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#queer protagonists
incompleteninny · 2 years
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The forty-sixth free, unedited chapter of my upcoming book, “The Heist at Cordia Aquarium” is now available on its website (or click here to read from the beginning).
I’m plain exhausted. It’d be nice to spend all day writing and editing and drafting, but The Energy. It eludes me. Or work steals it all.
Avery's consciousness zips back to the world through a dizzying swamp. A journey of swirling thoughts, fluttering eyelids, and an inexplicably dry mouth. It's gross. Like she's got a shriveled up sponge for a tongue. In a few moments, most of the discomfort passes and the world materializes around her: the subtle scent of lavender and lemongrass; rays of early sunset that tint the world red; a steady, eerie creak.
Comfortable, warm, and haunting. Waking up around this time has always felt like that. Felt weird. The creaking doesn't help.
What happened? Where am I?
Her fluttering eyes shoot open and she props herself up. A plush, violet couch supports her now-awake self, herbs creep up from multicolored pots, and Valerie swivels in an office chair behind a mahogany desk. Avery goes to speak, but the words catch in her throat at a rush of memories. The school trip, the girl who lost control, overexerting herself.
Did I pass out?
[...]
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theatticmonologues · 1 year
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For those not on Twitter, don't miss a super secret personal sneak peek of Season 2! You can find the crowdfund (and all the other perks we're offering our backers) here- and if you're not on Twitter, send us a DM or an ask over here instead!
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stil-lindigo · 11 months
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bite of winter.
a comic about a princess who died in the snow.
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all my other comics
store
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bixels · 9 months
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Now that Ghibli's new movie is coming out soon, I've been thinking about anime films and wanna talk about my favorite animated movie ever, Tokyo Godfathers.
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TG is a 2003 tragicomedy by Satoshi Kon, following three unhoused people––an alcoholic, a runaway girl, an a trans woman––who find a baby in a dumpster and set off across Tokyo to reunite her with her parents.
If you like the sound of that, go watch it because the rest of this post is spoilers and I have FEELINGS about this movie.
URGHH, the fact that only two moments of true kindness, generosity, and care given to the three protagonists without any expectation of reciprocity are given by a Latin-American immigrant couple and a drag show club full of trans women. The fact that, despite her loud and dramatic personality, Hana is the glue that holds the team together and the heart of the whole movie. The fact that this movie pulls no punches at showing the violence and inhumanity committed by "civilized Japanese society" against the unhoused. The fact that Miyuki craves to be loved by her parents and ends up seeing Hana as her true mother. The fact that Miyuki starts off accidentally using transphobic language against Hana, but slowly begins calling her "Miss Hana" out of respect. The fact that, according to Kon, Hana's role in the story is as a mythological trickster god and "disturb the morality and order of society, but also play a role in revitalizing culture." The fact that Hana so desperately wants to be part of a true family, yet is willing to sacrifice her found family so they can be with their own, and is rewarded for her good deeds in the end by becoming a godmother. The fact that, throughout the movie, wind and light have been used to signify the presence of god's hand/influence (this movie's about nondenominational faith––faith in yourself, faith in others, faith in a higher power. Lots of religious are referenced, such as Buddhism/Hinduism, Christianity, and Shintoism), and in the climax of the film, as Hana jumps off a building to save a baby that isn't hers, a gust of wind and a shower of light save her from death. The fact that god saves a trans woman's life because she proved herself a mother, and that shit makes me CRY.
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hensel-x · 1 year
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finally finished my Vaguely 80s Zombie Boy 
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bookshelfdreams · 7 months
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That is certainly - a statement.
What about Jim, who both metaphorically and literally discovers a path for themself beyond what they were raised to be? What about Pete, who learns to overcome his toxic masculinity, his posturing and self-importance? What about Ed, whose entire story is about deconstructing the performance that is expected of him?
