#ive been having a lot of tma thoughts lately

[jellysmudge]

Testing gouache with everyone’s fav character 💕💕💕

[its-arson-time]

hiiiiiii arson how’s it going!!!!! all your tma posting got me so intrigued I’m on like. Episode 3. Oddly relaxing so far 👍 have you listened to any good music lately. !

HSJAJDNLSNXIDND YIPPEE YIPPEE YIPPEE i am not kidding i squeaked and started shaking TMA TMA TMA TMA u have to tell me all about ur thoughts i wanna hear everything :3 and yeahg !! ive been listening to a lot of abba lately

[viir-tanadhal]

I feel like over time my blog has just become steadily incoherent and just a mix of so much stuff at this point. you'll just get everything

[nothorses]

hellooo so i have a question and idk if i should preface it by stating that im tranfem enby and well past my 20s but here we go: how can a trans person be transmisogyny exempt? i always thought tm was just an overlap between transphobia and misogyny, not transphobia specific towards trans women and tranfems but ive seen the latter be used as its definition more lately. i would say i experience tm, but having irl transmasc friends has thought me that they too experience it, sometimes in a slightly different form but it was still something that would be considered tm. i just dont understand where all that came from. i would honestly argue that cis people can also sometimes experience transmisogyny in cases such as being gnc or having stronger/softer features associated with one or the other cis binary gender. especially black women who are athletes and woc in general. so idk it feels like ive missed something? has it always been like that? i remember discussions about how you can experience transphobia without being trans being held so how is that (tme/tma) different? im sorry if i sound rude or condescending, it wasnt my intention!

You don't at all sound rude or condescending, and I appreciate the insight a lot!!

I think there are a couple of definitions of transmisogyny that sort of float around:

It seems like the original concept was that transmisogyny = transphobia + misogyny, which obviously would impact the entire trans community in some way.

Julia Serano's work seemed to cement the idea that transmisogyny is specifically about the oppression trans women (and most transfems) experience, and people bought into the idea that because trans women experience misogyny, trans men do not and cannot.

Thus, "transmisogyny" evolves to describe a specific set of ideas, and a specific kind of oppression, which lies at the intersection of transphobia and transmisogyny and specifically targets transfemininity.

Which is a perfectly reasonable outcome, imo, even if I disagree with some of the ideas that got us from Point A to Point D. Having a term that names and describes the arm of transphobia targeting transfemininity is genuinely useful and necessary.

That said, "targets transfemininity" is verbage I choose very carefully: I think it's important that we put the onus on the oppressor, and that we describe the intentions- and the beliefs that go into them- rather than the outcome.

"Transmisogyny" is not trans women being brutalized, it's the thing causing trans women to be brutalized. We need to be able to point the finger at the person doing the brutalization and to talk about why it's happening in the first place, or that person scampers off into the shadows to brutalize more transfems.

Which also means we need to acknowledge that sometimes, that person is going to be wrong. They're looking for certain traits they associate with transfemininity (stereotypes), operating on a internal set of motives and ideas (bigotry) that are, by nature, incongruent with reality. They're going to brutalize the wrong people sometimes. Those people will still be brutalized in the end. They were still brutalized at that person's hands, because of their bigotry. Because of transmisogyny. They are affected by transmisogyny.

I'm totally here for the current definition of "transmisogyny"; and I think it actually helps to have other terms for other arms of transphobia, because it means we preserve the (extremely useful, extremely necessary) specificity of "transmisogyny" rather than trying to expand it to cover a much wider range of experiences than most people understand it to cover nowadays.

Now we have a way to differentiate between the motives, patterns, and actions of our attackers, and a way to talk about them in greater detail; and that's really, really helpful in keeping them out of the shadows. That's a great start to keeping more trans people safe.

