whatfandomnow

[whatfandomnow]

Forcing Tsubaki to be transfem is not the progressive, "better", or more "politically correct" reading you think it is

Look.

I'm genuinely tired of people trying to canonically rewrite or force Tsubaki to be a trans female when he's explicitly written to be gender non-conforming, comfortable with what is traditionally seen as feminine, and open with expressing himself without conforming to rigid masculinity in Japan.

Making him a trans female is not the queer activism you think it is. Tsubaki is comfortable being a gender non-conforming man. Erasing his identity by forcing him to be a trans girl defeats his entire message of how men can be comfortable in their own bodies, even if they enjoy things not associated with their societal gender. I don't think making Tsubaki go to an all-boys school if he IDs as a trans female is any good writing either.

Forcing him to be transfem also completely erases the meaning of this scene:

They never say that lipstick is a "girl's thing", that makeup is a "girl's thing", that liking "cute and pretty things" (paraphrasing) is a "girl's thing". Because that's the whole point! Things you like don't need to be gendered! You like what you like, you can be what you are and break gender norms, you are your identity and nobody can take that expression from you. That's the fucking essence of being queer!

"Why do I like this? Normal boys don't like it" / "CUZ YOU'RE A GIRL!!!!" <- this is not the fucking progressivism you think it is!!! You are forcing him into the gender binary of being a female when he sees himself as a queer, gender non-conforming gay man!!!!

He doesn't see himself as a woman. He still accepts that he loves Umemiya. He is comfortable with both his sexuality and gender expression.

Tsubaki literally says he likes "cute and pretty" things, not "girly and feminine" things. He doesn't gender what is traditionally and societally framed as "feminine" because he isn't bound by the hierarchy of gender expectations.

People always say they want more gender non-conforming characters, that they want more men who are comfortable with traditionally feminine attire, but y'all couldn't even respect Tsubaki's identity and the outlying existence of Japan's otokonoko culture as a whole 🥸 Quoting Niisato's interview isn't a cop-out to be openly transphobic. Insisting Tsubaki is transfem does more queer erasure to his character as a gnc and openly gay man.

Like, sure, after you're done reading this and you still insist he's transfem, it means no matter what people say you're not going to change your mind, so go ahead with the queerphobia lol. Speaking as someone who's transneu and genderqueer myself, trans and gnc experience come hand in hand, I understand why people would read him like that even though it blatantly goes against what is established as his character, but I digress. But that doesn't excuse taking away Tsubaki's defiance of labels. That doesn't justify calling Niisato's writing of Tsubaki as a censored version of transness, or a refusal to commit to writing a trans character.

Tsubaki is an intentional and well-written character, he expresses everything he wants to express. He isn't a 'half-assed trans character' that Niisato didn't commit to, he is who he presents as on the tin: gnc, queer, and gay.

"He wants people to call him big sis" -> the whole concept of drag culture is tossed out of the window, I guess. And I suppose genderqueer people don't exist anymore. Anyone can do drag, but plenty of cisgender & queer men also don a drag queen/hyperfeminine identity when dressed up. That doesn't make them any less of a man. That doesn't make them a trans woman. You can also call girl 'dude, bro' and boys 'girlie'... does that change their gender? No lol 🥸

Western fandom has a serious problem of erasing people who present as gender non-conforming by forcing them to fit the binary of male/female. It's like the inverse of toxic masculinity: "this male/female character likes feminine/masculine things, so he/she must be a girl/boy!" <- how is this progressive? How is this better writing for Tsubaki? How is forcing him into another rigid box good for his character?

Let Tsubaki be a gay and genderqueer man, omfg. Gendering the things he likes into 'girly' and by default making him transfem is just an assassination of his character.

There's plenty of transfem anime characters out there that deserve your love. But Tsubaki—and on that note, all the otokonoko characters out there—are men who aren't restricted by the tight binary of gendered items/hobbies.

For the love of media literacy, please accept that men can be men while liking (unnecessarily-gendered) 'feminine' things, and in that vein, it's not that you like "girl's stuff" as a man—you like it because you like it.

Make-up, clothing, sparkly things, and long hair aren't gendered as 'feminine' to Tsubaki, even if he accepts that it is traditionally liked by girls. He likes it and that is it. That is final. He likes it so he wears it, he is honest and true to who he wants to be.

[whatfandomnow]

On the Edge of Your Knife

I know I've written for Sakura a lot, but the more I read the manga the more I just wanna HUG him holy shit

Also huge shoutout to @arget-star , their fics were a huge inspiration! Check them out!

Warning, this wasn't edited that much, so apologies!

Word count: 1.3k

“You can take your time, you know.” 

A sentence Sakura hears from you too often now. That he’s allowed to take his time, to stop and smell the roses or sakura trees or something along those lines. The words are odd sounding together, as if they were a mythical creature that hadn’t been discovered yet. And while you keep telling him this, that he can, he still can’t decide if he should. Especially since every time you remind him, it’s something related to you.

