#being loved by a community is the most important thing to me

[fishnapple]

The 5th house - What kind of lover are you

About me | Masterpost

As the 5th house is 2nd from the 4th house, it's the tangible manifestation of your core, the creation of your inner emotional world, your heart. From it, your heart connects with the world around you. From it, love is given out to the world. The 5th house is generally regarded as the house of "romance", I think more specifically, it shows your "part" or "role" in that romance, your side of the story, who you are in a love story, what kind of lover are you.

♥ 5th house in Aries/ Mars in 5th house - "The Ardent Lover"

The one who sees love as the purest principle, something that needs to be revered and pursued with dedication and passion. No mind games, no dirty tricks, no manipulation, no timid guessing, just an honest declaration of love. To be the apple in your eyes is to be placed upon a pedestal. Once you're in love, you put your all in, it will be their greatest focus and inspiration. Each heartbreak is followed by rising up with a new hope. Love never loses its lustre to you. You are direct, straightforward and impulsive in your advances. Your passion and desire rule your actions. Competitions and the act of chasing make your adrenaline rushing. You want to "win", victories, whether over other competitors or your own lover, is of paramount importance. The need to conquer can make you seek competition where it's not needed. Can turn indignant and defensive when your love and faithfulness are being doubted. You can be perceived as "aggressive" and "rough" by the more sensitive people. Physical intimacy and physical touch, in general, are key to keeping your love burning.

♥ 5th house in Taurus/ Venus in 5th house - "The Indulging Lover"

Love to you is like honey, natural, nutritious, sweet, fragranced, viscous. Something that you want to dip yourself and your lover in, indulge and sink deeper and deeper into it. Love is simple yet eternal, "never let you go". A true romantic, you breathe love to keep your heart alive. Everything looks more beautiful when you have someone to love, and that someone will be the object of your adoration. You don't go out of your way to pursue someone, has anyone ever seen Venus do the chasing? No, lovers come to you, willingly, because they know that it's futile to resist the lure of Venus. You attract, by being your most beautiful self, by subtly sending signals to all the senses of your person. It can be quite a sensory overloaded experience for your lover. It's not easy to please all of your desires, not easy to turn your heat all the way up, but once it's ignited, it's not easy to snuff it out, fierce devotion. To an impulsive lover, you can seem to be slow and passive, to a patient and passionate lover, you're the forest they want to get lost in.

♥ 5th house in Gemini/ Mercury in 5th house - "The Exploring Lover"

The one who loves with their mind, you can be confused all the time about whether you're attracted to someone simply because you have interesting conversations with them or if there is anything more to that person. Love is a mental pursuit, a chess game, a word play that you want to go on and on. Love is light and exciting. The longest conversation. You show your love by communicating with your lover, to keep the connection line going. Teasing, asking questions, about them, about everything that comes to your mind. "Is there anyone willing to look at my mind and be willing to let me look at yours?". A simple smirk, two hands brushing each other, entwined fingers, a sparkle in the eyes, a hearty laugh and then giggles, those things can melt your heart and in turn, you can melt other's hearts with those. You take your lover to a wonderland, where your minds can be free to play, but also calm enough to rest. Life and love is an endless adventure, and you need a companion who can tag along, who can play juggling with you. Being held down and bored, in any sense, are your greatest nightmares. You want to have sweet dreams only, but nightmares can grab you if you don't focus and pay attention.

♥ 5th house in Cancer/ Moon in 5th house: "The Enveloping Lover"

Love is like a flood that washes over both you and your lover. The shared experience of being enveloped by emotions of all kinds, both the highs and lows, nothing is spared. You search for a lover who can allow you to feel safe enough to experience a love that can feel so engulfing at times. It's that emotional safety, knowing that you can reveal your full heart to somebody, to be spontaneous and moody without being judged. Being loved by you is like being wrapped in nostalgia of a time when everything was simple and pure, when everything was safe and taken care of, there's a childlike playfulness and simple quality to your love. To someone who didn't get to have those actual memories, you can create that memory for them, as if you created an alternative past for them. "Love" is synonymous with "Protection", you want both of you to protect each other, from the harsh world, from the demons inside, to create a home so safe that one doesn't want to get out of, one yearns only for it wherever they go. It's hard for you to let go of a lover, and it's also hard for them to let go of you. The hold may wax and wane, but never disappears completely.

♥ 5th house in Leo/ Sun in 5th house: "The Shining Lover"

Love, the warm sunlight that nurtures your heart. You are like a tree when in love, while artificial light can sustain you. You truly thrive only when you can have the most natural light source, the strongest and purest of them all. Authenticity, a love that doesn't hide or shy away, no hidden motives, no twisted desires, just pure exhilaration, basking in the glow of love. The love you give is unfiltered, as if you're giving your own heart away. Not everyone is capable of taking care of it properly, you learn the lesson of protecting your own heart and be more discerning of whom you can let in. Even then, the natural impulse is to spread whatever goodness inside you, out into the world. Being in love makes your life feel more colourful and lively. And you, in turn, wish to inspire your lover just like how you're inspired, it pains you to see a sinking spirit. You instil vitality into your lover's heart, making their heart beat to the rhythm of life. Some can feel your love too bright and burning, shying away from it, trying to darken it. This leaves you puzzled, you might even attempt to dim your light, but your dignity won't allow you to do that for long. No tree stops blooming just because one or two humans didn't appreciate it.

♥ 5th house in Virgo/ Mercury in 5th house: "The Devoted Lover"

Love is the quiet thunder that rumbles beneath the cool, serene surface of your heart. You want to build a lasting love, yes, "build", love doesn't strike you like lightning that makes you busted into intense fireworks, love is like knitting, one stitch at a time, stitch by stitch, line by line, until you get a cosy sweater that keeps you warm for many years to come, it takes skill and dedication. You also extend that comfort to your lover. To love is to worry, to care, to be there for that person. You would want your lover to thrive, to be spared of the burdens of responsibilities, you're willing to take on those burdens for them, to make their life better. But a truly fulfilling love is when you can receive that same devotion from your lover. You also need to be cared for just as much as you care for them. But sometimes, your lover's love doesn't measure up to the "silent" standard that you have, in a way, no one can love you perfectly like how you want them to. While knowing that, you still choose to be by their side, because you accept their imperfections, their imperfect love, because that's how you love.

♥ 5th house in Libra/ Venus in 5th house: "The Ideal Lover"

Venus's mirror, love reflects back at you all the beautiful things about the world and yourself. You also want to reflect them back on your lover. You can find yourself mirroring your lover, encouraging their shining qualities, making them aware of their own virtues, and simultaneously erasing their vices. You can turn your lover into a prince charming, a lovely princess, because you're one. You want you and your lover to be two beautiful human beings, both inside out, to walk on this Earth hand in hand. The words "we" and "us" have enormous significance to you. You seek to beautify everything, everyone you touch, to let them see the goodness in this world, yes, you're an optimistic lover, never one to lose hope for an ideal love. Love is like a harmonious melody that plays soothingly everywhere you go, everywhere you look. Harmony, peace and indulgence, the gifts you offer your lover, uplift their spirit, inspire their creativity, soothe their soul, and spoil them rotten with sweetness. You find yourself more alive, more beautiful when you're in love. You can fall in love with love itself. You seek harmony with your lover, nothing should be one-sided, everything should be equal give and take, a delicate dance.

♥ 5th house in Scorpio/ Pluto in 5th house: "The Burning Lover"

The molten volcanic soil underneath the calm and cool lake, whose soul is brave enough to venture there? Love for you is an all-consuming force that sweeps away all commonsense. You want love to be a devouring force, swallowing whole both you and your lover into the pit of the unknown. You push for more, to feel more, to be more. The word "mild" can't find a long-lasting place in your dictionary. Everything, joy, pain, longing, existence, all have to reach a boiling point in order for you to feel truly in love. A love too safe, too soft, too peaceful might get ignored by you. You chase the extremes, sometimes along the way, get burnt yourself, but often, you leave behind burnt lovers. You want to be your lover's only one as they're to you. You want to be the only existence that your lover seeks. There can be the issue of who dominates who, who has the upper hand, love can feel like a power play. You're vigilant against betrayals, you need absolute loyalty, making your lover jump through endless hoops to prove their love to you. Sometimes, you could feel so exhausted by the all-or-nothing love, but you would rather be like that than to be content with a "good enough" affection.

♥ 5th house in Sagittarius/ Jupiter in 5th house: "The Expanding Lover"

Have you ever felt like there's an infinite well of love you can give? not just to your lover but to life. You love someone because they're part of life, to love is to live. Love for you is like a ray of sunshine that wakes you up in the morning, or the breezy wind stroking your hair when you're standing in the middle of a field or on top of a mountain, a piney scent that lures you wandering deep into the woods. Love makes you want to move, explore, enjoy, and celebrate. So you can't feel fulfilled in a relationship that makes you feel small, that shackles your feet, that makes you lose hope. "Potential" is the word, as long as you can feel a potential for a future, you want to give your all, to take a gamble. Fortune favours the bold, you will find your luck in love when you're free and adventurous, when you inspire others. A benevolent lover who wants to help, guide, to protect their lover. Grand romantic gestures, spontaneous expressions of love, laughter that makes your cheeks hurt, deep conversations that stirs your mind, those can be the secret ingredients to capture your heart and also what you use to capture others.

♥ 5th house in Capricorn/ Saturn in 5th house: "The Steadfast Lover"

The life investment you make with your heart, love seems like a tangible thing that you can touch, that you can nurture and turn into a masterpiece of a lifetime. Things of value should be able to last for eternity, that's your motto and your belief in love. Love for you is not fickle like the wind or soft like a cotton candy, love is the steady heartbeat, the more you take care of it, the healthier it is. Thrilling adventures, passionate proclamations of love, over adorned for attention, those things pass right out of your vision, what is that? definitely not what you expect from your lover. You expect commonsense and predictability, you expect constant loyalty and devotion, quiet touches and deep gazes, the hand that holds yours when you're in pain, the silent smile that says "I will be here for you, with you". You stoke your fire with unwavering effort, never letting the flame burn out of hands or die from neglect, just enough to keep both lovers warm and safe. Some say you're picky, that you should loosen up and just give yourself to love, but you're a visionary, you look for love that you can work hard for, that can last the test of time, so no rushing.

