#*chanting* gay wilson gay wilson gay wilson

[hugh-lauries-bald-spot]

maybe wilson loves who he loves not because he likes needy people but because needy people are like house

[nityarawal]

8/29/23

"My Little Pony," - Diana 

"My Little Pony,"

That Jingle

Got Stuck In My Head

"My Little Pony,"

Be Careful

What You Wish For

My Voice

Ain't For Sale

"My Little Pony,"

Oh How We Played 

With Those Dolls

In The Bath

Combed Their Hair

In Lake Tahoe

While Our Daddies

Built Homes

For Us Muses

Resorts

"My Little Pony,"

A Chant

In My

Childhood Brain

"My Little Pony,"

Diana

My 14th

Pop Star Tween

Birthday Present

Diana

My Best Friend

Dirty Diana

In The '90's

Protecting

Our Princess Diana

From Michael Jackson

Fate

Trolled By Gay

Monks Smear

Campaign

Squatters

Selling Out Her Family

On Bribes

Pedophiles

"My Little Pony,"

So Much More

Than A

Commercial

Song Writer

"My Little Pony,"

Now Dean Of

Students

"My Little Pony,"

Chant

Set Up A

Waldorf School

"My Little Pony,"

Went To Northwestern

Put Herself

Through College

"My Little Pony,"

Treated The Gals

To Lunch

All Through

High-school

Self Sufficient

Even Southern Texas

Prudent

Millionaires Kids

Bellas' Not Allowed

To Work

Nanny

"My Little Pony,"

Hosted Us

In New York

East Hampton

Up The Hudson

Livingston Manor

Catskill

Little Knitting

Cozy 

Cafes

Mother Divine Stops

Rhinebeck

Sushi

Omega Institute

Oasis

Red Barn House

Swedish Folk

Art

Stenciled Everywhere

By Mom

Christmas Jokes

Despite

The "Jewish Temples"

Clause

Oh, "Dirty Diana,"

Jewish Cyrkle

Rockstar

Daughter

Red Rubber Ball

Dad 

Beatles Opener

Byrds Agent

Sister Of My

Singers

Transcendental Heart

Santa Swedish Mom

Civil Activist 

Model

Farming

Dirty Diana

Hybrid Economy

"My Little Pony,"

Oh What Would

I Have Done

To See You Sing

At Woodstock

"Star Spangled Banner,"

You Told Me

What Mothers "Wove"

On My Last

Train Up The Hudson

River

In The Autumn

Gold Leaves, Red & Orange

Snow

November

Nature's Miracles

You Told Me By 

The Fire

Your Hubby Cohen

In The Loft

Snoring Like 

A Freight Train

Tired From Hard Work

Building School Temple

Corporations

Home

"Dirty Diana,"

Dean Of Students

Yeah We'd Go To Tempe

To Beat Your Tune

"Dirty Diana,"

"My Little Pony,"

East Hampton

Dutchess County

Farm Maiden

Teachin'

"My Little Pony,"

Fundraisin'

For Education

Sellin' Old Gringo

Cowboy Boots

For Kids

Needs

"My Little Pony,"

Yeah We'd Move

To The Dessert

For You

"My Little Pony,"

Yeah We'd Move

To The Dessert

For You

"My Little Pony,"

Commercial

Singer

Teacher

Storyteller

Mom 

Auntie

Ma- "Is It True?"

Byron Katie

Queried You

Yeah- We'd Move

To Tempe

To Be Mothered

By Your Lot

At University

Of Arizona Plot

Just Tell My Son

To Call

Children Are

Lining Up

We Got Our

Instruments

Scientists

Writers Ready

To Detox

On Strike

Mammas

Nannies

Actresses

Grievers

Call Magistrate Judges

Influencers Children

Almost 18 Years Old

Some Hit

The Mark

Already

Like Isha Kyan

Rawal

And Vivian Wilson (Musk)

And Her 

Twin Brother

Gotra

Gautama

Buddha Rising

Buddha King

King Tasters

Great Grandson

Muses Dance

Krishna

Tambourines

Cowbell 

String Instruments

Tabla

Sitar

Persian Violin

Ready For Your

Next Krishna Moves

Luthier's Say

Bring #FreeBritneys

Boys Home From

Hawaii

She Didn't Agree

To TMZ

Plots Canada

With Conservators

Of Court

Australian Cons

Meddling

Monarch Bribes

Bring #FreeBritney Boys

Home To The Mainland

Bit 'O Brit

Was Far Too "Nice"

But I Know You're Right

That Mamma's Not

A "B"

At All

But I Know

That "Mamma 

Maui" Didn't 

Like The "Lahaina Fires,"

Bride Price For Their Heads

Land

Polluting

Mother Maui

It's Through 

Hosting

At University Of Hawaii 

Sisters

Lahaina Youtubers

Journalists

Drummed Her Fires

Messages

With Our Feet

Mahalo

Mahalo

Police States

Vacate

Mahalo

Mahalo

No More Probate

Scams

On Our Shores

Oprah

Brokers

Please

No More Probate

Scams

On Our Singers

Writers

Actors

Heads

Dr's Love

Peace

Aho

Pau

Peace,

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley Rawal 

[gayjameswilson]

My main man, please give the to me the trans!Wilson lore; I yearn to follow this majestic religion and seek its history

*ominous chanting* join us join us join us

Ok so. I don’t think the trans Wilson headcanon used to be that popular. There are a few trans Wilson fics up on ao3 that came out years ago but based on what I’ve heard from the elder house md fans, there wasn’t too much content for it. (I have come across a post from years ago where somebody made gay and trans Wilson icons, though — that’s where my current pfp came from! — but that’s really all)

When I joined the house md fandom about two years ago I saw like. No content for it. But I did see like one post of somebody suggesting he’s trans, so I, a trans man, was like “oh fuck yes he is” and began to rapidly post about it. I remember making one that just said “trans Wilson” in bold or something and my friends responded to it repeating “trans Wilson” in increasingly large fonts. That post really took off and opened the peoples’ eyes to trans Wilson.

I became a dedicated trans Wilson poster and then more people began to post about it and it became a really popular headcanon with the tumblr house md fandom. And especially after a beloved house md artist made a beautiful drawing including trans Wilson with top surgery scars, trans Wilson was truly common knowledge.

Even my pinned post on my profile is stating that Wilson is gay and trans (I’m soooo right) and that post is pretty popular (house md fandom-wise) so the gospel has been spread even more.

So basically when the house md fandom began to grow again, many trans individuals were joining, and because Wilson is so beloved, trans people love to headcanon Wilson as such for comfort and the headcanon took off (especially after that silly trans Wilson in bold post)

There’s probably more lore behind it from years ago, but like I said, I only joined here two years ago (which is… still kind of long. I’ve been losing my mind over this show for a while.) *bows* thank you thank you this was fun

[queermediastudies]

A Call for Radical Protest

It’s common knowledge that non-violent and less directly disruptive protests are the better or more ethically correct kinds of protests, but is that really true? Many protests throughout history that have been successful have been radical and even violent. Stonewall is an important example of this. From the birth of the gay rights movement it has been a militant, violent, and radical movement with protests to match. Yet modern day queer rights activism has largely lost this more radical edge, being reduced to just donating to big nonprofits and attending pride parades with cops present. 

Dean Spade argues that in order to honor the legacy of stonewall and the people who fought so hard for our rights, we must learn from them and reignite the militant fire that fueled these radical protests. "Stonewall was a proud moment of bold action taken by people living in a time of mobilization and militancy. Now is the time to honor that legacy with out own action" (Spade, 2019)

This idea of radical protest brought up a few different things for me, black lives matter, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, but the most recent and one of the strongest things it brought up is the recent radical protests led by women in Iran.

When Masha Amini died in police custody after allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”, women took to the streets to protest. They chanted “Death to dictator” and burned their head scarves, and these protests lasted for weeks. This was met with harsh backlash as over 16,000 protesters were arrested and more than 300 killed by police. It was violent, it was radical, and it demanded change, change that is still being fought for almost 2 months later. This is the kind of protest that Spade calls for, disruptive and demanding, protest that will not be silenced until change happens. While it is unclear at this point whether these protests will be “successful” they have certainly demanded action from the Iranian government. 

Radical action demands radical response, we’ve seen this throughout history, especially in the queer community with acts like stonewall and the ACT UP protests. Spade rightly argues that more of this radical action is called for to face modern day issues as well.