He keeps trying so hard to hold your hand without his cheeks exploding into a blood red. You could be doing something so simple, so normal, and he’d feel his fingers twitch, desperate to reach out and grab your own. To knot your hands together in union. He has tried three times now.

 First time, you two had only been dating for two weeks. He was walking you home after school, the sun was low, turning the sky into a beautiful orange and purple hue. You had sighed in awe, “What a pretty color.” The glow of the sky had created a halo around your face, and he couldn’t help himself. He reached for your hand, and when you immediately folded your fingers against his own, he jumped as if something cold pressed against his skin. 

“Oh, you okay?” you gasped at his sudden movement. 

“I–uh–ah, forget it,” he grumbled, shoving his fists into his pant pockets. “It’s gettin’ late, let’s hurry.” He swiveled himself around as fast as a lightning bolt. 

“It’s okay,” he heard you say, followed by a chortle. “If you want to hold my hand, all you have to do is ask.”

“Forget about it.”

The second time he tried was when you came over to his shabby house. He doesn’t exactly remember why you had knocked on his door and then plopped yourself on one of the shitty plastic chairs he had in his tiny kitchen, but you did. You were telling him about something, a hobby of yours you enjoyed, if he squints hard enough to remember. Sakura could never forget the way your eyes lit up, how they genuinely twinkled like the stars twinkled in the night sky. You turned away to grab something out of your bag, leaving one of your hands out in the open. A perfect opportunity, or so said a voice remarkably close to Suo’s in his head. He reached forward slowly, attempting to have his fingertips touch yours. Once they made contact, he couldn’t help but notice the difference between them. How soft yours was in comparison to his rough, tattered and bruised. 

You were fast with your movement, locking your fingers against his just like before. He held his stance a tad longer, but retracted once again, blush high on his features. 

“It’s okay, you know,” you told him, a smile on your face as if he didn’t do something stupid just now. “You can take your time.” 

Sakura didn’t answer, all he could think about was how dumb he was being. Holding your hand should be so simple, yet whenever he felt the skin on skin contact, he’d retreat. He recalled the analogy Kaji had used about him, that his behavior mimicked a wounded animal, lashing out or retreating when anyone showed him any type of kindness. 

The third time he tried to hold your hand, it was right after you had paid for dinner one night and you were getting up to leave your spot. On instinct, Sakura had reached up to grab your hand, only to fail and grab your sleeve instead. As if he wasn’t already pink from being in public on a date, his face flared in his usual sunset red hue. “...Sorry.”

You gave him a confused look, “Why are you sorry? You’re fine.” You reach to grab his hand before hesitating, probably remembering the few times he’s tried and retracted. “Like I said, you can take your time. We don’t need to rush things.” 

He couldn’t remember what else happened that night, but he wouldn’t be able to forget the lingering void in his gut, and Kotoha’s look of confusion and pity. 

—

“How does it not bother you?” He asks one day, as the two of you were sitting in his shabby house once again, playing with a deck of cards you had brought over. 

“How does what not bother me?” you quickly reply, taking your eyes off your deck. “The fact you have a very bad poker face?”

“I do not!”

“You were smirking like a cat last round, that's why I easily beat you.”

“I–I just let you win is all, like a good boyfriend should.”

You snicker, “You? I doubt that.” 

“What’s that mean!”

“Nothing,” you roll your eyes, but there’s no malice or annoyance in your tone.

“Anyway, it’s not that…” his eyes trail off to the side as he starts to glance at the wall of his supposed living room. It’s cracked. Some of the fissures reach all the way to the ceiling. “How does it not bother you that…that I can’t…uh…” The words won’t leave his mouth, and suddenly his tongue feels sticky. Not to mention, his cheeks are once again on fire, buzzing almost. He gives up after a good minute of trying. “Nevermind, forget it.” 

“Can’t hold my hand?”

He sputters, immediately looking towards you with surprise. “Uh, yeah. How’d–”

“I’m not stupid, you know,” you tell him, putting down your deck. Your eyes hold this odd warmth, something he can’t recognize. It makes his heart flip, whatever it is. “You’re very hesitant with this.” You motion your hands between you two. “And that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Shouldn’t I be, you know, the one making all the moves?”

“Real life can’t be like a romance novel, but it’s really cute seeing you try so hard.” 

He looks away again, grumbling under his breath. “‘m not cute.”

“I mean it, you know?” you tell him, a small smile forming on your lips. “You really can take your time with this.” 

“Won’t you get bored?” 

Your face falls, a mixture of sadness and something else. “No, never.” 

Sakura feels the void in his gut from before. The question sounds so small, the sentence of words feel so light, but why did your reaction make them feel so heavy? 

