#versace is so trans to me

[aforgotto]

what if girl

[eatingstringcheese]

headcanons - tenya iida

in which we dive into the world of headcanons for tenya iida

warnings: none

❬ 🖉 ❭ ━━ GENERAL

»❁» this boy brushes his teeth after every meal, no need for Colgate Whitening Strips here

»❁» his eye sight is fucked because he used to stay up and read in the dark

»❁» "pog, yeet, cap" and other internet slang confuses him but that's okay

»❁» holding doors is a hobby for him

»❁» his favorite songs are Fly Me To The Moon, Break My Stride, and Moral of the Story

»❁» book smart himbo level 100

»❁» he has dry eyes and wants to wear contacts but can't because they give him a headache

»❁» he likes to organize for fun

»❁» he uses the Suave 2-in-1 body wash thing

»❁» his cologne = Versace Dylan Blue

»❁» sweaters, khakis, and button downs are his casual clothes, hoodies and t-shirts scare him

»❁» king of dark/light academia aesthetic

»❁» the american school system pisses him off

»❁» Turbo and Bolt are his favorite movies

»❁» he likes skincare but barely knows a thing about it

»❁» he's a very big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and loves to educate people on gay and trans rights

❬ 🖉 ❭ ━━ BEST FRIENDS

»❁» you guys met because you were failing in class and Iida volunteered to tutor you. his uptight nature and your laid back attitude rubbed off on each other and now you're almost inseparable

»❁» he talks about you to his family a lot

»❁» he's pretty over-protective so you coined him with the nickname "dad"

»❁» your hangouts consist of movies (he lets you pick) and then skin care because he likes it and you're pretty good at it

»❁» when you guys have sleepovers he wants to get to bed at a good time but you end up laughing your ass off at the smallest things while tenya tries to quiet you down

»❁» if you tell him you're hungry he'd hesitate to ask where you wanna go because he cares about you but knows you want fast food or sweets which is not the healthiest of options

»❁» you tried to teach him some internet trends but he failed

»❁» when you're cold he'll give you his uniform jacket (at school) or the sweater he's wearing

»❁» you bought him a t-shirt that said "#1 Dad", he was very offended. not by what the shirt said, just the fact that you dared to buy him a t-shirt

»❁» you make fun of his stiff movements and he pretends to hate it (he doesn't, he thinks it's funny)

»❁» worries about you alot

❬ 🖉 ❭ ━━ DATING

»❁» he asked you out during one of your tutoring sessions, a date at the mall food court

»❁» your mall date was chaotic, you went to the arcade, window shopped, and had lunch in

»❁» respects your boundaries, always asks for consent before touching you in any way, hand holding, kisses, hugs ALL WITH CONSENT FROM BOTH PARTIES :D

»❁» protective (bordering overly) but really he just loves you, when you talk to anyone else he freaks out a bit but tries to assure himself that you'll be fine

»❁» (if you're afab) he'd mark your period in his calendar because he's cool like that and he'd make you feel better :D

»❁» when you're sad he does his best to make you happy because you being sad makes him sad

»❁» he's a good boy so he'd kiss the back of your hand like a gentleman

»❁» he likes when you play with his hair

»❁» could and would go on and on about how perfect you are when he's talking to midoriya and uraraka

»❁» you guys like to bake together

»❁» you bake all kinds of muffins

»❁» he calls you "muffin" because of it

»❁» when you bake he'll hug you from behind and with his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder so he can smell your cologne/perfume/soap or whatever you use (he really likes when you use vanilla shampoo yk)

»❁» you could tell him he's poggers and he'd look at you super confused and then research it to learn but then use it really awkwardly like "this new book i'm reading is totally poggers- muffin, did i use that correctly?"

»❁» if you got married he call you his lady/deity/prince :D

»❁» on road trips he'd give you control of the music because he drives and if you fell asleep he'd turn on something classical

»❁» lofi? he's never heard of it, but once you introduce him he's hooked

»❁» he thinks your stunning and likes to remind you how much he loves you

lmk if u wanna be added to the taglist :) like n reblog if u enjoyed <3

[snowypolaroid]

yall will never believe ehat just happened to me😭😭 im on the way to ellie and mason house, im at the tran station and this girl taps me on the shoulder and she says "mama a girl behind YOU💜"

so im like what.. so i look behind me and im like "hi im what i do" and this lady comes running up to me and says "what would you do if when you okay so he said yes would go?" and im like "well, yes!" and shes like "well, no!" and i go "well, sorta kinda" and she goes " oh nonono were not getting a dog dont even think about it girl" and i go "well, my roblox mug tea and my irl mug tea, so whats the issue?" and at this point, people are starting to stare.. and shes like "oh clock that tea, i just wanna be part of your SYMPHONY💚❤️💜🐬" and i said "well baby i own bussinesses, like i own tokyo toni trucking" and she thought that was clairo shade! whole time, i stan LOONA❤️ but then i realize, i take off my sunglasses and i realize im talking to Donatella VERSACE💜, and im like "omg are you Donatella VERSACE💜? im such a big fan!" and she goes "well, yes, but Donatella = onika, and VERSACE💜 = burgers" and im like omg, and then i shit you not, the 💜 emoji APPEARED OVER HER HEAD in THE AIR, like-- you had to be there to experience this😍😍

i dont even have a coherent answer to this

[the-gasp-at-the-gateway]

Not Your Parasocial's LOA

Hot Take. Sure, it's no secret LOA girls are all about glamour, hedonism, and utter self-love (I love it too). But imo, Goddard's kinda like cheap liquor on your 21st birthday: gratifying, limitless, and confidence-boosting, for a time (so long as you keep the party going, and keep yourself from thinking too much). My man Alan Watts though—he's got fine bourbon in his cabinet, and him and his friends are the type to make sure you also drink some water. Lemme unpack that.

If you're an Old Soul, a Highly Sensitive Person, or a high-achieving kid who ever really burnt out—you know the real shadowy depths of consciousness, cause you've not only seen some real shit, but felt it. In the words of the great Queen Bee siren from Nevermore Academy: "Fire tests gold. Suffering tests a woman." And Wednesday gets it too, she knows you aren't truly you if you don't embrace the Dark; you're a normie, by the def that normies are those who are too scared to let out their nature. It's not all rainbows and Versace.

It's the Way. It's the Yin and the Yang. The two fish swimming together—Red Oni, Blue Oni. Pisces and the 12th House. Transcendence. At some point, you might find yourself growing out of just being a Princess—you're becoming a Queen. That word gets thrown around. I don't mean it in the "You Go, Girl," sense.

I mean how a Queen really does: Ascension, crown chakra, and the knowing that with cosmic power comes cosmic responsibility. Not that she's your friendly neighborhood Spiderman; a Queen knows she is her realm, and her realm is she. That's Everything Is You Pushed Out. So yeah, it's responsibility—ultimately to the You. And even if she tries to ignore it, unlike a Princess, the Queen can't. Just ask Marie.

LOA Princesses talk up Goddard, and I get it, Goddard's about getting what you Want, not what you Need. It's a real Blue Pill energy (don't @ me, the Matrix was written by trans women who understand eastern philosophical principles and also said "throw away your anti-psychotics"—how's that for being Delusional? Also, a lot of those redditors are 🥚s anyway).

But Goddard had help remembering what he knew. Alan Watts spoke on topics way beyond manifesting and self-concept (and I'll be damned if he isn't a charming and magnificent motherfucker who truly sees the whole picture—seriously, listen to him, you'll love him instantly. He's got this trans-atlantic accent and everything).

