#yes family can grow to accept and support a trans family member...

[uncanny-tranny]

hey, i know you get a lot of asks but i wondered if hou had any like, light you coukd shine on a situation im going through:

im trans. a genderfuck, a transsexual, blah ect. one of my sister's is trans too and she came out to my parents a bit back. i havent reallg come out. like, my mom knows im trans too but i never talk to her about it and she never asks. im not doing well for a lot of reasons but one of them is that i feel like ill be stuck living with my parents forever as a disabled kid and also my older brother is a transphobic ass and he's allowed to say whatever the fuck he wants. my mom will even agree with him sometimes even tho she claims thats just becaus she feeks she has to support him too, even if she thinks hes going down the wrong path.

to make a long story shorter, my older sister thinks i should be direct with my mom, tell her im trans, let her ask questions and shit, because my sister believes my mom woukd love to support me and im being an idiot for defining my relationshio with my mom around my brother.

but its not just that. like my ass of a brother is part of the issue but also my mom has said transphobic shit to me for ye ars way before she knew i was trans and its?? just. when my sister came out she told me how she wished my sister had waited longer and how it was so exhausting figuring things out and hos she wished my sister wasnts trans because things were going to be si hard and i LOVE being trans and i dont want to feel like my gender is just another burden on my plate. like my mom treats me more like im her therapist than her child half the time and i CANT do it. i dont want to talk to jer about my transness, i dont want to "officially" come out even if i am doing shitt on my own. its better than i was constantly around her. i dunno. am i being an ass??? or like overreacting? shoukd i just suck it up and talk with my mom?

You absolutely don't have to talk to her about this, and it's really concerning how you're being treated. I'm really truly sorry, it's fucking tough. Ultimately, it does make sense why you wouldn't talk to her about this, and I don't think it's an overreaction to see that your brother's behaviour is tolerated, I can see how you'd play it safe and assume that that tolerance is a reflection on how your mother feels.

However, please take care of yourself. You don't owe it to your family to bear your heart and soul if you aren't ready, but you owe it to yourself to do what it takes to be able to get through this. It's hard, and I hope nobody downplays how difficult it is to be in that place. But please don't believe that you deserve this, if you think so. It's easy to fall into the trap that how you're treated is how you deserve to be treated, but that's not true. I hope your family can learn to grow, but they shouldn't learn to grow at the expense of you, if that makes sense.

You're entitled to not discussing this, and it sounds like you don't want to, no? That's completely fine and not only fine but understandable. Your transness doesn't depend on your family accepting, understanding, or knowing about it. You'll always have and be entitled to a place in this community, if you'd like it. I'm really proud of you

#ask #anon #trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #i wish i could hug or fist-bump or something for some of y'all #y'all are unironically in my heart and i wish nothing but the best for you #it can get better. that is always a possibility #yes family can grow to accept and support a trans family member... #...but know that the poor treatment you have had/may have had is still real... #...yes your mother can come around to being super accepting and i hope she reaches that point... #...for the sake of you i hope she reaches that basic maturity... #...but know that your pain/grief/anger/sadness/despair/anything else still matters #you deserve the best. i hope you're well #the second paragraph isn't me trying to tell anon what they feel. i just know that being in this situation can be mentally taxing... #...and you end up wondering if you did something to deserve this (you didn't)

[epicene-humanoid]

some trans Jeff thoughts:

he realized he was trans in elementary school and just went fuck it I'll just start introducing myself as Jeffery and see if anyone decides to stop me (as we know, jeff winger can get away with almost anything)

he got top surgery the second he could afford it (around the same time he started at his law firm), and probably bribed someone to keep it a secret

"I'm jeff winger and i would rather look at myself naked than the women I sleep with" are the words of a man proud of his transition

he's really insecure about his fashion sense, which is why he mostly dresses like the douchey guys at his firm in the start of the show, he thought you can't go wrong with the sleazy lawyer look

he will never admit it but he feels super good about the dean hitting on him, because the dean is a (cis) guy, acknowledging that Jeff is more manly than him

i think he starts out stealth and comes out to everyone one by one, probably starting with abed because he knows abed won't judge him and will probably just see it as an interesting backstory.

abed just says it's cool and maybe worth a prequel exploring Jeff's transition, and jeff asks him to predict how all of the members of the group will react to him coming out.

abed's predictions:

britta will be over-the-top supportive and do a ton of research about trans history, probably put together a slideshow just to prove how progressive she is, and jeff will be a little bit weirded out, but also touched that she did all that for him, though he would never let her know that

shirley will be confused, because she doesn't know how someone she trusts and knows so well could be part of a group she was raised to hate, but ultimately realizes that there's nothing actually against the lgbtq people in the bible, and, as a cool character development arch, starts to advocate against use of the bible to justify bigotry

troy will just think it over and decide that Jeff's physique and coolness are even awesomer knowing how much work he'd had to put in to be like that, and respects Jeff's manliness even more

annie will give him a hug, say something sweet about how she'll always love him, and worry about his health, because even she read somewhere that taking testosterone makes you more likely to have a heart attack, jeff will explain that the risk is still only as high a cis guy, and she'll be the one to always remind him to take his shots

peirce will say at best say "jeff winger used to be a chick?" and at worst call him a slur, either way there's sure to be a lot of misgendering from him, and pestering to know Jeff's deadname (needless to say, Jeff just doesn't tell peirce)

the whole group goes out of their way to keep their beach trips a secret from pierce (the girls don't want him there anyways, he's too liable to be creepy) even though jeff knows that even if pierce saw his scars, all he would have to do is make up a story about some childhood accident and pierce would never question it

sorry this ended up being super long. can I hear some of your headcanons for him?

YES ALL THIS!!! yes yes i’m fully accepting this as canon oh my god

i’m about to type a whole ass ESSAY at midnight because i have been DYING to talk about this for months ajfdksljk,,, this is going to be obscenely long and i might end up adding even more to it as i continue to rewatch the show because there is truly no shortage of trans jeff content (especially when you’re trans and see transness in every little thing ajdkslfkjs)

spoiler warning for literally everything about this show under the cut <3

i 100% agree, i feel like he realized he was trans super young, especially since in the show we see him as a little kid a couple of times. 

like look at little jeff with the oversized sweatshirt and little ponytail!! that’s childhood trans fashion. not to be dramatic but part of me thinks that jeff’s dad left before he fully came out to his family (which gives him even more angst about it, because until that one Thanksgiving episode, he’s never able to prove to his dad that he’s a better man), but part of me thinks that his dad left after he came out (which adds that spicy i-should-have-stayed-in-the-closet guilt that he has to work through). 

either way, because his dad wasn’t there, he had to base his concept of masculinity on something else, which was becoming a lawyer!! there’s some line that’s like “after the dust and divorce papers were settled the only man i looked up to was [the lawyer guy]”. like, replacing your father figure in your mind with the concept of “a job where you can talk your way in and out of anything and distort other people’s concept of reality”? that’s trans.

 and the fucking THANKSGIVING EPISODE... i struggle to watch it without crying hehe <3 yeowch! the dichotomy of willy jr. being the “wrong” kind of man because he’s “too soft” but jeff also not being enough despite adhering to all the social standards of masculinity... fuck!! this whole scene of him telling his dad “i am Not well adjusted” and talking about how he gave himself an “appendix surgery scar” when he was a kid and he still keeps the get-well-soon letters from his classmates under his bed? oh my god. the implication of people loving him not despite his scars but because of them?? trans. i can’t think about this episode for too long or i’ll start yelling.

OH and this scene? where he talks about how his mom got him a girl costume for halloween?? and everyone said “what a cute little girl” and after a few houses he stopped correcting them?? and “once the shame and the fear wore off, i was just glad they thought i was pretty”?? THAT’S TRANS... the man needs validation oh my god... and then in all the halloween episodes we see he has these ultra-masculine costumes (a cowboy, David Beckham, one of the fast and furious guys even though he never watched the movies, a boxer with his DAD’S boxing gloves... god) costumes are about becoming something else and he always chooses to be hypermasculine and that is trans.

THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION EPISODE!!!!!!! being uncomfortable during P.E. is a queer experience. period. but him being specifically uncomfortable in the clothes someone else is assigning to him? trans. “are we gonna talk about clothes like a girl? or use tapered sticks to hit balls around a cushioned mat like a man?” TRANS. and him eventually stripping in public? celebration of transness. and the fact that he eventually becomes comfortable in both the uniform and his own style!! trans!! god i love this episode. 

AND AND AND!!! the gay dean coming out episode!!! where it’s the three of them discussing the best way for the dean to come out as gay despite not entirely identifying with that label!! so we have both frankie and the dean who are sort of ambiguously queer, and jeff who’s a stealth trans man who’s probably only out to only the study group at this point. this scene where the dean and jeff have this like eyebrow communication while frankie is talking is just so cute. queer-to-queer communication. “I am so curious” “oh?” “intellectually.” “oh...” ajfdksljfk this scene just screams high school GSA to me and i love it so much.

and SPEAKING of the dean!! i totally see you on that. i feel like jeff has some internalized homophobia/biphobia (like he’d throw punches over someone else, but when it comes to himself he has a lot of shame). and also seeing the dean so confident in all his different outfits/costumes has a weird affect on him bc it’s like “okay, the dean, a cis guy, can do that, but i as a trans guy could Not because that’s Breaking the Rules”. which, like, throwback to the halloween thing. of course there’s no right way to be masculine, but mr. winger does not know that.

another thing!! the episode where their emails get leaked? that includes his emails with his therapist. fuck!! he was outed to the whole world in that episode!! no wonder he was so fucking angry!! this whole episode (and really any time he mentions his therapist) is so interesting when you think about them as a person he talks to about his transition. OH which adds to the thing with the dean!! “and you told your therapist you wanted to be alone this weekend” and “not you jeff, i know you’ll be visiting your dad” ”I told you to stop reading my emails”. luckily his study group has his back and just makes fun of him for emailing astronauts lmao

and WHO can forget “they’re giving out an award for most handsome young man!!!!” what else is there to say about this line besides: he’s trans. you know he didn’t get awarded enough for being a handsome young man when he was a kid, and no amount of compliments when he’s fully-grown can really make up for that. some people crash a kid’s bar mitzvah to cope with the fact that they struggled to be seen as themselves when they were a teenager <3

also his weird relationship with pierce? where he kind of hates him (understandably lmao) but at times has this almost-friends-almost-father-son relationship with him? especially in this episode where he’s forced to bond with him and ends up having a good time by accident (at a barber shop no less, the perfect place to Be A Man with your Man Friend). idk what to say about him besides the fact that pierce says his mom wanted a girl when he was born and made him dress like a girl (and his middle name is anastasia!) so if they’re gonna do any bonding over transness it’s gonna be that. 

okay one last thing and then i’ll shut up for the night. this episode kills me (and almost kills jeff hahahahelpi’mcrying). it’s a very Trans thing to not be able to visualize your future self, it just is. growing up trans at the time he did? i don’t know what kind of future he saw for himself, but i’m so happy that he ended up with a group of friends who became his family and love him the way they all do. i’m so emotional over this asshole it’s ridiculous. 

in conclusion:

they’re trans, your honor <3

#community #jeff winger #trans jeff winger #GOD i'm gonna make a video essay about it if nobody stops me #yall know that youtube channel AreTheyGay? i want to be that but AreTheyTrans #the videos would just b like... jeff community. neo the matrix. bill and ted bill and ted. audrey little shop of horrors. jo little women. #maybe i should start that youtube channel sjdfklsj #thank you for prompting me to talk about this because i think about it twice a day #i might end up reblogging this and just adding different responses jeff has had to casually homophobic/transphobic things that happen #in the show #like the episode that last photo is from when the dean is like #'spring transfer student dance isn't rolling off the tongue so we're calling it The Tr@nny Dance!' 'much more greendale.' #OH AND ACCIDENTALLY KILLING PIERCE'S DAD!!! HOW DID I NOT MENTION THAT EARLIER SJFKLSJ #'you LITERALLY killed a father!' 'well not MINE dummy!!' #alright i need to do my homework now ajfklsdjfl

[andyinmiddleearth]

Not to be cisphobic but like... you know what screw it, I hate cis people. And by that I don’t mean that I hate every single individual cis person that exists, I actually have several cis friends and family members that I am close to and love. I mean that I hate cis people as my oppressors, that I hate cis people as a class that oppresses gender-non-conforming, intersex, trans, and non-binary people. Here’s some examples of the systems of oppression cis people as a class have placed that still hurt us to this day:

I hate gender-reveals parties. I hate the fact that a baby’s interests, decorations, hell even their entire personality, is determined just by simply looking at the fetus’ outward genitalia. Not to mention how inaccurate it can be cause sex is a spectrum (meaning it’s much more than just genitalia, it includes hormones, chromosomes, etc, and these can be super diverse and I myself, an AFAB person, don’t naturally produce estrogen) which is why some intersex people don’t even know they’re intersex until they get checked out by a specialist in their late teens or twenties.

I hate cis people assuming pronouns, ESPECIALLY when it comes to people like me that are visibly queer. I hate going to a doctor’s office and having to listen to nurses and even doctors call me sis, girl, ma’am, lady, she, her, when over here I’m standing with a ‘men’s’ haircut and wearing entirely ‘men’s’ clothes. But as a whole, I just hate assuming people’s pronouns in general because gender is so much more than gender expression. Men can be feminine, women can be masculine, non-binary people can be as femme or masc as they want. Our bodies and our clothes don’t determine our gender. We do.

I also hate cis people not respecting pronouns on purpose, like that time at Einstein Bagels where I was wearing my he/him pin and the cashier kept repeatedly calling me ‘ma’am’ despite me wearing this 2.25 inch long button WITH MY PRONOUNS ON IT. I hate how I have family members that purposefully misgender me every single fucking day despite me being out as trans to them for YEARS because they just think ‘being transgender is a choice, like being vegan.’ I hate how one of these said family members does everything they fucking can to trigger my dysphoria and constant remind me that they see me as a woman.

I hate cissexism. I hate words like ‘lady parts’ and ‘boy parts’ and ‘girl parts.’ Boys and girls (and all genders) can have whatever private parts they have and still be their gender AND IT’S NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, and frankly very creepy to want to know what’s in someone’s pants. I hate how instead of using terms like afab or amab it’s just ‘male parts’ and ‘female parts,’ ‘male body,’ ‘female body,’ which also blatantly erases intersex people that may have both, or something else entirely different.

