#the only struggle with it is erasing

[lilrobotman]

a cool gal

plus process pics

#my art #illustration #black and white #traditional art #pen and ink #graphite transfer paper my beloved #the only struggle with it is erasing

[uncanny-tranny]

Social transition being seen (by some) as this super easy thing that isn't as hard as real transitioning (medical) is bullshit. Be critical of the idea that there are some trans people who just "have it easy" because they are trans or because they are trans in ways you may not be.

Social transition is just as difficult, hard, and rewarding as medical transition. Maybe it is not as hard for some, sure, but that is not the same as thinking that social transition is inherently easier or lesser. If you're socially transitioning, your voice still matters.

#trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #not to mention that so many people DO want to medically transition but *can't* #so it can be even harder for some when they feel social transition is their only option when they don't want it to be #but social transition carries its own risks and challenges and again rewards #and i've seen this idea plenty where it's like 'oh you don't GET my struggles because you're SOCIALLY transitioning' #and while yes i am different than some trans people to say i'm struggling *more* if i'm the only one medically transitioning is??? huh???? #i don't buy into this idea that social transition is never scary because you don't have the boot of the medical system on your back #(though non-med or pre-med transitioning people still face issues in medical settings so even THEN we aren't seperate) #like there's very few ways you can separate my issues as a medically-transitioning person and the issues of somebody who isn't... #...and by that i mean there's few ways you can separate our issues so that mine trumps theirs or that i'm seen as like... trans but More #does that make sense? #medical transitioning is important but that doesn't mean it is *more* important or that only *it* is important #you can support us who are medically transitioning without erasing the experiences and struggles of other trans people #and plus... so many of us who are medically transitioning NOW are the people who socially transitioned THEN #and dare i say i despised social transition more because of how hard it was? medical transition has been (more or less) easier... #...in that i can just *be* now

[biitchyberry]

One more thing

Anya is not a gifted kid and you losers need to accept this. She’s for the troubled kids. Shoo. Go away.

#‘omg Anya has gifted kid burnout when she’s aged up’ no the fuck she does not #like you are literally missing one of the points of the story #that she isn’t academically gifted and has to work really hard to pass #and that’s okay #to erase all of that because yall can’t relate is frankly insulting #not everyone is academically smart and that’s okay #and they don’t need to be #your au’s would have so more depth if Anya continued to struggle and people around her accepted and accommodated her #but yall only have one vision of neurodivergencey in yalls head #anya forger #anya is not a gifted kid #spy x family

[emblazons]

Thinking about how people who only (or primarily) understand Mike’s arc through a “hes queer and coming to accept it / struggling with heteronormativity/will get his happy ending when he gets with Will” lens are missing at least half of what defines his arc in the wider context / themes of the show.

Forewarning: long post (& also maybe an unpopular opinion)

Even as a queer person myself, I know that his arc isn’t solely about embracing his queerness (though it’s inherently interlinked). In Mike, you have a character who is being radically challenged by both external circumstances and his own decisions through a journey away from all kinds of forced conformity (social, familial, romantic & heteronormative) and into someone self actualized enough to live how they want…while also being strong enough to accept that they made mistakes along the way. Someone who is learning to be brave enough to say “this is who I am, what I enjoy, and what/who I love…and while it took me a lot of time to figure it out, now I can exist in the world embracing that even though it will take consistently resisting the tendency to accommodate people who think it’s unacceptable.”

Like. Even from a time before puberty (see: S3) Mike wants a life that stands apart from what’s expected of him in every area, not just in choosing a romantic relationship with another guy. He wants to continue to be a nerd and “child at heart” even though something else is repeatedly demanded of him by everyone from his parents to El in his romantic relationship. He wants to be a writer and someone who takes those nerdy interests into his adult life (cue aggressive gesturing toward the duffers themselves) and grates against all that’s been constructed for him even when he’s not (yet) brave enough to challenge it directly. Mike liking boys/loving Will is just “the final nail in the coffin” of his social and societal nonconformity—not the first (or the last) aspect of what makes him different from Hawkins or the life he was made to believe would suit him best.

