(first tiger jumps in) *laughing* Vanya, what is this? Van’ … Van’, get out of the boot, Van’. (second tiger approaches) Mishka … let’s go. Mish, let’s go. Mishka! Mish, let’s go. Come on, sit. Sit. (third tiger comes in) Bonya, you too are here! Ok let’s go guys. Let’s go! *starts singing* x
Just Russian Things
Big cat stuff can often be sketchy even if the content looks cute, so I clicked on the source for the video and this guy apparently runs a sanctuary for rescue tigers and other big cats near Moscow. His YouTube bio is in Russian, but here’s what it says according to Google Translate:
So you can feel happy knowing that these big dumb cats are loved and being looked after.
Kindness is often mistaken for softness and let me tell you, friends….that is a mistake you don’t want to make.
Kind people are not born that way, they do not stumble into it, kind people are forged in fire and darkness and imploding stars…they have steel cores. Throw a punch and you’re going to break your hand.
Kind people are kind because they know firsthand that life isn’t.
kind people can and will stop being kind to people who don’t deserve kindness
can you PLEASE put your age in your about/sidebar and make sure it’s accessible on mobile. imo if you’re an adult esp 20+ it’s a little weird that you wouldn’t have your age readily available on your blog. if you’re reading this now and you don’t have your age listed, please rectify that. i feel like teenagers get lured into talking to adults in fandom/lgbt spaces that they may not have intentionally sought out because they think they’re talking to other teenagers, and this can lead to a lot of other – much more insidious –problems
I know other people have already refuted this, but seeing the original message still going around I’d like to point out just a couple of reasons why this request – while well intentioned – misses a lot of key points:
1. This is working under the assumption that tumblr is a space solely (or at least primarily) for teenagers/kids and that simply isn’t the case. Historically the creation of fanfiction, fanvids, fanart, etc. has been done by people in their twenties and older. Think about how many years it takes to learn how to craft a good story. Think about what you need to pull something like a con together. That person with the Skill you admire? There’s a very good chance they’re an adult. It used to be that kids pretended to be 18+ because they knew online fan communities were adult spaces. I’m not sure when this switch happened, but it needs to stop.
2. It is not “a little weird” that people don’t put their age on their blog. I have mine because I’m comfortable sharing it and my fan identity/irl identity are already really conflated, but a lot of people – most people – want to keep personal information to themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that and insisting that we reveal that information is all kinds of wrong. Can you ask someone their age? Certainly! Maybe they’ll tell you, maybe they won’t, but regardless you are not entitled to that information.
3. The children on here? They are not my responsibility. If kids/teens are worried about who they’re talking to then they should either a) be careful about who they interact with or b) not use this website. If they’re too young to understand this then they’re too young to be online without parental supervision. Now, how can a teen be careful about who they interact with? Check the person’s blog. See the kind of content they post. See if there are any hints about their age (mentions of school, job, birthdays, etc.) – or again, just ask! I’ve had plenty of people on here decide they only want certain types of interaction with me after discovering my age and that’s fine. But it’s not my job to monitor everyone else’s internet use.
4. Finally, I find the language here to be rather concerning. “A little weird,” teenagers are “lured,” leading to things that are “much more insidious”… all of this, whether intentionally or not, frames anyone 20+ as intrinsically predatory. It also takes agency away from anyone under 18. Teenagers aren’t “lured” into talking to me, they make that decision on their own. They are their own person capable of making their own decisions, gathering information before making that decision (like asking someone’s age) or, if they can’t do these two steps then again, they should not be online. We’ve come right back to point #1: this is not your space. It’s our space. I’m not some trespasser here who only gets to stay provided that I cater to those younger than me. If anything, based on how much of online content is geared towards adults, kids should be working under the assumption that they are speaking to an adult until proven otherwise, especially on websites like tumblr that cater to all ages. Don’t assume you’re talking to another teenager. Don’t project onto a person and then get mad when you find out you’re wrong. That’s not them tricking you, that’s you failing to take responsibility for yourself.
You want to know someone’s age? Ask, and then work with the answer you’re given. But someone failing to give you private information up front isn’t weird or predatory or insidious. The quicker everyone realizes that the better off we’ll all be.
These are very, very good points.
I came into fandom when it was HIGHLY unusual for a younger teenager to be included in fandom spaces, and that was not that long ago. This sudden shift into fandom being for youth only is really disheartening. Who do you think organizes the cons you like? Chances are, it’s not a 18-year-old high school student, but a 40 year old project manager and a bunch of geeky IT professionals who love the fandom as much as anyone else.
