I think it says a lot, as a lesbian, that I prefer Ryder Wilson over Kit Jackson, and Kit is goc.

❦Short Astro Observations❦

☁️ Aries placements always look AMAZING with short hair cuts like ughhh work you bad ass bitch😍🥹

☁️ I notice that a lot of people I know that are only child’s have a Scorpio sun ☀️

☁️ Having Pluto aspecting the MC or Ascendant of a composite chart can mean having random people obsessing/having jealousy over your relationship (ex. ariana grande and mac miller, winona ryder and johnny depp, kim and kanye...etc lol)

☁️If you have an Aries sun in your composite chart with someone, more than likely they’ll probably feel like your soulmate/first love or you were just already profoundly attracted to them at first sight

☁️ Having 6th house/10th house synastry with someone means there’s a 9.9 times out of 10 chance of you meeting them at work or school

☁️ I’ve noticed that men who have a lot of admiration and respect for women tend to have Capricorn, Cancer and/or Libra placements

☁️ If you have a stellium in the 8th house of your solar return chart be ready for a deeply transformative year (deadass....like i'm so ready for 2023 to be over alreaddddyyyyyyy #yesthisisacryforhelplol

☁️ I noticed people saying oh if you have cancer placements that means that you’re gonna have big boobs, which is definitely not true lol but what I have found to be true is that a lot of times people with cancer placements tend to be of shorter stature (they real petite lol, men tend to be short-average height)

☁️ Having Venus or Lilith in your 12th house can make you have pretty feet

☁️ If you have your moon in someone’s 5th house it’s very likely for them to become your favorite person😍

☁️ Having 9th house synastry with someone can be very transformative and growing. However, this also could also mean outgrowing someone with this synastry, doesn’t mean you won’t be together again it’s just so heavily based on growth and if you guys can’t see eye to eye with this synastry sooner or later you’ll have to let it go

☁️ I feel Edge & Lita we’re a great example of 8th house synastry. There relationship had a lot of “8th house” dynamics (Lita cheated on her boyfriend Matt at the time with Edge, overtly sexual couple, has a “forbidden” vibe, as a couple on t.v. and in real life they received a lot of backlash but it was something so compelling and magnetic about them being together that you couldn’t ever really look away from)

☁️You can always tell when a person has Scorpio placements, it’s in the eyes 👁️👁️. Their eyes always pull you in by the smokiness. Like for example: Anne Hathaway (I guessed she had Scorpio placements in her chart while I was watching my comfort film “Devil Wears Prada” lol..but yeah you CAN TELL BRUH it’s the magnetic pull and the “smokiness effect” of her eyes

☁️ Having a lot of 3rd House or 9th house placements can indicate becoming a teacher/professor or something that deals with teachings and education 👩🏾‍🏫

☁️When gemini placements try to listen to other people talk they have the most hilarious resting face i've ever seen, it's like they look uncomfortable/confused/interested/dissociating all at the same time trying to listen, lmaooo its hard to explain

☁️My favorite teacher is a red head and I remember reading something on tumblr saying "aries placements" can give you red hair or something like that and I told her "i swear if you have aries placements imma freak out" and guess what..she has a aries mars, idk i just felt like sharing this with yall lmaoo

☁️ Finding out that Ed Sheeran has a Pisces venus makes so much sense to me. He made songs like “Perfect” , “Thinking Out Loud”, “Photograph”, etc for crying out loud. Like this man’s a hopeless romantic fr lol (makes the best wedding music too lol)

☁️ Scorpio placements (especially scorpio mars) HATE LIARS.

I KNOW IM SUPPER LATE BUT

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH‼️

My tfrb oc Muck Ryder is Aroace <3

(aromatic and asexual)-having little to no sexual or romantic attraction (Just like me fr)

hes just a silly goober ugh I love him sm

Fallout OC Questionaire!

Which Fallout game are they from?

Which faction(s) did they join and which did they destroy? Why?

What is their S.P.E.C.I.A.L.?

Give us a summary of their backstory.

What’s their full name and does it have a meaning? Do they have any nicknames and how did they get em?

What’s their sexual, romantic, and gender orientation? Do they feel comfortable telling other people?

Do they have any mental illnesses? How do they cope?

Do they have any medical conditions? Is medicine/ treatment available for them?

How much do they care about their outer appearance? What’s their “beauty routine”? How often do they shower/ bathe?

What do they fear the most?

They’re biggest flaw? Do they recognize it as a flaw?

What are they most insecure about?

What Wasteland threat do they fear the most? (ex. Deathclaws, super mutants, raiders)

What’s their zodiac sign or which one do you think they relate to the most? What are their placements (if you know them)? (ex. Aries sun, Taurus moon, Aquarius Venus)

What’s their Myers–Briggs Type? (ex. ENTP, ISFJ)

What Harry Potter house would they be in? (ex. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw)

Which Pokemon Go team would they choose? (ex. Instinct, Valor, Mystic)

Out of the nine forms of intelligence (rhythmic, spatial, linguistic, mathematical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential) which one(s) are they really good at and which one(s) is(are) their weakest?

What natural alignment are they? (ex. Lawful Good, Chaotic Evil)

Do they have any hobbies? What are they?

Do they have a favorite holiday? How do they celebrate it?

What’s their favorite season?

Do they have a temper or are they level headed?

Do they express their emotions freely or hide their true feelings?

Are they a leader or a follower?

How do they come off to others? What first impression do they usually make?

Do they prefer to travel alone or with company? Who have they traveled with if any? Current companion if any?

Would you describe them as selfless or selfish? Does it depend on the situation?

What do they find most attractive in others? Name at least one psychological and physical trait. (doesn’t have to be romantic attraction)

Do they flirt often? How easily do they fall in love?

What’s their love life like? Are they interested in anyone or in a relationship?

Do they prefer to solve things diplomatically or using violence?

What is their combat style? What range do they prefer? Do they sneak?

What weapon(s) do they always carry with them?

Their most prized possession?

Their thoughts on power armor?

Favorite armor/ outfit?

How’s their aim? Do their hands shake while pointing a gun?

What are their thoughts on having to kill on a daily bases in order to survive? Does it take a toll on them? Or do they shake it off rather easily?

Thoughts on death if any? (ex. Fear it, accept it)

Do they move around a lot or prefer to have a place to call home?

What’s their favorite location?

Their opinions on ghouls, feral and not feral?

Do they scavenge for their supplies or simply buy them?

Are they the type to get distracted and go off to an unknown nearby location or do they stay on track?

How do they sleep? Are they picky about where and how or can they sleep basically anywhere?

What’s their favorite radio station and song? (post-apocalypse)

What’s their favorite post-apocalyptic food? Are they a picky eater? Do they know how to cook?

What’s their favorite beverage? Do they drink alcohol?

Do they have any tag skills?

Anything they like to collect? (ex. Unique weapons, Bobbleheads)

Are they good at disarming traps or do they constantly miss them?

