#i think the answers to this will be the opposite of the other poll i did

[lumalalu]

deleted that rb cause i read it again a little closer but u people r so obsessed with dictating what does and does not happen to trans men. all these stupid little rules.

[incognitopolls]

hi, i sent in a comment back when one (not me) anon said they were unfollowing due to constant cisnormativity and gender essentialism in the polls. you didn't answer my ask back then, or maybe the ask disappeared since tumblr does that sometimes, but i would appreciate it if you would answer this, because i think it would be beneficial for everyone to actually talk about this openly.

i'd just like to ask, knowing that you may edit polls submitted to be more inclusive and clearer, why is the recent poll about preferences for a partner's pubic hair specifically for people with penises? and if there is another poll coming that's the same but for people with vaginas, i'm wondering why it would be necessary for a question like it to be separated like that. personally i don't see how that would make a big, or more importantly an interesting difference in the results. to me all it seems like it's doing is excluding intersex people and supporting this idea of "the two sexes" being fundamentally completely different from each other and someone's genitals playing a big part in defining people's preferences.

i'm not intending this as a hate comment, but as a genuine request for conversation around this subject, as you yourself said to the anon that unfollowed, that you'd like to hear about their side. i know i'm not said anon, but i think we're kind of talking about the same subject here, and recently there's been a lot of polls here separating people via genitals, and it's beginning to make me feel a little uncomfortable, in big part due to it implying that a huge portion of people here see gender and/or sex as a binary, and that people on the opposite ends of that binary are fundamentally different from each other due to their sex/gender.

apologies for the long ask, i just really wanted to avoid misunderstandings so i may have rambled a bit more than necessary.

Hi! Thanks for bringing up your concerns. The way I interpreted that question is that anon was curious whether pubic hair affects the sensation on the penetrating partner‘s penis, or whether pubic hair can be a hindrance– for example, acting as a barrier, or adding friction.

The original question was only aimed at people with penises, and I hadn’t planned on posting any variations for different genitals because (from what I’m assuming about anon’s curiosity) the question is so specific in asking about the sensation and/or logistics for a penis navigating around hair. I don’t think it would be helpful or yield any interesting data to post the same poll for people with other genitals. 

In this case, I think my error was in not specifying “does a partner’s pubic hair affect the sensation on your penis during penetration?”. That’s the question I think anon was trying to ask, but unfortunately it was more clear in my and anon’s heads and didn’t come across in writing as clearly as I thought I was saying it. 

Also, in response to the sentiment that there have been a lot of genital-related polls lately, there have been about 3 in the past 2 weeks, or about 3%. (7 polls per day; 49 polls per week; 98 polls every two weeks.) I understand if it seems like a lot, but the actual saturation is fairly low. I'm saying this not to dismiss you, but in the hopes of reassuring you that this blog is not shifting to become more heavily focused on separating people's genitals.

I got a number of helpful messages about the previous conversation on dyadism. I didn't respond to them due to some things in my personal life that limited my time, but I read them and have them saved as a reminder to myself when writing up polls so that I can continue to make these polls more inclusive of intersex people– I promise those messages weren’t ignored.

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

Um, hi! Regarding that other anonymous asker wondering about the comic's enjoyability, I actually WAS one of the people who voted "I've never watched the show but I do read the comic" in that poll; all my prior knowledge about Steven Universe was from passive osmosis. I don't know anyone personally who likes it either, my baseline is limited to, like, the premise and 'hey I think that one's a major character?' every now and then (this was most recently Lapis Lazuli. Peridot I'm prettttty sure is canon, but I didn't recognise her right off. Betting that Sea Glass isn't. No clue about Jasper).

So if it's of any help, from my experience I do think that your comic is fairly accessible to folks outwith the Steven Universe fandom! I read long-form fanfiction for media I know nothing about on a regular basis, and it does a good job of explaining the core concepts required for the plot to hold water; it makes it much harder to spot foreshadowing that I feel may have been more obvious to experienced readers (e.g. I didn't get anywhere near working out Earl's issue because I didn't know that A. White Diamond could do mind control, or B. what societal role Pearl-class gems (is that the term?) hold relative to the Diamonds), but the actual narrative itself holds up well so long as you're willing to put the thought in. Actively following your blog helps a bit too, I've gotten extra context clues from the FAQ and asks you've answered.

My one warning would be that reading a long-form story for a fandom you don't know is a very different experience. The best way I could describe it is akin to reading Arthurian stories or folkloric retellings without studying the source material: while the main narrative is comprehensible, you become distinctly aware that certain parts are name-checking their original culture in a way that the author expects to be apparent but isn't, not to you. I spend a lot of time faintly baffled when I'm not cross-referencing between multiple fics for commonalities to reverse-engineer (also do that regularly, would recommend), which is fine! It's fun! Might not be for everyone, though.

I just want you to know I love this ask, and I was enraptured reading this. It's a very cool insight! Especially as someone with the exact opposite reading philosophy, this is extremely valuable.

It's neat to also get a confirmation about the fact that a lot of over-the-top stuff that was meant to echo the original show might not get pinged by those who aren't familiar with the original. Though to be fair, people didn't quite pick up on what was happening with Earl even when they knew what White Diamond's powers were.

I also find it hilarious to realize that Jasper might not be a recognizable original-show character to most outsiders. DEMOTED!

[reverieaa]

The self, fufilled.

It might have taken me a while, but as I promised in my last poll, I will deliver what you all were most interested in hearing, my explanation of the self fufilled. Consider this a pt.2 of "a change of clothes".

Yes, I say the self fufilled. I thought this play of words is not only interesting to do but would bring light to a new perspective that may help you come to your own understanding.

Many don't sit to really understand what " no other cause to your thoughts other than you" really means to them, we know, but we don't understand.

How do I stop my doubtful thoughts? How do I manifest quickly? how do I feel my wish fufilled? How do I change my state? How do I feel free? How do I stop punishing myself?

Well for the last one, you can start by putting an end to all previous questions, searching with the intention of finding an outside answer.

The opposite of love is hate, as the opposite of to hurt is to heal.

And the opposite of attention is indifference. As Edward art himself said that indifference is truly the answer to all your doubts.

I don't want you to go through your day and force yourself to imagine, affirm, and re-read every post you've ever read again and again until it finally clicks, I don't want you to fight every thought and scold your mind for "going out of place" either.

All that I want you to do is all that is required for you to do, change the inner. We truly are fortunate when I tell you this good news because change is all we do, all we've ever done.

I'll tell you honestly, not to give you hope and neither to shatter it or delude you when I tell you that majority of your problems that sound so complicated as the universe itself, could be solved just through self identification and a rearrangement of the mind.

I don't say this to give comforting lies, false hope, and support because I don't want people with hopes and dreams in tough situations to feel bad and be a moral person, but because the truth is far more comforting than any of it.

