Don't get it twisted! Age of consent is important. It's one roadblock, (however flimsy), that keep creeps away from kids. But there are problems here. I'm not going to pretend to know how to fix these problems. But that won't stop me from complaining about them!
Here's my first issue. Why 18? Well, I know why. But it's dumb. More on that in a bit.. But first, the age of consent is foggy at best. It's generally understood as being 18, but some states throughout the US consider 16 or 17 to be an appropriate age. It gets even foggier; some states allow under-age sex so long as the age gap between parties does not exceed a specified amount. Some states even have a "restricted by authority" rule, where a younger person can consent with an older person only if that older person is not an authority figure over that younger person. Foggy, right?
Wanna feel icky? In the 1800s, the age of consent used to be between 10 and 12. Delaware was an exception. Theirs was 7. Even ickier, age of consent only applied to underage female partners. It wasn't until 2015 that underage males were considered covered by this protection. Boys can be victims too, but not according to the law 12 years ago...
So, where did this arbitrary "18" come from? I'll be honest, I'm not able to site any sources on this. So, consider it speculation. 18 has been the age you're allowed to register for the military in the US for quite some time. And, (a little current event tidbit), as of December 2026, any male citizen between the age of 18 and 26 will be required to register with the Selective Service System (SSS), which would put them in a system to be drafted if needed. So, 18 is the age you get to die for your country.
Now, 21 is the current drinking age in the US. But it wasn't always. At one point, of course during a draft, there was anger amongst citizens claiming it's not fair they are old enough to die for their country, yet not old enough to do some drinking about it! A fair argument, and so the drinking age was lowered to 18 for a brief point in history. So, you have conscription age, (the age you can be drafted) and the drinking age both at 18. Well now, doesn't that sound like you officially defined what it takes to be an adult? All we're missing, obviously, is sex! So, (in my opinion, again I have no sources), the age of consent naturally falls into place: 18.
Do we want to get into the brain chemistry of an 18 year old? I guess briefly... Long story short, there are plenty of studies to prove that your brain is not fully developed until you're in your mid 20s. Lets be honest, some people are still developing well into their 40s and 50s! I kid, I kid.... Kind of. But, having sex is kind of a big deal, whether you want to admit it or not. There are risks involved like disease, pregnancy, injury... And at 18, is anyone really making good, logical decisions? Probably not.
My point here is not to argue that the age of consent should be incresed. I have no idea if it should be or not. I have no idea how we keep people safe. What I am here for is to explain to you how arbitrary and predatory it is. "Predatory?" I hear you say... Yes, Predatory, with a capital P. Let me explain. Think about any time you hear the age of consent brough up in the news or in media. In (not-so) recent news, let's use Bhad Bhabie as an example. You know, the "cash me ouside, how bou dat!" girl. The Dr. Phil guest turned rapper turned OnlyFans model. She went viral well before she was 18, people knew who she was. She was 13 when she was on Dr. Phil. She turned 18 in 2021, and she posted on her Instagram that she'd make an OnlyFans account the moment she was legally allowed to do so. If there was a door, there would have been a line wrapping around the block of men WAITING for the moment they could look at naked pictures of this girl. If you can't wait for someone to turn 18, the only thing holding you back from being a pedophile is a little law. And that's predatory!
Another point I want you to consider is this: the legal age to drink allows you to legally purchase and consume alcohol. The legal age to smoke allows you to legally purchase and smoke tobacco or marijuana. There's a legal age to drive, a legal age to rent a car, a legal age to gamble. What do all of these have in common? YOU get in trouble if you're underage. YOU aren't allowed to drink or drive or gamble until you turn a certain age. But age of consent? It's not about you. It's not about minors. It's about everyone else. It's the age that your body literally becomes legal, (of course, given your consent), for someone else to benefit from.
Maybe the issue is, we just need to reframe the "age of consent". People have it twisted. It's often talked about as if it's the age the young person is allowed to have sex. No, no, no. It's to PROTECT minors from abuse. Children have a harder time understanding what is right and what is wrong, and even what they want and what they don't want. So, we made a law barring adults from taking advantage. A noble thing to do, but we slapped on an age that this protection expires. The very second you turn 18, the law assumes you know how to consent on your own. And smart pretators will always be lurking in the shadows.
