program with a balloon, can you tell me more about its story?

Aleksandra: Similar to our short program, this one was choreographed by Natalia Bestemianova and Igor Bobrin. The story starts with a girl who goes out for a walk with her balloon friend, but then suddenly, it deflates and it disappears...

Dmitrii: This balloon is an abstract image of someone dear to her heart, a lover or a close friend... And he leaves her.

Aleksandra: At this moment, Dima comes and tries to cheer me up in every possible way. In the end, he returns my friend to me by inflating it.

Dmitrii: After she gets her friend back, I feel like she doesn't need me anymore and am about to leave, but Sasha realizes that I'm a more interesting companion than her friend balloon. (Both laugh)

I wanted to ask you about your presence in social media. I should admit that I'm very impressed by how you run your Instagram accounts, with the professional quality of photos you post, the text you add to them. Why do you take it so seriously? Do you see it as your online representation? Is this coming out of respect for your fans?

Dmitrii: Probably all of the above. Of course, we want to bring quality content to our audience and in general, people love to follow beautiful and interesting Instagram accounts. I think Instagram is currently the most popular social network in the world, covering both commercial and aesthetic interests. People are curious to follow skaters who take part in big competitions. Just like they follow accounts of various stars and celebrities to feel a little bit like being a part of their life. It's interesting and cool!

Was it some kind of agreement that you will both try to keep up the quality? Do you discuss what to publish?

Aleksandra: We always ask each other for advice, at least me, I always send him things first before I publish them.

Dmitrii: Sometimes we advise each other which photo would be better to post.

And who takes the photos? They are of very good quality.

Aleksandra: It depends. Sometimes, it's my friends or my mom when she has some free time.

Dmitrii: While we're very busy, we both run our accounts ourselves. Some athletes have their managers post for them, or their parents... But I can say for myself and Sasha that for both of us, our Instagram accounts are our pet projects.

Sasha, talking about Instagram — in your post on December 31st, while summing up your year, you wrote: "This year I understood that sometimes you need to reach rock bottom to comprehend and recognize what is really important and valuable in your life." Can you elaborate?

Aleksandra: To be honest, I prefer not to dig into it, there were some serious problems: health issues, both physical and mental. The previous season was really difficult for us, I think not only for me personally but for both of us, for our pair. In addition, I had exams at school, it was hard to put my mind to it and pass them. But gradually, thanks to certain people, I succeeded to get through this. I needed to brace myself, start fresh, and work harder. Thanks to that, we have achieved certain things this season, not only in sport, but also in our studies.

Dmitrii: I would like to add that every sportsman during his career meets some important breaking point. Some people manage to overcome it and get to a higher level mentally. Some people fail and usually that ends sadly. Indeed, in our career we had some difficult times, but we were able to rise above them and now we're gaining the momentum.

[alltoomeghan]

I am so proud to look up to someone like Taylor Swift.

A person like Taylor Swift is not someone you come across everyday. Not only has she been through a lot in her 29 1/2 years of life, she's been through the same things that I've been through or may go through. She's not afraid to say how she feels, whether it's in song or an interview, a speech at an award show, or a letter. She's constantly supporting the LGBTQ+ community, human rights and equality. She is welcoming of literally everyone, even if they don't have the same opinions as her. She realizes when she's wrong. But she also knows damn well when she's right.

Taylor is so freakin smart, too. She always knows what to say. She always knows when to say it. She's crazy scary by the way that she knows JUST when to show up in your time of need. You could be having the worst day or week, and suddenly she likes a post of yours, decides to do a livestream, releases a song, etc. Sis always knows what's up. Her mind is truly amazing (in more ways than one). Are you going through a hard time? Chances are Taylor has a song for that. Or some quirky post somewhere to make you smile. She's literally always there. A lot of people would say that Easter eggs are boring and stupid, but I'm sorry... what other artist puts THAT much effort and time and theory into their work?? Literally nobody. Except the one and only Taylor Alison Swift. We're seeing things from the beginning of the rep era that are making the Lover era make sense. She plans so far in advanced and always make things come together and make you go "oh my god HER MIND!!!!!" I know that I've said that 1 or 130000 times in the past 2 years.

