#i do have an issue with the idea that only reblogs are valuable and that if you're not reblogging it's an insult to the poster

[monstermoviedean]

i've been on this website for twelve years and this hysteria around reblogs is a new invention. it's always couched in this weird superiority complex of "i was here first so i know" but i actually have been here a while, and no one ever told me i was personally responsible for the death of this website and all content creators until the last year or two. when i signed up the right way to use the website was to use it in any way you saw fit, and to not be a jerk. really think that should be what we return to.

[utilitycaster]

Pls ignore if the spectre of ruminating on old god-diskhorse is far too obnoxious but it's rather a jump-off point for a more general question; an issue brought up pushing back against the most obnoxious "vanguard is right eradicate those tyrant gods rq stole vax hate that bitch" ppl, aside from other things like just being deeply myopic even just from an in-universe perspective, but on a wholler narrative level requires completely ignoring or discarding campaign 1 and 2's theses and genuine connections. Largely i think these ppl's takes are more interested in self-validation than concerned with what they're actually saying when they want these things to be true (which they aren't, Matt and cast and plot progression from the peak of those discourses have made that clear), but now here's my wondering: what would it say if c3 were to be these things? By what metrics do you judge a sequel installment should it, in the pursuit of its own story, undermine or contradict the earnest, complete, already told story that preceded it and was built upon?

Hi anon,

This is a good question, and necessarily one with a subjective answer, so I hope I at least explain my thought process below! Also: this does have some spoilers for a Midst episode in Season 3 (which aired a few weeks ago). I mention this because it's a really useful example for me but this wasn't a question about Midst so you might not be expecting me to talk about it.

Firstly, I agree with you that a lot of the people who want this want the story to validate their personal beliefs. Some want it to validate political/philosophical beliefs, which is a complicated thing: on the one hand, I very much don’t want to watch a show that’s like “hey slavery is neat-o!” and doubt such a show would have much merit. On the other hand, when we’re dealing with much more complicated issues like religion, which simultaneously exists as a tool of oppression; an aspect of identity that makes one a target of oppression; a source of meaning and comfort; and a source of justification of terrible practices all in one; I think it’s extremely valuable to be exposed to a multitude of perspectives and to not just endlessly look for those that validate one’s own experiences.

Others just want the story to validate their feelings about the happenings within the narrative, which is on the one hand usually less close-minded, but on the other hand, kind of stupid. You are permitted to dislike that Vax died. I disagree, but you can feel however you want (indeed, you don’t need my, or anyone’s permission to dislike that Vax died). The story saying “The Raven Queen isn’t perfect” or even “The Raven Queen is Bad” isn’t necessary for you to have those feelings; and the Raven Queen being slaughtered isn’t per se necessary for Vax to come back (which I think would be cheap and stupid, but like, if that’s what you want you could just have him come back.) You don’t need to story to tell you that your response to the story is good, so this is ultimately a case of “why are you even doing this."

I also suspect there’s just some degree of subversion for subversion’s sake (or change for change's sake) people who were into the idea of killing the gods just to flip C1 and C2 on their respective heads. The thing is, subversion for the sole purpose of subversion has always been the province of the dull. There’s a reason why culturally we treat M. Night Shyamalan as a joke and it’s because “THERE’S A TWIST” without a strong and compelling build-up to said twist nearly always is, as the post I recently reblogged said, something that only hits hard if you’re stupid.

What I need from a story to be good is internal consistency and a strong execution. I am frequently surprised, in a very positive way, by stories that are so well-executed that they sell me on a premise with which I was less than enamored. If you’d told me that I’d feel sad about FCG’s sacrifice or extremely in favor of Phineas and Jonas’s romantic relationship during early C3 or, frankly, even the minute before I listened to Trustfall, respectively, I would have said “huh, really?” But both of these events were thoughtfully built to a point where they felt like meaningful and interesting choices for the story to take, even if that was not apparent to me earlier on.

So: the metric I’d use to judge a god-killing C3 is the same as that of any long-running story. I think there is a universe in which Campaign 3 could have made the demise of the gods a good and compelling story. But that work simply has not been done. The atrocities of the Vanguard, Weave Mind, and the Dwendalian Empire under Ludinus Da’leth; the callousness shown towards all Exandrians and Ruidians by the Vanguard and Kreviris Imperium; and most importantly the fact that there haven’t been new reveals of terrible things done by the gods and the story has instead striven to paint them as more fragile and complicated than what we’ve seen in past means that a sudden twist would, well, be cheap and only hit hard if you’re stupid. You can contradict a past story in an installment (or the earlier work in a long-running series) in a way that is not undermining if you are able to tie it together and show new information that was not available earlier! But that’s the key: it needs to be clear that the earlier works were showing a specific perspective (already a very tall order given the protagonist-only POV of D&D campaigns) or that the situation has drastically changed. If you fail to do this, then as you said, it’s undermining and it’s poorly done and a bad story.

I think that last point is also really important in thinking through the fandom response. I mentioned that I can be sold on a premise that didn’t win me over initially if the execution is strong. I think some people, and especially those gunning for a “The Gods are All Bad” story are so terrified of not being validated or of being wrong in their predictions or of criticism from other fans that they can no longer enjoy a story or comment meaningfully upon it. To which I say skill issue. I am thrilled and even grateful that, as previously mentioned, FCG had an arc that deepened their character and addressed my earlier criticism such that I could enjoy episode 91 as much as I did. I was mildly spoiled on the potential of Jonas and Phineas getting together and was, to be honest, slightly dreading it as I’d always preferred a platonic interpretation of their relationship, and then the scene in which it happened (and everything since) has been so deftly handled that I’m fully on board.

I am a far better analyst and critic of fiction than a creator of it, and I’m open about this. I am constantly surprised in ways both positive and negative by how other people tell stories, and that’s why I come back to them. I want the story to be so good that it expands my horizons and comfort zone and shows me something new. I find little joy in a story validating who I already am and what I already think. I want the story to make a better argument for what it has to say than I can make against it. If this is a competition between the story and me, I am rooting for the story to win over me and in doing so, win me over; and I am disappointed when it doesn’t.

I am also a physicist, and, famously within our understanding of physics, pretty much anything can happen; it’s all just a matter of probabilities. And so it’s hard for me to say “there’s no way this could ever be done well.” It’s very easy, however, for me to say “the eye of the needle one must thread to do this well is a micron in diameter and constantly moving.” I think it’s possible to turn the concept of a god-slaying Campaign 3 into a story that, rather than clumsily ignoring or discarding C1 and C2’s theses, transforms them and puts them in a new and unexpected light. But the narrative dexterity check required for that has always been high, and only gets higher as the actual Campaign 3 story continues along its current path.

[slyandthefamilybook]

hey, just wanted to say I have some serious respect for your genuine… neutrality I think is the wrong word. nuance, maybe? about Israel/Palestine stuff.

everything I see tells me you just want peace and comfort for people, and that you’ve managed to stay vocal and hold your ground despite attempts to the contrary by parties on both ends of the issue.

is there some pro-israel bias in what you do? maybe. id have to spend a lot more time getting a sense of how you operate to know. but ive seen enough antisemitism go unchallenged in pro-Palestine conversations that I think tumblr needs a bit of that pulling in the other direction.

if I ever start being politically active online outside of just reblogging stuff I think I would use your work here as an example, and id be quite satisfied if I lived up to it.

This is...extremely flattering, thank you. I'm honored to be held up as a standard of reasonability.

I think "pro-Israel bias" is tricky to define. A lot of people will accuse me of being pro-Israel, or at best neutral (which would be pro-Israel anyways, as they have the majority of the power). The problem is, the worse things get the harder people will fight. And the harder people fight, the further they want to go. Things keep escalating as both sides leapfrog to the greatest extreme, until neither one will accept anything less than total domination. I believe that in this rhetorical arms race, my position has remained steadfastly reasonable.

I believe first and foremost that human life is inherently valuable, and that we must do everything we can to protect it. But I'm not an idiot. I know that the world is complicated and that waters are often muddied. I'm an anarcho-communist, but I'm not going to let my political ideals blind me to reality. So if I support freedom from suffering for Palestinians, then the Zionists hate me, and that's fine. And if I support the Israelis who were taken from their homes, then the tankies hate me, and that's fine. I'm comfortable knowing I'm sticking to my principles. When Emma Lazarus said "until we are all free, we are none of us free" she was speaking out against sectarianism. Against the idea that we should only care for our own. I believe in doing things that help people. Bibi and Sinwar are helping no one but themselves with their endless assaults on civilians. War and revenge help no one except the people at the top. Far-right religious fundamentalism helps no one except the people at the top

It may sound trite, but war is not about one side versus another; it's about death versus life. There are people who are alive, and people who are not. Living people have the potential to do so much good. Dead people have the potential to decompose under 6 feet of earth. We must choose to create more life, not more death

[accidentalslayer]

Word Count: 1,497 (ish)

Warnings: Implied death, violence.

Author's Notes: Health issues continued being a problem and caused this chapter to be late as hell but I finally have it done! While this part of DL feels a little boring, I hope you like it. The next chapter will give us our first peak at Reader so that'll be exciting! Also, health is doing much much better. Let's hope I write chapter five a bit faster than I did this one LOL!

Please feed me comments, hearts, and reblogs if you liked this 🌹You can find me on A03 as: accidentalslayer

Pairing: Yandere!Elijah & Klaus Mikaelson x Fem!Reader (eventually)

Summary: You should never go to second location with William Webb.

Recommended Song: "People I Don't Like" by: UPSAHL

Chapter Four: The Prodigal Son (Part Two)

[October 2nd, 1991

Mystic Falls, Virginia]

"Isn't it just perfect?"

Carol wiggled her ring finger in front of Grace so that the diamonds on her wedding band glittered and shone underneath the dim lamplight. "I told Richard not to break the bank, but the silly man just couldn't help himself!"

