#we really should normalize poly relationships in media

[monsamborabutterfly]

My dear donovan really is just a great example how much more fun throuple stories are instead of weird love triangles that nobody needs.

Like why fight over one person when everyone could just fall in love and make out instead??

Love triangles are so lame...also maybe it's the fact that I haven't really watched a straight straight Thai show yet but it's almost comical how shippable these 3 are

[vivwritesfics]

poly fic idea with lando and max

max and reader have been dating for ages when lando joined f1 he befriended both of them. over time their friendship has many signs of a relationship. lando slowly starts falling for them but hides it cause he thinks he would destroy their relationship and that it isnt normal to be in love with two people. meanwhile max and reader have talked a lot about lando joining their relationship and actually planned a date to ask lando out

Y/N laid on the beach towel beside her boyfriend, the likes of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo with them.

Max was sat up while Y/N laid back with her sunglasses covering her shut eyes. He stared out at the ocean while Lando and Daniel chased each other through the water.

"How's it going?" Asked Charles as he came to sit beside them, his pose match Max's.

To most this would have been a normal greeting, but Max knew better. "So far, so meh," Max answered, digging his toes into the sand. "I don't think he really notices we're flirting with him."

Charles let out a scoff. "Sure he doesn't," he responded. "You two do realise he acts like he's dating the both of you?"

"Piss off, Charles," Y/N mumbled as she rolled over onto her back. But she didn't mean it, it was just a touchy subject.

Charles did piss off. With a laugh, he stood and ran into the water, splashing both Danny and Lando.

Lando left them to it. He walked over and sat in the sand beside Y/N. "Have you got suncream on your back?" He asked, already grabbing it from Y/Ns bag.

She let out a satisfied groan as Lando began rubbing the suncream into the skin of her back. "Can't have your burning," he said, his tongue between his teeth.

Y/N looked over at her boyfriend. Maybe Charles was right. Maybe he did act like their boyfriend.

Goddamn they needed to ask him out.

Their entire holiday was spent with the three of them acting like a couple. Lando didn't notice. It was completely unintential, but he just felt so comfortable around them. He couldn't help it! The others noticed, though. They noticed big time.

"Seriously, I don't know for how much longer I can hold out," Max said as Y/N scrolled through her social media.

She let out a sigh as she locked her phone. "I know, Maxie," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Maybe we should ask him to dinner or something."

That was exactly what they did. Y/N and Max invited Lando out to dinner. And the clueless brit assumed it was nothing. Just a dinner with his friends.

He didn't think anything of it. Not when Max let him try some of his drink. Not when Y/N let him try a bit of pasta from her fork.

It took the couple until the end of the date to realise that Lando didn't realise it was a date. So, as they walked out of the restaurant, Y/N let out a sigh and pressed a kiss to Lando's cheek. "You didn't realise we were taking you on a date, did you?"

Lando's eyes went wide. "Date?" He squeaked. "This was a date?"

"Yes, Lan, this was a date," said Max as he placed his hand on Y/N's shoulder.

"Oh, I wish I had known that."

Lando really wished he had known that. If he knew this was a date he would have dressed a little nicer and would have tried to pay for their food.

"Let's try this again," he said, surprising the couple. "A proper date. We'll book out a restaurant or something, please!"

It was a good thing he was cute.

[she-is-ovarit]

When gay men, bisexuals, lesbians, and even the people who are questioning and exploring their sexualities communicate the boundary of, "don't call us queers", pushing against that boundary is a form of homophobic discrimination.

We don't like to be called "queer" because it can be a really retraumatizing word—especially for gay, lesbian, and bisexual elders. I wonder how often that was the last word that gay men affected with AIDs heard from someone they thought had loved them. I wonder how many gay men have been murdered while hearing that word, and how many of them had to be strong while hearing their partner's parents call them that word.

We don't like to be called "queer" because it obfuscates our relationships. "Queer" is a meaningless, ambiguous descriptor. It is disproportionately used to render lesbian relationships invisible, especially. We are more likely to see "queer women" and "queer relationship" referred to in the media in association to lesbians than "lesbians", "lesbian relationship", or "sapphic". And one of the core cruxes of the oppression of lesbians is invisibility—most of our history is unrecorded, even in comparison to gay men's. There exists very little research on us. There are less images of us, and when there are they are usually supremely sexualized. We are also the smallest population of people of the LGBQ and even T alphabet.

There are bisexuals out there, too, who don't want to be called "queer", because "queer" now is also associated with the kink and poly community. Bisexual women especially struggle with being targeted for male pleasure, so this word only furthers to subjugate them to being associated as a sexual object or a person with no boundaries.

We also don't like to be called "queer", because the whole point of the gay struggle and gay rights is to normalize people not associating us with being strange or different. We want people to consider our sexual orientations, relationships, and the expression thereof as normal. Diversity should be celebrated because it brings resilience to human systems, and how this diversity is recognized and percieved really matters. The terminology we choose to use influences this.

I understand the intention is to normalize the term and "reclaim" the slur, because as the theory goes normalizing a word makes it so an oppressor using it has no power. Ultimately, this falls flat, because it's not just about the term itself but rather how and in what context it's used. All we do when we "normalize" slurs is retraumatize people who grew up in a culture or time when their safety and security was threatened hearing it. "Normalizing" slurs also just encourages members outside of the given population to percieve us as "other" and often in an unconscious, derogatory way. Slurs carry a lot of associations with them that influence beliefs in nearly invisible ways.

I understand that some of you might be gay, lesbian, or bisexual and like applying the term to yourselves, but there are a subset of us who would really appreciate your help in pushing back against it being used so generally and broadly, to describe the entire community. It can be as simple as when someone else says "queer people", asking them to clarify specifically which group(s) of people they mean. It can be as easy as going out of your way to say "LGB community", or "LGBT", or to name the exact groups you're talking about. I understand the word might be meaningful or maybe healing for you in particular to use, but it can be really damaging when broadly applied.

[jadebrightwind]

I think some of this has to do with the expectations around romantic relationships that are very different from platonic/familial ones/etc. This idea that someone is your soulmate, the one and only, the one for you, that they are the penultimate and single most important relationship in your life, and that you must devote yourself to that one, that they are your everything, creates a heavily charged cauldron of idealistic expectations about a person that we don't attribute to other relationships nearly as heavily in media and literature. Your mileage will vary on these culturally created expectations based on the culture in question, but it's definitely a common theme in Western cultures and several Abrahamic faiths. Brothers and sisters? We've always been able to have more than one of those. Parents? There are so many stories about absent/shitty parents in the lexicon, we are culturally used to not putting them on pedestals. Friendships? Having as many as possible is often encouraged, and if you only have one friend, it's looked down upon. Teachers and mentors? Since grade school, you've likely had a rotation of these without batting an eye. Sexual partners? They're close to romantic, but casual sexual partners, if it's established early and clearly, don't have nearly the same charged expectations. Violating those expectations can feel very destabilizing, and although your instinct may be to lash out defensively, it's helpful to take a step back, be kind to yourself, and realize that no one is threatening you. It's okay. The key here is to examine and dismantle those expectations. Are romantic relationships the end all, be all? Should one person really be your everything? The answer to both is probably not! Being someone's everything is a lot of pressure for one person, and other types of relationships should also hold great importance in your life! We are creatures of community, and a community is more than two people holding all their shit together. We rely on each other in a larger, greater web of friendships, familial ties, neighbors, and acquaintances. You don't have to want to be poly (heaven knows I just couldn't; I barely manage my own schedule, let alone coordinating with one partner), but you should at least have a good think about what healthy and realistic romantic expectations look like. Jealousy is a normal human emotion. It can motivate you to take steps that protect and strengthen the relationships in your life (not just romantic ones). What's important is how you react to your jealousy and if you take it out on others. If your currently monogamous partner is suggesting poly and you view that as a threat to your relationship, ask yourself why. Do you feel like they'll love you less? That they're using it as an excuse to see someone else instead of you? That you haven't been the end-all-be-all you thought you were supposed to be for them? It's okay to feel threatened and jealous. Emotions are neither bad, nor good, they just are. What's important is that you sit with it, find out why you feel this way, and then take action in a way that is healthy for yourself and those around you. Chances are, your partner is not trying to hurt you. Hopefully, they're trying to figure themselves out and love you enough that they want you along for the ride! And if you decide you are uncomfortable with being poly, that is okay! Poly isn't for everyone. Hell, romantic relationships aren't for everyone. Some people are better off without them altogether! Anyways, stepping off my soapbox now, as I'm no poly expert, but I just wanted to add that creating a kind and patient space for yourself to deconstruct your biases goes a LONG way towards being able to change in a positive direction! Much better than guilt tripping or shaming yourself. Trust me.

also monogamy is just weird to me i guess. its one thing if you simply don't have the emotional bandwidth to nurture multiple romantic or sexual connections (i barely do atp!) but like. imagine if we treated ANY other kind of relationship this way. you can only have one best friend. you can only have one sister. you can only have one mentor. and if you want to have more than one of any of these relationships it means you don't love the first person enough. like that's CRAZY! why is this sentiment applied so strongly to romance!

[catlovergirl676]

Here's proof that modern LGBTQAD+ representation STILL lacks straightfoward representation in most pieces of media outside of shows like Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, and The Owl House:

Most LGBTQAD+ characters represented on-screen are white or western or both. It's a shame honestly.

Canonically disabled/neurodivergent characters are already extremely rare to see in modern media, but canonically QUEER disabled/neurodivergent characters are almost unheard of.

While there are some female characters who are canonically queer, they are less present in media than their male counterparts for some reason.

In media, polyamory & polysexuality are still wrongly associated with cheating and infidelity, even though polyamorous and polysexual relationships are supposed to be about consensual activities between all the people involved. (I'd really appreciate it if someone could help me out with this. I know that a more complex explanation is needed here, but I can't provide one since I'm not poly nor have ever been in a poly relationship.)

Trans and nonbinary characters are rarely given any other role than a side character or background character. (And, as far as I know, Viktor from Umbrella Academy and Rain Whispers from the Owl House are two of the few notable exceptions.)

Over 80% of all the LGBTQAD+ representation I've seen in media is centered around the idea of amatonormativity (meaning that [romantic] love and sex is seen as the standard expectation for everyone in society even though some people might not be interested in either of these things). This contributes to the erasure and rejection of the experiences of ALL arospects, acespects, and aroace people. Which is an ongoing issue because acephobia/aphobia is still commonly "normalized" everywhere.

LGBTQAD+ characters should be allowed to play a central role in more pieces of media. Whether it's as a villain, a "good guy", an anti-hero, an anti-villain, a vigilante, or a neutral force, queer characters can be any of these if you want them to. Overall, "sidekick" and "civilian" shouldn't be the default roles of LGBTQAD+ characters because there is so much potential for better LGBTQAD+ representation in many settings.

In the end, none of us know how cartoons, animes, movies, and series online will handle LGBTQAD+ representation in the future. But, by supporting independent Indie animation projects like Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel we've already started somewhere. Despite all the flaws in the storyline of these 2 shows, we can't deny that they have given us better queer representation than we've ever had before the 2020's. Straightforward LGBTQA+ representation started with The Owl House, and Vivziepop's 2 shows helped to continue what TOW started. So, while there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of LGBTQAD+ representation in media, we mustn't forget how far we've come since the 2000s and the 2010s.

[interact-if]

hey! i was wondering if you had advice/resources for writing polyamorous routes. i want to include them but am unsure where to start.

Hi!!

I myself (Roast) am polyam and have been in non-monogamous relationships before, what I'd say is treat them like regular relationships to start with.

Yes there are caveats and other things to take account for, but really, they're just relationships, same as monogamous ones, and normalizing polyamory will be so much more impactful than treating it as something 'other'. That being said! There are nuances that are just natural when involving multiple people in any kind of social relationship.