So why compare them? Well, if you're an Old Soul, and you're ascending to that crown—call it your Saturn Return or your Dark Night if you will (it's a right bitch either way)—it means, like Inanna the Sky Queen of Sumer, you might find yourself walking straight into Hell and giving up all those pretty things you Manifested with your super awesome powers, and you're not gonna know who the hell you are anymore (good). Has the Caterpillar ever asked you, Who Are You? Like, a lot? Maybe you'll tell him your name. Maybe you'll say, "God." Like Perfect Blue, maybe you'll say, "Why should I care who I Am?"

If Goddard stops being enough for you—like Siddhartha, if the palace life stops satisfying your Beast; if your Heart's bogged down by bootstrapsian toxic positivity and your Mind craves more—listen to Watts. (And, maybe go on a wild-ass bender into your own psyche like Jung did in his Red and Black books, that sounds pretty fun).

For who'd benefit to hear my Journey or w/e (or anyone who suspects sour grapes and wants credentials): I transitioned in 2010 (before it was cool), picked up a Satanic Bible where I learned "Be Your Own God," then became an absolute sex bomb succubus who'd work a whole house party and have people lining up to wrap themselves around my finger—often, I'd make them compete with each other, just for my amusement. Yeah, I stan Marina and I went Golddigger; I manifested the Space Needle into my backyard (basically), ate steak dinners and dined out on the reg, and sometimes would drop hundreds of dollars in a shopping trip just on clothes alone. My cosmetic procedures were all paid for. In the past eleven years, I've probably worked about a year's worth, tops, because I haven't needed to. I won't get into the supernatural-miracle type shit, cause that's a post of its own.

If I'd discovered Goddard back then, he'd probably have been the same amount of helpful. But I'm at a different stage rn, and the methods I've read on tumblr just haven't cut it. Maybe they haven't for you either. Hope these resources help.

[yutaspierced]

WIP TAG GAME

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

thanks for the tag @iwriteausins !!!!

Gentle Magic Ch. 2

Bang Chan/Seungmin Puppy Play

Rose Bun Fic Fest Submission

Jaemin/Bang Chan

Drive It Like You Stole It

Alpha Doughknots

Apple Replay ‘22 Drabbles

Dumpster Bodies

Versace On The Floor

Urodela Duméril

Impact Play Johndery

Mingyu Breast Feeding Wonwoo

Nowhere

In Her Service

If You Catch Me Falling

When The Sun Comes Up

Breathing Through Sunday

Little Red Corvette

The Magical Kundini

Old ChanBig Draft

Heaven’s Not Ready For You

Come Play (In All My Moments)

Kundini Kandles: An Origin

All You Want, Whatever You Want

The Kundini Dickening - A Halloween Special

Watermelon Sugar

Get The Gas In The Tank (Wow)

Percussive

Walk With Me A Little Slow

Syrupy Sweet YuMarkYong

Hungry For Me

A Special Reward

Falling For Your Shape

Put An Arch In Your Back

First Base Hearts Race

Seep Into Me

Yangdery Mogwai AU

YuMark Cock Warming

Trans!Chenle w/ wild bush getting creampied by Yuta

Sloane/Don/Reese left-of-canon

KunJae Mutual Idiocy Ace!Kun/Slut!Jae fic

Johnny/Jungwoo College A/B/O socmed au

Changbin And Also The rest of Stray Kids Love Changbin’s Chonk

Hole Depot

JohnDery Feet Fic

Can I be honest I so love to be controlled (XJ/Dery)

JohnJi

Kun taking his didi’s cock

Work It Unit Group Bonding (Sex)

DoJen Double Teaming Jaemin

Nowt To Offer

I So Love To Be Controlled (JohnHyuck sex boat version)

Dick Peddler (Crouching Tiger Hidden Free Use Dick)

Uhhhh all my writer friends are over on twt but @le-trash-prince get over here if you wanna

[lowpolylobotomy]

oh my god i love useless factoids. tell me more useless drag race factoids

all my factoids are about english speaking seasons for the most part. idk much abt the other ones

ooh here’s a REALLY useless one. gottmik, jada shada hudson, etcetera etcetera, krystal versace, jaida essence hall, and daya betty (and probably more i’m missing) all have rumix verses where they mention a snatched/cinched/tiny waist.

“face is stamped so right, clown paint and waist so tight” (gottmik, lucky)

“drag race, beat face, small waist, wigs laced” (jada shada hudson, true north strong and fierce)

“snatched face, tiny waist, bet you thought you’d never see this bitch on drag race” (etcetera etcetera, queens down under)

“she’s the face and the grace, big uh tiny waist” (krystal versace, bde)

“sickening little bitch with an itty bitty waist, chile i’m never afraid to put a bitch in her place” (jaida essence hall, legends)

“yeah my mug is stamped and my waist is thinner so you’d betty be ready ‘cause i’ve always been a winner” (daya betty, catwalk)

if i went through and counted all the verses that mentioned the “crown” or “making [parental figure] proud” i think i would die . maybe i’ll do that

pandora boxx was the first queen to ever have an entrance line in season 2 (hey, fake ladies !) and i BELIEVE jiggly caliente was the first to ever have an exit line in season 4 (deuces !) . funny how both were on all stars 6

speaking of jiggly, she and mariah balenciaga are two queens that have censored mirror messages ! jiggly, as a trans woman, wrote a mirror message about paying for trans surgery in season 4, which was censored in the edit. and then of course you have mariah’s iconic “congratulations raja” mirror message - many, many episodes before raja would actually be crowned the winner of season 3.

the first queen to ever write a mirror message was shangela.

shea couleé is the only queen to my knowledge to enter the werkroom first, twice. (on as5 and as7.) the vivienne and bebe zahara benet have both entered last twice. unless. unless you count raven as entering last on as7 but who would count raven in anyrhing ever

i forget if bianca del rio, envy peru or la diamond has the best track record out of all the winners, but it’s one of ‘em. think it depends on who you ask. i think it’s agreed that priyanka has the worst though 🥲

in the infinite list of rugirls, acid betty is first alphabetically, and yvie oddly is last.

bebe, tyra, raja, aquaria, chad, and the vivienne all won after entering the workroom last. trixie, shea, lawrence chaney, danny beard, and priyanka all won after entering first (bianca entered first in her premiere group, so she kind of counts ?)

elecktra bionic is the only winner to have no challenge wims. priyanka has 2 and STILL has the worst track record 😔can’t believe theyd do my favourite winner like this💔

dax exclamationpoint is violet chachki’s drag mother (in the words of laganja: dax ? the nerd ???) chad is morgan mcmichaels’ mother, asia is phi phi/jaremi’s, honey davenport is monét’s, and theres way more that i’m forgetting 😵‍💫

max is the lowest placing queen to win more than one challenge, placing 9th post trixie comeback.

thats all for now. i wrote wayyy too much and i have so many more if anyone wqnts to enable my autism

[90363462]

https://time.com/6235186/best-albums-2022/

The 10 Best Albums of 2022

A wealth of new albums in 2022 pushed the boundaries of genre, theme, and sound. From seasoned veterans like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, returning in triumph with fresh records and even fresher perspectives, to exciting young artists like Saya Gray, whose debut album, 19 Masters, should make any listener excited for the future of music, here are the albums that we’ve had on repeat all year.

