#but telling the person who just yelled ‘you can ALWAYS tell when someone is trans’ at me ‘oh so you can tell I was born male? shit-‘

[spoofyleaf]

My toxic trait is telling transphobes, after they find out I’m trans in some way, that I’m AMAB, and watch them fumble. Then tell me all my masculine traits and aggressively use he/him pronouns on me. How how I’m nothing other than a boy. Like teehee

[ohara-n-brown]

[WARNING: Rant]

Sometime made a post going 'Love the trans women in your life while they're still here'

Someone added 'Trans men and Nonbinary too!'

And this was the response.

My response: Cut this shit out, you're acting literally ridiculous.

First of all - no it's NOT an All Lives Matter moment.

ALL LIVES MATTER was created by white people who DON'T experience racism to silence the experiences of those who DO experience racism and die at the hands of it.

A transmasc or nonbinary person saying 'Us also!' is a not the same.

It's a group of people who DO experience transphobia adding to the experiences of those who ALSO experience transphobia.

It's A LOT MORE like a black person going 'BlackLivesMatter' and sometime commenting '#StopAsianHate too :)' and OP going 'wow fuck you read the room you're being racist.'

That's like a Gay person speaking out against homophobia and how it's wrong. And then a trans person says 'Transphobia too!' and suddenly it's 'Read the room. This isn't about y'all. Why do y'all have to bring yourself up always. This isn't about gender. Read the room-'

Sounds familiar to y'all? It should. I'm reading the room and the room is saying you just fucking hate another group of oppressed people lol

Another oppressed person who experiences the same violence as you adding their voice to your choir is NOT the same as white people using their privilege to silence others who experience racism when they themselves don't.

SECOND OF ALL - (tw death mention under cut)

YEAH THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO ADD 'Celebrate your trans brothers while there here' on a post you know..

considering a transmasc non-binary person got fucking beat to death on school grounds exactly a month ago.

Remember that??? The one whose death is being actively covered up by school, law, and state officials on a systemic scale??

Also - a fucking trans man from NJ is still missing as we speak (Elliot Ganiel)

But calling attention to that is like being a MRA??? Talking about a children deaths in a school bathroom and missing people are like being MRAs whose main concerns are women playing video games or some shit?

No. No it isn't.

Y'all misusing terms like MRA and yelling 'That's like all lives matter!!!' clearly show youdon't understand how oppression works in the slightest.

If you try to compare any white racist movement to an oppressed group of people - YTA.

One of us gets fucking killed with no justice, LGBTQ crisis line calls skyrocket, and when asked about it state officials say and I quote 'We don't want that filth in our state!!'

- and when we talk about it amongst people in our community it's 'read the room!!' or 'wow really MRA like'

Fucking bite me.

And before - 'Oh but they didn't have to put it on THAT post, they could've made their own'.

Did you not hear what I just said. A transmasc teen was beat to death and misgendered publically statewide.

Maybe transmascs would like to feel included by the community at this time? So they can feel safe? Safety in numbers? And maybe want to feel like the wider community cares when shit like this happens - which clearly.. y'all don't.

Cause when a transmasc kid is literally killed - and we see a post saying 'Love your transfemme friends whine they're here!' and add the same - only to be told to read the room - it tells us 'You only have a month or so to morn. They died last month? Why are you bringing it up now on a post about appreciating trans people before their death??? Read the room. That was for us only. Stop trying to hog all the attention'.

Like damn sorry for wanting to feel like my community would care if I got wiped off this fucking earth silly me. Silly us.

When we start the conversation on our own we're ignored. When we try to contribute our experiences to other conversations we're told to shut the fuck up and read the room and then compared to actual racists and sexists.

You constantly compare us to people who DO NOT face oppression - cis men and white people - in order to silence us, despite the fact you know we face oppression in ways both groups could never even imagine. You think you're slick. You're not.

BITE ME. HARD.

[aeligsido]

[WM — September 2024] Prompt 6 — Time-Turner.

Rating: G.

TW: none.

Characters: Remus Lupin, Seren Lupin (OC), Mary Macdonald, Sirius Black (in the haunting-the-narrative kind of way).

Additional Tags: actor Sirius Black; celebrity Sirius Black; trans Remus Lupin; past trans male pregnancy; Mary and Peter are great friends I just need to say it; modern au; actress Seren Lupin but she’s just starting; Seren as a wolfstar baby except Sirius doesn’t know she’s his (or Remus’s for that matter).

Summary: Seren Lupin gets the lead role for upcoming coming-of-age movie Time-Turner.

Words count: 975.

A/N: Heya! I dropped this au in @impishtubist askbox some time ago and since it refused to leave my brain I'm now forced to write about it idk. I’ll write Sirius and Remus’ first meeting (in twelve years) for a later microfic I think lmao. Hope you like it! 💕

@wolfstarmicrofic

read on ao3.

-

Remus is worrying himself sick, pacing alone in the kitchen, opening and closing the fridge to make sure the cake is still here, getting the glasses out, putting them back in, starting making tea, forgetting it halfway through the process. He should have joined them after work, but he was too stressed and too scared of somehow destroying Seren’s chances.

It’s her last audition today. Some sort of chemistry test? To see if she gets along with the other actors? It all made sense when she was excitedly telling him about it yesterday again, but it’s like his brain is mush now.

The door opens, cutting him down from his own spiral, and Remus perks up, more stressed out by the whole affair than his daughter ever was.

“Dad! Dad! I got it!”

Seren appears in the kitchen, grinning like the little gremlin she is, teeth out and her brown curls slipping free from the careful braid Mary pushed them into this morning. Her eyes, a circle of dark brown cascading into a warm grey, are shining with delight and joy, and Remus finds himself breathless with love — just like almost twelve years ago, when they put this small, red, squealing baby on his chest with a congratulation.

His daughter jumps into his arms and he laughs in tandem with her. “That’s amazing! I knew you could do it!” He lets her free, just enough to put his hands on her cheeks and look at her in the eyes. “I’m so proud of you.”

She beams with the force of a thousand suns.

“Thanks! It was so cool, and, oh, you’ll never guess who’s gonna play my dad in the film! And Mister Dumbledore said that we could get a TV show too!”

Albus Dumbledore, one of the most acclaimed film directors still alive, with so many successes behind him — yet so eccentric you could never guess what he will go for next. After a blockbuster about a young crowds of vigilantes saving their world from tyranny, a rather depressing story about a young orphan in the middle of WWII becoming the oppressor, and a passionate but tragic gay romance at the end of the 19th century, a coming-of-age children story is right on par for the course. Time-Turner, as it’s called, will follow a young girl — played by Seren, his own daughter! — discovering her time travel power, while dealing with her mother’s recent demise.

