Coming Out Day!

It's October 11th - Happy Coming Out Day! Please pretend that every word in that sentence wasn't actually capitalized - my inner grammar nazi is flipping its shit.

It wasn't until a few minutes ago that I realized that I should probably type something up about today, even if it was short. After all, I have not been shy in admitting my orientation; now that I'm at university, I'm not even trying to hide it at all, for the most part. I sort of feel like I have a duty to talk about it, and I suppose I might as well. I have the time.

***

First off, I should point out that every day is Coming Out Day. I mean, let's face it. I came out in mid-August 2012, and sort of did it again about just a week past (apparently my mom thought I was more bi than I actually am. Go figure).

Second, Coming Out Day is not a requirement for those who are LGBT+. Anybody out there feeling like they need to/should've come out today, don't beat yourself up - come out when you feel ready to. No need to present pressure.

This begs the question . . . the fuck is the point of an official Coming Out Day?

Unity, I suppose; knowing that other people are coming out today too. Perhaps awareness, showing that the LGBT+ community is unafraid. Not only that, but if somebody comes out to you, it might create more closeness; if you come out to somebody and they reject you, it's an awakening. I guess those could happen any other day of the year, but eh. Who am I to complain? The fact that we recognize it is important enough.

I think the act of coming out is very personal, no matter how you do it. It can be very anxiety-inducing, depending on the situation. I should know - I am lucky enough to have accepting parents and brothers, but I was very scared when I first told my mom about the girlfriend I'd made just the night before. The fact that she was so accepting was a relief, but I know that others aren't so lucky. Some are ignored. Some are tossed out of their homes. Some are killed.

In some ways, coming out can be the bravest thing somebody can do. It's an act of honesty, and an act of trust. If it goes wrong, if it turns into a Big Deal (TM) . . . there can be major consequences.

So in a way, Coming Out Day can help boldster the bravery and strength of those coming out; it shows them that they are not alone, that others are doing the same thing, and that their action is noted and noticed. That can make this day so, so important, and it shouldn't be overlooked. It matters. It matters, and it doesn't just matter to those who come out; it matters to those who are come out to, as well.

If you have been come out to: accepting that your son, daughter, husband, brother, sister, father, mother, husband, wife, or friend is LGBT+ may be tough. It may go against all of your ideas, it may radically twist them up and shake them out like wet laundry. But don't think of it as bad. Instead, please thank them - thank them for their honesty, for their goddamn bravery. And if you can't find the will to do that within yourself . . . then at least respect them. Respect them, and do not throw them out.

It's hard to find friends who are brave enough to stand up and admit that they defy the norms forced upon them. And the LGBT+ community - it's one of the bravest I know.

Have a good Coming Out Day, everybody.

Titled: Title - Part 4

I'm sitting in my university dorm with a too-hot cup of tea next to my computer and my toes turning into icicles. I swear, at some point I'm going to write my professor an email reading, "I'm sorry I wasn't at class today, because I know we were supposed to talk about the concept of hell today, but I stepped outside and I'm pretty sure this is it. Good day."

...not to say I don't like my university. It's wonderful. I have great classes and a good dorm and easy-to-access meals, so while it's fucking freezing and I'm sure I'm ready to get frostbite (IN SEPTEMBER), I'm really enjoying myself. Honestly, besides the cold, I have few complaints.

But anyways, I know I haven't been posting regularly as of late, but I did want to share with you some of the stuff I found in the last few weeks. Here:

Who Should Decide What High School Kids are Allowed to Read? - a continuation of the debate about The Miseducation of Cameron Post. I could go into a whole rant about this at this point, but I think you should just check my tag for it and just take it from me: this is a complex issue. But yeah, this was a good refresher, and I'm glad it was posted - I don't think we should forget about this quite yet.

Publishers Gave Away 122,951,031 Books During WWII - I found this shortly after I found the article above. Can you believe this?? It's rather inspiring, especially the part about The Great Gatsby. As a writer, I'm really interested in the history of books and what gets people interested in literature. After all, I'm a reader, too (although as I stare at my desk-library of books, I get the strange feeling that I'm not quite living up to it at the moment). Anyways, read it - it's a great historical analysis of what got us back into literature.

Chester 5000 XYV - Yes, I know exactly what I'm discussing when I show this off. Chester 5000 XYV definitely has a plot that is meant for 18+ viewers, so I will let you discover it yourself, but I will note this: even if you put the mature content aside (which, really, is the whole reason some people might read it), the plot is fucking wonderful and worth a good look.

Tripping Over You - Take an extroverted dork. Then take a shy but intelligent student. Mash them together and it sounds like heaven, right? Here's the catch - they're both boys. And man, does that make for a great story. Just read it - it'll have you gushing from the cuteness before you can even properly register. Pro Tip: after reading each page, hover your mouse over it. Most of them have secret text.