[sm0kebreaks]

28 29 30

28. Any art events you have participated in the past (like zines)

i never see zines in time b4 the apps are closed!!! so i usually dont get the chance.... but also im not very good at following through LOL. ummm i helped a friend run a pokemon art contest thing once! i... didnt participate in it myself but i was one of the mods and designed a trainer that ran it and everything that was pretty cool. i also did get to participate in a south park zine once! the ppl in charge of that were nice enough to actually reach out to me to be a part of it so i didnt even have to worry about the app. but other than that im not much for events i dont keep track of time or projects other than personal ones very well

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically

to be fair i feel like i enjoy most media a normal amount and not as much in a fandomy whcih means not a lot actually inspires me to draw. i LOVE Friends which im sure some of u guys have noticed (tho i guess sometimes that does inspire art bc ive deffo just fully redrawn scenes from the show but like w tma characters) i love my various youtube men and im a huge fan of horror movies (especially found footage its by far my favorite genre and sometimes i like to just sit and sift thru some real shitty ones to find gold lol) im kind of all over the place. oh and i love a lot of adult cartoons ummmmm none that i currently keep up with bc i hate uhhhhh watching media thats still like... updatingi guess???? but ive been like CRAVING rewatching metalocalypse lately

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

this questions embarrassing bc as much as i love attention its also humiliating to talk abt the things i think should have more attention!!! ummmm not so much a piece but um as a whole my childhood au is really being slept on. not that i post much for it often but everything i have for it i love soooo so dearly and bc i havent made the plot of it super clear i dont think many ppl really get into it but i just think its so cool and the story isnt fully fleshed out but every time i get more and mroe thoughts for it it feels more like its own beast and like i could really go somewhere with it!!! for something like SPECIFIC? i think THIS messy comic was totally slept on i thought it was such a cool scene drawn out even without context i mean come on jmart in their lil ruined prom clothes and daisy taking mike down.... jon losing a shoe.... i really like it idk

[rabdoidal]

i know you listen to a lot of podcasts and ive found some of my favourites from hearing you talk about them! do you have any favourites?

under the cut! my top 10 podcasts at the moment:

Alice Isn’t Dead Genre: horror, thriller, drama, Lovecraftian, Americana Episode count: 30 (completed) Description: A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman. Thoughts: This podcast is, to me at least, completely flawless in every way. I would consider myself a person that listens to a lot of horror podcasts, but Alice Isn’t Dead takes the cake for its depictions of liminal middle America, the horror that is capitalism, and the most tender, realistic depiction of lesbians in any podcast. Anything else I could say would spoil it and for this, I don’t want to spoil it because I want every person alive that can stomach horror to listen to this.

Archive 81 Genre: horror, comedy, sci-fi, Lovecraftian Episode count: 35 (ongoing) Description: Archive 81 is a found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound. Thoughts: The latest podcast I’ve tried, and it’s definitely one that grows on you. The audio mixing is some of the best I’ve heard in any podcast, and every bump and scratch and hum of frequency weaves to form moments that are truly and viscerally gory. Season 3 and Left of The Dial are my favorites because again, I love Americana horror, and anything that involves family!

Artificial Ghost Radio Genre: non-fiction, discussion, comedy Episode count: 75 (ongoing) Description: Our Sisyphean music recommendation challenge with hosts Miles (he/him) and Jupiter (she/they) challenge each other to find songs based on arbitrary themes and to spin the WHEEL OF DISCORD to talk about a random song from their library! They can be found on twitter @artghostpod. Thoughts: Gotta plug my own podcast! We’re still small, but the people I’ve met from doing AGR has made my life richer and fuller, even through the ups and downs. I recommend starting with #58: Songs about Aliens ft. our friend Liz (@thescaryjokes)!

EOS 10 Genre: medical drama, comedy, sci-fi Episode count: 34 (ongoing) Description: Doctors in space, a deposed alien prince, a super gay space pirate and a fiery nurse who'll help you win your bar fight. Thoughts: It’s been a hot minute since I listened, but as someone that inherently loves things like Star Trek and procedural comedies, EOS 10 is a quick and hilarious listen! Fair warning some of the earlier stuff is a little bit ignorant when it comes to their LGBT characters, but it gets a lot better over time.

King Falls AM Genre: horror, comedy, Lovecraftian Episode count: 100 (ongoing) Description: King Falls AM centers on a lonely little mountain town's late-night AM talk radio show and its paranormal, peculiar happenings and inhabitants Thoughts: I’m a bit behind, but again, gotta love some Alpine American horror! King Falls AM perfectly captures the feeling and sound of listening to a small late night radio show with two bros, but it really goes from typical dude dialogue to heart wrenching found family alien conspiracy real quick. Same as EOS 10, fair warning for some ignorant language and LGBT stereotypes, but they address it and it gets better as it progresses.

