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cassandraclare · 4 years

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Not too spoilery, but very long!

fieidofpoppies said: I was hoping to get some clarification about the LGBT situation in TLH’s background.

What exactly is the Clave's position on homosexuality? Alec struggles with people's opinion in 2008, so I guess in 1900ish things are definitely not rosey, but to what extent? We know that being gay is considered a crime in mundane London at the time and I'm guessing that is not the case for the Shadowhunter world, so how seriously is it a problem? What does it/ would it mean for our characters to be out?

Okay, so I’ve gotten a few of this question, leading me to believe it is A Conversation that needs some addressing. It’s a complicated issue so I’m going to try to break it down in parts.

There is no “The Clave’s position on homosexuality” that is unchanging: it has changed, advanced and regressed through history just like you, know, regular human history. :) If you’re asking about the Clave’s position on LGBT Shadowhunters in 1903, we will get to that.

Just because Alec is struggling in 2007 doesn’t mean things were worse for Anna in 1903. The idea that culture moves inevitably forward towards tolerance and progressivism is an oversimplification. We see it assumed all around, so it’s easy to believe it, but actually it’s more of a two steps forward, one step back scenario. There are always periods of cultural progress, marked by periods of cultural regress. If someone had told me when I was a teenager that a woman’s right to choose would be more trammeled and in danger in 2020 America then in 1989 I wouldn’t have believed it; it is, however, the truth. We are in a more regressive period culturally now than we were ten years ago; LGBT rights are more under threat. This isn’t the first time in history this has happened and it won’t be the last: “During the golden years of the Weimar Republic [Germany's government from 1919 to 1933] Berlin was considered an LGBT+ haven, where gays and lesbians achieved an almost dizzying degree of visibility in popular culture” — but by 1934 LGBT+ Germans were being persecuted and eventually would be sent to death camps with Jews, communists, and other “undesirables.”

Alec is living in a time in which a regressive, conservative group that his own parents belonged to nearly toppled the more progressive aspects of the Clave. He already comes from a family in exile, during a time in which progressive and regressive aspects of the Clave are battling each other and the situation with Downworlders is explosive. Four years after Alec comes out, the fascist Cohort rises to power and splits the Clave in half. Nothing like that is happening in 1903: there is a progressive Consul in power, demon attacks are low, there is generally peace with Downworld.

It is reasonable that Alec would have concerns about how the Clave at large might treat him, and also have concerns about family and friends, given his parents’ past. And while Anna and Matthew etc. might have similar concerns about coming out to the whole Clave, which they haven’t, they are not concerned about their particular group of friends, and have mixed concerns about family. (Also, we have plenty of characters who have been just as worried about coming out as Alec was: Charles, Alastair, Ariadne. We don’t yet know Thomas’ attitude. Everyone who doesn’t consider themselves a “Bohemian” isn’t taking this very lightly, and even Matthew isn’t “out” to anyone except his friends. It’s not like the Wentworths know he’s bisexual.)

None of this is to say it was “easy” to be LGBT+ during the early 1900’s. It isn’t easy now. It’s to say that “Well, it sucked across the board then and now it’s great across the board!” isn’t true, and ignores the significance of context in the lives of characters — and people. There’s a great moment in the movie Colette (set in the 1890′s and early 1900′s) that focuses on Mathilde de Morny, Colette’s lover. Mathilde was assigned female at birth (academic scholars are widely divided on whether Mathile was transgender so I’m going to be gender-neutral here.) Mathilde dresses in men’s clothes, and openly romances women, but in this particular moment, Mathilde speaks about the fact that if Mathilde were not rich and titled, it might be a problem. But given Mathilde’s social status and power, and the Bohemian set of people Mathilde spends time with, it’s not. Colette herself also dresses in men’s clothes and is open about her same-sex romances, even kissing Mathilde onstage at the Moulin Rouge.

(Colette and Mathilde, 1907.)

The artist Romaine Brooks wore men’s clothes, even painting herself in them: according to the Smithsonian “By 1905, she had made a name for herself in Paris as a painter of women, some of whom were her lovers. Her most visible and lasting relationship was with the American poet Natalie Barney, who also lived in Paris.” (There’s a reason the characters are often talking about Paris or visiting Paris: being LGBT+ wasn’t illegal in France, and Paris was a gay and lesbian mecca, complete with LGBT+ cafes, high society, celebrities, and so on.)

People like Anna existed in the mundane world in 1903. It’s important to realize; this isn’t something I wrote because I’d have liked it to be true and historically accurate, it is true and historically accurate. It’s also true that even though male homosexuality was illegal in England in 1903, there were plenty of gay men who were out to their friends and community. Lytton Strachey (part of the Bloomsbury Group which included Virginia Woolf) “spoke openly about his homosexuality with his Bloomsbury friends, and had relationships with a variety of men.” Which isn’t to say he spoke openly about it to everyone — just that there have always been spaces within “mainstream” society where it was safe to be queer: Anna and Matthew, by going to the Hell Ruelle, by standing somewhat apart from their contemporaries save those they already trust, are inhabiting those spaces.

Now, if the question becomes: what happens if everyone in the Clave finds out the sexualities of the LGB+ characters in TLH? Well, first, they won’t be arrested; it’s not illegal. But that hardly covers the whole issue. We look at what happened to Oscar Wilde and think, horrors, as well we should — had he not sued the Marquess of Queensberry, though, he probably would have lived out his life with society turning a blind eye to his affairs with men. What happened to him is fucking terrible. Yet even today, there are celebrities who remain in the closet — though their queerness may well be an open secret to their friends, family and colleagues — not because they’re worried about being arrested, but because of the fear of what the damage to their career might be were it publicly known. And how is that so different from the situation Charles finds himself in? He’s pretty clear that if people knew he were gay, he couldn’t be Consul. He wouldn’t get the votes. In the same way, it’s likely that the other LGB+ characters would face societal disapproval and issues with their families. That’s not really about the “Clave’s official position” though, any more than a politician today not wanting to come out is worried about being arrested rather than losing their career. The official position is important, but it’s not the only indicator or generator of societal, systemic bigotry. (” It turns out that one of the worst times to be a homosexual - that is, in terms of being at risk from the law - was in the run-up to and aftermath of the liberalisation of the 1960s [when homosexuality was decriminalized].” )

So if you made it this far: what I’m basically saying is three things: one, that any comparison to Alec has to take into account Alec’s specific family situation, the Uprising, and who the Clave and Inquisitor are in 2007. And that I can’t say what it means for the characters of TLH to be out because it’s going to mean different things, and have different repercussions, for all of them. I can say “They won’t be in trouble with the Law”, which is true, but in terms of their family situations, their personal goals and dreams, and where they are socially, it would be different for each one of them.

And third, that we can’t assume that progress is one inevitable forward march. That things will always be more tolerant, less oppressive, in “the future” simply because it’s the future. While we can believe that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” it’s important to remember that rights can be abridged, freedoms taken away, times of tolerance and harmony can end, bigotry and nationalism can rise. To assume progress is inevitable is, I worry, to forget to fight for it. And we can never forget to fight.

[Recommended reading: Strangers: Homosexual Love in the Nineteenth Century, by Graham Robb.]

#the last hours #chain of gold #spoilers #tlh

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lesbiansforboromir · 3 years

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Impossible LotR Quiz Answer sheet with explanations!

As an addendum, since people have been doing the quiz I’ve seen a few mistypes and awkwardnesses that are my own fault so I’ve corrected them. This means some people got a higher score than was shown, know that when I looked over your answers I saw your actually right answers and fully appreciated them! It’s good to not that the ‘fill in the blanks’ questions will not take two words in one space, so I’ve had to get creative with how I apply two named folk like Mardil Voronwe, or people who have numbers like Hurin I.

I would also like to say, to everyone talking about how they’ve never read the Silmarillion, this quiz is very purposefully almost entirely based outside of the Silmarillion. This is Appendices stuff! Indeed there is only 1 question even tangentally related to elves in here, this is by design.

@magaramach, @brynnmclean and @apojiiislands asked to be tagged in this! Answers under the cut.

Q2. Who was Dora Baggins in relation to Bilbo Baggins? - Second cousin on his father's side Dora Baggins is a very elderly woman who was the daughter of Bilbo’s father’s brother. She likes writing people a lot of unsolicited advice! THIS WAS WRONG AND SAID FIRST COUSIN FOR SO LONG AND I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR IT.

Q3. How many pairs of biological twins are mentioned in the whole of Arda's timeline and what races do they belong too? - 2 for men, 1 for elves and 3 for half-elves Fastred and Folcred, Haleth and Haldar (men) Amrod and Amras (elves) Elured and Elurin, Elrond and Elros, Elladan and Elrohir (half-elves) Now, admittedly Elladan and Elrohir are never actually described as twins. However they appear completely identical and have the same birth date, so it is assumed.

Q4. Baldor is who the skeleton scratching at the door used to be. When Aragorn and co pass through the paths of the dead they find a skeleton clawing at a door to the mountain. It is finely dressed and described as mighty and was later essentially confirmed to be Baldor, the eldest son of King Brego of Rohan, also called Baldor the hapless, who foolishly wandered into the paths of the dead on, apparently, a dare. (the answer to this was originally Brego because of a foolish typo from me, many apologies!)

Q5. When was the Ondonóre Nómesseron Minaþurie written? - During Meneldil's reign. “Enquiry into the Place-names of Gondor” was a text written by settled numenoreans about their new kingdom during Meneldil’s reign, who was the first sole King of Gondor after both Anarion (his father) and Isildur had perished.

Q6. Farmer Maggot's particular friend was Tom Bombadil It is stated that Farmer Maggot sometimes peacefully passes through the Old Forest to go and meet Tom Bombadil, who very much enjoys his company. However! Those who answered Merry or Pippin still deserve excellent recognition, Farmer Maggot was indeed fond of Pippin and respected Merry greatly.

Q7. What was the office of the Steward originally created to do? - Keep the Tradition of Isildur When Romendacil I went to war in the east, he realised that if he died then the secret of the Tradition of Isildur would die with him. Hence he wrote it down in a sealed scoll and gave it to a trusted confidante, to be given to his heir if he should perish. This tradition was maintained by further kings and those trusted confidantes became the Stewards of Gondor. This, admittedly, is a more suggested progression than explicit, but it’s a Impossible evil quiz so :) Q8. What was the 'Tradition of Isildur'? - Remember where Elendil was buried. Elendil had been secretly entombed in Calenardhon, supposedly the midpoint between Gondor and Arnor. This was a hallowed space for only Kings at first, but in later years when the Stewards came to rule Gondor they also were permitted the secret. Cirion had the remains moved when Calenardhon was gifted to the Eotheod to eventually become a part of the Kingdom of Rohan.

Q9. At the time of Pelargir's founding, is the world flat or round? - Flat. Pelargir was founded as a ‘Faithful Numenorean’ haven on the river Anduin. Therefore it was built before Numenor’s destruction in the Akallabeth, the reason for which being that Eru turned the world from flat to round.

Q10. Which of these monarchs were indolent and had no interest in ruling? - King Atanatar I - King Narmacil I - Tar-Vanimelde King Atanatar I ruled during Gondor’s richest generation and seemed to believe that meant he didn’t need to put any work in. Narmacil I, his son, didn’t want to put any work in, but he at least assigned his nephew, Minalcar, as ‘Karma-Kundo’ or regent during his reign. So he at least did something to keep the country going. Tar-Vanimelde had no interest in ruling and allowed her husband to do most of the governence. This backfired when she died and he organised a coup against his son to hold power.

Q11. When looking back on the Ship-Kings of Gondor, King Tarannon Falastur began the invasion of Harad and expanded Gondor's borders, King Earnil-I finally took Umbar but died at sea shortly afterwards, King Ciryandil spent most of his reign trying to defend Umbar and died in it's seige and King Hyarmendacil defended Umbar against seiges for 35 years before making war upon all Harad and claiming Harondor as a province of Gondor, ending the line of the Ship Kings.