Taylor is also incredibly inspiring. On a daily basis, I am beyond inspired by everything she does. She's always been so mature. Throughout her entire career, even old home videos from when she was a kid, you can see her maturity. She's so proper and so polite and none of it is an act. She is a 113% pure, genuine person. She says "thank you" a lot whenever she gets a compliment, and you can see it in her eyes that she truly means it and that you've touched her heart. She uses her platform to speak out on the real issues that are happening in this day in age, rather than talking/singing about butts and drugs... which is all anyone "sings" about anymore (imo). Her words are always used for good, unless she's really pissed off... (but I suggest not pissing off Miss Swift because she will end you).

If you're like me, and you were/are able to grow up with and be alive at the same time as Taylor Swift, consider yourself incredibly lucky. The world needs more people like her. And with her inspiration, her voice, her word, her leadership, her independence, her strength, and her power - if she is able to influence you and inspire you to use your words for good, to stand up for what you believe in, to stay strong through the worst of times, to always know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I do feel like (at some point) this world could get on the right track to becoming better, healthier and wiser. The world needs more people like Taylor.

So all that being said, @taylorswift, I would like to thank you for being you. Thank you for being the person I am most proud to look up to. Thank you for being the person that I want to be. Thank you for being the change that this world needs. Thank you for using your platform to speak out about real issues in this world. Thank you for inspiring people to stand up for what they believe in. Thank you for letting people know that even though opinions may vary, doesn't mean that theirs doesn't matter. Thank you for supporting your fans through all that we do. You always thank us for being there by your side through everything, but I'd like thank you for being by OUR sides through everything. You're an inspiration to all, and a lot of us would agree on the fact that you're our strength! Your heart and soul is what our world needs and what people need to truly see. You're amazing in all of your beautiful, unique, quirky ways.

I love you, Taylor. And I'll never stop supporting you and loving you.

[lanceville]

Honestly I have been offended by this discussion, and some of your responses have made me feel uncomfortable and borderline unsafe. Lance is Cuban, he's brown, these traits would both be very important to him. There are pale poc, but even within our own communities colorism is a huge issue. These divisions matter because our culture matters, and saying we all go to the same dirt delegitimizes the bloody struggle for human rights to this day in a major way. It matters because we're alive(1/2)

Poc upset with whitewashing deserve to be heard, and if dealing with just the Voltron fandom has made you so harsh to rude criticism, can you imagine how it feels to deal with it literally from all angles your entire life? I trusted this blog and now I’m not so sure, because the specifics of his identity are important and worth preserving against fandom degradation. 2/2)             

firstly, i terribly apologize for making you feel that way. genuinely and with all my heart as it was not my intention to hurt anybody in any way. i’m really, really sorry.

lance’s identity as well as everyone else’s should be preserved, and people have the full right to be proud of what defines them be it nationality or color or race or culture. i apologize again if what i’ve said yesterday has made you think i don’t support that.

