#I think they are all very queer I do think so

[drdemonprince]

Yo! I'm writing a class assignment on why Internet Archive is so right for breaching copyright laws and why the court is so so wrong for siding with publishers, and I wanted to talk about some authors who encourage others to pirate their work because so little of the money from book sales actually goes to the author.

Do you have any writing on this philosophy?

Thanks!!

I don't have any formally published writing on it, but you can site this message as "personal correspondence" (yes that's a thing in APA/MLA/Chicago style whatever).

I encourage people to pirate my work because I care first and foremost about the ideas within the books to reach an audience. I started writing for a general audience because I cared deeply about making information more accessible, and removing financial barriers to access is a core element of that. I also write work that targets populations that tend to be very poor -- disabled people, queer people, overworked people, and so on. It's vitally important to me that they can read the books, which means not requiring that they pay. Philosophically, I recognize that my ideas come from a long lineage of scholarship from other thinkers, including many disabled activists who always made their work available for free, and I don't deserve to profit from that thinking while others can't. I don't believe an idea can be owned, and like all forms of property, I believe intellectual property to be theft.

The act of writing is labor and I do think that deserves to be valued and compensated -- to wit, it bears mentioning that most authors do not earn any money from book sales. In order for an author to receive royalties, a book must first sell enough copies to "earn out" its advance, which may require selling anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 copies, depending on the size of the advance payment. And 95% of books sell fewer than 5,000 copies ever. This means the vast majority of authors never see a single cent from a book sale. Even if their books do "earn out", they are only looking at about 12.5% of the profits in royalties after that point. So it's hardly a lucrative venture. There's really no reason for me to be invested in the commercial success of my books, from a labor rights perspective, and certainly not from an intellectual or scholarly one. So I always tell people, steal, steal away, with my blessing.

[babyangelsky]

Faith as a love language and why I want Ju Yeong to give Do Hoe his cross necklace

Let me preface this by saying that one, my interpretations are drawn heavily from my own personal experience as well as the culture I was raised in and two, that this is going to be very rambly and maybe not make a whole lot of sense to anyone but me. But @respectthepetty encouraged me to get this out of my brain so here we are.

In order to explain what I mean in the title of this post and actually get into the meat of it, there's two other things I need explain first. There are layers to this so please bear with me.

The first thing is that I am not and have never really been a practicing Catholic. I believe in god and have a very loose, very personal system of spiritual belief but I am not religious. My grandmother is Catholic however, a very devout one, and since she helped to raise me I would say I was partially raised Catholic. Emphasis on the partially because my beautiful mother in her infinite wisdom (and due entirely to her own religious trauma) felt it was important to give me a choice on the matter and figure out my faith for myself, which I love her dearly for.

(She also once infamously refused to kiss the ring of the local very important priest in the village she grew up in which is one of my favorite things about her)

However, I've learned that even if you are given a choice on whether or not religion will play any part in your life, that does not save you from developing religious trauma. Especially if you also happen to be queer and especially if you don't adhere dogmatically to the widely accepted--and arbitrary--set of rules that determine whether you are considered a "good (insert faith here)".

The second thing has to do with cross necklaces and why being given one is a very specific loving gesture.

I lived in Mexico for a while a couple of years ago. On the day that I was due to come back to the States, my grandma gave me a cross necklace. She didn't just give me a cross necklace, she gave me her necklace that had been custom made for her. She wanted me to have a safe flight and get home in one piece so she gave it to me.

I have worn that necklace every single day for the past two years. If I happen to wear another necklace for outfit reasons, I put my cross in my pocket. It's always around my neck or on my body. Always. And the thing is, I don't wear it to signify my belief god.

In the broader sense of faith and what it means to people, giving someone a necklace like that holds a lot of weight. Taking something off of your body, your 'self', that you trust to keep you safe and that represents your faith and your beliefs and then putting it on someone you love to keep them safe is such a visceral expression of love. It becomes a symbol of faith in a different way.

As I've established, I'm not devout like my grandma is. The necklace doesn't represent to me what it does to her. I wear it because doing so makes me feel loved and safe because she gave it to me, not because I have faith of my own.

Now, having said allllll of that.

Ju Yeong's cross necklace has been established to primarily represent not his faith, but his family's expectations. Expectations that he hasn't lived up to and that have turned that cross into a heavy symbol of his failure that keeps him shackled at all times except when he chooses to take it off. And when he chooses to take it off matters.

He took it off when he confessed to Do Hoe and again when he slept with him because in those moments he wants to be free of that burden, free of those expectations, free to just love Do Hoe without having to think about anything else. Not even god.

Because even if the necklace isn't primarily a symbol of Ju Yeong's faith, it still is a symbol of his faith or rather, the faith that he had no choice but to adhere to when he became a pastor's son. That's what makes Do Hoe misunderstand what it means for Ju Yeong to take it off when he's with him. He interprets it as Ju Yeong being ashamed, as wanting to hide his sin, as only allowing himself to love Do Hoe when god isn't watching. He's wrong, of course, but he doesn't know that. Yet. (Petty explained it better go read that post)

We haven't really gotten into Ju Yeong's relationship with his faith and with only two episodes left I don't think we will, and that's a shame because I think recontextualizing what the necklace means to him and what his faith means to him would help him heal.

(Which is something I believe anyone who has religious trauma should do at some point in their life, especially if they're queer. Religion is so often weaponized against people and something that's used to make them feel inadequate and ashamed and like they aren't allowed to draw comfort from it unless they fall in line with what it asks of them. We always think of it being used that way specifically against queer people but that isn't always the case. I'm not out to my family and I once had a relative look me in the eyes and tell me I was going to hell for not going to mass.)

Really it would help both of them heal because even though Do Hoe wasn't the one with the religious upbringing, the necklace is still making him feel the same sort of inadequacy and shame he thinks Ju Yeong feels.

Which is why I want Ju Yeong to give Do Hoe his cross necklace.

Recontextualizing what it means, allowing it to be a symbol of his faith and nothing more, and making the conscious decision to take it off of his body and put it on Do Hoe so Do Hoe knows that he's loved without shame would mean everything to me personally.

Faith is a love language. It's why Mexican mothers pin medals with the Virgin of Guadalupe on them to their newborns' onesies, why parents choose auspicious names for their babies, why the very first prayer Christian and Catholic children are taught is the guardian angel prayer, why grandmothers do the sign of the cross over their children and grandchildren and end every conversation with "que dios te acompañe", and why we put crosses on the people we love.

[aziraphales-library]

hi there! I was wondering if you had any ineffable wives fics where one of them is trans fem. I'm hoping to find something that reminds me of me and my girlfriend :D any rating would be appreciated. thank you so much, have an amazing day!

Hello! Here are some ineffable wives where one of them is trans...

I only want to look in your eyes by orphan_account (E)

Crowley was laid out on the bed, her shirt off, her chest already flushed with eagerness. Her long, luxurious red curls spread out around her head, and her eyes - beautiful liquid golden things, glowing now with joy - made Aziraphale think of the sun. “Love,” Aziraphale said, and leaned over Crowley, down from where she straddled Crowley’s thighs, kissing her forehead tenderly. “You’re so beautiful.” Aziraphale rides her wife, and they're both so full of love they think they'll explode.

till love have all his rites by marveling_under_an_open_sky (G)

“Hello there,” a voice said. “Do you need a hand?” Crowley straightened up and began to turn with a firm rebuttal already on her tongue. She might be skinny enough to give a sunflower stalk a run for its money, but she’d been wrangling plants for years, thank you very much, and she was perfectly capable of— Jesus fuck. The author just really loves butches, all right?

Creative Ways to Use Your Planning Period by The_Bentley (E)

“We have an hour.  You wanna?”  Crowley whispered in Aziraphale’s ear before leaving a rather chaste kiss on her softly rounded cheekbone. “Here?  Are you out of your mind?” “No.  Nobody’s going to come around, and we can certainly make sure if they do, they’ll find they have more important business than opening up this door.”  Crowley was walking slowly into Aziraphale, pushing her towards the teacher’s desk at the front of the room, ideas forming in her head. When Warlock leaves for his lunch period, his tutors have some sneaky fun of their own.

The Art of Human Nature by IneffableDoll (T)

Crowley is a painter who has only ever had an eye for nature. That is, until a client named Aziraphale commissions her for a painting to boost her self-confidence, and Crowley discovers that her client is as beautiful as the Earth itself. Then she goes and catches feelings, because she’s a disaster.

The Diary of Ms A.Z. Fell, From The Age of Eight to the Present Day by punkbean (G)

"My name is Aziraphale Fell and I am a girl and I am eight years old. I am writing this for a school project to practice writing. I think this is stupid as I can write quite well, but I like Ms Smith so I am doing it anyway." Aziraphale's school diary quickly becomes a place for her to chronicle the friendship between her and her new best friend, Anthony Crowley.

A Common or Garden Romance? by die_traumerei (M)

A nature walk queer mixer? It's not Aziraphale's usual thing, but that's described the last few years, so off she goes, and even makes a friend. Crowley's not like anyone she's ever known before, and that's a good thing. Friendship turns to love, and eventually they even realize that, and so a life together beings to grow, in a love story that's very straightforward, and also anything but.

