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zosonils · 2 years

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if it’s not too many, 20, 23, 25, 29, 30, 32, 38, 42, and 49 for the OC ask game?

20. do any of your ocs sing? if they sing, care to share more details?

drum occasionally sings along to her music in private, although there's no way she'd ever admit to it. her voice doesn't lend itself great to singing, it's scratchy and very flat in tone, but it's a comfort thing rather than a performance one. weirdly despite him being The Music Guy i can't really see rhythm singing a whole lot, he's more of an instruments guy, but he'd definitely be really good at it if he tried

23. introduce an oc who's changed from your first idea concerning what they'd be like

COOL WOMAN cool genuinely changed so much while i was developing her she barely resembles the original concept at all. initially the idea was 'what if there was an ice robot named Cool Man who talked like a radical 90s anti-weed psa and did skateboarding and shit lmao' and i only expected to make a silly jokey character but oops! i decided i wanted to make a female robot with the idea instead [and jokingly went ayyyy she's trans but ended up making that a real important aspect of her character later], then the character herself went from ironically spouting dumb Totally Tubular lingo and telling kids to stay in school and not having much more to her to shedding most of the migrane-inducing slang and being a much more genuine person who defines herself by her healthy self-esteem and confident belief in others. i think she's better this way because as much as i love a good period-typical sonic ripoff i really love her as the honestly friendly and comforting figure she is now. also skateboarding became ice hockey at some point

sweet also underwent a lot of development as i talked about in the previous ask, although in her case i kept all the original ideas in place and just followed them through to their very concerning logical extremes rather than swapping traits out for ones i thought were more fun. i'd say the difference between the two is developmental change vs in-universe change

25. the oc that resembles you the most

honestly it's a tough call because i think i put a little bit of myself in all my ocs but also noticably more little bits of a bunch of other people and characters. it's such a cop out to say all of them but i think i have to say that because i genuinely can't narrow it down hjkdnbkjgf

29. which one of your ocs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they're going?

see i WOULD say glass because that's literally his job but he wouldn't go without telling anyone. what has archaeology come to if people are just wandering off unaccounted for!! so if neglecting to mention that they're peeping the horrors is a necessary part of the equation then probably hex because fuck it, they ball

30. which one of your ocs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection?

i mean she's an edgy teenager so drum is practically legally required to be viciously secretive about owning stuffed animals. i think she'd be more of a doll person though, so like rather than stuffed toys she's amassing a huge littlest pet shop collection with money embezzled from wily's evil plan budget and has names and personalities and backstories and relationship drama for all of them that's filed in her head and nowhere else and that she'd cut off her hands before writing down anywhere lest anyone discover she has interests

32. which one of your ocs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?

pixel would make a good horror protagonist i think. they're horrendously anxious already, they have robot asthma so that's free chase sequence drama right there, his work with computers provides all sorts of opportunities for a good haunted technology plot, his ocd-related fixation on planning things out and double-checking everything is a great way to emphasise the horror of doing everything perfectly right and still being in mortal danger, the possibilities are endless with this poor man

conversely, hex is a horror game antagonist

38. which one of your ocs would be the best dancer?

rhythm! he can throw down a cool move or two and he's got a great intuition for how to properly move with the music. i picture him being a dance battler in his fight with mega man and timing his attack patterns to the music and all that

42. which one of your ocs would be the most interested in greek gods?

glass definitely knows a lot about greek gods from his work and research, if you asked he would very passionately teach you all the lore with the same kind of enthusiasm as people on tumblr explaining in intricate detail everything that happens to their blorbos

49. which one of your ocs would enjoy memes

i think they all would but they'd have remarkably different tastes. like drum and hex would be into deep fried edgy post-post-post-irony incomprehensible bullshit, cool and care enjoy the jokey mental health advice like shadow the hedgehog telling you to check for dirty dishes, tide rolls his eyes at most memes but passionately nods in approval at marine biology shitposting, rhythm and pixel send each other increasingly niche memes about the soundchips in old consoles or cult classic rhythm games and have gotten to the point where nobody except them knows what the hell they're talking about anymore, and sweet doesn't understand any memes that aren't trying to sell you something

#THESE WERE REALLY FUN THANK YOU i'm taking a break now hdnbjkf #ask game #theabsolutebuffoon #just fucking whatever #robot master posting #i'll tag them all later i need to take my damn meds #long post

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astral-arbour-system · 3 years

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Apology to my MOGAI peeps + some more about me

Really sorry about the long post but it’s worth the read, I promise! Please don’t try and start an argument, I really can’t take it right now.

Until recently I was super anti-mogai, anti-endo, and anti-most alterhumans. And I was really rude about it. I kicked someone off my discord server for using xe/xem pronouns, and another person for not hating endogenic systems. I don’t want to make excuses for that because there are none but I do want to share my story.

I watched a lot of problematic trans YouTubers when I was first questioning, I think y’all know who I mean. Not saying names or his fans will find this. Anyway, I’d originally thought I was genderfluid but he had me convinced I was ftm for like 7 months. It’s taken me years to get out of the mindset that part of the trans community forced on me. When I finally realized they/them pronouns did make me happier I saw why his content was harmful, and I stopped watching it. But that wasn’t the end.

Shortly after that realization a new school year started. I introduced myself to the GSA as nonbinary. I met some of my best friends that day and they all supported me every time I tried on a new label for my gender or sexuality. I love them all and I wish we hung out more, but since I dropped out of school... anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. I followed all my new friends on Instagram, as one does, and one of them posts My Little Pony art, which I thought was kinda cool. Liking his posts told the algorithm the sort of things I was “interested” in, which brought me to the furry fandom. And you know what, it was pretty cool. I’d thought it was just a kink until then, but they all seemed like nice people and I wanted to be involved in that.

And then, the pandemic hit. I had too much free time since I didn’t do any of my homework, so of course I spent most of it on YouTube. And in June, I came across this video (People Who Think They Are Animals). Tl;dw it’s some guy making fun of that infamous therian documentary for 34 minutes. Yeah. When I watched that I though he was being a little unfair, and the animal thing lit something inside me, for lack of a better word. So I did some more research and after joining Therian Guide and a few discord servers I realized that I was a therian, specifically a fox. Then some furries got all toxic and said I was making them look bad and taking it too far or whatever, so that was fun. But I’m not really a furry anymore.

The thing about Therian Guide, though, is that they push ideas like “You can’t have more than 3 kintypes” and “If you don’t shift you’re not otherkin” which I took as fact for too long. Honestly I’m not sure what changed my mind on that but if you’ve read my about you know something definitely did.

One of my online friends and I started a therian pack, which is where I met another person important to this story. He was the host of a system, and after sharing experiences I noticed they matched up a suspicious amount, so I started researching systems and immediately came across the anti-endo people, who block you even if you’re a traumagenic system who doesn’t completely hate endos. Now, I’m part of an OSDD system, but I fully support endos, tulpas, past life systems, whatever you want to call yourself. That’s pretty recent though.

When this school year started I took a break from discord for a while, and ended up leaving quite a few servers. School was stressful, especially since my mental health is already way worse than it was at the start of last year. I was failing all my classes and in December I finally dropped out. If you have questions about what I do now feel free to send an ask.

With more free time I started using discord more and decided to check out The Alterhuman Sanctuary. I was about ready to leave when I saw the endo stuff but some part of my brain said no, stick around. So I talked to people. I asked about different types of systems, about xenogenders, all sorts of things. I found my way to the mogai side of tumblr again, after making fun of it years ago, but this time I was positive. I discovered that neopronouns and xenic labels made me happy, and that most of my hate for it was internalized stuff (I say most cause there’s still the rabies thing. We don’t need to talk about that.)

Which brings us to today. I’m much happier now as a xenogender neopronoun using otherkin, and I felt like I owed you all an apology for how I acted, even if you didn’t know me. So I’m truly sorry. I didn’t understand and I should’ve just put in the effort to, because I probably hurt a lot of people.

#transgender #mogai #pro mogai #mogai positivity #nonbinary #genderfluid #microlabels #xenogender #otherkin #therian #fictionkin #alterhuman #system #pro endogenic #neopronouns #important reads

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flyandfamousblackgirls · 5 years

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6 Things Intersex Folks Need to Know About How We Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism

1. The Segregation in Our Intersex Movement Is Real

The intersex movement has been mostly white since day one. Consequently, it’s necessary to ask ourselves if we’ve inadvertently created an atmosphere that urges Black intersex people to put aside their Blackness — and the oppression linked to it — in order to focus on our collective goals.

In creating this type of environment, it appears our community hasn’t yet been able to connect the dots between Black and intersex people’s oppression — which Saifa reminded me are both rooted in state violence — and our liberation.

Black intersex folks who’ve lived in isolation and have dealt with segregation in their daily lives shouldn’t have to contend with similar experiences once they’ve finally found, and entered our community.

I’m not talking about highly visible institutionalized segregation like the Jim Crow era when Saifa’s uncle, who was also intersex, was forced to sleep outside on the porch of his hospital after a surgery.

I’m talking about the low-key, harder to detect, segregation.

The kind that just takes for granted that the majority of people in the room will always be white. The type that may have a few Black and Brown faces sprinkled here and there, but on a vanilla frosted cake. Is there a path forward?

Sean Saifa Wall, a Black trans intersex activist and collage artist based in Atlanta, reflected on this question by looking back on his time spent as the former board president of an intersex non-profit. Saifa captured why increasing representation shouldn’t be the endgame.

“I think I made the mistake of thinking we need more people of color… but what does institutionalized white supremacy do? It brings in Black or Brown faces who won’t challenge white supremacy — and that’s how white supremacy perpetuates itself. You don’t need white folks to perpetuate it, you just need folks who are invested in white supremacy.”

When I was younger and mistakenly believing that whiteness was the norm to strive towards, I ended up internalizing racist ideologies and, as a result, never fully connected on a truly deep BFF level with my Black friends. Perhaps our movement, and its longstanding quest for acceptance, has created a similar divide.

The global intersex activist network consists, to my knowledge, of less than only 5 Black intersex activists. One of them is Saifa.

2. One’s Race and Intersex Identity Overlap

Born amidst racist flames that attempted to level his neighborhood, Saifa was brought up whilst his borough, The Bronx, was attempting to rebuild itself.

“When I was younger,” Saifa recounted, “I realized I had a different body. Then, due to interactions with NYPD, I was made to know that I was different in another way as well.”