Even the fact that Mike has a desire to be “normal” comes from an insecurity and fear that choosing what he truly wants will lead to him being outcasted and losing the people he cares for entirely—which is partially motivated by his queerness yes, but that also has a basis in his general interests and personality…which becomes especially obvious when you realize we are repeatedly shown that he is punished/has his wishes ignored in all areas he doesn’t conform, even long before we get into a plot where it’s clearer he likes boys.

We see it in how his parents have already started to demand he put boundaries on the time he spends playing his “childhood games” the very first scene of season one, how they demand social acceptable emotions from him when Will is missing, and how Karen & Ted want him to give up toys in S2 when he’s showing signs of depression (because they think the issue is him growing up, not that he’s struggling with loss or guilt for what happened to El).

We see it in how his own father comments about taking his CA trip away from him after calling Hellfire being a group for “dropouts” in S4 (implying that he is failing on an academic and social level that matters to wheelers—and that Nancy is good at).

We even see it in the way everyone from his bullies to his own girlfriend threaten and take things away from him when he doesn’t conform to social expectations...from Troy telling him to jump off the cliff to save Dustin in S1 (as punishment for the one time Mike stands up for himself in the gymnasium) to El jumping straight into breaking up with him and spying on him when he doesn’t do exactly what she wants him to in Season 3.

All of these moments are critical to understanding Mike as a person because they show us that, even without addressing his queerness, Mike’s desire to conform to socialized expectations involves but is not solely about him moving out of heteronormativity—it’s about him moving against everything that WASP, patriarchal, heteronormative and capitalistic and performative “wholesome American” values…and how he is learning to move past the fear of what will happen if he steps outside the lines in general, even though he already knows he hates those standards.

Mike’s “coming of age” arc is about finding the strength to choose the “path less traveled” in all areas of his life—even when it means (potentially) losing the support of the people he cares about. It’s about starting from a place of privilege and becoming okay with being outcasted from it in a way your insecurities never let you be before (which is inherently different than Will, who has always been shown to have some kind of support not just for his queerness but his artistic endeavors as well). Mike’s lack of support is why he starts from a place of deep insecurity, yes—but it’s also why him learning power of choosing to be himself, even if it means “losing” people when he’s honest about who (& what) he is will be universally powerful.

You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of what it means to know you will be okay even if people leave you. You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of stepping outside social expectations or your family’s way of raising you. You don’t even need to be queer to understand the weight of breaking up with someone you were only with to satisfy what you thought you should do, rather than be with who you want to.

The power of being strong enough to overcome your insecurities in order to “step out of line” and live and love as you want to is universal, and a stunningly brave choice no matter what or why you chose to do so. The fact that Will will be there waiting to love him in that honesty with himself is beautiful, yes—but it’s not the only lesson to be learned for Mike’s character.

Mike starting out with everything the world (or, at least America) tells would make you happy, realizing he is not happy with those things and rejecting them knowing it might have consequences is what makes his arc powerful, because he is learning (exactly like his sister Nancy) to be brave enough to accept those consequences (which for him are getting dumped, and feeling like he’s being left behind by some of his friends) to follow his own heart.

Even though The Duffers aren’t writing this into a tragic ending (aka: he’s not going to die or be left alone, because the duffers writing is inherently designed ro champion the outcast), these are the things that have (and will) make him relatable even to an audience that doesn’t know queerness. Erasing the fact that his lesson is the bravery it takes to follow your heart solely to talk about him liking guys (even Will) is to undermine his humanity, and the lessons to be learned from him by even the most general an audience.

TL:DR - the heteronormative aspect of Mike’s character is not the sole or even inherent issue within Mike, though heteronormativity is inherently built into his struggle.