Which makes the father of the heroine the other lead of the film, and someone Seren will have to spend a lot of time with. Remus hopes he’s a good person. Someone nice, who wouldn’t be put-out by her unlimited energy and her never-ending supply of questions.

“So?” he asks as Seren stops talking to take a breath. “Who will play your dad?”

She grins, more excited even than before. She has always looked more like him, in general, with more elegance in her traits and grace in her body than he ever possessed. But like that — oh, like that, she looks just like…

“Sirius Black!” she yells, bouncing on her feet, and she can’t help but do a little, victorious dance.

“That’s great,” he says, croaks out more than anything, and smiles as wide as he can, drowning the drumming of his heart and fear as much as he can. “Why don’t you call your grandparents to tell them the news?” He checks the time. “And your uncle Peter? He should be out of work by now.”

Seren nods and babbles some more and disappears toward her room. Mary, who was standing silently near the door the whole time, finally comes around.

Remus starts busying himself with tea. It’s easier than thinking through his rising panic.

“So,” says Mary, because of course she cannot not say anything. For a brief second, Remus wishes Peter had been the one disponible today — he would have judged silently but not said anything, him. “You never told us Sirius Black is Seren’s father.”

He groans. His face hits the table and he considers staying here forever.

“No one knows,” he finally mumbles. “How did you even guess?”

“He was here today.” She ponders her words an instant. “They’re a lot alike.”

“But he doesn’t—” He stops himself, but Mary has known him since they were kids. She can read him too easily.

“I don't think he does.”

Remus sighs. It’s not ideal; it was already not great when Sirius Black was Seren’s idol, but it will be worse now that they’re in contact. Now that he will be in her life.

“Do I ask how it happened, since you didn’t tell me at the time, or are we doing that later when you can get drunk?”

“Second option,” Remus immediately answers. He can still remember, after all those years, how Sirius kissed him like he was important, the warmth of his hands on his body, the softness of his hair— But they had basically been strangers to each other, several hook-ups to escape boring parties resulting in Remus's panic at his sudden pregnancy and a total loss of contact. And now— Now he has so much to lose.

“I’ll call Peter,” Mary nods sagely. Then, after a beat of silence, “it will come out at some point, you know.”

“I doubt it,” he mutters, prays. “It’s not like he’ll remember me, anyway.”

How could an acclaimed actor, known all around the world, remember a random waiter he slept with twelve years ago? Remus didn’t impact his life the way Sirius impacted his. He’ll never regret it, of course — Seren is the most precious thing in his life, and all the moments preceding her existence were pretty great too — but it's not like Sirius would want to have anything to do with them, anyway.

Remus can at least try to speak it into existence.

[tirfpikachu]

i think so many wrongly trans-identified people - which obvs isn't all trans folks, just ppl like me as a detrans dyke - are just gender criminals. they're made to think that means they need to separate themselves from their agab entirely instead of just seeing themselves as a post-gender sexed creature, like a female rabbit or male dog, just a neutral body type while messing around with gender roles.

i fought all the gender off my body like it was a plague taking over me from my sexist misogynistic upbringing and Society tm. you can be cis/non-trans and still be post-gender. you can be gnc as hell and not be trans or dysphoric about your sex, or disassociating from your sex category, and instead just be anti-gender. you don't need to be trans or nonbinary to be post-gender and gnc. it can even be a political thing, a protest against the patriarchy. you just can't assume that every cis person has stereotypical cis privilege. you just can't assume that anyone who isn't trans-identified or nonbinary-identified doesn't face gncphobia that can be just as horrific as transphobia, or be uncomfortable with the gender roles forced on them. anyone visibly gnc or transitioned, or both, faces bigotry in society. this should be a better indicator of oppression than simple label terms. it should be about real, tangible experiences of gncphobia, misogyny, sexism etc.

this is why nonbinary used to not be a trans-exclusive term, btw. some people truly were like "i'm cis, i'm not trans, but i'm agender." but then people jumped in and yelled that no, that couldn't be true, they must all be trans and they must all be dysphoric, even when the person was straight up openly like no, i'm not trans, i'm fine with my sex, i just think gender roles are dumb and i think being nonconforming is cool. but that's not the case anymore; you say anything about gender being stupid, hating gender roles, hating how you're treated for being female or being male and feminine, and boom! people say you're a repressed trans person and you need to accept your "true self" away from the category of your birth sex, instead of expanding what it means to be a man/woman. you can't say you're male/female and just fooling around with presentation. unless you're a gay male drag queen of course, but even then many get pressured nowadays to identify one way or another. this helps nobody. literally nobody. just like telling a bi person they're a repressed lesbian, or telling someone straight that they "look gay" is shitty and unhelpful, and honestly often gncphobic, sexist & biphobic/homophobic... you can't simply say that someone is looking or acting trans. the feeling of not belonging to your sex category to an extreme extent, of being dysphoric, is not something you can tell from the person's appearance or behavior, right? that's not just gncphobic but also lowkey transphobic to say that you can always "just tell" unless they straight up visibly transitioned (and aren't detrans). it's shitty rhetoric. you can't get all creepily giddy at the thought of someone you know being trans too, just like it's gross when straight girls fetishize their male friend coming out as gay bc they have the classic gay bestie fantasy stuck in their head. with dysphoria there's also an ableist fetishization aspect to it as well, bc it's a disorder but its suffering and treatment is often romanticized even outside the trans community and seen as a fun little glowup. we cannot keep enabling this kind of behavior. it's simply unhealthy and actually reinforces gender roles. we should ALL be post-gender. we should ALL throw away stupid gender roles and instead be ourselves and do what we want, no matter what the patriarchy wants us to do.

it's okay to use the trans label, or to be dysphoric. it's okay to be nonbinary. but it's also okay to not be trans, yet still feel post-gender. this goes doubly for people affected by misogyny and homophobia!

[redux-iterum]

You got harassed for writing the redux. What? Why? It, it honestly is upsetting and saddening hearing that you got harrased over writing your own version of Warrior Cats.

Well, Tumblr was an incredibly contentious place when the Redux was in swing. I won't claim I was perfect and the best writer ever - very far from that, in fact, which is why I restarted this story - but as far as I know, my popularity did not sit well with a number of people, and I got folks yelling at me over...frankly, I don't remember what. I think I shoved a lot of that time out of my head so I don't have to deal with it in the present day. But it was enough that I was dreading my inbox towards the end of the Redux's run, because I knew someone was going to be calling me some variation of "problematic" or "-ist/phobe", or scolding me for something I didn't do.

I do recall that people were especially upset over one particular aspect of the worldbuilding, that being that any cat who was biologically male was not allowed in the nursery for the safety of the kits, and that included trans mollies. I explained why this was over and over, but Tumblr at the time did not accept any worldbuilding that wasn't 10000% inclusive and accepting of everyone at all times, and the eventual conclusion was that the Redux was homo-and-transphobic, somehow. Nevermind that I had stated god knows how many times that the Clans didn't care about orientation or gender identity except in one super specific area where actual cat behavior and biology played a massive role. Someone tossed out the notion that I was homo/transphobic, and that's what I became.