Ask this for any of my Fallout OCs! Especially Ryder :3c! When asking, go by the numbers, and if it was already answered, I can link the answer to you! Happy asking!!

glee characters who i think are arospec bc im aro 🤗

kurt (aroflux gay) idk how to explain it exactly but i feel like he is.

tina (arospec bi) i dont think shed 100% label herself as aro, i feel like there may be times when she does experience romantic attraction, but to me i feel like a lot of the time shes more in love with the idea of being in love than with the person shes with. if that makes sense

quinn (aro lesbian) similarly to tina, i think she just always felt pressure to be the perfect girl, and that includes ending up in a romantic relationship. also i kidna interpret her and santana’s hook up as like a . shes like well this feels kind of right but also i dont want to date her so how could i be a lesbian 🤔. i think she figures out sometime after s6 tho

jake (grayro bi) also dont know how exactly to explain this but yeah. i think he just doesnt consistently feel romantic attraction and kinda feels shitty abt it for a while and doesnt understand why . also a bit unrelated but i think he has tboy swag, regardless of if it makes sense for him to be trans in canon.

kitty (aroace) i feel like with her she only ever really got into relationships because they made her feel like she was actually worth something, and struggled to tell romantic and platonic relationships apart, like with ryder. also i think she partially ids as ace due to struggling with sexual trauma which is valid. 

roderick (aro bi) hes just like me only if i could sing

madison (arospec lesbian) romance is just not an important aspect to her in any way i think. i feel like for a while she mightve just thought she was too preoccupied with feeling like she had to take care of and protect mason but then sometime post sectionals or whatever she tried going on a date and was like. lmao no thanks

A compelling character-based drama that reveals the interior life of a young trans man over roughly 24 hours in New York City, “Mutt” follows Feña (Lío Mehiel) as he tries to navigate a series of events that would be stressful for anyone. Piling on setbacks that specifically challenge someone still working out how to reintroduce himself to old friends and family members, writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz — who is also trans — makes audiences acutely conscious of Feña’s emotional state at every turn. “Mutt,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, sees the first-time helmer creatively using the medium to illustrate how small incidents can chip away at a trans person’s self-confidence and the strength it takes to stay true to that identity.

Feña’s day starts simply enough, focused on trying to borrow a car to pick up his Chilean father (Alejandro Goic) from the airport. Before long, it becomes a day from hell. He gets locked out of a friend’s apartment. His teenage sister (Mimi Ryder) decides to skip school, experiencing her first menstrual period while spending the day with him. As brothers go, Feña’s uniquely qualified to help her handle the situation. In fact, the night before, Feña hooked up with an ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), sparking a pregnancy scare that also calls for a visit to the pharmacy, where he hopes to acquire a morning-after pill for himself.

Could so many problems befall a single person in such a short period? It’s a tad unrealistic, perhaps, but easy to forgive, as Lungulov-Klotz cleverly demonstrates how seemingly mundane activities can be uniquely complicated for a trans person like Feña — as when a bank clerk misgenders him and refuses to cash a check that doesn’t match the name on his driver’s license. Each encounter feels genuine and moving, such that everything resonates emotionally. Feña’s identity is constantly on his mind as these mishaps occur. It’s also on the minds of everyone he interacts with because his transition has affected them too.

Lungulov-Klotz has an authentic grasp of New York City — its streets, buildings and locally owned businesses. Each of the locations that Feña visits rings true as a real place and not a film set. Collaborating with cinematographer Matthew Pothier, they create a vision of the city that’s unlike what is usually presented in so many American indies, giving audiences images that are tangible and instantly recognizable, rather than trying to show the city in attractive light.

Mehiel, who’s in almost every scene of the movie, carries it with aplomb and is always immensely watchable. However their performance becomes even stronger when they are playing off other actors with whom they have noticeable chemistry, particularly the charismatic Doman and the heartbreaking Goic.

In an affectionate but also palpably sensual scene, Feña reconnects with his ex-boyfriend, who last saw him before the transition. Fraught with both tension and heat, the encounter begins with discomfort as Feña tries to avoid revealing his body. But as the lovers recall their strong physical connection, the moment becomes as much about discovering Feña’s new identity as it is about two lovers falling into old habits.

There’s a charge to this interaction, which is sensitively filmed and portrayed with tender affection by Mehiel and Doman. Beautifully shot and romantic in its setup, as the two lovers escape the rain to seek shelter in a laundromat, the scene becomes a transfixing moment of movie magic, a modern twist on those larger-than-life moments from the golden age of Hollywood that mixes old-fashioned romance with a sexuality that defies labels.

In queer narratives, the gruff unapproving parent is commonplace. “Mutt” presents something different: Feña’s father is skeptical and questioning of his son’s transition, but also supportive. Adding complexity to the characterization is the culture clash between a traditional Chilean father and his American son. Goic toes the line between those differing states so well, elevating his scenes with Mehiel and making them the most resonant of the whole endeavor.

While Feña’s journey may contain some contrivances, the way this young man adapts to each predicament feels authentic and emotionally potent. That’s a testament to Lungulov-Klot, who succeeds in placing vivid characters in slightly heighted situations — amplifying our connection in the process — without sacrificing the sense of realism that makes “Mutt” so relatable.

romance & relationship headcanons!

@tuseranita asked: ryder

1. what is your muse's sexual/romantic orientation?

everyone has always thought he’s straight for basically his entire life until recently. he’s coming to terms with his bisexuality, even if he’s not completely out yet.

7. where is your muse most sensitive?

he loves having hands roaming along his front, from his chest down to his lower abdomen. it really becomes a weakness when someone starts kissing him down his chest.

13. what traits does your muse value in a romantic partner?

honesty and respect have always been very important to him. if he feels he’s being lied to or he feels disrespected, he’ll pull away from whoever the person might be.

15. how does your muse feel about valentine's day?

it mostly depends on if he’s with someone or not. he doesn’t care much about the day one way or another, but he’ll do something that day if he’s got a special someone in his life.

21. is your muse more flirtatious or shy, or does it depend on the context?

he’s kind of flirtatious, but not obnoxiously so. ryder isn’t loud or over the top about it and he’s sort of lightly flirty in the beginning and it grows more.

26. is your muse more likely to be loud and proud about being in a relationship, or are they more quiet about it at first and open up about it over time?

it really depends on the person he’s with and how they feel. he doesn’t mind keeping things casual and quiet if that’s what it comes down to, but he also likes being loud and proud about it as well.

29. how important is having (a) physically attractive partner(s) to your muse?

he likes being attracted to people in multiple ways, so physical attraction is just as important.

