#what does a person have to do to find a gay book in this world
Note
Soery if this isnt related to br or something
What are your main japanese songs (if you have any)
That can either relate for the two gay characters?
SAY NO MORE FELLAS!
Wowaka by Unknown Mother Goose - SMG4 redesign
Four deals with his struggles at being Perfect.
Rolling Girl by Miku Hatsune - SMG3 recolor/redesign
Three is trying his hardest all the time even after his arc.
The past re-encounters that gave him so much deja vu and all the bad things even tho he tries so many times making it all up with it. He couldn't.
(He does SH and the only way for him to think about is dying- yet Four prevents him from doing that)
Kokoro by Rin ft. Len Kagamine (duet) - SMG34
Four as the robot and Three... well... is the professor. (For those who heard the duet song you will understand that)
Vivi by kenshi yonezu - SMG3
Three slips away from Four and even ends up mising him even more.
Orange by 96Neko - SMG4
Three dies. Four is there to stay and cherish all the moments he and Three had made from their times, now he always visits his grave. Four finally moves on and Three could only say "goodbye"
Sigh by Rin Kagamine - SMG4
Four doesn't know why he was always sad, turns out his long dead-forgotten friend appeared as an angel to return the smiles he had missed.
Kokoronashi by Hikaru Station - SMG3
Three suffers at himself and well finds it hard to deal with emotions...
Knife by [vocaloids i fgt] - SMG4
Short straight [if you know and heard this song]
Four avenge Three's death after Niles killed him
Therefore You and Me by Eve ft. 38ban - SMG34
Ever long lasting slow burn. Recolored - redesign
Ikanaide (Don't Go) by Mafumafu - SMG3
From Recolor to 1st-2nd Redesign
Three's villain role is out of his hands now that he became a tritagonist. However he still looks out for SMG4 even after everything...
But somedays when he and Four get into basic arguements he still fears that one day he would stop talking to him and that he would rather hang out much to his friends.
That Four might eventually forget about what he had just done something good to him.
The Lost One's Weeping ft. Kagamine Rin - SMG4
Redesign vs. Recolor.
Four would recall his past about his senior high where he never understood nothing and the self comparisson between him and the rest of the students are highly at this rate.
It triggered him so much that he never wanted to get back to it, he is only recalling this from his vision - seen as his memories until he sees his recolored version telling him that he already made the decision and that there is nothing else he could do.
Nonsense Speaker by Miku Hatsune - SMG3
Smg3 even tho if he was a tsundere... he still has thoughts about his relationship with four... and the events they both shared if he'd still even see himself as the past or look into his bright self again.
Kagerou Days by Shizen no Teki ft. Miku Hatsune - SMG3
Basic timeloop
Three tried so many times to prevent four from dying with his self hatred side. Yet. He was the one to die at the end.
Racing Into The Night by YOASOBI - SMG4
Four didn't know why three was sad. (They both felt all sad and stuff-)
So when three said he wanted to die- four did too.
Suki Kirai (Like-Dislike) by Rin and Len - SMG34
YOU KNOW A SUN X MOON DYNAMIC ALREADY ITS OBVIOUS.
Feathers Across the Seasons by Kagamine Rin and Len - SMG3
Smg4 was the mysterious feather being
Three is the diseased human person.
Bonus for other characters:
@shygirl4991 @alianarepasa
High Range ft. Kagamine Len - Heart 3
It kinda does fit for Heart since he does use his fem voice not quite often
I'll Quit Singing ft. Kagamine Len - Book 3
Nothing else I just like to think that book plays with a piano
The World is Mine by Miku Hatsune - Spade 3
SPADE SINGING THIS? YES. YES I DID.
(ITS CANON BECAUSE HIS PERSONALITY TRAIT SAID SO)
The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku - Producer4
What huh personality disappearance? Yes.
Daughter of Evil by Kagamine Rin - Delinquent4
Servant of Evil by Len Kagamine Len - Producer4
I think you kmow this story already. Hehe.
#smg4#smg34#smg3#smg4 smg3#lizaluv#bonus#six split for four#split six for fours#six splits for fours#split into threes!#split into three!#split into threes#split to threes!#shygirl4991#alianrepasa
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i live in the US and heartstopper 5 was supposed to be in bookstores today and i went to barnes and noble and IT WAS NOT THERE 😤 what the heck???
#i am angry#heartstopper#why are they like this#osemanverse#volume 5#lgbtq+#lgbtqia#we deserve better#so does alice#what does a person have to do to find a gay book in this world
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the brainrot is so bad that i'm sitting here trying to watch the godfather just thinking to myself "damn..... how can i make a byIer au outta dis... 🤔📝"
#karen's actress is italian... maybe karen is too... she's a civilian but mike gets roped into it bc ted is more involved as an accountant.#her family loves him and ted loves money and being able to provide for his family and all that Macho Family Man^tm stuff and#sure karen wants mike to do big things—bigger than just messing around with his friends—but she isn't sure that having him get#chummy with her family is the right idea. mike does it anyway bc it's what he's Supposed To Do and he's Getting Older and karen#thinks well... okay... if this is what you want... ❤️ and mike just nods and agrees like he always does bc thts easier than speaking up#or trying to figure out what the hell to do after uni and Much less scary than working on that book he's been working on since forever.#will's a civilian ofc he gets brought along to mike's family things bc mike wants the company but he doesn't Like that world and the#way they look at him. whenever lonnie used to get fired from whatever job he was working at then he'd end up doing ''favors''#for one of the other families and even though will's nothing like his father and he and his brother and his mom aren't even remotely#involved in that kind of life he still has his last name and it's a brand tht sticks. smth smth the romeo n juliet vibes of it all....#in this au maybe hopper hasn't been reformed bc there's no tragedy to pull him out of that so maybe he's on the wheelers' payroll#and he has a daughter tht they want to introduce to mike... smth smth mike going to will's apartment in the dead of night to get#patched up.. smth smth mike taking el to things instead of will.. smth smth will and mike getting into A Big Fight bc will doesn't#want to see mike continue to get hurt or lose himself in this world and become this person that he doesn't even recognize anymore#and mike starts goading him like oh why do you care so much huh blahblah and they've been dancing around this all their lives#but it finally comes out and it doesn't fix anything bc will doesn't want This mike and mike can't stand the way will looks at him now and#will storms out after having said the unspeakable.. goes somewhere and gets caught in the crossfire.. cue the body pulled from the quarry#parallel when el calls him immediately after she finds out from hopper and there's a horrible few hours where they don't kno if will's#gonna pull thru. he does ofc much to their surprise.. wake up calls n apologies are eventually had... hurt/comfort ensues.. mike talks#to karen and opens up for the first time ever bc they've gotten closer now.. smth smth um . gay people 🫶#mike in suits n gloves + will learning to not ask questions + el seeing tht will's apartment looks more like it's will-And-mike's#apartment bc there's so much of him and his things there and he always walks in n moves around like he owns the place +#will's hands shaking as he tries to tend to mike and he manages to keep it together until mike's all patched up but when he turns around#to clean up his shoulders are shaking and mike jus comes up behind him n hugs him through it bc he knows this hurts will more than it hurts#him (which is saying smth bc mike's blood is literally all over will's hands n dinner table rn so like)#SOOOOO self-indulgent but idc im free . (<- said thru gritted teeth and while closing my eyes so i don't have 2 look at this post)#also i say brainrot but i think tht has bad connotations now. i am just an Enjoyer a Lover a Scholar an Enthusiast one might even say..#mine
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Good day Dr. Tingle. I haven't read your stories, but I've known about you from afar in this website for a while. Your recent post about separating Ideas and Message is very similar to how I teach a class. I wanted to ask you, if you could share some of your Messages, in whichever structure/length/complexity you think about them before writing, to have some real world examples to show in class.
Personally I tend to simplify and shorten my messages as much as possible, like "everyone deserves forgiveness" for example, so that I can permeate it throughout the story, and so that anyone experiencing the story can come to a similarish conclusion.
I'm curious as to how your Messages look like inside your head, during the creative process. Not the refined versions used for marketing and sales and stuff.
Thank you!
sure buckaroo.
high concept idea of the book STRAIGHT was this: zombie apocalypse story but the rage only effects straight cis people (there is also a second high concept idea in there which is: what if zombie plague only happened one day a year? how would culture handle this politically and otherwise?)
so i had this idea that i thought was good, but before i can write it i think 'well what do i want to SAY about this? what am i FEELING?'
and i realized that i was a little torn about how to write this story because of the one day a year thing. when is it okay to fight back? can you hurt a zombie if it turns back into a person the next day? is that right or wrong? and WHEN is it right or wrong? what situations?
then i realized that with the metaphor of this story what i was really asking was something bigger: why is it up to the victims (in this case queer buckaroos) to be forced to make these decisions? marginalized groups have TWO kinds of violations done to them, the first is the obvious act of violation, but the second is that they are forced to use their time and mental space and emotional tolerance to learn how to HANDLE the first violation in an 'acceptable way'
so THAT became my message. if you want to know how i feel about these questions you can read STRAIGHT and find out.
