#if even one person is benefited by this post i'll be glad to have written it

[ben-marco]

so glad i blocked leigon and many but one a while ago simply because they did things that i personally found weird (although many but one did say on tumblr that they "didnt care" about legion proudly claiming to be a radfem.. so. idk)

i feel like the amount of slideshows and stuff of them graphically describing things that happened during the abuse they both faced was a bit odd, i mean they had TW / CWs but still. i found myself going back to those slideshows continuously to try and trigger something because, guess what, it did trigger things, and im so desperate for that smoking gun of proof that i'll do anything. which in hindsight just feels dangerous. i dont trust either of them to be good people, especially since on many but one's tumblr they just spouted slurs they couldnt reclaim in response to someone saying that a term they used is derogatory (and they defended that by saying "[alter] was using it to describe herself" which doesn't erase the meaning behind the term..)

leigon posts vents a lot without any trigger warnings, and blocks / unfollows people at random for simply disagreeing with them. ive heard that they also tend to get their followers on people's asses if they talk about how leigon spreads misinfo!

as someone with npd i used to just dismiss it by saying "oh they have npd i get it" but no... what is even going on at this point. their whole alpha to omega document is just full of misinfo (mainly the fact that not all programming types use greek letter names, i think they just pulled that out of their ass to make the document "aesthetic"), which is sad because it is really well written.

Thank you so much for bringing this up, anon. I always thought those posts were really strange, too.

When people post extremely detailed, graphic/triggering things like that, it makes me wonder what their motive is. What do they expect from those posts and from people's responses to them? What are they looking for? I've known people who post things like that and all of them have either been bad actors or people who are so unstable that they really should be working on basic stabilization before they delve into these spaces to begin with.

Posting things like that is so, so, so dangerous too. For the poster and for people seeing it. I think a lot of people are drawn to return to that kind of content to see if it triggers them-- and guess what, that content is triggering and upsetting to most sane people, survivors or not. Most people are going to be upset by, or triggered by, graphic discussions of OEA and surrounding topics.

I just...don't think those kinds of graphic posts benefit anyone. You're putting that information out there about your abuse/trauma for god knows who to see (and in Legion's case, attaching your face to it too), potentially putting yourself in danger, and for what? So someone else can see it and be triggered by it?

I said earlier that I've only ever seen this kind of behavior in people who are bad actors or just very destabilized. And honestly I feel like Legion is a bad actor at this point, especially due to their defensiveness and their willingness to weaponize their followers against anyone who disagrees with them, as you mentioned. Their transphobia and participation in radfem circles is certainly a huge problem but it's not the only issue with them or their behavior.

I don't really know anything about Many But One other than that they associate with Legion, so I appreciate you mentioning those things about them.

[gentil-minou]

hi! I hope you’re doing ok! I’ve never written an ask before so I have no idea how to do this, but you’re one of the only people I follow who is posting about Palestine, so I wanted to ask. And as a brown person I’m really worried rn.

Elections are next year and I’ve seen so many saying that people should vote for Biden because he’s at least better than Trump which is… I don’t know what to say, but it’s completely absurd. This is going to be my first time voting and all I get from people is the same “lesser of two evils” rhetoric. It’s genuinely disheartening to see that these are the only options that are shown to people. I was wondering about what you think of what’s happening, and whether voting third party seems possible

I’m sorry if this was rude to ask you, but thanks for taking the time to read this!

It's not rude, I'm glad I made you feel safe enough to ask this!

I only have one answer for you: Do not let anyone tell you who to vote for or make you feel like an evil person if you choose not to vote for the person they want you to.

Vote, definitely vote!!! Especially in local elections, those are the best ways to get people you want in power and they are in charge of a lot of important changes.

As for the presidential elections, I've had so many people I thought I admired or at least felt comfortable around attack me for my choice not to vote for Biden. I've had people claim I was spreading "pro-Trump propaganda" (which is just ridiculously bad faith in all ways), tell me that I—a queer POC—am anti-LGBTQ, and tell me I'll be deported.

They do this all while ignoring and invalidating the very real anger and hurt the Muslim and Brown populations of the US are dealing with, all because their comfort is being threatened. And instead of pressuring the party that's doing that harm and try to listen to why we feel so betrayed by Biden, they double down and attack us. In fact, they are showing their true colors. They, like Biden, only ever pretended to care about us. So I am going to vote for people who actually do care about me, even if they say I'm going to "waste my vote"

Here's the thing; as long as you vote for who you feel the most supported by, as long as you go into that voting booth and step out feeling good about your vote, then you are not wasting it.

Putting this under a read more cause it's getting long

Personally, I'm voting third party. I've had my eye on the Socialist Party but am also keeping an eye out for the others and whether or not they stand out to me

At this point, unless the DNC decides to put another candidate forward, which they most definitely won't, the Democratic party has lost me forever. I'm lucky that my Dem representative has at least shown they're on the right side of history, but I don't think I will ever vote for the Dem party again. I've forced myself to do it for the last decade and I've been disappointed or betrayed every time, so no more.

I agree this two party system is a joke and we are all being made to be a part of it when no other democratic nation has something like this. Even other countries say our "progressive" party is just centrist. And that just doesn't reflect my values.

Liberals and "vote blue no matter who" are going to tell you that you're wasting your vote by voting third party, but in actuality they are the ones supporting a flawed system that only benefits itself, not the people. The more people who vote third party, the more the dems will be pressured to put forth progressive candidates like AOC or Rashida who are actually on the left. By voting third party, you are saying you won't stand by a broken system any longer

does this mean Republicans might win and we get another trump administration? Yes, probably, but here's the thing: when you look at the last 3 years, and I mean really look at it, have things improved all that much under biden? I, as a queer poc can't say that it has. Both are evil, one just pretends not to be. At this point I see no difference between Trump and Biden. Both don't give a shit about me.

The lesser of 2 evils is still evil, why vote for them? Why would I vote for either of them?

Why would I reward anyone who support genocide and cheers for it? Both Trump and Biden openly do. Their only difference is Biden is a better actor.

If my people were the ones being slaughtered (and they were. For a long long time they were), would I be okay with sitting back and letting these parties walk all over me? No, I don't think I would be.

The fact of the matter is that change does not come fast or easy. These things take time and pressure and a refusal to give in. Voting for Biden after all the horrible things he's done the past couple years is just rewarding a system that is fundamentally broken. You can keep trying to chug along on a broken wheel hurtling you towards doom, or you can take the time to force it to change.

I do believe the younger vote has a big chance to change things, to pressure our government to actually support its people, not just the white ones with money.

Ultimately you get to decide who to vote for. Use your right to vote, don't ignore it and don't waste it by voting for someone you don't actually believe in.

[the-ace-with-spades]

Hi again. I know you just wrote a phenomenal response to one of my asks so no pressure at all to answer this one. But I have noticed a lot of transMaverick posts on tumblr recently, and I was wondering if that’s something you vibe with at all. I think they are very cool and an interesting take on a well loved character. Your work monkey child is just so wonderful and moving that it made me curious as to your thoughts on this topic. Also feel free to not respond if you are not comfortable, as I realize this could be a sensitive topic for many people. Thank you so much!!! Hope you are doing well and that you aren’t working too hard. Make sure yo take time to have a break and smell the flowers do to speak.

Oh my, sorry but this might be a bit long as this is such an interesting topic for me...

While I enjoy fics/fanart involving trans Mav, I do not vibe with it that much?? I like it as a concept and I'll always be glad that people are up to interpret/headcanon characters as trans, no matter which characters -- there isn't much trans representation in mainstream media, especially when it comes to transmasc people, with lack of main characters being a major problems, so I definitely take comfort in headcanoning characters as trans in fanwork. I could go on a tangent here about this but the gist is, there's either no rep, very background rep that absolutely doesn't bring anything to the story and feels added as an afterthought, trans rep whose story is told in a way that can be pityable and accommodated to cis audience, and very sad, stereotypical trans rep when you've got the whole dramatic haircutting in front of a mirror, ace bandages, and 'that's not my name, mom' that's not the reality and a major simplification, or we have sob story trans rep that dies at the end. I've written a major assignment about this (curiously, before I came out as trans...) and my point is, fanwork is a form of comfort and rep that we're not getting anywhere else.