I recommend checking out die_traumerei's ao3 as they have a bunch of ineffable wives in which one of them is trans!

- Mod D

[hacash]

The argument demonstrated here against voting for Kamala has a couple of major, and I do mean major, logical falldowns.

Number one: saying 'I'm not advocating for Trump, I'm advocating that the people running a genocide lose an election' overlooks the crucial fact that only one of two people will be running the USA in January: Trump, or Kamala. That is just a fact. The fact that I routinely see multiple people from outside the US posting about this topic because they see US citizens either ignoring or being unaware of this fact is, frankly, a lot.

So I feel like at this point if you claim anything else could happen, you are being wilfully ignorant of the facts about how your country is run. Either Kamala or Trump is going to be running one of the most powerful countries in the world, and as a US citizen it is your job to decide which one that it. If you advocate for the Democrats to lose the election, you are advocating for the Republicans and Trump to win. It's that simple.

Number Two: 'You made it through four years of Trump and you can do it again'. Interesting point there! I feel like the woman who was killed at the Charlottesville far-right rally, the thousands who died during Trump's mishandling of COVID, any and all vulnerable immigrants in the US, the women put at risk by having abortions and certain pregnancy complications due to Roe vs Wade being dismantled, the queer kids in places like Florida vulnerable to homophobia and transphobia, any number of people put at risk by Trump slashing food safety regulations left right and centre, the Ukrainians who will be even more exposed to Russian imperialist attacks once Trump withdraws support, everyone whose lives were in danger when a fucking right-wing mob stormed the Capitol, not to mention everyone around the fucking world who may just, just be a little unsettled by Trump's deep desire to start dropping nuclear bombs on anyone who pisses him off might want a word with you there.

And that's certainly not to mention the Palestinians you claim to be supporting, who will most certainly suffer when Trump ramps up his support of Netanyahu to eleven (more on that later).

Look, I'm not saying that if the Democrats win peace will reign and everything will be perfect, but come the fuck on. I don't know if the people making this argument are literally so young that you weren't really politically conscious during Trump's presidency, but please don't insult those of us who did have to sit through the whole shitshow by saying crap like this. I don't care how sick you are of hearing it, elections mean choosing the least shitty option. If you still need it explained to you that Harris is less shitty than Trump, that is a you problem.

Number Three: 'some words and hype around what people think Trump will do' - No. I'm sorry, just no. We went through this the last time Trump became president. Trump has already shown us who he is. This is not a matter of our imaginations working overtime, this is an understanding of what will happen: based both on Trump's previous words and what he has already done in the past. Showing even more support to Netanyahu, encouraging and aiding him in his work, is not something 'people think Trump will do', it's something Trump will do. For all that you may dislike the Democrats (and I think @qqueenofhades had some good posts about Harris/Biden at least making attempts to push for peace in the room) it is bizarre at this point to pretend like Trump won't be significantly worse when it comes to supporting Netanyahu's actions.

This is a man who recognised Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel (leading to widespread condemnation around the world, including the UN, Arab League, and EU), said that Israel should keep on building settlements in the West Bank without stopping, and, once again, has been pals with Netanyahu since the very beginning. This is a man who thinks the answer to any problem is to send in the nukes and the gunboats, and who has made his disdain for Muslim lives painfully fucking clear. (I doubt very much that his respect for Jewish lives is that much better, but that's another post). If you don't realise that having Trump in charge of US foreign policy is only going to dramatically worsen the situation for Palestine, that is, once again, just wilful ignorance at this point.

-

“Trump would be the worst,” Asmaa Nimilaat, 50, said from a hospital where thousands of people are sheltering in Deir el-Balah, an area in central Gaza. “But any candidate that becomes president will not support Palestinians.” - from the Al Jazeera article further up the post.

I feel like people wilfully focus on the second half of the quote when they should be paying attention to the first. Yes: as things stand, neither political party is doing wonders for Palestine, and that sucks. But Trump would be the worse. For America and for Palestine, and for the rest of the world. There is literally only two futures open to us now: one where Trump wins, and one where Harris wins. And Trump would be the worst. At this point, trying to keep some sort of moral superiority in excusing not doing everything you can to keep Trump out by claiming 'we don't know he'll be bad/the Democrats still suck/I don't want complicity in American imperialism' is, quite frankly, ignorant and inward-looking at this point. You have an actual chance not only to benefit yourselves (by voting in a leader who is at least halfway decent) but to make life even a little bit better for people in numerous countries around the world (who will now get to deal with the less awful version of America dominating the world stage), and the notion that some people might actively choose not to is, frankly, staggering to me.

[ghostbite0]

stepping in 2 say my piece from a queer perspective of this btw because im an itty bit unnormal BUT

i think trying 2 apply standard nuclear family dynamics/roles etc onto demon slayer characters (specifically the hashira) is counterproductive 2 the characters and story as a whole!! like Yes you have Some hashira who r more parental in behavior HOWEVER i think 2 view them as a parent figure rather than a guardian figure reduces a lot of them down to nuclear family traits! like it or not kny has queer elements to it even if it probably wasnt intended (emphasis on found family, a very queer trope, as well as the fact that the corps is legit a bunch of people w similar hardships and struggles coming together to defeat a mutual threat, which is also symbolic of the queer community)

anywaysanyways . there’s a difference between “guardian” and “parent”. guardian 2 me is essentially… taking on the protective role of a parent, yes, but u dont have, like… whatsit. i dont want to say “care” because guardian is also a very caring role that also involves looking after someone but it’s just Different in nature, if that makes any sense? so i think to place ESPECIALLY characters like shinobu, who’s as some have already pointed out, “maternal” nature is just her unhealthy coping mechanism and a projection of kanae, it washes out her character so so so much!!!!

if u WANT to place some kind of labels for family dynamics onto kny characters “guardian” works just fine because that is what they Are. “sibling” also works just fine too methinks.

idk if this is just a whole lot of Nothing but! kny mischaracterization gets on my nerves blegh

-loti

FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONS THE NUCLEAR FAMILY STUFF ‼️‼️‼️🗣️ OH MY GOD YES

i completely agree anon loti… wiping a tear from my eyes… guardian…

i see people do this a lot where they take a found family and try to assign them roles like parents/siblings/etc— and it is okay to give them these bonds on their own, but to say like— “shinobu is the mom of the hashira” or “tengen is the cool uncle of the hashira” is pretty redundant and it ultimately goes back to stereotyping ): sometimes a found family is just a group of people. they dont need labels. they love each other and thats all that matters

i know i usually refer to gyomei as the dad of the hashira but i love guardian a lot more. im absolutely gonna use that from now on. its so much more fitting for his character

[thegayloragenda]

Okay I want to put all of my current predictions out here (these are subject to change, of course):

• I think this show is going to get a little more colorful or a little bit more gay with each show because I think she’s running out the clock.

• I am CLOWNING for an eventual pronoun change during surprise songs.

• I think Karlie will probably show up again. And if she shows up for the rep announcement I will die dead.

• I’m also clowning for a rainbow variation of every outfit or perhaps a debutation variation if she plans to drop them together. Maybe a karma outfit. Idk. I don’t really know what is coming next in regard to music or if there will be anything (what if she just went black out for a year and then dropped rep next December 😂).

• I’m split because I think she’s either going to continue this Travis stunt until the Super Bowl or she’ll break up with him while on tour (if it’s real that’s totally fine but the way this relationship has been crammed down our throats gives me the ick so bad). I have no idea how that breakup will go down especially since they’ve made an entire Christmas movie about this relationship.

• I’m still assuming we’ll get a proposal / breakup.

Overall, I don’t think Taylor Swift would pander to this side of the fandom the way she has if she didn’t have a plan to blow everything up. I assume she’s a good person. I assume she’s supportive of the fans who see her. I’ve been in this fandom long enough to know what it looks like when she’s in the closet and when she isn’t. The closet isn’t even glass anymore. The closet is just invisible at this point so if she’s just a straight girl who loves rainbows, she’s absolutely diabolical in the very worst ways.

And before anyone comes for me, yes she can be bi or pan or whatever she wants to be. I don’t care about muses or labels. I notice patterns and I can’t help but connect the dots. I see bi and lesbian dresses and her calling attention to them so that’s where my focus is. I care about freedom for her (whatever that looks like) and I also think some clarity about who she actually is will help a lot of us decide if we want to keep supporting her and giving her our money. I’m placing my bet on her being who I think she is so I’m here to support her until the end of this roller coaster ride.

I will make a post on the final day of this tour but I just want to say this: I have had the TIME OF MY LIFE in this labyrinth. I have made lifelong friends because of this side of the fandom. Thank you to ALL of my friends on here who have followed me and commented on my posts and said such kind things. Thank you to everyone who has messaged me their insights and theories. And finally, thank you to my fans who have messaged me your homophobic, brain-rotted hate comments. Good luck in the aftermath!

