#you are a misogynist for *checks notes* shipping the characters who are canonically able to interact and do so over the course of the game

[pareidolla]

lowkey always afraid to post voiceship art because of the "shipping the voices together makes you a misogynist" crowd even though it's a laughably funny take

[chocolatepot]

I think the issue here is that it's not that "queer women in fandom have NEVER found one they like". It's that queer women in fandom may like them, they just don't hyperfixate on them or want to write fic/draw fanart about them, which is what OTNF is saying - it's really uncommon for any piece of fiction to garner that kind of response. And what people are complaining about is the conflation of "enjoying show" with "getting fannish about show". I don't mean this in an accusatory way, but why aren't you overtly fannish about the shows and movie you list? Are there different reasons that each one doesn't resonate with you to such an extent that you're going to write 50 fics about it? Yellowjackets is incredible, but I don't want to write about it, and I wouldn't want to write about it even if the characters were male - I'm not writing fic about The Terror, either. (Though people are writing Yellowjackets fic. There's about 3k fics, which puts it in the top 1% of fandoms on AO3, because as OTNF notes, very few fandoms are actually really big.)

My own dash is very stable: wall-to-wall OFMD and Good Omens, some MXTX books, a dash of Sherlock from a couple of people and a sprinkle of Queen's Thief. (Also kdrama gifsets I scroll past.) These are fandoms that people have been invested in for years, not flashes in the pan. Occasionally I see gifs for a new movie/show that I check out as a result. I know that Migratory Slash Fandom is/was a thing, but it is not the be-all, end-all of fandom, and I think a lot of the conflict over this topic comes from the fact that there's a multitude of subgroups who are clustered under "queer AFABs and trans women whose main ships are m/m" and who don't all like the same things or have the same priorities and can't be generalized. Sure, it's not about my individual experience, but at the same time, I'm still a part of this group that gets sneered at as misogynist and so my experience is relevant. I like a) canon queer ships that b) are the central pole of their stories but c) also have other plots going on. (There are some other factors going on with OFMD and Good Omens but this is enough for right now. Suffice to say there's a reason I genderbend so much.) I'm not that into anything that just has "plausible subtext" or where the queer ship I'm supposed to care about is very sidelined from the plot, even if I might acknowledge the show's quality or enjoy watching it - I have never been a part of MSF, and given the number of "I've never felt this way about a show before"s I'm seeing from fellow OFMD/GO fans, I don't think that's uncommon.

I also see a relatively constant, though small, amount of Locked Tomb Trilogy(?) art and meta, and I know it's just the tip of the iceberg because there are a lot of people who are hyperfixated/brain-go-brrr about it. And that's in large part because Gideon and Harrow are complete opposites who are SO intense about each other - the traits that typically make people get fannish about m/m ships! There's 5.6k of fic on AO3 for it, and probably would be more if it weren't for certain story-related things.

(And I get what you mean about Maggie and Nina in Good Omens, but ... they are minor, single season characters who are human coffee-shop AU foils of the leads, who are ancient beings that have been in love without being able to acknowledge it for 6000 years.)

Part of the problem OTNF is talking about is that the earlier post with the stats showed that fandom favors m/m over f/f, but actually favors m/f over both. More fics are written that include women than exclude them. And this still gets turned into "fandom hates women". If the issue is that fandom doesn't write enough women, period, then that's one discussion (which I think requires a preliminary discussion of what "enough" would mean in the circumstances), but if it's about the lack of f/f, then there's no reason not to also bring up the subconscious bias of all the straight hetshippers ... and people do not. It's specifically queer women who read and write m/m who get framed as a problem, which unfortunately does line up with certain other TERF factors, so I'm not surprised that the people who are reblogging the stats post to say that fandom hates women are turning out to be TERFy.

