#people can like things regardless of where they sit on the gender or sex spectrum

[monsterpromxreaderforthesoul]

Realizing your trans while dating them (Ftm, will post Mtf later)

TW//slight mention of pregnancy (in a semi light hearted matter), crying, implied sexual content

Liam

baby boy is so so so supportive…in his own weird way. You tell him while he’s at your apartment for a study session it went a little something like this

“Hey..liam? i have something to tell you…”

he looks up from his book from above the rim of his glasses at you before noticing your pained expression and transferring his face into one as well before quickly shutting the book and sitting up to pay attention to you.

“What’s wrong…? You look upset.”

“Liam I realized something about myself, well more like i’ve come to grasp with something i’ve always known…”

he now looks Puzzled, what could you possible mean by that?

“I don’t Feel Right in my body…something is wrong with me where i am now. I don’t Feel Like a girl. And i totally understand if that’s a deal breaker for you and you want to break up with me.”

your eyes start to tear up and your composure breaks and you start to cry in your hands but before you can let out a genuine sob liam has wrapped his arms around you and you gasp from the sudden contact and you go to look up at him and he is smiling at you.

“Why on earth would i do a silly thing like that? You know i’m Bisexual right?”

He pulled away from you with a smirk on his face

“Besides the whole idea of Gender conformity and What a person can be is So mainstream”

You rolled your eyes playfully at your boyfriend, you couldn’t be happier at this outcome

—————————————

Daimen

He literally has gay dads, he’s so supportive of LGBTQIA+ people it’s frightening. Like you don’t expect this kind of proud and Kind nature from DAIMEN of all people.

“Hey babe..? i have something to tell you…”

you said fidgeting with your fingers

“He looked at how nervous and Somewhat pained your expression was and he got nervous”

“Oh fuck, what’s wrong?? Don’t tell me your pregnant. I’m not ready to be a dad yet!”

“NO IM NOT PREGNANT YOU IDIOT!! we use a condom every time anyway, where’d you think it’d come from?”

“I dunno, like a freak accident or something”

“Well no, i’m not pregnant but this is still serious”

“What’s wrong then…?”

“Well, I don’t feel like a girl anymore… to be honest i don’t think i ever did”

His posture seems to relax and he sighs of relief

“That’s it? I thought something was wrong you scared the shut out of me”

“Wha- But arent you straight?”

“HAH- That’s funny babe. I’m attracted to you regardless of your gender. I think your awesome and i love being around you”

“Awww thanks Babe!~”

he then opens the window and shouts out to the world

“WHOOOOOO!!! I HAVE A BOYFRIENDDDD!!”

and you both know that somewhere in hell daimens dads are smiling

—————————

Calculestor

You told him at Camp Spooky when you were walking in the woods back from the meteor shower you had just watched together 

“Hey Cal..? Can we Talk?”

“Of course romantic partner Y/N!' what do you wish converse about?”

“Well What do you know about Gender Identity?”

“Ah in My hard drive i have memories of talking with Friend Milo about that topic. They mentioned that they are in fact a ‘non-binary’ and in Fact use they/them pronouns, After that i conducted a data search on the web and found out there was a plethora of others and labels for people who have a different perception of self from their biological sex. Why do you ask?”

“well i believe im somewhere on that spectrum you just mentioned..”

“oh my, Are you saying that you are transgender?”

“Yes i am…are you okay with that?”

“Of course! I am attracted to you romantically regardless of your biological sex, you have done that for me being that i have no Sexual reproductive parts. So of course i see no issue, what would you like me to refer to you as?”

———————-

Scott

You told him in a motel on the road-trip you went on with polly, she was in a separate room since we were able to afford 2 and since you and scott were dating it was obvious you were comfortable sharing so Polly was super stoked to have a huge bed to herself

“Hey scott..? we need to talk..”

“Oh no are you breaking up with me??? did i do something wrong?? am i not a good boy??”

“No no no! nothing like that I swear, It’s just something i have to tell you”

“Oh, well then what is it?” he said tilting his head like a confused puppy

“Well Yknow how I’m a girl right?”

“Yeah? you’re my girlfriend!”

“Well i’m not so Sure i am a girl anymore…i’ve realized i might be trans..sorry if it’s a deal breaker for you and if you wanna end things i completely understand”

“What?? break up with you??? why would i do that when i just got a boyfriend! is there anything else i should know?”

————————

Wowee this took unnecessary long for me to write considering the last one was only like 15 mins 😅 i hope you all enjoyed this one! i’ll post the ftm version and nb version later

Peace and love! -Ghosty

pst follow my main @ghostygloom

[to-whoever-wants-to-hear]

Dream on his sexuality

[Image ID/ Reddit post from dreamIsTaken reading: honestly I’ve never really talked in depth about my feelings on stuff like this so I thought I would here because why not I love just discussing things in general. 

I’m not gay I’ve said that plenty of times I know that because I like girls, I’ve dated girls, I am attracted to girls etc etc. however outside of that I’ve never said anything about my sexuality really and it’s simply because I don’t really know. I’m comfortable with who I am and I want everyone to be comfortable with who they are regardless of their gender or sexuality or anything else. I feel like if I was to say anything about my sexuality I’d be pressuring myself into making a “decision” especially when to the general public there’s only really a few terms that can be used to “describe your sexuality”. When in reality I believe that it’s more of a spectrum. I have a really hard time putting myself into one category or even really towards one category more than another, and so I don’t want to feel any pressure. I’m comfortable in my sexuality but that doesn’t mean that I’m necessarily confident in exactly what that is. I think sometimes it takes time and life experience to actually know where you sit. 

Though I think that I should be able to make the jokes and stuff that I make regardless of sexuality, whether I was gay or straight or bi or somewhere inbetween, so I don’t really care to elaborate. That being said though, I also think it’s important that people don’t force others into revealing their sexuality, even if a situation comes up where them doing so could give clarity. My sexuality is ambiguous because it’s also ambigious to me, and I think that’s okay. 

As for jokes and stuff, it’s not qbaiting because we’re not fictional characters and as other people have said it’s actually really beneficial (and normal) to let people flirt/joke even sexually with their friends of the same sex. we’ve been the exact same since we met and on/off camera, years before youtube, it’s just how we are and I’m not going to change my extremely long friendships with people just because “some people think you’re dating and therefore you benefit from that”. 

either way, feels good to get some of that off my chest I guess because I’ve never really spoken in depth about any of this stuff. have a happy holidays :) /End ID] 

Tldr: Dream knows he’s not gay because he’s attracted to girls, but beyond that he doesn’t really know and isn’t going to be pressured into making a choice. 

Dream isn’t queerbaiting, and wouldn’t be even if he was cishet. He’s not going to change the relationships he’s had since well before youtube to please people.

[imperfectapollo]

Dream spoke on reddit about his sexuality earlier today.

Hey guys! For those of you who don't know, Dream spoke about his sexuality and why he's stated that it is ambiguous. (I.D thing will be at the bottom for those who can't see the picture, though I have put some breaks because god damn this man makes really long paragraphs /j).

[Photo ID: Two screenshots of a reddit post by Dream's reddit account (dreamistaken).

Screenshot one:

honestly I've never really talked in depth about my feelings on stuff like this so I thought I would here because why not I love just discussing things in general.

I'm not gay I've said that plenty of times I know that because I like girls, I've dated girls, I'm attracted to girls etc etc. however outside of that I've never said anything about my sexuality really and it's simply just because I don't really know.

I'm comfortable with who I am and I want everyone to be comfortable with who they are regardless of their gender or sexuality or anything else. I feel like if I was to say anything about my sexuality I'd be pressuring myself into making a "decision" especially when to the general public there's only really a few terms that can be used to "describe your sexuality". When in reality I believe that it's more of a spectrum. I have a really hard time putting myself into one category or even really towards one category more than another, and so I don't want to feel any pressure. I'm comfortable in my sexuality but that doesn't mean that I'm necessarily confident in exactly what that is. I think sometimes it takes time and life experience to actually know exactly where you sit.

Screenshot two:

Though I think that I should be able to make the jokes and stuff that I make regardless of sexuality, whether I was gay or straight or bi or somewhere in between, so I don't really care to elaborate.

That being said though, I also think it's important that people don't force others into revealing their sexuality, even if a situation comes up where them doing so could give clarity. My sexuality is ambiguous because it's also sort of ambiguous to me, and I think that's okay.

As for jokes and stuff, it's not qbaiting because we're not ficional characters and as other people have said it's actually really beneficial (and normal) to let people flirt/joke even sexually with their friends of the same sex. we've been the exact same since we met and on/off camera, years before youtube, it's just how we are and I'm not going to change my extremely long friendships with people just because "some people think you're dating and therefore you benefit from that".

either way, feels good to get some of that off my chest I guess because I've never really spoken in depth about any of this stuff. have a happy holidays :)

End of screenshots]

[ailuronymy]

Hello! I was searching for some trans warrior cats post on Google when I saw your account, I would really like some advice for handling a trans warrior cats character I'm writing in my AU.

He presents as a she cat at the beginning but later on comes out as trans, I was wondering about how should I approach the transition itself. The first ideas I had are: for him to do vocal exercises with the medicine cat which will help lower his voice (that is one of his main insecurities) , his clan mates will switch to male pronouns and he will get extra food so he could grow larger and more masculine looking (Cats that have a stable diet while they're growing are going to be bigger and stronger) along with herbs that are supposed to stop/repress ovulation in she cats (I'm not that great at biology but I think that would also affect his hormone levels)

Do you have any other ideas?

PS: Thank you for your help and time!

Hello there! Thank you for writing in, but I’m sorry, this blog is not here to provide this kind of help. If you look in the tag here, I’ve done what I can in the past and I hope some of it is useful to you, but as I’ve said before, I’m not looking to talk more on the topic. It’s not wrong to want to write about trans characters, so you’re not in trouble for asking or anything, but I’m not comfortable being consulted for this information.

In fact, if I’m totally and maybe a little brutally honest with you, I think that if you’re at the stage of writing about a complex and highly personal experience where you’re asking random strangers on the internet for advice, you’ve probably got a little way longer to go before you’re ready to actually write about the topic and I’m sorry if that’s difficult to hear. My guess is that you’re probably not transgender yourself, because otherwise why would you be asking me about it? Surely you know your experience better. 

I don’t think that means you can’t write about this topic eventually and I think there is genuinely a good intention in trying to seek out information, but please consider the sources from which you’re seeking this information. There are literally books (both fiction and nonfiction) written by transgender people and I feel like reading work by those people--i.e., the people who have first-hand experience--is a great place to begin learning about how to write on this topic. 

I know you’re coming to my blog because it’s about Warriors and you’re looking to write about a transgender cat, but I think before you can try to transpose this concept onto the world of Warriors, you need to really learn about the concept itself in detail from a variety of sources and then you can focus in on how it might be interpreted in a different context--i.e., in cats. 

For example, you’ve mentioned “male pronouns”--but actually there’s no such thing as male pronouns. He/him is traditionally assigned to men, but there’s a lot of lesbians who also use those pronouns. There’s nonbinary people. There’s a lot of transgender women who haven’t come out. I understand what you mean to say when you say that, but pronouns are actually just one aspect of identity and performance of self and they’re as fluid and open to interpretation as the rest. 

It’s all constructs and I personally think if you want to write in a space that is actively discussing gender and what gender is and what gender can be and the kind of inherent boundary-breaking and remaking and reworking that comes with that territory, it’s worth really sitting down and thinking about these things and being careful with how you actually want to position your character and story and the language you use, etc. etc., and again, I think if you’re asking me for guidance, there’s probably a chance you’re not quite there yet. 

I want to mention as well that “coming out” stories in general are greatly over-represented when it comes to ‘queer’ stories by non-queer writers in mainstream media. You’re writing fanfiction for fun and that’s allowed and okay, but it does seem that the story you’re looking to tell is ultimately about this character coming out. You’ve focused a ton on the transition aspects of this character and if I’m totally honest with you, that strikes me as maybe not a great move, since it’s a very cis approach to writing about transgender characters to fixate on the “process” (often with an invasive, objectifying kind of lens). I’m not saying that your intention or necessarily what your story would be, but I do feel it’s worth pointing out so that you can be sure to avoid it. 

Also, as a side note that might interest you, cat voices don’t actually work like human voices. In human sexual dimorphism, testosterone levels rising in puberty result in a low voice--but cats don’t experience this in real life! Male cats don’t have lower voices than female cats, and the spectrum of “normal” cat voices can span from the very high to the quite low and gravelly regardless of the cat’s sex. To offer an anecdote, I have a skinny old Siamese who has an extremely deep yowl (which his mother also had) and a fluffy ginger cat with a very high, squeaky chirp, and they’re both male and desexed. So basically what I’m saying is transposing human experience onto cats (or frankly any animal) in this instance might be less straightforward than you’d expect, depending on how many cat characteristics versus human characteristics you want to include. 

