#who is an older butch lesbian and makes just good content

[fatcowboys]

gotta b honest sometimes it makes me sad how often i see the word butch replaced w masc lately like. butch is one of my favorite words. i love butch. butch is so special to me. and i know so many butches who would really just want you to say butch and not masc please. which i am not saying masc does not have a purpose either! its a good word! but more and more i see masc used places where i would use butch and maybe especially when we are talking abt lesbians we should still use butch actually please maybe

[gontagokuhara]

Just went on Instagram to look at more DR art (because tumblr won't let me see a lot of DR art for some reason) and saw hinanami discourse out in the wild which made me say, out loud, "oh, are we still doing this 💀"

Like idk if I've just aged out of the fandom (on Instagram) but just seeing that hinanami rant made me realize I've been spoiled by the DR community on Tumblr bc I'll scroll on here for 2 minutes and see a text post that will literally SHIFT my entire view of a character/ship and CHANGE my LIFE in just a small analysis that was probably written by op while they were on the toilet💀

Anyway it made me think of the post about Maki and Chappel Roan that I actually recited by memory out loud to my friend last night [gooning over wlw content together after watching Muriel's Wedding], And also that one post abt Monomi and Monokuma being Junko's satire of her own rivalry with Mukuro, and Junko not liking that her friends don't appreciate her fursona doing stand-up 💀💀 and like compare that to Instagram discourse and it's like "Komahina is stupid bc hinata isn't straight" like 💀

Anyway maybe it was the same on tumblr before [it probably definitely was] but now that I'm older I'm really appreciating mature convos/takes about danganronpa because good fanfiction/fanart/fan interpretations are truly adapting the story+characters in much better ways than the creators could ever imagine circa 2010 [pointy objects] [peaches and cream] [anything w/autistic nagito] [anything w/transmasc hajime]

number one rule of modern fandom experience (at the very least with media that has a propensity to draw Certain Crowds [looking especially hard at danganronpa and p5]) is CURATE YOUR OWN SPACE AND STRAY NO FARTHER ‼️‼️‼️ i personally escaped the early era dr fandom (pre v3 localization/the 2019 Danganronpa Renaissance) but time capsule posts tell me i dodged something of a bullet there ❤️ in that vein 2019/2020/covid era discourse was still crazy insane (<- was a part of it for sure LMFAO) but it had a much different Flavor than it did way back when. and the same is true of present-day: still a little kooky if you search hard enough (insta/tiktok/twitter/tumblr all have their own demons). but at least This go around i have largely avoided that by picking my people that i trust not to be Weird and just living in my own bubble wrt the dr fandom at large. and thats served me very well the past year+ since i got back into dr <3 and i have also seen MANY of those perspective-altering posts in that little curation circle that has deepened and made better my experience THE GOOD IS OUT THERE ‼️‼️‼️

THE JUNKO FURSONA POST ALSO LIVES IN MY BRAIN its so real and just one of many takes i’ve seen fly by in a post and been like This is so real and it’s mine now. many such cases <3 i follow people like that and simply block people expending energy on discourse i DOOOOOONT care about. like simply enjoy kmha (I SURE DO ‼️‼️‼️) if you like it and ignore hnmi/kmnmi if you dont (cant relate I LOVE YOU TOO HINANAMI + KOMANAMI ‼️‼️‼️) and live your life happy not angry ❤️

like re: maki lesbianism (which was written on the toilet no lie) she is The most lesbian of all time i could write 10,000 scholarly articles on her comphet + traumatic past of being made to hurt people keeping her from fully coming to terms with herself as a lesbian and as someone who wants to Protect the people she loves (an integral pillar of butchness!!!!!!!!) and it is so important to me. and MANY people disagree! and i simply just dont worry about it <3 but i DO think about the people that agree (and the people who i Influence to agree…..that makes me so happy to hear you talking about it with people :D) and that makes fandom FUN!!!!! not arguing over word of god or whatever that isn’t going to change anyone’s opinions anyway 😭

there is a LOOOOOT of good discussion and character/scene analysis and genuinely fun unique takes on tumblr (+ im sure other places but i rly only interact with dr on her & Occasionally by liking a twt post on my main) and that’s where i’ve made my niche <3 people having fun with the media they enjoy and trying to salvage its shortcomings and missteps because they love it!!

and putting little old Me up amongst the dr goats (transmasc hajime) (autistic nagito)………..framing this ask tbh the HIGHEST honor 4 me……..thank you my beloved cider as always KISS MWAH MWAH

[anonil88]

I see the gays are going to loose their minds over Jasmin's public journey with queerness. And some of you are sounding a lil too much like Afterellen writers.

To yall and to anyone who feels the same as her might i suggest this interview:

Or any of these links / books. which i'm using good reads links so you can see the triggers or content warnings to not be blind sided.

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg (good reads link but you can find the book for free) tw assault, this is not a book for minors

Zami by Audre Lorde (good reads)

My Gender Workbook (good reads) and Gender Outlaws: both the original and the 2010 version by Kate Bornstein

This SLATE article from 2015 (slate article) (wayback in case that link breaks)

These reddit posts with a valley of insight in the comments from older much older queer, gay, and lesbian people: Thread 1 Thread 2

A study done in 2009

Bodies in Relation—Bodies in Transition (article here)

Youtube videos and maybe a documentary

Queer Theory 101- Part 1- An open discussion with Ben Bateman- 30 min and there are 2 parts (go to youtube)

Brief Lecture Introducing Concepts of Queer Theory with Professor Matt Alberhasky- 10 min (go to youtube)

Judith Butler explaining Gender Theory- 13 min (youtube) and their book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (good reads): and i will quote them here "Stumbling is a part of learning and making an error is a part of learning." & "Many people who refuse to allow trans people to define themselves is that they feel their own self definition is destabilized."

The Aggressives (free tubi link but you can arrgh matey it if you try hard enough) , a 2005 documentary, directed by Eric Daniel Peddle. An insightful exposé on the subculture of masculine presenting POC and their "femme" counterparts. Filmed over five years in NYC, the featured subjects share their dreams, secrets and deepest fears. Some of the AGs in this video identify as trans men, non binary, or bi now but all of their experiences are valid.

And if you were wondering yes, yes i do love researching and having references. Its fun.

This might be shocking but there are older lesbians and i am talking the most butch blue collar trades dyke with silver strands who have done way more things that would make some of y'all squeem because its not within this very linear view of what some people view should be everyone's exact labeled experience should be. And yes they still fully identify as lesbians and are in very long term commited lesbian relationships their past has just been a lot. No two people are the same and many people will have a definition similar to you but an entirely different and layered experience. This also includes experiences and journeys with labels that you are going to feel uncomfortable with if they open up about the journey that it took them on to get to the same label you use. I tend to say that is for thee does not have to be for me. Sometimes the moments of others journey albeit will be cringey to you and others but they aren't directly harmful to you and your experience. No matter what we will all still be hit on by people and certain demographics that we do not want to be hit on, because they do not care. Tearing apart your communities in person and online over drivel and people just on their journey whilst learning does nothing for us when that is what those in opposition are banking on. Now unclench and breathe.

[romeoeatzkorn]

felt silly so-

Introduction Post! 2024 editon

Basic Info

Name: Romeo (or Roxx) Age: 15 Gender: Genderqueer + Non-Binary Birthday: Feb|16th|2009 Pronouns: they/he (just They/Them or He/Him works too) Sexuality: Butch Dyke Ethnicity: Scandinavian + Plains Cree Nationality: Canadian

My other socials

Facts about me;

Since I was born on the 16 in Feb, I'm an Aquarius

I am 5"8” and thus taller than John Leguizamo, my favourite actor

I love 2 headcanon characters I think r cool as Queer

I kin both Queen Barb (from trolls) and Roxie Richter (from Scott Pilgrim)

I like to call my favourite characters (who I hc as gay) faggots. IDK why

I hate tomatos

I'm possibly Autistic, but I definitely have ADHD

My dog is old and stupid (/j /lh)

sometimes I like to use Z instead of S, just to be silly

I love drag!!

