#but actually how do you get people to start using your correct pronouns

[padfoots-bf]

Do I feel weird when people use he/him pronouns for me cuz nobody ever does or am I not a boy?

[writers-potion]

How do I accurately include diversity, and not make it look like I’m just putting it in there for the sake of it?

Writing Diverse Characters - Things to Remember

Honestly, there's no definitive answer to this.

Your characters are people with clear goals, desires and a role to play in the plot. As long as they aren't just sitting there with little else but their race/gender/disability, etc. as their ONLY personality trait, at least you're on the right path.

As for representing a diverse character realistically, here are some things you can consider to get started.

Do's

RESEARCH. There are plenty of blogs/YT vids/websites that exist to help you! Meet people!

Get beta readers.

It doesn't have to be explicit. Racial identities become quite clear early on through the setting, name, and initial description(hair, eye/skin color, body shape, etc) without having to drum it into the readers each time. Gender diversity can be conveyed through the use of certain pronouns without awkward declarations.

Character first, diversity second. Please don't intentionally create a diverse character and then think about how you can push them into the cast. Have a working character, who happens to belong to a particular group.

Read works that have represented a group well. There are plenty of non-fiction works, movies and documentaries that capture the lives of people around the world with a good eye.

Use the correct terms/language

Include different types of diversity

Don'ts

Race/gender/diability is NOT a personality trait. Please. Telling me that you have a Korean girl tells me next to nothing about the character herself.

Using sterotypes. Now, it's all right if your character has a few sterotypical traits, but definitely not if sterotypes are the only thing they have.

Diversity is not a "shock factor". Suddenly revealing that a character is actually gay and has been in the closet all this time as a refresher so that it draws readers' attention? Not a good idea.

One diverse character does all. This can often be seen in female characters of slightly dated works where one woman will play the role of supportive mother, sister, femme fetale and sexy Barbie at the same time. Don't write a diverse character who basically does everything a diverse character can possibly be. All that it proves is that the writer is lazy.

Things I personally hate seeing:

Weird pronunciation of languages. As a Korean person, I always get turned off by works (mostly badly written fanfics, yes, I read those...) that try to transfer Korean dialogue directly onto the page without even checking for the correct way to spell them out. A similar example would be pinyin for Mandarin. Please, this makes the character sound stupid throughout...

Character sticking out almost painfully. If your character isn't from the region but have lived in it for a long time, what reason do they have not to blend in?

Relying on variety shows/dramas as reference. Media representation of diverse characters that are meant for entertainment is not the best source for authentic research. I die every time someone lists a number of Korean rom-coms they've watched for "research". IT DOES NOT COUNT.

As a last note, remember that there's no limit to the kind of characters a writer can writer. Accept that our job as writers is to step into other people's heads, not seeing things from one (our) perspective - and it is not going to be easy.

Hope this helps :)

[sdr2lovemail]

Saw your request open for reverse 1999! I not sure what characters you do but could you do smt like troop??idk what it call but basically 'someone ask them if you two are together despite havent establish relationships yet' for medicine pocket, dikke, and tooth fairy? What their reaction and response? If it too much you can cut it down sorry

Oblivious Encounters (GN Reader)

Synopsis: These lovely arcanists are in love and it's obvious to everyone but them.

Notes: I love oblivious pining, a wonderful trope. I'm still trying to get my footing with characters, but I will write for anyone, including NPCs! She/They pronouns are used for Medicine Pocket

Requests are open!

Medicine Pocket:

Parallel play. The act of being alone together. Some people find the best way to spend time with others is to do their own thing. 

Next to you, Medicine Pocket scribbles away in their notebook. Ever since the two of you had entered Vertin’s suitcase, her documenting has gotten way more intense. There wasn’t anyone here to dampen the experiments, so Medi was thriving.

You both sit at a table near the window, the setting sun providing just enough light. It had been a few hours since either of you had spoken, finding peace in the silence. Periodically, Med would slide their notebook over for you to read. They didn’t even want any comments on their work. She just wanted to ensure you were ready for the incoming info dump they would give you. What fun is telling someone about your experiments if they’re just going to be lost the whole time?

Amid the comfortable silence, breaking the serene atmosphere, was a shrill voice.

“No! The great Matilda is never wrong, and I will prove I am correct!” The bright-eyed girl was quick with her pace, making it over to the table in just a few strides. With one hand on the table, she leans in close. “How long has this courtship gone on?”

There’s an almost comedic pause.

“What?” Medicine Pocket cocked their head.

Matilda rests her hands on her hips, tilting her head with a sly smirk. “I know a relationship when I see one. But the question is how long it’s been going on.” 

It’s Medi’s turn to smirk as they respond before you can answer. “What amazing observational skills. Now tell me, just how did you figure us out?”

“Hmhmhm! Matilda always knows! And it was so obvious.” She laughed.

“Ohhh, was it now?” Medi smiled wide, those sharp teeth on display in a wolfish grin. As you are about to correct Matilda on your relationship, the scientist kicks you under the table, itching to see how this plays out.

“The note sharing, for one. You are so stingy when it comes to sharing. Those longing silences the two of you enjoy. The way you’re always together. There is no hiding it from me!” 

You can feel your face grow warmer. Was this romantic? Did people really think that you and Medicine Pocket are together? And was that actually a problem for you?

With a laugh, Medicine Pocket shrugged her shoulders. “Huh, I didn’t think we were that obvious. You figured us out, Matilda. We’ve been courting for a few months now. Obviously, I was the one to start it. They were too flustered even to look my way.” 

“Medicine Pocket!” You chastised, face flushing further.

“See, that’s my beloved, always so embarrassed.” Medi reached over the table to take your hand in her gloved ones.

“I knew it! Vertin owes me money!” The energetic girl ran off to find the others and her new source of cash.

Pulling your hand away from the smirking doctor, you let out a groan. “Why would you tell her that? She’s going to tell everyone.”

“I wanted to see what would happen. We are practically dating anyway.” They shrugged, acting way too nonchalant.

Dikke:

Dikke enjoyed gossip. Well, not just gossiping. She enjoyed listening to others talk about anything. Hearing people engage in idle chatter was an oddly calming pastime for her. However, she couldn’t say it was truthful when the talk of the suitcase was about her. 

“Wouldn’t you like to buy your love some diamonds? I have quite the assortment. Necklaces, rings, anything that is sure to charm your lady.” 

Oh, how that scammer’s voice irked Dikke. She was about to move, wanting to read somewhere quiet, but she heard another voice. One she held dearly.

“Oh, I’m sure the selection of diamonds is… lovely. But I don’t have anyone to give jewelry to.” You answered curiously, unsure of what she was talking about.

Tennant let out a chuckle, brushing her hand against your cheek. “There’s no need to be so coy. I know the judge has stolen your heart.” She knew Dikke was watching. She wanted to rile her up and get a reaction. It would be fun to watch someone so proper get a bit angry.

Dikke rises from her seat, walking over to you and Tennant with quick steps. Her face looks more than displeased. 

“Why hello there, judge. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Tennant smirked, knowing she got what she wanted.

Her gaze practically bore through the blond woman’s body. The grip on her sword unconsciously grows tighter. “Thou should watch what drivel leaves thine mouth.” 

“My, what harsh words. Calling your own relationship drivel.” Tennant runs a single finger down your arm with a borderline mocking frown. “I would never treat you that way, dear.”

It was quick. You barely saw when it happened. Dikke swiped the hand off you in an almost uncharacteristic act of jealousy. “Perhaps thou should mind thy own affairs.” Before there could even be a response, Dikke speaks once more. “Enough of this. Leave us.” 

Figuring there was no point in taunting her further, Tennant leaves. Not without dragging her hand along your back, wanting to give Dikke one last teasing parting gift.

“I’m so sorry about that, Dikke. You know how Tennant can be sometimes.” You apologized with a sheepish smile. While you felt like you were just seeing things, her cheeks seemed slightly pink.

With the pest out of her hair, Dikke’s eyes soften slightly. “Thou shouldn’t let rumors fester. Lest they form into something more sinister.” She bows her head towards you and departs, not to finish her book but to find you a present better than diamonds.

Tooth Fairy:

“There has been an incline of cavities at the Foundation. Perhaps I’ve been handing out too many toffees.” Tooth Fairy sighed as she shuffled through her examination papers. The corners of her lips tugged down in a near-invisible frown.

Walking over to her side of the medical wing, you lean over her shoulder, taking a peek. “I doubt it’s your toffees. The kids probably aren’t brushing as often as they say. I know they lie to me about where they get their scrapes and bruises.” 

“Was that a poor attempt at making me feel better?” If it were anyone else, they probably would’ve been hurt by that comment. However, as the Foundation’s current nurse, you spend a lot of your days with the dentist. You’ve learned to discern when she’s playing around from her usual tone.

You let out a puff of a laugh, lightly shoving her shoulder. “Speaking of toffee, you wouldn’t happen to have any on you, would you?” There’s a soft smile on your face as you hold out your hand.

There was a faint sound of squeaking leather as Tooth Fairy reached into her pocket. “You’ll be the one with cavities if I continue to spoil you with candies.” She hands you a sweet despite her words. Her gloved hand lingers on yours for a second too long, dainty fingers caressing your wrist as she presses the toffee into your palm.

“But you never say no.” You smiled while unwrapping the candy. After popping it into your mouth, you start to walk out of the office. “I have to go meet with Madam Z about some paperwork. I’ll see you at lunch.”

The way Tooth Fairy watched you leave was downright pining. Her gaze locked on the doorframe. Her eyes soon lower, seeing a certain silver-haired young lady.

“Excuse me, is the nurse here?”

“Hello, Ms. Vertin. I’m sorry, they just stepped out. Is there anything I can help you with?” Tooth Fairy asked as the small child sat on one of the medical beds.

Young Vertin casts her eyes to the floor, bringing a hand up to her head. “I’ve got a terrible headache. I wanted to ask for one of their remedies.”

Tooth Fairy smiled. It was the third time Vertin came complaining about a headache this week. She knew she just wanted sweets, but she couldn’t help but humor her once again. “Well, I happen to know where they keep their medicine.”

The dentist kneeled at your desk, opening the drawer to grab from your stash of lollipops.

“Are the two of you married?” Vertin asked, her head titling curiously.

Nearly dropping the lollipop, Tooth Fairy’s eyes widen a bit. It was an innocent question, but it still made her falter. “What makes you ask that?” Quickly regaining her composure, she hands Vertin the candy.

“When I read stories, the parents in the books act the way you do. They always spend time together and give each other gifts.” Vertin explained.

Tooth Fairy sits at her desk, watching the girl unwrap her sweet. “I see. No, we are not married. We are simply work acquaintances, nothing more.” 

Vertin nods before speaking again. “You two should get married. I could be the flower girl.”

“I… will have to discuss that with them. For now, you should be getting to class.” Tooth Fairy turned back towards her papers, hoping to hide her slightly flushed cheeks.

[aviscarrentals]

Yelp • Chapter 1 ls2

masterlist previous chapter next chapter

words: 1.5k

warnings: cursing, implied off"screen" deaths, injury/blood, implied character death

notes: this first chapter is mostly just exposition (and a little sad i know), but at the very end you get a sneak peak of the action before everything turns totally cray. (there will be more defined logan x parker in the future chapters as well.) parker is supposed to be the "reader" character. i decided to use a gender-neutral name instead of y/n because that's not my thing. she/her pronouns and feminine descriptions are used, but her gender is not a major plot point at all, so you can totally still read this imagining parker however you want. i hope you enjoy!

“God, it’s so weird just going right back to school like nothing’s even happened,” Parker started.

“Yeah,” Logan agreed. “Five fucking kids are dead, but science! Calculus! English!” he finished mockingly.

“Well, four,” Oscar corrected him, Lily nodding along.

Logan let out a large exhale and nodded. “Crazy he survived that shit considering how fucked up the rest of them were.”

“Well, you know what they say about quiet kids,” Arthur chimed in. The other five immediately turned to look at him in confusion.

“What?” Fred questioned incredulously.

“What?” Arthur demanded. “They’re like actually really cool and badass and stuff.”