As he got older, Saifa came out as queer, intersex, and trans to a mother — and a world — who wasn’t always ready or eager to respect his intersecting identities. Regardless, his Blackness, sexuality, and intersex identity were always interwoven.

“I cannot separate my intersex identity from my Black identity,” Saifa said. And he shouldn’t have to.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid our community hasn’t figured out ways yet to allow people to show up as their whole selves.

For instance, on the international level, it’s become a known issue that intersex activists from African countries don’t get similar amounts of representation, or speaking time at gatherings. And nationally, our support group meetings rarely, if ever, have been led by Black intersex folks or had sessions dedicated solely for Black intersex community members to come together.

It’s only in the past few years that single Black folks are sitting on boards, or in staff positions of our organizations. There’s also never been, to my knowledge, any Black clinicians present at our Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions that happen before our support group conferences each year.

Race, especially as it relates to anti-blackness, feels as though it’s at times an elephant in the room.

For me, this elephant peeped its head out when I realized it had become a tradition for one of our non-Black community members, who I love and cherish dearly, to sing Macy Gray’s “I Try” — in Gray’s uniquely raspy voice — at the annual talent show, which is supposed to provide a fun contrast to the rest of the conference.

The audience, if it’s a diverse year, might have a handful of Black folks. This year, there was only one person. I can’t imagine how isolating that experience might have been for them.

And this bring me back to the story I shared at the beginning, about the person who had Obama on a hit list.

Often, racism perpetuates itself by wearing the mask of a “joke” or “fun,” but racism is never a joke and the mask just presents one more hurdle in calling racism out.

It’s time us non-Black intersex people become more aware of our whiteness problem.

We need to keep having difficult conversations about race and oppression every step of the way.

Most importantly, we need to show up the few Black intersex people we do have in our small community, and check in with them to see if there’s anything else we could be doing to have their back.

We can challenge white supremacy in our movement just by asking Black intersex folks in our community what they need to feel safer in our collective spaces.

For our movement to be successful, it’s imperative that Black intersex folks feels they can participate as whole persons.

3. We’ve All Been Dehumanized

The list of atrocities against people of color, especially Black folks, carried out by the medical industrial complex and other agents includes: “the father of gynecology” using enslaved Black people as surgical research subjects, being disproportionately targeted by the US’s eugenic sterilization program that served as a catalyst for Nazi Germany’s and today’s “population control”policies, and the shackling of pregnant women inmates — who are disproportionately Black — in labor delivering children whom they most likely will be immediately separated from.

Likewise, intersex people have been rendered hermaphrodites and featured in freak shows, gawked at as monsters to at on TV, disproportionately put up for adoption, pumped with artificial hormones, robbed of their reproductive organs and genitalia, selectively aborted, raped, and brutally murdered.

Lynnell, a Black intersex lesbian activist, was born intersex but raised male by a single mother in a low-income household. She grew up in Chicago’s mostly Black, hypersegregated, South Side where her family — unlike mine on the North Side — was forced to deal with the effects of the city’s racist public policy and divestment responsible for the destruction of local economies, public schools and affordable housing.

Hyde Park, a pocket of wealth and whiteness on the South Side and home to the University of Chicago (UofC) Hospital, is where Lynnell’s mother took her as a child for doctor appointments.

Lynnell shared memories of that time stating, “My mom wasn’t given the tools she needed to make informed decisions.” As Lynnell grew older, she also “wasn’t taken seriously at first by [her doctors] either.”

Low-income and single mothers of color, labelled unfit by society, experience discrimination. Lynnell’s mother went to U of C seeking care, not charity, for her child. Seeing a golden opportunity, Lynnell’s doctors manipulated her mother’s financial status and turned the situation into a charity case anyway.

“They told my mom they were doing her a favor because they weren’t charging her.” In the doctor’s mind, they were participating in an equal trade with Lynnell and her mother.

To Lynnell, it was torture. “For eight years, every summer, for at least a month, I was put on different drugs, experimented on, given unnecessary procedures and manipulated.”

Exploitation of marginalized people by the MIC for their gains, especially in teaching environments, has been well-documented. Exploitation specific to Black intersex patients has yet to be researched. Lynnell’s doctors, I imagine, took one look at Lynnell’s mother and decided a poor Black woman wasn’t powerful enough stop what they had in store for Lynnell.

“I don’t know many white people that were used as guinea pigs like me,” Lynnell said.

4. Doctor’s Aren’t the Only People Attempting to Erase ‘Difference’

Intersex people are pretty familiar with secrecy, shame and stigma thanks to the pathologization of our bodies. As such, it’s important we have spaces to process our stories with each other. Yet, it’s important to note that as oppressed people, we are still capable of participating in the oppressing others.

The few times I’ve witnessed our community attempt to break down white supremacy and talk about racism, white intersex people successfully shifted the conversation, almost immediately, back to a conversation that centers them and their experience with intersex oppression.

Spaces where intersex people get together and talk are rare, so it makes sense why someone would want to relate and process, but in doing so, we are inadvertently preventing Black intersex folks in our community from expressing their unique experiences.

Saifa recounted a time when he “was trying to bring up the topics of anti-oppression, racism, etc., in the movement and people lost their damn minds. People were like, ‘we cannot hear it.’”

He also shared, “Anti-black racism showed up when I went to South Carolina on behalf of the MC case [a lawsuit involving the parents of a young Black intersex boy and his doctors] and one of the lawyers was condescending, talking down to me as the only Black person in the room. I was constantly pushing back against his patriarchy and racism.”

He continued, “I feel like people don’t care about issues related to anti-black racism in the intersex community.

“I think there’s some intersex people who really see those intersections, who really are affirming of people of color, but for the large part I feel that the level of anti-black racism awareness ranges from hostility to apathy.”

I asked if people ever seemed to care and he replied, “When funding is involved. That’s when people start to care more. Or, when a group wants some representation of diversity—but I found they wanted a Black face, but weren’t necessarily committed to issues around anti-Black racism.”

As a movement, we can’t only focus on these issues when funding dollars are at stake. That tokenizes Black folks.

Instead, we have to stitch anti-Black racism training, and education around white supremacy, into the fabric of our work together.

Saifa pointed out, “In the world, I’m confronted with anti-Blackness, and it’s par for the course, but it’s particularly more devastating when it’s from intersex people. Why? Because I think, ‘Oh, you understand.’

“Or at least I think they understand, until they say or do things that’s really racist and are unapologetic about their racism.”

5. We Need an Intersectional Analysis to Combat Racist Stereotypes

One of the white people present at Lynnell’s first intersex support group meeting recently told her that she was “afraid” of her at first, “because [Lynnell] had on leather and dark sunglasses.”

I asked Lynnell why she entered that support group meeting dressed in leather, sunglasses, and the rest of her leather daddy alter ego outfit. She responded, “Because I was the only Black intersex person there.”

Lynnell shouldn’t have to feel the need to protect herself like that in a room that was supposed to feel like home, a room where she was supposed to be able to let her guard down amongst people with similar experiences.

Unfortunately, this is the type of thing that can happen when a community doesn’t have a firm commitment to operating with an intersectional lens — one that places its most marginalized folks at the center.

Lynnell needed to protect herself at a support group, and in doing so, made a white person feel afraid, circles back to my main point.

We need to place Black intersex folks and their particular needs, struggles and desires at the front and center of our intersex activism.

If we don’t, we risk ostracizing Black intersex folks, again, within spaces meant to be a reprieve from shame and stigma.

6. Confronting White Supremacy Means Confronting Disembodiment

Disembodiment, or feeling detached from your body, often happens as a coping mechanism in response to intense trauma. Intersex activist, Mani Mitchell, once described it as feeling like a “floating head tugging around a body.”

Saifa, someone I admire for their commitment to somatic healing work, believes that white supremacy is rooted in disembodiment “because you have to be disembodied in order to not allow your self to be impacted by the inequity or suffering of others.”

Regardless, Saifa thinks it’s “imperative that white intersex activists feel their feelings regarding any shame they may have as they interrogate white supremacy and its brutal history.”

“It’s only fair that white intersex activists start to acknowledge, as much as their embodiment can hold, the shameful and disgusting emotions that come up after hearing the bitter truth and realities of Black folks and people of color.”

“Doing this work is difficult,” he acknowledged, “and it can bring up things we’d rather not have to face about ourselves.”

Still, non-Black intersex folks need to “confront those feelings and allow themselves to be impacted, then hopefully they can be motivated to action, and allow that empowerment to impact others.”

In taking Saifa’s advice, we can create positive ripple effects throughout our whole community. Doing the work to steer our movement towards becoming an intersectional, anti-racist, intersex movement is a win-win for everyone involved!

#Intersex #intersex black women

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death47lyagushka · 4 years

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hey tumblr, so i know that i've had this blog for... 7 years now? man it's been a long time. and i know that despite gathering like 500 peeps in my following just for reblogging bullshit and hopping on fandoms and whatnot, i think i see like maybe 20 url's in my activity, so i dont know how many will see this; not like it's something too important for the internet or anything, i'm writing this post more as a... reaffirmation? i guess?? for myself more than anyone.

so i dont know how many people actually check bios and descriptions, but i've had it up there for a while that i use he/they pronouns. tumblr is a shitshow as it is and since i use it mostly to browse the tons of posts and fanart to make time pass, relatively recent discoveries made me write that in my own bio as much as i started refering to myself with masculine pronouns in my own language(romanian is a gendered language so anything neutral is out the window).

anyway. at some point in the last... two years?? i think, more out of a joke than anything i realised that whenever someone reffered to me with feminine pronouns it would literally make my skin crawl.

long story short because i dont want to blabber on for too long is, after years(more like my entire life) of debating, gradually experimenting with gender nonconformity and countless internal battles,including life-long dysphoria,

last week my own brain put its foot down, so to say, and i realised i that i'm transgender.

so i wanted to write it down here as well?? like coming out to the internet even though i know really well that its not that much of a big thing, at least for myself? this blog is a pretty personal space to me more because i can fuck around laughing at shitposts like i do with my own friends, and ive been part of this "community" for a long time, so i just felt like putting it here as well.

its still weird to say it out loud, but i feel the best when i refer to myself as a boy, and to be honest the signs have been there my entire life, but due to me not knowing what dysphoria was in the first place and having other personal issues to work on i just went with "im not like other girls" to "gender is stupid and i dont have time to even think about this,whatever" to recently buying binders and something feeling a bit more... better despite the countless responsibilities i have.

i came out to my group of best friends last sunday as well and as expected, though it put me through a bit of anxiety just to type it out(i was in the bus home from work, actually telling them face to face would first put me through crying to even articulate it) they took it very well and were really supportive. we were, i guess of now, a group made entirely of girls/nonbinary femmes, with me having been the butchiest of them all, but being included on the femme spectrum has been bothering me for... enough time now.

anyway, before this post gets too long after babbling so much, tldr i'm a trans guy and i feel like this label fits me the best. its a bit ironic since trans rememberance day was just yesterday i think and the realization hit me during trans awareness week.

everyone have a nice day i have to finish breakfast so i can work on my homework :D

#transgender #trans guy #coming out #transmasc #this is p personal so i'd like it if people didn't reblog it tbh #i'm just throwing it out there

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dancing-with-dichotomies · 5 years

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Dororo and Godiva, A Hesitant Comparison/Plea for the GNC

A HESITANT comparison, I repeat, because obviously these two stories are from completely different cultures and have nothing to do with each other whatsoever, it’s just some things I noticed they have in common a few episodes ago that I’ve been meaning to bring up. Obviously I don’t think anyone making any sort of Dororo content ever took Lady Godiva into account. I just can’t help but see it myself.