I won't tell you to "keep going" when you feel like nothing is working and breaking down. If you feel the need to change something, then change should happen, and it shall as your word is logic to your world.

I want you to understand that you're not meant to fufill the thing itself, but yourself instead. It's not about your desired face, it's about you, it's not about your ideal relationship and sp, it's about you, it's not about imagining the perfect life, it's about you.

It's not about using yourself to fulfill the scenario/desire. It's about it fulfilling and changing YOU.

Right now, you have a bed, you are not imagining that you do, you're not checking to see if you have a bed, you probably didn't even look to see if you have one, it is a CLAIM within yourself. With the same conviction, you use it for your desires. Take this example with things you have in your life.

I don't think people realize that the whole reason why trying changing the outer reality does not work because there is no outer reality to begin with, I mean that literally.

It is crucial to understand when you imagine that you are not creating the desire or a new reality, but you can only conceptualize that version of you to begin with because it already exists.

Let the ego mind go, let the need for outer change go, both its worries and time-frame of your life so far and just sit there with what I'm trying to say when I tell you to feel the wish fulfilled. It is a CLAIM, not a process, a change of identification.

Once you identify yourself with who you actually are, the awareness/ pure consciousness and believe that you is all there is , you won't want to "manifest a df" just to decorate the outer man, but you'll want to manifest it bc it genuinely makes u happy for yourself, same for every manifestation.

It all comes down to a satisfying claim, a claim of your observation that you see as TRUTH and are currently seeing in your mind.

For those who are wondering what knowingness I'm talking abt, it's the same knowingness when someone asks your name, you know you are (name), you know you're (nr) years old.

And so the same way you know your name, you know you have your desired body, the same way you know how old you are, you know you have your dream car.

We identify as body and outer when the outer world itself is WITHIN us, you are the answer to everything as everything has it's root to you, and at the same, everything cam only live through ypir awareness, nothing greater and nothing to "get".

If i view myself as pure consciousness, then I do not care for the 5 senses to show me anything because I don't view myself as just body, and this doesn't mean you can't deal with things in the 3D, because working in the 3D and identifying with it are different things. Therefore, don't feel the need to commit all your 5 senses to your imaginal act.

This isn't a for you to tell yourself: " ok, I have to know I am pure consciousness/ the creator and work with it from there" this post is telling you that you ALREADY are it, skip emotions here, we have established that you are it right now and youvare becoming aware that you are in imagination.

All we do in life is make claims within ourselves about things we are aware of having in the mind. Say you have a red car, and you think about it in your head, you know it's yours, you don't need to check your own drivers license, you know you have a certain hair color, it is a aware claim, you aren't trying to get it, there is no rush to do so, you are at ease knowing it IS so and are just observing your life through that state on consciousness.

And since you are consciousness, and you can get/be anything you want just by being aware that you are it, what is it that you can't do or be in this world? You can't be satisfied going after the "object" itself bc the only way we can enjoy things in this world is through the awareness that we have it, it has no life of its own outaide your own consciousness.

[neuroprincess]

LuLu Goes to Daycare - Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Summary: Melissa doesn't want to do it, Y/N denies being worried and both moms don't know how to deal with their baby's first day at daycare.

Classification: Domestic fluff

Warnings: None

Word count: +3000

Note: I know that the post with Ava won the poll, but I've been in hospital twice this week, had injections in hips and spent days unconscious due to medication, after all that I just wanted to write a bit of family comfort. The next post will be about Ava, as soon as I get better ^^

Unrevised

With a hand to her face to protect against the sun, Melissa lets out a long sigh and looks at the colorful entrance. Parents carrying their little ones pass her by, most of them with big smiles and excited about the start of another school year. She herself is excited, misses her children and work routine, but feeling the opposite at the mere thought of leaving Luca at daycare. The baby's babbling brings her out of trance, his little feet tapping against the seat cushion in agitation, caught up in everything that's happening around him.  

"Ready for this, darling?" Y/N asks her wife, working hard at getting the little boy out of the car seat. 

She nods, not a sincere answer, there's an unpleasant feeling in the pit of the stomach, the same as when doing something difficult, a challenge or the one that haunts everyone when doing something for the first time. Despite all the insecurities and even a little fear, she wants to pass on some kind of confidence to her little family in this big step.  

"LuLu looks so handsome." the younger whispers, straightening his clothes once she has managed to get him out of the equipment, a yellow dungaree and cotton T-shirt have been chosen, shoes have long since been thrown in the air "I think he's a bit hot."  

"Fever?" they look at each other in alarm and soon they're both standing over their son checking his temperature with the back of their hand, then with the thermometer just in case "I don't know whether to laugh or cry, we've been working with children for years and now we look like two complete laymen."  

"Aren't we looking for excuses?" the reluctance hits Y/N, she's never been separated from him for more than a few hours and now she'll have to spend the whole day without being by her chubby side. The couple stare for a few seconds, reflecting, in the end deciding to cover up how emotionally drained they really are by this "Nah." they say in unison.  

"The gate will close soon, let's take our tesoro." the redhead leaves the car, turns around to open the door, stretches out the arms to take Luca on her lap, can't resist showering his rosy cheeks with kisses and getting the cutest giggles out of him, little teeth showing "Time passes so quickly, just yesterday he looked like a plucked chicken and today he's a little prince."  

"Did you just compare our son to a plucked chicken?" incredulous, the girl closes the car door and holds back a laugh, stuck in the back of her throat, making her cough dryly.  

"And I lied?"  

Y/N rolls her eyes, kissing the boy on the forehead, admiring every tiny detail of him, from rust-colored hair to the freckles he seems to have inherited from the Schemmenti, simple but still present on his snub nose and chubby little arms. When he arrived, he was very small, large for a premature baby, gradually taking on his mother's features, personality and appearance. A little human about to begin a new stage.  

The path from the entrance to the classroom door is tortuous, not even the photos of children having fun reassure them, the corridor is full of them, playing in the playground, using paints, dressed up, dancing, among other clearly fun activities.  

"Excited, bambino?" the eldest asks, lifting him up so that they're face to face, hopefully expecting LuLu to deny it and give a reason to turn around, but he nods in the affirmative with a cheeky smile "Sure?" he nods again, jumping up and down with excitement "Amore mio, I don't think he understands and leaving him here could probably make our baby feel abandoned, cause trauma..."  

"But almost all children go to daycare and are fine, LuLu is smart, loves socializing and learns quickly." Y/N says calmly, more to herself than anything else, fingers stroking the thick curls of the boy who is now oblivious to the conversation, concentrating on the movement around "And he's your copy, which means he'll do well. Don't you agree, darling?" 

Melissa sighs and fights the impulse to snort at her wife, who knows how to pull all her strings and hit her in the right places. Knowing that she can't resist her charms, she decides to give in, only agreeing in a grumpy whisper. Stubbornness is a family heirloom. Pride too.  