♥ 5th house in Aquarius/ Uranus in 5th house: "The Whimsical Lover"

"Love at first sight" probably was invented by you. The sensation of being pierced by Cupid's bow, being struck by lightning, being hit by love out of nowhere is not something you're unfamiliar with. Love visits you like a summer downpour, a breeze that sends fragrances from afar to your nose, a sprouting that grows overnight, a laughter that bursts out amidst deadly silence. Love comes to you unexpectedly, and you find love in unexpected places. To love is to be free, the greatest gift you can give your lover and yourself is freedom, to be yourselves, to find safety in the ever-changing current of life. Who can say staying still is safe and stable? For you, movement is what nurtures a connection. You don't let your love stay stagnant, the novelties are your stable diet. Your love is not for the stubborn of heart, though you can be pretty stubborn and rebellious yourself when you're in love, it's a contradiction that perplex and vex your lover, but it's also the allure that they want to get a hold of, not that they will be successful, but they will try anyway. Like trying to catch lightning, trying to grab light. The only way they will ever get close to you is to be themselves and hope that one day, you two will stumble upon each other as fate wills it.

♥ 5th house in Pisces/ Neptune in 5th house: "The Dream Lover"

This is someone who can elevate the experience of falling in love and being in love to the height of poetry, of songs that lovers sing together. Love is art, art is love, love is the soothing balm that erases all the pain, but also the blind that covers your eyes. Oh, the extent you're willing to go in the name of love. Everything seems to take on more vivid colours, music seems to accompany you everywhere you go, you hear your love through the songs that randomly play in the mart, through the absentminded remark of a stranger, through the flowers that sway gently in the wind. You hear your heart echo back at you through the eyes of your lover. While your eyes hold an ocean that promises blissful abandonment, endless treasure and a subtle warning of being drowned, but others are too busy getting mesmerised by you to stay lucid enough to heed your warning. How many lovers have you drowned? How many seas have you swum alone, longing for a rescuer who can take you to land and keep you warm? You need a love story that feels like a fairy tale, but you also need a love that is real.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Ur Johnny alphabet… I ate it up. Pls tell me you’re planning on dropping the other half or even a nsfw alphabet??? Your characterization was so good!!!

SFW (O-Z) Alphabet -- Johnny Storm 🔥| Marvel Headcanon

Note to anon📨: So glad you enjoyed my A-N for Johnny! I have not done O-Z in a long time so I hope this is up to par 💌 Also I've never done a NSFW one but I'm highly considering doing it for Johnny and other maverl characters 👀 Hope you like this!! ❤️

Link to my Marvel masterlist 💌 A-N for Johnny here

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Considering Johnny is in the spotlight thanks to his superhero status, he might be a little reserved when you first start seeing each other. And beneath his dorky, charming nature, he's quite shy when it comes to expressing his feelings to someone he really liked. With you, you make it easy for him to be open and reveal things he otherwise would keep to himself that even Johnny was surprised at first. He didn't open his can of worms immediately, as he didn't want to spew his guts and have it backfire, but little by little with each date Jonny revealed himself to you. And each time, you fell more and more in love with him.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

With the Godly levels of heat in his veins, you'd think Johnny would be a short fuse--and maybe he was when he was younger. But as he got older he learned the importance of being patient and not letting anger get to him. Snapping over something that is an easy fix would not be helpful in the long run. Of course being in a stress-induced career field--like saving the world--there are times where Johnny's patience wears thin. He hides it well which he prides himself on whenever someone else decides to let their fuse blow.

In your relationship, Johnny never leads with anger when a situation arises. He cares about you so much and would hate to unintentionally hurt you because he let his emotions get to him. When something bothers one of you, you communicate and talk it out. He's really the most patient man you've been with.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Please, this man is a walking encyclopedia. He knows you better than you know you. Reed may have the IQ of a genius with a photographic memory, but Johnny does not forget a single thing you tell him. He remembers the embarrassing stories from your high school days. Who was the first celebrity posted on your walls. What movie you can watch over and over again and never tire. The song that reminds you of a late summer day when the sun sets over the horizon.

"Johnny where did you get this?" "That old antique shop off the corner of 57th street. The one we went to last month." "You remembered that? We were only there for maybe ten minutes." "Well I remember you picking this up with that look you always have when you want something. I had to make sure you had it."

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Oh gosh he can't pick one. There's too many--the day you met, your first date, your first kiss. When he said he loved you for the first time--he can go on and on. But if he had to choose a single moment in your relationship that is his favorite it had to be the night of the Baxter Gala. You were 10 minutes late, dressed to the nines, in a satin gown that had his mouth drooling and head spin. You two got a little tipsy, danced until your feet hurt, gossiped about the pretentious executives in attendance from the bar and laughed under the stars when you snuck away to the terrace to get away from the fancy ordeal.

"Baby, have I mentioned how mesmerizing you look tonight?" "Once or twice, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again, pretty boy." "Call me that again, and we're going to have to leave this party early."

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

This man is a superhero, it is in his nature to be protective. Even if there is no present threat Johnny is on high alert. In public gatherings he's always got a close eye on you and sometimes will have a protective hand on your waist when conversing with people. He's also not one to keep his mouth shut if someone were to insult you. Johnny's pulling out all the witty comebacks to mentally and emotionally fuck up the person who dared hurt you. And you're not afraid to throw hands either. There have been times where Johnny is the one having to hold you back from breaking a douchebag's nose for threatening your man. (He finds it super hot).

Now say you happen to be in the crossfire when an adversary of the Fantastic Four makes an appearance. Johnny is exhausting all his energy into getting you the fuck out of there. Practically losing his mind while trying to also remain calm as to not freak you out further. "Okay, you're gonna hold onto me and you're not gonna let go. Okay?" "Okay--wait-wait-wait! Are you going to light up?! Johnny--is it even safe!" "We're about to find out. Just don't let go--close your eyes if you need." "Oh my God."

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Johnny does not do anything half-assed. He's pulling out all the stops to give you the best dates, the best anniversaries, the best gifts. He's making even the simplest tasks special. Like putting the right amount of sugar and cream in your tea/coffee. Or helping you take out the rollers in your hair so you can focus on finishing your makeup. Anything, no matter how little, Johnny is putting 110 and even more percent.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He bites his nail when he's anxious. It's been a bad habit of his since he was a kid and he does his best to stop but sometimes the nerves get so bad he doesn't realize he's doing it. When it gets to that you'll gently take his hand in yours and keep it in your lap, letting your own fingers draw patterns on his palm. He'll also forget to turn off the lights when he's in a hurry to leave in the morning and you have to drag yourself out of bed to do it yourself.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He tries to hide it but you've caught him checking himself out in the mirror. Smoothing out his hair, adjusting his clothes. He knows he looks good and who can blame him really. When you do catch Johnny doing it you'll tease him with a light pat to his ass while saying, "Who are you trying to impress, blondie?" to which he'll catch you by the waist and unleash an attack of kisses along your neck, biting your earlobe while whispering, "the love of my life, that's who." Then of course when you two are headed to events and he stops one last time in the mirror you can't help but yell, "You're hot!! Now let's go before we never make it this thing."

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Johnny would be a mess without you. He can survive a couple days when he's on a mission or you're having to leave the city for work, but he'll be miserable. He's counting down the hours until you're together again and he's so pouty that Sue, Reed, or Ben is having to be like, "You'll see them soon, Johnny. Now we need you to focus because otherwise we're going to have more problems than what we want."

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Not many people know this, but Johnny loves to dance. Whether it's in the comfort of your home, at a gala/benefit, or at a jazz club, Johnny loves to hold you in his arms and sway you to the beat of the music. He'll put on a record, pull you from the couch and you'll spend hours exchanging soft kisses while letting your bodies move together in a gentle rhythm. And when the vibes are a more upbeat, Johnny knows how to get down with the Twist and Jive.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Something Johnny cannot stand is being lied to or having secrets kept from him. Whether it's in a relationship or having to deal with work, Johnny expects 100% trust and will have it be a deal-breaker. He hates when the team tries to keep certain things from him, and he'd hate for his partner to do the same--not matter how small it is. If they can't trust him, how can they expect him to trust them?

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

This man does not know how to keep still when he's asleep. He tosses and turns and will wake up with half the covers off. Sometimes he'll be curled up to your side or literally on top of you. At least some part of his body has to be touching you. Your leg on his, your pinkies interlaced, or his hand just above your ass. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming--especially in the summertime since he's so damn hot--but at least he doesn't snore.

[liondrakes]

On Chosen Identity and the Optics of Authenticity

by Sivaan of Candlekeep

Blurb: A personal essay in which I discuss the nuances of having a chosen identity. I also break down my thoughts on perceived “seriousness” or authenticity within the community regarding choice.

Choice is a complicated subject within the nonhuman community. Whether or not it's fully accepted depends on who you’re asking. If you ask me, I’d say yes but also no.

I say "fully" because there's plenty of individuals who'll say that they support or recognize their peers who chose their identities, but only if they identify this way under a broad label (like nonhuman) or a specific label like otherlinker. Calling oneself a chosen therian or chosen otherkin strikes a chord in complete strangers who feel like it's their duty to "correct" the language of other complete strangers.

Chosen identity is usually acknowledged in one of two ways:

It's "valid", but it's not as important to an individual as identities that aren't chosen.

It's "valid", but it's not as serious as identities that aren't chosen.

