#and I would like to experience some wlw history

[spaghettiposts]

To be loved

Tara Carpenter x Reader

Summery: You’ve never known love, until Tara.

Warnings: Fluff, lovey dovey words, mentions of Ghostface attacks, fluff fluff fluff, wlw, neglectful parents, hurt/comfort.

Word count: 2.1k

A/n: This was just a bunch of word-vomit I came up with in the spam of 3 days, reader definitely has been neglected but Tara’s here to fix that <3

You’d say love was one of the things you missed most, a missing puzzle piece to your emotions. Absent parents tended to do that being busy with work and all, love only feeling like a distant concept because of it. Sure, you knew they cared for you—deep down somewhere, but not enough to take a day off. The more you thought about it, the more that nagging voice in your head mocked you; not once did they take a day off. 

There were fleeting moments of jealousy you felt, gazing desperately—longingly—at your friends and their mothers, wishing for just a fraction of that affection. The ache of longing never quite left, as you watched them being cared for, held close, and repeating the same wishful thinking. You never truly got to experience that, but swiftly pushed those feelings aside, burying them.

 By high school, you became pretty good at patching up your own wounds and learning to live on your own. Maybe that was for the best.

You learned to rely on yourself. 

That was until college, Blackmore University. A relatively close college to your house, the commute was doable and hey, you actually liked some of the classes. Your parents had encouraged you to attend first, explaining how getting a degree in engineering would really help you take over their business someday.

You hesitated to tell them that wasn’t what you wanted. Not if it meant having to put work before others, you didn’t wanna be like them. 

Still, you went along with it, taking the classes they suggested. Amidst the sea of blueprints,  you had picked up an appreciation of the art of film. Deciding to take a class for yourself, you signed up for Film History. Later, it was the best decision you ever made. 

And the first time you met Tara Carpenter. 

She was undoubtedly beautiful, anyone with eyes could see, but it was the radiance surrounding her that truly mesmerized you. Indisputably, you folded like a table. The effortless confidence she emitted during class discussions, the stubborn fire inside her, and her unabashed passion for something as simple as filmmaking—it seemed like the whole world to her. 

It only took a group project for her number to end up in your phone, and it only took a party for her to slam her lips against your own.  

With her, you found a happiness previously unknown to you. Every moment turned into the highlight of your week,  you were absolutely head over heels for your girlfriend. From tender first dates ending in soft slow kisses on her doorstep, to the cozy movie nights leaving your lips swollen and your cheeks flushed, and between those; gentle moments of care. They blossomed a newfound sense of joy in you, and in Tara. 

Day after day you effortlessly fell into new habits, soaking up every second of them. You learned Tara loved to smile between kisses, while she, in turn, learned you enjoyed the feeling of your hair being toyed with. It was all just perfect. 

However, as time went on, you couldn’t shake the feeling of Tara drifting away. Her sudden coldness left you stunned and hurt. The more you tried to talk, the more she pushed you away. But you weren’t one to back down so easily, confronting her in her apartment one last time, seeking some closure. 

 It only took a month for Tara to be honest with you, and fearfully so. Through shedded tears and shaking hands, she explained to you, and you listened. It hurt you to see her hurting, expressing vulnerability she hadn’t allowed you to see. Her arms came up to hug herself and you’d never wanted to punch Ghostface more. 

Tara half expected you to walk away, laugh at her, and leave her like the rest of them but you made it clear you weren’t leaving. You spent the entire afternoon by her side, determined to prove her wrong and keep her safe, whispering murmurs of promises between kisses. Holding her close until tears subsided and drifted off to sleep, thoroughly exhausted from it all, peacefully in your arms. 

Following her confession, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off Tara’s shoulders and your relationship picked up from where it stopped. Your bond with the shorter girl only grew stronger, surpassing previous boundaries as you both delved into a deeper understanding of one another. Tara clung to you, unwilling to let you slip away, and gradually, you found yourself spending more nights at her place than your own. And truth be told, you didn’t mind that one bit. 

As much as you wished everything could continue perfectly, a coward in a mask would only try to ruin it all. 

——

It had been a week since the latest run-in with Ghostface, A week since your left arm got slashed up. Tara was absolutely livid, and you wondered if her anger was directed more at the attacker or at you. Either way she let Chad hear it when she learned you had “heroically” taken the hit for him — though she preferred to call it stupid rather than heroic. You didn’t argue with her on it. Fortunately, Chad was able to pick himself up and knock out the idiot before he could do more.

Despite that fury she held inside her, you could see the worry etched on her face, bordering on tears, during your hospital stay.

Days later you’d learn he was just some deranged kid trying to be “Funny”. He was promptly arrested by the police and sent to a hospital. You’d never seen Sam so disgusted. 

Considering the circumstances, you were fine. Mentally? Probably not, you hadn’t had time to reflect on it. Physically? That’s where it was hitting most. The scars left by his knife only got progressively worse as time passed. Chad was quick to call an ambulance for you, and you thanked the man greatly, holding onto his shoulders for support. 

The doctors affirmed the bone wasn’t too severely damaged but it would need time to heal. Hence the blue cast hanging from your shoulder. 

But the strangest part wasn’t your injured arm - it was Tara’s behavior. You understood that she was reliving the whole ordeal all over again and tried your best to comfort her. But it seemed just being around you, without fail, brought tears back into her eyes. With time, she was starting to recover too, but she stayed unusually quiet. Despite this, she never left your side, not even for a moment. Like right now, she sat beside you, on your good side, as you watched a movie together in her room. 

You didn’t want this attack to get in the way of your relationship or mess things up, so you insisted on keeping things normal - like movie nights and when you were both up for it, date nights. 

Tonight, Tara picked a Disney movie, probably to keep things light after what happened. You tried not to let your heart swell too much at her consideration. 

“Sit up for me,” Tara mumbled out of nowhere, pulling you out of your thoughts. You furrowed your eyebrows but did as she asked, watching as she disappeared into the bathroom and came back holding a familiar red box. 

“Tara, I’m okay.” You lied. 

She arched an eyebrow, reading completely through you but didn’t say anything, simply opening the kit and motioning for you to swing your legs off the bed. 

You sighed, complying with her words knowing better than to argue. 

“You’ve been scratching at your shoulder this entire time. I know it’s bothering you. Let me change it.” She said softly.

Pursing your lips, you nodded, giving her the go-ahead. You understood that helping you made her feel better, even though you constantly reassured her that it wasn’t her fault.

Sitting straight up, you watched as she delicately unwrapped the gauze, marveling at her gentle touch. A shiver ran down your spine as the fresh air hit the wound, her eyes softening as they fell upon the scar. She then grabbed some cotton balls and applied alcohol to them, causing you to hiss at the burning sensation.

“Sorry.” She murmured, leaning in to press a kiss on your cheek before blowing softly on the cut. “I don’t want it to get infected, it’ll just get worse.” 

You nodded, biting the inside of your cheek. It felt good, having someone care for you like this. More than you’d ever admit, really. The thought of how much you secretly loved Tara fussing over you was too embarrassing to acknowledge fully. 

You couldn't help but relish in the feeling of being looked after, of having someone fuss over you with such genuine concern. It was comforting, reassuring even, to know that you weren't facing this ordeal alone, that someone was there to support you every step of the way. 

As her fingers delicately adjusted the bandage, ensuring it was snug yet not too tight, your heart spoke before you could stop it. And just like that, the words spilled out, unfiltered and sincere: “I love you.”

Tara froze, the silence turning deafening. Her fingers pressed slightly harder against you, fingernails digging into your shoulder but you didn’t comment on it, too overwhelmed by your own anxiety and fear that she could hear how fast your heart was beating. After a beat of silence, she continued wrapping the fabric, cutting it off once she finished. Yet, her touch lingered, eyes fixated on the injury, her thumb softly rubbing against your shoulder. 

A small sniffled escaped her, and she stood up abruptly. Covering herself with her arm to wipe away tears. Your heart sank, fearing you had ruined everything.

“You shouldn’t.” She whispered, her voice barely audible, as she rubbed her arms in search of comfort. “I’ll just get you hurt.” 

Your eyes softened, heartbreaking at the sight of her vulnerability. It was a side of her you had only seen once before, the last time you nearly broke up. A look you didn’t want to see.

“Tara, don’t say that.” 

“It’s the truth, everywhere I go he follows.” She choked out, her eyes glistening, “You’ll never be happy constantly looking behind your shoulder, living in fear.” 

You stood up, pausing in front of the shorter girl. Tara sighed, shaking her head and turning away. Your hand gently lifted her chin, and you leaned down to press a kiss against her cheek, coaxing her shaken eyes to look at you. Very seriously you uttered, “Every time I'm with you I feel more secure than ever in my entire life. We take care of each other, I’ll take care of you. I love you, Tara.” 

Tara shudders, her head leaning against your forehead, letting the words wash over her. Your arm rubs softly against hers, while you pepper kisses along the side of her face, expressing your feelings through touch. 

Shakingly, her nails grip tighter against your back. “If you’re gonna keep saying that- you have to mean it.” She affirms, pulling back to look at you,  “You can’t just say that and leave, not anymore.”

You nod in agreement, finally, leaning down to capture her lips between your own, pulling her into a loving kiss. “I mean it, I love you.” You whisper against her lips. 

Tara swallows, before letting out a watery laugh. “I love you too, god I do.” 

Her hands find a home between your neck, pulling you in closer into a much firmer and passionate kiss. Your stomach tightens, and you shiver when her tongue slides in effortlessly, melting at her touch. 

Getting lost in the moment, your feet move before you realize it, and your knees hit the bed. Tara gasps in surprise, clutching onto you for support and you wince at the sudden pressure to your cast. 

You let out a breathy chuckle, sinking back into the mattress, Tara quickly joining in to meet you. The room fills with shared laughter, a moment of light amidst it all. Being mindful of your arm, Tara moves to lay by your side once again, draping an arm across your chest. She presses a lingering kiss to your neck, sighing against you.