And to Taylor (if you ever see this), thank you for keeping my mind so stimulated. I will probably never get dementia because of you. You have been so good for my brain health. Thank you for teaching me about my own history as a queer girlie. Thank you for helping me heal my relationship with my neurodivergent self. Thank you for being the “mother” who saw me when my own mother just talks about how gross and wrong gay people are. Thank you for being kind and strong and brave in the face of shame and fear and danger. Thank you for leading a revolution of New Romantics! No one does it like you, girl. I love you so much. I hope you got a giggle over the chaos and the wrong predictions. I hope this tour brought you joy and hope and peace and healing. I know I haven’t always seen eye to eye with some of your choices, but I do respect you and I do hope the rest of your life is sunshine and rainbows and you get to hug your mom forever and take really long naps with your person after all of this is over. Long live 💜

Update: I do think the election plays a big role in how loud she can be. @casuallycruel131313 pointed this out, too. We’ll get way more once Kamala has been elected! I think Canada shows will be wildddd.

[transbianmuffin]

Memories pt. 3

cw manipulation but we all know she wants to be a pet, also two queer flirting and a hint of gaslighting

********

this thing is huge, and it's almost nonsensical, so much complexity so incredibly decorated so alienating?

"This is...incredible..."

"This, dear, is Opicala. The main Affini ship overseeing Jupiter."

"How? How? It's..."

"Huge? Fantastic? I know you tend to struggle with words." "Majestic!" "Haha, yes majestic is a nice one to describe it." "..." "I know, I know, most of sophonts don't comprehend the grandeur of Affini's architecture." wait those two affini have people? on a leash? what the hell? I've heard about domestication but I thought it was mostly reducing them to zombies and those guys are making out? they seem so happy so carefree what is happening and why why why I- I like it? No I don't want to be a slave I want peace not being a slave again "But I guess you're not looking at the architecture, don't you?" "Those people, collared, on a leash. Are your slaves? Is this what's gonna happen to me?"

they seem so happy, their eyes filled with bliss their mouths drooling each other's saliva and they seem no to care about a thing which is not their own tongues twitching and swirling "Slaves? Dirt, no! Absolutely not. My dear, those are pets. Domesticated sophonts, and we love our pets so much." "I was told that you enslaved people, keeping them drugged and compliant and used them as your servitude or to do menial work for your empire..." "The rebel propaganda really got you there, my beautiful terran. No, not at all. Well, they are drugged most of the times. That part is true, but I can assure you they really like it. As you did, a couple of days ago when we had our first chat." "What will be of me?" "Well, techinically you'd have been sent to forced domestication since you are a rebel. It is also true, though, that you did what you did and that would make you a defector. In addition to that you surrendered without any resistance and moreover you gave us some very useful intel." "So?" "So, my dear, I filed a special plead for you. You won't be assigned to forced domestication. You will stay here for a while and then we will drop you wherever you like on Jupiter. Lastly, we will grant you the status of 'independent terran', unless..." "U- unless?" "Unless you'd actually want to stay and be a pet, my dear. Oh you would be the cutest of them all. You'd have to either pick or be picked by an owner and you will live forever in care and bliss." oh god oh god a pet? would I be a good pet? I mean those two earlier seemed to be happy but maybe there were only high as fuck but being a pet seems so nice

"An owner, like you?" "Ah, you're saying this, not me~" "I- I don't know." "There is another little thing I forgot to mention." "Now you're scaring me." "Good, you will learn to fear the giant plant girl which work consists mainly in interrogating and inflicting terrible tortures to rebels." "...Sinea..." "Just kidding, just kidding! Look at your face, stars you are so damn cute! Anyway, I saw from your medical report that you were under special medications for HRT, am I correct?" "Y-yes." "Well I think it is worth mentioning that the meds you were taking are nothing more than candies compared to our Class G. Which is basically the same thing but way more advanced and effective." "Oh..."

is she lying? maybe she wants to drug me again but maybe I can trust her, she's been so kind with me and advanced HRT is a dream come true

"Am I picking your interest there?" "Y-yes." "Of course this is not to convince you at all. I am just saying that here you will be loved in a way you have never experienced. You are free to go whenever. Just say a place on Jupiter and we'll drop you there instantly, Deena." "I need some time. I am tired and it's a lot to process." "That's perfectly understandable, little one. Want me to carry you?" "..." "Stars, when you give me those puppy eyes I- I simply can't! Come on. Here." "Those pets."

god they seemed so happy I was envious? jealous? yes that's the word

"Those pets, yes." "Those pets." "Yes those were pets. Do you have any specific consideration you want to make here or are you simply stating a matter of fact, my dear?" "They seemed so happy. Their kisses so blissful, their minds overwhelmed with joy and passion." "Florets usually do that. Here they are safe, protected, free to explore their true self, their true nature. Nobody judges them and the joy you saw in their eyes was certaintly shared by their respective owners."

"I would like to talk to one of them, if possible." "I have a better idea. There will be a little social gathering among florets later, their owners will be there but they won't interfere too much in their interactions. While I am not still your owner, I am your temporary ward so I can vouch for you. There you can talk to any of them and maybe even do something more than talking~" "S- still?"

what does she mean with still? still? she wants me to be her pet? what?

"Uh?" "You said you are not still my owner." "No, no my dear you must have misheard. I said that I am not your owner, which is true. I mean I could be your owner if that's what you want but the choice is yours and only yours."

maybe I misheard? I am sure she said that but I'm also tired and the feeling of her vines around me are so beautifully distracting

"I- I think I'm sure of what i've heard?" "Aw darling~ you are so tired, sometimes it happens to misheard stuff when we are tired. Misheard or projecting. Anyway, would you like to go to the floret's gathering?" "Maybe you're right. I am really tired but yes, Sinea, I'd love to go." "Very well, but first I must to inform you that I won't let my ward take part in a social event without some glowing up. You still smell of surgical sanitizer and your dress is unacceptable. I have a reputation." "Sure..." "That's my good girl. We will go at mine, have a bath, some grooming and I'll provide you with something suitable to wear."

hehe good girl~ wait a second a bath, a dress? what am I a doll? but I don't want to make her feel bad at the gathering I guess I can see how it goes

********

[fdelopera]

Fuck these idiots for uplifting the queerphobic BIGOTS in Hamtramck just because they hate Jews.

The disgusting FUCK of a mayor in Hamtramck endorsed Trump, after the mayor BANNED THE PRIDE FLAG in Hamtramck because he is a disgusting queer-hating piece of human SHIT.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Former President Donald Trump made a short stop Friday afternoon in Hamtramck, where he called it an honor to have the endorsement of Mayor Amer Ghalib who, in turn, described the GOP nominee's visit to the city as historic. "As you know, President Trump keeps saying that our country is in decline, and the ship is sinking. So sometimes it's wise enough to sail against the wave so we can get to the shore safely under the leadership of President Trump and that's why I endorsed President Trump in this area in Wayne County," Ghalib said at an Oakland GOP outpost for Trump in the city home to the first all-Muslim city council in the U.S.

Here’s something I learned from growing up in the rural Midwest surrounded by Christian far-right extremists who were Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and members of the KKK:

YOU DO NOT COALITION WITH FAR-RIGHT RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS.

You idiot Hamasniks are too young to remember Matthew Shepard. You’re too young to remember when religiously motivated “gay bashings” were commonplace. You’re too young to remember when Reverend Jerry Falwell would go on National TV and say that AIDS was God’s punishment for gay people.

This was the result of religious extremism.

And now you IGNORANT queer morons are platforming Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which are a THOUSAND TIMES more extremist than Jerry Falwell could ever be.

The antisemitic betrayal by the Queer Community has been DEVASTATING – and even more so because of who they are coalitioning with.

We queers all know that we DO NOT COALITION WITH FAR-RIGHT RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS. This is something that has been drummed into us for our safety and survival.

We do not coalition with the Westboro Baptist Church. We do not coalition with the likes of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. We do not coalition with ANY far-right Christian extremist or extremist group who celebrates our deaths and wants more queer people to die.

And yet, many goyishe queer people have shown that they are so filled with Jew-hate that they are willing to coalition with the far-right religious extremists in Hamas, who MURDER queer people by stoning them to death, shooting them in the head, or throwing them off buildings.

These queer Hamasniks are willing to coalition with the far-right religious extremists in the Houthis, who just CRUCIFIED several gay men for being gay.

They are willing to coalition with the far-right religious extremists in the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, who straight up MURDER queer people and MURDER women who show even a little bit of their hair in public.

Let me say this very clearly: These queer Hamasniks are not coalitioning with Hamas, the Houthis, or the Islamic Republic to support the Palestinian people. And many Palestinian activists have told them to STOP THIS. These Hamasniks are coalitioning with these far-right extremists because they hate Jews.

These idiotic queer people have shown that they are quite willing to empower the queer-hating enemy, to the detriment of queer people everywhere, just because that enemy also hates Jews.

Oh, and in case you think this is hyperbole, just look at what happened to the Queer Community in Hamtramck, Michigan when they helped elect a bunch of queer-hating, far-right religious extremists to the Hamtramck city government.

These far-right religious extremists immediately turned around, betrayed the queer people who had coalitioned with them, and started stripping queer people of their rights.

THIS SHIT is what you idiots who are IGNORANT of queer history have brought into the queer community. We DO NOT coalition with far-right religious extremists, and this is why:

And as bad as that is, it’s fucking worse.

Far-right Muslims in Michigan are now coalitioning with far-right Christians to harass and attack queer people.

And far-right Muslims in Michigan are also coalitioning with far-right Christians to ban queer books.

