#non binary face claims

[dolce-elegy]

God I wish finding face claims weren’t so damn hard for my OCs OTL

Like for example, my spidersona Rosa.

Originally when I first created her, I had Rita Hayworth as her face claim because I originally designed Rosa as a super white passing Latina/Spanish Woman (like how I am in real life… OTL people think that I’m Portuguese and not Dominican) and because I wanted a vintage old Hollywood actress to fit with her aesthetic.

But then later on, I ended up liking how better she looked with tanned skin and I wanted her to look more Dominican so I changed her design slightly

so now I have to try finding a new face claim that fits her and I can’t seem to find one. OTL and I’m trying to be realistic here too. Because I know how hard it’s going to be to find a vintage brown-skinned and red-headed Latina Hollywood actress so I’m not even bothering with those and I’m just trying to look at normal face claim directories with more modern actors.

But I can’t seem to find anything at all. Nothing ever fits. And it’s the same for a lot of my OCs. DX

[brasideios]

Mentioned I was non binary during a conversation earlier this week. Someone I've loved my whole life, who claims to love me, looked me in the eye, face screwed up with disgust, and said, 'You have mental problems - you know that, right?'

You can only see how little their love is worth when you refuse to be what they want you to be.

I will not be bullied into silence. I will not conform.

Why should I be uncomfortable for the sake of their comfort, when they feel free to insult and invalidate me openly, even smugly?

No. No. No. I won't.

To every single person who thinks they get to decide who the fuck I am - or who anyone else is, for that matter - Go. Fuck. Yourselves.

And to anyone else who's facing this kind of bullshit - Don't let them tell you you're the problem. You aren't. They are.

[libraford]

Potentially risky nuanced opinion to voice here on Tumblr, but it's been on my mind:

There are people that are very strict about excluding non binary persons from the trans community and it gives me pause, as a non binary person. Because of this, I'm somewhat cautious about including myself as a trans person in trans discussions.

But I have been wondering if it might be beneficial to have a wide-reaching definition of transness, and to inflate the numbers.

When I am doing queer visibility things, I don't specify which queer i am. I am often femme at these things, and people assume AMAB because I'm a very femme person advocating trans rights. And I can sense them dissecting my face into components- jawline, peach fuzz, receding hairline, thin lips overlined with makeup. Assuming my body is padded or altered. I've gotten anti-trans slurs hurled at me because the people who can 'always tell' don't actually know much about human anatomy.

And part of me wants to be like... go on. Tell me about my prevailing masculinity. Tell me about my facial features, my shoulder size. Tell me about my makeup and my hip pads hair extensions. Show me how little you know.

Like i think about the climax of To Wong Fu, where all the towns people come out and claim themselves as drag queens to protect the protagonists from violence in a very 'i am spartacus' moment.

I want that to work.

I can see flaws in my own thinking.

But I also think that it doesn't help us to exclude people, or to gatekeep, or to nitpick. I understand that there is no singular experience of transness, so it seems silly to exclude non binary persons from the conversation or to say that they can't claim transness.

[genderqueerdykes]

the easiest way to tell if someone knows literally jack shit about lesbian history & community is if they try to tell you masc, male, ftm, genderfluid, multigender, genderqueer and/or non binary lesbians don't and can't exist. it's saying you haven't interacted with the lesbian community & its history outside of small isolated internet circles without ever having to even say it. you might claim that lesbians can't be men, mascs, multigender or non binary, but our history & community loudly and proudly states otherwise.

no matter how many times you tell people transmasculine, male, masc, genderfluid, genderqueer and nonbinary lesbians can't be lesbians, we will always be here to prove that's not the case. you can say it until you're blue in the face, it won't change reality. it doesn't matter what you believe a lesbian "should" be, it will never change reality. ideals don't work like that. you can think and think and think about what you Want a lesbian to be all day long, but that doesn't control anyone else who identifies as a lesbian.

you can sit there and bitch and moan and cry about how lesbianism is for women ONLY and that won't change our rich history of male, genderfluid, genderqueer, ftm, masc and genderfucked lesbians. no matter how much it pisses you off that these people exist, we will continue to do so for the rest of time. you can throw a fit, but it doesn't change how people identify in practice. sure you can sit there and say the Ideal lesbian is a 100% cis woman, but we don't live in an ideal world. we don't live in an isolated bubble

real life is complex and nuanced. you can sit there and spitball about queer theory all you want, but it's not going to change how complicated real identities are. it doesn't matter if it bugs you that there are lesbians out there that aren't women. what should be more important is caring about that person and making sure they're accepted. someone who is more invested in telling you what lesbians CAN'T be than what we CAN be is not here for queer COMMUNITY. they're here to try to be right and die on a hill and it's not worth our time. "lesbians can't ever be men ever" is not a hill to die on. it's historically inaccurate and it's just not worth stressing over. move on to greener pastures.

you personally as a lesbian don't like the idea of a lesbian man and don't want to date them? i have fantastic news for you: you don't have to! you can accept lesbian men and mascs even if you're not attracted to them. whether or not someone's identity is taken seriously shouldn't hinge on whether or not you personally are attracted to them. that's not your business, and not your experience. you're not the arbiter of that lived experience- you have no room to comment.

lesbian men, mascs & enbies are not your enemy: we are your family. we have been fighting for lesbian rights since the inception of the modern community. this community has been built off the backs of ftm, transmasc and male dykes and you can't ignore us any longer. if YOU want to be in the lesbian community, you have to understand that there will be people with identities you don't like. you don't have the right to tell them they're not a lesbian. it doesn't matter whether or not YOU like it- their identity is not about you.

[maximumqueer]

Yamato, Transness, and "Passing"

Now that we're nearly a full arc removed from Wano and Yamato's introduction, I want to talk about the reaction that a subset of the one piece fandom had to his reveal as a trans man/transmasc person, the transphobia behind that reaction, and how the concept of passing plays into that reaction. I'm not going to be arguing that Yamato is a trans man, as I think it is very obvious that he is given how he is referred to in the canon text. This is instead going to be more of a fandom dissection of why (in my personal opinion) so many people refuse to acknowledge Yamato as a man.

When we are first introduced to Yamato, he is dressed in a way that gives him the appearance of a flat chest, and is wearing a mask to hide his face. He looks like a man in a cis-heteronormative way

When Yamato was depicted like this, he was (from what I can tell) mostly referred to with he/him pronouns by the fanbase. This is based on comments underneath his chapter debut and episode debut. There are comments under his episode debut that do use she/her pronouns and refer to him as a woman, but because these episodes have been out for a while, it would make sense that these kinds of comments would be left on his debut after his second design was revealed.

Then, when he removes his mask and outer layer of his outfit, he is depicted like this

After this reveal, more people began to refer to Yamato with she/her pronouns, and refer to him as Kaido's daughter, despite him referring to himself as Kaido's son, as well as the people around him using he/him pronouns exclusively for him. What changed? Well, Yamato went from having a design that looked traditionally masculine to having a more traditionally feminine one. As such people who associate only women with having breasts and more "feminine" features began to insist that Yamato was a tomboy, or a delusional woman, anything but accept that fact that he is a man.