“Huh?” Logan inquired with a furrowed brow. “I thought the thing was that they’re like… kinky and shit.”

“Mate, what the fuck?” Arthur responded defensively. “Why would I say that?”

“Well, that’s like the thing people say,” Logan bickered. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, but I’ve never heard anyone say that in my entire life.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Arthur retorted, making them all burst out into laughter for a brief moment before they all returned to a somber silence when they remembered the conversation that led them here in the first place.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to class?” Logan pressed, his pleading tone making it obvious that he was asking for his own sake instead of his girlfriend’s.

“No,” Parker laughed him off, pushing his chin off of her shoulder and his arms from around her waist. “The health room is all the way on the other side of the building. You’ll be late. Again.”

“Yeah, well-” Logan began to protest before his newest complaint was interrupted by a loud crack behind him that made the both of them jump. They turned around to see Zhou Guanyu staring back at them guiltily.

“Sorry,” he started to apologize “I just dropped-”

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” Logan interrupted, as Parker reached down to pick up the textbook that fell from his locker.

“Thank you,” he said with a shy smile when she handed it back to him.

“No problem,” she reassured him, returning the expression. “It’s the least I can do, especially considering…” She trailed off, instead gesturing to his left arm which was fully encased in a sling.

After a moment of awkward silence, the girl spoke up again. “Um, what class do you have next? I can help you carry your things,” she offered.

“Bio,” he answered, “but it’s alright,” the boy quickly added. “It’s not far, I wouldn't want you to go out of your way-”

“No, that’s perfect,” she interrupted. “I’ve got psych first period, so I’m headed to the science wing too,” she explained, lifting the heavy load from his hands, right as the morning bell rang.

“Alright,” Logan said, leaning over his girlfriend’s shoulder to give her an instinctual kiss on the cheek. “I better get going. If I’m late to Mrs. K’s class one more time I think she might beat me to death with one of the CPR dummies.”

Parker immediately bore her eyes into her boyfriend’s soul at his word choice, the poor boy not remembering his audience until the words had already left his mouth. Looking like a deer in headlights, he simply turned around and scurried off.

“Sorry,” Parker apologized once she turned back to Zhou, embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” he said, chuckling.

“Shit, we better get going or we’ll be late too.”

“You guys know Zhou, right?” Parker asked the group in front of her as she led the incapacitated boy to her customary lunch spot under the oak trees in the school courtyard. The two were met with a chorus of “yeah”s and welcomes.

“I hope it’s okay that I sit with you guys today,” he asked timidly.

“Yeah, great to have you, man,” Liam assured him as Lily reached across the table to relieve Parker of the extra lunch tray.

“Didn’t we have trig together last year, mate?” Dennis piped up to ask him.

“Um… I’m not sure. I don’t think I would recognize you in class,” the bashful boy responded, leading to a roaring bout of laughter from the crowd.

“Goddamn! He got your ass, Hauger,” Jack said through a fit of childish giggles.

As the conversation continued, Parker couldn’t help but notice that one of the usual members of their crew was missing. “Hey, babe,” she said as she nudged her boyfriend’s rib to get his attention.

“What?”

“Where’s Paul?” she asked, concerned. “He said he was coming to school when I checked in on him yesterday,” the girl recalled.

“Yo, Bearman,” Logan called quietly to the younger boy sitting across from them.

“What’s up?” Ollie questioned, eyebrows raised.

“Have you seen Paul at all today? Did he change his mind about coming in?”

“No, he’s here,” Ollie informed the couple. “I think he probably just wants some time to himself right now. Usually…” he trailed off.

Parker and Logan nodded in understanding. Usually Paul wasn’t the only Aron present at the lunch table.

“How are you holding up?” Parker inquired, giving the boy’s hand a gentle squeeze. Paul had lost a brother, but Ollie had lost the next best thing. His best friend. “I’m alright, thanks for asking,” he replied a little too quickly, flitting his eyes away from the couple before abruptly turning to rejoin the ongoing conversation to his right.

Logan and Parker shared a sad glance, but decided it was better to leave the boy be. Paul probably wasn’t the only one who needed space.

“So,” Arthur’s voice rang out, gathering everyone’s attention. “We’ve got Wednesday off, what say you all we hang at my place tomorrow night.”

“OMG! Sleepover!” Jack shrieked in a high pitched voice, eliciting a few snorts from the kids surrounding him.

“Shut up, Doofus,” Arthur shouted at him playfully.

“That’s not my name, Lecdumbass,” the other boy snapped back, overdramatically rolling his eyes in jest.

“Anyways…” Arthur hollered over his friends’ audible amusement, attempting to gather their attention again. “Is everybody in? You too, Guanyu,” he clarified, to which the meek boy simply nodded, much to the others’ delight. “Awesome!”

As everyone else agreed to the plan, Jack interrupted once again. “Can’t. My parents have been totally freaking out over all this shit. You know how they are. So, unfortunately, the only party I will be attending is Doohan family game night hosted at 15 Fairview Road. Sorry, gang.”

“Well, hope you have fun playing Scrabble with Mummy tonight,” Liam teased.

“Yeah,” Dennis joined in sarcastically, “maybe if you’re lucky she’ll let you have a scoop of chocolate ice cream too. With sprinkles!”

“Alright, fuck you all, I’m out of here,” Jack countered, beginning to gather his things in perfect unison with the end-of-lunch bell.

“Bye-bye, Doofenshmirtz!” Parker called to the boy’s back.

“See ya when Mama Doohan lets you out of your cage again,” her boyfriend added with a big grin, made even wider when Jack simply flipped them off as he continued walking away.

Dennis had worked his ass off all summer. He wanted that spot on the team and he wanted it bad. So, in the month leading up to tryouts, he had to keep up his training. And if Coach saw how dedicated he was maybe that would benefit him too.

After another grueling workout under the hot September sun, Dennis made his way back to the empty locker room. He could smell, see, feel, and taste the sweat on his body, making him strip off his soaked through shirt before the door had even fully closed behind him. He needed a shower ASAP.

All of a sudden, he felt the air knocked out of his lungs as his back hit the ground, letting out a strident wheeze. He laid there for a moment, groaning in pain and sweating even harder than before. Wait, no. That wasn’t sweat…

The boy wearily lifted his head off the ground, still recovering from the harsh impact of his fall, only to see the entire floor of the room flooded.

“What the fuck?” he sighed out with the little breath he was able to collect.

He slowly lifted himself back to his feet, ignoring his spinning head, until he looked down at where he had been only to be greeted by a river of pink floating in the shallow water. He reached his fingers to softly touch the back of his throbbing head and was immediately met with an intense pain and sticky, red blood covering his hand.

The boy sluggishly stumbled forward toward the sinks in order to better assess the situation and clean his open wound. The only sounds he could make out were his laboured breaths and the splashes of his feet meeting the puddles beneath him. Splish. Splash. Splish. Splash. Splish. He paused for a moment as the world spun around him.

Splash.

But the sound of that extra step behind him didn’t register in time for him to save himself.

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[randomsufff]

I’m back Michie girlies and this has been on the dome for a while but I’ve been seeing people mention it and at least one fic has executed this idea (“I once was his tutor” I salute you 🫡) but I need to just present this idea anyways because it has COOKED for a while-

I think it would be absolutely fucking hilarious if Max had started treating Richie the way he did Grace. Like the whole, dumb himbo act where he laughs real hard at non-jokes and tries to rizz Richie up as he’s going to class.

In my head- this is connected to the “Richie tutors Max” universe, so in my mind- Richies been helping him out and he’s been getting to know the guy, Max either: 1) eventually realizes how much of a capital P Prude Grace is OR (the funnier option I think) 2) Grace, in her want to get thoughts of Max Jäegerman out of her head, goes so far in the opposite direction that she somehow accidentally sleeps with a woman and is no longer “forbidden fruit” as Max puts it. (Insert side story of Grace battling internalized homophobia as she developed a friends-with-benefits turned maybe actual relationship with…. idk Deb or Alice or someone.) Cue Max looking at Richie and being like “I can totally seduce this nerd, my skills aren’t lacking just because I couldn’t get Grace.. this is 100% not me subconsciously really liking the dude and wanting to genuinely date him and knowing no other way to outwardly express this”

ANYWAYS- point is I need Max to try to flirt with Richie in that himbo way that he did with Grace-and I need Richie “This projects on thermodynamics… what the fuck are you talking about???” Lipshitz to just be constantly confused on what’s happening to him.

AND THEN when he finally realizes that Max is trying to get with him, I need Mr. Richie “has definitely never been with or slept with anyone and is just as unhinged and horny as Ruth (need I remind you she said Stephanie was the object of both their sexual fantasies)” Lipshitz to look at Max, really debate over it, before going “I may not have standards but I, unfortunately, have morals” and that he couldn’t do anything with Max since he was… well…his and his friends bully for years.

Boom, kick start the redemption arc that starts with Max just wanting to sleep with Richie but shifts to genuinely wanting to date him and trying to open up/clean up his act.

(Also- to add to that ‘“Dirty Girl Soup” Richie version’ concept that I’ve seen somewhere- I think it would be so fucking funny if Max’s equivalent to this, scandalous, forbidden, sexual fantasy was just Richie being the most supportive, understanding and healthiest boyfriend ever. Just accidentally fantasizing them in the most domestic situation ever (you know, because it goes against his Literal Monster persona). Like Richie’s, i don’t fucking know, holding his hand as they get coffee together and is just so understanding and calming when Max attempts to bully this fantasy Richie, and Max-who is just swimming in toxic masculinity (but is super ok in knowing he’s bi. As people say- he’s an actual asshole but he will bully you using your correct pronouns damnit)- is just like “NO, what are these feelings??? Why do I feel like this??? This is so wrong… but why does this feel… actually nice???” Yeah… funny shit)

[cubile-animussy]

how i think mbav characters would react to you asking for their pronouns:

"I use she/her, thanks for asking." She's the only normal one here.

~

"Well, I'm Jesse, and I go by-" bites your fucking neck

~

"Uhhhh, she- they- he/him! he/him."

(it's not even that he's in the closet okay he might be but that's not why it's just that he's socially awkward enough to accidentally misgender himself. pronoun circles are hell for him bc his first instinct is to treat it like ice breakers and copy the person before him. one time he got called they/them for like a week because he made the mistake of replying on autopilot. eventually he corrected everyone but the entire time he was like "I sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me.")

~

"My pronouns? 519-341-7831. You'll probably have to write them down to remember them, eh?"

(he's deeper in the closet than those fucking kids in Narnia. gayass screencap courtesy of @bettyweir)

~

you'll never know. you don't even have the balls to approach her.

~

he responds with anyone of his self-appointed nicknames. if you ask again he'll go "OHHHH. you can call me ~" and then just names another one off the list. No one knows how to refer to Rory and that's the way he likes it ("vampire ninja will not be perceived"). It also gets people to start using his nicknames, which is a plus. gender euphoria unlocked via being a dumb blond menace.

~

"She/her. Why? Are you Ethan's friend? Are you gay? Is he gay?"