A Little Known Hack from Japan to get your Notebook Organized - I haven't begun to use this because I'm a little busy right now, but this is a system that allows you to easily tag your paper notebooks so you can find thing easily and accurately. My take on it? When I sketch, I often add notes about my characters, and I've often made new characters right on the spot, right in my notebook. One of my new characters, Alexei, has almost all of her initial development right in my sketchbook! So if you want to mark which pages have character notes, certain characters in particular, random ideas, equations, etc . . . this might be worth the effort. Pro Tip: I think colored markers would make this even more visually workable.

Ms. Bardugo and the Anon Wang - Overall one of the best responses about diversity and the opposition to it. Of course, it's LGBT related, because what else would I discover? Pro Tip: This is why you do not demand to have a say in what writers write.

Why Foxes Get Respect in Japan - I found this page in the midst of looking up information about Inari, a Shinto god from Japan. Why? Err, cultural tie-ins with my fanfiction work. Nonetheless, this is an interesting read with interesting art to match. Pro Tip: Read about the kitsune and realize how badly Westerners translate Japanese mythology sometimes.

I really don't have much more to say than that! Just remember, if you ever feel like you're life's too busy . . . think of what it's like for a first-year university student in a foreign country. Then you might feel better, eheh.

Re: "Isn't it odd" . . . via Pikacheeka

First off, I'm going to apologize for the back-to-back posts about LGBT+ stuff on this blog. Or, well, I'm going to mock-apologize for it, because it's my blog anyway, and these are things I feel I need to discuss for the sake of my mental health (because it's good to have something to do, and when I originally wrote this post I needed to. Long story).

I'm also going to preface this with: I haven't been part of a "fandom" for a long, long time. At least, I haven't actively been part of a fandom for a long time. I was extremely active in a fandom about two years ago and that . . . that didn't end well, and I haven't returned since. BUT! It still matters to me in some form, especially this summer, since I've been so high-strung. Also know that you don't need to have any knowledge of fandoms or the like - I'm focusing more of the sexuality part of this discussion, honestly.

Anyways, this is just the introduction to this post, I guess. Faux apology and preface aside, I think what I want to say is still important. So whatever.

***

Here's the post I'm responding to. It's written by pikacheeka on tumblr, who is pretty active with the Hashimada pairing in the Naruto fandom, but you certainly don't need to know that to understand the gist of this post. Be that as it may, it's just going to be easier to understand my post if you read hers. I can't explain it as well as she (he? they?) can.

Once again, I haven't been part of any fandom in an active manner as of late due to . . . personal . . . reasons, but I'm going to feel safe in assuming that my experiences from two years ago are still very similar to experiences as of right now. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about any specific fandom, just in general.

Now.

*clears throat*

As much as I hate to admit it - because it's a sour thing to agree to - pikacheeka is right. If a pairing is heterosexual, odds are it will garner more attention than a homosexual ship, even if it has less basis or even following than the homosexual one. People just seem less picky about their het ships, I suppose. And because they are less picky, more people like them, and therefore they become more popular. It's a dynamic I subscribe to myself - there are some heterosexual shippings that I'm fine with following, but when it comes to homosexual pairs, I'm a little more picky. Maybe that's a personal thing, since I'm deeply invested in writing romantic pairs, but I think there's more to it.

I think it has to do with shame.

As depressing as it is, there is still shame surrounding the LGBT+ population and around the LGBT+ issue(s) in and of itself. I mean, I'm a great example of that: I'm an advocate of equality for LGBT+ persons, and I talk about it enough on the Internet that you would think that I'm just as devoted in real life. Thing is, though, I'm not. I lived in a conservative area and always have to watch what I say, especially in public. There have been many times where my brothers will point out an attractive girl, and I'm tempted to say the same thing and can't because I can never know how other peopel around me would react. And that's what it boils down to: never knowing how others will react. That situation is a little different now, since I'm trying to live openly at University, but it is still a challenge because I fear how people will react to me.

On the internet, it's both safer and more dangerous. There's a certain amount of anonymity on the Internet, especially on sites like tumblr and deviantArt where you are taking on a screenname. But that anonymity can also be a curse, because that allows for a certain amount of freedom in bullying others as well. There was just somebody in this fandom I've been following who left because of hate mail telling the person to kill him/herself. Cyberbullying is a real issue, and it can become a big issue in a hurry that ends up suppressing voices that want/need to be heard.

All of that can be applied to hetero and homosexual ships.

