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storiesofsvu · 10 months

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Love Comes Quietly Ch 13

Alex Blake x reader warnings: language, typical CM mentions of violence, derogatory homophobic comments (not directed at our girls, but said in the presence of). A little filler chapter but something to have Alex on the receiving end of comfort this time.

A tiny town in the deep south of Texas wasn’t exactly where you would have preferred to spend your week, but when duty called, you were on the jet and ready to work. The case seemed to be pretty bare boned, a couple of bodies found killed with the same MO that the local department thought were related but weren’t sure how or why. By the time the BAU showed up, a third had already been discovered and you while you’d been invited in, you weren’t particularly being welcomed. Even within the precinct, there was a general distaste for feds and you could feel eyes burning into your backs the entire time you were working the case.

It was safe to say that by the end of the week you were all exhausted.

You had to uphold reputations, images, maintain your cool as you tried to reason with the local pd about how and why you were doing things. Explain to victims families that you were in fact working on solving the crimes even if you were sitting at the police station. On a more deeper level, you and Alex knew you had to keep your personal relationship even more private this week. There was no chance for late night dinners together after the team had gone to bed and you avoided so much as a lingering shoulder squeeze to not raise any brows. You watched as Emily slid a mask back on, stepping back and letting Rossi take the lead in situations she normally would have.

Yeah, small town Texas wasn’t exactly enjoyable for anyone.

Which is why you were extremely happy when you managed to take down the unsub late Thursday afternoon. You’d further connected that all the victims had been part of the very hidden queer community in the town, which was why they were targeted. You’d talked to the first two sets of parents earlier in the week and they’d both been rather in denial about everything. The third body you’d only managed to get an ID on while bringing the unsub in and were still set to talk to their parents. Reid and Rossi were off at the morgue, JJ and Derek taking care of making sure everything was getting processed with the unsub, leaving you, Alex and Emily at the station to deliver the news.

The place was so small the only room with some actual privacy was one of their interview rooms, the two way glass facing into the sheriff’s office, where Emily and the sheriff waited as you and Alex entered.

“Mr. and Mrs. Douglas,” You started, greeting them with a soft smile as the two of you sat down, “we are so incredibly sorry for your loss.”

“Is it even really a loss at this point?” He cut in with a gruff, crossing his arms over his chest as he leant back in his chair and you and Alex glanced at each other briefly.

“I’m sorry?” Alex questioned gently and he simply scoffed in return before his wife spoke.

“The rumours? Are they true? It’s a small town, people talk, they’re saying everyone he killed was one of those.. gays.”

“As far as we’ve been able to gather, yes.” You replied, feeling your gut churning as you kept your cool.

“And you’ve caught the guy?” She asked again.

“He’s being processed right now.” Alex replied, tight smile on her face.

“Bastard deserves a reward.” Mr. Douglas grunted and you could feel Alex tense beside you, “if you ask me he was helping the community, getting those fags off the street.”

“She’s still your daughter.” Alex urged gently, this time earning a scoff of a laugh from Mrs. Douglas.

“If we’d known what kind of lifestyle she was leading, she certainly wouldn’t have been part of our family. Those people, they’re not right. We should have sent her somewhere to get help, that Johnson boy, he got shipped off to that camp upstate and he turned out alright.”

“They all deserved what they got.” Mr. Douglas grumbled, “out there flaunting their sins? That ain’t my daughter no more.”

“Excuse me.” Alex suddenly stood from the table, her jaw tight when you glanced up at her and you could see the fire burning in her eyes before she disappeared from the room. You cleared your throat, turning back to the couple across the table from you with a tight smile.

“I understand this can be a very confusing and conflicting time. We’re here to help smooth things over as much as we can. If you’d like, we can arrange for her body and belongings to be shipped over to the funeral home for you?”

“No.” Mrs. Douglas shook her head.

“She was burnin’ in hell before she was even killed. We don’t want nothing to do with her.”

“Alright.” You pushed your seat back from the table, “I’ll have an officer walk you out. Thank you for coming in today.”

Leaving the room you made sure the door was fully shut behind you before you looked up to Emily, a knowing look on both your faces.

“Where’s Blake?”

“Bathroom.”

“You know…” the sheriff started, “I really don’t blame them, if I found out my kid was some kinda fag—”

“When do we need to be at the jet?” You asked, cutting them off, your voice louder in an attempt to drown them out.

“Tomorrow morning.” Emily turned from you to the sheriff, “I’m sure your team can finish wrapping up contacts?”

“Of course.” They smiled, shaking Emily’s hand before the two of you were finally free to leave the office.

“We’re really stuck here overnight?” You grumbled, “I feel like I need twelve showers.”

“Me too.” She replied with a heavy sigh, “director needed the jet for something else. Otherwise I’d say we’d be home in a couple of hours.”

“I need a drink.”

“You’re telling me.”

You were surprised the hotel room was empty when you got back to it, though you saw Alex’s go bag tossed on the spare bed, along with the clothes she’d had on earlier. You flicked on the television to something mindless and picked up your phone, scrolling through anything to keep your mind off this week and this case. A key clicked in the lock a few minutes later, Alex entering in workout gear, still catching her breath.

“Hey.” She greeted softly, flashing you a tired smile, “sorry, I needed a run.”

“Since when do you run?” You asked, dropping your phone to the bed.

“Since it’s frowned upon to shoot the bigots that inhabit this town.” She grumbled back with an eye roll.

“Hey…” you shifted on the bed, shuffling until you were at the foot of it, “you okay?”

“Yes.” She said after a moment, her hand reaching out to cup at your cheek while she smiled down at you before she pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Sometimes I just forget that scum like that exists. We’re in our nice little LGBT friendly bubble in DC, and I guess I was straight passing long enough that I didn’t see that it’s still such a prominent issue. Those victims… they didn’t deserve to be killed because of their beliefs and who they love….and for their families to deny them afterwards….”

“I know.” You squeezed at her arm, “you wanna talk about it?”

“I’d like to shower.” Alex sighed softly, thumb stroking at your cheek before she dropped her hand, “have you eaten?”

“You’re deflecting.”

“And you’re ignoring my question.” She fired back and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.

“Kinda lost my appetite this afternoon.”

“You need to eat.” She reached out to smooth a loose piece of hair behind your ear, “give me ten and we can find something to order.”

A very large pizza, order of breadsticks, chicken wings and Caesar salad for good measure were spread across the spare bed soon after Alex was out of the shower. The tv played on in the background as the two of you picked through the open boxes in an attempt to relax from the day. You weren’t expecting the knock on the door, glancing between each other when the noise intruded the room, wondering if there was something missed on the delivery order.

“It’s just me.” Emily’s voice called through the door and you shifted from the bed to pull the door open and she was able to finally flash you a tired smile, “if I’m interrupting, pretend I was never here except to leave some shitty beer.” She offered with the box in her hand and you let out a small laugh, glancing between her and Alex who gave you a small nod.

“You’re not interrupting.” You squeezed at her arm, tugging her into the room, “besides, I’m sure you didn’t eat dinner and we’ve got more than enough.”

“I ate!” She defending, shooting you a glare and you simply raised a brow in her direction.

“Beer doesn’t count as food Emily, you know this.”

“Fine.” She grumbled, settling onto the bed, “I couldn’t really stomach anything after this fucking hellhole.”

“Seems to be the common opinion.” Alex let out with a soft sigh, picking up a new slice of pizza as she dropped against the headboard. Emily ripped open the box of beers, passing one to each of you before she cracked her own and picked up a breadstick.

“I wanted to check in, there were a lot of really terrible things said today, hell over this week. You guys are okay?”

“I’ll survive.” You took a swig of beer, “Unsubs have knowingly said far worse things directed right toward me before. I guess I’m just disappointed that there are people out there who would rather their kid be dead than be gay. Like, I know we’re not in a safe state, but fuck….”

“It’s infuriating.” Alex replied, “you don’t bring a human into this world to judge it, you do it to love them, no matter what. I can understand certain cases where bad decisions isolate people from their families, but the choice of who they love isn’t one of them. To completely disown your child? It’s pathetic.” She turned toward you, “the Johnson kid they brought up? His name was Mark… he killed himself two days before we got to town. No one was able to figure out if it was because of the conversion therapy camp they sent him to or if he was trying to save himself from being brutally murdered by the unsub.”

“Jesus…” You muttered, taking a heavy breath before chugging back more of your drink. “I just… I know the nervousness and being scared about having to come out, no matter how supportive everyone is. But to have one of my parents react like these parents did…I could never imagine.”

“They took it okay then?” Alex glanced up at you, a softness on her features and you couldn’t help but feel the warmth soothe through you knowing she was concerned.

“Yeah. I mean, I grew up in Boston, things were always chill.” You snagged a chicken wing, “what was it like in Kansas? I can never remember if Missouri is a red or blue state. And you don’t really ever talk about your family.”

“It’s never really come up.” She shrugged, “I wasn’t particularly confused or anything, but I thought things were black or white and I knew I liked boys so I settled on that. Then at a grad party a game of truth or dare landed me with a girl friend for seven minutes in heaven and that felt right too. It took a lengthy late night conversation after too many wine coolers for her to explain what bisexuality was. I brought a girlfriend home for Christmas my first year of college without having said anything, Mom never really fully understood the sliding scale, Dad was just happy as long as I was.”