"Well, I wasn't about to let my wife run around in a cheap knock-off," Rich chuckled, "What kind of husband would I be then?? My woman deserves only the best. Right, hunny?"

"Oh, Rich..."

Grace and William watched in barely suppressed disgust as the Lockwoods shared a kiss between each other. One that lasted a bit too long for it to be comfortable. At a certain point, Grace cleared her throat, hoping it would interrupt them.

"Ah, where are our manners?" Richard Lockwood asked with a coy smile, finally pulling away from his wife, "We were talking, weren't we?"

He didn't wait for either Grace or William to reply before continuing what was starting to seem like a one-way conversation.

"So, Will. What brings Mystic Falls' prodigal son back into town?? Ready to settle down and start a family with somebody special?"

Mr. Lockwood's gaze trailed (not so subtly) over onto Grace, who glowered back at him, and Will. There was cold fire burning deep within her eyes as she did. Something that was historically never a good sign when it came to Grace. William knew from experience. A shiver ran down his spine. He would need to choose his next words with care...

"Ah, no. I'm happy with being a bachelor," he said solemnly, "In all honesty, I'm too busy these days with work to pursue anything really serious."

Carol scoffed, "Oh, that's what they all say!"

"Is it, Carol?" Grace shot back, her tone brisk and lined with edges, "Is that what they all say?"

"It's how I got my Richard."

"Pretty sure you got "your" Richard another way."

"Ladies, ladies!"

"Uh..."

The tension mounting around the booth could be cut with a knife. William sensed that he'd have to alter the course of their conversation before both women murdered each other, so he began telling everyone about his new job. And the reason why he'd come back to Mystic Falls. It was 50% half truths, 50% outright lies, but either side hooked his audience and temporarily cooled down their anger. Unfortunately, it also inspired Richard to start talking about his (running) candidacy for mayor. A topic that William cared nothing about and knew was going to steal more valuable time away from him. Time he didn't have. He needed another distraction...

"DRINKS!!" William exclaimed, suddenly bolting upright in the booth and slamming his fist down on the table, "We need more drinks! To celebrate the, uh. The-"

"Candidacy!" Grace finished his sentence, giving Will a look that told him she was thinking on the same wavelength, "To celebrate Richard's future as the mayor of Mystic Falls!! In fact, I'm gonna help this dork here order. He doesn't know an IPA from a porter. Isn't that right, Will?"

William glared at her but was forced to agree for the sake of this charade.

"What a wonderful idea!" Carol brightened at the offer, "I'll have a glass of chardonnay. Tell them to use the Grand Cru."

"Just grab me a brandy. Plain. No ice."

Egos sated, the Lockwoods scooted over, giving William and Grace enough room to get out of the booth. Grace mouthed the word 'hurry' to Will as she grabbed her purse and literally speed walked towards the bar. William followed suit, but before he was able to extricate himself completely, Rich asked him an off-handed question...

"Was it really an animal in the woods that night?"

"..."

The only answer William gave Mr. Lockwood was an icy grimace.

"Steve! Code Crimson. I need you to make direct eye contact with me, nod your head a few times, and act like I've just ordered a few drinks," Grace announced to the man behind the counter when she arrived at the bar, "Dick is being a creep."

Steven, the most seasoned mixologist at the Grill, raised a single brow in response while he continued to work. It looked like he was making a Mystic Moon; one of the most popular cocktails on sale this month and a fairly easy drink to put together. Despite this, Steve was taking his time blending in the blueberry juice, grenadine syrup, and gin.

"Stevie, c'mon. Pretty please? For me??"

The bartender sighed, "Grace, I can 86 any other guy who hits on you here, but Mr. Lockwood is a loyal patron-"

"Oh my god, you're seriously taking bribes from Little Dick now?!" Grace hissed, "Traitor."

"I don't see you paying my rent."

"Watch it, now. I'll stop bringing you a plate every Sunday. I know how much you love my lasagna!"

"You drive a hard bargain, Grace, but I was a line cook once upon a time, remember?? You'll have'ta do better than that."

"I'll start playing Fantasy League Football with you."

"Now we're talking!"

"Ugh, I regret this already."

Steve chuckled, then went straight to pretending that she'd ordered something and left Grace with the sneaking suspicion that he'd gotten the best portion of their deal. William joined her at the bar a second afterward, similarly frustrated. The two friends sighed at the same time. Their night was not going the way they'd expected it would...

William ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair. "So, what now?" he asked Grace, "I still owe you an explanation. A real one."

"Knew that whole 'I'm here for work' story was a crock of shit," She replied while glancing back at both Lockwoods to make sure their eyes weren't upon them. Thankfully, however, Rich and Carol seemed to be distracted by another person now.

"It wasn't all untrue. It just...wasn't all true either."

Grace scowled, "Well, it's great to know I can still tell when you're lying. Let's get out of here."

Luck wasn't on their side tonight. For as soon as they exited the Grill, it began to rain. William tore off his jacket and held it over Grace's head like an umbrella while they ran through the downpour to the safety of his truck. But by the time they'd got inside the vehicle, they were both soaking wet. It was a good thing he'd fixed the heater before the trip here. William turned it on, dialing up the heat to high. Blessed warmth filled the air and fogged the windows like blurry curtains. Providing a sort of privacy that he needed to finally tell Grace the truth.

William took a deep, shaky breath in, then out.

"Grace," he started, "I know you don't remember it, but...you made me promise something on the night of the accident. We swore an oath that if I ever got in over my head with anything, I'd come to you for help. And you swore on your mother's lineage that no matter what, you'd help me. You gotta know, I never wanted this day to come. Not ever. Honest to god! But we made an oath."

A laugh came from Grace. She looked at William with snickering disbelief, "What?? Do you need a loan? You know, you can drop the whole act. It's just you and me now. You reeeeally don't have to make up a story to tell me what the fuck is going on. This isn't high school anymore."

"Yeah, I know. Things would be much simpler to explain if they were..."

William reached into the backseat for a package wrapped in deerskin. He placed it on his lap and gingerly peeled back the animal hide to reveal a pair of bracelets hidden inside. Made from pale, wooden beads that were inscribed with strange symbols, they gave off a supernatural vibe. He brushed his fingers over the twin items. That icy grimace revisited Will's face.

"I fucked up, Grace. I'm sorry," he said, turning to stare at the girl he'd once loved, remorse stuck in his eyes, "You seem really at peace with yourself, too. More at peace than I could ever dream of for you, but-"

"You're not making any sense. Just tell me-"

"-but, you're the only witch in the world who can get these shackles to work! The fate of mankind depends on it. I...depend on it."

Grace shook her head, confused as hell, "What're you even talking about? Witches? Have you been getting high again??"

"Ha. I wish," William replied sadly, then grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the throat, "Please, forgive me for what I'm about to do."

Nobody heard Grace Baker screaming that October morning in the parking lot. Nobody had seen her leave the Grill, either. When the Mystic Falls police investigated her disappearance, they'd find nothing conclusive. Not even video footage. Nothing besides two blurry testimonies from Rich and Carol Lockwood that they'd seen her with someone earlier that evening. Although, they couldn't remember (for the life of them) who it was...

Only the rain was a witness to Grace's fate. And it couldn't tell anyone.

[show-us-kaidenshenandoah]

i think im gonna start a series called "Kaiden-Shenandoah's random life tips" bc there's just some odd things i do that make my life easier/more enjoyable. that. like. i dont think make me special?? but most of my loved ones i babble to, when i mention them, will look surprised and be all "damn, that's clever. that's an issue i never thought about, but yeah, i can see how thatd help others/myself. ill have to remember that"

so. this post is all JUST IN CASE it helps someone, even just one person, then the effort will have been entirely worth it. bc sometimes living life is hard and sometimes you just need to hear someone say "oh, what about this possible solution?" to help you out by applying such to your routines or use that suggestion as foundational inspiration for something more customized to your own life or whatever else— just to make living life that little bit easier. and if me sepcifically needing a lot of "oddball" solutions and pre-cautions helps others??? that makes me feel awesome (and less alone), so hell yeah, ill do my best to remember as many tips as i have and be consistent about posting them within this thread. just in case and all that jazz ✌️

(and, even tho this likely DOES NOT need to be said out loud, ill say it anyway as my own proverbial "Bill of Rights" style just-have-it-written-down-in-case-the-worst-happens-in-the-future (but hope for the best) PSA: if these dont apply to you?? or if you think "wtf, people need help with this?? our generation/the next generation is doomed"??? maYHAPS THIS POST ISN'T FOR YOU. this is applicable only to people with lifestyles and/or brains that are similar to me and my loved ones. if you arent of that lifestyle or brain-typage, then thats that lol of course you cant relate. it's an "apples and oranges" thing, y'know. not better/worse or special/normal; just different. it's not something you need, and that's super okay. just don't be rude about the difference. if youd like to be kind and reblog anyway in case any followers or loved ones of yours could be helped by any of this?? that's so fantastic. some of this stuff has some really bad internalized shame about it, or else people have been conditioned to just "keep that to themself; don't talk about it", and either way some of these topics (not all, but still) have people who are hiding their struggle from others as best they can. you don't know what you don't know; and you don't know what people don't tell you. so it's very generous of you, as someone who cant relate to some/all of this stuff, to reblog just in case one of those silent strugglers follow you and/or are a part of your inner-circle. thank you so much for sympathizing with struggles you know your life as is doesn't share and thank you for being kind ♡)

i dont expect this to be helpful to EVERYBODY, and def feel free to just screenshot what is valuable to you and abandon this actual post (just pls dont crop my name out, esp if you end up re-posting your copy to your own blog or on different social-media elsewhere. bc credit is nice lol) bc i assume this will become a long/repetitive post as i update on/off. and most people dont like long posts lmao rip so you dont gotta reblog it if you hate long/repetitive posts or are worried about your followers disliking any long/repetitive post (besides: ill sometimes make one-offs not attached to this post, probably. esp since im forgetful and tumblr is broken/i lose things easily. but ill try to reblog this one for most of them, since thats easier organization for my brain 🫶 lmao)

(but yeah i only have three ideas i wanna do today, but ill come back to this whenever i remember another one ive done thats been helpful to me and/or that i created alongside a loved one that helped them lol)

also pls note that i am dyslexic and do not plan on editing any of this too seriously. so forgive me for mispellings, for forgetting an entire word, and so on. this is me being very casual, so ill inevitably miss some mistakes i make and whatnot

hugs and kisses xoxo best wishes see you later babe

[ashabsynthe]

Shadow Work

I see a lot of other witches talk about shadow work without explaining what it is or how to do it. This post will hopefully help baby witches who are kinda confused by the whole thing.

