#if we can't have respectful or nuanced depictions of this then at least give the characters like us a victory lmao

[musical-chick-13]

I’m at the point where the Obviously Evil™ Mentally Ill Lady type of character in any piece of media can just do whatever she wants.

[freezegirl]

welcome to tessa is gonna say a thing and if you need to unfollow and/or block, by all means, curate your space and protect your peace but if i don't speak on this, i know i'm gonna carry this around and i don't want to do that because i want to have fun on this website first and foremost so here it goes:

on one hand: it's a website and none of these characters are real. at the end of the day, it's not that deep. one day, this website will be out of the air and only accessible through the way-back-machine.

on the other hand: to each their own and far be it from me to tell people how to write their characters, but i can't deny that i've been seeing a couple of (mixed race) indian characters around with similar story beats i.e. they're not really as immersed in the culture / the faith / the heritage. which is fine, there are people irl who aren't, either, i'm sure.

but on the other other hand: the message you're inadvertendly sending with certain character / development choices is real.

to me, it feels like convenience. like we're not worth the research, the energy. to me, it feels like you want the face claim but not the story.

we're worth more than just a cursory glance because we are more than chicken tikka masala and bollywood movies and so we are worth more than the label "is disconnected from and doesn't engage with the culture / heritage / background" and calling it a day.

now i am not saying every indian character on this site needs to be written as pious and going to the temple every sunday and has to be into celebrating diwali, holi phagwa, pongal and/or puthandu.

but i am saying that i did not get bullied, mocked and ridiculed for every aspect of the culture i was born and raised in - i did not spend most, if not all, of my teenage years and even some of my young adulthood years hating myself for being indian and surinamese only to claw my way back to loving myself and being proud of being of indian and surinamese - for people on tumblr to take the easy way out when they write indian characters.

i say this because i am also of mixed race descent and while no one's experience is the same, i would very much like for the experiences - whatever they are - to be written respectfully, at least.

(especially if you switch out a white fc for a fc of color. that automatically adds another layer. a layer that i think ought to be explored.)

because those experiences very much do inform who you are as a person and the way you move through the world; it informs the way you see things and the way other people see you and i think it's a disservice - not just to your character but also to yourself as a writer - if those details are forgotten about.

for instance: when i was a kid, i went to the park and came across a lady with a dog. i was with a friend of mine (who is, coincidentally, white passing). i wanted to pet the dog (despite my allergies) and i distinctly remember that my friend was allowed to, and even encouraged to, but i wasn't. that was my first ever indication of "hey, some people see the color of your skin before they see you".

if you're gonna write an indian character, i beg you: write an indian character instead of a white person in a brown person suit. because that's what it feels like to me.

this is not meant to be a diss or a drag or a subtweet (sub-tumblr post?) or anything of the sort. all i am saying, openly and earnestly, is that i am missing the nuances here. i am missing the care and respect.

it's hurtful and, frankly, disrespectful because i'm out here worrying about whether or not i am accurately depicting my own culture / background while others don't even give a modicum of energy to making sure the story they're telling is one of respect.

it sucked when authors like m/ichelle h/odkin did that shit in 2011-2014 and when m/arissa m/eyer did that shit in 2020.

and, to be really honest, i didn't think i'd still be seeing it in 2024. that sucks, too.

ps: it goes without saying but this is not about any of my friends because i know who they are and i know the values they hold.

[deepestuniversallove]

Hi I've been looking at your Mewtwo stuff for awhile now and I can't help but notice how nuanced and mature your takes are, especially on Giovanni who can be likened to a narcissistic abuser. Compared to most, ahem "artists" on here, who simply treat Mewtwo as a meme or housepet. You really seem to respect him, and I can't wait to see the comic on how you met him. I also admire how unapologetic you are to self ship with him.

Thank you so much for sending this to me! This seriously made my day!

I treat Mewtwo differently than most because I have a certain reverence for him. He was truly my guiding light at times where I didn't even want to exist any more. He inspires me to keep going and honestly I wouldn't even be having a job in biological research now if it wasn't for him. Considering how much impact he has had on my life so far, I could never just treat him as some sort of stupid meme or a housepet. Frankly, treating him as such is insulting. He is too intelligent to be a housepet, and he knows how to take care of not only himself, but also those close to him (I mean, look at him, and how he is depicted in official media as a HEALER. Always taking care of wounded and abandoned Pokémon,whether it's his clones, or wild Pokemon). I don't like the stereotypes surrounding him in the Fandom.

I don't think that many people are able to recognize Giovanni as a narcissist because they lack the experience of being raised by one, like me and my brother have been (we have real, lived experience of that, which is hard to understand for anyone who had supportive and normal parents). Or these people still have the naive belief that everyone deep down has a good core. They are oblivious to the fact that we have psychopaths among us who truly only care about themselves and who cannot be redeemed. A mafia boss who created a living weapon like Mewtwo to serve in his plan of world domination certainly counts as a fictional depiction of such psychopaths. Team Rocket has plundered Pokémon and tortured them and sold them for financial gain. But Fandom still gives Giovanni a pass somehow just because he is "sexy".

I was raised by a narcissist mother. I never felt truly seen by her, and she told me she made me to be her slave. So how else was I able to interpret Giovanni but as a narcissist, when he said the same to Mewtwo in the movie? "You were made to serve me." No wonder I took Mewtwo as my role model. I remember wishing I had actual psychic powers too, it would have made escaping so much easier. Instead I thought of him when I needed strength.

Oh man, when it comes to Mewtwo and shipping... I don't have any hesitation here. I have always loved Mewtwo, so why should I pretend that I don't? He was always important to me in real life as well, after all. Or why should I make up some Pokémon OC and use that as a proxy to ship with Mewtwo? Lakota/mewtwoandme actually admitted to me in a DM that this is what Gwen the Gardevoir is, BTW. She was too afraid to ship herself with Mewtwo because she worried that people will judge her for it and that it is seen as "icky" to selfship as herself. I am kind of disappointed of that, but it is her comic and story to tell. I am not really a fan of the Gardevoir x Mewtwo, or Mew x Mewtwo or Lucario x Mewtwo ships in general, they are too cliché for my liking and I don't see how movie1!Mewtwo would ever fall in love with them. However, I ADORE honest selfshippers of Mewtwo or Newtwo! I always get curious about their stories and how they fell in love with them!

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy my comic! Even though I gotta apologize that it is taking so long to finish - I am still swamped with work IRL, but will officially be free starting from the 16th, so hopefully I will get way more done then. Though I am wondering if to post on my blog here or make an entirely new blog? Or at least a special tag so people can just look at the comic and don't have to see my other selfships if they are only here for the Mewtwo content.

Thanks for sending this ask! :D Have a nice day!