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1dmonthlyficroundup · 3 years ago

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1D Monthly Fic Roundup

Hi, and welcome to the 1D Monthly Fic Roundup for August 2021! Below you’ll find 23 One Direction fics that were all published this month in the order they were submitted to the blog. We hope you’ll check out these new fics! If you would like to submit your own fic, please check this post on how to submit or visit our blog @1dmonthlyficroundup.

Happy reading!

He Carries The Key by @lululawrence

[Niall/Louis, OT5, 8k, Not Rated, tumblr post]

Niall was mostly home, ready for a shower and a chat with Louis, when suddenly Niall was flooded with emotions from the pack bond.Shock. Surprise. Confusion.But mostly fear.Something was wrong with Louis.

Plus One by mynameispiaivy / @missrefridgefreetorator

[Louis/Luke Malak, 3k, Mature, tumblr post]

Louis is invited to an event and he has to bring a "plus one".

Better Mistakes by lovelarry10 / @chloehl10

[Harry/Louis, 117k, Explicit, tumblr post]

“Look, this doesn’t have to be the end of the world-”

“Oh but it fucking is,” Louis said, shaking his head. “How the fuck am I going to tell Matt I’m pregnant with a baby when we’ve not had sex in months? He might be a bit thick sometimes, but he is gonna know there’s no chance this baby is his.”

“You don’t have to, uh, tell him it’s mine, right?”

Louis scoffed. “Why, are you scared he’s gonna come and kick the shit out of you?”

“He wishes,” Harry laughed, looking back down at the test. “Shit, I … I can’t believe this. Louis, I didn’t mean for this. Honestly. It was just sex for me. We have great sex, and I didn’t see why I should have to turn that down, not when you clearly wanted it as much as I did. I didn’t want this to end in a baby.”

Louis knows he shouldn’t be sleeping with his boyfriend’s enemy. He knows that. But there’s something that draws him back to Harry over and over again. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan...

Thou, Sun, Art Half As Happy by @lululawrence

[Louis/Harry/Nick Grimshaw, 7k, Not Rated, tumblr post]

Hello, I’m sorry if this isn’t a post that is allowed on this channel, but I was hoping for the best since it is regarding a photography project I’m working on at the moment. I’m working on a set of sunrise kiss photos and therefore am needing a willing kissing partner. I’d hoped to be able to provide one for myself, but it hasn’t panned out, so here I am! I was hoping to find someone here, since I know most of you (at least peripherally) and can generally vouch for you not being creeps. Plus this way I know you will understand needing to continue to tweak the camera settings and reshoots etc that others might not.

Anyway, I’m looking for someone who identifies as male or male-ish (sorry, ladies) who is between the ages of 18 and 40. I’m a 29 year old male-ish myself, for those who would like to know before replying.

If you’re interested and are free the early morning of August 7th and would like to kiss in the sunrise with me for the sake of some (hopefully) interesting and fun photos, let me know via DM and I’ll give you the location.

OR the one where Louis needs a kissing partner, two show up, and it all might turn out for the best that way.

call my name and save me from the dark by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed / we_are_the_same

[Louis/Harry, 4k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

“I don’t know if it was a nightmare,” he confesses to the ceiling, the darkness making it easier to speak up even when he still has to close his eyes to stop himself from tearing up. “It feels more like a memory. But it can’t be.”

Harry shifts, and Louis can feel his chin perched on his chest, doesn’t need to look at him to know that Harry’s studying him. “Why?” He prompts, when Louis doesn’t immediately continue, and Louis swallows, tries to shrug off the apprehension, the fear that Harry will think that he’s gone mad.

“Because I heard them pronounce me dead.”

Feels like home by @neondiamond

[Louis/Harry, 2k, Explicit, tumblr post]

Louis comes home from work with an exciting surprise. Daydreaming and celebrations ensue.

this is my jam by @disgruntledkittenface

[Harry/Louis, 4k, Mature, tumblr post]

The guy’s eyes are so blue that Harry can’t tear his gaze away, even as he moves to the beat. The searing light shade is magnetic; he finds himself leaning in and yelling, “This is my jam!” only to earn a laugh from thin pink lips that Harry’s definitely going to be dreaming about tonight.

“Your jam?”

When the guy yells back over the music, his blue eyes sparkling and his lips twisted in a smirk, Harry’s chest literally puffs out with pride at earning his attention. His obvious approval. Tongue-tied, Harry nods and closes his eyes as he lets go, the music reverberating around them. All of the usual inhibitions that keep him in the corner at parties fall away and he bounces around the center of the dance floor, waving his arms above his head. Somehow his towel stays on, even as he starts to think he wouldn’t mind if it fell off. Fuck it. He finally made it here, he’s damn well going to enjoy it.

Harry goes to a gay bathhouse for the first time. 90s AU.

I Know My Arithmedick (2 + 2 = 4sum) by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

[Harry/Louis + Louis/multiple partners, 3k, Explicit, tumblr post]

Harry wants to watch Louis fuck someone else. Louis loves giving Harry what he wants. It’s simple math, really.

doG…and his friend by @uhoh-but-yeah-alright / yeah_alright

[Louis/Harry, 3k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

When Joan has to move out of her small, nice home and in with a random roommate, she obviously brings her dog/boyfriend, Doug, with her.

Doug makes a friend. And maybe more.

I Heard You Talking by @lululawrence

[Louis/Harry, 10k, Not Rated, tumblr post]

It had been an hour of their noise that Louis had been dealing with, and for some reason the fact that these grown men were being this rowdy in the quiet carriage over a game of Uno was the breaking point for him. He stood up and turned around, making his way down to where the group of five were somehow gathered around a table.

Louis stopped at the table and cleared his throat, mouth open and ready to politely request they keep it down when the man who was sitting with his back to Louis turned.

He was stunningly gorgeous.

Blinking a ridiculous number of times in an attempt to pull himself together, Louis coughed and spit out, “This is the quiet carriage.”

God, he was nearly forty and that was the best he could do in front of a set of pretty, green eyes?

Or the one where Harry is famous and Louis doesn't have a clue. Good thing his son is able to help him out.

All That You Need by @haztobegood

[Louis/Harry, 2k, Explicit, tumblr post]

Pre-heat was always one of Harry’s favorite times to spend with Louis. It was a time to rest up and indulge in extra cuddles, like basking in a ray of sunshine before having to dive off the deep end. Louis lavishes him with tender touches and soft kisses. Harry wants to savor this time as long as possible. The unquenchable need will come later, but for now, his desires are simple. He just needed to be closer to his alpha. As close as possible.

sickly sweet fonding by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

[Louis/Harry, 1k, General, tumblr post]

A few members of their crew start piling up the dirty dishes and taking them over to the sink. Harry walks around the cameras, and smiles brightly at Louis.

“What do you think, Lou? Do I have it in the bag?”

Louis eyes a bowl of bright pink lumpy batter being cleaned from Harry’s side. “Of course you do.” He wraps an arm around Harry’s waist and steers him away, all while ignoring the dramatic gagging Niall is doing. He doesn’t think it’s just the batter making Niall gag.

or the one where Louis fonds over Harry's horrible baking skills

Fractured Moonlight by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

[Louis/Harry, 1k, Mature, tumblr post]

Louis huffs because he doesn’t want to deal with this. “Listen, I appreciate your concern.” He doesn’t. “But it’s not your duty to look after the sad man at the bar. Okay?”

'Ere comes the milk by stretchmybones / @onlyfor-thegays

[Harry/Louis, 1k, Explicit]

Louis is obsessed with Harry's mommy milkers.

everything comes back to you by stretchmybones / @onlyfor-thegays

[Louis/Harry, 8k, Explicit]

Harry and Louis are childhood best friends. What happens when Harry has to move towns just as they are starting their secondary gender presentations? What happens when fate brings them back together years later in the most unexpected of ways?

He Still Takes My Breath Away by @parmahamlarrie

[Harry/Louis, 32k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

Camp Infinity is the perfect place for a lot of things; hiking, swimming, sports, eating, and falling in love. Harry Styles is a bit too familiar with the last one from his years of being a camper. This year things will be different. He’s 21, a grown man now, and ready to see Camp Infinity from a different point of view; working as a lifeguard. However, his whole summer turns upside down when a familiar British lad makes his return into Harry's life.Or the one where Harry is a lifeguard and Louis is the head of recreation. And, sometimes, you just need a little push to realize what was right in front of you the whole time.

Also known as – The Summer Camp Fic

tread lightly on my ground by fairytalelights / @lookslikefairytale

[Louis/Harry, 20k, Explicit, tumblr post]

No, that's the tragic part of this, the part that makes Harry feel like the universe is playing a cruel joke on him. The father of his baby is exactly right, exactly who he always imagined himself having kids with. He just imagined them married, bonded. Happy. He didn't imagine them barely talking, tip-toeing around each other because neither of them is brave enough to talk about what happened between them. He didn't imagine the father of his child not loving him back.

or, the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

Getting a Head for Heights by @ladyaj-13 / LadyAJ_13

[Louis/Greg James, 3k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

The problem is, Louis thinks Greg would be quite good to date, so it would really help if everyone would stop reminding him of that fact so he could unthink it. He’d be a gentleman, at least until Louis talked him out of it, and he’s funny and nice and hot and they’re both into music and football and drama. He’s also a freakish giant of a human, and the problem with dating is that sooner or later you have to stand next to each other.

We Go Together (series) by @beelou / cherrylarry

[Louis/Harry, 3k, General, tumblr post]

A grease au

Hot Boy Summer (series) by @louisandtheaquarian / zita17

[Harry/Louis, 35k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

Louis is an overworked bartender hoping to save up enough extra tips to buy a new air conditioner before he literally melts during a scorching NYC heat wave. Harry is the new neighbor that wakes him up by moving in his sole day off at 6am. An NYC enemies to neighbors to lovers AU featuring a rickety fire escape, the 2021 Euros, Lirry bickering like a divorced couple, and enough OT5 clichés to rot your teeth. (If Harry's pastries don't get them first.)

across the river is where my heart is by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

[Louis/Harry, 8k, General, tumblr post]

The first time they see each other is when they are toddlers, playing out in the yard. Louis remembers sitting on the perfectly trimmed lawn and getting yelled at for picking at the soft blades of grass; she remembers looking over, across the narrow but deep and wild river, and watching another little girl, out in a different garden, picking flowers for her mother.

She remembers carefully raising her hand and waving—her little heart beating hard in her chest, as if she had done something dangerous, something forbidden, even though back then she could not understand the true divide the River made amongst them.

bright eyes, blue denim by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

[Louis/Harry, 2k, General, tumblr post]

Louis' favourite jeans have suddenly disappeared from where he always got them. Harry is a store manager with an affinity for customer care, particularly when the customer has bright blue eyes and happens to be very flirty.

whatever you feel like doing in this moment by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

[Harry/Louis, 2k, General, tumblr post]

Louis gets all that he's ever wanted during his favourite game at their group's weekly improv show.

#28th appreciation #tracksintheam #trackinghome #trackinghappily #1dsource #one direction fan fic

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destielfanfic · 4 years ago

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Unofficial Rec Bulletin #174, Promo Edition, November -December, 2020

Hello guys! The show is over and we all hoped for some peace when we are done, but alas. 15x18 invigorated fandom and caused a creative outburst like nothing before. Season 16 is here and we all are winging it. Destielfanfic is bringing back our retired Unofficial Rec Bulletin to keep track of and to promote the latest fanndom events.

Contents

Fandom promos

Favorite Destiel Fic Survey (submission deadline December 31, 2020)

@destieltropecollection‘s Trope Voting (deadline December 24, 2020)

DeanCas Big Bang 2020

How Supernatural Buried Its Gays documentary by @some-people-call-it-tragic

They call us .... destihellers.

@destieldailynews

Destielfanfic stuff

15x18 coda fic rec list Happiness Isn’t In The Having

Destiel Fic Starter Pack

bartender Dean rec list

My First Destiel Fic survey

Fandom Promos

The annual Favorite Destiel Fic Survey held by destiel fic writer @unforth is taking place right now and will be accepting submissions till December 31, 2020. This survey is geared towards discovering less known fics. Every submission counts, every submitted fic will be added to The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection on AO3 which contains more than 2400 fics and 550 bookmarks that were chosen by destiel readers in previous surveys. Check out this vast collection of popular vote fic!

There’s still time to cast your vote for your favorite fanfic trope in Trope Voting 2020 organized by @destieltropecollection

The one and only, the oldest destiel fanfic challenge DeanCas Big Bang 2020 organized by @deancasbigbang finished posting it’s 2020 round. Check out their Master List here on tumblr or wander off to DCBB 2020 collection on AO3.

How Supernatural Buried Its Gays by @some-people-call-it-tragic - a fan documentary born out of spite, made by a fan for all destiel fans. It features video clips from destiel fans sharing their experience about the show.

They call us .... destihellers. They meant to insult, we took it back. 2020 will be the year when destiel fandom reclaimed the insult destiheller and started wearing it with pride. We are all hellers now. We also have art and an entry in Urban Dictionary. ;)

to help fandom to keep up with all new episodes of season 16, a new blog was born to check all the facts - @destieldailynews. Give them a follow!

Destielfanfic stuff

Happiness Isn’t In The Having - 15x18 coda fic rec list. Castiel’s confession inspired destiel writers to pour their hearts and souls into writing coda fics and this floodgate has not been closed yet. This rec list is just a small sample of hundreds upon hundreds of coda fics. I’m planning on posting at least one more coda rec list for 15x20, just give me time guys.

Destiel Fic Starter Pack was created to help new fans to get around destiel fic and I’m absolutely floored by the love and attention it is getting. After 15x18 our blog is experiencing a hike in new follows and we are happy to welcome everyonne. You can learn more about the history of this blog by going through our Seasons Change tag.

for absolutely no reason whatsoever I wanted to mention that we have a bartender Dean fic rec list Living That Dream which was recently updated with a fic about a bar owner and brewer Dean W. who brews new beers and names them after Castiel. No reason to mention it at all! Also, check out our Group Asks #185 and #186. Quite a few lost fics have been found!

My First Destiel Fic survey - a fun little project where every destiel fan is welcome to share their first destiel fic experience. See this post for submission rules and check out this tag for all relevant posts! All submissions will will be posted, starting tomorrow.

#destiel #unofficial rec bulletin #destiel 2020 #destielfanficnet #the usual disclaimer #destielfanfic is not affiliated with any people #mentioned in fandom promo section

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destieldailynews · 4 years ago

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Valentine's Day at the Roadhouse - A Recap

February 14-16, 2021

By @desperately-human

TL:DR

Actors Chad Linberg (Ash) and Samantha Ferris (Ellen) made tweets to role play a Valentine’s Day celebration at the Roadhouse. Several of their comments seemed to be suggesting that they would celebrate the wedding of Dean and Cas, and fans took this idea and ran with it. On the fourteenth, fans held their own celebration across social media platforms by joyfully sharing writing, art, headcanons, and memes, getting #DeanCasWedding trending in the process. Ferris and Lindburg did not roleplay a wedding, and both actors became defensive when the subject was brought up, stating that holding a gay wedding would fail to “uphold the integrity & spirit of the show” and that they had never suggested anything else. Fans were hurt and frustrated by these responses, as well as Lindburg’s liking of a post that claimed Destiel supporters have been “gaslighting the rest of the fandom for 10+ years.” Other people associated with the Supernatural community including actor Kat Ramdeen, writer Eric Charmelo, and the official account for Stands merchandising, responded to fans in a more positive way.

