Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   tinydoctor (tinydoctor@mstdn.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Feb-2026 01:21:28 JST tinydoctor

   in reply to

   I lived a large part of my life BTI (before the Internet), so I’ve had and have parasocial relationships with writers, particularly poets. I feel on intense, intimate terms with their work but that exists entirely and only in my mind. But I’d wear a Charles Simic or Sylvia Plath jersey, if poets had jerseys. Some people online I enjoy but not with quite the fervor I feel for writers and artists some of whom have been dead 100s of years, I have relationships with them. One way.

   • Embed this notice
     Zelda 🎀 (thezeldazone@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Feb-2026 01:21:29 JST Zelda 🎀

     in reply to

     Speaking of sports, I have always found the "parasocial" discussion of YouTubers odd.

     Short of actually stalking a streamer, I have never seen parasocial relationships for even the most popular streamers that even come close to what is considered the "normal" amount of parasocial for a professional sports fan.

     I find it overblown, or more accurately, the extreme weirdness of pro sports is very much underblown.

     Nobody wears Markiplier T Shirts and burns down Philly after his streams.

   • Embed this notice
     Zelda 🎀 (thezeldazone@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Feb-2026 01:21:30 JST Zelda 🎀

     in reply to

     "Fairness in sports" is such weird nonsense, absolutely nobody watches professional sports for how "fair" they are.

     Professional sports is a bunch of rich genetic anomalies more or less raised from birth who generally have brutal burnout rates and severe medical complications by midlife.

     It is actually really fucking weird.

   • Embed this notice
     Zelda 🎀 (thezeldazone@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Feb-2026 01:21:30 JST Zelda 🎀

     in reply to

     I would argue the closest thing to a "fair" sport is speedrunning, a sector that does not seem to struggle with its high trans participation rate.

   • Embed this notice
     Zelda 🎀 (thezeldazone@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Feb-2026 01:21:31 JST Zelda 🎀

     Everyone wishing to complain about #trans people in sports should have to beat Shaq 1 on 1 in basketball first.

     Since sports are fair, that should be a 50/50 chance.