#being trans is great i can be a drag queen AND a drag king on alternating weekends

[diamondnokouzai]

i am so cute i need to be performing at a gay bar

[bisexualpussy]

honestly, the weirdest thing about being a detransitioner and embracing femininity is that it was drag queens and trans women who made me realize womanhood can be accepting and FUN instead of a social expectation. Sitting in the drag bar with a hard whisky, beard, and jean jacket was great, heeled cowboy boots are great, being addressed as "Sir" and the ability to safely enter a men's bathroom and be assumed cisgender was a hard earned one. I got lucky on the genetics lottery, and I'll admit that. Being a long-haired, pretty cowboy was my gender ideal, and I achieved it!

But then I saw how much fun the girls were having and kind of missed it. Don't get me wrong, I'm mostly friends with women and effeminate queers.

Now I've fully detransitioned the other way, I got to trans my gender THREE TIMES NOW. Medically. [I didn't get top surgery] I'm not really sure if this has to do with growing up in a very bigoted and unaccepting environment (the south), but I feel beautiful and confident lately. Currently, I identify as a bisexual woman with a masculine personality.

I just want to tell all the struggling boys, men, and queers out there that you're seen and your emotions are real. Someone loves you, and if it needs to be me, then I'll love you too. Keep your heads high kings. 💕🌻💖

[man-squared]

Anyone who would like to can participate but I encourage people who whine on transandrophobia/transmisandry posts to do this exercise:

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This exercise is for you to critically think about your own beliefs, values, and behaviors about trans people. Please answer or at least think on the questions below.

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How does erasing transmascs help transfemmes? How does telling/thinking that a group of trans people don't significantly experience something help any amount of transfemmes?

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How does creating a world with an ideology that transfemmes/trans women are the only populace that is significantly/meaningfully trans help transfemmes not be labeled as predators to all people? How does putting transfemmes on a pedestal of transness not help their hypervisibility, which in turn leads to transphobes only seeing transfemmes/women as the face of the trans movement (so then no transmascs/men exist to them)?

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Why do you feel so comfortable pushing aside transmasc and other trans issues? Do you do this with nonbinary people? Do you do this with transneutral people? Do you do this to people not an the categories of transmasc/transfemme or tme/tma?

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Why do you think that transfemmes can't experience transandrophobia? Why do you think that transmascs can't experience transmisogyny? Do you also believe that cis people or "passing" people can't experience transphobia? If not, have you watched any Western media? How many cis men have put on a dress as a joke or been played as one for being 'effeminate'? How many more-masculine women get harassed for being masculine, and what about the 3-article clothing laws that affected cis gay men and women as well as drag kings and queens and trans people? Do you think transphobes and bigots care about what you actually are when they are bigoted towards you?

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What does significantly affect mean to you? Why does any experience with a said phenomenon not lead to someone being affected by it? Or in otherwords, why does a transmasc saying they are affected by something you believe only transfemmes are significantly affected by then not affect that transmasc in any significant way that needs to be addressed?

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What characteristics save you from being significantly affected by any given bigotry?

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If you believe that trans people who are transitioning towards masculinity or are perceived to be can never experience direct transmisogyny, then do you believe a closeted and cis-passing trasnfemme can? If so, why and how do you believe them to be different from each other?

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Do you value stuff outside trans discourse the way you do trans discourse? Or in other words, is there any hypocrisy to your beliefs that when asserted on a different group of people, you wouldn't believe like you do towards trans people? If so, is that right? Does it make sense? Why does it apply differently elsewhere (and yes, you may find that your hypocrisy in different situations is correct and does follow your actual values)?

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Do you believe stuff just because you are told to? And no, this isn't a jab at you in particular, everyone has problems with just believing everything they are told. We all do it, but we all still need to step back and critique our beliefs and values. Like why do you believe something? Is it just because someone told you to? Is it because it makes you feel better about yourself? Why?

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Thank you for answering or skimming or reading if you did. Have a great rest of your day.

(Let me know if this looks formatted wrong or terribly. I used periods to separate sections because I am on the mobile app.)

[the-butch-of-blaviken]

Keira :3c

Thank you for the ask friend <33 and for the opportunity to rant about Keira :3

my general perception of them

The thing with a good deal of female characters from the witcher franchise is that their writing is so laced with misogyny that you have to grit your teeth through some of it until you get to the good part. I used to dislike Keira during my first TW3 playthrough (which was my first exposure to the witcher franchise) because i didn't like how she took advantage of Geralt and how #girlboss she was portrayed. Now, funnily enough, i love her for the same reasons that used to make her disagreeable to me. She's ambitious and she won't apologize for it; she's already sacrificed a lot to get what she wants or where she wants to be and she's ready to sacrifice even more; she's bossy, she's straightforward, she's not worried about getting her hands dirty to do what needs to be done (although she will complain about it beforehand). She's a magic user who has brass knuckles and she punches people with it, for god's sake. How could I not immediatly stan her

But that doesn't aleniate her from femininity either? Because a big part of her character and her personality is being a Woman in a very traditional sense of the word and presenting as such, but unlike a lot of female characters written by men, in her case, it goes full circle and produces a character who is hyperaware of her gender and how to perform it, and she plays with it in a way i want to call queer. Like. She's the most trans cis woman i've ever seen. I remember once you said she reminded you of a drag queen and i think that's a great comparison!

I also love how hard she's leaning into the country witch/cottagecore aesthetic but loathes everything about nature after her stay in Velen. I especially love her TW3 gwent card for that reason because it goes even harder than her game model, what with the flower crown, all the ribbons and accessories, girl how can you even breathe with all those necklaces. She probably uses insecticide whenever she sees so much as an ant indoors. She's so funny. Area woman born and bred in NYC forced to open her clinic in the most backwater town of the Midwest, hates every second of it.

an unpopular opinion or, failing that, a fun fact

It's not really a "fun" fact but during my first playthrough, i chose all the wrong dialogue options when Geralt confronts her after she got Alexander's notes, made her angry and had to kill her. When it was done, i tried to go back but saw my last save was from 15 minutes ago, shrugged and kept going. I still feel bad to this day.

(Of course i treated her like a princess in all my other playthroughs)

music i associate with them (if any)

I got to see Florence + The Machine live last Monday so right now my first thought is "King," in regards to her ambition and what she's ready to sacrifice in terms of her personal life and her loved ones to achieve it. She's not planning on becoming anyone's mother or wife, she has plans of her own, and that doesn't take anything away from her femininity. (Also, Keira Metz is very Florence Welch-core.)

if I feel (spiritually) like I could beat them in a fight

She's got magic powers and brass knuckles. I think it's safe to say that she'd thoroughly kick my ass

[bordemsgardem]

literally just woke up and delirious, but I got gender thoughts that I wanna get outta my head- Usually I just go to my personal friends with these kind of long-form unplanned explanations on how I view myself as a person, buuut idk. Be warned that it's pretty all over the place? I've never prided myself on being concise lmao. Putting it under a read more, so if you wanna read you can! If you don't, then you can continue to scroll without much worry! <3

So I use nonbinary since it's the easiest to sort of fit myself into, but if I were to describe how I view myself using as many terms as I deem fit: transmasc agender drag queen/king I like presenting and portraying what I think is feminine, it's like a play to me! I remember wanting to be a drag queen but convincing myself that I couldn't because "I was already a woman", but that sentence never felt right to me. No matter how many times I was called a girl or she/her, I never felt like it fit me. Over the pandemic's quarantine times, I realized that I may have been trans, I tried wearing undershirts that flattened out my chest and started wearing my clothing in a way to try and make myself look more boyish, but even that didn't quite feel right either. I felt like I was trying to play the role of a man, which admittedly was also fun. Shoutout to drag kings btw, y'all the real ones- you don't know how many stubble tutorials I watched so I could get a lil beard going on- I look hot as fuck with a bit of stubble btw, that shit is cool as hell!!!! Anyways- as I grew up, I was never really forced to wear clothing I didn't want to wear. I wore everything from dresses to backwards caps and overalls to whatever the hell I just so happened to have on hand. And I am grateful that my parents raised me like that- But through it all, I am just their daughter to them- even if I'm wearing very masculine clothing and purposely speaking with my voice lowered so I can look manly- and I'm ok with that. I'm not gonna stop them. I'm just putting on a costume to them and that's accurate enough to say! They don't need to know that I don't feel any gender in terms of myself and who I am. I do use a lot of more masculine terms to refer to myself? Never sure why, but it fits I think. I'm just a guy, I'm a dude, I'm a bro, I'm a man- but in the way I am a wannabe surfer dude and that's how I talk- I love costume btw, you know that? I am a cosplayer after all. I wear a lot of my cosplay pieces as normal accessories in my everyday life when I'm out on the town. People fucking love it btw! And that makes me happy! I can be dressed up as a mushroom and not need to worry about being cringe in public- and that is what my own presentation of my gender is to me. I wouldn't call myself gender fluid, it definitely isn't that. I've tried demigender and various other labels, and it turns out that agender is the best. I don't feel one way or another when I'm at home. I'm just a person who exists, and that's great! How I dress tho? Oh that is fluid- it's like water- Honestly my ideal self is to have my physical body appear traditionally masculine, but my clothing to be traditionally feminine. I wanna look cool as fuck! I love that look! I want to look like that! But since I am just some petite lil guy now, I gotta use my costuming prowess to get the job done. I'll be the cute girl next door- the pretty anime boy from some show that aired in the 2000s. Do I want to be mothman? I'll be mothman! Am I feeling like Majima that day? Then I'm Majima. I'm gonna be a princess now! Fuck it! Who's going to stop me? My gender may not exist, but for the sake of the people I'm going to serve cunt! The compliments boost my self confidence and I feel great! TLDR: If I'm a girl, no I'm not but yes I am- if I'm a boy then no i'm not but yes I am- If I'm genderless? oh yea no yea no yea fr I am that no yea- But also look at me be hot as fuck in my baller fits-