I don't vibe with trans Mav as much since my modus operandi in fandoms is primarily staying around canon/canon divergence, so most of the headcanons/ideas I like are close to the reality of the universe of the original media or could take place in it without major changes to the universe. When I write, I try to make it semi-realistic in the same way. Obviously, TG and TG:M disregard some physics laws and have a lot of very improbable things happening in them but socially and historically seem to be the same as our reality.

There's a reason I wrote Bradley coming out later in life in monkey pilot rather than have him come out before NROTC or while in flight training (and it wasn't just because I wanted to write the Jake drama...) - in short, realistically, trans people weren't allowed to be part of armed forces until 2015 (in the US, of course) and they only allowed people who were already in service to return after transition, you couldn't enlist as an openly trans person until a year later (that was iffy too, and more complicated but I won't go into details), and to this day, veterans are fighting to get their VA benefits back as they were taken away if they came out as trans after completing service... Laws regarding trans people were in general more complicated before 2010s (name and gender legal changes, mainly) as well as access to trans healthcare, and coming out as trans wouldn't really be an option (realistically) if one wanted to be part of the military anytime before 2016. Even in the monkey pilot I've taken a large artistic license (gave Ice a bit more power than he would have in reality...) to keep Bradley in the Navy post-transition.

This means there isn't a way for Mav to be openly trans and in the Navy in the 80s while also in service. It's always in the back of my mind whenever I see fanarts or read fics because the sad truth is, that wouldn't be the reality. I know a lot of trans people like to write trans characters in settings and universes with a silent 'transphobia doesn't exist' au and I can see the appeal of that at times but once again, not my modus operandi (with the exception of different job aus, I think?).

I do think that an Icemav fic could be an interesting idea and made realistically if we had Mav closeted and serving in his agab (so, female to the outside world) but slowly coming out to the found family around him (Carole, Goose) without transitioning. This is something that sometimes, undeniably, happens in the trans community -- people don't come out or start the transition process because it's not safe or will severely impact the comfort of their life. There are ways to affirm your identity without coming out in every aspect of your life and Mav might have very well been supported like that by his friends and family as long as he was in service. I imagine that it could create an internal dilemma for both Ice and Mav once they started falling for each other -- Mav, as he'd probably want to come clean, and Ice because he'd have to decide if he would be able to relationship with a guy. I imagine they would live their life as a hetero couple outside their home, and as truly themselves in their own home for the majority of their lives and Mav would transition late in life, at the age of fifty-three, and this is also something so underexplored. You might have noticed that trans Mav art and fics are mostly with him being a twenty-something twink, which, again, is probably more relatable as most fandom people are twenty-something, but it kind of takes away the appeal for me -- I like to find comfort in that despite the struggles and the reality for trans people being bad, there's a happy ending waiting somewhere or with someone.

Different people engage in fandom for different reasons and I totally understand that my point of view may not be the most common one. I'll never say that people shouldn't headcanon/write/draw Mav as trans because, in the end, I don't have to be completely on board to find it enjoyable or to see the value it can bring to others.

I'm sorry if this was a bit long and thank you for the asks - it's so kind of you to send any at all to me. Once again, hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself too 💙

[sunshine-vx]

Across Space, Time and Dreams (ASTaD) (Ch. 18)

(Blankshippers DNI)

(Please refer to beginning of chapter 1 post for complete list of CWs/TWs)

(Extra notes: Woo, a new chapter out already! Glad I could get another chapter out sooner than later like I said! :] That being said, though, I'm gonna let yall know that, unfortunately, the next chapter will probably take a while to be posted. I've already gotten it written, but basically ever since the idea for that chapter came into my head, I've told myself I'd make an animation for it. It's going to be about 1 minute and 10 seconds long, and if I get help, it will only be from one person. I'm out for summer break, so hopefully I'll be able to get it done faster, but I can't promise it will be as fast as I'd hope. I hope yall can understand, and I sincerely hope that whatever the result is will be worth it! I've been challenging myself with this fic ever since I started it, and I'm glad to tackle a new challenge! That aside, I hope yall enjoy! This one's a bit shorter compared to the previous two, hahah.)

(This chapter's illustrations done by @moonlightalpha666 !)

(Read it on Ao3 here! (Not yet uploaded to Ao3, link will be here when it is!))

(Reblogs are appreciated!)

-

Emmet woke up before Ingo did. That was expected, although it made Emmet happy, as well as slightly amused him, that Ingo's sleeping habits seemed to not change much, even in a place like this. Emmet got up to look at the old-fashioned clock on the windowsill- The time read 7:30 AM; An hour and a half to prepare and get to the Temple.

Emmet went back over to the pallet and sat down by his brother, shaking him gently by the shoulders a few times.

"Ingo. Ingo, come on." Emmet stated, "It is time to get up."

After a few shakes, Ingo mumbled something incomprehensible before his eyes opened. "Huh..? Emmet..?"

"Ingo, brother, it is three-thirty in the morning." Emmet explained, "We must be at the Temple of Sinnoh around nine so that I can summon Dialga and Palkia."

Ingo was silent for a moment, seeming delirious, before he jumped and his eyes opened wide.

"Oh, right!" Ingo exclaimed, quickly, standing up, followed by Emmet, "Yes, let us begin preparing at once!"

Now that they were both awake, the twins quickly got dressed into their uniforms, beginning the gather what they needed for the trip and a possible trip to their origin world after that. 

"Ingo. Dialga and Palkia may bring us home, so make sure not to forget anything you will need." Emmet stated, putting his Pokéballs into his coat.

Ingo was also gathering his Pokéballs into his coat as well, "Regarding items, I have everything; I just need to bid my farewells to those I feel it's necessary to do so, first."

Emmet nodded, "Yup. Of course."

Emmet and Ingo exited the house, Ingo spotting Zisu making her way for the village's gates. Ingo jogged up to her, Emmet following suit.

"Lady Zisu! Are you headed for the Temple of Sinnoh?" Ingo questioned, "Do you know where Akari and Rei are? They told us they'd be waiting at the village gates for us."

Zisu nodded, carrying a bag with one of her arms, "I sure am! And Akari and Rei are right where they said they'd be, so we can just walk together."

Ingo responded, "Thank you."

"That is good." Emmet commented. 

Zisu gave a friendly smile, and the three made haste for the village gates. Akari and Rei stood some ways outside them, just as was promised.

Zisu waved as she continued walking past Akari and Rei, heading for the Temple on her own, the others returning the gesture, before Ingo and Emmet turned to face Akari and Rei. 

"So, you will be helping us to the Temple of Sinnoh, and our stops before that?" Emmet asked.

Akari nodded, "Indeed, we thought you guys would benefit from a bit of help."

"Besides, safety in numbers, right?" Rei added. 

Emmet voiced, "Yes. Thank you verrry much."

"Excellent! You both have our thanks!" Ingo exclaimed, "I planned on making way for the Coronet Highlands first, to meet with Hectar and Lady Sneasler. How is that?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Akari replied, "Ingo, you lead the way and I'll be right at your side if you need help. Emmet and Rei must also be on the look-out, of course."

"I will stay by you. And keep watch." Emmet spoke to Ingo.

Ingo nodded and smiled, then stepped forward, the others preparing to follow, "Bravo! Yes, we will stay and work together! Now then- full speed ahead!"

After some trecking, the group made their way to the Coronet Highlands. Thanks to Akari's vast collection of Pokémon and the group's combined knowledge, they were able to get there quicker than a usual trip between the lands. 