I am very fond of musicals

DNI:

N$FW accounts

Cishets

AroAce deniers

Facist + Bigots

Z10n1sts and N@z1s

Wally x Julie and Wally x Eddie/Frank shippers

Pr0/C0mshippers

Butch/Masc/Stem haters we’re beefing

Femme4Femme only Lesbians all of my WLW/NMLNM content is Butch4Butch or Butch4Femme

LGB without the T supporters

Z00s and P3d0s

Zionists

Thin ice:

Oda defenders

Danganronpa fans

Montague’s 🖕🏼🖕🏼 /j

Cishet LGBTQ+ allies

MSPEC Lesbians idk how to feel about y’all

French People /j

Interact:

Queer/LGBTQ+ people

Butches, Mascs, and Studs

Sapphics and Lesbians

Juggalos and/or Juggalettes

Punks, Goths, Emos, and Anarchists

Furries + Therians

John Leguizamo fans

Neurodivergent folks

Artists any form

Fans of “Sorry Mom”

My fandoms:

ATHF (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)

Metalocalypse

Welcome Home Puppet show

R+J (1996) any other version too

ASTV

TF2

SHH (Strange Hill High)

Warrior Cats

Frankenweenie

One Piece to some extent?

My Welcome Home AUs

Trad goth Wally + Juggalo Barnaby

Thriller AU (WH)

Highschool AU

17 AU

Boundaries:

I am comfortable with;

Being called a Dyke

Tagging me in art (this is heavily encouraged!! Please tag me in any sort of fan content, I’d love to see it!!)

Being referred to with masculine, feminine, and androgynous terms

Being called a creature/thing

DM-ing if we’re mutuals

Romantic or sexually suggestive comments directed at my OCs and AUs if the characters are 20 or older

Headcanoning my OCs/AUs if it doesn’t diverge from the canon too much

N$FW content being made of the Thriller!AU and the Trad goth!Wally + Juggalo!Barnaby AU

Saying KYS in a joking way (just please make it clear it is a joke)

Please ask/inform me, before;

Creating N$FW or heavily sexually suggestive content of my AUs + OCs

Making AI bots of my AUs + OCs (especially if they’re N$FW ones)

DM-ing me if we’re aren’t mutuals unless it’s for a reason other than to say hi

Bringing up sexually suggestive topics, unless I have already told you it is okay (specifically topics that aren’t too heavily explicit, like mentioning sex is okay but please do not go into heavy detail)

Making sexually explicit (like somewhat detailed descriptions of sexual acts) comments about my OCs

I am NOT comfortable with;

Sexually explicit comments/asks directed at me or my personas

Exclusively using She/her for me

Fetishizing/making fetishistic content of my characters

People using my legal name online (please only call me Roxx, Roxxi or Romeo)

Have a good day, Be gay Do crime

[cowboyjen68]

Hi Jen,

My sister is a butch like you and she works on a farm. I love her to pieces even though we have polar opposite personalities- I'm chatty and outgoing, while she's very reserved and prefers being outdoors to big social gatherings. It makes me happy to see you living so well and enjoying your life, especially because I can see through you a glimpse of what her future could look like decades from now, and I know that there's a path to that kind of adulthood out there waiting for her. It's really lovely to see someone who has done it already. Do you have any advice on how I can support my sister through whatever comes up in the future? Sometimes I feel like I can't understand her the way she needs.

best wishes from anonymous

Thank you for all of those kind words. I am happy in so many ways and much of that is due to my comfortability in being butch and my gratefulness for being a lesbian and out and content with my attraction to women. It certainly took some time to get to where I am in life.

My big sister is 20 years older and straight. She is what some people call gender non conforming in some ways and in others ways she is not. She was my hero growing up because she did what she wanted and how she wanted. If she wanted to put on a full face of make up and get wine drunk and go horseback riding with the girls, she did it. When boots and bedazzeled bell bottoms were no longer in style she doubled down and made a matching purse and belt.

She was the first person to see the Tomboy in me, or at least the first to acknowledge it. She gave me my first "cowboy " play set, my first cowboy hat and she never hesitated to give me "boy" tasks like carrying heavy things or climbing on a newly purchased auction pony to see if it was "rideable" (it was not-- I have scars).

My point is, sisters can be an immense source of recognition for our unique personalities and needs. Butch lesbian sisters often still want that sister connection and time to bond. Sisters know most things about us if there is a good relationship so it is nice to just "be" without pretense of how we "are supposed to act" or how we are often expected to behave as butches. She can just be butch, natural and comfortable, without performing or being concerned she is too much or not enough.

Let her know she is still your sister, not "man like" not "not woman enough" but your sister and you share that unique connection sisters share and her butchness does not detract from that. It is a part of her. Her reality. And you love it about her because it is entwined in her existence. Don't dwell on it or constantly remind her she is butch. She knows. Everyone knows. It is nice to just be. And be with someone who knows all about you and loves you just for you.

You might never understand how she relates to others as a butch or exactly what she contends with being perceived in a way only butch women experience, but you do understand how women are put under pressure to follow the expectations of any given culture.

If your friends (or hers) say dumb stuff like "i wish I was a lesbian, dating butches would be easier" when trying to relate to her, or worse, things like "why do you try to look like a man?" gently but firmly correct them. Tell them why that is just not nice and makes pretty much everyone uncomfortable, butch or not.

It sounds like you love her and have a special bond. Knowing her sister wants her to succeed just as she is with no expectations or narrow roles to follow is a great gift you are giving her.

[hopeshoodie]

Hi! I don't know how into S3 you are, but do you have any ideas about what kind of person the LIs' ideal partners would be?

Honestly I’d love to do more S3 content because I generally liked Boat Party (other than day 9 and 10, that was bullshit).

Sorry I don't have all of the characters, most of them don't have any personality to base this off of lmao

Elladine: this is probably why I got this ask in the first place, I've said a bunch of times that they need someone who is BORING. An absolute wafer of a man. Someone like Elijah. My sister is like this too, she's put off by someone if they talk too much or have too in depth thoughts. I think Ella's ideal partner is a man who is really centrist politically (or uninvolved), traditionally pretty masculine and upholds a lot of gender norms like doing car and repair stuff but considers himself a feminist, has a good sense of fashion and a stable career.

Seb: tbh, I think hes good right where he is with Viv. Seb's ideal partner is someone who's super responsible, independent, mature, and above all else kind. I think he's got a thing for milfs and really loves when his partner just takes care of him and others. They need to be cool with his alt look, but not necessarily into the lifestyle (I don't think Seb is really even into the lifestyle tbh). But above all else, he falls in love with someone who is kind when no one is watching.

Genevieve: on the other side of the coin, I think Seb is not her ideal partner. He's fine, but I think Viv needs someone a bit more adventurous than Seb is. Her perfect partner is someone who's wickedly smart, charming, more spontaneous than herself to encourage her to try new things (which Seb is not), and more social than Seb is. I picture Sebvieve going to dinner parties and Seb floundering while Viv thrives, and it makes me think Viv needs someone who can match her energy. I picture her with someone who's pretty leftist, has a large network of friends and business contacts, and is so intelligent but you wouldn't know until talking to them because they're also very humble.

Yasmin: honestly I think... Yasmin's ideal partner was the girl she told us about who hooked up with her in an airport and then never saw her again. Yas is SUPER emotionally unavailable, has a hard time taking accountability or grinning and bearing ANYTHING, and over romanticized her partners. Tbh I think she'd thrive in a long distance relationship. Yasmin's ideal partner is someone who's unconditionally supportive and interested in her music career, who will let her disappear (either physically on tour or mentally into herself) for months at a time then pick up like nothing happened, who will return the lavish romantic overtures that Yas puts out, and above all else won't grow to resent her for those things.

Tai: this might just be me basing them off of Ciaran, but I genuinely do think Tai needs someone a bit more mature, easy going, and very sweet. Tai's amazing, but he's definitely A Lot. He needs someone who won't feed into him, but will indulge him. Someone to gently lay a hand on his arm when he's talking too loudly, but who will also laugh at his jokes and give him a reason to be the wild romantic that he is. Basically anyone is shorter than Tai, but I think he wants someone smaller than him because he loves being able to lift and completely wrap around his partner in a hug.

Lily: continuing my obsession with queer girls who have a TON of personal growth to do, Lily's ideal partner is someone who will deal with a lot of the rougher parts of her- emotional distance, stubbornness, unwillingness to apologize. I think that means her partner should be older than her, have a bit more perspective. She also needs someone who has a strong sense of personal worth and integrity, and who is super outgoing and social.

Nicky: I don't really have a whole lot of thoughts about Nicky, but I know he needs someone with less cattiness and more of an identity than Elladine.

AJ: I hate to see it, but AJ is definitely into hey mamas lesbians. She's a golden retriever lesbian, but her type is a butch who isn't super talkative (AJ's got that covered), is intensly supportive, handy, devoted, and very much into sports or sporty herself. AJ wants someone who will sit courtside with her and carry her purse and be her rock as much as her lover.

[sunlitanswers]

Hi! Wondering if anyone has queer books, movies, tv, etc recommendations? Looking for educational resources to understand myself a little better, and just general queer representation for my little baby queer heart <3 sending you so much love, thank you for pouring into others as much as you do!