Your head titled in acknowledgement before the two of you both looked over at Emily who stalled in her movements of grabbing a slice of pizza.

“Oh don’t look at me like that! Half the places I lived growing up it was a literal crime. I dated a couple of boys to appease my parents, by the time we were living in the States there was just no point. And to be completely honest I don’t think Mother would be very supportive of it.”

“You’ve never said anything?” You asked and she shook her head.

“We’re not exactly close, we certainly don’t talk that much. I figure at this point, why bother?”

“Makes sense.” You nodded.

“What about James?” Emily asked, “he know?”

“Yeah.” Alex nodded quickly, “when we first met I had a girlfriend. When that relationship ended we started spending more time together and things progressed. He always accepted it, thought it was great that we could check out girls together.” You and Emily both laughed at that before she spoke again.

“Does he know you’re back dating now? Or does he just think you’re roommates?”

You laughed again, hiding behind your beer as you glanced over in Alex’s direction, raising a brow at her as you watched the pink creep into her cheeks and she coughed. She took a swig of beer, trying her best not to relive the humiliation of the moment all over again.

“What?” Emily asked, tossing a balled up napkin in Alex’s direction, “what am I missing?”

“Alex…” you started, half staring her down, “forgot to mention that there’s a camera in the back yard. Take one guess which direction it’s pointed.”

Emily let out a gasp before she burst into a fit of laughter, watching Alex turn beet red as you started to laugh over it too. “You’re shitting me!?” She managed between gasps of laughter, “how did he manage to see that? Just like, a daily check or something?”

“We were back a day early.” You admitted through a laugh.

“He was just making sure no one had broken into the yard.” Alex managed, the laughter from the two of you infecting her as her lips started to curl up into a small grin, “the moment he realized who it was, he turned it off. That however did not stop him from sending some very teasing texts in the morning.”

“Awe man.” Emily practically pouted, “that means he was the first person to know about you two.”

“I mean, you technically knew before we did.” Alex chuckled.

“You know what, I’ll take it.” She laughed in return, her eyes flicking to her phone when it lit up with a text, “Christ, I didn’t realize how late it was.” She grumbled, standing up off the bed, “I’ve got to be up early to do some last minute paperwork before the jet, I should leave you two to it.”

“Hey, take some food to go. Jayje was down at the gym the same time as me, I’m sure she’ll be hungry by now.” Alex offered and the three of you set about rearranging items in packaging so Emily had a box to take back to their shared room.

It didn’t take long for you and Alex to finish getting ready for bed, tossing leftovers in the mini fridge before slipping under the sheets of the other bed. The television was still playing quietly, your eyes on it as you dropped onto your back and Alex unexpectedly curled around you, burrowing into your chest. You dropped a kiss to the top of her head, your hand soothing up and down her back, knowing that the weight of those horrible words were still dragging her down.

“We’ll be home tomorrow.” You murmured softly, lips brushing against her hair and she let out a little sigh, relaxing into your embrace, “and we can forget about those morons. We’re both loved and supported and for now that’s all that really matters.”

Alex let out a quiet grunt at that, burrowing deeper into your embrace. She knew none of the comments said today were directed specifically at her, but hearing people speak like that had just been a shock, even after the week the team had had. She was so pent up already that she couldn’t let it slide off this time, it stung enough she’d had to leave the room and that didn’t happen very often. Especially in work situations, and she knew that was another reason it was weighing her down. As a profiler she was supposed to be able to keep her cool and not let things show when they bothered her.

Her gaze settled on the tv, focussing on it instead of the thoughts wilding around inside her brain. She let out a small sigh at the feeling of your fingers softly playing with her hair and she couldn’t help the way her lips curved up into a smile. Being curled in your arms, the warmth of your body next to hers was grounding her, pulling her back to where she needed to be, reminding her that she was safe, where she needed to be. It didn’t matter where in the world she was as long as she had you, you were her safe space. Each stroke of your hand on her skin calmed her, helped lull her into a state of relaxation. She left a kiss on your collarbone, her lips brushing against your skin when she spoke softly,

“Thank you.”

In return you simply pressed another kiss to the top of her head, squeezing tightly at her for a moment before you relaxed into the embrace.

________________

@svulife-rl @clarawatson @hbkpop @momlifebehard @alexusonfire @itisdoctortoyousir @temilyrights @alexxavicry @evilregal2002 @alcabots @ladysc @dextur @disneyfan624 @augustvandyne @supercriminalbean @lex13cm @prentiss-theorem @happenstnces @whiteberryx @geekyandgay98 @onmykneesformarvel @inlovewithemilyprentiss @desperate-gay @amypoehlfey @overtrred28 @emobabeyy @1974-sp @theclassicgaycousin @kalixxa @leftoverenvy @daddy-heather-dunbar @regalmilfs4me @scorpsik @riveramorylunar @h-doodles @maybe-a-humanbean @rustyzebra @s1ut4nat @inlovewithmiddleagewomen @tommyriddleobsessed

#alex blake #alex blake x reader #criminal minds #alex blake: criminal minds #love comes quietly #criminal minds fanfic #as if there are only 2-3 chapters left of this #im already sad #fuck

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gottagobackintime · 11 months

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Music (and movies) and queerness in Ted Lasso. Particularly in relation to Ted (and Trent)

I want to start with a line from the show that contains the word music.

“If music be the food of love, play on. Give me excess of it.” Said by Mae to Ted in a scene where a few moments later Trent walks up to him after leaving his date to go talk to him. It’s a quote from the VERY queer Shakespeare play “Twelfth Night”. The line implies that the speaker wants to be fed more, to the point of it making them sick so that they won’t desire, love in this case, anymore. Because he’s unhappily in love with someone who he can’t have (Michelle?). BUT he falls in love with someone else later. And in the context of Ted Lasso, this line just so happens to be said right before they show us that Trent is there. Ted also answers Mae, not by asking if she’s asking him if he wants more but “If that’s your fancy way of asking if I want another one, you guessed right”.Another love?And according to James Lance, it was when he was on his way to film this scene that he found out that Trent is gay and that he is “with that guy” as he himself puts it. A man who has a moustache very similar to Ted’s and wears similar clothes.

(Also, this happens in season 2 episode 7. In season 3, episode 7 Ted talks about the red string/thread of fate myth while Trent wears a red bracelet and they are connected by red several times and season 3, episodes 7 and 11 are connected via “You’ve got Mail”, the opening scene in episode 7 being a “tribute” to the movie, and there are other smaller references. And the team, and Trent, watching the movie in episode 11. AndTrent also wears the bracelet in episode 11, an episode I’ll bring up later in this post).

Now, let us get to the music.

Bruce Springsteen If you google “Bruce Springsteen queer” you get a lot of results discussing queerness in his songs and so on, so to put him in this post is a must.

Bruce Springsteen is brought up by Dottie in season 3 episode 11. She tells Trent about the time Ted got onstage and danced with Bruce Springsteen (which turns out to be a lie) but the connection to Springsteen is still there, because Ted did get onstage with a Bruce Springsteen cover band and sang with them. So, we’ve established a connection between Ted (and Trent) and Bruce Springsteen.

Let’s connect it to something else that happened in the episode. They watch “You’ve Got Mail” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I’ll come back to “You’ve Got Mail” later, the important part here is Tom Hanks). Ted states that the superior Nora Ephron/Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie is “Sleepless in Seattle”,a movie about a reporter falling for a single dad simply because of the way he talks about things and what he talks about. He brings the movie up twice, once to say that it’s superior and once telling someone to watch it. Now what does “Sleepless in Seattle” have to do with Bruce Springsteen? “Sleepless in Seattle” came out in 1993, as did “Philadelphia” a movie about a gay man played by Tom Hanks. Springsteen made a song called “Streets of Philadelphia”, specifically for this movie. A bit farfetched? Eh, perhaps, but I’m including it anyway.

So, in this episode Trent, a gay man, is told by Ted’s mum that Ted once went onstage with Bruce Springsteen and that’s the story he needs to confirm straight away. He practically skips towards Ted’s office to ask about it. Why that story? Surely she told him about other things too. And he heard the stories she told the team. But this was the story he was excited to get confirmed. A story about Ted’s connection to an artist that has several queer connections and who can also be connected to something else that is brought up in the episode.

Queen Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Their lead singer was queer.

And I talked about Fat Bottomed Girls and Queen/Freddie/Brian in THIS post. And I talk a little bit about the connection between Ted and Freddie Mercury in THIS post.

Queen has been used a lot throughout “Ted Lasso”, a lot more than I remembered. When I went back to look at the soundtrack for season 1 and 2, I found quite a few Queen songs. I also discovered that two of the trailers for season 2 had Queen songs in the background. “Under Pressure” (which also features David Bowie, another queer artist) and “We Will Rock You”.

Ted talks about having watched Queen at Live Aid on TV when he was younger, in season 2, episode 8 (that episode is called “Man City”, Ted mentions both Queen and Freddie Mercury. Season 3 episode 11 is called “Mom City” and Freddie Mercury is brought up again and a Queen song plays.) “Tear It Up” plays in season 2, episode 2 “We Are the Champions” plays in season 2, episode 9 “Fat Bottomed Girls” are both mentioned and played in season 3, episode 11 And, while not a Queen song, “Fought & Lost” by Sam Ryder featuring Brian May is also played in season 3, episode 11.

