#listen I am nonbinary and I love this art so much

[nknhall]

I had the absolute honor of interviewing the creator of Gandalf Big Naturals for @autostraddle 🧙‍♂️

Image description: Gandalf is photoshopped to have huge ta-ta's. Text reads "An Interview With the Creator of the Gandalf Big Naturals Meme" by Nico Hall

[huraiyra]

in 2021 I wondered "what if each MC had their own style? or... EARRINGS...?" and at the end of 2022 I spiraled. hope you enjoy.

(I just need everyone to notice each MC has a corresponding number of beauty marks and piercings. no, multiple piercings in one section do not count shhhhh. some MCs share small similarities, can you spot them all? the little details of this brought me great joy!)

MC 1's style is playful, colourful and everything fun. MC 2's style is cool, coordinated and a little edgy. MC 3 wears barely any clothing because I gave up 🖤 and I imagine Toji coerces him into ever having any semblance of modesty 🖤 MC 4's style is soft, comfy and pastels. and MC 5, I imagine, is a bit of goth, a bit of academia, and very put together.

ps. if you made it this far, here are the MC 3 "rejects". I like him the most with no lip piercings, but I think he definitely needs them. can you believe I redrew his face 4 times and yet never gave him clothes.

pps. every MC is named "Nii Juu San (23)" in my head, EXCEPT him. HIS name is Boobina 🖤

[mogai-sunflowers]

I’m lowkey confused and scared rn. For the past four years I’ve IDed as nonbinary/agender in some sense, but now I’ve slowly started to reconnect with my AGAB and now I don’t know if I am anymore. I’m really worried that if I end up being cis that what I’ve experienced and explored will amount to nothing, and I’d have wasted four years of my life for nothing. What do I do?

i'm so sorry for the late response, but i want you to think about a hypothetical for a minute.

so there's this person. they think they have it figured out what they want to do with their life- they want to be a scientist. so they go to college for science, major in science, and for a few years, that's what they do.

but slowly, the field of science opened them up to new possibilities. through science, they started to like art, and realized they would rather spend their life painting and drawing, so they leave the world of science to start a career in art.

and they spend a few years painting, and it's wonderful. but after awhile, they start to wish that the things they were painting could be more real and brought to life, so they think "maybe i should start directing movies, because that's a way to bring art to life more and give it an active story" so they start to pursue that instead of painting!

they are three things- a scientist, a painter, and a director, because people/beings are not one dimensional. change does not cancel itself out. in fact, change relies just as much on what you were before because without it, there would be no beginning to a transformation, nothing to look back on after you've changed a lot.

you spent years feeling one way, and that feeling is shifting. but change is ALWAYS a balance between who you were and who you're becoming. without the way you identified before, you would not have the unique view on your own gender and identity that is allowing you to currently explore potentially new aspects of it. just like that director/artist/scientist would not have discovered the joy of directing without the joy of art, or the joy of art without science.

life is not linear. who you were is in the past, but the past guides us in the present and the future. you can't change the past, but that doesn't mean it's static- it is always a part of you. it is the reason you are who you are. change is hard, but your identity is GOING to shift and grow along with you. your experience of who you used to more strongly be, is still part of you, because the past is just as much a part of you as the here and now, and as the future you will know. i know this is very philosophical, but it's true. without the past there would be no present or future.

so if you do end up connecting more with being cis, then that is awesome. the point of discovery isn't to always find something new- sometimes you just discover something that was always there, but you've just recently gained the insight to explore more. "cis" is not a synonym for "has a completely normal and standard and non-personal experience with gender". gender is personal. i am a cis girl, and i identify with both nonbinary and trans communities because of my unique experience with gender. my gender experience as an autigender butch-femme girl is not any less real just because i'm cis. anon, you and your journey are wonderful. the past speaks within you- you do not have to judge it for not being completely correct about itself, you just have to listen to how it's helping you move forward. much love anon, you are glorious.

[theduckeminence]

CH! Frida Kahlo Headcanon(s)

As much as I love Frida, I feel like she deserves to have some personality, character, and other stuff about her other than being “the laidback voice of reason”. So here we are:

Frida has confrontational issues. Because of how chilled and laidback she is, she would rather leave or wait things out rather than be direct and confront the problem(s)/conflict(s). She doesn’t take fighting nor arguing very well—thus becoming more passive and dismissive.

They struggle with chronic pain in their legs, mainly in their right leg. Due to their clone mother getting polio at a young age and suffering chronic pain in their leg as a result, Frida ends up inheriting that chronic pain (maybe also suffering from polio at the same age as well?) and thus struggles with it. Winters and cold weather is the worst.

On those occasions where Frida’s leg is in extreme amount of pain, he uses a cane.

Has Alexithymia. Pups cool and laidback attitude is partially due to pups difficulty identifying pups emotions and issues related to interoception. Sometimes either forgets of doesn’t realize pup’s hungry, tired, dehydrated, stressed, etc—hence pup carefreeness. This is a more personal HC as I have this as well, and so I feel she has it too.

While we’re at it, Frida also has ADHD and even experiences autistic traits. They tends to hyper focus HARD on painting murals and getting certain art pieces done. Simultaneously, they also had alot of unfinished works that are lying around their room. Even murals. They also tends to listen more than speak, preferring to be able to consider what they has to say. Uses advice they had learned from others and giving it on. Yet, there are times where they acts out impulsive whenever nervous or excited (i.e. when they crushed on Cleo).

Has sleeping issues related to her ADHD and is the type to sleep at 4 am. Tends to either pace around, paint, or rant to herself or Harriet early in the morning.

Has been masking for all his life and hasn’t realized this until he and Topher became friends. Topher pointed out that his disconnect to his identity and personality is most likely his masking.

OH and I decided—Frida has ✨identity issues✨ and internally struggles to see if pup really is the cool and go-with-the-flow type of person.

Is nonbinary, they/she & occasionally uses he/pup.

Is bisexual—has a preference for woman but occasionally had dated and crushes on men.

Has dated Diego Rivera’s clone son. Didn’t go so well…

Becomes friends with Topher & besties too with Gandhi (ADHD solidarity)

Wears a binder <33

Had a crush on Abe but never said anything about it—only reason they remained cool is because it wasn’t as big of a crush compared to Cleo.