Citations

Bansinath, D. I., Bindu. (2022, November 15). What to Know About the Protests in Iran. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2022/11/women-across-iran-are-protesting-the-morality-police.html

Gheytanchi, E. (2022, November 14). Women Led Protests in Iran Evolve: Regime Controlled Industries are the Next Targets | Wilson Center. Www.wilsoncenter.org. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/women-led-protests-iran-evolve-regime-controlled-industries-are-next-targets

Spade, D. (2019, June 28). Op-ed: Honor Our Stonewall Veterans by Being Your Queer Militant Self. Www.out.com. https://www.out.com/pride/2019/6/28/op-ed-honor-our-stonewall-veterans-being-your-queer-militant-self?fbclid=IwAR1VOugQdG1pPEYvwUoXJAP4CKakjjJs5euqIfDQBnQviajfWJnvU2mfIKY

[cashmere-sweatsuit]

Being a Comprehensive* List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Adults about Gay Men

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (bloody Napoleonic time travel, highly recommended)

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell (excellent lighthearted scifi, highly recommended)

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (Victorian London and causality problems, highly recommended)

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley (Meiji Japan and more causality problems, highly recommended)

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (beautiful fairy story, highly recommended)

The Drowned Country by Emily Tesh (sequel to Silver in the Wood, also beautiful, highly recommended)

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher (love in a fantasy death trap. It's sweeter than it sounds. explicit. highly recommended.)

Widdershins by Jordan Hawk (bloody, explicit, yet somehow delightful lovecraftian murder mystery, highly recommended)

Dragon's Winter by Elizabeth A. Lynn (dark high fantasy, absolutely gorgeous)

Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling (old-fashioned high fantasy, gets very dark but ends well)

Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling (sequel to Luck in the Shadows, this one has the romance in it)

Seducing the Sorcerer by Lee Welch (delightful, funny, explicit, fantasy romance. Highly recommend)

Spectred Isle by K. J. Charles (explicit, very funny romance, highly recommended)

The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles (explicit, funny and highly recommended)

Sword Dance by A. J. Demas (explicit, not really fantasy but ancient Greece with the serial numbers removed, delightful, highly recommended)

Saffron Alley by A. J. Demas (sequel to Sword Dance, explicit, delightful, highly recommended)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune (sweet and innocent modern fantasy, highly recommended)

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (explicit, fun, magic in the pre-WWI English aristocracy)

Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen (weird west, main character is a bisexual trans man who doesn't figure that last part out until the second book, very bloody but very good, would recommend)

Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (extremely well-written fantasy in an extremely homophobic setting, recommended for its beauty nevertheless)

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison (sequel to Witness for the Dead, excellent)

Spellbound by Allie Therin (magic oldtimey London. Cute! Would recommend)

Water Horse by Melissa Scott (very slow moving but beautiful fantasy, bisexual king defends his people from religious fanatics, would recommend)

Peter Darling by Austin Chant (gay trans Peter Pan with an interesting take on Neverland, would recommend)

Witchmark by C. L. Polk (WWI-inspired fantasy, interesting plot and sympathetic hero, would recommend)

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall (Sherlock Holmes homage, wild and hilarious, only incidentally gay but lots of fun, would recommend)

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell (telepathic space soldiers, lightweight entertainment, would recommend)

The Half Life of Valery K (historical fiction, not spec fic, God help us all. Devastating. Beautiful.)

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson (beautiful but tragic but then not tragic? guardedly recommended)

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson (also beautiful but actually tragic, guardedly recommended)

Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi (brutal, smart post apocalyptic sci-fi, guardedly recommended)

The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff (sword-and-sorcery, falls into some exotic east tropes, guardedly recommended)

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi (extremely well-written dreamlike modern fantasy that will likely frustrate people who want a straightforward narrative, guardedly recommended)

Under the Whispering Door by T. J. Klune (emotionally draining but not tragic, guardedly recommend)

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delany (extremely strange scifi, tragic, only recommended if you want to stretch your brain or if you are dedicated to reading the classics)

Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders by Aliette de Bodard (fine little book, doesn’t stand alone, one of the gay boys is evil, meh.)

Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff (workaday urban fantasy, somewhat dull, solid meh)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (a bit of a mess, straight couples get all the screentime, but ends happily. Meh.)

The Door into Fire by Diane Duane (like the Morgaine saga but cozy. Not the most compelling plot, but the gay couple is cute. Meh.)

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly (the plot is driven by homophobia, doesn't stand alone, bloody. Meh.)

City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault (diverse cast but boring, doesn't stand alone. Meh.)

The Dancers of Arun by Elizabeth A. Lynn (very strange book, thin plot, hero ends up with his brother, would not recommend)

The Root by Na'amen Gobert Tilahun (bury your gays. Very bloody. Would not recommend)

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows (Dull fantasy romance. Explicit. Might improve eventually. Did not finish it.)

The Heart of the Lost Star by Megan Derr (secondary world with no magic, decent story with terrible writing. Would not recommend)

The Last Sun by K. D. Edwards (bad writing, thin plot, too much rape, would not recommend)

Cagebird by Karin Lowachee (longer than it should be. Too much rape. Would not recommend)

Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle (no Pacific Islanders on a Pacific island, but the bad fairies have Hawaiian names and the heroes are Welsh. Would not recommend)

The Widening Gyre by Michael R. Johnston (like trying to read a videogame, very dull, would not recommend)

Not yet reviewed:

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Best Foot Forward by Celia Lake

Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale

Asterius & Thesius Walk into the Light by Aaron Fown

The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek

Ferry of Bones and Blood by Hailey Turner

Returning Heroes by Harry F. Rey

Blood Legacy by Tej Turner

The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt

Vows of Empire by Emily Skrutskie

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans

Deadbeat Druid by David R. Slayton

Climbing the Date Palm by Shira Glassman

Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale

Potato Surprise by Angel Martinez

The Forgotten Dead by Jordan Hawk

The God Key by Simone King 

* If a book is missing from this list, kindly let us know, but remember that it must be: science fiction or fantasy, for adults, about a gay man. Bisexual men are included. Works in translation are included; however, please do not submit works that are only available via fan translation.

[asiantransformations]

Life Charm

This was me. My name was Wilson Lim. I was Junior at the University of California Davis. I was on a full ride scholarship for Wrestling. I did well in school and in my social life, but I had one problem. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get any bigger. My coach would constantly always remind me that I have to get bigger by senior year if I wanted to be Team Captain. It disappointed me as I was already a college junior; many of the sophomores were bigger than me. I tried bulking and training increased weight exercises. I go to the gym 5 times a week and forced myself to consume more protein than I needed.

After training one of the days, my coach approached me, "I know you have been trying to get bigger, but to no avail. I want to be able to help you out." he said as he grabbed my right bicep.

. The moment he grabbed it, he chanted, "Commūtātiōnem Corporum", which cause his arm to fuse into mine, swelling my biceps and triceps with mass and definition.

"Gasp, what are you doing?!" I panicked and pulled away. The result of his spell was still in effect as my right side was bigger than my left.

"This spell allows me to temporarily take over a portion of or full body of my choosing. In doing so, I add my muscle mass to them which allows they body to get adapted, causing them to retain it when I leave or get pushed out!" he proclaimed to me. "So if I take over your body, I can give you the muscle you want and in return, you can let me live a day in your body. I want to experience what's it like being young again."

"Coach, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." I replied.

We agreed on a time the next day.

+---------------------------+

Coach had arrived at my home in the evening. He greeted me with a bottle of water.

"You need to keep hydrated and the body muscle transition will be smoother." he proclaimed.

I gulped it down without realizing that he added a personality-restricting drug inside.

I stripped my shirt and got on my knees.

"Commūtātiōnem Corporum Integrum!" Coach shouted. He inserted both his legs into my back.

Before I realized that he said a different spell, he already had started to take over me.

The transition felt somewhat satisfying. As his legs entered my back, I felt my quadriceps and calves filling with mass and energy. I felt fuller and stronger as he pushed his thick shaft into me. I could feel my cock getting harder and thicker as a full hard-on was growing. My balls got rounder and bigger, full of seman waiting to release. The edging feeling of an impending full blown orgasm pushed me to feel invincible. Coach continued and pushed his arms in. My biceps and triceps grew with definition and my wrist got firmer and stronger. I couldn't wait to ejaculate and in result, I pushed the rest of his body into me. A sharp pain in my core arose as I took in his abs and chest.

"Thank you for this body, I will take good care of it." Coach spoke as he pushed his head into mine, completing the take over. The pressure built up having two people in one body, which cause us to lose control and letting our cock ejaculate in streams and streams of hot, milky cum. Two people's worth of build up in my balls that released from my now thicker 10 inch shaft. The feeling with through the roof as it was the best feeling any of us have ever felt.

Slowly, our memories and minds started to mix. It was a battle of the stronger personality. Coach's mind took over as I was starting to feel the effect of the drug I partook earlier. He took over my body as I took a backseat, only able to watch.

"It feels incredible to be young again and even bigger than before. I never got to experience this before from all my take overs!" Coach said in my body as he flexed and posed in the mirror. I was taller and my face got slightly older, but it was a side effect as Coach was much older than me when he phased in. "Wilson, this body is now mine. Sorry, but I changed the spell because I want to keep this body. You have a great future ahead of you and I want to be in charge. I won't be leaving anytime soon. So sit back and watch me!"