While Akari had become accustomed to the ins and outs of the Highlands, Ingo knew the Highlands like the back of his hand; He knew just what shortcuts to use, when and how to use them, and most importantly, where Lady Sneasler's seat was located.

As Ingo led the quartet up the path to Lady Sneasler's seat, they were suddenly met with Lady Sneasler herself hopping down in the middle of the path in front of them, Hectar emerging from a turn close behind the Noble.

The group stopped in their tracks, taken aback.

"Woah!" Rei vocalized.

Lady Sneasler made a hissing sound that almost sounded like laughter, flicking her feather away with her claw.

Ingo chuckled and waved to Sneasler, "Good morning, my Lady!"

Hectar approached the group, laughing a bit as well. 

"Lady Sneasler has been waiting to see you, Ingo." Hectar explained "She wants to go to the Temple with us."

"Oh, really?" Ingo responded, "Well, let us get to her seat first. We can discuss things there."

Hectar nodded, Sneasler making a purring noise, Ingo initiating the rest of the walk to Lady Sneasler's seat.

"So you want to come to the Temple?" Ingo spoke to Sneasler, Hectar standing by the Noble.

Sneasler made some clicking and trilling sounds. She did. She wanted to be there for whatever happened.

"Alright. I have nothing against that idea!" Ingo conveyed, "But will your kits be safe?"

Sneasler made more clicking noises, Hectar piping in.

"I've been training my team in preparation for situations like these! They'll stay here to protect the kits- and I'll bring my Alakazam with me, in case they need to call for help!"

Ingo nodded, showing approval of Hectar's plan. "That sounds great!"

"Well, then I see no reason why you can't come!" Ingo said as he turned back to his Lord, raising his arm to give the Noble some pets. Sneasler purred, a silly looking grin on her face.

Ingo lowered his hand and spoke again, "Well, we've got some time to spare, lucky for us, as I hoped to be able to do a few things before heading to the Temple, first."

"What would that be?" Hectar wondered. Sneasler cocked her head to the side, also curious.

Ingo took a bag out from one of his coat's large pockets

"My Lady, we made your favorite again; But with a twist!" Ingo exclaimed.

Sneasler made a curious clicking noise. 

"I helped," Emmet added, "I hope that is okay…my Lady." 

Ingo approached the bowl at the seat and poured the contents of the bag inside, "Yes, Emmet helped me make your dish for this morning, my Lady! He did his best and I'm sure it'll be excellent! Is that okay?"

Lady Sneasler approached the bowl and looked at the food. It was still very recognizable as her favorite dish Ingo had perfected, but it certainly was different this time.

Sneasler sniffed the bowl and hesitantly took a bite of the food. Then, her eyes lit up, and she began eating quicker while purring could be heard coming from her.

Hectar smiled and Emmet sighed with relief, Ingo clapping his hands.

"Bravo, Emmet! She loves it!"

Emmet smiled and turned to Sneasler,

"I am glad I was able to make an enjoyable dish for you."

Lady Sneasler made a trilling noise before taking another bite. 

"My Lady, I don't mean to bother you, but I would like to see the kits and eggs before we leave to the Temple," Ingo stated, "could Emmet see the eggs with us? He is very gentle and loving to little ones."

Lady Sneasler, almost done with her food, thought for a moment. Then, she made a content hissing noise, nodding. She was sure Ingo would take care of Emmet if he did anything, and Emmet had proved to be nothing but friendly so far. 

"Excellent! You have our thanks, Lady Sneasler!" Ingo replied.

Emmet nodded, "Thank you, Lady Sneasler. I appreciate it a lot."

Sneasler replied with trills and clicks. She would follow them soon. 

Ingo turned to Hectar, "Hectar, would you like to come with us?"

Hectar nodded, "Of course!"

Ingo, Emmet, Akari, Rei and Hectar made their way into the den. Emmet seemed struck by adorableness by the sight of the kits. 

"They are so cute!"

"I know, right?" Rei agreed.

"Indeed, they are!" Ingo chuckled, and even though the eggs may not have been able to hear them, Ingo spoke, "Little ones! You may have heard news of a new person here! He is my brother, and he is very kind! He's here to see you all with me, so don't be afraid to say hi!"

Emmet smiled. The group took some more steps in the cave.

"Look, Ingo, this is the egg I told you about!" Hectar commented suddenly, walking towards an egg snuggled in a bed made of some grass and other soft materials. It was almost the same as the other eggs, but looked a tiny bit different.

Emmet and Ingo followed Hectar, Akari and Rei looking from a few paces away.

"Is this the egg you told me Lady Sneasler had recently?"

"Yes, sir! It seems healthy overall, but it seems just a bit different from the others."

Ingo thought for a moment. Then, he got an idea!

"Well! I think I'd be able to tell just fine, but my brother here is especially knowledgeable in care of baby Pokémon!" Ingo exclaimed, "Emmet, how about you help me take a look at this egg?"

Emmet seemed surprised, but was glad to take the offer. "Of course I can do that."

With that, the twins examined the egg for some moments, before speaking to each other for another.

"So?" Hectar asked.

"It is hard to tell; It may be a bit more fragile than the others, or be a little weaker, but we would only really be able to tell when it is born." Emmet explained.

"Lady Sneasler will probably be able to tell when the egg is a bit more developed." Ingo added.

"But it's not bad?"

"No, nothing necessarily bad."

Hectar nodded, "That's good"

"Well, I'm going to say my farewells to the other little ones." Ingo commented. He smiled and gave the egg a few pats, "I'll see you again, little one!"

Emmet laughed a little and also gave the egg a few pats. Ingo stood up, Emmet following.

As promised, Ingo walked around the cave, giving each egg and kit some pets and kind words. Emmet followed suite, wanting to let the little ones know he meant no harm- plus, they were pretty cute! He gave them a few pets and a few nice words. Some kits were a bit hesitant to let Emmet pet them, but he at least got one or two pets, and he made sure not to push their comfort levels.

A lot of them didn't have nearly as much trust in him as Ingo, but he thought he was doing well.

Soon, it was time to go.

"It's about time to get going now." Ingo stated.

Ingo, Emmet, Akari, Rei and Hectar walked to the exit of the den, where Lady Sneasler had been standing for a bit now.

Irida vocalized, "When we get to the Pearl Clan, we should perform a short ceremony to set Hectar's new role in stone. Is that alright with you all?"

Ingo nodded, Sneasler making a trilling sound of agreement. Hectar seemed shocked at first, but encouraged by the approval of the other two, he beamed, giving Irida a small bow, "I would be forever blessed."

The others only nodded- they were not part of the Pearl Clan, and they had no reason to object.

Irida smiled at Hectar's enthusiasm, "Then it is settled."

With that, Hectar and the others then turned back to look into the den.

"Goodbye, little ones! I'll be back soon, and Hectar will do his very best to take care of you all!" Ingo announced, "Don't worry, he is a great warden!"

"Goodbye! Thank you for meeting me!" Emmet added.

"I'll be back later today!" Hectar said.

"See you all some other time!" Akari exclaimed.

"Byyee!" Rei chimed in.

"Do keep an eye on that egg." Ingo told Lady Sneasler and Hectar as they left. Sneasler made some clicking noises in response, as she understood. Hectar nodded.

Once they were outside, they stopped at the exit of Sneasler's seat.

"So, you're coming with us to the Temple? For sure?" Ingo asked the Noble.

Sneasler made a trilling noise. She was sure.

Ingo smiled and nodded, "Alright then! We need to visit clan grounds in the Alabaster Icelands first, and then we will make haste for the Temple? Everyone on board?"

Sneasler trilled. 

"Yes, sir!" Hectar answered.

"Absolutely!" Akari replied

"Of course!" Rei responded.

"Yup!" Emmet said simply.

"Good!" Ingo stated, "Let's go!"

Soon, the group made it to the Pearl Settlement in the Alabaster Icelands. Sneasler was certainly helpful in getting them there faster. 