This resource is pretty verbose and technical for me, but I do like the dos and don'ts list further down. [link]

This one is cutely anecdotal but goes over some things people can experience in a polyam relationship. [link]

I like it because the writer goes into some conflicts that happen in polyam relationships, like partners being unable to spend equal amounts of time together, which can cause feelings of jealousy, remorse, grief, or frustration on all parties.

I was in a poly relationship that was long distance, we were all sweet on each other so we would've been what you call a triad/throuple, where every partner in a group of three is involved with each other. However, my two partners were able to meet up and spend a lot more time together than I could. Seeing their social media posts, only hearing later about special events through those posts instead of from them was hurtful and ostracizing--I suspect they didn't tell me about things because they felt awkward or afraid of hurting my feelings, which already happened anyway because of the media posts.

And that's something you can totally write about because it's a thing that can and does happen in any kind of relationship, even monogamous ones. Your characters should not have a flawless relationship because they are not flawless people, conflict happens, what counts is how it is handled and resolved.

This resource is nice and short and goes into some other things the other two don't quite cover [link] It discusses a bit about sex so minors please don't interact!

Also something in my experience with poly people--they either love or hate labels XD

One person might have a rigorous labeling technique for their type of polyamorous relationship, another person might just shrug and say "I love who I love"--both are valid methods of being polyam. This resource goes into a lot of vocabulary including kitchen-table poly and polyamory with a monogamous partner involved. [link]

I like this resource (below) because it goes into logistics beyond just 'who sleeps with/who macks on who', including who is involved in big financial decisions, who gets called if the kids get in trouble, who is each partner's emergency contact etc. etc. [link]

Then this one is speaking in the vein of relationship advice for poly-people but is still useful for writers! Think about your characters that are in a polyamorous relationship, what do they struggle with on this list? What would cause them to look up a list like this? Are they feeling insecure in their relationship with their partners? Why? [link]

At the end of it, poly-relationships are complicated not because they're polyamorous, but because any kind of relationship, whether its friendly, romantic, or even just a work relationship, can change when you add more people to it.

Don't treat your poly characters or relationships as other. If you get stuck, there are a lot of good resources out there, what matters is doing your research, not portraying your polyam characters or relationships as flawless or perfect, and dealing with conflict in a way that doesn't glorify unhealthy relationships but instead normalizes communication between partners.

I hope this helps! <3

[polyamorouspunk]

Uhhhh didn't know where else to get advice.

but with that while rant about whatever post, i found out my partner is possibly cheating? On a social media site we are both on, she is friending other ''subs'', has a nude on their profile that only those friends can see and does not mention theyre in a relationship so uhh idk if she is talking to these women or if its my bpd but I wanted someone else's opinion... 😕😞

Tbh I was thinking about setting up a discord for other cluster b or similar mental illnesses poly discord because like I also don’t really have anyone who understands what it’s like to be cluster b and I’m realizing how frustrating that is.

It sounds to me like it might not be cheating, I feel like that’s a bit of a far leap for most people (not for us). Like objectively I don’t think that’s definitive proof but coming from a standpoint of someone who also has bpd I would 100% follow the same exact line of thinking as you. Like yes I get where you’re coming from and I agree it does in a bpd way but in a normal healthy way no I don’t think it does. Idk does that make sense? I would 100% bring it up to her because it’s obviously bothering you. I can’t really in good faith be like “you should calmly and rationally talk it out” when I know it’s something I would flip out about but like objectively I think you should calmly and rationally talk it out. Like no I don’t like it I hate it that’s a bunch of red flags to me but yeah I’m also bpd but I think other people would be like “it’s red flags for sure but there could be an innocent explanation”.

[shigarakis-fifth-hand]

The "Better Half" ; A Poly KiriBaku x Reader Fanfic

Enjoy the series | one two three four five

You walked into the room, flustered from Kirishima, and excited to check out your name that was all over social media. You even had your own Facebook Fan Club Group. Quickly, your mom gave you juice and sat you down, wanting to talk about everything. 

She sat by your side on the 2-person-couch, scrolling through fan art, fan group stuff, video footage, and such. I was already on famous birthdays, and had fan accounts on twitter.

You had gained thousands of people who had found and leaked your social media accounts, and had gotten hundreds of dms from classmates, teammates, and family friends. Everyone wanted a piece of the action.

“My baby!! With popularity like this, UA is bound to hear about you!! Gosh, my baby is going to go off and become the World’s Greatest Superhero!! The next All Might!” Inko excitedly fangirled over you, something rare in fact.

Over the years, with all your academic and physical accomplishments, the three of you had gotten so used to Inko ignoring you to give praise to Izuku, since he got none from others while you were practically worshipped for everything you did.

Yet now, as Izuku stared at you two from the kitchen, he saw how happy Inko truly was about you. How her eyes lit up, and her smile was bright. She was practically glowing. As a mother, this was how you were supposed to act.

But with Izuku, this never happened, no matter the act his mom put on. The highest grade he got was A-‘s, and never got all-A-honor-roll like you. 

He never had won a science fair like you, entered a states-level championship like you, gotten 1st place at a swim meet, or been voted Class President every year in middle school.

Izuku realized now how much his mother truly wanted to celebrate everyone of your milestones. How she wanted to be that mom with the perfect child, and shout it to the world. The only reason she didn’t was because of Izuku’s feelings.

Because Izuku didn’t do anything remotely close to you. Izuku was the reason his mother couldn’t be happy with her perfect daughter. It was because Izuku was so useless that neither of you had ever become close to one another.

When Inko was finally done, she sent you up the stairs to bed, saying to get rest for your big day of training tomorrow. “Hey mom, is-“ Izuku poked his head out to talk, only to get interrupted by Inko.

���One second sweetie. Yuno’s mom Michi is calling me. She’s one of the cool moms!” Inko smiled, quickly bringing the phone to her ear and racing out of the room. Izuku sighed sadly before turning and going upstairs to you. He walked into your room and leaned against the doorway.

“Soooo… What did you do while you were out?” Izuku asked, grinning as you continued to text on your phone. You brought it away from your face, fake-thought, and shook your head. 

“Just rode around for awhile. Why?” You asked, looking up at your brother. Izuku was taken back, surprised by your secrecy. Since birth, you two had told each other almost everything, but now… “Come on, I know something happened.”

Izuku began to walk over and sit on your bed when you looked up at him angrily. “Izuku, nothing happened! Stop being such a creep!” You harshly yelled, very annoyed by him prying. You did not want to talk to Izuku about boys, especially now.

Izuku stopped, shocked and hurt by your angry words. “I… okay then. Hey, I was thinking that maybe after school we could-“ He was interrupted by you looking up from your phone again, very agitated.

“I’m sorry, my schedule is packed tomorrow. I have training with my new coach and then I’m hanging out with a friend. Can it wait?” You asked as he felt his heart shatter, the wind being knocked out of him.

“Y-Yep.” Izuku whispered as he began to walk out. “Wait, Izuku!” You yelled, jumping up and running to him in the doorway. Izuku turned, happy to get your attention. Now would be when you would either apologize or want to reschedule plans for another time.

“Did you get my homework from Math and Science?” You asked, fidgeting with a pen while you stood there. “No, I’m sorry. I was just so shaken. up and I-“ You nudged Izuku angrily.

“Baka!! You were shook up? Gosh Izuku, I ruin my favorite relationship for you and you can’t even help me out?” You slammed the door in front of him and locked it. Izuku could hear you return to your bed, plop down, and eat another Pocky stick.

Snap! Crunch.

Izuku stood there, unable to believe what had just happened. Did you just… No. You were just having a mood swing again. It was no big deal… right?

Izuku stood there, listening to you talk to your friends on the phone. You giggled, laughed, and gossiped like normal. It was as if your twin brother hadn’t even gone to the hospital that day.

Izuku began to walk downstairs, only to hear his mother on the phone as well. Nobody cared, and nobody wanted to talk to him. Izuku began to waddle back to his bedroom and open his phone.

0 new messages. 0 new notifications. Just like usual, of course. Izuku began scrolling through the News, looking at all the articles about his sister, when a different article came up.

Teen suicide rate rises to all time high of 19%

Immediately, Izuku began sobbing as he brought a pillow to his face. Izuku had always had tendencies to not want to live, but had also always been scared of death. He had nothing to protect himself with after all.

He wanted to die, but the very thought of it scared him. About to fall asleep, Izuku heard a ping on his phone. How unusual… Izuku brought it to his face, happy to see it was a text from you. ‘Need 2 talk’.

Seconds later, you walked in silently and laid on the rug at his feet. “The first time… when I was attacked, ya know? I ran into the city and got lost. I was terrified. So, since I like high places, I climbed a rusty iron ladder up over 20 stories to the roof.” 

You explained, closing your eyes and reimagining the breathtaking view. 

“It was the red brick office building, the one with the faded Insurance logo on the front, and the rusty ladder on the right side. Gosh, you should have been there Izu. The wind was in my hair, and I was taller than the birds. I felt so connected to it…”

You trailed off, once again getting lost in your thoughts of the view.

 “An-An-Anyways, back to what I was saying!! After I got attacked, I ran all over. And then I met All Might! H-He talked to me about becoming a hero, and then tonight, he offered to train me!!” You smiled at Izuku as he gave you his best fake-grin.

“I’m going to start training with him everyday until the UA entrance exam, and then I’ll get in!!” You jumped up excitedly as Izuku finally let his smile break apart. “But… what about Mom and I?” He asked you as your grin softened.

“Well, I know I’ll miss you, but I need to learn about going on my own. We’re going to be adults very soon, and I need to separate now. Plus, it’ll only be four years, and I’ll be living at home. We won’t be strangers.” You explained, but he wasn’t convinced.

“So… you really want to go to UA?” He asked, staring you right in the eye, hoping you’d deny. Izuku hoped more than anything that you would say no, and that you wouldn’t leave him. You wouldn’t abandon him, all alone while you pursue your dreams.

“Yes Izuku, I really do. I really think it’ll be good for me. I know you don’t think it’s good but I do.” You began to protest as Izuku stood up. “It might be good for you but what about us? What about you and me?!” Izuku cried out as you turned to him.

“To hell with that! I have dreams Izuku! My dream is to go to UA and become a hero! I was always going to do that with my life!” You fought back, growing defensive. “That was my dream too!” Izuku yelled as you suddenly realized what this was about.

“It’s not my fault you’re quirkless Izu.” You murmured as Izuku began crying. “It’s not my fault either! I don’t want this Ichiko! You can’t leave! You’re all I have!” Izuku began sobbing as you became cold. “Then find something else Izuku. We’re not children anymore.”

You stormed out, slamming your bedroom door behind you. Izuku stood there, frozen with emotion. How had a simple talk gone so bad? He just needed you to know how he felt. You just wanted to talk to him about the future.

Most importantly, you twol had argued. You two never argued. It just wasn’t like you to fight, especially in such a screaming sensation like that. 

Izuku’s mind kept replaying the last sentence you had told him before storming out. ‘Then find something else Izuku.’ That had obviously been you telling him to stop being so attached to you.

You had said something about not being children anymore, and now that Izuku thought about it, it all made sense. The way you and Bakugo had become romantic, the way the childhood bullying had intensified, and the way you were slowly drifting away from him.

You were growing up, while Izuku was staying in his childhood. He was still pretending like he could become a hero with his stupid future notebook, and trying to exchange secrets like kids while you went on dates with boys and were training with All Might.

Deku just felt abandoned, sad, and lonely. The people he had put his love in had left him sad and heartbroken. He shut his door and covered himself in blankets, trying to fall asleep when he got visions.

“It was the red brick office building, the one with the faded Insurance logo on the front, and the rusty ladder on the right side.” Izuku got up, frazzled and horrified. Why… Why did he remember those words specifically?

Down the road from the town square, just look for it. Oh god, Izuku had to get out and get some air. He needed to get these horrible thoughts out of his head. He quickly got up, put on his sandals, and ran out. 

“I need to get some air Mom!” He yelled at her, but as he looked back to the living room, he saw her sitting at the table, talking away on the phone. Nobody will even notice… Nobody will ever care if I’m gone.