[hanna-portfolio]

Drag king performances are not only about toxic masculinity, yet all drag kings experience it

Drag kings have been around for ages. As a matter of fact, they have a very strong presence in Britain`s theatrical history, even as early as the early modern period. 

The year 1660 marked the first time that women were legally allowed to perform on stage, and they did so under the appearance of men. Aphra Behn, for example, created plays about women wooing men at gatherings while dressed as men!

Fast forward to the Music Hall tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries, when a sea of female performers were toying with masculinity on stage. Not as a subculture, but in front of the King and Queen at the first royal Variety Show in 1912. Even though the Queen grew a little fussy about it, they laid the framework for drag kings to explore and expand gender in whichever way they saw fit today. 

Christian Adore is a drag king, performed by Francesca Forristal. Together with Eaton Messe, they make up the iconic double act Dragprov Revue. 

Christian plays with masculinity on stage, using makeup and illusion to mess with gender. He says drag kings are often labeled as the “opposite of drag queens” however to him drag kings can be cis women, trans men and non-binary, there is no “opposite” about it.”

He adds: “We are all sick of gender being a total dick to everyone. Telling us how to dress, how to act, who “can” or “can't” do whatever. 

“And there are some seriously toxic men out there that drag kings are DYING to sink their satire teeth into.”

Christian is rooting for drag kings rights to have fun parodying all the things that might infuriate them about cis-men. Yet, personally, Christian favourite drag kings have characters which dig a little deeper than direct imitation of toxic stereotypes.

He says: “There is equal room for celebration. Trans masculinity, beauty in masculinity, confidence, vulnerability, different body shapes and body positivity. 

“Try to see what complex qualities you can bring to masc-identity and imagine drag as a space to dream big. What could masculinity look like, if society was more open minded?”

Drag kings have been around forever, long before RuPaul entered the drag stage. Though drag is not all about Rupaul's Drag Race, quite the opposite actually, it should be acknowledged how the show and Rupaul has boosted drag`s overall popularity. 

However, what should also be acknowledged is the fact that RuPaul only allows queens on his show. No kings, no femme-queens. Imagine The Great British Bake Off, but with only cisgender men as contestants.

As a result, corporate or high-profile events scatter after drag queens, sounding like spoiled kids who want “glamorous queens like the ones on Drag Race”. The gender pay gap has followed drag kings, even when they are dressed as men…ironic isn't it? 

LoUis CyFer is a drag king. He performs drag as a way to express his identity as a queer artist. 

He says: “I perform on stage the complexities of my relationship to my gender in front of an audience that maybe connect with it on some level or don't. 

“I get to experience the excellence that is punishing and playing around with the opposite gender.”

He explains how not all drag kings challenge toxic masculinity, but he thinks that they all have experienced it. 

He adds: “I think it's always in some way or another found within their work. Some of them replicate that toxic masculinity in their characters and some of them try to wrestle with it. 

“Trying to create different perspectives of masculinity and trying to destruct what it is, what toxic masculinity is and how harmful it can be.”

When talking about what it is like to be a drag king in relation to the entertainment industry, drag king LoUis CYfer says “it is like being the one at a party that no one wants to talk to.”

“There are a lot of very good drag kings, but a lot of the venues are not giving them the opportunity to have a full show because they know now, because of RuPaul and the last 14 years, that drag queens will sell tickets. People with power, producers and managers, are frightened to take a risk because they think their audience won't like it. 

“Whenever I or some of my drag kings friends have performed, people have absolutely loved it and been like “yes! Something different!”

LoUis explains how he thinks the difference in popularity comes down to the “patriarchal chokehold” that exists in the western world and opportunities are always coming second to people who “are not born with a penis.”

“We have to sort of wait for our opportunity and I think that is because a lot of men are in power and so what would happen if they offered women power.” 

He goes on to talk about RuPaul and how they have offered themselves, as well as being able to have these opportunities because they are “privileged gay men”. 

“There are a lot of privileged gay men in the entertainment industry and they are very highly represented. 

“In many ways, being a queer woman or cis female, those opportunities are not given to you because they are not celebrated as much. Particularly, buchness isn't celebrated because it is not desirable to men. So why would it make its way into television and mainstream media?”

It is safe to say that RuPaul's Drag Race has made a lot of drag queens very rich as well as given them fantastic opportunities and excelled through their craft. However, it is exclusionary. 

LoUis says: “It's such a shame. RuPaul`s comments about only men being able to do drag was very silly.

“I think that for all the good that the show has done, it has done quite a lot of damage as well to the queer community. 

“It has sort of told people to be a good queer you got to be like a sassy, nasty gay who's clicking fingers and popping ‘yas queen’ in order to be seen as powerful, by reclaiming these ways of being.”

[gduncan969]

Does God Really Care?

Matthew 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (RSV)

In the midst of all the turmoil we are seeing on our TV screens describing the radical changes we are all being subjected to these days, it is easy to find ourselves thinking that in the broad scheme of things, we, the little people, just don’t count, that we have no voice. We feel powerless to change the things being forced upon us, things that we know are wrong despite the popularity they may have among those in control.  However, our voices are ignored or silenced whenever we speak out and should we persist in our “aberrant” behavior, we are censured and even punished for our deviant views.  Jobs have been lost and careers ruined in the wake of the new woke culture creeping across the nations and to add insult to injury, speaking out also gets us labeled as one or more of the many insidious characters the new lexicon of the left uses to describe those who oppose their views, namely, “racist, white supremacist, homophobe, conspiracy theorist, anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-choice, anti-vaxx, anti-feminine, anti-science” and so on.  It doesn’t matter how much evidence there is to support our viewpoint, no one in control seems to want to listen.  This downward spiral in the civil arena has caused an upward spiral in anxiety and fear among us that has led to levels of depression never seen before.  What is the answer?

Is God in Control?

Is God really in control?  Does He really care about me, personally?  These are questions we might hesitate to raise with other believers because we know what the bible says but that doesn’t stop them niggling at the back of our minds whenever we hear of yet another insane rule or law being enacted or an event occurring that defies all common sense and common decency.  Things like drag queen shows for young children or male athletes in female dressing rooms makes us want to cry out “Stop the planet, I‘m getting off”.  We can now understand why Albert Einstein, years before, said he found common sense to be most uncommon.  Today, it is increasingly rare.  All of us who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, know that He is in control and we have his promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) but knowing that in our heads is not the same as having it established in our hearts and living like it is true.  Real life events that happen to us have a nasty habit of challenging what we confess we believe, but only as we face these challenges head on do we discover that our beliefs do not reside just in our heads but have become convictions in our hearts upon which we stake our lives.  

There is much evidence these days that we have entered what the bible calls “the end times” and the bible has much to say about just how difficult these times will be both for the believer but much more so for the unbeliever.  On the far side of these end times lies a glorious future in the eternal presence of our Lord and King but between now and then lies the greatest time of challenge we will ever face, so great that the Lord has said these days will be shortened else none of us will survive (Matthew 24:22).  We rightly sing excitedly of that glorious future when Christ returns but in the back of our minds we may struggle with how we are going to get through them.  The popular teaching today is that we Christians will not go through this troubling time because we will be raptured away from it all before it happens but even a cursory glance at Jesus’ own words from Matthew 24 and Luke 17 say otherwise.  Let’s not fool ourselves, although we will indeed be “caught up to meet Him in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) there’s a whole mess of trouble that we will have to go through before that happens. How much attention to detail for my protection have I been promised by God?

