#binary simply says - God

[sweetmapple]

Like an artist possessed, I drew this in one sitting

[homosexualmorelikehomiesexual]

god im so fucking tired of gender

[ghosts-and-glory]

Just curious!

In your AU, does Narinder have to openly come out as trans, or is it just generally understood even early on that he was trans?

If he does have a coming out, who do you think he told first? What were his siblings initial reactions?

How old do you think Narinder would have been when he realized?

When did the lamb learn? Was it common knowledge by then? Did they effectively look up at their God and go "ayo, nice battle scars, sick as fuck, anyway" and move on?

Also are we gonna see more little Narinder, and what got him all fucked up?

I am so invested in your story, but this aspect in specific I am latched onto like a tick. You cannot get rid of me. I am THIRSTY for knowledge.

Additionally, if in some hypothetical, little child Narinder met a young Lamb, do you think they would have been friends?

Totally not based on the time my brother came out to me and because I have the emotional bandwidth of a sea cucumber was just like “okay, cool.”

I’d say he’s around 12-14. In my heart Nari was one of those trans kids who the second he had the slightest understanding of gender was like “something ain’t right here chief.”

Fighting for my life trying to find a way to colour doodles in a way that doesn’t take ten years or look like shit.

More ramblings under the cut.

My Lamb is also non-binary so it’s not much of a deal to them. Dying on my casual trans rep hill. I don’t care if it’s not period accurate, I simply choose not to recognize transphobia.

Narinder gets slowly poisoned through his life. For the other Bishops, chaos, famine, disease and war will all eventually end in death, and dead men can’t worship. As a god of death he is to preach the glory and beauty of dying but, ironically, can’t die himself. He feels at odds with his family and trapped by life and this mentality slowly warps his view of the world and destroys him over hundreds of years.

Simply put he allows toxicity to pour and warp over toxicity. He lets it twist and compound his mind and it happens so slowly no one notices.

For the Lamb and Narinder theoretically meeting as children I honestly haven’t through much on how I’d characterize The Lamb as a child. My heart wants to say yes they would get along. My source is I made it the fuck up.

[genderqueerdykes]

I can't comment on your posts so, elaborate on how a man can be a lesbian? You insist on writing that they can without any backup to it.

there doesn't need to be "backup" for it, it's an identity. lesbianism is not a statistic that requires empirical evidence and research in order to make statements on. it's literally just an identity. this isn't a concrete thing that's set in stone, it's not a cosmic rule. identity is something that's unique for every person who experiences it. there's literally nothing stopping a man from identifying as a lesbian. there's nothing stopping women from identifying as gay. god won't descend from the heavens and smite or stop you from identifying this way. the world will not stop turning because male lesbians exist

you are not under threat because male lesbians exist.

i have no idea why people think specifically lesbianism has a high bar of entry, but it does not. men can be lesbians simply by identifying as a lesbian. it's that easy. it really is. you don't have to jump through hoops to "earn" an identity. if you would like "backup" for this, it's me. i'm right here. i'm a male lesbian talking to you in the flesh. lesbians can be genderfluid, multigender, bigender, non binary, men AND women, two spirit... any gender. there's no rules.

but if you seriously haven't read the works of Leslie Feinberg, they are mandatory reads to understand what we go through. Leslie was a polygender lesbian who needed to transition to male in order to feel like hir butch lesbian self. zie lived as a man for years before realizing zie was still a lesbian, but chose not to abandon hir manhood. zie lived as a transmasculine lesbian who also identified as a man for most of hir adult life. zie was a massive part of the lesbian activist community and did tons of work in paving the way for our community.

if you want to call yourself versed on what real lesbianism is, you cannot avoid reading hir works. they are essential in liberating one's self from antimasculism and transandrophobia. leslie was also a real, living, breathing male, transmasc, ftm, polygendered lesbian. ignoring the existence of transmasc, ftm and trans male butch lesbians is denying a huge part of our history and community.

listen to our community. talk to other lesbians than just cis white femmes. please actually do your own research on lesbian history, you are capable of researching these things, too. you don't have to rely on me if you don't want to take my word for things. i'm not the only male lesbian in existence. refusing to listen to transmasc, ftm, trans man and male butches erases a massive portion of our community's history. it silences people who have been here all along, whether or not you're able to accept that.

ask yourself why male lesbians in specific bother you, as opposed to any other "contradictory" queer identity. ask yourself why you have such a hard time with that, in specific. ask yourself why you are upholding a high bar of entry to lesbianism. there IS no bar of entry to lesbianism. you are one because you say you are. that is literally how identity works. you are one because you are one. no ifs, ands, or buts.

hope that helps.

[dalishious]

Veilguard Companion First Impressions

So, I’ve finally recruited all the companions for the Veilguard! And as such, I thought I’d share my initial thoughts on them each.

Please keep in mind that as the title says, these are just my first impressions. I am nowhere near finishing the game yet. My thoughts very well may change after getting to know the characters more as the story progresses. Also, please do not take any opinions you do not share as a personal attack against you.

Bellara

Bellara might be my #1 favourite.

I’ve seen some people just say Bellara is “a Merrill rip-off” but I don’t think that’s fair at all. If all it took was a few similarities to say a character is a rip-off of another character, than I can think of so many boring white cishet male characters who would be guilty of that. But heaven forbid we get more than one elven woman who is passionate about her people’s culture and history!

Frankly, I think Bellara is a breath of fresh air in terms of Dalish characters specifically. Finally, a Dalish elf who isn’t punished for being proudly Dalish by the narrative.

I also really appreciate that so much of her can be easily understood by her backstory, too. Like, her feelings of never being good enough is reflective of the very realistic grief she is experiencing.

Lucanis

If Bellara isn’t my #1 favourite, then Lucanis is. They really both dominate that spot neck in neck. I can’t decide if I want to put him in a jar and shake it to see what happens, or wrap him up tight in a quilt and give him some good coffee.

I’m just a sucker for Lucanis’s character archetype, is the thing. I love taking him out simply because he’s so much fun to have around. And in terms of companion arcs, his is the one I am most intrigued to see where it goes.

Taash

(While I haven’t personally gotten to Taash’s non-binary plot yet, I am aware Taash switches to they/them pronouns, so that’s what I’ll be using.)

The moment I met Taash felt my heart skip a beat. The only thing hotter than their appearance is their voice. I know BioWare probably left Taash out of a lot of the advertising because they wanted to keep Taash’s gender stuff a surprise, but oh my god, because of this I was taken by quite the surprise. And so far Taash seems to be the type to keep a hard outer shell to protect a much softer side, and that is yet another character archetype I really love.

Davrin

My initial gripe about Davrin’s writing being so exclusively about Assan rather than Davrin himself is slowly peeling away, I hope. While I still think its bullshit that you can welcome Assan into the Veilgaurd but not Davrin, at least I’ve finally gotten a few bits of dialogue to get to know more about him finally. I just want to keep this momentum! Because Davrin as a concept has so much potential, in my opinion, and what little bits I have gotten from him have captivated me. But I can’t tell yet if it’s intentionally part of his character that maybe he’s just a closed off person who takes a while to trust others, (a little like Taash?) Or if the writer just cared more about griffons than the actual guy. I’m really, really holding out hope for the former.