What about, oh, idk, our main fucking character Stede Bonnet, whose arc starts with him literally breaking out from the hetero marriage he was forced into despite never fitting in? Who tries (and initially fails) to build a community where he can be himself? Whose entire story is about discovering his own queerness! He starts out not even able to put a finger on WHY his marriage made him feel so suffocated, and then journeys through s1 until he reaches the emotional climax - "His name is Ed"!
Contrast that with Izzy, who has to be dragged into a supportive community kicking and screaming. Who rejects care and compassion, even at his worst, who has to be forced to accept help. He receives the leg and calls the crew a homophobic slur for it, ffs. Only after that, only when people refuse to let him push them away, is he able to poke his nose into something approaching positive human connections. And that's a powerful narrative, sure, in it's own way; but it's hardly the Ultimate Queer Experience, and it's definitely not the "only queer arc".
And Izzy never lets go of the old ways. He never abandons the Blackbeard-era pirate lifestyle for something more positive, not fully. And that's okay, because ultimately, his arc isn't even about himself.
It's about Ed.
Ed keeps repeating toxic relationship patterns, and Izzy is a part of that. He's linked (on purpose, and I wish it had been done more explicitly) to Ed's father; because Izzy represents the poison that was instilled in Ed from a young age, and that has become so entrenched in his system that he can't imagine a life without it. He keeps Izzy around despite being hurt by him because Izzy is predictable, and in that, is safe, even though he hurts Ed; at least it's a hurt Ed is familiar with and can rely on.
When Izzy slowly changes it's to show that Ed is growing beyond the little voice in his head telling him to reject softness, that he can never be loved, that We're just not these kinds of people. If Izzy can evolve from someone spitting boyfriend at Ed like it's a slur to someone congratulating him on getting laid by that same person, Ed can overcome his inner demons telling him the same thing.
That's the point of Izzy's arc. And this is why he has to die, because Ed can never be truly free as long as Izzy is around. So Izzy goes, quietly, peacefully, and releases Ed of the poison; apologizes to him, tells him I was so wrong, and I am so sorry, because that's what Ed needs to hear to move forward.
And that's such a kind, positive way to end the story of Izzy Hands.
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kai-strophics · 1 year
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I fucking love this game
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akeppi · 1 year
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I will never forgive atlus for removing the male romance options joker has way too much rizz around the male confidants for it to be considered het
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chirpsythismorning · 6 months
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What they're saying is s5 is going to have Hawkins High School as one of the locations for the plot. What I'm hearing is jealous Mike opportunities...
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onbearfeet · 1 year
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No, Microsoft Word, upon consideration I don't think my audience will be offended by my use of the word "fuck". My intended audience is queers, teenagers, and queer teenagers, all of whom seem to be absolutely fucking delighted by my use of the word "fuck".
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lloydfrontera · 12 days
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sometimes i do feel for the adaptation team of tged when it comes to the relationship between alicia and lloyd because like. they were fighting a losing battle since the very beginning.
either they respected the source material and got crazy people (me) pointing out that the protagonist has more chemistry and relationship build up with his best friend than he does with his supposed romantic interest.
or they change it in the adaptation to make alloyd have more interactions and build up and get crazy people (me) upset and questioning why they're omitting or changing scenes that make lloyd and javier's relationship deeper in the novel to make them seem less close than they truly are.
there's just no winning for them because this is something that is inextricable from the source material
in the novel lloyd and javier's relationship is the core of the plot. whatever they have going on is the heart of the entire thing. and either you accept that and the fact that there's bound to be people who will see it as something romantic and be disgruntled when lloyd is unceremoniously married off to someone he barely knew and did not want to marry for 90% of the novel. or you change it and completely destroy the core of the plot, ruining what's probably the best part of the story.
it's an impossible choice,,,, if you're someone who can't stand the idea of having a protagonist who's a little fruity with his best friend that is lmao
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scarlettshazam · 2 months
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It’s OFFICIAL! My book This Dissonant Princess is out as of today, 4/4/24 — which happens to be the main character’s birthday 🔥
This Dissonant Princess is a book that follows a messy, passionate girl named Gemma through a mental heath journey, queer unity across generations, redemption, and a love story. It’s for every person who has been told they’re “too much.”
