#im not sure call me out if im wrong

[systemrestart]

From Alison Bechdel's "Dykes to Watch Out For". Strip name "Au Courant", from 1994

I'd never seen this strip get posted, so I want others to see it. Mo, the character expressing 'concern' over the inclusion of trans women (as well as bisexuals) in lesbian culture, is often portrayed as being overly self-righteous, jumping to conclusions about others, and not critically examining her own biases and worldview. She was also the character in the comic commissioned for Transgender Warriors, where she learns she was wrong for being anxious about sharing a bathroom with a trans woman.

Mo is often either the butt of the joke, or receives a stark lesson in these interactions (whether by confrontation or just becoming socially isolated, because she's difficult to be around). And I found this framing important, especially as I've heard discussion of TERFs trying to claim Bechdel as one of them.

This comic was not made to validate Mo's opinions or feelings. The characters in Bechdel's comics are often messy, short-sighted, even bigoted. They're human. This comic does not valorize or 'condone' these flaws, merely shows them for what they are, as well as the consequences that come with them, and the effects they can have on your communities.

Transcript of the comic below the cut:

[ID: A "Dykes to Watch Out For" comic strip by Alison Bechdel, featuring the characters Mo and Lois. The conversation is as follows:

MO: Oh, jeez. Here's a submission for "Madwimmin Read" from someone named Jillian who identifies as a transsexual lesbian.

LOIS: Cool.

MO: The cover letter says, "I hope you'll consider changing the name of your reading series for local lesbian writers to be inclusive of transgender and bisexual women writers too." Oh, man!

LOIS: Guess it's time to get with the program, huh?

MO: What am I supposed to do? Have bi women and drag queens come in here and read about schtupping their boyfriends?

LOIS: Why not? I'm sure they'd have a unique perspective on the topic.

MO: Lois, I'm still trying to adjust to lesbians using dildos! What am I supposed to make of a man who became a woman who's attracted to women?!

LOIS: Love is a many gendered thing, pal. Get used to it.

MO: Well fine. Let people do what they want. But I'm not gonna add this unwieldy "bisexual and transgender" business to the name of my reading series. I don't even know what transgender means!

LOIS: It's sort of an evolving concept. I mean, we haven't had any language for people you can't neatly peg as either boy or girl.

LOIS: Like cross-dressers, transsexuals, people who live as the opposite sex but don't have surgery, drag queens and kings, and all kinds of other transgressive folks. "Transgender" is a way to unite everyone into a group, even though all these people might not self-identify as transgender.

LOIS: In fact, the point is that we're all just ourselves, and not categories. Instead of two rigid genders, there's an infinite sexual continuum! Cool, huh?

MO: How do you know all this stuff?

END ID]

#alison bechdel #dykes to watch out for #dtwof #transgender #lgbt history #thought it was important to share this. ive been reading a lot of dtwof #theres another strip im thinking of sharing about Mo being called out on her ableism #just not sure how to word my thoughts or if i should just post it or something #also let me know if the Transgender Warriors thing is wrong i got that info from another commenter and my copy hasnt arrived yet #and let me know if the transcript needs to be adjusted in some way for screen readers #anyways much love to my transgender sisters #EDIT: my copy of Transgender Warriors came in and i can confirm that the bathroom comic #was comissioned for it!!!

[moeblob]

You know, when I kept getting asked "so you didn't ever have severe pains before now?" in the hospital and I kept replying "I have a high pain tolerance" I meant it. However, there is only so much pain my tiny 4'9" body can hold... (aka I am sweating and in agony bc I'm getting told to use LESS severe pain meds so I don't rely on them too much and it is AWFUL)

#moe talks a lot #i was shaking earlier and despite the fact i sound like im gonna cry #and the fact that my mom can pick out im about to cry from pain bc im trying to take less pain meds #LIKE MY MOM IS INSTRUCTING ME TO DO #shes like well why arent you taking any pain meds #BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO AVAILABLE OPTIONS AND ON A SIX HOUR TIMER #i cant take both at once or else what happens to me if i hurt before the six hours is up #i have to manage them in a way that allows me to benefit from both and being told im doing it wrong #after being told well its your fault it got so bad because you never complained about pain before #YEAH NO JOKE? REALLY? I NEVER DID? because everyone acts like im too young to feel that kinda pain #oh youre hurting? just wait until youre older #and its currently agony to breathe again but that i guess is also my fault bc im trying to use pain meds #holy moly i just want to not get dizzy standing up cause wow dang #sure would be nice if the multiple incisions in my stomach didnt THROB every time i sneezed or coughed or cleared my throat #but since i didnt use much pain meds before because i would be mocked for being too much of a baby its like #welp damn now i could really use some and im being called out for being too reliant #anyway time to sleep more because that means im not noticing my pain #im literally smaller than most children and so i do understand my body size makes people worried about the medication intake #but can i please just go a day without being asked how much im taking or when i last took it or if im gonna cry #anyway sorry for the excessive rant today never really had surgery or anything so this is brand spankin new suffering