Not Another D&D Podcast Genre: actual play Dungeons and Dragons, TTRPG, comedy Episode count: 128 (ongoing) Description: Welcome to the campaign after the campaign! Three unlikely adventurers attempt to right the wrongs caused by a party of legendary heroes who screwed up the world while trying to save it. Thoughts: I’m only like 40 episodes in because they’re thick, meaty ‘sodes, but god is NADDPOD fucking hilarious. I’ve tried a fair few TTRPG shows, but the chemistry and care that the cast has together is unmatched by others in the genre. I’m a complete sucker for shows that are so funny and so tragic in equal measures, and the entire concept of a D&D game set after the world has been so drastically changed by a different D&D game is so unique!

The Faculty of Horror Genre: non-fiction, horror, philosophy, sociology, feminism Episode count: 86 (ongoing) Description: Tackling all things horror with a slash of analysis and research, horror journalists and occasional academics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West are your hosts for brain-plumping discussions on all things that go bump in the night. Thoughts: A little non-fiction in this list of fiction podcasts! The Faculty of Horror is a concise and educated intersectional feminist podcast, and it’s a breath of fresh air to listen to anyone that isn’t a cishet white guy talk about horror. I highly recommend the episode on Cabin in The Woods or Jennifer’s Body!

The Magnus Archives Genre: horror, office comedy Episode count: 180 (ongoing) Description: The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organization dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team. Thoughts: TMA is, similarly to A81, a bit of a slow burn to get into, but I think once you listen to a few episodes you’ll know if you want to continue. It’s a pretty standard prompt for a narrative, but the sheer amount of individual short horror stories they’ve managed to write is insane! And I love the slow break down between recording statements and the stuff happening within the archives. Also one of the best redemption stories in a character that starts off as such a grumpy fuck!

The Penumbra Podcast Genre: sci-fi, neo-noir, romance, comedy, found family, magic, medieval fantasy, adventure, mystery Episode count: 75 (ongoing) Description: At the Penumbra, you might follow Juno Steel, a brooding, sharp-witted private eye on Mars, as he tangles with an elusive homme fatale, tracks dangerous artifacts of an ancient alien civilization, and faces his three greatest fears: heights, blood, and relationships. Or you might enter the world of the Second Citadel, where the merciless Sir Caroline must corral a team of emotionally distraught all-male knights to defend their city against mind-manipulating monsters...even the ones they’ve fallen in love with. Thoughts: On god TPP was a life changing podcast for me. Having creators that are genuinely concerned with accurately representing minorities with care and dedication makes me feel spoiled when I try listen to anything else. The two main universes are so different with their own set of histories and cultures, but I love them both so completely. If you want LGBT+ representation, this is the seminal podcast for everything non-binary, trans, queer, and people that aren’t afraid to change and have that change be known! I haven’t listened to another podcast that actually depicts transitioning like they do, absolute king shit.

Wolf 359 Genre: space drama, comedy, action Episode count: 61 (completed) Description: WOLF 359 is a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought Thoughts: Wolf 359 is like if you fell down the stairs and at the bottom of the stairs was a bear trap, and then after you step in the bear trap someone helps you take off that beartrap, but then they kick you in the nuts. Just replace physical pain with emotional pain. It can be so funny but also so fucking stressful and sad – w359 isn’t afraid to kill its darlings, and it will break your heart but you will still say thank you.

[thoriffix]

Can you rec some media with canon queer characters 😌

ofc!! thisll by no means be an exhaustive list but idk what youre looking for specifically so ill break it into categories

my current favs!! if u follow me u know these already lol

the umbrella academy: netflix show abt dysfunctional superpowered siblings reuniting to stop the apocalypse. canon mlm character (pansexual according to his actor) w mlm romance, canon wlw character (lesbian according to someone on the show dont rmr who) w het romance in s1, wlw romance in s2 - this is one of my absolute fav shows at the minute in general its brilliant

the magnus archives: horror podcast abt the head archivist of an institute researching experiences w the supernatural. protagonist is canonically biromantic asexual, in a mlm relationship in s5, and there is another canon bisexual character, as well as (iirc) a canon wlw couple - yall know ive been so into tma lately its so so good, obviously if you dont like horror its not for you but if you do.. 👀

sanders sides: youtube series abt a gay dude working out his emotional problems via personified aspects of his personality. all the characters are gay cuz thas what thomas is baby! - i was hesitant abt putting this cuz thomas is a person not a character lol but if u haven't seen sasi i recommend it its like free therapy but theres songs sometimes

shows!

