#Family lgbt archive stuff lol

[transfagcore]

My grandfather is gay, when I visit him I like to go through his photos to scan and preserve them. This is from somewhere in the 70s.

[elfwreck]

Hmm, okay. That didn't feel good to hear but you're being honest so fair enough. This one I'll be printing and saving in my journal for sure.

I've always had the sense that there's a more complicated history than I'm aware of. I'm working on Mark Thompson's Gay Spirit in the hopes of figuring that out. Otherwise the most I've really read on this stuff is from Christopher Isherwood's novels.

I sometimes talk to my first cousin, who is 50+ and the only other gay person in my family, but it's hard for us to find much in common. Most LGBT+ people and the culture as a whole is something that I have a hard time vibing with, and it tends to get on my nerves more than anything else. Which is why I tend to date more conservative gays.

You don't need to tell me that these are indications of some deeper personal insecurity, though. I know, lol. Knowing and feeling are two different things.

Anyway thanks for letting me pester you. You've been very considerate in taking time to share your thoughts and I genuinely do appreciate it.

I'm sorry it was unpleasant to read. Glad you found some value in it.

Feel free to ignore anything that seems like "err... that is... not actually my problem?" I'm not trying to diagnose you, just throwing around some ideas.

(Okay, the initial "seek counseling" might've sounded diagnosis-ish. But that was more "there are a dozen things that can bring up these kinds of thoughts, and all of them will cause you problems eventually" than any specific insight.)

The good news is: It's probably not just you; the whole gay community has Serious Issues! For many reasons!

The bad news is... well, that's not actually helpful in sorting out your own problems.

Thompson's work has strong Radical Faerie connections, which is the gay community I'm most familiar with. I have a good friend who helps run the Wolf Creek sanctuary sometimes. And I did the scanning & OCR work for the Nomenus Archives - the collection of documents involved in the effort to get them recognizes as a legal church. I did some of the archive work for the RadDish project, converting the newsletters to PDFs. (That one, I can't just hand out. But the Nomenus archives are shareable.)

And there's also a book: The Faggots and their Friends Between Revolutions.

Originally from 1977, long before the plague years. Posted with permission - one of the creators is deceased, but the other has given his blessing to distribute it.

(Book is NSFW. Is just line art, but there be nekkid peepul in there.)

[yoimeta]

Hi everyone! I noticed recently that the "KAZAKHSTAN 101 OR HOW TO OTABEK" post seems to have been taken off of tumblr? The author's whole blog seems to have been wiped. Do you know if this is archived anywhere? Is there a mirror, say, on Ao3?

Hello!

Thankfully, I managed to find what I believe is the original post. Here it is! The post is archived in plain text under the cut.

Hope this helps!

- Ji

Source: @sawyer-aik

KAZAKHSTAN 101 OR HOW TO OTABEK

THERE YOU GO YURI ON ICE FANDOM.

Disclaimer: this is in no way a fully comprehensive guide. This is just me trying to put together basics for people who are unfamiliar with Kazakhstan/Kazakhs to start their writing/research.

I am an ethnic Kazakh female, citizen of Kazakhstan, Almaty, bisexual, upper middle class, currently in college in the US. My experience is in no way representative of all kazakhs and Kazakhstan citizens. However, I think it’s pretty close to Otabek’s.

This is really, really long and kinda convoluted, but if you can bear it –– welcome!

Name: Many people have talked about Otabek’s name. This is how you shorten it –– “Bek”, “Beka”, or “Beks” if you wanna be really familiar and laid back.

Kazakhs don’t have middle names, we have patronymics. They are formed like this: the father’s name + ‘uly’ if the child is a boy or ‘kyzy’ is the child is a girl. For example, Otabek’s childrens’ patronymics would be Otabekuly and Otabekkyzy.

About Almaty and almatinians: Ok I’m so happy Otabek is from Almaty, I really don’t know much about life in other cities or rural areas. Almatinians rarely do. Comparing Almaty lifestyle to the rest of Kazakhstan is the same as comparing NYC to the rest of America –– it’s not representative of the quality of life in the country, like, at all.

Almaty has 2.5+ million population, and it grows every year. It’s a cultural and economic centre of the country. Apples originate from Almaty (!!!), hence the name from “Alma” –– apple. Almatinians are usually stereotyped as fast, brash and snobby –– kinda like New Yorkers, right? Almaty is much more tolerant and progressive, and also more ‘Western’ than the rest of the country in terms of mindset. Almatinians kinda look down on non-Almatinians, and really dislike the capital Astana because of all the funding and attention it gets.

Almaty has a great ethnic diversity –– main groups are Kazakhs, Russians, Uygur, Koreans, Germans, Jews, Uzbek, and many more. Though stereotypical jokes are generally acceptable, outright hate and discrimination against an ethnic group is not tolerated. Many foreigners visit here for business –– mostly Americans, Western Europeans and Chinese.

