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Your Obedient Serpent

@athelind / athelind.tumblr.com

Confessions of a Hoard Potato | On the Cusp of the Boom and Gen X | "The World's Oldest Millennial" | Pronouns They/Them or He/Him | Queer | Here | Get Used To It
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prokopetz

I think "they don't even have X" is one of those memes that's actually funnier in its original context than in anything that's been done with it subsequently. Like, in its original context, this is a joke about a man who has lived his entire adult life alone in a swamp cold-reading the atmosphere of a corporate workplace and deciding that appealing to the receptionist's sense of working-class solidarity is going to get him in the door, and it fucking works.

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oh gods it was parents evening again tonight..

other parents: how did you do that?
Me:do what?
Other parents: your teenager is eating a salad..
Me:i never forced him eat, now he will pretty much eat anything…except chicken casserole which we both agree is gross
Other parents:we don’t get it.
Me: our only rules are bed at eleven on a school night and don’t hack any important government agencies.
Other parents: you don’t restrict screen time?
Me: you know 95% of kids will self regulate, given the chance?
Other parents: thats not true
Me: have you tried it?
other parents:…but, now he’s reading 1984
Me: he has had a university reading level since he was 12, what am i going to do censor his reading material?
other Parents: what if he reads something you don’t approve of..
Me: i fail to see your reasoning…
Me: you know he cooks too..it’s our mother/son time, we talk about his friends…
other Parents: he talks??

That “he talks??” bit gets me

Yeah, kids talk. If your kid doesn’t talk to you, it’s because of one of two reasons:

  1. You’ve created such a hostile/unwelcoming home environment that they don’t feel comfortable enough to talk
  2. You have signaled to them somehow, some way, that you don’t care about what they have to say. That what they have to say isn’t important.

Kids are not stupid, not at any age level. They pick up on shit and they remember and then when they grow to be teenagers, they know who they can talk to about stuff and who they can’t.

My 13 year old nephew is not particularly affectionate with his mother and he rarely talks to her about anything important, but there are times I can’t get that kid to stop hanging off me and he has those serious conversations with me, like when we discussed his friends coming out to him as bisexual.

It’s not even that hard to make a kid feel loved and welcome. I don’t even know what my nephew is talking about half the time with his games, but they’re important to him, so I let him talk and I make appropriate noises of shock and sympathy when they are needed.

He watches a lot of YT channels, so we’ve discussed the importance of regulating your media, because I don’t want motherfuckers like PewDiePie shaping his world view.

He reads anything from Stephen King to manga and he does that because I’ve been reading him books since he was a baby. I do it with all of my nieces and nephews; when they get school-aged and old enough to read on their own, our “us” time is going to the bookstore and letting them pick out a drink and a book.

Because reading is important to me and I want it to be important to them, too. Now, it’s not something I suggest, it’s something that my nephew asks for.

“I finished my book, Aunt [Dessie], when can we go to the bookstore again?”

And when I tell him a date, I make sure to keep it.

Saying, “You can talk to me about anything” and “you can rely on me” is all well and good, but words are just words. You have to mean it and you have to show them that you mean it.

Otherwise, when it gets to those important moments in their life, they’re gonna shut you out rather than let you in.

Seriously though, you guys. Like.

Here is a secret:

Children and adolescents are actually fucking desperate for adult attention and approval. They really are. Even the ones that have in fact kinda got fucked up so far and have learned that The Only Kind Of Attention They’ll Get Is Bad and so act like shitheads, or the ones that have learned to be inhibited (and it might not even be you who inhibited them, it mighta been their peers or some teacher somewhere, which sucks!) and learned that by showing need they’ll just end up humiliated, or whatever?

Yeah them too.

Kids want to make you happy.

They’re often TERRIBLE AT IT. They’re kids. Their brains don’t work right, their bodies are weird, they have terrible impulse control, horrible deferred satisfaction, they’re shitty at projecting future consequences, and especially if they HAVEN’T been taught they’re probably bad at showing you positive emotions!

They’re BAD AT IT. And they often don’t want anyone to know it. And they’re embarrassed about it.

But they desperately want to. So much.

So one of the most crucial things is:

a) make sure they know how to make you happy. Don’t assume they can figure it out! They probably can’t!

b) make sure that’s something that is literally possible for them to do.

c) make sure, when they do it, that you SHOW THEM YOU’RE HAPPY WITH IT.

