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#labels are just words. it doesnt matter necessarily
butchdykekondraki · 3 months
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what exactly makes a butch woman butch?
uh if we're going like broad term butch then just being masculine basically. really it depends on what a person deems masculine. ive seen butches who wear tank tops and short shorts who are still butches. there's not exactly a ''wrong'' way to be butch honestly
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joejoeba · 1 year
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care to share more on how you understand narancia and mista now? i’ve been here throughout you trying to understand them and i love to hear your thoughts
Not them necessarily but the dynamic that I created in my brain that intrigued me so
So my initial dynamic was; they're close in a diff way than just bros. Narancia is aro-ace and Mista is anything but. Somehow their relationship makes sense even though they're like opposites. But how??.
Me now? Shit dude labels do not fuckin matter. Romantic? Platonic? Family and found family and friends?? None a that shit matters any more than exactly what you want it to.
What I've been into lately is, if you love someone, thassit. No explanation needed because some things aren't for words. I am a believer in Mista and Narancia having a sort of bond that doesnt have a title because its unique; Narancia puts the most emphasis on friendship so Mista is a Best Friend, Mista puts an emphasis on romance and family so Narancia is a Beloved Found Family Member (non-familial, found family ain't the same as biological family). Its wildly different understandings of each other but the thing is they love each other just as much so it doesn't matter. Who give a shit? The Popo? Society? Neither of them adhere to any rules but Brummo's and their own so they just do whatever and get an understanding. And no one needs to know what's up, not even them, because how could you summarise human emotion anyway? Live and vibe and love each other the best you can.
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starry622 · 4 months
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its well known by those around me that i am a dog, sometimes a wolf. im alterhuman, overhuman, human+, non-human, etc. im a canine with a "human" (or as i call it a persons) mind.
apparently theres a community around what i have, the clinical zoanthropy stuff, but they call themselves endels because of issues with calling it clinical. clinical points out the delusional bit, and many entities dont want to outright call themselves delusional in that way, which i understand. not everyone is comfy using the labels forced or given.
they use all this language and talk about the double bookkeeping i experience and its very interesting and cool! but, oddly, i dont feel welcome.
all these creatures seem so gatekeep-y to me. i even saw a post that made mention of fakers, and likened it to people who fake did. technically nothing they said was wrong or incriminating, but entities who post like that bring me anxiety. it makes me think everyones on the lookout for someone to fakeclaim, which i feel is harmful.
if they found me, as "new" as i am, just barely discovering the "correct" language for what i am, what would they think? i prefer the clinical label for myself. i know it better, it is more comforting to me. but, if not for my fears, i would consider myself endelic (i think thats the word) simply because of how much i connect with what ive seen in the community. like how im not therian in the 'kin sense, but i consider myself to be, due to a shared alterhuman and non-human experience.
i have all this mental illness and i feel like some internet stranger is going to tell me its all fake because my experience is different and im going to be cast out and nobody will accept me they way i am. that is my fear. i know im not faking a damn thing, but i am terrified regardless. i was told as a pup that as long as i know the truth, it doesnt matter, but what if you cant even be a part of a community because nobody will believe you?
do i have reason to believe others will see me as invalid? not necessarily. but, especially because i dont have the words like (or because i use different words compared to) all these folks, i still fear they might.
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whitepassingpocs · 11 months
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ok, so, my family (dad, more specifically grandpas side, I dont like dicing it up like that but it’s necessary for this story) is louisiana kreyol. We have been in america since at least the early 1700s and I know our ethnic background is french, italian, native, and west african. We are culturally kreyol-ish despite living in the pnw because my grandpa brought it with him when he moved up here. He does not speak the language.
My grandpa was interested in his culture, but the rest of my dads side…isn’t, and largely identifies as white. (despite not really looking white?. their skin is very much olive/brown and my dad looks more asian if anything.)
due to the way the world works, I obviously have very little information on the native side. Even the tribe itself only has about half a page of information on google. Same thing with the west african.
I look ethnically ambiguous, and identify heavily as native (and mediterranean, i dont identify as african as much but i do want to connect to that side a bit more) but reconnecting is so hard when theres no information.
my grandpa is dead, he died in 2018 which was before i even thought much about my heritage. my grandma does have native heritage but shes not connected and she doesnt know a whole lot about my grandpas side, i tried asking her the other day but she said that our family cant be kreyol because they “dont know how to speak the language” which just,, hurt.
I just don’t know what to do, I feel like im lying if i identify as poc, but i also feel like im lying if i identify as white.
I just feel very lost, i dunno :(
hello there. my condolences for the loss of your grandpa. its really hard to lose the family member you feel is most connected to your culture. the important thing to remember is that connection is also in you because you are connected to him, regardless of how you look or what you know. you come from your grandpa. i am not kreyol (if anyone who follows is, please feel free to comment on this ask), but some general advice on feeling connected is:
do your research - honestly just use everything at your disposal to research the history and culture you’re a part of whether that’s family records, books, internet, public records -  research! research! research!
interact with other ppl of your culture - be careful with this if you’re a minor, but interacting with other ppl from your culture in real life/online can be helpful but do so safely
follow activists/influencers from your culture - this will also involve research, but the best way to learn about the issues facing your people is from the people fighting them/advocating for them
learn language and recipes - again, this will take research, but there are loads of language learning apps for learning ancestor tounges. same with recipes for indigenous foods
engage with media from your culture - watch films, tv shows, and read books about and created by your people. its the easiest way to learn about your culture. even just finding clips on youtube
follow blogs/social media about ur culture - another great way to both learn and connect with ppl is following positivity/history pages about ur culture. it’s also a great way to decolonise ur feed
be patient with yourself - reconnecting is a process that is different for everyone. it’s a never-ending process and you have to respect there will be times you’re frustrated and even wrong about certain things - that’s okay. take a deep breath and keep going
labels are not as important as your actions - a label is a word you give yourself. it does not necessarily give you culture, allyship, community, history or knowledge. that has to come from you and your actions which is why its important to keep what you do in focus over what you call yourself. at the end of the day, that’s what matters. that’s how people will see you as who you are.
listen!! - there are gonna be times you get things wrong, there are going to be times where you’ll be called out. these are moments of learning. they’re not easy, but they’re necessary. listen and learn.
remember, blood quantum is colonial - unlearning to think of your heritage as something quantifiable is a big step and one of the most important steps you’ll take. no matter how much milk you add to coffee its still coffee
otherwise, check out our reconnecting tag for asks relating to advice on reconnecting and feeling connected to your culture. wishing you the best of luck 💛
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owlbeanies · 3 years
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AU In which the beta Trolls cheat In sgrub in order to avoid the jack situation and managed to shoot themselves back in time onto alternia. They get separated into multiple small groups.
Story follows mainly follows karkat and gamzee at first. This is well before murderstuck, and gamzee is useful for all of two seconds before getting horrendous sick from withdrawal. It might not be so bad if they had a reliable way of getting food and other resources(such as an alchemizer) but sadly they've found themselves in the middle of a city pre-second rebellion with not a penny to either of their names.
Karkat is stressed. He is very stressed. He has to find a way to provide for both of them in a matter a nights without also getting caught and dieing. He makes a smart decision to hide his sign, not because he realizes it puts him in danger, no, because he immediately decides the only course of action that makes sense is to turn to a life of crime(petty theft) and he doesn't want his crimes attached to his sign incase he has to sign-off on some legal bullshit later.
Gamzee is dieing. Not really he's okay 60% of the time and does what he can to help, but honestly the boy can't stand for 30 seconds without trying to throw up his guts. Gamzee pretty much serves as a decoy to throw off anyone looking for karkat. He is the least intimidating thing out there, but boy can he play up the "let me call my friends " card, which with his sign is terrifying enough to prevent any mildly inconvenienced person to ask questions.
At some point karkat runs into dualscar. Now he knows of dualscar through eridan, and he's a little freaked out at first but nothing comes of it so whatever. But then he keeps running into him. It might be partially his fault. Drunk people are really easy to rob and all the bars are a short walk from the docks so of course he's probably going to run into a couple of sea dwellers. Besides, he's only ever spoken 2 words to the fucker on accident and he doubts he was even noticed. As long as he keeps his distance he should be fine.
Gamzee’s getting a whole lot worse a whole lot faster, and karkat has pissed off the wrong person. He might have accidentally stolen from and subsequently injured a legislators' quad and now they need to flee town REAL fucking quick. Only problem being they don't have a map, and all the maps in town are the really fucking stupid ones that are far more complicated than they need to be for the sake of- what? Looking nice? Either way none of them are simple road maps and maybe if he had enough time to stare at them he could figure out where to go without getting lost, but time isn't something they have and gamzee knows how to read them quickly, so he packs the clown up and carries him to the map board. Gamzee can't see straight and even the small amount of light from the partially blocked moons manages to feel as if he just stared directly into the sun but boy does he try.
Dualscar meanwhile is sitting across the street in one of those face outdoor restaurant tables watching these two kids scramble to read a map. He downs whatever he's drinking and walks over because what in the fuck are they doing?
Karkat tells him to fuck off and mind his business.
He doesn't.
Gamzee figures out where they need to go and points.
They're offered a ride.