What is Shadow work?

So first of all, what exactly is shadow work? Well in short, shadow work is a practice by some witches that explores the subconscious and trauma within yourself. Shadow work is mostly based on Carl Jung’s theory of the “Shadow Self”.

In Jungian psychology, shadow can refer to two different concepts. In one sense, the shadow includes everything in the unconscious mind, good or bad. In another shadow psychology definition, the shadowing might include only the part of the personality that you don’t want to identify as self but still is a part of your unconscious mind. This dark side of your personality contains everything your conscious mind can’t admit about itself.

It might seem that the shadow is a negative space filled with only bad things. If you’re using the definition that states that the shadow is the part of the human mind that contains the urges and motivations your conscious mind doesn’t want to self-identify, then that is exactly what it is.

On the other hand, if you see the shadowing as the unconscious mind (and, by implication, the collective unconscious), it may contain many positive things, such as long-ago memories. In this sense, positive archetypes are also be included in the shadow.

Why do Shadow Work?

One of the main reasons why I personally think shadow work is important to practice is because, unfortunately, therapy is not widely available or accessible for many people. In fact, there are many people who would benefit from therapy but cannot afford it, do not have access to it due to their location, or are simply uncomfortable with the idea of seeing a therapist.

That's where shadow work comes in. Although it is not a substitute for therapy, it can be an incredibly useful tool for resolving some traumas and gaining insight into your own behaviors and patterns of thought. By exploring and confronting your shadow self, you can better understand the root causes of your issues and work to overcome them. Additionally, shadow work can help you develop greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence, which will serve you well in all areas of your life.

Overall, while therapy may not always be an option, shadow work can be a valuable alternative for those in need of healing and personal growth.

How to do Shadow Work?

The easiest way to do shadow work is through prompted journaling. It’s also great for baby witches or those in the broom closet because all you need is a journal and a writing utensil. No copious amount of herbs, candles, and oils. Just paper and pen. Or if you want, you can keep a journal in google drive or microsoft word or any other sort of online document. Another exercise you can incorporate into your shadow work is using tarot cards. You can ask yourself questions or use a journal prompt and draw a tarot card and write on what card you drew in your journal and just go from there! This is also great if you’re still learning the meanings of tarot cards.

Shadow work may not be for everyone but I suggest everyone try it at least once. It is a great tool and practice to help get in touch with your self and your own mind. If you have any suggestions for shadow work methods or other tools please reblog or reply to this post!

[terra-feminarum]

I was reading the post you reblogged about women in Korea making a stand against makeup and patriarchal roles. I don't understand how supporting these women makes them a terf? I am not a terf, but, sometimes the world only listens to people are radical.

I'm not sure I understand the question.

I don't know if these women are trans exclusionary radical feminists. I have no idea what they think about trans people. And to be honest, I don't care.

Their battle for freedom as female people is valuable no matter what they think about other issues.

There are probably environmental activists who are homophobes. Their environmental activism is still valuable, even if they hated me personally. There are probably people who oppose war in Ukraine, or anywhere else, who are misogynists. They still oppose war and that is a value we share even if they hated me personally.

Societal movements have value even when they don't consider everything, even if the people don't care about every issue in the world, even if the people hold downright harmful opinions about other things. It's not like you have to include every issue in the world in your activism before you're allowed to act.

Also, I'm not exactly sure why this Korean feminist movement should be about trans women, center trans women or even include trans women in any way. Are trans women pressured to date and marry straight men and birth their children? If some trans women pass and live their lives perceived to be female, then yes, they will be judged by their appearance, and will face similar repercussions as women, but not all of their issues are shared by the 4B movement, which is allowed to focus on issues that affect females.

Anyways, I doubt there are many trans women who are true allies to these women and who would want to join a movement which generally promotes cutting your hair short and quitting make-up. Before asking does this movement exclude trans women, I want to ask what do trans women give to this movement? What will trans women do to free "female women", with their female issues that won't affect trans women?

[thirdmagic]

ah, yes... i dont know if it is people we share on our following list and I am not even sure if i was mutuals with them or if they unfollowed at some point before this but there were a few people, from fate fandom, people that i at least have been following for years and years, who put some stuff on my dash on the day of october 7th that. well. i jumped ship pretty much instantly because it sure was something to see after being woken by sirens and spending most of my day running between my apartment door and the bomb shelter and then seeing what was happening on the news. but yeah i havent seen a lot of it, like two-three people but i also know just enough of tumblr fate fandom to know how insular it is that i can pretty much extrapolate what must be going on in other blogs and what you must have seen. so i clearly ran away right on time lol

i don't even know if they've even forgotten some of these parts so much as they never learned about them or never knew. or maybe they haven't forgotten but need their specific easy narrative and to project their own familiar political issues on it so badly that they willingly remain ignorant. i also think there's just such an issue where the only antisemitism that registers as such in many people's minds really is just the shoah and the idea of a jew as a tragic victim of the shoah is the only one they can work with, so they just compartmentalize that from any kind of currently living, breathing, existing jewish person who is not so easily perfect-victim-ized.

but honestly, i think none of us here realized how bad it was too. i had a feeling something like this would happen one day eventually inevitably but it seemed to me like the next moment of devastation had to be way more far off and also that people would obviously do at least the bare minimum of caring and acknowledging that it's bad that it happened and to at least be a little compassionate because that's normal to expect, right. again, not a high bar, surely, right. and well. you know how that worked out.

and to you both: thank you for your kind words and your compassion and understanding. i am pretty much as safe as i can be, there has been rockets and attacks in the areas around where i live and smaller individual instances within it but nowhere near the scale of what's been going on elsewhere. emotionally i've had a few very rough days and very, very low points this past week, i won't lie, especially since i've spent the first week just kinda absorbed in following the news, but i'm doing much better than i used to and figuring out ways to deal with it and to cope, i've had a lot of people willing to listen and talk to, and i managed to find community in several different places to bond around this and work through it together

and you know for all the awfulness and all the ways people have been horrible about it online and elsewhere there's also been a lot of goodness, many, many people reached out to me personally in support, and i treasure and appreciate every single bit and every single effort you can make. and honestly it's especially valuable coming from gentiles and in general everyone who isnt affected or involved, i understand the risk it carries for you all to go against the grain and how much easier it would be to just go long with the narrative that refuses to listen and understand. so again, thank you. this stuff kinda helps me get through the day, even if it's just thoughts, words, or reblogs, it is still valuable to me and others.

[bulletbilltime]

Ok I need to vent about "LIKES DO NOTHING" discourse because I have had Thoughts for months now.

These are just feelings without much coherent thought put into them so lmk if I get something wrong. (LONG POST WARNING)

I'm gonna start by saying that I agree with the message that's INTENDED to be spread. Letting people know that reblogs are an important and essential part of Tumblr's ecosystem is good! Tumblr not having (much of, anyway) an algorithm is an important part to emphasize to newcomers of the website. And I know *why* people prefer getting reblogs to likes on their art purely from an exposure angle: reblogs expose the art to more people, who will themselves maybe like it and reblog it to more people.

That being said, the way people act about likes is... genuinely bothersome to me. There's a really fucking weird framing of likes as literally The Worst Thing Ever. Like you're a complete and utter monster for having the gall to show appreciation for their work. And all that really does is make ppl feel guilty about how they curate their blog. "Why would they not reblog the work then, if they like it???" Well there's many reasons! They might not want to share nsfw content to their followers. They might not want to spoil their followers with fanart of the latest episode of a show. They might have specific criteria for reblogging! Maybe they have a family member following them, and they don't want to be outed for liking queer stuff! I don't think anyone particularly owes anyone an explanation for liking only.

"Why not use a side blog to reblog then, if any of the above apply?" Because that blog won't have the followers of that other blog? Why would you want someone to reblog from a dummy account, if that account has nearly nobody following them? That would be defeating the purpose of the reblog in the first place; all you'd get out of it is an extra Note, which makes it functionally indistinguishable from a like.

Now I want to focus on the one thing that annoys me the most about the framing of this discourse: the idea that people only like because they think it'll boost the engagement. This is why I think people say ridiculous stuff like "likes do nothing". Well, let me tell you something. C'mere real close.

LIKES ARE FOR LIKING THINGS.

It's in the NAME! People "like" things to show their appreciation for a piece of art/meme/etc! I highly doubt that people who only like art do so with the delusion that what they actually help the artist get more exposure, even on other social media websites. The average layperson leaves a like to show they enjoyed a post. That's it. They don't think about The Algorithm, they just see post and hit like. That's how people act on other social media websites, and I'd wager even a good chunk of "old-hat" Tumblr users do this too.

Are they in the wrong for doing that? Well I think that varies from person to person, but I personally appreciate any interaction on an art post. Sure, reblogs get more eyes on things, and that's highly valuable to get even more likes, so I absolutely do love getting reblogs, but I'm not about to get mad at every single person who likes without reblogs. I also just think that's a very unhealthy attitude to have about art in general, which leads me to my next point:

The internet as a whole just... sucks for artists. It's an annoying and unfortunate truth, but this feeling of "oh my work doesn't get nearly enough attention as I wish it did"? I've experienced it everywhere I posted content to. Whether that was DeviantArt or Twitter or w/e, it's always been the same thing. I don't tend to accrue a lot of followers for the work I do in general, and that means that my content will only get a handful of engagements, if any at all. And I know a lot of other artists face that issue, and it's because of a very simple fact: THERE IS SO MUCH ART ONLINE. Fact of the matter is, you're gonna be fighting against others for exposure, and luck is basically the only real way people can break out of that initial circle.