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀🥀🖤

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲😎

strong presence. can be charismatic. minds their own business lmao. their mysteriousness makes them sexy. might be pale. observant. can come off as cold or moody. might get tattoos and piercings. might like to “redesign” themselves every now and then. has good intuition. can be too secretive. doesn’t trust easily. can come off sinister. likes it rough. since first rules the head they might be into hair pulling.

celebrities:Beyoncé,Keanu Reeves,Britney Spears,Ryan Reynolds

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🤑

probably great with money. ambitious. practical. can be stingy. hard headed. might be motivated by 💵 lol. good at making plans. try not to indulge excessively. likes sensual and strong scents. dark colored perfumes. sensual ppl in general. might have a thing for ppl with a “dark” style. likes someone they can’t easily read. desires oral sex, and hickeys.

celebrities:Cher,Heidi Klum,Harry Styles,Robert De Niro

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗛��𝘂𝘀𝗲🗣

charming in speech. might be a fan of murder mystery’s. likes to talk abt sex related things a lot. can be manipulative w/words. might have a deep or “sexy” voice. might’ve fought a lot/been bullied a lot in school. witty. over protective when it comes to siblings. the sibling that has mood swings lol. might even have jealousy issues with their siblings. siblings probably have scorpio in personal placements or a prominent pluto in their chart. doesn’t trust ppl easily. might have a knack for psychology. dirty talk, and sweet nothings gets these individuals aroused. anything that deals with hands are also a turn on. might not like sessions to be long, and into nudes lol.

celebrities:Céline Dion,Bella Hadid,Drake,Michael Jordan

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲❤️‍🩹

honest. strong-willed. mature, esp emotionally. loyal, and most likely reliable. can be jealous of family members, or just clash with them. mother might keep big secrets away or be abusive. mother might’ve been overly attached or obsessed with you. these ppl might’ve been an unexpected pregnancy. probably quiet and mysterious as a child, kept to themselves. the kid that probably just sat by themselves during recess/could’ve been a loner. moms death can take a great toll on you. parents might’ve been controlling but wanted the best for you. trauma stems from childhood. could’ve went through sexual abuse. mother that’s probably passionate, and can be caring. she might also have a lot of pluto/scorpio energy in her chart. these ppl might be hard to get to know. pragmatic. shouldn’t do one night stands, they might get too attached, so they’re most likely to sleep w/someone they have an intense connection with. touch boobies lmao. might like positions where you stare into eachothers eyes, and have access to hugging lol.

celebrities:Sandra Bullock,Selena Gomez,Kanye West,Ben Affleck

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲☀️

can be romantic, yet intense. probably spiritual. might like rock n roll music, or music that talks abt dark subjects like death, drugs, etc. enjoys horror movies, conspiracy theories, and true crime stuff. probably into witchcraft tbh, also probably really likes astrology. your flings might end up becoming very serious or intense. children, esp the first child might be a scorpio or have a lot of scorpio/pluto influence. try to avoid being judgmental. might also be childish. children may be intimidated by you at first, but get too attached later on. sex will be full of passion. positions like the anvil, or doggy, any deep penetration positions might work best for you.

celebrities:Mariah Carey,Lady Gaga,Gordon Ramsey,Will Smith

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝘅𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🫐

can be open minded. might be obsessed with health, and get freaked out over the littlest things. cats would make a great pet for these placements. they also might own unusual pets like spiders, reptiles, etc. workaholic. might have health issues with genitals, so be careful. might have surgery done on genitals at some point. might crave being in control. probably wants to be their own boss. always trying to improve or reinvent themselves. you probably have sex, or masturbate every day. might have sexual relations with co-workers. the shower or bath might be a good setting for sex to these ppl. might like anal lol.

celebrities:Shakira,Demi Moore,Snoop Dogg,Michael Jackson

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🤍

loving. extremely passionate. can be empathetic. might attract scorpio/pluto placements a lot. lovers may be overzealous, overprotective, and/or envious or you might be this way. relationships can be life changing. can be low key aggressive. love, and being vulnerable can terrify these ppl. might keep their personal relationships private. selfless in the bedroom. all abt pleasing their partner. might be into spanking, or butt rubs lmao. face to face positions are a turn on for these folks too.

celebrities:Rihanna,Kourtney Kardashian,Barack Obama,Orlando Bloom

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🪐

the ultimate lol. great intuition, has a knack for conspiracy theories, psychology, astrology, and probably taboo things. likes getting in trouble😈. sensual, and has major sexual appeal. people smart. thinks about sex, mortality, the unknown, and just general dark themes a lot. either fears or embraces death, maybe both. ambitious, and usually actually lives for a long time. experience makes these ppl wise. goes through a lot of transformations in life. understanding. a lot of ppl envy ppl of this placement, mostly bc of their sex appeal/attractiveness. powerful in some way lol. likes that moneyyy. can be possessive, either with possessions or ppl or both lol. sex can be life changing and intense. into or open to bondage, d/s, rough sex, etc but might like it romantic, erotic and sensual too.has an amazing sex drive.

celebrities:Princess Diana,Brigitte Bardot,Marlon Brando,Bruce Lee

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🌺

full of curiosity. analyzes. deep rooted. might be emotionally invested when it comes to the beliefs/beliefs may take over their life lol. when in college, might major in psychology, solving, investigating, etc. justice is important to these individuals. judgement also, and self obsessed. likes big butts w/a side of thighs. sex is fun to these ppl, and they’re probably up to trying new things. lube is your friend. probably has a big penis/fat cat lmao.

celebrities:Nicki Minaj,Winona Ryder,Robin Williams,Frank Sinatra

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🥂

charming, and creative. might come off as standoffish or just disrespectful lol. private reputation, and keeps things in the dark. might be known for being inappropriate. controversial reputation. known for being passionate among peers. may be feared by some lol. can manipulate their way to the top. i can see someone with this screwing their boss/authority lol. into domination and bdsm. leash and whips.

celebrities:Bjork,Taylor Swift,Prince,Eminem

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲👩‍🎤

friendship is a priority. friends are really enemies so watch out. friends might have scorpio/pluto energy in chart. kind. probably a good listener. the mysterious or quiet friend. you might not like when your friends bring around other ppl lmao. you don’t give your trust away easily, and prefer a small circle of friends. can be dismissive. might lose virginity to friends tbh or have sex w/their friends. experimental. group sex maybe. might get piercings on genitals

celebrities:Scarlett Johansson,Kylie Jenner,Chris Evans, Albert Einstein

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗳𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲🧜‍♀️

selfless. intuitive. past life was full of intensity. might’ve had a public death in the past life. past life could’ve been filled with crime. these individuals can be distracted and very sensitive. wild imagination. dreams can seem so real, and dark. dreams might predict things. may take secrets to the grave. gotta have a strong and emotional connection to want to have sex. won’t sleep with just anyone, unless they need to cope with something. might try to please too much during sex but you should focus on your wants and needs too. foot play is also big here.

celebrities:Marilyn Monroe,Madonna,Steve Jobs,Tom Hanks

Hiyo!

For everyone new here, welcome! Glad to have you here. Hope you enjoy your stay!

For everyone who's been here for a while, Y'ALL ALREADY KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN.

Yep, this is part two of why I hate Glee so much.

Let's get it. (If there's anything I forgot to mention, go ahead and add them on in the comments or reblogs.)

