mercury-and-scry · 2 years ago
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meet Bellamy! a gorgeous woman of the court who has never done anything wrong, in her life, ever. And Sasha too I guess
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lazylittledragon · 8 months ago
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what do you mean youre technically a detransitioner cause of terf bullshit?
it's a v long story but i detransitioned for a couple of years when i was 16/17, for multiple reasons but mostly because i fell into the blaire white/kalvin garrah chamber of "you have to be This way to be trans otherwise you're not real".
i was already Deeply insecure about myself and my 'passing' and i was led to believe that i couldn't want to wear makeup or skirts, and i couldn't choose not to have bottom surgery, and i couldn't do anything but bind for 12+ hours a day to the point that my ribcage is still misshapen. basically i thought that if i wasn't suffering enough doing 'feminine' things, i couldn't really be trans, so i should just go back to being a girl and suck it up.
the terf bullshit is because i'd seen a lot of terfs/detransitioners talking about the 'dangers' of testosterone and how it would turn me into a horrible ugly evil monster and how there was nothing worse than wanting to be a man. which combined with 'you need to fully medically transition to be valid at all' creates some very dangerous and upsetting feelings to cope with.
it also came from trying really hard to put myself in a little box before i realised that my sexuality/gender are very fluid and it's FINE for me not to have a label and just do whatever i want. when i was 19 or so i went back to using they/them (and eventually he/him) and changed my name again because even though i like doing 'feminine' things, i don't want to be seen as a woman.
tldr: i was conditioned by transphobic/terf rhetorics to think that i was being trans the 'wrong' way so i couldn't be trans at all, so i believed i must actually be a girl if i still wanted to do 'feminine' things. nowadays i am a transmasc who does feminine things because i don't give two shits about what any transmed prick thinks of me anymore.
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gendercriticalthinking · 1 year ago
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A Thought
If homophobia was eradicated, same-sex-attracted people would have happier, healthier, overall better lives. Any distress gay and bi people experience regarding their sexuality is only because they are targets of prejudice regarding it. Homosexuality is not innately hateful or harmful.
But even if transphobia was eradicated, trans-identified people would still experience distress. To identify as trans or non-binary inherently requires one to hate your body and, by extension, yourself. Trans identity hinges on self-hatred as well as (mental and/or physical) self-harm.
A Thought: Part 2
If sexism was eradicated, this would also benefit same-sex-attracted people as much of homophobia and heteronormativity, concepts that harm gay and bi people, are both based in misogynistic ideas.
But if sexism was eradicated, this would hinder trans-identified people. Our misogynistic concept of gender (or "gender stereotypes" if you prefer) is, """at best,""" a useful tool for trans-identified people to communicate their gender identity to others, or, at worst, a motivator and encourager for people to identify as trans. Either way sexism ends up being reinforced by trans identity because gender itself, a concept that harms women and girls, is based in misogynistic ideas.
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finn-shitposts · 1 year ago
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I finally bit the bullet and quit my joooob !!! Now im gonna actually have time to rest and catch up on owed art and just fucjin sleep for 3 weeks
(And then scramble to find a job but thars for future me to worry abour)
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ellistocracy · 2 months ago
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the cool thing about being butch is that if someone argues with you and says you're not butch enough you can kill them with hammers
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cosmogyros · 3 months ago
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It is fucking amazing how often I have to unfollow people for bodyshaming others related to their choice to shave or not. And the fascinating thing is that this judginess is ALWAYS aimed at women. Men who don't shave? Fine. Men who do shave? Also fine. It's their body, they can do what they like with it, right?
But as soon as we're talking about women, suddenly it's totally okay to prescribe what they ought to do about their OWN bodies. I never used to see this many "women shouldn't shave" posts here, and the recent uptick is concerning to me.
I understand that it's rooted in a pushback against patriarchal norms that pressure all women to remove their body hair. And I fully support that. But you've gotta understand that if you react to these norms by saying "women should all shave? actually no, women should NOT shave!" ...YOU'RE STILL BEING SEXIST. You're still saying that women "should" do something different with their bodies because YOU think they ought to.