Irida was waiting at the entrance of the Settlement. She waved at Ingo and the others when they gave into view, the group returning the gesture.

"Good morning, Lady Irida. Thank you for waiting for us!" Ingo spoke.

"No need to thank me," Irida replied, "I have the people gathered if you wish to make any announcements. I'll at least be making a few."

"That's great, actually! I would like to make a few announcements, as well." Ingo turned to the others.

"Is it okay if you all accompany us in the announcements? If needed?"

All of them seemed to respond in the affirmative.

Ingo nodded, before turning back to Irida.

"We're ready."

Irida nodded and walked into the Settlement. Ingo and the others heard mumbling and whispering as they followed Irida towards the hot springs, where the announcements would be held. 

Irida stepped onto one of the rocks by the hotsprings, Ingo, Emmet, Akari, Rei and Hectar standing to the side.

"Attention! Thank you all for gathering here today." Irida spoke, "We're here this morning because I have important news, and there are things you must hear from a few others as well."

"As you all know, Warden Ingo appeared here mysteriously one day. Warden Ingo has been looking into his origins more lately. As you may also know, his brother, Emmet, appeared here just yesterday by similar means." Irida continued, "Emmet has made claims that he got help from Dialga and Palkia to come here, and wishes to bring Ingo to their origin world. Ingo has agreed to go temporarily. Emmet will soon be tested when we leave for the Temple of Sinnoh. Warden Ingo will now make an announcement regarding these important manners and their details."

Irida stepped down, Ingo stepping up after her. Ingo waved up Emmet, Hectar and Lady Sneasler, who stepped up beside him. Ingo faced the crowd before him.

"Greetings, everyone! Thank you for coming to listen to me today. As Irida said, I have a few important things to say." Ingo explained, gesturing to Emmet, "As you all have been told, this is my twin brother, Emmet. He wishes to bring me home to my origin world, and I wish to go for a while. My trip will not be permanent– if change occurs, I will do my best to make sure it goes smoothly! In my origin world, I will be recovering my memories and learning about my origin world and myself."

Ingo glanced at Hectar and Lady Sneasler. He continued.

"It may also be known that I have been training a successor to my role as Lady Sneasler's Warden. As far as I have planned, I will not be giving up my role as Warden any time soon, but I need someone to help me in situations like this- and there's no harm in preparing for things early, right?"

Ingo turned and nodded at Hectar, who nodded back and turned to the crowd. 

"Thank you all. It is an honor to be Warden Ingo's predecessor, and one of Lady Sneasler's caretakers."

Lady Sneasler made content trilling and clicking noises, flicking her feather away. 

Ingo once again faced the crowd. He began speaking once more.

"I will say, that I believe that this announcement is the last time I will be here at the clan for a while. I believe Emmet is telling the truth. And if not..then I will face the consequences of my actions." Ingo stated, "But! I will treat the end of this announcement true to my beliefs. Everything will be well; I hope you can trust me and my words. So I end this announcement with a farewell until I return and take care. All of you have our thanks!"

"Emmet, can you step down for a few moments? We are about to perform the ceremony." Ingo said

"Of course." Emmet replied with a nod before stepping down and off of the rocks, Irida stepping back up onto them.

"With that, let us perform a short ceremony to celebrate Hectar's newfound status as Warden Ingo's successor."

Ingo, Hectar and Lady Sneasler stepped onto the rocks with Irida. The crowd, along with Emmet, watched intently as the ceremony was performed. It consisted of a few small rituals, mostly symbolic vows important to the completion of the ceremony. 

At the very end, Ingo placed a small bracelet on Hectar's wrist. It wasn't as patterned or large as Ingo's, but it definitely served as an indicator of Hectar's new role.

And with that, Hectar, Irida, Ingo, and even Lady Sneasler all took a bow.

"It is done. We all welcome Hectar as Ingo's successor, and our dear Noble Sneasler's future Warden." Irida stated.

After another exchange of words– including Hectar's thanks– him, Ingo and Sneasler dispersed back off the rocks.

Irida turned to once again face the crowd,

"And there you have it. Warden Ingo will be leaving now, and I must accompany him. I will not be gone for long." Irida stated, "Do not worry. You can trust us, as Warden and Leader. Take care of yourselves. You may all go now."

The crowd murmured again, but seemed mostly content. They slowly dispersed from the hot springs. 

Irida stepped down and faced the others. 

"Thank you for letting me say what I wanted, even if you didn't necessarily like it." Ingo spoke to Irida.

"I am not mad, or disappointed," Irida replied, "I suppose I'm just..worried."

"You don't have to worry. I know I have no proof of that but..I'll say it anyway."

"I appreciate that. Truly, I do."

"I would like to thank you, as well, Miss Irida." Emmet stated.

Irida gave Emmet a smile and simply nodded.

Rei commented, "Do we have anything else to do? Or should we finally make our way to the Temple of Sinnoh?"

Nobody objected to the idea.

"Alright then, we should get going." Irida said, "Akari, why don't you lead the way?"

Akari smiled and nodded, "To the Temple of Sinnoh we go! Is everybody ready?"

The others all answered in the positive.

With that, Akari turned to face the direction they would walk, then announced;

"Let's go!"

Eventually, the group finally got to the Temple of Sinnoh. It was high up on the mountains, the structure broken and worn after the arrival of Palkia and Dialga while they were frenzied.

Now, it was a silent place, its pillars piercing the sky.

Everyone else was already waiting; Adaman, Zisu and Cyllene.

They stood near the center, Akari and the others approaching them. 

"So, shall we begin? There's not much to say." Cyllene remarked, "We all know why we're here."

Irida conveyed, "Hectar, Lady Sneasler, follow me, please."

Hectar and Lady Sneasler did as they were told, walking with Irida to stand near a broken pillar opposite of where Adaman stood, Cyllene and Zisu near yet another.

Rei and Akari decided to approach Zisu and Cyllene; They were more used to Jubilife Village, after all.

"I'm going to stay near Emmet." Ingo proclaimed. No one objected, although Ingo felt as if they weren't the fondest of his decision.

"Emmet needs the Orbs to summon Dialga and Palkia." Rei exclaimed. 

"Right." Akari replied, facing Adaman and Irida, who nodded in approval. Akari nodded back and approached Emmet, reaching in her satchel and taking out the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs. Emmet's heart began racing upon the sight of them; This was it.

"Here. Now it's time to let Dialga and Palkia decide what should happen next." Akari spoke as she handed the Orbs to Emmet.

Emmet nodded and took the Orbs, "Yup. Thank you verrry much."

Akari stepped back and returned to the pillar she had been standing at before. 

Ingo stuck to his word and stood beside Emmet, although making sure to take a few steps back, as he was unsure what would happen.

"I will begin now." Emmet stated. No one objected.

In response to that, Emmet carefully placed the Orbs on the ground in front of the center, to the left and the right. He then returned to the center.

Emmet then spoke, loud and clear.

"Dialga and Palkia! I have arrived in Hisui, just as I said I would, and as you sent me to! Not only that, I have found my brother, Ingo! Not everything is as I thought it would be; Some good, some bad." Emmet exclaimed, "Ingo and I wish to go home, for a temporary amount of time. The people of Hisui are skeptical of me and my claims of your aid to me- and so I am summoning you here, both to prove myself and ask something of you!"

Emmet's speech echoed through the air before vanishing. His heart rate went up. Ingo stiffened. For a moment, they both felt fear; What if they didn't show up at all?

Then, the ground and sky began to rumble. Yelps and other sounds of surprise came from everyone standing at the Temple. Then, two massive portals formed in front of the Orbs, which now began to vanish. Emmet smiled wide and Ingo's eyes sparkled. 

And then, the gods of Space and Time stepped through the portals, making their appearance onto the Temple. The portals closed behind them.

Everyone stared in awe. Adaman, Irida, and Hectar got on their knees, bowing to their lords. 

"..Humans." The voices of Palkia and Dialga echoed in Emmet and everyone else's heads. 