Something I've learned is that there is rarely a spectrum in which people fall directly on the ends of. Here, the spectrum seems to be "supports homosexual pairs with a passion" and "really . . . doesn't". But in this case, there isn't much fall in-between - I don't know why, although I suspect it's because of a heteronormative culture. There are still homophobes and bigots on the internet, and there's still a chance of getting ganged up upon. I mean, there's strength in numbers, hence the large groups of "yaoi fangirls" (RUDE), but if you're not actively part of that, even just posting one picture/ship can be very . . . dangerous.

The easiest way for me to sort of explain is the strange fear/myth that if you actively support or hang out with homosexual persons, you'll be seen as the same. And there are a lot of people who are anxious about that, because they don't want to be targets for hate, so they shut up about it or don't hang out with those people or, worse, don't defend them at all. I think that can be seen as a similar case to this fandom issue, resulting in certain groups of shippers banding together. Again, strength in numbers.

So to sort of conclude . . . I think that it's a matter of shame. Nobody wants to point out that they're okay with it and if they do, they want a steady group of support behind them. Why we still have this shame in the 21st century, I have no clue, because it's stupid, but I do understand that it exists. It's just a real-world problem manifest in a fandom in a very obvious way.

Anyways . . . I don't know if I explained that very well. Or if I explained it at all, because I'm sort of anxious about writing this post to begin with. But those are just my thoughts on the matter, so eh? I don't know. Take them as you will.

Women are people, too. So stop treating them like objects.

First, a quick update on my situation. I'm at university, in a foreign country, but I've done orientation and I think I'm okay. So it goes.

Now, as for actual real-life topics: please read these two articles: this one by Roxane Gay and this other one by Van Badham.

Done?

To be honest, this whole situation sort of sickens me. And embarrassingly, I fell into the trap at first. I heard about the leaks and actually said out loud, "Sweeeeet". And isn't that terrible? Thankfully, I took a step back and realized what I was doing, and that was this.

I was objectifying a human being. And god dammit, I - we - can't do that.

So first, let me re: Roxane Gay, because she mostly talked about the sex and gender side of things. First off, she is completely right - if you're a woman, you're targeted. If you're gay, you're targeted. If you're colored, you're targeted. If you're outwardly religious and not a religion of "the norm" depending where you are, you're targeted. It gets worse the more hits you've got, and me? Well, I've got three, although atheism is a lesser offense these days. The point of it, though, is how privacy is seen as a "gift" rather than a right as a result of being a woman, or being colored. It's worse if you're famous. I try very hard to remember that celebrities are people, so that I don't misjudge them (which is also why I'm pissed about Robin Williams, but more on that later, maybe).

As for the Van Badham article: she, again, is right. It's sexual harassment and abuse at its finest. It's a violation of somebody's privacy, security, and even sexuality. I mean, how safe would YOU feel about sending your lover nude pics as part of your typical sexy times if you'd been attacked in this way? All of those pictures are private, and they're for private consumption, not ours. And celebrities deserve their privacy as much as anybody else; a violation of that is just rude at best and harassing at worst (again, Robin Williams).

But the most frustrating thing about this to me is that this was a blatant showing of how people view women as objects. I mean, excuse me?! It's both frustrating and frightening to know that there are people out there that only view me as a walking, talking pair of boobs and butt! That's not what I am, dammit, and you want to know why? Because I am a cognitive and feeling human being, and I deserve to be treated in that manner. It's 2014, why is this so hard to grasp?

So: the 4chan user that decided to violate the privacy of dozens of celebrities because he thought it would be a good time? He's an asshole. I won't even censor that, because there is no good reason to expose somebody like that, even if they are famous. And the people that ooh and aah and don't think of the damage they cause? They're assholes too. And before you go thinking I've excluded myself on purpose, no, don't think that - I feel bad enough for my initial reaction.

Women are people, just like men. Women are not objects, and if you can't realize that, then you need to grab your to-do list and check yourself.

Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth

"So when Grandma met us on the front steps in her purple housecoat, and hugged a stiff Mr. Klauson beneath the orange glow of the porch light, the millers swooping around their awkward embrace, and then sat me on the couch, and gave me the mug of now lukewarm, too-sweet tea she had been drinking, and wrapped my hands in hers and told me that she was just sitting down to watch TV when the doorbell rang, and it was a state trooper, and there had been an accident, and Mom and Dad, my Mom and dad, had died, the first thing I thought, the very first thing, was: She doesn't know about Irene and me at all. Nobody knows."

There are a lot of reasons readers read.

They read because they look to be entertained. Because they look for escapism. Readers read in order to better align with the world and to better understand it. They read because there is a human instinct in us all to learn and listen and allow others to be heard - because we know, overall, that others have voices as well.

There are a lot of reasons writer write.