~

"How do I know you're not going to use this information to hex me?"

~~~

BONUS:

(does not know what pronouns are) "oh, it's pronounced stuh-KOW-skee. with a 'K' sound, not a 'Ch' sound. then it'd be stuh chow skee, and chow is for puppies, and i'm not a puppy, I'm a dog- well, i'm not actually a dog. But if I were, I'd be a dog. like an adult dog. well not like an adult person that's also a dog, but a dog that's grown up. but not like a super big one either that makes you say 'is that a dog fully a dog?' I'd just be like, a man dog. a dog man. wait, that's not what i-"

~

screams

[ladystardust-thinks]

high-achiever - e.u.

Request by: @stilessbaseballbat

Hello! Can I request an imagine with Eggsy where him and the reader are appointed to train the newbies, but they become too competitive and split the group in two - One is Eggsys group and the two the readers. They make a bed which group will pass the Kingsman training? (you can choose who wins and what the loser is going to have to do)

Eggsy Unwin x Fem!Reader

A/N: It hasn't been long since I got that request. Sure. I totally didn't have it in my wips since forever. Anyway, I feel a little boring because of the choice I made on who wins but eh it's okay. It was like 4am. I'm proud of the OCs though 'cause I think they're pretty lovable. (aka I love them and they're my pretty little babies so you also have to love them, no pressure.)

Any feedback, is good feedback!! Correct me on anything you think is wrong.

word count: 2.1k

Tags/Warnings: She/Her pronouns!!, Jealous Reader if you squint really hard, kinda ooc eggsy?, OC x OC, reader is an overachiever, bad writing? English is not my first language, I learned it entirely out of social media, mention of a dog being shot (but not really), mention of reader having a dog (again, only if you squint.), Use of Y/N

"Gawain! Get up!" Eggsy's voice echoes loudly through the woman's house as he swings all the curtains wide open. She winces at the sudden light and curses the boy through her teeth.

"Y'know Galahad, I have heard rumours about people saying good morning as a greeting. Also that is a total violation of privacy. Do you know that? It's important to me that you know that." The girl whines shoving her tired body towards the kitchen, pouring coffee in a mug.

"Good morning, Gawain." Eggsy pauses. "Alright, now, the trainees list just came in and Merlin told me we are to train them. So take a look at it." He pushes the papers towards her and she takes a sip from her coffee, not making an attempt to take the papers. She looks up at Eggsy like he had killed her whole family.

"Why are you all that excited?" She asks rhetorically, not waiting for an answer. "Well, first of all I've been there and it's interesting to see newbies in my position and second of all it's going to be something to add to my successes. I'm high already but I am aiming higher."

He answers in a matter-of-factly tone and sits opposite to the girl. "What makes you think you are going to be all that good at it. I mean I am going to be there sure but-" She was rudely cut off.

"Are you implying you are better than me, Gawain?" The agent says slowly with a smile forming on his face.

"I wasn't implying anything, actually. I thought that was obvious. But before you rudely cut me off and-" She grunts in annoyance. Yet again being interrupted. She didn't like being interrupted.

"Then we can put it to the test. Drink your coffee and get dressed we are going to HQ." He states and starts wandering around the house, almost too comfortable, opening her closet and pulling out her suit, throwing it on her bed.

"You're doing it, again! I don't really appreciate that! And how did you even get inside my house? I never gave you a key. The door was locked, the lock isn't broken. What the bloody hell! You can't just sneak in like that." The woman complains kicking Eggsy out of her room as she starts to change her clothes. "We are Kingsmen, Gawain. Nothing is ever locked." She heard him say behind the door.

***

The newbies were in their cabin and they looked terrified in this sort of fun way. Y/N couldn't help but wonder if she also looked that terrified her first day at HQ. No. She thought. She was too confident. Her friends and family were sure, that was going to be the death of her. She was always sure of herself. Always. She had always been competitive.

Her parents still teased about stuff she'd do when she was little, like crying when she'd land on someone else's property while playing Monopoly.

They didn't even pressure her into all of those academic successes, she just did it.

The competitive part of her - if not her only part - is also what brought her where she is, doing something that Merlin, probably, wouldn't really like. But just like there wasn't one bone in her body that wasn't competitive, there also wasn't one that wasn't a winner.

***

"Do we get to choose who's in our team?" She found herself whispering at Eggsy while the newbies conversed with one another. "If you have your eye on someone that you think would make it easier, then no." He answers nonchalantly.

"Damn it." She swears under her breath, disappointed. "But we could choose eachothers teams. Like I choose yours, you choose mine." He murmurs.

"Okay. Then I'm giving you Marie." She says checking the document in her hand to make sure she got the name right. "Why Marie?" Eggsy asks, genuinely curious. "I don't know she seems annoying, she'd talk your ear of and get you distracted."

"Oh. Well that's good, because I actually think she's quite-"

"Then no." She changes her mind and shakes her head, her eyes still at the trainees looking over the cabin like lost puppies.

The blonde smirks, he marks his coworker's initials next to 'Marie Brown' on his own document. "Marie?" He says looking at the group of people right in front of him, searching with his eyes for the short redhead. "Yes." She speaks up. "You're with Gawain." He states.

The girl sprinted towards the, not-so-thrilled, agent excitedly. She smiled with all her teeth and squealed, standing tall, next to her.

She threw a sarcastic, tight lipped smile smile her way, then turned to look at Eggsy, the grimace never leaving her face. He just tried to hide his giggles under his breath and smiled, looking only forward because he knew if he turned to look at the woman's expression, he'd break down in laughter.

Marie grasped her mentor's shoulder proudly and Y/N's eyes widened but Eggsy's ability to hold his laugh was only getting worse. She nudged his rib with her elbow and coughed. "Okay, Elliot, with Galahad." She marked the initials G.U. on her document and let a breathy laugh out.

His eyes widened and his eyebrows went up, he turned to look at her and Elliot walked over to him. "Hello, sir." He sniffed and put his hand out for Eggsy to shake. His voice was shaky. Eggsy looked at him, then back at his sweaty hand and shook it.

Elliot let go from Eggsy's hand and wipped his hands on his uniform, fixing it and clearing his throat, as he walks next to Eggsy.

"He does realize that we are almost the same age and I am not his teacher, right?" The agent turns to Y/N and she snorts shortly. "Dont be mean," she says quietly "that's my job." She continues.

"Well, this is going to be fun." Eggsy mumbles under his breath. Suddenly regretting ever planting the idea of a bet in the girl's head.

***

"Okay, so." She clapped once to get the attention of the newbies. "The next days are going to be full of missions and tests, but you have to keep two things in mind. Always listen to your mentor and of course always look at the bigger picture. You're going to be in danger, multiple times through out this training process. If you look too closely you don't think practical, you think hypothetical. And a Kingsman doesn't have time for hypothetical."

Eggsy found himself staring at the young agent while she spoke with such loyalty and dedication. There was always this on going banter between them, about who is better at this or that, little things. But it had been amusing for him how she took everything so seriously, like she just had to win. Even if that was just an unserious game of rock-paper-scissors. He couldn't help but wonder why she was so competitive, with everyone but especially him, at most times.

That being the only trait they had in common.

How competitive they both were.

In general they we really different, she was serious most of the time and she always went by the rules, more logical than emotional, she'd always follow a good piece of advice. Eggsy was a free-er soul, he is emotional, he gets attached really easily. A smart-ass if she's ever met one. And he had this weird hero complex she could never understand, this 'I'm saving the world.' kind of attitude. She wanted to wipe that smirk of his face, bring him down to earth, shout 'We're all saving the world here!' at him.

***

"Hello there." Agent Gawain told the newbies, wet like cats, seeming miserable.

"What the hell was that?!" Hayley whined, a trainee from Eggsy's team. "That was your first quest, and if it was hot in here you'd be thanking us now." He answered the blonde girl's question.

"What was surprising, something that has never happened before, was that all of you failed. We had to drain the water so you don't drown." Y/N told her trainees. They all looked at eachother awkwardly, ashamed, as the experienced agent put her hands over her chest disappointed.

"Are you kidding me? We almost died for your stupid training and we get scolded like we're little children? I am not dealing with this crap." She got her luggage from under her bed and pushed through Galahad and Gawain so she can leave. Eggsy grimaced, his nose scrunching and his eyes squeezing shut. "She left." He heard a familiar whisper from next to him. "I know." He said. "Okay. Hopefully by the next mission we won't have anyone storming off." He turned to the rest of the group.

***

It had now came down to the final choice. The two final trainees for the decision to be made were, ironically enough, Elliot and Marie.

The trainees were both at different rooms, one across from another. Agents Gawain and Galahad were both leaning on different walls, one across from another.

Both waiting nervously to hear the gunshot from their trainee's gun. The woman made a clicking noise with her tounge as the man constantly tapped his foot against the metal floor. "Nervous, Galahad?" The agent asks the blonde. "Never, Gawain." He answers.

Gunshots are heard from both rooms and the agents let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding, realisation came to them immediately and they locked in eachother's eyes. "Does this mean...?" Eggsy started. "I think so? It hasn't happened to me before." Y/N says confused and both Elliot and Marie come out of the rooms.

"I almost shot my Barney..." Marie says to her mentor with wide eyes, holding her dog close to her chest. "Yup I know, he's alright, Mar." Agent Gawain hugs her trainee, remembering how it felt to even think of shooting Stevie when she went through her own training.

"I- Me too." Elliot says, still shocked. She sees Eggsy over Marie's shoulder, as he sighs, grimacing yet again, questioning and giving two hesitant pats on Elliot's back she couldn't describe as confrontational. She laughs on Marie's shoulder and Eggsy rolls his eyes at her.

"Okay. I mean. Good news is...you're both Kingsmen now. And you have your dogs!"

Y/N says letting Marie go.

"Congratulations on your dedication."

Marie and Elliot start talking and Eggsy discreetly takes his coworker away.

"So it's tie?" He whispers.

"I guess so." She shrugs.

She looks back at Marie and Elliot. Elliot awkwardly laughs as he makes a depressing attempt to touch Marie's arm and she giggles putting some of her hair behind her ear.

"Well that's akward." She says and Eggsy follows her eyes and also looks at the, now, young Kingsmen.

"Let the kids be. They're living their love."

"You're making me have a mid-life crisis before my time, we're like two years older than them."

Eggsy sighs theatrically. "Yes, but they feel like my kids already. Look at them opening their wings."

Gawain rolls her eyes.

"Must be sad for you. Now you can't make a move on Marie." She says sarcastically.

"I just said that so you wouldn't put her on my team. Marie's not really my type."

"What's your type then?"

"I don't know. Witty, smart, boring agents that can't bare losing?"

"Sounds very specific for the sake of 'not knowing'."

"Familiar too doesn't it?" A proud smile plays around Eggsy's lips as he is staring at her.

"Yeah, it does. Thank god my type is annoying, funny, immature agents that I just can't get off my back." She grins.

"I'm pretty hard to get rid of. Would you break a rule, Gawain?"

"Only if I am to break it with such good company, Galahad."

I would love to read your thoughts, i hope you enjoyed the story. Have a gorgeous day. Mwah!

-Shad

[mochinomnoms]

So I'm trans and when I came out to one of my friends there was some funny confusion that I think could apply to an afab girl mc who's pretending to be a boy cause boy's school.

So when I came out to my friend I told them I was trans and they were like cool. The thing was I already pass and go by my gender (ftm) but they thought I was about to start transitioning so they thought I was mtf. I can see MC where people just see MC as a dude so when their friend goes "I'm a girl" a chunk of the twst cast is like "hell yeah be you."

I just... I can't stop laughing cause my friend sent me bra sizing guides, tucking underwear, etc links being supportive and I had to go "thats sweet but no." I can see people trying to offer things to help MC transition and MC has to go "wait no I AM afab I just... this is an all boys school so I assumed I had to dress and act like a boy"

I find this type of approach has so many opportunities for comedy

AKSJALKJSDJ that's actually really fucking funny we love sillies

But yes, this can definitely happen, especially since 80% of the school is collectively sharing one braincell, and it's on its last legs. They want to support their friend though!! And their friend just told them they're trans! They were trusted with that knowledge and by god they are going to be supportive!

You have friends making sure your correct pronouns are being used, others researching and sending you sources (much like your friend) to help you ease into transitioning. You even have Cater and Vil specifically sending you products they get as influencers, offering to help you learn how to do make up and dress up so you look closer to your preferred gender, though they're also happy if you want just do whatever! It's so sweet and very confusing.

Don't worry, Rook of all people (not really surprising actually) figures out the truth and helps you clear the air. Your friends, especially the ones you first tell (probably Ace and Deuce tbh) are kinda embarrassed. Tell them it's okay…or make fun of them. Which ever floats your boat!

[talenlee]

The Origin Of The Word 'Orc'