They both adamantly refuse because no absolutely not that is a horrible idea they will not be doing that ever. Then a legislator walks around a street corner in the background and they seriously consider it.
They both end up on the boat one way or the other, and not necessarily because they had a choice. Dualscar writes gamzee off as dead immediately and has him put with the other prisoners on the ship to be forgotten about. He doesnt know what he has and doesn't really care either. Karkat on the other hand is treated decently well. He got stuck doing basic bitch ship work, but hes fine. Any free time he has he spends taking care of gamzee who lost all coherence shortly after being picked up.
When they hit the docks karkat is paid for his time and told to run off now. Karkat is pleasantly surprised and is glad to be back on land, theres just one problem, wheres gamzee? Karkat is basically told "haha yeah no I'm keeping that one" and is no longer pleased. After one of many long winded and empty threats, he's then told the ships leaving in a week and he's free to join them again if he wishes.
Angry and alone karkat stops off into the new city.
He return, rather quickly at that, after spending everything he had on medicine and other essentials. Immediately he's back at Gamzee’s side. The ship sets sail again right on schedule and gamzee finally seems to be improving. It takes a few months for him to figure out how to stand on his own but once he gets it he's as hyperactive as ever to his own detriment. His balance is shot, and he's somehow clumsier than before. He keeps getting himself hurt and even worse than that, he's annoying the guards with his constant rambling. Karkat has on multiple occasions been sent down to shut him up for a few hours.
The second he's able to work, he's put to work and thank fuck that seems to shut him up. Any time they hit land they're both paid but only one of them is allowed to leave at any given time. It's stupid, it's annoying, they both know why it's done, and it's not like there's anything they can do about it. At least they're living better than they were.
Enviably karkat gets hurt. They get hit with a storm and karkat arm get pinch between two bits of metal. The injuries isn't terrible but it did rip off a decent amount of skin. Even in the heavy rain it's not possible to hide. While no one paid him any mind in the chaos once the storm had settled he's well aware of how royally fucked he is. Gamzee for the first time anyone has seen him is pissed. He's hyper aggressive towards anyone in his vicinity. The second karkat could be whisked away he boarded them in one of the sleeping quarters and threatens anyone who tries to open the door. It gets bad enough dualscar has to come in and swat at the both of them for being dumb. Karkats having a panic attack. Lil ol' gamzee who nearly breaks his neck 3 times a weak tripping over his own shoes is squaring up for a fight. There is no fight. No one cares about karkat. Infact they were keenly aware of karkat's blood the second they saw him all that time ago. Why do you think they fought so hard to keep hold of some random wrigglers? That boat is the safest place for them. When dual was asked why he’d help them at all if he knew, he just shrugged and said he owed someone a favor and keeping karkat alive was his way of repaying it.
Shit gets squared away. Sort of. The both of them are still extremely uncomfortable about the whole ordeal for months but not a thing comes out of it. Nothing bad at least. The two find themselves getting more comfortable on the ship. They start seeing the rest if the crew as friends and grow tight bonds with a lot of them.
Karkat, now freed from the constant nagging fear of getting found out, ends up far more bold than he otherwise would be. The rule stating only one is allowed to leave at a time is still there, but pushing his luck is his new favorite pass time.
Gamzee sustained numerous injuries from his sickness. Even sweeps later he still hasn't fully recovered. It's not obvious. He functions just fine on his own but one night he'd been out walking the town on his own and he ran across a group of subjugs. He's younger and smaller than the lot of them, not to mention a stranger, but they still invited him out for drinks and gossip. He goes, and hours later he returns safely, tipsy and a little high off whatever they were smoking, but safe. Dual take him out back to yell at him almost as soon as he returns. He's confused. He's gone drinking on his own before, and he's been out with karkat numerous times more, and never has he been screamed at for it. He takes offense. The only difference he can see is them being purple. They're family, his family, but that doesn't mean he'd run off with them. He'd never leave karkat behind, not ever would he dream of abandoning him. But that wasn't the problem. He put karkat in danger. He put the crew in danger. Is he really so deadpanned that he didn't think partying with the grand highblood and crew was a bad idea? Now Gamzee’s lost. When did he run into his ancestors? No one introduced themselves as such. He hadn't seen them. Didn't really see anyone actually, especially not the person wearing the same sign as him, embroidered fancily across their chest and down their arms.
Hes blind. For all he fought that label, stating he still saw shapes and colors, for the first time he had to admit it to someone. He begged him not to tell karkat. The last thing he wanted was to worry him. He was told he needed to, at some point, preferably soon, tell him himself. He left the conversation with a new rule placed on him for the time being. He's not allowed off the ship alone anymore.
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frenchphobic · 3 years
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long fucking post on why a c!dream is a shitty person and probably should not have a redemption because it is unpog
honestly i just want to refute dream apologists thats why im making this post. i think that dream as a villain is interesting but i think that trying to make him out to be secretly a good guy is just bad ngl. also /roleplay and all
tw for abuse and mentions of suicide
dream as a villain
dream is a villain. he is chaotic evil according to wilbur, deliberately does not stream to appear less sympathetic (and yet), and is set up as an antagonist to tommy who bears the title ‘hero’. dream is not a good person, no matter how you look at it or try to justify his actions.
‘but he wants to unite everyone to be a big family :((’ the ends dont justify the means believe it or not. having a vaguely positive goal does not excuse the actions you’ve done. it also goes hand and hand with saying dream is correct for punishing tommy the way he did because he acted up. if i socked you across the face and then suddenly said ‘sorry there was a roach on ur face’ does that make it okay? probably not i still punched you, enacting an unnecessary amount of violence. thats a very simple analogy i will admit and there are more complex comparisons. another example off the top of my head is say a child just scribbled all over you walls with crayons. would hitting them be a justified answer? if u said hes thats really fucked of u go seek help u loon. violence as a punishment is very toxic, just because it gets the job done does not mean it is okay. at the end of the day, you still committed this act and the harm you caused is real, having a good motive doesnt suddenly make it okay.
‘but tommy causes all of the conflict’ the disk war wasnt even caused by tommy, it was sapnap and then tommy got involved. and the reason why tommy even caused conflict was because of the discs, because he wanted them back. and most of the time there was a level of antagonism from another party, such as schlatt exiling him, dream taking the disks in the first place, dream threatening l’manberg. and if dream wanted to end the conflict so badly, why didnt he just give tommy back his disks? tommy upfront said everything started with the disks, so he wants them back so he could end the conflict. notice how after tommy got his disks back he has been staying out of conflict, apologizing to everyone, and the only bad thing hes done is try to scam people but everyone does that. this would have been the most peaceful option, yet dream chose the path that would further antagonize tommy which then draws everyone else into conflict. why did dream need to have leverage over tommy so badly? why did he want to hold power over tommy so badly? its because of control, and that’s ultimately dreams end goal. sure he wants a big server family, but would said family have a free will?
‘but dream is sad’ the thing is dream is completely at fault for everything that happened to him. he pushed away sapnap (and george ig). he tried to take control over the server and their possessions. literally everything that happened to tommy. literally everything involving ranboo. villains can be sympathetic, i am not arguing against that. but it does not mean that they should be left off the hook. that doesnt mean u should ignore the shit theyve done because ‘oh no theyre sad’ because it doesnt make anything better. dream had this shit coming for him.
now people also skirt around calling dream an abuser. which is fair ig, its a very loaded word. its much easier to say manipulated. that being said, dream can classify as abusive. and no, tommy is not abusive. abuse is about control and a power imbalance. dream has power over tommy, but tommy does not have power over dream, at least not in the way dream does. he’s taking back power to stand up for himself, dream uses power to control.
the reasons i listed for why dream is from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project so if u want a source on that, there you go.
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using coercion or threats: dream often threatened tommy, such as the pit thing and often employed violence on him. while normally this could be attributed to Normal Minecraft Player Go Smack. minecraft mechanics cannot always translate to real world since violence is pretty normal in minecraft however we also need to consider the context of the scene. dream gave an order, tommy refused, dream applies violence, tommy submitted. thats why its a threat, it has tangible effects that can correlate to real life.
using intimidation: dream blew up logsteadshire as a punishment. dream also destroyed tommys items anytime he visited. dream also hit tommy with his axe i believe. he killed mushroom henry, one of tommys pets.
Using Emotional Abuse: dream guiltripped the shit out of tommy for just hiding things and pinning the blame on tommy for just wanting his own private items. he definitely played mind games on tommy, pretending to be his friend. honestly i probably dont even need to go as in depth because it was so obvious.
Using Isolation: putting him in exile in the first place. destroying the bether portal so no one could visit tommy anymore. i really dont think i need to expand upon that.
Minimizing, Denying, and Blaming: dream in tommys stream when he got trapped said that exile wasnt that bad. he does shift the blame onto tommy for logsteadshire being blown up, even though dreams reaction was entirely unjustified for not listening and hiding.