They write because the people they seek to entertain the most are themselves. Because it's their own escapism, although sometimes it's because it's their job. Writer write in order to better align with the world and explain their understanding of it, or somebody else's understanding of it through the lens of a character. They write because there is a human instinct in us all to learn and listen and be heard - because we know, overall, that there are just some messages best passed on through literature.

When these motivations line up, something interesting happens: best case, it becomes a best-seller. Well-known. Fades after a few years, but always sort of known as a "good book". When they don't line up . . . well.

That leads to banned book - and all of a sudden, they shoot past bestsellers and are known, almost forever, as being banned.

Today, I want to discuss The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth.

***

I'm going to have to start by explaining that this book, in the last few months, has developed some history. I don't want to bore you with the whole story, because it's really a roller coaster ride and it's just too long to go into. Besides that, I actually talked about it before. The only update you need is that the Cape Henlopen School Board decided to remove the WHOLE LIST in order to quell discontent, but that's another story for later. Now, I'll be the first to admit that you don't need to know the motivation behind this to enjoy the review, but I did want to bring attention to the reasons why. Moving right along.

Oh, and one more thing: I will refrain from spoilers in the majority of this review, but I will loosely refer to some of the plot, especially the plot mentioned explicitly on the back cover. So, y'know, consider yourself warned?

***

Here's a big shock: I was led to this, once again, by the Diversity in YA tumblr. I get all my good reads from them, to be honest.

As I mentioned before, I was dragged into this because of the news surrounding it. It's no secret on this blog that I happen to be a woman who is part of the LGBT community; I call myself bisexual homoromantic, although I associate better with the label "lesbian" these days. Anyhow, when this book got banned by the Cape Henlopen School Board for "swear words", I decided that I needed to get my hands on the book at some point. I picked it up from my local book store at the end of July, after a two week wait! The wait was worth it though - it took me about a week to read it, mostly because I didn't really get into it until halfway through. Even so, I think it could easily be read in a few days (although not 24 hours - you'd have to be really hardcore to do that. Although, I read half of it in a day, so eh? Mileage).

***

The book is told in first-person perspective from the view of the main character, Cameron Post, from her time before the summer of middle school to the summer after her sophomore year of high school. It spans the ages 12 to 16/17 (I assume? It wasn't clear near the end) and starts at the first day or so where Cam begins to realize that maybe she's not so straight. It's told in past tense, so the voice we hear is the voice of a distant Cameron in the future, but that doesn't take away from the storytelling.

She has a wonderful voice, which can be both very introspective and very descriptive of the action around her. Many of my favorite parts were when she talked about her personal thoughts in regards to her actions, which allowed readers a glimpse into her mind. For a book like this, I think it's imperative to do that; because this comes off strongly as an "issue" book*, it's really important to make sure the character is relatable and fully developed (spell check, I refuse to believe that "relatable" isn't a word. Stop feeding me these lies)!


*I know that there may be some people who take issue with me calling it - well - an "issue" book. The reason I label it as such is because without the issue, Cam's homosexuality in a conservative and Christian area, there would be no story; the story hinges on that fact. Of course, that's not to say that every instance of homosexuality makes a book an "issue" book either - my rule of thumb is that if it can work without the issue, then it's not an issue book. Again, I hope that doesn't offend anybody.
***

As I mentioned before, I'm going to talk about some elements in plot. There's only one clarifier that I'll throw in, but I'm going to mostly stick to what you can learn from the back cover and expound on that. Okay? Okay.

First off: dead parents in a car crash. Cliche? In most circumstances, yes, but danforth is careful to make it hinge together just right, so props to her!

Second - and this is the clarifier - no, the main character doesn't participate in a move. The blurb says ". . . Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother", but really, they move in with her. It really bothers me that the blurb doesn't say that; it's misleading. I kept reading and thinking, "So when the heck does she move?" (PS: Spell-check, calm down, "intentioned" is TOTALLY a word, you dip.)

Next point is about Coley Taylor. Coley Taylor, a cowgirl who becomes a very close friend to Cam, becomes the impetus for many of the book's events, especially in the second half. Now, anybody who's come within ten feet of an LGBT romance is going to know: yes, she becomes a "love interest" of sorts. And this is part of the plot that I do want to go into some detail on, so I will spoil, so CAREFUL:

...but yes, there is a sex scene. Of sorts. It's not explicit, and it's not even super sexy, but there is one in there. And to make the spoilers worse, um, there's actually two. It's complicated though. Shh.

Minor spoilers over - but now I want to get into some major ones. Yes, they are plot-related. Yes, this is my (sort of) last part of the review. BEWARE.

***
***

They send her to a f*cking rehabilitation center for gays.

...that whole part of the book makes me very, VERY glad that I live in this day and age.