There are deep dives on how his arc is also about a war against toxic patriarchy, toxic masculinity, emphasis on capitalistic and academic accomplishments over artistic ones, and even conformist relationships (whether they’re queer or not) that should be explored for his character—and I for one like him too much not to move out of just “this boy is queer because xyz” and into “let’s talk about Mike in terms of the wider scope of his cultural context and upbringing.” 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

#imma go watch the Oscars now but #i know people mean NO HARM in focusing on the heteronormative part of his arc because on tumblr esp that is inherently relatable but #it’s not the only thing that makes his character interesting! #and it’s not the only thing he’s struggling with in his ‘coming of age!’ #understanding white masculinity in America on a wider scale is SUPER helpful to understanding Mike #and in that sense Reddit is actually pretty good at catching his drift—THEY JUST DONT REALIZE THE DUFFERS ARE U N D E R M I N I N G it #erasing Mike’s queerness is to do him a disservice. I absolutely believe this. #but to deny every other part of him that isn’t just expected to be straight is to oversimplify him aggressively #you need BOTH to understand him #which is why you need both El and Will to make sense of his struggle lmao #(I still 100% believe he’s gay not bi) #(but him dating a girl was necessary to make sense of understanding that aspect of socialized expectations). #ANYWAY. Sorry for the rant lmao #mike wheeler core #mike wheeler #my st commentary #byler #< target audience #stranger things

[lycanr0t]

i feel very frustrated about the trend of giving chil body hair bc if it was any other anime twink i would be thrilled its just that it seems to only be because people are SO afraid of him looking young they have to make him hairy to justify liking him in ships.

meanwhile it does directly go against canon (he literally is supposed to look like a child. this is integral to both his character and his race's lore as a whole and it makes no damn sense that he would be mistaken for a child if he has body hair i mean. cmon.)

and it's like. some men are hairless. some men look young. when youre a trans man in your 20s-30s its especially common to be mistaken for a teenager, even more so if you're not on t. and short. these traits do not make you less of a man or an adult. :/

#rot posts #listen its like. i just wish ppl werent doing it for the reasons they seem to be #you NEVER see tiny little men get body hair in fanart i should know ive been in multiple fandoms where i was the only 1 givin bitches hair #but it also sucks when its like. clearly from a place of discomfort and not wanting him to seem young #rather than actually loving body hair #for example where is laios with body hair. wheres kabru. mithrun. literally any other character #(senshi us a slight exception on account of semi canonically having hair) #it just feels like a performance for no one. ok yeah good job you made chil look like a hairy 30 year old #did you pay attention to how that totally disregards his story and how he canonically looks like a child and that IS an important aspect #half foots face infantilism to an extreme and his appearance is a part of this. the discrimination he faces is partially BECAUSE of looks! #so changing him to erase such a HUGE important aspect of his race's lore just bc ppl seem uncomfortable with him being young looking feels #idk the feeling. its frustrating to me #i just wish there was some self reflection here. i guess. some actual acknowledgement of his canon struggles #do you even like chil if you cant accept one of his core canonical traits... #whew anyways this is HUGELY a limited edition post bc im deleting it as soon as my husband reads it ❤️ #i hate drama i hate discourse so like always if you try to start shit i will ignore + block you soo fast dont try me

[ypipie]

uhhh.. disintegrates your bones

#i dont like this that much but i feel bad about only posting mspaint stuff #doodles #havent used that tag in what a week #fiddauthor #implied #this is a scene from a fiddauthor fic so #fiddleford mcgucket #stanford pines #ford pines #gravity falls #pretend the hand looks REALLY good i struggled so hard and gave up #you can tell i dont know anatomy as well as i used to #i swear my mind erased any knowledge i had of it so sorry guys #.hbvcb

[yourlocalseanameduser]

Seeing helluva boss/hazbin hotel and mitski together makes me want to rip someone's throat

#i hate it #i hate helluva boss #i hate most of vivziepop's creation in general #one artist makes great art about the way woc/pocs struggle throughout their lives trying to fit in a white society #the other is vivziepop #and the fact mitski is already bombarded people misinterpreting her music and erasing most of her songs that talks about race #especially your best american girl #if i ever see an edit with stolitz and your best american girl together i will destroy this phone #mitski desevres better #the only character i can stand in helluva boss is Octavia #i hope they don't ruin her #i also hope they don't include the seven archangels #i'd rather they show a walrus dog hybrid demon than the seven archangels because i know the writers will ruin them #anyways i love slandering helluva boss #idk if i should tag this #meh i will #helluva boss critical

