#Have proven that they're above gender

[takamoris]

I liked Hythlodaeus a lot more when I thought he was a woman. :/

[mswyrr]

In the book, where the maester and men's accounts he's drawing on depict Mysaria as a sexual rival rather than a lover to Rhaenyra, nonetheless at key moments Rhaenyra will not form a decision or her own opinion without consulting Mysaria. She comes to rely on Mysaria above all others and is swayed by her on matters of life and death. Rhaenyra even trusts Mysaria's word over the word of her husband in the book.

That never made sense. But if Mysaria is *her* lover, not her rival for Dae/mon's desire, it all clicks together.

Imo in s3 we will get poly in the form of a V relationship where Rhaenyra is with Mysaria and Dae/mon both (and they are not with each other: he was sex work for Mysaria, I don't see her being interested going there again) *however* Mysaria is the primary relationship - the one she trusts most and heeds.

Reasons for this:

1) Mysaria's advising and judgment has proven sound. She has never wounded or harmed Rhaenyra or her cause. She has never doubted her as a good queen. She has never been disloyal.

2) She was there saying "You have me" and sharing of herself with Rhaenyra when Rhaenyea needed that most and Rhaenyra is very greedy and cherishing of that kind of thing

3) She validates and loves parts of Rhaenyra that Dae/mon never has - her desire for authority and command, her complex gender feelings, her toppy side where she longs to be an active, cherishing Lover (as she tried to be with Alicent in their youth) rather than a receiving Beloved in terms or emotional and sexual energy ("he wanted to possess me but he never let me possess him"). Even if he's now come around on some of that, I can't see him able to vibe with and nourish it like Mysaria does.

4) Rhaenyra is bisexual but seems strongly homoromantic and there is a big, enduring place in her heart for a "lady wife" role since her first love, Alicent [I wrote a meta on that here]

5) In 2x08, though Dae/mon had returned to her, it was only Mysaria who she chose to share her doubts and moral concerns with and whose word and judgment she could be consoled by

If they're afraid of more backlash to depicting queer love obviously, we will get that strong emotional bond but the romance and sex implied with only symbolism (like the single dragon Mysaria called "lonely" over their conversation early in the season becoming two dragons happily flying together over their conversation in the finale). I hope we get more. But people do seem to love throwing a fit and raging against canon sapphic love. The creatives won't totally erase this though - haters would have to get everyone fired, including GRRM himself, to completely remove the fact that, in book and tv, Rhaenyra comes to heed and trust Mysaria above all others.

I think (due to book spoilers and their tv characters) that things will get difficult for them and they will not be all fluff and wholesomeness as the war goes on. And I think that can be done in several powerful, fascinating ways. But that's a meta for another day.

[https-immotmari]

❝ I'm going blind from this sweet, sweet craving ❞ ─── twst octavinelle!

WRITER'S START OF A SWEET RAMBLE!

Second request came in as if it's a fresh baked pastries out of the oven! Awww, don't worry, I'll make sure I'm always taking care of myself! You too as well （＾∀＾●）ﾉｼ

fandom! .twisted wonderland character(s) used! .azul ashengrotto, floyd & jade leech gender of reader! .gn!reader head start! .mention of azul's trauma, reader is not yuu here

. . .azul ashengrotto!

❝ Waste time with a masterpiece, don't waste time with a masterpiece ❞

it was a nice day for octavinelle trio and azul's significant other, summer break just hit and somehow the head mage allowed every student to have a vacation.

so, with the weather just right, the rather hot sand underneath them, the ocean waves dancing around and with sounds of laughter, indicating the other three's enjoyment.

tell me why azul ashengrotto, the prefect of the octavinelle and manager of the mostro lounge, is just sitting underneath the beach umbrella with a rather blank face?

he was thinking, that's for sure.

"...zul?" a soft voice brought him back to reality, a voice that soothes him whenever he had his downs. the said glasses man turns his head to his left and saw it was his significant other calling for him.

"yes, dearest?" "are you alright? you seem to be spacing out a lot."

azul parted his lips a bit before closing them back, hesitating to answer a question he's always been asked and yet never knew what he was answering them.

is he.. alright? it was passed his overblot era and thanks to the first years helped, he was brought back to his senses. even after that, was he truly alright?

"okay," azul ashengrotto's significant other, (name), started, "how about we do a guessing game where I guess what's going on your pretty mind?" they suggested.

the octo-merman eyes widen a bit, surprised at the sudden game that his significant other suggested. he then shakes his head, "no. it's fine, dearest. I don't want to be a burden to you."

(name) frowned, disappointed at azul for thinking about that, nonetheless she guessed, "is it work?"

azul sighs, should have expected that when it comes to (name), they never stop until they find what he's thinking and worrying about. "no.."

"is it the twins?" he shooks his head, "is it the other prefects?" another shook.

(name) paused for a moment, thinking what else could azul be worrying about, it honestly took a moment for them to open their mouth and say, "is it about... your past? your octo form?"

silence. the silence from azul was all they need to confirm their guess. now that they think about it, while they were having fun with the twins in the ocean, azul looked rather.. jealous, probably towards the twins since they can transform into their merform so freely, unlike him.

azul felt his significant other moving closer to him, resulting in him getting hugged by them. "you know.. those people who made fun of you are a bunch of fools.." (name) suddenly commented, "they were bullies who did nothing but, to see others suffering because in reality, they're life is trash."

"you're an amazing man, azul. you've already proven to those fools that you're greater than them so, stop dwelling on the past and look forward to the future, a future with me in it."

to the great seven above, no prayers nor words can describe how grateful azul ashengrotto for having somebody as loving as his significant other.

the couple sat, all the while hugging, in silence underneath the beach umbrella as the other two are minding their own business. (name)'s reassurance made azul's day even better than before and he couldn't thank them enough for it.

"wanna eat with me the cupcakes I've baked?" he nodded in response.

. . . floyd leech!

❝ You should be rolling with me, you should be rolling with me ❞

"floyd-! stop!" the troublemaker twin's significant other whines, shielding themselves from the splashes of water by using their arms. "stop it! I don't wanna get wet for now!"

the troublemaker simply grinned mischievously as he continues to splash them with water, "come on, angelfish~ you're already in your bathing suit.!"

however, his significant other frowns at him, now annoyed that they're completely wet by now thanks to the huge splashes floyd did to them.

"I didn't even want to get splash, I came over here to ask if you wanted any snacks.." they murmured.

all floyd did was chuckled, "I know~ just wanted to tease my angelfish~" he claimed with that oh-so silly lopsided grin.

(name) sighs while shaking their head, "I honestly should have expected that." he's floyd leech, it's self-explanatory. (name) then turned their body around and started walking towards the sandy land.

"wait, angelfish~" they didn't stop, "don't make me do it~" and yet they didn't stop.

(name) then heard floyd sighs so disappointedly at his significant other before they heard rather loud footsteps, and splashes of water coming towards them.

(name), upon hearing those, started walking faster though thanks to the water below them, it slightly slows them down.

just then, they felt themselves being held up high, a squeal out of surprised came out of their lips as floyd let his silly smile creping on his face.

"I warned you, didn't I~ now, angelfish needs to be with me!"

floyd carried his significant other as if they were a child, snuggling his head on their neck as he sits down in the ocean floor near the shore.

(name) huffs and puffs, trying to wiggle their way out of floyd's monstrous grip. floyd just tighten his grip more the more they try to get out of his hands.

"stop tightening your grip, floyd! I might end up dead if you continue this." they whined.

"eeh~ don't wanna~"

"I don't know why I dated you."

"hehe~"

eventually, (name) just let floyd be floyd, thinking that nothing could get worse if they comply to floyd's silly wants. they just hoped they'll get to eat the sandwiches jade packed them earlier.

for now, they'll just enjoy being in their significant other's embrace as the sun comes down ever so slowly.

. . .jade leech!

❝ You're a real-life fantasy, you're a real-life fantasy ❞

sometime, after having fun in the ocean with his significant other, the two of them went out of the water, drying themselves out before laying in each other's embrace in the large beach towel, where they're picnic is at, underneath an umbrella.

it was a relaxing day for jade leech and his significant other, floyd was enjoying the ocean as he drags their boss, azul, in the water even though azul protested.

just a wonderful summer.

"aaahh.." his significant other, (name), sang, holding a mini sandwich near jade's mouth, waiting for him to open it.

jade, who was reading a book, chuckles at his beloved's adorable behavior and open his mouth, (name) feeding him the mini sandwich. "thank you, beloved." jade lets his other hand ruffle their hair, a token of appreciation.