It is absolutely ASTONISHING HOW FAST this can create a self-sustaining cycle with the SMALLEST of starts.

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Spicy-brained friends, I would like to propose an update to the very useful ‘if you hate everyone, eat, if everyone hates you, sleep, and if you hate yourself, shower’ mantra to live by

Have you suddenly become a petty, hateful little gremlin who thinks people should face the firing squad for (checks notes) leaving teabags on the counter, breathing loudly, or daring to exist in the same space as you? Perhaps mundane and reasonable requests like ‘hey, we agreed to hang out now, let’s hang out’ make you want to scream and move to a yurt in the woods.

You. Are. Overstimulated.

People talk a lot about being overstimulated, and the physical/mental effects of it. What I haven’t seen is people talking about what it does emotionally, and it took me an embarassingly long time to link up those nitpicky, resentful emotions with the state of overstimulation/meltdown/shutdown.

These feelings do not mean that you’re a bad person! They probably aren’t how you actually feel about the people around you. They probably do mean that your nervous system is at its absolute limit and any request/demand/stimulus is Too Much and taking you into fight or flight territory.

Go lie down in a dark room for an hour, or find somewhere safe and familiar to stim for a bit. If it’s happening a lot, schedule yourself regular low-stimulation shutdown time

Signed: someone who moved in with their nearest and dearest only to have a massive crisis of faith about Suddenly Hating All of Them. I don’t hate them, it’s just overstimulating living with people. If I can spare anyone else a similar 9 months of suspecting that they may actually be a bit of a shit person, then this post is worth it!

you might especially feel this way if someone picks up on your bad mood, but all their kind suggestions make you want to bite and scream. in my experience that’s not because you hate them or even the suggestion, it’s probably because *any* new information or ideas, no matter how gentle, is just Too Many Thoughts. this is when it helps a lot to have a plan in advance, even if the plan is just “take medication” or “go to hidey-hole,” because trying to think of a solution in the moment might be beyond you.

(also if ur overstimulated, it’s often worth checking if you need to eat/sleep/shower as well, because that might be part of what’s overstimulating you!)

chronic pain is also a source of overstimulation

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amygdala-dan

This makes no sense

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maxknightley

it literally could not be more straightforward

It literally doesnt make sence, both have the same value, they're both $30

I think the failure of many people to grasp an incredibly simple, barebones metaphor is demonstrating implicit bias very well

This dude straight up stated the fucking answer and still can’t understand it, because he’s expecting the answer to be his own views lmao

No im not expecting anything its just a badly frammed metaphor

Bro you said the answer. Both have the same value despite different sizes. It’s simple. Basic. Elementary.

But it never says that, it just asks you wich one is greater and the text ends there, wich leads you to thinking that one indeed has greater value then the other, and that the one with the greater value is the answear

It asks you which one has the greater value and what is the answer to that question?

Im not about to argue over a focken tit size metaphor

Never underestimate the lack of reading comprehension on this site lmfao

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flipocrite
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webshood

Jason and Dick look so much alike during their Robin days that they get confused who was the Robin in certain photos, they literally can't tell each other apart and the fact they have been fighting almost the same lineup of rogues is even more confusing, so their experiences end up mixed up, a lot.

Jason: No, that was me, did ya' read my reports and is confusing them with the real thing ?

Dick: I'm one hundred percent sure that was me, maybe you're the one who is misremembering, you used to read my reports all the time !

Jason: So you're just gonna act like I'm fucking lying, I have 4k memory of that day, that was literally me get outta here with ur Pinocchio looking ass

Dick: You're the one remembering things wrong, I got seventeen years of career I know that was me!

The whole time, the Riddler was running low on funds and used the same strategy twice, hoping nobody would notice, Tim knows the truth – he has read both reports–, but he thinks it's funny to see them argue.

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The alphabetized files at my ranger station lead to some interesting mental pictures

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reblogged

I love it when ppl who listen to a lot of country do the whole "rap music is bad because of Crime and Drug" thing cuz listen Brantleigh not 5 minutes ago you and me was joyously singing along to Steve Earle talking about defending his weed farm from the cops by blowing them up with improvised explosive devices so I think u might just be racist

Okay look you're right and also this is a very good example but now I have Copperhead Road stuck in my head. :/

That's like saying it's great to go outside in the late afternoon "but" you "have to" see the sunset

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I'm watching a video essay about a game ive been interested in playing. The creator of the video, who has crossdressed multiple times, makes a "women arent funny" joke, and i suddenly realize ive never witnessed him acknowledge a woman in an uplifting way before.

