#I LOVE TRAGIC GAY LIONS

[bearitual]

i know all three bravelands fans got my back!!!

ruthless & valor headshots + gay lion tragic love story

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

orphaned cannibal adoption AU- Charlie BURSTING in the hotel front doors, striking the iconic lion king pose, and proudly presenting the cannibal kid to the other hotel denizens

Charlie: "GUYS OH MY GOSH LOOK LOOK LOOK!" (waggles the kid happily) "A KID!!!!!!!!! Kid, say hi!"

Cannibal Kid: “Hi…”

Husk: "What the fuck is this? Child labor??"

Vaggie: "No."

Cannibal Kid: (dangling in Charlie’s grip) "I'm VERY high up right now."

Charlie: "Do you like it? The hotel? The high up-ness? The other people living here? We can change ANYTHING you like! You are my child now, and I'm melting like silly putty in your tiny, tiny hands!"

Angel Dust: "Thrillin', toots. Who carried."

Cannibal Kid: "Small hands are useful for getting things out of tight spaces."

Charlie: "I did!"

Vaggie: "Do I wanna know what kinds of things you usually get from what kinds of spaces?"

Angel Dust: "Huh. Would'a thought it'd be Vaginal Area over here."

Cannibal Kid: "Internal organs. From still warm bodies."

Vaggie: "Great."

Charlie: "I carried our new kid here ALLLLLLL the way from Cannibal Town! On my shoulders! Just like how my dad used to do with me!! Only I didn’t turn into a horse or a kangaroo or-"

Niffty: "Aww, that's a long way to walk!" (raises hand) "THEY CAN SNACK ON MY HAND IF THEY'RE HUNGRY!"

Vaggie: "Niffty, Rosie packed a lunch."

Niffty: "NOOOOOOOO...!!!"

Vaggie: "And it's adoption, Angel Dust you asshole. Also try keeping the swearing to a G rating okay."

Husk: "You fucking first."

Vaggie: "Fuck."

Cannibal Kid: "Don't worry. Auntie Rosie taught me to only put nice things in my mouth."

Charlie: "Ooooh like candy?!" (realizing cannibal) "Or, wait-"

Cannibal Kid: "Like eyeballs."

Husk: (SNORTS)

Angel Dust: "Ouchie~"

Vaggie: "What? What? Wanna share something with the room, dingbat!?"

Angel Dust: "I meannnnnn- 's not like you're exactly well equipped to feed your new kid, are ya Vagginator? That's kinda... EYE-ronic."

Husk: (snorts so hard his fur fluffs up)

Niffty: "I have an eye I HAVE AN EYE!!! It's BIG and ROUND and-"

Vaggie: "No."

Cannibal Kid: "Aw."

Niffty: "MOTHERFUCKING DAMNIT!!!!!"

Vaggie: "Oh for- Husk, just, break a bottle and let Niffty have the glass or something. This is too much sudden family bonding happening right now."

Husk: "Let me fucking empty one first." (starts chugging)

Vaggie: (SIGHS)

Charlie: "Right." (lowers kid to eye level) (her eye level, not vaggie’s) "Have you ever heard... of gummy worms?"

Cannibal Kid: "No. But I ate someone named Gary Wormwood once."

Charlie: "That's pretty close!"

Vaggie: "Sweetie, no it's not."

Charlie: "Vaggie, as the mothers, our kid's 'best so far' is always more than good enough for us, it's AMAZING."

Cannibal Kid: "He wasn't that great."

Angel Dust: "Leavin' totally mid Gary to rot somewhere back in creepy Cannibal Town, what's the name of your own sweet little murder baby?"

Vaggie: "..."

Charlie: "...."

Vaggie: "Uh.... Charlie, are you gonna...?"

Charlie: "I mean you're the one who clicked with them, I thought you'd be doing the big introductions!"

Vaggie: "I'd love too, sweetie, but I don't actually... y'know."

Charlie: "What?"

Vaggie: “…um.”

Angel Dust: "...you don't know their fuckin' name, do ya?"

Charlie: "WHAT!?"

Vaggie: "It, it never came up! I thought I'd find out when you said it!"

Charlie: "I THOUGHT I'D FIND OUT WHEN YOU SAID IT, TOO!!!"

Angel Dust: "Oh fuck me with a plastic dick- Neither of ya's gay morons know's the kid's name???"

Cannibal Kid: "It's Annie."

Charlie: "!! ANNIE IM SO SORRY MOM WILL NEVER NOT KNOW YOUR NAME EVER AGAIN-"

Annie: "Short for Annabelle."

Hotel Crew: “……”

Vaggie: "....like, Annabelle the… cannibal?"

Annie: "Tragically."

Charlie: "Oh but that's. A. Lovely name."

Annie: "My dead parents thought they were both really funny." (flat stare) "They weren't."

Angel Dust: “Sucks to be you, kid. Sorry ‘bout your old man and lady.”

Annie: “It’s okay. They didn’t own a hotel.”

Charlie: “Ahhaha! This is a horrible thing to say, but- I feel like your FIRST life changing experience with us will be learning the true meaning of family!”

Annie: “Since you’re the princess of hell, what does that make me?”

Vaggie: “A normal kid who’s mom is princess of hell.”

Annie: “Dang.”

Angel Dust: “Oh I’m gonna LOVE bein’ your uncle! You’ve got piz-zazz don’t ya~?”

Annie: “No.” (pulls Razzle out from under their coat) “His name’s Razzle.”

Angel Dust: “That ain’t exactly what I meant-”

Annie: “I know. I was just being funnier than you.”

Husk: “Ha! Now this is MY kinda kid!”

Angel Dust: “Yeah sure whatever, I’m still gonna be a waaay cooler uncle than you, so… uhhh… Vaggie-boner, why’s your girlfriend making that noise?”

Vaggie: “The ‘eeeeee’ing?”

Angel Dust: “Yeah.”

Vaggie: “It’s one of her happy sounds.”

Angel Dust: “What the fuck is she so happy about. Didn’t she get over the whole burst of motherly endorphins thing while signin’ adoption papers over in Eats-your-face-burg?”

Vaggie: “I mean, you did kinda just make it sound like you think of her as family.”

Angel Dust: “Of course you gays are family! What the fuck???”

Husk: “….you fucking idiot. Now you’ve made them both cry.”

Niffty: “I wish that was meeee…”

Annie: “I think they’re tears of joy." (dabs tear on finger and tries it) "Tastes like it, anyway. Too sweet.” (pulls face) "Blegh."

Niffty: “Emotional pain from the AGONIZING realization of everything that’d been CUT AWAY FROM YOU LIKE A KNIFE TO YOUR HEART at the same moment someone VIOLENTLY SHOVES a brand new PAINFULLY BEATING HEART into the EMPTY CAVITY that used to hold your BRUTALLY CRUSHED DREAMS… can be fun too…”

Angel Dust: “….”

Husk: “….”

Annie: “Aunt Niffty, you’re so cool.”

Niffty: “Really!? I’m also gonna let you play with KNIVES!!!”

Angel Dust: “-no, no you won’t. No. Both of ya’s listen carefully- the word of the day is ‘N’… ‘O’.”

Annie: “Knife starts with a ‘K’.”

Husk: “He wasn’t spelling knife.”

Annie: “He could've been if he’d started it with a ‘K’.”

Charlie: “YOU ALL ALREADY S-SOUND JUST LIKE A FAMILY WAAAAAGH!!!”

Annie: "So is this the true meaning of family?"

Vaggie: "It's....close enough."

Annie: “Okay. I like it here, tall mom. It’s soggy, because you’re crying on me, but it’s nice.”

Charlie: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- YOU CALLED ME M-MOM-”

Vaggie: “There-there, sweetie. Maybe try to not break our kid’s eardrums on the first day?”

Husk: “You’re still crying out of your one fucking eye-”

Vaggie: “Shut up.”

[kismetconstellations]

@sockdooe You absolutely do not need to apologize, ever, for "dumping" rants in the tags of my posts. I happen to love reading everything you have to say, and look forward to these "dumps", every time I see your username pop up in my notifications.

People are allowed to write and headcanon whatever they want (Looking at you, "Black Paladin Lance" AUs), but, it's concrete, indisputable canon that the Black Lion and Shiro had the strongest bond of any human Paladin and Lion pair.