It's absolutely wild to me how often internalized misogyny can be revealed by simply asking oneself "If the genders were switched, would I be saying this (in any context except as a joke)?" And if the answer is no, then... maybe don't say it.
Freedom is always more revolutionary. Letting people make their own choices is always more revolutionary. If you react to someone's attempt to enforce a certain standard by attempting to enforce the opposite standard instead, you are not on the side of freedom.
#i'm thinking of so many people when i make this post#i'm thinking of trans girls who are so excited to shave because it makes them feel happier in their bodies#i'm thinking of Black women who often have a different approach to “traditional femininity” than white women do#for reasons that are related to historical racism and are way too complex to get into here (and also none of my business cuz i'm white)#i'm thinking of neurospicy folks of all genders who can't handle the sensation of body hair (but only the women get shamed for removing it)#NONE of these people should have to justify or defend the choices they make about their own bodies#and none of them should be made to feel like a bad representative of their gender for something as trivial as hair removal decisions ffs#and i say this as someone who is fully hairy all over right now#(i can't handle the sensation of leg hair under leggings or trousers)#(so i have to keep my legs hairless in winter to avoid going insane)#(but right now it's summer and it's hot so i'm not wearing anything on my legs most days)#(and that means i can let the hair grow free and wild)#anyway please do not reblog this one i'm just venting#the lack of consistent thought... it's wild#mfs out here calling themselves 'feminists' and then in the same breath enforcing certain beauty standards on women#p.s. my apologies for the gender-binary language in this post#i was aware of it at every moment but this post is largely 'women vs. men' oriented so in the end i decided to leave it#definitely not meant to be exclusionary in any way#cosmo gyres#text#tag rant#i guess most of the people reblogging these 'women should never shave' posts are probably terfs anyway#so i suppose it makes a convenient block list. sigh
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heartburstings · 1 year ago
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hi b/apo friends. don't want this getting in the tags as i am so so scaresicles. but i went into the tags bc i haven't been there in a quick sec and uh.
i doubt that they'll be a staple of the community but it should be good for u to know that they were highlighted by shinigami eyes, and and that this is a terf. (likely bc they reblogged this post from another terf. and idk abt you but rbing a post claiming that transactivists are erasing gay history and then not only adding onto it, but also not disputing that itty bitty little part... yeah <3)
scrolling thru their blog a bit (w/ shinigami eyes) will show that they follow a few other terfs. it will also show u that they rb and agree w shit like this and this (which isn't transphobic but uh... still wild). anyway. hope ur having a good day friends.
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lettersiarrange · 1 year ago
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hey are you a terf ? you've been reblogging stuff from radfems ...
No, I'm not a terf, I support trans people 100%. Also terfs are uncomfortably cozy with the alt-right and that's uhhh... a whole other layer of awful.
But I think I may be following a secret terf? Tumblr keeps showing me these posts that are like "liked by someone you're following!" And I follow 4k people so I'm not like. Keeping track of anyone but my mutuals. And some of the posts tumblr shows me are obviously terfy which makes me go HMMMM but then some of them seem fine? So it's hard for me to tell the difference between "posts tumblr reccomends me that are normal and in line with the regular leftist and feminist things I'm into" vs like "posts tumblr reccomends me because they're liked by whatever secret terf I'm following and have suspicious undertones that aren't immediately obvious to me". I'm certainly not intentionally following any terfs or following anyone who publicly identifies as a terf* or puts terf shit on my dash but I'm apparently following someone who doesn't blog about terf shit but LIKES terf shit (and I think it might be a fandom blog so that makes it harder to identify) and then those likes show up on my dash and it's not always obvious that it's terf shit or from a radfem blog-- it's just a random posts from a url I don't know. And sometimes the posts themselves are fine on the initial read.
So pls let me know what the radfem blogs in question are so I can identify and remember them if they pop up on my dash again
*caveat that I've been on this website for 10+ years and follow 4,000+ people and it's theoretically possible that a blog I followed multiple years ago that I never see on my dash now publicly identifies as a terf, but I'm not gonna go through all 4k of my following to try and find out if any of them have become publicly shitty in a way that doesn't affect my dash in the years since I've followed them. People get unfollowed as they bring shitty views to my attention. Hence the conundrum with the undercover terf bc they don't post terf shit, they just like it.