So, I waited to make this post until the end of the show. I was already pretty sure they weren’t going to reveal Dororo as trans in the final episodes just because of how much plot content there was left to force into the final eps, but I’m not 100% happy to see that I was right, either. In my opinion I think they modeled Dororo’s future self waaaaay too much off of Mio. It hardly even looks like Dororo, she looks more like Mio there.

Whatever tho, ain’t gonna trip about that too much, I got other things to discuss. Just saying it’s a little weird that they seemed to have modeled adult!Dororo after Hyakkimaru’s former flame Mio, kinda seems like they’re trying to insinuate something, and I feel it would have been truer to Dororo’s character to show her in clothing that looks more gender neutral. And since Mutsu seemed like a rather GNC female to me, to the point where even I, a GNC person, was a lil unsure about her gender at first, I’m not sure why that would have been an issue to do for Dororo too?

But anyways, to the actual point of the post, Dororo and Godiva.

For those not aware, in the legend of Lady Godiva, the titular lady in question bids her husband the lord to be more lenient with the taxes in order to help the people suffering around her. He at first refuses until she agrees to find a way to ride through the town “both naked and yet not naked, and both riding a horse and walking”, thinking she won’t be able to.

She manages this by riding through town with one leg over a horse and one on the ground, “clothed” in a fishing net. During the time of her ride through town, she begged all the villagers to stay inside, but one man named Tom did not. For peeping at her nakedness Tom was struck blind by god in some versions, and struck dead in others. And that’s where we get the term “Peeping Tom”.

Now it might sound a lil more like Nui at first being the wife of a lord but check this out...

Lady Godiva uses her privilege to help the plight of the people. Nui didn’t really do that until her final days, and only when she was in the thick of it and would probably look really weird standing around in finery surrounded by suffering people and not helping, otherwise it was cushy castle life for her. Dororo pretty much immediately upon becoming rich is thinking about how to use it to help her people.

Then there’s the issue of the nakedness and that obviously uncomfortable scene... and while that’s not the main point of the comparison, well, there is that too. Dororo and Godiva were both forced to strip naked. Additionally, like Peeping Tom, Itachi and his men, the ones who forced that situation on Dororo and shamefully looked upon her nakedness, were all eventually punished with death. And boo frickin hoo for them.

However, the main comparison I’m trying to make here is this: Godiva is kind of seen as a “a little of this and a little of that” type of character, “Half this, Half not”, “both and neither”, and this is the strongest comparison I’m trying to make.

All of those who were so convinced Dororo would be trans? Still totally fine for you to do so. She’s a very gnc character and if you wanna interpret her as growing up to be a him, you still can. Just because they showed a young teenager version of her in feminine looking clothing doesn’t mean she’s like that all the time? What if the people around her have been pressuring her to dress like her gender because she’s growing up? What if she just dressed up extra nice to visit Hyakkimaru for the first time in a while? Or, god forbid, what if she maybe did grow up to eventually appreciate feminine things a little more? I mean shit, I scoffed as spas when I was a brat but now I wish I could live in one.

Personally though I totally see why people prefer an at last gnc version of her. Because, well, he pretty clearly was trans in the manga judging by the dialogue. But to be honest, I think this version works a little better for the 2019 Dororo?

Because you still CAN view them as trans. It only widens the way you can interpret this character to have different versions where they can be trans, and a gnc female. Because both have the opportunity for representation, both have the opportunity to use Dororo as a character to show their own experience with being either trans or gnc.

However, to finish this up, I think it’s important to note why I think they didn’t bother making it explicit if Dororo was trans or not, despite the original source and all the hints they gave. I mean, besides transphobia and homophobia...

But, the more realistic and benevolent reason is simply that... Dororo is a CHILD. And for the vast majority of the series, Dororo was a child.

It’s important to let children have the room to get to be one AND/OR the other. To let them get to choose both this AND that if they want. And NOT FREAK OUT AND WONDER TOO MUCH ABOUT THEIR SEX/SEXUALITY/GENDER IF THEY DO.

It’s important to let children just be children. And since as a character Dororo was a child, I think it’s most beneficial to insinuate rather than state as fact, just as with a real child, you might think to yourself “wow they look really gay/gnc...”... but you don’t try to tell that kid that’s what they SHOULD be just because of how they like to dress or act. That’s up for them to decide later.

So I think it was a good choice to let the fans decide what kind of gender they think Dororo would choose later in life too, just saying, that’s my personal feelings on the matter. I still think other versions of Dororo are just fine too, tho.

#dororo #dororo 2019 #dororo anime #hyakkimaru #nui no kata #dororo spoilers

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crimethinc · 6 years

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Weathering Jail and Prison: Tips from Anarchist Prisoners Dane Powell and Joseph Buddenburg

Dane Powell, the first of the J20 defendants to be sentenced, just completed his four-month sentence after taking a non-cooperating plea deal in which he pled guilty to two felony charges. During the demonstrations against Trump’s inauguration, Dane was filmed risking his freedom to save a child who was brutally attacked by riot police. Dane teamed up with Joseph Buddenburg, another political prisoner serving two years for Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, to compose the following guide to surviving jail, prison, and transportation between holding facilities. Whether you are preparing for the possibility of doing time yourself, getting ready to support someone else through a sentence, or simply curious to learn more about life inside the prison-industrial complex, read on for a wide range of essential tips.

For perspective on how to weather the process leading up to the verdict, read “How to Survive a Felony Trial: Keeping Your Head up through the Worst of It.”

Joseph Buddenburg.

Dane Powell, immediately upon his release.

Dane Powell:

When you’re facing a possible prison sentence, the anxiety can be overbearing. No person who is in prison knows what lies ahead from one day to the next. It is quite literally a step into the unknown.

When I first got to jail, I kept notes on experiences that might help ease some confusion for my codefendants. I had no idea I would be transported hundreds of miles to the sunshine state over a three-week period.

Roughly a month at Coleman Federal Correctional Institution, I was introduced to Joseph Buddenburg, another political prisoner, who is serving a 24-month sentence. Joseph was originally serving time in California and was sent to the east coast, away from his support, as a form of punishment. I shared this writing project with him and we decided to combine our energy and experiences. Our goal is to give tips and tricks we had to learn the hard way. These are things we agree that we should have known before we heard the first door lock behind us.

I. Washington DC Jail

Presentencing

Prior to being sentenced, if found guilty, you will go through presentencing. This office will interview you and send a report to your sentencing judge. This report recommends a sentence. Be careful with how you word things during this interview, as everything you say can and will be used against you. I recommend your lawyers be present for this interview. For example, certain substances are legal in Washington DC, but if you’re found guilty of a felony you’ll be doing federal time / federal probation.

Once you’re in the DC jail, it can hard to reach anyone for a very long time. It took me almost three weeks to get in touch with support because I didn’t have numbers. Prior to the day of sentencing, I recommend making a list of ten people including their phone numbers and addresses. You get one free five-minute call after you’re processed in and seen medical. You can acquire a pen and paper prior to this call and call the one person with that list. You should also have someone lined up to pick up your clothes and other person belongings as they’re only kept for 14 days. Unless you want your support to be the ones making your wish list for reading material, you should already have this done as well.

DC Jail Schedule

Food comes about every eight hours to your cell. Breakfast comes at the odd hour of around three am. When you’re in intake you get about one hour of rec Monday through Friday. The rest of the time you’re locked down. This changes when you get into general population (genpop). I was in this lockdown of intake for three weeks and I only managed to get put into genpop by going on a hunger strike. Once you’re in genpop you’ll be out of your cell for about 8 hours a day. You also get two video visits a week and your support will need to sign up for this.

Random Jail Tips

If you’re having any issues on the inside, it will almost never be resolved the way you would like. The #1 thing to do is tell your support and have them put outside pressure on the jail. This works 99% of the time.

The mailroom was shit in DC. My support was calling daily as my mail wasn’t getting through. The mailroom kept telling them they were backed up by two weeks. You can get books but they need to come from a publisher and can only be softcover (this has varied at different locations but this is specific to DC). Legal mail can only be opened and looked through in front of the prisoner and shouldn’t be read.

There are no lines (in the sense of queues) in jail or prison for things like computers or phones. For a turn on the phone, you ask who the last person is and let them know you’re after them.

If you require a special diet, tell the Chaplin it’s for religious purposes. This still took me a month to get, though.

To check your canteen account and order commissary, they have touch screen computers installed in the units. Don’t order any commissary until you get to genpop [general population]. If you order it in Intake, they’ll take your money and not give you anything. You can get it back, it’s just a pain in the ass. When you first log into this computer, you’ll need to use your DCDC number (your number as a prisoner) for your username and password. You’ll be asked to set your password at this point.

The clothing exchange is the worst! You only get your clothes washed once monthly, so every day you have to wash your clothes with you in the shower.

Your toilet is in your cell and offers no privacy between you and your celly. There places in the wall that you can shove a spork into; then you can hang a blanket from the spork in order to build a temporary wall for a bit of privacy. You should save about 8 sporks for this purpose and to hang clothes-drying lines.

You should really be saving everything you can get a hold of like salt, sugar, pepper, and other things like that. You can make an air freshener with a bottle of nose spray and the green cleaner they use on the floor. Chaplains give out free holiday cards and sometimes free phone calls.

