#am i aware that this is a very nuanced hc for my au only. yes

[tundrainafrica]

hi! i just wanted ask how can you not be so pressured to change hange’s gender to your fics (she to they/them) despite that many twitter users are saying that “au authors must use they/them to hange because they are canonically NB” . because to be honest, as an aspiring writer who is working on her first levihan fic, i feel so pressure or maybe obligied to use they/them pronouns for hange.

Hello Anon,

Thanks for the ask!

To be honest, I actually was pressured to use ‘they’ tbh. In fact, I was so pressured I actually did a lot of research on this and put a lot of thought into my decision to use ‘she’ as my chosen pronoun for Hange.

But tbh, I think I am pretty confident with the amount of research and the amount of thought I put into it that I don’t think I will be using ‘they’ in my fics anytime soon. 

Disclaimer: This doesn’t mean at all that I don’t like reading ‘they’ fics nor that I don’t like seeing people use ‘they.’ Tbh I don’t really mind whatever people use? I can enjoy a fic with either pronoun, I can enjoy a good meta with either pronoun. I have my own personal reasons for using they. 

Some of the reasons why: 

Personal HC 

Personal HC but I’m still gonna drop this here. 

To make things clear, I headcanon Hange as gender fluid. I headcanon her as sexuality fluid that personally, I’m not too much a fan either of fics that portray Hange as overly feminine either. So I have seen people who request that we do not use overly female or feminine words with Hange. Which yes, I don’t do them. But was a peer pressured into not using them? 

No, not really. I just personally think Levi would prefer the word partner if he was with Hange. I personally think that Hange would not have liked to fall into traditional female roles either. 

At the same time, I thought about the concept of using ‘they’ as a pronoun with Hange then I couldn’t help but think, it just isn’t in my personal interpretation of Hange to correct people. Hange is too much of a free bird to actually care what people use. Hange would probably respond to he, she, they or whatever and she probably wouldn’t correct anyone calling her mr., mrs. etc.

And in the context of Filo soc med AUs, Hange would probably respond to ate, kuya. (And besides, what is the gender neutral form of ate or kuya??? Mamsir)

And generally the default for most people is to look at someone and think okay, she’s a girl, I think I’ll use ‘she’ first. Or okay, that’s a guy, I think I’ll use ‘he’ first and what usually happens is if anyone is particularly conscious about the pronoun used on them, they will correct the other person. 

But there are people out there, who don’t care whether someone uses she, he, they, mr., mrs, ma’am, sir. For example, personally for me, I wouldn’t bother to correct anyone. And I headcanon that Levi and Hange wouldn’t have cared either. 

I’m sure people who read my fics would notice, I do put a lot of research when I write because I like to make things as realistic and as in character as possible.  So to get into the spirit of my fic and whatever setting I’m writing, I try to capture everything to a T and given the overall landscape and setting I’m writing about and given my own headcanons of Levi and Hange I decided on she.

Because in my headcanon, if someone were to ask Hange what pronoun she preferred? Hange probably would have said any. 

Likewise, if anyone asked Hange what her gender was, Hange probably would have said ‘any’ also.

And the setting of the show is practically medieval and gender identity is a relatively new concept. I don’t think many people would have spent too much time pondering ideas like individualism and  gender identity when they’re literally facing death everyday.  Actually a lot of the great thinking happened after the war, and when there was actually food on the table. Because people weren’t actually hungry everyday anymore so they had time to think about more modern thoughts. 

‘She’ is still an NB pronoun 

I answered this in another ask already. But the point behind this, is although ‘they’ is the go to non binary pronoun, there are NB people who go by she too. And creating this idea that all gender fluid characters HAVE to go by ‘they’ is dangerous in itself because the reason we had gender discrimination in the first place is because we had these boxes to fit ourselves into. So if a NB person wants to go by ‘she’ or ‘he’ or ‘they’ who are we to stop them? 

And I said it many times myself. We will never know which pronoun Hange would have preferred for herself. 

