#so i'd say “any pronouns” because that's kind of the vibe

[kinnbig]

What are your pronouns?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[princkleeatscookies]

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie

" Say Cheeese! chuchu~!" Description:

"An exterior baked in just the right time, decorated with sweetness of whipped cream, perfectly macerated strawberries and sugar and with fresh strawberry on top to finish the sugar sweet perfect picture, and you get the city's very cute and very energetic photographer Strawberry Shortcake Cookie! Always believed that every moment should be cherished with the help of her trusty Shortbread camera, a simple click and the moment is now captured, no happy memory left forgotten! Just don't forget to remind that her camera is right over there! Some say that her personality isn't always like this, it was until she met a certain cookie whom she considers very dearest to her that she gained this personality and broke out of her shy and timid self Strawberry Shortcake Cookie believes that every cookie has a little bit of sweetness inside them, even if they didn't show it. I mean, how else are cookies made of? Bitter and Darkness? Naaah... No Cookie is after all, right? where was I..? oh right! If you want to take a perfectly perfect picture, just call in Strawberry Shortcake Cookie~!"

------ Info:

Name: Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Age: 19 years old Occupation: Photographer, College Student Pronouns: She/her Rarity: Epic Type: Support Position: Middle ------- Personality:

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie has a bubbly, energetic and extremely sweet personality. She comforts cookies with her genuine and welcoming vibe that cookies feel safe around her. She loves seeing cookies smile afterall, all can do whatever it takes to make them happy. Even with the littlest of things and the bigger things such as her interests, she gets very VERY excited over. Always talks a lot and never stops talking about that, even giving fun facts. Though it's annoying, but she can take a hint and stops (most of the time). Clumsy as she is, she does it intentionally as it means to make the cookie a bit more happy. Whether her clumsiness is intentional or not, she's quite careless overall Because of her kind personality, she's a very forgiving cookie, accepting any apologies and willing to give that cookie a second chance. She is so forgiving that she doesn't want to believe that there's actual evil cookies lurking around. In fact, she is in denial that there are cookies who aren't good at all. She is willing to push herself (both physically and mentally) in order to prove that the cookie is happy and good. Though her happiness is welcoming, other cookies question whether or not her bubbly personality is just a facade for something darker that Strawberry Shortcake Cookie may be hiding, any inner demons she might be struggling currently? The reason behind questioning is that she doesn't display any negative emotion (fear, anger, sad etc) at anyone. There's no used to talking to her about it because you'll only be talking to a brick wall. Though her bubbly personality isn't really just a facade anymore as it became a part of her, it's all because of a childhood friend she admires and loves the most who helped her became this sociable and happy, and that childhood friend is the only one Strawberry Shortcake Cookie is willing to show her real self to. -------- A/N: This is my Cookie Run OC Strawberry Shortcake Cookie!! not surprising I know, you might know her over on my twitter and instagram. She is somewhat of a mascot of mine simply because of how much I drew her with various cookies ^^; So why not giving her some recognition here in tumblr, yeah? I drew a lot of artwork of her so there's no stopping on my posting I'll probably do a separate blog just for her in the near future ;v; speaking of which, if you do have questions regarding Strawberry Shortcake Cookie, please do!! I'm not really done yet posting about her, since I have to list all her relationships and other miscellaneous info regarding her ^^ But I do some fun facts I'd like to share

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie... is taken by a certain blonde consul. she and him are childhood friends turned lovers, more on that later.

She's the youngest of her family but has does act as an older sister to the other strawberry cookies who are unrelated to her (special case with Strawberry Crepe Cookie because their relation is left ambiguous)

Her relation with the Cookies of Darkness are friendly actually, all except two cookies. Dark Enchantress Cookie and Pomegranate Cookie

She's exclusively a Kingdom OC but does have bonds with other characters there (such as Strawberry Cream Cookie)

additional little drawings:

her with the other Strawberries whom she considers her surrogate siblings :>

besties being besties as usual hehe (parfait cookie's costume is from the CRK CN server that I have yet to gain access rip) ----

I'd love to share more fun facts about her but that'll be it for now!! I'll definitely be posting a lot about her ^^

[accirax]

Fourth Anniversary Art Analysis

(Credits to DRDTdev for the art, obviously. Please support the original post.)

Yeah guys, this is definitely Charles, trust me. (/j)

In all seriousness, the reveal of what Teruko's brother (more or less) looks like got me thinking about a couple of things. I'd like to ramble about them in a space less directly linked to the public fourth anniversary art!

The first is that we've (basically) confirmed that Teruko's brother is older than her, something that I don't think we actually technically knew until now! I always got those kind of vibes, but it's nice to know for sure.

The second is something that most people have picked up on-- his white hair color. Between DRDT and altDRDT, the only people who we've seen with white hair up to this point are XF and Dandelion (I think those are the names people agreed upon???). Both of those seem... unlikely to be Teruko's brother, although, for what it's worth, they do both use he/him pronouns. That's not to say that Teruko's brother couldn't have dyed his hair after he and Teruko last parted, and still be someone else we know, like Teacher. However, I could also easily believe that DRDTdev may have wanted to draw this art as a soft disconfirmation of the "Teacher is Teruko's brother" theory before people got in too deep. It's too bad, though, I did like that one.

One of the reasons why I liked it was because of the synergy with Teruko's favorite color being red due to "association." However, even if Teruko's brother still is Teacher, it seems like he has no red in his design as of the last time Teruko saw him. I suppose red could still be his eye color, but I'm going to take this mean that Teruko's positive association with red is due to somebody else-- likely either Xander or Mai, or possibly still Teacher, but without him being her brother.

Lastly, and most importantly, I find it highly interesting that, at this point in time, Teruko's brother is shown with several scrapes and bandages, while Teruko has absolutely none. It got me thinking about the nature of Teruko's luck.

I wonder if Teruko's bad luck operates in a way where it will hurt whoever is around her until she's the only one left, at which point it has no one to attack but herself. (The only comparison I can think of is to the Death card in the card game Fluxx, so shout out if you know what I'm talking about.)

As long as Teruko is the "protagonist," her luck will go after the "side characters". But, if Teruko isolates herself, then the luck will go after the hero.

Now, there is a bit of contradictory evidence going on here, because Teruko has had unfortunate things happen to her since entering the killing game and being around other people. Most notably, the time that she slipped and fell while holding the cake, and when Xander tried to kill her. That's why I'm wondering if there's also an element of how much Teruko cares about these people involved. Like, if Teruko cares less about someone, they don't pop up as a "side character" punching bag as much. Or, if Teruko caring about someone is the inciting incident to turning an entire group of people into "side characters"-- that way, if she had no friends at any of the schools she attended, she could have avoided dooming them all.

Teruko cared a lot about Xander, so his betrayal was the tipping point. After she took one last blow, the scales tipped and more bad things started happening to the other students than to Teruko. Teruko falling down transformed into the much worse luck of Min dying. And, from then on, the "side characters" started taking the brunt of the bad luck (J's secret being revealed, Eden being bullied and threatened, Ace nearly dying, etc), while Teruko remained mostly fine.

If there is an element of how much Teruko cares about people involved, it would give her a lot of incentive to be a loner and actively make people dislike her.

