#gender expression in cartoons

[lifesver]

@fcused said: ' can i paint your nails? ' + @quietevasions said ' this is a good look for you ' + @meatriarch bc ur kids are here also AGFDSGFDS. don't ask why this is so long sorry for the random drabble

the party at the house over was a bust — and with their plans all but falling through for the night, the group had moped their way back to maria's apartment. the living room was filled with the warm, scratchy hum of her record player, while people settled with their drinks.

sonny and danny on the couch, vaguely heckling whatever movie was playing on the tv. ana was perched on the arm, peering across the room every so often, and putting some more lines down in her sketchpad. she was probably sketching out some of maria's plants, arranged on the mantle. maria and julie were hovering by the kitchen chatting indistinctly, but animatedly.

and leland had sprawled himself flat on his back on the floor, by where connie was painting her nails. she was about done, double-checking them now that they were dried. he tilts his head to peer up at her.

❝ how do you that without messing up? ❞

upside-down connie makes a softly amused sound; ' it's just practice, ' her fox eyes flick to meet his; ' ... here, ' she posits, making a come here gesture, ' can i paint your nails? ' and leland shoots a skeptical brow to her;

❝ do i get to pick the colour? ❞ he asks, and connie huffs a gentle laugh;

' of course. ' and then, she calls toward the kitchen from over her shoulder; ' maria, do you have any blues? ' she holds out the red nail polish bottle she'd just used on herself, to demonstrate what she means.

maria pops her head out from the kitchen with a thoughtful sound and a ' lemme check! ', before she disappears down the hall.

leland's brows furrow playfully at connie; ❝ how do you know i want blue? ❞

connie looks at him like this might be his stupidest question yet; ‘ because i know you. ‘ a small roll of her eyes, and she lightly pokes him in the chest of his blue shirt. well, she was right, anyway; his wardrobe almost entirely boiled down to blues and browns. nothing special, nothing too bright. sometimes he envied the way sonny dressed; unapologetic warm colours and patterns — he always looked cool, leland thought.

a few moments later, maria returns with a small handful of nail polish bottles, crouching to set them down on the low coffee table. they were mostly different shades of blue.

leland lazily rolls up into a sitting position. he pulls his legs to cross under him, scooting closer as he presents both hands, fingers splayed toward connie. his nails are pretty short, kind of scuffed up; probably not great canvases to work on, all things considered.

he remembers back when he was little, april had painted his nails a couple times, too. which dad kind of hated. and sadie had, once, while complaining thoroughly to him about some of the girls on her cheer team.

connie lets him pick from the blues, and he squints between a few options, before pointing out a dark navy. matched his shirt. would probably match everything, right? girls were always worrying about that kind of thing.

' are we doing a makeover? ' julie's head pops out from around the kitchen island. leland immediately tries for damage control, mouth opening and closing dumbly;

❝ wait. that's not — ❞ he's cut off as julie swans her way into the room. she sets her drink down, digging through her purse momentarily for something. she emerges with a makeup bag, before coming to join connie and maria. she sits down, too, and suddenly he's surrounded.

❝ dan, i'm being descended upon, ❞ leland whines, melodramatically, in danny's general direction. who does little more than scoff and reply; ' do your time, chico de oro. '

leland pouts at him; not very helpful, dan.

this was literally just like being home; arguing was futile, the only choice was surrender. he could always wash it off before next practice, right?

leland blinks as he watches them line up their arsenal of makeup and tiny little brushes on the coffee table.

maria perches on his other side, gently parting some of his hair away from the rest. she hums thoughtfully as she pins it back, and out of his face for him with one of her butterfly clips.

it feels kind of weird not to have the cover of his bangs. like his eyebrows were just kind of out there? brows that furrow as he watches the girls arrange themselves, so connie can take one of his hands to place on her knee, and julie can get way closer than he was prepared for. his cheeks flush for a moment, trying to figure out where he's supposed to be looking.

❝ uh — ❞ he clears his throat awkwardly, dodging everyone's eyes. then, he resolves to shoot a vaguely helpless look across the room to ana — who gives him an amused smile as she continues to work.

julie beams at him cheerily; ' it'll be fun, i promise. ' a beat, and she nods to herself resolutely; ' okay! eyes closed, mckinney, ' she commands him.

so he closes his eyes — albeit with a small pout. he can feel one of her makeup brushes dusting over his eyelids. which mostly tickles, and makes him scrunch his nose. she does the same to the other eye, and he tries to resist opening them too early. then she starts with a smaller brush, along the crease of his eyes. and it seems like she works at that forever.

he can tell maria is entertaining herself with braiding a section of hair at the back of his head, undoing it, and repeating the action.

kind of itches. leland's hand starts to move toward his face distractedly, but connie tactically pins it back down; ' those aren't dry yet, stop fidgeting. ' she lightly scolds him, still laser focused on her task of doing his other hand. one eye sneaks open; the blue looked nice, he thought.

meanwhile, julie frowns at her handiwork; ' ...oh. i smudged it a bit, but it still looks ok, i think. '

❝ — you think? ❞ distressing update, to be sure.

' leland, ' connie half-laughs, half-sighs in exasperation.

a blink, and he's paying attention again; ❝ oh. sorry, con. ❞ obediently, he tries his best to keep still. and julie's wielding mascara now, which inspires some mild fear in him. he flinches as soon as the wand gets remotely close to his eye. julie has to pause about ten times, when his eyes get distracted and blink.

' up, look up, lee. ' maria chides, with a laugh. patient as ever. ' you don't want to get poked in the eye, do you? ' he swears he's trying to keep still... and also look up at the ceiling, as julie curls the mascara wand against his lashes. which wasn't a great feeling — kind of weird, really — but he fights not to blink, and ruin julie's hard work.

❝ — so like. you put this on on purpose? this is like... this has to be some type of torture in some country — ❞ he blinks, and does very nearly get poked in the eye for it.

he's never been more aware of his eyelashes.

then, julie's using one of the larger, softer brushes on the highs of his cheeks; ' this is a good look for you, ' she hums, sounds all too proud of herself.

leland feels his face heat up again, suddenly self-conscious; ❝ you're teasing me, now. ❞ he huffs an accusation. julie pauses her ministrations, and purses her lips at him playfully. gives his cheeks a small squeeze between her thumb and fingertips; ' never, babe. i'm serious. you look good. ' he doesn't entirely believe her, but that had less to do with his doubt in her abilities, and more to do with his own face.

his next protest is cut short, as julie administers lipgloss with surgical precision, next. connie's, he realizes. because it tasted like cherry.

' — there, perfect. ' with the finishing touches done, julie beams again, tips of her fingers delicate as she turns him by the jaw to check him over. then, she wordlessly exchanges notes with connie and maria — the way girls do in secret eye-movement language — and the committee seems satisfied. maria carefully retrieves the colourful clips from his hair.

connie turns a pocket mirror to face him, and leland startles out something between a laugh and a slightly choked noise; ❝ — oh. whoa. ❞ useful response. he's not totally sure how to feel, at first. julie had picked out a deep blue-purple sort of colour for his eyeshadow. his face looked sharper than usual. or something.