The term for a cultural group, as a name, is its demonym. In Cobrin’Seil, demonyms are words from the culture in question. There are some political contentions there – the Eladrin consider themselves more legitimate Elves than Elves, but Elves are called Elves and Eladrin don’t call themselves Elves because they do not want to be considered the same thing as Elves. This is a long standing beef between the kind of people who own libraries older than most countries. But notably, these words are in the languages of the Elf and the Eladrin. Drow is a word from the same language group, a term that the Drow chose for themselves and use for themselves. The Kai of Shadar-Kai are named after their fortress home, which is, again, an Eladrin word, but they’re all from the same cultural group and choose the term.

The term ‘Beast’ in common comes from ‘Beastfolk,’ which is to say a generic term for a scary thing from the forest. But Beasts are named after Beastfolk, and Beastfolk, again, named themselves. The Beastfolk formed a coalition, made a common language, and then shared that language amongst themselves, developing the term bhehst which evolved over time to Beast, and when they needed a term to describe the coalition, Beastfolk was the result.

Common did not impose this name on them, it learned it from them.

Consider the word ‘Goblin’, a word from the Goblins, is notable because the way the word is used and structured, in language, it’s a possessive. Whose land is this? Goblin. Where are we? Goblin. Who are you? Goblin. What are your people? Goblin. This incredibly flexible term, with its overwhelming ubiquity, also plays into the way goblins are perceived as speaking a strange and confusing language. It’s more that they have multi-purpose words are build their language on trust and social intuition. This is why Goblins will often drop a conversation exactly when they know you’re getting frustrated, because they can tell you don’t actually care and need time to process what they said.

In Cobrin’seil, heritage names are largely entirely self-chosen demonyms. Oh sure, there are names for Orcs that Orcs don’t use, but those words are largely considered slurs, or are often inexact – Bugbears, Hobgoblins, Goblins and Orcs were all for a time treated as the same culture and named interchangeably by outsiders who did not interact with them (which means some of these ideas remain codified by the Eresh Protectorate and Dal Raeda histories). A proper cladistic chart can rejoice in how interesting it is that yes, Bugbears and Hobgoblins are extremely closely related, and yet Hobgoblins and Goblins are so distant as to be functionally alien to one another. Humans are closely related to Hobgoblins, but not to Goblins, and Orcs, while closely related to Humans, are extremely different to Hobgoblins, such that they don’t even recognise one another’s common cause.

And if you think Humans are racist against Orcs, you should hear what Hobgoblins think of them sometime.

But what is an Orc? Not culturally – linguistically, what is an Orc?

The simplest answer to that is that the Orc word Orc is a pronoun used by Orcs before contact with other cultures to describe the relationship between clan groups. In technical terms, it’s a first-person – plural – accusative – judicative – epicene- imperative – widely clusive pronoun, which is to say:

It’s a term used used to self-describe (first-person)

It’s a term describing a group (plural, it’s not singular)

It indicates reciept of an object (a grammatical object, like a direct object – think of it as ‘doing’ things)

It asserts a correct identification, that the speaker is sure of the word’s truth (accusative rather than interrogative)

It presents no gender (epicene)

It expresses a command of agency (imperative, much like a sentence that starts with “you”)

It asserts as many people who can be in the group as possible (as ‘Orc’ wants to be maximally inclusive)

This set of layers is not at all atypical, because the huge iceberg of study amongst linguists in Orcs isn’t their vocabulary or writing system. Those are still potentially interesting things to study, but the nature of Orc as a language is that the vocabulary is pretty simplified… if you accept the way that the language is made up of modifiers. See, Orcish language and vocabulary is pretty simple when it comes to nouns and adjectives, and there’s an old aphorism Orcs have a hundred words for war and no word for peace. This is both not true and true, because the place where Orcish language has most of its complexity is not in these nouns but is instead in their incredibly intricate and exhaustive system of pronouns.

Orcish pronouns are varied, elaborate, detailed and tonal. In English, we have a single pronoun for ‘the object right here’ (This) and ‘the object not right here’ (That). You can add plurality to those (these and those), but that’s not a lot of refinement. In Orcish by comparison, the pronouns include sequentiality (the first object we mention, the second object we mention), clusivity (who is included in a grouping), trust (I know this because I witnessed it, because someone told me, because someone I didn’t trust told me, nobody told me), and temporality (when in time this thing I am describing has or will happened or is ongoing).

This means that diagrammatically, an Orcish sentence may be composed of the nouns and verbs ‘took axe hut put skull,’ which we in English might scaffold together as ‘I took my axe from by the hut and put it in that guy’s skull,’ but the same sentence in about the same amount of space in Orcish, communicates ‘I am telling you this because I witnessed and did it and can attest to that, of how I took my father’s hunting axe that I have used to fight with only occasionally and would not be my normal choice for violence, near the hut that I use for occasional trips for fishing and storing things, and for reasons that I think are reasonable but I recognise as regrettable, wound up in a fight with that guy which ended when I used the axe to split his skull.’ And that’s even simplifying it, because there’d be specific interlocking references in the intervening words, and it would cover the same basic space. Orcish pronouns can be synthetic, where two different pronouns may want to apply to a word so they just merge together into another, new, giga pronoun.

This is the big problem of translating Orcish language; the pronouns are so complex and carry so much information that an Orc learning Common has to struggle with trying to wedge that level of sophisticiation in the space we in our language normally use for simple words, like they’re trying to park an apple cart in a desk drawer. Since the language can value precision and specificity and provenance, which we don’t naturally do, they wind up having to give up on trying to convey any of that information with the pronouns. This is why you get the stereotypical ‘thag hit man with axe‘ because from an Orc’s perspective, the pronouns and prepositions we use are so limited, they’re more like mumbling you put between words than an actual system for conveying meaning.

Understand that if there were Orc movies, the fansubbers would have absolutely unsolvable problems ahead of them. They’d encounter a scene where two Orcs saying very blatantly different single words back and forth to one another would, to be linguistically correct, with the time allowed to parse the information, have to subtitle it with just the dialogue:

You.” “You.” “You.” “You.“ “You?” “You.” “YOU.

And it would be technically right and incredibly unhelpful. The stereotype of an Orc, inscrutably keyed up just saying ‘YOU.’ at someone is often used to suggest that they’re easily overwhelmed by emotions. That’s not entirely untrue but it’s also that Common is just not fit for purpose to express what Orcs normally can express very freely.

This also results in translation errors of concepts, that result in complicated mistakes about cultural outlook. Take for example the way that Human cultures, speaking in Common, value parenthood to the exclusion of almost all other forms of cultural behaviour. Fatherhood and Motherhood are treated as fundamentally important to even living, when you’re from a Fatherland and you live thanks to the Mother Earth. The fact that Orcs don’t seem to treat either of these ideas with much significance was, for a time, taken as a historical sign of their lack of Human empathy and inability to exist in Human society, with all Orcs coming from parent-less or underparented families, the ‘land of broken homes.’ This is a misunderstanding that comes out of Humans assuming that marriage is normal.

Typically though, Orcs don’t have children. A bit under half the population have children and a bit more than half of the population don’t. It’s not because of a problem or anything. There’s no strong incentive to do so, no implication that you won’t. Orcs typically remain able bodied up to their end of life, and the narrative in a capitalist society of producing children to care for you and keep you company as you get older is already met by the way that Orcish communities are already built on a steady platform of community connection.

Orc society isn’t a typical patriarchal or matriarchal setup but more avuncular. Most Orcs care, a little, for the kids in their community; parents are often considered exhausted by having the kids, and therefore, the community members around them take care of the kid and help raise them. The myth that Orcs ‘mature faster’ is just that any given 14 year old Orc has already been trained, by their community, to do a lot of utilitarian things like making their own food and lodgings and travelling, because that’s just more of what’s in the culture. It’s not that there’s no room for things like birdwatching and painting and creating art objects, it’s just that the foundations aren’t reliant on things like reading and writing and focus more on practical skills.

The other thing is that Orc populations often have very lopsided and punctuated population growths; if a band raids an area and brings back with everything the other area had that they now have to care for, the situation can be where the Orcs now have a generation worth of new kids, so there’s no specific reason for them to have more kids of their own through the untidy process of reproduction. There’s no obvious problem here, because again: there’s no assumption of partnership or children as a natural result, so these kids are usually adopted and raised by the Orcs themselves, and again, this is seen as pretty reasonable, even forming out of parenting units that don’t necessarily think of one another as friends or seem compatible the way that Humans would present them. No fixed opposite gender pairings or even fixed sizes of groups, because again: Marriage is not normal.

Humans understand marriage to be a legal codification of a culturally acceptable monogamous structure where two people choose to cohabitate, pool resources, and that this is a perpetual state. It’s usually of opposite genders but not always and it’s usually inclusive of having children, but not always. Depending on where in the world you do it, Humans kids being from married families is seen as a sign the kid has more stability and is less likely to be antisocial or criminal.

Orcs on the other hand, have no such common social arrangement, with the closest they have being a thing that some researchers refer to as a ‘child loan.’ Some Orcs decide they want some kids, so they ask their own support network if they can be, for a period — usually seven years — excluded from typical community obligations for providing. It’s a commitment to create a space for the kid to grow up in, and usually only asked for a first child or an adoption of a few. After the duration of time, the deal is over – the ‘parents’ in the child loan don’t even necessarily assume they’ll be together at that point and the community obligations return. There’s no interest on this, per se, but it’s often framed as a ‘loan’ in language because a lot of Orc language is debt-biased.

Basically, there’s a period where any time you’re given the choice between staying out to gather more resources than you need or chop more wood than you can to benefit communal stockpiles, Orcs believe, if you’re under this deal, you should absolutely the hell not be chopping wood or fishing, you should be back home, enriching the life of your child and supporting your partners in the situation.

This is how Orcs get that common base of knowledge. It’s true that Orcs aren’t fantastically literate, but the lack of written language doesn’t relate to their sophisticated language system. Right now, the Orcish language gets written in a form of Urd script, a little stamp of colonisation from Ogres in the past that the Orcs largely escaped. The lack of infrastructural information is secondary because the culture tends towards being built out of people with direct experience in a lot of different hands-on skills. You don’t need to read manuals if you can rely on finding someone in your society who can help teach you things. This means there’s a lot of focus on less the importance of blood or descent and a lot more about continued maintenance of cultural identities. Basically, nobody likes seeing someone in the community die without an apprentice or a follower to carry on what they knew.

This is also where the stereotypes of Orcs coming from ‘broken homes’ because a lot of Orcs’ parents, after the kid is roughly at a point where they can start contributing to the home, discuss if they want the current arrangement to be ongoing, and decide to change it, meaning less time with one parent or the other. The kid then usually spends their time hanging around an ‘uncle’ in the community with the specialisation they’re interested in.

Now understand that from an Orc’s perspective, this is a pretty reasonable thing. Orcs are very used to the idea of impermanent things, life and property and so on. The Human sees a horrifying constant attempt to emulate Human marriage which always ends in failure and raises a child who is, well, an Orc, and is seen as fulfilling a cycle of violence. The Orc sees Human marriage and asks ‘why do you send a letter to the government to tell them who you’re having sex with? that’s bloody weird.’

Ironically, though, Orcs are also associated with letters for another reason. See, a lot of city folk’s stereotype, to the point where in plays and theatre, it’s one of the most common roles available to Orcs, is the idea of an Orc courier. The idea kicked off from a historical position where, out in the battlefield, Eresh nobles would pay Orcs from nearby to deliver messages, because they were wholly independent, incredibly reliable, and unlikely to break promises. This was such standard practice that Orcish communities would often check out battlefields and wars like it was a corner for work.

But this became enough of a thing at battlefields, that there were established relationships, that when knights and commanders headed back to the cities, Orcs would commonly come along, and do long-distance courier work from city to city. If Orcs were travelling the highways with messages on their own, like a mail service, often nobles would give the general some other notes, and thus began the pattern of a small number of Orcs having this job. That led to more coming along to do it, because it’s work they find easy (long distance travel under no pressure in return for convenient rewards at both ends of the travel).