Yes, Lance was the first to have a connection with a Lion, and the Red Lion came to Keith's aid of her own volition, just as the Green Lion likewise rushed to protect Pidge. That in no way negates just how much focus was given to building Shiro's bond with Black, and establishing him as the Paladin she chose, because they understood, valued, and trusted one another. Sure, the Black Lion absorbing Shiro into her inner quintessence might very well be a reference to the episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion where Shinji Ikari's body is similarly absorbed by his EVA Unit. Goodness knows there are plenty references to NGE and other anime scattered about. Shiro's Season One/Two design seems to have taken some heavy inspiration from Guts- shock of stress-induced white on a head of black hair, strong, square jaw, prosthetic arm, distinct lateral scar across the bridge of his nose-

-and he was originally intended to marry Roy Focker.

Nevertheless, it speaks volumes that this ancient, sentient force looked at a traumatized, battle-scarred, yet still extraordinarily gentle man with blood on his hands, sins to atone for, and feelings of self-loathing and desperation to prove himself worthy, prove that every fight in the Arena and every life he took to keep himself alive, every precious second of time he was able to steal back from Death's inescapable grip meant something if he can do good with all of the evil that has touched him, permeating the very essence of his being, and decided Him. He's the one I want. To the point of holding onto whatever she could of him after he died.

And, as much as this show tried to undermine that with Keith and the Clone Shiro being able to pilot the Black Lion, and later showing the previous Paladins also being preserved by their Lions' quintessence- inside of Haggar/Honerva's mind, despite the fact that she killed them outside of their Lions, because Season Eight's writing is an absolute convoluted mess- it will never, ever diminish the fact that Shiro is so special, not one, but two magic-powered sentient spacecrafts adopted him as their Person.

(I do wish the Atlas's interior wasn't so dark, dreary, and dull, though. They couldn't have given this poor man a ship with white walls and turquoise accents, or something? It had to be dingy gray and Galaxy Garrison orange?)

Even if we ignore the fans who hyperfocus on Lance and Keith, determined to turn them into the ultimate tragic heroes/victims of the universe/hyper-competent badasses/supremely empathetic Hearts of the Team (sorry, but that title belongs to Hunk. It will always belong to Hunk)/discount Shiros, the treatment of Shiro by the fandom has, since its inception, been dubious, at best.

He's a cheerleader for Keith/Lance. He's an obstacle to Keith/Lance, so we'll pair him off with Allura. No, wait, never mind, he's twenty-five, and therefore, absolutely off limits to every single one of the Paladins, and Allura, as a potential romantic partner, and anyone even slightly okay with one of these ships deserves to be harassed and indiscriminately labeled a "pedophile", including Shiro's voice actor. (We'll completely overlook, of course, that Keith is also a legal adult, and shipping him with any of the younger Paladins should, by those standards, be verboten, as well.) Shiro is the "Token Gay" who we'll cast aside in favor of Keith and/or Lance, but throw him the meagerest scrap of bone in the form of pairing him off with either the (dead) man who canonically ended their relationship on poor terms because he couldn't handle the emotional strain of another one of Shiro's medical scares, or the piece of glorified set dressing with no personality to speak of who Shiro barely interacts with, and whose name is never once spoken onscreen. Wait, no, Shiro's actually not gay enough (because he's not a mincing, flamboyant stereotype?), so we'll complain that we were "queerbaited" over a ship featuring a canonically heterosexual teenage boy that was never, ever going to happen.

And, the fans who do gravitate toward Shiro tend to sexualize him to the extent of discarding- or fetishizing- his trauma to get him naked and railing (in the most Out of Character portrayal imaginable), or being railed by, their character of choice as swiftly as possible.

Disgusting.

I can only hazard a guess that Shiro has been afflicted with so much extensive, irreversible trauma, fanfiction authors who are simply writing for fun with the intention of living vicariously through these characters don't want to have to confront the ugly, less than titillating reality of that trauma, or so much as touch it with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. So, they choose to pretend it doesn't exist, or gloss over it, in exactly the manner the show, itself, does. This includes his illness, which, if we take Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos at their word, was written into Shiro's character from conception, along with his homosexual identity.

"I think a lot of his backstory was created independently, even from his sexual orientation, ‘cause that was just a part of who he was but it wasn’t necessarily a discovery moment. So the vast majority of the conversations of his backstory were around figuring out what else is there, the illness and those aspects of it. Him being gay was just something that we had always wanted to do with him from early on."

And, in the case of fans who try to turn their favorites into Shiro, which is one of the strangest, most inexplicable phenomena I have ever encountered in all of my years on the internet in fandom spaces- why designate a character as your favorite if you desperately need them to be someone else, instead of accepting them as they are?- they have to be slapping a prosthetic on those characters purely for the cheap angsty aesthetic.

Which is to be expected when people steal distinct traits from another character to apply to their favorite like a patchy, uneven coat of paint layered over top of what was already there. They don't understand why that other character had those traits, to begin with. They, presumably, see Shiro with his scars, his personal history with Sendak, Haggar, and Zarkon, the three most powerful and intimidating villains in the series, the physical and emotional evidence of the experimentation and torture Shiro was subjected to while in captivity, his relationship with the Black Lion, his irreplaceable presence and role on the team as a firm but gentle guiding light, and decide, "That's unique and makes him stand out as someone special and important. My favorite deserves to be special and important, too! So, I'll take what he has and give it to them!" It really is like a kid wanting another kid's favorite toy because their own isn't "good enough", and I can honestly say I've never seen this sort of behavior in any other fandom. If Lance and Keith fans, as they tend to be the prime perpetrators, recognize that Shiro has innate narrative significance and desirable qualities, why not adopt him as their favorite, instead?

It all comes back to the fanbase's rampant ageism, the ages of the fans, themselves (you'd have to be pretty darned young to think a twenty-five year-old is old enough to be a teenager's "dad"), and, I think, the fact that Shiro is a conventionally masculine gay man, rather than a skinny twink, so it isn't as easy to project more effeminate characteristics onto him.

Lance uses skin masks and moisturizes.

Shiro either doesn't sleep, or wakes up inhumanly early to do push-ups.

Characters with more reserved, subdued personalities also tend to be cast aside and written off as "boring" in favor of overtly loud, flashy, mostly comic relief ones. There is nothing wrong with preferring one or the other, and both have their place, especially in stories aimed at child audiences where a bit of levity is necessary after watching characters go through high stakes and intense emotional strain. But, it has always been my opinion that people who overlook the guarded, noble, self-sacrificing leaders who voluntarily bear the weight of the world on their shoulders have poor taste. That sort of frank dismissal demonstrates an unwillingness to peer past the supposedly "uninteresting" surface and see what makes these characters pillars of leadership, virtue, and heroism, in the first place.

Like reaching out to a kid the rest of the world has given up on, and offering him a helping hand.

Like being willing to paint yourself as a bloodthirsty savage and attacking a scared friend to keep him out of a fight where he surely would have lost his life.

Like offering encouragement, guidance, and support to the people in your care, so they come to trust you as a friend, and confidante.

And, never hesitating to protect someone who can't protect themselves.

Takashi Shirogane is beautiful, inside and out.

The "fans" who don't understand or appreciate that, and especially the ones who think this show could have possibly stood to benefit from killing him permanently, have objectively rancid opinions. And, should almost definitely steer clear of trauma survivors, because they fail to understand what Shiro means to us as a representation of the kind of person we all could be if we're willing to never give up on ourselves, and try.

Let him be showered in all of the tender forehead kisses, get to sleep on the comfiest plush mattress, and be surrounded by an army of soft and fluffy plushies. Forever and ever.

[salvadorbonaparte]

2023 in Films

I watched way too many films this year. Here are my opinions on some of them

January

Las Cosas Del Querer (1989) - Amazing if you love sad hot people and flamenco

Canadian Bacon (1995) - Incredibly silly and Alan Alda plays the US president

Nope (2022) - A highlight of the year

February

Hellraiser (1987) - This film is actually about miscommunication in this essay I will-

Predestination (2014) - Time Travel and Gender Moments

Malignant (2021) - Camp horror masterwork

Late Phases (2014) - Mediocre werewolf film with some really interesting comments on ageism, ableism, suburbia and religion

March

Sterne (1959) - Plays into some problematic stereotypes from today's perspective but revolutionary for its time, first German film to address the Holocaust

Major League (1989) - A film I only watched to confirm that it uses a weird phrase I also found in my thesis project

Carry On Screaming (1966) - Camp. Gay. Horror. Parody.