"Time to go, big boy." she announces to the baby, who giggles at the two of them, arms waving as if he understands everything that's being said "Okay, keep it up and maybe you'll give Mama Mel some courage." the redhead whispers last, taking the first steps into the nightmare.  

Disgusted, she finds the designated room more than quickly, the pair of teachers at the door waiting for their fellow little angels to appear. Melissa shamelessly tries to see more of what's going on behind the doors, where many of the crawling babies are playing on the carpet. She can't hold back a smile realizing that although she isn't a paragon of stature herself, their son is by far one of the biggest babies in the daycare, not least because he already stands out with cute big cheeks and rust-colored hair that's starting to curl at the ends.   

Y/N hands the baby bag over to one of the teachers and joins her family, now visibly fearful, all the insecurities she tried to keep to herself and ended up brushing under the carpet come to the surface in a matter of seconds. What if he doesn't adapt? Because he's an only child and relatively spoiled, he ends up fighting with one of his classmates over a toy? Or if they hurt him? If there are other children with their first teeth looking for something soft to bite and why not little Schemmenti's chubby arms?  

"...please don't forget to put the yellow blanket over his face when he goes to lie down, Luca can only fall asleep with this one." the younger gives the last instructions from the short list of quirks that come in their son's handbook.  

"Right..." the teacher murmurs in disbelief, having learned that she would have two parents who are professionals in the same field, she thought it would make the process much easier, only to discover that it was quite the opposite "Now, if you'll excuse me..." she nods and tries to escape, pretending that someone is calling her, only to be intercepted on the way by the other mother lion and her dozens of extremely specific questions.  

After a few minutes and many kisses, the two moms leave the building with empty arms and hearts sunk with the terrible feeling of not being close to their little boy. For eight months carrying him and for another ten they kept him only to themselves, attached by the hips, having never spent more than a prolonged nap equivalent to a romantic dinner away. They stop for a few seconds in front of the car, ideas running through their heads and none of them believing that everything is going to be all right, anxiety hitting hard.  

"You know..." they say in unison, thinking of excuses to get rid of each other.  

"I need a new laptop charger and we passed a store a block away." Y/N starts, slurring a few words, and points in the opposite direction "You go ahead, I'll take a uber later."  

"All right, Barb just texted me to give her a ride." Melissa smiles, as if destiny were helping her "See you in Abbott, take care, cara mia." and approaches, placing a chaste kiss on the lips of her wife, no idea that she has plans of her own.  

Half a block away and the car parked on the other street, they both sneak into the daycare, taking advantage of the movement of some late families to sneak in. Melissa gained access to the garden next to the classroom by convincing a member of staff that she had lost her earring in the grass, while Y/N managed to get past everyone to the door without attracting attention.  

When the corridor empties, she approaches the glass, eyes instinctively searching for her son and soon finds the boy crawling across the carpet with the others, a dozen toys scattered around them. It doesn't take long for LuLu to find something colorful and eye-catching to put in his mouth, something he's been doing frequently since the first teeth appeared, swallowing all the unknown microscopic germs that cause chills in Y/N, as in Melissa, jaws open in disbelief as no teacher stops the scene.   

"No, no, no!" the youngest whispers, wishing that mental begging could intervene. 

On the other side, the redhead is in the same state, her face pressed against the window to get a better view and equally shocked. They knew this moment would come and, no matter much planning and preparation, it's still hard to face your firstborn's first day. He's so curious, cheerful, full of life and can inspire anyone nearby, so spirited and brave that he doesn't even seem to mind being away from home and his moms' presence. This brings a genuine smile to Melissa's face, for her everything seems like a dream and she has the impression that she might wake up without everything she has achieved. After a collection of failed relationships, she has found the woman of her life, motherhood, which had been put aside for many years, has come naturally and a son she never imagined she would have before is now cradled in her arms every night, also giving her wet kisses and the most sincere affection in the world. After all the new world her little family has presented her with, the fruit of their love is growing incredibly fast and giving her new challenges. This is another one of them, to leave him for a few hours longer, to trust the precious life of their bambino in the hands of complete strangers.  

"What?" her eyes widen as she turns towards the door and finds her wife's unmistakable face stuck in the glass, staring at the whole scene "Amore mio!" she whispers, waiting for the girl to turn around and finally realize that she is there.  

Torturously long seconds pass before their gazes meet, the two of them not knowing exactly how to react, as if they had been caught in the act of committing a crime.   

"What the hell are you doing there?" she mimes with lips, pointing in her direction.  

"Looking after our son!" Y/N tries to defend herself, reading lips and miming too.  

"Did they let you in?" she is outraged, because she had to make up a huge excuse just to get into the garden.  

"Of course! I pretended to be a teacher..." she begins to explain and gestures pointing to herself, then to the corridor "And they let me stay here. It's dangerous..."  

"I know! Anyone can get in."   

They start a short conversation through the windows, even though they can't hear each other, they understand well after years of living together, it's easy to know what they're talking. So entertained, they barely notice that the teachers stare at them in surprise and just wait for them to finish their conversation before intervening, which takes a while. The couple begin to explain detail by detail how they got to where they are and then how LuLu can get sick in the very first week.  

"Excuse me!" one of them says loudly, close to a shout, and draws both of their attention to herself, faces flushed with embarrassment "Headmistress's office, now!" the teacher points to the door and snorts, disbelieving what she has just witnessed.  

Melissa can't help but roll her eyes and laugh at her wife's frightened expression as she heads towards the office, walking at a quick pace to avoid the woman who is walking behind her at a brisk and irritated pace. Back in her school days, when she used to get into so much trouble that at one point her parents didn't even care, she finds herself in front of a headmistress/principal with arms folded and not knowing what to do. It's a more than unusual situation in her years in the profession, there have been worried parents before, the kind who call repeatedly or send special porridge for fear that their babies won't eat properly, but they've never had one, in this case two at once, keeping an eye on what happens in the daycare and so blatantly.  

"Mrs. and Mrs. Schemmenti, would you like to explain to us what you were doing?"  

"Well..." the redhead mumbles, unsure exactly how to follow and for the first time stutters when explaining something "I... We, my wife and I... We're first-time moms and we really struggled to have our bambino, although we know you have incredible professionals... Well, I guess that's it, first-time mom panic..."  

"And a bit overprotective." Y/N adds, swallowing the lump in her throat "Okay, very overprotective." 

"Admitting it is always the first step." the headmistress says wryly and clasps hands together on the desk "But you know the rules here, you signed a contract..."  

"We swear it's an isolated situation and will never happen again." the eldest intervenes, feeling guilty, she was the one who was the most negative and full of worries about Luca joining the daycare, if it was entirely her choice she would have kept her family at home and safe "We were just very nervous and worried about him adapting, tesoro can be a bit of a difficult baby to deal with..."  

"Stubborn..."  

"Clever..."  

