if you’re a Chinese official the first thing you do each morning is check to see if the editors have added a “Downfall” section to your Wikipedia page yet
In a truck stop bathroom washing my hands today and 2 boys, looked about 5 and 9, came in with their little sister who looked maybe 2. The following whispered conversation made my entire day
“We have to wait, there’s a lady in here!”
“That’s not a lady, he has a mustache! We can be in here!”
“Some ladies have mustaches! And she has boobs!”
“Well some guys have boobs! Like Uncle Jake!”
“Uncle Jake is fat!”
At this point I could not contain a chuckle and both whirled around with identical looks of panic on their faces. I smiled and said “it’s alright for you guys to be in here so your sister has help, don’t worry. And I’m both! That’s why I have boobs and a mustache. Some folks are just built that way”
(In unison) “Ooooooh!”
(older boy) “So do you use Sir or Ma'am or both?”
“Both, but I prefer Sir”
“Cool! Well thanks Sir! We have to help our sister now!”
This was in a small town country truck stop and both boys had “Murica” type stuff on and neither of them had any issue at all with these concepts. Their mom approached me while I was in line about 10 minutes later and apologized for them bothering me in the bathroom (they had told her about the interaction) and she and I had a lovely little chat too. I got to introduce her to the term “intersex” and her reply was “I think I’ve heard of that before! I didn’t know that was the word for it. Amazing how many different ways God can make people!”
Sometimes the world is good. More often than you might think, if you give it a chance. It’s not all bad loves <3
Audio transcript : Hamster balls are like so dangerous for small animals. You know why? Because like, they can’t extend their back properly, so their back is like thi– (cuts off abruptly as the creature in the hamster ball is revealed to be a crab; pauses. The following is said with an affectionate tone like one uses when speaking of a cute animal:) Well, he can’t break his spine ‘cause he don’t have a spine.
Just occurred to me that some of you may have never seen this music video. They had absolutely no reason to make it the way it is but damn they went hard.
One of the backstreet boys in 1997 : no I’m TELLING you, monster fuckers are the future.
This is why I hate the like, casual ha ha aren’t men awful jokes that people like to casually throw around.
Like, men are victims of the patriarchy too, and loneliness and isolation is what brings out the worst in people.
I’m not saying you have to be nice to or defend wretched men, but don’t treat them as wretched just because they are men. Treat them as wretched because they are wretched.
The interactions I watch my boyfriend have now that he passes have really changed my perception of what it is like for men, and frankly, it’s bleak in some fundamental ways I didn’t understand.
Friendliness is taken differently. Women interact very differently, there’s not as much casual small talk like women in my part of the country will make between each other, that becomes a sudden gap, a lack of daily friendliness that is so, so wonderful. People make small talk differently. Showing happy interest in a child like waving at a toddler in a shopping cart, a NORMAL THING TO DO that is good for a small child’s development and sense of security, is kind of sus suddenly. Men speak differently to one another and it can get weird, you hear people say the quiet stuff out loud, or hear people say things they wouldn’t say to a woman (not all of it bad as in gross, some of it bad as in oh man you have trauma my guy, this is not how it should be).
It’s not, like, REALLY bad for him, but we are adults with partners and an existing friends group. It would be such a different scene if he were younger, dating age, cis, surrounded by cis men, raised cis…the emotional landscape is…not great.
This is toxic masculinity, and it is not a reason for pity or making excuses, but a reason for sympathy.
“Plenty of people go through bad shit and don’t become assholes.” Yeah but some of us DO. I did. Not with masculinity stuff, it was other stuff, but I was a fucking asshole. I had to work on that and recover from it. And the environment a lot of men find themselves in is not super conducive to doing that.
“I want better for you too” is better than “your problems are your own fault”. You have to give a fuck about other people. You just do. You cannot hate or dismiss entire groups of people because of characteristics that are beyond their control, even when those characteristics bestow significant privilege.
“This is a good thing you’re trying to do” is better than “don’t expect praise for being a decent human”. Actually, I’m the kind of person who thinks it is very very important to thank people for doing things like chores and other stuff they should be doing. I think praising people for the slightest fucking thing is important, because I have lived without that and it was so very hurtful. And I think pointing out when a man is being a decent guy in an area where men are often not so decent is a good thing to do.
This isn’t even about being nice to men because their help is needed. It’s about being nice to people when people need help, and there’s some kinds of help that men don’t get as much of. And as we see above, that is just so very, very sad.
Toxic masculinity can make men behave in some pretty unempathetic ways. But our own sexist* ideas about how men are/should be can make us be pretty unsympathetic as well. I think that we need to work on that.
* “All women have an innate mothering urge and their connection to their children is always stronger than men’s” is a sexist idea. The idea that men need less support for child loss is derived from that. It’s a sexist idea too.
Treating all men as aweful or unfeeling doesn’t weaken patriarchy. Most of those kinds of ideas honestly strengthen it, are completely in line with patriarchy. Letting men be soft and vulnerable, helping them with grief and shit, that’s how we do it. Men are humans too. So are women. Were all human.