The night passed when you woke up to your alarm clock, like every other day. This day was different, in fact, today was exciting. Over 1000 notifications shown on your phone, you had your first training session with All Might, and tonight, you would get to see Kirishima. You were ecstatic to say the least.

You put on a new uniform that wasn’t coated in slime, brushed your curls, and did your light makeup of mascara, blush, and tinted chapstick. You quickly ran downstairs, bag in hand, to see your tired brother sitting on the couch. 

You grabbed him and yourself a protein bar and ran out, waving to your mom. On the walk there, Izuku seemed tired and sluggish, as if he hadn’t slept well. You choose not to ask, not wanting him to grow anymore agitated after your fight the night before. 

So you didn’t talk, simply walking the short 3 minute stroll to the gates of your junior high. As soon as you walked through the gates, you were bombarded with your friends, and other classmates crowding around you. In the mix of it, Izuku disappeared from your side.

The topics varied, from your best friends wanting to talk about Bakugou and your safety from the attack, to your admirers wanting to talk about how you defeated a villain, and then of course how it was to meet All Might. Behind a corner, you could see Bakugo glaring at you, watching.

You almost lost your voice throughout the day, talking up a storm with everyone who wanted to talk to you. You were a hero, popular in the media, and someone who radiated girl-power after yelling at Bakugou, the most feared student in the school.

Off in the corner of your eye, you saw Bakugo in the lunch line, ignoring his “friends” and staring off at you once again. Did he feel sorry? Did he miss you? Had he heard about everything? This had been the longest you had gone far without talking.

Lunch time was the first time you got some peace to yourself. You sat at the table with 10 of your good friends, finally able to talk about something good. Bakugo would have been there, but like usual, he was serving detention in the office. 

You began eating your bento when Izuku came around the corner from a hallway. “Hey Ichiko, I’m not feeling well. I think I'm going to go home for the day.” You gave him a confused look as he smiled, as if trying to hide something.

“I’m just so tired, and shook up.” You nodded, understanding as Izuku went to leave, but turned back to you. “Just know that whatever happens isn’t your fault. I love you Ichi.” He waved and left, not giving you time to speak. Weird...

Your friends quickly joined you, and you were finally able to go back to normal conversation about teachers, boys, and of course your friend’s drama with their boyfriends or girlfriends. Life was simple, but unfortunately, lunch ended as soon as it started.

You began walking in the hall with one of your friends, going to class, when she began talking about boys. “Kano and I tried but we just didn’t work out. And then Hikaru, the one I told you about with the longer hair, told me that he has a boyfriend which just makes no sense. Like, he’s gay??”

You laughed at your friend's story as you began walking to class. “What about you? Now that Bakugo is out of the picture, who do you have your eye on?” She asked as you giggled, instantly being reminded of Kiri.

“Well, there’s this-“ Before you could say his name, Bakugo slammed the door from the detention room in front of you. “I fucking knew it! Who is it?! Who the fuck has black hair and it still just soooo attractive?!” He screamed, earning everyone’s attention.

“You like him enough to kiss him on the cheek! Huh?! Who the fuck is it?! I swear I’ll rip them to pieces!” Bakugo screamed as you looked at him, unable to comprehend how he knew about Kiri.

“How do you- You’re such a stalker! Were you following me last night?” You asked as Bakugo’s eyes widened. “Tell me who it is!” He screamed as you shook your head. “No! Stay away from me you creep!” You felt your friend put her arm around you and walk you away from him.

Bakugo sighed angrily, watching you walk away without him. With all the eyes in the hallway on him, he stormed off to his next class. You couldn’t help but feel confused. Was he jealous? Was he hurt? Why did you care so much? You missed him…

You walked through the rest of your classes, all eyes on you after being called out for having a mysterious guy friend. It felt strange and weird, yet at the same time you couldn’t wait to see Kiri tonight.

When you walked into your final class, a sense of emotion walked over you. The last day of junior high before high school… it felt so surreal and fake at the same time. You were excited for the future, but scared.

You gave flowers to your favorite teachers, hugged all your friends and classmates, and took many photos. You were just so excited and sad, it was very bittersweet to leave a place you had gone every day for 3 years.

The worst part was the memories. Here, you have become your own person. You had found your own style, your own clique of friends, and your identity. Here, you had realized that you would become a hero.

Yet again, everyday here had been spent with Katsuki by your side. Six school dances, three school festivals, 4 class field trips, and many times when you would hang out behind the school together.

Finally, the day was over, and you were able to walk out into your first second of Summer. Of course, all the thoughts of relaxation were interrupted by a friendly blonde man by the entrance. 

You were walking out with your friends when one of them looked at something behind you. “Ichi… Do you know that man?” He asked as you turned to see All Might in his weak form, smiling and waving ecstatically. 

You smiled, relieved, and nodded. “Yep, that’s my… uncle. Anyways, I’ll call you guys later. We have training to do.” You explained as a girl to your left smiled. “Ahh yes, you are a hero in the making according to Channel 5 News after all.”

You waved to your group before running over to All Might who leaned against the school gate. “Young Ichiko, you’re looking well after last night.” He grinned warmly as you nodded. “Yea, I’ve had a pretty… eventful day.” You smiled back as you began walking.

He explained to you how he would train you to the max in hopes of making you as powerful as possible for the entrance exam, and would even train you past that until you succeeded him. He also told you about how he was going to be a UA teacher, and would keep a close eye on you always.

You two walked to the quiet beach, and began. He made you move rocks with him standing on it, threw things at you with speed and made you stop them, and of course made you go underwater and control the oxygen to keep you from getting wet.

It was hard, eventful, and left you dramatically breathing, almost gasping for air. And yet, after, you weren’t done. He made you throw rocks into the air and sent them as far as possible. He made you manipulate the ground, and use it to make you faster. 

You also began running miles on the road, All Might flying above you to shout empty commands and uplifting remarks. It was all hard, and you were so tired, but you would do anything to become a hero like him.

Finally, when it was over three hours after school, you fell to your knees, feeling your heartbeat in your eyes and like you were about to throw up. “Well, I guess we can stop here. That was a very good first day, I'm excited to see how you improve tomorrow.”

He grinned, sitting on a rock nearby. All Might stood and helped you back to your feet. “You look just pitiful. Come now, let me buy you some food.” All Might held onto your arm to keep you up as you both began to walk to a nearby café in town.

He bought you a sandwich and a smoothie, tipping the cashier a 20$ bill. Being the 1# hero in the world had its perks financially of course, and All Might was rolling in the dough.

You two walked to a park bench, and sat down happily. You had a lot of fun with All Might, and he enjoyed his time with you. He likes hearing about your life, and your crazy stories. He liked it when you talked about your friends, and your brother.

You were just talking about the one time your friend and you jumped off waterfalls in Hawaii and then had to run from a water snake when you got a text message from Izuku. Your face froze, and your heart rate accelerated.

“Young Ichiko, are you alright?” All Might asked, noticing your happy demeanor turn dark. You stared at your phone as you began shaking. “Oh god, Ichiko?! Are you hurt?” All Might asked as he turned to look at your phone screen. “Oh dear.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Tell mom I love her.”

“Goodbye.”

Instantly, you quickly went to your tracking app that you had with Izuku and your mom, and looked at Izuku’s location. “He’s… just down the street from the town square. In the Kyoko Insurance Firm?” All Might asked, confused and worried like you. “No… he’s on the building I told him about.”

You jumped up and turned to All Might. “Can you fly?” You asked him as she shook his head. “I used up all my time for the day.” He explained as you began running into town. 

“I just have to run.” You sighed and began running into town, ignoring the burning in your legs and keeping your eyes on your phone. Through the town square, deep into two alleyways, and then down the street. You could already see a small group forming at the base of the building, looking up.

You threw yourself onto the ladder and climbed as fast as possible to the top. It only took a minute before you were staring at your brother who stood on the edge. “You shouldn’t have come here Ichi. I already said goodbye.”

You began to step forward as he turned around to face you. “Izuku, don’t do this. I promise you, you don’t want to kill yourself.” You pleaded as he stared bullets. “My life is useless Ichiko. I’m not athletic. I’m not smart. I’m not powerful.”

You began crying, shaking your head as you heard All Might come up behind you. “Izuku, if you jump off this building I’ll jump too.” You threatened as he shook his head and laughed. “No you won’t. You’re not stupid. Your life is meaningful. You have a bright future Ichiko.” 

The tears kept coming as you shook your head, pleading with him. “Izuku, how can I live the life we dreamed of without you?” You asked as he smiled warmly. “Live life to the fullest, and have no regrets. Live it for the both of us.” Before you could speak, Izuku leaned back off the building.

Like time was slowing down, you ran as fast as you could towards the edge of the building and reached for his hand. The look in his face showed peace as he closed his eyes. You let your arm reach for his, but we’re unable to reach.

As All Might watched this, he felt a rush in his blood as he grew to his hero-form and ran to you. Flying off the building, he was able to use his last ounce of energy to reach his hand around your waist and keep both him and you in the air.

Unfortunately for them both, it gave you a front row seat as you watched her twin brother fall to his death. You cupped your hands around your mouth, your eyes glued to his limp body that laid on the sidewalk.

Screams of horror and worry could be heard below as everyone ran to Izuku. Slowly, All Might lowered you to the sidewalk in the middle of the group. Instantly, you all were recognized. You dropped to your knees, unable to speak or move.

You lightly poked his arm, begging for a response. “I-Izu?” You gasped as blood began to fill uniform shirt. “No! Someone call an ambulance! Somebody, please!” You screamed as loud as you could, fighting against All Might who began to hold you back.

“Young Ichiko, there’s no use.” He whispered as you shook your head, trying your best to fight your way out of his grip. “No! No! He’s not dead! I need to help him, let me go!”

All Might finally twisted you around to face him and spoke to you. “He’s dead Ichiko! He’s dead, and I’m so sorry.” You began crying as you hugged him tightly. “Come now, let’s get you home. You shouldn’t have to see this.” 

All Might began flying you home in his hero form, finally reaching your driveway. You could see that by then, your mother had run out, even leaving the door open on her way to the car.

With the sun setting in the background, All Might sat you on the front porch with him, and let you two sit in silence. Just as All Might was about to say something, dozens of cars pulled up to the street in front, allowing camera men and reporters to spill out.

Obviously, you should have known that the 1# hero and a media sensation in the same place would bring attention. 

“Miss Midoryia, is it true that you witnessed your brother’s suicide?” One asked, not passing the curb to the house but filming you two. “All Might, how do you feel about not being able to save her brother?” Another man asked, trying to get his microphone as close to them as possible.

“I’ll get them out, do not-“ All Might was interrupted by someone rushing through the crowd. “Ichiko?! Ichiko?! Oh my god!” Kirishima pushed through the crowd and ran to you in a hurry. “Are you okay? Why are all these people here? Oh… All Might?”

When he and All Might made eye contact, All Might smiled warmly at you. “I can tell you’re in good hands. I’m going to get these reporters away from here. See you later Young Ichiko.” 

He patted your head and smiled sadly before flying off. Sure enough, more than half the cars followed along. “Shh…Shh.” Kirishima wipes the tears from under your eyes lovingly.

He brought a blanket from your living room and held your hand. “I’m supposing you saw.” You whispered weakly, your voice shaking harshly as Kirishima nodded slowly. “Y-Yea. Oh Ichiko, I’m so sorry.” He wrapped his arms around you as you cuddled on the outdoor porch swing.

“You want to go inside?” Kirishima asked as you shook your head. “I can’t. It reminds me of him too much.” You explained as he sadly held you in his arms. You watched the sun set over the hills, and cuddled deeper into Kirishima.

It was until it grew dark, and you got a call from Mitsuki. Kirishima picked it up and held it to your ear. “Hey Baby. Your mom and I are going to be out for a while, but your mom ordered something pizza for the house for you to eat while we’re gone.”

Mitsuki explained as you nodded. “Okay. W-Wait, can you ask Mom if I can have a friend spend the night?” You asked as Kirishima’s eyes lit up. “She’s not here right now, but I’ll give you permission. It’s not safe for you to be alone right now sweetie.”