There is a phenomena with trans "acceptance", where a character is accepted as trans only if they look like their gender according to the cis-heteronormative ideal, and questioned and denied if they don't. Kiku, a trans woman who "passes" as a woman did not receive nearly the same level of speculation and denial of her trans identity. (This is not to say that Kiku received no hate or transphobic comments, but that because she looks like a woman to the average cis-het viewer, she was treated as a "real" trans person, whereas Yamato was not).

Yamato has been repeatedly referred to as mentally ill for being a "non-passing" trans man. He has been called bad representation (despite large numbers trans men/transmasc people, myself included, saying that his IS good representation). People have made claims with no canon backing in an attempt to hand wave away his transness because he "looks like a woman", a popular one being that Kaido some how forced Yamato into being a man, despite his backstory telling us the exact opposite.

And the reasoning for all of this speculation is that trans people are held to such high standards in terms of appearance and presentation, even in fictional media. A trans man must have a flat chest, deep voice, facial hair etc. or he isn't actually trans. A trans woman must have breasts, a high voice, a lack of facial hair, etc. or she isn't actually trans. Non-binary people are dismissed entirely. This denies the many different and diverse ways that a person can be trans. Sure, some trans people wish to medically transition, get the "surgery" and go through life as if they were cis. But not all trans people want that. Gender is messy and complicated, its not nearly as black and white a we have been taught to believe. There are many trans people (both binary and non-binary) who will never medically transition. That does not make them less trans, it does not make them delusional. Yet because we have this black and white thinking ingrained in us from childhood, any deviation from the strict boxes of "man" and "woman" are immediately questioned, and that includes gender non-conforming people - both trans and cis.

This type of transphobia is not talked about enough, as the people doing it will so often hide behind the idea that they are protecting "real" trans people, and just want to make sure that they are respected and taken seriously. But, respect for a persons gender identity CANNOT be conditional. It does not matter if they "don't pass". It doesn't matter if they are a good person, a bad person. The second you start dictating who gets to have their gender respected is the second you stop being an ally. And that includes fictional characters like Yamato.

[jellyfemmedyke]

sorry to ramble in your inbox but its kinda fucking me up how "trans man with a cishet boyfriend who misgenders him behind his back" is like seen to be a person to make fun of in the general queer tumblr space instead of a person who is in a vulnerable situation. i know that there is trans men who are also women and there are trans men who are genuinely okay with dating a cis man who considers himself straight but people talking about these hypothetical couples arent talking about these situations but rather about "haha stupid trans man doesnt realize hes dating a bigot"

theres this attitude that the hypothetical cishet boyfriend is actually a conservative so it should be obvious to trans man that he doesnt respect his identity but i feel like its less "oh its obvious that this specific man is a bigot" and more "obviously cishet white men are bigots" and its weird how people laugh at this person instead of acknowledging that even if you are dating a bigot its usually not a big win for you personally. like the bigot cishet boyfriend isnt going to be okay with his trans man boyfriend starting testosterone. like we can sympathize with emotional abuse happening towards other groups but when its gay and mspec trans men its like "oh he should have known that would happen" or "its his fault for dating a bigot"?

of course people have the same making fun of the victim narrative with afab nonbinary people who date cishet men who misgender them [and im sure this bleeds over to affecting all nonbinary people if people arbitrarily decide theyre afab if the nonbinary person refuses to tell them personal information about themselves but the larger narrative always specifies that this is an afab person] and its almost like a "this is what you get for being attracted to men" sort of thing.

and also i theres something to be said about warning people for signs their partner or potential partner doesnt respect their identity but considering i imagine its a common anxiety among trans and nonbinary people who are into that sorta thing to wonder "am i ever going to find someone who loves me and is also accepting of me for being [insert gender here]?" its sort of fucked up for it to be common to basically claim "yea if youre dating a cis man who said he was straight before he started dating you but says he respects your identity hes probably just straight up lying to your face" and then laugh at the person getting misgendered for not knowing they were being misgendered.

anyway sorry for this big ramble i cant even remember specific instances of this to reference so i might seem like im making up a guy to be mad at but i swear this is like a general attitude and almost running joke i see around. anyway. have a good day.

I absolutely see that too, and I think it's a mixture of straight up victim blaming, because oh noo how dare you WANT to date *gasp* cis men

but it come with an intense transandrophobia and exorsexism because there's a lot more sympathy when it comes to cis women dating cishet men "poor things uwu" but when it's trans men or in this case non binary people assumed to be women, it's always "see I told you so" smug superiority. (cis women get this too, because of misogyny obviously, but it's different and worse for trans men) People are just waiting for a chance to be misogynistic and trans men are an acceptable target. This is honestly extra fucked up when we remember that trans men experience some of the highest rates of domestic violence and rape in the community though.

being trans is such a vulnerable place to be in, and a lot of people, trans or not are insecure or just want to be loved, that's normal. A lot of people are willing to accept certain behaviors from their partners that are bad, because of those reasons as well, victim blaming, and ESPECIALLy telling trans men to toughen up or "what did you expect" is apart of the toxic expectations that get placed of trans men as well. I could honestly go on for hours about this. good ask,anon

[pangaeaseas]

Magic Is Masculinity: Or, Lucius Malfoy and How the Wand Makes the Man

One thing I'm always interested in thinking about in HP fic is how to realistically create a society with different mores from our own. If you take the premise that pureblood especially and overall wizarding culture more broadly is different from 1990s Muggle British society seriously, you must consider where social norms differ from 90s muggle norms. I personally am interested in the idea that pureblood families tend to live in multi-generational households with extended families rather than in a nuclear family, for instance, though I don't think this was JKR's intention (but who cares it's interesting). You could claim that LGBTQ+ people are more or less accepted than 90s Britain, depending on what you want to do with your story--and you could also consider that the wizarding world might have completely different definitions of sexuality (like, for example, the Roman use of penetrator vs non-penetrator as the main sexual binary). And we know that what is defined as masculinity and femininity varies massively across time and place.

So I want to think about how gender roles might differ in the wizarding world. There was a post I saw recently that discussed the idea of Sirius feeling affirmed in exploring femininity by being seen as feminine by Muggles while wearing robes, which I thought was a really interesting idea (and one that could apply to any character exploring gender). Of course the essential premise there is that something Muggles read as feminine--robes--are actually an essential aspect of Wizarding masculinity (see that guy who likes a nice healthy breeze round his privates in GoF).

So what else defines Wizarding masculinity? We can go absolutely wild! But I think there's a lot of canonical basis for the idea that one essential part of being a wizard and a man is having access to and control over one's own wand. This raises interesting questions about how characters who can't control their wands might be seen as emasculated (like Ron in CoS and Neville pre-HBP), and is also significant with regards to Voldemort's search for a wand that will allow him to fight Harry, and the period when Harry's wand is broken. So I'd love if people did additional analysis on this topic. But I'm going to specifically discuss the case of Lucius Malfoy, because I think he's a very clear example of how you need to have a wand to be a man.

