#I need that bisexual disaster romance

[hawkewild]

[ryn-city]

99% sure im romancing harding w my rook but let the record show that I am not immune to lucanis dellamorte in the slightest

[just0nemorepage]

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster || Andrea Mosqueda || 352 pages Top 3 Genres: LGBTQIA+ / Romance / Young Adult

Synopsis: Growing up in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, Maggie Gonzalez has always been a little messy, but she’s okay with that. After all, she has a great family, a goofy group of friends, a rocky romantic history, and dreams of being a music photographer. Tasked with picking an escort for her little sister’s quinceañera, Maggie has to face the truth: that her feelings about her friends—and her future—aren’t as simple as she’d once believed.

As Maggie’s search for the perfect escort continues, she’s forced to confront new (and old) feelings for three of her friends: Amanda, her best friend and first-ever crush; Matthew, her ex-boyfriend twice-over who refuses to stop flirting with her, and Dani, the new girl who has romantic baggage of her own. On top of this romantic disaster, she can’t stop thinking about the uncertainty of her own plans for the future and what that means for the people she loves.

As the weeks wind down and the boundaries between friendship and love become hazy, Maggie finds herself more and more confused with each photo. When her tried-and-true medium causes more chaos than calm, Maggie needs to figure out how to avoid certain disaster—or be brave enough to dive right into it.

Publication Date: May 2022. / Average Rating: 3.81. / Number of Ratings: ~620.

[thebibliosphere]

From what I've seen, I think the Batkids would like your book.

Hunger Pangs? You flatter me.

But also, yes thank you for this particular strain on self-indulgent brain rot. I am going to be absolutely abnormal about this.

I’d like to imagine Dick picks it up at an airport somewhere on his way back from a trip and becomes hooked on the “clever, pretty, jumps-from balconies-for-the-thrill-of-the-fall vampire and goes, “oh, same.”

The fact that it’s got a rugged, soldiery werewolf with a heart of gold who enforces self-care as a form of kink-play is also doing stuff to his brain. (That’s a thing? He can… he can ask someone for that? Who does he ask for that? It’s been weeks since he slept more than a few hours and ate more than cereal for dinner. Seriously, who does he ask? How much is it? He’s got money. He’ll pay.) The uh, the need for validation and the budding praise kink is also hitting a little too close to home.

As is “all powerful witch with the power to pick you up with her mind and throw you around like a rag doll.” (LiStEN, he spent a large chunk of his formative years surrounded by tight spandex suits, villains with sexy mind control pollen and getting kidnapped and tied up every other week. It’s not his fault he’s Like This.)

He’s not mad about it, though.

*

Babs catches him re-reading it during downtime. She’s not even that interested, more asking what it is to be polite, but the way Dick jumps and turns red, like he didn’t even realize she was in the room is… intriguing.

“I can see why you like it,” she says, several days later, casually drinking her coffee while Dick stares straight ahead, willing the floor to open up and swallow him whole. “Magic, politics. Saving the world from certain doom with the power of knowledge and ecological preservation.” She glances sideways at him. “Vlad’s got some interesting quirks.”

“Shut up.”

“Are we sure you’ve not been compromised?”

“Babs, I mean it.”

“Mean what?” Tim appears in the kitchen as though from nowhere, pouring a red bull into the coffee pot.

No one tries to stop him.

“Dick’s reading a new book,” Babs says, ignoring the murderous look Dick sends her way.

“Oh? What book? Is it any good?”

“Uh, yeah, uh.” Dick rubs at the back of his neck, glaring daggers at Babs as she rolls out of the room, cackling. “It’s uh, romance. Kind of silly actually…”

“Oh?”

Dick nods. “It’s got a vampire and a werewolf. Two guys. And a… well she’s just sort of magic. They break into a library to save the world from ecological disaster. They’re all bi. Together. Or they will be in the next book. This one’s more about the vampire and the werewolf getting together. Um...”

Tim’s gone very still in the way he does when his brain has caught hold of something and he’s absolutely about to let it consume him. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Dick shrugs. “It’s got some kink in it,” he warns, not wanting to expose his younger brother to something he’s not ready for. Which is ludicrous because he’s Robin. And from the way Tim’s not drinking his ‘coffee’ he can tell this is only going to go one way no matter what he says. He brightens, remembering something. “But there’s, like, a non smutty version too? Or a less smutty version, I guess? I don’t know, I haven’t read it yet. I could, we could go to the bookstore, maybe stop at the art store too…”

“I’ll meet you in the car.”