And with that, Mitsuki hung up. “D-Do you want to go inside?” Kirishima asked nervously with a blush, noticing you shivering. You nodded, and without even trying, Kirishima picked you up bridal style and brought you inside. 

He sat you on the bar stool, and got you a glass of water from the kitchen. You smiled in a comfortable silence as small tears kept streaming down your face. “D-Do you want a tour?” You tried to smile as Kirishima leaned against the counter. “Of course.”

You got up and grabbed onto his arm as you walked around. “This is the kitchen, and living room. That small room over there is the plant room where all the sunlight is.” You showed him the smaller room with a music speaker and lots of windows.

Upstairs, you began to walk down the hallway. “Here’s my mom’s room, here’s the bathroom, here’s…” You turned to look into the All Might filled, grey room with a welcome sign on the front of the door.

Just thinking of it, you remembered just that morning when you had gone to talk to him. You had told him about your plans for UA, and he had gotten upset. He had been fearful about you two leaving each other. Did that have anything to do with him killing himself?

Seeing you were about to cry, Kirishima put his arm around your waist and pulled you close. You snapped out of it and began walking again. “This is the bathroom. You can shower whenever.” You both blushed as you got to your bedroom.

“Here’s my room.” You began to walk in, causing him to follow you. Your room was a large light painted room with a queen bed next to your huge window with a desk, a full-body mirror, and led lights. You had a big closet, and you had a lot of plants all around.

“Super cute.” Kirishima looked around your room before peering out the window. “There’s… a big tree right there.” He commented as you turned and smiled at him. “Good t know.” He played it off like it was nothing but you knew what he was talking about.

You sat on the bed together, resting your head on his shoulder. “It hurts…” You whispered, feeling the tears building up again. Everything you looked at seemed to remind you of him again and again.

“I know. And it will for a while, but it’s going to be okay. Things have a way of having a good ending, even if it’s bittersweet.” Kirishima tried his best to make you feel better, and in some way, it worked.

You grabbed a blanket and threw it over you two before laying back onto the bed. Kirishima slowly followed, embarrassed yet wanting to lay down with you. You cuddled against him with his back to the window, facing him and cuddling against him. 

You two decided to turn on the tv in your room and give the airless tension with background noise. He wiped your tears, told you funny stories, and made you feel better. He was good at comforting you when you felt at your worst moment.

From the street, Katsuki stared up at the window as he sat on the street curb. He had tried to come by early when the driveway had been filled with reporters, but yet again, the black-haired douche was right there with you.

Now, he had tried to come check on you, cake in hand, when he saw you cuddling with Mr.-I-have-long-black-shiny-hair. Not only that, but in bed. At night. WITHOUT INKO THERE. Katsuki refused to be replaced for his girl by some extra.

Comment if you liked it!!

@drbumpkin @bleachbetch @toobsessedsstuff @turtle-deku @1madxson1 @badb1hh @lilacskyura @thesuitelifeofafangirl

[isuzuapologist]

Rank the Fruits Basket ships?

thanks for the ask! i don’t know if you meant canon ships or the ones i wanted so here’s a mix! (ranking things is so hard i did the best i could lol)

kyoru - this is obviously my first pick. they are soulmates, they love eachother so unconditionally and are so ready to PROTECT. their parallels are crazy and the way they fall in love so slowly is my favorite thing. there are so many elements that make them extraordinary and such an incredible love story, but if we take the “fantasy” elements out of it they’re also just two teenagers! that’s one of my favorite things about them-- the way they flirt and are so playful with eachother, how awkward and messy they are sometimes expressing affection but how earnest they are to do so!

tohrin - listen. i’m obsessed. i think about them all the time. i think about writing them all the time. there are so many parallels between them and also between their partners in canon. i like to say they’re two sides of the same coin because i believe their inner worlds are much, much similar than their exterior lead to think. i love the way they’re a TEAM and so brave and so smart and so ready to protect people??? the size of their hearts????? unmatched. so ready to give love even if isuzu shies away from it (much like tohru being unable to ask for help). i strongly believe they are best friends in canon and the way isuzu is so protective of tohru and even suggests she should leave kyo so she can still live close to her?????????? phew. girlfriends of the year. soft and goth. tsundere and deredere. light and dark. need i go on? they’re the perfect match.

yuchi - I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. GOD. i think my favorite thing about them is how relatable and “conventional” they are in a way? what we see from them in the series is a completely normal high school relationship, because yuki doesn’t seem to reveal the curse to her before it’s broken (if we are to assume). they’re really really similar: it’s so obvious to me that yuki helps her sort out her feelings and put everything in place because he’s already started that journey. but also machi helps him go through with it and start seeing himself as someone able to care, someone people can lean on, someone who can love, etc. they help eachother see how valuable they are, to themselves and other people.

hana x uo x tohru - ENDGAME POLY!!!!!!!!! listen if you didn’t get major sapphic throuple vibes in the entirety of hana’s backstory.... i don’t know what to tell you. i’d watch a whole series of them just going through high school together and discovering the dynamics of their relationship. i wouldn’t even mind if the sohmas weren’t around. give me best friends give me sapphics give me polyamori. god the possibilites... the potential. and they’re also a little bit in love already.

yukeru - LOVE THEM!!!!! they’re a great great great duo. they both bring growth to the other and are a fundamental step in their personal journeys. also i adore the way they rub off on eachother and how kakeru is able to bring out the inner asshole in yuki. they have amazing scenes. in my head they’ve definitely (AT LEAST) banged in canon. idc.

ritsu x mitsuru - a lesbian couple and a trans woman??????? i CANNOT express how much i love them and how starved i am for more content. the new scenes included in the anime gave me life. they’re just two shy, fumbling women who downright admire eachother. i think they’re so so so cute.

hatsuzu - i really like them But. i do think there are some unhealthy traits about their relationship (even if by the end of the series isuzu states that she wants to better herself and their relationship-- which is super interesting and something i’d like to see more in media!) i think they have a lot of potential and i would have loved to see them working through their “issues”. (she depends too heavily on him and i really wasn’t a fan of their first kiss ((the whole “you don’t want me?” thing when haru knows just how scared and self conscious isuzu is... eh :/ )) anyway goth bisexual power couple step on me with your punk boots!

mayutori - i don’t have any problems with them even if i think it would have been interesting for them to develop some other kind of relationship that wasn’t romantic. also weird to me the way hana connects to both of them so idk. but i do think they are compatible and make a really cool duo.

ayame x mine - i mean i like the fact that we know ayame gets pegged.

there’s also hiro x kisa but they’re children so i don’t really "ship” them. & then akigure and uo x kureno.... hm. even if i do like and enjoy some aspects of both relationships i simply can’t ignore their age gaps,, and other things. (i won’t even consider kyoko and katsuya because that’s disgusting)

[currantlee]

Why Erasure of Representation is so problematic - on the example of Bi-Erasure (feat. BTVS)

Seriously, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favorite TV series ever. However, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect to me.

I think one of the first things I would change about the series is Willow’s status as a lesbian - and not in the sense that I’d make her straight, but in the sense that I’d officially confirm her to be bisexual instead of lesbian.

Before Tara (who is my favorite character in the show by the way) came along, Willow was in a relationship with Oz, which she was clearly enjoying on both the romantic side of things and the sexual side as well. That... Just doesn’t seem lesbian to me, sorry. Someone who can be attracted to two genders is bisexual (someone who is attracted to more than two is polysexual and someone who is attracted to any gender is pansexual) and sure, they can have preferences, but it doesn’t erase the fact that they can be attracted to another gender as well.

Please note that I don’t want to bash the series with this. As I said, it’s one of my favorite series of all time and it actually does a lot of things right when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in my opinion (such as writing characters that are defined on other things than their sexuality). This is just the one thing I have issues with.

So, if you want to watch me ranting about bi-erasure, and by extension poly- and pan-erasure, you can do that in the Keep Reading section.

As someone who is actually bi / pan (I’m still figuring out), I gotta say: bi-erasure in fandom and media is an issue, as is poly-erasure and pan-erasure. I’ve talked about this previously in a posting about the bi-erasure when it comes to Edelgard von Hresvelg from FE3H (who is confirmed by canon to be bisexual, but still treated as a lesbian by a large part of the fanbase). I have already touched on Willow in said posting as well.

And before I talk any further, let me first clarify what bi-/poly-/pan-erasure is: it is basically the process of erasing the bi-/poly-/pan-part of a character’s sexuality by declaring them straight or, which seems to be more common, gay / lesbian - or even more simple: declaring that a character who is attracted to two or more genders is only attracted to one gender (and treating this as canon).

However, after rewatching BTVS and researching some production details, I not only noted how similar Edelgard is to Glory (come on, both are overconfident badasses wearing red dresses), but also that the bi-part of Willow’s sexuality was pretty much erased. Not only within the series itself (which would have been fine if Willow had actually been confused about her sexuality and that’s why she declared herself to be a lesbian - however, this is not what happened), but by the writers as well, who even said that they wanted to “keep Willow gay” at one point.

Listen: I have nothing against lesbian characters at all. As I said before, Tara Maclay (who is a lesbian) is actually my favorite character in the series. But if a character is bisexual, then refer to them as bi, and don’t erase the bi-part by claiming they’re straight, gay or lesbian. The same goes for polysexual characters and pansexual characters.

And I get that gays and lesbians want to be represented properly in (popular) media. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with it. However, just as much as gays and lesbians do, bisexual individuals, poly sexual individuals and pan sexual individuals also strive for proper representation.

This is why the erasure of any minority representation is such a big problem: because it takes the representation that’s already there away from us again. It’s the same problem as with whitewashing or declaring any LGBTQ+ character to be cis and / or hetero. The only difference with turning an obviously bisexual character into a lesbian character is that you turn a character representing a minority into a character representing another minority. Which might not be as problematic as the two former examples, but it is still a problem in my opinion. Or at least it is as long as people of the minority claiming a character are so overprotective of their own representation that they start huge shitstorms as soon as a member of another minority takes one of their representative characters and turns them into a representation of their own minority. If it was all same rights for everyone, then it wouldn’t be problematic in the slightest, at least in my opinion.

And no - the argument that “only gays and lesbians face discrimination over their sexuality” is not a valid argument in my opinion. It’s a common misconception that bisexual people, polysexual people and pansexual peop,e don’t have to fight with the same issues as gays and lesbians. Which is only partly true because we also face discrimination and rude comments. Here are some I got after coming out as bisexual:

“So you’re just flirting with everyone that comes your way? Wow, you’re a whore!”

“Can’t you just decide on being straight or being lesbian?”

“You just want to get your piece of cake from gay rights without actually being gay.”

“So you’re on the right way! Bet I can help you with this turning straight thing.”

Bonus: that one comment I got from someone I trusted when I talked to them because I thought that I might actually be poly- or pansexual:

“Wait. You’re not a pedophile, are you?”

... Remember, guys. “Minor” is not a gender.

Gays and lesbians undoubtedly face a huge amount of discrimination based on their sexuality as well, arguing about that is not the point I want to make. The point is that bisexual individuals, polysexual individuals and pansexual individuals also face discrimination based on their sexuality, not only by people who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community, but from people within the same community as well: the second quote and the third quote were both said to me by people who are homosexual. In a place that was not reserved for homosexual people only.

Another point why this erasure is so problematic is the fact that it makes it more difficult to inform people about bi-/poly-/pansexuality and what is actually means. People are more likely to be comfortable with people of those sexualities if they see them depicted as normal people and / or awesome characters in the media - because it takes the feeling of unfamiliarity away. Our primal instincts tell us that anything that’s unfamiliar could be dangerous - which is partly how any discrimination develops. I’m going to finish this argument up with a quote:

“Anything we know about the world, we know through the media.” - Niklas Luhmann, German sociologist

And yes, the internet and therefore fancommunities can be considered media in a sense. So if the media tells us “hey, bisexuality doesn’t exist because we can easily make those characters straight / lesbian / gay”, then people are more likely to assume that no, bisexuality doesn’t exist for real. However, if the media told us “hey, there are people who are attracted to more than one gender! They’re totally normal”, then bisexual people, polysexual people and pansexual people would likely face less discrimination. The same of course goes for gays and lesbians, as well as really any minority.