You recall your previous conversation. And you wanted to say she had nothing to worry about—nothing to be scared of. But you both knew the truth of the cruel world you lived in. Safety wasn’t something you could guarantee, not to Tara, and not to yourself. 

Instead, you pulled the girl closer, her body adjusting to fit with yours, her head resting on your neck. If physical contact was what she needed to sleep for tonight and any night, you could provide that. Pressing a tender kiss to her head, you placed your chin on top of her, reveling in the moment, focusing on the small patterns she traced on your skin. 

And just for once, without fear, Tara let her eyes close. Slowly falling asleep in your warm embrace, completely reassured that you wouldn’t be leaving her.

#tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter x y/n #tara carpenter x female reader #tara carpenter #jenna ortega #jenna marie ortega #jenna ortega x reader #wlw post #tara carpenter fluff #scream franchise

[utilitycaster]

What’s wild to me is when the purple and black hearts stans start lying about how a lot of beaujes shippers reacted to beauyahsa. Like they were out here calling beauyasha a ship for straight people and accusing the cast of queerbaiting because one wlw ship was canon instead of another one. I’ll never forget when someone said that Beau was a problematic predatory lesbian stereotype because they were mad she never confessed her feelings for Jester.

It goes to what you’ve been saying that very little has happened between Laudna and Imogen romantically so a lot of people have resorted to yelling about other things and accusing people who don’t like the ship of being homophobic. As a lesbian I wanted to love the ship so much but it doesn’t interest in and it’s so disheartening to be accused of hating wlw relationship or be told that I’m not watching the show right.

Hey anon,

I feel like I keep using the word "ahistoric" but god does it fit like...the ugly truth is that, at least on Tumblr, the main detractors from Beauyasha by the end of the campaign were people who shipped Beau and Jester; again, there will always be some misogyny and homophobia and bigotry in the fandom so long as these exist in the real world, but like, it was not homophobes saying Beauyasha was For The Straights.

(also...how is it problematic and predatory to...not confess your feelings for someone if you have no intention of acting on them because you and they are both in other relationships. This is besides the point of this ask but I swear the people who were mad at the C2 canon ships were on a new level of dipshittery; they kept asking for Closure (TM) and it's like most normal people, if they have an unrequited crush and then enter into a relationship with someone else, never tell the person about the crush because it's awkward and there's literally nothing to do or say about it. Like, the typical path forward for closure is like, telling your therapist or journalling or making an angsty playlist, not Confessing Your Love while you're both in relationships with someone else.)

I do think this history is relevant though because in many ways...the behavior of people who shipped Beau and Jester paved the way for the open dislike of Imogen and Laudna we see today. Why should I listen to someone who calls me homophobic for not liking a lesbian ship when they called me homophobic and straight last campaign for liking a lesbian ship they didn't like? Why would I ever listen to a random person who does not know me through anything but our shared interest in the same Actual Play show's assessment of my feminist credentials based on the fact that I don't want the same two characters to kiss as they do? Why would I ever bother to try hit their ever moving target instead of saying "ok" and moving on?

Which isn't to say it doesn't suck. I've gotten questions about how to not be bothered or disheartened before from others, and I don't have great advice because I happen to just, through a combination of personal experience and natural tendencies not be much of a people pleaser, but like...I mean, you're the only person who can know if you're a lesbian. That's really it. Not particularly caring about a specific F/F ship very obviously does not disqualify you from being a lesbian, which we know because otherwise we could just as easily say that not shipping Beauyasha would disqualify you from being a lesbian. They can say whatever they want; it's annoying, but it's bullshit and I think even they know it. (the alternative of course is that they're very, very stupid and do not know it.)

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag

[kvhasproblems]

My essay for my film history class on “But I’m A Cheerleader” and lesbian cinema history:

I wanted to post this because I found it very interesting while doing my research into queer cinema history. It’s not the best essay and the end could be better but I am a first year Uni student lol. Please don’t like plagiarize or whatever lol. It’s also 2000 words.

Camp, Queer History and Cheerleaders.

Though lesbians have existed throughout history, history has fought to bury them and their experiences, with the media of film being no different. Lesbians in film were not somewhat normalized until the 1990s; the first major lesbian film in North America (directed by a lesbian) was Desert Hearts by Donna Deitch, released in 1985. This was followed by what some have deemed the Queer Revolution in media in the 90s. With the end of the Production Code Administration or Hays Office (also known as the 'Hays Code') in 1968, it created opportunities for queer people to tell their stories, and with the milestones queer rights took after the Stonewall Riots, the queer community was more united than ever. With the rise of more readily accessible film equipment, movies made by lesbians for lesbians began to hit the screens. It is important to note the distinction between films focusing on lesbian or women-loving-women (WLW) relationships made by queer women versus those made by straight men, as movies made by men tend to have a distinct Male Gaze. As Laura Mulvey said, "In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female… Women displayed as a sexual object is the left-motiff of erotic spectacle… she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire" (809). When talking today about popular queer films, most brought up were made in the 90s. Specifically, one film made in 1999 became a cult classic and a staple for queer cinema. But I'm a Cheerleader, directed by Jamie Babbit, is tag-lined as "A comedy of sexual disorientation." Despite its bright colors and Campy comedy, it tackles issues of sexism, homophobia (internalized, externalized and projected) and misogyny.

As mentioned, lesbian cinema did not make an appearance until 1985, which seems late when looking through the lens of North American society today. This late emergence can be directly linked to the mandatory and non-mandatory censorship present from the years 1934-1968 and 1968 to the modern day, which is still being affected by abolished codes set in place almost a century ago. As the film media became more popular among the masses, people began to worry about what was being shown to the populace. To quote Stephen Vaughn, "Fierce debates over the content and control of the new medium arose in the early days of silent film and intensified with the advent of sound technology" (39). He goes on to further mention how groups like progressive reformers and religious and civic organizations wanted (and tried many times) to censor and control not only the content of the films being shown but also the types of people making them (40). Starting from a list of "Do not's and Be carefuls" that aligned with Christian/Catholic values, the Hays Code was created and fully established in 1934. The Hays Code had many guidelines that today would be considered discriminatory, for example, no white slavery and any inference of sex perversion (interracial couples and homosexuality) (44).

Since homosexuality was censored from the screens, people got creative in implying and subtlety making reference to queer struggles and relationships; this became known as Queer-Coding. Even after the end of the Hays Code era and the start of The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), queer people were rarely openly depicted. More often than not, they ended up being queer-coded characters, with the implication being left for the audience to pick up on and read between the lines. As homosexuality was still not in public favour, open depictions, especially those not from the male gaze, were rare and even more so rarely celebrated. The depictions from the male gaze were often harmful, stereotypical and deeply rooted in homophobia. As Melinda Roddy wrote, "People felt compelled to self-regulate as a result of this and the lasting effects of the Hays Production Code of 1930. The film industry was under official or unofficial censorship for nearly half a century, and this restricted the movies that could be made, especially films about LGBTQ+ characters" (126). The Stonewall Riots of 1969 was a needed push for the queer community to further establish queer activism in America, and the Aids Crisis of the 1980s pushed the lesbian and gay communities to become a more unified front. (Prior to the Aids Crisis, the two communities were divided by sexism. "While men who are attracted to men are discriminated against and marginalized by the homophobia of American society, Sapphic women are affected by both homophobia and sexism" (125).) Now having a unified front and queer activists, the fight against homophobia was rampant. This opened up doors for queer filmmakers to tell the story that people fought so hard to censor for decades prior, and so on September 12th, 1999, But I'm a Cheerleader premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film follows Megan who appears to be your typical high school cheerleader she has an all American football playing boyfriend, she is blonde, wears girly clothes and is a Christian. Except Megan hates kissing her boyfriend, has pictures of bikini-clad women in her locker and is a vegetarian. Fearing their daughter is a lesbian, Megan's parents send her to 'New Directions,' a "rehabilitation" camp to help Megan become "Ex-Gay" in five easy steps. As Megan arrives at New Directions, it can only be described as a campy, life-sized doll house. Before going into an in-depth analysis, it is important first to note what Camp is, as the Camp is not only the main genre of the film but is quintessential to understanding the visual and narrative elements present in the film. To get a brief look into the art of Camp, refer to Susan Sontag's first, third and seventh notes on Camp. The first note on Camp, "To start very generally: Camp is a certain mode of aestheticism. It is one way of seeing the world as an aesthetic phenomenon. That way, the way of Camp, is not in terms of beauty, but in terms of the degree of artifice, of stylization" (2). The third note on Camp is, "Not only is there a Camp vision, a Camp way of looking at things. Camp is as well a quality discoverable in objects and the behaviour of persons" (2). And the seventh note on Camp, "All Camp objects, and persons, contain a large element of artifice. Nothing in nature can be campy" (3).

Though Camp is present throughout almost every aspect of this film, it appears most extravagantly in the set and visual design of New Directions itself. The house mimicked a Barbie doll house and is brightly coloured in almost neon pinks, greens, yellows and blues, with each room having a mostly monochromatic colour palette. This is true to Camp in its distinct level of artifice, as what is a more false sense of reality than that of dolls in a doll house? Camp is used throughout the film to mock the expectations of society, gender roles and the idea that someone can become an "ex-gay." The women are dressed all in pink, a colour associated with femininity and girlhood, and a colour society dresses up little girls to drive home their assigned gender at birth. The steps to becoming an ex-gay include things like cooking, cleaning and childcare, and the stereotypical housewife expectations put on women to keep them isolated and submissive. The men similarly wear all blue and do things like sports, fixing cars and playing with guns, all while phallic-looking symbols surround them, for example, the large blue wrench and wheels in the background of the fixing car scene and the blue cut-out of a man holding a "gun' to another man on his knees in the playing war scene. The film goes so far with the idea of falsehood that the characters' outfits are made of fake shiny plastic at the graduation ceremony, and their hair is done perfectly. They could be mistaken for dolls; it is a visual representation of how they have been forced by themselves and the authority figures to be exactly what they want them to be, not who they are.