Using Economic Abuse: see this is where i attempt to parallel minecraft mechanics to real life. obviously, there is no monetary system in place, so when i mean economic, i will use valuables such as armor, food, etc in place of currency. the idea behind economic abuse is to limit the victim’s resources so that they are dependent on the abuser and cannot escape. dream only really allowed tommy to have the armor he gave him while not giving access to armor so he does not regain a sense of power, and in the prison stream, dream holds all the potatoes which puts him in a position of power over tommy. this argument is more ambiguous i feel cause the whole minecraft mechanics thing is kinda weird so u don’t necessarily have to take this part in.
i feel like i need to emphasize this very strongly because dream is not a good person. abuse cannot and should not be a response to someone. its an awful mentality to have. i just want to prove the point that dream is not a good person, his reasons absolutely do not justify his actions.
what makes a good redemption
redemption arcs are tricky. when done right they are great. when done poorly, its a slap in the face. rn im going to establish a formula to what makes a good redemption with an example.
the most well known example of a good redemption is zuko from atla. first, its the magnitude of what theyve done and why. zuko did commit some shitty actions, since he was in a position of power in the fire nation but its because he is a child being abused and wanted to regain honor. zukos real awful acts was season 1 and the whole betrayal thing. thats not to say that zukos actions suddenly are okay, he did shitty things. but its something that can be traced to a higher entity or seem less malicious then the other villains. the thing also about the magnitude of actions is that there is a certain point of atrocities that there is no redemption. some people simply cannot be redeemed because the actions they commit are so ingrained in their character or the action itself has serious moral issues that it would just be wrong.
the next is acknowleding what they did was wrong. a genuine reflection on the self and analyzing what they did and why it was not okay. zuko realized what he did to uncle iroh was bad for example. he turned his back on his father, realizing he didnt and shouldnt seek acknowledgment from someone as heinous as him. its pointing out your actions and going ‘hey, this wasnt right i should not have done this’ and not even excusing ur actions. its also going straight for the root of the problem and figuring out to stamp it from the source. just because a character is sad does not mean they are reflecting, sometimes they are attempting to garner pity. it has to be direct and clear acknowledgement of the injustice.
and finally, an important part about redemption arcs is the actual redemption part. its when you make amends. zuko made amends with katara by trying to help her get revenge, he fought against the fire nation and tried to make things more peaceful in his rule. he apologized to iroh. an important part of the amends section is that it does have to be a genuine desire to change and become a better person, not to change a person’s perception of you. the thing is u cant expect a person youve hurt to forgive you. you cant expect people to be sympathetic towards you nor should u attempt to make urself sympathetic. u shouldnt be expecting a pat on the back or an award. redemption is about internal and character change.
why dream should not be redeemed
ive already established the key points to a good redemption (imo) but heres where dream falls short. his actions are extremely heavy so redemption may not even really be possible. abuse is not something you can wave off so it does cross to the point of fucked up. acknowledgement of what he did was wrong? all he said was that he changed, yet never explained why he changed or was too vague. he needed to label specifically what he did and bring it up. attempting to make amends? he’s been doing the exact opposite in fact he continues to manipulate tommy and ranboo. its not a genuine change. he is still repeating the cycle and has given no indication of ceasing. at the moment he does not have any signs of redemption.
and the thing is most of the attention around a dream redemption comes from either justifying his motives (which i do want to emphasize does not make anything suddenly okay) and because he is sad in prison sad face. these are not good reasons. its gonna pain me severely to bring this up but snape from harry potter does have some form of sad character ig yet he very much abused his authority to bully children as old as 11 just because he said ‘aight gonna die’ doesnt suddenly make his general bigotry and abuse suddenly okay there is a threshold. again im so sorry for using harry potter as an example none were coming to mind and i needed a popular one i do not like harry potter please dont say i do i would pass away.
and the last thing to consider is the audience. keep in mind that the audience is composed of minors and while yes there are adults, minors are the main component of the fandom. keep in mind that there are quite a few people who can relate to tommys character because they might be in the same position or have gone through his experiences. tell me what kind of message does it send to that audience that abusers can be redeemed. this is not a narrative u should push to this audience in these situations and the writers are seemingly aware of it. remember how in exile tommy spiraled into a suicidal mentality? consider how fucked of a message it would be if he just committed suicide instead of escaping abuse and attempting to recover from his experiences. tommy did an excellent job in not going that route and having a message of ‘it will not get better’. its the same thing here. victims are not obligated to care for or forgive their abuser, and portraying an abuser as sympathetic might fuck with the message a lot, even change their perception in that ‘oh, maybe my abuser was right, maybe they had a reason for treating me the way they did’. this is not to say that every victim watching this will internalize this message, but people also look up to these characters. there can be a degree of influence from the story onto oneself and thats the dangerous part.
conclusion
all in all dream is a shitbag asshole and probably shouldnt get a redemption because it would not be pog thanks for coming to my ted talk.
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btsandvmin · 3 years
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why do u think fandom brozone vmin so much? it doesnt happen nearly as often w other ships
I have talked about this a great deal before, and for good reason. It does happen a lot, and it has always been like this. At least I can speak for the years I have been in the fandom as the first post I ever made properly was about this exact topic. (The “bromance” issue) It’s short and a bit outdated, and honestly we also have to admit that while a lot of people still keep insisting on Vmin not being shippable and being “brozoned or friendzoned” there are also a lot more people who both ship Vmin and even see actual real potential in them being more. (You can even tell by the increase in analysis here on tumblr.)
Personally regarding the “issue” of how Vmin are viewed I am no longer as annoyed with it as I used to be. I do think it’s mainly a problem when other shippers come and say it about Vmin, because that is frankly just hypocritical. I have also written  Normalizing Vmin or “Vmin” and  Shipping vs Believing that explains more about my views on the subject of friendzoning and shipping as a whole. (Personally I feel Vmin get more friendzoned than brozoned, but that’s just a minor detail.)
But your question was about why you think the fandom brozone/friendzone Vmin so much, so let’s get to that.
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First of all I obviously think there are several reasons, but this is all based on my speculations after being in this fandom for so long and what I have seen. Every person could have their own very different reasons to why they think the way they do. I think all the reasons play a part, but might not be equally important and might also not apply to every single person, but rather affect the fandom as a whole in one way or another.
So let’s break it down to the things I think play the biggest role in why Vmin are seen as platonic, regardless of if they are or not, just simply compared to a lot of the other ships.
1. They have since the start used the label “friend” or “best friend” to describe each other. In particular the label “chingu” of course, which in actuality is used to described someone of the same age that you are close with. 
2. The English translation and constant use of “friend” will when repeated constantly get stuck in people’s minds and affect how they view a dynamic. Just how “hyung” gets translated to brother, but a lot less well known and noted by the fandom. Basically the western fandom will likely get even more platonic feelings towards Vmin because of the word being translated to friends.
3. Compared to the other “chingus” in the group, Namjoon and Hobi, there is much more emphasis on Vmin as the same age and as being close and best friends. Namjoon himself made a comment on this. I also think the use of “friends” or more recently “soulmates” by editors is a reply to this, basically that the editors too use these words because they are used a lot by the members first. Hence it gets doubly reinforced. Every time we hear it or read it we get another reminder of Vmin being friends.
4. Their early dymanics were less soft. A lot of their interactions were teasing like Taehyung’s “Jiminie pabo” and fans saw it as two siblings or friends rather than as the “teasing your crush”. Basically people didn't read their behavior as romantic. When BTS first started Vmin already called each other best friends, and that stuck, even more so in combination with people basically not seeing any "spark" between them. I would call this preference in a lot of cases.
5. There were in the beginning already a lot of competition between ships. Jimin often focused in a lot on JK and basically flirted with him while he at the same time brushed off Tae when he did similar towards Jimin. Meanwhile Tae and JK had a very physical relationship as well and JK often seemed the most open and comfortable with Tae. I think both of Vmin kind of pushing themselves on and teasing JK was a dynamic many shippers like. Meanwhile you aslo had Yoonmin getting popular due to Yoongi seeming a bit soft on Jimin and Jimin being very open and loud with wanting attention from Yoongi.
6. Some people find Vmin's dynamics boring. To a lot of shippers “too” obvious closeness might be a little boring and get labeled as just being friends or bros. This was in particular evident in the early days of Vmin. It also matters for fan content, and we can see a lot of Vmin fiction use a bit more “soft” tropes and might not get as many readers as more conflict driven plot. For me I would also include Vmin’s bias towards each other as another point here, that people might see as too much if they are a couple and have to hide. Basically a lot of people don’t see friendship to romance as the most interesting, or the "obvious and equal dynamic" as interesting. BTS said Vmin were the closest or the “best duo” etc. but since all of them were close people picked based on preference for their ship. Of course this still applies to shippers now, they fall for the type of dynamic they like, but now they also have a easier time getting convinced by material from other shippers. Having analysis is another thing that can make a ship more appealing as well.
7. Speaking of, fan content getting created and spread will reinforce certain images. Reading BTS fanfiction or watching moment videos you will see a lot of Vmin being “the best friends”. Basically once the image is used a lot, it will get more spread and used even more. It will be a constant in many places and when talking to a lot of people. It will also of course pull people in to other ships that makes Vmin impossible. Not to mention the big ships will get bigger and spread more easily.