Glen or Glenda (1953) - A product of its time and no longer up to date in its understanding of gender but surprisingly revolutionary in its compassion and earnestness despite the bad reviews

April

Taxi Driver (1976) - Isn't it frustrating when annoying people tell you a film is good and then it's actually good?

June

Mr Deeds Goes To Town (1936) - Mr Deeds has autism swag

El Espíritu de la Colmena (1973) - I really wanted to like this because civil war era Spain and Frankenstein are super up my alley but unfortunately it was so much slower than expected

Das Boot (1981) - Very long and claustrophobic but holds up to the hype

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) - RIP King

July

Nimona (2023) - His big wet eyes bewitched me

First Blood (1982) - You're telling me the film is about Americans fighting an enemy they view as simultaneously weak and dangerous, escalating the situation, and then sending more and more men into a rainforest to die through guerilla warfare after being warned again and again they can't win this? sounds familiar

Barbie (2023) - Insert a bunch of pink emojis

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - Made me crave bagels

Jojo Rabbit (2019) - God I love war satires

Sweet Liberty (1986) - Alan Alda having fun and also using his own film as a therapy session

The Majestic (2001) - A rewatch but it's so tragically underrated, Jim Carrey is very good in dramatic roles and McCarthy-era media is like catnip for me

Joker (2019) - This is just Taxi Driver with extra steps

August

Tin & Tina (2023) - Probably one of the worst films I have seen in a while

Battle of the Sexes (2017) - I love women

Four Lions (2010) - The ending really got me, I love when satire gets serious

The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (1979) - Can we talk about how the theme song is just going "I'm the sheriff" "yes you're the sheriff"

Happiness (1998) - Nauseating but in a "good film but what the fuck" way

They Call Him Bulldozer (1978) - Italian Lagaan

The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) - Sad and Gay

Twister (1996) - So much better than expected

Magnolia (1999) - Cloudy with a chance of frogs, a really long but really good film and I'm not entirely sure I got it

Doubt (2008) - Somehow I watched 5 films with Philip Seymour Hoffman that month because I was haunted by his ghost or something

September

The Terminal (2004) - I assumed this to be more of a classic romcom but the whole concept (based on a true story) is so terrifying and tragic that it made me feel all emotions at once

Apocalypse Now (1979) - I knew a lot of trivia about the film but for some reason I didn't know anything about the cast so every single actor was a surprise and made me go "!!!", Also I kinda wanna write an essay about it

October

Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) - Some of the gay jokes absolutely killed me

Last Night in Soho (2021) - I'm Not Like the Other Girls to Time Travel Murder Nightmare Pipeline, actually I really enjoyed this one but it's also super silly

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - How do you say poor little meow meow in gaeilge

The Menu (2022) - I go to the murder restaurant I order the beesechurger, I was super surprised there's no cannibalism but tbh that would have been low hanging fruit

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) - Explains a lot about religion in the US, I love that she was pro lgbt, also I googled her ex husband and he has a prepper/survivalist thing going on now and scams more people

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - we can't eat pray love ourselves out of this one boys

Holes (2003) - Hated the book as a teenager for school reasons but gave the film a try and really enjoyed it

Renfield (2023) - I expected werewolves but I enjoyed it nevertheless, My Chemical Romance is on the soundtrack, it's very silly, the effects are great

Interview with the Vampire (1994) - Oh people weren't lying about it being homoerotic

The Big Lebowski (1998) - I've had days that feel like that

November

Pappa ante Portas (1991) - Funnier now that I'm an adult, basically half the jokes my mum makes are from this film

The Meg 2: The Trench (2023) - I watched this while sick and really wanted to see a giant shark fight a giant octopus and boy did it deliver

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) - Very nice animation style

JFK (1991) - I actually fell asleep halfway through because it's so long but can we talk about how this film is just A-listers but has some of the worst wigs and makeup I've seen

Bottoms (2023) - A spiritual sequel to Heathers

December

When Harry Met Sally (1989) - They deserve each other (derogatory) but that one restaurant scene was pretty funny

The Royal Nanny (2022) - one of the many Hallmark films my mum made me watch and this is perhaps the worst one, incredibly sexist even for a Hallmark film and they clearly mean Mi5 but say Mi7 which was a WW2 propaganda service? Also they really want me to believe there is a British prince called Colin and that he doesn't look like his family tree is a circle?

I forgot the title but there was also the one where two people get stuck in a time loop while trying to make a sponsored youtube video about baking and I didn't really pay attention much but man that was bad

[merp-blerp]

Some Tincrow Moments From The Wiz Production I Just Saw While It’s Fresh In My Mind

Note: I had never seen the stage version of The Wiz before last night, so I could be missing things and points. Also, my memory might be just a bit fuzzy on exact details, but I know this stuff mention did indeed happen at some point.

Avery Wilson was Scarecrow and Phillip Johnson Richardson was Tinman. They absolutely killed it. Everyone did. I’m going to need a cast album and pro-shot please!

Scarecrow is a dance God once they get him off the poll in time for “You Can’t Win”. Why they kept Michael Jackson on a damn poll in the movie despite the fact that his dance moves would've been really cool for Scarecrow, I’ll never know.

This is the first direct Oz retelling I’ve seen to give Scarecrow a human backstory (Wicked is more of/better off seen as it’s own thing in my opinion). He was once a scientist who got his brain taken by one of the witches and turned into a Scarecrow. I don’t remember if it’s mentioned if he had a family in this show—it might’ve not been—but if he did I guess he would’ve completely forgotten because he “has no brain”. And I might be wrong, but I think it was mentioned he had a name too, but if so I don’t remember it. I find that interesting and fun to play with, especially if one would be able to compare and contrast that with Nick Chopper’s backstory (and/or whatever the Tinman’s name might be in this version of Oz; guy collects names like candy). I would have to see The Wiz again in order to do that myself, but you know, I like the idea.

Tinman’s backstory is slightly different. He was too gay and sassy for his own good, saying one of the witches was a “rusty” singer, causing her to turn him from a lumberjack into a “heartless” Tinman who gradually lost almost all of his memories outside of the mere fact that he once had a family due to this curse. He thinks he doesn’t have a heart because he can’t remember the ones he loved, just that he used to. Nimmie Amee isn’t a part of his story in this show. That’s about as tragic as the backstory Baum gave him, if not worse.

Give me an angst with a happy ending AU where Tinman and Scarecrow knew each other as humans but both forgot due to their curses, only to rediscover each other through their found families. Imagine Scarecrow having Nimmie Amee’s original role in a way—noooo—

Scarecrow mimicking Tinman’s rusty dance moves while they oil him (he mimicked a lot of people throughout the show—Dorothy, the wizard’s announcers calling his name, maybe etc., so I guess it was just his cute little thing).

When Dorothy’s trying to convince the gang to bring Lion along Tinman says “Are you sure? We already have to bring Captain Brainless?” (or something a lot like that, I'm paraphrasing), thinking they had too many already as if his husband wasn't first in line on the journey before him, only for Scarecrow to say, “I’m captain?!?!” *Insert cute happy head waggles* (Hits different when you know Scarecrow becomes the ruler of Oz after the first book till Ozma’s found, but his leadership wasn't mentioned in The Wiz so maybe that's not on purpose) I adore Avery Wilson’s take on Scarecrow. Tinman has always been my favorite of Dorothy’s friends if I had to pick one, but Wilson’s performance really made Scarecrow stand out even more than usual. I don’t know if I can explain it, it might just have to be seen; pray there’s a slime tutorial out there.

Lion’s kinda gay too, but in solo. And I know Ozma’s not here, so there’s not really any evidence for Dorothy’s queerness… but she is—I can feel it in my lesbian soul, okay!?!?

All of Dorothy’s friends not only want their gifts, but don't see the point in their existences without them. It made me sad for them.