There’s a Difference Between Counting and Numbering Things

One answer from scripture I’ve always found very reassuring concerning God’s detailed protection plan for me is found in Matthew 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  That’s an interesting statement and reveals to all of us that God has such great interest in us that He even counts the hairs on our head and we all (especially men) have joked about how easy the count is on some heads compared to others.  But have you ever asked yourself why God would want to count the hairs on our head?  Just think, next time you comb your hair in the bathroom, remind yourself that God readjusts the record to take account of the number of hairs stuck to the comb now that you’ve finished your combing.  How amazing it is that God takes such detailed care of us that he keeps a constantly updated record of the number of hairs we lose each time we comb our hair.  Why?  I’m not sure I can give you a detailed answer but when I examine this verse I find out God’s attention to detail goes much, much further than just counting our hairs.  So, without being accused of splitting hairs, let’s look at this in greater detail.  

God doesn’t just count our hairs, He numbers them and that’s a process that involves a lot more detail than simply totaling how many hairs we have sticking out of our scalp.  For many years I owned and operated a gold assaying laboratory in Northern Ontario (Accurassay Laboratories), analyzing rock and mineral samples for their metal content.  Every day we would receive hundreds of rock samples from our clients, delivered in plastic bags which we would first count in order to check we had received the correct number of samples according to the shipping label but simply counting them was nowhere near as important as the process which followed: numbering them.  Each bag of sample contained a tag or label put there by the client with a specific, unique number on it identifying that particular sample.  This number stayed with the sample from start to finish through the laboratory and this number was critically important because it enabled the client to compare the lab result with the exact location of each and every sample in the area being examined.  To be extra sure, the lab also issued its own unique lab-number to each sample to avoid any confusion that might arise if different clients happened to use the same numbers.  Thus, numbering rather than simply counting the samples gave each sample a unique identity which the client used to determine how the gold was distributed back at the site.  Without this information, the lab results were meaningless.  

So it is with the hairs on our head.  God cares enough for us that he issues each hair an identification tag telling Him exactly where it sits on our scalp and probably how long it is, how thick it is and what color it is.  Maybe you could care less about the total number of hairs on your head and maybe you care even less about their exact location on your scalp but God cares and has uniquely numbered (identified) every one of them. I don’t know why He needs this information but I can say for certain that it tells me God knows far more detail about my life than I or anyone else knows and it reminds me that when I was young my parents looked after many details in my life that I was totally ignorant of but they did so because they loved me and wanted to take care of me.  God’s attention to the minutest details of our lives is simply an expression of how much He loves us, so whatever trials lie ahead as we enter into these end times, we can rest in the knowledge

“His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His Power has no boundaries known unto men, For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”

I may not know how bad things might get before He returns and I certainly do not know what trials will come my way during that time but if He has taken the trouble to identify every hair on my head, I know He has a detailed plan that includes the strength for me to walk through that time confident that whatever weakness I may suffer from will only serve to make His strength more perfect in me (2 Corinthians 12:9) and I will find His immeasurable grace is more than sufficient for me to endure.

[im-not-a-simp-i-swear]

Hello! Sorry for asking, but I had an idea with a friend, where Solomon is a Magical girl, but no he's not trans his hobby is being a drag queen as a Magical girl or cross dressing, I'm not sure what you'd consider, maybe he's just practicing make up because he's tired of chaotic spells; but Mc, is part of his Magical girl party and all, and everyone's reacting to Mc, and Solomon being Magical girls.

Or it's DND style Magical girls except they go into a world trying to corrupt the world, trying to defeat a 'demon' God and Mc is the bard, I don't need to say anything more Mc could just be a bard, no Mc would be the bard.

Im doing it im catching up on the asks finally!!!

MAGICAL GIRL SOLOMON

💙LUCIFER

- "hmm... aight that makes sense, anyways-" yeah he doesnt really care about this as much as you'd think

- i mean just look at his brothers: levi does cosplay, asmo uses makeup, and mammon has done modeling with high heels and probably much more, this is no surprise to Lucifer

- he does like how you seem to enjoy this however, and wont stop you from participating in Solomon's drag fun

💛MAMMON

- "how dare you hang out with Solomon and do drag with him MC" he should be the one that you should be having fun with!

- it isnt like he actually finds you cute as a magical girl or anything, that would be ridiculous! Just look at your fun puffy dress and your funky looking hair, it makes you look adorable! Wait-

- yeah you wont get a clear response from Mammon, but his tsundere act can easily tell you he enjoys how you look, but it jealous that you arent having that kind of him with him

🧡LEVIATHAN

- let him in, LET HIM IN!!!!!

- he loves it and wants to be a part of it, he can male the clothes, the wigs, everything and anything you want can be done with those hands

- he now has another reason to get along with solomon better as well, as they both enjoy dressing up as magical girls and of course it's fun

- "hey MC, i saw you crossdressing the other day with Solomon and i wondered if you both wanted to maybe cosplay with me???"(you better say yes to him)

💚SATAN

- "ah yes a classic activity among humans- are those cat ears?" All it takes for him to want to know more is that your magical girl look involves a cat in anyway possible

- otherwise he doesnt seem bothered much by the drag, if anything he finds it to be fun, however not enough to partake in it, unless of course, as said before, cats can be involved

- lf you and solomon are feeling wacky and silly then try to incorporate more feline features into your next drag, you might just manage to get Satan to join the group

💖ASMODEUS

- "you two are doing drag? WITHOUT ME!" if you thought the second brother was pissed about not partaking in your enjoyment then wait for Asmo to change that

- not only does Asmo drag, he drags like no other. Not even the best of drag queens or kings could beat his beauty skills. He WILL join you two and he WILL make you three the best drag team there ever was

- he'll also share this info on his media (if you two are chill with it of course) and will make sure everyone knows about how great you all are at dressing up as magical girls and how no one will be able to beat you three, mainly him

❤BEELZEBUB

- "cool" yeah he doesnt have a big opinion about this, as long as you are happy and having fun he is happy with it

- if you want him to partake in crossdressing then he will join but you might also need to find a way to make the clothing work with his built figure

- otherwise he'll supoort it :)

💜BELPHEGOR

- "hmm.. why is solomon in a dress?" He is too tired to concentrate properly so at first he'll think he is in some weird fever dream.

- once he realizes that isnt the case he... wont show much of a change in his reaction, however that doesnt mean he doesnt support it, he just doesnt find it as surprising or shocking as someone else would. I mean just look at his brothers-

- if you want him to participatw he will complain a bit since it implies less sleep time, but he'll do anything with you as long as it means you'll give him a smile

- he will fall asleep while working on the dresses and stuff though-

[littlemixnet]