Anyways, just a thought. This one is pretty off the cuff, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm missing something or overstepping here.

Happy fourth anniversary DRDT, happy ???th birthday Mai, and a happy day to all of you!

[nerves-nebula]

yeah the thing is my gender feelings are also very weird. it's like.... I do not know if I experience dysphoria or what even is going on there but the other day I mentioned I wanted to cut my hair even shorter to someone and they went "oh yeah, like a pixie cut!" and I immediately started crying because in my brain the thought process went pixie cut = feminine term for short hair = I will never make this person Understand or be seen as properly my gender (which is rich because??? I don't understand it either) so we were both just standing there upset and confused. and the thing!!!! the thing about that is THAT I WAS REALLY REALLY SURE I WAS A CIS WOMAN!!! and I think I still kind of am??? because I'm definitely not a man and "nonbinary" doesn't quite cut it either And I don't want to transition but also every time I get called a girl or a woman or a daughter I'm internally like "ok... but unless?" but any pronouns besides she/her feel wrong to me. ok that's a lie I could use multiple sets of pronouns but it's integral that she is one of them.

and the thing is that if I did attempt to transition it would feel weird to me because I don't want to change my body (besides tossing the boobs) but I'd like it if I was seen as masculine more and I know that with how i currently present that is never going to happen. and I like my way of presenting too but I don't like how it's read by other people. but if I was read as just a man that would be weird too. It's like... I'm never going to be able to get someone to see me as my correct gender BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW MY GENDER. ok sorry I'm done. and I know that cis people question their gender too but I don't think I'm cis anymore and. well. do I sound insane

Lotta ground to cover here uhhh

If I was you I’d ask why nonbinary doesn’t cut it. What do you think nonbinary is? Do you think it’s a single identity? Bi-gender and agender can both be nonbinary and are basically opposites. Some people identify as nonbinary women because they’re women who fall outside normative ways of gender expression (there are many other reasons you could consider yourself a nonbinary woman too of course, like being multi gender, but that’s an example) So I wouldn’t throw out nonbinary so fast.

More to the point though I think labels aren’t as important as doing whatever you want forever. Make your body how you want it and the rest can follow. You can be and identify as a cis woman while having top surgery (I think I just reblogged a comic about that) and short hair and a masculine vibe. You could be butch. You could be feminine the way men are or masculine the way women are.

However there’s a lot of stuff here I can’t help you with. Like, I can’t tell if you’re dismissing some of the options here out of genuine disinterest or an internalized fear that you’re “not allowed” or “not supposed” to do or be certain a way

I can’t tell if you’d feel “weird” being read as a man because you don’t have any interest in that or because you’re not sure if it’s ok to be a woman who looks like that. Which is why i can’t really advise you over anon lol. This is like a two hour conversation type thing

I'd like it if I was seen as masculine more and I know that with how i currently present that is never going to happen. and I like my way of presenting too but I don't like how it's read by other people.

This is interesting cuz I’ve never been one for dressing to appease other people, but some people are happier dressing to communicate their identity to others. So I guess either you change to be read as what you want or accept people being wrong about you. Go with whichever makes you feel the best I’d say

As for this:

I'm never going to be able to get someone to see me as my correct gender BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW MY GENDER.

I really can’t help you there. I know my gender but I’m nonbinary so no one will ever see me and recognize my gender. There’s no passing for me so i don’t really care about that anymore. Sorry

[cat-of-starlight]

Ok-

In the wake of the new Limbus Brainrot because Canto 4 ended, I've been seeing a certain... Dante related theory... making the rounds again and I wanted to post my thoughts about it.

Putting it under the cut for length reasons- No specific spoilers?, I just don't wanna blast people with the text wall lmao

I gotta say, I really hate the Dante = Ayin theory. Desperately.

Not any hate to the people theorizing- not like that, I just already have a deep hatred of [x person is actually y person]/Reincarnation/etc. theories.

Why, you may ask? Well, in the case of this theory specifically, I have three main reasons.

1 - The vibes of the two characters themselves

Important note, I actually like both characters. I know some people have A Lot to say about Ayin, and honestly so do I (Probably different things but yea), but I generally don't mind him as much as some other people seem to.

I also love Dante.

And Specifically, I'll say- I like them both for Incredibly Different Reasons. Different enough reasons that I feel that mixing the two would ruin them both. I mean sure, Dante CLEARLY has something going on in the memories they can't yet remember, but honestly? Ayin already had his arc. HAD his chance in the spotlight- a whole game of it. I wouldn't mind a cameo, or reason for him to be important in some way, but I'd be crushed if all the reasons I've come to love Dante were smothered by "oops all Ayin"

I feel like it would make it almost... Pointless? "Oh yea this character may have had their whole character arc, but surprise! They aren't REALLY their own person and are instead this dude who already had his character arc!"

2 - They/Them Dante Supremacy™

Now, considering that the meme They/Them Dante post that I made blew up and is now my most popular post on my blog, I think its safe to say where I stand on the Dante's Pronouns part of everything-

I think it would be kind of... dismissive of that to make "Oh yea they were they/them to hide their identity" Because uhhh. Their identity is already hidden. We can't see their face. Literally anyone could have their head taken, a clock replaced, and that outfit slapped on and it generally wouldn't matter-

I feel like it kind of would send the message of "They can only count as they/them because their everything is hidden and we can't tell anyway" which??? No??? Even once Dante's actual head gets revealed, if people start switching calling them to whatever gender they look the most like and the game still uses they/them I'm Going To Bite People.

3 - ??

The least plot relevant, and the most just vibe based is- I just kinda feel like this type of reveal in writing often kinda feels like a cop out? I mean, I'm sure there's probably a well done version of one of these, but I sure as hell haven't found it yet-

I mean, in a BIG city with TONS of characters, there is SO MUCH plot that a character can have, without needing to jump back to a character that they already have. Sure- Project Moon Protags often have a Big Reveal, and its often Shocking- but does it really need to be a rehashed reveal from the first game? "boo he's old news get new material" ya know?

--

Anyway yea. I don't like the theory- Never have from the first time I saw a post about it.

If you like it, feel free to keep on with it- I don't mean this to say "If you theorize this, you suck" or anything, I just keep seeing it, and felt the desire to put my own two cents in~

But yea, keep on with it if you like it? Maybe tag it something specific and I'll just block the tag lmao

[araneapeixes]

I love your Shadowheart art, I'd love to see your Tav. Do you have any headcanons with you Tav and the party? Romance/friends bffs etc?

Omg that's so sweet, I can't believe someone is interested in seeing my Tav 😭❤️ This is her, her name is Ren, pronouns she/they (in game I sometimes switch between she/her and they/them using the magic mirror basically lol)

They're a half-drow fighter with urchin background, basically a scrappy street kid who had to learn to survive. Her main drive is that she would do anything for her friends, and as someone who had never worshipped any gods or had reason to trust in figures of authority, she just wants everyone to understand that they are fine the way they are and don't need the approval of some god. She doesn't seek authority or power and thinks that doing so never ends up being like, good for you (holding Astarion and Gale by the scruff of their necks)

Before the events of the game they'd say 'yeah i basically just want to survive and not be bothered lol' but when put in a situation where they have the power to help someone less fortunate they will ALWAYS take the opportunity to do so - too much of life spent being the one less fortunate!