And that’s about it for now!

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Hello!! I saw you were doing match ups and that's so cool! I was hoping to participate if that's okay! Could I possibly get both male and female matchup? No poly please !

I'm nonbinary but i am physically fem, 5'5, with a bright red mullet that's like sorta grown out? Soft looking. My fashion sense tends to vary depending on my mood. Goth one day, cottagecore the next type of thing. One thing that's always a constant is my spiky earrings, kinda like the Fangs preset from the game! Necklace and my two bracelets. If I ever take them off I feel disgusting and off

Positive personality traits wise, I'm caring and selfless. I tend to be pretty cheerful and optimistic, goofing off. I think I'm smart? The most basic things tend to confuse me but then I'll bust out some complex knowledge lmao. I'm pretty creative too! I create stuff out of basically trash lol. I made a whole shield and sword sheath from recycled cardboard once.

Negative traits wise, I'm overly selfless, tending to put others before me. I'm very forgetful but thats cause of adhd. I can be messy and far too loud. Oblivious to a lot of things. I'm a big scaredy cat too which makes it hard to enjoy some stuff. I also tend to hide my negative emotions

My love language is definitely quality time and gift giving. Heavy on gift giving.

I have all kinds of hobbies but I'm not particularly good at any of them. Like video games, writing, arts and crafts, painting. And active stuff too like skateboarding. But uh. To be completely honest my main hobby is just sleeping forever lmfao

Likes: savory foods, coffee, aesthetic stuff, all kinds of animals, dressing up, reading, anything adrenaline inducing like rollercoasters, rainstorms

Dislikes: i cant eat any kind of fish/seafood I will gag, spiders, snakes, being vulnerable, people being mean (I seriously don't understand how people can be mean), the dark especially if I'm alone

Thank you so much! I hope that wasn't too much- or that I missed any requirements lol. Have a great week!!

A/N: Okay, for you @lord-westley … I’m thinking for romantic matchups your best bets would be… Gale (Male) and Karlach (Female)! 

Gale is a great match for you, as he’s quite similar personality wise. He’s kind and selfless; smart but also somehow clueless? He’s got a good spirit, and an old soul. He wants someone he can share his life with, and thinks you’re just the person to do that with. 

He thinks you look fierce, for real, he’s almost intimidated by how good you look, especially your hair. It’s bright and bold and something he’d never have the courage to try. It suits you, and it makes him feel all the more special for being with you. 

His style is fairly consistent, and he’s not the most fashion savvy, but he does appreciate a good look when he sees one. Be prepared for a bunch of horrible puns, and awkward attempts at flirtatious compliments. He wants to tell you how much he loves your look, it’s just that it comes off wrong more often than not. Please don’t be mistaken- he really does think you look great. It’s just that loving words aren't his strong suit. 

He loves how caring and selfless you are. He quite admires your capacity for compassion. He likes to think of himself as selfless, but he’s also aware that’s not the truth. But for you, it is. And he’s so honored someone as pure and kind hearted as you would choose him as your partner. 

He’s also very grateful you’re smart. At least, that you’re smart enough to sort of get some of what he says about magic. He has a tendency to infodump, and he really likes it when you make comments or ask questions that let him know you’re listening. And your creativity, good heavens! He’s so impressed. He thought as a wizard, he’d be able to think outside of the box, but his imagination is no match for yours. Thanks to your builds and use of garbage, he’s starting to rethink the way he goes about spell casting and brewing potions. Your perspectives are actually helping make him a better wizard. 

He does worry that you’re too selfless, though. He’s been used by powerful beings before, and he’d hate to see you get hurt similarly. If he thinks someone is taking advantage of your kindness, he won’t hesitate to bring it up to you. He just wants you to know your time and effort has value, and it should never be taken for granted. 

He’s understanding when it comes to your fear. He thinks it's rather healthy to be afraid, especially of death. It shows you have a lust and respect for life. He’s glad you understand the enormity of what it means to live, because he wants you to protect your life so that the two of you can grow old and gray together. 

He will give you gifts! A lot of them are favors done via spells, but a good amount of them are physical presents. (Many of which may have previously been magic items that have since had their magic drained, but hey! It’s the thought that counts, right?!)

He loves savory foods! He can’t wait to show you his extensive wine cellar and kitchen in his tower in Waterdeep, and feed you his especially _ sauce. It’s full of flavor, it’ll knock your socks right off! 

He may not be a huge fan of adrenaline inducing activities: he much prefers the safe mental exercise of a good book. But he will join you on occasion, so long as you promise him it’s mostly safe. (He may or may not ask Shadowheart to cast Guidance on the two of you before you leave, but then again, he’s just covering his bases!)

Thanks to his arcane knowledge, you’ll never be in the dark. He can conjure light to ensure you’re not afraid. And he vows to always be by your side, so long as you’ll have him, protecting you, just as you protect him. 

Karlach is also a great match for you! She’s a very upbeat person, and she loves your loud and creative energy, it makes her feel like you can keep up with her and match her own outgoing personality. 

She loves your style, especially the bright red hair. That is her color after all. And she’s obsessed with all the new looks you combine and create. Everyday she’s basically shouting at the other members of your party, ‘Come look at how hot/cute my partner looks!’. It’s a bit over the top and embarrassing at first, but she means it in the best, most sincere way. If you ask her to stop, she’ll stop. But otherwise, be prepared for compliments, like ALL of the time. 

She loves goofing off with you, pulling pranks and just having a little fun in between missions. She’s a firm believer in taking breaks- it keeps you sane. She’s fairly intelligent too, I mean, she’s not a scholar or anything, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders and so do you. 

She thinks it’s incredible how you can make something totally new out of garbage, or old unwanted scraps. It’s both your resourcefulness and creativity she finds impressive. 

She has no problems with your being messy or loud, even if other people might. If they have an issue with it, she’ll join in, and make it a point to be messier and louder than you. And if anyone still has a problem, she’ll take care of it for you. She’s a big strong woman, and she understands how scary confirmation can be. She does her best to make the world around you a little less frightening. 