To me, a good ally is someone who is consistent in their efforts – there’s a difference between popping on a pride playlist or sprinkling yourself in rainbow glitter once a year and actually defending LGBT+ people against discrimination. It means showing my LGBT+ fans that I support them wholeheartedly and am making a conscious effort to educate myself, raise awareness and show up whenever they need me to. It would be wrong of me to benefit from the community as a musician without actually standing up and doing what I can to support. As someone in the public eye, it’s important to make sure your efforts are not performative or opportunistic. I’m always working on my allyship and am very much aware that I’ve still got a lot of unlearning and learning to do. There are too many what I call ‘dormant allies’, believing in equality but not really doing more than liking or reposting your LGBT+ mate’s content now and again. Imagine if that friend then saw you at the next march, or signing your name on the next petition fighting for their rights? Being an ally is also about making a conscious effort to use the right language and pronouns, and I recently read a book by Glennon Doyle who spoke of her annoyance and disappointment of those who come out and are met with ‘We love you…no matter what’. I’d never thought of that expression like that before and it really struck a chord with me. ‘No matter what’ suggests you are flawed. Being LGBT+ is not a flaw. Altering your language and being conscious of creating a more comfortable environment for your LGBT+ family and friends is a good start. Nobody is expecting you to suddenly know it all, I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect ally. I’m still very much learning. Even recently, after our Confetti music video I was confronted with the fact that although we made sure our video was incredibly inclusive, we hadn’t brought in any actual drag kings. Some were frustrated, and they had every right to be. You can have the right intentions and still fall short. As an open ally I should have thought about that, and I hadn’t, and for that I apologise. Since then I’ve been doing more research on drag king culture, because it’s definitely something I didn’t know enough about, whether that was because it isn’t as mainstream yet mixed with my own ignorance. But the point is we mess up, we apologise, we learn from it and we move forward with that knowledge. Don’t let the fear of f**king up scare you off. And make sure you are speaking alongside the community, not for the community. Growing up in a small Northern working-class town, some views were, and probably still are, quite ‘old fashioned’ and small-minded. I witnessed homophobia at an early age. It was a common thought particularly among men that it was wrong to be anything but heterosexual. I knew very early on I didn’t agree with this, but wasn’t educated or aware enough on how to combat it. I did a lot of performing arts growing up and within that space I had many LGBT+ (mainly gay) friends. I’ve been a beard many a time let me tell you! But it was infuriating to see friends not feel like they could truly be themselves. When I moved to London I felt incredibly lonely and like I didn’t fit in. It was my gay friends (mainly my friend and hairstylist, Aaron Carlo) who took me under their wing and into their world. Walking into those gay bars or events like Sink The Pink, it was probably the first time I felt like I was in a space where everyone in that room was celebrated exactly as they are. It was like walking into a magical wonderland. I got it. I clicked with everyone. My whole life I struggled with identity – being mixed race for me meant not feeling white enough, or black enough, or Arab enough. I was a ‘tomboy’ and very nerdy. I suppose on a personal level that maybe played a part in why I felt such a connection or understanding of why those spaces for the LGBT+ community are so important. One of the most obvious examples of first realising Little Mix was having an effect in the community was that I couldn’t enter a gay bar without hearing a Little Mix song and watching numerous people break out into full choreo from our videos! I spent the first few years of our career seeing this unfold and knowing the LGBT+ fan base were there, but it wasn’t until I got my own Instagram or started properly going through Twitter DMs that I realised a lot of our LGBT+ fans were reaching out to us on a daily basis saying how much our music meant to them. I received a message from a boy in the Middle East who hadn’t come out because in his country homosexuality is illegal. His partner tragically took their own life and he said our music not only helped him get through it, but gave him the courage to start a new life somewhere else where he could be out and proud. There are countless other stories like theirs, which kind of kickstarted me into being a better ally. Another standout moment would be when we performed in Dubai in 2019. We were told numerous times to ‘abide by the rules’, which meant not promoting anything LGBT+ or too female-empowering (cut to us serving a four-part harmony to Salute). In my mind, we either didn’t go or we’d go and make a point. When Secret Love Song came on, we performed it with the LGBT+ flag taking up the whole screen behind us. The crowd went wild, I could see fans crying and singing along in the audience and when we returned it was everywhere in the press. I saw so many positive tweets and messages from the community. It made laying in our hotel rooms s**tting ourselves that we’d get arrested that night more than worth it. It was through our fans and through my friends I realised I need to be doing more in my allyship. One of the first steps in this was meeting with the team at Stonewall to help with my ally education and discussing how I could be using my platform to help them and in turn the community. Right now, and during lockdown, I’d say my ally journey has been a lot of reading on LGBT+ history, donating to the right charities and raising awareness on current issues such as the conversion therapy ban and the fight for equality of trans lives. Stonewall is facing media attacks for its trans-inclusive strategies and there is an alarming amount of seemingly increasing transphobia in the UK today and we need to be doing more to stand with the trans community. Still, there is definitely a pressure I feel as someone in the public eye to constantly be saying and doing the right things, especially with cancel culture becoming more popular. I s**t myself before most interviews now, on edge that the interviewer might be waiting for me to ‘slip up’ or I might say something that can be misconstrued. Sometimes what can be well understood talking to a journalist or a friend doesn’t always translate as well written down, which has definitely happened to me before. There’ve been moments where I’ve (though well intentioned) said the wrong thing and had an army of Twitter warriors come at me. Don’t get me wrong, there are obviously more serious levels of f**king up that are worthy of a cancelling. But it was quite daunting to me to think that all of my previous allyship could be forgotten for not getting something right once. When that’s happened to me before I’ve scared myself into thinking I should STFU and not say anything, but I have to remember that I am human, I’m going to f**k up now and again and as long as I’m continuing to educate myself to do better next time then that’s OK. I’m never going to stop being an ally so I need to accept that there’ll be trickier moments along the way. I think that might be how some people may feel, like they’re scared to speak up as an ally in case they say the wrong thing and face backlash. Just apologise to the people who need to be apologised to, and show that you’re doing what you can to do better and continue the good fight. Don’t burden the community with your guilt. When it comes to the music industry, I’m definitely seeing a lot more LGBT+ artists come through and thrive, which is amazing. Labels, managements, distributors and so forth need to make sure they’re not just benefiting from LGBT+ artists but show they’re doing more to actually stand with them and create environments where those artists and their fans feel safe. A lot of feedback I see from the community when coming to our shows is that they’re in a space where they feel completely free and accepted, which I love. I get offered so many opportunities to do with LGBT+ based shows or deals and while it’s obviously flattering, I turn most of them down and suggest they give the gig to someone more worthy of that role. But really, I shouldn’t have to say that in the first place. The fee for any job I do take that feels right for me but has come in as part of the community goes to LGBT+ charities. That’s not me blowing smoke up my own arse, I just think the more of us and big companies that do that, the better. We need more artists, more visibility, more LGBT+ mainstream shows, more shows on LGBT+ history and more artists standing up as allies. We have huge platforms and such an influence on our fans – show them you’re standing by them. I’ve seen insanely talented LGBT+ artist friends in the industry who are only recently getting the credit they deserve. It’s amazing but it’s telling that it takes so long. It’s almost expected that it will be a tougher ride. We also need more understanding and action on the intersectionality between being LGBT+ and BAME. Racism exists in and out of the community and it would be great to see more and more companies in the industry doing more to combat that. The more we see these shows like Drag Race on our screens, the more we can celebrate difference. Ever since I was a little girl, my family would go to Benidorm and we’d watch these glamorous, hilarious Queens onstage; I was hooked. I grew up listening to and loving the big divas – Diana Ross (my fave), Cher, Shirley Bassey, and all the queens would emulate them. I was amazed at their big wigs, glittery overdrawn make-up and fabulous outfits. They were like big dolls. Most importantly, they were unapologetically whoever the f**k they wanted to be. As a shy girl who didn’t really understand why the world was telling me all the things I should be, I almost envied the queens but more than anything I adored them. Drag truly is an art form, and how incredible that every queen is different; there are so many different styles of drag and to me they symbolise courage and freedom of expression. Everything you envisioned your imaginary best friend to be, but it’s always been you. There’s a reason why the younger generation are loving shows like Drag Race. These kids can watch this show and not only be thoroughly entertained, but be inspired by these incredible people who are unapologetically themselves, sharing their touching stories and who create their own support systems and drag families around them. Now and again I think of when I’d see those Queens in Benidorm, and at the end they’d always sing I Am What I Am as they removed their wigs and smudged their make up off, and all the dads would be up on their feet cheering for them, some emotional, like they were proud. But that love would stop when they’d go back home, back to their conditioned life where toxic heteronormative behaviour is the status quo. Maybe if those same men saw drag culture on their screens they’d be more open to it becoming a part of their everyday life. I’ll never forget marching with Stonewall at Manchester Pride. I joined them as part of their young campaigners programme, and beforehand we sat and talked about allyship and all the young people there asked me questions while sharing some of their stories. We then began the march and I can’t explain the feeling and emotion watching these young people with so much passion, chanting and being cheered by the people they passed. All of these kids had their own personal struggles and stories but in this environment, they felt safe and completely proud to just be them. I knew the history of Pride and why we were marching, but it was something else seeing what Pride really means first hand. My advice for those who want to use their voice but aren’t sure how is, just do it hun. It’s really not a difficult task to stand up for communities that need you. Change can happen quicker with allyship.

Jade Thirlwall on the power, and pressures, of being an LGBT ally: ‘I’m gonna f**k up now and again’

[diana-prince-s]

I thought that drag was supposed to be inclusive and for everyone. I always thought it was meant to be full of love, so why is it wrong for Maddy to be on drag race? Or should straight people just not do drag at all? It just seems strange to me because what if Maddy is embracing the feminine side of his identity? Does that mean he should be ashamed of being straight but still feeling feminine? Then what about a bisexual or asexual? Is it a prerequisite that drag can only be done by gays or lesbians?

Unless your point is just that straight people should not be on drag race?

I’m not being angry or a hater, I’m just genuinely curious and want to understand why.

Okay let me just start in the middle -- because comparing a straight identity to a bisexual identity is just... wrong and feels a little invalidating and, dare I say, biphobic. If you are straight then you are not queer. If you are not straight, then you are... queer. So, yeah, bisexuals and anyone in the LGBTQ+ community can do drag.

I don't think Maddy shouldn't be doing drag. I honestly was less angry about his whole situation when he said that he started doing drag to explore his gender identity because I resonate with the feeling of exploring my own gender identity through drag. And I'm sure there are trans men who do drag who identify maybe as straight, and of course they can do drag -- but they are queer because they are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and I think it would be more welcomed for them to do so than a cis straight man.

I'm sure Maddy is a great ally and a great part of her drag scene. And in a different world, and on a different Drag Race, I don't think it would have mattered that Maddy is a cis straight guy. But this Drag Race is a Drag Race of exclusion, and Maddy's casting is a symbol of just how deep that exclusion runs.