' see? it totally brings out your eyes, ' julie elaborates. they all chirp and coo their enthusiasm, and leland ducks his head with another sheepish laugh.

' you look so pretty, ' connie reassures in the gentlest of teasing, eyes warming at the corners as she moves his hair back in place for him.

it was pretty, he decided.

... maybe it didn't all have to come off immediately.

confidence somewhat bolstered, leland turns over his shoulder, and bats his newly done-up lashes at their friends. ❝ — what do you think, ana, dan? williams? am i the prettiest girl at prom, or what? ❞ he looks across them pointedly for their individual validation.

' so pretty, ' ana echoes, and danny snorts. sonny turns, looks, and chokes on a sound into his beer, ' very nice, man, ' he says, diplomatically.

' who's next? ' julie chimes, which sounds a little like a threat. ' c'mon, da-ni-lo? ' she sing-songs as she shoots a deliberate look toward the other boys.

sonny promptly freezes like a deer in the headlights — but the speed at which danny bolts upright to leave the room is honestly impressive. ' oh, no you're not, ' danny asserts, and quickly disengages. he dodges julie — with a quick kiss placed atop her head — to disappear around the corner into the kitchen. mumbling something about needing another drink — and abandoning sonny to be descended upon next.

[bubblyshortie]

cis men would prefer to (unconsciously/accidentally) create a gender non-conforming main character than having prominent female leads in cartoons

[motziedapul]

SUPPORT A QUEER FILIPINO ANIMATED FILM! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇭

Do you wanna see more queer and trans animated films, especially from Filipino creators?

If you're following me I assume you do, so:

CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING ANIMATED FILM BY MY DEAR FRIEND AVID!

@misteravid

Zsazsa Zaturnnah is a Filipino icon; a queer comic book superhero who's spawned many franchises, including TV shows, films, and even a musical.

The original comics are by the legendary Carlo Vergara!

A shy gay male*** salon worker named Ada finds a magic stone and eats it, transforming into the bombastic bodacious superwoman Zaturnnah.

With her newfound superpowers, Zsazsa fights against the alien Amazonistas and their many monsters, from giant chickens to zombies.

It's a comedic, action-packed, heartfelt film from the wonderful and talented Animators in the Philippines, who've been animating American cartoons for years, but rarely get to tell our own stories.

***This would take a longer discussion about queerness in the Philippines, but there's a lot of overlap between gay men, transwomen, and drag queens in the Philippines, under the term "bakla". Very often, this identity is attached to an expression of femininity by someone assigned male at birth. Because pronouns are not gendered in the Philippines, whether someone sees themselves as gay, trans, nonbinary, etc, is up to the person, even if they're all "bakla". Ada is, in international discussions, referred to as a gay man; but it's important to note he shows an adoration for his feminine body as Zsa zsa that may resonate with transfem readers. I'll continue to refer to Ada as "he" and Zsazsa as "she", but it's important to note that this is due to the gendered nature of discussing this in English, and culturally, there are nuances in the Philippines around the fluidity of gender as a result of our non-gendered pronouns. Thank you!

THE FUNDRAISER IS SO CLOSE TO THEIR GOAL WITH ONLY 16 DAYS TO GO, SO PLEASE SUPPORT IT AND SPREAD IT AROUND!

For the sake of Filipino animation, for the sake of international, Asian, Pinoy queer rep, and for the sake of longtime fans like myself: HELP US MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

✨SUPPORT IT ON KICKSTARTER HERE✨

[neon-junkie]

How would TBB react to seeing the reader about to leave on a night out dressed up in a super hot outfit?

Gender-neutral reader, but feminine presenting. Words like 'beautiful' and 'pretty' are used!

Hunter - Even with half of his face tattooed, he still manages to blush through the thickness of the ink. - He's truly lost for words. - Hunter has an adorable stutter as he compliments, "wow, you look… nice- I mean, incredible. Good. Beautiful?" - Hunter then facepalms as he scolds himself for picking "nice" as his first compliment. Ugh, you look so much more than nice! - You'll both be giggling as Hunter takes a deep breath, and begins going into detail about how good you look, highlighting the specific parts that really stand out to him. - You're heading out with friends, but Hunter is quietly hinting that he wants to come along. Totally not because he's jealous or anything, but because he hopes to meet your friends, right? The friends that he's met several times before? Yeah! - Tell him that you'll still be looking this good when you come back home later tonight, and he'll get the hint. - However, he may need to leave a fresh mark or two on your neck, just to get the point across that you're taken.

Echo - This poor, poor man is going to turn the deepest shade of red when he finally sees you. - Why, just WHY did you have to wear that specific outfit that he loves so much?! And you're going out without him too?! Oh, what a tease! - Echo is lost for words as he gushes over you. He feels like it's his wedding day - How is he this lucky? How did he land an angel like you? - There's a tear in his eye as you smother him in kisses, reassuring him that you're all his, that you're the lucky one for being with him, that you can't wait to come home and snuggle up with him later. - Echo doesn't ask for much, but he would like to be kept in the loop on your whereabouts. Purely for your own safety! - "And when you reach the next bar, just comm me. Your friends have my comm number too, don't they? If anything goes wrong, and you want picking up-" blahblahblah. - One final smother in reassuring kisses, and you're good to hit the town!

Wrecker - His mouth instantly hangs open, his eyes turn wide, and his facial expression swiftly turns into a grin as he comments, "HOT!!" - You know in cartoons where the character's mouth drops open, and they begin howling and barking? Yeah, that's Wrecker. - Seriously, you look hot, and Wrecker's going to ensure that you know it. - "Look at you! I can't believe I got myself an angel as sweet as you!" - He'll mention how he's sad that he's not tagging along, but he'll assure you that it's important you spend your time with your friends. - Wrecker isn't as clingy as he seems. After all, he'll be right here, waiting for your return. - And when you do return, all your hangover needs will be met. A tall glass of water waiting for you, a midnight snack, breakfast in bed, and a big buff man to cuddle you back to health!

Tech - This will go one of two ways: - Option one: Tech eyes you up and down, and with a firm nod, he comments, "that is suitable attire for your evening. I hope you enjoy yourself." - Option two: Tech's brain short circuits. He can barely muster up a thought, let alone a comment. Radio silence, but his expression says it all. - Either way, Tech is more than impressed with your outfit choice, and how stunning you look. He just… struggles to find the words, like a deer in the headlights. - Give him a few moments, and you'll be met with suitable praise. "How exquisite you look, a truly elegant and radiant creature." - Tech can't pinpoint one specific word to describe how beautiful you look, so instead, he selects the most complex and in-depth ones. He doesn't want to rely on a 'standard compliment.' - A few kisses later, and you're off to meet your friends. All the while, Tech begins pacing around the Marauder like a lost puppy. He needs to keep himself occupied until you return!