CAMP DAMASCUS high concept idea was (SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CAMP DAMASCUS STOP READING HERE) what if the church really DID decide the ends justify the means and instead of stopping demonic possession they were inflicting demonic possession to counter sinful acts.
but that is not the message of the book. that is just the idea. if i just had that idea i would not write it, but as things evolved i realized WHAT i wanted to say with this story
in this situation WHO is the force of 'evil'? would it be the demons? would it be the possessed? or would it be the SYSTEM AND MENTALITY that was creating this situation in the first place? so the book sets out the answer this question and express the conclusion that ive made for myself
i also noticed that many churches who are anti gay have a sort of infantilizing trot with how they handle their young buckaroos. this idea that gay feelings will just go away if they are ignored and that they can almost keep young queer buckaroos from ever aging into fully realized adults. obviously i think this is WRONG and so fighting back against this mentality became part of the message as well, and that informed most of the metaphor and symbolism in the book.
it is important to keep in mind that sometimes the message can change. as the book trots along i am LEARNING myself, working out these thoughts on the page and coming to a conclusion of my own. this is actually VERY true of BURY YOUR GAYS, which is probably most autobiographical thing i have written. i will save talking about that MESSAGE and HIGH CONCEPT for after book is out though
EDIT FOR CLARITY OF MY WAY:
when i say i write MESSAGE FIRST that does not mean i think of the message first in TIME (although that does happen sometimes) it means the message is the most important thing over plot or characters or anything like that (although those are important too). it means that i write with message as my north star, which is rare, but it is how i make art
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𝘈:𝘯- 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺! 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥! 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺!
𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴!
𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺!
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺,𝘐𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘹 𝘉𝘚𝘋.
𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵!
𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐒𝐃 𝐱 𝐢𝐧𝐮𝗺𝐚𝐤𝐢 𝗺𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫!
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝗼𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝗼 𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝗼𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝗼𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝!
𝐘𝗼𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝗼 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝗼𝐭 𝗼𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐩𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝗼𝗼𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐫𝗼𝐭𝐞!
Rats in the house of dead...
You don't know why you even joined in the first place but you surely do know that it was an evil organization with a goal of purity which you don't know why, They seem so persistent on finding the book.
Especially the leader itself, who doesn't let go of you from his sight.
After all, how can he? When your ability is the most powerful one.
A voice that controls people
"Recently our plan was disturbed by that weretiger," said Fyodor recalling the death of Shibusawa in the hands of Atsushi Nakajima.
You sat on the chair while arranging the cards into a pyramid style.
"Master, what shall our next move be?" Asked Ivan serving tea as he side glanced at you who just do the work of pyramid cards
"Hmm, There are many things we could do... But what shall we exactly do? Wouldn't it be easier to make all the two organizations sleep forever? What do you think... Y/n?" Asked Fyodor as you didn't hear him.
Ivan slammed the tray onto the table making your eyes widen as the card pyramid almost fall.
"𝐒𝐭𝗼𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤" You paused the movement of the cards from dropping as it went back to its original form alarming the person, Puskin and half glared at Ivan who gave you an unamused stare.
"What? Do you truly have to destroy my card pyramid? I was making a world record!" You hissed as Fyodor chuckle while Ivan glare at you.
"My master was talking to you, Idiot all you do is play cards more likely building a pyramid card non-stop as If you have nothing to do."
"Huh? Shall I shut your mouth by letting you stitch your lips? Pretty sure that injury was not enough for you" you said as Ivan frowned more.
"Now now... Goncharov, Y/n is the most important for me"
"Cringe" you muttered while eating the cookies from the bowl alarming Ivan who took it away saying it was baked freshly for his master, Fyodor.
"Why don't you just marry him then, geez Stingy old men" you muttered while you stood up from the chair and start walking.
"Where are you going? Y/n?" Asked Fyodor as you side glance at him.
"Sightseeing, seeing Ivan been gay over you make me gagged from cringe"
Fyodor chuckled and shook his head as Ivan stopped himself from glaring at you and quickly composed when Fyodor glanced at him then at you.
"Be careful out there especially the port mafia and The agencies after all... The ability might have started working by now" said Fyodor to you who just waved a bye and walk out.
"Master, haven't you been too soft to l/n? All he does is play with cards and eat tons of food" said Ivan as Fyodor let out a sigh as a visible smirk appear on his lips.
"Are you questioning me?"
"N-no of course not, Master b-but"
"Do not worry about y/n, Even if he betrays me of a sort... I will find a way for him to return to me... After all, before he join with us he belongs to the guild, I just have to pull some strings" said Fyodor who dropped the tea cup alarming Ivan as Fyodor frown abit.
'Unless... Dazai have a plan for him to change sides?' He thought to self then glanced at Ivan who was busy taking the broken cup shards.
"Goncharov, I would like you to call y/n after an hour later"
"Huh?"
"He should pick up his phone by that time or... If not, he have betrayed us"
Ivan frowned yet nod cautiously glance at his pocket watch.
'56 minutes left huh?...'
.
.
.
.
.
.
You on the other hand was visited by Dazai while you were patiently eating in a restaurant as he offered you to follow him after eating his shared and let you pay.
Annoyed you were yet followed him as he mention the guild.
As you stood on a empty park, your eyes flickered around then at him.
"Shouldn't you be taking care of your president?"
"Indeed, but I have to thank you eventually for saving me from almost going through the hospital," said Dazai recalling the sniper aimed at him.
He Got the letter from you when he goes through Fyodor clothes arrange in a dumpster.
How fortunate he was to find it on Fyodor hat.
If you didnt already told him perhaps well he does have a clue there will be a sniper of sort.
But...
As much as it was painful at the least he did not end up in hospital.
And the fact you are not that heartless on your part and even considered... Him to be trustful.
"I did it because I'm thankful to... Atsushi" you simply replied as Dazai nod as he approached you making you take a step back
"Indeed and the fact that your ability is very unique Fyodor took advantage of you"
"You phrased it like he touch me senxually harassed me of sort"
"Did he not? Bummer"
"You are a freak you know that"
"I know especially after the incident I thought you will join the agency of sort... Since you really care for Atsushi-kun"
"... What are you phrasing?"
"Join us, And tell us what he is planning" asked a voice as you turn to see the ravenete.
"Ah, Poe rival" you pointed out as his green eyes stare back at yours.
"Poe has introduced me to you? Better either way I didn't thought you will join the enemy"
"Didn't I already did? Guild was also an enemy for you before... But I assume you talk with Fitzgerald-san, Dazai" you said as Dazai chuckle.
Both of them stood side by side of yours as your stare seems unbother by their gaze.
They surely have a lot to question you.
Truly you are very eye catching... I mean who are so unbother by literally been question and surrounded.?
"You know whose ability it is"
"Yep, I do know"
"And... what is their name?"
"It starts with Letter A, But I can't say much" you said while almost arrange your nonexistent scarf as you frown.
Ranpo took notice of it and threw the yellow scarf of yours that he have in his bag.
"Huh?"
"Poe made it for you, he missed you" said Ranpo as you gave him a stare.
"Do you mean emotionally or are you phrasing like a romantic novel with full of angst where the lover make a scarf waiting for his lover to be back?"
"You surely are good with romantic scenarios" said Dazai as you gave them an smirk.
"It isn't about scenario but... I'm surrounded aren't I?"
"Clever as always"
"How many people am I surrounded by?" You ask as Ranpo arrange his glasses.
"One"
"Oh? And who-"
Before you used your ability onto Kenji who hold a big metal pole.
Dazai hand reach onto your wrist as your eyes widen.
In a blink of an eye your head was hit the metal pipe as you fall to the ground unconscious and bleeding.
"We could have done it neatly but you were too questioning us" said Ranpo wiping away the blood on his face with a handkerchief.
As Dazai let go of your wrist and chuckle when they hear a phone ring.
"Seems like they caught up into our plan, huh?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A:n- that's all! Good day/night to all! Have a great day/night to all!