+---------------------------+

It's been a year since Coach and I fused. He changed my life around. He gave up my sports scholarship and proceeded to become a model. I saw him make countless friends and create relationship while I could helplessly just watch. He forced my body to turn gay and both him and I, had coitus with many guys. Everyone worshipped my body. He built it up even more and even changed my hair color to suit my body.

As the year went on, my personality got stronger and started to show a bit more without Coach realizing. Eventually, my personality took over and I took back control of my life. I used all the brain power I had to supress Coach and made it so, nothing can be done to change me again. Man, it feels great to be able to move and dance in my own body. I never got to feel my body after the take over, but now when I have, all the muscles are filled with mass and everything felt firm.

Commūtātiōnem Corporum Integrum. Surprisingly, I still remember the spell after so long. With coach inside me, does that mean I still have the power? Maybe I can dig deeper into this memories and learn more spells to charm up my life again.

[reading-while-queer]

Hi, I was wondering if you could recommend any LGBT fantasy that isn’t based in a highschool? Thanks

Hi! Thanks for sending in this question, I would be glad to!

Books I recommend: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Review) Ensemble cast of criminals pull off a heist in a magical original setting, during the rise of a fascist regime. YA.

With Roses in Their Hair by Ennis Bashe (Review) (Read Here) Lesbian retelling of Tam Lin in a fantasy/dystopian setting. Adult short story.

Peter Darling by Austin Chant (Review) A trans and gay reimagining of Peter Pan. Adult.

Quoria by Calhoun Crimin (Read Here) An early 20th century-inspired fantasy setting starring a con man-turned-detective who gets in way over his head solving magical crimes. YA appropriate.

Amberlough Dossier by Lara Elena Donnelly (Review) Speculative rather than strictly fantasy (it takes place in a non-magical original 30s-inspired setting), the series is about spies and revolutionaries facing the rise of fascism. Adult.

Heartwood ed. Joamette Gil (Review) A collection of non-binary comics from various authors, all with fae inspiration. YA appropriate.

Huntress by Malinda Lo (Review) Two girls must go on a journey to the city of the fairy queen to restore the balance of nature. YA.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (Review) A fantasy comic about a shapeshifter, and the villainous Lord Blackheart she works for. YA appropriate.

Taproot by Keezy Young (Review) A gardener who can see ghosts gets involved with something bigger when his ghost friends find themselves transported to a creepy forest on another plane of existence. YA appropriate.

Books I’m excited about (but haven’t read): Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (Goodreads) It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew… YA. (Blurb from Goodreads)

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden (Goodreads) By night, Razia Khan is one of the most sought-after dancing girls in the desert city of Bikampur. Later in the night, she is its most elusive thief. When Razia finds herself dancing for the maharaja's son, the handsome prince Arjun, she knows that she's playing with fire. As a trans girl, known as a hijra, she can never be a wife to any man, and as the former crown prince of the Sultanate of Nizam, she guards her identity carefully, lest her father's assassins find her. But in the dragon-riding prince of Bikampur, Razia sees not just a ticket out of the gutter, but a kindred spirit. (Quoted from NoveList)

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta (Goodreads) When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (Goodreads) Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Pet by Akweke Emezi (Goodreads) In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen-year-old Jam's mother created, a hunter from another world seeking a real-life monster. YA. (quoted from NoveList)

Spellhacker by M.K. England (Goodreads) Magic was a natural resource until a corporation used a magical earthquake as an excuse to make magic a controlled substance - and an outrageously expensive one. Diz and her friends run an illegal magic-siphoning operation, and are about to pull their last heist. YA. (Paraphrased from Goodreads)

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James (Goodreads) A mix of fantasy and African history and myth. Tracker is sent to track down a boy who disappeared three years ago, and must break his rule of working alone, joined by a shapeshifting man/leopard, and other strange characters. Adult. (paraphrased from Goodreads).

The City We Became by N. K. Jemison (Goodreads) An evil stirs in the underbelly of NYC, threatening to destroy the city and her 6 avatars. Adult. (paraphrased from NoveList)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (Goodreads) Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. Adult. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Ash by Malinda Lo (Goodreads) In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy cursed to love her and the King's Huntress whom she loves. YA. (Quoted from NoveList)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (Goodreads) Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for...and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Shark by Kevaughn Ryder (Goodreads) Silver Shark, youngest of the royal family of Near Shallows, has been having strange dreams for many nights. He barely remembers them, except for a handsome man with a beautiful smile.On his first trip to the surface, Shark is horrified to discover that the man is human; a creature feared and hated by those of his underwater kingdom. In his confusion, Shark commits unspeakable treachery: he saves this human from drowning. Age range unknown. (Quoted from Ryderworlds.wordpress.com)

Everfair by Nisi Shawl (Goodreads) Everfair is a wonderful Neo-Victorian alternate history novel that explores the question of what might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier. Fabian Socialists from Great Britian join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated. Adult. (Blurb from Goodreads).

The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith (Goodreads) After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will. Middle Grade. (Quoted from Goodreads)

The Deep by Rivers Solomon (Goodreads) Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu. Adult. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Crier's War by Nina Varela (Goodreads) After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson (Goodreads) After meeting a handsome Dalucan soldier, Aqib bmg Sadiqi, a fourth cousin to the royal family and son of the Master of Beasts, struggles with his family's expectations and the love he feels for Lucrio. Adult. (Blurb from NoveList).

[shawtygonemad]

What Is This Feeling: Chapter 1

Fem!9th doctor x Male!Rose

The sound of combat boots echoed off the walls.

'The Autons have to be here somewhere,' the Doctor thought. She paused as she heard a male's panicked voice ahead.

She picked up her pace, and saw a tall blonde haired boy backing away from the Autons. The shop dummies backed him helplessly against a wall.

"Right, I've got the joke. Whose idea was this? Is it Derek's? Is it? Derek, is this you," the boy accused frantically.

The Doctor rolled her eyes.

'These dumb apes are so helpless.' She suddenly grabbed his hand, catching his attention.

"Run," She quickly tells him, and takes off running through the basement.

The Autons were hot on their tails. As they reached the lift an Auton's arm shot though the doors, causing a surprised yelp from the boy. The Doctor grabbed the arm and started to pull. After a few good yanks the arm popped off. The doors completely shut, and they were on their way. The boy turned toward the Doctor with wide eyes.

"You pulled his arm off." The Doctor quickly tossed him the arm.

"Yup. Plastic," The Doctor told him like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Very clever. Nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?" The boy narrowed his eyes at her. She just scoffed.

"Why would they be students?"

'This one is really dense,' she thought to herself.

"'Cos to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students," the boy deduced.

"That makes sense. Well done," she said sarcastically.

"Thanks."

"They're not students," she told him seriously.

"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them he's going to call the police."

The Doctor furrowed her brows. "Who's Wilson?"

"Chief electrician."

Oh, she met Wilson on her way in. He looked pretty mangled. "Wilson's dead."

The Doctor swiftly walked out of the lift with the boy right behind her.

"That's not funny! That's sick!"

The Doctor completely ignored him. Her thoughts were only on the task at hand.

"Hold on. Mind your eyes," she told him as she took out her sonic, and disabled the lift.

"Who are you? Who's that lot down there?" The blonde demanded.

"They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device on the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this!" The Doctor grinned while holding up a bomb detonator. "So I'm going to go up there and blow 'em up."

The Doctor opened the exit door, and escorted the boy out.

"I might die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast." She gave him a pointed look. "Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed."

She shut the door intending to carry on with her business. However, something in her compelled to ask the boy who he was. She didn't understand why, but she felt like she knew him from somewhere, or some when. The Doctor quickly opened the door back open.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"

"Ross," the boy replied.

Ross… it doesn't ring a bell. Why doesn't it ring a bell? The Doctor hated not knowing. She needed to get back on track now. This boy needs to stop distracting her!

"Nice to meet you, Ross. Run for your life!"

With that final warning the Doctor opened the door to the stairwell. She quickly ran to the railing and looked down. The Autons were a floor below her, and working their way up fast.

"You're a bunch of fast little buggers, aint yah?" The Doctor spoke out loud before climbing up the flights of steps.

She needed them on the top two floors where the bombs were located. As soon as she was on the roof the Autons have caught up with her. All she needed was to press the button to set off the bomb's timer. She hoped to Rassilon that one minute was enough to escape on.

"You think you can just come and harvest this planet for your own? Well guess what? I'm the Doctor, and as long as I'm here, this planet is safe." She smirked to herself.

"I'd tell you to warn your friends, but I don't think you'll be seeing them again." The Doctor hit the button and quickly sprinted towards the edge of the roof.

'Get off the roof. Get off the roof. Get off the roof.' She kept chanting in her head.