And far-right Muslim teenagers are getting caught harassing queer people and throwing eggs at the Pride Flag.

Oh, and I know you Hamasniks don’t give a shit about Jews, but you should also know that the Mayor of Hamtramck is appointing Jew-haters who say that “The Holocaust was God’s advance punishment of the ‘Chosen People’.”

You functionally illiterate IDIOTS who can’t be bothered to LEARN QUEER HISTORY are making dangerous bedfellows, and all because you hate Jews.

Harvey Milk, a gay Jewish man and one of the leaders of the queer rights movement, did not DIE at the hands of a far-right religious extremist so that you Jew-hating BIGOTS could turn around and coalition with other far-right religious extremists.

How DARE you let these religious extremists into queer spaces, you fucking TRAITORS!

The city of Hamtramck, on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, passed a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution on Tuesday, becoming the first US city to fully support a boycott campaign in support of Palestinian rights. The resolution says that Hamtramck "shall make all best efforts to refrain from purchasing goods and services from any vendor that is the target of a BDS campaign", as well as refrain from investment in the Israeli state as well as "Israeli companies that sustain Israeli apartheid".   It further encourages residents to participate in the boycott and supports student activism on college campuses, and emphasises that support for BDS is not antisemitic since many prominent BDS proponents are Jewish themselves. 

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[ai-manre]

Dany's second to last chapter in ADWD is one of my favorites of the entire series, it reveals so much about her character.

The sky was a merciless blue, without a wisp of cloud in sight. The bricks will soon be baking in the sun, thought Dany. Down on the sands, the fighters will feel the heat through the soles of their sandals.

This is the chapter where the fighting pits are reopened. It opens with melancholy that she was letting something this heinous happen, that she lost what she had fought for to achieve a senseless and futile peace. What's the worth of peace if it's bought with the blood of slaves?

“The yellow silk.” The queen of the rabbits could not be seen without her floppy ears. The yellow silk was light and cool, and it would be blistering down in the pit. The red sands will burn the soles of those about to die. “And over it, the long red veils.” The veils would keep the wind from blowing sand into her mouth. And the red will hide any blood spatters.

Again and again, she thinks of the discomfort of those fighting in the pits while she sits comfortably in her seat. That very thought seems to disgust her and bring her despair.

When they caught sight of the palanquin emerging from the pyramid, a cheer went up from those nearest and spread across the plaza. How queer, the queen thought. They cheer me on the same plaza where I once impaled one hundred sixty-three Great Masters.

“One step, then the next, and soon we shall be running. Together we shall make a new Meereen.” The street ahead had finally cleared. “Shall we continue on?”

What could she do but nod? One step, then the next, but where is it I’m going?

Ten thousand throats roared out their thanks; then twenty thousand; then all. They did not call her name, which few of them could pronounce. “Mother!” they cried instead; in the old dead tongue of Ghis, the word was Mhysa! They stamped their feet and slapped their bellies and shouted, “Mhysa, Mhysa, Mhysa,” until the whole pit seemed to tremble. Dany let the sound wash over her. I am not your mother, she might have shouted back, I am the mother of your slaves, of every boy who ever died upon these sands whilst you gorged on honeyed locusts.

Behind her, Reznak leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Magnificence, hear how they love you!” No, she knew, they love their mortal art.

Hizdahr ignored the eunuch. “Magnificence, the people of Meereen have come to celebrate our union. You heard them cheering you. Do not cast away their love.”

“It was my floppy ears they cheered, not me. Take me from this abbatoir, husband.” She could hear the boar snorting, the shouts of the spearmen, the crack of the pitmaster’s whip.

This chapter is full of Dany's musings of how she became the opposite of what she meant to be. She was the Mother of those fighting in the pits, not the ones in the stands, and it is at this point that she reaches the culmination of her Queen of Rabbits vs Mother of Dragons/Freedmen arc. She cannot take the horror of the fighting pits anymore and gets up to leave. And that is the moment Drogon appears, almost as if he knew it was time Dany was ready to shed the floppy ears.

Then-

Ser Barristan held her tightly. “Look away, Your Grace.”

“Let me go!” Dany twisted from his grasp. The world seemed to slow as she cleared the parapet. When she landed in the pit she lost a sandal. Running, she could feel the sand between her toes, hot and rough. Ser Barristan was calling after her. Strong Belwas was still vomiting. She ran faster.

This, to me, is the culmination of her arc, of her finally reclaiming her identity as Daenerys Targaryen, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons. Not only because she actually rushes in to save Drogon and fight him at the same time, but because she finally feels the sand between her own toes.

Dany finally gets out of the seats of the nobility and into the fighting pits, the place where slaves fight and shed their blood. She feels the hot sand under her feet, just like they felt it, and she fights as they fought. She's one of them again, their champion, their rescuer. Not one of those sitting up with their tokars on, not the one sitting with the masters. She is fighting among them and faces off her deepest fear and finds only freedom beyond. That is Daenerys Targaryen.

[petew21-blog]

Second hand cigar

Halloween has passed, but some parties still had a costume party theme. For example Travis here, a very queer, blonde hair guy unable to find a good last minute costume. His queer friends specified, that it must be something straight-looking, destroying all his plans to go as one of his gay icons.

His look - bleached hair, round colourful glasses and his noticeable gay mannerisms complicated this task.

Travis decided to get inspired in the city, heading to the second hand costume thrift store. He dismissed the idea of going as someone in a uniform, revealing his chest, he was so shy about. The thrift shop manager came to assist him. Before he did, Travis noticed his homophobic looks he gave him, but decided not to make a scene. He really needed the costume.

The manager handed him a biker shirt. "Try it out. I got some other stuff here for you, that would fit you." Travis went to the booth to try it out. He took off his clothes, avoiding the mirror. The shirt slipped right on him, fitting him perfectly. Travis looked back at himself. "I feel so weird, egh. Straight people really have a weird taste."

Suddenly a hand moved the curtain. "It comes with a beanie, jeans and a jacket, I will get it ready for you, before you leave."

Travis felt a weird impulse in his head to take the hat from the guy. He put it on him.

Manager:"You look much better now, sir."

Travis felt as if his confidence was boosted somehow. He felt really good. But it scared him. He wanted to take off his new clothes to return them, but the manager noticed. "No, don't. I want you to have it."

Travis:"I... thank you. I don't know if this is the right fit."

Manager:"I'm sure it is. In fact, I think you look so good in it, I want you to keep it. Free of charge."

Travis struggled a bit financialy, so the fact that he wouldn't have to pay made him feel a bit calmer. "Really? Thank you so much."

They went to the cashier. Travis felt more and more confident in his new clothes. He didn't even notice, that he left his glasses in the booth.

Manager:"Ok, here is a bag for you. Oh, I see you're getting comfortable in your new outfit." manager pointed at Travis's hand in his pants

Travis was shocked to find his hand there, he didn't even notice that he did so. Actually he normally never would have done this. "I am so sorry, sir. I am not really sure what's happening to me right now."

Manager:"You're feeling great in your new costume. That's what this is. Ok, this should be all and you're set to go. By the way, I left a bit of a gift in the jacket for you to use later."

Travis thanked the manager and left the shop. He was so taken back by the fact that he was acting differently. He wasn't sure why, but there was no time to worry about that. There was a party he had to get to.

He threw the jacket in the backseat and sat in his car. He took off his new hat, but another shocked awaited him. "What the fact?! What happened to my hair?!?" his blonde hair turned to its original brunette. But that was not the only thing that changed, his beard grew a bit, giving him a scruffy look.

Travis looked at himself. If he wanted to pass as a straight biker, this would definitely be a good look for him. He didn't want to admit that out loud, but he kind of liked the new look, that the clothes gave him.

He remember the gift, the manager mentioned. He looked through the pockets of the jacket and found a few cigars. "What should I even do with this? I don't smoke..."

He played with the cigar in his hand and looked at his reflection. He placed it in his mouth and looked again. "Oh this looks even better. I'm gonna have the best costume out of all of them." he found a lighter in the same pocket a spontaneously light it.

Travis sat there, enjoying himself. The smoke filling his lungs and the car, the ash falling on his lap. He felt amazing. He didn't look like a fag anymore. He was a man now. Wait. Did he really think that about himself? What about his crush? His crush was a man. But he looked so much better as a biker now than before.

He looked at himself in his camre. He loved his new look. He wanted to be more and more confident. He loved this new rush that the clothes gave him. Maybe if he wore the jacket, he would feel complete. A proper MAN.

Travis reached to the back, the cigar still in his mouth. The jacket smelled like an ollder musky man. Travis was hard now. He was about to wear some other man's clothes. He was gonna be in the clothes that another man was.

The jacket was on and Travis was finally happy. His look was complete. Screw the party. He should be in a bar showing himself off to other people.

But while those tiny transformation took place, something else was happening. Travis didn't notice, that his will was weaker, someone wanted to have a turn in the spotlight. To control this new straight biker body. Travis, drunk by the confidence just simply let go. The force didn't feel dangerous, no. Something that made him feel this good wanted to enjoy the goods too.

Travis closed his eyes, but someone else opened them instead. An ominous gold glow appeared in Travis's eyes for a second.