#yandere bsd#yandere bsd x reader#bsd#bsd x reader#bungou stray dogs#yandere x male reader#bsd dazai#yandere bsd x male reader#yandere ranpo#yandere dazai#yandere fyodor#bsd x male reader#yandere bungou stray dogs x male reader#ranpo x male reader#dazai x male reader#Fyodor x male reader#ivan goncharov#yandere osamu dazai#yandere ranpo edogawa#fyodor dostoevsky#yandere Fyodor dostoevsky#kenji#inumaki toge#Ranpo x reader x dazai
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The Kinda Unhinged Ratiorine Fic I Want to Read
In an (admittedly very contrived) AU situation, Dr. Ratio finds out he's about to be cut out of his (mostly estranged) family's inheritance forever because of his complete lack of interest in continuing the family line. Which, all factors considered, does make perfectly logical sense. Investment of capital should go to the branch of the lineage most likely to benefit from it, and Cousin Tiberius has five sons and daughters already. Let the house and the trust fund go to them.
But the library.
There's absolutely no way Veritas could bear to be permanently parted from the staggering assemblage of paper volumes under his collected family's auspices. Not only would being separated from tomes so full of memories be heart-wrenching, but think of the devastating blow to his research! There are records in those archives that no other mortal eyes have ever gazed upon!
So there's only one solution for it: He needs to pass on his family name, immediately.
(Andddd the rest is under a read more because what is brevity?)
Problem 1: Veritas Ratio is very gay.
Problem 2: Statistically, single men have the lowest chance of being selected for adoption placement, and this Child Welfare Agent is looking at his alabaster head very, very strangely.
Think, Ratio, think. What is the most efficient way to solve such a tedious quandary?
The obvious first step is to increase his likelihood of being selected by the adoption agency, and the quickest way to do that is... Eureka! How elegant a design! He just needs to enter into a (temporary) committed and stable partnership to demonstrate a degree of domestic dedication and home-building prowess!
Problem 3: ...Where in the universe is he going to find a stable and committed man willing to marry him?
Ratio does not exactly possess the world's most endearing personality. He might... never have had any form of romantic relationship lasting past a one-night stand even, because it turns out most people don't like being scored a 2/10 on their technique during intercourse.
So he's probably not going to find a stable and committed man.
But... He might at least find someone willing--for the right price.
Enter Aventurine (stage left). He's as expensive as they come, the greatest reward saved for the highest bidder, but despite his festering ambitions, he's still trapped as nothing more than a high-class escort, owned by a company the IPC has on the books as selling everything but what they actually trade in: Avgin slaves.
Sigonians... The reputation--and sleazy men's curiosity--precedes him, and though he only has to get on his knees for the truly bold nowadays, he hasn't yet been able to make the ultimate gamble, pull the last string needed to finally gain his freedom: the freedom to live his life as he pleases--and to enact every ounce of vengeance he's been storing for decades like cards up his sleeves.
Until now.
Until an absolute madman shows up at the underground headquarters waving around an offer that no average person would possibly make: He wants to buy Aventurine and wed him.
(Because marrying a Sigonian thrall is a safe and sane thing that safe and sane people do.)
The offer is far too good to be trusted: A real marriage certificate but a perfectly fake marriage, a no-fault divorce once an adoption is finalized, and a guaranteed sponsor for his citizenship documents. A year or two of fake homemaking, this Veritas Ratio claims, and then Aventurine can walk away a completely free man, no strings--no chains--attached.
Well, Aventurine of the Myriad Stratagems has always held one skill dearer to his heart than any other: a crystal clear knowledge of when to fold--and when to go all in.
(...Problem 4: Amber Lord help him, Aventurine's new husband is the most irritating man in the entire universe.)
Alas, if only that was their biggest problem. Somewhere between learning to navigate the citizenship process, the adoption process, a truly unacceptable level of systemic racism, and also, increasingly, each other, Ratio and Aventurine discover that the circumstances of their lives might be far more entangled than they ever could have imagined from the beginning, and the same shadowy parties that profited off Aventurine's existence might have a vested interest in parting Ratio from valuable research secrets--permanently.
While struggling to maintain a charming and loving facade and struggling not to kill each other behind the scenes, Aventurine and Ratio also end up having to out-roll and out-plan a particularly dangerous enemy; something they can really only do together.
Or, tl;dr: Dr. Ratio chooses the most efficient but most unhinged method of finding a husband that intelligence could possibly contrive, only to determine that marrying a guy whose track record for unexplained deaths matches his track record for card counting really is the encyclopedic opposite of "committed and stable." Ridiculously enough, the trouble they get into is almost entirely Ratio's fault, the only one who is remotely convincing in front of the Child Welfare Agency is Aventurine, and sometimes it turns out the guy you married for the library ends up being the guy you married for life.
#ratiorine#no wait what is the actual ship name#aventio#raturine#hsr fandom kinda wild for that one#dr. ratio#aventurine#honkai star rail#fic ideas#tbh star rail is my 'I don't actually go here' game#because I cannot afford two gachas#but I have been absolutely infected#by social media brainrot#after seeing all the ship content for these two#is this a shitpost?#maybe#but it comes from a place of love#also known as#I think it's really funny to see a ship do everything ass backwards#and still get a happy ending somehow#also remember#comedy is gold
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Hey, I just wanted to thank you for your honesty and willingness to explain how queer spaces can be a lot less transphobic than discourse within the trans community can make it seem. A lot of the past few years for me have been spent closeted out of fear that reactions around me would be uniformly hostile. Things are obviously going to be different for me as a transfem, but I have a much easier time being optimistic now!
I am so glad! Listen, the people who post online all the time about how miserably hard it is to find a place for oneself as a trans person create a kind of reverse survivorship bias. They are the people who have already convinced themselves it's best to forever remain closeted or that forging any kind of accepting community for oneself is impossible. Often, they are also people who once harbored unrealistic fantasies about just strolling up one day into a pre-existing community that was perfect for them, not realizing that we must form our relationships painstakingly one by one (it tends to be the white eggs/unhappy lonely trans people who are most prone to thinking of community in that way). there's plenty of trans guys who are doomers like this too and they really tend to actively encourage one another to remain locked away. it's like incel kind of behavior when it's taken to its most extreme form. sometimes, it can be outwardly really nasty homophobic shit too (especially among "afabs" who complain about "cis gays" never accepting them and being super privileged). in its milder form, it's just extreme trauma brain.
The people you do not hear from so much are the people who are busy out in the world going on dates, acting in plays, getting their asses spanked in dungeons, playing tabletop roleplaying games, and going to farmer's markets with their three also transgender wives. Those are the people who know (that is to say, have learned!) how to interact with their fellow queer people, have spent some time out in the community, and in all likelihood have many rich friendships with cis lesbians, cis gay men, enbies, asexuals, bisexuals, straight ish poly people, and everybody else under our big umbrella.
I don't want to be overly pollyannaish because of course trans people have a tough time, and especially trans women have unfortunately to be on the lookout for really vile transmisogyny. But I think when people are wounded and traumatized by these things, they sometimes make the entire world sound incredibly unwelcoming, which creates a self-limiting feedback loop of isolation and mistrust. That is what trauma does! But it is not the truth. and we only learn otherwise when we give other people the chance to prove our worst fears wrong.
Like, just for an example, this Sunday I was at a silent book club at Dorothy, a gay bar on the west side that skews lesbian but is for everyone. I'd never been there before but it was an absolutely charming experience! Dozens upon dozens of lesbians draped over couches and curled up in chairs with their books, quaffing cocktails, alongside a few random dots of gay and/or trans men. Trans women were just a natural completely unremarkable feature of this environment. I couldn't even tell you how many t girls were there. It would be like counting plus sized girls or butches at this lesbian function. If it's a good lesbian function, there's gonna be a diverse crowd and it won't be weird or a big deal to anyone, they'll just be like any other women there. a lot of the big lesbian events here in Chicago (like Strapped) are organized by trans women, so of course there's a robust trans femme presence there.
And all of these groups at this function were getting laid. the couches were overflowing with women, so many that girls were grabbing pillows to sit on and huddle together with their books on the floor. Girls canoodled and cuddled on couches. I saw a cis alt girl covered in facial piercings flirting with a very prim and proper trans girl who was dressed like a victorian governness. they didnt know one another, but after the silent book club hour was done, they left for a while together, then came back with some food. across from me and my friends, i watched them gathering up on the couch, the space between their bodies slowly closing up into nothing over the course of the evening. they flirted and touched and then left the bar together to (and im no expert on body language but i could pick up on this one) fuck eachothers tits right off.
and of course plenty of other lesbians and wlw paired off or tripled off and had their fun too. again, just like steamworks, fat people, thin people, black and brown people, white people, disabled people, neurodivergent people, trans people, older people, younger people, everybody was there. like any good queer space, it was just a reflection of humanity. there is always more that can be done to make these spaces more broadly accessible to full community. but part of that is by putting ourselves there.
again i dont mean to make it sound like finding and making one's space is easy! especially not for trans women! but I also don't want people to get seduced by the hopeless jadedness that some foment online. there are spaces that some trans women I know will never go to -- even an explicitly trans affirming bookstore like Women and Children First gives many trans women I know bad vibes they cant quite explain but all feel (the store is owned and run by old white cis lesbians, it's not surprising to me that it's a little fucked no matter their good intentions) -- and ive heard people say transmisogynistic stuff at events, particularly from "ill date anybody but cis men" type t boys (my brothers, i hate you). shit can be tough. very tough. but also, the world isn't all uniformly as hostile as it's made out to be. there are people who are desperate to meet you. I hope you will come out to find them.