"And he doesn't know when to stop eating."  

 "That's true! Remember the time he ate half the parmigiana on my plate? I felt so proud..."  

"Your face said everything, it was so beautiful to watch. He's inherited your good appetite, that's for sure."  

The headmistress coughs falsely, bringing them back to the subject, letting a smile slip. 

"It's hard when it's our turn, isn't it?" she asks rhetorically "We hope that we can have your vote of confidence to look after little Luca. I know it's a new phase of adaptation that can be really hard, both for him and for you, but we really need your cooperation."  

"If it'll put your minds at ease, we can send a photo... or photos, we usually register all the activities and share them." the teacher suggests, softening a little "And you know that you can pick him up early, right?" 

They nod, feeling even more embarrassed, at the same time good about the understanding they are receiving and the alternatives given.  

"Thank you for your patience, we swear this won't happen again." the younger promises, smiling shyly "We'll follow the rules perfectly."  

"I'll take your word for it. You're free to go, Mrs. Schemmenti!"  

With tails between legs, the couple leave, without the courage to look each other in the eye after the scolding. Guilt gnaws at them too, not for sneaking off to watch LuLu, but for lying, something they never do and hate having to do. Melissa sighs as she approaches the car, bringing a hand up to her wife's, interlacing their fingers and carefully pushing her against the door, face to face.  

"I'm feeling like a rebellious teenager." she jokes, tone low, playful smirk not reaching her eyes "How are you?"  

"You know I was a good student." Y/N retorts, the fun of their relationship is the differences that only improve the dynamic "Darling, are you really okay?"  

"Would it be wrong or annoying for me to say that I'm still worried?" the woman bites her lip and looks away, feeling incredibly vulnerable "Now our little boy is being looked after by someone other than us and I don't have a manual for that..."  

"Hey, hey, it's okay, none of this is wrong or annoying, you're very attached and being away like this is a big step to take."   

The woman smiles weakly and moves closer, letting herself be enveloped in warm comfortable arms, feeling the sweet perfume, soft hands caressing her back and the voice that calms her in the midst of a hurricane of chaos, so she feels confident and safe for the first time all day, maybe all week.  

"Thank you for always understanding and loving me."  

"It's nothing more than my duty as your wife, darling." Y/N jokes and kisses her forehead, moving down to place a quick kiss on the lips "You know, I was trying to think of positive sides and what do you think of this one? Three extra hours we have after work, just to..."  

"But I want to pick him up the second we leave Abbott." the redhead says back and unlocks the door of the vehicle, opening it for the younger to get in.  

"I don't think you understand..."  

"Yes, I do, amore mio." and practically pushes her into the passenger seat, kissing the flushed cheeks and barely noticing the confused expression on her face "I wonder if there's a store nearby that sells micro cameras? We could put them in his bag."  

Mel gets into the driver's seat and begins to ramble off crazy ideas, which seem more like surveillance strategies than mere maternal concerns. While she pours out these plans, Y/N just shakes her head negatively, holding back a laugh. It's not usual to see Melissa Ann Caterina Schemmenti, the tough and fearless one, shed her posture like this, but when it involves her family and, especially, her son, she turns into a ferocious, somewhat irrational and very emotional lioness. It's a side that rarely emerges and, when it does, is compared to a natural event - beautiful to watch and potentially dangerous.  

"Am I thinking too much and overreacting again?" she stops rambling and asks, already knowing the answer.  

"Just a little. Come on, once we get to work, I'll make you some tea to calm you down."  

"Thank you, Principessa."  

"And no running off during class to see LuLu."  

"Hypocrite!" 

taglist: @opheliauniverse @inlovewithmiddleagewomen @wastdstime @scarr0713 @geekyandgay98 @dvrkhcld @heidss @esposadejoyhuerta @xvyzxx @quailbagutte @imaginesmultifandoms @ctrlamira @milffilm @taurus-baby-34 @prentiss-theorem @josephinevr @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @grandtacoranchnickel @multifandomlesbianic @serendipitouswanderer @louderfortheback @h-doodles @Hotdoggitydammit @peggy082023 @le0vo1dz @lilfartbox1 @imgayforwoman69 @janeyseymour @hwppnes @storiesofsvu @zacs-obsessed @evilaam @evattude @tmlwattpad19

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[sophieinwonderland]

The hatesub r/systemscringe are being full-on transphobes again!

Reminder: a huge number of systems have alters and headmates with completely different genders and sexes from the body.

Anyone who has ever studied any type of multiplicity is aware of this fact.

And not-so-shockingly, this makes gender complicated.

Let's just see the screenshots they're angry at today.

So the body has transitioned to male but this one headmate identifies as female and identifies as a trans woman.

In another screenshot, the system says they aren't "invading trans spaces." Which is such an absurd thing to have to defend yourselves from accusations of when you're a part of a trans system.

Even if you do take the position that spaces for transwomen should be exclusionary AFAB people, one would at least expect the male headmates to be able to feel safe in the trans community without being made to feel like they're "invaders."

Unfortunately, many pluralphobes and queer exclusionists have decided the gender identity of headmates in systems is less valid than that of singlets.

This is another pretty common thing. Especially with introjects who have source memories. It's common to have memories of lives you may not have actually lived but still feel pretty real.

I did a Tumblr poll last year. About half of systems responding had at least one trans headmate with the same gender as the body's AGAB. Nearly all had cis headmates with the opposite gender of the body.

Of course, if you heard it from r/systemscringe, they must be faking being trans entirely!

And takes like this throw not just systems under the bus, but also people who are genderfluid or otherwise nonbinary as well.

And if you're thinking, "wow, that comment sounds like something truscum would say," you aren't wrong!

Here are some unrelated posts this same user has authored:

Back to r/systemscringe, most of the comments were more of the same, stopping just short of calling them transtrenders but clearly very much wanting to!

By the way, all the censors on the names of the system and alters were mine. u/superthrowawayEEE censored nothing. When a user points this out, moderator u/DizkoLites says they considered taking it down but chose not to, saying their name was common enough that it wouldn't matter.

To be fair, the mods did end up taking it down... after the system got harassed for their gender and contacted the subreddit directly.

So congrats on waiting until after the harassment to enforce your own rules!

But don't worry, you're free to make a brand new post mocking someone for their gender identity! r/systemscringe's mod team is totally cool with that! Just gotta hide the name because that's apparently the only problem here!🙄

(You know, unless they're on the mod-approved hit list. Then you can name them too no matter how much harassment they get.)

The other day, someone asked this question on the hatesub:

Here's the answer:

Stop being bigots.

Stop being ableists.

Stop spreading misinformation.

Stop mocking people for their genders.

Stop harboring truscum and parroting transphobic talking points!

Try to be decent human beings for once in your lives!

And then... well, I guess that wouldn't leave much of a subreddit would it? There's no r/systemscringe without ableism, transphobia and queer exclusionism. It's baked into the DNA of these groups.