I hate how cis people have made this concept about the ‘the perfect trans person’ that people in the trans community (yes, I’m talking about transmeds) will shit on our non-binary and non-dysphoric trans siblings because ‘they make us look like a joke.’ Spoiler alert, cis people as a class hate trans people because they’re transphobic, period, not because some random non-binary sixteen year old uses ze/hir pronouns and is non-dysphoric. I hate how I was harassed on this platform FOR YEARS and sent hate on and off anon by transmeds simply because I, a dysphoric trans guy, think you don’t need dysphoria to be trans. Because I think being trans is so much more about being uncomfortable in your body, because I think you can have gender euphoria and not gender dysphoria. And I hate how the transmeds that bullied me also called me all kinds of slurs (both referring to my ethnicity as a Latino and also just homophobic ones like the f-slur) and perpetuated exactly the behavior they see white cishet men perform because they think that way maybe they will accept them. Spoiler alert; they won’t.

I hate how intersex babies are mutilated every day around the world simply because of how they are born while trans children and young adults are still being denied access to LIFE-SAVING resources like hormone blockers, HRT, surgery, etc. I hate how long the waitlists are for trans people in places like the UK and Canada are to transition, and I hate how monetarily expensive it can be even with insurance in the USA, since this is the main reason why I can’t start T right now (that and the fact that I live with family members that wouldn’t support me transitioning).

I hate how anything can be a ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ thing. Things as simple as drinks for fuck’s sake. Why is a beer a ‘man’s drink’ and a fruity cocktail a ‘lady’s drink?’ Same goes for everything... clothing, movies, certain games, even basic chores like cooking and cleaning. Hell, even interests can be a ‘girl or boy’ thing. One time I was reading a thick book and this cis man (he knew I’m AFAB cause my parents misgendered me to him obviously) went ‘oh yeah us guys don’t read that much.’ EXCUSE ME SIR BUT I AM A GUY, AND I DO NOT WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOU!

I hate how when a trans person comes out as a child they are ‘too young to know,’ and when a trans person comes out as a teen they are ‘just going through a phase/copying trends,’ and when a trans person comes out as an adult then ‘they can’t really be trans because they never shoWeD thE siGns.’ There’s no age to realize you’re trans, everyone accepts their identity at different rates and that’s valid. And there’s no age to transition either.

I hate how when you come out as trans cis people magically expect you to suddenly not look trans anymore. How they expect trans men after coming out to have perfectly flat chests and no curves, how they expect trans women to suddenly grow boobs and look feminine af, and how they expect non-binary people to look as androgynous as possible. All kinds of bodies are trans, and you don’t need to medically transition to be trans. Some trans folks don’t have surgery or HRT or anything at all for whatever reason, and they’re still valid.

I hate how some cis people will misgender us trans people no matter how well we pass the minute they find out we’re trans. A trans man can have a flat chest, a full grown beard and a deep voice and the minute someone finds out he’s trans he’s suddenly ‘really a woman.’ I hate how this misgendering of trans people is one of the reasons why so many of us (41%) have attempted suicide, myself included. And I hate how badly cis people deteriorate our mental health just by refusing to use our pronouns and real name instead of our deadnames.

I hate all of these things, and there are so many more... but yeah, that’s what I mean when I say I hate cis people. I don’t hate cis people individually, I hate cis people because as a class they are complicit in my oppression and the way they keep upholding society contributes to our extremely high rates of mental illness, depression, and suicide. I’ve tried to kill myself too many times to count exactly because of all of these things. So yeah, call me a cisphobe if you want. I’m just a trans person that’s fed up with the transphobia, cisnormativity and cissexism that is shoved down my throat every day.

#adrián speaks #lgbtqia #transgender #transmasc #transmasculine #lgbt #lgbtqa #nonbinary #queer #Trans man #trans boy #transfeminine #transfem #trans girl #trans woman #ftm #mtf #genderfluid #fuck transmeds #cisphobia #transphobia #exorsexism #intersex #lgbtq #trans community #cissexism #trans mental health #genderqueer

[freddieslater]

10 Favourite Female Characters From 10 Different Fandoms

(List your 10 favorite female characters from 10 fandoms, then tag 10 people)

Thank you so much for the tag @a-lil-bi-furious !! ❤️

1. Malia Tate from Teen Wolf

Starting off strong — literally, she has the strength of, like, a bear and the temper of one! My angry girl!! I just loved her from the very first second we were introduced to her after turning back. She went through so much, and it clearly had a big impact on her, and we got to see her grow through most of it (but not all of it because the writers suck a bit) and work to become a pack member instead of the lone coyote she had gotten used to being. Also, she insanely pretty and cute so she’s allowed to growl at people every so often!

2. Liv Parker from The Vampire Diaries

My angry and extra sassy girl — witch edition! There’s just something about her that I love. I really understand Tyler; she could insult me and blast me across a room with magic and I would fall in love with her. But we know that a lot of her mean-girl attitude comes from her family issues, and it’s more of a defense mechanism than anything. So, it was nice to see a softer side of her around both Luke and Tyler — and Jo, on occasion. She knew she was the “weaker” twin and as much as the thought of dying scared her, she still stood strong and tried to find a way to save Luke from having to live with that guilt by finding another way — just as she saved Tyler from triggering his curse by killing someone (who was already dying because of him) for him. And then in the end, knowing she was going to die anyway, she saved him again. She deserved a way better ending and more of a chance to grow since we definitely were not done with her story, so I will be forever bitter but I love and appreciate the time we had her for!

3. Hope Mikaelson from Legacies

Is it cheating if they’re from the same universe but not the same show? I just love this little Tribrid so much. She’s gone through a lot her entire life — literally, she had people trying to kill her before she was even born. She lost her mum, and then her dad, and her uncle. Not to mention the, uh, killing a bunch of people in between and also finding out your first boyfriend helped kidnapped your mum in a plot to kill her and you (that he didn’t know about, given, but still). And having virtually no friends at school. But she still tried to be so strong all the time, to a point where she really should let more people in it and see that soft, vulnerable part that’s still in there. Her anger is justified, and sometimes out of her control due to her family, and I wish they’d let her get real help for it. She shouldn’t have to be the “hero” or the “saviour” all the time and I wish they would just cut her a break, let her rest, and have a moment of happiness that doesn’t end with her feeling like she didn’t deserve it.

4. Wanda Maximoff from MCU

(First of all, you don’t know how painful it was having to wade through a bunch of Pietro gifs in the process of finding this one.) The version of Wanda in the MCU is very... complex. Obviously there’s a lot of issues With the character, but if I’m focusing solely on who she is in the MCU, then I love her so much. And she definitely has some issues in her life. She starts off as the bad guy, angry and seeking “justice” (and revenge) for what happened to her parents, and in the same movie, we see her realize that the side she was working for wasn’t any better. We see her character develop quite a bit in just her first movie, and then over the course of the next ones, we see more sides to her; her guilt over hurting innocent people through a quickly-made decision, her compassion for Vision and for those other people, her grief over losing Pietro and Vision. And she herself is so powerful! She tries to live with the pain she’s endured but it takes over without her control, because both her grief and her magic are all-consuming. And I add this because I still refuse WandaVision’s change to the timeline: she went through all of this before she was eighteen. She’s so young, and in pain, but she still tries so hard to push through because other people need her, and she doesn’t want them to suffer like she has. Also, I just think it’s pretty when she does those little hand movements to possess people and her eyes turn red.

5. Nymphadora Tonks from Harry Potter

She deserved the absolute world. Her death was unnecessary, and I hate it, because she should have gotten to live the rest of her life raising her son, happy with her husband, and just generally being alive. She was so full of life and joy, and she tried to be the source of those things in the middle of a literal war when everyone was at their lowest and felt hopeless or angry. Also would’ve loved more scenes of her and her favourite cousin, Sirius, because they would be chaotic and they both deserved that. ALSO also, she’s very pretty, can change her appearance and chose to have pink/purple hair and dresses like how tiny me wanted to dress, so I immediately fell in love, of course.

6. Kara Danvers from Supergirl

She’s just so kind and compassionate despite everything the world has put her through — but she’s also angry deep down, and she’s hurt and in pain, and some of my favourite moments of hers are when she’s allowed to express that. When she’s allowed to really just lose it and lash out at the people who hurt her because she pushes it down for so long so that she can help everyone else that it finally just explodes.

7. Jody Jackson from The Dumping Ground

TW: mentions of different forms of child abuse. This girl deserves the whole world but I promise you that the world does not deserve her. The same can be said for pretty much all of the characters in The Dumping Ground, to be honest, but god she has just been through so much. Neglected by her mum from a very young age, abused physically and verbally by her and (presumably) both of her brothers, and it’s implied she’s abused sexually by one of her brothers as well. Of course when we first meet her she is angry and terrified. She still is because the trauma developed and was never fully dealt with, so she still carries it all around in her mouth and fists, until one little thing happens to make her lash out. And she knows she has a problem — she is terrified of becoming her brother, and sometimes her mum, and all she wants is to not hurt the people she loves. Because she loves so much, it’s just hard for her to know how to show it sometimes because sometimes all she can remember is how her family “loved” her. But she’s grown so much since she went into care and she’s getting help at last, and I just have so much hope for her happiness in the next series to come.

8. Annie Marks from Good Girls

She’s short, fiesty, will make jokes at the worst possible time, won’t stop calling a literal gang leader who has threatened her life on more than one occasion “gang friend”, was incredibly supportive and accepting of her son when he came out as trans, will punch someone when necessary (probably also when not), has a semi-friendly co-parenting thing going on with her ex, and is just all around adorably ridiculous.

9. Casey McDonald from Life With Derek

Ignoring Derek in the gif — Casey usually does, too. Casey is a perfectionist, and frankly, sometimes quite annoying about it and some other things, and yes, she definitey initiates a lot of the arguments between her and Derek. And that is why I love her. She is in no way perfect, and her striving to be comes from anxiety and insecurities that are partially the result of the instability in her life. I love how, no matter how much she may despise Derek, when there’s a real problem, she tries to help. She cares about the people in her life, and I can’t wait for her to return to as a mum of four!

10. Ashley Garcia from The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia

Someone give the world TO her, please?? It’s a shame this fandom is so small because she deserves so much love and appreciation. She’s a literal genius but lacks... a lot of social skills at the start of the show. But she learns from her friends, and gets to experience new things, including having a crush for the time (and the second!) and she’s just generally living life as a fairly normal teenager. While still being an absolute genius. I just love this smiley little dork so much!

Tagging: @pad-foots @donnas-troia @childofsquidward @multifandomlover121 @superarrowverse @dance-is-life27 to participate if you want to, but as always, no pressure! And anyone who wants to do this but wasn’t tagged — you have been now! Go do it!

#tag games #favourite characters <3

[des-draws]

it's officially July but I'm still on pride mode!!! can't stop won't stop

Here are my lgbt+/queer hcs for class 1(g)A(y)!!! Here's what they are in case you don't recognize all of the flags (bc let's be real before I started coloring this I wouldn't recognize at least a few of them either ;^; ), strap in bc it's going to get l o n g:

(also they’re listed in the order they’re shown in the deviantart post rather than this one oop)

- Ojiro is trans!! I feel like he prefers being stealth but still celebrates with all his classmates because it's such a special occasion :') - Tooru is pan and a demigirl!!! It's her first pride and she's hyped!!!! And full of love!!!!! Love Is Stored In The Tooru!!! - Todoroki is a gay demiboy!! His trauma has made his experience with gender rather vague and blurry but he's still happy to have a label to somehow describe himself!! He's using End*vor's credit card to buy all of his friends pride merch!! - Midoriya is bi and trans!! He's been so happy to see his friends discover themselves and even more so to see them celebrating :') - Iida is bi!! As the second of the three members of the Rich Kids Club, he also wants to support and reaffirm his friends by buying them pride stuff!! - Kirishima is gay and trans!! I hc that he's been basically the class' go-to for gender identity/sexuality stuff bc he's been out-and-proud since Day 1 until pretty much everyone had a big coming-out ("I'm gay!" "Cool! I think I might be bi! :0c" "I...might...not be a girl???" "I'm pretty sure I'm [ace/genderfluid/etc.]" "What's that?" "Oh, it's [...]" "...might have to look into that. I think it might fit me too?" " :'D !!!!! " ) (he probably cried bc he was so proud of everyone) and then things calmed down a bit . He's a tinsy bit sad ppl no longer come to him for it but he pushes it down because he's just so!!!!!! happy to be surrounded by so many ppl like him!! - Bakugou is gay, trans and demisexual!! The last part was the hardest for him to figure out and he spent a lot of time being confused at other people, it was when Sero shared his own orientations that he thought maybe he wasn't as alone as he had thought :') - Uraraka is bi!! She's spent years thinking her crushes on girls were just her being jealous/wanting to be friends with them/not as important/stong as the crushes she's had on boys. She's getting over that internalized stuff now and I'm proud of her!! - Tsuyu is a trans girl and a lesbian!! She's been very open about wanting people to call her "Tsuyu-chan" because she chose that name herself!! And she's so happy that everyone here is supportive of her and each other!! - Yaomomo is also a lesbian!! This is her first pride, she's so excited to see all these people with different identities and experiences come together, and while she could easily create pride merch herself she much rather prefers supporing the indepentent LGBT+/Queer creators selling their own! (Hence why she bought two different variations of the lesbian flag for both her and Jirou!) (and probably many more of the stuff you see everyone wearing lol) - (Speaking of,) Jirou is also also a lesbian and also nonbinary!! Her only connection to girlhood is her love for other girls, but other than maybe updating her wardrobe a little she doesn't mind presenting femininely. - Sero is asexual, demiromantic and genderflux!! He's v. chill about everything, he probably found out and was like "Oh. Ok cool. I'm hungy" like he has a very laid-back attitude abt his identity/orientation but he Will defend his friends' to hell and back. Group mom heck yea - Kaminari is bi and nonbinary!! He was scared shitless to the point of losing sleep when he started figuring out that he miiiight like boys too, and even more so when he realised he might not even be a boy?? Thankfully being surrounded by so many supportive people (and having Kirishima as one of his closest and more trustworthy friends) helped him accept himself :') - Mina is pan and trans!! She's always been very open about being a Romantic™ but rather than being the Disaster Pan that gets flustered around everyone, she's the Disaster Pan that flirts shamelessly using Terrible pick up lines ("If we were dating...heh.....let's just say horses wouldn't be called horses anymore ;) " was the first ever thing she said to Kirishima, which earned her an extremely confused and somewhat flustered "I'm????ga y???? ???????" (it was the first time he'd admitted it out loud so he kinda thanks her for that) ) - Tokoyami is bi and trans!! A while back I read a fic that happened to have trans Tokoyami in it and was like "You know what. Yeah I can see it!" Emo culture is probably what helped him realize, with it playing around with and disregarding gender stereotypes and everything. - Aoyama is transmasculine, genderfluid and aromantic!! For the longest time he'd much rather have people mistake him for a feminine/gnc boy rather than a girl. It took him a while to come to terms with his aromanticism, since pretty much everyone expected him to be gay- he kinda expected it himself too, since he never liked girls that way, so?? But when he found out about the term "aromantic" it was like a weight lift off his shoulders. - Shoji is netrois and androsexual!! He knew he liked boys early but he's avoided dealing with figuring out his gender out of fear that he'd be disappointed- he's only ever seen nonbinary/genderqueer people depicted as androgynous and much smaller in stature than himself, so he thought he'd never fit. Seeing everyone else come out (especially the other nonbinary classmates of his), he stopped hesitating and starting working on coming to terms with himself!! - Satou is asexual and panromantic!! I don't really have much reasoning for this, I never really thought about it (or Satou himself) but when the time came to draw this I was like "Satou likes baking.....and puns are ace culture......FOOD PUNS!!! OF COURSE!!!" I'm sorry glkjhklhfdlkhj; - Koda is a trans boy!! He's had trouble recognizing it at the start because he's always been soft-spoken (almost nonverbal) and timid and kind, and """"those aren't traits of a boy""""" but he was so happy when he hit puberty and started growing So Much in stature due to his genes and people started "mistaking" him for a boy!! He came out to his parents almost immediately bc compassion and kindness seems to run in the family and he knew he'd be accepted even if they didn't completely understand!! He was more scared to come out to his classmates but when two, three, four of them come out and are accepted for being trans boys, he knows he'll be safe with them too. - And finally, last but not least, Aizawa is gay and trans!! He might act somewhat aloof about this stuff, but secretly he's very happy that his kids students all have eachother's support, and most of them their families'. Part of him is a little bitter and wishes he had the same kind of support system in their age, but he's going to be there for them if they need him nonetheless. He has his own support system now, and that matters a lot, too.