"The faces around him displayed nothing but shock; he might have announced that he wanted to borrow one of their arms. “No volunteers?” said Voldemort. “Let’s see . . . Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore.” Lucius Malfoy looked up. His skin appeared yellowish and waxy in the firelight, and his eyes were sunken and shadowed. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “My Lord?” “Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand.” “I . . .” Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely. “What is it?” “Elm, my Lord,” whispered Malfoy. “And the core?” “Dragon — dragon heartstring.” “Good,” said Voldemort. He drew out his own wand and compared the lengths. Lucius Malfoy made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he expected to receive Voldemort’s wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously. “Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?” Some of the throng sniggered. “I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late. . . . What is it about my presence in your home that displeases you, Lucius?” “Nothing — nothing, my Lord!” “Such lies, Lucius . . .” (Chapter 1, DH)

Having a wand is compared to having an arm: it's an essential part of a wizard's body. All the Death Eaters are shocked by the request. (Interestingly, we know of only two confirmed female Death Eaters, Bellatrix and Alecto Carrow. Bellatrix says that she would gladly give up any SONS specifically to the Dark Lord's service in HBP. This might imply that the Death Eaters are intended to be a majority male organization (though I personally like to explore the idea of there being more female Death Eaters) and so these are men specifically being affronted).

Before his wand is taken, it is specifically mentioned that Lucius appears ill--pale and waxen and yellow. Control of the body and good health is often seen as a crucial sign of masculinity. Lucius has lost this--he cannot control his own body--and is about to lose an important signal of his masculinity, his wand.

Voldemort is also treating Lucius as a child who's transgressed: there is 'no reason for him to have a wand anymore'--Voldemort doesn't respect Lucius's right to have a wand, like he's a child who isn't in control of his own decisions. A main throughline of Lucius's treatment since OOTP is Voldemort's interest in punishing him. This involves reducing him to a child to be ordered around, who can't be trusted with a wand. He treats Lucius as someone deeply beholden to him: Lucius having a wand and having liberty are dependent on Voldemort, instead of characteristics of an adult man with social authority. Voldemort is the patriarch of the Death Eater family.

Voldemort seems to enjoy humiliating him in front of the other Death Eaters: he could have asked him nicely as an equal in private, but he makes a spectacle of it, asking for volunteers he knows won't be appearing, only to single out Lucius and then mock any pretensions he might have to exchanging wands, then intimidating and terrifying him by questioning his loyalty (and the loyalty of his family, which thus insults Lucius's ability as a patriarch). The wand length comparison also serves no real purpose but to emasculate Lucius.

Immediately after taking the wand, Vodlemort also brings up Tonks's marriage to Remus to insult Lucius, Narcissa, and Bellatrix--another insult to Lucius's abilities as a patriarch as he cannot stop his family members from shaming the family through marriage choices. Again, it is delberate that Voldemort does this so soon after taking Lucius's wand. Now that Lucius is wandless, his masculine authority can be questioned.

Lucius clearly wants later to reclaim this lost authority --and implicitly his sense of his own masculinity.

When the Trio is captured, Lucius is extremely excited. He appears to be motivated by a desire to lessen his punishment (which involved Voldemort taking his wand, and said wand being destroyed by Harry):

"Harry had never heard Lucius Malfoy so excited. “Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv —” “Now, we won’t be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy?” said Greyback menacingly." (DH)

Greyback says 'Mr. Malfoy' in a menacing way: it seems to be belittling him, reminding him that he doesn't actually have that much power in this scene compared to Greyback, who actually captured them by his own efforts compared to Lucius passively waiting for something to improve his situation. Greyback may be saying 'Mr. Malfoy' to say: all you have is your social position, compared to me--you might have the title of 'mr' but you don't have a wand and you don't have the power to act, so I am more masculine and can threaten you.

It's also really interesting how Narcissa is directing Lucius and Draco in this scene: she greets Greyback and brings him in, she refers to Draco as her son only, she is the first one to instruct Draco to examine them. Malfoy Manor might be Lucius's home, it has his name, but Narcissa appears to act as patriarch in this scene: it's her home, her son, she is greeting visitors and taking command, and she is the one to say 'we need to be sure and shouldn't immediately summon Voldemort' and the one to identify Hermione. This might be the typical Malfoy family dynamic, it might be because Narcissa is the one who still has a wand.

Then Bellatrix comes in, and she orders both Lucius and Narcissa around. She also asks Narcissa what happened, treating her as the leader of the family. Now Bellatrix has always hated Lucius, they certainly didn't seem to get along well during the DoM battle. But here she's just contemptuous of him, and provides key evidence for my wand-equals-masculinity theory.

"“I was about to call him!” said Lucius, and his hand actually closed upon Bellatrix’s wrist, preventing her from touching the Mark. “I shall summon him, Bella, Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority —” “Your authority!” she sneered, attempting to wrench her hand from his grasp. “You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!” “This is nothing to do with you, you did not capture the boy —” " (DH)

Lucius lost his authority when he lost his wand. He is no longer the patriarch, the master of the house, specifically because he does not have a wand: Bellatrix then goes on to order Draco around, which Narcissa protests because it's 'her house': a striking contrast to Voldemort calling it Lucius's house in the first chapter, before he took the wand, and to Lucius trying to call it his house. While Lucius has a wand it's his house, but when his is taken it become's Narcissa's (though of course she is talking to her sister about herself, so you don't necessarily have to read that much into it). Interestingly, Bellatrix doesn't give orders to Lucius: maybe because she just doesn't like or trust him but maybe because he doesn't have a wand and is thus useless.

The whole concept of authority in HP--and Lucius, owner of Malfoy Manor, husband and father, has specifically patriarchal authority as Head of his family--is linked to having a wand. Lucius seems to have expected to be able to exercise some control over Bellatrix as a fellow Death Eater and as his sister-in-law who appears to be living with him, but she rejects this possibility by saying he can't control her as a male patriarch might because he doesn't have a wand. Thus he is failing to meet the requirements of being a patriarch in wizarding society. Bellatrix can do whatever she wants in his house, and he has no way of stopping her. She seems to have replaced him as patriarch of the Malfoy family.

The linkage of masculinity with authority with having a wand is made extremely clear through Bellatrix's line. By taking Lucius's wand, Voldemort removed the last semblance of authority and masculinity he had, to humiliate and emasculate him for losing the diary and the prophecy (and I think the broader narrative is doing this to Lucius at least a little as well, he becomes more pathetic and pitiable, because in JKR's view of gender pity is for women).

Later, Lucius's role as a Death Eater has clearly been reduced: Voldemort dismisses his suggestions around the Battle of Hogwarts as only being concerned for his son, and assigns him the menial task of fetching Snape. He has been reduced from advisor to fetch-and-carrier. Lucius's last appearance on page is NOT fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts, appearing only concerned with his son (and JKR often associates concern with a child only over any other concerns with maternity and femininity, but that's another post).