This was long running enough that nobles started to hire them specifically, Orcs formed loose unions, recruited non-Orcs that could do the job, and language about the stereotype kicked in. It’s a really persistent rumour that Orcs are couriers because they can’t read, so the message is secure. This is a really stupid stereotype, because the messages inevitably have their destination written on them and the Orcs have to be able to read that.

The upshot is that ‘Orc messenger’ is just a weird stereotype that the people of the Eresh Protectorate particularly hold to, because it’s one of the ways that Orcs show up in the cities most commonly… even if that archetype is so old that the Orc couriers founded Orc Courier companies, that are now just Courier companies and the city-living Orcs of the Eresh Protectorate do whole hosts of jobs. It’s also even stranger that some people maintain the stereotype of an Orc as what we’d recognise as a Pony Express style courier, a lone wanderer on a horse with no roots and no friends, romanticised as an image under the starry sky, and as a terrifying highway plunderer.

These two things seemingly exist completely independently in the head of idiots.

This originally started as a series of unstructured chosts over on Cohost, where I talked – without much formal structure – about the Orcs of Cobrin’Seil. This post is here because it’s more searchable and more readable for things like oh, my D&D players. But if you want to see this kind of thing in its draft form, you should check out Cohost. It’s a cool website that lets me draft larger things like this without the same churn as you see on sites like Tumblr.

I like Cohost! I like writing about things like this! I like being able to hand you nearing on three thousand words of Orc lore, derived in pieces from drip-fed ideas about linguistic demonym structure and make a whole ding dang piece about it! And over on Cohost, you can comment on it and encourage me! I like that too! Some of the ideas here were definitely filtered throug people commenting on my Orc cultures!

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[1moremilgram-enjoyer]

MeMe and Control over One's Own Destiny

Alright I've been holding off on talking about Mikoto until Double releases, but I saw he was on a train and my brain went Silly. Don't you understand how crazy the symbolism is?! (<- Mentally unwell)

So now I have to talk about how MeMe handles the concept of destiny and the control the alters have on the system's future, because it's honestly so interesting to me.

CW Murder

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on DID, feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong

The first big connection between MeMe and the idea of destiny is obviously the recurring theme of tarot cards. These are used for divination, meaning the practice of trying to learn about the future through supernatural means. In other words, they're deeply tied to the concept of destiny, of future events that will come to affect us, and the ways we may influence it. What's important to take away here is that, regardless of whether or not you believe in it, reading tarot cards is a way for people to try to understand their future so they can take try to take control of it.

Once you make this little connection, a lot of the imagery in MeMe starts to get interesting. To give you an example, one of the opening shots is of a bunch of tarot cards all scattered in water.

So, their future is scattered, it's uncertain, it's messy, etc. You get the idea, I don't think I need to elaborate on why Mikoto's life is a bit of a mess.

However, I think there are two scenes which are particularly interesting in this regard. When Aokoto (host) draws a blank card in the first chorus, and when he gathers the cards in the deck at the start of the third chorus.

So first, we can be sure this is Aokoto because the lyrics not only use 'boku', but also express confusion at the situation, which only really fits the host.

Why am I [boku] here? It must be a mistake? Take a good look at me [boku], until you find me The truth will come to reveal itself I won't forgive you if this is happening to me even though I'm right

Why am I [boku] here? It must be a mistake? Take a good look at me [boku], until you find me

(Note: If there is no clarification on which pronoun is used when I put lyrics here, it's because the Japanese doesn't actually use any pronouns)

What's happening here? As stated, the tarot cards are a representation of destiny and their future. By drawing a tarot card, Aokoto is trying to understand his situation and destiny better. And by stacking the deck up neatly, he's trying to take control of his destiny, of his future. The desire to be free and be able to control his life is a very important part of Aokoto's character:

(T1) Q14: What will you be doing in 10 years? M (Ao): I'd like to work independently and make my own design company. That way I'm free to do what I want.

(T1) Q8: What are your reasons for wanting to work for your current job? M (Ao): I work at an advertising company that's at the top of the business world, you know? Just being able to get to that position is something to be proud of. I worked really hard to get hired there, too.

Aokoto places high value on the work he's done, because that shows how committed he is to having control over his life and his job.

(T1) Q12: How do you get to work? M (Ao): I ride a road bike. It's a hobby of mine, and it's good to exercise too. I don't need to worry about missing the train, but that can either be a good or bad thing.

I've seen this answer interpreted a few different ways, but personally I believe what Aokoto's implying is that the freedom of not having to rely on the train is both good and bad. Essentially, he doesn't have to stress about missing it, but there's also no guarantee that he'll get to work in time without the reliability of the train. However, he still prefers the bike, because it gives him more freedom.

... Foreshadowing is a narrative device-

There's also the matter of the tarot spreads which appear in that "blank card" scene. There are two distinct ones:

Now, the whole mess is too complicated to get into here (and I actually am holding off from analysis until we get extra context from Double for that reason), but I believe one of these spreads belongs to Aokoto, and the other belongs to Midokoto (Secret Third gatekeeper alter). Which is which doesn't matter, because the card I want to focus on is the card in the "Hopes and Fears" position (EXTREMELY long story), which is I - The Magician (upright) in both of them. The Magician represents (among a fuckton of other things because tarot cards are frustratingly ambiguous by design) power, potential, basically the ability to achieve your goals. Thus, in the "Hopes and Fears" position, it would mean Aokoto wants to be able to control his life and fulfill his potential, and is afraid he might not be able to.

There is also the "Present" or "Self" card being the reversed XII - The Hanged Man. The Hanged Man upright represents (among other things) patience, the hope that as long as everything continues the same, things will turn out okay. Thus, reversed, it could be read as implying the querent is trying their best to change their situation, but are failing at it.

And this is where we get to the second part of the scenes I pointed out before. Because when Aokoto draws a card by itself, it's a blank card. In other words, no matter how much he wants to, Aokoto doesn't have full control of his future. I mean, obviously, right? He himself can't control his destiny when the other alters are also doing pretty impactful stuff. Depending on what theories you subscribe to, he may have ended up in Milgram without even murdering anyone, which is what I believe.

The same can be seen when he tries to put the deck back together. You might notice the deck there is actually thinner than the other time we see it.

He tries to "fix" or "arrange" his future, but he's "playing with half a deck", he's only half in control of his future. In this metaphor, the other alter(s) would have the rest of the deck, would control the rest of the system's destiny. Does that make sense?

Which gets us to the other alter who does tarot reading.

Notice the red mannequin there? The way 0 - The Fool's pouch of food is now a skull? And you can see this alter, heavily implied to be Orekoto, reads a Celtic cross spread with the Fool in the "querent" or "present" position.

Thus, The Fool represents Orekoto, and he too desires control over their future. That's why he's reading the spread, the same way Aokoto previously tried to draw a card to check his future. And I think it's pretty safe to say Orekoto must have killed or attacked at least one person, which is his way of trying to secure a better future for the system. Protector alter and all that.

[Timelines] Mikoto (Ao): Can you hear me talking like this? If you can hear me, then answer me. Why are you doing such horrible things? Hey. It's your fault things have become like this. ……Answer me!! Mikoto (Ore): Ah, ahhh!! Because, I did it for my/your (Boku's) sake…! Because I/you (Boku-ga) would break apart!!

(Translation by Maristelina)

Plus all the other reasons to believe that.

That spread is a bit odd for many reasons, but one thing we can pretty much be sure of is Orekoto's "Hopes and Fears" are represented by VII - The Chariot.

The Chariot (among other things) represents strength of will and control, basically think of it as a more forceful version of The Magician. Thus, Orekoto also hopes he can take control of their life, though he does it through force, and he fears he might be getting too forceful.

If I could laugh, if I could go back I'd play dead even though I'm alive right? If I could end, if I could stop How long would this dream go on?

Assuming it is Orekoto singing here (no pronouns so), it seems he doesn't want to kill, but sees himself cornered, like he has to kill. If he could stop, he'd "go back and play dead even while alive", he wouldn't kill anymore. But when he feels "boku will fall apart", he tries to save him through any means he can, which is likely murder. The exact reasons are as of yet unknown (someone stalking them, stress, could be a lot of things), but that's the idea.

However, you tarot enthusiast might notice a few interesting differences between this Chariot card and the actual Chariot card. This is important, because the meaning of these cards comes from the images, so when the image differs (apart from stylistic choices obvs), the meaning differs with it.

First important difference: the real Chariot has lions, MeMe's Chariot has bikes. This again relates bikes to the idea of freedom and one's own will.

Foreshadowing is-

Second; MeMe's Chariot has the protagonist swinging around a mace, which the real Chariot just has a wand. I frankly don't think this means anything other than MeMe's Chariot explicitly references murder rather than other, non-physical forms of strength and force.

Third, an important part of the real Chariot is that the man doesn't hold a leash on the lions, he controls them through force of will, apparently. Meanwhile, the mannequin in MeMe's version does hold chains to control the bikes, which again I believe simply implies a more forceful and direct version of the meaning. Orekoto doesn't trust his destiny to guide the system in the right direction as long as they're strong enough, he feels he needs to have more direct control.

And finally, the lions in the real Chariot are fine, but in MeMe's version, one of the bikes is fucking exploding.

So what the hell is up with that? Well, let's keep in mind what I said before. Aokoto also wants control of his life. So I believe in a way these bikes represent Aokoto and Orekoto's actions. One of them Orekoto has direct control over (he controls his own actions, after all), while the other is getting hurt by Orekoto's control. Orekoto may want nothing more than to protect the system, but the way he does it is harmful to Aokoto and destroys the control he wants to have over their life. I mean, it landed them in Milgram (according to some interpretations), and it's not like Aokoto likes the murder.

(T1) Q6: Tell us what you hate. M (Ao): Staying up all night working / reptiles / violence

[Double Preview] Hey now, I [ore] saved you right? So why in the hell are you crying?

(I will use the preview as evidence, watch me)

Temporary CW for abusive relationships and rape (Mono Poisoner)

This idea of "love" that hurts the other is also implied by Mono Poisoner, their Trial 1 cover. Though to be clear, Orekoto is not anywhere near as awful as the protagonist of Mono Poisoner, since he isn't intentionally hurting the rest of the system, and obviously isn't actually abusing the other alter(s).

“She belongs completely, entirely to me!” Kissing, sleeping together, everything beyond that too No one can hope to cut this connection between us

After brandishing that poisonous desire to monopolize and having erased YOU completely, It seems like it can be easily embraced, the entirety of that heart “YOU best not get carried away!”

Taking out the really violent and abusive elements out, this does vaguely fit the idea I'm trying to get across.

Temporary CW over

Anyways, the point is that Orekoto wants control over their life, but is accidentally harming Aokoto by taking away his agency.

There is more symbolism of this ‘drive to control destiny’ in the moon which consistently appears throughout MeMe.

As you can see, it’s in the first quarter phase. This is halfway between the New Moon which represents the beginning of a journey and the Full Moon which represents the end or rebirth, and because of that, it can represent a difficult time where decisions must be made, a point where strength of will is necessary. This again fits both of Aokoto and Orekoto, since they’re both making important decisions for their future. Hence also why the moon is half and half, the future is being decided half by Aokoto, half by Orekoto.

Alternatively, you could read it as only Orekoto making decisions, with the other 'half' being "left in the dark" because Aokoto doesn't know what Ore's doing. That would explain why the moon only shows up in relation to Orekoto in the internal world and the murder scenes.

Heavy speculation incoming (more than before anyways)

But hold on a second. I said before the upright Hanged Man, the card on Mikoto's shirt through most of MeMe, is about patience and not doing anything to change their situation. This is somewhat contradictory to The Fool, which is all about new opportunities and taking new risks (long story), and is obviously contradictory to the reversed Hanged Man because that's how tarot cards work. Because of that, and everything else I've been saying, it feels like the upright Hanged Man doesn't really fit either Aokoto or Orekoto.