Obligatory TW: This contains subject matter that may be triggering for some audiences. The following post contains homophobia, biphobia, ableism, underage drinking, faking a pregnancy to manipulate a partner into staying with them, teachers being creepy towards students, mentioned past child m0l3stati0n and invalidation of the victim's trauma, statutory r@pe (between teachers and students), pr3datory behavior....you get the picture.

If anything mentioned above is triggering for you in any way, again, feel free to scroll past this and consume media that's safe for you.

Gentle reminder: This is all my opinion. This is my take on specific moments in the show, plus evidence to back everything up. Not asking for anyone to agree with me or anything.

***If you like the show, good for you. I couldn't care less. As long as you're not out hurting people, I don't care. Live your life.***

Sit back, relax, grab some snacks and drinks, and let's get to this thing.

How about I talk about Artie for a few minutes? He's a character I have a ton of issues with. Not because he as a character is disabled. That has nothing to do with why I have issues with Artie. The issues there have to do with his actor, who I'll get to in a minute. It's because everything Artie says that's considered problematic is excused and/or ignored simply because of his disability. They only focus on the fact that Artie requires a wheelchair to get around and nothing else. Honestly, it feels like they pity him and praise him just for being in a wheelchair. While he has had some rough times in the show, it doesn't change that he's no better than anyone and he's just as bad.

There are physically disabled actors who play roles of physically disabled characters and they never make it about how they require a wheelchair, a walker, or any other equipment to get around. An example of a physically disabled actor off the top of my head would be Michael Patrick Thornton. He plays Dr. Gabriel Fife on a show called Private Practice, which nobody mentions the chair and his character is a lot more than his disability.

Kevin McHale, Artie's actor, is an able-bodied actor who was cast as a physically disabled character who requires a wheelchair to get around. The way that Glee portrayed disabled characters in general was inaccurate, extremely unrealistic (i.e., Artie joining the football team and then being told that his wheelchair would be a safety risk....like, don't you have sports made for disabled people at that school? Because disabled sports teams do exist.), the storylines with Artie made no sense (i.e., his whole backstory, how he was the lead dancer in one episode and was never mentioned again), and it was offensive. There is a term for this that I didn't even know, and it's called "cr1pface". Basically, that's when able-bodied actors are cast as physically disabled characters. This is a reoccurring theme in live-action media and it's gross.

Glee could cast a Down's Syndrome girl JUST FINE. That's great. Love that. YET THEY COULDN'T BOTHER TO CAST A PHYSICALLY DISABLED ACTOR FOR THE ROLE OF A PHYSICALLY DISABLED CHARACTER. SPECIFICALLY A YOUNG PHYSICALLY DISABLED ACTOR. Because I very rarely see them in live-action media, if at all.

There are more physically disabled characters in cartoons than in live-action media. At least younger physically disabled characters. My point about how younger physically disabled characters need more representation in live-action media still stands. Just in GENERAL, y'all.

Artie isn't all innocent. Here are some screenshots of him sex-shaming Mary Sue and Blaine (a.k.a., Diet Br3nd0n Ur!3) for them not being close in their rendition of West Side Story:

Hey, ummm....news flash, this isn't what directors would actually require their actors to do, let alone request them to do. Unless a director is putting together an on-stage production that has anything to do with sex, they wouldn't do this. (I'm mainly talking about stage productions here, not movie productions. Movie productions are a little different in that aspect.) Also....why would a director who's supposed to be Mary Sue's and Diet Br3nd0n Ur!3's friend ASK FOR THIS? YOUR PLAY WILL NOT SUFFER IF THERE'S NO SEX WHATSOEVER. YOUR PLAY WILL BE FINE.

(I mean it this time. This is your last chance to scroll past this post, click off, whatever you gotta do. This next scene contains mentioned child m0l3stati0n and invalidation of the victim's trauma.)

I want to bring your attention to this scene:

This is the nail in the coffin for me to lose any respect I had for Artie left...which I didn't have much of, to begin with.

Ryder confides in the Glee Club about he was m0l3st3d by an older woman as a child. The older woman was HIS BABYSITTER. A person who was being paid to watch over him by his parents. An eleven year old child...just children in general CANNOT CONSENT to s3x.

(By the way, pedos, this is your daily, unfriendly reminder that your attraction to children is disgusting. Pedo apologists, the fact that you justify pedos being attracted to children is also disgusting. Get professional help. NOTHING can justify grown adults being romantically and/or sexually attracted to children. Stay the fuck away from kids. Pedos and pedo apologists will NEVER be welcome here.)

He didn't ask to be m0l3st3d as an eleven year old boy by a babysitter. When it's an eleven year old girl who gets m0l3st3d by her babysitter who just so happens to be an older man, people are more sympathetic towards the girl and condemn the man. Rightfully so. On the contrary, if it's an eleven year old boy who gets m0l3st3d by his babysitter who happens to be an older woman (like Ryder), people congratulate the boy, tell him he's "lucky", and they don't take what he went through seriously. Why? Because men are expected to ALWAYS want to have s3x, women are pretty much always assumed to be asexual and s3x-repulsed....you get my point. Men don't always want to have s3x. Women actually have s3x drives! SHOCKER.

Artie's response to Ryder telling him that he was literally m0l3st3d AS A FUCKING CHILD makes me SO angry, and I'm about to tell you WHY. They play it off as Artie being naïve and not knowing any better...ALL BECAUSE HE'S PHYSICALLY DISABLED. THEY TREAT IT AS IF HE'S MENTALLY DISABLED TOO, WHICH I CAN'T RECALL IF THEY HAVE EVER DISCUSSED THIS ANYWHERE IN THE SHOW. Seriously? Can you stop pitying and infantilizing disabled people who use wheelchairs to get around all because they use a fucking wheelchair? Naïveté is one thing (this is ONLY IF Artie GENUINELY DIDN'T KNOW anything about m0l3stati0n), but you know, they could've used this moment to teach him about m0l3stati0n and how it fucking affects people. Someone could have CALLED ARTIE OUT because he said something extremely fucked up DIRECTLY TO A VICTIM OF CHILD M0L3STATI0N! But nooooo! Apparently boys can't be victims of m0l3stati0n, according to the dumbasses plaguing the fucking planet, so I guess fuck the THOUSANDS of Boy Scouts who were m0l3st3d by their scout masters since 1944, right? /s

ENOUGH SAID. Let's move on.

The second character in this part I really wanted to get to is Mr. William Schuester, or Mr. Schue for short. Good GOD, this teacher...if I can even call him one at this point, is a terrible person and creepy as all hell. I will call Mr. Schue "Mr. Pr3dat0r" because he's a disgusting waste of splooge who should be in jail.

