#the good thing about lables that describe sexuality?

[objectum-culture-is]

objectum culture is losing interest in a object and then panicking 'what if I'm faking being objectum'

recent occurrence :c

.

[piqued-curiosity]

Isn't it depressing when you see people call themselves by multiple gender and sexuality labels? How can someone keep track of what they identify as? When I see someone who has 5 sexualities and 6 gender identities I just feel sad for them. It's like they are trying to fill something inside of them like a black void. Maybe this is their way of better understanding themselves but it's unhealthy. Someone needs to tell these people that they can be themselves and not use 10 lables to describe themselves or how they fall in love.

Yeah absolutely. Some of them with the insanely long lists actually use some pronoun website that lets them keep track of it…It reminds me of trackers for collecting things. Like collecting stuffed animals or action figures or dolls or something, and you keep track of what you have. Some of them even call it “collecting/hoarding genders” which I just don’t understand, because they’re just meaningless words at this point.

I agree that it’s sad, and it being used to fill a void is a good way to put it. It reminds me of the pressure to fit into all these different aesthetics, as in you have to be a goth girl, or cottagecore, or cyberpunk, or dark academia, or fairycore, and the list goes on. Instead of realising that you can just be a mix of everything because that’s how humans work, these people, mostly kids, are dividing each part of themselves up to sort into little boxes, and labelling them with some sort of identity label. It’s not that they just like wearing pants some days and skirts on others, it’s that they’re “genderfluid”. It’s not that they crave emotional connection with a potential romantic partner, they’re “demisexual”. They can’t help but label each part of themselves, until they’re neatly sorted into compartments. It’s so much healthier to see yourself as a full being rather than all these little pieces. But I think they feel they need these multiple labels to feel like there’s something special about themselves, or that they have these unique traits that set them apart from others. It almost becomes their personality.

[natcaptor]

Long post warning lol

Just saw a post that made some good points about bi/pan discourse but also included some absolute bs takes that I wanted to talk about because I see them a lot:

[Image description: a screenshot of a tumblr post reading And to see celebrities like Miley Cyrus straight up saying “I hate the word bisexual because it’s putting me in a box.” Kehlani saying “I’m not bi, I” it cuts off the rest of this quote]

Hmmm okay. That’s not a take I love but i can see it being irritating to have someone feel that way about a label you feel connected to but let’s see what else they had to say

[image description: a screenshot of a tumblr post saying seeing all these pride merchandise for unnecessary “mga” ids like polysexual/omnisexual. Inaccurately redefining]

Hmmmmmm....interesting take. Maybe we should take a look at the bisexual maifesto y’all always tell us to read.

[image descriptions: two screenshots from the bisexual manifesto

The first image is a full page with the title Anything That Moves printed on the top left of the page.

The second image is a close up of part of the page from the previous image. It shows one paragraph that has been highlighted in light blue and purple. The part highlighted in light blue reads “Do not expect a clear cut definition of bisexuality to jump out from the pages. We bisexuals tend to define bisexuality in ways that are unique to our own individuality”.

The part highlighted in purple reads “There are as many definitions of bisexuality as there are bisexuals. Many of us choose not to label ourselves as anything at all, and find the word bisexual to be inadequate and too limiting.”]

This is not to say I agree with the idea that it’s acceptable to say that people who don’t identify with a term or find that term “inadequate” are still that thing, cause that’s incredibly disrespectful of their experiences and not how identity works. But it’s likely phrased like that because bisexual was the only term at the time that people knew to describe attraction to multiple/all genders, but it’s not anymore. And I just find it really interesting when bi people who have an issue with the pan lable, or the way pan people talk about ourselves, try to say “you don’t read the history! You’re ignoring the manifesto” while ignoring the manifesto themselves. The manifesto states that people who are attracted to multiple/all genders may find the term bisexual too limiting and choose not to use it. But apparently that is actually just internalized biphobia nowadays /s.

Similarly, I find the “we define bisexuality uniquely��� part of the manifesto very interesting considering how hard so many people are going to say that all people who prefer other terms are “redefining bisexuality” as if the manifesto doesn’t say there is no clear cut definition. If labels can change and language can evolve overtime why are so many arguments against identities other than bisexual “you’re ignoring the history/definition/defining it wrong/we don’t need other labels”? Maybe you don’t need other labels.

I get that there are a lot of shitty definitions of bi and pan floating around but that isn’t the fault of pan people exclusively. How many bisexuals over the decades have defined their sexuality as “attraction to men and women”? Approximately a metric fuckton. Even if that’s not the only definition of bisexuality, you cannot blame only people outside of your community for that definition being spread.

And most people who panphobes are mad at for using terms like pan/omni would probably just call ourselves queer or say we don’t want labels otherwise. Like this shit always reeks of “all afab nonbinary people are actually just gnc women who don’t understand women’s history and have internalized misogyny” style logic and I’m so fucking sick of this conversation getting bogged down by it. It’s possible to talk about the parts of these terms history that have contributed to biphobia without being a hypocrite in order to shit talk pan/mspec people for not identifying the way you want us to.

