Text - Anonymous

[foolishjustice]

I have a question, that...you'll probably understand my reasons for posting anonymously once you finish reading.

The local culture is very open and laid back about sexual interest. It's different as hell from my own home, where men who show sexual attraction are viewed as disgusting perverts and assumed to be dangerous, while people don't even fucking think about women having an interest in sex beyond wanting to have children. Some of the posts I've seen here would get everyone involved labeled sexual deviants for the shit they talk about in the open.

My question is, how do people adapt to it? I'm here doing my damn best to keep my mind out of the gutter because I've been taught thinking about anyone you don't want to date like that is disrespectful as hell and fucking creepy, but then I turn around and see people openly asking for hookups or rating each other's asses, and instead of people calling that shit skeevy, they either go along with it or treat it like a funny joke.

I know it's not prudishness, believe-you-fucking-me, my life would be easier if I was just naturally shy or reserved or whatever. It's an extreme form of culture shock, and I wish I didn't end up feeling like a dick constantly over the kinds of mental images I get from both the way people act in public around here and some of the things the prismals hand out as fucking party favors.

Comments

[foolishjustice]

I know how much it sucks to have people obsess over your looks. My own are a bit uncommon where I'm from, and most of what I hear when people talk about me is them fucking going on about how hot I am. It creeps me the fuck out when people who don't even know me act like I'm some kind of walking dakimakura.

I saw that, too. I was even checking it myself to make sure nobody posted my picture. People can show off their own bodies in that kind of space if they want, but only an asshole would post a picture of someone else's ass without permission.

[panthered]

I get that, too. It happens a lot in my line of work, kind of disappointing when people don't notice all of the effort I put in and instead focus on things that are out of my control. I didn't ask to look like this.

But I'm also not ashamed of myself, either. I used to be, a little. I wanted to just fit in with everyone else in school, and look the same as they did. But I think if I did that, I would've lost part of who I am. I like the way I look, now. People still look at me like I'm a piece of meat sometimes, but I've also got a lot of people around me who like me for me. The way I look isn't even a factor to them. So even though I'm still not a fan of being treated like that, that's not all I am to everyone.

I think it's easy for some people to forget that other people are... actually people. Not objects. Sometimes we like being admired... sometimes we just want to be left alone.

But, I mean, you seem to get that. You don't like it when people do it to you, so you try not to do it to them. Sounds like you might be giving yourself way too hard a time.

[foolishjustice]

That's exactly how I feel. My line of work takes a lot of effort, maintaining my looks was supposed to be about first impressions. But people ignore what I do in favor of how I look, and it gets frustrating as hell.

I can say from experience that you're right to be glad you didn't manage to blend in. I managed to learn to act exactly like society wants me to, but I forgot how to really be myself. I'm still working on re-learning that, and even figuring out who the hell I really am anymore.

I have reasons to have trouble not comparing myself to a creepy piece of shit, though. Just thinking about him pisses me off, but it's easy to think in terms of even innocuous things we have in common being the start of something worse.

anon

[fineprinted]

I think you're perfectly valid for airing this out - I don't think you're the only one who's initially uncomfortable with how this planet encourages being more sexually active. But think of it as teenage hormones growing more rampant than usual, I guess? At least that's how I've thought of it lately.

Or maybe it all depends on our circumstances growing up. I live in Japan for one, and that country is a lot more conservative than most if you don't take a peek at the less savory parts of a certain entertainment industry. For some of us, it's rather liberating to partake in that kind of intimacy after being withheld from it for so long, due to many reasons.

[foolishjustice]

I'm from Japan too, and I can't say the number of Japanese people here hasn't made me worry about the things I've already managed to loosen up about. It makes me pretty damn nervous sometimes, being openly bisexual and polyamorous.

That certain entertainment industry is another of the things I'm having to work to adapt to. I'm not used to thinking of it as something that's actually respected enough to have some decent fucking regulations to keep the workers from being exploited.

[fineprinted]

It's actually comforting that there's a large number of us from Japan, actually! We're probably from alternate versions of Earth, but knowing that there are some commonalities between our versions of Japan is quite interesting. ♪

I still need to observe if the entertainment world here in Prismatica is the same as the one in Japan, but we can only hope that it wasn't as bad as back home. That career path isn't really for everyone, after all, no matter what planet you're in. Though with how liberating this place is, all you've got to do to keep persevering is to keep an open mind and trust to instinct, I guess. Culture shock is one thing, but humans are rather adaptable so one can't keep using that excuse for long.

