Untitled by choice

canucks @ oilers | 10.14.23

known ally of special initiatives travis dermott wearing pride tape on his stick tonight. because whatever the rules say, we and the people who love us aren't going away

what the fuck. hey why are yall classifying WTNV as "ancient problematic media" because people liked it in 2013. am i not FUCKING allowed to like things if they're not from 2018 or later. i refuse to forget about it just because the new-age tumblr gays replaced it with the penis archives or whatever. fuck you

Not to be like "ah how quickly internet communities forget their roots" but ah how quickly internet communities forget their roots...

People forget that the reason wtnv became so popular on 2013 tumblr is that it was openly and explicitly queer from day one. That just... didn't really happen in media in the early 2010s. This was peak superwholock years, where the queerbait of johnlock and destiel were legitimately considered good representation in some circles. Night Vale really broke completely away from that mold and a lot of young, queer fans flocked to it because of that.

I've seen similar things happen with The Legend of Korra, where people today will say "they're just holding hands it's not that big of a deal, why is everyone freaking out" about the finale, but when it aired back in 2014, having word of god confirmation that the protagonist of a popular kids show was in a same sex relationship was unheard of. It was a massive step forward. LOK doesn't really compare to Steven Universe and She-Ra on terms of on-screen queer rep but it aired in a different time and a different culture of LGBTQ+ acceptance.

We absolutely can and should criticize media, even if it was groundbreaking in the past. No piece of work should be exempt from evaluation. All art is ultimately telling you something, and also, no work is ever purely unproblematic. To assume there is a state one can reach of being entirely unproblematic is to assume there is a point where we, as people and activists as well pieces of art, can stop trying to be better. Wtnv, since we're talking about it, has been criticised by some (myself included) for having some ableist pieces (probably unintentional as they're in contrast to some very upfront and center anti-ableist messages, but nonetheless they're there) and for a lack of explicity and clarity in it's racial representation.

But to lump wtnv in with superwholock as a "cringe 2013 fandom" is to ignore and belittle it's incredibly political themes and open criticism of the surveillance/police state(s) and the United States government, as well as the fact that it was groundbreaking queer rep made by actual queer people.

TLDR:

WTNV was the first piece of media I’d ever consumed with openly gay main characters. It was the first thing to tell me “hey, this doesn’t have to only be in your headcanons”

WTNV, along with being really well written especially for the time (the early 2010s weren’t great for this sort of thing), was unapologetically, unabashedly gay.

For anyone who’s never listened to it, the narrator (who is either male or male-presenting or something along those lines) clearly and openly states his romantic attraction to another male character within the first six minutes

There wasn’t a single popular homophobic trope in any of the episodes as far as my memory goes. Their relationship was never a joke, never a comedy, and was extremely stable.

Hey! Uh, WTNV is still going! And though it's never going to be without issues (see above about how we will always be bettering ourselves) it has and will continue to change and adapt and try it's hardest to have diversity and yeah, leftist messages.

There are canon they/them only characters and it's not brought up as an issue! It's the first show I saw that had characters use only they/them, much less without it being some Big Deal and criticized by a least one character.

And although race for most characters is left ambiguous for the fans (which has caused it's own problems in the past but now has artists diversifying their headcanons) there are canon latine and SEA characters explicitly and many are assumed canon POC in some respect.

The cast itself is also quite diverse and they make efforts in their casting all the time.

No mention of Christianity (though their are angels) but characters who are Muslim and Jewish exist!

There's lots of rep of how trauma impacts a person for years to come and a whole thing about how a character in a wheelchair doesn't need to be 'fixed'.

The gay protag couple? Married with a kid.

Y'all want canon wlw? Got it! And canon bi characters too.

There's so many messages which are anticapitalism, critical of gun control arguments, surveillance states, unfair justice systems, incompetent and dangerous police forces, incompetent government etc you name it there's a parody or criticism of it. As it progresses it tackles modern and relevant topics still.

It also tackles issues like trauma, balancing work and home, sexuality and religion, growing older, being forgotten, family dynamics including alternative families, racial appropriation*, ableism, relationship issues, the importance of community etc

Are these issues portrayed perfectly? No, because nothing is perfect. *Do they sometimes get really misunderstood by listeners and non-listeners alike? Sure.

But WTNV is an evolving piece of art that came out swinging and hasn't stopped. Please, give it a chance.