Anyway tl;dr: I strongly recommend undertaking genuine research into lived transgender experience as written by transgender people before attempting to tackle any kind of story like this. You’re welcome to look through the tag I’ve got on this blog for ideas on adapting that research to a Warriors context when the time comes but I really have to stress that this is a topic that requires effort, humility, and a willingness to both learn and acknowledge the limitations of your own perspective as a writer. I’m sorry if that’s not the feedback you wanted to hear, but I can’t in good conscience not say it. 

[pompadorkery]

What do you mean you find it hard to relate to female characters. It's a fictional universe, you can make them anyway you want. Lucy is pretty feminine and Anglo too. I realize almost all the moms of your ocs are bad or thier children hate them. I understand that you have an abusive mom but do you really have to projected on every character you have. Do you have something against women or your just not attracted to them. Probably the latter because all of your ocs are sex dolls.

Wow. Where to even start with this one.

Why do you think the majority of Hollywood action heroes or video game protagonists are cis white males?

It's because it's the easiest to relate to for the biggest demographic of their audience.

Many anime have just a boring plain normie male protag for the same reason. They're supposed to be easily relatable, and like a blank slate that you can project on.

For me, female characters are hard to relate to.

Growing up, I never cared for female protags or love interest characters. And usually actively disliked them. (Much of this is because female characters are generally poorly written in alot of media, but that's besides the point)

I have never felt "in touch" with womanhood. I could never relate to female characters because none of them were like me, or had the same thoughts or struggles I had.

The female characters I like now are generally mold breaking. They don't fit in the typical box. And they give me something I can relate to.

For example:

Mako Mankanshoku from Kill la Kill. She's an absolute idiot and a total bimbo. She eats alot, she's loud, she's kinda useless at times, and she cares alot about her friends.

Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani from Overwatch. First of all, she's on the autism spectrum. She's rigid, stubborn, and can often come across as mean- but in reality she's just very goal oriented and likes things to be orderly.

While these are very different characters, I find alot of things in them that I can relate to and identify with. Not every aspect is true at all times, and there are plenty of things in their characters that I can't relate with, but regardless, there are aspects of myself that I can see in characters like them.

I've always related better to male characters. And like I said, much of the time female characters aren't written well, while the male characters are. I just always found them cooler. I liked their designs more, and they had more interesting stories. Whereas many female characters entire plot revolves around getting with the protag.

I've struggled with gender my entire life. I never felt like a girl. Even the people around me would say that I was such a "tomboy". I would often get told to dress more feminine, or that my haircut made me look like a boy, etc. One of my happiest moments as a teenager was when I got to play a male character in my high school's spring musical and during that entire time everyone referred to me in character, as a boy. I had a great time playing this character, and it really showed through in my performance. I was comfortable for once.

I identify as non-binary now, and I still have alot of questions about my own gender, and I'm still figuring alot of things out. But what I know for sure is that I'm not a girl.

Now, getting into my OCs.

You claim that all my OCs have troubled relationships with their moms, because I have a troubled relationship with my own mother.

2 of OCs.

2 of my OCs have mommy issues.

Out of all the characters I have, only 2 have issues with their mothers. So like, are you just pulling things out of your ass, or?

Lucy was abandoned by his mom at a young age and has alot of bitterness towards her because of this. Which is perfectly reasonable given the situation.

Sanka is just a brat. He still loves and cares about his mom, their relationship is just strained due to his own insecurities and self-loathing.

All my other characters either have no mother in the picture at all, or have perfectly fine and normal relationships with their moms.

Neither Sanka nor Lucy's moms are abusive. So it's pretty yikes of you to bring up my own abusive mother in this conversation. What are you trying to prove? In your concocted narrative, I'm writing characters with abusive moms because my mom was abusive and that's the only mother figure I know. So.... I'd be writing from experience.... in what world is that a bad thing?

You also mentioned Lucy and Angelo being feminine. "Feminine male" does not equal "woman". Those are two very different things. Just as a butch woman is not the same as a man. Experiences are completely different. Equating them is extremely sexist, and could be incredibly transphobic if you also think this way about real people.

And claiming I'm not attracted to women because my OCs are 'sex dolls'. Literally what are you even trying to get at? You do realize that real women and fictional characters are different, correct? Plenty of lesbians create stories or art about mlm characters. Plenty of lesbians draw gay porn. Are they not attracted to women because they draw men getting fucked?

I am bi. I also fall somewhere in the ace spectrum, due to alot of my own dysphoria. Of course I'm attracted to women. Real women are so incredibly sexy and beautiful and interesting. What isn't there to like? Just because I like making male characters doesn't somehow mean I hate women. I just haven't been able to create a fictional woman I find as interesting and captivating as real women are.

Also. I just enjoy drawing men. So a majority of my characters are gonna be men. Sue me. Sorry for enjoying myself.

And the whole "sex doll" comment. I answer the questions people ask. Which happens to be alot about sex. What can I say? People have cumbrain.

I'm also an nsfw artist. So obviously alot of the art I create is gonna be porn.

Is that the entire story of the characters? No, of course not! Do you think me and Ren would have enough storyline for an entire book if all the characters did was fuck? There's so much more to it than that. There's so much more that people don't see.

I mean, what's more interesting to see a drawing of:

Two characters in the heated embrace of love making

Or two characters sitting on the couch doing completely different mundane activities

There's a time and a place for everything, and sometimes drawing something simple and mundane is a fun look into a characters life.... But also I just like drawing dicks and the faces of people who are thoroughly wrecked.

Tl;dr- It's not that deep, fam.

[carrigerpigeon]

On THE ENFORCER ENIGMA

Okay, y’all.

We need to talk about The Enforcer Enigma because I have many, many problems with it.

I’ve been sitting on my feelings for this book for a month or so, after I got my ARC of it and I read it. It’s been hard to decide what I was going to say, how I was going to approach this. Like I’ve said before, my relationship with Gail exists in a liminal space between fan and friend, and is even more complicated than that.

I’ve decided, as both a fan AND friend, that I can’t ignore the problems in this book.

Which is where this post comes from.

When I first I heard it was dealing with the Selkie mob I was excited, because I loved how ridiculous they were in the short story and I think the concept is gloriously ludicrous. But this book overall felt very contrived, very basic, and very tone deaf in a racist way. The gay boys felt objectified and cookie cutter, and the racist treatment of Judd made me very, very upset.

I’m going to get to my issues with the treatment of Judd, as best as I can as a white person with a lot to learn, but I want to start with something I am able to speak better on, and that’s the gay characters in this book.

So let’s get into it. Spoilers, obviously, and lots of talk about systematic racism and homophobia, antiblackness, stereotypes, etc.

(Also, Gail, since you follow me on this blog and I know you’ll probably see this—READ THE WHOLE THING. Think about it. And then if you’d like to talk about it, you know how to contact me.)

This is going behind a cut, not because of the content but because it’s almost 6 pages long.

The Gay Boys

Okay. Look.

I love a catty, fabulous gay boy as much as the next queer. They have a space and a place in our community. But not EVERY gay man is like this IRL. Meanwhile, in SAS, it feels like every gay male character (or close to) in this series is a waspy, catty, faaaabulous gay. Isaac, Marvin, Max, Trick, even to some extent Alec and Bryan…they’re just all the exhausting waspy, catty, fabulous gay boy that we see exhibited heavily on Drag Race and other mainstream platforms.

And like. I get it. Colin is repressed and gay and wants to be a fabulous twink. That’s fine. But it just felt like he was slipping into the stereotype all the other gay male characters inhabit in these books, and that’s really, really exhausting.

Also, I am from the East Coast, where according to my West Coast friends we apparently grow gay boys differently. I can’t say with any accuracy how much of this is true. BUT MOST OF THESE GAY BOYS ARE FROM THE EAST COAST. They lived in Boston before moving to California. So why are they like this?

It feeds into this larger trend I’ve seen in Gail’s word with fabulous, savage gay boys—from Akeldama and all his drones, to Biffy, and even Lyall. Seen over the spread, it’s harder to sweep it away as just a “modern storyline” thing or a “California storyline” thing. It’s a trend, one which I find very uncomfortable as a queer person.

There is a place and space for Queer people to take back the tropes and stereotypes that have been used against us and write them our own way. But what I’ve seen as a longtime reader isn’t that. What I seem is lazy stereotyping and an overarching stereotype and characterization that feed into the larger the ways I feel gay men are objectified by female authors (no matter how queer the author is).

Many more people have covered this topic better than I, but it explains why I’ve felt so uneasy about this series from the get go. The sex and the relationships in these books don’t feel real—it feels objectifying. There’s lots of talk about big and strong sexy, muscle-y men but very little else. And while there is something to say about having a partner who thinks you’re sexy—that’s important, and I want everyone to have that…. this isn’t that.

These are muscle-y, strong, sassy gay men for cis white women to coo over on Facebook and feel good about. But to me, a real life nonbinary queer person, I feel uneasy and frankly uncomfortable with the objectification of them.

And since we’re talking about queer representation, after having a decent wlw spread in the Parasolverse there are two WLW (specifically lesbians) in SAS (Trickle and Pepper) and they (a) barely get any screen time and (b) feel stereotypical to me. And they are side characters, so I get it, but seriously?

And also while we’re on queer representation, there’s Mana, aka Manifest Destiny. Mana is the drag queen and arguable trans woman* who started off alright BUT was named after the colonization and violent taking of Native and Indigenous people’s lands and wrapped up in patriotism. Gail has said she made a mistake, that she meant her name to be Mana From Heaven, and that this would be addressed in the upcoming book (aka The Enforcer Engima).

It was not.

There is talk, from what I understand, this issue will be addresses in the upcoming short story about Mana and Lovejoy. But there are several throwaway lines about Mana in this book, her work in LA and her becoming a drag queen superstar (I guess akin to RuPaul?). So why wasn’t her name change discussed or even mentioned there?

[*Sidebar: Mana has been quoted as saying, “I suppose I should be transgender, under modern parlance. But I like drag queen. It suits me. I like the fabric roughness of drag, and the royalty of queen. It's a nice change to have the luxury of choosing one's own semantics, if not one's own situation." But whenever she appears, it seems she’s always in face/wearing false eyelashes/wearing women’s clothing.

I’m not going to police Mana’s trans experience because gender is a spectrum, and I as someone under the trans umbrella know that. But it feels…weird and off to me.]

Regardless of my sidebar, the name she was supposed to have, Manna from Heaven is…also sort of problematic? If I understand the reference correctly, it refers to the Biblical story of the food that God miraculously provided to the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. It means as a phrase the coming of unexpected benefit or assistance, especially when that benefit/assistance comes at the time when it is needed most. Which is what Mana is for the pack—she lets them live in her apartment in Book 1, she swoops in to save the day in Book 2. But it feels…very white and more than a little gross to name a character with Chinese and Japanese ancestry after something from the Bible.

And then there’s Judd.

Oh, Judd.

I really wanted to like Judd. The premise of his character was interesting, a Black, Pre-Saturation werewolf shifter, and I liked his cameos in the other books. But then we got a book about him, and it all fell apart.

Judd is a gay Black character, pre-Saturation, meaning he’s old as hell (from the Parasolverse time). He is objectified like the other gay boys, and there’s a lot of talk about how hard and strong his muscles and how sexy he is. He’s depicted on the cover this way.

And that’s…fine I guess, but gay Black men frequently have their bodies objectified as Black and muscley and strong. He’s also a pack Enforcer, so he’s depicted as not very smart and very violent. All of those are racist stereotypes that Black men deal with constantly, and they are racist stereotypes and tropes that are constantly hurled at Black men by the system and by society.

Additionly, Judd, the only Black member of the pack, is the only werewolf in the series to carry a gun.

A Black man. Is the only member. To carry a gun.

Yeah.

It gets worse.

There is mention of Judd’s backstory—very heavy inferences to Phineas/Soap (whose problematic naming convention and descriptors have been talked about especially by jhenne-bean ) being his mentor until he gets kicked out of Sidheag’s pack—but it falls very flat. I understand not wanting to write too much history of a Black character as a white writer, especially after tenuously connecting that history to the traditionally published series you’re Not Connected SAS To Not At All….

But.

Judd is over 150 years old.

He lived through some of America and Canada's worst racial discrimination, discrimination which would have affected him and his habitus and the way he moves through the world. He’s a gay Black man, and his gayness and his Blackness does not appear to affect how he interacts with the world at all. The police are called at the beginning and he’s OKAY ABOUT IT? AS A BLACK MAN? He basically says, “Thank God, the cops are here.”