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/746553097204203521/the-fandom-hates-women-response-to-lack-of-ff

The "fandom hates women" part of it comes from the fact that fandom as an entity just doesn't watch the kind of media that draws femslash, even if it ticks all of the boxes of things those very same people say they like. There are so many times I've watched a show that I've seen mega-popular Tumblr posts wishing existed, and then the fandom is so, so small comparatively and often in general. There have been superheroes, vampire/supernatural shows, fantasy shows, movies, books, the list goes on, that feel like they were generated out of Tumblr's desires for ideal fandom media, and everyone knows they're never going to attract anywhere near the same attention for fandom and fanworks because the common denominator just tends to be that if there isn't a full ensemble of attractive men to ship either with each other or with the women, fandom's not interested.

So it's not about prioritizing women in that sense, it's about people witnessing hypocrisy over and over again the second a show doesn't have a mostly-male ensemble. The people who are in these fandoms are frustrated that good faith attempts to get people interested are met with every excuse in the book that all eventually boils down to "I don't like watching stuff with women in it as much as I like watching stuff with men in it." And if that's how people feel about it... sometimes the conclusions are going to turn into the more uncharitable take of "fandom hates women."

--

Maybe, but whenever I see a "fandom hates women" reblog of my stuff, one or two reblogs further down the chain I get an overt TERF. I just had to go block several people today, in fact.

The first person to reblog with a comment like that is usually subtle, but their friends and friends of friends are not. The rhetoric that very quickly starts is the fandom equivalent of that "All the butches are becoming trans men! We're losing lesbians!" stuff.

Here's the thing: I've been in ten billion fandoms that were so awesome and fit fandom's supposed tastes to a T and yet no amount of promoting them could get anyone to try the canon. This goes for canons that are all men or all white men or all majority ethnicity men or whatever else.

The default state of media is to not engender a big fic fandom.

I agree that the rare outliers mostly follow certain patterns, but we extrapolate too far when we say that a lack of those patterns is why a fandom is small.

A fandom is small because that's the near-universal default.

--

Yes, a small slice of fandom consists of guilt-ridden queer fujoshi who say they want more f/f but don't make much of a move to make that happen. I tend to run into that a lot because of my own tastes and having friends who share those tastes.

Far more of fandom is people talking generally about how representation matters without saying they would personally join these fandoms if they existed.

Neither group is large enough to be the real reason some woman-heavy canon fails to take off to HP levels.

The real reason is not hypocrisy but the fact that most things don't take off like that. Most things without massive, massive audiences especially don't take off like that. And the very few things that do are flukes and don't actually predict that another similar thing will take off in the future.

--

Go to AO3's tag search. Search for all canonical fandom tags. Sort by uses and descending order.

Right now, I get 64,390 tags.

The first page, 50 tags, goes from HP with 497,845 works to the Thor movies with 59,266 works. By page 6, we're below 10 thousand works.

By the end of page 10, we're down to Labyrinth with 3,906.

Somewhere in the top 500 AO3 fandom tags (many of which are just franchise metatags for each other), we go all the way from megafandoms to medium size and down to relatively modest ones.

That's not a lot of room for a big f/f-heavy fandom given the trends in mainstream media and that mainstream media is where most really big fandoms come from.

--

I also notice that you're conflating a lack of desire to watch something that's primarily about women with a lack of desire to watch something that includes women.

There are tons of fans who want something more like The Mummy with a leading man and leading woman they love.

Granted, that's not me and that's not a lot of my fujoshi/slasher audience, but it's extraordinarily common. I know plenty of people who don't like canons that are only dudes, but since they also don't like canons that are only ladies and they don't ship f/f, this gets spun into "fandom hates women".

--

Let me be clear:

Conflating "lesbians" and "women" is a radfem position.

[redwhiteandbruised]

mobile-friendly rules

BASIC INFO

❔ tracking #redwhiteandbruised

❔ semi-private:  aka mostly mutuals only; very happy to meet new folks to rp with.

❔ exclusivity:  not happening, don’t ask for it.

❔ multi-muse, side & personal journals:  i will usually not follow you back if you run a multi-muse blog/rp from a personal; i need to limit dash clutter in order to be able to focus (thanks, ADD + autism). i’m happy to rp with multiple & side blogs, but I will not RP with personals.