"You have summoned the Gods of Space and Time to this Temple."

Before anyone could speak, the legends' voices boomed again.

"Emmet. You have summoned us here."

"Yes. I told you why, but I ask that you allow some of the others to speak."

Emmet faced Ingo, who blinked, surprised. But then he nodded, seemingly knowing what he would say.

Ingo stepped forward, beside Emmet.

"Dialga, Palkia. My brother summoned you here for two reasons; But first things first…" Ingo continued, "Emmet has claimed to all of us that he had your aid to come here and search for me. I believe him with all my heart and soul, but others want your confirmation of his truth. Please, I ask you to give us your answer."

Dialga and Palkia were quiet for a moment, scanning the people who stood upon the Temple. Ingo became nervous, but tried to shake it off. Surely, they were thinking of what to say.

Then, they heard their voices again.

"..The truth he speaks indeed. And it seems his determination has not wavered between different spaces and times."

Emmet and Ingo felt multiple tons of weights lift off their shoulders. The others looked shocked.

"So it's true!" Rei exclaimed, "I knew I could believe in you guys!"

Ingo smiled at Emmet, who smiled back at him. They were both immensely happy.

"You have summoned us here," Dialga and Palkia spoke again, "you said, for two reasons. You have spoken one- what is the other?"

"Dialga and Palkia, much of my memory is missing, but my heart still remembers; Even without the memories, I know that Emmet is my brother, and I know I have a home from where and when he came." Ingo explained, "He wants to bring me there, and I wish to go, for a temporary amount of time. After that time is over, we both wish to return here."

Finally, Irida spoke up, "..Can that be arranged?"

"It can," Dialga and Palkia answered, "we can bring Emmet and Ingo to their world of origin, and when their amount of time is over, we will pull them back here. How much time do they request?"

"Two months and a half." Cyllene answered.

"That can be done."

Suddenly, the Temple shook again, and a single portal opened in front of Ingo and Emmet.

"This is your way home."

"It's that easy, huh…?" Irida articulated, "So I guess you won't be having to go back."

Ingo shook his head, "No. But…before I go forward; Thank you, all of you. Some people would be cruel, and not let me go at all…I thank you for giving Emmet and I a chance."

"Yup, yup!" Emmet exclaimed, "Thank you all so, so verrry much!"

He sounded genuine.

The others replied with their affirmations in response to the brothers' gratefulness.

Akari and Rei ran up to Ingo and hugged him, Ingo laughing. He returned the gesture, glancing at Lady Sneasler and Irida, smiling. Sneasler trilled, Irida smiling in return as they walked over to Ingo, Akari and Rei stepping back. Ingo and Irida shared a hug, Irida stepping away after a moment, before Lady Sneasler licked Ingo on his forehead and patted him with her claws, Ingo laughing and giving her a hug as well, along with some pats on her head. 

Ingo and Sneasler ended their gestures to each other before stepping back.

"I will be going now. Once again, thank you all so much. We're both eternally grateful."

"The trip through the portal will cause unconsciousness." Dialga and Palkia spoke to Ingo and Emmet alone, "Do not worry. You will awaken in a familiar place, and no damage will occur. Do you both still wish to go?"

Ingo then turned to Emmet. They both nodded at each other, then at the legendary Pokémon.

"Then, take your step."

Ingo turned to Emmet again, who turned back to Ingo.

-

"Ready?" Ingo asked.

"Ready as I will ever be!" Emmet replied.

Emmet reached out his hand. Ingo smiled and took it.

Emmet started, "On one.."

"Two.." Ingo continued,

"Three!"

In sync, the twin brothers jumped into the portal that would lead them to home, which closed behind them. And as they drifted off into unconsciousness almost immediately, for some reason they wondered.

What would the realm of dreams offer them this time?

Chapter 17 (part 2 of 2)

Chapter 19 (part 1 of 2)

[frankencocksupremacy]

You don’t have to answer this if it’s too personal I was just wondering how did you deal with the negativity/stress around phalloplasty? I’m having it soon and it’s a serious downer hearing both the negative talk from non-op guys and stories from people have regretted surgery (even if that’s rare). I’d appreciate any advice if it’s not too much to ask

i don't mind answering this at all, no worries. this sort of thing has actually been on my mind for a long time and this gives me an excuse to talk about it lol. please note that just because something made me feel better that doesn't mean it'll work for you. we're all individuals and i'm no therapist. also note that i'm still in recovery and my main way of coping with anything heavy is cracking jokes (INCELS STILL WISH THEY WERE ME) so try to take particularly specific things i say with a grain of salt and feel free to toss out whatever advice seems unhelpful. if none of this works for you, i apologize, but maybe someone will find it beneficial.

ANYWAY here's whats been helping me get through my days (i tried to condense it but it ended up being a novel anyway oops):

⦁ post-op depression is real and it happens to lots of people. it can be coped with. keep yourself as mentally well as you can post-op. seek the support of people who care. immerse yourself in things you enjoy (just be careful if those things are drugs or sex. ask your doc about what your limits are while you're healing). develop a strong sense of humor. and be patient with yourself if you get frustrated or insecure. post-op depression doesn't last forever, and contrary to what some people believe, it also doesn't mean you've made a mistake. it's completely normal to feel shitty when you're in pain and exhausted for a long time

⦁ don't share more then you're willing to, no matter what. you don't owe nobody nuthin. transition is personal and nobody is entitled to the details, esp if they just want to know how to better shit talk you. be polite towards the well meaning, but set your boundaries and don't let people bully you past them. there are some trans people who think we must share all of our experiences, that we must make ourselves vulnerable for each others' sakes, but i promise you nobody will die if you choose to keep things private

⦁ understand when people are speaking in bad faith. non-ops who find bottom surgery "faulty" or are jealous of it don't care about the actual results, they just want you to feel bad for either living differently then them or for having what they don't. spiteful detrans people don't care about the thousands of happy post-op people who live and die as their transitioned gender, they're bitter about their own difficult experience. trans people who regret bottom surgery have their reasons to and that should be respected, but those reasons are entirely theirs (read: not a reflection on you or a guarantee that you'll feel the same way). Their_Experience_Is_Not_Universal.jpeg. none of these people having different lives or opinions needs to mold your reality

⦁ in addition to that, realize when people are speaking from a place of bias. of course someone who hasn't/can't have this surgery may talk shit, that's what sour grapes and internalized transphobia do to you. of course shittier people who've detran'd think nobody can be happy with the outcome of surgery, they're focused entirely on their own pain. of course people with surgical regret may try to disuade others from surgery, it wasn't what they wanted/needed/expected and they typically think they're doing you a favor. don't buckle to other people's perceptions of this operation without asking yourself what's motivating their mindset and what they'd get out of you believing it. everyone has intentions and they're not always good

⦁ don't argue with people who have made up their minds that they dislike your body, your decisions, or you as a person. you will not win, and you won't change their mind no matter how you respond to them. they'll just drain your energy and convince themselves that your reaction proves they're right. if someone makes a disparaging comment in person, subtley express disapproval at their social faux pas and then ignore them. if you get nasty messages online, delete them without acknowledging them publicly at all, even if you have the sickest of burns ready. and then reward yourself for staying mellow by doing something you enjoy, esp if its with people who actually respect you and make you happy

⦁ you are not a hypothetical or a statistic, so don't cling to them and psych yourself out. many men have this surgery and are thrilled with their lives after, and no percentage of people who encounter A Bad Thing That Happens Sometimes has ever changed that. live with what's happening right now in mind, not what could happen or has happened to others. this isn't to say you shouldn't be aware of or prepared for things like complications or difficult feelings, of course, just don't borrow trouble