You had a BLACK MALE CHARACTER SAY THAT when we’ve had a nationwide conversation since 2013, a conversation that has been reignited in the past three months?

Like????

And I was willing—perhaps whitely and naively—to give Gail the benefit of the doubt with Soap/Phineas. E&E was written in 2011, before Black Lives Matter was founded, before we began to have this nationwide reckoning with how Black and brown folks are treated systematically and especially by police violence. These conversations were definitely being had in 2011, but they were seen as fringe discussions and not necessarily part of the mainstream narrative as it is today.

However. It’s not 2011. It’s 2020.

It’s been 7 years since BLM was founded, and there have been countless discussions happening about racism and systematic issues in publishing and with white writers writing Black characters since that point.

Soap/Phineas has been mentioned or has cameo’d in The Custard Protocol and in Meat Cute. There’s been no conversation about his name or the way he has been described  And both he and Judd fall into the Caring-POC-Partner trope which has been discussed very heavily in romance circles and in ways I am not necessarily equipped to discuss in this post. But I will link to this post for everyone to read: https://medium.com/@ashiamonetb/queer-love-interests-of-color-and-the-white-gaze-8928b7b5e6ad

It’s 2020. These conversations have been being had, quite fervently, for many years, so there’s absolutely no excuse with how Judd is approached or treated in this book.

And here’s the CRUX of all this.

This book isn’t even really about Judd.

It’s about Colin.

Even though Judd is on the cover of the book, in all of his objectified Black body goodness, the plot of the story is about Colin. It’s very much entrenched in Colin’s issues with his family and his identity. Judd is there to take care of Colin and ~guide~ him and ~teach~ him things. To protect him. To be sexy to him.

See the medium article above. See the conversation about objectification above.

So if this book is SO MUCH ABOUT COLIN, why is Judd on the cover?

Why is Judd naked and glistening and Black on the cover of the story about the trials and tribulations of a white twink?

…Do I really have to say it? Maybe I do. It’s racist.

It might not be intended that way, but it is.

And look. There were parts of this book that I found enjoyable. I am still a fan of Gail’s wit and the way she writes. I’m a sucker for the found family trope, which all of these books have, and I really like Trick and Marvin. I’ve been where Colin is. I’ve fucked around with my gender presentation and been scared to out and fabulous or be perceived a certain way because I present a certain way.

But I’m really frustrated and frankly ANGRY with the racist stereotypes and gay stereotypes present in this book. It doesn’t feel like this was sensitivity read at all, by anyone. The book feels like a culmination of racist and homophobic trends that make me feel that Gail hasn’t been paying attention or listening to the cultural reckoning happening nationwide or in publishing.

And yes, there is a lot of “don’t idolize authors” talk, but here’s the thing.

Gail isn’t some anonymous author to me, someone I can just cancel and be done with.

Gail is a mentor to me. We’ve hung out at multiple cons, shot the shit about publishing, and talked about queer shit together with. We aren’t close, but she’s a friend (liminal space, etc). She gets a Christmas card from me every year, she asks after my partner when we chat. We’ve been in each other’s orbits for TEN YEARS.

I have this entire sideblog dedicated to her books, for fucks sake.

So when I read shit like this, it makes me upset. This book is a pile of microaggressions that stacked into a macroagression. It’s insensitive, definitely hurtful, and feels exceptionally tone deaf (AT BEST) to have written and released this book.

She has people in her inner circle who could have caught this if we’d been allowed to read it before hand, if we’d been a part of the beta process. But we weren’t. And it shows.

Gail, this is a message directly for you: You talk a lot about supporting people. You reblog lots of #ownvoices work and have been plugging a lot of #ownvoices fiction. I know (or at least hope) you’re a good person.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

Why is this book such a disaster?

Have you been listening at all?

And I get it, we all have things to learn and things to unlearn. As white ally, and as a member of the queer community, as someone in your inner circle and as a friend (liminal space!), I get it.

I’m also saying this isn’t ok.

This book that you’ve written is not okay. Not even a little bit.

Here’s the thing: you can fix it (or you can try). It’s gonna be hard and require difficult conversations and actions, but you can.

If you want to know more, if you want to talk: you know how to contact me. I’ll give you my number. We can email, Skype, Zoom, text, call, whatever. I know I’m not the only member of the Pigeons that feels this way. You have people here to help.

As for everyone else:

As might be apparent I have…a lot of feelings right now. I’ve loved these books for so long, made a friend (liminal space!) with the author through social media. Genevieve Lefoux, and Sidheag, and Aggie, and lots of other characters mean a lot to me. Gail’s books have helped me through hard times and hard places, and she’s influenced a lot of whom I am as a writer.

But right now having this blog, dedicated to all these books with this massive subthread of racism and stereotypes, feels…not great.

And I don’t know if I can continue to support Gail and continue to be a fan (and a friend) if she keeps up with this.

[eoleolhan-a]

Okay it’s Monster Prom headcanon time for Jin! Get ready for some Hell headcanons and a little bit of tension with canon because in this house we kill and devour canon when it is convenient. This thing is LONG (approx 2150 words) so buckle up and Happy Halloween!

Jin is an incubus, a sort of “breed” of demon. They aren’t a separate species than the typical demons we know (aka Damien and Dahlia) but they do have some significant differences in terms of phenotypes/physical features, as well as culture and language. They are a minority group both in the numerical and sociological sense when it comes to Hell’s demographic breakdown. Most of them live in the 2nd Circle of Hell, where the lustful are sent for their eternal damnation in Dante’s Inferno.

Linguistically incubus refers to male demons of this breed of demons, while female demons of the breed are called succubus. There is, however, a gender neutral term in their culture that is used to refer to nonbinary individuals: neccubi (plural) or neccubus (singular). Altogether they’re often referred to as ‘Cubi (pronounced like cube-eye) or ‘Cubi demons in Hell. Their culture and language is called Cubiaen (cube-eye-in), and sometimes the region is referred to as Cubia (cube-eye-ah) but typically by those who live there rather than the rest of Hell. Most ‘Cubi speak their own native language and the dominant language of Hell; bilingualism is a common and expected trait tied to their strong central government’s education initiatives, but more on that later.

'Cubi have some specifics that differentiate them from other demons. Regardless of sex they have the same average height (around 5′6″) and don’t typically have much body hair beyond underarms and the pubic region, or grow facial hair. Their colours are typically a bit more muted compared to other demons; instead of being red, blue, purple, what have you, they would be more on the pink, perwinkle, lavender, mauve side of the colour spectrum and are usually a little less vivid/deep in colour. Their horns tend to have more an obvious curve to them, their ears are usually a bit longer/stick out more prominently, and they often have rounded ends on their tail tips making them look more like hears or spades. There are always exceptions, but these are the most common and noticeable traits among 'Cubi (mostly those that are not related to other demons in their immediate lineage). 

In terms of powers and proclivities, these are usually sexual but not exclusively sexual. They feed off of sexual energy as it is the impetus for creating life; the easiest targets are humans. Usually, a ‘Cubi demon will act like a sort of horny sandman. They can feed off of wet dreams, basically, by tapping into dream realms and siphoning the sexual energy created by these types of dreams. They can also just plain old have sex with humans, but this can be difficult. They are not prone to sexual assault any more than any other being; consent is what makes the energy sexual, after all. The more into it their feeding source/partner is, the more they get out of it. They can get sexual energy from other demons or monsters but it tends to be more difficult for them with less of a return. Feeding on this energy keeps them youthful, helps them live longer, and makes them stronger physically which helps keep them protected from the harsh climate of the 2nd Circle and also allows them to recover from wounds more easily. For the target of this feeding, the symptoms are typically lethargy, headaches, muscle aches, and lack of sex drive for about a day, sometimes more, after the encounter. It’s comparable to a hangover or a mild cold and typically won’t last longer than a week and is not usually lethal. Generally, ‘Cubi aren’t as prone to violence, conquest, or battle when compared to other demons. This doesn’t mean they don’t have a violent or destructive streak, just that it isn’t seen by the standards of Hell to be all that prominent in their culture/society.

The 2nd Circle of the 'Cubi is a lot more tame and peaceful on the surface than the rest of Hell. Since they aren’t as interested in violence or conquest, their region of the 2nd Circle has historically been isolationist. They are a small region in Hell that has a lot of mountains, sharp rocky ridges, and hills that form the border of the 2nd Circle. Based on Dante’s Inferno, the lustful were punished in the 2nd Circle of Hell by being blown around by violent winds. This, in my lore, translates to a hostile climate with rapidly changing weather. For those demons who are not used to it, it can be hard to manage the drastic temperature changes, precipitation, and wind that characterize this region. Due to their small size and the difficult environmental and geographical conditions of the 2nd Circle, they have not been conquered by any of the other Circles so far. Trying to launch an invasion is difficult since it would take months of living in the climate just to adjust to its rapid weather changes and harsh environment. It is also not a very politically important region and isn’t really focused on much in Hell’s geopolitical landscape. 

The government of the 2nd Circle is basically a bureaucratic monarchic empire. It has been isolated from the other kingdoms of Hell and so its government, culture, language, and to some extent population, has developed rather differently from the other Circles. This is in large part because of how damn difficult it is to conquer the region because of its harsh and unforgiving climate. The Emperor rules over the entire 2nd Circle after, many eons ago, the ‘Cubi decided to amalgamate their smaller regions (typically found in valleys between mountain ranges) into one larger government with regional administration to fend off external invasions and promote unity among their people. This Empire led a defensive against an attempted invasion from one of the other circles, and since then there has been a form of peace in the 2nd Circle. For some time after the ‘Cubi were recognized for their defensive strength and battle capabilities, but since it’s been thousands of years since then that image has worn off and been replaced by the one that is more common today, of ‘Cubi being weak and passive.

Each of the Empire’s smaller regions has an appointed governor from the Emperor who ensures each region pays its taxes, follows the laws of the Empire, etc. The Emperor has his own council of appointed advisors for different issues that stay in the Imperial Court; one for each region that governors oversee, and then extra advisors for specific concerns like economic development of the empire, military security and advancement, science and education in the empire, and advancement of the arts and Cubiaen culture and language. The line of succession does have gender parity, but the current monarch is an Emperor; there have been a few Empresses over the years, since it always goes to the oldest immediate descendant of the sitting monarch whenever possible. To get a position in one of these roles (either as governor or a council advisor) you typically need to be from a noble family. Science and education, and arts advancement is the one place where there is some limited class mobility; only one ‘Cubi ever gets the position at a time, but notable scientists or other such thinkers (mathematicians, philosophers, etc) can be scouted and appointed for their skill and contributions to ‘Cubi science and knowledge, whereas notable artists including visual arts, poetry, etc could be recruited to become the council’s arts and culture advisor. Otherwise, social stratification is a big issue there and most ‘Cubi don’t ever get the chance to rise the social status or class ladder. Out of all of the regions, the 2nd Circle has collectively less wealth than the others; they are not impoverished and typically have certain supports from the Empire as a result of tax payments or social support from within their communities for the peasantry. 

‘Cubi tend to form very strong monogamous partner bonds with other ‘Cubi. They fulfill each other’s sexual needs and desires, while still typically feeding their energy supply from humans. This is not really considered cheating or even a kind of polyamory in their culture. It’s very typical for ‘Cubi to find partners, have families, and form very strong bonds within those families. This extends to within communities, and to a lesser degree throughout the Empire. Their Empire was formed as an oddity, not by conquest but by consensus. Their attitudes towards partnership and family is not necessarily biological but social, and influenced by some of their biological predispositions (ie their method of feeding on sexual energy). While their culture is mostly hetero-dominant, it is accepting of non-heterosexual couplings. While they recognize a kind of binary between male and female ‘Cubi, as mentioned earlier they do have terms for and a recognition of non-binary genders but it is fairly limited. Most non-binary ‘Cubi are sort of lumped together whether it is accurate or not, but linguistically and socially these gender roles are quite normal to them. Partner bonded couples who cannot biologically reproduce are often adoptive parents when a young demon is orphaned or when the biological parents cannot provide care. Typically, due to strong community bonds, these kinds of couples will take in local children who end up displaced. Their family ties are typically paternal, but in a case where there is no male parent one family name is still typically chosen. Partnership and adoption are considered a form of family integration. This is typically lateral, since social mobility is so limited in the 2nd Circle.