In working on this meta I also had a lot of thoughts about warrior masculinity through martial magic in the Wizarding World, and the idea of a Death Eater specific masculine warrior ideal, but that's another post LMAO. I hope this has been helpful in imagining how magic might affect gender roles!

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

2,000-Year-Old Fayum Portraits from Roman Egypt: also known as "mummy portraits," these funerary paintings were often fastened to the coffins of the people they depicted

Above: Fayum portrait of a woman from Roman-occupied Egypt, c.100-110 CE

Fayum portraiture was a popular funerary practice among the upper-class families of Roman Egypt from about 50 CE to 250 CE. Given the high mortality rates for children during this period, many of these portraits depict children and youths, but adults were often featured, too.

Above: portrait of a youth wearing a golden wreath, c.130-150 CE; the wreath and the background of the portrait are both gilded

The population of the Faiyum Delta, where most of these portraits were found, largely contained individuals with both native Egyptian/North African and Greek heritage. The Greek lineages can be traced back to the Ptolemaic period, when the Greeks gained control of Egypt and began to establish settlements throughout the region, gradually leading to a cultural diffusion between the Greek and Egyptian populations. The Romans eventually took control of Egypt in 31 CE, absorbing it into the Roman Empire and colonizing much of North Africa, but the demographics of the Faiyum Delta remained largely unchanged.

Above: portrait of a man with a mole on his nose, c.130-150 CE

Many of these Fayum portraits reflect the same blend of ethnic and cultural roots, depicting individuals with both Greek and native Egyptian heritage (a claim that is supported by both archaeological and genetic evidence). Some portraits may also depict native Egyptians who did not have any European ancestry, but had been integrated into Greco-Roman society.

Above: portrait of a bearded man, c.170-180 CE

These representations of native Egyptians provide us with unique insights into the actual demographics of Roman-occupied Egypt (and the ancient world at large). Non-European peoples are rarely included in depictions of the classical world; it's also interesting to see the blend of cultural elements that these portraits represent.

Above: portrait of a priest of Serapis, c.140-160 CE; the man in this portrait is shown wearing a fillet/crown that bears the seven-pointed star of the Greco-Egyptian god, Serapis

As this article explains:

In the 1800s and early 1900s, Western art historians didn’t know what to make of these portraits. Scholars of Roman history labeled them Egyptian. Scholars of Egyptian history labeled them Greco-Roman. These binary academic classifications failed to capture the true complexity of the ancient (or, indeed, modern) Mediterranean. In reality, Fayum portraits are a syncretic form, merging Egyptian and Greco-Roman art and funerary practices. They reflect the cosmopolitanism of both Roman and Egyptian history.

Above: portrait of a man, c.80-100 CE (left); portrait of a bearded officer, sometimes referred to as "Perseus," c.130-175 CE (right)

Above: portrait of a young woman in red, c.90-120 CE

Nearly 1,000 of these portraits are currently known to exist.

Above: portrait of a man wearing a gilded ivy wreath, c.100-150 CE

Above: portrait of a bearded man, c.150-170 CE

Sources & More Info:

Curationist: Fayum Portraits

Harvard Art Museums: Giving the Dead their Due: an Exhibition Re-Examines Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt

Getty Museum: APPEAR Project

Getty Museum: Faces of Roman Egypt

National Geographic: Ancient Egypt's Stunning, Lifelike Mummy Portraits

The Athens Centre: The Myth of Whiteness in Classical Sculpture

Forbes: Whitewashing Ancient Statues: Whiteness, Racism and Color in the Ancient World

[this-is-exorsexism]

There is no way to claim that binary trans people face specific forms of oppression that non-binary people do not without being exorsexist and reductive. Many people, binary trans people included, constantly forget that non-binary is a spectrum rather than a rigid category, meaning it would naturally include individuals with transition goals that intersect with those of binary trans people.

I’ve come across transmasculine non-binary people who want to go on T, get top surgery and pass as binary men because it would be gender affirming to them, all of which are steps many binary trans men need. They would likely face a significant chunk (if not all) of the exact same legal, social and medical discrimination binary trans men following the same path would face. The same can be said about transfeminine non-binary people who desire similar transition goals to binary trans women. 

Of course, not all non-binary folk who were AFAB and want to pass as men are transmasculine, just as not all of us who were AMAB and want to pass as women are transfeminine. And an obligatory none of these steps are needed to identify as any of the aforementioned labels. But these are just examples to show that the transition pathways and discrimination many non-binary people experience overlap directly with binary trans people. 

So, frankly, it would be ridiculous, or misinformed, at the very least to claim that non-binary people are exempt from issues faced by binary trans people. But I have seen this sentiment perpetuated in online trans spaces, including those that claim to be anti-transmed.

this is exorsexism.

i mean, heck, even a nonbinary person who was AFAB, does not medically transition or want to be perceived as male (and vice versa!) still experience antitransmasculinity or antitransfemininity respectively, just not the parts specific to medical transition or being visually perceived as men. but all nonbinary people who were AFAB, even nonbinary women, are framed as traitors to womanhood and feminism because they are "rejecting womanhood", "trying to escape misogyny" etc. a lot of people also think that all AFAB nonbinary people are "trying to be men" because if someone is not (strictly) female, they must be male. all nonbinary people who were AMAB, even nonbinary men, are seen as appropriating womanhood to an extent, as "trying to escape the responsibility of male privilege, as gender-transgressive. and again, people don't believe nonbinary people are real, so many think that all amab nonbinary people are "trying to be women". anyone who is seen as rejecting womanhood and/or trying to be male, or as rejecting manhood and/or trying to be female (or in many cases, both) will be affected by antitransmasculinity and antitransfemininity respectively, which is exorsexist in itself because most of it is due to structural misgendering of nonbinary people as some kind of trying to be binary.

[tigwalen]

For any of you that keep putting anything related to "Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory" a book by "Qwo-Li" AKA Paul Edwards Driskill in the Cherokee tags - this is your proof and further reminder that this person is not part of our tribe, they are not a trusted source, and here is further proof of reports of their racism against actual POC.

This person is not Cherokee and anyone that is involved with LGBT/queer Cherokee information needs to stop sourcing this person - they aren't even using the right words and Asegi is not a word I would use - it doesn't make sense.

[plaidos]

I’m sorry that TME folks seem to fixate on harassing you.

It can be so frustrating to see trans men engage with sexism / TMRA ideas but claim it as new found knowledge. Like, AFAB as a “sex class” is a social assignment, not an excuse to not examine privilege. I’ve had similar experiences myself.

I’d ask them to read Whipping Girl but I’m sure they’d find a way to misconstrue it and argue the minutiae instead of looking for other trnasfeminist texts, like Trans Rad Fem.

Ex. (TW: TME gaslighting/ignorant behavior; jump either side of ℹ️ to skip examples)

When I told my TME non-binary uncle I was trans as a kid too, he told me, TMA futch girl, that it didn’t count bc I wasn’t out but like…why does he think I couldn’t be out? He said I just didn’t face any issues for my womanhood then and that only after I started to look like a girl did it happen.