[alltimewhat]

wound dehiscence can quickly escalate to infection or even evisceration

#it took me literally like a month to finish this drawing because i started it and did the sketch #and then immediately had NO ideas for the window panes LMFAO. so im really happy to have it done #im not sure i'm supremely happy with it but i'm definitely not Unhappy with it :) #reza #this piece kinda has a stupid level of symbolism in it that pretty much only i would recognize without being told LMFAO #i love to make very symbolic art of an oc that nobody knows enough about to understand #the main conceit though is that reza's abusive family altered his memories with magic. and he struggles a lot with the combination of #like #'i am missing the true facts of huge portions of my life' and simultaneously 'my parents left a lot of memories of them being awful #so how bad is the stuff they erased' #also a little bit about the harm he was groomed into causing when he was young and his own emotional autocannibalism

[snailfen]

i got some watercolor brush markers for christmas !! did some other coloring to get used to it then pumped this out. anyways now all i can think about is drawing slither wing

[reblogs appreciated !!]

#honestly this looks a LOT better than anything i colored with my copic markers like holy shit? #i might actually start doing traditional art fr again.... ive been doing nothing but doodles for a while now LOLE #hopefully ill be able to draw more often!! i really want to but i just. Havent. for the past year and a half. what happened man... #i used to crank out so many drawings and drawpiles like in one week alone. 15 year old me was different #but ANYWAYS i got my first ever screen tablet (its a kamvas 13 and its really nice. im loving the hotkey buttons) #so im excited to do more digital stuff as well!! #also. new sketchbook. it works with my mechanical pencils much better than my last few holy shit #like if i was struggling on a sketch in my old ones i could only erase so much otherwise itd start rubbing the surface of the paper off 💀 #this one does not do that at all! and it doesn't bleed easy either #hm. maybe i could draw some scrimblos in here ...... #pokemon #slither wing #my art #pkmn art

[gramforgram]

I don't care who you are or how much clout you have. if you endorse "TME" rhetoric and especially connect it to the Tumblr CEO and his fetish for targeting trans women you are not cool in my books. faggot feds fuck off

#greenhrt speaks #think critically please I'm begging you #trans women are victims but are not the ONLY victims #in this weird reactionary conspiratorial division you erase our collective struggles #as well as inadvertently whitewash them if I'm being honest #I've had to unfollow multiple queers I like and even respect over this #solidarity and community to hold our true oppressors responsible #they aren't derived from infighting but from power structures we know and see (eg a ceo with an agenda)

[ninallthatjazz]

I swear to god when Tolya says to Kaz "seems we both share an appreciation for life's beauty" he was not talking about the poetry and I am extremly salty about it 😒

(rant in the tags)

#i am rewatching the show rn #and i didn't catch that the first time #but i am pretty sure it hints at him being into inej #and i'd be really unhappy about that #not only because i have heard that he is ace/aro in the books #but because it erases the struggle inej has with physical touch #it makes it seem like she is just fine with dating anyone and tired of eaiting for kaz #but the whole point of kanej is that they are the only person they would remove their armour for #(and STILL it takes them years to build up the trust to do that for each other) #PLEASE don't go down that route netflix #i am begging you #sorry #rant over #shadow and bone (tv) #six of crows #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #tolya (sab)

[aemiron-main]

reminder that if u hate mike wheeler then will byers hates you 💗

(I don’t mean like affectionate hate I mean like Actual Hate, can’t stand him, using his character as ur punching bag 2 willfully/intentionally misinterpret and wrongfully assign fault to (not that Mike doesn’t have faults, but fault him for the things that Are His Fault not shit that Isn’t) etc like yes Will and Mike have their conflicts but will cares for him SO fucking deeply and does Not Hate Him)