She leapt over the edge and landed roughly in the scaffolding. The Sonic was in her hands in a matter of seconds. The Doctor raised it above her head. The Scaffolding turned on, and started to plummet towards the ground. The Doctor's stomach flew into her throat at the sudden drop.

The scaffolding stopped inches from the ground. The Time Lord barreled out of the scaffolding. She sprinted as fast as she could. A few feet from the building she was knocked off her feet by the force of the explosion.

She carefully picked herself up. Her hearts were pounding in her chest. That was way to close. The Doctor popped her neck, releasing some tension. She mentally checked her body for any injuries to find none. With slight satisfaction the Doctor headed back towards the TARDIS.

Once in the TARDIS, the Doctor was about to take off when the TARDIS gave a hum of concern.

"What?" The Doctor asked confused. "What do you mean there's still a signal? I blew the lot up."

The Doctor checked the database on the screen. Low and behold, there was still a signal. She took out her sonic screwdriver.

"How is that possible? It's tellin' me that there is a surviving Auton from the Hendrick's shop! I just blew that bloody place up not even twenty minutes ago!"

She left the TARDIS and spent all night trying to find where that signal was coming from.

By the next morning she found herself on her hands and knees looking through a cat door of some flat. The cat door opened from within, and the boy from last night stared confused at her.

She quickly got to her feet as he opened the door. Ross. Why is this ape showing up in her life all of a sudden? This is no coincidence.

"What are you doing here?" She asked confused.

"I live here," Ross shot back.

"Well, what do you do that for?" Smooth.

"'Cos I do. I'm only home because someone blew up my job," he glared at the Doctor.

The Doctor quickly checked her sonic, confused. "I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic." She knocked on his head. "No. Bonehead." She turned to leave. "Bye, then."

"You. Inside. Right now, "Ross demanded as he yanked her inside the flat.

"Who is it?" A woman is heard from a room off to the side.

"It's about last night. She's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes." Ross lied fluently to his mother.

"He deserves compensation," A blonde woman in her dressing gown appeared from her room. Ross headed toward the kitchen.

"Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk," The Doctor replied while picking up a magazine. She frowned. "That won't last. He's gay and she's an alien."

The Doctor completely ignored Ross, and kept looking though his things. She picked up a book and flipped through the pages quickly.

"Hmm, sad ending."

She then picked up a piece of his mail.

"Ross Tyler."

Nothing rang a bell. This boy still seemed extremely familiar to her. Not remembering was going to kill her.

She then turned toward the mirror to admire herself. She had jaw length dark brown hair. However, the right side of her head was buzzed. She wore a tight purple shirt, with a form fitting leather jacket to go over. Her pants were also leather, and her combat boots add a nice 'bad ass' touch.

"Oh, could have been worse," She scrunched up her face.

"Don't like the ears."

She continued on, and started to shuffle some cards. The cards flew out of her hands after a couple of shuffles. She made an upset face.

"Maybe not."

Scuffling from behind the couch caught her attention. She walked over to the couch to further investigate.

"Do you have a cat?" She asked peering behind the piece of furniture.

"No," Ross quickly replied.

Before she saw it coming, a plastic arm shot out and latched onto her neck. She choked as it cut off her air circulation. She tried to rip it off, but it wouldn't budge. She squeaked and stared at Ross hoping to get his attention. He was too oblivious to notice anything, even when he was staring straight at her.

She finally yanked the arm from her neck. The arm stopped before throwing itself onto Ross's face. He stumbled back against the wall. The Doctor swiftly went to his aid. She tried to yank it off. Ross lost his balance and fell into the Doctor. She fell backwards under his weight. They both crashed into the glass coffee table.

They rolled over each other, both attempting to pull the arm off. At long last the Time Lord removed the arm. She took her Sonic and disabled the arm.

"There. Completely harmless." The Doctor tossed Ross the arm.

"Oh yeah." Ross then hit the Doctor in the arm with the plastic.

"Ow!" The Doctor rubbed her arm before heading out of the flat.

She was heading down the stairs with the plastic arm in hand. Ross was trailing behind her.

"Hold on a minute. You can't just go swanning off!"

"Yes I can. This is me, swanning off. See yah!" The Doctor quickly replied.

"But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me!"

"Ten out of ten for observation." She rolled her eyes.

"You can't just walk away. You've got to tell me what's goin' on!" Ross persisted.

"No I don't," the Doctor stated while walking out of the building.

She kept on walking, and much to her annoyance, so did Ross. This boy would follow her to the ends of the Earth is seemed.

"All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. Tell me, or I'll start talking," Ross threatened.

'Damn, this ape is persistent,' She thought.

"Is that supposed to sound tough," The Doc challenged.

"Sort of."

The Gallifreyan smiled. "Doesn't work."

"Who are you," the blonde asked frustrated.

"I told you. The Doctor."

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor."

"The Doctor."

She was getting an absolute kick out of this. She just grinned and waved.

"Hello!"

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of," she grinned.

"Come on, then. You can tell me. Are you the police?"

"No, I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home."

A very long way. A pang of guilt hit her chest just thinking about her home planet. The home she could never return to. All because she hit that big red button.

A shot of pain surged through her head. It was almost like she was forgetting something big. She shook her head, and pushed the thought to the side.

"But what have I done wrong? How comes those plastic things keep coming after me?" Ross asked.

"Oh, suddenly the world revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all,' she spoke harshly.

"It tried to kill me," he exclaimed.

"It was after me, not you. Last night in the shop, I was there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me."

Ross rolled his eyes. "So what you're saying is, the entire world revolved around you?"

"Sort of, yeah." She gave a laugh.

"You're full of it!" He laughed.

"Sort of, yeah," She beamed at him.

"But, all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?"

"No one." She informed him.

"What, you're on your own?"

'Not always,' she thought back to her many past companions.

"Who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

They both continued to walk through the park, side by side. They might have looked like old friends catching up.

"Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going with living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead," She spoke like it was the simplest answer ever.

"So that's radio control?"

"Thought control," she corrected. "Are you alright then?"

"Yeah. So who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story."

They continued to walk and talk until they were across the street from the TARDIS. Of course, Ross didn't know this fact.

"Really though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?"

"Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it, because everything looks like it's standing still." She grabbed Ross's hand, and looked at him. "I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny world, and if we let go…" She released his hand. "That's who I am."

She started to walk away.

"Now forget me, Ross Tyler. Go home."

With that she walked back to the TARDIS.

***

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!

[bluejay-boy]

lgbtqia+ representation: books + authors edition

books by lgbtqia+ authors with lgbtqia+ themes and/or characters

You Could Be Mine, Sara Farizan (she/her)

About a Girl, Sarah McCarry (she/her)

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Storied of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages, Saundra Mitchell (she/they)

Amateur, Thomas Page McBee (he/him)

Anger is a Gift, Mark Oshiro (they/them)

Annie on My Mind, Nancy Garden (she/her)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz (he/him)

Ash, Malinda Lo (she/her)

At Swim, Two Boys, Jamie O’Neill (he/him)

At the Edge of the Universe, Shaun David Hutchinson (he/him)

Blue is the Warmest Color, Julie Maroh (she/her)

The Brightsiders, Jen Wilde (she/her)

Caroline’s Heart, Austin Chant (he/him)

Changers, T Cooper (he/him) + Allison Glock-Cooper (she/her)

Chelsea Girls, Eileen Myles (they/them)

The Color Purple, Alice Walker (she/her)

Confessions of a Mask, Yukio Mishima (he/him)

Confessions of the Fox, Jordy Rosenberg (he/him)

The Danielle Cain Series, Margaret Killjoy (she/her)

Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Adib Khorram (he/him)

Dear Rachel Maddow, Adrienne Kisner (she/her)

The Difference Between You and Me, Madeleine George (she/her)

Drag Teen, Jeffery Self (he/him)

Eminent Outlaws, Christopher Bram (he/him)

Everything Leads to You, Nina LaCour (she/her)

Fat Angie, E.E. Charlton-Trujillo (she/her)

Fingersmith, Sarah Waters (she/her)

For Today I Am a Boy, Kim Fu (she/her)

Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (she/her)

Funeral Rites, Jean Genet (he/him)

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, Jaye Robin Brown (she/her)

Get it Together, Delilah, Erin Gough (she/her)

Girl in Need of a Tourniquet, Merri Lisa Johnson (she/her)

Girl Made of Stars, Ashley Herring Blake (she/her)

Girl Mans Up, M.E. Girard (she/her)

Gracefully Grayson, Ami Polonsky (she/her)

The Gravity Between Us, Kristen Zimmer (she/her)

The Great American Whatever, Tim Federle (he/him)

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers (she/her)

Her Name in the Sky, Kelly Quindlen (she/her)

History is All You Left Me, Adam Silvera (he/him)