what i meant to say was that despite our multifaceted differences, we’re all equals at the end. all people should be treated with respect no matter what part of the world they came from. i know that being represented is a huge important thing, but it simply saddens me that we even need to struggle to prove that we’re as equal as the other side of the globe. i don’t wanna delve into history or politics, and i know why the world ended up this way, but knowing why doesn’t mean i comprehend why as it doesn’t make sense to me. culture matters, identity matters, what part of the world you’re from matters - i was immensely happy to see a diverse group of characters come together from different parts of the world and treat each others as equals and show that despite the difference in appearance and culture we’re all equal and the same internally. and this is the point i wanna get to: equality. this person’s skin color might be yellow, another’s might be white, mine might red, someone else’s might be black, but at the end of the day, should it really affect how we treat each other? i don’t ask people i meet what their nationality is (it would be clear to deduce that without asking, yes, but i try not to assume it). i treat them as an equal human being. yes, i might ask them about the country they’re from later for curiosity’s sake, and to know more about them because again, feeling proud of one’s identity is important and it’s also nice to know about different cultures, but they’re?? still human beings in the end??? skin color and race acknowledgement and representation is really important in these times, i’m fully aware of that and i support it 100000%, but the only way i “label” people is based on their values and manners, not their physical appearances. i know that racism and discrimination persists, god i first-highhandedly know that, and i’m really not trying to make light of this issue and i know it’s much more complicated than i made it seem, but it’s true that we all came to be from the same creature and will eventually return to be part of earth. i just still find it sad how advanced humanity became yet most still struggle to claim their rights that should’ve been automatically present and granted to them since their birth as this planet belongs to all of us equally and not one group without the other.

i don’t support whitewashing. i don’t at all. and i totally agree with you on hearing out people who are upset with something that offends them. but, what i meant to say yesterday and probably miserably failed to, is that when people draw pocs, they always go to the darkest of shades when in fact, pocs are of many, many skin colors of varying shades, not just dark-skinned, and there are many variations of the darker skin colors that are all valid. lance is brown. a beautiful tanned brown. but it’s just like…. there’s a certain shade of darkness for characters that are considered “brown” that if someone went half a shade above, it’s immediately considered whitewashing, when the character’s canon skin color would be actually lighter than that of the fanon’s. look, i really don’t mind that. draw lance in whatever shade of brown you want, i’ll love him all way and appreciate your love for him too. i don’t really mind how you color lance’s skin as long as it delivers the message that he’s brown, cuban, and poc, that his identity is not erased. but constantly accusing people who draw some characters in their canon-that-is-lighter-than-fanon skin color of whitewashing left and right is not nice. that’s all i wanted to say, and i apologize for the way i phrased it yesterday. when that anon called my icon white yesterday, i honestly couldn’t understand how since i wouldn’t have used it in the first place if i thought so or even as much as speculated that it might be, because i love lance and i love every single trait of his and will protect everything that makes him him. but maybe it might have been a little pale without my realizing bc of my screen brightness or coloring or maybe because i looked at it for too long that i normalized his skin color or some other factor… i don’t know. i really don’t know anymore. it might have appeared pale to some and dark to others, but even if it were offensively pale without my noticing, i should’ve been told that in an acceptable way, not as if i’m the one who colored him as pale as milk and intended to whitewash him and offend every poc out there. i was just already ticked off because of multiple stuff yesterday and receiving such a message might have made me reply in a ways i wouldn’t normally do, and i’m sorry about that. please understand that i’m human too and i’m bound to make mistakes… but hopefully this would never be repeated again. thank you for sharing your concerns with me, and i apologize again for any discomforts my dumb tired sleepy yesterday self has caused.

[vox]

I was a cop in Australia. We don't shoot the people we're sworn to protect.

“AMERICAN NIGHTMARE,” read the coverof the Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph in response to news that an Australian woman, Justine Damond, had been shot and killed by police in Minneapolis.

As a former police officer living in Australia, I was shocked at the news. Twenty-eight years in law enforcement in Queensland has given me some insight into how and when police need to use lethal force. In this case, the shooting just didn’t make sense.

This incident has again placed the use of lethal force by police in the United States in the spotlight. Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau stated what many observers were thinking: "Justine didn't have to die. … I believe the actions in question go against who we are as a department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers."

What made Damond’s shooting stand out even more to me was its atypical nature further underlined by the Black Lives Matter movement. Black men are disproportionately affected by police violence in the United States, yet in this case, the victim was a white woman shot by a black police officer. Harteau has now been forced to resign, and the mayor is coming under increasing pressure to address the culture of policing in the city.

