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princess-spock · 7 months

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Pronouns and Gender in the Good Omens Universe

Neil recently said: “Angels aren't humans or mortals. They don't have genders. There isn't a pronoun you can use for them that's wrong, and unless you can speak in the tongue of the angels there's not a pronoun you can use for them that's actually right. Ditto Demons.”

Obviously, no one's going to debate Neil's pronouncements about the series! The thing is, though, that CONSISTENT gendered pronouns are used in the book, and in the series, and by Neil himself when referring to these characters. There's significant gray area here, no matter how you slice it. So...

(Who are we?

@Princess-Spock: I'm non-binary, specifically genderfluid. My pronouns are they/them for simplicity. My primary gender is agender, and is aroace; I have a wide range of other genders and sexualities.

@Twilightcitysky: I’m an allosexual, queer, cis woman with a background in healthcare, specifically sexual/reproductive health and mental health.)

Pronouns, ideally, should reflect gender… but what is gender? Gender is something we feel inside our heads. For most people, that matches up with their genitals… But not always!

Genitals do NOT determine gender!

Therefore:

A transwoman is a WOMAN, regardless of what genitals she has.

A transman is a MAN, regardless of what genitals he has.

A non-binary person is non-binary regardless of what genitals they have.

A genderfluid person might sometimes have gender that matches their genitals, but at least part of the time does not. (A gender that varies in intensity rather than going between genders is genderflux, not genderfluid.)

A couple of those terms need to be clarified:

• Non-binary means not having a “binary gender,” in other words not being one of the 2 most familiar genders, “exclusively male all the time” or “exclusively female all the time.” (Remember, bi = 2.) Non-binary does NOT mean being genderless! A non-binary person could be genderless/agender… or they might have partial gender, mixed genders, fluctuating genders (fluid or flux), xenogender, or non-specific gender.

Note: Not all non-binary people use they/them. Like everyone else, they get to choose their own pronouns. It's never acceptable to assign pronouns of your choosing to them, or to assume that they must be they/them without confirmation.

• Genderfluid means having a gender that changes periodically; a genderfluid person can have any number (other than 1) or combination of genders. The gender of a genderfluid person might change after a few minutes, or after hours, days, even months. Genderfluidity refers to gender ONLY; it does NOT refer to changes in presentation.

And what is presentation, aka gender presentation or gender expression? It’s what gender a person chooses to portray with their appearance. This can include choosing whether to wear male or female clothing, shoes and accessories… hair length and style… whether or not makeup is used… whether or not body shaping garments are worn, such as a binder to flatten the breasts, or padding to create curves... and whether or not there is facial hair, whether naturally grown or otherwise. If someone has a presentation that differs from their biological sex, they might be trans, or it could be cosplay, drag, cross-dressing, a costume, being gender non-conforming (GNC), as a sociopolitical statement (eg butch lesbians), or just for fun.

Presentation does NOT determine gender!

Some people are forced to wear whatever their culture dictates. Or whatever their family will accept. GNC people choose to not wear clothing that conforms to their gender. For some people, presentation is irrelevant, and they just wear whatever is easiest.

Because there are no elements of presentation that are specifically for any of the non-binary genders, non-binary people are typically left with some form of androgynous or GNC presentation. (@Princess-Spock: it's REALLY tricky to create a look that is neither male nor female, especially for those who, like me, don’t reshape their bodies.)

If a genderfluid person's gender changes when they aren't near their closet, their presentation might not match their gender, even if they’d prefer it to. Sometimes it's a matter of what they can afford; not everyone has the luxury of having multiple wardrobes. (@Princess-Spock: For those of us who are fortunate to have little or no dysphoria, we might skip customizing our presentation much of the time, just for simplicity.)

And just FYI:

Sexual orientation does NOT determine gender!

Specific to the fandom, there is no connection whatsoever between being asexual and being genderless/agender, or to not possessing genitals. Just because someone belongs in one of those categories does NOT mean or even suggest that they belong in the other categories. It is absolutely positively NOT correct to suggest that angels and demons are asexual simply because they don't have gender and/or genitals. (They might still be ace, of course!)

A few useful terms (these are not complete descriptions by any means):

• Asexual, sometimes abbreviated as ace, is a spectrum of sexual orientations in which a person feels little or no sexual attraction to anyone. Being asexual does NOT necessarily mean being aromantic. Also, being asexual does NOT mean not having sexual feelings, or not having and enjoying sex, although these things are true for those who are sex-averse.

• Aromantic is a spectrum of romantic attractions in which a person feels little or no romantic attraction to anyone. Being aromantic does NOT necessarily mean being asexual. And an aromantic person can still make loving connections, exchange affection like kissing or holding hands, and of course still have sex.

• Aroace refers to people who are both asexual and aromantic.

How does all this apply to the Good Omens universe? In the book, it says, “angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort”; Neil has referred to this for the series as well. Canon isn't explicit, but most of us interpret this as, "they don’t have genitals unless they choose to." Lack of GENITALS is then often wrongly seen as lack of GENDER. Neil said, "Neither the angels nor the demons, as far as I’m concerned, are actually gendered as humans are." But, he uses human gender terms; Crowley is genderfluid, angels are non-binary (it seems like he means that they’re genderless, but that's NOT what non-binary means). Confusingly, in a 2018 post, he said:

"The angels and demons in Good Omens aren’t human, they aren’t male (nor are they female). Not that they couldn’t be male etc if they wanted to make that effort. As it says in Good Omens: ‘For those of angel stock or demon breed, size, and shape, and composition, are simply options’."

That sure looks like, YES, they CAN have gender!

More confusingly, Neil also says that his personal headcanon is NOT canon, canon is only what's in the book and the series... and none of this appears in either place. This makes the gender and thus pronoun issues a tad ambiguous. We agree 100% with Neil that people should embrace their headcanons and allow others to do the same, and so use whatever pronouns they want, and allow others to do the same. Here's how WE see Crowley and Aziraphale's genders and pronouns:

It is absolutely impossible, by definition, for a genderfluid person to be genderless ALL the time. Therefore, if Crowley is genderfluid, he MUST have gender at least part of the time! (And if he can have gender, so can all other angels and demons!)

When Mrs. Sandwich tells Crowley that he's a good lad, and he responds that he's neither, that's in line with what most genderfluid people would say; having a gender some days but not others is different from BEING that gender. Crowley has chosen a male body (male genitals, hairy chest), facial hair, generally masculine attire, and male pronouns, so it's reasonable to assume that his chosen gender is male most of the time.

We assume that he was female when he chose to wear female clothing (an abaya) in the crucifixion scene. He may also have been female during his stint as Nanny Ashtoreth, but that might have just been presentation.

During the scene where he's in heaven in S2, he has a non-binary presentation; the tracksuit is androgynous, and the accessories (headband, sparkly gold tie, fingernails, and toenails) are feminine. He might be experiencing a non-binary gender at this time.

(@Princess-Spock: Genderfluidity is very complicated. Even when Crowley "looked" female, he might have been experiencing a variety of different genders; remember, neither genitals nor presentation determine gender! In fact, since Crowley had adopted a female appearance out of necessity, not because that was his true gender at that time, he might even never have actually BEEN female during the time he was "looking" female!)