Almatinians love: coffeeshops, mall sales, cool cars (Hello Otabek’s motorcycle), smoking hukkah and vaping. They are usually concerned with status and try to show off their wealth. You can see people of all kind of different style and background in Almaty, fashion shows are held there, contemporary art and indie-music congregates there, along with all kinds of fancy ass crowd. It is a really interesting and kinda exhausting scene, especially if you are young and wanna have fun.

Language, culture, food, etc.

As an Almatinian Kazakh, Otabek is definitely fluent in both Russian and Kazakh, and probably has a very good grasp on English. He is a master of shala kazakh. Shala kazakh is a magic language that only city Kazakhs are privy to. It’s basically a wild mix of kazakh, russian and some fashionable english slang thrown in there. It’s usual for me to start a conversation with “OMG bro” and then kinda pull my speech together, substituting kazakh and russian words with each other and pepper it with “cool”, “ok” and other english exclamations. It’s not grammatically correct and is kinda lowbrow, but we all do it. Yes, even our parents. This is how Otabek sounds when he is talking to someone from home. Terrifying.

Nuclear family: City Kazakhs usually have two or three kids. That’s less than people have in rural areas. Children are important in Kazakh culture because they carry the family’s bloodline and history, especially boys. If you headcanon Otabek as having brothers and sisters, you are probably right! His family should be at least sort of wealthy to afford all the expenses of having a professional athlete for a child. Otabek has an expensive bike and his clothes look high-end –– he is definitely not poor.

Family in general. Kazakhs are close, VERY CLOSE to their family. Mind you, family is not just parents and siblings but also your grandparents, aunts and uncles and like all 173 cousins and nieces and nephews. Everyone is ridiculously involved in your life, always there with advice and complaints. You stay connected to your parents when you move out, when you get married, when you have kids, when you DIE. When Otabek misses the weekly skype dates or check-in phone calls, HE IS SHAMED SO HARD. Do you know grandma is worried about you, think about how old she is! Otabek’s relatives brag about his achievements like they moved him up the career ladder personally, with their own two hands. There’s nothing Otabek can really do about it tho he gets annoyed

Food: city Kazakhs have a very diverse cuisine. Traditional kazakh food is like 50% batter and 50% meat and takes long ass time to prepare so we reserve it for the holidays. My family loves fish, russian dishes such as borsht and blini, Uzbek lagman, Korean kimchi tho we try to avoid pork. And it’s not like we choose one day as a “Russian cuisine day”, we just kinda??? Deside to have some borsht today?? Almaty has lots of different restaurants, almatinians love sushi, pizza and pasta, shashlyk, all kinds of experimental foods and trying new things. Kumys –– mare’s milk –– is one of the things you should try in Kazakhstan as a turist, but I know many kazakhs who have never had it or don’t like it. They say it’s really good for you tho.

Holidays: ethnic Kazakhs in Kazakhstan celebrate: birthdays, New Years, Eid al-Adha which we call Kurban Bairam, Independence Day on December 16th and Nauryz on March 22nd. Young people kinda have get togethers on Halloween because it’s fun and a reason to hang out. Nauryz is one of my faves, it’s a pagan holiday of coming of spring and new life. On Nauryz, Almaty is adorned with flowers, yurts and giant swings are set on the city square, people wear traditional clothing and dance and play and eat a lot. My family also ended up celebrating Eastern Orthdox Christmas and Easter because each year our Russian friends invite us to hang out and celebrate with them, lol.

LGBTQIA+

Main principle is “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. General conflict avoidance protocols are in place. I personally know like 3 LGBT friendly hubs/clubs in Almaty. Nobody explicitly says “gay clubs” but people just kinda know what and where those are. There are get togethers and meetings you can attend to meet people, you can hang out with your significant other in public, hug, hold hands and no one would probably say anything. Colleges and universities are generally safe places, many of my friends are out in their college and don’t face any trouble. PDA will be frowned upon, but all PDA is generally frowned upon in Kazakhstan, even hetero. Feminist and sex-positive initiatives try to educate the populace and break the status quo, and are doing really well but the government’s disposition is homophobic. If your family is religious or traditional, they probably wouldn’t go as far as disowning you, but will probably pressure and guilt-trip you. LGBT+ youth generally plan to move somewhere else or just not settle. All of this is Almaty situation tho. Being LGBT in rural area is much more dangerous.

THE BEST PART: VOCABULARY

Ok this is what I find to be the easiest way to explain Kazakh to English speakers: think Turkish but written in cyrillic, with words borrowed from Arabic and Russian.