Neither approach treats our experiences with as much grace or understanding as other experiences.

It adds insult to injury in seeing discussions around our "validity" in general (i.e. asking if we even belong in this community). There's more of that than any discussion around what it's like for us to choose or the significance of choice in our identities.

I’ve addressed my grievances before in Involuntariness, Voluntariness, and the Stigmas in Between, but I decided to revisit my thoughts in an organized piece. I also decided to discuss my relationship with choice. I’m collectively quoiluntary. In being quoiluntary, my relationship with origin doesn’t fall neatly on either side of this framework.

Personally, I experience all manners of origin but I’ll be focusing on the identities I’ve chosen in this essay. I’m only one person, and although it’s not guaranteed, I hope that my experiences can at least open some minds when it comes to chosen identity.

Starting off, I’m proud to be a Badger of Mossflower Country. Mossflower Badgers are archetypal in their existence, to say the least. Our depictions are comparable to that of fantasy dwarves. We’re renowned for our smithing, battle prowess, and hardiness. I may not apply every aspect of us to myself, but I love being a Mossflower Badger nonetheless.

Mossflower Badgers are somewhat anthropomorphic european badgers who’re among the most prominent tribes in Redwall, alongside mice and otters. I specify Mossflower because the Mossflower Woods is the general vicinity of most Redwall stories.

Moreover, not all Badgers dwell within Salamandastron, a notable badger stronghold typically occupied by men of the species. After all, the first badger that readers meet is Constance, a Badger Mother of Redwall. I personally prefer the position of “Badger of Salamandastron”, though. I am no lord nor lady, but I’m fond of this stronghold as a reader and as someone who chose this identity.

I’ve always admired these strong and noble folk. As a child, part of me even wanted to be a badger within Brian Jacques’s Redwall series. It’s like when kids muse on which Warriors clan they’d be in while taking quizzes or making characters. If I could choose to be in any tribe, I’d be a badger in a heartbeat.

A couple months ago, Redwall was one of the few childhood favorites I revisited through audiobooks. Those feelings resurfaced, except this time I knew I could become a Mossflower Badger if I wanted to. This identity started as a link. Soon after, I shared my introspections on this link in a Tumblr Community, specifically the Alterhuman Community.

Unlike most of my links, it became a part of my identity fairly quickly. I suspect it’s because of my familiarity and resonance with this fictional group. Those feelings have been around since my childhood.

One thing to take into account is that I incorporate another identity into this one. I didn’t choose to be a honey badger, but I do perceive myself as a semi-anthropomorphic honey badger when I am a Mossflower Badger. As I’ve mentioned earlier, Mossflower Badgers are exclusively european badgers in appearance. This makes sense given the settings of Redwall. Redwall takes place within a fantasy woodland based on the environments of England or Scotland if I’m not mistaken.

While I technically don’t belong in this environment, that never stopped me in being a Mossflower Badger. Technicalities are nothing against my convictions, and one thing about choice is that you are often your own master.

My appearance doesn’t define me as a Mossflower Badger. My character does. I am steadfast in my values. I support the agency and freedoms of all creatures. I’d rather go down swinging than bow my head in submission, than to sullenly accept plight at the hands of another. That’s just being humane on paper, but in relation to Redwall, that’s also the makings of a tried and true badger.

Furthermore, there’s an experience among Mossflower Badgers that’s not exclusive to them but happens to them so much that it reminds me of myself. Mossflower Badgers tend to carry a mental condition known as Bloodwrath. It intensifies the emotions, abilities and tolerances of an individual, essentially causing them to enter a berserker state. Often triggered in battle, it’s a traumatic ordeal for anyone who undergoes this state. It’s not completely without its setbacks in battle either, for it can cause someone to struggle with differentiating between their friends and their foes. It’s also very difficult to control. Not all badgers carry this condition, but it’s still quite common amongst us.

I don’t experience berserker shifts, per se. However, I do have schizophrenia-based disorders which affect my perception of self; this includes my perception of my species. In revisiting the Redwall series, I liken Bloodwrath to my own struggles with particularly intense or overwhelming bouts with psychosis. Obviously, I didn’t choose to have said experiences but I do think choosing to be a Mossflower Badger helped me reflect on those experiences on my own terms.

Though, I must specify this isn’t a copinglink. This is just another reason why Mossflower Badgers resonate with me so much, hence my decision in becoming one.

Much like Mossflower Badgers, some of my links formed simply because I wanted to be them. While there’s usefulness to terms like copinglinker and funlinker, I also feel like they’re more boxes to put on myself. It’s not often that I refer to my links under those specifics. I have exactly one copinglink, and I only label it as such because I believe that’s how that identity will stay. It exists to cope with a very upsetting point in my life which I won’t get into.

As for the rest of my links, I had only two supportlinks. Besides those, my links didn’t really need those labels since their reasonings tend to be a bit more nuanced than what’s proposed for otherlinkers.

I link Colossi because Shadow of the Colossus is not only my favorite game ever, but it is a game that has deeply inspired me as a creative. I chose to be one of its titular enemies to grow closer with the game I love.

This is a choice not made for fun, for aesthetics or for support, but made out of love and passion for something. There’s nothing wrong with the aforementioned reasons, of course; I just want folks to understand that choice isn’t limited to those avenues.

I linked the Starlii, an open species, because I really liked the species concept. One could argue that this started as an aeslink, but reading about them in detail made me more invested beyond their looks. I wanted to further explore this species and their lore but not exclusively through original characters and ‘sonas. To do so, I chose to be a Starliian.

With this link, I also realized it serves as an outlet for my connection with the sun. I’ve never had a word for that connection as it always felt like an impasse between being and not being. Being a Starliian helps me bridge that gap by being someone pulled from solar energy but not being a sun myself. This realization ultimately caused the Starlii species to transition from a link to a formative part of my identity.

Despite already having a non-chosen identity from Creatures of Sonaria, I linked two species from said source for completely different reasons. Funny enough, I don’t play Roblox whatsoever.

The Fleuralis species became the first of two supportlinks. I originally chose to be a Fleuralis because I wanted to express my leonine nature within its source. However, the reasons behind my choice soon changed. It was less about asserting my leonine nature, and more about leaning into a more imaginative, fanciful side of myself. I linked this species to better embody myself as a fantasy creature. It worked so well that it eventually became a part of me.

The second was the Verza species. Their dreamlike space aesthetics were nice and all, but what led me to linking this species was their presentation. I was drawn to the Verza because, for a lack of better words, they were very gender to me. I’ve been meaning to explore other means of presentation, such as androgyny and femininity, while being a transmasculine individual. They’re avenues of selfhood I’ve wanted to forge for myself but always struggled with to some extent.

I chose to be a Verza to tap into those qualities. The Verza species was an ideal model outside the standpoint(s) of cisnormativity and orthohumanity, respectively. I experimented with this species from a queer perspective, and doing so made me feel a whole lot better about myself. Eventually, it transitioned from being a supportlink to simply being me.

I am an otherlinker not for my chosen identities, but for my struggles in saying with confidence that I am (x) by choice. Many of my constels come about because of involuntariness or vagueness. Additionally, I don’t get to choose what I shift into either. My polymorphism pretty much resets each day and takes the shape of my constels or core identities at random. I can choose a new species, no doubt about that. Embracing the choice is the hard part.

I’m so used to either knowing and not having a say in it or not knowing at all and letting things be as they may that it’s difficult for me to adjust to my choices. I’m an otherlinker because linking allows me to process those choices and build up my confidence.

If the process wasn’t so difficult, I probably wouldn’t call myself an otherlinker. There would be no need to. I could just specify which identity came about in what way if I felt like it. At the end of the day, I am who I am.

As is the case for chosen therians, otherkind, and nonhumans. They are who they are. Simple as that. I know that idea gets under the skin of some folks, but I implore them to ask themselves why it bothers them so much.

Someone choosing to be otherkin or a therian doesn’t inherently mean that they think all experiences involve choice. Someone choosing themselves doesn’t inherently mean they proceed with this identity in a disingenuous manner. These concerns boil down to people’s perceived “seriousness”.

The topic of “seriousness” has confused me for longer than it should have. What does it mean to have a serious identity? Identity is a nuanced subject. Who cares about its tone? I love having in-depth discussions about my experiences, or the experiences of others, with my peers. I also love joking around with my partner, saying “You wouldn’t hurt a little guy like me, would you?” during a badger shift and seconds before she snipes me in Splatoon. I love writing essays and poetry about my identity, but I also love Wet Beast Wednesday like any other blogger.

Voluntary identities are approached with the perspective that they aren’t given much thought. Chosen therians, otherkind, etc. are thought to be extremely laidback about their nonhumanity and go about their choice(s) without consideration. Meanwhile, their involuntary peers are thought to treat nonhumanity with the “seriousness” and complexity it holds as an experience.

Not only is the former’s behavior a non-issue, this approach is a false equivalency. Plenty of involuntary therians, otherkind, etc. have blogs and make posts that are lighthearted. You’ll find an infinite number of memes, shitposts, and reblog bait (ex: “Share to turn someone into a dragon!”) in our tags. Some are also shapeshifters, polymorphs, polykin or polytherians, and constelic nonhumans with many identities of their own. These qualities are not unique to voluntary members whatsoever.

I understand not relating to that sort of content. It’s not my speed unless I see something that actually humors me. That said, I don’t make it my problem. All of us engage with the community differently. I shared my thoughts with my partner a while ago, and I said something in passing that I feel is still relevant now. Perceivable “seriousness”, or lack thereof, is just another way to stress about authenticity.

Authenticity is a hurdle for any community. It’s certainly no stranger to us. This applies to both personal contexts (ex: “Am I still (x) if I (x)?”) and general contexts (ex: What are your thoughts on (x)?) among nonhumans.