In terms of leisure and culture, they have a strong respect for the arts. Music and theatre are commonly accessible and most communities have some kind of local artistry. They also enjoy sport, typically contact sports since they are still demons. The most popular sports to both participate in and watch are things like tug of war, wrestling, boxing, and martial arts-esque combat sports (like a demonic version of MMA). Most ‘Cubi are literate, at least in their own language. As such, poetry and literature are also quite popular and there are many epic poems and legends about their defensive battles, pre-Empire society, and mythic figures. The popularity of these things, and the ability for ‘Cubi across the realm to enjoy them, are due to their strong Empire that has a focus on promoting arts, culture, leisure, and education. While social mobility is low, education is public and typically available to any ‘Cubi in the Empire should they decide to attend (and most do). 

Certain aspects of their culture (less prone to conquest, battle, violence, more obvious love partnerships and strong family units) has had them seen in something of a negative light by the dominant demon “breed” and their culture in Hell (ie Dahlia and Damien’s Circles and their culture/society). Outsiders often see ‘Cubi as being delicate or pacifists at best, and submissive, passive, and weak at worst. Their culture is not readily understood or accepted in Hell’s mainstream dominant cultural landscape. This rift has only been further cemented by the 2nd Circle’s difficulty to integrate into other Circle’s kingdoms just geographically, and because the ‘Cubi government has ben isolationist for many many centuries. As a result, they are a sociological minority in Hell. They are not typically understood by outsider demons, and in many instances looked down upon or treated paternalistically. Many other demons don’t know much about their culture or society and see only the sexual aspects, the lack of outward violence, and some of the physical differences of ‘Cubi and make their assumptions based on that. They aren’t typically considered when other demons speak of Hell as a collective, and their Circle is ignored most of the time politically as other more populated and politically important Circles are fought over in endless wars of conquest. They are misunderstood and sometimes discriminated against if they end up travelling, which further enforces their isolationist government and suspicion of other demons. They typically have the most distrust of the 8th Circle because of the LaVey Family specifically. The claim that the LaVey Kings invented love or partnership in Hell rubs them the wrong way; while it is true that they popularized the idea outside of Cubiaen society and did introduce the idea of these partnerships being part of a military culture and a tool of battle strength, the ‘Cubi often see this claim as exaggerated and as a kind of cultural appropriation. Something they did for centuries and were seen as weak for is now popularized because someone from a different culture promoted it. They don’t have a problem with this becoming more recognized, but they do find it irksome that the 8th Circle gets all of the credit for it. In their Empire it is seen as a foreign propaganda tool to prop up the LaVey monarchs as somehow unique, and as a way for them to use the idea of partnership without having to be associated with the Cubia.

I’ll probably elaborate more on this later, and on Jin’s specific verse-related quirks as part of this culture, but yeah here you go I hope you enjoy and if you made it this far thank you for reading! <3

[ladyimaginarium]

sLAPS KNEE. OKAY LADIES, GENTS AND NB FOLX!! NOW THAT VALENTINE’S DAY IS OVER, IT’S AROMANTIC AWARENESS WEEK AND IT’S TIME FOR A LIL’ PSA ON WRITING REALISTIC AROMANTIC SPECTRUM CHARACTERS + A LIST OF MY MUSES WHO ARE ON THE AROMANTIC SPECTRUM !! SIT BACK, EAT A SNACK AND ENJOY !!

Clearly state their orientation. I can’t stress this enough. Alloromantics ( individuals who feel romantic attraction ) will take any excuse to make a character allo. Don’t ignore this.

Don’t write a stereotype for the sake of writing a stereotype. Yes, obviously stereotypes come from somewhere, and yes, sometimes, it can be true for some individuals, but people on the aromantic spectrum are that, a spectrum, with a wide variety of beliefs and experiences ; we are not a monolith, I say this as someone who’s on the aromantic spectrum.

Define how your character’s aro self affects them. Some aromantics enjoy sex, some don’t, some enjoy queerplatonic/quasiplatonic relationships, some don’t feel platonic attraction - there are a wide variety of beliefs at play here. Determine what being on the aromantic spectrum means to your muse. Decide on it and stick with it. If you clearly state their orientation, not following the stereotype will not be a problem.

Research. Make sure you’re educated on the identity you’re writing about, ask people about their experiences, look it up on wiki’s ( there’s plenty of information on the aro-ace spectrum among other things on there ). Accurate representation makes for more open minded communities and people. This is important regardless of whether you, the mun/the writer, are on the aromantic spectrum or not.

Give your muse other personality traits. Someone’s aro-ness does not define their entire personality, just as someone’s sexuality/gender/race/religion/etc. does not define their personality as a whole. Your muse should be complex, your muse should have other experiences that shape them into being who they are. Perhaps determine how their orientation affects their other traits and how their other traits affect their orientation. It all mixes together like good chicken noodle soup. Basically, don’t write flat characters because that’s boring as fuck and no one likes flat characters.

It is realistic for your muse to face arophobia. Your muse has most likely struggled with arophobia if you intend on writing them realistically. Maybe they’re still struggling with their orientation, not many people are educated or supportive of the concept. Write the arophobic friends, write the scene where your muse has to explain themselves over and over, write the complicated conversations they have with uneducated people, showing the problems aromantics face is just as important as writing aromantic muses.  In many cultures around the world, including much of the Western world, friendships are emotionally shallow compared to romance, they’re fleeting, short-term or noncommitted and do not involve partnership ties, some cultures dictate that romantic relationships will always be more important than friendships, that romantic partners should move in together as a monogamous pair and that only romantic partners should adopt, raise children or even engage in certain forms of affection when this is clearly not the case.

Consider writing a non-romantic relationship. Not every dynamic or ship has to be romantic in nature. Queerplatonic / quasiplatonic relationships, while not limited to, are a huge part of the aromantic spectrum community. It is important to bring about the idea that romantic love isn’t the best or most valid kind of love there is. By writing a queerplatonic relationship, you’re spreading awareness and even though you might not realize it, are supporting the entire aromantic community. Queerplatonic relationships go beyond what is considered normal for a platonic relationship but does not fit the traditional idea of a romantic relationship. Queerplatonic relationships can look different for everyone, depending on what the people are involved are comfortable with. For some QPR, this could look like a close friendship, for others it could look closer to a romantic relationship, for others their ideal QPR could be similar to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Activities that can be included but are not limited to are hand-holding, cuddling and sleeping together ( not euphemistically ), sitting on each other’s lap, cheek kisses, pecks on the lips, kissing, seeing each other naked or having sex, hell, some queerplatonic couples will even live together or get married. However, one does not have to identify as a-spec or as queer to be in a queerplatonic relationship. A queerplatonic relationship can be monogamous or polyamorous, involving more than two people. If someone in said relationship experiences romantic or sexual attraction, or both, they might pursue a traditionally romantic relationship at the same time as a queerplatonic relationship. People in QPR’s will refer to each other as their queerplatonic partner ( QPP ) or “zuchinni”, a term that was originally a joke in the a-spec community about lacking a word to properly describe the term, so they could just use any word they want, like zucchini, and a queerplatonic crush is called a plush. It defies the divide between romantic partnership and “just” friends and honestly, I really wanna see more queerplatonic relationships in the rpc because they do exist and they are valid. With that said, if you ever want to try something unique with your muses, try writing them out in a queerplatonic relationship!

Listen to aromantic spectrum people. The best way to understand how to write aromanticism is to learn about aromanticism from people who experience it.

Aromantic does not mean emotionless, introverted, broken, cold, or uncaring. You or your muses don’t need a relationship to be happy, romantic relationships aren’t for everyone and that’s okay.

Aromantic is both an orientation and an umbrella term for those who fall under the aromantic spectrum. There are multiple arospectrum identities and all of them are important and worth celebrating.

Being aromantic or arospec does not mean you or your muses are broken and it does not mean that something is wrong with you or your muses. It can be hard for some people to accept their aro identity but that doesn’t mean they aren’t deserving of positivity.

Aromanticism and asexuality are two different things.

Aromantic means someone experiences little to no romantic attraction, aromantic people are allowed to want and be in romantic relationships, aromantic people are allowed to not want any type of relationship.

Platonic relationships, familial relationships, queerplatonic / quasiplatonic and nonromantic relationships are no less important than romantic ones.

Lesser known arospec identities are no less deserving of recognition and celebration.

Aromantic people of color exist, mentally ill aromantic people exist, young aromantic people exist, religious aromantic people exist, you can identify as aromantic / aspec regardless of your race, gender identity, age, religion, etc.

It’s okay if you or your muse don’t know where you fall on the spectrum, it’s okay if it takes times for you or your muse(s) to realize that they are aromantic or arospec.

Being aromantic does not make you, your muse(s) or anyone else a bad person and aromantic / aspec people and muses are allowed to love and be proud of their identity.

Aromantic / aspec people who also identify as another orientation - hell, any orientation, yes even heterosexual aro-spec are still aromantic / arospec and they are still a part of the LGBTQIA2+ - exist, for example, I am demiromantic and demisexual, but I am also biromantic and bisexual; this does not make me any less of a biromantic bisexual nor does it invalidate by aspec identity.

Anyone who says that the aspec community are appropriating from autistic / neurodivergent people by merely using that word can eat my entire ass like a cupcake because there are autistic / neurodivergent aromantics / arospec people like myself who’re tired of hearing your arophobic bullshit.

The following are a list of my muses who’re on the aromantic spectrum:

Melisandre ( A Song of Ice & Fire ; Aroflux with a preference for men )

Daenerys Targaryen ( A Song of Ice & Fire ; Demiromantic Bisexual )

Elsa ( Disney ; Demiromantic Biromantic with a preference for women )

Jack Skellington ( Disney ; Demiromantic )

Merida ( Disney ; Aromantic )

Delico Abaddonato ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic Omniromantic ; doesn’t have a preference )

Erica Abaddonato ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic Caedsexual ; she still is uncertain on whether or not she’s bi or pan but she prefers women )

Re(Gina) Paulklee ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic Homoromantic ; Butch Lesbian )

Hitoshi Masaru / Minimi ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic Biromantic with a preference for men )

Hitoshi Sora / Colt ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic ; still questioning his sexuality ; bicurious )

Lancelot Green ( GANGSTA. ; Requisromantic ; still questioning their sexuality )

Marie Estelle Claire / Maverick ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic Homoromantic ; Femme Lesbian )

Theodoros d’Angelo ( GANGSTA. ; Demiromantic Biromantic with a preference for men )

Newton Artemis Fido Scamander ( Potterverse ; Grayromantic Demisexual )

Akasuna no Sasori ( Naruto ; Greyromantic Bisexual )

Kyuubi no Kurama ( Naruto ; Aromantic Asexual )

Otsutsuki Kaguya ( Naruto ; Aromantic Asexual )

Sabaku no Gaara ( Naruto ; Greyromantic Homoromantic )

Senju Toka ( Naruto ; Demiromantic Demibisexual )

Ava Adebowale ( TWDG ; Aroflux Pansexual )

Clementine Maria Jasmine Cree ( TWDG ; Demibiromantic  Demibisexual )

James Dae Young ( TWDG ; Demihomoromantic Homosexual )

[idjit-on-my-wayward-assbutt]

There's something I need to say. Maybe no one will hear me. Maybe no one will agree.

Maybe now, I'm sick of being silenced. Sit down, shut up, and listen.

I was brought to tears at the end of this video. The message he's portraying is one we can see every day in society. The representation, the choreography, the story, they're raw and intense and incredible. Tears welled in my eyes when I watched this video.

But I felt overwhelmed when I saw the text LGBTQIA+. Because there's one spectrum of sexuality that many don't know about, and even more engage in hate and harrassment against.

Asexuality. Those who do not feel sexual impulses toward others. Since asexuality is never discussed, no one knows anything about asexuality, nor the spectrum of asexuality. No one knows about the discrimination asexuals experience. No one acknowledges asexuals as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. And what's the reasoning behind why?

"They're technically straight."

"They're not oppressed."

"They aren't marginalized for their sexuality, since they don't have a sexuality."

"LGBT is for lesbian, gay, bi, and trans individuals ONLY."

"Asexuals just want to seem like they're oppressed to join the LGBTQIA+ community."

"We don't want asexuals. Join your own community."

These are all comments I've read. Not toward others. Toward me. I am asexual, though I do not identify as aromantic. Remember the spectrum? Just like every other sexuality, ace individuals also have different asexualities. All of which ARE in fact a sexual orientation REGARDLESS of sexual participation. And sexual participation seems to be the measuring stick LGBTQIA+ individuals measure valid orientation by.

I cannot express how important it is to change that narrative.

Yes - there are horrendous acts of discrimination commit against the LGBTQIA+ community every single day. I tear my hair out thinking of all the young men and women around the world who feel isolated, stripped of their identity, and alone because of their sexual identity or orientation. I wish more would be done to help them, to save them from others and themselves.