(name) softly chuckles, "no problem, dear."

they then reach out in the picnic basket another mini sandwich and feed themselves, letting out a hum as a way to let their satisfaction known.

"so, what'cha reading, jade?" they asked, taking a peek at his book and finding an illustration of a green tail mermaid with red hair as well as a quite chubby fish with its blue strips and yellow scales and a lobster.

"ahh, reading the oh-so famous tale about the mermaid princess that the great sea witch encountered, huh?"

jade nodded, "yes it is, beloved. thinking about how where going to the beach today gave me the urge to bring this book along."

"well, I can certainly see why.." (name) muttered, seeing how the beach quite resembles the one in the tale. "it's like feeling the nostalgic of it just by being here."

jade hums, agreeing to what they said. "want me to read this a loud to you, beloved?" he asked.

"wait, let me just get comfortable.." they trailed off, trying to find a perfect spot where they can be comfortable while jade reads to them the tale, all the while jade chuckles at them. "there!"

their head is placed on jade's lap, in which was covered by a towel, oh-so comfortably. "you can read now, jade!" they said. they also looked like an eager child wanting their parent to read them a bed time story.

the said man nodded and began to read to them the tale they always heard about since childhood, about the great sea witch encountering a mermaid princess who's wanting to be human after encountering a handsome human prince whom she had saved from the shipwreck the other day.

all the while jade's reading it a loud, (name) had a smile painted on their face, hearing jade's soft and lovely voice as he reads the story honestly makes their day a lot better.

the two lovers stayed underneath the umbrella all day, finding comfort in their embraces as they reminisce the childhood tale they have countlessly heard over and over again and yet they never grew tired of, especially when it's coming from their lover's mouth.

WRITER'S ENDING OF A SWEET RAMBLE!

honestly, I relate too much about azul's past, like, some people need to stop shaming others just because their appearance. everyone is beautiful in their own way (✿◡‿◡)

that aside, hope this satisfy you, @bi-panicatthedisco! I think I went away from the beach picnic a bit but, I hope you still like it!

rules! + masterlist!

[anitalianfrie]

So I think what irks me about wwcr is that while I think it's necessary to promote and give space to women into motorsports, I'm not really sure this is the way to go about it?

Because the problem is not that these women aren't as talented, or as good as their male counterparts, but that they get sistematically sidelined from the lower categories on. Because everybody in a position of power in the teams will chose a boy above a girl even if they have the same abilities (and maybe even if the boy is a little worse). So what are we exactly achieving with this series?

Is it to build a women championship at the same level of ssp300? Then why make it a spec series. What is it purpose besides creating a separate category in a sport where gender has nothing to do with the actual performance of a rider (as Ana Carrasco and Maria Herrera have proven, and other women before them).

Wouldn't it be more useful to build something at a lower level, like they're doing with f1 academy? (and yes, I still believe they give the girls a much too slow machine) something that would be part of road to motogp, like the Asian Cup or the redbull rookies Cup, that would guarantee a passage of the riders to an higher category, giving young girl riders an actual chance?

[ovwechoes]

Can I get some Mauga headcanons 👉👈

Mauga / Maugaloa Malosi Headcanons (General) I'm happy to write some for him! I kept these general, mostly exploring him as a person but if you'd like some relationship-based ones (sfw or nsfw), send another ask through. Thank you for the rq anon, and enjoy (it's under the cut) c:

Which parent does Maugaloa prefer? Maugaloa's definitely a mama's boy, valuing the impact she made on his life and the level of confidence she's gave him. He knows his line of work would disappoint her, though, so he keeps it a secret, and makes an effort to lie and say he's enjoying his life while retired from wrestling. He also values the ways in which she holds him accountable, and has taught him lessons in love that have proven useful in his life more often than not.

Does Maugaloa have any phobias? Maugaloa would never admit to it, but he has thalassophobia (fear of the ocean/sea). He loves to watch it, often finding it beautiful from a safe distance. However, if he was asked to go diving, or to go in the water at the beach, he would refuse with adamance that can only be rivaled by a terrified child. Maugaloa's always hated the ocean after watching Jaws at too young of an age, and will not see reason behind it.

What is Maugaloa's sexuality? I like to headcanon him as being bisexual, with no preference. To him, if he finds someone attractive, he doesn't care if they're female, male or nb. He'll take what he can, and knows everyone is attracted to him as well. It's something he's happy to flaunt, and will often show off his escapades and one night stands with people across the gender spectrum. 

What would Maugaloa say to his past self, if he could go back in time and say one thing to them? Maugaloa would tell his past self that things get better, and that he'll find his purpose in life and come to love himself in a way that no one else could match. I like to think that he used to struggle with his confidence, often finding it hard to figure out what he's on the planet for. That's part of the reason why he got into wrestling, and found it to be something that gave his life some meaning and reason. Talon, though, has shown him more than anything else in life and has given him the chance to become the person he's always wanted to be and more, with a job that satisfies all of his urges and desires. He would want his past self to know this, and to know that they'll get what they want eventually as long as they're patient.

What are some of Maugaloa's worst habits? Maugaloa's worst habit is gloating, often treading the line between being confident and being the reincarnation of Narcissus. It's hard for him to understand what's appropriate, often not caring about that in the first place. So, when people get upset with him and mock his self-inflated words, he doesn't usually take offense until it's apparent that they don't view him the same as they did before. He wants to be able to let his actions speak for themselves, and let his prowess and strength speak above his words, but he enjoys the way his self empowered confidence shines through with his witty sentences and jabs at other people. One of his other less acknowledged bad habits is that he often struggles with prioritisation, and it's something even his mother has spoken to him about. He has a one track mind usually, but the minute something more engaging is placed on his plate, he forgets about his other obligations and priorities to take part in that said something. It's tiring for the people around him, often viewing it as a lack of respect or consideration and is definitely something he needs to work on with himself.

What does Maugaloa like to do in his spare time, when he's off from work? Maugaloa's definitely a gym rat in his spare time, spending hours trying to make himself stronger, faster, build his stamina up, things of that nature. His socials would be littered with shirtless pics of him after his body building sessions, showing off the way his muscles have grown since the last post. It's his way of indulging in his sporty interests, especially since he's been banned from the wrestling world completely. On the other hand, Maugaloa would be the type to read books about building your confidence, military tactics used in battle, and the ways to be a better leader. It's his way of working on himself to be a better soldier in Talon, and proves his determination to continue being stronger, working harder to exceed their expectations of him.

[p5x-theories]

This might be weird to ask and I think I might have my answer to this already but I’m just gonna ask anyway.

Do you think that they will include LGBTQ+ characters in the P5X game I think that it might not happen but it’s not saying that it’s impossible.

I think it's very unlikely, given that we haven't even seen them in the mainline games since P2 (and... technically P4, but P4 really wants to pretend it didn't have LGBT characters, heh), and I have no idea how common that is in Chinese games, or what censorship it does or doesn't go through. I know LGBT+ Chinese media does get made, so it's not impossible, but it feels like there are enough aspects here to make it unlikely. Though I'd be happy to see any!

In particular, even if there are ever any LGBT characters, I seriously doubt Wonder would be able to date them if they're a guy, or that their identities would get in the way of Wonder dating them if they're a girl. Persona protagonists, as the audience surrogate, are usually supposed to be relatively "normal" in that respect, so I'd be especially surprised if they let Wonder be in a canonically gay relationship, and on the flip side, I doubt they'd completely prevent Wonder from dating a female character even if she also showed an interest in women. As for trans people, and other identities, those don't feel particularly likely either, unless the trans aspect is presented as a joke or a misunderstanding (ex. Naoto Shirogane). Other identities tend to be even less commonly portrayed, so I'd be even more surprised to see them even implied.

I'm aware the above is a bit pessimistic, heh, but I've gotten pretty jaded about getting representation in things like this, I suppose. I'd love to be proven wrong, I'm just not expecting it!

(And, to be clear, with all of the above I mean anything getting explicitly confirmed- ex. a character outright stating they're attracted to someone of the same gender, or multiple genders in general (ex. Jun Kurosu, Tatsuya Suou), or being implied as ridiculously heavily as Kanji or Naoto were, but without the backtracking later. Obviously anyone can read into things in canon, and the game could more vaguely imply something, but in both of those cases there's plausible deniability, so I don't consider it as canonically including an LGBT+ character for the sake of this question.)

[warriorstranded]

elijah. • bodyclaim. • headcanons. • isms. • prompts. • threads.