Kalrach strikes me as someone who would enjoy doing almost any hobby outside of being forced to fight. I mean, she also really loves a good battle, but she’s down for basically whatever. She’s so ready to try everything- to make up for all the time she missed down in Avernus. She’ll do anything or go anywhere with you. She’s especially excited for any adrenaline inducing activities. As a Barbarian, she is 100% there. No questions asked. Also the idea of skateboarding blows her mind. (Pretty sure that doesn’t exactly translate to DND, but if there was anyway in Faerun willing to ride a board with little wheels up and down steep hills or ramps, she’d be your girl.) 

Even though she’s adventurous, she’s also cool with just chilling- taking some time to enjoy your company. She thinks you’re adorable when you sleep, and can’t help but want to take naps with you, so long as her engine is fixed enough, and you don’t mind being warm. 

She’s fine with you not eating seafood, it’s not that big of a deal to her. You like what you like, right? And she gets that spiders can be pretty creepy- especially the ones in the Underdark. She promises to never make you visit there, and should any of those creatures try and get you topside, don’t worry, she won't let them lay a hand on you. 

Despite being a fierce fighter, she’s got a heart of gold. She hates bullies, and people who abuse others. She knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that, and it feels awful. She’d never want you to feel that way. So gods help anyone in Baldur’s Gate who tries and bullies you for whatever reason. They’ve just got themselves a _ tiefling to answer to. 

Karalch thinks you’re wonderful, and so sweet. You’re precious to her and she promises to protect you. You make her so happy. She’s so glad she’s met you. 

...

I hope you like it!

...

Please Like & Reblog!!!

&

Happy Halloween!!!

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

To the nonbinary anon who is thinking abt saying your a trans man:

Hi!! I’m in a similar situation. I have actually decided to take the step to come out as a trans man, so I can begin the medically transition I need to survive. This has been a hard decision for me, and it’s one that i’ve only recently been able to decide on, because I am now so comfortable in my identity. I’ve always been one to say “I don’t care what others think of me! I know myself best, so other people can’t change my mind”. Which, is a mindset I understand not everyone can share. But I think at the core of it, this all comes down to how comfortable and familiar you are with yourself. Gender is a complicated thing! It’s OK to change how you describe yourself, as you get to know you better. I used to identify as a trans man, before I realised I was non binary. And now it feels a bit strange to slip on that cover again as I seek medical transition, I will admit.

For me, I have gotten this comfortable in myself by listening to others, and making art. I used to struggle with unlearning transmedicalism, too. It stunted my growth as a non binary person. but in discovering more diverse voices on youtube, podcasts, etc, my mind truly opened. Not just in accepting the wide spectrum of all trans people, but in how it all interconnects. Listen to trans and non binary people with intersectional identities! You will learn so much. And the feeling of joy I got seeing just how many different ways non binary can be all over the worlds, it is wonderful. 

And in these past few years, I have really taken to art. creating my own, as a way of self expression. Drawing, face paint, makeup: all ways I express myself. Translating my being into different forms of art has helped me better understand myself. Again, not for everyone, I understand. But if you are into art, maybe try some abstract artworks. Some questions I turned into drawings are: “Who am I now vs. who do I want to become? Why do I love myself?”

While I will be putting “transgender man” down on official papers, I still have been out to my wonderful friends about being non binary. I agree with Lee that it is an important step in unlearning transmedicalism. Personally though, I accepted myself as non binary in my head, before I told my friends the truth. It is hard to explain what my gender means to me. I just don’t think words are enough sometimes! I wish I could have better words to explain how I came to this point of self-acceptance. Just try not to be too hard on yourself for not figuring everything out right away!

Because ultimately, your safety does indeed come first. Being in places where non binary identity isn’t well understood, it can feel like a lot of pressure to be a role model. At least for me, I can’t handle explaining to everyone I meet what it means to be non binary, and answer all the questions. It sucks, because having non binary people who are out, is an essential part of acceptance for our community. But we must keep in mind our own personal limits. It is understandable to feel guilty in this decision. But understand that it is not your fault our societies are this way, and we must do what we can to survive. 

I have hope that there *will* come a future where we are accepted and loved by this planet. We have already come so far, although it can be disheartening to remember that in the face of such vocal hate. But we cannot allow ourselves to be drowned by it. You are far from alone, anon. Wishing you peace and prosperity!! <3

(in response to this post)

Lee says:

Thank you for your reply-- as a sidenote, I'd like to mention that it isn't always necessary to pretend to be a binary trans man to access medical transitioning.

Anon may feel like it is necessary to do so in their situation and I am not saying that they are wrong for doing so. But I'd like followers who have not yet started the process of medical transition to know that it can be possible to do so while out as non-binary.

I personally have been out as genderqueer to my mental health letter-writing providers and medical providers throughout my process of getting T, getting top surgery, a hysterectomy, and phalloplasty. I can't say that all of my doctors actually understood that I'm non-binary as many did refer to me as a trans man, but despite that bit of erasure, I wasn't actively hiding my gender identity and it is mentioned in my WPATH letters of support.

While it will depend on where you live and which doctors/providers you see, there are folks who medically transition while openly identifying as non-binary.

[mikufigure]

i intended to write this as a comment on this https://archiveofourown.org/works/42448821/chapters/110444814?view_adult=true fan fiction (nsfw), but comments are disabled. i’m a fairly private person in regards to erotic content, i don’t like sharing what i enjoy outside of very limited circumstances, but i feel i need to set that aside for a moment in order to praise this. this is one of my favorite fanworks of all time.

let’s set some background so i can formulate my thoughts and also give a proper info. i rarely read fan fiction, only occasionally indulging whenever visual art can’t scratch the itch of enjoying media. guilty gear is a franchise that i, excuse my wording, feel guilty for enjoying due to my lack of participation in the actual fighting game side of it. i’ve been about actively into it for ten months, but i first started looking into it because of bridget’s depiction in strive, as she was transgender, and openly accepted as such by her franchise.

putting the rest under the readmore since this got long

after listening to her theme song a few times i ended up hearing other songs as they came on autoplay, and loved them. passively listened to just the music for a few months before plunging into what the series actually was. i am not good at fighting games. i’ve tried a few, played a few rounds against friends, but ultimately did not stick with them for very long. the way i enjoyed guilty gear was by listening to music, learning about the story, and enjoying fanworks.