Also, 'problematic' isn't the same as 'offensive' or 'irredeemable'. All media is problematic or soon will be as we progress. Your power is the ability to understand or critically assess how and why and what they really mean and the impact they're having overall. Being overly negative is going to run you absolutely dry of art and media which brings you joy and actually tries to be something.

Awwwwwwwww they have a kid now????

sometimes i say things on twitter and then make a little graph about it

How are we all feeling about Aziraphale’s last “I forgive you”? Does it mean I forgive you for kissing me to try to get me to stay, I forgive you for choosing this moment to reveal your feelings, I forgive you for not coming with me, I forgive you for kissing me period??? What?

I keep going back and forth on it and I NEED to hear what everyone else is thinking. Lay it on me, I’m open to new interpretations because everything hurts and I’m dying.

It's his default dance step in the same old game.  Crowley challenges him: i forgive you.    Note this isn't the same as a 'no'' - more and more across the years  it becomes coded speech.  Crowley says something or does something Aziraphale secretly agrees with or Aziraphale wants, but doesn't think he can have, and so he responds with the same words.

Fuck the plan! / i forgive you

Run away with me / i forgive you

Be mine / i forgive you.

And this last one, oh this last one HURTS because they both know the code.  They both know the dance.  And Crowley's response to that last overture?

"Don't bother."

It's not "don't bother forgiving me', Crowley is stepping out of the dance.  He's giving up.  They're done.  He threw everything in and lost. 

crowley + text posts bonus:

Give him the stick

(via)

local woman relieved and embarrassed to report that the task she had been postponing for two months ended up taking a grand total of 4 minutes to complete

love the imagery of vampires bathing in blood. like girl you’re not elizabeth bathory. that’s your fucking protein shake you’re soaking in.

Having taken baths in tea before, I gotta say...pretty great to soak in something you would normally drink.

Also, milk baths are A Thing ™, so I can totally see bathing in blood being a legitimate beauty treatment for vampires.

Thinking more about it, I kind of DO wonder if a bath in a meal replacement shake could be kinda cool (assuming I could drain it safely).

Bananas and mayo and avocado and honey and yogurt--sometimes all at once, sometimes in different combos--are all touted as good DIY conditioners for curly hair...so like a tub full of that would probably be REALLY good on my dry skin while also being nutritionally complete.

Hmmmmmmmm....

Now I gotta get a little horse trough filled up and try this before it gets cold.

the thing is, draculas—unlike you—can’t get yeast infections

This post is great and all but did everyone here forget that we also drink water

THESE TWO 😊 | kings @ canucks | 11.18.22 + @Canucks: Bonus content.

scrolling twitter today and then coming over here is like walking out of a burning building and then walking into the calm remains of a building that burnt down 5 years ago and has been reclaimed by nature.

NcjdkfkfkfkjfkfjJFJDKFKFKFNFJFJFKFJFJKusijJidjdjd

Shout-out to my fellow Fandom Olds who lived through Strikethrough/Boldthrough on LJ and knew this day would eventually come here on Tumblr.com also

Especial shout-out to the heroes at AO3 who designed their whole operation knowing that every other platform fandom used would pull this bullshit sooner or later

How about animal shelters stop publically shaming people for surrendering their animals.

A sudden job loss can mean being suddenly homeless.

Not everyone can care for their late spouse’s or their late parents’ pets, for a variety of reasons. I can tell you right now that God forbid something happens to my parents, but if they had to go to a nursing home or died, I would not be able to nor want to keep their pets.

The new baby could have health issues that take precedent over the care of the dogs. Babies have sensitive lungs. An allergy or breathing disorder triggered by pet dander could kill them.

The sudden loss of a home could mean that now you’re stuck having to move… but no one in your area has pet friendly housing. Or if they do, good luck getting through the pet size limits, number restrictions, and breed restrictions. Or a massively unreasonable pet deposit.

Shaming people does nothing except reflect poorly on your shelter and deter people from giving up their pets to you, which increases the likelihood of the animals being dumped somewhere.

“They could have found a home privately or gone through a rescue!”

That takes time and rescues are often very picky about what they will take in.

Yes, many animals are surrendered because people are irresponsible or ignorant. But calling out the owners on social media is not going to benefit anyone in any way, shape, or form.