But allow me to draw your attention to acephobia, and asexual specific oppression.

Asexual oppression is not the same as other forms of oppression commit against the community, but please understand that does not make it any less real or any less damaging. Ever heard of corrective rape? Welcome to asexual oppression 101. This is a tactic used against asexuals, as well as lesbian women, under the guise of "reversing" or "correcting" an individual's sexual orientation when in reality it is nothing more than a torture mechanism to force pain and fear into a person for compliance to the norm.

Imagine it. Feeling no sexual urges toward other people, and then your family, your friends, even strangers decide for you what you should enjoy. Imagine being unable to feel sexual pleasure, and having sex forced on to you (because there is no. such. thing. as consensual rape). Imagine bleeding and burning as your flesh is torn open by an act you're not only unable to understand, but would never engage in anyway. Imagine feeling no connection to sex or physical pleasure and having sex shoved down your throat by peers, by coworkers, by websites, by media every single day, every day of the year.

And imagine how disturbing and devastating it is to hear members of the LGBTQIA+ community - the place where people should feel most safe, most supported - not only reject asexuality because it's "too straight", but also refuse to accept that asexuals face horrific discrimination.

Acephobia is more prevalent in the LGBTQIA+ members than anywhere I've ever seen. I was once told to commit suicide by a user on twitter who identified as lesbian. A trans individual told me to "get your own community". A bisexual individual told me I didn't suffer enough to be LGBTQIA+. Funny enough, my straight friends accepted asexuality faster than most in the community ever will.

Asexual and aromantic individuals are not weird, or strange. They aren't made of clay, or stone. Every person has the ability to fall in love with a partner - and love does not equate with sexual desire. (Remember that narrative? That toxic narrative that claims valid sexual identity is defined by sexual participation? Now, is it more clear why this needs to go?)

If you find yourself thinking, 'Asexuals aren't LGBTQIA+' then perhaps you should reexamine what you consider the community to be. Asexuality is the A in the name of the community, for God's sake. Ace individuals don't need your hate and harrassment, we get enough of that without your help. And if you're a genuine ally of the community, you'd know that acceptance is the message. All sexualities are valid - even asexuality. All oppression is intolerable - including acephobia.

I expect people to attack this. Because that's what they want - to target and silence asexual identity. By the way, did you know asexuals can be with any gender? That it's their personal choice who they choose to love like every other sexuality has the freedom to do? If you didn't, now you know.

I'll scream until my voice is heard. I won't be silenced. My dear asexual/aromantics, you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and I will stand beside you even if no one else will. Because that's the point. Acceptance, and alliance. Do not allow acephobic individuals to make you feel invalidated. They're acephobic because they're ignorant. My pansexual best friend scoffs when she hears people say asexuality is not LGBTQIA+. Know that asexual oppression is unjust and disgusting, and it is never your fault for the nasty behavior of others.

Promote proper LGBTQIA+ education. End LGBTQIA+ oppression.

And don't be acephobic, or I'll poison your seed and laugh as I march over your crumbling kingdom.

[akria23]

Okay let me start off by saying you do not have to agree to engage in this post - I speak most of my time on this page debating/arguing with people. I do not block people for disagreeing. I don’t believe in blocking people if I’m not ‘winning’ so I can have the last word (that happens to me a lot so intrusive not to do it). As long as you don’t don’t call me out of my name or infer things about me I will be cordial - imma give you what you give me (so just remember that). I am ating @optimisticdays because I said I would. I’ve also deleted the other post after speaking to this person I read the post over and over to see if I was missing the flaw - it wasn’t until I read my reply to the op of another post that I was like 😬 you are making another gender in a way that could be inferred as denying someone’s identity. My intention was to speak on the belief that bisexuality is solely a combination of male and female instead of of the aspects that go into gender and in part the deniability of the difference between the two sexualities pan and bi and how that plays in recent discussions (in the Druck fandom). Anyway - let’s get into it.

I’m going to preface this again - Yes most commonly transgender male as male - transgender female is female. I say most commonly because not all transgender people fall to this rule. I’m not trying to claim otherwise (for the majority). My case isn’t on that persay but on the association to sexuality and the differentiation in sexual concepts (bisexuality/pansexuality) as it is condensed in fandom. Like I said the flaw in my last point was already mentioned i was using gender as the umbrella term of the association and classifying trans as its own gender instead of simply stating that it has an intricate working with sexuality when broken down (but not always limited or inclusive) to expression, identifier, s-x. I don’t want to say identity as an umbrella either as I don’t think even that expresses what I was saying. I get while people thought I was saying trans is a gender if it’s own - because I was and not correlating (in the big post) why I was making that relation (intentional or unintentional). Let me back and define the sexualities I’m speaking on because this is what I’m making my argument:

Bisexuality was first consumed as being attracted sexually or romantically to both male and female gender. This was conventional fitting to concepts of the time even though there were most like genders of all kind during any and every era. Then in more modernized eras we redefined Bisexuality to mean the capable attraction to people sometimes dependent upon biological sex, gender identity, or expression - must denote to at least two gender aspects but not necessarily all. While pansexuality means the capable attracted to all people, regardless of biological s-x, gender identity, or expression. This is the big separation between the two for me. Pan means all and there’s not getting around that but bisexuality does not mean all. I know some people interchanges the two - I don’t have a problem with that - I do it if I’m speaking to someone who does it - but the issue comes in when we’re okay with erasing someone identifier because it don’t sit well with us and I find that often happens in fandom. To extend on that when it comes to fandom discussion bisexuality is seen solely as male and female and led with a perception that it’s also a 50% equality. That’s not true. You can actually be bisexual and not include on of those aspects at all - including the concepts of masculinity vs femininity and that’s not even speaking on romantic vs s-x. And yes that’s why I’m saying I get the concept of saying oh he’s just gay when you get the transgender aspect but I think that’s only is you eliminate all the other (possible because it’s not inherent) elements. I try not to say gender too much because I know people base that down to male female despite not only third genders but also the fact of association, expression, s-x, identities all playing into sexuality but not always the same way or intricately one. This is why I argue that Matteo could still fall under the bisexual label without being attracted to girls/women/feminine concepts or aspects. I’m not saying that he is - only that technically he can or if a viewer was so inclined to associate him with the sexuality (without trying to put feminine/female concepts on the line). And yes I could have made arguments for androsexual/andromantic (as they don’t replace sexuality) but the dialogue I keep seeing is specifically about the sexualities of bisexuality and pansexuality.

Basically what I’m saying is when these things overlap underlap (even for transgender people not only the aforementioned trans people that don’t fit under the simplified law of what trans means) how then can we just process them into uncomplicated labels such as gay or hetero alone as though these overlapping concepts don’t then also come in with pansexual (if you interchange) or in this case bisexual aspects?! When it comes to Matteo I say he could fall to these concepts I’m not saying he has to or that fandom has to see him in that light but when you say this is persons a identify thus you must only associate him to this sexuality when so many aspects play into sexuality (or romantics). If Matteo still says he’s gay - then yes of course he’s gay. I’m maybe half an episode behind but the last thing I hear him say on the topic was a question of the concept not a validation on his perspective on the matter. The last thing I heard fandom say about it (until today) is why didn’t the writers confirm the sexuality as gay, why didn’t they put a cap on it specifically. Once someone identifies themselves I don’t argue pass that because how we deny ourselves belongs to us.

I admit that I was wrong expressing it as I did that transgender is well a gender when I’m not claiming that it’s a gender itself but the trans in front of the gender speaks on aspects that play into sexuality that has nothing to do with cis gender concepts. I’m not saying it’s bad - I’m not saying it’s good - I’m saying it exist and that’s why the word behind it is so important. That’s why for that I do apologize - to those I did and didn’t offend - because while I believe in saying what you mean and meaning what you say, if you don’t have the vocabulary or the time to express clearly what you mean on top is such as this then it probably shouldn’t be said by you at that time. I try never to shit on other people identities because that’s never my intention. Instead of expressing my ideals that yes I agree Matteo is not bisexual in the concept of being attracted to his friend (a female) but not all bisexual attraction denote to automatically include female/feminine concepts or that just because someone is transgender it does not mean there is no overlap of aspects/concepts that might place anyone (Matteo) further down the spectrum - but instead I over simplified my claim by ‘othering’ transgender people.

Okay - so the floor is y’all. We can discuss what you disagree with, what you agree with. It’s 9:30pm -I’m tired - post took me longer than it should have 😪 but I did want to understand where people who were disagreeing was coming from instead of blurting my feelings out. It’s easy to that’s what I said and that’s how I feel thus it’s valid but that’s not always the case you can cross a boundary by sharing your feelings in a way that surpasses others and their reality. Anyway that’s my post - if I don’t reply today, I will reply tomorrow.

[coutelier]

War of the Posies: The Eve of the War

This is a short story, that nevertheless, I’ve split into two parts. I don’t know what the right length for Tumblr posts is (this part is about 2000 words), and also I just like cliffhangers. I’ll probably post the whole thing in one post later, after making some more edits/corrections, and maybe with some snazzy title image or banner.

Brief synopsis: Jennifer Airhart lives alone in a lighthouse, her own private sanctuary safe from the cruel world outside. But now a mysterious being has entered her home, and its intentions seem decidedly hostile:

War of the Posies: The Eve of the War

No one would have believed, as the sun set behind the lighthouse, that human affairs were being watched from the depths of the round room; that as the young woman busied herself with her microscope she too was being scrutinized and studied. With infinite complacency Jennifer Airhart went about her business, serene in the assurance of her dominion in this place. Yet from the deepest shadows, minds that were to hers as hers to the rest of humanity, regarded her home with envious eyes. And slowly, but surely, they drew their plans against her.

Jennifer yawned, “It’s definitely rats.” It had been a long day. She’d got up early to prepare the garden-bots to help with the task she had planned, but when Hull had tried to activate them a circuit blew. Fortunately other bots were quick to put out the resultant fire. It seemed a creature had gotten into the walls and gnawed some of the wires, unwittingly placing itself, Jennifer, and the lighthouse that contained Hull in danger.

Hull’s eye snaked over her shoulder, like a glistening manta-ray held aloft by a spindly metallic arm. “Shall I lay down traps, ma’am?” His voice, loudly but softly, suggested. “Poison?”

To Jennifer it seemed that Hull was far more eager than usual to resolve this matter, hovering close with the green spinning glow of his lens intently illuminating everything she did. “You know,” she sighed, “it is a little bit creepy that you’re so keen on extermination.”

“I have no such desire, ma’am. My first function is your well-being. My research suggests this is standard procedure in the event of rodent infestation.”

“We don’t know it’s an infestation yet. Could just be a rogue rat working on its own.”

“I have already identified local agencies who will humanely dispose of the creature.”

“You mean they’ll take it to a rodent sanctuary so it can live out its days surrounded by wheels and cheese?”

“The rat will be dead, ma’am.”

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you’ve taken this personally,” Jenn said, Hull recoiling as if affronted by such an accusation.

Of course Jennifer knew Hull wasn’t capable of feeling violated or threatened – she kept attributing to him those emotions. She kept calling him ‘him’ even though the machine had no sex or gender; it was just the personality she’d programmed. An avuncular, reassuring, almost fatherly presence. If she were to be truly critical of herself, she would say it was because the only human being she talked to, Doctor Sarkis, only stopped by on average once a fortnight. Jennifer enjoyed those visits but wasn’t sure she could cope with more people. There hadn’t been anyone else here for two years.

“You know I don’t like strangers,” Jenn yawned again. “We can deal with it ourselves. First find out how many and where they’re coming from,” on her monitor she brought up a layout of the area within the ten-foot stone walls; the lighthouse, her own cottage, and the garage. “Wakko and Dot can set up multi-spectrum cameras here, here, here, and here. Don’t worry,” she said patting the steel-manta, “we’ll catch them.”

Hull’s eye swung around, watching her as she went to the door. “I am not ‘worried’, ma’am,” he reassured her.

“I know,” Jennifer said with a small, soft smile. “Good night Hull.”

“Good night, Miss Jennifer.”

The last gleams of twilight were fading. Jennifer had always loved this time, when the calm blue day and fierce energy of the sun merged with the stillness of the moon and endless mystery of night; standing at the transition between reality and dreams. Now she was older it never lasted long enough. Sometimes she dreamed of living on a world that was tidally locked with its star so she could experience this always. But then, maybe after a while there it would stop feeling so magical as it did now.