Moans and groans fill the night sky, blunt nails scratch along the smooth surface of a car caught amidst a horde of infected. Screams from inside barely carry, they can barely be heard in the distance. But what's that in the distance? Is that [PEDRO PASCAL]? No way, that's [ELIJAH J. ROJAS]. The [47] year old [CISMALE ( +HE/HIM)] used to be a [US SPECIAL OPS GONE PRIVATE SECURITY]. Since the outbreak, they've proven to be [STRONG-WILLED] & [PROTECTIVE], but rumor has it they're also [SHORT-TEMPERED] & [CALLOUS], which may pose a risk to the group. They appear to have taken the [LEADER/RAIDER] role within the group. Only time can tell if they succeed.

BASIC INFO

full name — Elijah Juan Rojas age — forty-seven (tba) gender — cis male, (he/ him/ his pronouns) orientation — homosexual occupation — former soldier (special ops) gone private security role in the group — leader/raider  preferred weapon — m4a1 + assault knife clothing style/ armor — casual, functional, fitting, flannel

PHYSICAL INFO

face claim — Pedro Pascal hair — brown / eyes — brown height — five foot & eleven inches build — kinda like a T, broad af shoulders, muscled torso, slutty waist (it be thin ok) scars — a faint one across the bridge of his nose, another faint one down the left side of his cheek, a few on his back and chest, a circle on his thigh from a tracker he cut out and eight long/semi-long scarred stripes across his back - all huddled up randomly across his lower back tattoos — the date of when he signed up with the army because re-birthday, special ops insignia on his lower back to cover up scars, the us army insignia on his chest - left side above his ribcage piercings — he had a lip ring, but the us army forbid him to keep wearing it, so it’s a distant reminder, but also the reason he has no piercings special characteristics — he’s even more quiet and grumpy when he doesn’t get to throw punches for a while.  sexual preference — bottom su.... switch, yeah that's what we meant

PERSONALITY

alignment — true neutral positive traits — protective, loyal, strong-willed negative traits — callous, short-tempered, stubborn hobbies — punching people + biters alike, cleaning his guns, being grumpy, taking unnecessarily long watch night shifts so he doesn't have to sleep

MEDICAL INFO

mental — ocd, ptsd, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (dmdd) physical — was hit by a shrapnel cluster after an explosion, but no lasting effects unless you can see inside his *beep* cheek phobias — claustrophobia, pistantrophia, light case of mysophobia eyesight — 20/20 dominant hand — left hand drug use — never alcohol use — never diet — health nut galore, though the end of the world says no diet for you

BACKGROUND

birthplace — san antonio, TX parents — Victoria Rojas (mother) & Ramon Ortega (step-father) siblings — single child education — high school graduate notable skills — very disciplined, impeccable aim with guns and hatchets, close combat, krav maga, determination to address everybody 30 and younger kid

BIO (child abuse tw, domestic abuse tw)

Love is more than a feeling - it’s a choice.

Everybody would have to make that choice for themselves, some daily - some weekly. Some decided to never choose at all, but Juan understood early on that his father had chosen not to love him. No, it wasn’t just that. He’d chosen to despise him, which weighed much heavier on a child’s heart than a simple lack of parental affection. But then again, love never really had been part of Ramon Ortega’s own personal little dictionary. Maybe once upon a time he felt something for Juan’s mother, but whatever that feeling had been - Juan doubted it’d been love even back then, it died when Victoria Reyes found out she was pregnant.

One would think both parents lived happily ever after when they found out God had blessed them with a child after years of trying, but no… not this time. Not Ramon and Victoria. The reason for that was … uncomfortable for all parties involved and yet somewhat amusing. Ramon was not a good man, never had been. Rumor had it he was born with a knife in his hands. Nonsense, but .. not untrue. He had no love in him, for nobody - probably not even himself. So when his wife announced she was six months pregnant, when Ramon had not set a foot out of jail in over two years, one might suspect … unfair play. It wasn’t .. that, per se, but it also was. Victoria hadn’t been happy with Ramon in years, had only stayed with him, because she was afraid of the repercussions if she tried to leave her violently abusive husband’s side, so when a handsome stranger began to give her attention and affection, who could blame her for falling for him? Right? Ramon sure did.

Juan was born at home, with only his mother and a friend nearby - the longest night Victoria ever had, but it all went well in the end. He was born healthy and as happy as a newborn babe could be - at least for a few months and it could’ve been even better than that, but despite Ramon’s rather vehement urging, she decided to raise her son herself instead of giving him up for adoption. She didn’t want him to get lost in the system. So close, yet so far. He knew that, in hindsight, she regretted her decision, but never quite found bravery within herself to admit as much - least of all in front of him. And Ramon? Oh, he made sure to let the boy that wasn’t his blood know he was merely tolerated in his own home. If even that.

Growing up and being told over and over again that you never should’ve been born, that you were wrong and that the world would be better off without you …. did quite a bit to a child’s psyche. Some would retreat, some would falter, some would hide within themselves. And then … there were those kids like Juan. Those who lashed out. At everything. Everybody. But most of all other kids, because they were right there. In kindergarten he was deemed a wild child, scolded and sent home with a letter for his loving parents, who - in response locked him in his room, or - when the caretakers demanded either of his parents come in for a chat, his closet. Ramon believed in violence, so that’s what Juan thought was a natural way to react to pretty much everything at all times.

Life didn’t get better in school. Not for a while at least. Ramon refused to accept Juan as his son, despite the obvious similarities in characteristics (the violence), his mother was too afraid to step in, so life continued as was, only that - with the boy growing older and therefore more violent in nature, Ramon decided it was time to discipline his son properly and teach him the respect he was lacking - according to him. Safe to say a belt, or fists did not fix Juan’s anger management issues. Neither did the School Therapist, though mostly because Juan refused to speak. He did so, generally. Be it in school, at home, anywhere. He wasn’t much of a talker, though, until he was expected to express himself in school .. nobody ever really noticed, or cared. Most of the boy’s life had been fantasy in his own mind, words weren’t needed for that. His mind .. was quite demanding in general, always running high, pondering every decision he made, wondering if it had been the right one after all.

Split lips, bruises.. he’d had plenty of those, but when he literally broke his hand on another kid’s face, authorities were alerted for the first time, but nothing came of it. It was written off as ADHD, a lack of impulse control and he’d have to see the Therapist once a week. None of that helped. Instead of going home after school, he’d spend the afternoons outside, wandering, stealing, picking fights until a fight picked him. He almost died that day, had laid for hours in a puddle of his own blood in some back alley, but woke up in a hospital bed.

Eight years old and he’d already seen the other side. With the abuse clear as day, child services stepped in and once released, he was taken out of his family and tossed into the system after all. Juan went from group homes to Camp for Bad Boys interchangeably until he was seventeen years old and refused to go by the name his mother gave him. Something else, he thought, felt more fitting - not even that, he just wanted something entirely unrelated to his upbringing. Still, without complete isolation and regular abuse, being away from home for an extended duration did wonders to his psyche, although he never quite made it out of that violent rage he grew up in.

The summer of his eighteen’s birthday, Elijah Juan Rojas was sent into the world to live life on his own. All of his life he’d been told what to do, what he was and wasn’t capable of and who he never would be. Now … for the first time he didn’t know what’d come next. And honestly, he.. didn’t like it. He knew he was only good at one thing, though. Fists and blood. Although, whatever rage-fueled smashing he’d called fighting as he grew up… didn’t cut it. It lacked pretty much everything, so .. mostly to satisfy his own need for perfection, but also to spite all those who wanted to see him fail, Ramon mostly, he enlisted in the US Army.

Fast forward to the end of that adventure. Safe to say the Army did him well. The discipline Ramon failed to teach him… came naturally in a controlled environment. Eli.. saw much during those years; death, blood, he experienced loss. He got the whole shebang, but made it out mostly unscathed himself. Physically anyway, but then again there wasn’t much more to mess with on that end. Back home, Eli found himself in a world he knew even less than before, but he found work in Security and .. he tried to live life as normally as possible.

Love is more than a feeling - it’s a choice.

Eli chose not to love, ever. He chose eternal solitude. Partially because he didn’t know how to love, but also because he knew that any child he might sire would grow up the way he did. Alone, lost, afraid, angry. And then he found out early on, suppressed or not, that he had absolutely zero interest in women. Eli knew he was better off alone. Happy? Overstatement, but he was content.

Life was simple, but of course Eli wasn’t allowed simple and easy. The Outbreak fucked everything up more than Eli ever could himself, which… was slightly amusing. Nothing and nobody held him in San Antonio, so when all Hell broke loose early on, Eli reconnected with his squad from the Army through a friend working in the same district as him. Matt had managed to get a signal out shortly before and they had an emergency meeting point in Atlanta. Turned out that the Prepper friends he used to chuckle at.. actually were in the right. The first week was the most difficult, the adjustment to go from society to … the Wild West.. was .. quite a lot to take in, even to Elijah, who spent most of his life giving absolutely no shits about the people around him. You never quite know how much you like something… until it’s gone.