First off, I just want to clear up the myth for anybody that doesn't know, but the whole "convert somebody to hetero" thing? IT DOESN'T WORK. It's a repression of somebody's being that ends up becoming demeaning, self-hate causing, and even self-harm causing. I'll get to that in a moment.

I am sincerely lucky. I am lucky to be blessed with parents who, while maybe not completely understanding of my situation, are still okay with me being who I am. I have never had to hide from them the fact that I was gay/bi/whatever-the-hell-I-am, and that's very good. I know others haven't had the chances; my first girlfriend, even, couldn't tell her mom she was a lesbian for fear she'd be kicked out. It sucks, I know. But I'm very lucky I haven't been there, and very thankful.

What makes it even worse in my eyes is that Cameron Post goes to a Christian institution, not because it's Christian, but because it truly takes a religious standpoint on an issue and then hammers it like it's word of God. Wait, maybe that's the point. Crap. EITHER WAY, it leaves no leeway. Religion is a very, very sensitive topic, and to use it as a way to make people change is very potent. It's not so bad with people who need the motivation of some God or something to motivate their actions, but it can be incredibly damaging for those who are told that they are sinners for things they cannot help. I've heard the horror stories, I won't get into them.

Anyways, but that was horrifying, and a lot of what was discussed in that part of the book was fucked up. I won't even hide that. It was fucked. Up. I mean, it's emotional abuse, right? All privacy was denied. You were left in a dorm with a roommate of the same-sex with a desk and bed. You couldn't even decorate your room without permission. And then you spend the rest of the time in classes or in a one-on-one session discussing the "root" of your "sin". It's like a really fucked-up version of counselling. That's bound to mess with somebody.

And SPEAKING of messing with somebody, here's the most horrific part of it, and that's this: at some point during this latter half, one of the side characters has an emotional breakdown. I hesitate to call it mental, even if that's what it was, but I digress. Point being: this character breaks down, flips his shit, it's a big deal.

And then he goes to the hospital.

Why?

HE MUTILATED HIS GENITALS AND POURED BLEACH ON THEM.

I know what you're thinking: either "Oh god, that's horrible!" or "Really? Like that's real". But it is. That's what happens when you're made to repress a part of yourself and think that a natural part of you is sinful. There are people who off themselves because of it. Hell, there are people who disown children because of it! It's bloody, and it's scary, and it's gross. But it's real. Oh, god, is it real.

The second part of this book is definitely scary, although that's by my standards, so take it with a grain of salt.

But that doesn't mean it's not real.

***
***

Oooh geeze. Let's wrap it up.

Use of Voice: 9/10. What, you say I changed my point system? Well I say SHH. Anyways, wonderful voice, even if difficult to follow sometimes. Overall, really really good. (Yeah, I'm tired as crap. I slept 2 1/2 hours the night before I drafted this. UGH.)

Style: 7/10. Room for improvement? A bit ramblely, although I have no room to talk. Still good though, better than average. (Spell check, shut up. I can type what I want, even if it's "rambley".)

Plot: 10/10. For being so real about it all.

Readability: 7/10. Again, I had to slog through it at first, but then it picked up and I was like "WHOO".

Banned Book: 10/10. What, you say I just added a random category? What do you mean? Oh, the banned book thing. Well that may be becaUSE BANNED BOOKS ARE AWESOME.

Averaged: 8.6/10. Yeah, that sounds about right.

OVERALL...read it. Just read it, okay? I don't care if you're gay, straight, bi, trans*, whatever. This is a must-read, NO MATTER YOUR AGE...I say that to all you freshman. YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO READ THIS BOOK.

***

And now, with the review over, I can type the rant that I've been wanting to go on ever since the school board decided to get rid of the entire school list for incoming freshmen. Please keep in mind that I have spoken to them before via email and was very polite, professional, and on-topic about the issue at hand. I got one response to that email, which I really appreciate. However, that was a good two months ago, and that was before the list was taken away. With that in mind.

Cape Henlopen School Board?

...you disgust me.

When I read The Miseducation of Cameron Post, I went into it with an open mind and an even more open heart. I knew what I read would hit at a deep part of me, the part that is very scared and vulnerable about my sexuality. I live in the closet; I'm open to family and a few friends. When I move to university (in a few days - aaah!), I will begin to live openly about my sexuality because I am sick of being afraid. I know what it's like to question and wrestle with sexuality. I'm still wrestling now.

With that in mind, I read The Miseducation of Cameron Post. I read all of it. Every last bit.

...and you guys have some major fucked-up shit going on in your part of the neighborhood if you think that this is an inappropriate book for freshmen.

For one thing, the thing about the "swear words" is total bullshit, and you should know that. Thinking back on it, two weeks later, there were no swear words that stood out in my mind except for maybe one: 'dyke'. It was used in a derogatory manner, but it's also a word that is on the way to being reclaimed by some of the lesbian community. AKA, even that's not so bad. So the jig is up on that, although it has been for a while. Stop pretending that it isn't.

