Leontine's Dark Forest

I'm Tine. I enjoy rolling over the logs and exposing the skittering things underneath. I enjoy examining issues and different ways of thinking. What is this blog about? Pagan philosophy and spirituality, sexuality, horrors and beauty, society and madness... I don't really know.

[saiasus]

[leontinetheheathen]

Role model.

<3

[visitheworld]

[itscolossal]

Severe Skies: The Photography of Storm Chaser Mike Hollingshead

[fuckyeahballpythons]

Is there some kind of vegetarian alternative to feeder rodents for snakes? I own a corn snake and feed frozen mice but I'd like to have him on a cruelty free diet if possible. TY!

I’ve been glaring at this ask like once a day for the past two months.

[lunulata-deactivated20221105]

And this person doesn’t stop to think that by feeding a snake a vegetarian diet that IS cruelty. To the snake.

[whowasntthere-deactivated202106]

Snakes, like cats, are fucking obligate carnivores. They literally need meat in order to survive. Educate yourself or don’t have a pet that you will only torture and eventually kill.

[findchaos]

[choochoobear]

If you have a pet snake or cat and you try to make its diet “cruelty free” by avoiding feeding it animal products you are, simply put, abusing that animal and a delusional fuckwit.  Every time I hear someone proudly proclaim how they got their cat to “Go Vegan” I want to feed them to that very same cat.  It would be considerably less abusive and morons are probably high in protein.

I can’t even fathom denying a snake its actual required diet.  How can anyone be so stupid?

[thecooingdove-deactivated201701]

Because the false moral superiority that comes with the militant vegan movement is not and has never been about those who are suffering, both animals and humans alike.

It has and always has been about selfishness. Because I hear more about shaming those who eat meat* than about systematically helping animals and humans. I never hear about disability and limitations of class, or how those intersect with race. What I hear is “You failed, you hate animals, you aren’t trapped in a system you just willfully torture animals!” no matter the circumstance.

I see ppl who feel all high and mighty about their vegan status (and commitment, because if you ever falter for WHATEVER reason you were *never* truly vegan like us purebloods) reblog images of a pet snake eating another pet snake with #omg #lol instead of pure outrage that an owner allowed that to happen and took pictures of it to pass them around.

I see people who are feeling great because they have ACCESS to fresh produce and have the MONEY TIME and ABILITY to get it for themselves gleefully shaming those who’s cultural practices include meat eating, instead of oh idk, agribusiness? They don’t question the expansive systems of food in/security beyond what allows them to feel like they are BETTER humans than their counterparts.

And it just strikes me because asking them to stop comparing people of color to animals by mocking their historical suffering is me having such a “big ol’ mean human ego” but they don’t ever see themselves having a systematic privilege of both access and moral authority as an ego distortion in any way shape or form. Hmmmmm.

*I get that there are complicit assholes but they’re not the marginalized ppl forced into the system w/o any choice.

[leontinetheheathen]

I will always hate oppressive systems that abuse humans and other animals for the gain of a few. Yes, there are complicit people who have plenty of resources and the power to question and move toward change, and do not. There are also plenty of judgmental people who see themselves as oppressed by the actions of others when, in fact, they have freedoms and resources that they completely take for granted. But not every person can have a clear view of the lives of others.. They can, however, cultivate some much needed doubt and empathy before they make snap judgments.Get a fucking clue about intersectionality and about the system that literally constrains our choices. The world each person lives in is complex and individual and affected strongly by the culture they were born into and the resources they have. It’s a delusion to assume that we have absolute choice, but that delusion is a luxury that many sitting in front of their home computers or laptops have. I wish people would question themselves before spewing hate, before drawing conclusions and choosing actions that could do real harm. If you can’t even have empathy for the basic biological needs of your pets, how could you ever have empathy for the needs of other people? Life is more complicated than what many assume.  

And for the gods’ sake, don’t get a snake if you aren’t going to feed it what it needs. 