Crosshair - He's instantly thirsty for you, smiling cheekily as he eyes you up, gawking at the sight of you. - Crosshair has a way with words, and spews out his praise, all whilst kneading at your waist, his hands trailing down to grab your ass whilst he steals a handful of kisses from you. - And then it dawns on him… - You're going out with your friends tonight, not him… - Jealousy swiftly takes over, and his compliment turn into teasing (yet petty) jabs. Nothing to hurt your feelings, though. - "Any reason why you're wearing this tonight? Do you need more attention? Am I not enough for you?" - Whilst his tone is teasing, there's a desperate need for validation. - Yes, he knows you'd never be stupid and hurt him, but… can you please remind him one more time? - Don't be surprised when you leave, and minutes later, Crosshair sends you a holotext. "Comm me if you need anything, Beautiful."

[velvetvexations]

Okay, so like.

Someone can say they're not saying transmascs have it easier, but you are actually still saying that even if the way you're actually phrasing it is "transfems have it harder."

The thought-terminating cliché that AFAB people are allowed more room to navigate the way they express themselves in a gendered way is bobolynery. People who spread this to make themselves feel like even more a righteous victim are annoying and piss me off. That goes without saying. But the argument that AMAB kids will have less chances to explore options is equally ridiculous, because even if it may be true that in some areas and contexts women are allowed to wear pants, that is not and has never been a major component of egg cracking to begin with.

You can't simultaneously argue that this is not a gendered act yet also somehow something that helps an AFAB person identify with masculinity. Like, countless millions of women wear pants every day without being transmasc. If it's truly NBD, how does that work? How, might one imagine, are transmasc eggs cracked by wearing pants if they're surrounded by women doing the same thing every moment of their lives?

If anything, by this logic, it should be harder for transmasc eggs to crack! If the line keeping AMAB people from being women is so thick, wanting to paint your nails is an instant signal you might prefer identifying as a woman, whereas a short haircut is not that in any place where you propose the line keeping women from masculine presentation is thin.

But the idea that trans women would even need something like that is absurd. It is also, I suspect, tied into those chugging the radfem juice who call sissy kink (trans)misogynyistic for treating being a woman as degrading. Like, an absolutely massive number of people with a sissy kink are in fact actual trans women, because they grew up understanding that they wanted to be women but non-consensual degrading situations being their primary outlet for that.

I'm not saying it isn't great things are different now. Of course it's a beautiful, wonderful sign of progress that "haha cartoon where boy forced to wear lipstick" is no longer the only thing trans girls have to turn to. The point, however, is that an AMAB child understanding their desire to be seen as a girl has always been extremely common. I do not have the data to suggest it's overwhelmingly the majority, but it is certainly not rare compared to the amount of transmascs who have that same understanding of themselves. Even many transitioning for the first time as adults report having always known.

Maybe there are simply more transmascs than transfems because there just are? Have you considered that? That maybe there are just more transmascs than transfems and it's not because transmascs get the red carpet rolled out for them?

[mourningsbane]

is it weird that this comic gives “old Disney cartoon but fucked up and evil” to me? also what is Honeyspring’s gender… or is it secret

I wouldn't say it's weird! I started the blog with a few fake Disney-looking screencaps I whipped up of Bearface and Sweetkit for fun! I took some inspiration from how Disney draws cats since I was trying to find a relatively easy and expressive style for the comics.

Honeyspring is a female with they/her pronouns! I didn't intend to keep Honeyspring so tightly under wraps, so I'll include a little secret Honeyspring for those curious about their full appearance! <3

[hoshikarasu]

BOYFRIEND! CHOSO. — GENERAL HEADCANONS

❛ ⠀♡ . ˑ⠀featuring   :    choso with a gender-neutral reader

❛ ⠀♡ . ˑ⠀synopsis   :   how choso is like as your boyfriend !

❛ ⠀♡ . ˑ⠀notes   :   no gendered terms used . fluff . "love" as a nickname .

He always has a hand on you somewhere, especially when you’re out in public together. There’s this need to constantly be touching you in some manner, so you can expect for his hand to be resting on the middle of your back or shoulder whenever he’s lingering by your side. A silent reminder that he’s right there, a promise that he won’t leave your side. 

Because of his height and demeanor, he ends up being your scary dog privilege. He comes off as intimidating as he lingers right by you with his typical expression while you simply don’t see what others see and look at him with such adoration in your eyes.

Immediately after your first kiss, he was leaning in for another one. The touch of your lips pressed against his is a feeling that he quickly grew addicted to and wanted more of.

Ever since then, you can expect for him to press short, quick kisses right after you two finish a kiss. He can’t help it, and you have no complaints in giving him more affection.

“One more,” Choso murmurs against your lips, barely allowing for there to be space between your lips. You barely have the time to let out a tiny laugh and repeat his words when his lips are already locked onto yours. Anytime you two part from a kiss and you begin to lean back, his lips follow after immediately. “What happened to just one more?” You ask him, grinning at the way he seems to be holding back a whine over this pause in kisses. “I’m sorry, love,” His hands cup your face, thumbs caressing your cheeks gently, as he presses kiss after kiss against your lips, “I just really enjoy kissing you.”

To him, it doesn’t matter what you two end up doing as long as he’s by your side. If you want to watch or play something that he isn’t familiar with then he will be there to keep you company. Maybe he’s watching you a bit more than what it is you’re watching/playing, but that’s only because he adores seeing how happy you get from what you’re doing.

If you want to share any facts or infodump about your interests then he’ll listen attentively to you. Not only that, but he'll go out of his way to do additional research on your interests with the help of Itadori depending on if it’s a particular franchise or series that you’ve told him about.

Speaking of Itadori, he ends up coming around to hang out with you two. Especially on movie nights. You both don’t mind considering you enjoy his presence and Choso loves spending time with his younger brother. It’s these moments where you’re getting along with Itadori or it gets late that both you and Itadori are becoming drowsy that squeezes his heart. The thought of being surrounded by two of the most important people in his life makes him incredibly happy. 

If you asked to style his hair then he’ll gladly let you do so. It doesn’t matter if you make them uneven because he will keep it like that for the rest of the day. Good luck in trying to convince him to let you redo them. 

“Let me fix it.” Before your hand can touch the uneven pigtails, his hand reaches out to intertwine your fingers and gently push them away from his hair. “No, it’s fine. I like the way you did it.” Choso tells you, squeezing your hand as if to reassure you of his opinion. “But they’re uneven! I can do better—” Your defense is cut short by a quick press of his lips onto yours. When he pulls back, his free hand holds the side of your face to guide your gaze up to his. “I told you it’s fine, love.” 

