#and imo more appropriate

[carlyraejepsans]

for real WHERE does the idea that [utdr humans] are nongendered so that "you can project on them" come from. their literal character arcs are about NOT being a blank slate to be filled in by the audience

i think i understand the assumption on some level for undertale, because there is a very intentional effort to make you identify with the "player character" in order to make your choices feel like your own (the beating heart of undertale's metanarrative lies in giving you an alternative path to violence against its enemies after all, and whether you're still willing to persue it for your own selfish reasons. YOUR agency is crucial).

of course, the cardinal plot twist of the main ending sweeps the rug from under your feet on that in every way, and frisk's individuality becomes, in turn, a tool to further UT's OTHER main theme: completionism as a form of diegetic violence within the story. replaying the game would steal frisk's life and happy ending from them for our own perverse sentimentality, emotionally forcing our hand away from the reset button.

i think their neutrality absolutely aids in that immersion. but also, there's this weird attitude by (mostly) cis fans where it being functional within the story makes it... somehow "editable" and "up to the player" as well? which is gross and shows their ass on how they approach gender neutrality in general lol.

but also like. there's plenty of neutral, non PCharacters in undertale and deltarune. even when undertale was just an earthbound fangame and the player immersion metanarrative was completely absent, toby still described frisk as a "young, androgynous person". sometimes characters are just neutral by design. it's not that hard to understand lol.

anyone who makes this argument for kris deltarune is braindead. nothing else to say about it.

[lucienne-thee-librarian]

Okay but also because I'm a pedantic bitch...in relation to that post I just reblogged explaining part of gay-on-gay bigotry...what if some people are just assholes who happen to be gay, or bi or trans? And they're all for oppression or just plain cruelty as long as it's aimed at other people? Like that's also something to consider.

I don't actually think, any longer, that "internalized self-hate projected outward and also suppressed envy for someone who's doing and being all the things you were convinced into not allowing yourself" is...all there is to this phenonemon. And I wish we'd stop fixating on that quite so much just because we want to be frankly, nicer than some of these people have ever deserved. It's always more satisfying on some level, to imagine your enemies as Tortured deep inside (whether it's because you feel a bit malicious or you just want to believe that there's a way to reach out and heal them with kindness.) than to admit that Sometimes They're Just a Shithead.

Now, do I think that complex can be a big part of it? Oh yeah. And of COURSE, different people have different motivations in different amounts and yadda yadda yadda. No group of people, ethnic, gender, political or otherwise is a Monolith. (For one thing, when it comes to these Pick-Me Gay/Trans pundits and Influencers, money and clout should never be left out as an explanation. Just saying.) But that's the point, isn't it? Any ONE explanation can't explain them all completely.

Tbh, I think we need to consider some people are just bullies who happened to be born not cis or straight. And even if they were bullied at one point for their identity, they learned absolutely nothing from the experience except Don't Be On the Social Reject Side. So they moved their thinking just enough that "woman who likes women" "man who likes men" "I just happened o want to be a woman instead, or a man instead despite how I was born" could be put in the Safe category and they fight for that. Everyone else though, is still fair game and even a fair target. Some people don't just want power to escape oppression and live their lives in peace, they WANT to BE the ones oppressing. Like, do we ACTUALLY understand that LGBT people are humans too and that that includes the bad side?

It tracks a lot better too, when you consider that a lot of people like the masc4masc gays are openly racist and fatphobic. "No fems" Yes but also "No fats. No Asians." Christ, I could think of countless examples of white thin (and sometimes but not necessary cis) queer people doing that sort of thing. I'm sure y'all can too. This idea of some poor lost soul Tormented by Self Hate and Envy of the Freedom of Others doesn't do shit to explain that. Like, even if the two things coexist and they can, it doesn't explain that part.

I honestly just think the uglier but more accurate truth is that lot of queer people aren't all Hashtag Gay or Trans Rights or aren't Liberal out of any sense of justice AT ALL but only self-interest. Being an activist because you're a member of an oppressed group is like, entirely normal and fine of course BUT it becomes real clear when someone's framework of ethics and politics is PURELY "I think me (and people I personally like and approve of) being oppressed is bad" and literally not one inch deeper.