Despite being a half-drow they'd never actually seen the Underdark before the events of the game and never met their drow father either so all that ancestry has really been to them is the assumptions people make.. In her appearance I was going for like, softer features than most drow seem to have and kind, human, brown eyes<3 You can'r rly see it in the pictures but she also has the neck rose tattoo.

They're a bit on the quiet and pensieve side (especially for a fighter) but have a cheeky sense of humour and always stay positive!!

This is the only art I've really done of Ren so far lol

Sketched it out after the first Shadowheart romance scene so YEAH Shart romance obviously hehe Ren was immediately drawn to her because 1)hot goth girl hiiiii and 2)she could see the incongruity between what SH said she was and believed and her actual morals and behaviour. And Ren's calm, kind and unjudgemental presence made Shadowheart trust her very quickly. Basically an immediate attraction and fascination that quickly turned into a strong bond, ik that's not very unique or interesting sorry they're just in louve<3

as for the other party members she feels very close to Astarion (just drawn to edgy bitches with a dark past ig!!) and is basically trying to domesticate him and show him the joys of found family. Karlach is also a very easy natural friend for her as they're similar in many ways although Ren is much quieter and less intense lol but they're Best Bros and drink beer together and arm wrestle and laugh at stupid shit

also good buds with Gale despite his initial romantic intentions and she helps him with the cooking<3 She admires Lae'zel and feels for her struggle a lot but had a bit of a harder time with her at first because of the rough bossiness but they grew closer over time and respect each other greatly. and loves Wyll obviously who doesn't love Wyll but rolls her eyes at his dramatic heroism. Really vibes with Jaheira's sense of humour and thinks shes hot too

[miraculous-pyromaniac]

BEHOLD MY PJO/HOO ORIGINAL CHARACTER

This wonderful artwork was done by @justanotherpersonsuniverse they're a wonderful artist and writer whose works I enjoy a ton. If you're into miraculous ladybug, Splatoon, or good art and vibes in general I would guide you towards their blogs.

This is Bellerophon Heimbald, sometimes called Camp Half-Blood's Benchwarmer Hero, but most of their friends just call them Bell

A strong wielder of They/Them pronouns, Bell is a child of Euphrosyne, goddess of mirth, merriment, and joy.

Alright, this post is a little long, so ima make a break here. Bellow this is more stuff about the OC and some semi-relevant rants on greek myth lore

They changed their name to Bellerophon because they were Bell before but wanted a less gender specific full name. Also, Bellerophon is Bell's favorite Greek hero because they really love horses and pegasi, and dream of one day riding on Pegasus, the majestic flying god-horse.

Bell gets super fucking jealous of Reyna.

Bell made the unique decision to declare themselves as a Champion of Hestia, a title and role that notably doesn't exist. Despite this, Bell stubbornly insists on their role as a protector of homes and families. They will insist on being sent on, or sometimes sneak out to go on, quests relating to saving the families of her friends and fellow campers. Such endeavors include, but are not limited to, 'my godly step mom kidnapped my Mom for having too many kids with her husband', 'My Dad keeps sending me bloodstained notes and his fiancé says he hasn't left the house since I left for camp', or 'the Titan Army kidnapped my mortal siblings because I'd been feeding them false info while pretending to spy for them'. Bell will also eventually be accepted as Hestia's Champion and will be sent on quests to solve squabbles between the gods that have really been killing the vibe on Olympus. Things such as 'My husband thinks I'll fall for this shit again so I made a doll to replace him', 'That bitch banged my daughter and I might start a war over it', or 'oh fuck I lost the moon'.

The PJO storyline spans many years and this is only a screenshot of time for Bell's character. They're about 16 in this art, at around the time of The Battle of the Labyrinth book.

Bell's godly parent is not a well known goddess, Euphrosyne is one of the Charities, a trio of goddess siblings who serve as Aphrodite's attendants. The best way I can relate who she is is that she's the daughter of the Titaness of water-meadows, Eurynome, who raised Hephaestus after he was baby-tossed off Olympus by Hera. Her father is of course Zeus, though it might not have been adultery. Hesiod claimed that Eurynome was Zeus's third wife after Metis, who he absorbed, and Themis, who Zeus divorced after birthing at least 2 (possibly 3) sets of triplet goddesses. One set of those triplets was the wrinkly goddesses now known as the fates, who scared their parents so much that Zeus got a divorce and Themis stopped having kids and went to law school or something or other.

In any case, my point is that Bell's demigod powers aren't flashy or destructive like the show's main cast. Bell can innately sense when those around them feel positive emotions, a kind of joy empathy radar. They can also induce and amplify positive feelings in others, though its not effective most of the time. Their only other powers include a slightly dulled sense of pain and a resistance to poisons.

A few years into their story, Bell will end up gaining the blessing of Hestia's hearth fire. This blessing grants Bell several powers that are all defensive due to the nature of Hestia and her flames. Bell's wounds will instantly cauterize in battle and heal faster after the battle is done. Poison has way less effect on Bell, combines with their poison resistance from their demigod powers this essentially makes them immune to all non-divine poisons. Their regular body temp is also increased to around 107°F, making them very popular with the Hypnos kids during winter months. This obviously grants an aspect of fire resistance to Bell, but not immune like Leo, at about the same level as Hephaestus kids.

That spear is their primary weapon, a cross shaped Japanese style spear that Bell found wrapped up in the camp armory. It also happens to have been cursed by the man who forged it and is a very dangerous object.

That leather bracelet is actually a size changing celestial bronze shield in it's smallest size, a small disk of metal attached to the leather arm strap. It was gifted to Bell by their mother Euphrosyne. It was forged by Hephaestus, who was convinced to make the shield by his wife, Aglaia, who is also one of the Charities. Aglaia didn't just do that as a favor for her sister though, but that's not super important.

Yes, Hephaestus got remarried canonically, in both mythology and described in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods.

Bell is the main character of a PJO fanfic story I've been creating with my best friend. Though, while Bell may be the main character of their story, they are ultimately a side character in the PJO/HOO stories. My goal for Bell's story is that that it's written into the sidelines of the story the book tells, this story is the one that happens when Percy is off on his quests, or during the non-summer months when most characters are with their families, or in the gaps of time between books. I'm having a ton of fun developing a story like this, filling in the background of an already great story.

I've been writing and developing Bell's story, as well as a couple other OCs of mine, for about the past 6 months or so and this is the first time its being seen publicly. I've been trying to write a whole book/questline of story before releasing as my current fanfics update one every blue moon and I feel bad about it.

This is only 1 of the 4 Camp Half-blood OCs i have for this story and, even further, only 1 of the 10 OCs I plan to put story focus on throughout my whole plotline. Hyperfixation went crazy.

Alright I think that's enough random powers, no-context plot points, and Greek myth lore rants for one post. Ima hit the post button now but again go check out @justanotherpersonsuniverse their stuff is amazing

[predvestnik]

Author Portrait

get to know the author behind the blog! repost, do not reblog.