I don’t know where to mention it, but Toto’s not in this show at all—poor guy. EDIT: I just learned that in the original production, Toto was played by a white dog as a joke that there was an all-black cast as opposed to him traditionally being a black/brown dog with a white cast. That is hilarious—why didn't they recreate that???

Tincrow’s only straight-feeling moment is with them both being distracted by the poppies (which caught me off guard in this show because traditionally Scarecrow and Tinman are the only ones not affected by the poppies because they’re not flesh and blood like Dorothy, Lion, and Toto; in this Dorothy was the one to break everyone free from them. I’ve been trying to understand the purpose of this change. Maybe to give Dorothy a bit more agency). The poppies were these sensual flower ladies trying to convince the gang to be lazy, which on it’s own is a fun twist on the flowers that put Dorothy and Lion to sleep. But hey, maybe that makes it not straight, just lazy. I'm all for Bi4Bi Tincrow too.

After the Kalidahs attack they comfort and hype each other and Dorothy up (Dorothy’s their sapphic adopted daughter, in this essay, I will—).

I forget when exactly this happens, maybe during the Kalidahs scene, but at one point they casually cling to each other's arms for no(?) reason. They just met and they’re already married.

Scarecrow backup-singing a little before everyone else joins Tinman during “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” (at least at my showing, I don’t know if this is a regular occurrence as a part of the show or just something that happened to happen at mine).

Making fun of the Wicked Witch together, calling her smelly, and having Lion join in. Bros, that’s what got you in trouble to begin with—messing with a dang witch!

Interestingly, the idea of Dorothy’s friends having they’re gifts all along isn’t here. Instead, it’s implied that after they kill the last wicked witch the curse is mostly lifted, with Tincrow’s gifts returning to them, but they stay a scarecrow and tin-man for some reason. I like to think they still had them all along though, that idea’s too cute and sweet for me to let go of.

The last time we see them they leave the stage together, Lion going ahead of them to reunite with his mom. I can’t explain why this feels important to me. I guess because usually characters exit the stage individually as like a goodbye queue to the audience, knowing that that last step off the stage will detemand the last impression of the characters. So the fact that the last impression of both of them is them together feels special. Or maybe it’s just me.

They both had such sassy black queer vibes the whole time. The show itself already has such sass, but both of them, Scarecrow especially, were oozing it in different fonts. They were giving off bear x twink—or maybe otter couple vibes.

Gay or not, The Wiz is so great! I recommend it so much!

[farenmaddox]

20, 30, & 37 for the ask game!

BOOK ASKS

20. Where and how do you find new books to read?

prize lists like the Booker or Women's Prize or Hugo Awards (major caveat that literary prizes are kinda bullshit, see recent post about "American Fiction"/Erasure, but you can still find some great books that way). This is how I started reading Bernardine Evaristo.

Bookblr, that is, people talking about books on Our Hellsite. Sometimes their own books, sometimes other people's. I love it when people curate lists of their favorite X genre books (@nellasbookplanet has quite a few good ones). I've purchased and enjoyed quite a few from Tumblr authors (@nothwell, @thebibliosphere, @mangledmouth, currently waiting for the arrival of books by @inkskinned [preorder] and @a-kind-of-merry-war)

going into bookshops and looking at books they are selling and going "oh ho ho! I think I will buy SEVERAL of these!" And then I don't read them. 🤫

once I like an author, I try to keep up with their new releases. I have read so much of N.K. Jemisin's work, Neil Gaiman's, Sayaka Murata's, and more, because when I vibe with somebody's work, I'm excited to come back to it. (Neil Gaiman and N.K. Jemisin are on Tumblr but I'm not tagging them because they get enough notifications and I'm sure you can find them on your own.)

30. How many books do you have on your 'currently-reading' list?

Not that many! I usually don't track books that I'm reading for school, which is why I don't count The Event of Postcolonial Shame as a current read. So actually, just three things I'm currently reading!

37. The only example of your least favorite trope being written in such a way that you enjoyed it.

I am not sure I even have a least favorite trope. 🤔 "The Old Guard" definitely wins the Bury Your Gays category, although the forthcoming horror novel Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle also has me VERY excited. Oh, also, The Lions of Al-Rassan by GGK has the truly best example of a tragic love triangle. I'm not sure I've ever cried so hard over a book before or since that one.

[life-in-toontown]

That last reblog just made me wanna clarify that I absolutely hate 90% of Disney’s direct-to-video sequels but I do still like Lion King 2, despite having several issues with it.

I admit maybe this is just because I’ve been so deep into the Lion King fandom since I was a kid that disliking TLK 2 despite having so many problems either it just feels impossible lmao.

As for the problems, well first off there’s the one mentioned in the last reblog about how Scar having an heir that isn’t biologically related to him wouldn’t benefit him, but of course you can’t make him Scar’s bio son because that would make Kiara his cousin which means instead of their Love Song being “Upendi” it would instead be “Sweet Home Alabama”.

Also, where did Zira and the Outsiders come from? Yes you could say they were just background lionesses in Mufasa’s pride that remained loyal to Scar but then why weren’t they helping protect Scar once Simba came back and challenged him for the throne? I know the answer is “because the sequel wasn’t planned yet and they were worked on by two separate teams” but STILL, if you’re a person who completely accepts everything in TLK 2 as canon then it’s kinda hard to explain this one.

Also since Scar isn’t Kovu’s father then who is? And when did Zira have time to meet a male lion, mate with him then show her cub to Scar to convince him to let him become his heir? And what about Nuka and Vitani? I have seen a theory that Vitani is actually NALA’S daughter with the implication that the scene where Scar tries to seduce her (which was cut from the movie but used in the Broadway show) had a more horrific ending where Scar impregnated her and somehow Zira ended up adopting her. And while I do love that as a “what if” AU, I don’t consider it canon myself.

Now I’m gonna leave the massive plot holes for now and focus on little character pet peeves that annoyed me:

First of all, Timon and Pumbaa weren’t funny at all in this one. Like they’re one of Disney’s most iconic gay couples comedy duos but they were so “meh” in this. One time I did a screenshot redraw of them to resemble the art style from the first movie and in the description I added a rewrite of ways they could’ve been used better which I’ll link here just for funsies:

And now onto Nala. She was a strong character in the first film, leaving her home by herself to look get help, wasn’t afraid to call Simba out for refusing to go back to Pride Rock, plus she helped fight off the hyenas with the other lionesses. In the sequel? Well she popped a baby out which means now her only character trait is Supportive Wife and Mom. She only showed up to occasionally say “Hey Simba, chill out man, Kiara’s totally gonna be fine, stop worrying” then leave. Yes I know this was a father/daughter story but that doesn’t mean Nala has to be reduced to a robot that’s only capable of repeating phrases letting Simba know things will be fine.

And lastly maybe this one is just me, but I kinda wish Nuka as a tragic character was portrayed more. Yes I know his death scene was absolutely heartbreaking and yes you can tell he was jealous of Kovu getting his mother’s love but he was mainly just goofy comic relief. And I actually don’t mind him having funny moments but idk, I wish the tragic side of him was explored more before his death scene. Idk, maybe this one’s just me lmao.

So after all this you’re probably thinking “Wow are you sure you like Lion King 2? It sounds like you hate everything about it”

And like…I mean…I do but…can’t I also fantasize about how it could be better??