(Manifesto screenshots and highlighting credit to @a-place-to-be-panace)

[krismusings]

INTRO ★

( HARRY STYLES, 28, CISMALE ) I JUST BUMPED INTO [ ROMAN BECKETT ] THE OTHER DAY WHILE WALKING DOWN [ WEST ] KINGSBORO, WHERE [ HE/HIM ] LIVES. I HEAR THEY CAN BE [ LOVING ] AND [ SPOILED ], BUT WHEN I THINK OF THEM I THINK ABOUT [ DESIGNER LABLES, BURNT FOOD, AND JOAN CRAWFORD ] ( KRIS, 30, SHE/HER, EST )

Roman Beckett was born Christopher Jacobs in a classic sob story of a situation. Mother was a prostitute, father was some random deadbeat who of course had no interested in raising a bastard child, and split with no second thoughts. Blah blah blah, yada yada yada, said young mother didn’t really want a kid either. She tried at first, or so he heard, but eventually he was passed on to a family friend, a couple who had been wanting children of their own, and never had any luck. He was given a new name, one his adoptive mother thought fit better, one sounding grand, and worthy of a good new start. Ro really couldn’t complain much about his childhood, and often felt guilty whenever he would get down, and wonder why he wasn’t good enough to be kept around by his actual mother. He had a lot of emotional issues deep down thanks to her, and he’d never get closure for that, because she signed a form saying she never wanted her information given out, didn’t want to be found, nor did she intend to ever reach out herself. Maybe that was why he got into acting, a way to hide behind a different face from time to time.

KINGSBORO

Since moving to Kingsboro after getting a steady job as a barista, and an acting job at a small theater close by his apartment, Ro really felt like he was starting to thrive. This was the perfect window into catching his big break, hopefully, and in the meantime - he just wanted to try and enjoy life. Sex, drugs, strippers, it all seemed to come so naturally to him. It never feels like a risk, and if he suffers any consequences, it never lasts long. Men, women, he’s not picky, and hell, he blurs the lines himself. Rome likes what he likes, does what he wants to do, and has absolutely no filter. If he likes you, he likes the hell out of you, and if not, you’ll fucking know it. Maybe he’s morally “good” deep down, or maybe he only thinks he is, but he’ll kill for his friends. Well, maybe that’s dramatic, but dramatic is the best word to describe him. Psychedelics help him be creative, sex eases the stress, hand and hand - it’s a winning combination. He’s not a selfish lover, he wants his partners to enjoy it as well, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t usually a heartbreaker. At least he’s charming and eadearing. (( TW: mentions of mental illness, past child abuse, substance abuse, kinks )) FULL NAME: Roman Atticus Beckett NICKNAMES: Ro, Rome, Roroyaboat, Roro, Royo, Ramen noodle, Roman candle, Beck, Romeo AGE: 28 DATE OF BIRTH: July 31st ZODIAC SIGN: Leo PLACE OF BIRTH: Manchester, England HOMETOWN: London, England LOCATION: Kingsboro, Brooklyn, New York City, NY ETHNICITY: White NATIONALITY: British RELIGIOUS VIEWS: There’s a happy place somewhere. EDUCATION LEVEL: Graduate of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama OCCUPATION: Actor MENTAL CONDITIONS: depression, anxiety, substance addiction PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS: glasses, contacts, bad back ADDICTIONS: cocaine PHYSICAL APPEARANCE HEIGHT: 6′1 BODY TYPE: athletic, slim, and soft…somehow? EYE COLOUR: green HAIR COLOUR: brown STYLE: All the latest fashions - always has to have a new outfit for each day, will only repeat lounge clothes - but even those are in style. TATTOOS?: ( over 52 ) PERSONALITY POSITIVE TRAITS: outgoing, funny, intuitive, empathetic, humble NEGATIVE TRAITS: gullible, emotional, addictive, insecure, stubborn WHAT DO THEY CONSIDER TO BE THE BEST AND THE WORST PART OF THEIR PERSONALITY?: Roman is probably the best friend to have. He’s always there for anyone who needs him, which is great, but in turn also stresses him a little thin, as he doesn’t know how to say no. His fashion sense though? Always on point. ARE THEY MORE EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED?: Extrovert ANY TALENTS?: Acting, singing, anything involving his mouth ;-) WHAT ARE THEIR FEARS?: making a bad decision, hurting the ones he loves. ANY ALLERGIES?: codeine, squash DO THEY HAVE ANY PHOBIAS?: clashing colors LIST 3 PET-PEEVES THEY CAN’T STAND: not having a routine, chewing with mouth open, no sense of humor PAST BEST MEMORY: Spending summers in Italy with adoptive family WORST MEMORY: the child abuse that went on before he was adopted. BIGGEST SECRET: He was given up for adoption separate from his twin sister, because his mother was a prostitute, and subjected them to a toxic environment. BIGGEST WISH: Being a father someday. BIGGEST FEAR: Losing his loved ones FIRST LOVE : Doesn't know if he's ever been in love. ROMANCE & SEXUALITY TURN ONS: dirty talk, choking, slapping, bondage, flirting, confidence, hair pulling, degradation, roleplaying, dom/sub TURN OFFS: anything involving things that should be done on a toilet. MISCELLANEOUS SPEAKING VOICE CLAIM: Harry Styles SINGING VOICE CLAIM: Harry Styles RELATIONSHIP WITH MOTHER: Birth mother is estranged, adopted mother, they are on good terms, but not as close as they have been in the past. MOTHER’S NAME: Kate Beckett RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER: Birth father is estranged, adopted father, they speak at least three times a week. FATHER’S NAME: Pat Beckett SIBLINGS: Athena Beckett, and Ava Lancaster PETS: A pug named Luigi FAVORITE PLACE: Tokyo ROLE MODELS: David Bowie, Elton John FAVORITE ANIMALS: ALL THE ANIMALS FAVORITE BOOKS: Harry Potter, any good biography, or philosophy read. FAVORITE MOVIES: Mommie Dearest, Gone With the Wind, A Star is Born (every version) FAVORITE MUSIC: Classic Rock, 60′s-80′s FAVORITE FOOD: Sushi QUIRKS ARE THEY RIGHT OR LEFT HANDED?: Right WHAT’S A WORD THAT’S ALWAYS ON THEIR LIPS?: “Gucci” WHAT LANGUAGES DO THEY SPEAK?: English, French, Italian DO THEY CURSE?: Yes. WHAT’S THEIR WORST HABIT(S)?: Weed DO THEY DRINK OR SMOKE? HOW FREQUENTLY?: Drinks socially, smokes weed. ARE THEY AN EARLY BIRD OR A NIGHT OWL?: Night owl HOW TIDY IS THEIR ROOM?: Organized to the Gods HOW LONG TO THEY USUALLY TAKE GETTING READY?: For a quick errand, ten minutes. A night out, an hour or more.