 I am DELIGHTED that my queer energy comes through my mostly anonymous blog, so thank you very much for this! 

I have a degree in media, specifically television, so I have a lot of thoughts about this. First I’d like to say that it is completely okay to interact with “problematic” media. There’s a lot of focus these days on what representation is the “best”, but I don’t find that a good parameter to judge. Most of my favorite queer content is on the older side, and these works tend to contain outdated concepts or aspects of their time of origin. We don’t have to fully agree with the creators or the themes to enjoy the media, it’s okay. We seek out media to see something other than what is already inside us, if we only absorb solely what we deem to be “right” then our options at understanding what came before are severely limited. 

These are by no means perfect representations, these are just my personal favorite books and movies that I always return to!

Books:

- Left Hand Of Darkness (1969) - controversial to include this, but this scifi novel documents a culture that exists beyond gender and it transformed the way I though about gender in our world. It is not traditional queer representation but I think it’s cathartic to read as someone who exists outside the binary.

- Ruby Fruit Jungle (1973) - my mom read this in the 70′s when it came out and made sure I had a copy at the same age. This book changed my life. It’s about a small town lesbian who moves to nyc. The writing is snappy and bright. It made me ache in my soul to read about someone like me for the first time. It has elements of it’s time and some points that may wrinkle your nose now but it still hold up and I adore it. (fun fact: the author went on to co-write a series of mystery novels with her cat)

- Stone Butch Blues (1993) - hard to find physical copies, but pdfs are out there for free! It documents queer rights and communist activist Leslie Feinberg’s life as a gender nonconforming dyke in the 70′s. Can’t recommend highly enough for reading about gender exploration and presentation in addition to queer history. 

- Fun Home (2006) - pretty quintessential graphic novel reading in addition to the authors famous comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For. An autobiography of a young woman grappling with her sexuality only to find out her deceased father had also struggled with his. 

- Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe (2012) - a love story between two teenage best friends, it is one of the most beautiful YA romances I’ve ever read. Life changing. 

Movies:

- Paris Is Burning (1990) - a documentary around the ballroom scene in NYC in the late 80s. This under represented, POC-lead subculture birthed tons of movements we see today and much of drag as we know it.

- The Watermelon Woman (1996) - an early Cheryl Dunye (on of my all time favorite directors) film, semi autobiographical, about the experience of a black lesbian woman. I absolutely love this movie. It’s slice of life-y and full of heart. Also shot BEAUTIFULLY. 

- But I’m A Cheerleader (1999) - a cheerleader realizes she’s a lesbian and gets sent to conversion camp where she falls in love. A stylized dark comedy from the 90s, created by and intended for a queer audience, it’s visually striking and fairly light hearted given the subject matter!

- The Way He Looks (2010/2014) - there is a full movie of this, but the earlier short film is what stuck with me. Set in brazil, a blind teenager befriends and then falls for his new classmate. A very sweet film.

- Moonlight (2016) - follows the life of a gay black boy as he grows. Perhaps the MOST significant movie on this list, we wept in theaters to see a gentle and beautiful representation of black men in love. Important viewing for absolutely everyone. It is also a stunning, visually striking masterpiece. Cannot recommend highly enough!!!!!

- BPM (2017) - about the 90′s AIDs movement in france, will make you cry. It’s all about the power of queer revolution.

- Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) - idk how this is as far as representation goes, but its hands down a favorite of mine. Based on a true story, it focuses largely on a lesbian woman and her gay friend in the 90s pulling off a big con. It’s charming and dickish and i am quite fond of it.

- Portrait of A Lady On Fire (2019) - want several hours of unbridled wlw yearning? this is the one for you. absolutely a piece of high art. I saw this on a first date and we were so emotional afterwards we went on a 5 hour walk. 

Thank you for letting me monologue! If you read/watch any of these let me know, if you’d like! Feel free to add more y’all!

[heeyjuuuude]

Jude!! I loved Elodie and we call this finally free soooo much. Coudl you tell us more about Naomi and their relationship

oh my god, nonnie, could i EVER. naomi and elodie may be some of my favorite ocs i’ve ever made, i’m not gonna lie. also, for anyone wondering, nonnie is referencing this fic i put up yesterday. it’s centered around elodie bittle-zimmermann, my oc, coming out as trans to her dads!

so. you wanted some naomi/elodie content, and i am more than happy to provide. here we go.

naomi’s full name is naomi reina padilla. she’s the epitome of a butch who think she’s so tough but actually has a heart of gold. it makes the six inch height difference between them hilarious—elodie is a bit over 5’10, while naomi is a generous 5’4. she played on the soccer team as center-back, and considers ‘athlete’ to be a personality trait. (she gets along great with jack.) she’s the third of four kids—the twins, one male and one female with names tbd, are a year and a half older, and her younger brother is three years younger—and they’re all pretty close, except her younger brother won’t stop stealing her clothes damnit. her mom is white but her dad is hispanic (maybe cuban?) and she grew up speaking spanish with english. she’s an ace lesbian and hella sex-averse. (she may also be adhd—i’m not sure yet and i need to do some research before i’m comfortable writing an adhd character!) and i said this in the fic but she’ll be majoring in poli sci at harvard. she isn’t sure what she wants to do with her poli sci degree (read: i need to do more research into poli sci jobs). personality wise, she’s pretty confident and loud and possibly the world’s biggest softie, but she keeps that under wraps with a chill layer to match nursey’s. when she gets excited about something, she’s really excited about it, and is occasionally known for getting a little too locked into her own opinions—she’s hella stubborn. some of her favorite pasttimes include yelling at rich abled cishet white dudes and also taking down the patriarchy. she really doesn’t like pda (although she can be a little possessive and sometimes her mind goes ‘prove that she’s mine’ and it ends in aggressive cuddling in public; she’s working on it) but when it’s just her and elodie, she indulges elodie in so many cuddles and casual intimacies. also, when in private, elodie is exclusively ‘baby’ or ‘nena.’ (later on, when they’ve been dating for a While, elodie is also ‘mi almita’ which translates roughly to ‘my soul’ and is a Serious Pet Name.)

and as for elodie/naomi ... these girls. so cute. literally so cute i cannot. they met in sixth grade (when they were eleven, for my non-american pals) and quickly became pretty good friends. naomi is actually a big hockey fan, which made elodie wary at first, and like, yeah, she flipped when she met the jack zimmermann oh my god (his name IS bittle-zimmermann legally but for the sake of having his name not be teeny tiny on his sweater he goes by zimmermann professionally), but she was also really chill about it after she worked the initial frantic energy out of her system. and since then it was pretty smooth sailing. naomi was the first person she come out as trans to, when they were fifteen, and it was a long and sappy moment (that i would be happy to elaborate on, except this post is already ... ridiculously long), and then naomi came out to her as a lesbian, and a month or so later elodie also came out as a lesbian. six months prior to we call it finally free, jack either got traded or retired to montreal—i’m still working that out—and they drifted a little, but at some point the bittle-zimmermanns are back in town and elodie spends the night at naomi’s, and it culminates in shy kisses and cuddling and lots and lots of talking. (again, this is another moment i would love to elaborate on, but.) they’ve been dating long-distance and generally just being the cutest ever since!

thanks again for this ask nonnie!! i know this was probably a lot more than you were wanting, but i have no self control! i hope you enjoyed :)

[wildeoaths]

LGBTQ Book & Film Recommendations

Hello! As someone who tries to read widely, it can sometimes be frustrating to find good (well-written, well-made) LGBTQ+ works of literature and film, and mainstream recommendations only go so far. This is my shortlist. 

Some caveats: 1) I have only watched/seen some of these, though they have all been well-received.

2) The literature list is primarily focused on adult literary and genre fiction, since that is what I mostly read, and I feel like it’s easier to find queer YA fiction. Cece over at ProblemsOfABookNerd (YT) covers a lot of newer releases and has a YA focus, so you can check her out for more recommendations.

3) There are a ton of good films and good books that either reference or discuss queer theory, LGBTQ history and literary theory. These tend to be more esoteric and academic, and I’m not too familiar with queer theory, so they’ve largely been left off the list. I do agree that they’re important, and reading into LGBTQ-coding is a major practice, but they’re less accessible and I don’t want to make the list too intimidating.

4) I linked to Goodreads and Letterboxd because that’s what I use and I happen to really enjoy the reviews.

Any works that are bolded are popular, or they’re acclaimed and I think they deserve some attention. I’ve done my best to flag potential objections and triggers, but you should definitely do a search of the reviews. DoesTheDogDie is also a good resource. Not all of these will be suitable for younger teenagers; please use your common sense and judgement.