We can talk about how Mr. Pr3dat0r doesn't have any friends his own age (except for his fiancée, who faked a pregnancy to get him to stay with her), he was literally in the boys' locker room spying on Gary Stu (Finn) WHILE HE WAS IN THE FUCKING SHOWER because he was singing, blackmailed Gary Stu into joining the Glee Club™️ by planting drugs, he has put on racist costumes on quite a few occasions in the show, encouraged his students to twerk to the song "Blurred Lines", and got off on two of his students shaking their asses to the song "River Deep, Mountain High". He's fucking gross. I'll put down the screenshots as evidence so you can see what I'm talking about.

Mr. Pr3dat0r shouldn't be a teacher. I don't think I need to elaborate more. These pictures say enough.

Eh, I’m bored, so I thought I’d write about which of my OCs has had previous experience with romance and sex before meeting their main LI.

The Ones Who Never:

Etain Amell: Etain is asexual and mostly sex-repulsed, so she’s never felt any sexual attraction for anyone. But even if that weren’t the case, Etain would never have engaged in that sort of activity, or gotten herself involved with anyone at the Circle. She’s heard of the kind of trouble her fellow apprentices and mages have gotten into for fooling around with each other, and she doesn’t want to share the same fate. She knows full well that romances in the Circle can never end happily, so she wants to spare herself that pain. Her entire life up until she becomes a Grey Warden has been dedicated to avoiding the eye of the templars and keeping herself safe.

Tara Hawke: Tara is demisexual, so she’s never had any sexual attraction for others either. Because her family was always on the run from the templars, she’s always had trouble opening up and making friends with others. Since her father’s death, she’s been focused on keeping her family safe and never had time to make friends, let alone develop romantic feelings for anyone. She’s also surprisingly insecure about her looks and personality, feeling like she isn’t pretty, charming, or sweet enough to ever catch someone’s eye or heart.

Chloe Ryder: While she’s known to playfully flirt and flatter other women, Chloe is very much an “I want my first kiss/night to be with ‘the one’” kind of girl. She’s a romantic who wants her first kiss/night to be special and beautiful, with someone that she knows she has a deep connection with. She’d rather wait forever for the perfect moment for her first kiss, than just have it suddenly happen during something mundane and routine.

She was in love with one human girl named Vasilisa Mikhailov back in the Milky Way, but she wasn’t attracted to other women, which crushed Chloe’s heart. Since then, she always waited to learn whether or not her crush was attracted to women before considering making the moves on them.

Saga Peg’asi: Since she was never allowed to leave the palace and was always kept hidden from the public, Saga never had the opportunity to find love. She was also too shy and insecure to ever consider having a one-night stand or anything like that. She knew full well that she would eventually be arranged into a political marriage to some nobleman she never met, and the thought terrified her. She dreaded the thought of having to spend the rest of her life in an unhappy marriage, and perhaps eventually becoming like her mother: growing distant from the world, eventually locking herself away in her room, quickly forgotten by everyone. Perhaps that’s why she always had a fondness for tragic romances, both in the books she read and the song she sung - for a romance that ended in death seemed so much more appealing, than living with a stranger.

Despite this pessimistic outlook, she developed feelings for her bodyguard, Vexx Serif. He was just so charming and thoughtful towards her, the only friend she had, and would sneak her out of the palace at the risk of getting in trouble, just so she could see the world outside. She never acted on these feelings though, worried that the two would eventually be caught and Vexx would be punished. She locked her feelings deep inside her heart, promising herself to never let it out. Hearing him admit that he was only using her to help Jes Zovack’s plan to overthrow and murder her family broke her heart.

The Ones Who Have:

Kallen Lavellan: Kallen was previously married to her childhood friend, Talfryn. Talfryn was a few years younger than her, and he become very attached to her when they first met and he saw her sketches and doodles. She didn’t develop for him feelings until their early teens, but she waited until they were both adults before confessing her feelings and beginning their romance proper. The two would often sneak off into the woods at night to be alone together, going for long walks, sitting by the river and watching the stars, or making love in the bushes where no one could find them.

Kallen and Talfryn married two years later, and had a happy life together until Talfryn met his tragic end during the expedition that killed everyone except Kallen. His death hit Kallen hard, blaming herself for the death of her clanmates, friends, and husband, and for a long time felt she didn’t deserve to find love again.

Alaia Shepard: After the attack on Mindoir and the death of her family, Alaia spent most of her teens being angry at the world, and she blew off steam in two ways: getting into fights, or fooling around in bed with whoever she thought was kind of hot. As she grew older and calmed down, she stopped engaging in such activities and focused her attention on her training and her missions.

She started developing feelings for Kaidan, but didn’t think it was the right time to flirt and begin a relationship while trying to hunt down Saren. After he sacrificed himself on Virmire, Alaia regretted not being more honest about her feelings when he was alive, and vowed to never let her mission stop her from finding love again.

Dana De Sardet: Although Dana is considered the more responsible and level-headed child compared to Constantin, Dana’s no stranger to sex with both men and women. While not one to fool around with just anyone she meets, she’s has had a few lovers or friends-with-benefits over the years. They never grew into anything serious, but she remains good friends with her previous partners. It was one of the few times where Constantin had to save her ass from trouble whenever she had someone in her bed at the palace, since she didn’t want her mother or uncle to find out and potentially create a scandal.

Like Saga, Dana dreaded the day where she would be confronted with the man that held the contract to their marriage. It would no doubt be some nobleman she barely knew, but her uncle paired her up with for his own political gain. Her mother knew how she felt, and would have plenty of excuses at the ready so that Dana could avoid meeting up with some potential suitor. She knows that arranged marriages aren’t all miserable, and even sometimes lead to love (as what happened with her mother), but for Dana it’s more about not having a choice in the matter. So much of her life has been decided and directed for her, and all she wants it to be allowed to choose for herself who she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

How Greta Gerwig Lied about...Well Everything Jo, Friedrich and Adaptive Attractiveness