But let’s focus on “Fat Bottomed Girls”. Now, I’ve already talked about it in THIS post, that I also linked above. So, I won’t go over all that again. But a little recap, “Fat Bottomed Girls” is linked to “Bicycle Race” which is sometimes seen as a metaphor for being bi. They were both on the same single and they reference each other. The song is brought up by Higgins when he tells Keeley and Rebecca that Freddie, when he briefly owned Richmond in 1980, tried to make that song Richmond’s song but that it didn’t work. Rebecca then brings up that her dad went to art school with Freddie and that according to him if you would have asked Freddie what his greatest talent was, he would have said “flipping straights”.

We’ve already established Ted’s connection to Queen. And we’ve heard Ted refer to himself as straight just a few episodes ago (episode 7, and I’ve already pointed out the connection between episodes 7 and 11, this is another connection) now we get to hear Rebecca say that Freddie Mercury’s biggest talent was “flipping straights”. Ted is, as far as I know, and I’ve checked, the only person who refers to himself as straight, in the whole show. Not a single other character does that. Once in the Christmas special, once in season 3, episode 7, that’s two times. Will the rule of three apply here? Will he say that he’s straight a third time or will he subvert expectations or if you will, flip the script and say that he’s something else?

Dolly Parton Trent has worn a Dolly Parton shirt twice. Dolly Parton is a queer icon. In season 3, episode 11 Beard feels the need to call dibs on Dolly’s part in “Islands in the Stream” at karaoke. Implying that Ted perhaps snags that part for himself a lot of the time. Ted then walks away singing “Islands in the Stream”. Yet another queer connection between Trent and Ted via music.

Harry Nilsson/ (Judy Garland) Back to “You’ve got Mail”. The last scene of “You’ve got mail” ends with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meeting up and they kiss while Harry Nilsson’s cover of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” plays in the background. We’re shown that scene, not just by witnessing the characters watching it, but by it filling our own screen for a while. “Somewhere over the Rainbow” is of course from “The Wizard of Oz” originally, sung by Judy Garland. A queer icon. The connection to “The Wizard of Oz” and Ted Lasso has been brought up before. But in this episode, it’s very front and centre. Ted is standing at “The Wizard of Oz” pinball machine, staring at the spinning house. And of course, Ted’s connection to Kansas is always there. And it’s brought up in a very important way this episode, with his mother more or less telling him he should go home to Kansas.

So, we have a well-established connection between Ted and Kansas and “The Wizard of Oz”. Let’s talk more about Judy Garland, Dorothy, the original singer of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. As I mentioned above, Judy Garland was and is a queer icon. And “The Wizard of Oz” was and is a big part of the queer community. Then we have the “Friend of Dorothy” euphemism, a way to recognise other queer people, and it’s strongly associated with Judy Garland’s Dorothy. In episode 11 we are introduced to Ted’s mother, Dottie, which is a nickname/shortening of Dorothy. Another very clear queer connection to Ted.

And let us also look at James Lance who has said that there is a story arc for Trent’s shirts. And he wore a t-shirt with Dorothy’s ruby slippers to an event that is connected to Ted Lasso. And when asked why he was wearing that shirt, why he chose to honour Dorothy. It feels like he’s deflecting when he says “Well, every good character’s got to have a good pair of shoes, right. And these are surely, surely,the best pair of shoes in showbiz. So, you know, they get their own t-shirt. There aren’t many shoes to do that.” That’s suspicious. And we now know that James has had a lot of input into Trent’s costume, with him suggesting things and getting a thumbs up a lot of the time. He clearly thinks that clothes are important and can send a message. And he chose to wear a Dorothy shirt to a red carpet. When we now know that the eleventh episode of season three had several heavy references to “The Wizard of Oz”.

And to go back to Harry Nilsson. A song sung by him was on the soundtrack for Midnight Cowboy, starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, a queer movie. (And let’s remember that Trent himself said that Dustin Hoffman would probably play him in a movie).

Honourable mention

Mumford & Sons/Marcus Mumford

Why would I add Mumford & Sons and Marcus Mumford? Because Marcus Mumford made the theme song to Ted Lasso and the instrumental songs for the soundtrack, they’ve also used both Mumford & Sons and Marcus Mumford songs in the show. And the band have a connection to Jason Sudeikis. He was in the official music video for Mumford & Sons’ song “Hopeless Wanderer”, inthat video he clearly plays a version of Marcus, and he kisses another man in it. I think that deserves an honourable mention.

So, to sum it all up, there is queer subtext in the music and the artists that they mention and play in Ted Lasso, and these are just the ones that I personally can connect to Ted (and Ted/Trent). I don’t know if it is a coincidence, but I feel like there is way too much to just be a coincidence. To borrow part of Trent’s line “Through thousands of imperceptible moments, all leading to their inevitable conclusion.” Number four, that doesn’t even matter (but it actually does), LOVE. Queer love.

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #tedependent #trent crimm #ted/trent #ted x trent #nicole watches stuff #I really hope this post makes sense #this post can be summed up with the words:#started making it had a breakdown... bon appétit #I'm sorry to say that I've literally gone insane #just look at this post #I didn't even mean to make this post #I was just going to make a little gifset about the times they've had Queen in the episodes #because I'm a fan of Queen #and then I fell down the rabbit hole #and I ended up with this #and then I thought hey let's go out with a bang you know #if it truly is the last ever episode of ted lasso next week then let's have some fun #the more I looked the more everything connected #like the things that happen in season 2 and 3 episode 7 #also discovered that in one of the trailers for season 2 they have a shot of trent smiling at ted in the press room #a shot that isn't in the episode #so yeah... um...#I went deep #I really hope you all get some enjoyment out of this post #I put more effort into this post than I did when I tried (and failed) to write a researched paper at uni (that paper made me drop out again

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dykefever · 1 year

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hii so i’ve seen the term gender essentialism thrown around recently in regards to certain portrayals of r/s and i think it’s often a term being used incorrectly. discussion under the cut in regards to this xx

the textbook-y definition is: Gender essentialism refers to the belief that gender is a discrete and dichotomous social category (i.e., one can be either a girl or a boy, but not both, nor somewhere in between), and that gender is inborn, biologically determined, immutable, and informative of categorical properties.

i’ve seen this term being used to say that drawing sirius a certain way (ie. ‘too’ feminine and ‘looking like a cisgender woman’) is gender essentialism as it’s kind of inserting a cishetero lens on a gay male relationship. i’m afraid that well. that’s not quite correct. assuming things like facial features, hair length, amount of muscle, height, certain personality characteristics like being submissive, signify a specific gender and are assignable to that gender is gender essentialism. and i see this happening every few months or so in this fandom.

i think there is a conversation to be had about writing queer relationships with a cishetero lens and i think it’s one people are trying to have, however it’s not quite the one happening now. the one i often come across and seems to circulate in this fandom edges close to terf-rhetoric and is what we’ve seen terfs in this fandom say before. i’m absolutely not saying people that have been speaking on this recently are terfs, i really genuinely don’t think so. i just think there’s been some issues with the way we are talking about characterisations and gender. i also completely understand the frustration of the trend of a certain depiction of a character taking over the fandom, especially when it’s one you don’t really prefer!

i also think people are trying to have a conversation about the weird r/s dynamic of sirius as whiny and annoying remus and making him fed up with him. i hate those characterisations too! they feel extremely far away from who the characters actually are and it just seems kind of mean! while i think perhaps these portrayals are influenced by those kind of sitcom-esque nagging wife/annoyed husband dynamics, it’s still not gender essentialism nor, i would argue, placing a straight relationship dynamic over a queer one. straight relationships aren’t actually this dynamic, at least not normal, healthy ones, and women aren’t inherently whiny while men are inherently stoic and reasonable. associating women and men with certain characteristics and applying this to characters and people is what gender essentialism is. now, someone might write with the intention of placing sirius or remus in the man or woman “role” but the solution is not to write it inverted, or to write them both as what society calls masculine — it’s to call into question the very idea that a woman is submissive and a man is dominant, that these roles have to exist in a relationship, and that if there is someone submissive or dominant in the relationship that this automatically places them in a gendered role.

there’s also the role of misogyny in associating women with certain characteristics that people dislike such as whiny, childish, overly sensitive and desperate for attention. seeing men depicted in such a way and thinking that this character is now, essentially, a woman, is very much wrapped up in misogyny and transphobia and is phenomenon that needs to be frankly killed lol.

in my opinion, the whiny sirius vs annoyed remus makes me think of a child and their parent, not a man and a woman, and that is in fact super fucking weird but that’s not what this post is about so i digress.

i’m not the most eloquent when speaking on these things but i just wanted to make a post about this as i pretty frequently see something along these lines come up when speaking on how these characters are written. am open to discussion of course and welcome trans people to add their thoughts/correct me on anything!