Q12. What happened during the reign of King Romendacil II? - I don't know! Nothing? Yes I know this is particularly evil of me but Romendacil II was originally called Minalcar, yes the same Minalcar who became REGENT of Gondor due to Narmacil’s indolent nature. Minalcar indeed did everything else listed as answers to this question, but none of them happened during his reign as king. Indeed, his reign was said to be peaceful and we have no real information on it, so technically saying we don’t know, and suggesting nothing happened, is actually the most correct answer :)

Q13. Who succeeded Tar-Telperien of Numenor? - Her nephew, Minastir Tar-Telperien was a lesbian Queen of Numenor who never married and never wanted too and did an excellent job and I love her. Her nephew built a tower to mope in about how much he wanted to be an elf. They are not the same. Absolutely terrified about what Amazon could do to her.

Q14. Whilst his brethren, the nazgul, were attacking the Prancing Pony, The Witch-King was waiting in the Barrow Downs and probably had a really nice time. Not much to this! Witch King was chilling with the Barrow Wights.

Q15. Which of these characters are described as 'beautiful' at least once in the Lord of the Rings? - Galadriel, Denethor, Eowyn, Frodo, Elanor, Celeborn, Boromir Yes, Arwen is never described as beautiful, but Denethor is :)

Q16. We all love Boromir II, select the similarities he and Boromir I did NOT share. - Renowned relationship with the Rohirrim. - Destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath - Feared by the Witch King - Retook Ithilien. - Had a brother. In case you’re wondering, yes, I love both Boromirs. But this question is a fun highlight of how many similarities Boromir II has with his namesake. These are the only things they didn’t both do. Although! Boromir I’s son was Cirion who allied with the Eotheod and created Rohan in the first place, the Uruk-Hai destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath in Boromir I’s lifetime, Boromir II was PROBABLY feared by the witch-king we just don’t know, Boromir II held Ithilien and Boromir I had two elder sisters like Denethor II did.

Q17. Hey, did you know that, from Boromir I's war with the Uruk-Hai of the Morgul Vale, Gondor didn't know peace until Sauron's death on the 25th of March, 3019? Hah hah! How gut wrenching is that? About how long do you think it has been since Gondor knew peace then? Hey wait does that mean Boromir I's valiant victory that came at a personal sacrifice was the beginning of Gondor's wars and then Boromir II's valiant sacrifice was the end- oh god... oh fuck - 550 years To everyone who answered the crossed out answer,,, you’re correct in my heart. You get bonus points. Also hey! What the fuck :)

Q18. Who was Borondir? - The rider sent to find Eorl who made it to him after starving himself for two days but who then rode to the Celebrant with Eorl anyway and died in that battle. Literally couldn’t love this fellow more. Big Hirgon energy. A hero of Gondor for time immemorial.

Q19. The Ruling Stewards, from first to last (with their numbers typed as so Turin-I Hurin-II etc), were as follows; Mardil ; Eradan ; Herion ; Belegorn ; Hurin-I ; Turin-I ; Hador ; Barahir ; Dior ; Denethor-I ; Boromir-I ; Cirion ; Hallas ; Hurin-II ; Belecthor-I ; Orodreth ; Ecthelion-I ; Egalmoth ; Beren ; Beregond ; Belecthor-II ; Thorondir ; Turin-II ; Turgon ; Ecthelion-II ; Denethor-II ; and for like two seconds ; Faramir ; Alrighty, we had a bit of a fight in my discord about this but eventually I did relent in agreement that Faramir IS... very briefly... legally considered a RULING Steward. Ruling Stewards being Stewards that ruled a Kingless Gondor. But! With Aragorn RIGHT THERE is just seemed very redundant. Still! I’ll allow the pedant to win out, ten minutes is still a Ruling Steward. ALSO! I decided that having an extra box for the ‘voronwe’ part of mardil voronwe was just mean as it set everyone’s answers off kilter, so I removed that. ALSO for all of those calling me a bastard for adding this question, @illegalstargender was the one who requested it! I wasn’t going too!

Q20. The Stewards, despite ruling through very tumultuous and violent periods, were often known for boring things (because they simply ruled better than the Kings did, I said what I said) But what boring thing was Steward Turin I remembered for? - Being the only monarch of Gondor that married twice This skeezy bastard really did marry a second time during his OLD age just to father a son. I can only imagine what a dreadful cultural and social effect this had on this prude country. It’s so unnecessary! He had daughters, many of them! One of them certainly had a son before he did. He was just being a controlling arse, down with Turin I!!!!

#my quiz

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iloveyou-itllpass · 3 years

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new to writeblr !!

hello! my name’s carrie, i’m a writer. i’m currently working on my second novel, which i’m hoping to get professionally published (and i’m really hoping people adore it the way i do)

more about me under the cut :)

- from the south of england

- lesbian and proudly aspiring sapphic rep writer :)

- infp

- studying english lit & creative writing at uni this september !!

🪴 welcome to my wips

- secret people is my first ever novel, written when i was 15 and finished last year when i was 17! i’m hoping to come back to it and rework it one day so it can be ready for publishing :) it’s a ya fantasy novel about this town that’s a safe haven for supernatural beings, who have to live in secret to protect themselves from Mundane’s fear / Hunters. it follows oliver, a green witch, rosie, a generational green witch and bronte, a necromancer who showed up in town out of nowhere unaware of how insanely powerful he actually is, aided by rowan and jaxon, two gods who have become the town’s unoffical (well, jaxon is the mayor. rowan just knows how to pull a good pint.) leaders.

- the lmc is my main wip that all my focus is on at the moment. it’s hugely reminiscent of donna tartt’s tsh and the goldfinch combined, as her writing style has influenced me a lot and really helped me as a writer. it follows rhy hart, alex conoro, dean dempsey, lucien emery and tessa gallagher, a group of self-destructive and beautiful english students trying to figure out who they are, all while grappling with the violent murder of the vice chancellor in an exact replica of the murder in oscar wilde’s the picture of dorian gray

- twelfth house this one is still in it’s early stages, as it’s something i picked up without any knowledge of the plot to curb some of the writer’s block i was experiencing with the lmc. it follows theo minerva in late 19th century/early 20th century perdam, who has been roped into a gang war between her bookkeeping employer and tobias finnigan, the den boss reigning over all of east perdam. at the same time, it follows prince elliot of strauss, who is grappling with mounting pressure to do what is right for his country and to find a wife to stabilise the strauss-oxslavian alliance.

🪴 my ambitions

- to be honest, i’ve turned to tumblr in a bit of a desperate grab at recognition, which i know sounds ridiculous. i really want to be able to build a bit of a community or at least draw some attention to my work before it’s out in the world, so that there’s at least a chance that it won’t crash and burn immediately. i’m also looking for a supportive place to find inspiration and motivation, so if you have any favourite writeblr accounts, please let me know!

- one of two of my primary goals with my writing is to write as much good sapphic (and wider lgbtq, but i think sapphic, particularly lesbian representation is severely lacking in media) representation as i can. i want it to be as normal as possible, without their oppression/sexuality being the centre of their character (saying this, the lmc has two characters dealing with severe religious trauma and/or internalised homophobia. but my point still stands.)

- my other primary goal is to write something that makes you feel seen, even if it’s by one little passage that sends you running to find a pen to underline it with because oh god someone else has put this very big very lonely feeling into words, like a little life, richard siken and the goldfinch did for me, because it truly did change the whole game and if i can do that even a tiny bit? i’ll die the happiest woman who ever lived.

- i’m also experimenting with poetry, one of which i’ve put above. that one is about being told that once i move out, my room, which has genuinely become a sanctuary, will be gutted to make space for something else. it hurt a lot.

so i guess that’s it! if you read all the way to here, thank you so much for caring about a stranger at least a tiny bit, just enough to keep your interest this long. i really hope you decide to stick around and keep me company on this little journey of mine <3

💌 much love, carrie x

(p.s. my askbox is always open !! feel free to send me anything — within reason, of course.)

#writeblr #writers of tumblr #my writing #wlw #new writeblr #intro #dark academia #poets on tumblr #literature #art #iloveyou-itllpass #carrie foley

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cruisingthedemimonde · 3 years

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America’s Gay Men in WW2

World War Two was a “National Coming Out” for queer Americans.

I don’t think any other event in history changed the lives of so many of us since Rome became Christian.

For European queers the war brought tragedy.

The queer movement began in Germany in the 1860s when trans activist Karl Ulrichs spoke before the courts to repeal Anti-Sodomy laws. From his first act of bravery the movement grew and by the 1920s Berlin had more gay bars than Manhattan did in the 1980s. Magnus Hirschfeld’s “Scientific Humanitarian Committee” fought valiantly in politics for LGBT rights and performed the first gender affirmation surgeries. They were a century ahead of the rest of the world.

The Nazis made Hirschfeld - Socialist, Homosexual and Jew - public enemy number one.

The famous image of the Nazis burning books? Those were the books of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee. Case studies of the first openly queer Europeans, histories, diaries - the first treasure trove of our history was destroyed that day.

100,000 of us were charged with felonies. As many as 15,000 were sent to the camps, about 60% were murdered.

But in America the war brought liberation.

In a country where most people never even heard the word “homosexual” , historian John D’emilio wrote the war was “conducive both to the articulation of a homosexual identity and to the more rapid evolution of a gay subculture. (24)” The war years were “a Watershed (Eaklor 68)”

Now before we begin I need to give a caveat. The focus of this first post is not lesbians, transfolk or others in our community. Those stories have additional complexity the story of cisgender homosexual men does not. Starting with gay men lets me begin in the simplest way I can, in subsequent posts I’ll look at the rest of our community.

Twilight Aristocracy: Being Queer Before the War

I want us to go back in time and imagine the life of the typical queer American before the war. Odds are you lived on a farm and simply accepted the basic fact that you would marry and raise children as surely as you were born or would die. You would have never seen someone Out or Proud. If you did see your sexuality or gender in contrary ways you had no words to express it, odds are even your doctor had never heard the term “Homosexual. In your mind it was just a quirk, without a name or possible expression.

In the city the “Twilight Aristocracy” lived hidden, on the margins and exposed their queerness only in the most coded ways. Gay men “Dropping pins” with a handkerchief in a specific pocket. Butch women with key chains heavy enough to show she didn’t need a man to carry anything for her. A secret language of “Jockers” and “Nances” “Playing Checkers” during a night out. There is a really good article on the queer vernacular here

And these were “Lovers in a Dangerous Time.”

In public one must act as straight as possible. Two people of the same gender dancing could be prosecuted. Cross dressing, even with something as trivial as a woman wearing pants, would run afoul of obscenity laws.

The only spaces we had for ourselves were dive bars, run by organized crime. But even then one must be sure to be circumspect, and act straight. Anyone could be an undercover cop. If a gaze was held to long, or lovers kissed in a corner the bar would be raided. Police saw us as worthy candidates for abuse so beatings were common and the judge would do all he could to humiliate you.

Now Michael Foucault, the big swinging french dick of queer theory, laid out this whole theory about how the real policing in a society happens inside our heads. Ideas about sin, shame, normalcy, mental illness can all be made to control people, and the Twilight Aristocracy was no different.

While cruising a park at night, or settled on the sofa with a lifelong lover, the thoughts of Priests and Doctors haunted them. “Am I living in Sin? Am I someone God could love?” “Is this healthy? Have I gone mad? Is this a true love or a medical condition which requires cure?”

There was no voice in America yet healing our self doubt, or demanding the world accept us as we are. And that voice, the socialist Harry Hay, did not come during the war, but it would come shortly after directly because of it.

Johnny Get Your Gun… And are you now or ever been a Homosexual?

For the first time in their lives millions of young men crossed thousands of miles from their home to the front.

But before they made that brave journey they had another, unexpected and often torturous journey. The one across the doctor’s office at a recruiting station.

In the nineteenth century queerness moved from an act, “Forgive me Father I have sinned, I kissed another man” to something you are, “The homosexual subspecies can be identified by certain physical and psychological signs.”

These were the glory days of patriarchy and white supremacy, those who transgressed the line between masculine and feminine called the whole culture into question. So doctors obsessed themselves with queerness, its origins, its signs, its so called catastrophic racial consequences and its cure.

“Are you a homosexual?” doctors asked stunned recruits.

If you were closeted but patriotic, you would of course deny the accusation. But the doctor would continue his examination by checking if you were a “Real Man.”

“Do you have a girlfriend? Did you like playing sports as a kid?”

If you passed that, the doctor would often try and trip you up by asking about your culture.