Referring back to nothing in nature can be campy; the moments where Megan and the others are true to their nature and self are moments most free from the camp lens. The moment when Megan realizes she is a homosexual starts with light disorientating music and camp over-the-top visuals of her realizations. Her outburst is met with praise and hugs, which is Camp, but as her peers leave and she is left to sob on her own, the absence of back music is prominent as nothing can be heard besides her sobs as the camera cuts back to show her in the now empty room, with no one to face but herself. Most of the private moments between Graham and Megan also lack the falsehood of the majority of the movie. The first real private conversation the girls have takes place outside in nature, down the hill from the doll-like house. At the 36-minute mark, they have an open conversation where Graham says the line, "This is bullshit Megan, you are who you are. The only trick is not getting caught." It is the first time Megan begins to look at homosexuality from another lens, not the hateful agenda pushed upon her.

The contrast between the figures of authority and the subordinate characters is most prominently the level of falseness and Camp. The boy's teacher, Mike, is a so-called "ex-gay," but he constantly eyes up Mary's son and follows all of the behaviours he preaches against. Played by famous drag queen, comedian and advocate RuPaul, who is known for being gay, we instantly associate and see the repression of his character. The most false of all is the head of New Directions, Mary Brown. She is constantly wearing the most eye-blinding shade of neon pink, standing out in every scene she is in like a sore thumb. Nothing about her is natural; her face bears too much makeup, and her tone of voice is a forced grating mimicry of calm collectiveness; even her son is gay, regardless of the steps she takes to fix him. It is comical when she encourages youth to follow their "true direction" when she is never true to herself outside of the compounds of her hate and anger. Multiple times, the figures of authority are shot from a low angle when addressing the subordinate character, making them seem larger than life, towering over the kids, emphasizing the power that Mary and Mike have over them.

But I'm a Cheerleader has become a cult classic within the queer community and has had a long-lasting impact on generations of queer people; for its representation and campy comedy, it explores and subverts traditional depictions of queerness in media while addressing issues of homophobia and misogyny. While some say the Campy comedy hides the complex issues presented in the film, an argument can be made that the over-the-top Camp set design, clothes and dialogue provide a deeper look into the harsh, complex issues that people tend to shy away from when presented with at face value. Gay conversion camps were a serious problem that killed and affected many LGBTQ+ people, some of whom the trauma still harms to this day. But what better way to display and sort through complex trauma than by turning the joke onto the oppressors themselves? Queer cinema has come a long way from the heavily censored era of the Hays Code and, with the efforts of hard work from the queer community, has continued to grow and evolve.

Works Cited

But I’m a Cheerleader. Dir. Babbit, J. Act. Lyonne, N. DuVall, C. 1999, Lionsgate.

Mulvey, L. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, 1975.

Vaughn, S.. Morality and Entertainment: The Origins of the Motion Picture Production Code, 1990.

Roddy, M. Sapphic Cinema: An Exploration of Films about Gay Women and their Relationships to American Society in the Reagan Era and Beyond, 2018.

Sontag, S. Notes On “Camp”, 1964

Also special thanks to @schrodingerspsycho for reminding me to post this!!

#lesbian #but im a cheerleader #desert hearts #cinema #queer history #film history #film school #film student #film studies #essay #lesbian cinema #van palmer #tagging Van Palmer because she knows all about this shit lol

[chainofclovers]

Ted Lasso 3x8 Thoughts

I’ve written all of these after seeing the episode only one time but I think this one might benefit from a rewatch more than anything else. Even if, unfortunately, this was absolutely my least favorite episode of this stupid wonderful show. (Or was it? What will a rewatch reveal to me?)

I have tried very hard not to have a lot of fun-time-ruining expectations about this Media Experience that has bewitched me since January fucking 2021. But I’ll admit that I had some serious expectations about the writing of this episode. Keeley Hazell and Dylan Marron! I was so excited to see what the ultimate Keeley Jones expert, the Keeley inspiration, the namesake herself, would have to say about this character. And actually, I thought Juno Temple got some really incredible material to work with, and I think she acted the living fuck out of this episode. I came away with a deeper understanding of Keeley’s character. A sense of who she is when she wakes up in bed next to someone who delights her. A sense of how it feels when someone she loves deeply disappoints and hurts her, and how it feels when someone she could have loved chooses a status over a human, and how it feels when someone she used to love holds himself accountable to her. 

There was so much about this episode that felt incredibly natural: 

everything about Juno’s performance 

the ways Jack is charming and tantalizing and expansive and the ways she’s small and cowardly and disappointing were perfect…wlw rep doesn’t happen in a vacuum of purity, this is wlw rep but this is also billionaire asshole rep this is venture capitalism rep this is richer-than-Rebecca-Welton rep this is manipulator rep

the perfect moment when Jade tells Nate to celebrate his victories after a lifetime of hearing his father shame him for taking pride in his successes

the anti-chemistry chemistry of Ted and Michelle and their long history

absolutely everything about Rebecca as lifeline and sense-talker for Ted (and soulmate…I’m so tired, but it just remains true that they’re fucking soulmates, and I hope they find out and I’m still pretty sure they will)

Beard in an apron making pancakes for his boys

Rebecca holding Keeley and telling her a possibly slightly exaggerated story about her introduction to masturbation to cheer up her beloved bestie

the utter pain of Roy being once again a very good person who has fucked up badly in a parking lot (this time with consequences)

Ted’s sweet little voices as he reads to Henry (and the WTF moment he has about himself after Henry has fallen asleep)

Last night my wife and I went out for a beer and broke down a bunch of these moments and how good they actually were, and how strange it was to have, honestly, a wealth of beautifully written and acted moments in an episode that really didn’t work for us. Because those highs made the lows seem so much lower. 

The locker room scene…I’ve watched anti-harassment and standards-of-business videos for my corporate job that are better than whatever that was. I understand what they were trying to do. And I understand that this is a story that has so much real-life crossover and is so incredibly important to get right and was probably so complicated and often painful to write that I feel very empathetic about the ways that all that pressure might have conspired to make this episode worse instead of better. I have no interest in judging those conditions, nor do I think it’s some big hilarious gotcha that this writer (well, writers) wrote about this topic. But I do have to judge the final product, which reads like a group of people taking turns saying things like “This is a bad thing in our society” and “Is it so bad?” and “Yes, fellow man, it really is that bad” and “But wait, why should I have any responsibility for this bad thing in our society?” and “Well, here is why you actually do have some responsibility for this bad thing in our society.” 

Even the Keeley-Rebecca scene wavers in and out, whereas normally a scene with those two is rock solid. They spend a lot of time explaining the societal conditions to each other instead of relying on the shorthand that two best friends would use to communicate. I mean, thank God Rebecca was totally with Keeley on this one—if she hadn’t been, that would’ve warranted something on the spectrum of lecture—but because she was, their exchange of lines about sexualization just had me feeling like I am watching a TV show about a very special issue, I am watching a TV show about a very special issue. 

Just as I’m not looking to Jack Danvers to convince a homophobe why bi people are cool (she could be the coolest most respectful gal in the world and she’s not gonna convince a bigot that queer people actually are great!), I desperately wish they’d taken a less heavy hand with this stuff. Keeley’s pain—her vehement lack of embarrassment, her disappointment—says it all. 

And I am so sorry to say that I feel like Brendan Hunt, who always, always knows when to dial it down and when to dial it up, when to bury and when to emote, dialed it way too far up when talking to Henry while Ted’s on the phone with Rebecca. I am a huge defender of how this show uses musical scenes; bring on the cheese, bring on the champagne bottle microphones, bring on the sing-alongs and heightened emotions and funeral rick rolls. Every other time a character has sung on this show, it’s been natural in the awkwardness and the slightly-outsized emotions and the inherent goofiness of it all. This time, they just could not create the right emotional conditions to earn this moment. I’m not going to give a detailed critique of a child's performance on a public website, but unfortunately I think this is a moment when the writers actually underwrote what Henry needed to say, because I’m mystified as to how he’s actually feeling and doing. Understanding those things is essential to understanding where this story is going, so I’m really upset that a huge chunk of information is missing now.

And that leads me to the incredibly unsettling ending. I had to be talked down off a ledge. I’m now pretty sure the ambiguities of how Ted and Michelle are around each other are about recognizing the ways they used to work, their common reference points, their knowledge of each other, while simultaneously experiencing yet another goodbye, yet another turning point in this (realistic, tbh) endless cycle of navigating the split. But I’m really struggling to understand Ted’s headspace in the final couple minutes of the show, whereas usually I feel like I’m practically living inside his brain as I watch. 

I’ve loved s3 so far. I always knew it would be as distinct a thing of its own just as much as s1 and s2 were distinct from each other. As much as I’d be enjoying a return to the specific magic of s1, it would be impossible and wrong and even irresponsible of them to try to recreate it, and I think it would fall flat, and so I’m glad I knew that would never be my experience with this season of TV. And yet it’s a little unnerving, even as this person who’s tried to keep my high expectations open-ended, to feel so bummed about 3x8. The conversation over that beer about all the really good stuff did make me feel better, because it reminded me that the really badly done parts of this episode were less about story than about the circumstances of the storytelling. To me, those circumstances make the clunkers more forgivable instead of less. But it was still disappointing.

Probably every Ted Lasso fan feels this way on some level, but I am having such a singular experience. I am a fifteen-year-old girl again, holed up in my room because “no one understands………why I feel the way I feel about Ted Lasso.” The membrane between my takes and my empathetic yet judgmental reactions to other people’s takes is permeable and problematic. It’s shameful, but I want everyone to love it because I love it and I want everyone to calm down because I’m calm and I want everyone to be at the edge of their seat and not at all calm because I’m at the edge of my seat and not at all calm and I want everyone to love Ted/Rebecca even if they never kiss because I love Ted/Rebecca (even if they never kiss) and I want everyone to have hated this episode because I hated it and I want everyone to give it time and space to breathe because I’m trying to do that and I want everyone to wait and see what fucking happens because I’ve got some kind of freak patience when it comes to this fucking experience. I want to be my best self and I am not my best self. I’m insane about this show, and I’m not working on the issue. Eek. 

