Personal Thoughts

[quasi-normalcy]

[tankie-transfeminist]

Today I wanted to talk about Kyle Bassinga. Kyle was a 21 year old man from Georgia, whose family described him as "a kind, thoughtful, and smart young man who loved nature, music, and the people around him". Kyle Bassinga was killed on February 18th 2026, just ten days after his birthday. He was found hanging from a tree in a park.

The police ruled it a suicide. The family and local community demanded an investigation. The police refused to change their ruling.

I know this website it too white for this to really go anywhere, but an understanding of the present reality of white supremacy in the United States is just so important to transfeminism here. Lynchings never stopped, white supremacy never went away, you just stopped looking.

[creatingblackcharacters]

To all those who ask me "how do you deal with all this", can I finally admit that it actually is extremely hard to always have to be the one that Fights, knowing that no one else is going to do it for me? 😅 Sometimes I think y'all see me as that Strong Black Woman, and y'all hold me to higher standards.

I have feelings, too. I am a human being.

I don't want any more apologies for the racist experiences I go through. What I want, is to feel safe.

I want my society to be safer, for my people. Or at least for people to know it should be.

But if I can't have that safety without fighting for it- unless any of you wanna step into the ring- allow me to feel what I'm feeling and to regenerate when I need to. No, we don't get 24/7 access to me to address everyone else's needs no matter what; I am accessible when I can be, and that's okay. Please and thank you. 🙏🏾

And yes, share this. I said what I said.

[mintidotxml]

preserving ice's tags bc why not

[json-derulo]

Whenever they gave us one of those "read through ALL the instructions before you begin!" trick assignments in school where the steps lead you on an increasingly ridiculous goose chase until the final one tells you to just put your name on the paper and turn it in without doing anything else, I was always like, "Okay, but what's the point? Surely the REAL world won't be anything like this." And then I grew up and discovered that not only is the real world often exactly like that, some people won't even read the first line of the instructions even if they make perfect sense. And these people are called "co-workers"

[ftmtftm]

One of the things that's really getting to me about the current state of trans discourse is the constant comparison to race.

Take for example, the ridiculous number of non-Black trans people validating the idea that, "a trans woman saying "kill all tme people" to vent her frustration is the same as a Black person saying "kill all non-Black people" to vent their frustration" because it's actually fundamentally not the same on multiple levels.

First and foremost trans women are not "the Black people of the trans community". Black trans people of all gender identities are the Black people of the trans community. The fact that that comparison has been normalized by primarily non-Black people as an "okay" comparison for other non-Black people to make is racist and anti-Black.

Secondly, let's remind ourselves of the contexts here. In context, most people do use "tme" as a shorthand for trans men, trans masculine people, and nonbinary people who had an F written on their birth certificates. You can try to claim that "um actually it includes cis people" but this is hyper niche borderline chronically online trans discourse. It means other trans people. It means other people who are also marginalized on the basis of their gender identity.

So, if we're actually going to make an accurate comparison to a racialized situation here, follow me for a moment.

If a Black person said "kill all non-Black people" after weeks and months of primarily talking about how much they can't stand and don't trust other racial minorities, encouraging other Black people to cut everyone who isn't Black out of their lives while specifically focusing on how Black people should cut ties with other PoC, how solidarity and unity between racial minorities is impossible because other PoC (especially any specific demographic of non-Black PoC) can't be trusted, and constantly went on and on not about their hatred of white people but about their hatred of other racial minorities — I think it would be very fair to claim that Black person is racist towards other non-Black PoC.

Just like it's very fair to claim that a trans woman who says "kill all tme people" after weeks and months of primarily talking about how much she can't stand and doesn't trust other trans people who aren't like her, encourages other trans women to cut everyone who isn't a trans woman out of their lives while specifically focusing on how trans women should cut ties with other trans people, talks about how solidarity and unity between trans people is impossible because non-trans woman trans people (especially trans men) can't be trusted, and constantly goes on and on not about her hatred of cis people but about her hatred of other trans people is transphobic towards other trans people.