as much as i like to pretend that i don’t, i do have an anxiety disorder, and the general culture of media led me to developing the mindset of becoming a ‘poser’ for not actually playing the games. there was a reputation of fans that got into the series because of bridget never playing the game and being looked down on because of that, and i did not want to fall in that crowd. with this factors, i was reserved in my emotional investment for quite some time.

what ended up drawing me out of this shell was meeting people who enjoyed the series, and seeing them enjoying it without hesitation. there was no breakthrough moment of “oh wow! i can just enjoy things without worrying about opinions!”, but rather a gradual build up of confidence in seeing the happiness of others.

do you wanna know the fun part of this? the people i’ve met got into it for various reason, still play the game, and enjoy the franchise as much as me. the only other uniting feature between us is that we’ve all been transgender. guilty gear has cultivated a safe community for transgender people solely through their addition of characters like bridget and testament. don’t think i’ve forgotten about testament, i’ve just only been addressing bridget due to her widespread impact.

i think i’m ready to actually talk about that fanfiction i linked forever ago. go read it if you haven’t, or at least read between the first and second line break. the part that got me wanting to write all of this was two specific paragraphs:

She doesn’t know what to tell this gothic nonbinary transfemme to keep them safe. Maybe spit out some stupid platitudes. Shit advice like, don’t ever write poetry. Don’t ever write song lyrics. Don’t ever write your heart and your trauma and your hope into trans erotic fanfiction; don't do it, it's not worth it.

this first one made my heart ache. it made me realize why comments were disabled, why the work was posted anonymously. i had already decided i needed to write something in response to it by then, as a sort of “tribute” to whoever might have written this.

And in response, I-No brushes her guitar’s strings, enough to summon her magic. Transformative magic, the kind that you’d archive online in the hopes that another trans reader would find resonance between the lines.

i’ve found such an intense resonance with this. it’s hard to convey with words the emotion that this makes me feel. i’m grateful to have found this fan fiction, to have found this community, for a game like guilty gear to exist which could foster a community for transgender people. i’m grateful for transgender erotica and expression as a love letter to the source material and for personal indulgence. i don’t think i can make a much more compelling closer than that, just simple adoration for transgenderism and love.

[crestapex]

Hello! I saw a post saying COD matchups are open! If not, please ignore this ^^ Also, I haven't fone a matchup ask in forever, so sorry if I'm rusty...

I'm punk and it really shows in my appearance. I got a red mohawk, and some piercings and tattoos. I like to customise my clothes as much as possible, so battle jackets, studs, chains, pins and patches with slogans and band icons/names are my daily wardrobe.

I'm nonbinary, panromantic asexual and I go by they them pronouns. I'm trilingual and I love learning about stuff, mostly languages and time zones. I am very probably autistic, so I have issues with social interactions as well as sensory issues and I have tics, motoric and vocal. Usually I just chirp, repeat phrases or wave my hands around, twist my neck etc. But sometimes, when I'm anxious, my tics get more violent and I often punch/pinch myself. I struggle with depression a lot as well as some unhealthy coping mechanisms that involve pain, to put it lightly.

I love art, I consider myself a poet, I got one book published and I like to attend poetry competitions. I also draw a lot and paint. I like crafting as well, I have tons of little projects either going on or in my head. I have to journal a lot, because if I don't write it down you can bet I'll forget it :D I also like cooking :)

I love animals, I used to have pet rats and would want them in the future.

I think I'm kind, maybe a bit too much, I would do anything for my loved ones. My MBTI type is INFJ if that helps. I try to make others laugh and feel comfortable, I'm kind of a mix between the parent friend and the clown friend. My love language is words of affirmation and quality time. I tend to get into arguments, because a) people usually take me seriously when I'm being sarcastic or playful (another tism trait), b) because when it comes to things I'm passionate about, I always think I'm right and I have the need to convince the other person that my opinion is better. Also because I get frustrated when people don't get what I mean exactly.

My special interests are horror, in all forms, horror movies, horror books, video essays, deep dives...I like true crime as well and I like to collect bones and other things people often deem creepy (I have a bird skeleton/mummy in a jar).

I think that's it, take as much time as you need, and again, if matchups aren't open, feel free to just delete this <3

You’re all good 👍 (I’m not too familiar with the whole MBTI type of stuff, so I tried my best to look into it, lol.)

I match you with: Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Parra!

I think he’d be pretty into watching video essays and deep dives with you. Rudy would have no problem setting himself on the couch right beside you, claiming that it keeps him educated and his mind sharp. But really he’d end up passing out in 30 minutes, one of his arms wrapped tightly around you as if you were to magically grow wings and fly away from him. The other resting gently on your arm or thigh if you find yourself sitting practically in his lap. It’s one of the few times he finds himself at true peace and serenity.

Having any shared friends means you guys are definitely referred to as the parents of the group. Drama at the grocery store? Off to go gossip with the two of you! Looking for relationship advice? Once again, off to you and Rudy. And when you guys get into a small, tiny even, slight disagreement in front of your friends? All of sudden it’s the end of the world and everyone is talking about having two christmases. 😐

But also most likely to be the one to bring you down from confrontation or arguments. He will tell you when it’s time to take a step back and calm down, and he’ll continue to talk you down from it and put a comforting hand on your lower back. And if you want to take a moment to continue ranting about it? Go for it, he’ll listen, only to voice his opinion on the situation if you ask for it and/or after you’ve come back down to earth. He’s pretty level headed (especially compared to someone like Alejandro… *side eye*…) and tends to have good judgment like that, so I think that would balance out your relationship, especially if you’re more on the temperamental side.

I can picture him as some sort of gift giver, which I’d imagine would go pretty well with someone who has strong collector tendencies. And they wouldn’t always be the most elaborate and luxurious gifts—though it’s not out of the question—it be something small or something he just found interesting and made him think of you. Think of a gem or crystal he found be sold at a little gift stand, or a small drawstring bag full of bottle caps from all around the world and from all kinds of bottles (that, or he’d be the one to gift you the bottle caps to add a collection, lol).