Emmrich

Emmrich is so much more charming than I expected, and I found him instantly endearing the moment we met him. I also really like that we’re finally hearing some different stances and insight on death and necromancy than we ever had before from a companion! It makes him feel so fresh and completely new!

Harding

I’ll be real with you: I was not anticipating caring about Harding so much. She was who I was originally least interested in, when the companion line-up was announced. But the direction they’re taking her in has me questioning so much about bigger lore questions.

Unfortunately, I still don’t see much in her except being a vessel for those bigger lore questions, though. Like, Harding as a person has me mildly curious at best.

Neve

I’m really sorry Neve fans, but I just find her really boring so far, in comparison to everyone else. She doesn’t have a lot going on, and what she does have going on, doesn’t really captivate me much. Maybe I was just hoping she’d have stronger stances on things than she does? I don’t know.

It could be that I just really fucked up with Neve, and it won’t be until another playthrough that I’ll get to experience more that will change my mind. Because I will admit I am very good at picking choices she disapproves of, with my first Rook.

[bagerfluff]

Maybe Reapers Can Love

Casper x Non-Binary Reader

Prompt -  Confession

“Look who it is”, Casper rolled his eyes.

“Hello to you too Y/n”, Casper said, turning his head to look at you. You smiled, twirling your scythe, “you don’t sound happy to see me, cutie”, you said.

Casper groaned and looked away from you, “I told you not to call me that”, Casper said, folding his arms and scythe over his chest. “I can’t lie, so I tell as I see. And I see that you are cute”, you said simply.

Making Casper roll his eyes again. “Anyway, whatcha doing here?” You asked, now standing next to Casper. Casper looked up at the sky. The stars shimmered down as the moon shone.

The moon was a crescent today, yesterday it was full. It was off to the left from where Casper was standing. While the stars littered the sky. It was almost too bright for Casper to look at.

Casper wanted to lie, he wanted to say nothing was wrong and that he was just waiting for his soul to rebalance. But that was not the case.

Something plagued Casper’s mind, it had since the start of Casper’s day. “I’m thinking about something”, Casper said. Hoping that you would shrug your shoulders and walk away, but this was you.

You and your stupid compassion and care for Casper that Casper kinda liked. “A penny for your thoughts”, you said while holding out a penny to Casper.

Casper glanced at the penny, “Mortal money means nothing to me, where’d you get that anyway?” Casper asked. You shrugged your shoulders and put the penny back in one of your pockets, “found it somewhere”, you said.

“But back to what's important, what are you thinking about?” You asked again, resting your scythe on your shoulder and curling your arms around it.

Casper looked back at the moon.

He was thinking about something that happened early. Casper was told the next person he had to take a soul from. So Casper found the person and waited, but what they were doing caught Casper’s eye.

They were on a date, a good looking date at that. Expensive restaurant, nice food, good wine, deep conversations. Then some time alone before going on a walk in the forest.

Casper watched all of this with a heavy heart. Casper found himself wanting that. Someone to take out on nice dates, talk with, go on walks with.

Casper was quickly angered and saddened by his thoughts. Grim Reapers couldn't date, there wasn’t wasn’t enough time for that. Casper was too busy to do this.

Casper was also made at who popped into his mind when he thought about who to do these things with. You. You, a fellow Grim Reaper and maybe, Casper’s best friend.

Grim Reaper’s mostly ignore each other unless they have too, but you go out of your way to talk with Casper. You talk with him when you're both free, you check on him when he feels bad, you're also just there.

Casper finds himself looking forward to seeing you, to talking to you. You may be the only person that can make Casper smile or crack a small laugh.

Just thinking about it made Casper’s heart beat faster, Casper wished he could hate it. But he loves it, he loves you. “Casper?” Casper blinked and turned his head towards you.

“Yes?” “Thank God, thought I lost ya there”, you said with that stupid perfect smile. Casper felt himself smile a bit and blush just because of that smile.

“Now, what were you thinking about, pretty boy?” You asked again. Casper blushed and looked away from you, “love”, he said. You tilted your head, “love?” You asked, making sure you heard Casper right.

“Yes, love. I-I with you experience l-love”, Casper said, clenching his scythe tighter. You let your scythe rest in one hand, the other going out to stop Casper from holding his scythe so hard.

“Why? You don’t normally think about that stuff”, you said and Casper nodded. You let go of Casper's hand, much to his dismay. “Well, who do you wish to experience love with, Casper?”

You asked the dreaded question. Casper looked over at you. Your hair is slightly blowing in the wind. Your eyes, full of curiosity, hope, and care.

You were relaxed, shoulders slant and face calm, unlike Casper. Which was as tense as he could be. Casper opened his mouth before closing it and looking away.

“You”, Casper said quietly, but just loud enough for you to hear.

“Me?” You asked, walking closer to Casper.

“Yes, you Y/n. I wish to take you on dates, have deep conversations with you, go on walks with you. I wish to have a relationship with you. If you do”, Casper said.

Casper felt his heartbeat faster, sweat drip down his face, and his face flush. Nothing was said for a while. Making Casper you didn’t think the same.

Casper turned his head away, tears gathering in his eyes. He knew this was a bad idea. Just when Casper was going to walk away you grabbed his wrist, pulling him into your chest.

Casper dropped his scythe and you did the same. Casper looked up into your eyes, them reflecting the light of the moon and stars. “Of course, Casper. I’d love to do that”, you said with a smile.

Casper smiled too, wrapping his arms around your neck standing straight. You wrapped your arms around Casper's waist, holding him tight with your head in his neck.

Casper did the same, his head on your shoulder. Both reaper’s stood there, in each other’s embrace for what felt like hours. Taking in each other and the fact that both of their feelings were reciprocated.

Maybe Grim Reaper’s could love.

[neostellarjpg]

if you generalize act 6/the retcon arc as "the worst part/narrative decision of homestuck" or genuinely say things like "it ruined the story" or "it ruined x character" or "it only happened to make x ship canon/because hussie likes vriska", you HAVE to smell my farts. obviously its valid to dislike it, and to question behind the motivation behind such a drastic story moment, but it's in bad faith and a huge waste not to even try to understand how it fits with the story's themes.