Learn more about the This Dissonant Princess characters here 💕
Bonus picture of my dog Frumpkin “helping”
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nkirukaj · 2 months
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The Radio Demon & the Billboard Doe (2)
It's a double feature! Here take it! Take Chapter 2!
Pairing: Alastor x Fem! OC
Warnings: Swearing and mentions of sexual activity?
Genre: Angst?
Word Count: 3.8K
<Chapter 1
2. Freaky Face
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“You’re a deer!” Was the first thing she said in response
“Indeed I am, darling. Though most tend not to mention it.”
“That’s cool!”
Alastor’s smile grew wider at her child-like reaction “Why thank you.” was all he said
“So what’s your name, you cutie patootie?” Charlie interjected, lovely as ever “We gotta have your name if you’re gonna stay here!”
“My name? It’s…” she stared at herself in the mirror, thinking of what she was now. She was different, yet felt the same. “My name is Voe.” A mix of the old and the new. “Yeah, Voe.”
“Amazing! Love it! Now let’s get you settled, Voe!”
Charlie had felt the need to show her absolutely everything, including the floors that she wouldn’t be staying on. The room she would be staying in was on the 9th floor. The room was equipped with a bed, a small closet, and a full bathroom, including a tub and a shower. She spoke very fast and very much. She spoke about everything. It got to a point that Voe started to tune her out. Her voice became background noise as she studied the patterns and pictures on the walls, wondering how she had the time to do this with every new guest that came to the hotel. Vaggie and Alastor had decided to join them as well, however they were not speaking. She examines the girlfriends’ faces. Charlie had her arms open and was gesturing around quickly, and her eyes were wide and alert, while Vaggie’s eye was somewhat lidded, and her arms were focused inward. Her eye was only focused on either Charlie or the floor. Voe concluded that Charlie was the bright and friendly one, whereas Vaggie was the more standoffish one. 
Alastor though…she could not get as much of a read on him because he chose to stay at the back of the group, and she couldn’t exactly get a clear look a him without very conspicuously turning her head. What she had seen of him that she could picture was his lankiness and his large sharp smile. His smile was constantly in place with only slight deviations between moments. In the time she’d had to look at him, his smile did not budge. 
“And that’s the end of the tour. Any questions?” Charlie beamed at the doe
“Um, so you have like magic right?”
“Well, yes…but I meant questions about the hotel-“ the princess mumbled under her breath
“Can you fix my glasses?” Voe pulls the cracked frames out of her pocket, the lenses gone and legs off-kilter. Charlie leans down and examines them.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure Alastor can help!”
Alastor blinks as if he’s just been brought back down to reality “Hmm?”
Voe turns to him “Can you fix my glasses?” She asks in a flat tone
“Of course!” He puts his hand out and she places the frames in them. Green and black energy starts circling the frames and they pop up as good as new
“Nice!” She takes the frames back and looks at them
“Aww, I’m so sorry! You were walking around here blind and I didn’t even notice!”
“Well, I actually don’t need them,” She smiles “I can see just fine. But I like to have them,” she places the glasses on her face. 
“Oh,” Charlie’s eyes widen as she turns to her partner
Voe turns back to Alastor, who is grinning absentmindedly. She stares at him for a moment before his pupils move down to focus on her
“Did you need something else, my dear?”
She cocks her head “No…” she drags the word out, slowly turning away from him
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Voe laid on her back in the bed of the hotel room that Charlie had shown her. What does it mean to be redeemed? How would she know when she was? Or if she was?
There were a lot of things she didn’t know, but what she did know for sure was that she would definitely go stir-crazy if she was kept in this room with nothing for her to do. She left the hotel room and sauntered down to the front desk where Charlie and Vaggie were standing and having a conversation
“So…Charlie!” She interrupts them with a wave “Would it be possible for you to give me money? Because I think that it would make my path to redemption a whole lot easier if I had a phone, a camera, and a laptop.”