RuPaul is a misogynist, a transmisogynist, and a transmedicalist. From the show being riddled with transphobic language (and Ru refusing to change it despite several queens speaking out about it for YEARS) to saying that post-op trans women can't do drag because it's "performance-enhancing drugs", Drag Race has been out of sync with what real drag communities across the world look like. Real drag communities are vibrant spaces led by Black and brown trans women in all stages of transition or of not-medical transition (because having a dick doesn't make you a man and having boobs and a vagina doesn't make you a woman). Real drag communities accept and showcase drag kings, afab queens, genderqueer and genderfuck performers. Notice how all of the queens on Drag Race (before Gottmik) who identified as non-binary or genderqueer were amab. My guess is Ru doesn't personally view non-binary people or trans women as validly and solidly their gender identity unless they undergo a full medical transition. And I wonder if Gottmik would have been cast had he not gotten his top surgery.

Maddy’s casting and my anger about it isn’t about Maddy. It’s about how RuPaul is more comfortable being in community with a straight man than he would be with a lesbian or bisexual woman. RuPaul would rather give a straight man a platform and an opportunity to represent his “community” than give the other half of the LGBTQ+ community that same opportunity. RuPaul basically wants only gay men to do drag, not gay women. And that should tell you a lot.

If you're asking why Maddy can't be on the show, maybe you should be asking why Tenderoni, a fucking amazing drag king, can't be on the show. Maybe you should be asking why there are no afab performers, whether they identify as cis women or as non-binary people. A straight guy doing Drag Race feels like a "fuck you" to all of the incredible, talented, queer performers who STILL are not allowed to do Drag Race. Ru thinks he's being revolutionary by casting a straight white man in drag, when he really could be revolutionary and let the entire drag community compete on Drag Race.

[promptsausandshit]

Picture this; #411

A Month of LGBT+ Prompts;

(Note; While the goal is to do one a day, please go at your own pace, this is for fun after all!)

1.  She had not been keen to go bowling with some strangers but now she couldn’t take her eyes of the girl in the 80′s get up and couldn’t care less if she missed every time.

2.  Coming out to via interior decoration wasn’t the first option they would have gone with but their best friend had at least made it tasteful.

3.  Unknown to most, the lead singers of supposedly rival bands are all members of the same polycule, several of their biggest hits are about each other.

4.  “Have you seen my partner? About so high, questionable fashion sense, likely holding a dog and laughing maniacally.”

5.  A shoal of trans mers have decided to take in this lost werewolf as one of their own.

6.  Engineer was excited to reveal the upgraded prosthetic he had designed for his boyfriend.

7.  Adoption was thrilling as it was nerve-wracking, even more so when several of your kids weren’t human with varying levels of understanding of gender.

8.  “Be warned, the first time I talked to him I realised I wasn’t straight, so if you’re not ready to potentially be hit with sudden realisation you might want to take a minute.”

9.  They freaking loved the fashion of this planet, their fabric shifted shape, style and colour according to the wearers mood and preference, meaning their days of fussing in front of a mirror were over.

10.  Bi lovers bemoan how oblivious their collection of friends and former crushes are to their charming nature.

11.  They loved their team mates, they really did, but not enough to deal with all of them being so nosy and doing poor job of hiding to spy on their first date. Luckily their date had a plan.

12.  A prince sent on a mission to save a princess from an evil king ends up in an unlikely alliance with said kings son, soon enough their partnership becomes a lot closer than either expected.

13.  “The only binary I follow is that of 01010011 01010100 01000110 01010101.”

14.  Social awkward lesbian just really wants to be able to give the lead actress a bouquet and ask her out like a normal person.

15.  A battered ragdoll becomes enamoured with a cracked porcelain doll.

16.  Single mother regularly buys new books for their child from a particular book store so she can talk a little longer with the writer that often hangs around the cooking section.

17.  Just the daily lives of an aromantic god of love, the asexual god of lust and the pansexual god of death as they observe their favourite mortals.

18.  It had been three years since they had completed the transition, and now he was was going to ask the best woman in the world to be his wife.

19.  “Thankyou for trusting me and know my love for you is unchanged, but don’t think that suddenly coming out is enough to distract me from that portal in the kitchen.”

20.  Old painter loves to give out free face painting sessions during Pride, individualising each design to give each costumer a little special encouragement.

21.  They had been peacefully driving their ship around the solar system when suddenly their was a star skinned person stuck to their window and staring at them.

22.  Of all the universes they could have been transported to it was that of a dating sim, well, time to set up this assortment of strange characters with people that were actually interested in that sort of thing.

23.  The princess has become infatuated with the local bog witch, at least they’re not evil this time.

24. Labels never really suited them, each day their feelings and preferences shifted around making it impossible to simplify it to one category, so they stuck to collecting clothes that had suitable quotes to define their self for the day.

25. Superhero is delighted to find out that their boyfriend got the staring role for the latest superhero movie.

26.  Music shop owner can tell when confused and questioning kids need a little motivation and suggests particular musicians and albums they think will make them feel less alone.

27.  Genderfluid skeleton ends up working as a model for a photographer, allowing for them both to express themselves through art.

28.  “Oh right, I have a daughter now, turns out she was the one whose been swiping my hair pins. We’re going shopping this weekend.”

29.  Getting lost in the woods isn’t all that bad when a cute hiker finds you and lets you hold their hand so you won’t get lost again.

30.  Dragons love drag queens, they’re always so shiny and colourful.

31.  How do two characters fitting the con artist and the wise fool archetypes fall in love in an office setting?

Completion Bonus!;

Do a one shot or a sketch for something you love that you haven’t had the chance to do for a while! Or read one chapter of an unfinished story! Or watch one episode or movie of that thing you like! Satisfy whatever urge you have right now, you have all the time in the world for this so relax and treat yourself, you did great!

[newhologram]

As a trans man, never seeing myself represented in popular media has been an obstacle in the development of my gender identity and presentation. We in the community get to see our trans sisters represented on television shows like “Orange is the New Black” and “Pose.”

Despite the occasionally questionable handling of their transitions and a cis-sexist tendency toward punishing their non-cisgender or heterosexual characters in these pieces, the visibility of trans women is without a doubt on the rise. However, even in stories about our community, our trans brothers and transmasculine and nonbinary family are erased and underrepresented. Visibility and representation are key to identity development and we more than deserve to be seen.

Feminine trans man and alternative drag queen Gottmik’s appearance on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” this year marked the first time I’d ever seen someone like me on TV. Trans men are missing from the media landscape, aside from a questionable take on trans masculinity portrayed on “Shameless” and a few minor plotlines on other shows.

The character in “Shameless” is written as defensive, hypermasculine and temperamental and his fleeting role in the story, as a love interest, is designed so he can introduce the idea of trans identity and queerness to the rough and tumble gay son of the Gallaghers, all while enduring every uncomfortable and transphobic interaction trans men constantly face, defining his character by his gender and denying him any depth.

This role was played by the charming and actually trans Elliot Fletcher, who played another trans masculine role in “The Fosters,” and while in both roles, the actor had to advocate for accurate representation himself, ensuring the portrayal of his group wasn’t distorted by writers who didn’t do their research.

While trans men and nonbinary people are slowly moving in on the outskirts of media, seeing a trans man prominently featured on one of my favorite shows, who looked like me and shared my experience as a feminine trans man, fascinated by the art of drag and the beauty of playing with gender as the performance that it is, made a huge impact on me.

I remember being 16-years-old and seeing Ruby Rose on “Orange is the New Black” and recognizing a sort of kinship with her gender expression and performance but not completely understanding why.

It was through meeting my agender best friend and talking about how much I related to drag queens in musicals like “Rent” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and featured on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” that I managed to get a grasp on my gender and at that point, I wasn’t even certain I was masculine; I just knew I wasn’t traditionally, or only, feminine.

I began to see that what I related to drag queens about was the performance of femininity that I once put on to suit the gender I was assigned at birth and that through drag and my personal gender presentation, it was possible to reclaim that performance, coming from a place of healing and healthy masculinity. I just never saw anyone doing that on TV.

I have met many other trans men and transmasculine nonbinary people since coming out, and so many of us are hilarious, insightful style icons. Gottmik is a great representation of the kind of art that trans men make. It’s all about speaking to our roots in the queer community and reclaiming femininity in a gender affirming way, talking about being seen, making connections and living our truth.

Take for example, local drag king Sir Vix, a disabled queer nonbinary person whose iconic looks and showstopping performances have put them in a strong position as a drag performer in the community and allowed them to form a successful house of kings and drag performers using compassion and warmth. Their looks are breath-taking and intricate and they can be found on the king’s Instagram here.

It was thrilling to see someone representing this kind of art on TV, but we need to see more. Our stories just simply aren’t being told, and I’m beginning to wonder why that is. I think the bigger picture here relates back to cissexism and toxic masculinity, but regardless, I think it’s time for more transmasculine individuals to proudly raise their voices and for others to lend us your support.

When you’re talking about representation you have to take a look at who’s missing from the room. I’m tired of being absent.