A more detailed account of events, including source links, is located below the cut.

Our post on the Roadhouse reopening

link to Chad Lindburg's twitter

link to Samantha Ferris's twitter

If you want to join us in commemorating Dean and Castiel’s wedding, submit fanworks using the guidelines provided here. (Deadline extended to February 28th, 2021)

Follow @destieldailynews and turn on our notifications for more SPN updates

Last week, actors Chad Linberg (Ash) and Samantha Ferris (Ellen) announced their decision to roleplay a Valentine’s day celebration at the Roadhouse. Lindburg and Ferris had already successfully liveblogged a birthday party for Dean Winchester on January 24 and the reopening of the Roadhouse bar on February 10 (Kat Ramdeen also rp-d this event.) (1)

Both Ferris and Lindburg mentioned “wedding season” in their posts, which piqued fan interest, and fans latched on to the idea that they might be planning a Deancas wedding. This theory was further supported by Lindburg’s own interactions with fans: [this one might be too confusing: at one point, he failed to like--or possibly liked and then quickly unliked, a tweet that read “don't like this reply if a deancas wedding is gonna happen at the roadhouse” (2). He directed fans with ‘questions’ to an account who was a public destiel shipper (3) He also responded to a tweet reading “people think you guys are celebrating a Destiel wedding, that isn’t the case of course.” with “Um no sorry...you did NOT get the memo” (4)

On February 14 #DeanCasWedding trended on twitter as fans across the world staged their own, fan-created celebration by joyfully sharing writing, art, headcanons, and memes. Ferris and Lindburg wrote innocuous Roadhouse update tweets all day long, including a sequence where Lindburg got in a fight with Elvis, and concluding with the partial destruction of the Roadhouse by unknown forces. No mention was made of the wedding by either actor.

However, partway through Monday February 15, Ferris and Lindburg began addressing questions as to why they had hinted they would hold a wedding and then not followed through.

Chad Lindburg responded that he never intended to imply that he would hold a Deancas wedding, and issued this statement.

“Yes, among other things, the Roadhouse does “weddings.” I had NO idea this would be taken out of context..If you thought you were sold something else, you weren't...this was a way to bring people together and have fun. State your views, however, I’ll be blocking any rude or nastiness today.”(5)

Lindburg did go on to block multiple twitter users who tried to engage with him on this topic. Over the next few days, Lindburg’s tweets ranged from attempts to validate fan’s feelings, such as “No one is delusional. You're all validated. Remember, we're all just having fun with our imaginations. And actually, the Fandom has just as much weight as the actors. It goes both ways. We can't have one without the other. We're grateful for all of you.” (6) to hostile, such as replying “Thank you [hands clasped emoji]” to a tweet that read “Ironically the ones complaining about being gaslit by you are the ones that have been gaslighting the rest of the fandom for 10+ years.” (7)

Samantha Ferris responded that they would never hold a DeanCas wedding because Supernatural is “a story about family, bonds, and supernatural power struggles. The direction has never included sexuality or romance” and that she believed that her and Lindburg’s “role is to uphold the integrity & spirit of the show” and that “it would be disrespectful to all the people who tried to tell this tale if we validated it [the Deancas relationship]” (8) Her full tweets on the matter read,

“Ima say this once then move on. @ChadLindberg & I can’t follow you down that road. As part of the storyline, our role is to uphold the integrity & spirit of the show: it’s a story about family, bonds, and supernatural power struggles. The direction never included sexuality or romance. That was never what it was supposed to be about. So to honour the cast, crew, and creators, we respect their intentions. You wanna create your side story? Go for it. But it would be disrespectful to all the people who tried to tell this tale if we validated it…”

Ferris and Lindburg have continued to roleplay their Roadhouse updates, although they have both lost followers in fan interest after the events of this week.

Other people associated with the spn community responded more positively: Writer Eric Charmelo responded to the wedding posting by liking #DeancasWedding fanart (9). Actor Kat Ramdeen (Alex) tweeted on Valentine’s day

“I love you #SPNFamily I see you”

accompanied by a rainbow heart and a Social justice Pride Flag made up of hearts (10). Stands, a company that sells fandom merchandise made in collaboration with the actors and gives a portion of proceeds to charity, sent out these two supportive tweets in response to the drama in the Supernatural community

“I’ve just caught up and I’m sorry y’all are having a rough go. I love you. <3” (11)

and

“It’s so rare I’m actually mad but to be clear- absolutely no one gets to define how you experience something you love. Just go on with your bad selves and enjoy the things that make you happy. As if the last two years haven’t been shit enough. Seize your moments, ignore the rest” (12)

our post on roadhouse reopening

link to Chad Lindburg's twitter

link to Samantha Ferris's twitter

If you want to join us in commemorating Dean and Castiel’s wedding, submit fanworks using the guidelines provided here. (Deadline extended to February 28th, 2021)

#destiel daily news #february 14th #valentine's day #the roadhouse #chad lindberg #samantha ferris #deancas wedding #kat ramdeen #stands #eric charmelo #recap

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lilshotgun · 4 years ago

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So here's why i've been inactive for the past couple months on tumblr:

As many of you know, I've been a fairly avid content creator for the warrior nun fandom creating a ton of content for free. I joined a Warrior Nun discord server named Future Warrior Nuns (which is a ridiculous name considering in the show Ava says there will be no more warrior nuns but that's besides the point) and the treatment I received there was amazing. At the beginning. I spoke up about racism and injustices within the community because you cannot escape it anywhere unfortunately and I believed I'd found a community that would protect me and be there for me if i was ever faced with racism or hate.

For clarity, anyone in blue is a moderator. As you go on to read this their usernames and profile images might change so I’ll clarify who is who. I’ll only be using the names I’ve been presented with and only the ones that are most relevant to the situation.

Fiesta (white American cis woman) aka Doesn't Kelly, Witch Rhyme

Taz (white Australian cis woman)

Milan (a very sheltered American transmasculine poc whos uncomfortable talking about racism because they've never had to deal with it) aka Who The Fuck Is Kelly

Rory (white Australian cis woman) aka Stronger Kelly

But after a while, things slowly started to change. It was subtle and if you hadn't been there from the beginning, you wouldn't have noticed. It started with the moderators spending less time in the server because they had made many of their own servers and spent far more time over there. Which is understandable when you’re a group of friends that all have a common purpose. But the lack of leadership was palpable. I had to sometimes direct fellow server members to proper channels or do a few other things that were supposed to be things that the moderators were supposed to take care of and their lack of care for the server was becoming more relevant. If you were in their little group of friends or kissed their ass then they wouldn't target you unnecessarily.

Exactly three weeks later, (and only one week after my birthday in which everyone was super sweet and nice to me) the love and friendship they claimed to have for me vanished completely. For context, people in positions of power, especially in a server, should be people you can come to if you ever have an issue with anything or anyone. They should also be people that can come to terms with admitting their behavior was incorrect when being told so. So here is what happened:

I have always been open about being a transmasculine person of color on all my platforms, and if you know me on any platform you know that. The behavior shown here between me and the moderators was absolutely appalling to me. They pushed my voice aside and only acknowledged Narcissa, a cis white woman, who was agreeing and saying the same things i had because i had asked her in private to help me out because i felt it was unfair that two server moderators were coming at me so aggressively.

As you can see from the screenshots, they claimed that I attacked Fiesta when i was simply pointing out that her behavior was hypocritical and unfair especially because she is in a position of power and that's something people of power should be aware of.

I was the only one brave enough to say what everyone was thinking. And that's something I have always taken pride in. Speaking up for others when they are too scared to do so themselves. And that was shown through multiple people coming into my dms to tell me they either felt the same way I did or they felt the way I was treated in the conversation above was unfair. This next screenshot is from a private message from a former manager.

Narcissa (white cis woman) received a few apologies from the server managers privately, yet my dms stayed vacant. At this point, they made a “public apology” towards everyone in the server which I forgot to screenshot, and not a single server manager reached out to me in private. But they did share these in the server for everyone to see:

They then opened an anonymous feedback form for us to share if we had any issues privately, which of course, I did, and so I filled it out saying “wheres my fucking apology ~king” so they would know exactly who the response was coming from. I was angry and hurt that they treated me the way they did. I regretted wording it like that almost instantly after sending it. But the deed was done and it was unchangeable. And not too long after, this was posted publicly in the server feedback channel so that everyone in the server could see:

Whether I shared that it was from me or not, she violated the server moderators unanimous statement saying that everything posted in the feedback form would stay anonymous and made my response public using the excuse that me sharing my name made it okay for her to show it to everyone. I was also being informed by other people I’m friends with that the forms that were being submitted were not staying anonymous and that they were being shared from other moderators privately in other peoples' dms.

I stuck around in the server because the people that I had formed friendships with were there and they were special to me and I wanted to be able to talk to them still in spite of everything that had happened to me up until this point. I was much more subdued at this point, I was posting less art and as you noticed I practically disappeared from twitter as well.

My love for Warrior Nun was decreasing rapidly because the environment had become so toxic and unwelcoming that I felt scared to say much in the server in fear of being banned after seeing one of my trans poc friends banned for saying hi to another member. They had been looking for a reason to ban him for being on my side instead of theirs and apparently found the “perfect” excuse. They deleted his messages and claimed in their private admin channel that he had harassed someone in the server without screenshotting the false evidence first. How do I know this? Because I had a person on the team that valued me as a person instead of as a content creator and what I could give to the server.

I proceeded to curate the server for what fit me best, considering the ridiculous number of channels they created that had nothing to do with the show at this point. And there was an option for members to do that so I used the tools they had provided with and opted out of channels I no longer wanted to see. I consolidated it down to 35 out of 66 channels because some of them had no opt out option. And still, it was way more channels than I'd prefer to be in. I narrowed it down to only ships I actually cared about instead of having a bunch of channels I was never gonna read or say things in. And that's when the manager that cared about us provided me with these telling screenshots.

Why put me in “jail” over removing some roles? It may not have been explicit, but the internalized racism of putting a person of color in “jail” for curating what they wanted from a server is frankly off putting to say the least. "Implicit racism includes unconscious biases, expectations, or tendencies that exist within an individual, regardless of ill-will or any self-aware prejudices."

And what does carl bot do exactly? It logs EVERYTHING. But only if that feature is enabled. And clearly, in Future Warrior Nuns, it is.

They didn’t care about me and didn’t care that I was a consistent content creator. For lack of better words, I was one of the biggest reasons the actual part of the server that was dedicated to the show was constantly active and once I became quiet, along with a few other content creators I talked with, the activity decreased immensely. I said things here and there but that was about it. Until I was looking through their emotes. I noticed that they had trans, gay, demi, bi, aro, and ace heart emotes but the lesbian one wasnt there. Which was honestly surprising considering how much of the fandom identifies as lesbian. So I asked for it to be added and after it was, so many people were super happy because of it.

One day later i asked for more Mary emotes because they hadn’t completely brushed me off after requesting for the lesbian pride one. I noticed that Ava, the white character, had 72 animated and still emotes at the time while Mary, the black character, only had 18. And only 4 out of those were positive emotes. Here's that conversation:

I offered up my services to create Mary emotes for them considering I was an artist and content creator and it would be no issue for me at all to contribute but they declined, saying they were working on some themselves and that they would eventually add them to the server. The ones that they had created all looked terrible. They didn't know how to color correct her skin so that it wouldn't look ashy because of the filters used in the show and instead of asking for help from me, an artist of color, they simply did their own thing. And from 18 emotes, it went up to a dazzling 24.

Needless to say, the racism they claimed not to have was pretty evident at this point. It was shockingly clear that they didn’t care as much about the characters of color than they did for the white and white passing ones. After this entire debacle I didn't even bother trying to ask for more emotes for Lilith considering how warmly I was welcomed with asking for more Mary emotes.

A little less than two months after the initial incident, I still hadn’t been contacted by anyone on the admin team about absolutely anything in private. It wasn’t until people asked Fiesta if she had reached out to me or even bothered with an apology before she sent me this:

The “apology” was worthless. Too much time had passed since I was publicly humiliated and portrayed as the evil transmasculine person of color to them, and only a select few people interacted with me. I felt completely shut out because of how the admin team handled a difference of opinion. Instead of correcting themselves and admitting they were wrong, they doubled down on the intimidation and bullying by changing their rules so that they could find excuses to ban or punish anyone they felt was not on their side.

At this point, my grades were heavily declining. I was already struggling with keeping up with everything on my own due to covid and my mental disabilities. Being a victim of this racist behavior made everything worse. I couldn’t get out of bed, I was barely eating a meal a day because I had no motivation to work so I had little to no money to buy myself food. I was starving most days. And I didn’t ask my mom for help because I felt everything was my fault and that I really was in the wrong and shouldn't have said anything even though looking back at it I wasn't wrong for what I said. I had also been informed that my dad died because of covid and because of all of this stress and depression I had officially failed my classes.

This is really difficult for me to say because I’m a very private person and I hate asking for help or sharing anything about my private life, but for you to understand everything that was happening to me at the time, this is stuff you unfortunately need to know.

There’s many more things that I could say about this server but this thread is already long enough as it is and it was hard enough to write this all down. But behind closed doors, the admin team had some of the nastiest attitudes and behaviors you could’ve seen. Had they realized we had someone on their team that actually valued us and others as people, they probably would have kept their blatant ignorance and dislike towards server members hidden better. But white people like oppressing others when they know they can get away with it and this is just another sad unfortunate example that cost me and my fellow friends of color some heavy emotional and psychological damage. They did wrong and refused to acknowledge it and instead tried to find a way to ban us for not having the hivemind that they so desperately want to control everyone with. If you want to see for yourself, feel free to find a link to a discord server named Future Warrior Nuns. If you look back through their channels, you’ll find most of these conversations either gone or have many messages missing. I hope my story will help understand why I’ve been gone from tumblr for so long and i hope something like this never happens to you.

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yurimother · 6 years ago

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Top Yuri Anime Poll Results

Whether it is subtext or explicit, cute or sexy, school love or gay action thrillers I love yuri anime. These series either focus on or contain elements of female same-sex relationships. Pride month is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the best of this genre. I teamed up with OG Man of The Yuri Nation (yurination[dot] wordpress[dot] com/) and together we put out a poll asking what you thought the top yuri anime series were and over 1000 of you responded submitting almost 5000 different entries. We spent hours combing through the data, analyzing and commenting on the results and we would like to share our thoughts with all of you. Enjoy the reflections of me the yuri critic and OG the dedicated yuri fan!