What about Aziraphale? He has all the “male stuff” that Crowley does (facial and chest hair, deep voice, etc). He has an unwaveringly masculine presentation; his hair is ALWAYS short throughout history (even when Gabriel’s is long), and his sartorial choices are traditionally and formally male (pocket watch on a chain, French cuffs with cufflinks), with no hint of the modern androgyny of jeans and T-shirts… strong evidence that his chosen gender is male.

Neil always refers to Aziraphale and Crowley as he/him (he stated that Crowley was presenting female as Nanny Ashtoreth and at the crucifixion, but no pronoun is used either time). The book and the script book always refer to Aziraphale and Crowley as he/him. Aziraphale and Crowley always refer to each other as he/him. Michael and David have always referred to Aziraphale and Crowley as he/him. So, he/him is our personal choice.

What about the pronouns of other supernatural characters?

Beelzebub:

He/him in the book. She/her in the script book. For S1, Neil said, “I don’t think there were any. Probably Zzzzzzir.” They/them for S2 (“but they're always such a little ray of sunshine” in E3).

Dagon:

In the book, no pronouns are used, but all male titles; Lord, Master, Under-Duke. He/him in the script book. No pronouns used in the show or by Neil.

Muriel:

They/them canonically, but referred to by Quelin Sepulveda, the actress who plays Muriel, as she/they. It seems like the gender perception of the actor who embodies a character has to count for something; if Quelin was perceiving Muriel as partly female, that's an intrinsic part of who Muriel IS. We think we should honor that. (Neil has had plenty of opportunity to debate Quelin's usage, but never has.)

(Food for thought: If we accept this sort of "mixed" pronoun usage as valid in the Good Omens universe, it could apply to other angels or demons, not just to Muriel!)

Archangels played by actresses:

In the script book, when Aziraphale speaks to the 4 archangels, it says; “The room of angels in slick suits. There are four of them, male and female.” It doesn't specify WHO is female, though, and ALL the archangels have non-female pronouns elsewhere in the book, so...?

Uriel:

"He" in the script book, no pronouns otherwise.

Michael:

“He” in the script book. Neil has used "they."

Angels and demons played by male actors:

All of them are referred to with male pronouns, both within the series and by Neil. However:

Hastur:

Briefly had a female appearance in the scene where Aziraphale and Crowley are kidnapped, but no pronouns were used at the time. In the script book, the “lady tourist” is referred to as "she" when whacking Crowley… and then is referred to as "her" even AFTER transforming into Hastur with a wig.

Ligur:

In the book, Ligur was intriguingly referred to as “it” while he was dying, but immediately thereafter was referred to as "he." That paragraph appears almost word for word in the script book; it refers to him as "he" instead of "it."

Sandalphon:

Referred to in the script book as "it."

Metatron:

"He" in the book and season 2.

God:

Neil said: Jesus uses "Father". Aziraphale uses "She" pronouns for God and Crowley uses "They". I don't think the God in the Good Omens TV universe has a gender.

In the book, Aziraphale, Crowley and Metatron refer to God as He. In the script book, Aziraphale refers to God as She, and Crowley refers to God as They and She.

We think the bottom line is: These are FICTIONAL characters inhabiting a universe where there are few canonical rules for pronouns or gender for supernatural beings. This is a perfect vehicle for choice, which has so much importance to the story. You may start out on opposite sides, you may start out as a genderless being, you may start out as a sexless being, but you can choose something different for yourself. The importance of choice in Good Omens is one of the things that makes it great!

There’s a lot of fic and art that depicts the characters in different ways; everyone should feel comfortable portraying them the way they choose without the worry that someone is going to be upset with them. We’ve both seen a lot of comments to the tune of, “you’re not using the correct pronouns” or “that’s not the correct sexual orientation,” and that’s not good fandom etiquette. Being open-minded and kind to one another as we flesh out this universe for ourselves is just basic courtesy. Neil himself has said that in fandom, any interpretation is valid! The Good Omens fandom is largely a microcosm of the queer community; we need to practice acceptance amongst ourselves, so that we can stand together against those in the wider world who want to tear us down!

Anyone who wants to discuss personal gender issues can feel free to message @Princess-Spock; remember that if you ask anonymously, there's no way to reply to you!

#GoodOmens #GOS2 #Crowley #Aziraphale #NeilGaiman #IneffableGender #IneffablePronouns #GoodOmensGender #GoodOmensPronouns #GoodOmensMeta #GoodOmensSeason2

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genderkoolaid · 1 year

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So I came across this quote by Julia Serano, and I wanted to share my take on it:

“When you’re a trans woman you are made to walk this very fine line, where if you act feminine you are accused of being a parody and if you act masculine, it is seen as a sign of your true male identity. And if you act sweet and demure, you’re accused of reinforcing patriarchal ideas of female passivity, but if you stand up for your own rights and make your voice heard, then you are dismissed as wielding male privilege and entitlement. We trans women are made to teeter on this tightrope, not because we are transsexuals, but because we are women. This is the same double bind that forces teenage girls to negotiate their way between virgin and whore, that forces female politicians and business women to be aggressive without being seen as a bitch, and to be feminine enough not to emasculate their alpha male colleagues, without being so girly as to undermine their own authority.”

Now, I absolutely agree that this behavior is based in misogyny. The only thing I really disagree with is the idea that it doesn't have anything to do with being trans.

For one, trans men also are forced to walk this tightrope, if in the opposite direction. If a trans man is feminine, he's actually a girl, but if he's masculine, he's idolizing toxic masculinity. If a trans man is sweet and passive, he'll never be a real man, but if he's outspoken and demands to be heard, he's a raging misogynist wielding male privilege. Nonbinary people, too, have to walk the tightrope, with the added element of "too masc/fem and you aren't really nonbinary, too androgynous and you are suspicious and cringe and probably a pedophile". Reducing this tightrope down to just misogyny, in my opinion, obscures the way that other trans people besides trans women are also forced to walk this tightrope.

Additionally, while I understand why she compares it to things like the madonna/whore complex, I don't feel like it's exactly the same thing. If a cis woman (especially/specifically a white, straight-presenting one*) acts masculine or assertive, she'll certainly be called a bitch, a cunt, evil, unfeminine and ugly, all the misogynistic tricks in the book- but she'll never be called a misogynistic entitled male.

Cis women do not face the combined forces of misandry/misogyny/misandrogyny the way trans people do. Cis women do not have to fear being seen as male and therefore sexually predatory, naturally aggressive, and an oppressor to be taken down in the way that all trans people are. Cis women are seen as women, while trans people are seen as grotesquely occupying the space between genders. Cis women are punished for acting outside of the bounds of the class of woman, while trans people are punished for acting outside the bounds of binary gender. We fail to be proper women or proper men, and so anything we do is punishable because transness is seen as something which taints any gender it touches. Trans people are deviant women who need to be put in their place, and dangerous men who are a threat to patriarchal men, and androgynous freaks who threaten the very foundation of the gender binary and the patriarchy built upon it.

I don't wanna claim to know the true reasons behind why Serano comes to the conclusions she does, so this is just my own reading of this quote:

It feels like she is leaning heavily into the "its all misogyny" to make a point about how trans women face the same struggles cis women do, therefore they should be considered equally female and equally oppressed by misogyny as cis women. Transmisogyny is just another way to oppress women, as women, and therefore cis feminists should accept trans women as women.