#ted lasso #ted lasso meta #meta by me #ted lasso s3 spoilers #ted lasso 3x8 #hot dork club #ted x rebecca #nate x jade #keeley x jack

[redtail-lol]

Is there a full/bigger version of yr pfp?? I fckn love lgballt sonas and I need to see yours for scientific purposes. /nf

Yeah and a flag guide that I'll provide but keep in mind it hasn't been updated in a while and I'll have a new one soon

Term Definitions because I can. Some definitions are personal to me and not general definitions

Woman/Girl: A gender identity that is connected to femininity and the female sex

Cisgender: Someone who's gender identity is congruent with their AGAB

Cisconfusgender: A cis person who often is unsure of their gender but always comes to the conclusion they're cisgender. I didn't coin this term but I made the flag based on a description of it

Quoieuphoric: Someone who isn't sure what gender euphoria feels like or if they feel it. I coined this term myself!

She/her/hers/herself: Someone who would appreciate if you referred to her by she/her pronouns

They/them/their/theirs/themselves: Someone who would appreciate it if you referred to them by they/them pronouns

Femme: Someone who presents femininely

Aspec: Someone on the ace, aro, or other a-spectrum(s)

Arosespec: Someone who is on both the aro and ace spectrums

Acespec: Someone who is on the asexual spectrum

Arospec: Someone who is on the aromantic spectrums

Asexual: Someone who doesn't feel sexual attraction at all (personal use definition)

Cupiosexual: Someone who doesn't feel sexual attraction but still desires a sexual relationship

Demiromantic: Someone who experiences romantic attraction exclusively to people they have formed a strong emotional bond with

Cupioromantic: Someone who desires a romantic relationship even in the absence of romantic attraction (personal use definition)

Angled Aroace: Someone who is on both aro and ace spectrums but isn't fully ace, aro, or either

Lesbian: A feminine, neutrally, xenically, or unaligned person who is attracted, usually exclusively, to other feminine, neutrally, xenically, or unaligned genders. This is a definition I came up with that I think accomplishes what the nonmen definition attempted to describe and doesn't exclude multigender/multialigned people and acknowledges the common exclusive use of today but doesn't exclude historical use. (personal use definition)

Aurora Lesbian: An all inclusive alt flag. An aurora lesbian can be considered an all inclusive lesbian

Lunian: An mspec lesbian

Bi lesbian: Someone who's bi attraction is also simultaneously lesbian attraction because it's only towards people who are considered part of lesbian attraction (personal use definition)

Sapphic: WLW, doesn't have to be exclusive.

Midnight Sapphic: A sapphic who feels othered and ostracized from the greater sapphic community for their identity

Omni lesbian: Someone who is attracted to all genders considered part of lesbian attraction (personal use definition)

Bi lesbian with bi- as a modifier: Someone who primarily identifies as a lesbian, and sees being a bi lesbian as a subset of that lesbian attraction

Neptunic lesbian: A lesbian who is also neptunic

Closeted mspec lesbian: An mspec lesbian who is closeted about being an mspec lesbian in at least one aspect of their life

Acespec Mspec Lesbian (yeah apparently it's not just the acespec lesbian flag oops): An mspec lesbian who is acespec

Neptunic: Someone who is exclusively attracted to all non-masc genders

Bi: Someone who is attracted to multiple genders. Commonly used to mean not all genders and with gender as a factor, but because of its history, it can refer to any mspec attraction

Multi: Someone who is attracted to multiple genders. An umbrella term for bi/pan/poly/omni

Mspec: Someone who is on the multispectrum

Bi-Gay: Someone who considers their attraction bi and gay (gender neutral)

Stellian: Someone who considers their attraction mspec and gay (gender neutral)

LGBTQ: Someone who is not an allocishet

Autistic: I'm not yet diagnosed and I'm working on it but I believe I am on the autism spectrum/have autism spectrum disorder. You can use person first or identity first language I don't mind either.

Queer: Someone who reclaims Queer as an identity. Not all LGBTQ people will be queer, because we should acknowledge that is has been used to harm people and they may still have trauma with the word queer.

Inclusionist: Someone who includes all good faith identities and seeks understanding before calling something nonsense.

Lykoi Lesbian: A lesbian inclusionist group that passively fights exclusionism by being inclusive.

#woman #girl #cisgender #cis #cisconfusgender #quoieuphoric #she/her #she/they #they/them #femme #aspec #arosespec #aroacespec #acespec #arospec #asexual #ace #cupiosexual #cupioace #cupio #demiromantic #demiro #cupioromantic #cupioro #angled aroace #lesbian #aurora lesbian #lunian #bi lesbian #sapphic

[drdemonprince]

your most recent article on asexuality& fetish touched upon some stuff i'd been thinking about for a long time now. (getting some more... hands on experience would help a lot, but queer(adjacent) avenues are... not kind to trans women doing that, but that's a story for another time.) especially the distinction between kink and fetish was one i'd not seen people make before which made me realize some of my stuff is definitely much more in the latter category.

poppers for one. i have an inexplicable liking for them (and much more that isn't pertinent here). which in itself is not an issue, but i'm not sure i'm liking that i like them. sometimes i feel they're a bit too... idk, it's not addiction, but more my relationship with them is kinda problematic, even though i'm very moderate in my partaking :/

Thanks for your message, anon. And I'm sorry that you haven't found avenues for exploring your fetishes more. It's true that a lot of queer spaces are really hostile to trans women. But please do not give up hope. Steer clear of the theyfabby wlw spaces, but if you are into women, keep you eye out for the ones that are more self-consciously transfemme organized and inclusive. Here in Chicago there's Strapped, for instance, a lesbian night run by lesbian trans women of color. Lots of furry and pup spaces tend to be less trans exclusionary and more gender diverse in general. There's lots of kinky trans women on Grindr specifically to find other trans women. I don't want to be pollyannaish or downplay how hard these things genuinely are, but I don't want you to give up hope either. There are people out there like you and increasingly more spaces to choose from. I hope you can find something near you that is worth giving a try.

Now onto the poppers question. If you're moderate in your usage, why do you dislike that you like them? Does it impede your life in any way? Is the primary problem (if I'm picking up on it correctly) that you kind of fear how much you like them, and that you worry that it could become addictive one day? Or that you feel you're using them in too escapist of a way? Or is shame about what turns you on?

Poppers are just about the mildest mind-altering substance imaginable; it's been used to treat period cramps and other similar health issues for decades and used to be available over the counter without much of an issue. (Leo Herrera's writing about the history of poppers is really good). And as highs go, it's over in an instant with almost no lingering negative effects. There are some conditions it doesn't mix well with, and there are some shitty brands out there that cause headaches, but I imagine that if using it was damaging your health in any way you would have mentioned it. So why is being turned on by them an issue for you?

If you want a cleaner headrush, there is always weed or hypnosis. But for a quick burst of euphoria and muscle relaxation without any hangover, poppers kinda can't be beat. Perhaps the best question is what has made you not like that you like them?

[sapphos-darlings]

Are you a radfem? You've reblogged from radfems before and share a lot of detrans stuff, I like your blog but I don't feel really welcome and safe with stuff like that

Hi! We're two people running this blog, and no, this is not a radfem blog, this is a wlw/female positivity blog, run by two people who fall under these two categories ourselves.

Detransitioning also isn't automatically a political statement, please do not label it as such; when we started this blog, I was still living as a transgender man whose history and present still heavily tied me to the wlw community. However, HRT was making me very sick and not actually masculinising my body, and ultimately it was both better for my physical and mental health to first go off HRT, and when living as a man didn't get any easier through that, detransition. Most detransitioned people aren't detransitioning because of an agenda, and furthermore, while plenty remain allied to the LGBT community, most are still part of it - myself, as a bisexual gender non-conforming person who has no intentions of ever entering a heterosexual relationship, for example, and a person who does not feel that I am any more cisgender now than I have ever been. Others detransition from a binary gender identity to a nonbinary one, ceasing transition but remaining somewhere inbetween socially and where they feel themselves to align internally. Many of us, like myself, still regard ourselves under the wider transgender community: for myself, because I am not and have not and will not be cisgender, even if I am socially presenting as my assigned sex. People who know me more know that my experience with gender goes much beyond simplistic labels and assigning any beyond the factual "detrans female/woman" to what all of the above means is very difficult, but it's a private matter to me, like most things concerning deeply personal aspects of my life.

As per the blogs we reblog from - to be completely honest, we don't vet them, and have no intention of doing so in the future, as upsetting as this might be to hear for people who may feel unsafe coming across posts from users they're uncomfortable with. Most of our posts come from the tags and as long as they're not inflammatory and upsetting in themselves, we have no reason to be skulking through the sources or cultivating a blocklist of blogs we overall don't agree with. So there's going to be all kinds of ideologies, bad takes, drama, horrible people behind the urls. I quite honestly wouldn't know if I reblogged a tradfem post from a deep-end Catholic, anti-gay user/source (such as a quote) if the post itself somehow innocently floated into the wlw tag and was talking about cottagecore romance or some equally benign subject. The reason for this is simply that vetting each and every blog we scroll past would make running this blog extremely draining and require such specific hard rules to be established between the two of us posting here about what is a "good" blog to be reblogging from and what is a "bad" blog - there isn't one blog out there that we both 100% agree with, or find non-controversial, and we quite simply do not have the required energy to be putting into something like that.

You, however, as someone who scrolls through our blog, are more than welcome to block and blacklist urls and blogs that you see reblogged here. You control your exposure, you control whose thoughts you feel comfortable engaging with. This is absolutely, 100% fine to be doing. You never need to agree with anything we post, or with any user or post that we reblog here. We're posting here mostly for ourselves, what we relate to, in the hopes that someone out there relates to it as well. That's... really about as deep as it goes.

In order to help curate your experience, beyond Tumblr's own blacklist and block functions, for desktop users I highly recommend installing New XKit (Chrome/Firefox) and/or Tumblr Savior (Chrome/Firefox), which will make it much more reliable to vanish users and posts from your curated feed.

Hope this clears things up!

