#chilipowder9

that said, I love you, Stranger, and appreciate what you're doing here for everyone

If we can hate without knowing someone, we can love for the same reason.

Hey! This is a great question. Before addressing the actual question, let me clear up some misconceptions.

It is absolutely fine to call animals that are hermaphrodites that word (as of currently--there are intersex people who disagree with this, but I have no problem with it, but I am just one person). It is a scientific word. It is the correct word to use. But intersex and hermaphrodite scientifically mean something different as well. Snails and many many other animals are hermaphrodites and still called that.

Generally speaking, the term hermaphrodite in science refers to an animal that can produce both male and female gametes, i.e., sperm and ova/egg. An animal that is a hermaphrodite evolved to be a hermaphrodite. Their reproductive cycles are based around members of their species being hermaphrodites. But there's many different types of hermaphrodites in animals. Not all have both genitalia at once and not all have more than one genitalia at once and not all members of that species are hermaphrodites.

The term intersex is used specifically for humans or for animals that are typically male/female and have variations outside of the "expected" for their specific species. So, for example, female hyenas, which all have a pseudopenis/phallus created from their very large clitoris, as well as high testosterone, are NOT intersex because it is expected and how all females of their species are. It is how they evolved to exist and reproduce. A female lion that develops a mane, high testosterone, and exhibits other male traits IS intersex because their species does not typically or often have that variance.

If a human has ovotestes (singular is ovotestis), this was and sometimes still is referred to as either psuedo hermaphroditism (this usually refers to cases where the person doesn't have ovotestes though) or true hermaphroditism or ovotesticular disorder of sexual development (none of these are very politically correct terms, but the last is most common medically—I would avoid them). Even though (as far as I know) all/most hermaphroditic animals have ovotestes/both ovular and testicular tissue, which is possible in humans but it is INCREDIBLY rare, as in like, under 1,000 documented cases iirc, they must have male and female gametes like I said.

Humans most likely cannot have both male and female gametes. This isn't really possible. There are no documented cases of a human with ova and sperm. It is theoretically hypothetically possible but it has never happened as far as we know. Like... Maybe it could happen? And there's been billions of people, so who knows! But then in that case, one person who has both gametes would not be the thing that determines what intersex people are called.

But let's pretend that if someone has a penis and vulva/vagina or genitalia that look like that, it makes them a scientific hermaphrodite. (It doesn't, but we're pretending.) The problem with THAT is that it's then incredibly misleading and exclusionary to refer to intersex people all as hermaphrodites because that is only one of the ways someone may be intersex. Intersex is a HUGE spectrum. Most intersex people do not have "both" genitalia!

I think I've covered all I need to say in that regards, I'll edit if I have more to stay and if I'm wrong on anything please correct me.

It's kind of hard to answer why it's a slur, in my opinion, yet also really easy. It's a slur because it's used as one. All slurs are slurs because they're used as one. Any slur has a history of being used offensively and became a slur because it was used with the intention of offense, oppression, derision, etc. At the end of the day, all slurs are technically just sounds, and many of them as a word out of context aren't necessarily derogatory at all. But the word is a slur because it is used as one. The word/phrase "retard"/"retarded" used to be a legitimate medical diagnosis. (Was it ever a good one? No. But it was the language they had/used at the time.) It became a slur because people used it in a derogatory manner and used it to oppress and belittle people with autism, intellectual, and certain cognitive/developmental disabilities. Gay was (and can be still!) a slur. Why? Because it was used as one. Even if gay "meant" by definition happy or such, it was a slur when used towards people because people used it with the intention of it being a slur. Hermaphrodite is a slur because it is: inaccurate, often used to fetishize, misleading, medically and socially outdated, used with intention to belittle, used to oppress, and has offensive connotations. The term hermaphrodite used to describe humans at all came from Victorian doctors who were the ones that used the terms true hermaphrodite and male or female pseudohermaphrodite without any basis on the actual physiological and genetic structures of these individuals and rather to categorize them exclusively based on how they thought their genitalia looked (which told them and tells us nothing about how their body actually varies other than it looks like XYZ). It was and always has been used in stigmatizing, inaccurate, medicalizing manners.

anyway questioning self dx schizospec culture is wondering why there seems to be a stereotype of schizo (is that a slur I really hope it's not I'm so sorry if it is lmk y'all) people scribbling wildly in their notebooks drawing something crazy and then I get into a corner while everyone in the social area isn't interested in what I'm doing and I start scribbling wildly in my notebook drawing something crazy in the corner

on a similar note does anyone else really love drawing eyes?

I know of a few different schizospec blogs on here which may be helpful for you to investigate

@schizospec-culture-is

@schizosupport

@psychosispsositivity

There's also the Schizo-spectrum Community on here

Other than that, I don't really know any schizospec resources

Also, you'll get different answers on if schizo is a slur. My personal view is that schizospec people can use it for themselves if they want, and I don't see your usage here as being disrespectful :)

Yeah of course! It's not a very long story but we love telling people so tysm for the ask!!! /gen

For the main system (the Soulless System), we came up with the name because most of us are alterhuman and Demonic sort of beings, so we thought the term "Soulless" fit the best (even for some of our more human alters). We did consider calling ourselves the Demonic system but ended up not really liking that name over time, so instead of going by both, we now just go by the Soulless System.

For the sidesystem (The Midnight Collective) we aren't like, fully sure on why they chose that name but we have a few theories that are listed below

They live on a moon in the innerworld, so it's always dark and (I would think) looks like it's midnight.

Most of them look somewhat like they are part of the galaxy and you can see the most stars and planets when it's darkest (at least where we're at)

it's because i love cannibalism 🫶 it's my birthday i think i should get a little human flesh as a treat

how do I know if I'm just a nonconforming [insert single dynamic including the territary (I know I spelled that wrong) ones here] or if I'm dynamiqueer in some way that isn't just dynamic-non-conforming???

if you can't help please try to point me to someone who can who's also half active thank you!!!!!!!

we love you blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you feel you identify as an omega and that dynamic fits the best and is most identifying to you BUT you don’t necessarily conform to the expectations of what an omega is, then that is probably nonconforming (help from myers :3)