Tumgik
#imagine trying to teach people to consider sex and gender from WITHIN THE BINARY
metamercury · 2 months
Text
I have a problem, and the problem is the false binary
7 notes · View notes
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Biweekly Media Roundup
- The School for Good and Evil (Movie) - So I heard some of the buzz around this movie and despite having never read the books and hearing mostly mid reviews, I thought the look of the film (and the promise of girls kissing) was nice enough to give it a try. While it’s not something I would really recommend I can’t say I disliked it, though I’m not in any hurry to watch it again. For the good points it does look very pretty, the actor choices, set design, costuming and effects were all shockingly great for the kind of movie this is, and while I thought the execution was messy I appreciated that they did in fact go into the fucked up implications of trying to classify morality as black and white. The relationship between the protagonists was also pretty good, I did genuinely feel like they cared about each other. On the Bad side though, the setup itself was not great, with the concept of a Good and Evil schools being pretty juvenile to start with and frustrating in execution. I imagine they are more complex in the novel but for the movie there were a lot of underdeveloped secondary characters who were given too basic/mean dialogue to sympathies with. I feel like with such an absurd concept they either needed to make the schools themselves come off as a bit more nuanced or needed to go for an overall more comedic tone as it was difficult to take the plot seriously. I also did not appreciate that when they started making one of the protagonists “ugly” they did so by giving her a larger nose like come on guys really. Still, If they make a sequel I’ll probably watch it if for nothing else than to see more of Charlize Theron in a suit.
- Hamilton (Musical) - Watching through animatics, what can I say the songs are still bangers even if I’m burnt  out on everything else surrounding the musical.
- Good Omens (TV) - Figured my sister would like this after Sandman so did a rewatch. My opinion didn’t change much from the first time, I like Sheen’s and Tennat’s performances a lot, The aesthetic of Heaven and Hell being the same office building but separated into the crowded musky basement and empty soulless top offices is great, and the cold open 3rd episode is an excellent show original edition, but on the other hand most of the secondary characters are pretty uninteresting, some of the subplots feel like a waste of time, and the TV format cuts out a lot of the comedy and philosophizing I liked from the novel. Still I would overall say I’m a fan and will give season 2 a chance.
- Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun (Anime) - I’ve heard people say this is their favorite arc, and while I’m definitely still a fan of the show I’m not seeing it yet. I do appreciate the diverse group ups of the cast and getting to see new interactions, as well as the differing teaching methods and overall comedy of the show, but I’m a bit frustrated that at least within the class itself the girls al have passive/sex-appeal related tactics while the boys get to use cool abilities and strategies. It’s strange because that didn’t really seem like an issue before, what with Ameri being one of the physically strongest of the students, gender roles being subverted pretty often, and the casual inclusion of LGBTQ+ and Non-binary characters, but this arc has just been dropping the ball a bit there, especially when considering the extra screen time given to the horrendous Mineta-esque Owl character. I don’t know, it’s not as if I’m against having a character that uses their charisma/attractiveness to manipulate people, but A) That shouldn’t be ALL the girls, they should get as diverse talents as the boys, and B) You literally have a character name ASMODEUS who is literally a demon from the family representing lust-You’re really not gonna choose that guy for this ability?? I realize it wouldn’t match his “Gay as hell for the protagonist and aggressively uninterested in anyone else especially women” personality but if anything that would make it more interesting, we’d get to see him struggling with something for once and getting to use his intelligence in a different way. 
- Mob Psycho 100 (Anime) - Yup.
- Spy X Family (Anime) - Glad to get so much Anya school content, I find it oddly charming and enjoy it as much as the spy/assassins stuff. 
- Witch Hat Atelier (Manga) - New book on it’s way, the character designs and art of the manga take my breath away, they are so pretty.
- Breath of the Wild (Video Game) - Still working as great stress relief, the vibes of this game are immaculate.
- Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Webnovel) - I’m getting through this very slowly but in my defense I got a lot going on right now, I am enjoying it.
I’m also keeping up with Lower Decks, Ace Attorney, Jojo’s, Last Week Tonight, Made in Abyss, Chainsaw Man, Golden Kamuy, and Monster High.