Trans discourse and racial discourse are not the same. There are absolutely aspects of Black political theory that non-Black trans people can draw upon and take notes from. Black activists and theorists have been working for over a century both outside and inside the trans community on amazing work and have laid a solid groundwork for sociopolitical change that we can and should be following.

But like I said, trans women aren't "the Black people of the trans community". Black trans people of all gender identities are the Black people of the trans community.

I think it would benefit a lot of people to just sit down and really internalize that before speaking again, lest they start sounding like John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

[thefaultinourchickennuggets]

the bad thing about having unhealthy habits due to mental illness, is when you DO do something healthy style you can't brag about about it because then people will then know you've been doing it yucky style all along. Like you can't brag you changed your sheets or brushed your teeth because then ppl will be like oh did you not brush your teeth regularly before? Thats yucky disgusting! So you just gotta keep it to yourself. And be proud alone, I suppose.

[ali-theshipper]

My Extensive Thoughts Regarding TADC Episode 9 (Spoilers Ahead)

I saw The Last Act in theaters. After some of the things I heard floating around about the final episode from the leaks a while back, I didn’t have high expectations. I’m happy to say, after seeing the full episode myself in English, that I liked it more than I thought I would. There are a lot of things about the final episode that I genuinely enjoyed, and I am glad I got to see it in theaters. The audience I was watching it with was also really well behaved and respectful the whole time, which I was SO thankful for cause that’s low key kinda rare nowadays lol.

Some of my positives are:

Animation and voice acting was ON POINT

Abstragedy is actually low-key canon fuck yeah. The people in the theater I was in HOLLARED at THAT scene lol.

The whole mindscape stuff was really cool with all the other Jaxs and the different animation and writing styles.

Loved that the show didn’t hold back on discussing how shitty it is to have upsetting intrusive thoughts. They're not often discussed in mainstream media due to stigmatization. Shame the fandom wasn’t normal about these scenes, but I’m honestly not surprised.

Pomni’s moments with Kinger, Ragatha, and Jax were really touching.

I ADORED seeing Kaufmo, Ribbit, and Jax. The way it was framed largely from Jax’s POV was a neat choice.

I knew Jax had parental issues!!

While I don’t think we NEEDED to know everyone’s IRL doings and what they looked like outside of the circus, it was still pretty neat to see. Glad to see Jax thriving after all the shit she went through IRL.

While I don’t like how Jax’s abstraction was handled from a narrative standpoint (something I’ll go much more in depth about a sec), the scene where they all make the fort for her and take care of her was really touching. Though I do wish we also got a scene where they gave her a proper funeral, like with Kaufmo.

Also THANK GOD they didn’t use an actual leash, I got genuinely concerned when I heard that going around a while ago cause people were making it sound like the group was using an animal leash on her… which would’ve had weird implications. Thankfully, it was just Zooble's arms being linked together.

Funnybunny hug and “Isn’t She Lovely” montage DESTROYED ME, I’m not okay.

The mural for the abstracted players was cute.

GIRL DAD KINGER YALL

Alt credits were fun.

I’m not big on Caine’s sudden return and change of heart (also something I’ll talk more about), but his scene with the moon was cute. 

Oh most importantly, Transfem Jax is canon LET’S GOOOOOOOO!!!! Most of the fandom won’t understand it cause media analysis is dead, but we won chat!! She’s real!! Can't wait for all the new fan works that will pop up about her.

So yeah, there were a lot of aspects about the finale I really enjoyed. THAT BEING SAID, there are a couple of critiques I have with the finale, mainly to do with the conclusion to Jax’s character, how it conflicts with what was set up prior, and how she was treated by the larger narrative. Please note that this is just my perspective and you are allowed to have your own, so please do not take my words as gospel.

As I stated in my messy ramble a while back, I was NEVER a fan of Jax’s character arc ending with her abstracting, due to it feeling like an easy and obvious way for her character to conclude. Seeing it for myself, the way it happened in the episode felt very odd; it just cuts to her running around the main floor abstracted, really early in the episode. I also find it really weird that in episode 8, Zooble and Pomni made it very clear that they weren’t gonna let Jax wander off and abstract… only for that to be exactly what happens.