And I don't blame her for that, if that was her motive. Especially considering that a lot of her writing was done during a time where radical feminists were intensely scrutinizing trans women's oppression & trans activism was even less well known or supported by mainstream feminism than it is now. But I do think that, in trying to align the experiences of trans women with the experiences of cis women, it has led to the thriving idea that trans men cannot experience equal levels of oppression, because they are men and therefore their experiences must be closer to that of cis men's.

It's not that the thing she's talking about isn't transmisogyny, or that she should've brought up trans men- I have no issues with her specifically talking about how this impacts trans women and how its based in transmisogyny. But I feel very strongly that the three-arm model of transphobia explained by @transunity is a far more accurate way of conceptualizing transphobia & all of its individual forms (transmisogyny, transandrophobia, exorsexism). It accepts that all trans people can be attacked from the position that they are men, or women, or both/neither.

It also makes sense that this model comes from the transunity movement, because it prioritizes shared experience & solidarity between all trans people rather than shared experience & solidarity between trans people and cis people who share their gender. Not that that is intrinsically bad, because it isn't- but I feel that Serano's model of transmisogyny, in rejecting the idea of "trans" as a class of its own, negatively impacts other trans people and especially trans men by forcing them to be seen only in relation to their cis counterparts, and not as trans people first and foremost.

*Edited to specify white/straight womanhood

#m.#transunity #transandrophobia #transmisogyny #exorsexism

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bookcub · 25 days

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Queer Questioning YA Book Rec

so I am in a class right now where we were assigned a book about questioning that was . . . so biphobic. So here is a list of books I have read and want to read that feature a main character questioning their queer identity.

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie- This is my personal favorite, Ophelia is a messy, dramatic, emotional main character which are some of my favorites. She is labeled as "boy-crazy" by her friends and families and she has never rejected this description nor questioned it until Talia Sanchez reveals she has kissed a girl. . . and Ophelia starts to question everything. This is a book about self love and platonic love and encourages questioning and ambiguity and rejects shame and embraces community.

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli- This book is achingly sweet and an intense look on internalized and externalized biphobia. Imogen pretends to be her best friend's ex girlfriend and then starts to think of herself as outside of the straight ally she has always imagined herself. This is a book about coming of age and addressing biphobia and the forming of community.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender- I haven't read this in a while but this follows Felix, who is a trans boy. He is questioning his gender but has anxiety around this questioning. I really enjoy the love stories in this text and the way the gender binary was questioned.

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann- This isn't the most questioning focused book but this is the only book with an ace main character who has any questioning for YA lit. And I wanted to mention it because of that.

Please share other books about questioning!!

#my book recs #becky albertalli #racquel marie #claire kann #kacen callender

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invisibleicewands · 9 months

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Terry Pratchett would love the queer politics of Good Omens 2

Good Omens 2, the second season of Prime Video’s cult hit, will finally arrive on Friday (28 July), almost five years after the first season debuted and over three decades since the publication of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s beloved novel on which it was based. Like the first season, Good Omens 2 is warm, inviting, weird, whip-smart, wonderfully diverse, very funny… and it’s really going to annoy the “anti-woke” brigade.

As with Gaiman’s other recent TV hit, The Sandman, this is a show with diversity and representation built into its DNA. Characters have same-sex crushes and no one bats an eyelid. There’s a completely open approach to casting in which the race, gender and physical characteristics of individuals basically don’t factor into the story in any way. There are characters with visible disabilities, black characters, white characters, old and young, women, men and non-binary – and none of these identities has any bearing on the story. Rarely is representation on this scale so elegantly done. For a story about the end of the world, it’s strangely utopian.

At the centre of the tale are Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant), an angel and demon, friends, companions and technically mortal enemies for millennia. Sheen is fussy, well-meaning, pleasant and fastidious, while Tennant is wily, louche and sardonic.

And they love each other. It’s never stated aloud, though it bubbles close to the surface once or twice if you know where to look. The pair’s odd-couple, will-they-won’t-they chemistry, which is less obvious in the book, was the heart of the first season, and season two gives us even more. They’re a classic pairing: attracted opposites thrown together by fate. There’s a wonderful moment in season one where Crowley states that, rather than being agents of heaven or hell, they are simply on their own side, and another where Aziraphale tenderly uses his angelic wing, almost absent-mindedly, to shield his partner from the rain.

What the pair’s relationship hasn’t been, at least not yet, is overtly romantic, though Gaiman, the show-runner, has said many times that he regards Good Omens as a “love story between an angel and a demon”. It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds as the season progresses. If it blossoms into a full romance, it’ll be another example of the representation baked into the show. Crowley and Aziraphale may be genderless angelic beings, but Tennant and Sheen are cis-gendered men, and any romantic scenes will unavoidably be viewed through a queer lens.

In a way, that would be deeply fitting. Good Omens is not an innately political book, but it is, like most of the late Sir Terry Pratchett’s work, intensely moral – something that Gaiman (alongside the show’s executive producer, Rob Wilkins, who is also executor of Pratchett’s literary state and his “representative on Earth”) has preserved in the new story: a two-season arc based on ideas he and Pratchett had for a follow-up they never had time to write. That morality, that anger at injustice, was an essential part of Pratchett’s writing. (“Do not underestimate this anger,” Pratchett once told his friend. “This anger was the engine that powered Good Omens”.) There’s a lot of that anger in Good Omens 2, mainly aimed at the contradictions and cruelties ordered by God in the Old Testament. The avidly atheistic Pratchett would certainly approve.

But even without the religious critique, Good Omens is innately political. It tells a story in which all characters, regardless of gender, race, age, physical shape or ability can be completely, authentically and – crucially – visibly themselves. It’s a very Terry Pratchett idea. A very Neil Gaiman idea. And an ineffably Good Omens idea.

#Michael Sheen #David Tennant #Good Omens 2

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haveyoureadthistransbook · 2 months

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X Marks The Spot edited by Theo Hendrie

goodreads

X MARKS THE SPOT is an anthology of personal essays, art and poetry all by nonbinary people from around the world on the subject of gender identity and experiences. It aims to uplift the voices of nonbinary people, to provide some much-needed representation and of course to be a resource for cis allies and questioning folks. Above all, it is a space for everyone outside the gender binary to exist with all of themselves intact. All of the contributors are nonbinary, agender, genderqueer, genderfluid, wíŋkte, trans, demigender or one of the hundreds of other labels available to people like us. This thought-provoking project is by nonbinary people for nonbinary people. We spend so much of our time explaining ourselves for the benefit of others but this anthology is different. In these pages, we get to say what we want to say, leading to work that is at once stirring, bold and moving. Contributions came from all around the world and they explore our experiences with coming out, transitioning, relationships, religion, race, disability and more. We are not a monolith. Our community is just as diverse and varied as any other but we hope that you might see yourself in our pages. We hope that you might learn empathy for the identities you don't understand. Gender identity has been a subject of intense debate but ‘X Marks The Spot’ provides an emotional connection that will foster learning and understanding no matter whether you’re gay or straight, trans or cis, binary or nonbinary. The LGBT+ community has long been misunderstood and nonbinary people are no different. If you have ever wanted to know what it was like to be neither fully a man nor fully a woman, then perhaps this might begin to tell you.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this anthology before, but this sounds like an interesting and varied nonfiction anthology of nonbinary experience.