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I really like whenever you post thoughts about what you love about characters (specifically Ava), so I was just curious about what you love about Bea? I’ve never loved both characters in a ship like this and I think they’re such a perfect complement to each other
when you can find a ship where both characters are able to occupy space in your mind and both of them give you that buzz when you think about them, then you've hit the jackpot
it's not always been the case with my ships - the only other one besides avatrice that i could say do that for me are korra and asami
as far as bea goes, i really love the different layers she has and seeing them uncovered, especially in season 2
but also the little bits we see in season 1. it's clear from the jump that bea is reserved and by the book and has her routines and patterns and that whole bit with shannon in the start and how she's trying so desperately to stay by the book because if she doesn't then she'll break - and it makes you wonder if that moment ever happened before ava showed up
did bea ever break? did she allow herself the chance to mourn any of her sisters? there's a post and a theory i've seen that bea was in line to be the next mother superion and i think that tracks so well because she is a survivor and a planner and you just know she knows everyone and everything about the order because she doesn't know how to function without all the information
and i think that's her fate until a certain ava silva shows up and throws her world into orbit
we know ava isn't the first person to bring out bea's heart - we see it in that photo of bea/mary/lilith, but it's clear that things between all of them had shifted and bea probably blamed herself a bit for it (because that's what she does) so when ava shows up and beatrice immediately just...tries with her, it's probably terrifying.
then she opens up to ava, probably too much, but holy shit ava has this big heart and sees who she really is and isn't scared or disgusted, no ava tells her she's beautiful, and for the first time in bea's life her attraction to someone doesn't bring pain - it brings her this tiny bit of hope and from that moment on, beatrice fully commits herself to ava and i love her devotion.
i love that when beatrice tells ava that she won't leave her side, she never does, literally until ava has to leave her
as their relationship grows and we see more sides of bea, it really does let her personality shine. i fully believe there is a cheeky and almost incredible sense of humor inside of her that she holds in all the time and ava brings little bits of her out of her - which is what i love about bea - there's so much life inside of her, she just chooses to keep it hidden away from 98% of the world, but those who get to see it fall in love with her
then we get to season 2 and holy shit beatrice is in normal clothes and living with ava and fighting for her gay life and she's just so cute and still so devoted, but also letting herself relax a little and even enjoy the simpler things
THEN...then we see her dancing and we, like ava, see that there is so much more inside of her and to her and that she has this spirit that could change the world if it was ever allowed to be set free
for me too, the love for beatrice comes from when they come back to the order in season 2 and while she puts her habit back on, it's so clear that she isn't the same girl
she is no longer sister beatrice, but just beatrice, of the order and her devotion is no longer to god, but to her own heart - a heart that belongs to ava and she devotes herself to protecting the girl she loves, chooses her even over the mission itself
bea's heart is too big for her own chest at times and she has such an amazing depth that still feels mostly uncovered, but kristina performs her so well that you see how deep her character goes without having all the details yet
ava is the centerpiece of warrior nun, she's the heart of the show for sure - but beatrice is the backbone, the steady presence that keeps everything upright and aligned, it all falls apart without her and that weight is on her shoulders always and she knows that
yet, she can't ignore herself anymore and carry that weight for free, not when she knows what it's like to fall in love and finally chooses herself because of it
when ava comes back, beatrice will be ready to love her the way they both deserve
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re: that *chef kiss* PERFECT Franken-Drummer post and tumblr not being all over The Expanse, I know right?? it’s such an amazing show with so many delightful, complicated characters yet it’s so unfairly slept on! maybe because S1 takes awhile to get going and ppl give up? idk but it makes me sad that I have so few ppl to squeal about Drummer and Amos and Bobbie and Christjen and Ashford and Naomi (ad infinitum) with 😭🚀😭
WHY ARE PEOPLE NOT OBSESSED WITH THE EXPANSE HELLO!?!?! there's literally so much to love about it oh my god. you're right, it DOES take a second to get going but once it does!!!
for those of you who have not read or seen The Expanse series (I myself have yet to read the books), let me tell you why you'll love it:
political space drama with incredibly distinct cultures and phenomenal world building, if you're a details girlie (gn), you're gonna go nuts
the found family vibes!!??! are off!?!? the charts!?!? (minor spoilers for the first few episodes) four people are thrown into a situation in which they accidentally become the most important people/fugitives in the whole galaxy and most of them DO NOT trust each other, what could possible go wrong, and even better, what could possibly go RIGHT
Christjen Avasarala. you are not ready for her. most powerful mover-shaker on earth with the most incredible outfits you've ever seen, refined elegance with the filthiest mouth, plus she's got a classic "whatever those two have going on is so gay it veers into something else entirely" with her younger protective knight lady, Bobbie
Bobbie. the "not to be a lesbian but oh my god" post is made for her. we meet her in the show for the first time when she arm wrestles a robot and WINS. you will be begging for her to step on you with her mech suit
speaking of women I want to step on me Camina Drummer. angry revolutionary pirate queen of my heart. do you miss the unique agony of 2000/10s queerbaiting but want it to be not baiting somehow? this show does that, idk how else to explain it. the most agonizing sapphic pining you've ever seen but it's textual and also not painful because its gay. don't worry, Camina fucks, just not the girl she wants most (also spoilers, but this is not a bury your gays show don't worry)
Jim Holden is literally just Some Guy who becomes the special fantasy chosen one because he simply cannot stop Getting Involved. nosiest bitch in the universe, I love him.
imagine you're a girl who leaves your shitty ex and gets a normal industrial job on a spaceship, only to have a six foot, two hundred pound killer dressed as a mechanic imprint on you like a baby duck, and its unclear whether he wants to fuck you or call you a little sister but he definitely WILL kill for you and will do literally anything you say and then you both end up caught up in a weird galactic war by mistake and there's this other guy with a captain america level moral compass and he's cute and you're into him except your shitty ex is still out there with the biggest secret you have and meanwhile your best female friend is the coolest person you've ever met but you don't think you can be what she needs and you're holding your family together, you're holding the universe together and all you want is justice for your people but unfortunately you've gone and fallen in love with the accidental most important man in the galaxy. well, every day Naomi Nagata wakes up
Praxideke Meng. botanist of my heart. literally tames the rabid guard dog that no one else could. gentle and able to stay gentle because of said dog. which brings me to...
Amos Burton. I saved him for last because he is my guy. he is THAT guy. canonically aromantic pansexual king. are you into guard dog characters? do you find yourself drawn to the "sorry my love language is acts of service and all I'm good at is killing people" characters? amos burton is like seventeen tumblr posts come to life. previously mentioned enormous killer dressed as a mechanic, former heels wearing "I didn't always work in space" sex worker who is always rolling into brothels and being like "you guys unionized?", gives a shit about basically no one in the universe except his crew and every single child in the galaxy, accidental comedian because he cannot stop saying weird shit, not a nice or good person but a loyal one, and one who is always trying to relearn the empathy that was carved out of him as a young person. every time he goes homicidal to protect one of his chosen people (crew + any and every child), an angel gets its wings.
fin.
#answered#the expanse#most of this is cribbed from the essay I was texting a friend the other day lol#which is what inspired my expanse posting in the first place#bc I was like 'I HAVE to stop bothering this friend' lol#btw the canonically aromantic pansexual thing teeeechnically comes from the writers' twitter?#but like#you simply have to watch the show to know that about amos#he mostly doesn't sleep with people in the show and yes the few he does are women but the dude is queer#but anyway the authors have explicitly said he's aromantic and that his sexuality is 'yes'
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We talk a lot about reading comprehension and misinformation on this website, but learning how to slow down, assess sources, and fact-check is a skill. A skill a lot of us have not been called on to demonstrate since high school, but a skill that's vitally important in the modern world.
I'm in graduate school for the social sciences (anthropology) - critically assessing sources is part of the skillset we are taught. I've had people ask on my post about historical misinformation, "How can I only reblog things that are true? How can I tell?" And it's a good and important question!
A couple core questions to ask, about history, science, or current events, are:
Who is saying this?