And this is essentially why erasure of minority representation from (popular) media in general (not just bi-/poly-/pan-erasure) is problematic: because if the media doesn’t show it, people don’t know anything about it. It’s unfamiliar to them, which means that it could be potentially dangerous. This then leads to discrimination.

So yes, we need more good representation of any minority in my opinion. Not just representation of bisexuality, polysexuality and pansexuality, but good representation of gays and lesbians, representation of members of different ethnicities and cultures, and of course representation of people with disabilities and lower income as well.

That being said, the original BTVS was made almost two decades ago. Back then, it were different times, and the existence bisexuality wasn’t as widely known of as it is today. Willow Rosenberg is still an amazing character. However, should the rumors be true and there is going to be a remake - I’m not going to be mad if they decide that Willow should be a lesbian and have partners that are exclusively female. Even though I’d rather see Willow coming out as bisexual with a preference for women in a remake, not gonna lie.

[magiccallie]

So I wrote down my thoughts as i watched through most of Season 2 of Scooby Doo Mystery Inc, and would like to share them, major spoilers below cut

Notes of Season 2 of Scooby Mystery Inc Shout out to this jock bully(?) who upon encountering a monster threatening a girl, did no hesitate to take on said monster, recuse said girl, and protect her as they escape Fred really needs to talk to someone about his new parents, who are now living in his house with him???? The house of the man who took him from them?????? Bronson might not be exactly straight looking at how he acted around the old mayor vs the new one, but *shrugs* Jock Strikes again, is this gunna be the twist? That''s a really douchy twist to pull a stunt like this Love how-I mean this is just the plan. He wanted girls too so he set up the same scenario. Is this extra set up by the parents to get him to trust them that is some next level douchery/ Scratch that on Bronson, omg Oh shit starting with a furry attack this is going to be a weird episode the gang's meta knowledge coupled with their sure willingness to go along with tropes and shit makes for great dialogue oh *oh* this is the episode where we get a peak to see just how big the picture is, love the lore building. knew this episode was gunna be good is that a demon? the furry isnt the mosnter??? ummm...weve been getting hints, are things getting real? so we've established motive for why someone whould want this plavce closed, but actually tangent but dont a lot of these monsters that they encounter seem like, weirdly powerful and mobile for costumes oh there's the furry that red aura is a...the things that happen around it are something deeper it seems. fascinating. is the red just representative of fire hallucinations? those seemed a bit real in effect for hallucinations... this guy, like my manager, needs to hire a little more staff occult magic book falls from the library to gang, and no one is as concerned as they should be nazi robot nazi robot get BJ on the phone Cassidy is the kinda retired PC that the players can strive to be Shit is getting real quick isnt it. Wait is that a seal. does Cassidy die? I know about a certain other death that makes me sad, but i dont want Cassidy to die too this episode is a rollercoaster of odd events weird hologram disguise for Paraclese is nifty Seeing the tragic fate of past groups is...well obviously sad oh dear, she does die huh its super low key, but it plays at the terrifying corrupting ordeal of the eldritchstuff really well with the lore notes bear troubles oh that badge...is that where they buried him? that's...kinda grim they have stealth suits and killer nazi robots? why have the evil guys not won yet? there is a bomb and they are not evacuating. There is a BOMB and they are not evacuating oh the bear can talk, how dare i assume that a bear is incapable of speech the bear is a twunk, scratch that, still a bear, is...he doing a christiphor walkin impersonation? aaand that’s enough for tonight, starting fresh later We're back, 13 more episodes oh so were getting into why i don’t like astrology Enigma machine omg. sorry, im a sucker for bits like that i wanna have long white hair too, i could rock that look How does Paraclese still have an accent after all these years? It is like destiny's Rasputin and just a stubborn superiority complex? something about visiting villains you can talk to in a prison is-ohp thats just all of um huh, cameo episode- err, anyways, it just paints a delightful scene about the relationship of the protags and antags and villainy as a whole in the world well this is horrific, throw some brownish red stuff around and it would be a silent hill scene update: still gay Thirteen more episodes and they have the disk...that does not bode well for what is going to happen the writer's willingness to reference other hannah barbara characters/shows is great oooo anticaptilism, BF is scoring points excuse me???? cyborg dragon girl???? he cant even call her by her name through most of the episode wtf??????? see now im at the point i gotta ask, is this a real ghost thing, or a fake ghost thing? ah i understand now youd think he would be more willing to explain to th-there we go so the animal companians are more suceptible, but they all have the risk Paraclese talking about these cattle is every gm talking about their homebrew monsters omg writers wth was that conclusion for the cattle im dying sk-ska zombies. ska. zombies. i can pick it up oh like the dancing plauge but worse, nifty these ghosts are rude boys, like, thats actually one of their names. And just caught that it the band name is skatastic oh they mentioned the dancing plauge, thank you wtf 101 the 'lighthearted' tone of this episode speaks dark tidings about the horrors to come aaah, hex girls, omg oh damn, update again: still hella gay bards duels be like, but for real loving this more and more young me is crazy about having the hex girls interact with a magicy thing like the disks, the rest of me is concerned at the events that are taking place scooby agrees, and his dog girl friend...well that was something Ricky displaying increasing regrets is not going to do good things for his lifeespectancy ohp then he drags in the other two well, i didnt see that coming for the criminal identity this little girl just had her mom ditch her for a stranger that robbed them, the heck i should probably eat dinner at some point, or like, anything at somepoint... calling it now, this guy is a circus performer/stunt driver, and if he is the random hired british poolboy it is a fake accent he's lureing women away with emotional intemacy. thats funny in itself, btu that they accept so readily still isnt normal oh and apparently kinks, lured with kinks so hes going to be the librarian dude then?? maybe? k, so at least i got that o.o O.O, well, that was quite the lead up and explanation food on plate, depresso in heart, ready to continue so they have to know right? like, this is a planned trap since Fred is 'the only one who knows where it is' doesnt explain Fred though, or how the fake acts "jeepies you found my scarf" oh there it is, they are after the info from him and its all fake, not some hell vision to show why he has to suceed Fred knew first? good on him plastic surgery, holy crap, next level villainy here holy shit they're all in puragoty thanks to the corrpution?????? Going back to early about the horrifying nature of all this. it is just so immensly sad watching them go through these bits. Cool, but sad. Velma demonstrating why thinking and understanding are not always good in eldritch horror games so he's got a guilt complex? heart felt talk with Mayor Dad awwww, poor Velma doesnt think she's pretty guessing...well id say the wife of Enrique but that seems too easy some how, stiill shes the only offered suspect beside Enrique himself thus far *deep sigh* i will never guess any culprit i bother to write down correctly would be a real move of the writers to Uzumaki the town two day deadline given, props to velma for having the foresight to model the disks in a digital format incase theyre lost mad max mystery machine sounds like a doom metal synth wave fusion song things are going too well... How many giant evil doors will this lair have? alchemy. of course. should have guessed. is...is this the episode where Marcie...oh no oh at least shes trying good on her, she's going down in style and flame... oh. ya know, even knowing it was coming and talking it up a sentence before, not a happy event this is a nifty dungeon last episode, hell of an opening/recap wh-what fghaseguk this went batshit didnt it. i wish i had the willingness to write at unhinged as these writers one more media that i am surpised didnt end in a poly relationship this climax is eerily familiar to the live action movies at times and then they all died and went to heaven aww Rickee and Cassidy *and* Velma and Marcie, aww, my heart will heart to think about that one for long, but awwwww Miskatonik University, or however the heck it is said. i thought it was going to be a one off joke but wasn't expecting that.

[daughterofelros]

Just no words. We’ve already seen the jealousy from Alex. Hell we’ve seen with Michael to Kyle. Jealousy is a normal human emotion you can’t tell you’re not understanding that. All I read was Michael gets to have his cake and eat it too. A full bisexual stereotype unable to pick between man and woman.

Hi Anon,

I’ll admit, your message strikes me as...decidedly cruel, and deliberately invalidating. 

But! It sounds like this could be a learning opportunity too, so having acknowledged my pain and frustration, let me check that shit and have some real, genuine talk.Yes. Jealousy is a human emotion-- it’s one we’re socialized to experience, and that’s presented as a normative response though media and modeling in society. Most of the ways we’re socialized to react to jealousy though? They’re super fucking toxic. And jealousy is usually presented in a very prescriptive way-- you should feel jealousy because this situation requires it.In reality, jealousy is an emotion that’s a reaction to a circumstance-- I am feeling jealous, and it’s in relation to the other emotions I have around circumstance XYZSee, jealousy is usually an indicator of an unmet need-- it’s a warning light, a flag on the field. It’s not an end unto itself. What it is, is an indication that you need to take a closer look and figure out why you’re feeling that way. For me, I’m likely to feel a spark of jealousy when I feel left out of something. If there’s hypocrisy involved, that tends to raise some anger and frustration too.That knowledge is really important-- because the being told that I should feel jealous about the mere fact that my partner has another partner, or that my friend thinks my husband has a cute butt? That doesn’t work for me. In fact, that prescriptive formula is... pretty toxic to me.

Now, if my partner cancels a date because their girlfriend’s car breaks down and they go to pick her up so she isn’t stranded, do I feel jealously? Probably not. If they cancel because they double-booked? I might be jealous, because I feel like I’m not a priority on the same level. But even then, I might not feel jealousy if we reschedule right away, or if I feel like I want them to have the experience of going to that one-time live event together, and we can watch that movie we planned on a different day.I actually experience compersion-- the feeling of being happy for someone’s happiness with another person. So I like hearing about happy dates that my partners have had with other people, and if I’m in the middle of a date with my partner, and they get a call about that breakdown? You can bet that I’m 100% there for supporting my metamour (my partner’s partner), and we’re going to drive right on over there together and I might leverage my AAA membership to call her a tow truck. We’re probably going to grab coffee on the way to drop her off back at her house. So let’s talk about Alex, Michael, and Maria-- remembering that fandom is about exploring a wealth of perspectives, and holding many interpretations as valid.

They way that they handle their shit? It’s going to come down to how they communicate, and how they feel about that communication. They might have a lot of jealousy, and anger, and not be able to work it out. They might not be able to forgive each other. That’s what our culture assumes to be the case, and because of that, it’s a likely possibility. lacking communication, this could definitely feel like a betrayal.But that’s far from everyone’s reality. Because if they actually communicate-- as friends should do, and so should lovers-- then they might find that it’s too awkward, and decide that there’s no comfort level there

. But Alex might also own that he’s still hopeful about something working out with Michael, and Maria decides that she wants to support that. Or maybe Alex says he’s willing to support Maria and Michael going somewhere with this, because he wants them both to be happy. Maybe see it makes him jealous and happy at the same time. Maybe it’s just jealousy and tolerating it as he keeps his word.

Maybe Alex isn’t okay with any of it. Maybe as long as he’s not kept in the dark, he’s surprised by how much it doesn’t bother him. Maybe he’d rather Michael date Maria than anyone else, because he doesn’t know that he could let go of Michael for anyone other than a another person he really wants to see happy. Maybe he feels like it’s a deep betrayal from a friend. 

Maybe they each get to date Michael if he wants that-- and that’s fucking a-ok, because ethical non-monogamy is a thing, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with loving more than one person in your life, as long as everyone involved is in the know. 