But wait!! There's M O R E !!!!! - I always love love LOVE how fanartists/editors give some of the characters more animal-like features, so I did that too!!! I went Full-on-Frog with Tsuyu (and I'm rather proud of how she came out (lol) ), but also I gave Mina some Sharp Chompers and a Fluffy lil' tail bc It's What She Deserves, and Ojiro a lil' toof poking out and ears that sharpen a lil bit at the tips? I hc that as he grows, other than his tail he'll start growing more animal features like that- sharper teeth, longer ears, claws and also, get ready.....pawbeans........the last ones give him Heck when they start growing out, and he needs his palms massaged at least once a day while they do :'( His legs get weird too and they end up looking more like a wolf's back legs :0c - I gave a lot of them freckles!!!! bc I Love Freckles!!!!!! also, as my sister very eloquently pointed out, I gave Uraraka "A R M S,,,,," bc. let's be honest. the girl got martial training she's not a twig - Sero is holding the polyamorous flag behind himself, Kaminari and Mina bc.. u guessed it,, they're all dating each other,,,,, lotsa smooches and cuddling and shenanigans bc there's only maybe one(1) braincell between the three of them and most of the time sero has it - Todoroki, Midoriya, Iida, Kirishima, Bakugou, Tsuyu, Yaomomo, Koda and Aizawa are also autistic. Yes all of them. No I won't explain. (unless you ask in good faith and want to share your own hcs pls ask me then I'll explain everything and you can expect it to be as long as this description!!!!!) (I might draw something about it when it's April again maybe *thinking emoji* ) - Oh!!! and Tooru, Kaminari and Mina are ADHD. Kirishima is also dyslexic. - Bakugou has been losing his hearing ever since he entered U.A.- sure he's always used his quirk but never freely to that extend and with so much power behind it, so getting into fight after fight with such close proximity to explosions that big really did a number on his ears. He can hear a little better with the right one than the left, so Kirishima has gotten used to walking by his right side before his custom hearing aids came in, and then just stuck to that. Bakugou's custom hearing aids block out any noise above a certain volume bc let's assume technology has advanced to do that. When he and Kirishima started thinking about working together as heroes even after they graduate, Bakugou requested custom ear protectors with similar block-out features as his hearing aids for Kirishima so his ears aren't damaged by working so close to Bakugou (Kirishima cried). - I'm actually quite flexible on which of the two I hc as trans, or if I hc both of them to be. The "both gay + demi Bkg" is pretty set in my interpretation of them, but I find it interesting how their friendship/relationship could manifest and grow somewhat differently depending on if both of them are trans or if only one of them (and depending on which one of them it is). They're still the same loud rowdy boyes we know and love but there's different conversations to have and difficulties to tackle between them based on that factor alone, and frankly? I Adore It.

Okay that's all!!!! I think. Thanks for reading, if you did!! And if not, I completely understand lol

I hope you had a great pride month!!

#des draws #queerart #lgbtplus #artists on tumblr #serokamimina #serominakami #kamiseromina #what's their ship name...... #todoiideku #tsuchako #kiribaku #momojirou #ojitooru #do i tag all the characters?? i dont wanna gkldfhgkjds #boku no hero academia #bnha #aizawa shouta #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #iida tenya #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #uraraka ochako #asui tsuyu #ojiro mashirao #hagakure tooru #yaoyorozu momo #100 #500

[revlyncox]

Stone Soup 2020

This reflection was written for the Washington Ethical Society by Lyn Cox, November 22, 2020.

In the story of Stone Soup, we learn we are more powerful and resilient together than we are alone, and that however small we think our gifts are, they are a beautiful and necessary ingredient in the larger whole. Liz James makes a good point that we often miss opportunities because we haven’t noticed the beauty of our own gifts. It is also true that sometimes we hold back out of a feeling of scarcity, or because we’re not sure what else will be asked of us once we open up. We can tell by how many different versions of this folk tale are in existence that the legend of Stone Soup is rich with meaning. Just like a soup with many ingredients, a tale with many tellers has subtle notes and surprising flavors that we can keep discovering year after year. Today, I’d like to talk about appreciation and abundance.

Felix Adler knew that recognizing human worth is part of the project of moral uplift. He said, "May the humanity that is within every human being be held precious. The vice that underlies all vices is that we are held cheap by others, and far worse, that in our innermost soul we think cheaply of ourselves."

Adler exhorts us to appreciate each other and ourselves.

The Washington Ethical Society Community Relations Pact includes a commitment to “express gratitude readily and accept appreciation graciously.” You already know that appreciating one another and the staff is an act that lifts everyone up, and helps us to bring out the best in each other by reinforcing what is joyful, beautiful, and supportive of our shared mission. In a community as large as WES, especially when we’re mainly a virtual community, it can be hard to figure out how to participate, how to be part of the interactions and responses that help shape this poetry in motion. Positive feedback is an extremely effective way to do that. Appreciation increases energy and resilience. You know that. You voted on it.

What might be less obvious is the part about accepting appreciation graciously. When someone offers positive feedback, or even a simple greeting, take a moment and allow yourself to be known. We can’t always see each other face to face, even when we’re on video it’s tricky to figure out eye contact. An email, a chat message, an emoji, these small acts of kindness are worth noticing and celebrating. And when messages go out to the whole community, it may not feel personal, but the appreciation expressed for your dedication, your care, your simply being -- those sentiments are sincere. Thank you for being part of WES. Yes, I mean you.

Even less obvious is appreciating yourself. Please know that you are a precious creature of worth. Even before we get into what different people bring to this community or the world, you don’t have to earn your designation as a human being. I think it is easier to be part of something larger than ourselves when we start with the knowledge that we reach out from a place of inherent worth.

We’ve just been through Transgender Day of Remembrance, and I am reminded all over again that there are beloveds who don’t know that they are valued, who are shown by state-sanctioned violence and discrimination that they don’t matter, and the results are deadly. We have to do better at protecting our most marginalized beloveds, particularly Trans women of color, and we have to do better at building a world where every person knows that they are beautiful, valued, and loved. Here, we do our best to create a community where every person can be their whole selves, with all of who they are in terms of culture, race, gender, family shape, language, and ability.

People do not have to “contribute” to have inherent worth, and it’s still lovely to notice when people do offer gifts to the community. It is not mutually exclusive to appreciate people for simply being and to appreciate the time, talent, creativity, and resources that someone has intentionally made available to benefit others. In some retellings of Stone Soup, people bring things to the table that are unusual, things their neighbors would not have thought to add to soup. Maybe it’s some tart fruit that ends up adding tantalizing acidity to the soup, or something briny like capers that gives a surprise spark of salt, or some chickpeas to add body to the broth. Sometimes, but not often, Stone Soup retellings take place in a community where different families have different food traditions, and the resulting fusion creates a soup that is an entirely new culinary snapshot of that community in that place and time. Each person’s presence makes a difference.

Appreciation of others requires a certain amount of humility, recognizing that none of us can do and be all of the things that our communities need at the same time. We are each of us always learning, there are things we have not experienced and do not know. Humility does not necessarily mean self-deprecation. We can know that we are people of worth, and that the things we are in the process of learning are valuable talents to offer, while still admiring and appreciating others. You being your whole self, making mistakes so that you can keep learning to draw out your best talents, combines with your neighbor being their whole selves and being allowed to learn and grow in their talents, until we have a learning and growing community where works-in-progress are appreciated and encouraged.

Felix Adler spoke about how ethics is a cooperative endeavor, that we need each other in our uniqueness. He said, "People may be said to resemble not the bricks of which a house is built, but the pieces of a picture puzzle, each differing in shape, but matching the rest, and thus bringing out the picture."

Let’s go on appreciating the unique shapes of our neighbors, and the bit of the puzzle that we each bring, remembering that this puzzle is a living thing with constantly shifting pictures and shapes. Let’s find ways to affirm the shapes and pictures and flavors that are present in each fleeting moment.

Another value that Stone Soup reminds us of is abundance. In a scarcity mentality, we anticipate dividing up the resources that are apparently before us, with the expectation that it will not be enough. In an abundance mentality, we imagine what could be, and open our minds to the possibility that there may be resources we have not yet noticed. In an abundance framework, we use our time and our resources creatively, we find new applications for items and knowledge available among us, we remember what we are here to do.

Something I wonder about the village in the Stone Soup story is about their purpose for being a village. Why are their homes gathered together? Is it for convenience? Safety in numbers? Is it because political forces have pushed them together? Have they gathered to share a resource like fresh water or good soil? Are they in that area as stewards, caring for a sacred place? It is possible that part of the reason the villagers have stopped valuing their gifts and channeling them together is because they don’t know what their shared purpose might be.

The Stone Soup experience suggests that, whatever brought them together originally, the villagers might find new purpose as a result of this shift in perspective. Having a “why” can unleash energy, creativity, and unity. As the soup begins to cook, the villagers find a temporary purpose in curiosity. This is enough of a goal to help them to see their individual carrots and solitary noodles with new eyes. It is enough of a purpose to inspire action.

Abundance, coupled with purpose, helps us to overcome feelings of helplessness or despair. The people of the village didn’t seem happy at the beginning, or very active. Maybe hunger had made it more difficult to think, or maybe fear of scarcity was driving them apart. Coming together for a common goal reminds us that, even when we are individually limited, collectively we have power.

As we retell Stone Soup in these socially distant times, it is natural to long for the days when we can again safely gather in person. In a moment, we’ll see a video montage that includes photos of past celebrations. It’s OK to be happy about the memories and also sad that we can’t celebrate the same way today. But let’s also appreciate the gifts we have now, and those we have discovered as we have been forced to come up with new solutions. WES is more accessible than ever to those who live at a distance, or who have trouble with mobility. There are people who have never before been able to be part of a vibrant, humanistic congregation, and who now are just as much a part of the Platform experience as someone who lives in Shepherd Park. Let’s not lose our renewed purpose of inclusivity as we re-imagine a post-COVID future.

Given the challenges of planning a virtual Stone Soup, I wonder if one of the reasons the villagers fell into scarcity is because the world changed around them, and they weren’t sure how to adapt. They would have needed a new source of motivation when they couldn’t keep doing things the way they had always been done. They would have needed a new way to apply the talents they had developed under an old paradigm. They would have needed a way to encourage each other to try new things for this new world, to learn and grow imperfectly, with appreciation and acceptance.

Our experience of the last eight months tells us that none of that is easy. I know many of us are tired. Some of us have had economic and health challenges that need not have affected us as deeply in a society with a stronger safety net. Learning how to navigate a new world, even a temporary world when we don’t know how long it will last, is exhausting.

Yet here you are, seeking ways to practice abundance. You sent pictures of food and stones. You sent recipes, over 30 last I heard, which will be emailed to members in a PDF recipe book later today. Some of our Middle School families offered their talent for the story. Maybe there are days when you can’t focus on creating something, but you can begin with appreciating someone; that makes room for abundance, too. This community, collectively, has resources and skills and curiosity and creativity that can carry you into the future. There is abundance here, ready to be coupled with purpose.

The Washington Ethical Society is a precious and valuable community, comprised of beloved people. You are worthy just as you are. If you have gifts you want to share, skills you want to develop, a heart for caring, WES and the world will be made better by your generosity of spirit. We make room by appreciating each other as well as honoring our own gifts. We make way for the future with abundance and purpose. May it be so.

[alethia000]

[ENG TRANS] 200701 #VogueInConversationwithNICHKHUN

[Thai-Eng trans by Daffodil0624]

Nichkhun: COVID makes me lazy. 😂 It made me think I could not go out to exercise or do many things. In fact, it's just an excuse. If you really want to exercise and take care of your health, you can do it wherever you are (at home, outside, or while you go to work.)  

Nichkhun: When I'm home, I watch Netflix, play games, or practice piano. I don't like to go out much. But I am an active person. When I go out, I would spend my day getting everything done before I go home.

About becoming Broach Nichkhun on #TheBrothersTH  

Nichkhun: Normally I don't like to be a mentor or a judge on audition shows. I don't think I'm talented enough to criticize or judge anyone. But P'Tik told me he wanted to find and teach teens to be both idols and gentlemen. Most importantly, this show isn't scripted. There are no 'drama' or arguments scheduled on any filming days.

Nichkhun: I have worked in many countries and wanted to share my experiences with these kids.

Vogue: So when you were very serious and strict with the kids on the show, it was real.

Nichkhun: Yes. I tried not to be strict. I wanted to know how much they were determined to excel in this field. People who want to enter showbiz have several different reasons, right? Some people want to be famous. Some want to be rich. Some want to show their talents to the world. I had to gauge the reasons they wanted to be a star. These kids were nice and well-mannered. Some of them were not focused/determined and I was strict with them.  When they didn't finish their assignment on time, I was quite strict. But P'Ananda often told me not to scold them. He would do it himself. So I was playing good cop.😆          

Nichkhun: When I watched these kids practice, I smiled to myself and thought of myself practicing over 10 years ago. Among these 20 kids, some of them were very talented. It's a similar situation when I first went to JYPE. If there were 50 trainees, 40 of them were talented and top of the class. The other 10 trainees were cast probably because of their good looks/physical appearance. These 10 trainees would struggle. No matter how much we practiced, we couldn't catch up with other trainees. Even if we worked 2 times harder, it was not enough. If I started from -20, other trainees started from 60. So I really couldn't catch up. Among these 20 kids on The Brothers, there were competitions with themselves and with other kids who had equal skills.  