“Do you ever go basketeering?” he would ask, remembering to check if there was any lisp or effeminacy in your voice.

Finally if the doctor felt like it he could examine your body to see if you were a member of the homosexual subspecies.

Your gag reflex would be tested with a tongue depressor. Another hole could be carefully examined as well.

Humiliating enough for a straight man. But for a gay recruit the consequences could be life threatening.

Medical authorities knew homosexuals were weak, criminal and mad. To place them among the troops would weaken unit cohesion at the very least, result in treachery at the worst. In civilian life doctors had much the same thing to say.

The recruit needed a cure. And a doctor was always ready. With talk therapy, hypnosis, drugs, electroshock and forced surgeries of the worst kinds there was always a cure ready at hand.

Thankfully the doctors were not successful in their task, one doctor wrote “for every homosexual who was referred or came to the Medical Department, there were five or ten who never were detected. (d’Emilio 25)”

Here’s the irony though, by asking such pointed and direct questions to people closeted to themselves it forced them to confront their sexuality for the first time.

Hegarty writes, “As a result of the screening policies, homosexuality became part of wartime discourse. Questions about homosexual desire and behavior ensured that every man inducted into the armed forces had to confront the possibility of homosexual feelings or experiences. This was a kind of massive public education about homosexuality. Despite—and be-cause of—the attempts to eliminate homosexuals from the military, men with same-sex desires learned that there were many people like themselves (Hegarty 180)”

And then it gave them a golden opportunity to have fun.

The 101st Airborn - Homosocial and Homosexual

“Homosocial” refers to a gender segregated space. And they were often havens for gay men. The YMCA for example really was a place for young gay men to meet.

Now the government was already aware of the kind of scandalous sexual behaviour young men can get up to when left to themselves. Two major government programs before the war, the Federal Transient Program and the Civilian Conservation Corps focused on unattached young men, but over time these spaces became highly suspect and the focus shifted to helping family men so as to avoid giving government aid to ‘sexual perversion’ in these homosocial spaces.

But with the war on there was no choice but to put hundreds of thousands of young men in their own world. All male boot camps, all male bases, all male front lines.

The emotional intensity broke down the barriers between men and the strict enforcement of gendered norms.

On the front the men had no girlfriend, wife or mother to confide in. The soldier’s body was strong and heroic but also fragile. Straight men held each other in foxholes and shared their emotional vulnerability to each other. Gender lines began to blur as straight men danced together in bars an action that would result in arrest in many American cities.

Bronski writes, “Men were now more able to be emotional, express their feelings, and even cry. The stereotypical “strong, silent type,” quintessentially heterosexual, that had characterized the American Man had been replaced with a new, sensitive man who had many of the qualities of the homosexual male. (Bronski 152)”

Homosexual men discovered in this environment new freedoms to get close to one another without arousing suspicion.

“Though the military officially maintained an anti-homosexual stance, wartime conditions nonetheless offered a protective covering that facilitated interaction among gay men (d’Emilio 26)”

Bob Ruffing, a chief petty officer in the Navy described this freedom as follows, ‘When I first got into the navy—in the recreation hall, for instance— there’d be eye contact, and pretty soon you’d get to know one or two people and kept branching out. All of a sudden you had a vast network of friends, usually through this eye contact thing, some through outright cruising. They could get away with it in that atmosphere. (d’Emilio 26) ”

Another wrote about their experience serving in the navy in San Diego, “‘Oh, these are more my kind of people.’ We became very chummy, quite close, very fraternal, very protective of each other. (Hegarty 180)”

Some spaces within the army became queer as well. The USO put on shows for soldiers, and since they could not find women to play parts, the men often dressed in drag. “impersonation. For actors and audiences, these performances were a needed relief from the stress of war. For men who identified as homosexual, these shows were a place where they could, in coded terms, express their sexual desires, be visible, and build a community. (Bronski 148)”

“Here you see three lovely “girls”

With their plastic shapes and curls.

Isn’t it campy? Isn’t it campy?

We’ve got glamour and that’s no lie;

Can’t you tell when we swish by?

Isn’t it campy? Isn’t it campy?”

The words camp and swish being used in the gay subculture and connected to effeminate gay men.

I would have to assume, more than a few transwomen gravitated to these spaces as well.

Even the battlefield itself provided opportunities for gay fraternization. A beach in Guam for example became a secret just for the gay troops, they called it Purple Beach Number 2, after a perfume brand.

This homoerotic space was not confined to the military, but spilled out into civilian life as well.

Donald Vining was a pacifist who stated bluntly his homosexuality to the recruitment board as his mother needed his work earnings, and if you wanted be a conscientious objector you had to apply to go to an objector’s camp. He became something of a soldier chaser, working in the local YMCA and volunteering at the soldier’s canteen in New York he hooked up with soldiers still closeted for a night of passion but many more who were open about who they were.

After the war he was left with a network of gay friends and a strong sense of belonging to a community. It was dangerous tho, he was victim of robberies he could not report because they happened during hook ups, but police were always ready to raid gay bars when they were bored. “It was obvious that [the police] just had to make a few arrests to look busy,” he protested in his diary. “It was a travesty of justice and the workings of the police department (d’Emilio 30).״

Now it might seem odd he was able to plug into a community like that, but over the war underground gay bars appeared across the country for their new clientele. Even the isolated Worcester Mass got a gay bar.

African American men, barred from combat on the front lines, were not entirely barred from the gay subculture in the cities. For example in Harlem the jazz bar Lucky Rendevous was reported in Ebony as whites and blacks “steeped in the swish jargon of its many lavender costumers. (Bronski 149)”

The Other War: Facing Homophobia

“For homosexual soldiers, induction into the military forced a sudden confrontation with their sexuality that highlighted the stigma attached to it and kept it a matter of special concern (d’Emilio 25)”

“They were fighting two wars: one for America, democracy, and freedom; the other for their own survival as homosexuals within the military organization. (Eaklor 68)”

Once they were in, they fell under Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: “Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.”

Penalties could include five years hard labour, forced institutionalization or fall under the dreaded Section 8 discharge, a stamp of mental instability that would prevent you from finding meaningful employment in civilian life.

Even if one wanted nothing to do with fulfilling their desires it was still essential to become hyper aware of your presentation and behaviour in order to avoid suspicion.

Coming Home to Gay Ghettos

“The veterans of World War II were the first generation of gay men and women to experience such rapid, dramatic, and widespread changes in their lives as homosexuals. Bronski 154”

After the war many queer servicemen went on to live conventionally heterosexual lives. But many more returned to a much queerer life stateside.

Bob Ruffing would settle down in San Francisco. The city has always been a safe harbour for queer Americans, made more so as ex servicemen gravitated to its liberated atmosphere. The port cities of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles became the prime destinations to settle. Vining’s partner joined him in New York, where they both immersed themselves in the gay culture.

Other soldiers moved to specific neighborhoods known for having small gay communities. San Francisco’s North Beach, the west side of Boston’s Beacon Hill, or New York’s Greenwich Village. Following the war the gay populations of these cities increased dramatically.

The cities offered parks, coffee houses and bars which became queer spaces. And drag performance, music and comedy became features of this culture.

These veterans also founded organizations just for the queer soldiers. In Los Angeles the Knights of the Clock provided a space for same sex inter racial couples. In New York the Veterans Benevolent Association would often see 400-500 homosexuals appear at its events.

A number of books bluntly explored homosexuality following the war, such as The Invisible Glass which tells the story of an inter racial couple in Italy,

“With a slight moan Chick rolled onto his left side, toward the Lieutenant. His finger sought those of the officer’s as they entwined their legs. Their faces met. The breaths, smelling sweet from wine, came in heavy drawn sighs. La Cava grasped the soldier by his waist and drew him tightly to his body. His mouth pressed down until he felt Chick’s lips part. For a moment they lay quietly, holding one another with strained arms.”

Others like Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar (1948), Fritz Peters’s The World Next Door (1949), and James Barr’s Quatrefoil (1950) explored similar themes.

In 1948 the Kinsey Report would create a public firestorm by arguing that homosexuality is shockingly common. In 1950 The Mattachine Society, a secretive group of homosexual Stalinists launched America’s LGBT movement.

References:

Michael Bronski “A Queer History of the United States”

John D’emilio “Coming Out Under Fire”

Vivki L Eaklor “Queer America: A GLBT History of America”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lesbians

In 1947 General Eisenhower told a purple heart winning Sargeant Johhnie Phelps, “It's come to my attention that there are lesbians in the WACs, we need to ferret them out”.

Phelps replied, “"If the General pleases, sir, I'll be happy to do that, but the first name on the list will be mine."

Eisenhower’s secretary added “"If the General pleases, sir, my name will be first and hers will be second."

Join me again May 17 to hear the story of America’s Lesbians during the war.

#gay history #world war two #queer history #gay #lgbt

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star-anise · 4 years

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hi! hope you’re doing well :) I wanted to ask you a question on something. I identify as a lesbian, and I have noticed that there seems to be...a lot of hate towards the ace community from tumblr lesbians (or at least the ones I follow). I’m curious as to why because seeing that kind of thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Anti-ace rhetoric reminds me of terf rhetoric, and I was curious to see if there is some sort of overlap between the two somehow. Thanks!

Hi! I’ll try my best. As a disclaimer, I’m coming at this more as a student of LGBT exclusionary movements than someone who experiences a ton of aphobia, so I’m coming at this by trying to pick apart the underlying philosophies, not someone who spends a lot of time reading the shit aphobes pull out of their asses.

I think, way deep down, the question is: How do we, the oppressed group, feel about people who we do not think are part of our group?

Exclusionary hatred of asexuality, much like TERF thought, comes from the basic idea that there is Us, the Oppressed, and Them, our Oppressors. Our groups have no overlap and are fated to be enemies forever and ever. There is no hope of peace between us. The best life We, the Oppressed, can hope for, is one in which we have completely eradicated our Oppressors from our lives.

Therefore, any hint a blurring of the boundary--a person who might be thought of as the Oppressor existing in the space of the Oppressed, claiming community there--is fundamentally dangerous. They are not able to not be Oppressive; surely they must be there for secret, dangerous reasons, perhaps to infiltrate and destroy this sacred haven.

People who see the world this way can therefore be easily persuaded to believe that trans women aren’t women, that aces and aros aren’t LGBT, and a lot of other things that basically translate to, “They’re not Us, they’re Them, and their very presence here is dangerous.”

This isn't why many lesbians will say they don't like asexuals. The reasons they actually provide are far more scattered and idiosyncratic, and you have to read between the lines. There's the poor fit between many radical feminist models of sexuality and desire and the asexual movement’s not-actually-paradoxical intersections with the sex-positive movement, or the feeling that asexuality “dilutes” a lesbian’s commitment to the Lesbian Community, or the contention that aces are "stealing" resources from LGBT people.

But none of these seem to explain the deep visceral level of hatred and revulsion that comes with this topic. There are honestly as many radical feminist arguments for the concept of asexuality as against it, and asexuals and lesbians have incredibly strong historical links. To me, the emotional core of Us vs Them is much more important than the intellectual debates through which it manifests. Once you learn to spot the underlying dynamic of “They are not Us, we shall not be fooled, we shall cast Them out as the impostors and frauds and double agents and saboteurs which they are!” you can turn that lens on any community.

There are a lot of reasons Us and Them dichotomies are so frequently terrible guides for communities and activism, but I’ll limit myself to three:

1. Oppression doesn’t actually separate people into Good Blameless Victims and Bad Evil Oppressors. Oppressed groups get rewards for how much they buy into oppressive symptoms--Patriarchy rewards women who follow its rules and withholds those rewards from women who rebel. Capitalism rewards workers who sacrifice their wellbeing for the cause of profit more than those who seem uncommitted to the system. Cissexism rewards trans people who adhere to the gender binary and put a lot of effort into their appearance. Therefore, the first step of dismantling oppressive systems is often unlearning the mental systems by which we oppress ourselves, and then changing the social systems by which we oppress each other. Just because nobody in the oppressor class is around, it doesn’t mean a space will be free of oppression. We have to focus more on how we behave than who we admit.