Which is why it's so convenient we have a third (plot-relevant, there may be more) alter who does want their life to continue as is, isn't it?

The minus energy that I swallowed Hugged me [boku] Maybe it's okay to try to keep on living Split in half, Make that heart beat

This scene is very clearly connected to the aftermath of a murder, and shows an alter that has accepted the "negative (minus) energy" of violence. However, the use of 'boku' rules out Orekoto as the singer. Thus, we have ourselves our favorite Secret Third Alter, Midokoto. And Midokoto says, filling in the blanks, that ‘maybe it’s okay to keep living [like this]’, as long as they ‘split in half’ to ‘make that heart beat.’

Before we continue, I have to address that yes, I believe Midokoto is represented by the upright Hanged Man, even though he’s the only alter who’s never seen wearing the shirt. Either his back is turned, he’s shirtless, or straight up has a completely different shirt. However, I actually think this makes perfect sense.

It’s widely accepted that if Midokoto exists, he’s likely a gatekeeper alter who co-fronts most of the time, meaning he’s still aware of everything that’s happening even while he isn’t controlling the body (<- simplified version, read more if you’re interested [alter roles] [co-fronting]). Therefore, he’s a constant in Mikoto’s life, and it makes sense for him to always be present in some way as long as any alter is on screen. He’s on the shirt when the other two are there, so when the shirt isn’t there, it’s because the ‘upright Hanged Man’ is the one controlling the body. Does that make sense?

I should note, Mikoto’s version of The Hanged Man includes a bunch of eyes on the background.

Which fits the idea of Midokoto overseeing everything in the others’ lives, and for the inverse in Aokoto’s case could also be interpreted as societal pressure, long story.

Yes, Midokoto's celtic cross spread has the reversed Hanged Man in the middle of The Wheel, but let’s just say that means ‘present’ rather than ‘querent.’ Yes, there’s a Fool portrait in the background of that one scene, I swear there’s an explanation but it’s too long to get into here.

Point is, he’s the one who wants their life to continue as is, and thus the one who fits the idea of ‘patience’ that The Hanged Man (upright) embodies.

But make no mistake. He still has The Magician as his “Hopes and Fears” in the spread which represents him, meaning he does yearn for some control and fears not having the means to achieve it.

However, I believe the type of control he’s looking for is different from the other two. See, while Aokoto wants freedom and control over his life in a more conventional way (good job, free movement, independence), and Orekoto wants control in a ‘no one will stop “I/you” from achieving what “I/you” want’ kinda way (aka safety), Midokoto wants control over the system, not the rest of their life. He wants to keep Aokoto and Orekoto ‘split in half’ because that’s how they can both live as they please, it ‘makes their heart beat.’

That’s why the moon that represents decision-making is split in half. That’s why there’s only two bikes in The Chariot card. That’s why Midokoto never bothers to read a single tarot card. Because the ones deciding where their life moves are Aokoto and Orekoto, all Midokoto does is keep things running smoothly. Though of course, this is all just my interpretation.

In fact, you can even tell based on what we believe each alter to do. Aokoto does the day-to-day work, making sure he has the opportunity to achieve his dream of working independently in the future. Orekoto deals with threats until the system as a whole is safe, which includes throwing away evidence so they don't get arrested. He does a dogshit job at it, yeah, but he's trying.

However, once they get into the apartment, when the external threats have been dealt with, the one who bathes to make sure Aokoto doesn't learn of Orekoto's actions, the one who keeps their lives metaphorically 'split in half', is Midokoto.

Heavy speculation kinda over

So, where were we? I said this was inspired by the Double thumbnail, didn’t I? Well, yes, even if I have very little to say about it in relation to this post. You could say I kinda, uh, went off the rails a bit (<- I am immensely unfunny)

As I said, he’s on a train. And with all the stuff I mentioned before about how bikes are associated with freedom for him and stuff, it makes the imagery of being stuck on a train with the victims (I assume that’s what the mannequins represent, I’ve seen other interpretations) a lot more interesting.

Think about it. When you get on a train, you made the decision to enter it, but you don’t have control over where it goes. And that’s what’s happening here: the alter on screen is in for the ride, and he feels there’s nothing he can do to alter the course. It’s like a railroad.

Aokoto didn’t get on this train. Obviously the scene is metaphorical (otherwise who left their mannequins in the goddamn public train), but we know Aokoto doesn’t use the train. However, he’s on it now, alongside Orekoto who is probably the one fronting here? I assume, given the red light in the background. In my mind it would make sense for the thumbnails to be Aokoto T1 -> Orekoto T2 -> Midokoto T3, but that doesn’t have to be the case.

What I’m trying to convey is the symbolism of the system being stuck in a set path, a set destiny, caused by a decision not made by Aokoto. And if Orekoto is really the one fronting or being represented here, he’s miserable because of the path his actions have landed him on.

If I could break it, if I could change Can I do it, I wonder from when I started to give up

He’s ‘given up’ because he’s accepted he’s ‘on the train’, his path is already set and he can’t change it (“if I could change”). Yes, give me that Orekoto angst!

Anyways, please keep in mind this is all my interpretation of the symbolism and all of this is extremely subjective, especially with how confusing Mikoto's entire story is. I hope you forgive my brainrot at seeing a guy take a train. Take care!

[hesitantvampirealien]

notifications disabled for this post. Send me any potential corrections through the asks or private messages.

I know i said I wouldn't do public angry rants anymore, but this is a nevessary rant. I ask you to read the entire text before interacting with the post (obviously)

stop misgendering gerard on purpose

you know very well what kind of person you sound like when you do that.

it's just lowkey comical (if not enraging) how some refer to them with the one pronoun they don't use, as far as I'm aware at least, but I've never seen anyone say they used all, only he/they, if I'm wrong you can tell me (but I'll need a RELIABLE source to what you say to make sure you're not just making shit up to have the right to disrespect someone without being rightfully scolded), so using "she" just makes you incredibly disrespectful. Like... you think a he/they can't wear a dress? you think a he/they can't show femininity? you think a he/they isn't allowed to not look like a straight cis guy all the time? You think just because someone doesn't use a male label then they automatically must be female and can't just be neither, or use no labels at all? You think a person can't be happy showing fenininity if they're not a woman? you think that's not possible? you think that's WRONG, perhaps? because THAT is what you sound like. Not only to me, but to many people that I've seen complaining inumerous times about this INSANE disrespect

following the same logic, do you think, for example, because I'm wearing makeup in most of my photos and don't fit in one particular binary gender, i don't have your permission to be a he/him and i have to be what YOU say i should be? because that's what you sound like when you do that

and i can already tell someone's gonna be butthurt and tell me I'm exaggerating so they don't have to feel shame for being a disrespectful little bitch. Gerard is a person, not a fucking character you can headcanon things about.

Not to mention that this kind of disrespect is one of the reasons why some masc or neutral trans people also feel extremely unsafe wanting to use or do things considered feminine, because look at how you're fucking treating a person that you don't even actually know. It's not 100% correlated (well... it is, a little bit) but don't even get me started on the shit my masc or neutral fellas have to go through because of people who very obviously also love to give them a hard time just because they don't fit in your "preferred gender label" and make them feel like shit for existing because you keep throwing them in the same pit as cishet men who fuck things up and say all of them are the same (newsflash, you're being just as oppressive as the cishet men). Like, I'm sorry (I'm not sorry) but most of you, if not all of you, are those exact same people, who do the exact same things and behave the same way, you're just doing it in different intensities. Just go fuck yourself already, seriously. I genuinely mean it with all my heart.

if I'm wrong about the he/they, do tell me and show me the reliable source so i can be sure that I'm actually wrong and can correct myself properly, but I'll most likely keep the post up since i also brought up another issue regarding this kind of disrespect.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for accidentally using the wrong name for my friend and making another friend change schools?

I (16F) am friends with 'Charlie' (17NB) and formerly 'Willow' (16 MTF)

When this story takes place, Charlie used to go by 'Max'. No problem with me. I myself am queer so I had no reason to insult either of them based on their gender identities.

Anyway, we were hanging out after school and talking about Genshin (our shared interest). I had said 'Hey, Max, what character are you pulling for?'

Willow butted in by saying 'They go by Charlie, (Name).'

I'm like: 'Oh, okay then. So, Charlie–"

Charlie to Willow: I told you not to tell anyone!

Willow: You get upset when anyone else using the wrong name and pronouns for you! I was trying to be helpful!

As they were arguing about it, I'm just standing there wanting to leave but not wanting to he confronted later about it.

Eventually, Charlie storms off and calls their older sister to pick them up.

Willow turned to me and said 'Nice going, asshole! Charlie stormed off because of you!' She then stormed away as well.

Charlie later reached out to me and said 'I'm sorry for not telling you about my name change. I was testing the name out and didn't want a lot of people to use it until I decided to change my name or not. I do want you to call me by it though.'

I responded by saying 'No problem. And I get it. I'll make sure to use your correct name from now on.'

I thought the problem was resolved.

But a few days later Willow finds me and starts making a scene about how Charlie 'dumped her as a friend' which was already weird enough phrasing.

A few people watched the whole thing happen until I said 'Look, Willow, I'm done being friends with you. You're a manipulative jerk who forced Charlie out of the closet (she didn't actually do that, but I couldn't think of better phrasing in the heat of the moment), is calling me an asshole for your mistake, and is trying to play the victim. Leave me and Charlie alone.'

She changed schools a few weeks later because of the hate she was getting online and in person.

I didn't condone the bullying to Willow and actually told people to leave her alone.

AITA the asshole for what I did?

What are these acronyms?

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/730572795212398592/what-is-up-with-all-the-trans-men-on-this-hellsite?source=share

As a trans man, I might have some insight into this one. I'm a lot older than the standard uwu sparkle anti, but I was in my mid twenties for the first wave of weirdness about trans boys on Tumblr about a decade ago, so I was just too old for it then, and I saw a lot of guys my age and a little younger get swept up in it.

OTNF rightly points out that young trans men are a particularily vulnerable demographic. This is part of it, but we're also a demographic that doesn't sit comfortably with our identites (gender identities or otherwise) and are told by everyone (on every side) that we are Doing It Wrong, that our existence harms others, and that we must be this specific way to be good people.

I'm sure you've seen the "trans men are better than real cis men" rhetoric. It's meant to be inclusive and to reassure us that we're not bad people just because of our gender, but it also denies us our entire gender identity.

So basically, you've got a bunch of young guys, most of whom were socialised like girls and learned to never be too assertive, many of whom are straight up suffering from dysphoria and stress, being told by people both within and outside of their communities that the are Wrong and Bad and Harmful just for existing. It makes sense that a lot of them would would find a movement based on moral posturing that will accept them if they perform correctly and will use their real name and pronouns. That's what Antis are; they say "use this vocabulary, send hate mail to that person, put these terms in your DNI, don't be caught reading that story", and, unlike other groups that police people's tastes and performance that hard, they're not overtly hostile to trans identities. So you can spout the right rhetoric, use the right tumblr icon, and they will actually accept you (on the surface, for a time, but we're talking about young and desperate people who aren't looking at the long game).

Helping them harass those badwrong horrible NOTP shippers or aces or middle aged women or some random artist who got caught drawing the wrong age gap or whoever is the fashionable target will prove that you aren't a horrible monster for being a man, you're moral and upright and correct.

And yes a lot of it is internalised misandry (that word has a lot of dumb baggage, but how else can I describe a boy who hates himself for being a boy?), or self-loathing born of dysphoria and just plain having to live in a world that's hostile to trans people.

Being an anti is a way out. It's a way to manufacture acceptence. And they're too young and too hurt to realise that that acceptance is as temporary and hostile as the people who accept them only if they pretend to be girls; the antis will turn on them the moment they start acting a little too manly or if they're caught liking the wrong ship.

(I've seen something similar happen to young cis queer guys and trans girls, too, but it isn't as pronounced since being raised as a boy means you probably already learned that standing up for yourself is ok sometimes)

--

I'm sure it also doesn't help that tumblr is absolutely full of BL/slash fandom. There's certainly plenty of gender diversity in these spaces, but it's inescapable that the majority of participants are women. So for a young, insecure guy trying to assert that he is a guy, it's easy to fall prey to "Waaaah, I need to reclaim my hobby for me!" gatekeepy nonsense.