Podcast transcript Part 2

Let´s start with this quote of Gerwig saying that she hired a hot Bhaer that Jo would feel herself like a winner because quote "how could she say no to someone as handsome as Timothee Chalamet". Jo in the book is never attracted to Laurie. Laurie is described to look very effeminate and there are times when Jo even refers him as "girly or a daughter". Jo in the book is not superficial, so why should she feel herself as a winner, when she never wanted Laurie in the begin with. Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet they are Gerwig´s golden duo. If she makes a film where the two are, her fans and their fans are going to see it and many of them have not read Little Women and never read it. There are also fans who romantically ship Ronan and Chamalet and the characters they play. I didn´t follow the press tour of the 2019 film but Little Women fan Jimena did and this is what she says. You know the funny thing is that it does seem to me that Saoirse and Timothee are in a situation pretty much like Jo and Laurie in the book, where Saoirse can't make clearer that they are just friends and Timothee keeps pushing. I mean, I watched the whole press tour and there were a couple of times where he said that they have the same relationship as Jo and Laurie only he hasn't declared his love... and at one time Florence added "yet". And a few times Saoirse has been pushed to admit feelings for Timothee and she keeps saying they are just friends. Even Greta in an interview for Vogue, they asked her if she was trying to set them up and she was like sure, why not. It's a similar thing to what happens to Jo, how could she not want that handsome man. Based on this it sounds like this film didn´t have nothing to do with Little Women and more to do with the actors. Jo criticises Laurie in the book because Laurie is quite materialistic, very different to Friedrich who is always willing to give away, from the little that he has. I made an episode about it called why Friedrich is poor. For Louisa it was important that partners in a relationship shared same work morals, which is what Jo and Friedrich do, and Jo also criticises that Laurie doesn´t care about school and he doesn´t like to work. Jo loves school, she wants to go to university. She also admires Friedrich because he is hardworking and they have similar views about education. These elements of Jo´s and Laurie´s differences and Jo´s and Friedrich´s similar interests are not in Gerwig´s film. The entire TeamBhaer versus TeamLaurie debate that Little Women is known for, is entirely manufactured by film makers. 1994 film has been often accused of romanticizing Jo and Laurie because Winona Ryder and Christian Bale has romantic chemistry. Same has been said about June Allyson and Peter Lawford in the 1949 film. The list goes on and on. In the novel the whole reason why Jo travels to New York, is because she doesn´t want to be alone with Laurie because he is sexually harassing her, trying to push her not only into a relationship but physical connection. If we would actually see Laurie harassing Jo in the films, do you think we would have this entire debate? Here is another quote from Jimena: "I read the book expecting (and even looking for) some romantic elements in Laurie and Jo’s scenes, but there was none. In the first book, they are best friends and nothing more. It’s until the second book that everyone notices Laurie’s advances but Jo asks them not to talk about it because it makes her super uncomfortable. Every time he tries, he hits a wall. Seriously, how did he reach to the conclusion that a proposal was appropriate? Did he even had a ring? ​ Greta portrays Laurie just as the character would have portrayed himself, as the martyr who loved a girl who never loved him back. Laurie is not a martyr, people shouldn’t pity him. He ignored Jo’s signals once and again. He tried to force her to accept and even threatened to hurt himself, that’s so toxic!" What Greta Gerwig does, there is this one group who she says that Jo and Laurie belong together, then another group who she tells that Jo is gay, and third group who she says Jo is asexual and never wants to leave her home, and the only thing in common with these groups are her anti Fritz statements and racist propaganda of him being German. This a quote from blogger @myfictiongarden: "Gerwig telling one group of people one thing and another something else is the worst thing ever. Its like she is selling herself for money always changing her opinion. I would also blame the producer or studio for letting her on the loose. I never understood why one should “label” something for modern audiences instead of being honest to the past. And, making Friedrich “hot” because shallow reasons is anything but right. Too many radical feminist have a, well lets say limited understanding of human nature and the world. Its wrong to re-write history to fit your needs.  Louisa had been in love with both Thoreau and Emerson, one shouldn’t ignore that! She loved everything German, so saying otherwise is lying".

Listen the episode:

Read the full transcript: https://www.fairychamber.com/the-little-women-project/how-greta-gerwig-lied-aboutwell-everything-jo-friedrich-and-adaptive-attractiveness

Yeah, TECHNICALLY the asari can and do meld without there being any kind of romantic or sexual connection. Lore can argue that in various places.

The thing about that is really... Well, first of all, that just means that it’s not unlike casual hookups, because you can have sex with strangers, with close friends, with people who you don’t intend to have a relationship with, etc. Second, more importantly, EVERY instance of melding holds this sexual undercurrent. Liara will meld with Shepard in both the briefing room and the romance scenes, and there’s nothing that really makes the act itself seem different. Like, the whole focus of the asari in the game is on their sex practices and reproduction, because BioWare doesn’t bother to hide their boners for the asari, but... I mean, so far EVERY asari who melds with our PC - Shepard and Ryder - is explicitly shown to harbor some attraction to that PC.

BioWare makes claims that the meld is not sexual, but they also make it mandatory for asari reproduction as well, that the asari “join their consciousness” with one another in doing this. And to me, that may not be SEXUAL, but it is INTIMATE. On a level that I associate as beyond friendship.

Especially when, again, you factor in the element of what Liara DOES. How she recovers Shepard’s body, on her own, no backup from the other companions, and on the basis of, to use her words, how she “couldn’t let [Shepard] go,” which REALLY belies the idea that, at least in Liara’s case, melding with Shepard was, for her, the asari equivalent of a one night stand or anything of the sort. Rather, it makes her come across as latching on to Shepard, that the right comparison IS a one-night stand that she is trying to make into a relationship. ESPECIALLY when she is not Shepard’s love interest.

Like there is a reason that I put all of this in a dedicated tag about my problems with her romance - because too much of the writing basically leans in a direction of even if you aren’t romancing her, her interactions with Shepard are a sort of “soft romance,” where at any moment it can go from holding a torch to requited sparks, regardless of the player’s own desires. And MY desire is never going to BE Liara, so it ends up being a lot of focus, a lot of attention, given over to a dynamic I don’t care about, where the character in question frequently oversteps her bounds - it is a legit bodily autonomy trigger for me that she takes on the responsibility of giving over Shepard’s body FOR HER, and the game... sees nothing objectionable. That it doesn’t matter what Shepard wanted, the writing doesn’t even allow Shepard a word of anger or displeasure. The closest is getting upset that she kept that hidden, but NO anger about being brought back.

At least Miranda eventually expresses regret for her desire to put in a control chip, that her initially viewing Shepard as a project instead of a person is part of her development. But Liara? She takes responsibility for it and it’s all brushed off. It is something the game, that the writing, just doesn’t think is objectionable - because it’s framing what she has done as a grand romantic gesture

But without a romance? It’s an act of obsession. And there’s just... nothing said or done about it from that stance.

✿ SNAKES? SNAKES. RYDER AND HALI'A KEK

PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2

send me a ✿ and i’ll fill out the template below. bold for things i could definitely see or want, italics for things i could see or am unsure of and striked out for things i don’t want or cannot see.

FRIENDSHIP. childhood friends / work buddies or coworkers / family friends / friends with benefits / smoking buddies / adventure buddies / fake friends / recently friends / party buddies / friendship of need / dying friendship / circumstantial friendship / partners in crime / old friendship / [ your muse ] is the good influence / [ your muse ] is the bad influence / [ my muse ] is the good influence / [ my muse ] is the bad influence / opposites attract / ride or die / frenemies / roommates or flatmates / penpals / exes to friends / enemies to friends / other .

ROMANCE. childhood sweethearts / [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush / [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush / exes / exes to lovers / forbidden lovers / highschool sweethearts / secret relationship / opposites attract / long distance / unrequited [ from your muses side ] / unrequited [ from my muses side ] / unrequited [ from both sides ] / skinny love / friends to lovers / enemies to lovers / spurious relationship / power couple / newly entered / soulmates [ metaphorical ] / soulmates [ literal ] / awkward / turning toxic / toxic love / cheating [ on your muse ] / cheating [ with your muse ] / other .