On top of that, he’ll let you simply play around with his hair. If you want to try styling his hair some other way, use red hairties to make him resemble a cartoon ninja that you claim looks just like him, or if you simply want to run your fingers through his hair, he’s fine with either one. He just loves the feeling of you messing with his hair. 

Leave it to him to learn how to cook your favorite dishes. At first, he’ll protest against you coming to help him since he wants to pamper and spoil you. But you still manage to weasel your way to help him out with cooking. He attempts to give you less of the work though as he doesn’t want to burden you with it. Your most important job is to taste the food, in which he’ll hold up a spoon of whatever it is you’re both cooking and wait for your thoughts. It takes a lot of convincing for him to let you take more part of the cooking, but he will relent eventually.

You both start to incorporate cooking as a nice thing to do together. If you saw a dish or dessert online that you felt the urge to make it yourself, the moment you tell him about it, he’s already making a list of what ingredients you both will need. It doesn’t matter what time of day this happens, he’ll do anything to help you recreate it even if it’s late at night after seeing you look so excited and determined. 

If there’s any extras of anything you two happen to make, you always suggest packing it up to give to Itadori for him to share with his friends and it makes Choso so happy to see you think about his little brother. 

Forgive him for being a bit clingy. After 150 years and barely experiencing these feelings of romance for the first time in his life, he’s not sure how to handle them properly. He vows to be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had and can’t imagine anyone else being his partner. Out of nowhere, he tends to wrap his arms around you from behind and simply remain like that. It’s as if there’s a gravitational pull that leads him to you and he can’t ever seem to want to part ways from you for too long.

[spirantization]

I'm surprised at the hate that Sokka's character arc from NATLA is receiving. To me, Sokka's development and characterization was one of the strongest adaptations the series made.

In the original ATLA, Sokka's character arc revolves around him unlearning his own misogyny. He makes pointedly sexist comments throughout the early episodes like "Leave it to a girl to screw things up!", "There's no way a bunch of girls took us down!", etc.

Sokka's comments have a strong narrative purpose: they give a platform for women in the show (Katara & Suki mostly) to refute his attitude. Katara emphasizes traditional "women's work" (cleaning, cooking, sewing, etc), which forces Sokka to confront its inherent value. Suki is able to prove to him that women can fight too and he learns to respect female warriors. It's a great character arc and it's well-executed.

It's also characterization that is in direct response to the culture and feminism of the 90s and early 00s. The representation of women in the media at that time was...oof. It was not great. One-dimensional love interests whose only purpose is being saved by the male protagonist, mostly. Female protagonists were not as common, and certainly not ones who were depicted as being able to fight, and certainly not in cartoons. Female protagonists in animation were almost exclusively princesses.

ATLA was progressive in this regard. Katara was a complex female character in a time when there were not a lot of them, in media in general but especially in animation and kid's shows. (I grew up in the 90s; there were no characters like Katara in animation on screen for me.) ATLA incorporated the zeitgeist directly into the story, which is why we have Sokka learning to overcome his sexism in his interactions with Strong Female Characters.

If you go back and watch the original cartoon now, Sokka's sexism feels a bit dated. It's a very 90s, Girl Power, "girls can fight too" style of social commentary. It doesn't match with the media landscape of today. We've got 20 years of media with female superheroes behind us. If your message is "girls can fight too!" the response for the most part is going to be "yes, we know that. And?"

So imagine you're adapting the original ATLA for a live-action remake. You want to keep Sokka's character arc intact, but you want to update it for the 2020s. So what do you do? You look at the conversations that are happening today.

The 90s were about "girls can do everything boys can do", but the 20s are over that. The conversation is more about gender: gender expression, gender roles, gender dynamics. What does is mean to be a woman? What does it mean to be a man?

Sokka's character arc in NATLA is focused on this question: What does it mean to be a man? At the beginning of the series, it's his identity as a warrior that defines him. He needs to be the warrior, the protector, the leader. He's constantly trying to reaffirm this part of his identity, and it's completely tied up in his perception of his value as a man. Instead of his interactions with Suki being about "how could girls possibly be warriors", it shifts to Sokka saying "I'm ALSO a warrior" and trying to justify that to Suki (and mostly himself).

His arc over the series is about him accepting other aspects of himself and relearning how to define his masculinity. He can still have value as man without being the greatest warrior. He can still have value as a man by using his skills as an engineer. He can still have value as a man by offering compassion and kindness to others, like the little girl with the doll & Yue in her final moments. Instead of rigidly defining himself by a specific set of gender roles & expectations, he learns how to define himself through his own strengths and qualities.

I know there are a lot of people who are upset at this change to Sokka's characterization, and the most common thing I see is that it results in changes to Katara's character and her anger in response to Sokka's comments. I think there are valid criticisms to be made about how the show handled the adaptation of Katara's character, but I won't go there with this. In terms of Sokka and his characterization, it was well-done and thematically consistent with the original. It's not an exact port, and it never needed to be. It's still a feminist arc that centres on unlearning harmful misogynistic worldviews, but the focus has shifted from external (roles of women) to internal (his role as a man). And his journey is one that people would benefit from seeing represented.

[gl1tched-g0th]

Happy Pride. Can we celebrate by, just for the month, having fandoms not be weird about lesbians/lesbian-coded characters.

Can we acknowledge that just because a woman character exists, and doesn't stare directly into the camera like an episode of the Office to say "I Do Not Like Men", that doesn't mean they aren't lesbian?

Can we please acknowledge how fandoms, especially cartoon spaces, are not normal about lesbians and lesbian coding. Can we acknowledge that lesbian is not a "dirty" or "taboo" word, and that it is okay to admit that a character is just a flat out lesbian.

Can we not try to maneuver our way around it by saying "well they could be bi/pan!", like so many people do with lesbian characters. For example:

-Amity from TOH, confirmed lesbian. People still argue that she's bisexual, because she drew herself with a fictional nonbinary character from a book once in the entire show.

-Velma from Scooby Doo, confirmed lesbian. When she got confirmed, people still argued she was bi because she dated men in past shows/specials - despite her being visibly uncomfortable in the relationships in question. Some even argued it was "bi-erasure" to make her a lesbian, which is insane to me.

-Amaya from The Dragon Prince, confirmed lesbian. Before she was confirmed, people said she was a "bicon" instead of lesbian, despite her showing no interest in men within the show. All she did was have a male interpreter (because shes DEAF and needs one), and people immediately paired them together.

-Ellie Williams from TLOU, confirmed lesbian. She shows no interest in men, states multiple times that men are "not her type", has only dated/had crushes on women within all games, the show, and even the comic, and yet people still claim she's bi.

-Robin Buckley from Stranger Things, confirmed lesbian. There's not much I can say here. She came out as a lesbian in the show, and people still call her bisexual. The jokes write themselves.