Sure, it's going to be turned on nbs even harder than on cis women and will be used to misgender other trans men in the end and misogyny isn't cool anyway, but that's not what your average traumatized young fool is thinking when they first join up. They're thinking "I hurt."

TBH, though, probably the largest component is that all of us—all of us—have a mental image of a default human for a given context. It's rarely a trans man. And so anything a trans man does stands out and is A Thing Trans Men Do.

This is true even if you are trans. It is true even if you are not a transphobic dickhead. Unlearning the 'why girls are bad at math' xkcd strip is extraordinarily hard because recognizing patterns and having mental defaults is just how human brains work.

There are shittons of cis women who become antis, but they're just not notable in the same way.

Are trans men more vulnerable to becoming antis? It's possible, and the reasons you outlined above are likely why. I think it's an interesting question to discuss if we are specifically discussing why the trans men who do become antis do so.

But we don't actually have any hard facts to support that they are more prone to it than anybody else. My guess would be that vulnerable people are more likely to become antis, so any cis woman with a strong source of vulnerability like a shittastic home life is similarly vulnerable to a young trans man with no support network, but who knows.

Maybe only 5% of trans men on tumblr are antis and 50% of cis women. Maybe it's 90% of trans men and 20% of cis women. Maybe it's 1% and 1% and they're just all very loud.

We have no data. We just don't know.

And we will never be able to trust our own brains on this until trans vs. cis is such a nonissue that we don't even notice it.

[genericaces]

I always got the impression Illyria was a he/him in their original god king form but defaulted to she/her when taking Fred as a vessel. In general though I don’t think pronouns actually matter to Illyria. I think he/him was assigned by followers and she/her is assigned by ats crew.

Valid! Canon doesn't dive too deeply into it, so I think a lot of it is up for interpretation. AFAIK all we get in canon is that Knox and Drogyn refer to Illyria (the original god-king) with it pronouns (as do the ATS crew), and it's only when it's in Fred's body that the crew start using she/her. Which is to say that I think that you're correct that it's other people projecting a gender onto it and struggling to disentangle Illyria from Fred.

But also! What I've always found interesting is that Knox (basically the only character on the show with an emotional connection to the original Illyria) entwines a... crush? For lack of a better word? on Fred with his worship of Illyria, and I can't make up my mind, personal headcanon-wise, if he's just projecting or if there's historical precedent for this. Like, what's the thought process behind, "yeah sure I'll resurrect my epic god-king (gender neutral) in the body of my beautiful co-worker"? Also there's this adolescent crush/obsession vibe when he says:

And when I first saw this, I thought this was going to lead into a parable about how some dudes will 'worship' women and make them into god-like figures in their heads, but in doing so, also infantilize them and want to control them? Like I legit thought this was going to evolve into an "I Was Made to Love You" type lesson about objectifying women, where Knox both worships Illyria and feels "owed" for resurrecting her, and when he throws a tantrum about her not being appropriate grateful, she kills him. And this would mirror the condescension that Fred experiences throughout the show -- that ultimately what kills Fred is Knox putting her up on this pedestal as a "perfect woman" rather than seeing her as a complete person:

Like, Knox says this to Wesley just before Wes pulls his gun on him, and I thought this would be about Wes being forced to confront the ways in which HE could also flatten Fred into a symbol of goodness and not see her as a whole person at times. Which would then mimic the ways that nearly every member of the Angel crew harbors feelings of guilt over what happened to Fred.

(Alternatively in my AU where Wes gets Illyria'd, I think it's ultimately about Wes CHOOSING to die in Fred's place, against her wishes, in a way that's heroic/tragic but also intertwined with the complicated feelings Fred has about being patronized by the others and being perceived as the one who needs to 'protecting.' Like, how do you grapple with that grief alongside that resentment? *Wesley voice* "I think I hate her a little for that." But this is getting way off topic.)

ANYWAYS. Obviously none of that happened, so maybe I'm reading subtext where there isn't any or I just missed something. This is all a long way of saying that much of Illyria's arc feels very gendered in my interpretation, not just in the god-king-beyond-human-comprehension way but in the conflict surrounding it. To get back to your ask, I do agree that Illyria doesn't care about pronouns. I do think it's funny in the Wes!Illyria AU if the only person who DOES care is Fred, who's out there pulling (in the most well-intentioned way) the "its pronouns are she/her" move

[v3x-y0urs3lf]

Love and DeepSpace x closeted trans MC.

Zayne: Okay, Last time I checked him and Mc have known each other for like.. years(?) I feel like he'd know something is off.

Like, Mc looking at their hospital reports that very obviously state (Male/Female) or some sort of ID that states their assigned gender at birth. I feel like he'd notice how focused they are but OF COURSE there isn't really a time or correct place to really talk about that sort of stuff (especially with how busy the two of them are.) and so MC doesn't mention it.

Which leaves Zayne to have to.

The next time the two get some downtime he asks about his suspicions, starting off with something like 'You've been off lately' or 'Have you been alright?' thinking at first it was about 'the attack' or about their job.

I want to say that asking him to call them by a 'nickname' is how this would go just because of the stress of trying to come out but.. I'm not exactly satisfied with that so let's say you actually tell him about what you've been thinking.

First off, Supportive. I don't think (Nor do I want to think) any of the characters are homophobic/transphobic. Zayne is a doctor for gods sake. He is not new to same sex relationships nor the concept of transgender people.

He's actually pretty cool with it (hah, get it?) He just asks whether you've decided on a new name, pronouns and if you're planning on any body modifications (Testosterone, Oestrogen, top surgery, bottom surgery, etc etc.)

I don't think Zayne would be all that knowledgable himself on how to do certain surgeries, but he would totally recommend you to other doctors/surgeons who he knows and trusts to be able to.

ALSO, VERY STRICT ON MAKING SURE YOU'RE NOT OVER-BINDING/TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AFTER SURGERY. It's either he takes time off to help you recover(surgery) or he's constantly checking in through texts if he can't miss work.

Xavier:

Gonna be honest, don't have too many ideas for him. I want to say he wouldn't exactly bat an eye at anything Zayne would think was 'SUPER OBVIOUS' hints. He'd notice if you suddenly took on a new 'nickname' or if you started asking everyone else to call you by said 'nickname' and notice if you suddenly cut your hair/started growing out your hair.

He just wouldn't notice certain things like trying to dress closer to your preferred gender or if your voice started to gradually change (Whether it's from hormone supplements or vocal therapy.).. or he would and just wouldn't ask because 1. Those are pretty normal and tame things or 2. Because it's a gradual change and he just doesn't question it.

It's not until he thinks about it a little longer, let's say he's focusing on you that he starts to notice all the little things he missed. The way you've overall grown as a person and taken a liking to being seen as more feminine/androgynous/masculine.

I don't think he'd ask you directly, instead wait for you to bring it up to him. He doesn't want to overwhelm you or make you uncomfortable so.. he waits until you're ready. It's not like it isn't you just because you're finding out your gender after all.

I don't know how knowledgable he'd be on transgender people but he's definitely supportive. You could literally just tell him "I'm a ___, please call me __ and use __/__" and he'd just give you a thumbs up and continue about his day.

Raphael:

.

..

After Zayne I just got 0 ideas but I want to try and fit everyone in this so..

I want to say he'd notice certain changes like if you started growing out your hair, cut your hair, your voice was changing, etc.. thing is he'd forget and just think it was a normal. As in 'your voice was always that high' or 'you always dressed that way.'

If you started asking other people to start using certain 'Nicknames' then I'd imagine he'd start to notice after a while, He'd also be pretty annoyed if it was a name that he originally thought was just an 'us thing'. y'know? But he'd get even more annoyed and jealous if you got everyone else BUT him to start using different names for you, like, How DARE you? Did the two of you not have something special?

I don't think he'd notice if you started presenting differently(Dressing/acting more feminine/Masculine/androgynous.) and if he did then he wouldn't mention it. So what? you're just exploring different styles. That's fine.

It's not that he doesn't know what transgender people are / anything about queer people but he just.. doesn't really care? Like, He cares about you. Yes.

But your gender doesn't play into your worth.. why would he care? He'll respect your pronouns and decisions for yourself but unless you come out to him then he might not be too present in your transition.

He would try to help out with recovery, though. You might have to tease and pester him about it but at the end of the day, he cares and doesn't want you to hurt yourself by doing something you aren't supposed to during recovery.

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I feel the need to mention I haven't finished the story, I mainly got most of the plot of tiktok and stuff but I really like the game.

This is in no disrespect to the original mc, I understand the game was originated in China so we're more than likely not going to get any queer rep from this one.

I also wanted to add Tara and Caleb, I just got incrediblyyy lazy. Sorry.

Again. Sorry if these characters seem mischaracterised at all, This is just how I viewed them.

[sanzusslutt]

I NEED you to write a gojo smut where teacher!gojo has y/n in his mind from the beginning of the semester and he finally got her under him. AND! make her a virgin... :))

Your wish is my command!

Teacher!Gojo x F!Virgin!Y/N

Warnings: virginity loss, mature themes, oral fixation (m! and f! receiving), clit play, forced blowjob, y/n is playing hard to get, cursing, praising, dark content, dumbification, manipulation, unprotected sex, choking, begging, aftercare, crying during sex, dacryphilia, fem pronouns + fem body descriptions, rough, gangbang, dubcon, dirty talk, degrading, sub!reader, mouth fucking (fingers), fingering, unprotected, creampie, impact play ( kinda ), he is kinda mean, sry if I missed any..

Minors get away now.

"open your mouth more, doll" Your handsome teacher demanded as he shoved his veiny cock deeper down your tight throat causing you to gag.

How did you end up like this? Sucking on your professor's dick inside a classroom?

You don't even know... What you do know is that all the girls in your class would kill to be in your shoes. Who wouldn't?

From the very first day that Gojo Satoru came into the classroom, all the girls were onto him. He received cards, letters, flowers almost everyday but he didn't seem to care or be bothered by it. The way he talks, he moves, he teaches was so attractive that anyone would like to be in his sight.

There were some rumors that he had messed around with some students but there weren't many people who actually believed them. He seems so sweet and kind, always checking if the lesson was understood by all students, helping when someone asked him for something, congratulating you when you pass a test, explaining you what you didn't understand after the class was over, caressing your shoulder whenever you seemed stressed over a test, always making time for you his students.

You could understand all this fuss about Gojo-sensei, he was indeed charming. But you never thought of him more than just your teacher. There was a guy from your class that caught your eye and the last couple of days you caught yourself staring at him for a hot minute. But you grow up in an overprotective house with strictly religious parents, meaning that you weren't allowed to have boyfriends. You weren't even allowed to watch any kind of porn due to parents thinking that it was not appropriate for a woman to watch sinful things like that, making you unaware of anything that has to do with sex.

Little did you know that your sinlessness life would take a turn like that...

It all started one afternoon after class. You stayed behind wanting to ask an extra explanation about today's lesson from your charismatic teacher. He was sitting alone on his desk, correcting the newly handed tests that your class took the hour before.

"Gojo-sensei?" You called, causing him to turn around on your sweet voice. "Yes, dear?" He answered with a sweet smile on his face. "I'm really sorry to disturb you, but I'd want you to explain to me something about the homework you gave us.. if you have the time.." You shyly admitted. A small smirk slowly building on Gojo's face as he admired your adorably shy face, thinking about what other faces you could make when you're under him.

"Don't worry, darling. I always have time for my students. Come here" He reassured you as he patted the desk in front of him. With light steps, you went closer and eventually got next to him on the desk. "What is it that you didn't understand, dear?" He asked, resting his hand on your lower back and doing little circles with his thumb.

"Um... This one" You exclaimed as you placed down the papers with the homework and showed him the exercise that troubled you.

"Oh? This one is quite easy, I explained it many times and you still didn't understand?" he chuckled, causing you to feel embarrassed at the fact that you didn't quite paid much attention to today's lesson. "You paid attention to today's teaching, right?" he asked, looking at you with his piercing blue eyes.

"Y-Yes! I did!" You defensively answered. How could you tell your teacher that you were staring at your classmate instead of paying attention to his lesson? The last thing you wanted was to give a bad impression of yourself to your professor.

"No.. I thing you didn't.. I explained this specifically to two students.. What were you doing, darling?" The tone in his voice was smooth, seductive. "Maybe.. you were.." Your cheeks started to grow hotter at the embarrassment that he might had figured out your little crush and think of you as a brainless little girl who thinks none of her studies. "Staring at someone?"

