#look at how gendery i make them look

[falseficus]

I read a physical copy of monstrous regiment soon after listening to the audiobook, and I noticed two tiny discrepancies between the two editions that make an absolute world of difference. when I found out that these discrepancies existed (you’ll find reddit posts backing me up about them), I felt cheated that my first experience of the book had portrayed a less cohesive arc than pratchett intended

if you’re looking to buy or read monstrous regiment, I strongly recommend the doubleday 2003 version or the corgi 2004 version, which iirc contain the original text. The harper collins publications and audiobook both contain these changes, which imo are confusing and severely undercut the themes the book is trying to get across. if anyone knows the status of other editions of the book pls feel free to add on

obviously the audiobooks and ebooks are more accessible than physical books to some people, so if you read one of those just know that the original text is different in some key ways. I still recommend you read the book because it’s crazy good :)

the changes I noticed, beneath the cut to avoid some serious spoilers:

firstly, the last line of Jackrum’s last scene. in the Doubleday version, this line reads:

“Jackrum had turned her chair to the fire, and had settled back. Around him, the kitchen worked.”

in the harpercollins version, the line reads:

“Jackrum had turned her chair the the fire, and had settled back. Around her, the kitchen worked.”

this pronoun change is actually has huge implications. in the scene in question, jackrum, a transgender man, reveals that he joined the army in disguise. he is referred to as “she” throughout his background reveal. however, he then considers where his future will take him, and in the final line of the scene his pronoun reverts back to “he.” jackrum’s pronoun goes from he->she->he, encapsulating the gendery arc of the scene. however, in the altered he->she->she version of the scene, half of that circle is erased. the neat tie-up of jackrum’s journey is left confusingly unresolved, and the importance of his gender to the book’s overarching themes goes underemphasized

the second change I noticed is how maladict appears in the book’s ending:

in the Doubleday version, maladict appears “in full uniform.”

in the harpercollins version, maladict appears “in full female uniform.”

maladict is the last soldier to reveal [their] true gender, keeping up a masc/ambiguous presentation far after all the rest of the squad has come forward as women. “in full uniform” maintains this ambiguity, allowing the reader to decide for themself whether maladict comes forward and presents as fully female or continues to dress masculinely despite the fact that circumstances no longer require it (in fact I believe that the latter is more likely, as maladict says “thought I’d try again,” which could mean dressing in male uniform again). “in full female uniform” removes that ambiguity, and brings maladict’s arc to a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. it eliminates the possibility of maladict as transgender or gender-non-conforming, and I’m left wondering, “if maladict presents as female so readily, why make such a fuss of it before now?”

both changes undermine the book’s message by eliminating its space for non-cisnormative identity… which is kinda crucial to the whole idea. im honestly really disappointed that these changes were made in any version of the book, because whoever made them clearly didn’t get the point

#monstrous regiment #discworld #terry pratchett #the frog speaks

[ghooostbaby]

i saw season 2 of the adorable little donghua 'no doubt in us' was released and i enjoyed it so much :) the first season was about an emperor and empress who dislike each other but are forced by a spell to swap bodies and as they are forced to live as the other they fall for each other ... although that season did the great crime of ending not just after they had acknowledged they really were in love and kissed and changed back - but a scene later where they're being all awkward and then in MID CONVERSATION the episode just ends and its like "come back for season 2!" !!!!!!!! come on! laziest cliff hanger of my entire life.

but anyway season 2 they do act a bit shy at first but mostly the long misunderstanding season 1 is based on is over and its so NICE to spend some time with a romantic pair AFTER the misunderstanding has been resolved and watch them grow together rather than just have the curtains close. there is So Much interesting bits to focus on in a relationship when they're actually together WHY do so many stories seem unable to try anything but keeping them apart (as they repeatedly betray each others trust to "protect" each other) to give the narrative spice. Anyway, it was really cool to see how they gradually got to know each other and trust each other more deeply, and became more comfortable being affectionate. It felt so genuine! but ESPECIALLY because in the political plot, they are able to come out victorious because they choose to trust each other and work together, even in moments where it looks doubtful, it makes their relationship stronger, the plot more interesting, and the ending more satisfying than pointless self-sacrifice and secret keeping between lovers for no reason i can tell but to bait viewers. AHEM FAIRY AND DEVIL AHEM.

anyway there's also something about ... when the series began the emperor was this quiet, rigid, studious man, and the empress was energetic, likes being outside and doing martial arts, uncomfortable and avoids official duties and navigating social niceties bc she's kind of clumbsy. they both kind of don't get each other, thinks the other despises their way of being and so is defensive against them for that... after their body swap is over they have an appreciation for the other it's like they can become more themselves and more confident in who they are because they are loved. there's this part where the empress bursts onto the scene (pregnant) in armour and the emperor (who can barely hold a sword) is just having a major "😍!! that's my WIFE" moment. and he doesnt want to try to subdue her anymore. i mean the empress also appreciates his political cunning and intelligence blah blah, i think it's obvious who I'm here for haha.

there's some iiiiinteresting very softly gendery sexuality playfulness i think too. first of all the emperor becoming so sweet and silly after the body swap and empress becoming so fierce and grumpy ... i was like, oh. and then there's a whole part where the empress-as-emperor goes to meet with a tatar queen and they go horseback riding, heavy drinking, sparring (all the things the real emperor can't do) and they GREATLY enjoy each others company. then later when the tatar queen comes and realizes the emperor is different she finds out the secret of the body swap, and is just like cool, so the empress is actually my soulmate (implied) then she and the empress spend every day together and seem to be very close. and i just think that's neat! (can the empress have a harem? well actually she kind of ends up with one :P)

also the emperor's brother is typical frivolous, chatty, pleasure-house-going, expert fan wielder, who has a very flirty relationship with the extremely sexy and mysterious imperial astrologer purple man who has robes where the sleeves looks kind of like feathery wings in certain angles?? very good!

#no doubt in us

[farmerlesbian]

im agender and butch but i feel like... because im black i dont have the same access to androgyny and masculinity that other people do. the image of butchness or androgyny i see is always light skinned and fine haired and im just not that. it makes me feel like im never going to be read the way i want to or taken seriously as a gnc person. makes me really uncomfortable to go out

I'm going to answer this and will tell you first up that I'm white. My wife/spouse mod horseshoe is Black and has very similar experiences and feelings. when I saw your ask I right away thought of her and showed her, asked if she wanted to answer. She told me she doesn't know how she can help you when she hasn't figured it out either.

So I will tell you that one, you are not alone. Two, I will answer you similar to how I support her. and three, she is consulting on this ask (as she does on many advice asks, in fact!)

I'm sorry you're going through this, and especially that it's affecting your comfort in going out and being around people.