Endearments:

zhanym, жаным: my soul. Zhanym is everything to a Kazakh. You can use it for your family, friends, SO, I called my laptop zhanym today. It can be flirty, it can be serious. If you need Otabek to be affectionate with someone, use zhanym.

ainalaiyn, айналайын: really hard to translate but something like my precious?? Usually used towards small kids, but also if a Kazakh finds something really cute.

altynym, my golden baby. I love this one for obvious reasons, lol, hi, Otabek.

Mahabbatym, махаббатым, my love +

Suiktim, сүйіктім. my love, my dear. Kinda old fashioned but really romantic. I can see Otabek using this, but he will be teased and called an old sap if he does.

Kazakh have a lot more endearments, but most of them are for children.

Basic interaction and exclamations:

Iya. Ия. Yes.

Zhok. Жоқ. No

Rakhmet. Рахмет. Thank you.

Keshir. Кешір. Sorry.

Salem, Сәлем. Hello. A familiar greeting.

Sau bol, Сау бол. Literally “Be well” but actually means goodbye. Pretty familiar too.

O Kudai, О Құдай/O Allah, О Алла! Oh my god, obviously. Used in all kinds of different situations.

Oibai, Ойбай! How does one explain oibai. When a friend jump scares you, when you receive bad news, when you check your bank account –– oibai!

Abai bol, Абай бол. Be careful, is what your mom tells you when you go out.

Expletives and Swear Words. Yeeaaah the juicy stuff.

Zhyndy, Жынды. Crazy. If someone is being stupid or inappropriate, you call them zhyndy. When you tell a dumb joke at the familty table, mom smacks you upside the head and hisses “Ooooi, zhyndy!” When Jean-Jaques is acting a fool and makes out with his reflection, Otabek rolls his eyes and mutters “Zhyndy”.

Akymak. Ақымақ. Idiot. When someone is just dumb and not worth your time.

Ittin balasy. Иттің баласы. Child of a dog. It can be as harmless as “you pup” and as offensive as “son of a bitch” depending on the situation.

Kotindy kys. Көтіңді қыс. Squeeze you ass. God I love this one. When someone being an obnoxious wannabe, tell them they should squeeze their ass and check themselves.

Jean-Jaques: I am gonna be the King of the Grand Prix!

Otabek: Kotindy kys.

Shygasyn ba?! Шығасың ба?! You wanna go bro?! Ohh, someone is gonna catch these Kazakh fists.

Sigil. Сігіл. Basically go fuck yourself.

Sheshen ahmy/Sheshen sigem. Шешең амы/Шешең сігем. Your mother’s c*nt/Imma fuck your mother. REALLY FUCKING OFFENSIVE. Say this to a Kazakh if you have a death wish.

——————————————————————————————-

AND THEEEEEEERE YOU GO.

Again, this is just the basics. Do more research and talk to as many Kazakhs and Kazakhstani people as you can. We are a different but usually an interesting bunch. Thanks for your attention, Sawyer out!

[vampyrluver]

📄🍀🏳️‍🌈

im gna do this for my two hyperfixations rn tma and wizards of waverly place (lmao) i WOULD do troll hunters too but im not caught up (well neither am i in tma but shhhh)

📃 what is the plot of your hyperfixation? and is it a movie, game, show, etc?

TMA: its a podcast set up as an anthology series in which each you follow jon sims, an archivist at the magnus institute, where his job is to record statements given by ppl aboit "supernatural or paranomal happenings" nd stuff like that. each episode is a different statement and as the show goes on things start to get connected to a larger over arching plot that follows jon sims and his coworkers along with other characters who are in one way or another all connected to each other. its hard to explain fully but thats the gist of it, its a horror podcast and can be quite scary at times.

WIZARDS: wizards of waverly place follows alex, max and justin of the russo family who are all wizardsin in the procress of one day competing to become the family wizards. its mostly a comedy show its a disney channel show so its quite childish at times lmao but thats the main gist of it! its mostly just their magic hijinks nd stuff, very fun!! very nostalgic!

🏳‍🌈 do you have any headcanons (lgbt, race, neuro, etc) that are important to you?

TMA: i headcanon gerry as being aromantic nonbinary (mlm tho nd uses he/they/it) and michael shelly/distortion as being aroace nonbinary (nblm nd uses it/they), i also headcanon jon as at least partially black (i love dread locs jon...), i hc all gerry, michael nd jon as neurodivergent, i also rly rly like chronically ill gerry and jon, ik gerry canonically has cancer but i like to hc that he has issues prior to that nd its just me projecting but i like the mix of pots syndrome, gi issues, nd hypermobility issues, despite all that tho gerry is also still relatively strong (at least strong enough to beat a man half to death so either hes jacked or lienter is mega weak, u decide idc)

WIZARDS: i have less headcanons but i think harpers a lesbian, alex is bi, alex, justin nd max all are neurodivergent. im thinking justin is autistic, max has austim nd adhd nd alex has adhd, i also think harper is autistic as well!