Basics

Name/nickname: Vênus Age: 29 Pronouns: she/he Years of writing: Around 18 <3 

Reflection

Why did you pick up writing? It was an activity shared between friends in elementary school, we'd been RP-ing, shipping and writing (Saint Seiya) fanfictions way before we knew what those were. We had a compendium-esque thing for everything we'd read and written that I'd printed at home, and we carried it everywhere until one of our teachers took notice and asked to read. Very embarrassing, very formative. If I'm here today, it's all thanks to Libra no Dohko and his tragic boyfriend Shion.

Do you have any writing routines? No. We ball. I get to my PC and go like a toddler presented with too many toy options, then I crawl towards the one sparking more joy in that moment (could be writing, reading, playing, etc etc).

Besides, sometimes I'm hit with the Horrors(tm) and that also plays a part in why my energy for writing fluctuates so much.

What's your favorite part about writing? Specifically about RP, it's when I get to write with someone who really gets what I'm saying and get them too, that connection getting us to blabber nonstop until we reach the part where we're weaving a story together.

Three things you like about your writing:

O1. How it is customized for each thread, theme and character. I like to think each muse begs for a tune of their own, and that means which words I pick for the storytelling, like if it'll be more direct, or introspective with metaphors and reflections, or even if it'll be more formal. When we write together, one thing I can guarantee: it will be made exclusively to match the vibes of our story;

O2. I've been told multiple times that it flows easily even when lengthy and I choose to believe that! I know some things (namely idioms or comparisons) may get lost due to cultural differences, but if the message still lands, then I call it a success;

O3. Hmmm, my motto is to not write with my ego? That isn't revolutionary in any way, but a reassurance that I don't care if my muse gets the short end of anything during a thread, even more if it happened due to a lack of foresight from my part rather than a deliberate lapse. Honestly, that always makes writing more interesting because it makes me reroute and forces me to think outside the box.

A question for the next person

write a question for the next person to answer. once you've answered it, leave a new question for someone else to answer.

Sam's question: What kind of threads do you enjoy the most?

I'm partial to conflict of any kind, it translates to angst most of the time, but anything that puts my muse through it has my heart and soul (anger? When will Childe experience anger??? But it's me asking myself, mostly). Be it physical, moral or psychological.

Too much of the same fluff, sharing a drink and laughing over it, walking towards the horizon and similar type of interactions gets stale pretty fast to me and nukes my enthusiasm to write in general.

NEW QUESTION: What's the most challenging thing and character you've written, and why?

Tagged by: @ccaptain Tagging: @melodicbreeze @verdantluxury @theladymuses

[obeymematches]

Hello! Are you taking matchup requests? If yes, I'd like to send one in for Obey Me. I'd like a pina colada please

I'll go by ⭐. My pronouns are she/her and I'm demisexual

Appearance: I am South Asian with long wavy black hair. Usually tie my hair in a half ponytail at the back because I like how it looks and I don't really like the feeling of hair on my shoulders. I am 165 cm tall and reasonably fit

Personality: I'm calm, collected and hardworking. I can be a bit aloof and arrogant sometimes, but I make sure it doesn't get out of hand. I am curious and perfectionistic, and I'm also pretty academically smart (though I sometimes struggle with impostor syndrome lol). The gifted kid burnout syndrome is catching up, though. People say I do have a bit of a cold facade, but once they get to know me, they say I'm much warmer and gentler than they initially thought. I care deeply for my friends and my family, so I'll do whatever I can for them. I do face a lot of pressures too from having to be the perfect oldest daughter, the therapist friend (despite psychology not being my major, more of a special interest) and from having to do well in school (as much as I enjoy engineering, it is kicking my ass low-key). It may not look like it, but I'm very much a romantic, but I'm more practical about it if that makes any sense 😅😅

I often bake my closest friends and family a cake on their birthday with a silly message written on it. I also has a soft spot (special interest) for outer space and love to stargaze wherever the skies are clear. Don't know if this is important, but I do make some pretty mean South Asian food if I do say so myself

Likes: Books, herbal tea, art, lofi hip-hop, video games, anime, drawing, spicy food, affogato, outer space

Dislikes: Incompetence, unnecessary conflicts, bullies, fake friends dishonesty, cruelty, dog-eared book pages, anyone who dares threaten my family, loud noises, itchy fabrics

oh! we've done an exchange not too long ago.

I've decided to match you with Solomon.

• Your academia vibes definitely match his; don’t get me wrong, although he is a master of many things, unfortunately he isn’t a fashion icon (yet?) but he thinks academia style looks elegant / cute depending on the day. • It just means that he is attracted to you at first sight. Which is always a good start, even if you don’t elope into a long talk the very first time you meet. • (Bet she looking 🔥 when she feels comfortable and cute!) • To be fair he isn’t here to make friends with humans; he was fine neglecting the human world for several decades. He isn’t going to care more, now that another human is here…. but curiosity got the best of him and eventually he made sure to meet you before classes. (No. He didn’t attend that class.) • After your quick chat it became a weekly habit of his, to meet you there and then, start some kind of conversation (you’d think he was awkward and you’d be very wrong. Listen he communicates and manipluates his ways into forming a pact with almost every person there.) • It only starts getting awkward when he starts to like your personality for real real. For example this week he arrived 5 mins earlier and was waiting for you. • After a while you two found yourselves in front of your class’s door 20 minutes (!) before it would begin. Huh. • He liked your cold facade ngl, he likes a challenge. However, his ice cold frozen heart slowly, very slowly starts to melt as you warm up to him more and more. • He learned that you are reliable and trustworthy, which he very much appreciates. It lowkey made him want to get closer to you, I mean spiritually. Please help him with this or that, let me show you something, you must see this, etc. • This went on for months, you were truly good friends when he asked you the question you were excited to hear; Would you date me? Shall we go on a date? • Of course he jokes about it being a human thing and at first you can’t tell if hes just being funny or he is serious…. • By now he figured out that you like romantic stuff so if you agree to date him he is going to make the first date romantic just to please you! Possibly stargazing as you like that, or maybe a museum if you are not comfortable with meeting at night. • He secretly craved for a long time to have this level of intimacy with someone and so he’d make sure to please you; whatever you r love language is he does it to make you feel loved and secure! • The fact that you can and will cook is going to be life saving in the long run! • Some downsides of this relationship include him making dog ears to some of the books, he is always up to no good, very known public image so it’s hard to go out in public without anyone stopping you two (in the devildom, the human realm is safe).

My second option for you was Barbatos, honestly the only downside of that relationship is that neither of you is going to start and try to have a good conversation…. so it’s a rocky beginning, but if you get past that phase somehow, it’s going to be pretty solid if I do say so myself.

[misc-obeyme]

am I the only one who doesn't feel represented when it comes creating female lead in general?? i see rare unique and different female mc or characters compared to the typical female lead of interactive choice-based games.

my mc or me personality is more challenging and rebellious, she has that macho attitude and knows how to push someone's buttons. She is muscular and aggressive with a "what's up bro" and "nah fuck that fuck society" vibe, unlike the soft, pale as snow with "cute elegant clothing, long lustrous hair, slender physique and a quiet pleasant personality" typical female lead. there is nothing wrong with cute gals, they cool, they cool, but they're other gals then the submissive ones.

i do enjoy the game, let's be honest, who can survive simeons charm?? but i don't actually feel myself when i play as mc if you get what i mean. this wasn't only for tomboys tho it was for female mc in general who don't find themselves in mc, not getting represented. i gave my example and my struggling.