But maybe that would be for the best.

Nothing from these cringe communities is salvageable. And nothing should be socially acceptable about groups founded on cyberbullying.

[sunghoonsslut]

H&H (Teaser) 18+

Pairing: Heeseung x Innocent Reader (AFAB)

Wc (teaser): 691

Final WC: sitting at 7k rn with barely any smut so 😅 expecting 15kish

Warnings (teaser): SMUT 18+ MDNI (no smut in this teaser but in the full fic), Religious themes/Religious Guilt (please don’t read if any of that that makes you uncomfortable), corruption kink, more when the fic is actually fully posted

Posting: End of June/Beginning of July probably (subject to change)

Taglist: I don't think I'll be doing a taglist unless a lot of people are interested

This fic won the poll so here’s a little treat 🤭

Dragging his Feet Heeseung makes his way down the hall at a slow pace reading over one of the group chats he was in, Jay and sunghoon on either side of him as the group walks talking, Sunghoon fighting off the lingering hangover effects. “I told you not to drink so much,” Jay reminds his friend who groans waving him off with a head shake, tinted glasses resting on his face to avoid the fluorescent lights enhancing his headache.

 “I would have just skipped this lesson but apparently it’s ‘Incredibly vital for the core of the entire class premise,’” Sunghoon quotes with a grimace massaging at his temples to quell the pounding. “So next time you should actually listen to me instead of taking another shot,” Jay takes it as a moment of triumph with a smile earning an eye roll from the younger. 

Heeseung can’t help but laugh raising his head from his phone and adjusting his bag eyes scanning the hall, perking up in an instant, the moment he spots you, you’re not exactly hard to miss in the crowd of people, standing out like a sore thumb, dressed in complete coverage even with the heat that continues on into the early months of the semester.

“Hey I’ll catch you guys later,” He pats his friend on the shoulder leaving Jay mid-rant over how his finance professor is an ass, Sunghoon watches the way his friend moves his way through the body of other students weaving his way over towards you. “If I had to guess that’s the Quote on Quote ‘Religious Nut’ He was telling us about,” Jay’s eyes follow over to where Hee slips next to you casually.

“Yeah, I think you’re right on that one,” Sunghoon hums watching Heeseung walk away in the complete opposite direction of his class. “Must be down bad,” Jay mumbles before continuing where he left off about his teacher.

“Hey, you should come to this party we’re having,” Heeseung throws his arm over your shoulder walking with you almost too naturally as you look over at him on your side. Casually directing you in the direction he’s walking, attention shifting from getting to this next class towards him.

 Caught off guard you give him that usual surprised wide-eyed look before answering “Oh is it someone’s birthday party?” You ask with a smile lighting up at the idea as he pats you on the head lightly.

Innocent, is what comes to mind chuckling a little “Nope it’s just for fun, it’s what we do around here,” 

“Oh I see, I don’t know I think I have a paper to work on,” you explain thinking of the mountain of work you needed to finish, and a big quiz you desperately needed to study for.

Heeseung stops halting your movements at the same rate unprepared. You have to grip onto his waist to stop yourself from catapulting forward “Aw come on, at least show up for me, I swear we’ll have a fun time,” he promises bottom lip pressed outwards into a pout.

“These are the experiences that make College memorable, give you a taste of that freedom you’ve been craving,” he reminds you of one of the earlier conversations you had, that longing for normalcy and to do something you never imagined.

You hesitate remembering all the warnings, the stories, everything that screamed run “Okay then,” you say as if on autopilot caving to the way Heeseung asks watching the smile overtake his face satisfied it didn’t take much more convincing.

“Perfect! And Have Mae dress you up, she knows exactly what to wear to these events,” Heeseung explains, taking in your appearance the long skirt you have on practically touching the floor, your ankles not even visible matched with a long-sleeved blouse that reminded him of something he once saw in his grandma’s closet.

“I’ll text you and Mae the details later, now get to class safe,” He lets you go running off to whatever class he had, leaving you dizzily to finger out how far you had walked past your class thanks to Heeseung’s distracting, having to backtrack down the hall.

-------

A/N: This is just one of the scenes I will say Heeseung will be pretty Mean/Manipulative in the final thing with a couple soft moments but overall meanish so be warned of that when the full thing does get posted <3

[relaxxattack]

when should quadrant holidays be held?

let's decide together which of the four seasons each quadrant should correlate to! there's interesting reasoning for most possible combinations, so it's going to be down to a vote; i'll put some of those proposed reasonings below! feel free to add on your own propaganda/reasoning in reblogs, i want a lot of opinions

facts to consider:

the filial pail drone was introduced on Aug 11th

bees and termites, the species who troll's biology is heavily modeled after, have their drone seasons in spring and summer; this could be a reason to have the concupiscent quadrants celebrated in the warmer months

combining the two above facts together, if the warmer seasons are the concupiscent holidays, Aug 11th could be considered the "deadline" for contribution

fall is considered by many a "cuffing season"

summer is considered the steamiest time of year

in tarot, each card suite is associated with an element: heart = fire, club = water, diamond = earth, and spade = air

also in tarot, each card suite is already linked to a season: "Spring which is card suit 'Hearts' (cups), followed by Summer which is card suit 'Spades' (swords), followed by Fall which is card suit 'Diamonds' (coins/pentacles), and the final suit 'Clubs' (wands/staffs), is Winter." this however is known to differ across decks and beliefs. (i just wrote the first answer that popped up).

"pitch is celebrated in summer because that's the most evil and wretched season" -- sootpologist

"pale is winter! cuddle up w ur moirail type holiday" -- cosmicanchorite

"ash in the spring, a beautiful, balanced, yet often chaotic time of the year" -- sylph8141

the pity quadrants are represented by the color red and the indication of "warm" feelings, implying that maybe they should take up the warm months instead of the concupiscent quadrants.

the opposite of the previous fact is true for the hate quadrants, considering they are defined by darkness and "cold" feelings.

maybe solstices should be for concupiscent quadrants, and equinoxes should be for conciliatory ones. or the other way around!

terezi, when flirting with karkat flushways, asked to see him during fall

okay, feel free to write your own essays below arguing about this stuff, i've gone on with contradictory facts long enough. it's time for the actual poll. please think about it before you pick! :D

VOTE HERE (TOO MANY OPTIONS FOR A TUMBLR POLL SORRY)

(i'll see if once the vote is narrowed down enough, i can do a tumblr poll for just the top few!)

