#KRIS USES THEY/THEM PRONOUNS. MISGENDER THEM AND I KILL YOU.

[jonahmagnus]

Sighs. At least we have love ref

[purpleandstarlight]

Here are my first thoughts on @hateweasel 's cielois fanfic DLTD, as I share them like 100+ chapters into the journey with my best friend (who hasn't read DLTD nor was ever really into Kuro) trough DMs. Here recapped for y'all.

- I FORGOT!! I DIDN'T KNOW HATE'S PRONOUNS AT THE BEGINNING SO WHEN I SPOKE WITH MY BEST FRIEND (In Italian, where they/them pronouns don't really exists unfortunately) I ALWAYS TRIED TO GET AROUND USING PRONOUNS SO AS NOT TO MISGENDER HER!! At some point (this time on ff.net, bc I usually read on ao3 so that's where I read DLTD first) I read on an author's corner the she/her pronouns and sent an ask to Hate (probably on anon bc that's how I was at first) to confirm and from then on I was finally able to get it together when talking about Hate.

-Hey Hate, remember when I sent you that anon ask talking abt how you reminded me of a French cartoon and you IMMEDIATELY recognized it as Code Lyoko? Yeah related to that whole "school thinks they're adoptive sibling" thing, I wondered why no one at school had questions about why the fuck the supposed siblings had that much non-platonic tension.

-My initial criticism that wasn't actually criticism on Hate bc I knew this was from 10 years ago and i honestly just read it as how teenage boys, especially at the time, behaved. It was criticism to just the boys, not the author. Criticism include:

1)the gay slurs the cast kept throwing around.

2)The way they all said that one in the Cielois was the "woman" - wich is something both homophobic and misogynistic.

3) the "yOuR'E sUcH a GIrL" insult that is, again, misogynistic.

4) Not a criticism to the teenage boys this time but to the girls. WHY are y'all sexualizing these gays?? GET A GRIP!!

-Not a criticism, but since we're talking about their teenager boy behavior that Hate got SO RIGHT: the COSTANT sex jokes related conversation they had. It didn't really bother me so its not criticism, its just very hormonal teen boy minded to bring everything back to that? So I wasn't really annoyed at the teenagers for being teenagers u know. I'm just adding it to the list of what I thought Hate got so well in the characterization of teenager boys.

-at some point my best friend lead me to realize that while everyone in school felt the tension between Cielois, no one had the bets running on when/if they would finally get together. Wich still makes me so sad because HATE, you missed on such a romance fanfic trope 😔 /jk

- Me at the start of the stadium arc when Kris starts being interested in...what the frick was his name?? Cameron?? Idk THAT ONE BLONDE DUDE: Oh so we're gonna have a couple of chill chapters where they are just gonna establish their relationships better!

Me, when the reapers are there and we discover about the bomb: W H A T

-Me: DLTD Suddently became Ouran Host Club? For?? Some reason??

My friend: You know what? It doesn't really surprise me. Imo this story will cover every work of literature ever existed before it ends.

-Mi initial dislike for the name Kristopherson. I still don't really like it but I'm used to it ig? Again no hate to Hate!! I just find it such an unnecessarily long name for his parents to give him? Like choose Kristopher, or Kris, why Kristopherson?? Now I know it's bc Kristopher is his father. And in general i understand that Rich People are Like That TM.

Me, while I was describing Kris's journey of self discovery to my best friend: At the beginning of the story, he was just this random bully who called Alois gay...wich i mean, it was true, but he didn't HAVE to be so mean about it...

Gonna cut this into parts so I don't kill my followers who aren't interested in my DLTD thoughts..i would use the read more thing but idk how to activate that?? Also I wrote this for some time now and I need a break lol

[fruitisthenewvegitable]

Cw: mention of sexual assault (not stuff thats actually happened, but just me worrying about it), mention of homophobia & transphobia, mention of bullying. I also get very passionate and intense during this long rant. (None of this goes into too much detail but it’s still worth noting. If I’ve missed anything please tell me and I’ll add it).

A couple of random-ish interconnected thoughts about going back to school as an openly queer girl.

Y’know what sucks? I’m worried about going back to school soon.

While I have never been sexually assaulted, I have heard enough stories from people I know irl or from random women online, that I’ve started debating packing an extra bra in my bag for school just in case a boy cuts my bra strap.