Personal contexts come in the form of second-guessing oneself. It’s common to see a new member questioning every single detail about themself and worrying if it is the “right” or “wrong” means of experience. Some will find themselves in a community where they feel like they belong, but don’t want to “overstep” and risk being invalidated or ousted. They pour a lot of focus into what is the “right” or “wrong” way of being instead of focusing on their own journey. Regardless, that journey can still get caught up in concerns regarding validity.

The bridge between that and general communal contexts comes in the form of discourse. Old discourse is kicked up, and old stances are put into place to determine who is and is not one of us. I’m coming up on three years of being in this community, and for the first year or so, I wasn’t all that active. Most of my involvement started in early 2024, and despite the recency, even I’m tired of the tit-for-tat nature of our discourses.

This usually happens out of concern for KFFs (folks who “kin-for-fun”), trolls, and misinformed newcomers affecting the community. Even so, KFFs typically frequent fandom spaces and don’t associate themselves with us. They are hecklers, not participants. A multifandom blog asking their mutuals to “kin assign” them is not the same as someone who chose to be a werewolf. Moreover, a troll is a troll. I know our community has faced its fair share of assholes poking around, but someone identifying as a therian by choice isn’t enough evidence to go off of. As for misinformation, sharing resources and information is always welcomed. You can do that without trying to nudge someone out of a label.

In this case, folks tend to do this by nudging others towards using otherlinker. Otherlink/er is often used as a default for chosen identity, but it’s up to the individual whether or not they want to label their identity as such. I support spreading information about other labels in our community, but I don’t think insisting upon said labels helps anyone.

It’s like trying to nudge someone who uses synpath into using otherhearted instead. You have a general idea of what they’re talking about, so what difference does make it in telling them to use something else?

Some believe it’s to prevent confusion or conflation with words and their meanings, but I think folks are “helping” from a place of bias and aren’t aware of it. There’s so much emphasis on having a serious approach to identity that involuntariness, or intrinsic identity to some, is basically put on a pedestal. If there is any way to “prove” or assert the authenticity of your identity, it’s to experience it without choice.

It’s a perspective that I’ve grown bitter towards, even as someone with involuntary identities of my own. To me, this is a product of approaching involuntariness and voluntariness like a binary. This also comes from a place of respectability. Even if folks are loudly and proudly nonhuman, the ways in which they distance themselves from those who chose to be nonhuman leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

No one wants to be associated with “fluff”. No one wants to approach others’ experiences with fairness. Unless, of course, they linguistically separate themselves from therianthropy and otherkinity by calling themself something else.

They’re “valid” but only if they don’t label their experiences as we label ours! (This is sarcasm.)

Cringe culture is supposedly dead up until someone chooses to be what they want to be. Suddenly, they’re associated with all the bad actors one can list at the top of their head.

There’s a lot of “You’re so valid!”-posting but not a lot of substance coming from it. People want more weird and unapologetic nonhumans, but still struggle in accepting someone who creates their own identity. People want their peers to show how they’re “truly” are a part of this community. Yet, what we really need is to seal those old wounds.

We need to reconsider how we approach experiences outside of our own. Community isn’t just about the similarities we share but the diversity that brings us together as well. It’s about recognizing those differences and embracing them. There is beauty in innately being someone or something, but there is also beauty in choosing who you are and in having your own experiences outside of either concept.

Ask us about our experiences with choosing our identities and how we facilitate those decisions.

Ask us about our experiences fluctuating between or existing beyond the framework of voluntariness and involuntariness.

Don’t let it stop at the contexts of origin either. This applies to other stigmatized experiences as well. Physical nonhumanity, clinical zoanthropy, and endelity, to name a few. Reconsider holding discussions on someone’s right to be here. Instead, open up discussions alongside each other. How do they feel as members of this community?

If they’re comfortable sharing, ask them about their experiences. Their voices deserve to be heard just as much as everyone else. It’s not hard to do. It should be common sense, if anything.

If we focused more on understanding each other, regardless if we relate or not, I feel like this community would be a more welcoming place.

[ghostbust3rs]

what cabin all marauders characters are in with explanation

James Potter- Apollo (do I need to explain) or dionysus because of his energy is also plausible

Sirius Black & Regulus Black- Ares/Mars because we all saw that lack of love he had for Clariess (just like Walberga) also Regulus is totally Roman and was most definitely betrayed by Sirius when he ran away to the Greeks

Remus Lupin- very basic but Minerva (Roman Athena) it also works because he could be the reason Sirius ran to camp half-blood (also idk how to relate anything back to him being a werewolf help because I think it's important)

Peter Pettigrew- Hermes (no not because of his trickery) but because he has a type of intelligence that hermes kids have

Lily Evans- Tyche (goddess of luck) I think she has this aura that radiates luck or the oracle because she is a muggle born

Mary McDonald- She's a hunter of Artemis. I don't really have an explanation but to me it makes sense or an Aphrodiate kid again no explanation just makes sense

Marlene McKinnon- Nike she just has that hyper energy and sarcasm of a daughter of victory

Dorcus Meadows- Lustitia (Roman goddess of justice) she just in my mind has this resting bitch energy that everyone can tell is apart of her personality so I feel like it fits or Hekate because she is magic

Barty Crouch Jr- he is either a jupiter kid or a Nemesis kid (what is her Roman name) why well for jupiter........he's a bad dad like his dad and Nemesis because we all saw how traumatized Ethan was it must be genetic or he's a Bacchus (Dionysus) kid (no explanation needed

Pandora Rosier- even though I head cannon Evan and pandora as siblings I have different ideas. So she is either a Ceres (demeter) kid because of how hippie I see her, a Pluto kid because people see her and Evan as off-putting, or hear me out a cupid kid. It makes no sense but it does the daughter of the God of love being able to predict your horrible break up an rebound everything she just stares at you is perfect, or she's the oracle (no explanation needed)(you could add the oracle part to any other head cannon)

Evan Rosier- okay evan is either a ceres kid because of how I can see him personally growing large venus fly traps to eat people, I can see him as a pluto kid not only because he's off-putting but also because of his fascination with death and things like that I see the community give him (also he's nico and pandora's hazel), I see him as a cupid kid in the way he tells heartbreak, but I can't see him as an oracle

+also ideas for this came from the song cult of dionysus so thank you TheOrionExperience

+also should I make this a fic like???? I have an idea

[whatwhiteswillneverknow]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2kPmFoq/

"As a Black Scientist this #BlackHistoryMonth I find it important to share stories of pioneers and peers that have paved the way for me and future generations. Culture is our most fundamental way of understanding how the world works, and that element is always rooted in the trials & tribulations of the people within it. That's why you can't make scientific connections until you understand the complexities of said culture, inherently making science & culture interconnected. As an advocate for all things #STEAM it honestly took me a long time to embrace my own love for the natural world, and even moreso being able to articulate my passion for it. As I reflect today on the tiresome history of Black communities and how those racial barriers still impact us today, I find it fulfilling to highlight just a few pioneers and stories that hopefully will provide inspiration for all of you. #BlackHistoryMonth #OurHistory #culturetiktok #HistoryLesson”

[lurkingshan]

Theory of Love Episode 2: Love Actually

Let me get this out of the way right at the top: I'm so mad that Third made me rewatch this terrible movie! If you haven't seen it, I implore you to keep it that way, but here's what you need to know:

The film is a series of interconnected "romance" vignettes, most involving inappropriate relationships, laced with misogyny and homophobia and racism in pretty much every storyline, that is inexplicably beloved by the masses.

I am judging Third for liking and taking inspiration from this film, if I'm being honest. And this is the specific scene he drew from:

For context, this is a man secretly confessing his shameful crush on his best friend's wife who he barely knows (which the film presented as romantic). Third apparently connected with this man's hopeless love for someone he can't have to the extent that he decided to try confessing to Khai in the same way (after Bone reminded him of it), despite the fact that this confession was doomed to fail, by design!

And of course, this didn't work, because Khai was completely unable to receive this as a love confession in the context of their current relationship. And I think some part of Third had to know that would be the case. He knows Khai! When Khai offered an interpretation for Third's actions that fit within his framework of their relationship, Third let it happen instead of using his words to communicate his true intentions. He's not ready to succeed at this, and I think part of him finds sitting in the torment of his unrequited feelings romantic.

One of the things I like about this episode is it establishes some clear parameters around their friendship and how Khai sees it. First of all, Khai does care about Third, and he pays attention to him and tries to take care of him within the boundaries of platonic male friendship. Sure, Khai is selfish sometimes, but Third likes him for a reason. They genuinely get along, have a lot of shared interests, and Khai gives attention to Third and goes out of his way to check in with him and make him feel better (without realizing he's the reason Third is down in the dumps in the first place). They are friends, for real.

Second, Khai believes in separating friendship from dating. He has a rule to never date friends--because he knows his approach to dating around and having casual sex is not compatible with involving people he actually cares about--and he keeps these two categories of people separate in his own mind. And because of this, he is absolutely unable to process Third's desire to move from one category to the other. For Khai, Third is his most important person, his best friend that he intends to stick with his entire life. The people he dates are much more ephemeral, passing interests that he doesn't much care about as they come and go. He can't think about Third in that context, and so he won't. When Third attempts to confess to him using the Love Actually scene as his inspiration, you can see Khai finding a way to rationalize it in real time to make it something else.

And as much as I find Third's expectations for and failures to communicate with Khai a bit frustrating, I want to give him credit for trying to put himself out there. His fear about making himself clear to Khai is completely understandable, even just in the context of their friendship before you add the whole layer of his sexuality and Khai (to this point) only seeming interested in dating women. And now that he has Two to confide to and encourage him, Third did try to push Khai to realize how he feels. He just wasn't quite ready to say it with his whole chest, because this friendship is important to him, too. And as we saw when he cried watching a film about a girl who was afraid to confess to her friend, he knows he has something to lose if Khai can't reciprocate. I don't think it's an accident that his confession in this episode was half-hearted and designed to emulate a famous confession scene where there was never any chance of success.