*

“So,” Jason says, and Dick can already tell where this is going by the shit-eating grin on his face. “Vampires, huh? Or is it more the werewolves you’re into?”

“Who told you?” Dick bemoans. “Was it Babs?” He bets it was Babs. Fucking Babs.

“Oh, no one told me anything Boy Wonder. Tim found out the author has a go-fund-me for some medical shit that exceeded his monthly allowance and he’s been harassing Bruce to “fix it” for several days now. He’s down in the cave making a nuisance of himself right now. Apparently he quote “needs more of the bisexual monster books Dick told him about” unquote, and the author can’t do shit if she up and fucking dies because this country’s a fucking for-profit shit hole.”

Dick places his head in his hands. “Oh, God. Is Bruce mad? He’s mad, isn’t he?”

Jason shrugs. “Couldn’t tell you. Last I heard, Tim was playing him the audiobook over the bat computer to make his case.”

Dick let’s his head thump against the table. This is it. This is his villain origin story. He’s going to run away and join the Rogues. Or maybe he’ll go back to the Circus. Either option is better than the idea of having to meet Bruce’s eye later over the dinner table.

“Personally, I thought the plot was a little weak but the characters are compelling,” Jason says, sipping his herbal tea. “I liked the chill necromancer doctor. I feel like he’d be able to fix me.”

[chromunist]

Honestly very bizarre to me how people single out lucanis’s romance as being so bad. I haven’t seen all the romances but from what i have seen it is not noticeably different in content. Taash was 3rd most romanced and definitely has the exact same content (its just more sexual).

Like they can never get their story straight if the problem is the amount of content or lack of smut. Probably because if its lack of content you have to crit the whole game (at least more than just luc, emmrich girls seem to be having fun) and not just whine abt him and mary kirby in self-pity as a lucanismancer, and if its lack of sexy you have to acknowledge thats subjective and invalid.

People saying mary kirby is lying abt him being demisexual to cover up bad writing cuz she called him a bisexual disaster before? Like what bad writing? Not having as much content as you want is not bad writing. And you out yourself as not interacting with a lot of acespec people if you think we never default to more common sexual labels for simplicity LOL.

His writing comes off very acespec to me and a lot of other acespec ppl. And not just because he doesn’t rail you on screen in the pantry. In the subtle ways he is shy and reluctant towards intimacy, in the way he romance is his favorite genre but he struggles to see himself in a relationship in real life. This man would rather listen to you talk then have a round 2 ! like please this is not a lie! He has 0 horny energy.

Ppl just need to admit that the romance they planned on before the game came out wasn’t to their taste. I get thatd be disappointing but to act like it is objectively bad and call the writer, who has written one of the most iconic bioware characters, a bad writer and a lier is actually insane

[zenless-zideblog-zero]

ZZZ sexuality headcanons

Because everyone else seems to do it.

~Phaethon Sibs~

Wise: Biromantic (slight preference for women) Pansexual, but like Theater Kid Bi/Pan. He IS LGBT+, but he's so dramatic about it the only people he ends up falling in love with are those with big dramatic reveals and backstories (Lycaon, Caesar, ETC.)

Belle: Demi on both accounts. She finds herself falling for girls more often but to be fair, an inordinate amount of the people she's around are Girls.

She has some Trans Vibes™ to me, but also just as likely to be cis.

~The Cunning Hares~

Nicole: Likes Women, and Certain men. Aromantic, but willing to be in a romantic relationship.

Anby: Sex positive Asexual, Panromantic. She only recently figured this out since she escaped her mysterious past.

Billy: Okay, him being a Robot, even a sapient one, makes the whole Sexuality/Romanticism thing weird to consider, but given the fact he has some kind of attraction to Monica that seems to be deeper than an emotional infatuation, so like. Straight? But also I reserve the right to change this in the Future.

Nekomata: Okay, as a bisexual it's hard not to make everyone like both men and woman as a form of projection, but also. Shooting her with the Bisexual Beam™.

~Belobog Heavy industries~

Koleda: Pansexual Demiromantic.

Grace & Anton: I am putting these two together because I cannot begin to fathom what is going on inside these People's heads. Should either of them have a sexual and/or romantic partner, they won't care what their partner is, in a way that is impossible to distinguish between Bi/Pan/Omni/Etc and Asexuality.