The fact that I even have this thought in the first place feels so fucking icky to me. The fact that I have to worry.

And I’m actually not that worried about it! Other than my elective classes, I’m going into all honors classes, and one of the requirements for getting into honors classes is being well-behaved. So I know that the peers I’m going to be interacting with the most (that aren’t my friends) are going to be at least a little well behaved.

But. There’s still this worry. That I will be assaulted in a place that is meant to be safe.

And it’s not just bra-cutting I’m worried about.

I’m very openly queer and I’ve already experienced a lot of homophobia from several of my classmates the last couple of years I’ve been in public school (because covid is a bitch).

And I’m lucky! A lot of my friends a trans, very openly so, and they get misgendered a LOT, even by family. But I’ve got a very open and supportive family, several of which are queer themselves! But that doesn’t mean that I still haven’t experienced homophobia in an environment that’s meant to educate.

I’m going to school to learn fucking math problems, not to get told to kill myself because I had my lesbian flag out in the lunch room.

I’m going to school to learn historical events, not to have to worry if a boy will try and cut my bra strap in front of the entire class.

I’m going to school to learn how to write an essay, not to have to worry if a kid will attack or belittle me because I like girls. Because I am a girl. Because I act a bit differently than them. Because I use She/They pronouns. Because. Because. Because. Because.

I’m nervous to go back to school because I know the mindset of ‘boys will be boys’ is so normalized. Because I don’t actively fear men and boys right now, but I might by the time I graduate. Because I love school and I love my friends and I love my teachers.

But when I was in 7th grade a boy told me to kill myself because I had a pride flag out. And to my knowledge all that happened was he was told off and had to ‘apologize’ to me.

The more I think about how my peers might treat me when I go back to school I just get Kris nervous and more angry thinking back on the things that I’ve already experienced.

Our society has to change.

Because I can’t go on living my life being wary of everyone around me because they might want to see me dead for something I can’t control.

And because I don’t want my identity to be questioned by my peers and politicians because ‘are you sure you just haven’t met the right boy yet?’.

I’m angry and nervous and the fact that I have to worry about packing an extra bra in my school bag will always be a testament to the fact that society (and the school system) has failed everyone. Especially young afab’s.

[cintax3rror]

Kris, Frisk and Chara are their own people

also duh spoilers for Undertale and Deltarune

Bc I keep seeing people misgendering them and acting like they’re blank slates. Alright, Kris (especially), Frisk and Chara are their own people. In Undertale and Deltarune this is emphasized a lot, in undertale’s genocide run it’s not frisk killing everyone, it’s you. You’re the one killing and using Frisk as a vessel to do that. There’s a VERY HINTED separation from Frisk and you as the player. You don’t even get to control Chara (I’m pretty sure I haven’t watched a geno run) so I don’t want to hear diddly about that. Point is in Undertale there’s a pretty heavy hint to the separation of Frisk and player. We on the same page? Good, if not, stop reading and block me pls, stop misgendering ppl, now I see the misgendering a lot less in the Deltarune fandom but that doesn’t change the fact it’s still there. My question is how…? How do you miss that. In Deltarune especially Kris literally removes your control by ripping out their soul which is your only way to controlling them and just by going around the hometown, Kris is not just a blank character up for interpretation like how I’ve seen some ppl bring up, they are their own person with their own personality and experiences. Shoot even Toriel knows how to use their pronouns and everyone accuses her of being homophobic and/or transphobic (which I don’t believe but that’s for another time). Kris let’s you know that they aren’t you and you aren’t them, your choices don’t matter since Kris is their own person and you don’t get to change their story and they sure as hell let you know. It can’t be stressed enough, you don’t get to change their story you’re only observing and the choices you do make will still give you the same ending, just in a more different way. The separation in Deltarune is stressed now more than ever, even arguably more than in Undertale.

Anyway just a small rant I had in the back of my mind.

[maxi-multiverse]

I’m throwing my two cents is as a non-binary person myself. Frisk and Kris? Yes absolutely, they are non-binary. You are right OP, they are separate from the player, the games make this clear.