I get confused. 

This is a shallow reason but I’m gonna drop this here anyway. I get confused when I see ‘they.’ I read a lot of content which uses ‘they’ for Hange and I get confused a lot of the time that I have to read the sentences like three times because I end up thinking ‘Hange and who?’

I know I should have gotten used to it by now, but I still get confused because english is the only language I use on a regular basis that actually has such strict rules for how to navigate gendered pronouns.

I don’t wanna be peer pressured into doing shit just coz. 

Tbh, for me, as long as I did my research, as long as I can argue both sides as to why and as long as I am confident in the fact that I have thought about this enough before deciding on this, I will not change it. 

I am pretty convinced that a lot of people who actually go all the way as to attack someone on twitter and to cancel them (over a lot of topics tbh) haven’t done their due research. 

Because most of the people I know who have done their due research wouldn’t be fighting (on Twitter OF ALL PLACES) in the first place. 

Because doing actual research (which means reading articles which support both sides of the argument) will only make people realize that the world is too grey and too complex to ever make pushing their own agenda, ‘cancelling’ someone and calling them transphobic, homophobic, racist etc ect  or as they like to call ‘educating’ someone the right thing to do. Believe me, if people genuinely wanted to educate someone, they would slide into their DMs and calmly tell them their own opinion, ask why the other person believes a certiain way and you know, be ready to learn something too because education is a two way street. And if the conversation isn’t going anywhere, I think any level headed person would probbaly just give up and do something more worth while with their time than cancel some stranger on social media.

Regardless though, I respect either decision and I recognize the fact that a lot of Hange stans are very much more comfortable with the pronoun ‘they’ My general practice when navigating this sensitive topic is to use ‘they’ for Hange when talking to someone who prefers ‘they’ because it’s a conversation and in conversation, the space becomes something shared between me and the other person so I would do my part to make it as comfortable for them as possible. 

But here’s the thing, my fic is my space. It’s a house I built for myself and the readers are the visitors that come in and out as they please. No one is forced to read my fic and never have I and never will I tie someone down on a chair and not free them until they read my work. 

It’s my fic. It’s my work and I can do whatever I want with it.

People tend to forget that in the end this is a fandom space and people should be free to headcanon things however they want. They should be free to explore whatever themes they want. And I like to do my part to promote this type of environment by sticking to a few iron clad rules.

I write what I want to write.

Don’t like, don’t read.

Content is free. There’s a back button and if you do not appreciate the themes someone is exploring or the headcanons someone is applying to their fic, you may click the back button and look for something that doesn’t offend you. 

(I’m gonna end up digressing a bit here so feel free not to read the rant below)

There are an infinite number of headcanons and ideas which ideally should be able to exist. Yet because of this constant need to be politically correct and this constant fear that we might be offending someone and we might end up cancelled, a lot of people have been watching their own creative works more than necessary. 

I actually fear that there are a lot of good ideas and there are a lot of themes that could have been explored but weren’t. 

And this is why I love ao3 a lot. Ao3 is free from societal pressure, corporate synergy and I appreciate the fact that in that space, I’m free to explore whatever themes I want. I can read something pro-rape, I can read something anti-rape. I can read something pro abuse, I can read something anti-abuse etc etc. 

I personally have very liberal views and obviously I am not for rape or abuse in ANY situation.

But I am also the type of person who will read things that celebrate a controversial topic and things that will attack that same topic because I just generally want a more nuanced opinion on a lot of things. Because when I have seen both sides of the spectrum, then it’s just easier for me to proudly say ‘Yes, I believe this’ or ‘No, I don’t believe that.’

And I think these pieces should be available for other people to explore so that they can for themselves form more nuanced opinions on whatever topics come their way and the more sides people are aware of that exist, the less likely we’re going to end up with groupthink or hivemind situations which have fucked people over countless times in history already.

Should questionable content be widely available? Personally no but I don’t think it should be completely unavailable.