10. Motomami, Rosalía

Rosalía’s 2018 conceptual masterpiece El Mal Querer is so intentional and powerful that it’s hard to imagine her topping it. But this year, she stepped entirely outside the box, pushing her creative ability to its absolute limit to make Motomami.

On this album, she worked with some of the best musicians in the industry from rapper/producer Pharrell Williams, who lent a hand on “La Combi Versace” and on title track “HENTAI,” to Frank Ocean, to James Blake, whose voice can be heard at the end of “DIABLO.” Motomami is a triumphant amalgamation of diverse genres, blending jazz, reggaeton, bachata, flamenco, and pop. Rosalía’s unwavering tenacity has allowed her to create a piece of art that fully showcases her stunning vocal and producing abilities.—Moises Mendez II

9. You Can’t Kill Me, 070 Shake

Danielle Balbuena, the New Jersey-born rapper and R&B singer better known as 070 Shake, has made a name for herself in the industry for defying easy definition. With a powerhouse voice and tough yet tender songwriting, she’s transcended genre and challenged notions of identity, forging a path all her own that has garnered co-signs ranging from Kanye West, who signed her to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint in 2016, to indie rock darlings The 1975, with whom she toured during the early years of her career. 

On her second album, You Can’t Kill Me, Shake continues to hone a skill set entirely her own, serving up a project that’s surprisingly measured but no less intense. Over heavy beats and ambient synths, Shake returns to her usual contemplations: the hardships and wonders of life, the ups and downs of love. Teeming with smoldering desire and melancholic angst, the result is a moody, sensual offering from a deeply vulnerable artist who refuses simply coolly exist. “I wanted your body, but it came with your soul,” she laments on “Body,” channeling a tension that feeds into our universal ennui.—Cady Lang

8. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar

In his decade in the spotlight, Kendrick Lamar has amassed a reputation that borders on messianic—he’s the Pulitzer-winning, civil-rights-anthem-penning, Tupac-inheriting genius destined to carry his city, if not his race, if not the world, on his narrow shoulders. No one man could possibly live up to those unbearable and escalating standards, and on Mr. Morale, Lamar actively renounces them: “Kendrick made you think about it, but he is not your savior,” he says pointedly on “Savior.” 

But if Mr. Morale isn’t an epoch-defining masterwork on the level of Good Kid, m.A.A.d City or To Pimp a Butterfly, it’s still a fantastically rich portrait of an artist in crisis. Lamar navigates familial tensions, pandemic anxiety, hypocrisy, and crushing public expectations with sharpness and poignancy, especially on “Mother | Sober” and the aforementioned “Savior.” And there are several deeply polarizing songs on the album—including the domestic dispute “We Cry Together” and the trans anthem “Auntie Diaries”—that nevertheless show Lamar probing the boundaries of his comfort zone and embracing the risk of backlash in order to create art he believes in.—Andrew R. Chow

7. Big Time, Angel Olsen 

“Big” is the operative word for the sixth album from the indie rock mainstay Angel Olsen: Recorded soon after both her parents died, it deals in big emotions, big musical arrangements, big vocals, big themes of love, loss and depression and perseverance. And just as Olsen has thrived across a range of setups—from acoustic solo to scruffy electric rock band—she likewise excels in belting out hugely stirring songs that sound destined to blast during climactic slow dances or while movie credits roll. 

The songs on “Big Time” build patiently, and with few indicators as to the year they were created: there are steel pedal guitars, burnished strings, zithers, and harmoniums. The lush arrangements augment Olsen’s arguably strongest vocal performance yet: she brings both power and subtlety to wrenchingly stark lyrics like “I know you can’t talk long/ But I’m barely hanging on/ I’m so tired of telling you/ It’s a hard time again.”—A.R.C. 

6. Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more combustible minute of pop music in 2022 than the one that starts from the halfway point of “Protection From Evil,” the opening track of Ibibio Sound Machine’s fourth album Electricity. Frontwoman Eno Williams delivers a furious stream-of-consciousness soliloquy in the Ibibio language, her syllables spilling over and between the pounding four-on-the-floor dance beat; she lapses into a simmering chorus run through a vocoder, which then gives way to a shrieking horn section and a seizing synthesizer reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem’s best work. Electricity is filled with moments like this: of breathtaking sonic rises and falls, astonishing cultural exchanges, and flat-out infectious dance music.—A.R.C. 

5. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T 

If the rapper and impresario Pusha T is the“Martin Scorsese of street rap,” as he hopes to be, then It’s Almost Dry might just be his Goodfellas: an immersive gangster epic that’s brutal yet stylish, materialistic, and psychologically probing. Pusha T doesn’t stray far from his favorite topic—hustling—but he doesn’t need to, because of the care with which he imbues his wordcraft and storytelling. His dense references will send you scrambling for Genius annotations: ”Summertime, Winterfell, I’m the Night King/ The Colgate kilo, the hood needs whitening/ We fishscale n—-s like we all Pisces/ Your bitch in my bubble like I’m still typing,” he raps on “Neck and Wrist.” But even if you don’t catch all the double and triple entendres, the music sounds fantastically luxurious. He recruited some of the most renowned producers in hip-hop, from Kanye West to Pharrell, and they delivered their A-game.—A.R.C.

4. Chloe and the Next 20th Century, Father John Misty

The musical polymath Josh Tillman, better known as his stage alter ego, Father John Misty, has made a name for himself as the most polarizing (and possibly most talented) man in the contemporary folk rock scene. With Chloe and the 20th Century, his fifth studio album as FJM, however, he takes a surprising and delightful departure from his usual form for a project that’s grandiose in its ambition, theatrical in its presentation, and thrilling in its execution. 

Drawing on elements like big band, bossa nova, and film scores from the golden age of Hollywood, the album is a lush and lofty epic that spins fictional vintage narratives into song. Through tragic vignettes that read like a screenplay of a fantasy L.A., the tracks detail torrid love affairs, untimely ends, and heartbreak, for the titular Chloe and her motley crew, showcasing not only FJM’s signature wry cynicism and penchant for melodrama, but an impressive flair for worldbuilding.—C.L.

3. Renaissance, Beyoncé

Ahead of the release of Renaissance, her seventh solo studio album, Beyoncé shared via social media that it was a creative project born out of a need for escape, freedom, and exploration during the pandemic. The spirit of release is omnipresent in the album, a true celebration of dance music and its Black queer history. From her first single off the album, “Break My Soul,” where Bey and Big Freedia urge us to “release your job/ release the time” to the dedication of the album to her late queer uncle, Johnny, the album is an homage to the Black queer pioneers of genres like disco, bounce, house, techno, funk, and ballroom. There are few artists who can drop an album late in the game and still commandeer “song of the summer” along with every dance floor, but as she tells us on “Alien Superstar,” Beyoncé is and forever will be that girl.—C.L.

2. 19 Masters, Saya Gray 

The debut album from the Toronto-based singer-songwriter Gray is not for the stadium rafters. It’s full of half-fleshed-out ideas, spindly guitar wanderings, washed-out vocal recordings and stray voice memos. But Gray’s strange restraint and restless curiosity are entirely the point: In its scattered and shaggy structure, there’s something compelling to be found around every melodic corner, whether on your second or tenth listen. In this way, the album feels like a worthy inheritor of Frank Ocean’s lo-fi masterpiece Blonde. Gray layers her scratchy voice upon itself to build breathtaking harmonies, and the tones she wrings out of her guitar and bass are impeccable.—A.R.C.

1. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny

No other album had as much universal appeal (and, let’s be honest, adoration) this year than Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny’s glorious fourth solo studio album. It’s an album about heartbreak, yes, but also a veritable love letter to his homeland of Puerto Rico and a sonic tribute to the Caribbean diaspora. Driven by the musical styles of El Caribe, ranging from reggaeton and dembow to merengue and cumbia, and bolstered by elements of dance hall and techno, Benito firmly roots the album in the deeply personal, mining the universal experiences of love, loss, and the supreme pleasure of being alive, for an exceptional project that is genre-defying, intergenerational, and groundbreaking. 

Never one to shy away from getting political, Bad Bunny also uses the project to critique hot-button issues, from the privatization of power in Puerto Rico to how the current crisis of gentrification on the island is part of a long and troubled history of colonization. To listen to this album, to move to it and be moved by it, is an act of defiance, celebration, and radical love.—C.L.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Steven Spielberg Waited 60 Years to Tell This Story

Who Should Be TIME's 2022 Person of the Year? Vote Now

Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland, and the History of Trying to Win Back the White House

Michelle Obama: Yes, We Still Need to ‘Go High’ When Everything Is Terrible

Columns: Voters Understand the Truth About Pregnancy Decisions.What Happened in Montana Proves It

Cold Weather Can Be Dangerous for the Human Body. This Winter Worries Experts

How to Prepare for Travel Chaos Over the Holidays

Big Tech's Implosion Could Save the Planet

The Best of Culture 2022

Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com and Moises Mendez II at moises.mendez@time.com.

Sent from my iPhone

[piratefalls]

Top 5 non fiction books ? (i liked your last book rec post!)

Top 5 animals you wish you could cuddle/pet ? (if there was absolutely no risk of being mauled in the process ofc lol)

I LOVE TALKING ABOUT BOOKS LET'S GOOOOO. I knew my English degree would come in handy at some point. I've read a decent amount of non-fiction, so I'll try to cover a number of topic bases here:

5 non-fiction books

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. I'll admit I didn't know much about apartheid going into it and I found it to be a decent primer. It's been a while since I've read it, but I remember not being able to put I down. It is as heartbreaking as it is humorous as it is enlightening.

Hunter: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. This may no be for everybody as it deals with the trauma of rape and also living in this world in a fat body. As someone who has had body issues pretty much her whole life, this book really made me feel understood. But like I said, heed the warnings. (If you can't find it in yourself to read this book, Bad Feminist is an excellent essay collection from her.)

This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins. A++, the chapter on Michelle Obama made me cry.

Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello. Pop culture fans know Ausiello, but this is a book about the love he and his husband shared that was cut short by a severe form of cancer. It is incredibly sad - the tittle really doesn't leave anything to the imagination - but at its core this is a story about love. I cried through the last 50 pages so, you know, fair warning. (They just turned this into a movie too.)

Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride. Once again, someone dies, but her story is pretty remarkable. I picked up a few trans-centric memoirs after reading this and while I still haven't read them (it's been a bad reading year for me) I did find this, like Born a Crime, to be a pretty good primer about the legal side of existing as a trans person.

Bonus: Life Will Be the Death of Me...And You Too! by Chelsea Handler. Explores privilege, dealing with grief, and what we can do to make the world and ourselves better with her usual amount of humor and a big heaping of heart.

General nonfiction authors I enjoy for essay collections: Michael Arceneaux, Samantha Irby, Sarah Colonna (comedian, very funny stories),

5 animals I'd cuddle or pet:

I'd cuddle a fennec fox in a heartbeat. I love their big ears and tiny bodies. I saw a TikTok once where someone described them as Versace chihuahua and I died.

I'd love to pet a great white shark. I've loved sharks since I was 8 and I just think they're equal parts terrifying and majestic.

Cuddle an otter. I'm obsessed with their tiny hands.

Also cuddle a lion cub. Tthey're just really fucking cute.

I'd also love to pet a rhino. They're just so cool and what's been done to their populations is so sad and they're also just very very cool animals.

put “top 5” anything in my ask

[amond-kr]

bully’s instagram update 20180427

“one day remains until the album [is released] im nervous”

[anisjustme]

HELLO GAYS SHES HES THEYS AND YOU!!

yes queen skinny legend versace boots the house down slay queen hunty mama and oop daddy work charli xcx snatch my wig YES IM TALKING TO YOU

i don’t usually post about my very personal life here but my best friend Emmett (trans, ftm) is currently freezing his eggs just so he and his partner can have a family in the future!!

he went to the doctors and froze his eggs yesterday and the procedure went successfully! but the costs were higher than expected and now he’s hoping to gather some money so they can afford it and continue to live comfortably as a couple in germany.

he doesn’t know that i’m doing this post but i would highly appreciate it if you could help him out— even if it’s a small donation or just sharing the link anywhere. i’m currently unemployed because of studies but i still managed to donate a little because he’s truly one of my closest friends who has been with me through thick and thin and i would give the world to see him and his partner happy- they truly deserve the world and all of the love and support possible, and if you could contribute to that i will be forever grateful with you. specially since it’s pride month!!

i’ll also attach his twitter in case you want to check him out, ask anything or just read a little bit about him.

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! ANY KIND OF HELP IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED AND I HOPE YOU HAVE THE BEST PRIDE MONTH EVER. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

- blue

[pro-ship-self-ships]

Transmasc HCs in Obey Me!

Is this self-indulgent? Yes, but I’m transmasc and there needs to be more trans and queer stuff in the fandom. I simply write partially from my own perspective.

General

If you were already out in some way in your school/workplace, your name was used on the application.

If you came out during the year and wanted to use your new name at RAD, the administration would immediately take action, informing all teachers of the new name.

Gender-neutral bathrooms are built with magic in case you’re uncomfortable with the gendered ones.

If you’re ever worried about whether you’re going to go to hell for being queer, your friends at RAD will remind that no, you’re not a bad person, and you won’t go to hell for being queer. Your queerness is a beautiful thing and you’ll be reminded of that.

Lucifer

He knew already, but appreciates that you came out to him.

If you come to him for name suggestions, he might be able to come up with something more classy than his brothers.

Your bullies mysteriously vanish if you talk about them with him.

He’s the one who helps the most with getting T and surgery (if you plan on going the human route).

Helps to get you emancipated if you have unaccepting family (he has jokingly suggested just murdering them, though it probably won’t happen).

He takes you and the others to Pride every June. He’ll typically ask which places you want to celebrate at (I’d personally choose NYC or LA)

The man to go to for voice training bless you Kazuya Yamashita (although he’d help with a professional later down the line)

Tries to give you lessons on being a “proper gentleman” but gives up if you don’t show interest.

Studies trans laws in different countries in the human world to make sure which ones are tran-accepting in case you travel with him.

Might help you keep track of which documents need to have your name and gender changed

Might start listening to music by trans artists and enjoy them  (he better listen to Cavetown sdhkvshdvdh)

He might make the occasional dad joke about your name or about being trans (you can’t tell he doesn’t enjoy dad jokes a little, especially after the credit card debacle)

Mammon

It takes him some time to understand when you come out, but my goodness is he a vocal supporter.

He’s the most likely to accompany you to public bathrooms if you feel uncomfortable. The others attempt to follow suit, but Mammon won’t let them near you.

Do not come to this man for name ideas, he’d probably come up with something like “Mammon 2: Electric Boogaloo.”

With your permission, he and Levi record your journey and post bits and pieces online

Confused if you choose human methods for transitioning, especially because of the price, but will still attempt to save money for any procedures you bring up.