Listening to: Anti-Hero and Happiness by Taylor Swift, Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan, Lent by Autoheart, Holy Water by Michael Ray, Chocolate by The 1975, Curses by The Crane Wives, Brutal by Olivia Rodrigo, Encanto OST, Ultraluminary by Caleb Hyles, Hello My Old Heart by The Oh Hellos.
1 note · View note
pasta-abomination · 4 years
Text
FemslashEx 2020 Dear Creator letter
Dear Creator,
Thank you for bringing more femslash into the world! And thank you especially for making femslash for me, too. Gonna jump to the prompts under the cut:
General Housekeeping
Canon pronouns and gender identities:
Bending canon pronouns or identities is delightful, but completely optional.
DNWs: Explicit works where the characters are underage, ship or character bashing, kinks involving bodily fluids/excretions, stories focused on marriage (characters being married is fine, and I do like "woke up married" stories or fake or arranged marriage stories, but not stories where The Marriage Is The Point) or kidfic.
Re: g!p: Like I said, I love genderbending, and that does mean I'm theoretically okay with a lot of things--aliens, robots, magic, ABO, etc., in addition to things like gender play during sex, toys, intentionally fucking with gendered cues, clothing, etc. I'm also really a fan of stories that can respectfully include nuances of marginalized identities & experiences.
So if you want to engage with real identities in your fic, please do--I love exploring different potential "versions" of characters, and thinking about how a character's canon or canon-adjacent characterization might fit with the experiences of multiple different identities. I love stories that celebrate bodies and experiences that are considered non-normative.
My only caveat is that, if you're going to give a character a dick only so they can fuck someone with it, or if the fact that the character has a dick is the kink (i.e. if the character having a dick & using it in particular ways is the thing you’re really interested in writing), please have it be the result of something like magic, or shapeshifting, or even technology (aliens and robots!) instead of including it under the banner of trans or intersex identity.
tl;dr: Wanna write about trans or intersex versions of a character, including depictions of people with penises using those for sex? I would love that. Wanna write about Adora boning down with a flesh-and-blood dick because you think She-Ra has BDE? Have it be a magical transformation of some kind.
General Likes
Hurt/Comfort - Tending wounds! Bedside vigils! Nightmares! Reassurance! Touch-starved characters! Shared grief! Oh my!
Casefic/Mission fic - Mostly exactly what it says on the tin
Worldbuilding - Similar to genfic, but I just *clenches fist* Worldbuilding. Religion, magic, geography, history--especially if it adds something to our understanding of the characters and the experience of the bigger story.
Genderbending & Subcultural Identities - I really like exploring how a character might fit/not fit/understand themselves within IRL identity frameworks, or even thinking about how existing identity frameworks in the canon universe might influence how the character sees themself. This might be worldbuilding-heavy (I'd be super fascinated by the nuts and bolts of gender fluidity and transition with the kind of magic that Etheria has) or just a, "I feel like these two characters have a butch/femme dynamic and I'm going to play that up" or literally writing about a character trying out a haircut and a more non-binary way of being in the world and... enjoying it?
That also shows up in my ABO. I really like ABO that focuses on the subcultures that might  exist in that kind of world.
Altered states: Drunk, high, or otherwise intoxicated characters. Magic influencing peoples' emotional and mental state. Sleep deprivation, adrenaline, near-death experiences.
Thoughtful smut - You know that galaxy brain meme that went around where the highest level was "porn with math"? Yeah, that's me.
Poly - I only selected one triad for this (Dani/Sarah/Grace under Terminator) but I do really like poly relationships, and I’m generally okay with F/F/M as well, although I’d really prefer that the focus be on the women in the relationship. My only ask is that Catra (and Adora, for that matter) not be added to She-Ra pairings unless specifically requested or noted--I like them both a lot, I’ve requested them both together and separately, but I’d also like the spirit and the dynamics of the Adora- and Catra-related pairings I’ve requested for that fandom to be honored, and that rarepair requests not get rolled into & subsumed by the juggernaut pairing. (And, “requesting” can be either in the ~official request~ or in the prompts).