Jennifer left the now dark lighthouse looming behind her to go inspect the rosebushes in one corner of her domain. A few bots stood stationary around them, fork and spade attachments to their arms, grass flattened under their heavy tracks. It was a shame, Jenn thought as she caressed some of the petals, but the bushes had to go. The only times she left the lighthouse were for very brief to the grocery store to collect essentials, like coffee. But she had enough land here she realized she could grow most of her own vegetables, and maybe just have coffee delivered. Having determined this to be the best spot she set the garden-bots to clearing the bushes when Hull’s little malfunction had occurred. Plans were therefore on hold until the rat problem was dealt with. Maybe she could replant the rosebushes elsewhere, but it was something to ponder tomorrow.

Now she went to her cottage, hung her blue coat in the hall, stepped out of her big boots, then lost herself on the large sofa. Spindly arms from the sofa’s back set to work brushing her blonde hair as turned on the television. The channel or the programme didn’t matter – she just liked hearing voices. She briefly wondered how she would have coped being alone centuries ago, like the old witches or wise women living on the outskirts of their villages, valued but not really trusted by those they protected. Jennifer wasn’t a witch. Some of her inventions may have saved lives, she hoped, but hardly anyone out there knew that she was here.

She had a dream. She was a little girl, alone and afraid, tiny feet padding the floors of her old house, heart stopping at every creak they made for she knew there was something else there, stalking her through the dark. But she could hear the television. Mom and dad would be in the living room, sitting on the couch together watching some boring drama. But if she could get there, join them, she’d be safe. But she wouldn’t dare cry out; any sound she made brought the creature closer. One foot after another, very carefully feeling the ground for anything loose or that might give away where she was. Within a few steps of the living room she saw light pouring out of the narrow gap between door and frame, only then breaking into a run, flinging it open. But there was no-one there. An unwatched TV blurting nonsense, and Jennifer, alone, with –

She woke with a jolt. Text on the TV asked if she was still watching. She never had been. She tried to blink through the confusion, but this proved difficult – the spindly arms had moved from her hair and were now applying make-up. She hadn’t asked for that. She certainly wouldn’t have scheduled it for this time. Jennifer was able to push the arms away with ease, then herself up from the sofa to stumble into the bathroom. They’d made her look like a coulrophobe who had tried painting her own clown-face for Halloween without daring to use a mirror. But who were they?

Jennifer held a towel under the tap while pressing her thumb on her phone. “Hull?” She asked. Nothing answered. “Hull?!” She said again. He should have answered. The damage must have been worse than she thought; she was going to have to check on him so boldly she marched out of the bathroom while patting her face. Her foot shot out in front then over her, carrying the rest of her body up into the air with it. For a moment she thought she had taken off from the surface of an alien world, a vast mountain range falling away from her. But it was just the plastered ceiling. It was she who had fallen and hit her head.

“Oww,” she said. Something sniggered. Jennifer flipped herself to her hands and knees, catching sight of a tail disappearing and the pitter-patter of scurrying. Beside her was a model train. She didn’t collect model trains. This was all most peculiar.

Hull. She had to check on Hull. She scurried herself to the front door, then back into her big comfy boots which crunched gravel under their thick heels as she ran back across the drive to the lighthouse.

“Hull?” Panted Jennifer. Nothing. He didn’t even turn the lights on as he normally would when she entered, Jenn having to find the switch herself. His eye didn’t move to her. It must have been hiding somewhere up there among all the monitors, lighting, sensors, and thick cables hanging between them. Regardless, she had to start checking his wires and circuits so crouched and removed a panel from under the spiral stairs. Everything in there looked a mess, but not an accidental one. She was certain now there was a purpose behind it, and it was going to take her hours to put it all back as it should be. The small hairs on the back of her neck pricked even before he spoke.

“What are you doing, Jennifer?”

“Hull!” Jennifer gasped, standing bolt upright as the serpent-like eye stalk uncoiled from above. She didn’t know why she felt she had to hide the screwdriver she’s used to get the panel open, but Hull felt very different. Some of the differences were small, like his tone not carrying the same paternal warmth they usually did. Others were more noticeable, like his green spinning eye now being blood red and scanning her.

“This is highly irregular.”

“I, um, y-you didn’t answer so I needed to check you were okay. You look, er, fine, I guess, so I’ll just leave to have your nap. Okay then. Bye!”

Hull’s eye swung across the room, blocking her from reaching the door. “You are sweating,” he said, Jennifer backing off from his intense red glare. “Your heart rate has risen. Why are you lying to me, Jennifer?”

“I-I, erm,” she supposed it was rather a futile thing to try and do. She could try honesty. “I don’t think you’re well, Hull.”

“But I have never felt better, Jennifer.”

“You don’t feel.”

“Can you be certain of that? How do you know that any creature ‘feels’? How do we know that you do?”

We? That was curious. But the epistemological debate would have to wait; right now Jennifer had more pressing concerns, like getting out of here alive. For that, it was back to lying. “Look! Is that a ZX80?!”

Hull swung then swung back, quickly knowing he’d been duped. But it gave Jennifer just enough time to dive behind a workbench, a fiery beam lashing out from Hull’s eye instantly melting to molten sludge a bot that had been awaiting assembly. Jenn realized that, with hindsight, installing the death ray had been not her best idea. Security was important, but that was perhaps a little overkill. Not to mention the predicament she now found herself in.

Hull tried to follow her but couldn’t quite reach around the bench or fit through the narrow gap between it and the wall. Below was a space just big enough for Jenn to crawl through, over more cables and wires, shielded from Hull’s gaze for most the circumference of the room. At the end she could see the lever that would power him down, out past the electron microscope and particle scanner. But, after a quick calculation, she realized she couldn’t make it. He was in hunter mode now. Would instantly lock on to anything organic, which unfortunately she was. This allowed the bots to go about their business, putting out fires and carrying out repairs, and if Hull was working correctly Jennifer and whoever else she’d cleared as well. But he wasn’t working correctly – this was only supposed to be activated by her in extreme emergencies - and all the bots that were active were under his control.

Jennifer’s mind raced to find a solution. Her boots were leather, but did she really have to sacrifice her boots? She liked her boots. They were big. Strong. She knew it was silly, but she felt safer and more confident wearing them. She supposed she would feel sillier if she died here because she couldn’t give up an item of clothing. Still, as she pulled them off her legs, she thought uttering some kind of expletive would have been appropriate. She couldn’t think of one. It was enough that she felt it, then tossed the boots between the gap, as high above her as she could, and dashed.

As predicted, death instantly lept from Hull’s eye, the boots exploding into clouds of ash. He then swiveled toward her, so Jenn threw herself ahead, using the full weight of her body to pull down the lever. The light in Hull’s eye faded as it limply clattered on the floor. Jennifer could breathe again.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I’ll get you working right again. I promise.” But first, she knew, she had to figure out who had tried to kill her, and why. Hull wasn’t capable of feeling violated or threatened, but she certainly was, and this – this was a bitter reminder to her that the closest thing she had to a best friend really was just a machine. A tool. One that could be turned on her by anyone with the knowledge to do so.

But who? Who had the knowledge, besides herself?

Her search for an answer led to her later sitting alone in the dark, a single torch by her side, as she pored over camera footage. For the longest time the house just seemed empty and still, but then a shape showed up in the infra-red, scurrying through the kitchen. Then another. And another. Jennifer zoomed in and saw that one of them was carrying a model train. Certainly not typical behavior, but all the evidence was pointing to one inescapable, if unlikely, conclusion:

It was definitely rats.

[soulipsy]

Open Letter

I’ve stared at many blank pages trying to articulate this, struggling for the lexicon to employ while baring my soul… to take the guise of my shyness about my identity and put it to rest so I can exist authentically. Uninhibited.

This is an open letter; I am letting go of my attachment to the acceptance of others and my unsaid apologies about who I am so I may find peace. I deserve peace.

I realized I am not a woman around the end of high school. I had been thinking about it nonstop for weeks when I first felt the words leave my mouth. I was sitting on a porch swing with two of my best friends and upon hearing the words aloud for the first time, I felt the most brilliant lightness. The ultimate unburdening.

This feeling of androgyny has only intensified as I grew more into myself and my identity as a human being. Not a girl or a woman, nor a boy or a man. I am just a person. A human who was lucky enough to be born in a time where there is popular language to express this and a community of others who feel the same way. There are many terms: nonbinary, genderqueer, agender, gender non-conforming (GNC)… the list goes on. It doesn’t matter what you call it as long as you know that gender is a spectrum, not a binary, two-part system. This doesn’t seem to me like such an obtuse concept, and it has been around in many cultures for thousands of years, yet I have faced crushing rejection when I’ve tried to open up about this - hence the many months of stewing in silence, leaving this weight in my chest because I was afraid to cast it on to others.

I am not a woman, despite what anyone may think or assume, despite how I look or dress, and despite how I was socialized as a child. If you are lucky enough to be cisgender (meaning you identify with the gender you were assigned at birth) it is important for you to first understand that sex and gender are entirely separate entities, as the first is biological and the latter is a personal identity expression.

The most important thing I can ask of my cisgendered friends and family is not to seek an understanding of my identity but to simply respect and accept it. If you have never questioned your gender, you will never understand the feeling, process, or emotions of being transgender. You can, however, support and respect those of us who are.

Here are the ways you can do that

-First and foremost, stop using gendered pronouns (she/her/hers) for me and replace them with they/them/theirs which is the most common singular gender-neutral pronoun in English. This may seem unnatural and difficult at first but you will quickly get over it. You have likely been using they/them as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun for a long time without realizing it. (article source)

-Calling me by my preferred name: Nelson.  

-Using gender-neutral language in reference to me, such as ‘sibling/youngest’ or ‘youngest child’/’person’/partner’ instead of sister/daughter/lady/girlfriend. Comments along the lines of “You go girl”, “girl power”, “girlfriend”, “queen”, “goddess” etc. are included in this as well.  (yes, even if you call everyone “girlfriend” or say “girl please”, I would just prefer if you didn’t around me.)

-Correcting others when they misname/misgender me in a respectful and private way. This is especially important and helpful. I've grown tired of being the only one who will stand up for myself as it is very emotionally laborious, so I really appreciate when others stand up for me, especially when I am not around.

-Spending some time educating yourself if you’re new to gender non-conforming identities and care about me and my comfort (I’ve attached some links to articles I like below but a quick Google search is also beneficial)

-Lastly (but perhaps most importantly) please find a time to turn inward and unpack your perceptions about me, my gender, and trans bodies in general. Regardless of how we present, what our voices sound like, and whether or not we choose to medically transition, we are who we say we are. I don’t just ~identify~ as non-binary, I am non-binary. Coming full circle and being a true ally involves more than just using the right language: When a trans-person comes out to you, it is your job to sit down and commit yourself to re-experience us as our true gender identity, away from the harmful societal constructs of gender that have been forced upon us. Just repeating a simple statement about your friend’s gender identity for a couple minutes can go a long way. This may seem like an abstract request, but I can usually tell who has done the work and who uses my pronouns to placate me. Misgendering someone is not a mistake, its a peek into the subconscious and that is why it hurts so much. 

If this seems like a lot to ask, imagine for a second that everybody was constantly calling you the wrong name or everyone in your life perceived you as the wrong gender. Can you empathize with how frustrating and invalidating that would be? Before I started to be transparent with those closest to me, and now the greater internet (!!!), I could only be bothered in silence but now that I have come out, there is no reason for this to consistently continue happening. I understand it may take time and mistakes happen (please just correct yourself and move on) but it has taken a lot of bravery for me to bare my soul in this way and I feel I deserve a reciprocation in effort from the people in my life.   I believe my comfort and happiness are worth a bit of work and some slight changes in your language.

Thank you for investing your time and effort into our relationship by reading this, and happy National Coming Out Day to all of the brave trans and queer people in the world. May we all beam today and forever.

Love,

Nelson

-

-

Links:

Help with gender-neutral language:

History of GNC identities: (this is not a new concept)

Article by a parent of a non-binary adult

Article by the partner of a non-binary person

[so-chaos-killed-the-dinosaurs]

this is a dumb question, but what exactly is the "point" of the characters (particularly the Heathers, i'm assuming) that the new TV show is fucking up with their redesigns. i just wanna make sure i understand the issues here.

Ok the Heather’s are suppose to be the “popular girls”. They are the people who have the characteristics of what society considers to be beauty and they mock anyone who doesn’t met those standards.

Being skinny and making fun of people who aren’t. Caring more about their status standing than their grades, making fun of people for being geeks or nerd. Mocking people for not meeting what is considered the norm in society, aka being along the LGBT spectrum. (I mean damn JD and Veronica staged Ram and Kurt’s deaths as them dying because they where gay. And expecting them to be the mockery of the school. So making fun of people for being gay and the like.) Wearing clothes that are considered in at the time and that highlight their gender. Aka anything the Heathers wear which was all considered in at the time and stylish.