I had a similar experience with my ex-fiance agender TME when I told him I was scared about legislation against trans women, citing I have breasts now and I’m visibly TMA. He told me I could always claim to be intersex as a man with gynecomastia instead of TMA. Which is both transmisogyny and intersexism.

ℹ️

These are just two examples but I have so many more and I’m sure you do too. It’s so hard to see these bullies aim their hate at you when it’s all of us. Any TMA girl/butch/thing when we speak up, gets the shit.

You deserve better than this. All our sisters do. Stay strong girlie.

god, your own uncle who was trans himself like... that's gutting. i'm so incredibly sorry that this has happened and for so long. it's heartbreaking how common these experiences are

[secretsandwritinggs]

Oh, I like it, Picasso

pairings - Cobra Kai characters x you/non-binary reader

kg’s notes - just wanted to make something that was cute, fun, and a little silly. so here are the characters of Cobra Kai drawing you! make sure to stay real still for them so they can capture you and your essence ;)

Demetri Alexopoulos - staying still is uncomfortable which he something he noted on before you arrived so he tried making your arrangement comfortable. most likely he will do it in private and take it very seriously, he will get nervous every time you move a little, since he could mess up at any time. he apologizes for any mistakes he had made, though he almost made a mirror copy of you in his drawing.

Miguel Diaz - would probably ask you which setting do you prefer: somewhere private or public? you didn’t mind which one, so you let him decide and he chose to paint you on a rooftop. he wanted to bring in the warmth of the sunrise to you as he drew you. little details are out of place but you love it anyway, and you hung it up in your room.

Robby Keene - the two of you talked about where you were going to do this beforehand, so thankfully that’s out of the way. you are his first human project which makes you both nervous, but he says he’ll try his absolute best to capture you. you both settled in an old building outside the Valley to do this, so no one can interfere with your time together. he makes jokes as he draws, cracking you up and he presents a wonderful drawing of you smiling (while being in what looks like cat shit)! he does offer to clean you up before dropping you back home.

Devon Lee - right out of the gate, she tells you that she is very nervous and doing this for a school project (Kenny would be the same project). you say she'll do great on her project but she isn't so sure but appreciates your faith in her. the two of you decided to do it in her home as her mother claims to need her there for the evening. you were focused on the pictures of little Devon on the wall as she drew. "I've never seen someone so serious other than my mother," she joked, cracking a smile on your face.

Anthony LaRusso - he introduced two mediums when he was getting to draw you: the pencils and markers. you didn't get the whole marker thing, but rest assured when he said he was going to add colour in the background to make you the main focus point of the drawing. he was mostly quite, but did make a couple comments responding to any of the questions you had for him. it was awfully nice with how quiet it was as there was classical jazz music playing in the background — you didn’t even know that he liked jazz, you thought he was more of a rock kid.

Samantha “Sam” LaRusso - similarly to her younger brother, maybe this who he got it from, opted for two mediums to draw you with. though she was much more talkative than he was, making small talk wasn't her thing, the two of you had a full conversation about how your life was going and everything. you say that it's going well but incredibly stressful due to personal reasons you wished to not be brought up, she understood and moved onto a different topic to make you more at ease. she hands you the drawing once she's done — she has charcoal and marker all over her fingers. you thought it was silly of her to do those two mediums together as they are known to be messy, but she made them work. she really captured the look in your eye and made you feel somber of how you look through her eyes.

Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz - actually the only one who offers to paint you instead of drawing you. confused but you agreed, you make some small talk into wondering why he didn’t go for the drawing. he tells you if he chose the pencil and paper, he wouldn’t stop erasing the marks he made, so that’s why he opted for the paint. the mistakes could be incorporated as purposeful and he can blend them into something else in the background. he switched mediums in paint from water colour to acrylic paint, it was rather interesting to look at and one of your personal favorites.

Tory Nichols - she simply took a picture of you and began editing it with the drawing tool which you thought was strange. she told you to trust what she's doing, so you just stood there in her room dumbfounded. she seemed to stop doodling on that one and asked you to lay on her bed for another one, confused as to what she was asking but not wanting to piss her off you do what you're told. she took another picture and did the same to it, and once she finished she sent them to you. you look at what she sent you, and it was really cool actually. you actually ended up asking her if she did digital art to her to reply, "Oh, I wished I did, but I don't have time or money for it."

Kenny Payne - says that this is for a school project and he does a similar thing to what Tory does, but he actually does have a tablet to draw on, though he’s worried about it looking too much in an anime style. he promises to try his best to make it look realistic, but you told him that you didn’t mind the anime-looking style and that he should try making you look like one of his favorite characters. he smiles some, calming down, and makes you look like two of his favorites as you seem to have both of their ‘characteristics’. that made you smile upon seeing the drawing, he added special effects in the background to make it seem like you had your own powers.

Should I make a part two? If so, with whom?

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Andrew Doyle

Published: Mar 27, 2025

The University of Oxford is at it again. Somehow forgetting that its function is the pursuit and production of knowledge rather than ideological propagandising, its authorities have decided to modify the Latin passages of the degree ceremony to be gender-neutral. Bye bye, magistri (masters) and doctores (doctors); instead, graduates will be referred to as vos (you). One presumes this is to avoid causing offence to ‘non-binary’ students who happen to specialise in the classics.

On a purely theatrical basis, this stripping away of grandeur is disappointing. One of the most enjoyable aspects of matriculating at Oxford was that we had an excuse to dress up in black capes, and when I later graduated I was permitted to wear the flowing bright red garb of the doctor philosophiae. If I had climbed up to the top of the cupola of the Sheldonian Theatre on that day, I might have been mistaken for an activist from Fathers for Justice.

These anachronistic touches are surely part of the appeal of studying at Oxford. And although a slight modification to the Latin won’t harm anyone – let’s face it, barely anyone would have noticed – it does point to a deeper societal malaise. Like asking someone for one’s pronouns, it’s a little reminder that we are expected to truckle to this intolerant, regressive and identity-obsessed new state religion.

And let’s not forget that the entire notion of ‘non-binary’ is, for the most part, a status symbol for middle-class narcissists. Why should an 800-year-old ceremony be tweaked to satisfy the demands of these little Veruca Salts who wants the whole world to contort in accordance with their preferences? At the time of my graduation at Oxford I was a huge fan of Madonna, but I didn’t insist that the Vice-Chancellor intone: Modo virginis. Tum primum tactae.

Up until relatively recently, ‘coming out’ as ‘non-binary’ was a means by which uber-privileged celebrities could claim some degree of oppression. It was this generation’s most fashionable label, and was embraced by the likes of Same Smith and Demi Lovato. It was only marginally less ridiculous than Danni Minogue claiming she was ‘queer’ and then later clarifying that she wasn’t interested in women sexually, or Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo – daughter of the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo – announcing that she was ‘demisexual’. This is defined as someone who only feels sexually attracted to someone if they have an emotional bond, which means that Cuomo had effectively ‘come out’ as an old-fashioned heterosexual.