"Daddy's home." the stranger said in Travis's voice making his voice sound deeper than before. He gave the cigar a large puff and then exhaled.

The stranger immediately grabbed his bulge.

"The fuck... he could have picked a better one. Mine was bigger." he looked at his reflection now.

"Not bad. Gonna give you some improvements and maybe I could keep being you."

Travis's body dialed a phone number. The name of the costume shop appeared above it.

"Hey, guess who's back?!"

Manager:"Finally. I wasn't sure he wouldn't throw the clothes away."

Stranger:"What happened to the original plan, huh? You promised me a hot jock to turn into a biker. This one looks like a fairy."

Manager:"He is one. But that makes it even better, right? We'll get to cancel out some votes as well. Anyway, go to my appartement. The rest of your stuff is still there."

Stranger:"Thank you, brother!"

2 weeks later

Travis was long gone. Or at least that's what Travis's friends told each other. It was something they told themselves to ignore the fact, that their originally queer friend was now a MAGA supporter and a cigar smoking, biker.

Fuck, Travis even changed his looks completely. Whatever happened to him changed him completely. He was now walking shirtless in a vest, very openly showing off his hairy chest, he shaved his head and even gave himself a goatee.

Meanwhile, Dale was now living his second chance at life. His brother helped him get a new body and turn it into a better version of him. He was happy to smoke cigars again, taste alcohol and fuck pussy as he did in his life before. So yeah, fuck the old Travis. Life is amazing!

A story for @hypnosmoke420 with his own original photos. How cool is that? :D

[swiftiefirefighters]

i really and truly think tommy could be it for buck romantically and he could really have his family in eddie and christopher and tommy and it can be such a beautiful fucking story that they tell us about platonic love and romantic love and how you don’t have have to choose and can have both and both can be special and important and, quite honestly, cosmic. like TO ME, and let me reiterate that this is my opinion and no one has to feel this way, but a story of eddie who’s spent years thinking he has to get over the love of his life or he can never really live, learning that he can be fulfilled with his love for his son and his love for buck and his love for the 118 even tho there isn’t some great love waiting for him would be a hugely beautiful story because there’s so much value in finding out that romantic love isn’t the be all and end all of relationships and connections and him finding a place with buck AND/OR buck and tommy outside of sex and romance (not that he should never or can never have those things but he doesn’t need them if he doesn’t want them and he shouldn’t settle or force himself because society and family keeps telling him that he has to) would be so lovely.

i just think qpr buddietommy with bucktommy would be a beautiful thing and i would be narratively satisfied if that’s where this went.

idk.

i just hope the writers consider it at the very least and don’t force a love interest for eddie because that’s what they “should” do.

and ftr, a buddie qpr story would be a queer story TO ME, and i would find comfort and representation in it so please don’t reblog this post or message me to tell me how wrong and bad this is because as an alloromantic in a qpr i don’t want to hear how my relationship doesn’t count. thanks.

[bunnidid-reviews]

Someone tagged me in this (thank you!) and I wanted to recommend some I really really like:

- Set This House In Order(A Romance of Souls) by Matt Ruff

A book written with so much care and attention to how DID truly is. The relationships in this book are so real, and it explores the complexities of healing in a very honest(sometimes brutally honest) way, that is just packed full of compassion for those with DID.

Tws include: verbal and physical abuse, sexual abuse details later in the book. Alcoholism also and a lot of deadnaming in the latter half

- Chasing Dawn: The Alters by Terra Katherine Mckeown

Contemporary adult fantasy about a changeling with DID. Each of her alters have differrnt powers and its SO COOL!! The relationships between parts really felt so real to me, and again this is a very compassionate and loving portrayal of DID.

Tws include: violence and organized ritual abuse. There are a few chapters about those scenes that are pretty explicit

Fractured Souls by Tyler Craig Nixon

This one is one of my most favorites I think, the book is written with so much love and care for people with DID. About a host and an introject part coming to love eachother very much, and a traumatic incident causing the whole system to be shaken up. Explores themes of what it means to be a new host and discover the system, as well as dormancy and healing together :) a lot of similar vibes to Set this house in order, but lighter and appropriate/relatable for younger audiences

Tws: drug abuse, nonexplicit violence and human trafficking

For a movie, check out What If It Works(2017)

A romance between a girl with DID and a guy with intense OCD and what it means to love and accommodate eachother’s difficulties with love due to more severe mental illnesses. I love this movie so much because they really do make it work in their own ways, and the director for the film has so much compassion and love for people with DID and more intense OCD, basing much of it off real experiences they’ve seen loved ones have

Tws: non-explicit but implied CSA, a car crash in the climax

———

What I love about all these recommendations is that they all come from a compassionate place of understanding, or seeking to understand those with the disorder. It reminds me that we as systems are lovable

Also every recc here has stuff to do with being accepting of queer characters too, which I find very fitting for stories about being lovable as you are

Sorry for hijacking the post, I hope these help if you want something lighter and less heavy on the mindfucky trauma stuff thats most easily found!!

Hi! I was wondering if you had any book recs for fictional books with plural characters/narrators? I feel like these are quite rare, so any genre is fine. Thank you so much!!

rare indeed - anon, if you're in a system, please consider writing this/encouraging friends to! there is a massive dearth of even non-canonically plural work out there.

below, i'm going to recommend some books that contend with multiplicity and plurality in a meaningful way, though honestly, apart from extremely harmful depictions of "multiple personality disorder" etc., I'm struggling to recall any book that explicitly 1) id's characters as plural and 2) does so in a positive/non-shitty way.

some plurality-flavored books:

Failure to Comply by Cavar. This is my book. I (we) wrote it as a plural-egg, and it's, uh. Well, it's not not obvious

Veniss Underground by Jeff Vandermeer

Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer

Embassytown by China Miéville

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky

Overall, I wish I could recommend more - or any - books with plural characters/narrators that were just...banal? Slice-of-life? Not purposefully trying to be a "mindfuck"? Don't get me wrong, I'm a mindfucky writer and reader. But I'd like to see books featuring systems with everyday problems, not trying to use plurality to make some grand genre-bending statement. So far, I haven't found anything (my own work included) that does this, but really hope that changes soon.

[respectthepetty]

The Loyal Pin - Episode 14

I was going to save this episode for last in my Sunday watching like I normally do, but if I'm going to be mad at Pin, I need to get it out of the way, so let me get this point out of the way as well - - -

WHAT IS PIN EVEN SAYING?!

If she thinks marrying a horrible man is her karma for breaking Anin's heart, you know what actually fix that? NOT MARRYING THAT MAN! Pin gives her reasons: she can't embarrass the family and taint their reputation, but like . . . SHE NEVER HAD TO MAKE THIS DECISION IN THIS FIRST PLACE! Anin doesn't give two fucks about anybody but her, and Pin is thinking about everyone else. She is saying she must now live in hell because she did make this decision, but she isn't the only one in hell because she damned both her and Anin to this sentence. Just because I understand her whys doesn't mean I have to like, and I. Don't. Like. It!

And to make me more upset is Pin being pressed about every girl who has been SUPPORTING Anin even though Anin has been a loyal Blue Beauty to Pin SINCE DAY ONE as if Pin ISN'T GETTING MARRIED IN A WEEK! My babygirl is too beautiful and too perfect to be dealing with this.

And that's why Penelope has no color!

I pray that I see Anin in pink by the end of this story, but right now, I'm proud of her for maintaining her color throughout all of this.

AND HER PETTINESS!

Because, in this house, I respect the petty!

Anin understands the importance of a queer community and my beautiful and perfect babygirl is helping her in her time of need just like Anin has helped her.

Yet Penelope is over there just looking miserable and colorless. Once again, I understand her, but what does she want Anin to do? Help her plan her wedding? Redecorate her bedroom, so her future husband will be comfortable in it?! I WANT ANSWERS, PENELOPE!

Of course this cabrón sucks. We've done been knowing that.

Anin ran IN HEELS to get that man, and if a woman is running in heels, you know that shit is serious. GET HIS ASS, POSH SPICE!

Anan sits at the table with To Sir, With Love's Yang as the best brother to ever exist in a QL because, unlike Anon, he does not trust Kuea because his ass IS NEVER AT WORK, which has been pointed out several times.

And he trusts what my girl Prik is saying about this very important matter because Prik has proven to be elite in getting information! Prik isn't a simple gossip. She is a chismosa and that takes skills.

This motherf*cker.

Not even seeing Pin in her and Anin's colors is making me happy right now. Anin's mom is in red, and the sight of Patricia is pissing me off that I'm seeing more red, so let's get back to murdering Kuea.

And this is what I mean by skills! Prik understands how to treat herself and how to make small talk! She doesn't look suspicious like rich chick Anin. No! She easily got the information and a snack by merely asking where that hot guy was today.

And even though Anin said "Yes, ma'am" slightly irritated when Prik told her to move, Anin better appreciate that without Prik's excellent talent, she wouldn't have known any of this. Prik didn't even have a car! She was just walking around and getting the chisme. The royals could NEVER!

THIS MOTHERF*CKER!

Girl, no! Just like Penelope, I get her reasoning, but this man done lied to you a million times. Your baby deserves better!

PATRICIA! I HATE YOU!

And now I am back where I started. Penelope believes Anin but will stay with Kuea because . . . reasons.

