icecoldredfever:

      “Seems stupid t’ make a fuss over somethin’ so simple.. Guess that call it an old way of thinkin’. Which I guess is alright, so long as yer not closin’ yer mind to other shit.” Ivar took a longer puff of his cigarette and thought for a moment to himself. He knew a lot of people who preferred to use old thinking.. His brother was one of those people that had a hard time with new lingo and concepts, mostly because he locked himself away for days, weeks even months at a time. But even that man could open his mind to shit like this.. hell, he was with Saima, wasn’t he? He called them by they pronouns, and he damned well took the time to get to know the shit.. Because he seemed to love Saima, and this was important to them.

      “Waldo’s a good example of that shit.. The man loves how things use t’ be, but he learns as shit changes.. He also values peoples feelings and shit too, tho.. Maybe tha’s the difference.”

“Right, there’s nothing wrong with maintaining some of the older things one is used to. But if you close yourself off to new ways, it’s not only harmful to yourself but to society at large which is going to keep on changing regardless of whether one likes it or not. “ While Saima always had an attachment to some older traditions that helped them feel connected, it was still important for them to be able to adjust and bring whatever new changes fits them best.

“He is a great example of thhat. I think that is very much the difference. When you value people’s feelings and all that – it makes sense to be willing to change to accommodate them.“

icecoldredfever:

      “S’ppose tha’s true.” Ivar nodded in agreement as he continued to smoke his cigarette and think about the whole thing. “Heard of lots of kids, people in general tha’ struggle with it in lots of different places. Shitty.. Real shitty.”

“It’s so true because somehow people are so..unwilling and unable to let people just exist in peace. Like it’s not that hard if you’d stop making obstacles for everybody who isn’t the obvious prototype that you usually design for. Bu nooo, people would rather make a fuss and make things harder for everyone. It’s not surprising but it’s certainly something I’ve lost patience with.”

icecoldredfever:

      “Right! Smart people those humans are. Ah, I’m sure ya knew, but Swedish has a neutral pronoun. I’m sure Waldo’s used it around ya. S’ only been gettin’ popular in the last seven or so years, but it’s been around a lot longer. Jus’ unofficially.” Ivar said as he turned his head to exhale that smoke away from his friend, he didn’t wish to invade their personal space with smoke, at least not if he could try and help it. “I mean, I don’ really identify personally with this stuff, but seems silly not t’ open yer mind t’ something that isn’t harmful.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. Pretty sure Waldo has used it to describe me a number of times. It’s interesting how people have been creating more language to describe things more accurately.”They idly ran their hand through a few strands of their hair, playing with it as a picked up habit. “It is pretty silly not to be open to this stuff – which is why I often get so annoyed when I see people joke about it like it’s not important. Like finding these terms helps people stay alive in the midst of everything else, mocking them for finding themselves is just rude as all get out.“

“I know, I’m a total sweetheart once I get to like someone. Hah~. Waldo likes ya a whole lot, and turns out so do I. Yer opinion matters to me, ya know. And ya got balls. Figure of speech, not tryin’ to take a stab at yer gender, but ‘that’ shit takes guts. Ya are bein’ yerself, it’s no wonder people are drawn to ya, darlin’.”

“Hah. I’m glad that I’ve made a good impression on you too. You’re definitely a cool sort.” Saima can’t resist the smile that appears on their face. “I do appreciate that credit for sure. It’s been interesting and sometimes scary but it’s been worthwhile – best decision that I’ve made in a long time. I can actually be the self that feels right, for once. ”