[sleepyblr-heart]

hii. ive been dodlin a lot of the Guys the past few days. have some of them

#heart art! #adventure forward #af2 #signol #2nd star savior #verfection #celesteal #shallare #mayor maynot #stratosfear #or 1st star savior??? i am not sure how to tag them ill be honest. #anyways #i have Senarios in my Brain #i must figure them out lest i Explode #i really love the mayior (maynot/star savior (im calling that only bc of the pun btw. (its funny to me))) doodle. it turned out silly #i think abt them alot. theres somethign wrong with them. #i put a straw in their brains and drink their Brain Juice #anyways. have a good day. goot bye.

[voidimp]

turning off rbs bc i explained this poorly u can stop voting on it

i forgot to add an option for other so just like. pick whichever one u think is closest (or the results option if u really cant decide)

feel free to elaborate on your opinion if u would like. i am Curious i want to know everyones thoughts

#hi its almost 5am #i do have a preference. btw #funny how we use the suffix -taur for other animal variations of centaurs when thats. referring to the animal half not the human half #so it really should be cen[animal]. its like if u had something like Werewolf But Bird & called it a birdwolf instead of a werebird #(using that example specifically bc i have werebird ocs lmao) #correct me if im wrong btw but im pretty sure thats how the etymology works out #like idk what cen actually means. but id guess probably something along the lines of human or person #bc taur has to come from like. tauros/taurus right?? which is bull not horse but close enough theyre both ungulates #edit: ok i was half wrong . why does the name refer to the thing it kills instead of the thing itself

[red-dyed-sarumane]

kamitsubaki trying to frame rime as the "responsible one" is so funny to me. thats a kid playing house. she couldnt keep the others in line for one moment and ran to haru about it. ill admit shes a little above what they portray coko as but like shes kind of on par with all the others. which is to say they all collectively have one responsibility brain cell and pass it back & forth

#i dont actually see rime as a kid. to be clear. since im aware of the reading comprehension on this site i feel the need to say that #like ill wait to see what they have in store in ensemble but how theyre showing her in the 4koma is like. #she's responsible but only when she feels like it. which. mood. but to go out and call her the responsible one is funny to me #i also have no idea whats going on in the other game. i started it but after i realized it was multiplayer only after the tutorial #i never logged in again. im like. vaguely aware they introduced the isotopes to it but i have absolutely no clue the context #i just know theyre white & gold color scheme. which does look really cool admittedly #which is to say maybe im missing out on key rime details & am completely unaware of it #im not sure how much i care considering my own personal image of the isotopes is not 1:1 with the official sources anyway #as is the way with vocal synths. theyre kinda whatever u want them to be by design. #haru & sekai are the more responsible ones to me. but also thats just me & im aware of this. #also im not saying this to put her down. im rime defender number 3 after like rim herself & like one other person #i just think rimes too full of whimsy to be the responsible one #theyre free to prove me wrong tho i would like to see it

[dayasan]

📷 Steyliff Grove, The Vesperpool, Risorath Basin, Cleigne

#final fantasy xv #gladiolus amicitia #prompto argentum #noctis lucis caelum #ignis scientia #chocobros #ffxv #ff #final fantasy 15 #ff15 #dayasanxv #the flash went CRAZY on iggy #also im like 70% sure this is steyliff someone call me out if im wrong

[painonthebrain]

Also, bonus question, does what role the character play affect how you feel about their death or if they were to die? For example, a whumper dying vs a whumpee dying or a caretaker dying

#tw death #cw death #death #whump poll #idk im just curious #personally for me it depends #ive been experimenting with whump concepts in my head that involve death #like zombies immortals who die and ressurect themselves #stuff like that #‘came back wrong’ trope etc #of course it still depends to me like. certain ways it plays out are fine but others go outside of my comfort zone #like i was reading a pretty gory whumper turned whumpee fic #and im not saying its bad it was pretty good #just not for me personally #i think it was called red room? or smth like that #the whumpee was torturing their whumper #and then at the end they killed them #i dont remember the names or pronouns bc it squicked me out a little so i think i forgot about it #im not sure how i feel about permanent death in whump fics #like sure ive got zombies and people who can ressurect or vampires who can heal #but i dont think i like to read about humans dying? #idk idk

[moltage]

i've tried everything, different ways, different times, different places. i just can't seem to find my passion for writing back.