Sends trans memes and might bring it up as an inside joke (if anyone knows the tiktok from jvckass that’s essentially “my chest is versace bro”, i mostly refer to that one)

If you get top surgery, he’ll remind you of some of the wack things you said while on anesthesia

Will comfort you if you bring up having an unaccepting family.

Will probably also start listening to music by trans artists (i will continuously preach the goodness of Cavetown)

Gets the money for it if you need a legal name change, gets surprised if you start crying

Jokingly teaches you about “being a man”

After top surgery, will try to keep the room to just the two of you (unsuccessfully). He’ll still bring up his money schemes as you lie there

Likes buying pride merch for you (flags, pins etc), will deny liking it though hfdigbdkh

Leviathan

If you came out to him and wanted to come up with a name for yourself, he’ll immediately suggest the name “Henry”. He gets a little upset if you don’t like it, but will subsequently throw names of anime characters as suggestions.

Also sends trans memes

Will help you experiment with your look through cosplay.

Records some of the wack things you said when you were still on anesthesia after top surgery

He also just wants to watch anime with you after the surgery. He also finds your chest scars to be pretty cool.

Will try to find anime and other things with trans characters and talk about them with you

He seems to act more like a Japanese otaku than a western weeb, but he would still have to probably unlearn queerphobic language

Satan

Would have probably read at least something on being trans

Would be the one to ask the most questions if they’re not too invasive

Likes to discuss multiple topics such as biology or sociology. Probably will name drop Judith Butler or Julia Serano and have a convo based on that.

Probably might want to watch some shows that have trans characters in them. Buys books with trans characters or by trans authors.

If you’re up for it, he’d give a pet your deadname to help distance yourself from it.

Would be the one to look up “(insert culture here) names for boys” to help pick a name. Gets pissed if teachers can’t pronounce it, regardless of when you came up w the name. Same goes for transphobes at RAD.

If you get surgery, he stays by your bed and reads to you.

Would attempt to make testosterone if you say something about expenses. Also might try to plan forms of surgery

Asmodeus

He’s the one to help with your wardrobe and look (you knew this was gonna be the case). He simply won’t allow you to walk around in that one hoodie. He knows about which shirts and tops makes your chest look flatter. If you want to continue wearing feminine clothes, he’ll help out with the best look. Would get you the rainbow binder as a surprise gift.

Regardless of whether you brought it up, he’d probably buy you a packer. He finds it hilarious.

He might buy a bunch of strap-ons and dildos for you if you don’t get bottom surgery

If you start testosterone in the Devildom, he doubles down on your skincare. Acne gets really difficult, so he’s always there to help.

If you decide to get top surgery, he is going to get you so many pillows. Same goes for bottom surgery.

He’s the one to get you pads if you need them.

On your trips to Pride parades and other queer places, he likes to create outfits for them.

Might try to get Solomon to cast a spell or make a potion to make you “more masculine”

He wants to be the one to cut your hair, but is okay with going to a salon with you

If you ask for names, he probably has a whole list already (it’s just a list of male exes)

Overall, he will remind you of how beautiful you are

Beelzebub

If you have have issues joining a sports team, he’s here to help convince any coaches necessary(although do demons have gendered sports teams is the question)

Encourages you to eat more than ever, especially if you’re on T. He understands when you get really hungry. Brings up foods that increases testosterone. Has you eat pineapples before you get top surgery.

Wants to give you a hug after surgery, but the others tell him about the stitches and fragility

Likes to cuddle you if you want to talk about your dysphoria (much to Mammon’s annoyance) and if you bring up height dysphoria, he likes carrying you around on his shoulders so you can feel taller.

Might try to come up with a food name if you ask

Will punch anyone who attempts to bully you over your queerness

Has you exercise with him more often, especially if you’ve talked about gaining muscle on T.

Belphegor

He doesn’t really mind, but he’s still supportive

Might suggest naps as a way of getting rid of dysphoria.

He gets the concept of transness a bit faster since he used to hang out with humans more.

Diavolo

He’s pretty accepting and finds human’s relationship with gender to be fascinating.

Orders the construction of gender-neutral bathrooms for your comfort

Makes dad jokes about being trans and your name (all in good fun, of course)

With your permission, he might plan a gender-reveal party or a debutante ball for you.

Assures you that you won’t go to hell for being yourself.

Barbatos

He was the first to figure out you are trans, as he was tasked with looking into your history for the exchange program.

He’s accepting as well. If you’re worried about your future, he might give you a couple of hints to show you’ll be ok.

Besides telling Diavolo and Lucifer beforehand, Barbatos is willing to help you stay stealth if that’s what you want.

Solomon

Depending on where’s he from, he might be a bit hesitant, but he’s still accepting (he has no reason to discriminate for religious reasons, he practices magic)

Might suggests magic to help transitioning, but will relent if you’re dead fast on human methods.

Also likes sending trans memes

Simeon

Finds it fascinating to find how far human technology has come for transitioning

If you’re really worried about getting into heaven, Simeon is the best one to reassure you that you will

A calming force for when you have dysphoria

Talks about transness to Luke so he’ll understand

If you can convince him, he might write a new series with a trans character as the protagonist (and other queer characters as well)

He and Asmodeus would team up to make a binder you could wear 24/7

Is a little uncomfortable with the hypersexuality of Pride parades, but understands their necessity.

Luke

The one that takes the most talking to about it, but Simeon accepts you, so Luke follows suit.

Likes to make trans flag cookies for you, especially after reaching certain milestones.

Gets jealous if you start growing taller from T.

Joins Levi on watching trans anime with you.

[spooky-scary-imagines]

Could you do headcanons for Pavi Largo and Luigi Largo (separately) finding out that their S/O is pregnant? I understand if you don't feel comfortable writing this.

((Nah it’s alright. I would rather die than be pregnant however fatherhood is crazy important to me and one of the things I’m most excited for so I don’t mind! Not just cis women can get pregnant so I’ll still keep it gender neutral but if pregnancy makes anyone uncomfortable I totally understand. Never hesitate to ask me to tag something and I’ll be happy to do it.

Pavi Largo

You’re what!?! When did that happen!?! How!?! Oh wait, there was that one time… Well, it’s definitely his right? (Give him a lil arm smack for the dumb question) He’s surprised of course and it’s er, definitely gonna be a big lifestyle change for him. No more giant parties until fuck-all in the morning. If he hadn’t already, he’s going to have to settle down and focus on your relationship a lot more, assuming you want to go to that next step with him, While he knows he could always stick the kid with nannies and Genterns like his father did for his siblings. He wants to be more involved and you also want him to be.

But most of all he’s excited!  He probably lifts you up into a happy spin and peppers soft kisses over you with a stolen face. There’s gonna be a little bambino or bambina or perhaps someone who’s in between like himself! His and his darling’s gorgeous looks combined into what will no doubt be the cutest baby ever! He truly loves you and well he is a bit nervous about fatherhood, he thinks it’s wonderful that there will be another little him or you running around that could come from love rather than whatever his mother and father had. He couldn’t imagine doing something like this with anyone else.