I'll state for the record again that I absolutely had issues with my writing, but at some point I also had folks acting like I myself was a monster who couldn't handle criticism. I have no idea where that came from - I've always made a point of staying polite and calm with everyone in every level of hostility on their end, and I stayed out of the Redux's tag to avoid seeing anything that could potentially upset me and stir me to make a comment. I still remember someone telling me to "look at what everyone has been telling you", and I had no idea what they were talking about (because, again, I stayed out of the tag), and they refused to explain themselves to me. Criticism I always welcomed; even if I didn't agree with it, I made sure to always thank the person for their input. Maybe I told someone I didn't agree or I just didn't respond to them, I don't know. Something started that notion of "Dullard can't handle criticism" up.

It was a lot of shit like that, basically. I ended the Redux because I had no more joy in the creation of it thanks to the neverending harshness I was receiving, and even when it stopped and I explained what I'd had in mind, people were STILL giving me a hard time about some of the writing decisions. I was dreading the living hell out of Iterum's reception as a result. Luckily for me, people have almost entirely been giving nothing but praise to this version. It helps that I have someone with me who can tell me when a piece of writing is bad or how I should address this idea or that notion. Editors are invaluable, folks!

[variousxreader]

I DUNNO IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT INBOX OR NOT AAAAA

CAPTAIN KOBY HEADCANONS MY BELOVED

(Haven’t watched that far into One Piece, I’m at like episode 500 so sorry if these are ooc at all)

General

- Doesn’t like coffee, no matter how much sugar or creamer he puts in it’s always not quite right or to his liking, he’s the same way with some teas.

- Keeps a pocket sketchbook or some sort of small notebook hand, sketches or writes about things he sees or thinks about.

- Favorite animal would be otters, I feel like he would see them frequently while sailing and overall likes them for their smarts, such as using rocks to open shells. Though, he absolutely adores how they hold hands or hold their kin while they sleep or float to not get lost.

- Morning person, definitely. Almost always the first one up and awake, walking around and already doing things while everyone else is still in bed.

- While he has grown up and became stronger, he’s still an easy crier. He gets emotional over things and while he can shove down the need to cry, he finds some place private to let his emotions go. He doesn’t like it when people see him cry publically, he feels like that wouldn’t make him “strong” to anyone anymore, especially with everything he has to go through.

- Struggles with anxiety, and I mean this man is brimming with it. His habit of overthinking can lead him to peril, while he has been scolded for “not doing anything and risking lives” due to it, some of his decisions after that could seem reckless, as he wouldn’t even give a second thought to the first thing that comes to mind.

- Definitely sleeps hugging a pillow, cannot sleep without hugging or holding something.

- Personal headcanon (I don’t know if we ever learn about his family or not) I think that while yes he truly did mistake the Alvida pirate’s boat for a fishing boat, he really was trying to sail away for good that day. People in his life would always tell him that he cries too easily or was too skittish about literally everything, overall bringing him down for years of his life. Yes, it was ok when he was younger, but while this behavior continued, people yelled at him more about how he needed to “not be such a crybaby” and not be so afraid of everything. Even now, he has issues dealing with people yelling or raising their voice at him.

- Another personal headcanon, this fella is so trans masc coded to me. When he found Luffy he was scared at first of course, some random ass stranger popped out of a barrel. But what really sold him is that Luffy didn’t question him at all about how he sounded or looked different, but to be quite frank, Luffy doesn’t seem like the type of person to bring that up anyway. Yes, Luffy saved him and he’s happy about that, but he also saw how he was? How he actually wanted to be? AND inspired his dreams?? The boost of confidence he got from that still fuels him to this day as a captain, that’s why he still looks back to that day, the first day someone saw him for who he actually was and didn’t question him. Still questions to this day if he’s valid or even passing for that matter, but that memory always helps him with dysphoria.

S/O

- Loves spooning, he doesn’t care if he's big or little spoon, he’s perfectly content either being held or him holding you. Though, he does have the habit of being mostly big spoon since he wants to protect you and keep you safe.

- His love language would definitely be quality time, especially with how long he has to be gone for sometimes. When he comes back after whatever duties he had, all he wants to do is spend some time with you doing whatever. Could be something as little as just sitting and holding each other in silence, or something more like going shopping or on a date. Though, his favorite thing to do would probably be being able to snuggle up with the person he cares the most about and rest without having to worry.

- Love hugging his s/o from behind and resting his head on their back or shoulder, depending on his height.

- This man is all green flags, will absolutely pamper his s/o if they’re feeling under the weather and sooth them if they’re not feeling 100%.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes btw :3€

AAAAA GOD TIER HEADCANONS!!!! I love them all!!!!!!

Don't you worry, im crawling through Impel Down, dreading 482 and what comes after 🙃 Ace girl things™️

But AAAAA no SADS JUST KOBY

This man has abused golden retriever energy, like rescued and bounced back and is the healthiest boy now.

He is a literal cinnamon roll!!!!!

God he'd cry over every animal he sees because its so cute. Like "S/O! Look!!!!! At them!!! Can we adopt them?!" Its so hard to say no

I loveeeeeeee the idea of him falling for a Pirate. Man is so upset about it too at first, like he is so in denial about it. Till a silly fanfic esq situation gets them alone and he can't deny the attraction, physical and emotional anymore?! Chefs kiss the drama!

I also love the idea for Trans masc Koby, that Garp is just like Luffy in his acceptance, like hes so confused as to why people would be upset that Koby identifies as a man. "You say you're a man so you're a man. " simple as that.

Also, forehead kisses on his scar!!!!!

Steal his bandana to tie up your own hair, the mans heart nearly stops and he clutches his chest.

Also i love the idea of his S/O trolling Alvida in subtle ways. As petty revenge on Koby's behalf. Like just any chance they get, they fuck with her. Steals her hat or something just goofy shit that you know would drive the unhinged woman mad.

Koby would 10/10 write little love poems in that notepad/ sketch book for his s/o or crush. Not that he'd be brave enough to share. He could be convinced. Lol

Hes a precious little Peony

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hi Cas :) I just need a lil advice if that’s okay. I’m straight but i’m proudly dating a trans man, and so we celebrate pride every year. 

I’ve had people come up to me recently and ask me why I’m celebrating pride. I don’t make it a trend to out my boyfriend to people I vaguely know, so I tell them I’m an ally. 

I celebrated pride before I met my boyfriend (about 3 years ago) and I am an ally now, but to be entirely honest (and i regret this now), I didn’t used to care that much. 