When you write a complaint, sometimes the officer you whose behavior you are addressing in the complaint will be the one to take the complaint out of the box. When this happens, there’s a good chance that that complaint will get “lost.” There is a workaround for this: you go to the law library or the chaplain’s office and put your complaint in their box.

The sole of your shoe can serve as a pencil eraser. Treat the detail crew on each block with respect and they’ll treat you right. They’re the ones who bring bathroom supplies, food to the door, and other things like this.

Tips for LGBTQ

My celly for a week of my time in Intake was an amazing person. When I told him that I was writing this, he wanted to give tips for any gay comrades who might be coming to DC jail. So these tips are coming from a gay man. He told me the gay community sticks together almost like a gang. If you have any issues, you go talk to other gay prisoners before anyone else, and they will help you faster than anyone else. You can ask to be housed with other gay men / trans women if you identify as such. Trans peeps should see the Chaplin for hormones (if needed), magic shave, and bras. If a celly is making you uncomfortable, you need to speak up ASAP.

In part two I’m teaming up with Joseph Buddenburg to talk about our experiences with being transferred all around the United Snakes. He has experience from the Cali to FL and I have been all over the east coast.”

II. In Transportation

Joseph Buddenburg:

Other than the time I’ve spent in the SHU (Solitary), being transported is the most stressful part of my experience while incarcerated. I’ve been held at six different federal prisons / holdover jails over the last seventeen months. That’s a bit of an anomaly; if you’re a “short-termer,” you should spend the majority of your time at one facility, with a short stint in transit at holdover facilities.

For folks designated to a federal prison on the East Coast, you’ll be bussed or fly ConAir to USP Atlanta’s holdover facility before transport to your designated facility. For folks designated to the West Coast, you’ll pass through Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center, or Pahrump, NV—a privatized Corrections Corporation of America facility that functions as another Western Region Processing Center for federal prisoners.

In my experience, these holdover facilities freak out when a political prisoner arrives. I was held in max custody at Pahrump, and at Oklahoma City I was thrown in solitary for the duration of my time. If this happens to you, it’s important to keep in mind that this is only temporary; once you get to your designated prison, you’ll have more “freedom”, access to the outside, and more contact with your supporters. I was held at Pahrump for three days and Oklahoma City for two weeks.

If you’re thrown into solitary, there is very little stimulation. Use the time to work out, write, and engage with the prisoners on the housing block, who are just as bored and frustrated as you are.

During transport itself, I found it important to fast and not drink water. You’ll be cuffed and shackled, and access to the bathroom is nearly impossible. On ConAir flights, the US Marshals allow you one chance to use the bathroom on a several hour flight. They go row to row at a time chosen by them. They’ll yell and threaten you if you try to stand up or walk to the bathroom. The meals are disgusting and you’re only given an eight-ounce bottle of water anyway. You may be “black boxed” during transports, which is especially uncomfortable. Because I was convicted of a “domestic terrorism” statute, this happens to me. You’ll be cuffed and shackled, and if black boxed, a black plastic contraption will be locked to the handcuffs, creating wrist discomfort and near immobility of your hands. Make sure the handcuffs are somewhat loose. Cops are assholes, but they can be reasoned with, sometimes.

I found the bus rides are generally much longer, with no air conditioning, and less space. If you manage to get a window seat, try to sleep throughout the ride. Other things that helped were attempts at meditation, deep breathing, and just talking to other prisoners. Keep in mind that your designated facility will be nothing like these shitty county jails and holdover facilities, and that the misery of transfer is temporary. Most likely, you’ll be designated to a low security prison, with access to recreation, “programs,” college classes, and the like.

If you’re vegan or have other dietary considerations, be prepared with a number to call your support person to pressure the jail, and perhaps to go on hunger strike. At Oklahoma City, they threw me in the SHU; they don’t allow prisoners in the SHU use of the phone until 30 days have passed. They also (illegally) don’t allow prisoners to have stamps—you can send out three letters a week, only on Wednesdays. This resulted in my being unable to contact friends or supporters, so I had to refuse meals until they finally put me on a “no flesh” diet. This was not always vegan, but there’s enough vegan sustenance to survive on. Ask for a celly when you first arrive, so you’ll be able to trade food.

Dane Powell:

I was awoken around 4 am in my cell in DC. The cop told me “pack your shit, you’re heading to the Feds.” I was so new to everything, I thought I was already with the Feds. After all, I was put into the custody of the US Federal Marshals after sentencing. I was excited when my celly told me the Feds are “easy time.” On the other hand, I had just got settled in and had a nice collection of books. You can’t bring anything with you except for legal papers (put your contact list on your legal papers). So I left my books and letters as property that was to be picked up, and I stepped off again into the unknown.

From the morning I left DC, it took me three weeks to get to Coleman, FL. The process of waking you up at 4 am was repeated each time we would be transported. In my three weeks, I saw one jail and two prisons before getting to Coleman. The first morning, after leaving DC, we were brought to Warsaw, VA. We were put into a large, dormitory-style housing unit with TVs, phones, and video calling. We were at this holdover area only for a few days until we were moved once again.

This time, we were moved to Petersburg, VA. At holdover here, we were all put into solitary (SHU), and we didn’t come out from there once. We even had showers in our cells and were denied out daily recreation time due to our transportation status. We could yell to each other, but that was it. We had no books or anything to keep our minds busy.

This was the hardest week of my life, and I’ve been through a lot. I hear about people doing months or years in solitary; they have my highest respect. Only those who have been separated from human contact like this know the barbarism it takes for a human being to do this to another and the pain and suffering this torture causes. I hope I’m not affected from this time long term, but only time will tell.

After climbing out of the bolus of hell, I was brought to Atlanta Federal Institution. My experience in Atlanta was like a combination of the two previous locations, as we were mostly locked down due to two stabbings on the compound.

When you’re being transported, you should try to be first in line if you are trying to get a window seat. I think I got a window seat once; the three other times, when I didn’t, the only thing I could think of, the whole trip, was to tell others to get a window seat. I would fall asleep and with every bump I would smash my face on the seat in front of me. You’re chained up with cuffs on your hands and ankles and the cuffs are attached to a chain around your stomach. When the guards are putting on the abdomen chains, you should protrude your stomach as much as possible. That way when you’re sitting normally, it won’t be too tight.

Normally, your support will get instructions on how to setup a prepaid account when you call them the first time. Every single prison and jail I’ve been to has had a different phone system. At all the places except for Petersburg, I was told that the next place would have the same system and support could load up on their prepaid accounts, but this was never the case. Once you get into the federal system, those systems are all the same; but your support won’t need to set up anything at that point.

Some of the best advice I can give about being thrown into new environments so frequently is just to be observent. You shouldn’t really be asking too many questions unless you absolutely have to. You should ask your fellow prisoners if that situation occurs. At the same time, don’t bombard other prisoners with questions. Don’t come off as someone who’s new to the system, even if you are. You can learn everything you need to know by just sitting back and watching what others do. This takes time but it’s the safest way to approach this unknown. If you follow this, you’ll be a step ahead of most others.

III. Federal Custody

Joseph Buddenburg:

I did most of my time at medium facilities, in terms of the levels of violence, the programs, the “freedoms” afforded to me, and general demeanor, politics, and culture of prisoners.

There’s a rating system for prisoners: 0-11 points means you go to camp, 12-15 to a low security facility, 16-23 to a medium, and 24+ high security. The following factors determine federal custody levels:

detainers / pending charges

severity of current offense (mine was moderate, 3 points)

criminal history score / past convictions (0-1 past convictions is 0 points, 2-3 is 2 points)

history of escape attempts (should be 0, unless you’ve been found guilty of past failures to appear)

history of violence

voluntary surrender status (0 for no voluntary surrender, -3 for receiving a self-surrender)

age (8 points if 24 or younger at the date of sentencing, 4 points if 25-35 years old)

education level (0 points if you have a copy of your high school diploma/GED in your presentencing report, 2 points for “non-verified HSD/GED)

drug or alcohol abuse / convictions (0 for never or more than 5 years previous, 1 point for any drug use or convictions in the last 5 years).

If your charge is political, the BOP (Bureau of Prisons) will likely place a “management variable” of greater security or a “public safety factor” on you. This will make you ineligible for “Club Fed”: federal prison camps, in which there is no fence and you have more freedom of movement. Political prisoners will go to low security or higher.

A “management variable” will bump you up one level, so if you’re at camp level, you’ll go to a low; low points go to mediums; and so on. Only long-term prisoners or those with a serious criminal background will be sent to a penitentiary.

Make sure to clean up any pending charges or warrants before resolving your case—I ended up getting 7 points added for a pending misdemeanor, which bumped me from camp points to low so the BOP sent me to medium security facilities. Also, be sure to have a copy of your high school diploma or GED included in your “pre-sentence report” prior to sentencing. The pre-sentencing officer won’t track this down, it’s on you to track down a copy—this will subtract two points from your custody scoring and could mean the difference between a low and medium security facility.

Ask your attorney to request a “self surrender” from the judge. This typically allows you to turn yourself in to the US Marshals / prison to begin your sentence. That will subtract 3 points from your score and gives you around 60 days to clear your affairs before turning yourself in. My sentencing judge doesn’t give self-surrender, but my attorney convinced him to give 24 hours to self-surrender, thus lowering my points.

Low security prisons are devoid of convict politics. Snitches and sex offenders are everywhere, but you’ll find a few solid people—usually older guys who have worked their way down from penitentiaries. It will be rare to find anyone who shares your politics, but for the most part other prisoners will respect you for “being standup”: for standing up for what you believe in and not snitching.

The prison bureaucrats may fuck with you, pinpointing you for harsher treatment or fucking with your mail or outside support. If this happens, be prepared to have your support pressure the prison, BOP, and oversight bodies and seek assistance from radical attorneys.

The most difficult thing about prison for me has been the isolation and interference by the BOP, and I regret not fighting it from the beginning. Don’t fear their retaliation and petty games: the nature of being a political prisoner will get you targeted from the beginning. Having support is your best weapon to fight back, so never hesitate to call your people and the movement in general for help.

Dane Powell:

Depending on how one looks at it, I got lucky for spending my federal time in a low. There’s a lot less prison politics in a low, which is good for political prisoners who don’t want to deal with racist prisoners, but it also has drawbacks. With prison politics low, prisoners are less likely to “check in” snitches and child molesters (i.e., to force them into protective custody). With a yard full of snitches, it’s almost impossible to organize anything unless you start running with groups that check papers.