[missyourflight]

some stuff i read and watched in june:

taskmaster (s1-5): haven't done an early seasons rewatch in so long, s4 and 5 are basically perfect 2 me. incredible that mark watson manages to be both my favourite type of taskmaster guy (hopelessly despairing) and also nearly won the thing lol. nish forever obviously

silo: got well into this! probably at some point apple will stop throwing millions at sci-fi shows but i'm going to enjoy their folly in the meantime

mission: impossible ii: hadn't seen this one! the weakest of the lot but the john woo of it all is undeniable

mission: impossible iii: PSH outrageously good as the villain, hi keri russell

mission: impossible - ghost protocol: so much fun, especially the sequences where you can see brad bird's animation brain going

mission: impossible - rogue nation: ILSA my beloved, the opera sequence is so gorgeous, no notes!

mission: impossible - fallout: it's good when henry cavill reloads his arms, it's better when tom cruise is sprinting around london rooftops and breaking his ankle etc, my most basic trait is that i Love when they're in london like oooh tate modern. anyway i'm very ready for dead reckoning

asteroid city: the bits about making art really got to me! the vending machines were cool!

joint security area: crash landing on you prepared me for this, blank check weren't lying when they said it was homoerotic, song kang-ho forever etc

dodie smith, the town in bloom: the most delightful narrative voice i've read in Ages and v funny. easy to sell me on 1920s theatrical shenanigans

k patrick, mrs s: So hot and butch, i liked the butch friendship stuff almost more than the sex stuff. more sexy lesbian novels Please

kj charles, the secret lives of country gentlemen: another winner from KJC, my most reliable romantic comfort reads. this time it's smugglers!

alice slater, death of a bookseller: sticky little thriller about being poisoned by true crime, great sense of place, So many pints of dark fruits

laura kay, wild things: bisexual disaster in love with her best friend, tragically very me- and also george russell-coded, god i want to swim in a pond again

SOME STUFF I SAW AT ROCK WERCHTER

the dj on the first nigt who played a mash up of i'm gonna be (500 miles) into temperature and then the 1d cover of one way or another into little lion man (deeply cursed fandom flashbacks etc)

weyes blood with candelabras and glowing hearts and amazing adam curtis projections on the big screen behind her

king princess sending the gay girls of belgium absolutely wild - "you wanna hear a sad lesbian song?"

matty healy is a dickhead but he's very good at being the frontman of the 1975. like if ben whishaw was straight and kind of disgusting

stormzy!!! literally the rain was pouring during blinded by your grace pt 2

mumford and sons - this whole festival was like being borne back ceaseless into the past but the cave still fucks me up, marcus really in his ken marino era, face-wise

PUP - i do believe if this tour doesn't kill you, i will to be a wholly perfect song, they had a trans flag on stage, best vibes of the festival

sigur ros - sometimes you just want to be in a massive barn with thousands of people with your faces turned up in the dark feeling like you're inside the sound somehow

muse - fucking incredible live band still!! every time i'm see them i'm floored by how hot chris the bassist is and then i forget about it and then i see them again and i'm poleaxed etc. they had a tech meltdown during knights of cydonia at the encore so we got showbiz instead!!

christine and the queens - beautiful and terrible as the dawn

jacob collier - asked if we wanted to get funky then put on a special hat, bit george russell-coded in the face

arctic monkeys - sometimes you just want to be in a field with one of your oldest friends singing the songs of your youth!! i love the 70s act actually! there are so many sexy songs on AM!! the skies finally cleared for the beautiful full moon, thank you belgium, good night

[spellsword177]

LGBTQ Book Recommendations

In the year that has seen the heartwarming second season of Heartstopper comes the news two school districts in the US states of Florida and Oregon have banned the graphic novels and a public library in Mississippi removed the works from the shelves claiming they were somehow “pornographic.”  It never seems to fail; every time there is societal progress, you have a wave of those throwing up restrictions trying desperately to pull everything and everyone back. 

This heinous attack on LGBTQ literature, works on the African American experience, and tragic historical events are why we fight back everyday to keep these works available for all who seek their content especially during Banned Books Week.  It’s not about corrupting or grooming the youth; it’s about truth, love, life, compassion, and understanding one another.  What follows are seven LGBTQ books by seven different authors you may want to consider reading beyond Heartstopper, Fence, and Love, Simon.  Remember, just because your favorite book isn’t here doesn’t mean I didn’t like it or you shouldn’t give try.  Always enrich your perspective by trying a variety of works in the plethora now available.  Happy Banned Books Week!

1.  Boy Like Me by Simon James Green – I first ran across this author when I read his book Alex in Wonderland a few years ago being greatly amused by the antics of boy working a summer job.  It is very fitting to begin with this recent release set in a UK High School back in 1994 during Section 28 banning books on gay relationships.  The main character, Jamie, is lead to such a disguised novel where he finds a connection to his own personal truths and to a mysterious other person who feels the same way.  Will Jamie ever find this other person or will they be forever shunned by their small community?  It’s always a important to remember where we’ve been so that we can better guide ourselves to where we need to be.

2.  The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg – Two boys operate a food truck Coq Au Vinny for the summer out in the heat of Mesa, Arizona.  Max, a baseball jock, is trying hard to forget a rough experience with a college boy while hanging out with his friends and working.  Geeky Jordan, is trying to raise the money with his late father’s old food truck and keep his mother from spiraling while hanging out with his gal pals.  Along the way they find friendship and love while working through their past traumas and current struggles.  Easily one of my favorites.

3. Check, Please!  Book 1:  #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu – Join baking vlogger Erik “Bitty” Bittle from Georgia as he makes his way through the first two years playing hockey at Samwell University in New England.  Originally an online comic, this first volume in a two part set explores Bitty’s time interacting with the team and getting closer with their Captain, Zimmerman.  This was a charming story with entertaining characters, and, of course, the love of hockey.  Be sure to also read Check, Please!  Book 2:  Sticks & Scones.

4.  Lions Legacy by L.C. Rosen – Tennessee “Tenny” Russo had tried to leave his adventuring days with his father’s reality show behind and have a normal life with his mom in Greenwich Village.  Two years later, his boyfriend is cheating on him, his “Good Upstanding Queer” friends don’t care, and his dad comes back into his life with a potential lead on the Rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes.  Tenny could stay miserable in New York or join his father in Greece to recover a lost piece of queer history to share with the world.  A wonderful, thrilling story heavily influenced by Indiana Jones exploring struggle of keeping LGBT history from being swept under the rug or modified to fit a heteronormative viewpoint.

5.  Thunder by Dylan James – Teenage Grant Peters and Logan Summers have been long neighbors and rivals on the rodeo circuit in the upper plains of the United State or Canada.  With his parents thinking of selling the ranch due to a drop in profits, Grant is desperate to find a way to keep competing with his beloved horse Thunder.  He stumbles across evidence of a cougar attack and is drawn into an investigation along the property line with his nemesis, Logan.  Along the way, the boys develop a connection and uncover a secret hidden from both families.  Will they make it out alive?

6.  Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson – When Virgil Knox stumbled into the town center of Merritt, Florida battered, bloody, and raving about the monster that attacked him, nobody would believe him, not even his own grandparents.  Already struggling to make friends in his dad’s hometown after his parents’ divorce, Virgil knows what he saw and finds himself reliving that night.  Can Virgil find a way to move on with his life?  Will the monster find him again?  Is he on his way to becoming one himself?

7.  In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens – Prince Tal has a secret.  Fire mages are not to be trusted ever since his ancestor used the ability to fight wars against the other kingdoms and practitioners of other magic, the ability has been shunned.  The mysterious castaway Athlen also has a secret that enables him to somehow survive the deep oceans.  Together the boys will survive pirates, kidnapping plots, shapeshifters, and a grand political plot threatening the kingdom and Tal’s sister, the queen.  Can they stop a war before it’s too late?

[thymelessink]

10 Characters From 10 Fandoms

Tagged by @walkwithursus (you're really providing me with these games XD)

Tagging: @a-n-n-i-m-i-a and @nanukanal and a whoever wants to do it!

Blackbeard (Our Flag Means Death): Well, we're hopefully still at the beginning of his journey, so...

The fact that he's a fearsome pirate who always longed to enjoy the soft things in life and fell in love with the rich man who showed him that it is okay to like soft and pretty things and then gave up everything to save that man? I mean come on, just thinking about it makes me want to hug him.

Scar (The Lion King): Okay, so...I don't like TLK. Not even as a child. I always thought the story is stupid (and yes, the whole Shakespeare subtext obviously went all over my head back then but as an adult it didn't make it any better for me) and I think I've only seen the movie fully once. But Scar, he's a different story. He's evil but he's eloquent, cunning and sarcastic. He makes the movie somewhat enjoyable and I don't care what he did, his death hurt me, even as a child.

The Joker (DC): Okay, I don't really know much about the DCU but Joker is a character I always come back to. No matter whether we're talking about Heath Ledger's Joker, Joaquin Phoenix' Joker, BTAS' Joker or Telltale's John Doe. He's so fucked up, but I love how many different sources give him a tragic backstory. And his absolute disregard for heteronormativity and his general queerness make him so interesting and I wish more people in the DCU would play with it and see the opportunity.