⦁ in case it ever comes up: anyone who says your penis "isn't real" or "isn't functional" is wrong. your penis will be real, and chances are that if you've elected to get phallo, it will have the functions you'll need for it to be worth it to you. i can't predict your surgery outcome, and i'm only 6 weeks out as of yesterday so lord knows what's in my future, but my penis is very much a penis and it becomes more like how i want it to be every day. it's my own flesh and blood, i urinate through it, and someday i will have sex with it. cis =/= real and we'd all be better, happier people if we stopped pretending that was the case

⦁ reach out to other men who've had this surgery. feeling isolated and alone makes it easier to fall victim to the negative mindsets of (internally) transphobic people. frankly a lot of us are very happy to share because too many of us had to go through our transitions without much guidance or support, and we get that from discussing it with each other. if you need explicit permission to feel comfortable reaching out, though, my ask and IMs are always open and i love talking to other trans people about medical transition wink wink nudge nudge

⦁ don't be hard on yourself if you have transphobic or unsure thoughts. this is normal and almost impossible to avoid regardless of how things go. beating yourself up fixes nothing, least of all negative thinking. instead, if you find yourself half-believing non-ops who are insulting this surgery, question yourself. would you berate or judge another man getting phallo? are your thoughts framing cis people and their bodies as superior to trans people and theirs, and if so, why? are you dwelling on your own insecurities or dysphoria with little else backing your logic? if after surgery you start panicking because of things detrans or regretful trans people have said, keep asking. has this change actually made your life worse, or are you just anxious about it hypothetically being a regret someday? does focusing on the negative experience of others actually benefit you in any way? do you genuinely relate to the experiences these people have when they share why they're regretful? self interrogation might keep you from feeling like you're just ignoring narratives that make you uncomfortable, all while letting you constructively work through your feelings

⦁ remind yourself that no matter what anyone says or thinks, you're not changing for them. naysayers of phallo never prevented me from getting - and loving! - mine. ignorant detrans people have never made me go back to being a girl. others' surgical regret and post-op horror stories have not kept me from getting any surgeries. my life is mine, i choose what to do with it, and no matter how much hate or misinformation i've been faced with, i have persisted because my transition is for me and i know i'd regret it if i never took my chances with it. phallo wasn't for any romantic partners, or my family, or society, it was truly for Me. your transition is for You. you have one life. do what you truly believe will make it the best it can be, and no matter what happens you will be better off in some way for having tried

if you can maintain a healthy, productive way of thinking that focuses on self acceptance, you're golden. it's not easy, i know, but even the smallest effort to try makes a noticable difference. you're gonna do great. keep your chin up

(small note: i mention detrans people a lot here because they are among the people who experience surgical regret and some are loudly opposed to surgical transition because of it. i have no issue with people detransitioning. but notice how each time i bring them up i'm describing ones that are volatile and intentionally hurtful. those are the kind of detrans people i don't care for. plenty of detrans people are chill. don't listen to the ones that aren't)

[phemonoi]

Philosophy | Divine Madness

Plato's Phaedrus.

I wanted to start with this dialogue because even if it comes kind of late in history of antiquity, it really describes a very important part of greek tradition that influenced later philosophy and was very much present in romantic poetry and art. It's also a very pretty dialogue and one of my favorites. The Phaedrus of Plato was written in his midlife, around the 370 B.C. It presents his famous allegory of the Chariot, where he states that the soul has “wings” and explains how it becomes material, but mainly the dialogue is about love and the Madness of the Gods, which will be my specific focus here. This dialogue has been wrongly treated as mainly aesthetic, but the truth it's a theological dialogue with many spiritual additions, because love was for Plato a spiritual thing, not just an art or a satisfaction.

☀️ Synthesis

So let’s establish a little bit of context. The dialogue takes place in the countryside, and its actors are Socrates, as usual, Phaedrus, and Lysias (although he’s just mentioned). Lysias is a famous sophist, meaning he’s a speaker, and Phaedrus has a copy of one of Lysias’ most recent speeches, that after a lot of teasing and insistance, he ends up reading to Socrates. The speech verses about how it’s best to establish erotic relationships with a loveless person, rather than do it with a passionate lover. What Lysias says is that the loveless person won’t end up attaching to you, and the relationship won’t create gossip, involve jealousy, and it will much certainly allow for a larger selection of other lovers. Socrates is actually very sarcastic so he replies to this conclusion that Lysias should’ve written about the benefits of being the lover of an older or poorer man rather than a younger and richer one, and his words would be a good cause for the whole city. However, Socrates demostrates why he disagrees with Lysias, pointing precisely at the divine nature of passionate love. So in a very, very beautiful manner Socrates discusses why it's more beneficial to be loyal rather than a hoe lol. The dialogue treats the knowledge of the Gods and the nature of passion, how it comes to our souls through Eros, and helps us get closer to the divine and experience Them. This speech of Socrates is called the palinode.

☀️ The immortality of the Soul

First of all Socrates points at the immortality of the soul. To prove the existence of the Soul —of course, with the scientific knowledge available to them in their time—, Socrates points out movement. Things move because of a force, or because of will. For him, the sole observation that the Cosmos is full of movement and it's constantly advancing is enough proof for the existence of will and force, and thus the Soul. It's as easy as follows: things that move because of an external agent move by force and lack a soul, like stones, for example, or leaves. Things that move because of will have a soul and are bound to excercice it. For Socrates, the sun seems to move by will so it's evident that he has a soul, a much more complete soul than ours, bigger, and that makes him divine. The being that moves by will won't stop living, he says, because his movement must be continuous; if we move by will, but we die, then there's a part of us that doesn't die; our souls are divine and immortal. The body is a receptor of the soul, since movement by its own is the escence of the soul, and drive by force the escence of the body. So basically Socrates is saying you have soul because you can choose, you can think, you can move by will, and things that don't have a soul are less complex and can't do all of this. A body moved by will is animate, a body moved by force is inanimate.

Socrates then explains that the Universal Soul rules over the inanimate matter, and makes its evolution through the cosmos, manifesting itself under a million different forms. He speaks also of the wings of the Soul, that carry with them what is heavy (the material body) to the superior regions, where the Gods reside. This means that the Soul participates in divinity, through vibration. To explain it with a more modern concept: low vibes get you closer to matter, high vibes get you closer to the Gods. He also mentions that the Gods can't be defined by reason because reason is a human thing; nature lacks it, the universe lacks it, it's ours, and it's entirely theoretical.

Socrates also speaks of Himeros, God of desire and love; the feeling of exaltation that comes from him elevates the soul and helps it recover its wings. Socrates says:

“This affection, love, mortals know as Eros, the winged God; but the immortals know him as Pteros, the giver of wings.”

☀️ Theia Mania —the madness of the Gods

Remember what Socrates said about reason being unable to define the Gods? In Phadrus, Socrates exchange human intelligence for something greater and more beneficial: divine madness.

I know this is supposed to be our main topic, but really: Plato doesn't really say much about it. However, according to Thomas Taylor (who you should definitely read if you ever wonder about Plato, because he was an expert on the matter and openly pagan), Plato was usually exalted and inspired by divine madness when writing, specially dialogues like this one¹.

So as we had discussed in the summary, the dialogue starts with a discussion between Socrates and Phaedrus on Lysias' speech about choosing a non-lover rather than a “mad” lover. Phaedrus agreed that the mad lover will cause problems because he is so drunk in passion, that he cannot control himself: however, the non-lover will be satisfying enough, perhaps a bit cold, but won't cause troubles because he won't be invested in the relationship. As we know, the cause of desire is Eros. But Eros is a God, Socrates says, and Gods cannot be the cause of harm, ever. So the desire that the God has inspired in the mad lover must then be of good nature, beneficial and excellent. This madness of love, then, leads in the end to the highest kind of philosophical cognition.

There is two types of madness: the human type involving an internal state of psychic disharmony, and a divine type, involving possession by a God. Socrates says that the divine type of madness is always good, and we can see it in the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. He says that when magicians try to read divine symbols or interpret certain phenomena, like the shape of the clouds or the sound of the birds, this is a type of wondering of the future that lacks divine inspiration because it uses human knowledge and it's more possible to fail. However, when the Pythia is possessed and inspire, it has been proven that her prophecies are true, and they do happen; she is actually losing control of her body to let the Divine enter her mind. These prophecies have always been beneficial to humankind, so this madness of the Gods is good and is real.