In my current job as a criminologist at Bond University in Queensland, I study the effects of policing and gun laws on crime and homicide rates. The Australian police shooting rate is considerably lower than in the US — our country has an average of five deaths per year in police-related incidents.

The US average is around 400 according to the FBI, with estimates that the number is actually much higher, potentially twice as much, due to poor data. When accounting for population differences, that comes down to roughly six times more deaths by police shootings in the US than in Australia. And that’s when using the likely lowball estimate on the US side.

What accounts for this difference? I believe the answer comes down to two things: gun culture and laws and the culture of policing in the United States. Justine Damond’s death is a needless tragedy. But I can’t help but question if it would have occurred if Damond had been in Australia as opposed to the US when she made that police call. It’s time to look at what can and should be done to prevent such shootings — both here in my own country and in America, where the problem is more severe.

My experience with police shootings

During my time as a police officer, I was involved in one shooting of a suspect and the investigation of fatal and non-fatal shootings by police. It occurred during a raid on an officer of an outlaw motorcycle gang — a high-level threat.

Upon entry, the suspect appeared from a doorway appearing to hold a long-arm weapon. We later learned it was an underwater spear gun, a tool used for recreational fishing. Nonetheless, in that split second, one of the police on our team judged the situation to be life-threatening and shot the suspect, wounding him. The shooting was justified by a later investigation as self-defense.

It’s a moment I look back on with regret. Still, I realize that in situations like this, instinct takes over for police in threatening situations. It made me realize the importance of adequate, realistic training in dealing with potentially life-threatening situations. As a police officer, your reactions must be second nature and should be based on appropriate training responses.

Australian police follow national guidelines on the use of lethal force that underpin police training methods. This include use of firearms only in the case of self-defense or defense of others against imminent threat, to prevent a serious crime with grave threat to life, and only as a last resort in all of these cases.

But in the United States, lethal force laws vary from state to state and in some areas are more relaxed — an Amnesty International report found that some state laws allow lethal force to "suppress opposition to an arrest" or to arrest someone for a "suspected felony.”

Standards of training need to be universally enforced

We’re not perfect in Australia. We have our own police shooting fatalities. I don’t think there’s any police officer out there who wants to kill another human being. But compared with the US, our situation is considerably better. To see the differences in American versus Australian policing, it’s worth looking at several big factors.

The first is training standards. In Australia, there are highly centralized large policing services in each state that all share a common standard of training and protocols. And in Queensland in 2014, when there was a series of fatal police shootings, the commissioner ordered a review of police training and concluded “...changes would be made to how police officers were trained to emphasize using minimal force to de-escalate situations.”

That’s not the case in the United States, where police services are often small municipal departments that lack both resources and a standard of training. Take the police in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown was shot in 2014: Among its scant 72 personnel, 18 are civilian support staff for a city with a population of nearly 21,000. With limited resources and numbers, small police services don’t have the same wide pool of experience and expertise to help train responses to encounters.

In the case of Justine Damond, the former Minneapolis police chief has already identified training and a failure to follow protocols — specifically, the failure to use body cameras — as issues in her death. Just the presence of a body camera can provide a level of awareness that discourages shooting. And even in the event of the shooting despite use of the camera, evidence of what happened can help provide justification or otherwise for the officer’s actions — and assist in future prevention tactics.

There’s also the fact that the officer fired from inside a car, across his partner. What was the threat that the officer reacted to? They were not responding to an armed offender. They had been tasked to assist a woman possibly being sexually assaulted.

But will this result in any top-down changes?

The influence of American gun culture is a major difference

American gun culture, I believe, affects the approach of police in their interactions with the community. In Australia, police simply do not expect members of the community to be armed threats. In the US, it seems the opposite is true. When my police team shot an unarmed suspect in that raid, it was because we were convinced that he was armed.

Just look at the rate of gun ownership and gun-related homicides. A 2016 US study estimated that more than a third of households had guns. In Australia in 2005, the rate was just 6 percent, and this had been steadily declining since 1998. While US gun ownership is also declining, the rate of ownership remains high when compared with Australia.