[piosplayhouse]

I'm sorry for talking about the mpreg poll so much but some of you guys really had such beautiful and thoughtful answers to it I almost feel bad keeping them to myself. I'm really grateful for all the responses and I think what's really incredible is seeing how much answers both align and diverge-- for all the people that think they're alone in dealing with stuff, there's 5 other responses that echo the same thing, and 5 other that are equally thoughtful and important in the complete opposite direction. Every time I do one of these open response polls it really is such a comforting and humbling thing to see the breadth of the human experience, just this idea that there's always people who are empathetic to your struggles even if you feel alone and at the same time there are people with completely different lives and completely different thoughts whose experiences are just as valid and meaningful to them. But anyway I love you all and I hope everyone who wants to get preg is able to get preg in a way they're fully comfortable with and everyone who never wants to get preg ever never gets preg ever and everyone who doesnt know what they want yet and maybe never will to always have the space where they can be that . brohoof

[bleachbleachbleach]

[Bleach 071]

IT'S BLORBO FROM MY SHOWS, IT'S BLORBO FROM MY SHOWS!!!! I shout, except it's a shot of a bunch of empty buildings. Rukongai my beloved. <3

This is a great environment shot, for anyone needing to describe Junrinan. You can see the mountains off in the distance, and, if you look in the opposite direction, you immediately see the Seireitei:

Which is pretty bananas in terms of the sharp architectural distinctions between the two. At least until you think about how sharp urban ecotones can be in real life, and then you're like, ah, that tracks.

Before Yoruichi tells us Rukongai's name, we hear it referred to as the "western slums" in the official Gotei warning order, a term Yoruichi then echoes (in the Viz). I think they chose "slum" because it makes the most sense in context; Yoruichi describes Rukongai as the poorest but most free place in Soul Society.

In the Japanese, the term both the Gotei alert and Yoruichi use is 郛外区 (fugaiku), which isn't explicitly a word for slum (and, briefly Googling around, seems to be mostly Bleach-specific). It uses the characters for what Jisho defines as "earthwork enclosure around a castle"* combined with "outside" + "district" which is, ignoring any connotations/context, just the place outside the castle/city. Again, for the purposes of emphasizing the message and specifying the vocabulary, "slum" is efficient and meaning-dense.

*"郛" is not part of the usual kanji one might learn; it's part of a family of kanji that in manga tends to be used for stylistic flare/to connote feelings of the ancient/the literary.

BUT, also consider: If you were an Academy student writing your final paper for Sociology 437: Urban Planning in the Spirit World and Environmental Justice, I feel like there's so much fodder here for fun worldbuilding/history-making:

Does the Gotei ALWAYS officially refer to Rukongai by its geographic designation (fugaiku) rather than by its population (Rukongai, home to wandering souls)? It's an interesting rhetorical choice, given that their job directly concerns those souls, but calling it "the place outside" in official documents/alerts explicitly privileges other information.

Yoruichi says it's "commonly known" as "Rukongai" and uses different quotation/name marks for fugaiku vs. Rukongai, so they're not seen as equivalent names, per se; one might argue that even though it's the Gotei-official term for RUkongai, in actuality it is a way of refusing to name Rukongai, except in terms of its geographic description relative to the Seireitei. It's not a Place, capital P, just something that exists relative to our Place.

Who came up with "Rukongai"? The answer can't just be "Rukongai did" because it's massive and splintered and doesn't appear to have a central governing body. Some ancient Rukongai scribe ghost? The nobles? I'm into both these options. Or maybe it was a mail-in poll.

Was there, historically, an "earthwork enclosure around the castle"? Obviously there's a gate that we're told mostly lives in the sky, but back in the day was there also originally a different, 24/7 wall?

[utahlive]

No episode today (i have a test i gotta study for booo) :( However in usual “no episode today” style, I’ve got some behind the scenes stuff! (+ answering asks). I’m really glad you guys like hearing about this part of the blog :D

It’s a little long so I’m putting it under the cut

So my latest method of answering asks is to write a quick outline/reply and save it in drafts (as opposed to what I was doing, which was copy pasting asks into the notes app and writing replies there. dont ask whats wrong with me; I dont know). Anyway this specific comic had its first ‘script’ (shoutout to @/ghostburface for the ask)

I usually draw out what I imagine happening and then add text to hit the points im aiming for, but I did the opposite in this one. I had a lot of trouble figuring out the actual visuals for this one

(For the record I tried to find the original price of the glasses on the las Nevadas merch page but it wasn’t there. I remember losing my mind over the price tho)

attempt/draft 2 (sort of) since I wasn’t sure about the layout. I was really hoping to just have three panels (as you can see by the “if 3 that would be epic” note above)

And then I transferred it digitally! I did go over the script in DMs with my friend so it ended up as it did I did see one person pointing out the whole “rose colored glasses” thing (shout out to you fr !!). I had a lot of meaning I was going for with this one but I have a hard time finding a middle ground between “so obscure its not there” and “way too obvious”

I also wanted to answer some asks (as per usual :3 because I love talking with you guys)

I wish he would grow it out!! However as anyone who’s gone from short to long hair... the awkward phase is NOT pretty. I did hear on one of his streams he might cut it when the EP comes out rather than the album. because he’s a coward (but I can’t blame him)

who doesnt feel like ripping up their pillow though, amiright fellas? Shout out to all the utahlive fictives out there (I’ve heard of reported sightings). Would love to talk to you guys some day <3 It still baffles my mind that this blog leaves any sort of lasting impression on people (for reals though, I hope you guys are ok!!)

this one isnt directed at me but I just think its funny you say this because summer 2022 I went to the Winchester house with my friends, but we all decided it wasn’t worth the price so we just checked out the gift shop and walked around the outside for about two hours. it’s actually very pretty! super cool architecture

this one is under the “what would you recommend I get at the gas station”

It’s also not a question but I think it would be funny to let you know I wrote and queued that post (and the other one posted that day) at like 5am I don’t know how I missed it because I usually check my posts the next morning before they get posted I know it’s bad I’m trying real hard to get my sleep schedule to be normal (this post is sponsored by melatonin tablets)

GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY 🤺🤺🤺

I assume you’re talking about the mcytblr sexyman poll?? Im already making predictions and bets in my head on this one but Ill be fighting for MY meowmeows till my last breath

[keerysquinn]

WIP Wednesday!!

we're trying something a little bit different this week. I've actually had the urge to write lately, but my brain is too all over the place to choose just one story to work on. so, I figured I'd take the opportunity to use a wip wednesday poll to give myself mini goals for all of the stories that are currently bouncing around in my head.

here are the rules/parameters:

for every vote a story gets, I have to write 100 words - I can write more than that if the inspo strikes, but that is the bare minimum for each story

I must post screencaps of my starting and ending word counts

at any point during the week, someone can send me one of the title names, and I will switch my focus onto that wip for an extra challenge

asking for sneak peaks, the last line I wrote, or anything else really is allowed and encouraged to get me even more pumped up for that story

even if you don't care about any of the stories I'm working on, please vote if you see this! I would greatly appreciate it!

more about each of the stories is under the cut!