Simultaneously, I can also see them both being DEEPLY Homosexual, OR in the vein of "HRT Hit me like Freight Train" trans, but not both gay and trans.

Ben: Either the straightest man ever or the least flamboyant gay man in history, because on one hand he's a Bear (Heavyset Hairy Man) and a Bear (Furry) but also he's the accountant, which means he likely was in Business classes in college. I have never met a gay person good at math.

~Victoria Housekeeping~

Lycaon: I think he is like, pan/Omni/etc, but he's so deeply uncomfortable with being open to those he doesn't know he seems like he's demi.

Rina: Again, as a bisexual it's hard not to make everyone like both men and woman as a form of projection. But also, *Bisexuality Beam*

Corin: She really hasn't put much thought into it, but to seem 'normal' her kneejerk reaction to such a question is to claim that she's straight, even though she's still very much figuring herself out.

Sapphic, with unclear feelings towards men.

Ellen: (BisexualProjection.TXT) Sapphic, but Demi with guys, sort of like how Nicole is described.

~Criminal Investigation Special Response Team~

Zhu-Yuan: Comfortably Pan, terribly single.

Qingyi: Same thing with Billy where it's different because she doesn't have "Organic" Impulses, but also she's lesbian.

Jane Doe: She's so deep into the "Flirty Femme Fatale" Persona that she's forgotten what her actual preferences are. When is the flirting real, and when is it a ploy? If it was real would it actually be for this Guy/Girl?

She lands somewhere between Lycaon and Corin's deals in this way. I don't Think it's that clear to her, let alone to anyone else. She just needs to be allowed to be honest with others to be true to herself, and figure it out again.

Seth: Sex-Neutral Ace, Panromantic. He WILL Cuddle you after and he WILL Make you breakfast in the morning.

~Sons of Calydon~

Caesar: Bi, heavily leaning towards men because that's mostly what she can find in her romance stories.

Lucy: (BisexualProjection.TXT) As a revolution against her dad, she went HARD into being a lesbian, but the freedom and kindness provided by the Sons have let her really consider her options. She does like women a LOT, but sometimes ... she wouldn't mind a guy treating her like the princess she wants to be.

BUT TO BE CLEAR. She is a Disaster Lesbian for Caesar specifically. Caesar is basically the pinnacle of Sexual Attraction to which she bases all other potential partners against. She does not realize this and it is part of the reason she fights Caesar so much because of the Weird Feelings™ She gets.

Burnice: Literal Flaming Homosexual. The MOST Lesbian. If the bad word for gay (F**) didn't already have the hitorical context for it's existence, Burnice would be the origin of it.

Piper: Also a lesbian. She had a wife ten years ago, but they've divorced. This cannot be surprising to anyone.

Lighter: GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY-

~Misc.~

Soukaku: A Child. Do not bother.

Soldier 11: A Good Soldier's only love is for their country, and their only marriage is to the code by which they live!

The amount of Psycho-sexual issues this Woman will have if she ever uncovers her own personhood will be Deep and Troubling. and HOT.

[shappoxs]

I openly accept any corrections, especially from actual Lucanis fans or demisexuals. If you disagree with anything I say this point onwards, please tell me!

The way Lucanis went from "bisexual disaster " to "panromantic demisexual" after the game came out feels weird (Both are direct quotes about Lucanis from Mary Kirby). Before I get into this I'd like to clarify, neither is a problem, Lucanis being demisexual in a vacuum is not what I take issue with.

But it feels like another excuse. Being demisexual means something it's not just another word for inexperienced or hesitant. If Lucanis is demisexual why does he fall for Neve or Rook nearly just as fast as any other companion does and why does he never acknowledge that?

There are many hints that he's never dated before (not sure if it's ever outrught stated), and again, he is shown to be hesitant... but nothing uniquely in the direction of demisexuality.

This game clearly isn't afraid of using real terms (it has an entire codex going over different non-binary labels), so why is this where they draw the line? Why does Lucanis never acknowledge the fact that he requires a deep connection before he feels certain things?

I've seen people call Krem from DA:I bad trans representation because he's never called transgender, which I respectfully disagree with. Still, Krem is explicitly trans and then Lucanis's demisexual coding is just... pulling away before you can kiss? It doesn't help that the scene happens after something that would definitely explain why Lucanis would need to clear his head.