#haha no one be weird or mean if sending asks or messaging me about this thanks #i quite literally never make fandom-discoursey posts but well. i was real tired with this one #gender essentialism

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strawberrybyers · 2 years

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it’s not that you have to ship byler. idc if you don’t ship them, it’s just a lot of the comments against them dating is always “it wouldn’t make sense”, “it’s too soon”, “mike has never shown any interest in will; he loves el!!”. and the thing is, is that if will was a girl most of these people wouldn’t feel this way. they would’ve been shipping mike and will from the very beginning. they’d acknowledge all the signs pointing towards will and mike having a crush on each other. the scene where mike can’t tell el he loves her? yeah, it wouldn’t be “well he can’t say it because his parents don’t say i love you”, it would be “it’s because mike loves will! can’t wait to see them together!” i just know for a fact there’d be a different energy if will was a girl because we’ve seen will + mike’s dynamic in other shows where will’s character would be a girl and people always end up shipping that couple. i just think there’s another layer to some of these comments against byler and that people are clearly uncomfortable seeing a relationship like this because in their mind, due to media portraying gay people in a stereotypical way and homophobia, mike and will don’t fit the stereotype they’ve been spoon fed. this is why i also believe byler is an important ship because its a different approach to a gay love story. stranger things is one of the most popular shows in the world. having two of the main male characters in a relationship with each other would be such good representation. so many of us are tired of queerbaiting, stereotypes, and tragedy. the lgbtqia+ community deserves good love stories and byler is one.

#i hope i explained this well #byler #byler is canon #byler is real #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year

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Gender detransitioning: Ritchie Herron and Keira Bell share their stories | Free Speech Nation

Andrew: In both of your cases, I mean Richie's talking about struggling with being a gay man, you yourself were struggling with being a gay woman, and there have been whistleblowers at the Tavistock that have said the same thing, that actually sometimes parents are struggling with the idea of having a gay child. To what extent is there a kind of anti-gay or possibly even homophobic element to this situation?

Keira: I think it's pretty ingrained in the whole situation really, across the globe I mean, society in general is uncomfortable with it, and I think this is unfortunately considered a solution to an extent. Transitioning children is considered a better way to to live, but evidently it's really a really bad way to go.

Andrew: Can I ask you, Keira, how much information did the specialists give you when it comes to - I mean some of this surgery is so invasive and so irreversible, you had a double mastectomy, Richie had surgery on his genitals. This kind of stuff that cannot be undone, and how much information was given you in advance of what you would be going through?

Keira: Nothing besides very basic side effects, such as in my case, facial hair and a deepening voice, for example. I wasn't told about any of the real issues that would come later down the line. They were pretty much content with me saying that I've done a bit of research online and wanted to proceed, and they were pretty much happy with that.

Andrew: Ritchie, this whole situation strikes me as a very odd because in both of your cases, this diagnosis appears to have been rushed through without other avenues necessarily being explored. But activists will say that if doctors do explore those attitudes - consider for instance that you might be struggling with your homosexuality or some other depression or some other anxiety - that is branded “trans conversion therapy.” What do you make of that?

Ritchie: I mean, I really wouldn't know because I wasn't asked about all these things. It was just all assumed that this is part of my trans identity. And when I brought up the regret, or when I brought up any sort of maybe conflicted narrative as to, maybe I'm just a little bit too obsessive, it was all brought back into that transphobic society and the reason isn't you, it's everyone else, basically was the message that we got fed to us.

[..]

Andrew: Why do you think we've reached this point, where if a young child, a young girl has what are traditionally masculine tastes, maybe in football or that kind of thing, or a young boy is traditionally effeminate, that we have to somehow, that that's a problem to be fixed? Why can't we just let kids be kids, what do you think's happened there, Keira?

Keira: It's a good question. I think that's something I'm still trying to figure out. I'm not sure how really we're gonna kind of be able to co-exist in a positive way, just because it's always been frowned upon, in my experience. It's considered a problem once you go past puberty, you're not allowed to be a tomboy anymore, you're not not allowed to be a feminine boy. So, I think that's something that still needs to be figured out really.

Andrew: And Richie, I sort of understand the homophobia aspect, I don't approve of it obviously, but I understand that homophobia has been something that's been there for a long time, people are very uncomfortable with it and that prejudice can be sort of explained in a way. But what I don't understand is the idea that children that don't conform very strictly to 1950s stereotypes of what it means to be male and female should be “fixed,” I suppose, through medical intervention. Where do you think it's come from?

Ritchie: I believe it originated mainly from WPATH Standards of Care 7, where in 2011 we adopted the “affirmation only” approach, and that approach and model itself was funded by interests that would have benefited from it. And they have. And I do think the world does need to look at the organization WPATH, and we need an alternative to WPATH because a lot of this has also come from good intentions. Whenever there's a debate about trans women in sports or anything like that, it all comes from this space of people believe that they're doing the right thing, and I believe a lot of it comes down to this affirmation at all costs approach which originated in 2011.

[..]

Andrew: Us part of the problem that a lot of people, when they listen to the stories that you're describing, they sort of just can't really believe it's happening? The idea that there would be an NHS Clinic that would step in and effectively try and fix gay kids at the Tavistock? There was that dark joke among the staff that "soon there would be no gay people left." When we hear those sorts of things, it's difficult to believe them, but how prevalent is this?

Ritchie: I think the numbers speak for themselves. I think it was what, an 8000 percent increase in referrals over the last several years for young boys and girls to these clinics? But I do believe we are kind of approaching the other side of that, and I believe if we look at the numbers in the next few years, you'll see a drastic decrease, which I believe is happening as the trend is, I believe, coming to its life-cycle end.

Andrew: Can I ask about de-transitioning, though, to what people often say to me: but there aren't many detransitioners, there aren't many people who regret the surgery they went through. What do you make of that?

Ritchie: I obviously think that that is not true. I speak to a lot of detransitioners, I can speak quite well for the male side which is largely underrepresented because there's different dynamics at play, especially ones that want to speak out publicly. And I also believe that a lot of males, especially because of the way males are socialized, generally tend to go off and do their own thing and just go off and live their life. And that is a real healthy detransition, which is to separate yourself from the identity politics and just go back to your life, go back to normality, and go back to the things that are healthy and good for you.

Andrew: Keira, in the early days of the Tavistock, it was mostly boys, there weren't many but there were mostly boys who were coming in, struggling with their gender identity. But now it seems that predominantly this is affecting teenage girls. Why do you think this might be?

Keira: I believe it's been kind of viewed as an easy way out of just the struggles of female puberty, I believe. I believe that's a big one. Girls are becoming more and more aware of being objectified and different issues like that. So transition is kind of seen as a way to evade all of that. It can be very awkward growing up as a girl, and a boy, I'm sure, but I can only speak to my experience. And I know that I definitely jumped to any chance of evading the issues that I was going through as a result of puberty.

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lab-trash · 1 year

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Villain Arcane

This episode is gay as shit (kase)

Chapter List

Chase had been gone for a few days now. Skylar and Kaz have been in the most pieces by far, often trading off who’s worse— with Bree very close behind them.

Oliver felt guilty admitting that he preferred it when Chase wasn’t around. He didn’t admit it to anyone other than himself, and he’d never said the words out loud, but he knew it.

If he said that to the team, he’d be shunned. Even by his best friend.

A big part of him felt extremely bitter towards Chase. Stealing his best friend and the girl he loved. Who the hell did Chase think he was? He didn’t deserve that; Oliver was there first.

It was just easier without Chase there.

Or at least it would be if they weren’t so occupied with getting him back.

They’d be trying to eat lunch and all of the sudden someone would start talking about Chase again. He’d only been gone for a few days; why did it matter.

They were eating their usual take-out dinner when they heard something staticky.

“Uh, th-this is Chase. Come in Elite Force, come in,” He said. Kaz immediately scrambled for his radio, prepared to respond. “Actually, don’t. Marcus will know if you respond.” He sighed. “He isn’t hurting me. If you’re worried about that.” Kaz let out a sigh of relief. He went again to press the communicator button, but Chase spoke again. “Kaz, I’m telling you, don’t come in. Just listen.”

Kaz let out an airy, broken laugh, even as tears brimmed his eyes.

“Marcus shut off my GPS, and I’m in bionic-blocking shackles. So… I don’t know where I am. And I can’t even use my bionic eye to check,” He said. “I’ll report as soon as I can.” He huffed out a quick sigh.

“Let’s see, what other questions will you have… Uh, yes, I’m being fed, and I’m drinking water.” He laughed a bit. “Reminds me of before we left though. Left the lab.”

Bree moved in closer at the mention.

“Marcus isn’t… he isn’t being terrible. I thought he was just going to kill me, but he hasn’t even hurt me. So, I’m okay for now. You have time to stop this.

“You guys are smart, so I’m sure that you guys are figuring something out. I trust you guys. I trust you. We’re a team. This is Chase Davenport, over and out.”

“No, wait, don’t go…” Kaz spoke before he could stop himself. “How much progress have we made with Marcus?” Kaz asked.

He took a new posture, a new position. It was weird. It was like suddenly he was the leader. And not the same way he was on that first night, not someone just spitting out random, half-assed ideas. Someone who was confident and brave because if he wasn’t, it’d hinder the whole team.

“We’ve found his programming, but it’s protected; we can’t see his location right now— but we’re getting there,” Bree answered, as she’d been leading the hacking expedition the most.