Ask your lawyer to send you your sentencing papers as soon as possible. These papers will prove you’re not a snitch or a sex offender and you’ll likely need them to prove your story.

One of my cellies told me over and over that they were in for gun charges but refused to show papers. He always had an excuse as to why he couldn’t get them. Most prisoners see right through this, as I did. Turns out, this celly is in prison for trying to have sex with a fake 9 and 11 year old. I judge good jail praxis by whether the act of retribution gets the person who administers it caught or if they can pull it off without the recipient knowing. Someone had great praxis.

During my time at Coleman, I was welcomed into the native community. Some facilities’ native groups allow white people to sweat with them and some do not. If you’ve done a sweat before, the ones done in prison will likely be different. We would have a pipe ceremony every Saturday and this is where new natives or invites would bring their papers and introduce themselves. The papers would be checked by all to ensure that no sex offenders or snitches would sweat with us. It was nice knowing those guys could be trusted.

When coming from a jail, you might be told your mail will be forwarded. It’s very unlikely that any jail will forward your mail; you should just assume it won’t be. Your funds will be forwarded. For me, it took about 20 days once I got to Coleman to receive my funds from DC.

If where you’re sentenced and where you’ll be released are different, and you’re going to have probation, you’ll need to get a transfer. If your probation isn’t transferred before you get out, you will have to report to probation in the district you were sentenced, even if you have no place to go. To get the transfer, you’ll need to see your case manager and have an address to live at which there are no felons or guns, among other things. It takes about a month to properly transfer your probation.

I had issues with the email system that was offered to us. You’ll need to add your friend’s email address as a contact on the computer system. When you add it, that email address will receive an email for them to set up an account through TRULINCS (the system the BOP uses). From what I’ve seen and heard, this process can be confusing. If they get past this and they have an account, they can email you. They need to understand that when a prisoner emails them, they will not get an email notification to their actual email address alerting them of your message. They will have to sign into TRULINCS to see your emails every time. For some reason, a lot of people didn’t understand this.

There are also private secondary services out there through which you’ll be assigned a phone number and friends can text this number. The company then sends you an email with the text message and you can respond to that email and they text your message to your correspondent. This service costs about $15 a month and you’ll likely need someone on the outside to set it up for you.

Most of the clothing you’ll need (like gym shorts, sweats, and shoes) can be bought in your housing unit. The most common forms of currency are stamp books (flats) and packages of mackerels (macks). Prisoners make a job out of fixing up shoes and clothing that was trashed and repurposing them. You can pick up items for a fraction of what the commissary sells them for; the ones available from commissary are normally made by prisoners at sweatshops in the numerous other facilities the BOP runs.

I saved the best tip for last. To bring hot sauce into the chow hall, put it in a medicine bottle and your food will be more bearable.

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womenofcolor15 · 5 years

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Leave It To The POSE Cast To Slay The Red Carpet At The 2019 EMMY Awards

The “POSE” cast was front-and-center for the 71st EMMY Awards. Yep, their hit FX series was nominated for all the things and they came to represent. See the sauce they dripped on the red carpet inside…

Dance. Vogue. Walk. POSE Bish!

NYC’s Ball Scene was brought to the 2019 EMMY Awards as the cast of the hit series “POSE” worked their way down the carpet inside the Microsoft Theater to let the world know: They aren’t going anywhere. Ok?

Lead star/Broadway actor Billy Porter loves making a dramatic entrance when he hits the red carpet. The ball judge totally served up a fashion moment. The “POSE” star worked the carpet in a sparkling Michael Kors couture suit topped with a Stephen Jones Millinery hat and “a Rick Owens platform situation” on his feet.

The 49-year-old actor is the first openly gay black man to receive an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category.

“All of my dreams are coming true right now,” he said on the red carpet. “I’m grateful that I’ve lived long enough to see the day where I can stand inside of my authenticity and have it be perceived this way. It’s gorgeous and it’s a blessing.”

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THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED HUNTIES! #ad With my @KetelOne_US martini in hand, taking a moment to reflect on dreaming the impossible and making it a reality. Growing up, there was never representation of someone who looked like me… So to live in my truth, be loved for being who I am and standing proud as the first openly gay, black man to walk the #EmmyAwards red carpet as a Lead Actor Drama nominee… Y’all just don’t know what this moment means to me. Here’s to celebrating 50 years of life, 30 years of hard work and learning to embrace the JOY! This isn’t for me… It’s for US! Now let’s go shut this thing down ya’ll! DrinkMarvelously #EmmyAwards #KetelOne #Beanexample by @santiagraphy / @gettyimages Style by @sammyratelle Grooming by @heyannabee Wearing custom @michaelkors collection Custom Hat by @stephenjonesmillinery Fine Jewels by @oscarheyman Nails by @cndworld @nailzbyvee

A post shared by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) on Sep 22, 2019 at 4:21pm PDT

Peep his red carpet interview below:

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"POSE" star MJ Rodriguez said she wanted to POP on the red carpet and that's exactly what she did in this custom Jason Wu gown. Gorge. On the capet, she talked being able to help others in the LGBTQ community and how the show changed her life.

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@enews turned this #Glambot out! Thank you

A post shared by Mj Rodriguez (@mjrodriguez7) on Sep 22, 2019 at 7:18pm PDT

Peep the clip below:

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PUSH THROUGH!

Break out "POSE" star Indya Moore was a vision in white, slaying this custom Louis Vuitton gown that featured a corset and super high slits. UGH. She's fierce.

The 24-year-old - who just rocked the cover of ELLE earlier this year - opened up about the importance of transgender representation in fashion & entertainment. Check it below:

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@Enews #PoseFX but make it @LouisVuitton Face @elysethoms Hair @eclectichairdesigns Style @IanCogneato Nails @erierilady Everything I'm wearing @LouisVuitton

A post shared by IAM (@indyamoore) on Sep 22, 2019 at 6:14pm PDT

Indya - who is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent - chopped it up with Remezcla about indentifying as Afro-Taino. On the red carpet, they (preferred pronoun) explained what the term means and how it feels being in this community.

“I think we definitely need to come to a place where the African diaspora needs to understand that the African diaspora is the African diaspora,” they said. “Black Latinos don’t necessarily have the same experience as Latinos who are not Black. I, personally, do not identify as Latino because Latino means Latin and Latin, it means white. And I’m not white, so I just call myself Afro-Taíno ’cause that’s what I am.”

*applause*

They continued:

“When I watch Telemundo, yes, I’m here for Spanish content,” they said. “But I just see only white Spanish people on Telemundo. I don’t really see Black Hispanic people because Black people are also Hispanic. I think Intersectional inclusivity is important because inclusivity affirms that you belong, and I think that’s something we should be pushing for in the media that we create, in all forms. For Afro-Taínos, for everybody. Everybody that’s marginalized.”

Beautiful and WOKE.

Make way for the house mother!

"POSE starlet" Dominique Jackson served up golden goddess vibes in a custom Jeffrey Dodd gown with a cape and custom Stuart Weitzman heels. She snapped a cute video with her co-stars in the audience:

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@indyamoore @hailiesahar @mjrodriguez7 @angelicaross @dyllonburnside @ryanjamaalswain Hair MY EXISTENCE MAKEUP @jmua26 Dress @jeffreydodd #respect #inclusivity #inmytruth #iknowexactlywhoiam #touchtheskin #ifyouwantsomethingworkforit #makeaplanandsticktoit #livehonestly #liveauthentic #islandgyal #trinbagonian #dominiquetarjackson #dominiquejackson #ageless #instabeauty #instabeautiful #girlslikeus #erasethehate #transisbeautiful #fulltimefancy #leadwithkindness

A post shared by Dominique T.A.R Jackson (@dominiquet.a.r.jackson) on Sep 22, 2019 at 5:08pm PDT

LGBTQ activist Janet Mock - the series' writer, director, and producer - became the the first black trans producer to ever be nominated in the Outstanding Drama Series category. And sis looked amazing, per usual, for her big night. She hit the carpet in Valentino haute couture.

FX's "POSE" made history with a groundbreaking six Emmy nominations (yes, six) in several categories, including Outstanding Drama Series. Congrats!

Photos: Getty

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2019/09/22/leave-it-to-the-pose-cast-to-slay-the-red-carpet-at-the-2019-emmy-awards

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dippedanddripped · 5 years

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GIRLS ROCK DETROIT

The stage dark, two little girls with electric guitars strum the opening chords of “Let’s Have Fun,” an original punk rock song they helped write. The drummer clicks her sticks four times and the song begins in earnest. “I love sugar, sugar, sugar. It makes me crazy, crazy, crazy,” the guitarists yell with defiance, joined by a keyboard player.

The girls are a well-oiled machine, nodding cues and singing in unison, each taking a turn to play a solo during the song — you’d never guess that they had only met a few days earlier. The performance comes at the end of a week-long camp organized by Girls Rock Detroit, a nonprofit organization that uses music education and performance to empower girls, young women, and gender expansive and transgender people by promoting creativity and fostering self-confidence.

Girls Rock Detroit was founded in 2014 by Willa Adamo, Rosalind Hartigan and Melissa Coppola, who met as volunteers at Girls Rock Chicago in 2011. All three shared a common goal: To bring the program to Michigan, where they all grew up. Detroit has a deep music history—think Motown Records and the birth of soul, jazz, blues, and gospel music—yet resources to support kids in the arts are declining. In fact, in 2017,nearly half of Detroit public schools offered no music or arts classes.

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“We have to spread our message because the schools are not doing it,”says Ashlee Moseley, Girls Rock Detroit’s Director of Operations.

Willa, a Detroit native who manages a burlesque and jazz club downtown, grew up submerged in the city’s colorful music community. “We want to continue this city’s musical traditions,” she says. “One way to do that is to put a guitar in the hands of someone really young.”

The Girls Rock Detroit founders, from left, Melissa Coppola, Rosalind Hartigan, Willa Adamo

GIRLS ROCK DETROIT

Girls Rock Detroit, which is run almost entirely by volunteers, holds four weeklong camps during the summer for campers age 8 through 15. The kids attend two sessions per day led by local musicians: instrument lessons in the morning followed by band practice in the afternoon. Then they work in small groups to write songs, which they perform at the conclusion of camp as they’re cheered on by friends and family. No prior music experience is needed—which makes the challenge of learning an instrument in five days even greater.