2. People who want to focus entirely on how they’re oppressed tend to be terrible about caring about the oppression of anyone else. They’re especially bad about checking what privileges they might have and worrying about their potential oppression of people further down society’s ladder than them. There are so many ways society can discriminate against someone. By sex or gender or sexuality, sure; but also by race, and by class, and by disability, and by education, and by immigration status, and so much more. A lot of the acrid taste of single-issue groups is the toxicity they let themselves get away with because they don’t care where their own shit will wash up downstream.

3. It really is possible, even in this fallen world, for people in privileged categories to want to do better and stop oppressing people. I believe that people can stand together in solidarity and alliance, even if their individual struggles are different. The LGBTQ+ community didn’t become a thing in the last century because the oppressions we faced suddenly popped into existence. Rather, the revolutionary moment was that after centuries of oppression, we decided to work together to fight it. The hate we face is literally less important than our decision to back each other up in the face of it. So as disappointing as allies can sometimes be, as imperfect as solidarity is, that isn’t a reason to give up on them. It’s a reason for all of us to try harder to be there for each other.

#staranise original #lgbt discourse #aphobia tw #ace discourse #terf shit #radfem shit #imsvg

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she-who-fights-and-writes · 4 years

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She-who-fights-and-writes Coronacation Book Rec List

I know that a lot of people are stuck at home right now in dire need of entertainment, so I decided I’d put out a book recommendations list of all the books I’m currently reading and all of my must-reads!

(Just a note that a lot of these are Fantasy because I’m a fantasy nerd haha)

Books/Series I am currently reading

1. The Folk of the Air Trilogy by Holly Black (Currently on #2, The Wicked King)

Genre: High Fantasy

Setting: The land of Faerie which is kind of historical, but in the human world it is modern day

Main cast :

Jude Duarte (white, human, cutthroat, if I saw her in a Denny’s Parking Lot at 3am I would RUN)

Cardan Greenbriar (white, faerie, the true embodiment of Bastard)

Vivienne (Jude’s half-sister, lesbian with canon gf, half-human half-faerie, I would totally try to be her friend)

Taryn Duarte (Jude’s twin sister, queen doormat, still, I would take a bullet for her she’s jUST TRYING TO FIT IN)

Rating: 5/5 Stars

These books have been on my “To Read” list for so long now and for some reason I just never got around to reading them! Hands-down, these are some of the best high fantasy books that I’ve read in a long, long while.

I finished the first book, The Cruel Prince, in just two days and rated it 5/5 stars! Even though these books are high fantasy and focus on the traditions and ways of life of faeries, somehow all of the characters seem like I could meet them in real life!

The main character actually has genuine flaws and not just “””“flaws”””” and is a Bad Bitch down with murder, and the plot had me on the edge of my seat from page one!

The summary makes it sound like it’s going to be about their romance, but it’s really mostly about a power struggle and Jude being a badass.

Goodreads summary for The Cruel Prince:

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

2. The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater (Currently on #1, The Raven Boys)

Genre: Present-Day/Realistic Fantasy (?)

Setting: The fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia

I haven’t gotten around to much of the book, so there’s not much I can tell you about the characters and I can’t properly give it a rating yet.

These books were also on my “To Read” list for a while; I was a huge fan of her book The Scorpio Races and have also been looking for something to quench my thirst for “private school/ghosts/magic” that I’ve been dealing with ever since I read The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.

I’ve only JUST started The Raven Cycle yesterday, but so far I am hooked! I’m super worried because I’m TERRIBLE at juggling two series at a time but both of these are just so interesting!

Goodreads Summary for The Raven Boys:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.” It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

MY MUST-READ BOOK LIST

1. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: 1700s Europe (England, Paris, Barcelona, Marseilles, Venice)

Main cast (I’ll try my best not to spoil anything because you find out a LOT of different stuff about these characters throughout the book):

Henry “Monty” Montague (white, bi/pansexual, attitude problem)

Percy Newton (mixed race, gay, very sweet boy, definitely got “most likely to bring home to mom” in the yearbook)

Felicity Montague (white, Monty’s little sister, headcanoned as asexual, I love her to death)

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Daring adventure, gay representation, historical setting, hilarious characters!

This book literally has it all! I would consider it one of my favorite books of all time, yet for some reason I’ve never gotten around to reading any of the sequel books! The ending is very satisfying and ties everything together, which I feel is part of the reason why I haven’t gotten around to them yet.

Therefore, it can serve as a one-shot read or a full series if you want to dive into something good!

The humor made me laugh out loud at points and all of the characters are very real and very, very relatable, not to mention the vivid settings of 1700s Europe!

Goodreads summary:

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

2. The Ninth House By Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Setting: Yale University and the town of New Haven, Present Day

Main cast:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern (Hispanic, sees dead people, very scary)

Daniel Arlington “Darlington” (white, rich, an angel who can sometimes be a dick)

Pamela Dawes (tbh I honestly don’t remember what she looks like, only that she’s a tired grad student with big nerd energy)

Detective Alan Turner (Black, takes shit from nobody, husband material)

Rating: 4/5 Stars

(NOTE: THIS IS VERY DARK ADULT FICTION AND CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME PEOPLE, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FOR PEOPLE UNDER 16)

This book is a great read for someone who’s looking for a disturbing, gritty book with layers upon layers of secrets that you have to peel away as the mystery unfolds. I love the secret societies and the intricate magic systems that the book introduces, and it actually made me hungry for more books like it!

Alex is a three-dimensional, very real character who also serves as an unreliable narrator who witholds or warps the information that she’s telling you, making the narrative all the more riveting.

The only issues that I have with it are the fact that Leigh Bardugo kind of just dumps you in the middle of it without explaining stuff first, to the point where it kind of feels like you’re reading the second installment of a series rather than the first one, so things can get a bit confusing at first.

The book also can drag and draw things out for a bit too long, but once the plot fully kicks into gear, you will not be able to put it down!

Goodreads summary:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

3. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Setting: Earth, Space, The Moon

Main cast :

Linh Cinder (Chinese, based on Cinderella, cyborg, certified badass)

Scarlet Benoit (French, based on Little Red Riding Hood, farmer who is not afraid to shoot you)

Cress Darnel (White, based on Rapunzel, nerd, I will protect her with my life if I have to)

Kaito “Kai” (Chinese, based on Prince Charming, kind of has to run a whole country, a very kind soul, deserves a nap)

Carswell Thorne (White, based off of Rapunzel’s Prince, bastard)

Winter Hayle (Black, based off of Snow White, royalty, has super special powers)

Wolf (Race unspecified, based off of the Big Bad Wolf, charming killing machine, furry????)

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Do you like fairy tales?

Have you ever wanted to know what fairy tales would be like if they took place in the FUTURE instead of the PAST?

Do you like an amazing, hilarious cast paired with a super interesting plot?

These are the books for you!

I haven’t read them in so long, but I remember how much joy I felt while devouring these pages. Definitely something you will not able to put down!

Goodreads Summary for Book #1: Cinder:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

4. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Genre: Fantasy

Setting: Ancient Greece

Main cast:

Patroclus (Greek, Gay, quiet pining)

Achilles (Greek, gay, very strong, student athlete energy)

Brisies (Anatolian, clever, literally the only one in this story who has a brain cell)

Rating: 100000/5 stars

This is basically the Iliad but if historians hadn’t completely erased Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship. “Haha yeah these guys were totally bros” they say, even though I have read the Iliad and their relationship isn’t even subtle.

This book made me cry at least ten times. It’s just so beautifully written and has such a distinct vibe to it that whenever I crack it open for another time, it takes me straight back to the vacation that I read it on. (Needless to say, sobbing your eyes out can be less than helpful when you’re on the beach)

If you can only read one book on this list, it should be this one. I could talk all day about it and write novels on just how much of an incredible writer Madeline Miller is, but I feel like you’d get my drift a bit better if you actually read the book.

Goodreads Summary:

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

Hope this list helps you through your coronacation, and please don’t be afraid to reblog or message me to tell me if you’ve read/will read any of these!

#books #book recs #book rec #book reccomendation #book reccomendations #coronacation #corona #coronavirus #covid-19 #book rec list

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saqrqa3d · 3 years

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I had a sobering conversation with a fellow Muslim mom yesterday on the topic of Muslim teenagers falling into homosexuality.

We had been talking about our eldest sons and how they are both fast approaching adolescence, with her eldest son being 11 and mine almost 9. We were both reflecting on how it feels like the kids had just zoomed through their first decade of life so fast, and were now on the cusp of the dreaded teenage years. As they say, "the days are long but the years are short."

I said, "We are moving into new territory with a new set of challenges. It used to be the challenge of constantly changing diapers, daily nap wars, toddler temper tantrums and fights with siblings over toys. Soon inshaAllah, it will be talks about driving safe, hanging out with good friends who don't smoke or do drugs or curse, not getting addicted to video games, and being careful with the opposite gender."

"Or...the same gender," my friend said. "That LGBT stuff is happening in the Muslim community too. Just most Muslim parents have no idea what their kids are up to."

My friend told me about a case she had recently stumbled upon: two Muslim girls from very religious practicing Muslim families who came out as lesbian lovers. These two girls had been a couple for a while right under their parents' noses, way before anyone noticed anything.

They had both been born to very practicing Muslim families in a large American city with a big Muslim community. Both girls grew up praying five times a day, wearing hijab, going to Islamic school. One girl was even homeschooled by her mom for the four years of high school in Saudi Arabia, where the family had relocated to try to live in a wholesome Muslim country. Both girls had memorized a good portion of Quran and had teachers they would recite to daily.

But they still became lesbian as teenagers, a couple years after they first met and became friends. Then it escalated into something else.

One girl had always been a bit of a tomboy, wearing oversized hoodies and cargo pants with her hijab instead of the abaya. The other girl was more feminine. They met through their families, because their mothers were friends and both active in the community. The two girls, around 18 years old, clicked and started hanging out as friends. Soon they became inseparable, doing almost everything together. It didn't raise any red flags because best friends of the same gender are always together.

Then the girls decided to travel to Egypt for a year to study Arabic. Their parents allowed them to go there together, thinking that learning Arabic in an Arab country was a good thing. The two young women, now in their early twenties, lived together in their own little apartment in Egypt and were alone together for a year.

A while after they came back home to the US, the nature if their relationship was accidentally discovered when a family member of one of the girls stumbled upon some explicit text messages. Then all heck broke loose.

The families of both girls were shocked, stunned and speechless. Their mothers cried. The families were racked with grief, debilitated by depression and confusion and guilt. The girls felt a bit guilty, but thought they really had nothing to apologize for and were almost relieved because the secret was finally out.

The two young women, now in their mid-twenties, are living together on their own in a new state, far away from their parents. They have a "baby," a pet dog who lives with them in the apartment. They are content creators on social media, making posts and videos about being unapologetically "queer and Muslim."

Muslim parents, nurture your relationship with your children from a young age. Pave the way for a deep, real, meaningful parent-child relationship. Set the tone for the relationship early, establishing open lines of communication from childhood. Nothing can replace this foundation that only you can build.

Don't rely on popular western "daees" or celebrity speakers to educate your children about this sensitive topic. This is a subject that these celeb Muslim speakers don't broach, because they are too much in the spotlight and don't want to be seen as bigoted homophobes. Some of the biggest celebrity "shaykhs" even make statements confusing the issues, implying that there's nothing incompatible with Islam and LGBTQ. Famous American Muslim activists and social justice warriors push, blatantly and brazenly, the liberal LGBTQ agenda of "tolerance and acceptance" for "all genders" and "all sexual orientations" because Allah is merciful. No one corrects them.

Is it any wonder that, in this mess of confusion, young Muslim teenagers are utterly confused?

Parents, rely on Allah first and foremost, and then do your best in the realm of parental efforts. Nothing can replace your love and attention for your own. There is no good substitute for your genuine care about the details of your child's inner life, thoughts and feelings. There is no adequate replacement for the bond you should have with your children, where the kids know they can come to you with literally *anything.*

Have frank conversations about sensible topics even if you feel kind of uncomfortable. Let your young kids ask you endless questions, and answer them patiently. Allow your children to mess up and then come to you to admit their mistakes, without you flying into a rage. Let your kids, from their toddlerhood and early childhood, express their real thoughts and genuine feelings to you, and find a calm safe haven in you.

You need to be a soft place for your kids to land.

This starts very, very early on in the child's life.