“How soon do you think?”

“Uh, four days max?” Bree pitched. Kaz nodded and Oliver could notice the heavy way he was breathing.

Not super quick, not panic attack fast, but hefty breaths. Not very long breaths that sucked in loads of air.

“Okay, what should we do until then?”

“We can try to track the radio's location!” Skylar exclaimed. “That should be easier, it’d be done a lot faster. And if it isn’t then, who cares, we’ll have the backup.”

“Yes! Bree, give your radio to them,” Kaz demanded.

“What? Why me?” Bree asked.

“Because Skylar and I keep ours on hand at all times and Oliver’s is broken,” Kaz huffed. Bree rolled her eyes, but left into the hyperlift anyway.

“I’m gonna get dinner,” Skylar said. “And you’re eating tonight,” She added, clearly directed toward Kaz.

“Yeah, yeah,” He said, waving her off. She sighed before running off.

Kaz did eat that night. Hearing Chase, confirmation that he was alive helped the stress. That didn’t mean that he was able to sleep that night.

Just like the nights before, he was sort of drifting in and out of tense and stressful sleep.

He’d wake up every hour or so, check the time, and sigh in the knowledge that he’d have to go back to sleep.

2:36 a.m.

"Hey, uh… I'm pretty sure you're listening…“ Kaz immediately reached for his communicator, wanting to hear every word. He could hear Chase sigh. "Fuck, I hope you're listening. I just wanted you to know I love you. I know you… probably think that I don't— that I love someone else, but I don't. I love you. My life used to feel so pointless, but-but now I have you. It doesn't feel pointless anymore.

“Please… save me. I-I– I want to say it to your face. I want to see your face when I tell you that I love you. Please, let me see your face again…"

“I’ll save you…” Kaz breathed, half happy and half terrified.

“I wish it didn’t take getting kidnapped to tell you that.”

Kaz laughed lightly.

Kaz seemed happy. Oliver was not.

Chase was probably talking to Skylar. Who else would he be talking to? And Kaz seemed happy about that, as if Oliver didn’t have feelings for Skylar for years.

Admittedly, Oliver had been losing feelings for Skylar as of late, but it was like… the bro code. Don’t move in on your friend’s girl.

Not that Oliver and Chase were particularly close, and especially not close enough to be considered ‘bros,’ but teammates felt like mandatory bros.

Not only that, but Chase was the one who was always preaching about interteam relationships being unsafe.

Kaz didn’t know Oliver was awake when this radio transmission rang out. Oliver didn’t want him to.

#lab rats elite force #mighty med #lab rats #chase davenport #kase #kaz mm #kaz lref #oliver mm #oliver lref #oliver is real stupid #villain arcane #archive of our own

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popculturebuffet · 2 years

Text

The Owl House Weekly Reviews: King’s Tide: Watcha Playin?

Happy pride alll you happy gay, bi, pan, trans, enby, and anyone on the beautiful techincolor people! I intended to start with more David Bowie’s crotch but with the week getting away from me and with a lot to do this weekend that’ll have to wait. Still we’re back to the gayest place on earth one last time this season and for some of the last of my weekly coverage. I might do it for season 3, we’ll see, but while doing episodes of a show every week has been fun with ya’ll, it’s also incredibly stressful at times as I wasn’t able to finalize my schedule till the week before the next month. I’ll still likely cover one off episodes or do quick thoughts on new shows down the pipe like Hamster and Gretel and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur or ones in progress I watch like Big City Greens or The Ghost and Molly McGee, but as for doing reviews of shows as they come out

I”ll still be here reveiwing all kinds of fun animation and comics stuff though, and it’s pride which means it’s time for superman, simpsons and one of the most baffling lines in the history of media

And time to say goodbye for now for the last time to one of the best shows in recent memory. I stand by that 100% and have said it plenty: Owl House is a masterpiece, with it’s pacing, characterization and plot movement both feeling effortless and moving at rapid pace. It’s especially apparent this half as it’s become clearer that they DID in fact know season 3 was getting cut sometime this season, likely during the second half... and somehow managed to compress plot lines that were likely meant to play out over far more episodes into only a few, Hunter’s relationship with willow (which still hasn’t upgraded but we got plenty of crumbs to keep us huntlows fed), Alador’s face turn, the resitance, steve’s face turn, king dealing with what he is. .it’s clear these were PROBABLY supposed to take longer, but still feel fully realized as is. Despite knowing they coudln’t do everything they still did the most with what they had and it makes the anticipation for the finale movies all the bigger. The season didn’t just stick the landing it fucking piroutted into it. So let’s discuss that under the cut with full spoilres, though it has been long enough thanks to those busy few days I could put my new faviorite little shit up there without fearing it was too much.

So yeah while this is the only review without amphibia this season, supposed to be one of two but you know

I still don’t be doing the strict plot summary I often do. So let’s just go right up front and knock... the collector has finally fully been unleashed and we finally see who he is and it is both great and a lot. Prevoiusly while the collector spoke and acted like a child, it was hard to tell just HOW innocent he was. Was he just deeply immature and psychotic like Bill Cipher but gleefully aware how terrible his actions, like helping with genoicde are, or simply something more like Anthony Fremont, where due to being a child with the reality warping powers of a god, he dosen’t realize just how horrifying he is or his actoins are and there hasn’t been anyone powerful enough to properly teach him. To him humans, demons, witches and blob monster men that only one person in the entire world finds attractive, hello Bogs, are just people to play games with or toys to break. He dosen’t understand why say, splatting belos like a pile of gack on a wall is fucking horrifying or that possibly doing so to the hexasquad is wrong. It dosen’t entirely EXCUSE him from being terrible, but it explains it.

He’s also pitable. Sure he’s terrifying, again he took the big bad of the story who no one else has been able to take on in a straight fight and who even as near mindless monster STILL nearly killed the hexasquad and only lost because King summoned a god he happend to piss off.. but he also seemed to GENINELY value Belos as a friend and given what we’ve seen of phillip, he’s a skilled manipulator. He prayed on a child with flexible morals and then tossed him down a ravine. It’s one of the MANY, MANY reasons seeing him become wall gunk was so fucking satisfying. He’s not innocent and if he is to be redeemed he needs to, much like say the diamonds, work to undo the massive damage he’s done and is probably about to do. But I still have hope for him: he’s still a child. A child who needs to be disiplinced and taught right from wrong. Granted he could easily cross the moral event horizion wayyyy too far in the specials, but he could also come back> It’s a coin flip.

But the design, voice work and character theme are all top notcha nd the scene of him making belos into wall mold is fucking incredible from the little smile on him to just how fucking terrified belos is.. I mean everyone else too but again after having to put up with this prick for so long it’s just so NICE to see him terrified seconds before getting turned into abstract art. He sadly didn’t die but I doubt reforming as an alolan grimer in gravesfield will be much better for him. The point is in just a few minutes of proper screentime the collector goes from a creepy engima to an even creepier but far more complex god being whose giving our heroes their greatest challenge yet. I have NO idea how they’ll beat him and odds are it’ll have to be with empathy and thought instead of a straight up fight because if so the cast is gonna shrink a LOTTTT. I mean we’re in the endgame so we’re at the point where if Dana’s gonna kill anyone, it’s now, but it’s clear they can’t beat him.

So moving on to Phillip, we get more of a build to the fact his “grand victory” which is racist jerkhole terms for “mass genocide on a global scale”.. is really going to win him nothing. He’s dressed in period clothes planning to go back and not getting time has passed him by: puritan is a term for uptight asshole stuck in the past, with phillip convently the dictonary picture, witches are part of popular media, including this one, and are at worst cackling halloween decorations or tearing apart reality to find replacement kids, and society in general would see him as a crazy old man.. which he is but not for the reasons they think .He’s so deluded himself he never even considered things change till luz brings it up. With the collector it was clear he just didn’t want to hear it but with Luz he feels a kinship in species wanting to “save her”. But likely like it was for his brother since as it turns out puritans be fucking nuts, thanks Jess for that one, this world.. was her salvation. She fit in here. His nightmare is her daydream. It found her friends, love, a second mom, a brother, and made her better. It could’ve made Phillip better too but he clung so hard to his prejudices he made himself a monster as much outside as in. Luz learned who she was wasn’t perfect and changed.. phillip clung to the flawed person he was and the horrible idologies beaten into him and changed too.. becoming worse, giving into his worst tendencies.

It’s also what makes their fight satsifying: Luz does show she’s come a long way pulling off a sick fire combo and other great moves.. but ultimately she’s a fast learner, since the titan actually likes her, against a trained mastre whose had hundreds of years to pull of combos she can’t fathom and unlike her has a stick to fast track that shit. As such she looses... then wins again. See belos in a fight.. is near unbeastable with power both from his mutation and from sheer skill and mastery. It’s why the day of unity was so daunting, even if our heroes cleared the heads, the armies, the abomintons.. they still had to deal with Philip himself. And even as a group their odds weren’t great. But as a person while his scheming is near imptetnrible his ego isn’t. He thinks so little of anyone besides himself, that he’s very easy to manipulate. Luz played him the first time.. and does so again this time using a coven glove he left around to brand him, not only giving him the same death sentence he gladly gave everyone else, but with his own weapon.