And on a similar lane: fanart and memes just get more interaction as a whole because they are more "shareable". Memes are just easy to share because they're funny and very accessible to most people. Fanart isn't as accessible, but it still has a potential audience if your follower base has enough fans in it, or if you're friends with ppl who like similar things to that work. But original art just doesn't have as much of a shareability. You'd think they would be more accessible by virtue of not being tied to a fandom... but because it's not tied to something people can easily search, original art gets decimated in the interactions department, unless you have a pre-existing fanbase.

I don't think this is a problem with an easy solution. And I certainly don't think shaming people is going to be the way, tbh.

But wouldn't this be all the more reason to push back and demand that people to reblog and not just like? Well... on to my next point: The Internet at large has rarely looked kindly upon those who beg for attention and interactions. People literally make fun of calls to actions on YouTube, after all. So I fear people are going to turn on people who post things like "reblogs > likes" and whatnot. I've already noticed a good amount of people beginning to get actively mad towards this sort of attitude, and passive-aggressive polls that are like "do YOU support our reblogs in blue????". I don't think this aggressive reblog shaming trend is going to end well IMO.

But reblogs are the life source of Tumblr, right? If people don't want to reblog... then won't that kill the site? Well... I guess that's the tricky spot: for artists that need commissions to make a living, there's a genuine reason for wanting art to be shared. Exposure translates to commissions for them. And if they can't get exposure, they'll have to turn towards other means of making a living. And if a lot of artists have to stop making art or leave Tumblr... then yeah that would suck for the site. Like, don't get me wrong, as annoyed as I am towards how weirdly petty these posts are, I understand why they're made. And I'm all for encouraging more support to artists, but this ain't it y'all.

So how can we promote supporting artists without shaming? Well... here's some suggestions:

Let's stop this weird culture around shaming likes. This isn't getting anywhere and it's only gonna make people turn away from interacting with art at all. Can you imagine if YouTubers started getting angry at people who don't leave a like or subscribe? Like, genuinely making passive aggressive posts and videos about them? That would be wack, right? So let's not be like that.

Second, I think that emphasizing the GOOD that reblogs can do should be encouraged. Examples: "Reblogs get more eyes on art! If you really like an artist's content, reblog it and it might lead to that artist getting more followers! If you reblog, you're doing your part in helping an artist get exposure!" People want to feel like they're doing a good thing, so help them see the good that reblogging does, rather than lecturing on the evils of not doing so.

Third... do your part! Go look for artists who don't have a lot of interactions, and reblog their work! Spending your energy interacting with fellow artists, making connections, and supporting each other's work is going to do so much more in the long run than trying to fight a losing battle with General Internet Apathy. Besides, a reblog from asspissballs69 isn't going to have nearly as much of an impact as a reblog from someone who actually has a following. Tumblr doesn't have algorithms, but follower counts do still matter even if we can't see them.

Fourth, if we wish to actually change the hearts and minds of "Serial Likers", we need to actually understand why people like in the first place. One point I can think of is that people who come in from other social media may be afraid to spam their followers with things they like. I think that's absolutely an aspect of Tumblr that doesn't really carry over as well to other websites, and putting more emphasis on that should be done. Personally, this was my biggest obstacle to embracing reblogging fanart. So I think having more empathy and understanding of the issue, and addressing concerns these people may have would go a long way in helping us make the case for reblogging.

If you've read this far, thanks for engaging with this rambly post! If you have objections to the arguments I make, feel free to reply but BE CIVIL and constructive. I *will* block people who get aggressive or read in bad faith.

[smokedanced]

@collidingxworlds said: 8, 18, 28 (mun talks about a munday topic)

send a number for me to talk about one of the following topics    /    ACCEPTING ↷

reblog karma :: I prefer if people reblog from the source regardless of if they send me a meme or not (unless maybe ooc memes because it’s fun to send some back if they sent me some and reblogged from me and I notice that), but I’m not that bothered about it if people reblog from me and don’t send stuff, unless it’s non-mutuals/happens all the time excessively. I definitely prefer people to not send something out of obligation. I’ve seen folks talk about how they "know" people reblogged because they saw the meme "on their blog" even if they reblogged from the source and I think that’s... way too far, like, so what if they saw it from you and sent nothing if they reblogged from source/a meme blog? I understand wanting mutuals to interact with you and I agree that everyone would do well with making a little bit more effort to engage with their mutuals (liking gifsets and such is such a low effort way of signaling you value someone on your dash for example if you don’t have it in you to interact ic or talk), I don’t understand why anyone would want to be sent memes the other mun had no true interest in. I think everyone is entitled to their own rules with this, and I reblog from source on default, if available, unless I know the other mun prefers I reblog from them instead.

shipping :: Taking this to refer to romantic/sexual shipping. I love to ship! I hate that even I feel the need to say that "I am not here for ships only", as if simply saying I love shipping meant that that’s all I want from roleplay... I think the rpc as a whole should keep trying to unlearn any shame related to shipping, and I think that shame comes from misogyny. Romance in fiction is often both marketed towards women, and we automatically view romcoms, harlequin novels, etc. as "lesser" than, not real art/literature, shallow (which... there’s nothing wrong with something just being lighthearted entertainment, it doesn’t decrease the value of the work)... It’s not a coincidence the things commonly associated with "types of fiction women engage with" are seen as less valuable. It’s probably the source of the subtle feeling of "writing platonic dynamics is superior" in the rpc. It’s more internalised (you don’t have to be a woman to have internalised misogyny - I am not a woman and I’ve noticed these types of shame in myself) than anyone actually saying that about what other people write. My saying "I want to ship but I’m not here for only that" comes from shame related to internalised misogyny, just the feeling of needing to defend shipping by signaling that it’s not all you write is likely related to internalised misogyny. Being more nervous about asking if the other mun is interested in shipping than if they’re interested in a friendship interaction is likely related to internalised misogyny... Again: because romance as a genre is associated with being "for women", and systemic misogyny. Why else would it feel more shameful to suggest writing with another mun? Why should it?

Bet you all didn’t expect a social commentary on misogyny’s effect on fiction-

I love shipping, and I wish I were more bold in daring to suggest shipping. I think force shipping and not taking a no for an answer is a much, much smaller scale issue in the rpc than the shame related to wanting to ship. Like, on an individual level the former is a worse thing, but I don’t think it’s as prevalent as the internalised shame about ships.

your first muse :: Off tumblr? That goes so far back no one needs to see that; I don’t remember who exactly was my first private muse but I was about 14 years old and in many RPF fandoms so...

On tumblr, it was actually Iris, whom I write on this blog now; my first rp blog here was for her. Her character begun with an idea to make a Doctor Who OC who was manipulated into trying to assassinate the Doctor (which still remains a potential verse; wink wonk folks). This was in 2013. I’d link to her muse page but I desperately want to rewrite/move it before advertising her lollll.

[maeve-on-mustafar]

I don't know where you get the idea that fandom doesn't like competent Anakin and only likes disaster Anakin because it's entirely untrue, and also they're both not mutually exclusive. Also if you want to write something, do yourself the favor and write it. Create the content you want to see and read.

I think I get the idea from the popular accounts that post and promote Obikin fic--if there's an incorrect quotes post or some kind of joking summary of the movies that makes Anakin look like a buffoon or an idiot, it gets reblogged with enthusiasm. Posts going into detail about, say, each of his lightsaber forms, or how he struggled with his mechanical hand at first, or even when/how he realized he preferred moving meditation over regular? Just . . . tend not to crop up very much. Just not as fun for people, I guess.

I saw a different post, an anon ask to an Obikin writer, declaring that Anakin wouldn't value Obi-Wan's river stone (ie, the Padawan gift Obi-Wan received from Qui-Gon in the Jedi Apprentice series), and that Ahsoka would appreciate it more. The Obikin writer agreed with them.

And the issue for me isn't that they're both wrong (petty, but Obi-Wan gave 13yo Anakin his river stone in the first book of the Jedi Quest series, and Anakin was delighted by it, because, yeah, why wouldn't he want a gift from Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon both?). But it touches on this weirdly uncharitable and yet weirdly common view of Anakin as this hedonistic, materialistic, and shallow ultimate extrovert who's incapable of appreciating the simpler things in life. You know, the same guy who's a former slave and grew up in a hovel on a wasteland desert planet and who risked his life to help a group of people he didn't know and didn't think he would gain anything by helping them? Clearly a dude who would reject a simple gift as being beneath him.

And I know it sounds like I'm taking joke posts or anon asks way too seriously, and maybe I am, but when you're evaluating a potential audience as your main demographic and you realize you're not writing what they want/expect to read? It's reasonable to assume that audience isn't going to be interested in your content. So at a certain point . . . why bother?

I've done the whole thing with writing an unpopular characterization for a particular character with an established fanon personality before, though for a different fandom. And I genuinely believe that my fics' reception suffered from straying from the popular characterization. It felt awful at the time, I still regularly consider deleting those fics in question because I feel so embarrassed by the incident, and I'm not eager to repeat the same experience.

Also if you want to write something, do yourself the favor and write it. Create the content you want to see and read.

Honestly, anon? I'm tired. I'm tired of trying and failing while everyone around me succeeds. I'm tired of the constant anxiety I feel when starting fics, or the insecurity that prevents me from posting most of the time when I start to question if anyone is going to like this fic or find anything valuable about it. I'm tired of getting ideas and then realizing that it's just going to lead to another fic that no one thinks is worth reading. I'm tired of watching every other author out there get recced constantly and praised every time their names come up, while I desperately try to figure out what I'm doing wrong and hating myself for not being able to achieve the same level of success. I'm tired of feeling like if only I could get past this fear of failure, I could start regularly producing content and become recced and known and thought of as worthwhile writer instead of someone who doesn't matter. I'm just tired of one failure after another, and I don't have the energy in me to keep trying.