#*but how do you not immediately recognize terf dogwhistles!* you may ask#well. I've found when it comes to any toxic community like terfs or antivaxxers or incels or qanon or antisemitic leftists or WHATEVER#familiarizing myself with the discourse to the point that I'm An Expert In All The Secret Signals is uhhh...#pretty corrosive for my mental health#I'd much rather know Enough to recognize more obvious and popular talking points but otherwise stay a billion feet away#knowing all the Secret Signals involves an engagement with the nuance of their arguments that i am simply not mentally capable of#like it is Too Distressing#and I've found that as long as i can still recognize the more well-known signs of toxicity and steer clear...#i usually successfully avoid coming into contact with the toxicity#and like. I don't think my disabled friend's lives would be better by me becoming an expert in horrific eugenicist arguments and their lingo#nor do I think my trans friends lives would be improved by me becoming an expert on terf language and arguments#total respect for people who do for the purposes of fighting the good fight and warning everyone else#but couldn't be me. I'm sensitive and any amt of cruelty virtriol and toxicity just really Affects me#and my parents are qanon conspiracists so I'm already over the limit from being forced to hear abt whatever new#horrible conspiracy is going thru qanon every week. last week it was that i should Stockpile Food for Sept and Oct bc#Something Might Happen and i should be prepared#and don't i know masks are poisoning the american people? 🙄#anyway props to people who know how to spot a terf from 100 ft based on how they walk#but it doesn't click for me until they open their mouths and start saying gender essentialist shit#(like. when i joined reddit in college I didn't know *gender critical* meant *terf* and was horrified to find out)#so no I don't have every radfem blog memorized so would appreciate warnings abt them#I've mostly been fairly happy in my non-hate-group tumblr bubble#asks
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mx-misty-eyed · 1 year ago
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cis women stop saying “i hate men” “all men suck” “kill all men” challenge
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kuivamustekala · 2 years ago
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someone reblogged a post from me and tagged with suspicious stuff and turns out that was a manhater terf so just so we're clear as to where i stand: men are not inherently evil, partiarchy is harmful to everyone (yes it does affect women and especially women of colour more. no this does not mean men can't be hurt by it.), trans women are women, trans men are men, enby folks can present however they want and that does not invalidate their identity, lesbians are lesbians regardless of their past or current partners, weird and ""cringe"" identities should be respected like any other, neopronouns kick ass, no one can dictate another person's identity or define it for them, being attracted to a man is not worse than being attracted to a woman, everyone deserves full bodily autonomy including the right to get an abortion. and more, but my brains running empty. if you disagree with any of these and cant be normal about it leave my blog immediately and if you want to come fight me about this in my inbox i will block you on sight. thank you
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snekdood · 2 years ago
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Yknow what makes me reaentful? How ive been sexually abused so much growing up, no one did shit besides shove me off to a therapist, ive been promised by feminist spaces that ill have a place to heal within them, and as soon as my abusive ex tries to smear me and project their behavior on to me by accusing me of doing that shit too, all the sudden everyone acts suspicious, and i still dont get any of that promised healing. Its hard not to feel like my ex did this intentionally to prevent me from having a space to heal. And its my issue with the "believe victims" narrative because it seems to me like people dont actually want to believe victims but to believe the victims they *like* and *agree more with politically*. If people can just say whatever about someone and you feel obligated to believe them because "believe victims", its very clearly going to be exploited by abusive people, and while i dont think we should stop per se, we need to have some sort of actual system to vet who is and isnt telling the truth, like a pseudo-courtroom. At the very least let everyone and their side of the story actually be heard. Bc idk how you guys plan to believe two victims at once who are accusing eachother other than throwing your hands up and picking one or deciding that we're both bad, which doesnt seem very fair to me since people seem to looove demonizing me for no discernable reason.