Anin is probably trying to figure out why she loves this pendeja so damn much. Girl, why we love the people we love just doesn't make sense sometimes. This is one of those times.

My Mexican grandmother is coming out in me because all I keep thinking is Penelope better be drinking lots of water if she wants to keep crying all these tears.

Prik telling Penelope that Anin left with Aon, then telling Penelope to smile shouldn't come across as Prik being loyal to Anin, but if I was Prik, I would get my digs in where I could too. I'm not romanticizing being poor, but that big bed in that big house ain't worth it, girl. Anin wanted YOU!

And now this is where my feelings get hurt by the colors, and I start singing Adele.

"WE COULD'VE HAD IT ALL, ROLLING IN THE DEEP!"

"NEVER MIND, I'LL FIND SOMEONE LIKE YOU! I WISH NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR YOU!"

THIS MOTHERFUCKER!

Anan, get up right now and smack your bother. My beautiful and perfect babygirl is right next to him and she will help you. Start a fight, so the wedding gets postponed.

I FUCKING HATE THIS!

Whew! That was an amazing hour of television. Blessed to be alive the same time this is airing.

[rainbowsky]

Heyy rainbowsky. I hope you're doing good. There's something that's been on my mind for a while regarding candies, esp the one regarding their social media and the ones that seem "intentional". Do you think these are directed at each other or to turtles. As a younger turtle I used to think it was for each other and would also see them as a stretch cause I couldn't see the point of putting so much effort in these if they were already together. But as I have taken a break and come back, (older and wiser i hope) and have myself found my footing in my queerness while still being largely closeted, I feel like I'm swaying more towards the latter. That they do this for the turtles, or more so for themselves and their identities. It's makes me think of how i wear a discreet rainbow bracelet as part of my everyday wear, ie, a quiet assertion of who i am to who is willing to see. What do you think about this? Also what do you think turtles represent for them? Do you also think for them, we are an escape from an otherwise homophobic and closeted world? I'd really like to know your perspective.

Hi Chaoticmoonlight! I'm getting by! I hope you're well, too! 😊

Well, these things don't have to be a case of either/or. They can serve multiple purposes at the same time. I think that when it comes to 'declarations of love', or a certain type of social media PDA in their posts (kadian, candies, etc.), it's almost always aimed at each other and at turtles simultaneously, as well as anyone else who knows them for who they are (friends, family, etc.).

If GG and DD want to send a message to each other, they can just pick up the phone. Doing so publicly or on social media inevitably involves an element of self-expression, and likely at times becomes a grander gesture because of the public nature of the message.

If a partner holds your hand at home, it's sweet. If they do it in public there's an added element of 'making a statement', of openly declaring their affection for you. This gesture can become more powerful as the risk of doing so increases.

I agree that it's also a lot like wearing a rainbow flag pin or carrying a rainbow tote bag, or all the other ways queer people express ourselves and show our colors. It's a way of being as open as possible about an important relationship, and about our identities.

I've posted about this a few times in the past. A very common misconception among most people - especially straight people, but even some queer people - is that closeted people will want to do everything in their power to hide their sexual orientation and relationship status/partner. I think this is a very misguided understanding of the closet.

People have a fundamental need to be seen, accepted and validated for who they are. It's not just a 'nice-to-have', it's something people truly need for their survival and well-being. People who don't get those needs met will generally not thrive, and will often suffer in deep and damaging ways.

A lot of people think the closet is a place where people go to stay safe, and therefore it's a 'safe space'. This is so untrue. The closet might be the best option among several bad options, but it's by no means a safe, happy place. It's often a place of loneliness, alienation, grief and pain. People don't generally stay in the closet because they're happy there - they stay there because coming out is more dangerous/scary than staying closeted.

The vast majority of people, if they knew that it was safe to come out, - that they'd be accepted, protected and respected - would do so in a heartbeat. But even from within the closet, there is still that need to be seen and known for who we are. Those needs don't go away just because someone is closeted.

Closeted people will often go out of their way to share as much as they possibly can about who they really are, right up to the line where they'd be fully outed.

Coming out is also not just a 'one and done' thing. It is a gradual process, and one that has to be repeated over and over again as the circle of 'those who know' expands over time. I talked about that in more detail here. The best way I can express it is to say,

people will be as 'out' as they are able to be at any given time.

For some people, being out among friends and family and showing some small under-the-radar expressions of Pride will be their personal safe limit. For others it might just be wearing a rainbow bracelet, or wearing their lover's scarf. That safe limit will often expand or shift over time. Sometimes it will even shrink. There's definitely such a thing as 'being thrown back/deeper into the closet'.

GG and DD are in the unique position of having millions of people who believe they're a couple. While I'm sure it sometimes makes their experience of being closeted that much more terrifying (considering their relationship is being talked about so openly), I suspect that in most cases it makes their experience of being closeted so much more bearable.

They might not be able to make a post sharing photos from a hiking trip they took together, but they can share enough information to ensure turtles know they took that trip (a special moment for both of them, not just turtles). They might not be able to post boasts and praise about their partner's successes and milestones, but they can in subtle ways express their joy so that those who know, know, and so their partner witnesses their praise. They might not be able to openly put their names side by side on charitable works, but turtles will do it for them.

It's not just the gesture itself that is sweet. As I said earlier, the public nature of it - the fact that others are witnessing it - adds to the power and significance of it. GG seeing DD wearing a #29 helmet for racing practice on GG's 29th birthday no doubt made GG smile, but it likely also made him doubly happy to see us freaking out over it, and knowing that someone out there knows DD was celebrating him.

As I have said in the past, I feel like turtles probably give them strength as they deal with their day-to-day experience of being closeted and apart most of the time. This is a sentiment LRLG has often expressed, too.

Wishing you strength and support on your journey as well, chaotic-moonlight. There's no right or wrong way to be queer, and no timeline we have to meet. Being closeted in no way invalidates who we are.

Related posts:

Closeted Relationships

Coming Out

What BXG Might Mean to GGDD

About Kadian

Sun Wenjing and coming out in less than ideal circumstances

[smaeemo]

On the topic of s8 buddie speculation, I think that it’s important to recognize that they are actual adults.

Like these are fully grown men, who are inherently recovering and still mentally growing, but they are not teens or even young adults at this point. With Tommy specifically, my guy Tommy is a fully grown 40 year old, comfortable stable person who is experienced and confident within his identity and relationship. And while Buck has always been a little more immature, he is growing and getting healither and healthier as the seasons progress.

So as of right now Bucktommy is ideal for the two of them, but when it comes to Eddie it is a completely different ordeal.

Eddie’s emotional and mental states are in crisis mode, with chris, SINCE shannon, PTSD, all of above. And with adding in Marisol, and specificlally his relationship with God, this is now a perfect avenue for his queer identity. HOWEVER, With the Chris timeline, there has to be closure on one before the other, most likely chris first.

Here’s what I think will happen BRIEF IDEA

Chris -> Eddie Queer -> Eddie realizes he loves Buck -> Bucktommy break up due to TOMMY realizing this -> Buddie fight -> Eddie & Tommy talk + Eddie and team talk (or carla)-> Buck realizes/eddie tells him(but not fully establishedor resolved) -> DRAMA UNRELATED -> Big emotional AGGHH (Possibly to do with Chris) -> resolve that issue -> Circle back to the topic of their love -> Buck talks to peeps -> DRAMA -> Buddie Canon

(Buck and Eddie can be interchanged in specific parts due to the general theme of the dramas or perhaps the “confession” of sorts)

However my point is…

- Tommy will not be a bad sport and is NOT a bad person or bad for Buck. Wrong person wrong time, but a lovely couple as of right now. Specifically for Buck’s development. (I really hope they strengthen and continue Tommy’s character because I love him, and because I don’t think he should be known exclusively as a catalyst for Buck’s identity, kind of like Taylor was :()

- For Buddie to go canon, the Chris issue has to be resolved first WHICH could come before or after Eddie’s queer realization. Specifically after, perhaps due to his repressed feelings and idenrity becoming a prominent figure in his self care, and willingness to change. AND let go of Shannon IN A HEALTHY WAY. (also parent stuff)

- This is not high school, they are adults. BUCK HAD HIS ARC!! Eddie needs to figure out his shit.

- They are flawed and complex characters, so while yes, this is 9-1-1 so it will be theatrical, it will not be immature.

- It will be MESSY and DRAMATIC and with REALISTIC (ish) themes

-> Think of Bathena, Henren, Madney

- Buddie is a longstanding want from the Fandom, ergo, if executed wrong, there will be an actual outrage (look at how they reacted to Tommy) so this was/will be a very complicated and complex writing!

- OR casually dropped in (I highly doubt this option)

- Most of all, Chris is the main priority within Eddie’s life, so the Chris Arc and EDDIES arc need to take place PRIOR to canonical Buddie.

- Buck has suspiiously not gone through anything this seaosn.. so keep an eye out for that…

- TOMMY IS NOT BAD. I REPEAT TOMMY IS NOT BAD.