EVERYTHING matters. even the failures, even the wasted successes, even the things that don't "really" happen. because really, they DID happen. both the readers and the characters can see with their own eyes the ghosts of those lost timelines. "this version of the character is the REAL character." "this event happens in the REAL timeline." repeatedly and deliberately, the classification "real" is called into question; even to the point of tying into subjects like fandom and reader interpretation. characters in homestuck wave off this topic, but the structure of the story demonstrates the idea of "canonicity" to have very little meaning in the first place. there is a possibility of something happening, and the very fact of that possibility harbors its own strength.

the entire purpose of the multitimeline storytelling in homestuck is to frame the story as a single possibility of victory built upon countless failures. in the alpha timeline, an infinitude of bad possibilities are dodged, but there is an equally infinite loss of growth and personal potential.

the characters are trapped inside a story, and they suffer for it. skaia is an unfeeling god with unfathomable plans for its players. it exacts pointless cruelty, but also rewards handsomely: with the gift of existence. there's no throughline in its actions. there's no messaging. a lot of the time, the point of sburb appears to be "personal growth." but for whom? certainly not the billions of innocents wiped out on whatever planet the game appears on. and at what cost? contradictorily, at the cost of many players' lives. if the real purpose was to nurture all players to their personal potential, then surely with its inexplicable omniscience and infinite powers of creation, things would end up this way.

i view homestuck as a very hopeful and pro-human story, but also nihilistic, in a way. deaths are callous, happen casually and quickly (even comedically!), and often have no significance. success doesn't end with everyone happy, or becoming the best version of themselves. outcome is arbitrary and without real meaning. the kids enter this story traumatized, get re-traumatized a billion times over, get chewed up, spat out, and wind up depressed or misguided. the line blurs between existence as a "reward" and as a "burden." it simply is, and no matter what happens next, the characters are stuck with it. after all, it's what they worked so hard for. and after they scrape and claw their way towards survival, once they end up on the other side, they are forced to look back, stunned at the amount of fight and determination that has completely left their spirit, wondering where it came from in the first place, and what it was really all for, in the end.

the retcon comes from the sheer force of will to create a better future. to keep fighting for an outcome where you and your friends are happy, painstakingly continuing to build upon a foundation of infinite failures. accepting that there is always another alternative, that sometimes things go wrong because you trap yourself into a binary way of thinking. and taking in stride that those mistakes, and the hindsight that comes with them, are essential in making the right decisions going forward.

the retcon is epic and it ties together a lot of big ideas of the story in a fascinating way. i am so sick of people casually treating it like this massive evil that has no redeeming qualities. HUFF my shorts

[midnight-mourning]

Hiii! I saw your post and just couldn’t resist sending in a request XD

The part where Y/N tells Moon he could have been a good lawyer kinda stuck with me. I'd love to see a conversation between Y/N and Moon/Sun about what they would have liked to do if they weren't tied to Fazbear Entertainment. I feel like there's so much potential there!

Or also! It would be really cool to see Moon and Y/N building something together :)

Thanks so much for considering my request, and I hope you have fun with it if it sparks any ideas!

Another Path.

Requested By: @phantasmaghostic

Word Count: 499

Summary: Were things not like they were, you wonder what the Attendants may have done instead of their current line of work. So you ask.

Note: Kind of combined both ideas because i thought it would be interesting, also this was super fun! I love writing scenes like this :) Can be taken as canon or non-canon to CS

============================================

"Patent law?" You ask, "Surely you jest."

You'd been stuck working on map-bots for a few hours, and had invited Moon to join you. Mainly in the hopes of deterring him from doing ‘upgrades’ on himself. Though honestly you think you may just end up making the problem worse.

To pass the time you’d been chatting back and forth on a variety of topics, and landed on this one soon enough.

"Not this time," Moon chuckles. 

You shake your head. 

"I take it you're not a fan?"

You fake a gag, "Patent law is so gross. Just hours upon hours of reading. Pays good, yeah. Pays great, even. But god," You shiver, "So boring."

You realize yourself, "But that's just me! Sorry, that was harsh, I understand the appeal don't get me wrong. But um, why that of all things?"

Moon clips a couple of wires before removing them from the map bot’s chest, "Despite my, inclinations, to machinery and the likes, I find myself ever more curious about the ideas behind it," He reaches for a handful of new wires, beginning to install them, "The concepts, I feel, allow insight to how people think."

"Huh, guess that’s true."

He nods, "The additional aspect of assisting others in the protection of their craft also appeals to me."

"Wow," You say.

"Hm?"

You solder the replacement wires into place, "You just completely changed my perspective on patent law. Not enough to want to do it myself, but damn. That’s really sweet, Moon."

"It’s simply my honest thoughts, Pandora," He chuckles, handing you the back panel to the bot, "Were I given such an opportunity I may find myself to be more inclined to your way of thinking on the matter."

"Maybe, but still," You put the panel in place, then use your Faz wrench to reboot the machine.

It’s a few repairs later that you broach the subject again.

"What would Sun do?" You ask.

There’s a rift of binary before Moon answers, "Kindergarten teacher."

"Really? Huh."

The naptime attendant seems to know what you’re thinking, "He has a tendency to not think beyond his own limitations."

"What do you think he would do then?" You wrinkle your nose as you discard another paper towel covered in burnt hot sauce.

"Why would you ask me?"

You scoff, smirk on your lips, "Because you know him better than I do. Better than I ever want to, as well."

"Only to a point," Moon’s faceplate twists to the side, eyes crinkling into crescents.

You wait for your answer. It doesn’t take long.

"University librarian," He drawls, "Or a Classics professor."

You chuckle, "Aren’t you the one with the passion for myths?"

"Where do you think it originated from?" Moon counters, plucking Hot Sauce’s new amplifier from your fingers.

You stew on that for a few minutes, that response not being what you expected in the slightest.

Then, you ask your last burning question.

"And his thoughts on you?"

Moon chuckles, "Mechanical engineer."

============================================

And that's all, folks! Had a lot of fun with these requests, hope everyone enjoyed them as well. Again, if you'd like to see more of this kind of thing, you can vote here for such. Thanks for reading!!

[hummingbird-hunter]

As a trans man I hate hate hate with burning passion people who use trans men as a 'gotcha!' on the topics of feminism or just women talking about their experiences in general

"Ugh, men never listen-" "Oh so you hate MEN?? WELL what about TRANS men?? Do you hate trans men too???"

"One of the problems of patriarchy is that men are raised to-" "WELL what about TRANS men?? They weren't raised like cis men!!!"

You've probably seen some screenshots of maybe someone be like "men are opressors including trans men" which is obviously wrong and stupid and completely erases trans men's lives before transitioning, or trans men who don't transition, or how in the eyes of society we're not actually the same as cis men; but that's not the point I want to make. My point is that those statements are directly answers to the aforementioned question, and it's a fucking question with no answer. "So you think trans men are the same as cis men?" And if they say yes then they believe that trans men are privileged, and if they say no they believe trans men aren't men. "Have you stopped beating your wife already?" ass question.

And some of you are probably thinking now "well they shouldn't be mean to men in the first place, that's terfy!" No it's not. I mean, yeah, if it goes full gender essentialism it can be, but by definition it's not. Guess what, misogyny is still a very real issue, and people are allowed to talk about it! And no, I don't think that if someone wants to talk about men as a privileged group they need to clarify they're talking specifically about Cisgender Cissexual Perisex XY Chromosome Binary Male Man because that's fucking stupid. They know what they mean. You know what they mean. You're just being obtuse on purpose.