These are the Top 20 Yuri Anime as voted by you

1. Bloom Into You - 692 Votes

OG: Be it East or West the YagaKimi took the world by storm. Citrus and BiY once again taking the top two spots remains unsurprising.There is something undeniably fascinating about our leading ladies consisting of an asexual slowly coming to love her senpai back but restraining herself for various reasons. The biggest one being said senpai having a deep case of self-loathing and a fear of romantic reciprocation, also for various reasons. She is like “I love you but please do not love me back”. Then there is one of the most popular “cursed” lesbians of all time in Sayaka, the fantastic adult side-couple (The world needs an anime starring lesbian adults/mothers) and the various other characters who have their own interesting tales to tell. The series absolutely deserves a spot in the Top 10 though it would not be in my personal Top 3. Oh and as Yurimother said the presentation was fantastic.Visually stunning from start to finish in my opinion. Special mention goes to the criminally underused first-person “camera”. So cool.

YuriMother: I agree with this series deserving a spot in the top ten even if not the number one slot. For me, it was good but not great. Moments such as the aforementioned adult couple as well as stellar art and a phenomenal score made this series enjoyable but they were not enough to overshine the problems of the narrative. For the love of the Yuri Goddess, this series is crying out for asexual representation but insists on carrying on with its confused romance. Enough complaining though, many people love Bloom Into You despite its faults and I agree. The characters are interesting and lovable and it manages to tell a yuri story more real and complex than the typical fluffy girl meets girl narratives.

2. Citrus - 452 Votes

YuriMother: The presence of Citrus and Bloom Into You prove two things to me, the importance of recency, as both anime aired only last year, and the sheer popularity of these series. Both had established and extremely successful manga runs which were adapted into English by the publishing masters of yuri, Seven Seas. Citrus is a contentious series, to say the least, as it includes elements of (non-blood related) incest and non-consensual actions as part of Mei and Yuzu’s “relationship.” However, if you possess the magical power to turn off the part of your brain screaming at you that those aspects are deeply problematic or if you seek a different interpretation then Citrus can be downright WONDERFUL. I actually loved this anime series for its characters, amazing animation, and salaciousness. As OG said, it is an operatic concussion of emotion (seriously everyone in the series needs therapy) but my is it fun to watch. The Citrus anime also holds a special place in my heart, as the first serious piece I ever wrote was a review for it over on Okazu (nice plug)! Citrus is certainly not for everyone but those that stuck with it and overlooked some of the problems ended up loving it.

OG: Here we are again with Citrus at #2. My thoughts on the series remains the same as in the previous two lists I discussed (the Akiba Research and goo Ranking Japan lists), overrated. Good soap opera/telenovela-esque series but my feelings on the cast are mixed (which I imagine was the writer’s intent). My main issue has always been the obstacles repeatedly challenging Yuzu and Mei’s feelings for each other instead of it focusing on “Hey. We like each other but our parents got married. What do we do? Can we keep our desires for each other in check?”. Instead it is one newcomer after another who want to eat either Yuzu or Mei and Yuzu repeatedly asking herself if she really wants robo-stepsister patties? I will give the anime adaptation credit. The story was easier to enjoy animated than drawn. It also helped that I grew up in a telenovela loving family. The characters’ actions, reactions and emotions were depicted better in the anime. I still consider the show’s greatest accomplishment being the humanization of Mei-Tron. In the manga it took a post-epilogue continuation to show readers “Hey everyone. Mei-Tron was human all along.” whereas in the anime I sensed the small bit of humanity quicker than in the manga where I continued seeing her as a block of wood with a brain up to the point where I dropped it. Harumin though is the greatest regardless of anime or manga adaptation. Bless her. Regardless of how I feel about the series I get its massive popularity. After all, were the rest of the story to get an animated continuation I would gladly pick it up...Not the manga though.

3. Sakura Trick - 342 Votes

OG: There are fans who understandably would disagree with Sakura Trick’s praise but I will always defend it and the anime as one of the very best in the genre. First off it aired at a time where animated on-screen close up kisses (specifically consensual ones) between ladies were rare. Haruka X Yuu’s relationship was believable for the most part. Even their season finale resolution, them not getting what being “in love” meant at the time, made sense though I get why it left some scratching their heads. Probably not the best “manga lure/bait” end I suppose. On the bright side Kotone X Shizuku’s story definitely did not have the two doubting their true feelings for each other. I do hope Kaede X Yuzu eventually hooked up in the manga as they too had potential to be a lovely couple.

YuriMother: Sakura Trick has no real narrative, no great insight, and offers little intellectually. As a teacher, it makes me furious, as a fan of yuri, elated. The anime is beloved for its plentiful soft service, presenting a plethora of kisses, cuddles, and awkward thigh shots (ew). However, it was one of the first anime to include this much explicit yuri service without being pornographic. All the characters were cute and fun, even if there was little in the way of development or complexity, it worked for the series. If you want something to make you think or to learn about yuri, pass over this one. But, if you want a cute and meaningless anime definitely watch it.

4. Yuru Yuri - 337 Votes

YuriMother: OG may not be a fan of Yuru Yuri but I certainly am, which is fairly obvious to anyone who observes that a solid 20% of my communications occur in the form of gifs from this series. It is hilarious, cute, and playful. Just like Sakura Trick, this anime is an easy watch with ultimately little substance. However, the part of me that is not rolling of the floor laughing every time I watch Yuru Yuri lives in a state of pained existence with the knowledge that this work of all things ended up being so popular when people are telling interesting stories about queer women and people in actual relationship that manage to still be funny and adorable while having something to say.

OG: The undisputed most mainstream friendly yuri series there is. It is also one of the funniest. My one gripe is that excluding a select few the main draw of the show besides the comedy and yuri is the ship wars, meaning (almost any girl can be shipped with each other). Not a fan of that but hey, it brought Namori the big bucks so who am I to judge? In any case not much else to add. It deserves all the adulation it gets but the free for all shipping irks me. Reminds me of how they botched Chika X Riko in the Love Live! Sunshine!! Anime. If you were going down the Riko X Yohane route from the start then why give us Chika X Riko in the first half? Ship wars yo. Tch. Hopefully I properly explained myself..

5. Kase-san and Morning Glories (Asagao to Kase-san) - 289 Votes

OG: Still wish this got a 12-13 episode anime. The glorious movie showed how much it deserves one. Whether it will happen or not remains to be seen. In any case the beauty of Kase-san X Yamada is how simple their romance is. No strings attached whatsoever. It is as straightforward as a self-proclaimed “ordinary” cutie, Yamada, having a crush on the super cool school beauty Kase-san. Said beauty is revealed to be just as “adorkable” as Yamada. The other highlight is their story not ending once they officially started dating (as is the case with many romance stories) but that being only the beginning, like real life. From then on, side-stories aside, the two biggest challenges for the two is Yamada accepting that it is okay for someone as “ordinary” as her to be the “cool babe”s girlfriend and Kase-san finding different ways to express her love/hunger for the cutie. As for the OVA, cramming the second part of the first series in an hour definitely had the downside of excluding some important moments, yes, but it at least covered some of the best moments in the manga. The first half of the story was summarized in a five-minute music video. One last thing. The animation, though a bit too brought for some, was glorious. It also had some long pauses which were effective (The bus stop scene being the most infamous) but while I did not mind them at all even I will admit some pauses went a bit too long. A small nitpick all things considered. Fingers crossed one day we either get that 12-13 episode anime for the first series, the sequel or both. That is one of my dreams.

YuriMother: At last, an anime that I do not have to react cynically to! Kase-san is one of the single greatest works of yuri animation to ever to be created and its glory is rivaled only by the manga from which it originated. Despite being only a one hour long OVA this adaption told such an engaging and realistic (finally) story of romance and personal growth. We get to skip the meatless girl meets girls arcs and get into the depth and complexity as Yamada and Kase work to further their relationship. They struggle with the fact that they are two different people who want different things out of life and love and have to actually work on their partnership. Kase-san also includes signs of physical affection and love that are never lewd, immature, or gross, I do not even think I could refer to them as “service”. However, for me, Kase-san’s greatest victory (both the anime and manga) is in its escape from school romance, which in this genre is often a shelter from reality, allowing for women to be in relationships without actually being queer. Kase and Yamada instead make an effort to continue their romance and build a life that includes their relationship once they graduate in a triumphant final act. This anime is a slap in the face to the class S stories and sloppily sexualized works which proliferate the yuri genre. Asagao to Kase-san shines as a holy beacon for the greatness that this genre can achieve.

6. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - 286 Votes

YuriMother: Hurray!! For two entries in a row, I get to talk about series that I wholeheartedly adore without having to constantly attach caveats. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not considered by all to be yuri, and that is certainly not what it is best known for. PMMM is however famous for twisting the tropes of the magical girl genre and creating one of the most cohesive and thoughtful narratives ever put to screen. This series summoned a new era for the magical girl genre (what OG humorously referred to as the “Moepocalypse”) but no other title managed to top Madoka Magica’s runaway success. Every aspect of this work is highly polished including character designs, a phenomenal soundtrack, and superb writing. This is not only the definitive work of its genre but of all postmodern anime. Whether or not one is a fan of yuri every anime fan should give Madoka Magica a watch.

OG: Meduka Meguca. Its impact in the “Moepocalypse” (Shows where cute and sexy girls consistently suffering physically and emotionally. These are usually dark magical girl shows.) genre and legacy are undeniable. It deserves all the praise it gets. It scarred many unfortunate souls, Homura is a legend in yuridom, Kyouko X Sayaka are glorious (Especially in Rebellion), Meduka’s Mom Junko is a Top Tier Sexy Mama, Charlotte the Witch is a very strange girlfriend and of course Hitomi is a walking anti-fun meme. The animation, especially the creepy doodle like monsters known as Witches are memorable. However, it is not my favorite Moepocalypse show. That honor goes to Yuki Yuna is a Hero.

7. Strawberry Panic - 224 Votes

OG: Like it or not Strawberry Panic is a yuri classic. I have a strong feeling that like many readers around my age (31 during this writing) this was their first 100% yuri anime. The cheese is real but it is the yummy kind of cheese and I loved almost every minute of it, except Amane X Hikari. That was the weakest of the love stories going on. Poor Yaya trying too hard (Not saying this in condescending way. She literally tried too hard). It is like a young adult lesbian novel but more fun. I mean Nagisa X Shizuma might as well be “Lesbian Twilight but not crappy”. Let us be honest, Shizuma is a vampire. Chikaru is an undisputed goddess and Kagome is the cutest.

Oh and I will repeat this statement till my last breath…

#TamaoWasRobbed.

YuriMother: I may be almost a decade younger than OG but even for me Strawberry Panic was my first yuri and it more than earns its nickname as the “gateway yuri,” although last year’s Citrus and Bloom Into You may be presenting serious contenders for this title. If for no other reason than nostalgia, Strawberry Panic remains my favorite yuri works but this ridiculous soap-opera of an anime does deserve a fair amount of recognition. I see Strawberry Panic as the culmination of the S subgenre revived by Maria Watches Over Us. However, this work succeeds at both parodying many of the tropes of S and yuri while breaking a few. However, its greatest accomplishment is introducing many of the young western fans of yuri to the genre. Strawberry Panic, you are an overly dramatic mess but thank you for all you have done.

8. Revolutionary Girl Utena - 176 Votes

YuriMother: Another gem of the yuri genre, actually scratch that, if works like Kase-san are gems then Utena is the minerals from which gems form. I think that is how it works, I am not a geologist. My poor analogies and subtle nods to Steven Universe aside, Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of the single most important works of yuri anime, possibly even more so than Sailor Moon. These two works were the dawn of the current age of yuri, an era spurn on by social progress and the internet into a place where more yuri works featuring honest depictions of homosexuality are flourishing. Utena laid the groundwork for queer representation in anime and for that I remain forever grateful to this masterpiece.

OG: I must confess. While I saw the movie long ago and thought it was cool I have yet to sit down and finish watching the main series. I cannot say much about this show other than it is another yuri classic. Possibly one of the biggest. I think I will leave this to Her Holiness because even if I had seen it I do not consider myself someone who possesses the sufficient intellect to properly explain why this is a legendary show.

9. Flip Flappers - 132 Votes

OG: I would need an essay to explain why this show is legendary. Let me see. It is a story of a girl who discovered her gayness thanks to her growing attraction to a lovable idiot/genki. There are references to Western media, dimension hopping (including Class S Hell), self-discovery, a sexual orientation journey, a tree, armored wedding gowns, crazy third wheels, Ku Klux Klan stand-ins…You know what? Just watch Flip Flappers. It is a hot mess of random, crazy, creative and thought provoking awesomeness with a wonderful dose of gayness. Glory be to PapiCoco. However, as Her Holiness mentioned this is essentially Ikuhara-san levels of weirdness (though not as complicated I feel) but as the plot thickens it all (sort of) starts making sense...eventually. That tree yo.

YuriMother: Flip Flappers was almost too strange and abstract even for me, and that is saying something. However, upon further examination, one of the most interesting works of yuri is revealed. This heavily stylized anime delves deep into the sexual maturation of its protagonist while examining the yuri genre and representation in media. Flip Flappers is the perfect marriage of heavy visual style and intellectual substance. Definitely give them one a.. err better make that three watches, as you will want to be sure to get everything out of this beautiful series as possible.

10. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid - 131 Votes

YuriMother: This series is the closest anime fans have to a lesbian couple having a family that we have, and that is a shame. I LOVE family narratives, outside of the yuri genre Usagi Drop is my favorite anime. To me, seeing women balance life, a relationship, and children is some of the best queer representation there is. However, for every point in Kobayashi’s favor, there is also a glaring fault. Kobayashi is a modern woman in the workforce providing for herself and her “family,” but is borderline abusive to Tohru. Kanna is an inquisitive child being raising by two women, but there are weirdly sexual scenes featuring her. As previously mentioned on this list, if one can silence the reasonable part of the brain this work becomes enjoyable, hilarious, and adorable. Unfortunately, its faults prevent it from being more than an amusement and I seriously doubt that they will fade in the second season. But hey, it sells a ton of figures so… YAY!

OG: This series is one of the closest yuri fans have to a series starring a lesbian couple with a daughter and it is wonderful. Is the tale of an eternally grateful dragon who wanted to repay the human who saved her life, albeit drunk, by becoming her live-in maid. Tohru being a dragon girl had incredible power and could easily crush everyone in sight but preferred to try and understand humanity so she could live in peace with the woman she loved. It of course was hard at times but thanks to Miss Kobayashi slowly growing to accept her back (romantically she had a ways to go) and the two raising the adorable bundle of mighty puff known as Kanna they became a happy family. How long this relationship will last and whether Miss Kobayashi would come to fully love Tohru back romantically remains to be seen. I have high hopes it can and will happen. Kanna X Riko is precious (Yes. Even that scene). We even have a potential BL couple, which is nice. Not a fan of Lucoa X Shouta the shota. Not because of the age gap but it not being my kind of romantic comedy. It is the same reason I have a hard time buying Tsubame X Misha from UzaMaid. Mya-Nee X Hana from Wataten...maybe. At least Mya-Nee showed she is patient. Back to Dragon Maid. Great series. Naughty of course but great.

11. Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana) - 119 Votes

OG: Megane girl falls for a cutie but has a hard time confessing to her to the point she gives a relationship with another girl a try. Said other girl has troubles of her own courtesy of her own views on what love. Do not get me started on the OTHER girl who likes megane’s girlfriend. I did not even mention megane girl’s first love interest who she herself eventually begins questioning her feelings for the glasses wearing maiden. While this is well known throughout the history of yuri anime Aoi Hana made it clearer than ever that Yuri + Classical Music go hand in hand. Plus the show is quite pretty. Ultimately enjoyment of this series depends heavily on viewers’ patience.

YuriMother: Aoi Hana was ahead of its time in many regards. Most yuri during the early twenty-first century was unrealistic and melodramatic, especially with the revival of S stories. Aoi Hana instead presents a calm and realistic story that we still rarely see in yuri anime today. Instead of relying on tricks like service or comedy Aoi Hana presents a serene and character-driven story which is matched by equally calming scenery. It is certainly not the most thrilling watch, but a slow and beautiful slice of real life that remains one of the all-time strongest yuri works.

12. Yurikuma Arashi - 99 Votes

YuriMother: Yurikuma Arashi is strange, to say the least, but this is not out of the ordinary for legendary director Ikuhara, who also directed Utena. Parallels are easily drawn between this work and Flip Flappers, as they are both complex and encoded with enough symbolism to drown a bear. Yurikuma is one of my favorite works in the yuri genre and I have had more than a few heated discussions about interpretations of the work, including one memorable occasion when I was visiting a college professor and we ended up in a shouting match in the middle of the hall. However, while Flip Flappers holds a high degree of polish the same can, unfortunately, not be said here. Yurikuma Arashi has more than a few scenes of fanservice many of which overly fetishize the characters and relationship and some of the symbols, particularly lily flowers and the word “yuri” are practically beaten to death with an object I refuse to come up with because I am starting to have my fill of symbolism. However, despite some of its sloppiness, Yurikuma is one of the single most interesting and well-formed anime out there and analyzing it is practically a right of passage for seasoned yuri fans.

OG: Yurikuma Arashi is my favorite of Ikuhara-san’s series. To me it was the least complicated of his works but even so I needed help to understand the show. Luckily I had plenty of assistance. The meat of the story is more complicated but put simply it is about a war between a group of bear girls (and some human girls) who want to freely express their love and/or desire/hunger for each other and another group that amounts to Right to Censor from WWF. Like I said it is far more complex than that but that is the gist. The anime is quite ecchi and it has good reason for it. Again the gay bears are the more liberated of the groups and them getting more sexy scenes is meant to showcase that. Our heroine has good reason to be grumpy and a divine entity was introduced alongside a certain someone from a certain dark anime we already discussed.

In the end it is a show starring lesbian bear girls. I love love stories between women and i love bears. It was obvious I would end up enjoying this one. Like other complex stories it is not for everyone. Shows like Flip Flappers, Utena and Yurikuma have something of a learning people will have to get accustomed to in order to enjoy them.

13. Whispered Words (Sasameki Koto) - 88 Votes

OG: To me Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto were always connected despite the former being a drama and the latter a comedy. Both star a female protagonist struggling with how to best tell the girl she likes her true feelings whereas their love interest for one reason or another makes it all the more challenging to get their feelings across. Both shows aired during a time yuri was not as popular of a genre as it would become over time. Perhaps if they had come out a little later when yuri was becoming more popular in the mainstream they would have fared better…Then again they may have helped set the groundwork for future yuri shows so it’s just as well they came out when they did. In any case both good shows worthy of “best of yuri” lists. SK has the dynamic of the megane in love and her somewhat airheaded love interest who specifically likes “cute girls”. Poor megane has a hard time figuring out what the airhead defines as “cute”. The show also features an amusing side-couple of an ojou-sama and her tsundere girlfriend. Not to mention the somewhat controversial side-girl who plays a more prominent role in the 2nd half of the anime. Heck, even Mr Crossdresser himself is cool. Let us not forget Miss “Ha Ha Ha!” Another really good show that I would love to see the rest of the manga get animated someday but considering most anime are essentially manga commercials and the SK manga ended the odds of a 2nd season are close to 0.

YuriMother: 2009 was a great year for yuri anime, with both Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana, among other works, airing. But while Aoi Hana sought to resist many of the common tropes of the genre and tell a simple grounded story Sasameki Koto appears to have looked a the list of every convention possible and say “yeah I can do that.” It has melodrama, comedy, one-sided love, friend love stories, I worship this genre but even I think there is a limit. However, Sasameki Koto is one of the most competent yuri anime works of the current era. While all the tropes are present most of the problematic aspects of the genre are not. The story is well written, characters enjoyable, and art that is really well done for the time. I enjoy every watch and if I ever want to quickly download the genre’s tropes into another person's head I need only duct tape them to a chair and throw on Sasameki Koto.

14. Riddle Story of Devil (Akuma no Riddle) - 77 Votes

YuriMother: Akuma no Riddle was highly anticipated back in 2014, sporting a premise of student assassins that, while certainly not unique, was outside the norms for the yuri genre. It promised a dark and thrilling take on the yuri genre that would not become popular until the yuri horror trend a few years later. At first, it looked like this would be successful with an excellent setup and some pretty compelling characters but ultimately Akuma no Riddle fell flat and became more derailed as it continued. The monster of the week style of episodes left little room for complex plots and plans or proper character development, which is a shame because of how engaging so many of the assassins were upon original presentation. However, this show still has some of the best action in the yuri genre, placing it alongside series like Cannan and Utena despite its flawed storytelling. If nothing else, the anime may compel one to read the manga, which expands the story and characters more than the show was given time to.

OG: Professional assassins secretly gathered at an academy in an attempt to take the life of a seemingly innocent cutie to win the ultimate prize, one of whom wishes to protect the adorable redhead. Yes the manga, which is pretty much a Director’s Cut, is better and the anime would have benefited from having 20+ episodes instead of 12 and a delightful beach OVA but the show did a good job of showing viewers what each assassin was like, their motivations (though many of their origin stories were summarized in written biographies during commercial breaks viewers needed to pause to read) were clear enough and the duels, as brief as some of them were, had enough spicy goodness in them to be memorable, especially the ones in the latter half of the show. Oh, and although the manga wrapped up after the anime it had a very similar ending.

15. Revue Starlight - 72 Votes

OG: Gay theater girls who strive to become the top star, meaning the best actress or lead actor of the cast. How do they do it? By working hard and overcoming their personal hardships? Yes. That. What makes this show so wonderful despite being almost a year old as of this writing is not only do the ladies all have interesting stories to tell but so does the stage. Every song, prop, movement, dance, gesture etc. It is like the performers and performances are united. It is like in Spongebob where not only does the person in the boots tell a story but the boots as well.

Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention the mysterious underground theater and talking giraffe. Never forget the talking giraffe from Hell. #Wakarimasu.

Super cool and super gay.

YuriMother: Bushiroad continuously gets better at what they do, creating media franchises of cute girls filled with music and making mountains of cash from smartphone games. Inspired by the likes of Love Live, they created BanG Dream and last year Revue Starlight. However, where these franchises fell short Revue Starlight success. It never twists its characters to tell a story but rather creates compelling arcs around them. I thoroughly enjoyed and agree with its place on this list.

16. Konohana Kitan - 68 Votes

YuriMother: I know of Konohana Kitan for its constant presence at yuri events more so than the anime or even the manga. It is adorable, relaxing, simple, and fun. While it does not add anything super substantial to the genre it does not take anything either or present any objectionable material. The “plot” is nonexistent but that does not matter, as it is not trying to tell a story or make commentary, just be fluffy and simple.

OG: Konohana Kitan to me is a Girls Club (Cute girls doing cute things) and iyashikei hybrid anime. It is visually stunning as it is relaxing with Yuzu pretty much one of the cutest demigoddesses in existence. She of course is a chick magnet but her heart will forever belong to Satsuki.

17. Destiny of the Shrine Maiden (Kannazuki no Miko) - 65 Votes

OG: The other stuff on the show is still not that great but ChiMeko will forever stand the test of time as far as I’m concerned. Top 10 for their love story alone. Yes. I know THAT ONE SCENE continues being controversial and talked about every time curious new yuri fans witness greatness…but I will forever defend Chikane because I get where she was coming from. Would I have done something different? Yes. The thing is you need to put yourself in her shoes and understand what she wanted to accomplish and how far she would go to get it done. Kotoha is best side-character and Souma Ogami is real man’s man who does not deserve the hate. He was an honorable warrior to the end. He fought well and accepted defeat like a man. Plus his yell is inspirational.

YuriMother: My feelings on Kannazuki no Miko are incredibly mixed. It has many of the worst facets of early current era yuri anime, tropes include S, rape and… am I reading this correctly, demon mechs? Worst of all it presents a cycle, a never-ending loop that haunts the characters in the overarching plot and it does not resolve it. If a work ever presents such an element, like Puella Magi did, it must be overcome or confronted at least. Its presence makes the already cringy story feels cheap and lazy. However, I love the two female leads and their difficult relationship. I love the music, especially the hauntingly beautiful ending theme, and the final moments of episode 11 are some of the greatest seconds I have ever seen in an anime. I cannot wrap my mind around my view of this series but at the end of the day, I understand it. I do not believe that work like it would ever be warmly accepted today but for its time it does stand as a breakout piece of yuri anime.

18. Princess Principal - 61 Votes

YuriMother: Princess Principal is one of the best anime of the past few years. It had everything, an interesting premise, great characters, an incredible soundtrack. Alongside all this is the sharp writing and thrilling story. Princess Principal did everything Akuma no Riddle wanted to with an intriguing and action-packed story featuring strong characters. On top of all this, the animation is top notch. A six-part movie sequel is planned which has me somewhat concerned, but I am glad to see that it is being continued as the ending to the series was one of its weakest aspects. Now if you will excuse me, I need to listen to some jazz.

OG: Cute and sexy gay spies in a dramatic British Steampunk setting. What more do readers need? Allow Her Holiness to elaborate a bit further. Currently waiting for the multi-part cinematic continuation.

19. Izetta: The Last Witch - 60 Votes

OG: I am known for loving shows people do not think as highly of. Izetta: The Last Witch is no different. I love this show so much. Besides how certain events transpired some complained about the depiction of WW2. Basically think about people ranting about storylines and content featured in certain Call of Duty and Battlefield games. Here however, it is clearly a fictional great war inspired by WW2. I was invested in the following:

-The cute and sexy ladies.

-Seeing two badass lesbians lead an army against an evil empire.

-FiZetta’s romance. This of course being the major highlight. I love FiZetta so much. My sexy lesbian babies and Anne X Grea’s mentors. They taught them everything they know after all.

It is similar to how I felt watching Kannazuki no Miko where my focus was primarily on the leading ladies’ developing romance. The difference is that unlike Kannazuki I was also somewhat entertained by our heroines’ enemies along with their allies. Basically viewers’ enjoyment of the show depends on how seriously they take their history and are willing to overlook the liberties this story takes with its depictions of the weapons, military and the familiar evil empire. FiZetta are one of my favorite lesbian couples of all time.

By the way, in that famous scene, yes they did. Viewers just have to squint their eyes to see “it”.

YuriMother: Another show that I consider to have squandered its potential. I know that lots of people enjoyed this one, including OG but I could not bring myself to finish this constantly mediocre series. Perhaps I am tired of alternative light-fantasy European-war inspired plots. Trying to stand out in this bloated genre is difficult and Izetta fails. Izetta started strong and hooked many viewers with its amazing visual and auditory polish but this was quickly lost in the plot which, while set up well, struggle to gain any ground of pay off what had been established. On the yuri side, it did not really do anything interesting or satisfying, with plenty of scenes feature the character’s standing next to each other looking cute and one or two moments of actual yuri. I am glad that some of you were able to enjoy this one more than me at least.

20. Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru) - 57 Votes

OG: Like Strawberry Panic this is a “Like it or not” classic. Despite being a Class S show it did its own thing and became a pioneer for . It’s also responsible for the many yuri jokes related to all-girl schools in anime.Shimako X Noriko best Grande and Petite Souer! Yumiko X Sachiko were great too as the two grew to better understand each other. Most memorable scene for me was the panda costume. Even Sei is a sleeper icon in all yuridom. Yoshino X Rei had a very interesting dynamic. I actually think they are the real pioneers of relationships between cousins. Thank you YoshiRei. HaruKana, Kaede X Sara and several others owe you two much appreciation.

YuriMother: Another great and significant series, Maria Watches Over Us, took the tropes of early yuri works, Catholic schools, a lack of men, piano scenes, and emotional relationship rather than physical ones and turned the dial up to 11. For better or worse, it single-handedly revived the Class S genre and was copied (and parodied) endlessly for over a decade. However much I complain about S I actually do not think that we would have the current age of yuri without its popularity and proliferation at the beginning of the century so I owe a big thank you to Maria Watches Over Us for that. Ignoring its historical importance and literary significance the anime still presents an engaging plot with wonderful characters and more butchered French than my last trip to Europe. It is certainly worth a watch and worthy of a place on this list.

What do you think should be on this list?:

YuriMother: As I previously said, this is a pretty perfect list. As far as missing titles I can think of the following.

Simoun - not the greatest in terms of plot or animation but it had cute service and a fun action-packed plot.

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl - This series may be strange and present the dreaded love triangle but it did its best to tell a transgender narrative in 2006, naturally this involved aliens, and I applaud it for its attempts.

Cannan - This series is light on the yuri but heavy on the suspense, action, and amazing character designs. The terrorist plot is exciting and the final train fight featured in the series is one of the greatest action spectacles in anime that somehow manages to remain grounded.

OG:

-Harukana Receive: Best all-female sports anime ever made. Plus the gayness is not subtle at all.

-Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku: Eruna Ichinomiya is an underrated yuri icon. While not the first of her kind (That honor, I think, goes to Galaxy Fraulein Yuna) she set the standard of cool and inspirational badass lesbian protagonists who are proud of who they are and...also happen to be super perverts. Eruna made it cool to be such a protagonist. It is nice seeing a lesbian lead who does not care what anyone else thinks. She is hungry for cute girl booties. While she often loses her control in the presence of pure beauty she, as an inspiration for others like her, has enough self-control to not go overboard (most of the time).

-Symphogear: Symphogear is love, Symphogear is life. Hopefully Season 5 will keep up the good work.

-Rinne no Lagrange: My favorite mecha anime and the reason I embrace OT3s when the signs are there. Not the greatest but man was it fun. Plus Madoka Kyouno is still sexy.

-Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de Aru: My favorite Moepocalypse anime of all time. Yuna X Togo taught me to love and trust some people outside my closest family again.

-Mouretsu Pirates: If someone were to ask me “Hey OG. What to you is the perfect anime?”. I would tell them Mouretsu/Bodacious Space Pirates.

-Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Thanks to the first fan commenting and reminding me of it. Definitely worthy of a spot. #HazumuWasAlwaysFemale

Final Thoughts:

OG: Pretty good list and close to what mine would look like were I to make one. Reason I have yet to do so is because I do not feel confident enough to pick a favorite yuri anime of all time. Favorite yuri manga and couples? That I can do, but anime always seems to give me a hard time choosing my absolute favorites. Like I said though, a potential yuri list of mine would look something like this. I also found it interesting how similar the Top 10 are among both our respective fanbases and visitors to the poll conducted by the Akiba Research Institute.

YuriMother: I may have done most the complaining and left the praise to OG but I actually and really happy with this list. I think that every title presented is a worthy addition and while I would certainly move some higher or lower than their current placing I do not believe that these are too far off from my own opinions, which is surprising for a popularity poll. More than anything I am thrilled to see that works I dislike that I thought to be popular did not make this list. Perhaps I should have more faith in people and their opinions. Everyone did such a wonderful job voting and I am so grateful!

Thank you so much everyone for reading and for voting in the top yuri anime poll. To see the full results of the poll and to support yuri news, reviews, and content, check out the YuriMother Patreon. Happy Pride Month

#yuri #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#pride #pride month #queer #gay #anime #cartoon #tv #lesbian #lesbians #girls love #wlw #gl #poll #manga

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ananicoleta · 3 years ago

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TRANSLATION: The Senate adopted an anti-LGBT project, submitted by seven UDMR parlamentarians, similar to Viktor Orban's in Hungary.

This is disgusting. I hate this fucking country so much. Just when I thought that things were getting better, that Romania was making a small progress BOOM, they hit us with this.

For a little more context, UDMR (a party in the Romanian Parliament) just proposed an anti-LGBT law (that has a great chance of being approved), similar to the one in Hungary. The parlamentarians claim that this law's purpose is to "protect the children" by ending the discussions or events that "promote the changing of the assigned sex at birth or popularize the gay ideology".

So, basically, this law makes it illegal to even DISCUSS about the LGBTQ+ community or gender identity in any institution (kindergarden, school, highschool, university etc.) AS WELL AS forbiding people to have Pride Parade. . . I'm at a loss of words.

First of all, according to the Romanian Constitution (Art. 30 paragraph 1) and the EU, you CANNOT forbid someone to march for something. If the LGBT community wants to go out and have a Pride Parade then they can do that. Trying to stop them would be a violation of both our Constitution as well as the EU code of law (this also means that, if this law gets approved, the EU will penalize Romania, which will be a joy). Also, you can't stop people from having DISCUSSIONS about things, doesn't matter what institution. That is an infringment of freedom of speech, everything about this law is.

Second of all, this excuse of "protecting the innocent minds of children from the LGBT propaganda" is lame as fuck. We all know the politicians don't give a shit about children. Because, if they did, then they wouldn't have proposed such a law that affects the LGBT kids and youth so much. Not to mention there are dozens of studies made in the Western European countries (you know, the ones that have moved on from the Middle Ages and are progressing a bit) which show that sexual and LGBT education only affect the children in possitive ways, making the LGBT youth feel more included.

So yeah. The UDMR and everyone that votes for this law can gtfo. I'm shocked that someone can even propose such a law in the 21st century. First an actual war in Europe, now this. . . I swear, it's like we're evolving backwards. If this law gets approved, it will greately affect the Romanian LGBTQ+ community and our freedom of speech, as well. This worries me a lot since it looks like we're following in Hungary's and Russia's steps. I get shivers only when I think about it. Idk I just hope there are still parlamentarians that have as much sense as to not approve of this law. Or maybe the President will send it back. We can only hope and pray. If it gets past everyone, though, and becomes an actual law, I am getting my ass out the door and go protest. It's simply unacceptable to discriminate a community like this.

#romania #fuck udmr #anti lgbt law #lgbt #this outrageous #homophobia #also screw homophobes

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usagi-cons · 6 years ago

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About/DNI (please read!!)

this is a pride flag/icon edit blog!! we are 100% aspec, bi, pan, mogai, and nb inclusive! mod’s name is usagi, an aro gay dude (he/him). my main is @jigoku-no-ouji.

do not interact (like, reblog, follow, request, or use any icons) if you are:

-TERF, SWERF, radfem, transphobe, etc, or supporter

-truscum, transmed, nb-phobe, etc, or supporter

-aphobe, exclusionist, etc

-anti-kink, kink-negative, etc

-anti-cglre, anti-agere

-map/nomap/somap, etc

-racist, white supremacist, nazi, alt right, trump supporter, etc

-homophobe, lesbophobe, biphobe, panphobe, etc, or supporter

-uncomfortable with the fact that i identify with the term queer and don’t personally believe it is a slur. i respect if you are uncomfortable with the word and will tag it along with every other identity, but sorry, it won't be censored or tagged as a slur.

flags we will use:

-aesexual, aromantic, demisexual, demiromantic, etc

-pan, bi, lesbian, gay, trans, nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, intersex, etc

-queer and mogai/microlabel/pronoun flags!

-aesthetic flag recolors

-any flag that represents a community even outside of the lgbt+ umbrella, including kink flags, disability flags, country flags, and the age regression flag. just because we use a flag on this blog doesnt mean we’re claiming the community it belongs to is lgbt+.

-we’ll do non-pride edits too! transparents of characters, or icons with a solid color/patterned background.

flags we will NOT use:

-any anti-community flag, or a flag for any community built on hate or exclusion (terf, transmed, white supremacist, etc. basically if its in our dni, we wont use a flag for it)

media we will make edits for:

-anything “problematic”

-anything “cringy”

-i won’t be accepting criticism of any fandom/character i make edits for, nor will i judge anyone for the fandom/character they request.

media we will NOT make edits for:

-real-life people, any live action show or movie, or anything that looks close enough to realism, including realistic video games like detroit: become human and newer final fantasy games. this is only because it’s really hard to make transparents from realism lol

-books/podcasts, or anything where the only images of the characters are fanart. i only do official art, no art theft here. (if you want me to use your own fanart, submit it to me with your request).

-i have the right to decline any fandom later on, as there’s some i just cannot stand, and some i may not be able to find good pictures for. i’ll try my best for now, but we’ll see

other stuff you should know:

-once again, the flags we use or decline to use, the fandoms we will or will not make edits for, do not reflect the views of this blog or the mod. don’t send discourse about it, it will be deleted. i’m too tired and i don’t need or want to be “educated” on anything.

-its okay to tag anything we make as kin/me/id

-do not add banners to our posts when you reblog them. even if they match our dni. it’s just rude.

-for now, “gay flag” means the rainbow flag, "queer flag" means the chevron, and “lesbian flag” means the new lesbian flag, with the pink white and orange. if you would like a different version of any flag, like my mlm flag, or the “original” lesbian flag, with all pinks and reds, just let me know!! if you would like an aesthetic flag used in an icon (such as starry gay, frog lesbian, etc) and i didn’t make it myself or already reblog it, please submit me the link with your request!

-i can make icons, dni banners (please specify text), headers and lock screens (please specify background), transparents, flag edits, simple pixel art (hearts, stars, food, animals, etc. no characters).

-you don’t have to credit for icons, headers, lock screens, banners, or transparents, but i would like credit for flag edits and pixel art.

-please like or reblog a post if you plan on using the edits on it, so i can keep track of where they are.

thanks for reading all this, i know it was a lot but its important that you read it before interacting!! ciao!

#dni #byf #about

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internalnavigation · 4 years ago

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1/3/21

i feel like someone took a grapefruit spoon to my concept of time and sensation, anyway,

[notes]: proverbs 1-3, *rolls eyes* of course the intro/hook is about new year’s resolutions specifically the desire to become more wise, in the decade he’s been preaching here he’s avoided song of songs and proverbs because song of songs is [*coughs*] and proverbs is a mess, proverbs is an anthology of wisdom literature by solomon and others, wisdom lit teaches the art of living well in god’s creation, “the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom :)”, wisdom is a person and we would do well to embrace that person because that’s where you’ll find life, christians apparently have a monopoly on wisdom and every other world religion and philosophy just stumbled into correctness by accident! there is no true wisdom apart from the protestant evangelical god, proverbs is an admonition to a son so teach your children to know and fear the lord (train a child up in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it), it’s cool that solomon comes right out and says sin will be enticing and there’s nothing wrong with you for finding it appealing, folly is “fun and popular and harmless and lit” [literal quote] [i have three adolescent children do i sound hip with the kids], “the lord, by/through wisdom, did x” is a structure that appears frequently within these chapters of proverbs along with phrasing that puts wisdom in the role of god himself therefore wisdom is probably the logos of god i.e. jesus christ therefore the trinity is real and lady wisdom is jesus

[things i want to push back on]: - i mean yeah definitionally if you say the only wisdom is your god the only wisdom will be your god but at least acknowledge how utterly indefensible your argument is, - “there’s a reason proverbs warns most strongly against folly in the form of lust” is this... actually a thing? this is more of a concern than greed or anger or pride? i feel like you’re exaggerating because that’s a thing you do a lot but! also! i have no way of knowing! this is why it’s frustrating when you say stuff i do know isn’t true! [*ace stereotype voice* anyway why would anyone be fooled by sex... when instead they could have pride... or knives...], - re the whole “i know sin seems lit” thing: maybe! if you came to faith young in a loving christian home and went on to lead a loving christian family of your own and pastor a struggling church into miraculous growth and life and you’re talking to a sanctuary of college students then yeah maybe sin is bright and flashy and easily drowned in the true light of christ. or sin is feeling at home in your own skin and your own name for the first time in your life or sin is not taking “it just says women should submit to men” for an answer anymore or sin is healing and growing and loving. don’t fucking condescend to me, don’t pretend you’ve “shown sin for what it really is,” don’t act like the best things god will ever ask you to give up are premarital sex and popularity and being unkind to others, fuck you and your rhetoric.

[misc]: i both adore and respect the commitment to saying “lady wisdom” in the context of proverbs, with she/her pronouns, and also the commitment to the thesis that the personification of wisdom in proverbs is, without metaphor or poetic license, the literal jesus christ the word of god made flesh, and absolutely refusing to comment on the gender thing at any point in the sermon. i am so strongly reminded of the cw’s supernatural making the weird angel gay and then deleting all the show material off their youtube instead of ever addressing it again. 10/10, charming, almost completely redeemed the entire sermon, 2021 is off to a fantastic start.

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setabane · 4 years ago

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THE QUEER YOUTH OF BOTSWANA AND THEIR SUBVERSION OF HETERONORMATIVE SOCIETAL CULTURE

Words: Cassim Cassim

Over the past decades, queer people had to bridge themselves to the real world by elevating themselves to be seen. Steadily, what once was unprecedented becomes the new norm, the introduction and awareness of sexualities, gender, pronouns and everything in between becomes the new norm, and with the help of GenZ, centennials in Botswana become advocates and instigators for what needs to be, and subvert what is imbedded in the minds of Batswana. SETABANE had the privilege to interview 8 centennials that are challenging Botswana’s society and taking it by storm.

As an Editor, it brings immense satisfaction and jubilation to realize that behind the old generation follows a generation that will carry a legacy that will have every entity equal and seen. The decision to publish this campaign comes after the chain of discern that GenZ carries most of the societal standards and culture Botswana obeys. These are the people who will lead this country into equality and queer pride.

Thebe 17, he/him, queer How do you contribute towards dismantling traditions and views against being queer in Botswana?

In Botswana, I honestly feel we have a huge problem with following what had been the norm for ages and I believe that I put great interest into expressing myself regardless of my gender, background etc. I normally present this through the art of acting, it’s my greatest passion.

Tell me your views on fem-phobia within the queer community in Botswana?

It’s a tragedy that even within our own community we bring down our own, I feel that it’s a thing of retrospecting what we have and can achieve as a community united rather than discriminating against each other. It could take us very far.

What do you think about Botswana’s gay culture?

I still think that we’re growing but what we have is beautiful and will surely blossom into something more beautiful, we’re very unique and i can’t wait till everyone in Botswana can see who exactly we are.

Leilani 16, she/her, bisexual

How is it navigating yourself as a young bisexual woman?

As a young bisexual women navigating myself as an individual is difficult because I have been told that i am confused because society is fixed on life only being one way, which therefore puts me in a situation whereby i think i’m confused or “going through a phase”. Being Bisexual has taught me to enjoy the best of both worlds and taught me to balance two different worlds.

What are your thoughts on the fetishization of bisexuality in women?

It needs to stop because being bisexual should not make you think we are your objects and you can toy around with us. The way media portrays bisexual women as confused or that we are not taken seriously but being bisexual is real and we are not toys. One thing that I personally think people lack education about Bisexuality.

What do you think Botswana’s youth has in common?

Botswana’s youth has somewhat a sense of acceptance to an extent and are free to do whatever makes them feel happy and not caring what so and so has to say.

What is your advice for a young Queer Motswana reading this? My advice to young/old queer Motswana is take your time when finding your sexuality, don’t be afraid to experiment but at the same time don’t use us as objects. If you are afraid, there is a whole community of people who have their arms open to support you and take your time.

Peaches 18, she/her, pansexual

How has your sexuality affected your way of living?

I have tried to come out to my parents before but it did not go well. My parents were considering kicking me out of the house because they wanted a "normal daughter". I had to tell them I was lying in order to keep a roof over my head. I can only be myself when I'm at school, because there, no one really cares what you do. But with my family, I have to hide who I am.

What are some of the glories and hardships being a Queer woman in Botswana?

I have not had a lot of glories but one I can mention is finally figuring out who I am, where I'm from, and where I'm headed, and coming to terms with it. Accepting myself. I feel this is the most important step, loving yourself. No one is gonna do it for you so do what makes you happy. The hardest thing for me to do was to hide my sexuality from my family. It's very scary to fear what other people think and then also have to deal with judgements from your own family. It hurts how I have to smile like I'm okay even when I'm not. For some reason, queers think they need the validation and acceptance of society in order to live freely but the truth is we don't. We submit ourselves to opinions of people we do not even need. Why? Do you think Botswana will be a battleground or a safe haven for queer people in the future? I personally think Botswana will forever be a battleground for queer people. I say this because we hate against each other within the queer community, so why would we expect outsiders to accept us if we can't do the same with each other? Also, we are forever told how "wrong" or "lost" we are for being who we are. Everyone will always be entitled to their opinion, it's either you listen to it and be miserable or just don't care and do you. Be You Do You For You

Son 17, they/them, polysexual

How does being queer and in love feel in Botswana

On one hand it can feel a bit scary as Botswana is still a bit behind on the progression towards accepting queer folk. We can never be sure that the people around us will be natural and calm rather than be queer-phobic and violent. it doesn’t always feel safe to physically express this love in public. However, when we are in a safe space, expressing our love for each-other comes easily.