One cannot ‘come out’ as non-binary. The metaphor of ‘coming out’ is specifically related to the revelation of an innate characteristic that one has kept hidden due to societal disapproval. Up until the 1990s, coming out as gay involved a degree of personal risk; gay people were disowned, disinherited, fired, and sometime physically attacked or killed. Coming out as non-binary, a fashionable and celebrated identity, bears no such risks.

Moreover, homosexuality is a verifiably innate characteristic. It is remarkably easy to determine someone’s sexual orientation by scientific means, and to measure degrees of arousal on the basis of erotic stimuli. There is no apparatus in the world that could measure ‘gender identity’ any more than one could hope to measure where someone falls on the spectrum of mods to rockers. And yet we are expected to treat belief in this will-o’-the-wisp as the equivalent of an inherent sexual orientation or racial group. It’s remarkably insulting to minorities who have been persecuted throughout history.

For the sake of the literal-minded, I should point out that when I say that to be non-binary isn’t real, I do not mean to imply that people who call themselves non-binary do not exist. I am pointing out that identity is not the same as material reality; it is all about self-perception. The claim of being non-binary is not even synonymous with ‘intersex’ (not a third sex or evidence of a ‘spectrum’, but rather a developmental condition that results in sexual ambiguity in males and females).

The identity of ‘non-binary’ is based on the notion that one does not feel aligned with stereotypes of male or female. And so it amounts to a reinforcement of traditional ideals of maleness and femaleness. Rather than acknowledging that men and women can behave and dress as they like, to claim to be ‘non-binary’ implies that if men don’t behave like ‘real men’ and women don’t behave like ‘real women’, they are somewhere in between. It’s an oddly conservative form of rebellion.

This is why the Globe Theatre’s 2022 production of I, Joan, based on the life of Joan of Arc, was so reactionary. It presented Joan as ‘non-binary’ because she was powerful, courageous and wore men’s armour. For the woke, female strength and independence is not to be celebrated, but to be explained away. The same goes for the essay on Queen Elizabeth I that appeared around this time on the Globe’s website, referring to the monarch with ‘they/them’ pronouns on the basis that she rhetorically claimed to have ‘the heart and stomach of a king’.

So when former Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati last week claimed to be ‘non-binary’, she was not ‘coming out’; she was simply declaring her belief in a quasi-supernatural creed. Of course she is entitled to do that, but that doesn’t magically stop her from being a woman. But just as a friturier may announce his fealty to Ukobach, the demon in charge of frying souls in the underworld, there’s no reason for the rest of us to play along.

--

If this was the 90s, they'd be goths. If this was the 00s, they'd be emos.

I don't believe you're "non-binary" anymore than I believe that Xians are "covered by the blood of Jesus," or that Muhammad flew to heaven on a grotesque mutant donkey.

I don't believe in a biology-independent disembodied sexed essense "gender identity" anymore than I believe in an eternal Xian soul or Xenu and his thetans.

And I don't have to. That's what secularism means.

If your "identity" is invalidated by me not believing in it, then it was never real in the first place.

What I do believe is that nobody believes more strongly in enforcing narrow, rigid sex stereotypes than the people pretending they're breaking them.

[captivatingckcreations]

— first love and kisses!

˖°📷 summary ;; the kids from Cobra Kai is giving you your first kiss OR you were giving them their first kiss // the ones you're giving it to are: Devon Lee, Anthony LaRusso and Kenny Payne ˖° cobra kai characters x you/non-binary reader ˖° cute, fluff, funny, sfw

—. Demetri Alexopoulos

wouldn’t necessarily shy away from kissing you, but he wouldn’t be the one to suggest it. he would let you do whatever, though he is incredibly nervous around you, as he is around everyone besides maybe Eli and Sam. once the two of you did kiss, which was on a date he took you on while claiming it wasn’t one, it was rather warm. you felt his drool escape from his mouth as he pulled you in further. as he pulled you in further, he took a bite of your lip, simply because he wanted to, as his giggles gave that away immediately. where did he learn how to do that?

—. Miguel Diaz

not exactly shy around people like Demetri, but he would rather do it somewhere private so it can be a moment between the two of you. he would like to keep doing it in private until he's comfortable telling everyone else that you've been dating for a little while. you appreciate his honesty and where he was going with it, though your lack of patience makes you want him to hurry up and tell people. he definitely played around in the insides of your mouth and watched as you got flustered in the face from it, but of course you couldn’t say anything. at the time, you two weren’t out with it yet.

—. Robby Keene

he would wait; he would rather wait and watch you go about your day before he made a move. had a look in his eyes, a burning passion, like he had been yearning and working up the courage for years to do this. he grabbed ahold of your face as he plants his first kiss on you and becomes more frantic and hungry as he continues. you let him do whatever he wanted (and needed) to do. it felt amazing and sharp when he did it. he stepped back, almost looking like he regretted doing it, but you stepped forward, reassuring him it was perfectly okay.

—. Devon Lee *💞

bringing up the fact that you wanted to kiss someone made her incredibly nervous, and she even admitted to you that she had never had her first kiss yet. you gawked out a laugh, not thinking she was serious, but she was. "I'm almost sixteen and have never had my first kiss; now my friend is laughing at me for it," she moped, taking a seat on the dojo floor. joining her on the floor, apologizing for not knowing that she hadn't. an idea formed in your head that you might regret later, but she had never had one, so you leaned in and gave her a small peck on the mouth. she blinked at you, and you looked at her - how in the hell were the two of you going to move on from this?

—. Anthony LaRusso *💞

not a fan of the whole idea of kissing, or PDA in general, which kind of bums you out since he's never tried it, or so he's told you. he makes a little joke about practicing with one of the unused dummies his dad has in storage, but you're not allowed to tell anyone about it. you pinky promise him not to tell anyone while giggling, but seriously, he looked deeply in your eyes telling you not to tell a soul. he would be deeply embarrassed if it got out. you wanted to see for yourself if he did or not, and it turns out he was joking and was practicing something else with the dummy. you call him out on his lie before he sneaks a peck on your mouth and tells you that he was being honest. he ran out of there before you can utter anything out of your mouth. that sneaky fool had tricked you and he got away with it!

—. Samantha LaRusso

she would wait, similarly to Robby, but make it clear that she’s eyeing and wanting to do something to you, though it’s not clear to you yet. once the two of you are alone, you ask her what’s with all the staring, and she plays dumb for a little bit before admitting that she wanted to kiss you all day. shocked that she would even say that, you ask her, trying to be bold, if she could kiss you right now. she smiles as she pins you to the ground, her hands are deep in your hair, and you feel a tug at it, but it wasn’t anything major. you break the kiss, all huffed and flustered in the face. she boops her nose on yours and lands a softer, smaller kiss, then walks away, leaving you lying there.

—. Eli Moskowitz

would be waiting all day to kiss you and makes it known; he's not necessarily shy about his declares when it comes to you. you laugh it off, not taking it very seriously that he wants to kiss you. he drags you to the side and begins to kiss you as he tells you he was very serious. he gets aggressive, almost as if he was hungry; his eyes have a certain look indicating that he is before his hand covers your eyes, telling you not to peek. cupping his hand underneath your jaw to hold you upright as he bites your lip, making it bleed; he licks it off so it wouldn’t drip on your shirt.