[umnachtung]

Pride Asks

taken from @in-love-with-a-trans-girl

1. Is your family accepting?

It’s a bit complicated I feel. I know they aren’t right out anti but there are some conservative or ignorant streaks. It’s kinda like a movie that came out in the 90s and the humor has aged poorly.

2. What is your sexuality?

Still figuring that out. I know it’s definitely not straight, lol. So far I am using demisexual occassionally.

3. What is your gender identity?

nonbinary goblin.

4. Favorite color?

teal, forest green, rusty red... lol many.

5. When did you find out your sexuality?

Well, I’m still figuring this out, but def around 2nd grade, where I got jealous of the guy trying to get with my best friend at the time? Never really was into any of the popular boys/girls in media either. Of Demisexual specifically I heard around uuuuh 2017?

6. What do you wish you could tell your past self?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or hide your pain.

7. Have you changed labels since realizing you were LGBT?

Not really. I am still figuring all this stuff out tbh.

8. How was your day?

Kinda just started, but so far so good.

9. Do you have any gay friends irl?

Jupp, Abelina, Leo and a few and far aquaintances.

10. What’s your favorite hobby?

Drawing, designing and sketching. Making cosplay and being in a theatre group. Also really like going to second hand shops and browse.

11. Who’s the best gay icon in your opinion?

I’m not really well versed with that stuff lol. Do Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune count as the ultimate butch femme ship???

12. Which pride flags do you like the most design/color wise?

I really like the Bi and Pan flags color-wise.

13. Do you wish you could change any pride flags?

I don’t think that’s any of my right, especially if I don’t identify as the label the pride flag is for. I’ll leave that up to the folks who use the labels of the corresponding flags.

14. Are you openly out?

Not really, I suppose. While not comforming to much any gender roles, I don’t really correct people who call me “miss” or assume I’m straight. Mostly because I am too tired or distracted to deal and social anxiety stuff.

15. Are you comfortable with yourself?

I like my face and hair, but there’s still a lot of dissaociation between my body and how I feel it should look.

16. Do you experience dysphoria?

Boy howdy get those tits out of there or so help me.

yes.

17. Bottom, top, or verse?

None of the internet’s business.

18. (Lesbians) are you femme, butch, or neither? (Bi girls) Doe, tomcat, stag, or none of the above?

None of those. I like to refer to myself as goblin.

19. Do you bind?

No. But I’m considering buying a binder. So far sportbras are my go to for flatter chest.

20. Do you shave?

Armpits most regularly. Legs sometimes.

21. If you could date anyone you wanted, who would it be?

A magic user who can help me archive apperance goals and also magic away messes so there’s more free time for the fun stuff in life.

22. Are you in a relationship?

Naw.

23. Describe your partner.

part of the future or a parallel universe.

24. Have you ever dated anyone of the same gender?

Nope. Hardly really dated ever.

25. Dated anyone of another gender?

Yeah. cis man when I was like 18. was weird. 

26. Tell me a random fact about yourself!

I used to be super into disney princesses and dresses as a kid. I’m currently rediscovering the joy of sparkly, cute and colorful stuff after  being a sad emo goth teen lmao.

27. Do you own any pride flags/merch?

I own a iron on patch of a HRT syringe by @iliothermia that I put on my jacket.

It also has another patch, with check boxes, labled “male, female, fuck you” and a disgruntled punk person on it.

28. Have you ever been to a pride parade?

Yes, to Christopher Street Day with @in-love-with-a-trans-girl :)

29. Any advice to someone who isn’t out or who is exploring themselves?

Don’t feel pressured to come out if it’s too dangerous for you or you are uncomfortable. Try out as many things as you want and search for allies and like minded folk so you don’t feel isolated. 

30. Pineapple on pizza?

I hate pinapples so, get that shit outta here.

[rainbowdoom32]

So I'm going to start identifying myself as aspec. Previously I identified as a bisexual aromantic but upon furthur consideration I might be asexual.