Where are you seeing this information? Is it a legal scholar, a historian with a PhD, a museum curator, an on-the-ground activist, a rando twitter poster, a Mormon conspiracy theorist? For scholarly questions, look for people with PhDs and published articles; for questions of current events, look for what people who are actually there are saying and showing.
Who agrees with them?
Can you find articles from other sources corroborating this, or is it just one guy who is saying this? Conversely, do you see anyone disagreeing and correcting this information? Who?
Does this person have an ideological bias that might cause them to discount conflicting information?
Everyone has biases, of course, but some are obvious. A lot of revisionist American history is put out by Mormon groups to try to prove the literal truth of the Book of Mormon; ditto for history that seeks to prove various things in the Bible. It may be easy for us to laugh at that, but a lot of tumblr revisionist history involves inventing gay historical figures out of flimsy sources because we want it to be true. Is there a reason that the person making this claim might want this to be true? This doesn't necessarily make it false, but it does mean you have to require more robust claims.
What sources do they cite?
Do they cite well-documented research or well-provenienced archaeology? Do they have photographs of what they're claiming happened? Or do their claims rely on nameless, dateless, "I can't show you my sources yet" or "I swear I heard about a guy..." Do they cite any sources or is it "just trust me bro"? Are those sources that they do cite reliable, or are they circular? Do the sources they cite actually say what this person is claiming they say? Are they cutting out half of a quote, or ignoring conflicting evidence presented in the same source?
Is this conspiracy theory thinking?
Is this making claims that an individual or a group is secretly hiding information from the general public? Is it blaming one individual or group for widespread societal problems? Is it claiming that the only reason this isn't common knowledge is because Somebody is suppressing it? Is it claiming that the solution to a complicated political problem is actually simple and everybody knows it but people just don't want to do it for nefarious reasons? That's conspiracy thinking, and it's almost never as clean or easy as the claimant wants you to believe.
Just because someone is saying something confidently doesn't necessarily make it true, but also, just because you don't like something doesn't necessarily make it false. Ask these questions when you see a claim that makes you feel angry - or makes you feel righteous. Look for journalists, scientists, historians, legal scholars, who present their credentials and their sources. Look for multiple independently verified news reports or scientific articles. Determining The One Truth about things is not always easy and sometimes not possible, but asking these questions helps you assess what you're reading critically and evaluate claims.
#history#science#misinformation#current events#saw a post about how people should stop criticizing lack of reading comprehension or falling for misinformation#and should present advice or help instead#which is fair. so here I am#falling for someone saying something wrong confidently is not a moral failing#but it is in all our best interests to try to cut through the bs
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Why Twilight is better when we make it gay
a overly detailed, totally unecessary, post that wants to prove that Twilight is better when we make it 🏳️🌈 GAY 🏳️🌈
So, follow along 👇🏻
Esme with This Bella
Kinda of set up the vibes of Carine or something, so I'm all on board with this. You know, this Bella has some serious aspirations in life. She's getting her master's degree, maybe a doctorate even, in Philosophy, Greek Mythology, ancient history, literatute or something oddly specific that takes a full minute to even say it. You know, she's a nerd. Esme loves her for it.
Bella also loves to spend a ridiculous amount of time listening to Esme talk about anything, she also sits in the garden with a book when Esme is arms deep in the dirt, and they for sure spend their days off making food for homeless people or volunteering in shelters or knitting clothes and blankets for donation. Well, Esme does most of the knitting, but Bella has no problem holding the wool for her.
Rosalie with This Bella
Okay, so this Bella is still pretty shy and clumsy, but she has a backbone and knows what she wants. She’s also a flirt, even if a bit awkward because of her shyness. She also has a stack of dad jokes ready to be used and she’s not afraid of doing so. You can’t blame her, she’s just socially weird and she makes jokes when she’s uncomfortable. Which Rosalie gets. She doesn’t hate Bella for no reason at all, as we see in most Rosella’s fics, she’s just determined to keep a safe distance. It all goes to shit, obviously, when Bella starts showing up at her house to work on a school project with Edward.
Bella is a mess around Rosalie. A gay mess. She stumbles over her words and her face is constantly red, but she keeps smiling and she finds Rosalie’s sneers particularly funny. She breaks Rosalie’s walls by not doing anything else, really. She’s just there, and she talks with Rosalie, and she has no problem backing away when Rosalie needs a break.
When they get together, Bella’s favorite activity is to ride in Rosalie’s fancy cars. She’s still scared, but she loves it when Rosalie goes so fast that everything outside is a blur. Sometimes they will ride in complete silence, sometimes there’s song playing, sometimes they start telling stories to each other, sometimes Bella has a whole new stack of dad jokes to tell.
Bella also develops a taste for motorcycles, a passion she’s eager to engage with Jasper. So, every once in a while, Rosalie will be working in the garage under a car and she will hear Bella’s bike pulling outside. She just knows she’s supposed to go there, so she goes and finds Bella waiting for her with a helmet and a bright smile. Rosalie is smitten.
Bella also has a way to make Rosalie feel like she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. She is aware of her beauty, always has and always will be, but she can’t help but feel special when Bella looks at her with those green eyes that kind of makes her forget that the world is fucked up. At least for a while.
They would go off to college together. Rosalie would be getting another engineering degree and Bella would get a bachelor's in Chemistry or Biology, maybe Psychology. She would whine and complain every day, though Rosalie is sure she’s only doing that to piss her off.
And Bella would have to learn to enjoy baseball because Rosalie just loves it.
Alice with This Bella
These two are the only ones I see working with Bella’s personality being the closest to canon. You know, happy little Alice with a slightly depressed Bella, who also has some low self-esteem problems. Bella is aware of her intelligence, though, and she also would impose some clear boundaries, like not sneaking into her room while she was sleeping and making her a part of discussions to make decisions and not just dropping shit at her for her to deal with. Alice has zero problems with her immortality, so she would have no problem turning Bella when the girl felt ready, although she asks Bella to be sure she had experienced everything she wanted as a human beforehand.
In this scenario, Alice doesn’t force Bella to be her personal human Barbie doll. Actually, she steals Bella’s hoodies very often, to the point where the girl has to have a search party in Alice’s gigantic closet one day. One of their favorite thing to do together would be to watch the stars and Alice finds it amusing to come up with fake information about space or fake names for constellations. It took Bella a very long time to notice this and, by the time she did, she had already spread some of it to her friends. They also go to the movies a lot and there’s a lot of dancing in the rain, even if Bella can’t barely keep herself standing.
Alice would be Charlie’s absolute favorite, of course. They would be pals, you know. Charlie would take her fishing one day - when Alice manages to convince him to go somewhere other than La Push - and he would teach her very patiently all he knew.
Tanya with This Bella
This Bella is grumpy. She has a lot of self-derogatory jokes to make, she’s sarcastic and she likes using it as a weapon. Tanya finds it not so amusing, quite concerning actually, but then Bella will flash her with one of her side smiles that makes her knees go ridiculously weak and Tanya will forget what she should be worried about.
Bella moves slowly, very slowly, and her shoulders are a bit drooped as if she can’t hold herself straight. For Tanya, it takes a lot of patience because, even with how much time she had to adjust to humans, she’s not used to spending so much time around one. Especially one that takes so long to get down the stairs for no reason. Tanya is also the most romantic person alive, so Bella needs to be prepared to basically everything.
Tanya is sugar mommy. Bella tries to fight it, but there’s no point. Tanya is always giving her presents, booking tickets, taking her to weekend getaways, and making every single desire come to life. It takes Bella out of balance in the beginning. She doesn’t know how to deal with it, to the point where she asks Irina to help her talk with Tanya to slow down a bit. It helps… until Bella shows a slight interest in something new and things skyrocket again.
They met in college. Tanya is a teacher - not her teacher because that would be too much - and Bella is getting her degree in History or Sociology. Bella can skate, so it’s not uncommon for Tanya’s students to leave her classroom and find Bella leaning against the wall holding her skate under her arm while waiting for her to go get lunch.
Once she turns, Bella goes around feeling very proud of her coven leader wife, but she wants nothing to do with it. She would hate the responsibility of it.
Kate with This Bella
Have you ever heard of a chaotic duo? They’re it.
Bella is all about adventures and trying new things, and Kate is… well, she has zero respect for humans’ mortality, which almost becomes a problem once or twice. Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar had to remind her more than once that humans couldn’t jump from a plane with no parachute, even if Kate was supposed to grab her before hitting the ground. It’s not like she doesn’t care if Bella gets hurt, because she does! Her eyes fill with tears that will never drop every time she sees even a scratch on Bella’s skin - which happens quite a lot - but she hasn’t been human for a long time and it’s easy to forget a few things when she gets excited about something.