8. Now this might not be true for a lot of people. But I have come across a lot of fans who seem to think being a friend is something that makes romance less likely. For me I want my partner to be my best friend as well, but a lot of people do see these two things as mutually exclusive. Many see friend and lover as two very different things and that you have one best friend and one partner, not someone that are both. Basically just the view on friendships and labels and how that might lead to some feeling being romantically involved is something separate from a close friendship. 
9. Other ships spreading the narrative even further. It’s easier to just call Vmin friends, honestly. It’s often hard to deny their closeness (not that you should have to just because you ship something else, doesn’t change reality). But Vmin being so close and being part of the three biggest ships in BTS of course their label as best friends will be spread and used even more by those shippers. And because of the size of those ships it eventually gets turned into not just those shippers views, but the whole fandom’s.
10. More recently I would also say fear is a reason why people push back and try to remind the fandom that Vmin are “just friends”. Because we have very bad examples of what happens when shipping goes too far, basically it makes many non shippers try to protect Vmin from the same faith. Not a bad thing (again, as long as you don’t ship something else and is a hypocrite), but it surely does further the narrative of Vmin being very platonic. (A bad group is of course included here, which are homophobic fans, but since they feel the same about all ships it’s just a sidenote.)
11. Lastly, and probably most influentual, is the fact that Vmin and BTS friendzone Vmin in many ways, constantly. 
I won’t go into all the examples, but I think we all know a few moments even at the top of our heads by now.
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I mean.... They called their song about being soulmates and wanting to be together for eternity "Friends". And maybe that's what they are, but they sure like to remind us.
So we have times when BTS or Vmin basically remind us and spells it out even more clearly that Vmin are FRIENDS. They use it very very often, and personally to me sometimes at very weird moments. Even so, the things most fans see will of course be what they say. Vmin are friends and that is it.
And at face value that is true. I just personally don’t see being best friends (and soulmates) as meaning they can’t be more as well. Especially since they wouldn’t even be able to say more than that. I mean, if Vmin are basically described as the closest in BTS, then why does that mean they have less odds of being real? Being friends doesn’t have to equal being only friends.
However, Vmin have in fact said things against being interested/denied the other, I don’t want to lie. I am sure some would see this as 100% truth and use it againt the possibility of Vmin being real. Like when Taehyung basically said he would rather date Hobi.
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However, Jimin said he would definitely choose Taehyung to date, but that gets ignored by people who ship Jimin with others, so it’s really just about choosing what fits your narrative. All ships have contradicting moments or statments or answers where they answer two different things at two different times in general.
We also have how Jimin answered back to Taehyung about liking men by saying he isnt “like that” to Taehyung.
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There are moments like this, and even though they might be small and forgotten by most I think they could in a sense still have registered in some fans who then basically managed to spreak the “vmin are just bros/friends” into the more common perception. 
However we also have opposite moments when they try to appeal to each other, or like when Taehyung asks Jimin to be the girlfriend etc. and personally though I do take these things into account it’s a bit like when you see members say “men can’t do this or that” and it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t be queer. To me even though there are things against most ships, there are still a lot that speaks for some, and that’s why I remain unsure.
Sometimes you might get more defensive or nervous if there is some truth in there as well. It’s all about interpretation, even though I don’t want to blatantly ignore what they say. But since they have said and done directly contradicting things (like how Jimin said he would choose to date Tae while also saying he doesn’t act like “that” to Tae, or how they have changed a lot of answers in general) I also don’t see it as something definitely against them being more. Not to mention time can change things as well. 
In the end though this isn’t about what other things there might be that show Vmin might be more than friends or not, but simply reasons for the fandom’s view of them as platonic. (Personally I think they do a lot of things not normally seen as platonic, which is obviously the reason for me having this blog and writing anlysis on them.)
So, Vmin is friendzoned by the group, and by shippers of bigger ships, and even by themselves at times. Then everything else is reinforcement and inability to view them as anything more than friends.
There are some other things I think might play a part in it as well, but most comes down to personal preferences or what you get exposed to. Like who is the bias of the shipper and what things do they come across to make them a shipper, what kind of dynamics do they like etc. (It's more likely for someone who "falls" for JK to have JK in his ship, for example. Because they will focus on him and notice his interactions and then likely fall for a certain dynamic.)
History is a huge factor in general, and trying to change the perspective of the fandom might not be easy. But with a lot of new fans coming in and seeing with their own eyes how Vmin have behaved the last two years in particular, I think we can see a change.
Vmin are loved by the majority of this fandom, and that’s far better than them having people be anti them because of their ship being too big or too toxic. So in the end I do feel it’s a good things for them and for us that Vmin is being viewed as mostly platonic while they manage to slowly include more “normally not platonic things” into their platonic box. (I mean we are at a point where they can casually mention sleeping together and sing about being soulmates and hold hands in public).
Thank you for the ask and I hope you found this interesting. This is a topic I have a lot of opinions on and think is interesting myself, so I hope you enjoyed this post. No matter what we all know that one truth won’t change; 95z is love!
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traumatisedbabygay · 2 years
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ight im gonna go off about the gender crisis again, because its my blog and vent space and i'll do what i want ;)
would i be allowed to label myself as agender, even though i dont experience any gender discomfort? Like, when someone calls me a girl, or says im a sister, daughter, ect, i dont feel uncomfortable. I just feel....indifferent. It doesn't necessarily feel right, but if it felt wrong surely id be feeling more than just mild confusion. agender usually means "genderless", but could it also mean gender...indifferent? Gender...apathetic?
If i were to try and make a comparison so i can better comprehend my thoughts, itd be this. If i were unconscious due to, idk, anaesthesia or something, and then had a surgery performed, id feel nothing. Id feel no pain, no tickling. If when i was still asleep after my mum caressed my face i wouldnt feel comfort. I wouldnt feel anything. Good, bad or neutral. All i would feel would be the dreamscape that the medically induced deep sleep placed me in: abstract. Non definable. One minute in that dream i could be strolling through an enchanted forest, the next I could be falling endlessly. But no matter what happened in those dreams, my physical body would be too out of it to react. Its like my gender identity is in a very deep sleep, feeling nothing objectively but everything abstractly, all at once.
Now lets say those "abstract dreams" in the metaphor was presentation. Most of the time i present very feminine, traditionally. My style is vintage/historical, lots of long skirts and frilly blouses and braided hair. Dressing like that makes me confident, comfortable. But I also really enjoy dressing more masculine. Of course, with super long hair ill always appear somewhat feminine, but wearing waistcoats and vintage trousers and shirts makes me feel confident too. I once said to my nana when i wore a particularly masculine outfit "some days i want to be elizabeth bennet, but somedays i want to be mr darcy". But no matter how feminine or masculine i feel, i dont know how to interpret that as gender. I feel like a girl, if "feeling like a girl" could be defined as "feeling like a vague blur of nothingness". Or am i just equating femininity with girliness. Do i actually just feel feminine, but not "girly".
sjdhskdjdjjddjdjfh why is this so confusing? I genuinely think either agender or genderqueer are labels to consider, even if no label feels better. With the way my brain works, i still need some form of label. but how do i know im not just overthinking things? If i am just, in fact, a cis girl who doesnt understand what that really means?
Surely its not that uncommon an experience? To not be able to recognise what gender feels like. I dont even know what its *meant* to feel like, unlike when i was questioning my sexuality and knew exactly what liking men was meant to feel like bc of my straight friends. Can i call myself a girl for simplicity's sake? It doesnt make me sad or uncomfy, if im being honest it doesnt feel like anything. Could i say im a genderqueer girl? As in, "i'll say im a girl if asked only because the real answer is so fucking complicated and undefined that even I dont know how to word it". As in "i might say im a girl but really my relationship to gender and womanhood is so much more than that. my gender is paradoxial. I both feel and dont feel like something, but i dont even know how to describe that small "something"."
Or would i say im a genderqueer femme? I dont mind being equated with feminitity, but underneath that feminine surface everything is so jumbled and hard to decipher that its easier to just act like a girl and not think about it.
but now ive opened the can of worms. i kinda have to think about it now.
or would i just say, "hey, im (name), my pronouns are she/her but idc if you use anything else, and im......i exist." Because at the end of the day, does it matter that i cant put how i feel into words that feel adequate? Surely just existing, acknowledging that *something* is going on beneath the surface but knowing it doesnt affect me enough to seek out a label, is fine too, right?
god why is this so fucking hard
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ectonurites · 3 years
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a very very genuine question: so its bad to repost art but no one says anything when people repost things from the source material/creator's sketches.....why?like sure everyone who likes it may recognize the style but there are plenty of fan artists i recognize immediately, new or old art, with or without. to me it just feels the same, like either dont repost art or people should be able to repost stuff, i dont see how they can work at the same time. and this isnt me saying people should be allowed to repost and all that bc i do understand the theory of why reposting hurts artists, just that the logic doesnt seem to fit once it extends to famous artists/creators. just bc its official and easily recognizable makes it okay? how does that work? again, there are plenty of fanartists who are easily recognizable and lose no money when people repost their work (bc they posted it for free) and from my own observation, it seems it just, somehow, makes them want to do art less (from what i have read from artists themselves). why do we not consider that when it comes to official creators? wouldnt they also feasibly be less motivated seeing their hard work plastered across the internet for free when thats the sole way they make their income? and its not a system where its solely sticking it to the man bc it hurts the artists income, as well. but if it makes them happy to see people enjoying and sharing their work with others, drawing interest, why isnt it the same with fan artists? people often repost art, not out of malice or intent to claim credit, but bc they enjoy it + want to share it, esp on social media where sharing isnt a feature (instagram, for example) again im not trying to justify reposting, just confused about the contradiction
First of all instagram does have a form of sharing posts- stories. Which yes they are temporary by default, but you can use the highlight feature to collect your favorite things you’ve shared from people right there on your own profile AND it links back to the original post and can permanently be on your profile as long as you keep it there. You can even label them and everything! But then moving on to answering more of your actual questions
To start: this is a very complicated thing. And I feel everyone trying to answer it might have slightly varied opinions. 
