Made A Small Army Of Usagi Ringo (rabbit Apple Slices!)

Online shop is open!

store

p.s. Store will close middle of next week as I will be going away for a bit. 

p.p.s. Thanks to everyone who came to visit at TCAF and Anime North! :D  I had a blast at both events and it was great to see friends and meet you all!  Next event will be Tomo arts market (Aug 5) and Canzine if I get in.  I was not able to get into Otakuthon this year so I will be staying in Toronto. 

Writing romance without amatonormativity :)

First of all, yes, you don't need to have amatonormativity in a romance story/novel/whatever. even if the plot is something like "character starts believing in true love for whatever reason".

Soooo here are some things to keep in mind while writing romance. [DISCLAIMER: these are not writing tips, these are just a few things you should avoid having in your romance story]

The character is unhappy without the romance. having the characters become happier because of love is okay, but not love being the only thing that would make the character happy

The side characters' only job is to get the mcs together in the "best interest" of the mc they might be the mc's family or friends. this does not include them trying to speed up the process/ giving love advice but instead, deliberately finding a love interest/partner for the mc or setting them up with one and justifying this with their intent to "solve the character's loneliness" or something alone those lines

Life before the romance / life without the romance is depicted as dull or boring or meaningless for either the mcs or the side characters

Making their friends low priority after the introduction of the love interest for example, the love interest taking up all the time of the mc so much so that they're not able to meet their friends, the friends shown as just fillers in the "friends" category without them being actually close to each other

Having the love interest being "more than a friend" like putting friends, lovers, etc. on a hierarchy. a good way to go about the friends-to-lovers trope would be making them friends and lovers instead of treating friends as a stepping stone/checkpoint for their relationship

so these were some points that i could think of. feel free to add more or elaborate on these.

Hug

The “watched an animatic of their blorbos to Soldier, Poet, King” to “anti-capitalist indie folk rock enjoyer“ pipeline

Homosexuality is attraction to the same gender, my gender is nothing and I'm not attracted to any gender which means I'm technically gay

Happy Trans Day of Visibility 2023! I love being trans – the part that makes it difficult is the transphobes.

Tell me in the replies/tags/reblogs what trans joy looks like for you. :D

Transphobes do not touch this post.

Image ID: 10-image cartoon comic featuring Joey, a boy with short hair. Image 1: Joey smiles and gesticulates to the title of the comic which reads: “Accessing gender-affirming care as a minor has allowed me to experience trans joy as a transgender adult!”. The words “trans joy” are in large block letters the color of the trans flag. Image 2: A younger Joey wearing a sweater and boxers receives his first T shot from a nurse. The text reads: “I started testosterone 5 days before my 17th birthday after spending the year jumping through a bajillion hurdles. Today, my home state is trying to criminalize my care and specifically shut down the trans specialty clinic that cared for me. Throughout all of this false ‘debate’ about best-practice medicine, I have seen no politicians, reporters, or cis allies talk about trans joy.” Image 3: A younger Joey in a hoodie stands at the stove cooking. He is happy, and there are music notes around his head. The text reads: “When I realized that I was trans years earlier, the world became lighter. I suddenly had answers for why I felt the way I did, and I knew that I wasn’t alone. I found myself humming and singing again”. Image 4: Joey is posed stretched across the frame. He’s wearing suspenders and plaid pants and throwing up a peace sign. The text reads: “I discovered my fashion sense for the first time. I had never been happy in any clothing, but realizing that I was a boy let me explore and find the clothes that made me feel great”. Image 5: Joey’s hand holds up a phone, and on the screen are thumbnails of videos of his face. The text reads: “Most trans people can tell you the day they started hormones (or another transition milestone). It’s like having a second birthday! I’ve got a digital diary recording my monthly changes from the first 2 years.” Image 6: Joey sits on the ground next to a friend, and they are both drawing in notebooks and smiling. Joey’s friend has glasses, an undercut, earrings, and facial hair. The text reads: “I have the most wonderful trans friends who enrich my life every day. I am so lucky to be part of such a loving community”. Image 7: Joey holds hands with his boyfriend, who is a taller boy with long hair in a ponytail and facial hair. The text reads: “Realizing that I was a boy made me realize that I was gay. Up until then, I just thought that I couldn’t experience attraction at all (which is also perfectly normal, by the way!). A wonderful boy and I fell in love 5 years ago, and we get to watch each other grow. Image 8: Joey is shirtless and holding a toothbrush while his boyfriend hugs him from behind. They are both smiling. The text reads: “He often reminds me of how good I look, and boy do I know it! I love my trans body. It’s perfectly me!” Image 9: Joey is shirtless and showing his chest and top surgery scars. The text reads: “Like most places, my clinic does not refer minors for surgery. But when I turned 18, I got top surgery to remove my (bountiful) breast tissue. It’s one of the best things to ever happen to me. I adore my chest. I’ve been freed.” Beside a small doodle of a cat, the text reads: “My cat sleeps on my flat chest every night”. Image 10: Joey has his arms behind his back and is addressing the reader. The text reads: “In the midst of purposeful misinformation and frankly genocidal language and laws, I’d like us to remember the joy of getting to be ourselves. Gender-affirming care not only saves but enriches lives for people of all ages. The joy of being oneself is what the Right wants to eliminate. It is imperative that we preserve and encourage the continuation of trans joy by allowing all trans people to safely thrive.” The comic is dated March 31, 2023. End ID.

part 1 - part 2