#anyways ive lost faith in feminist spaces in actually being a place to heal#it kinda just feels like cliques to me dawg.#maybe it used to be sorta healing but i never actually got to find a support system or anything anywhere.#like idk man. maybe the reason ppl go to the right is bc yall are cutthroat and do everything based on vibes.#if i cant even get help and healing from yall like you promise whats the feminism label even for besides for spreading awareness?#because i feel like ill always be excluded because i dont fit the recquired aesthetic.#there needs to be a space for dudes to go to heal too. and id ideally not have to go to one of the mra type spaces.#idk but im just disenchanted with this whole movement. so many unfulfilled promises.#too many terfs infiltrating it also.#im left out in the cold and no one cares and everyone pretends to care about victims but cant even bring themselves to image that i#was the one who was victimized. why should i rely on these spaces at all. its clear yall favor the more fem person in any situation#like this.#also unrelated but related this website is trash and most people on here suck so fucking much.#the mostly cliquey cutthroat spaces for being so 'caring' like you like to think yourselves as.#'oh well we have to be careful so just in case we're gonna kick you out!!' oh really#is that the feminism you were talking about?#youll leave me out on the streets based on a rumor? and if you find out theyre lying then what will you do? are you gonna come over to me#weeping about how you shouldnt have believed them and how sorry you are? bc chances are ill already be dead from starving#but yknow. believe whatever anyone says about someone else. sorry i meant victims*#itd be so so funny to me if someone came up to me with that justification for why they ostracized me and then be like 'how can you be mad!#i didnt know better!! you cant be mad at people for not knowing better >:(' the hell i fucking cant lmao!#yall perpetuated a narrative about me to actively grind my name in the dirt. and im not allowed to be mad?#yall ostracized and excluded me from spaces i need to rely on for community and healing.#yall did nothing for me and threw me in the fucking trash. yeah. i think im allowed to be upset with you and want you to go fuck yourself.#if you believed them and found out theyre a liar. cool. leave me the fuck alone though. go make a post about it and try to rectify the#situation you contributed to you pos.#yknow. maybe itd be one thing if you believed them and i didnt do anything and you apologized.#its a WHOLE OTHER FUCKING THING. WHEN YOU BELIEVE THEM. IM INNOCENT. AND *IM*THE ONE WHO WAS#SEXUALLY ABUSED AND EMOTIONALLY ABUSED TO THE FUCKING MOON AND BACK. and then think an apology is enough.#like go fuck yourself. ive been alone with this trauma this whole time you pieces of shits.
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invisiblyvisiblejay · 1 year ago
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screaming crying throwing up the girl im datings girlfriend is kind of a transmed thing came up and i feel like maybe she's upset with me which is also true bc i asked her if she was upset with me and she said "only a little" and im. idk. not sure if it's bc she's upset i didn't talk to her about it from the beginning or bc i kind of said her girlfriend had said shitty things. idk it's fine lol she implied i can't consent again and i was upset abt that maybe we're even (not how that works i am kind of panicking)
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euniexenoblade · 9 months ago
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Anyways, baeddel is a slur against trans women.
Yes, there once was a weird group of girls who ressurected this long dead word for representing an ideology (I'm not getting into it but it did suck, just not cuz they "hated" men). This group self destructed before ever getting that many people. It was small. A tiny group. Their ideology wasn't popular either.
But, truscum, anti-sjws (conservatives by another name) and hate sites like kf would start to use the term to refer to any trans woman that they decided wasn't "trans enough" or "woman enough" or more importantly, was "too political" (ie talks about transmisogyny, talks about feminism, talks about leftism, etc.). Baeddel became a stand in for "tranny" "faggot," it's the trans woman stand in for the "nasty man hating dyke" sentiment.
Now, a small niche group of trans mascs on Tumblr dot com have created this concept that the baeddels didn't self destruct, apparently they actually are this insanely popular group whose ideology has spread into modern LGBT politics and has "poisoned" everything. This is just a lie. The baeddels group never had enough members to spread that much, the group didn't last long enough, and it was almost entirely located on Tumblr. The people with "baeddel" in their url or bio or whatever these days have no connection to the political group of old, it's a reclaiming of a word used against them, as explained in the third paragraph.
If someone is calling trans women "baeddels" or talking about baeddels in their posts or whatever, they're just calling trans women faggots. It's "gay agenda," but for the transmisogynists. This is a small bit of why I can't take the "transandrophobia is real" crowd seriously. I knew actual baeddels, the ideological ones, they are not the women they're referring to. They are using a slur to refer to trans women they don't like and are trying to hide it behind some dead ideology that most of them don't even know.