Please feel free to chime in in the replies (not the reblogs) with your recommendations, and I’ll eventually do a reblog with the additions!

BOOKS

> YOUNG ADULT

Don’t @ me asking why your favourite YA novel isn’t on this list. These just happen to be the picks I felt might also appeal to older teens/twentysomethings.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - poetry.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender - trans male teen protagonist. 

Red, White & Royal Blue

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue

The Raven Boys (and Raven Cycle)

> LITERATURE: GENERAL

This list does skew M/M; more NB, trans and WLW recommendations are welcomed!

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. One of the most acclaimed contemporary LGBTQ novels and you’ve probably heard of it. Will probably make you cry.

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. Portrait of a middle-aged gay man.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. M/M affair, British student high society; definitely nostalgic for the aristocracy so be aware of the context.

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman. It’s somewhat controversial, it’s gay, everyone knows the film at least.

Cronus’ Children / Le Jardin d'Acclimation by Yves Navarre. Winner of the Goncourt prize.

Dancer From The Dance by Andrew Holleran. A young man in the 1970s NYC gay scene. Warning for drugs and sexual references.

Dorian, An Imitation by Will Self. Adaptation of Orscar Wilde’s novel. Warning for sexual content.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. Two wlw in the 1980s. Also made into a film; see below.

Gemini by Michel Tournier. The link will tell you more; seems like a very complex read. TW for troubling twin dynamics.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. Another iconic M/M work.

Lost Boi by Sassafras Lowrey. A queer punk reimagining of Peter Pan. Probably one of the more accessible works on this list!

Lie With Me by Philippe Besson. Two teenage boys in 1980s France.

Maurice by E. M. Forster. Landmark work written in 1914. Also made into a film; see below.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. An expansive (and long) novel about the story of Cal, a hermaphrodite, by the author of The Virgin Suicides.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Plays with gender, time and space. Virginia Woolf’s ode to her lover Vita Sackville-West. What more do you want? (also a great film; see below).

Oscar Wilde’s works - The Picture of Dorian Gray would be the place to start. Another member of the classical literary canon.

Saga, vol.1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. Graphic novel; warning for sexual content.

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg. An acclaimed work looking at working-class lesbian life and gender identity in pre-Stonewall America.

The Holy Innocents by Gilbert Adair. The basis for Bertolucci’s The Dreamers (2003). I am hesitant to recommend this because I have not read this, though I have watched the film; the M/M dynamic and LGBTQ themes do not seem to be the primary focus. Warning for sexual content and incestuous dynamics between the twins.

The Animals At Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey. Plays with gothic elements, set during WW2, F/F elements.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham. References Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. Probably a good idea to read Virginia Woolf first.

The Immoralist by André Gide. Translated from French.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline MIller. Drawing from the Iliad, focusing on Achilles and Patroclus. Contemporary fantasy that would be a good pick for younger readers.

The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst. Gay life pre-AIDS crisis. Apparently contains a fair amount of sexual content.

What Belongs To You by Garth Greenwell. A gay man’s coming of age in the American South.

> LITERATURE: WORLD LITERATURE

American and Western experiences are more prominent in LGBTQ works, just due to the way history and the community have developed, and the difficulties of translation. These are English and translated works that specifically foreground the experiences of non-White people living in (often) non-Western societies. I’m not white or American myself and recommendations in this area are especially welcomed.

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. The memoirs and essays of a queer black activist, exploring themes of black LGBTQ experiences and masculinity.

A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian. Female communities and queer female characters in a Bangalore slum. A very new release but already very well received.

Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima. Coming-of-age in post-WW1 Japan. This one’s interesting, because it’s definitely at least somewhat autobiographical. Mishima can be a tough writer, and you should definitely look into his personality and his life when reading his work.

Disoriental by Négar Djavadi. A family saga told against the backdrop of Iranian history by a queer Iranian woman. Would recommend going into this knowing at least some of the political and historical context.

How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones. A coming-of-age story and memoir from a gay, black man in the American South.

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. Another acclaimed contemporary work about the dynamics of abuse in LGBTQ relationships. Memoir.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. Contemporary black British experience, told from the perspectives of 12 diverse narrators.

> POETRY

Crush by Richard Siken. Tumblr loves Richard Siken, worth a read.

Diving Into The Wreck by Adrienne Rich.

He’s So Masc by Chris Tse.

If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho, trans. Anne Carson. The best presentation of Sappho we’re likely to get.

Lord Byron’s works - Selected Poems may be a good starting point. One of the Romantics and part of the classical literary canon.

Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire. The explicitly lesbian poems are apparently in the les fleurs du mal section.

> MEMOIR & NONFICTION

And The Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts. An expansive, comprehensive history and exposure of the failures of media and the Reagan administration, written by an investigative journalist. Will probably make you rightfully angry.

How to Survive A Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France. A reminder of the power of community and everyday activism, written by a gay reporter living in NYC during the epidemic.

Indecent Advances: The Hidden History of Murder and Masculinity Before Stonewall by James Polchin. True crime fans, this one’s for you. Sociocultural history constructed from readings of the news and media.

Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker. It’s illustrated, it’s written by an academic, it’s an easier introduction to queer theory. I still need to pick up a copy, but it seems like a great jumping-off point with an overview of the academic context.

Real Queer America by Samantha Allen. The stories of LGBTQ people and LGBTQ narratives in the conservative parts of America. A very well received contemporary read.

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson. Gender, pregnancy and queer partnership. I’m not familiar with this but it is quite popular.

When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan. LGBTQ history of Brooklyn from the nineteenth century to pre-Stonewall.

FILMS

With films it’s difficult because characters are often queercoded and we’re only now seeing films with better rep. This is a shortlist of better-rated films with fairly explicit LGBTQ coding, LGBTQ characters, or made by LGBTQ persons. Bolded films are ones that I think are likely to be more accessible or with wider appeal.

A Single Man (2009) - Colin Firth plays a middle-aged widower.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013) - A controversial one. Sexual content.

Booksmart (2019) - A pretty well made film about female friendship and being an LGBTQ teen.

Boy Erased (2018) - Warning for conversion therapy.

BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017) - Young AIDS activists in France.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Cowboy gays. This film is pretty famous, do you need more summary? Might make a good triple bill with Idaho and God’s Own Country.

Cabaret (1972) - Liza Minelli. Obvious plug to also look into Vincent Minelli.

Calamity Jane (1953) - There’s a lot that could be said about queer coding in Hollywood golden era studio films, but this is apparently a fun wlw-cowboy westerns-vibes watch. Read the reviews on this one!

Call Me By Your Name (2017) - Please don't debate this film in the notes.

Caravaggio (1986) - Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton are in it. Rather explicit.

Carol (2015) - Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are lesbians in 1950s America.

Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) - Hard to summarise, but one review calls it “lesbian birdman” and it has both Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart in it, so consider watching it.

Colette (2018) - About the bi/queer female writer Colette during the belle epoque era. This had Keira Knightley so by all rights Tumblr should love it.

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) - Lesbian love in 1920s/80s? America.

God’s Own Country (2017) - Gay and British.

Happy Together (1997) - By Wong Kar Wai. No further explanation needed.

Heartbeats (2010) - Bi comedy.

Heartstone (2016) - It’s a story about rural Icelandic teenagers.

Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (2015) -  Queer teens and religious themes.

Je, Tu, Il, Elle (1974) - Early Chantal Akerman. Warning for sexual scenes.

Kill Your Darlings (2013) - Ginsberg, Kerouac and the Beat poets.

Love, Simon (2018)

Lovesong (2016) - Lesbian and very soft. Korean-American characters.

Love Songs (2007) - French trio relationship. Louis Garrel continues to give off non-straight vibes.

Mädchen In Uniform (1931) - One of the earliest narrative films to explicitly portray homosexuality. A piece of LGBTQ cinematic history.

Maurice (1987) - Adaptation of the novel.

Midnight Cowboy (1969) - Heavy gay coding.

Milk (2008) - Biopic of Harvey Milk, openly gay politician. By the same director who made My Own Private Idaho.

Moonlight (2016) - It won the awards for a reason.

My Own Private Idaho (1991) - Another iconic LGBTQ film. River Phoenix.

Mysterious Skin (2004) - Go into this film aware, please. Young actors, themes of prostitution, child ab*se, r***, and a lot of trauma.

Orlando (1992) - An excellent adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel, and in my opinion far more accessible. Watch it for the queer sensibilities and fantastic period pieces.

Pariah (2011) - Excellent coming-of-age film about a black lesbian girl in Brooklyn.

Paris is Burning (1990) - LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY piece of LGBTQ history, documenting the African-American and Latine drag and ballroom roots of the NYC queer community.