🍀 do you have any kins or comfort characters from your hyperfixation?

TMA: tma spoilers ahead /// i kin....too many characters lol. Nikola, Gerry and Martin but i mostly kin Lonely martin (maybe web martin too if i would ya kno...catch up) , my biggest comfort character is michael distortion i sure love that man with all my heart i also have Gerry as a comfort character despite kinning him. i enjoy all of the archival staff a lot tho nd i love mike crew A LOT!! can i count certain entities as ccs too bc i love the vast and the end a lot

WIZARDS: NOT TO B CRINGE BUT wht if i said i kinned alex...

ANYWYAS i think rn the only ccs i have are justin nd masonBUT i dont rmemeber how mason was fully so that might change when i finish rewatching the show since its been a hot min lol

[umnachtung]

Pride Asks

taken from @in-love-with-a-trans-girl

1. Is your family accepting?

It’s a bit complicated I feel. I know they aren’t right out anti but there are some conservative or ignorant streaks. It’s kinda like a movie that came out in the 90s and the humor has aged poorly.

2. What is your sexuality?

Still figuring that out. I know it’s definitely not straight, lol. So far I am using demisexual occassionally.

3. What is your gender identity?

nonbinary goblin.

4. Favorite color?

teal, forest green, rusty red... lol many.

5. When did you find out your sexuality?

Well, I’m still figuring this out, but def around 2nd grade, where I got jealous of the guy trying to get with my best friend at the time? Never really was into any of the popular boys/girls in media either. Of Demisexual specifically I heard around uuuuh 2017?

6. What do you wish you could tell your past self?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or hide your pain.

7. Have you changed labels since realizing you were LGBT?

Not really. I am still figuring all this stuff out tbh.

8. How was your day?

Kinda just started, but so far so good.

9. Do you have any gay friends irl?

Jupp, Abelina, Leo and a few and far aquaintances.

10. What’s your favorite hobby?

Drawing, designing and sketching. Making cosplay and being in a theatre group. Also really like going to second hand shops and browse.

11. Who’s the best gay icon in your opinion?

I’m not really well versed with that stuff lol. Do Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune count as the ultimate butch femme ship???

12. Which pride flags do you like the most design/color wise?

I really like the Bi and Pan flags color-wise.

13. Do you wish you could change any pride flags?

I don’t think that’s any of my right, especially if I don’t identify as the label the pride flag is for. I’ll leave that up to the folks who use the labels of the corresponding flags.

14. Are you openly out?

Not really, I suppose. While not comforming to much any gender roles, I don’t really correct people who call me “miss” or assume I’m straight. Mostly because I am too tired or distracted to deal and social anxiety stuff.

15. Are you comfortable with yourself?

I like my face and hair, but there’s still a lot of dissaociation between my body and how I feel it should look.

16. Do you experience dysphoria?

Boy howdy get those tits out of there or so help me.

yes.

17. Bottom, top, or verse?

None of the internet’s business.

18. (Lesbians) are you femme, butch, or neither? (Bi girls) Doe, tomcat, stag, or none of the above?

None of those. I like to refer to myself as goblin.

19. Do you bind?

No. But I’m considering buying a binder. So far sportbras are my go to for flatter chest.

20. Do you shave?

Armpits most regularly. Legs sometimes.

21. If you could date anyone you wanted, who would it be?

A magic user who can help me archive apperance goals and also magic away messes so there’s more free time for the fun stuff in life.

22. Are you in a relationship?

Naw.

23. Describe your partner.

part of the future or a parallel universe.

24. Have you ever dated anyone of the same gender?

Nope. Hardly really dated ever.

25. Dated anyone of another gender?

Yeah. cis man when I was like 18. was weird. 

26. Tell me a random fact about yourself!

I used to be super into disney princesses and dresses as a kid. I’m currently rediscovering the joy of sparkly, cute and colorful stuff after  being a sad emo goth teen lmao.

27. Do you own any pride flags/merch?

I own a iron on patch of a HRT syringe by @iliothermia that I put on my jacket.

It also has another patch, with check boxes, labled “male, female, fuck you” and a disgruntled punk person on it.

28. Have you ever been to a pride parade?

Yes, to Christopher Street Day with @in-love-with-a-trans-girl :)

29. Any advice to someone who isn’t out or who is exploring themselves?

Don’t feel pressured to come out if it’s too dangerous for you or you are uncomfortable. Try out as many things as you want and search for allies and like minded folk so you don’t feel isolated. 

30. Pineapple on pizza?

I hate pinapples so, get that shit outta here.