And yes of course there need to be conversations specifically including trans men in feminism, such as reproductive care for transmasculine people, and not mentioning us in those conversations is harmful. But simply talking about "men", or misogyny or patriarchy is not actually excluding trans men! It is not harmful to us! (But what about terfs, you cry, to which I say this is not about them and you are being obtuse on purpose again)

The point is, misogyny is a thing. And by screaming WhatAboutTransMen every time it gets brought up, or when a woman god forbid dares to talk or complain about her experiences with men, you are not helping us. By silencing conversations about feminism you are actively harming us because Misogyny Also Affects Us Genius.

[beautifulblooms]

Tee hee tee hee!!!! Bestie I have a gift for you!

Hobie x retired Spider-Man!reader (established romance). They are the same age and all but the reader quit his title and went back to being a civilian and one day exposes who he was when saving a kid and was shot by a cop who was in charge of detaining Spider-Man a long time ago. Then Hobie gets a call say reader is in the hospital. What happens to the reader is up to you :>

Too Late to be a Hero - Hobie Brown x Male! Reader

so you said angst for this, and I got to decide what happened to the reader, suffer for that Valeria shit you pulled on me earlier

CIS Women and Female Aligned people, please DNI, this story and all of my others are for non-binary, masculine aligned and male readers!

Rushing into the hospital, Hobie was damn near frantic after the call he received mere minutes ago about his boyfriend (y/n). He never knew that (y/n) was once Spider-Man like him, hell the man had been surprised when Hobie told him that he was Spider-Man. So to now be running through a hospital, frantically searching for the operating theater with his boyfriend in it after he was shot by a cop, was something Hobie never expected. 

Making it outside the operating theater, Hobie demanded he be let in, but the doctors, nurses, and even some of the security guards told him to sit down and wait like everyone else. Begrudgingly so, Hobie sat down outside the operating room with a nervous and worried expression, the only thoughts floating in his mind being how this could have happened, how his boyfriend, seemingly normal and innocent, could’ve ever been Spider-Man before him and was now in surgery because of it. 

What Hobie didn’t know was that the reason (y/n) was fighting for his life was due to a near life-long grudge with a police officer who was tasked with catching Spider-Man while (y/n) was still taking on the role of the hero. (y/n) was only trying to save a child from a car that had skipped the red light by shooting a web to bring them back to the sidewalk, not caring that it outed him as his former secondary identity until it was too late and there was already a bullet through his torso. 

Now he lay in a medically induced coma with his chest opened and being operated on, his boyfriend nearly sick and crying with worry outside of the operating room praying for the first time in his life to any god or goddess that would listen to him. 

After less than an hour of being operated on, one of the doctors stepped out of the operating theatre to address Hobie, her clothes stained with (y/n)’s blood as she took a step closer to the man in front of her. 

“Sir, I hate to inform you…he won’t make it…we suggest you say your goodbyes while he’s stable.” Without another word, the doctor went back into the operating theater leaving Hobie in utter shock, this simply couldn’t happen, he had plans with (y/n), he’d made too many sacrifices and given too much to the relationship to lose him now. 

With shaky legs and wet cheeks, Hobie walked into the operating room and approached his boyfriend, a simple blue, medical cloth covering the very open cavity of his chest as (y/n) was still under the anesthesia, not awake or aware of his surroundings. Hobie grasped (y/n)’s hand gently and pressed a kiss to the back of it while he brought a hand to his boyfriend’s face to brush his thumb over his cheek, more tears slipping down his own.

“Please don’t leave me love…I can’t do this without you.” Those were the only words he could get out before the heart monitor started to hiccup, (y/n)’s heartbeat becoming increasingly unstable before it flatlined. Letting out a choked sob, Hobie pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead as he still held his hand, refusing to let go despite the doctors and nurses trying to pull him away as he mumbled a million “I love you”’s under his breath. He didn’t know what else to do as he watched the one person he’d ever consider taking a label for himself slip from his grasp, and he couldn’t even fix it

[velvetvexations]

Ppl act like gender essentialism (the man/beard brand) is necessary to keep women safe but even that scenario could actually make them less safe bc it downplays the danger of bears, which I think also illustrates the issue I have with true crime. When you're taught as a woman that there are certain dangers that are the worst (be it men or serial killers or rape as the very worst thing that could possibly happen to you), you might underestimate dangers that appear less obvious to you like wild animals, unpreparedness, inappropriate equipment, lack of spatial awareness, going alone when you're inexperienced, heat exhaustion bc, dangers from other animals or bugs bugs (where I'm from in Europe we need to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, my father didn't, got it & almost died).

I'm from a culture that's big on hiking & hiked a lot pre-transition, mostly with a cis male best friend, and I never had a bad experience with other ppl (except maybe when someone didn't say hello, very impolite) but we did get lost pretty badly once on a new trail with no phone signal & that was scary. I was always safer in the woods with men around bc if there are ppl, you know you're on the right path & won't get lost! Also it you get injured & can't walk or god forbid lose consciousness, you want other ppl there to help you. I also worked at a homeless shelter (pre-transition as well, they all knew me as a short, not at all threatening looking woman) and that taught me to shake off the fear I had of homeless people, men especially, because they too are just ppl & it was bigoted of me to have my gut instinct tell me I was in danger when I saw a homeeles man just existing or behaving erratically in public. It was classist, ableist & was not in fact justified just bc I was navigating the world as a woman.

Yes, keep yourself safe, but actually learn to recognize potential dangers & how to handle dangerous situations, don't just rely on your gut instinct.

I also think we can absolutely teach ppl how to keep themselves safe around other folks without resorting to gender essentialism & sex profiling simply by focusing on behaviors instead of gender presentation.

This would serve to protect trans & queer ppl with a masc appearance/presentation including non cispassing trans fems/women, trans mascs/men, non-binary & multigender ppl, intersex folks, even cis gay men, who are also at a higher risk of being assaulted than cis straight men and yes, even straight men, who are also capable of being victimized. Because nobody is truly safe from violence & abuse, we all need to know how about dangers & be able to get protection from others in our communities!

That reminds me of what I've been talking about recently where someone blamed a fixation on punitive justice on people being tricked into it by white supremacist background radiation in Western culture when it's actually just an apolitical fault of the way human brains are wired that goes back to the earliest human civilizations. And like, granted, this is the third time I'm bringing that post specifically up so maybe I'm overexaggerating the issue because I don't follow that kinna discourse closely, but especially in conjunction with transandrophobia discourse I feel like there's this trap of viewing the things you face as cosmic forces rather than mere sociology, you know?

[txxxciii]

Happy PRIDE month!

As a way of celebrating, I will be posting my sexuality/gender-related headcanons of various Mortal Kombat sources, starting with:

MORTAL KOMBAT (2011) LGBT HEADCANONS

(Note: this won't be including guest characters)

Tbh Baraka doesn't have anything interesting going on with him until MK1, but I personally like to headcanon that tarkatans don't have gender norms in a way that we do; reproduction for them is not an important priority, just something you can do if you like how the other one smells or something.