Persona (1966) - It’s an Ingmar Bergman film so I would recommend knowing what you’re about to get into, but also I can’t describe it because it’s an Ingmar Bergman film.

Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975) - Cult classic queercoded boarding school girls.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) - By Celine Sciamma, who’s rapidly establishing herself in the mainstream as a LGBTQ film director. This is a wlw relationship and the queer themes are reflected in the cinematic techniques used. A crowd pleaser.

Pride (2014) - Pride parades with a British sensibility.

Rebel Without A Cause (1955) - Crowd-pleaser with bi coding and James Dean. The OG version of “you’re tearing me apart!”.

Rocketman (2019) - It’s Elton John.

Rent (2005) - Adaptation of the stage musical. Not the best film from a technical standpoint. I recommend the professionally recorded 2008 closing night performance instead.

Rope (1948) - Hitchcock film.

Sorry Angel (2018) - Loving portraits of gay French men.

Talk To Her (2002) - By Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar.

Tangerine (2015) - About trans sex workers. The actors apparently had a lot of input in the film, which was somehow shot on an iPhone by the same guy who went on to do The Florida Project. 

The Duke of Burgundy (2014) - Lesbians in an S&M relationship that’s going stale, sexual content obviously.

The Gay Deceivers (1969) - The reviews are better than me explaining.

The Handmaiden (2016) - Park Chan-wook makes a film about Korean lesbians and is criminally snubbed at the Oscars. Warning for sexual themes and kink.

The Favourite (2018) - Period movie, and lesbian.

Thelma And Louise (1991) - An iconic part of LGBTQ cinematic history. That is all.

The Celluloid Closet (1995) - A look into LGBTQ cinematic history, and the historical contexts we operated in when we’ve snuck our narratives into film.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) - Adaptation of the YA novel.

The Neon Demon (2016) - Apparently based on Elizabeth Bathory, the blood-drinking countess. Very polarising film and rated R.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012) - Book adaptation. It has Ezra Miller in it I guess.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - No explanation needed, queer and transgressive vibes all the way.

They (2017) - Gender identity, teenagers.

Those People (2015) - They’re gay and they’re artists in New York.

Tomboy (2011) - One of the few films I’ve seen dealing with gender identity in children (10 y/o). Celine Sciamma developing her directorial voice.

Tropical Malady (2004) - By Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul. His is a very particular style so don’t sweat it if you don’t enjoy it.

Vita and Virginia (2018) - Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West biopic

Water Lilies (2007) - Celine Sciamma again! Teenage lesbian coming-of-age. 

When Marnie Was There (2014) - A Studio Ghibli film exploring youth, gender and sexuality.

Weekend (2011) - An indie film about young gay love.

Wilde (1997) - It’s a film about Oscar Wilde.

XXY (2007) - About an intersex teenager. Reviews on this are mixed.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) - Wonder what Diego Luna was doing before Rogue One? This is one of the things. Warning for sexual content.

[mistyheartrbs]

finale oath Thoughts

an anon asked me what i thought about finale oath, so here are my recollections from when i saw it in the theatre back in july, and also my thoughts now that i’ve had several months to think back on it:

-it was better than i thought it would be but still not, like, great. it’s easily the weakest entry in the hibike franchise, due largely to its format - s2 felt cramped because it was two books crammed into one season, this was two books crammed into one movie. characters appear and disappear once their mini-arc is finished, and tonal shifts are sudden and bizarre between these character arcs (one of them is about a girl who wants to make friends but has trouble reaching out. another is about a girl who can’t play in the band anymore because she has early onset jaw arthritis). the entire film is more or less moving from point a to point b without giving the characters much time to breathe, and kumiko’s involvement with all of these individual character arcs starts to feel kinda forced and artificial; she intervenes because she’s the protagonist, not because she as a person would have much motivation to do so - it makes me wonder if the final movement project (fingers crossed for s3) will feature a steven universe-esque arc of kumiko actually realizing how much getting involved all of these people’s lives has weighed her down.

-i know you’re waiting for my reaction to the shuumiko content. my reaction is that i didn’t hate it quite as much as i thought i would because it, to me, actually solidified that kumiko is undoubtably a lesbian. they could hardly have made a more convincing story about comphet if they’d tried (which maybe they did! i don’t know). we hardly ever see kumiko and shuichi actually “dating.” the dreaded moment from the trailers is at the very beginning of the movie and is the only time kumiko gets kind of flustered around shuichi, which is easy to construe as her just being caught off-guard. they never actually do anything that comes close to the casual couple-ness of, say, gotou and riko - hell, they sit on opposite ends of an empty train at one point, a stark contrast to how close kumiko and reina sit. reina compares kumiko and shuichi to herself and taki-sensei. the one scene that really made my skin crawl was kumiko and shuichi at the festival, but even that felt very...artificial, like kumiko was pretending. and then when shuichi drops her off at her apartment and tries to kiss her she HITS HIM WITH AN UMBRELLA I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP and then GOES UP MT. DAIKICHI TO MEET WITH REINA who says “i didn’t think you’d come” (“i thought you were with him, i thought you weren’t like me after all”) and then they talk about the future and reina says she’s worried that she and kumiko will drift apart like liz and the blue bird. shuichi texts kumiko that he’s sorry while she’s on the mountain and then we don’t see him again until she dumps him. while i still wish that it hadn’t happened at all and i could just continue to headcanon kumiko as a lesbian who’s fairly confident in her identity and is just closeted, this is probably the best thing that could’ve happened given the circumstances.

-also reina hits shuichi with a soap bottle

-i didn’t really feel one way or another about kanade - she was just kinda there, not nearly as interesting as the older characters imo, but i am glad natsuki finally sorta got a character arc.

-i’m glad motomu and midori didn’t become a couple or anything and instead midori took one look at this grumpy lad who is taller than her and went “that’s my son now”

-after the sheer perfection that was liz and the blue bird it was admittedly hard to go back to the old hibike artstyle and the slight, uncomfortable undercurrent of sexualization - did we really need a scene at the pool? did the sunfes uniforms really need to look like that? since my second-favorite anime of all time is literally kill la kill it’s not like i’m unexperienced with acknowledging the problematic elements of the things i like but it was still disappointing.

-and that tied into the differences from the novels too. it was something i noticed comparing the novel (and manga) versions of yuuko and mizore’s scene in 2x04 with what we got in the anime - in the novels, yuuko is much angrier and natsuki actually has to physically hold her back from punching mizore in the face, while in the anime she just kinda...squishes her face, and it’s a weirdly comical and “cutesy” moment in what’s supposed to be a serious scene. they do the same thing in this movie; towards the end natsuki just kinda weakly grabs kanade’s hand when she’s mad at her, while in the novel she kabedons her. coupled with the fact that they were still comfortable showing asuka’s mother (unequivocally a character we rooted against, and an older woman to boot) slapping asuka, it gives off the sense that “good” female characters (read: protags) aren’t allowed to be violent, are only allowed to be multifaceted in a marketable way, and furthermore are really only allowed to be a narrow sort of feminine, when you think about the way they changed natsuki’s design from her novel descriptions and the manga and how they changed the concert uniforms from suits to just the winter uniform.

-they got rid of kumiko’s narration throughout the movie which was kind of a bummer

-animation was still beautiful though - highlights include daikichi 3 (obviously), kumiko and kanade in the rain, and the final performance

-yuuko isn’t given much to do in this movie, but (no spoilers) she and natsuki have one of the most impactful shots of the whole thing

-and i liked how some of the characters had subtle design changes - you can tell they’re getting a little older

-“you two seem close” -mirei suzuki, visibly butch, talking to kumiko and reina

-yuuko’s crush on kaori is still very much intact

-the ending theme still slaps

-overall it was...solid, i guess? it didn’t, like, ruin the hibike franchise for me but it didn’t inspire me in the same way the series or even liz managed to do. but kumirei is still the number one ship in my heart

[serenagaywaterford]

@volatilelovers​ replied to your photoset “ok so like i had a totally other purpose cos it was about me walkin...”

Ok 1) bra deets 2) I want ur dog I'm sorry I just I want to steal him 3) is this like no make up challenge? Hashtag real lesbian bodies? The airbrushing drives me nuts and soooo much so called lesbian content on tumblr is not realistic and therefore kinda lame imo but it's better than nothing. An embodiment person I follow started a series where ppl send in photos of different parts of their own body and idk this remind me of that. That and thirst trap obviously lmao

1) Puma! from Winners lol. It is SO comfy, ngl. The cups are those annoying bikini type removable ones and they can shift a bit but it’s nice and tight, but not too tight. I mean, Puma don’t make the most long-lasting, durable undies but they’re nice while they last. 

https://www.amazon.com/PUMA-Womens-Seamless-Graphic-Crossback/dp/B07XYGGLWM

Puma fits small tho. Like this was a medium, and it’s a bit small. And I’m just a regular 34-B/C (depending on the damn company ofc). 

