Latest Posts by blooranje - Page 6

I want to step away from the art-vs-artist side of the Gaiman issue for a bit, and talk about, well, the rest of it. Because those emotions you're feeling would be the same without the art; the art just adds another layer.

Source: I worked with a guy who turned out to be heavily involved in an international, multi-state sex-slavery/trafficking ring.

He was really nice.

Yeah.

It hits like a dumptruck of shit. You don't feel stable in your world anymore. How could someone you interacted with, liked, also be a truly horrible person? How could your judgement be that bad? How can real people, not stylized cartoon bogeymen, be actually doing this shit?

You have to sit with the fact that you couldn't, or probably couldn't, have known. You should have no guilt as part of this horror — but guilt is almost certainly part of that mess you're feeling, because our brains do this associative thing, and somehow "I liked [the version of] the guy [that I knew]", or his creations, becomes "I made a horrible mistake and should feel guilty."

You didn't, loves, you didn't.

We're human, and we can only go by the information we have. And the information we have is only the smallest glimpse into someone else's life.

I didn't work closely with the guy I knew at work, but we chatted. He wasn't just nice; he was one of the only people outside my tiny department who seemed genuinely nice in a workplace that was rapidly becoming incredibly toxic. He loaned me a bike trainer. Occasionally he'd see me at the bus stop and give me a lift home.

Yup. I was a young woman in my twenties and rode in this guy's car. More than once.

When I tell this story that part usually makes people gasp. "You must feel so scared about what could have happened to you!" "You're so lucky nothing happened!"

No, that's not how it worked. I was never in danger. This guy targeted Korean women with little-to-no English who were coerced and powerless. A white, fluent, US citizen coworker wasn't a potential victim. I got to be a person, not prey.

Y'know that little warning bell that goes off, when you're around someone who might be a danger to you? That animal sense that says "Something is off here, watch out"?

Yeah, that doesn't ping if the preferred prey isn't around.

That's what rattled me the most about this. I liked to think of myself as willing to stand up for people with less power than me. I worked with Japanese exchange students in college and put myself bodily between them and creeps, and I sure as hell got that little alarm when some asian-schoolgirl fetishist schmoozed on them. But we were all there.

I had to learn that the alarm won't go off when the hunter isn't hunting. That it's not the solid indicator I might've thought it was. That sometimes this is what the privilege of not being prey does; it completely masks your ability to detect the horrors that are going on.

A lot of people point out that 'people like that' have amazing charisma and ability to lie and manipulate, and that's true. Anyone who's gotten away with this shit for decades is going to be way smoother than the pathetic little hangers-on I dealt with in university. But it's not just that. I seriously, deeply believe that he saw me as a person, and he did not extend personhood to his victims. We didn't have a fake coworker relationship. We had a real one. And just like I don't know the ins-and-outs of most of my coworkers lives, I had no idea that what he did on his down time was perpetrate horrors.

I know this is getting off the topic, but it's so very important. Especially as a message to cis guys: please understand that you won't recognize a creep the way you might think you will. If you're not the preferred prey, the hind-brain alarm won't go off. You have to listen to victims, not your gut feeling that the person seems perfectly nice and normal. It doesn't mean there's never a false accusation, but face the fact that it's usually real, and you don't have enough information to say otherwise.

So, yeah. It fucking sucks. Writing about this twists my insides into tense knots, and it was almost a decade ago. I was never in danger. No one I knew was hurt!

Just countless, powerless women, horrifically abused by someone who was nice to me.

You don't trust your own judgement quite the same way, after. And as utterly shitty as it is, as twisted up and unstead-in-the-world as I felt the day I found out — I don't actually think that's a bad thing.

I think we all need to question our own judgement. It makes us better people.

I don't see villains around every corner just because I knew one, once. But I do own the fact that I can't know, really know, about anyone except those closest to me. They have their own full lives. They'll go from the pinnacles of kindness to the depths of depravity — and I won't know.

It's not a failing. It's just being human. Something to remember before you slap labels on people, before you condemn them or idolize them. Think about how much you can't know, and how flawed our judgement always is.