One thing I have done to try to help is find other darkskin Black folks that are doing gender in similar ways to her, on the internet. Just finding images of people who are similar I hope helps. I'm not particular about what exactly their identities are, just going for style and vibes. Lemme grab some (sorry it's leaning on instagram just bc it's easier for me to search accounts i follow there haha but I swear there are cool black gendery people everywhere, i'm sure you know this)

jade fox / madeyoulooks

studmodelproject on instagram

enxwest on instagram

iamdivinechi on instagram

arrows fitz / angryangryarrows and angryarrows

@boychic

ceruleanblueboy on instagram

tboys.club on instagram - a party in london that posts lovely photos of attendees

shedoeshim on instagram and @shedoeshimfashion

followers - if this sounds somewhat similar to you please go ahead and say something! or if you have any recommendations also please add them!

you can check out my style tag for like every post I've reblogged/shared that has images of people in it. it’ll have all types of people, but maybe it’ll help. you can also scroll back through my butch tag but that will not include every masc person in it. also the stud tag, and you can consider the stemme identity + label but i don't really have much in that tag rn sorry! maybe try checking the tags for these on tumblr, tiktok, instagram, maybe youtube? maybe you'll find people that look like you, or how you want to look.

my point here is that there ARE people out there doing androgyny, doing gender fun stuff and are Black and darkskin. maybe the people i'm recommending here aren't your vibe or style and that's totally fine, there are a lot of ways to be! i hope these can serve as some sort of inspiration for you. a reminder that gender diversity and androgyny exists and is possible for black people, that there are thriving communities and you have all sorts of options out there for you. also, remember that there are many ways to be androgynous, to be agender. maybe you're more a dapper butch, maybe more a sporty stud, maybe a skate style street style guy, maybe more a crunchy granola hiking outdoorsy look, maybe workwear and denim are more your speed, maybe you're a cozy dude who likes sweats and casual clothes, maybe you like bright colors and patterns, maybe you're into alt and goth styles, maybe you feel more comfortable in vintage and retro stuff. i promise that there is a way for you to look hot and feel comfortable in yourself and people will see your fabulous Black gender noncomforming self.

If you're into podcasts I recommend genderreveal by tuck woodstock- you can skip around and just listen to the episodes that interest you. I'm listening in chronological order because I kinda like going through time and seeing the development of things but you absolutely do not have to. There's a lot of episodes out, they've been doing it for a couple years now! there are plenty of interviews with black people of all gender varieties talking about their experiences and lives

i think. what's hard is that you can’t control how other people see you. you've got to come to terms with this. so you're most likely always going to have people not getting you, not understanding your deal (whether that's gender or something else). there's no foolproof way to get out of it or avoid it, no way to be 100% sure people will always gender you right or treat you right. this is not to say that you will never have people who get you, you certainly will and i wish that for you! i absolutely recommend you surround yourself with people you are supported by and who see you. but i'm not gonna tell you like "fuck what people think, do whatever you want" because i know it's not that easy ! trust your judgement, and trust your gut. all you can do is try to balance finding what makes you feel comfortable and what feels right to you with what feels safe. when you are feeling comfortable, it will help you to become confident. when you are confident and self-assured in who you are, what other people think of you and how they see you will not affect you so much. also, you deserve to be seen and gendered the way you want to be! i'm sorry it feels like it's not possible for you. I believe that it is possible, and i wish it for you soon!!

maybe you want to consider hrt, maybe top surgery, maybe try doing drag or drag makeup. experimentation is a huge thing and i can't recommend it enough. try practicing and experiencing with different styles, gender presentation, clothes, mannerisms, hair makeup jewelry whatever. you can listen to your feelings and your body and reflect on how you like it, see if it feels right. i recommend seeking out the things that make you feel comfortable in your body, find what makes you feel like yourself, and the androgyny and butchness (or whatever presentation you seek) will follow naturally.

wishing you the best in your journey 🧡

#ask farmer lesbian #gender #anonymous #mod alfalfa #mod horseshoe #gnc #butch #trans #agender #androgynous #nonbinary #black masc #black butch

[m4gp13]

@altorringtons K so I know I brushed over T4T ethabaster in your ask but I've managed to compile most/some of my hcs for them.

Ethan was sort of aware his gender was a little loopy from an earlier age and started presenting more masculine from a young age without really being aware of what he was doing (lmao irls remember being nine and not knowing being trans was a thing and J started going by max several years before coming out? yeah that probably should have been a hint) So when he was fairly young in camp he kept his hair short and went by Ethan while barely being aware that he was a boy and not just a tomboy, which is how Annabeth recognised him in the labyrinth years later.

He only discovered being trans was an actual thing after he left camp and started doing research into Greek mythology (due to meeting his mum) which is when he discovered the trans people in mythology and later on, the ones in real life too, and figured out what was actually going on with him.

Sometimes I hc Al as having never been to camp and sometimes I hc him as having met Ethan at camp but I prefer the first one so we're gonna go with that.

He's always been a weird kid with the autism gendery stuff so gender was always a kind of vague thing for him. Growing up a bit and finding out that being trans is a thing he had his own little "yeah, that makes sense" moment and was delighted when he found out about genderqueer stuff. It wasn't until he started experimenting by trying to present more masc and going by masculine terms of address that he was like "Oh I am doing this!" It just felt so right to him that he knew it was who he was.

Al is not above using divine magic for personal comfort and used his mistform magic to make a binder that essentially functioned as a magic ether locker from TKC to give himself a flat chest with none of the usual drawbacks of wearing a binder, just the regular stuff that comes with any underwear worn on the chest i.e. uncomfortable shoulder straps or red lines on the skin.

I feel like for Al, the euphoria of presenting more masc was a much stronger draw to transition than the dysphoria of presenting femme so he doesn't mind occasionally presenting slightly femme leaning with stuff like wearing his hair longer, wearing traditionally feminine clothes/jewellery, going without the magic binder for a day or so. He's got strong anarchist tendencies so he's not going to let someone or something else tell him what being masculine is and what being feminine is. He's going to make his own definition of masculinity that suits him.

For Ethan, the gender euphoria was a massive pull factor but the dysphoria was also a significant push factor so he was more keen to do things like permanent physical transition. He wore whatever he could use as a binder during his years on the run and jumped at the chance to get Triumvirate Sponsored top surgery when he joined the army and even got started on T.

Getting surgery after joining the army was probably the best thing to happen to him in terms of his health because before that, his binding habits were Bad.

As in, if pre-TA Ethan went to Tartarus, the scariest thing down there would have been his binding habits. My boy does not know how to look after himself, it's a miracle he made it to seventeen.

But yeah, when he joined the army and started working in close proximity to Al, they both took one look at each other and connected their brains via the trans Bluetooth hive-mind network and didn't exactly know what was up but they got the vibe.

They did eventually start talking to each other enough to find out and got the "yeah that makes sense" thing and started talking about gender and transition together.

Al, slightly spoiled by his magic bag-of-holding binder, was horrified by Ethan's old binding habits and was front-lining the effort to get Ethan whatever physical transition would help him, if just to keep him alive.

Each other's gender was the most fascinating thing to them and they were both deeply invested in the other's transition. Ethan was very impressed (and slightly jealous) of Al's magic binder and Al took great interest in Ethan's physical transition stuff like surgery and HRT because he was really interested in how it worked and the physical and mental effects they had on Ethan.

Ethan started going by the name Ethan from a fairly young age and Al always assumed that Ethan was just his chosen name. But no. Ethan was a nickname derived from his chosen name, a chosen name that Ethan sorely regretted a few years after bribing a hacker to get his government name changed to Ethanol.

He likes to pretend that phase of his life just never happened but he'd be lying if he said he didn't admire Al's steadfast resolve and confidence in his chosen name of Alabaster C. Torrington.

What does the C stand for? Ask again in a week and it will have changed.

Alabaster, after Luke got Kronified, was the most powerful demigod in the hierarchy of the Titan Army and Ethan was an extremely high-ranking member who often acted as Kronos' right-hand man. If someone gives them shit for their genders or sexualities you know they are gonna be getting a talk from their higher-ups.

Ethan is all about balance and equality so if he catches so much as a ripple on the wind of inequality in the army he works in, he's going to ensure that gets sorted out and while Al isn't such a Nemesis evangelical, he's going the be the shadow over Ethan's shoulder enforcing his will.