I think this is an issue for a lot of otome style games. I find that I don't like playing ones that have an actual image for MC. If they don't use the pronouns too much, I can usually gloss over that stuff, but the MCs are so very different from how I identify as a person that I can't self insert at all. (Not that I would if I could, to be fair.)

In fact, I feel like Obey Me is the only game in this genre that hasn't been as bad. (Well, Arcana was pretty good with this too since they let you choose your pronouns but I haven't played it in a while lol.)

MC is gender neutral by default, so they have that at least, which is more than I can say for most otome games. However, the personality problem still exists in OM and really I'd say it's just as bad as most of the others. Generic OM MC has some funny and unhinged lines, but most of the time everybody talks about how nice and sweet they are. I mean, we all joke about them being the demon therapist, but that's really how it is.

On the one hand, it's kind of annoying because you're right. Different types of MCs just don't exist really. And since the default is often female, it's like the one personality they think anyone female can have.

On the other hand, they're going to have to do this at a certain level. They can't give MC too much of a personality. In the end, they're still going for a target audience and I guess they think most female players are going to want to be portrayed as nice and sweet MCs?

All that rambling aside, your feelings are completely valid. To be honest with you, I don't see this changing in otome style games any time soon. So the best we can do is imagine the story differently for ourselves!

So many times I've been given a set of dialogue options for MC and been like... okay neither Ciaran or I would say any of those things. Here is what Ciaran would say if they were experiencing this moment! Then I choose the dialogue that's closest. Or if it's main story, I choose the ones that I think will raise intimacy lol.

Anyway, I don't think you're the only one. I think this is a pretty common feeling. And maybe one day someone will make an otome or dating sim game where the MC has a more rebellious attitude or is female but muscular. It says a lot about how women are perceived when the "generic" female lead is considered to be a nice and meek type of person. It's an unfortunate circumstance of society.

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

NCT Spooky Season [Day 5]

The Haunted Complex

TW: Ghosts, Haunted Building Genre: Romance Pairing: Dong Sicheng x Reader YN Pronouns: Not specified Word Count: 0.7K Prompt: “Oh yeah, the sheet ghost is so scary” “Not that! The thing behind it!”

[NCT Masterlist] | [NCT Spooky Season Masterlist] | [Yesterday] | [Tomorrow] [Ao3 Link] | [Wattpad Link]

Notes: Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

If you were being honest, here, you'd consider yourself a skeptic when it comes to ghosts. You're a believer of science first and foremost, a true non-believer, so to say. Your boyfriend, Sicheng, on the other hand, is the most superstitious and ghost-fearing person probably in the world. You love him to death, of course, but you can only handle so much of the 'No way! It's haunted!' statements when you want to explore somewhere cool.

"I swear, (Y/N), you could see a ghost right in front of you and you'd think it was an illusion."

"That's probably because it would be, there's no such thing as ghosts," you told him.

"Are we even allowed to be here?" He looks up at the old building while you pull one of the boards covering the entrance off.

"Nope," you had an evil grin and Sicheng sighed. "Now come on! You either come with me or I go in alone," you offered.

"What?! You can't go in there alone! Fine! One hour!" Sicheng walks in first and you couldn't hide your excitement.

"Yes! Nice!" You followed in after him. You turned your flashlight on and shone it on anything that caught your eye. Who knows what this building used to be used for before? A lot of it was hidden from weather and age, leaving only small traces behind. "Ooh, Sicheng! Look at this!" You illuminated the bulletin board in front of you and pointed at one of the flyers.

"Call if you're interested in having a roommate," Sicheng recites.

"Huh, I kind of hated my roommates before," you shrugged.

"Were they really that bad? They were always nice when I was over," Sicheng takes out his flashlight too.

"Not bad, per se, just... so messy," you shuddered. "Let's go upstairs," you pointed the flashlight toward the staircase and Sicheng hesitated after seeing the cobweb above the door. "Don't worry, if there are any spiders I'll shoo them away," you waited for him to catch up with you before continuing.

"I really don't like the vibes of this place, (Y/N)," he rubs his arms up and down, shining his flashlight toward anything that seemed scary.

"You know what's worse than feeling like there's something scary around you?" You asked him.

"What?"

"Seeing it." He turned his flashlight off immediately and looked forward, and you couldn't stop the small laugh. "You are so adorable, Sicheng, don't worry! Ghosts don't exist and, if they did, I'd protect you from them!" You shot him a confident look, but you could tell he still wasn't convinced.

Now on the second floor, you and Sicheng were able to explore an abandoned unit, a couple of closets, and the bathroom. So far, nothing out of the ordinary for an abandoned complex, mostly quiet and a little eerie, there wasn't even a sound of dripping water. Just silence. But the longer you were in here the more uneasy you felt, maybe Sicheng was rubbing off on you a little too much, usually, you were the more dauntless of the duo, but his shaky eyes and the fact that he couldn't stand still for even a few minutes was starting to make you jittery too, until you finally heard him scream.

"Sicheng! What?!" You looked behind you and toward him.

"G... G... Ghost!" He shouts. You look forward again.

"Oh, yeah, that sheet ghost is so scary," you pulled the sheet off of the mannequin which, in many ways, was also terrifying. Especially since it was in the middle of the hallway. Covered.

"Not that!" Sicheng takes your shoulders and points further down the dark hallway, "the thing behind it!" Sicheng points at the elongated figure down the hall.

"Holy... holy shit," your jaw drops and, somehow, it seems to get closer. "Run."

"What?"

"Run!" You take his hand and you both bolt down the stairs, dashing out of the complex, into your car, and not even bothering to put your seat belts on while Sicheng slammed on the gas to get the hell out of there.

After a few minutes of silence, Sicheng was the one to speak up first.

"(Y/N)... you haven't looked anywhere but forward since we left."

"So have you, and you're the one driving," you didn't look at him.

"I don't want to check my mirrors."

"Why?"

"What if..."

"Don't you dare say it."

"So... do you believe in ghosts now?"

"... yes."

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If you want to be added to either tag list or removed just send me a reply to this post, and ask, or a DM and I’ll add you as soon as possible!

[baweiii]

so wait. the whole point of utena is what womanhood is and queering that gender for the sake of lesbian/sapphic love. in your transmasc AU, do you just make utena a man? because i feel like that fundamentally detracts from the OG themes. i think utena is definitely some flavor of transmasc personally — utena uses masculine pronouns in the show — but it reads as butch rather than manhood, and i think that’s intentional. not mad or trying to insult you — we need more trans rgu takes! — i would just be curious about your takes in regards to how that au meshes/does not mesh with the original work

I knew this was gonna take a longer response when I saw the "so wait." / light hearted

to get this out of the way, in canon I'd say utena was a nonbinary/genderfluid lesbian,, I don't mind if people see her as cis, that's just the vibe I get from what she expresses in the show. All interpretations are correct 👍

So the transmasc au is a purely self indulgent thing, it's influenced exclusively from my own experiences and feelings.

The main question of this idea comes from rgus probably most used line, "if a girl cannot become a princess she's destined to become a witch." We kind of get the answer for that one. But if a boy can't become a prince? If that boy was a girl who's now completely failed to become a princess?