There is four types of divine madness, Socrates says:

Ecstatic Madness: caused by Apollo and Dionysos. Mantika, the prophetic madness of Apollo, and Telestika, the ritual madness of Dionysos. Then there's Inspirational Madness: caused by the Muses and Aphrodite. Poetika, the artistic madness of the Muses, and Erotika, the passionate madness of Aphrodite and the Erotes.

This madness spontaneously adapts itself to its producing cause, imitating a divine power, and thus necessarily becomes magnificent, vehement, and exuberant: for such are the characteristics of it's source².

Ain't this beautiful? The idea of divine madness will be later developed by neoplatonists and adapted to a set of practices called theurgy, which will presume the aid of achieving such unity with the Gods.

☀️ Observations

When reading on this topic, one must be careful and check the sources. Plato is a philosopher thats has been thoroughly misinterpreted and edited across history by both atheists and christians. Most authors will tell you he was a monotheist, or even an atheist. He wasn't: Plato was the product of his time and his culture, and a polytheist. When he speaks of divine madness and the Gods he does so literally, as he's a faithful and pious philosopher. His metaphysics are pluralistic and this dialogue is an evidence of such.

On another topic, we can see divine madness across many cultures in human history. The possession by a God always leads to a greater benefit and is good and pleasurable. So one can judge many experiences based on this: the possession by a lower spirit wouldn't bring forward the same results, emotions and characteristics that the possession by a Divine agent would.

So I want to know, if you've come this far, what do you think about Plato's approach to Divine Madness? do you have any thoughts on this concept? Please add your comments, I'll be glad to read them!

I hope this post has helped, there will be more ☀️💫🌻 A sidenote: this post and the whole series of Philosophy of the Gods is being made in devotion to Apollo, as he is the God of Philosophy, my patron God as a disciple, and was the God of Socrates.

Sources:

¹ Plato, Phaedrus, spanish edition (Gredos).

² Thomas Taylor, Introduction to Philosophy and Writings of Plato, The Prometheus Trust Edition.

[bigskydreaming]

I'm gonna be honest, your posts and my own perception of dc comics + fandom + its treatment of my most favorite fictional character makes me want to write a spite fic, but I have OCs in my head who are not leaving anytime soon AND I wanna write a good old fashioned romance with Dick but I have never written romance ever I don't even understand it... And I write scenes rather than a whole story. So I'm genuinely afraid I'll start something and it will neither be cohesive nor finished. Regrets..

Honestly? I say just fucking go for it anyway. Put it out there. If you’re worried about leaving readers high and dry or whatever, just be transparent about that in your author’s notes....just say up front hey, I’m not sure what my updating schedule will be like or if and when this will be finished, but here’s what I have, hopefully some people will enjoy it for what it is.

Like, that thing people keep saying to me in arguments about Ao3 and creative responsibility, about how “well fans aren’t getting paid for what they create so they don’t owe anyone anything?” I’ll say til the end of time that’s effing crap when it comes to things pertaining to social criticism, stuff like racism, homophobia, pedophilia in their works. No, they’re not getting paid but they’re still presenting things to society for their consideration, and they still owe the bare basics of what everyone in society owes each other....ie things like not being racist, homophobic, predatory to children, etc. 

I bring that up here because the place where I ACTUALLY think “well fans aren’t getting paid to create their fanworks” is relevant....is stuff like you’re saying. Being worried about not finishing something and upsetting people.

THAT’S where I feel you don’t owe people, because devoting your free time and energy where and when you have it, to creating fanworks that you then offer up to the rest of fandom to hopefully enjoy, is not an obligation or a commitment to continuing to devote your free time and energy in order to continue to do so, if things change in your life or hell, if you just don’t want to anymore. Its your free time and your energy. That other people have benefited from it in the past, or reaped the rewards of your work in the form of entertainment they enjoy, is not an invitation for any of them to ever regard themselves as your boss and prioritize them as someone you need to please, more than you need to take care of yourself and what’s best for you.

There is a vast difference between ‘responsibility’ and ‘entitlement’ and so many of the issues I have with fandoms in general is the weird way in which so many people treat the two as flip-flopped and feel entitled to things they have no right to and meanwhile feel no responsibility to prioritize the basic decency everybody should have a right to enjoy.

In an ideal world, we’d never be without the endings to fics we invest a lot of time and energy into reading and enjoying, but other peoples’ enjoyment is not a responsibility we take on when we share things for free. This is one of those times when people need to be accountable for themselves. If they know they really hate not reading the ends of stories they really enjoy, and never getting the end to a story they’ve really been a fan of will upset them, that’s a them problem. That’s on them to factor this into their fandom experience and how they go about interacting with fanworks. 

There’s an easy solution to never being left hanging by an unfinished fic.....wait until a fic is finished before beginning to read it. Does that mean they might not get to read or enjoy the early chapters of something a lot of other people are reading and talking about? Yup. But if they’re gonna be bothered anyway after reading those and ultimately the fic goes unfinished, then there was never a scenario there that ended ideally. If you want the enjoyment of at least having sampled every creative idea in the fandom, you have to accept the possibility that some of those ideas will go without conclusion. If you want the surety of never being left bothered by an unfinished fic, you have to accept that there are some stories and ideas you’ll miss out on entirely.  *Shrugs* Its just how it is. 

Doesn’t mean that its still not frustrating to reach the end of a WIP and not know if there’ll ever be more, or flat out told there won’t be....but being frustrated is not the end of the world. Its a thing they can vent about on their blog, and a thing that can result in posts that make you feel targeted by and stress you out about not having updated lately, but that’s just because of how widespread the ‘really loved a WIP and now it’ll probably never be finished’ phenomenon is throughout every fandom, and has been pretty much from the start. And yet, fandom is still here, and none the worse off for the vast multitude of unfinished fics. 

Yeah, it sucks, but ultimately, its not a thing that actually hurts people, and its not a thing that you ever need to beat yourself up over. I mean, I’ve been there on both sides of the equation.....feeling super stressed and guilty over not updating a fic, and feeling frustrated by realizing a WIP I really loved is probably never going to be updated again. Neither is ideal, but it just is what it is. 

For what its worth, the thing I’ve received the most positive feedback on in literally any fandom I’ve been in over the past sixteen years, is Chapter 3 of my YJ fic, Born Under A Bad Sign. Only three chapters of that fic ever got around to being posted so far, with Chapter 3 posted like two years ago, I think.....and yet that one chapter alone has generated me more comments, private messages and emails than anything else I’ve ever written. It was a really personal chapter that allowed me to really unpack a lot of my own issues, like, Dinah basically acted as a proxy for all the things I wished someone had said to me at various points in my life...and even though I really hate that I’ve been too sidetracked by real life drama to return to that fic, I am so, so glad that I posted that chapter as soon as I wrote it anyway. I’ve been told by a lot of people that it really helped them as well, just to read it, because they felt like it said a lot of things they wish they’d heard before now too. And even just hearing it in a fic, said to a character they relate to....*Shrugs* It can help. You never know what can help someone, or what will really speak to someone, or what can have an impact. 

So I say if you cared enough to write it, someone’s bound to care enough to read it and be glad they did, even if you never write a single word more of it. If your biggest concern is leaving someone without more of something they enjoyed and came to love, just take comfort in the fact that you gave them something to love and some measure of enjoyment in the first place.

[creativemorningsdublin-blog]

Meet our Musician: ROE

Meet our Musician: ROE

Our musician for the month of April is ROE. Devastatingly sincere and relatable, ROE is a songwriter that pours her heart into every word that she writes. Her work spills truths from her own life, and from speculations on the planet on which we exist. Hailing from Derry, NI, ROE left college before finishing to travel the world playing festivals and to focus on writing songs that felt real. Her 2020 EP ‘Things We Don’t Talk About’ saw ROE cross 1 million streams on Spotify and is the culmination of 4 years of relentless writing, releasing and touring as a completely independent artist.