For another thing, I can tell you that there's another non-homophobic reason why you might've taken the book off the list, and that would've been for a fairly violent scene nearing the end of the book. What violence, you ask? The mutilation of one's genitals after a fairly epic emotional breakdown due to the forced repression of a part of one's self, that part namely being homosexuality. I could see that being a reason why one would take the book off the list, and I could imagine that being something to latch onto. "Oh! Yes! The violent scene! Yes, we can't promote this book! People might take razors to their genitalia!"

Sorry, though, that's still bullshit.

The most important thing to remember about that scene is that it's real. I said it up there in the review. It's a very scary thing, but it's also real. Would you deny that there are freshmen, sophomores, even juniors and seniors who self-harm? Would you deny how destructive that is? The character that chooses to harm himself ends up in the hospital for his injuries, and before he even injured himself, he had a meltdown. He had a total breakdown that traumatized himself and the ones around him. And while it's horrible, it's also important, because it just goes to show how terrible these "treatment" options for homosexuality are! Isn't that important? Isn't that something that needs to be heavily acknowledged lest we forget and try to "cure" these people again?!?!

You had no reason and no excuse to get rid of this book. Oh, except for one: "There was homosexuality in it, and you can't expose that sort of thing to children. It ruins them!" Notice how fuckin' bigoted that sounds. Notice how cruel that sounds to the people who are homosexual, bisexual, any-kind-of-not-hetero-sexual.

Look: I know how the myth about "exposing homosexuality to children" goes. Show the children any kind of "this is okay" to homosexuality, and suddenly people are running around kissing the same sex, never getting pregnant, and then the apocalypse happens where we all realize that Jesus meant loving everybody despite differences and we all go to rapture-phase heaven. I get it. Scary as all fuck, the homo will turn us all, dramatic gasp. So I'm sure you think you're doing a good thing by not letting the kids read it.

Except your not.

Because that myth is just that - a myth. It's not rooted in reality at all. Do you want to know what exposure to homosexuality actually does? It shows children that homosexuality is . . . normal. Not strange, not bizarre, not wrong, but normal. It's so, so important, because if you show kids that it's normal, it makes them much more comfortable with sexuality as they grow older. I became an ally to the LGBT community probably in seventh grade, maybe even before that, and I realized I was bisexual/lesbian the summer before my junior year of high school. I was old enough, at that point, to understand that all of it was normal and okay. It didn't need to be strange and foreign because it wasn't. It was a perfectly normal thing that people just didn't understand.

The truth is that by hiding away a normal thing from kids, like homosexuality, you leave them in a fog of ignorance, which quickly leads to fear. Without that exposure, kids like those grow into adults and learn about homosexuality, and they either A) quickly look away, B) attack it with their ignorance, or C) realize that they're part of that group and fall into a type of self-loathing for not being part of the norm. Isolation from a topic creates fear and angst about that topic. I should know. I hate being in ignorance.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is such a great book because it's an honest account and look into the life of a girl who likes girls in the 1990s, and it's written in such a way that the main character's musings align with ours. It's a fantastic introduction in a very vast topic, and it's tackled from so many different angles that it's relatable. Close. It helps to push away that fog and ultimately makes the characters more understandable.

Cape Henlopen School Board, by taking away the permission of these kids to read this book (because you must know, many kids wouldn't read at all if their schools didn't promote it, and there are parents who won't let their kids read books that aren't approved by the school), you've taken away their access to something that can make them better understand the world around them. You've taken away their ability to gain interest and knowledge about an issue that is so, so important in this world. I mean, for god's sake, we're almost halfway there in the United States to having same-sex marriage in each state! Your own state allows it!

...how pathetic is that, when you're banning a book for homosexuality in a state that allows same-sex marriage...with the excuse that "it swore too much"???

School Board, you are not full of educators. You're full of bigots. Educators see the places where learning can be done and reach for those opportunities in order to help teach life lessons to those who need them the most. You . . . you're doing the exact opposite. And I pity every single freshman who now cannot read that book due to your ignorance.

But most of all, I pity your own ignorance.

I pity it.

***

I know it's been a while since I wrote a post, and I am sorry. But I am about to move, so I don't know how long this is going to last. Hopefully I'll get settled and into my classes and things will be more normal, but I can't make any promises. We'll just have to see. I miiiiiiiiiiiight write another post before I leave about the subject of homosexuality again, but I don't know right now.

I do apologize if I offended anybody with my rant, but I feel like every word of that needed to be said. Miseducation is a book I wish I had read when I was a freshman, just because it would've helped me understand more about myself and my sexuality at that time. Perhaps then, I would have a better grip on it now (although then again, I may never have a truly steady grip on my orientation). In any case, I apologize for any offense - I've just been sitting on that rant for far too long.