[these-posts-arent-real]

warrior cats dash sim anyone?

#no canon characters #sorray guys thats too much #im just gonna do some made up dudes

0 notes

🔲 yourfave-tunnel-guy-deactivat

Guys I hate tunnellers. Lmao.

🌱 dirtdigger-23 Follow

By StarClan, I hate this mindset. Tunnellers are such an underappreciated part of WindClan society. Just because we don't do as much running or typical hunting doesn't make us less valuable than you. Op and cats like him are so stupid.

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

Crow-food-worth reading comprehension lmao. It was satire (the url clearly states "tunnel.") Also, her*

🌱 dirtdigger-23 Follow

Ok I see where that was probably satire (OP should have made that more clear though) Where are you getting "her" from though lmao. OP's url is "yourfave-tunnel-guy"

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

I'm getting "her" because I'm OP. This is my new account. I'm trans. Hope this helps.

#i said so in the tags of the last addition #but as i said. crow-food-worth reading comprehension #prev probably didnt even read my tags lmao

2,209 notes

🌾 barncat-vibes Follow

I am goingto fucking kill Jadestar. Lmao.

🌾 barncat-vibes Follow

WRONG BLOG

🐱 berrrrry-o Follow

Clanblr user barncat-vibes is from rc confirmed??

🏞 trouttail-prefers-bass Follow

Haha I already knew that, I'm mutuals with them on their main, plus we're IRL friends. Forgot that wasn't common knowledge.

🐱 berrrrry-o Follow

tbh I always assumed they were wc since thats the clan closest 2 the barns...

🪵 i-eat-moss Follow

Uh sorry ar ewe just glossing over how @barncat-vibes and @trouttail-prefers-bass are IRLS???!!!!?

#mutuals i can understand since they have the same ideas on like #social justice stuff... they both post trans stuff sometimes #but #IRLS? #SOMEONE is fucking with me #i met trouttail once at a gathering #nice dude #suuuper weird to imagine him knowing barncat-vibes

27 notes

🌅 kit-names-inspo Follow

I've decided to make a full post on this, since I've noticed this issue a lot lately. So let me make this clear:

I am NOT comfortable with "transgender" cats using my name suggestions to pick out new names. The service I provide is to help queens who have or are having kits, not confused males who think they're mollies.

STOP using my blog for your delusions.

🌅 kit-names-inspo Follow

Go ahead and unfollow me. I didn't want you 200 transgenders on my blog anyway.

🛤 carnation-stem-02 Follow

Anyone else find it funny how after this post OP lost 200+ followers? Anyone?

Anyway for a better source of names for trans mollies, toms & enbies, @name-lists-by-theme has much better names, sorted much more cleanly, AND she's not a transphobe.

#trans #fuck transphobia #fuck transphobes #fuck terfs #<- kit-names-inspo is a self-proclaimed radfem&terf btw

17,092 notes

🔁 🐍xviper-the-fagx reblogged

🤍 snwtl Follow

I can't believe we're being told to "normalize" cats becoming kittypets now. Do you have any idea how many cats would just abandon their families if it became socially acceptable to run off and live with the twolegs???

🍲 ex-thundrclan-kipper Follow

Honestly (as someone who left the Clans because I had a mate in the twolegplace), I haven't seen this to be as true as you're saying. I've seen one cat who "abandoned" his family to become a kittypet, if you count his abusive ex-partner, but for the most part, the cats we leave behind are understanding and okay with the fact that we have to move on. I wasn't meant for warrior life, and I left it, and I'm happier for it.

🤍 snwtl Follow

The fact that you would even imply it's okay to abandon your family for a life as a kittypet only serves to prove my point. You make me sick.

🪺 robbbinpaw Follow

Crow-food-worth reading comprehension

#yeah #snwtl (snowtail i think?) needs to use their eyes lmao #starclan this place gets on my last nerve #thinking of taking a break from clanblr because of shit like this

847 notes

🌱 dirtdigger-23 Follow

Uhh... where am I. My dash looks weird...

[finitevoid]

soren thinks omegaverse is stupid. mpreg has potential but is also mostly just stupid. If he wrote mpreg fic himself he could make it so deep but he would never waste his valuable time actually contributing to a fandom. whatever art he makes he keeps to himself (so at the end of the day he is still wasting his valuable time just not posting it)

the impression i got from stefan in his support with soren in game wasnt that he didnt see merit in sorens relationship with ike. He more took issue with soren finding permanent community with beorc because the inevitable will happen (being branded becomes obvious when he doesnt age. and hes going to outlive ike. branded end up floating around different communities of beorc in isolation to hide being branded). he encouraged soren to leave ike and join him but soren was like wahhh and so stefan just leaves him with the When the time comes—and you will know when—ride to Grann Desert. Ominous

translating that to this au... stefans definitely pissed at soren about the whole thing but it doesnt sour his opinion of soren. Yes he does feel betrayed soren put a beorc above him and is VERY passive aggressive with soren the next time they meet but its cool. stefan is actually pretty chill with ike but you know. your people first. he thinks sorens relationship with ike and greil isnt sustainable but good for soren. he wont stop annoying soren about his branded revolution or whatever but he really doesnt have anything to back it up like he does in canon hes just the resident school shooter

stefans impression of almedha is a whole different matter. hes suspicious of her adopting soren after everyone assumed she abandoned soren. she actually lost custody of him because court deemed her mentally unfit to raise him (THEY HATE BROWN WOMEN EMOTING!!!). ashnard fought against her and wanted that baby so he didnt have to pay child support (hes legit stupid) but regretted it immediately so off soren goes to the system. sorry i have no idea how to translate the actual canon of ashnard disposing of infant soren for being weak and sickly and not a half dragon superbaby. i guess that too. he was an expensive faggot baby that had severe jaundice stefans also never seen a laguz even foster branded children so hes like What. What the fuck is happening. he really cant imagine a laguz having an amicable interaction with a branded but is further baffled by the fact shes not being straight forward about it. laguz when they have issues are overt about it and they ignore the existence of the branded to their face. adopting a kid to screw him over is like. such a beorc move. stefan cant comprehend any of this situation but doesnt trust it

soren gets into internet fights about race. hes pretty much an exclusionist because he scoffs at ace people saying theyre oppressed but he refuses to engage in tumblr discourse like that. He instead goes nuclear on tumblr about race and no ones happy. His blog really isnt centered around that its actually a fandom blog he just reblogs and then he gives his input occasionally in the tags and starts ww3 but only responds to people if he started ww3 about race or class. he used to have a political discourse (anti sjw???) blog when he was younger on tumblr but he got very annoyed with the userbase. arguing with them stopped being cathartic he does that on reddit now. he just enjoys being cruel on tumblr

remember that lore about soren using his branded status as an excuse to say the worst things ever on tumblr? Yeah that s all canon here. including ike stepping in

Why are these asks getting longer

also I KNOW THE JOKE but click on the #i hate it here tag. Look at the two posts. Was that intentional

No it was not intentional. I had no idea I’d used that phrasing twice. For the same joke. I guess I really do hate it here

they’re getting longer because you’re describing increasingly complex relationships

anyway. I’m still confused on how the whole “he’s going to die before you’re middle aged” thing translates into a modern au. Is he just generally mistrustful of beorc intentions towards branded people . Like why does he think it’s not sustainable? because he thinks soren needs to be with his own people ?

Stefans position on almedha is understandable given the circumstances. He’s not in a position where he can assume good intentions. particularly not from someone he thinks has betrayed soren once before

Is soren going to join his revolution in tje future or is he just like egh

Also you could have it that ashnard wanted the money but he also wanted soren to like be his heir. Inherent whayever expi you’re using for being the ruler of a country (municipal politician lol? Large business owner?) and then soren is a sickly kid or something so he just dumps him off on the system because he wanted a strong man to be his heir or whatever

middle school soren having an anti sjw tumblr blog is so easy to imagine it’s hilarious actually. I’m glad he’s having fun in fandom . Im glad that lore about him being evil online applies here I think it’s perfect. Ikr knows he’s starting ww3 on tunvlr because he spends all day tapping at his phone and when not will start unprompted talking about horseshoe theory or something

[bookishfeylin]

do you think rhysand is a brown man? i feel like sjm did such a terrible job of trying to make him into a representation that it's better off if he's white. his culture is constantly represented as savages and barbarians and misogynistic and he's pining over a white woman while looking down over his own people 🗿

So big disclaimer here that I'm Black, not brown, and that I might get things wrong! If I'm corrected by a brown person in the comments or reblogs please defer to them, and I may edit this as necessary. That being said...

it's really a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If Rhysand is NOT a brown man, and is, in fact, white (as some stans happily draw him) then his whole court REEKS of cultural appropriation. We got henna tattoos, stolen from middle eastern/south asian/north African/east african culture:

And we got bedlah aka the middle eastern belly dancer's outfit, complete with "harem pants" (probably the outfit that inspired Princess Jasmine's clothing in Aladdin):

But Mrs. Maas clearly wants us to view him as a person of color, at least in later books (and by extension, Illyrians as POC), and he, Cassian, Azriel, and the other Illyrians are described as having brown skin. So if Rhysand IS a brown man, then that's... almost worse. First is the fact that Sarah J Maas couldn't actually decide what specific culture the Illyrians were based off of, because the middle east is not a monolith! South Asia is not a monolith! I've seen some guesses that Rhysand and Co are Persian, others speculating he's Indian... and there's a BIG difference between those two cultures. You can't claim to provide representation if no one even knows what specific culture/ethnicity is being represented.