#x marks the spot #theo hendrie #polls #trans books #trans lit #trans literature #lgbt books #lgbt lit #lgbt literature #nonfiction #anthology #nonbinary #own voices

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atmosphericradar · 3 months

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I recently finished the first volume X Gender by Asuka Miyazaki. The Goodreads reviews for this first manga volume talk about how messy it is from a representation perspective, and how it's probably not a great introduction to gender and sexuality (especially anyone who might need a supportive voice in this regard: e.g. newly-minted trans and non-binary people, or anyone currently exploring their sexuality more than owning it).

My girlfriend found it for me when we were both browsing at a book store. I hadn't heard of the manga before yesterday, though I get the impression after reading Goodreads that there is someone recommending this manga to a general "weird in the gender" audience. I don't think this would have been a healthy read for me back in 2021 when it was first published, but I am not certain of that.

As someone who entered queerness at the end of their 20's, and still has a long way to go in terms of living my truth (publicly and privately), I found X Gender a refreshingly honest perspective. Many people early in their journey out the closet will consume tons of media (social or otherwise) featuring physically attractive, fashionable queer people. It's aspirational, and it often breeds jealousy and self-hatred.

In online spaces like Tumblr, so-called "baby queers" are told that this kind of "beautiful people" media creates unrealistic expectations (true!), but then turn around and produce tons of media featuring emotionally exceptional, unproblematic queer people. The aspiration never goes away, it just becomes a degree in gender studies and intersectional feminism. Physically idealized or mentally idealized, both media landscapes uphold lofty expectations.

X Gender attempts to honestly depict an imperfect human being's life experiences. The main character isn't a beautiful, charismatic androgyne who charms people with their quirks. They aren't a saintly therapist who lives above the gendered anxieties of their culture. They're a nerd in their 30's living with their mom, who is still unpacking their trauma and gender and sexuality. They have uncommon, perhaps unkind views on relationships and families. They burnt social bridges, and have few close friends. They're bitter and anxious and self-centered. They have a fraught relationship with sex and with their own body.

This is not the story of someone who has their life in order (if it was, it would probably center the character of the General). But a lot of queer people online don't have their lives in order either! We live in a messy world, where coming out as LGBTQ commonly makes someone's life very disorderly! The pressure to be presentable, to be desirable by whatever metrics, is intense. I constantly worry that I'm not "being queer correctly", like I need to earn the privilege of being nonbinary. Reading a story about a realistically flawed person - that never once questions their own non-cis gender despite their society and their personal issues - is validating in ways I've as-of-yet rarely experienced.

Ultimately, I agree that this manga isn't for queer kids fresh out of cis-het society. It's probably not for a lot of people! There are almost certainly better English-language texts out there explaining the Japanese queer scene. But this manga does say "anyone can be queer, even someone you might find objectionable" without wavering. And that was important for me to hear.

#x gender (2021)#x gender #anime #my posts #gender #social media #society #trans #media analysis #media criticism #socialized norms #weird

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angevinyaoiz · 5 months

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just finished reading He Who Drowned the World, the sequel to She Who Became the sun. An absolutely great and entertaining read. I don’t think it felt as unified to me as the first book, but it had a constant pace, lots of doom and excitement and suffering, and has the kind of emotional melodrama indulgence you get from slash but curiously not directed towards a central romance or love interest, but more towards the intense yearning towards a sense of wholeness.

Because of that I found it very curiously asexually resonant. Sexuality and gender plays a main role in this story, and many sexual relationships are explored, but personal sexuality is treated as curiously incidental in the main characters’ perspectives. It’s used as a tool of transaction or power or routine physical satisfaction, it’s something observed in others, but desire itself is not dwelled on. Despite, or perhaps because of this, the story feels free to indulge in other forms of intimacy and weird expressions that nonetheless are extremely emotionally and physically charged and erotic in their own exaggerated or subtle ways (especially, if you’re like me, and very attuned to finding freakreadings of works.) there’s always a tension and an eroticism in the extreme, sadistic power dynamics of a monarchic and military rule, the restrictiveness of a binary in a narrative making it all the more satisfying when characters rail against it or are exiled from it. Violence is ever-present in this book, and cruel betrayals are carried out with self-satisfied melodrama, but I feel it manages to be entertaining and dramatic while having a sense of empathy throughout.

I’m not familiar with the historical setting of 14th century China and the historical figures it’s loosely based on, but the story felt solid enough as a stand-alone stylized, fantastical work that I really enjoyed. Very fucked up queer people behaviors in this all around. I’m always a bit bummed when I see SWBTS kind of pigeonholed into just being a “sapphic representation” book since I feel that’s only one aspect of a much greater messily defined web of characters and their relationships to manhood, womanhood, the body and self, etc, so great to see that explored more in this book.

I can’t say it all completely worked for me, there’s some tonal differences I think in the earlier chapters that make it harder to get through since some parts, especially the chapters with Zhu and her company feel very more adventure episode that requires some fantastical suspension of disbelief, juxtaposed with the more political and intense relationship court concubine drama of Baoxiang’s perspective. I think the book is best read probably not all in one go, but bit by bit—it feels paced more like a TV show of old serial in that way. I also think the ending was a bit quick for me, but it did surprise me with the mood it ended on, an ending that in a way seems to turn outward to look at the audience and imagine the future, many many reincarnations later.

#text #reviews #he who drowned the world #hwdtw #radiant emperor #not medieval Europe #shelley parker chan #also another thing this book had going for it: Flamboyant Straight vs Eunuch vs. Girlboss vs. Stone Butch: fight #asexual #asexuality

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evilgoosegoose · 8 days

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Just gonna dump stuff about my favorite au (my sick au)

First off, I'm probably gonna change the name to either something more poetic, or something more straight to the point and less connected to fluff,

Second, the "sickness" isn't actually a sickness, it causes the affected people's health to decline for a few days before picking back up, but it isn't actually a sickness

Third, Demi girls and Demi boys should be referred to as Gender Halfas in the Phandom, yes I know most demi girls and demi boys aren't perfectly halfway in and out, my own girlfriend is a demi girl (she/they for them btw) but I just think it's hilarious and fits our theme of puns and gender affirmation

I'm not gonna keep numbering these, I'll end up having two number 7s and completely skip over so many numbers, I know myself

Get ready for an army of worldbuilding paragraphs:

I realize that the way I set this up seems pretty sexist, but please I'm begging you, it's world-building, I spent forever watching horror/sci-fi movies and reading books to get a good grasp on how different hive minds work and took note of differences in how each gender orientation works as the monarch of a hive mind, heck I even studied the Taken from Destiny and Apothecary Gary from Amphibia. If you truly want to get mad, get mad at the media industry for making even organic hive minds with monarchs at the top (similar to ants) oddly sexist.

I may not be willing to do ten minutes of research for a school project and actually use it, but I'm fully willing to spend well over 48 hours collectively taking notes and studying hive minds for something barely 7 people are gonna see

I will refer to the "sickness" as S for now

S is actually a hive mind, how it assimilates is dependent on what gender (GENDER NOT SEX) orientation the monarch has

if they are nonbinary (outside of female or male, gender halfa's do not count as non-binary enough for S, though they are completely valid I am just lazy af and don't want to make 17,000 different approaches to hive minds thanks)

they will be chaotic and unpredictable, they'll assimilate everyone who gives their consent without malicious intent, and as many bigots as they can purely to put them at the bottom of their hive's food chain, they're fairly obvious, and give off cult vibes, but other than those typicals, it's anyone's guess as to what they'll do.

females will be more aggressive in their approach, assimilate as fast and as many as they can like they'll die any second, all in their hive's acting similarly to zombies, it's not hard to spot them and it's obvious from the moment their health picks back up.

males are fairly sneaky, quietly spreading their influence until it's too late, you either have to be incredibly observant or know the person very well to be able to notice, as well as not making it obvious who's the monarch after their hive is discovered.