They would do everything together and Kate would teach her to do anything she knew, like surf or change a house’s electric system. Eventually, after Bella is turned and good to go, they would totally have one of those handyman services where they would go around town helping people with the most mundane of things like installing a shower, changing the plumbing, changing tires, all of that. They would have fun doing those things and then running as fast as they could to jump off a cliff at the end of the day.
#Twilight#gay twilight#bella swan#esme cullen#rosalie hale#alice cullen#tanya denali#kate denali#bella x rosalie#bella x alice#bella x esme#bella x tanya#bella x kate#kristen stewart
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My Tanthamore Comfort Fics
We were talking about comfort fics in the Tanthamore discord and I realized I have too many for a normal sized reply, so here's a tumblr post instead. In no particular order i've reread these fics...maybe too many times.
I'm just gonna list em by author cause that's easier. Keep in mind we may have different definitions of the word comfort.
@commanderbuffy
650 ft2 - Ok so like envision these girls have been best friends for forever and they've been secretly pining for ages, no sense of personal space, they can read eachother like books AND they were roommates!
The Tanthamore Affair - This fic has everything, one bed, fake dating, celeb au, the fic that changed the meaning of a certain emoji and all the tropes you could want really
@badlance
We've got to find other ways to make it together - this one line says all you need to know
"It is the greatest irony of Jade Claymore’s life to be a certified genius who is nevertheless in love with an idiot."
@spybrarian
More Than Just Survival - as far as 5+1 fics go this one has me in a CHOKEHOLD
I scream at your chest for as long as I must
one night at the start of the end of the world
@ilovemyships (i think you need an AO3 account to read these gems)
you won't believe it (they think we're lovers)
don't wanna pressure (but friends don't kiss friends)
@acre-of-wheat - Acre's way with words should be studied
Network Connectivity Issues - I have never related to a character more than I relate to this Jade
The Dark
The Bite
@jlmichigan
Out of the Cuirass - one of the first tanthamore fics I ever read actually and I still come back to it every so often
@stbot
lay down your armor (come lie bare with me) - saintbot has a catalogue lemme tell ya but this one for tanthamore is just so heartwarming
@overkill-max
Escaping Fate - the Kit runs away fic that everyone needs
Dil3mma (idk their tumblr right now sorry)
A Sword And A Shield (And Everything In Between)
Deja-Brew - the loveliest coffee shop one shot
Jad3dEt3rnal (idk if they have a tumblr either)
This Daydream is Dangerous - cuddly vampire Jade, need I say more?
ana_chronistic (idk if they have a tumblr either x3)
Oops. I proposed. - fake dating x 100, fake proposal it's like fake dating to the next level and I love the growth of communication and pacing in this.
@barmaid-anon
do what you feel now
you want a good girl that does bad things (to you)
fulfill (an obligation) or keep (an arrangement)
we simply don't have time to unpack why these are comfort fics, we're just going to accept it and keep going.
@thecsquirrel
Sword and Shield - I love this look at what post S1 life could have been like for the gang, revisiting Nockmaar, seeing Galladoorn, getting into the evil Elora storyline with Graydon, spending more time with the Nelwyn and in the Wildwood it's just everything
@wigster07
What a pleasant surprise - a fic of one of my other comfort fics, I know it's like fic-ception in the best way possible. If you liked Tanthamore Affair I have an inkling this will be right up your alley
@isabrella @jade-claymore @allthefakepeople @resurrecho
those rumors they have big teeth - BAND AU need I say more? I don't need to but i'm going to, this fic has everything Kit and Jade in a band, Kit's leather pants, gay-ifying songs, MAMA MIA, totally gay best friends who have basically been dating for years but won't admit to it, Jade gets to be a bit problematic as a treat, inner band fighting, what more can you want?
@swashbucklery
meet you where the spirit meets the bones (tanthamore 90s werewolf au) - its a SERIES of these repressed gay DORKS and they're werewolves, there's such a charming way to how this author writes them I legit can't even with these two gays
@onlyshestandsthere
these walls come tumbling down - look, we don't have time to unpack why there's so many were-related supernatural esque fics on my comfort list and I know this is only 2 chapters in but I can already feel the comfort in all the hurt ok I dont even have to wait I already know i'm gonna be rereading this like monthly
I'm gonna have to stop there even though I know i'm still missing some! If someone asked me what my favorites are we'd be here all day XD
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Another year, another absurd amount of books read (296, because if I wasn't reading or writing this year, my brain was on fire). I was asked again for my top books of the year, so here we go: 2023's top 10, in no particular order.
This was the first book I read of the year--literally, vacated the hangout with my wife and sibling-in-laws to sit on their couch upstairs and eat through it. Do you love The Fall of the House of Usher, but wish for a nonbinary protagonist and a lot more mushrooms? This is the book for you! (T. Kingfisher is fucking rad, I made a concerted effort to only list ONE of her books on here, but honorable mention goes to The Twisted Ones for fucking me upppp.)
A gay, post-apocolyptic Pinocchio retelling involving copious robots, found family elements, and a cool-ass treehouse. Klune always hits for me with his unrepentant queer family dynamics and sense of humor. Honorable mention to the first two in the Green Creek series (although that's got a lot more...adult elements in among the werewolves, you've been warned).
I thiiiink I found this through The Homo Schedule podcast (PSA: if you missed out on Jasmin Savoy Brown and Liv Hewson doing a podcast together, now you know better), and it wrecked my shit. Tons of trigger warnings, as this is a memoir about abuse within a queer relationship, but it's so beautifully written. I personally suggest listening to the audiobook first, then standing anxiously behind someone at a book warehouse sale, hoping they'll set down the only paperback copy so you can swipe it.
A fantastical-historical reimagining in which the KKK is filled with literal monsters, and Black women are resistance fighters armed to take them out. Visceral and intense, and truly an excellent horror story.
Just. Such a soft time travel story about a daughter and her father and cherishing the time you get with loved ones. I was thoroughly unprepared for how lovely I found this one. It's very kind.
Spooky house, take-no-shit redhead, protective sibling elements, bisexual recluse with a sword who really just needs a nap. I haven't found a Harrow book yet I haven't slapped five stars on. She's so good at character and atmosphere, and I'm always surprised at how fast her stories race by.
The whole Daevabad trilogy (of which this is the first book) is just magical. A girl from the mortal world finds herself embroiled with the centuries-long prejudices and wars of djinn in a fantastical city. It's one of the rare stories of its kind that does have a love triangle, but doesn't feel like a love triangle; it's far less interested in the insufferable "who gets picked" than it is in the actual horrors these people are both perpetrating and coping with. It's an intoxicating ride.
Fuck You, TERFS: the book. Given that fact, there's obviously quite a lot of transphobia to deal with, but it's very clear that those people are wrong, and it's a super-engaging (and super-oh-god-what-comes-next) witchy time populated with queer, protective, interesting characters I'm excited to see again in the follow-up.
Have you ever wanted a haunted house story with visceral imagery and a rather lovely twist? Gailey has you covered. As much as I enjoyed The Echo Wife, I think I actually loved this one more, and it makes me so excited to see what else they've got up their sleeve.
One of my final reads for the year, when I was just churning through hardcovers at the speed of sound. I love this book. I recognize it won't be for everyone, but it takes so much of what I love about IT (one of my all-time favorite books, despite its flaws) and twists it through the lens of an author who escaped the Mormon church. It's horrific, it's fantastically abstract in places, it explores childhood and memory, imagination and abuse, and almost every character is queer. It's a great "I simply cannot sleep until I've finished" read.
#long post#book recs#t kingfisher#tj klune#carmen maria machado#p djeli clark#emma straub#alix e harrow#s.a. chakraborty#juno dawson#sarah gailey#kiersten white#plenty of others could go on this list as well but i figured i'd keep it to ten this time around#still can't believe i read just shy of 300 books in a year#bonus shoutout to the animorphs series all of which is out on audiobook now (the main books anyway)#and which honestly really do hold up well
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Casmund happy ending: I love the idea of the Pevensies(mostly Edmund) trying to teach Caspian how to function in the real world with them. I think Edmund Lucy and Susan's favorite part would be trying to get him proper clothes. He basically looks regal and princely in everything he wears. Also when Edmund introduces Caspian to his mother. He's super charming, kissing her hand and stuff. Peter is a little(maybe a lot annoyed) of Caspian dating his brother. But he gets over it really quick. Their mother takes Edmund and Caspian's relationships really well. It's mainly their father they have to deal with. But Peter puts his foot down and talks to his father. Gives him basically an ultimatum. Accept your son as is, or lose all your children and not just one. Because the Pevensies are ride or die for each other. And Edmund and Caspian are basically married in all the ways that matter.