❔ crossovers:  limited to what i know; please check with me first. if we’ve written together a lot and have a rapport, i’m way more likely to jump into things i’m not as familiar with for you.

❔ cut your replies:  please cut your replies & repost asks as new posts when replying. (cuts aren’t the same as readmores; happy to explain if needed.)

❔  you must have rules or, at the very least, your age stated somewhere on your blog. i will always read your rules before interacting, and i ask that you please do the same.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

❕  est 31 March 2016

❕  strictly 21+. non-mature themes only if you are 18 or over; i will not rp with anyone under 18 years old, no exceptions, regardless of content & your geographical location’s ‘legal age.’ please have your age somewhere on your blog; ‘mun is 18+’ is fine; ‘mun is of legal age’ means nada (fun fact: legal age can be anything from 12-25 depending on your country).

❕ safe space:  staunchly inclusive. i make a point of avoiding ableist or bigoted language and terminology. please come talk to me in chat or send an ask and tell me if i screw up.

❕ triggers:  i will tag genuine triggers when asked (please don’t conflate squicks with triggers). triggers will be tagged ‘triggerything tw’ or ‘triggerything cw’.

❕ formatting:  usually small text +/- 100x100 icon, sometimes with light formatting; will try to match your style. if you need any special formatting to make it easier for you to read (ie unformatted large font etc), lemme know.

❕ pre-established relationships:  sure, once discussed.

❕ readmores:  used for explicit dubcon/noncon content, common triggers, & graphic nsfw.

❕ memes:  love ‘em! send me as many as you like, as often as you like, and as many prompts as you want from a multi-prompt meme. i do my best to observe reblog karma but don’t expect you to; it’s all good.

❕ open posts:  for mutuals new & old; i don’t mind how many people have already replied or how ancient the open is. i’ll generally repost your reply in a new post with my reply to make it easier to track. let me know if you’d like something different.

❕ shipping:  multiship; not ship exclusive. shipping is dependent wholly on muse interaction and never guaranteed. james has a complex, traumatic past & is not going to have an easy time with his sexuality in canon verses. he may not always be aware of his own sexuality; in verses that he is, he will generally identify as bisexual. he may or may not be open to poly setups depending on verse. nsfw threads aren’t going to be that common and will generally, though not always, fade to black. happy to discuss. note: 616-verse stucky is not going to happen. mcu stucky is great.

YES PLEASE

✅  duplicates, multiple ‘canon’ realities, AUs, cross-fandom, What Ifs

✅  crossovers, especially within Marvel & DC

✅  AUs: love, love, love. give me your tropey coffee shop au; better yet, give me your research-worthy ww1 au, time-travel au, etc. i’m utter trash for sentinel!verse (and if you don’t know what that is, come at me).

✅  plot-development, complex characterization

✅  conscious, intentional, creative abuse of grammar/syntax

✅  any gender identity/lack thereof; sexual orientation/lack thereof; neurodivergent characters; disabled characters

✅  LGBT+, non-cis/het, POC, or other minority versions of canonically white cis straight Christian etc characters

✅  female versions of canonically (cis)male characters

✅  dark, edgy, angsty themes up to and including psychological & physical torture, abuse, & character death

✅  complex & conscientious portrayals of trauma and mental health issues

NO THANKS

❎  self-insertion &/or only looking for nsfw

❎  pages of ooc

❎  pages of graphic porn

❎  you rp nothing but smut of a variety that squicks me, such as (below) and don’t put it behind readmores:

1) A/B/O, especially if it involves ‘mating’/'breeding’, pregnancy

2) BDSM that uses an abundance of misogynistic language like 'slut/whore’; 'daddy/mommy’ themes; pet play; romanticizing unhealthy abusive relationships ('50 Shades of Nope’ comes to mind) by framing them as consensual BDSM. (note: mun is active in the BDSM scene, so please do bring on your consensual kinks)

❎  consistent grammar/spelling errors (happy to help)

