There are so many generalizations and sweeping absolutes we repeat about fighting that sometimes it can be hard to have a real conversation about it. Like there’s the idea that you have a ~perfect relationship~ if you never fight (some of my worst relationships have been ones where we never fought, because it meant everyone was burying their feelings about everything!) or that fighting constantly means you’re REALLY in love because there’s ~passion~ in the relationship (there are lots of ways to demonstrate passion that aren’t constant fighting!)
So that leaves us, largely, on our own to figure out what healthy fighting looks like and when fighting is a sign that something isn’t right.
I don’t know when is the right time to stay friends with an ex and when isn’t! I just don’t. I wish I did because I would sell a book about it that would make a million dollars. I think we can agree, though, that on a fundamental level, if someone is an ex at least one of you has decided that your romantic relationship wasn’t working, and so if your friendship is going to work, it should be substantively different in some way.
Rabbit Rabbit’s thematic focus and snapshot-like nature works well. It’s the perfect thing to read in the comfort of your room, any time you’re longing to feel less alone.
At one point, Brennen bought a binder, tried it on, started crying and whoa. My heart did a flip because I remember the sudden shift where my body went from stranger to home, and now I was watching this shift happen to someone else. And maybe this is why these shows exist: because someone else is going to want that feeling, they’re going to recognize themselves in Brennen’s reaction, they are going to recognize themselves in Jacob’s confidence.
Feeling old in terms of college, but like an infant in terms of the world
You identify as gay or queer and that seems like it’s enough until it’s not. You hear the word and meaning of genderqueer and it just rings this intimate inner bell and it feels right and it feels solid. As Jacob says in the show, the complexity is what makes it so beautiful.
It is so hard to come out and name your gender in a way many folks don’t understand. Watching Jacob and Brennen’s enthusiasm for being genderqueer and embracing that part of themselves was refreshing and invigorating for me. I’ve felt so bogged down by this part of myself recently, having to come out and constantly explain only to be misgendered and ignored. I really needed to see their intensity and passion to remember my own.
ROBOTS! Some of y’all love them; some of y’all think the apocalypse is nigh. I am fairly torn between the two. But whatever your opinion is on robots, drones and droids, one thing is for certain: we cannot escape their growing ubiquity. Robots are everywhere. Here are my favorite robots and robot-themed things—these are the droids you’re looking for.
Relevant to Your Interests: Robots for Everyday Wear and Use
One of the big selling points of comic books is that they give us heroes to look up to and want to be like. They show us possibilities. They show us dreams and wishes. Not being able to see yourself in those dreams, wishes and possibilities can really have an effect on you, especially if you’re a younger reader. When readers are told that none of the heroes look like them, it can seem like it’s impossible to be a hero. That’s why representation is important. It allows us to see a brighter future for ourselves and to set out for that future. For trans readers, that representation has been almost nonexistent until recent years.
The Complete History of Transgender Characters in American Comic Books
So much of this reminds me of walking outside presenting as a woman for the first time. Of having men call out to me, of having security guards in museums proposition me when no one else was around and my heart suddenly wanting to burst from my chest for the very person who I thought would protect me might become my enemy if I say the wrong word, and if I speak in a voice that does not ‘pass,’ what will happen next? I remember the many, many nights I stayed in instead of going out, even for something as routine for groceries, for I was terrified of being clocked as a trans woman, of being laughed at, stared at, followed.
Gabrielle Bellot, Making the Dive and Loving Myself Dangerously
Hosting a holigay meet-up is more fun than baking a batch of sugar cookies shaped like snow people, and it’s definitely easier than humming any part of The Nutcracker in tune. Make the season gay and get into it!
I remember smiling like a fool. I had learnt how to love a world I once feared. Now, I must do it again.
Gabrielle Bellot, Making the Dive and Loving Myself Dangerously