I actually bought it cos of what we were talking about the other day and I was like “i need more sportsbras. sore boobies need gentleness, no more underwires.” (and i gotta say it has helped a lot it seems.) i honestly haven’t really worn sportsbras regularly since...like high school...... so this is all new haha. altho i’m now in the state where if i don’t have to wear a bra at all i won’t. (very different to even 5 years ago when i’d never NOT wear one, even to bed.)

2) he is stupid you can have him lol he has bad breath and won’t stop snuggling and licking toes. he’s a toe licker. he won’t give kisses anywhere else but if you have bare feet watch out. it’s disgusting lol

3) honestly i think that should be a hashtag. i mean so much of the “lesbian content” i post photowise is these perfectly shaped, photoshopped, etc women. probably most of whom aren’t even gay half the time. (the older ones i believe, and they tend to show more real bodies in older women. cos older women aren’t meant to fit in the ~tumblr aesthetic~ anyway.) but with the exception of one or two selfies, i don’t often see actual lesbian bodies here. lots of heavily filtered, posed, aesthetic photos of 18 year olds with perfect bodies. which is like... not most of us?  and to be totally frank, it took me so fucking long to be ok with my body and it wasn’t until i really accepted who i was (AND be around other women consistently naked and had it not matter to them) that i even was comfortable with it. like i’ve always been so, not ashamed, but shy. (and i know if you saw photos from when i was 19 and walking around in like no clothes you’d be like “are you sure? cos you look pretty confident in that teeny bikini or dress.” but inside i was very much not confident. i did it to fit in and be popular lol. sweet sweet (fake) validation, babey!). the self love that comes with being with other women is incredible.  anyway yeah so like i know how my body DOESN’T fit into the ideal aesthetic (and i’ve had plenty of comments in the past irl about my lack of “womanly”/”child bearing” hips, skinny arms, etc etc. the hip thing always kind of made me laugh tho cos i am always like “well, nature knows! good thing i never want kids then if i don’t have the hips for it!!”) but i think it’s important for people to see regular bodies around. like yeah? a little tummy? i used to be devastated by that (and doctors thought i had an ED cos of it) but i’ve come to accept that it ain’t going anywhere cos i’m a female and that’s just how it’s meant to be. esp as we get older. (and my wife insists it’s cute. cos i was skinnier when i met her and she’s like “you look so much better now”, which is similar to the time i lost a lot of weight to get rid of that tummy specifically cos it’s used to be a Big Thing I Hated, and once i put back on some weight my granny was like “oh thank god. you looked really sick before”.) and esp when you come from a culture that doesn’t have more body acceptance. like the first time i went to iceland and to the pool and all the women were just wandering around naked, in all ages and forms, and with zero shame, i wa slike WHAT IS THIS WORLD??? it was baffling to me. cos even in change rooms here it’s quite i dunno hush hush (altho not men’s locker rooms cos i’ve spent a lot of time in those when i was the only girl on the hockey team and they’re just boldly naked and don’t give a single fuck. but women’s lockerrooms? always a bit more...i dunno.). except old ladies who don’t give any shits whatsoever. but all ages there, just going about their business--and i STILL felt insecure which is crazy. i was stared at more for NOT being buttnaked. even the kids were like “wtf”. i want that sort of casual, easy body acceptance and lack of fear of judgement. and i didn’t even shave my pits here (it’s been weeks)... and i forgot until i posted the photos... and then i realised, it seems really obvious to me irl but then i look at the photos, and i’m like “shit, it’s not really noticeable is it? i’ve been freaking out all this time over nothing???” that was pretty stunning tbh. i didn’t realise til i took the photo that it’s not this massive deal. anyway i’m just sort of sick of the “young, thin, hyper-feminine so-called lesbian with long straight hair and sexy undies” ideal (esp when softly touching other young, thin, feminine so-called lesbians). my god just searching “lesbian” on this hellsite is 95% that exact content (that isn’t a comic or illustration which is the only way to see real bodies lol how ironic). god forbid there’s a butch in sight, even a soft butch, or normal body, or natural bush/hair, or tomboy that isn’t super feminine. (the only tomboys allowed are the cute ones with the hipster shirts and backwards ballcap with long hair and perfect eyeliner). we get the occasional professional athlete but that’s it. (where are the regular athletic women, the sporty, muscular women, not hyper-feminine tomboys? where are the stone butches and big old ‘i don’t give a shit bout anything’ dykes? the women who exist outside the ideal BMI and age range? nowhere. cos it doesn’t fit the virgin tumblr aesthetic. it’s not “pleasing” to the majority of users here cos they’re so accustomed to only seeing one type of “lesbian”) but beggars can’t be choosers. and so i reblog the slight bit of shit we do get lol. i dunno, if i was an 18 yr old lesbian i’d be so worried cos i don’t look anything like these girls and no one else i know is either. so just a regular ole boring lesbian body here and it’s imperfect by social standards but it’s fine by my own. tbh i think it’s pretty cool that normal people send in photos of their bodies, just regular, imperfect, everyday people to counteract the mass of bullshit on social media where everyone is so fucking fake. (i assume that’s what you mean by the blogger you mention. i’m guessing it’s not photos of perfect, filter-heavy body parts etc.) and i think in a weird way, being seen --not necessarily validated for it tho-- helps your own ability to appreciate yourself. like not hiding it. just taking that step and posting “this is my leg” esp if you’ve been insecure about it. and you don’t even need the “omg what a beautiful leg! leg power!” sort of social media cheap validation stuff. just the act of posting it. (and i mean...i don’t mean porny, thirst photos to get likes. just... you know normal shit. although i would TOTALLY post my bush if it was allowed just to knock it home that it’s natural. and NICE. and we need to see it more. and i don’t mean in a porn way either. but in the way we see women in art or science books. nonsexual. like that goop episode LMAOOOOO) just as a “this is what it is”. and we all need a little more bodylove i think. and it’s hard to do that when all you see is the insta and tumblr ideal aesthetics absolutely constantly. but i mean i really did just want to show off the bra ...which then turned into showing off the dog lolololol cos he’s ridiculous.

[caffeinated-tater-art]

Hi kapatid, I'm Filipino too =) Raised in the US, but Ilocos represent!!! I really want to get another Filipino's take on Juliantina since our culture is very similar to Latin America. How do you think Filipinos would react if there was a same-sex relationship on prime television? I know there isn't much LGBT representation in the media and we have no choice but to look outside the country, so I'm curious what your thoughts are.

Oh boy— I can tell you that Ph TV tried back in 2015(?) with the telenovela The Rich Man’s Daughter( wc involves a story quite similar to juliantina with the social class difference dynamics) and one before that which was My Husbands Lover (this one I’m not too familiar with but its mlm) and both novelas were definitely a train wreck tbh. 

TRMD still has a place in my heart, but that story is a reflection of how shallow the PH media sees LGBT characters. Without sugar coating anything, that story had no buildup at all (im aware that the plot reasoning was the whole soulmate plot device thats why they just gravitate towards each other) but the whole novella spent most of its time hurting the couple more than it built their love story. And by hurting, I mean having a violent manipulative homophobic dad, one of the couple attempting suicide, one of the couple being a battered wife to a very violent ex husband, kidnapping, almost dying, manipulative male fiancee, you name it. So that whole experience watching all that week by week wasn’t a very pleasant one. On top of all that, it was personally irking to me that it was kind of Biphobic, given that the one bisexual character there was portrayed just as the cheating ex of the protagonist, and was always commented on sticking to one team etc. Also, the butch character who had a loving family with a wife and an adorable adorable daughter at the first act of the show was unjustly treated when the biological dad appeared out of nowhere for drama and took away their wife and daughter.

There is a lot more to this but the take away is that, the writers themselves are not responsible enough to make a healthy lgbt rep or lgbt centric storylines to help alleviate the wrong perception of lgbt people in the ph. That’s why the general idea of the mass audience regarding lgbt couples/characters are limited to comedic relief gay man or the macho butch. The worst part is that the gay man would somehow “find” the right woman and fall for her, similarly to the butch lesbian being “corrected” by another man. 

Ph has a looong way to go, but sadly I dont see that changing anytime soon. Its because the media here is partly monopolized and the content they churn out are targeted to the older and middle/lower middle class and lower class people. Which consists of very conservative audience given that its largely a catholic population. The safe route of story line that they always choose is to have is the typical het plot with the current famous IT couple. Sadly, the series here is not about the story, rather its about the famous good looking het couple who would star in it.

