#but it's Important

[clockwayswrites]

Please don't use 'gay panic' that way.

A timely reminder to all younger (and non American) writers out there who didn’t live through it that 'Gay Panic' does not mean your hapless gay/bi/pan blorbo is all a flustered and bad at flirting.

It was a legal defense for beating a gay person, sometimes to death, because the perpetrator thought they were being flirted with and that, somehow, sent them into a homicidal panic. It is a horrible horrible part of queer history. And it wasn't that long ago.

So when you tag your fic 'Gay Panic', it does not mean "here is my cute fandom child being a mess", it means this fic has homophobia and possibly someone dying from it. So if that's not what your fic contains, it's not the tag that should be used.

It's okay if you don't know the history! But here's your notice. I wish we could pretend that the phrase is something that could be reclaimed, but we can't. We especially can't with the current attacks on transpeople in the US and UK where we are seeing the term and ethos behind the term coming back.

[rotted-rabbit]

GOOD MORNING, RABBITS :)

[rants-about-opm]

I feel like people don't stan characters as hard when they're well written. It's like coloring pages, when they aren't started/finished, there's fun to be had filling in the pieces. I notice it everywhere, but especially with myself. Characters I write for the most are characters I "saved" from canon stories I disliked. Rock Lee from Naruto, Jason Todd from Batman, Yomiel from Ghost Trick, these are character I write entire AUs for, redesigning their backstories and relationships with other characters.

I love that I can't do that with OPM.

Im genuinely in love with the story I'm being told by ONE and Murata, these characters and their stories intruige me and I want to know where they go and what they do next. When I write for them, it's to play off the little tidbits of characterization they are already packed full of. I don't have to make the effort to write a story worth hearing. I think we lose sight of that, the difference between writing for a story because we love it, and writing for it because we love what it and it's characters could be.

[jojosito]

I have decided that this will be the nagaizo ship name

[thesovereignsring-if]

Hi, this isn't how I wanted to do this, but since the user in question blocked me before I could reply, there is little I can do in this situation. In retrospect I wish I had taken a screenshot earlier so that people could see this user's arguments and concern in their own words and not paraphrased by me. They deserved to be heard.

I felt the need to address this issue like this because it may effect other players and I want a concrete answer on what I thought was not a big issue at the time.

This user came to me with ask above in regarding the name and pronoun configuration in Chapter 1, which allowed player to switch their pronoun and titles now that they are an adult. When I first got the ask, I read it under the assumption that those who wished to play trans MC may not have understood the option of "people address you differently" imply either or both the name change or the change in pronoun/title. This user said that was not the case because they wanted to keep their name and did not like the fact they had to input the same name to switch titles. Instead they suggested to switch the order of the questions asked title first -> name second. Which I thought was a minor contrivance in the grand scheme of things because in the end of the day the player still gets to choose the gender and name of their MC, whether it changed or not.

To which I received a response that I was being transphobic and I was being performative. Perhaps I should have worded my response better, but insulting me this way and leaving before I can understand what the real issue is not conductive to anyone and leaves everyone else hurt and upset. And I'm frustrated because now I still don't know if that part should be changed or not. Or is this is a bigger issue I didn't know existed?

I am not trans so I can not fully understand all the issues that transpeople face or the perspective, but I can empathize and I am always thinking of being inclusive when it comes to customization for the MC so players can play exactly who they want to be. This issue was not brought up during playtesting and no one else came to me with the same issue since the update, so I thought it wasn't egregious enough to warrant change. If this was a problem, then I think more people would come and let me know. Am I missing something??

So I am going to ask players who play trans MCs, did you have an issue with that section (name & title change) and wish it to be changed? If so, how would you like to have it done? And to that user, I know you will not see my response, but I am sorry if you felt attacked, triggered, or hurt with my response. It was never my intention.

[lost-my-shape]

The newfound euphoria I feel about MCR and greatness they've achieved, despite having listened to them for over 10 years. Gerard makes me love myself. He makes me feel proud. They make me feel like I can keep my head held high for the rest of my life. That I can keep my confidence. No matter who I am or who I turn out to be. I don't know what gender I am, but I know I'm me. I know my name, I know my pronouns, I know who I am. That's all that matters.

They have been by my side since I was a child. They have inspired and changed me for the better. No other band has made me feel this seen, feel heard, feel connected. And now I have more people to talk to, to cry with, to scream, and feel that same euphoria with. I have never felt more of a connection with people I don't know. We all have something in common. Our struggles, and our freedom found in this life, in this music.

[p3ta]

Sorry not to go off and be crazy but Minato and Ryoji's relationship with gender is just as entertwined and complicated as their relationship with each other. Nyx, explicitly feminine and a mother to all juxtaposed with Ryoji, a typically masculine named boy who acts out as a period-typical teenage boy is meant to. A protagonist designed to be androgynous, threading the needle. The Avatar's body is feminine with a chest but has a deep voice. What if I went insane

[amynchan]

This is gonna sound campy, but you have no idea the depth of the love some people have for you.