-> Not the right longterm relationshup for either of them, but a HEALTHY one

- Buddie may not go canon this season, but it’s still possible THEY HAVE ALL THE BUILDING BLOCKS

- But on a more media related note, please take into account:

-> Actors comfort

-> ABC’s policies

-> And of course, plotline: due to the NATIONAL/GLOBAL want and demand for Buddie, this arc would over shadow most other arcs, so other character arcs need to take place, and really develop before canon buddie

-> Also, please be respectful of other people, actors, and of course writers. As viewers we don’t see so much, and of course all media can be intperetted in many various ways, and even if you don’t agree, please respect and have compassion for your fellow 9-1-1 enjoyers (specifically regarding all of the listed items).

Ok, Stay safe, stay respectful, stay on the watch for potential buddie themes, be patient and most of all, have compassion for all parties involved, fictional and production wise.

[waitmyturtles]

Hello hello! I really appreciate the civil discourse we're having about this topic in the reblogs and comments, and want to respond to a few points that have been made.

Very quickly before that, I also want to reiterate a point that I made in my first post, which is that this dialogue very much indicates that us fans of Thai BL (and fans of anything, anywhere!) bring in our various values of what we enjoy, and that our personal experiences of fandom and/or criticism highlights the conflicts of values that we have towards how we perceive and regard the media we're consuming. This is it right now, the manifestation of this conflict, and I think the writing and engagement we're doing is a lot of fun.

Going backwards on @invisiblegarters's response, I would like to respectfully disagree with the point that GMMTV is not a place to go to for high-quality drama media.

Bad Buddy, He's Coming To Me, Dark Blue Kiss, Theory of Love, 3 Will Be Free, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Moonlight Chicken! THE SHOWS, BABY! I love all of these incredible shows, and GMMTV MADE these incredible shows.

These are some of the best shows out there in this genre. They are, historically and genre-wise, many of the most important shows of this young genre. GMMTV has banked its reputation in large part on being a studio that CAN produce high-quality narrative media. I couldn't stop snapping away at photos of the awards Bad Buddy won when I visited the GMMTV building in Bangkok this summer.

@lurkingshan recently responded to an anonymous ask questioning why she watches and critically engages with GMMTV shows, and her response covers about every point I agree with in terms of why watching GMMTV shows is an VERY important action for ALL of us fans of Thai BL. GMMTV is the largest producer of Thai Series Y dramas, bottom line. With the premiere of SOTUS in 2016, GMMTV gave birth to the branded pair model, one that I indicate in my original post as being a major economic boon for the studio. Let me emphasize that this decision and economic revelation for GMMTV has clearly had impact across the ENTIRE genre, with other studios like Wabi Sabi, Dee Hup, Domundi, One31, Be On Cloud, TV Thunder, Kongthup, and countless other studios engaging in the same branded pair practice for a lot of their Thai BL drama media.

@lurkingshan also notes how very important it is for fans to engage with media at (healthy) levels of fandom AND critical engagement. It's incredible to think that Series Y is only a 10-year-old genre. It's a baby genre! And in Thailand, it's a very niche genre, compared to much more mainstream lakorns and other dramas. (I'll be writing soon about the impact of The Miracle of Teddy Bear as the first queer Thai primetime lakorn, and how Miracle's ratings, while low for a primetime lakorn, still far outperformed any one GMMTV drama, including Bad Buddy, which are seen in Thailand as still quite niche and small-market.)

I mention the age of the genre, because we are seeing SO MUCH experimentation, to this day, in this field. We're seeing, outside of Series Y, that queer themes can be popular in non-Series Y, primetime, mainstream dramas in Thailand and internationally, like 2022's Khun Chai. Series Y is also attracting mainstream talent back INTO its niche genre, which we recently saw with lakorn actor Jes Jespipat joining the cast of 4 Minutes.

Series Y has had a lot of impact ACROSS Thailand's media landscape, artistically and economically, and that is just very indicative of both the soft AND the hard power this genre has. Because of GMMTV's largesse and presence in this field, it's absolutely critical that both fans AND media offer critical engagement of the growth and success of this genre vis à vis engagement with individual shows, to demarcate the importance of this genre in the spaces of mainstream and queer media both.

I appreciate your point, @invisiblegarters, about being on the fence in predicting THK's narrative, artistic success as a cohesive drama. I myself am not planning on watching THK, because I literally still have PTSD from what I perceived to be the disingenuous narrative failures of Only Friends. Jojo Tichakorn shared in interviews during the course of the airing of Only Friends that the series was being edited as the show was airing, in part informed by fan discourse on social media. I myself will therefore not make assumptions about the narrative success of THK right now, as it very well may change during its airing.

@quaintrelle17, thanks for your comment! I will absolutely take any drama seriously, from romcoms, to mysteries, to family dramas, all of 'em.

Am I watching Kidnap for half-naked Ohm Pawat, as @invisiblegarters noted in the Kidnap trailer? Totally -- I hold myself totally, totally accountable to this. Do I also take seriously that Kidnap is a narrative failure, having long lost on various important points that could have been wound into a much more interesting plot than what we're currently watching? Absolutely. I take it very seriously, because narrative mediocrity is something that happens, a lot, in all kinds of art, and we're seeing mediocre, narrative failures trending at GMMTV at the moment. (I recall the excitement of the premiere of My Love Mix-Up Thailand here on Tumblr, only to see a trickle of engagement by the show's end.)

Remember, again, GMMTV is the biggest producer of Series Y in Thailand. They're tastemakers, and they're an economic powerhouse in the genre. GMMTV has signed a good chunk of the Studio Wabi Sabi guys -- that's how powerful the studio is. To create a trend on promoting shows that are narratively questionable is an important artistic AND business decision that GMMTV makes based against the risks and calculations that the studio is balancing regarding making money off of these shows that will eventually premiere anyway.

Again, here's a conflict of values. Some fans don't mind narrative inconsistencies, and others do mind it, and have critical thoughts on it. @invisiblegarters values complex characters, as stated in their reblog, and I value narratively cohesive scripts. We disagree -- and that is totally okay, wonderfully okay, for what each of us values, and decides to comment on publicly.

For those of us reading and engaging in this thread: have there been GMMTV shows that you yourself have been disappointed by? Think about why that is! And it's wonderful and great to critically engage about it, if you decide to go that route.

@firstkanaphans, thanks for your comment! I'm so in love with the Thai Series Y genre that I've devoted an entire historical viewing project to it, my Old GMMTV Challenge. Completing this syllabus is also a confirmation of my very obvious love for romantic shows. I love romance dramas, especially when they are narratively cohesive and successful.

@firstkanaphans, I don't know Jojo Tichakorn personally or parasocially, so I'm not sure what insults him or not. However, from the tone of your comment, I'd like to highlight an important point of artistic production and critical engagement of that art: when artists produce art, there is an important public engagement to that art that artists need to be aware of and prepared for.

Jojo Tichakorn is active on social media, as many of us are aware of, and he'll often retweet reaction videos to his shows. In other words: he is well aware that there is criticism of his shows. He's responded to negative tweets about Only Friends in the past, most recently in light of Only Friends winning awards, and fans on Twitter being critical about it.

There is an entire, gigantic body of scholarship about the intermingling of artists producing art, and the subsequent creation of that art producing criticism. (The very basic linked Wikipedia article notes the economic tension between artist and critic regarding promotion of art, which is highly relevant to this conversation we are having.)

What would jazz music be without critic Nat Hentoff and his seminal books, including Jazz Is? I don't want to imagine it. I learned about jazz through Hentoff's critical writing about the genre and the artists producing jazz art at its finest. While the art itself is intoxicating, Hentoff's own reverence and criticism for the art, and the producers of that art, are now seen as also historically important to the genre itself.

I ain't comparing myself to Nat Hentoff. But there are critics I've read for most of my life -- Hilton Als, Anthony Lane, Pauline Kael, A.O. Scott and Mahnola Dargis, Michiko Kakutani -- that give me as much joy for their reflections on art as the art itself. Hilton Als is an utter legend in his own right, an incredibly important figure in New York theater criticism, and his reflections on New York during and after the AIDS crisis are must-reads for any of us interested in global queer media.

I will assume Jojo Tichakorn is a sophisticated enough man to know that his art is subject to criticism vis à vis fans and paid writers both; and he's well aware, as indicated in his own social media postings, to react to that feedback by editing his shows extremely close to their airing. In other words, there is a tension between the artist creating art, and letting that art go to the public for a reception of feedback, a tense cycle that he's aware of. He is a grown man, and I would not assume his being insulted for a process of artistic reception that he himself is subjecting himself to by producing art.

And we, as fans, should hold OURSELVES responsible, for the effect that critical takes on our beloved shows might have on US -- which I believe is a process we're witnessing on this thread.

Finally, I wanted to give big ups to @my-rose-tinted-glasses's tags, because as I wrote in my rewatch review of The Eclipse for my OGMMTVC, I do not bemoan artists needing to make coin. If producing dramas that are economically successful, but are not entirely artistically cohesive, still makes a bottom line for these artists, then so be it. If this is work the artists need to do that studios will buy, in order to make a living, then that's an economic reality that all of us fans have to live by, no matter the artistic outcome of a specific piece itself.

I think I covered everything, whew! I'm glad to engage on this, and to discuss, critically, this young genre of dramas.