[7postitsjumpingonabed]

TF2 Mamma Mia! AU

Cannot over stress how it’s-on-the-tin this is.

If you’re curious, my qualifications for this are the fact I’ve seen the movie like 4 times and am currently in a production of the musical so I know my shit.

Also Mamma Mia! is a romcom so I’ll just say the roms I chose are Sniper/Scout, Spy/Ma, minor Heavy/Medic, and optional Soldier/Demo(I present two options).

That’s all the preamble, lets get into this

Sophie

Alright let’s start with the most important character, who is our bride-to-be and catalyst for the whole plot? Scout, of course. Did I mostly pick him because he has known familial relationships that are easily enough translated to these characters? Yes absolutely. Did I also pick him because he seems the type to think inviting three strangers who could be his dad to his wedding is a good idea, he seems the type to be excited over a large and exciting wedding, and is commonly characterized with some form of anxiety that would lead really well into ‘Under Attack’? Also yes absolutely. Broadly, I think that Scout’s young, enthusiastic, and not-forward thinking personality lines up well with Sophie. For this we are going to ignore the other 7 Willis boys as characters, sorry unnamed brothers Sophie is very significantly an only child.

Skye

A reader with baseline knowledge of Mamma Mia! and who read the preamble can easily guess that Sniper is my Skye. I chose him because I like Speeding Bullet, he would definitely prefer a quiet elopement over a big white wedding, and he is also commonly characterized as kind of whipped for Scout so I would see him begrudgingly accepting this wedding as his life and making it work. You may be seeing this and asking ‘Postit, how on earth are you getting Sniper to dance, sing, and do all that theater kid bullshit?’ And to that I raise two things, 1. that is making me think of a community theater AU and that’s absolutely hilarious and now I want to make it but as I write this I’m realizing he would be in lighting… alright anyway 2. Through musicals are things are possible so write that down. Scout and Sniper going off to travel together seems very accurate and cute as well.

Donna

Alright this one should be clear, it’s Scout’s Ma. In all honesty I did briefly consider having Spy in this role but the fact that Sophie wants her dad at her wedding to do dad things is really important to setting the plot in motion so I’ve relegated him to a different role. Anyway besides literally being Scout’s mom I think she fits well because despite her lack of characterization, from what we do know about her she is a no-nonsense hard worker, who is trying to move past old and questionable decisions, and support her son in what she thinks is a silly decision. Overall I just think she’s the best option and can be made to fit well.

Ali and Lisa

If you only have a passing knowledge of Mamma Mia! you might not know these characters, and honestly I considered combining them into one person because they don’t have large individual impacts but it just worked better to keep them both, but they’re Sophie’s friends and advisors, as well as generation counter parts to Rosie and Tanya. I chose Ms. Pauling and Pyro for these roles. I had really no ideas on this front so it got filled in near the end of planning but I think Pauling and Pyro work well enough. I think if Pauling and Scout can move past potential love

Sam Carmichael

Who else? It’s Spy. With Scout’s Ms as Donna there wasn’t really any other choice. Sam is sort of the prime father and ends up marrying Donna at the end of the story. The second act songs between him and Donna are all about the past, regrets, and missed opportunities and that goes perfectly with the implied dynamic between Spy and Scout’s Ma. In this AU ‘Loraine’ would be Spy’s job, he would leave to work it and come back only to find Ma with other men. Speaking of.

Harry Bright

Harry is contemplative, plays the guitar, and had a ‘rough’ past that doesn’t reflect his current quieter life? Now who does that sound like? Engineer isn’t canonically an ex-punk but the idea of him ‘headbanging’ is really funny. I largely chose him because of his demeanor and the irony of him being a punk in a previous life but the straight forward attitude and guitar playing are also very appropriate.

Bill Anderson

Heavy is my Bill Anderson because he’s the last reasonable man left, his writing associations, and the fact Bill’s two duets in the musical have him mostly responding to another’s behavior. After Heavy the men get a little more visibly insane, even on a picturesque Greek vacation. Bill is a writer and travel books aren’t exactly Russian lit but the general idea lines up. The role of Bill being quiet most of the time and being the first father to figure out his relation to Sophie feels very Heavy.

Rosie

Rosie is Donna’s friend that is on the wild side, never married, and ends up ‘taking a chance’ (imagine me lightly elbowing you at my joke) on Bill. Replace Bill with Heavy and that’s an in complete description of Medic. I can see Medic having not terrible, if not normal, friendships with people willing to embrace the lunacy. A lady who shot her shot with Spy of all people and raised Scout can definitely handle some lunacy. Also there’s a line somewhere, musical or movie, when Bill mentions having one of Rosie’s cookbooks, and that seems like a sweet, Red Oktoberfest thing to do.

Tanya

For lack of better option, Demo is my Tanya. There’s no particularly strong connections between them but Demo needs to go somewhere and Soldier is even worse of a fit for this role. Since this is where he’s going I’ll propose that, if the viewer desires so and is willing to lose the alignment of Tanya’s marriages with the one happening at the end, the series of failed marriages could be changed to jobs, which would give this hypothetical casting more cohesion.

Pepper and Eddy

The only merc left is Soldier and I think him as a largely unhelpful, partying, kind of a freak feels… not terrible. This is where my two options in the Soldier/Demo situation is explained, you can go classic ‘Does Your Mother Know?’ and set the two up as romantic counterparts or you could just have them as friends. Like, Soldier is a ‘bad’ influence and Demo is trying to be normal for Scout’s Ma but is having too much fun with Soldier to resist. I think both work fine and it depends on preferences. For Eddy I want an unenthusiastic Merasmus. We know that Soldier just harasses him and drags him into random scenarios so a reluctant Merasmus can fit as a variation on Eddy so the cast is all lined up.

That’s where my fan cast ends but I want to say that if anyone wants to work with this idea, go ahead but tag me so I can see! Also I’m still thinking about Spy!Donna so there might be a follow up…. But we’ll see. Thank you for reading!

[gridgamesgalore]

really need to make my introduction post but im currently insane right now so I have to go on a tangent

[ note; this will not be professional writing pls bear w/ me i misspell things on purpose unless pointed out by myself so pleek pleeek ( i also refer to xfohv as jnj sometimes for clarification ) + there will be mentions of learningblocks related content just a heads up before any people call me weird for fixating on a " show for toddlers " ]

hello !! lowjay the order the karnage here !! so um ,, im here to talk about the 2 , 763 , OOO JnJ sub special ,, that shit was absolutely phenomenal .. insane even .. it altered my brain chemistry and I HAVE to talk about it ,,

spoilers for the 2 , 763 , OOO special if you haven't seen it ♡♡♡ (please watch it pleek)

I really need to mention this creature's appearance first . ALGEBRALIEN TWENTY-FOUR IS CANON !!! OH MY GOD THIS GUY IS SO RAHHHH !! /VVVVPOS lowjay try not to get attachrd to the most random characters / things ever !! ( impossible) THIS CREATURE IS MAKING ME TWEAK OUT ,, EXPECT A GIJINK OF THEM SOON!! /BALL (fun fact !! one of my closest moots calls them gijinks of algebraliens jnjinkas ♡♡♡ /silly)

( just want to let yall know i crosship them and twenty-four nbs ♡♡ is that oak ,, I love being a multishipper )

NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT arguably the most important ever piece of lore in jnj / beefydie history has to be the canonical powerful being 2763 ♡♡♡ this creature is so silly :ball:

[ next paragraph will be a somewhat lengthy tangent about a crossover au w/ beefydie + nbs ( numberblocks woah ! ) so pleek listen ]

so w / this information about 2763 being the canonical powerful being of the beefydie , i wonder .. does this mean that if 97104 got figured out they would be one of the powerful beings of nbs ?? ( ahem the others are one , zero , and possibly forty-two because hitchhiker ' s guide to galaxy hh ) THINK ABOUT IT ♡♡♡♡♡ PLES PLEEK (fun fact !! the digits of 97104 added up together equals 21 ! /info !! is this the reason she is curious to find out new explorer ?? spoiler warning ; probably not i just might be mentally ill ) /ball ,, ANYWAYS ,, what i was getting to is that the plot of this au is basically just both nbs 24 and algebralien 24 grouping up w / several other people (will decide that later because I literally just thought this au up an hour after the special) to overcome the dreadful disasterly deeds of 97104 and 2763 ♡♡♡ (captain underpants ahh alliteration) yeah all that hype for nothing ♡♡ sorry i just really need to share this ♡♡♡ trust trust TRUST i will make fanart of this au TRUST ♡♡♡ /SILLY

( THESE TWO ARE CANON TRUST )

this isn't really a big thing but more of an honorable mention ♡ I really liek the zero ' we can do it ! ' poster ♡♡♡ i find propaganda posters interesting in general ♡♡♡ /gen /pos

( i know what you are ,, fifteen simp ,, )

another long yapping session but I NEED to talk about my joyous enthusiasm ,, I'm so happy that in the jnj / xfohv / beefydie verse algebralien tweb is an important piece of lore which makes me hfhdhsjjsjekrghhhGRRRRR ,,,, froth at the mouth ,, because I dont think you guys understand how much the number tweb in general means to me ,, not only is tweb the first ever whole number to have 6 factors [ rectangly number in bluezoo terms ] their debut in nbs most likely highly impacted the learningblocks community in general ,, nbs tweb is so cool and the existence of the peak number system dozenal and the passage of time revolving around tweb and numbers RELATED to tweb [ PLEASE watch the about time special even if you aren't interested in nbs or already know it's very silly trust ] and yeah and did i mention the dozenal system hhhh [ as you can see i am very normal about different number bases / radixes ] /VVVPOS

( silly !! )

ending off w / an honorable mention ,, algebralien 63 !! they are really cool woah ♡♡ I really lobe when jnj introduces new algebraliens ♡♡♡ /vpos

anyway that was my long yap session ,, I realy hope you liek my existence of here ♡♡♡♡ this special changed my life and I am literally feeling ball rn ♡♡♡

[blackfilmmakers]

(Do want to point out I'm Korean on my mom's side. I'm biracial in a sense my mom is Blasian and my dad is Afro Latino, so, Black)

Hi, it's always fun to talk about Blasian identities, seeing as how of all the mixed identities, that's the one you see the least in media. And I can't help but feel it's because we have to always focus on white people one way or another in stories. Same thing with interracial love stories

Here are some things to consider when writing about Blasian characters:

1) Physical features - This is something people struggle the most when it comes to biracial Black characters in general. Everyone just assumes the "Blackness" washes away the moment another race is mixed in. That's not how genetics works people. First off, Black and Asian people come in a widerange of skintones and hair textures, yes this includes East Asians. Second, you can't determine how a Black and Asian couple's baby will turn out. You can probably have a guess as to how, but you can never guarantee they will come out lightskinned with straight wavy hair.