Loves your artistic side, especially your poetry. Write him little pieces of poetry on a sticky note or torn corner of a piece of paper and he will most definitely keep it in his pocket, only pulling it out to read when he’s alone and missing you—“Oh, mi cielo…” he’d whisper to himself and bring the piece of paper right over his chest, on top his beating heart. He’d close his eyes and let himself be overrun with thoughts of you, even if it’s just for a quick minute before he would have to return back to work. And while you may not believe it’s your best work, Rudy will think it’s one of the most beautiful things he’s ever read.

mi cielo = “my sky” or “my Heaven”

[emeritus-fuckers]

Howdy hey I'm interested in trying the match-up event. I always enjoy reading the things y'all've written.

Apologies in advance if this is a mess. 1. Identity: I am nonbinary, use they/them and she/her pronouns. I'm bisexual and a bit on the demisexual side.

2. Who I like: I'm cool with either the papas or ghouls

3. What I look like: I'm 5'8" and chubby. I'm pretty strong and got some muscle so I'm built perfect for giving big hugs and cuddles (though it'll take a bit of convincing to get me cuddly). At the moment my hair is dyed bright red but it changes colors often. Both my eyes have sectoral heterochromia and are green with a bright blue chunk. I usually wear all black graphic tees, skinny jeans, boots, and fun colored socks that often show because i never find pants that are long enough in my size lol.

4. My personality: I am introverted but enjoy being around others even if it wears me out. I'm good with kids (I'm a human jungle gym at this point) and people tend to tell me their secrets and find it easy to be open/themselves around me. I'd say i'm pretty smart but I will do stupid things just because i'm curious. Folks i'm comfortable around will never hear the end of my current interests and I'm a complete goofball (I've been banned from being funny at the table because i've caused too many people to choke laughing oops). It takes a while to actually get to know me deeply because I keep things close to my chest and dont open up easily. I've got a lot of anxiety and some baggage that I keep hidden but I'm working on I swear. I can get really competitive over trivial things and can turn anything into a game. I sometimes go MIA when im distracted with whatever the hell i'm into at that time but when I reappear there's always something new to share. (I can tell you everything you never wanted to know about pipe organs!)

5. Interests: I've got the adhd so my interests bounce around a lot. I like making things and I mess around with a lot with different crafts. I do a lot of fiber arts stuff and I've also recently been whittling bears (I have a few around somewhere). I love music both listening and playing it. I play 8 instruments (violin, viola, cello, mandolin, ukulele, trumpet, trombone, and french horn) but I'm best with the violin because i've been playing it for around 17 years. I'm also teaching myself accordion and guitar. I play video games sometimes and I especially enjoy getting 100% completion. In general I love learning anything and everything and am a "jack of many trades but master of none"

6.Trivia: My favorite movie is fantasia 2000 and recently I completed my goal of performing every music piece in an orchestra (The Pines of Rome and the Firebird Suite are my favs). I collect knickknacks and random things I find and use them to decorate my spaces and I have a skeleton with a mustache in a wizard costume in the back seat of my car and its name is Todd. I also keep googly eyes in my bag just in case

This post is part of the 1000 followers match up event. Entries for the event are now closed.

Your match is...Swiss

You and Swiss quickly became friends, he's so excited by things and so enthusiastic that you got swept up in it all. He's charming and really sweet to you, so you started to fall for him. One day you were sitting outside, Swiss taking a large drag of his vape before he looks at you and grins. "I love ya, you know that right gorgeous one?" You blush and blurt out that you feel the same way. Swiss responds by biting your shoulder just under the collar of your t-shirt. "There now it's offical" he says so excited he's practically jumping up and down "you're my mate!"

Swiss adores your eyes, he thinks they are the most awesome thing ever, and so beautiful. He tells you this a lot.

Swiss adores how much of a goofball you are, he is too, and you spend a lot of time together both laughing so hard you end up tearing up.

If your anxeity is getting bad he will cuddle and do anythig he can to help. If things get too much and you seem sad he'll hold you. He will cuddle you as long as you need. Then he'll try and take your mind off things, anything to get you to laugh a little and smile. Swiss is chaos personified but one thing is constant for him, he loves you and is devoted to you.

Swiss can keep up with your changing interestests. Infact he loves it! This Ghoul enjoys chaos and jumping around from thing to thing, that keeps him occupied. Whatever you get into he'll throw himself into it completely with you.

He is fascinated by all the things you collect. He loves how varied they are and the skeleton with a moutache is his favourite. He was very excited when you whittled him a bear. You handed it to him and he just looked at it like 'woow this is awesome'. he keeps it in his room, pride of place.

He's more than happy to help you learn guitar, he gets so excited his tail starts swishing around. He passes you his guitar and sits behind you legs either side of you showing you a cord and then letting you practice. He'll kiss your neck or softly bite your shoulder every now and then. He'll rest his chin on your shoulder and watches. He smiles at how fast you are learning, his smile is gorgeous enough to make your heart melt for him, to forget completely what you were playing and you just smile back. Often this leads to you getting so distracted the guitar gets forgotten as he presses his lips to yours.

~

Written by Nyx

[sagemonsters]

August 2023 Monthly Review

I'm trying to make a habit of writing a post to cover the events of the past month. Here is this one!

Gentle Reader

August has been a month of trial. I returned to campus to continue my undergrad degree, as well as wrote more than a dozen Monster Match commissions on Tumblr in an effort to cover the cost of one particularly expensive textbook for an art history class. I also drew and painted two large maps for my fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign, which has made me really think about the use of maps as storytelling tools. 

WIP Updates

The nameless centaur x human novelette is continuing apace (see my last update about this project). I’m picking my way through the first draft and am about 1/3 of the way toward the finish line. Taji, the nonbinary human protagonist, has just beaten back a horde of ghosts through the power of song! …And Cimitrius, their centaur love interest, is definitely appreciative of that.

This story was inspired by the Nabatean episode of the Fall of Civilizations podcast (listen to it on YouTube or Spotify). I had initially struggled to make myself interested in a Western European-inspired medieval fantasy world, but found myself much more enthused when I relocated the plot and characters into something more inspired by the Classical-era Middle East and northern Africa.

The 1812 CYOA (choose your own adventure) trio of monster romance stories whose outcomes will be decided via Tumblr polls are still in the research phase. Truth be told, it’s only the gender neutral reader story that needs more research than a cursory glance through various online sources; I’m debating the addition of indigenous North American characters in that particular story, a matter which needs to be handled delicately. 