The preparation for the tumultuous teen years is in early childhood years, well before the start of adolescence. The window which parents have to instill character and habits and righteousness into their children is jarringly short--and then that window closes.

May Allah grant us all protection against the fitna of the times we live in, and safeguard our children and the youth of the Muslim umma, ameen.

#teen #homosexuality #parenting #societal influence #relationships #lesbianism

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qsdblogging · 3 years

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10 More TV Shows You Need To See

This is the second installment of my recommendations of shows for you to add to your own lists. I watch a lot of television and I’ve got, what I consider to be at least, a wide variety of shows under my favorites.

If you haven’t seen the first list, you don’t need to unless you want to see another list of ten shows you may want to check out if you’re looking for anything new to watch.

Warning, though, some of these don’t end the best way and may end up more as a disappointment. I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

I. Warehouse 13.

Pete and Myka, U.S Secret Service Agents, are deployed to South Dakota’s Warehouse 13 with a new assignment from an authority above and outside the government.

Intrigued?

With the Warehouse comes assignments regarding objects that hold some sort of abilities that can cause people to do wild and crazy things. It’s their job to find the artifacts (as they all hold significance to history) and bring them back to the Warehouse for safe keeping.

Things get wild and some serious topics get handled, but the show isn’t alone. It’s connected to another on this list, Eureka. More on that when you get to Eureka.

Some familiar faces are Eddie McClintock who played a part in Bones, one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Joanne Kelly who played a role in The Dresden Files television series, Allison Scagliotti who played roles in Stitchers, The Vampire Diaries, and Drake & Josh, Aaron Ashmore (twin brother to Shawn Ashmore, who has been in the X-Men movies alongside appearing in The Boys, and voicing Conrad in Man of Medan) from Killjoys, Lost Girl, and Smallville, and Jamie Murray from Castelvania, Gotham, The Originals, Once Upon a Time, Defiance, and Dexter.

I highly recommend, especially because the dynamic of the characters is really interesting and covers a lot.

II. Eureka.

As mentioned above, this is connected to Warehouse 13. But only in the last two seasons of this show are the two connected.

Eureka is a town full of geniuses and advanced technology that the government funds, and when a new sheriff comes to town, he’s exposed to all the daily occurrences the locals get up to. And maybe a couple instances of time travel that may or may not have to do with the connection.

The town is full of faces you may recognize. Colin Ferguson who has roles in Haven, The Vampire Diaries, and Maytag commercials, Erica Cerra who has roles in The 100, Supernatural, Deadly Class, and the first Percy Jackson film, Felicia Day who has roles in The Magicians, Supernatural, Con Man, The Guild, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Trevor Jackson who has roles in Grown-ish, and a couple Disney productions.

It’s a huge science fiction show and if you’re into that, give it a watch.

III. Alphas.

Now, like the two above is, Alphas is a science fiction packed drama. And it’s rumored to be connected, like be in the same universe, as Warehouse 13 and Eureka. It’s never been confirmed, but there is one character (same name and job) that plays a part in both Alphas and Warehouse 13, which is the stem for the theory. (Plus, some other ideas floating around).

But Alphas focuses on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities while they, themselves, have abilities. These powered people are referred to as Alphas, due to their nature.

Unfortunately, this show ends on a cliffhanger in its second season.

Yet, I still recommend giving it a shot because it truly is an interesting show and it’s got some people you may recognize.

IV. Haven.

If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s “Colorado Kid”, you’ll most likely enjoy this show since it’s loosely based off of it.

Set in the coastal town of Haven, Maine, FBI Agent Audrey Parker comes to town to find that the residents have dormant curses, or rather troubles, that can be triggered at any given moment. She, along with the Sheriff and the town’s black sheep, must deal with the troubles’ deadly effects. And a few things may be revealed about herself too along the way.

It’s pretty interesting and I enjoyed it quite a lot when I first watched it. I’m not the biggest fan of Stephen King, and the connection seems to barely be there, but I wouldn’t know given my dislike for King.

I highly recommend giving Haven a shot, however, especially if you’re a crime and fantasy fan.

V. Lost Girl.

Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth of her own mysterious origins. (Taken from IMDB).

Plus, there a lesbian romance or two.

Now, the show itself is pretty strong holding in its own storyline and lore, but the last season does get a bit rocky feeling. It could’ve been better, and it definitely feels a little rushed, but it wasn’t too bad of an ending. However, it’s not a show that got cancelled before it could wrap things up and it leaves things pretty open-ended.

In my books, that’s a point. I highly recommend this is if you’re a fan of fantasy.

VI. Almost Human.

Unfortunately, this is one of the ones in the list that only has one season (that seems to be out of order and frankly I’m not entirely sure of the order myself, so rely on googling it yourself and hopefully you find the right order) and was cancelled not long after airing.

BUT, it’s a good watch. It’s set in the distant future, where cops are assigned an android partner to protect and serve. Things get pretty wild and I’m quite sure there are some bombs involved at some point, but there’s a bonus to all the madness of Almost Human.

Minka Kelly and Karl Urban. Two incredibly beautiful human beings.

I highly recommend bingeing this single season show.

VII. American Gods.

This shows feels very confusing. But it’s still a good watch.

It centers on a recently released ex-con named Shadow Moon. He runs into a man full of mystery named Wednesday (and you’ll later come to find out who he really is, or you may already know given your knowledge on the book of the same name or just how well you know mythology) who seems to know more than Shadow about his own life and past.

There are Gods, mischief, and a lot of crazy shit in this show. So far it’s on it’s third season as far as I know (I have to rewatch the first two before I pick it back up).

You should give it a shot, but I won’t blame you if you feel way too confused about the whole thing.

VIII. The Boys.

Now, there’s a lot of controversy regarding this Amazon Original Series, but honestly, I think everyone should at least give it a chance. I know a lot of Tumblr users were put off on trying to due to the advertisements on the site.

If you don’t know what this series is about, it follows a group of vigilantes set on taking down the corrupt superheroes that are abusing their powers and status.

It covers a lot of ground. Murder, sabotage, terrorism, capitalism, and a lot more. Feminism and sexual harassment occur, but there are warning before each episode for what you may see in the contents.

Some familiar faces include Karl Urban, who’s known for his roles in Thor: Ragnarok, the newer Star Trek movies, Almost Human, Lord of the Rings, and more, Erin Moriarty from Jessica Jones, Laz Alonso from The Mysteries of Laura, Chace Crawford from Gossip Girl and The Covenant, and Jensen Ackles from Supernatural has been confirmed to be joining the cast for its third season.

The Boys is currently on it’s second season, being released on a weekly schedule. So, if you like superheroes and graphic content, this show might be it for you.

IX. Chuck.

Chuck is the result of when a twenty-eight year old computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. assign two agents to protect him and exploit the knowledge, turning Chuck Bartowski’s life upside down. (Taken from IMDB).

This is one of the shows I cannot recommend enough to people. It’s the right mixture of action and comedy, plus a little romance. Spies, love, and murder, oh my! What more could you want?

Plus, Zachery Levi plays Chuck. If you don’t know him by name, you probably would recognize him from some of his roles with the most recent being in Shazam!, Fandral in the second and third Thor films, voicing Eugene Fitzherbert (or Flynn Rider) in Tangled, and Heroes: Reborn.

If Zachery Levi playing a lovable computer geek turned spy doesn’t interest you, maybe some more familiar faces will.

Yvonne Strahovski from The Handmaid’s Tale, The Astronaut Wives Club, acting as Daenerys in a Princess Rap Battle on Youtube, and Dexter. Adam Baldwin from Firefly/Serenity, Bones, Angel, The Last Ship, and Independence Day. Brandon Routh who plays Ray Palmer from the DC Shows. Matt Bomer from Doom Patrol, American Horror Story, White Collar, Magic Mike, and True Calling.

X. Deadly Class.

Unfortunately, I have a truly bad streak with new shows. Deadly Class, like others that have been mentioned in these lists of mine, got cancelled and on a cliffhanger no less. However, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the action-packed coming-of-age story set in the 1980s.

Following a new recruit for a high school training assassins, things get pretty wild when you pair death and teenagers.

#deadlyclass #watchlist #tvshows #chuck #eureka #americangods #alphas #theboys #almosthuman #lostgirl #haven #warehouse13 #qsdblogging #qsdbloggingpopculture #qsdpopculture #findingqsd

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lady-sapphire · 3 years

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Sapphire's WiP Wednesday OC Introduction - Part II

New Wednesday, a new part of my OC introduction! Did I mention that all of my Dragon Age stories have their own World State? So, today's Fanfic is technically an AU to Light and Shield. Yes, I've written an AU to my own Fanfic. Yes, I'm crazy. Yes, I'm riding the polyamory trope in this one. Sorry not sorry. :D

The Commander's Ruby (orig. title: "Der Rubin des Kommandanten")< (main idea: I wanted to write porn/smut and BDSM with Mina as a Sub. But my Light and Shield!Cullen didn't fit for that role. On AO3 is a fantastic BDSM-series with a guest appearance of Knight-Captain Rylen (look here!) and I couldn't get this idea out of my head. And now here we are!)

Oh, TW rape and PTSD for the following, people!

Mina Russelton

Regarding appearance, background and personality, Mina is mostly the same person as in Light and Shield. The differences are: she has more scars on her skin because of Ser Albert's brutality, some really special quirks (e.g. avoiding taking things in her mouth, don't like being touched or feeling wood in her back) and her PTSD has a far more impact on her character at the beginning of the story. She has nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks and tends to self-harm under pressure. Also, she sometimes shows small cognitive impairments. She was made violently infertile at the age of twenty-three and healers told her she would never have children of her own.

The Inquisitor sides with the templars and disbands the order. Her fate would be to become a slave of Tevinter. Instead, she flees from Redcliffe to the Inquisition where she meets Cullen. (my headcanon) Cullen is much more sexually experienced and also more self-confident, he is dominant and his character development is more advanced than canon as well. He knows the failures of the Templar-Order, the Chantry and himself and wants to do better with the Inquisition. As commander, he is determined to protect the mages that have already joined the Inquisition, which means he has to find the mage hating and guilty templars in his army and render them harmless. He also suffers from his own PTSD and the lyrium withdrawal.

When Mina arrives in Haven, he recognizes her and takes on the task of protecting her. She remembers the friendship they had back in her childhood and starts trusting him. She becomes battle mage of the Inquisition. Cullen falls in love with her. However, he hides it because of her past in the Circle. He is sure she will never reciprocate it just as never having sex at all. In particular, considering his special kinks in bed. But their relationship grows deeper and deeper. When the Inquisition settles in Skyhold he publicly announces that they are romantically involved, primarily to keep Mina safe and unmolested. He is truly surprised when she confesses she developed romantic feelings for him. So, their relationship is general knowledge. Not everyone takes this well at first. Cullen works a lot for her sex education and she slowly starts discovering her own sexuality and battling her trauma. She is submissive (and quite kinky actually) and becomes Cullen's pet. The discipline as a Sub helps her a lot in controlling her magical power. Cullen arranges for her a (secret) short time affair with his best friend and second-in-command Rylen, which leads to them falling in love with each other and ends up in a triangle relationship.

Because of her openly known romance with Cullen Mina has a close connection to the inner circle of the Inquisition. She hates the attention she receives as Cullen's partner and tries to avoid it. Nevertheless, she has to deal with the responsibility for the mages, which she reluctantly accepts. In Halamshiral she gets announced as "Lady Commander Mina Russelton, former member of Fereldan Circle and battlemage of the Inquisition". She will never get rid of the title of Lady Commander.

Cullen calls her Love, his pet name for her is Kitten. Rylen names her Sweety (I'm still indecisive about the translation of Rylens german nickname for her). In the barracks, they call her Commander's Ruby because of her red hair, his protectiveness (and the fact, that she sometimes smooth Cullen's mood with sex, so he is a little more lenient with the recruits). She has a fondness for Starkhaven whisky and likes to snack nuts because they're small and easy to eat. Thanks to Cassandra and Cullen Mina is well trained and a real horror on the battlefield for enemies. Besides fighting with her staff and staff blade, she is later able to handle small daggers. Varric mentions she is good at breaking noses of cheeky soldiers.

And again, important supporting characters under the cut! :)

2. Ser Raphael

Look here!

