Hello Pokéask community. today, we are gathered here to talk about a rather pervasive issue within the community.
That's right, we are going to talk about:
TRANSMISOGYNY
I don't really need a preamble or anything. Yes, it's true, this community has historically been quite hostile to trans women. I've had a friend targeted with false accusations of being a creepy pervert for the crime of being trans and female. As if that is a crime, somehow.
We had a predator and known drama-monger some couple years ago who was able to get away with it for so long because most of their victims were trans fem, whom no one believed, because they were trans fem.
And of course we have had various incidents of people using any number of gross terms to refer to trans women, gleefully and casually.
So by now you are probably beginning to see the pattern.
Maybe you need some help. In that case I shall enlighten you...
So what is transmisogyny? It is exactly what it says on the tin: the discrimination and mistreatment of trans women. It is an intersection of transphobia and misogyny. As such it is both of those as well.
Why is it bad? Well, the better question to ask would be why *isn't* it bad? It serves no purpose beyond the spread of hatred as well as perpetuating the belief that women are like property that must look and act a certain way.
Who does it affect? Obviously the primary target is trans women, and you should care about the fact that it harms trans women. But in fact, transmisogyny affects everyone.
You might think "I don't hate trans women, so I'm not transmisogynistic!" and you may not be. But, you must also keep in mind that it is so deeply entrenched in society that you might say and do transmisogynistic things without knowing it.
For example:
Do you expect women or female characters to look a certain way? This could be plain old misogyny, but it could also be transmisogyny. If you've ever complained that a female character looks too much like a guy because her boobs are too small or her shoulders are too wide, etc., well yeah ... you are probably suffering from transmisogyny disease. And also general misogyny disease too, seeing as transmisogyny is a subtype of it.
Do you get grossed out by women with certain types of genitalia, insisting they censor themselves as some sort of fetish or otherwise sequester themselves away for the sake of others? It is transmisogyny. Regardless of what you are attracted to, a woman should not be forced to hide herself away as some kind of freak commodity simply because she is not what you personally consider desirable. Also, people are likely forced to interact with you on the regular, so it just makes you a hypocrite.
Do you refer to women by what is between their legs*? It is transmisogyny. It's a way to other women that do not fit the "norm".
Obviously, assuming any given trans woman is a secret pervert is transmisogyny. This may seem obvious but so many people do this! In LGBT focused spaces perhaps most of all!
there are many other examples but most tie back into the ones mentioned here. Please do a little introspection from time to time.
Trans women deserve to feel as safe and as welcome as anyone else here in this community.
Lastly: this post is about trans WOMEN (/trans fems). I am aware that other trans people exist, but there are certain pervasive attitudes that are near exclusively shown towards trans WOMEN, and so that is what this post is about.
*some trans women do refer themselves with such terms. There is a lot of debate about this matter, so try not to overstep if it is a trans woman herself using the term. She may be a victim of internalised transmisogyny but what people are comfortable with varies. But, never use terms like futanari or trap if you are not a transfem individual. Read the room.
"Salutations!" she salutes him without any title as she somehow sees him a bit...suspicious. But regardless, she trying to smile, albeit a bit of a serious manner.
"*ahem* so, you're merchant, huh? Is there any interesting items you sell?"
Every merchant from Celes gets their own blessed bag, you know! Its an absolute must-have! ~
(@sonder-palms)
Alyse adjusted their glasses more properly before they hesitantly approached Khione. Admiring the taur's beautiful dress had made them wish they brought something fancier to wear- then again they hadn't planned to visit Faraway Island.
"You said your half-sister is a mew? She did a beautiful job on your dress, it must've taken a long time to make!" Alyse beamed happily. "What's it like having a legendary pokemon in your family?…"
They touched their pointer fingers together, a little nervous about asking.
"I-if you want to talk about it, you don't have to."
Oh crap, a human. Do I run? No... they don't seem hostile.
The Aurorustaur's eyes watched Alyse's approach, keeping a nervous gaze on her face. She sniffed the air around the human a bit, noticing... a calm aroma around them. She lowered her guard slightly, nodding the closer they got to her, listening to them speak.