-Sammy from Camp Cretaceous/Chaos Theory, lesbian-coded. She's often headcanoned as anything but lesbian, often excused with "she never Outright said she's a lesbian like Yaz said she was bi", or that a few crew members said she was meant to be ambiguous. Yet I see nobody questioning why she specifically - the only other main female character, and who has never shown interest in men - is being kept that way.

-Vanessa from The Hollow, lesbian-coded. Developed a friendship with a male character, but has never expressed romantic interest in men. Laughing at a joke made by the opposite gender, and wanting to impress a male character because of a need for validation are not signs of romantic interest, by the way.

I am not saying you can't headcanon characters as bi, or that bi people are "evil", or trying to ""police"" who you ship together or whatever else excuse people use to derail conversations about this. There is a frequent pattern within fandoms where a lesbian (coded) character exists + has any relationship with a man ever + doesn't explicitly state they don't like men = not a lesbian. And fuck, even when they DO say they don't like men, they are still seen as bi.

Queer-coding is just as eminent as having a character be confirmed as queer. And, surprisingly (sarcasm) that also applies to lesbian coded characters. Lesbian characters do not need to "prove" their lesbianism to the viewers by hating/isolating themselves from men to be lesbians. They do not need to say outright that they don't like men in order to be lesbian coded. They can have relationships with men without being romantically interested in them. Lesbians have been fighting for so long to not be seen as "needing" to be with men in order to just. exist.

And believe me I could go on a whole rant about how this entire issue has roots in misogyny within the community, or how some people still haven't unlearned the idea of how a man and woman can have an 100% platonic relationship, or how people treat calling a character lesbian as a "last resort", but this post is already a wall of text as it is.

Please just be normal about lesbians in media.

[marzipanandminutiae]

The Snark Is Real This Morning

Oh no! Some patriarchal shill just had an Illegal Corset Thought on the Internet!

Maybe they said "corsets weren't invented by the patriarchy" or "comfort was actually often a prime concern for most women's day-to-day corset-wearing, as evidenced by mid-late 19th century advertising" or "women didn't go around fainting constantly because most of them didn't tightlace most of the time."

Maybe they brought up "survivorship bias in extant clothing" or "rampant photo doctoring in the 19th/early 20th century" or "treating satirical cartoons and fashion plates as gospel" or "museums displaying corsets laced entirely closed when wear patterns and primary sources indicate that lacing gaps were more common in many times and places" These concepts are actually conspiracies invented by Big Misogyny to sell more booze to depressed history workers!

Maybe one of them said that she'd worn corsets, or even that she and/or her friends actually found them more comfortable than bras! Clearly she believes this is representative of all women throughout history and in the present day. Besides, she is suffering from Femininity Poisoning and nothing coming out of her silly, weak little brain can be taken seriously. Remember, it is Peak Feminism to dismiss what a woman says because of her gender presentation!

Don't be fooled! All of these statements mean one thing: they are saying that corsets were and are, always and forever, universally feminist and empowering. That no woman in the past ever found them uncomfortable, and that GNC women didn't exist before 1960 and also are icky. Did they actually say that? Doesn't matter! You know what she Really Meant- you've seen P*rates of the Caribbean and Br*dgerton! Corsets were always torture devices meant to oppress women, and any statement contradicting that clearly means the extreme opposite.

So what's a right-thinking and concerned Internet Citizen to do? You have a few options:

See point above re: femininity. Feminine-presenting women are basically brainless, so if a woman talking about dress history Wears An Skirt, you can just write off whatever she says. Easy peasy! Be sure to say something derogatory about her appearance, so others know why they shouldn't take her seriously.

Accuse them of not knowing their history. Any degrees, professional experience, publications, academic accolades, etc. they may have are irrelevant. Their primary sources are...idk photoshopped or something? Best to ignore them altogether. You have Feelings on your side, and that's far more valuable than any research!

Accuse them of accusing you of being a t*rf. Works especially well if they've said anything about the preponderance of t*rfs expressing your True and Correct views- that just means they're calling everyone who thinks like you a transphobe, duh!

Tell them they're not believing women. If they have cited so-called "realities of historical women's lives," well, that's clearly just the rich elite of any given era (who were also brainrotted by Femininity, natch). If you're a woman, and you say corsets were the spawn of Beelzebub, that should be enough ~evidence~ for anyone!

Appeal to common knowledge. Everyone KNOWS corsets were evil; can they really be DEFENDING a KNOWN HATEFUL OPPRESSIVE HELL-GARMENT?! What is the world coming to! If they ask how exactly everyone knows that and where that collective belief comes from, reply with a snarky GIF and block them. There's just no reasoning with some people.

Call them a tradwife. Are they a tradwife? Irrelevant.

With all these tools in your arsenal, you are now well-equipped to fight the horde of vile corset apologists online. Remember: It's Only Real Oppression If The Oppressed Group Is Miserable 24/7!

[crown-of-roses-thsc]

MY FAVORITE HENRY STICKMIN ARTISTS ON THIS HECKSITE!

@rarestdoge - I don’t know how to say this- these aren’t in any particular order but this blog has my favorite THSC art…EVER. E V E R. RARESTDOGE IS SO TALENTED HIS ART IS JUST- AAAAA?!?!?! THE EXPRESSIONS THE POSING THE E X P R E S S I O N S AAAAAAA **explodes**

@capturecharlesau - HSIHSUHSUHWUHUHUW I WANT A CARTOON IN YOUR STYLE I WANT A CARTOON IN YOUR STYLE I WANT A CARTOON IN YOUR STYLE I WANT A CA

@finaltimelineau - Their AU?! Their ART?! ASTOUNDING. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I LOVE HOW THEY CHARACTERIZE EVERYONE I JIST- HISHUSGYSGYGSUHWHSJHHAJSGUSGUHU

@sketchythesketchbook-artblog - HOLLLLLY MOOOOOLLLLLLY THEIR ART IS SO YUMMY!! I LOVE HOW THEY ADDED RUPERT AND DAVE TO THE TRIPLE THREAT IT WORKS SO WELL AND I LOVE THAT THEY GAVE EVERYONE SIGN NAMES!!! ART IS SO YUMMY YUM YUM ART GOOD FOR TUMMY

@suddenly-stickmin - RRRRRRRRRRRRRR just- THEIR ART IS SO GOOD. SO EXPRESSIVE AND FUN AND HSIHSUHSUSHUHSUHUSHWUWUH I CHANGE MY ANSWER THEYRE TIED WITH RARESTDOGE I LOVE THEIR ART SO MUCH THEIR SHADING IS SO AWESOME AND PAINTINGLKKE ANDNSJSHSIISHUSHUSHUSHUHSJHJSHJHSJ

@smoresthehalloweenqueen - I DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY I DONT I REALLY DONT JUST LOOK AT THEIR SUBMISSION FOR MY CONTEST JUST LOOKA T IT LOOK AT IT OOOK AT THE EXPRESSIONS AND ANATOMY AND EXPRESSIONS AND POSING ANDNBSUHSUGSUGUDGUDGHSGHSGHGHDGHGHSGHSGHDGHGSHGDHHDGHGD