Nichkhun: When I looked into their eyes, I thought of myself when I was a trainee. Back then, while I was practicing each day, I really couldn't see how my future would turn out. I was not sure when I would sing as well as other trainees. I was not sure whether that was even possible. I couldn't sing, dance, or speak Korean.

Nichkhun: I was scolded so many times. "Why can't you do it? Why can't you compete with others?" I often thought, "Well, you did see my audition tape. You knew how bad I am. Why did you cast me then?" 😂 What's the point of insulting me when you know I am not talented? I was upset for a long time. Until I was fed up with all these insults. "You are not talented. You can't do it. You suck." I didn't want to hear these words anymore. I wanted them to say, "You have improved. You can do it."  I guess my resentment had pushed me to work harder/to improve.

Vogue: But you are a star now.

Nichkhun: Determination/dedication is most important. But luck also plays an important role. I often say I am a lucky guy. If I was not a member of 2PM and didn't debut with 2PM that year, I think I would not be in this position. It was perfect timing. Back then there were not a lot of foreigners who became well-known in Korea. Then 2PM became even more popular because of Heartbeat. That's why I said the timing was perfect.    

Vogue: Hottest want 2PM to make a comeback soon.

Nichkhun: 2PM will definitely make a comeback together. We planned to make a comeback in the middle of next year. But I think it may be delayed because of covid. I don't know how much covid will affect our plans next year. 2PM members meet and talk with each other often. Every time we meet, we talk about the time the six of us stood on stage together. We miss those moments.  

Nichkhun: All those times we spent together were miraculous. I know these 5 friends I have worked with are my best friends. They are friends I love the most. These are friends who can sacrifice their lives for each other. I have worked with these friends and our job is to make people happy. It's something money can't buy. Fate brings the six of us together. It's quite funny when you think about it. I am not Korean. I had never thought of being a singer. I had no desire to enter showbiz. Then I met these 5 friends. It's simply miraculous.      

Vogue: What do you guys talk about besides your work?  

Nichkhun: We spend only 10% of the time talking about our work. 90% are spent on nonsense stuffs. 😂

Nichkhun: I have tried to encourage my friends to play golf. Chansung and Taec have started to play golf. I am still trying to convince others to play too.

Vogue: How long have you played golf?

Nichkhun: Almost 5 years. I like to play golf because I can compete with myself. I play badminton too. It's hard to defeat the other player who's really talented. With golf, I compete with myself. Every time I play, the conditions are different; wind, rain, grass, or myself. It teaches me to be with the present moment. If we think too far ahead, we won't see the target in front of us. We should move forward step by step.      

Vogue: I saw you taking a lot of photos with kids on your IG.  

Nichkhun: I love children. When I went to USA and met my cousin's kids, I wanted to give them good memories which may make them a little happier when they grow up. I want to give them my love. When I look at children, I am a little envious. You have the whole world in front of you. Your life is just beginning. You can be whatever you want to be. It depends on how many good people you will meet during the course of your life, how many good and bad things you will encounter, and how much you will be loved.

Nichkhun: That's why I don't want to give children money. I want to give and show them my love. I want these children to know they are valued. I want them to grow up to be a great person. I want the children I have met to know they were born to be loved. They are the light of our world. I want them to know they are important and valued. These are all the basic things I want them to know.

Nichkhun: I love children. But I don't know when I will have my own kids. People have told me loving other people's kids is a different feeling from having my own kids. There are both positive and negative sides. So I think it is not gonna happen anytime soon. Is that right, Hottest? When I post a photo with kids, 50% of my fans would ask, "When are you gonna have kids? We want to see you playing with your kids."

Vogue: How do you play with kids?

Nichkhun: Throwing them in the air. 😂 And I try not to stand over them. I don't want them to feel I am an adult. If they are sitting and playing on the floor, I will lie down. I will lie down on the floor and play with them. I want them to feel that I am their friend. At the same time, I want them to feel that I can protect them and make them feel safe because I am bigger. Playing with kids is delightful. But at a certain point when kids become hyperactive, it is extremely exhausting for me.  If they like being tossed up high, my arms hurt on the next day. 😂  

Vogue: How long have you worked with UNICEF?

Nichkhun: Seven years. My family have donated to several foundations. When I started working in Korea, I saw UNICEF's ad about children who suffered from malaria. I asked my manager to call them and asked for more details. UNICEF staff in Korea saw my name after I made a donation. They called to thank me. Then years later, UNICEF Thailand asked me to be Friend of UNICEF. I accepted the invitation to be a spokesperson for them.

Nichkhun: For the past 7 years, I have met children in several slums. You won't believe there's a slum right next to a shopping mall in Bangkok. Six to seven families live in a very crowded space not bigger than a bag shop in a shopping mall. People should not have to live in a living condition like that. There are a lot of kids there who should be in schools but they have to work to help support their family or have to take care of their younger siblings. 

Nichkhun: I visited and talked with a family there. The grandparents called their grandkids that it was time to eat. I asked them what did they prepare. The grandkids came running and looked so happy. Then I saw the grandpa took out a ball of old sticky rice, sprinkled some salt, and gave it to their kids who ate it happily.        

Nichkhun: To be frank, I can't totally change their world and the living conditions of people in these slums. The best I can do is telling people as much as I can about what I have seen in these slums. It's not that people aren't interested in these issues. I think they don't realize somewhere not far from their home, there're hundred thousand people who don't have fundamental rights and opportunities they deserve.          

Vogue: Some people know UNICEF help children and they may want to make a donation. Can you tell us how these donations are spent?  

Nichkhun: The most important part is for buying food for children. Especially for children who live in areas that are difficult to access, we provide them with Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) paste, medicines, and water. We have a great campaign that encourages reading too. It's a mobile library campaign. We rent trucks, made them into mobile libraries, and drove to faraway villages in the countryside.  

Nichkhun: Some people may think, "I'm not rich. I don't have extra money to spend on donations." But I think 10 baht or 100 baht monthly donation can make a lot of difference. If people come together and help, it can move things forward. You don't have to donate 10,000 or 100,000 baht. It doesn't have to reach a certain amount of money to be considered a donation. If it truly comes from your heart, 1 baht is enough. If a person makes a 1 baht donation, we will get 10,000 baht from 10,000 people. 10,000 baht can be spent on a lot of things including vaccines and food for kids.    

Nichkhun talked about his Thai horror film ‘Cracked’ which should be released this year but it depends on situations regarding covid.

Vogue: Normally are you scared of ghosts?  

Nichkhun: It's not that I'm not scared. Let's say I am not scared that much. But if you want me to go to a remote, deserted place at night alone, I won't go. 😂

Nichkhun: There was a time that I experienced what Thais call Pee-Um.

(Note: ‘Pee-Um’ means a suffocating feeling / sleep paralysis while falling asleep which is believed to be caused by a spirit.)

Nichkhun: It happened when I stayed at a hotel. It's the first time I stayed at that hotel. People often say after you feel suffocated, when you open your eyes, you will see a ghost sitting on your chest. Sometimes, you will see a ghost standing near your bed. It's the first time I experienced these feelings. I was sleeping. When I opened my eyes, I knew I couldn't move.  I tried as much as I could to open my eyes, raise my head, and look around the room. I hoped to see someone there in the room but, unfortunately, I couldn't see him/her. I was scared but I truly wanted to know whether I had that kind of sense. Too bad I couldn't see anyone so I went back to sleep. 😅

Vogue: Your fans want to know when you will be back to Thailand.

Nichkhun: Today my mom asked me the same question, "When will you come home?" If I go back to Thailand to work on an event/a job, I may spend 2 days working. But I will have to spend 14 days in quarantine (in Thailand). When I come back to Korea, I will have to spend another 14 days in quarantine in Korea too. One month is over. 😅

Nichkhun: So it's difficult to deal with my work in other countries right now. I really want to work and go to several places. Normally, I often flew and worked in several countries. During this time, I have stayed home for months. I'm not used to it. My electricity bill last month is a bit higher than usual. 😂

Nichkhun: I hope everyone is not bored with waiting for me. I hope you guys are healthy. Don't forget to exercise. It's really important. Try to eat food that's good for your health. Keep smiling. It will help make our world a little brighter.

[Thai-Eng trans by Daffodil0624] 

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[dolcetters]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; mun & muse - meme.

TAGGED BY: @hyaciiintho​ ( ;-; AAA THANK!!! )

TAGGING (don’t feel obligated to do it!): @forsakenflora , @avadite , @yinseal , @inseparabilum , @reigningsniper , @tsume-awase​ , @canisfuria​ & YOU if you wanna!

FILL OUT & REPOST ♥ this meme definitely favors canons more, but i hope oc’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. multi-muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

----------------------------------------------------

MY MUSE IS:   CANON / OC / AU / CANON-DIVERGENT / FANDOMLESS

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES  / NO / IDK (he’s fetishized a lot; thanks, i hate it)

Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK (i’d lean more toward no)

Are they underrated?  YES / NO

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE (stares into the abyss)

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL (true neutral, my boy)

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON? ♠ || i have an ongoing joke that “canon is a slab of meat that we slow-roast at 475 degrees and carve for the juicy bits” but at the same time it’s not a joke at all, i’m being perfectly serious. i’m definitely a lot less strict than when i started for writing canon characters way back yonder, but i also DO like to keep within an array of canon boundaries because i’m not writing for an OC in this instance, i’m writing for an established character. ...it also doesn’t help that my character’s handled differently in the 4 types of media he shows up in but. i grew up reading DC comics and writing for beast boy, so i’m kind of used to “multiple takes existing for singular character”. 

that being said, my take on dol is clearly canon divergent (since... he’s alive and my default verse takes place after the nest raid) but it pulls primarily from brotherhood/manga with a couple dashes of 2k3 series (since that’s the only media that gives us a length of time that he was in the labs). but given that i follow along with just about every scrap of information provided in the manga on this clown, i’d say i follow canon fairly strictly... but there ain’t a lot to go off of, so my reins are pretty loose no matter how you look at it. my city now.

SELL YOUR MUSE! AKA TRY TO LIST EVERYTHING, WHICH MAKES YOUR MUSE INTERESTING IN YOUR OPINION TO MAKE THEM SPICY FOR YOUR MUTUALS.   ♠ || (*￣3￣)╭ well, hello, there. aware of dog? yes. this is he: dolcetto mcgrouchyboots, and he is not happy to be here at all. he is traumatized, sassy, wants to throw hands with teenagers, has no sense of self worth, and will absolutely use himself as a meat shield in order to protect any and everyone he cares about. he is spliced with: dog. his favorite weapon: sword. if you listen carefully, you might hear dog-song rising on the east wind as he approaches (don’t tell him axel taped a cassette player to his back). he comes from a found family of complete and utter morons with a lot of damage, they live in a partially underground bar, work as information brokers, and are all DEFINITELY fully functioning adult people. they say gay and trans rights. if you like angry boys with a sense of humor semi-on-par with griffin mcelroy, this is the boy for YOU!!! 

NOW THE OPPOSITE, LIST EVERYTHING WHY YOUR MUSE COULD NOT BE SO INTERESTING (EVEN IF YOU MAY NOT AGREE, WHAT DOES THE FANDOM PERHAPS THINK?).   ♠ ||  he’s only featured in a handful of episodes/chapters across all media, doesn’t have a significant amount of dialogue, and we only ever see him lose to the protagonist(s) despite that he seems more than capable of fighting anyone else. easy to brush off as a “aw he died and that’s sad but we didn’t really know him, moving on”. from what i’ve seen in my years, people are more interested in him being a cog in the machine of “greed is sad” and less interested in... HIM. which is fair, i guess, but hhhhhh

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?   ♠ || i don’t know if i can pin-point any ONE thing, but i’ve always been drawn to characters with some sort of connection or bond with animals (example, once again, being beast boy from teen titans). i also have an IMMENSE weakness for the found-family dynamic. so when the devil’s nest appeared during my first watch through of brotherhood, i was pretty much... hooked. immediately. and devastated. immediately. as for what drew me to writing dol, specifically... probably his loyalty, his drive, the fact that he WOULDN’T FUCKING STAY DOWN no matter how many times someone knocked him flat on his face. i vibe with that. grew up very much in the mentality of “fall down 7 times, get up 8″. also, he had a sword... which always beats guns on coolness factor. and i loved his fire. ...and that he was a complete fucking idiot who’s really bad at kidnapping i mean HOLY SHIT THAT’S HOW YOU TRIED TO GET HIM TO COME WITH YOU, DOLCETTO, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING--

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING? ♠ ||  dol has always been a great source of ...venting for me? <xD ever since i started writing him, i’ve always found his muse--specifically--to be extremely cathartic and comforting. i dunno if it’s because he lets the more... jaded side of me come out, even when we’re both trying to be optimistic? 

because i’ve been in 2 emotionally abusive friendships. i definitely have some left over hurt, pent up anger that hasn’t been given closure, a hell of a lot of underlying bitterness that i never got the opportunity to confront those people, BUT i still try to be. y’know. welcoming, friendly, supportive, despite a voice in the back of my head being paranoid?? i think dol continues to give me outlets to expressing that. somehow. not that i use him as an excuse to do it, more so i have more opportunities to do it when i’m writing him as opposed to writing someone like beast boy, who’s usually more on board with keeping the peace than picking a fight. i’ve also invested SO MUCH TIME and ENERGY into his background and headcanons and things that i kind of can’t quit him now, nor do i want to.

... and aside from that i just want him to have a happy ending god, fucking damnit. 

SOME MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN.

give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO ( or i certainly hope so )

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES  / NO

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day?  YES / NO

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO ( definitely have moments but eh! ) 

Are you a sensitive person?  YES  / NO ( kind of... varies. i’d say i’m more hyper aware)

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?   ♠ || i definitely like to think i do when it comes to pre-established things in canon. but when it comes to what i’ve built on my own over my years of writing for dol (and the nest members as a whole), it’s kind of my sandbox and i’d appreciate you not stomp around in it. 

unless i need to be learned a thing, like... one of the nest members, vi, is a trans-woman. i’m a cis-woman and i try to do as much research as i can and educate myself, but if i ever fuck something up please tell me, i’m doing my best but i’m more than willing to listen. i want to grow.