Apart from the alien element of this, I’ve seen each of these dynamics play out in real life. About the only scenario that doesn’t usually happen in my community? That would be the one where friends stop talking and don’t forgive each other for having feelings for another person. Because vetoing someone else’s relationship, dictating what feelings a person can have, and punishing someone you aren’t in a relationship with for wanting to be with another person are all objectively toxic, harmful behaviors-- right up there with lying and betrayal.To be clear, I’m not out here advocating that they all jump into a poly relationship. That’s an interesting idea if folks want to explore it in fanfiction, but that’s not what I’m saying should be a goal.What I am saying is that friends never talking again because they fall for the same person? That Jealousy so intense it ends friendships, with no alternative routes of communication available? That’s toxic, and harmful, and not something we should require from anyone, including fictional characters. It’s one way that a narrative might go, but everyone going around and laying out hate for the idea that characters might have any number of different and valid reactions, and saying that there’s only one reasonable path forward... It’s reductive, and inaccurate, and kind of misses the point of fandom and fanworks.

[rahullkohli]

about the weight watchers app for kids...i’m thinking it may be for overweight/obese kids? i can see it being mentally taxing for those who are at a normal weight for their size. can you explain more about how it’s child abuse?

hello. thank you so much for actually being chill and open for a dialogue, unlike how aggressive people have been about the post.

anyway, i have been thinking about how to tackle this one the entire day, and i am afraid it’s gonna be a long one, so i’ll put it under a cut. i’m just gonna start out with a little background about myself, to explain how i am forming my opinions on the subject, and where my knowledge comes from.

i have been overweight more or less my entire life, even though i have gone through anorexia and bulimia, and have been eating below my necessary calorie intake literally my entire life (i grew up very poor, so we just simply didn’t have enough, or satisfyingly nourishing, food in the house). to this day i struggle with disordered eating patterns and body dysmorphia. i have been lifting weights on/off for 12 years, and i have been seeing a licensed nutritionist for a year and a half now, which has helped me lose 22 kg. i am still working on it. i have worked with a long line of fitness trainers (my mom is a licensed fitness trainer, for one), and about three different nutritionists. so while i don’t have any education in either of those fields, i have worked with professionals that have taught me a lot. i have also studied psychology in college for a year, and specifically child psychology for another year - i also spent a year working with kids ages 2-6.

my two youngest sisters did a weightwatchers program when they were around 8 and 10, so i have also seen upclose how that works. that was many years ago - and not in america - so i do know that the way things worked then/works in america compared to where i live, may not be the exact same. but the guidelines for the company, and their strategies should be the same, since it is afterall the same company. now, both of my sisters lost weight. they also gained it back. and more, and more, and both of them are extremely overweight today. in the way that i am the “thin” sister, compared. and they are eating disordered. they have no grasp of how to deal with food. they are intelligent women, and they know the basics of “if you eat too much pizza and ice cream, you will gain weight” but they don’t know, and don’t have the energy, to apply it to how they live. they are not only compulsive overeaters, they also don’t have a healthy eating pattern that could help stabilize their metabolism.

okay, so with that out of the way, let’s get to the actual app - and weightwatchers.

the app offers a diet, even though it is a fact that diets do not work. they literally do not. people who go on a diet will gain the weight right back on, and more. because diets are short-term solutions, and they are designed to make someone lose X amount of weight in X amount of time. it is not sustainable - just as with the oh-so-popular juice cleanses. for someone to lose weight, and keep it off, a complete lifestyle change is needed, but that is just not as simple as some companies, magazines, blogs, etc. will make it sound. because every single person is unique and what their body needs to maintain a healthy weight is unique to them specifically. in order to lose weight your daily calorie intake needs to be in a caloric deficit, but this depends on your height, your current weight, how your body is built, and more. those are things the app simply don’t take into account. now, i haven’t actually downloaded the app myself (i refuse to give them the clicks), but a licensed trainer i follow on instagram posted screencaps on her story. as far as i could see they take height and weight, and that’s that. but the human body is much more complex than just height and weight - especially when it comes to children and teenagers, who are growing, and going through tremendous hormonal changes. but i will get to that later.

what should also be taken into account are things like hormonal imbalances, and the fact that people breaks down macronutrients (carbhohydrates, proteins and fats) differently. fx, my sisters have poly cystic ovary syndrome (pcos), which means that their bodies can’t handle carbohydrates very well, whereas i need most carbs, medium protein, small amounts of fats. but apps like these don’t take that into account, because it is impossible for an app to do a check for what every single individual needs. i for example recently found out that my body doesn’t break down dairy very well. i have been using plant based milk, yogurt, ice cream and butter, instead of animal based for years, and only very small amounts of animal based cheese, so when my nutritionist had me switch to animal based yogurt i started gaining weight. i went back to plant based and the weight went off.

nutrition and a healthy lifestyle cannot be taught simplistic, because it is about the individual, and it takes a trial, error and do-over period to find what works for your specific body. and what works for your body now, might not have worked ten years ago, or ten years from now, because hormones changes how our bodies processes macronutrients. but this app is a “one size fits all”-system.

and this system. the system it is using is based on shaming children; making them feel inadequate, making them scared, and ashamed of their bodies. the “before and after” photos i have seen, have all been kids who weren’t even that big to begin with. and the fact that the “goals” to choose from when signing up includes choices such as “make my parents proud” is manipulative and destructive for a child/teenager. no kid should ever even have the thought that they need to be a certain weight/size, or their parents won’t be proud of them. the entire set-up is sowing the seed that their weight is the deciding factor for their worth as people, which is the beginning to eating disorders.

now, kids’ bodies really start changing around the age of eight (the age of which you can sign up for this monster); these years are called pre-teens for a reason. hormones really start flowing, and body fat is really needed to help the hormones and toxins take care of the body. but if a child is forced to lose excessive amounts of body fats, this can’t happen. this is one of the reasons that professional child ballerinas, gymnasts, ice skaters, etc. don’t develop until very late. some don’t even get their period until their twenties, because their development has been stunted by excessive dieting and exercising.

their psyche of children and teens are also really delicate, and they are in the process of developing what kind of people they are going to be. not only that, also what their relationships with their bodies are gonna be like. if they are constantly told by their parents/siblings/apps that they need to lose weight, that they have to track and count every calorie they consider eating, and every step they take, does that seem like a healthy foundation for how they view their body, nutrition and exercise in the future?

the way the app works is with the so-called stoplight system, where if when you put in a food it will either give you a green light (good), yellow light (medium) or red light (bad) - but the thing is that, again, that is not how simple nutrition is. you would think that the red foods would be soda, ice cream, chips etc., and the green foods would be stuff like fruits and vegetables. but again, the trainer i followed said that she put in her food for the day: a protein bar, two eggs with bread, and a piece of fruit. the protein bar came up red, the eggs and bread yellow and the fruit green. now, all of these foods are things that are written down in my carefully calculated meal plan from my nutritionist. in my plan i also have lots of vegetables, pasta, rice, chicken, even chocolate and chips. but the thing is that it’s all about how much of it i eat. and that is another thing the app doesn’t seem to take into consideration. if i was to put in nothing but vegetables it would give me green light the whole way, but it would not be nourishing for a whole day. 

this app is forming their minds to spend all their energy worrying about what they eat, when they eat, how they eat. think of an eight year old with this app going to a birthday party - do you think they would be able to enjoy regular kiddie birthday party food, with the red light in the back of their heads? even if it is just one day? this app is gonna rob them of their childhood, and being able to enjoy life.

so, what i am trying to say is that the app is bad because the system doesn’t work. it is not teaching healthy habits, it is not giving advice on how to obtain a sustainable weightloss, and it doesn’t care about whether the children are actually overweight or not. it is created by a company whose sole purpose is to make money.

i don’t think that all of the parents who are buying into this are doing it because they are evil; i do believe that they think they are doing what is best for their children, but their views on body images and nutrition have also been skewed by the media and the diet culture we are living in. parents may look at their daughter’s chubby cheeks and think she’s unhealthy when she is literally just a kid with puppy fat that she will grow out of once adolescence hits. sure, there are kids who are truly in an unhealthy state with their bodies, but then the parents should have the help from a licensed professional, starting out with seeing a doctor who can tell them whether their child truly is overweight to a degree that it is dangerous, and from there on be referred to professionals that knows what they are doing. kids shouldn’t feel guilty when eating, but they will with this app.

i do realize that overweight is a problem, for both children and adults - not just in america, but most of the western world. (fun fact: the other day i saw a program that said that china is, as of 2017, the “fattest” country in the world, so it’s not just the western world, i just don’t have enough information about other places to say anything about that.) but a “one size fits all”-app is not the way to handle this issue. there are way too many layers to the problem to fix that.

not only is it important to remember that overweight does not equal unhealthy, regardless of age, gender, race, or anything else, but unhealthy overweight is especially tied to low-income persons, as nourishing food is much more expensive and accessible to people with middle-class and above incomes.

there is also the fact that education about proper nourishment is non-existent. what people know about dietary information is what they get from the media, where they will tell you garbage like goat milk is bad one day, and literally the next the same publication will tell you it’s the fountain of youth. it’s unreliable, and has no roots in actual science. even statistics can’t be trusted, because those often stem from surveys and projects paid for by big cooperations who are paying for an outcome in their favor.

so, to sum it all up; this app is based on a system that uses bodyshaming and guilt to throw kids and adults alike into a vicious cycle of yo-yo weight patterns, eating disorders and hateful relationships with themselves, their bodies and their sense of selfworth. i don’t think parents who buys into this app are overall evil, but it is an obvious tool for abusive parents who uses guilt, shame, punishment and scare tactics to manipulate their children into the above mentioned unhealthy patterns, because the parents themselves are victims of the fatphobic diet culture we are living in. not to mention that the parents don’t have access to proper information themselves.

aside from that, you can also see in the notes of the original post, that there are incredibly many people, who will tell stories about how forced diet in their childhood/teen years has been a kickstart to a lifelong series of mental and physical health issues.

this app is preying on scared parents to capitalize of a beauty obsessed ideal that is completely unrealistic.

i have also written a post about nutrition here that may be of interest to anyone reading this.

i am open to any questions, and constructive criticism. other than that i just hope i have been able to explain why i believe this app is harmful, and that it has been an informative read. thank you so much for reading to the end.

xxx

[dumdeeedum]

Some Queliot Queries & Exploration, hah! Shaddap.

So I really want to dive into some shit with this fandom because I really don’t understand, I really and truly don’t. And bear with me because this is going to get long but ideally it would open up a discussion and the dialogue can be a learning opportunity for me if someone comes correct or for others if someone takes something away from all of this: Why shouldn’t the writers have to deal with the fact that season 4′s decision to allude to Eliot and Quentin as a couple is a ret-con? Why shouldn’t they have to deal with the fact that for all intents and purposes Quentin’s bisexuality and Eliot and Quentin’s relationship has never been explicit (there’s allusions to it in season 1- maybe, season 3- barely, and now season 4)? Why shouldn’t they have to deal with the fact that the audience was never told that Eliot and Quentin were explicitly a couple in Fillory until season 4 and even then they can’t erase the fact that Quentin married a woman after having something with Eliot and that they then chose to ignore the entire episode until halfway into season 4? Why shouldn’t the writers have to deal with their poor decisions and poor writing in a meaningful way? Why is fandom trying to erase these things? I’m not being facetious or an asshole here, I’m truly curious. 

And I really want to preface all of this with a critique of something I’ve been seeing a lot on here and that’s that fandom and Eliot are somehow erasing Quenin’s bisexuality. They’re not, the writers are.

The thing is, television is a mostly visual medium, you have freedoms that come with that but also limitations. There’s the freedom to show and not have to tell so as to not have to go into long descriptions and “show don’t tell” has really become a fundamental rule in visual media because it’s really hard to pull off the kind of exposition literary media can get away with in visual media. This has been true since visual media was limited to the stage and has only become more true as technology has caught up with the more fantastical things creators want show now. So it becomes imperative, given this show don’t tell rule, to find another way to express certain things you’d simply be able to cover in a book by describing somebody’s thought process or having a character narrate their story. 

You can have a narrator in visual media but you really have to be careful with how much you use them and for what otherwise you’ve made bad visual media, especially when you’ve already set things up another way. Case in point, the show Veronica Mars started the show with Veronica narrating and normalized it so that it was never grating, never too much, and was generally never used when it was better to show instead of tell.The Magicians, on the other hand, has used narration very sparingly and it’s never become an aspect of the show that gives us those same glimpses into Quentin’s mind, especially since he no longer seems to be the sole focal point of the show. 