I used to say I was an ally- but I don’t think I really was. I just sort of, didn’t care. But now I can proudly say I am an ally :) 

Anyway, recently someone who me and my boyfriend have been like semi-friends with (I met him through my boyfriend actually) asked me why I celebrate pride. I told him i’m an ally. And he said “but like, you’re more than an ally right? Cause of *boyfriend*”

This confused me, so I told him “No? I mean *boyfriend* has definitely opened my eyes more to the lgbtq+ community since I started dating him, but i’m still an ally? What do you mean?”

Then he begun a rant on how people who date trans people ARENT ACTUALLY STRAIGHT. 

I am angered. 

I am very angered.

I’m not gonna say it was easy at first, I wasn’t very well acquainted with the lgbtq+ community, i had sort of a, live and let live, opinion I guess. 

But when I met my boyfriend I fell for him pretty fast (which isn’t my usual style). 

It threw me when I found out, but I never really did question that I’m straight?

And i’m not questioning that now or anything, I love my boyfriend, we’re actually engaged (as of two months, he proposed on the anniversary of the day we met) and we’re planning our wedding and going to pride like we always do and everything. (And in case you’re wondering, we agreed i’d carry on saying boyfriend instead of fiancé, until I can say husband, cause he says it’s one of the little things that’s gender affirming ❤️) 

I guess I just don’t really understand why people think that dating a trans person changes your identity. For example, my family found out he was trans near the beginning because my sister cyber stalked him, found an old photo and figured it out. And then she “accidentally” told our parents (she’s since apologised), and they were all cool with it (although I was irritated he’d been outed) but they all IMMEDIATELY assumed I was Bi? And that I just hadn’t told them. 

Usually I ignore this (and i’m not offended that they think i’m part of the community or anything) but I find it a bit… like it’s de-valuing him and who he is? I don’t know if that makes sense, but it’s like saying he’s not actually a man- cause I have to be something else to love him? 

It just pisses me off, but he never seems bothered by it. In all the years i’ve known him, and everything we’ve talked about, he continues to be unbothered by it, saying that he can’t change other ignorance.

And yeah okay he’s right, he shouldn’t have to explain himself and neither should I. But why do people feel the need to assume? Or worse, give me a SPEECH about how i’m “probably not straight cause my boyfriends trans?” 

Also, I seem to run into the same problem with his lgbtq+ friends saying that to me AS WELL? 

Most of his friends are genuinely so lovely, and they all adore me (cause i’m awesome) and I adore them (cause they’re awesome) but there’s one or two who consistently make jokes about me liking more than men because of my boyfriend?

If they make comments in front of the others they’re always yelled at, and my boyfriend always tells them to leave me alone. But he makes these excuses for their comments, like the environment they grew up and they lives they’ve had. And I don’t feel like I have the right to tell them what jokes they can and can’t make, but really? 

Why make a joke that I HAVE to be something other than straight to date my BOYFRIEND. Stop saying he’s anything less than a normal man? Like I don’t gettt ittt at all. 

Someone once told me the definition of straight was to only feel sexual attraction to the opposite gender and that’s why i’m not straight. 

And I told them he IS the opposite gender.

And they went, yeah but he’s not Cis.

(also can I add a real quick, you literally cannot be a feminist and transphobic. Because so many people have said to me that the difference is what’s in his pants. Why do you care what’s in his pants? Why does anyone? Isn’t that the whole point? It’s so annoying). 

OKAY I guess this is just a rant. I can’t ask for advice on how to get everyone to just magically stop being a dick. BUT WHY? Why are some people like this? 

Maybe if you don’t understand something, just leave it alone. Don’t keep harassing me about whether or not i’m straight and DEFINITELY don’t ask me in front of my boyfriend dipshit. 

Ooooo, this is WOW

Okay so...ugh. I'm trying to form my thoughts.

You are completely right. Dating a trans person doesn't change your sexuality. If you, a woman, are attracted to men and only men, then you are straight. It doesn't matter if those men are trans or cis.

I think the problem is, and I'm trying to word this correctly, SOME people who are arguing otherwise think they are doing so for a good reason? Like they're being allies? they want to recognize trans people as part of the lgbtqia+ community so much that they forget that trans people can be STRAIGHT, and so can their partners. It doesn't make trans people any less a part of the community, it just means that they're...straight.

By mixing up gender and sexuality, these people are essentially being the opposite of allies to trans people. They're not seeing trans men as men and vice versa. its hurtful and invalidating.

So yeah, you are completely in the right, and I think it's important to remember that even people in the LGBTQIA+ community are NOT perfect. EVERYONE needs to constantly work on being educated.

Also, shout out to you for being such an amazing girlfriend. You really seemed to be working to support your boyfriend and his needs.

Naming you straight anon <3

[underestimated-heroine]

sure this has been said before and said better, but we get into dicey territory talking about romantic/sexual preferences--or "types"--a lot of the time because...well firstly, the subject is obviously intensely personal, but also because quite frequently what's happening isn't:

someone has a preference/type

they are hated for it.

but instead:

someone has a preference/type

they go around talking about it in inappropriate settings and in ways that are hurtful; badgering people and even "testing" them (ex. demanding to know if they're "bad" for not liking [x])

people are disgusted, hurt by them, wary of them...and well, yeah, maybe hate them (especially when systemic oppression plays such a significant role in influencing one's "type.")

to me the most revealing element of this is the power dynamics that are almost always at play; people only get away with it safely if they're "type"-badgering one way...and it ain't up. it reminds me of a well-spotted maxim i read about here the other day:

I’m especially interested in how people police each other’s reactions, and how the accumulation of that policing at the individual and societal level leads us to start policing our own, with disastrous results. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The “national pastime” in the USA isn’t baseball, it’s debating exactly how much other people are allowed to react to something that hurts and upsets them. There’s almost a formula in play, where, the more power I have (or assume I have) relative to you, the more I expect you to keep your reactions to the things I do to you to a decorous mumble that I can safely ignore without having to change anything about myself (but also, the louder I will yell about how “dramatic” and “over-sensitive” you are). 

women can tell you they absolutely don't safely get away with saying they prefer certain things in men. no matter how carefully or how long they avoid hurting anyone, giving the truth demanded of them will very likely lead to anger, manipulation tactics, and quite possibly abuse and violence.

trans women not being considered "allowed" to be "picky" is a major vehicle of transmisogynistic abuse. this is how and why so many trans women are preyed on by violent men. "they're just grateful for anything, "they'll do anything to please", "nothing's off limits"...these are common fallback lines of the transmysoginistic predator. a trans woman who defies this by rejecting someone for not being her type, no matter how nicely, is in a very scary position.

we hear white people say they're "not into black people" all the time. not only is it much more commonly said and accepted than when black folks say they don't want to date white people, but white people are incredibly eager to condemn black preferences overall, barging in on discussions which are really intracommunal.

and radfems use "type"-badgering to "prove" the "men" (trans women) who get angry and upset at them for doing this are "violent misogynists", that "maleness" is violence, and to indoctrinate each other. stories of the angry reactions their "type"-badgering got, screenshots from lgbtq+ spaces where people "ganged up on them" for saying they don't date trans women (usually they also said something along the lines of "i can tell when they're trans") are passed around in radfem spaces as Evidence that the Shadow of Maleness is infiltrating womanhood and preying on them...