[cupidable-moving]

hi and welcome to a masterlist of all my spotify playlists you will now be able to paychoanalyze me via my music tastes (also these are mostly rly long & even if i mention a list of artists there are still way more in that playlist than i say in my examples)

kpop i think my friends & family would be okay with blasting top volume - relatively ‘chill’ kpop like day6 songs, some ballads, & english tracks that sound like they would be on the radio in 2014 (best era of pop music imo..)

i understand now why i was bullied in middle school - songs from coldplay, mcr, onerepublic, a great big world, and random songs from the 40s! bops but i almost dont blame my bullies now

bop bop bop bop to the top gimme gimme shimmy shimmy - upbeat kpop w a pretty fast tempo like mr. e (rv), shine (ptg), & shoot out (mx)

just took some benedryl & im dozing but also .. Boppiiizzzzzzz....... - (mostly) kpop that i could easily fall asleep to but still bops, like hug (svt), nap of a star (txt), & lay it all on me (c&t)

CEASELESS WATCHER TURN YOUR GAZE UPON THIS WRETCHED THING - songs that sound like magnus archive statements bc they have cursed vibes; ft! artists like woodkid, cosmo shelldrake, & steam powered giraffe

every day.. i shake my tiddies in honor of monsta x - songs that go too hard for their own good, like most of mx’s title tracks, dreamcatcher, tbz, & skz

shes cryyying shes cryyying shes crying bcus of breeead - basically the WE GET IT! UR SAD! playlist, with groups like weki meki, exo, & lovelyz

feral. unhinged. music makes me feel nothing and everything at once. i am all of time and space. - music that has transcended the “noise music” label. so ofc nct, atz, skz, and more on this one

*walks up to barista* yes please can i get a medium illusion of happiness? - more upbeat songs but ones i listen to to instill a false hapiness in me! songs from tbz, twice, mx, & way more

when insurance doesnt cover therapy, just try kpop! free and works just as well! - similar to the last one, but these for when im crying and need to feel loved. with songs by monsta x, got7, shinee, & more (i think this is the longest one)

LOL that moment when all ur characters have the same trauma as u like OMG! where did that come from lmao!! - i made this for my dnd character but its mostly positive, yearning, & sad songs, like ones by carole&tuesday, ptg, mx, txt, & more

HEAD EMPTY THOUGHTS WOMEN - WOMEN

chuckles nervously ahaha im in danger - my halloween playlist!! theres some weird ones in there! mostly non-kpop, w songs from julee cruise (twin peaks), heilung, & wyte rabbit

what the fuck is happening - IDK?? like fave songs from niche stuff i like, like game soundtracks & musical episode of tv shows. its strange but overall it is a mood. ft songs like ones from anna and the apocalypse and the psych musical episode !

tfw ur bisexual and just want to date someone - BI ENERGY SONGS!!!!! these are songs either by lgbt+ artists (like haley kioko & freddie mercury) or songs that i personally get bi vibes from (like heart attack loona, or kiss me by sixpence non the richer). basically. i am just a bisexual.

[bunnyblooms]

OKAY FUCKER ALL THE QUESTIONS FROM THAT ASK MEME THE LGBT ONE

1. Identity and pronouns.

I'm agenderfluid and they/them pronouns. My sexuality is aroflux and asexual.

2. How did you discover your sexuality?

Pretty much at 14 was like "idk i don't relate to everyone else i don't find celebrities hot or sex remotely something i want. If i could reproduce without sex i would. Oh. I'll just call myself asexual, like a sponge!" (Which asexual is incidentally what the creators of Spongebob were going for, fun facts. Spongebob is ace rights.)

3. Have you experienced being misgendered? How do you overcome it?

Mmmm I am constantly misgendered bc I'm nonbinary and live in a binary society and the way I compartmentalize it is basically just dressing how I want and not making an attempt to pass as anything tbh. The only time I feel misgendered is when someone knows my pronouns and doesn't use them anymore tbh. So basically. Letting go of how I want to be perceived helped. I will say tho, I refuse to come out to my dad bc he won't respect it and it'll be more painful hearing him misgender me knowing how I identify, but. That's certainly a privilege I have since I'm not transitioning. (ATM at least.)

4. Who was the first person you told? How did they react?

I technically didn't come out as ace. My ex-best friend knew bc I talked about it, but neither of us knew it was an identity. So the transition upon finding the label was virtually nonexistent and all of my friends were LGBTQ as well so it wasn't stressful or shocking. It helps that around the time I discovered the label I'd met two friends who were ace and felt the same way I did. My experience with my asexuality is definitely the model that should be the norm with the community and what we as a society should aim for.