“Listen to me, okay, Sakura?” You say, scooting closer to him. “I couldn’t get bored of you, even if I wanted to. You’re loud and fun and spontaneous and so so good.” Your eyes look as if they’re shimmering, are you about to cry? “I’m dating you for a reason, and if I get bored of you, then honestly, I’d deserve to be kicked to the curb.” 

His mouth is agape as he watches tears slide down your cheeks. You sniff and quickly wipe them. “Sorry, your question just…made me feel so sad. You deserve to be loved, you know? Have you been told that?”

(No.)

“I…” The words won’t form again, and he swears he’s going to punch himself in the gut. “Sorry.”

“Wha–huh?”

“I…I made you cry.” 

Your arms wrap around him faster than he can blink. You hold him tightly, as if you have just jumped from a cliff and landed in his arms. “No, you didn’t. I promise.” 

You two sit there for a minute, with you holding his form as he stares into his cracked walls with shock before he reciprocates. His movement is as slow as molasses, but eventually he holds your form tightly in return. 

“Take your time. I promise I’m not leaving. You couldn’t get rid of me even if you tried.”

Even if he tried to get rid of you, he’d be killing himself in the process. 

It hasn’t even been five minutes before you try to let go. “Ah, sorry, I should’ve–”

“Can we just…” he interrupts you. “Can we just stay like this for a minute?”

“Yeah. Yeah we can.”

—

The next day, he knots his fingers around yours with no hesitation, no retraction. Just pure affection. 

[whatfandomnow]

little me, you’ll find home soon.

for @alesapphire <3

[whatfandomnow]

Furin sleep positions by Satoru Nii

[whatfandomnow]

its the same picture

[whatfandomnow]

Wanted to draw him again! And figured I would try the airbrush style as well ^^ So funny how not doing line art changes my style :D

[whatfandomnow]

blorbo ft. cats and lots of stars!!

drawing him recently has healed me in ways i never thought possible

[whatfandomnow]

we hope you feel loved

[whatfandomnow]

i really love the phrase “with all due respect” because it doesn’t specify how much respect is due. could be none. bitch.

[whatfandomnow]

a little reminder because no one talks ENOUGH about this matter. writing about dark romance, incest, minors having literally seggs, intense stalker shit, r@pe etc. is actuall very concerning. that’s (I’m sorry) fucked up. and in my opinion, that’s something that shouldn’t even get supported AND DEF NOT PUBLISHED HERE OR ELSEWHERE.

“I do not support this—“ then don’t write this and keep ur nasty, freaky fantasies for yourself.

“don’t like, don’t read—“ bro no. this is just fucked up. you shouldn’t let those things slide. to me, it just seems like you’re defending this stuff.

“oh but—“ NO. GET HELP, I’M SORRY. BUT THIS IS NOT OKAY.

especially something like r@pe. bro. do you realize how many people experience something horrible like this? this isn’t something you should fantasise about. it’s absolutely disgusting and terrifying, no one should experience this and no one should wish for smth like this. imagine being a victim and then reading comments about “oh how I wish to get r@ped by that character/that person”.

absolutely hate it when writers make some mistakes and it’s like — a trivial matter — but I still see some people writing hate comments. as if making mistakes aren’t normal? shove up those disrespectful, rude comments into your mouth please and thank you. this is what I would call “don’t like, don’t read” if you don’t like the story then don’t read it. go hate on things like dark romance or incest or IDK.

[whatfandomnow]

i am supposed to have the energy… to do stuff...?

[whatfandomnow]

WINDBREAKER S2 PV with official English Subs

[whatfandomnow]

umemiya proudly showing off sakura to everybody in japan makochi (人^▽')～☆

[whatfandomnow]

I rarely draw characters in somewhat detailed backgrounds, so this was definitely outta my comfort zone! Whilst it was difficult, I think adding a background created a sort of narrative to the piece? Overall, I think it turned out pretty well.

[whatfandomnow]

sick of seeing hate thrown towards “baby gays.” let them wear rainbows. let them wear their pride flags like capes. let them make jokes about their identity and talk about it all the time. let them wear tails and puppy ears. let them do what is constantly deemed as “cringe.” let them be excited about finally being able to express their true selves. they deserve it. we all deserve it.

[whatfandomnow]

one time i was in an olive garden bathroom and my packer fell out of my shorts and this ten year old boy just looked at me with absolute terror and without thinking i said "that's what happens when you don't eat your vegetables" later i saw him eating salad at a speed no human should be capable of

[whatfandomnow]

“what if kids identify with something and it ends up just being a phase-?” good. stop teaching and expecting kids (and adults honestly) to formulate permanent traits and ideas of themselves. everything in life is a phase. that doesn’t make it any less legitimate while you experience it. let people explore themselves and know it’s okay if what you think about yourself changes.