Matt and him meant to meet up in Dallas, move on to Atlanta and up towards the coast, but when Elijah made it to their meeting point in Dallas, he found no sign of his fellow soldier. He held out for days, plundering apartments nearby to keep alive, moving in the shadows as best as he could, but Matt didn’t turn up and the other side of the line was dead. No response, no update ..no nothing. After a week, Elijah accepted that he was most likely the only one left from his division, which was okay. He would’ve survived on his own, probably, if not for a run-in with someone from the group holed up inside Dallas Morning News Headquarters. It’d been almost two months since and truthfully, he was glad he took their offer. When he joined them, they were barely five people and now? They were quite the group.

What even was anger management and what had it ever been good for in the first place?

That was his philosophy for the first few…. well, for a while. This new world they lived in definitely favored his wild side; the urge for blood and violence. He’d learned how to pace himself, how to bottle up the anger even when it felt impossible, but the will to go through with it was …not as strong as it should be. Although, with him growing more comfortable within the group and with his responsibility and duties picking up, Elijah found himself falling back into old habits; a structured schedule, healthy diet, workouts, practice and the like. A busy mind couldn’t stray from the righteous path. These people took him in, they opened their home to him and strangely enough, he was grateful they did, even if it hadn’t been the smoothest ride.

Unsocial as Eli was and always had been… he struggled at first. Never a man of many words, Eli was the silent observer. He knew he wanted to be a raider early on, eager to get out and get his hands dirty while providing food and supplies for camp. The ideal combination for a man like him. One thing, the group learned, could always be relied on. Elijah never returned empty-handed. Elijah was ..content within the group. Again, happy would be an overstatement, especially with the world in shambles, but …he was thriving. This was his world, in a way. A world in which violence was a given currency and he was the richest man on earth.

[partyp00per]

"Hello there, wanderer. Welcome to Alpinia, I'm one of those who live here. I assure you, you'll be safe here."

!!OOC!! !!Long post!!

Hi! I'm the mod of this blog, please just call me by "Mod", I go by he/they/it pronouns. Come follow the life of a Partypooper. As the backrooms is different for everyone, I've decided to make this. Not everything will be lore-accurate, and may often take back different statements made prior. All things here are subject to change.

Current backstory: Main Character had treated a wanderer which stumbled into them, though they didn't realize what the wanderer left until the wanderer was long gone.

Tags+color:

#ooc - Out of character.

#Asks and answers - Responding to general asks

#Roleplaying - Roleplaying! "__" when speaking, regular text when not.

Boundaries!

Shipping content: I'm not too thrilled with shippers, but wanderer x partypooper or partypooper x partypooper asks are alright, just nothing sexual.

NSFW asks: General gore is alright, I'll mark it appropriately. Though, no pictures of gore, or any sexual behavior.

Roleplaying: Roleplayers please interact I wanna be cool.

Headcanon insertions: Replying to these will be marked /ooc, and I'll give my honest opinions!

Character Information

Entity 68 "Partypooper" - A well-known humanitarian entity, working to help wanderers who are in trouble. {Entity status: ENDANGERED} We've been studying this entity species for a while. Currently, they have an estimated total population of 200-225. We classify them as high risk for extinction, as they are currently in at war with entity 67, and those infected with SFV. We've classified them as extinct in the past, but we've been proven wrong at that. As of recent, we have figured out their average height is from 6'5" to 6'10", we currently believe they can reach up to 35km/h. From what we've seen from torn hoodies, they wear biker gear underneath their clothing. Usually, this consists of a baggy black hoodie, either loosely fitting "tights" or jeans, and dark sneakers. The mask which identifies them as entities instead of wanderers is bright blue. It seems to have an aura while in the dark, this does not work in Level 6, however, you shouldn't follow anything there that you can see. There's a painted on simple frowning face in black paint, sometimes there are chipping in the paint as well. They have an alliance with entity 3.5; Frowners. It seems as if Partypoopers will visit level Frown on the regular, either for a break or for fun. They are also in an alliance with wanderers, often bringing them to shelters established in levels. However, don't take them as pushovers, they're strong, and often heal broken bones within a few weeks, instead of the normal 3 months. ---

This certain specimen is young-aged, around the age of a 20-year-old wanderer. They are around 6'0, though exact height is unknown, please follow up with M.E.G database to help keep track of them. We're not sure on the gender yet, as Partypoopers don't really have gendered voices. However, this one takes on a Canadian accent, and seems to communicate in French with wanderers, alongside English. The mask they wear has a small smudge of black paint under their left eye. a crack in the lower right side. However, we are not able to get a clear look at their face so far. They wear the usual black hoodie, though what makes them stand out is that their right sleeve, right up to their elbow, is torn off.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sources used, or sources I will use:

(Above is where I'll get maybe 75% of the information, from other guys who like to write about these sillies)

(Can't forget the freewriting wiki, I'll use this a lot.)

(Above headcanons will be sprinkled in, the post is made by beneathh-the-brine, and roboreblogs, as seen in the post!)

----------------------------

Updates

Added character description, ooc, tags, and partypooper definition. [2024-05-23, finished at 10:45pmPST]

Added first three sources [2024-05-23, finished at 10:50pmPST]

[geschiedenisish]

"Pedofilia" is a Christian 'reverse dogwhistle'

Ok, hear me out. I'll try to keep it short. ;)

Having read a lot of modern day Christian and conspiracy talk, I can tell you that when these people talk about pedofilies, they don't just talk about (un)proven pedofile accusations, although sometimes they do. But often they use the word pedofile but mean something different.

So, whenever you read the word pedofile on a conspiracy website or even better, a Christian website, it can mean a real pedofile, an LGBT-person especially if they interact with kids in any way, someone who does sex-ed in schools, someone who is pro-abortion, someone who is pro "gender ideology", someone whose group is often accused of pedofilia (muslims, trans people etc.), someone who is openly anti-Christian or anti-white or, well, basically, 'woke' and trying to spread that agenda

or anyone who doesn't condemn any of the above people.

(That's how you get quotes like "The Mainstream Media is grooming your kids!" because the MSM give LGBT-activists a platform......)

Again, although people don't use the term this broadly, whenever you read terms like 'promoting pedofilia', 'grooming' or 'pedofile' it can refer to all these things. It's the opposite of "family values" which is basically anything that Christians like, even if it has nothing to do with family. In the same way, they will use 'pedofilia' to mean anything they don't like that has to do with children. Which can be something as simple as teaching CRT.

Conspiracy circles also love the pedofilia trope, probably even more, and you shouldn't be surprised if you come on a blog and think; "Hey, is this person using this term both as a dogwhistle for jews AND for LGBT people?" Yes, in the minds of these people, Jews can be pedophiles AND agree with LGBT people. Again, the only thing that matters is that they're coming for YOUR children, not who "THEY" are. So "THEY" can absolutely be a contradiction.

Christians and conspiracy thinkers use a lot of dogwhistles, but pedofilia is certainly one of them. It basically makes whatever is being discussed look worse than it is. For example, when they say "pedophile molested girl" that can just mean "girl was robbed by Muslim". "pedofile" is basically a reverse dogwhistle. Making the thing look worse than it is, instead of better.

So yeah, be aware of that when reading alt-right or extreme Christian accounts. Or just anything about children by people who usually don't really care that much about children........

[evidence-based-activism]

@the-fault-in-our-blogs

So, this individual (forivall) has already proven himself to be disingenuous. Even if I somehow magically produced the perfect study I described that also supported my viewpoint, he would simply call the source biased and dismiss the evidence.

To a certain extent, I understand why he's failing to consider scientific evidence: it's because this is purely an ideological debate for him. In his perspective, transwomen are literally women/female, making any performance advantages they have over actual female people part of the normative range. I simply recognize that this is a false premise and respond accordingly. Also, I primarily made this post to discuss a case of academic dishonesty (the IOC study's misrepresentation of their data), because such behavior by academics irritates me.

However, since you appear to want a response to his rebuttal, I'll respond below.

---

"This is a reminder for anyone who wants to cite Hilton and Lundberg's work on trans women in sport: they're garbage."

First, Hilton was only an author on study 5 and Lundberg on 5 and 6. In the video, they note that Lundberg "has a background in exercise science" and "seems far more removed from anti-trans political groups." So, their claim of author bias (which, to be clear, I don't agree with*) really only applies to study 5. That leaves four other studies supporting my view and a grand total of zero supporting his.