Sadly though.. this dosen’t work. The spell is already in motion thanks to Terra, and I found the fact she simply figured out Rahne wasn’t brainwashed anymore was clever. I thought spying through his eyes or having a literal spy, but nope the bats are guilt free... and in the case of steve and amber just plain free as their not in this episodes, which I feel will be importnat. Or they just couldn’t fit all of them in a goop ring

Either way their absence is noticable. As is bump and the younger witches which is either a chekovs gun or Dana finally forgot something admist having to speedrun everything which if that’s the case it’s still something we can live without for now and it’s impressive only NOW she’s forgotten anything.. and I still have faith she didn’t and this is all deliebrate as it always has been. We’ll see in the fall I suppose.

Point is the rebellions failure is sad: it was ineveitble, especailly with Luz going directly to asshole do not pass go do not collect 20 dollars, and while it’s nice there was no traitor and VERY nice to FINALLY see the other coven heads scrap, even if we didn’t get personalities because fuck you disney, it was still sad to see everything fall apart to see our heroes loose.. and our villians realize instead of utopia.. they just get to die. There was no grand design.. just death and they caused their own. *IT’s a fitting defeat for terra.. her own manipualtions and selfishness nearly killed her. I doubt it’s the last we’ll see. And I hope so. I still want to know what creepy healing guy and potion scarf man’s deals are. What ARE THEY.

But yes, Belos NEARLY wins. As while Luz’s gambit is clever it forgot one thing: Belos dosen’t CARE if he lives or dies. Sure he wanted to go home, but as he said to himself while summoning the collector he had to live long enough “to see this througH” so if long enough is “while everyone else dies” that’s fine. Even if he weren’t horribly mutated by the sigil, his inablity to control his wild magic turning him into a savage green monster hulk style... there wasn’t an off switch.L That was never a priority. Like Thanos, I get yet ANOTHER thanos comparison.. there was never any intent to let anyone walk this back. If he dies, he dies, but the mission comes first. He may not live to get the fancy witch hunter general hat, but he’ll have “saved” us from what he sees as a monsters. Luz underestimated just how much Belos belivied his own lies and it nearly cost her everything. While it was truly awesome seeing the hexasquad fight him even borderline feral.. belos is still ultimately too strong and nearly kills them all.

So we get King’s deal with our feral child god, and it’s smart working on his part: he makes up a bs game, gets an agreement to help, and does so in a way that guarantees the collector NEEDS to do what King needs most, save everyone, even if King is rightfully afraid of him and it turns out it wasn’t belos but the collector his dad hid him from. And again given all of the above, King makes the hard choice.. replacing one problem with another but at least preventing genocide. Also I couldn’t help but be reminded of mr popo just casually restoring the sun when the collector just.. moved the moon. Great stuff

That also leads to our tearful climax... while everyone’s saved, though eda was earlier thanks to rahne.. their now at the mercy of a god and Willow cleverly suggests booking it to earth... and Luz intends to stay with king to make sure everyone’s safe from the grumpy child. But in the end King’s real growth comes in the sacrifice he makes: he knows the collector wants him and will probably be satsitifed with that much... and that at worst Luz won’t come back will be safe and at best it gives them a chance to plan and come save his mother later. His letting her go was utterly heartbreaking, but was the perfect capper of king’s development from wacky comic relief sidekick.. to a true hero willing to trap himself with child he does not want to play with if it means his sister and friends are safe.

The ending is also just rife with possiblity: belos is still alive, camilla now not only gets to meet living proof the isles were good for her daughter but has to make the hard choice to let her go back for the greater good, hutner finally gets a mom and vee get smore friends.. and we ge tmore of that adorable mud fish thing. Seriously her just casually helping with dinner has only happened twice but it’s always adorable. We also got confromation of something vastly important that will likely have no impact whatsoever on the plot but every impact on fanfiction

I’m so fucking happy I could burst. This opens so many doors. Point is there’s a lot to question. I also noticed Gus was the one to break down... and it made it the most impactful. He finally gets his dream.. and it’s with his dad and everyone else he knows bar the hexasquad at The Collector’s horrifying whims. Everyone else has even more reason to break down: Luz’s entire boiling isles family is trapped there with king directly trapped with the insane 8 year old behind it all, Amity saw her parents divorce and dosen’t know if her dad was going to make it last time she saw him, Willow’s dads are trapped and Hunter.. well in the span of a week he’s had everything he knows been proven to be a lie, been nearly killed by the man who raised him multiple times, found out he was a clone of someone belos murdered, hid in a school, had to survivie hhis best friends mind labyrinth, nearly got used for a prisoner exchange, got swapped by his friend to save his ass without his consent and had his uncle gaslight him and growl CALEB at him, confrming the preson he killed once owned Flapjack.

Point is Camilla needs to hug all of them and I need a paper bag after al lof that. This is going to be one hell of a wait and I can’t wait to see how it wraps up. I’ll be sad to see the show leave.. but this is how you pull off a cliffhanger :leave them begging for what’s next after throughly earning it.

Overall season 2.. is a masterpiece. Season 1 was good.. but season 2, now free from executive mandates since Disney clearly was planning to axe the show, and frankly it’s a miracle we’re getting the season 3 we are, got to do whatever it wanted, giving us a dark, tense, if still funny as hell and heartfelt ride. We’ve had pirate adventures, karens who sell arms and try to profit off genocide, gooey murder butlers, a valid aseop against anti-vaxxers at exactly the right time, Gus metting a lady then finding out she’s terrible, The Season of Hunter, one of the best and most visable non-binary characters in animation, a hooty episode that ended up being one of the best and most important of the series, this

Camilla getting fully fleshed out and adopting an adorable mud lizard thing, Luz’s denail reaching criticla mass, time travel, HUNTLOW, a tournament arc, a flashback..

People wearing kingskin caps, MORE HUNTLOW, Soul Searching Steve Road Trips, a rescue arc with one of the greatest lesbian kisses in animation history, and finally

It’s been a great pleasure covering this one. Thank you all for reading and thank you so much for enjoying my weird shit. Before you go please consider voting in my latest poll or joining my patreon

Poll is Here

Patreon is Here

See you next time.

#the owl house #the owl house spoilers #the collector #luz noceda #king clawthorne #disney channel #disney plus #phillip whitbane

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qnewslgbtiqa · 5 days

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'Loads of drama' in Dannii's dating show I Kissed A Girl

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/loads-of-drama-in-danniis-dating-show-i-kissed-a-girl/

'Loads of drama' in Dannii's dating show I Kissed A Girl

We’ve finally got a big update on Dannii Minogue’s new lesbian dating series I Kissed A Girl.

The upcoming show is a sapphic spinoff of last year’s gay male dating series I Kissed A Boy. The British production was a success for the BBC and by reality TV standards, was surprisingly good.

Next month, the women will get a go. The BBC has confirmed I Kissed A Girl will finally premiere in the UK on May 5.

Joining host Dannii is lesbian TikTok comedian Charley Marlowe on voiceover duties.

In I Kissed A Girl, ten single queer women in a gorgeous Italian villa are matched into pairs and go straight in for a kiss without saying a word.

‘The queerest thing I’ve ever seen’

Charley Marlowe declared the show “the queerest thing I’ve ever seen” with “mass amounts of snogging” and “loads of drama”.

“God, they all barely get a word in between all the smooching,” she teased.

“You can expect to see normal queer girls. Not queer girls who are sexualised, fetishised or romanticised.

“Of course, there’s loads of drama and it’s SUCH an unreal watch! But it’s fantastic to see queer girls being themselves without constraints.”

Hi…my name is Cupid and this year I’m aiming more love arrows in Italy… this time for the girls 👭💘 #IKissedAGirl, coming soon to @BBCThree and @BBCiPlayer #ValentinesDay #RealityTV @bbcthree #love pic.twitter.com/27I2WMdWD8

— Dannii Minogue (@DanniiMinogue) February 14, 2024

She added, “We would record a couple of episodes at a time so I was drip-fed the drama

“Each week I was absolutely gasping for the next one, the cliffhangers are brilliant.

“As much as we love it when everyone gets along, an argument is always going to hook us in. Which is exactly what this series does.

“Shock revelations, mass amounts of snogging – which made me realise I’m more of a prude than I thought – and lesbians being lesbians. It’s got it all.”

But most importantly, Charley confirmed Dannii Minogue “put her everything into her looks this series.”

“The girls were obsessed, and so was I,” she said.

“I am the biggest fan. Dannii and Kylie have created such a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and everyone adores them for it. They are both absolute icons.”

I Kissed A Girl will start on BBC’s iPlayer on May 5, which means Aussies can expect it to arrive on streaming over here months later.

I Kissed A Boy is streaming in Australia on 10 Play and Paramount+.

Dannii Minogue says I Kissed A Girl ‘very different show’

Dannii’s perfect reaction to losing followers over gay dating gig

‘Still mates’: I Kissed A Boy power couple announce they’ve split

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

#Queer TV

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nickgerlich · 1 year

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Let’s Be Friends

I laughingly remember my freshman year of university. It was the fall of 1977, and I was away from home for the first time. While I had dated a young woman my senior year of high school, I knew that it was over because I was going to be off doing my own thing, meeting tons of new people, and perusing all the fine young ladies who were allegedly there just to “get their M-R-S degree.”