Wherever You Point To I'll Find - my ongoing cheerscoops modern road trip fic. this one is pretty self-explanatory, and everything I've written for it so far can be found tagged with "wyptif" on my blog

Cupid's Trap - enemies to lovers hellcheer fic - when chrissy and eddie are forced to play the leads opposite each other in their school's production of shakespeare's much ado about nothing, they're forced to put aside their differences (and maybe fall in love along the way?)

Even If It's Just Pretend - edancy modern fake dating au - nancy is assigned to cover corroded coffin's participation in the battle of the bands for the hawkins post. when a creep starts hitting on her while she's working and won't take no for an answer, she does the only thing she can think of - she grabs eddie, declares that he's her boyfriend, and kisses him. the two decide to pretend to date for the duration of the competition to keep this guy off of her back and hijinks ensue

[astrabear]

Thoughts on sun/moon symbolism?

What a fascinating question to get with no context whatsoever! I have no idea how to answer it. Do you mean in general? In literature? In fandom? In The Old Guard in particular? Or just any thoughts I might happen to have lying around like spare change?

I'm going to go with the spare change approach.

First, a slight tangent: I got into the Old Guard fandom after having never been involved in fandom in more than a superficial way before. This means, for example, that I had no idea what the common fanfic tropes were. I'd see something and be like "my goodness! How creative! However did they think of that?" and it took a while to realize that's just, like, a thing that everyone knows about. "An AU in which one of them is a florist and the other a tattoo artist, that's interesting, I wonder what the draw was of those particular jobs..."

Anyway I saw a lot of sun/moon symbolism in art and fic, and sure, that makes sense, Joe calls Nicky "the moon when I'm lost in darkness," I dig it, it seems pretty popular. Then I joined tumblr (I started reading fic in summer 2020, joined a TOG Discord server in fall 2020, and didn't create a tumblr account until fall 2021. And I discovered that sun/moon symbolism is also a fandom thing, and people apply it to characters even when one of them doesn't call the other the moon. There was even a sun/moon character poll and I got very melodramatic about it just because it was a fun community bonding event.

But the thing is... after more than three years of TOG activity and especially after more than two years on tumblr and seeing how much of what happens in TOG happens elsewhere... I really don't have a whole lot of interest in tropes that tend to force characters into opposites/binaries. Joe = sun = warm, bright, passionate, loud, cheerful/ Nicky = moon = cool, pale, calm, quiet, inexpressive... they are so similar. They really really are. (They are also not the main characters and appear in a single two-hour movie, so most conclusions about their personalities and habits are extrapolated from very small details. Let's be honest, we've thought way more about this stuff than the writer and actors did and most of it is only one step above 'made up'.)

Also one of my pet peeves hates pet peeves is people trying to force these guys into some kind of weird heteronormative funhouse-mirror version of themselves that's just an awful tangle of misogyny and homophobia and racism. "Let's cast them as opposites" tends to overlap a little with this approach (so then you also get Joe = big, dominant, masculine, aggressive/ Nicky = small, submissive, feminine, meek) and that just makes me even more suspicious of the whole thing.

So... yeah. Those are my thoughts. I will say we've gotten some lovely fan art out of it.

[beyblaiddyd]

The genderbend poll really does make me sad like why and how are so many trans people still so fixated on this element of internet culture that we haven't been able to escape it for years.

Like I don't see how people can't understand that it is fundamentally cissexist to treat men and women as opposite categories with defined enough traits that you can meaningfully Bend them along a line.

When you ask the question "what would this character look like if he was a woman" and your answer is to draw the character with a slightly slimmer face and give her breasts then even if you keep her "masculine" and give her short hair you have still engaged in an act of transphobia.

When you look at this question through the transgender lens, you should already know the answer: gender has no inherent tie to appearance or presentation and so the character as they are could already be a man or woman (or both, or any other gender, which also highlights the other problem with genderbends, which is that they again flatten gender down into a binary that can be flipped. You never see someone genderbend a man into an agender person or a woman into a bigender person, I wonder if that says something about the ideology that underpins genderbends?). Any changes you make speak to what you think defines gender.

There are so many more interesting, varied, dynamic ways to explore character gender and presentation in this world without doing this casually cissexist thing that people for some reason can't let go of

I at least kind of understand it when it's the mental exercise of "if the company had designed this character as a different gender from the start how would they look" but when it's just "I want to see how this character would look as the Opposite Gender" it's like oh man we can't even get past level one huh. We can't even clear the minimum bar of opposite genders not existing

[practicecourts]

snippet monday...

The result of the poll was TDC... so I dug into what I once began to write... and this snippet seemed somewaht tidy and done enough to share... I've not decided where everyone is at in this fic idea. But I'm very interested to hear thoughts (if there are any haha - it might be too vague - lol) thanks for tagging me for a Monday snippet @jamesunderwater consider this a very late reply ;-)

tagging @abihastastybeans @charmsandtealeaves @thelighthousestale @tiffanytoms @athenasparrow (only if you feel like it of course;-)

“Mr Black, please sit down,” Lily said and waved her hand to the unoccupied chairs opposite her desk. She took a deep breath, her office had seemed rather spacious to her, up until now. Filled with both Sirius Black and James Potter it was suddenly too small and far too crowded for her liking.

“Mr Potter,” she acknowledged him at last, all the while trying her best to keep a neutral look on her face, he only nodded at her, not even a dr. Evans today.

Why did he have to be here? This was exactly why she should stay the hell away from him. If he could only take the bloody hint. Just stay professional, Lily, it’s not your fault the news is bad. You didn’t do that, you just have to tell them. Inform them. That’s what you do, that’s the job. It’s not personal.

Black spoke before she even got a chance to sit down, “May I enquire why you are here, dr Evans?” His question threw her off balance, the flush she was trying to keep off of her face crept back up again, heating her skin in a very uncomfortable way. In an attempt to ignore the feeling of her face going scarlet, she cleared her throat and answered, “Mr Black, since I am the one who did this pre-purchase check—,” had he not been aware of that? Had he requested someone else? She was sure her name had been on the appointment. Had they never bothered to read the clinic’s communcations where she was introduced as their designated pre-purchase veterinarian for racing horses,? “—for the horse you are interested in buying, I’m here to discuss the results with you.”

‘’I did see your name on the appointment, however I’ve also been informed that you’re not certified to work in the UK, so I admit I expected a replacement. Was I wrong about that?” “Come again?” Lily’s cheeks are positively burning now. The room has impossibly got even smaller in the past minute.

How did he know that? This was exactly what she was worried about would happen, why she’d almost refused her bosses, in case this would happen. And now it has. Lily breathed out as slow and calmly as she could, not feeling very in control at all. Only last week she had pointed out to the Legal Department that until her license was transferred she would not officially be allowed to work without supervision by a licensed veterinarian. They had waved it off like something minor, yet the whole process supposedly only needed five working days, so why she was still not in the clear six weeks into her new job was unclear to Lily.