I'm posting about this b/c 1) it puts it out there and makes the lable feel more real and tangible

2) I know some of y'all IRL or on a personal enough basis that I feel you should know

3) A queers need more visibilty in gen

4) cause I want to talk abouy it

So Idk how to do a read more and am on mobile so if you dont want to hear about what being aspec means to me start scrolling now

So. In the aspec community (do we have a better word?) theres an overwhelming discourse about sexual and romantic repulsion. For those of you who dont know thats when the idea of sex , sexual content, sex itself, the idea of romance, romantic gestures, and/or romantic content acts as a squick for you it creates some spectrum of a revulsion in you to be confronted with one or more of these things. Its an overwhelming discourse for many reasons but the one I want to talk about is that it makes it obvious that your ace or aro if your repulsed by sex or romance. The process for discovering your aspec identity is easier in a way, specifically in a way it isnt for me.

See I dont experience sexual or romantic repulsion. I like romance stories and porn. I actively seek these things out. I'm not put off by discussions of others romantic or sexual lives (specific aspects may repulse me but in general I'm interested in these especially when coming from people I care about). So naturally as a teenager I never considered myself as aspec. i considered myself bisexual almost immediatly (there was a thing where I thought I was tricking myself into thinking I liked women to be included in the queer community. More on that later) it took two very short very middle school esque (one took place my sophmore year) relationships and an accidental internet encounter with the concept of aromantisim for me to realise that the reason this wasnt working for me was because I didnt really want it.

The more I thought of myself as aro the more things made sense. At the slumber parties as a kid I never had a crush to confess. Those two failed relationshios? Guy friends I'd gotten real close to and thought my new stronger friendship feelings must be what romantic attraction feels like. Also the real sticker, I dont get jealousy in romance at all. Like that one goes over my head. I dont understand why cheating is the worst thing someone can do in a relationship to the point that people who've been sucked into a cycle of abuse and have become convinced everything is their fault will snap when they discover they were cheated on. That is absolutly mind boggling for me.

The point of that is I never got that ew ick romance feeling. As a reult the road to discovering I was aromantic was long and and full of doubt. Doubt that went along the lines of "Maybe I just havent found the right person". Which also happens to be the exact thing my mum says to me everytime I try to explain that Im aromantic to her. Bisexuality she understands and accepts. This she doesnt. So even though I know intellectually theres no right person for me that niggling doubt remains andit haunts me.

Now im going to devolve a bit here and I know what this sounds like but im seriously not trying to be offensive just explain something

See I read a fanfic recently. I dont remeber how I found it but it was a Stony fic and the story and the set up were very romantic cliche. Basically Steve was Tony's booty call it evolves to friends with benefits Steve falls in love. Textbook stuff. But see theres a wrench because the author identifies as aromantic is with the definition we have aromantic. They write their identity onto Tony. Thats something we do in fanfic and in writing. But the problem I ran into is this: the author identifies as aromantic because they experience romantic repulsion(yes they told me this) so in the fic Tony is in love with Steve but experiences romantic repulsion. The idea of romance of romantic commitment makes him anxious and sick. This is how the author feels FWB allows them to experience intimacy without triggering their repulsion. Identifying as atomantic makes them feel not broken. This so good right? This is why we have labels

Except. When I read this part of the story it hurt me. Directly. See Tong Stark has Daddy Issues. Ehen the author wrote about Tony's romantic repulsion narritevly they tied it into Tony's not nice childhood. I dont know specifically why it wasnt part of thwir explanation when I told them their story hurt me. I didnt ask. But this narritive decision made what was essentially was an author expressing their experience as an aromantic in a story feel like a personal attack against my aromantic identity.

See when I read that what I read was "Tony Stark cant commit to an actual relationship with Steve Rogers because Howard Starks Grade A parenting fucked up his ability to recieve expressions of love and his ability to commit. Tony Stark is in romantic love with Steve Rogers but his childhood trauma prevents him from expresing it in the traditional manner this is what being aromantic is"

That hurt. Because it hit that little doubt in my head about not having met the "right person" and mixed it up with some childhood trauma made you a broken person. It also hit me while I felt safe. Romance stories are my escapism. Their like an extra element of fantasy in a story for me. I specifically seek out romantic stories as a comforting mechanism. Fanfics in particular because of their inclusivity. I was in my safe space, and I was whammed in a sore spot.

The problem is though the author has a right to that story and that label and to express themselves. We usually draw the line at self expression where it hurts other people but thats not what happened here. What happened here was definitial confusion. The author and I were using "aromantic" to describe two different but similar romantic orientations. In doing so we hurt each other ironically in the same way. We both said to each other "Your identity is wrong and toxic you hurt people and yourself by expressing it the way you do". (I left a comment saying how her story affected me)

When I say I'm aromantic I mean I experience no romantic feelings. None nada zilch. The idea that I might one day experience a type of romantic feeling is an aggression against me. The same way the idea that gay people can choose to be straight is an aggression against being gay.

But I can't invalidate someone else to protect myself. What do I do? I dont want to hurt myself and I dont want to hurt other people? Idk

And now to why I no longer identify as bisexual.

I'm a virgin. Because most peoples first time is with someone their in a romantic relationship with. And we'll I dont do that. Im also a socially anxious person. I have no idea how to instogate a sexual encounter and honeslty I wouldnt feel comftorable dping it with someone I couldnt trust or alternatively someone I'm friends with and would have to continue being juat friends with in post we had sex awkwardness. So ive never had an opportunity to have sex.