And second is the fact that Sarah J Maas really decided it would be a good idea to make her most prominent group of POC in this story a WILDLY sexist culture that mutilate their own women and are looked down on by the 'civilized' (read: mostly white) High Fae for being violent warriors. She really said that she was going to have a culture (Illyria) entirely of POC and make them sexist, violent, and cruel, and have them be called brutes and animalistic by white people. In what UNIVERSE is that ok? In what UNIVERSE is that good representation???

And thirdly is, as you said and as I mentioned in this post, the batboys are men of color who find their own women "plain" and pedestalize white women (Feyre, Nesta, and Elain) as the beauty standard. As I brought out in that post, the idea that white and lighter skinned women are better, prettier, and more valuable than darker skinned women of color is a real world issue with dangerous consequences, and it's disgusting that in a book series Sarah J Maas has declared is "feminist," she decided to promote the idea that white women are better than the rest of us. Hell- how many women of color are in ACOTAR? And how many of them are allowed to have a male love interest? Are allowed to be seen as beautiful, desirable, and worthy of protection and romance?

In conclusion: it's racist either way. I, for one, only view book one as canon due to this series becoming nothing but a pile of retcons and nonsensical worldbuilding afterwards, so I do view Rhysand as white in that book, especially with his "moon white" skin. But in the series as a whole? I think Sarah wants us to view the bat boys as men of color, due to the aforementioned cultural details and her giving them brown skin, but she handles it horribly all around. So for the intents and purposes of your question: from ACOMAF and beyond, Rhysand is a brown man. Illyrians are people of color. And it's one of the most racist portrayals of people of color that I've seen in a hot minute. Sexist, animalistic brutes are not representation, and brown people deserve better.

[blackbat05]

Still game

Bucky x Reader (Headcanon)

A/N: I have kept my promise! Just a couple of ideas that I had… enjoy and like/comment/reblogs are always appreciated!😄

Genre: PG-13

Warnings: Again, tooth rotting fluff. Also, help why his eyes so pretty in this gif😩

***

You were assigned by none other than Fury, the boss man himself as the medical personnel for the Avengers.

Experienced in treating not only usual injuries but off world ones that could be inflicted from other godly beings, Fury saw you as a valuable asset.

So he sends you to the current headquarters in Atlanta to oversee the medical staff and well being of the mighty heroes.

You had met most of the Avengers during your first few days and even treated some of them too.

Shangqi and Katy had barged into your medical bay, bickering with each other on whose fault it was in letting a Yakuza head escape? Although you assessed their ribs to have taken most of the impact in the chase, it didn’t stop their mouths from running like a motor in a Grand Prix.

Bruce on the other hand was quiet as he let you treat his burn on his left hand. He mutters something about an experiment he was doing. The mellow scientist thanks you, waving goodbye with his bandaged hand.

Now the next guest was a surprise. Makkari drags Druig in by the collar, dumping him onto one of the many beds. You had learnt a fair bit of sign language as an elective back in university so you had no issues in communicating with the speedster.

She signs to you that Druig had foolishly taken the brunt of another Deviant’s attack when they were attempting to find other Eternals off world.

Watching a patched up Druig attempt to placate Makkari as they left the bay, you fondly wonder how it felt like to have someone be by your side through thick and thin.

‘God damn it Wing head! I don’t need to see medical for a scratch!’ Bucky marches into the facility with his partner running to keep up. They had just came back from Russia, following up on one of the many leads of the Power Broker.

‘Yeah if you call a stab wound a scratch, sure. Hey, how about you examine your head while you’re at huh?’ Sam sarcastically tells the stubborn soldier who give him the finger on his metal arm as they both walked into the corridor that led to the main compound. Bucky just wanted to rest.

You were on your way out for lunch when you ran into the two of them. They were one of the very few heroes that you had yet to meet. Talk about an impactful first meeting.

‘Oh my god! You’re hurt!’ Your medical persona had came back again, forgetting about the pasta that you packed for lunch. ‘Quick, this way!’

‘Doll, it’s ok.’ Bucky weakly attempts to reassure you. But you weren’t having it. Needless to say, it amused Sam. Just who was the woman who could reign in the big bad Wolf?

‘Don’t give me that crap and follow me before I wheel you in myself!’ You peer across his shoulder, exchanging a few meaningful glances with Captain America himself.

So Bucky finds himself being ushered to the medical bay. Sam leaves, citing reports to be handed in.

‘I’m gonna need you to take out your shirt.’ You tell him as you take out your equipment. Bucky was usually very reserved. But somehow, your personality had ignited something in him.

‘Wow, it’s only our first meeting and you want me to strip?’ He shuts his mouth instantly as you gave him your best death glare. ‘Don’t let me make you bleed out on the table Mr Barnes.’

Bucky finds himself staring up into the lights as you worked on his injuries. He turns his neck slightly, a small smile unknowingly forming on his lips as he sees you extremely focused.

Bucky takes notes of the little quirks that you have. Such as crinkling your nose when the temperature of the room got too cold, or pursing your lips when you made sure to be careful of his stitches.

When you’re done, you tell him that he’s out for a week. No vigorous activity. And you leave for your delayed lunch.

After that memorable first meeting, you didn’t know whether to be concerned or amused to see a familiar face popping by so frequently. You were finishing up on Kate Bishop’s stitches when Bucky arrived again. Trying to ignore the significant looks that the young archer gives you, you tell Bucky to take a seat and that you’ll attend to him soon.

‘He definitely likes you!’ Kate whispers before excusing herself, leaving you with the soldier. Could she be right?

A voice inside you laughs. He’s an Avenger and you’re just a medic. Get real.

Little did you know the conversation he had with Sam.

‘Would you man up and stop being so broody! If you brood some more, another 100 years will pass! She’s a great girl and if you don’t ask her I’m pretty sure another person will.’ Sam knocks some sense into his head. ‘I think Agent Russo has a thing for her,’ he adds for good measure, giving Bucky the extra push he needed.

‘Hey Buck, what brings you here today?’ You carried back the equipment, placing them into their original spot. ‘Another bruise, burn, cut?’

He knew you were joking but his face was turning red. Very red.

‘Oh no… erm… I was just wondering if you had dinner yet?’ You looked at the clock, not aware of how fast time had passed.

‘Nope. Was about to drive to the city to grab some Korean food. It’s a Friday after all.’ You laughed, trying to fill the silence between the two of you.

‘Ah,’ is all that Bucky can say. The poor solider is just about to loose hope as you were packed up for the week, at the entrance of the door when-

‘Do you want to join me for dinner? I feel like having their Barbecue but I don’t want to look like I’m such a glutton.’

He couldn’t have said yes faster.

Bucky was the kind of person who didn’t open up to people easily. Hell, he almost killed Sam while trying to get along with him. However, you were a different story.

Two hours in, Bucky finds himself laughing at an embarrassing story you told. It was the first time in a long while that he had felt comfortable. More so with someone of the opposite gender. He really didn’t want this night to end.

You had taken the courage to ask him for dinner, so Bucky had willed himself to do the same. His momma would have whooped his ass if she found out how her son was treating such a fine lady like you.

As he walks you to your doorstep, he practices the same line repeatedly in his head. ‘Well, this is me James.’ You reached your house.

‘Bucky. Call me Bucky.’ You nodded, feeling happy inside as you knew the significance of this. Unlocking the door to your house, the words quickly spill out of his mouth.

‘How would you like to have dinner again! Maybe next week or something. I know a great Japanese diner.’

The pause in your response makes him think that maybe he had overstepped. ‘Well you don’t have too if you don’t want. I’m perfectly al-’

‘I would love to Bucky.’ And then he does not expect what was coming next. At all.

You tip-toed to kiss him on his cheek. ‘I enjoyed today Bucky, thank you for joining me.’ You wish him good night, closing the door.

What just happened?

For the next few seconds, Bucky walks down the hallway looking dazed. He runs different scenarios in his head, one involving that he was in a fever dream.

Upon pinching his flesh, he confirms that this is all real. Once out on the road, he starts to have a skip in his step as he walks to the bus stop. He was going to have an actual date.

Looks like he still had his game after all.

***

A/N: Wrote whatever came through my mind!☺️Decided to have a few characters to make cameo appearances as well! With phase 4 up and running, I thought it’ll be nice to introduce a new era😃Hope you enjoyed this headcanon of the lovable Bucky! 🥰 Thanks for reading!

[themagnuswriters]

Asexuality in Fic Roundtable - What We Like

How do I write a convincing asexual character in a fic?  Is there a way to address a character’s sexuality outside the context of sex or coming out?  Can a story feature a character's asexuality aside from exploring the negative aspects of the asexual experience?  It’s usually not too hard to find lists of what not to do when writing asexual characters, but much more difficult to find the opposite.

The asexual members of The Magnus Writers discord gathered to discuss their favorite ways to incorporate the day-to-day details of asexual peoples’ experiences into fiction.  We also discussed depictions that we’ve enjoyed in the past, or would love to see more of.  Note that this isn’t an Asexuality 101 resource, so if you don’t feel familiar with the basics, feel free to check out the resources we will link in the reblog of this post.

This conversation included a variety of ace-spectrum people from multiple countries, including both arospec and non-aro people, various genders, and varying relationships to sex and sexual content.  Just like all asexual people are different, the things that we enjoy reading are far from universal.  Some tropes/details brought up as favorites can vary widely--for example, “innuendo completely flies over their head” vs. “they understand but are completely unfazed by innuendo.”  Additionally, some aces love tropes that others would prefer to avoid: for instance some enjoy discussions of physical boundaries to be included in the fic, and some prefer that to be established as happening in the past.  

The examples brought up in our discussion are also far from comprehensive, and can be seen as the beginning of an endless list of possible ways to write asexual characters.  Some examples given are specific to the Magnus Archives, but can apply to any writing.  Take these as inspiration and a way to broaden your understanding of who we are and what we like to see!