—. Tory Nichols

would be subtle about her approach at first, then get more vocal about it if you ignored the first couple signs she gave you. she pulls you off to the side for some privacy with you; you were unaware she wanted to kiss now, and it kind of hurt her feelings seeing you were ignoring her. gets aggressive and filled with passion when kissing you, her nails and hands deep in your hair, almost directly on your scalp - guess that's what you get for not paying attention. as time goes on, she gets more gentle when you are paying attention, but when you're not, she's aggressive about it. she also likes to bite your lip, like Hawk (Eli) does.

—. Kyler Park

you kept seeing him around you, not knowing what he wanted to do with you. there were times he looks at you, then looked away to tell his friends something, almost like an elementary school girl. he would be looking sly in the eye, giggling, and flushed in the cheeks. after a little while of doing that, he finally approached you, planted a kiss on your mouth without even asking if that was okay to do. still in shock, he made a joke, well more like a jab toward you, saying that you didn’t kiss or taste like Sam did. confused as to why he would bring her up if he’s kissing you, he didn’t answer that and tried doing another kiss, but you refused, feeling grossed out. why the hell was Sam even brought up? you might have to consult with her later about that or just keep it to yourself…

—. Kenny Payne *💞

you don't know how he feels about kissing because he sends mixed signals, saying 'awh' and 'ew' whenever people kiss. when you asked him how he felt about it, he said he was rather neutral, finding it neither gross nor cute. he continued, saying that the more slobbery kisses, like those he had seen Moon and Piper share, grossed him out. when you offered to give him a little peck to see how he would like it, that seemed to catch his interest. "Please don't drool on me," he begged, making you laugh. you promised that you wouldn't, and he handled it rather well, leaning in to give you a kiss back, which caught you off guard a little. you gladly accepted and leaned forward into it.

—. Shawn Payne

he is the opposite of his baby brother and doesn't mind the slobber or drool. you learn this when you came to visit him a couple times, you don't remember which one. he got so excited to see you on one visit and scooped your face with his hand, planting a massive kiss that clearly took some breath with it. "wow," is all you muster, looking up at him. he smiles and asks if you want another, you tell him after you get your breath back. through your panting, you can see a sneaky smirk form on his face. he plants another before giving you time to recover. he plays around with your lip and squishes your face some as he breaks it off. his time came and went, watching him leave as you're out of breath and hurt. you huff out a defeated sigh as he has to go back.

—. Aisha Robinson

she seems to toy around with the idea of wanting to kiss you, so it can be planted in your head somewhere, making you wonder when she's going to do it. you think of it a lot actually, almost making you blank out at practice, causing you sneak glances at her whenever you see her. she knows about the looks you give her but acts like she had no clue you were doing that. she is still playing around with you before she took it amongst herself to take a sweeter route to kiss you herself, almost taking you off guard, but it didn't. the game is done and over, as it went on long enough between the two of you. the kiss between the two of you was long, almost never-ending; you wished it never ended as her lips were soft and covered in a vanilla balm. she broke it with a tiny kiss to your nose before taking off for the night, and sending you on your way with a little finger wave goodbye.

© captivatingckcreations | original link [original posting date - Sunday, May 19th, 2024] {boost the post by liking, reblogging, and sharing!}

[arkhamknightz]

WHEN WALLY FALLS IN LOVE

pairing : wally west x superhero!reader

summary/ask: “would you be ok writing something fluffy-domestic with a gender neutral/ non-binary superhero reader? Like what they like to do together when they're at home or at the other's appartment? I personally think Wally's a huge romantic guy and that he'd love to have someone who's also very into that. Not like big/expensive demonstration of love, but more subtle/little things but very meaningful. (I would love to quote poems to that handsome and lovely redhead hahaha)”

warnings: title based off of “when emma falls in love” by taylor swift (sorry i have a song title theme going on at the moment idk why its just so cutesy to me so sorry)

notes: i hope i did this justice.. i kinda just found a poem off the internet?:?/? i dont know of many poems so i hope thats okay, i tried to incorporate like small gestures like the sidewalk rule and having your partners things all over your space if that makes sense? anywho i hope this lives up to expectations :’)

It was no secret Wally loved to flirt, even as your current boyfriend. He had an arm draped around your shoulder as you both walked down the street into your apartment. Nothing important had been going on for the last day, so you both decided to stay over at his apartment at take advantage of it.

He looked over at you and smiled, making sure he stayed between you and the street as you guys made your way to his building. A pair of headphones were being shared between the both of you, a wired earbud dangling from your ears as you walked close together. Wally claimed listening to music sounded better with his wired earbuds, although you knew it was so he had an excuse to be closer to you.

He opened the door for you as you reached the apartment building. Your hands intertwined as he walked you both to the elevator, you pressed your finger on his floor number and out of the corner of your eye, you see a smile take over his face. No matter how long you’ve both been dating, he loves you just as much as the day before. He knew the floor of his apartment wasn’t crazy information. But, you had clicked it without thinking twice. It made his heart flutter.

As you both made it into his apartment, you kicked your shoes off right next to his and jumped on his couch, grabbing your favorite blanket. The smile on his face hadn’t left, Wally completely infatuated by you. You knew to kick off your shoes without a single thought, and your favorite blanket being on the couch of his place filled his heart with so much love.

He walked up behind you, leaning over the couch to wrap his arms around you and kiss your head softly. “I love you.” You turned around to look at him, a smile across your face as you gave him a small kiss. “I love you too!”

He pulled away to walk to his kitchen, a shelf in the pantry completely dedicated to your favorite foods, snacks and drinks. You had a designated area in every room of his apartment. Your side of the bed where your bedside table was littered with little trinkets and a book you had been reading out loud for the both of you before going to sleep. You had your section of the shower and the sink, part of his closet and dressers, storage area under his bed for your suit and any other things you may wanna leave over.

He grabs a new snacks for the both of you before sitting next to you on the couch. You pick up the other half of your blanket, placing it over his legs with a smile on your face as he sets the snacks down on the coffee table. He hands you the remote as you log into his streaming services, clicking on his profile before settling on a movie you both had talked about wanting to watch.

He looked around, a smile on his face as he knew both of your apartments were crawling with each others items. He even made sure any of your favorite foods that needed to be frozen or kept in the fridge was in your own area so he remembered not to eat them. Wally made sure to keep his apartment stocked for you, checking each area every week before grocery shopping to see what he needed to stock up on for you.

You consumed his every thought, he was so helplessly in love with you. Everything he did in his day to day life made him think of you. Out on a mission and he speeds by some flowers? He makes a mental note to bring you a new bouquet or pick some of the ones he saw on the way back home. Going to the store? He keeps an eye out for anything else you may want, like a plushie or a new snack he think you would enjoy.

He sees a dog out on a walk outside? He’s snapping a photo to send to you or tells you about it once you both get back home. It’s no secret Wally’s scared to loose you. What you both do is dangerous, so he makes sure to appreciate every little thing about you, even the things that remind him of you deserved to be appreciated.