Sorry for the late response! I was thinking about Caspian in the real world, and wanted to ask if you've seen the Dorian Gray movie with Ben Barnes, because the beginning with innocent Dorian wandering London around all wide-eyed gives off such Caspian-in-England vibes. I couldn't find any gifs of that scene on tumblr, and instead of just screenshotting it like a reasonable person I thought "well, I know how to make gifs. how long could it take?" AND THEN IT WAS 2AM. Anyway have these gifs of Caspian completely failing to act casual while I ramble about your ask.
(yeah it'd be more cars than horse-drawn carriages by the 1940s but Caspian almost getting run over was too cute to leave out. he's trying his best)
Oh my gosh yes, Caspian is the sort to kiss people's hands. The chivalrous disaster. He probably goes around calling people "my lady" and "my good lord" etc too. And he absolutely would somehow look regal in whatever he wears. Edmund is torn because he wants Caspian to blend in, but also his boyfriend looks so gorgeous. Also imagine Edmund tying Caspian's tie for him. And the hat Caspian is wearing in the gifs above looks a lot like the one Edmund wears in Prince Caspian. What if Edmund is scolding Caspian, telling him mess up your hair or something, slouch a little more, you still look like a king, stop standing like you've got a crown on— And Caspian grabs Edmund's hat from the coatrack and puts it on. "Does this help?" he asks, grinning, because Edmund's brain just stopped working for a moment and Caspian knows it.
As much as I want the Pevensie parents to just be okay with their son being gay (or their children, because let's be real, none of these siblings are straight), realistically at least one of them would have some difficulties with it. I love Peter not being happy about Edmund and Caspian dating but instantly getting over it when he needs to defend them to his father. These siblings are so close and it's so good. Imagine traces of the High King showing through as Peter calmly, firmly tells his father Edmund and Caspian are together. This is how things are going to go, and there is nothing he can do except make himself miserable by pushing his children away. And Richard* sees a side to his oldest son he hasn't before--or maybe hasn't accepted before, but it has been there for a while. And he takes some time to really look at his children, and sees all sorts of things about them, strange things, but they make his children seem so alive. Like how happy Caspian makes Edmund. So after that the parents have a new son-in-law.
*props for LWW use Richard as Mr. Pevensie's first name and since he doesn't have one in the books I'm taking Richard and running with it
#asks#darkcrowprincess#the chronicles of narnia#casmund#caspian the tenth#edmund pevensie#helen pevensie#richard pevensie#the pevensies#peter pevensie#pevensie siblings#caspian in england au#nova actually answers asks
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The main problem that I have with Youtubers who attempt to approach media analysis and fandom through theory and academia is that the vast majority aren't academics. Just being in undergrad isn't actually enough, contrary to the thoughts of many. Reading a Wikipedia article and reiterating what one may find in some Google, even Google Scholar, searches. Ideally, these would be topics approached by people involved in academia as a profession, people with doctoral degrees, who can discuss complex topics in a way that is easily understood by the masses. "What is the negotiation between gender and sex in BL?" "How does CMBYN articulate/complicate hierarchal roles within the gay novel?" "Could SnK express an alternative reading of the formerly isolated Japan?" These are complicated questions they attempt to answer in their video essays when they seldom ever understand the theories they employ.
Yes, I understand this can sound elitist, but as a Black afab person who is currently in a doctoral program for literature, there aren't "easy" answers to any of the questions they attempt to pose, and many Youtubers who primarily make long-form video essays lack the life experience and expertise to sufficiently discuss anything. They're usually too set in their thoughts to answer or explore the broader implications of their claims. Defending a dissertation forces you to do this. Forming a committee of experts in various fields and convincing them to aid you in the development of your dissertation forces you to do this. Being in academic and cordial communication with your peers from all over the world in your field forces you to do this. It's not easy to constantly intake new information from various eras and nations (depending on your topic), meld this information into a coherent essay, and continually make edits as you learn new information, thus changing your outlook on things. Also: it's really petty of me, but it's also incredibly annoying to grade poorly researched undergrad essays who, after some prompting in office hours, say they got these ideas on books, movies, and shows from breadtubers like Somerton, SZ, FD Signifier, or hbomberguy. Cue: me going to watch their videos and realizing they have no idea what they're talking about 88% of the time in terms of theory and application of said theory. Even the ones who frame themselves on being educators in real life, like Signifier, lack any nuance, depth, or media literacy to make a compelling argument if you know even the slightest bit of information. On the bright side, I now know why I've encountered several students with ideologies that are basically conservatism with a veneer of progressivism, or "conservatism in a queer hat."
This concludes my long-winded way of saying "Don't turn to Youtubers for media analysis. You're better off just reading articles by people who have to actually know what they're talking about. The majority of Youtubers (especially the breadtubers) don't have the bandwidth to discuss anything more complex than an episode of Blue's Clues."
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I mostly agree, but I'd point to a slightly different problem. I'm hesitant to say that the PhD itself is the deciding factor, but I do think a lot of video essayists are insufficiently prepared.
I'm a big fan of Folding Ideas who does have some formal schooling in film, but I don't think it's that education per se that makes him great. He sets himself apart from other video essayists by actually doing his research and having an in-depth approach to his subjects. He doesn't resort to clickbait, and—here's the key—he often takes months or even a year to work on something.
Honestly, I think that's a big part of it: the hoops most youtubers who want to make a living at it have to jump through involve a lot of clickbait and pandering and a fast production schedule. They don't involve reputable peer review except by the court of shriek-y public opinion on twitter.
They'd like to present themselves as documentary filmmaking (which is essentially what Folding Ideas' longer videos are), but they don't actually live up to any of the usual standards of that either.
I think it can be elitist to say that someone needs to have certain letters after their name, yes, but what really strikes me about your average youtube media analysis type and the fanbase is that they want shortcuts.
Exploring the whole history of the gay novel so that you have enough background to talk about CMBYN means reading quite a few novels. Even if you decide to throw out all past scholarly opinion on the topic (which you shouldn't), if you're going to have a meaningful personal theory, you need to have read a lot of novels first. How can you hope to be the person providing the neat overview of the whole genre if you haven't familiarized yourself widely with said genre, and not just through a summary by someone else? That amount of reading doesn't happen overnight.
The trite, surface-level media analysis online is often from people who want to be hailed as great intellectuals but who aren't willing to put in the years it takes to do all the background reading and to develop their skills in argumentation, writing, etc.
Grad school is a convenient and probably faster way to go about all that, but I think you could do it outside of a formal framework... But you would need to actually do it.
I think it's driven by a bunch of people who were The Smart One in grade school and never learned how to work hard on long-term projects instead of pushing through in a sprint. They're used to relying on being the smartest to cut corners and do things before they get bored, only they probably aren't the smartest anymore anyway, and they mistake being smart at one thing for being smart at all things.
There's a real lack of respect for the entire concept of expertise.
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"My Name is Harvey Milk and I'm Here To Recruit You!"
If you don't know Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office, to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. To this day Harvey remains the most famous queer person elected to office maybe in the world. His short and tumultuous time in office was dominated by the fight for gay rights. In the late 1970s there was a huge backlash against the rise of gay rights spearheaded by a group called "Save Our Children". Across the country they organized elections to revoke local gay rights ordinances in Miami, Saint Paul, Wichita and Eugene in the summer and fall of 1977. In 1978 a California state Senator John Briggs brought forward a citizens referendum, Proposition 6, which would ban gay people and supporters of gay rights from being teachers any where in the state of California. The last year of Harvey's life was consumed with the struggle against Briggs who he debated across the state. In the end the Briggs Initiative was defeated 58-41% with Harvey's home of San Francisco turning out over 70% against. The national anti-gay fever broke and "Save Our Children" never recovered.
Harvey opened every speech he ever gave with "My name is Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruit you" In the 1970s rather than accusing gay people of "grooming" children (an idea that didn't exist then) they were accused of "recruiting" them. "Recruiting our children to the homosexual lifestyle". So Harvey used it as a joke but also a battle cry
Today it feels like every day there's more bad news. Across the country state legislatures are trying to ban trans health care for minors and even adults. Local school boards are banning books about LGBT people (and others). States are trying to ban drag. violence and the threat of violence are trying to stop companies from doing Pride and attacking Queer events. The internet is flooded with "groomer" attacks on our humanity. There are days it does feel like the 1970s all over again.
BUT! we won then, and there are many lessons we can take from Harvey and his struggle and use to win the fight against the current wave of hate plunging American in darkness. Harvey's been gone a very long time so... My name is Max and I'm here to recruit you, here are some things I want everyone to do.
VOTE BITCH!