Regardless these potentially offensive pieces should exist and  I’m saying this for both controversial topics such as rape and abuse and something as relatively harmless as Hange being referred to as ‘she’ on a fic. All stories exploring every facet and every side regardless of how controversial should exist in this space because these promote discourse and they promote thinking. These pieces of work that explore taboo and offensive topics and the discourse these create only serve to make our opinions more nuanced so at least we aren’t blinded or we don’t have these half assed opinions only fueled by having read material created by people who are biased to one particular side. At least we have enough fuel for ourselves to say ‘Yes I have read this and now I can more proudly say I believe this more.’  

Whatever opinions I have made for myself about social issues are only how they are because I listen to both sides of the argument. I like to play devil’s advocate. I like to listen to people even if I don’t agree with what they’re saying. 

And I like finding compromises so that people can co-exist and I like tweaking my opinions everyday based on new information I learn.

And personally, there are so many views I hate and there are types of topics I personally would prefer not to explore but I still believe in the back of my mind they should exist. And if we do whitewash or try to force everyone to adjust their works to whatever side we deem is more ‘politically correct,’ then we will lose facets of the fandom that could have existed, that could have promoted a more colorful discourse and that could have sprouted new ideas and new ways of thinking which may be even more creative if people weren’t so scared to be cancelled or wrong.

It’s different in a conversation. I will adjust the way I speak, the way I navigate interactions with people in a shared space. 

But no one is forced to read my works no one is forced to read fanfiction so cancelling someone over how they go about their creative works will always be worse in my book than someone who is exploring problematic themes. (As long as that person tags their trigger material properly and isn’t forcing anyone to read it or forcing their own personal beliefs on anyone or attacking them)

Anyway, sorry for the long ass rant again but I hope you get the courage to use whatever pronouns you want for Hange. 

I hope this makes you realize that there really isn’t a black and white to this. And this is a fandom space. Do whatever you want. Headcanon whatever you want. Just be respectful and kind.

[tossertozier]

hey toss so.... oc for mike hanlon huh? .... you wanna share ?? please. my boy mike needs all the love

okay well I Didn’t Want to Say bc idk if it would one day make it into something (y’all know I be… protective of things that might one day be Other Things) but here she is I’ve been thinking about her for… days:

So: college. Mike Hanlon goes to a lot of it in my version of modern no-it au eventually. Bc he decides to be a history/sociology professor.

Specifically, in grad school, I hc him as very popular. Especially in his crime and punishment class, (lots of discussion on the deviance theories, docile bodies, etc.) as ¼ black people in the class, and the only black guy, he has some opinions- and the class is pretty content to listen to him talk.

and one day he’s talking about the impact of institution on individuality in the frame work of public schooling, and a tiny, thus far entirely quiet girl, with pin-straight black hair framing her face and glasses that are slightly too large for a small face that introduces herself as Jane, politely raises her hands and points out every flaw and inconsistency in his theory. Mike is so surprised he doesn’t even begin to have words to bring himself back. But she’s… right. He didn’t even really go to public school. He’d never seen it at that angle.

and mike… is kind of pissed.

to be honest, he hasn’t really been challenged like that since he got passed his junior year of college. The other thing about it is Jane doesn’t even seem… to like him that much. Mike is … popular there. Everyone likes him. It bothers him she doesn’t!

The next time she talks, he listens intently. He’s taking Notes. he’s rEady. He’s gonna Point Out something about it after she Destroyed him like that. But she’s prepared too. They go back and forth so long their professor reminds them about “dialogue” and “class participation” and “stepping up and then stepping back.”

When they get their final project assignments he is 👏🏻 ready 👏🏻. There’s one topic on the sheet that is marked by their professor to see him before embarking. He chooses it.

He finds out, so does Jane.

It’s… a lot. It’s more than he bargained for, trying to frame a sociological argument around a fictional fable about a fictional scenario. the word Omelas has lost its meaning.

He sees Jane in the library, with the big tombs on her desk, the ones no one can even check out. The exact ones he came to read.