It doesn’t matter that you’re hardly a month along, Pavi is on it. He’s already designing the room for the baby and buying them countless toys and little outfits despite your insistence that babies grow so fast they’ll need new clothes in a month. Still if there is a gucci or versace for babies then Pavi has it. Both of his siblings, though surprised that Pavi would ever be “dad material” in any sense of the word, are supportive and give little gifts and try to be a bit more involved and less murdery towards each other from now on. (Please for the love of God don’t let Pavi have free reign. Between him and “Aunt Amber” the kid will look like Toddlers and Tiaras and that show is fucked up)

Luigi Largo

Okay so because I write Luigi as trans I started writing this ask and then I was like, wait there’s no way this could have been a surprise to him. So I’m gonna write this with my personal spin as a trans guy who wants so badly to be a dad.

Luigi is...hesitant, to say the least. To call his relationship with his own father “complicated” would be too kind. Not to mention, he thinks he’d be a terrible father. Kids are unpredictable, stressful, and get into all manner of mess and filth. He’s angry all the time and tends to lash out. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he hurt that kid and he’s really stressed by the idea of “messing them up” like him. But if you guys sit down and really talk it over and figure out what you’re comfortable with then he’ll eventually warm up to the idea.

While I am all for adoption, because of the wording of this request I’m going to focus on pregnancy. Whether you use a surrogate or the stem research has gotten to the point that you two could have biological children together, he’s gonna be so good to you. He makes sure that if he can’t be there, there’s gonna be a bodyguard and/or Gentern with you 24/7. You’re carrying precious cargo dammit and if you have to lift a fucking finger he’ll cut their’s off!!! He doesn’t tell Pavi and Amber right away but it eventually slips out at one point when he’s yelling at them. “I’m having a fucking baby dammit I don’t have time for this shit!” “Wait what…” So much for the surprise.

Please make sure you or at least his siblings help pick out baby supplies. He will spare no expense but unless you want your kid to be dressed in industrial goth minimalism then you better step in lol.

[funkyfatbabe]

hi! so me and you seem to have similar taste and I was wondering what tv shows you watch? for recs haha

if we have similar tastes i hope you havent seen some of these so im a little useful!!! 

x files (if u couldnt tell lol imo season 6 is *chefs kiss* the best, if you’re a binge watcher this might be a hard one for u)

buffy the vampire slayer (similar vein to xf but more comedy/easier watching)

pose (abt the black/latino ballroom scene in 80s new york, has a lot of trans actors!!)

wentworth (australian, like orange is the new black but more realistic yet somehow still super dramatic and gay, i binged the first 6 seasons in a week bc i had to know what happened next lol. big tw for this one)

good girls (3 suburban mums turn to crime to make ends meet, comedy drama, sucks u in like wentworth, decent representation but it does tend to make poc/lgbt people cops/fbi if you dont wanna see that)

american crime story (reenactments of historical crime cases, oj simpson trial s1 and assassination of gianni versace s2. i loved s2 it was enthralling) 

kath and kim (australian, absolutely iconic comedy following the life of a suburban mum and her spoiled daughter who’s in her late 20s, hard to explain kinda like satire???)

mindhunter (crime thriller, follows 2 fbi agents and a psychologist in the late 70s in the early days of criminal profiling, david fincher is involved so u know its good)

sharp objects (based on the psychological thriller book by gillian flynn (author of gone girl), mentally ill crime reporter goes back to her hometown to solve/report on the murder of two young girls but has to deal w her own trauma, big tw for this one too but i love it)

ok im lazy now heres some more u probably already know/i cant be bothered expanding on

breaking bad (fun fact creator was an x files writer and cast bryan cranston bc of his work in an x files episode)

daria

aggretsuko (new season on friday :o)

twin peaks

malcom in the middle

the newsroom 

american horror story

the fall

killing eve

unorthodox 

atypical 

flight of the concords 

lovecraft country

[santiagonex]

LGBT+ TV Shows Rec List

hi ladies lemme list a bunch of LGBT–heavy tv shows... I’ll only list what I can vouche for so most of it is obviously mlm... some shows may have only like two gays but the majority of the story revolves about being gay and that’s why I’m gonna include something like that whereas on the other hand there are shows like Riverdale with 20 gays but they give them 0 attention so we’re not gonna list these kind of uglies so... enjoy (titles with * are my ultimate favs)

Ackley Bridge* – new school merges the lives & cultures of the divided white and Asian community... iconic show, main lesbian and many other surprises... the whole story is worth it

American Horror Story – many main gays throughout the different seasons... many spicy scenes

Black Sails – main gay pirates if you’re into that

Champions – young gay guy meeting his father and then living with him... very funny and endearing show by Mindy Kaling

Class – Dr. Who spin-off, main gays, center of the show practically, other storylines are amazing as well

Cucumber, Banana – two respective british sister shows about gays... I’ve only seen some sneak peaks but definitely gay

Dante's Cove – trash but with spicy gay scenes

Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves – mini 3-episodic show... never saw but it’s gay

Élite* – the queerest show that was practically branded as usual het show but we were ALL wrong... this one is just 10/10

Eyewitness – american one, norwegian one or french one, doesn’t matter, it’s about the same thing – thriller/crime show with the focus being on the gay couple with spicy scenes

Faking It* – problematic to many people but I just found this show relaxing... many letters from LGBT+ included... funny

Glee* – even during straight times it was pretty gay... but I mean who at this point doesn’t know about Glee

How to Get Away with Murder – iconic show, if not for the gays then watch it for the plot definitely

In The Flesh* – gay zombies... honestly this one takes the cake because who doesn’t want gay zombies and amazing storylines

Insatiable – trash... but with gay twist

Killing Eve* – I don’t even know I just find this show very mesmerizing it’s something different and it’s definitely worth to watch

Legends of Tomorrow – wasn’t sure whether to include this but out of all CW shows this is the one with most main gays and I mean... we need to support that... gays (and hets) travelling through time

Looking* – show with only main gay guys situated in San Francisco... this one is just... a masterpiece

Man in an Orange Shirt* – 2-episodic show, amazing story and casting, 2 parallel stories – one about guy in the past... the second one in the present about his grandson... both of them gay... yeah.. also Wren from Pretty Little Liars phew!

Merlí – doesn’t revolve around gays ONLY but at the same time... it kind of does and it’s pretty progressive and the main mlm pairing just got a spin-off show so yeah

Modern Family – never saw but my straight friends are loving this... mlm having a kid... supposedly funny so I mean... yeah

Noah’s Arc – gay classic I’m currently catching up on... it just got oficially released on YouTube for free so yeah... go ahead and get educated

Now Apocalypse – crackt show but with hot men and hot gay scenes... Scott from Teen Wolf, Beck from Victorious, Jake from Glee, Matty from Awkward... I mean

Nr. 47 – just like SKAM, each season is focused on a character... there’s a gay season and it’s nice to see if you’re in for a chill story

One Day at a Time* – honestly the funniest and the most heart-warming sitcom I’ve ever seen... has a main lesbian and the whole story is just... wow... 10/10

Orange is the New Black – saw like two seasons but obviously many many many prison lesbians

Partners – from the creators of WIll & Grace, sitcom, gay and straigh besties, both have their partners, cute

Please Like Me – australian show that is revolved around a gay guy... funny

Pose* – transgender rights! honestly very visually-pleasing heart-warming tear-jerking iconic show... worth to watch DEFINITELY 10/10

Queer as Folk – casual gays... show is about them and them only... plus a wlw couple

Schitt's Creek* – FUNNY show with Eugene Levy and his son in it... honestly worth watching for the story... but the son is pansexual and it’s just so good you NEED to see it

sense8* – gay lesbian transgender pansexual bisexual it has it all... from the creators of The Matrix so you would have to live under the rock not to hear about this... amazingly queer show

Sex Education* – main gay character not being treated just like the sidekick but actually like an equal to his best straight friend... very inclusive show

Shameless – honestly I don’t even know why I’m including this because this one is really on THIN line but it just had so many gay storylines and the amazing Mickey/Ian love story in the first seasons... I’d feel bad not to include it... but yeah, pretty trashy, not even watching now

SKAM – if the version (original, french, italian, german, spanish, dutch, american... did I forget anything) has a gay season then the gay season is DEFINITELY worth watching because the gays are getting the treatment they DESERVE

South of Nowhere – apparently has wlw but it’s trashy BUT it is vouched for by my lesbian friend so yeah...