That's also paired with the fact we do get told constantly that he's traumatised and he mentions having little faith in people prior to his romance (at least with Neve). This isn't to say he can't be demisexual, not at all, but there's always an explanation for his behaviour that people would think of before demisexuality and there's no effort put in to otherwise lead us to it.

For a game that is on the nose about everything, I find it hard to give them the benefit of the doubt that this was the one thing they handled with subtlety.

Best case scenario, Mark Kirby was just trying to... I don't know, set up expectations to defy them? Worst case scenario, this is just another case of someone from Bioware lying to us about this damn game.

[sejics]

“The companions do care about Rooks mental health, sure they didn’t TALK to Rook about Varric but look at the other nice things they did”. No, those are their personal quests have have nothing to do with Rook. No one talked to Rook about Varric because the game needed them not to give away their shitty reveal late in the game. It’s not intentional it’s just Bad Writing.

“Oh Lucanis is definitely Demi, I see it now”. Lucanis was never intended to be demisexual and it’s obvious. He was a “disaster bisexual” before the game came out and before the AMA I don’t think I saw a single post saying hey, maybe he’s demi. It was people making posts confused about why he was so unresponsive in his romance scenes.

Do you seriously think that this game intended him to be demisexual? Do you think they could include a demi character without spoon feeding it to us and repeatedly patting themselves on the head for including him like they did with Taash being non binary? In a game that is subtle about nothing do you think they suddenly decided to make this subtle?

Lucanis isn’t demi, he has a poorly written romance that is lacking content and has barely any unique scenes. And honestly demi/ace people shouldn’t be defending this game for it, they should be upset that it’s being used to hand wave away bad writing from a triple a studio.

[vorchagirl]

First of all, I've loved your Kaidan and Reyes stories for ages, but I wanted to tell you that I genuinely love Untouchable and I'm checking daily for updates and teasers. Thank you for blessing us with your Rookanis work and for writing something for Dragon Age.

Second, and the point of this ask, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on Mary Kirby's revelation that Lucanis is demi, pan, and a virgin? And are you planning to carry this across into your story?

Hello anon!

Thank you so much for your lovely compliment on my Rookanis fic - I was really nervous about posting Untouchable, but the support and friendly comments have really made me happy! Lucanis and Spite are so much fun, and I fell in love with them even before I played Veilguard. The fact that anyone from the DA fandom is reading my story is still incredible to me 😅 so thank you.

In regards to Mary Kirby, I'll preface my response by saying that I love the little tidbits that she has been contributing to the fandom. It adds some fun flavour and insight to his character that we otherwise wouldn't know. Buuuut, I dont think she has the final say in Lucanis and his character - she wasn't the character's only writer, she was fired a year before the game released, and the Lucanis we got in Veilguard + stories seems to have gone through some changes. Mary herself originally called him a 'bisexual disaster', which has a very specific online meaning, and this doesn't entirely gel with her later comments that he is demi and a virgin. Plus, we have dialogue lines where he talks about previous lovers, so not everything lines up perfectly. I take her tidbits with a grain of salt - they're fun but not necessarily canon.

I think fandom writers and artists should feel free to perceive his character in Veilguard any way they want to - as long as its respectful to what is established in game (and even then, if you're writing an AU I think you have the freedom be flexible!). If Lucanis being a demi virgin makes you happy, then you should absolutely celebrate that aspect in your fic and art. If you see him as more seductive and experienced, then that's equally valid, and you should write your sexy Crow. Fandom should be about having fun and being creative with your HC, not about feeling pressured to change your HC to fit with other people's.

Personally, I absolutely read Lucanis as being demisexual in the game and someone who needs that emotional connection, but not a virgin. I can't see a highly trained Crow assassin as not having been trained in the art of seduction and sex. So, in my fic I'm writing him as being experienced with sex, but not experienced with relationships, love, or any of that emotional stuff.

However, that's just my reading of his character and that doesn't mean I don't respect other readings of his character. I don't want anyone to feel disappointed by my story - it's very a very slow burn romance, but my Lucanis isn't a virgin and there will be smut in my fic involving Lucanis, Rook & Spite. I hope that I'll be able to show that connection and desire building between them in a way everyone likes!

I hope I've answered your question respectfully and kindly. I really love writing my story and the arc I've come up with for Lucanis, Rook & Spite.

*edit* please feel free to reach out or msg if you have more questions!