3. Telven Lavellan

Herald of Andraste and later Inquisitor in The Commander's Ruby. He is an archer rouge, Tempest specialisation and romances Josephine (after having a crush on Solas who rejects him). His plan to bring the Templar-Order under the control of the Inquisition and then offer an alliance to the mages fails because of Corypheus and the Venatori. He is allergic to injustice and oppression (and bullshit), judges Cullen's past at Kirkwall's Circle harshly but supports him in becoming a better man and getting trough his lyrium withdrawal. Telven likes Solas but can't stand his ancient elven-superiority-shit. He makes softened Leliana Divine. Varric calls him sometimes Tree Cuddler.

4. Bella Thornten

She is a mage from Ostwick and spirit healer. She becomes responsible for Mina's health after she arrives at Haven and is one of her very first friends.

5. Flora

Flora is a middle-aged mage from Starkhaven and Mina's roommate in Haven. She is one of the Inquisition researchers, lesbian and keeps an eye on Mina. Later she teaches her a bit of Starhaven accent and culture. Flora is often Mina's first point of contact for questions of all kinds.

6. Ser Albert Dubois

For his character and background look here! He is part of the templars that get committed by the Inquisition. He can hide at first, but Mina recognizes him at Haven and panics. She decides with Cullen’s help to do a testimony about his crimes which leads to some mages follow suit and a lot of arrests. The Inquisitor later judges and executes him.

7. Lillith Mahariel

Hero of Ferelden and Warden-Commander of Fereldan Grey Wardens, in a relationship with Leliana and currently on the search for the cure of the Taint. Two-Weapon-Rouge who is completely oblivious to the fact that Alistair felt hopeless in love with her (he never said anything as he didn't want to bother the luck of his friends. Leliana knows anyway.) Named her mabari Pumpkin. Sometimes luckier than wits but has a good heart.

Thoughts, ideas and questions are highly welcomed! :)

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age fanfiction #fanfiction #The Commander's Ruby #again a piece of work i never puplished anywhere #Works in Progress #wip wednesday #commander cullen #cullen rutherford #my OCs #mina russelton #i wrote this #text post #i feel like nobody cares anyway #tw rape #tw ptsd

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shodansbabygirl · 3 years

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3, 8, 18, 25 from end-of-year asks pls 🥺<3

Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

Oh man i can’t even think of who I started to listen to this yeah uh. I also don’t really listen to albums fully, I have internet brain rot even for my music so I just listen to my discover weekly on spotify and add songs I like individually. I did start listening to Adia Victoria this year and I love her stuff! Also been getting into The Crane Wives because Tongues & Teeth slaps.

Game of the year?

So I’ve really fallen off the horse when it comes to gaming, like, I used to be a MOBA player and an MMO kind of person but I haven’t looked at either of those in like, years. (But if anyone else likes DDO hmu I’ll DL it again.)

This year I didn’t really do a lot of gaming or buying games? I got the itch.io BLM bundle which has some fucking Gems in it, and since it’s so big and so many games I’m gonna just list my favorites from it off? Since I know a lot of people I know bought it but haven’t really dug into it (And I really haven’t either if we’re being honest.)

If you like typing games and old school first person 3D, I loved Backspace Bouken. It’s a great typing game and those are honestly so hard to find, which sucks because they’re my favorite of anything, because I fucking love typing. It’s got a cool mechanic where you have a limited number of spaces and you have to collect more from writing in the world, so it encourages very full exploration of it’s maps. And I like to kill skeletons by typing their panicked screams back at them. It’s great, give it a shot.

And so I don’t write an essay I have one more to recommend, and that’s Secret Little Haven. It’s played through a virtual OS and you play as a young trans girl in the 90s. It can be pretty triggering though, considering it is also about abuse. It’s really good, just like, brace for its triggering content.

A memorable meal this year?

Probably my solstice dinner! I put a lot of effort and planning into it since my friends were coming over, and it turned out amazing. And I really want to roast turkey thighs constantly now. I made Roast turkey thighs and sweet potatoes and squash, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and it was great! IT was the first like big holiday meal I’ve ever prepared myself and I’m very proud of it. And I absolutely have to roast more turkey thighs with sage butter. The only thing I’d do differently is I would Absolutely brine the turkey thighs.

Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

Oh holy shit batten down the hatches someone is asking about my fucking OCs holy shit I didn’t think this day would ever come.

I got back into roleplaying and even doing my own fiction writing this year and it’s been amazing, even though I have absolutely nothing to show off publicly because I am DEEPLY insecure about my writing. So yeah I made characters. I made a lot of them.

They’re all lesbians. Because I cannot be asked to write anyone else and no one can make me.

But my favorite OC I’ve made this year is *probably* my revamp of my old OC, Dotty (If any of my followers have been following me since before I remade 6 years ago you might vaguely remember that I used to be Steampowereddotty, well I brought her back and this time she’s not a fandom OC because I have become impossibly powerful.) Taking an OC that I really loved when I made her as a teen and like, updating her with all I’ve learned about myself has been absolutely incredible.

Anyway Dotty is a high femme lesbian and personal chef and, like one of my only OCs that gets to be bougie and isn’t a mouthpiece for my complaints about the violence of poverty. She’s beautiful and I love her because I love having an OC that lets me write an outfit description that HAS to be a paragraph long because she is wearing so much so intentionally. I could probably do a lot more talking about her but the shame of being known creatively compels me to shut up.

#ask games #anarcho-mom-unist

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cloverebi · 4 years

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alrighty here are my thoughts + opinions on before the dawn. i’m writing this now and scheduling it to post the day it comes out since my copy inexplicably arrived a week early lmao.

-starting out with a negative i feel like it was a major missed opportunity to not confirm explicitly scarlet as gay :/ it’s not a secret rwby has zero mlm rep and i thought FOR SURE that they’d take the opportunity to confirm scarlet as gay here in a mainline entry to the series considering that it’s implied (if not confirmed lol) in the manga which. yknow. not many people read. i was pretty confident they would but. welp. i WILL acknowledge that they did point out that him and nolan (who i rly liked) seem to be ...friends (TO PUT IT MILDLY) + and if there will be a third book (which it seems there might be) i wouldn’t be surprised if they make them a couple. but after the fg thing i’m not really willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in these scenarios.

(i went back after writing this post and i actually missed scarlet calling nolan a “pretty boy” in his head which is pretty gay but once again im not giving them any credit until it’s as explicit as coco being a lesbian is tbh)

-speaking of missed opportunities. i’m sad sage didn’t get more development :( like yeah he got a few lines which is more than he got in the show but he was really just. there. considering it seemed like team SSSN would get more screentime in this book it’s dissapointing that it seems he’s doomed to be a side character forever.

-this is so small and it’s kinda dumb but i feel like it’s weird how they mention that _SSN was at haven academy while sun was in menagarie? like it’s no surprise that V5 is kinda messy on a lot of fronts but i just wonder why we never saw them there if that was the case... we see neptune at the train station in v6e1 so he (+ presumably his team) was around i guess... idk. feels weird. maybe someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of the rwby timeline can confirm its been that way all along but whatever

nvm! it checks out. forget i said anything.

-THERE REALLY NEEDS TO BE A GLOSSERY OF PEOPLE!! holy shit they name drop a ton of people who were like.. background characters at the vytal tournament never named in the show and it’s just like... i remember some of these people but there should absolutely be some kind of list of who some of these people are... especially the NDGO girls who just. i don’t remember any of their appearances :/ i feel like someone who’s not a very invested fan would be super confused cuz... i am and i STILL was

the first two were what i disliked the most, but i feel like there were positives too

-i liked nolan!! somebody losing their entire team isn’t rly something that’s been explored in rwby (other than kinda with team STRQ) + it’s pretty dark to think that he lost like... his three closest friends in the world. rwby as a whole gets dark sometimes but i think this really stands out you think about it. it reminds me of the scene in after the fall where CFVY fails to save the people from the grimm in the cave (?) because it’s a moment where you gotta just think “wow the world of rwby is super fucked up sometimes”. (it is annoying how they chose the one white character on BRNZ to be the one who survived... like another thing that rwby does not have a lot of is characters of color and... they chose the one white guy on the team to be the only relevant character... -_-)

-i really like how the beacon refugees have a little support group in shade ;-; + i really liked sun’s conflict with them about how their meetings separate them from the native shade students in a bad way. i thought that was a good scene

-i like how sun’s team doesn’t accept his decision to leave them after beacon! i really liked his conflicts with scarlet. i’m glad they made up in the end too. i just wish we saw more of it (especially when sun + neptune hugged... i ship it bitch!!)

-the crown was really interesting... like i was convinced that it was gonna turn out that salem was bertilak + carmine’s employer, and that CFVYSSSN were gonna realize something like “oh shit this is way bigger than we first thought” and then we’d pick up with that when rwby + gang show up in vacuo. i kinda feel a little underwhelmed? not saying they were defeated too easily i just now wonder... what would a third book possibly be? considering it feels like they set up for one w/ bertilak running away to get his revenge on carmine for... using him as an aura battery (that was super fucked up what jax and gill were doing... lmao)

overall i liked it minus its issues! i think after the fall was a little better but i still enjoyed this one.

#rwby #rwby before the dawn #before the dawn spoilers #rwby spoilers

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starrlikesbooks · 4 years

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Hooray for March books!

As always, check under the cut for more about each book!

Havenfall by Sara Holland not only has a gorgeous cover, but involves ancient & hereditary magic, summer havens, dark secrets, and dead bodies. Literally what could be cooler?!

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey is Gailey’s first YA book! I loved Magic For Liars, so that alone is reason for me to be super hyped. In case you need another reason- this book is about a group of (diverse) female friends who accidentally kill a boy via magic on prom night.

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett is “part Sleeping Beauty, part Anastasia, with a thrilling political mystery”. And it’s sapphic! Have I mentioned how much I love court politics and people pushed into leadership roles they don’t want? Add the fact that the love interest here is her brother’s arranged “warrior bride” and I am FANTASTICALLY down.

The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis is a fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde. I love Tristan and Isolde, so I’ve got high hopes! This also involves forbidden magic.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune seems super fun, and possibly like a potential favorite book of the year. It’s basically about a 40 year old officer worker being forced into being the foster father for 6 magical children of various species, and then falling in love with a strange man on the island they all live on.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin is about 5 New Yorkers banding together to defend the city from an ancient evil. It’s also described as “a love story to New York City and a big middle finger to Lovecraft” which sounds like something I can’t not read for myself.

The Empress of Salt & Fortune by Nghi Vo is a fantasy novella with an “Atwood heart”. Again, I love court politics and people with important roles pushes upon them, and that checks these boxes. Plus, it’s LGBT. To be honest, I’d be interested in only the title and cover alone (they’re fantastic!).

Music from Another World by Robin Talley was an automatic add because I just really love Robin Talley. Everything she writes is sapphic and explorative, and she happens to write historical fiction in a way I actually really enjoy. This particular books takes place in the 70s and follows a punk lesbian and her equally punk pen pal, as they fight to be themselves and fight against the anti-gay fervor.

We Are Perfectly Normal by Rahul Kanakia is the gay novel I need right now (read: all the time). I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for ‘coming out to myself’ media, especially if there’s a friends to lovers dynamic. Now, for a while a saturation of that kind of story made the quality go down into the negatives. But it’s 2020, baby! And this book looks so good. Plus, in case you needed another reason to add it to your TBR, both the main and his love interest are Indian.

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cookiedoughmeagain · 4 years

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Haven DVD Commentaries; 5.11 - Reflections

Commentary with Shernold Edwards (writer for the episode) and Shireen Razack (writer for the next episode), and also a bit with Josh the assistant. I love this commentary, Shernold and Shireen are both really fun; they probably laugh as much as they talk throughout this.

SR: It was really freaking fun [joining Haven this season] because I’d been a big fan of Haven beforehand, so being able to join on the writing staff and be part of the mythology for the last season - oh, can we say that? SE: Yep. SR: That was pretty awesome, seeing it to the end. SE: Oh! Yeah.