That's it exactly. Reclaiming femininity in a way that is gender affirming feels lightyears away from the survival performance of trying to be a "woman"-- It's a genuine expression of what comes naturally to fem people. It's much more comfortable this way. Playing the part assigned versus just playing yourself and honoring the complexity of gender and glowing with whatever your spark is.

[dakotafinely]

Hey, ya boi at it again adding stuff to my Netherworld!AU-ROTTMNT[part1] cause I can’t stop thinking about it now! You’re gonna wanna click that link before continuing. It’s the original post I made about this if you haven’t read it.

Added, Barry goes with him. Like, Leo activates a portal-Esque thing only used when opening up the Netherworld (is it obvious I’m still working out how to get him to the Netherworld yet?) and knocks Barry in with him.

Oh, maybe it was carved in the symbol on the floor and it took a blood activation. So like, Leo accidentally cut his foot on the carving, activating the portal. Maybe Barry is the closest to him and he accidentally pulls Barry down with him. It obviously closes before anyone can jump in to pull them out or whatever.

So, I guess they had Barry being the ref for whatever competition Leo dragged them into. Hueso had to help set up, stayed to watch because let’s face it. It’d be hilarious to watch. I also love the idea that Leo is kinda able to pull Hueso into whatever shenanigans he’s setting up.

So, as for the Netherworld here's how it works. A keep reading cause this gets long.

There are five levels. Lovely, Good, Bad, Worse, and Horrible. The names obviously speak for themselves I’d imagine but we’re gonna continue talking about them anyway.

Lovely: it’s mainly filled with people who wanted to do good for the world. Or had good intentions. Religion plays no part in if you get into this level or not. It’s very high quality for those who enter. Fancy housing and plenty of activities and events to keep you busy if you’d like. You have a chance to meet up with old friends and a chance to create new ones. This one is the ideal level to be in. Each home is tailor-created for the arrival living in it. On this level only are you given a chance to reincarnate. At any time you’d like. You can earn your way to this level if you're already dead, but it’s no easy feat. Not many people exist on this level.

Good: It's for people who changed directions for the better in life. Or had lost their way at some point before coming back. Most people here are friendly, but have bad habits. You're probably more likely to end up here than anywhere else. As long as you hadn’t murdered, raped, or tortured someone within your lifetime you should be good. This has a lot of people in it, most taking a “Ten-Step” program to enter the Lovely level and get a chance to reincarnate. Homing here isn’t all too bad, not as personally tailored when you first arrive but otherwise, it’s similar to Lovely housing level. The most crowded level, believe it or not. 

Bad: Despite its namesake. It's mainly for people who ended their lives before they should’ve. Or for people who murdered, or tortured someone as a part of their job, but had no true joy in it. A lot of the people here are either war-scarred veterans or teenagers who couldn’t take life anymore. Lot’s of therapy buildings for these people. They live in more apartments like housing, mainly because it helps bring togetherness for them. Everyone at this level is trying to upgrade to the Good level. Not too keen on getting reincarnated, but to have a better place of eternal rest. Many artistic forms of activities and events are typically just group therapy sessions. It’s actually not really bad at all, more of just a “This child needs some therapy.” type of place.

Worse: Think of people like who did bad things because they thought it was right. People who aren’t the worst of the worst, but they def ain’t anywhere near being the best of the best either. Very stubborn and don’t often try to move up levels out of pride or whatever. Have apartment housing but no activities. Kinda like being put in a time out, nothing to do but think about your actions. Think, non-remorseful Bounty Hunters or Mafia Kings/Queens type of people. Something similar to them anyways. Not necessarily personal kills, or not the ones to technically get their hands dirty. 

Horrible: Now this, this is bad. Everyone who actively choose to be racists, homophobic, sexist, trans-phobic, any form of discrimination without any remorse or any form of redemption. People who murdered, tortured, raped for enjoyment of it with no remorse to their actions. People, who despite living in the worst level, still don’t want to do anything to move to the higher levels. But do complain about not “being able” to. They don’t get the luxury of housing, or anything really. They are still given a chance to go to higher levels, but no one on this level does. It has quite a few residents since people here never leave, it’s mainly built up from eons and eons. A lot of people here never sleep, ever, because if they do, they get nightmares so bad that if they were living, it would kill them. Sleep isn’t a necessity, but it helps pass the time. They are given nothing, only a chance to reflect up everything they’ve ever done. No one here is a good person, they are the worst of the worst.

No one in the Netherworld needs to eat or sleep. But most do out of an unbreakable habit. Both humans and Yokai reside in the same Netherworld. Humans often before they truly enter the Netherworld, are sat down and given the information about Yokai. Their existence, history, what they are, etc. So humans don’t freak out upon entering their level to see Yokai just chillin’. 

Kinda wanna say no Yokai reside on the Horrible level. But at the same time, there are some Yokai on the Horrible level, and it's not a pleasant experience for them especially. I mean, you know why.

Leo & Barry end up in the Bad level, mainly because it wouldn’t really be an adventure if they entered one of the other ones. At least, not to me. So, Bad level for them. 

Can’t decide if I want OC to be a war-torn veteran who just wants to reside peacefully in the Netherworld. Or if OC is a young teenager who wants to take a second chance in life to be better than they were. It's tough because both are so good.

Also, because it's no fun without drama. Since Leo and Barry are in the Netherworld someone can take their place above and become living again. Maybe it's just everyone who isn't in Lovely or Good trying to get out and take Leo and Barry's places. With the exception of OC of course.

Cause, sure getting to live again is great and all. But if its to take someone else’s place when they’ve still got so much life left to live. Then maybe it’s not really worth it. Or OC is just trying to help them to only to get closer to switching places with one of them. Only to become emotionally attached to these two fools and actually want them to live a full life.

[bigskydreaming]

Speaking of Riley and other friends who are excellent, allow me to take a moment to pimp some of their books if anyone’s got some spare coin and is looking for good reads while on lockdown.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

It’s the start of Jordan Sun’s junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, she’s an Alto 2, which—in the musical theatre world—is sort of like being a vulture in the wild: She has a spot in the ecosystem, but nobody’s falling over themselves to express their appreciation. So it’s no surprise when she gets shut out of the fall musical for the third year straight. But then the school gets a mass email: A spot has opened up in the Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite a cappella octet. Worshiped . . . revered . . . all male. Desperate to prove herself, Jordan auditions in her most convincing drag, and it turns out that Jordan Sun, Tenor 1, is exactly what the Sharps are looking for.

Rio’s got two other books you should also check out, I just grabbed this one at random because they’re all great (though its actually ‘7 Ways We Lie’ that’s my personal fave because Reasons).

Forest of Souls by Lori M Lee

Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.

And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.

Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.

This one is the start of a new duology and doesn’t actually come out until June 23rd, but Lori’s got a couple other books out already that are also worth the read. Her Infinite series starts with Gates of Thread and Stone and has the first two books out, there will be a concluding third volume still to come. But I’m lucky enough to have gotten to read Forest of Souls in advance cuz Nyah nyah (I’m so mature, phear my age and wisdom) and its by faaaaar my favorite of hers to date, including more than just the other two books she’s had published so far, and just look at that cover. Ugh. I love it so much. 

(It wasn’t her original cover, actually, they originally wanted to go with this cover of Suck that made me go umm how do you say “Eww” in polite, and authors have little to no feedback they can give on the cover, but Lori took a shot and sent in some examples of other cover artists she really liked and thought had styles fitting her image of the book better, and they picked one of the ones she sent and commissioned a whole new cover, and voila, ended up going with the above cover in all its spooky, thematically ominous glory.) 

On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis

A thrilling, thought-provoking novel from one of young-adult literature’s boldest new talents. January 29, 2035. That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter outside their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time. A last-minute meeting leads them to something better than a temporary shelter—a generation ship, scheduled to leave Earth behind to colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But everyone on the ship has been chosen because of their usefulness. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister? When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?

Cory is actually one of my oldest friends lmao, like, I first met her through another writing friend when we both roleplayed on this messageboard X-Men: Evolution RPG over fifteen years ago, and just....somehow never lost track of each other through all our various hyper-fixations and divergent fandoms and even with years-long ‘vanishing from the internet’ periods by yours truly (I am was mysterious and enigmatic, hear me roar). This is actually her third published novel? Or maybe second, I forget the order....her first, Otherbound, is great too, she’s written a Guardians of the Galaxy tie-in novel for Marvel, and she’s got her next book, “The Art of Saving the World” coming out this September, and its soooo good and head-trippy and the premise is so mindfucky that I have no idea how she pulled it off as well as she did and its great and you will love it or you will answer to me (lol no you won’t, I am all talk, I bruise like a peach, don’t doxx me yo). But On The Edge of Gone remains my personal fave of hers, Denise is an in-text disabled autistic black girl and suuuuuuch a fantastic main character, and her love for her family against the backdrop of an apocalypse actually in its on-going stage, no post about it, is like.....unfortunately a little too prophetic in various ways, lolol, but like, timely as hell and resonates. 