The monarchs and those directly below them (assimilated partners and blood children if they have any) are the only ones affected by S capable of utilizing special hallucinogens that are a certain type of ecto to control those they have not yet assimilated or infected with S.

How do they use these hallucinogens to control people you ask? allow me to explain;

You know the fear gas from DC?

if you don't it essentially is utilized by one of Batman's rouges, Scarecrow, to distract anyone in his way, as it causes afflicted to become intensely paranoid, fearful, and hysteric, and can even be specialized to target certain fears, even ones the affected may not have previously had, like a fear of heights or a fear of the dark, though it can be cured.

it acts similar to that, though it is completely specialized to the person, made to order if you will, for some, especially someone the monarch has personal connections with it will target people's wants, giving them things they want, such as a sweet treat, or the promise of sleep if they just walk a little bit further, or just do this one thing. however if the monarch does not like them, or if they are resistant to temptations, it will target fear, anger, or sadness, usually attempting to activate the fight part of their fight or flight instincts,

If you break someone out of their hallucinations they will quickly come to their senses, however it will stun the monarch for 45-60 seconds.

Monarchs are prone to biting, this is for a variety of reasons, one of which is based on a practice some group performs, I don't remember who does it, nor do I remember the specifics, but the gist of it is that if another's blood is mixed with your own, or ingested you are significantly closer to that individual, another is preservation, when a monarch senses that S is about to leave their body, or that they are close to death they will attempt to pass it on to continue their hive, another is because ghosts are violent creatures by mortal standards because of their virtually indestructible bodies and one of the most common emotions to die around in large quantities is rage, and light biting and non fatal bites are both a show of trust and a show of respect, as it shows they will not latch on and go straight for the core, and that you will not attempt to harm them.

Halfa S monarchs are very aware of this and will do everything they can to show their respect loved ones via very light (by ghost standards, by human standards it's like gnawing on something absentmindedly kind of bite) bites on their hands or arms, never the neck or anywhere where there are vital arteries to avoid accidentally biting too hard and killing them.

As much as S monarchs are cunning and powerful, they also rely on instinct heavily, causing lots of purring when it comes to loved ones, and growling and hissing at disliked things, as well as random attacks and spur of the moment changes in activities

in order of most resistance to instinct to least resistance to instinct the monarch types go:

Non-Binary, Male, Female

gonna do a bunch of stuff on this later but for now Imma sleep cause I am tireddddddddddd

#danny phantom #danny fenton #danny phantom au #sick danny #infodump #idk what i’m doing

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queerauntie · 1 year

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October Reads

This month was my most packed month! I was working a full-time job with a huge commute and I was popping Alice Oseman like a housewife pops Vicodin- desperately. They held me down like I didn't even realize I needed until looking back. My job was really toxic and pushed me to my emotional limits. Alice created a consistently safe space where I could feel hopeful and romantic. Like no matter how hard shit was going, it was going to get better! I can't recommend this author enough, Alice Oseman is the master of young adult fiction. Each story has its own package of wholesomeness. I can't wait to see what they come out with next (including season 2 of Heartstopper!). I will be making a separate post that you can read here to talk about just how much these books gutted me emotionally, but I wanted to get this out! So here's a brief overview of my thoughts on those books!

Alice Oseman Books I read this month:

Loveless (I think this one was my favorite)

This Winter (had no idea it was so short until it was over!)

Radio Silence (this one holds a special place in my heart, it's the first one I ever read, years ago, and because of ADHD I got to read it again for the first time ever)

Solitaire (this poor precious baby tori needs a hug!)

I Was Born for This (Oh but this one was so good too)

As for the 3 non-Oseman books we have:

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

I feel like it's carnal sin to talk poorly about queer art because we get so little of it, we don't want anyone to use it as an excuse not to continue pushing it forward. But after Alice Oseman set the bar, I gotta say I was a little disappointed with What if It's us by Albertalli and Silvera. The characters were sweet but ultimately fell flat. The plot was romantic, but predictable. But I want to give it flowers because it is a story about queer love and you can't help but root for the kids, even if they are a little obsessive.

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted was so so fun! I talked a lot about it in my review here, but to summarize- Tabitha is my girl and I would fight anyone for her!! Including and primarily that fool of a man who keeps playing with her! I was sick of it!!! Ultimately if she is happy I am thrilled, but after falling in love with Tabitha Walker as a character, I just can't accept any less than someone who is as obsessed with her as I am. Is that so much to ask!? With the 3rd book in the series yet to be published, I am eagerly awaiting to hear about how my friend is doing, check in on the beautiful life she's made for herself, and lend an unknowing ear to her stressors and fears. That's my best friend right there! 🥹

Felix Ever After is everything I expected What If It's Us to be. It's still young adult fiction, still frazzled young protagonists, and predictable conflict that seems easily resolved. But what set these two books apart is how well Callender was able to put you in the shoes of their characters and feel the emotions on a real level. It was so sweet and I'll be recommending this book to my trans non-binary sibling because they were very much a Felix when it came to gender exploration! As a millennial queer, it can feel a little intense seeing how much the younger kids grasp onto labels so tightly. Not to say labels are bad, as they can help you learn about yourself, but when it's not the vocab you grew up with, it can seem a little silly. This book helped me understand the journey more personally (and even helped me find a new relationship with my gender!). For that alone, the book gets all the flowers!

Yearly Book Count: 16/??

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mjjune · 11 months

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9 for twtr OCs for the ask game! i wanna know all the lore~~~ (--@space-writes)

Thank you!!! No one has asked me this one yet 👀

Putting under the cut for mild worldbuilding spoilers

Ask me Pride Asks!!!

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

Unfortunately I refuse to spoil too much about The Wolf, so I'll just stick to Red and Avery (the woodsman)! For some basics about the culture of the kingdom the story takes place in, there is a religion that is very black and white (literally, my idea behind it was: "what if the worst christians possible got their hands on the yinyang?" lmao) and even though it's not overtly discussed on the page, gender is also very black and white. General misogyny exists, though it's not as intense as most medieval fantasy stories (re: The Queen has no king, women can be on councils and in the church and govt, be doctors, hold high position in careers, etc). There is also the classic "you must get married, be monogamous, and produce offspring" culture. This is all on the down-low in my book and not directly discussed, but it's fairly clear through Red's experiences in the book. But also because of the black and white lens, essentially anything between genders is... not a thing. Even just conceptualizing that would be extremely difficult for most citizens. Avery - Since Avery spent most of his youth outside the kingdom—literally, in the woods—he was mostly solitary and so he could do his own thing regarding gender/sexuality without feeling held back by the rigidity of the kingdom's culture. That said, he was born in the kingdom and briefly raised by his parents there, and that founded his idea of Gender, and also his parents essentially had mixed/reversed gender roles (re: the mom was big and physical and a hunter, the dad was gentle and educated and artsy) so this impacted the way he views gender, roles, and himself. Also with regard to the religion, which he was forced to convert to for 5 years 😅 probably just short-circuited his brain because Binary™ and made him even more trans/nb than he already was lmao Red - Red (as princess) has the pressure to produce heirs and get married, and so this part of the world directly impacts her identity because she has no interest in the latter of those things. Because she is well educated and slated to be the next queen, she has a bit more power over her own life and the direction she takes compared to most civilians, who would likely get married whether they want to or not for money/survival. Also I imagine being raised pretty solitary in a castle and focusing on education and being Hyperaware of how she has been sexualized for her beauty and just... being a public figure/celebrity impacted the way she views sex, the way she views attraction, and likely the development of her own attraction (which is none, since ace). But I guess, chicken or the egg? haha