While I don't have canon confirmation of this I know in my heart it's true that demigods are gonna be more likely to be LGBTQ+ and while in the army, Ethan and Al were responsible for the cracking of many a young trans egg. They were like the cool older brothers of the younger queer demis in the army and some kids considered them like the dads of the army because sometimes they did banter and bicker like an old married couple.

Emotionally constipated Ethan acts more like the bad cop who knows exactly what's up with Kronos and just wants to keep all the younger ones in line so if they get in trouble, they get in trouble from him and not from a Titan or monster that will be much tougher on them. He's very good at telling it like it is, cutting through the bullshit and recognising things they might too young to see. It becomes kind of like an unspoken rule that if you're seriously questioning something about your identity, tell him because he will just lay it all out as blatantly as possible.

Al is more of the good cop between them because he has experience with kids from being the surrogate father for his younger siblings and he likes to be the life of the party for them. He has so much love for the little kids looking up to him and feels very much responsible for them and wants to live up to their admiration. He's the one to go to if you want to have fun and experiment with some things in your life/presentation.

Al liked to hang out with the Aphrodite kids a lot and taught them some basic magic stuff in exchange for teaching him things like makeup. He likes to mix this with his magic and can get makeup looks that would put a drag show to shame and overshadow every image uploaded to pinterest since its inception. He uses it for art, fun and to play with his presentation. He rejects the idea that excessive and elaborate makeup has to be inherently feminine and in a way it's like his way of reclaiming the feminity forced on him as a kid and turning it into masculinity that he can feel comfortable in.

(Sometimes when he's in the mood for it, Ethan will let him do his makeup too. Nothing as extravagant and colourful as Al's but those eyeliner wings are sharper than any weapon he owns.)

Ethan takes his T via injections and Alabaster, fearless General that he is, used to get really squeejed out by it.

Al always used to get T via gels or creams but when Ethan started taking injections Al forced himself to get over his heebie-jeebies to help him out and eventually started taking injections as well because he finds it more convenient.

(Also sorry this took literally forever, sometimes I'll stick something in my queue where it will sit for literal months but I do hope this is satisfactory.)

#pjo #percy jackson #ethan nakamura #alabaster c torrington #alabaster torrington #the titan army #ethabaster #t4t mlm #pjo headcanon #omg Ethan and Al both have eldest daughter syndrome #Their parents put an inordinate amount of stress on them #because of the expectations they placed on them #to be so much more mature and responsible than their siblings #and even parent their younger siblings to an extent #if Ethan survived tlo #he definitely would have been a parent brother to Damien #and probably a bad cop parent #because he doesn't know how else to look after someone he's supposed to be responsible for #Q #also since when the fuck was there a character limit????

[pearwaldorf]

This is such an interesting poll because fully a quarter of the results are "Please let me explain", which I think is surprising for something with ten options!

Attraction* is a strange and complex thing at the best of times, especially when it's to blorbos or people who are so unattainable they might as well be.

I mean, sometimes it's clear-cut. Taika and Ed are both extremely pretty and hot. As somebody who likes men/masc people both of them totally do it for me.

So you know the trope of the nerd (usually a girl) glowup? Like sometimes it's putting somebody in clothes that flatter their body or a touch of makeup, but I think a lot of it is context shifting, seeing a person in a circumstance that's different than the usual. Like Drew Barrymore in Ever After.

My introduction to Rhys Darby was Murray** in Flight of the Conchords, okay? No shade if you think he's fuckable, but he did not do it for me. The epitome of swagless looks and cringe-fail personality.

And you know how sometimes people seem to settle into themselves for a lot of reasons, including getting a new hair color? (Like Tori Amos is a bottle redhead, but she's a redhead, y'know?) And obviously seeing somebody in two roles almost 20 years apart is going to be different, but that context shift is something I've been thinking about since I watched S1 of OFMD. (Also that photoshoot in the powder blue suit. It lives rent free in my head.)

I love Stede dearly. It's been a joy watching him grow as a character and become more confident in himself as a person and as a leader. Confidence is attractive. Confidence and competence is sexy. Also being willing to murder people for insulting/hurting the people you love is hot af. I don't make the rules. But I'm not Ed, and attraction is contextual and specific for me.

Anyways. Some thoughts, take them or leave them.

--

* Aesthetic, sexual, gendery, whatever. I'm leaving this squishy.

** Forever loling that 1. Jenkins kept auditioning people and finally being like "I want Murray from FOTC" and Taika saying "You know I can call Rhys up right?" 2. Taika kept looking at the auditions and going "idk if I'm going to vibe with this person" and fell into the gay pirate actors casting their besties trap

#pear text

[https-chaos]

Its 4am and I'm exploring my gender under the cut. I'm conflicted again <3 if any transmascs feel like reading I'd love to hear if you felt similar feelings before realizing you were trans or if I'm reading too much into it lol.

Just autism things

So I don't really have feelings one way or another about my gender normally. I did have a significant breast reduction and would have had them removed if I didn't think it would make wearing clothes a challenge. I have a pretty dramatic waist to hip ratio and don't mind being perceived as feminine.

But. BUT. When I put on that fuckin strap. Ooooooohhhhhhhh that is simply not fair. Im addicted to the insane euphoric head rush I get when I see myself wearing that ridiculous contraption. The POWER. You feel like a ManTM. Every time I fuck a woman the ManTM feeling flows through me with a power I've never felt about being female.

It feels like this:

Having tiddies: eh. Sucks. Uncomfortable. Painful. But they are soooososososo squishy and make me feel sexy and good.

Having a vagina and all the related plumbing: neutral. I think having a dick would be easier for a lot of practical reasons but for sex purposes I have no strong opinions about genitals.

Having a traditionally "feminine" body and being perceived as female, having people who are attracted to women be attracted to me: love it. Desire me @ all lesbians. Men can look too I guess. Only downside is the horrors.

Presenting in a feminine way: neutral. I am really into fashion and makeup and hair, and if I had a different more masculine body I would just wear whatever styles and cuts looked best. I don't actively try to perform femaleness, I think it just happens. I don't have any real connection to feminine clothes or femininity in general and it doesn't make me feel good or bad about my gender. Wearing clothes that fit my body nicely feels amazing but not in a gendery way.

Wearing the strap: I AM A MAN. He him baby. Call me daddy. Grr. I feel the nonexistent testosterone coursing through me. Every time I fuck a woman I come even though it's not even touching my clit or anything. This is by far the strongest and possibly the only sensation or emotion of "gender" I have ever had. It's so overpowering that if I close my eyes I can imagine looking down myself at a male body and loving it. The second I take it off this feeling disappears completely and the whole time I'm never feeling uncomfy about my boobs or anything. Like I imagine having a flat chest and straight torso and it's awesome af but it doesn't make me feel icky about my actual body.

But GOD!!! The sensation of MASCULINITY that completely envelops me. Whew. It's so powerful. Let me ENTER you babe. Even imagining it is crazy. Quite possibly I'm just very attracted to women and also slightly a top. Where is the line between being a lesbian, wearing a penis, and being a man having one? Maybe my imagination is just too active.

Another facet of it: I write so much gay fanfic. I've been writing it since I was too young to be writing smut. Over the years I've built a little gay man in my head. He's so so sosososoo attracted to men. He's masculine and hairy and he helps me capture the feelings for my fics. (To be clear, this isn't a hallucination or anything. It's more like a really well fleshed out OC. I just visualize him when I need to write from the perspective of a man attracted to men.)