...yet they're the ones invoking the maxim.

and sure enough, they are not going to cishet male-dominated spaces to do so. they are "type"-badgering specifically in queer/trans-inclusive spaces. functionally, it is nothing more than reactionary maintenance of a power structure which benefits them, and a bid to provide depth to the sense/fear of victimhood they've externalized and phenomenalized (this is a big part of why we say just don't engage.)

these are just a few examples, obviously. the last one is a good chunk of the reason i really made this post. because despite the fact that i'm sure most of us feel all this should go without saying, or can be shortened to "don't be an asshole", i really think it's relevant enough to the conversation about transphobia and exclusionism in leftist & queer spaces that it does need to be addressed, and probably more often.

[jamesunderwater]

Only if you have time (maybe i'm nr 5 ;-)

“ if anybody were to kiss me, i would want that person to be you. “ for jily please

ahhhhhhhh this is NOT what i thought was gonna come out of this prompt when i first read it, but i hope you enjoy nonetheless. it's my first trans james potter fic <3 (btw, 10 points to the first person who gets the glaring reference ;p)

Jily: “if anybody were to kiss me, i would want that person to be you.”

When they were eleven, James and Lily almost kissed. Back when James was Jamie, and lived in the girls’ dorms, and didn’t understand that the way he liked girls was not in a ‘I want to be just like you! I want to be your friend so badly!’ way, but in a ‘I want to give you flowers and tell you how pretty you are so I can watch you blush and tuck your hair behind your ear’ kind of way – in a ‘can I be your boyfriend’ kind of way, even though he was supposed to be the one wanting a boyfriend, not being one.

They were eleven and all the first year Gryffindor girls had agreed to pull an all-nighter. Everyone was talking about first kisses, first boyfriends, first periods – all the things James hated thinking about. But Lily had noticed his discomfort, because she always noticed, and scooted close to him to quietly ask if he was alright. And James had wished everyone else was asleep or gone entirely, because he loved sitting close to Lily like this, loved when it was just the two of them – just like every young girl always feels with her friends.  

They weren’t alone, though, and next thing he knew Matilda was yelling out, “Ooh, Jamie, if you’re so nervous about your first kiss, you could always practice with Lily��” His cheeks burned at the thought, but he’d turned to see Lily’s reaction before deciding his own. 

She’d wrinkled her pink nose. “Jamie? Jamie doesn’t want to kiss me!”

Okay, right – of course he didn’t want to kiss her. They were friends! They were two girls! He couldn’t want to kiss her. He didn’t want to, not one bit. “Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t want to kiss you,” he’d said, copying her tone of alarm. 

Evidently, though, while he wasn’t supposed to want to kiss Lily, he also shouldn’t not want to kiss Lily – because she scoffed, and Matilda cackled, and several other girls gasped. When he looked more closely, James saw that Lily’s cheeks had turned bright red. “Well, I didn’t realize I was such a horrible option,” she’d glared, earning more snickers from around the room. James’ heart sank into his stomach and through the floor, his mouth opening and closing until his own cheeks were burning, and he gave up.

From that moment on, nothing was the same with Lily again. Not after he came out as a lesbian, then trans, eventually moving to the boys’ dorm as he started his social transition to James, the boy. Not when he started physically transitioning, eventually dating straight girls as a straight boy. Not when Lily came out as bisexual, one of the only people in all of Hogwarts to bravely claim that identity. 

And still he thought of her, of course, every time he bought a girl flowers, every time someone tucked their hair behind their ear, every time he had a first kiss. A fleeting wish, accompanied by a wondering: if he’d just been born a boy, would they have had a chance? If he’d not had to fight and claw his way to being an average, arrogant teenage boy, but simply been one by right, would he have taken the opportunity when it presented itself? An all-nighter shared between the fifth year boys and girls of Gryffindor, perhaps; a game of truth or dare or spin-the-bottle; someone laughing as they teased, Oi, James, if you want to practice kissing so bad, why don’t you kiss Lily right now? And Lily, shocked, saying quickly, No, no, James doesn’t want to kiss me, trust me.

Would he then, in that world, have had the nerve to say, ‘Well, if anybody were to kiss me, I’d want that person to be you’?

----

send me prompts! (though note that I currently have 7 in the queue)

[lukabitch]

Sorry if the requests are closed I couldn't find a post detailing it

Anyway can I request trans masc reader who's too nice for they're own good and tries to talk sense into the killers

Preferably Wraith, Hillbilly and Bubba but I'm fine with Ghostface or anyone besides frank and freddy

Request are almost always open. The reader sounds like the most innocent thing in the realm. Thank you so much for the request! :)

Killers: Wraith, Hillbilly, and Bubba the baby boy.

Tw: typical dbd violence, mentions of cannibalism, parental abuse mentioned(Hillbilly and Bubba), transphobia.

Wraith:

Oh okay.

He’s a bit confused but it doesn’t bother him as much.

He’ll just continue with the trial as usual but would give you the hatch.

Finds it cute when you try to talk him out of it every trial.

Usually ends up saying your too pure of heart.

Has told you on multiple occasions that he would stop if he could. It’s just a ghost haunting him.

Every damn time you would pull him into a hug telling him it doesn’t have to be like that.

He almost cries when you do this. Your just too sweet.

He would become more defiant to the Entity.

Practically protects you with his life. He won’t let anything happen to his sweet boy.

If someone was being transphobic towards you they will be missing a spine.

He has and will always be there for you. You mean too much to him to let you be upset.

He loves you with all his heart. You showed a side to him he thought was lost long ago.

Hillbilly:

Someone actually showing genuine concern for him? He’s never had that happen before.

Seriously he literally melts from just you showing concern and trying to get him to change.

He’ll just let you ramble to him about how he could be a good person.

He always pats you on the head and walks off.

Even if he wanted to turn a new leaf he couldn’t exactly communicate that to you. He doesn’t know exactly how to speak because of the neglect and abuse of his parents.

He can only really make noises that sound like words. Lucky for him you were quick to notice what he was trying to say.

With how nice and innocent you are it repulses him to have to hurt you. He honestly doesn’t want to so he saves you for last to make it less painful.

He lets you go when he can.

Every time he does let you he sees you smile and lets you ramble about how you could let all of them go next time.

He never does let all of you go. He can’t take the beating the entity would give him.

If someone is being transphobic they will be horrifically dismembered.

One time you were trying to talk sense into him and a survivor yelled slurs at you from afar.