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TWTR TAGLIST: (ask for comment below to be +/-) @aether-wasteland-s @annetilney @artbyeloquent @bebewrites @dogmomwrites @elijahrichardwrites @eventideintrigue @faithfire @flowerprose @forthesanityofstorytellers @ghafasinej @helioscenic @isabellebissonrouthier @jamieanovels @lexiklecksi @little-mouse-gardens @mr-writes @perasperaadastrawriting @phantomnations @theimperiumchronicles @thyroidhormones @verba-writing @vsnotresponding @wildswrites @wip-nook

#writeblr #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #writer community #writeblr community #worldbuilding #c: woodsman #c: red #w: twtr #my ask game #pride ask game #mj mumbles #answered #ask #mj posts #ask game

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maddiesbookshelves · 1 year

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Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (December 2022)

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

I had to buy a book for university while I was at the Salon du Livre in early December, and this one really caught my eye. First, because it was a salon targeted towards children's literature and, okay, fair, this includes infants and goes into YA literature, but this comic tackles questions of gender and sexuality that people don't often approach in a space where children are included. Second, I had seen this comic in passing on the internet, so this was the perfect occasion to read it.

I'm not going to give a review saying "this is good, this is bad", I'm just gonna say that I think it's something eveyone should read. Maybe you don't think being non-binary is a thing, maybe you know it's a thing, maybe you're just curious. Maybe this comic won't change your views on non-binary people, maybe it will, maybe it'll change how you view yourself, but it's a great way to learn (more) about this identity. Like any story about queer experiences, this isn't the non-binary experience, it's an experience, but you have to start somewhere and this is a great starting point.

Please be mindful of potential triggers though, stay safe everyone!

French version under the cut

En 2014, Maia Kobabe, qui utilise les pronoms ille/lo*, pensait qu'une BD sur des statistiques de lecture serait la dernière BD autobiographique qu'ille écrirait jamais. A l'époque, c'était la seule chose qu'ille pensait pouvoir confortablement partager avec des étrangers. Maintenant, Genre Queer existe. L'autobiographie profondément cathartique de Maia retrace son cheminement dans sa quête d'identité, ce qui inclue l'humiliation et la confusion de liés aux béguins d'adolescents, le stress de comment faire son coming out auprès de sa famille et de la société, nouer des liens avec des amis grâce à la fanfiction érotique gay, et faire face au traumatisme des frottis. Initialement un moyen d'expliquer à sa famille ce qu'être non-binaire et asexuel veut dire, Genre Queer est plus qu'une histoire personnelle : c'est un guide utile et touchant sur l'identité de genre — ce que cela signifie et comment l'appréhender — pour des alliés, des amis et des humains n'importe où.

Je devais acheter un livre pour la fac quand j'étais au Salon du Livre début décembre, et celui-là m'a vraiment tapé dans l’œil. Premièrement, parce que c'était un salon qui cible la littérature jeunesse et, ok, c'est vrai, ça inclue les bambins et va jusqu'à la littérature YA, mais cette BD aborde des questions de genre et de sexualité que les gens n'abordent pas souvent dans des milieux en partie dédiés aux enfants. Deuxièmement, j'avais vu passer cette BD sur internet, donc c'était l'occasion parfaite de la lire.

Je vais pas faire une review pour dire "c'était bien, c'était pas bien", je vais juste dire que je pense que c'est quelque chose que tout le monde devrait lire. Peut-être que vous pensez que la non-binarité n'existe pas, peut-être que vous savez qu'elle existe, peut-être que vous êtes juste curieux. Peut-être que cette BD ne changera pas comment vous voyez les personnes non-binaires, peut-être que si, peut-être que ça changera comment vous vous voyez, mais c'est un bon moyen d'en apprendre (plus) sur cette identité. Comme toutes les histoires sur les expériences queer, il ne s'agit pas de L'Expérience non-binaire, juste d'UNE expérience, mais il faut bien commencer quelque part et cette BD est un bon début.

*j'ai utilisé ici les pronoms et accords établis par la traduction de Anne-Charlotte Husson suite à ses recherches et entretiens avec l'auteurice.

#gender queer #maia kobabe #genre queer #comics #BD #non fiction #non binary authors #non binary #french #memoir #autobiography #autobio comics #books #booklr #book recs

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apolloanddaphnis · 11 months

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Immortal Aphrodite

Part I

Synopsis: a pansexual non binary therapist in New York is finally in a good place in their life, when they gets a client that might threaten all of that.

Dedicated to a very good friend if mine who I absolutely love.

Disclaimer: This story will be explicit as hell. This is a Trans!Female Timothée Chalamet x Reader love story.

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Salem's POV

It took me a long time to get where I am today. I'm not talking about getting my bachelors in Psychology at the University of Arkansas, and then my masters in counseling at Hunter College. Those are just degrees and hours of studying and no social life for someone who doesn't have one anyway.

It took me a long time to get to where I am, struggling to discover that I'm not defined by one gender or the other, that I'm not attracted to people based off of what gender THEY identify as, working through a drinking problem that stemmed from mental and emotional abuse from my family even when they were a distance away. And then coming out to them so I could finally live my life, live it healthy and honest. Coming out to my family almost sent me back to the bottle, I had to call my sponsor or I didn't know if I'd make it.

It's safe to say they are no longer in my life, which makes me sad sometimes but not sad enough to return to that life. It took too long getting here to where I am, I remember when I finally legally changed my name, Salem Eden Coslett. With that name I worked as an elementary school counselor while getting my masters degree, with that name I graduated with that very master's degree and my addiction program AND rented my Brooklyn brownstone apartment, and that is the name that's on the door of my office. An Office I made a safe place for not just the queer community but people of all communities.

I still see a therapist of course, problems don't go away just because you're doing good and Dr. Valentine has been a big help.

My life has been going so well, I have succulents and an Ivy I nurture, two Maine coons called Aragorn and Elrond that I adore. I'm in a book club and I found a really nice church that's open and accepting with a lesbian reverend.

So tell me why I'm ready to jeopardize that and break the hippocratic oath? Tell me why I forgot how to breathe when my first time patient walks in looking as good as she smelled, strutting in all tall and elegant and elvish with long, spider legs and red lips? She wore stylishly vintage jeans from the early 90s that stayed up in her petite waist with the help of a Gucci belt, a black turtleneck that's tightness showed off her lean built, red two and half inch block heels that I saw in the window of Nordstroms, a single Cartier bracelet and small gold hoop earrings. Her rich chocolate curls were cut voguishly in the wolf style, and nothing really changed her pretty and intense features except for red lipstick and bb cream.

Nails as red as her lips and shoes were paired with many vintage rings, on long, dexterous fingers that lived on large hands. Hands I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from.