#ask #mod sade

[todayinmagicalgirlhistory]

The Magical Girl Guide to: Selkies

So I made my kitsune guide and now I’m finally remaking one of my original posts on my old blog: my selkie guide. Whether you’re a sea witch or a practicing fae worker or even a casual folklorist, you’ve likely heard of selkies.

My hopes with this post is to give those interested in selkies a place to start their research on folklore and someone else’s UPG. So I’ll provide a mixture of the history surrounding selkies and then dive (pun intended) into my own personal experience working with selkies. As always, however, just use this post as a way to get your foot in the door, not the full extent of your research.

This is not an all-knowing expert article on selkies nor is my UPG the end all be all of knowledge on selkies, just my personal experiences.

what is a selkie?

By definition selkies (also called silkies, sylkies, selchies, or seal folk) are “ are mythological beings capable of changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin.” Their mythology itself originates from the Northern Isles of Scotland but there are equivalents in Faroese and Icelandic folklore as well. 

selkies in folklore

Selkies probably have a really well-known folklore to anyone interested in ocean-based folktales and their stories tend to follow a specific plotline. 

One day, a seal comes to comes to land and sheds it’s skin much to the surprise of a fisherman hiding near by. But the surprise to behold is the fact that the seal is a beautiful woman. Enraptured by the beauty of the seal woman, he steals her coat forcing her to stay on land, marry him, and bear his children. Years later usually because of the children or because the husband was caught slipping, the selkie gets her coat back and immediately books it to the sea and returns to her watery home.

There are several stories you can find that detail these forced spousal situations. Make no mistake, these are not consent-based relationships no matter how ‘good’ the human treats the selkie while they are together. In these stories, there are even cases where the selkie already has a selkie husband and children in the sea. She might resurface as a seal from a distance to see her human children from afar, but she never returns to the life she was forced to lead. (As a side note: half selkie children were said to have webbed hands according to the stories.)

As far as selkie men, their legends differ slightly. Their stories don’t usually include coat theft. Selkie men and stories involving them describe them as more seductive, whisking away women on land to have their children. Stories would even say that if a woman cried and seven of her tears landed in the sea, a selkie man would appear to ease her grief for seven years before returning back to the sea himself. But even stories with selkie men can end in tragedy, such as a story where a woman’s human husband killed her selkie lover and selkie child while they were in their seal forms.

However, not all stories involving selkies are cruel. There are some stories, no matter how few they are, that detail positive exchanges between selkies. One Spared to the Sea is a story about a boy who spared the life of a seal pup not knowing it was a selkie. Years later, that same pup’s mother saved his life. You can read a modern wlw retelling of said story [here].

selkies in media

In stark contrast to how many folktales one may find about selkies, I haven’t found nearly as many in pop culture.

Song of the Sea

Ondine

A Stranger Came Ashore by Mollie Hunter

Selkie (made for tv Australian movie)

UPG

If you’re new to fae work and faerie witchcraft as a whole, I find that selkies can be great for beginners. They tend to be easier to get along with and most I’ve encountered are of the ‘wild fae’ category, meaning they tend to not be involved in Court politics. (Fae Work Tip: please don’t involve yourself in the politics of faeries.)

Like in the folklore, selkies are beings that are able to transform into seals with the help of their coats. As such, the variety of seal forms a selkie can take are varied. Leopard seal selkies, spotted seal selkies, harbor seal selkies, monk seal selkies, elephant seals, and so on and so forth. 

I usually find that the type of seal they are influences what region they hail from, the culture and cuisine of a pod. This is a generalization, of course. Not every pod of, say, harbor seal selkies are 100% alike or unified in thought. One pod of harbor seal selkies can have their own traditions that another pod of harbor seal selkies have never even heard of. Personally, I work mostly with harbor seal selkies, as I’ve bonded with a pod of them a while back.

In my personal experience, you don’t need to be of Scottish, Irish, Icelandic or Faroese descent to work with selkies, nor do you need to be geographically close to these countries as selkies can be found just about anywhere. Scotland, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and I’ve personally found a pod of selkies near Puerto Vallarta. Hawaiian monk seal selkies can be found throughout the Hawaiian Islands with extensions into other areas of Polynesia. So location and ethnicity are definite non-issues when it comes to seal folk.

The passing of leadership depends on the pod. 

As to how much time they spend in their seal forms, that’s really up to the individual. Some selkies may prefer their fae form and indulging in the coat-based fashion trends of their pod (a more recently developed trend among selkies to better make their their coats look less like selkie coats). I know a selkie who spends most of their time in their seal form during the warm seasons. And there are instances of selkies who spend years in their seal form before slipping off their coat. Usually in those circumstances, they may struggle with talking and walking for a bit from what I’ve been told. Some selkies might not even live with their pod and are solo travelers or living on land in astral cities.

There are even pods that don’t even live together most of the year, opting to only have the occasional gathering for a few months at a time before setting off on their own adventures until the next designated meeting. In this case, if a selkie has a spouse and children they will travel together as a small family unit. And yet, once they’ve all gathered in one place again, it’s like the pod was never separated to begin and the atmosphere is one filled with laughter and song as they share updates about their lives and the places they might have been.

Like the mythos, selkies are connected to their coat. Every selkie is born with their coat and from that moment, they’re lives are intertwined with it. As they grow from pup to fully grown selkie, their coats grow and change with them. What happens to the selkie, happens to the coat. You could see a selkie coat with scratches on it from fights they got in their seal form plenty of times. As such, if their coat is stolen by someone they have no choice but to go with whoever took it. They can’t just go ‘oh that sucks, I guess I’ll find a new one’. They can only transform and return to the sea with their own coat.

As to what their coats look like, I find that selkie coats I’ve seen look mostly similar to the coats in these illustrations:

https://owlyjules.tumblr.com/post/188643189962/inktober-day-27-coat-one-day-your-brother-brings

https://erysium.tumblr.com/post/615764004311269376/my-selchie-comic-for-boom-sudios-storyteller

(And no, they aren’t all pure white as they are in Song of the Sea. Unless they’re a harp seal selkie pup but as they get older, the white pup fur will fade and it will look like the typical coat of a harp seal.)

So understandably, selkies can be very suspicious of new people they meet who aren’t selkies. Hearing a story about a selkie coat being sold in the black market is not a rare one and you will have to prove that you’re trustworthy. Best way to do that is slowly overtime of course. I would recommend talking to whoever is in charge of the pod and asking for a chance to prove your loyalty and wishes for friendship. Respect whatever decision and conditions they give.

Brief Run Through on Pod dynamics (remember each one is different):

Leader: some pod has one specific leader and how leadership is passed down depends on the pod. Some pods do it by challenging the current leader and the winner is the one who will lead (or continue leading) the pod. Some pods pass it down between family members and other pods will vote on who they believe will be most capable to lead them. May rely on the elders of the pod for advice but if there is no specific leader of a pod, they might just have a bunch of elders running the show.

Elders: some pods don’t have a specific leader and instead have a group of the pod’s eldest members who decide their actions. But even in the case where there are elders are consulted for their opinion on decisions and matters that will greatly affect the pod.

Scouts: the ones who patrol around their home and the waters surrounding it for prospective enemies and threats.

Hunters: kinda self explanatory. Selkies do their best not to heavily impact their ecosystems and avoid taking too much. This is especially true if they are not the only entities calling the place home, for instance if there are merfolk or sea elves and such living close by they have to make sure those around them can still eat as well.

As for children, while they are ultimately brought up by their own parents selkies tend to look after the youngest members of their pod as a community. As you might expect, they’re job is to be cute and learn from the older selkies how to swim and fend for themselves as they get older. They’re the next generation so they’re important to every pod.

But hunter and scout is just a broad overview of two common roles you’ll find in pods, there are of course selkies who do other things in their pods. Healers (I knew of a selkie interested in starting her own apothecary a long while back), sea silk weavers, teachers, pearl cultivators or even jewelers.

Befriending an entire pod can seem daunting, but take everything one day at a time and remember each pod is full of individuals. Each individual is different and so are their friendliness, so there are bound to friendlier selkies in a pod. Once you’ve befriended a selkie, or even an entire pod, then just know you’re with them for life. Selkies tend to be very family-oriented and once you’re in, you’re in. You’re part of the family, congratulations.

Disclaimer: thinking of selkies as kind and fun-loving folk who will never do you any harm is a fine way to get yourself clapped. There are selkies who don’t like humans and some of them will let that dislike be known through aggression. Every selkie is different the way every human is different and they shouldn’t all be lumped together. Some selkies and pods are really open and welcoming, others like to keep to themselves. Each decision is valid, especially when selkies themselves have suffered the short end of the stick.

suitable offerings

The disclaimer here is that these are general offerings that most selkies should like. Should you ever find yourself working frequently with a selkie or find yourself the companion of one, there could be other things that they specifically like or dislike. But you usually can’t go wrong with:

Seashells or Coral (ethnically sourced of course)

Pearls

Sea Glass

Ocean-related candles and incense

how to gain the attention of a selkie

1) old fashioned offerings

2) astral travel

3) spirit attraction spell

I’m not a promoter of conjuring or otherwise, forcefully bringing a spirit to your vicinity. Think about it like this: you’re at a wedding. You’re best friend in the entire world is getting hitched to the love of their life, and you’re among the audience. You’re welling up with emotion and pride for your friend to have made such an important milestone in their life when... Suddenly, you’re not at their wedding anymore.

No, instead you’re looking at some random stranger who summoned you to their home who say it’s because they’re interested in working with those of your kind. You wouldn’t be too happy about this, would you? 

Not only is conjuring or summoning bad for the entity, it can be bad for you if this entity isn’t easily forgiving of being torn away from their personal life to your home and you can end up paying the consequences for it. Instead, I recommend a spell that attracts entities to your home or if you’re sufficiently prepared, astral travel it up.

#magical girl guide #witchcraft #faerie witchcraft #faerie witch #fae work #spiritwork #selkies #sea witchcraft #sea witch #spirit work #spirit companion #spirit companionship #faeries #fair folk #wild fae #black witches of tumblr

[xxlovelynovaxx]

About these screenshots

1. AAC users. People who use mobility aids because their NEURODIVERGENCE causes physical issues that cause them to fall. Also as if there aren't a billion invisible physical disabilities.

