If you're writing anything involving cons, scams, heists, or morally questionable characters who are very good at lying, here are some free resources I've been using for research. Saving you the "why is this in my search history" anxiety.
1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.
2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.
3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.
4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.
5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.
Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.
Reblog to save for later. Your WIP will thank you.
Sorry if this is a dumb question but you've been reblogging stuff with this term so??? What does tme/tma actually mean and stand for? I can get ideas from clues but would prefer to educate myself more. I'm queer but not really like involved with the community or community discourse because it makes me really upset but want to know the terms to avoid and who not to support or interact with! Thank you <3
Hi anon! I'm glad you want to educate yourself, and I understand the anxieties/avoidance of queer discourse. That shit will kill you dead, or at the very least make you feel exhausted.
I'm more than happy to educate, and I'll try my best to be impartial, because, at the end of the day, I can't actually tell you who you should and shouldn't interact with/support or not support, I can only tell you MY takeaways and encourage you to come to your own conclusions.
So just as a basic, no bias, no other takes, just the meaning of the words explanation as I've come to understand it, TME means Transmisogyny EXEMPT and TMA means Transmisogyny AFFECTED. This, basically, is what it sounds like. If transmisogyny affects you, or if you're exempt from transmisogyny.
If that's simply all you wanted to know, that's the bare bones definition, for more context, info, and discussions, read under the cut 👍
But, it doesn't end there. TME/TMA have largely been used by radfems, in my experience at least. (I'm sure someone out there COULD use these words correctly, however typically when I see them used the OP has some. Interesting. Opinions on transgender men specifically.) And when radfems are using these words they use them, it means that a trans woman is TMA, but a trans man, cis person, intersex person, nonbinary person, etc, are TME, because they are not women and/or not trans.
It sounds harmless, but its a strange line to draw. its like only describing hair colour with 'blond' and 'not blond'. its actually associated with a lot of radfem rhetoric, mainly that trans men never experience any real oppression because theyre basically as powerful as cis men, and that theyre making it up for pity points. When you compare that to the terf rhetoric that men are evil disgusting monsters, you can see a lot of similarities. Whats strange is that these people are often very queer themselves, so most people wouldnt assume someone like this,
reblogs something like this:
A protip is to just search up 'trans men' on their blog and see what comes up. if someone says that 'trans men are oppressed in unique ways' is fake terf bullshit because men are self centered assholes, then youve found a radfem, or someone parroting their ideologies at least.
Transandrophobia isnt fake because women exist. its just another label for the discrimination a trans men can face, specific to them being trans and/or a man. going by the above person's logic, misogyny can also be called misandry since women arent living up to the perceived male ideal. yet we have different words for them, almost like they are different experiences despite overlap.
I hope this answers your questions anon, and I hope you continue to educate yourself on many issues 👍
Misogyny is also the discrimination against women specifically. once again, its like saying being lesbian doesnt exist because its just gayness presenting in women.
This post was in large part written with help from my best friend, (tagged in the comments, of course) who clearly feels as strongly about this subject as I do, but personally I do want to speak MY thoughts as a transgender man. Not that my friends feelings are any less valid, I do truly agree with it.
There's something, deeply, upsetting. About being made an outsider in your own community. Being labeled a heinous monster and being taken in the absolute worst faith imaginable due to your gender. A gender you may have already faced persecution, harassment, and other horrific things for identifying as. And then to be told not only do you not face specific gender-based discrimination, but that you don't actually face any gender based discrimination at all, and this whole time YOU'VE been victimizing others through how you've perceived your own experiences.
I've seen trans men be accused of perpetuating rape culture (even LEGITIMATELY being called rapists) over comments meant in good faith and humor. Be equated to Hitler for expressing that transandrophobia is something they've experienced. Been told they should kill themselves, are just "hysterical bitchy women", called derogatory terms I don't even think most diehard maga Republicans could wish to dream up, and worst of all, been told that their real world experienced abuse doesn't matter. Written off like a minor inconvenience.
And worst of all? Some of this was perpetuated by trans men, women, and other individuals who sit in community with us.
I love the trans community, I really do, we struggle, fight, bleed, and survive together, and this is obviously not a reflection of us as a whole, or even a large chunk. But it is a very real, very depressing issue I PRAY we solve SOON. Not "one day" but soon. Because the trans community will never, and SHOULD never be a community that tolerates this.
media: we have an anti-authoritarian story for you!
me: sweet hit me with the good stuff
media: so there's this marginalized underclass of people, right?
me: okay
media: and they're like, stigmatized for something that's mostly an aspect of how they are born, or where they're from, or they're badly misunderstood, right?
me: yup, got it, I'm with ya
media: so these people are rebelling against the current social order, because it's the instrument of their suffering
me: oh good great sure
media: but also they're violent and deranged and need to be stopped
me: ...what
media: yeah they're going too far, they're trying to overthrow the system and assassinate the nice cop trying to help them and also they burned down an orphanage
me: ...why? would they burn down an orphanage??
media: extremism is bad
me: still not seeing what this has to do with their fight though???
media: also now they've shot a dog. oops they shot another dog
me: what?! why? I though their motive was to overthrow oppression??
media: yes but their suffering has also made them evil
me: ...???
media: don't worry though, the good guys will defeat them and restore the status quo
me: the status quo that's been killing people?
media: well it turns out it was only killing the kinds of awful people who burn down orphanages and shoot dogs :)
me: oh. this is actually a pro-authoritarian story, isn't it?
media: nooo of course not don't be sillyyyyyy we're super progressive look one of the cops is a black lady don't be sillyyyyyy
it’s always “I understand why you have an autism diagnosis now” and not “thank you for explaining the entirety of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to me, I really enjoyed hearing about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster”
When people justify using gen AI by talking about how it allows them to do (insert creative hobby) it sends me into a blind rage. The whole point of the creative hobby is to use your brain. Having a machine do it for you defeats the purpose. That’s like saying you’re getting into running marathons then just driving the 42km
You can report suspected or confirmed IDF war criminals to the Hind Rajab Foundation, and they will try to get the war criminal's country of residence to follow international law by prosecuting them
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
gamechangershow
romaincrisis
germansingergirl
stormborns