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?   ♠ || pretty sure everyone does! >xD but yeah! i FUCKING love it. especially since i’m writing for a minor character. =//o//= it shows people are interested in him despite his overall lack of content.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?   ♠ || i’d definitely be curious as to why but i doubt i’d be offended or take ... any personal harm from it--y’know? it’d be more of a “let me hear your perspective and maybe it’ll expand my own understanding, or i might not agree after the explanation and that’s cool”! 

an exception would be for an obviously shitty one that’s shitty for no reason, like... acTUALlY, he’s TOtaLLY hom///o///pho//bic, to which i’d be like “bitch, no, get away from me; no one in this bar is straight, die mad”.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT?   ♠ || again, it’s cool! there’s not a lot of canon material so you can take his portrayal a variety of places. if we don’t jive, it’s pretty whatever. 

my one exception to this is probably people who, in the past, have told me i write him being “too mean”. which will never cease to confuse me. because even after al straight told dolcetto he was 14, dol was still like “I REALLY WANNA SMACK HIM but i’d just hurt my hand so you’re off the hook”, he’s angry like 85% of his dialogue in the manga... i’m just confused. where are you seeing the “uwu pupper~” persona. you can write it, that’s fine, i don’t care, just don’t get irritable when i don’t write him like a cute puppy. because here he is. suggesting we just kill izumi because she’s being troublesome. yeet. ...he’s an asshole.

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT?   ♠ || whatever, just don’t be a dick or speak badly about me or him in my presence because, flawed as he is and while i won’t make excuses for him, i’ll stand up for him. go somewhere else, my dude. i, personally, don’t have the energy for your negativity. nor do i have the patience.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?   ♠ ||  i’m more okay with people correcting my spelling (gently). because of the way i taught myself to read, i’d be FUCKED if auto-correct or spell-check didn’t exist. i also google correct spellings constantly. so spelling, yeah, i already know that i’m terrible at it so feel free to correct type-os or spelling mishaps, it ain’t no thang. 

grammar i’m a bit... pickier about. because sometimes i’ll purposely do a “grammatical error” because the punctuation or otherwise further drives the pacing or mood i’m trying to give my writing. i may not know ALL the rules but i break them from time to time... FOR THE ART.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN?   ♠ || i wanna say i am?? while i definitely do want to seriously explore and flesh out and grow dol as a muse and character, i’m “not above” goofing around, poking fun at him, or just being plain silly on the dash. RPing is escapism for me and i strive to keep my blog a peaceful safe haven on the dashboard, both for myself and my followers. 

i try to communicate to the best of my ability and despite my anxieties, and while i may not be able to follow or RP with EVERYONE (for obvious reasons) i’m open to interacting with ... pretty much anyone who throws me a bone. i’ll speak up if i’m not down for a plot or interested in a certain relationship or interaction, but i’m certainly not going to be rude or dismissive about it. i know what that feels like. i’d say yeah, though! i think i’m pretty chill. e-e you tell me.

#♦: ooc answer . #[ ;0; THIS WAS FUN ]

[peonies07]

Ok so I'm 19. I've been on tumblr since I was 12, yeah I was probably that annoying 12 year old. But at the time I needed it so badly. Tumblr was the reason I knew basically about LGBT before the gay marriage right arguement. Tumblr helped me figure out that I'm not straight.

The issue is that I grew up in rural MN like my hometown had 200 people. And most were Christian Republican conservatives with stereotypes and all.

I have two older brothers. The oldest was my father figure growing up- hes 9 years older than me and honestly was the only person that showed me support and potentially unconditional love. Around the time he left for college my family had to sell our house and move into an apartment the next town over about (2,000 people). I was about 10 and losing my brothers comfort made me start being depressed. While he was home he was the one who would counteract anything that would have made me feel worthless or unloved, he was there to prove my mother's words wrong. My other brother is 7 years older than me and was in high school and angry at the world at the time. I lost the only real support I had. Our dad worked long hours and I barely ever saw him after we lost the house he went to ND to find work and I saw him even less.

Our mom is very toxic and honestly probably abusive? I've been gas lighted to the point where I have no confidence in any memory, thought or feeling I had unless I have someone next to me to tell me 'no that was real it was like that'. So when my brother were old enough to move out or to have reasons to stay away I was stuck with her and it turned into the my daughter is my best friend. But with that came the complaints on how expensive I was and how bad her life was, how she regrets marrying my dad and then last minute remembering to add 'but at least I have you kids'.

Enter finding tumblr and learning that no there's a world outside this tiny town was one of the things that made middle school and high school so much easier. After I figured out that I was apart of LGBT, my older brother came home. In the time of gay marriage and all the arguements. I looked up to him as someone who would always be on my side and then right when he came home, I had to listen or sometimes argue with him and our mom about 'the gays'.

They were obviously against it and it forced me to hide and bury it for a long time. I would come out to friends if I trusted them or if they had shared they were also not straight but never to my family. After middle school, my mom got a new job and moved us about an hour away.

When I started high school, I found Trevor. He became my best friend and was for about 3 months and then of course asked me out. I didnt like him in that way but I also didnt want to upset him or lose him so I said yes.

We dated for 3 years from freshman year to senior year. In that time he took my virginity, we had taken 3 breaks and I had relatively no friends besides Trevor or his friends. He saw on my tumblr page that I put pansexual (at the time I identified with it) he asked me about it, I explained it and he gave a weird look. We never talked about it much after maybe an occasional hey that girl is cute but nothing really to address it? I was the one who started all of the breaks. I knew that being with him wasn't right for me but he was still my best friend and the one I was closest to. He was the one who was there when I cried and I was there for him. By senior year I was heavily depressed and highly anxious. I got a job after freshman year at a fast food chain, where I worked with his parents, and started PSEO classes my junior year. Between the stress of taking college classes, a struggling relationship, no other support network, and working 20-30 hours a week with high school and living with my mom. I started to break down my senior year, I got a different job that had less hours, since in the middle of my junior year I had gotten promoted to manager at 16 at the fast food chain and worked even more. I started skipping college classes and would just hang out in my car in parking lots so I would go home. Mom had gotten a job that worked nights and would leave at 2pm so I would wait until after she left to go home and just lay in bed. If I did it while she was there I would get told how lazy I was and how I needed to get up.

I started seeing a therapist in October, of course I was only 17 and so I had to have mom come in for the first meeting. The first thing she told my therapist was how she thought that I wasn't screwed up and didnt really need therapy and talked a bit about how she was disappointed. I paid for therapy on my own obviously and after a few weeks I never told my mom when I went to therapy to this day she does not know how many times I went. In December I finally broke up with Trevor for good and a bit later I found my 3 best friends, they are my favorite people they are my big supporters and I'm theirs. They have been there for me no matter what and honestly really showed me what having actually friends was like.

Two of them are also in LGBT and the other not but we all support each other. After we graduated I went to a private college 6 hours away in Wisconsin. I needed to be far from my family but close enough for emergencies especially since my dads mother had cancer and we knew she wouldn't have long.

Before college started I had tot get rid of my car, mom told me that she couldn't keep me on her insurance so I gave it to my brother (middle child). I went off to college, in late September my grandmother died and I went to her funeral (my mom told me I couldn't go because college was too important, I went anyway).

By winter break I realized that I couldn't keep being carless. I had asked my dad for help since I definitely couldn't go to my mom and didnt have any other option (forgot to mention they divorced in 2017 after being separated for about 6/7 years). He helped me and bought me a truck that was $7,000.

Now here is the that start of the reason I'm writing this.

My dad is an alcoholic and has so many fucking DUIs, he should be in prison honestly. But after my parents divorce he started trying to get his license back.

Complicated part is he couldn't stay sober. Or at least not drive while drunk, and with both of our names on the title of this truck I had to get whiskey plates. Honestly I didnt care about the plates but my dad did and told me to try and transfer it into my name only.

We bought the truck in December 2019 and didn't get the title sent to us until May 2020 and if we had gotten it on time this wouldn't be too concerning but sadly not the case. In February he got picked up again and that's the one that cause me to have whiskey plates so I couldn't transfer it into my name if I wanted to. - MN law states that if a truck has whiskey plates it cannot be transfer into a family member or household member, it can be sold but it has to be a fair price no 'gifts'.

And of course its Corona timw and I had to leave college in March- back to mom's house where I got hella depressed again and then had to drop the courses I was trying to take for spring cause I needed to focus on mental health. In May I moved in with my brother-middle one- to his city that is 3 hours away.

It's better but also not quite where I want to be. So since I'm out of mom's and overall just really frustrated with the world I came to terms with wanting to come out to my family, especially my brothers. Earlier this month (August) I did. I told them over dinner since my oldest brother was in town and asking me about my love life and I just said 'I like girls' and they kinda accepted it. Middle brother is hella religious so I knew there was a chance of rejection, all he had to say was that he doesn't quite believe that there can really be a romantic relationship between women, as god intended love to be between a man and woman. But he didnt disown me or kick me out so it's fine. My oldest brother just made a joke about lesbian porn. The next day they followed up a bit with it of hey so you're gay basically. Most of my family is now transphobic instead of homophobic since trans is 'worse'. I dont agree with them but I'm just content for now with not losing my brothers. I've basically cut our mom off and still dont talk to our dad much especially about feelings.

So with this truck that my dad bought me and with the added stress of trying to figure out how to deal with it I decided to trade it in. But went to probably the worst dealership in our area and got conned really. After 8 days of having the new SUV it broke down, the motor through a rod and is basically totaled until a new motor is put in.

And naturally I haven't told anyone in the family besides the brother I live with so about two days after trying to figure out again of what to do. Middle brother calls dad and older brother to help and my anxiety and anger spike. I've never talked about the trauma o went through because of our mom to anyone in the family only the oldest brother but not all of it. Added in the fact that I dont want to accept dads help if hes going to hate or reject me for being gay I am so scared and anxious that I just explode. They came and dad started asking me about why I didnt call him before and why I traded it for the car I did and I'm trying to tell him it's fine well get the truck back I learned my lesson and I'm giving him the truck back, I'll find a vehicle on my own. I am financially able to so he can have to back/sell it.

But he just keeps pushing and then telling me to mellow out and stop being moody. And pushing more so I just scream. And start trying to explain hey I got a bunch of issues and I cant trust you yeah you're my dad but mom made me feel worthless so.

And I'm crying/screaming/sobbing and dads basically at a point of not listening. My oldest brother comforts me and I make him walked away from dad with me as our other brother had come.

I start telling my oldest brother what the h3ll is going on in my head with almost everything. I talk about our mom, how he is my father figure not our dad, how I cant trust our dad and also about my fears with rejection from dad and previous fear of his rejection. I get through most of it and dad and our other brother come to where we are.

Now I have been out to my brothers for about 2-3weeks and my oldest brother deciding to 'help me'? Asks our dad if he would love me any less for being gay. I lose it I get a bit hysterical and start laughing cause for no reason that I can figure out for now really. I hear our middle brother make some comment that I couldnt quite hear but the tone was like an exhausted really vibe to it? And cue our dad saying of course not and trying to talk again about how I should have called and I try again explaining that I cant trust that easily after being alone with mom for basically 8 years and him then trying to tell me that hes not her.

So my family does not understand feelings well but they're there for me apparently and dont hate me ( I still dont fucking believe them). Like they are saying they dont but I haven't really seen any reason to believe that or a sign of unconditional love. I always feel like I'm merely tolerated and on the edge of circles ready to be pushed out at the wrong word.

I still haven't 'come out' to our mom yet and I dont think I'll tell her face to face, she can find out through facebook. I still have so much anxiety about all of this and it's to the point were it's an overall feeling of nothing but with a premonition of something not right or anxiety about something bad happening.

#lgbtq #coming out #gay #wlw #Anxiety #depression #childhood trauma #bad parenting #brothers #family issues #personal

[blueskies989-blog]

For pride awareness month.... My story and by all means isn't an easy story to tell. (Left picture) taken in 2012 and (Right picture) taken in 2018.

I've always felt different in my own skin growing up. I love being in boys clothes and looking like a girl in anyway. I hated when people referred to me as a girl. I was so jealous of my brother for all thing "Boy" things he could do that I couldn't. (Wearing the clothes and wearing no shirt.)

My mother never liked me wearing T-shirts or guys clothes, or jeans all the time. She always wanted me to wear girly clothes and I hated it. She would takes me clothes shopping, but only for clothes she approved of. (You know how well that turned out) I always hated it. I could never wear what I wanted. I could never feel the way I wanted. Yes! I liked having my long hair, but it felt more like I was being forced to have long hair because if I had short hair in middle school and high school I would have gotten bullied bad.

My father never seemed to care what I wore as long as I was happy. It wasn't till after after my senior pictures that I cut my hair all off. But even with short hair I still didn't feel happy. I still felt confused. I always thought I way a tomboy, but soon realized I was much more than that. Then I met this person in college. Renae and her little son Caleb were at the college. Little did I know she would change my life forever. She gave me more information about the LGBTQ world. (I was already going to the LGBTQ center but I had a falling out and stopped going.) She helped me realize that I for sure wasn't straight by any means. At first I was nervous. I tried to come out as gay and I had alot of people ok with that. But I still felt scared. I was so nervous that I tried to go back into the closet. It didn't work for very long, I still felt like I was lying.

So I thought maybe I was trans, so I went through different names. I went by Eric and Andrew for a while (Andrew is my drag name) but it still didn't feel right. My fiance was supportive through he whole thing. Meanwhile, while I'm going through all this I had a falling out with some family members who were not excepting of me trying to figure myself out. I just stopped talking to them all together because I didn't need the drama in my life. I had a falling out with an old high school friend for the same reason...And even with my ex roommate (for different reason, but it came into play for this story) I even had a falling out with Renae but even with that something good came out of that.

We had a falling out but before that she even warned me about my family members and at first i didn't believe her, but when I did my life turned out so much better. Renae show her true colors and even got me into drag, but with my health issues lately I have had to put that on hold. ugh! But when I saw my first drag show I met Matt, and I felt amazing. He and I talked about our experiences, and it was awesome. He made me feel proud to be Bi. Finally when I came out as Bisexual and Bigender (which is when I wake up ether very girly or in a manly mood) I was so much happier. I felt like the real me was finally born. Then I started going by Skylar. (My full name is Skylar Riley Quinn) but after I saw Hamilton. I changed the spelling of my name to Schuyler (Riley Quinn) I was so much happier. I was so much happier. I felt complete. I contemplated on changing my Facebook name from Amy Maryanski, to Schuyler Quinn. I was nervous, but I took the step and changed it. I finally felt complete. I felt like who I was meant to be. I'm so thankful for my fiance who had been so supportive through my transition. I'm thankful for Renae who has helped me find my real self and introduced me to Drag and most of all Matt who has had a big impact on me and how ot be even more proud of being my real self. I'm thankful for Edward, Lisa and their 2 girls for accepting me for me, and letting me be my true self. I couldn't be for thankful for that.