I’m glad I’ve got tomorrow off. I’ve been so busy and tired from all those social appointments this last week that I’ve barely had any time to clean. I can’t wait to spend tomorrow doing laundry and cleaning up around the apartment.
it does still make me insane specifically how many queer people lovingly embrace astrology. I went to a poetry workshop yesterday that was genuinely quite good but also included an option to disclose astrology designations during introductions and so many people broke out some variation of “I’m a [x] sum but I have a [y] placement and it SHOWS” girl no it doesn’t. that’s meaningless correlation you completely invented the causation
I’d say that rejecting biological determinism in favor of space gas determinism isn’t the slay the astrology queers think it is but if I’m being completely honest I fear that many members of our community haven’t even really rejected biological determinism so much as sprinkled a layer of glitter on it
I would peg you as an Aquarius bc the “tryna be deep” vibe, but I look into the intent and it’s more of an “I’m better than you” vibe and not a “oh if only humanity”, so I say Leo.
what the FUCK are you talking about
As a Virgo I approve that assessment
sorry to be clear you’re approving the assessment where as a bisexual I have a lesser understanding of queerness? you’re signing off on that?
The lady is a succubus, which in this setting is mostly human but with superpowered pheromones that passively make humans aroused just by being in the same room and essentially drug people out of their minds if she touches them directly. [The effect is so strong that there’s an entire government agency devoted to observing (from a long distance) all known succubi to make sure they aren’t starting suicide cults or going on murder-rape binges or whatever.] This causes her a variety of problems in life; she has to get up extremely early and stay at work late to take mostly-empty trains in order to avoid being in a crowded metal box full of humans, for example. But worst is her nonexistent love life, because how can you ever be confident that somebody has genuine romantic feelings for you if you’re supernaturally attractive to everybody? Is it ever morally acceptable to have sex if holding hands is effectively a date-rape drug?
The guy is a perfectly ordinary biology teacher, who crashed into her in the halls on his first day and got a huge dose of aphrodisiac. But she is a Respected Colleague so it would be Highly Unprofessional to think of her that way, not to mention how Inappropriate it would be for a high school teacher to do or say anything while there might be students around, and wait a minute wouldn’t treating her differently just because of her biology be Super Racist? so obviously it is his Duty to act Perfectly Normal and pretend that he Feels Nothing.
She sees that he seems to have no reaction, and this sparks her interest. Is he immune to her powers? Clearly this requires further investigation! For entirely scientific purposes, not because if he falls for her he’d be the first guy she could trust to do so for legitimate non-chemical reasons (and totally not because she might be able to bone him without feeling bad about it).
So you’ve got the world’s dorkiest succubus clumsily trying to seduce this guy and he’s trying very hard to drink enough Respect Women juice to make up for over half his blood travelling south every time he sees her. Then for added fun several of their students catch on to these shenanigans and they ship it so they decide to “help”.
you know I can respect that premise.
I really love the anime this is from, too! Interviews with monster girls. It deals with monsters in every day life, in a realistic way where they have physical challenges living in a world that isn’t designed for them, and face a lot of discrimination and misunderstanding socially. A few monsters find each other in a high school and become great friends who have different challenges (different types of monsters), but understand and support each other. The Biology teacher is interested in what their life is like and is trying to learn more about them by talking to them.
mr beast being sued for labor violations then having his food brand discontinued for mold then being reported to the FBI and now being investigated for roughly $23M in crypto-related insider trading feels like the ultimate don’t stop the party
although no matter how happy i am about his downfall i know i will never feel anywhere near the pure euphoria rosanna pansino must be experiencing right now
Lately I’ve been really into being honest to people about my positive feelings towards them. I told my classmate that I’ve admired her creativity from the start and named a project of hers that I loved, and her face lit up! I took the train with a project partner the other day and told her that I always have so much fun with her, and it prompted an entire conversation about the difficulties of graduating from ‘classmates’ to ‘friends’ and both of our insecurities in this regard (and how we’re definitely getting coffee later). I express my gratitude honestly. I say what I feel if I’d be happy hearing it, myself. I remember details so that I can refer to them later. Once you realize how great you can make someone feel, all of those mundane moments become so special. It will maybe even create some lasting connections, something I think we could all use more of.
Alright, to ao3’s soon to be arriving Wattpad Refugees, a basic guide to general user culture:
1.) Unlike Wattpads vote system that let’s you like each chapter, the ao3 equivalent kudos only allows one per work. Everyone is generally quietly annoyed about this. To engage with each chapter, you’re heavily encouraged to comment. Trust me, it makes people’s day.
2.) Ao3 has no algorithm. By default it’s latest updated work first. You can find things to your taste through searches, filters and tags.