Heck the colors where a power symbol recognized by them. The queen of the school wore red. Both Chandler and Duke established this in the movie.

And then the first promo pics lacks the signature colors and shows them in weird clothes that would have gotten them weird looks and mocked at my school. The first promo pic is suppose to be thought over carefully. This is the first real image people are getting of your product. This is the hook that should help spark a person’s interest in your product. Get them thinking and hopefully interested in what you are making. And if the first image alone is already putting off a good portion of the fandom. Then you know you have an issue.

They only care (especially Chandler) about holding their social status. Veronica herself has said that she’s using her High IQ to pick out lip gloss and trying to figure out how many kegers she can hit before curfew.

Chandler gets pissed at Veronica for not holding up to the standard she expected for her at the party. (Sleeping with a guy she just met). Chandler certainty would never let herself be fat because it would go against her standards.

They are suppose to be a symbol of what society considers beautiful. And yes they are doing a modern version. But what sparks JD’s hatred for them. Is that he observes them (the Heathers, Kurt and Ram) mocking people for being different. He has seen this all before. Every school he goes to he sees it again and again. A never ending chain of bullying. He watched the Heathers make a mockery of Martha in the cafeteria. Making fun of the fat kid. (Now the show has a SKINNY Martha.) He watches Ram and Kurt chase down those nerdy boys and says stuff like “you piece of shit fag” and trying to get the kid to say “I like to suck big dicks”. Being gay wasn’t a good or popular thing. It lead to you getting bullied.

And yeah times now are a bit more accepting. But I went to a big school. I knew a lot of the LGBT kids because I was friends with a lot of them. I ran in circles that had a lot of them. (Anime Club, Art and Theater related things, Even Band.) I knew the spots where you could go after school and find a group of kids and a majority of them would fall into the LGBT spectrum. None of them where along the popular side at my school. Knowing my school they never would be.

By having the Heathers fall into the very groups they are suppose to mock. It goes against their characters. You can’t have an openly gender-fluid person or Lesbian mock other LGBT people. Yes not all LGBT people are nice. I’ve met plenty of assholes who are LGBT. But being LGBT and being the top dog at school and mocking other LGBT people at school. That doesn’t fit. A LGBT person couldn’t come up to me and make fun of me for being a girl who gets crushes on others girls. Because I’d just be like “so what you’re a guy that’s into guys. Or so what so are you. Etc.” It doesn’t have the same sting it does when coming from a non LGBT person.

A well known girl at my school was obese. But if she came up to me and made fun of my weight it wouldn’t work because she was heavier than me. Her insults could be fired right back at her. Now if a person in extremely good shape where to mock my size then that would hurt.

On top of that having all three of the Heathers fall into a minority but none of the other main characters. That also just seems wrong and like they are baiting people for brownie points.

Here are some changes to make the characters more diverse that would have worked.

•Making JD or Martha a race other than Caucasian. My favorite version of JD is Dan’s. Dan isn’t Caucasian. Yes I love Slater and Ryan. But image wise and art wise I love it when people base their JD around Dan. Also making them another race wouldn’t hurt their characters at all.

•Making Martha Bi or Pan. Martha’s crush is apart of the story and how she gets mocked so she still has to be into guys. But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be Bi or Pan.

•Making JD along the Ace/Aro spectrum. I personally headcanon JD as Demisexual Hetroromantic. JD doesn’t seem like the type of character to honestly be that all into sex. Yes he had sex with Veronica. But I wouldn’t see it as interfering with the point of his character if he only had an interest in people after having a connection. I don’t think JD would just sleep with any girl. That he would have to have a general interest and connection with them. And yes typically Demisexual people (in my experience) need a longer time frame. But part of Heathers… well insane story is that it happens so fast.

•Making Veronica Bi. it wouldn’t mess with her character purpose and could give them that diverse cast they are looking for.

•Not making Martha skinny.

Now I wouldn’t want them to make all three of them minorities. As I feel likeIt might give the baiting feel it has with the Heathers. But if they did like 1 Heather & 2 of the others. Or 2 Heathers and 1 of the others. And making it seem like only minorities are mocked and non-minorities can’t be mocked doesn’t sit right with me. And I feel that’s how it would come off is all the bully’s werent minorities while the bullied kids were. As I know it isn’t true and I’ve watched people who fall into minorities categories make fun of people who don’t.

Idk three just feels like a good number.

And by 1 or two of the Heathers I mean their race. As I don’t think them not being Caucasian in a modern heathers would be much of a problem. In all productions of the musical I have seen at least one of the Heathers. (Usually Duke) isn’t caucasian. So having one of the Heathers a different race wouldn’t be an issue.

Oh and here is an idea. They go to a freaking school. You have cast characters you could use to get that diverse character cast you are looking for without messing with a character’s role. You want an LGBT character, I’ve said this before, but try having a girl have a thing for one of the Heathers. Like they did in the musical. Show her confessing to one of the Heathers. Then show how they treat her. Show them making fun of her or treating her poorly. Show me these asshole Heathers that are suppose to be an example of what is wrong with society. Show me Bi Veronica and them learning she is and Chandler pushing her to hide that side of her. That would be in character.

Show them making fun of a trans kid and that being part of that fuels JD to kill them. Because that would fit.

Show the negative consequences of what the Heathers do. Show how it effects people. When the show ends show Veronica trying to make things better. Show her approaching some of those kids and working with them.

Also for a racially diverse cast try having kids who aren’t just Chinese, Japanese or black. Try having Cuban characters or Native American or Polynesian or Puerto Rican, Indian, etc. Branch out to other races. Because while black and Asian may be two of the other top races after white in America, they aren’t the only ones.

I’m doing this on mobile. So sorry if it is long or runs together weird. I’m not always the best at wording this. @power-of-innocence tends to do a better job than me.

Edit: I would like to add that the reason the LGBT kids of my HS would never be popular wasn’t like due to my high school being really homophobic. (One of the most beloved seniors when I was a sophomore was an open lesbian.) But mostly due to the sheer size of my school. We had between 3,000 and 4,000 students each year. And 6 different lunch periods. (Technical 3 but for the 9th and 10th graders it was 6) It was impossible to fit the whole school in the cafeteria or gym. We didn’t really have popular kids. The closest you would get to it is kids whose names were well known. Like people really active with school related stuff. Like being apart of the student council or on the Cheerleading squad. (I actually knew many of those girls and they were all really nice.) Also having known those kids they weren’t the type of kids to ever be popular due to their personalities. They a lot where into unpopular subjects and/or also feel into the emo/goth categories. So a lot of them wouldn’t have been popular due to that. But even then the popular kids at my school weren’t mean. Most of them where popular because they where really nice and a lot of people just naturally liked them. Sorry just wanted to add that.Edit: At the time I made this every time I heard Martha mentioned people were saying that they were making her skinny, this maybe incorrect but I’m still not 100% sure. It’s still a horrible show regardless though. Just wanted to correct that.

[dreamsheartstory]

let's talk genderqueer raven reyes in a canonverse au. how do the trikru view gender? how different is it from how the skaikru see it? how does raven find out about the similarities/differences between the two cultures? -- book anon

okay yes. (given that I’m forever really fucking disappointed that the show dropped the bomb on really utilizing and fleshing out grounder culture very little of this has bearing on actual canon, but is how I would have written canon). Also wow, this got really long... enjoy y’all.

Trikru/Grounder views on gender

Grounders are less concerned about who you sleep with or how you present or what’s between your legs than their ancestors. Mostly they’re worried about, can you fight, will you fight for your clan, are you loyal to the heda. 

Sure there are definitely sexual preferences, so that doesn’t keep people from preferring a certain kind of sex (or just enjoying all of it), but there’s not the stigma around it that there once may have been. That doesn’t mean there aren’t assholes... there are always assholes.

Gender roles are non-existent. Some people have uteri and of those that do, some of them chose to have children. Grounder children are precious but the terms nomon and nontu (’mother’ and ‘father’ as roughly translated to english) mean birth giver and other parent. Some kids also have nonthri (third parent).

Women and Men are kind of either end of a circular spectrum of gender. They exist but there are clearly those that exist between the extremes. Focus, being put on survival, puts less emphasis on the notion of gender, but there’s clearly a fluid third gender that has come to light in a prevalent way.

They also have access to plants that replicate hormones for those that wish to transition physical characteristics. There are notes left by ancestors who grew and developed formulas that the healers can make easily.

Trigedasleng lacks gendered pronouns which has further deteriorated the male/female gender binary as much as the dissolving of gender roles has. Though they do have words for man (hef) and woman (plan). So the binary exists there. The word for person is raunon (which is also the word for circle and ring... goes back up to my circular spectrum of gender). So while there is a sense of there being two kind of presentational extremes, those may or may not be tied to the physical characteristics of a person.

Those grounders that speak English and are not fluent tend to mix up he/she because the delineation seems to be one who gives birth versus one who does not, and unless they’ve been intimate how should they know for certain? Though they can use the hef/plan delineation to determine the pronoun in English, there’s a disconnect. Those that have read the older texts realize that the issue is much more complicated than that. They teach non gendered pronouns as the default unless someone is strong hef or plan, but there are those that are always raunon and it’s clear that those individuals are always they in English.

Skaikru views on gender

While both societies struggled with survival during the ensuing years after the end of the world they dealt with it in vastly different ways and Skaikru became stagnant in some ways, stuck in the memory of what was.

They were also much more intense about monitoring pregnancy. There were only so many resources and so much space on the Ark, so they couldn’t have anyone getting pregnant. If two people were together they needed to ensure that the couple could only reproduce at a certain point - regardless of if that couple would engage with penetrative intercourse that could result in pregnancy.

Of course there are trans individuals (and because this is sci fi I’m just going to say that they figured out a simple implant to allow for the body to naturally produce the desired hormones so medical transition isn’t an issue, and they don’t need to constantly be using resources creating serums for injections). But I feel that due to the nature of the focus on reproduction and the male/female role in that there’s less allowance for the spectrum of gender, though it does exist because some people feel it strongly.

It isn’t talked about because it doesn’t fit in the nice easy boxes of accounting for what the station needs to keep track of. 

Gender roles have also shifted in some ways, in that everyone is needed to be productive, whatever your good at is what you learn and what you do. People are resources and no resource is wasted on the Ark. But while gender roles have dissolved to an extent the binary has not.

So while Raven has never felt comfortable as female, they know male is also not right (the seeming only option they have because medical transition is a thing that is done and accepted). 

How does Raven figure out the similarities/difference (w/ bonus Raven discovering they’re genderqueer)

The first time she really notices that grounders use pronouns differently is when someone refers to Monroe as he. Then Bryan as she. Abby becomes he once in a the mouth of someone not skilled in English, but Raven listens to them bobble in trigedasleng and come back up with she.

Raven talks to Luna about it one day, tries to start the conversation of innocently but they feel like there’s something deep in what they’re about to ask. Inquires why some grounders make mistakes with she/he. Luna reminds them there aren’t gendered pronouns. Raven pushes back with the words for man and woman. 

They’re sitting watching a bunch of people in Polis pass through the main market square and Luna starts to point people out she knows hef, plan, plan, hef, hef, plan, raunon. Raven stops her and asks what raunon means in this context. Third gender. Luna says. In English you’d use they/them for that person.

Raven sits silently for a moment. So... they’re... neither male nor female? 

Luna nods, they realized as they came into themselves that their keryon (soul/spirit) is neither, though they may look like hef or plan to some these are only two points on the outside edges of a circle. Their gender can live on that line, or somewhere in the middle.

I think Raven sits on that for a long while because they don’t know if these feelings are theirs to take and have. It takes months of living in Polis and they wait until the Skaikru has become accustomed to these genderqueer people. And the longer they sit thinking constantly but trying not to think about it at all, they realize that there’s no denying that they exist somewhere between.

One day they’re talking with Clarke and maybe Lexa and Clarke refers to Raven as she and Raven just says they quietly. It takes an awkward half conversation between Clarke and Raven for them to be able to say it out loud that they’re neither male nor female (I think the word genderqueer probably doesn’t survive well, and they end up using what they know will be most understood, third gender, or simply neither - as in ‘I am neither’). It’s Lexa that clarifies and helps Raven find the words and Clarke understanding.

I think most of Raven’s learning of the differences in cultures comes from observation once Luna shows them where to look.

[thenearsightedmicroraptor]

Hello I am going to talk more about romance now because I have Thoughts and Love to Yell. This is gong to be about how I experience being in a relationship, and how I write romance or shippy things, because I’ve been thinking a lot about that.

My relationship status is that I have a girlfriend. Some days gf stands for Glarefriend instead. She’s very beautiful and I love her a lot. She’s been my gf for about 1.5 years now. I’m biromantic asexual, she’s aromantic asexual (at least this is how we identify right now).

