Harp the Wigglytuff @wigglytuffitout@computerfairi.es

@debugninja@banana.dog but as much as it's tricky to do online - there's genuine bad actors, it's a lot easier to lie, etc. - i actually think that in some respects it's easier for some people to find true friendship here.

you can much more easily find a social sphere aligned to your interests - instead of just "whatever is popular in your immediate area" - and you can do that revealing-of-true-self in stages, because that's common practice for basic online safety.>

@debugninja@banana.dog we still keep in touch and she actually met her future wife in the same spot she met me - on a roleplay forum i was running.

i met my best friend much the same way, but after talking a lot in WoW we had the enormous luck to figure out that we were mere hours from each other, in the same state, so met up quickly. and it's been amazing since!

real friendship requires real social interactions, really reaching out - and that means being vulnerable, which is terrifying in a lot of ways.

@debugninja@banana.dog but really that activity/interest to create a social sphere and social interaction is key, and it's something very much doable online as well.

most of my real friends have come from online spheres. i was far closer to my first real friend that i made online in middle school than i was any of my classmates. through the miracle of understanding parents, we actually got to meet irl when she came to visit while i was in 8th grade. >

@debugninja@banana.dog paradoxically, much he same way you make real friends offline

tbh i feel like a shared interest/social sphere is key. it's like, again, irl. think about how you make friends there - join a volunteering club, talk to your co-workers at lunch break, etc.

it's hard to get hold of at first bc i feel like (especially in america) we live with those social circles decided *for* us for so long - your school grade, who you have classes with, college dormmates - it can be overwhelming.>

@J do they have a phone # listed? maybe try giving that a call - it might go to voicemail but that's a good way to do the equivalent of knocking politely on the office door and go "hey just out to paint, don't mind me, things are chill!"

the only way honestly this might backfire is that you might get them very excited and asking if they can have a picture of the finished product LMAO but i feel like that might be fair dues - the church is emblematic of a community that would be v flattered.

@J some churches do have services etc. on weekdays but generally it ends up being on wed around here not monday, and it's more likely to be activities (midweek bible study, etc.) than straight-up services, so not the typical crowd of people filtering in and out

basically treat the space politely, take the boyscout mentality of 'leave your camp cleaner than you found it', and you'll be in the clear to paint the outside for sure

@J as fediverse token christian: honestly go for it

if you really want to mind your ps and qs, most churches have an office or admin section that is open all the time - pop your head in, let them know what you're doing, or give them a call. if you're wanting to draw/paint inside this is a bit more of a required step, but outside is fair game.

expect some friendly and polite curiosity about what you're doing, and invites to come in for a cup of coffee/etc lol

but also, Anti-Theism Is Not As Novel And Enlightened As Many Think It Is

especially if anti-religious sentiment is being used to belittle, harass, and oppress others

that is simply swapping one baseball bat for another, not solving the problem. don't sell me that Cishet McWhitebro is solving everything by pwning the christians when you're still viewing religion solely as a tool to control others with, not considering it as a refuge for minorities

this was a longer rant but i'm going to condense it down to

boy, some people use "abrahamic religions" when they really mean "i'm going to bank on the audience's anti-christian sentiment and ignorance of judaism and islam to sneak in some real whack islamophobic and antisemitic viewpoints"

if you want to say "christianity" just say "christianity". don't 'just a spoonful of sugar' bigoted shit in there.

@laurie i believe they're trying but AI technology is not advanced enough yet for crucial "explain to rubber ducky until you figure out how you fucked up" functions

@MisterBeret because ff14 is the literal only ff i've played, i saw this and thought for a brief second you were talking about the first mmo one, and was about to go NONONONO OH GOD NO JUST PLAY EUREKA INSTEAD DON'T DO THAT TO YOURSELF

but fortunately that is not the case. i do get the impression that ff13 is a bit like final fantasy vegemite but doesn't sound too painful to try (unlike ff11, i think, the first mmo one)

tldr to further thoughts: being hurt yourself is not carte blanche to excuse and perpetuate bigotry, what the fuck.

also fuckin hell, why do so many people in the Enlightened Expanse of Mastodon seem to pull their thoughts about jewish people straight from the ass of a priest in the spanish inquisition circa 1482. if you are literally on the same brainwave as a medieval fuck trying to incite a pogrom even my goy ass knows you need to sit down.

"people say that such conspiracies are antisemitic, but i think they need to be talked about more because abrahamic religions are so rife with abuse and that takes presedence over quelling obvious antisemitism!"

that's... probably enough mastodon for me today, i think

abuse happens, and religion is a tool favored by abusers, but at the same time? no the illuminati are not the jewish new world order come to kill us all jfc stop excusing such obvious horseshit

there's heavy period and then there's this, which is my uterus going above and beyond its miserable usual

i am fairly convinced that if this was a just world, i would have a buddy IV pole full of fluids and possibly an iron supplement of some form

dog pls it's okay the electric fireplace gives us warm it's good