A Mew? They must have overheard Loki talk about Shania. But... I do have a legendary in the family... do I talk about him? Why not... they don't seem to pose a threat, and they don't know anything about where I live. Sure. It'll be good to talk about. She snapped back to reality just as Alyse touched pointer fingers and made their last remark.
"Huh? Me?" The dinosaur's head tilted in confusion. "Oh, nonono," she stammered, waving her hands at the human's question, "that's Loki that has the Mew in her family, not me. Though, uh... thank you for the compliments on my dress... you'd have to send your regards to Master Izotz for that one. He's a Chien-Pao, an incredibly gifted tailor and a distant cousin, about uh..." The Aurorustaur counted on her fingers for a moment. "...maybe eight or nine times removed? Either way we share a common Chien-Pao ancestor in his great, great, great, great, great..." She counted once again. "....great, great-grandfather."
"I wouldn't say it's really anything earth-shattering having a legendary in the family, though." Khione seemed rather nonchalant about the whole thing. "At least, Master Izotz doesn't really put too much stock into it, anyway. He's just content being a Pokemon like everyone else, and doing what he can to help family, friends, and neighbours. I don't subscribe to the whole 'legendary worship' tenet, but I know so many do. Like my friend Bijoux; she's Loki's daughter and she goes bonkers when she meets a legendary for the first time. I think she's got a bucket list to meet them all, between you and me, heh..."
The dinosaur cleared her throat, shaking her head. "I... uh, don't usually talk to humans this long, but you seem nice enough. I just hope I didn't make any sort of bad impression by talking too much; I haven't been very lucky in party set-"
"Khione! You made a friend! Thatta girl! I knew you'd be fine out here!"
The ice-type's head whipped behind her to see Loki strolling forward to meet her, the hybrid bowing gently toward Alyse. "Ah, hello... Khione, I didn't expect you to befriend a human!"
"Oh uh, well, I dunno, they commented on my dress and asked about a Mew in the family. You just caught us mid-conversation, really I never really got a chance to ask their name or double-check pronouns or any ot that."
"Oh, did they overhear us talking about my half-sister Shania? Heh... funny how you keep getting caught up in these things, Khione. Well, it can't be helped. I'm going to head over to the lantern send-off station; come join me when you're done."
"Okay." The tauric dino watched Loki strut away from her and Alyse, watching her leafy tail wag before snapping back to earth and offering the human her right hand. "Right, uh... as you probably heard, I'm Khione. I'd better get to the lantern stations; if you'd like to tag along you're welcome to. Just, er... before I go, you know, I should probably ask for your name. And make sure saying 'they' about you wasn't rude or anything."
(So, this means I've got to do something for it. I do just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who is following. I never thought it'd be possible for me to get this far with my silly, little Absol but here we are. I can't express my gratitude enough. It makes me happy knowing people like my stuff enough to follow. Guess I must be doing something right!
Art/design raffle!
Here's the dealio. 1 entry is one reblog. Another entry is a comment on this post telling me which character is your favourite and why (this can be across all of the blogs). So that's two entries in total.
Winners will be drawn 6th April using the ✨ magical random wheel generator ✨. There will be 1 winner. If you win, you get either a piece of art of a character you want drawn or you can ask me to design a character for you.
Some examples of artwork and designs to give you a little idea of what the vibe will be for what you get:
Artwork - A fully shaded piece of an oc of your choice - Half body.
Design - A design for you to do whatever you want with it.
Good luck everyone! And again, thank you all dearly! Your support means everything to me!)
Thank you to everyone who loaned me your wonderful characters. ;v;~ I can't tag everyone because of Tumblr's limits, sadly, but I hope all those who contributed see it!
Hi! Firstly I want to thank you guys for joining this event, it's been a blast!
Now I would like to make another big post, so I need some few mons and humans, please reblog this post with your preferred attending character(s) if you would like to be part of the cameo!
(ShayminCafe) Shaythulu sniffed the air as it caught Loki's lavender aroma. Saying something to Cherry that could only be heard as a cacophony of warbling whispers, the two set their attention on Loki and quickly made their way over to the taur. "Hail, fellow Shaymin," Cherry called out. "Your dress looks quite lovely on you. Your lavender aroma is quite potent. Does it cause flowers to bloom around you wherever you venture or is it simply a nice smell to compliment your looks?"