“Hmm, I guess that’s true.” 
“Wait wait!” Vaggie stepped in “How is that essential to your redemption?”
“Because…” Voe drags out her words, looking for something to say “It gives me something to do. I personally feel that if I’m being productive, I will be a much better person. You know, instead of feeling awful about myself because I’m just sitting in bed all day.” She glances at Charlie, whose eyes turn sad
“I don’t know about Charlie just giving out money.”
“Oh nonsense! Charlie loves giving out money! She talked about it on the tour!” 
“I did! I do!” Charlie drops a stack of cash into Voe’s open palms
“Amazing, great. You’re the best!” She called to Charlie as she was on her way out the door.
When she returned, she had a plethora of bags. About 10, 5 in each hand. She’d developed the skill of carrying lots of bags in life, and luckily for her, it became easier in death.
“Geez! How much fucking shit did you buy?” A tall and thin white spider. Voe’s jaw dropped when she saw him, she run’s over bringing the bags with her
“Oh my gosh! You’re so beautiful! And you look social! Hi, I’m Voe!” she waves at him
He sits up and smiles “Well thank you. Finally, someone’s appreciatin’ my good looks! And the name’s Dust. Angel Dust.” he does sparkly fingers over his face
“Angie ya bitch! How gay can you be?” A sexy Cyclops woman with a crop top, ripped jeans, a boot, and a flat.
“How much of a whore can you be?” Angel says with a smirk
“I’m a whore?” She laughs, punching him in the shoulder
“Yeah, I do it for pay!”
The Cyclops woman punches him a few more times before noticing Voe “She’s still standing there,” she whispers to him. He looks back over to the doe.
“Welcome to the Hotel! Wait, what I am doin’ I don’t work here.” Angel slinks back down, the length of his body taking up the entirety of the couch.
“Hi, you’re sexy. I’m Voe! What’s your name?” She asks to the Cyclops
“Cherri Bomb…nice to meet you.” She looks a bit apprehensive before turning to the deer. She sits next to Angel, lifting his legs and letting them lay over her lap. He sits up and removes his legs
“Do y’all have Sinstagram? This is mine.” She shows Angel Dust her phone
“Voe the Bee-ow?”
“It’s pronounced like ‘bow’. It’s rhymes!”
“Oh.” Angel looks towards Cherri, silently asking for her to save “That’s nice.”
“Well, we’re gonna go,” She leans down to whisper to Angel “I got some wicked LSD, we can forget whatever the fuck that was”
“Aw Cherri, you know I’m tryna get off that stuff,”
“Alright stay then. Stay here ya’ lousy bitch!”
He scrambles to get up “I’m still comin’”
Cherri and Angel speedwalk out the hotel doors, leaving Voe on the couch alone. They were nice. She thought.
Technically, Voe did ask Charlie for money to get a laptop, a camera, and a smartphone. However, Charlie, being so nice, gave Voe way more than she needed for everything, so she also decided to make some stops at other stores, to get things like a tripod, a ringlight, and maybe some clothes. She set up all her electronics, making sure that the ringlight was in the right place to highlight her best features, and then pressed record.
“Hey, I’m Voe the Beau and I’m here to give you all my opinions on things such as makeup, beauty trends, and technology! Today I’ll start by showing you my outfit hall from today.”
She tried on dresses, blouses, shirts, pants, leggings, and shoes all for the camera, making comments about every single one.
“Now I love the pattern and length on this blouse, but the trimmings make it look like I’m about to go churn some butter,” she chuckles and snorts “and some of these shirts are not ear-friendly. So if you have ears at the top of your head like me,” she points to her ears “Then watch out. Maybe avoid this brand?” Voe zeroes in on the tag “Sinners’eye? Yeah, don’t shop there if you have ears like mine. The hats they sell don’t even have holes in them! So non-inclusive! Also by the way does anyone know a brand or store that sells satin bonnets with ear holes? Because it is incredibly uncomfortable to sleep with my ears covered. I feel like I’m deaf! Or at least like anybody can come into my room without me knowing, like shit! I will say that the shoes come with a hooves-friendly warranty which is great, not for me personally, because I don’t have hooves. No sir, I traded that for this big black schnoz.” She points to her nose. While trying on another dress, she tells the camera “I kinda dig having a tail.” She yanked on it with a bit of force on camera “I’m like a dangerous furry” she growled jokingly with bared claws. She stands directly in front of the lens once more ”I’m thinking of trying makeup next for my video, comment some brands that you think I should try. For makeup, clothes, or tech. I’m Voe the Beau, so let me know!” She wiggles her fingers as a goodbye and gets up to stop recording. 