But I also havent sought them out. And I dont feel particularly driven to. These are reasons to think your asexual but I'm sure it's also the experience of many introverted and secually awkawrd people. And it's not like I couldnt have sex at some future point. Even now if an opportunity arose I might say yes, of only to confirm my asexuality.

The thing that has made me actually consider if I'm ace tho is a weird quirk of mine. I cant get off to prom videos. I use lit erotica. Why? Cause the idea that those are real live people puts me off. Porn stars and amateur porn makers know people get off watching their videos. Theyre okay with that. But I'm not. At all. Thats a big ol nope for me.

See I'm a ciswoman. Which means I have a clitoris. An organ whose only purpose is to provide pleasure. As everyone knows reciving pleasure via the clit requires no participation by a second person. The fact that my clitiros functions as intended and that I use it isnt sexual attraction.

Thats a new idea for me. But it's true isnt it? Sexual attraction is about other people. And sure I can appreciate other people's hotness. But just because I think a horse is pretty doesnt mean I want to fuck it. Remeber that thing about thinking I was faking bisexuality?? I was right. I wasnt sexually attracted to women. But what I hadnt bothered to consider because of heteronormativity was that I wasnt sexually attracted to men either.

Other fun fact in case you might be an ace person who's read this far (why? Also hi Katie and possibly Sadie but definelty Nishat. No im not implying any of you are ace) I dont have sex dreams. But I do have dreams in which I masturbate. So stick that jn your pipe and smoke it.

Anyways these are all experinces that I have that I feel neccessry to share to make it so the repulsion story isnt the only one out there. And also to start a discourse about how experiencing and not experiencing repulsion affect aspec experience. Thanks for reading!

[acti-veg]

Do you think we should change the definition of veganism to encompass the enviroment and humans, instead of just animal rights? Basically change veganism into something more, and try and kick out the nazi and the people who really shouldn't belong? Like, You're only vegan if you support marginalized people as well as animals, to avoid ALL exploitation, and to do the most you can do in eviromentaism,humans, and animals. If this makes sense. And if not, should there be a lable for that?

I have thought about this issue quite a lot, it’s a complex question and one that doesn’t have an easy answer that everyone will agree with. Personally, I don’t think the definition of veganism needs to change. Veganism does not offer a complete ethical system or a full set of normative rules for living a good life, and I don’t feel like it should. For me, veganism is just a part of a wider set of moral principles, as soon as we start moving the goalposts for what counts as vegan, to include other political and moral beliefs not relating to animal rights, we make it much less accessible and less easy to understand.

That isn’t to say I think that nazis or any other kind of prejudiced people have any place in the animal rights movement, I think these people have no place in any social justice movement and should be unilaterally opposed. I also think that all veganism should be intersectional, recognising oppression of animals as part of the same system which oppresses humans, and opposing both. But saying “you can’t call yourself vegan unless you also do z, y and z” things which have nothing to do with animals just makes it far less easy to define and less useful of a term. It would be far more difficult to convince people to go vegan if we had to essentially give them a list of things they must believe in to be allowed to call themselves vegans.

That’s not even accounting for the fact that if we open up that definition there would be widespread disagreement on what is also part of veganism and what isn’t, who is oppressed and who isn’t, and what beliefs you also need to have in addition to animal rights. Before long we would end up with a complete, doctrinal set of rules everyone must follow unless or they aren’t vegan, with no room for any individual political differences or deviation from the accepted principles. We’d be changing what vegan means to get rid of the nazis, which would be brilliant, but it’d be unlikely to stop there and a great many other people would end up not being allowed to call themselves vegans, like conservatives, republicans, economic liberals, and pretty much anyone not on the left of the political spectrum. As much as I disagree with these people, I think it’d hurt our chances of making real change if we isolate and cut these people off from the movement, essentially making veganism solely the province of left wing identity politics. And I say that as someone who would be described as very left wing by pretty much anyone’s standards.

This is difficult to accept, but you can be vegan and still be a bad person, because again veganism isn’t a complete ethical system any more than being pro-life is a complete ethical system, it is just our stance on one (albeit one very important) ethical issue. I don’t think it really does need another word, someone who opposes animal exploitation and human exploitation is just an intersectional vegan, or just an ethical person. That’s what we should all be doing, veganism is just the bare minimum, it isn’t enough on it’s own but that doesn’t mean we need to redefine what veganism means. It just means that veganism should be part of a wider fight against oppression regardless of the race, gender, sexuality or species of those who are being oppressed.

[cheetagon]

Pride Meme

because I'm a trendsetter whore

1. What’s your gender? - Female / Demi-girl

2. What are your pronouns? - Usually she/her, bur I don't really care one way or another.

3. Is your family accepting? - Pretty much, I never had an official coming out but my dad is bi himself so why wouldn't he be accepting of me?

4. What do you wish you could tell your past self? - "Yeah, life sucks, honey. But it's gonna get better after school. One word: University."

5. What is your sexuality? - Pansexual. I fall in love with people, individuals, not genders.

6. Favorite color? - Red/Black

7. Sun gay or moon gay? - Sun gay

8. When did you find out your sexuality? - I fell in love with one of my closest friends when I was 14, too bad I only realised when I just helped her hook up with another friend of hers lmao. I labled myself as bi for a while but found out about the term of pan a few years later and been going with that ever since.