I'm now proud to say August 31,2014 is when I came out of the closet.I'm proud to say I'm Schuyler Quinn and I'm Bisexual and Bigender.

*All hate comments will be deleted and if you don't like me sharing my story you can just defriend because I want you to be accepting not hating.*

[transracialqueer]

Five Potential Side Effects of Transracial Adoption

by Sunny J Reed

A trans- anything nowadays is controversial, but one trans- we don’t hear enough about are transracial adoptees. This small but vocal population got their title from being adopted by families of a different race than theirs — usually whites. But adoption, the so-called #BraveLove, comes with a steep price; often, transracial adoptees grow up with significant challenges, partly due to the fact that their appearance breaks the racially-homogenous nuclear family mold.

I am transracially adopted. My work is an outgrowth of my experience, research, and conversations with other members of the adoption triad; that is, adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. This piece is a response to the misunderstandings and assumptions surrounding transracial adoption, and I hope it brings awareness to some rarely-discussed side-effects of the practice. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, by any means, these are just a few of the struggles that many transracial adoptees grapple with on a daily basis.

1. Racial Identity Crises, or “You Mean I’m Not White?”

Racial identity crises are common among transracial adoptees: what’s in the mirror may not reflect which box you want to check. I grew up in a predominantly white town that barely saw an Asian before — let alone an Asian with white parents. Growing up, I’d forget about my Korean-ness until I’d pass a mirror or someone slanted their eyes down at me, reminding me that oh yeah, I’m not white.

There’s a simple explanation for this confusion: “As members of families that are generally identified as white,” writes Kim Park Nelson, “Korean adoptees are often assimilated into the family as white and subsequently assimilated into racial and cultural identities of whiteness.”

Being raised in an ethnically-diverse area with access to culturally-aware individuals would help keep external reactions in check, but still belies the race-based role you’re expected to play in public. Twila L. Perry relates an anecdote illustrating the complexities of being black but raised in a white family:

“A young man in his personal statement identified himself as having been adopted and reared by white parents, with white siblings and mostly all white friends. He described himself as a Black man in a white middle-class world, reared in it and by it, yet not truly a part of it. His skin told those whom he encountered that he was Black at first glance, before his personality-shaped by his upbringing and experiences-came into play.”

Positive racial identity formation might be transracial adoption’s greatest challenge since much of the dialogue related to race and color begins at home. Multiracial and interracial families sometimes have difficulties finding the language to discuss this problem, so it’s an uphill climb for transracial parents (Same Family, Different Colors is a great study on this).

Parents can begin by talking openly about their child’s race. Acknowledging differences is not racist, nor does it draw negative attention to your child’s unique status in your family. Instead, being honest about it places your child on the path to self-acceptance.

2. Forced Cultural Appreciation (à la “Culture Camps”)

Picture culture camp like band camp (no, not quite the band camp talked about in American Pie). The big difference is that, unlike band camp, culture camp expects you to learn heritage appreciation in the span of just one week instead of how to better tune your trumpet. Sometimes adoption agencies sponsor such programs, designed to immerse an adoptee in an intense week or two of things like ethnic food, adoptee bonding, and talks with real people of your race, as opposed to you, the poseur.

These camps often get the side-eye — and rightfully so. Critics argue that “fostering cultural awareness or ethnic pride does not teach a child how to deal with episodes of racial bias.”

Much like part-time church-going does little in the way of earning your way to the Pearly Gates, once-yearly visits with people that look like you won’t make you a real whatever-you-are. I know culture camps aren’t going away, so a better solution would be using these events as supplements to whatever you’re doing at home with your child, not as the sole source of heritage awareness. And yes, racial self-appreciation should be a lifelong project.

3. Mistaken Identities -aka — “I’m Not the Hired Help”

Transracial adoptees’ obvious racial differences provoke brazen inquiries regarding interfamilial relationships. Having “How much did she cost?” and “Is she really your daughter?” asked over your head while being mistaken for your brother’s girlfriend does not contribute to positive self-image. It publically questions your place in the only family you’ve ever known, setting the stage for insecure attachments and self-doubt.

Mistaken identities aren’t just awkward, they’re insulting. Sara Docan-Morganinterviewed several Korean adoptees regarding what she describes as “intrusive interactions,” and found that “participants reported being mistaken for foreign exchange students, refugees, newly arrived Korean immigrants, and housecleaners. [One adoptee] recalled going to a Christmas party where someone approached her and said, ‘Welcome to America!’”

Obvious racism aside, transracial adoptees often find themselves having to validate their existence, which is something biological children are unlikely to face. Docan-Morgan suggests that parents’ responses to such interactions can either reinforce family bonds or weaken them, so expecting the public’s scrutiny and preparing for it should be a crucial piece in transracial adoptive parent education.

4. Well-Meaning, Yet Unprepared Parents

Sure, they’ll be issued a handy guide (here’s one from the 1980s) on raising a non-white you, but beyond a few educational activities and get-togethers with other transracial families, they’re on their own (unless online forums count as legitimate resources).

Some parents may good-heartedly acknowledge your heritage by providing dolls and books and eating your culture’s food. Others may mistakenly adopt a colorblind attitude, believing they don’t see color; they just see people. But, as Gina Miranda Samuels says, “Having a certain heritage, being given books or dolls that reflect that heritage, or even using a particular racial label to self-identify are alone insufficient for developing a social identity.”

Regarding colorblindness, Samuels explains that it risks “shaming children by signaling that there is something very visible and unchangeable about them (their skin, hair, bodies) that others (including their own parents) must overlook and ignore in order for the child to be accepted, belong, or considered as equal.”

As mentioned in point #1 above, talking about color while acknowledging your child’s race in a genuine, proactive way can counteract these problems. This means white parents must acknowledge their inability to provide the necessary skills for surviving in a racialized world; sure, it might mean admitting a parenting limitation, but working through it together might help your child feel empowered instead of isolated. Talking to transracial adoptees — not just those with rosy perspectives — will be an invaluable investment for your child.

I’d also suggest that white parents admit their privilege. White privilege in transracial adoption is beautifully covered by Marika Lindholm, herself a mother of transracially adopted children. Listening to these stories, despite their rawness, will help you become a better parent. By acknowledging that you may take for granted that being part of a societal majority can come with dominant-culture benefits, you open your mind to the fact that your transracial child may not experience life in the same way as you. It doesn’t mean you love your adopted child any less — but as a parent, you owe it to your child to prepare yourself.

5. Supply and Demand

During the early decades of transracial adoption (1940–1980), racial tensions in the United States were so high that few people considered adopting black babies. People clamored for white babies, leaving many healthy black children aging in the system. (Sadly, this still happens today.) And since adoption criteria limited potential parents to affluent white Christians, blacks encountered near insurmountable adoption roadblocks.

Korea offered an easy solution. “Compared to the controversy over adopting black and Native American children,” says Arissa H. Oh, author of To Save the Children of Korea, “Korean children appeared free of cultural and political baggage…Korean children were also seen as free in another important sense: abandoned or relinquished by faraway birth parents who would not return for their child.”

After the Korean War, adopting Korean babies became a form of parental patriotism — kind of like a bastardized version of rebuilding from within. During this time, intercountry adoption fulfilled a political need as well as a familial one. Eleana H. Kim makes this connection as well: “Christian Americanism, anti-Communism, and adoption were closely tied in the 1950s, a period that witnessed a proliferation of the word “adoption” in appeals for sponsorship and long-distance fostering of Korean waifs and orphans.”

Although we’ve seen marked declines in South Korean adoptions, intercountry and transracial adoptions continue today, retaining some of their politically-motivated roots and humanitarian efforts. We need to keep this history in mind since knee-jerk emotional adoptions — despite the time it takes to process them — have serious repercussions for the children involved.

But we can make it better

None of this implies that transracial adoption is evil. Not at all. Consider this missive as more of a PSA for those considering adoption and a support piece for those who are transracially adopted. I’m aware that I’ll receive a lot of pushback on my work, and that’s okay. I’m writing from the perspective of what I call the “original transracial adoption boom,” and I consider myself part of one the earliest generations of transracial adoptees. Advancements in the field, many spurred by adoptees like myself, have contributed to many positive changes. However, we still have work to do if we’re going to fix an imperfect system based on emotional needs and oftentimes, one-sided decision making.

(source in the notes)

#transracial #transracial adoption #adoption #racism #transracial adoptees #this is pretty good #tq posts #long post

[oracleofapollo]

Questions about me

So today is my birthday. 26 and officially over a quarter century. So I thought I’d post questions often asked about myself and how I came to be Hellenic and all. Seems very befitting with my “question” post being what really kick started everything for me. So here we go!

“How old were you when you decided Hellenic Poly was your path?”

A: 14. I had been searching for what religion, if any, fit me since I was 6 and had many run ins with it, such as I found Thanatos when I was 12, but it wasn’t until I was 14 that I really thought of it as a path and wanted to take it.

“Did you ever think you didn’t want to be Hellenic?”

A: Yes. In middle school when I was still searching my world history class went over Greek Mythology but was very... well distorted on the myths and made me legitimately feel “I don’t want anything to do with that craziness”. That changed quickly when I started my own research. Now don’t get me wrong. Even at this time I adored Thanatos and felt very close to many of Hephaestus’s stories but at the same time my teacher did a shit poor job of telling correct versions of the stories and often confused roman stories with Greek stories. When corrected she’d say “same circus” and just continued on. Which made it hard to really get to understand either well.

“When did you first notice your gift as an oracle?”

A: Before I was Hellenic and didn’t realize til after. To clarify. When I was in elementary school I often talked about a woman name Aurora who I said was goddess over light “or something” and a man named Arion, who I said was an ocean god. My mom and a few of my childhood friends remembered me doing this often, but hey every kid has invisible friends, so no thoughts were put into it until I retold the stories to an adult friend and all. We laughed and said it’d be funny if Aurora was the Roman goddess and Eos’s counterpart, but had no idea about any god named Arion. Doing some research we found two results. An Horse gifted with speech who was believed to be a child of Poseidon and Demeter and may or may not have had a human like form, and a myth about Arion and the Dolphins. Looking at it now with the knowledge I have I believe these “imaginary” friends were my first draw to gods outside of what I was raised to know.

“What are you wanting to do as an oracle?”

A: My only real goal with being an oracle is to do what I’m already doing. Helping others connect to the gods and find themselves within their journey through this path, whether it’s for life or only a short period. 

“Do you believe in all the myths?”

A: Eh? See these myths have been told for centuries and translated and passed down through word of mouth, which we all know is a game of telephone. So yes and no. There’s no myth that I’ll be like “this has never happened! How dare you think it did!” I don’t know. I wasn’t there for it. But at the same time I wasn’t there so for all I know someone decided to tell a story one drunken night and it was spread like truth. I believe we should take the myths with a grain of salt. No matter what they are amazing stories about the gods that I love dearly and it shows many sides of them. Which is simply amazing to me. If they happened or not they provide a glimpse at history and the lives my beloved gods may have lived. For that I love all the myths dearly. Believe them fully without doubt? I can’t say yes, but I do believe that at least pieces of the stories hold truths. 

“How did you family react to your choice?”

A: So i was born and raised Catholic. I was baptized and had a holy communion and the whole nine yards. However neither my mom or dad really cared when I announced I didn’t want to be catholic or when I announced I believed in the Greek gods. My dad was a realist and told me point blank it was probably best not to bring it up in conversation with some family members and my mom “cheered” me on. She kind of doesn’t understand it and often asked me to “ask my goddesses for prayers” when something happens. Like if someone is in the hospital and my grandma starts a prayer line in her church. My mom thinks it works the same way with my gods and I often have to explain that my gods don’t really “answer prayers”. then she gets confused and its a whole explaining that offerings need to be made and they may or may not take interest and that really I doubt a catholic family member wants me asking my “barbarian” gods helping them. Outside of my immediate family I got mixed reactions. My very Catholic, church going grandmother supported me. She understood that everyone thinks differently and let me explain to her the bare minimal just to assure her it has nothing to do with “satan” or “devil worship” and has told me many times she is proud of what I do. My uncle isn’t too keen on it He still loves me and has been the most active family member in my life, but that’s only because when I was 16 me and him were stuck in a care for 3 hours driving to my dad’s and we had nothing but to talk things through to do. I explained where I was coming from, why I believed in my gods, and that in no way does this mean I don’t respect his beliefs or believe my gods are the only gods. He did try to convert me back, but quickly realized I made this choice with knowledge on my side and let it go. Everyone else either doesn’t care or has never cared for me enough to actually ask about my life. 

“What was the deciding factor for you”

A: A lot of you who are still on the fence ask me this. What made me go “yes this is my path”. The answer? Well to be honest it had nothing to do with the gods. I love my gods and they helped me find the religion and are helping me through it. But what was the final factor was the morals and beliefs lined up with mine. The belief that the world changes and we need to keep our minds open and allow for philosophy and science to explain things. The belief that we all play a host-guest relationship at all times and should respect it at all times. The belief that yes we have gods and they will always be better than any mortal, but they still have flaws. They still make mistakes and learn and grow. They aren’t all knowing or all powerful. One single god can not rule all by himself. There is always balance. Always multiple powers playing in to make our world and our gods grow. That’s just so amazing and beautiful and made me reveal in the fact that this is the path for me. this is where I fit. In a religion that is equal parts pure belief and cold hard science. In a religion that has something for everyone. Where no one isn’t good enough. Where no life choice or way of being is faulted or looked at as not good enough for our gods. In a religion where you can be a strong minded woman, a proud gay, stunning gender fluid, black, white, yellow, male, female, trans, confident, shy, mentally stable, or fighting an unseen battle. It doesn’t matter because there is a god or goddess who will love you for who you are and there are others who are like you or who are your exact opposite and still adore you and see you as someone deserving of the gods and their love and acceptance. That beauty right there is what made the final choice easy.

#question #hellenistic #hellenic polytheism #hellenic #hellenism #Hellenismos #theoi #oracle #greek gods #happybirthdayme

[eddiemunsonspantschain]

Mini rant on how I’m doing today down under the read more. You absolutely don’t have to read it or respond. I just wanna word vomit somewhere. Pls be safe today.

I’ve been having a dilemma. For a little back story. All my life I have been the “Black sheep” of my family. Literally as I am a goth in a conservative family. Since I was a young pre-teen I was told to change. Family members would question why I look the way I do and why I like the things I like. Even going as far as telling my parents they should get me to change. I was told to be like my c ousins. Dress nice,not dramatic. Speak Greek like a good girl. Eventually date a Greek boy,etc. This family has a lot of expectations.