*The video is also claims that one of the "hate organizations" Hilton is aligned with is the LGB Alliance. This is an ideological difference, but I honestly still find it absolutely bewildering that anyone can claim that an organization made up of (and for) same-sex attracted people is a hate organization. The closest official response on this topic has been the Charity Commission's rejection of Mermaids' attempt to strip the LGB Alliance of charity status [1].

Just to cover all bases however, academically honest people on his side of the debate also acknowledge the advantages transwomen have in sport-related physical tasks [2]. This study "propose[s] that the gender binary in elite sport should be replaced with a nuanced algorithm that accounts for both physiological and social parameters. As the algorithm would be applied to all athletes, it would be both inclusive and fair."

I strongly disagree with this conclusion as it ignores the long, sordid history of discrimination against female people in sport. That being said, its stance is made very clear ("gender identity should be sufficient for determining inclusion in the category of male or female"), yet they also acknowledge that "transwomen have an advantage over their cisgendered counterparts ... from relatively high testosterone levels and prior male physiology of transwomen ...  transwomen and cismen are not only advantaged, but unfairly advantaged." Notably, this is how you have an academically honest discussion; they've acknowledged the biological differences and then transition to an ideological argument. I disagree with that ideological argument, but I appreciate their transparency in debate.

So, this really isn't a case of authorship bias. Even if Hilton is biased, there are other authors (on both sides of the debate!) saying the same thing.

[The video]

I generated a transcript of the video to scan instead of watching (because it is very long). One of the main points (about Hilton) I addressed above.

The arguments presented in the video fall into the exact same trap as the IOC paper. Specifically their reliance on ratios and relative measurements. The relevant point from above:

The researchers decided to examine power in the lower extremities relative to lean/fat-free mass, which yielded a lower result for transwomen compared to ciswomen. However, this methodology makes absolutely no sense. We have already established that transwomen have significantly greater lean/fat-free mass, and this paper is interested in determining equitably in sport performance. In general, sports aren't divided out by mass (and certainly not by lean mass), therefore we are interested in absolute differences, not in differences adjusted by some other factor. (Particularly not when that factor is established to be significantly different between transwomen and ciswomen!)

For example, of course strength is correlated to lean muscle mass. But the amount of lean muscle mass is sexually dimorphic. This is (part of) why we have sex-segregated sports. It doesn't make sense to normalize these measurements based on a factor that varies by sex, because this intentionally removes the relevant sex difference.

Also, notably (hilariously), the characteristic the video notes as being the "most important" factor is lean/fat-free mass. The IOC paper found the following significant relationship for fat-free mass: cismen = transwomen > transmen = ciswomen (so male > female). So, the video claims that lean mass is the important factor, and the study he referenced shows this is determined by natal sex (even after hormonal treatment). The other factor the video suggests is relevant is height which the IOC study also confirms has the cismen = transwomen > transmen = ciswomen (so male > female) relationship.

"A quick reminder that trans people, actually, are marginalized by cís people, so forcible exclusion of trans women from women's sports is indeed segregation."

This is an ideological assertion that is not true. (At the very least in this context, but also – in my opinion – in general.) Support for women's sports has two bases: (1) A biological difference in the factors relevant to traditional sport performance, justifying the creation of a second category to allow exceptional women who would otherwise have been outperformed by men to compete and receive recognition. (2) An ideological justification predicated on the the historical discrimination against/exclusion of women and women's sports [3].

I have already provided evidence that transwomen maintain their biological differences that underlie the first basis. The second basis also does not apply to them; any historical transwomen would have been observed to be male, and would therefore have been included in men's sports.

Further, female people (women, transmen, etc.) are oppressed on the basis of sex. (Here is an excellent post by another user explaining this.) Accordingly, male people (men, transwomen, etc.) are the oppressor class on the basis of sex.

Of course, men can be oppressed for another reason, and these reasons can be related to sex discrimination. For example, same-sex attracted men are oppressed on the basis of their sexuality. Some argue that misogyny is the root of homophobia (e.g., association with female gender roles), so this type of discrimination is related to sex discrimination. But even same-sex attracted men are still male, meaning they have privilege over female people due to their sex. (A similar argument can be made for gender non-conforming men, some of whom identify as transgender.)

Forcible inclusion of male (oppressor class) people in female (oppressed class) spaces is discrimination. Comparable examples would be forcing a homosexual interest group to allow heterosexual people or a disability-support group to allow able-bodied individuals into their discussions and events.

"Requiring the marginalized group to be scientifically proven to be lesser in every conceivable metric, rather than roughly equal with some advantages and some disadvantages, that's distinction without a difference."

In addition to the above section (re: the "marginalized group" bit), the IOC paper does not show that transwomen and ciswomen are "roughly equal with some advantages and some disadvantages."

The point of my original post is that for each measurement the IOC:

Found transwomen and cismen roughly equal and greater than ciswomen OR found transwomen had reduced performance from cismen but higher than ciswomen (height, lean mass, lung function, peak power, etc.)

Did not collect data in a way that allowed meaningful analysis (bone mineral density, VO2_max, etc.)

Made nonsensical comparisons (relative power, FEV1:FVC ratio)

Misrepresented data that you don't expect to see a sex difference on. That is, indicating there is no difference between transwomen and ciswomen, while failing to acknowledge that is also no difference between ciswomen and cismen. This is disingenuous because it falsely implies increased similarity between transwomen and ciswomen; in reality it is simply the maintenance of a lack of sex difference (relative grip strength)

There were some other disingenuous presentations/issues as well, but the above were the most common ones

Now, in reality male and female people do have some advantages and some disadvantages. For example, male people tend to be physically stronger and faster, while female people tend to be more flexible and have greater endurance [see original post sources]. The issue is that traditional sports are built around men's advantages (i.e., showcasing greater strength, etc.), which is essentially what justifies sex-segregated sports in the first place (i.e., the biological difference as a result of historical discrimination).

In other words, the IOC study is not finding transwomen and ciswomen to be "roughly equal" on the factors that matter for traditional sports.

"Anonymous social media users who use sophistry to make it sound like they're using science to justify their prejudices are not to be trusted."

This is just more projection.

I hope this helps you!

References under the cut:

Moss, L., & Parry, Josh. (2023, July 6). Trans charity Mermaids loses challenge against LGB Alliance. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65340857

Anderson, L., Knox, T., & Heather, A. (2019). Trans-athletes in elite sport: inclusion and fairness. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, ETLS20180071. doi:10.1042/etls20180071 

Bell, R. C. (2007). A history of women in sport prior to Title IX. The Sport Journal, 10(2).

IOC Study on Transgender Athletes Severely Flawed

So, to a certain extent, the question of "should transwomen be able to compete female sports?" is an ideological question (i.e., "should identity supersede reality?").

That being said, there's a recent report [1], funded by the IOC, that is being used to "prove" that transwomen do not have a biological advantage over non-trans women. This report is severely flawed and does not actually lend support to the idea that transwomen have no biological advantage in sports over female people.

(I will mimic the language used in the report (e.g., using "ciswomen").)

Significant differences noted by the report that do NOT support transwomen's inclusion in women's sports:

Transwomen were substantially taller than ciswomen

Transwomen had more lean/fat-free mass than ciswomen

Transwomen had better lung function than ciswomen, as measured by forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, and peak expiratory flow. (See the next section for a discussion on the ratio.)

Transwomen had greater hand grip strength (a proxy for overall strength measurement)

Transwomen had higher absolute peak power (lower extremity) compared to ciswomen. (See next section for a discussion on the relative measure.)

Transwomen had the same "absolute strength" as cismen

The data showing no significant difference between transwomen and ciswomen has substantial flaws:

The sample size was too small to reliably determine differences in bone mineral density

For lung function only the FEV1:FVC ratio was lower for transwomen, but the values are generally within the normal range for both groups. The impact of this difference is therefore questionable, as the transwomen have greater absolute values on each measurement and the ratio is not showing any abnormalities. In addition, the effect size (size of the difference) is much smaller than the effect size of the absolute differences described above. The conclusion here is simply that the participants do not have any obstructive respiratory diseases, and the transwomen have greater absolute lung function. (Although there are better tests for this.) There is also one outlier in the transwomen group that is likely driving this relationship in the ratio; unfortunately they do not perform the expected control analyses to demonstrate the retention of results without the outlier. [2]

The researchers decided to examine power in the lower extremities relative to lean/fat-free mass, which yielded a lower result for transwomen compared to ciswomen. However, this methodology make absolutely no sense. We have already established that transwomen have significantly greater lean/fat-free mass, and this paper is interested in determining equitably in sport performance. In general, sports aren't divided out by mass (and certainly not by lean mass), therefore we are interested in absolute differences, not in differences adjusted by some other factor. (Particularly not when that factor is established to be significantly different between transwomen and ciswomen!)