Loki had just been finishing up her conversation with Bella when the pair of Shaymin had arrived and a voice had called out to her. She knelt her legs to get to a more accessible speaking height with the red-and-grey one who had greeted her. She waved a hand to the pair of smaller-grass types, wanting to make sure they both felt welcome approaching her.
"Hello yourselves, fellow Shaymins!" she replied, humming warmly at Shaythulu and Cherry. "Thank you; this sweet Meowscarada was just saying the exact same thing about my dress. Seems I'll have to let Shania know this was a hit at the event, after all… I'm Loki, by the way. Who are you two, if I might ask?" Her tail flickered thoughtfully at the second portion of Cherry's statement as she rose to her feet.
"Oh, this old scent? Yeah, centuries of sleeping under a dogwood tree surrounded by lavender blooms will definitely bake the scent into your fur, I'd supposed. And no, the scent itself doesn't really do anything superpowered. It's just good for making me smell as nicely as I look, mostly. But I can make the former happen… with a little Aromatherapy move." The hybrid's eyes closed and she held her hands up to her chest, her Gracidea flower beginning to glow brightly. Her lavender aromas became even more powerful than usual, pervading the air in a good thirty-foot radius around her own body. Any flowers already alive in the area would bloom and grow slightly, though nothing new would grow, at least… not until the taur began stepping side to side, and multiple lavender buds sprouted with each lift of any of her four paws, immediately blossoming and opening as if they'd been growing for several months. She plucked one as the scents returned to a more normal potency, gently offering to place one behind both Shaymins' ears as a reminder of their meeting.
"You're quite unlike any Shaymin I've ever met," she trilled, her long leaf-like tail swaying happily, "but that just means our species is much more diverse and flourishing than I could have hoped. It's been wonderful meeting you both, and if you'd like to talk more, I'd be happy to walk with you to one of the vendors and we can talk over a beverage! I'd really love to know more about what makes you both as unique and curious as you are!"
(@ask-pokecats) Bella approaches Loki. She looks at her dress and smiles greatly.
"Meooowwww... That dress...looking amyazing! I'm having one as well, but it gives me creeps because of one guy (don't worry he isn't a jerk or anything, just I don't like him...).
Okay, enough already, are you exited for the main festivities as we are?"
Loki's ears perked at the Meowscarada's voice. She looked over at the feline, waving her left arm at her upon being approached. She chuckled heartily at the cat noises Bella made, raising a brow ridge at the ending comment and shaking her head.
"A purr-leasure, I'm sure," she quipped with a stifled laugh, her tail wagging fiercely. "Aww, that's sweet of you to say, thank you… well, as long as whoever you're mentioning isn't here, you should feel proud to wear whatever you want to wear, right? I mean, that's the joy of clothing; you dress to make yourself happy, not anyone else, after all!" She did a quick twirl in place, the fabric of her dress swinging along with her.
"Oh, I'm totally ready to enjoy this festival to its fullest! I'm sure you are too; don't forget to make the meow-st of it, my dear!"
The Malamar looks up as she speaks. She sounds a little unsure.
Spot: "F-forgive me i-if I offend... ..b-but I haven't seen a-anyone like you b-before..! Y-you are interesting, though..!"
She works to calm herself, showing a more confident look before speaking again.
Spot: "M-my name is Spot..! It's n-nice to m-meet you..~!"
Khione blinked a couple of times at the voice stammering up toward her. She peered down at the uncertain Malamar, listening for a moment before lowering her legs somewhat so it's not as much of an effort for her to speak. Whether by that lowering or coincidental timing, she noticed a clear confidence boost and held out her right hand in response.
"Hi Spot," the dinosaur offered kindly, her gaze lightening to help ease the Malamar's worries. "It's nice to meet you too! Interesting, you say... I mean, I have a few factors that folks haven't seen much of before. Was it the centaur shape or the dinosaur species? Both? Well, either way... I don't mind. I'm so used to hearing it that I half-expect it whenever I meet someone new." The taur looked briefly to her left, then shrugged her shoulders. "Wanna go get some food? I'm kinda hungry; maybe it'll help my mood a bit like seeing my friend Rin did..."