@wololo-01 - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE GOW YOU DRAW HAIR I LOVE THAT YOUR STYLE IS CHIBI BUT NOT TOO CHIBI I LOVE YOUR STYLE YOUR ART IS SO CUTE AND I LOVE THE PASTEL COLORS YOU USE AND I LOVE THE WAY YOU DRAW HAIR DID I SAY THAT ALREADY ITS TRUE

@caruskie - JUST DISCOVERED THEM A FEW MINUTES AGO JUST LOOK AT THEIR ART LOOK AT IT ITS SO CUTE AND EXPRESSIVE AND FUN AND EJIHDUHEUHJDHJD IF YOU GUYS CANT TELL I VALUE EXPRESSIVENESS ABOVE ALL ELSE IN THSC ART AND THEY TAKE THE CAKE IM JUST SAYING SHDUHEUGDUHEHGSJHJSH

@frazzledazzlin the biggest mistake I ever made was forgetting to put frazzledazzlin on this list. The apology video will be out soon but no matter how genuine it is it will never make up for the BIG FRICKIN MISTAKE OF FORGETTING TO PUT THIS DORK (/pos) ON HERE AAAAAAA??? AAAAAAAAAA??????? THEIR ART IS SO FFFFFREAKIN GOOD I LOVE IT SO MUCH *kicking and screaming*

@jasi-3 I JUST DISCOVERED THEM, LIKE, THE OTHER DAY, AND Y’ALL BETTER GET YOUR BUTTS OVER TO THEIR BLOG AND FOLLOW THEM.

@berensteinsmonster THEIR AUS ARE SO CREATIVE?? AND THEIR ART??? IS SO YUMMY??? ALSO I NEED MORE OF THE COWBOY AU I LOVE IT SO MUCH I LOVE CHANGING THE NAMES BUT KEEPING THEM SIMILAR THIS IS LITERALLY AMAZING THE FANDOM HAS PEAKED ITS ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE

@terrence-unsuaved I’m adding them to this list before I scream about the art they just sent me I gotta make sure not to forget because it is a CRIME THEY WERENT ON THIS LIST BEFORE THIS IS THE GRAVEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA???????????????????????EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE MY CHEST IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE

@kingkenzieofmold - LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK YUMMY ART ALERT YUMMY ART ALERT!!! I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOUR BLOG BEFORE MY GOOD FELLOW (gender neutral) BUT I LOVE YOU /silly

@thsc-scattered-stars I don’t know what to say just- their art makes me smile so so much it’s so fun and cute and THEIR AU GSYSGYGSYGSHGS IF YOU DONT CHECK THEM OUT ILL BREAK YOUR FINGERS

@ecstacyblog I THINK THIS BLOG JUST STARTED BUT NEW FAVORITE ALERT NEW FAVORITE ALERT NEW FAVORITE ALERT THEIR ART IS SO CUTE AND PROFESSIONAL LOOKING AND HRUHEUHRURGRRRRRRRRRRRRR *spins around in circles*

@number-1-harumi-hater NEW NEW NEW FAVORITE NEW FAVORITE NEW FAVORITE MY FAVORITE HENRY STICKMIN NICHE IS “THIS IS JUST AN EVEN MORE AMAZING VERSION OF THE GAME’S STYLE” AND MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ❗️‼️❗️‼️❗️⚠️❗️

@nickorite *politely fangirl-s*

YOU ART IS SO CAYUUUUUUUTE IM HONESTLY A HARDER SELL THAN MOST ON DRAWING THE STICKS AS NORMAL-PEOPLE-WITH-CIRCLE-HEAD BUT DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWGGGGGGGG YOU PULL IT OFF SO WELL RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

@cosmicdenro

/pos

@ending-the-cycle-ask you have really really nice art and shading and 😭😭😭 YOU DRAW HAIR GOOD YUMMY HAIR

@kursed-curtain guys I’m running out of things to say about everyone but your art makes me want to scream incoherently (this is a compliment) I want to watch a whole show in your style

@jaspbiia I’m NOT JUST BIASED BECAUSE THEY GAVE ME SO MUCH COOL ART THEIR ART IS SO EXPRESSIVE AND THEIR SHADING IS SO GOOD HHHHHH BUT STILL THE POSING AND EXPRESSIONS AAAAAAAAA!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

y’all this is also a list of people I want to do art trades with please hit me up

And I’m trying to stick to people who were active in the fandom as of me putting them on the list hehe

[fallershipping]

You ever think about a general fandom perception of "Het" or M/F ships?

In my circles, and for a long time since I was very very young, there was always contention with them, and not without reason. Anime and cartoons often depicted female characters as just the "love interest" meant only for romantic interactions, or that the (typical male) MC would crush on another different-gendered character almost obsessively. Back then, some people considered these characters as "getting in the way of my yaoi!!" but the reality was that writers didn't give female characters the same deep and interesting character dynamic an MC would have with a rival. I think this is still happening in fact, especially in the anime that the circles i'm in consume.

And beyond that, hetero-oriented dynamics are forced upon everywhere in media. From advertisements, to movies even where romance isn't necessary, shows, cartoons, video games, anime, everywhere. People who grew up with this have grown to write more queer relationships in media because-- it is tiring to see hetero content being so forced and shoved in your face. (which it is)

And often did I grow up on tumblr and twitter seeing artists grow tired of M/F, joking about it being boring, appealing to only the heteronormative especially if someone else (or canon) gives them kids. People aren't afraid of expressing their dislike or exhaustion with M/F especially when they want to see their favorite characters with dynamics more personal to them.

I can completely understand this.

I was even affected by fandom culture and the exhaustion of media. I was, still kinda am, nervous of things feeling too hetero. Too dull and you never want to stray anywhere close to the archaic 1950s past of a loving housewife and the man of the household. But I do like a lot of M/F pairings, especially this one. I like the concept of two equal partners, I like that it's not about gender roles or that "man has to like woman" but that they are a bit of an odd couple no one expected. And I want to show them off RIGHT, yknow?

At the same time, I'm glad that the perception is somewhat changing from "all het/female love interests are bad" to "bad writing is bad, and I would prefer the author to write a female character just as well as how they write male characters."

How about you? What is your personal opinion when it comes to M/F content shipwise

[thesapphicsoldier]

Now that we have confirmation (sorta) that Willow is pan and Hunter is bi, I think the owl house may just be the gayest show ever.

There are literally so many queer characters it exceeds tumblr’s photo limit!!

There’s also Darius and Alador who are shown to like each other in the finale (or at least Darius does), and the titan who is implied to to be genderqueer in some way.

I cannot believe this is a Disney show.

* Ps. I moved all of my cartoon posts to this blog, so follow that one if you want to see more like this.