So when it comes to representation on visual media it simply isn’t enough to imply or allude and then never bring it up again. Or, in our case, to overtly display certain aspect of someone’s sexuality while explicitly ignoring the other aspects with the expectation that the audience go with it when the creators call the character “bisexual.” This is especially true on a week-to-week television show where not everyone’s been watching from the beginning or has that long a memory that they can remember every aspect of what came before, or hasn’t or can’t rewatch the series several times on Netflix or some other streaming service to refresh. It just doesn’t work that way on television, that’s not how you do visual media representation. 

And when we have so little visibility for certain groups and when part of representation means normalizing those groups in the mainstream so that in the future their presence or their expressions of sexuality aren’t taboo, you have to do that by showing those people and by showing those expressions of their sexuality, and not just the “palatable” ones or in a “palatable” way where you can just say it and not offend anyone by showing it. And usually it’s best to show them in a good light so as to off-set the amount of bad that’s out there that was outside of their control because of systemic oppression. It’s best to have a good balance of good and bad from the very beginning and that’s something that White, het-cis people have been able to enjoy for much of the time visual media has been around. We can argue about representations of women in media, especially White cis-het women, but that’s another topic for another day and they’ve still enjoyed more of a balance than anyone else besides White, cis-het men. It’s the same reason why we can’t simply have “queer-coded” villains or the “kill your gays” tropes be so rampant, it isn’t offsetting the tons of negative that already exists for the lgbtqa community in media.

That being said:

Narratively speaking, when Eliot rejected Quentin I strongly believe that at least in this the writers were doing right by them given the ret-con and I’d like to see it explored more. Season 4 episode 5 was a good start but only a start. Now do I think that Eliot should have implied that he wouldn’t choose Quentin? Fuck no, he absolutely should apologize for that and explain where that came from because it’s clearly the result of a defense mechanism, but that’s really it. I still think the decision for Eliot to reject Quentin was the right one if only to give Quentin the chance to think about what he wants within the confines of this shitshow of a “love” story they tried to ret-con and then staple and glue together as though we’d forget everything that ever happened before season 4 episode 5 and rewrite season 3 episode 5 in our heads. If you’re saying it’s OK to erase all of that for the sake of your ship you’re asking for a bad story, which kind of sucks and I kind of feel you, but it kind of sucks. I mean, their straight relationships haven’t been the most amazingly written either but they actually happened in a meaningfully explicit way. We were given a narrative where even after Quentin kisses Eliot for the first time in Fillory (a year after they got there) and presumably has a relationship with him in Fillory after that, which, really, we didn’t know for sure because they’ve never said it, it could just have been a drunken fuck for them up until that point, Quentin marries and goes on to have a life with a woman until she dies or leaves (I was never clear on which it was). The relationship with Eliot after that is only alluded to in season 4 and still hasn’t been explicitly shown, no kisses, nothing, not outside of Eliot’s mind. And for some people that may be enough to call Quentin canonically bisexual and to call Eliot and Quentin a canonical couple that will be together in the future and while I agree he probably is and that they might, I don’t think it’s a good example of queer representation in visual media, especially when season 3′s episode was never meant to be taken that way.

Now we can always assume that it was a consensually poly-amorous relationship between Eliot and Quentin when Arielle came along but then why was Quentin the only one who had someone? Is the assumption here also that Eliot is OK being a sister wife or some shit? Why didn’t Eliot have another boyfriend to split his time with since Quentin had a wife that needed attention? They’ve established that homosexuality isn’t bad in Fillory so why not give him someone if the poly thing was what was meant to be inferred here? I’m not saying it definitively can’t be the case but I’m working with what we have and raising questions because we’ve been given very little information otherwise and I’m not sure I buy that Eliot would be OK with sharing Quentin because up until now (outside of his marriage with Fen) Eliot has not been shown to be poly-amorous and has even shown that he gets jealous if his significant other looks at someone else. And I know that when it’s discussed in a relationship it’s different and jealousy isn’t an issue but we don’t have any information on the subject as it pertains to them. Earlier in the series Eliot said that being with women is not his preference, so no, Eliot is not bisexual even if he’s had to fuck Fen; he fucked Fen because he had to and it’s a problematic as fuck storyline that effectively worked to pad anything Eliot might have had with a man with a woman. So I’m also not sure it’s too realistic an idea to have him in bed fucking Arielle with Quentin if he’s in a consensually poly-amorous relationship with them. Maybe once in a while like, as he said, one would have Thai food, but if anything we’ll give him a 1 or 2 on the Kinsey scale? (for lack of a better way to put it) So why not given him someone for him while Quentin has someone for Quentin? At the very least we’d get a non-toxic homosexual relationship for Eliot too, right? 

And no, I don’t consider anything to do with the season 1′s threesome to be rooted in anything but what we’ve been told over and over that it was: the result of a lot of alcohol and emotion magic. Otherwise you have something else to deal with and that’s that Quentin is a fucking untrustworthy asshole for cheating on Alice whom he claims to have loved and that Margo and Eliot are shit friends for going with it. It could be the case but they’ve made it a point to tell us it was a result of all 3 of them being compromised and even Margo refuses to allow people to blame her for it because of that compromise.

That being said, I can understand why a gay man like Eliot would be hesitant at the idea of jumping into a monogamous relationship with a man like Quentin without giving Quentin pause to really think about it. Remember, Quentin wanting to be with Eliot happened right after he got his memories of Fillory back so it was a pretty rash, emotionally-charged decision on his part. And we already know Quentin gravitates toward escapism because of his psychological issues. Why would Eliot jump into a relationship with a man whom, from Eliot’s perspective and, more importantly, from the viewer’s perspective, has been chasing a woman since season 1 and even in Fillory decided to marry a woman when Eliot was explicitly shown to be an option? And literally the first woman he met there. Outside of Eliot, Quentin has sought out and has had relationships with exclusively female partners except for season 1 and except for Fillory which was another time and place and which was never explicitly shown to us and is only alluded to in season 4, that’s bad representation and something that requires further examination within the story!

From Eliot’s perspective it absolutely makes sense that he’d wonder if Quentin would truly be happy with him given other options, especially given the enduring presence of a woman Quentin has been chasing since season 1. We don’t know if Alice would be OK with sharing Quentin either, it’s never been explored because most of anything to do with Eliot and Quentin as a romantic couple has simply been ignored! The writers were the ones who shit the bed by giving Quentin exclusively female partners (even in Fillory) that would make Eliot wonder if he and his penis were enough. If we had some more clear and explicit depictions of Quentin’s bisexuality, especially in Fillory, Eliot wouldn’t have to worry about this shit as much. But even in Fillory Quentin chose Arielle until she was no longer an option and the writers chose to do that, the writers decided to show us one kiss between Eliot and Quentin before giving Quentin a rando wife, making her fuck off to who knows where but subsequently never showing Eliot and Quentin in a romantically intimate setting again. Some bisexual representation!

Eliot and Quentin as a pairing only comes back up literally a season later, 13 episodes later! Something has to be done about this ret-con and pretending it wasn’t a ret-con is never good writing, not the way they’re doing it! Because even after Quentin confesses his feelings during season 3x5, which we only actually find out he did in 4x5, it’s never brought up again even by depression Quentin the very episode after 3x5! The whole situation was ret-conned for season 4!

Moving forward either there has to be some mutually agreed upon, explicitly stated, explicitly shown, poly-amorous relationship set-up where they could both be fulfilled by both having someone else if they so choose to or  Eliot has to have Quentin’s assurance that Quentin sees him and that he is now Quentin’s first and only choice. And both of these options have to be a show don’t tell situation! It’s actually what I hope happens in episode 12, especially since they’re once again making Quentin and Alice kiss each other and showing us yet another expression of heterosexual love while stringing us along with the idea of a homosexual one that really hasn’t happened yet.

And perhaps some people might find that to be feeding into stereotypes about bisexual people that leave a bad taste but realistically speaking exclusivity is a conversation every romantic relationship has to have and mistrust will occur if the person you’re with has only had partners of the opposite sex, has only expressed interest in people of the opposite sex, and is still hung up on someone of the opposite sex they used to date and whom is still a romantic possibility for them. That’s just how it is unless you’re one of those miraculous people who don’t experience jealousy or insecurity or have had those conversations with your partner. In this scenario it wouldn’t be that Eliot doesn’t trust bisexual people, it’d be that Eliot doesn’t know who Quentin really wants and he doesn’t think Quentin truly, deep down, would want him if he took the time to think about it. That’s fair given the givens!

And the poly thing is certainly an option but feels like a more radical move, given what we know of these characters, than having Eliot and Quentin in a monogamous relationship and given how little they’ve given us of that prospect I’m not even sure what they’ll decide to do moving forward. Maybe they’ll decide it’s more palatable to include a woman in any capacity seeing as media is still really about padding anything to do with homosexual male love scenes with heterosexual love scenes or naked women, that could also be the case and then we’d have to decide how we feel about that. We know they did that with Fillory because Arielle was pulled out of someone’s ass because it could just have been Eliot with Quentin but it wasn’t. But as of now we don’t even know if the poly thing was ever really a thing with them to begin with, we just don’t, it’s just conjecture and I’m just exploring of the possibility, they could have gotten together after Arielle dipped. I’m not saying any of this to shit on the Eliot and Quentin pairing at all, or to shit on Quentin’s bisexuality, per say, I like the idea of them and I think it should happen and I like the idea of a bisexual Quentin. But I do think these are the consequences of the way the writers have chosen to navigate these things and now they have to deal with those consequences because otherwise this pairing is silly and unrealistic moving forward outside of Fillory, and if they don’t want to pursue it then that could explain why.  So why haven’t they been dealing with this by showing us a more explicitly bisexual Quentin or at the very least a more explicitly interested in Eliot Quentin outside of his confession to Eliot in 4x5? And I’m not saying he has to jump on the first dick he sees but even having a conversation with his best childhood friend about his feelings, regardless of what he thinks Eliot’s are, would be a really great jumping off point to show us that Quentin’s feelings for Eliot are trustworthy and real and not just alluded to or the result of an emotional compromise. At this point people are expecting this confession and really want it to happen for a reason.

I’d just really like to see the writers make a decision about this and stick with it because this specific type of will they, won’t they shit is why they can’t be trusted and why it’s so easy to wonder whether they’re queerbaiting. If they can explore Julia and Penny23, Kady and Penny, Margo and Josh, and even Alice and Quentin’s relationships during this monster arc without it taking away from the life or death severity of the situations they’re in then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be exploring Quentin and Eliot’s even if it’s just Quentin being introspective but showing us that introspection in some way. We’ve gotten Eliot’s but we really haven’t gotten Quentin’s and I think that’s what we’re all waiting for or should be waiting for and it’s imperative that it happens to build the trust in the writers the viewers need to become emotionally attached to the idea that a pairing will actually happen on screen and that the viewers aren’t just being fucked with for views. It isn’t fair to expect the blind faith from viewers towards the writers and show-runners that too many people in this fandom are demanding!

We shouldn’t have to go on a fucking deep-dive, clue-finding mission to break down every single fucking interaction to look for a relationship the writers are supposedly explicitly trying to build because that’s not how they’ve built any other relationship. They’ve jumped right into every straight pairing but somehow this one is the one they have to draw out to an almost unrealistic degree and add 50,000 layers of nuance to? The one with the most history and proof that it worked based on what the writers themselves have told us? Alice and Quentin were fucking within a season, Kady and Penny within a season, Margo and Josh within a season for some godforsaken reason, Julia and Penny23 are macking and seeing each other naked within a season but we can’t even get Quentin to be introspective about being in love with Eliot for one episode? We have to settle for allusions to their pairing and a couple of blink and you miss them kisses, one of which wasn’t even between the two men themselves? I’m not saying that the Eliot and Quentin pairing won’t happen but it absolutely hasn’t yet and I’m not here to pretend it has. Alice and Quentin were “in love” within a season, why can’t we explore Eliot and Quentin’s love in a meaningful way after a canonical 50+ years? Why has it been OK so far that the writers aren’t exploring Quentin’s part of this relationship at all if it’s their intention to pursue it? And why should we trust them and take it as faith that this pairing isn’t something they thought of doing but have long since thrown out?