Hey,

I'm not 100% sure how this works. Also this is more of an opinion than a question. I just feel the need to brain dump. You are under no obligation to reply. 😁

I fear that First and Khaotung are being wasted at/by GMMTV. They're both stellar actors and seem to have the sensibilities to tackle more serious material.

I feel like coming off Not Me, the themes in The Eclipse kinda went over my head. My fear was and still is that I didn't understand all the nuances. And that's why I felt like the show was lacking. Also I think the very first preview set it up as an entirely different show (more supernaturalmystery/thriller) in my head, so there was a disconnect there as well.

Their next project was Moonlight Chicken where both of them shined as actors but negligibly as a BL pairing. Having said that, they seem to be on very solid ground in the BL fandom - I am referring to their fan meets.

Only Friends was a masterclass of acting as far as FirstKhaotung were concerned (i was all about Ray and Sand), but I think the overall reputation as show that fell flat on its face overshadowed or at least took away (for me) from the gravity of FK.

And now we're here. With The Heart Killers and I am very wary of how Ota all going down. I see that the final trailer got over million views and I'm happy for them, but based on I think the absolute travesty that was OF, my expectations for this show are on the ground.

I really want more of an insight into how projects are picked up and distributed inside GMMTV (if you ha e any, I'm dying to know). I feel like they would benefit greatly from being on a show like PS I Hate You or something like Peaceful Property.

It feels like they're backsliding in terms of material given. Which I am sure is a) not their fault and b) me possibly being weird and dramatic in the wee hours of the morning. But I wanted to get it off my chest and I was reading your previous reviews when I felt, and then gave into the impulse to write to you.

Also I'm a MaxTul girly too and somehow, you made me want to give Make it Right another chance.

Have a great week ahead and keep up the absolutely exceptional work! ❤️

NIHILISTIC! It's great to hear from you! And thank you for the compliments!

TW for girlies out there who are not Nihilistic: this post will contain criticisms of The Heart Killers trailer. Read at your peril, delicate hearts!

I'll go backwards to save the biggest stuff for last. If you write anything about Make It Right, please tag me! @bengiyo and I always give a little DJ air horn to each other when we've nabbed another one into the broader cultural reconsideration of this AMAZING show. MaxTul, man. Nobody beats them! (Okay, almost, Tul admits he wasn't the strongest actor, but. We'll let it slide, dahling!) Chemistry, humor, pride representation, everything, they're great. I yelped when I saw them in Triage!

Okay, so you are a FirstKhao girlie, and you're worried about what The Heart Killers bodes. (Out of transparency, I have The Heart Killers tag filtered because of Only Friends PTSD. I'm gonna filter my own post!) For you, Nihilistic, I just watched the trailer for it.

I will get to all your questions about the GMMTV model in a moment.

Now, out of even MORE transparency, I am watching the MESS that is Kidnap right now, and listen, it's NOT GOOD. I'm fucking not even writing about it anymore, I'm just reblogging the sessy gifs. I am watching it to support Ohm Pawat, and am hoping that this partnership with Leng Thanaphon will hopefully lead to better scripts.... somewhere. (Or at least, better scripts for Ohm at a place like One31 or Channel 3. I also hope Ohm keeps up his anti-branded pair stance, but if GMMTV forces him to pair permanently with Leng, it won't be a fucking surprise, and more on that below.)

To focus specifically on THK for a sec: the THK trailer evoked a lot of what's gone utterly wrong in Kidnap for me. I think writing Thai BL/Series Y scripts to be different, fresh, and innovative, is just going to be really fucking hard, especially for stories featuring branded pairs that MUST end up together in the end. Because we, the viewers, KNOW that they MUST end up together in the end, what kind of mystery and conflict can a script convincingly evoke to keep us, the viewers, engaged and interested in the drama?

A few of us Ohm girlies were excited that Kidnap could have had non-romantic plot points (CRIME!!!) to drive concurrently with a romance plot. There are Series Y that have done this BEAUTIFULLY, particularly Sammon's stories of Manner of Death and Triage.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't get that from the THK trailer, and that THK smells a lot like Kidnap to me. The trailer itself is giving an indication that the "jobs" these guys have as double agents are going to be compromised due to them falling in love. And after the debacle that was Jojo Tichakorn's Only Friends -- a show premised on the exploration of mean, icky, really horny humans, a great place to start an interesting show! -- knowing that THK will HAVE to end up in a romantic place, with FK and JoongDunk being in memorable and memeable entwinements... that's a lot to ask of a show that already isn't making sense by drive, emotion, and tone in its trailer alone. What matters more to these characters? Their work, or their need to be in monogamous relationships? Seems like the latter to me by way of the trailer, which makes me wonder what the point of the plot is. (Joong's chest, probably.) (Gahddayum.)

(I haven't watched the latest episode of Jack & Joker, btw, but I understand that THIS WEEK's episode is ALSO going through something similar, with dead-end and uncommitted plot points all to get to a kiss. Oy.)

To summarize these points and to touch at your question about how GMMTV chooses scripts: GMMTV has an economic model to sell in giving happy endings to their branded pairs, which I wrote about at length in my Old GMMTV Challenge rewatch of The Eclipse. No matter where a script goes, the ending must be memorable and monogamous to satisfy the retweeting hunger of the branded pairs' fandoms, in order for GMMTV's artists to increase online engagement and to maintain earned media values to sell products.

The wonderful @flowerbeasblog noted to me recently that Tha Sataporn, the CEO of GMMTV, said in an interview that as the productions of Series Y in Thailand continues to increase, there is a greater need for more scriptwriting talent across this niche genre, creating competition for more excellent writing. (By comparison, in the States, when streaming services like Netflix and Hulu starting commissioning more original series just about a decade ago, the demand for scriptwriters and excellent writing also went up by incredible scale -- only to come crashing down recently with pandemic and strike-related losses in revenue.) GMMTV's recently announced script competition, Y Find, updated itself last week with a notice that the company would need more time to sift through scripts to judge. In other words: the demand for creative plots is so high at this company that they are literally fielding entries from the general public.

At the same time, Tha Sataporn has been blunt in indicating that "good shows" are not the priority of his GMMTV, and that talent, management, and engagement are his indicators of success. So, economically -- as long as a show hits that happy ending, and gets the girlies excited online with commentary and purchasing power, then the studio has won, in GMMTV's eyes.

ULTIMATELY, Nihilistic: what we are dealing with regarding your concern, as fans and/or critics of Series Y shows, is a conflict of values, among critical fans like ourselves, other fans who only watch shows for romance and shipping, and the economic bottom lines of the studios/agencies themselves. Some of us just want narratively good scripts, like Bad Buddy or He's Coming To Me. Others are content with having a show end with their fave pairs confirmed together in the end, no matter the process of how they got there. Those are different values we hold in watching shows. I appreciate that while you're a fan of the FK branded pair, that you want stronger scripts for them. I do, too, but that's not a value that every fan -- and GMMTV itself -- holds. And I believe that's why we've been seeing more and more mediocre scripts from that studio in particular.

I actually want to note maybe something positive about FirstKhao. Other than The Eclipse, it seems like they haven't been locked into high school or university settings. Only Friends, Moonlight Chicken -- these are shows that show First's and Khao's characters as young adults, and THK is going there, too. I hope they can avoid the university settings as they continue to work.

Is stellar acting wasted at GMMTV? Oh, yes. Besides First and Khao, who I truly think are good actors, we have Gun Atthaphan, Nanon Korapat, and Ohm Pawat -- these three guys are on my list of the best Thai actors out there who have done BL, and they haven't had great scripts in years. (Gun, arguably, has had the best pickings of decent shows recently in Cooking Crush and The Trainee, but they weren't high art; and Nanon's Dirty Laundry was the last Jojo script I was truly impressed by.) All three of these guys were in MOVIES at one point. Those ambitions, on behalf of these actors by GMMTV, seem to have gone by the wayside in preference for a huge economic push to boost branded pair-based series insteads, with their plot holes and guaranteed romances.

I hope the genre's tide turns for the sake of quality scripts, especially at GMMTV, but my hopes are low for this agency at the moment. My joy in Thai shows recently has been in watching past shows for my OGMMTVC. I've been on a lakorn kick lately, having watched The Miracle of Teddy Bear and I'm looking forward to watching Khun Chai soon. Other agencies and studios, like One31 and Channel 3, are breathing down GMMTV's neck and producing more interesting shows, sometimes with branded pairs and sometimes not. Triage only came out two years ago, and that show's trilogy (along with Manner of Death) will end with this year's airing of Spare Me Your Mercy, starring the very likely one-time pair of Tor Thanabob and JJ (Jaylerr) Krissanapoom, two gigantic artists in Thailand who are circling BACK towards the much smaller genre of Series Y for SMYM's sake. I have VERY high hopes and expectations for that show -- and that show is well out of the purview of GMMTV.

I think what you're smelling about the THK trailer is right, Nihilistic -- to me, the trailer isn't cohesive, and jumps already to its forgone conclusion of a romantic end. Unfortunately, for those of us familiar with Jojo Tichakorn's work, we know that if he was given more leeway, he'd likely come up with something more interesting. But now that he has to work with branded pairs -- who are shipped in the eyes of their fan beholders -- he's got a lot less room to be creative and interesting, which ultimately stifles the otherwise excellent acting we'd see from these young men.