[soda-ashes-blog]

[vooolop-deactivated20140206]

[a-little-bi-furious]

hey, can I put out an OFFICIAL REQUEST for novels (espec spec-fic and horror) with LGBTQA (ESPECIALLY THE BTQA) protagonists? I will track down any I hear about and review them on my blog (as long as I can afford them)

Shout out to sleepyvalenighthollow who is a fantastic writer!

I think we all could do with a good read, especially BTQA horror (well I’d like to read some reviews anyway).

As luck would have it I was browseing through the bisexual vampire results in google for reasons and I have a few titles to kick off along with others I’ve been hoarding:

Fireflies

Heroine Addiction

Love, Sex and Understanding the Universe

I havn’t gotten around to reading them all yet and sadly most of them are afforadable or available only in kindle.

Oh yeah he’s a load of trans* sci-fi and speculative fiction.

Also check out James Tiptree Jr. (aka Alice B. Sheldon, bisexual writer and sci-fi queen).

Everybody feel free to add!

[olypit]

It’s not horror or anything but I am J is really good

[leontinetheheathen]

Note to myself to track this down once I get the book published... and it has a name. 

[bohemianprole]

"bisexuals only date people of the opposite sex due to heteronormativity"

have you considered that it may be because we find people of the opposite sex to be hot 

[leontinetheheathen]

I also have encountered less nastiness from the heterosexual people I've dated. In my region, it's almost impossible to be open and honest about being bisexual and expect to get a date with a member of the same sex. Soooo if I don't want to lie and if I want to have some fucking self respect, it sure is easier to date someone of the opposite sex. At least that's been my experience. 

[alezenteno]

[don-tforgettobreathe-blog]

[diazhang]

[a-black-swan]

This is really important to me.  I just got out of an abusive relationship and I hope that no one ever has to feel like I did.

[xxxx-closed-xxxx-deactivated201]

Same.

[bihets-deactivated20140314]

For those who don’t realize this yet

[foreverlittleliar]

[leontinetheheathen]

(via “The ONLY Life Advice You Need”)

This... right here. He is completely fucking right. 

[themissingpoems]

The Unicorn

Don’t owe you explanations

don’t need your validations

am sick of your negations

frustration

over misrepresentation

appropriation of my opinions

not your fantasy

not your game to play

not a threat to you

not simply going away

[leontinetheheathen]

This resonates with me... a lot. 

[chinuplittlepup]

[listen-and-observe]

real shit

[gainconfidencenow]

[leontinetheheathen]

Adversity

"Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?"

Walt Whitman

[uhhhsylum]

people who are gay can be assholes

people with eating disorders can be assholes

people with mental disorders can be assholes

people who self harm can be assholes

people who are disabled can be assholes

people who have diseases can be assholes

do not excuse people for being assholes because something is wrong with them or have a hard life

[yeeeeabuddayyy-deactivated20150]

basically, everybody can be an asshole, but nothing gives them the right to be.

[wormulna]

yessssss…

[leontinetheheathen]

I agree in general, but... After having worked in mental health for years, if I didn't forgive people for occasionally cussing me out I would've burnt out long ago. Nor would the people I've met have many people who cared about them if everyone gave up and ditched them when they got too stressed out, overwhelmed, and/or terrified, and turned mean. Sometimes people get aggressive when they are confused and scared because they literally feel like they are in danger. While I tend to agree with the blanket statement that nothing gives people the right to be assholes, I would also say that life is a little more complex than that and I'm more concerned with seeing people trying than what they said on a bad day. Hell, an apology and an effort to do better makes a world of difference to me. I've seen people struggle with cycles and burn bridges and end up homeless because no one really wanted to understand, even their own families. Some people's idea of what a bad day is doesn't even come close to what some folks live with every day. Does that mean you have to like people who cuss you out? Nope. It also doesn't mean that you should assume that just because someone occasionally acts like an asshole that that label defines them all the time. But hey, life is complicated and people act like assholes sometimes. There's nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and expecting a little more empathy from people and a little less excusing their bad behavior. I just want to point out that practicing a little more empathy yourself wouldn't hurt.