I personally see a pretty clear distinction between ‘Officially published/released’ works (like comic book [as like you’ve probably seen I frequently post comic panels] or other materials that may have been released in creator guides, official video game art, promotional art for things, etc etc) as opposed to like, personal work and fanart. Because with official works:
There’s usually a source to buy it and you should if you’re referencing it a ton (while I don’t own every comic I’ve ever read I do have a lot and if I did read something first through illegal means [because some comics are just straight up hard to find due to age/being out of print] and enjoyed it I try to seek out a physical copy after if possible)
There is a level of far wider recognition (I know you personally might find fanartists’ styles recognizable but like, things that are in mainstream media.. have just such a higher profile. it’s not really comparable) 
If you’re not supporting the official release you’re harming the big company that published it far more than the individual artist (like, the individual artist probably also wouldn’t appreciate it, because it can effect them for sure as well, but they’re not gonna be taking the brunt of the damage unless it was entirely self-published work, which I’d definitely categorize differently from what I’m mainly talking about here.)  
Often fanartists/professional artists who aren’t that well known, in addition to wanting to just create work for the sake of it, also want to build their own platform, to have an audience that they interact with. Or like, if they’re offering commissions, a bigger platform puts you in a position where people will actually see the art and want to commission you. When you say reposts of smaller artists’ fanart doesn’t ‘loose them money’ because they didn’t charge to post it, you’re missing the fact that it makes them loose out on proper linked-back-to-them exposure. Especially like, when a repost account on insta or something says ‘ah yes credit to [username] on tumblr’ the vast majority of people who see it aren’t going to then open up a whole different website and look for the artist. Some people might! but if there’s anything i’ve learned from working professionally in arts marketing it’s that people want things that are convenient and directly in front of them. Someone who wants to see more works because they liked one is significantly more likely to click on the username of someone who posted it rather than opening up a browser or a different app and searching a separate name put in the caption. 
Then honestly, I do feel weird about reposts of professional artists’ more personal works unless the artist has stated they’re fine with people reposting with credit. It should be about the comfort level of the artist. I think a lot of professional artists who aren’t in a position where they’re as worried about building a platform, because they already have one and might have professional connections/opportunities already lined up, might not really care about reposts especially on a website they don’t use. (Like tumblr. I’m coming at this mostly from a comics artist perspective here, but most professional artists I see are waaaay more active on twitter and instagram than tumblr) If it’s a website they don’t use, it’s not taking away from the platform they had been building there for themselves. And also, some artists really just don’t give a shit, which is their choice they can make with their work! But that’s not a universal thing. One artist being fine with their personal art being reposted =/= all artists being fine with it. 
In my own experience as a fanartist, when I see my art reposted without credit, especially when it’s art I’ve also already posted on the same platform... it’s definitely disheartening. Even worse is when the repost gets even more attention than my original post. (something that has happened to me multiple times!) Like, it can get so upsetting!  Because it lets me know that someone else was using my art to build their platform and I got exactly zero benefit out of it. Then when it’s reposted with credit it’s a little less annoying, but I still don’t... get much out of it. Especially if it’s an instagram repost and they credit my tumblr not my account on there, since insta captions don’t actually do links unless it’s to other insta accounts. Also with insta for example, I have a 'business’ account set up so I can look at and track popularity of my posts and see how they’re doing as something to keep in mind when considering posting times, etc etc. When other people repost my art there I have no control over it. That sucks a lot! Also, when I quite literally ask people not to repost my art (it is IN! MY! DESCRIPTION!) and they still do, it’s just straight up disrespectful. I asked for a boundary to be respected with my work and people have just completely ignored it. That doesn’t feel good at all.
But, conversely, I’m gonna talk about my more professional irl work for a sec. I’m a graphic designer, so I do things like posters, logos, etc, When I design a poster for a client that is meant to be advertising something, even if it’s got my own original illustration or something as part of it, I know my name isn’t necessarily going to be attached to it the same way as it is with my personal work. I get a credit line somewhere, but that’s in a fine print probably not even on the poster itself at all, but that’s like, part of what I signed up for. I already get paid separately, I am giving permission for my work to be out of my own hands in that way. Professional work for a client is often setup in some way similar to this. I don’t get mad when I walk down the street and see a poster I made up somewhere without it directly ‘linking’/referencing back to me (aside from maybe my signature if it had an illustration), in fact I go ‘OMG ITS THERE ugh wait i see one pixel is off oh noooooo” and then move on with my day. It’s just an entirely different situation because that kind of work has a different arrangement from the start, where you know it’s going to be put in a different type of circulation.
So yeah, my word isn’t god here, but I definitely see official releases as having a different set of permissions based on the fact that they are published in an entirely different situation. And I think reposts of personal art aren’t cool if the artist isn’t okay with them, no matter how big a platform they have. Other people probably approach this with a slightly different perspective, but that’s mine!
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babambatman · 4 years
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Okay, I need a minute to rant. I was forced to read this book for school-- and I’m so sorry? Why? It’s not at all well done, there are a thousand other book that we could have studied instead?
The List, by Patricia Forde, was... it just was. The premise was interesting, the concept was cool, but at the end of the day it was just.. so poorly executed.
To start, the topic of the book is language. It’s a post-apocalyptic world where global warning happened, and now there's a group of people living in the settlement called the ark, which is lead by Noa (yes, like Noah and the Ark haha). The people there are limited in their use of words for reasons that I’ll rant about it in a bit, too. They speak “List” since their allowed words are a list of 500. Cool, kay? Don’t have a problem with that. Let’s explore how limiting human language to 500 words impacts how the characters interact, how that impacts the rest of the people and everything like that.
Except, ya know, the book just never??? explores that???? The main character, Letta, is exempt from the rule because she’s a Wordsmith (which means she documents, collects and creates lists of words.) Her mentor is exempt from the rule. The main side characters are rebels, so they don’t follow the list. Noa and his lover are exempt from the rule. Everyone important is fruggen exempt from the rule?? The only characters that adhere to the list are minor characters that Letta has little personal attachment to? Like thanks, but what the heck is the point of the list if it doesn’t even matter in the end??????
Oh, yeah, why do we have a list??? because... Global warming was bad, Noa tried to warn them, and no one listened. Politicians used their words to lie and lure the public into a false sense of security. Therefore, words are bad. Fine, so he’s trying to protect the people from being lied to, right? Trying to stop the deceit and lies that can be spread by words. That’s good. okay.
But Forde also throws in Noa... wanting all humans to be reduced to animals, because people think they’re superior to other animals, and they think that because of words... and... something about how people thinking they’re superior and exchanging ideas is bad because they're destroying themselves... or the environment? I’m not really sure but let’s pretend it made sense.
Both aren’t necessarily bad ideas to explore, but Forde muddles the two ideas... and Noa’s trying to protect people from words while not caring if they die in the process of removing the words. She mentions how the superior species will be destroyed by the earth-- like the dinosaurs-- and Noa wants to make them animals so that they’ll survive when the world... destroys them again(?), but then he shows no regard for them dying during or immediately after the process of making people animalistic??? It contradicts itself too much.
Okay, so beyond the list-- there are rebels called Desecrators, who don’t like noa and live outside the arc, because he bans speech, and creativity like art and music. Benjamin, Letta’s mentor, leaves to go search for words in the forest that surrounds the ark (they look for labels and stuff that may hold words from the old world). While he’s gone, a desecrator, Marlo, hides in her shop and she helps him hide from the gavvers, which are basically police. She contacts other desecrators to help him get home, since he is wounded. Noa calls Letta to announce that Benjamin is dead, some things don’t add up about his death, so Letta goes to explore what is up with that. Because she’s sneaking around to figure out what happened with Benjamin, Noa comes to her shop and is like, “yo, if you wanna know something just ask, cuz I don’t like people snooping behind my back.” Shes cool with that, so she goes to ask him about adding hope to the list of words because that had all correlation about figuring out how Benjamin died, and overhears that Benjamin is alive and being tortured by Noa. 
Thus, she teams up with the desecrators to save her mentor, and in the process they find out that Benjamin is being tortured because he didn’t agree with Noa’s plan to make people wordless and essentially animals. Benjamin dies. They foil Noa’s plan. the end.
realtionship are... very stale in this. Letta and benjamin interact for two second before he leaves on his word search, and theres nothing we know about what they think of eachother? Is he important to her? is he just a teacher? does she consider him like a father? who knows cuz i don’t. He’s then declared dead. Letta’s sad and is in shock but... why? I don’t even know why he’s important to you? So I just don’t care???? Like, thanks, but Letta went on a whole ass journey looking for you but I can’t tell you why or how you’re important to her. Its only two seconds before Benjamin dies for real that Forde is like, oh yeah, Letta loves him, he’s her father figure, mentor, friend, ext-- like thanks. Now he’s dead. ya could have told me that before. 