Hunter’s Way, Gerri Hill (she/her)

I Wish You All the Best, Mason Deaver (they/them)

If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo (she/her)

If You Could Be Mine, Sara Farizan (she/her)

Juliet Takes a Breath, Gabby Rivera (she/her)

Keeping You a Secret, Julie Anne Peters (she/her)

Leaving L.A., Kate Christie (she/her)

Let’s Talk About Love, Claire Kann (she/her)

Little Fish, Casey Plett (she/her)

Love Beyond Body, Space and Time (anthology)

Magic for Liars, Sarah Gailey (they/them)

Maiden, Mother, Crone: Fantastical Trans Femmes (anthology)

Me and You and Daisies, Lily R. Mason (she/her)

Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science and Fiction from Transgender Writers (anthology)

The Mechanical Universe, E.E. Ottoman (they/he)

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror, Daniel M. Lavery (he/him)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth (she/her)

Money Boy, Paul Yee (he/him)

Moon at Nine, Deborah Ellis (she/her)

Nameless Woman (anthology)

Nimona, Noelle Stevenson (she/her)

Not Otherwise Specified, Hannah Moskowitz (she/her)

Of Fire and Stars, Audrey Coulthurst (she/they)

Once and Future, Cory McCarthy (they/them)

One Man Guy, Michael Barakiva (he/him)

Openly Straight, Bill Konigsberg (he/him)

Patience and Sarah, Isabel Miller (she/her)

People in Trouble, Sarah Schulman (she/her)

Pet, Akwaeke Emezi (they/them)

Peter Darling, Austin Chant (he/him)

The Porcupine of Truth, Bill Konigsberg (he/him)

The Price of Salt, Patricia Highsmith (she/her)

Puddin’, Julie Murphy (she/they)

The Queen of Cups, Ren Basel (they/them)

Ramona Blue, Julie Murphy (she/they)

Resilience (anthology)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness (he/him)

Ruby-Fruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown (she/her)

The Shape of My Name, Nino Cipri (they/them)

She’s My Ride Home, Jackie Bushore (she/her)

Small Beauty, Jia Qing Wilson-Yang (she/her)

So Many Ways To Sleep Badly, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (she/her)

The Summer of Jordi Perez, Amy Spalding (she/her)

The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (she/her)

The Swimming Pool Library, Alan Hollinghurst (he/him)

Taking the Long Way, Lily R. Mason (she/her)

Tash Hearts Tolstoy, K. E. Ormsbee (she/her)

Tell Me How a Crush Should Feel, Sara Farizan (she/her)

The Tensorate Series, JY Yang (they/them)

They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera (he/him)

This Book is Gay, Juno Dawson (she/her)

Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters (she/her)

Trans Power, Juno Roche (she/they)

True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, Gerard Way (he/him)

Two Boys Kissing, David Levithan (he/him)

Two Serious Ladies, Jane Bowles (she/her)

Unburied Fables, several authors

An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon (they/them)

Valencia, Michelle Tea (she/her)

We the Animals, Justin Torres (he/him)

What If It’s Us, Becky Albertalli (she/her, cis straight) + Adam Silvera (he/him, gay)

Wildthorn, Jane Eagland (she/her)

Will Grayson Will Grayson, John Green (he/him, cis straight) + David Levithan (he/him, gay)

The World Unseen, Shamim Sarif (she/her)

The Year of Ice, Brian Malloy (he/him)

[outweek30]

The trouble is that this nutshell account doesn't square with our picture of the thing[. ...] When people talk about Stonewall, they speak of drag queens "leading the charge" — conjuring a bizarre variation on the image of Liberty Leading the People. Trash cans were set afire, apparently, and there was some localized window-smashing. (Vito Russo told me he remembers seeing a couple of people breaking the glass of a little toy store next to the bar.) In a hilariously overstated account that appears in a recent issue of Workers' World, the Stonewall Rebellion is portrayed as an organized "pitched battle" in which hundreds of lesbians and gay men rampage through the streets of the Village, gleefully tossing Molotov cocktails at the forces of oppression. And even in Doric Wilson's much more sober and highly ironic — though no less mythologizing — Street Theater, the "revolting fags" (and dykes, and fellow travelers) who coalesce during the play's final moments arrange themselves into a grouping meant, I guess, to evoke the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and like images of valorous triumph. The difficulty is that the facts — "stupid things," as Ronald Reagan reminded us in a speech last year — concerning what happened that night display a definite absence of sandbags, semi-automatic weapons, and all such paraphernalia. The facts even show a distressing want of self-consciously political motivation on the part of the rioters. Craig Robwell, proprietor of the even-then-in-operation Oscar Wilde Bookshop, was quoted in 1971 as saying that, when he happened onto the scene of the already-in-progress disturbance that night, he joined the crowd and began chanting "Gay Power," but that very few of those surrounding him bothered to join in.

Anger there certainly was, and a good measure of plain old fed-upness. That summer, young as it was, had already been marked by a wave of police harassment of bars that, as the Times would have put it back then, "allegedly catered to a homosexual clientele." And reports have it that one evening several weeks before the Stonewall a dozen or more paddy wagons pulled up to the cruising grounds near the docks on West Street and carted people off wholesale. Nor did the harassment end with Stonewall: a few weeks later, an after-hours club called the Snake Pit, on Tenth, was subjected to a vicious raid (one of those arrested that night died in police custody). I've been thinking, lately, how fortuitous it is that the riot we honor occurred in front of a place as felicitously named as the Stonewall. Consider how much more difficult it would be to persuade the city fathers (or ourselves, for that matter) to commemorate an event taking its name from an establishment called the Snake Pit, or the Tele-Star, or, God forbid, the Sewer — which were the other bars raided that summer.

But, come to think of it, it's somewhat peculiar that we celebrate — that is, beatify as a symbol of freedom — the Stonewall Inn. Freedom — despite the not unimportant fact that the Stonewall was one of the few places where transvestites were tolerated by the management — had precious little to do with the Stonewall's modus operandi, given that it was in all probability mob-operated (as were most illegal establishments of the time) and that the building's fabric was so far below code that entering the joint was only infinitesimally safer than descending into a West Virginia coal mine. In fact, some of the outcry raised during the week following the riot was directed against the Stonewall itself. An interesting leaflet issued by an organization called the Homophile Youth Movement decried the "hell-hole atmosphere of places typified by the Stonewall."

— James Waller, “It’s a Wonderful Strife: The Story of Stonewall,” OutWeek Magazine No. 1, June 26, 1989, p. 39.

[ao3feed-malvie]

Help Me Help You

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3e9CCvQ

by zambietrashart

Alex the son of Rapunzel fears for his future with the upcoming king of Auradon Ben who just so happens to be his fiancé. Alex was too nice he couldn't say no when Ben got down on one knee especially when his friends Reggie (son of Snow White) and Luke (son of Ariel and Prince Eric) were chanting say yes in the background. Maybe he just needed to learn how to live on a different side of the rules and a group of villain kids might just be the push that he needed cause he totally wasn't crushing on a long haired chill son of a villain named Willie, that would be ridiculous.

Words: 1062, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 11 of Phanfics (get it? please don't scroll past I'm sorry!)

Fandoms: Julie and The Phantoms (TV), Descendants (Disney Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Carrie Wilson, Alex (Julie and The Phantoms), Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Ben (Disney: Descendants), Mal (Disney), Evie (Disney), Jay (Disney), Carlos de Vil, Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Caleb Covington, Audrey Rose (Disney)

Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Ben, Alex & Luke Patterson & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Evie/Mal (Disney), Jay/Carlos de Vil, Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Carrie Wilson, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil

Additional Tags: Rapunzel is a good mom, Alex is rapunzel and Flynn rider's son, Luke is Ariel and Eric's son, Reggie is Snow White and Prince Florian's son, Caleb is here, he's creepy too, he was in love with rapunzel, it gets explained, he's also Willie and Jay's uncle, Willie and Jay are twins, Carlos has a crush on Jay, Alex has a crush on Willie, Willie has a crush on Alex, Luke and Reggie ship Alex and Ben way too hard, Julie and Carrie aren't in the first chapter, Carrie and Audrey are sisters, step sisters, my bad - Freeform, I really did look at this fic and say make it gay, does zambie is gay?, no one will ever know, Caleb worked with Mother Gothel, he really did say I need a kid tho, Alex hates his arranged marriage, Ben loves it tho, why wouldn't he tho Alex is adorable, Willie hates Ben, Ben hates Willie, love cookie really did get used to Alex tho, and Ben too

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3e9CCvQ

[youngboy-oldmind]

ALBUM REVIEW: Late Registration


“So they asked me…Why you call it Late Registration Ye?/Cause we taking these motherf***ers back to school!”

Hip-hop trail blazer and Chicago legend Mr. Kanye West follows up his status-establishing album The College Dropout with a sophomore project that proves he’s far from a one hit wonder, relishing in his own league of musical production, lyricism, and soul touching artistry.