As for my gender I'd made comments in the past that I wished I could just be genderless and it really kind of sat with me when my ex-best friend came out as trans bc I was like "Oh? You don't have to be the gender you are at birth?" Belial from Angel Sanctuary was a character that resonated with me at the time, and this was right around the time I made my ace friends. It wasn't until a year later that I discovered the nb community and one friend who was genderfluid that I decided to start trying different pronouns. And basically I came out as questioning and transitioned to nb without a formal declaration, which I also feel should be the goal for society.

I was at a con with my best friend at the time who was trans and he'd come out with my now ex-best friend while they were dating. And I was really anxious bc I felt like ppl would assume I was a transtrender and shit, and my friend said something about gender and I kind of awkwadly implied I might not identify as female and he was really great about it! He was like "If you wanna talk about it or try different pronouns you can." :D

5. Describe what it was like coming out.

I pretty much did this im question 4 hehehe.

6. If you're out, how did ppl react?

I'm not out to family, that I know of. They found my facebook which has my identity listed in my about, so I'm in limbo with them where none of us talk about it so idk if they register it as an LGBTQ thing or not.

My friends were all supportive! It helps that I have like no cishet friends lmao.

I also came out to my class on TDOV two years ago for a project where we step outside our comfort zone. I'm luckily in the social work program which has social justive built into the tenants of the profession so it was pretty positive! People still misgendered me after and were more concerned with "but i'm scared of ppl getting angry at me what should i do to talk about this with them" which. 9__9 Not surprising. But there was a mom whose kid and her kid's partner are both genderfluid and bigender so it was a good experience and I had an ally which made me comfortable in sharing it in the first place.

7. What is one question you hate ppl asking about your sexuality?

Inevitably when I say I'm ace, non-aces assume I have no interest in dating which. Way to conflate being aroace with ace and ignore that there are aros and aces who want relationships. That's my biggest pet peeve.

8. Describe the style of clothing you often wear.

I wear flannels and ripped jeans or shorts mainly. I basically dress like a butch lesbian. I'll wear dresses and stuff but I do not like dressing femme and prefer to offset softer things with hard things. Like. When I wear dresses I have to wear clunky combat boots with them or have short hair or something.

9. Who are your favorite LGBTQ+ ships?

Hmmm. Depends if you mean canon or not. Canon, it's probably FigAyda from D20 and Catradora from She-ra. Shion/Nezumi from No.6 is also one of my faves. There's also Chie and Ai from Virgin's Empire. Blupjeans from The Adventure Zone and JonMartin from The Magnus Archives.

As for Not Confirmed ships, I like Flick/CJ from Animal Crossing, Tsuna/Enma from Katekyo Hitman Reborn, uhhh. Reigisa from Free!, Kanji/Naoto from Persona and Chihiro/whatever the fuck his name is Mondo? Or the other guy I forget, from Danganronpa. Also RenLaw, RenStrade, and VinceLaw+VinceFarz from BTD.

(I am including straight relationships involving trans ppl obv.)

10. What does makeup mean to you? Do you wear any?

I hate how I look with make up it makes me dysphoric. But to me makeup is a good expressive outlet and bomb as hell, so when I do wanna wear makeup, I prefer wearing eyeliner and lipstick (esp in black or blue or green or purple) and glitter.

11. Do you experience dysphoria? How does it affect you?

I experience what I refer to as Silhouette Dysphoria a lot. I experience chest dysphoria but a lot of times it's less about me having them at all and me not liking how I look with them. The same goes for my hips and overall shape. Hence silhouette. I also experience genital dysphoria to a lesser degree, and when I do it's less hating my genitals bc they should be different but more just having any at all. Luckily I was born with internal genitalia so I don't have to think about it as much. Social dysphoria I also experience, but I've talked about that already.

How I deal with it is binding and stuff.

12. What is the stupidest thing you've heard said about the LGBTQ+ community?

Hmm. The ppl who genuinely argue that accepting the community means you'll be forced to accept pedophilia or beastiality. Like. Lmao no?

13. Favorite thing about the community?

I just love how great it feels to be in it tbh. It can be so positive and loving and just genuinely make you feel good about yourself.

14. Least favorite thing about the community?

Exclusionists.

15. Have you ever been to your city's pride event?

No, but I went to Pride in Des Moines!!! IT WAS GREAT!

16. Favorite LGBTQ+ celebrity?

I don't really follow celebrities, but probably Ian McEllen and Tim Gunn.

17. Have you been in a relationship and how did you meet?

I was in a relationship for a while with a friend of mine and it was wonderful tbh. We met in a server and started talkng more, and started out as qpps then became partners and like we broke up, but I still enjoyed the experience and wouldn't go back in time and stop it from happening. My other qpp tho. That's something I would do lmao.

I also have a bf but that's a secret~

18. Favorite LGBTQ+ book.

I haven't read a lot of books, so I guess I have to say The Raven Cycle bc that's the only one I remember reading.