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship--only it turns out to be for the towns most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then theres the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

I actually met C.B. on tumblr here, via this account, thanks to a mutual mutual, which just goes to show you never know who you might end up meeting on tumblr dot hellsite dot org, and only after that fact did we find out that we had various other mutual friends from our writing/publishing circles of friends, including Cory, lolol, so y’know....small world. But this series has three books out, with a fourth to come, and its such awesome fun, with superpower hijinks galore, an Asian protag and tons of LGBTQ+ supporting characters, trans superheroes, and compelling plots. She’s also writing Ben 10 comics for Boom! Studios, a comic book company that does original content but also publishes a ton of licensed properties like various other cartoons like Ben 10, the Power Rangers, etc, etc. And this reminds me there’s a certain story she was working on the last time we met up for coffee like, lololol probably three years ago now, which means I am way overdue to bug her about it and ask “Is it done yet is it done yet can I read it yet is it done yet” because I am a paragon of patience and a bastion of self-control, obvsly.

Anyway, here endeth the pimping of my friends, go forth and buy ye their novels, verily and such. Or y’know. Don’t. If you don’t want to be cool, I guess. Nerds. (LOL no but if you like my content and posts and topics I think you stand a better than average likelihood of enjoying at least one of the books by the aforementioned ladies, and you’d be supporting LGBTQ+ authors as there’s nary a straight among them. LOL, like I would ever have straight friends, hahahaha could you imagine, what would we even do).  

[cryptidsandcatacombs]

Riddle Me This Fuckboi

Ship: Riddle Rosenheart / me ( ye we self insert cringy keep scrolling ) 

Rating : N as in nsfw smut be here so everyone under the age of 18 better back the fuck up cause you’re not allowed to read this. Anyone breaking this rule will be excommunicated from the premises 

Riddle Rosenheart is aged up to 18 +. All participants are depicted as being over the age of 18.

Summary: Like 50 shades of grey but everything is red and Riddle Rosenheart is that healthy kind of horny (sex jeans not included but may be purchased as DLC)

A/N: My s/is real name is Oz but is referred to as Alice by the Wonderland dorm. He does play the role of Alice in several Wonderlands and has been to them. He’s also a trans male who still has all his female parts. Anyhow disclaimer over. My lovely s/o @ampersandies gave me the hc that Riddle is into bdsm so I went ham by writing a fanfic. This fic is a small one but if anyone wants to see me continue it I’d be happy to. Is was written at 1 am so apologies if this isn’t my best work. This fic was brought to you by the sound of one hand clapping from the ageless void. The void supports you in all you do. Say thank you void .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know how the story goes. The Queen exerts their authority.  Alice defies this and like a failed game of chess the Queen falls.

However, the game isn’t won while the King still stands. It’s true Alice had a knack for stealing hearts and toppling Queens, but a King is a whole new beast. Can’t steal the heart from a King who guards his with an iron fist and will to hold his position at all costs.

Any so called Alice wanna be would have given up and phoned it in long ago. Riddle was stubborn as he was domineering. However, Riddle was also not naive. Even he could see this one was different. This one was more of a…genuine article. Alice had been to countless Wonderland and stolen every heart without falter. Now it was Riddles turn.

And oh how foolish it would prove to be.

This Alice was so lucky enough to catch the King on a bad day. His prized roses were stained with red paint. How vile. Heads would roll later. For now though, a five foot thorn in his side once again graced his presence towards the King.

Amusing. Or at least it would be if Alices  very presence didn’t rile the King up every time.

“Alice, ” his royal bastard addressed him not even bothering with his real name. Every Wonderland addressed him like this. Mostly out of respect for the role. However, for Riddle it was so much more. It was a power move. Plain and simple. He would have to earn the right to be called by his True Name.

“Hm,” Alice said turning to the king. He was currently preoccupied with the painted roses. He’s been in this situation before. It never turns out different. Still amusing to watch them try though.

“I don’t think you should be here I have to…” Wait….is that? Riddle spotted on Alices hand a familiar streak of red paint. No that was just a coincidence. No way Alice could have been this ballsy as to paint his roses red with those foolish card guards.

Riddle stuttered out the rest whether out of shock or anticipation of the answer no one knew. “D-did you paint my roses red?”

“I was just trying to help,” Alice answered plain and simple.

Suddenly Riddles gaze went from shock to thinly veiled anger. Forget the card guards.  This Alice needed to be taught a lesson. He would not have such an act of rebellion in his kingdom and this Alice has spent too long running around without punishment. This wasn’t even the first incident. Let’s say Riddle never forgot the time Alice ruined his mood at the tea party by saying he was too harsh to the con artist of a tea maker who gave him subpar. Brat should learn his place.

Alice noticed this increasing amount of frustration in Riddle. This might be the best time to book it. “Uuuu I’ll b–”

“Don’t even think about it,” Riddle said in the harshest, most commanding tone he could muster without completely yelling.

Alice froze in place at this. He was never really good with being yelled at.

“You think you can just defy me at every turn and not expect retribution?! No Alice. That ends TODAY. You’re going to learn your place or die like the brat you are. Now, don’t make this hard. Get over here or I make you,” Riddle ordered.

Alices eyebrows furrowed. Did he just call him a brat? Yeah no. Alice began to walk away. He wasn’t taking that.

Well, at least he would have if he didn’t suddenly feel something wrapped around his neck tight. Was this a collar?

“I said get over here or I make you,” Riddle said growling in frustration. Riddles hands were wound tightly by a rope. The same rope attached to the collar thst Alice was sporting as of a few seconds ago.

Alice stood there frozen. Mostly out of shock not quite sure how to register what is happening exactly.

Oooohh that defiance again. Riddle had enough.

Suddenly, felt himself being yanked hard by the collar. Riddle tugged hard on the rope dragging Alice along with it. Alice found himself face to face with Riddles firey eyes.

Riddle took the collar into his hands, tugging it pulling Alice closer. Alice could feel Riddles breath on his face.

“I told you I’d make you. I will not sit here as I watch you disobey me time and time again. You will learn your place whether you like it or not,” Riddle said voice shaking with anger.

Riddle tugged Alices collar once again. This time towards his throne. Riddle took his place on it, crossing his legs and placing his arms on each side of the throne. Riddle tugged the rope once again.

“Kneel,” Riddle ordered lightly tugging the rope as a warning. Alice stood there still registering what exactly was happening. It was a lot. How did he even get here? He just wanted to keep some cards out of trouble.

“I SAID KNEEL,” Riddle said interrupting the silence quickly. Riddle tugged on the collar hard forcing Alice into a bowing position.

Alice took the hint and kneeled before him. Not like he had a choice.

Riddle lifted his scepter, pointing it towards Alice. Soft skin met cold metal as Riddle put the scepter under Alices chin. He lifted Alices head forcing him to stare at Riddle. One boot from Riddle met Alices chest.

“This is where you belong Alice.  You may have forgotten who the boss is around here. Every Wonderland spoiled you with their love and adoration, but they never showed you whose boss. Not this Wonderland. Not this time,” Riddle said leaning close to Alice from his throne. The collar was once again tugged to meet Riddles face close and intimate.

Riddle studied every feature on Alices face. Those lips, the nose, freckles…and the eyes most of all. They still held a spark of defiance in them. He figured it’d be harder to break.

However, looking deeper, he noticed something more.

Was he…enjoying this? Was Alice actually enjoying being bossed around and made an example of? Did  Alice really enjoy being subjugated that much? That’s …new.Not something the king would have predicted in a million years.

It may have been shocking news but it wasn’t unwelcome.

Riddle pressed the collar around Alices neck tighter with his fingers. Alice let out a lustful gasp as if by instinct.

Something about that made something in Riddle snap. He might just be enjoying this too much. Who knew the great legendary Alice could be brought down by something as simple as bondage of all things.

Riddle truly counted his lucky stars that day. Maybe just maybe Alice was good at stealing hearts after all. Riddle would never admit it, but Alice truly toppled the king that day. He was as much at Alices mercy as much as Alice was his.

With that Riddle tugged on the collar pulling Alice into his lap. With one burning kiss and Riddles free arm wrapping around Alices waist, they were weak.

Alice prepared for a day of not being able to walk and Riddle mentally preparing for giving anyone who interrupted what is to come a peace of his mind.

Maybe just maybe a defiant Alice wasn’t such a bad thing after all. This impulsive game of cat and mouse wouldn’t be any fun if he wasn’t.

[dreamtofbluebirds]

SHUICHI SAIHARA

While timid and particularly unobtrusive, Shuichi is a person of integrity. Years spent with a detective uncle had carved a formidable foundation for law-abiding behavior.