Baeddel is meant to be a scary word, it's meant to silence women. Just like, 5 or 6 years ago, claiming a trans woman was a baeddel was enough to effectively get her "canceled," no matter what she said. But, that doesn't work as easily now. And now these trans masc people are getting information from terfs and lesbophobes and violent transmisogynists about how violent trans women are, about how privileged trans women are, about how transmisogyny is actually fake ("we all experience transmisogyny!") and they did this by lacing it with actual trans masc issues. They present an issue trans mascs do actually face, that could use discussion, and then in the very next post talk about the scary baeddels, the mean baeddels, trans women are so terrible. And these people assume this person can't have an ulterior motive, reblog it, file it away in their brain, so when trans women come in and are like "hey no that's bigotry" these trans mascs froth at the mouth to eviscerate her. It's the dreaded baeddel. Here to oppress me.
I'm going off topic but I digress, if you're calling trans women "baeddel," stop it. You don't know what that word means.
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anti-terf-posts · 24 days ago
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so one of my special interests is cults right, so im pretty familiar with what's known as the BITE (Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control, and Emotional Control) model
its basically a method of identifying how much of a cult a group is and was made by a former cult member so u know it's pretty legit. The higher the group scores, the more likely it is that it's a cult
well, there's about 37 points in total (counting each criterion as 1 point and adding all four categories together) and, since everybody mentions how much of a cult terfs seem to be, I decided to run their methods and behavior through the BITE model
terfs scored a 21/37, which is a 56.76/100 in percentage terms, which isn't that high. it skirts culty, but it can rest as is. right?
all im saying is that, if what ur preaching is meant to be the absolute truth of reality and the rest of us are delusional, maybe ur cult score should be *significantly* less than over half, y'know?
anyways, just thought i should pop in and throw that out here. can totally reblog with/drop the images i used to score terfs on here if u want (as in, both the highlighted versions that detail all the criterion terfs hit, as well as non-highlighted images for people to score other weird hate groups for fun in the middle of the night too) (also feel like you'd find this funny: the category terfs scored the highest on (8/9) was information control)
yeah this is insane (not at you, this is directed at terfs)
Literally wild that people just write them off as some dumb people who don't know what they're talking about ?? when they're literally a cult ??
well obviously given your research they're not 100% a cult, but tbh a score that high is still ridiculous
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isalisewrites · 5 months ago
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A Deep Dive into JKR's Terrible, Amateur Writing - Reflective Interlude
Hello and welcome to my ballsy series where I will prove to you, dear reader, that J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series and resident Twitter TERF, is actually a very, very poor writer.
And when I say ‘poor writer,’ I’m talking about her prose, her sentence structure, and her scenes in the Harry Potter series. I am not going to discuss anything about the HP world nor the overall plot of the books. 
This is all about the nitty gritty in the craft of writing itself.
Part One Link.
Part Two Link.
However…
Hiya! *waves* I’m Isa, the author of this… Actually, I dunno what to call this series anymore. Anyway, thus far, you’ve heard a very satirical tone from me in the previous two posts, but that’s not my normal tone. I’m a rather laid back kind of gal with a side of sarcasm and deluge of emoji usage.
I have used quite a confident, even bombastically obnoxious tone in the effort to be entertaining and engaging with these posts. It was meant to be playful and sarcastic. It’s the internet, so I’m aware everyone’s attention is… kind of like a commodity, unfortunately. Look at TikTok or YouTube. How long does a 30s video hold your attention before you’re scrolling to the next? It depends for me, I’ll admit. People don’t have the attention span for long style posts such as these and that’s fair. Sometimes, I don’t either.
Thus, I used repeated ‘catch phases’ to maintain a rhythm and a thematic style through the series with a controversial title meant to hook a reader. I repeat the opening, even in this post. I repeat ‘Class is in session’ to show the beginning of the major section of the post.
However, in this interlude, I’ve toned it all down because I wanted to give you a window into my heart, my purpose, and my intent in this series. It is a reflective post that ends with writing motivation to you, my dear reader, as well as links to writerly resources. 