What are your experiences living outside of the Binary?

Honestly, hardly any different from when I thought I did fit into the binary. I do not feel any connection to the binary in regards to my gender identity, and never have, so putting a label on what I feel didn't really change much aside from allowing myself to achieve deeper self understanding. The way the people around me perceived me barely changed either. I'm used to people making assumptions about my gender identity based on my gender presentation, and while I'm glad I haven't encountered any blatant transphobes, people’s assumptions do sometimes make me feel uncomfortable.

Who are some of your inspirations and role models?

BTS, artists who are unafraid to talk about social issues, equality, injustice and self love, Amandla Stenberg, who played a huge role in the discovery of my gender identity, and a poet I came across recently who goes by the pen name tireless_hope, whose work i’m simply in love with. They’re all young artists who have achieved so much but still show so much humanness within them. They don't try to appeal to what people expect of them but rather what they want for themselves, and consuming these people’s art always fills me with a zeal for life

What do you think about the erasure of non-binary people?

In a way it hurts, to exist in a society that treats us like we are invisible and refuses to let us voice out on matters regarding our identities and trans identities in general because we are supposedly non-existent. It’s upsetting that identities that have always been around are getting passed off as “strange”, “new” and even “non-existent” by cis-het people, and even some LGBTQ+ folk. It’s especially upsetting to me when POC take part in non-binary erasure because it is based heavily in eurocentrism and only benefits the oppressor. Hopefully with the spread of knowledge people will open their minds and educate themselves to prevent this from happening.

Bynx 17, he/they, panromantic grey-asexual

What are your thoughts on the gender binary?

Personally, I think a strict gender binary isn't really necessary. I can understand when people say it's needed in terms of the medical field - but again, that's not much help when women constantly go without getting adequate medical treatment because of gender discrimination but that's a whole other can of worms to open. i feel like a lot of people forget the gender binary was only really brought on after colonialism. there's a lot of sources that confirm that many African tribes as well as Native American ones believed in other-gender and two-spirit people, and its sad to see when people from these cultures talk about going back to their roots or preserving culture yet they want to erase the existence of queer people. even when people hear things being said like 'gender is a social construct', they think we're just trying to push an agenda - but do they really understand what a social construct is? not too long ago, i saw this post from Tumblr user biggest-gaudiest-patronuses where they talked about how a social construct really just means it's something that the big people in charge can move around and change to suit their own preferences and beliefs and ignore the communities that these constructs are actively causing problems for. people are just scared of change when it comes to things like this, they see it as a threat to their comfort but with our change and without moving out of your comfort zone, how will you ever achieve growth? People who live outside the binary just want to be their authentic selves and be accepted and people shouldn't be threatened by that.

What is your experience being a trans-masc person in Botswana?

So far I haven't really encountered any problems bringing a trans-masc person in Botswana and I think that's mostly related to how accepting the people immediately closest to me are as well as how comfortable I am in my own identity. i get misgendered quite frequently but being misgendered by strangers doesn't bother me at all because i know how they perceive me doesn't matter because they don't know me. i notice when people close to me misgender me but it's not something that'll bother me because i know it's still a learning process for them and they're always considerate enough to correct themselves afterwards, it's also not something that bothers me because i know that they're aware of my identity and they'll respect it. it can become a bit of a tough spot when it comes to people that im not close to but acquainted with because i don't really care much for their personal opinions since they aren't closely related to my life but it still flares up some gender dysphoria when they continue to use my deadname or refer to me as she/her - which is usually pronouns im only really comfortable with close people calling me by - and i guess it bothers me because they're aware of who i am and they've directly asked people close to me about my name and such yet they continue to misgender me and i feel really disrespected by it. i'm not very concerned with passing since i already know who i am but sometimes the fear of being outed does worry me in terms of my actual physical safety because i know there's people who react violently to trans people - on the opposite side of the coin, there are days i do wish i was passing and it's usually when im out in public and it's just my partner and i and we have to take things like public transport because my biggest fear is always putting my partner in danger because there's usually no avoiding being perceived as an lgbtqia+ couple which can end up putting a target on us. i will admit though that i wish Botswana did allow medical transitioning here because then it'd make a lot of things accessible to many trans people in the country as they wouldn't have to go elsewhere for hrt and surgery - like currently i have to save upward of P100 000 just for top surgery alone without including travel costs, hrt and doctor appointments fees which is a major obstacle for not only me but other people who don't have the type of income to support that either.

Who are some of the queer trans artists you look up to?

i'll be honest, i don't really know a lot of queer/trans artists since i don't consume a lot of big media 💀 i might know and admire some but since i don't really consume a lot of their content, i can't really confidently say im a huge fan. though there are very few that i do look up to they're mostly YouTubers since that's where i spend a lot of my time. in terms of queer actors though, id say Sir Ian McKellen is probably my biggest inspiration not only because of the big roles he's played while being an openly gay man but also because of the actions he's taken to support the queer and theater communities (theater being something else that im very passionate about). with trans YouTubers; Jammidodger(transguy), Ash Hardell(trans-enby) and Samantha Lux(transgirl) have been a huge help in my personal journey in finding out more about my identity and myself as well as just being really fun YouTubers to watch. i really liked hearing out their experiences as trans/enby people and seeing the advice they had to give to other people in terms of not only surgery and hrt but with things like dressing and tips on coming out. i hope to share my experience and help other genderqueer people out the same way they did for me. one more person i look up to is someone id be bold enough to call my friend. they're an lgbtqia+ and trans rights activist in Botswana and they usually go my Phio or Blu for the time period ive known them and they've probably been one of the biggest helps in my personal journey. they were the first trans/genderqueer person id ever met back when i first started questioning my identity and i talked a lot with them about how i was feeling and trying to get comfortable with myself and they've always been there to listen, even helping me out with getting my first chest binder and they even give me tips about buying guys clothes and offering help for recommended places to go when i start transitioning. i even remember a time when they were a guest speaker on one of our local radio stations and while i couldn't tune in because i had drama practice, i remember being so excited because i felt that finally the voices of queer people were getting more recognized. I’m really glad that i have the opportunity to know them and talk to them and all the support they've extended to me is something i hope to be able to give to other queer youth that will flower after me.

Do you think Botswana is going to be led by pioneers such as yourself soon into a better future soon?

i'm not too well-versed on things like current affairs so i won't say much on this but a lot of change and acceptance has to happen in terms of the older generation and things like following tradition but i do believe that we might see a lot of change in the future. while it might take us a while to get to the point of queer people being elected into government positions, i believe our voices are starting to be heard. Just because decriminalization has happened doesn't mean it's time for us to relax, it's time for us to push for more change, we'll make strides together as a community.

What is your advice for a young queer Motswana reading this?

honestly guys, don't rush yourselves. take things one step at a time. it's okay to not know your identity, it's okay for it to change, it's okay to question who you are. even if you don't manage to figure out what your identity is, it's still okay. just love whoever you want to love and love how you want to live. as long as it's not hurting you or others, it's all valid. keep your chin up. I know it can be tough. but believe me, there's always gonna be people out there that love you for who you are and that's all that really matters.

Wapula 17, she/they, pansexual

Do you think Batswana are more inclusive of pansexuality?

I guess people aren’t as educated about pansexuality as much, there are so many misconceptions about being pansexual.

“Do pansexuals feel sexually attracted to animals”

“Are pansexuals normally in polygamous marriages” & so much more, I guess these questions come from the fact that as a pansexual we’re more attracted to the person, not their gender or sexuality, so people would instantly think we prefer to be in polygamous marriages, you know?

How do you navigate your life as a pansexual person in Botswana?

It’s extremely rare to find a pansexual in Botswana, so I wound by say it’s a lifestyle you know, I’ve always been one person that’s open about my sexuality & I’ve never felt the need to “come out”, of course there’s a lot of homophobia but it doesn’t affect me as much as it affects other queer individuals & that’s simply because I’ve just always been open about it you know?

Do you believe in gender?

I just think gender is a mindset, the thought of having to separate humanity based on our biological features is just stupid to me, the creation of “gender” is what leads to so many problems that we face as humanity today... being sexism & GBV & so many issues. People confuse gender & sexuality. Sexuality is broad, gender is just a mindset that is used to separate us based on our biological features.

Loago 16, she/her, demisexual

When did you first embrace the concept of demisexuality? And is it inclusive to anyone?

I first embraced the concept of demisexuality after seeing my best friends being able to grow out of their shell and be comfortable with their true self, with no fear of being judged. It was an inspiring thing for me because I don’t talk about my sexuality as much and I’ve received comments from straight guys that my sexuality is simply me trying to fit in with the crowd...most people confuse demisexuality for being bisexual but there’s a difference...I only see someone and I mean in the spiritual and emotional sense if i have an emotional connection with them, I don’t find people attractive unless i get a glimpse of their inner self and i connect with them on that level. I also do feel that maybe the trauma I’ve experienced has influenced this because it made me realize the importance of knowing and seeing someone behind all the masks they portray to the outside world and connecting with them spiritually when pursuing a relationship with them...

What do you think about the love scenes in Botswana’s youth scene?

I think majority of youth is lost when it comes to the perception of love I also blame tradition because the sad truth is that most of us come from dysfunctional or rather ‘special’ families and this is where we see a lot of abuse be it coming from the man or woman and especially in this country we have normalized this vicious cycle of ‘special’ families and it’s contributed to how a lot of us perceive love, we tell ourselves that in order for us to believe that we are loved or we love someone we must’ve put them through something or they must’ve put us through something because the impression most of us have , having seen our parents or relatives do this... and unfortunately unlike now in today’s world back in the day it was some what a taboo to end your marriage or ‘break’ your family that you’ve built with someone and hence why most marriages even despite the abuse still exist. I believe this is what influences the youth love scenes in Botswana, to undo this I believe we need to stop we need to stop cheating I love marriage sexuality as a taboo in this country, parents need to start having conversations with their children to help them understand what genuine love is and that love between heterosexual people and queer people is no different and we are all deserving of genuine love.

Kago 19, he/they, bisexual

What’s one thing your generation has in common?

I really believe my generation right now is a very liberated one and connected one. We really are about community and uplifting each other. We are together in these safe spaces, uplifting each other and respecting each other for who we really are uno.

Do you attach your sexuality to what you love doing?

Not actively, but when I get to working I'd like to think I work out of a unique place where my identity comes out as a product of that. So my sexuality does subconsciously become a part of my work.

How do you feel about bi-erasure and pan-erasure in men?

It's a frustrating struggle to be continuously fighting. Especially when the erasure comes from within the LGBTQ+ community. You start to ask yourself where you can feel safe if not in your own community uno.

Do you think you fully express your sexuality to others?

Fully? Not yet. Well probably not actively, but I know surely you must know my sexuality after a few conversations with me. It's a part of me that can not escape me so it is at the front line of my social interactions.

What contributed to helping you understand your sexuality?

Growing up around very open-minded people. This gave me the freedom to, once i started realizing i was bisexual, be comfortable to ask questions about it and be as curious as i needed until i realized that hell yeah i am bisexual uno.

Credits:

Editor: @cxsside

Art Director: @cxsside & @bbypumpkiiiin_

Models : @thebes.world @[email protected] @[email protected]@wapsworldwide @archhangel

Stylists + Wardrobe:@archhangel @_glotto @unearthlygofaone @bluuu.rraine_

Photographers:@vandeaarde @vandeaarde.gallery@wenz_hd

#BotswanaQueerYouth

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dabwoodscarts1 · 4 years ago

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Is weed gay?: Iconic influence in America

Cannabis and LGBTQIA+ culture intersect in all corners of society, from our individual social lives to our culture as a whole.

Throughout BUY DABWOODS CART ONLINE , and particularly during the last century, the place of cannabis and queer people in society has shifted dramatically. Through it all, the strong bond of queer culture and cannabis culture has remained.

While both cultures enjoy a good activism moment, we are also human beings who want to socialize, relax, create art, and find communities where we feel safe and seen.

A growing part of LGBTQIA+ social life

(Adobe)

For many queer people, cannabis usage fits closely to an ethos of living life separate from strict rules of society and the judgments of more conservative social norms. It’s part of not only how queer people unwind and relax, but in how we indulge, bond, and socialize with other queer people and with sexual and romantic partners.

Cannabis companies have taken notice too. In recent years, cannabis companies have increasingly marketed their products towards queer consumers and offered deals and special products during the Pride season.

However, the Pride-exclusive nature of many of these marketing efforts leaves much room to grow, especially when queer consumers make up such a strong market year round.

With over $5.4 trillion dollars in global purchasing power and a clear passion for cannabis, queer consumers are going to continue to grow as a priority for smart cannabis brands.

So why is cannabis so popular in queer circles?

Shared anti-establishment roots

Once upon a time, both cannabis use and queer identity were seen as immoral, outsider behavior in America. Instead of abandoning what and who they loved, many people adapted and changed the country forever.

Counterculture icons like the great beat poets of the 1950’s and the punk musicians of the 1980’s rejected traditional gender roles, sexual mores, and, of course, cannabis prohibition. As the counterculture movement grew with both LGBTQ+ people and cannabis lovers, the creative arts would play an important role in furthering the influence of queer people and cannabis enthusiasts alike.

Shaping the arts landscape

(Adobe)

Both cannabis and queer culture are linked to some of the most important art movements in American and global history.

Jazz, one of the most influential movements in American music, has a history that is rich with both queer artists and cannabis. Notable queer musicians like Tony Jackson, Gladys Bentley, Gertrude “Ma” Rainy, and Bessie Smith helped shape Jazz music.

Why weed’s greatest villain hounded Billie Holiday to death

Cannabis was equally influential in Jazz, so much so that joints gained both popularity and the nickname “jazz cigarettes” through their prevalence in the scene.

On the art scene, we find more connections. Frida Kahlo, one of the most influential painters of all time, was not only a bisexual woman but also used cannabis while creating her masterpieces and for her body. The prevalence of cannabis and queerness among respected artists helped bring respect to both cannabis and queer people.

Reefer and rebellion

The 1960s saw a rise in the rebellion and self-expression that would embolden many young queer people and cannabis enthusiasts alike.

In California, the hippie movement kickstarted many underground queer magazines and pulp novels. In New York, the influential visual arts scene featured an abundance of queer art legends like Andy Warhol and David Hockney, as well as a rich cannabis culture. Queer musicians of the 1960s, like Janis Joplin, were increasingly speaking freely about their love of cannabis. The art, fashion, sound, and style found its way into the mainstream of suburbia and made a huge impact on the artistic sensibilities of a generation.