Letta’s relationship with noa? weird??? Apparently, he’s her uncle-ish. his lover amilia’s sister is Letta’s mother. But Letta’s mother didn’t agree with what Noa was doing and just.. left. There is no emotional turmoil in discovering that her mother had abandoned her, and on top of that... Noa and Letta dont have a relationship? Like, Forde says he loves letta because he knew her when she was little, but when Letta’s mother left, amilia didn’t want anything to do with her. Noa makes no attempt to come visit Letta when she’s a child. There aren’t really any familial moments between them. by the time they start interacting again, latta is involved with the rebels and we know Noa is evil.
Benjamin and Noa? Apparently friends. even though we never see them interact, except for when Noa is torturing Benjamin when he refuses to agree with Noa’s plan to animilsize people.
In both of these relationships there's no sense of betrayal, despite the fact that they were apparently very important to each other.
Motivations are all over the place? Letta’s described as a blind follower to Noa but... she doesn’t really act like it? Like, she goes behind his back to look at bejamin’s death... why? just ask Noa? when Noa comes and says, hey, stop snooping and just ask me, shes like Kay cool i’ll do that I trust you. But then why did you snoop in the fist place that makes no sensssseesesesrukhgefjchdgl
When Marlo, a rebel, comes into her house and is being hunted down by the police she hides him... even though she doesnt know him or what hes done wrong, knows that Noa wants him arrested... and is a blind follower to noa.
If she’s a blind follower, why does she do these things then? her motivations are non existent. Forde could have made her motivations as simple as curiosity, but Letta isn’t shown as being a curious person? like, when Noa tells her she can ask him anything... she doesnt ask him about Benjamin’s death. Even though she went out of her way to figure it out, and can now question the person who would, in theory, know the most about it. She also shows no interest in finding out about her missing parents, even though she’s presented multiple opportunities to find out more. 
What is this book? Why is this the book my teacher chose? The motivations are unclear, the character development is weird, the relationships arent built properly??? Please explain????
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periwinkiemirrors · 4 years
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just a little bit of your heart | larry
Soulmates. A word I only knew existed and nothing more. To me, it was just a word. Until I saw, what could be, the most tragically beautiful love story ever written. It seems like no matter what, fate would always bring them together. Then only did I fully grasp what soulmates were.When a certain pair of blue eyes met a certain pair of green, you can't ignore the fond look dancing around in their eyes as they looked at each other. They could be in a room filled with a thousand people, but the only thing that mattered was each other. They wanted to scream their love from the rooftop for everyone to hear, they wanted to be free to touch each other, but life had other plans for them. They were told to hide and told to stay away from each other, so the only other way they could show their affection was through their words. Not words in a conversation, words written down on paper. And so they wrote. They allowed themselves to pour their heart and soul that is filled to the brim with raw emotion into writing the most vulnerable songs I have ever heard. When someone says, "a song that's stuck in your head" , people usually think it's some catchy song but it doesnt necessarily have to be. It could be stuck in your head because no matter how many times you listen to it, you are still taken aback by how honest they have been. How deeply in love they could have been to be able to write songs like this. A song that, no matter how many times I listen to, will always get the same reaction from me. There is an endless library of songs that make me feel this way but the current song in question is Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart. Although it is sung and released by Ariana Grande, it was written by someone else. This person happens to be the character in this love story, the one with the green eyes. They wrote this when he was 19. Imagine how much you had to go through to be able to write a song that rips out the heart of millions, at the mere age of 19. Their label did not let them release it, so they passed it to Ariana. Just like the rest of us, Ariana admitted that she cried when she first heard the song. I don't blame her. I drown in a flood of tears without fail, whenever I listen to this song. I end my story here, with the most tear jerking lyric of the song, that basically embodies the saying, "a cry for help" : "I know I'm not your only, but at least I'm one. I heard a little love, is better than none," .
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qqueenofhades · 5 years
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This is a totally personal question and I completely understand if you don't want to answer. But I noticed in your bio you have that you identify as queer. And I was just wondering what is the difference between queer and gay. I see a lot of people use one term or the other but it doesnt seem to necessarily be interchangeable.
Sure, I’m happy to answer. I’ll gently note that for further questions, or if you’d like to research more into this on your own, Google and Wikipedia are great places to start. If you want to enter in the LGBTQ+ acronym or any other terms you’re curious about, there’s plenty of easily available resources and discussions on the meaning of the different groups/letters and how people identify as such. (And for that matter, the various exclusionist debates/attempts to shut people out of the community, all of which I view very dimly, but yes.)
In short, as the terms have become defined/often used today, “gay” means for a person of one gender to be attracted exclusively to people of that same gender (and is sometimes attempted to be used just for male-male attraction). “Queer” can cover a multiplicity of non-heterosexual identities, especially when the person may feel that more than one label describes them. Hence why, especially among younger members of the LGBT community who don’t know their history, there’s a lot of gatekeeping, reaction against the “Q slur,” and other unfortunate mindsets that urgently need to be deconstructed. Yes, “queer” has been used as a slur, but then, every word in common usage to describe LGBT people has been used as a slur, most notably “gay” itself, and the academic field which I am in is literally called queer studies. I have a book pitched to a series called New Queer Medievalisms. QUEER IS NOT A DIRTY WORD. Anyway, I have a rant about this, but it boils down to the way that queer is threateningly non-specific to some people, such as TERFs, ace exclusionists, and other icky sorts who are busy trying to police who gets to be LGBTQ and who doesn’t.
I identify as queer because it describes the multiple intersections of my orientation. I am a bisexual woman who is strongly on the ace spectrum, but I have long periods of experiencing little or no attraction to men at all (if I walk down the street, I’ll notice attractive women, but I rarely notice men who aren’t my safely unavailable actor crushes) and sometimes feel more like a lesbian. As noted, there are ace/demi components to me as well, so rather than trying to spell out all these labels, I just say “queer.” I also identify as queer politically/philosophically speaking, in the fact that I believe heteronormativity, late-stage capitalism, and most of the climate-destroying, big-business industrial Western world are actively harmful to humanity, but am forced to live within those structures for the present moment (and would support anything that would substantially change or destroy them in favour of a better system). There is a component of radicalism in queerness that is also threatening to the sort of mainstream white gay person that doesn’t want to challenge neoliberalism and doesn’t pay attention to/actively marginalises queer POC and the way in which intersectionality is crucial to all identity. Anyway. Another rant.
I often jokingly refer to myself as gay, such as when I complain about being a useless gay or am making reference to that gay mood or etc. Basically, again, it reflects me super duper being not straight, and “gay” is a convenient and easily established way to say that. Then again, I’m pretty casual about labels, believe that people should have one, change one, reject one, or accept one as it suits them, and that if someone feels that they are one of these identities, they ARE and absolutely nobody gets to be so arrogant as to say they’re not. The final authority on how a person feels, identifies, or understands themselves is the person themselves, end of story.
In short, queer identities are a fraught topic, obviously, among both the right (which wants to eradicate them) and the left (which gets so obsessed with gatekeeping and micro-labeling and bullshit like TERFs and so forth). As I noted, the word “queer” itself is contested, because of its inclusivity, its component challenge to the entire structures on which the modern Western world is built, and how it welcomes in the people who aren’t just a simple (ha) L, G, B, or T. (And since the L and G often try to stamp out the B and T parts… yeah.)
Anyway. I hope that was somewhat helpful, and that you take the initiative to continue educating yourself and learning more about all of this. I really think it’s important and critical information, and certainly part of the world, and once again not something that anyone can take for granted. Especially now.