I’ve had a lot to think about this week and I realized that many writers (and other creatives) have to battle against an enemy found within themselves. This enemy often torments many with cruel, destructive thoughts; they burrow their way into so many writers’ minds. It whispers: “Can you really do this? Are you really sure you’re any good? Aren’t you just fooling yourself? They’re going to find out you’re just a fraud. So… why bother?”
Whose voice is that?
Let’s talk about the destroyer of creation, Imposter Syndrome, why I refuse to let the bastard infect me anymore, and why my confident tone in previous posts has grated nerves.
Remember: take what resonates and leave what doesn’t.
(This means I write my posts with the honest acceptance and expectation that not everything will fit with your style, your vibes, or your personality. That’s okay.)
All right, let’s buckle up, my dear writing friends. Grab a snack. Hydrate. Let’s begin. And yes…
Class is in session on this little Tumblr post… should you wish to attend.
Having confidence or pride in one’s work seems to be taboo. Any brief moment in time where I tried to be proud about my writing or say, Hey, I’m a good writer, I was always told to be humble. “Don’t be prideful. Be humble.” It would often chip away at my self esteem. I could be a good writer, but I couldn’t allow myself to feel like a good writer.
But no more.
I have only given myself permission to be confident about my writing within the past month. This is why I started this series in the first place. I wanted to share knowledge and in an entertaining way. I make a bold claim that I’m a better writer than JKR; I analyze her writing to both improve my own understanding and to help others as well.
However, this does not mean I’ve ever been under the delusion I’m perfect. Absolutely not. God, that’s so fucking laughable! I am not perfect. I am not a perfect writer. I definitely don’t know everything. Someone once corrected me, informing me that snakes are venomous, not poisonous. Bless them, wasn’t aware of that. Immediately fixed that. One of the recent reblogs said geodes do not contain emeralds. God bless, I didn’t know that, though in the case of how it was used in TBG, I won’t be changing it since it’s within a character thought.
Sorry, Tom. I guess you need to take a geology class, too.
Ugh, and I have so many godforsaken typos. My soul withers when I catch a typo after I’ve posted a chapter. I miss things all the time. I repeat things because ‘that’s my thing’ and I don’t always catch them in my edits. I forget things all the time. Thank GOD for Dede, someone who loved TBG so much she spent countless hours archiving data from it, where she caught a number of inconsistencies and alerted me to them. I still haven’t been able to fix them yet, but I’m so grateful to her. I’ve noted them all down. Harry’s height often is incorrectly implied to be taller than it should be because my brain isn’t wired for imagery. My brain forgets TBG Harry is a short king at 5’4” while TBG Tom is 6’2” and I need to go back to fix all of those. 
I am not a perfect writer and I don’t claim to be.
My goals with this series are to study/learn for myself, teach/share knowledge with others, and learn some more from this experience. I love this kind of analysis. But there’s difference between my analysis of JKR’s writing and a number of those who have retaliated with an analysis of my writing. 
Instead of looking at my imperfections with the desire to learn from them, they were illuminated in the attempt to ‘take me down a notch.’ To those who put in the effort to make counterpoints, I do thank you for your contribution to this series. It is appreciated, even when given impolitely and with the intent to ‘put me in my place.’
Despite all of my errors and imperfections, I still stand by my statement: I am a better writer than J.K. Rowling.
Do you know who else is a better writer than her? I could list thousands of them. They’re fanfiction writers. They’re indie authors. They’re other traditional published authors. They are so many other writers that, yes, I do think are stronger writers than JKR. 
And you’re a better writer, too, so long as you wish it.
I sincerely want you to believe that.
Why? Because it’s clear within the Harry Potter series that JKR did not make attempts to grow as a writer. She just wrote. Perhaps she was under deadlines, but the lack of editing is pretty apparent to me. When you write a lot, you will inevitably get more skilled over time, but you have to actively be seeking improvement to see drastic change in your own skill. It is this lack of drive that I see within her work. She’s not making attempts to push the boundaries of her abilities and skills with each new book.
I’m not at the end of my journey of learning. I never will be. I love expanding my skills. I’m even learning during the process of writing these posts, too. I’m seeing more weaknesses in my own work and I’m now thinking on ways to strengthen my writing even further.