julie and the phantoms (netflix remake): musical show abt a teen girl rediscovering music after her mothers death w the help of three ghosts who were in a 90s band. canon gay character w a slow burn romance (not yet canon bfs but s2 lets go) - its very cheesy and the musical segments can drag on a bit but its p good overall

lucifer: detective show abt lucifer abandoning his rule of hell to buy a nightclub and beginning to solve murders w the lapd. lucifer is canonically bi/pan, as is his demon pal mazikeen, but queerness rly isnt a focus of the show its more casual rep - that being said its a good show overall, if a little predictable now n then (s1-3 on amazon prime, 4+5 on netflix)

kipo and the age of wonderbeasts: fantasy cartoon set in a future filled w mutant intelligent animals, kipo finds herself lost and has to get home w the help of her friends. canon gay character as one of the mains, canon nb side character - its a rly good cartoon! lots of fun, excellent soundtrack, and the main characters are all poc which is rly nice to see

the dragon prince: cartoon abt two princes and an elf assassin returning a dragon egg to its mother. canon mlm couple, several canon wlw characters, canon nb character - i havent seen the show myself but ive heard very good things abt it!

i am not okay with this: netflix show abt a teen girl discovering she has superpowers and hating it. protag is canon wlw (i THINK shes a lesbian but i havent watched it in a hot sec), developing wlw relationship - ianowt slaps! sad that s2 got cancelled but s1 is real good its a touch spooky and theres a bit of gore/blood so watch out lol

schitt's creek: sitcom abt a rich family who lose all their money and have to move into the motel of a town they bought as a joke. canon pansexual character and canon gay character w one of the sweetest mlm relationships - a rly good witty show w excellent character development for every character!

good omens: show abt a demon and an angel trying to stop the end of the world. every celestial character in it is nonbinary, + crowley and aziraphale have a nonexplicit (ie no on screen pda lol) romance - good omens is such a good queer show none of the characters care abt gender in the slightest lmao, plus the show in general is fantastic (the book is also very good)

movies!

the old guard: a group of immortals fight an organisation that wants to capitalise off their immortality. canon mlm couple - another one i havent seen yet (i will!) but apparently very good

it chapter 2: horror sequel to It, w the main characters returning to derry to defeat pennywise for good. canon gay character in unrequited love - i only say chapter 2 because his queerness isnt referenced at all in the first film, again its big horror and theres no gay romance just gay tragedy but its a good film

love, simon: romcom about a closeted gay teen falling in love w someone over emails. do i even need to state the rep? - honestly if u haven't seen love simon yet what are you even DOING its so good proper fluffy queer romcom, the book (simon vs the homosapiens agenda) is also really good!! so is the sequel (leah on the offbeat) where the protag is a bi girl + it focuses on a wlw romance

the way he looks: brazilian coming of age film abt a blind teen boy falling for the new kid at his school. canon mlm relationship - this doesnt seem to be on (british) netflix anymore so idk where youd find it with subtitles but i rmr liking it a lot!

games!

night in the woods: 2d platformer abt a young woman (well. cat) dropping out of college and coming home to live w her parents + discovering spooky happenings in her hometown. canon mlm couple and i believe the protag is canonically bi? - i will recommend nitw to literally anyone who will listen its one of my all time favourite games, deals w a lot of mental health issues and its absolutely gorgeous w a brilliant soundtrack and rly good dialogue thats witty and serious and realistic (its on steam + switch for sure dk abt other platforms, abt 15 quid i think?)

tell me why: adventure game abt twins returning to their childhood home + findin Secrets. canon trans male character - i havent got around to buying + playing this yet but it looks really good! (its in three chapters + on steam, not sure on price)

other media!

the art of being normal: slice of life novel abt a young trans girl discovering herself. main characters are a trans man and a trans woman. - a good novel! trigger warning for transphobic actions including descriptions of a transphobic attack on the guy, and its certainly not without its faults otherwise, but i thought it was pretty good

the adventure zone: dungeons and dragons podcast by the mcelroy brothers. idk specifics but theres a lot of canon queer characters in it! - i havent listened to taz yet but i know a lot abt it, inc that its good and funny and has plenty of queer rep

theres several more i like that arent listed here but to keep this from getting just ridiculously long ill leave it there :] tried to get a range of genres and medias, hopefully theres something for you in there!