19. Have you ever faced discrimination?

Mmmm the only time I have experienced direct discrimination I was giving a friend valentines chocolate in high school and some kid called me a d*ke when i walked past him.

The other stuff is like. My therapist telling me to check for a hormone imbalance when I said I was asexual.

20. Favorite LGBTQ+ movie/show?

She-ra, "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything", The Runaways (the movie not the show), No. 6.

21. Favorite LGBTQ+ bloggers?

I don't have any lmao.

22. Which slur do you want to reclaim?

Queer, bc it's already been reclaimed and it fits me.

23. Have you ever gone to a gay bar or drag show? How was it?

Nope. Never, but it'd be fun!!

24. How do you idrntify your gender?

Already answered this lol.

25. Interested in having kids?

Nope. I'd be too scared of screwing them up.

26. What identity service would you give your younger self?

I wish I'd known there was an ace community before I was older tbh. So that, probably.

27. What do you think of gender roles in relationships?

I personally like playing a feminine role, but I also think gender roles are unecessary, so like. As long as I'm an equal I don't care what role I play lmao. If you wanna treat me like the handmaiden, as long as you're not doing it bc you see me as a woman I don't care.

28. Anything else you wanna share about your gender?

Nah. Just. I don't bother trying to pin it down anymore bc the more I analyze it the less I understand it.

29. Something you wish ppl knew about being LGBTQ+?

Hmmmm not really. It's fun outside of the systemic oppression?

30. Why are you proud to be LGBTQ+?

For me it's less about pride in being LGBTQ+ and more being proud to express myself authentically. 🤷

[comicteaparty]

September 21st-September 27th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from September 21st, 2019 to September 27th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

How would you describe the target audience for your comic?  Did you intend to aim at that audience, or did it just happen?

Deo101 (Millennium)

My target audience for millennium http://millennium.spiderforest.com/ was and is LGBT youth. Specifically teens. I know when I was a kid reading a story where gay people are just kind of... There? No jokes, no stereotypes, more than one... That would have helped me a lot. So I'm trying to make that for other kids! I think the story has reached a much wider/older audience then I intended, but I know it has helped at least some LGBT youth/young adults and that's all I could ever ask for.(edited)

spacerocketbunny

The target audience for Ghost Junk Sickness is definitely queer youth and young adults! Much like what @Deo101 (Millennium) is saying, basically we wanted something like the cool action scifi comics we read when we were younger with good queer rep that's integrated and normalized in the universe! As it turned out though, the audience we reached has been all over the place ranging from older women to big biker dudes?? Every time we go to cons we can never guess who'll purchase a book because the range is so varied! I'm sure we still reach the original target to an extent but the rest is all over the map it seems! I don't think it's a bad thing, it's just been pretty unexpected

Deo101 (Millennium)

Not bad at all ^^ more like a pleasant surprise!

spacerocketbunny

Exactly!

Deo101 (Millennium)

I think those other, older people are also looking for a story to reach their inner child... And I think that's great

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Lol, I feel the similarly way about my own story. My goal was definitely to make something me as a kiddo would have loved, which essentially would have been shonen stories but with a female majority cast. I think I already figured my target audience would be similar to me, but I've been consistently surprised by how many male identifying folks like it. I guess I do like that they can hang though X) Anyway, these are my floppy, post work out thoughts. Hopefully they make sense.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

The target audience for Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/) was never super clear from the beginning - I just wanted to make something I'd like as a teen. Luckily (or unluckily! in terms of describing it to people ) the story is a mishmash of a bunch of different genres. It's not quite a ghost story, not quite a pirate adventure, not quite a fantasy epic, but it has elements of them all. And it does seem to have attracted people who like those different genres. It may not be easy if I ever want to publish it properly (it's a little difficult to describe my 'brand' ) but as it is, it's got everything I would have liked when I was between 14 and 18.

My happiest surprise is hearing about the younger kids who have read it, understood it, and really enjoyed it. Knowing that 10-12 year olds can appreciate my work is really awesome. I try to keep the language and scary/questionable content at Harry Potter levels, but I like having some of the depth/maturity of stories like The Golden Compass. If they like Phantomarine now, I really hope they find extra enjoyment with it as they grow up. It's going to be a ride!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Gosh, I get that feel of being multi-genre and not knowing quite how to describe your Brand X') I feel like I've gotten better at defining it over time but it's still a struggle to briefly describe what my thing even is some days. Also Golden Compass I'm always excited to find other comic folks who were also influenced by that series.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

It's my gold standard for the right blend of fantasy, reality, and maturity. It's just the best

keii4ii

The target audience for Heart of Keol (https://heartofkeol.com/) is extremely tiny, but it does have appeal for people outside of that niche. I make it for myself, and the relevant aspects of "myself" here are: a) Grew up in Korea, is living (or has lived for an extended period of time) in a predominantly English-speaking part of the world b) Bonus points if they spent some time living in rural Korea c) Is into slow burn drama about characters who could be described as being "genuine" and probably "lawful" as well d) Likes the aesthetics of fantasy settings, but is more into the mundane, almost slice of life, side of drama e) Is very much into reading between the lines for more emotional stuff. Reads a lot of heart from sceneries, possibly more than from faces. (I have face blindness and this affects how I experience comics both as a reader and as a creator)

Obviously people who meet both a) and b) are gonna be harder to find! But if one can meet c), d) and e), that's enough to enjoy the comic the way it's meant to be enjoyed, or so I hope.