7 weed strains to celebrate Pride

In the 1990’s, the Club Kids scene in New York was steeped heavily in not only the groundbreaking creativity and vibrant expression of queer artists, but also the freedom of psychoactive experimentation. The scene’s celebrities, like Ru Paul, would go on to become massive cultural figures, transcending the underground scene they originated in and influencing fashion, music and television for decades to come.

Without queer artists and the carefree, creative energy that many artists find in cannabis, visual arts, music, literature and film might not be quite as vibrant or free spirited as it is today. It was through art scenes like these that queer people were able to become icons and cannabis began to be seen as a tool for creativity instead of a vice.

(Adobe)

As we have progressed as a society, it’s (fortunately) fallen out of fashion to spend one’s time getting bent out of shape about the harmless actions of other people. In the latter half of the twentieth century, both queer life and cannabis consumption started to become less taboo.

The Hays Code, which made it illegal to show representations of queer people and of drug use in film, was repealed in the 1960s, and more queer representation made its way into the mainstream.

Increased representation helped change the public perception around LGBTQIA+ people and cannabis alike, forever shifting popular culture.

Young people today are more likely to support cannabis legalization and LGBTQ+ rights. This is in part because both queer people and cannabis users have been humanized in pop culture instead of made the butt of the joke.

With new freedom to break cultural norms and live in ways that work for them, cannabis has become just one more way that queer people are able to openly pursue a life that feels authentic and free.

(Cannaclusive)

Another reason why cannabis is so prevalent in queer culture is because many queer people find smoke sesh partners in their queer friend groups or in groups of open-minded queer allies.

This is because as queer people, both our social circles and our communal smoke circles find their roots in the very same thing: a circle of trust.

In a prohibition environment, it isn’t smart to consume cannabis with people you don’t trust. Doing so might mean exposing yourself to those who might rat you out to the authorities or otherwise disclose your stoner status in ways that might damage your public and professional standing.

Similarly, throughout history, your life could be destroyed if you were outed as gay. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, police would raid suspected LGBTQ+ bars and establishments and publish suspected queer people’s information in newspapers.

This information could destroy families and careers and lead to isolation from one’s relatives, friends, and religious community. For many queer people in conservative areas of the United States or in more conservative countries across the world, being outed can still pose a very real threat to livelihood and physical safety.

Trust is key

For generations, both the cannabis and queer community have survived only on the basis of trust. For queer people, our social groups are a place where we can explore our gender presentation, express our desires and live with dignity. They are a natural safe space for enjoying cannabis without fear of judgment or punishment.

Not all queer people enjoy cannabis. Not all queer people want to be around cannabis. Not all queer social circles are an appropriate place for cannabis. But when the two meet up, they form a unique environment where queer stoners can relax and feel safe among friends. And for queer people across the globe, that is a gift.

In conclusion: Yes, weed is gay.

Cannabis is core to queer culture. Its path to legalization and political acceptance mirrors ours. In health care, cannabis is an important wellness resource for queer people. Socially, cannabis has gone hand in hand with the way we create art, the way we relax, and the way we find comfort in a community of like-minded individuals.

(Leafly)

The story of queer people and cannabis is about more than history or medicine or art or socializing. It is also a story about survival, about community and about our will to live in ways that feel authentic and true.

If you’re queer, celebrate Pride by rolling up a joint like our forefathers, foremothers, and forepeople. If you’re an ally, smoke out your queer friends. And by the power vested in me via this byline, if you’re a homophobe, I hope someone sells you some dirty ass oregano this Pride month.

Read more about queer culture and weed

C. Merten

C. Merten is a Chicago-based writer, creative, and cannabis enthusiast. Their passions include breakfast, 70's music, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain.

View C. Merten's articles

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gabbiwenyiayane-art · 5 years ago

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4 June 2020

There’s been a lapse in my posting and updates, and I’m not going to try to hide that because who does that help? So I took a break to work on other things, so I’ve been focusing on my essay instead, so what? If we all continually produced research and art, we would never have the breathing space to critique what we create and grow.

Anyway, my small break to focus on my essay (I am submitting an essay on the Queer body as a space for this module too) ended long ago - I took a pause with the essay to work on assignments for Drama, and now am settling back into the pace of writing this piece.

But the act of writing is a strange one, because it is at once intimate and performative. Even when we write for ourselves, it is to externalise the internal, to replay the performance at a later date, or to combust in the catharsis of the show. And currently, it feels very strange to write about anything other than what is happening in the world today: the Black Lives Matter movement, the migrant worker rights issues in Singapore, the Philippine Terror Bill, the Hong Kong protests...

Because there is no part of me that wishes to capture my thoughts on my body at this junction in time, no desire to come back to examine what I was thinking about Queerness and bodies during this critical point in history. There is very little space in my brain anyway to expand any existing ideas of Queerness or bodies or identity inside myself.

And I have to admit that the project has changed in tone for sure. We don’t create art in a vacuum, that we know, but we also don’t write in a vacuum even when that writing is detached, academic, an assessment piece.

This is still an essay I would like to complete, but I feel the need to update it: Queer bodies can be considered a space we can talk about, traverse, explore, subvert... because of the Black Queer people who started the conversation and gave us our bodies back. Even in Singapore, where the conversation feels so far-removed from this Western rhetoric. We’re still clinging to the Victorian law criminalising gay sex, and we are years, perhaps lifetimes, away from marriage equality. Our conversations about Queer rights are vastly different from those in the West - where Western Queers take for granted the right to hold hands in public or parade at Pride without acknowledging it was first a riot, us in Southeast Asia don’t yet have many things about being Queer to take for granted at all. (and even as I type this I’m aware that it is not so simple - in Singapore, being gay won’t get you killed. That is a privilege. But it’s a sad world we live in that not fearing for your life is considered a privilege in any part of the world.)

I digress. The point is that Singapore has been equally complicit in our anti-Blackness, from our minstrel shows of the 40s to our present-day obsessions with whitening creams and our treatment of Black locals, culture & foreigners. That’s an over-simplification. The racism runs deep, way past the 1940s. It’s rooted in the same colonialism that “discovered” (see: stole) the United States of America. So how can we, having built our nation on that system, now “opt out” of the conversation?

We can’t. We shouldn’t. And we need to acknowledge that there are intersections between the state of our bodies as Queer people, with the protests happening abroad, and the inequality and violence rooted insidiously in our own system here.

I digressed more. But it’s less of a digression than it is a very important addition. Which is to say, I’m working on the essay, but it is NOT the most important thing I’m thinking about now. The thought put into this artwork IS distracted, because right now, at this point in history, it SHOULD be distracted, and Black lives come before my education any day and every day. As a NBPOC, I have the privilege of relative emotional distance from the protests and can write the essay I set out to write, but I also want to situate it in a broader context of: the essay doesn’t fucking matter right now.

#journal

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theatreworksstkilda · 6 years ago

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It's beginning to look a lot like a Theatre Works season.

The mammoth task of programming Theatre Works’ 2019 season is almost done and dusted, and it’s been one hell of a ride.

The process has been extraordinary, energising, enveloping and eye opening.

So where are we at?

You may already know that we have publicly announced Chapter 1, 2019. There are two more Chapters to come, which will be announced in early 2019. We are also actively considering works for 2020 and beyond.

As a result, our programming decisions have not been as straightforward as we would have hoped for!

I’m writing this blog post to provide you with an update, of sorts, and some context to continue our public conversation about Theatre Works.

To begin with, let's talk numbers.

Theatre Works received 130 submissions:

103 Because Now submissions were received (the program supported through our 2019 Catalyst funding)

65 Because Heart submissions were received

54 Because Now/ Because Heart 2020 submissions were received

The previous time Theatre Works led an EOI process, in 2015, we received 45 submissions. We could never have anticipated such strong interest in the program.

Applications were submitted from both inside Victoria and outside of Victoria:

Victoria: 113

NSW: 2

ACT: 3

South Australia: 2

Western Australia: 3

Queensland: 4

United Kingdom: 1

Germany: 1

I personally conducted 45 discussions with artists, to assist in the preparation to submit their EOI and to discuss works in more depth. The average discussion length was thirty minutes. I tried to conduct the majority of the discussions via Zoom, to ensure I could stick strictly to time allocations and to allow an even playing field for artists outside of Melbourne and interstate.

In preparing and finalising the 2019 season, Theatre Works conducted 34 interviews with applicants. The average interview time was one hour. As I said, we are still in a process of considering works for 2020, and we have conducted another 10 interviews, so far, for the 2020 season!

So, what have we learnt?

1. Theatre Works remains deeply under resourced as one of the main engine rooms of independent theatre, and we need to do more to tell our own story and to secure our own future.

I am regularly astounded by a belief and perception that Theatre Works is well resourced and significantly well-funded.

It makes me draw the conclusion that perhaps Theatre Works is a victim of its own success. Or, perhaps we don't do enough publicly to advocate for our genuine position and to articulate our current reality authentically.

What we have is our independence, our longevity, and our commitment to our mission in abundance, BUT, we remain significantly under-funded.

In a nutshell, we receive three amounts of funding to support Theatre Works annually:

$30k from the City of Port Phillip

$147k from Creative Victoria

$76k from the Commonwealth Catalyst fund

This total, $253k, equates to 38% of annual income. On top of this, fundraising and donations equate for an additional 10% of annual income.

So, the rest of Theatre Works’ income is earned income through ticket sales, venue hire and bar.

Quite simply, Theatre Works needs to generate income. It’s not a theoretical exercise. If we don’t generate money, our artists don’t generate money, and our future is at risk.

Perhaps something which is not well understood is that Theatre Works is a tenant, and we have annual bills to pay.

We rent the Parish Hall and have done so for over thirty years. At the start of any year, we have to make sure we are going to generate enough cash during the year to pay our many bills (including the ongoing rent, maintenance and costs to keep the hall open and safe.)

I state all of this, because it feels important for applicants to know that some assumptions that are made about Theatre Works are wrong.

We are in a fight for our very independence and future, and the next few years will determine if we do actually survive and thrive as we so desperately want to. We need the community to support us, and more broadly to make a stronger commitment to the independent constituted orgs (I’m referring to ourselves, to La Mama, Footscray Community Arts Centre etc- the companies that are independently constituted.) We are not just service organisations. We stand for so much more; and it's time that we all claimed that space.

2. We know how make a small amount of money go a long way.

In 2019, Theatre Works will support 13 productions through the grant program that we receive from the (now defunct) Catalyst fund for $74k. We give ALL of the funding to artists – that’s right, ALL, we don’t hold onto a single cent.

We do this, in part, to seed investment from other partners (such as further grant investment from Creative Vic, Australia Council and City of Port Phillip for specific shows), and also to boost crowdfunding capabilities and philanthropic support.

We also do this because the artists we want to work with need the seeding. There isn’t enough arts funding (full stop) to support independent artists and the visionary productions that we believe in.

Theatre Works is constantly working over our capacity. Our anticipated Venue usage in 2019 will be 377 days, because we will present a number of double bills and special events in 2019.

I have mixed feelings about how much we stretch ourselves as a company, as a venue, and our capacity to deliver on work. It feels as if we are obligated to try and do as much as possible, because we have what most artists require: space and resources. To not make them available feels negligent. But I also know that we can’t keep on going the way we’re going. We need to increase our donations and other forms of funding, so we can better support our program. But it feels like chicken and the egg, we don’t want the theatre to sit empty, and we don’t want artists to miss out on opportunities.

3. Programming happens not just through the formal EOI process, but through ongoing discussion with our community and within our own company.

The process of connecting with our community and listening to what is happening around us is ongoing and it never stops. Each day we are learning more about what our immediate neighbourhood is interested in and what our neighbourhood requires. I’ve been Artistic Director since June and each day in the job I’m finding out more and more about the current Theatre Works audience and more importantly the potential Theatre Works audience.

But also, we are surrounded by important conversations. Conversations with our Associate Artists, companies and artists we work with, our staff, our board and our volunteers, who also have important things to say and to contribute; and this is part and parcel of the programming framework.

Programming a season is more than just a public expression of values. It’s more than an articulation of priorities. Programming a season should be the visible heartbeat of a company, and by its very nature give life to the company. A season must provide balance, and energy. A season at Theatre Works must be self-sustainable and self-propelling. For this reason, it should always take place in a larger and more engaged conversation within a company and community.

4. This is a not a grants process, it’s not a competition and it’s not a job application process. What we set out to do is recalibrate a theatre company.

The process to program our season has taken much longer than we expected. In part, because we have ended up supporting so many more artists and works than we had initially anticipated.

This has meant we had to reshape our budgets, consider the capacity of our staff and forensically interrogate each application. Dianne Toulson (Theatre Works General Manager) and I had to present a framework to the Theatre Works board that would make them feel secure and sure about the future.

It was difficult because many artists wanted to know (quite simply) if they made the cut. It’s difficult to explain that it’s never as simple as that. We often have multiple works we are considering for each slot, and we are always doing everything we can to be rigorous, transparent, and ensure the best outcomes for our artists, our community and Theatre Works.

5. Audience is inevitably the most important consideration in our immediate future; and we need to improve our frameworks around thinking about audiences.

Many EOIs struggled to identify how the work will connect with an audience (and for that matter, an audience that can sufficiently fill the 140-seat theatre each night.)

We need to be more willing and ready to speak about potential audience; and we must be ready to think outside of the “opening night bubble” and to ask the critical question: how will we fill the seats with honest to god, real breathing people?

In 2019, for instance, we are making an active decision to present more work for children, young people and families. In Chapter 1 2019 are: the Arena Theatre production Robot Song, Holly Austin’s Dr Alphabeat and our new hip-hop youth initiative Pay It Forward. All three works are central to ensuring new people, young people, get to the theatre and become engaged with our vision.

And that programming is already paying off. We have sold a record number of tickets for Robot Song, and that season is already one third sold.

In designing our Midsumma program, for instance, we are attempting to present a more inclusive version of what it means to be Queer, by celebrating the butch and trans community through The Butch Monologues or telling the story of fat gay pride through Cake Daddy. In this way, we are catering to a variety of demographics. The specificity in community is helping us sell the works. Yesterday, we sold 30 tickets in on day to Butch Monologues, in part because there is a community ready and willing to support it.

It feels basic and somewhat redundant to say we need to think more about audience; but we need to. Theatre Works knows this instinctively. If we can sell more tickets next year; we will be in a very different position. If we can sell a lot more tickets, well we can support artists much more wholeheartedly. This call to action is in fact quite simple. If we believe in independent theatre, we need to promote each other’s works more, we need to get more people into the theatre, we need to be more entrepreneurial.

I recently had an accidental encounter with a successful Broadway producer. She told me to only ever give complimentary tickets to hairdressers and taxi drivers, “because they talk about work,” and “will actually tell other people if they like the show.” The success of her career had been defined by getting the right people to see the work early. One of the questions is how do we get beyond the bubble, the hype of our community, and how do we begin to build stronger and more consistent audience numbers? Quite simply, if we don't, I can't imagine Theatre Works being open in eighteen months time.