[parasite-core]

!!! I'm not sure if you've answered something like this before, but a la TMA, what would your OCs be avatars of? And I'm curious about whether you have any OCs on the backburner! I tend to have a lot of OCs that Ive made but don't necessarily have a whole story attached to them yet, and I was mostly curious if you do the same thing, and what kind of OC ideas you would be excited about in the future!

Haha you asked at a good time, because my friend and I just started a tma AU of our OCs last week so I have thought about it extensively lately.

Lucien would definitely be an Avatar of the Vast. He’s very Simon Fairchild about falling from heights. But also he has a thing for stars and the night sky, so he’d have a very space-centric set of vast abilities, and his go to horror would be leaving people in the void of space, seeing and truly comprehending the sheer enormity of space and how much emptiness is in between everything.

Haruki would be an Avatar of the Slaughter. He’s actually acting as the first villain in our AU. Haruki uses a crystal knife that infects people with wrath. People who act on it become like Melonie was with the bullet, Slaughter aligned although not necessarily an avatar in their own right. People who try to bottle up their feelings and avoid their anger, afraid of losing control or of what they might do to others, will be devoured by it, the crystals overtaking them and feeding in their fear.

Roland was a victim of Haruki in the AU. But if he were an Avatar I think he’d be an Avatar of the Lonely. He has a hard time making connections with others outside his close friends, it took him a long time to open up to the party in his canon campaign, and he spends large parts of his story outside the campaign alone.

Kiyo would be an Avatar of the End. Death and their relationship with it defines their life so much, even if they would want to escape it, it’s inevitable they’d become a part of it.

Sai in the AU takes a role similar to Gerry. If she were an Avatar, I’d say...maybe the Corruption. She’s been known to turn people she doesn’t like onto insects, so that in a larger scale. Either that or the Eye, because she is extremely intelligent and likes to Know things.

Kaius in the AU is an archive assistant. If he were an Avatar, he’d be an Avatar of the Hunt. He’s a vengeful person when you wrong him, and he will hunt you down if he thinks you deserve it.

Morris in the AU is a former assistant to Jergen Leitner. As an Avatar...I honestly have a hard time picturing Morris as an Avatar. Maybe the Eye? But that doesn’t feel right. I could see the Stranger maybe. Yeah I think that’s the closest to true to him.

Umbrolus in the AU is Umber, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. Because we decided it would be funny if it were him instead of Kleio (who is based on Jon). So in the AU he’s going to be an Avatar of the Eye. This happened because he got traumatized by the entity that Umbrolus would originally have been aligned with, which is the Vast. Umber is on the radar of four entities: the Vast, the Slaughter, the Eye, and the Lonely. He has a lot of potential to fall to any of them from his combination of character traits. Although the Vast traumatized him and now he can’t walk outside at night without almost going into an anxiety attack.

As for characters I have on the back burner, I have two at the moment.

The first is Calio Caecos, an oracle who accidentally stumbled into just the right set of magical artifacts and rituals to start becoming a lich unintentionally. Calio is a bit of a narcissist, and because the beginnings of lichdom have caused him to start looking unhealthy (a la Voldemort) he’s very upset about this and trying to find a way to undo it (not actually knowing that becoming a lich is what’s happening, he just thinks he was cursed or something). His backstory is going to just be a list of different things he touched/stumbled into/nearly got killed by/did that was a bad idea, which led to the lichy end result. This includes a year that’s basically the black out drunk Skyrim quest where he doesn’t remember a thing that happened during it because of one of the many rituals/artifacts he touched that he shouldn’t have. He’s going to be my character in a Reign of Winter Pathfinder game. I expect he’ll die quickly because I’ve already rolled his stats and they aren’t good, but I think I’m going to have fun as long as he lasts. He’s going to be a bit of a terrible person and a huge flirt, which I don’t usually do, so that’ll be different.

The other is a elf magus named Caladrel. I made then to be a one-off character in an arena fight against Umbrolus in the RP I was doing with him, but I liked them a lot after the scene was over so now I’m holding onto them as a possible backup character for either Umbrolus or Calio. I don’t know much about Caladrel yet, except that they travel around seeking challenging opponents, are honorable, but also don’t like when others hold back against them so they are willing to egg their opponent on if it’ll mean a better fight.