#byler #stranger things #st shitposts #kind of #some of the takes I see abt Mike from time to time just baffle me like What………….. #he’s not some horrible guy trying to intentionally hurt all the people around him as much as possible ffs #literally I am gonna have to start gatekeeping Mike again AND will since clearly ppl are not only in their Mike hater era but also #in their ‘not understanding will’ era like will does not hold some super deep hateful resent towards Mike #like ffs do you think he gave Mike the painting for shits and giggled?? NO!!!! he was trying to reassure Mike and make him feel better bc #HE CARES ABOUT MIKE!!!!! #I’m literally half awake rn but Mike get behind me #like damn some ppl truly do not like it when things like mental illness and the way it presents don’t exactly align with #their own worldview. I’m not saying I’m Right all the time I’m saying that ppl are #willfully making Mike out to be smthn be isnt and intentionally ignoring his struggles #like do u think that will ‘can’t keep his eyes off of mikes plate and keeps staring w concern at every fucking meal’ byers is gonna take #kindly to someone ignoring and erasing mike’s emotions and complexity and struggles?? NO!!! #going thru some of the anons I’ve gotten previously and I’m just like… ???? why do people seem to Want to hate Mike so much

[gothamcityneedsme]

i have complex feelings about it but in td when karkat is actually like fully integrated, he is much more static because the story is... Less directly affecting him? hes there as Dave's Boyfriend largely

#Shitpost #it doesnt help that like plot wise hes literally an accessory #and im sort of. Like. Its On Purpose? #i feel a little bad about it lmao but in a way its also like. To me. #like. How its going to be when a character (metagamer nonetheless) ends up on an adventure that wasnt intended for him #hes literally Not Supposed To Be There #and hes only there because 1. Actual Coincidence 2. His Aspect (which is used to foil him and Hal) #and 3. Because i realized Dave would need a support and Karkat made the most sense for reasons 1 and 2 #because if i had no karkat dave would struggle way more in ways that dont assist the story #In my original concepts i was going to have a 'this universes karkat' but doubling the trolls was going to be too much work #so i just uh. erased them instead and decided no trolls in side A #what happened to them isnt the story and i dont want to make room for something unnecessary #(see: me keeping calliopes game offscreen even though i do know it) #(Shes playing darts by herself :) ) #Anyways. Karkat is Important he just is like a secondary cast member #And sometimes i feel bad about that but if he wasnt the story would get too crazy lol #and its already too huge haha #Not tagging with the fic tag because idk

[navramanan]

still heartbroken but cannot move

#i've understood a good while ago that kurdish people are alone in their suffering more than any other muslim people #i suppose bc our biggest oppressor being turkey which is such a beloved country among muslims just erases our struggle #bc any other oppressed muslim people i can think of are suffering either in the hands of non muslim nations or their own corrupt governments #so it gives them a lot more ''credibility''. like there are rules to oppression with credentials you have to meet in order to be valid #in order for your oppression your persecution the distruction of you home(land) the cultural genocide you experience to be valid and real #and cared about by the general muslim population. i have honestly and genuinely not seen any more silence than when it was about us #from the muslim community. i have to time and time again watch how people side with turkey praise their actions eat up their propaganda #and the lost lives arent lost lives but we're lying about them #and no matter how often this pattern is repeated and our very real suffering invalidated and thus ignored #it still shatters my heart an unspeakable amount when i witness it #especially when i then watch the muslim community condemn other nations for the same crimes turkey commits against the kurdish people #turkey does no wrong is the common narrative. and i always feel so lonely in my grief #i still remember october 2019 when trump withdrew the troops from rojava & gave turkey the green light to invade #they inflicted and still inflict immerusable suffering in the region. they bombed them only last week #i remember 4 years ago my mom on the phone with a friend who had fled from the region due to the syrian war #i remember her silently crying on the phone with my mom. she was on speaker. we cried with her #she was as helpless as we were just watching the news about turkey wreaking havoc. she still had family there #and this is just the smallest fraction of what turkey and inflicted upon the kurdish people. but of course it's all fake. we fabricate it #bc we're bored. our tears are fake our families getting bombed are lying. and turkey can do no wrong. #nesi rants

[vagonca-rigo]

im sorting thru my sketchbooks and ngl i love how some of the ones i took in to use were once just quick substitutes for a missing history class notebook with shit like 'a kapitalista társadalom' and 'az egyén', both in separate items and at best being 4 pages long, and lets not forget about the honvédes füzetek with typical "TOP SECRET" stamps on them probably taken from the office cuz "melós cuccot lopni mindig jobb ugyebár"