But then sometimes I'll be doing something and get a little wave of attraction to a man in a very distinct mlm fashion. There's a powerful sensation of not being a woman attracted to a man in a straight way, but of a man being attracted to a man in a gay way. To me, it's always seemed to come from this character I created, like my fanfic character was popping in to point out some guy's abs or ass. I don't have any idea how to tell if that's MY attraction and gender or if I'm just habitually in writing mode. Was that a bit of dialog I just came up with or my own thought? It's hard to tell.

Anyway, when I write I sort of become that detailed character I made. When I'm deep in writing a fic, in my mind, I'm 6' tall, hairy, a little chubby, and could probably lift and throw my real body across the room. I get the ManTM feeling and again it's an abnormally strong gender feeling for me. Again it stops without causing dysphoria as soon as my attention is broken, but I will say it's quite the whiplash to switch in your minds eye like that.

I don't think I'm capable of gender dysphoria. The strongest gender sensation I feel regularly is highly masculine, but I don't have any particular objections to being perceived as a woman. But I have never, ever felt WomanTM in the same way. Why do I connect so strongly to masculinity in specific circumstances? It's not all the time which is why I get confused. Atm I don't feel like a man or a woman.

Also I'm not hip so idk if you're supposed to say you're non-binary when someone asks "are you a man or woman" and you go uhhh,,, neither? Both? But they them feels exactly like she her and he him. They all feel equally neutral. The neos too. I imagine people talking about me on a stage every time I see a new pronoun set and none of them illicit a response.

Except of course when I'm wearing the strap. Infernal contraption. Stop making me confused.

Actually I'm being a little dramatic about the conflict. I'm not sitting here being upset that I have no relationship with my gender. I'm simply autistic and study myself like a lab specimen 24/7 and people always think my observations are complaints. I'm not complaining; in fact, this is great fun to me! That ManTM feeling is so powerful and so intensely pleasant and I enjoy it when it happens.

Anyway it's. 5am now. I barely proofread this let's hope it's coherent <3 goodnight

[tortol]

lilith, both the #1 raeda shipper and the #1 raeda anti

#happy requiem day queers #look at how gendery i make them look #wonky as fuck because i been drawin on my phone #the owl house #raine whispers #lilith clawthorne #eda clawthorne #raeda #my art babey #fanart

[ot3]

Wait back up explain how yjk is a trans woman. This isn’t a hostile ask I’m actually very excited about your take

I am happy to explain my take. here’s how trans woman yoo jonghyuk can still win. orv spoilers below, obviously, mostly centered around the murim arc but up through the end of the epilogues as well. 

okay normally in terms of making this kind of post i’d go pull quotes directly from the text and i honestly really want to but i’m supposed to be catching up on homework today and can’t justify taking the time. anyway. i’m just gonna they/them yjh here because i’m never sure what pronouns to use when talking about a character who i think Should Come Out in the Future. 

first things first, everything about being a transcender is very gendery. prominent transcenders in ORV are

- kyrgios, an incredibly beautiful man who is self conscious of his small stature

- breaking the sky sword saint namgung minyoung, who is a woman of an unusually large stature, thought by some to be monstrous, who teaches a discipline of martial arts exclusively for women. 

- jang hayoung, a trans girl, who is the king of transcenders

- yoo jonghyuk. 

when they talk about transcendence in orv there are two very specific things that come up repeatedly: 1. being able to overcome the natural limitations of the body and 2. defying the structure opposed onto them by the star stream system. Specifically an interesting note about that last bit is that there’s this whole thing about how transcendence can only exist because the star stream exist - it exclusively exists in opposition to the rigorous hierarchy of the star stream, which is the dominant social narrative, and has no meaning or power on it’s own.

In a text like orv’s, i don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to see ‘characters who are social outcasts attempt to gain power by forging a sense of self outside of the dominant order and overcoming the limitations of their physical body’ and read it as a metaphor for being transgender. but then, on top of that, there’s all the stuff with the punisher

everything that’s in orv is there for a reason. there is an insanely little amount of wasted space in this novel. despite how much shit that happens it’s an incredibly tight narrative. SO WHY DO WE INTRODUCE THE CONCEPT THAT YOO JONGHYUK IS STRONGEST WHEN TRANSFORMED INTO A WOMAN? obviously it’s just incredibly fun hijinks in and of itself to have yoo jonghyuk’s gender get transed, but literally all of this begs the question of “why write it so that yoo jonghyuk’s primary martial art form is something that’s supposed to only be learned by women.” 

the narrative doesn’t ever really address the in-universe reasoning behind why they can actually learn it. kim dokja gives us what boils down to ‘he manage to overcome that’ without no real elaboration. jang hayoung learns breaking the sky swordsmanship as well. whatever gender-based qualification is used to allow people to learn the skill, it’s not a biological gender-essentialist one.

the punisher introduction pays off when YJH uses that appearance to win the martial arts festival, but to me that mechanical, narratively-oriented reason for its inclusion doesn’t justify it’s presence in the story in and of itself. 

What really stuck out to me on the read through later was this line, from the demon king selection arc, when yjh takes the punisher’s form to combat the constellations after kim dokja has passed out. 

A dazzling aura burst from Yoo Jonghyuk’s body. Soft hair poured down like a waterfall while his large size became a smaller and sleeker body. He took the form that allowed him to practice the ultimate Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship. Yoo Sangah stared at the scene from behind and couldn’t help opening her mouth. “…Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi?” 

 Yoo Jonghyuk slowly turned back, his long hair cut off by the Black Demon Sword. The ines of the face had changed but it was clearly Yoo Jonghyuk. No, it was even more than before. 

basically, after appearing to their companions as a woman, the narrative tells us yoo jonghyuk looks more like yoo jonghyuk than before. 

this reading also makes even more sense when you interpret it through the lens of how power hierarchy actually works in orv’s narrative. incarnation, constellation, and transcenders alike all gain their truest power from their stories. the Story of yoo jonghyuk as a woman is one that is, quite literally, empowering. 

although we know it’s not actually true, yjh themself and kdj’s understanding and interpretation of yjh, present yjh as a person whose only goal in life is to, by any means including the sacrificing of countless human lives, some of whom he is very personally close to, gain the power to overcome the star stream. but here we have a significant power boost yjh seems to actively avoid taking advantage of. which really suggests there’s some deeper emotional issues at play here.

which brings me to my last point: i think it would just be a very fitting end for the character.

We never see yjh’s ◼️◼️ in canon. Yjh’s entire arc is about attempting to claim agency and personhood after that has been denied to them just by virtue of his very existence, and we don’t ever see this come to completion. Which i love, don’t get me wrong. I think yjh’s  ◼️◼️ is something that could never be in canon, because it’d have to be something that happened to them outside of the context of the story, for meta reasons. but that’s an entirely other discussion. Anyway. 

but point being this means that yjh’s sense of self is, at canon’s end, unresolved. Over the course of the epilogues we see yjh become, for the first time, a reader, and i think this is really critical. it’s kim dokja’s status as a ‘reader’ that allows him to have the greatest influence on the story. back before kim dokja seems to come to grips with jang hayoung’s gender identity, what people keep telling him is that there is ‘more than one interpretation of a story’. on a physical level, constellations and high level incarnations are composed of their stories. in orv canon the Self and the Story are for all intents and purposes, synonymous. hence the entire ending.

yjh’s story has been told and read by quite literally anyone but themself up to this point. but now, for the first time, yjh has both the space and means to self-reflect. coming out as a trans woman would be a radical reclamation of his own story, both re-reading their past and re-writing their future, and i think it’s a reading the text explicitly goes out of its way to give some support to. 

also. not to mention. yjh as a woman is canonically the hottest character in all of orv. just SO sexy, guys. so extremely sexy. 