ASEXUALITY IN YOUR SETTING

When writing a story including asexual characters, one of your first considerations may be for how asexuality is contextualized within your setting:  Is it fully normalized and accepted?  Does it reflect real-world stigmas?  How is asexuality treated by the narrative and the other characters?  Contributors showed interest in a variety of approaches on this front, with no single approach being worth more than other:

Fics including negative real-world experiences

These would include fics in a realistic setting, where characters may struggle with internalized acephobia, stigma, social pressure, microaggressions, dysphoria, and so on.  This isn’t limited to just “issue fic,” where the focus of the fic is about examining and confronting a struggle, but rather encompasses anything that includes this consideration in its worldbuilding and characterization.  While brighter settings can be refreshing, contributors described reasons why this kind of fic appeals to them:

Feeling seen: Reading about ace characters whose experiences reflect their own

Feeling validated:  Being exposed to only stories where there are no issues on this front can feel like we’re the only one facing these struggles.  It can be extremely cathartic to read something and think “I thought I was the only person who went through this.”

Exploring improvement/hope:  From ace characters learning to accept themselves or other characters making mistakes and accepting correction, these can be validating and encouraging.

On top of ace readers finding worth in these fics, the act of writing the fic can also be very cathartic for many ace authors.

There is a lot of variety for how these fics can be written, such as:

Stories that focus on the negative experience

Stories where that experience is just part of the setting or characterization

The character(s) getting external support and validation

The character facing mixed dismissiveness, acceptance, prejudice, etc. from different people

The story resolving in a way where the situation is resolved: for instance, cutting off an acephobic relationship, or someone apologizing for a microaggression.

Stories where well-meaning characters are accidentally insensitive about asexuality, but learn better and change their behavior

The character confronting or overcoming an internal struggle

Stories where the issues aren’t fully resolved by the end, such as an insecurity not fully going away.

Negative asexual experiences don’t have to be the focus of a fic to be acknowledged. While “issue fics” that closely examine and explore these experiences are valuable, contributors also described enjoying stories that included them as simply an element of the worldbuilding or characterization.  For instance, a story may reference Jon having bad past relationship experiences; facing assumptions that he’s having sex if he’s in a relationship; having moments of insecurities about his sexuality; etc.

Please note that writing negative ace experiences needs to be handled sensitively; fics of this type should definitely be tagged appropriately.  For brief references, consider including author’s note warnings on the appropriate chapter (e.g. “asexual character assumed to be having sex”).  Having an asexual sensitivity reader--particularly one of a type that corresponds with what you’re writing (i.e. sex-neutral, gray-ace, sex-repulsed, etc)--is very much encouraged.

Fics where asexuality is normalized

In contrast, there is just as much interest in stories that avoid all of these issues, and fully normalize asexuality.  Contributors described how they enjoy stories where ace characters are allowed to just exist, without big important conversations or small othering details that depict asexual identities as less than fully accepted.

These can be included in any type of fic, but a few of the suggested details for how to normalize asexuality in a setting include:

A character being already out and accepted:  For instance, Martin already knowing about Jon’s asexuality from early seasons.

Characters in the fic already knowing what asexuality is without needing it explained to them

Having more than one character be asexual:  We aren’t confined to writing only canon characters as ace!  This not only goes the extra mile in normalizing asexuality, but it gives the chance to include more of the ace spectrum.

If you’re aiming for asexuality to be normalized, please consider whether it makes sense for your asexual character to be anxious about coming out or discussing boundaries.  There is a world of difference between someone responding to an ace character coming out with “I fully support you” and responding with “you’re an idiot for thinking we wouldn’t support you.”  This is a common and easy pitfall to fall into, but the result is often less escapism and more a message of “your struggles aren’t real, and you’re stupid for thinking they are.”

Asexuality in Metaphor

Some contributors mentioned wanting to read settings where asexuality itself is normalized, but the issues facing aces could be explored on a metaphorical level.  This falls somewhere in between the ideas of realistic or idealized settings as regards the ace experience, and could allow that exploration with a layer of distance.  Ideas relating to this included fantasy settings with different kinds of magic.

PERSONALITY AND CHARACTERIZATION

The experience of being asexual isn’t something just limited to a relationship with sex: it can be shown in many ways, such as how a character relates to themselves, other people, media, and society.  Like any other queer identity, it affects many aspects of our lives and informs a great deal about us as people.  These little details don’t even need to be presented in a blunt “this is because this character is asexual” way--they can be little relatable notes for your ace readers, while not coming across in a “this is how all ace people are” way.

We’ve seen the question “how do I write a character as asexual, if I’m not planning on having someone ask them for sex or writing a coming-out scene?” many times.  Our contributors were excited to share a wide variety of ideas for this from things they’ve read, written, or experienced:

Ace confusion

Not to be confused with the infantilizing “doesn’t know what sex is” approach, this could involve things like:

Being confused over what sexual attraction is: difficulty defining what they don’t experience.

Difficulty describing to others what lack of sexual attraction is: this is their default, and it can be difficult to contrast it to what they don’t experience.

Thinking that others describing sexual attraction or interest is just exaggeration

“Wait, that’s what you mean when you say ‘hot’?  I just thought it meant they’re gorgeous.”

“You mean meeting someone and being instantly sexually interested in them is a real thing, and not just a movie trope?”

The Absurdity of How Society Views Sex

The jarring dissonance between asexual experiences and the norms in society and media can cause a lot of alienation and dysphoria in aces, but often it hits a point of feeling like a joke is being played on you.  Contributors offered ideas for how this could be illustrated through a character:

Reading “How to Spice Up Your Love Life” articles out of pure morbid curiosity

Taking the most ridiculous Cosmo sex life article as How Everyone Thinks (and being concerned)

Having an allo friend or partner they can ask about whether any of it is legitimate advice (this one was brought up by a lot of people as a common ace experience)

An ADHD/autistic character getting a special interest or hyperfixation on societal views on sex or sexual practices, and pursuing it as purely a matter of research with no interest in participating

“Why do they keep bringing up ice cubes?  Georgie, stop laughing, I am a researcher and a scholar.”

Needing to teleport out of the room if a sex scene comes up in a movie

Not minding the sex scenes, but needing to make fun of them or point out impracticalities

“On the beach?  But sand is everywhere?  Wait, they think getting sand everywhere is hot??”

Being baffled at what’s considered sexy: for example, Jon being baffled at “wet clothes are sexy,” having grown up by the beach and associating them with being terribly uncomfortable

Of course, asexual characters don’t need to be framed like they constantly need to learn about things from allo people--sometimes the reverse can be a fun twist.  One reversal, for example, could be an ace person helping their allo friend parse whether their attraction to someone is simply sexual or also romantic.

Aces vs. flirting

While not specifically connected to sexual attraction, how a character interacts with flirting can very much demonstrate the asexual experience.  Contributors discussed a variety of their own experiences, and details they’ve enjoyed reading for ace characters:

Having difficulty distinguishing between different kinds of draws to people--is it romance?  Friendship?  

Having difficulty picking up on whether or not someone is interested in them

Failing to realize they’re flirting or being flirted with

Enjoying flirting as just a fun thing to do without any particular goal (a popular suggestion for a Tim ace headcanon)

Casually flirting but then backing off if it becomes “real”

Several examples were given of scenarios these could be used for Jon:

Jon’s dry prickliness stemming from wanting to avoid people thinking he’s flirting or showing interest in them, not being sure where others judge the line between “flirting” or “being nice.”  

Jon deciding he is going to make an effort to be more friendly to people, and awkwardly starts showering others with compliments; some of them interpret it as flirting and it’s very confusing.

Jon (or Martin) being overly dramatic or romantic when purposefully showing interest in someone, drawing from a basis of books or media rather than social experience.

Aces vs. hotness

We might use the word “hot” excessively, but ace people often have their own understanding of the word (and are often surprised to learn what others mean by it).  Contributors brought up the following ideas for this area:

Using “hot” as an expression of “gorgeous to look at,” and being confused to learn that others use it as a sexual expression.

Engaging with “are they hot” conversations based purely on aesthetics, or other impressions like “would they give good hugs.”

Focusing on seemingly random physical details, like wrists or eyebrow shape, over more commonly sexualized ones.

Being confused over the criteria others use for hotness.  Example:  Jon’s reaction to “the hot one” comment.

Finding fictional characters not represented by a real person “hot” (e.g. from books, podcasts, video games with bad graphics, etc)

Using the words “hot” and sexy” for completely nonsexual things.  Several contributors described being told they couldn’t be ace if they called anything hot/sexy, and then doing it more out of spite.

Being completely unfazed by innuendo or sex/nudity:  For example, Jon’s calm response vs. Martin being flustered at Tim stripping

This is also an area where a story can establish the nature of their relationship with those around them: if a character is comfortably out as not being interested in sex, for instance, you can show that others around them support that by making their conversations more inclusive. For example, a “fuck, marry, kill” game with modified categories, or a “who would you have sex with” conversation changed to a “who would you have dinner with” one once the ace character enters.  

Aces vs. sexual humor

Ace people’s reactions to sexual humor can vary as much as the reactions to flirting.  Contributors described enjoying a broad range of these:

Aces who love sexual humor (not limited to sex-favorable aces)

Humor taking an angle of “sex is so strange, glad it isn’t real.”

Aces who are bored with or exhausted by sexual humor

Not finding sexual humor funny unless it’s also clever.  “Yes I know that’s a sexual reference...wait, it was meant to be funny?  Because it’s connected to sex?  ....I see.  Anyway.”

Bonus points if the “is that supposed to be funny because it’s sexual?” ace and the filthy humor ace are friends

It can even vary for the same person from setting to setting: someone may find making dirty jokes with a group of ace friends might be fun (see the “Absurdity of Sex” section above), but be very uncomfortable with someone else trying to twist something they said into something sexual.  There’s also the nature of the joke itself: a silly pun may be fine, but a joke implying the ace person is interested in sex or said something sexual without meaning to may be alienating.

For TMA, the general interpretation of Jon is that he’d be uncomfortable with sexual humor, which is relatable to a lot of asexual people, but contributors brought up other possibilities as well: for example, the idea of Jon liking clever wordplay so much that if it just so happens to include something sexual, it doesn’t feel odd to him--why do the others look so shocked?