After sitting in silence for a moment. Voe gets up to retrieve the camera. After connecting it to her computer, she turns it on and sees herself. 
“Hey everybody! My name is Voe! Ugh no. Hey, what up motherfuckers! Ugh, what? That’s way too tryhard. My GOSH, let me just do it.”
She turns on presses record again and suddenly she’s live. 
“Hey, what up Pentagram City? Y’all can call me Voe the Beau, and I’m here to tell y’all what’s Gucci and what needs to go kablooey! As you can see I love rhyming ha ha!” Is heard from demon’s smartphones, tablets, and computers. She hadn’t exactly been expecting zero views, but she definitely wasn’t expecting to get around 1,000 on her first live. 
What can I say? I really am that bitch. 
“So I just got down here to Hell and let me just say, why do we just fall out of the sky into concrete with no idea where we are or what we’re doing? I can goddamn guarantee you that the souls that go to Heaven don’t have to go through that! There’s no welcome committee or nothing. Nothing to ease you in, and I’m like ‘damn’! It’s like getting rammed in the ass with a cactus. And why is everything red? I swear the sky is red, the buildings are red, everyone wears red, or like shades and accents of it. It’s like the only color you see around here is red. I, myself am partial to the color pink. Specifically hot pink, as you can see from the fabulous outfit that I have on right now. Do you guys want to see my outfit? Of course, you do.”
She pushes her chair back and stands in front of the camera, showing off her hot pink blouse and black pants with hot pink wedges.
“I adore these shoes. Do y’all like my shoes? I got them from Sinnera’eye, but beware to all you cats and rabbits, and other animals with ears on your head they don’t carry clothes for you. You can see my full review in the video I’m going to upload later!”
Words begin scrolling up the screen and Voe leans into her laptop to read them.
“Who am I? Well, I’m Voe! I said that at the start. Someone needs a lesson in paying attention. And as you’ll come to learn-I am that bitch Any other questions? How old am I? I’m 27 and like I said, I just got down here to Hell.”
Oh Christ Gen Z is dying now
Do you guys think she’s in Hell ‘cuz she’s gay?
Are you gay?
“Yes, bitch I’m gay as fuck! I love me some pussy! I could eat that shit day in and day out. It’s my favorite snack!”
Is that your real name?
Are you Italian?
“As far as you need to know, yes that’s my name. And no I’m not Italian, I’m blickity Black!”
Does this bitch even know the difference between race and nationality?
“Yes, I know the fucking difference! I wasn’t fucking done. Slut!” She shoots back at the commenter “I just wanted to let y’all know that! No misconceptions. ‘Cuz people used to say I was Hispanic or something all the time when I was alive, and I sure as fuck ain’t letting y’all whores do it!”
Her voice is heard from many devices in Hell, including some in the hotel. Demons are crashing into walls or falling down the stairs from the sheer captivation of her sound and her image.
“So I’m staying at the Hazbin Hotel, run by Charlie...? Charlie something, she ain’t say her last name. And she is cute as fuck. Charlie is so adorable, she’s so light and bubbly and I’m like that could never be me.” She cackles into the camera “Running a Hotel of a bunch of ungrateful ass bitches, could never be me! She got a girlfriend too. Her name’s Vaggie! She is so pretty, honestly, they are both mad cute and they cute together. I’m not gonna break them up like I used to do to people. Hmm? She’s the what? Princess? Holy shit, Charlie’s a Princess? Lucifer? That motherfucker’s real? I need to meet him. Is he hot?”