Fandom is a shared space. Everyone has to share the responsibility of keeping it safe.
I don’t recall Dean EVER wearing a vest like this, he looks quite cute. But something about this scene got my wheels turning.
Don’t anybody go taking this the wrong way now, but I got the feeling that the trucker Dean interviewed here:
isn’t straight. She also reminded me a little of another character we had who I really liked and gave us good parallels:
I realize Dean was being his regular, awesome, investigator self and likely wore the vest to blend in and gain trust with whomever he could speak with. But it felt different enough to stick out in my mind. Jesse and Caesar didn’t hide who they were(as a couple, obvi hunters hide their occupation). I think this is a good look on Dean, for several reasons❤️
Omg omg omg how is that I didn’t see that before! I was getting more focused on other things (post about it later) and… Thanks Sarah!!!!!
Her first outfit
Her second outfit
Doesn’t ping my straight radar much.
Let’s not forget that the preacher, whom she shares a table in her first scene, while being a shitty person, was signaled to the authorities for flashing a girl and picking up a boy.
She shares a table with Dean in her second scene. Which doesn’t have to mean anything, but hey, putting it out there.
Powerful queer vibes from the both of them in that scene anyway, honestly.
Also, she said that Mann(y)’s wasn’t the type of place she’d normally stop unless she didn’t have a choice. And when she met Dean in person and brought him to a place of her choosing, where she would feel “safe” to talk, she chose a place with sunny yellow sheers in the windows behind curtains covered in mandalas (or hex signs), which are protective symbols.
So Manny’s was where she stopped out of need, because she had no other choice (the same reason Wendy stopped there, where the two of them made significant eye contact, as if to say “yes I see you here in this place where we both don’t belong”), but this cafe was literally her “safe space.”
Take a moment to read this so you can fully understand.
How it all started, and how we got here.
(Unfortunately, the people that could learn something by reading this likely won’t bother).
Did you know this?
Aug 14, 2016- Colin Kaepernick “sits” for the national anthem…..and no one noticed.
Aug 20th, 2016- Colin again “sits”, and again, no one noticed.
Aug 26th, 2016- Colin “sits” and this time he is met with a level of vitriol unseen against an athlete. Even the future President of the United States took shots at him while on the campaign trail. Colin went on to explain his protest had NOTHING to with the military, but he felt it hard to stand for a flag that didn’t treat people of color fairly.
Then on on Aug 30th, 2016 Nate Boyer, a former Army Green Beret turned NFL long snapper, penned an open letter to Colin in the Army Times. In it he expressed how Colin’s sitting affected him.
Then a strange thing happened. Colin was able to do what most Americans to date have not…
He listened.
In his letter, Mr. Boyer writes:
“I’m not judging you for standing up for what you believe in. It’s your inalienable right. What you are doing takes a lot of courage, and I’d be lying if I said I knew what it was like to walk around in your shoes. I’ve never had to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin, and for me to say I can relate to what you’ve gone through is as ignorant as someone who’s never been in a combat zone telling me they understand what it’s like to go to war.
Even though my initial reaction to your protest was one of anger, I’m trying to listen to what you’re saying and why you’re doing it.”
Mr. Boyer goes on to write “There are already plenty people fighting fire with fire, and it’s just not helping anyone or anything. So I’m just going to keep listening, with an open mind. I look forward to the day you’re inspired to once again stand during our national anthem. I’ll be standing right there next to you.”
Empathy and understanding was shown by Mr. Boyer………and Mr. Kaepernick reciprocated.
Colin invited Nate to San Diego where the two had a 90 minute discussion and Nate proposed Colin kneel instead of sit.
But why kneel? In a military funeral, after the flag is taken off the casket of the fallen military member, it is smartly folded 13 times and then presented to the parents, spouse or child of the fallen member by a fellow service member while KNEELING. The two decided that kneeling for the flag would symbolize his reverence for those that paid the ultimate sacrifice while still allowing Colin to peacefully protest the injustices he saw.
Empathy, not zealotry under the guise of patriotism, is the only way meaningful discussion can be had. Mr. Kaepernick listened to all of you that say he disrespects the military and extended an olive branch to find a peace.
When will America listen to him?
We can all learn from this backstory. The truth often lies in the middle. Seek to learn the opposing side’s point.
Today my boyfriend accidentally broke the ear off of his dog statue, which he’s had for twelve years, and discovered another smaller dog inside… I have so many questions.
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