Yeah they didn’t last long he will protect with all his heart. It’s his only way to show that he cares without being sucked into the void.

Bubba:

He’s incredibly confused.

Remember he was raised into believing that it was normal to eat people.

After awhile of you trying to talk him out of it he gets a bit weary. He truly takes your words to heart.

Remember how he treats Stretch in tcm2? He treats you very similar.

He’s kind to you and tries to keep you being alive low key. It doesn’t work at all but come on he’s trying! :(

He gives you a hug every time you try to talk him out of it.

He can’t communicate properly at all. He can only make a mess of noises and squeals.

He considers the two of you close and bring you gifts! Isn’t that lovely?

The gift was makeup, it makes him happy why wouldn’t you make happy?

You tried to explain to him. He does kind of understand what your saying just very loosely.

He just saw you become really uncomfortable when someone was calling you a girl.

It’s chainsaw time baby! He swung it like his life depends on it.

At the end of the day he wants to change for you because he cares about you. He just can’t change due to circumstances.

[pickastitch]

Hai i want to listen to you talk about gem again. Any thoughts on empires s1 gem ? (If u already told me then tell me again plz n thank u <3 )

confession time, the s1 e!gem that is always brainrotting is pretty different from canon s1 e!gem (from what i can remember) so i'm going to talk about my pantheon au version of gem

i like to think gem would say, "it's free to be a hater" after sausage or fwhip does some stupid shit. on a more serious note, i feel there has to be some genuine resentment towards them two for dragging her into their bs, even if it's not a lot it is there. gem killing sausage in that one important lore bit was so cathartic to her

gem really admires katherine mainly because of how non involved she is with everything. she always feels the need to help everyone (see my gem character analysis post), and the fact that katherine just steps back is enviable to her

in my head, gem also uses a lot more fire magic than she does in the series; this contracts nicely with katherine's nature magic. gandalf, her cat, will decide if they like a person or not, and that will be gem's first impression of a person. it's quite hard to break from it too

now i'm going to dip in to some hc s8 territory, but it will come back to esmp s1. at the start of the series, gem has no clue she is bi and false is actually her gay awakening. gem looks up to her a lot, and she watches her run away and leave her friends behind. this leads to her reaction during the rapture (season ending), where she only takes fwhip because he directly asked, instead of helping out everybody. like come on, they both fly away on their base defining organic

fwhip and gem were royalty, but because gender roles, their parents were forcing gem to be king (trans roseblings tust), gem felt like her only option was to run away. when she finds out about the crown made by fwhip, she is a little uncomfortable with the concept but doesn't say anything. though when others try to convince her she should get it gem is beyond pissed

before she ran away, pearl showed her all about rifts (it has something to do with amethyst shards, but that's a whole different post) and offers to take her to hermitcraft, which she refuses. until she wants to run away and then goes to the place she wants to set up her village and then goes to another world while everyone is searching for her

gem's relationship with shrub is very unique because she so wants to just yell at them for bringing xornoth to the overworld and then spreading it across her place. on the other hand, she sees herself in them as someone who also ran away from home. but then that gets ruined when she is infected with xornoth via shrub

when she still lived with her family, pearl and sausage lived in neighboring empires, and they all grew up together. gem and sausage dated a bit when they were really young, so they are exs on technicality. most of her romantic feelings have gone away, but whenever sausage firts with her, a crush appears for a day and then goes away. she hates this more than anything else. then they grow up, and gem realizes she likes women and then realize she likes pearl specifically. and then pearl and sausage get together (actually qpr, but gem doesn't know that), and she swears off of romance

and the connection to the void and the end and all that stuff is a pretty important part of this au but ehhhh y'know

[sirfrogsworth]

The new Chris Rock comedy special was *rough*.

His acts have been deteriorating for a while now. But this was just a train wreck. He refuses to evolve and adapt. But the biggest issue... it was just a bad performance.

When I was trying to learn how to do stand up, his comedy specials were like a masterclass. Even if you didn't care for the content, his writing and delivery were always polished and razor sharp. You could tell he worked his ass off to get his material as close to perfection as possible. Probably telling the same jokes over and over at small clubs for months before filming.

A stand up joke is typically a premise a punchline and a button. The premise is usually a compelling story or anecdote, the punchline is the subversion of expectations (aka the joke), and the button is how you transition to your next premise. It allows for laughter to die down without an awkward pause. And he was such a natural. He flowed from one to the other so effortlessly. He must have practiced constantly to get his performance that smooth while making it still sound spontaneous and authentic.

But this latest act was all over the place. His delivery was forced and awkward. His transition from premise to punchline to button felt like he kept stepping on rakes. In spots it almost seemed like he was debuting brand new material that he never tested on an audience before. And he completely ruined one of his jokes near the end. Just monumentally biffed it. By the time you are filming a special, your material should be muscle memory. Sure, it was live and mistakes can happen. But usually it is a fumbled word or a stutter or something. I've never seen someone demolish their entire joke during a performance of that import.

And then there was the content. Only a few of his jokes hit. I mean, the audience was laughing in all the right spots. And there are reasons why captive audiences will do that. Especially if they are loyal lifelong fans who want to justify the price of the ticket. But I don't think I even cracked a smile.

Some of the jokes didn't even seem like jokes. He just seemed angry. Angry at women. Angry at his ex wife. Angry at Jada Pinkett Smith. He blamed her more for the slap than Will.

It all just seemed lazy--similar to Chappelle. He didn't spend much time writing. He didn't spend much time polishing. He didn't spend much time rehearsing. He didn't challenge himself to do any reinvention of his style. It was like a bad imitation of himself. As if he thought, "If I yell enough they will probably laugh and I'll get paid."

There is also this thing many comedians will do as a sort of challenge. They will take a controversial topic that other comics have gotten in trouble for and they will try to find a way to make similar jokes without consequences. The idea is to come as close to the line as possible without crossing it. George Carlin's Porky Pig rape joke is a famous example.

So Mr. Rock decided to give his views on transgender folks.

Because of course he did.

I knew exactly what he was doing the second he started talking about trans people. He wanted to succeed where Chappelle failed and his approach was... transparent.

Chris claimed *he* wasn't transphobic because he was "an artist." And if his dad was trans he would be completely okay with it. He repeated this like 50 times to make sure people knew he was not transphobic. And then he devised a super duper non-obvious clever scheme for how he could still tell transphobic jokes without appearing transphobic.

He told the jokes as his less enlightened "truck driving" older brother.

BRILLIANT!

It wasn't HIM saying transphobic stuff, it was just what he imagined his older brother would say if their father were a woman. And then he did nothing to show that his imaginary "brother" was in the wrong.

So if you have a problem, please send all complaints to his brother who never actually said any of those things and not the person who actually manifested those thoughts and repeated them to millions.

The cherry on top of his transgender material?