Are you an American citizen 18 years of age or older? Are you registered to vote? if the answer is no, register to fucking vote bitch, here check out what you need. If you want registered, click the link any ways and double check. If you're 16 or 17 years old good news more than half the states in America allow you to "preregister" so you're all signed up and become a registered vote right on your 18th birthday. Whats more ask every vaguely left of center person in your life, everyone who supports LGBT rights, if they're registered to vote and if any one says "no" bug the shit out of them till that changes.
But more than just registering to vote you have to go and vote, yes every election. Right now across America conservative queerphobes are using local elections that get little to no attention and are often very low turn out to take over and push wildly extreme and hateful agendas. Local school boards across America are banning books that have LGBT characters or themes. They pushing policies that refuse students the right to their correct names and pronouns. They want to require schools to out students to their parents against their wishes. Check Vote411 or ballotpedia to find what elections are happening around you.
Candidates on a local level, school board, town/city council, county government, even up to state Rep and state Senate candidates are almost always very responsive to questions. Email everyone running and ask them where they stand, you will get answers I PROMISE you will get answers. Its the easiest thing to do and everyone who has the right to vote in this country should do it, vote in every election.
"But I live in a super blue area my vote doesn't matter" SHUT UP! SHUT UP! even if every local election is Democratic it can be more progressive, ask local candidates what they're gonna do to push LGBT rights forward. Will your local school board push teaching LGBT history? respect trans students pronouns? will your local library board host a drag queen story hour and put together programs for pride? ask! push them! let local candidates know!
"but I live in a super red area my vote doesn't count" BULLSHIT! where ever you are there's a local election that can swing to the non-shitty side if people show up, you can be the difference in a school board election. No matter what stand up and be counted.
Come Out Come Out Wherever You Are.
Since the earliest days of the movement in the 1950s and 1960s before Stonewall, through Harvey Milk's time in the 1970s through to right now, the most powerful tool we have is to come out. It is easy to hate the homosexual, the transgender as an abstraction, as a stereotype as an unrefuted lie. It is so much harder to hate a brother, a sister, a son, a daughter, a friend, a neighbor, your lawyer, your doctor, the mailman, your 8th grade English teacher. In 1978 Harvey said:
"Unless you have dialogue, unless you open the walls of dialogue, you can never reach to change people's opinion. In those two weeks, more good and bad, but more about the word homosexual and gay was written than probably in the history of mankind. Once you have dialogue starting, you know you can break down prejudice. In 1977 we saw a dialogue start."
Thats what they're scared of, thats why they're freaking out in Target, why they're trying to shut down Drag Queen story hours and take away the books. Ignorance and hate lives in darkness and dies in the light. In 1978 gay men and lesbians went door to door in California and introduced themselves to strangers to explain the harm Briggs would do to them. They vote for us 3 to 1 if they know they know one of us.
It shouldn't be like this, it should be when you're ready when you have all the words, but they're coming for us all so come out come out wherever you are. If you know your parents will love you but you've been holding off because it's scary or stressful, nows the moment. If you're a grown ass adult who lives on your own and don't need mom and dad's money to pay your rent, tell them, no matter how much it hurts, call them on the phone, write them a letter if you have to. Does your family know but they asked you not to tell grandma, grandma, great-aunt Marge because they're old or whatever, or your aunt and uncle who are born again Christians. Listen if they still vote they could be hurting you and if they really love you they shouldn't want to do that, tell them! tell them who you really are, and it might be the work of years to bring that person around, but you never know till you try it.
Are there family members you have who know and love you but you know they're conservative and still vote Republican and you've been avoiding talking to them about it because it's awkward? Stop avoiding it, explain it to them, explain that it's not "just politics" explain to your loved ones that they ARE hurting you. If they don't hear it the first time, don't stop, if they love you they shouldn't hurt you.
Come Out at Work, Come out at your bowling league, come out to that friend of a friend you see sometimes, wear a pin, rainbow shoes, a shirt in public, tell your co-workers, your clients, your Church, your Synagogue. Wear that rainbow pin, that pronoun t-shirt, put a sticker on your car, your bag, your phone. If it's safe for you to be out in a space, claim it, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE.
COMING OUT AS TRANS OR NON-BINARY
COMING OUT AS LESBIAN, GAY, OR BISEXUAL
Go To Pride This Year.
Conservatives are trying harder than any time in my lifetime to shut down Pride. Florida and Tennessee have passed laws that will limit pride events. Terrorists are threatening and attacking brands that are doing Pride themed events and products. These events and products go back at least 20 years but the violence of attacks against them is really new. So the only answer is to GO TO PRIDE. I don't care if crowds are not your thing, I don't care if its 97 degrees out the day your city does it, I don't care if your local pride is small and embarrassing, I don't care you might see that one ex, I DON'T CARE. If you physically can go to a pride event this June DO IT. If you're scared to be seen, wear a mask, go in drag, put make or body pant over your tattoos whatever you need to do. If we want to have Pride again next year in many areas this year needs to be a show of force. If you've never been and you never go again this is the year, do it, go, find the Pride event closest to you and do it.
Get Involved Whore!
So far I've offered you pretty easy asks for things you can do, voting, coming out, going to Pride. Now comes the harder ones, get involved. In 1978 gay men and lesbians knocked on doors and told voters across the state of California how an anti-gay measure would affect them personally. If they had the nerve less than 10 years after Stonewall to go to strangers houses and come out to them, I believe you can do it too. Get out there, knock doors, make phone calls, mail postcards, wave signs. Talk to Voters from anywhere, find your local Democratic Party, check out LGBT Democrats in your state, check out groups like the HRC and PFLAG
if you've got money give to HRC, give to GLAD, Give to The National Center for Lesbian Rights all 3 of whom have been the tip of the spear fighting the insane anti-LGBT laws coming out of the states.
If you don't have money, check out The Victory Fund thats supports LGBT candidates and find one close to you and sign up to help. Can't find anyone? try Run for Something that supports young progressives. If you live in a Blue area of a blue state, you can check the Sister District Project which links up volunteers with swingy districts across the country. Swing Left does much the same on a more federal level
crazy right wing extremists can count on organized support from Churches and far right groups. You, yes you, talking to you Glenn! HAVE TO be the support network, the volunteer base for LGBT candidates and their allies and supporters. You have to HAVE to get out there, give if you have money, knock on doors, call, text, write letters go to a protest, sit at a booth, register people to vote, hand out literature, WHATEVER whatever. You can do it, please give at least one weekend over the next two years to a political campaign, be it a local school board candidate, town council, working for the Democrats or volunteering through the HRC or a progressive group, the people who want to destroy you are out working to win elections, you have to be too.
Fucking Run, why not?
This is the last thing, the hardest thing and the thing I don't expect everyone to do. Run, yes really, run for office, yes you, yes I mean it. If the crazed insane conservative who thinks Hillary Clinton drinks child blood out of kids like a juice box is qualified for School Board to ban all the books with queer people or black folks, you are MORE than qualified. I don't care if you're a high school drop out with face tats, you're more qualified than these people, so do it, if you've ever thought of it, do it. Frustratingly dozens of dozens of offices across this country are filled every day but uncontested elections only one person signed up, hell that person can be you why not? Look into it Last year 41% of the seats in the Florida Legislature went uncontested, 37% of the seats in Texas, 53% in Tennessee, 58% in South Carolina. It's not for everyone, but if you've ever wanted to, ever thought about it, take this as your sign, do it. Do you have a friend who's so smart, cool, involved and just better than you in every way and you think they should run the world? Nominate them, give them a push to run
I think Harvey put the importance of electing queer people better than I ever could so
Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio, there’s a young gay person who all of a sudden realizes that she or he is gay. Knows that if the parents find out, they’ll be tossed out of the house. The classmates will taunt the child and the Anita Bryants and John Briggs’ are doing their bit on TV, and that child had several options. Staying in a closet, suicide, and then one day that child might open a paper, and it says “Homosexual elected in San Francisco,” and there are two new options. An option is to go to California or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected, I got a phone call, and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the person said, “Thanks.” And you’ve got to elect gay people so that that young child and the thousands upon thousands like that child know that there’s hope for a better world. There’s hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those Blacks, and the Asians, and disabled, and seniors. The us’s. The us’s without hope, the us’s give up. I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you have got to give them hope. Thank you very much.
If you read all this thanks, I can't make anyone do anything of course, but whatever you choose to do, I'll be out there knocking doors. I wish I did not live in such dark times but as Gandalf The Gray said "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Finally to all my Queer brothers, sisters, and siblings, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you. I love you. With all my heart, I love you.
#Pride#Pride Month#lgbt pride#Queer#LGBT#Gay#Trans#Harvey Milk#Voting#protest#coming out#lgbt community#Hope
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