#ngl these old ones do suck to draw in cuz theyre that old and frail and can only handle like. a dull HB and a ballpoint and a single #delicate eraser if you say the right prayer #but also it feels different in a way that kinda makes the limitation/struggle worth it ykno? #Corvin caws

[cruelsister-moved2]

I was wondering if you could elaborate on what you mean by you don’t think femme4femme is a thing? Like do you not agree with it or not think people have that experience, or is a historical or terminological disagreement?

no like theres plenty of feminine women who want to fuck other feminine women it just doesnt really have much to do with the butch/femme subculture and like most people who are going out of their way to announce that they're femme4femme are just doing it in a defensive like uhmm i only like pretty cute soft pink uwu girlsss 🥺 way thats just terminally irritating 😭 ur the default majority already so it like comes hand in hand with this idea that butch4femme couples are like somehow privileged and proximal to heterosexuality or something ... and to me in that context femme is just meaning like that ur a feminine woman in purely aesthetic terms so like idrc if ur using that word to describe who u wanna bang in the appropriate context, but i dont think it constitutes a femme identity in the butchfemme way which literally only exists in the first place out of courting rituals between butch and femme women. so yeah its historical/terminological for sure, hopefully what i said makes sense<3

i do think its worth considering like how internalised lesbophobia and the stigmatisation of gnc women etc might be affecting this and like i say, a lot of the like aggressively femme4femme ppl are young gays w a lot of internalised lesbophobia who need to make it clear that theyre like an acceptable pretty soft whatever lesbian not like those dykes, but thats not me saying that ur problematic for not fancying butches or something - like were the roles reversed id be the exact same bc feminine women just arent what's attractive to me n thats fine. but the reason a lot of our hackles go up at that term is because through experience we've come to associate it with dehumanisation of our partners and dismissal of our desire, etc. a lot of ppl have some kind of variation and maybe like really androgynous girls or all sorts of girls who are both feminine and masculine or whatever whereas i feel like if ur out the gate dismissive of anyone whos not hyperfeminine that is just to me more likely a sign that uve got some stuff to deal with. but thats for u & like ill never dismiss someone purely based on who theyre attracted to thats crazy but if ur framing it in a way thats clearly defensive against proximity to the gnc women in ur community or something then yeah i dont think you have any right to the subculture which they built and defended as a safe space from people exactly like u!! i hope that makes sense and any follow up qs are totally welcome if i said anything that confused u or u dont agree, i hope i dont come off hostile or anything 🥺 also i just realised i have a really bad habit of oscillating between second and third person when i start talking about an abstract group so jic im not referring to YOU, anon but to like a vague ye <3

#ask #anon #butchfemme #feminine lesbians who like other feminine women can still be gnc and have complicated gender bla bla etc etc etc #i just mean this one specific history and subculture it doesnt make any sense for u to claim if u have no interest in butches #and like im alwayssss saying terms just exist to describe experiences so im not like gatekeeping ur experience or whatever #im just saying the term femme in that sense has no meaning to me outside of the experience of like relating to butches in a certain way #so idrc if ur like #saying that on ur dating profile to communicate who ur interested in w/e #its just the girls who come on here and are all omggg can we stop erasing femme4femme femmes!!!! or whatever #please turn on any lesbian tv show ever and tell me where this erasure is queen #i feel like im struggling to explain the type of person bc its like ...iykyk #but usually if i meet someone who just happens to like fem girls theyre not going to be all OMG I ONLY LIKE PRETTY PURE SOFT DELICATE GIRLS #EYELINER HIGH HEELS MINI SKIRTS CHRISSY CHALALAPECKA<333 #the second i meet them whereas if im on some girls acc n shes got 'femme4femme' in her bio 9/10 times i scroll down her blog n its very tha #and ik these girls would define me . a stone femme . as like butchy femme or soft butch or w/e #because the fact that im obviously the 'girl one' when i stand next to a masc one is how im conceiving of myself #rather than like what would a str8 guy think if he saw me walking down the street #sorry this is sooo long i just feel like its such a Thing and like all of us know without saying exactly why i dont like it but i do wanna #explain what that is so it doesnt look like im just being a hater to girls who like that pic of the girl putting makeup on the other girl #or w/e #im an ally to ur culture just wish it was more mutual <//3