9. How was your day? - Barely started lmao

10. Do you have any gay friends? - I have more gay/queer friends than straight friends.

11. What’s your favorite hobby? - Drawing, Vidja Gemz

12. Who’s the best gay icon in your opinion? - Aww heck that's a tough one. For me personally it's probably Ellen DeGeneres?

13. Which pride flags do you like the most design/color wise? - The Bi-Flag, probably.

14. Are you openly out? - Like I said I never officially outed myself, but I don't keep it a secret either.

15. Are you comfortable with yourself? - Sexuality-wise, yeah, sure. Most other things, not so much, but what can you do?

16. Bottom or top? - More of a (power-)bottom, but I can switch in the right situations.

17. Femme or butch? - I'm honestly a mix between both. There are days I'm more feminine leaned and other days I'm masculine af.

18. Do you bind? - Been meaning to try forever, but never got to do it. I doubt I could go through with it tho, my chest is so sensitive I have trouble with normal bras on occasion.

19. Do you shave? - Yeh

20. If you could date anyone you wanted, who would it be? - *reaches for the list of favorite fictional characters*

21. Do you have a partner (s)? - Not a real one, anyway.

22. Describe your partner (s)? - /explosion emoji/

23. Have you ever dated anyone of the same sex? - Yeh

24. Anyone of another sex? - Yeh

25. Pastel gay or goth gay? - Definitely goth, tho pastel can be nice, too.

26. Favorite dad in dream daddies? - I still need to play thaaaaat ;-;

27. Tell me a random fact about yourself? - I tend to snarl/growl, hiss or purr at people mid-conversation on occasion, even if I sometimes don't always realise I do. #FurryTrash

28. Do you own any pride flags/merch? - Yep!

29. Have you ever been to a pride parade? - Yeh, twice so far. Good times!

30. Any advice to someone who isn’t out or who are exploring themselves? - Dont pressure yourself. Go with what feels right to you and don't give too much of a shit about lables. Date who you want to, have sex with whoever you want to. The world is yours! \o/

[delightfulmakertidalwave]

Me too. I've seen this too much with the white male characters especially Loki and Lex Luthor.

Whenever Lex does something fucked up to superman I see people just crawling out of the woodwork to justify his actions because "he's trying to save us from Superman"

Nobody ever wants to thin know of the implications of a rich white man with big ass brain using all of his resources to try and commit murder against a minority immagrit who is also a part of an endangered species.

Superman is to me an earth migrate who saught shelter on planet earth because well... Krypton went boom. There is no going back for him.

He was raised by human parents and for the most part of his life until adult hood he was convinced that he was just another human. He is human Clark Kent long before he is Kryptonian Superman Kal El.

He uses his unique gifts to help those around him and save lives.

But somehow whenever Lex makes an attempt on his life and endangers other people in the process (imagine those people's hospital bills. I doubt their insurance covers being collateral damage in one of Lex Luthor's latest plan to murder superman)

Lex's character gets defended by large amounts of the fandom who come to his defense and try to make Him the victim and somehow this is all Superman's fault.

Lex literally hates Superman because he's an alien and routinely tries to kill him and make his life miserable an why? "because SOMEDAY MAYBE Superman will become a threat?" 🤔😒

And it's not just the attempts at murder that often result in the manslaughter of the innocent bystanders that get caught in the Cross hairs of it. Lex does some other fucked up shit too. He commits GENOCIDE against new krypton. He steals Superman's genetic material and MIXES IT WITH HIS OWN AND MAKES A CLONE!! and he even drugs superman with red Kryptonite (which is basically rufffying a man's drink) and then sends him on rampage where he hurts people and kills them and by the time Superman becomes sober again HE HAS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS EVEN WHEN LUTHOR RUFFIED HIM IN THE FIRST Place.

Luthor isn't the only one guilty of this either. Poison ivy ALSO DRUGS HIM AS WELL BY FORCFULLY KISSING HIM AND ISN'T THAT SEXUAL ASSULT?

I mean imagine if a male hero or villain did the same to her? That guy would be HATED IN THE DAMN FANDOM! HE WOULD BE LABLED A PERVERT AND SEX OFFENDER but now because when ivy (a sexy woman) does worse.

(because bending someone to your will and having them commit fucked things amongst those things murder and physical assault being one of them, is worse than rape. Sue me.) it's not bad? It's sexy? It's powerful of her? She's a strong woman because of it? 🙄😒

And the reasons people give for superman being evil or a danger are insane. People say he's an ego maniac because of his blue suit and the crest atop his chest. His superman 'S'

Dumbass that isn't a fucking 'S' it's the symbol for the house of El. His family. His big bright and 'egocentric' costume as they try to describe it is his HERITAGE. it is a TEASURE. It is what little is left of KRYPTONIAN CULTURE A DEAD RACE! and ya'll a pressed about it because you think it's about his ego?

And all this justifies his murder? He should killed now because he MIGHT go bad? Even thought he's shown himself to be nothing of the sort? Even though he works hard everyday to do the opposite?

One of the reasons Lex hates Superman so much is because he routinely steals the spotlight from him with his heroic acts.

In short. Lex is always trying to kill this dude because Lex doesn't feel APPRECIATED.

I get thar some of ya'll have a soft spot for this dude but don't ever forget. He's classified as a villain for a reason. He's bad. And if you wanna portray him as a good guy or misunderstood guy in your fanfic or whatever go right ahead. But at least don't do it at Superman's expense.