SE: So, maybe we could talk about where we came up with the ideas for the story, I think - oh poor thing! [photo of a dead Peter Palak on screen]. Shireen and I wrote this as a block together, and many of the blocks up to this point in this season have been continuations; parts one and two of things. SR: Yeah, which isn’t as true with these two. Because originally we had a couple of the characters cross over, but 5.12 ended up being almost a complete stand alone. SE: Yeah, so I guess - oh that’s a cute jacket [on Audrey]. SR: This is probably my favourite part of this episode [as Nathan is talking to Audrey in the station about her being ill]. I’ve always been a Naudrey, and Shernold is more of a Daudrey, so between the two of us we… SE: Hey. I am not a Daudrey. SR: Well you have to admit that we would get into some heated discussions about the Duke and Nathan of it all. SE: Yeah the Duke and Nathan of it all, but. You know; Audrey belongs with who she belongs with... (SR: Which is Nathan) SE: ... And for those who feel like this was fan fiction, trying to get Duke with his own version of Audrey; that’s not true. SR: It is a little true. SE: It’s not true! [both laughing] SE: You’re unravelling all the good work coming up in the commentary with Lucas Bryant. SR: OK, I’ll take it back.

SE: Anyway, I did have a lot of fun writing this because I had an opportunity to see Emily, who is really fantastic at both roles, to see how she as the actress, or rather as the two characters, interacts with the two men, in the … love triangle? The two men of Haven. SR: And when we were discussing whether or not Mara and Duke should do the deed, there was just … a lot of arguments about it. SE: There was a lot of arguments. It was on the board and then it was off the board, and then it was on the board. SR: And then when it finally made it on the board and it was … SE: Did we pitch that? I don’t think it was on the timeline. SR: That’s possible. Because when we got to the end of the episode we were like; it just naturally should just happen. And at that point I was like; I’m so jealous that you get to write that. SE: Yeah, we were like; do you think, we could, possibly … have some sex? Yeah. You might here a lot of giggling here because Shireen and I were known as, what was it Team Trinny? [Trinnie?] SR: Yeah, Team Trinny. Both of us come from Canada and Trinidadian parents, so yeah. SE: But you are the one with the dirty mind. SR: Just me? SE: Yes! SR: um, I think there would be some on the staff who would disagree with you on that. SE: I think the sex actually was your idea initially. And I was like; Oh my precious heart - are you serious? Can’t they just love-kiss? SE: Wait, I think the sex for Dwight was my idea. SR: Oh yeah; you do like your Dwight SR: Dwight has just been celibate for too long. SE: That’s right. And a man who looks like that should be in charge of his body and get to do whatever he wants, whatever makes him comfortable and if that includes taking his shirt off and having a love scene, then hey SR: But we’re on the wrong episode for that one SE: Are we? [much laughing] SE: We should have … talked more before this. I’m sorry Josh.

SE: I’m still trying to remember our initial thing - Oh, I wanted to do something that meant something. So initially the whole thing started off having two young women at the centre. I think. Was it the lesbian thing that came first? Or the … oh we wanted to do a body image Trouble, that’s what it was. SR: Yeah, it started out as a body image Trouble, and then it morphed into, or it all came back to dealing with some form of bigotry. SE: Yeah - [the first signs of the Trouble kick in on screen] omg what? Her hand just fell off! I haven’t see this … Oh my goodness. That was scary. That was the first time I’ve seen that effect. That’s a really gruesome image. Normally that’s one of the last things I think about when pitching a story is how it’s going to open. Because you’ve got to start strong. But anyway yes, we wanted to do something along the lines of body image and just say something about it. And so it was about bigotry, and then it also ended up being about how people see each other. SR: Yeah, that too. SE: And then we tried to tack on also some weight issues as well. And the young woman who plays Grace; lovely, talented, and just looks like a girl. And that we had to cast her as the young woman with weight issues, just says something else entirely.

SE: I like these two together [Dwight and Vince] SR: I do too. Because when I started out as the Haven fan, I was all about Nathan. But then once Dwight joined the cast, I was just like; Wait, hang on a second. But I’m much happier that Dwight’s becoming involved with Charlotte. Rather than us having a Dwight/Audrey thing; a new component to the triangle. That would have been just too much. SE: Well there’s that thing that Speed wrote. I think it was Speed. In 5.04, where Dwight says something about; there’s already too many people there. That was great.

SR: Oh Gloria. SE: She really sold this. [much laughing at Gloria’s line about Charlotte being so skinny]

SR: I love the casting of the mom. SE: Yeah she was really good. Alisen Down; Canadian treasure. We should point out all the things Canadian. Oh there are the girls outside. You know, you always write these scene where you’re like; through the window we can see… whatever. And I don’t want to say that’s a lazy tactic exactly, but it can be very handy. SR: Yeah. But was it originally in the script as through the window, or were they off in another part of the cafe? SE: Oh yeah they were off in another part of the cafe. This is better. SR: This must have changed on set. It looks really good. SE: It does look good. Well Chester always looks good on screen.

SE: You say you were tickled when Adam Copeland joined the cast but I think you’re a die hard Nathan woman, to the end. SR: Well, that’s true. Oh there’s the line [from Audrey, about the cafe owner being a bigot]. And she sold it too. SE: She did. I like her in this one a lot, I mean I like her in everything, but she’s fun in this one. SR: And this episode in particular I think I liked her more as Mara. The way that Mara’s playing with Duke, is really great. SE: I imagine doing this episode was really difficult for Emily because she’s in two of the major story lines.

[laughing at the washing up liquid by the empty hand cuffs] SE: You know, Matt pitched that and I was like, um, really? Dishsoap? But he was just like; if I see one more person pick a pair of handcuffs with a hair pin, I’m going to want to kill somebody SR: And so there was a funny day in the room where we were pitching what kind of lubricant could be used to get the handcuffs off [much laughing] SE: You see, that’s what I said about the dirty mind, but you make it sound so innocent. And since the word actually fits you could make the case for your mind being not-dirty. When we were on twitter for this episode I remember people loving Mara’s outfit here [as she’s outside with her shopping]; this cute little dress. But this was one of the hardest parts I think, or probably the most challenging part of the script was crafting, and writing and re-writing and getting feedback from everyone in the room and building this Duke/Mara arc, so that what they do at the end feels earned (even though some of you may not think that) and so that it makes sense. Josh, our assistant (who is moving on and is now a staff writer on a show and no longer an assistant) keeps looking at me whenever I make a slight comment that may be perceived as having to do with twitter, and the fact that you guys blame me for Nathan being on screen, and it is not my fault. SR: It’s true, because this episode was - SE: Wait - tell them what is true. SR: OK, what is very true about this episode is that we were trying to get Duke and Mara to a point where Duke was trusting her. And so in order for my episode (the next one) to work, he had to trust her completely. SE: Completely. SR: And one way to demonstrate that, that he trusts someone completely, is that he trusts them enough to open himself up, be vulnerable and go to bed with them. So, yeah Shernold had the very difficult task of writing that … SE: And it was. SR: And I was very jealous that you got to to write it - well I’m always jealous of anyone who gets to write the sex scenes. SE: And then the other thing that we had to do with this episode is bring Audrey and Charlotte together. This is, I think, the first time they meet on screen. And you will know by now, based on the relationship they have, the subtext of this scene is cool and tense and really interesting. SR: Because if you go back to the beginning of this scene, you’ll see the look on Charlotte’s face when she first sees Audrey and it’s just like; woah, I haven’t seen you in … centuries? At this point? SE: Yeah, I guess so. And sometimes, show runners and directors make these decisions, but sometimes they tell the actor and sometimes they don’t. And Laura Mennell [who plays Charlotte] is one of those actors where I think the showrunners, Matt and Gab, told her ultimately who her character would be. But I don’t think they told Emily, and I don’t think they told Lucas or anybody else. Am I right Josh? Josh: I think that’s right. SE: So that’s really cool, because she had this huge secret that she knew that this character would end up being her character’s daughter. But in the same way that the character has no idea that’s her mother, the actor didn’t know either. And the performances are terrific, with one having the information and one not. SR: It play really well on screen. SE: Yeah. And then of course when you know as an audience when you go back, you just see all these little things in there

[As we see the sign with the name of the bakery] SE: The Tart Half. How many times did we have to change that name? SR: What did it start as? Josh; Oh, I came up with something, and we couldn’t use it. I can’t think of it. SE: It was good though SR: Was it Half Baked at one point, or something like that? SE: No, it was another Stephen King reference Josh: Oh, Kneadful Things SE: And there was a Kneadful Things in Maine. Josh: Yeah there was, so we couldn’t use it. SR: That’s so sad. SE: And then some people didn’t get the Tart Half, because I remember some complaints. And I was like; come on - somebody google something.

[As the ambulance pulls up to Terrance’s house] SE: Remember how many different ways this scene changed? It was supposed to be the kids working out on the lawn, and we were going to see the weight drop on him. [As Nathan takes the phone call from Duke] SR: See, the bromance is just so lovely. SE: The bromance is one of the greatest things in the show. I’m sure this made fans of all three in a love triangle freak out, but this I think is the first moment where Duke does not do what Nathan wants in regards to Audrey. When we write these phone scenes I’m always a little bit nervous they’re going to be boring. But this isn’t. SR: Not between these two. (I love that pot-kettle line.) SE: No, not with those eyes. You know his [Nathan’s] eyes are really that colour in real life? SR: Really? SE: Yeah, because he was sitting about this close to me, as you are SR: Oh yeah just rub it in. SE: We did a commentary for 5.17 which was so fun. Do you have any idea how fun Lucas Bryant is to hang out with? But we were talking and I looked over like; Oh my god your eyes are really that colour. That was fun. SR: Yeah, this whole season I’ve been trying really hard to meet Lucas Bryant. Nothing. Shernold comes in this morning telling me how she did a commentary with Lucas and I … well I won’t say what I called her. SE: It’s crazy, it was like snuffleupagus. Do you have that here? Josh; I know what snuffleupagus is. SE: Well you’re practically Canadian. But it’s a Sesame Street thing right? Americans know what that is. OK so Lucas was like snuffleupagus to you, because you would come in and we’d all be like; Oh my god you just missed Lucas. SR: Yep, and then there was the day that Adam came in and I wasn’t here either. SE: Weren’t you at least on the phone then though? SR: No, I found out about it the next time I came in to the office. I was like Seriously? SE: Well that was a complete surprise, we didn’t know he was coming in or we would have told you. Josh; Shireen I don’t know if this is a good time to tell you but I’ve also done a commentary with Lucas Bryant. SR: *disappointed noises* Josh; I was here with him and Adam Higgs and they invited me to join them. That happened. SE; That’s so great. SR: Lucas is going to listen to this commentary and think - SE: Lucas is not going to listen to this commentary. Don’t you worry about it. SR: He’d be like; Oh I’ve got a stalker in LA, great. SE: First of all, get in line. There are many stalkers I’m sure, of Lucas Bryant and his face. Second of all; Lucas is not going to listen to this commentary. So we can say whatever we want.

SR: I remember one of the changes to this was that we originally had it that the mom was going to have an issue with the fact that - SE: Oh yeah! Scripts go through a lot of rewriting and initially I went a bit overboard with the bigotry I think. Just one spoonful too much bigotry, where initially the mom, the owner of the bakery, was supposed to be homophobic as well. And it was our SyFy exec, Erik Storey, who pointed out that things have changed and not only is that becoming less of an issue (with same-sex marriage and everything) but we’ve seen that story before. And I was like; you are absolutely right. And it did make the story much stronger and much more interesting I think. SR: Because it was nice to see that the mom was totally accepting of one thing but completely opposed to the other SE: Yeah. That was good to get to be able to do that.

[As Nathan comes to see Charlotte in the lab] SR: OK how awesome does he look just leaning up against the door frame there? OK I’ll stop now. SE: Well this was fun too because we don’t often get to see Nathan doing a bit of subtefuge SR: That’s true. I love this with the gloves [where Nathan tries to shake Charlotte’s hand] SE: That actually worked out really well, I wasn’t sure - on the page some people thought it would be way too obvious in the look back that Charlotte was avoiding shaking Nathan’s hand because he would be able to feel her, being the mother of Audrey/Mara, and being one of those other ... beings SR: … people, things. Has anybody else mentioned in any of the commentaries how we’ve gone out of our way to not name where … or what …? SE: I think they probably haven’t, and I think there might have been a reason for that. SR: OK. Then I won’t talk about it.