[solidburnreturned]

by popular demand, here is my oc chatter regarding stuff like relationships n random character traits. its rly long oops but i divided it by character at least lmao,, these are all things that i think id also wanna use if i ever use these characters as humans (which i def will at some point honestly)

- i thinkkkk i want toad and pike to date. toad would come across pike in their lagoon one day while hes wandering around on another wonked exploration and pike is like hey lol :B with their pointy teeth and long ass hair and toad is like :0 he just sits and talks with pike for hours and comes by a few times a week to hang out with them. they fall in LOVE

- fred and lani are def gonna date too. two butches who use he/him pronouns fuck yeah? they have a powerful relationship. mega BDE. power couple. not a lot of pda but alone together theyre both very loving and tender, its a vulnerability thing for both of them. like lani is very cool and can be either stoic or borderline obnoxious while fred is punkish. fred is very head over heels for lani tho 

- mardi n berg.....complicated....i gotta figure out how they actually end up together. berg is a jogger and mardi is a piercer/tattoo artist so that doesnt....make them line up very much in that department. ill think about it more and figure something out. itll probably have something to do with berg’s nose stripes and eye rings

- also side note on mardi......i want his backstory to include a grey period set off by his brother being eaten when they were both young at the troll tree. like he becomes angry and depressed, sorta like branch, his tattoos that he gives himself the only color on his body, until he learns to let go and his colors come back (high key this was inspired by 21 savage, mardi’s voice claim, and the line in his new song A Lot “my brother lost his life and it turned me to a beast”). ill develop this idea further but i just wanted to get it written down

- bismuth.......unsure. they had a crush on pepper and kept trying to ask her out until she came out to them as a lesbian, then they were like :’) but theyre ride or die theyre not gonna be an ass to her because they cant date her. they just care a lot about her. its like icarly

- gazpacho and jupiter CUTE two small trans trolls in That Love. i need to develop them more but. theyre just cute 

- talia is still a little too new for me to develop her......but im thinkin about it...

- kinda same with ernie and olive. they kinda mostly just exist as cute babby characters right now? if anything olive is a trouble maker and ernie is a chatterbox

- clem and thursday also fuckin cute as hell......clem was a nervous wreck asking thursday out but theyve been together like ever since, which is more than a few years. they have a rly cute gentle lovey dovey relationship. thursday is usually hanging around up on her gf’s shoulder giving her kisses on the cheek

- bea and crystal.......adorabl relationship......crystal is another character thats kinda nervous but bea is so chill n confident is helps calm her down. theyre both trans and love the hell out of each other. rly slow n steady relationship, bea is very patient

- pj and marcus!!!! dumb mlm rep relationship. pj is so so gay for marcus he can barely comprehend it. its a dumb ego boost for marcus but hes also very in love with pj, he just expresses it in a weird cocky way idk marcus is a nerd. i need to make more content for them i think about these two way more than it seems

- dwight!! he has a boat. he lives on the boat.....ive thought about maybe pairing him with toad and pike. deciding on his voice claim has been the most difficult thing ever

- kass and current HELL yeah buff gf and tol gf......they spar with swords and wrestle for fun and hang out at the beach a lot. kass fuckin loves the gem on current’s back. i gotta make more content for them 

- celia......i wanna do more with celia. friends with berg probs theyre both sporty. shes just a sweet giant troll who loves mushrooms. i gotta pair her with someone whose palette goes nicely with her pastels 

- carrot and harriet are literally cricket and tilly from big city greens just older. yeehaw siblings. havent thought about relationship stuff with harriet yet.....i think she also needs ANOTHER redesign her colors are just too heavy still. maybe if i can make her colors compliment celia’s that could work as a pairing? hm hm.....carrot tho is dating ford’s oc rye theyre gentle country gays

- rainer. hm. i dont think theyre rly the dating type......theyre just chill with being them. they just wanna swim and be funny

- hammond and andromeda are probs two of my least developed characters.....hammond still needs a redesign. he might be cute to pair with walter, theyre around the same age. andromeda tho i have no idea. she might be a nice pairing with eve? if i ever feel like pairing her with someone...who knows. eve is very carefree and might find andromeda’s energy too intense

- radish i wanna make more content for!! i rly like her a lot....i think shes another troll who isnt interested in dating. shes very focused on being a chef instead. loves her friends a lot!

- mack and pepper 2gether 4ever obvs......they have a relationship that gets richer with age for sure

- im just gonna ramble about mack. i thinkkkkkkk i wanna make her half latina? columbian specifically. she doesnt quite read as white and i didnt make her with the intention of making her white. anyway i love mack a whole lot and should really develop her backstory more. its not rly as like...””tragic”” or whatever as pepper’s i know that but she def has layers. i wanna give her whole family more depth. she has a very complicated relationship with her own feelings and motivations that i need to think about more fully. my powerful femme tho i lov her

- mack’s parents, robin and champagne, i need to like....think about them more. they have kinda a comedic relationship thats sorta inspired by roger rabbit and jessica rabbit. robin is a very caring, gentle troll who’s very smart and cares a lot about his nursing responsibilities in the village. champagne is very relaxed and the “voice of reason” character of the family. she loves a good party and has her party planning down to a science. both are very successful power parents. kickass family

- i already talked about topaz and marney in a separate post but i still love them both so much. big wesbiabs

- pepper....pebber. im gonna talk about her the most obviously gfhjdkrs i wanna talk about her mental health i feel like i think about it a lot but i never write about it explicitly? this is gonna be long oops hgjfksd she has depression and ptsd stemming from the trauma of her crash...im thinking she also has adhd and thats just something shes always had. her depression rly got heavy during her recovery and right after like...she hated being bed/housebound and felt rly powerless to her situation and just let it eat at her until her personality had actually changed considerably. like extroverted wild child rebel to introverted, soft-spoken sulker. this got better with time but she still is pretty introverted, just turned her moodiness into chill energy. 

- she has bad depression habits like letting dishes, old food, laundry, or just stuff pile up in her room until it gets overwhelming and she spends like two days just manically cleaning; or staying in bed for way longer than she should and messing with her hygiene; or eating way more or way less than she should eat in a day. just stuff thats hard to completely break out of when youre recovering. her color is pretty consistently the dark red but if shes having a particularly rough day she might look a little paler, or like a muddy brick color at her worst. thats kinda rare tho

- her ptsd is the thing she hates the most. for a while it made her feel very weak and she’d beat herself up over being traumatized by the crash which was obviously not helpful to her mental state but she was really all over the place during her bodily recovery. its part of the reason why she started working out, she wanted to reclaim some sort of feeling of strength and power that she felt she’d lost completely. she still gets really frustrated with this feeling of loss but she gets a lot of support from loved ones which has helped her not self-blame so much. her ptsd manifests mostly as nightmares/insomnia, chronic headaches/stomachaches, intrusive thoughts and sometimes flashbacks. the nightmares are what rly get to her, she really doesnt get a lot of good sleep and it can get to the point where she just doesnt want to sleep sometimes and she’ll stay awake until she crashes hard

- her scars used to be a big trigger for her ptsd, which is why she has her bangs covering the one on her face and wears long pants (her knee braces are too bulky for pants and would force her to wear shorts which would force her to expose her scars). she just. really really hates them. this is something she struggles with for a majority of her life

- once she and mack start going steady with their dating and start consistently sleeping in the same bed, pepper starts to sleep better. she still has nightmares that wake her up at least weekly, but having mack there to comfort her (whether she wakes mack up accidentally or if mack is already awake) helps a TON with getting her back to sleep soundly. it also just helps her sleep in general to have that comforting, loving presence in her bed snuggled up to her ;w; mack is a big help in general with pepper’s mental health, pushing pepper to make better, healthier choices and get out in the village more and have fun. mack for sure does not “”cure”” pepper of anything but shes a very positive light in pepper’s life that helps her pull thru tough times!

- i love all my goofy trolls so much. its so fun to just chill and blab about them to relax between working on big projects ;o; ty if u cared enough to read this whole thing ur so rad

[themildestofwriters]

Character Creation Tag

Tagged by the illustrious @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz and thought that it would probably best to get some kind of content out from my OCs. For this one, I plan on doing Josephine Williams because Babette Melwyn is a bit more complicated and divulges into territory that I do not wish to discuss when it comes to the creation of her character.

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

Basic appearance and name. She was always a Josephine and she always had that general outline of appearance (Long curly brown hair; dark skin; that kind of stuff). The rest just developed over time and the more I considered Josephine critically.