FAMILIAL. siblings [ half ] / siblings [ step ] / [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure / [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse / [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours / [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse / guardian figure / legal guardian / adoptive child / foster child / [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing / [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing / other .

ANTAGONISTIC. dangerous to each other / dangerous to others / unpredictable / rivals / petty / developing into sexual or romantic tension / based off family matters / based of off circumstance / based of professional matters / based off misunderstanding or lies / conflict of ideology / betrayal / hero - villain dynamic / enemies / fight club / friends turned enemies / lovers turned enemies / exes turned enemies / other .

SpecRecs Letter 2021

Feel free to combine any of the pairings I’ve asked for, to create friendship groups or poly relationships.

Any time I’ve offered or asked for female versions of Shepard or Ryder, I’m happy with male or NB versions instead - I’m only specifying a gender because the site makes me.

If I’ve asked for romance, I’d also like a platonic version of the same relationship.

Likes:

Focus on friendship and mutual support.

Ensemble casts (background pairings are fine).

Humour.

Angst without hopelessness.

Action scenes.

Alien biology and culture.

Interesting, non-anime-elf quarian designs.

Genders other than 21st-century Western male and female (SF or real-world).

Consideration of the setting’s politics and economics.

Player characters being OCs with their own personality (I’m not fussed about what they look like, but I want a personality).

Human characters with cultural backgrounds. (Any cultural background. Sure, representation never hurts, but “I’m an Anglo-American from New York so my Shepard is an Anglo-American from New York” is a perfectly good background.)

Religious characters.

Coping with disability.

Fic that repairs canon plotholes.

Destroy Ending AUs with EDI and the geth surviving. (Shepard surviving in one piece is good, Shepard winding up disabled and having to get a new job is good, Shepard dying nobly is also good.)

Canon divergence AUs.

Stories about rebuilding after the Reaper War.

No Reapers AUs.

Porn likes:

Treatment of sex as a fun collaborative thing, and not taking it too seriously.

Necks as an erogenous zone. Also ears, if the character has external ear flaps.

Cuddling and massage.

Admiring partner’s body (regardless of whether they’re conventionally attractive).

Non-idealised sex, and things going wrong without ruining the sex.

Safe sex (whatever that means in context… contraception, avoiding fluid-bonding for disease prevention or due to allergies, being careful about using your fangs on soft squishy aliens, being careful when using your electricity powers on any kind of alien, being careful when tying up your partner to make sure they don’t sprain something, quarian issues…)

Light BDSM (particularly wrestling, spanking or biting). Focussed on fun for everyone involved, and nothing too hardcore.

Weird alien genitalia. Let’s get creative!

-particularly interested in knotting, tentacles, or cisgendered male characters who have some sort of sensitive sperm-producing orifice instead of a penis.

Quarian porn where they keep their suits on, and nerve-stim programs in general.

I like the idea of mating cycles, but only if everyone keeps all their mental faculties, everything stays 100% consensual, and the biology makes sense.

Dislikes:

Excessive/inappropriate romantic jealousy from characters who are supposed to be sympathetic.

Infidelity. (I’m fine with Shepard re-partnering after Horizon – I’ll count Horizon as a breakup.)

AUs in a totally different setting, particularly modern or Regency AUs.

Suicide, unless the context is someone sacrificing themselves for a good cause or as a final defiance.

“My true love died - this means I will spend the rest of my life mourning them, and can never love again!” Or any other variation on “you can only have one true love, ever.” Especially if it’s played as alien psychology!

Anything soulmate-related.

Batarians being innately and inevitably evil.

Turian society being male-dominated.

“Most salarians actually do have sex drives - they just pretend they don’t because their society is so repressive and anti-sex.” (I’m happy with individual salarians having sex drives, as long as it’s an odd individual quirk.)

Generic-feeling, “non OC” Shepards or Ryders. (The default names and character designs are fine, I just want a personality.)

Interspecies reproduction, unless it’s the canonical asari variety.

The sort of kidfic that acts like children are rewards for getting married/the inevitable next step after marriage, rather than their own people.

I’m OK with Shepard having a sexual assault backstory, addiction issues, or infertility angst - but only if they’re coping fairly well with it and it’s not the focus of the fic.

Porn dislikes:

Humiliation/degradation type kinks.

Taboo roleplaying – eg doctor/patient, police officer/criminal or teacher/student (especially if actual doctors or police are involved).

Dubcon or noncon, unless you’re deliberately going for “this is messed up and horrible”. Rape roleplay is OK, as long as it’s clearly roleplay in-universe.

Porn that feels like an X-rated parody of canon.

A/B/O or seme/uke stereotypes, in either slash or het.

Turian romance dislikes:

Female humans being objectively better in bed than female turians, or male turians as objectively better than male humans. (I’m fine with characters who prefer aliens – just make sure it’s played as “this character has a weird kink,” not “the aliens are objectively better”).

Implications that they “mate for life” in a way humans don’t.

Implications that they’re innately violent during sex or that they don’t understand cuddling.

Anything portraying them as mentally/emotionally savage and animalistic, or implying it’s OK for them to lose control and do things their partner didn’t agree to.

I’m generally pro-biting, but can we please treat it under BDSM rules (eg, only if your partner wants to be bitten)? And if there’s blood or permanent scarring, then unless it was an accident and the next paragraph involves first aid and a lot of apologies, that’s too hardcore for me.

5, 6, 7, and 8.

Thank you for the ask!

5. Which of your fics do you wish was more successful?

Hmmm No Sex, Just Rest would have to be it. It’s my gen fic featuring my asari oc and Shepard. But gen fic never do well in general, especially when it’s an OC it makes it doubly harder to be more successful. I just wish more people would read it. 

6. What’s your favourite piece of dialogue you wrote this year?

Taken from Ace, a F!Inquisitor / Cassandra Pentaghast one shot. 

A hand gripped Trev’s shoulder and she jerked backwards, her eyes darting up to find Cassandra’s eyes boring into hers. “Please let me help.”

Trev found herself falling into those twin pools of pure earnestness and sincerity. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I think I’m broken.”

The Seeker blinked, confused. “Are you hurt?”

Trev shook her head. “I… I’ve not loved before. I’ve not wanted to bed someone else like the others do. I’ve not held someone else’s hand, I’ve not kissed, I’ve not even wanted to do those things. I… I’m just broken.”

“But…” Cassandra straightened and shuffled closer. She dropped her hand from Trev’s shoulder. It left Trev feeling chilled to the bone. Cassandra’s hands drifted downwards, hesitating a little before taking both of Trev’s in her own. “There, you’ve held hands now.”

Trev laughed. It was a broken sort of sound, verging on tears. She appreciated what Cassandra was trying to do, but it wasn’t quite what she meant. Regardless, Cassandra’s hands were warm and it drove the weight in her chest away.