You can tell because if it was deeper, why would they find it so easy to turn around to a fellow queer/trans person to jeer at and humiliate and throw them under the bus if they think they're a Deadweight to the group by being a Weirdo I Don't Want to Stand Next to, Eww...or if they just don't personally like them? Why have you clearly spent absolutely no time unpacking any of the prejudice and biases around gender sexuality (or GOD FORBID race) that society throws at you.. at least no more time than it takes to rationalize yourself out of the category of Should Be Destroyed and Oppressed?

We are not immune from this sort of terminally self-interested activism. I just feel like we'd get a lot further as a society, as a community, if sometimes our analysis of bullies and assholes didn't fixate on finding some deep pain and trauma inside them, to explain their actions in a way that makes them look more tortured and less malicious (even if we say, even mean, that it's not supposed to be an excuse). Sometimes people are just racist, or fatphobic. Sometimes lesbians or gay men or bi or trans people just want to be judgmental bullies too.

Sometimes the reality isn't Tragic Villain Backstory. Sometimes, its just a selfish, deeply pathetic person refusing to become any less, because it's easier not to; even if you had a unique chance to see how the other side lives, a chance your straight cis bully peers didn't get by virtue of their identities.

[batsplat]

judas kiss

[monst]

So ya know how every company has that one fashionista employee? Like bro this is an office not a runway🙄 Today I found out that I'm fashionista employee 🧍

But like I slayed and really that's all that matters.... Why was I the only one popping off like did I miss something are we just not dressing up anymore?!?🥲

[boynextdoorcoverpoison]

I get that they’re under hybe but not having bonedo cover got7 and/or astro is a true missight

[officialpenisenvy]

ootd (jimmy page for size)

[justafriendofxanders]

*breathlessly* i think a lot of xander's Stuff stems from a desire for dependability and stability and growing up in a volatile home situation where that wasn't guaranteed which is why he constantly seeks out validation from his peers and like, the CONCEPT of what it means to be Cool or Likable and later a Good Breadwinner/Husband because he doesn't have any other models of what it means to Be Okay (whether it's in role models or a personal philosophy) or the confidence (or frankly, especially in the earlier seasons, the emotional intelligence) to trust that he's enough as he is. and i think part of the fucking tragedy of why he ends up pulling the ultimate flaker move of bailing on his own wedding is BECAUSE he takes commitment seriously and he's all too aware of how people can fail in the promises they make to each other, himself included, and he doesn't trust himself to NOT hurt his loved ones.

but i ALSO do think he rushed into marriage because he felt like it was the right thing to do, rather than because it felt right to him, if that makes sense. i think this is related to the meta about the willow/xander arc, which is to say that when you are insecure and it seems like things are falling apart, and you derive a sense of security from your relationships with the people in your life, it makes sense to double-down on those relationships and try to lock them down, for lack of a better word. because what else are you going to do, trust YOURSELF?

and it's this insane cycle where if you're judging xander as a real person you would or wouldn't want to be friends with (as opposed to a fictional rubiks cube i guess), then it's very easy to pick up on his flaws and the ways in which he can be annoying or hurtful or act (apparently) without consideration for other people's feelings. which is like, fine, whatever, consume media however you want. i'm just personally fascinated by (read: tearing my hair out about) the rubiks cube of how xander most often appears selfish and self-centered when he is most insecure and craving some kind of external reassurance. like sometimes i feel like i'm watching this man run around in a rodent shock maze of his own creation.

[countingprimes]

sometimes i see queer people make low hanging anti straight jokes, and they'll often pre-defend themselves by saying straight people don't need defending as if the queer community isn't populated by tons of straight people, straight trans people, straight ace people, straight poly people. queerness doesnt exclude exclusively opposite sex attracted people and it bothers me to see these jokes and their subsequent defenses because normative society certainly rejects these folks because of their queerness and now you are inside the queer community rejecting them for who they desire. i think about straight trans folks the most who are out here under fire from normative society who turn to the queer community for support only to be inundated with sentiments like straight people are actually the real lesser than folks, and it's easy enough to say straightness is valorized in normative society so shitting on straight people is punching up, but i can't help but be keenly aware that the queer straight people tend to be queer in the ways which are often excluded from queer community. so actually yeah i do think straight people need our protection, not heteronormative culture, but individual people? yeah. the "coming out as straight" jokes are all haha good times fuck the straights until you think about the fact that straight trans people when they come out are functionally doing that. after all how many straight trans people used to think they were cis gay people. and we, inside the queer community, turn their experiences into a mean spirited punch line designed to reject them from queer community.

like sorry i just don't think we are gonna find queer liberation by trying to figure out which group we are allowed to make fun of for having the wrong sexuality.