Gregory House (House, M.D.): I don't even remember how many years it's been since I watched House but that man stayed relevant throughout my life. And you're gonna see a pattern here when it comes to my favourite characters: He's harsh. He's sarcastic. He's an asshole. He says he doesn't care. But he does. He says he doesn't care if people leave him. But he does. He fakes his death to support his dying best friend. And I enjoy that he treats medical cases similar to how Holmes treats his cases. Obviously.

Marty McFly (Back to the Future): Of course, I like my 80s boy. Looks cute, street smart, is funny. He's a comfort character for sure. Also, if I had to name one character that evokes gender envy in me, he'd definitely number one.

Harry "Bunny" Manders (Raffles): The reverse Watson to the reverse Sherlock Holmes. He's adorkable, ends up as a criminal due to his own foolishness and Raffles' manipulation. He knows Raffles is sometimes annoyed with him, he wants to make himself useful but actually makes matters worse most of the time, but in an endearing way. He's incredibly loyal, will follow Raffles everywhere, even to war where he has to witness Raffles' death. It's basically a Sherlock Holmes AU but more gay because there's no way in hell Bunny doesn't love Raffles.

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (Assassin's Creed): I was really thinking between him and Ezio because they both have amazing life stories. Assassin's Creed was probably the reason why I started playing more video games. If Altaïr's story wouldn't have been so interesting I wouldn't have stuck with it. Malik first making him see his wrongdoings, forgiving him later and becoming his best friend also plays a big part in the development of his character. But I love that they didn't make him perfect. In Revelation we see that he's still making stupid decisions that cost him dearly and he spent his life becoming a better person and a worthy mentor of the Brotherhood.

Sherlock Holmes: I mean what can I say...I don't even remember for how long I've loved Sherlock Holmes but there's a calmness in the face of danger about him that comforts me. He appears cold and calculating but he cares about the people around him. He also follows his own moral code, no matter what Scotland Yard expects of him. And he's my go-to character when I want to give a basic and famous example of asexuality to people.

The Doctor (Doctor Who): Do I have to decide for one? If so, I'd probably choose Nine. I only got into DW last year, although I always wanted to watch it because David Tennant was in it. Hilariously enough, it was Christopher Eccleston's Doctor who I became especially fond of. It's his harsh demeanor sometimes, a man who just came from war, but the joy he also displays sometimes (e.g. when everyone gets to live) and the way he, more than anyone else, needed a companion, Rose, made him very dear to me.

Tony Stark (Iron Man): Of course, who else. A man who was a weapons dealer and ended up giving up his life to restore half the universe. He has one of my favourite character growths. At no point is he perfect, he has weaknesses, he makes mistakes again and again and he knows that he seldom has the moral high ground. But he seems to love unconditionally. He forgives. And he gives life to beings that love him in return. He provides for the people he loves, deals with PTSD, makes the world a better place, all while keeping a smile on his face and having a smart remark in any situation.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group E Round 2

[image ID: the first image is of Zinn, a creature made of a mass of dark tendrils and many eyes. the second image is of Leonie Beaumort, an anthropomorphic large cat resembling a mountain lion. she's wearing an 18th century dress with a pistol attached to her belt. end ID]

Zinn

(Note: The author mostly uses it/its pronouns to refer to Zinn but have used 'he' and 'they' a couple times.) Zinn is a creature called a Monstrum who is a type of alien from a world made out of light. Due to unknown circumstances their universe was breeched by enemies who devoured their peaceful existence. In turn, the Monstrum were exiled and stripped of their forms. Somehow, Zinn ended up in a Steampunk adjacent world and came to be lovers with a powerful human women called the Shaman Empress. Their relationship, while described as tender, may have been one sided. Zinn loved her dearly, only referring to her as "The Beloved' but it is implied that she used it for her own deeds/gaining knowledge and power. Monstrum drain energy from anything they touch so they are incompatible with the mortal realm. Zinn inhabits the Shaman Empress's bloodline and is passed down through generations to minimize(?) damages. Eventually Zinn gets passed down to the main character who. in simple terms, as not to get sidetracked, is a Girlboss, capital G. She is a descendant of the Shaman Empress, technically making them blood family. Which is kind of hillarious. Imagine this tentacle creature being like "Hello. Yes I am your great-grandfather. Let us kill and consume flesh". They pick up a rag tack bunch of other characters( not limited to a necromancer cat, a psychic kitsune child, a brooding guy with crow wings, gay furry tiger pirates) and they are so found family… image link Zinn, despite not being too well-versed in human culture cares for them all the same. It has so many funny interactions with the cast, particularly the Kitsune girl, Kippa (as it does not understand her cheerful and positive attitude). Examples: -https://64.media.tumblr.com/ab33f45b9506033cdec6a6a2a9d55655/baa027673994792a-2d/s1280x1920/fb57ea6a550181e49d588a60473f050fac30300d.pnj -https://64.media.tumblr.com/41f0c01fa1e8c4e9e7dda5bcb589f24d/38ba370cd51ca323-59/s1280x1920/c96e0a11d0c0ab8b92b14cbebccd276c0e2c3c8a.jpg -https://64.media.tumblr.com/4cc511e4b365359842c0a9825dc416d5/e4f6cb4faa1aa13d-8e/s1280x1920/9f0ca9abdb590fdaca5c7a93e230a79bfe32fd2d.jpg -https://64.media.tumblr.com/c32edb01ada4ebf159bbb70b5a00c36c/3bca30f2ba708ae4-c3/s1280x1920/6f04c20b2fe1e47c0898b513e71772f99581ea13.jpg Zinn also has that tragic sibling swag, accidentally killing its sibling. It has so much trauma, but for a space-alien-god is very withdrawn and weary of the world. Although it tends to act cryptic and not reveal too much. It seems like it used to be elitist but with time has come to appreciate the mortal world although it would never admit it outloud. ANYWAY. VOTE FOR THIS PATHETIC HORROR OF GUY. Monsterfuckers and monsterfriends assemble! (and go read Monstress! There are many queer characters and the lead is sapphic! also cool monsters, cool worldbuilding, and real world cultural references) TLDR: Its an eldritch god who misses its dead wife :( / There is something very wrong with them (affectionate)

Leonie Beaumort

Beaumort is one cool cat! Struggling with an impoverished pre-revolution French life, she conspires to get revenge upon the officer who got her father killed. She takes no shit, even from her co-conspirators, and even ends up causing the French revolution in one ending. You don't get much more girlboss than that!

[ladykeane]

I'm just gonna dump my Super Mario headcanons here bc who's gonna stop me

Mario - Mr fix-it, type A, I'm-not-happy-unless-I-have-a-task-in-front-of-me. The storyline that has he & Luigi born in the Mushroom Kingdom is A LIE, the boys from Brooklyn were flushed down a magic pipe into the Mushroom world, so there.

In New York he helped his neighbours by fixing toilets and boilers and showers for next to nothing. His favourite jobs were for old nonnas who paid him in home made-dishes of cannoli and baked ziti.

He has bone-deep working class pride, which sits paradoxically next to his status as the favourite of a royal. He and Luigi's cottage is completely paid for by the Mushroom crown, but in Toad Town he continues his habit of fixing the Toads' plumbing for a pittance - given this and all his other acts of service for the people, few citizens begrudge him his Peach-bestowed perks. He's one of those guys who is preeningly proud of how humble and utilitarian he is. Also, he is fiercely protective of his little brother, having defended him from bullies and shored up his courage since they were little.

Luigi - Truly flourishes as a softe cottagecore plant gay. Loves his gardening and cooking, and gets baking tips from Peach. He's constantly worried about his brother gallavanting off to rescue various lands from the clutches of evil. Neat freak. Back in Brooklyn, his prized possessions were the tiny kitchen garden he started with his late mother, and his pristine collection of Josh Groban CDs (btw he has a beautiful singing voice).

He often invites E Gadd round for tea and biscuits and life advice (E Gadd is the first elder gay in his life, and has taken him under his wing). He just tends to attract bold people who adore him and insist on PROTECTING HIM AT ALL COSTS (eg Mario, Daisy, Prince Peasley... Bowser???) Just a sweet precious gentle baby boy.