#writers block my ass this shit has been going on for years #you love going around telling people that you write when in truth you haven't written anything in ages #i don't even consider myself a writer anymore because it feels wrong to call it that #everything i put out is influenced by something. ifeel like i can never truly be original #a few shitty pieces i wrote at the peak of a fixation don't really count because i've abandoned them too #yes i've written them but im so afraid to associate them with my name #how does one hate what they create so much #yet still want to create #when will it be satisfying? #when will i be like yeah. i like this. i made this. this is mine. #i dont think the problem is language either like sure it can be improved but i can't even write in my own language? #i used to love writing in turkish and peopel would praise me for my stories but looking back at it even that wasn't original #it was never mine #it was always about something that affected me #this is sad its just sad. #writing

[arionawrites]

1. it’s my 24th birthday today, so my goal of being published by the time i’m 25 is now a one year looming monster, but i never specified what kind of published and am currently looking in various literary magazines that are recommended for writers who have yet to be published, so i’m surprisingly confident that i can make it work? and tbh even if whatever i write isn’t officially published before my 25th birthday, if i have someone in the process of being published then i’ll be happy!! no matter what though, i’m gonna try to be proud of myself for at least giving it my best shot!!

2. i honestly love that my birthday is on the ides of march because the ides of march meme shitposting is only a thing on tumblr but it also being my birthday makes it easier to like. be excited about the ides of march outside of tumblr. like even in person i can be like “it’s my birthday! i’m an ides of march babe (:” and if someone is like oh what’s that? or if they say something along the lines of oh like julius caesar? i can be like yep!! and even if it’s a small thing outside of tumblr it brings me immense enjoyment and amusement being able to bring it up off of tumblr

3. transportation situation has been very rough since june 2023 when i totalled my car, my gap insurance are being assholes and i ended up putting my foot down on the phone with them yesterday which i’m pretty proud of because i am NOT a confrontational person (something i’ve been working on this past year, so seeing some improvement with my ability to hold my ground and not be a pushover yesterday was very cool!!) i was told i’d get a response from them by friday next week no matter what, and if i don’t then friday of next week i will continue to wreak havoc upon them. but my moms car which i’ve been using since my accident broke down yesterday, hopefully it’s fixable but my parents were saying it might be done for, so trying to think of how i’m gonna get to work next week is kind of stressing me out lmao, but for now i’m just gonna focus on enjoying my birthday the best i can because i don’t want to start off being 24 with an overwhelming anxiety for something that won’t be a potential issue until monday. plus i already messaged my boss today to let her know that i’m going to do everything i can to make it work out but just so she’s in the loop and knows of the potential of me not being able to make my morning shifts (one of my coworkers said she’s more than happy to give me a ride for our afternoon shifts which does help relieve some of the stress!) and i told her i’d let her know for sure sunday so that if necessary she can have time to figure out someone to fill in for me in the mornings!

overall: life is weird and i ended being 23 yesterday with a shitty situation but a positive outlook and i am going to enjoy my first day of being 24 no matter what because honestly i fucking earned it. happy friday everyone, i hope it’s a good day for you and me both!