[cjlouwho]

I was planning to wait to see how this episode played out but the clip annoyed me so much I had to write to ABC.

I’ve waited a week to write in because I hoped to feel more settled with my emotions before I sent off a message to whomever is responsible for collecting and dispersing the responses received in the aftermath of 8x06. I feel more clear headed now that the initial rush of disappointment has passed but, unfortunately, that does mean that I’ve had the ability to look at both the handling of Buck and Tommy’s relationship from a bisexual perspective and the show in a larger context.

I had hope that 9-1-1 was improving when it joined ABC after the dull and inspired final seasons on Fox. The excitement of the opening disaster combined with the revelation of Buck’s bisexuality gave me hope that this show was turning a corner. Having read interviews after the fact from the show runner, Tim Minnear, who said that he intended to treat this storyline with care, I was optimistic. Sadly all of that optimism is gone. Season eight has been a rushed disaster. We’ve barely had any time to spend with the characters—Hen and Karen have, yet again, been stuck fighting for their child only to have it all resolved in the space of 42 minutes; Eddie is still in desperate need of therapy and yet has made no moves towards that aim; Bobby and Athena are still struggling with communication; and now Buck is single again after a beautiful episode that highlighted his relationship with Tommy that made me truly believe the show was going to honor its promise to the audience in how it handles Buck’s sexuality.

The disappointment I felt at not only the played-for-jokes reveal of Tommy’s engagment to Abby (that doesn’t even make sense in the context of the show’s history) but the fact that many characters seem to have forgotten that Buck is bisexual and not gay to the abrupt and deliberately painful ending of his relationship with Tommy is real and true. Although this is a silly firefighter show, it was set up to deliver a truly beautiful love story between two adult men learning how to love each other in this world with all their baggage and it was thrown away for what? It’s hard to tell.

I did think, perhaps, that maybe there was a larger plan at play but given the clip released from 911 today of Maddie and Chimney telling Buck to move on and the casual biphobia of “which pond?” (in case help is needed, it’s all the same pond) has filled me with the realisation that there’s nothing there. We were—and I don’t say this lightly—queer trapped by the show, the show runner, and the network into watching because of Buck and Tommy but now that you have your viewing numbers, it seems fair game to play fast and loose with the viewers.

I am so incredibly disappointed in the show and specifically disappointed in Tim Minnear. He knew exactly what he was doing when he crafted 8x05, manipulating us into investing in this relationship only to pull it away because he’s incapable of planning a story arc more than a day in advance of shooting.

Furthermore, the silence from everyone involved in this show on the death threats and harassment received by Lou Ferrigno Jr., for simply doing his job is unacceptable. The guest stars on this show have always been treated appallingly by a toxic subset of fans who believe that bullying and vitriol is what will reward them with their much-vaunted ship of Buddie (Buck and Eddie). It’s hard to ignore that the show runner is playing into this and perhaps he needs reminding that they are only a small minority and that the wider, quieter viewing audience have been much more captivated by the romance of Buck and Tommy.

I hope that this reaches someone’s ears and makes the smallest difference because you had gold in your hands and threw it away for absolutely nothing.

As a final note, please have someone from the LGBTQ+ community consult the scripts before they’re filmed because there is no excuse for the type of biphobia that keeps cropping up.

Yes!!! I am so proud of you for writing in!!

[healymatthews17]

Hello!

My 🖋 name is Healy Matthews. I'm an up-and-coming author who enjoys writing queer romance novels, usually of the historical and/or fantasy varieties.

I've decided to take the leap and dive into the early stages of self-publishing my debut novel WIELDER. I'm still deciding precisely what the next steps will be, but it's likely that I will be initially publishing through a Kickstarter campaign sometime this summer.

Meet Mona and Pippa, the main characters!

WIELDER is a sapphic fantasy novel that walks the line between young adult and new adult. The summary is as follows:

Time is fragile. It is cracking, breaking, and coming apart at the seams, and Pippa Pennippa has no idea. As an aspiring journalist from Chicago, Pippa sees the past as her muse. She draws inspiration from it, looking to its stories to forge her future. Little does Pippa know that nearly two hundred years earlier, another girl is looking to forge in her own future. Mona Spirea’s dream is to be a Forger- a blacksmith who creates weapons for supernatural cult of time-travelers that call themselves Wielders. It is her sacred duty, along with others of her race, to utilize their magic and the weapons at their disposal to prevent time from collapsing in on itself. Mona enjoys the rituals and regimen of the Wielders, and she believes in her mandate. She certainly does not expect Pippa, a girl from the future, to break into both her home and her heart. As Pippa discovers her identity as a Wielder, the Anarchists, a group of rogue time-travelers, begin to close in. Both Mona and Pippa must fight through betrayals brought by those they love. They will need to overcome oppression from those taking advantage of their own authority if they want to keep time itself from disintegrating… and save countless lives. But it seems that Pippa must face another obstacle as well: the fact that she is unwittingly in possession of one of the most powerful - and dangerous - magical talismans in existence.