Tarkatans are intersex by default, including Baraka. The "genders" are usually assumed by non-tarkatans, in Baraka's case, by Shao Kahn, who only wished to see male figures in his army.

Btw, tarkatans themselves never refer to each other by pronouns. They do it either by simply saying the name, or making a sound that is only associated with a particular individual.

You already know. The non-binary monarch (king but gn) of MK.

With so many souls living inside you it's only a matter of time when you just start using They/them. Something also tells me that Ermac doesn't mind being called other pronouns – well, not like they care.

I'm sorry, you cannot convince me that Jade "I care more about my friend's safety than myself's" from Edenia likes men. I can go and write a whole rant about Jade and Kotal and how I fucking hate that stupid Walmart Sonic on steroids (not only for his romantic ties though), but I'll save that for later, maybe. Until then, Jade developed a crush on Kitana over time and doesn't wish to let go of her since she's the only reason Jade keeps going everyday. Alas, the feelings are not mutual, but Jade knows better than to envy Liu Kang. She's happy that her friend found her love, and she wishes one day to let go and find her own, too.

Kabal is a gay man, but not a closeted one. He had partners throughout the spam of his adult life, from Black Dragon to police forces.

There were rumors going around inside of Black Dragon that he and Kano had a affair. Whether or not this is true is left for speculation, as neither Kabal or Kano wish to discuss such topic.

What is true, however, is his work romance with Kurtis. At first, Kabal actively denied his attraction towards him, but learned to be more truthful to himself. He had a hard time opening up though, as he did have bitter aftertaste of his previous relationships, but somehow things were pretty decent, mostly thanks to Stryker's demeanor.

(Yeah I'm a strykabal truther, how can you tell?)

Every iteration of Kenshi is demisexual in my eyes. Bad part? I can't really explain my reasoning. Sometimes you just see a character and immediately assume things about them.

Maybe it's due to Kenshi not really having any romantic interests prior to MKX, as far as I can recall. Maybe it's just an ace-dar (as someone who's on the asexual spectrum). Oh well, we'll never know.

Like with Kenshi, every iteration of Kung Lao is gay in my eyes.

I see it more as Kung Lao not realizing his sexuality yet as throughout his life he had no time to think about personal stuff. When he does realize, however, he'll view it as an advantage as monks are typically forbidden from getting married and having intercourse, thus meaning he will less likely be judged by his fellow ones. Yes, he'd plan on simply ignoring this aspect of himself as getting into a relationship would bring a lot of burden (and if Lao falls in love, he will fall HARD).

Mileena is canonically bi!! Duhh! She likes positive attention from anyone, regardless of the race or gender. Either way she will take advantage of the partner and eat them alive :)

She's also part tarkatan, which should technically make her intersex, but since Kitana's genes are the dominant ones, she's assigned female. However, she believes such limitations are stupid, so she uses She/they for herself. It makes her more proud of who she is.

Gods don't need s*x!! Also I think he's canonically genderfluid since he can be literally anyone.

Uhh idk that's it.

One of those times where I can't explain my reasoning... again.

I just feel like Rain liked the thought of absolute control ever since he was young, to the point where he wanted to control his own body's appearance. Even if he didn't realize it, he always wanted to have a body of man, to speak like a man and to be viewed as one as well. Once he finally reached his ideal physique, he felt like he was unstoppable.

... or something like that, lol.

I meaaannn... why else would bro CHOOSE to change into anyone?

I have this little headcanon that Shang Tsung gets bored very quickly. To cure his boredom he'd transform into one of his captured souls and go on with his day until he gets tired of that body too.

———

Alas, these are all for now. Tumblr won't let me upload another image but just so you know, Stryker is a closeted bisexual. No reason other than vibes.

Anyone else who didn't make it to the list are either cyborgs or those who I think are straight. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and understood everything I just wrote. Byeee :3

[vikings-til-valhalla]

Heyoo I'm Jay and I'm non-binary and follow Loki, Freya and Thor. Not quite great at it but still. One thing I'd like to know is.. is Valhalla pretty much a Ragnarok training camp? I'm hoping I go to be with Hel.

So the short answer: it is that exactly, but also so much more.

Long answer is:

Valhalla is the land of honored dead who fell in combat. Yes, a majority of the depictions is explaining how the halls are full of battle and preparation for Ragnarok, and that Odin chooses the valiant slain during combat for the reason that they are powerful fighters and therefore worthy. But it's also about comradery and kinship, merriment, and celebration.

Other depictions of Valhalla portray it just as much a place of endless celebration where one who is chosen goes to revel with others in eternal glory and joy for the heroic warring deeds they did while alive. Everyone is together in these celebrations, and the sense of unity is immense. It's the place where legends never die, and tales are told eternally.

It's true that Valhalla is the place of battle and preparation for the ultimate fight, namely because those who died fighting are the chosen. But just as any warrior would do with their bands of siblings in arms, it's a place to celebrate your victories because, in the days of pre-Christian Scandinavia, death was seen more as a victory not a defeat. It was valor to die fighting for your clan and kin.

Hence you get things like the Havamal stanza 75 (pitt.edu translation): "Cattle die and kinsmen die, / thyself too soon must die, / but one thing never, I ween, will die, -- / fair fame of one who has earned."

Overall to understand the true purpose of Valhalla, you have to have an understanding of the life and facts of life that were during this time period. Much of the gods' tales across all accounts are about the inevitably of death and embracing it because nothing is eternal, and death is a given. Everything ends. Death is an end. But endings are a new beginning, and that new beginning can be beautiful. It's a chance for something better and greater to take the place of what was. And Valhalla as a concept shows us that we must revel in the glory of what was, and celebrate those who've done great things. And when the time comes for things to end, so be it. Joy and prosperity had their time and place, and a new life for other joy and prosperity will be born.

That isn't to say that Helheim and other lands are dishonorable and valor-less, though.

Just the same as Valhalla, it's often depicted that Helheim is a place where all others ascend who are not dishonored, and who Odin does not choose. This, therefore, includes the musicians, poets, artists, ethicists, scholars, anyone and everyone at all who simply lived an honorable life and died without being in combat. Legend lives elsewhere as much as it does in Valhalla, it's just simply in another form that isn't war and physical might.

I don't recall which sources I'd read from for this. But some folks choose to believe that the artistic people of Hel's realm are the ones who write songs and draw portraits of the legendary warriors of Valhalla. And others choose to imagine it holds the most intelligent of debates!

Whereas battle and merriment are the place of Valhalla, Helheim is the place of peace and honor. It was Christian depictions specifically which put Helheim in a poor light and made it seem like a desolate, torturous place akin to their land of hell, which, from what I understand, experienced a similar thing as a result of the crusaders, though I'm not Christian so I truly can't confirm or deny that.