While walking down the halls a certain facility manager of this hotel seems a bit put off by the lack of people that are running at the sheer sight of him, only to discover that they are glued to their devices. He rolls his eyes. Demons don’t know true entertainment anymore. Back in his day, whole towns used to gather around the radios and listen to what stories the hosts were about to spin. Now everyone’s addicted to these miniature picture boxes that rot their brains even faster than the real thing.
Although walking past these wayward souls had the Radio Demon’s ears pricked at a certain sound. A certain voice. He halts his pursuit to listen from afar.
“Apparently, I’m a doe which is super sick, and I’m the only one that I’ve seen for the few days that I’ve been here. But there’s a stag here with me. Well, not with me, but like-“ the voice pauses “No, here at the hotel. Huh? He’s like tall and really thin. Nah like lanky, bruh.” she laughs “It’s not bad! I didn’t even say anything mean! Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he’s got on a bunch of red, with little antlers on his head. Yeah, he’s got ears on top of his head, it looks like hair, but it’s ears. A doe knows.”
Alastor could hear the smugness in her voice. Who was she to be discussing him on her pathetic technological picture box? Who was she at all?
“Yeah! He’s got this big ass grin all the time.”
The comments start flooding in much quicker than before.
That’s the Radio Demon!
You’re there with the RADIO DEMON
THE RADIO DEMON DIDN’T KILL YOU?
the radio demon isn’t even all that i heard he got his ass kicked 
FUCK THE RADIO DEMON!!!!!!!!11!!!!1!!!!11!
“The Radio Demon..? Huh? This guy said his name was Alastor”
THAT’S THE RADIO DEMON
THAT’S HIS NAME 
OMGGGGGGG!!!1!!1!1!!1!!!!!!!
“Oh. So Alastor is the Radio Demon? Why ya call him that?” 
Alastor’s grin grows knowing that his reputation is still intact and keeps on his merry way. Still wondering why this girl felt the need to bring him up at all. Still, he would find that all out in due time.
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Charlie had asked for all the residents to be down at 8:30 in the morning, which is a disgusting time to expect people to be awake and ready to interact with people. So Voe came down at 9, even that was pushing it.  All the other demons were already down, so Voe commanded all the attention when she strutted in like a celebrity.
“Sorry to be late, but 8 AM is ridiculous.” She plops down on one of the couches
“That’s okay!” Charlie reassured her “We just finished breakfast and now we’re doing the first activity of the day!”
Angel points to one of the plates on the table “There’s still toast.” He glances back down at the plate, “Oop, well there’s crust.” Niffty runs by and grabs the plate “Never mind.”
“It’s fine, I don’t need to eat.”
“Huh, I guess you don’t” Angel returns to his phone.
“All right, everyone!” Charlie tries to get their attention “Everyone! Oh gosh, we’ve never had this many guests before” she whispers to Vaggie. She gets slightly louder. “Everyone! We’re just about to get started, okay so everyone listen up, please!” Everyone lowers their volume, though some, including Voe, remain distracted by their phones. The click-clacking of dress shoes is heard descending the stairs, everyone turns their heads to see Alastor approaching the parlor.
“Alastor! You’re just in time for our first activity of that day!” Charlie smiles widely at the red demon
“Oh? So it appears I’m early..” He turns on his heels and retreats back up the staircase.
“Oooo-kay! So, we’re going to go around and introduce ourselves and say one interesting thing you did while you were alive!
Ugh. Voe always hated these when she was alive. It’s always so nerve-wracking to think about. What do other people find interesting? She could never figure it out! They went all the way around, from demons talking about how they’ve hosted the 7’o clock news, to catching butterflies, to fucking 5 bitches in the same night.
“I tried Heroin for the first time and then died.” Angel offered
“You only tried it once before dying?”
“Well, I’d already done a bunch of drugs that day, but when my friend came with the horse, I knew I had to try it! Then I died.” 