If you're a fan of weapon-obsessed Vicrorian autistic lipstick lesbians, bisexual accidental-time-travelers who really just want a cup of coffee, pretty dresses from different time periods, disaster sunshine musicians from 1920s Harlem, stories that explore trauma, general timey-wimey weirdness, or gossamer-and-gothic vibes, this book is for you.

[thydungeongal]

Anyways, I gotta get back to work soon, but how about I offer a quick detox? If you don't mind, could you share a story of a time that you were playing a TTRPG and it just worked, exactly like it was designed to work, and everything was perfect - I'd prefer if it was a D&D 4e story, given the context, but I'd love any story.

Sadly, as much as I would love to share a 4e story, the truly sublime RPG experiences I have had have been in completely different systems, which I have mentioned in other posts of mine!

The first one was my run of running a one-shot of Best Friends set in a Finnish gymnasium (school equivalent to, uh, high school, upper-secondary school) with the main characters being second year students. The big crowning moment of second year of gymnasium for many is a tradition know as "Wanhojen tanssit" ("ye oldes' dance" for lack of a better translation) which is kind of like prom in its social significance but is more like putting on a nice show for the parents where the kids dance together in fancy outfits. Anyway, it was the PERFECT framing for a fun coming-of-age story which covered all of their second year, and it had everything! Drama, romance, petty arguments, two of the girls realizing they were gay for each other. It was so sweet. (Oh and of course two of the girls ended up dancing together with the other one putting on a suit and basically butching it up, which given that this was early two-thousand-and-tens would have actually been eyebrow-raising had it happened irl, it was incredibly cute.)

The second was a convention game of Monsterhearts and it was also an absolutely sublime experience. It was a very fun group, with everyone in the group being at least ostensibly cis guys (I wonder what happened to the rest of them? Anyway), but everyone like being immediately on board with the idea of playing out a story of summer camp with a bunch of teenage disaster bisexual monsters. The player who picked the Mortal playbook for his character had played Monsterhearts previously and knew exactly what he was doing: a Mortal in a Monsterhearts game is basically a ticking time bomb, and his character started immediately pulling on as many heartstrings as possible. The game ended with the summer camp center on fire and almost the entire cast of characters dead. My werewolf boy and the witch girl were the only survivors and they dramatically walked away in silence (with my character in wolf form).

During the denouement the MC commented "oh and I didn't even have to use the big monster in the lake." That immediately sold me on the system. Our characters had become the only antagonistic force the game needed, with no need for the MC to do anything besides watch the sparks fly.

[tailsbeth-writes]

Favourite Books of 2024

Tagged by @myheartalivewrites & I can't say no to chatting about books.

If you happen to be on Goodreads or Storygraph, add me. Always like more book pals! In no particular order, here's my faves:

Fraternity by Andy Mientus: this was a dark academia queer treat. If you thought Dead Poet's Society should have been more gay & have black magic, this is the book for you.

Dear Mothman by Robin Gow: I listened to this, started it at the gym... Cue me, crying on the treadmill. This middle grade novel deals with grief and gender identity via letters sent to Mothman.

P.S. Burn This Letter Please by Craig Olsen: If you've got an interest in queer history or drag culture, you gotta read this nonfiction. Pieced together from letters, we hear about the New York queens from the 1950s and the beginnings of modern drag culture as we know it.

Let Me Out by Emmett Nahil & George Williams: This graphic novel is gorgeous, I just really jelled with the style. It's a classic satanic panic story set in 1979, with a wonderfully queer cast.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White: this book is not for the queasy of stomach. This historical novel has been on my TBR for a while but the book club I'm in (Bisexual Disasters Book Club) chose it for October and I'm so glad they did! It follows Silas, an autistic trans man in Victorian London who is being sent to a Sanitarium & Finishing school. There's lots of TWs provided by the author, please do take care.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston: The king of romance does it again! Genuinely my fave McQuiston book (someone cover RWRB's ears) & I was so lucky to get a digital ARC of it. I bought a copy for my birthday I loved it that much & it ended up being chosen for my book club. We were all collectively obsessed with Theo and Kit, the whole tour gang and those pornographic descriptions of food. Can't wait to re-read next summer, hopefully on holiday!