[Charlotte: Yes bleach is an antiseptic but no your brother should not use it to clean his wound] SE: I didn’t think that was going to fly. That line about the bleach. SR: I thought it was hilarious. SE: I though it was going to get cut for sure. I thought that was going to get a big DB aka Do Better on that line. SR: It totally sounds like something Vince and Dave would do.

SE: You know what I think Haven missed? A good carnival episode. SR: Well we did do the fair. SE: No I mean like a *switches accent* carnival SR: Oh! You have to say it in Trinny speak or we won’t know what you’re talking about. SE: But could you imagine Dwight pulling one of those big … SR: We’re talking about Trinidad carnival SE: Yeah. Google that too. It’s amazing. And there are massive costumes that people pull along the parade route and make them dance, because they’re built to have flexibility and movement. And then she’d be in one of those … SR: Skimpy skimpy things SE: Not Emily. But one of those beautiful feathered head dresses, with lots of sparkles.

[As Charlotte is telling Audrey about her cells degenerating] SE: This is something we back and forth on a lot too; the nature of Audrey’s illness. And now to make it seem real but also have it fit within the idea that it could be something to do with her separation from Mara. SR: I think I was talking to my brother at one point, my brother’s a doctor, and asking him what could make a cell just break apart. And he’s like; there’s this thing called apoptosis. So I wrote that down, and it was always open on my ipad to the apoptosis wikipedia page. So we sort of went off of that in a way. SE: Well it’s always good to have real science.

[As Grace is talking about getting bullied via potato chips] SE: Oh hey Josh where did that line come from? Oh no it wasn’t you, it was Adam Higgs! Josh; I had a line … I didn’t really say anything the first couple of weeks on the job and then I thought, I think I might have something here. Which didn’t end up making it in, but it was there for a little while where they were talking to Dwight about; Even when you’re really bulked up can you still feel like it’s not enough? And he says; All the time. SE: Oh yeah, that was a really beautiful moment. I liked this part of Grace’s character too, which was also atypical in that she wasn’t broken down by the bullies, which was neat. But yeah we wanted to do this whole sequence with Terrance who was bulking up because he was being bullied at school, and he was really buff. And it was going to be this nice moment between … back then it was going to be Dwight and Audrey investigating it. So there was going to be this really nice moment between Dwight and Audrey, as Josh said, where she was like; Well you’re a pretty buff guy do you sometimes feel like you could still be hurt? That’s kind of a whole other story though.

SR: You know it’s funny when I was reading the script and the guy in the hospital bed was talking about ‘she looked at me, it looked like she was looking through me’ and I always envisioned that when we saw her looking at her mom there were going to be these weird soulless eyes, or that we were going to do visual effects or something. SE: Oh that never occurred to me. That’s kind of cool. SR: But I think this works better, because it’s not weird and creepy. It’s just; this is who I am mom, and you don’t love me.

[As we see Duke letting out a Trouble] SR: Remember the debates that we would have in the writers room about how his Trouble was going to work here? SE: Yeah we had, what, three different versions? And that’s why I got quiet for a moment there because I haven’t seen how this manifested. It’s really neat; look at that. Originally this Trouble was supposed to be a World War II under fire kind of thing, you know the room would be shaking and you’d hear shelling outside and the ceiling would be caving in. And then someone pointed out; well then when they went outside wouldn’t everything just be destroyed. SR: But this was the big crucial scene to bring them together. And it was the hardest scene. SE: It was the hardest scene. A lot of re-writes on this one. SR: But you nailed it. I think this works really, really well, because at the end, he has to admit. The Trouble forces him to admit that he trusts her. SE: Oh that’s neat, look at that! [being impressed at the effects]

SR: I think one of things I liked about Charlotte’s character is that we moulded her to be a scientists and to figure out that there is a scientific component to the Troubles. SE: Yeah! I was sorry that we couldn’t take that further. SR: I like it when the supernatural is grounded in some kind of science. SE: It’s neat. But then we don’t want to take it too far into the scientific because... SR: Then you lose the fantasy of it SE: But then also, you know, 200 years ago what we do with modern medicine would have seemed like magic. SR: Yeah completely.

[At Mara and Duke’s first kiss] SE: Oh look at that! Literally steamy! They did well there. SR: See how quiet we got. That scene was just … SE: Yeah but we’re supposed to be not quiet. I think when we leave here Josh will be forced to tell everybody that this is the silliest commentary he has ever had to sit through. Josh; And you should know everybody, that we are here on a Sunday, because this is how much we love all of you [A moment of quiet] SE: Oh gosh Shireen we have to stop just watching. Josh; Well I remember, if I can butt in here SE and SR in unison: Please do Josh; I remember it was a really great thing when we figured out that Audrey would get worse by solving this Trouble. But she didn’t care because that’s the kind of character she was SR: Yes, selfless Josh: And also the idea that because it’s based on how you feel about yourself, she felt that she was strong and therefore she became strong SE: Oh Josh that’s a great thing to remember. There’s a lot of girl power I think in this episode. SR: And then the nice thing too you see that Charlotte isn’t just being concerned as a doctor, she’s also like; I don’t want my daughter to get sick again. I don’t want my, potentially my daughter, to die. SE: And also I think between these two characters it’s the first time that Charlotte sees that, this isn’t Mara. SR: Oh yeah that’s true! I’d forgotten that.

[As the cafe owner on screen is returned to her correct age and then tells them all to get out] SE: And she’s still mean. SR: I think this is the best part of the script the fact that you made sure that she maintained her bigotry all the way to the end SE: Definitely more realistic SR: It’s not just a switch SE: You know when you write these things too, you’re always aware that, like here Charlotte doesn’t have a lot to say in this scene, but her emotional reactions are really important. But when you’re writing it it’s hard to see that in your head, or to convince other people of that, when they’re reading it. So I’m glad she stayed in the scene.

SR: I like these two together [Nathan and Dwight]. We don’t get to see them solve a lot of stuff. SE: I always like when this surveillance footage stuff works out. It’s a trope but it’s very handy. SR: I like this, that even in surveillance footage Nathan is like, I know that face, that Duke Crocker face SE: That particular kind of grumpy; that’s an angry grumpy

[a shot of the sunset] SE: That’s stunning! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that shot before SR: That is one thing about the show that is so captivating, is the fact that we shoot in Nova Scotia and the scenery is just so gorgeous.

[As we see Duke and Mara together] SE: Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh. I don’t think he’s wearing any underwear. SR: Yeah you’re not a Daudrey at all SE: woah.

[As we see Dwight and Charlotte talking at the end] SR: I love these two. They’re adorbs. SE: They’re great. I think this is one of the first emotional moments we came up with, of her being overwhelmed by the Troubles and the amount of damage they have done. And of her knowing the role that she’s played in that, even if inadvertently SR: Laura played it very well. SE: Gosh I think this moment got shunted into this point, we had this on the board forever, where we realise that charlotte does seem to have an ulterior motive, another agenda involving Audrey SR: Yeah it was a great set up for the next episode

SE: Well thank you everyone, for suffering through that commentary. Well, Shireen was fantastic. SR: And Shernold wrote an incredible script SE: You’re very sweet. On to the next one!

#haven syfy #haven dvd commentaries #haven 5 #5.11 - reflections

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humansofstarshollow · 4 years

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Let’s see a classic: Rory/Paris snowed in

[ah, the mother of all winter prompts. as you haven’t specified and i have to many ideas, anon, i wrote both a girlfriends!Rory/Paris and a useless lesbians pining over each other Rory/Paris snippets. long-ish post]

Cold. Cold is the very first thing passing through Paris’ mind as soon as she opens her eyes. Freaking freezing cold, to be perfectly honest. Which is certainly not the incentive Paris desperately needs to get herself out of bed and start the quite busy day ahead.

She really needs to figure out the stupid thermostat. But first-

“Rory.”

“Mmh.”

“Babe, come on. It’s six forty-three already.”

“Mmmmh.”

Deciding that her girlfriend has earned the extra ten minutes under the warm comforter, Paris manages to drag herself to the small en-suite bathroom.

———

what the heck!! suddenly resonates through the whole small flat, even reaching a sleepy, groggy half-awake Rory.

“Paris?!” the girl yells, quickly getting up, “Paris, are you okay? What happened?”

“That happened,” Paris mutters, pointing to the window.

Outside, in the big open world, everything is blinding white. So bright and pure and just- quiet.

“Snow? Snow happened?”

“It’s a fucking meter of snow, Rory.”

“124 centimeters, to be technical. Or, so the weather app says.”

“I have that meeting today. There’s no way i can make it to the Firm in these conditions.”

“Unless you can ski or drive a sled, I doubt it.”

“Not helping.”

““Hey hey. I’ll have to cancel appointments too, you know? Like, nobody in Boston will get anywhere nor anything done, today.”

“But-“ she scoffs, “my meeting..”

“Your meeting will have to wait another day,” Rory whispers, with a glint in her eyes, “now, why don’t you call Liza and tell her to reschedule. It’ll be fine, trust me.”

———

“So, Liza will move all of my meetings and, apparently, literally the whole office will work on remote for the next couple of days,” Paris is saying, as she rejoins her girlfriend in their bedroom, “so, what-“

Stopping dead in her track, she almost drops the phone while simultaneously tripping on the rug.

“So, we have a whole day full of nothing ahead, warm sheets, coffee brewing,” Rory says in that special tone with those bedroom eyes that are the purest offer and promise of some very girlfriends fun times.

“Please tell me you’re not wearing anything under that comforter.”

““Only one way to find out,” Rory suggests and commands, hungrily watching as her lady swiftly crawls up to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s early afternoon when Rory and Paris finally get ready to leave the library and head back to their respective places. They’ve been locked inside for hours non-stop, lulled by the warmth and coziness filling the big room, completely unaware of the snowstorm currently hitting New Haven.

“Holy-” Rory yelps, as they stand under the covered porch just outside the main door.

“This is a shit-ton of snow,” Paris supplies, tightening the soft scarf around her neck.

“That’s quite the understatement,” Rory grumbles, “how am I supposed to make it home in this weather.”

“I, uh,” Paris stutters, unsurely, “my place is closer; just a block down.”

“Iknow?” Rory replies, giving her friend a look, “i’ve been there on several occasions.”

“Right,” the other states, never more glad that she can easily blame the freezing temperature and wind for the redness creeping up her cheeks and nose, “of course. Well, why don’t you come hang out until the storm quiets down? It is closer and I have a coffee machine and cookies.”

“Oh, I guess the cookies seal this deal,” Rory chuckles, trying very hard to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

———

A couple of hours later the two women are comfortably settled on the couch, coffee now lukewarm and forgotten on the small table, while a Superstore rerun plays in background.

“Are you cold?” Paris asks, softly.

“Kinda, yeah.”

Grabbing the blanket nearby, Paris spread it over both their bodies so that their faces and necks are the only naked parts.

“This is nice,” Rory whispers, easily leaning her head on Paris’ shoulder.

“Yes it is,” Paris sighs.

———

Imagine all those cliche things happening, after that.

Rory takes literally hours to work up the courage to, as subtly as she can manage, slightly move her hand so that her index finger is grazing Paris’ wrist. She internally lets out a satisfied breath before settling back down.

Which leads to half an hour of should i-should i not on Paris part before the girl slowly turns her hand, allowing Rory to explore her palm.

A whole episode later, Paris is shifting again, finally fully grasping Rory’s warm, soft -so soft- hand.

“This is very nice,” she murmurs.

“Yeah,” Rory replies, turning her head.

The air is buzzing around them, tension and anticipation filling both their hearts.

Neither of them would be able to tell who leaned in first but, well, why would that even matter when they are finally -finally- kissing? All the pining, secret glances, the stolen touches... All of that has led them here, right in this moment.

———

“Still snowing, out there,” Paris states, from her spot next to the stove from which she can clearly see the outside.

“Oh,” Rory replies, “I guess we’ll be stuck in here for a while, then.”

“So it seems,” the blonde acknowledges while approaching the naked body still laying on the makeshift bed of blankets and pillows in the middle of the small living room.

“Don’t worry, Geller,” Rory smirks, “I’ll find ways to entertain you.”

#snowed in #humansofstarshollow winter bits #gilmore girls #humansofstarshollow #rory gilmore #Paris Geller #Rory/Paris #humansofstarshollow anon #humansofstarshollow asks

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