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But if the earth ends in fire and the seas are frozen in time, there’ll be just one survivor - The memory that I was yours and you were mine

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My Retsuko cosplay from Aggretsuko that I wore to Q-Con this weekend! And I found an amazing Washimi - isn’t the height difference good? xD

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“You’re wonderful…”

this print will be available at my table at ninjacon, June 2nd :’>

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PD

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The Dear Hunter: The Color Spectrum [x]

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im too scared to watch this

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The Engrish version of FFX is still the best thing to ever exist EVER

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I was gonna make Emmy draw this but she said no so I drew it myself.

I’ve never drawn a comic before!

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My three data facial expressions:

1) 100% android mode

2) “We are more alike than unlike, my dear Captain.” (aka naked now data)

3) mid-speech 

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Warrior Women : Martial Artists

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A Woman Put Together a Star Trek Starfleet Uniform Outfit Seemingly by Accident

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Thoughts On Sexual Assault

An Open Letter Concerning Sexual Assault

 Hello everyone,

First of all, I want to unequivocally state that this is not a sob story or a cry for sympathy; I am past that and I don’t want or need it. I just want to put my thoughts, experiences, and the ramifications of past events down on paper, and I am hoping that this letter may help to comfort some of those who read it, and provoke thought from other people.

So to begin: sexual assault is a very grey area; it always has been and it always will be. It’s always someone’s word against the other, and sometimes the parties involved don’t even realised what they are doing is wrong. This is no excuse. For a sexual act to be a sexual assault, one party of the act must be hurt or wronged in some way, and even if the offending party is unaware of the harm they are doing, they are still harming another human being. Now, let me make a few things clear. Hurt feelings because your partner does not cuddle you after sex is not sexual assault. Hurt feelings after your partner performs some sexual act on you when you have stated that you do not want it, or if you have expressed even some minor unwillingness or discomfort before or during the act, may constitute sexual assault.

Now, the areas I want to talk about, or even encourage some debate about are the following:

1)      Sexual assault within a relationship.

2)      The form of sexual assault where one partner feels blackmailed or emotionally pressured into it, even when they are unwilling.

Sexual assault within a relationship is amongst the greyest parts of the grey area that is sexual assault. It is sometimes assumed that within a long term relationship where sex has been a factor, that sex is a commodity that is freely available and should be given, however grudgingly, whenever desired by either party as a sign of respect and love. I am not saying this is the case for all relationships, and I am not saying that it should be the case for relationships that are not like this. The point I am trying to make here is that sometimes, even when one partner is tired or not as turned on as the other, in a relationship, sex can happen anyway, and it is not sexual assault; it can still be enjoyable and fulfilling for both parties. It is assumed to be all consensual and there is no hurt involved; it just might be a bit of an irritation for one of the parties. But there is such a thing as sexual assault, and dare I say rape, within a loving and consensual relationship, and this is a controversial area.

Before I sound too preachy about all this, please remember that I am speaking from experience. So I would like to explain my angle: if your partner expresses that they don’t want to have sex, even after you try to convince them (through foreplay or whatever harmless means), you shouldn’t force yourself on them, no matter how hot and bothered you are feeling. You shouldn’t try to emotionally blackmail or otherwise pressure them into it: even something as small as “I thought I was attractive to you?” can be taken as unreasonable pressure if there is any malignant intent behind it. If that phrase is meant sincerely, and the parties are in a relationship, then there may be a bigger insecurity issue there, however, the other, more hidden meaning behind it may be this: “because you’re not in the mood for sex or for pleasuring me, then you are saying that I am unattractive to you, and you can’t say that because we are in a relationship. I know you find me attractive, and so you have no choice but to do as I want”. This is a very mundane example, but again speaking from experience of it being used on me, it is very effective, and this only illustrates the less grisly end of the scale of emotional manipulation.

I want to reiterate that if you are in a relationship, and just don’t really feel in the mood one night, but want to make your partner happy genuinely, then this isn’t sexual assault. It is when the emotional manipulation comes in that it becomes more twisted.

Now for the other end of the spectrum: if your partner continually expresses that they don’t want to have a certain form of sex because it hurts them, or if they express a desire to take that form of sex slowly because they know you like it, but it is uncomfortable for them, you respect their desires and either don’t do it, or take it slowly.

You are never ever entitled to another human being’s body, and if they consent to a form of sex that they are uncomfortable with because you like it, then you should be very grateful and respect their body. If you know you are hurting your partner at any point during sex when they do not wish to be hurt, then you stop. You should not continue while it’s hurting them more and more. Now one can argue – how do you know if your partner is being hurt against their will? Can they not just try and accuse you afterwards? Well, luckily there are a few solutions to this – safe words, the words ‘no’ & ‘stop’, and the facial expressions of your partner. If your partner genuinely looks uncomfortable, it might be an idea to make sure they are enjoying it. From experience, if your partner is crying, you should stop.

In conclusion, both parties involved in a sexual relationship should respect the other party and remember that they are never ever entitled to their partner’s body. No matter how you are feeling, there is never any excuse to force yourself on your partner against their will, and there is never any excuse to hurt your partner physically or emotionally either in order to get sex, or during the act of sex. If your partner does not make it obvious that they are being hurt, it could be that they are scared of how you will react, or that they are scared that they will make you feel bad for hurting them. Hurt propagates hurt, and so there has to be a degree of honesty and communication in a relationship; so if you even have an inkling of an idea that something you are doing sexually may be hurting your partner, then it is time to talk about it and fix it. If you feel that you will continue hurting your partner, then it may be time to reconsider the relationship.

All the above applies when both parties are not in a relationship also, of course – it is just more of a grey area within a relationship, as parties engaged in a relationship may feel more pressured into sex to keep their partner happy as stated above. I would also like to make it clear that any form of sex where one partner is emotionally pressured into it, however mildly, for your own ends, may be considered sexual assault. Even if you have gained consent, if that consent has been gained through pressure or manipulation of any kind, then it is not right. If all you have heard is ‘yes, okay’, but your partner has felt that they have not been given a choice, or forced into it through guilt or emotional pressure, then it can be considered sexual assault. This does not go for only penetrative sex; this goes for any sexual act, and obviously any gender or sexual orientation.

Thank you for reading my rant, and for giving me a place to put my thoughts into words.

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idk

I don't even know what to do anymore. 

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concept art for a vidyagame im working on with a mate