2. Yes good job comparing neurodivergent people to cishets and physically disabled people to queer people. You said the quiet part out loud, you think other disabled people are your oppressors. A better example would be wlw and mlm. And just like there are multigender bi or straight gay people, there are ND physically disabled people.

Not to mention, the "you don't need to make this about you" sentiment ALWAYS gets applied to physically disabled people who find similarities between their neurodivergence and physical disabilities and talk about it on the posts that are like "NDs/able-bodieds don't clown".

Most of you think ND people are all abled or at worst have "mild difficulties" that can be written off as quirks. You ignore severely disabled ND people like me.

I blocked selfdxpositivity for this cpunk gatekeeping bullshit (this was on their post saying "it does need to be about you, we have separate needs".

There were people once again ignoring the history of the term "mental cripples" in the post. EVERYONE was ignoring people who are visibly disabled from neurodivergence.

And the post itself?

You only think they are exclusive to physically disabled people because you refuse to listen to neurodivergent people, especially people whose experience of neurodivergence is different or more disabling than yours

People are telling you they have the same experience and you're assuming it's not the same because they have a different diagnosis

I am telling you I experience identical symptoms from physical conditions and neurodivergence and you are stuffing your fingers in your ears and going "lalala I can't hear you"

Centering your struggles does not mean perpetuating erasure of other groups that have similar or the exact same struggles. It is so much more common than you will ever believe to have massive overlap between the two! It's like when I see transandrophobia deniers saying "no you didn't experience violent oppression and even if you did it wasn't aimed at you so you're not as hurt by it".

(Oh and btw one of the tags was like "this was why I left the transandrophobia community because they're all label collectors and cpunk discourse made me realize that. Uh-huh. Let me get this straight, you left the community based on fighting the oppression of a marginalized community because... they use multiple labels for the marginalized identities they have? Labels that you personally have decided they don't have a right to claim despite them being a stranger on the internet? And you don't see that you're a shit person for that?)

Anyway, if your exclusion (and yes it is exclusion, by definition. not allowing people in is exclusion. sometimes exclusion can even be good, like with fascists and bigots. that's a neutral word, the point here is that this is not a neutral case and is harmful exclusion), if it is inspiring massively ableist takes such as "you have never been called this slur" to people literally saying they have and "if you have it's so rare you still don't have the right to reclaim it" and ignoring the existence of visibly disabled ND people and anyone who is ND and isn't high-masking low support needs and comparing other disabled people to your oppressors and ignoring that neurodivergence can be physically disabling and vice versa...

Maybe, just maybe, you should do some introspection before your lateral ableism destroys any disabled unity better than the fucking CIA could do.

Anyway, I'm gonna go volunteer to fight for SSI to get raised while you're whining about the big meanie mental cripples invading your spaces and stealing your words

I've seen posts of this nature that are word for word te/rf arguments, hence the phrasing above. Seriously, do BETTER.

#unitypunk #if you disagree with me just fucking block me #this mad crip who is multiply both isn't dealing with your ableist asses #not tonight

[qqueenofhades]

hi there! ive always loved your history posts, and was wondering if you had any insights/directions you could point me in to learn more about a specific area of queer history?

im personally most well-read on the history of gay men in britain between the labouchere amendment and ww2, so a pretty specific area. i dont know very much at all about the history of queer women, though id think its harder to get primary sources for them as the legal records wouldnt exist in the same way?

anyway, my main question is actually about cross-gender solidarity. i notice that a lot of the men i read about operated in very gender segregated spaces, which was typical for the era anyway and ofc there are plenty of spaces today where gay men want to be with other gay men exclusively. i suppose im wondering if there's any way of investigating how much queer men in the past would have felt solidarity with queer women, and how to look at whether/how those sentiments changed over time?

i realise this is a bit more of a "how to do history" question than about history proper - any insight or thoughts you'd like to share about this would also be really appreciated! and in either case, hope you're having a great week xx

First, thanks! Glad to help.

Second, the difficulty of doing premodern queer history largely or exclusively from legal documents is that a) it gives us a distorted version of what degree of prejudice actually existed in society, on a practical and not just theoretical level, and b) it makes it even more difficult (if not impossible) to speculate on what people "really" felt, thought, or personally identified. (I currently have a book chapter about John/Eleanor Rykener in the peer-review process, which touches on some of this difficulty, since our only major source in that case is also a legal record.) We are very rarely granted direct access to the actual voices or perspectives of premodern queer people, and if it's filtered through a hostile framework that has an interest in minimizing that person's existence and/or social experience, it provides an even more excessively or solely negative picture than is probably at all the case.

However, I would gently challenge your idea that it's harder to get primary sources on queer women, since the assumption is that premodern queer men are only memorialized by their (presumably punitive) encounters with the legal system, and that society cared less about female homosexuality and thus did not attempt to police it in the same way. Both ideas have some degree of truth, but not entirely and certainly not categorically, and there are many ways to access premodern queer experience and memorialization. I don't know what particular time/region you're interested in, but since you said Britain, I will once more recommend checking out the website of gay British historian Rictor Norton. He has everything, and I mean everything, you could possibly want as a resource/starting point (his specialty is 18th-20th century British LGBT history):

He has a wildly extensive list of links to subject, region, and chronological-specific LGBT history:

He has an equally comprehensive list of links sorted by region, methodology, art/music history, thematic approaches, etc:

Now, obviously I haven't combed through all of these to see if there is something that specifically addresses the question of premodern mlm/wlw solidarity, but since queer spaces have often been a lot more gender-mixed than people tend to think, there are certainly more than enough resources to get you clicking and searching.

#indieninja92 #ask #history #queer history #british history

[qloof]

Idk if we can still do the 5 things ask but. 5 favorite platonic dynamics.

deity the can of worms you just reopened in my brain

platonic / non-romantic dynamics !! (not in any particular order bcus im awful at ranking)

Dynamis & King & Tithi - people whove known me for a bit probably have read some texts or threads on twitter about me rambling about them. this dynamic is the case of "there's a few frames of them together and some interactions; im gonna place them all into a pod now" and me taking the little characterization they have and stretching it so far. but idgaf !! it's my brain i get to do what i want !! i've got a sort of brother/familial dynamic with them. i remember some scenes where Tithi held onto King and adjdjdjdj it was just very adorable and it's stuck with me for a while. and we also have one of the ending scenes where Tithi is with Dynamis at Mist Mountain. Tithi is the center of this dynamic really, because King and Dynamis don't really have any direct/1-on-1 interactions in the show. i like to imagine the Tithi-Influence-Banter Dynamis and King would have; Dynamis being the more "responsible" older brother and King the more daring and reckless middle brother. Tithi takes from both of them, and Dynamis ends up scolding King when they both get into trouble. the thing i like a lot about them though too is that i get to expand on Dynamis a little more. bro has been stuck in a temple all his life and grew up having to live up to his life's purpose !! it's all over now !! let the man have fun !! heal his inner child as he King drags him to events with Tithi !! i don't think i can project my eldest sibling experience on him though. (that's for vita...sorry vita...). in canon this dynamic probably wouldn't work out the way i have it in mind because they all live in separate places, but i think even then they could have a close bond. Tithi would look up to both King and Dynamis and be happy whenever he talks to them and visits them.

Zhouxing & Bao - this one has been brewing in my brain a bit i need to talk about it more purely shitpost material (/hj). they would start off with the most one-sided beef (from Zhouxing). yeah they dont have any interactions in canon really except for that one indirect one. but again this is my brain. same guy different fonts; one gets bitches the other is bitchless; Zhouxing has to deal with another guy who basically holds the same role as him from an opposite team/group; they both lost to the same green guy Zhouxing starting the beef is sooo funny to me. obviously the two of them would be a bit hostile/suspicious of each other at first because of Beylin Temple history, but this is all after the Nemesis Crisis so there's a truce now. this new Bao guy is clearly on his level and Zhouxing needs to challenge him in everything. he has to prove that he's the superior pretty guy (by annoying the shit out of Bao). Bao doesn't catch on to what's happening for a while until Zhouxing does something crazy and Bao snaps and is like "dude what the HELL is your PROBLEM?!" (Bao is now committed to the fight). At some point after, they get along. Bao is like "dude if you just told me you wanted to fight I would've fought you." They become homies (sort of) (they still sort of hate each other) (not seriously though). this is one of those "guy who's silly and guy who's serious" kind of dynamics and that's probably why i like it a lot adjdjdjdj. Bao is more of a no-games sort of guy before the Nemesis Crisis and probably a little bit after. but those days are over !! time to put him in the middle of a found family (WHZ) and figure out how to fit in with the Rizz Blader being his rival (that he had no say in) from it.

Masamune & Lera - MLM WLW SOLIDARITYYYYY !!!! AND ALSO HOSTILITYYYYY !!!!! they're the "they didn't allow us to be friends in canon because we would be too powerful" duo. they're the meme of the lesbian flag stick figure kicking the gay flag stick figure. they will tell anyone that asks that they think the other is insufferable, but they always have a blast whenever they chat. Laz has spoken about them before and I adore them <3 I think Lera would find Masamune very annoying but also he's entertaining and he's so easily amused by everything that she can state the most random facts about anything and he'll either jaw drop in amazement or in complete utter despair. They both seem very chatty i think they could talk to each other non-stop for hours. they definitely share the beef and gossip about other people.

