a Garnet fan

[asakiyume]

I was driving to the post office, and I noticed that the car in front of me had a sticker of Garnet, from Steven Universe, on the back of the car. Also, the car was from out of state.

Garnet



I haven't watched much Steven Universe, but I've really enjoyed the few episodes I've seen. I felt warmly toward that car. Then, coincidence of coincidences, it turned into the post office parking lot too. "Wow, someone from New York is going to the post office here in B'town," I thought, and also, "I can tell them how much I like their Garnet sticker." I followed the driver into the post office. They got in line; I had to fill out a customs form, so I was standing nearby.

"Excuse me," I said.

"Oh!" they said, startled, and made to get out of my way.

"No, no--you're fine! I just wanted to say, I really like your Garnet sticker, on your car."

"Oh!" they said again, but a pleased and happy one this time. "Thanks!"

Then it was their turn at the counter. On their way out they smiled at me and said goodbye.

I had no clue what gender, if any, they were, but they inhabited their skin and their space with a pleasant, easy charm. They looked more or less like this:

Comments

[kore]

That is lovely.

[asakiyume]

It was a really happy encounter--for me, certainly, but I think for them it was nice too.

[amaebi]

When I was about Chun Woo's current age I thought, "People casually say mean things so often, and saying `Ha ha can't you take a joke?' about it makes it worse. I bet people aren't saying pleasant things they think. I will try to say nice things to people whenever I think them."

[asakiyume]

That was a wonderful resolution to have made! I know nothing works all the time for everyone, but speaking for myself, I like both saying pleasant things and having people say them to me.

[ravens_quill]

I think those are the little moments that can really make someone's day. An unasked-for compliment (that isn't catcalling) or a few minutes of pleasant conversation can be the very thing that turns around one's attitude or give them something positive to look back on.



[As a very random aside, if you don't mind my asking, how are you adding the photos to your posts? I keep trying on mine and they just don't work, but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.]

[asakiyume]

I don't mind at all! In this post I've used two different methods. The Garnet image is just hotlinked from another site. (I should put in a credit; I usually do, but I neglected to this time--it comes from the Steven Universe Wiki.) Do you know how to do that? If so, great; if not, I can explain.

But you can also store photos and other images here at Dreamwidth and post your own stored images. That's what I did for my drawing. If you want to do that, the first thing you need to do is make sure the image is already the size you want it to display as, because unlike LJ, Dreamwidth doesn't offer you the option of multiple sizes when you post. When you have it the right size, go to your DW home page and go to the "create" tab (far left). Click on that, and one of the options will be "upload images." You can drag and drop your image to upload it.

Once it's saved, go to the "organize" tab on your home page. One of the choices that drops down from that tab is "manage images." Choose that. Then you'll see that you have a choice of either "view all your images" or "upload new images." Choose "view all your images." At that point you'll see embed code, either for the full-sized image or for a thumbnail. Click to copy either of those and stick it in your entry, and you're good to go!

*note: I have a paid account, but I think this is a feature that's open to everyone.

[ravens_quill]

Thanks very much!

I think I tried the hotlink method but I either end up with nothing on the post, or the html text (the <a href... stuff) but no image. I'm going to try the 'manage images' now. Thanks!

[aamcnamara]

I like everything about this post, including/especially your refusal to assign gender to your interlocutor. :)

[asakiyume]

Thank you! They were genuinely--from my perspective--gender ambiguous (which my picture doesn't convey; my people all tend to look pretty feminine unless I add deliberate signifiers of masculinity). I learned late last year that one of my kids is trans female, and that fact made me feel an extra burst of affection for this young person, who may not be trans female, but seemed to be *not* a conventional, binary cisgender.

[ex_cafenowhere544]

To all the other reasons I love Steven Universe, I shall include this, that it made possible this lovely, friendly encounter.

[asakiyume]

It really is a feel-good show ^_^

[minoanmiss]

This is a wonderful post. I'm so glad you do things like this.

My roommates love SU. Can I tell them about this?

[asakiyume]

Sure, by all means!

[gingicat]

Thank you for passing along this adorable story!

[asakiyume]

Very glad you enjoyed! It was a lovely moment