Overall Thoughts

I mentioned in an earlier post that Late Registration is my favorite album by Kanye, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I can endlessly rave about it. In 70 minutes, Late Registration(LR) utilizes the perfect number of skits, Grade-A featured verses from Jay-Z, Nas, Lupe, Common, Paul Wall, Cam’Ron, and Consequence, and a stellar instrumentation that combines old-school soul samples and flawless string orchestration. It also doesn’t hurt that film score composer and record producer Jon Brion helped produce some of the best tracks (Gold Digger, Roses, We Major).

Kanye elevated his pen game on this 2005 classic record. Before he made albums, he was already a solid writer and could definitely put together a verse. On LR, he exceeded to a new level, talking about himself, success, survival, while matching the prophetic vibe of “Jesus Walks” on tracks like “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”, “Roses”, and “Crack Music”. On top of these commentary tracks, he produced the tear-jerking track “Hey Mama”, my favorite dedication-to-mother songs in hip hop period.

I should also acknowledge the skits in LR. Through 4 clips, a story unfolds in a fraternity: Broke Phi Broke. In the four skits, they chant their various financial difficulties and struggles with a sense of pride. And in the final skit, we see Kanye get kicked out of the fraternity for being caught having new shoes in his closet. This is not only hilarious, but a clever commentary on his progress/success, and separation from the common plight and status of black men. Also, the topic of the skits excellently transition to the next song. Skit #1 talks about not having gas money, and the next song is “Drive Slow”; Skit #2 just repeats “broke, broke, broke, broke”, and the next two songs are “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and “We Major”, both thematically about money and success. Skit #3 ends with a joke about not affording Christmas trees and the mother pretending to be one, and the next song is “Hey Mama”. And Skit #4 ends with Kanye being removed from the frat, and the next track is “Gone”. Expert skit placing on his part.

LR is a near perfect album; The “Empire Strikes Back” of hip hop sequels. This project has a song for any mood and definitely makes my top 10 favorite albums.

Album Breakdown

LR can be broken down into five section, each with their own distinct topics and tones, and separated by the four skits. These sections are:

Section 1: The Hits (Wake Up Mr. West) - Heard ‘Em Say, Touch The Sky, Gold Digger Section 2: Introspection (Skit #1) - Drive Slow, My Way Home, Crack Music, Roses, Bring Me Down, Addiction Section 3: Claim to Success (Skit #2) - Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix), We Major Section 4: Family Business (Skit #3) - Hey Mama, Celebration Section 5: Late Departure (Skit #4) - Gone, Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Bonus), Late

Section 1- The Hits

This section kicks off the album with bang after bang after bang. West and Adam Levine team up on the opening track “Heard Em Say” to lay down two themes of the album: Everything happens for a reason and nothing in life is guaranteed. He says several times “Nothing’s ever promised tomorrow today” accompanied by Levine’s harmonies that echo simultaneous sadness and hope. West also talks about some of the plagues African Americans, including low wages, AIDS, police harassment, admiration of drug dealers, and the pursuit of money and success. While talking about these inherently depressing topics, there’s a twang of hope and faith; there’s an energy of overcoming those obstacles and maintaining the belief that things will turn out alright. 

In a 180 degree flip, the next track “Touch The Sky” completely contrasts the mellow mood of “Heard ‘Em Say”. With exhilarating trumpets sampled from Curtis Mayfield, West and Lupe bring an energy of celebrating success; reminiscing on the where they were before they got to the height they are now. A year before his debut classic Food and Liquor, Lupe spits one of the best verses on the album; matching Kanye’s energy while outshining him with his lyricism.

“Gold Digger”, possibly his most famous song, needs no introduction. This iconic track sampling Ray Charles’ I Got a Woman” is known by deep cut hip hop fans and mainstream fans alike. Jamie Foxx’s vocals on the chorus yelling “I Gotta Leave!” and Kanye’s verses about this girl who only wants him for his money makes an entertaining story but also indicates his new found status. He went from songs about not having money, to songs about dealing with a woman who only want him for his money. Talk about a bragging.

Section 2- Introspection

After two bop tracks we get “Drive Slow”, a track more mellow and laid back than the intro. Through a multitude of car metaphors, Kanye and Paul Wall talk about taking things slow, not to rush things, whether its spending money or sleeping with girls. Generally a middle of the road song for me. Nothing mind blowing but definitely easy to listen to.

In “My Way Home” we get a short, 16-line verse from Chicago all-time great Common, who talks about the struggles of the hood being home. This contrasts the hopeful tone on “Heard Em Say”, introducing a tone of relief he’s out that situation and he’s not going back. Fun fact: this is actually Common’s song that he decided not to add to his album Go!, which is why it just sounds like Common’s song instead of a Kanye song featuring Common. The slowed down samples vocals create a groove that almost makes you forget this is a sad song.

“Crack Music”, one of my favorites, paints an analogy to crack addiction and hip hop, hence the title. The Game brings a unique aggressiveness to the hook, which pairs well with the choir on chorus. However, the final leg of the song introduces an unsettledness: shakiness in the vocals, music freezes, and Malik Yusef delivers a poem that still gives me goosebumps to this day. The voice of legendary Charlie Wilson harmonizes perfectly with the chorus as well.

Next up we hear “Roses”, another instrumental masterpiece with Patti Labelle’s vocals and a Bill Wither’s sample on the chorus. West talks about the hospitalization of his Grandmother and the tightness/unity of his family. I love the quietness that plays during the verses and then the kick of the drums in the chorus. That excellently helps emphasize the intimacy of the situation.

Unfortunately, this leads into “Bring Me Down”, which is my least favorite track. Brandy’s vocals and Jon Brion’s instrumental are perfect, but it seems wasted on West’s verse. It’s disappointing to hear the epic strings and orchestration accompanied by Kanye saying weak lines like “There’ll always be haters, that’s the way it is/Hater n*****s marry hater b**ches and have hater kids” and “Yo girl don’t like me, how long has she been gay/Spanish girls say ‘Yo, no hablo ingles’”. The track honestly would’ve been better as an interlude with just Bandy’s singing, similar to “My Way Home” with just Common. But, the addition of West’s lyrics actually makes the song weaker. 

Luckily, the project picks up with “Addiction”. However, I’ll admit I’m not a fan of lyrically. This isn’t a track where West is trying to demonstrate any lyrical expertise, so I’m not expecting a load of double entendres and layered meanings and mind-blowing messages. However, even for a surface level track, hearing him fake-stutter became a little annoying. But I like the topic of the song; him being addicted to all three “money, girls, and weed”. Although the topic and lyricism isn’t unique, it was at least entertaining.

Section 3- Claim to Success

Following the second skit, we get “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)” with hall of fame rapper Jay-Z. This track is interesting because Kanye and Jay don’t discuss the same topic. Kanye talks about his conflict with buying diamonds, knowing they’re Blood Diamonds and his purchase of them could result in the killing of Africans, of whom he’s a descendant. On the flip side, Jay talks about his label and his success. Although Kanye’s verse has more substance, I think Jay’s verse was better. There’s one particular set of lines I’ve always loved

“This ain’t no tall order, this is nothing to me/ Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week/I could do this in my sleep/ I sold kilos of coke, I’m guessing I can sell CDs/ I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man /Let me handle my business, damn”

Then we get the top tier track “We Major”, which is the album’s best collaboration up to this point. Jon Brion shines again with the instrumental, creating this epic atmosphere of accomplishments. Really Doe and Tony Williams illuminate the chorus with the vocals, while Kanye comes through with poeticism he hadn’t reached since “Heard ‘Em Say”. I want to add a quote of my favorite part of his verse, but it would be half the verse. And to top that, Nas comes through with an even STRONGER verse, a contender for the best verse on the album, competing with Lupe on “Touch the Sky” and Common on “My Way Home”. And to top THAT off, the last few minutes are basically Jon Brion, Warryn Campbell, and Tony Williams showing off their expertise while Kanye shouts them out, along with The Roc and his label, G.O.O.D. Music. His vocals during this part are echoed so it feels like the listener is at a concert. You could have headphones on in a quiet room and feel like you’re soaring. Easily a top 10 song in West’s career.

Section 4- Family Business

After the height of Diamonds From Sierra Leone and We Major, the record dies down and returns to mellowness, continuing with the heart-string-pulling “Hey Mama”. Here, we get West’s lyricism reminiscent of the College Dropout style. This definitely was a poem or song he’d written prior to this project. As I said earlier, one of my favorite mother-dedicating songs in all of hip hop.