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Yes. Josephine was thought up as someone who’d help begin Babette’s happy ending. I needed a character who’d bring out the best in Babette, who’d get her on track to healing whether through giving her the confidence to go through with therapy while also reconnecting her to humanity. I feel really bad for just creating a character who’s sole purpose is to be a love interest, but fortunately, I feel as if she’s much more than her original concept would have some think. There’s still much I need to develop around her, but the same can be true for other characters such as the two leads families and even the main character (Babette) herself.

3) How did you choose their name?

I always liked the name Josephine and I was inspired by the character of Josephine Montilyet from Dragon Age: Inquisition.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world that they live in played the most influential parts?

She a lesbian woman of colour living in Australia, Earth (2016), there would be a lot influencing her. Her life isn’t abhorrent, but she does face issues that I’d rather not discuss here. What counts is that her family and friends love her and so do most the people she interacts with. This story won’t explore these themes as a main focus, because that’s not the point of the story, however they will be brought up and do effect her as a character.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

There’s nothing significant behind their hair colour. I like it, is all.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

Not really. I just thought the colour fit her character. Though, if you wanted to, you could just google “Green Eye Colour Meaning” and get a few links, one of which tells you that the symbolic meaning behind green eyes, but it won’t have much baring on the character aside from the fact they’re pretty.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

Relationship Height Difference. One of my favourite tropes is where you’ve got a very tall character and a very small character dating because of all the cute things they can do. Originally, Josephine was something like… 5’5” or 5’6” but I changed it to 5’8” because a height difference, even if it is just 5” is adorable AF and I’m pleased I decided on this.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

Well, aside from the fact that I’m quite literally giving her my High School life, not much else I’d say. Josephine’s quite a bit different then me and we’ve both had very different lives. She doesn’t live in a broken family, my brother still breaths (as far as I know), she doesn’t have any sisters, I’ve never had a relationship as successful as hers, she doesn’t have to worry about what her parents will think about her non-heterosexuality (she’s already out), I don’t really have a choice about my religious practices. About the closest things I could relate to about her is how I’ve written her dealing with people and noise and whatnot.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

*Looks up at the previous question* Nope, not really.

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation? 

Due to her original concept being a companion for Babette, yes. I needed to create a character who’d not only be able to engage with Babette as a friend but also as a significant other. Josephine was always going to have a preference for women one way or another and it just seemed right to make her gay as well.

As monogamy vs polyamory, the choice was simply as not only is Babette monogamous (making a healthy poly relationship impossible) but I’m monogamous myself so the character trait was there from day one.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

Face claims. I could say the difficulties in finding how to write her character, but that can be worked on easily and I’ll be constantly improving my portrayal of this character. No, the real issue is that I can fecking find a good faceclaim that fits! Worse, I can’t do it for any of my characters!

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

While I haven’t gone as far as mapping out before her birth and the preceding years after, I’ve gone far enough that I know when her story definitively ends and it’s incredibly heart-warming and cute and I can’t wait to write it! At some point, I might reach a point where I’ll decide to take a few days to just 100% full-dive into worldbuilding and fully flesh out these characters backstories in complete detail (events preceding conception to what grades they got in year 2 of Primary School) but until then, I know the basic outline of the events from their childhood to they’re old and greyed.

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

Her personality certainly. Without her personality, her entire position in the story changes and it would also effect how healthy the relationship is between Babette and Josephine as well as the overall result. The second one, however, is her part in the story--not necessarily as a romantic interest for Babette, but for acting as an anchor to not only reality but also humanity for her godly girlfriend.

Dating or not, it doesn’t matter, but Babette wouldn’t reconnect with humanity on her own and without a character like Josephine existing, she would’ve flown off to Pluto or something and buried herself waiting for the heat-death of the universe to kill her.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

The fact that I’m not sure if I should make her go full butch or femme or just stay somewhere alternating between. She’s fast enough to out run you at a marathon, strong enough to beat you at arm-wrestling, would absolutely rock certain short hairstyles and a leather jacket, but at the same time she’s leaving lipstick marks on Babette’s cheeks and rocking absolutely stunning dresses.

No heels, though. She hates heels.

15) What is something about your OC that can make you cry?

The fact that when she begins learning magic from Babette, one of her first thoughts goes straight to necromancy and the idea that she could possibly maybe resurrect her late older brother.

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Just as @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz said, I’ll tell you when I find it.

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

The most recent thing I’ve discovered about Josephine… She’s was extremely hopeful for the Wonder Woman movie and absolutely adored it when she watched it in theatres. She saw some issues but overall, she loved it and not just because Gal Gadot was a thing.

18) What is your favourite fact about your OC?

Josephine is a massive, massive, greek mythology nerd. Literally, her computer wallpaper is probably some picture of Athens or the pantheon of greeks or something like that. When Babette gives her a pet raven, she names it Cerberus. When she and Babette adopt a kitten together she names it Sappho (I blame @sunlight-melodies). She really likes greek mythology which makes interesting parallels considering her favourite greek god is Persephone and her girlfriend has been known as the God of the Dead.

Tagged, in no particular order, is: @sleepy-and-anxious, @ariellaskylark @cometworks @focusdumbass @rose-writes-and-drinks-tea @truebisexualdragon @fallen-angel-nightshade @pyr0clast @i-tried-and-i-loose @sunlight-melodies

I’ve realised that i need to keep a list of writers I follow to tag in these things because I’m absolutely horrible at remembering them all...

[caatws]

GIMME SOME UNPOPULAR OPINIONS!!

BDFLNALBDNFS SOPH IS HERE TO START SOME SHIT I’M YELLING

alright since our mutual fandom is b99 i’ll go with some b99 hot takes

while everyone’s debating whether peraltiago should have a baby in s6 or wait till later so they have time to enjoy married life alone/amy has time to make captain I THINK peraltiago should have a baby before amy makes captain but since she has more set career goals than jake (he seems content remaining a detective for now plus he told amy he wanted her to be his boss!!!) after amy has the baby jake ~takes a break~ from the nypd and retires for a couple years to take care of the kiddo(s) (if they decide to have more than 1) and is basically a stay-at-home dad until the kiddo(s) is older and going to school and stuff!!!! so amy can focus on still making captain bc jake’s holding down the fort at home. we never see a lot of stay-at-home dad stories in tv and i feel like jake could be the perfect guy for that but i doubt they’d go that route since there’d be no show without him working at the nine-nine LOOOOL but a girl can dream right???

i used to hc gina as pan and now i’ve jumped on the lesbian gina train but honestly?? i’d love to see her identify as pan initially and then discover she’s actually lesbian and her journey of coming to terms with that and stuff...ik a lot of ppl shift identities a bit before settling on one and i def used to id as bi until a few months ago!!!!

femme rosa and butch gina

sub rosa and dom gina

actually are these even unpopular opinions anymore or is it just that dianeitti itself and these hcs attributed to it are unpopular

getting more real tho - and don’t crucify me for this my dudes - but i think it’s important to listen to the ppl who view b99 as cop propaganda, bc it usually comes from a place of critical analysis and maybe even some bad experiences with cops. something being propaganda doesn’t automatically make it bad, per se - but propaganda is defined as something that is meant to make you feel some way toward a government related entity. b99 isn’t bad!!! y’all know i love it obviously!!!! but it’s important to remember where the fiction ends and reality begins, bc cops irl are not gonna be as fun and friendly and woke as our b99 faves. i used to dismiss the “b99 cop propaganda” posts, too, but once you understand that propaganda isn’t always good or bad but just is, it becomes easier to both love and be critical of something at the same time. (plus remember that b99 is a representation of american cops - and ik this fanbase is very diverse and international, but if someone ignorantly believes american cops to be just like b99, they could end up in some trouble. and i’m not saying anyone specifically is doing this lol i’m just saying it’s a possibility)

welp that was a lot of unpopular b99 opinions so i hope this satisfied you soph, haha!!!

send me some slumber party asks ayyyy

[cowboyjen68]

Sorry if this is weird I just wanted to say seeing you exist and have this happy family life and be so unapologetically butch and happy and content gives me so much hope that I don’t have to live my life as the ‘other’ or choose between my identity and happiness, I don’t know thank you from me and any other younger lesbians who see you and are inspired, thank you and you’re incredible to us. Have a lovely day x

Not weird at all. Thank you for telling me that I am making a real difference. All of us want to leave a legacy and if mine is giving young lesbians a glimpse into a happy future, that would is the best legacy of all. When I was young I didn’t come out. I literally didn’t know it was a thing I could do. No lesbian in our world should have to wait to be happy to be themselves.I want them to know there are older lesbians out there who do care enough to pass along wisdom and support and community. I sometimes tear up reading through everyone’s blogs. Both good tears and sad...