Following on that, though, I am a huge fan of complicated emotional dynamics. Liking two people at the same time but in different ways and for different things? Fan. Fucking someone and thinking of someone else? Awesome. Meaningful and unique present-day emotional relationship that doesn’t replace or assuage the pain of a past relationship and the longing for that person? Heaven. Complicated emotional dynamics are my Jam. As long as neither relationship is denigrated and the pairing requested is the focus of the fic.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Prompt Set 1: Adora/Glimmer, Perfuma/Adora, Adora/Mermista, Adora/Huntara, Huntara/Perfuma
My rarepairs!
These are the ships I ship because of canon moments, but are super rare in the fandom Because Reasons. And I like just about every ship in the fandom, but wanted to make sure these in particular got some love because they're fun, and I'm going to tell you why I like them, and some favorite tropes or prompts I have with them.
Adora/Glimmer- in PARTICULAR because of:
In 1x04 when Adora sneaks into Glimmer's room to sleep on the end of her bed. 
Bed-sharing is a GREAT trope with these two, whether accidentally, purposefully, or "oh no there's only one bed".
In "The Shadows of Mystacor" where Glimmer straight-up falls asleep on Adora in little spoon position in the hot springs
The day of Glimmer's coronation where Adora confesses that Angella told her to "take care" of Glimmer (even though she told them to "take care of each other", which is also super fucking shippy for me) and then resolves that she's going to do that
In "Mer-mysteries", their argument sounds like a subtextual break-up, and I love that
The scene in "Beast Island" where Adora almost gives up and then remembers Angella's last words to her and remembers *Glimmer* and even if I'm not feeling very shippy it still just hits me right in the feels
The implication in "System Failure" (the s1 episode where Entrapta is introduced) that Adora smashes rocks for Glimmer's enjoyment. Just. Y'know. Glimmer getting her buff gf to move things around for her. Carry things. Like boulders. Especially when she lifts things over her head--
Perfuma/Adora - Gosh, I'm just super Here For how Perfuma looks at She-Ra. I'm also here for: 
Perfuma and Adora getting high together and having adventures and making out a little and being happy and cozy together
I appreciate that Adora doesn't just immediately lose the femmephobia she was raised with in the Horde on joining the Rebellion (I think that would probably be more of a Process(TM) than they had time for onscreen) and so generally Adora being uncomfortable and kind of a jock but then getting shown up/put in her place. Obviously by the time Adora tells Huntara that Perfuma "is a demon in battle", she's wised up, but that's three whole seasons of material to work with :P
Anything with Perfuma trying to teach Adora how to relax/meditate (depending on your ADHD feels you can make that explicitly ADHD Adora--active meditation is a thing!)
Perfuma being Very Into her buff girlfriend and Adora being kind of a himbo
Adora/Mermista - I LOVE the energy with these two. Mermista especially feels like she's confident in her powers in a way that even Glimmer and Adora aren't--even though Adora and Glimmer are more experienced commanders/combatants. I feel like Mermista would enjoy Adora's cockier side that comes out when she's She-Ra.
Adora/Huntara - Adora's instant crush on Huntara when they meet in the Crimson Waste is one of the most memorable moments of the show for me, and this show has been very memorable, okay
Adorable butch4butch vibe
Competitive jocks competing jockily
Huntara feels very penitent by the end of the episode where they meet, I would love some penitent Huntara
I'm not sure what her fascination with She-Ra was, but in my head, it's not just about the haunted crashed spaceship, it's about something she knows about She-Ra from her time in the Wastes, and she holds some kind of reverence for her. Being a warrior woman and all
Would also like sad/thoughtful/wistful/quiet/aching moments with these two after the war where they're trying to adjust to like... living at peace. Or how they *can't* adjust to living at peace. And their shared or distinct experiences with the Horde.
For some reason, I really like the idea of Perfuma getting *both* Adora and Huntara high somehow and the three of them having a lot of fun but wow Adora and Huntara's stoned personalities. Just imagine the possibilities.
Huntara/Perfuma - OKAY. I *really* loved their dynamic in "Valley of the Lost". Just. *REALLY* loved it. The vast difference in perspectives, the suggestion that Perfuma liked Huntara but thought Huntara was prickly and didn't like her back, Huntara wondering if Perfuma can handle herself and then Perfuma showing literally *everybody* up.
Perfuma calling Huntara her "desert rose" is um. Fantastic.