“Trev,” Cassandra rubbed her thumbs over her knuckles. “There are many kinds of love. Like the one we have. You love me, don’t you?”

Trev’s eyes widened as a blush ran up her face.

“No, I mean as friends, I don’t mean anything else, just friends,” Cassandra spluttered realising what she had just said. “Friends love friends too. That’s love too.”

She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move. All she could do was listen.

“You love your family, I’m sure. Your brothers, your father, even your deceased mother, may the Maker preserve her soul, that’s love too,” Cassandra went on, finding strength in her words now. “It’s impossible for you to have never loved before because your heart is so big. So big that you’re willing to risk life and limb for Thedas.”

Tears prickled at the edges of Trev’s eyes as she tightened her jaw to hold the lump in her throat back. Cassandra wasn’t going to be deterred now that she found her stride. “Just because you have not, cannot, loved romantically, what does it matter? Love comes in many shapes and forms, just because you don’t have one kind doesn’t mean you’re broken. Lust and sexual attraction might not be something for you, but that’s ok too. Your life is still complete, you are still complete. Trev, you can never be broken, you were never broken.”

Just like that the knot in Trev’s chest was loosened and the tears came in earnest. Cassandra brushed them away before tugging her into a hug. Sobs shook her body as she cried in relief. Someone understood, Cassandra understood.

7. What’s your favourite piece of description or narration?

This is from Chapter 31 of Splintered Minds

Drack walked in, reeking of enough ryncol to make Carlyle’s eyes watered just by standing next to him. He wrinkled his nose, but he couldn’t find it in himself to force Drack out of Ryder’s room. The krogan’s heart was breaking before his eyes.

Nothing had changed.

Ryder lay on her bed, sleeping off the anaesthesia. Her head was wrapped with fresh bandages, her left ear one third shorter than it was before. Drugs saturated through her veins, beating back the fever and infection.

Nothing had changed.

Despite the faint irrational hope that nestled against his chest, Carlyle felt disappointed when Ryder opened her eyes, and she did not speak. She was present but yet not at the same time. Drack didn’t stay long after that. The look on his wizened face was nearly enough to convince him there was no hope.

Nothing had changed.

Ryder’s physical wounds healed. Infection and fever retreated, bandages came off, revealing the new landscape of her body. Deep, red and angry lines told the story of her battle, hidden away under the hospital gown. The remaining bandage was the one wrapped around her head, it hid her violently amputated ear away from the world.

Nothing had changed.

The rest of the Tempest crew visited in pairs, in groups and alone. Kosta and B’Sayle came and left in silence. Words were among what they did best, and words failed them just as it did him.

Nyx left troubled, tugging Drack along. “Let’s have a drink,” she suggested. Her mandibles alternated between fluttering with worry and pressed tight against her face in anxiety. Carlyle opened his mouth, ready to admonish and chide, but he snapped it shut when he saw Drack’s face.

Ama Darav didn’t visit, he was away on angara business. Whether the others visited or not, Carlyle didn’t noticed. He remained in the room, working as much as his distracted mind allowed him.

Harper did come. Her blonde hair parted deliberately to hide the scar that ran along her right ear. Hers did not turn gangrenous and the re-attachment had been successful. Harper’s icy gaze turned upon her rival as if searching. For what, Carlyle couldn’t say. She asked but one question. “Will she recover?” Her voice flat and without inflection.

He didn’t think it was a question out of concern. What he knew of their differences and history told him as much.

“She will,” he replied easily. It was a confidence he didn’t feel.

Nothing had changed, and everything did.

8. Which fic this year was most fun to write?

 In terms of sheer whump and angst, Memini is very favourite. And it’s with a pair I don’t have much experience writing, Vetra and FRyder. It played with tropes I really enjoyed amnesia and something akin to medical experiments. I think most people will be horrified by that but you won’t be. xD

End Of Year Fic-Writer ask meme

Designed for love vs written to be loved.

I think the strangest difference between Andromeda, and the original trilogy’s mostly non human romance options is how they are constructed as relationship options.

In the case of Andromeda... Almost it’s entire cast is designed from the ground up to be a romance option for the player. Specifically intended to placate to the assumed interested individual as much as possible.

Finished, boxed, and wrapped for your enjoyment.

Take Vetra for example. In almost every department she is designed as a romance option for the player, be that the way she walks, talks, looks, and behaves towards Ryder if you wish to follow through with that relationship.

Very deliberate hip sway, casual attitude towards intimacy, a warm and inviting personality, emotionally vulnerable, a soft simplistic design meant to push her feminine qualities... It is all very controlled/directed. She tells you what is assumed you want to hear, and does what you both expect, and want her to do as your ideal female turian partner. Who can deny the appeal? I myself was very much attracted to her instantly, even if I was aware that was fully intended on the part of BioWare.

Dialogue options are even symbol coded so the player knows the exact options which will facilitate the desired interactions.

You want to be with her, and she will want to be with you.

I would not say this is all that new, sketchy, or weird for the series.. The original games did this aswell for the first entry’s human romance options. Them giving you those affirming looks whenever you said the right things (even if you did not know what those were), and especially with characters like Miranda with her infamous butt to camera shots being an obvious attempt to titillate straight male players into romancing the loyal operative. The differences I want to point here are simply curious in nature more than anything considering how we come to love Garrus and Tali in the original trilogy... These are characters which were at first never intended to be romance options for the player in ME1. So the way in which they were developed to be so required more writing effort to make them viable partners.

Fans for ME1 liked the characters of Garrus and Tali so much that many wanted to be in a romantic relationship with them in the second game. Their personalities, and design were so vibrant, and iconic that no one could resist their allure. So BioWare had to deliver that to them, which would be no easy task. 

It is the reverse situation as described above.

You have to take everything that worked about these characters, then construct a believable romance around them. How can you justify love, sex, and romance with a bird-like, hard face plated alien, and a suited/masked alien who could die during intimacy? It is this science fiction awkwardness that makes these situations so worthwhile, and even hilarious. Enhancing the bond between you, and the character through shared emotional catharsis, acknowledgement of inherent situational absurdity, cultural/ideological chemistry, anatomical curiosity, and more.

How can we make this work?

What does it mean to love a Turian, or even a Quarian?

Is it safe for us to be together?

What is the differences between us, and what is something we have in common as species?

It takes time, effort, and motivation to love Tali and Garrus. It feels natural, and earned.

In Andromeda none of these interspecieis questions arise because the expectation is that sort of thing will work out regardless, especially with Jaal... This is an alien from a different galaxy 600 years away who has instantly recognisable traits, and features... Different biology, and yet he is more than willing to love you, find you attractive, and want to take you out to a beautiful locale for a seemingly consequence free interspecies sexual experience.

Lets not forget that his design is fully intended to be appealing.

This is what I find so strange about Andromeda. While these romances represent something welcome for the series I cant shake off their obvious artificiality when I compare them to what came before... I will always know full well that what I am being presented is something that was always intended to satisfy me, and that can be quite hollow sometimes.