Runaway Lunatic

BISEXUALS GROW FROM THE GROUND

By which I mean, asks used to be WAY more of the tumblr economy. They used to be more common to send, and receive, and see. They were integral to the collaborative, forum-like behavior of old tumblr communities, not even to speak on the HUGE number of ask-blogs that used to exist to only be interacted with in ask-form.

Like wow look at how Cinder doesn’t like fancy dresses she’s so cool and different and wait. Oh her best friend Iko is fashion obsessed and also a badass? Oh Winter is conventionally attractive and still cool as fuck? Oh….

Wow look at Scarlet and how badass and angry she is she’s not like those other overly emotional— wait what? Cress cries a lot and that’s totally fine? Winter is an emotional wreck and Scarlet fully helps and supports her through it in her own ways? Oh….

Wow cress is a hacker that’s so cool she’s obviously the most capable woman— oh shit Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing? Oh Scarlet is a pilot and runs a whole ass farm? Oh that’s not even any of their main personality traits????

Oh ew Winter wears ball gowns everywhere and her problem is that she’s too pretty and she’s obsessed with this one boy that’s so stupid— oh wait? She’s slowly losing her mind because she refuses to manipulate others? She uses her docile appearance to her advantage and understands social structures better than anyone else there? Even though she doesn’t have any STEM abilities it’s her ability to make people feel heard and understood that makes her so powerful?? Oh.

Even Iko who’s the most fashion-obsessed boy-crazy of the bunch is still deeper than that, a lot of that coming from her desire to be seen as her own person and establish an identity apart from her programming, which is just very real to growing up. Girlhood is a spectrum, and when you only see one type of girl, you get the message that that’s the type of girl it’s okay to be.

TLC doesn’t just subvert that, it actively addresses it. Cress is jealous of the others sometimes, and she actively has to remind herself that it’s not Iko or Winter’s fault that they’re conventionally attractive, and it doesn’t make anyone any less of a person. Scarlet initially assumes that Winter is doltish and crazy and doesn’t realise until much later that she’s much more than she seems. It feels uncomfortable to read those parts now for me, mostly because I recognise myself in them. We’re taught to see other women as rivals, but jealousy is treated as an evil trait instead of a normal symptom of our upbringing. Showing it, letting it be something we all have to overcome, letting ourselves be ugly for a moment, is just as important as showing why our jealousy is misguided.

Show me all the girls. Show me the girls who had boy band posters plastered on their walls. Show me the girls who would rather wear cargo pants than skirts. Show me the girls who love high heels and fancy dresses. Show me the girls who fall somewhere in between. Show me the girls who like science and the girls who like to fight and the girls who spend all day wrapped in stories and fictional worlds. Show me the girls who dream of their Prince Charming and the girls who never even thought about it.

A Nervous Old Man (right) and his Emotional Support Violence Machine (Left)

I can't believe I procrastinated this gift for a few celebrations when I completed this entire creature IN A DAY. My resilience to failure is finally getting better. 😭 I sewed the wrong sides for a while and I didn't completly shut down when I realised. I took a moment and just unpicked and resewed the creature. Im so proud.

the world? one of the most immersive worlds I’ve ever experienced, and fun but serious.

the characters? likable and distinct and heroic and complex, with deep trauma and moral dilemmas that make them feel like real people.

the concept? unique and epic and cinematic but classic.

the romance? nearly every type there is, a slow burn star-crossed lovers, an enemies to lovers, a childhood best friends to lovers and rapunzel and flynn vibes.

the plot? complex and extremely well thought out, yet easy to understand, original and so addicting.

fractured fairytale dystopian fantasy sci-fi on futuristic earth and the moon with secret princess trope and princes and evil queens who can control minds? cinderella and red riding hood and rapunzel and snow white? I WILL TAKE IT THANK YOU.

there’s literally something for everyone, and no one could say it isn’t well written.