Titled: Title - Part 3

Okay, enough of this procrastination crap. I gotta start talking.

So things have gotten a lot busier in my life lately. My 'rents left on vacation for two weeks and only just got back a few days ago . . . I'm getting ready for college . . . I have a vaccination tomorrow . . . I mind-mapped my brain and it looks like it's hopped out on drugs. That's how busy I've been.

BUT THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR NEGLECTING THE POOR BABY THAT IS MY BLOG. So I'm going to grant this an update and make a few announcements, but first, LET ME SHOW YOU THE FUN STUFF THE INTERNET HAS SHOWN ME.

• These 26 Photos Show There's No One Way to Be Beautiful. In general, I don't touch Cosmopolitan with a 39 1/2 foot pole. This article is really cool though; basic premise of it is that a woman decided to take a portrait picture of herself and send it to people in different countries, asking the artists to make her look pretty based on the standards of their countries. The results are really interesting - some of them change her appearance almost entirely, while others keep her looking relatively the same. I think it's a good example of not just how unrealistic and impossible the standards for beauty are, but also how there are still places that see her as relatively beautiful already. Take it as you like, I suppose - I just though the results were share-worthy.
• 'Stop The Beauty Madness' Brands Ads With Brutally Honest Messages. These are basically the best advertisements EVER, going out of their way to point out the obvious problems with how we tie our worth to our body image. This is especially a problem for women young, old, and diverse, to which the advertisements aim their messages at, and its brutal honest and thought makes it a unique campaign. I wish advertisements like this were in the mainstream, because we definitely need them! If I hear one more word about somebody going on a crash diet, I'll scream . . .
• Things Facing Left, A Tutorial Masterpost. Though I don't talk about my drawing habits very much on here, I am definitely still practicing! This masterpost of tutorials has been incredibly helpful, and I've looked through it a ton. Whatever you need to work on, it's probably covered somewhere in here, so now you have no more excuses to avoid it! It's also great if you're working on anatomy, like me . . .
• Japan National Tourism Organization. Lately, I've been getting majorly into traditional asian dress such as kimonos, hanfus, ao dais, etcetera. Well, while I was looking into kimonos, I found this website! If you have any interest in Japanese culture, this is a great place to start, because it has a ton for information from Agriculture to Zen! The article I have linked to is about traditional costumes, but you can use the sidebar to jump to different topics. Definitely worth a check!
• Hips Don't Lie with Banjo. I don't know where this came from, and why, but it's definitely worth a good laugh to listen to! And I agree with the commentators - this sounds like it's from a Legend of Zelda game!

Okay, with those out of the way . . . a few notes.

Yes, I am still working on the Animal Crossing series about art. I'm behind, I know. I have one more post to write up, and then it will be done, I promise.

Yes, I am busy prepping for college! The work involved is dizzying, but I'm figuring it out, so that will be keeping me busy for a while.

No, I'm not prepared to start posting my fanfiction novel from Camp Nano. I'm not even done the piece yet, and as I'm starting another project as well, I'm sort of - well - floundering. I do intend to post it, but right now I just don't have the time. Until then, the blog for it will be sort of dead, but fear not! I will revive it when I am ready!

Last thing: I will be doing a review of The Miseducation of Cameron Post once I finish the book, mostly because I want to get out my opinion on it in response to the Cape Henlopen decision regarding it and their whole ****ing reading list. I don't know how appropriate it will be, because I am still really angry about the decision, but know that is on my to-do list.

That's about all, for now! Can't promise when the next update will be, but keep an eye out, because I'm hoping to try and keep this blog somewhat alive before I run off to uni.

Video Games, Art, Minimalism, and Where the Middle Ground Is - Part 9

Hello! I hope that you're enjoying my Video Games, Art, Minimalism, and Middle Ground series regarding Animal Crossing: New Leaf. If you care to see all previous posts, click below:

Part 1 - Interior Design
Part 2 - Patterns and Designs
Part 3 - More about Patterns and Designs
Part 4 - Introduction to Town Decor
Part 5 - Pattern Design in Town Decor
Part 6 - Gardening in Town Decor
Part 7 - Aika Village
Part 8 - More on Aika Village

Onwards!

***

The second-to-last post about Aika . . .! Yeesh, you'd think I'd have enough of this, but nope! Still going! Still . . . going . . . *SNORE*

I really should've said no, looking back on it.

As I mentioned before, Aika Village is accessable via the Dream Suite in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. That's how you get to it in the same circumstances as everybody else, and to be honest, I think it's better to use it through the Dream Suite than if you had to visit it like you do other towns. This means that a lot of people can go see it, and because of it's popularity, it's dragged up a lot of theories.