This, so much. This is the reason I hate the term ‘forever home’ when rescues use it - because there are things you cannot predict or prevent from occurring, no matter how proactively you plan for emergencies. Life sometimes throws random nasties at you, and sometimes those result in needing to give up a beloved pet. That is hard enough without having the words “forever home” hovering over your head, guilting you for not being able to be forever for your animal. Or, god forbid, seeing your pet’s successful adoption being posted on the shelter’s social media, rejoicing that they’ve finally found their “forever home.” Unlike the one they had, it implies. Unlike you, who couldn’t be forever. 

The current animal rescue / humane activism trend is to shame people who give up animals and praise those who take them in. It’s unkind and unhelpful and often motivated by profit and media visibility. Please don’t contribute to it, and above all, be kind. If someone genuinely has to give up a pet because of something they can’t prevent or predict, don’t make that any harder on them. 

I would not have Scully in my life (and Scully would not have me in her life) if not for someone’s son realizing he was unable to properly care for her after his mother went into hospice care and making the difficult decision to take her to a shelter where they could find her a new home. He ultimately did what was best for her and vastly improved my life because of this, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same if it came to that.

Hi, as someone who works in a shelter, I’d like to disagree with this post. 

There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t talk to someone who has to bring their pet to us to find a new home. People who work in shelters understand that life happens, and that you’re not a bad person for having to give up a loved pet. We know you want to keep them, but sometimes you can’t afford it, or your landlord suddenly says “it’s your cat or you” and you can’t afford to move on such short notice. 

We aim to make our intakes as stress and judgement free as possible, to handle the situation with compassion. 

The term “forever home” is an optimistic one: we hope that the animal is going to stay in a home for the rest of it’s life. That’s our goal: to keep animals our of shelters, even though we recognize that the service we provide for people who are in a tough spot is a necessary one.

 It is also a marketing pitch because running a shelter is expensive. Really fucking expensive. Happy adoption photos are to engage the community to bring in donations so that we can continue to provide the best care possible for our animals. To keep our kennels and catteries updated so that they’re clean and bright and as comfortable as possible for the animals. To pay our vet staff who keep insanely busy daily doing a ridiculous number of spay/neuter surgeries. For meds to give to animals who come down with the cough or URI that is impossible to eradicate because it’s stress-induced (and make no mistake, no matter how nice your shelter is, it’s a stressful place for animals to live.) To buy basic laundry and cleaning supplies. To buy food. To pay staff. To pay the mortgage. 

Some animals come to us because they were dumped and the county picked them up. A lot of our animals are surrendered to us by their owner because something happened and they’re unable to keep a family member. We work really fucking hard to make that process as easy and non-judgmental as possible. We want people to be as comfortable as possible with their decision to surrender their animal to us. We never, ever, shame an owner for needing to walk through our doors. 

huilfbsdihfkjG THEY DISCOVERED AMELIA EARHART’S BONES ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WHAT THE THIS IS A PERFECT COINCIDENCE 

It’s kind of even better than that.

They actually didn’t find new bones. Rather, a forensic scientist re-examined measurements taken from bones found on Nikumamoru Island back in 1940. The bones were originally examined by some dude back in 1941 who unequivocally concluded they had to belong to a “short, stocky male” because there’s no way they could belong to some fearless globe-trotting adventurer delicate woman. Using new techniques to examine the measurements, the scientist has concluded with 99% certainly the Nikumamoru bones belonged to Eartheart.

So yeah, basically Earheart’s disappearance was only a “mystery” for like eighty years because of lowkey sexism and shitty science. And now we more or less know the truth. On International Women’s Day.

the famous mormon ‘gay man but married to a woman and happy’ couple is getting divorced and apologizing for the damage they did 20gayteen is so strong

http://www.joshweed.com/2018/01/turning-unicorn-bat-post-announce-end-marriage/.html

This is actually a really really important and beautiful and honest post and story. Take the time to read it.

from the article:

One thing that has been interesting to me is how people have reacted when I have told them about our decision to end our marriage and how hard it has been to love Josh with all my heart and to not have him love me back in a romantic way. Almost everyone has said to me, with an air of protective emphasis, “Oh, but Lolly, you deserve to be loved that way! You will find someone else who can love you like that. You deserve to love and be loved in that way!” And I agree with them. The thing that I find interesting is that these are all straight people looking at me, another straight person, and being able to see the injustice of me not experiencing true love. They see that it is wrong that I have never felt that love. They feel it. They can put themselves in my shoes and realize how hard that would be for them. They can see it because it is presented from a straight perspective.

The thing that’s so interesting to me is how few people think of Josh in this way.