I'd say the themes stay the same, becoming princesses or rose brides is still forced onto utenanthy despite them being boys now. They still experience what they would if they were girls, it just cuts deeper because they know it's because they're being seen as girls.

Despite being transmasculine they're still forced into feminine roles. For anthy the whole time, even by utena, and for utena by akio who essentially would try to detransition him.

I think about anthy the most tbh bc as soon as he thinks he's free from being the rose bride he's forced into another role that's just as constricting. (Being a prince) does also apply to utena

Utenanthy would still be a very queer relationship, I'd maybe still call it sapphic idk I can't see them being attracted to other men. guys who are lesbians. T4T relationships are unidentifiable. <3

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask jbnsfdhkdl and ty for being respectful

[hangmanbrainrot]

Sieeee I’m so sorry for the brainfart I’m sharing but I can’t stop thinking about the Daggers with a partner who has opposite personalities as them. Hangman with a major introvert? Bob with a major extrovert? Rooster with…Idk I’m too tired to think of who could be opposite Rooster

Do with this what you will, I just wanted to share it with someone 😭

MY DARLING ANNA, pls never apologize. I love you & your mind. Always share any and every thought with me.

Okay, so here is about to be my first attempt at writing hc's! Talk to me nice. <3 I wrote these with gn pronouns.

the dagger squad & their partners

Bradley

I feel like Bradley is a textbook definition of an ambivert; that or he's social when he strictly needs to be. Otherwise, he's content not to be the star of the show or the person with the loudest laugh in the room. This makes him able to be incredibly adaptable to his partner's needs, no matter what their personality type is like. Quiet, shy, reserved partner? He's at home with them, catching up on the show they've been waiting weeks to binge together because he's finally home and making sure they have a ton of snacks. Outgoing, super gregarious and affable partner? He's helping them play the role of the perfect host, mingling at the many holidays and parties hosted at their shared home, and practically fucking dazzling every at every social outing.

Reuben

He gives me major life of the party vibes, for sure. Bradley and Jake were squabbling like an old married couple and he didn't have any trouble being like 'anyway.' So, for as much as I love Reuben, I feel like he'd struggle the most with a partner who was opposite from him in terms of personality! He would absolutely, fully commit to the bit, drag them out of their shell, kicking and screaming. He's belting out along with the radio in the grocery store and making everyone laugh, he's the fun uncle who dresses up in a Santa costume for the kids, like Reuben just seems so fun and larger than life, to me. His person, 100%, has got to match his energy.

Natasha

I don't know how else to say this besides she's just so fucking cool, man. People perceive her as standoffish, I think, but I'd rather think of her as observant. So, Natasha is likely, like Bradley, very much an ambivert. Though, instead of electing to find a partner who's opposite of herself, I think Natasha would prefer to be with someone who, like her, can match the energy of a room. Much more than that, Natasha's partner has to be smart as a whip and really able to keep up with some healthy banter. I think having to shoulder a conversation on her back with her potential person would be super irritating for her; she likes someone who can keep up. No matter what their personality type, they've gotta be able to keep Nat on her toes.

Javy

Being best friends with Jake has sort of equipped Javy to be able to deal with every sort of personality type, so Javy is another person who I think is often perceived as a little more reserved, but absolutely isn't. He's just used to his little green-eyed Ken doll friend making a spectacle of himself, is all. Javy is absolutely the kind of person who can have fun with his person in a museum, whispering commentary on what they saw, as to not interrupt the other patrons, and making note of specific works to discuss later over coffee, but also down for karaoke in a sweaty, crowded bar, just to profess his love for his partner in a room full of people he's never met but that absolutely need to know how special they are.

Mickey

Mickey is literal sunshine personified. I believe this completely. Like, he was very much well-liked in school, class president, had a ton of different friends. I feel like Mickey has an uncanny ability to make any and everyone like him, no matter what their differences are. He just gives me that FEELING. So I feel like Mickey would end up in a sunshine x sunshine protector dynamic with his partner, in which said partner is maybe a little rough around the edges but will threaten harm to anyone who dares try to dim the light of their Mickey. This is one of my favorite ship dynamics and it suits Mickey so well.

Jake

He's not quite pushy, but he's definitely leaning on his partner to open up a little bit and be a little more sociable. Like, he's a real "take them dancing and show off some flashy moves" type, but only so everybody can see how absolutely captivating his person is, and how lucky he is to have them on his arm. Despite how big and loud his personality can be, I think he'd definitely be the type to respect his partner's limits; he'd be so in tune with them that he'd know when they've had their fill of social interaction and be ready to spend some quality time curled up on the couch, especially when he knows this is their preference. But, if Jake is with someone whose personality is bigger than his? They're absolutely always trying to playfully one-up each other, and see who can be more endearingly, ridiculously annoying or boisterous. I imagine Jake with a partner whose personality is similar to his is just on level 500 energy-wise, and they're always laughing together.

Bob

My secret hc is that Bob is only shy with the Daggers because he doesn't know them like that, oops! So, his partner fully expects someone shy and, he is but like only for the first few weeks of dating. After that, I think Bob would start to reveal his true personality, which is like singing full-throated in the kitchen while making his person breakfast and striking up conversations with fellow patrons in the Starbucks line (but like in the least obtrusive, least annoying way possible). Bob has such a soothing aura and vibe that people just feel like they can trust him and strike up small talk with him in public spaces. With this in mind, I think his ideal partner is already fairly extroverted, but they're completely shocked by his 180 once they're out of the 'getting to know you' phase.

[hannahtempler]

Hi! I am a big fan of your webcomic (and also I just realized you did some of the artwork of Thirsty Sword Lesbians and congratulations on that, it rules). Anyway, I found the Book 1 of Cosmoknights at a comic book store yesterday and I have been pouring over every little detail since. And there is one thing that's making my brain buzz. So I hope you don't mind me asking...

The thing is, I am reading the French translation, and that means stuff is a LOT more gendered. Particularly, in Cass' flashback during her time as a princess, when she goes to meet with Bee, people use male epithets to refer to her, including Bee. Also, Jaws uses female wordings to talk to both of them at the bar, but during the tournament the only time the turn of sentence genders her he says "tu es cinglé", which is the masculine form. I have checked, and all the male epithets correspond to places where the original story says either "fella", "dude" or "big guy", which could mean that the translator has just decided to keep the masc vibe of those terms and ignore that fact that (as far as I'm aware) the terms they're using in French are not as gender-neutral as they are in English. And I guess Jaws saying "cinglé" instead of "cinglée" could be a typo. But all put together, with the fact that the commentators use he/him for Bull even in the English version, makes me wonder...

So I guess my question is, on one hand, did you get any say on the translation? Is this the translator's interpretation, or yours?

And if it is yours, can you tell us a little more of what's going on with Cass' pronouns here? Is she (I'm using "she" because Bee does) genderfluid to some degree? Is she just someone who likes male epithets because of their associations? Does she have a male alter ego as a cosmoknight to keep pursuers at bay? If yes, does that mean all the cosmoknights know and are willing to protect the secret that she's a woman to the public, and that's why Jaws genders her like that at the joust?