This short time frame may seem daunting, but Willa, a musician herself, says there’s a reason behind its brevity. “In the matter of a week, we show them that they can pick up an instrument and do something they didn’t think they could do before,” the 25-year-old says. “And they can carry that lesson to whatever they do in life.”

Pushing Positivity

Girls Rock Detroit hosted their first week-long camp for about 15 girls during the summer of 2013 in the event space of a church downtown. The counselors, instructors and workshop leaders were all volunteers, happy to lend their time, expertise and gear.

"It's really important that the people who are living in the city get a fair share of the benefits."

The next year, the group officially became a nonprofit organization and began raising money through community concerts and private donations.

With each passing year, more girls became interested in attending camp and now, six years later, they’re able to accommodate about 120 campers a year and hire two part-time employees to oversee operations. The organization also now owns all its own instruments, although many of them are still second-hand, donated by community members.

Learning to play the bass in only a week? Challenge accepted.

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Tuition for the camp is on a sliding scale from $0 to $300, based on what the campers’ families can afford. GRD offers free lunches to those who need it and they loan out instruments for free for the entire year if a camper wants to keep practicing. The camp even coordinates carpool groups and offers before- and after-care for campers whose parents work early or late.

“We really wanted to make sure that we were serving the girls who live in Detroit proper,” Willa says. “It’s really important that the people who are living in the city—and who have been living in the city — get a fair share of the benefits.”

In addition to music lessons, the campers also attend workshops based in feminist values and empowerment twice daily — for instance, they’ve had body positivity talks, self-defense workshops and zine making classes, where campers learn more about prominent female artists. For some of the girls, it’s the first time they’re talking about these ideals and values.

The Bands of Girls Rock Detroit

SFV

The Detroit Fun Girls

BlakDragons

“Campers will maybe see, for the first time, a girl with short hair,” she says. “They’re exposed to a lot of things that open up their minds and they get to make choices about what kind of woman they want to be.”

It was important to Willa to find counselors, instructors, and workshop leaders as diverse as the girls attending the camp. “I had a million male guitar teachers growing up,” she says. “When you see someone who looks like you doing what you want to do, it’s like, ‘Oh, I can do this too!’

Making A Long-Lasting Impact

For Kelani Hales, a junior counselor and former camper, joining Girls Rock Detroit as a 13-year-old helped her climb out of her shell. “I never really performed in front of people before and I never really wanted to,” she says. After she learned to play bass and worked with other girls to form a band, all that changed. “Now I definitely feel confident about getting up and playing,” she adds.

Her mom saw a difference in her too. “When I signed her up, she was fearful and didn’t want to go,” says Karana Hales of her daughter. “That changed after the first day. She has always talked about herself as being awkward and shy, but I’ve told her shy people don’t get up and perform in front of packed crowds with the confidence and ease that she has.”

“It’s really cool to see them change during the week to become their boldest self,” Willa says. “We’ll have girls who won’t say a peep on Monday and then they’re bouncing off the walls by the showcase.”

GIRLS ROCK DETROITADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Girls Rock Detroit has gained so much popularity since its inaugural year that they’ve had to start turning campers away. As a solution, the GRD team is working toward finding a permanent home for the camp so they can offer more programming and accommodate more kids. They’ve been operating out of rented spaces in local music schools and churches, but the goal is to settle into a brick and mortar location.

“We’d be able to offer year-round programming, such as after-school classes, adult classes, instrument lessons,” Ashlee says. “There are a lot of possibilities for the future.”

In the meantime, the organization plans to continue hosting camps during the summer months and, this year, they have plans to debut a three-day boot camp for adult women, trans and non-binary folk who want to learn an instrument. In other words, they’ll continue to be a hub for girls who just want to rock.

#girls rock #GIRLS ROCK DETROIT #music blog

0 notes

thebatmanofshadowhunters · 5 years

Note

i’m sending it again ALL EVEN #s FOR THE HONESTY THING

(Yo thanks misclick of the century tbh I am laughing more than mad over it)

*add in the fancy stuff at future date*

Aesthetics are nice but not improtant to me. In the rp sense also because I am not fond of some of the extremes people go to. Pretty but sometimes hard to follow.

Okay describing rp to non rp peeps in the real world… Uh I usually babble/ get speeches or lectured. But collaborative writing excuse is my go to.

Male- I just don’t do females justice and people suck. But really I think trans male as well but… People really don’t like rping with my ocs, hate trans hcs for canon muses and yeah…

Just 3? Bisexual muses getting threads where people brush off their sexuality/only female attention,etc. People wanting diversity then turning their noses at it. And the damn elitism bullshit.

10:

Too broke/not talented enough. But I have seen people crop and edit gifs out of tagd then charge which… Sucks

12:

Could argue offline/online drama stalks me. But yeah and some of it was just childish- also some of it really was just me being an pushover.

14:

Positive… I uh have had an rough life and… Its helped/made some friends that helped. Also really been an semi safe place where I could be me? Make jokes about sexuality,etc. And how I look,etc doesn’t make for how people judge me.

16:

I’d want maybe less drama- elitism like what happened to being nice and having fun? Or taking 10 seconds to send a meme if its a mun meme,etc. Idk like also newbies feel so intimidated now I think more than before.

18:

Yes I sent myself hate when I was like real young/really not in a good group of rpers. Was depressed and like… I.. Still can’t believe I dragged people in with such stunts.

20:

All the time. But worst being smut when I was underaged. Or like ships that were… Not wise. With people who ended up to be rude. Or write an bisexual muse as some stereotype instead of who they are.

22:

Being an asshole- I can excuse an fair amount. But if somebody is all ‘whine whine’ and an dick about lgbt+ things especially. Or refuse to admit when something is deeply problematic. Try to force smut/sexual threads and so forth. Personals/rpers who reblog my threads that aren’t involved,etc.

24:

Nope. Not that I know of. Only situatiom being when another rper mirrored my blog- but I was young and it was cool. I really didn’t care as was canon muses.

26:

Only positive! Idk vagueblogging to me only applies to talking about myself/offline things. It sucks but people do what they like. (I am guiltly only in positive context or neg about myself/complaining about offline stuff- only rarely do I do it about online peeps negatively)

28:

I read rules when people follow me, reread them if we interact,etc. Try to refresh so I know what limits somebody has and who needs what tagged. Though some peoples are comfusing tbh.

30:

I am a walking meme saying generator at times. Contantly quoting tumblr or rps. Have imparted such things as “Same” “Mood” “It Me” to my sibling. Also my go to joke is making fun of people like ‘that shows her shoulders’ and replying with the word scandalous or whatever. So yeah…

32:

Yep. You would not believe the amount of crappy people I come across. An awful lot of things I can never unsee. That just now have me cringing.

34:

Cried while writing an rp yesssss. But also nobody ever writes the real tough shit with me. Its as bad as show writers ignoring his mental health. Which sure triggering af material and I don’t get people doing it just for angst. But also it can be semi cathartic for me. At least in writing out backstory that haunts me about him instead of just thinking about it.

36:

Not fully developed ocs, trans hc canon charas, literal canon trans etc muses, trans ocs

38:

(I used to have new rpers flock to me- random but it fits)I guess to not be greedy and cherish what they do get. Sometimes the best partners will write 100 12 note threads, 5 verses you guys spoke about and never did write. Etc.That like do what you want and write with who you want. Send memes when you can. Mental health etc sometimes if way more important than drafts. At least 1 person will like your writing.In this fandom more specifically:Avoid the urge to check all the latest drama or adding fuel to the fights. Nobody is better or lesser. Sometimes book writers/semi book writers are sane level headed people. Don’t be afraid to politely go ‘yo I write seperate canon’ etc. So you don’t get confused when somebody tosses other content mid thread your way. Ocs are great and I will fist fight anybody who says your oc sucks even if it does.

#pulchrousati #about the person in the shadows

0 notes

2pmalways · 7 years

Text

[TRANS] SHEL’TTER #41 - Wooyoung Interview

WOOYOUNG (From 2PM) x EMI SUZUKI SPECIAL COUPLE SHOOTING!

“SPRING LOVE STORY”

Special Q&A of Wooyoung!!!

Q. For the outfit and hairstyle in “Party Shots,” which part were you fussy about? A. In the MV, just like the Joker who appears in Batman, I made an image where it looks like I don’t know where I’m heading to. That’s why I didn’t want the outfits to have a very neat impression on it, so I made it a little bit messy!

Q. Please tell us the main point of the title song “Party Shots” and the highlight of its MV! A. Since I like doing things such as gathering with friends, having different conversations and talking about real feelings, I personally really like parties. Generally speaking, I gave the song a theme of “Let’s make some noise!!” and let it blow up with a fun atmosphere. That’s why I want everyone to enjoy while listening to it! For the MV, the camera blocking is quick. I think that’s the highlight? It's like… you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off of it!

Q. Do you like fashion? A. Of course, I like fashion. But rather than “I like fashion,” I think of it as a very essential part in entertainment. It’s one way for self-expression.

Q. Do you have a fashion item that you like? A. Hmm.. If I have to choose one…. I like Hawaiian shirts!

Q. We have this impression of you that tries variety of hairstyles… A. I made my hairstyle neat and clean this time! But usually, it’s pain in the neck to go to hair salons. (laughs) That’s why I’m keeping this hairstyle for now. If ever I end up doing the hairstyle that I really want, I think there would be no fans left. (laughs)

Q. Do you have your own rule when it comes to fashion? A. I don’t go as far as making a fundamental basis. There are times when I would go out with my friends wearing clothes as if I’m going to the supermarket or convenience store. Other times, I would wear a little bit of showy clothes when I go to supermarkets. The feeling for that day is what matters! I also highly take the size of the clothes into consideration. I don’t like it when it’s uncomfortable to wear. I prefer styles that would always let my body move freely.

Q. First appearance in SHEL’TTER! Please introduce yourself to our readers. A. I’m a member of a Korean group called 2PM, and we debuted in Japan 6 years ago with the song “Take Off.” As a group, we release albums and do tours every year, but this time, I’m appearing as a solo artist! 28 years old this year. No girlfriend. I’m Wooyoung! (laughs)

Q. Do you experience “love at first sight”? A. I do experience love at first sight! Just because I get taken with someone at the first meeting, it doesn’t mean that I would ask for her contact info on that same day, or convey my feelings to her right away, or make moves on her, or even confess to her. I want to be prudent when it comes to love.