The same criticism applies to their analysis of cardiac function. But even more importantly, "the most crucial variable influencing VO2_max was not assessed in the present study" which is a significant oversight given the stated goals of this paper.

There are numerous other limitation and issues with this report:

This study is of "cross-sectional design, making it challenging to establish causation or examine if the performance of athletes changes as a result of undergoing GAHT"

"The athlete training intensity was self-reported. Therefore, the results may suffer from selection and recall bias." [emphasis mine] -> In other words, these results may be "comparing apples and oranges" with varying rates of fitness impacting the results.

"The athletes participating in the present study represented a variety of different sports, and this would have undoubtedly impacted the results of the study as different sports stress different training and sports modalities." [emphasis mine] -> This is a significant limitation, as comparing the strength of a ciswoman weight lifter to a transwomen distance runner (or vice versa) is meaningless. It's true that measures of fitness tend to correlate, but comparing across sport disciplines for highly competitive sports (where they are focusing on improving specific characteristics) distorts the results. (They explicitly note this: "Exercise type, intensity and duration all have an impact on physiological responses and overall laboratory performance metrics.")

"Social media recruitment leaves this study open to sample bias"

"The gender-affirming treatment of the transgender athletes was not controlled"

"The participants were not screened by a clinician before participation, and any medical conditions were self-reported"

The transwomen in this study all suppressed testosterone to ciswomen's levels and increased oestradiol above ciswomen's levels. This is a limitation because this degree of success in hormone suppression is uncommon, meaning that even these these poorly-supportive results are likely inapplicable to the majority of transwomen. [3]

There is a significant conflict of interest: this study was funded by the IOC after they had already changed the rules to remove the "hormone suppression" requirement [4]

All in all, this study is a classic case of researchers misrepresenting their data in the study's abstract. The data they actually collected shows that transwomen on hormone suppression maintain significant advantages over ciswomen. Further, the flaws in the study limit the applicability of their results.

---

In addition, there are other studies that contradict this result:

This review [3] discusses numerous sources describing "the inherent male physiological advantages that lead to superior athletic performance and then addresses how estrogen therapy fails to create a female-like physiology in the male"

This review [5] found "the performance gap between males and females becomes significant at puberty and often amounts to 10–50% depending on sport" and that "longitudinal studies examining the effects of testosterone suppression on muscle mass and strength in transgender women consistently show very modest changes, where the loss of lean body mass, muscle area and strength typically amounts to approximately 5% after 12 months of treatment. Thus, the muscular advantage enjoyed by transgender women is only minimally reduced when testosterone is suppressed."

This study [6] found that transwomen "generally maintained their strength level" during "gender-affirming therapy".

This study [7] found that all physical advantages were present after one year and that some are retained even after years on hormone suppression. They also specifically hypothesized that "gender dysphoria could stimulate the opposite behaviour [differences in exercise habits] in transwomen, decreasing push-up performance and explaining why transwomen performed fewer push-ups than [cismen] prior to starting oestrogen." This motivation difference likely won't apply to elite athletes, which further supports the idea that transwomen athletes should not be competing with female athletes.

As this position statement [8] indicates we know that there are substantial differences in athletic performance for male and female people.* However, there is little high-quality, definitive evidence concerning the effects of hormone suppression/replacement on people's athletic performance. The current state of evidence suggests that hormone suppression/replacement fails to bridge the physiological gap between male and female people, but we need further higher-quality evidence to definitively prove this.

(That being said, the burden of proof here is on the people attempting to initiate a change; that is equitably between transwomen and female people should be (have been) established prior to eliminating biological sex-separation.)

*Before anyone jumps on this: this is not a moral difference. There is absolutely no reason why running faster or lifting heavier things would make someone "better". The biological difference in performance exists, but it does not in anyway suggest superiority of men over women. Beyond that, it is unsurprising that men outperform women on traditional sports given that sports were designed by and for men. In sports that cater to women's physiological advantages (e.g., endurance, flexibility), women outperform men. [9]

---

So, given all this, what would we actually need to make determine transwomen's relative advantage over female people?

The "perfect" study would involve (at least) these elements:

Random selection from the desired population(s) of transwomen (e.g., top-ranked athletes in a specific sport, non-athletic, etc.) with matched (for population) non-trans female and non-trans male controls

Observation (not self-report) of activity level prior to, during, and following a standardized treatment (hormone suppression/replacement) initiation

Continual measurement of various physical and athletic performance, preferably with a range of laboratory (e.g., spirometry, body measurements) and naturalistic (e.g., actual sports competitions) tasks along with monitoring the treatment and clinical/health issues in all participants (again, not via self-report)

Large enough sample sizes to allow for sufficiently powered tests of all groups/differences of interest

A double-blinded assessment approach (or "placebo" controlled) such that both the researcher assessing the participants and the participants do not know what is being evaluated until the study is complete. For example, you may tell one half the transwomen participants that you are tracking the long term health effects of the intervention (hormone therapy), while you tell the other half that you are assessing differences in athletic performance as a result of the intervention. This will allow for the evaluation of demand characteristics like the ones impacting [7].

There are likely even more factors I have not currently thought of. Of course, completing the "perfect" study would likely be almost impossible. It would certainly be impossible to do for every population of interest (e.g., Olympic weight-lifters, adolescent track and field athletes, sedentary office workers) at the same time.

That being said, a study that fails to include all of these factors (particularly the blinded approach, matching of control participants, and sample size) is not going to meet the standard of evidence needed to make decisions of this magnitude (i.e., choosing to change the priority from biological categorization to ideological categorization). In reality, we would likely need many studies that individually evaluate each group of interest (e.g., transwomen olympic-level weight-lifters vs female olympic-level weight-lifters), each applying as many of the ideal study characteristics as possible.

In conclusion, the IOC has failed to perform their stated duty to regulate and ensure fair competition in sports. There is no current evidence suggesting that transwomen have lost their male-advantage in sports, much less any evidence suggesting they are at a disadvantage.

References below the cut:

Hamilton, B., Brown, A., Montagner-Moraes, S., Comeras-Chueca, C., Bush, P. G., Guppy, F. M., & Pitsiladis, Y. P. (2024). Strength, power and aerobic capacity of transgender athletes: a cross-sectional study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(11), 586-597.

Al-Ashkar, F., Mehra, R., & Mazzone, P. J. (2003). Interpreting pulmonary function tests: recognize the pattern, and the diagnosis will follow. Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine, 70(10), 866-881.

Heather, A. K. (2022). Transwoman elite athletes: their extra percentage relative to female physiology. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9103.

“International Olympic Committee Issues New Guidelines on Transgender Athletes.” NBC News, 3 Jan. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/international-olympic-committee-issues-new-guidelines-transgender-athl-rcna5775.

Hilton, E. N., & Lundberg, T. R. (2021). Transgender women in the female category of sport: perspectives on testosterone suppression and performance advantage. Sports Medicine, 51, 199-214.

Wiik, A., Lundberg, T. R., Rullman, E., Andersson, D. P., Holmberg, M., Mandić, M., ... & Gustafsson, T. (2020). Muscle strength, size, and composition following 12 months of gender-affirming treatment in transgender individuals. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 105(3), e805-e813.

Roberts, T. A., Smalley, J., & Ahrendt, D. (2021). Effect of gender affirming hormones on athletic performance in transwomen and transmen: implications for sporting organisations and legislators. British journal of sports medicine, 55(11), 577-583.

Pitsiladis, Yannis MMedSci, PhD, FACSM; Harper, Joanna MS; Betancurt, Jonathan Ospina; Martinez-Patino, Maria-Jose; Parisi, Attilio MD; Wang, Guan; Pigozzi, Fabio MD, PhD. Beyond Fairness: The Biology of Inclusion for Transgender and Intersex Athletes. Current Sports Medicine Reports 15(6):p 386-388, 11/12 2016. | DOI: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000314

Ro, Christine. The sports where women outperform men. (2024). From https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240731-the-sports-where-women-outperform-men

[justanothersyscourse]

https://twitter.com/inclusyscourse/status/1456150137680576516?s=21 oh my godddddd the original thread is pretty good and this response is just pure endo bullshit

You know, it's sad when I know exactly what Twitter thread that's going to be before I even open it.

The original was FANTASTIC, such a good thread. Whoever wrote it, good job.

This response? Pure bullshit, and shows that they have zero understanding of what they're talking about it.

I guess we're doing this... I'll be linking this response to them.

There's so much wrong with this argument, I don't even know where to begin.

You don't need to know what it's like to be a system to understand the science behind systems-- the mechanisms of it, how it works and forms, the actual physical changes that someone goes through.