The reason a) and b) matter is because it affects how the setting/aesthetics come across. To someone like me, the old Korea setting feels homey, warm, nostalgic. It's like a shorthand for "sit down and enjoy this heartfelt slow burn tale." But to others, Magical Asia might feel exciting and exotic, which isn't really what the story is meant to be, so there may be some dissonance.

seetherabbit

I haven't given much thought about the target audience for Vulperra. (https://vulperra.com/) other than then it's probably for people who like adventure, fantasy and cartoony-ish animals

Cronaj

My target audience is kind of all of the place. Initially when I began scripting my comic, Whispers of the Past, I was really into anime and manga, especially ones like Attack on Titan that were a gritty fantasy. However, since then, my style and story have changed tremendously. My target audience now tends to be young women, aged 15-25, who enjoy detailed world building in high fantasy and are definitely into family drama in story telling. Initially, I wrote the story to fit certain perameters that I myself enjoyed. For example, I am particularly obsessed with the idea of the mundane meeting the fantastical and amazing. The quiet lull of ordinary life juxtaposed by the rigor of magical entities. I specifically focus a lot on drawing beautiful artwork for the panels, because I myself am a picky-pants when it comes to selecting comics I want to read. Another one of my obsessions is a fantasy setting so detailed that you feel like if the story ended, the world would still live on. (One of my inspirations was the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini, in which the author essentially wrote several languages, similar to Tolkien.) In reality, my readers tend to be women aged 30+ (probably who watch k-dramas like I do), and a lot of D&D players. It's fun really, discovering how much of my own hobbies bleed into my stories.

AntiBunny

Early on with AntiBunny http://antibunny.net/ I was hoping for fans of scifi and film noir. What I got were fans of classic cartoons and furries. Which is fine by me really. Furries are nice people who are passionate about their hobbies (and spend money).

Jonny Aleksey

A superhero audience was always the intention for J-Man (http://jonnyalekseydrawscomics.com/the-undefeatable-j-man/), but specifically, right now, I'm aiming for something all ages. Slightly teen drama, cartoony but grounded. My inspirations were Spectacular Spider-Man and the DCAU so anyone who likes that is the readership I expect. Hopefully I can reach people who are on the fence about superheroes. The all ages aspect is something newish relatively speaking. When I started my webcomic I wanted to stay away from the "deep real edgy" tone I made when I was in high school (shiver). It took me a bit to really get that tone down. I don't use curse words and only mild blood, but occasionally stuff that borders on teen+ go through. (there's one instance in #5 where J-Man's face gets burnt by the villain that might've been a bit much) I don't think the all ages banner is going to restrict me from telling certain storylines/character development. Just means it won't be excessively grim.

Erin/Leif & Thorn on Kickstarter

The target audience for my webcomics is LGBT nerds who want stories that give them strong feelings, and who like SF/F, anime, competent characters that don't have to take turns with the Idiot Ball to keep the plot moving, and cats. Admittedly that last bit might be redundant, since everyone on the internet likes cats.

Ash🦀

I’ll be honest with you, I’m the target audience of my comic. (http://www.fwmgofficial.com/) it’s not out yet (it’ll be out October 31st) but as the writer I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Mostly, it’s just targeted to young adults and autistic people. I never got to see people like me in comics, so I wrote a comic where an autistic person can be the hero too, even in his own way. For me, I figure whoever likes it likes it and that’s good enough for me. (also furries. Definitely targeted furries)

Kay Rose

@Ash🦀 cant wait to read it!

Ash🦀

QwQ thank you!!

MJ Massey

So far Black Ball is pulling in a mix of people who like the vintage aesthetic (1920s and art deco with some old-school macabre for some reason?) and people who like shonen manga, which is great. Even if Black Ball isn't specifically macabre or strictly shounen (though I myself have made shounen battle manga-esque comics in the past)

DaemonDan (The Demon Archives)

Audience of my comic... Per Google it's 18-35 year old men from the US and Russia XD Which makes sense given it's a pretty hard sci-fi with a lot of military action from dudes in power armor and etc. Though I try not to go too "high octane action!1!" and explore more psychological elements too.