Tsubasa & Yu - (explodes into tears) one of the best dynamics in the entire show (and one i actually have canon to go off of !! wow !!). the way they have a rocky first start but later develop as a duo with a really close bond is so :(( tears in me eyes :(( Tsubasa and Yu not seeing eye-to-eye throughout their interactions in Fusion, but later getting along and supporting each other after the Dark Nebula falls. Yu starts to stick to Tsubasa and values him very much, and vice versa (which makes Tsubasa's conflicts in Metal Masters more heartbreaking for me </3) . They are the brothers ever <3 Tsubasa picked up a stray cat (fox, really) and he follows him around sometimes <3

Dynamis & Pluto - deity ik you don't give a fuck about them but I DO !! AND IM GOING TO BE UNWELL FOR A MOMENT !! (as you can tell i am heavily influenced by Alexis) (and also i like to grasp for straws) (i am going off by both implied/very far-reached canon and solar swap au). this will probably be the shortest explanation for those reasons. and also i cant put my thoughts into words to how these guys make me feel. i just. the. the way that those two in canon know each other and have had to known each other for years. they knew their destinies and that they inevitably would fight each other at the end of it all. they've definitely got some crazy history and it's FUCKED UP that the show didnt do anything with that (i say for the thousandth time)

these were the five i could think of at the top of my head at 11pm eecks dee

#ty for the ask deity i get to talk about zhouxing and bao #ask #mfb

[toasted-valentine]

Listening to the Ghost Story Musical demos, specifically Sheep In Wolf Country, and I’m super excited to see the exploration of themes of a white loved one fundamentally not understanding the struggles of their partner, friend, family member, etc because of their position of privilege as someone whose white.

I’m someone who comes from a town where the most exciting history we have is the fact Nazis used to flee Germany to live here and that our schools have books in them that were donated by the KKK. As you can probably guess, it is a saltine sanctuary, 80% of the population would be able to win at hide and seek by hiding in the snow.

I’m Puerto Rican, I’m on the lighter side, but I do stand out as a POC in this environment. Most of my friends are white enough that if they go outside when the weather is above 70 degrees they’ll turn to dust, and they don’t really understand what it’s like to be POC in a largely white environment. The misunderstanding of why I don’t feel safe around police and am super insistent on following the law to a T in public. If my friend gets caught stealing while I’m out with them, I’m the one whose gonna get arrested, while they’ll be let off with a warning.

The line “Joey tell me they don’t mind, but they can tell I’m not their kind” is such a good one. It’s showing that Joey doesn’t really understand why Anthony is uncomfortable, insisting that everything is okay, while Anthony can see the way people are treating him differently. Meanwhile, Hao changing his appearance to fit in better and the two smiling more to not seem like a threat is a very real experience for someone whose a POC. The wrong kind of person will look for any reason to harm someone they view as different, claiming they’re defending themself from the “dangerous” and “dirty” outsider.

I’m gonna continue to listen to the demo and see what else I can gather, but for now this is what I’ve got, and I’m very pleased with what’s there so far. I can see the other themes of fetization of transness, tenderization of trans men, finding out there were queer people before you, feeling like an outsider in your own relationship due to being poc, it’s so fucking good. Finally, some food fucking food.

Melliot Musicals always hit that adhd hyperfixation part of my brain so hard, it’s so good. I do appreciate that they let the trans characters and gay mascs be openly sexual, typically media only lets that happen with the lesbian/wlw couples due to looking through the male gaze, viewing gay mascs/men/mlm was dirty. It’s a very nice thing.

#ghost story musical #melliot #Melliot musicals

[yrbutchgf]

hi, i'm really sorry if you've answered this before, but how would you define butch? i went with the wlw-centric definition for a long time (i.e a wlw who rejects femininity, etc), but since learning that any lgbt person can be butch/femme i've been wondering how exactly to define it in my mind, to know if that's me, if that makes sense.

hi! sorry this took so long for me to get back around to, i burnt out harrrd at the end of this last semester. but i wanted to follow through on this, because i think it's an important thing to talk and think about.

being as they started as part of ballroom and bar culture, the terms butch and femme obviously have a large relational component to them -- i.e., butch/femme as a dynamic or relationship. but butch and femme obviously are also standalone identities, however intrinsically linked they are to that dynamic to begin with. talking about either the dynamic or the individual as though either understanding is the full definition of butch identity would be reductive.

butchness as identity can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. for me, butchness is part of my gender identity and the way i understand myself. it's seen me through many years and sexuality crises; whenever i was unsure of what my sexuality was, my rock in all of it was knowing deep down that i was butch. it's the link between myself, my gender, and my sexuality, the sole constant. this is why i always struggle to define what "butch" is, because butchness has meant a lot of different things to me, let alone the myriad different butch experiences that are out there. it would be like if someone asked me to define what men or women are.

for me butchness is pretty much just the way i navigate masculinity. it's an lgbt intention that i take to masculinity that makes it loose and counternormative, but somehow also classic and rooted, intrinsically linked, to the long history of other butches who have done the same. here's some answers others from the butch/femme discord i'm in gave:

lev shalem/james @ganon:

the way i've been defining it in my head in the most broad sense (like when i was discussing the meaning of my flags) is essentially "a specifically LGBT masculinity" which can manifest in a lot of ways ofc, and obvs not all lgbt people who are masc are also butch, so i'd say [...] there's the working class history that affects the energy, there's the way you feel that your identity interacts with other identities [like butch4femme and butch4butch ...] is your masculinity critical to you? does it feel like you've had to take it for yourself, or grow into it, discover it, learn to love it, learn to not care if other people love it? does it help you to feel firm and sure where without it you felt unkempt? does it make You just make more sense? that's what butch is for me.

someone also shared a quote from an interview at a Studs and Butches photoshoot:

Collier Schorr: I think there's so many butch aesthetics, just like there's so many masculine aesthetics, and I always kind of go back to gay men and the clone era, the 70s and eighties, and you know all those things construction worker, leather daddy and the preppy...

freddie @rustedsun said:

i see it as masculinity that’s subversive bc it comes from LGBT people, like how obv women are expected to be feminine but also gay + bi men are expected to be less “real men” than cishet men so it throws people off that that’s not true, and trans men aren’t “supposed” to be men at all, so to me it’s masculinity that defies the role that’s expected of u in some way. And it’s genuine self expression that brings u joy, it’s about being part of a community, it’s not just going along with a part that was assigned to u or looking down on others for expressing themselves more femininely, there’s gotta be love for other gnc people and oppressed people, and it’s not as rigid as cishet masculinity, in fact i think it often parodies and plays around with cishet ideas of what masculinity “should” be.

someone also recommended the books butch is a noun by s bear bergman and gender failure by ivan e. coyote, noting that an answer for what butchness is will always be complex.

many of the people above also expressed, alongside the personal and individual meaning butchness has to them, the fact that their butchness is defined by a sense of community. this relationship between a butch and their communities -- lgbt, gnc, trans, butch/femme -- is so intrinsic to the meaning of butchness that you can't even really talk about it without it coming up. butchness craves community and history. in a lot of ways, butchness itself is a form of community and history, one in which people defy the role they were given and discover a new way to love oneself and each other.

#asks #anonymous #butch/femme #butch tag #bi butch tag #i wish this were more eloquent i always struggle with these questions but i hope it makes sense. and thank you for waiting

[bi-sapphics]

bi women whining about lesbians having boundaries is the REASON some lesbians prefer les4les relationships smh

okay, i said i didn't wanna get into this too much, but this ask is kinda pissing me off because it's yet again dismissing us calling out the very real and harmful treatment we face as "whining." i'm going to put effort into this answer, because i haven't seen anyone talking about it outside of twitter and i'd like a post i can fall back on for reference.

ANYWAYS.

what boundaries though, anon? please do specify. because i've heard plenty of reasons for deciding to go les4les float around many times now, and they've never expanded out of the following criteria (and anything related):

Bi Women Bad™

bi women are tainted by men

(potential) attraction to men ruins a relationship where no men are involved

bisexuals cheat (yeah, still, it's a belief)

all bisexuals are polyamorous, dirty, liars, uncommitted, etc.

bisexuals inherently can't be gold stars, which, matters for some clean purity reason i guess??

bi women "don't understand" what it is to live a life solely dedicated to women and other sapphics (+ to exclude men), and/or somehow "couldn't provide" a lesbian what they're looking for in a relationship. this has NEVER been elaborated on, especially the latter idea. and theoretically speaking, lack of experience doesn’t make for worse or lesser support.

if a bisexual identifies as butch or femme, it ruins the unnecessary safety illusion that all butch/femme relationships will be les4les without fail. it's literally just the same TERF rhetoric as the safety illusion that all WLW relationships will be AFAB4AFAB. no, really, unpack that. what makes you feel safer about knowing your partner isn't transfem, or, y'know, bisexual (also one is much more conceptual than the other, which is more materialistic. so like. yeah. what's the point.)

bi women aren't apologetic to lesbians for who they are 24/7 and therefore oppress them

bi women "are homo/lesbophobic" (see: not tolerating biphobia & harassment, using butch/femme, being dykes, using the term "sapphic", using the ⚢ symbol, sharing a history with lesbians without needed permission, daring to ask for a community of solidarity with lesbians, not exclusively dating women in their own personal lifestyle choices, etc.)

the false and generalized assumption that *all* bi women are *actually* homo/lesbophobic (see: forcing lesbians to like men, claiming comphet can't be real because it makes one bisexual instead, erasing canon lesbian characters, derailing lesbian posts, being ignorant towards lesbian issues, and/or otherwise treating lesbians really shitty and not including them where they belong, etc.) ─ including this one because for some reason, it's a one-way street and the reverse is bad-faith, bigoted, and exclusionary.