3.) ‘No archive warnings apply’ and 'user has chosen not to use archive warnings’ mean two very different things. No archives warnings means the work is free from any content that could require a warning tag (character death, graphic depictions of violence, non-con, etc). User has chosen not to use archive warnings means it could contain any of the warning content, be it hasn’t been explicitly tagged. Treat it like an allergen. No archive warnings apply is allergen free. User has chosen not to use archive warnings, may contain traces or whole chunks of the allergen. If you’re likely to have a bad reaction, maybe don’t take the risk.
4.) Speaking of warnings, ao3 has very few restrictions on the type of work that’s allowed. Whatever your personal thoughts or feelings on that are, thats how the site is. You’re likely to run across some dark subject matters and a lot of people are uncomfortable with reading that. You’re well within your rights not like these works and have your opinion on whether they should be allowed, but harassing the authors of such works (or any works) is more likely to come back on you than them. Ao3 operates on a strong policy of 'don’t like, don’t read’. Use the tagging system to your full advantage to only engage with the kind of works you want to see.
We look forward to welcoming you all and seeing the fantastic works you create. Happy writing!
i don’t understand whats wrong with me but somehow i found comedy in link’s very intense stare at this dragonfly while the “take” prompt was available the entire time, that’s the face of a man who has 157 insects in his pockets at all times and he’s always ready for more. he will never stop grabbing every insect within his reach. someone stop him please he’s too powerful
Believing that sex is not inherently dirty, sinful, shameful, or oppressive, but instead is something to be embraced, enjoyed, and celebrated.
Understanding that, beyond very basic things like consent, there is no single, “right” way to be sexual because human sexuality and sexual behavior are incredibly diverse.
Accepting the fact that your sexual preferences might be very different from someone else’s, and that’s okay! Part of acknowledging the diversity of human sexuality is being comfortable with the fact that there are sexual things out there that are not for you (or may even gross you out), and that the people who do like those things aren’t doing anything wrong.
Rejecting the stigma attached to things like BDSM or sex work.
What sex positivity is NOT
Believing everyone should have as much sex as possible
Thinking that people who don’t want to have sex, for any reason, are bad or repressed.
Insisting that no one gets to have boundaries around what kinds of sexual things–including conversations about sex–they’re comfortable engaging in.
Believing that sex cannot be bad or traumatic, or that anyone who has negative or complicated feelings about sex is in the wrong.
anyone saying minecraft isn’t fun clearly hasn’t been in vc with a friend while exploring the ocean, sharing the same boat and just SCREAMING after being jumpscared by an elder guardian
It’s always fun to be reminded how recent European national identities are. Peasants in 1860’s Sicily had never heard the term “Italy” before, the majority of people in France didn’t speak French at the time of the French Revolution, etc.
from the observations of a british diplomat in the ukraine in 1912, quoted in Bini Adamczacks Beziehungsweise Revolution
[when one asks the avarage peasant farmer in the ukraine about his nationality, he will answer, he is “greek-orthodox”; when one pushes him to say whether he is a russian, a pole, or a ukranian, he will answer, he is a farmer; and when one demands demands to find out which language he speeks, he will say that he speaks “the language from around here”. … i.e. when one wants to find out which state he would like to belong to – whether he would rather be governed by an pan-russian or a specifically ukranian government – one will find out, that in his opinion, all governments are a plague on the land, and it would be best, if the “christian peasantfolk” were left to themselves.]
I have a folder called Time is a Flat Circle in which I collect evidence of humanity. Here is most of them.
Okayokayokayokaybut “My hand will wear out but the inscription will remain” is kind of a power line BEFORE you factor in that it is, in fact, over a thousand years old.
It’s always good to spend a few moments, on a quiet day, looking through the Family album.
I have a folder called Time is a Flat Circle in which I collect evidence of humanity. Here is most of them.
Okayokayokayokaybut “My hand will wear out but the inscription will remain” is kind of a power line BEFORE you factor in that it is, in fact, over a thousand years old.
It’s always good to spend a few moments, on a quiet day, looking through the Family album.
Outlawing derivative works produced with machines, metadata analysis and defining a nebulous theft of subjective “style” does not prevent AI art being made or deployed in industry. What it does do is hand an absolute monopoly to companies that can simply buy up the rights to large training datasets. Well done everyone, you saved art from hobbyists and researchers by handing capital a pretext for tightening IP law.
it would be cool if websites let you be an adult on them. the advertisers and payment processors need everything to be Family Friendly though and their definitions of family and friendly are absolutely fucked. but since they’re in charge of the Internet now, no one is allowed to be an adult. tiktokers say things like “unalive” and “seggs” because they know death and sex are too adult for online. online is for idiot babies only now because they’re easier to market to
oh im sorry you’re a trans adult? super ban. you are super banned for life. you have upset Visa’s feelings. Mastercard is throwing up in the corner. how could you do this to Google Ads?
I dont know what it is about this picture of Robert Irwin holding a koala but to me it does look like the koala photoshopped Robert Irwin into the picture to make itself seem cooler
ALT
ALT