I don't know if I see these two *dating* exactly, but I really just need the two of them to have Supremely Gay and Supremely Butch/Femme moments
I just have this feeling that Huntara could be Incredibly Smooth and sweep Perfuma off her feet for like. A mission. A ball, like Princess Prom. A dance. A party. A shindig. A ritual. What Have You. 
(And I think being able to sweep Perfuma off her feet would go a long way towards making Huntara feel... more like herself, after uprooting her life and going back to the war and apparently getting chipped by Horde Prime. She is butch, she is rough, she is smart and competent and god knows she's tough, and in the Waste, she was on top, she was *the* top of the food chain. And here... maybe, sometimes, she feels inadequate. Here, she's just cannon fodder again. In the desert, she *knew* things that set her apart. Here, she's just... mildly informed.)
Prompt Set 2: Madame Razz/Mara, Mara/Light Hope, She-Ra Entity/Mara, Entrapta/Darla
I was going to call these my "Worldbuilding Set" of prompts, but then I realized that this could much more honestly be called "Weird--But Sweet--Xeno Prompts”. 
Madame Razz/Mara - I was inspired in part by Noelle's remark that there's a note in the show bible that Madame Razz has dated "like, everyone in Etheria" because she's dislodged from linear time and has been around forever besides that.
Then I rewatched S1 and there was that scene where Razz tells Adora her and Mara used to go stargazing at the Crystal Castle. And there *was* the way she referred to Mara as "my Mara". And then I was sold.
I don't mean anything weird or kinky by it (which, no judgement if you do), just... idk, in my head, it's a very May/December dynamic, or, heh, maybe Mayfly-December dynamic, depending on how Razz does with linear time. And it sounds like on some level, Mara was kind of an apprentice to her? And, Mara is both very strong and competent and also just seems like this really gentle person? She seems very much like Steve Rogers lol.
Like there is a real potential for worldbuilding in here, too. But a lot of this dynamic is just very... peaceful and domestic.
Mara/Light Hope - GOD THESE TWO CAUSE ME PAIN. I love them. I love the tragedy of them. I love Light Hope's wobbly steps towards self-awareness and self-will. I love the hope of that journey. I love Mara's deepening connection with Etheria. I love the wonder of it. I love how she takes up the mantle of She-Ra in earnest.
And I love how inevitably the end comes up on them. How they're caught in events outside their control. I love how bravely they fight, and how brilliantly--and how it's not enough. I love how *powerful* they are, both of them, in their own specific ways, but they were maneuvered into this position by people who ensured they could keep the upper hand.
And I love how their love is still so strong that a thousand years later, it keeps Adora safe and proves to be their superiors' ultimate undoing. Catradora may have saved the universe in S5, but Marahope did it first.
Some prompts:
Any worldbuilding you want to do around the First Ones, the First Ones’ tech, the Heart of Etheria Project, Grayskull Squadron (ahaha that’s a Rogue Squadron/Rogue One reference isn’t it), She-Ra, the magic of Etheria, other runestones that were active in Mara’s time but are defunct by Adora’s, worldbuilding about the various kingdoms and Princesses, Mara learning from Light Hope, Light Hope learning from Mara... all of it
Light Hope falling in love with Mara--I just want to see how, and why, and what it was like for her, and what Mara did that set her apart from Light Hope’s other charges (if you think that there were others before Mara, which is kind of my base assumption but I’m absolutely willing to read another take), and just *gay noises*
Light Hope mentioned that there were “many” She-Ra/s before Mara, and while she did lie about a lot of things, a lot of her lies were lies of omission or shading of the truth, not just outright false--Mara did the damage to Etheria that she did, but LH lied about why, for instance. Or with the Portal Adora was brought through, Light Hope simply failed to mention that she was the one who brought Adora through it, and allowed Adora to continue in her assumption that Hordak was both the person who opened the portal and the one who brought her through. So, I’d be curious about Light Hope’s feelings for her other charges--was she serially and hopelessly into these magical warriors? Or was there something different about Mara?
Light Hope’s journey to self-will is TRAGIC and beautiful and I love it. And it sounds very much like something that happened over the course of different relationships with multiple people. And I want to hear about all of it and why it culminated when and how it did.