But I think that argument doesn’t quite work as well for Chara. Because the whole point of them is that the first fallen human is supposed to be you. It’s a very common thing in RPGs to have your character have your name because it makes the experience more personal. Yes, these characters do have canonical names (ie Link in Legend of Zelda), but usually we pick from a list of names with that, and we all know how meta Toby likes to be. So why not make it even more personal by making it open ended? Remember, for the longest time we didn’t even KNOW Chara’s true name. It’s NEVER outright stated in the game. People had to look in the SOURCE CODE to find it.

Hell, this is what Toby HAS said about naming the Fallen Human.

This is EXTREMELY apparent in the Genocide Run. Because the game wants you deal with the fact that you made this choice, you were the one who decided to kill them all. I know we’ve all seen the fanart where Chara is the one pulling the strings, the one who wants to murder. We all love the Ghost Chara headcanon. But think about mechanic wise how terrifying it is when you do that run and you see YOUR name, which I think it what Toby is trying to get across.

I think Asriel uses they/them for Chara in the game because Toby doesn’t want to misgender YOU. They/them are pronouns that are common for people who are nonbinary. But like I’ve seen countless posts on this website: they/them does not equal non-binary. They/them are gender neutral pronouns and people use them colloquially in english all the time, even when they don’t realize it.

I believe the “placeholder” idea came from the fact that Chara’s name was thought to have come from “Character.” I don’t think Toby has ever confirmed this but that could be where that misconception comes from.

I also think you might be mixing up messages with Undertale and Deltarune. Because while Deltarune’s message is “we don’t choose who we are,” Undertale’s message is “your choices do matter.” That’s why there are multiple endings, that’s why there’s different dialogue options. Choice is the biggest part of Undertale, while Deltarune is almost its antithesis in a way? Like a mirror.

Believe me, I completely understand your frustration with the lack of representation for nonbinary characters. I always get super excited when we DO have it. And we got quite a few with Frisk, Kris, and as the person added, Monster Kid and Napstablook! But we can’t yell at people for having a different interpretation than we do for a character that is pretty much based on the player’s experience. Even with the established backstory of the Fallen Human.

TL;DR Frisk and Kris are absolutely non-binary, but I believe Chara is supposed to be more vague because they ARE you. At least that’s my interpretation of the game.

people don’t seem to get why misgendering chara, frisk, and kris is such a big deal but like…y’all realize they’re like, the only nonbinary representation we have in games, right? you guys have like…everyone. you’ve got all these characters that use he/him and she/her. we’re allowed to get mad when you decide to take these canon nonbinary characters and say “we’re actually allowed to choose their gender bc we play as them/bc it’s up for interpretation/bc they/them are placeholder pronouns for when u don’t know their gender”

the thing is…we do know their genders? for starters-Chara. Asriel, their adoptive brother, their literal best friend who loves and adores them, solely uses they/them for Chara. nothing else. Chara’s family would 100% know their gender and pronouns. just because you name them does not mean you know them. they are not you. they have their own story, and their own personality. that is the point of Undertale.

Frisk is also not you. this is specified at the end of the True Pacifist when they tell Asriel their name. later on, Flowey, pleading with you to not reset, refers to Frisk with they/them and nothing else.

Kris is, unsurprisingly, not you either!! the game shows that by throwing away the name you picked, and-spoilers-throwing your soul into the cage at the end of the game!! you can literally move said soul around while in the cage!!!

why can’t you guys accept the fact that they’re nonbinary? why does it matter so much to you that you get to assign a binary to them? this topic matters to me because i’m nonbinary, and it stings every single time i see someone misgender them!!

so why do you want their gender to be yours to choose, even though the game’s point is that you cannot choose who they are?

[unda-dittaboot]

More Than A Number: Blog 3

This is a continuation of the list made on the first blog post of black trans women who have been killed due to violence against the trans community and how the media fails to justly represent them.  

Titi Gulley

Titi Gulley, also known as Tete, was 31 years old. She was loved by her family. She lived in Portland, Oregon. She was a cheerful, helpful, and loving person according to her friends and family. Her mother Kenya Robinson says that she always wanted to help out. She would offer to cook, do her mother’s nails, or take out that trash. She was also at the time trying to make a better life for herself.

One way the media has failed Titi is by failing to represent her story in a timely manner. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until George Floyd’s death that the media felt her death was important enough to report and even then, the reports are very insignificant. Most of her story is based off of rumors and barely anything is mentioned about her life. She is mostly depicted as a homeless trans woman. So much is unclear about her preferred pronouns, the actual spelling of her name, or even how she truly identified.