But in the end, it's honorable to be chosen by either Odin or Hel, and if you have no desire to be a fighter in the end days, you have no obligation to be. Just as the skalds carried forth the legends, and scholars taught the wisdom sought by many, and crafters made the tools and clothes for survival, and cooks made the food and drink needed for sustenance, Hel understands everyone has a purpose and that this purpose isn't always living and dying to fight. She provides a place to keep those people after death where they, too, can be honored and together just as Valhalla, only without the violence.

So to sum it up: Valhalla is a place of celebration with combat. Helheim is a place for all non-warriors, and without combat and war.

I'm sorry this was so long, but I hope I answered your question well enough at least!

[candiid-caniine]

so I've seen this going around lately, and I want to talk about it. I didn't want to add discourse to OP's post because I didn't know if/how much was welcome.

this is a very hot button issue for me. general tw for this post: mention of abuse within kink dynamics.

so. y'all all know that I have some very strict limits on this blog. I have a boundary against play with cis men. I have a hard limit on misogyny and patriarchy kinks being in my space. and I'm not alone in that: a lot of other queer ppl I know (mostly wlw, nblnb, t4t, and intersex) have the same limits.

for me it's trauma rooted. all dynamic abuse I've ever experienced has been at the hands of cis men, so I don't deal well with them. and growing up in purity culture as a closeted afab has ruled out misogyny/patriarchy kink. as a result, I am very avoidant of anything that rings of these dynamics...which happen to be overrepresented as dominance in modern pornography.

it is very hard as a t4t to find porn that isn't influenced by this binary, which usually plays itself out as:

to be feminine is to be weak, and vice versa

the submissive partner is the bottom

the dominant partner is controlling outside the bedroom

submission is holy for the feminine and deviant for the masc

dominance is holy for the masculine and deviant for the femme

existing power balances in society are utilized in play

the submissive is to be protected

the submissive is the dominants responsibility and not vice versa

aesthetic perfection is expected of the sub

and many more.

so to say "signs of domination in your social circle" may mean different things to different people. I'll be honest, I don't know what OP meant; this post was awhile back in their blog -- I'm just using this as a way to talk about some of my own hangups, hence why I made my own post instead of responding.

and yeah. if someone in my social circle showed signs of being controlling outside the bedroom, magnifying social inequalities in play, deeming submissives weak and demanding of protection, or expecting aesthetic perfection of submissive seeming people....would I call that evil? um. fuck no.

but I would recognize it as something I can't be a part of. I would form resentment if treated accordingly: as something inherently weak, defenseless, naive, and feminine due to my preference for submission, or hell, for being fucking Asian. cause yeah, that happens.

that said: if someones treating every sub, or every person they decide is submissive, like that...they're a fucking weirdo. their problem.

but there's another side to this. one that affects people who top, people with penises, and people who present as masc who...

may derive euphoria from aligning with a binary role in a kink setting

may genuinely share a desire to be protective and controlling with their partner/s

may face othering or prejudice for seeming like an angry trans woman or a violent butch or an angry Black person

are already only tenuously accepted in queer spaces due to masculine presentation or AGAB or race

so what's to be done?

simply put, don't put your trauma or your bias onto others. I really think that's the answer.

if a particular type of dominance triggers you, remove yourself from the space. unless it's your space, in which case set boundaries.

if you find yourself side eyeing people of a certain AGAB or presentation more than others, consider that this is a you problem.

understand not everything's about you. subs can be just as selfish as doms. just because your friend likes to dominate doesn't mean they want to Dom you. just because they Dom in a way you wouldn't want to be dommed doesn't mean they're wrong.

fuck off with your kink shaming. flat out, unless you are speaking about dynamic abuse or any other type of abuse, you have no grounds to judge the way other d-types or s-types roll. unlearn your purity culture.

learn a thing or two about top drop and/or Dom drop.

and for God's sake...in this hellish 2024 pride month where trans rights are backsliding and other lgbtq+ rights will certainly follow: educate yourself. cishets didn't invent kink. leather daddies have been doing this for decades. lesbian pulp fiction featuring s&m dates really far back. hell, ancient Greeks have art documenting s/m relationships, and y'all know they were gay as shit.

cause I have an inkling that in queer circles this comes from the decrying of evil, icky cishet culture in kink. you are entitled to your boundaries, but your bias and your judgment and your disgust can damn well be kept to yourself. my partner deals with enough guilt over their preferred role, and enough crisis about whether their masculinity comes off as creepy, without neopuritans exacerbating the issue.

and that includes me. I've had to unlearn this shit from the ground up since coming out. I thought coming out was the unlearning, but no: you are not immune to internalized bias. and your masc, amab, intersex, and Black and Brown queer siblings are not immune to the harm you may be perpetuating.

anyway. I'm stoned AF. and prepared to turn off reblogs for this post. lol

[atamascolily]

One of the fun things about being a fan of multiple shows by the same author is that you get to watch them play with the same ideas over and over again. It's especially fascinating with Thunderbolt Fantasy (2016-present), where you can see Gen Urobuchi returning to and building on many of the themes and issues in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011).

AKA a long-winded analysis on the ethics of time travel, or what a tired wandering swordsman has in common with a 14-year-old magical girl (hint: heart is an awesome power). [CW: spoilers for both series.]

When the possibility of using the scrying mirrors to travel back in time is first introduced in TBF Season 3, Lang Wu Yao zeroes in on using them to save Mu Tian Ming from being blinded by Huo Shi Ming Huang--an injury he feels personally responsible for. He's upset by Shang's dismissal of this idea, but Lin Xue Ya interrupts before Shang can explain his position any further, even though I doubt there is any argument that Lang would accept at this point.

Lang Wu Yao sees the world in binary terms--good and evil, action and in-action--and he also believes that the ends justify the means, so his stance on using time travel to prevent a terrible fate is not particularly surprising. His offer to sacrifice his life for Tian Ming's well-being is genuinely sincere. But it's not that simple and Shang is acutely aware of the dangers that come from meddling in the past; furthermore, the show offers some tantalizing hints that this knowledge came from personal experience (more on this later).

Shang's stance that time travel is against the natural order of things is in sharp contrast to that of Homura Akemi in Madoka Magica, who, like Lang, wishes to defy the laws of space and time and travel back into the past in order to save the most important person in her life from a terrible fate. In Homura's case, she wants to save Madoka first from death, and then from becoming a magical girl in the first place, reliving the same few weeks over and over again in an effort to do so; conveniently, Kyubey, a cute cat-like figure and stand-in for Mephistopheles is right there, willing to grant that very wish in exchange for Homura's soul.

Unfortunately for Homura, every time she goes back in time she's actually traveling to an alternate dimension, and the karmic "weight" of all these timelines ends up making Madoka more and more of a target as both her power and potential grow on an exponential scale. This unexpected consequence ultimately results in Madoka making a wish to save all magical girls from their fate--but which condemns her to a liminal existence as a concept, once again denying Homura her true wish.