6. We have learnt so much

We’ve learnt that programming always takes longer than expected. If I had my time again, I would have said no timelines to this process. We tried to do an eight-month process in two months, and it’s been frustrating that we haven’t been able to get back to artists as quickly as we would have liked.

We learnt that to program a season requires more than just submitting and reviewing an expression of interest. For instance, once we have received the EOI, we need to do a level of our own research. This may include watching videos, reading reviews, talking to artists and venues, and exploring works from many different angles. To help determine how we may sell or market a work; we need to consider it from many different angles.

7. Finally, we need to say thank you.

It’s been an honour to read so many amazing proposals and to get to know so many artists and works. I feel literally full to the brim with information and ideas.

For every work that we have programmed in our 2019 season, there are two, or sometimes three other works that are now sitting on the bench. These are works and artists that we not only feel confident and passionate about, but they are works that we believe deserve a home.

This process has been tough, and we want to sincerely say thanks to everyone who has contributed.

It's also Christmas. An enforced break, time away from our computers and downtime for the parish hall. It would be remiss of me to not fully acknowledge the small and incredible Theatre Works team - our staff, our board, our volunteers, and our associate artists.

Many thanks to the artists who have made Theatre Works 2018. Many thanks to the artists who have been part of this process. Many thanks to everyone who supports Theatre Works, now and into the future.

Happy Holidays. In the immortal words of Bing Crosby, Mele Kalikimaka, it's the Hawaiian way to say Merry Christmas to you. It's also my favourite carol. (Controversial, I know.)

Warmest Regards

Bryce (and the Theatre Works team.)

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lindyhunt · 7 years ago

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Robyn Exton, Founder of LGBTQ+ Dating App HER, On the Importance of Building Womxn-Specific Platforms

Toronto-born Robyn Exton is the woman behind HER, the world’s first and largest community of queer women. In just three years, the platform’s app (available on iOS and Android) has amassed a global network of over 3 million individuals across 55 countries. It was six years ago, sitting at a pub in London and consoling a friend who had just split up with her girlfriend, that the idea for HER was born. Tired of making do with “really poor versions of websites built for gay men that they just modified and made pink,” Exton began wondering why there weren’t more platforms for queer women to meet and interact. “At the time, there were about 25 apps for gay men, and so many for straight people. Match.com had an app, eHarmony had an app… So I was like, this is ridiculous. Why has no one ever built anything properly for women?”

She quickly began doing research, learned to code, and immersed herself in the tech community in London (where she grew up before moving to San Francisco when HER launched three years ago). “It all kind of snowballed from there.” This Pride Month, we caught up with Exton to chat about the app and how it’s evolved over the years.

What sort of goals did you go into the launch with?

Something that I was aware of really quickly was that my experience of dating was very different to a 50-year-old lesbian in Manchester, and that was very different to an 18-year-old person who was questioning their sexuality and wasn’t sure who they were and what they wanted, and that was very different to someone living in the middle of the countryside. All of these people have very different needs and so one of the early jobs I did was to try and speak to as big a spread of people as possible to understand the common issues and problems that everyone experiences.

What are some of the different ways in which gay men and gay women date and interact that made you feel like there needs to be female-specific website or app?

What’s interesting is that we’ve all generally grown up in a world that sees gender as a binary element. There are set behaviours that we’re taught as men and as women to adhere to and follow, and particularly in the realm of dating, that gets exaggerated even more. When you have a product that is for straight people, you are balancing those two behaviours to match together. But when you run a platform that’s for LGBTQ people, generally you’re focusing on one of those specific behaviours that’s mirrored on both sides. What Grindr did brilliantly was understand what is that thing that both guys are looking for, and optimize for that, and what we’re able to do with HER is look at what women are looking for, and optimize for that. We actually did a story with Grindr to compare how people use Grindr vs how they use HER. Some of the big differences we see are in messaging. For guys on Grindr, the average length of interaction is something around three messages or something like that.

And I think I read that on HER it’s somewhere around 40.

Exactly, and the average time to meet up on a male platform is typically around a couple of hours, while on female platforms it’s around seven days. So it’s just completely different kinds of experiences. And it makes sense, because women have grown up thinking about personal safety, or what they’re going to talk about when they meet this new person… As we started unpacking all of this, what we realized is that it’s not really about LGBTQ people not having their own platform but about women not having a platform that had truly been built for them.

Photography via HER

Conversations around gender identity have changed so much in the past few years, and people have become more comfortable with broader identifiers like pansexual and non-binary. How do you make sure that your app continues to evolve and grow with the times?

We looked at some research from two or three years ago that found that fewer than 60% of people under the age of 22 identify as exclusively straight, which means that people who are not straight are now coming into the majority and that is mind-blowing for us. And then what we found from our own user base is that the age of 29 seems to be an interesting breakpoint in how people identify. Over the age of 29, there are increasing numbers of people identifying as lesbians but under the age of 29, there was a 137% greater chance that you will identify as pansexual and 140% greater chance that you’ll identify as non-binary. Everything is changing in our community and in our audience at the moment and it’s really important for us as a company to reflect that and make it clear that we’re a place where you can explore. In terms of identifying inside the product, I think we have 18 sexualities and 23 different gender identities, and our principle with it is: however people want to identify, they can submit to us that that is what they want to express on their profile and we will add it within 10 days to make it available in the app.

We’ve now reached that point in the digital age where people are shying away from putting too much of themselves on social media. How does that affect apps like yours?

It’s interesting. Again, it varies a lot by age group. We find that people under 25 are pretty flexible and open about their data and where it’s been. I think people over that have been part of a group that was told to be more protective of our data and think about where it goes and what happens. But we’re a pretty isolated ecosystem. Because of the nature of our community, we’ve always been quite cautious about that, we don’t want to out anyone without their being out in their own world, so we’ve always had our own strong internal system. I think that at the time that the world is in now with GDPR and the Facebook breach, it’s really just about each company taking responsibility with how they’re handling their users’ data.

Photography via HER

In what ways have queer dating apps contributed to the slow decline of things like lesbian bars, and conversely, in what ways can they be used as tools to promote more IRL interaction?

I think there’s multiple things at play here. Rents are going up a lot and that’s putting a lot of pressure on LGBTQ venues. I think that as there becomes greater acceptance of queer people, the reliance on venues isn’t as high as it used to be. However, I have a very strong personal belief that the importance is just as great as it ever was, and it’s just as valuable to have these dedicated physical spaces. It’s actually why we built an Events feature. We knew that there were tons of great events run by powerful, inspiring, great queer women who are putting huge amounts of effort to make something of value to the community. Part of the problem is that it’s really difficult to find those events. We wanted to make it easier to discover them for our community specifically. If we don’t have as many physical spaces, we want to try and play a part in creating more digital spaces so you can still find other people like yourself and be able to connect with them.

What sort of events do you do?

A big part of what we do is relevant to the city that it’s in. For example in Australia we run camping trips, in London we’ve done queer burlesque shows, in LA we do an arts and crafts fair experience. In Canada, Toronto and Montreal are our two big markets. What we’re actually doing this month in Canada for Pride is great. There’s this lesbian festival in Barcelona called Girlie Circus—it’s Europe’s biggest lesbian festival, known for electro and house music played by queer and female DJs—so we’re bringing a bunch of the performers and DJs from there over to Canada for two events in a row, on June 15 in Toronto and June 16 in Montreal.

In what ways is HER different from other dating apps out there?

Our strongest differentiator is our Communities feature. We have communities inside the app, and sub-communities, relating either to identity or your passions and interests. You can join those communities, share content, ask questions and get answers from people that care about the same kind of things. From a user perspective, if you were to join HER, the difference is it feels super, super gay. And that is not something that many other places feel like. It feels like your LGBTQ home, a brand and a voice of people that understand who you are, what you might be going through, and connect you with other people like yourself. That’s all we want, for people to feel like this is a home they can come back to.

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caveartfair · 7 years ago

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An Artist’s Guide to Making the Most of Art Basel in Miami Beach

Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami, . Christian Marsh Plus One Gallery

The first rule of Miami is to hate Miami. Even if you think it will be the best week of your year, you have to groan when someone asks you if you’re going. Practice the groan. It must be nuanced enough to acknowledge your “complicity” while also establishing an “Us” that elevates you above the “Them” crammed next to you on one of four flights from NYC to MIA (or to Fort Lauderdale, if you didn’t get your ticket in time). It’s a journey that brings into focus the struggle among your hedonism, your politics, and the way you make a living.

This guide is for slightly damaged people. By that I mean people who will go into a spiral even while surrounded by sun, beaches, free drinks, and DJ Paris Hilton. These are all amazing things that should bring gaiety to your life. And this is why I’ve learned not to complain about Miami to my family. Really though, if you aren’t at least a little defective, don’t read this; I’d rather you storm Miami, gobbling Adderall because you don’t want to miss a single launch party.

Most of the times I’ve gone to Miami have been for art gigs, so that has definitely informed my experience. If you are going for a project, the first thing to note is that New York anxiety only exists in New York. It’s like oxygen—you don’t notice it until it’s not there.

And you will definitely miss it when you are the only one coming unglued because the 310 Diet Mountain Dew bottles you need for your sculpture haven’t arrived. At this point your New York superiority complex will burst out with ferocity, but you must submit. Also, we are living wrong and Miamians are living right. Life will continue if your project doesn’t go precisely as planned. There are no emergencies in the art world. (That said, bring all the supplies you can. You can lose days searching for a measuring tape.)

Another practical note: Down here, sponsored booze (including something that is literally named Ruinart) flows like wine at a wedding in Cana, but you will not eat. Miami Beach is a tourist town run by hotel restaurants that you don’t have time for and can’t afford anyway. Be your own mom and pack snacks. I’ve had many dinners at the Walgreens on Lincoln and Collins. If you do have the time to walk the massive avenues, go to La Sandwicherie, my favorite restaurant in Miami Beach. Try to sniff out what parties will feed you and always choose those no matter what they are for—hunger is stronger than pride. And remember, the gallery/museum/multinational-big-pharma-corporation that’s paying for your room isn’t going to pay for your room service, and your cultural capital isn’t going to pick up the bill, either.

Art Basel Miami Beach is glamorous, but that glamor comes with a whiff of desperation, so be primed to feel disappointed by humanity. Observing encounters between art professionals is like watching two dogs, with fair badges instead of collars, sniff each other’s butts to ascertain who is the alpha. At night, grown men flash business cards amid the mobs, hoping that their job title will sway the door person. Tan women on the street aggressively hand out shiny postcards trying to entice you to events that aren’t part of the “real” art world. (In the “real” art world, shiny postcards are emailed invites, and tan buskers are pale PR agents.) Miami lays hierarchies bare, and you will soon realize that at the top of that hierarchy sits Mr. Brainwash (even if you weren’t even aware of who he is).

That said, I really like parties. I really like drinking for free. I really like when my friends come together and go to parties and drink for free with me. In what other job does a work trip involve an itinerary of parties every night? You don’t even have to be invited, you just have to be crafty. Most artists aren’t paid enough (or at all), so make things more equitable by drinking as much as it takes to fill that hole in your expense report.

On the night that you finally go full Miami, you will run into a friendquaintance on the street. They will ask you what you are up to that night in a way that makes it obvious that they hope to outdo you with their own itinerary. And the sad thing is, you will actually care if your schedule is better.

“I’m going to the Meat Joy reperformance in the Raleigh pool sponsored by Slim Jim, then I’m heading to the Skymall Catalog x Ryan McNamara champagne toast at Soho House and if I’m still standing I’ll drag myself to the launch of the new VALIE EXPORT Altoid tin at the Delano.”

Ryan McNamara in ME3M 4 MIAMI: A Story Ballet About the Internet, performed in 2014.

Don’t wait in line for parties. Not in a Don’t you know who I am way, but in a The beach is way more fun way. While you are fighting to not be trampled outside the door, you will be visited by your ghost of teenage past, the one who would doodle on his Converse and wear black eyeliner and couldn’t wait to get out of that shitty town and become an artist and meet the freaks of New York City. This little asshole will glare at you amid that sea of tasteful consultants (everyone in Miami is a consultant, but after all these years I still don’t know who or what they consult) and just mouth, “Really?”

(If you do finally get into the party, your teenage self who desperately wanted to lunch with Diana Vreeland at Le Cirque will be let down by just how unglamorous “glamor” can be.)

There is art down in Miami, too. But convention centers get their electricity not from wind, water, or coal but from a unique ambient device that slowly siphons élan vital from your soul. Go to the fair, see your friends’ work, and leave.

It’s fine and in fact desirable to be alienated by the fair; we artists are not the intended audience—collectors are. I’m thankful for art fairs because they fund so many good people and good projects, but I would be fine if I never saw another one in my life.

To be fair to the fair, I will say that, in my encounters and dealings with the people who actually run Art Basel, I’m convinced that they care about art and artists more than many arts organizations. And the auxiliary events they produce can sometimes be pretty great. I saw a Pope.L performance a few years back that still kicks my brain. Definitely seek out this year’s film and sound program curated by David Gryn. Local museums often put up their best shows during Art Basel so make time to visit the Pérez Art Museum Miami and the new Frost Science Museum next door, the revamped Institute of Contemporary Art, and the new Bass Museum of Art. I can still see Nari Ward’s 2015 show at the Pérez in my head but I can barely think of one work of art I’ve seen at an art fair in all my years of going.

The curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev talks about biennials and exhibitions as decoys. The show is just a nucleus around which swirls the real stuff—conversations, chance meetings, fights. Miami is a humid, blown-out, pashmina-wearing decoy that has given me some of the most memorable experiences of my life. A smattering:

Seated next to me at the kid’s table of a dinner, long before he was taking selfies-with-Madonna, was Ai Weiwei, who no one knew, and who told me not to worry about my career—he only started making money in his fifties—and to look him up if I came to Beijing (“I’m the only ‘Ai’ in the phone book”). A curator once called me the most foul artist they had ever worked with. In a Miami hotel room, some friends and I created a game that we still play to this day called “All at Once,” which involves a lot of mouths and just one mouthful of wine. Fifteen performers and I once showed up to our single rehearsal only to find a Wyclef Jean concert in progress in our rehearsal space, which no one told us about. (Silver lining: I found Wyclef’s extensive rider, which I still use to this day.) After surviving heat stroke, I walked into my Airbnb living room to find the musician Robyn sitting on the couch holding a Wasa cracker like a phone to her ear.

Meanwhile, I’ve seen too many situations that remind me that, surprise, the art world is racist. I’ve ditched museum parties for moonlight skinny dips with my insanely talented friends. I’ve cried on Collins Avenue. I got to work with a genius, Devonté Hynes. I met my best friend in Miami. I had the most epic wrap party of all time with 20 phenomenal performers and dozens of family and friends at the abandoned Playboy Theater. (Thanks again, Marc.) And I’ve made some art that I’m pretty proud of.

In conclusion: Go to Twist as much as you can. It’s the best gay bar in the world.

And tell me all about it when you get back, because I won’t be there.

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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