That’s the point of this series.
In the end, it’s not really about me. No, really, it’s not about me. I truly think it’s about the jealousy of seeing another writer be confident in their work. You see, I’m not supposed to be confident; I’m not supposed to act like I can help and teach others to write. How dare I. Posting anything about my work is an act of attention seeking. I’m supposed to be ‘humble.’ I’m supposed to be silent. I’m supposed to wave a shy, dismissive hand at compliments.
Why?
Why is being proud of one’s work and loving one’s own work such a controversial idea?
Imposter Syndrome often cripples creators. There’s already so much self doubt and anxiety in the world, but Imposter Syndrome can really wreck with a creator’s mind. It’s a poison. It stops you from creating what you love most. When you believe you aren’t good enough, then it becomes harder to try. Your belief becomes truth to you, whether or not it was true in reality in the first place. Perhaps, you sink into depression. You become anxious about sharing anything, for fear anyone might say even the slightest negative comment. The heart becomes fragile and brittle, and the muscle which builds skill atrophies over time. You see your work through a lens of self hate. You can only see flaws.
“I will never be good enough.”
When you’re in this state of mind, it’s hard to see the truth about your work.
But let me promise you something: your writing is far more beautiful than you realize.
In spirit, all creative writing is perfect to me with all of its typos and mistakes (yes, even all of the Harry Potter books!), but no single work is objectively perfect. There will always be room to improve your creation because you’re constantly growing. It’s why so many aspiring novelists fall into an endless cycle of editing their first few chapters. The more they write, the more they improve; thus, when they go back to their earlier chapters, they get stuck trying to update those chapters instead of pushing forward to the finish line.
Your work is valuable, no matter what. It’s beautiful. You’re allowed to love your work. You’re allowed to see the good in it and you’re allowed to have confidence in yourself. You’re allowed to say to yourself and to others, I’m a damn good writer.
You deserve to have love, for yourself and for your art.
I have often sincerely complimented other writers and, many times, after they respond with their thanks, it becomes clear to me they’re not confident in their work, yet they have still bravely shared it with us.
I’m so proud of them. Thank you for your bravery.
My heart breaks for them, too. They’re such good writers—such damn good writers. And I wish they knew and believed this.
I will always do everything in my power to encourage others.
How do you feel about your writing? Do you like your writing? You should. You really should because it is good. You created it, after all. There will always be space to grow and refine your craft, of course, but you are a good writer now. You’re going to be a better writer tomorrow and the next day, so long as you desire this growth in yourself. There’s no destination, though. There’s no magic level you have to reach before you’re allowed to have some confidence in yourself and your abilities. The only trap to avoid is remaining stagnant. Writing is a skill. Writing is a craft. This means it gets better through study and practice.
You can achieve that.
I know it’s hard, though. There are so many naysayers in life. There are so many people waiting to attack and bring others down, both on the internet and in our own families. How many precious fanfics have been lost because a writer received horrible, hateful comments? How many writers have disappeared from the internet because of this cruelty? We have lost many in all fandoms. That is unacceptable to me.
Uplift others. Spread love, not hate.
You’re allowed to be proud about your work, imperfect as it may be. Please, I beg you, don’t let the negative voices of others—including your own!—drag you down and steal the joy of creating. I know it’s so very, very hard to stand strong against such voices. Words have power, but you have more. Resist the naysayers.
What you have to offer the world is precious. Please lift your head and acknowledge that what you create is good. It’s great. It’s amazing. It’s fucking fantastic. You’re not an imposter nor a fraud. No one can offer what you can to the world. No one can write the stories you have in your head the way you can. Your style is unique to you. You’re allowed to love it as it is now and you’re allowed to love it whatever form it takes in the future.
Imposter Syndrome is a thief; toss it into jail and throw away the key.
My writing is not perfect and it never will be, but I’m a better writer today than I was ten years ago. I’m a seeker of my own growth. I’m often reading books on writing and watching YouTube videos on writing. I absorb it all because writing is my truest love and passion. My style has evolved from reading endless amount of novels and fanfics. I devour both. 
But I wasted a decade thinking I didn’t have what it takes.
And life is short. I can’t waste anymore time.