Weird topic today, I suppose.. I was watching a video essay on YouTube about Woody Allen, (you can watch it here), and something just clicked for me. And, if you know anything about me, you know I have to take off on a full on sprint when I have an epiphany moment! The epiphany was: turning 18 is not for you, it's for society. And that made me sick. Anyway, thanks for coming to my ramblings. You know where to find me.
Adios
Happy Easter!... or something. If you know me, you already know I'm not the biggest fan of holidays. This year's holidays are especially difficult, and today I'm sat in a hotel room a half hour away from home getting ready for brunch with strangers. So, before I head down to my fancy hotel buffet, I figured I'd tell you a little about my trip and why I'm here instead of home with my family.
First, the why:
I'm sad. I'm angry. I'm disappointed. Just like so many Americans, I was absolutely destroyed the morning of November 6th, 2024. Election night, I couldn't sleep. My stomach was in knots, my head was filled with everything that could go right and everything that could go wrong. I was obsessively checking my phone every 10 minutes, hoping to see blue taking the lead. I fell asleep around 5 that morning, and when I awoke around 6:30, my worst nightmare had come true.
Let me get this out of the way now. Yes, this is political, and yes I am a liberal. It's another post for another day, but I'm no longer shrinking who I am to make others comfortable. If this part of me makes you uncomfortable, then, with all the love and respect in the world, maybe we're not meant to be in each other's lives.
Anyway.. November 6th broke me. I knew this would be bad, and I just hoped we'd get through the next 4 years at the minimum without going to war. My dad saw me that morning, after I had called out for work, and treated me like I was overreacting. "It won't be as bad as you think," he said. "It never matters who wins, they're all the same." Are they? After the year we've had, who can believe that anymore? I, defeatedly, tell him "I told you so" when the opportunity presents itself. He accepts it. He at least didn't vote for this. He almost voted for Trump until I talked with him about why there is a right and wrong answer, and then he almost voted for Harris! I convinced him a little too early in the season, however, because by the time November 5th came around, the media he consumes confused him and he didn't know what to do. So, he went into the polling booth and didn't vote for either candidate.
My mother, on the other hand, had made it sound like she did the same. They both have been known to, in the past, write in someone like Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse. I was under the assumption this is what she did this year. I could at least rest easy knowing my parents didn't do this to me. Yes, to me. I am a mixed race hispanic LGBTQ child-free femme woman. Everything our current president stands for makes someone like me look like an enemy of the state. Turns out, I guess my mother didn't care how this would affect me personally. I found out about 2 months ago that she did, in fact, vote for him. I had made a comment after seeing something on the news, "You have to be a special kind of stupid to have voted for him." She turns to me and asks, "Am I stupid?" And here I am, confused. She didn't, she said she didn't.. did she? Hoping it was a joke, I said, "Well, if you voted for him, yes."
A few weeks later, I was at the kitchen table with her when she mentioned Easter. I jokingly said I was busy that day; I didn't want to sit at a table surrounded almost entirely by Trump voters. Her cousins, my aunt, my sister and her husband and his mom. And here is where the truth came out. "I'm pretty sure everyone at that table voted for him." Wrong: My dad didn't. That's besides the point... the point is she did. And my heart broke. I told her how many people have died because of her vote. We're at war because of her vote. Families are being ripped apart because of her vote. I wanted to hear her accept that she made the wrong choice. All she had to say was, "My religion believes in pro-life. I had to vote for him."
I'm not here to argue politics, but if you have half a brain you'd know that women die when abortion rights are taken away. Women go to jail for having miscarriages when abortion rights are taken away. Pro-life is and will always be anti-women. And as a woman, I detest this. It's one of many reasons I left the church, (again.. a story for another day).
So, I took a long look at my situation. I just started a new job, (less pay but I work from home), I was disappointed in my entire family, and I was itching to travel. Initially, before I started my job, I had reached out to a friend in [redacted] to see if I could fit into his family's Easter plans. After I got hired, I realized I wouldn't be able to take enough time off to make that trip make sense.. so I looked into other options. I remembered an Inn we used to pass by every time we visited the town [redacted]. It was only about a half hour drive from me, the prices weren't INSANE, and it's a town I've known and loved since I was a kid. Let's just say, my "mixed race hispanic LGBTQ child-free femme woman" ass fits right into this town. I put it off, though. I was scared of disappointing my family. I only solidified my decision 6 days ago! I needed a push from some friends, one being the most incredible woman in my life. She even found out there was a Pride Pageant happening in town this weekend for me! Of course, that did it. I booked my stay at the Inn and bought my Pride ticket, and told my family I was gonna hang out with the Gays and the Theys instead of my Trump-voting Catholic family. Yes, my mom was initially upset. Yes, she probably wishes I didn't leave. No, she didn't try to stop me.