We’ve come a long way from then, thankfully, but I digress.

One of the first campus activities that was held that fall was computer dating. Yeah. The kind that people do on their phones with ease these days, swiping this way and that, reading inflated profiles, and so on. Back then, we had to answer a battery of questions documenting our interests, which were then fed into a computer and handy punch cards created for each participant.

Because it was a private Christian school, there was never the option for those who wanted to stay on the same side of the aisle (even though I now know long after the fact that I did have some gay peers on that holy ground). Those cards were all then read, and matches made by an algorithm that would have put Facebook out of business, were they also trying to place ads.

Somehow I managed to get three matches. I actually went out with two of them. Once. I could point them out in a yearbook, but I have no recollection of who the third person was. Apparently I was so unimpressed with the first two matches that I simply gave up. I knew I could do better on my own. And I did.  

Skip forward to the modern era, and dating apps are the norm. Nearly 40% of couples today report having met online, and it is significantly higher among gay couples. Dating apps have become a lot like online shopping. Given our hectic disconnected digital lives, it can be very difficult to meet new people, much less explore romance. These apps help solve that problem.

But another artifact of these times is that we have fewer close friends than we once reported, especially among men. Only 15% of men report having one or more close friends. There are now dating app equivalents aimed at helping people pursue platonic relationships, like Bumble BFF, a feature on the broader app.  

My first reaction was, “Oh my. How pathetic must a person be that they would go online looking for friends?” Never mind that relationships of any kind take time, something that is precious these days. And yes, there is a huge shame element, because we normally think a person would have multiple friends before they start settling in on one for a romantic relationship.

But it’s true. And for guys, it is especially true after they marry and have families. While their wives may still have their girl friends, guys often wind up with none. They go to work. Mow the lawns. Haul kids around. Put them to bed, and read them a story.  

Been there, done that, and saw my Dad do it too.

We also cannot forget COVID, which pushed many of us into the deep cave of our homes. Remote working, where allowed, continues the COVID effect on being able to be out and about among people, any people.

I see some potential problems, though. Can you trust that a stranger truly wants a platonic relationship? Can a guy say he wants a guy friend, but it’s not a gay thing? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather stick to making tons of Facebook and Insta pals, and then maybe arranging a meetup if the online conversations take off. Maybe I just don’t trust online profiles, especially the kind you would find at Bumble, Tinder, or any of the rest.

That said, there is a great marketing opportunity here. Just as dating apps proved themselves worthy toward monetization, friendship apps can do likewise. And while Bumble BFF has actually been around since 2016, it is now gaining major traction, especially among Gen-Zers, the folks most likely to live that disconnected digital lifestyle.  

Imagine knowing their interests, their location, all the demos. Yeah. This might even be better than the info that Facebook collects. Never mind folks actually meeting up, there’s advertising revenues to be made and algorithms to be deployed.

Which I just wish they had back in 1977. Good grief, those were two of the most boring dates in my life. Not that I’m the Most Interesting Man In The Room, mind you, but whomever was doing the programming behind it all must have liked the hermit life.

Dr “Still Not Buying This“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #Bumble BFF #Bumble #apps #online #relationships

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tashabilities · 1 year

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Tevin Campbell’s birthday is today. He came out earlier this year. Yeah, we knew, But it’s something so sweet about THAT voice singing to women!! Tell Me What You Want Me To Do Alone With You Look What We’d Have If You Were Mine BROWN EYED GIRL like He’s one of like, three clearly gay men that I ever wanted to hear singing hetero oriented songs, cause they do it so so well, like, You BELIEVE that he wants to call this GIRL ‘baby’, like, HE WAS FIFTEEN, but you BELIEVED he was having relationship problems WITH A WOMAN talkin bout After all that we’ve been through, Girl, I’m beggin you, I’m down on my knees Don’t walk away, Baby, please, don’t leave me, OH! Like, all his female love interests in his videos were visibly older than him, Or he was the third party silent observer singing the song while a dramatic ass couple fought in the background. He was SEVENTEEN talkin bout Can We Talk, and I LOVED HIM. I been in love with gay niggas a long time, ain’t it? Anyway, he’s brought me years of joy and I hope wherever he is, He’s healthy, happy, fed and being loved right.

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queenmorgawse · 1 year

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interested? check out gr4dalis.carrd.co to find out how to read this webtoon, even if you don’t speak one word of french.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE SLIDES UNDER THE CUT.

SLIDE 1 : why you should read gradalis (like rn immediately seriously it’s so good) (all art is official art)

SLIDE 2 : girl wtf IS a gradalis - so glad you asked! - gradalis is a french webtoon by kochei, currently releasing on webtoon france! - “but it’s in french?” worry not. (this is a surprise tool that will help us later) - QUEEN ARTHURIAN LEGEND RETELLING! LOOK AT THEM! - do i even need more arguments. ok - coming of age with a sprinkle of romance and mild horror, interpersonal drama galore, side characters you WILL cry over - complaining u like fantasy settings but they’re too str8 and whyte? this is for u

SLIDE 3 : official summary by yours truly tho

When a fateful encounter whisks young Percival away from the lands he calls home, he has no idea what destiny has in store for him. As a new squire in the service of the knights of the Round Table, he’s presented with an exceptional quest : that of the search for the Holy Grail. With magic, conflicts and new companions, Percival’s story will see some rise to the occasion, while others fall to their doom.

SLIDE 4 : #1 : the story is a banger, objectively - my boy percy may be the mc but it’s not all about him!! - friendship! romance! action! magic! you’ve got it all - compelling arc after compelling arc. every time you think you’re going to breathe you are NOT - complicated family dynamics? we got u. wholesome ones? done. interesting younger AND older cast? ofc - everyone is so married, so divorced or both at once it’s kind of wild - u want to cry? this is for u also - the jokes will cheer u up tho

SLIDE 5 : #2 beautiful art style AND interesting characters - started naming all my faves then realized it was everyone - each with their own fleshed out personalities and motivations wow!! - seriously the cast is so diverse. black and hijabi knights!! normalized non-cis and non-straight characters!! we’ve all been fed - showcasing other charas aside from the main lads here bc they deserve it - everyone looks so gorgeous. crying

SLIDE 6 : #3 by the gays for the gays ( pictures of dinadan, gawain and aglovale )

SLIDE 7 : in conclusion : please read this webtoon deserves more attention and on god i will not shut up about it

#gradalis #arthuriana #arthurian legend #knights #percival #mordred #yes i'm reposting this. w different tags tho. do not @ me

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itsjustmylifeconfessions · 3 years

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Eternals reviews and my feelings about it

no spoilers don’t worry :)

Quick note: my blog is a safe space and rudeness and negativity will be deleted and ignored :)

All the “bad” things I've seen are the reasons I think I'll love it.

It doesn’t feel like an mcu film, not too much humor with jokes every 5 minutes, slower pace, focus on story instead of action, more adult... All this seems like a win for me!

We have 10 new characters, that are 7 thousand years old, we explore the creation of the universe, different galaxies and planets, and deeper topics like what it means to be human. Of course it’s heavy and dense.

We’ve been spoon fed light plot with cheap humor every 5 minutes, so when we get a decent plot and a character focused story of course it feels alien. But hey, you can’t complain for years about not having character development, not exploring character’s personalities and personal traumas and fears, too many jokes ruining the moment and too much cgi distracting you, and then when we get something different you give it a bad review and a bad ratting saying it feels different. It doesn’t make sense. Do you want a break from the Marvel formula or not?

I completely understand people have different opinions, and I respect that, but what I’m seeing so far are critics (not marvel fans necessarily, let’s not forget that) giving a negative review because it doesn’t have typical mcu jokes and it’s character focused. And let’s not forget this movie has been getting heat since forever, it’s diverse, has gender swapped characters, legit gay representation (gay Joe Russo I’m looking at you) and it’s not made by a white straight american dude.

Also, many reviews are contradicting themselves. They don’t like the directing choices then call it Zhao’s masterpiece, they complain about locations being barren but when Dune was basically all sand it was cinema, they have issues with marvel movies not focusing on characters but then say the movie was too focused on character and plot instead of action.

A movie full of layers, complex, focused on characters and slower paced is far from a bad movie. There’s a huge difference there. Different doesn’t equal bad.

It seems Marvel went out of their comfort zone with this one and I’m really happy with that.

The cast is incredible, Chloé Zhao is a master, I love everything Ramin Djawadi creates, and I’ll always be a Marvel girl. I’m super excited and can’t wait to watch this beauty on the big screen!

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definitelyseven · 3 years

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seduction | one

summary: your best friend suspects that her boyfriend, Jackson Wang, might not love her anymore, so she pays you to help seduce him to prove her right.

one | two |

“What? No!” you immediately rejected after hearing what she suggested.

“Y/N please!” she begged, reaching for your hand. “Please!”

“Tzuyu! Are you listening to yourself? You can’t possibly think that’s a good idea,” you argued.

“Y/N, I’m studying aboard in Europe for a year. I have no faith he loves me enough not to leave me,” Tzuyu pouted. To be honest, you didn’t have faith in their relationship either.

“You’ve been with him for only five months. Maybe you’ll be the one who leaves him,” you comforted.