Shoot.

He got up from his chair with a sign as he place your hands on his desk, making you bend a little and your short skirt rise a bit higher. What is he gonna do to you? Is he going to call your parents? tell them you didn't pay attention to your classes?

A *click* woke you up from your thoughts, turning your head to the side you saw your teacher at the door. He lock it? What? why..?

"Silly girl.. staring at someone else while I am teaching such an important lesson?" The bitter taste of jealousy stayed in his tongue as these words left his mouth. How could you look at another boy when he is right there?

"I- I'm s-sorry..." You muttered. Fear making you feel a chill on your spine as you heard his voice from behind.

"Apologizing won't help you this time, darling" He said as he placed both his hands on your waist, leaning on your back and whispering in your ear. "I have a different kind of punishment in mind, love"

love? The nickname made you quiver and your stomach turn like a washing machine as the smell of his intoxicating expensive cologne made your head feel dizzy. A cold breeze on your butt made you turn your head around, only to see your teacher admiring the fat of your ass as he lifted your dark color skirt.

"What are you?!- Ahh!!" A hard smack on your left asscheek made you scream in pain as he soothed the red mark from his palm with his hand.

"Sensei?..." You turned your head around to face him as tears started building on your eyes, fear bubbling up your stomach that he might smack you again.

"Shh.. Don't worry, darling. You just do what I say and everything will be okay." The cold tone on his voice made you shiver as the second spank was landed on your buttcheek.

Then three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Your cries were muffled by your hand as you tried not to scream too loud. Actually, you were afraid your voice would betray you as you were starting to feel a kind of pleasure in his actions. You would never admit it but a flame started to lit up as he kept smacking your behind, his cock growing painfully hard with every slap and every one of your muffled moans.

"Good girl, now get on your knees." he ordered. You freezed at the command, standing and looking at his blue full of lust eyes. Your gaze drifted downwards, your mouth went dry when your eyes got to the bulge in his pants.

"I said. get on your knees." he ordered again. Tears start building in your eyes as your gaze dropped down to your feet.

"You stupid girl..." He grabbed your hair and made you sit on your knees, face in front of the tent in his pants. The pain on the back of your head made you feel an unfamiliar ache between your legs. "I thought you would follow my orders like a good girl, but as it seems I have to punish you more..."

He gently caressed your cheek with his left hand as his right still has a tight grip on your hair.

SMACK

The tears that you so hard tried to stop, fell down your red cheeks at the hard slap on the place he was caressing a few seconds ago.

The pain on Satoru's cock became unbearable seeing your beautiful teary doe eyes looking up at him.

The hand that smacked your cheek found place on his covered dick, doing up and down motions, slowly jerking himself above his jeans while looking at your perfect face.

Your eyes started from your sockets at his moves as he started unbuckling his belt and letting his jeans fall down to his ankles, making his big cock stand out from his boxers. The grip his hand had on your hair grew tighter as he got you closer to his painfully hard erection and nearly thrusting on your face, trying to release some of the tension. You placed your hands on his thighs as you tried to push yourself off of his grip.

"Please... let me go.." You cried, hoping he would feel sorry for you and let you leave. But that was never his intention. Instead, your actions made him groan in disapproval but also satisfaction as he found some fixation on your face.

"You look so pretty when you cry.. So beautiful, love" You looked up again on the snowhaired man as he moved you from his hard on and finally free his leaking dick.

Your eyes grow wide at the sight in front of you. His cock was big and heavy, at least 9 inches long and 3 inches wide. Red angry tip leaking pre cum and two veins popping at each side of it. The view made your thighs close impulsively, in hope that the burning sensation you had between your legs would ease down.

"Open that pretty little mouth of yours, sweetheart" He once again ordered, bringing you closer to his cock by the grip on your hair.

You tried to back away from him but it was just impossible. His hold on your hair was too tight to break free.

"You don't wanna see me get mad. Do as I say. Unless you want your parents to find out about your little crush.."

Just the thought of your parents finding out about your classmate, or what is happening right now scared you more than anything.

With that in mind, you slowly opened your mouth looking at his celestial blue eyes. He took this opportunity and shoved his cock into the back of your throat without any preparation. Even if it wasn't even halfway in, it still was too much for your little inexperienced throat. He stayed still for a moment, trying to get used to your tight throat as you struggle to breathe. Spit coming out of the corner of your mouth and tears falling from your eyes to your red cheeks. His dick getting harder every time you gagged around him, boosting his ego.

When he started slowly thrusting, his breaths became heavier as he used you like his personal fuck doll. When you started violently gagging, he removed your face from his cock and freed his hold on your hair, letting you caught your breath as you fell on the cold floor.

"I hope this was enough for you to stop acting like a spoiled brat, hm?" He raised an eyebrow at your pathetic state on the floor.

He came closer to you, picking you up from the floor with ease and gently placing you with your back on his desk. The ache between your thighs was getting unbearable, but you didn't know what to do to stop it.

"W-Why am I f- feeling like t- this?..." You asked, hiding your face with your hands in embarrassment.

"What do you mean, darling? What do you feel?" He questioned as his hand made it's way to your shirt, unbuttoning it and letting his other hand to wonder around your body.

"I- I feel w- weird down t-there.." You admitted, looking at him through your hands.

"Where, love? You gotta tell me specifically where.." His hand find it's way to unbuckle your bra and taking it off of you, your big and puffy breast falling at each side of your body. "So pretty.."

You couldn't respond. Embarrassment taking the best of you as he kept throwing praises at your for your perfect for him body. He came closer to your neck, planting kisses and making you slightly moan at the friction.

Your eyes shoot wide as you felt two of his fingers doing little circling moved against your clothed core. "Here, sweetheart?" He asked, as if he didn't already know the answer.

Your hand grabbed his wrist from between your legs, stopping his motions. "W- What... is that f- feeling?.." You sobbed.

It took him some time to realize what's going on. "Oh~ My dear love is a virgin? None has ever touch you here, right~" He purred as he continued the circling motion against your girly parts.

you’re about to open your mouth to say something else, to make him stop but the press against your slit steals the words from your tongue. You close your mouth, biting your lips in an attempt to silence the pathetic sounds building in your throat the second the snow white-hair man peels your underwear to the side. But it almost immediately becomes impossible with the way his fingertips feel against the most sensitive part of you.

"Am I the first man that touches the princess parts of yours, hm~?" He asked, making your face to light up in embarrassment.

you shake your head yes. He feels a sick sense of giddiness, he’s going to be the first one to ever explore your virgin cunt. He uses your arousal to help aid his finger as it slides inside of you slowly, his eyes dart to your face to gauge your reaction and your features contort into one of discomfort. 

“I don't like this..” you whimper as he begins shallowly thrusting his finger and out of you. He shushes you, reassuring you that in a bit it'll feel good. He adds in another finger and the first wave of pleasure hits you. It manifests itself in a soft moan and Gojo's heart clenches, how adorable. His fingers begin speeding up, the heat in your tummy is back and this time it remains as his fingers reach places you hadn't known existed. You feel your whole body jolt as his fingers brush against a particular spot. Your mouth is hanging open and he's using his free hand to pump his cock, celestial blue eyes drinking in every reaction you let out.

“There it is~” he chuckles and you're confused, but you don't have the mental capacity to ask what it is that's making you feel so good, rather, your brain has melted into a puddle of lustful goo in your skull. His fingers assault that sweet spot and you're convulsing under his ministrations, cunt squeezing his fingers. The sight before Satoru was too much to handle. He was sure all of the blood in his body must've rushed immediately to his dick because he felt lightheaded.

"So beautiful, you're nearly breaking over my fingers and we are just getting started.."

His fingers started doing scissoring motions inside you, preparing you for his big cock. And just when you thought that it couldn't feel better, he putted his tongue in the mix, sucking at your puffy clit and sending you to cloud nine. It didn't take long for your orgasm to hit you like a train. mouth hanging open, tongue hanging out from the corner of your mouth, tears falling from the pressure of your closed shut eyes and your arousal covering Gojo's mouth, his cloused hands and and his light blue shirt.

"Atta girl~ Didn't know you were a squiter" he chuckled, pulling out his coated fingers as he sticks his tongue out and run it from the base of his digits all the way up to the pads, licking your slick into his mouth. The noises the man in front of you is making with his lips wrapped around his fingers are obscene and forbidden, wet and sloppy as he licks them clean.

"Hmm~ so sweet~" he basically moaned at your delicious taste.

You are a panting and heavily breathing mess in front of him, half naked and your juices running down the white-haired teacher's desk as you tried to catch your breath.

The handsome man before you, didn't have any more strength in him the sight in front of him breaking his last straw as he hovered over your smaller body, closing the distance between your faces. His soft lips found the warmth of your own, straddling you. The kiss was something between gentle and passion. Combining two senses that made your head feel fuzzy as he deepened the kiss turning a simple peck, a hot make out session.

He broke the kiss, a string of saliva connecting your mouths as straightened his composure and lined his leaking cock to your oversensitive entrance.

"N- No! wait! too much!" you cried as he started pushing his cock inside your warm walls.

"Relax, love. It will feel good in a minute.." He reassured you, moving his hand and gently caressing your soft cheek.

He is a filthy liar. Seconds after reassuring you that it would feel good, he bottomed out of you and slammed back in hard his entire length. His action made you scream and start squirming, kicking him with your wobbly legs in hopes he would take pitty on you and not be so harsh.

"Good girls take what they've been given.. Stop acting like a bitch and I promise it'll feel better" He hissed as he stopped your movements with his big hands.

He completely stopped his harsh motions, waiting for you to adjust to his girth and give him a positive sign to finally move again. Although his intention might looked different, the last thing he wanted was to hurt you. He wanted you to enjoy this moment of heat as much as he did.

"Are you okay, dear..?" He questioned, with a tone of sweetness and care in his voice that made you immediately melt on his hold.

You embarrasly nodded positively and a quiet "yes" fell from your lips, it was barely above a whisper but it was loud enough for him to hear, being the signal he waited from the day he laid his eyes on you to start moving inside your warm cunt.

"Ohhh.. this pussy feels like heaven.. How could you keep it away from me?.." He said between moans, as he tried to keep a steady pace but your wet folds preventing him from doing so.

Your sweet moans were like music to his ears and the fact that he was the one making you sing this notes made him want to claim you even more. He pulled out, almost his whole length and stopping for a few seconds before he slammed back in with an upward motion, hitting a spot inside your cunt that made you see starts. The delicious moan that left your throat, was muffled by the man's long fingers.

"Ohh.. fuuck... Your cunt squeezes my c- cock so good, angel"

Satoru's hard cock hitting against that sweet spot inside you, his long fingers abusing your throat and playing with your warm tongue, his other hand massaging your tit as he sucked and locked your hard nipples, was enough to push you over the edge.

The man pulled his fingers out of your mouth, allowing you to breath easier as he let praises fall from his lips and his hand found place down to your abdomen, doing circling motions with his cloused thumb against your clit.

"God, you are so perfect" "so beautiful" "you're squeezing my cock so good, angel" "just like that, love" "it's like your cunt was made for my cock" "I might get addicted to how your pussy keeps swallowing me whole"

"I can feel you squeezing, love. Are you about to cum? Cum for me. Cum for your teacher. come on, my love"

That was all it took for you to gush your juices all over Gojo's lower stomach, his cock and his thighs with a pornographyc moan. Gojo followed soon after you. Warning you that he could cum any second now. But you had other plans.

"Ohhh godd.. fuuckk.. im gonna cum, love"

Just when he was about to pull out, you circled your wobbly legs around his torso and traping him inside you. He stares at you with wide eyes but soon realizing your intentions.

"Atta girl.. Want me to cum inside this virgin cum? yeah? want my cum? fuuck..."

His thrusts became sloppier as he emptied his thick load inside your gummy walls, thrusting two or three times more to make sure none of his cum gets wasted.

He pulls out, smiling and admiring your state. Sweaty, eyes half closed, mouth wide open with your tongue sticking out, head resting on the side, Gojo's cum leaking down from your cunt to your thighs and his desk.

"I didn't expect you to let me cum inside you, love" he chuckled as he closed your shirt and putted your panties back on. He dresses himself as well, taking you into his arms, covering you with his coat and taking you to your dorm room. Thank God, you didn't have a roommate...

The last thing you left him was a bad impression...