❎  lots of family/baby/child content

❎  'child of’/'sibling of’ & non-canon family member/friend characters

❎  anthropomorphic, furry, or 'real people’ characters

❎  Supernatural, Dr Who, or anime crossovers

❎  gatekeeping, canon-snobbery, constant negativity

❎ erasure of any minority group (ie male versions of canonically female characters; suspiciously white FCs for canonically POC characters, etc)

If you feel like it, send me your favourite trope as a way of letting me know you’ve read these. I’m not going to ask for any sort of specific symbol, codeword, etc to prove it, but I will presume you have and act accordingly. If you feel compelled to acknowledge any specific parts that jump out at you or query something that doesn’t sit right with you, we’ll probably be bffs.

[thejenesaisquoigirl]

DnD Ask Meme- Talise

Link to original, blank meme: https://thejenesaisquoigirl.tumblr.com/post/186529464305/dnd-asks More about my tiefling swashbuckler under the cut~!

1) What would they consider to be their biggest failure?

Oof. Maybe not being able to save her family, or at least her sister-in-law and nephew. Maybe her (former) deep reliance on alcohol once her memories started coming back. Trauma is a motherfucker

2) What’s the story behind their name?

When I first went to grad school visit days at my current institution two years ago, there was another person interviewing with a name that sounded similar. Really loved it and added on LaPearl for her alias’ last name (for her eyes). Her birth name is my Warden from Dragon Age Origins (Hozanna Cousland, only more french) since the backstory shares a lot of similarities. 

3) What’s their relationship with their family?

When she was Hosanna, very close. They all loved learning (though maybe different things), the people in their city, and each other. She was closest to her brother, Yanis, despite their age difference. She felt adrift after losing them and finding Yanis has upset any equilibrium she was finding. 

4) What’s one song that describes them or is them?

The cover of Rise that Superfruit did on their channel

5) Who is their best friend?

Yanis was her best friend growing up; the years after losing him were rough but she was working towards a place of resignation...then they found him alive. As Talise, it’s super weird because yes, her brother used to be able to embarrass her in her previous life; but now, it’s the first time she’s ever felt shame. Hosanna, while sharing a small flair for the dramatic, was a very different person than Talise was crafted to be. But in the party, Jax is the closest to a best friend. 

6) Why are they their class?

 She was reincarnated by a coast druid, and it was only natural to join a crew due to not remembering her past right away. Her previous skill with dueling with a rapier mixed with her familiarity with locks led to her embellishing her new self into the type of sailor one would find in a storybook. 

7) What do they think of their party members?

She feels distinct lines in the sand amongst the party. At first, said lines seemed only about their sleeping habits (there was no other way the rooming arrangements could have shaken out and everyone live). But now, it feels very much like two separate factions working together. Separately: Q- she’s terrified of everything she does being in that book, and she has a hard time wrestling with his innocent naiveté when it reminds her of who she used to be. Briony- Not used to being around women in a strictly friendship sense, but is happy for her presence so Q has someone of a similar maturity. Braxton- He’s rarely there. Annoyed yet darkly amused when he takes point with trap checking and lock-picking; annoyed because she assumes he believes himself an expert in everything (maybe due to him being slightly misogynistic)...amused because she's better and it’s funny to watch him fail due to his own hubris. Jax- They instinctually understand each other. It’s complicated but in a good way as she thinks the world of him. Caspian- Like recognizes like but she feels they have different motivations behind collecting information...and it’s hard for her to move beyond a betrayal of trust. She does enjoy bantering with him and sharing a penchant for innuendo.

8) In what ways are they similar to you?

Insightful, observant, curious, collector of knowledge, has two sides to protect her softness

9) In what ways are they different from you?

Unashamed in the way she moves through the world, unabashedly flirtatious and teasing, confident, how she copes with things (tends to be physical indulgences), seeing trust as black and white, unafraid of confrontation or large birds

10) What do they look for in a romantic partner, if they have a romantic orientation?