Yes, there are aspects about systemhood that they won't understand, but that doesn't make their research any less useful or valid.

Also, what does being cishet have to do with it? Yes, it's a shame there isn't more diversity in the medical field, but that seems to be changing quickly, and ignoring all their research based on their gender and sexuality is... A lot of bad things.

Also, clearly, left to their own devices, uneducated systems will come up with a lot of crazy nonsense-- system hopping, walk-ins, non-traumagenic plurality. Sorry, I think I'll trust the singlet with decades of work and research under their belt over Karen and her system on Facebook.

For example, you, as a system, clearly have zero idea what you're talking about, and we'll get into that now.

Ahh, this video.

Okay, so, you're already showing your bias and how uneducated you are. Your sources are shit, flat out crap.

Allen Francis, the chair of the DSM IV. Where to begin.

Allen Francis wasn't on any of the specific research teams for the DSM IV, he oversaw the project in general. God forbid, one man out of dozens and dozens, from over two decades ago, who wasn't directly involved in DDs, not believe in DID. What a travesty.

Good thing he actually had zero say in whether it stayed or was removed from the DSM, and he didn't have anything to do with the name change, either. Any changes he did make to the DSM IV were removed, IN THEIR ENTIRETY, less than two years later in the DSM IV TR, and he was never asked back (he'll claim he was and that he turned them down, but that's proven false).

But yes, that's right, his input was from THREE VERSIONS AGO. Can we give it a goddamn rest? He has an ego, and likes to claim he had a bigger part in it than he did, and you're falling for it.

In the same go, they renamed 4 disorders and reclassified them as Dissociative Disorders. Are we going to claim that they didn't believe in the other 3, as well?

Again, another ridiculous, clearly uneducated argument.

Oh boy, do I have news for you.

They can.

And they have.

We can absolutely see the mechanisms of systems and switching on MRI scans. We can see that the brain structure matches that of those with PTSD, but on a much more severe scale. And this isn't the only study, it's only the most recent, interesting one.

I wonder, compared to DID/OSDD, what they would see if they stuck an endogenic in an fmri study. Would they see those same injuries, proving them to be trauma based? Or would they see nothing at all? No switching, no changes, nothing. Hopefully they come out with that parogenic study soon. They've been sitting on that one for a while. I wonder why.

Second, the ToSD isn't new. It began as a theory in the late 1800's with Pierre. The Haunted Self is just a recent book about the theory, so good job. Clearly you don't know the history or where any of this started. Yeah, I'm really inclined to trust you.

So, again, actually, it has been proven, visibly and physically.

That's not a comparable topic, it's irrelevant. Your argument is invalid, this isn't even worth talking about. Sexuality is not comparable to systemhood, moving on.

As per above, DID/OSDD are trauma disorders, clearly proven. Inb4 "but we don't have DID/OSDD uwu🌸", nobody cares, I'll be more inclined to hear about non-traumagenic plurality when they actually get in an MRI machine.

You know, the other thread was full of facts and research, and you're just talking personal preferences at this point.

Tell me, what makes them wrong? It seems more likely to me that they're correct, what with their educational and research backgrounds. Also, I'm more inclined to believe dissociated parts of the self over supernatural causes.

ALSO, calling them dissociated parts of the self doesn't actually take away from their individuality. Maybe you should think about why you feel as if it does. And what of those who feel that fits their experiences? Are you calling them wrong? Are you implying that your alters deserve more personhood than theirs? I don't know that you want to go down this road, maybe keep your personal opinions to yourself in these types of threads.

Considering amnesia is directly tied to dissociation and dissociated parts of the self, you should probably stop talking. Even in just plain old "dissociative amnesia", it's about a dissociated part of the self that isn't distinct enough to be called an alter. I'm really starting to doubt that you know much of anything.

#DIDyouread

"May also cause dissociative disorders," not "DID", but one of the several other dissociative disorders, that don't involve alters or systems.

There are even specific types of OSDD for adulthood, but don't involve systems or alters, because it IS proven that you can't develop them once the sense of self is formed. No, absolutely, the age is up for debate, because there's so many things that can delay when the sense of self forms in different people, but before your teens, it happens, and it's no longer possible to become a system.

You know what you can develop after the sense of self is formed? BPD, which is trauma based, and can very much feel like a system, but isn't, because it's too goddamn late to form a real system-- the type seen in DID/OSDD.

Because as per the DSM 5, and supporting studies, such as the one I linked in the beginning, traumagenic brain injuries are required for diagnosis. So yes, endogenic systems would be misdiagnosed. Thankfully, that study above is about moving from self reporting to scanning for DID/OSDD, so luckily, you guys won't be misdiagnosed anymore! Isn't that great?

AND FINALLY, WE'VE MADE IT TO THE END

And I've hit the image limit.

So to finish:

Please learn, like actually genuinely learn, about the medical model, and the history behind it, and stop believing everything you hear on Twitter.

[xxbig-shotxx]

It's me again, you already know who and seem to like to make me a "meme" so I shouldn't have to mention who I am to you. I did NOT appreciate that art you spat out of me and you, it's gross just like your treatment of women in your comic! You have one ONE female character and yet you constantly sexualize her why do you draw her bra and breasts all the time!?

I was going to let it slide, but but the more I thought about it the more problems I had and it was actually making me gag. This comic is fetishism of mental illness which you have proven by having you, let me remind you ONLY FEMALE CHARACTER having a breakdown in her underwear which is something that you just thought was 'okay' to put in, it is not.

What does the mental illness fetishism even add? Nothing but fuel for your perverse desires just like making the characters, who mind you, don't have canonn genders In the game, gendered it's gross and perverted and of course you demonize the only woman when the male characters can kill people and get absolutely zero repercussions for it, while the female character gets hate by you, the writer and the readers for what? Being a woman? A less than ideal mother? You're all sickening.

Not even to mention that you only quote-on-quote "intersex" character, who is the MAIN character of your fic barely gets any focus on agency in their own story and instead gets put to the side for your writer's pet, suffering-fetish character. Not even to mention that them being intersex still plays absolutely zero role in the story and also never gets brought up because he might as well be just a man anyway. I don't care what other people say defending you, they're clearly your white knights and your not as good as you think you are about tackling sensitive subjects since things like suicide, incest and now murder and mental illness is nothing more than a way you get your sick kicks. Either take a psychology course and a writing course or stop.

Yes, I'm judgemental, because your not above criticism and the minute you get off your podium and learn how to not be a creep is the minute your writing can improve~

They actually did this yesterday but I didn't have the energy or a funni drawing

I did skim through this one and I have questions

Are you joking ?

If you're joking I admire your effort but bruh

If you're not joking then I'm really worried about you

Why do you keep reading this is it's obviously not something you enjoy ?

Are...you... reading it ?

Because I don't know if your comprehension is just bad or if you're shitposting because there's a lot that is just blatantly wrong

And finally

You keep bringing up the intersex thing and I do not know in what way you specifically want it to contribute and frankly I don't want to know

[blazedrawsstuff]

Lucas Bellum, son of a Psychic Ghost!

Lucas Bellum

Son of a psychic ghost.

Parent

A Psychic Ghost

Age

16

Killer Style

Academia styles, If I'm gonna be "smart one", might as well look like it too.

Freaky Flaw

I have a major dislike towards the other monsters here and I'm not shy of making others lives miserable. Just be thankful I'm only half as bad as Patsy or Nefera, at least I have SOME standards!

Pet

Alexander, my pet crow. Crows are very intelligent animals and he is no exception.

Favorite Activity

Don't care if it's "stereotypically nerdy", I'm a fan of trading card games and tabletop RPGs, especially when I'm the dungeon master for the former.

Pet Peeve

Whenever I do the above mentioned activities, they have to put a tinfoil hat on my head so I don't read the minds of my enemies. Makes me look like a idiotic conspiracy theorist.

Favorite Subject

Advanced Maths, I pass through that class with flying colors, unlike most students who would buckle under the pressure.

Least Favorite Subject

Physical Deaducation, me plus physical sports equals a bad time. Plus I can't stand the presence of those meatheads who think they're so special just because they're good at throwing a ball.

Favorite Color

Red, Green, and Black

Favorite Food

Chewing gum, it's been proven that it helps with focus, perfect for studying sessions.

Friends

"Toralei and her posse are my only friend, and even then I prefer to keep them at arms length"

Dawn Anderson (EW MH AU Only)

Abilities

Telekinesis

Lucas has the ability to pick up and throw objects with his mind.

Telepathy

He has the ability to read the minds of others, reading their feelings, imagination, and even gather the innermost thoughts of the person he uses this power of.