Why did it have to be Black and Potter who had somehow found this out? “I’ve been told there’s a minor delay in the administration of my paperwork, Dr McGonagall supervises my work until that's cleared up,” she stated the legal answer her bosses had decided on for the time being. Like she expected, neither Black nor Potter looked impressed.

“Dr McGonagall wasn’t working yesterday. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that kind of lax supervision.” “Well, perhaps you had been present yourself you would have been more comfortable with this. I'll have you know I'm not inexperienced, and I think if you had been there you could have at least seen so for yourself, instead of implying I don't know what I'm doing. This horse is not the first I’ve ever examined.” she said, pissed off at the situation.

Why couldn’t other people do their bloody jobs, so she could very well do hers instead of having these two smug know-it-alls openly question her abilities. She was furious that somehow word had got out and now this arrogant man dared to sit in her own office and tell her she should not have checked his horse. And the most infuriating part was that legally, he was one hundred percent right.

[rocketyship]

That poll is so hard to vote for cause on one hand, it feels like Tiff would fit the best because of her incredibly unreliable narration matching Ted's while it would still be a subversion of the original because of the reason why she's unreliable(rose tinted glasses and extreme devotion to BE as opposed to the stuff Ted's got going on) and her pov on and relationship with BE would just be so fun to see explored and the horror of the situation being a subtle thing thats swept under the rug could be so cool.

But on the other, Evan would also kinda match with the original due to his open emotional distance and disconnect from the girls, AND it would bring a lot of fun, fresh stuff! Seems like Evan is the one who pays most attention to AM, and seeing what's happening there from his pov would be so interesting! He, just like Ellen if she would've narrated could bring up how things like being the only one of the opposite sex and gender in the group and (from what we know from the short story at least) only dark skinned person would like.. idk change perspectives on things?? I'd also love to find out more about him!

Oh, not to mention Naomi!! Having narration that is pretty damn reliable would make worldbuilding and exploration much easier and she's also got that disconnect due to her age and crystal clear memory, being able to see things as they are and were could be really refreshing in a ihnmaims universe and i really want to know what her whole deal is! Being born toward the end of the war must've made quite a difference to how a person would process everything, Ted's whole "I'm youngest so my experience is different because i barely had time to live as an adult before the nukes" wouldn't have shit on someone who wasn't even like... done w puberty.

Ooooh they'd all make for such fun narrators 😭 It's really too bad that writing takes so much time and effort or it would've been amazing to see all three's povs! I still don't know what to vote for or how the results are looking so far but im really looking forward to seeing what the results will lead to!

Maybe you have a character you have the most ideas for or would like to write most? Cause if so, that'd def help me choose what to vote.

Sorry for the wall of text(would you believe me if i said i wanted to write more? This is me trying to show restraint, didn't even write about the potential AM could have as a narrator), and i hope you have a good day!

Okay so first off, I love-love-love this response. You have such fun perspectives on these silly little au characters of mine and it makes me a little sad that you didn’t write anymore cause I definitely would have read it, especially what you were thinking about what an interesting narrator AM could be.

As to which character I have the most ideas for, is such a difficult thing to answer cause well I have so-so many. But I do want to put them out there for you so here they are:

Tiffany: narration wise, I imagine the stuff she says can and does come across as nonsensical and border line trigger happy, however sometimes she occasionally lets something slip that clues into her true feelings and that a part of her may indeed be aware of the gravity of the groups situation, however she shuts it down as she has severe attachment issues and cannot fathom how she could possibly survive without BE. Another thing I pictured is that she very often quotes the bible and other religious texts, as BE doesn’t present herself as machine and genuinely as a divine entity. I also have been toying with a scene similar to the one in the radio drama, where AM is talking to Ted about bumblebees and getting high r something. Where it is set up as the reverse. BE showing Tiff the horrors of what the radiation and world has come to (in a way that is seriously deceptive) and claiming that all she has to do is snap her fingers for it to return. It would definitely read as a story where there is total tonal whiplash from one scene to the next, so that is something to consider.

Evan: I have come up with so many pasts for all these survivors before they were “rescued” by BE, however one thing to note is that I don’t really think of these characters as just “genderbent versions of the originals”. Evan is one of the key examples of this, as in this au he is technically the original Ellen’s older brother, however he left home when she was around 12-13ish, as he didn’t like the life, college and job his family set out and tried to push him into. Unlike Ellen who was a successful engineer, who may have been a hopeless romantic based on the original text. Evan was and very much still is kind of a massive party animal. I picture him very punk but like the old kind of punk. Like he was the kind of guy to go motorcycling around the country (even into war-devastated bits, cause it was a thrill), he went to underground clubs and concerts, and sure as heck slept around and had no shame in it (both women and men if you are curious). He doesn’t want to get sentimental, he wants to live his life on the edge and BE doesn’t allow that. He constantly tries to upset her, get some kind of intense reaction from her. He tries to escape, he kicks and tries to tear open parts of her internal network. This man has tried to kill Gloria (Gloria kind of deserves it thou) and the only reactions he gets from BE is her finding him cute, amusing, or as if he just needs to be put in a corner to calm down for a bit. Truthfully he is someone who just wants to go back and experience life again, recognising that BE’s utopia isn’t living and refusing to buy into it.

Naomi: I won’t lie, Nimdok is so boring in the og story, and they definitely tried to do “something” with him in the game. I don’t like it, again different ramble. So like Evan, she is a different person. Like you said she has barely started puberty and because of BE neither her body or even her mind has really aged in anyway and she is horribly aware of this. Due to the war she has had her childhood taken from her, but now because of BE she shall never experience adulthood or growing up. Her memory hardly anything particularly helpful. She remembers exactly what BE did to the others when they first got brought to the compound, she has seen what goes down in the labs, she knows what pills are and aren’t sleeping pills, developing a habit where she will pretend to take one and spit it out if she is able to. As stated in the survivors master post, she knows BE’s blind spots and will often go there on her own. Not really to do anything, just kind of sit around. Further more, she and Evan have a way of communicating, number of blinks, which fingers moved when you spoke to them, that kind of stuff. Still she doesn’t want to escape, she knows she’ll die if she does, generally she acts more like a mediator in the group. As a narrator, I did have this idea for a few odd habits she has learned over the years. Example is that she constantly counting, time and routine is import to her, as she notices when something is wrong and that freaks her out. She also has this habit of just staring at the others for very long periods of time, especially Gloria. She clearly remembers seeing her on tv during her old life, and also remembers how she attacked her when Naomi attempted to mention it to Gloria.

Writing does take so much effort, especially for me, cause truthfully I’m always jumping back and forth on what I’m working on. On top of this au and the fic, I’m also in the process of finishing the final script and sketches for a different web comic I’ve been planning for a while, as well as a completely unrelated world building project that I’ve been at for two years now. Anyhow!! Tell me more please