“No way! I died with an actual horse! It kicked me in the ribs!”
“This is going great! Not exactly what I had planned but this working Vaggie!” Charlie is filled to the brim with excitement 
“No one gives a fuck about your horse,” Angel responded. “I was talking about heroin.”
“I know…” the girl said, sounding disappointed
“What?”
“Why can’t I make any friends?”
“You’re up new girl,” Angel gestured to Voe, who sat in silence for a moment, still pondering on what to say. She started sweating from all the pressure of the eyes being on her and her being unprepared. She couldn’t think of anything, at all. All that she could remember was her little sexcapades. She was rich of course, she had done cool things, so why couldn’t she remember any of them?
“Hey,” Angel Dust interrupted her thoughts after what seemed like forever “Weren’t you on live yesterday?”
Voe’s demeanor brightens up “Oh, yeah! I’m guessing you caught it?”
“Yeah, I caught that live too!” another demon chimed in, soon the majority of the room was buzzing about her live. Voe beamed at being able to speak on something she was prepared for.
“So you into Freaky Face or something?”
“Angel! Don’t just assume things!” Charlie butt in, also interested in the live
“I’m sorry, Freaky Face?”
“Alastor.” The whole room responded to her
Voe shakes her head quickly, “Oh no no no. I was just commenting on the fact that he’s the only deer I’ve seen besides myself.”
“Mhmm, I guess you could say mating season is open.”
“Ha! That was funny ‘mating season’” said the horse girl, to which Angel responded with a blank stare
“He’s good-looking! I can’t be the only one that thinks that. I am not the only one that thinks that. Stop making me look crazy!”
“No one even said anything,”
“Actually mating season for deer is between October and December” Voe interjects
“Well,” Charlie tries to take charge of the conversation “Alastor is a very nice-looking male.”
Vaggie speaks from behind her girlfriend “He’s…okay. But did we forget that he’s a vicious overlord who not only owns many souls but is a psychopathic, deal-making, mass-murdering cannibalistic monster?”
“Really? But he’s like…” Voe trails off, making gestures with her hands
“Like what?” Angel Dust probes
“Like,” she thinks “Cute.” some of the demons are taken aback by her claim
“You think Alastor is ‘cute’?” Vaggie questioned, hands on her hips and full of skepticism. 
“Yeah,” Voe shrugged “Like, it’s giving…stuffed animal. Or like a pet dog”
“Nah she hasn’t seen all the creepy shit he’s done around here yet. That opinion’ll disappear real soon.” Angel Dust took a swig of his drink “Don’t say that shit to him!” he laughs to himself.
“What is… ‘it’s giving’?” Charlie asked innocently 
“Ugh.” Voe slapped her hand on her forehead “It’s just… I don’t know like, that’s a vibe.”
“Vibe?” 
“It’s just the feeling you get from someone or something,” she shakes her head “I forgot y’all are ancient.”
“Wait, so what do you think of him though?” Angel questioned point-blank
“I don’t think anything about him, I don’t know him.”
“So why’d you talk about him during your live?”
“I don’t know, because he’s a buck! That’s literally it!”
“Mhmm.” Angel takes another swig
“Wait, are you shipping us just because we’re both deer?” Voe looks confused
“I’m so glad that you all feel a sense of community!” said Charlie, after having clearly lost control of the conversation. Vaggie tapped her shoulder to tell her to just give it up. Most demons were just talking amongst themselves at this point, including Angel Dust and Voe, when the very demon they spoke about made his appearance once again.
“I hope that I’m actually on time now.” Alastor stands just outside the parlor, as the demons are instantly quiet in the presence of a supposedly cruel overlord. He had all the eyes in the room on him, saying nothing.
“Well, Alastor we just finished our activity.”
“Wonderful, so I am on time!” He glances at the clock above the fireplace “Well, I have errands to run.”
“You literally just got down here,” Vaggie spoke with annoyance in her tone
“And now I literally have to leave. Best of luck chums!” He exits the hotel and the air is filled with noise again. Voe stares after him. She didn’t notice before that he had a radio filter on his voice. Was that natural or on purpose? 