Yes you can have someone like my mom who is very lightskinned and Asian passing(is that a word?). You can also have someone like Naomi Osaka who has monolid eyes but a deep brown skin tone. Or you can have someone like like Miss Universe Vietnam, Huýnh Thị Câm Tiên, who is darkskinned and has more predominant Black features. If anything I definitely encourage you to give them dark brown skin and Black features, only because colorism is a bitch in media.

But definitely don't do the thing where you make Blasian girls inherently lightskinned and more mixed in appearance, while the Blasian boys are allowed to be darkskinned and unapologetically Black. That's colorism, and racism. Equating Blackness with masculinity, yeah, don't do that. It hurts both communities

2) Don't ignore your Blasian character's Blackness - Essentially don’t put so much focus on their nonBlack heritage, you practically forget they are Black. No, there is no one way to be "Black enough". But a Black character's Blackness is something you have to consider through their design, personality, worldbuilding and story all the way through. Take Kipo from Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts for instance. I like Kipo. I like how she is Korean and Black, cuz shout out to me specifically ❤️. But if it weren't for the fact we've seen her Black dad, no one would think she is also Black. You have a sense she's Korean the moment she named her pig mutant companion "Mandu," but what about Kipo celebrates her Blackness? Her skin is dark pink, but that just tells us she's not lightskinned(glares at fanartists that whitewash her). She has Black friends, and the show's music track has a lot of hip hop, but like.....gestures to Black entertainment used by everyone worldwide.

I wish I can find the fanart, but there was this drawing someone did where Kipo is braiding Wolf's(a darkskinned Black younger sister figure character in the show) hair. And I wish the show had moments like that. Kipo doesn't need to braid her own hair into cornrows, and she doesn't necessarily have to have an afro based hair texture, but braiding hair of someone close to you does show a celebration and unity of her Black identity. When you don't consider your Blasian character's Blackness in their writing, you miss out on effective, subtle characterizations like that. If you think I'm accusing Kipo of "not being Black enough" btw, the show creators literally admitted that making Kipo Black was a last-minute decision, which as a Black and Korean person, I picked that up quickly.

I don't want to say you have to sacrifice your Blasian character's Asian identity either, but it's one of those things where everyone wants to get rid of any trace of Blackness so badly, they would figure that "Asian" is the closest thing to whiteness, thus the more important heritage to focus on. Case in point, Kipo.

The other issue when writers do that is that they ultimately dilute the Asian identity as well. Like Kipo names a pig Mandu and likes Kimchi and listens to K-pop cool, so does every white kpop fan. Was there anything else about Korean culture the writers could have established for Kipo's personality and story?

They did this with G3 Clawdeen Wolf too, where her latina heritage is what they focused on mainly cuz "it's not Black" (even though latina isn't a race, and Afro Latines exist). At the same time, they have her eat an entire tamale with the entire husk still on.......on multiple occasions, demonstrating they did little research on even her latina heritage

3) Avoid making them quirky - It's overdone and colorist at this point. The idea that a Black character can only be weird and quirky when they are mixed with a nonblack identity and divorced from their Blackness is all antiBlack racism. This doesn't mean they can't be odd in the sense that main characters stick out from the background characters naturally. But don't make them quirky to be palatable for white audiences. It also comes off as “because they are mixed they are weird” 😕. Have a good understanding of your characters’ different heritages before giving them a trait that makes them “weird” too cuz that’s how you end up calling different races odd too 🫤

4) No anime references - At least not in a sense where because they are Asian that gives you the excuse to have their entire characterization be nothing but Japanese animation references. Like the moment Lars from Steven Universe was confirmed to be Filipino and has a whole character arc of what that means to him, struggling to fit in- they killed him, turned him pink when revived, and changed his entire personality to just space anime protagonist. Don't do that. Again, it's just another way to make the character of color palatable for white audiences, this time through orientalism

5)Take note where your character lives - Like any other character you write, you need to do research on where they live and how that affects them as a person. No character lives in a bubble. Do they live in the Asian country one of their parents is from? Do they live somewhere in the West or global South? Are their parents/grandparents immigrants? Are they themselves immigrants? What language(s) or dialect(s) do they speak? How do they interact with the community? Again, it's all stuff you have to consider writing any character. Even if it's not necessarily important to the story, you as the creator need a good understanding of your character

6) Who is this story for? - Are you writing this character to actually uplift unheard mixed people's stories? Or are you doing this for brownie points?

Keep in mind when you write about a Blasian character, you are not just writing for Blasians. You are writing for Black and Asian groups as well. You need to understand the connection between Black and Asian groups, which goes back to point 5 a bit. Like how did the parents of your Blasian character meet? Do they both live in LA in neighboring communities? Was one parent and African migrant that moved to an Asian country?

You want to make a biracial character, you're gonna have to do a lot of work to research both sides of that heritage.

There's some ugly in that history, but there is also community and solidarity at times

7) Stop only giving them white friends/love interests - W/o fail you have these characters live in such a diverse environments, only to somehow be surrounded by white people. I’ll give Kipo credit here for having mainly Black friends. It's again the need to force white people take up the main focus of the story. Frankly I’m tired of it 🥱

Note this is not a thorough “How to Write Blasians” check off list because I’m just one Blasian with my own one experience. Seek out more Blasians, and Blasian writers. Most of this has to do with how much research you are willing to put into

Hi,any help on writing Biracial,Blasian in particular characters?I can only find some about Black-White Biracial characters but not really about Blasian characters.Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately I only have my lesson on multicultural Blackness! @blackfilmmakers might have more direction on this point!

Also, it may help you to direct your research towards a specific group (e.g. where from in Asia?) as you can then narrow in on aspects of both cultures, and then research the experience within that community. Typing in "Blasian" won't be more than generally helpful because Asia is a gigantic continent with a LOT of peoples within it, so there's no One experience.

[teddyreblogslotf]

hi! anon bc i’m scared but i think u’ll know who i am. i’m rlly sorry abt the hatemail that u n others have been receiving recently and ik u don’t need to hear this from me but i want u to know that u don’t deserve it at all, u’ve been so unbelievably kind and patient w me and u and everyone else in the lotf fandom makes me feel happy to have spent my time in such a loving and welcoming fandom, even tho i look back on myself during this time in embarrassment. best wishes 💓💓

thank you so much for reaching out! i am so thankful for you doing this because i will admit, it has been rough for me! however, people like you really make being in the lotf community worth it. i’m honestly glad that i can help people be comfortable in the fandom in any capacity, and that there are people who do feel welcomed and safe in the community. that’s one of my only goals and i’m so thankful for you sending an ask! it really does mean a lot to me, i cant really put it into words. i just hope that everyone finds a space that they feel safe and welcomed in, whether it be here or somewhere else!

also in my opinion, nobody here is a bad person! people make choices that may be bad (i’ve done so many times), but the most important thing is growing and i’m honestly so happy that people are given the chance to grow. nobody is a bad person here, and everybody always deserves multiple chances because that’s a human right imo! i have never looked at anything anyone has done and hated them for it. we are all learning and human :) ❤️❤️❤️

[hauntingofhouses]

i know I've mentioned my interpretation of mizu's gender a million times on here but i don't think i ever fully elaborated on it.

so on that note i just wanna ramble about that for a bit. basically, it's my reading of the show that mizu is nonbinary, so let me dig into that.

putting the rest under the cut because it ended up being pretty long lol. also here have a cute mizu pic of her being happy and most at ease with herself, symbolised by her letting her hair down. <3 ok let's proceed.

thus, when i refer to mizu as nonbinary, i am interpreting mizu as a woman, but not ONLY a woman. not strictly a woman. she is also a man. she is also neither of these things, she is something in between, while at the same time she is none of these at all. i've said as much many times, but i just don't want people to think that when i say nonbinary, it inherently means a "third androgynous gender" that essentially turns the gender binary into a gender trinary. not only is that going against what the term nonbinary was crafted for (to go against rigid boxes and categorisation of gender identities), but also, not all nonbinary people fall under that category or definition, and that's definitely not the way i interpret mizu.

okay before i go deeper i'd just like to address some important things. first of all, this post is an analysis of canon, and thus everything i am arguing for is about my own interpretation of the show, and not some baseless projected headcanon i am projecting onto the character. please remember there is a difference between an interpretation (subjective; interpretations will differ from viewer to viewer, but ultimately it is firmly rooted in evidence taken from the source material) VS a headcanon (unrelated and often even contrary to what is presented in canon; opinions wildly differ and they cannot be argued for because there is no canonical evidence to back it up).