Light Hope training Mara
Mara being adorable?? Help???
Light Hope helping Mara get adjusted to her new role after she’s selected to be She-Ra
Light Hope adjusting to Mara after Mara is selected to be She-Ra
Mara experiencing Etheria’s magic
Light Hope being snarky at Mara while Mara sleeps with the Princesses has Normal Organic Relations with people and the two of them are pining for each other but neither of them really knows it consciously (after all, how would you date an AI? Would AIs date? There’s no social precedent for this. Is there?)
I would actually really like to see something with Mara and Light Hope doing what they came to Etheria to do and studying the planet’s magic, too
Magic and technology and xeno elements--Magical transformations, dreams, visions, new powers, coping with new powers, aliens!, virtual reality, telepathic/mental connections, uses of magic and tech for sex, etc.
Entrapta/Darla - I just love how horny on main Entrapta is for technology, and I love the observation that someone on the creative team shared that Entrapta sees tech as a living creature, and sees the “humanity” in it. I am open to anything here. Go wild.
She-Ra Entity/Mara - This is super niche and very worldbuilding-heavy, potentially, but I really love the idea of there being a relationship of sorts between not just Mara and She-Ra, but the She-Ra line and the She-Ra entity, going back to whenever the First Ones bound her to the Sword, and maybe even further back.
Queer spiritual & religious metaphors? In my fanfic? It's more likely than you think.
Prompt Set 3: Double Trouble/Catra, Castaspella/Shadow Weaver, Glimmer/Shadow Weaver, Catra/Glimmer
My trash children prompts! And by "trash children", I mean everything from "my genderpunk trash children" to "these two need a whole buddy comedy except they spend 95% of the film loathing each others' guts" to "holy wow student-teacher power imbalance".
Castaspella/Shadow Weaver - If you were wondering which pairing I thought "needs a whole buddy comedy", this is that pairing. Just like, a buddy comedy, but in a romantic way. They feel like they’d be great fodder for crackfic, because once you get Really Into the weeds of magic usage and these old family-related hatreds it gets either very technical and serious or just very ridiculous and honestly I like both options.
I have this very weird, very specific AU idea where the two of them have to go undercover as a married couple while simultaneously *loathing* each other and of course they bang it out eventually
I'm also a fan of whatever it is you think about them. I just about guarantee it.
Glimmer/Shadow Weaver - In my head, a lot of this is going to be after Glimmer’s coronation. 
Their dynamic definitely has shades of “Glimmer is hurting and overwhelmed and will respond extremely well to a vaguely maternal figure no matter how vague or inappropriate”
There is always the lure of forbidden knowledge and Glimmer being high on the sense of competency and power and general ability to do things, which she probably feels she’s been denied all her life--and that have only been given to her at a huge personal cost. Glimmer might be mad at the world, mad at herself, mad at her mother. 
I looooooooooooooove a good moral corruption story. I love how Glimmer seems like she’d be drawn to Shadow Weaver’s ruthlessness, especially after her interactions with Catra and how Catra tricked them constantly and weaponized their good natures and intentions against them
I've seen people point out that this seems like an appropriate pairing for tentacles and I have to say I agree.
Double Trouble/Catra - I don't know *why* I found it so endearing when Double Trouble would show the slightest basic kindness to Catra and Catra would just... melt? I mean, fine, they were getting paid to care, and DT was probably really interested in the drama too. 
But then, you have the two of them egging each other on at being terrible, too. Being devious and misbehaved. I just need the two of them being my trash children. My gender-nonconforming queer punk trash children. Who make out sometimes, or have this... tension between them. Who might turn on each other sometimes, but god help you if you come after either one.
Catra/Glimmer - Idk, I especially enjoy them after seeing their dynamic in S5. I would love to see more of them doing... whatever, basically. I love how alike they are, and the ways they're different. And I love how Glimmer warms to Catra.
Catra annoying Glimmer. Because she is a cat.
Glimmer *getting* Catra, because they are a *lot* alike in some ways.