Image description: photos of owl house characters each with their respective pride flags on their cheeks. First is Luz holding up the otter onesie, flags being bisexual and gender non-conforming. Second is Amity clasping her hands together while she smiles, flag being lesbian. Third is Eda smiling, flag being bisexual. Fourth is Raine smirking, flag being nonbinary. Fifth is Willow with a surprised expression, flag being Pansexual. Sixth is hunter also with a surprised expression, flag being bisexual. Seventh is Willow’s dads holding each other, flag being gay with a text saying “I think”. Eighth is the collector shrugging, flag being nonbinary. Ninth is Lilith with a hand over her chest, flag being aroace. Tenth is Masha looking surprised, flag being nonbinary.

[freakartack]

what made orbulon one of your favorite characters?

Oh my god LOL thats a crazy question. Not because it is crazy to ask, but because it is crazy to answer. I guess i should break this down point by point

Due to my various neurological idiosyncrasies, I have a brain chunk that is specifically dedicated to fucked up little cartoon aliens. I own a frankly embarrassing amount of Marvin the Martian memorabilia and also several collectible items of the cereal called Quisp, which was discontinued in the 1970s*, because it has a little cartoon alien on it. (*it came back on-and-off later and the last time it was discontinued was actually the end of last year, which was very sad for me, the sole Quisp enjoyer in the world.) And yes i am just as insane and anal-retentive about these cartoon aliens as The Big Man Himself. So that was the hook

THEN, I realized that orbulon is not just the typical freaky little megalomaniac alien, but a DEEPLY INSECURE and SURPRISINGLY INTROSPECTIVE freaky little megalomaniac alien. This is important to me for the same reason that I am a fan of the Muppets. His endless internal struggle to not be seen as stupid on a planet full of ants is very compelling to me

Continuing that thought, the fact that despite his dubious motivations he is genuinely enamored with the beauty of both Earth and space really rounds out his character. Not only is he trying his best to connect with the creatures of the Earth after one thousand years of being here and not doing that, but one of his favorite ways to do so is to bring people onto his spaceship and show them the wonders of the cosmos. And I love it every time because on earth he is just a weird thing but when he takes them in his spaceship they are amazed and speechless at the beauty of space...it is like he is letting them into his world, and they can finally see and understand what he sees. Effervescent

Also, the fact that he is so god damn old leads to a lot of fun story opportunities (like it being possible for him to meet the four heroes from ttyd) but also opens the door for some extremely poignant and heart wrenching implications, summed up very subtly by one of my favorite Orbulon quotes:

5. On a similar note, the fact that Orbulon plays it fast and loose with the "alien traits" he has makes it EXTREMELY fun for the biology freak in me to go wild with the speculations. I won't go into it too much here because i've already covered this extensively but just know that this is a very big bullet point.

6. The fact that his luck is constantly in the shitter is very relatable. I like orbulon because things are always happening to him

7. I would be remiss to make a list like this without including his gender. The fact that he shapeshifts so freely for the purposes of both self-expression and disguise is very genderish indeed

8. He's just got a kickass design. The shades that are evocative of both the glassy eyes of a stereotypical grey alien and Men in Black, the amphibian proportions, the awesome wardrobe. The bowling pin head is both inexplicable but also feels effortlessly natural. He's truly got it all. Similarly, the fact that he is a space alien that crash lands onto earth simply because he is shit at driving is such a funny and seemingly obvious direction to take this kind of character, and yet he's the only one I've really seen cash in on that. I like orbulon because things are always happening to him pt. 2

9. We have the same music taste

[azullumi]

wanderer — love in strings and songs ☆彡

summary — just you and him, together, as he rambles about the things that he loves.

pairing — wanderer/gender-neutral reader

tags — fluff, established relationship, modern au; oneshot

word count — 700+

note — sleepy anon's ask from earlier had me just doing this. literally no thoughts, brain empty, just wanderer

"And no, I am not exaggerating when I say that they are the modern reincarnation of Mozart himself so I don't understand how—Are you even listening to me?"

He pauses mid-sentence, looking at you with his eyebrow raised. Sitting on top of his lap, you straddle both sides of his thighs as you hold a pack of stickers on your hand, your other attempting to place yet another one on his forehead while you listen to his rambles. You hum, pressing it on his face, before responding, "Of course, I am."

Doubt crossed his face and it was evident that he didn't believe you, "What was I talking about then?"

"About how you think this artist that you like should have more recognition than the ones that are mainstream nowadays?" You respond, your hand searching yet for another sticker but the pack was already empty and there was nothing left to put on his face. Bummer, but looking at him, at the images that decorated his pale complexion, you think that was already enough.

"Well, at least you are paying attention somewhat. Do you agree with what I'm saying though?" He gazes deep into your eyes, emotions of tranquility swirling in his own like a calm wave on a shore, as he wraps his arms around your waist, linking both of his fingers, which leads you to being locked in his embrace.

"Hmm… I can't say anything on that especially when I haven't listened to any of them but if you say that they're better than this one, then sure, I agree," You just relax in his cradle, leaning your body against him as you rest your chin on top of his shoulder, and he, too, does the same. He lies his head on the dip where your neck meets your shoulder, his breath warm and ticklish against your skin.

He just hums in approval upon hearing what you said as if your answer was sufficient enough to his ears.

"You should give them a listen. They create such amazing music, I'm sure you will love them," He murmurs, loud enough for you to hear as he pulls you, pressing you much closer to him, inhaling and being intoxicated in your scent. You only gave him a hum and a silent nod as an answer, closing your eyes and indulging yourself in the intimate feeling of being so close to him.

This moment was romantic itself, save for the fact that he has hello kitty stickers stuck on his face—and he wishes he could take it off, however, he's way too comfortable in this embrace; you fit yourself perfectly in his hold and he doesn't want to move nor break away from you.

"When is your next performance?"

"Next week, are you going to watch?"

"Can I?" You answer, parting yourself away from him to take a look on his face, adorned with pink cartoon characters to which you decided to take off before he gives you a look of disappointment once he sees what you did to him.

"Why are you even asking that when the answer is so obvious?"

"I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Say what?"

Taking off the last sticker on his face, you smile at him, mischievously, before responding.

"Say that you want me to come."

"Stop playing around," You ignored the way he grimaces.

"Say it or else, I really won't watch," You threaten, knowing for the fact that you'll still go and watch him perform anyways even if he'll never say it. You just wish to tease him, to see the light shade of pink tinges his face as he hides the way he shys himself closer to you, a curse escaping his lips.

"...Fine—" He stills, silent and you wait until he speaks, expectation and enthusiasm etched on the expression of your lips and cheek. "—Will you watch me next week?"

"Why?"

"Because—fuck—I want to see you there."

And your smile then curls into a wide grin and he could say that your expression was as bright as the sun with how it beams, "Where's the magic word? Please?"

"..."

"Okay, okay, chill. I was just messing around," You pressed a kiss on his forehead as a form of apology for teasing him too much and you couldn't miss out the way his wrinkled visage soothes.