In Australia the murder rate has now dropped to an all-time low of 1.8 per 100,000 people in 2013-’14. By comparison, in 2012 the murder rate in the US was 4.7 per 100,000.

You could dismiss this as having nothing to do with guns. But the data says otherwise. In Australia, restrictive gun ownership laws were introduced after the Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people were killed and 23 wounded by a lone gunman using automatic weapons. Since that time, the number of firearm-related homicides has decreased—they now make up only 14 percent of homicides in Australia.

While the number of firearm-related homicides has gone up since 2005, they remain at historically low levels. There has been some debate as to the effect these restrictive lawshave had on the homicide rate, but generally it is accepted that the laws, while not the only factor, have had a strong influence in driving down these homicides.

In the US, firearm-related homicides have also gone down since the early ’90s. But firearms account for most of the deaths in this country — in 2014, 68 percent of the murders in the US were by gun. So while the number is going down, guns are still the weapon of choice for murder in the US.

This high level of gun ownership within the community creates a threat environment that is simply not present in Australia. When police do a traffic stop in Australia, there is no reliance on firearms as a method to force people to comply. It could be argued that this is not the case in the US, and this in turn leads to the high level of police shootings. It helps explain why although police deaths and firearm-related homicides are down, police shootings don’t seem to be declining.

The warrior cop: the move toward militarization of the police

The question as to the use of weaponry is not just limited to criminals. The rise of the “warrior cop” also a concerning trend. Such a culture lends itself to an “us versus them” approach to policing. The blurring of the line between the military and the police, especially in the US, is now on the political agenda.

Walter Olson, of the libertarian American think tank the Cato Institute, criticized the rising militarization of law enforcement as illustrated in Ferguson:

Why armored vehicles in a Midwestern inner suburb? Why would cops wear camouflage gear against a terrain patterned by convenience stores and beauty parlors? Why are the authorities in Ferguson, Mo. so given to quasi-martial crowd control methods (such as bans on walking on the street) and, per the reporting of Riverfront Times, the firing of tear gas at people in their own yards?

Olson was not alone in his criticism of the heavy-handed response of law enforcement in Ferguson. Politicians from left to right as well as activist groups such as Black Lives Matter criticized the overuse of police force. Republican Sen. Rand Paul used the Ferguson case to argue for a reversal of the current US trend of supplying military hardware for law enforcement purposes.

Author Radley Balko has catalogued the rise of the warrior cop and the increasing convergence of military and policing operational doctrines. He illustrates how SWAT teams have proliferated since the mid-1970s in the US: “The country’s first official SWAT team started in the late 1960s in Los Angeles. By 1975, there were approximately 500 such units. Today, there are thousands.”

SWAT teams deployed in police raids in the US increased from 3,000 per year in the 1980s to approximately 45,000 by 2007. Firepower has overtaken the role of community engagement. In Australia, specialist teams are only used in high-threat situations. The use of military type weapons is not available for general policing.

The shooting of Justine Damond is indicative of many policing problems, not just in Minneapolis but across the US. There appears to be a level of preparedness to use lethal force in many situations that in Australia would not elevate the police response to that level. Part of that, I believe, comes down to a heavily armed population. Part of it is lack of standardized training. And part of it is a shifting culture in the US police force — one full of SWAT teams and camo.

Damond’s family is entitled to answers to the numerous questions that surround her death. They are also entitled to justice if there is wrongdoing on behalf of the police response. That alone will cause society to reflect on how improvements could be made to our law enforcement responses. Australian police aren’t perfect.

But Justine Damond’s presence in the US put her in heightened danger for no reason. We’ve all got to do better.

Terry Goldsworthy is an assistant professor of criminology at Bond University. He was a detective inspector with the Queensland Police Service and has 28 years of policing experience. He is an avid commentator in all forms of media in relation to criminal justice issues.