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story – if you’re bored of casual gay themes and you’re in for something else... the title of this is already telling

The Fosters* – lesbian moms adopting children... wlw, mlm, trans man, trans guy being in romantic relationship with the main gal, social justice, lgbt talks, lesbian wedding... sometimes it’s insufferable but at the same time it just has it all is all, definitely worth watching

The House of Flowers* – comedy GOLD, 10/10.. already renewed for two more seasons it’s THAT powerful

The L Word – never saw but I mean... lesbians

The Magicians – saw only one season but from what I’ve seen and heard... it’s not everyday that the main hero gets to be bi... so like... sci-fi gays and all of that

The New Normal – cute lil funny show about gay couple who wants to have a child

The Other Two* – the FUNNIEST 2019 show about gay guy, his sister and his brother who went viral... the MESSIEST but most RELATABLE gay character we’ve EVER seen

The Real O'Neals – relaxing show focused on the gay guy and his christian family... funny and definitely worth checking out

This Close – show about two main deaf characters – guy and a girl... the guy is gay and the scenes are spicy

Torchwood – haven’t seen yet but... fom what I’ve been told and from what I’ve seen... very VERY gay show

Transparent – are you ready... 3 2 1... trans parent

When We Rise – never saw but it’s mini-show about the history of LGBT rights advocacy in the United States... if it’s up your valley go for it

Will & Grace – if you don’t know what’s this then I have no idea how you even came all the way down here... sitcom, classic, gay... yeah

[the-prince-and-the-thief]

🔥 for the hot take you mentioned

//Were my takes not fiery enough for you? Because I do have more. 

Unless you meant about Akechi. Because uh... yeah. I can talk about that ALL DAY. But I don’t wanna torture you people. 

I guess my angriest hot take is this: “Naoto is trans” and “Kanji is gay” are shallow interpretations of what actually happens in the games. 

I’ll concede Naoto definitely is not gender-conforming entirely, and I’m pretty sure Kanji is bisexual. 

However the actual POINT of these shadows is I thinks something that got lost in translation. Rise gets it the worst but people don’t really try and give hot takes on Rise thankfully. 

Naoto- In Japan, there are “male” professions. There is still a lot of sexism in the workforce. It’s improving, but women have trouble getting into careers either because it’s a boys club or because they’re expected to get married and have children, thus must be housewives by default. I’m very pleased to say that this is changing a lot even now-- my host mother was working part-time while raising two kids, while her husband worked full time running a store. They’re both allowed to have careers, though obviously she’s taking charge with the kids. It’s becoming less of the norm. That’s not the case with detectives though. Naoto basically grew up being told that her interests were too masculine, that she was too young and female to be anything in the field she was passionate about, and that essentially, she couldn’t be a girl if she wanted to be successful. She wanted to be a boy because she wanted to be accepted for who she was. Which leads to Kanji!

Kanji- The reason he’s a walking gay stereotype (aside from rule of funny I mean) is mostly that that’s what he fears others see him as. He’s overcompensating on his masculinity because he was interested in girly things growing up and was basically told “you’re a freak, are you gay??? you’re gay right??? because you like girl things??? go away gay boy”. Boys thought he was weird and girls thought he was weird. They ignored him. He felt like nobody would accept him for just... liking fabric. It’s a crazy thing by western standards, but Japan isn’t exactly known for Johnny Versace, now are they? Japan has higher gender expectations than the west and he felt constrained by them. Also, he was having a gay panic, because he met a hot detective prince and didn’t know they were a girl. (Hence why I concede Kanji is bisexual, totally-- he liked Naoto regardless of what gender they appeared to be.) 

The point of their character arcs was “Gender conformity destroys people and makes them repress who they really are” 

not 

“LOOK GUYS WE HAVE A GAY GUY AND A TRANS GIRL WE SO PROGRESSIVE” 

I get how from a western lens it looks like these things??? and I don’t have a problem with people writing gay kanji or trans naoto! I like both of these things! I’m just tired of people taking a 5 second look at the shadows and going “yes, this is their entire issue. Let’s just ignore all the subtext and cultural critique and reduce them to look it’s a gay, be happy, there is a gay.” I want people to push for real representation in Atlus works. They’ve done it in the past. Jun Kashihara is a thing. WE HAD A PROTAGONIST THAT WAS A LOSER BISEXUAL BIKER. But people are looking for representation where it isn’t, and then other people who don’t know better are making these out to be bad representations of the LGBT community when that wasn’t the point these characters were made to express. 

(Also, do y’all REALLY want the gay bathhouse dungeon as a symbol of LGBT in video games???? I’d much rather have Yosuke coming to terms with his complicated sexuality and feelings towards Yuu Narukami any day.) 

I’m probably gonna sound like an asshole saying all this but I just wanna clarify?

I’m not saying you can’t think Naoto is trans. I’m not saying you can’t think Kanji is gay. I’m just saying there’s more to them than that, and I wish people would actually try to learn about the culture that creates these games and ideas so they could really understand the depth that’s in these games. I see a lot of people judging art entirely on how THEY view it rather than understanding the author’s intentions, the message presented, and then adding their interpretation onto that. 

Media analysis is something that I’m super passionate about. I’ve been that way since I grew up being told that my hobbies would make me a killer. (Decades later I’m still a pacifist, Fox News. Just saying.) So it’s... frustrating to me. I wish more people were taught to be media literate. There’s so much value in the persona series, in art, in learning about other cultures, and in trying to understand a culture through their media. I wish more people could get that out of the media they watch. 

I’m gonna stop bitching now lol. 

[90363462]

The 10 Best Albums of 2022

A wealth of new albums in 2022 pushed the boundaries of genre, theme, and sound. From seasoned veterans like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, returning in triumph with fresh records and even fresher perspectives, to exciting young artists like Saya Gray, whose debut album, 19 Masters, should make any listener excited for the future of music, here are the albums that we’ve had on repeat all year.

10. Motomami, Rosalía

Rosalía’s 2018 conceptual masterpiece El Mal Querer is so intentional and powerful that it’s hard to imagine her topping it. But this year, she stepped entirely outside the box, pushing her creative ability to its absolute limit to make Motomami.

On this album, she worked with some of the best musicians in the industry from rapper/producer Pharrell Williams, who lent a hand on “La Combi Versace” and on title track “HENTAI,” to Frank Ocean, to James Blake, whose voice can be heard at the end of “DIABLO.” Motomami is a triumphant amalgamation of diverse genres, blending jazz, reggaeton, bachata, flamenco, and pop. Rosalía’s unwavering tenacity has allowed her to create a piece of art that fully showcases her stunning vocal and producing abilities.—Moises Mendez II

9. You Can’t Kill Me, 070 Shake

Danielle Balbuena, the New Jersey-born rapper and R&B singer better known as 070 Shake, has made a name for herself in the industry for defying easy definition. With a powerhouse voice and tough yet tender songwriting, she’s transcended genre and challenged notions of identity, forging a path all her own that has garnered co-signs ranging from Kanye West, who signed her to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint in 2016, to indie rock darlings The 1975, with whom she toured during the early years of her career. 