I think there’s a real danger in trying to write your villain’s motives deeper than they really are.

[genderfluidpositivity]

Question about an earlier post about how the terms androphilic and gynephilix are trans exclusionary. Ok so I'm a person who is sexually attracted to boobs and vaginas. So to me, gynephilic was a term that was helpful. I like boobs and vaginas regardless of the gender of the person who has them. So like, while I'm aware and fully accept that not all women have those things, those ARE the things I'm into. Sex characteristics are important in what you find sexually appealing, right? TY 4 yr time���️

Hi.

So you might be attracted to breasts and vaginas but you wouldn’t make that your label because there is more you look for in a relationship than a person’s body.

For example, say you meet a wonderful person who has all these things and then somewhere down the line they get breast cancer and have to get an operation that leaves them with a basically flat chest, are you going to break up with them now? 

The problem is that people’s bodies change, and yes while things like body types are important when it comes to sex they aren’t so important when it comes to relationships. 

And if you identify yourself as gynephilic you are objectifying people, because you’re saying you’re attracted to body parts instead of people. There’s more to people then their bodies. So not only are the terms trans exclusionary and intersex exclusionary but they're just not good labels in general. By using those lables you’re really limiting your options. 

When labeling sexuality most people use those labels to show who they would date, who you would have sex with and how you would have sex with them is very different. Who/how you have sex is something you talk to each of your partners with.  

Saying you’re gynephilic or androphilic is in essence saying you’re only attracted to these specific genitals and nothing else matters, and if that’s the case I suggest investing in a sex doll. 

If you’re attracted to people of any gender then use a label that describes that, like pansexual. 

Hope this helps. 

If anyone has anymore questions about this please send me a private message because I really would like this blog to say discourse free. 

[fuckyeahbadcodocs]

Name: Mira 'Paws' Cole

As callsigns go, I don’t think Paws is half bad. It’s not as grandiose as some that stumble through this door, not edgy and hardcore... It sounds like the kind of nonsense a military faction would hand down to the new kid.

Appearance: Height- 5"9. 

There is a desperate need for more lady OCs who are not like 5′2″ every time. I can at least salute the creator for this...

Weight- 134. 

...And a sensible weight for someone in the military! A little googling tells me this BMI is in the normal range, if on the smaller side. No one has to give this OC a sandwich for her to run out and kick some tail.

Eye color- Emerald green. 

Mmm, unlike my fellow mods, I don’t think using specific descriptors for eyes is a dealbreaker or special snowflake. There’s a lot of shades of green out there. However, I would maybe pick something other than a precious gem to describe a character’s eye color. It’s become a bit of a dead horse at this point.

Hair color- Dark brown.

So far, everything is really good, very low-key. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop to explain why the hell this OC is doing on this page.

Where she serves- U.S. Army Ranger

Recent as it may be, women are slowly entering the ranks of the Rangers through the school, if not actually able to serve in its ranks. Assuming some level of research was put into what it would take for a female OC to break ground like this, we might be onto something.

Now, if you’re all prepared, the other shoe drops... now.

Position- Hired medic/Assassin

Well, medic OCs are old hat at this point, but as long as there’s real research and a plot, I’m not totally opposed to someone examining a side of canon that isn’t totally defined by missions and frontline action--

Wait.

A medic’s first rule is to do no harm... and she is an assassin. Does anyone else see the glaring lack of fundamental understanding of how the military works in that statement, or just me? I’m sure at some point in history or another, a killer has used the disguise of a medical personnel to get closer to a target, but that’s not exactly military standard, not in this day and age.

For that matter, why is the US Army hiring assassins when they have some of the most elite fighting forces on the planet? Any one of Ramirez’s team could easily take up a sniper rifle and hang out for a few hours waiting for a good shot. The Army does not need assassins in the classical sense. It would be much more sensible if this OC was freelance, PIC, or maybe even part of a CIA that is far darker than the average Modern Warfare civilian accounts for.

But for your baseline US Army attache, this is going well over the line. It renders basically all past praise I put upon the OCs design nearly moot. I can’t even imagine what an international DISASTER it would be if an American medic was outed as a professional, government-sanctioned assassin. It would change the face of warfare, totally flip centuries of regulations about medics and their role on its head. Everything would just go to absolute shit if people trusted to heal and stay out of trouble came out as paid professional killers operating with their government’s blessing. 

You can make an OC interesting without relying on secret identities or shocking swerves, or defying basic military roles that leave little hope for a character being an assassin.

History: Mira had never thought she could go to war-and at least experince anything, But now she's been sent over to work as a medic. She'll meet anyone and (oddly) enough; everyone. 

The Rangers, Shepherd, Allen, these are characters I can understand an OC rubbing elbows with, given the game and faction in question. Maybe even  a brush with Team Metal, if you want to broach MW3 and the fact both Rangers and Delta fought against the Russian invasion on the East Coast. Everyone, though? That’s pushing it. The 141 and the Rangers are never anywhere near each other in game proper to allow for meeting ‘everyone.’

Is Mira surprised? Kind of. Sure she has some crushes on certian people. But this is war, not the love boat. 

As opposed to OC/Canon shipping as many people are, so long as it’s not the focal point and overshadowing a much more interesting plot... I personally see no problem with mentioning a character might be interested in someone else. Especially if it’s buffered with the fact ‘hey there’s a war going on, let’s not worry about our alleged sexual tension and instead focus on not. fucking. dying.’

