Thanks muchly to botanofspiritworld for noticing I forgot to post the Shiemi card! (Sorry everyone! I love Shiemi, I really do)

ポケモン

「趣味でポケモントレーナーをやっている者だ」 

「と、その弟子だ」

 楽しそうな夏休みになってしまったなこれ

Pokemon

「 S: Just a guy who’s a Pokemon trainer for fun. 」

「 G: And…his disciple. 」 (Thank you for the translation, @betweenmayandjuly!)

This has indeed become a fun summer vacation. (Rough Translation)

the medical needs of trans people are simply more important than the ~respect for identities~ needs of trans people

if in your own opinion you do not have medical needs in this sense, you are by definition not entitled to set the agenda over the voices of those who do. If you “don’t have dysphoria,” you have no place mouthing off about how it shouldn’t be “connected” to transness or “emphasized” as a part of being trans. You are not a stakeholder in that conversation, because we are discussing a potentially fatal medical problem that you do not believe you have. And if you speak from a position of ignorance about what the word even means, that’s your problem. Not ours. This is why I feel some measure of responsibility to go and tell these people to fucking cork it.

It’s A-okay 👌

One of the big things that bothers me the most about stealth vs out is the need to justify whichever you choose. Stealth isn’t always about safety and security and stealth doesn’t need to be explained in such a way to make anyone else feel okay about it. I chose to go stealth years ago because it’s my idea of normalcy in my own life and that’s not a view I impose on anyone else. Normal is subjective. I’m stealth just because I want to be and I don’t need to explain it constantly or try to justify why. I don’t need my decisions to be validated by my own community and I need my community to understand that stealth vs out never needs an explanation or justification. It just is.

Disclosure for some may bring relief for a variety of reasons, but the most common I see/hear is knowing where you stand with people and being in a position to choose whether or not to continue any kind of relationship before it begins. Disclosure in my own life infinitely complicates every angle and leaves me constantly second guessing who really knows and what they think. I can list off every single person I’ve ever disclosed to because I replay the conversations in my head at least 5 times a day and I never stop thinking about it. Even when disclosure leads to continued affirmation and friendship. It leaves me with this gut wrenching feeling of uneasiness. I’m not worried about safety and security and I recognize I’m in a position of privilege when it comes to that. I’m worried about losing the normalcy in my life. It’s the only thing that prevents my history and dysphoria from consuming everything. I’m not ashamed of my community. I just care enough about myself to do what’s best for me. That means navigating my life without being seen through the lens of “that trans guy”. God knows I’ve fucking earned it.

I resonate with this. At this point in my life, I am not concerned with safety on a daily basis - although it is at the back of my mind and I am very aware that the wrong person finding out could have bad consequences. I am also very aware of the privilege I have in this. I live in a good area and those safety concerns pop up for me mostly around travel, new places, and events that involve nightlife/drinking. It is definitely one factor in being stealth, but certainly not the deciding factor by a long shot at this point.

I am very motivated by the idea of normalcy and stability, and the ability to feel comfortable in my relationships. I find it frustrating that that alone is often not considered valid enough. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that we’ve ALL been through hell. If someone wants to move on and keep this part of their life private then they do indeed fucking deserve that. Normalcy is a big desire for me and something I struggle with, even being completely stealth for several years now. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

The chronicles of violent Suga continue

me: *googles how to mash potatoes*

some food blogger: My childhood home was full of wind and light. On a brisk Autumn evening, it often felt as if the outside was in. My younger sister, my mother, our favourite cousin, our dog, our other dog, our dog’s sister, and I would sit on the floor in the living room for hours, lit only by the moon and candlelight

me: *scrolls for several minutes*

some food blogger: It was at that moment, with my tiny hands clasped tightly around a mason jar filled with fireflies, that I realised the true value of family. My dog and my dog’s sister came and sat quietly at my feet. We stared up at the sky together, and I felt truly connected to both the Earth at my feet and the ancestors who shared the blood that ran through them, for the first time realising that

me: *scrolls for several minutes*

some food blogger: and when we finally made it home, our cheeks flushed with laughter and cold, there were warm mashed potatoes waiting for us. I will always remember their fluffiness, perfectly mirroring the light feeling I carried with me for the entire next week. This is my favourite cousin’s recipe from that very day, modified slightly to not be fucking awful. Boil an potato and smush it up with fork and botter. NOT A RAW, Salt, pepepr. In it

Bokushi won’t going anywhere dont panI C

doNT PANICc

OK I’m im calm

Just a quick reminder:

Selfishness is putting the wants of yourself over the needs of others.

Self respect is putting the needs of yourself over the wants of others.

One is disregarding others, one is taking care of yourself.

The difference between the two is the difference between being a friend and a doormat.

Taking care of yourself does not make you a bad person.

I repeat:

Taking care of yourself does not make you a bad person.

I’m suffering slightly but fairies

Finally decided to make a print of my favourite idol boys. It’ll be available for ACEN, AX, & Otakuthon 2016. I’m so excited for Season 4 this fall!

I saw this post on my dash (with commentary, dw) and there was one thing that I didn’t see addressed in the comment chain that I really feel needs to be

Once an artist creates a work, they own the copyright

None of this “I paid for the art. It is mine.” bullshit, unless the artist actually sells you the copyright (something which has to be stated and never assumed, and something you would have to pay extra for) you can not claim ownership over the piece, even if you paid for it.

And yes, this means you can not alter the work in any way, you can not use it for banners/advertisements/etc., you can not print it, you can not sell copies unless agreed upon with the artist

and artists are also protected under moral rights

meaning that the artist has the right of attribution (the right to be identified and named as the creator of their work), the right against false attribution, and the right of integrity. (Source)

so fuck off with your “I paid for the art. It is mine.” crap, it doesn’t stick legally