Don’t be like past Isa, please.
There’s a difference in refinement between an episodic fanfic posted over the course of years and a traditional novel published in whole, but I still stand by my work. I recognize my style will not be enjoyed by all those who read it. It’s okay if you don’t like my style. I’m eternally grateful for the many readers who do love my writing. I’m humbled and honored by the sheer volume of people who have commented, bookmarked, and have left kudos on my work. Thank you.
My style has evolved into what it is today due to a combination of two things.
I have ADHD. It’s why my style uses smaller paragraphs as a whole.
I have aphantasia. I lack a mind that can visualize pictures. I literally cannot see anything in my mind. When people say, “I can picture it in my mind,” that’s not me. I cannot at all. When there’s a lack of description in prose, it feels blank and empty to me. This is why I use vivid descriptions in the way I do because otherwise I feel nothing from my work.
It’s okay if this style doesn’t work for you. I love my style because it caters to what I need. I also love other styles that don’t use as much description; however, I can’t always follow what’s happening because of the wiring of my brain. I can get lost sometimes, but I still appreciate their style because I can’t effectively do what they can.
If you find no value in my style and what I offer in this series here, then that’s okay. I’m not offended. This series is for those who benefit from it. For you, there are so many other writers out there from whom you can learn and I’m more than happy to send you in the direction that benefits you the most.
Here’s a list of YouTubers you might find interesting.
ShaelinWrites has been working on many unpublished projects through the years and has lots of great discussion videos on writing.
Abbie Emmons is a self published author with solid writing advice in all of her videos. 
Alexa Donne is a traditionally published author with great insider information into the traditional publishing world. 
Ellen Brock is a professional editor. She knows her stuff.
I hesitantly suggest Jenna Moreci and her content on YouTube because I think she has some major weaknesses in her writing. Many others have seen this about her books. However, she is a successful indie author and her YouTube content has a lot of value.
Brandon Sanderson has an entire college course in a playlist on his channel. It’s a fabulous free resource if you vibe with his style of writing. Highly recommend. 
Here’s a list of writing books I recommend.
Elements of Fiction Writing, a five book series. My TOP recommendation is Elements of Fiction Writing - Beginnings, Middles & Ends.
Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose
Let the Crazy Child Write!: Finding Your Creative Writing Voice
Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes
All right then.
Thank you for sticking around. I hope you accept this post in the good faith it was given and was always given in the previous posts. Next post, I’ll be returning to my playful satirical tone. Hehe~!
Please do the world the greatest of favors and write. Create. Share your fanfiction. Become best selling authors, traditional or indie. I promise you’re far more capable and skilled than you realize.
Until next time.
Isa
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apollos-olives · 9 months ago
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re: zionists being the terfs of judaism
y'know how terfs have such a narrow idea of what a woman is? the same goes for the zionist idea of what a jew is. to them, a diaspora jew isn't a real jew. an anti-zionist jew isn't a real jew. a person who converted to judaism isn't a real jew. someone in an interfaith marriage, or the child of an interfaith couple, isn't a real jew. any nonwhite jew isn't a real jew to them.
also their entire identity is based off oppression. like for all their talk "jewish joy", they never shut up about how everyone hates them and how oppressed they are (even though they have insane amounts of power that they regularly wield over minorities). and that's literally exactly what terfs do dsgslkgsdf
and there's a lot of them who talk about how "actually zionism/radical feminism is super progressive! it's just like communism!" and they completely ignore the fact that most of the people supporting them are insanely right-wing.
also they both claim to be my allies (zionists claim to have my best interests in mind just because i'm jewish. terfs claim to have my best interests in mind just because i have a vagina.) and it sucks so bad. they are NOT my friends and i wish they'd stop pretending to be!
anyways that's the end of my rant. tell ariha i said hello.
this is very insightful for me, thank you. i was wondering what you meant by "terfs of judaism" and this explains a lot. i totally understand how zionists seem to pretend as though they have jews' best interests in mind but in practice they are extremely harmful to those that don't agree with them. thank you for this, it helps me learn a lot. plus "zionists are the terfs of judaism" is a banger sentence, so thank you 🙏🙏 and ariha says hi back!!
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