Peach - She lost her mother at an early age, and also lost her father to grief-induced madness (angsty backstory OOOH). She was thrust into a leadership role at a tragically early age as Princess Regent, and owes everything she knows about governing to Toadsworth (who is more of a dad to her than the poor mentally ill King ever could be). She is absolutely the OG Mom Friend and a fair-minded and compassionate ruler - the welfare of the citizens has flourished under her. She is an incredibly strong person because of her kindness and integrity (girlboss who?).

She and Mario first connected over their shared sense of responsibility for others, and were able to let go and unwind with each other, enjoying mutual venting and consolation. She just absolutely loves the churlish lil dude and will probably be the one to propose marriage. She is also a few years older than the rest of the main posse, probably about thirty or so.

Bowser started out as an enemy to the Mushroom Kingdom, but as the years have passed, the relationship has mellowed quite a bit, and his intermittent abductions of Peach are more ceremonial than anything else (really, he just does it for the attention). Bowser always makes sure to have a comfortable suite with a good wi-fi connection set up for Peach, so she doesn't miss any important work for Mushroom Parliament while she's waiting for Mario to rescue her.

Daisy - AYOOOOO she's a little PUNK (also given the dearth of Sarasaland lore in the canon I can pretty much make up what I want hahaha). Sarasaland's capital is Birabuto, a coastal city in the country's desert region. The sovreign's formal title is always Totomesu, as the local culture asserts that the royal line is descended from the lion-god Totomesu.

Daisy is the 'Prince Harry' of her family, with her older brother being groomed for the throne. As soon as she came of age she was out getting involved in pub brawls, flipping off paparazzi, and dyeing her hair inadvisable colours. Her father is always worried about her, however she does bring pride to Sarasaland as an ambassador for sports. It's a longstanding obligation of the royals in the Mushroom world to entertain the citizens with athletic endeavours, and that's the area in which she excels. She is fiercely competitive, and her bedchamber in Birabuto Palace is pretty much just a storage room for her many many trophies.

She and Peach went to the same elite boarding school, though Peach was a few years above her. The older girl pretty much adopted the younger girl upon meeting, so they've been besties ever since childhood. When Peach graduated to go and act as ruler of the Musroom Kingdom, she and Daisy sent regular letters to each other. Peach would also send her care packages full of baked goods, sports magazines, and romance novels.

The moment Daisy graduated, she purposefully forgot everything she learnt in deportment and etiquette classes. She has a mouth like a drunken irate longshoreman. She has also since pretty much moved to the Mushroom Palace permanently - the King of Sarasaland is content to let Peach handle the brazen lil shit.

She is head over heels in love with Luigi and it's tragically one-sided. She commissioned the golden statue of them dancing together, which sits on Birabuto's harbourside boulevard, as a birthday present for herself. She can never look at it without a painful mix of love and despair. Like all of Luigi's admirers she will go full mama bear to protect him.

She may also have an occasional no-strings-attached fling with Captain Syrup, whenever the two run into each other at various ports. (I mean, Daisy does appear to have an affinity for boats...)

Wario & Waluigi - Like Charles Martinet said, two nice evil guys who found each other. They both come from Diamond City, which is its own semi self-contained territory in the Mushroom Kingdom. It has historical roots as a mining town, and enjoys certain special free-market mercantile priveleges (so it's full of con-men, crooks and corporate douchebags).

This video has influenced many of my thoughts on the duo. 'Wario' and 'Waluigi' are definitely aliases made up to intentionally antagonise the Mario Brothers. Not sorry, I really love the idea that Waluigi's legal name is Jimmy Papadopoulos, and he is also the Jimmy P. from the Warioware games (he's a great dancer and owns a canary yellow afro wig for clubbing, lol).

Waluigi/Jimmy is the adopted son of Spike Papadopoulos, the CEO of a successful demolition company. Waluigi dropped out of college and was coerced into working for his dad, who wanted him to make something of himself instead of just playing tennis and going dancing at nightclubs like the priveleged lil asshat he is.

He met 'Wario' one day at his tennis club, who had seen his performance on the court and had heard about his reputation as a skeezy but suprisingly skilled athlete. They bonded over their shared hobbies and their status as adopted children, Wario having an absolutely sleazy slapper of an adoptive mum (hmmm... they're both adopted, huh?...). They soon teamed up, created their 'stage names', and challenged the Bros at every opportunity.

As Warioware inc took off (and amassed ill-gotten profits), Wario purchased a sprawling mansion in the hills of Diamond City. Waluigi went from sponging off his dad to sponging off his best friend,  moving into the second bedroom.

There is some gentlemanly honour hidden behind their asshole facades: as much as they bicker, they are unswervingly loyal to each other. In matters of the heart, Wario is suprisingly gallant to his girlfriend Mona (they make me think of Gouda and Yamato from 'Ore no Monogatari'), while Waluigi's hopeless love for Princess Daisy spurs him to try and be a better version of himself (or at least a slightly less jerky version of himself).

Also, Toadette has a massive crush on Waluigi. He was once nice to her and spent an afternoon helping her improve her tennis technique, afterwards treating her to a milkshake from the Peach Dome cafeteria (mostly beacuse he knows she's a friend of Daisy). Oh if only senpai would notice her.

[bookishkates]

Ask Me About My Uterus by Abby Norman (BIG recommend)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (literally changed my life)

Medieval or fairytale (can you tell there's a theme there)

Don't really have one (willing to take recs though! I just don't read a lot of science fiction)

Near-future, biopunk, and feminist science fiction (I'm actually currently writing something with these)

Payback's A Witch by Lana Harper and I Kissed A Girl by Jennet Alexander

Enjoy: enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract; dislike: smut (depending on execution), tragic queerness, the booktok man (if you know, you know)

Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag (I have The Deep Dark locked and loaded for the next read)

Murder on The Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (ugly sobbed at this book)

A Lesson in Vengence by Victoria Lee (but this book is SUPER low on my book ranking list bc horror books need to meet a certain threshold for me)

The Last Thing He Told Me (again, the bar is on the floor bc this book didn't impress me either)

Don't have one

Mystery, thriller, horror, romance (sometimes), fantasy

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (they're on my shelf to be read, but they're probably the best I can do)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (basic, I know, but I can't help having taste)

I don't read series generally for the reason of them not being finished and also being a big time commitment

I try to! It depends on what I find in a store or on TikTok. I love the Blind Date with a Book boxes, so I usually just go with whatever I get in those.

Again, bookstores or TikTok. I cannot walk into a B&N or a BAM or even Target without getting a book.

The Great Gatsby; The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis; The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Percy Jackson

Don't have but want one

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

The Biscuit the Dog books and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Goodreads 1000%

178 and counting

3

Physical copy always

Molly Knox Ostertag and Casey McQuiston

Pretty much never now that I'm out of high school

N/A

Predictable endings in horror books; most horror books have had an ending I predicted from chapter 5, which ruined the experience as a reader

Talia Avramov (Payback's A Witch) and Lilah Silver (I Kissed A Girl)

The Last Thing He Told Me (kind of)

10 but I'm hoping to read another this weekend

Depends on the book. If the top reviews on Goodreads are bad, I generally don't pick up that book or add it to my tbr.

Yes, and I still do! Working on lots of things right now

Depends on location and travel method but generally 1 or 2.

No, but I have one exception in that I bought the collector's edition of RWRB.

My Harry Potter books (that I got literally probably ten years ago) because my mom and extended family have borrowed them to read.

Seven Husbands, Go the Distance by Jen Calonita, and The Night Circus

SEVEN HUSBANDS PLEASE and also I Kissed A Girl because I think it would have similar vibes to Scream (2000)

I like horror, witchy, autumnal, and sapphic books, please give me recs!

The Last Thing He Told Me, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and Jagged Little Pill by Eric Smith

Every book I've read since getting my Goodreads has a review, and I don't hold back.

Depends on the day, the vibe, and what I want. Generally I like funny or upbeat books for romance/sapphic reads, but I will always take sapphic rep in my horror/thriller/mystery books.

MORE GAY COWBOYS! AND PIRATES!

Ask Game for us Self-proclaimed BOOK WORMS 📖🐛

Name the best book you've read so far this year.

Favorite fantasy book(s).