“We’ve been official for five months but we’ve actually been dating for much longer,” she explained. “Please Y/N,” she begged again. “This relationship is important to me.”

“What makes you think, the famous Jackson Wang would pick someone like me over someone like you? Tzuyu, you’re beautiful, you’re rich and I’m just...” you couldn’t even finish your sentence.

You were just normal compared to Tzuyu. She had everything you always wanted. Parents that loved her, money, friends, beauty and a famous boyfriend.

“You’re my best friend,” she finished for you. Not only was she beautiful and rich, she was also smart and kind. “I only trust you to help me with this.”

“Tzuyu, you know I love you and I would do anything for you, but...”

“Then do this for me,” she interrupted.

“Have you thought of what would happen if I was successful in seducing him?” you asked.

“Then it’ll show he doesn’t love me, that I shouldn’t be with him. I wouldn’t have to waste my time being in a long distance relationship with him,” she explained clearly. “I fully understand what I’m asking you to do. I won’t get mad at the outcome.” You hesitated, still unsure if this was a good idea. “I’ll pay you,” she finally suggested. You chuckled because she knew you wouldn’t be able to resist money. She knew you needed the money. “People usually pay you, don’t they?”

You laughed again. “They do and I’m not cheap,” you reminded her.

“I’m rich,” she joked. “How much should I write the check out for?”

“Are you sure about this?” you asked again. She nodded, her pen already signing the check. You smirked, “Let’s talk pricing.”

You were never afraid of people finding out what you did for a living. It may not be the traditional way of earning money, but you liked to think you were using your skills to help people - to help those that were lonely and needed company or in Tzuyu’s case, to test her boyfriend’s loyalty. You never did anything you didn’t want to do nor did you sleep with everyone.

Tzuyu was certainly generous; your most generous client yet. She covered all your expenses and paid you double your rate. You smirked once you put on the dress she got you. The dressed hugged your body tightly, accentuating all your curves with just the right amount of push-up for your breasts. Now all you had to do was do what you did best and get inside the private party; something even Tzuyu couldn’t help you with.

“Can I see your invitation?” the guard at the front requested.

“I’m sorry. I forgot my invitation,” you pouted, while leaning your body forwards exposing your cleavage to the guard.

“As much as I want to let you in baby, it’s out of my control.”

You looked around outside and see a group of men, smoking. You smirked and made your way over to them. “Hello boys,” you cooed. The group of men glanced over at you. You recognized them in Tzuyu’s photos. They were Jackson’s friends. “My friends bailed on me last minute and I’m not from around here. Do you guys know where I can get a drink? I tried going in but it’s invitation only,” you pouted.

“No pretty girl should be denied entrance,” one of the men said, wrapping his arm around your waist. “I’m Eric,” he introduced, while dragging you inside. You smirked at the guard who denied you from entering.

“I’m Y/N.”

You quickly scanned the club once you entered. Since it was an exclusive party there weren’t that many people inside. Eric drags you towards a booth where a group of people where sitting. You instantly spotted Jackson.

First things first - identify the “competition.” There were two women sandwiched between Jackson. From just one look, you can tell they were professionals and the biggest fish in the sea tonight was Jackson. You chuckled at yourself. It was too obvious; from the way their dresses rose up to the constant leaning forward to reveal their exposed chest. You were all too familiar with these tactics. You even used some of them when you first started.

Your eyes met his. You gave him a subtle smile and a gentle nod before shifting your attention back to Eric. It was still too early to tell whether Eric was desperate to get in your pants or if he was overly friendly.

“Cheers,” Eric said clinking his glass with yours before downing his drink. You brought the glass to your lips, taking a sip out of the dark liquid.

“You never said what kind of event this was,” you shouted over the music and into his ears.

“Jack!” he called. Jackson turned his attention to the both of you. He got up away from the girls that were sandwiched between him and moved to sit next to Eric.

“I’m Jackson,” he introduced himself.

You smiled, “Y/N.”

“We’re celebrating Jackson’s new single release,” Eric said, filling your glass to the top. “Cheers,” he said again, pushing the glass towards your lips. You laughed at his excitement. Your eyes met Jackson’s again. The both of you smiled at each other before taking a sipping out of your drinks.

You observed Jackson quietly while entertaining Eric. Although there were women surrounding him, he never once touched them nor did he flirt back. He acted just like how he was from the videos you saw online - friendly and welcoming.

As the night progressed and the more you got Eric to reveal information about Jackson, the touchier he got. It seemed like with every piece of information he fed you was an invitation for him to reach further up your leg.

“One second,” you tell him while removing his hand off your thigh. “Restroom break,” you forced a smile before walking off to the restroom. You were used to this except you were always paid for it. The only thing different was the person paying wasn’t touching you nor was the person that you’d hope would touch you, touching you. You walked out of the restroom and the first person you see was Eric. You forced a smile and walked towards him. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“I can’t leave a pretty girl all by herself,” he smirked while wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you close to his body. You rest your hands on his chest, pushing yourself away from him.

“Let’s get another drink,” you suggested as you see Jackson at the bar alone.

This was your chance.

You walked up next to Jackson. Eric’s hand instinctively found your waist again. He was becoming like an annoying bug that wouldn’t leave you alone. “What do you want to drink?” he whispered in your ear.

You turned to him with a small smile and then back at Jackson. “I’ll have whatever you’re having,” you said to Jackson. He nods, waving down the bartender to pour 3 drinks. The three of you quickly downed the shot. “Let’s dance,” you shouted through the music. Eric grabs your hand and drags you to the dance floor. You quickly grab Jackson’s hand, dragging him out to dance floor with you.

As quickly as you got on the dance floor, the women from earlier were already dancing near Jackson. Again, he never touched them. He just danced around them. No matter how hard the women tried, he didn’t oblige.

Eric however was beyond on drunk. His grip on your waist so tight that it started to get uncomfortable. His hands went from your arms to the side of your body and then down to the hem of your dress where he tried to pull it up. You grabbed his hand and gently pushed it away from your dress. “Come on baby,” he tried to convince. You chuckled at yourself - men. You turned around to face him. You brought your finger up to his face and shook it left and right, signaling no.

“Don’t get touchy,” you warned. You still tried to be friendly for the sake of this mission; in case you needed him for the future. Eric didn’t like that though. He quickly spins you around, grabbing your neck. He pushes you down, attempting to bend you over to grind on him. You groaned in pain and discomfort.

“Eric, can you get us another drink?” Jackson asks, grabbing his hand away from your neck and pulling you to his side.

“Fine,” Eric sighs in defeat as he walked away from the both of you.

“I apologize on his behalf,” Jackson said to you. You can tell he was sincere.

“Thanks,” you tell him. You noticed a red stain on his collar. You knew it wasn’t because he was intimate with another girl. You reached for his collar and tugged on it slightly. You leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Make sure to clean this up before you meet your girlfriend.” You smiled at him before walking away back to the booth.

You smirked when Jackson followed you.

“What makes you think I have a girlfriend?” he asked taking a seat next to you.

“There were a lot of girls surrounding you tonight and you didn’t bother flirting back. It could only mean one thing - you’re gay or you have a girlfriend,” you teased. “I took a 50/50 chance. You have a girlfriend,” you repeated.

Jackson chuckled, nodding in agreement. “I’m heading out. You?” he asked. You bit your lip. “If you don’t leave, I’m not sure I can protect you from my friends. They like pretty girls.”

“And what about you?” you teased.

“Pretty girls? Of course I like pretty girls,” he teased back. “So, want to leave together?”

Finally - you thought. He was finally acting like any man in this club would. You nodded as you got up to leave with him.

Jackson couldn’t leave from the front of the club because of paparazzi so the both of you headed towards the back of the club. It was chilly and dark. He noticed how you rubbed your arms up and down and how your legs shook from the cold. He takes his blazer off and puts it over your shoulders. You were surprised at how much of a gentlemen he was.

“Oh that’s okay,” you tell him, stopping him from putting the blazer on you.

“Stop it you’re freezing,” Jackson said, pulling the blazer back over your shoulders. He buttons one of the buttons and helps you take your hair out of the blazer.

“Thank you,” you smiled at him. He smiles back, gently stroking your back. His actions weren’t sexual. It was rather friendly. “You didn’t deny it earlier.”

“What?”

“When I said you had a girlfriend.”

Jackson chuckled again but doesn’t respond again. A taxi pulls up in front of you. He opens the door for you, helping you get in safely. To your surprise, he doesn’t get in with you. You opened the window to speak to him. “Your blazer,” you tell him, getting ready to take it off.

“It’s alright. Keep it, it’s cold.” Jackson said leaning down to your level.

“How will I return it?” you asked. He chuckles again and knocks on the taxi door, signaling the driver to start driving. You looked back at him who was still waiting for his car. He smiles at you, waving goodbye.

“Hello?”

“How did it go?” Tzuyu asked anxiously over the phone.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Trust me,” you assured her.

“Nothing happened?” she asked again.

You smiled at her, happy to tell her that nothing happened even when he was surrounded by girls, even when he could’ve left with you. You stuck your hands inside the pocket of his blazer - something was inside.

“Nothing happened, but he did give me his number,” you tell her, taking the piece of paper out of his pocket.

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