With the coming Elections I know things will be a nightmare. My family is pro-T all the way and has openly been this way since the last presidential election. My mother,my siblings and I are not this way. We all have always been the ‘outsiders’ in a way. Not fitting into my family’s mold. For that,I’m thankful. But as the only remaining member of this group stuck with the rest of the conservative family (yes,including my father) I am in a tough spot. I’ve been told more than once I should stop getting tattoos and it has been hinted that they are ugly. I’ve been told to stop dying my hair crazy colors and to grow up. They don’t even know I’m Bi. They accept my sister (who is a lesbian and in a loving relationship with a sweet girl) but make lesbian jokes as if they’re funny to anyone other than them. 

Every time politics came up,I stayed out of the situation. I know my ideals don’t line up with theirs. And with my family it isn’t any presidential debate. No. I’m just wrong. And they tell me why I’m wrong and try to change my mind. That isn’t a debate or discussion. That is control. They can not see the toxic and vile things the cheeto has done to this country. They turn a blind eye. The biggest T supporters in my family,of course,are the wealthiest of us all and have always been this way. Not saying wealth is the leading factor to supporting a dictator but damn if it doesn’t help.

When the last presidential election happened I didn’t proudly say I voted Blue. I didn’t flaunt it. For the fact that I didn’t want to have to deal with my family’s backlash. They follow me on social media not to keep up with my but to pretty much see what I’m up to and report back to my father if I do something they didn’t enjoy. I’m tired of keeping quiet. I’m tired of being unliked in my family. I’m tired of being told to change. I’m tired of being around these people that suck so much out of me. It’s a leading cause of why I want to move. I want family (my chosen family) who loves me for who I am and doesn’t ask me to change. My friends on here (Mama Viv,DoeDoe,Von,AJ,J,Emi and Dirt to name a few) love me for who I am and have vocally supported their Goth Wife/Goth Daughter as they call me. Somehow my own blood can’t even have the curtesy to not voice their opinions of me. And recently someone I deemed a best friend (irl) has made it known she openly votes Red twice now and supports the T in office. It blows my mind as she isn’t that different from me. Tattoos,piercings,dyed hair and kinky af. Any Republican would turn their nose at her. And she does nothing to educate herself. She only goes off of what she hears from Facebook and most of the time her sentences begin with “Facebook/someone at the bar told me.” this isn’t right. She refuses to properly educate herself and the first time a red flag went off for me was when the BLM movement first began (and is still ongoing). She never posted about it once and at one point said it was too “messy” and she didn’t want to be a part of it. Yet claims to be friends with one of my best friends,a black trans man. It has bothered me for some time now. I love her. She’s supported me. But I can’t take the ignorance. I refuse to. So I’m distancing myself from her because i can’t stomach to be friends with someone who would ignore so much hate along with the plans that her beloved president want to do that directly affect her. 

This Election day I am proudly showing that I’m voting Blue. I’m voting Biden. It will cause waves in my family. Especially if things don’t go how we want. I’m stuck here until I have the funds to move (whenever that will fucking be). I’ve even considered making a donation thing on my page and doing commissions of some sort or opening a shop. I need to get out of here. So please,go vote today. Be kind to one another. Those that are POC or LGBTQ pls be careful. Vote and stay inside. We don’t know what might happen today.

#Rampage Rants #I've not been ok for awhile bc of this shit #I just as ready to cry and pull my hair out

[heavymetalhexcode]

Paladin Character Analysis

Here I am once again where I should be doing something productive yet thinking about Voltron. I am hyped for season 5! The thing on my mind today is an analysis of the Voltron crew’s personalities, largely viewed through the ways I can relate to them (or not). Each character is very archetypal, but I think the show does a reasonable job of throwing in a bit more complexity, allowing a lot of very different people to see different qualities that they admire or possess. That's how people decide they like fictional characters, after all. I've ordered this list roughly in order of how much I identify with or think I understand each person.

More after the cut. Much more.

Lance

Water. This is my element. It ebbs and flows, displaying equal gentleness and strength as befits the situation, and Lance has proven he is a versatile member of the team. The scene where he told Coran he misses rain really stuck with me – rain on the roof is possibly the most relaxing sound I can think of.

He's fun and lighthearted, often cracking jokes and trying to make the others smile. I find humor is often the best way for me to deal with stress or grief. Immediately upon coming out of the cryo pod, he makes a joke about Allura asking him on a date – and yes, I do believe that was a joke -- which shifts the tone of the conversation away from grievous injury. In the space mall, he jumps to help Pidge find the money for the game console so they could have something fun to do in the Castle. The blue lion is probably the most welcoming and friendly of the bunch, something that I strive to be despite being kind of terrible at dealing with people, and I'm sure that my first flight in a lion would have looked a lot like his. Despite putting up a front of confidence and cheer, he's insecure about his role on the team. It's only after he receives explicit recognition from his idol Shiro that he begins to feel confident in his skills. Even then he still has doubts, so much so that he offers to step aside for Allura.

Overcompensating. Absolutely. He likes girls, sure, but he's also way too overt about it. It's possible that he really is just that flirty, but I think he's overplaying it to draw attention away from something else, either intentionally or not. It could be that he's still figuring out or uncomfortable with his sexuality (there's just enough Klance chemistry that I would believe it if the show went that way), but it might just be that he's being loud, boisterous, and obnoxious to draw attention away from the fact that he's not always a carefree party boy. It's hard to say right now, but I bet we'll be getting some clues down the line. Personally I like the idea of a bi character on Voltron, and Lance fits the mold for someone still in the closet.

Lance's self-care routine is an awesome inversion of typical gender roles.  I think he and Hunk (cooking) are the only ones we've seen with noteworthy feminine-coded interests, and you know who's not about that "girly" life? Pidge! Allura is more typically effeminate than Pidge, which is fine, but I love that not being the only kind of femininity we see on the crew. It can be hard for a guy to accept having feminine interests, and Lance being comfortable doing so shows that either a) he really cares about making a good impression and strives to be well groomed or b) he don't give a shit what you think and will pamper himself if he wants. Possibly both.

Pidge

Nature! Technology! It seems conflicted! I'm a computer scientist who loves to unplug for a few days and go hiking or whatever. These two seemingly opposite interests in a person can absolutely blend, and it was great to see her realize that on Olkarion.

Machines > people. One of the primary reasons I decided to become a programmer, and I'm pretty sure the same is at least partly true for Pidge. She was a misfit at school because she was driven to learn (and possibly some other stuff), made fun of for her intelligence, and appears to have withdrawn from people to work on computers. I didn't have to deal with a lot of that, and I'm very thankful for the environment I had in my schools growing up. She needed the team to help draw her out of her shell, and now her friends are a surrogate family. Apparently, a lot of people like to characterize her as ace because she's a nerd, and while I agree with the ace bit, I argue it's actually the other way around.  Computers don't ostracize you because they don't understand you. Computers won't mock you or tell you that you just "haven't found the right person yet." I know some ace folks who have told me what it's like to grow up with that crap, and I'm not surprised Pidge gave up on people. I also headcanon her as trans, which is yet another possible source of social issues. That bathroom moment at the mall? Very telling.

The way she reacts to alien technology may look over the top, but let me tell you, an elegantly written algorithm is one of the most beautiful things in the universe. AI is exciting! The materials are exciting! There's so much shiny technology to explore out there!

Shiro

He is in his 30s. I will fight you. I know it's only supposed to be an age gap of a few years, but his appearance, behavior, and voice all make me believe he is older than canon. 

Good lord, this man needs a therapist! Shiro is so busy supporting the rest of the team and helping them through the zillion difficult situations this war has gotten them into that he hasn't taken time to deal with his own demons. He needs that. He's put things behind him, sure, and we're not seeing his PTSD so much anymore, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. He managed to shove it all away in a corner and stop looking at it. It'll be interesting to see what Sendak's return does to his mental health. Poor Space Dad.

Shiro is my favorite paladin. Hands down. I'm very drawn to dad figures, and he's attractive to boot. He's confident, a quick thinker, and does a remarkable job keeping emotions in check and leading with logic without being perfect. We get to see that even he has his limits with Slav and Sendak. He supports his team, knows their strengths, and doesn't force anyone to do things they don't want to. We've seen gallows humor from him as well as bad sound effects, and when he thinks he might die, he names his replacement to be sure that the team won't feel lost when he's gone. I'm also pretty sure he and I handle emotional stress in similar ways: poorly.

On the subject of stress as relates to shipping, I have thoughts. Shiro is hurting hard, and he needs someone he feels close enough to that he can confide his pain in them. I've been in a similar situation (to a lesser degree), pushing things away and bottling emotions up until it did very bad things for me. It took the kind of trust I could only form with my SO to start learning how to lean on someone else, and even now, years later and in a much better place, I can only think of three people I consider confidants. (Yes, I am absolutely projecting here, but) I wouldn't be surprised if Shiro has similar difficulties opening up. There isn't anyone he feels comfortable talking to yet, and he might need a stronger bond than the one between friends and teammates before he can. Unfortunately for our black paladin, I have a hard time picturing him with anyone currently available. The age/maturity gap that I can't get over immediately rules out the younger paladins. Besides, they're his kids. If Shiro is going to get into a relationship, he needs someone who can give him the kind of support he extends to everyone else, not someone who looks up to him like a father figure. Next choice? Allura, but they're both too focused on the war. They've got bigger things to worry about than dating, and neither will probably even think about such things until after they've won. Maybe a someday option, but not now. Coran? Just... no. Despite needing a deeper relationship in a bad way, I think Shiro is too private, focused, and traumatized right now to even think about it.

Can I just say I love watching him fight? It's beautiful. He's very fast, fluid, and in the other guy's face. Always very well animated, too.

Hunk

I love Hunk. Dude's awesome. He reminds me a lot of my sister: obsessed with food, just wants to be comfy, a little high strung when things don't go according to plan. No wonder he and Lance are bros. Not a lot of character depth for him yet, which makes me sad. Seems like Hunk is mostly played for laughs, so I appreciate that he was suspicious of Rolo and Nyma instead of any of the others. Of course, Hunk is also pretty stable as a person, so he's not in need of as much growth as the rest of the paladins. He's a solid grounding presence (ha ha) for them.

Keith

Keith is... difficult. I have a hard time getting into his head. He's a rebel; I'm not really. His anger is hot; I think mine is cold. He needs to figure out his family to know who he is; I couldn't do that until I got away from mine. He obviously cares about his teammates, and they're probably the closest thing to a functional family he's ever had. I wish we had gotten to see him struggle and grow more in a leadership role. While he is too reckless to be a good leader, the consequences of those disastrous first missions should have helped him do better. Instead there was an irritating time skip and OH YEAH KEITH'S TOTES IN THE BLADE. I wish that time had been handled better.

That said, he's doing well in the Blade. I like him there. There's more room for personal responsibility and the snap decision making that he likes to do. It's letting him stay in his comfort zone instead of pushing him to improve like leading Voltron would have, so pros and cons, but that was not a role that suited him. He'll find opportunities that are better for him. Even after real Shiro comes back and they beat the stuffing out of Kuron, I think staying with Marmora would be better for Keith.

Allura

I WISH SHE HAD MORE DEVELOPMENT. This gal kicks ass. I love her. She's not your standard princess in some ways, but she's also been their magic plot device more than once. Alteans are chameleons? Let's see that referenced again, please! The Balmera thing? Sweet, but I wish we knew more about that too. Is that a royal thing only? Could Coran do a ceremony? Probably not to save the whole creature, but I don't see why he wouldn't be able to do it on a smaller scale. Haggar/Honerva does magic stuff, too, which either tells us magic isn't just a royal thing or it's a result of messing with quintessence. Hard to say.

The mice? Much Disney princess. Such wow. Useful little buggers, though.

She really is the heart of Voltron, and she's the commander of the war effort as well. Devoted as hell. She killed her dad a second time for the war. She got (partly) over her Galra grudge for the war. She's been a diplomat, a support pilot, and a paladin for the war. Allura is cool.

Coran

He's the goofy uncle whose prime function is watching out for Allura. Flair for the dramatic. Not really much to say here. Nice 'stache.

#voltron #too much time on my hands #character analysis

[ktaebwi]

[TRANS] ‘WINGS’ Concept Book Interview - V

 © floofyjimin KRN - ENG © ktaebwi

『 When I first debuted, I couldn’t even think there would be this many fans liking us, they vote for us a lot, send us a lot of supportive messages and letters. Every of those small hearts came together and turned BTS into a big tree, letting us bring good music, good performances and good sides of us. 』

How did you work on your solo song “Stigma”? “I have been wanting to make some kind of jazzy music like this one. I also enjoy stuffs like the movie <Born To Be Blue>. I composed and wrote the lyrics for the chorus myself and told them ‘I want it to have this kind of feeling’, then the producers made the intro and the bridge based on it for me.”

Was it hard taking a whole song on yourself? “Truthfully the stage was beyond my capacity. I don’t think I can fill the stage all by myself. I need to work on it, but it still remains a homework for me.”

What kind of performance do you want to create if you can one day? “It’s just my imagination but I want to sing on the stage alongside a trumpeter or pianist. I really like lyrical music, so I hope instead of being an exciting song, my song can be healing to people.”

You don’t look nervous at all when standing on the stage with other members. “First of all, I often try ad libbing so I don’t feel nervous about it. Actually I don’t quite like when everything’s set in place, so I get more nervous if it’s scripted or planned out. Also, when performing ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’, I only had one thought in my mind, to be as charming and as sexy as possible. It was a little different from previous BTS songs, but that didn’t make performing on the stage hard or awkward. Just go with it, this was my mindset. (laughs)”

Do you yourself think you did well? “(laughs) No, not up to that level. Should I say it’s more like ‘At least people can somehow watch my performance’? I don’t know if I did well or not, but I think so far my performance still can’t capture the hearts of all the audience.”

Aren’t you being too humble? “I’m sensitive about my performance. I think the members are the same too. We have to judge our performance with a cool head. We change our expressions and gestures every stage but there’s always a lot of regrets left. What should I do to be able to fully dominate the stage? I’m curious.”

It has been quite a long time since you started to be active under the name of BTS, you must have gotten really well with the members at this point. “It’s like we were made for each other, we’re extremely close. When the 7 of us get together we’re seriously noisy, we can chat about the same subject for 3 hours. Suga-hyung surprisingly talks the most when it comes to a subject he knows well. (laughs) And personally, I have learned a lot about how to communicate with the members, or the limit to not cause them inconvenience.”

Do you play around less? “Comparing to before, I really do. I originally played around a lot with the hyungs off stage. But now I plan to act calmly if there are other people around. Rather than saying it’s because I have to manage my image, I would say it’s because I don’t want to be seen as an easy person.”