Wishes are a dangerous thing in Urobuchi's stories, as Lang will discover. A hooded figure calling himself the "Cross-Time Guardian" (actually the demon Azibelpher) takes Lang back in time to the battle against Huo Shi Ming Huang, and, in classic devil fashion, tempts him to take matters into his own hands and save Tian Ming. When Lang and Ling Ya question his motives--correctly sensing this is too good to be true--Azibelpher says, "I'm simply curious as to what kind of karma you are willing to shoulder."

Like "fate", "karma" is a loaded word in Thunderbolt Fantasy (there's a reason why Huo Shi Ming Huang's weapon is called "All Karmas Destroyed Together"). As in Madoka Magica, karma is a source of power; Lang's intervention would essentially make him responsible for everything that happens in this new timeline as a result. In this case, this statement also points to a more straightforward narrative purpose: this scene is a test of Lang's character.

Unlike Homura, Lang gets to see the potential consequences of his actions in advance, and it's not pretty: an eldritch demon god unleashed upon the world. Lang's choice is Tian Ming or the world.... and if he chooses Tian Ming, there won't be a world anymore. Any semblance of choice was an illusion from the beginning; the past cannot be changed without destroying any hope of a future. As Homura herself notes in Madoka Magica, "Kindness can lead to an even greater tragedy".

On a meta-narrative level, Tian Ming's mutilation and Shang's subsequent arrival in Dong Li are what makes the story of Thunderbolt Fantasy possible ; Lang can change the past.... at the cost of erasing the entire story. [Note: Do I hate that Urobuchi made a woman's suffering the unchanging crux on which all canon events subsequently hang? I sure do! Was it technically well done? Also yes, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate it.]

However, while it's taken to an extreme in this particular case, I would argue that this kind of narrative erasure is the logical goal of most time travel stories--the fantasy that you can somehow go back and fix everything, conveniently ignoring the fact that life generally doesn't work like that. The exceptions, of course, are those stories where it turns out that time cannot be changed for whatever reason--either because it's a stable time loop or because certain events will always happen no matter what changes are introduced--but their power comes in large part from how they are still addressing this same fantasy by subverting it. (There are also stories like Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder", which hinge on the difficulty of maintaining the status quo in a world where the timeline is all too easily altered, but again those are the exceptions rather than the rule.)

Being Lang Wu Yao is suffering and he's only just begun, because Azibelpher twists the knife in further by asking him, "Okay, so the world would be destroyed, so what? If fate is cruel and suffering is inevitable, why not give it the middle finger by wrecking everything on your way out?"

The meta irony of puppets discussing whether or not they are "puppets" of fate gets me every time.

This is the same question Homura asks Madoka as they lay dying in episode 10 of Madoka Magica--why not destroy the world that has betrayed and failed them and is full of so many terrible things? Here, it is the Devil himself making the argument; after much agonizing, Lang's response is ultimately, "Not today, Satan!" Once again, Shang Bu Huan was right about everything, and Lang finally understands that now.

Lang is able to make this choice because he is more fully aware of the consequences of interference--knowledge that Homura did not have. Given that there wouldn't be much of a story if she didn't go back in time, I doubt it would have made much difference, but you never know.

What's especially striking about the next part--as Lang witnesses Tian Ming's fate and taking full responsibility for his inaction--is that it's intercut with Shang Bu Huan's discussion with Bai Lian in the distant past. Instead of the previous epic battle music, the same scene is recast as melancholy and bittersweet, with the music and framing changing the entire tone. The events are the same, but we are experiencing them differently along with Lang this time, watching from the outside as spectators without changing anything--very much like a memory or a dream.

I've speculated elsewhere what exactly the point of Azibelpher sending Shang Bu Huan to this particular point in time to meet Bai Lian, but on further reflection, I wonder if this was (among other things) a similar test of character for Shang. If so, he passes with flying colors; when Bai Lian asks if Shang is here to correct the "mistake" of making the Shen Hui Mo Xie, Shang tells him he's doing just fine.

"No way in hell is it just a 'mistake'. The future that starts here isn't just disasters. There's joy and salvation, too. Saying what you did is wrong is like denying any of that happened."

This is Madoka's answer to Homura in Puella Magi Madoka Magica--the world is terrible and cruel, but it is also full of good things too, and therefore it should be preserved rather than destroyed. Urobuchi is often pigeonholed as a "dark" and "edgy" writer, but I see Shang and Madoka voicing his true opinions, which are ultimately hopeful and uplifting.

Furthermore, this emphasis on "mistakes" hearkens back to an earlier conversation between Madoka and her mother Junko, who serves as a dispenser of worldly advice, in which Junko explains that sometimes, the only way to help a friend is to let them make their own mistakes, or be willing to do it for them. Paradoxically, mistakes are sometimes necessary; for better or worse, our mistakes have made us who we are and attempting to erase or undo them is to also erase and undo ourselves and any good that may have come of them.

(The irony, of course, is that Shang can accept this about anyone and everything except for himself--but then we all have our blind spots and Shang, for all his wisdom and maturity, is still human.)

Even Azibelpher kind of gets into this when he tells Lang to "Accept the weight of what your actions will result in." Sure, he means it to hurt, but for better or worse, this is a fundamental part of adulthood, something that Lang must accept in order to mature. And even though I don't think Azibelpher intended it this way, this harrowing experience of re-living his past trauma forces Lang to let go of his fixation on "fixing" things and accept them for what they are--to finally move beyond obsession over the past so he can enjoy the present and the future.

It's an open question if demons in Thunderbolt Fantasy can truly experience anything like "love" or "affection" in the human sense, and if Azibelpher sees Lang as anything more than a toy and tool, but there's nonetheless the element of "tough love" in this scene, of a father schooling his son in the harsh realities of life (which later become textual, but that's another essay). Azibelpher is mature and polished, but unlike Shang, he has no compassion, no "heart", and I think that will ultimately prove to be his undoing.

Azibelpher's obsession with fate blinds him to the truth that human beings can grow and change and move beyond their old roles and into something new, as Shang is constantly attesting--and whatever else he might be, Lang is still human. Lang surprised Azibelpher in this scene with his restraint, and I think he will continue to surprise Azibelpher in the end--in large part from what he learned from his time with Shang.

To bring it back to time loops once more, I mentioned earlier that Shang was a part of one, and I have a sneaking suspicion we haven't seen the end of it yet. Will future installments show a younger Shang in the ruins of the Void Junction? And if so, who will he meet there and what will he learn as a result? Has the whole story been one big loop after all, circles within circles, wheels within wheels just like Madoka Magica?

tl;dr: Thunderbolt Fantasy and Madoka Magica are two different stories that can be experienced independently of each other, but there are a lot of fun parallels for the folks who have seen them both as Urobuchi continues to explore these same tropes and issues in different circumstances and contexts, and this is especially true for the time travel subplot in TBF S3.