Q. Please tell us your ideal type of girl! A. I think I’m not in the position to choose though… (laughs) I used to have ideal types but now, I don’t have any. Love is a feeling, right? (laughs)

Q. What do you do on your day off? A. I listen to LPs in my house, read books, or sleep. Ah, I watch documentary-type movies and shows. But that doesn’t mean I’m a complete indoor person. I still hang out with my friends or go to LP bars and bookstores.

Q. Have you ever felt a difference between Japanese women and Korean women? A. I don’t feel any difference just because someone is a Japanese or Korean.

Q. Ideal fashion for girls? A. A simple coordination of “white t-shirt x jeans” to be exact! I like casual and simple styles of female fashion. I would want her to come in a simple style even during dates♡

Q. On a regular basis, are you a night owl or an early bird? A. I am most active when it’s 12 midnight and I sleep around 10 in the morning. (laughs) My morning and night are completely reversed so we can say that I’m perfectly nocturnal! Hmm.. but right now, I have my make up on which is why my skin looks smooth. (laughs)

Q. What phone apps or SNS do you usually use? A. I only have music player which is necessary in my everyday life, internet bank app, Japanese and English translator app in my phone. SNS….. I consider it convenient and I also think it’s one good way of promoting in this modern age. But I don’t use it that much because I don’t want my daily life to be displayed more than it needs to be or to become something I just show off.

Q. Among the fans, you are being called #LittleDevil #DoingThingsAtMyOwnPace #Cute #ActuallyTheFunniestMember, but how do you think of it personally? A. Everything is correct! Well said! (laughs) But if I have to add anything, that would be “I have a lot of charms”! Also, “I love talking to people.” I just really like expressing myself. Fans are truly amazing! They can see through everything~ That’s scary~ Ah! I’m kidding~ (laughs)

Q. What food do you definitely eat whenever you are in Japan? A. Ramen and sukiyaki! I go to Jangara ramen frequently! Also, I love sukiyaki♡ I always mix up shabu shabu and sukiyaki. (laughs) The raw egg that comes with it is also good! Really delicious♡ I’m getting hungry now. (laughs) Please introduce a good restaurant to me!

Q. Do you like any artist from Japan? Please tell us a song that you like. A. Hisaishi Joe-san who is a musical director of Ghibli and Sakamoto Ryuichi-san. I actually like the soundtracks used in dramas, movies, anime, and documentaries. That made a way for me to get to know and like them! By the way, I was able to go and watch the concert of Hisaishi Joe-san in Japan! I own a lot of DVDs of Ghibli films. The first Ghibli production I encountered was “Howl’s Moving Castle” and I think I’ve watched that the most.

Q. Please tell us a song that you usually listen when you travel. A. I frequently listen to an album called “UTAU” by Sakamoto Ryuichi-san and Onuki Taeko-san. This album is really great, so I recommend all of the songs. I want to meet Sakamoto Ryuichi-san! Where should I go to be able to meet him? (laughs)

Q. Since you produce the outfits for 2PM concerts, do you want to try having your own brand of clothing? A. I really only do it for our concerts and music production. I don’t have any thoughts on wanting to try creating my own clothing line. Who will even buy it? (laughs)

Message from Wooyoung!!!

A long interview of WOOYOUNG (From 2PM) who appeared for the first time and was chosen as the first male to be on the front cover of SHEL’TTER!

What are your thoughts for being the first male on the front cover? Thank you! It's an honor. But why me? Really... why is it me? (laughs) From now on and then, I would want to appear in SHEL'TTER♡

What is your impression of SHEL’TTER? All of the models in SHEL'TTER are truly pretty! It's great to see that each of them has their own personality. Just by looking at the magazine, it can serve as an advice to all female who admires fashion. I think it's a very useful magazine. (After knowing it's a magazine where you can order) While looking at the magazine, can you purchase easily the item you like!? That's so nice! I want a copy now! Ah, but then again.. I don't have a girlfriend (laughs)

Please tell us your thoughts about the photoshoot To tell you the truth, I've known Emi-san even before as I have seen her in Japanese magazines. When I found out that my partner is going to be Emi-san, I was glad and I looked forward to this photoshoot. Since she is someone who I've always seen in magazines, I also felt the sense of relief. When I met her in person, her face was very small and she was tall. She's really a beautiful person! I was able to have fun during the photoshoot as well!

Please let us hear your thoughts about the outfit coordination

Since the concept for this photoshoot was to be a couple with Emi-san, I made sure to give importance on creating a sweet atmosphere just like real lovers. Even our matching clothes suited the concept, right? The coordinated outfit of Emi-san was very cute!

2ND SOLO ACTIVITIES! NATIONWIDE TOUR STARTING ON 4/5(Wed) 「WOOYOUNG (From 2PM) Solo Tour 2017 “Party Shots”」WILL BEGIN!

Did you have fun during the photoshoot? Of course!! I had a lot of fun! Uhhmm.. I can't remember it well but I think I didn't have much opportunities to have a photoshoot with Japanese female models. So when the discussions for this project came, I was surprised! I would want to do another photoshoot! Please let me appear in SHEL'TTER every time! (laughs)

Please send a message to the fans who are anticipating your solo activities! I’m always grateful to all of the fans! Thank you! As of right now, I’m in the midst of preparing my new album and concert. In fact, I myself am very excited with the solo activities and I want to meet the fans’ expectations as well! I want to make a show where we can have fun together and enjoy the concert to our hearts’ content. I’m planning on making it exhilarating so please look forward to it!

Complete REPORT of a rare backstory during the photoshoot! Wooyoung greeted with “Please treat me well” and entered the studio in a stately manner. After greeting his partner Suzuki Emi and the staff, the photoshoot began right away! When the cameraman requested “Hold hands and act like a couple!” on just the first cut, Wooyoung got surprised a little bit. While worrying about Emi’s nails that were freshly painted for the photoshoot, he held her hands gently feeling shy which you can check at page 13! Furthermore, Wooyoung personally suggested “Let’s do a funny dance!” on page 15. As a matter of fact, Emi used an iPhone and consecutively took photos of Wooyoung who seems to be having fun while dancing. The group of female that was in the set raved with words of “So kind♡ So wonderful♡” when Wooyoung put the hat on Emi and showed concern by fixing softly her messy hair. The posing where both of them hid their face with the hats was actually Wooyoung’s ad-lib! A peeping out pose is kind of rare, isn’t it? The photoshoot continued in a harmonious atmosphere while they were holding hands, taking selfies together and exchanging jokes occasionally. We were overwhelmed by the aura of the two during the last shoot which was for the front cover. Doing back hugs, putting arm around the shoulder… the eyes of the whole staff were glued to them who looked like a real couple♡ Just as we thought he would do playful dance and show us a cool picture perfect face even during his solo photoshoot, Wooyoung showed a pampered expression gazing at the camera and several more facial expressions. With fresh denim, chino pants adult style, casual street coordination, Wooyoung is exploding a lot of charms that we couldn’t take our eyes from him more and more! On his nationwide tour starting from April, he’ll definitely show variety of expressions and entertain the fans for sure!

JPN-ENG: Yumi

Scans by 2PMAlways

MAY BE TAKEN OUT WITH PROPER CREDITS!!!

#2PM #Wooyoung #SHEL'TTER #SHEL'TTER Interview #translation #interview #Wooyoung SHEL'TTER

50 notes · View notes

doedipus · 7 years

Text

LP D&D: Grand Magistrate Smith

For this session, Max’s brother Torix was invited to audition for the vacant spot in the party. He plays Zerander, goliath purple dragon knight. His horse is named “Frank.” Torix is a bit of a power gamer, but he doesn’t fall into the trap of expecting everyone to have perfectly min-maxed characters or whatever or going off on us for performing sub-optimally in battle, so it hasn’t really caused any problems of that sort thus far. He’s also the token straight guy, with everyone else but us ostensibly being gay dudes. Aside from the one or two times where he said some pretty crass stuff about trans folk, he’s been pretty solid, though, and we haven’t had any incidents since I stated being open about being trans with the group.

He, Max and I are kind of my current non-tabletop gaming group, though usually he’s playing mount & blade in the background while Max and I play Dark Souls or something. I spent a long time without a decent group after my previous one got fed up with me for being a caustic asshole, but I guess the estrogen has mellowed me out enough that I can socialize with people without chiding them over stupid bullshit fucking constantly.

Also, Escrima’s surname is “Smith,” hence the title.

...Anyway, content under the break

The gang rests up at the estate

Constanza learns everything about Amn

Fear of magic

Kingdom-tier

All nobility is capable of owning land

!!!

Succession is deeds-oriented; not being a cool guy gets your title revoked

Coy attempts to train the displacer beasts

She teaches it to “heel”

Lucas continues to make copies of his spellbook

He realizes that he has become ambidextrous after absorbing Eva

Graham receives a letter from the brothel

Connie has that one dream again

She looks up at her parents

There’s fire everywhere

She’s the one “touched”

Her parents pick her up and run out of the fire

A voice: MOTHER KNOWS

Zerander arrives at the gates of Waterdeep, City of splendors

He’s here on a mission from the leader of his order of knights to assist Rockseeker

His token looks like a dark souls character //Specifically, like some hybrid of Hawkeye Gough and Horace the Hushed

He asks a lady where the market is

“Oh my, you’re quite big”

Huehuehue

As a giant, he attracts stares as he wanders towards the market

Zerander goes looking for an armorer

The shop attendant is predictably taken aback

Armor’s gonna cost extra for size

Zerander sells off his old chainmail to offset the cost

Measuring the giant is the armorer’s greatest trial

We’re gonna need a bigger tape!

Zerander asks the attendant about nearby inns

He is pointed towards the “flying badger”

Hey, the inn’s right next to the market!

The building smells of cooked meat

His stomach rumbles, deafening nearby guests

The innkeeper offers him some roasted phoenix, bleu cheese, and brandy

Innkeeper asks what brought him to town. Being a barmaid, she is fairly pretty, and probably hitting on him

Through mouthfuls of flaming poultry, he explains he’s a bodyguard for Rocky

Innkeeper points him towards the office

He asks about a room

It’s gonna cost extra because he’s gonna need extra beds

He attempts to hit on the innkeeper, but she’s not having it

As he enters the room, he bumps his head on the frame

He drops his gear in the chest in the corner and heads for houseseeker

He’s got his axe and shield still

Zerander searches for houseseeker //Rocky’s house. At some point, I started referring to everything Rocky owns as XXXseeker

He gets lost at first, but finds his way eventually

The 3-INT secretary takes his name down and tells him to wait for Rocky

“Can I make an insight check on the couch?”