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thaliamccn-blog · 5 years
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hello <3 i am diana ( u can call me di if u like ) and i am nineteen, a libra, go by she/her pronouns, n reside in the est timezone !! somethings u should kno about me…i am a girl group stan first and a human second ( stan loona stan twiceblackvelvet stan fromis 9 stan weki meki etc etc ). i am a sansa stark enthusiast and love lana del rey with my whole heart. so that’s basically me !! and now, onto thalia under the cut like this post n i’ll message u to plot!! my discord is we just wanna have some fun !#5522 if u wanna talk there, or i can message u on tumblr im’s <3
↪ son naeun. she/her. cis female. ╱ i thought i saw thalia moon getting questioned by the police. the twenty-two year old is in their third year at west bridge studying fashion design. they were at manon’s party because manon was wearing one of her designs. do you think they had something to do with her death? + eyes stained by glitter and mascara, the feeling of isolation among a crowd of people, smoking a cigarette with a glass of red wine. ◜ diana. 19. est. she/her. ◞
ok i’m gonna do my very best to keep this short because whew,,,, i’m a rambler asjdhkdjh 
i guess i will start off by saying she’s aquarius sun scorpio moon...so that’s some indication of her personality ajksdshdh,,,
she is bisexual
here is her pinterest so u can get 2 know her aesthetic <33
now onto some backstory
her father owns a development company (basically think bart bass from gossip girl but she is not chuck bass because he’s gross) and her mom is a socialite
she was raised in a wealthy family on the upper east side (nyc). she is an only child, so she grew up weaned on expensive items and became a bit materialistic because of it
because she was an only child people assumed she was always the center of attention but the truth is her parents were very neglectful of her...n she grew up to be pretty emotionally stunted whew she literally cannot deal with her emotions but we’ll get to that
her parents never really wanted kids, they just had thalia to present a family-friendly image, so they used her whenever the cameras were around
during her high school years her father ran into a bit of legal trouble because of a building he owned that burned down. he had buried the story, but word was beginning to come out again (yes i’m ripping off gossip girl ASHDKJH)
her parents divorced because of the scandal, among other things. the two of them constantly fought ever since thalia was a child, but her mom decided to remove herself from the scandal while she still had the chance (which is exactly what her moms father, aka thalia’s grandfather, told her to do)
after the divorce, thalia was left in her father’s care
during the scandal, she began to lash out and rebel against her father specifically, but he threatened to take away her trust fund if she did not behave herself. he needed thalia’s help in maintaining his image
so she agreed to stop lashing out publicly, but still continued her lifestyle on the lowkey
she always managed to get herself into trouble, but also found her way out of it one way or another
thalia took an interest in fashion design early on in her high school years and was able get two internships while she was still in high school
after the divorce, she barely ever saw her mom. not that it mattered because she didn’t see her much in the first place, but her mother ended up remarrying suddenly became a family person, leaving thalia to feel extremely bitter
as all negative things did when it came to her father, the scandal blew over and the truth went unnoticed yet again
when it was time for her to go to college, her father basically told her now that she was an adult he did not care to see her much anymore. he said her trust fund was still in place and to not hurt his image, otherwise he would take it away, but he basically severed ties. this is why she decided to move away from her home in new york city and go somewhere she thought she could be more lowkey
she hates her parents, especially her father and wants to make her own money and stop relying on her trust fund, but she’s also too materialistic to give it up...rip
and here we have some quick words about her personality:
thalia is very closed off and has a hard time trusting people
she is not necessarily shy, but feels she is often misunderstood, which is one of the reasons she is never at the center of any social event and likes to hangout along the sidelines instead
thalia is always down to try new things, she is literally up for anything. she’s the type of person who gets bored easily, so she’s always seeking the next thrill
i would not say shes mean (she can be) but she just doesn’t have the most welcoming personality, and maybe she can come off as intimidating (that’s up to ur characters of course)
her view on the world is very negative, she’s most definitely a cynic
the party/manon incident:
thalia was at the party because she asked manon to wear one of her designs. due manon being extremely popular, thalia figured she could get more recognition as a designer by asking her to wear one of her designs
she attended the party to see how people were reacting to her dress, and also because she probably would have attended anyway
she wouldn’t have exactly considered manon a friend, but manon was one of the few people thalia didn’t mistrust, so when her dead body was discovered, thalia was definitely taken aback
thalia was definitely under the influence of something, so she probably doesnt remember that night all too well
when it came to the pact, thalia was quick to agree to it. her father’s one condition for her to keep her trust fund was to stay out of trouble. she knew he could probably have saved her from the mess, but she did not want to have to seek his help
she feels weird being apart of this pact, considering she probably doesn’t trust most of them, but she also didn’t know what else to do
plot ideas (if i remember i’ll strike them out when they get taken):
step siblings - either side of her family, her mom remarried and her dad definitely could have so i would looove step sibling plots. they can b on friendlier terms, or hate each other, literally anything would work
party buddies - this is pretty basic and self explanatory, but someone thalia can go out and have fun with. their friendship is most likely surface level, or prob started that way, but it’s possible they became deeper friends (maybe thalia opened up one day when she was most likely under the influence of something)
ex-fling - thalia is definitely the non-committal type so i doubt she would ever have an ex bf or gf, but it could still have been a serious un-labeled relationship, or just an ex fling. they could be on bad terms, good terms, still have feelings, not have feelings, u name it
unrequited crush -  ur character could have feelings for thalia, but being the way she is, she doesn’t feel them back. this could develop into thalia eventually having feelings for ur muse, or not, whatever we want! OR thalia could have a crush on someone who does not like her back. maybe they’re even more emotionally unavailable than she is, or they simply do not like her back. we could plot this out however
current fling/“friends” w benefits - someone she is currently seeing/sleeping with. could be no strings attached, or there could b some feelings there. maybe they don’t want to make it anything serious, or maybe they’re ready to take it to the next level. maybe one person is ready to go further, and the other isn’t. i put “friends” in parenthesis because she probably doesn’t have many friends
enemies w benefits - imagine the tension!!! they started out hating each other, but ended up hooking up. maybe it was a one time thing, or maybe they can’t stop going back to each other. i think it would b cool if they kept it a secret, they don’t want anyone else to know. this could develop however we want
ex-friends - someone thalia used to consider a close friend, but they had a falling out for whatever reason n maybe they hate each other now. maybe they want to re-kindle their friendship but don’t know how
sibling-like friendship - someone thalia sees like a sibling. they’re there for each other and look out for one another, always have each other’s backs
dynamic duo - could be thalia’s current best friend. i would say she probably doesn’t have many friends, but this person is prob one of the closest people to her and has actually managed to break down some of her walls
confidant - someone who confides in her or someone she confides in, or they confide in each other. they don’t necessarily have to be friends, but they get along and maybe they talk more in private
rivals - they hate each other for whatever reason. maybe it’s jealousy or their personalities just clash, but for whatever reason they do not get along. i love a good enemies plot. they can just b nasty to each other!!! 
safe haven - *mini drug tw*  i did not know how to label this so i apologize for the name. but i think it would b cool if someone helped thalia out during a bad night. she typically saves herself from bad situations, but one day she couldn’t and luckily ur muse was there to help. maybe she drank too much or did too many drugs or mixed the two and ended up rly bad. either way, i would love for someone to have helped her from a tough time. she would probably feel really confused and guilty and like she owes them. maybe ur muse can manipulate her bc of it and make her do things bc she owes them, or maybe they genuinely had good intentions. i would also b down for a plot about thalia helping out someone else’s muse from a sticky situation!!
bad influence - i would loveeee for thalia to be a bad influence on someone. someone she can corrupt in a way, or just lead down a bad path akshkjhd and get them to try new, and not-so-good, things
good influence - someone to be a good influence on thalia. someone who brings out the best in her and tries to steer her down a better path
partner in crime - someone who does crazy, illegal shit w her. someone who is always down for the next adventure n they have crazy memories together
model/muse - someone who models thalia’s clothes. they could simply just be her model, or maybe they could also double as her muse, someone who inspires her best work. there can b romantic feelings there or it can b totally platonic !!!! but i think someone who models for her would be super fun
photographer - someone she partnered with to take pictures of her designs. it can be a strictly mutually beneficial business partnership, or maybe it spiraled into a sort of friendship where they bring out the best in each other (work wise) and stick together for their different projects.
childhood friends - someone who knew thalia when she grew up. maybe they knew about her weird home life, or maybe their friendship was set up by their parents. maybe they were just friends out of their own free will, but grew apart when they grew older. the possibilities are endless
roommates - they could be on good terms or bad terms. maybe thalia coming home at odd hours of the night doesnt sit well with your muse, or maybe they dont have an issue with it at all. maybe they are starting to get along and hangout more because of being roommates
tldr: thalia is an emotionally unavailable wealthy aspiring fashion designer who has issues with her parents and likes getting into trouble
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void-official · 5 years
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“Micro-identities/’Mogai/ya’ll literally just be making shit up now” OK. i’m sorry im stuck on this and this is the last i’ll talk about it today bc fuck it. I’m gonna be Real for a second. And it’s going to be awkward, and it’s going to be long, and I’m gonna Lose Follower bc defending micro-labels is Cringe. Whatever. I get it. go ahead and unfollow. The rest of you who actually care. and in the spirit of Pride Month, as someone who feels like they’re almost never allowed to express Pride in who I am? Here we go.
I’m bi. Most of you can probably tell, im not exactly subtle about it.
I’m bi. But
my actual interest in dating or having sex with Anyone has been pretty much negligible for my entire life. I just don’t Care. I never have. Dating and sex seem like a hassle to me and I don’t feel like i’m particularly missing out by not taking part in them. It doesn’t negate my enjoyment of peoples bodies necessarily, nor does it mean I never get crushes on people it just means at the end of the day, my desire to go out there and find people to have sex with and/or date has always been like. really really low. Even if the opportunity was there. And i’ve come to terms with this. I accept this about myself.