The One Joke™.

Yep. He did the whole "I identify as..." and "my pronouns are..." and it was just sad.

Instead of "Selective Outrage" I think his act should have been called, "Let me explain why I am bitter about women taking my money and I don't care if you laugh or not."

[floralovebot]

why do people think he was meant to be a woman? helia’s design was very clearly based off shojo anime love interests à la tuxedo mask (although i strongly believe the main inspiration for his design was actually goemon ishikawa from lupin iii lol)

exactly!!! the entire "mysterious pretty long haired boy who is gentle but can still fight for you" is lifted directly from shojo anime like ajdkajdg personally, i think he was inspired by hotohori from fushigi yuugi !! (at least in terms of visuals,, ajhgl) (it's extra funny to me cause there's an entire joke about hotohori being so beautiful that everyone thinks he's a woman aldjhg) (also helia's initial design being red instead like... bro.....)

look at this bitch!!! they stole his hair!!!

anyway this rumor is so dumb too like it's been around for Years (i remember being ten looking at forum posts about this) but no one has ever found proof or even implications. no one from rainbow has ever confirmed this. years ago, someone probably said something along the lines of "helia is so feminine i wonder if he was meant to be a girl at first" and everyone else just fucking ran with it.

i know at one point the popular rumor was that rainbow wanted to introduce two new winx members (aka aisha and helia) but decided that would be too much and just went with aisha instead and made helia a boy. which like. cmon aldhg

but it's just SO so bad like it's literally just white people going "oh wow long hair into art And poetry??? WOMAN" it's like ?? the fans who think they're being progressive for this too like ajdhglda you are Literally just doing gender stereotypes. that's what you're doing here. you saw a man with long hair and a quiet personality and went "aha! i have discovered that you are secretly a woman!" like. buddy. you sound like a right wing lugnut yelling about "we can always tell" like BOOOOOO

again i really do think a good test is if you can't see any of the other specialists (especially brandon and sky) as women or as trans men then you shouldn't headcanon helia like that. if you can't see white muscular men as "feminine" in any way, then you shouldn't be doing that to helia. (anyway woman!sky my beloved) (someone ask me about sky secretly being a girl au NOW) (LESBIAN SKOOM LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO)

anyway i'm starting a new rumor: tecna was actually supposed to be a boy specialist but they didn't want two nerds in the group so they made him a girl and put her in the winx instead. you can still see clear masculine elements in her design like her short hair, brutish personality, and interest in technology. things we all know women would never have. follow for more fun winx club facts!!!!

(that's how stupid ignorant and frankly misogynistic you all sound when making your helia was clearly a woman posts fuck you fuck you fuck you)

[viburnt]

hellooo! can I request Izuku Midoriya x trans!male reader where the reader has just lost a friend because they’re trans (the friend turned out to be transphobic)? I just lost a friend bc I’m trans and I’ve been needing some comfort lol! sorry for kinda dumping my problems onto you, have fun with this request! — ⭐️ annon (hi im new lol)

Hi, my sweet cherub! Thank you for requesting, and I'm sorry you had to go through something so painful. At least, the trash took itself out, I hope you're doing better now. You can always talk to me if you need, stay safe, and enjoy a little angst-comfort with your boy, Izuku.

-Viburnt

Trigger warnings: Mentions of transphobia

𝑰𝒛𝒖𝒌𝒖 𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒚𝒂 || 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕

—Hey... are you here?— Izuku asked softly, his head peeking through the door of your room to check on you. You'd locked yourself in after receiving a text during class, and Izuku - being the perceptive person he was - knew something was wrong.

The tears that were once shy in your eyes had turned into blurry fat drops, ashamed that Midoriya had to see you so distraught, affected in a way he could, perhaps, not understand.

—Leave me alone!— You yelled, your bloodshot gaze looking at him with an expression he'd never witnessed before. The breaths you somewhat managed to achieve were short and shaky, upset and startled by the wave of emotions surging in you.

You were hurt and, certainly, you were scared; he could see it by the way you'd chosen to curl up in one of the corners of your dorm.

—I'm not leaving, especially not when I know you are not doing ok.— He said, cautiously trying to de-escalate the situation. If you could understand how important you were to him, you'd see why he was so worried about you.

Slowly but firmly, he allowed himself to sit by your side, giving you space but remaining close enough to let you know he wasn't going to let go easily of you.

You couldn't help but blurt what happened, vulnerable and frail. It was like being exposed to the world, a world that seemed not to like you very much.

—They left me, Izu- I, why? Did I do something wrong?— Midoriya heard you hiccup, your voice drowning between sobs and whimpers. His heart clenched in pain with every cry that escaped your lips, his arms finding their way around your body to embrace you.

—Who left you?— He asked. You reached for your phone, showing him the text of a friend - ex-friend - saying they no longer wished to be with you, all because of your identity.

Anger arose from Midoriya's chest, his teeth clenching in rage. “What the heck is wrong with some people? The audacity-” He thought. Anyone would be affected if someone important to them suddenly decided to call quits because of their personal life.

—You didn't do anything wrong. I promise you…— You heard the greenette assure, but the voices in your head were telling you otherwise. —You're perfect just the way you are, and - the people that truly matter are here for you.

—You'll leave me too, right?— Izuku heard you ask, frowning at your words. How could anyone dare to do this to a human being?

—I won't, I'll never leave. I promise!— The boy pledged, rubbing small soothing circles on your back. —I'll be by your side for as long as you'll have me…

Sniffing, you looked at your freckled friend with hope. He'd never lied to you, and for so long, he'd always stayed true to his vows.

—I just, I don't know…

—But I know, and while I don't have the same experiences you have, be sure that I'll be here to support you in every decision you take.— He told you with a sunny smile, holding you close as the remnants of your emotional torment flowed.

—You don't think I'm a freak?— You meekly whispered, gripping his shirt as if it were keeping you afloat.

—Of course not! You're the coolest person I know, regardless of how you present yourself.— He cooed, basking in the way your lips timidly curled into a smile.

—There you go, see? Your friends, your true friends, they love you. I love you, no matter what. And if that person decided to leave because of something like that, then screw them! Who needs them?— Midoriya preached. Wiping the dampness off your cheeks, you nodded in agreement.

—You're right, I- I think it was for the best.— You answered. It was as clear as daylight now, the ones that mattered didn't mind, and those who mind didn't matter.

— Now, come. Want to see if there are any All Might ice cream pops at the convenience store?— Izuku offers. —My treat.

—The ones that are always deformed because they melted?

—Precisely!

You grinned, more comfortably and lighter than before. —Thanks Izu, I could do with a treat right now.

Midoriya kissed the side of your head sheepishly but content; he was not going to let anyone harm you.

—We can watch a movie after that, a-and maybe even hang out with Iida and Ochako!— He added.