(Also, is the second book going to come out in French? I'd love to have the series all in the same language, and not paying the price of the book in shipping fees would be great)

I hope I've not overwhelmed you, i'm sorry for the wall of text, and I hope you have a great day!

Hi! Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughtful questions! I'll do my best to answer here:

I didn't get a direct say on the translation– although I do speak French, I don't practice a lot, so I would probably miss a lot of the subtleties you're describing. It's possible that there is variation after translation, but from what it sounds like, the French version does come close to the intention of the English version.

Cass uses any/all pronouns and is gender-fluid– most of the time she uses she/her pronouns, but does not object to more masculine descriptors (for example, Bee affectionately greets her with "Hey, big guy" during the flashback). It's less that she has a male alter ego, and more that she is unconcerned with how people interpret her gender (Cass's gender expression matches my own, so I'm also partially speaking from personal experience here).

It's worth noting that during the games the commentators assume she is a man because of her size and approach to fighting while still referring to Bee as a woman, and often in public Cass is addressed with male pronouns (or "hey fella" etc.)– and while that may help keep her identity hidden, it's not necessary for a secret disguise (some women do compete in the games, after all). Cass loves to play in the gender playground and gets a kick out of people's perceptions– for those who don't know her (e.g. fans of the game) it's an indictment of their assumptions about gender, and for those who do (for example, Jaws), it can be a sign of mutual respect and acknowledgement of her fluidity.

It makes a lot of sense that she would enjoy flexibility when we consider the highly gendered expectations placed on her growing up*– now that she's away from home and dressing how she wants (often wearing a binder), she's free to thrive in and out of people's expectations.

I hope that makes sense! There's a little more about this in the second book (specifically about the way knights interact with each other outside of the ring) that I think helps illuminate some of this too.

Also: yes, the second book will be out in French either later this year or early next year! No exact dates yet, but the publisher (Bliss) will announce at some point soon.

*here's some fun bonus Cass trivia: she's the youngest of five, and all the boys in her family have names that mean "ruler" or "king"– Kingsley, Derek, Rory, and Elric. Expecting another boy, her parents picked out the name Caesar, but she juked 'em :^)

[goldtowhite]

nathan hong // character study

PART ONE: STATISTICS. 

basic information:

FULL NAME: nathan hong

NICKNAME(S):  nate

AGE:  26

DATE OF BIRTH: october 2nd, 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH: los angeles, ca

GENDER: cismale

PRONOUNS: he/him

ORIENTATION: bisexual

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, korean

NEIGHBOURHOOD: downtown los angeles

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: downtown lofts, he lives alone

family ties:

MOTHER: hong jiyoo

FATHER: hong seungmin

SIBLINGS: none

SPOUSE / PARTNER: none

CHILDREN: none

PETS: a cat named mandu

occupational information:

OCCUPATION: social media manager at sonic magazine

physical appearance:

FACE CLAIM: kim mingyu

HAIR COLOR: black

EYE COLOR: brown

HEIGHT: 6'2"

BUILD: very athletic, very muscular

TATTOOS: none

PIERCINGS: ears

CLOTHING STYLE: streetwear when casual, nice business attire when working

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: his teeth have a sort of fangs vibe to them that make his smile really endearing

personality:

MBTI: ENFJ

ELEMENT: air

WESTERN ZODIAC: libra

CHINESE ZODIAC: ox

POSITIVE TRAITS: adaptable, amiable, courteous

NEGATIVE TRAITS: airy, enigmatic, indulgent

HOBBIES: going to the gym, running, bike riding, surfing, cooking, sketching

wanted connections:

CONNECTION TYPE: an ex: one where nate was definitely in the wrong. he's not very communicative with feelings, not in a malicious way, just in a clueless way. nate definitely like... assumed things were casual and it was not for the other muse and he just kind of kept doing his own thing and they broke up with some pretty bad blood.

CONNECTION TYPE: pleaseeeeeeee gimme a partner in crime and i need it to be like... they are yes men to each other. like they lowkey kind of enable each other for the worse sometimes.

PART TWO: QUESTIONNAIRE. 

this part of the questionnaire is intended to be filled out in character just like your muse is being interviewed by someone at sonic magazine for example. feel free to add as much or as little detail as you like. if you find there is a question that doesn’t apply to your muse for whatever reason within your category feel free to omit the question or come up with your own that you think is relevant. this section is designed to replace a character bio, but you can still add extra information to your intro as you wish. 

IF YOUR MUSE IS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY (NON MUSICIAN):

why don’t you start at the beginning and tell us who you are? nathan hong, first generation korean american. my parents moved here from korea about a decade before i was born to open a restaurant and start a new life. i worked there as soon as i legally could officially, unofficially i always helped. it's how i learned how to cook and all that, and i grew up speaking both korean and english, so i feel a pretty strong connection to both parts of me. the restaurant isn't something i plan to inherit in a meaningful way but i'll always keep it in the family.

what is your place in this massive industry? i went into being a social media manager simply because i feel really comfortable with social media. i've always run the socials for the family business and i found it pretty easy to get into doing that for other fields.

life in los angeles can be pretty intense, do you love it or hate it? i love it, but it's all i've ever known. when we visit seoul, i feel just as at home there. i'm not sure i'm the type who could ever give up city life, i think i'd get too bored. i'm not much of a homebody really.

what inspires you to show up for the musicians you work for or collaborate with? i just like knowing i can contribute to the industry in any way, and being bilingual i can also help out when we have artists who might not be fluent in english coming from korea to work with us. i guess i'm a bit of an unofficial translator as well, i wouldn't say my job keeps me so busy that i can't help elsewhere.

what are some of your favourite genres of music? i'm a hoe for top 40 pop forever, i also love a lot of korean music. i like pop punk, rock, really anything. country's never really done it for me but there are some exceptions.

what is the first record you ever bought? for myself? seo taji and boys self titled debut. it came out a few years before i was born but the first trip to korea i can remember, i found it in a thrift store and spent my pocket money on it.

what’s next for you? i feel pretty good about where i'm at right now, but i've been thinking about expanding my comfort in running social media accounts, like maybe taking on individual clients, or reaching out to gyms or other restaurants. my parents say i'm not ambitious enough but i think i'm chilling.

[kingofthepossums]

What do you think gay men are attracted to in men that they can’t be attracted to in women?

It can’t be anything about femininity or masculinity obviously. That’s both sexist, and cultural so can’t be what drives men-only attraction.

It can’t be anything about stated identity because someone could lie just as easily as they could tell the truth in such a statement, and it makes no sense because homosexuality and heterosexuality exists in other species with no stated identities. It’s not like other animals without gender are all pan.

Saying idk it’s the vibes or some indescribable trait men have that women can’t but “I can’t explain” is a nonanswer.

Soooooooo what is it? Or do you think any sexuality but bi/pan is just cultural performance or an identity rather than an inborn orientation?

- [ ]

Well let me just start by clarifying that I'm answering this ask as sort of a fun thought experiment and not an end-all be-all of what it means to be queer. And to be honest, usually I feel that trying to answer this question with a definitive solution takes away some of what's so beautiful about being queer. You'll view this as a non-answer, but, every single person is different.