So.. How's my weekend so far?
Well, I have to admit, I was so nervous yesterday. I've travelled alone before, and travelled a lot farther than just 30 minutes away. But, this was my first time doing something in protest while also attending a Pride event.. ALONE. What if I stand out? What if I'm not accepted? What if I offend someone? I was stuck between wanting to socialize before the event and wanting to throw myself into the river to avoid awkward social interactions. So, I left the house an hour later than I wanted, got stuck in traffic in town, (very normal for this town), and spent too much time lounging around in my hotel room. The theatre was only about a 15 minute walk from the Inn, but in regular Snap fashion, I started walking with only 15 minutes before the show started!
Thank goodness I'm a fast walker. I was dodging and weaving pedestrians and bicyclists like it was my duty to America! I had planned on wearing my fabulous heeled combat boots to the show, but opted for my regular Doc Martens instead, (I am known to be smart occasionally). Okay okay, here's what I wore: the Doc Martens, a black midi-length pencil skirt with a slit on my left leg up to my upper thigh, a black lace "lengerie" bodysuit, and a red checkered button-up that I tied in front at my waist and left open enough to see my entire sternum. To accent my incredibly low neckline, I stacked 3 necklaces, one of which hung so low you almost couldn't see it. Almost. Adorned with the usual rings, bracelets, and hoop earrings, I felt like I was somewhere in the range of appropriate for a drag event, but inappropriate for most other things. And I was happy. I felt like a rockstar.
I had plenty of time to get seated. I got there with 5 minutes to spare, (short legs never held me back), and the host was running late anyway. It started about 15 minutes late, so I attempted to mingle with my seat buddies. I was in the aisle, and the wife sat next to me on my left. Immediately after sitting down, she looked over at a group of people and.. well.. flipped them off! I laughed and said, "I really hope you know them!" She joked and responded with, "nah, just some people that pissed me off earlier."
She kept getting up to go socialize with like the 5 groups of people she knew. I didn't mind, she was having fun and I chose the aisle so I knew I'd be getting up all night. Her husband told me their daughter works at the theatre! There's a restaurant and bar attached, and it sounds like she's a waitress. He said he's never been to a drag show, but he loves coming to see Rocky Horror Picture Show every year.
I couldn't tell how they felt about the show. It's drag.. it's either for you or it's not. And just like every other art form, that's okay! They did laugh and clap and took a few pictures, but they also disappeared after intermission.. so who knows!
I, however, had an incredible time. I'm actually tearing up as I type this. Live performances in general always make me emotional, (I'm a cancer sun pisces moon, what do you expect), but this show was especially moving. I mean, it was fun as hell!! But, in this current political climate, drag is a strong and even dangerous political statement. That sentiment was clear throughout the show. I knew I shouldn't have done such elaborate makeup, I wiped it all off from crying by the time the show was over!! There were performances of For Good from Wicked, Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, Get Down from SIX the Musical. The host made all kinds of jokes about the Noem family, No Kings protests, gas prices.. it was all beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking at the same time. This community isn't broken, it would take a lot to break it. But it's hurting.. it's wounded.. and despite it's strength, it's scared.
I learned at this show that drag is banned in Ohio... I don't know if they realize this, (they don't), but you can keep your kids away from drag shows. You can just not go to drag shows and you won't see them! It really is that easy. Passing legislation BANNING it is just doing too much. I'm still holding out hope that we'll heal this country and bring back love and acceptance. Until then.. Ohio doesn't get to have any fun, dammit!