#orv #omniscient reader #yoo jonghyuk #Anonymous

[pinkiepiebones]

Cirrus/Ghoulette content please? I don't have anything specific, just wanna read about the ladies 👉👈

"Of course! The ladies, the lionesses, the Ghoulettes! I really should talk of them more, so thanks to you for inquiring. Ehheheheh.

"As I am sure you probably know, us ghouls do not emerge from Hell with sex, gender, uh, accessories... We just, we are a head and torso and limbs. We don't have male and female and all of the array that you humans have. And for the most part we're fine with that. If a human needs to speak about one of us, the human's usually calls us 'them' or 'it.' I, uh, am a champion of fucking up the norms, so I chose for myself to call myself a guy, to use the 'he' and the 'him.' It just felt correct to me, after years of being here on Earth and seeing how humans do their things and all.

"Okay, so with this background information, perhaps you are wondering 'but Special, if ghouls don't care about these matters, why are there Ghoulettes now?' And the short answer is- Marketing! Greed is a sin, and money oils the many gears and cogs of a sinister world-dominating-minded church, so sometime within the era of Papa III it became a discussion, the marketing of ghoul masks. That lead the way to 'what if we make lady ghoul masks as well, that could potentially double the profits.' This was met with a resounding 'wait do lady ghouls exist?' Which then led to Nihil asking me directly some questions I am sure most humans would find, hmm, invasive, or insensitive. But anyways!! I basically had a side-mission, you know, beside my primary work of fielding interviews and all that. I- with the wonderful help of Sisters of Sin who were willing to work with a ghoul- devised a look for what we'd call 'Ghoulette.' I had to model the mask, what with my advanced shapeshifting abilities, and it took a few drafts before the design was settled upon. Then Papa III gets, umm, fired, and there was that dead air space before Copia got his promotion... This is when I decided to see if even we could have someghoul who was not me become a Ghoulette, not just in face but in form.

"I had to meet with the band ghouls and basically put up a challenge to them, to see if they were able to shapeshift themselves to such a degree. Only the Air ghoul was able to change themself to any degree of acceptability. 'Okay,' I said, 'you are going to be a Ghoulette. We will call you 'she,' just as we call the other band ghouls 'he.' You're gonna have to practice keeping this appearance up but I believe in you, little sister!' It was important to start getting everyone used to the gendery languages early on. Luckily the lady y'all now call Cirrus is a fast learner.

"When Copia was working on Prequelle he had the authority to request more help with the band, so this is how we got the ghouls called Swiss and Cumulus. It was quite lucky, really, that another Air ghoul was able and willing to basically become a lady, you know, to be introduced to and adhere to this weird black-and-white, one or the other binary humanity forces on itself... Cirrus was happy to help with the shapeshifting lessons, and Cumulus was also a fast learner. I wonder if Air ghouls are just more receptive to this kinda thing... I mean, now we have little Sunshine on board too... I can't believe I've never actually thought hard on this. I do shapeshifting incredibly well, but I'm a Fire ghoul... But then again all the band ghouls take to shapeshifting and gendered labels fairly well...

"... Uh, anyway. Would you like just some content in general? I can give you some, a few things... Like, the Ghoulettes love nail polish. Even out of glamour, they like to paint their talons. Cirrus likes the, um, the paper-folds.... Origami! Cumulus has a tendency to float- it is a symptom of an Air ghoul experniencing sheer joy- so for the first few shows with Copia. I actually had to get some roadies to weigh her down, ehehehehe. This is why the Ghoulettes had that cage set-up- it was to obfuscate the cables around Cumulus' ankles, keeping her down! ... The Ghoulettes adore making the hand-hearts at y'all and they get so excited when you mimic them. ... When I was training everyone to form mouths and teeth and all that to create the full illusion of backing vocals, those two were very quick to test out their new teeth. On anything. A phone, a fork, my tail, my hand, Copia's hand, wax fruit, real fruit, water bottles, vehicles... I had to have a very serious talk with those two about what is acceptable for a human to bite and when it acceptable to bite. Honestly, with the biting Ghoulettes and the Fire ghoul insisting on showing of his tongue at every show, I'm surprised Copia's still okay with them creating mouths. ... Last one as I feel I am perhaps rambling- our littlest newest sister Ghoulette, Sunshine, she was actually in a band before! She was Papa Nihil's Air ghoul! Oh man, when she came up from Hell and was recognised a party erupted. Well, a ghoul party. Lots of body language and wing flaps. Sunshine was more than happy to become another Ghoulette. Oh man, we have triple sisters now! Triple threat, ehehehehehehh."

#ghost bc #spooky ideas #headcanons #special answers #nameless ghoulettes

[lilixloveswriting]

Oasis

Summary: Late, wet from the rain, and with all her friends back home in Inaba, the reader's first day at Shujin Academy was far less than ideal. Prepared to eat her lunch alone, she'd soon realize she wouldn't after to after being approached by the school punk. Ryuji Sakamoto x F!Reader (she wears a skirt, but that's really the only gendery thing going on)

Word Count: 1386

TW: swearing, ryuji says fuck, sad reader, angst with a happy ending

A/N: I wrote this at 2 am as a distraction after crying over kpop yet again. This is incredibly self-indulgent, but hopefully someone else can read it for the same reason. Enjoy!

You dropped your bag and sat down beside it, opening up your lunchbox and unwrapping your sandwich, staring at it emptily before breaking down into tears. Today was your first day at Shujin and, well, things weren’t going great. You’d gotten lost on the way; couldn’t seem to find the damn gate for the connecting train. By the time you did, you knew you were definitely going to be late for class. People weren’t nearly as friendly in the city as they were in Inaba, and nobody seemed to want to stop and help you. The same could be said for the actual students at your school, except instead of completely ignoring you, they were quick to pass judgment, snickering as you walked into the classroom sopping wet from the sudden rain, which you had sworn wasn’t in the forecast.

Your homeroom teacher didn’t take nicely to you being late and gave you a stern scolding, muttering something about always being stuck with the delinquents before leaving for his lunch. So here you were: wet, cold, and hungry, sobbing over your quickly sogging sandwich as you sat alone in a patch of poorly grown grass promptly turning into a puddle of mud as your tears mixed with the rain. You thought about maybe calling your mom, but dismissed the idea realizing she’d only tell you to suck it up, and that the first day was always the worst. Encourage you to try and make some friends...yeah, right. Even if the other students did seem friendly, they all seemed like gossip junkies and would probably turn on you to spread a new exciting rumor given the chance. You’d rather be alone than befriend people like that.

Despite this, you weren’t fooling anyone as the thought only made you cry harder. The tears fell faster as you realized the days at Junes and the floodplain were over, they’d fade into distant memories as your friends back home carried on with their lives, soon forgetting all about you. You never understood the hype about the big city. Sure, there were more things to do, but what was the point if there was no one to share it with? It was the very definition of being alone in a crowded room.

“Oh, fuck.”

You stalled your crying with a gasp, snapping your head up and looking around. You listened intently for footsteps or a voice, but couldn’t distinguish anything between your sniffles and rain pattering on the foliage. “Hello?” You hiccuped, more embarrassing sobs leaving your throat as you grimaced at how pitiful you sounded. “Anyone...is anyone there?” You fumbled to your knees, setting your uneaten sandwich down in your bento before leaning out from behind the wall you’d picked to shelter yourself.