The next song, “Celebration”, is one of my favorites on the album. The lyrics aren’t impressive; West goofily slant rhymes “wild” and “endowed” at one point. He just discusses drinking, girls, and the accidental birth of his kid through a busted condom. However, I believe it’s the placement of the song on the record that makes me love it so much. After hearing the epic-ness of songs like “Touch The Sky”, “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”, and “We Major”, this song feels like an after party. An intimate gathering that allows West and the listener to reflect a little, over another brilliant composition by Jon Brion. And while the verses are nothing to look twice at, the chorus is serene. West’s harmonization with himself improves his voice. And at barely past 3 minutes, the song is short enough where the sub-par lyrics aren’t too distracting.

Section 5- Late Departure

When I first began writing back in middle school, I used to rap to the instrumental for “Gone”. This song is foundational to my hip hop appreciation and extremely underrated. To start, the Otis Redding sample is perfect. Jon Brion again combines his expertise with West to create a beat that evolves as it progresses, increasing in complexity and instrumentation. The verses improve with song as well, Kanye delivering the first and last, while Cam’ron and Consequence deliver excellent verses in the middle. Between Consequence’s verse and Kanye’s final verse, we hear the beat breakdown and evolve even more, building up to a final verse that leaves the listener speechless. West reflects about a multitude topics: being so innovative that his labels won’t approve his ideas, wanting to leave public light, his come up from being broke just wanting to upgrade from his “cheap ass sofa”, leaving his hometown that had nothing to offer him, inspiring new artists, never selling out, and ultimately showing he’s no longer on-call for anybody to use him. He’s established enough to choose his company and produce as he pleases. This is a perfect culmination of the themes throughout the album, and is the perfect closer.

Now, I say that with hesitation because technically there are two more songs on the record: The original “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” without Jay-Z, and “Late”. “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” is an excellent track. Instead of talking about Blood Diamonds or guilt, West talks about his writing process, feeling snubbed from awards, and ultimately himself. Definitely some of his strongest pen game on the album.

“Late” contrasts the previous song with a very calm feeling, possessing a lullaby quality. Here, he drives home the point that he’s going to be late with things he does, tying together the album title and the context of the album’s release, which was released months late. However, the lateness definitely worth the wait. It’s a toss-up between Gone and Late for which I prefer as the better closer. Gone is an epic reflection on the album’s theme and messages, and displays some of the best lyricism on the album. However, Late is a surreal, warm ending that feels like more of a winding-down end. If I HAD to choose, I’d say “Gone”. Because while both are great, I can’t imagine the project without “Gone”, whereas I could see it without “Late”.

Top 3 Songs:

1) Gone 2) We Major 3) Hey Mama

Overall Grade: A

[queerbookcorner]

Pride Alphabet is now winding down with T for Transgender! I’ll have one more reclist for Queer Ensemble casts on the 30th and, of course, this blog will continue July and onward to provide queer recommendations and more themed lists :)

Previous Rec Lists: {A for Asexual+Aromantic | B for Bisexual | G for Genderqueer | G for Gay | I for Intersex | L for Lesbian | P for Pansexual} {POC 1 | POC 2} 

Top 3 Picks!

Kim amd Kim by by Magdalene Visaggio & Eva Cabrera Sassy Summary: Punk rock ladies kicking ass as space bounty hunters in this happy, bright and fun graphic novel.

Rep: Trans leading lady, POC leading lady, lots of queer/diverse background cast.

The Right Thing to Do at the Time by Dov Zeller Sassy Summary: A Pride and Prejudice retelling in which every role is gender-scrambled and no one is straight and everyone's Jewish.

Rep: Leading man is a trans Jewish guy, his friend is also Jewish, and as noted- lots of diverse side cast.

George by Alex Gino Sassy Summary: Endearing middle grade novel about George, who knows she's not a boy even if people see her that way, who really wants to play the role of Charlotte in the school play. It's extremely heartwarming and it’s currently topping the banned books lists, so read it and piss some assholes off!

The Rest of the List!

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Small Beauty by jia qing wilson-yang

Beast by Brie Spangler

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Nevada by Imogen Binnie

I am J by Cris Beam

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristin Cronn-Mills

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead (Two-Spirit)

Little Fish by Casey Plett

Birthday by Meredith Russo

Annex by Rich Larson

Wandering Son by by Takako Shimura

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker

The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith

Bad Boy by Elliot Wake

Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg

Dreadnought  by April Daniels

[mautadite]

january book round up

27 books this month! the most i’ve read in a month in quite some time, and a good start to the year. a couple days late because i’ve been feeling a bit meh. i doubt i’ll be able to read this much at any point this year. but it’s nice to get a good strong head-start on my yearly goal. a mix of audiobooks and e-books so far.

a land so wild - elyssa warkentin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a really lovely epistolary/found media m/m romance story, set during the 1840s, about a ship captain and a naturalist trying to chart a northwest passage in the arctic, and find a ship that was lost five years ago trying to do the same thing. very beautifully told, with lots of emotion that you’d think would be lost because of the mode of storytelling.

how to bang a billionaire - alexis hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a re-read. i remember being very sceptical of this when i first read it, but now that i’ve finished the entire series there’s so much i appreciate about it.

trade me - courtney milan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ my first courtney milan book, after hearing a lot of good things about her. the hype was deserved! i like her writing a lot and this book (a romance between a poor chinese-am daughter of immigrants, and a billionaire heir with an eating disorder) touched on a lot of stuff that you don’t typically see in romance novels. particular what it mean and what it feels like to be poor. this was probably my favourite treatment of billionaires in a novel (at least, ones where they don’t get beheaded).

hold me - courtney milan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the second in the series, equally enjoyable. the hero of this novel has to confront and own up to his sexism in ways that a lot of romance novels would simply let men get away with! if i’d known that that’s part of what the book covered i might not have been enthused to read it, because while i genuinely believe bigoted people can change for the better, i’m not super interested in reading about it. but i really enjoyed how milan wrote it, and the romance was lovely. (also the heroine is trans, nice.)

my lady’s lover - nicola davidson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ not a lot of substance, but it’s historical lesbian romance, which is my eternal catnip. a lady’s maid who’s the member of a society for sexual freedom falls in love with her mistress, and happily discovers that the feelings are returned. there’s sex, some angst, and a happy ending,

a lady’s desire - lily maxton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another historical f/f romance. pretty low stakes, without much external conflict, but it had good writing and great characters, and i’ll always have a soft spot for childhood friends to lovers. and let’s be real: i mostly picked this up because of the cover. a woman with her head in another lady’s lap, gazing gayly at her? yes, thanks.

rebound remedy - christine d’abo ⭐️⭐️ eh! m/m holiday romance, about a guy who gets dumped before christmas, has a whirlwind rebound romance with his bartender, and then starts falling deeper for him. nothing bad about it, but i just wasn’t feeling the romance. i’ve read shorter stories that had more chemistry and character interaction.

don’t let go - cynthia dane ⭐️ another f/f romance that i got mostly because of the cover, but this one let me down hard. i liked that it was set in taiwan; had a lot of cultural nuance and tidbits that i enjoyed, but everything else, the writing, the editing, and characters, the chemistry... it was a bust. it also had a weird and baffling approach to mental illness, and managed to be yet another book that makes me hate rich people. also... the two authors credited are the pseudonyms of the same person skfjhdfkj ihni why she’s crediting herself twice.

alone - e.j. noyes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ LOVED THIS. f/f mystery/thriller-ish romance, though the mystery aspect is admittedly light. noyes has lovely prose and a good sense of storytelling, but the romance is where this really shone for me. which... idk, i’m aware that it might not be for others who read this book. but something about the way olivia fell so helplessly in love with celeste, everything celeste does to hold on to olivia... it appealed to me on a visceral level.

boystown book 1 - marshall thornton ⭐️⭐️⭐️ three short stories about a gay private eye solving mysteries in the community in the early 1980s. it reminded me of how much i love short form mysteries; there’s just something about stories being told that way that i can’t resist. i was also kind of charmed by the way our main character tripped into bed with a cute twink like every 10 pages. :3

poems i sleep next to - shelby eileen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a collection of contemporary poems. really enjoyable. nothing wowed me, but several poems moved me.

how to talk to nice english girls - gretchen evans ⭐️⭐️⭐️ early 20th century f/f romance between a spirited american heiress and a nice proper english girl. low stakes, character driven. not really character driven enough actually; i felt like they didn’t get to spend enough time knowing each other. and some more external conflict wouldn’t have hurt. but it was hot and fun and well-written.

by his rules - j.a. rock ⭐️⭐️⭐️ an m/m romance that looks at abuse in bdsm communities, and spends a good long time on recovery, survival, and healthy relationships that involve kink. i really could not get into the discipline stuff, but i really liked that the main characters worked for their HEA; nothing clicked magically into placed for them, and aiden was given space and resources to work out his trauma.

the wolf and the girl - aster glenn gray ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a retelling of little red riding hood set in early 20th century russia and france that focuses on the friendship between two young women. simple story, very beautifully told.

the secret diaries of anne lister - anne lister ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i started reading this in the middle of last year, after i finished gentleman jack, and i was basically reading snippets at a time until december, and then by january i was eating it all up. i LOVED this. i loved the diary of this at times manipulative, haughty, but kind-hearted and tender and clever woman, and all of her loves and struggles and observations. there’s just something... very good about knowing and seeing that lesbians have always existed, and hearing her first hand accounts is just... GREAT. really looking forward to the next volume.

oh, earthman! - berlynn wohl ⭐️⭐️⭐️ an anthology of short stories. weird, fun, scifi-flavoured m/m erotica.

emma - jane austen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ took me long enough, i know! but i really really thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, especially the audiobook, whose narrator i loved. i loved emma: her cleverness and wit and finesse and all her terrible blunders. though i could tell where the story was going, the getting there was really fun, and i super duper enjoyed the romance (though at one point i got seriously squicked out haha). and fight me: i adored miss bates, i thought she was the best character in the book. LOVE a spinster who don’t know when to shut her trap but is earnest and kind and gentle-hearted and GOOD.