I don’t want to unintentionally fetishize or appropriate from those cultures (I would be creating some original characters who belong to the Seneca people of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy). I will never portray creatures from Native American folklore in my fantasy romance fiction, since I am white; that leads into cultural appropriation far too easily. These (human) characters would—as narrative tools—be meant to educate the reader about how the War of 1812 had a large part to do with white encroachment onto indigenous lands. I want to add some donation links to that story thread that lead to organizations helping preserve Iroquoian languages, but that will come at a much later stage of the writing process.

The prehistoric fantasy CYOA monster romance story is quickly taking shape. Because this is fantasy rather than anything strictly historical, I don’t need to do much research and so can write as the muse takes me. This is my first proper CYOA, and it’s a big one! There are three love interests that the reader-protagonist can choose from, as well as (because I have some background as a hobbyist TTRPG writer) four items of “starting equipment” that can help or hinder certain outcomes depending on how/if the reader-protagonist chooses to use them. 

I’m using Scapple, a mind-mapping software from Literature & Latte, to plan this CYOA and its network of branching story paths. So far I’ve finished about 1/6 of the story, and I’m really enjoying the creative challenge of writing a “true” CYOA (as opposed to only having to create the path decided via the votes on a Tumblr poll, as the 1812 CYOA will be); it’s very intricate and puzzle-like. I’d love to get into LitRPGs as well, but a cursory glance across the genre’s top picks on Kindle shows a very cis-male-dominated space that doesn’t really offer much to queer people like myself; I’m not sure I want to dip my toes into that particular pool. 

Currently Reading

I’m currently reading The Pixie’s Queen by S. J. Sanders. It’s a wild ride of a novella and I am here for it. No joke, the pixies produce glittery, gold precum; it’s absolutely mind-boggling and unexpected in the very best way. And we love a good polyamorous romance in this house! One moment I’m grinning at the absurdity of Orenda’s situation and the way she approaches problem-solving, the next moment I’m super concerned and all but biting my nails at the gravity of the male pixies’ predicament and how they might lose everything they’ve worked for as a hive. It’s definitely a fun romance!

I’m also currently reading Healing the Orc’s Heart by Lyonne Riley. Full disclosure, I obtained an ARC of this book after asking the author if I could have a free copy for review purposes. So far, I’m really loving it! The language barrier is really interesting to me, and I can’t wait to see more of the story unfold and find out what trouble our two protagonists will get into.

You can check out this book on StoryGraph.

Storyteller’s Thoughts

As I mentioned in the introduction to this newsletter, I’ve been thinking about maps lately. Maps define things, whether by stating precisely where the border of an area is or even just attaching a name to a place. Sometimes this is good—few people want to be lost, after all—but other times it takes away from the mythic aura of a setting.

If you go back far enough, there are no maps and no ways of measuring distance. I’m thinking of the Planegea setting for D&D 5e, which (although it does have a map for the DM’s private use) explicitly states that landmarks move around and the world is constantly shifting due to its youthful, primordial nature. I’m also thinking of a quote from the 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: “You’re off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters.” 

Maps make the world small and approachable with their scales and compass roses and labels. They remove mystery and awe and replace them with “mere” geography. They’re tools of colonialism and imperialism—they dictate who the land belongs to, and the blank areas of real-world historical maps no doubt offered enticement to would-be conquistadors. So, does your world have an accompanying map? Do you as a writer want to have a map of your world—moreover, would it be appropriate for your world to have a map, and if so what kind of map would it be? I would love to hear your thoughts; please do send me a message on the subject if you feel inspired.

[green5quirrel]

Desire and Dream

I want to preface this post with an acknowledgement that I am woefully under-schooled on “The Sandman” with the exception of reading “Overture” and “The Kindly Ones” as well as watching the series more than once.

To some “The Sandman” fans this is not even enough for a prerequisite in lore. But to most lovers of the series (comic, audio, and television) I feel like there is a respect in musing no matter how much or little one has absorbed to muse upon.

So, I shall muse forth.

There seems to be so much similar in Desire and Dream’s characters. People (and I suppose anthropomorphic personifications) often butt heads with the ones who most reflect aspects about themselves they find distasteful. As such both siblings’ egotistic, prideful, and controlling natures do tend to run against each other like a hand going up a cat’s back instead of down. They rile each other up quite completely and that is extremely interesting to watch.

Shoving humanity aside for now (which is honestly quite satisfying a notion today), Desire and Dream’s sibling rivalry is so satisfying to watch. Neither is “better” or more “good” than the other. The argument comes from a simple question (insofar as my attention is aware): Do dreams create desire and therefore move us (humans) forward or are dreams an effect of having the desire to motivate people throughout their days?

Both are true. Having desire, I believe, comes from an instinctual need to survive and that survival is helped along by WANTING certain aspects of life. We don’t simply live to eat and reproduce. We live to LIVE.

At the same time, dreaming puts our desires (wants, fears, needs) in perspective inwardly. It sorts those desires into sharper images after reflection. Dreams, then, drive us forward as well, though more subtly.

This seems to be reflected in Dream and Desire’s personas as well. Dream is passionate and feels strongly but it is guarded like a quiet storm. Desire feels openly and audaciously, shamelessly in a way that Dream never could imagine to express. They are both haughty and obnoxious creatures. They also both hold humanity on their shoulders.

Desire is more than just sex. I think it’s easy to say “Oh, but Desire is just about sex and attraction.” No, to embody Desire one also has to be about wanting to move forward in live. Wanting to experience. Desire is about that attraction to life. Without Desire humanity crumbles into inaction. Not even despair. Not even depression. Just...stops. (And as an asexual writing this desire plays a very important role in my creative life without any sexual undertone. All that to say the character of Desire is someone I jive with quite thoroughly and not just because of their nonbinary nature.)

On the flip side of that, dreams are about imagining WHAT to desire. And the show has already laid examples to us what life would be without dreaming. Without, essentially, imagination and inner dialogue.

Long winded, but TL;DR: I adore the relationship between the emotionally inward Dream and the emotionally explosive Desire. I can’t wait to continue to read the comics and listen to the audio to learn more about these two.