{ POST-GAME. }

In his primary verse, he was thrown into Danganronpa unwillingly and upon waking up from the Virtual Reality, was missing quite a bit of his original memories. Between physical and mental therapy, he’d find that his past would always be elusive but a few things remain solid. His friendships, his family situation, and his nature remained consistent. What became a hurdle was the fact that Danganronpa had not known prior to kidnapping him that he was a trans male, and thus did not alter his in-game avatar. Upon his release, he would find renewed difficulty in the dysphoria but a clearer understanding of himself.

As a note, if I write with anyone WITHIN the game’s timeline, I will change the mishap over his avatar in the VR to accurately reflect his born sex instead. This is because I am fond of this concept, and I’d like to keep that aspect of him consistent as I write.

{ HOPE’S PEAK. }

Standard verse, taking place during his years at Hope’s Peak. He lives on-campus at a dorm and is often gone over any significant breaks, doing cases or visiting his Uncle and Aunt. He’s more often than not away on any and all days off, going to the city to explore, experience events and festivals, or otherwise, work off his physical energy so he can focus on his studies later that night.

{ P4. }

Split into two halves. One centers around Hope’s Peak –> P4′s plot, without DR.

In his secondary verse, Danganronpa existed within the world of Persona, spurred on by severe influences within the Metaverse. Himself and others were dragged in but through the trials they faced, they awakened to their potential, and Chapter Six was a boss battle as the Metaverse seeped into their Virtual Reality simulation. Upon waking, they retained their personas and made a vow to seek the truth, no matter the cost. He is of the Death Arcana, capable of summoning AUGUSTE DUPIN, same as the legendary fictional detective.

Accompanying these two verses, it’s available for Shuichi and Naoto to be brothers. They lived separately and don’t know much about each other–even down to opening up about their gender identity which would only end up being implied, as both would be too awkward to talk about it during family events.

{ P5. }

Split into two halves. One centers around Hope’s Peak –> P5′s plot, without DR.

In his secondary verse, Danganronpa existed within the world of Persona, spurred on by severe influences within the Metaverse. Himself and others were dragged in but through the trials they faced, they awakened to their potential, and Chapter Six was a boss battle as the Metaverse seeped into their Virtual Reality simulation. Upon waking, they retained their personas and made a vow to seek the truth, no matter the cost. He is of the Death Arcana, capable of summoning AUGUSTE DUPIN, same as the legendary fictional detective.

{ POKEMON. }

The third verse is a pokemon verse where he’s a P.I. with two pokemon, a Growlithe and an Umbreon named Lee and Bree. After the show ended, he returned to his Uncle’s work as a part-timer and on low-risk cases, and was given an Eevee at the time. Growlithe has been with him since before the show, so both pokemon work together to ensure he keeps a calm head.

{ APOCALYPSE. }

This is an apocalypse AU in which the undead arose while he underwent high school life at Hope’s Peak. He’s great for tactical approaches and working hard, but the loss of Kaito and many others weigh on him. His only comfort is that Kaede remains by his side.

{ VAMPIRE. }

This verse is split into two groups; one remains post-game, and the other is Hope’s Peak. Each of these will be tagged with both tags.

The post-game verse is a vampire verse in which he was bitten before the game. It’s my only non-VR AU with the killing game included, but the game doesn’t have to go as it did in canon because I’d love to interact with certain characters regardless. He’s young and without a sire, but I’ll be taking a bit of lore from Vampire: The Masquerade and say that his humanity is extremely high. This grants him the ability to hide what he is extremely well, among other things. He has the power of suggestion, but he’s very untrained with it and would hate to use it unless he morally had to.

The alternate verse is in which he’s at Hope’s Peak and handles the results of being bitten on a case during a break, uprooting his entire lifestyle.

{ AVIAN. }

Sixth verse is one in which he’s winged, mirroring the pattern of a blue raven with their mostly black, glossy-blue wings and his bright eyes. They’re too big to hide and he can fly, but he’s timid about it and prefers to stay grounded out of safety.

{ REMNANT. }

A verse where DR2′s plot was V3′s, and the ‘older classmates’ that helped were DR2′s cast. The verse is spliced into three parts. Shuichi acting as an active Remnant of Despair is the first segment, him inside Future Foundation’s custody is the second, and post-NWP is the third. He’s ruthless and hellbent on punishing criminals, turning his personality to mirror a sadism that he’s sickened by. He kidnaps Kaito during the active remnant days as well as attempts to kidnap and punish other classmates/remnants in the name of justice.

He’s very similar to Future Foundation’s leaders at the time but believes them to be corrupt/weak, seeing as Junko still captured him and others.

{ BLIND. }

During a case overseas, Shuichi was a victim of an acid attack. It stole his sight during his final year at Hope’s Peak as a result, bringing him to a long hospital stay and therapy in the coming months to regain some resemblance of autonomy.

{ SUPERHERO. }

Shuichi is one of the top officers in the city not for his experience, but his knack for being in the right place at the right time, and his ability to talk to the villains at least somewhat civilly. He often accompanies Kaito and does his best to do what’s right, regardless of what the police force thinks he should be doing, which puts him in a tough spot.

He does have an ability, which is that all psychological abilities have a significantly decreased effect on him. He essentially has a mental fortitude buff.

{ METAL HEART AU. }

Shuichi suffered a car crash that all but ruined his physical body, save for his mind. His Uncle and Idabashi had been good friends, and right as the roboticist entered stages of humanlike development on his own project, Shoma all but pleaded for a chance to give Shuichi a new body.

Codenamed S4U-1C41, he would end up living with the roboticist as he regained mobility while Kibo, the man’s son, was accepted into the Saihara’s household given his own love of detective work.

Regarded as inhumane, Shuichi understands the importance of his secret and hides his true identity.

{ TWINS. }

Fairly straightforward as an AU and can be in conjunction with almost every other AU he has. His birth name would be Shiho still, but the next part depends on who takes the role of Shuichi–if the other twin does, then the name he’d choose for himself is Shouhei Saihara regardless of what last name he inherited. If he takes the role of Shuichi, then he’d have chosen Shuichi Saihara as his new name.

His dynamic with the sibling depends on the personality of said twin, but his own personality remains fairly responsible–even to the point of taking the blame for his brother and proving incredibly loyal. A large detail that changes him is that loneliness is a persevering trait of his and I like the idea that he and his brother were split up a lot as their parents were not prepared for two, resulting in an on-off stay with Uncle Shoma. This means that while he craves closeness with his sibling, he remains awkward about it and uncertain of what is really acceptable or desired of him.

As a result, he’s extremely sensitive to criticism.

{ PREGAME. }

After much consideration, this verse was added. Shouhei Saihara is a boy with high expectations placed on him. Although his Uncle is less strict than his parents were, he was forced into attending Spring Field Academy and forced into living with his Uncle and Aunt while his parents continued pursuing their careers.

He’s used to being treated differently due to his status and loathes it, often avoiding saying his name, hiding his face, and otherwise being suspicious of those who talk to him. His social skills are terrible due to moving from school to school and lacking the ability to have too much freedom beyond studying. His world-view is pessimistic and his love for Danganronpa stems from hoping most of the characters die, believing them to be terrible people, aside from the rare favorite.

{ GOFER PROJECT. }

Shuichi grew up as the world fell apart, heavy-hearted and devastated by the collapse. From the meteors to the sickness, then the Gofer Project and the rise of the opposing cult, he clung to any minuscule stability he had before going on the run, hiding from friend and foe alike. While he feels unworthy of being in the project he understood the necessity of it at the time and still does.

His natural role as a peace-keeper and helper come out full force in this AU as being alone remains the worst thing he could do to himself. His anxiety over being transmale increases due to the heavy promotion of having children, but he comes to the understanding that their new world needs law and not every one of the students were designed to be on board purely for procreating–Kiibo and Kirumi, for example, whose talents center around enrichment of others and coexistence rather than something so base.

{ ROYALTY. }

Born to the King and Queen of a kingdom, Shuichi was able to escape the confines of sophisticated life to grow up under his Uncle’s care, who was a simple detective within the kingdom. Because so little information about the heir to the throne was ever released, when he was called back, few questioned his identity and the ones that did only assumed he may have been the nephew of the rulers and that the ‘princess’ had died. His head knight is Kaito and the chief of security and intelligence is Maki. Kirumi is both the head maid and cook for him, and he’s tentatively worked out a deal where she lets him help in the kitchen when he can.

The kingdom itself is steeped in arts and literature due to the King’s love of stage play and the Queen’s love of writing for such things. This gives the land an easygoing feel, but it’s ill-equipped to handle threats as a result and Shuichi holds a vastly different view of what should be going on–and he’ll soon be King when they step down to finally abandon their royal duties in favor of the arts. It’s a lot, and he’s pressured to find a spouse before the coronation. Men aren’t excluded from this, though his parents specifically have chosen to avoid mentioning it.