«légendaire.» - kai ashante wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ kaw, i’m begging you, PLEASE write another fell length novel. or novella. please! i love his writing and world-building so so so much, i flip out thinking about it. until he does, these short stories will have to suffice. this was great: everything i love about his writing, revisiting the world and concepts that we’ve seen in his other books, with mesmerising characters and a tragic, but soulful tale.

a conspiracy of truths - alexandra rowland ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i love stories about stories, and as far as that goes, this a pretty good one! the one way it failed to grasp me was on the character front; i just didn’t enjoy the main character as much as i could, or as much as i was meant to, and i felt at times he was too far removed from the plot. basically, chant is a master storyteller travelling in a foreign land, when he’s falsely accused of witchcraft and spying. the novel details how he uses storytelling to get himself out of the pickle, and all the consequences that follow. there are some amazing side characters in this (esp. his apprentice, who i will definitely read the nest book for).

animal farm - george orwell ⭐️⭐️⭐️ felt like rereading this, so i did. and i mean, it’s animal farm! it holds up.

the overdue life of any byler - kelly harms ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ like i said above, i like books about books, and i got this thinking it would be something like that? but it’s more about a single mother who gets the chance to take some time off from her kids and her life, have fun, find romance, and how she deals with managing that, and the guilt, and all the elements that are introduced/reintroduced to her life. i don’t think this is an amazing book, but it’s a lovely one, and i know there are middle aged mothers out there who would benefit from reading it. it’s not about romance (though there’s a cute romance in it); it’s about motherhood and being there for yourself as much as your kids.

the subs club 1&2 - j.a. rock ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the first two books in an m/m romance series. a group of friends is still reeling after one of them dies at the hands of an irresponsible dom. they decide to form the subs club; a website to review and rate doms, with an eye towards making the community safer for subs, though it doesn’t really work out that way. the first book follows dave, who ends up getting involved with a guy who’s eerily like ron swanson from parks and rec, and the second follows miles, a masochist who gets involved with a guy who likes to pretend to be a vampire (lmao??). i have to tip my hat to j.a. rock, who seems to have a knack for getting me to read things i’d be otherwise sure i wouldn’t be interested in. and i mean, even after reading, i’m pretty sure i don’t want to read other books about domestic discipline or s&m or pretend draculas, but her characters and plots are well written and engaging and i had a really good time. although, i have to mention: the second book dealt with internalised racism in a way that... while well meaning, was definitely not very deftly done.

alice & jean - lily hammond ⭐️⭐️⭐️ post wwii f/f romance set in new zealand. a young widowed mother falls for the dashing woman who delivers her milk every morning. they have to contend with community scrutiny, an old friend of alice’s husband, and her bitter old mother to fight their way to happiness. i enjoyed it; it was simple and the romance was incredibly sweet, though the writing did drag at times.

american dreamer - adriana herrera ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ DELIGHTFUL. the very definition of feel good romance! a young dominican-american man moves to the outskirts of new york to start his food truck, and almost immediately meets a cute librarian who turns his head. i flipping love queer romances with characters from the caribbean; it just feels so good when slang is part of the language of love.

minotaur - j.a. rock ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i read four books by this author this month, and this is hands down my favourite. i don’t know man, combine girls and monsters and lesbian romance and i”M THERE. thera is a teen orphan sent to a home for girls at the edge of town. there, she makes friends, raises hell, falls in love with the mysterious new girl, and also becomes obsessed with stories of the minotaur, half woman half monster, locked the labyrinth in a cliff not far away. this story appealed to me in so many ways, and i really hope the author writes more f/f in the future.

two dads and three girls - nick (yu) he ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the autobiography of a gay man growing up in china, and the story of how he finds himself, finds love, and becomes a father. very sweet.

whew. that took me a while lol. that’s it for january. i probably (hopefully) will be too busy to read as much this month, but i have some interesting books on my plate. currently listening to an audiobook of beneath a scarlet sky, which is unfortunately underwhelming, and i’ll probably move on with some fun YA.

[mcu-headcanons]

MCU as Quotes Vol. 3: John Mulaney

Tony Stark: "You can do good work simply staying up all night and eating nothing but junk food, but, probably not in the long term."

Bucky Barnes: "I'll keep all my emotions right here," *points to his chest* "and then someday I'll die."

Peter Parker: "Nobody cared what I thought when I was a kid. They'd say 'What do you think you're doing?', but that just meant 'stop'."

Also Peter Parker: "I look back on being seventeen and think 'oh god, how did I not die'"

Groot: You remember being 12 and you're like 'No one look at me or I'll kill myself!'"

Gamora: "We started chanting 'McDonald's! McDonald's! McDonald's!' And my dad pulled into the drive thru and we started cheering. Then he ordered one black coffee for himself and drove away."

Loki: "In terms of instant relief, cancelling plans is like heroin."

Thor: "The more you do stuff, the better you get at dealing with how you still fail at it a lot of the time."

Vision: "Eeuugh. I smell a robot. Prove! Prove! Prove you're not a robot!"

Steve Rogers: "I will pepper in the fact that I am gay."

Bruce Banner: "Hey! You could pour soup in my lap and I'll probably apologize to you."

Clint Barton: "Everyone get out of my way! I just want to sit here and feed my birds."

Scott Lang: "You know those days when you're just like 'this might as well happen'"

Sam Wilson: "Sometimes a baby will point at me... I don't care for that shit at all."

[leisurelypanda]

Re: the Russo Brothers' supposed valuing of diversity and inclusion

I think we can safely call bullshit on this one. Why? Two reasons.

First, because it seems that the Russo brothers are backtracking Bucky's character all the way back to The Winter Soldier. It makes no sense, considering what's happened with the guy at the end of Civil War, Black Panther, and his behavior in Infinity War. He's given us no evidence to suggest that he's any less stable than anyone else with PTSD. Yet the Russo brothers claim that the reason why he didn't get the shield is because he's corruptible and potentially dangerous? That makes no sense. What would've made more sense would be to say that Bucky Barnes wasn't interested in being Captain America. That's been true even in The First Avenger. Bucky didn't care about the persona, he cared about Steve.

Sam, on the other hand, has been shown to be pretty much a mirror image if Steve. He goes headlong into danger without a second thought, jumps out of buildings, and is always concerned more about the wellbeing of others before himself. That's why he became Captain America, not because he's some backup option for a semi-stable 100 year old man.

Second, the lauded "first LGBT character in MCU" that Russo brothers hyped up? He's not a character. It's one of the Russo brothers being an extra. This guy doesn't even get a name, he just mentions that he went on a date with another guy. He's not a hero, villain, support character, or anything. He's a bone they threw the fandom that could be easily swept under the rug for audiences in other countries.

Maybe some of this is Marvel or Disney's fault. Corporations typically aren't progressive because they don't consider it profitable. However, the Russo brothers could have been quiet about the guy in the support group. They could've said nothing. Instead, they hyped it up as though it were a wonderful step forwards and not an insulting exercise in tokenism.

Part of me thinks this might be a reaction to shipping culture. We know they're aware of Stucky, hell, they led an auditorium in chanting Bucky's name when Chris Evans was asked about Steve's love life.

Part of me wonders if it makes them uncomfortable, though, with the idea that two masculine presenting men could have romantic feelings for each other. The stereotypical gay man is presented as pretty feminine, after all, despite the fact that gay people, like straight people, come in all kinds of bodies and personalities.

What it comes down to, for me, is how much they've backtracked on Bucky's character. Why are they dragging him through the mud if they're so progressive and supportive of the LGBTQ fans? It's almost as though they want us to like him less.

So yeah, I no longer believe that the Russo brothers care about diversity and inclusion, at least, not to the extent they would like us to think. Bucky Barnes deserves better than this. Sam Wilson deserves better than this. Mentally ill people who live with trauma deserve better than this.