She’s super pan and attracted to interesting people. She loves those who keep her guessing and have layers she can explore without ever becoming bored. With a lot of hidden quirks, they need to be fine in indulging her intense love for museums or sleeping in until the latest time possible. Because of stuff that happened in her past, she needs someone who she feels safe with and who can handle that baggage. Someone who can keep up with her banter but who can be soft with her; she wants an equal partner and not someone who she has to take the reins from all the time. So confidence, intelligence, depth, strength, compassion. 

11) If they had a patronus or animagus form, what would it be?

Ooooooooo....idk. Maybe a panther animagus? Something that slinks around with confidence but can be very soft. Patronus would be a cat like Talis or a hippogriff like Fantôme...or a peafowl.

12) What do they smell like?

The ocean and "oriental” notes with hints of coconut and citrus. Someone who has sailed the coastline would have had the opportunity to collects lots of sachets of things to scent their clothing along with various oils, etc which lends itself to the “oriental” perfume family.

13) What is their secret skill?

Sketching/drawing. She’s intensely private about it; but has charcoal, pencils, and a sketchbook in her pack that’s rather like a diary.  

14) What is their relationship to spirituality?

Non-existent save for some superstitions. Hosanna was religious but not superstitious; Talise reversed it as she had a hard time retaining her faith in anything.

15) If they were to be remembered for something, what would they want to be remembered for?

NOT for what happened in her previous life, unless that remembrance served the greater good. She’d just like to be remembered, in general, rather than lost to lines in a book. She wants people to speak kindly of her and the small amount of goodness she’s put into the world.

16) Why did they become an adventurer?

Chance meeting in Dolcino when she was taking a break from sailing haha And news of Yanis came up on their travels so she had to see it through.

17) What’s one thing about their backstory that came to you after you already started playing the campaign?

One notable thing--hadn’t even thought about her being an alcoholic (sober now) until making her playlist. For some reason, “Chandelier” kept coming up and it had to have been a sign because it’s deepened her in ways I wasn’t expecting. Also her tattoos. And her not being a morning person xD

18) Do you have any headcanons for them that haven’t come up in game? Or headcanons for other party members?

Absolutely. Her tattoos and why she has them (only one person in the party has probably seen them); what drove her to her alcoholism; and her sketching. Other party members: Q- that he has tried to teach some magic to Quirrel enough times that Quirrel can mimic the somatic components of some spells; that he’s instantly awake in the mornings with a pep in his step. Briony- that she genuinely doesn’t know or understand how privileged she is and so makes statements about some type of princess-y thing she thinks is normal but is very much not. Jax- he has Talise braid his hair before sleeping because it’s more effective than a ponytail in keeping it neat at night; he quietly chats with Francis when he needs to think through things weighing on his mind; he keeps a tiny, secret notebook to make notes to himself on things he remembers, things he enjoys, etc. Caspian- when he reads dialogue he really likes in books, he’ll speak it aloud until he figures out the exact voice for the character so he can use it for later; 

19) Any ships with your character? If a PC or NPC, what interaction launched it?

She’s the first character in a LONG time I legit ship with another PC. Whether it becomes romantic or remains platonic (it’s not just up to me or Talise), Jax is the most significant person in her life–excluding her brother. They just got each other from day one and they seem to be the only ones able to easily talk to the other, even when the subject is difficult. The canon you created about her feeling safe with Jax is 100% true; ever since Before, she has a hard time sleeping around other people but she trusts him enough to even share a bed…and he’s the only one with whom she would never be anything but truthful. At their core, they are people reinventing themselves after tragedy but don’t know if they’re doing it right. But Jax makes Talise feel it’s alright to be who she authentically is rather than acting the part she’s written for herself; and to find joy again in the things from her past. The ship’s legit launch was after their serious conversation about “equivalent exchange” in relationships (about Caspian) and has since been buoyed by all their side chats + interactions. “…are you just going to stare at me?” “Until you’re ready.”

20) What would your character consider their biggest success? Or what is your favorite success your character has had so far?

Finding her brother and beginning to reconcile Hosanna with Talise. My favorite success was that conversation mentioned above...or successfully surprising characters and peeps with her backstory drops.