“Uh…” The voice came again, and just as you rounded the corner out stepped a sheepish looking boy, gritting his teeth as his hand rubbed at the back of his blond head. You recognized him from your class. His features were kind of hard to forget, plus, he’d been the only one who didn’t give you a dirty or snarky look when you burst through the door. “Yeah, sorry. I...didn’t know anybody was over here.” He slouched, sticking his hands in his pockets as he pursed his lips, avoiding eye contact with you. Not that you could blame him, you were a mess. “Umm, are...you okay?”

You snorted. Did you look okay? You didn’t have a good answer for his stupid question, so you ignored it, instead asking one of your own. “Am I in your way?”

“Ah...nahh.” He shook his head kicking at the ground. “It’s cool, I was just gonna do some...stuff.”

You scrunched up one side of your face, eyes drifting from his face to the grass outside of your hiding spot. If you were judging just based on his hair, his posture, and the way he’d phrased that last sentence, you wouldn’t be able to think it was anything but drugs. But that was probably how everyone at this school thought, and you were different from them.

“N-nothin shady or anythin!” He said, raising his voice and taking an assertive step forward.

Yeah, no, never mind. It was definitely drugs. “Okay, well, sorry. I’ll get out of your way.” You wiped your face with your sleeve, kneeling back down to pack up your bag.

“Uh, no! I mean, you can stay. Uh…” He toed the ground some more, a frown on face. “It didn’t look like you were done with your food, so.”

You shook your head and cleared your throat with a sniffle. “I’m not that hungry.”

He somehow managed to slouch more as he watched you zip up your bag. “So, you’re new, huh?” He asked and you faltered, glancing up at him and brushing the raindrops off of your forehead.

“How’d you tell?” You scoffed, your own joke only making you feel more embarrassed.

He shrugged and you laughed a bit, shaking your head. “Pack an umbrella in your bag,” He said. “It’s saved my ass about a million times.”

“Oh,” You blinked up at him and nodded. “Thanks for the tip.”

“Uh-huh.” He said, then bent over, bracing his palm on the ground and he lowered himself onto the wet grass. “So, why are you eatin in the rain? There are covered spots you can eat, ya know?”

“And let everyone witness my breakdown? No thanks.” You laughed beside yourself, hands resting on top of your backpack.

“Heh,” He smiled, “Well sorry, you probably won’t gain any popularity points talkin to me.” He said, placing both of his hands in the grass and leaning back, lifting his head to look at the sky.

“Why not?” You watched him a moment before following his gaze. “You seem nice enough.”

He shook his head. “I’m trouble, haven’t you heard?” He glanced at you. “Thought teach woulda toldja.”

“Hmph,” You snickered, “Well by his standards, I’m pretty sure I’m trouble too.” You told him and felt some of your anxiety melt away when succeeding to make him chuckle. “Um, I’m Y/N.” You introduced yourself quietly, still feeling a little shy, but this was the only person who had bothered to even offer up a conversation all day, and you were kind of starving for human interaction.

“Ryuji.” He said, and lifted his hand when he saw you’d outstretched yours, but faltered when it came off if the ground caked with grass and dirt. Ryuji apologized, rubbing away the muck carelessly onto his pants. “Eh, it’s not so bad here. I mean, it’s shit cuz it’s school, but it ain’t awful once you make some friends.”

You gazed at him and sighed, eyes rolling down to the floor. “Yeah…I’ve kinda been struggling with that part.”

The bell rang and Ryuji heaved a sigh, rolling his weight onto his left hand and pushing himself back to his feet. “Welp, if you don’t mind a few rumors, me and my friends are always lookin for more people!” He beamed, offering you a hand, which you gratefully took.

You brushed off your butt, sure your skirt was probably stained, but you didn’t care so much at this point. You needed to get out of these wet clothes anyway, you could probably just change into your gym uniform.

“Here you go.” You looked back up to see Ryuji shoving something at you eagerly, taking it into your hands to realize it was an umbrella.

“Oh, no.” You quickly shook your head, holding it back out for him to take, but of course he refused. “Please, I can’t take this-”

“Then just use it ‘till you get your own.” He said zipping his bag back up and readjusting it on his shoulder. “You’ll get sick if you don’t use one, and then how will you make friends?”

You snorted, breaking into the first true smile you’ve made since moving to Tokyo. “Thank you, Ryuji.”

“Uh-huh!” He nodded with a grin, then turned away and began walking back to the building. “You better hurry up, if you show up late to class with me you’ll be blacklisted.”

You giggled, jogging to catch up to your new friend. To you, being blacklisted with Ryuji definitely didn’t sound like the worst case scenario.

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #ryuji sakamoto #p5 #ryuji x reader #persona 5 fanfiction #skull persona 5 #my writing #fanfiction #x reader #reader insert #persona 5 imagines #angst #persona 5 angst #hurt/comfort #fluff #angst and fluff #no beta we die like the persona 3 protagonist #lilixloveswriting

[fake-wizard]

As a transman who is into men, what are some red flags other dysphoric and/or transitioned females should be aware of when it comes to dating and sex with males?

I've only ever dated the guy i've been dating for 5 years so i don't have much experience in that, definitely the same red flags as usual in male behavior, don't settle for this or expect men to change. It's hard to find men that don't watch porn, but still, "doesn't watch porn" is a low bar and you should have higher standards yet!

In particular for dysphoric women, if anything in the bedroom makes you dysphoric don't put up with men pressuring you to do it anyway. I'd say it's a red flag for straight men to call themselves bisexual because they're attracted to ftms. And there's definitely men out there who exploit that dysphoric or transitioned women struggle with their body image and self confidence. I would think lovebombing would look like showering one with gendery affirmations. I think there are men who are fetishy about 18+ ftms looking like young teens still, and men who are way creepy about the whole "boy with a vagina" fetish.

I think a longterm partner's response to transition is a hard balance. Because, testosterone and mastectomies are straight up not healthy for you, so it's weird for a partner to be Really Excited for you to do things that are bad for you? My boyfriend's attitude was pretty much, "I just want you to be happy and I trust in your ability to make decisions for yourself." But he was Terrified of me having surgery.

At the same time, I think if you are long term with someone you should look up their conditions and how to be supportive, and I think it's a red flag to not take any initiative in that regard. And like there is a way to be supportive of dysphoric people without being enabling? I somewhat know my boyfriend's triggers from looking up his diagnosis, and I've left it open that he can explain them to me more specifically if he wants to talk about it. Same thing for dysphoria. But like I definitely Don't think you should ask partners like "do i pass as male in this?" as a way of getting support from them.