There is actually a great deal of overlap between bi and ace identity. all those ‘weird little terms’ like ‘demisexual’ you guys hate so much were originally created for people like me, who feel like they are fundamentally not allowed to call themselves something straightforward like ‘bi’ (or straight/gay/lesbian) without people inevitably screaming at them for Doing It Wrong. So they can describe how they feel in a brief word, instead of having to go through the pains of explaining the complex relationship they have with sexual attraction to every fucking person who asks what their sexuality is.
saying ‘well you should just be able to say bi and leave it at that’ doesn’t actually account for the experiences i have when i Just Say i’m Bi. Even me Just Saying ‘im bi’ i’ve always gotta deal with harassment from people whoget weirdly agressive about -why- i’m not out there fucking or dating the people i claim im attracted to. Am I a prude? a Tease? Just an ‘Acey’ lying for brownie points? Am I Actually Just Traumatized? (They ask in a really aggressive condescending way, like thats actually how you should talk to someone you think is potentially traumatized) But by the standards of this discourse, i’m not allowed to call myself ace either, because then people are going to yell at me that if I experience the tiniest smidgen of sexual attraction or romantic inclination sometimes, or post pictures of sexy video game characters, clearly i cant be that either  I literally can’t win. there is not a thing I can call myself that won’t earn me the ire of LGBT people on tumblr who think they know me and what i should call myself better than I do. And believe me i hate talking about this More than you do. I’d rather just shut up and let people Assume i’m whatever they want me to be sometimes but then mutuals i thought i trusted will inevitably openly make fun of the people who outwardly call themselves demisexual or whatever microlabel is trendy to shit on currently, and usually i bite my tongue cause at the end of the day its Just Words, right? I don’t even use that word, right? Its just words and some words can be interchangeable and not everyone knows what they mean which can feel alienating and unnecessary to people who don’t understand them. I -get- why people ‘cringe’ when they see like 10 terms they don’t understand in someones bio. why do you think i don’t even list anything about my sexuality in mine other than my pronouns?
but I always remember like. just bc that label isnt For Me, it doesn’t mean there might be someone in a similar position to me who doesnt feel comfortable just calling themeslves bi, and prefers the label ‘demisexual biromantic’ who feels like that phrase puts them in a place of peace and contentment, and I wouldn’t argue with them about it. Bc thats their fucking choice. Them being happy with who they are takes priority over my personal opinions of the language they use. same with gender nonconforming people who dont want call themselves trans or nonbinary. Thats fucking Fine. I’m not telling you to have to use the same words as me if you don’t feel like they’re necessary or accurate. I literally don’t give a rats ass what words you use to identify yourself so long as they’re not being used to hurt other people. I just want to be able to have Words, for myself, that describe how I feel, that don’t result in people treating my entire identity like some shitty discourse Meme. And right now I have none. No matter what I call myself, people choose tell me it’s not accurate, or its too complicated.
As for all these shitty fucking posts about people ‘forcing’ young people to take up labels. This. This doesn’t actually happen? (OK I won’t say it doesn’t happen ever on an individual level? but that its not something enforced or encouraged by any group as a practice, and that distinction is necessary, bc saying it happens on a large scale literally implies predatory intentions from a massive group of people instead of members of the group behaving poorly as individuals)
Demisexual people as a whole have literally never told me i had to call myself demi just bc my sense of how i experience attraction might be similar to theirs. Ace people as a whole don’t usually tell people whose lack of sexual attraction is caused by trauma or who havent developed enough to experience sexual attraction that they -have- to call themselves ace. Most Bi or Pan people are fine with the fact that their labels have a lot of overlap and that the line between these things can be murky, they arent actually constantly ready to tear each others throats out over whose terminology is correct. All of this shit is made up by hateful people, or people taking a few examples of poor behavior out of context as an excuse to shit on everyone else, and well meaning people keep falling for it bc it -seems- helpful to be. reactive. I guess? to people you’re constantly told are hurtful to the causes of marginalized people. but im telling you. its not true. literally nobody forces you to call yourself any of these words, they just Exist out there in case you want them, and if you think thats somehow a threat to other peoples identities or to Minors just like, conceptually, for existing, for being Too Specific, im sorry but what other word is there for your reaction than phobic? If an individual derails a conversation about Y to be like “You didn’t include _X_” or tries to force their views on a minor who hasn’t developed a stable sense of identity yet, that is an Individual behaving in an inappropriate manner, not an invitation for you to throw the whole group under the bus. I hate to tell you but if you’re using examples of individuals on tumblr who say stupid shit, everyone on tumblr says stupid shit and butts in conversationally where they’re not welcome. Universally. It’s how tumblr is formatted. Trust me, I have like 4 viral posts going right now.
i’m just tired of it at this point. im not cool with people who stretch to make fun of micro-labels all the time and think they’re being woke allies or w/e to the ‘real LGBTs’.  Even if a lot of the time I personally don’t care for all the labels and wouldn’t choose them for myself, I still feel like If you can’t treat people like individuals and assess their character on a case by case basis, i don’t trust you. I don’t like people who stereotype and LGBT people are not immune to this behavior. Like i don’t say it often but it fucking hurts, and it hurts other people I’m close to who I know have similar complicated identities and struggle coming up w/words to describe themselves that the whole of tumblr LGBT+ will approve of and agree with (clearly an impossibility because there are still people who don’t want bi and trans to even be in there). I might tolerate the constant jokes and not block on principle of knowing not everyone has ingested and thought about this discourse in the same way I have, and im a big tough adult, ultimately i can take it. but inside i know no matter what i call myself, if i were earnest with some of you about how i feel I’d probably be just another ‘special snowflake Delusional mogai creep’ to you, and i can’t deny that fucking hurts to think about. I try not to talk about it openly bc it embarrasses me, bc i dont think my sexuality should have to be battle ground for discourse for people who are supposed to be on my side. But there it is. I think most of this discourse is Trash, and clearly not for the reason most people on here say its trash, not bc theres ‘too many specific words, y’all just be Making Shit Up’ but because so many of you are more caught up in the words than the substance of the arguments or the needs of people whose experiences might have a lot of overlap with yours regardless of what word they’re using to describe it.
Anyway. happy pride to LGBTQA+ people who still dont really feel pride in themselves or their identity. I’d say you’re valid, but you don’t need my validation or anyone elses to understand that you’re a person deserving of respect and compassion. You exist as who you are, and you have to come to terms with who that is, regardless of whether or not you feel like you’re accepted for it. if not pride then, settle for confidence in who you are.
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zankivich · 5 years
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I’m in my mid 20’s and recently I’ve been feeling like I might be bi.I’ve never been with a woman but I’ve started to become attracted to them, sexually. It’s freaking me out because if I was bi I’d have known about it sooner?! I’m so confused I’m too grown to be feeling like this. I don’t know how to even start to date women More of a personal admission than a question I just feel so confused and a bit scared and stupid for not realising sooner. But maybe I’m not. Maybe this will pass
Omg sis????? First of all I love you and I'm here for you and you're incredible and that's all that matters. The thing about sexuality is she's a fluid bitch. She moves with the breeze and the ocean and shit ya know? No but on a serious note like...I didnt know I was pan until college, until I started studying sexuality at a collegiate level and really doing that work for myself. Dont be hard on yourself. Theres literally nothing wrong with your journey and you coming to any understanding of you are at any point in your life is the perfect time. Dont ve upset with this development! Treasure it! Treasure this moment to get to explore and understand and grow more because there's always room to do that. I'm so proud of you for getting to do that. If the label scares you step back from it. Just explore the attraction first. It doesnt necessarily need to be rooted in words or literature or any of that shit. Just be you sis. That's good enough. I'm so happy for you! And so so so grateful that you felt comfortable to disclose this to me. It means the world. Love you anon. I'm always here if you need to chat! ❤❤❤❤
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justforlove · 6 years
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For the anon that said I was lesbian, first off, that's actually really funny haha you may have made my day, but also, I do like boys too. I've liked more guys than I've liked girls and that's the most confusing part about this. I'm not necessarily ashamed about it, I'm just really confused, cause I'd get it if I just liked girls or just liked boys but I like both. But I don't even know if I like girls or it's just a fluke helpmepls
well, bisexuality, pansexuality, and polysexuality are a thing and there are a few more im sure that i just dont know of! straight and gay are not the only options! before i decided i was lesbian, i went through bi, pan, and ply and ended up deciding they weren’t right, so ya know its ok to be confused and its ok to test things out to see if they work for you! it isnt bad or wrong to like both boys and girls, and it isnt bad or wrong to experiment a little bit before deciding :)
if you needed a bit of a key:bi- liking 2 or more genders (generally referred to as liking both boys and girls, however it can be used for other genders or more than 2 genders)pan- liking someone no matter what gender they are (meaning you can be be attracted to someone and it has nothing to do with gender) (this is hard to explain lmao im so bad at this and im doing it from memory rip)ply- liking multiple genders (i find that this is used mostly by people who like 2 or more genders, but because they aren’t male and female dont feel comfortable identifying as bi, BUT that isnt the only reason for identifying as ply. technically, i am polysexual because i am attracted to both girls and enbies, however, i go as lesbian because its just simpler and more people know what it means.) [NOT POLYAMOROUS! THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT THING!]
anyways, you can debate back and forth and experiment and research all you want bb, you shouldnt be judged (by others or yourself) for not quite knowing! i wish you the best of luck, and i want you to know that you dont have to put a label on yourself if you dont want to. sure all of these words are great and they help other people be happy, but that doesnt mean they will help everyone. if you wanna just not say anything but just know yourself who you like then thats ok! ily!
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