ALSO please note that nonbinary is an umbrella term. this means that it applies to a vast range of gender identities. other identities that fall under the nonbinary umbrella include agender, bigender, genderfluid, and so on. however, it's my personal preference to use the term nonbinary as it is, simply because i'm not a fan of microlabels (more power to you if you do like them and find they suit you more though!).

also, before anyone fights me on this, let me clarify further that gender means something different to everyone. it's not your biological sex or physical characteristics. but at the same time, gender is not mere presentation. you can be a trans woman and still present masculine—either because you're closeted and forced to, or because you just want to—and either way, that doesn't take away from your identity as a woman. same goes for trans men. if you're a trans man but you wear skirts and don't bind or don't get top surgery, that doesn't make you any less of a man. because gender non-conformity exists, and does not only apply to cis people! some lesbians are nonbinary and prefer using he/him pronouns while dressing masculinely, but that doesn't mean they're a man, or that they're any less of a lesbian. neither does this mean that they're a cis woman.

the thing about queer identities in general is that, like i said, they mean something different to everyone, because how you identify—regardless of your biological attributes and fashion or pronouns—is an extremely personal experience. so a nonbinary person and a gnc cis woman's experiences might have plenty of overlap, but what distinguishes between the two is up to the individual. there's no set requirements to distinguish you as one or the other, but it's up to you to decide what you identify as, based on what you feel. either way, by simply identifying yourself as anything under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, you are already communicating to the world that you are not what a conservative, cisheteronormative society wants you to be.

which is why i find all this queer infighting on labels to be so ridiculous. because we're all fighting the same fight; the common enemy is a societal structure that divides us into set roles and expectations purely based on our biological parts. that's why biological essentialism in the queer community is a fucking disease. because by arguing that women are inherently weak and fragile and soft and gentle and must be protected from evil ugly men, while men are inherently strong and angry and violent and exploitative of women, these people are advocating for the same fucked up system that marginalises and abuses women as well as effeminate and/or gay men.

anyway. i'm going on a tangent. this was meant to be a blue eye samurai post. so yeah back to that— the point i'm trying to make is that there's no singular way to identify as anything, as everyone's views on gender, especially their own, is specific and personal to the individual.

so with that being said, yes you can definitely interpret mizu as a gnc cis woman and that's a totally valid reading of the text. however, interpreting her as nonbinary or transmasc also doesn't take away from her experiences with misogyny and female oppression, because nonbinary and transmasc folks also experience these things.

me, personally, i view her as nonbinary but not necessarily or not always transmasc because i still believe femininity and womanhood is a very inherent part of who mizu is. for example, from what we've seen, she does not like binding. it does not give her gender euphoria, but is instead very uncomfortable for her both physically and mentally, and represents her suppressing her true self. which is why when she "invites the whole" of herself, she stands completely bare in front of the fire, breasts unbound and hair untied. when she is on the ship heading to a new land in the ending scene, she is no longer hiding her neck and the lack of an adam's apple. we can thus infer that mizu does not have body dysmorphia. she is, in fact, comfortable in her body, and relies on it extremely, because her body is a weapon. instead, what mizu hates about herself is her face—her blue eyes. she hates herself for her hybridised racial identity, hates herself for being a racial Other. hates that she has no home in her homeland. thus it is important to note that these are not queer or feminist themes, but postcolonial ones.*

* and as a tiny aside on this subject, i really do wish more of the fandom discussion would talk about this more. it's just such an essential part to reading her character. like someone who's read homi k bhabha's location of culture and has watched this show, PLEASE talk to me so we can ramble all about how the show is all about home and alienation from community. please. okay anyway—

nevertheless, queer and feminist themes (which are not mutually exclusive by the way!) are still prevalent in her story, though they are not the main issue that she is struggling with. but she does struggle with it to some extent, and we see this especially during her marriage with mikio, where we see her struggle in women's domestic spaces.

on the other hand, though, she finds no trouble or discomfort in being a man or being around other men—even naked ones—and does not seem stifled by living as one, does not seem all that bothered or uncomfortable navigating through men's spaces. contrast this to something like disney's mulan (1998), where we do see mulan struggle in navigating through men's spaces, as she feels uncomfortable being around so many men, always feeling like she doesn't belong and that she's inherently different from them. mizu has no such experiences like this, as her very personality and approach to life is what can be categorised as typically "masculine". she is straightforward and blunt. her first meeting with mikio, she tells him straight to his face that he's old while frowning and raising a brow at him. she approaches problems with her muscles and fists (or swords), rather than with her words or mind. compare this with mulan, who, while well-trained by the end of the movie, still uses her sharp wits rather than brute strength. this is a typically "feminine" approach. it's also the approach akemi relies on throughout the show—through her intelligence and persuasive tongue, she navigates the brothel with ease. mizu, in contrast to someone like mulan and akemi, struggles with womanhood and femininity, and feels detached from it.

thus, in my opinion, mizu is not simply a man, nor is she simply a woman. she is both. man and woman. masculine and feminine. she has to accept both, rather than suppress one or the other. her name means water. fluid.

as a side note, while i do believe mizu is nonbinary, i also primarily use she/her pronouns for her, but this is a personal preference. i find it's easier to use in fanfic (singular they is confusing to write stories with, but again, that's just my feelings on it, and this is coming from someone who uses they/they pronouns). i also lean towards she/her because it's what the creators and all the official promotional copywriting of the show uses. and even though i am a "death to the author" enjoyer, i feel that when interpreting things that are left open-ended, it does help to look at the creators' take on things. also because, in general, being nonbinary simply doesn't necessitate the use of they/them pronouns. nonbinary is not just a third gender. it's about breaking the binary, in any which way, and that's exactly what mizu does, constantly.

also, i'd also like to mention that one of show's head of story even referred to her with the term "nonbinary", rather than simply "androgynous" (see pic below). and it's possible this could be a slip up on his part, in which he believes the terms are interchangeable (they're not btw), but regardless i find it a very interesting word choice, and one that supports my argument.

so anyway yeah that's my incredibly long rambling post.

TL;DR nonbinary mizu rights 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 congrats if you reached the end of this btw. also ily. unless you're a TERF in which case fuck off. ok i'm done.

[spacedlexi]

the way the ericson group were at the outbreak just a bunch of troubled kids who made various mistakes or committed crimes and were judged by a system that punished and abandoned them instead of giving them the support and love they needed, are then nearly a decade later put into a situation where now they must judge a troubled child for the mistakes and crimes hes committed against them. and 5 to 3 vote them out 😭

[divine-altruism]

How do you feel about gender? Or having a name? Or attraction as a whole? Is it tied to more mortal instincts, or do you still have some essence of it?

I definitely don't have a gender identity the same way humans do, I just have one out of what I feel is a social necessity. I don't necessarily consider myself a "woman" but I do consider my gender as feminine. In face-to-face interactions, I don't mind being called a woman by those who don't know me. With the androgynous body that I live in, however, I also wouldn't mind being gendered either way. I feel like that information is most important to people who actually know me. My name is something I picked for myself and love very, very much! I don't think Artiya'il was the name I used prior to me living on Earth, but even if I could remember my old name, I would still have to pick a new name because my mother tongue is incomprehensible to humans. As for my attraction, I find that mostly I am not romantically attracted to humans or other nonhumans, but I have a genuine passionate love for all creatures equally! It is still possible for me to have romantic attraction to others if we get close enough, but it isn't very likely. Platonic and familial bonds are the ones I have the most often! For me, I think the way I love is not a mortal instinct, but a nonhuman one! Specifically an angelic one. My love for others as a baseline is constant and unconditional.

How much sense of “human”ness do you feel, and do you see yourself as equal to humans, something more, or like a watcher of life around you?

I feel myself so equal to humans that I don't mind being assimilated with them, or being referred to as one of them! Yes, my lifetime is longer and much more infinite than a human lifetime will ever be. And yes, I hold powers and capabilities totally unfathomable to them. But that doesn't mean much to me! Although I don't know why I'm here, I know that the best thing I can do is enjoy my life in this body while I'm in it, so that means having connections with the creatures around me, and I am so glad for it!

Would you prefer to be in another dimension? Do your senses feel dulled?

Luckily, I don't wish to be anywhere else but here! But yes, my senses are so, so dulled! I had so many more eyes before this body, and could only hear the constant chatter of the telepathic communication between the angels in heaven. That noise never really turned off, but I used to have a body that could handle that much information being processed at one time, so it wasn't overstimulating! This world now is so, so quiet. I only hear my headmates and the world around me.

Do you fear people don’t understand you well enough? Don’t understand us? Have you ever felt like doing something about it?

I do feel a large disconnect from other angels and it weighs heavily on me. I often feel misunderstood by the humans around me, especially when I have to mask my nonhumanity. Doing something about it is exactly why I made this blog! I hoped to find other nonhumans, or other angels and demons.

HEY, Angel !!

Would you care as to describe your experience? I think not enough hear on just how varied and interesting we are, and it would be great to scroll through reblogs of a single post and be able to find those with similar experiences/feelings.

feel free to write whatever but if you would like some prompts:

Have you noticed the world seem more beautiful/peaceful since you’ve found yourself?

How do you feel about gender? Or having a name? Or attraction as a whole? Is it tied to more mortal instincts, or do you still have some essence of it?

How do you feel like you physically look? Do you have any preferences in form? Would you change the way you are perceived if you could - and into what?

How does your day get affected due to your mystical self?

Do you incorporate this sense of self in your hobbies / behaviours?

What does being an Angel or being of divine/holy nature mean to you? Do you consider yourself born here, a newly created angel, or one which has been around for a long time? Do you have any thoughts as to why you were assigned human at birth?

How much sense of “human”ness do you feel, and do you see yourself as equal to humans, something more, or like a watcher of life around you?

Do you feel like you have some higher purpose and reasoning of being here? A meaning of life, if you will call it that.

Do you have any religious connotations tied to your identity?

How did you come to realise who you were, and what signs did you exhibit prior to knowing this?

Do you have any other ‘uncommon’ bits of self apart from being a being of light, in a way? (Therian, otherkin, interests in specific things, neurodivergencies?) YOU DONT HAVE TO ANSWER THIS IF YOU DONT WANT TO!!