[just-a-carrot]

ok so i ???? just finished playing all the arcs and tell me why i'm sitting here sobbing and grinning like a sopping cat over A SOPPING CAT OF A MAN.

when i last sent an ask i was on arc 2 but. it fucking destroyed me because !!! it felt so complete !! with genzou!!! and iggy !!! being together and soft and sweet. also the ace conversation about??? And acceptance??? and him not being broken?? fucking broke me?????? the arc felt like decades of yearning resolved but i will say. something felt off namely the overall. like. Openness about the rest of the characters just being. ignored and overall genzou's childhood behaviour being brushed over???hohohohOHO how fucking wrong i was about this never being addressed.

act 3 was a whole another can of worms but i will say. this is my second favourite (tied) arc in the entire thing because while i. i honestly hadn't seen the appeal of orly before this HOLY FUCK THIS. ORLAM THE MAN YOU ARE !!!! THE BEAST THE CREATURE THE. anyway hit me right in the feels with a lot of the. emotions surrounding him and the way iggy seemed to be the only one who looked after him and. even though it did indulge a bit of my past suicidal tendencies and fantasies (??) it was still so hedonistic and fun. baby girl you are so unhinged about everything ever and i love you for it. also loved the fact that despite his route being. probably one of the worst endings ever it still felt. so sweet? in places? like irl it seemed very much like orlam started liking iggy much as a way to get over genzou but eventually realised that this isn't a joke anymore bro.... anyway the entire dance and like. love part of it was soooo. baby you are so fucked up i support your rights and wrongs. also shoutout to my fav cg ever where iggy is just. gaming intensely as orlam has a threesome in the background. boundaries king FGHJK i could not stop laughing

act 4.... oh god this is the other second favourite tied arc mainly because of how close it hit to home with the entire mother issues + non binary thing. even though i personally can't see iggy and gidget working out as a romantic relationship, their moments especially in the flashbacks were so sweet and innocent. LOVED the internal dilemma and the pressure sweet sweet gidge put on themself because of others and the way iggy unintentionally reinforced it??? even though i felt personal revulsion at the s/a scene as like. aroacespec individual i will like. forgive gidge mainly because it's very obvious it's a projection of their desire to simply fit in and be normal and like. it was so. it was done so well . also shout out to genzou ??? pining??? in this act??? ik this is meant to be gidge's arc but hello. genzou. i think this is the moment i was like. fully sold on them like the amount they're willing to sacrifice for iggy the way their entire lives sorta revolves around the two of them..... wails they're really so soulmates coded like the 20 years is INSANE . also shoutout to cecil !!!! my fav !!!! butler !!! his dynamic with orlam and gidge is soooo.... to me. love the entire premise of their character and how much they dislike iggy GHJKKL. orlam and cecil sequel one day because they're so.

ok but through this all i was thinking. ok that's nice but iggy is still very much an accessory where is his wish and.

oh.

to say act 5 blew me out of the water would be an understatement because it was (is) genuinely one of the favourite conclusions to a game i've ever seen. not only does it neatly tie up everyone's arcs and shoots their character development... it's just so. special to me about how this little group comes back together despite everything. from gidge finally discovering themself (even at the death of cecil my beloved) and how their arc was resolved with her not having to be a crutch on iggy and iggy realising how much they hurt them and accepting them just the way they are.... to orlam's entire manic episode being cut short by the frankly beautiful reconciliation between genzou and him and the entire apology and finally feeling remorse and emotion like joy..... to jerry !! the most beloved rabbit who cannot for the love of life beat the secretly soft allegations..... bucks and hunar with buck's internalising the violence as something intrinsic and hunar saying that it's not and he'll love her anyway because she's capable of gentleness and goodness and love and that entire emotion being the one thing that brings them back....saydie wanting to die being her purest wish and being a conduit to iggy specifically and being the catalyst for the our wonderland destruction....

ah. but my favourite part has to be iggy. iggy being the one person who's lived his life so much for others to the point where he's hollow and his only wish is to make his friends happy finally. finally choosing himself and choosing happiness and choosing freedom and love for himself despite. everything. for instead of trying so hard. from hating himself for not being good enough for everyone for making so many mistakes to wanting to not exist to grabbing life by the hands and making a choice of i want to live the way i want to and my friends will like me anyway because they're my friends!! the fakeout choice the entire ending cutscene with the willow tree....... i'm so normal about this i promise (i am delirious. this was such a good end to his arc)

precisely because i like. wanted to drive in the live-on-my-own-terms i personally love the independent ending the most (which does seem?? to set him up for love still, which is very neat!) but the close second will the genzou ending because. genzy save me genzy save me.... the tenderness with the way the both of them treat each other, the softness and gentleness the. entire love confession scene with iggy !! telling genzou to live for himself and not because of him (which i felt was SO IMPORTANT personally) and the. rushing of the emotions and. the final kiss feeling so complete. even the ending made me wail because these two made it tgt finally.... it's just so.

anyway this is to say. this game will not be living rent free in my head for a long while. this is such a gem of a game and it is sooo criminally underrated i am going to lose my mind. literally every aspect of the game is so beautiful from the horror being macabrely showstopping and aesthetic?? to the expressions to the dialogue to the entire interactions and growth to the message....... thank you for this i think this simultaneously broke me five ways but . this was just so. i'm in shambles !!!! <3 <3 <3

ahhhhhhhh.......... 🥺💕

this is so incredibly sweet... you're really making me tear up here...

"something felt off namely the overall. like. Openness about the rest of the characters just being. ignored" -> LKJDLFAKD indeed.......... many many more arcs of pain yet to come.........

there's just like. an inherent Nope to all the arcs until the end. obviously some of them Nope much harder, but even the ones that don't scream Nope are still Nope at heart. because you can't just have one good thing happen and ignore the rest of the issues going on and expect everything to still be OK... lol

really enjoyed reading all your thoughts about the different arcs 🤭 i'm glad you enjoyed them all in different ways. they all feel so vastly different in my head somehow. and i love all of them in different ways. even if there are parts of them in each that are sometimes hard for me to replay ldkjfafd it's always so curious to me not only which arc(s) people will prefer but also how much their opinions on chars change as they go through the arcs

i'm also glad you liked how everything tied up in arc 5 and everyone's different conclusions to their "character arcs" so to speak... arc 5 is just so intense to me ldkjfads also i feel like to much hinges on it and whether people will like how the characters make it through to the end. i'm really happy you liked it so much!! 💕

iggy's kinda whole ending... shtick... is very personal to me and was really cathartic for me to work on. i'm really touched it could mean so much to you 💕💕 (i still cry when i watch the field scene...)

ahhh you played both the neutral and genzy endings then!! i'm happy you liked them both 😍 the neutral ending does indeed set things up lakdjfa (it's a little easter egg that ties the game into Our Cinderella, one of the side games, if you haven't played it yet) i suppose because i wanted it be an ending for iggy himself while at the same time being like, well if iggy chooses himself then he can't ever find companionship later if he wants it, or something like that. it felt like a nice little way to allow room for both and iggy to have time and choice

ahhhh the genzy epilogue does cut to the core of me tho... my heart... 💕

your words are really too much. thank you so much for the kind message and for all the love for the game and chars. i'm really happy you ended up enjoying everything!! thank you for reaching out! this really made my day! 🥺