Is it bad writing? Is it not gonna happen? What is it because I’m confused as fuck and nothing that’s been happening recently has helped because the writers have opted to waste a shitload of time in a 13 episode season rather than explore what they ought to be exploring in that limited amount of time.

I say all that to ask this: Can we just hold the writers and show-runners accountable to their shitty decisions already? That’s really what I want because I don’t think underrepresented communities should have to settle or take the scraps thrown at them in 2019 and that feels like what a lot of people are saying ought to be done. No, they absolutely should not be happy with the bullshit they’ve been given. The community didn’t come together with pitchforks and torches to storm their writer’s room and demand Eliot and Quentin be a couple, the writers and show-runners decided to move in that direction.

If people shipped them then there’s already parts of the fandom for that and people would have made due with fic as they always have done. So why the fuck is jerking the community around like this acceptable? 

I sincerely hope that there are consequences from the community if the writers and show-runners go back on this, I really do, because it was the writers’ and show-runners’ fuckup and they don’t deserve to be rewarded for bad behavior. Make them work for the good graces of the communities they’re courting and stop allowing them to do this to these already marginalized communities!

It’s well past time that they show us Quentin’s bisexuality and feelings for Eliot in a meaningful way or drop it altogether and never pick it up again and accept that they’re pieces of shit for doing this and should be cancelled, although as far as I’m concerned the damage has already done and there’s no going back without them admitting they’re garbage.

[princeselfinserts-moved]

A-Z for Zawa :3c

JFKAKFKAKKFKAKFKKGH

IS,,, UNDER CUT FOR SMUT,,,,

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Shouta nearly puts more energy into aftercare then the actual intercourse lmao. He’ll make sure I’m comfortable, do I have enough pillows? Do I have any particularly bad aches I’d like him to massage? Would I prefer to clean the cum off my skin but don’t want to have a shower right now because I’d rather cuddle? Shouta will get those pillows, he’ll massage my thighs and stomach while giving me gentle kisses, he’ll get a warm bowl of water and a cloth to clean my legs as he praises how pretty he thinks I am.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Shouta’s favourite part of his body is his arms because they let him feel Crypto’s body and pleasure them. His favourite part of Crypto’s body is their thighs!! Shouta likes how thick they are and it arouses him that its mostly muscle he wants to know if crypto could smash a watermelon between them science demands too know,,,,

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

He’s kinda hyper-aware of Crypto’s cycle so even thought I take the pill Shouta makes sure to wear condoms during the high fertile arch of my cycle. But!!! Shouta finds the act of cumming on my thighs, stomach and chest extremely hot. It’s a more primal pleasure at knowing that he’s the only one who gets to see that sight.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He uh, Shouta would like to try having sex while Crypto has a partial shift going on to make them look like a cat-girl but he’s too embarrassed to ask about the possibility.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

He’s had a couple partners before so he knows how to properly prepare his partner, and he’s particularly skilled at tying them up kayama probably hooked him up with a bdsm club so he could safely explore his interest in it and here we are years later smh.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Missionary definitely, fall & eagle are a couple more. Face-sitting/Emmanuel is an oral one he’s a BIG fan of but he also really likes the Inquisitor because it lets him watch me try to squirm out from under his arms holding me down.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

It depends on the situation? Shouta is always at least a little bit serious, but if Crypto looks nervous or even a tiny bit scared of trying something out Shouta will smile reassuringly and compliment me until I’ve relaxed or told him what about the situation is making me worried.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Yeah the colours match lmao, Shouta tries to keep it trimmed because it tangles less and that habit of tangling pubic hair has annoys him. He can’t really keep up with how fast it grows so its kind of choppy.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

Shouta likes us being as close as possible to each, my legs curled around the backs of his thighs and our chests pressed together as he murmurs endless praise over how good everything feels, how beautiful I am, how he can’t believe he’s lucky enough to have me and all the while Shouta will be kissing all over my neck and face practically radiating love in every motion.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Shouta doesn’t really masturbate because he thinks its time he could be using to work on cases or grade the students work. But if he’s particularly stressed, tense or has pent up energy Shouta will squeeze one out while in the shower so he doesn’t have to have a second one.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Bondage is a VERY big kink of his, being able to tie Crypto up and restrict practically all movement? It’s endlessly arousing to him that I trust him that much. Sensory Deprivation and Orgasm Denial are another big two, he likes seeing me shiver as I try to guess where he’ll touch me next and the way I end up mindlessly begging him to just let me cum makes Shouta groan.

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Ironically very vanilla but the bedroom is his favourite place to have sex and more often then not if we’re somewhere else in the house Shouta will just pick me up and carry me there. Sometimes we will do it on the couch and when he insists on pampering me Shouta will occasionally instigate very slow touchy feely sex in the bath as I sit on hit lap.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Thigh highs, if Crypto wears thigh highs especially the one with little cat ears and faces Shouta will want to see how many times he can cum on my stomach and upper thighs before he dirties my socks. Visible hickeys as well, Shouta loves seeing the proof that I’m willing to let him so close to me while I’m so vulnerable.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Public sex, just the idea of other people excluding if it were a poly relationship makes him uncomfortable. He’s a hero, and a teacher and basically a father to Eri the idea of his students or the media stumbling upon whatever videos that would probably be taken makes Shouta feel sick to his stomach. Even more so because he knows Crypto hates how revealing their costume has to be for them to have an affordable amount of fabric that merges with their quirk so they aren’t replacing every time they shift forms.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Shouta prefers giving over receiving, the fact that the simple act of him eating me out gets me so aroused really gets him going. The reason he’s a little iffy about receiving is because he’s concerned he might accidentally choke me even though Shouta knows I have the strength to hold his hips down.

P = Pace (Are they fats and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

hhhhHHHHHHHHH SHOUTA??? AAAAAA!!!!!!! Most of the time he’s slowish wanting us to milk as much pleasure as possible but Shouta is also just as fond of a rough pacing, especially so when we’ve got more private time then normal. Also,,,, he finds it cute how flustered I get when he asks for permission to be rougher even though he knows he doesn’t even need to ask.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Doesn’t actually like penetrative quickies, is its him getting me off with his fingers or me giving him a quick blowjob it’s fine. But Shouta thinks penetrative sex should have a long buildup and only be rushed if the pacing is because of passion rather than a time limit.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Shouta is willing to try out most things at least once but only ever after nearly ten minutes+ of making sure I know what the safe-word is and that he prioritises how comfortable I am over any pleasure he could potentially get.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

It’s not really high but also not really low? One rounds is most common because we don’t have much free time but when we’ve got more time two and maybe three rounds are more common because we have low-key competitions on who can make the other orgasm more lmao. aaaa thats embarrassing to admit \(//∇//)\

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

jdkakfkkskfg Shouta he uh he’s got various ropes, silks, blindfolds, vibrators, gags he’s pretty into BDSM and he looked about ready to throw a party when finding out that that’s super arousing for me lmao. It’s pretty rare but if I can surprise him or if he’s tired but too aroused to sleep Shouta will let me tie him up and do all the work. I love spoiling him but he doesn’t let me do it a lot :/ also kayama got me a strap as a gag gift but its more of a “for when shouta is feeling down and i can convince him to let me pleasure him” gift.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Shouta!!! Shouta teases Crypto so much!!! He knows listening to him talk about all the things he want to do while stroking my sides gets me flustered super quick. Except!!! He’ll do that!!! And then Shouta will sigh dramatically and leave to do some paperwork or cook or I’ll realise he has hero work because Shouta will get dressed in his costume and leave me having to wait until he’s back from work ughhh.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Shouta is kinda at normal speaking level, he doesn’t yell a lot nearly never actually and the more overwhelmed he gets the harder it is for him to voice his thoughts higher than a hiss. Lots of grunts!! Growing, hissing letting out pants and moans and mindless babbling praise.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Shouta is fucking amazing at dirty talk but he also implies a lot that he has a breeding kink he doesn’t want to admit too having or doesn’t realise he has it. And I’m to flustered at the idea to ask him.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Uhh its a little longer then normal and sort of arches up the closer to the head you get. Shouta’s got a normal thickness but the veins on his penis pulse a lot so its just aaaaaa.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Hm it’s? Kind of low to medium, it depends a lot on how much stress his work is giving him. Shouta is also on the aspec scale because he doesn’t find most things arousing and without a partner his sex drive drops.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Shouta has a pretty low energy level on a day to day basis and most of it goes to his hero/teacher work but he always stays awake until he’s sure I’m comfortable. After that he’ll drop off really quick though.

[pynkrp]

[this will be comming in at least 2 messages so that was pt1... sorry for that] Hey, so I've seen this board around now a few times and am really just wondering why the RP world needs a wlw world? I've been RPing for a while and for most of the time all RP boards seemed LBGT+ friendly to me, so I don't see the point of it? In all honesty, it even seems a bit heterophobic to me? Yes, I'm looking at the part of the rules where you say you'll ban hetero couples.

[pt 2 of 2] While the board is a beautiful idea, it just gives me the vibe of well... starting hate against hetero people. And yes, even while being hetero is not a reason to be bullied/have issues in life, I feel like the LGBT+ community should be a better example. Simply out of what is known how much others might suffer from being LGBT+ [Btw, I'm saying this as a bi woman, not a het-white-cis-male.]

-------

Hello and thanks for writing!

While it’s great that you have had positive experiences on standard roleplaying forums, that hasn’t been the case at all for us. Most forums anymore claim to be LGBT+ friendly, but that tends to mean we are “allowed” to play sapphic characters there-- just no one else will write with or interact with us on an IC level. Gay men have always been the next preference to het ships. And this isn’t an isolated incident, both of us have been writing in this community for years.

In that time, I myself have seen at least a good dozen+ mslash sites and never one geared towards wlw. So I decided to make one.

Just think of it this way: Are other LGBT+ spaces “heterophobic” for existing? Because they offer ONE place out of a hundred for just LGBT+ people? I can guarantee you that this one little site for WLW isn’t going to start a trend of “straight hating” within the community at large. A) There simply aren’t enough of us for that, as indicated by the difficulty in finding people to ship F/F to begin with, and B) We don’t actually hate straight people. The rule you are referring to says exactly this:

ALL CHARACTERS DO NOT HAVE TO BE SAPPHIC/WLW. While we absolutely want the emphasis to be on wlw and their stories, we also understand the importance of allowing other types of characters into this world; the husband she hasn’t left yet, the straight best friend she needs for moral support, her painfully cishet parents, etc. plus bi/pan/ace/poly relationships, and connections that defy all binaries and social norms. Please be respectful of our leniency with this (and don’t make us “ban” an “unrealistic” amount of "het" ships lol).

The last part about “banning” het ships is mostly a joke about the RP community-- a play on how other standard sites will ban things like pregnancies and twins arbitrarily for “realism.” (Or, if you’re old enough to remember, it once was totally normal to ban making female characters entirely literally to balance out the het capacity I’m not even joking). Basically it was tacked on there for a little humor in the reminder to not go wild with the straight cishet ships because that simply isn’t the point of this site.

Cishet content dominates all media. MLM content dominates fandom. Can you name anywhere that F/F content reigns supreme? Except maybe porn, but even then...

Pynk is one-of-a-kind (at least to our knowledge). One. If people think we are too exclusive, too rude, too negative, too this, or too that, they are in luck because literally every other site is available to them.

We just want one that is available to us. Suited to us. Celebratory of women and our love for them.

If the cishet community suffers because of that, I’ll stream a video of me eating my own fist.

Hopefully that answers your question and offers some clarity!xoxo Newo