Note:  A lot of asexual awareness posts insensitively treat the concept of aces who love filthy humor as more mature, more easygoing, less stereotypical, or otherwise superior to aces who are uncomfortable with sexual humor.  This is a very harmful attitude that looks down on a lot of asexual people, and adds a pressure to push past comfort levels to fit in and “avoid being a stereotype.”  Contributors loved reading stories that include flirty or filthy aces, but not when they take this tone.  A favorite suggestion was to include more than one ace character to depict a variety, while treating them as equally valid.

Somewhat related to this is ace people’s relationship to sexual euphemisms.  Contributors described their experiences or how they might write an ace character responding to these:

Being exhausted by how so many terms are considered euphemisms, or how any comment could be reframed as sexual.

Having a special annoyance when they accidentally stumble into or misunderstand a euphemism

Wanting to decouple euphemisms from their literal meaning: why does “spending the night” or “going home with someone” have to mean “having sex”?

In the same line, being very blunt and straightforward about making sexual references, because why dance around it?

Characterization Considerations

One discussion that is particularly relevant to The Magnus Archives is the idea of the “uptight nerd” ace persona.  It may sound strange to say, but there is some legitimacy in this characterization, but for different reasons than is stereotyped.  Many of us build up this persona while growing up--particularly in adolescence and early adulthood--to fend off uncomfortable social pressure, self-examination, or external criticism for why we relate to sex differently than our peers.  This often involves playing up certain defenses for discomfort for sex or dating:  “I don’t have time for any of that, I only have time for books and knowledge!”  Or, the adult version:  “I don’t have time for relationships, I’m married to my job!”  

Where this departs from the stereotype is that these are generally coping mechanisms or facades rather than the truth.  Asexuality isn’t “of course they don’t have time for sex, they’re obsessed with this or that”--but an asexual person who doesn’t feel comfortable in their environment, such as around work, school, or family, may deflect judgment with similar excuses.  Similar to this, some find it tempting to be antisocial or hostile on purpose to fend off interest in them or avoid sexual expectations.

This is, of course, far from the only way an ace character could be written.  For instance, if you wanted to write a setting where asexuality is more accepted, you could write Jon’s antisocial and closed-off tendencies as a result of being bullied from a very young age, while he is confident and secure in his asexuality.  Or for other characters: you could write Tim as someone who has enjoyed sexual relationships, but just thought everyone was exaggerating on the attraction side of things.

Intersection of Asexuality with Other Identities

Another characterization consideration is how asexuality intersects with other identities and experiences included in the fic.  Below are a few examples of many:

Asexuality and masculinity:  Social expectations of masculinity place a high emphasis on sexuality, particularly heterosexuality, treating sexual activity as a commodity or prize.  One possible reading of The Magnus Archives is Jon’s tendency to have closer and more numerous friendships with women connects to this.    

Asexuality and trans identities:  There is a significant overlap between aspec and trans identities, particularly nonbinary identities.  Based on an October 2020 study by the Trevor Project (see link in reblog), ace respondents were roughly 50% more likely to be trans (including nonbinary) than allo respondents.  Contributors described how they’ve felt things like “is this dysphoria I’m feeling a gender thing or an asexuality thing,” or how figuring out their asexuality helped them explore their gender.

Asexuality and race:  In combination with LGBTQ+ spaces often being white-dominated, people of color often face stereotypes that hypersexualize or desexualize them.  This can have a strong impact on people of color’s experience and self-perception as asexual.  For instance, if you are writing Jon as Indian, you could consider how this may have impacted his experiences in LGBTQ spaces in university.  As there is no ‘one size fits all’ experience for aces of color, we strongly recommend researching for the particular background you have in mind.  We will be adding resource links to our main page shortly, but in the meantime check out the links in the reblog of this post!

INTIMACY AND RELATIONSHIPS

One of the topics addressed in our discussion was how a character’s asexuality may impact their experiences with intimacy and romantic relationships. Contributors discussed ways to portray this in fic, whether or not it includes sex or even mentions it.

Physical Intimacy

Intimacy, sensuality, and sex are separate things that may or may not overlap depending on the individual.  Contributors discussed how, for people across the ace spectrum, the relationship between these three tends to differ from common societal frameworks or depictions of intimacy in fiction.

Enjoying physical intimacy without the expectation that it will become sexual: massages, falling asleep on top of each other, bathing together, etc.

This includes acts that would often be expected to “lead somewhere” but don’t, such as lots of touching or nude cuddling.

Craving closeness/touch completely outside of sexual drive

One scenario suggested for this topic is an asexual character discovering that without the worry that an act of intimacy will ‘lead somewhere,’ they enjoy something they used to get anxious about, such as sharing a bed or showering together.

Boundaries & Communication

Stories with an asexual character in a relationship often address physical boundaries within that relationship.  The below are some of the scenarios contributors have enjoyed:

People communicating over their sexual boundaries, rather than assuming what these are as soon as they hear the word “asexual.”

The boundaries discussion being framed as something that any couple in a fictional relationship should have, not just because one is asexual.

In relationships between allo and ace characters, the allo character having boundaries of their own, rather than just the ace character.

Normalizing boundaries discussions for allo couples as well.

Note:  If a boundaries discussion involves a sex-favorable ace character, take caution at the risk of having them sound offended or derisive that the discussion is happening (e.g. “What, I’m not a child” or “Not all aces are like that.”).  Enforcing the idea that people should assume their partner is sex-interested is extremely harmful to sex-disinterested aces.

Some contributors noted that they prefer fics where the boundaries discussion is something that has taken place in the past, rather than run through at the beginning of each fic they read.  In these cases, this past discussion could be illustrated in the interaction itself: a character’s awareness of what lines not to cross, the other’s confidence and trust that those boundaries will be respected, and so on.

Issues of Intimacy Outside of Sex

While aversion to sex is the most well-known dimension of asexuality, there are other aversions and boundaries that could apply to either ace or allo characters:

Ace characters that are kiss-averse and/or touch-averse:  This also works against the “They won’t have sex, but they’ll make up for that with kissing even more!” trope that implies asexual people have to compensate for a nonsexual relationship.

Allo characters with their own aversions or specific boundaries: suggestions included how this can apply to trans characters.

Fluctuations in levels of aversion (note: it is important to not treat increased aversion as “progress” or decreased aversion as “regression”)

In cases of fluctuating aversion, characters developing ways to communicate these levels, and responding appropriately.  For example, “Kissing is not on the table right now, let’s move on to something more comfortable.”

Contributors were excited to discuss how this area could particularly be used for the allo partner of an ace character, such as an allo Martin having difficulties with touch post-Lonely, or discovering that he doesn’t enjoy kissing.

Relationships to Sex (or Lack Thereof)

Asexuality ‘subtypes’ are terms many aces describe their personal relationship with sex and/or sexual content.  These are simplified self-descriptors rather than rigid categories or mini-sexualities, and the terms rarely encompass the full detail of that relationship.  Please note that the below discussion assumes a general familiarity with ace subtypes.

Needless to say, aces across the spectrum and of every subtype want to see their identities represented in fic.  The discussion focused on ways to illustrate those experiences, and details contributors would enjoy seeing:

Non-averse aces trying sex and deciding they have no interest in it: pushing back against the “if you’re not repulsed you’ll like and want sex” idea.

No expectation that “sex-favorable” means always interested in sex.

The pressure an ace person may face to oversimplify their relationship to sex or sexual content out of fear they’ll appear inconsistent or exaggerating:  “If I’m okay with this now, what if I’m not later?  Will I seem picky if I’m only comfortable with something in an extremely specific scenario?”

“Sex repulsion” and “sex aversion” generally are used to describe asexual people who don’t want sex, but are simplified terms for what can be immensely varied experiences.  Someone could be repulsed by physical involvement in sex, repulsed by personally engaging in anything sexual, repulsed by sexual content, repulsed by just the idea of sex--or any variation or combination of these.  There are even repulsions that could be part of more sex-interested subtypes: an ace who enjoys sex but is repulsed by nudity, or an ace who enjoys sexual activities with a partner but not being touched during them, etc.

Contributors discussed how much they enjoy reading simple “I just don’t want sex” approaches to aversion/repulsion, but also look forward to reading explorations such as:

Enjoying one specific type of engagement with sexual content or activity, but having an aversion to others.

Regularly varying levels of repulsion: Days of “please don’t remind me sex exists” to days of mild curiosity, for instance.

Aces with a relationship to sex that doesn’t involve another person, including if they’re in a relationship.

Fluidity between ace subtypes can fluctuate between sex-interested and sex-disinterested in both directions: it can be both “I said I wasn’t interested in this before, but let’s carefully revisit” and “I know we’ve been doing this, but I’m no longer comfortable with it.”  Contributors mentioned never having seen fic with the latter, and expressed an interest in reading stories exploring this.

On this note, it is common for stories of fluidity between subtypes to be only moving in a more sex-interested direction.  Many asexual people, particularly sex-averse aces, face immense pressure to ‘learn how to like sex,’ or have their sexuality erased by saying they’re a ‘late bloomer’ who will learn to like it later.  Depicting this direction should be done with great care and nuance, and we strongly recommend getting feedback from a sex-disinterested sensitivity reader for stories of this type.  It’s possible that an ace reader who isn’t sex-disinterested would miss or not be affected by something that is quite painful to sex-disinterested aces.

CONCLUSION

If you’ve stuck with us for this long, well done! We understand that such a long resource can be a bit overwhelming, but we hope it can show you the depth of variety and enthusiasm ace readers have for more ace content and inspire you further.  One thing we all had in common during our discussion was how excited we were to have a canonically asexual protagonist, and how thrilled we were to see content that explored his asexuality.  In putting together this resource, we hope that you are encouraged to write about characters whose asexuality impacts their experiences and the story in unique, thoughtful, and creative ways.  We can’t wait to see what you come up with!