Like, in the montage where all the characters are helping patch up the circus, we never see any of them attempt to include Jax or check in on her, despite her obviously NOT being okay. Jax nearly confides in Pomni before backing out, but none of the other characters think to check in on their friend (I know I’m being generous with that term in this scenario) who they all know is at risk of potentially harming herself. Obviously they do NOT need to be Jax’s therapists or anything even remotely like that, but it feels weird how they previously made a big deal of “we’re not gonna stand by and let you hurt yourself” only for the story to not follow through or explore that. Idk that really annoyed me while I was watching.

I think the whole Jax Mindscape hijinxes and flashbacks about her relationship with Ribbit and Kaufmo were genuinely really cool and well done (her almost killing her mom felt odd, but it’s not as dumb as the hit and run theory), and the lamp scene with Pomni was fantastic too. I just wish that the conclusion after all of that wasn’t, oh well it’s too late for Jax to ever change as a person or find meaning in the circus.

I’m also really not a fan of the whole “killing off the traumatized suicidal character who struggles to find a reason to keep going” trope that has been popping up in recent media, but that’s a much more complicated discussion for another day that requires way more thought and analysis. 

I understand what the story is trying to say, I REALLY do, don't get me wrong. Not being open with yourself or others will only harm you in the end. It’s better to embrace vulnerability, even if it’s hard. Those are both lessons I wholeheartedly agree with and are important for people to learn, but I think they still could have gotten that message across while still letting Jax live in the end. We as the audience have already seen how Jax pushing others away and not being honest with herself has harmed her and her relationships in the finale and previous episodes. We even had a moment in ep 7 where she almost abstracted after trying to bury her problems. I think letting Jax survive abstraction, find meaning in the circus, learn to open up and confront her problems, and showing her life IMPROVE because of that would’ve worked and dare I say, even strengthen that message of the importance of vulnerability.

In fact, the final montage and and the end credits showing the group starting to enjoy their time at the circus would be the PERFECT opportunity to put that. Show Jax picking up her piano playing again, being able to talk about Ribbit and Kaufmo without falling apart, HAVE HER THROW A TEA PARTY IN HER BEDROOM WITH THE REST OF THE CAST PRESENT!!!! Idk I feel like there was a ton of potential that was left unexplored.

Maybe instead of cutting to a fully abstracted Jax hanging around the circus, Pomni or one of the others finds Jax in the midst of abstracting. The mindscape stuff could be used as a last-ditch effort to reach her and save her life when trying to wake her up doesn’t do anything. You can keep the mindscape and flashback segments pretty much the same, just make it so the final resolution isn’t her dying. It also would make the moment that parallels the scene from ep 2 where the cast grabs Pomni’s hand to not let her fall (which symbolized how the support of others will allow her to navigate this scary situation she’s in), only with Pomni grabbing Jax’s hand this time to not let her fall, even stronger.

Another thing that bothered me, I don’t like that Jax, whose story absolutely could have resulted in a redemption arc based on her growth during episode 8, isn’t given a chance to become a better person and properly take accountability for how she treated everyone, while Caine was, even though his whole character was about how he couldn’t change or understand humans and the tragedy surrounding that due to his existence as a stagnant AI.

DISCLAIMER!! I love Caine as a character. I’m not as attached to him as I am with the others (and maybe that’s part of the reason for my perspective idk), but I enjoy his character. However, I’m gonna be honest… I don’t think he needed to make a return. I'm not saying it was an inherently impossible route to go with, I’m sure it could have worked with the right setup, but the whole final ten-fifteen minutes just felt kinda odd for me and left me raising an eyebrow. He just kind of… comes back without much prior setup or buildup from earlier in the episode. Maybe when the episode releases on YouTube, and I can rewatch certain scenes, it’ll make more sense, but for now idk.