Now here’s some art as a gift for actually reading this far down. Still working on my portraits. Still making eyes too big. Still proportionally distorted. Still loving the process, though.

[Image ID: Marker and ink drawing of Despair and Desire from The Sandman. Despair is in muted tans, peaches, and yellow colors, head tilting into Desire, which is depicted in hot pink and browns. Desire has their hand delicately on Despair’s head. Despair is looking down, strands of hair in her face, in an expression of repose. Desire is looking down at their sister. End Image ID.]

“"Desire smells almost subliminally of summer peaches, and casts two shadows: one black and sharp-edged, the other translucent and forever wavering, like heat haze."-Neil Gaiman 

[Image ID: Desire stands in front of a dark background. Behind them is a bright heart of light with their shadow reflected on the inside with the sharpness of a paper cutout, blue and peach colors around the shadow like an aura of that left by the flame of a candle. In the forefront desire is wearing a dark feathered top, arms exposed with thick gold necklaces on, bright red lipstick, blush on their nose and cheek bone, and bright magenta eye shadow. They are turned to the side, staring at the viewer, and on their arm is a rose tattoo with a ribbon around the stem reading “Anything You Desire”. End Image ID.]

[willkimurashat]

Hello my lovelies!

I was kinda hesitating making this post, but I kept seeing this and thinking about it and I decided I’d say it anyway. I love seeing all the art and reading the fanfics for Will - I really really do! You know I’m a Will stan myself:) And I love seeing all the appreciation in the comments and everything, but it just kinda rubs me the wrong way when I see people call them “man”, “boyfriend”, “dude”, “guy”, “boy” and all that stuff. Like, obviously, I’m not the one to educate on this topic as I am a cisgender woman, but Will canonically uses he/they pronouns, so I feel like it’d be better to use gender neutral terms to express our love for them❤️

And same goes to Tiffany, though I haven’t seen people talk about her much anyway, but saying it just in case, since she uses any pronouns.

And obviously, I’d love to hand over the conversation to the lovely nonbinary folks in the fandom. I’d love to hear their insight on this topic and please, let me know if I am misinterpreting anything - always open to listen and learn❤️

Anyways, thanks for your attention lovelies.

[primojade]

𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎

Hello, dreamerーthis is a place where thousands of stories were born, yet none are forgotten ! My name is Jade, and i'm a wandering auteur and artist! in any case, its a pleasure to meet you :>

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

rules | masterlist | carrd | moots and anons

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄

Requests and brainrots (including interactions): OPEN

all follows and reblogs are from my main: @araranas

currently listening to: 🎶 go the distance, cover by samantha barks 🎶

currently reading: the da vinci code by dan brown

currently craving: takoyaki 🐙

saving and farming/pulling for: focalors and neuvillette (eu), c2 wanderer (na), kokomi (asia)

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄: 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

Some important things to consider before following and interacting:

Gender is an important and sensitive topic for me, so please do be mindful that my pronouns are they/them, and I am agender/nonbinary ace.

I am a suffering university student (with a pursuing degree in business management!) so updates may be sporadic.

I'm also 21 years old, an adult, so if that bothers you, you may choose not to interact with me at all :> though this blog will remain, and will always be, sfw. Some of my works may contain suggestive themes, but nothing that borders n.sfw and dark content so minors are free to browse around here safely!

I can generally speak in four languages so feel free to message me via themーFilipino, English (my second language), Italian (my childhood lingua) and Japanese (a minor subject of mine). Though I can speak and understand Italian, my skills are now rusty and I'm not confident with it 💦 so if you don't want to suffer from my almost non-existent Italian, better talk to me in English xD

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄: 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒

#jaded momentsー! for personal writings and art.

#jaded musingsー! for important blog links and announcements.

#just jadeー! for idle musings, ramblings, spams, screeching, simping...

#jaded verses—! for brainrots too short to be a proper fic. Or maybe leftover ideas that I have no plans of turning into a fic.

#letters for jadeー! for answers to possible asks.

#jaded oathー! for fic/blog/art recs and personal favourites.

#jade simps for albedo/tighnari—! bc I know I wouldn't be able to help myself not to 💀

#jade clowning moments - for my crack-ish, idiotic misadventures in the real world🤡

#jade rated not pg—! smut and nsf-w stuff. Please block this minors or those uncomfy for ur own safety!

#jade reruns—! for my personal reblogs of writings and art.

#dear comrade: (name)—! interactions with lovely moots

#tw: (trigger name) , #genshin spoilers

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄: 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

I love a certain fictional alchemist and a botanist a normal amount :3

I'm AR60 on Europe server, AR59 on Asia server and AR58 on America server, but I'm afraid I'm not currently open to co-op rn since I have a very...personal reasons as to why heh. I won't be able to give you my UID in public as well (unless ur a moot! If so, feel free to ask me!) because my family plays Genshin with me and they certainly know what's my account 😂 I'd rather not have them know I write fanfics afー

I main Albedo (he's C4 now! and planning to c6 him soon!), but I usually switch to my C6 Diluc 💀. My team mostly consists/rotates between Xiao, Tighnari, Ayato, Kazuha, Hu Tao, Venti, Raiden and Zhongli. Not so proud of their builds though and I'm dumb when it comes to meta stuff so I won't be able to help you much if you ask me xD

Not so fun fact: I benched my Ayaka and C2 Keqing because they're poorly built 💦 did I mention that the rascal ginger dude didn't come home to me in ALL of his banners? 🙂

Pulling for wanderer cons!!

[life-in-the-monster-haus]

I have a question if that's alright. In you honest opinion, considering certain spoilers of the Monster High Movie; do you think they'll bring Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde back? Or do you think they have no chance of ever returning? I think it would suck a lot if they never came back. Jackson and Holt were, and always will be, my favourite mansters from Monster High, and never seeing them again makes me a little sad.

All questions are welcome! tis why my ask box is open! don't be shy! I will try to answer to the best of my abilities. Hmm, I need to be careful how I answer this because I just got done writing a College level dissertation defending Gil Webber and my brain hurts.