You felt a warm sensation nest on your heart; Izuku was a real friend.

[pjsk-writin]

Heyaa!

I'm the anon who requested the trans reader who was scared to come out due to fear of rejection (yes ik it's been a while since that request but I thought I should say thanks!)

Anyway, can I request Rui and Tsukasa (seperate) where the reader writes them a letter that highlights everything they love about rui/tsukasa.

Like they leave it on rui/tsukasas desk before they leave the house after a visit. Just wanna see how either of them would react to the letter.

Have a lovely day! I hope your doing well and Happy new year!

aww yaya ofc !! have a lovely day too, a late happy new year and I hope u like this !! <3

♡ LOVELY LETTER - Rui Kamishiro and Tsukasa Tenma x Reader

Rui:

If there's one thing that Rui isn't used to, it's being appreciated. Sure, WxS are absolutely wonderful, but having someone tell him what they appreciate? Well, he's not used to it to say the least-

Which is why even before the letter, he gets flustered whenever you tell him how much you appreciate him. He will always shrug you off with a wave of his hand, but you can see how red his face gets

His constant (flustered) denial towards your appreciation causes you to write the letter in the first place. If he was going to shrug you off each time, then maybe something physical for him to read and look at would help!

The two of you were hanging out at his house as per usual, although you had slipped the letter onto his desk without him seeing

After you had left, he was going through his blueprints when he saw an envelope he hadn't seen before. Tilting his head, he picked it up, noticing your name was on the front

He let out a huff of amusement, you sure were sneaky to leave it on his desk without him noticing. He carefully opened the letter and began to read

His eyes went wide as he continued to read, eyes slowly beginning to tear up as he took in each and every word

You described everything you loved about him, and even though you weren't there, he could already imagine the grin on your face as you wrote it all down

There was just something so genuine about your letter that he couldn't stop himself from crying. They were happy tears of course, but the thought that someone cared for him that much, someone like you for that matter, was enough to make him cry

When he finds you the next day, he doesn't even say anything. He simply pulls you in for a tight hug, shaking slightly as he mumbles a small, "Thank you."

Tsukasa:

As a future star, Tsukasa will always relish in every compliment thrown his way! He loves being appreciated, and he loves personal and genuine compliments even more!

This is why he always seems to swell with pride whenever you compliment him. He'll give you his usual spiel of, "Of course you'd think that, I am a future star after all!!" However, you can always see how flushed his face gets <3

Seeing how much he appreciates your compliments, you decide to write him a letter that highlights everything you love about him. It would definitely help him whenever he needs cheering up!

You were at his house as you usually were, but you had managed to slip the letter onto his desk without him noticing. It wasn't too hard, considering he was focused on showing you poses-

After you left, he had sat down at his desk to look over a script when he saw an envelope he'd never seen before. He stared at it confusion before picking it up, finding your name on the front

He laughed gently, a wide grin on his face. Ah, did you have something to say that you couldn't say to his face? How cute! He opens the envelope and begins to read

His grin only managed to grow wider as he read through the letter, his entire body beginning to grow warm

You described every single thing you loved about him, and as he got further and further into the letter, he only grew warmer. You always managed to notice things others didn't

He was so excited, so warm after reading your letter that he shot out of his seat, yelling about how much he loves you! He danced around his room, giddy like a little kid as he thought over everything you wrote. He was definitely going to pin the letter to his wall!

When he finds you the next day, he can't stop himself from picking you up and spinning you, loudly proclaiming his love for you to anyone who was watching <3

[void-galaxy-shenanigans]

Very sincerely & frustrated at the system:

The bar for men (and those perceived as such) is on the floor. I’m talking about kindness to customer service workers, helping people who ask.

As a trans masc autistic person who has been on T for almost a year & a half, as someone who has crossed the grey area & is now fully assumed AMAB*, I’m hyperaware of gender norms & expectations. I’m learning on the fly what most people assume I already know. And this is one of the things I’m aware of, and don’t like (to say the least).

(* I got blessed with androgynous genes + I like having longer hair, but I’m also ✨unfortunately endowed✨, so most people can’t tell if I’m trans masc, trans fem, or just an effeminate/queer man, & I don’t care to correct any of them. I basically pass as ‘question-mark something not-cisgendered’, but I do pass enough thanks to facial hair & body weight distribution to be assumed assigned/accused male now.)

The relief on a cashier’s face when I don’t yell at them for messing something up, & their anxiety as they realize it was messed up. The relaxing of shoulders when they hear me say “please”.

The way that one of the residents (an old man) at a potential job (disabled/elderly care) smiles at me for how kind I am when I ask him how to get the receptionist’s attention without screaming for them or something else I would consider rude. The way how I say please & thank you to a desk receptionist, & they immediately gush about how much of a gentleman I am. The way the employees come out of the back to greet me because the receptionist was gushing.

The way that people of all genders smile when I hold open the door & mumble a thank you (especially men). The way (in reverse) they blink when I say thank you.

The way people tell me how well-dressed I am, in just a t-shirt & form-fitting sweatpants, because my clothes are clean with no visible holes (let’s be real, most of my stuff has small holes; I thrift), & because my hair has minimal effort put into it (shampoo & conditioner, combed/half-heartedly styled (it doesn’t take a lot, my hair is curly & loves to do its own thing)). The way they’re pleasantly surprised that I show up to interviews or appointments having actually showered beforehand.

There’s more I can’t think of right now. But the grooming standards are on the floor, as are the communication standards.

For contrast, before I crossed the threshold, here are the same types of situations:

I won’t lie that cashiers are always relieved when you don’t yell at them. But the please & thank you are expected & don’t cause any relief or response.

The way I would ask people the same type of questions (how to get the receptionist’s attention) & either be ignored or (if they did help) get checked out by someone twice (or more) my age. The way I was expected to say please & thank you, & got side looks if I forgot (I usually didn’t, but after daily contact with coworkers, if I was sleep deprived I might forget).

The way men got annoyed if I opened/held the door for them, & if possible opened the other door to avoid going through the one I opened.

The absurd grooming standards of what you’re “allowed” to wear, how styled & perfect your hair should be, & even the expectation to wear makeup & people (including potential employers) getting annoyed/angry when I didn’t. (I was never that into makeup 🤷‍♂️.)

And to be clear, I live in a “liberal”/blue-ish area. I don’t live in a state that’s known for hard gender divides, strict rules, harsh criticism of deviance. I know some places are worse, or even much worse (one of my ex-gfs lived in northern Idaho &...yeah).

Some places are probably better, especially big cities or safe states for LGBT+ people. But my state, overall a safe place for trans people, is still incredibly transphobic & gendered.

And to anyone who sees this: If you’re masculine/a man & you can raise the standards, please do. If you date / are attracted to men or masculine people, please don’t tolerate/accept subpar treatment. It isn’t too much to expect respect.