Silence didn't even last for a second when you spoke once again:

"Do you think you could let me do your makeup sometimes?"

"If you don't mess up, go ahead."

At this point, he just lets you do as you please.

— navigation | masterlist

[honeymoonblues]

If only you asked...

Remus Lupin x Professor!Reader

Summary: Remus is deciding wheter or not to ask you out, and you're having a bad day. (Gender neutral reader)

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: A little continuation to my other Remus fic 'Crash!' can also be read as a stand-alone. Let me know if there are any spelling errors, English is not my first language.

A few months had passed since you became a professor at Hogwarts.

At first, it had been hard to get the students truly engaged with the subject. Of course you understood that history could get boring, but slowly and with a lot of effort, the kids were inspired by your own enthusiasm. You were eccentric enough to catch their attention for the whole hour, and stern enough to make sure they were actually learning.

Now, the relationship with your coworkers was an easier task. You got along with them just fine, having quickly learned about each of their personalities and being mindful of their own little quirks.

You knew well to treat Severus with respect, to call Minerva by her first name, to never interrupt Sprout while she was teaching and to be open minded to whatever Trelawney had to say, even when she spoke the most peculiar of facts.

Surely, there was also Remus. Whom, no matter how many odd quirks, could never get on your nerves. Even with his strange way of acting every once month, you thought he must have his reasons. Your bond was warm, a friendship disguised under pure professionalism (or so you thought).

You see, it was always:

“Oh, professor Lupin, you must come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend!”

And Remus would never turn down an offer from you. He would say:

“That’s very convenient, you see, I was just thinking that I need to go to the quill shop.”

 It turned cartoon-ish after a while. You’d invite him to the village, he’d suddenly remember that he also has to go the village, so it would be foolish to refuse, and you’d both smile brightly to each other. Now, Remus was quickly running out of stores he ‘needed’ to go to, and your invitations were so regular that they didn’t seem ‘just friendly’ anymore.

The truth is, you were fooling no one. Except maybe yourselves.

If anyone should ask about your relationship, you were kind to answer:

“Of course professor Lupin and I are friendly, we’re coworkers!”

And Remus didn’t hesitate to respond:

“Yes, I’d say we’re good acquaintances, why do you ask?”

In the staff room, Severus would raise his eyebrows every time, which is the most expressive you’ve seen him. Then Flitwick would sip on his tea, and Dumbledore would grin. Nevertheless, the professors were still indifferent to whatever-might-be-going-on with you two, Merlin knows they don’t need anything else to get involved with.

The students, however, do love a little love story. They would throw each other glances every time you stepped in Remus’ classroom, whisper excitedly when they caught you two talking animatedly, and roll their eyes whenever you’d invite him to Hogsmeade.

It was painfully clear! You both fancied each other, why couldn’t you just date, and get over it! The truth is, you were both phenomenal cowards. The ‘what ifs’ were clouding your minds. Also was it even allowed for professors to date? (No one cared!) But since the pair of you decided it would be best to ignore these feelings and not talk about it, the months just kept on stretching out and neither dared to make a move that wasn’t inside the usual routine of Hogsmeade’s strictly-professional-and-maybe-a-little-friendly strolls.

Remus’ heart raced just by thinking of asking you out for once. He smiled to himself, looked at a fixed point in his office, and ignored the papers he was supposed to be grading for a moment. He was thinking of you. Your humour, then your laugh, then your smile, then your blushing cheeks, then your twinkling eyes.

‘I’m absolutely done for.’ He thought, snapping out of his mind.

There was someone at his door.

“Minerva, please come in.”

Behind her glasses, McGonagall had a sharp glint in her eyes, and her mouth showed a faint smirk. She had come all the way to Remus’ office to discuss the little outing he was planning for the fourth years’ class. And she did just that, but in the back of her mind there was something else. She decided it was time to help her former student a bit, after all, she’d always had a soft spot for Remus.

“Winter holidays are getting closer.” She remarked, as she was getting up.

“A much needed break for everyone, isn’t it?”

“Of course...” She nodded with her usual poise. “Any plans for this winter, Remus?”

“Oh, Minerva, whatever could I have planned for winter? You know me...” He chuckled, shrugging and pointing to his office with his hands. Accompanying her to the door, he said. “I’m quite the dull man, after all.”

“I was just asking, since I’ve been seeing you out in Hogsmeade every weekend, I thought you could have...” She smiled, and Remus stuttered a bit before Minerva spoke again, softly but surely. “If you asked them, Remus, they would say yes, you know...”

Then she left, still grinning when she closed the door behind her. Remus stood there, lips tightly closed and feeling like he was caught red-handed. He sat down, then stood up again, and finally decided to sit down again. He also shook with laughter for a while as if he was insane, but kept quiet for a long time after that.

“I’m fucked.” He concluded out loud.

You loved the atmosphere that winter had brought to Hogwarts. The holidays were just around the corner and the kids seemed excited, ready for a break just as much as the professors were.

The students got more distracted this time of the year, but no one could really blame them. At the same time, exams were the last obstacle between them and the enchanting, needed rest. But it was surely a lot of work. You had so many papers and tests to grade that you started to wonder if it would be possible to have two history teachers instead of just one. Two whole stressful weeks where you didn’t even go out on weekends, and your free time was basically nonexistent. Merlin, you were almost out of your mind.

Hugging yourself in your heavy winter coat, and sipping on your hot tea, you made your way to your classroom. You were late because you’d accidentally slept in, after staying up late trying to decipher some bizarre students’ essays. But no matter how late, you were not about to miss breakfast or you’d surely pass out in the middle of the class, so you went down to the kitchens, asked politely for a cup and took off as fast as you could.

The thing is, today was not your day at all. But it could get worse, and it did! 5 minutes before the end of your first class, you tripped slightly, as you tend to do, but your worn out boots simply decided it was enough, and the heel on one of them broke. You just stared at your mutilated shoe for a moment, standing in a weird uneven stance, uncharacteristically quiet. You sighed, looked at the attentive students and dismissed the class for the day.

There were 35 minutes before the next class started, ‘enough time to cry a little’, you thought. But you shook your head, and sat down at your desk, examining your shoe.

“Certainly broken boot will not bring me down.” You spoke to yourself.

“I don’t see how it could.” Said a soft voice.

You snapped your head forward, and watched Remus entering your classroom, a shy smile on his face.

“Is this a bad time?” He asked, unusually bashful.

“No, no! I was just...” You held the boot for him to see. “Trying to fix this...”

He chuckled at the poor state of your shoes and got closer to take a look.

“I really should go to Hogsmeade, and see if someone can patch them up for me.” You mumbled, quite discouraged at your own chances of reapairing it. “Would you like to accompany me, professor?” The question was soft, hopeful, and it got a smile out of both of you.

“That’s very convenient, you see, I was just about to ask you on a date."