None of this excuses the walking International Shitshow Waiting To Happen, but it’s a surprising touch.

She also earned the name nickname 'Paws', from the wolf paws tatooed and her back, and two small ones on the back of her neck.

That’s not usually how callsign assignments work, it’s usually more of a callback to a memorable incident or a personality trait. 

For pure hypotheticals, let’s say Soap once slid off of something during training, or is very thorough about ‘cleaning’ out a room when on ops. Either of these things might lead to teammates alluding to him as ‘Soap,’ either due to his slippery fuck up, or his sheer ‘cleaning’ power. It’s not like teammates looked at Soap’s haircut and just decided ‘You’re Mohawk now.’ There’s more to callsigns and military culture than that.

Personality: Mira is a kind, gentle, and calm soul. But if somthing goes wrong; she; like Dunn would freak out just the same. 

For both of her preposterous careers, staying cool is a part of the job description. 

A medic has to know how to perform under intense pressure, when the lives of their patients are on the line, sometimes in the middle of a firefight. The military medic career is not one you want to freak out in. 

Assassins must master the art of planning -- entrance, loadout, the exact moment they take down the target, and an exit strategy. They have to be veritable ghosts, leaving no trace of themselves, and with the patience to wait sometimes days for one brief moment and then a quick way out. A freak out at any stage of an assassination is a surefire bullet in the chest at best and a trip to a black site in your target’s home country at worst.

Also if shes meant to be calm why the hell would she freak out when a plan goes to shit? Why does everything about this OC oppose prior information?

She has an affectionate side, but tends not to use it. Theres moments where she can be totally awkward.

Why? Why any of that? I know I harp on explanations in just about every review I do, but I’m just really passionate about OC creators explaining to their audience how and why things work. Personality traits existing at odds with one another are a good reason to have explanations in your profile. If this OC is kind and gentle, why hide her affectionate side? Is she perhaps uncomfortable with overt displays of affection, while still being super sweet and kind to people? Is there a disconnect between her professional personality and her off-duty persona?

Hell if I know, that’s all that’s said for me to analyze.

Also, how awkward are we talking here? ‘My mouth sometimes moves faster than my brain’ awkward, or ‘I was apparently raised in a cave and have no understanding of several normal every day things’ awkward? Much like there are many different shades of green, there are many different flavors of awkward. 

Secrets: Mira is a So-Called 'Assassin', as she describes herself, but is labled as a Sniper by others(As she states during Modern Warfare) but tends to lie when someone questions her. 

A sniper is not an assassin in the classical sense. A sniper is a part of many military teams, and is in fact basic in certain circumstances. A sniper is a legitimate specialist and would never cross over with medical corps.

A lone sniper might well be an assassin, but a sniper on a military team is usually just that: a sniper. Not an assassin, sure as hell not a medic, but definitely a person who is good at waiting, communicating with their spotter, and shooting OpFor as needed.

This might come as a shock, but I don’t think this OC makes much sense, guys.

On that note, why the hell is she in the original Modern Warfare? The American faction in COD4 was the Marines, not Rangers.

She comes to the Army Rangers (In Modern Wafare 2) posing as a Medic, but still serves as a Sniper, she them keeps her position as an Assassin in Modern Warfare 3, where she is seperated and is now on the hunt for Vladimir Makarov.

If she ‘comes to’ the Rangers in MW2, who was she with originally in MW? Was she supposed to be a freelance assassin that the US Army looked at and said ‘good enough for us?’ I really don’t get this bit, I’m sincerely confused by the sequence of events now.

As for MW3... That’s just poor writing and we all know it. The implication Ramirez and company are out taking the Kremlin, and this OC gets separated from the real party. I’m offended for her.

Other: She hates the way anyone treats attack dogs, she has a way to avoid being attacked by them. In this case, she carries treats to throw them off. Even the most vicious dog can be strayed away when confronted by Mira.

No. No, actually, they can’t. These dogs are broken and remade into fur-covered death machines that exist only to destroy whatever they are pointed at. There is nothing you can do to ‘stray’ them, let along with treats. Maybe if you throw them fresher meat than you, but otherwise I have no idea what would even come close to swaying a legitimate dog of war. They would eat her alive, brutally, and then turn their attention to the other Rangers.

Gory, yes. True, also yes. Attack dogs are not misunderstood babies anymore. They are straight up gone, redesigned to do nothing but kill whoever their kennel master sics them on. Kill or be killed is the only way to deal with an enemy attack dog in the middle of battle. Now excuse me, I have to go hug my own dog for a little bit.

Family: Both her parents died when she was 14, but she made friends with a kid named Chuck Seasons *Aka Chef* and the two became friends and have stayed that way ever since.

Let me guess, a member of this creators OC cadre? Did making friends with this kid cure the ache that is losing both of your parents and being made an orphan as a young teenager?

Animal Companions: Mira owns a black German Shepherd named 'Coach', after her famed basketball coach during middle school.

I’m not sure about this one, but I think this Coach guy’s parents really wanted him to be a coach.

So anyway, Mod M would like to posit this question: Why is it that the best/most down to earth designs always end up being tied to brain-breakingly out of touch with the real world OCs? For that matter, why am I always the one left holding the flaming bag that is these ocs?