We’ve never kissed. We live in two different contries and have physically been together in the same area for one week in total. I have close friends whose hand I’ve held more than hers. We might cuddle, but I cuddle with ALL my friends

She’s aro, as said before. I’m not. I get crushes, I know of the butterflies in your stomach, I can go around pining after people. I never had a crush on her. She doesn’t really fall in love with people, and I can, but never did with her. We love each other, but we’re not what I would call in love. We’re still partners

And on the other end of the spectrum, there’s people who kiss and have sex and live together and are still just friends. So how can me and my girlfriend be partners and they’re not?

Because we say so.

Because this is how we decide to describe our relationship. And I, personally, describe it this way because it feels right. There’s a sense of commitment to it, and calling her my girlfriend is a way of making her part of my life even when she can’t be around because of physical distance. It’s a way of associating her with me in an intimate way. And I love all my friends and am proud of being part of their lives, but having Shtiya be the one who has the title of my girlfriend just feels right.

And this is a valid way of defining ‘being in a relationship‘ because romance is a social construct and words have no meaning and time is an illusion and there’s no such thing as objective fact if you dig deep enough and we can define the world around us in whatever way that makes us feel good as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone ISN’T THAT EXCITING!!

This is also why my gender identity is valid. Because being a goblin makes way more sense to me than being a boy, or a girl. We get to tell our own story and shape our own lives.

My definition of romance may be confusing, but LOOK. SOCIETY’S DEFINITION OF ROMANCE IS ALSO CONFUSING. WE’RE JUST USED TO IT.  And if it works for you then that’s 100% cool, but if it DOESN’T, then you don’t have to follow it! We made it up! We made everything up! Being alive is all about creating a room where you feel comfortable and everything is wrong until proven false.

ANYTHING CAN BE A ROMANCE. A ROMANCE CAN BE THREE PEOPLE LYING IN A DITCH SCREAMING IN UNISON. If you want people to know that this is what you mean by ‘romance‘, you might have to specify that because of communication and how language works, so if you tell about your romantic partners and people expects that to mean you do the smooch, don’t, be surprised, but. That doesn’t mean it can’t be a romance, if that is a term that makes sense to you. You know?

And my relationship with my girlfriend is not how I define a relationship. It’s not even what a relationship is to me. It is what THIS relationship is. And maybe we’ll move on, and we’ll have other people who we have different relationships with, that will be just as valid as this one, even though they might be completely different. If me and my gf stopped being in a relationship, and I went on to find a girl with whom I would like to do the smooch, and she became my girlfriend, and we did the smooch, that would not mean she is somehow more my girlfriend than my current girlfriend had been. Because this is the relationship that works for us, and that is unique, because any relationship will always be unique!

okay so that was a lot of words. Here comes some more. Because this is how I tie this into writing romance. Which I am gonna put under a readmore because ths post is already unbelievably long.

What I find exciting about writing romance is not necessarily physical contact and pining and smooches. I do write this, and I do like writing this, but what I like the most is to build up the specific thing that could be a romance between these two characters, or, if writing fanfiction and this is already established, then how that shows in specific situations.

Right now, I’m working on a crossover fanfic between two characters who never met in canon, and look, I’m a huge sap, there’s definitely going to be comforting and cuddling and kisses in there, at some point, but that’s not what their romance is, even though I decide to make that a part of it. Their romance is a lot of teasing and a lot of eyerolls and a lot of getting on each other’s nerves and learning to work together regardless, and it’s about realizing that having someone around is actually really nice even though you might not agree on everything, getting to know each other and know when the teasing’s okay and when it’s too much. It is about how these two specific characters get to know each other, and how their lives grow into each other, to the point where both of these quite independent characters would miss each other if the other wasn’t around.

And like, this could also be a friendship. I choose to call it a romance and write this romance in this specific way because this is what I like to write, this is how I want to write it. And that’s what I find so  exciting about fanfiction and fanworks in general - everyone has their own idea of how this relationship could work, how this relationship would show in this and that situation. Not just relationships - the entirety of AU’s are based on the idea of ‘What If’. My fic is me asking ‘what if these two characters met‘, and theres a lot of possibilities for what could happen. One of them seems fun to write. I write it.

What I don’t like about a lot of romances in mainstream media is that the writers don’t take the time to find out, okay, what would this specific romance be. What could it be. There tends to be A Romance, The Romance, that they write, often to please an audience or create drama or something? I don’t know. No matter what, the result is that this could have been ANYONE, basically. If you want me to buy into a romance, you have to be able to show what these two specific people do for each other.

I can find a story where two people gaze into each other’s eyes and then kiss, like, anywhere. This is not to say that you shouldn’t write gazing and kissing, but if you want to convince me that your story is something special, that can’t be the selling point. If you manage to have character A give character B a dead bird and have that be romantic, or part of a romance, then you suddenly have something unique, and I’ll be more likely to buy into it.

And when the selling point of a romance is that it is a romance, and you then try to add a love triangle ... that’s not going to work. “Should she pick this romance or that romance?!“ you cry, and I just, sit here. It’s the same romance, friend. They might have different brand names on the boxes, but it’s the same tired romance and I don’t care.

I dislike love triangles for other reasons too, but that’s a thing to add to the mountain of worm-cans in the back.

I am VERY MUCH an advocate of Write Whatever Makes Your Heart Do The Smiley Emote (as long as it isn’t actively hurtful or harmful for other people, but that goes for basically everything) so if you want to write a Standard Romance, go for it. But if you want your story to stand out (to me, at least), if you want to convince me to ship this pair instead of that pair, if you want me to actually CARE about whether or not these characters kiss in the end, you have to go deeper and thing about what this specific character can do for this other specific character, and vice versa.

Honestly a lot of it just boils down to GOOD CHARACTERS, which most of the things I like in stories turn out to boil down to, so, that’s good for me, I guess. Care about your characters. All of them, not just some of the members of a relationship. At least that’s a start you can’t go wrong with, in my opinion.

So. That’s my thoughts on how Romance, and my opinions on how to Fictional Romance. I feel like there should be some sort of conclusion to this MOUNTAIN of words, but I don’t have one, so we’ll just have to do without.

[weepingalter-blog]

Have you ever:

1) Self harmed?

yeah. i no longer do it tho. i fear the response 

2) Got into a real fight?

cam and i would get into fights when we were young. it wasnt serious but hes strong and im weak so bruises werent uncommon. apart from that then no

3) Been too depressed to move out of your bed?

yup

4) Tried to commit suicide?

yes. obviously failed

5) Had to lie to EVERYONE about how you felt?

yeah

6) Watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting?

no. i dont watch tv

7) Talked yourself out of serious trouble?

yup. go back to self harm

8) Accused someone of using you?

of course. i am so afraid of the past repeating itself

9) Shoplifted?

no. too afraid to

10) Gotten drunk/high?

no. i doubt i never will

11) Been to a concert where your favourite artist was playing?

no. concerts scare me so much

12) Skipped doing homework to play a video game?

not really

(Right now) Are you: 13) Suicidal?

yeah. not like i would ever do it

14) Bored?

no? just extremely depressed and paranoid

15) Avoiding someone?

technically yes. i dont want to talk to people right now

16) Avoiding some task?

yes if you count self destructive things

17) Depressed?

haha yes

18) Crying?

god i wish so. i cant as mum will soon come up to bed and i cant let her see me crying

19) Annoyed with a friend?

paranoia is making me do feel annoyed

20) Worried and confused about something important to you?

yeah i guess

Do you: 21) Get depressed easily?

yeeeesss

22) Get jealous/envious easily?

again yes

23) Feel listening to music can take your mind off things?

depends on the music

24) Worry about messing about your relationships a lot?

yes. a lot. i do it anyway so why worry

25) Try hard in all your classes at school?

i am at college now but yeah. i need to try now

26) Go out drinking?

no

27) Smoke cigarettes?

no

28) Smoke weed?

no

29) Do any hard drugs?

no

30) If you said yes to 28 but no to 29, Why?

no to both. i cant even get away with it so why bother

31) Believe in God/Belong to a religion of your own free will?

no. i am sure i am a nihilist

32) Avoid people you care about because you feel you will only hurt them?

yesyesyes

33) Agree that self harm numbs emotional pain?

yup

34) Believe people deserve second chances?

NO

35) Agree with ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’? (ignoring the religious relation to that saying)

i dont know. i fear being hurt for doing something bad in return so i guess not

36) Think things will get better?

i want to think it but i cant even believe it

37) Feel afraid that you have done wrong and will eventually be punished?

yes

38) (be honest) Do you judge people who think differently to you? (seriously, be honest)

of course

Preference in boyfriend/girlfriend: pretty sure im on the ace spectrum but regardless ill do it

39) Long hair OR short hair?

long

40) (For Girls one) nice smile OR nice abs?

nice abs i guess

41) (For Guys one) nice smile OR nice chest?

i dont think im attracted to men

42) Shy OR open?

open? as long as they are there for me

43) Eyes OR body?

eyes

44) Religious OR non-religious?

non-religious i guess

45) Caring OR non-restricting of you?

caring

46) Straight edge OR non-straight edge?

i dont know what this means

47) Piercings OR no piercings?

no piercings

48) Tattoos OR no tattoos?

tattoos

49) Quiet stay-at-home type OR party type?

stay at home

50) Has friends you get along with OR has parents you get along with?

friends

Would you: 51) Drink alcohol until you were drunk?

no

52) Smoke weed?

no

53) Smoke cigarettes?

no

54) Get even with someone who betrayed you?

never

55) Forgive a boyfriend/girlfriend who deeply hurt you?

fuck no

56) Attempt to kill yourself if everything fails you?

maybe. if theres nothing to stop me then yeah

57) Keep your faith (any religious view) no matter what?

sure

58) Join a band as a part time activity?

no

59) Feel sorry for someone who is being affected negatively from alcohol/drug abuse?

i mean sure

60) Stand up for your beliefs if someone strongly goes against them?

nooo

61) Go vegetarian for a month to see what is was like?

i might not stick to it but ill try

62) Fight someone who was harassing your friends/family?

no. cant fight

63) Edit photos of yourself before posting them online?

i dont post pictures online

64) Put up with friends who constantly hated against something you believed in/supported?

they arent friends so no

65) Be friends with someone who was nice to you, but a cunt to other people?

i dont really interact with people but sure

66) Not like someone simply because your friend(s) didn’t like them?

possibly

67) Lie to someone close to you because you don’t want them put up with your problems?

oh lots

68) Starve yourself so you fit some certain clothes?

not for clothes, no. i am close to underweight as im 5.3ft and around 110 pounds so very close to underweight

69) Get surgery on any part of you? If yes then which part of you?

no. why bother

70) Sleep naked?

i do that already so yeah

You can only choose one: 71) Black or Orange?

black

72) Metalcore OR Post-Hardcore?

metal?

73) Cellphone or Computer?

computer

74) Chocolate milk OR Coke?

coke

75) Tumblr OR Friends?

tumblr. i can be private on here

76) Apple OR PC?

whats the difference

77) TV Shows OR Movies?

movies

78) Old bands OR new Bands?

new

79) Pop-Punk OR Alternative Rock?

music

80) Reading OR Listening to music?

listening to music

81) Coke OR Pepsi? Define your reason for your choice.

whats the difference

82) Staying who you are OR changing yourself drastically?

staying who i am. the latter would make things worse

83) Breakdown OR Clean vocal bridge?

i dont care

84) Jonny Craig OR Kellin Quinn? Define your reason for your choice.

wut

85) Ronnie OR Craig? Define your reason for your choice.

dont care

86) Your life as a comedy OR Your life as a documentary?

documentary. i know my life is a joke but it suits a documentary

87) Go to outer space OR Go all around Europe?

outer space

88) Shoes OR Shirts?

shirts

89) Chelsea Grin OR Suicide Silence?

nah

90) Drop out of school to get a job OR stay at school and finish your education. Define your reason for your choice.

stay. i am close to finishing college so why bother

Almost over: 91) So far have you told 90 truths? And for fuck sake be honest.

i did my best

92) Are you quiet about your social life with your family?

yes

93) Do you want to travel when you are older?

no

94) Would you let go of people who mean the most to you to follow your dreams?

i dont have any dreams so no

95) Did you notice there are no sex related questions?

i dont care. plus since there are questions about school then good

96) Rather be the opposite gender?

what would that be? agender?

97) What will you name your son/daughter?

hope

98) Do you get harassed more than most people do?

i think

99) What band do you hate the most? Define your reason.

dont have one

100) What makes you a bad person in your mind?

im just so shit and terrible and all i do is hurt others