#aritalks #i did cry a little bit when i first woke up because i dont really know what to do about work and also i hate not having a car i can use #not only because of the work aspect but also getting my license when i was 18 gave me a freedom i didn’t have before #and i don’t like having to rely on other people just to like go to the fucking store or something yk #but then my best friend/roommate messaged me happy birthday and i was like fuck it! today is going to be a good day! #the stressful uncertainties can wait until tomorrow #also one of my best friends who hasn’t said happy birthday to me the past two years #(not intentionally im p sure they were just busy on my birthdays the past two years #and then had that moment of ‘oh shit i didnt send a message fuck i think its too late now’ which i totally get bc anxiety things yk) #was one of the first people to message me happy birthday!! #i’m also hoping to still be able to go see my mom and then stay the night at my dads tonight #so i can see both my parents and also my baby siblings for my birthday #my dads working today but after he texted happy birthday i sent him a text asking if he thinks we could still make it work #my mom is asleep still i think (she called me at midnight and left a voicemail singing happy birthday!! but her sleep schedule has been all #over the place recently so i’m waiting until 11:30 to call her which is in like 30 mins) #but she said something yesterday about driving out to me to give me a hug and also bring me my diabetes stuff that got delivered #(her house is my mailing address because i know it’s not going to change bc it’s my great grandparents house that she’s partially inhereting #when my great grandpa dies but since i have moved out of my dads my address has changed twice and i didnt have a mailbox at my last place so #just for the sake of consistency and not having to worry about important shit getting sent to the wrong address i’ve had her house as my #mailing address since i moved out of my dads at 19) #so i think i’m gonna ask her if she can just pick me up instead so i can go to her house w her and hang out with her #and hopefully my dad will be able to at least stop by with my siblings so i can see them too #i’d like to stay the night with them but if we can’t make it happen then i can also stay the night w my mom and hopefully tomorrow figure #out the car situation. might have to rent a car for a week if i can afford it? best case scenario is my moms car can be fixed but i still #dont know whats wrong with it ik there are two potential problems and one is fixable the other is not #the fixable one would cost like $150-$400 to fix depending on if we get a used part or a new one #if its $150-$200 ish i can probably afford to pay for the whole thing or at least most of it #but if its more than that hopefully my dad or one of my family members can help #and i can just pay them back in like $50 increments with my next few paychecks #just realized i said i wouldnt worry abt the car thing today and also i think im at tag limit to i’ll stop now lmao xoxo gossip girl ❤️

[herequeerexitentialfear]

i love it when shit happens in my life that dredges up old wounds and coincidentally im re-experiencing the media i intrinsically link it to cause then i get to remember exactly why i love it and find it so meaningful all over again. there's a fucking reason ill always say Berserk [& RGU] both came into my life at a perfect fucking time and holy shit they fucking resonated with me so hard and as much as life can suck ass and lovvves kicking me in the balls when ive just recovered from last time i a least get to remember how & why i love something so much.

#thebirdspeaks #ive been trying to make a coherent post about Berserk and specifically the duality of Casca and Guts as victims post eclipse #because there are issues but also it resonates so well with me regardless #i cant word it pretty but i think its something about Casca and Guts both being victims and responding in opposite ways #and because they are so tightly linked you can almost see them as one victim experiencing the duality of victimhood #as an internal struggle made into two separate people #i flip flop between who i relate to more in relation to my own trauma #and there is plenty to criticize with the writing choices around Casca dont get me wrong #but as much as people criticize her mind breaking and turning into a shell of herself that needs constant help as something entirely negati #i sure as fuck was not given that space and care to be broken #its very nuanced but i think so few people write victims sympathetically that as much as turning into a mess can appear overdone #being cared for and given space and help and being allowed to be a burden is a powerful thing #and i find the expectation to be strong in the face of what you went though is much more common and damaging to me #anyway as many issues as i have i think Casca being allowed to be a victim as much a she was is why i love Berserk so much and while i thin #it could be better if some things were changed #but im not sure if it would have hit as hard and meant as much to me when i was wobbling between mindless rage and want for revenge #and just being broken and tired and weak and scared #reading Guts protect Casca like he did #showed me that that part of me could protect and is better off channeling the mindless rage into protecting whats important to me and what #needs it #letting me demand protection and love and sympathy for my weakest self in my darkest hours #i know im far from objective & my opinions are not universal #but the fact Casca is allowed to be a victim so fully and not just a hashtag girlboss who struggles her way out #well i wouldn't call Guts a girlboss but actually i think that's why it worked. #because between the two they cover the two ends of the common depictions of victimhood: forced to stay strong and allowed to be weak #anyway im about to hit tag limit i love you f you read this far and if you think this is horseshit then please don't say #if you think im right and sexy about it pile the love on meee<3

[mimiri22-6]

i am not imune to swordfish propaganda

#jrwi riptide #jrwi swordfish #oh the woes of a multishipper #why force chip to realise his gay thoughts when gill and cas are Right There? #don't get me wrong. im still a sucker for fishnchips but like. gill literally used to call cas Everyday #if Caspian isn't worried out of his Freaking Gord when he reunites w the riptide crew I don't want it #gillion hasn't called in. well. im not sure how long but longer than 24 hours and you can't tell me caspian doesn't Know something is #Very Wrong