I finished off the night by walking back in the dark, phone dead, (just in time for me to not get the best picture of the theatre all lit up at night), across the river, and into the lobby of the Inn. I purchased a bottle of wine, took it up to my room, and drank 2 glasses before tucking in. Chateau d'Esclans "Whispering Angel" Rose, in case you're wondering. They only sold it as a half bottle, and yes, it was overpriced. No, I do not care :3
This Inn is exactly what I needed in my life. The keys are actual keys, hanging behind the counter like they used to be before keycards. The Continental Breakfast here makes me feel so luxurious: you fill out a little card and hang it on your doorknob. You specify what time you'd like your breakfast, (mostly just pastries and beverages, a few more items for an additional charge), and in the morning you can just wake up and open your door to find a tray of food waiting for you! I had tea with milk, cranberry juice, a croissant, and a slice of coffee cake. The croissant was THE BEST croissant I've ever had, it's not even a close race.
I'm writing now a few hours later. I had a brunch reservation at the restaurant on site at 10:45, and had planned to walk through town a bit after. Brunch was wonderful! I wish I had chosen something a bit more exciting to eat, but I have to say, my eggs benedict was probably the best eggs benedict I've had. The eggs were perfectly poached, and the hollandaise sauce was plentiful and delicious. Ugh, do I sound like a food critic? That's not what this is about. But it's important! Anyway.. I had 2 mimosas, the only way to get a little tipsy before noon without raising eyebrows, and the staff was sooo nice! Maybe another story for another day, but I've noticed people are exceptionally kind at restaurants when I'm dining alone. Maybe they do think I'm a food critic! Side note: I'd make a terrible food critic.. Unless it's inedible, I'll probably tell you it was the best meal I've ever had!
Of course, as I'm finishing up my last bites and waiting on my second mimosa, it started to pour. Now, don't get it twisted, I LOVE the rain. The harder, the better. Throw in some thunder and lightning, and you've got yourselves one happy lil Snap :3 Unfortunately, one thing I do not care for is wet socks.. and the canvas sneakers I wore to brunch were not going to do much of anything to protect me from the rain. So, I took the longer path back to the Inn just to get a little rain action, but went right up to my room, threw my clothes off, and jumped into a nice, warm bath.
It is now 1:45 in the afternoon, and I'm not sure what the rest of my day will look like.. Maybe I'll chance walking around town, maybe I'll curl up in bed and work on my crochet project, or maybe I'll keep sitting here at the desk and play a little Minecraft. Whatever the day looks like, I know it's all on my terms. And that brings me at least a tiny bit of happiness in these.. uh.. "difficult" times. Yeah.
Thanks again for reading, and if you've read this far, let me know! If you're here, you probably know where to find me, and if you don't then I'll leave it up to you to find :3 Whoever you are, know that I love you and I care about you. After all, we're all just humans trying to do our best in a world that's trying to tear us apart.
Adios
I've been thinking a lot about dreams recently, maybe because I've been having some strange dreams again. I should put a dream journal somewhere on this site!! If you read this post and you'd be interested in reading through my dreams, let me know on Discord!
Anyway.. dreams. My dreams vary, as most people's do I assume. But I guess I do have themes. When I was young, I had recurring dreams about wolves, large dogs and dinosaurs. As I got older, it was a lot of school related dreams, like forgetting to memorize lines in a play that I'm performing RIGHT NOW, or having to go to the bathroom, but the stalls were in the classroom and everyone was watching me poop. These dreams have evolved as I've aged, and I still have nightmares about all of these! But there's been a new theme in my adulthood that definitely has me a bit spooked.
Enter: Satanic themes. Yes, you heard me. Satanic. As in the devil. As in hell incarnate. I'm not religious necesarrily, (that's a post for another day, maybe), but I can't help but think about why I have these dreams. Am I cursed? Am I being haunted? Did I let the devil into my life accidentally? No idea.. and jury's out on if I'm more scared or more intrigued by this.
If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I am very interested in the human experience, specifically, individual experiences, ie: I am a self-certified people watcher. I love seeing how different people react with the world around them, and absolutely adore digging into the WHY behind everything. So, as I am now presented with my own little personal psyche mystery, I can't help but get a little excited at the prospect of digging into what is going on inside my noggin.