... And also any kind of "the aliens made them do it" smut fic you want to write about while they're out in space
Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Korra/Raava, Korra/Kuvira, Asami Sato/Lin Beifong, Korra/Lin Beifong, Kuvira/Opal
Korra/Raava - Kind of like with the She-Ra/Mara pairing under SPOP, I like there being an actual "relationship" between the mystical entity and the human connected to that entity. I'm not really looking for smut here, unless you're really feeling it, but any take on that is welcome.
Korra/Kuvira - This is, like, the opposite of Korra/Raava. Lol. All my rough pairing things apply:
Physical roughness. Can include rough sex, adrenaline/post-fight sex, sparring, or just actual fighting. Two women with dirt and blood streaking their skin snarling and circling each other? Perfect. Women who are scraped and sweaty and 
Mystical elements - Reversal lol, but I do like mystical healing, telepathic or empathic connections
Redemption arc stuff for Kuvira, bc obvs.
Neither of them seem particularly prone to indulging in substances, but if they did, or if there was an AU, I do also love it when two warrior types get intoxicated together somehow
Asami Sato/Lin Beifong - Idk, I feel like Asami has probably gotten in trouble before, right? And I don’t see Lin being very moved by flirting, but I could totally see Asami making a pass at her and it backfiring lol--maybe even before she met the Avatar. 
And then after that, Asami worked alongside Lin when she started working with the Avatar. And then she's worked with Lin in a non-bending professional capacity for a while too, post-s3. Idk. Maybe they have pre-Avatar interactions, or interactions that don’t revolve around the plot of Avatar, and there’s some kind of romantic or sexual Thing between them? 
Korra/Lin Beifong - I have a few dynamics I like with these two:
Grumpy/sunshine pairing
The sunshine one is superpowered
Sparring with a D/S flavor
A lot of the “rough pairing” notes I made for Korra/Kuvira apply here, too, except there’s not so much of a rivalmancy going on 
Under the Muppet Theory of Relationships, I’d probably place Lin on the Order Muppet side and Korra on the Chaos Muppet side. 
Kuvira/Opal - Mostly thinking post-rehabilitation for Kuvira. The two of them find each other again and a lot has changed. 
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Katara/Azula, Toph Beifong/Katara
Katara/Azula - If you like me are into this ship--thank god I���m not the only one. I don’t know why I like the idea of the dynamic between them so much--Azula’s conviction of her right to rule, her redemption arc that never materialized, Katara’s involvement with the Avatar, the opposing natures of their powers, Katara’s mastery vs. Azula’s. It’s just *clenches fist* phenomenal fodder for enemies-to-lovers, the trauma they both carry, the different monsters they have inside them.
Toph Beifong/Katara - These two were super fucking adorable and had the best tomboy/femme vibe and I would like to see more of that dynamic at literally any point throughout their lives. Alternately, I am up for any ideas you have about them.
Terminator (Movies)
Grace Harper/Dani Ramos - THE LOYALTY. THE TRAGEDY. THE KNEELING.
Grace Harper/Sarah Connor - I am game for anything: Grace lives, Grace dies, Grace rises from the dead a vampire (j/k. Unless you’re into that idea). Unlike the other two pairings here, I really like the roughness and snark between them, the fact that they don’t entirely get along even when they’re nominally getting along. They feel like they’re constantly competing, and I would love for that competition to either extend to the bedroom or for them to work their differences out through banging or for meditation on how Grace reminds Sarah of Kyle or--
Dani Ramos/Sarah Connor - I wonder sometimes if Sarah calms down once Grace is gone, mostly because they’re no longer in immediate danger, but also because Grace seems to really chafe for Sarah more than Dani. Sarah seems almost soft in her regard for Dani, and I love that and I love how it comes from this sympathy she feels for Dani’s position. It feels really rare for her, and I love the juxtaposition of her roughness, grief, and caring.
For these two, I’d be really curious about anything that happens post-Dark Fate.
Dani Ramos/Sarah Connor/Grace Harper - I like all three of the above pairings, so why not put all three of them together? I think it’d be fun. Especially if the three of them are on the road together after the events of Dark Fate in an AU where Grace lives. Road trips, cyborgs, time travel, and gay sex.