The moment where Caine apologizes to the cast and works to better himself for their sake is really a moment that I think should have belonged to Jax, who felt more built up as a character throughout the series as opposed to Caine and it would’ve felt at least a bit more earned coming from her. It feels like a really odd choice that they chose to do this with Caine, but not Jax. Idk, maybe it’s just me, this might end up becoming an unpopular opinion as more people watch and discuss the episode.

Overall, while I am happy the episode was a lot better than many were initially making it out to be, there are some things I personally think could have gone differently and used some reworking, but hey, that’s what fanfiction and AUs are for! And just to add, I’m glad Goose got to end the show on her terms, even if I don’t agree with every plot or writing choice made. That is something not a lot of showrunners get nowadays and I think it’s important to at least acknowledge and celebrate. I’m planning on making my own little AU where Jax survives abstraction and properly heals and grows, so I’ll have that to keep me content, as well as other fanworks that will most definitely pop up as more people tune in.

I really hope I was able to get my points and criticism across in a constructive, healthy manner, as I do not want to blindly complain about the show out of spite. Trust me, I saw some WILD takes when the leaks came out that made the episode sound a lot more messed up than it was and I do NOT wanna perpetuate that kind of behavior. 

Any criticisms I do and will make of TADC are out of genuine love for the show and characters, and because I care about media analysis in general. Again, everything I have discussed here is just my own opinion and perspective, and you are allowed to have your own. Feel free to leave your thoughts, both positive and negative, on the finale in the comments!

[gaymascdragon]

This EXACTLY describes my feelings, thank you.

More spoiler thoughts

I've been spending the last couple days being like "wait, the AI gets a (rushed) redemption arc but the traumatized abusive human main character doesnt??

I also wanted Jax's abusive behavior with Gangle to be addressed/explored more. I'm glad they at least acknowledged it, but just have Jax abstract and stay abstracted feels like a cop out.

It didnt have to be done explicitly or fully. Maybe a flash/montage toward the end of the abstraction slowly turning back into Jax, implying that recovery is possible. Or a show that Pomni and/or Ragatha were making efforts to reach Jax.

Then maybe a flash of partially abstracted Jax showing guilt/remorse wrt Gangle?

Idk, I also very much enjoyed the mindscape scenes and the backstory reveal, but it felt a little empty that it just ended there. Jax should get a chance to recover in a place that never ends. Jax should be able to at least begin to put in the hard work to change into a better person and apologize/make amends.

[nat-20s]

HATE when you can't stand someone who is literally harmless. Like oh I'm the bitch here. I'm 100% in the wrong but nonetheless fuuuccckkk this guy

[lliveonthesunn]

i get why people don't believe in marriage as a social construct but legally it is the best and easiest way to say "this is who i trust to take care of me when i can't take care of myself" and i'm so glad gay people fought for that right bc when shit gets scary at least i know im in good hands

[darlingofdots]

This is how I convinced my conservative grandma that the gays do also need marriage, actually. My grandad died when I was 4 and I asked her to imagine not being allowed to see him or make decisions for him or be entitled to an inheritance and she got very quiet and conceded the point. Marriage doesn't intrinsically mean anything but as a legal framework it is really, really important

[wutheringheightsfilm]

every day it just concerns me how little compassion people have. no compassion for those living in the global south. no compassion for immigrants. no compassion for disabled ppl. no compassion for addicts. no compassion for prisoners. no compassion for children. like holy shit ...

[wutheringheightsfilm]

i made a separate post about this but actually there are plenty of people cough white people who care about animals more than they ever do human people . not what i'm talking about make your own post

[nourishedbytime]

[wutheringheightsfilm]

every day it just concerns me how little compassion people have. no compassion for those living in the global south. no compassion for immigrants. no compassion for disabled ppl. no compassion for addicts. no compassion for prisoners. no compassion for children. like holy shit ...

[wutheringheightsfilm]

i made a separate post about this but actually there are plenty of people cough white people who care about animals more than they ever do human people . not what i'm talking about make your own post

[nourishedbytime]

[secretchordstyx]

this trend of shitting on peer-reviewed academic studies in favor of tweeting “we already knew this was happening” is so soul-crushing. not to be an elitist cunt, but we have got to open the schools again. people genuinely seem to have forgotten that their personal lived experience isn’t indicative of the larger population, AND IF IT IS…… then you need researchers to support these assertions from a relevant data pool instead of a blog post from 2013 💀

[chaoticevilspacewitch]

"Believe women and the marginalized" does not replace the value of empirical data.