I'm on a dating app for lgbt+ people. I've stated multiple times on my profile that i would rather lose an arm than recieve nudes without consent. I will be sent five dick pics for every 2 people i talk to that night.

I'm talking with my dad, who informs me he's been trying his best to learn about trans issues. He says the same things steven crowder brings up when trying to ridicule trans people. I gently but firmly correct my father and get told that ive been fed propaganda.

I'm on instagram, under the comments of a post ridiculing someone for being a misogynyst. Someone's left a comment saying "it must be hard being a woman on the internet" and i respond "it is." I will have every aspect of my appearance scrutinized as a reminder that no matter how well i pass, it will never be enough for someone with bad intentions.

I'm back on that dating app for lgbt+ people. I'm messaged by an attractive looking person, but i can see their partner prominently displayed in all but their main photo, oftentimes striking what im sure they thought was a very intimidating pose. Their bio says "looking for a third for our anniversary." I know that even if I did feel up to it, the gruff partner wouldnt approve of me because i don't pass.

I'm at a job interview for a clothing store. I tell the gracefully-dressed woman interviewing me that ever since i began my transition, i've discovered an interest in fashion, and that this job would allow me to dip my toes into the industry in a safe way. I'm told that i've reduced womanhood to a stereotype, and i can tell by her tone that i lost any chance at the job the minute she realized i was trans.

I'm at the same hospital i got facial feminization surgery in, trying to figure out what's wrong with my bowels. When the person behind the desk gives me a wristband with my patient info on it, i notice a single, lonely, letter M. I ask a nurse in private why it would say that despite me having changed it nearly a year prior. They say they have no clue, and bring in paperwork for me to fill out and have it re-changed again.

I'm living with my mom at the time. I'm new to transitioning, and decide to try my hand at voice training. It feels a bit off, but otherwise im feeling neutral toward the whole thing. I try speaking in this new voice to my mom and she laughs. Now, when people ask if i intend to voice train, i find speaking at all difficult for minutes after.

I didnt have some sort of grand message to convey by this. I just had a thought and then that thought spiralled into whatever the hell this became. Some, okay most, might call it complaining; they are right to do so.

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the japanese “-ne?” particle and the british slang term “innit” serve the same function

Standard English: It’s cold, isn’t it?

Japanese: Samui desu ne?

British: It’s fuckin’ freezin’, innit?

i have to do everything around here

i hate this cause i did japanese for like a year and this explains the use of the -ne particle WAYYYY better than my teachers ever did. it took me ages to comprehend what this post makes abundantly clear.

my teachers: its like a, a little rise at the end of a sentence, to show that you are seeking a response, while not warranting the -ka particle which would make it a proper question.

me: ok. i guess i get that??

this post: its like saying “innit?” 

me: oh. oh no.

fun fact: afaik, "-ne" was inherited from the Portuguese settlers/priests that stayed in Japan in the 16th century. It comes from "né?", which the contraction of "não é?", "isn't it?".

It's LITERALLY "innit".

oh so like "eh" in canadian

*un-Babels your Tower*

un-Babels your Tower

🤣

According to the story, God created different languages to divide humanity.

But not even the God of this story could stop humanity from working to come together again.

That's pretty inspiring, innit?

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mindshelter

the transition from hal to kyle's section of gl1990 is objectively very funny because the launchpad just hal's pure, undiluted misery. everyone is dead. i spent my entire life trying to become someone my father would have loved and not only do i resent the person i became i know in my heart of hearts that fighting for a morsel of the late martin jordan's affection has always been an exercise in futility. in desperation. i have been so naive about the institutions i dedicated myself to. i gave everything to the corps i gave my loyalty my fealty my life and once again i am left with nothing. i can't do this anymore. the "man with no fear" is scared to death. this world is unsalvageable-- i'll make it right.

kyle rayner gets thrown through the window into a lingerie store. narration box: HI! my name is KYLE RAYNER. and i don't know what i'm doing. 👍👍👍💯💯💯

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