So I have this bit, right? It's been a while since I've done it, but if I bring it up with my friends, they can still easily understand or remember the joke.
It's called the Dan Rules. It's often comedically egotistical and vain and was made because out of our little group, it was a joke that I am (as an act) an eccetric (maybe enigmatic if I'm feeling fancy) person who does whatever the hell I want.
If people thought to question my behavior, it was often quickly followed with a "that's just Dan" from my friends and easily dismissed. Sure, some of my boldness was probably left over from my middle school years, where I felt I had to lean into my weirdness completely so people would see me more as a joke than a freak.
But then I found myself in a safe, accepting environment, one where the need to bite and snarl and run away never came. I waited a while for it to arrive for me to feel the need to play the part of the fool for my newfound companions entertainment. It shocked me when I was left with genuine love and compassion. I leaned out of self-deprecating humor and completely into the (very obviously joking and fake) role of an egotistical short and angry ruler. For fucks sake we still have the name of the group chat as "Dantopia". I still did the bit to entertain my friends, to keep them laughing at my antics. But this time, it was accompanied by my own laughter. I enjoyed a new sense of freedom it brought.
The Dan Rules came out of when we were messing around, and I'd lean into this foolish king role, and I would proclaim something insane or childish. A popular one was, "Dan is never wrong." Often followed by a warranted scoff.
But the second rule is a good one, I think, one that really shone through as a reminder that I am not now who I was before.
"I do what I want."
I hadn't had much freedom before I met my current group of friends. I was quiet and kept quiet at times. I felt muzzled and chained, and as if I was a dog because someone forced a collar around my throat and pulled me on a leash.
It wasn't only that I didn't have the choice of self-expression, though. I'd also seen what happened to people who gave too much into reckless. I grew up with the weight of their actions carried on my shoulders, and while I have always been bold in my identity and beliefs, I was quiet and still when presented the opportunities to escape from situations where people kicked me down for who I was. I feared what would happen if I left my old group. Ironically, this fear led me to be isolated.
I found myself almost completely alone in the pandemic, and my only saving grace was a new school with new people. New people who didn't tell me to shut up or that I was ugly or that I needed to stop acting like an animal or they'd treat me like one. Instead, I met friends who handled me gently and taught me it was okay to hug just as it's okay to bark, and they welcomed me. I felt at home. I felt as if I knew myself completely.
So, with the second rule, which I still follow to this day, I added a private note.
"I do what I want. Because I can trust myself to."
Know thyself
I can trust myself to bark or scowl or growl just as much as I can to love and kiss and hug. I can stay aware of what is and isn't good and how much or how little I can trust someone. I can be bold and loving all at once and welcome others with open arms and flashing fangs.
I am in complete control over myself, and even when I am doing something so I can see my friends laugh, I am also doing it because I can, and I do what I want.
may i ask what a hearthome is? ive never heard of it before /gen
It's a place, either fictional or real, that feels familiar or like home, intertwined to your identity. Even if you've never lived there. Hope this helped.
I'd also recommend this post for a good definition :]
A reminder to the "the American government wouldn't..." crowd. They have. They have made their own internment camps before. They have rounded up innocent citizens and immigrants before. The victims of which are still alive to this day and trying to share their stories with the world, they have been trying to warn us for a long time. George Takei (as seen above) is a famous example of this. He has written about his experiences time and time again, even publishing a book talking about his time in these camps. He may be famous now, but at the time he was just another kid forced from his home. To this day he still firmly dedicates himself to trying to educate and inform people, trying to spread awareness with his platform. The American Government can and will do terrible things. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.
Me when
When girlfriend's house. She keeps her den so dark and cozy, and it's so hard to stay awake.
The eepy set up I need rn with some cuddles
God,
Let me marry my wife
Let me make a home
where all the ghosts of the kids I grew up with can feel safe.
Let me show my future children
that their differences are beautiful.
Let me live long enough
to have younger queer kids view me as a sign that they can prevail,
that things get better.
God,
Let things get better.
I've been lowkey kinsidering the chestnut wolf >:
They just like me fr
I love the Minecraft wolves so much. They are so cute...
Which one is your favorite?
Mine is the woods wolf because he looks like me :)
"YoU cAnT aCt LiKe ThAt If YoU wAnT pEoPlE tO sEe YoU As PrOFeSsIoNaL-"
I DONT CARE I DONT CARE I DO WHAT I WANT! ILL BE A DOG AND ILL WRITE A DAMN BOOK AND ILL TICK AND ILL BE A FUCKIN WEIRDO SHUT UPPPPPPPPPP
This is me btw. In case you forgot. I am them and they are me.
lets frollick like the chernobyl radioactive dogs Okay?
I explored a bunch of areas in me and my little sisters childhood minecraft world and decided to take pictures. We used all of our animals to tell stories hehe.
Baby chickens and foxes from the nether??? It was all very silly.
I love my job. I work with kids from 6 months old to 13. The vibes are insane.
I love when kids come in and they're just as much of a nerd as I was at their age. Then they mention something like Undertale and freak out when I know what it is.
Kid. Not only did I live in that house, I helped fucking build it.
I put on old Minecraft parodies, and they lose their minds. Introduced a kid to CaptainSparklez a while back, that's special.
I'm out here showing them how to defeat the Ender Dragon and Asgore while also keeping another kid from beating up his friend. Shit is crazy.
Maybe im not cladotherian and actually just polytherian. Because I still look at myself and just think, oh yeah, that's a canine. But also, over time, I've kinda just realized that it's not so much the entire genus and instead just some specific species. I also feel like my theriotypes are deeply tied to who I am, how I grew up, and how I function. I know I'm a wolf for certain. I get especially shifty in the winter, and it will stay somewhat dormant in the warmer months. I feel drawn to my coyote theriotype in the spring and summer, and having grown up in the deep south, it helps that it makes me feel more comfortable in where I call home.
My dog theriotype is pretty much always present. I'm just doglike in nature.
And then my raccoon tends to flair up, especially when I regress? Like it's usually either puppy or raccoon.
This isn't really me panicking about this or anything tbh. Sometimes, it just feels nice to talk about it.