The couch bears him no ill will

The building is busy as always

Janice floats down the stairs to bring him to Rocky

Zerander reflexively ducks as he enters the office

Rocky and Zerander attempt to shake hands, but the size differential makes it difficult

Rockseeker tells him about his mission

Also about the party

There’s a paladin

Rocky struggles with pronouns //Graham came out to the party in some semi-cannon RP we did after the session where we crashed Lord Heir’s banquet. Supposedly, he was stealth beforehand, but a couple of NPCs apparently knew what was up as soon as they laid eyes on him, which was weird as hell. I guess that’s what happens when a cis dude GMs trans characters, though

Also a wizard

A bureaucrat

A weirdo

Draggo

WELCOME TO ROCKSEEKER!

Rocky leads Zerander towards the estate

A carriage arrives to take the party to the trial

Graham reads the letter

It’s a news letter from Mister Mister

Hey, there’s a peep show

Ooh, coupons

Rent services for a whole year for 300 gp!!!!!!!!!!!

Graham thinks. Oh no!

He remembers Lucas talking about how Esmeralda is a bad influence

Greg considers going to the trial

Lucas convinces him to come along

Connie asks for something to help her sleep better

Apparently Liza and the spirit of fire are back in town with some cargo

Graham wants to check on his retainers before going to the trial

He has Lucas send to them about the death of Osric

They’re in town already

Escrima has been shouting “mother! Mother!” for the last hour

Jeeves gives him something to subdue him

The carriage is luxury 2.1

It says Rockseeker 2 on the side

The gang heads to dockseeker

Liza went to Baldur’s gate

There’s a pair of airships there

The spirit is wanted in Baldur’s Gate. How weird.

Lucas is worth 15kgp for some reason

Liza is pissed we didn’t tell her much of anything

She returned with a shipment of rubies!

Graham goes to talk with his uncle Cedric

He tells him about the banquet incident

And the bad news about Osric’s death

Cedric is worried about succession

Graham realizes that he hasn’t had contact with the family since

Cedric tells Graham that he should’ve attended the funeral and such

Graham encounters toxic masculinity. How fun!

Verona elected to stay on the island

Lucas tries to apologise to Liza, and she forgives him

Liza “saw things”

The duke of Baldur’s gate is into some shady shit

Gnolls everywhere, walking freely

Not even working as waiters or anything

Escrima comes out of his trance

Mother wants him to take the party to Calimport

A woman was shouting in some strange language

Jeeves tells him he’s been sleeping for like a week

“Are there any garments that I should don?”

Amazingly, Escrima assumes that the trial is more important that seeing Lupe

Escrima gets some nice clothes and a hearty meal before leaving for the courthouse

Escrima gets there before the others, and Merrow is confused

They’re late?

You’re a noble, right?

You can be a judge!

What could possibly go wrong?

You’ll judge him, you’ll convict, and we’ll get to watch an execution!

Escrima does some word association to prepare

The rest of the gang heads for the trial, but there’s heavy traffic

The trial marches on

Heir is accused of high treason

Escrima gasps

A copy of Hier’s letter is passed to the judges

Judges may ask questi-

Escrima starts mumbling nonsense about wolves and mouths and meatbags

That’s a very good point, your honor!

He should seek to be more than just a meatbag

Escrima wonders where Hier learned calligraphy

The judge puts forward that the letter was forged!

Mother tells him that the letter was not a forgery

Escrima tells the crowd that it was not a forgery, and Hier is a TRAITOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Rocky and Zerander head to the trial

Hey, they get to see a paladin judge a trial. How cool!

Graham’s gonna be a very interesting judge to watch!

Very cool and collected

They hear Escrima shouting

Rockseeker becomes worried

The defense wants to continue with the forgery line

They call out a sister of the night as a defense witness

It’s sister Mary Anne, who was out getting takeout during the battle, I guess

She says that he’s innocent

Mary Anne says that the plot was all the sisters, and Hier was a patsy

Mother says that Escrima should forgive Hier

Hier is declared innocent and released

The gang arrives at the courthouse

It’s quiet. Weird.

Escrima, Merrow, Rocky, and Zerander are the only people there

Graham wonders what happened to the trial

Everyone chews him out

Lucas tells Escrima off

Coy and Lucas try to leave, but Rocky stops them

Rocky introduces Zerander to the party

Lucas takes 3 damage from the handshake

Zerander inexplicably clocks Graham //😒

Lucas asks Rocky about Baldur’s Gate

Rocky knows the sisters are there and that Lucas is wanted there

He worries that Baldur’s Gate will join the sisters

Lucas makes idle threats to Rocky about Greg’s safety

Rocky introduces Connie

PVP occurs, and Zerander completely believes that she’s what they say she is

Rocky can’t find Coy

He introduces Zerander to High Magistrate Escrima

“Your faces... why do they look so long? Have I done something wrong?”

Pls ask us first next time, dear

Watchu Doin’, Coy?

Coy goes looking for Hier

She asks about where he went

She borrows a horse

Hier’s not in the main hall of the inn

The bartender points her upstairs

She thinks she’s stealthed

Coy steals a ring of room keys from a housekeeper

She searches the private rooms

An alchemist opens the first door

“You’re not what I ordered!”

He slams the door in her face

She tries to listen in through another room

But there’s no answer

She unlocks the door, and finds Zerander’s room

There’s a locked chest! Watchu doin’?

Unlocking the chest, apparently

Dude, there’s a dungeoneer’s pack!

Coy leaves the room and locks everything up

Next room!

“Housekeeping!”

A voice answers, but she doesn’t recognize it

It’s a halfling aristocrat guy

“Sorry, wrong room”

“...could it be the right room? I have money!”

There’s a lot of rooms in here

Behind the door, she hears Hier and someone else hyucking it up

Apparently, there was some kind of setup at the trial

Hier’s paying someone 3kgp

Meanwhile, the gang wonders where Coy went

Rocky suggests she might be doing something rash

Lucas asks about fast travelling to Neverwinter

There’s some portals around, but they’re fairly expensive

The gang considers travelling by air

Connie asks Merrow about appointing a stand-in for meetings

Apparently, people do it a lot. Just leave the masks with whomever

Rocky is optimistic about Escrima’s ruling. This is slightly disconcerting

He mentions Mother by name

Lucas glares at Escrima

Escrima hears Lucas staring at him

We’re in a manga now

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~

Lucas warns Escrima about Mother

Escrima is “Confundled”

Rockseeker gives his condolences to Connie

Coy murders Lord Hier

She draws Suzie, and leaves stealth

She opens the door to the room with Hier and the Lawyer

BANG! The door swings open wildly

The force of the door causes it to bounce off the wall and swing back in her face

She teleports into the room

Coy tells the lawyer to fuck off if he doesn’t want to die

Battle with Lord Hier the Innocent of Waterdeep

Hier draws his own sword and strikes, clipping Coy’s tail

Coy teleports behind Hier

“Nuthin’ personnel, kid...”

Suzie cuts through his body

Blood soaks the room

Hier tries to flee, but Coy teleports in front of him

She quarters him in a flurry of swings

Blood goes everywhere

Lord Hier of Waterdeep is dead

The cleaning lady she stole the keys from sees this and screams

WATCHU DOIN’, COY THEY’RE COMING!

She jumps out a window

Hey Coy, did you know that you’ve just committed a serious crime and will probably be hanged?

Coy jumps around the outside of the tavern

She fumbles a jump in front of the tavern, and lands on her face

Coy runs to the stable. The party is loitering there

Coy demands that Connie disguise her

She cleans the blood off, but that’s the best she could do

Lucas casts invisibility on Coy, who doesn’t stop talking

The gang heads off to the estate

Greg is discussing matters with some nobles

Hey Lucas, how’d the trial go?

Escrima failed us

Greg reminds Lucas that Escrima saved his life several times

Lords Valria and Haliam introduce themselves

They’re talking about organizing a campaign through the southeast

It’s gonna be a month or two before they can start

Greg wants to stay in Waterdeep to oversee the march on Beydale

Coy gives Connie the dagger of breakfast watching //Another magic item. When someone holds it, they see a brief vision of the future. the first couple of times the party used it, the vision included breakfast, hence the name.

She holds it by the blade

There’s a dank corridor

The casters are fighting

Graham charges at a monster

There’s some eggs benedict in the corner

The architecture is distinctly dwarven

Connie grabs the knife

She sees a city surrounded by steam

There’s a hangar being built

Lucas is there, but older

Graham is there, but different

Ooh, an omelette

Gee, that was weird.

A note from Rocky arrives, saying that Hier was murdered, and if they need horses to go looking for him.

No leads on the suspect, somehow

How convenient!

Zerander picks up his armor

Lucas copies spells, and Greg keeps him company

Connie visits the tower of magi

On the way there, the carriage stops in an alley

There’s a person there. She identifies herself as being sister Lake //The cult Connie allegedly belongs to is supposed to basically be the church of scientology. Sister Lake is her auditor.

Lake wants her to return to the monastery

Connie assures her that she’ll be back soon, and will definitely pay her dues

Connie hires a mage with sending to help with the sessions she’ll miss

Connie gives greg the mask, and instructs him to have Mario the sending mage contact her with information

“Aren’t there like, vampires around here or something?”

Lucas messages Rocky about the vampire problem

There’s a letter from Viper

...but Jake had moving stuff to do, so we’ll never know what it said

Escrima talks about how he trained Lupe during the week

She knows to attack gnolls now, which is cool

They could probably ride her now

Let’s go to Casa de Lupe

Zerander hears some screeches from the hangar

Frank freaks out, but Zerander calms him down

Connie tells Escrima to open the bay doors

Zerander sees the wyvern, and pulls out his longsword

“What is that?!?!?!?!”

“We caught her”

Lupe cautiously approaches Zerander

Zerander offers to “fix” Lupe

Oh! You know how to spay a wyvern?

River crossing puzzle! //Idk if it’s come up yet, but being a large party, we tend to have trouble figuring out how to transport people effectively using the items we have. obviously we could just use horses, but this is dungeons and fucking dragons! If we can fly, we’re going to god damn fly!

Lucas on broom //Magic item. It’s a flying broom. Its carry weight is pretty low, so only the lighter characters can really make use of it, but it’s amazing anyway.

Escrima on Lupe

Connie on Broom

Zerander on Lupe

Coy on the fly

Graham on the fly

Lupe launches out of the hangar, and the party takes to the skies with her

END

#let's play #dungeons and dragons #d&d #d&d5e

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