***

Chanel Scurlock

Chanel Scurlock was 23 years old. She was remembered by a friend as “living her life as she wanted” and being “unapologetically correct about her feelings and expectations of herself.” According to ZORA, Chanel aspired to be a makeup artist and clothing designer. She had goals to eventually “formally study fashion at an institution.” She was very loved by her mother and the two were “nearly together everyday.”

Denali Berries Stuckey

Denali Berries Stuckey was 29 years old. She is remembered by her family. “I lost my best friend” wrote her cousin. According to ZORA, Denali is remember in many ways by her loved ones - “her devotion to her family, her outgoing personality, her unique style, and her dancing.” She had a passion for cooking and loved not only cooking, but eating soul food. She was a nail technician and “hoped someday to open her own hair and nail salon.” She had a close relationship with her mother and was described by her mother as a person who “had a nice personality, was loving and caring.”

One way the media has failed Chanel and Denali is by continuously misgendering and misnaming them. According to the Human Rights Campaign, both the police and media continued to misgender Chanel “even after being made aware of her transgender identity.” Denali as well was misgendered and misnamed in initial reports of coverage of the crime. Not only is this blatantly disrespectful but it really emphasizes the impertinent treatment that the transgender community face too often in our society.  

***

Zoe Spears

Zoe Spears was 23 years old. According to Ruby Corado, a transgender advocate and founder of Casa Ruby, Zoe was “very bright and very full of life.” Zoe viewed both Ruby and Ruby’s fiancé, Shannon Wilkins, as a mother and father. According to ZORA, Ruby and Shannon shared a love of hero movies, specifically Avengers: Endgame. When she was living at Casa Ruby, she enjoyed eating pizza and listening to her favorite rap artist, Snow Tha Product. You can tell Zoe was such a kind and infectious person as Ruby says that she “couldn’t help but love her. She was just so much fun, and I couldn’t resist her personality.”

One way the media has failed Zoe and many other transgender women, especially black transgender women, is by exploiting their deaths. Specifically, in Zoe’s case gruesome details of her death were shared and the narrative of her story often unnecessarily mentions that she was a sex worker. Many details speaking about these women are more about their deaths, how they died, and what led to their deaths than remembering them.

***

Brooklyn Lindsey

Brooklyn Lindsey was 32 years old. She is mourned and missed by her friends and family. According to ZORA, Brooklyn “was best known for being bubbly and upbeat.” Kris Wade, the director of The Justice Project of Kansas City, remembers Brooklyn to be a “very, very, sweet person. [She had a] very sweet nature. Funny. Intelligent. She understood common courtesy, the art of conversation.” She was very loved as others recall her in the same way and as well as woman who left a positive impression.

One way the media has failed Brooklyn is by barely having any information about her seen in the media and even how she is so insignificantly portrayed. There is a huge double standard when it comes to how society tends to represents a white male in the media who has been killed verses a black trans woman who has been killed. You often hear about the man’s life, what he accomplished, and how successful he was, but for for many trans women, and especially black trans women, you do not hear that whatsoever. You only hear about their struggles and what lead them to their death often forgetting to focus on the fact that these women are more than that. People have to go out of their way to find even the smallest amount of information when it comes to the passing of a person in the trans community. 

***

Tracy Single

Tracy Single was 22 years old. She is remembered by Monica Roberts, a Houston-based transgender advocate, who says that Tracy was “taken away from us way too soon.” According to ZORA, Tracy loved makeup and fashion. She would style her friends for drag as well as fashion shows and experimented “with nontraditional ways to create fun new looks for herself and her friends.” Courtney Sellers, the executive director of MGP (an evening drop-in center for youth experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity), says that Tracy was “so confident. I really admired that about her. She truly lived her life in a way that I wish I could live my own — without fear of being judged.”

The media has failed Tracy and many others by labeling her as a number. Tracy is mainly seen as the “16th trans person to be murdered in the US.” So many news outlets and articles number these women to create a shocking effect to the public but in turn sacrifices respectfully remembering these women as individuals. When you think about it would you rather be remembered as a number that seems to unfortunately be increasing or as a person who lived a full life. For me, and I’m sure anyone, would rather be remembered by the details of their life than be grouped into a statistic.