She has pretty diamond shaped head and very sharp features, gorgeously scissor sharp cheekbones and an aquiline nose that made her look beautifully noble, seductively hooded Hazel eyes with thick eyebrows that resided above them. Her lips are small but full and the Rouge on them kept making my eyes return to them. Her beauty is svelte and Eastern European, she's the absolute New Yorker and I couldn't breathe. I don't remember inviting her to sit on my rattan wood daybed with a salmon-colored, velvet cushion. She moved my plethora of colorful cushions and pillows aside to sit and sink into the seatery. She looks so pretty there and I just imagined doing such depraved things to her and it made me feel horrible. I did invite her to sit and I offered her tea, but I'm in a trance so I just don't remember.

I need to get myself together, I must look like an idiot just gawking at her. "The tea is really good." She said, her voice is raspy and deep but very soft. She looked me in the eye briefly before studying my appearance, I felt my heart race as I pushed up my glasses.

"Oh thank you it's um butterfly pea flower tea." I tapped my purple gel pen against my clipboard.

"It's sweet and flowery but earthy, it's so good."

It was cute how she described the tea, I smiled. "I'll make sure to make more for you next time, I like interesting tea flavors, like matcha." With patients I tend to let them take the reins of the conversation, make them feel comfortable and give them the feeling that they're in control of the direction of the conversation.

Hali Chalamet wasn't here to talk about mtea collection.

"I usually prefer coffee but this tea…what sweetener was that?" Her knee was jiggling so fast, she was tapping her foot wildly, a telltale sign she's nervous.

I shifted in my seat as I watched her, she blushed under my gaze and it made my mind wander and I bit my bottom lip. "Agave syrup, it's a healthy alternative. "

"Like Tequila agave?"

I smirked. "Sort of."

"Trying to get me drunk, Salem?"

I had strict instructions for my patients to address me by my first name, the gender definity of Mr., Mrs., and Ms. Made me uncomfortable and me getting rid of a title made it easier for my patients to talk to me.

So when she said my name with a suggestion I should have been fine, especially when I've had patients actually hit on me before, there's a whole transference situation that can happen between therapist and patient. Not with Hali, she had me completely effected.

"I see that you're a drama professor at Tisch school of Arts. You're so young to be one." I said it as a compliment with a smile.

I saw her perk up that, she was obviously very proud of that title and position. "Yes, I did 4 years at NYU and got a B.A. in drama, and then a PhD in fine arts. I used to…" She cleared her throat and hugged her arms around herself, something must have been triggered. "I was an actor on Broadway. ".

I rose my brows completely impressed, she does look familiar, but I can't remember from where, I didn't see theatre that often despite my love for watching it.

A frown appeared on her pretty mouth, I really shouldn't say that in my head. She's going through something horrible trip down memory lane and here I am admiring her.

"I was…it was when I was…Timothée…"

Sometimes saying your dead name can be triggering. I set aside my clipboard and approached her slowly. I stopped before her and crouched down to the ground, making sure my long skirt covered me. I looked up at Hali, it was a good position to all our her to know that I wasn't above her in anyway.

"Did you leave Broadway because of that? You don't have to talk about it today."

She looked down into my eyes, there was such a tenderness in them. "Thank you." She said softly, her eyes traveled down to my mouth and briefly to my covered chest. Did I imagine that?

"I need to go." She said in a quiet, gossamer of a tone.

I nodded, this happens a lot. Sometimes the first session doesn't go well, but even when I watched her walk out of the office, I know she opened up to me more than she knows.

After she left I started typing up notes and organizing the for her file. Once printed I put stickers on them that I associated with her, which I do with all my patients.

I had a date tonight with this perfectly nice guy, he's a veterinarian and open minded, he loves Sylvia Plath and listens to Harry Styles, favorite show is The Office and has only been in committed relationships. He's a male feminist and he's very tall, 6'3, has green eyes, cute glasses, and curly dark hair. His name is Dr. Josh Rosenstein and he smells lovely, like dove soap and gentle cologne, and we met up at L'Wren on Brooklyn's fifth Avenue for drinks. It was a little bit of a struggle but as he ordered his glass of Beaujolais, and I ordered my mocktail of ginger beer and grapefruit juice, we talked about our favorite office episodes and our jobs. All I could think about while he was being perfectly polite was Hali staring at my lips.

Then we met each other at 1 or 8, this minimalist Japanese restaurant on Dekalb Avenue. It wasn't the best Japanese food I ever had, all show no substance. But Dr. Josh was nice, very nice. I felt like an awful human being thinking about Hali's rings on her hand.

And when I invited the good doctor inside and we fucked with me on top, I thought of her cock, it looked so big through her Jeans. I felt miserably guilty and horny, I needed to get my patient out of my head but all I could think about was how Josh wasn't Hali.

And after he left I was counting down to when I would see her again.

Next Tuesday when I did, we just spoke about her favorite musicals and her favorite plays. She actually loves Rocky Horror Picture Show and I told her I have never seen it, my exposure to pop culture due to my religious upbringing was limited.

Well Miss Hali was appalled and the next morning, I had found a ticket to an off Broadway production of it at the Manhattan theater in my mailbox. I shook my head with a smile, and yes I was totally going.

Technically I'm not doing anything wrong right? They're just a simple gift from a grateful patient, happens all the time. And I had no idea if she would even be there.

But on the off chance that she was…

I didn't wear a suit like with Josh, tonight I feel more femme than masculine. I did my makeup, painted lips a dark red, used a matte foundation and smokey eyes, black spiderweb fishnet stockings wrapped around my legs and went well with my purple, velvet button down dress. The sleeves are short and so is the hem, it showed a heavy amount of cleavage which was easy to do with my size.

I zipped up black, mid calf, wedge heel boots and sprayed on my Good fortune perfume. I kept messing with my hair, I hoped I looked good enough, I hope I smel good enough, I just hope I'm enough.

As I grabbed my purse and set up the place nice for my cat, I chastised myself. "Salem you're insane, she probably won't even be there."

With that I headed out and hailed a cab to the Manhattan theater. I arrived early so I could find my seat, that's when I saw her. Apparently she can get hotter.

That dress hardly left anything to the imagination, black and completely sheer, sides cut out and showing off long, smooth legs that end in designer black boots. The eyeliner was heavy and it was so sexy. Should I go over there? Or pretend not to see her? Oh my God.

"Are you here alone?"

A pretty redhead in a babydoll dress appeared before me. She licked her lips and made it obvious she was checking me out with seductive brown eyes.

"Yes."

"Oh good." She smiled. "I'm Miranda, what's your name?"

"Salem." I wasn't interested and I should be, she's so pretty and smells good, but my eyes slid over to where Hali was– to find no Hali.

"Salem, there you are!"

A big smile graced my lips hearing the familiar voice that might as well be the chorus of angels singing. When did she get so close to me? And God she smells WAY better than Miranda. My eyes fell to her rosy nipples that were visible through that sheer number.

"I-uh here I am!"

She wrapped her lanky arms around my shapely waist. I couldn't breathe oh God, feeling her body against mine made me feel high. I had to mentally yet at myself to NOT Bury my face in her neck with a scent that could only be described as intoxicating.

Miranda looked annoyed and just walked away, sadly Hali let go. "Why did you do that?" I asked her.

"Do what?" She asked simply before slowly eyeing me. "You look really cute outside of your work clothes, although you look cute on those too."

"Hali, remember-" I started to warn.