“Whatcha lookin’ at toots?” he whispers in her ear
Voe looks back at him “Oh, um nothing.”
“Uh huh, maybe you’re not so weird,” he tops off his drink
“Thanks?”
Chapter 3>
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specialagentartemis · 3 months
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When I write book/podcast/etc recommendations, I try to write them how I would want to see something pitched to me—what convinces me to read/listen to a work. And I’ve got a basic formula down:
Genre
Basic plot premise, 1-2 sentences for a short pitch or a paragraph for a long one.
What does it feel like to read? Is it fast-paced and action-y, or slow and sad, or dense and weird? Did it give me the shivers, or make me laugh, or break my heart, or go confusingly in-depth about the mechanics of wastewater treatment plant operation?
Something I particularly like about what it did. If the worldbuilding was particularly interesting, or if the narrative voice was compelling and distinctive, or the humor was constantly on-point, or the characterization was consistently well-done.
Talk about the queer identities of the main characters after I have done all of these things. This one is optional.
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incompleteninny · 1 year
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The sixty-seventh free, unedited chapter of my upcoming book, “The Heist at Cordia Aquarium” is now available on its website (or click here to read from the beginning).
It's dark. Cramped and humid and hot. Thea tightens her arms around her knees; each breath comes rough. Haggard. Harsh against her throat, dry and raw as it is.
It's my fault. I could have said something; I could have stayed out of this and let them find someone better. Then Ivan could become a wrestler; Waylon could help whoever it was that needs him. But no, I'm selfish. I took everything from them.
Her thoughts bounce around inside her head, repeating — never-ending. Those that she escapes just add to the weight of the air around her. Floating at the edge of her perception, like specters waiting for another turn to haunt her.
She presses her head into her knees and she wretches. A dry, tearless sound — just as it's been for a while now. How long am I going to sit here, useless?
[...]
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statementends · 6 months
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Thinking of it the fact my Best Friend's Wedding which ends with what would now be an extremely Aro coded woman and a gay man dancing and laughing together, it's no wonder it was my favourite romantic comedy as a kid.
Like, watching it now it's like ah Juliette, you are Aro but you don't know it. Your happy ending would never have been a romantic relationship with Michael.
Like to explain how surprising this ending is (just go to the reblogs I put videos that highlight it), even now it ends with her saying good bye to the person she thought she romantically loved. This is a romcom. The entire time you have felt empathy for her but you never want her to succeed. At least for me I never wanted her to get the man, but here at the end she doesn't. It's very bittersweet for a romcom... So they don't end it there. They bring back the friend who has been supporting her the entire movie and is in on all the schemes she's been up to and trying to get her to just tell the truth and move on.
He does what in any other romantic movie would be the sweeping romantic gesture where she realizes the man she wasn't looking at was the one that loved her all along.
But he's gay and he is in a relationship. The movie makes clear from the start he isn't the rebound or the dark horse romance. Instead the gesture is explicitly not romantic. It's an inside joke between them and he's there as her friend because he's seen how wrecked she is by the whole ordeal and wants to make her feel better. Platonically. That's how this romcom ends.
It's not perfect (the movie's from 1993 and a queer Platonic plot I doubt was the true intention), but when you're not inclined to romantic love sometimes it feels like you can't win against romance. Media makes romance the highest goal, the most important thing. The protagonist finds romantic love and lives happily ever after. But this movie even though it's very much about romance it's also about platonic friendships.
In the end she saves the wedding because although he rejects her Michael is still her friend.
Despite wanting to hate her she actually finds the romantic rival likeable and charming and if not for this man between them they would probably get along as friends. She tracks her down to set things straight.
Her editor and friend talks her through things, supports her, urges her to do the right thing, and roasts her when she's being an idiot, and is the person standing with her at the end giving us an uplifting and satisfying ending. Where for the protagonist romantic love doesn't conquer all, but platonic love certainly makes life better.
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