(The confident swagger of an absol. Tight dress. Fishnet tights. Silky gloves. What more could you want? I need to see your OCs in fancy outfits. Gimme the fancy, fresh energy.)
"Hello! I'm Chunli, the host! Thank you for joining my event. Wow... your dress is so beautiful! I really want it... may I know who tailored your dress?"
"So you're the one that sent that lantern, were you?" The hybrid's ears perked as the Lucario offered her greetings, the taur having been in the middle of a plate of dumplings. "I've been to a few of these festivals in my years, and I have to say, that was one of the best I've seen in a long time. You certainly have the craft down to a science… between the calligraphy and the lantern construction, it's clear this isn't your first rodeo either, so to speak!" She laughed at that, listening to the canine's praise of her dress.
"Ah, thank you; I'm really happy with it, too! It's the first time I've worn it anywhere, so I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't be formal enough for this event. Or, well, fit into this place's aesthetics, really." A brow perked casually at the trailing remark. "You can't have it, sadly," Loki teased, with a little sway of her tail, "mostly because I'm pretty sure it wouldn't fit very well on someone with just two legs! Well, that and I'm pretty sure I'd never get a thread of clothing from the dress-maker if I gave away one of her specialty crafts." She nodded politely.
"You can thank my half-sister, Shania Solaris, for the design. She's a Mew, most of the time, anyway... and she's been making dresses and other tailored wares for almost all of her life… and you know, she's been kind enough to make me things for the better part of eight centuries now. Wedding dresses, event wear, gardening outfits... She's always been one of the best at her craft, but she flat-out refuses to work with anyone that isn't family."
"Anyway! Chunli… it's been a pleasure, and I appreciate all the work you've put into this festival. I would offer to sit down and talk more over a game of Mahjong, but I'm sure you have a lot more guests to greet, and I would hate to be rude and keep you from fulfilling those obligations! Hopefully I'll see you again and we can talk more? Oh, and… if you run into an Aurorus-taur in a blue dress, please don't take it personally if she's a bit grumpy with you. I've put her in a bit of a bad mood bringing her here on short notice, and I'd hate for anyone to think she's the worst simply because of seeing her in a state I've caused…"
Celeste looks over the tuar pair, a curious look on her face.
I apologize for staring so closely but I've never seen Pokemon with forms such as yours, I think it's quite fascinating. That aside what brings you here? Looking to relax?
@kutsukispast
Loki glanced back at the small pink feline, curious herself at her colours, or at least, the stronger vibrancy of them in comparison to the Mews she knew familiarly. The hybrid taur's purple eyes softened as she let out a chuckle, waving a hand in dismissal of the Pokemon's worries.
"Oh, darling, with the history I've had, fascination is the least worrisome thing you could feel toward me," she scoffed, tail wagging. There was a heavy lavender aroma that hung around the grass type, causing the ice dinosaur accompanying her to wrinkle her nose a bit and let out a sneeze.
"Sorry," Khione murmured. "I'm still not used to how heavy you can set the dial on your fragrance factory, Loki. Easy, will you?" She blinked at the Mew, her tailtip curling curiously. "Ah... I'm kind of here because the walking aromatherapy garden happened to see me when she got the lantern and decided to make me her plus-one for the event."
Loki elbowed Khione's side in response. "It's good for you to participate in extracurriculars, Khikhi~" she trilled.
"Please don't call me that." The dinosaur's gaze became cold and an icy chill surrounded her.
Loki stopped abruptly and nodded. "Understood. Sorry, Khione."
"Thank you." Khione's eyes softened, and the air began to warm back to normal temperature. "Now, anyway... to answer the rest of your question, little one... technically Loki's right. I guess I kind of should be a little more social as opposed to being more withdrawn. But yeah, while I'm here, relaxing couldn't hurt any... Loki, I'm going to take my leave for a bit. I know how to find you if I get lost."
The dino wandered off on her own, leaving Loki and Celeste by themselves.
"Ah... maybe I kind of forced her into an awkward spot. I guess I should have asked a bit more politely than just dragging her here..."