"I know, I know, hippocratic oath or whatever. "

I folded my arms.

"I wish you wore your glasses."

I looked up at her perplexed and she just smirked then took my hand. "Come on, I'll take you to our seats."

"Hali, I don't know if this is appropriate…"

"It's just a show, and maybe some eats at Hill country barbecue market on West 26th street, afterwards of course not during. After all, you've never seen this before, and I'd hate for you to miss it."

"No, Hali. Please, listen, there is absolutely no way–" the overture of the music began and Hali shushed me. "It's beginning. "

I glared. "Don't ever shush me again, understand?"

Her Adam's apple bobbed and her hooded eyes fogged with something akin to lust.

Was it me or did my patient just get turned on by me telling her what to do?

I'm fucked.

@sufferingstarlight @meetmyothersouls

#timothee fanfic #timothee chamalet #timothée chalamet #timothée chalamet x oc #trans Timothée #AU

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the-grove · 2 years

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Meeting the Grove!

Alright so here is your guide to the Grove!

Rosie(she/her or fae/faer)- Rosie is the closest thing we have to our original host. She is a non binary trans girl who associated her gender with the fae. She likes to consider herself a sort of fey spirit often in the image of a Pixie or a Gnome. Fae likes to write and read poetry.

Mima Melonbun(she/her) originally a pathfinder character, when she retired from the game. We found her still with us in our headspace. She is demisexual. She is a halfling baker and cleric. She likes to come out and help out when other members of the system are cooking.

Fae-fae-(she/her or fae/faer) she has a younger mental age then the rest of us. She likes Pokemon, Blue Clues, Kirby, Blu. She loves her stuffed animal Bertha(who is a giant sloth and she enjoys talking too). She likes sweets and to help with chores.

Tumblr: @sweet-fae-dreams (For Rosie, Mima, and Fae-fae)

Florina Sanchez( fae/faer, or she/her)- Florian was previously known as Eliwood, but has recently decided to change her name and pronouns, Fae is still the same person though, loving to show off and attention seeking. Very social. She is a bit more demure now but that might just be because fae is going through quite a bit. Enjoys socializing, warm baths, wine, and finger food.

Tumblr: @florina-fae

Roxanne Loveta Brown (Roxy for short) ( she/her or he/him)- roxy is a werewolf/wolf spirit. She considers herself bigender. He enjoys hiking, longwalks, and paintings of landscapes and especially winter landscapes. She is very loyal and dedicated. Alpha was her name when she thought she was exclusively male. She still goes by Alpha but also Roxanne or Roxy. Suffers from both gender and species dysphoria.

Tiphanie Dupont(She/her)- I am a fictive that was previously a pathfinder character. I am rather rambunctious. I like antiques and artifacts and cool stuff like that. And also #1 Tinkaton stan.

tumblr: @roxyscave (For Roxy and Tiphanie)

Powder(she/her or it/its)- an introspect of the character Jinx from Arcane/LoL. She has gone down a different path then the character that has inspired her and has started down a path of recovery. She has a Monkey fursona. She is a cuddlebug. Likes graffiti, punk music, hip hop music. Please don't ask her or us about league of legends, we do not play. You can ask us about Arcane but don't expect us to be the same. Turns out I am also a fictive of Marceline from Adventure time. (Hecate and I are connected somehow)

Hecate(she/her)- Hecate Is not likely to front but is more likely to co-front with a different headmate. She is goth. She likes witch-craft, vampirism, greek mythology. I am a goddess an intend to treated as such. I love my partners very much.

Tumblr: @misfit-toy (For Powder and Hecate)

Princess( nom/noms, he/him, she/her, it/its or your majesty)- she has intense species dysphoria in our body. Nom believes it is too big and she doesn't enjoy human hair. I am a kobold princess or even a draconic heir. She likes to remind the rest of the system to take time for our body to recover and to do things for ourselves, be it treats or a nice long bath, fancy food, and relaxing. Is NSFW, especially a lot of Vore.

tumblr: @kobold-royalty

Abayomi( It/it’s or whatever you perceive)- My name is Abayomi, I am a familiar happy to serve and perform tasks. I enjoy tea, books, and cleaning. It is a pleasure to meet you. I consider my primary gender identities to be Maid and Object.

tumblr: @clayvessel

Westley + Willow(he/him and she/her pronouns, Alternatively They.them)- These two are actually a sub-system. Consisting of Willow the Skeleton girl, and Westley the Ghost boy that possesses her. They get along well enough. I like milkshakes and egg creams, poodle skirts, the color pink, gloomy things, I like strawberries. I like to stim by ripping stuff up. I love birds(peacocks are my fave). I love chocolate covered cherries.

tumblr: @harpyboytits

Crona( it/its or she/her) - Still figuring myself out, but I am fictive of Crona from Soul-Eater. I don't like to be perceived by strangers in person. it scares me. I like swords. I like mice and bunny as well. I also am a subsystem, consisting of myself and Ragnarok. I also am a big fan of FMA, Madoka Magika, and Hunter x Hunter.

tumblr: @rose-thorn-storm

Rio Rainbow(He/him or they/them)- Nice to meet ya! Fat Fishboy. lets chill and enjoy the waves and some food yeah? (Rio hasn't been too active as of late)

tumblr: @river-rainbow

Nebula(Nebby for short) -(she/her or they/them) I'm an alien from outer space! And that makes me the coolest!! Ignore the fact that my UFO crashlanded and Idk how to fix it. I'll figure it out eventually. I post a lot of Macro Furry stuff.

tumblr: @junker-ufo

15/Quince (Any/All Pronouns. use whatever works) I am new. I am a robot. I like bubbles. I do not know how i'll active I be. Still getting used to stuff. I am very small.

tumblr: @babybattlebot

Reyna- (SHE/HER nothing else) Fictive of Ranko/that girl/Ranma/episode 49 Ranma, from Ranma 1/2. Don't know if i'll make a blog or do something else. Still figuring things out but i'm happy to be here. i'm uh not the martial artist type. I like being cute, and dressing up and being pretty and taken care of myself. I like cooking and um being a housewife.

Reynya-(she/her, it/its or purr/purrs) Hi I'm the cat, I'm a part of Reyna, she has her own mini sub-system that consists of her, myself and Rain. i'm mischievous. A bit of a Brat. *Don't touch my human ears.*

Rain(She/her or he/him)- Still figuring myself out. A bit of a protector I guess. Genders a mess, and i'm still trying to figure it all out. Member of Reynas subsystem. We're all Ranma I guess. Master of Anything Goes Style Martial Arts. Bisexual and Bigender.

tumblr: @reynasdojo

Dick Grayson-(he/him or they/them. can playfully use she/her) Fictive of Dick Grayson from DC comics. isn't too active but certainly exists. Does not have a tumblr.

Marcille Donato (She/her) - fail-girl half elf. Fictive from Dungeon Meshi. She just got here and has a lot of strong opinions. Doesn't have a blog yet. Don't let her lie to you, she likes all the depraved things you think about elves. I AM CALLING HER OUT. (does not have a tumblr yet)

tumblr: @forbidden-elfstrogen-magic Sue (She/her or it/its)- I'm a supercute objectkin girl whose also still a boy sometimes for funsies. Fictive of Tsubasa from Ranma 1/2. Still figuring myself out. Dogs Scare me. tumblr: @himedashi-trashcan

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