Floating

Lucas can float like any other ghost

Permeation

Like all ghosts, Lucas can go through solids

Immortality

Like all ghosts, he is immortal

Skillset

Intelligence

Lucas is one of the smartest students in Monster High, as such, he has the highest grades of the student body and is knowledgeable in a variety of subjects.

Personality

Due to his past of being bullied when he was younger, Lucas has developed a mean, sarcastic, know-it-all personality and is anti-social as a whole. He would much prefer to study than hang out with "friends", and any "friends" he does have are kept at arms length. He is not above using his psychic powers to mock people (such as insulting them with him telepathy or using their secrets, like wetting the bed.)

However, he does have standards, there are some boundaries he will not cross when it comes to hazing (such as orientation or gender identity, or traumas like Lupita's aquaphobia.). He is also one of if not the most intelligent student of Monster High

He is also indifferent to how he is perceived, not caring if people like him or not. 

Trivia/Additional Information

Both he and his mother were inspired by Alma Wade from the F.E.A.R series.

Lucas's first name comes from Lucas, the protagonist of Mother 3. While his last name comes from the cerebellum, a part of the brain that controls muscle control, balance, and movement, among other things.

His eyes glow green when using his psychic powers.

He is Asexual and Aromantic.

Her birthday is January 15th, the month and date is based on his IQ, which is 151. This makes him a Capricorn.

Lucas's headcanon voice actor is Kenny Yates, who voiced Prune Juice Cookie from Cookie Run Kingdom.

[ashbelero]

I just realized the amount of people (girls from what I've seen) get angry when people make the characters gay, and think they're being forced into it. When in actuality they're being hypocritical all at the same time.

Funny, right?

When someone's open about their sexuality that skews them from the "norm", the majority accept that fact, but when it's a gay man, suddenly it's; "Think of the children!"

Sorry about the mini-rant. I just found both scenarios funny, especially since they seem to be near identical... you'll see a lot of examples in fandoms nowadays. For example: 1,000-year old demon god falls in love with a 16-year old girl -- no one bats an eye. Same scenario but it's with 2-men, NOW suddenly everyone cares?

It's bullshit man...

I'm not really seeing any "think of the children" arguments in relation to male or nb MCs. But I can basically break down what people's problems were when I asked about gender neutral MCs in otomes or dating sims.

- Otomes were made for women, and you are trying to take that away. I've heard the argument that otomes and games like that were directed at female gamers specifically, and that using a gender neutral or a your-gender-choice MC is taking those things away from them. They operate under the idea that every other video game was made for men. And they aren't. Maybe that was the case 20 years ago, but character creation is a common thing in every game I play now.

- I can't see myself in the place of the MC you drew/the game wouldn't have the MC in art spreads if they tried to accommodate everyone. This isn't even about just female characters - it's about any MC or self insert who isn't slender, pale-skinned and brunette. Because that's the default MC in many games like MLQC, a lot of otome players have agreed that this is the way any MC should look, and if you don't, then you're creating art that specifically excludes EVERYONE BUT YOU. So it doesn't matter if you're fat, Black, trans, male, nonbinary - none of that belongs in "their space". God forbid you get one of those characters drawn with a favorite love interest. I pray for the Luci stans.

- Why do you have to make it about YOU? This is a big one I see. It's this sort of "Why can't you just be happy with what we have, like everyone else?" kind of thing. They think we're asking for special treatment in a space that wasn't built for us. And it's really not a difficult thing we're asking - it's been proven that it's really easy to provide these things. But they don't care, because of the above two "issues".

So when a game does actually do it, they feel threatened.

[ellaintrigue]

Photo credit @ Erin

I've had a date assault and then was abused by a long-term partner years later when his schizophrenia took over. I do not have a consistent history of dating abusive partners. I've encountered a lot of assholes and got away from them, so I do have many dating horror stories that have put me through the wringer which may give the impression that I have had many abusive relationships.

This isn't any sort of bragging though. People who have dated physical abusers should not be looked down upon and it is never their fault. However, we tend to gravitate towards the same type of partner over and over, unconsciously.

Again, never victim blame or shame abuse survivors. HOWEVER, sometimes we make repeated poor choices in partners for the reason stated above. Which means we can end up in the same negative dating scenarios over and over. I have done this with emotionally unavailable men. And I, unconsciously, did that to myself. They did not abuse me or try to force anything, I was with them willingly and tried to make the most of it. So, I can complain about them but unlike when I was physically attacked, I ultimately brought those situations down on myself. After some therapeutic measures and self-reflecting I now realize the pattern.

This doesn't mean I will always make good dating decisions in the future; I will always run a little wild. However, I realize that I was surrounded by a certain type, and that does not reflect upon the male gender in general. A few do not define entirety.

Everyone hates the "not all men" argument because that does excuse the violence out there, etc., but it is true not all people are alike and this applies to women as well obviously. Yesterday I was offended by the friend of a friend proudly saying that all women are users and abusers. Upon scrolling further this fellow says it's a proven fact because his exes are all users and abusers.

Again, not victim blaming, but if ALL of this man's exes are users, what is the common factor here? Him. Let's say he's dated 20 women and they're all snakes. Those 20 women are not all of the women on planet earth. They are his current type although he doesn't realize it, just like how emotionally neglectful men were mine.

People accuse me of complaining about men... no, I complain about abusers. They are rampant. But this guy, for example, is complaining about a handful of women he's dated and saying that all of womankind is like them. And that is where he once again repeats the negative pattern he's had in dating. By being toxic and sexist, he is going to scare away any decent, healthy women who might come near him. Then he will be left with women who don't care about his nasty views because they will just want to use him. He will remain an incel the rest of his life because he is negative, attracts negative people, gets burned, and then blames all women because he doesn't see the pattern and realize that it's him. And unfortunately people like this can become abusers themselves.

Sometimes we need to look in the mirror and give a self-induced reality check. So if you are hung up on shitty exes, reflect on why, and then think about what you need to do in the future to move on in a healthy fashion so that you don't scare off the good folks.

[bisexualsdeservebetter]

I also agree that amabs have male privilege, however I don't think that's all there is to it. women have it better in some aspects, like false rape accusers never really being punished by law, men's struggles sometimes not being seen as valid, women having an inherent advantage in court cases etc. but i dont think that also really matters. you have the radfems saying that all women can do is suffer and that every problem in society ever was created by men, and misogynistic incels saying that every problem women have is made up because they have so much privilege. the truth is that men are privileged in some areas but struggle in others, same goes for women. and also that every human being is an individual and not everyone will experience the same privileges/struggles only because they're amab/afab. this oppression olympics is really tiring, and ends up helping nobody.

btw I'm not implying that you came across as a radfem on your post, I just kind of felt like ranting about this.

I sure hope I don't sound like a radfem lol, they don't like me much.

In general I agree that a lot of problems men face do get swept under the rug because the majority of men don't really face the same misogynist systemic oppression that women do.

I think it is a very serious issue that male victims of sexual assault or abuse or things like that are rarely taken seriously, and male victims really ought to be given more respect and compassion. There are still people in the world who think that a man cannot be raped, which is obviously wrong and extremely damaging to male victims.

This can be such a touchy topic I don't even really know how to talk about it most of the time. In general I think that the issues that both men and women face should be dealt with and not pitted against each other. It seems like a lot of people act like if you bring up issues like male victims not being taken seriously, that you're trying to belittle female victims or say that men have it worse. Ofc there are people who think men are The Most Oppressed Class TM (incels), but they're full of shit, as we've established, and they just hate women.

So like obviously it's very very important, especially right now, to pay attention to the oppression of women and other afab people. Those problems are real and should not be discredited. Reproductive rights are a serious issue, of course so are things like violence against women, sexism in the workplace, and all of that. These things are serious problems that do need to be talked about.

I think that the above sentiment can and should coexist with the sentiment that yeah, men also have societal problems based on their gender, and that shouldn't be belittled. Especially male victims of violence and abuse, like they deserve resources and help and support as well, even if it happens generally less to men than it does to women.

The one thing though is just false rape allegations, rape is such a difficult thing to prove or disprove I just think that that whole area should be dealt with with extreme care and caution. I don't really know how the perfect way to deal with it would be honestly, because while some people do unfortunately make false allegations sometimes, I don't think we should assume all allegations are false automatically, because that would deter victims from coming forward. Although of course I think if somebody is actually, concretely proven to have made a false allegation there should be legal punishment. That's a horrible thing to lie about and it can very very easily ruin a person's life.

I hope I've articulated myself well enough here, like I said this is such a difficult thing to discuss, I'm never quite sure how to phrase any of my thoughts about it.