((Loki and Khione are no longer currently askable together, just separately. ))
The paper lantern floated gently through the sky with its warm glow flickering. A soft breeze carried it over and guiding it like a drifting star. As the flame inside began to fade, the lantern descended in slow, spiraling motions, its delicate frame rustling in the air. Finally, it touched down on a ground, its paper crinkling as it settled. Tied on the handle, a carefully folded letter peeked out. It's a handwritten invitation, it reads out...
" Dearest Esteemed Guest(s),
With great joy and reverence, we invite you to join us for this year’s Lantern Rite Festival, a celebration of light, harmony, and renewal. As the lanterns rise to illuminate the night sky, we come together to honor tradition, share in festivities, and embrace the warmth of companionship.
The festival will be held on 1st of March at Faraway Island.
Expect an evening filled with breathtaking lantern displays, enchanting performances, and a feast of exquisite delicacies.
Your presence would be a cherished honor, adding to the radiance of this special occasion. We look forward to celebrating under the glowing lanterns with you.
Khione had spotted the earlier floating lantern, but chosen to ignore it. She had been talking to Bijoux and Millie about potential major choices at Harmonia, discussing other ideas and schedules, but minutes later, her curiosity got to the better of her. She walked into the clearing, seeing Loki holding the lantern in her right hand, and the letter in her left.
"Khione! Darling!" The Leafmintaur chimed upon seeing Khione, tail wagging heatedly. By now the hybrid had read the lantern's letter, having definitively decided to attend. "Perfect timing, you're coming to the Lantern Rite Festival with me. Get your finest dress ready; I'm calling Shania right now. We leave in ten minutes. Off you go~"
"But Loki, what about Bijoux, shouldn't she-" The younger taur's feet shuffled as Loki strode over, patting her lower half in an ushering motion, sending her out of the clearing.
"Millie and Bijoux will be fine with your old teacher, darling. My Celeste will take care of them quite well, and Cascade is here if they run into trouble." Khione raised a hand to protest, but was interrupted before she could speak.
"Now, as I said, we'll be going in ten minutes; our transport is one her way.," were Loki's last words, before the hybrid disappeared into the trees. Khione blinked in surprise, before heading back to the guest shed and getting herself ready. The sequined one should suffice, she supposed...
Eight minutes later, she was back in the clearing, clad in a navy-blue dress, with a long, icy-blue train laced with twinkling white snowflake patterns along its length draping across her lower body. Her upper shoulders had white, snow-like fluff across them to hold the garment in place around her figure. What she saw next stunned her.
Loki came out to greet the younger dinosaur clad in a frilly, ribboned, shoulderless dress. It was a brilliant amethyst, matching her eyes and ear colours, with a lighter purple lace and bows holding Gracidea flowers at her elbows and above her tail. She wore a similarly-shaded lace scarf around her neck to match, and a half-train of baby purple spread over her taurbody, ending in the same medium lace as the main dress.
"You look beautiful," Loki chimed, striding over and gently petting Khione's head, causing the Aurorustaur to indadvertently purr with a blush. The grass-type smiled broadly. "I can only imagine how proud your parents would be, seeing you in this outfit. Do they know how well they've done raising you?"
"I- Loki, thank you, but I, you just-" Khione began, before Loki came up with a smile and put a finger to her nose.
"You're more than welcome, Khione, dear," the hybrid teased, as a bright, shiny Mew wordlessly appeared and nodded to them both. In a flash, the three were teleported to Faraway Island's shores, officially beginning their time at the festival, one that the younger dino had no awareness of, let alone any desire of attending.
"Thank you, Shania," Loki said with a broad bow.
"Thank you, Miss Shania," Khione matched, with a equally deep bow.
"Good to know this old cat still has a few good outfits in her wardrobe," the feline murmured, admiring the hybrid's dress. "And you... Khione, was it? Glad to see the young ladies still have good manners. I'll have to ask about who tailored your outfit some time, but that'll be another day. Loki, you'll call when you two are ready to leave, I'm sure. Have fun!" The psychic cat nodded, teleporting away and leaving the two taurs alone.
Khione wasn't sure why Loki had been so pushy to bring her. But she was here, despite knowing Bijoux would have been far more at home at this event. Maybe it would serve her well and teach her more about Loki and the Aniseeds... or benefit her in an entirely different manner. Either way, she was here... for better or worse.