There was a time when you had to do both BTS’ activities and acting at the same time. “Both took a lot of energy so it was a little hard to balance things out. I had to film <Hwarang> while going on tour, and even had to leave for the tour between shoots. I didn’t want to hear anything like ‘He neglected BTS’ activities to film the drama’, or ‘He said he would do activities with BTS but he mostly just filmed his drama’. In the end I didn’t hear it at all. If I did anything wrong, it would all reflect on the whole image of BTS, so I worked even more earnestly.”

It must have been very stressful. “There certainly were stressful times, but I couldn’t use the excuse of having to film a drama to show I’m tired when the other members were also working hard on the tour. And the members helped me a lot too. Whenever they asked ‘Are you tired these days?’, it became my consolation. I used that strength to work even harder. Actually there wasn’t any physical problem. I originally don’t sleep much so sleeping a little less wasn’t that hard.”

What are the members to V? “My family? Because they’re always beside me. They always help me, support me and look after me. They’re the ones who know every detail of me. Sometimes I even think of them as my parents. The members probably don’t know it though. (laughs)”

Seems like you don’t say that directly. “Yes. I would like to use this chance to say few words to Rap Monster-hyung. First of all, I want to thank him for making BTS. BTS wouldn’t exist without hyung. I want to say thank you for doing the leader role so well too. Actually, he could just talk like a leader and act like the other members, but Rap Monster-hyung is different. He takes responsible for bad things by himself and shares good things with us. Hyung is also the bridge connecting us and the company. It must have made him stressed out and hurt a lot, but hyung doesn’t show it at all. He takes it all on himself. He is the best in this world to me. Even though when he comes back to the dorm, he breaks or spills something and loses his stuffs. (laughs) I think it’s thanks to Rap Monster-hyung creating the atmosphere that the members can get along this well.”

What are you to Rap Monster? “Honestly I think I let him down a lot. I’ll be careful in the future. Even if I make just a small mistake, the public won’t accept it easily.”

Does it mean you don’t want to disappoint the fans? “Yes. It takes a long time for fruits to grow on a tree. You have to keep watering it, looking after it and growing it with your whole heart. Only then can it become a healthy tree. When I first debuted, I couldn’t even think there would be this many fans liking us, they vote for us a lot, send us a lot of supportive messages and letters. Every of those small hearts came together and turned BTS into a big tree, letting us bring good music, good performances and good sides of us. It’s like a really beautiful tree with golden fruits. I want to pick even better fruits and give it to our fans. I need to show how the tree is slowly growing more and more.”

It can be said that your goal became clearer thanks to the fans. “I want to become a singer who can make ARMYs proud. A singer whose fans can go anywhere saying ‘My idol is BTS’ and people around would marvel ‘Wow’.”

Aren’t you doing that already? “I want to work harder. After all, we have big dreams. (laughs)”

#bts #bangtan #taehyung #ot7 #cncptbook #translation #trans:interview #i need to have a status bar i posted too much today X(( #i posted bts interview with seventeen magazine earlier so check that out if you haven't read it yet!! #it's really cute X(( #also thank you to everyone who offered to help; i will forever be grateful <3 #thank you to the anon who informed me this scan (?) source too!! (ToT)

[loudlytransparenttrash]

The left’s perversion of children

An eight-month-old Canadian baby who is female, is the first child in the world to have their gender marked as “unknown” on official documents. The baby will have a “U” (for “undetermined” or “unassigned”) in place of an “M” or an “F”. The baby’s mother, or father, or whatever they call themselves, also refuses to be defined by any single gender. 

A father forces his eight-year-old daughter to recite hands up don’t shoot and to believe that black people are being hunted and gunned down by racist white people to the point where she bursts into tears with fear and confusion. Another child is forced into tears when her mom tells her that she will be targeted by police because of her skin color. The same series shows a mom teaching her daughter that Republicans hate women and black people, they also find it hilarious teaching their kids how to masturbate and how to have sex.

A mother forced her three-year-old son to start ballet dancing as punishment for liking boy things. It all stemmed from one day, she says, she handed her son a flower and he said he did not want it. His other crimes involved not liking Frozen and pink popsicles. The mother thinks that if her three-year-old son rejects random feminine tastes now, he’ll reject concepts like “kindness and decency” in the future and she fears he will not respect women.

A Texas mom has demanded for her local kindergarten to allow her five-year-old “transgender daughter” to use the girl’s bathroom. The kindergarten has gender neutral bathroom options available but this is not good enough, as the mom believes that not using the girls’ bathroom would affect her child’s well being. 

A new teaching aid is telling school children that terrorists kill people because they believe they are “treated unfairly and not shown respect,” and related terrorists struggles to the women’s Suffragettes movement, saying “The Suffragettes used violence and were called terrorists. Today many people think of them as brave women and admire their struggle.” Talking About Terrorism recommends teachers “invite children to write a letter to a terrorist” to better understand their cause which will lead to “greater tolerance.”

A Canadian province has passed a law that gives rights to the government to take away children from families that don’t accept their kid’s chosen “gender expression.”

I can’t even find the words to describe this one, just watch.

Lesbian gender non-comforming moms are raising their two-year-old son to also be genderless. Buzzfeed celebrated them in this video as they laugh about forcing their son to wear dresses as he cries “no!” and teaching him that the little boys and girls in his books aren’t really boys and girls and oh, they’re also shocked that even after raising him to be genderless, their son still acts like a boy.

The author of a children’s coloring book has invented a character named “Toni the Tampon” to instruct children that men can menstruate. Cass Clemmer, the author of The Adventures of Toni the Tampon, has been using her coloring book character to “destigmatize” menstruation. Now, however, she also wants to “de-gender” the female biological process and to persuade children that men get periods too.

Transgender activists are furious a documentary was aired featuring an expert who believes that helping children with gender issues feel comfortable in their own bodies is preferable to encouraging them to mutilate and distort themselves into believing they are the opposite sex. Activists concerned about the film Transgender Kids: Who Knows Best? say they fear that the decision to give airtime to the views of Canadian psychologist Kenneth Zucker will “damage the lives of trans children.” Zucker was fired and the world-renowned child gender clinic he ran for 30 years was shut down. 

Parents who oppose their children being forced to share bathrooms and shower rooms with opposite-sex kids must begin “putting aside their prejudices,” says a leading transgender activist. Mara Kiesling and her supporters are pushing for government-enforced nationwide changes in civic practice about sex and kids, even though available data shows fewer than 0.3 percent of the population try to live as members of the opposite sex, and that very few “gender confused” young kids continue their transgender feelings into adulthood.

FCKH8 put several girls as young as six in front of a camera and told them to say ‘fuck’ a lot while they explain to everyone “I shouldn’t need a penis to get paid,” “which one of us will be the one in five who will be raped by a man,” and “our worth comes from the shape of our ass.” The video then shows a boy in a dress, followed by some large woman encouraging people to buy ‘This is what a feminist looks like’ t-shirt.

Mother’s Day is banned from several schools, with children being told they cannot celebrate or create gifts for their mothers in an effort to “celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and also to nurture our students who are part of non-traditional families.”

A government-funded study calls for adjusting a measurement used to determine obesity to correct for differences across ethnic groups. The race-based adjustments lower the Body Mass Index for children of African descent, making them seem thinner. Scientists studied children of various ethnic groups between the ages of 4 and 12, and developed a race-based technique to “adjust” BMI definitions to ethnicity. The new adjustments mean black children are less likely to be classified as overweight or obese than a white child with the same BMI as you know, it’s racist to be honest these days. 

Another school has displayed posters providing messages to its students of support and love. Undocumented students are loved and told that they are safe and there are no walls in this classroom, that black students are loved and their life matters, that Muslim students are loved and are not terrorists, that Mexican students are loved and are not rapists, that LGBT students are loved and are perfect, that female students are loved and that they will not let men grab them. And that’s where the love stops. Missing an entire group of kids…  

Doctors have been told to refer to expectant mothers as “pregnant people” so as not to offend transgender people in official guidelines issued by Medical Associations. The booklet states: “A large majority of people that have been pregnant or have given birth identify as women. However, there are some intersex men and trans men who may get pregnant. We can include intersex men and trans men who may get pregnant by saying “pregnant people” instead of “expectant mothers.”

A video produced by a Rochester family entertainer aims to teach young children to accept adults of the opposite sex entering their bathrooms. In Mr. Loops’ video, he and his wife dance around bathroom stalls with animal character puppets, singing “No matter your gender, we gotta remember, it all comes out the same in the end.” LGBTQ Nation’s assessment applauded it, saying Mr. Loops’ video “explains bathrooms and bigots in the best possible way.”

A father teaches his confused seven-year-old daughter why she isn’t allowed to say all lives matter. Because she is white, she can only say black lives matter. He goes on to explain to her after she tells him she wants to grow up to be like Martin Luther King Jr, that she cannot as she is not oppressed and she is just “another well intentioned white person.” 

Another couple sat their six and eight-year-old children down to tell them that black people are being hunted by police officers, that is why Black Lives Matter exists. They say their child interrupted them as they were giving their lecture, and they snapped, saying “This isn’t the right time for a joke.” As they tucked their daughter into bed, they told her a bed time story of how black people are being targeted and abused by police for no reason, and they took great pride in how progressive and woke their child was when she said she wants to stop police from hurting black people. She concludes, “I realized, with sadness and shame, that, if we had been black, we would have had these conversations long ago.” 

Teachers in California are struggling to calm children down about the election of Donald Trump. At an elementary in San Pablo, a teacher held what’s called a ‘restorative circle’ with about 24 of her nine-year-old students. They each took turns holding a yellow ball and expressed a gamut of emotions from despair to hopelessness about the future under Trump. 

They also love taking children to protests and giving them grown up signs to hold. We see three-year-olds holding signs saying ‘I like unicorns and reproductive health care,’ ’my body my choice,’ ‘GOP Hands Off Me,’ and ‘white silence equals violence’ at the Women’s March and during Black Lives Matter protests, they hold signs saying ‘please don’t shoot,’ ‘no justice no peace,’ ‘my generation is next, don’t shoot.’

A two-year-old boy started dancing like Beyoncé and when his parents asked him if he wanted to be a girl, he said yes. So the boy became a transgender girl. Controversy began in the child’s Minnesota kindergarten when the school decided to teach the other kindergarteners about gender identity and reading them stories about how they can change their gender if they feel like it. Ten kids transferred to another school after they began asking their parents if they could become transexual too. In response to the parents moving their children, LGBT activists lined the kindergarten hallway chanting slogans and holding signs. 

Elementary schools are now holding “Black Lives Matter Day,” after school districts say “By almost every measure, people of color are not treated equally by our society." The school resource toolkit is used to teach lessons like “Looking at Race and Racial Identity Through Critical Literacy in Children’s Books” where coloring book pages that say “Black Youth Matter” are given to the kids and students must go through lessons titled, “Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System.” Students also watch Jesse Williams’ BET speech, as well as formulate responses as to why “All Lives Matter” isn’t a good response. The children will also be recommended websites discussing Michael Brown, as well as encouraged to read things like “White Privilege and Male Privilege” and “Black Lives Matter Syllabus,” which touches on the “moral ethics of black rage and riotous forms of protest,” and “the myth of black on black crime.” 

North Carolina enrolled grade-school students in a “Black Lives March and Rally” where the teachers could opt-in or opt-out their classes, but parents were not given a choice. Stef Bernal-Martinez, a teacher of 6-year-old children, signed up all the children in her class for a “Black Lives March and Rally” to take place during the school day. Ms. Bernal-Martinez describes herself as a “Radical Queer Progressive Educator.” The school’s K-4 Associate Director, Raenel Duncan-Edmonds, brags the school is training “activists.”

After recent terror attacks, a children’s news website created a page for kids to learn about Islamophobia. It begins: “Following recent events in the news you might have been hearing a lot about Islam and maybe the term ‘Islamophobia’ - but what does this mean?” It declares that Islam is peaceful as “The word “Islam” comes from an old Arabic word meaning “peace,” although the following day they were forced to correct themselves, adding “The word “Islam” actually means “submission”, implying submission to Allah.” 

A mother was summoned to her seven-year-old son’s elementary school and was told her son was at the centre of a ‘major incident.’ She was told that the situation was so serious she would have to sign an official form admitting her son was racist. Her son’s crime? Asking another student if he was from Africa. The kid broke down in tears when he was faced with a furious reaction from staff. The mother says, “I was told I would have to sign a form acknowledging my son had made a racist remark, which would be submitted to the local education authority for further investigation.”

An eight-year-old came home from school and asked their mom why she liked Trump when he is a racist and hates women. A headmaster of an elementary school gave a lecture featuring his own brand of politics, alarming the kids about the state of the world. He said he hoped to see his pupils again next week ‘if Trump has not pressed the nuclear button by then’, and sent them home with a newsletter reinforcing his point. 

Bank Street School for Children has a new diversity program that is segregating children based upon their race. The “Racial Justice and Advocacy” program divides children into an “advocacy group” for white students and the “kids of color affinity group.” White children, beginning as early as age 6, are told “they’re born racist,” while students of color are “taught to feel proud about their race” and are given cupcakes and treats white children are denied. “Even white babies are capable of racism,” they say. The program is taught by the school’s director of diversity, Anshu Wahi, described as a “longtime social activist.” Wahi allegedly has also indicated in school presentation slides her desire to give students of color “a dedicated space” to “voice their feelings” and “share experiences about being a kid of color.”

Major stores have decided to remove ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ toy and bedding departments as gender activists believe a child playing with a “stereotypical” toy or a girl sleeping in pink princess bedding sets them on a path of conforming to damaging gender roles. Children are not gender neutral and if these loonies fresh out of their gender study classrooms believe otherwise, that’s probably because most of them have not yet had kids and really have no idea what children want.

A grade three class in Toronto took to the streets with signs and an oversized papier mache oil pipeline to protest the laying of an actual pipeline in western Canada. Also in Toronto, first-graders brought home student planners marked with the international days of zero tolerance on female genital mutilation and ending violence against sex workers. Another school banned best friends because that made other kids feel left out. A six-year-old boy in Denver was suspended for singing the pop anthem I’m Sexy and I Know It to a female classmate, violating the school’s sexual-harassment policy.

Kids are being taught about “male privilege” and shown images of men and women cleaning dishes and playing football as part of a program to break gender stereotypes and reduce domestic violence. The program’s material says children ages six to eight will be taught to chant statements such as “girls can be doctors and can be strong” and “boys can be gentle and can mind babies.” They will also be taught about male privilege, or “automatic, unearned benefits  bestowed upon dominant groups based on gender and race.” 

#sjw1