[munamania]

caught the roommate's weather segment on the college radio this morning :3

#wish i could be there to be like slow down babygirl.. jk.. sure will try to tune in later for local weather babes #and is this bc i skipped class. yes <3 and now im having quality time w my cat shes watching her bird and squirrel tv im having my coffee #need to eat but uggghhhhhhhh i dont wanna get up. so anyway. good morning <3 #kept snoozing my alarm and after a point i was like yeah it's been like eh 20 minutes. wrong! an hour <3 #abby talks #shout out to lydia for giving me a fresh excuse to call off work and class even tho we're actually negative and fine

[caffeinatedopossum]

I just accidentally brought back a bunch of memories of stuff my mom used to say to me :')

#she said she wished id never been born. like girl that was on you not me #along with 'i could just get rid of you' as a threat multiple times #i thought she meant sending me to foster care but now... im not entirely sure she didnt mean unaliving me #she also used to threaten to cut off my thumb #i would say it was an empty threat but shed pull out the knives or scissors sooo maybe not #she would frequently ask what was wrong with me #call me ungrateful or a brat #remind me of all the things that she did for me and how much worse it could be #its hard to remember the stuff she said #idk it probably doesn't sound that bad but it seriously messed me up #she used to scream at me until i cried #shed call me a liar or satanic because i self harmed #god and im still not sure what rumors she spread about it but she definitely told people something #i would say she said something untrue but honestly idk. it could have been something i did actually do but phrased badly idk #i never got to find out #once the first person confronted me about it i had a mental breakdown because i didnt know what was going on and no one would explain #but clearly it was something bad because of how confrontational they were being #actually that wasnt even the first person kind to think of it #god im like shakinv just recalling it #she also called me selfish a lot #oh yeah she said she didnt care if i starved to death one time #which i mean. she clearly didnt care if i died but whatever #neither did I really #i want to remember everything but i can't :(

[queenerdloser]

what i'm learning about car shopping is to never express any casual interest in any car if i dont want to be descended on by car salespeople en masse

#liveblogging life #pretty sure im jinxing myself to fail my test at this point but i really do love just window shopping for stuff #tentatively reached out about a car bc i was curious #and got like three texts and four emails within 24hrs #also that i shouldnt even think about insurance quotes without expecting to get like 900 calls #me watching all of these phone calls go through without picking up: youre barking up the wrong tree friend #would love to once again go back to the era of being able to inquire about a thing without having to expect #to be innudated with phone calls and emails #the eagerness is offputting to me lmao stop that!

[aria0fgold]

One time in senior high, there was like a celebration in our class and everyone was busy preparing decorations to put up in the room. I was walking around helping with whatever I can then suddenly one of my classmates asked if I can help with cutting paper strips, so I was like: "Sure."

Then he remembered I was left-handed and went: "Wait, you're left-handed right? You shouldn't cut these actually."

I stood there and just: "What? Why?"

"Because it's hard to hold the scissors when you're left-handed. I'm struggling with it too." Says my classmate, who was also left-handed, that was on cutting strips duty. I just nodded then went back to whatever I was doing but the funny part of this story is that... I use my right hand when using the scissors.

#aria rants #i always remember that story whenever i look at my hands cuz it was the funniest thing at the time and also it was #the very story that made me realize that theres actually smth wrong bout my own handedness and it gave me a small #existential crisis of whether or not im an actual left-handed person cuz i can do stuff with my right that my left shouldve #but i never got to search bout it at all until last year when i found out there was smth called ''mix-handed'' #and another funny thing is that at the time. i didnt accept the offer cuz i was like: if he see me use my right hand then does #that mean im actually not rlly left-handed??? and then the other part of me was like: im too lazy to cut things tho #so in a way both sides won. also im pretty sure that guy was lookin for someone to take over the cutting strips duty #cuz he rlly be struggling with those scissors and i rlly wouldve fit that criteria its just that young me had an internal crisis #my mix-handedness is a result of turning out to be the only left-handed person in a household with only right-handed ppl

[mistninja]

Why is this guy acting like i humiliated him in front of everyone because i asked him something in the group chat instead of private. Dude chill

#thank god we work from home and im never meeting him irl #like i already apologized sure i should have done it jn private but hes acting like i was accusing him of doing his job wrong #no dude i was just asking if u had done something or not #just say that you did and thats it no need to get so agressive about it and lecturing me #just came right out with 'we are ALL at the same level you should treat people with COURTESY' #just call me a bitch bro #calling me insensitive #ok. my bad. can u let it go now