You both sat in silence watching the movie, no words needing to be spoken between the both of you as you sat cuddled on his couch. You were practically sitting on his lap, both of his arms were wrapped around you, his body chest against your back as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

His hand soothingly rubbed against your skin, an occasional kiss was landed on your neck as you watched together. There was nothing you appreciated more than Wally’s small gestures of love. He planned every date with as much effort as your first, your vase of flowers that you kept in your apartment hadn’t been left empty since you both met. Even while on long missions he made sure you somehow got your flowers.

By the time the sun had started to set, Wally brought you both up to his apartment buildings rooftop, a place that you both commonly hung out at together. A small poem book was held in your hand as you both sat against the wall, your head instantly landing on his shoulder.

You opened to a random page, a small smile gracing your features as you looked at the sky, then at your boyfriend who had a wide grin on his face. You took a look back down at the floor before beginning to read.

“I love your hands. They are big hands, firm hands, gentle hands. Hair grows on the back near the wrist, I have seen the nails broken and stained from hard work. And yet when you touch me, I grow small… and quiet… and happy. If I might only grow small enough, to curl up into the hollow of your palm. Your left palm, curl up, lie close, and cling, so that I might know myself always there.. even if you forgot.”

He smiled, a small chuckle leaving his mouth. “If we don’t get married one day I’m gonna be so pissed off.” You smiled at him, a laugh escaping from your lips. “Really? Like how pissed off scale from 1-10” He pretended to think for a moment. “100” “That wasn’t an option.” “I know but 10 wasn’t big enough to prove how upset I would be.”

He looked over at you with a smile. He always seemed to be smiling while he was around you, huh? A single look at him and anyone could see how in love he is with you. Coming up on the rooftop and reading a page out of a small poetry book he had gotten you was a nightly tradition. No matter what time it was, before settling down, no matter where you were, the small booklet was brought out for a page reading.

The red haired boy took a look at you, the sunsets remaining light making you glow. You both stood up after spending a few more minutes outside quietly speaking to each other. You both walked hand in hand back to his apartment, kicking off your slides before changing and hopping into his bed.

He walked in behind you after a few minutes, your favorite coffee mug in his hand. “Got you a drink.” He smiled at you, a small kiss being placed on his cheek as he placed it on your bedside table. “Mm gonna go shower and get changed alright?” He looked at you, a soft expression painted on his face.

You looked up at him and smiled brightly, eyes full of love as you nodded and gave him one last kiss. “Mmkay, just don’t take too long” He let out a soft chuckle. “I won’t, I promise.” He took one last glance at you before leaving to walk into the bathroom, a small grin and a light blush was left on your face. Wallace West is completely and utterly in love with you. And he knew that would never change.

[relatableblorbopoll]

Round 1 of preliminaries, group 11

The first two places get a place on the bracket

Little reminder: there will be 2 more rounds of preliminaries, the losing blorbos of this poll still have 2 chances of getting in the official bracket

Propaganda under the cut

Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods)

"Spoilers! She's a college dropout in her early twenties, who suffers from untreated mental illness and dissociation and had a complete breakdown at college, causing her to come home. Now she's living with her parents again, but life in her dingy little hometown went on without her. Her friends are adults now - in a relationship and planning on moving to the big city, or having to waste away in a dead end job instead of following their dreams. Mae is the only one without a new adult role in life. She's not great with people either - she's blunt and often doesn't think things through, and in many ways just doesn't get the world of adults. She's also prone to petty crimes and general anarchy. She's kind of lost and purposeless, and trying to find meaning in life by desperately clinging to the past. Her decision to drop out of college probably saved her life, but it's also put her family in a tough financial situation and is viewed by most people as her just thoughtlessly doing whatever she wants. She's also kind of shamed a lot about not having a job or other productive role in life, despite the fact that her untreated mental issues are actually disabling for her. She also plays the bass real bad. Anyway, i love Mae a lot. Playing this game as a college dropout in my early twenties, sitting in my childhood bedroom in my mom's attic, back in my dingy little hometown, desperately missing my old friends who have all moved on to better, resposible things in life... yeah, it felt like the game was pointing dead at me. Given tumblr's general demographic, i figure i must not be completely alone in this"

Shigeo Kageyama / Mob (Mob Psycho 100)

"autistic. likes milk. if we reach a certain level of emotion we turn into a psychic bomb. cool brothers :)"

Barry the Quokka (The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog)

"Their only skill is working the microwave, they're non-binary, when seeing a trash bin their first instinct is to look through it, they're always the most normal person in the room, they can beatbox, and they were only hired due to being the only one who applied."

Kaveh (Genshin Impact)

"In a fantasy world, be a guy with a regular profession losing his goddamn mind. Poor guy has a guilt complex, (so true) and a lot of deep embarrassment regarding his life.(ehe) He just wants to do what he's passionate about but capitalism is evil and also he keeps getting scammed. Claims to not want anyone to know Things, goes into depth about these Things anyway. Is probably most definitely gay. Can be found face down on a table lamenting his fate. Terrible sleep schedule. (HA) He is such a guy. Wants to believe the world is a good place and people are inherently good. And wants to help people and do good himself. It's just hard. [And he has a roommate. Oh my god he has a roommate]"

"He was, and still is, regarded a genius. He aced his Akademiya days, he has the admiration and appreciation of so many people because he is oh-so remarkable. But what for, when reality is that he sits at home depressed and with guilt consuming him, faking the image people have of him, not only broke as fuck but actually in debt, drowning his sorrows in wine."

Yusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5)

"highschooler who wants to spend the rest of his life doing what he loves. is obsessed with art and beauty and it's on his mind 24/7 received help from his now friendgroup to break from his abusive foster father who he still have complicated feelings with had to move into school dorms and am struggling to live independantly since he'd rather spend money and time on his art but he's still surviving and enjoying the good times id say also ends up saying whatever is on his mind and is pretty eccentric. very passionate about what he loves. doesn't want to do anything else."

Nanami Kento (Jujutsu Kaisen)

"Ex-salaryman, now jujutsu sorcerer. During one life-and-death fight, kept talking about how it was almost six pm with is when he is getting off work at 6pm no matter what because he hates overtime. While his opponent repeatedly almost kills him. Normalest adult in this shonen anime. Teen MC: "Let's go all out!" Nanami: "No. Where moderate effort will suffice, use moderate effort." Some of his quotes from the anime: "I studied at Jujutsu Tech and one thing I learned is that Jujutsu Sorcerers are shit! Then I worked at your typical company and one thing I learned is that work is shit! If both are equally shit I'll take the one I'm more suited to." "You've faced several life-or-death situations, but that does not make you an adult. Finding more fallen-out hairs on your pillow, watching your favourite stuffed bread disappear from the convenience store... The accunulation of these little despairs is what makes a person an adult." "I don't praise or disparage anyone. I adhere to facts and judge on that basis. That's who I am. There was a time when I mistakenly believed society operated the same way." "