Favorite fantasy sub-genre(s). (high fantasy, urban fantasy, portal fantasy etc.)

Favorite science fiction book(s).

Favorite science fiction sub-genre(s). (dystopian, superhero, aliens etc.)

Favorite romance novel(s).

What kind of common romance tropes do you enjoy and what kind do you dislike?

Favorite queer fiction book(s).

Favorite detective novel(s).

Favorite classical literature.

Favorite historical fiction.

Favorite horror book(s).

Favorite thriller(s).

Favorite humor and satire book(s).

Which genre(s) are your favorite?

Favorite trilogy.

Favorite finished book series.

Favorite unfinished book series.

Do you read new and less known books or only the big bestsellers?

Where and how do you find new books to read?

The book(s) on your school reading list you actually enjoyed.

Favorite example of a Chosen One trope in a book.

Favorite heist story book(s).

Favorite Young Adult book(s).

Favorite Middle Grade book(s).

Favorite novella(s).

What was the first book you remember reading as a kid?

Goodreads or StoryGraph (or something else)?

How many books do you have on your 'to-be-read' list?

How many books do you have on your 'currently-reading' list?

Do you mostly read through e-reader; reading app on phone; on your laptop; a physical copy; or by audiobook?

Name your favorite author(s).

How often do you read by listening to audiobooks?

Favorite book narration voice actor(s).

Least favorite trope in your most favorite book genre.

Your absolute most favorite character(s) from any book you've ever read.

The only example of your least favorite trope being written in such a way that you enjoyed it.

How many books have you read this year?

Do you read reviews before picking up a book?

Did you ever want to be a writer?

When you get ready for a week long trip to somewhere how many books do you download/pack inside the suitcase?

Do you buy hardcover book copies for previously purchased paperbacks and library books you enjoyed reading?

Title of a book you own that's in the worst physical condition you have. Explain what happened to it. Post a picture if you want.

The book(s) whose stories have become part of your very makeup.

What book(s) would you sell your soul to get a TV or movie adaptation of?

I like _____, recommend me a book to read, please (insert a book, or trope, or character, or... anything you like before asking for this one).

What are the last three books you read?

Do you leave reviews for the books you've read? How often?

Do you prefer hopeful, humorous, very emotional or darker books?

What kind of book have you never read but always hope to find at some point in the future?

[dearest-infinity]

guess who's FINALLY back

so ik i was dead for a long time. sorry about that, can't promise it won't happen again, but hey! i got some better outlines for my wips and new directions things are going in :> so while i might've been in a bit of a creative coma, i'm slowly clawing my way back to the surface lmao

anyway! since it's been a hell of a long time: what's up, name's moony (or lune, if you're feeling formal), pronouns he/him or ze/hir, and i'm a fantasy writer!

the wips i'm focusing on are, at the moment:

wrong side of legendary: an urban fantasy work about a keith, traumatized former prince, cross, the rat bastard keith summons when he tries to do something for his roommate, and saying fuck you to the world and the people they were supposed to be. mlm, just a teeny bit spooky

red rise: soft sci-fi fantasy that the outline is worrying me with the projected word count of, oh god that's centered around kyra, a girl with a sun living in her chest, trying to save the universe from an empire that can never really outrun the destruction it leaves in its wake, and silena, her best-friend-turned-desperate-enemy who's the golden girl of the empire and owes her life and more to it. there are so so so many sad lesbians in this. i am not immune to sad lesbians and neither are you.

dark eyes (name under construction): tragic fantasy. levi is the town witch, and it's her job to keep everyone safe from the magical forest that surrounds them and, should it come down to it, the fae that live in it. this... does not go very well. one day, levi wakes up to the entire town having been overrun by the forest, and the townspeople either turned to wood or vanished. as she sets out to right this, she encounters branwen, a forest fae who will help her in exchange for one thing: her heart. i love them dearly, your honor.

and of course, the backburner wips:

elle is waiting (by the bodies of your gods): retired apocalypse-ender yis'sika and her wife rhoze are called upon, once again, save the world from— huh. it seems no one can really tell them. no one except a girl who claims to be from another world, and a young woman made of flowers who claims to be yis'sika and rhoze's daughter. no one trusts each other, but the clock is ticking. the statues have eyes. and elle is always, always, waiting.

black lightning: nova and zenith are vigilante partners who know and trust each other with everything in their fight against the corrupt system—everything, except their identities. this becomes a problem when nova, civilian name estelle, is scouted to become an intelligent, a once-human, now-machine enforcer of the law, and is brought into the glass palace—which, despite its name, is impossible to get anything in or out of. zenith, civilian name zhen, realizes that something must've happened, and tries to save nova from whatever fate has befallen her; a course that takes her to the glass palace. it may be the lion's den, but with the two of them working together, they might be able to strike at the heart of the power that's hurt so many. also they're gay. they're really gay. fluffy wlw superhero action (with just a teeny touch of the body horror. TINY)

unnamed wip (time travel sapphics flavored): fellas, is it gay to time travel to save the world? no? fine. is it gay to time travel to save your really really hot dyke best friend? THERE WE GO. wlw and happy for once!!!

unnamed wip (wild west flavored): an immortal necromancer wants to fulfill the natural order and die. a sunwraith cowboy, risen from the grave to have its justice—or is it revenge?—, wants to live the life stolen from it. i won't lie, i don't know much about this one, but it's gay and bittersweet.

postcard from the end times: this one's actually going to be a comic! fantasy story about a bunch of kids who go to trauma school and try really, really hard to win in a system that's trying to farm them for all the misery they can produce. spoiler alert: it doesn't work. so, new plan: kill the school and everyone behind it. salt and burn until the cancer's dead, and keep going until it can't claw itself out of its own grave. what's god to a shit ton of angry teenagers? killable.

woagh. that was a lot. anyway, love you all! good luck this year, hopefully it's better than the last ;;-;;

[99redragons]

Some favorite dlsmp moments from session 2 (major spoilers for most of the hermits’ povs):

Tango’s complete rage, practically foaming at the mouth and Jimmy-everyone trying to calm him down

Scar’s casual planning a torture room he’d sell tickets to- proceeding to show pearl how to torture your soulmate, torturing his own soulmate, and then showing pearl’s soulmate how to! Bloodthirsty scar rises.

Scar: griannn come with i want to murder and burn things downnn!! Grian: *sigh* let me finish my timelapse first

Also grian forbidding pets in the house- tryina babysit scar smh

Bdubs and Impulse graduating to old married power couple gays that live for drama and stir the pot (and shopping for a new boyfriend on the side)

Cleo using the teacher voice and scolding bdubs and impy when she catches them lying

This isnt new but bdubs 00’s pop music intro??? Bless bdubs he knows that this is reality television

In general everyone evolving from ‘soulmate au survival challenge’ to ‘Survivor and the Bachelor unholy social/romance game love child’

Pearl tragic backstory to emo unhinged edgelord villain speedrun

Etho’s little panic at seeing the blindness effect for the first time

Etho and joels ship

Etho.

Impulse “he’ll still be beautiful to me!!!” Actually made me go ‘awww’ out loud

Scott “this is why im gay!!!!”

Ren’s Lion king scar moment - leave and never return!

Scott and cleo’s queer mischief alliance and the Great Goat Heist

Team Ranch had it bad this time, their goat horn struggles, conned and lost their goats, then Arson. All of it perfectly timed as well

Lovin the drama has been dialed up to 12.

[ursie]

I actually wish people discussed the ableism in Voltron more when it came out-whenever people talked about Shiro seriously people always made it into ship wars or anti another character but like talking about Shiro and Shiro alone it’s literally so tragic how he was treated as a Gay Disabled moc. His beautiful arc of ptsd and the strength of his survival was just. Dropped, he was used for constant torture porn and was tortured and brutalized on screen constantly. He died?? He was punished by the plot consistently whilst Keith (a “straight” white able bodied dude) was rewarded with his lion and status. He wasn’t even allowed to grieve on screen. He was married off to a minor side character in the last season and that’s fine but it’s insulting how much they refused to just. Actually write him in a relationship with Adam. Write him mourn a man he loved, or write him falling in love with a new one. I genuinely cannot think of a more purposely wasted character in modern writing. It’s literally tragic