Grace Harper/OFC, Dani Ramos/OFC - I know a lot of people really like the idea of Grace only ever having been with or interested in Dani, or vice versa, but I kind of feel like having more experience would make them better lovers when they’re with each other. Things I like a lot with this:
Grace blowing off steam with another Augment
Grace having drunk/high sex with another Augment
Dani occasionally sleeping with Augments when she doesn’t have Grace and really needs the comfort
The two of them fucking other people and thinking about each other
The two of them fucking and thinking about the other version of their partner
Worldbuilding for Dani’s post-Judgement Day world through the lens of femslash
0 notes
ailuronymy · 7 years
Note
If cats in a Warriors universe have a concept of gender, do you think they would also have concepts of masculinity and femininity? Like, do you think there would be such a thing as tomboy she-cats or effeminate toms, or cats who just want to be seen as more feminine/masculine?
I’ve talked a lot about gender stuff in the past, and I’ve more or less exhausted the topic as far as it’s relevant to this blog. I don’t have anything else to say about it, I’m pretty sure. But you’re asking a tricky question and I don’t want to just give you a non-answer, so. I’ll try to give you some kind of answer.
The short answer is: no, not really. Femininity and masculinity don’t make much sense in a Warriors context.
The long answer is: there’s more ways to conceptualise gender than “feminine” and “masculine.” That’s the popular Western binary, but it’s certainly not the only way to think about gender and categorise it. Also, it’s extremely arbitrary (and, frankly, bullshit) too.Even in a society where gender is a thing, and gender is important, you don’t have to write what you know--especially when what's familiar to you is inappropriate for the setting you’re creating.
Consider this: what is masculine? What is feminine? Feminine is probably going to conjure ideas of “nurturing, caring, soft, gentle, passive,” and masculine is likely to make you think of “tough, aggressive, dominant, certain, brave.” But we all know that none of those traits are inherently found in one gender and not the other. There are brave and caring men. There are tough, certain, and nurturing women. There are people of all kinds of genders with all kinds of traits. That’s what people mean when they say that the gender binary is nonsense: people (individually and collectively) aren’t binary and shouldn’t be forced into arbitrarily chosen behaviours and stereotypes, and limiting assigned roles, for the sake of continuing something that isn’t even real. If the gender binary was real, it wouldn’t need enforcing. People wouldn’t need to be trained and conditioned into it, from the moment they’re born and throughout their whole life. 
I’m bringing this up, because it seems you’ve assumed that if gender exists in a clan, it must exist in this binary form, with masculine and feminine characteristics, roles, personality types, so on. But why would a clan form those ideas in the first place? For example, in clans, female cats fight and have always fought and been valued clan member and, in reality, female cats will fight very, very ferociously if their kittens are threatened. If you’re using a traditional concept of “masculine”/”feminine” binary, then that means literally all mother cats are “masculine”--but “having babies” and “caring for babies” are considered very feminine characteristics. So which is it? If they’re both, doesn’t that mean they’re truly neither because it’s a binary? Doesn’t that mean that these words are, essentially, completely useless? In this context, I would say yes. 
What would make a molly a “tomboy” in a clan? Consider this seriously. What would she have to act like in order to be considered that way by other clan-mates? What would make her “different from other girls”? And why would those “other girls” behave in such an expected, seemingly unified way that this cat’s behaviour stands out? Some cats might be braver, more dominant, more confident, more aggressive than others, and some of those cats are going to be female. But why would that be marked as gender non-conforming? Wouldn’t that be just how some cats are? Just like how some cats are patient, and some cats are kind, and some cats are good leaders, gender not considered as a factor. 
I’m not saying that rowdy mollies and gentle, social toms can’t exist in a clan, because they definitely would! What I’m saying is that there’s no reason why would they be labeled as gender-nonconforming within the clan system for being themselves, because they live in a society where basically everyone fights and teaches young cats and cares for one another. Their roles aren’t assigned according to sex. Their behaviours aren’t policed in regard to gender expectations. 
If you look at the clan system, the closest thing they have to gender roles are actually the clan roles: apprentice, warrior, deputy, medicine cat, leader, elder. Each of these categories comes with expectations of behaviour, with social pressures, with varying status. If you wanted to start thinking about alternative ways to imagine and explore gender within clans and the like, I honestly think that there would be the best place to start. I hope this answers your question somewhat! 
12 notes · View notes