Okay! here's the scoop, I love Monster High in all of it's forms- this even includes G2, because of this I have been desperately trying to find ways that the G1 & G3 continuities can play nice together so that BOTH canon can peacefully coexist. I don't think the old Bloodgood is gone- I just think she retired and the new one is her wife. I don't think OG Lagoona is gone- she just got bounced out of the school database when G3 Lagoona got accepted & decided to go join the Olympics.

As for Jackson and Holt it is slightly more complex, but go with me on this journey. G1 in the same breath introduced us to Jackson and Holt and then yanked them away from us! Plus they were not in G2 at all, which means their doll sales were poor. This does not bode well for them returning for G3. HOWEVER! all hope is not lost! We have an ace up our sleeve! The Monster High Live action movie brought the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing back to the front of our consciousness. Mr. Komos is related to Mr. Hyde! which means TECHNICALLY He'd be related to Holt too. Someone mentioned him being Holt's uncle and I am 100% for that! Jackson and Holt would fit perfectly in G3's Monsters Vs Humans conflict! we haven't seen a character this complex since Warren Peace! Holt and Jackson could be a liaison for Monster Human relations! Maybe Holt wants to help repair the damage his uncle did! Maybe Jackson can help Clawdeen learn to love her human half! there are SO MANY OPTIONS! it writes itself!

Also: it's been 12 years, Frankie and Jackson/Holt never became official! I'm tired of waiting Mattel!

Do the fans right! No lone Manster was ever good enough for our Frankie! it took 2 in one body to make them happy! and they deserve to be happy! Also: can you imagine the sensationalism that would follow!? Jackson/Holt dating nonbinary Frankie!? Frankie is not a girl! which means Holt/Jackson are not straight! all of your Bi & Pan Jackson/Holt head canons just became real! you're welcome! AND Jackson/Holt could ALSO use they pronouns because they are 2 he's in one body! they are they in the plural sense! he/they! This would generate so much news and buzz! Mattel wouldn't know what to DO with all the press! you can't buy this kind of advertising!

Now, the unfortunate part of this is Mattel does not have an excellent history of listening to fan requests or fans in general BUT we still have a voice! We bullied Mattel enough that they brought Ghoulia and Spectra back for G3 after they were missed in G2. Let me be absolutely crystal clear: Do not bother the actors or voice actors of the G3 Monster High series... they have zero say in company business. If you want Mattel to listen to must contact them directly, e-mail them or call them to get in touch! Blow up MH's social medias! Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook! tell them what you want! Holt and Jackson back! (if you could also mention that they need to get a handle on their quality control that would be very helpful) If you're an artist please keep drawing fan art of our boy(s)! Mattel keeps tabs on that kind of thing! it lets them know who the fans (us) like!

I firmly believe there will be nothing but good to come if Jackson and Holt come back for G3. Please blow up Mattel, be aggressive and assertive! we can bring Jackson and Holt back if we are loud enough I am confident in this! Mattel wants us to be happy! happy people buy their products! Be loud! draw fan art! tell them directly! it takes all of us!

[lgbtlunaverse]

Listen, as someone who loves art and abhors anti-intellectualism I am tired of posts on here about how fandom is killing critical thinking and fanfiction is the end of reading comprehension and the death of literature and bringing on the next era or puritanism.

Is there anti-intellectualism within fandom? Oh absolutely. Are people exclusively consuming media through large corporations and fanworks of IPs of those large corporations missing out immensely? Definitely. Are the people using social justice jargon to imply that academia/literature/high art are inherently bigoted (as in: not saying that they are constructed of hierarchies that are bigoted and must be broken down, which is a fact, but saying their existence is Inherently Wrong) erasing and abandoning the many marginalized people who are CURRENTLY fighting tooth and nail to be heard in those spaces? Yup.

And those are all problems. But some people genuinely think the death of literature and the next wave of fascism is gonna come because of nonbinary 15 year olds with anime icons talking about which children's cartoons they find problematic and I just can't take you people seriously. The problem is you are ALSO in these fandom spaces and so you see all these annoying people 24/7 on your dash, and at the same time you see the political climate around you go to hell, and you connect those two things in your mind when in reality the wave of anti-intellectualism and censorship has not only been coming for longer than tumblr has existed but is also overwelmingly made up of conservatives, not of people who spend too much time on ao3. Believe me, fanfic readers are not big enough a demographoc to bring about serious political and social change. Please stop embarassing yourselves.

[nerves-nebula]

RIP to your girlfriend but Hounds End sounds like a really interesting project/story and if a nonbinary ghost of an ambiguous canine nature came into my life, offered to kill my parents for free and without risk to me, AND helped me run away and learn to live on my own I'd VERY much take that deal.

Like ??? that's the stuff you have day dreams about even though you know its unrealistic but it's kinda comforting in a morbid way.. Love both the characters, cisn't people gotta stick together. Would probably be a lot more terrifying if the ghost dog didn't ask about the whole killing parents thing and you just wake up or get home and find a ghost dog covered in blood and your parents gone but you know what I support their rights AND more importantly their wrongs.

But I can understand your GF not wanting you to focus on vent stuff with questionable morals, but akreg the most important thing is that it doesn't hurt you to think about it

Also your the best boss ever and I have decorated the hypothetical business room/office with fun little knickknacks and a speaker system so anyone in the business can chill and listen to music when not out on a job. I may not do everything perfetly but the moment you say something I'll go "I'm on it boss" in a brooklyn accent and try my best

im glad you appreciate it for the vent/wish fulfillment that it is, hah. i probably put too much stock in her opinion at the time cause she was basically my only friend and also the only person who really WANTED to see my art. so when the one person who always wants to see your art is kind of put off by your vent project its like ouchggh. but its not like she TOLD me to stop doing it or anything.

another thing about Hounds End is that i made the dog-spirit-ghost intentionally off putting and angular, cause I love monsters and I love the idea that just cause someone looks scary doesn't mean they're actually evil or whatever. i didnt get very far but i do have these few comic pages i made back in like 2020 or something. don't judge how rough they were heh, i made them while depressed :')

I appreciate the decorations. I am an avid enjoying of Little Knick-knacks hah. fun fact about that phrase tho, I say "I'm on it boss" and "what next, boss?" every time i go to work. I love doing it, its so fun and my bosses/coworkers seem to like it so its like, nice. im getting a good grade in Being an Employee.