[justablanketreally]

i’m not a big fan of a rickconvenient mort (i think it’s theme is muddled and confused) but morty’s breakdown/rant to beth about how he feels his presence is met with only tolerance or even contempt by everyone in the house is so impactful. beth did make a turnaround after the s3 finale. she stared prioritizing morty’s comfort, safety, and happiness in regards to his adventures with rick. she’s grown and changed and developed and that’s really clear throughout season 4 and beyond. but the damage was already done and morty is easily swept away by someone who gave him more than a modicum of positive attention, more than he ever received at home. and all beth can do is catch him when he inevitably falls, finally giving him that safety net that he didn’t have for so long. even if i don’t think the writers knew exactly what they wanted to do or were actually implying with planetina, i do love that it was placed on beth to confront her actions as arguably the most powerful person in the house. she didn’t do enough before, but she knows that and is trying now.

[paradife-loft]

ah yes. the morally correct torture. the torture that goes right up to the line but doesn't cross it. that torture.

[lynxgirlpaws]

my dumb ass is accidentally gonna become an animator for this stupid fucking youtube channel

[pennamepersona]

wow brandon mull really did get born again before writing RotDS huh

[unproduciblesmackdown]

NOTE: THIS ITEM IS CURRENTLY IN PREORDER. IT WILL SHIP IN JUNE-JULY 2023. We will be printing based on preorder size, so grab one now if you want one!

More than 40 trans writers and artists have joined forces to explore the deeper meanings of the Fast & Furious franchise (and also gender). There's really no way to know why this exists, but it does, and you can own it! Suitable for F&F fans and newcomers alike. Contributions include:

- A new short story by Manhunt author Gretchen Felker-Martin - A demolition derby driver’s perspective on 2 Fast 2 Furious’s derby scene - An essay contemplating the queer symbolism of Cipher’s bowl cut - The scoop on the franchise’s only canonically nonbinary character - Instructions for an F&F-themed tabletop roleplaying game - A contemplation of which Taylor Swift album represents each F&F character - Plus: Bingo cards! Comics! Haiku! And, of course, hot gay erotica…

2 Trans 2 Furious is edited by Tuck Woodstock & Niko Stratis, with cover art by Mattie Lubchansky and zine design by Shay Mirk.

~

This zine is 8.5" x 5.5" and perfect-bound like a real book — fancy! Interior pages are black & white. We're guessing this baby is like 100 pages long but we'll get back to you on that.

Currently only shipping to the United States, sorry! We're hoping to at least expand to Canada soon, and also plan to add a PDF ebook option, so keep an eye out!

(that "the scoop on the franchise's only canonically nonbinary character" is the page i contributed about our one & only beloved akd-acted cam stone!! plus also if you're interested in preordering a fancy printed copy of a zine about fast & furious, which you don't have to even know about or like, with all trans contributors. including me)

[idolatries]

as much as blizzard makes some really shitty bad performative decisions with overwatch i do feel at least some part of the team wants to like. try? like i feel like theres some sort of internal conflict w/ the writers. and they do get a lot of cultural details right from what ive seen.

[obisamya]

What is going on w roy and keeley this season like genuinely

[girlhorse]

I totally understand what you're saying about the breed transparency issue but I also feel its a more grey area because in addition to there being a stigma against pit bulls there also can be legal issues with owning a pit bull such as higher insurance costs and places with certain pit bull ordinances and places where they can even be banned, so by not outright stating they're pit bulls I believe it allows owners more legal freedoms

that's true, and im certainly against breed bans and that sort of thing, but the fact is many pet owners are not dog savvy enough to recognize a pit when they see one somehow. so it's still not particularly fair to owners and dogs alike to mislead people about breed. I know they're trying to make people adopt their dogs but shouldnt they want their dogs to be placed in homes that won't 1) return them or 2) fail to provide them basic enrichment/energy needs?