Quite the ramble i've got here

[slavicafire]

hi zmija I have a little bit of balkan pagan homosexual superstar problems 😖 i come from a place that does have very many thinly veiled pagan celebrations and traditions but they are very..... gendery, like about childbirth and het marriage and pregnancy. almost indivorcable from the practice. until this point I thought that was the christian influence but after doing more research the unadulterated paganism and thracian influence may be even worse 🤢 like women not being able to do certain 1/2

2/2 things while menstruating and a HUGE emphasis on womens ability to give birth and mens ability to like... have a penis, specific roles for each gender and just general heterosexual eternal sorrow that I have no use for and frankly its a little bit rejecting. ik that this culture is more afraid of me than I am of it ! but its sad when ill be reading direct sources and it says "only women can do x ritual because ... (conveniently never specifies)" Do you have any advice? Tsym

///

ah, we do all relate to your pain, we truly do. especially those of us who are gay and gnc and in love with the old traditions. 

this will be long as I am in the mood to ramble and passionate about the subject. in short: the only tradition that matters is the one that changes with its people and continues to benefit them. take what you adore from the old ways and make it sevenfold gayer.

there are two very important things to remember before we go deeper into this: the first one is that we will never have a full picture of these old traditions, especially Slavic ones. there are too few sources, they’re biased, many were lost to time, many were warped by Christianity or simply by those who told the stories from generations to generations. we will never have the accounts of non-heteronormative/non-cis people of the past and how they viewed the traditions - or how they celebrated them.

the second thing is that the norm.... has quite often been the norm for a long time. and while it’s not exactly justifiable, we need to remember that fertility - and thus, heterosexual relations, cisnormativity, all that jazz - used to be crucial for survival. or at least to some degree. I’ve talked about it more here.  And while yes, to us now it seems... redundant if not hurtful, we must sort of make peace with the fact that this norm has been around for a long time and there have always been strict assholes ruling over cultures and religions - assholes who, to refer to the first point as well, often controlled which parts of traditions were kept and which ones were allowed to be talked about. 

so, we will never truly uncover how these traditions looked, especially for non-normative people - and we have to remember that the pagan traditions were often kept up in similar normative ways as Christian ones. and they changed throughout the centuries as well, and we get only very specific and limited accounts, all things considered.

and all that being said, I can finally go to my main point:

the only tradition that matters is the one that brings its people together. the only tradition that matters is the one who brings good to its people. the only tradition that matters is the one that’s alive and changing along with its people.

this means that we should do our best to adapt these traditions to how we see the world: as in, for us gay/gnc/non-cis/LGBT+ people (forgive the awkward terminology) it is crucial to take what we adore from these rituals and customs and tailor them to our own love and our modern sensibilities.

it will, of course, make heaps of assholes mad - but it does not matter. we are not affecting, retroactively, the ways of our ancestors - we are not “tainting” the traditions they cherished and have no control over now as some Mega assholes would like to claim. these assholes make the strangest mental error ever: they assume “ancestors” are a limited and specified group (they aren’t, they’re thousands of people spanning across centuries, great people and total scum alike, not unified in the ways they saw the world) and that tradition is a stable, set, and written in stone set of things... which it absolutely is not. it has always changed, we know that. what was tradition to one of old Slavs would not be traditional for their father, or their great-grandchild, or some random Slavic fella three villages over. tradition is not a monolith.

this culture is yours. it belongs to you - you grew from it and it grows from you. you have a right to it and that means that you have the right to make it as gay and non-normative as you want. you can freely ignore the outdated and no longer beneficial bits and adjust the rest to fit. this is the only way to help the tradition survive, really, other than on the yellowing pages of some books. you have all the right to wince at the outdated bits, too. 

for example: we are definitely not doomed to die as a village if I don’t have a babe this spring. so I will take the fertility and apply it only to land, or change it to mean creation and fruitfulness in other regards (art, for example!)

or, as a person defying gender norms - no matter when they became the norm and who enforced them - I will take part in the celebrations in the role of the man and not the woman. I will woo instead of being wooed, I will perform traditional rites reserved for, what used to be, the archetype of Man. I will be the protector and the warrior, and I will fully cut it from the ideas of sex or gender. I will respect, fully, those who choose to fit into the past ideas - but I will encourage them to rethink some of the customs and allow themselves more freedom. 

if someone is fully put off by the bodily and sexual aspects of the traditions, they have all the right to just... ignore them. change them to mean something else or just abandon them completely. while body and sex are important and good, for many of us they are rather reminders of shackles and enforcement of the norms - so rarely can we see the sex as non-heteronormative and the bodies as gender-nonconforming or trans. therefore, the tradition flows and changes with us, and we can take from it what we want. 

whenever I go against the norm in my celebration, whenever I transgress the borders of what would be deemed “traditional,” I think of all those before who wished they could do it but they had no chance. for all the boys who wanted to wear dresses and flower wreaths and be wooed. for all the women who had to endure putting on male clothes and living with male names and roles. for all those who wanted to defy this norm but couldn’t. 

some other related posts by yours truly: uniting cultural/regional/national identity with being LGBT+ ; some Kupala related sappy non-normative rambling.

#Anonymous

[chickenfreeblog]

hi chicken, I really like and admire your androgynous (is that the best word? is there a different one you prefer) vibe and was wondering if you had any advice on how to like embody that and how to get other people to see you that way too instead of like “x dressing like y” you know? thanks!!

hi! fair enough I know it’s late and it’s probably not like a one liner (though you’re very good at those), I guess both online and irl? obviously online like here it’s so much easier but I know you also mentioned like even from a young age people looking at you and going ??okay?? I also wanted to clarify I meant math x&y not like gendery x&y

thanks chicken!!

---

hey pal!! this is a really interesting question, and i’ll try to answer it in some way that’s kinda useful? i think a lot of it is just kinda something you have to feel out, but we’re gonna take a stab at it! more (...a lot more) under the cut:

irl: a mess. a clown show. this is mostly luck mixed with havoc? i think i lucked out body-wise and also with the fact that my parents just did not really bother with enforcing any gender stuff and i just... ended up with real ambiguous taste in everything. my friends also gave me a real ambiguous nickname, which i think helps a lot? 

jhkgfsh i really feel like i don’t have good advice on this one because my answer is just “well why do you have that cursed amulet (a gender) in the first place” which probably isn’t that useful!! um um um..... maybe if you have someone you feel comfortable with, try talking it out with them to see like, how they perceive you & where you could change course?

i don’t think the clothes thing is 100% and i know you said you don’t want to feel like you’re dressing up as something else, which i totally get. at the same time, i think every outfit feels like dress up until you’ve gotten comfortable with it, and then it’s just your clothes? i think people can pick up on how confident you are, so maybe that’s still something that’s worth playing with? also people really have a... range of sensitivity to gender stuff. i’ve met some people who will just assign one and stick with it no matter what you fuckin do, and some people who will go into a tailspin over like, a little bit of nail polish or something. if you get weird reactions to any of it, it doesn’t necessarily reflect anything you’re actually doing? a lotta times it’s people just having their own wack ass journey & projecting on whoever walks past, so don’t take individual reactions too seriously?

on that front too – i think androgyny is just fuckin tough. i feel like there’s this idea that like, if you just have your presentation worked out a certain way it’s gonna work 99% of the time and you’re gonna live like an instagram model. i think in reality though like...... a ton of people out in the world just feel more comfortable if they can categorize someone in a binary way? they might pick up on little cues & it might just feel impossible to do with your body or your name or what’s in your closet, and that’s really not on you, so maybe thinking of what parts of that presentation will you happy rather than what people will vibe with is more helpful? even as someone who historically can slip through, i’ve definitely had the experience of like going out thinking that my carefully crafted Magic Girl Gender is absolutely perfect and then just talking to some rando who’s like I’m Gonna Fuck Up This Little Queer’s Whole Deal By Calling Them Sir hjkgdfshjk. it just.... is a thing that happens and i’m not sure that there’s a magic stage where it really stops. i don’t say that to scare you off at all, but just legit i wish i had some fucking warning sometimes. 

also get a weird name that’s just like a noun or a random syllable. that’s my other tip. once your name is “grog (the caveperson)” you’ll definitely raise a lot of gender questions.

online: i feel like online is largely about setting boundaries, which is fun? people only have the information you give them, so you can kinda force them into confusion if that’s what brings you joy. 