[foolishjustice]

My experiences back home were pretty shitty, so seeing people from somewhere similar makes me worry they brought the kinds of prejudices that fucked up my life along with them.

I actually checked things out myself during the Vulpus Astra festival. All of the workers said their conditions were fine, even when none of their coworkers could hear them, and they didn't act like people trying to pretend things are better than they are. As far as I've been able to find out, it's no worse than any other customer service job, here.

[tookashirototheknee]

My first answer: Yes, because people are fucking idiots.

My second answer, because I'm a scientist more than anything: Yes, because the freeze-drying process was discovered and perfected for any number of things, and just applied to coffee.

Basically... the entire space program is 'what can we do to get what we need as cheaply as possible'.

[champagnetower]

For real, yeah! It's not always easy! Especially when people do freaky things like try to stalk you and murder you and your friends! It's like people forget how to function, you know? Something happens in their brain! But it really helps when you have people who have your back and can help you when things get to this extreme!

[dereban]

That's pretty unfortunate. I'm sorry. Honestly, I could never fall back on my parents in the off chance of trouble - they're kind of the strict type that doesn't like the trouble, so I don't tend to purposely get into it, even if I'm trying to be me. Usually, I just fall back on my friends.

Although I think a lot of people do?

At least, I knew quite a bit that did.

[foolishjustice]

I haven't had any of them trying to kill me, at least not yet. I do get plenty of them stalking me and trying to steal my shit, though. Or harassing people they see talking to me to make them tell how to get close to me. Or the fucking sexual harassment, like they think taking care of my looks means I want random strangers to tell me how sexy they think I am or chase me down for a photograph.

Maybe there should have been a support group for idols or something back home. I know one other person there who has to deal with this shit, too.

[foolishjustice]

That sounds like it's going to bite them in the ass later. Cutting corners doesn't tend to work out well in the long run.

[foolishjustice]

I didn't have any friends to fall back on either, since my parents weren't married. Nobody wants to spend time with some bastard child.

[vielerfolg]

Do you have reason to feel judged in this place? Everyone is so open, I wouldn't think you'd have much to worry about.


[ He sounds rather repressed... that's always worrying. ]

[piercedyourheart]

it's hard to know which you is the real you when you don't have anyone to bounce off of. since you don't know the real you, you end up not trusting anyone. you blend in well, but you always see yourself as apart.

that sound about right?

[foolishjustice]

It does. It also sounds like you've been through the same thing.

[foolishjustice]

Mostly...because there's an element of judging myself. There's someone I'm afraid of becoming like if I'm not careful. At least, when it comes to my sex drive.

[vielerfolg]

Oh? Who is that, if it's alright to ask? You needn't give specifics... but who is this person to you?

[foolishjustice]

He's my father. Biologically, anyway.

[vielerfolg]

I see... would you be alright telling me about them? Sometimes, being able to talk to a stranger is easier than talking to someone you know, after all.

CW: Mention of rape, alcoholism, blackmail, and murder

[foolishjustice]

He's a politician, aiming for the position of Prime Minister of our country. My mother was one of his mistresses, and he abandoned her when he found out she was pregnant. He's a complete fucking asshole, who uses his position to pressure women into sleeping with him.

He's even worse when he's drunk, and that's not infrequently. But there's not a whole fucking lot anyone can do, because he won't hesitate to threaten to ruin people's lives if he doesn't get his way. He'll even resort to murder if someone might actually be able to hurt him back.

[piercedyourheart]

...yeah.

my dad died in an accident when i was 6. mom and i moved around a lot after that. she...didn't take it well. i was too young to understand what was happening so all i saw was that everyone left. it took a long time and a few good people to understand that wasn't the case.

you're never alone, anon.

[foolaround]

im definitely not used to being so... open? about it haha
but its been refreshing!

TW: suicide mention

[foolishjustice]

...My mother also died when I was 6. She hung herself, and her relatives told me it was my fault for ruining her life. They convinced me she saw me as nothing but a burden, and treated everything about me that drew attention as a flaw.

After being passed around between enough homes, I ended up learning to play the role of the perfect foster child. But even once I escaped my background, I still felt like the real me was just someone nobody would want. But people liking a fake you is just as lonely as nobody liking you at all.

Maybe if I'd been more open about who I really am once I was living on my own, I would have found other people who understood sooner...

[dj_jiraiya]

ur awful at bein anon u kno

[No point in hiding his ID when he already knows who this one is.]