You start by saying it can't be about masculinity or femininity because of sexism, but I don't really see what you mean by that. Yes, in the wider populace, masculinity and femininity are often ascribed positive and negative traits that box people in and hurt people. But there is a true difference between heterosexual insistance on playing a role you were born into, and what masculinity and femininity mean to queer people in their day-to-day lives. I'm a butch lesbian. I am a very masculine woman. I have been my whole life - even in childhood I was socialized in male friend groups. I was raised with an older male sibling. I wore boys clothes, cut my hair short, and had hobbies usually associated with boys. And I LIKE being a masculine person! I have never liked being perceived as strictly female. Why do I feel this way about myself? Why should it matter to force me to explain myself? To justify my existence? What difference does it make? My masculinity doesn't hurt people the way socialized and enforced masculinity does. I use masculinity as a principle - a love letter to dedication and protection. Is that what masculinity REALLY is? If it helps me guide my life to show kindness to others, does it matter?

And yes, my definition of female and male is based on a wider cultural zeitgeist of gender. It is impossible to separate my perception of self from the perception of the other. I will always be viewed and judged by others who are informing their worldview in implicit biases. Humans are pattern seeking - our brains are made to break down information into tiny consumable pieces in order to make quick decisions. If destroying or even giving sexism less power means removing cultural gender markers as a whole, I'm afraid to say it will never happen in all of human history. There's a reason male and female are predominant identities - it's not just because of the patriarchy, or because we all so desperately want to fit in, it's because there are easily defined traits our human brains can pull from the label "male". Language is just shorthand for very complex and personal thoughts. If every time I tried to explain my complicated senses of self perception and the role I play in the world, I'd have to give a god damn master thesis everytime someone asked for my pronouns. Y'know what gets the message across much faster? That I'm both. And there are still questions there, of course, because the wider populace is still unfamiliar with a general understanding of queer gender identity, but they shouldn't have to be experts, and that's why it's imperitive to simplify things into labels. The reality is that not everyone has the resources to do research and to understand, and when people don't understand they want answers.

The answer "I feel I am both a man and a woman" has a lot less questions to answer than "well, my relationship to womanhood is strained by broader social understandings of what it means to be female, so as a kid I always felt sort of forced to play a role I had no part in and for a long time I was very defiant about hating feminity and had a personal crusade against what it meant to be a girl. Now I've had some time to grow and learn and have met people who love the effeminate identity and who are strengthened by that identity and feel empowered to show kindness and empathy through that identity and I understand now the appeal of womanhood, which is, to me, as informed by broader social implications and queer recontextualizations, a softness of character and an empathetic outlook. I appreciate the community that grows around womanhood which is often cultivated and deep, where men's social bonds tend to be less emotionally involved. Now, that's in part caused by expectations for men to be strong and to not rely on others, which does mean that decision is grounded in some part by toxic masculinity-".

That's not helpful. It's confusing and personal and leaves more questions than answered for most people. That's why sexual and gender identities are vital. So now that we understand the imperitive social niche of a label for your sexuality and gender, we can see why these labels also can't be more than a personal decision based on interest.

You say that it can't be based on personal identity because someone could lie about? But that's just counterproductive. What good would it do for me to lie about being straight, for example? Sure, I might socially be percieved better in certain circles, but MY social circles are mostly other queer folks who hold some value in me because of our shared understanding of queer identity. Not to mention the internal pain of denying an innate piece of self that gives me confidence and guides me with personal principles of chivalry, protectiveness and honor.

And let's not even really entertain some sort of abuser argument - if your implication in "fake" queers is based on those who want to manipulate and hurt others, the problem is them wanting to manipulate and hurt others, not the queer identity itself. More straight people as a percentage abuse than queer people, but we don't decry heterosexuality as an illegitimacy because of that fraction. The reality is that most abusers you will meet in your lifetime seem like perfectly normal, average day-to-day people. It's part of their grift - "goodness" is a social tool that can be used to attack sensitive communities, just the same as queerness, just the same as any other community that has values. I work with kids as my job. In safety training, the first thing we're taught is that any attempt to identify an abuser on the very outset will almost always be a failure. Abusers intentionally hide under identities that ingratiate themselves to others, and the solution isn't to keep any community with abusers out of kids' lives, because the reality is that every community, no matter how thoroughly picked through, can have abusers. We as a collective just have to respond as soon as possible to identified manipulative behavior to keep the kids I work with safe and healthy. I would argue the same thing for any sensitive group, not just children, and I would argue the same thing for any community, regardless of what that community is.

As for the animal kingdom, we do lots of things that animals do for different reasons than them. Lots of animals build nests - why should humans decorate theirs? If we can't differentiate complex and culture-based human interaction from animal sexual reproductive purposes, we also can't separate every other elevated human action that is based in an instinct. The bottom line is that human culture IS an evolved trait of human beings, one that differentiates us from other animals and one that means we can't equivocate animal actions with human ones. We DO experience attraction because of more complicated social and developmental reasons than animals do. There is no species on the planet besides human beings who have a fraction of their populace that can only cum by watching a dinosaur fuck a car. That's not an evolved behavior. Every human being, no matter how "vanilla" percieves sexuality through a lense informed by the world around them. It's a fallacy in the first place to even make a comparison of the two at all.

Here's what's really going on here. I think your question, which I'm assuming is made in a good faith curiousity about human beings and not an attempt to get me to put my foot in my mouth, is based in an incompatible interpretation of reality from mine. And you shut yourself out of a whole world of beauty by insisting that "vibes alone isn't a real answer". That's just not true. Our feelings, however small or seemingly meaningless to others, deserve an acknowledgment and an understanding. We have a whole society based on helping people we don't understand. Every day I meet people who diametrically oppose my beliefs and experiences, but my goal for this life on Earth is to be happy and make others happy with me. The guy at the post office doesn't need to know I'm a Bigender Lesbian Dyke. But what he does need to do is acknowledge my humanity, and care about me anyways. We are all obligated to care for each other because if we don't, and we try to draw a line in the sand for what's "acceptable" to respect in human beings, we will always be cutting off good people who deserve equity and kindness. Even in "bad" (whatever that means) demographics like drug addicts and criminals. Even the act of definition is a cruelty I'm unwilling to inflict on another person.

I define my life. Nobody else does. You define yours. Nobody else does. When a gay man in my community approaches me to talk about being gay, I implicitly believe him because that is my duty as another human being. The goal cannot be scrutiny. The goal is joy. And if describing himself as a gay man brings him joy, that is something I cannot put a stop to, nor do I have any interest in stopping. What I can do, is that if this gay man becomes a community member who makes life worse for the people around him, I can remove him from my community. And that's the end of that.

The answer to your question is that a man will look at the other men in his life, and, based on a series of generalizations about people, gender, sexuality and his own nature, will decide if the label gay suits what he's feeling. If it doesn't he'll look for something else, because using a label isnt meant to truly define, but to connect people who feel similarly about something. If that's a non-answer to you, I think we just won't agree. But that's ok. We don't have to. I would just remind you that if your goal isn't to show kindness and understanding to everyone around you, you can't be part of the communities I form online or in the real world. And that's ok too. Hope that answers your question, and just so you know, I won't really elaborate on this because I've said what I need to and I'd rather get back to reblogging funny penis memes. Have a good day!