i reeeeeally hate the fact that people will see selfies or even just vague genderedish info about someone who’s afab or amab and be like “cool!!! got my gender answer then!!” but.... i will say that i think people do seem to enjoy categorizing that way, and there is definitely a tendency to jump to conclusions? it kind of forces people to decide between saying really limited info vs. being perceived as their gender, which absolutely fucking sucks, but i do think that just limiting what you say or post a little bit can go a long way? (i really hate giving this advice tbh because it suuucks and puts it on the person who’s having the gender vs the people making assumptions. but also you gotta live with their assumptions and i think it’s okay to decide to protect yourself a little if that feels right).

other than boundaries... idk? i think if you have experiences from like, both sides of the gender coin, i actually find it really nice to be able to just talk about whatever without censoring and giving caveats about how it’s Weird that i’ve experienced something?

i think w the boundaries you’ll probably experience pushback and people making assumptions and definitely it can feel weird to be the one person who’s withholding info in your group of friends, but i’ve also made really good friends who get it & have been really really really kind and thoughtful, so! i think it’s worth trying!!

in conclusion:

#anon #ask #i hope some of that is useful in there!! if you wanna talk more feel free to send asks or dm me or anything #i only know my experience but always happy to try to help? #gomder: it's like gender but it's bigger and its feet are webbed

[yikesola]

I think I get what you’re saying about breaking the gender roles thing , but I’ve always assumed that the goal there was to disassociate those things from masculinity/feminity (ex like tenderness shouldn’t be subversive when a man does it, it should be normal) not like say people are presenting with different gender expressions? doesn’t that box in what it means to be X? like if it seems like a different gendery kind of thing for dan to be looking approachable and tender then to me that seems like we’re saying being those ways isn’t typical a man thing when idk I thought we were trying to destroy the idea of men’s and women’s things entirely instead of making new boxes / having more distinctions , aren’t we all combinations of things anyways? idk, thinking some thoughts

You’re not wrong! It’s one of those hazy things that I would love absolutely love to have a clear cut answer for you. At its base level, yes of course men can experience tenderness and have emotional intimacy and these things aren’t just “girly” and the toxic masculinity telling boys they shouldn’t cry is a prison. Yes gender roles suck and we should do away with them. Yes gender is a social construct, it’s all made up, it only has value bc we Gave it value.

AND, I’m not going to tell a trans woman that gender isn’t real ergo her womanhood doesn’t matter. (Which to be totally clear, I don’t think you’re saying at all! It’s just that some people Do)

I guess the best way I can phrase it is that seeing dan look approachable and tender and me saying that’s womanly— is a coping mechanism. It’s a tool I have and use to deal with the trauma of the gender roles enforced on me. It’s me taking the very small box of Womanhood™️ that I was given and saying “well okay then.... I’m putting this photo of this dude in there bc fuck it I resonate with him”

To me it’s wholly different than ascribing the box to someone else. I could see how that would be uncomfortable and of course bad. If I went up to dan and said “haha displayed kindness, girly girl!” that’s not me finding joy in my gender that’s...... bullying akdndk I guess it’s different when it’s something I’m doing in my own space and for my own sake?

Idk I hope I explained this right. Point is you make points anon! When they bought a blue armchair and purple armchair in sims and Phil said “ah yes his and her chairs” and dan said “abolish gender actually, it doesn’t matter what color the chairs are!” and Phil said “true! Dan for president :))” I felt that✨

#ask #answered #anon

[raavenb2619]

Do you know why I might feel a connection to the pronouns fae/faer? I'm a cis woman who has always felt comfortable being female (except for some instances that people have had crushes on me, but that's due to my aroaceness) but I've never really cared much about how I look. I almost always wear jeans or long pants, a t shirt, and either a sweater or a jacket, and I don't like shorts or low necklines, and I can't wear bikinis because they make me uncomfortable, I have to wear [💜 anon]

[💜 anon] a full top and a skirt bottom when I swim. I like to look pretty occasionally, but not often, and I don't wear make up or put my hair up or stuff like that. I wouldn't say I'm gnc because I still look feminine, and I wear sports bras but don't bind, but I honestly care more about whether what I'm wearing is comfortable rather than attractive looking. Sorry this got so long, I just don't understand myself lol

One possible explanation is that you’re actually agender or demigirl, and you feel connected to fae/faer pronouns because of complicated gendery reasons that ultimately come down to why nonbinary people feel connected to different pronouns and/or neopronouns. But you seem pretty confident that you’re a cis girl, and you’re certainly more of an authority on your gender than I am, so for the rest of this ask I’m going to assume that you’re right and focus on answering why you might feel a connection to fae/faer pronouns if you’re a cis girl. 

Gender presentation (which includes pronouns) can be informed by gender identity, but presentation can also be “unexpected” or “uncorrelated” with one’s gender identity. For example, some boys like wearing dresses. It doesn’t mean that they’re secretly women, because some boys just like dresses. You seem to have a good sense of how you like to present, with regards to clothing, hair, make up, and so on. You mention being uncomfortable with other people crushing on you and that you’d rather wear comfortable clothes than be attractive looking, so it’s possible that fae/faer pronouns fits into this. They’re neopronouns and “weird” and potentially make you seem way less attractive/desirable to other people because it doesn’t fit the expectation of how attractive cis girls are. 

It’s also possible that you feel connected to fae/faer pronouns because you just feel connected to them. Gender is super complicated and not everything makes sense or has a clear cause-and-effect progression. There might not really be an explanation for why you feel connected to fae/faer pronouns, but that’s okay; you don’t need to justify why you feel the way you do. As long as the connection isn’t intentionally malicious (which I doubt it is), you can just...feel connected to them, and use them if you want. 

Hope that helps, as always feel free to ask for clarification/any follow up questions. 

#ask #anon #original #gender #pronouns #fae/faer pronouns #fae/faer #neopronouns #questioning #questioning gender #questioning nonbinary #questioning enby #questioning transgender #questioning trans #questioning agender #questioning demigender #questioning demigirl #Anonymous

[rogueshipagogo]

i’m coping with ‘too many plans to get started on them brain’ by stream of thought cosplay planning idk it sounds fun

ok i have to commit to either cosplaying shadow or jaguar and i think i’ll probably do no mask shadow even if the amount of blonde gjinka of faceless nonhuman character design ala wheatley/bill cipher energy i’ll have to withstand might take actual years off of my life because the idea of having to applique the fucking rogueship logo onto a bodysuit that i’ll also have to split the seams of and insert more fabric into when i’ve literally only ever handsewn before, with 3 non-retail working months to do it, exhausts me more than how emo cringe i’ll look. yeah i think doing it as a two piece suit with belt to connect it would be more efficient but god. machine sewing spandex clothing. thinking about my body that long. navigating really Gendery patterns. aaaaaa

on the other hand, the less sewing i have to do, the more props i can make. i want:

the red details to be a different pattern of spandex than the base suit, just for fun. it’d just be cute

helmet visor even if i dont do the helmet [i refuse]. if i can make it light up that’ll be good. 

robo baby backpack based on novelty backpacks that hang off your shoulders. i think this will be easy if i start with a little wastepaper basket for a base lmao holy fuck holy fuck i googled this type of backpack for reference but look what i found oh god oh shit

the only downside to this plan is that we dont know if shadow is going to show up in sc5vr and if he has a new design i’ll definitely try doing that instead but that also means if the game really is delayed until spring then i am. a bitch and will waste a bunch of time waiting for the game to drop lmao oh my god i just remembered wig styling im so fucking excited

#yes the pictures that exist of people attempting to have made shadows helmet scare me. yes i refuse to let that be me #sc5 cosplay hell #is how i'll tag my potential sak20/definite kumo20 plans from here on out. #stay tuned for audience participation i found Several types of red accent material i like and am Indecisive af