ETA: bi people don't talk enough about mspec lesbians, apparently (even though they do so pretty much all the time on twitter but ok)

keep in mind that these are all things that i have ACTUALLY SEEN being used as arguments consistently over time with my own eyes, unironically. and yes, they are always about bi women. who else would it be, pan women? other mspec women? who else could be a potential romantic/sexual partner to lesbians? who else is les4les designed to be a protective shield against?

i've never seen a good faith reason that isn't either biphobic, misogynistic, a combination of both, or two-sided in a way that acknowledges bi women can't oppress lesbians, despite how much we try to add that when we agree that lesbians don't oppress bi women either. or even anything that doesn't exclude the fact that, behaviorally, we can do anything that you can too (not regarding inherent attraction).

i guess i'll address bi4bi while i'm at it. i'm not a hypocrite, i think the same thing goes for us. lesbians can't oppress us, lesbians can do whatever another bi sapphic can, yes lesbians can be biphobic but it's not a trait they all share in one big hivemind ─ and it's certainly not enough in numbers to consider a bi separatism movement for radical purity reasons (*cough* lol lmao), etc. i've seen some people say bi4bi is acceptable because mspec hatred within the queer community is so much worse than monos get within their own rightful spaces, which, i see where they're going i guess (because we do face the highest statistics from both sides), but i disagree because in the LB dynamic neither letter has more power over the other in the real world, and certainly not enough to unbalance ourselves into inconsistency like that.

the other thing i want to say is, i don't inherently have a problem with any random les4les or bi4bi relationship picked out of a hat in a lottery. i even headcanon some of my favorite ships as such sometimes. also, factually, some fictional ships and even real relationships are one of those two, or bi4les/les4bi. as i said in the tags you're responding to, anon, these types of relationships aren't inherently flawed, especially if they form by chance and not intentional setup. in fact, those like t4t, aut4aut, ace4ace / aro4aro / aro4ace*¹, blk4blk, disabled4disabled, and the like actually have a systemic and structural reason for setting their preferences. but doing this just to avoid other sapphics? the "safety" reason is absolute bullshit, and just creates a further unnecessary divide among mono and mspec sapphics that really shouldn't be created. we're not a danger to each other, we're both in danger from everyone else ─ namely, the straights™.

hell, i would even say casually looking for a partner who shares your orientation labels is totally valid, even though the preference would have no real basis or weight if it's not in bigotry. and then if you fall in love with someone and they don't meet that expectation, so what!! who cares!! it'd be a really dumb loss of opportunity to say no due to that minor and irrelevant difference despite the fact that you both seemed ready to commit to each other as partners. that, and actively excluding harmless groups of people, making it your life mission at all costs, especially for a few twitter discourse points™, is such a waste and only hurts real people's feelings, yourself included.

you're welcome to send another ask just to mock me or say i'm wasting my time proving your point by whining about “the mean angry oppressive lesbians”, or whatever i dunno. but i just want you to ask yourself what really makes these particular "boundaries" so important to you. what makes you feel threatened? we're not forcing you to go date a bi woman right the fuck now or else you're Biphobic, i'm just asking you why you would (hypothetically, of course) reject a bi woman as a potential partner at the top of your list upon finding out she's not a lesbian. i answered why this matters so much to us, but i actually do want to know, why does this matter so much to you? just wondering.

*¹aros & aces absolutely do not share the same rivalry and discourse among each other like they do with the rest of the queer community. aro4aro people have never made it a point to exclude ace people, but rather alloromantics as a whole, and vice versa. that is why they are not comparable to the sapphic side of _4_ discourse, as generally speaking, unlike aros & aces, lesbians & bisexuals treat each other far too often on a wider scale like enemies rather than sisters in sync (which is what we should be doing instead).

#chase answers #les4les #bi4bi #les4bi #bi4les #t4t #aut4aut #blk4blk #bi tag #biphobia #biphobic lesbians #lesbophobic bisexuals #homophobic bisexuals #les/bi dynamic #les/bi solidarity

[eemamminy-art]

Have you ever thought of lesbian au G'raha 😳👉👈

I have!!!!!!!!!!! :D I have drawn her a few times before:

As the exarch

And as a scion twice (both links contain other characters)

And there are some nsfw examples too but I don't want to link those on my main blog!

Also there was a passage where I referenced lesbian grahawol randomly in the middle of a lesbian moenuri fic I was writing (it was for my friend, who really likes grahawol, so it was a little easter egg haha):

She was numb when the Exarch convinced her to lie, to put the Warrior of Light in danger so that the Exarch could sacrifice herself. A noble deed, she reasoned, and she saw herself in the Exarch when she spoke of the Warrior of Light. Head tilted down, hands wringing, chewing at her lip as she talked about her. To die for her was an honor, even if the Exarch couldn’t say it plainly.

I think a lesbian AU would lend itself really well to G'raha's character!! The very humble academic who loses herself in her work and in her excitement for knowledge and history, before apologizing for being too loud or overstepping even though she was just being passionate! ;0; The burden the Exarch carries, and the desire to sacrifice herself to save the world... to rob herself of her own story and adventure to see that millions of other stories don't end prematurely. And all while still carrying that meek, humble demeanor. "Oh it's nothing" but actually it's everything, and she's just as amazing as the hero she looks up to 🥺

G'raha's story is really relatable in a lot of ways I think, and I think the quiet strength he has in the canon story slots in really well with femininity for an AU like this. And in particular the not-so-subtle (but g'raha thinks it's subtle) yearning toward the WoL is definitely a relatable trope for lesbians and wlw too. I think when looking at grahawol in a lesbian lens it relates well to that "I fell for my best friend and she has no idea" trope/experience that so many wlw go through.

Thank you for the ask!! 🥰 I was honestly drawing G'raha earlier today and thinking about him in general, so it was well timed! I really love to be able to talk about headcanons and stuff so thank you for the opportunity! 💛

#shadowbringers spoilers #lesbian au #g'raha tia #grahawol #text #replies #headcanons #I definitely wrote 'shadowbrings spoilers' the first time #slow clap #ah yes I love ffxiv expansions: heavensward.. stormblood.. and uh.. *checks notes* shadowbrings

[bonefall]

sorry I;m new and it's a lot to catch up on but can you briefly explain your better call mapleshade au?

Sure thing! As long as you don't mind that I'm gonna hijack your ask to answer a few other meta things at the same time! @katiek101 Rounding up your replies over here.

Btw never be afraid to just ask me questions about stuff, I need to update my Masterpost because I haven't added to it in a couple weeks but I'm always willing to just link people to stuff when asked!

What is the Better Call Mapleshade AU?

I summarized it in this reblog, which also contains @nightly-ruse design for BCM Mapleshade!

"Mapleshade is able to get into StarClan through a very slim ruling out of sympathy for the loss of her kits. She’s a prosecutor/defense attorney motivated by her own desire to be highly revered, playing as a literal “devil’s advocate“ against the awful choices we see StarClan make in canon.

In contrast to StarClan being the ‘council of well-meaning angels‘ who cause bad outcomes, Mapleshade is a self-concerned demon who makes good ones. Because of that, she looks somewhat out of place. An opposer for StarClan, a devil for a good cause.

The AU was born out of some joking with “Snowbird Anon” (hence the name #Better Call Mapleshade AU) and then evolved into an actual premise because my followers are literally the coolest"

It is separate from the #Bonefall Rewrite, but was inspired by aspects of it, namely a trial scene that is going to happen in Darkstar's Commandment.

though to be fair, I am considering just absorbing it into the rewrite. but for now they are still two separate, but related concepts

Do you plan to write/publish any aspects of the Bonefall Rewrite? Where would it be posted if so?

I WISH. Unfortunately I'm chronically unable to finish anything and only motivated by talking directly to people (I actually write first drafts of college essays in discord DMs). In a perfect world I would love to make full multi-chapter fics of the Super Edition rewrites such as Darkstar's Commandment and Firestar's Quietus, though.

Maybe one day, if I can speak to a psychiatrist! **laughs in undiagnosed neurodivergence**.

SO for now, everything is notes! Notes notes notes and rough drafts. The things I AM able to finish. If I ever wrote out anything, I would upload it to AO3. I promise I would make a post if that ever happens.

THE CURRENT NOTES I'M EDITING: Darkstar's Commandment, a follow-up story to Mapleshade's Vengeance, following Darkstar as she establishes the law about protecting kittens.

Blackstar, Russetfur, Rowanclaw

I powered through all of the "History Has Its Eyes On You" series in like 3 days between bus rides! I really like the take on them being a complicated couple (I keep thinking of that line, "their nests were as close as could be without being close at all") and my favorite story was the one where Russetfur went to bury Smokepaw.

Things are really different in my take, though! I see Blackstar as exclusively MLM and Russetfur is his WLW bestie. If Russet has children, they'll be honor dammed and raised by someone else.

I think you will quite like what I'm planning for Russetfur's death. It's a moment of deep pain for Blackstar that makes him relapse into some old, bad habits, leaving him wide open for Sol's influence.

Blackstar's sister Fernshade is going to have surviving children with Wolfstep (Ivytail is one of them, who eventually has Gullswoop), and I'm considering giving Flintfang a kitten or two as well. So there won't be a need for Blackstar to have kids anyway, besides, I like the idea that he's sort of Ivytail's embarrassing uncle, in a ShadowClan way where he's super intimidating to other clans.

And so Rowanclaw won't be part of that family... he is a son of Brokenstar. Same litter as Littlecloud, from Newtspeck. He will be bonding heavily with Tawnypelt over a shared experience of inheriting something VERY heavy.

Firestar's Quest with Brokenstar Details

The good deets are in this ask over here, but I really need to sit down and make a draft of it sometime soon. I'm held up on Darkstar's Commandment first, lmao

In a nutshell, Brokenstar was actually a nature spirit the whole time, the ghost of the 5th tree at Fourtrees. After the exile, the oak tree was blighted, fell over, and cracked on the highstone. It broke in the shape of Broken's tail; an omen of the curse that would befall them, revenge for the greatest sin of the clans.

This is (Brokenstar's Cataclysm)

After his death, he reconnects to these memories. In order for his restless spirit to finally be given peace, SkyClan must be resurrected. Runningnose enlists Firestar to help because he's such a little goody-goody two shoes and could never let an ancient wrong go unrighted. Hilarity ensues.

This is (Firestar's Quietus)

#Firestar's Quietus #Brokenstar's Cataclysm #Bonefall Rewrite #Blackfoot #Blackstar #Russetfur #Flintfang #Brokenstar #Firestar #Ivytail #Rowanclaw #Rowanstar #Littlecloud #Newtspeck #Better Call Mapleshade AU #Also I mean it! Feel free to ask me anything #I would like to consider myself an approachable person #I keep anon on (for now) exactly so people can ask questions they might find 'embarrassing' without fear #I don't mind linking to other posts or summarizing premises #Mapleshade