Several months ago now, I had a striking realization that hit me in the chest and made me burst into uncontrollable tears. I've known for a while that I live in a separate state from the family I've grown around. I can't see them in-person more than twice a year, and every time I do now, they've shot up. I'm not near enough to call or to chat relaxedly with. They can't just happen to run into me at grandma and grandpa's, and there are no opportunities for me to be around and just exist in the same space as them as I used to. I have sixteen little cousins, and I am near none of them now. To them, I may slowly be becoming a stranger. Someone they see rarely, but I'm now out-of-sight and out-of-mind. I'm dreading the day when I come home for Christmas and they look at me with "...who even are you?" gazes.

But I love them. I really do. I've seen them be creative, spunky, active, withdrawn, curious, angry, sad, excited, hurt, confused, happy. I've been a part of their memories, and they've been a part of mine. I watched some of their triumphs, and they told me about difficulties at school, and I was one of the cousins who helped them learn about the Great Halloween Economy, which I can no longer be a part of now.

And that night I thought of them, of their faces, and that future where they won't automatically know that I love them, and I burst into tears. I sobbed, and I sent a message to my younger siblings because I suddenly didn't know if they'd remember that I love them. If they'd ever forget. If I'd become the distant, far-off cousin that just sorta shows up every now and again and then goes back to her life. Even now, I'm shedding tears at the idea.

What if they don't know that I love them? And every them to come? What if they don't know that I'm proud of them? What if they don't know that their achievements sometimes baffle me, but the joy and satisfaction on their faces makes the details fall away? What if they don't know anymore that I just want them to live their lives to the fullest? The idea that they don't know is painful to me.

And, a few months ago now, my great grandmother passed away. She was just as far from me as I am from my cousins now, and it's only been over this past year that I was close enough to visit. And I did a few times. Every time, I went over, and I had that idea of "I don't really know who you are. Not really. But we're family, and I love you, so I am here." So I was there. She loved game shows and old westerns. She, even at 90, had a sense of sass that I can definitely tell she passed down to my nana and to my mom. I didn't know her, but I loved her.

After she died, I went to the celebration of life. Emotions are a mess, and mine definitely were that day. Trying to let myself grieve while surrounded by others isn't always easy, but I was able to do it, and the nurses who helped her within the past years took one look at me and knew who I was because great-grandma remembered that I'd been there and had been so happy about it every time. She'd tell them about how I visited and we watched game shows and I told her how I always carry a deck of cards in my pocket.

And it hit me a long while later. And this is the part that the song memories hits so so so hard.

I'm at a point in my life where I remember things others won't. I carry the feelings of "I've seen you, and I know you'll change, and I'm excited for it, and I'm sad I won't be around to watch it happen" for the cousins I won't see as much anymore. At the same time, my aunts and uncles and my grandparents and my great-grandparents feel the same about me. I don't know how many people have cried because they don't know if I'll remember that they love me, just as I cry—because I am crying—over the idea that my cousins won't remember this solid fact.

You do not know who is watching you and afraid that the thread of love and connection is going to break. You can't always see the people who love you dearly, who can't show it in the small day-to-day actions and movements that they'd like to. You can't always see, because you aren't always around, how deeply someone cares about you, your happiness, your wellbeing, your life.

It's campy, but it's true. You just do not know who's treasuring the bond you share. Who wants to support you, who loves you, who wishes to know you and can't because you can't see them on the daily.

[creature-wizard]

[nabhx]

[mirica199]

They are dating

[nubcatnoises]

Rabies carrier

[reicartwright]

the thing is THE THING IS that both times crowley expresses his desire to run away together aziraphale feels the need to forgive him

[caspiansrecovery]

Nothing more freeing than realizing you have your entirely own space and can do whatever you please with it, so instead of sitting in the same arrangement for the rest of eternity you just...rearrange your whole house. :) Now there's so much more space for activities! :D And another chair to sit outside on (Assuming it ever warms up enough to sit outside... but hey, it's there now!) It's just a nice feeling knowing all this space belongs to me - to do whatever it is my little heart desires with it. I can live in a clean home, or a messy home, or somewhere in-between. I can hang bad art on the walls, or my pride flags off the loft. I can listen to music all day without worrying about annoying roommates. I can walk around naked if I so well please (just gotta make sure those there blinds are closed). I haven't done that, yet, but it's an option!

I guess what I'm saying is, life ain't all bad. And sometimes things work out - eventually all the bad shit you go through ends in a tiny home, rearranging your furniture, music playing, drinking hot cocoa, and finally feeling like it might have all brought you to this point. So, when you feel like giving up - like there isn't a hope in this universal experience for you...there's good out there, you just got to hold on to see it.

I also want to say, in this rather long post, that even a tiny home adventure will come with it its own struggles - there are still long nights of tears, there are still challenges of the world outside of these walls, it all still exists; last night was one of those long, dangerous nights, yet my sun still rose. I'm still here. I'm still alive despite the odds, and I'm safe in my tiny home and grateful I have these walls surrounding me. Decorate your space. Create. Find a place where you can retreat to when the world feels far too heavy to carry on - it will save you. No person can save you but yourself. You deserve to see this through to the end - the real end, not the shortened end. I believe in a tiny home dream for you; whatever your tiny home is, you'll find it some day if only you continue living to find it.

If you're searching for a sign tonight to keep fighting to stay alive, may this reach you - may this be a reminder that there are better days just within reach - may this assure you that somewhere out there is your own personal "tiny home safe space" waiting for you to find it. You're going to be okay.

[techn0tony]

Hey guys! Reminder to eat something and drink water!