On her second album, You Can’t Kill Me, Shake continues to hone a skill set entirely her own, serving up a project that’s surprisingly measured but no less intense. Over heavy beats and ambient synths, Shake returns to her usual contemplations: the hardships and wonders of life, the ups and downs of love. Teeming with smoldering desire and melancholic angst, the result is a moody, sensual offering from a deeply vulnerable artist who refuses simply coolly exist. “I wanted your body, but it came with your soul,” she laments on “Body,” channeling a tension that feeds into our universal ennui.—Cady Lang

8. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar

In his decade in the spotlight, Kendrick Lamar has amassed a reputation that borders on messianic—he’s the Pulitzer-winning, civil-rights-anthem-penning, Tupac-inheriting genius destined to carry his city, if not his race, if not the world, on his narrow shoulders. No one man could possibly live up to those unbearable and escalating standards, and on Mr. Morale, Lamar actively renounces them: “Kendrick made you think about it, but he is not your savior,” he says pointedly on “Savior.” 

But if Mr. Morale isn’t an epoch-defining masterwork on the level of Good Kid, m.A.A.d City or To Pimp a Butterfly, it’s still a fantastically rich portrait of an artist in crisis. Lamar navigates familial tensions, pandemic anxiety, hypocrisy, and crushing public expectations with sharpness and poignancy, especially on “Mother | Sober” and the aforementioned “Savior.” And there are several deeply polarizing songs on the album—including the domestic dispute “We Cry Together” and the trans anthem “Auntie Diaries”—that nevertheless show Lamar probing the boundaries of his comfort zone and embracing the risk of backlash in order to create art he believes in.—Andrew R. Chow

7. Big Time, Angel Olsen 

“Big” is the operative word for the sixth album from the indie rock mainstay Angel Olsen: Recorded soon after both her parents died, it deals in big emotions, big musical arrangements, big vocals, big themes of love, loss and depression and perseverance. And just as Olsen has thrived across a range of setups—from acoustic solo to scruffy electric rock band—she likewise excels in belting out hugely stirring songs that sound destined to blast during climactic slow dances or while movie credits roll. 

The songs on “Big Time” build patiently, and with few indicators as to the year they were created: there are steel pedal guitars, burnished strings, zithers, and harmoniums. The lush arrangements augment Olsen’s arguably strongest vocal performance yet: she brings both power and subtlety to wrenchingly stark lyrics like “I know you can’t talk long/ But I’m barely hanging on/ I’m so tired of telling you/ It’s a hard time again.”—A.R.C. 

6. Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more combustible minute of pop music in 2022 than the one that starts from the halfway point of “Protection From Evil,” the opening track of Ibibio Sound Machine’s fourth album Electricity. Frontwoman Eno Williams delivers a furious stream-of-consciousness soliloquy in the Ibibio language, her syllables spilling over and between the pounding four-on-the-floor dance beat; she lapses into a simmering chorus run through a vocoder, which then gives way to a shrieking horn section and a seizing synthesizer reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem’s best work. Electricity is filled with moments like this: of breathtaking sonic rises and falls, astonishing cultural exchanges, and flat-out infectious dance music.—A.R.C. 

5. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T 

If the rapper and impresario Pusha T is the“Martin Scorsese of street rap,” as he hopes to be, then It’s Almost Dry might just be his Goodfellas: an immersive gangster epic that’s brutal yet stylish, materialistic, and psychologically probing. Pusha T doesn’t stray far from his favorite topic—hustling—but he doesn’t need to, because of the care with which he imbues his wordcraft and storytelling. His dense references will send you scrambling for Genius annotations: ”Summertime, Winterfell, I’m the Night King/ The Colgate kilo, the hood needs whitening/ We fishscale n—-s like we all Pisces/ Your bitch in my bubble like I’m still typing,” he raps on “Neck and Wrist.” But even if you don’t catch all the double and triple entendres, the music sounds fantastically luxurious. He recruited some of the most renowned producers in hip-hop, from Kanye West to Pharrell, and they delivered their A-game.—A.R.C.

4. Chloe and the Next 20th Century, Father John Misty

The musical polymath Josh Tillman, better known as his stage alter ego, Father John Misty, has made a name for himself as the most polarizing (and possibly most talented) man in the contemporary folk rock scene. With Chloe and the 20th Century, his fifth studio album as FJM, however, he takes a surprising and delightful departure from his usual form for a project that’s grandiose in its ambition, theatrical in its presentation, and thrilling in its execution. 

Drawing on elements like big band, bossa nova, and film scores from the golden age of Hollywood, the album is a lush and lofty epic that spins fictional vintage narratives into song. Through tragic vignettes that read like a screenplay of a fantasy L.A., the tracks detail torrid love affairs, untimely ends, and heartbreak, for the titular Chloe and her motley crew, showcasing not only FJM’s signature wry cynicism and penchant for melodrama, but an impressive flair for worldbuilding.—C.L.

3. Renaissance, Beyoncé

Ahead of the release of Renaissance, her seventh solo studio album, Beyoncé shared via social media that it was a creative project born out of a need for escape, freedom, and exploration during the pandemic. The spirit of release is omnipresent in the album, a true celebration of dance music and its Black queer history. From her first single off the album, “Break My Soul,” where Bey and Big Freedia urge us to “release your job/ release the time” to the dedication of the album to her late queer uncle, Johnny, the album is an homage to the Black queer pioneers of genres like disco, bounce, house, techno, funk, and ballroom. There are few artists who can drop an album late in the game and still commandeer “song of the summer” along with every dance floor, but as she tells us on “Alien Superstar,” Beyoncé is and forever will be that girl.—C.L.

2. 19 Masters, Saya Gray 

The debut album from the Toronto-based singer-songwriter Gray is not for the stadium rafters. It’s full of half-fleshed-out ideas, spindly guitar wanderings, washed-out vocal recordings and stray voice memos. But Gray’s strange restraint and restless curiosity are entirely the point: In its scattered and shaggy structure, there’s something compelling to be found around every melodic corner, whether on your second or tenth listen. In this way, the album feels like a worthy inheritor of Frank Ocean’s lo-fi masterpiece Blonde. Gray layers her scratchy voice upon itself to build breathtaking harmonies, and the tones she wrings out of her guitar and bass are impeccable.—A.R.C.

1. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny

No other album had as much universal appeal (and, let’s be honest, adoration) this year than Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny’s glorious fourth solo studio album. It’s an album about heartbreak, yes, but also a veritable love letter to his homeland of Puerto Rico and a sonic tribute to the Caribbean diaspora. Driven by the musical styles of El Caribe, ranging from reggaeton and dembow to merengue and cumbia, and bolstered by elements of dance hall and techno, Benito firmly roots the album in the deeply personal, mining the universal experiences of love, loss, and the supreme pleasure of being alive, for an exceptional project that is genre-defying, intergenerational, and groundbreaking. 

Never one to shy away from getting political, Bad Bunny also uses the project to critique hot-button issues, from the privatization of power in Puerto Rico to how the current crisis of gentrification on the island is part of a long and troubled history of colonization. To listen to this album, to move to it and be moved by it, is an act of defiance, celebration, and radical love.—C.L.

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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com and Moises Mendez II at moises.mendez@time.com.

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