That dog's howling no more . . .

Creepy pair of mittens, what?

First is about the graveyard. It's pretty obvious what's going on in the graveyard, of course - the child's dog was buried here . . . many times. Odd, yes, but I'm more concerned about the mittens. Did they belong to somebody, left behind after some sort of incident? Did that person jump to their deaths? Remember that in the last house, the mother and father - two of the mannequins in the first house - weren't there. Did one of them die near this spot? Who knows . . .

See, even in the upper right, the girl isn't even looking at us anymore. Yeesh, even she's scared at this point.

Creepy Gaming seemed to draw the connection between the parents and the potential deaths. As I mentioned before, Creepy Gaming explained the reference of the shoes on the beach as having to do with Japanese suicides, where one would leave their shoes on the beach before - well, yeah, dying. Not pleasant to think, and to make it worse, Creepy Gaming (from what I recall) seemed to suggest that the mother might've died this way while the father died in the creepy torture chamber from before. Y'know, this one?

Nope, I'm just taking a nap, not trapped in a nightmare at all, yo.

I thought you might remember.

While it's a good theory, I have some different suggestions. Considering how murderous and creepy this doll is, I would like to suggest that the doll set it up - the doll set up the shoes on the beach to make it look like the mother killed herself, only to torture her along with the husband down here. Of course, it'd be better supported with some more evidence (i.e. showing where the mannequin-parents disappeared to), but sadly, we get no such relief. So it goes.

I know what you did, you stupid dolly. I will never be able to look at Red Riding Hood the same way again.

Then we come to the story of this doll. From what I can garner, the theories about this doll pretty much line up - it's a sentient doll that seems to want the girl celebrating the birthday downstairs in the first house, the same girl who owns the houses. Why? Perhaps jealousy. Either way, the goal seems to be to take care of the problem by killing the parents, as well as whoever else finds out. Then again, the other dolls may or may not be helping, although there's little to go off of there.

Round one, fight?

Most theories probably come off of what's going on in this back room. Has the dolly taken the girl into an ultimate match to the death? As a captive? As her next torture victim? I believe that the girl is trapped there with the dolly, now the doll's alone, and if she tries to leave . . . well, the axe is a good enough warning, isn't it?

I dunno, man. So many ways to look at this, and all viewpoints are pretty unsettling.

SO INSTEAD, LET'S LOOK AT IT FROM AN ARTISTIC POINT OF VIEW!!

Happy Birthday, Molly! Now it's time to die.

As I'm sure I mentioned in the second part, the interior design in this game sort of has to work off of a principle of minimalism, at least to a certain degree. After all, there's only so much furniture you can buy! But in the case here, I believe that the minimalism was used to a great degree. Not many people could pull off some of the style and use here, especially with some of the more complex rooms!

Props to the maze. I mean, metaphorical props.

This room is a really good example in terms of the minimalism required in the game. How do you make a maze without making it too obvious where to go? Dark pillows, small beacons of light, scattered stools that give you little in terms of direction . . . the execution of this room is probably one of my favorite aspects of the town, although that's my personal thought, just based on what the artist was going for and how they executed it. Hat's off to him/her!

To quote one of my own characters: "ENGLISH! Can! You! Speak! English?!"

Another artistic element relating to this town is the story behind it. Clearly, there is an element of story in this town - it's obvious from the get-go, the way it's set up. Even down to the details, we get good direction of what's going on even without text and speech, which is an incredible feat in a world of words.

I'm hiding from the dolly. Call back later.

Of course, one of my favorite aspects of Aika is the obvious symbolism used throughout the town, especially with the environment. The way it changes between houses is absolutely incredibly - it just goes to show how much thought was put into this, how hard this person must've worked to put it together. And there's so much going on, as well - from perfection to mazes to ruin to utter desolation, the symbolism helps tie together the mood and the story so well it's amazing.

I'm going to hope that my art is better than this kid's.

Lastly, I want to point out the progression of the doodles. The above picture is in the first house, where they're intact. These little doodles, done by the little girl, progress onwards as items representing obsession and are used to help tell the story from the perspective of the dolly. These images are both worshiped and reviled - used to decorate the surroundings and to show hatred, especially in the last house, where they're completely ruined and scraped away. They really help to set the tone for this town, including the doll's motives - which, of course, are what help string away this plot from the get-go.

But all of this is well and good, neverminding some of the obvious issues, such as the confusing rooms and the undeciphered Japanese. But there was a point to going to this town, of course - a very important point. And believe me, I haven't forgotten it - quite the opposite. That point:

Is this art?

There's just one more part to go, guys. I'm hoping to cover my thoughts on all of this once and for all then.