He’s upset, but he sits it out, figuring she’ll give them back eventually, and sets out to do his other work. He spares a look for her every few minutes. He can wait her out.

After about two hours, someone taps on his shoulder. “I’m gonna be here all night.” She tells him, “you can sit with me and use them,” she gestures over her shoulder “if you want.” Her hair is piled on top of her head with a giant red scrunchy. He wants to brush all the little hairs falling into her eyes out of her face. He, obviously, doesn’t do that, but he does sit with her. They work in silence for most of the time.

Jane pushes him to do good work. To think more astutely, to speak more succinctly. She never questions him out of pettiness, or to simply prove him wrong. She just doesn’t stand down when he’s either not correct or not fully thought through his words. Plus, when he finally, finally makes her laugh by making a bunny out of their mutual crumpled papers, she snorts. It might be because it’s three am in a fucking desolate library, but it’s truly the sweetest sound Mike has ever heard.

Before the presentation he’s nervous. He knows they’ve both worked hard, but he also knows they’ve chosen the same topic. They’ll be directly compared, and damn does he want to come out on top. He thinks he’s proved himself already in the class, but he just really wants to make the stronger point, here, because he doesn’t know if he has yet that semester.

He and Jane, or Yukawa Jitsuko, as he sees neatly printed on the top of her academic roster for the next semester one day, hit their topic from the exact. Same. Angle. He watches with awe as she makes every point he’s about to.

When it’s his turn to go he says “y’all, I swear we didn’t work together on this-“ but proceeds with his project as planned. His professor, who’s watched this little rivalry they’ve had all semester, laughs her ass off, and fully believes them.

And they both get bold, red B+’s on their projects. For not “fully realizing the nuances in the prompt.” Both are furious, even if they both still have Solid a’s in the class. They /finally/ team up as they /both/ challenge the grade in long, similar yet not identical essays, that they knew some of the aspects that the professor referred too, but mentioning such concepts would create an unfocused assignment.

One night, mike actually falls asleep on their table in the cafe, and he wakes up when a hand smacks the table in between them, startling him. “This B+,” she tells him fiercely, “is going down with or without you, Michael Hanlon.” And she returns to her computer. And mike tries. He triiiies, but for the rest of the night all he can think about is kissing off that frustrated little frown. He doesn’t because, frankly, he knows quite well that she’d kill him.

but he does get her to go out to breakfast with him the next day. And she tells him about her cat that won’t eat food that isn’t on the direct floor and he tells her about his friends from home and she talks about her affinity for headbands because “why would I want my hair in my face when it could. Not be. Why would I want that?” And he tells her “I know, logically I know, buying expensive sneakers is really, really dumb. But I still … want them?” But then Jane takes that and runs with it and talks about conformity within community. And they stay there until the water has separated in their ice coffee and the waitress wants them dead.

And mike?? Has dated, don’t get me wrong. But he’s like… he’s courting her?? He brings her her favorite snack and offers her his jacket and demonstrates his value and he doesn’t know what decade he crawled tf out of but he’s just like GOTTA IMPRESS HER and texting the groupchat and Richie is like “you don’t like her unless you put your jacket over puddles.” and Stan’s like “fuck that put your whole body on the puddle.” And bev is like “shut the actual fuck up guys, just ask her out mike, she will say yes.”

And so they submit their appeal to their professor in the library at a sensible two in the afternoon. Finals are done. Mikes never been so tired. and Jane turns to him and says “so, do you want to get coffee?” And he says “but we’re done the paper?” And she squints at him and is like “I’m aware, Michael.” And he be like oh. OOOHHH. but he’s Pumped and picks up her bag anyway and asks her opinion in puddles and she snorts and flicks his ear but they’re giggling and mike is just so happy to have someone that pushes him and makes him his best self. And wants to kiss him??? DOUBLE WIN.

(But he’s lowkey pretty happy when he finds out her major is bio-ethics. God knows what would happen if they shared a degree path.)