I'll save the gritty details for a dream journal one day, but I'll give some examples of these demonic dreams:
- Red-eyed goat in the middle of my bedroom right after all my lightbulbs burst
- Bedroom window looking out to a foggy void with bodies hanging in red sacks from chains you can't see the end of
- A very sensual dance/photoshoot with a red-skinned man with large horns while topless
- Being grabbed from being by a spirit as I climb the stairs of an unfamiliar house I know in my soul is severely haunted
And okay, yes, I do enjoy the "horror" genre. Movies, anime, video games, I love the adrenaline from a good spook! Halloween happens to be my favorite holiday, I collect cool bones I find in the woods, and I do dabble in the occasional occult practices. I have a natural gift for Tarot reading, and I'll leave that for another post as well. I also plan to add a "Card of the Week" on the homepage once I figure out how :3
One could argue that I've let this energy into my life. And one may be right to argue that! If you follow me on Twitch, you'd know that I'm currently playing through Resident Evil: Requiem. An incredible game, btw, HIGHLY recommend if you're into that sort of thing. Maybe my dreams are a reflection of what media I've allowed my mind to consume. It's a fair argument, of course.
Then, there's the spiritual argument. A religious argument, if you're my sister.. I "left" the Catholic church and no longer consider myself a Catholic, or a Christian for that matter. My sister had rejected the church briefly, as well, but has since gone back to the church. You'll hear no judgements from me; I am a firm believer in people being allowed to make their own decisions. We are, after all, all on different journeys. But, knowing that I've rejected the church, hearing about my demon-coded dreams sends up red flags for her. And I understand why. All she sees is someone who does not believe in the teachings the way the church expects, and that same person seems to be dealing with a demonic presence.
My sister, probably: 
The first time I told her about a demonic dream I had, she tried to blame it on my fascination with witchcraft and the occult. A fair assumption if you think that lighting candles and incense, playing with herbs and gems, and reading Tarot cards can open a doorway into the underworld. Can it? I don't know, maaaybe..? My belief in these things don't necessarily go THAT far. But, hey, it's just one of those things that you believe or disbelieve based on vibes instead of facts. And that's okay! Again, this is a discussion for another day :3
Of course, we can't forget to talk about symbolism within dreams. This is something I tend to believe way more than being harassed by a being of the underworld, (though I'm still not ruling that one out). I don't pretend to be an expert by any means in the realm of psychology, but, at the risk of sounding egotistical, I do like to think my pattern recognition skills, (thanks childhood trauma), are decent enough to catch onto certain matters of the mind. Dream symbolism has always intrigued me. And I know it can be applied here.
So, after all of that, what do my dreams tell me? Well, for one, I have a lot of anxiety. Around what exactly, I'm not sure. I wish I could tell you what was going on in my life when I had specific dreams. I'm sure some were relationship related, (another case of trauma :3), some were work related, some were even family related. Heck, maybe some were religion related as well! A sense of dread always accompanies these dreams, so we could assume that I've got some anxiety related to my future. I try to live my life as a here-and-now kind of girlie, but I am known to have occasional bouts of existential dread. Life is hard, and it will only continue to get harder. So, as I've aged, my dreams have gotten darker. Scarier.
Maybe this conversation is better suited for a therapist's office rather than a blog, but sometimes typing into the void is just enough therapy to get me through the weekend. If you've made it this far, let me know! If you haven't, let me know, too (you dirty liar :3). Feel free to share some of your crazy dreams you've had; I'll even analyze it without having any of the credentials to do so! Thanks again for taking time out of your busy day to experience a little slice of what's going on in my lil brain.
Adios
My first blog post! I'll be honest, I've ALWAYS wanted to blog, but never had the real drive to do it. What do I even talk about? I'm considering this more like a public journal, I suppose. A place to put all my ramblings into the world. Not that the world asked for it...
I can't tell you how long it took me to figure out how to make this collapsible box!! I knew what I wanted to add here, but couldn't figure out the code on my own. Am I ashamed to admit I copy/pasted the code? Not at all! I learned something in doing so (even if that something was miniscule). I was stuck all day on how to get this to work! You'll see in my next blog post, which will show up above this one. I needed to be able to click on one to open it, but push the one beneath it down so it's out of the way. It'll make more sense when you see it.
I've been learning a lot by putting this site together. I had the HARDEST time understanding what a div tag was meant to do. It's been explained to me a hundred times, but I'm the kind of person that needs to DO something to understand it. These dumb blog buttons finally got div tags to click for me!
Hey, if you took time out of your day to read this, let me know! I have a feeling no one will, and this is just going straight into the void. That's okay with me! It wouldn't bother me any if not a single person came across this. I'm having fun and learning, and that's the only point to all of this, isn't it? BUT if you decided to find me in this little void, shoot me a message on Discord or something :3
Adios