What’s your favourite thing about the bodily experience of being on earth? Is there any sensation you really like? (Taste, smell, touch, feeling, etc)

Would you prefer to be in another dimension? Do your senses feel dulled?

What’s your stance on mortality and topics tied to that? Do you believe in reincarnation/past lives/fate/destiny/divine intervention/guardian angels/ghosts/heaven & hell/god/meaning of life?

Would you enjoy if others treated you as some highly being and brought you offerings/treated you like a god/submit to you/worked for you?

What’s your stance on the community?

How do you interpret existence - how does it all seem to feel and what do you take away from it, like.. what do you live for? Do you have a sense of some ideal where the more you experience the higher you will achieve? Do you crave something out of life?

Do you have a ‘gut instinct/feeling’ and has it ever been scarily accurate to the point there could be no other possible explanation other than something holy?

Do you believe you are blessed and/or protected by some invisible force?

Where do you believe angels also show themselves? Are they in those stray rays of light of headlights, do they exist in the bite marks of a wounded animal’s form, is it within the ripples of the water, in the breath of the tree that takes in the wine, in the chill upon a high mountain - or is divinity everywhere?

Do you fear people don’t understand you well enough? Don’t understand us? Have you ever felt like doing something about it?

do you feel bored from these questions already - did you enjoy it- would you like more? Did I give you satisfaction? I find joy through writing, it makes me personally feel incredibly divine, and there’s a calling to know more about other individuals in this mystical and extensive world.. we need to stick together - as a whole. Love eachother. Treat yourselves well, too. Do more of what makes you feel fulfilled and happy. There’s so much complexities to life, but we just gotta handle it all with our own minds - but treat your heart and soul with so much kindness and care.. please- take care of yourself. Find whatever works for you and live forever, my friend. My eternal, immortal friend..

[supahstarrr]

i have to admit that i'm kind of scared to say this. i've held this thought to myself for a bit but. honestly, i'm unsure how i feel about people demonizing the concept of voicing & having criticism towards fanganronpas as a response to proclaimed fans of fanganronpas who have criticism rooted in bad-faith that is expressed disrespectfully. to say criticism, even when it is constructive, is less needed due to fangans being "less established" is—although understandable to an extent—simplistic thinking to me as it disregards context.

fanganronpas aren't established media—they may not have much impact to the general population as they are not promoted in established industries. yet there will be impact that is noteworthy regardless as not only it has its roots and inspiration from already established media, but also its apart of a niche community that is an extension of a larger community (danganronpa). let alone a niche community that is built on taking inspiration from other projects that are established or not.

criticizing fanganronpas extends to being criticism towards danganronpa, then to tropes the series uses which exists outside of that series. and what i'd argue is the most important—criticism towards fanganronpas act as inspiration for other fanganronpa creators and can be an expression of your love towards the series. for people to demean all criticism as unneeded and a character flaw of somebody, to just group up criticisms rooted in love or concerns for representation with ones fundamentally in bad-faith, and to just disregard the complexities of criticism by reducing it to one form—is harmful.

this thinking towards criticism leans towards being exclusive when at times they can also be concerns for how a fangan may use tropes that perpetuate harmful beliefs ingrained in society and/or contribute to (common) limiting tropes attached to minorities in media . i feel wary to voice or even have criticisms towards my own representation that is commonly disregarded or stereotypical (with those stereotypes stemming from harmful and dehumanizing beliefs) in fanganronpas and danganronpa. my concerns of how black, tanned & brown or women, girls, & femmes or how queer characters are represented in fanganronpas don't just stop there. they don't just stop at danganronpa either. they extend to the representation outside of that art, because both fanganronpas (and danganronpa) are impacted by media (and society) outside of danganronpa.

i don't know how to feel really. i don't always have criticism, all of my spaces (like this blog) is not built from my criticisms on fangans, i don't always feel the desire or need to attempt at spreading my criticism around with tags and all, i don't always desire or need to attempt at bringing significant impact with my criticisms. yet still, i partially feel unwelcomed in the fanganronpa community just for having criticisms sometimes, even towards things that really matter. seeing how my race and skintone is represented in both danganronpa & fangans AND how fans in both of their communities respond to that representation & people who voice their concerns of that respresentation have made me disillusioned to the concept of a total "positive" space that doesn't allow criticism for the sake of comforting those who might not even be affected by the representation that *needs* to be criticized.

i feel too complicated about the discussion. i also dont think this way of thinking towards criticism also gets to the root of those proclaimed fans of fanganronpas who express their nonconstructive criticisms in harshness—which is entitlement, at times unhealthy parasocial relationships with the creator, and wanting to feel "owed" by the creator that is so insanely common in fandoms. its not that theyre voicing or having criticisms in the first place, its how they voice it or have criticisms based on negative attitudes with no valid depth behind it (which may disregard the narrative for the sake of personal tastes). instead, this thinking towards criticism risk shutting down vaild criticisms and concerns about the harm fangans may perpetuate and how they can contribute to regressive representation of minorities.

[vulpinesaint]

did you guys know that the gay bar is so awesome actually

[the-superstardaycare]

It's like fate that I'm in front the moment this question is posted /half joke

Let me introduce you to Sano Manjiro, aka Mikey from Tokyo Revengers.

WARNING: I briefly talk about gangs, murder and death in this so if that's not your thing, just remember him as plural without reasoning. Also this obviously will include spoilers because I can't shut up about this show once I start.

ALSO this is a very long post because I'm so autistic about this, so sorry.

He is, I should clarify, not canonically plural. In all fairness, in source, probably not a single thing would speak for him being plural. But I started headcanoning him as plural about a year ago now.

Part of the reason is absolutely me coping with our own plurality. During times of self-doubt, it gives me a sense of comfort to think about one of my favorites also being plural.

Other part of it is that I (sourced from Tokyo Revengers) had a feeling that in my canon Manjiro was plural. My boyfriend (also sourced from Tokyo Revengers) also said it absolutely could somehow be possible.

So let me go into Manjiro and into my headcanons real quick (real quick is a lie, I am info dumping).

Tokyo Revengers, just for quick clarification, is manga that focuses on gang fights in the early 2000s japan. Its main theme also includes time travel, which leads to many different future versions of characters.

I believe that one of the last future version we get to see of Manjiro, specifically the one in the "close to perfect because everyone is okay but him" timeline, is probably the most plural coded as he can get.

He is, in my eyes, BPDgenic, traumagenic and possibly an accidentally created System for coping purposes. Probably considered a Mixed System.

The guy has witnessed quite a few events over his life that can (and should be) considered traumatic. I could go into the events and why that is, but I can't spoil the whole story, even if I really want to.

I think the one thing I should mention is that he lost pretty much everyone dear to him. His parents died when he was still pretty small; his big brother was (somewhat accidentally) killed by someone he deemed a friend, his sister was (absolutely on purpose) killed by someone he knew and his step brother ended up dying in a gang fight. Most of his friends and acquaintances left him because he started going into directions they did not want to take with him (in relation to the gang).

He also carries some type of curse with him that I won't be going into much details. It essentially makes him unreasonably violent and kinda loose sense of his self.

SO. Who's in the System?

Manjiro obviously. He's the host and one of the two alters who actually fronts. The usage of "core" or whatever is debated in the community, but it's probably the closest thing I know on how to describe it. He uses he / him, is a bi cis man and fronts during less stressful times with one of his triggers being the protgonist of the story (since they're "best friends" in lore, but manjiro is kinda in love if you ask me).

Mikey, who is the other fronting alter. He is, I'd say, the protector and a prosecutor. He uses he/him pronouns and is aroace (repulsed on all sides). He is essentially the "manifestation" of that curse.

Shinichiro is one of the multiple non-fronting alters in the System. He is a factive of Manjiros older brother. He/Him, Bi or Hetero probably and has an unknown comforter role.

This is my love Emma (she's so pretty, i love her). She's Manjiros sister. She uses she/her, is hetero and an emotion holder probably. She's, in Manjiros eyes, the manifestation of happiness and safety. She's also a factive!

Izana is a factive of Manjiros step brother. They didn't know each other for long, due to a hard relationship in the past and stuff that I won't go into because it's not important for Manjiros plurality. Anyways, Izana goes by he/him, he's unlabeled queer and has no specific role other than being a reminder of what could've been (ow.)

I think Shinichiro, Emma and Izana are entirely non-fronting. They can be co-conscious when Manjiro is in front, but that's about all. They're not made to front. They're created to serve as a reminder to Manjiro what he lost.

Things I should also probably mention:

Manjiro was cursed back when he was still a child, but I think that Mikey split off of him way later in life. So I wouldn't deem his younger versions to be plural for this reason. The "curse" only started manifesting when he was older, and therefore his plurality also only appeared later in life.

Being plural is, not entirely, a negative experience for Manjiro. In his defense, his entire life has been a negative experience at some point which is the reason why he became plural to begin with. But I wouldn't say "having factives of his loved ones makes him happy and a better person". If anything, it makes him miserable, because it's almost like a constant reminder that they're the closest thing he'll get to seeing them again.

Sure, its comforting to have them by his side, and to have Mikey who holds onto the dark impulses (the canon name for the "curse"), but it's not the same to him.

I think Manjiros plurality ended up saving him from a worse future (if that's even possible), but it didn't make his life better or anything. All it did was stop it from getting even worse.

Also, he's my favourite because 1) coping, 2) I feel so bad for him in the entire story and 3) part of me in source was dating him so it's only fair to think about him. 😔

Ah uhm, yea I don't know where else to go with this because I don't think many will read all of this anyways. But I got to info dump about this, which is nice. And shoutout to whoever read till the end :) you're so cool.

question 71: do you have a favourite plural character? is that canonical or a headcanon of yours? why are they your favourite?