Grieve for victims, and the feeling of betrayal. But maybe let yourself off the hook, and be a bit slower to skewer others on it.

Seriously though were people in the past just constantly giggling at the word “suck” being written with a long s like was that a thing do you think

me having a weird time: man this weird time sucks! i don't feel like myself! i wish i was having a normal time!

me having a normal time: well the weird time did have a certain je ne sais quoi...

I grew up reading Calvin & Hobbes, and one of my favorite running jokes was the snowmen that Calvin would build.

i would be soooooo powerful if i wasn't so deeply afraid of people and places and also things

official elon musk hate post reblog to hate like to hate reply to hate

No YOU'RE cooked. I'm caramelized

official elon musk hate post reblog to hate like to hate reply to hate

official elon musk hate post reblog to hate like to hate reply to hate

official elon musk hate post reblog to hate like to hate reply to hate

sorry to all the “bsd is badly written” believers unfortunately there is no feeling quite like doing background research and having a lightbulb moment when you make the connection of why asagiri wrote a character a certain way

@wildflowerteas @altruistic-meme @nyxi-pixie @rotisseries @booksandpaperss @that-one-raccoon @zsenilla @gayfrogswithhats

what's the first movie you remember seeing in theaters? don't try and be all edgy and cool and say like tetsuo: the iron man. be honest.

Go!!

teen!skk on the motorcycle except Dazai makes the mistake of grabbing onto Chuuya's waist a little too opportunistically while backpacking and when the light turns green they stall because Chuuya's red and flustered and yelling at him about road safety

spotify is raising prices again here's the apk that gives you premium for free

please dont stop talking about palestine . i do not trust israel and there has been multiple ceasefires theyve completely ignored . if we do happen to see iof soldiers leave and no longer occupy palestine , they would still need to rebuild . this includes medical aid and addressing airborne diseases , finding displaced families and reuniting them , etc ... their entire infrastructure needs to be rebuilt so please do not forget about palestine and do not let the US take credit for their liberation .

How i look when I see a loud noise

to be honest there has never been a fictional character i’ve actually wanted to date. like. i want them to date each other. i don’t want myself as a person to be involved in this scenario whatsoever. what would i add to this narratively? what’s my thematic purpose in the narrative? immersion breaking. 

characters who suffer the most tragic fates not because they were destined to die but because they were doomed to survive

I do think with news of the ceasefire, everyone should read up on what the ceasefire actually means and what the different phases of the ceasefire are. here's a good source for what we know as of now:

Al Jazeera

What do we know about a Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal in Gaza?

Ceasefire reportedly agreed, including a prisoner exchange and aid surge, after more than 460 days of conflict.

Some of my initial takeaways are:

this ceasefire is temporary (as of right now, six weeks long). negotiations will continue but israel is not offering guarantees about continued non-violence. BDS remains important. be vigilant, keep pressure up

rafah crossing will open one week after the initial phase starts

israel will release 2000 prisoners

more aid will get to northern gaza, look out for ways you can help

if the second phase is initiated, israel will do a complete withdrawal from gaza. which means the initial phase will not include that. again i say: BE VIGILANT

if the third phase is reached, reconstruction will begin "under international supervision"

nothing is over, even if this is a relief. do not tape out, do not tune out.

pls still read the full article

reblog if you like girls and/or pasta

Trigun 98 text post memes 8 of ??

The Archive will be down for about 3 hours of maintenance tomorrow, Jan 14 at 22:00 UTC. Check what time that is for you: https://bit.ly/4aiO4Cs.

it really scares me when girls on here are married. they’ll be like my husband and i’m like ? that’s not funny... stop it...

I feel like TSP would be the perfect assignment focus for our close reading module, all those details and hidden meanings are delicious~~~(I'd totally get a first let's goooo)

niko you absolute mad genius

im losing my mind over this chapter, the creative fuel is fueling 🔥 🔥

dude the watch thing has been on my mind i genuinely cant believe it ongggodofkdkd

Sorry if this is incoherent its late im typing this ob my phone and im tiredd…

also i adore your new banner and pinned post 🤣

I LOVE YOU THANK YOUUUU also yes im in layout hell right now