We sat down with ROE to talk about all things creative.

What does our monthly theme of procrastination mean to you? Procrastination is, for me, taking time away from something that you love just to make it better. I'm one for procrastinating all the time and then whenever I finally sit down to do something it works out really well because I've taken that time away. People perceive it as a negative thing, but I think that having that time is important.

What do you find most challenging about the creative process?

Probably the hardest thing for me is actually taking the time to sit down and write and keep going with this thing that I love. This is my career but also, it's therapy for me; sitting down and writing and knowing that it's good for my head. So whenever I procrastinate I know that I'm procrastinating because I can feel it in my brain.

You've quite a close-knit team, I love that you guys are all friends and that's such a big part of who you are as an artist. So is the solo time where it's just you in your room, writing, is that where you find committing to doing that most difficult?

Yeah because there's nobody there to push you on to do it, you’re literally relying on yourself to do this thing and you know that it's going to take maybe an hour or whatever. And I’ve started this technique where you put a timer on your phone for 15 minutes to do something and that's been very helpful. I know that it's only a tiny section of time that I have to do the task for and then you end up doing it for far longer because you're really into it.

But whenever I have the team around me, I feel the buzz. Whenever they’re around you and everybody is kind of gearing towards the same goal really. It brings you out of your shell as well, because when you're having the craic with people and you're all thinking about the same thing and they’re all like-minded and just want to get the best out of everything that you do. Especially whenever it’s my own stuff, because everything I write is written by me and it's kind of my baby, so it's nice having people around that make you kind of think that OK, I'm an actual professional musician. And they're just there to support you the whole way and I love that.

Is there any experience in particular that you've been reminiscing about? You know those moments that you live in?

Yeah, we were on tour just before lockdown happened up here. Literally just got back home in time and we had the show down in Dublin in Whelan’s Main Room and before that, we'd sold out upstairs and that night was just insane, and it was crazy because we were literally on stage and then we had to go back home up to Derry.

It was just a complete rush the whole night and it was just the best craic and I miss the connection with people. I miss the whole buzz after the show and just talking to people after the show and just chatting to people about their own experiences.

This whole point in life just feels so surreal because everybody’s taken a pause in everything that they do, especially in the creative sector and it's one of those professions that are really tied into your personal life as well. We were chatting about how like most of my friends, if not all of my friends, are involved in the music scene or the creative scene in some way. And I miss that being at a show with them so much and I miss just the thrill of being on stage and being able to perform my songs with people.

Do you think that mental health is the main message in your songs that will keep cropping up and is what’s really important to you or are there other themes that you’ve started to bring into your writing over the past year?

For me, writing is really personal. It's kind of like a diary, a scary diary, but I use writing as a form of therapy, so everything that I write is very much linked to my mental health and the things that I go through, and people really close to me go through. And it’s a way of getting these thoughts out of my head without having to talk about it because I am the worst person, as much as I sing about it, I'm really bad at talking about my mental health and actually opening up to people.

So I think if I can do that in a way that helps other people as well as it helps me. That's the aim for me. You know it's just to connect with people and have a little bit of hope because all of these songs that I write, they might have really sad topics behind them or themes behind them, but I get to do what I love because of them. I get to connect with people, I get to talk to people and get to make friendships and it came from all of these mental health songs that I've written about. It makes me realise how important it is to talk about these things, especially if you have the strength to.

I still get terrified before I go on stage because I know that I'm pouring my heart out on stage in front of all these people and I have no idea how it's going to go each night, but it's really important to me to keep spreading that message of: It's OK to have mental health issues. Everybody has some form of mental health issues. Nobody is perfect and it feels like a very human thing to communicate. I don't understand why there's such a stigma around it.

How do you feel about the narrative that if you write music, you don’t need therapy, that the music is therapy and is cathartic?

I think if you need help, get help. Your music isn't going to suffer because your mental health is getting better, and I think that's really important for people to understand.

There's this narrative of a tortured artist and you have to be suffering to make good art, and there's no logic in that. There's no reason why you can't better your mental health and feel happier and still write really good songs.

If you need help, get help. Your music isn't more important than your own mental state.

This year loads of people have been learning new coping mechanisms… are there any rituals that you do before stage or daily?

It's something that I'm working on. I've been reading into it a lot more. There's this book called Sound Advice that I've absolutely been loving and it's about creating rituals, especially with your bandmates, because you need a connection before you go on stage, that's why people play ball games or silly word games before they go on stage, to get that connection and bring the best onto the stage.

But before all this, I definitely took maybe 5 minutes before I went on stage and just didn't talk to anybody. I'd kind of take the time for myself because of the nature of the songs. I had to be in the right mindset to go sing them before, without breaking down onstage.

It's talked about all the time, how exercise helps your brain, and so I've started running and doing yoga a lot more and not for any physical benefits. But just because I know that it's going to help me in the long term and my brain.

What habits do you think you've had to unlearn over the last few years?

Finding my voice was difficult. We're in the middle of recording my album and this time I've taken the reins a little bit and realise that I like having a hand in everything in every aspect of my music. So, I'm definitely a lot more assertive than what I was, maybe three or four years ago whenever I was just starting out. And it is something that you learn – that you have a voice. And you're allowed to use it, even if you're young.

Some of the youngest people in this industry are the ones with the most inspirational ideas.

Always remember that you have a voice and you're allowed to have that creative expression and guide your own music like it's your music, so don't let anybody else take charge of it.

You put up a post recently saying that you were really excited about your new tunes and how they were really different... in what way are you excited about them being different?

They’re very true to what the songs are about. It’s shown in my writing how I’ve evolved as an artist. Practice makes everything better, so I'm really proud of these songs and I'm really excited about them. The whole mental health thing has carried over a whole lot and I'm glad that it has and I don't think I'll ever step away from talking about things like that.

There's been so much talk about how the music industry needs to step up, and I think it's really important to talk about these things ... what do you wish people knew about being a musician that isn't always visible or obvious?

All of the hours that go into and everything that goes into behind the music. Whenever people hear your music, it's a finished product. It's all shiny and bright and they don't realise how much has gone into the thought, the artwork or the production or the videos and all that aspect of it as well.

I think it's really hard to see music as a nine to five because you always end up coming up with ideas and the best ideas that I have always come at like two in the morning whenever I'm going to sleep, and I have to roll over and write them in my notes app or else I won't remember them in the morning.

Is there anything else you would say about your new tunes?

I’m being very mysterious at the minute! We’re working away trying to get everything done for my debut album and it’s the first time that I've had so much space to sit with every aspect of a project without shows in between. I want it to be something special to me and I think putting in the time into it is making that real.

What do you hope for the music industry going forward, what changes would you want to see?

That it’s more of a gender-neutral environment, especially when it comes to radio because I think everybody has seen the disparity when it comes to Irish radio at the minute. I want to see more opportunities for women in the music industry that aren't token, that you're not the only woman on the line-up.

Also more transparency. There’s a lack of transparency when it comes to a lot of the industry stuff and I know my manager, Liam, he's been great at the minute because he's started this Instagram page all about the industry and everything you need to know about labels, publishers. Everybody seems to keep to themselves and I wish that there was less of this competitive nature. There's room for everybody to get the opportunities that they deserve and there shouldn't be this need to be better than somebody, because we're all in this.

I want it to feel like more of a community than competition. I feel like if there was a worldwide community of musicians and everybody in the music industry was helping each other, that would be the day.

I think if it was more accessible and more open to young artists, people wouldn't be as scared or feel as if they need somebody else to know all this stuff. They wouldn't be taken advantage of. There needs to be more education when it comes to that, especially when it comes to the younger artists.

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You can check out ROE's music here.