[gaymascdragon]

More specifically, believe a woman or marginalized person when they are talking about their specific experiences.

Do not project their experiences homogenously onto the group they identify with. No individual ever represents a whole group, nor should they ever have to have that burden

[animentality]

[gaymascdragon]

Except you can still tell the difference between something copy and pasted and something written last minute.

No one is writing three perfect paragraphs in a single minute.

We also have the ability to put in the prompts into AI and see what comes up. And the patterns of editing something YOU wrote are very different than editing something to look different as a form of plagiarism.

Anyway, most teachers i know whose content relies on student writing is switching to hand written anyway (I'm personally switching to research presentations rather than papers for similar reason.)

[learn-how-to-love]

What “talking about your lived experience” IS:

Giving examples, anecdotes etc. of things you have personally experienced and how you believe your various identities contribute to it

Finding community with people who have similar experiences and engaging in activism around that

What “talking about your lived experience” IS NOT:

Saying that because you have one experience, it must mean that others that aren’t like you don’t have that experience

Dictating what other groups experience in general, especially marginalized groups you don’t belong to

Invalidating other groups’ experiences as not as bad or even nonexistent in comparison to your own

Extrapolating out your personal experiences to every member of your group, regardless of other intersecting identities

Declaring that anyone who does not have your particular experience is not really a member of your group, even if you personally can’t understand how someone in your demographic doesn’t experience the same

[helsinore]

I’m starting to realize we may not all be ready for Racism 102, aka “often times, you don’t think ‘I’m going to be racist,’ you just act on it.”

It does not matter what other reasons you have for being racist. It was still racist. White people lashing out on people of color when In Their Feelings About Something is still racism. White people objectifying people of color for WHATEVER reason is still racism.

[tpwrtrmnky]

Reading a book where a character does a racist thing, but it's narrated in first-person and they're not saying "I racistly attack the person of color with racist intent" so clearly nothing racist could be happening

[taliabhattwrites]

It is also somewhat frustrating to see discussions of this framed in terms of mental health---almost exclusively white people's mental health, cited as a rationale for the racism---as though no person of color ever struggles with, for example, anxiety, depression, psychosis, or the simple stress of navigating society as a racialized person.

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[nonbinary-wrath-month]

The reason why so many of y'all's feminism sucks is because you still believe deep down in your hearts that there are only two kinds of people in the world: precious, ethereal, fragile dollthings called "women", and violent, lustful, rage-fueled apes called "men". Until you throw that idea away, 3rd-grade-tier "girls rule boys drool, girls are princesses and boys are stinky :(" is as feminist as we'll ever get-- and I hope it's obvious that that's lightyears away from the bare minimum of where we need to be.

[nonbinary-wrath-month]

I don't know how I'm supposed to explain to ostensibly trans-friendly feminists that "women are beautiful soft things made of glass, men are obsessed with violence and sex" is exactly what the patriarchy wants you to believe. Patriarchy wants you to believe that being a woman and/or having a vagina (patriarchy generally believes those two things are synonymous) makes one shatter on impact with reality. It makes you easier to control if you are scared shitless of the other half of the population, and it makes you more compliant with your lot in life if you believe it is in the nature of the other half of the population to rape and kill rather than realise those were choices those individual rapists and murderers made. There is no way to make gender essentialism progressive and feminist, because it is one of patriarchy's tools of subjugation. Stop trying to make it progressive.

And I can scream all of that from the rooftops over and over again, and what I hear in reply is "Trans men really are men because no woman would ever decide to become an inherently evil repugnant rapist ape", and "You're so right. Trans women are women because they too are pretty delicate little objects I can fuck", and "You're non-binary? So are you fucktoy non-binary or sexpest non-binary?", and my patience runs ever thinner.