Honourable Mention - The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch: I haven't finished this book yet (over 70% through) but it's been such a joy! It's got holidays, princes kissing, moments of surprising depth and a lot of laughter. If you're a RWRB fan but need something with holiday vibes, you'll love this.

In summary: a very queer reading year (as it should be.)

(Apologies if you were already tagged)

Tag You're It: @taste-thewaste @judasofsuburbia @suseagull5914 @onthewaytosomewhere @run-for-chamo-miles & open tag, I wanna see who the readers are in my feed!

[adamsmasher]

Bioware really said "you need to choose between a) your hometown, home faction, fellow mage and friend, and b) a hot guy" and if you choose "hot guy" then your hometown and faction get completely decimated and your friend doesn't want to talk to you.

I completely get why Neve hates me right now, but what am I gonna do, *not* romance the sexy Italian bisexual disaster?

[amourcherie606]

class 1a girlies hcs!! ♥

yknow i had to lock in for hcs <3 im really happy with how these turned out!! anyway, my hcs for these girlies and pals is down below!!

Yaomomo!! Asexual Japanese Lesbian!! Shes deff a traditional girlie but she also isnt opposed to bending rules either. Potentially polyam? Eitherway she has a crush on Jirou. besties with shouto and setsuna from class 1b. She loves jewelry and even shares it with her classmates!

Jirou!! Punk all the way RAHH!! transmasc Japanese Lesbian cause fuck yeah + any pronouns. Shes in a band with Bakugou, Tokoyami, Denki, and Momo. Has a crush on Yaomomo! (and perhaps someone else..?) Also doesnt mind wearing pants or skirts. Lots of piercings. Has a playlist made for each of her classmates but is too shy to actually tell anyone, youd have to ask him for it!! besties with denki, shinsou, and bakugou!!

RAHHH Blasian-Latino Tsu coming thru!! Agender Lesbian too ♥ She typically loves wearing knitted clothing, honestly anything handmade. You can see her often wearing stuff her siblings made her too!! Has crush on the classes resident hot and ice prince... She has been dropping hints like crazy that she likes him but is willing to wait for him to pick it up. eventually. besties with ochako, bakugou, and tokoyami!!

ochako!! resident wasian bisexual disaster ™ really friendly overly passionate friend that WILL jump someone if need be!! A sucker for sweets, specifically dango. also mega empath, if something is wrong 10 times outta 10 she has a feeling abt it. has a crush on izuku and a certain blond thirsty blonde...besties with izuku, shouto, and iida!!

MINAAAA IS THAT BITCH!! cupioromantic pansexual blasian baddy all the WAY!! She styles her hair like a gazillion ways and yes bakugou knows how to do her hair. she pretty much knows about everyones crushes, is basically friends with everyone even outside of class 1-a. party girl all the wayyy responsible for half of the secret parties for the hero course. loves knowing tea and isnt afraid to stand up to a bitch. besties with toru, bakugou, kirishima, and sero!!

toruuuu!! shortie pansexual!! She lovesss cute things and typically has alot of jewelry and bows on to make sure you know shes there!! (ignore that i didnt include that in my edit lmao) is a little obsessed with other peoples thoughts on her and romance but will get it over it in due time. friend hang outs normally happen in her room!! honestly thinks her whole class is really cute and wouldnt mind dating anyone. besties with mina, oijro, and aoyama.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Found an Self-Insert Cyberpunk fanfic.

Except it's not the usual type. It's the type where it's told entirely from the perspective of people other than the SI, which makes it more interesting.

Problem 1: Current events.

Almost all the references people make are ones you'd expect from someone today, like Batman or other pieces of pop culture.

Cyberpunk 2077 often references fictional in-universe media. Like the dead rock star stuck in V's head. In a world where everything and everyone is disposable and temporary, why would people usually reference 80 year old media?

At one point, a character explicitly compares another character's clothing to Danny DeVito in Matilda.

Okay, the CP timeline divergences mainly started in the 90s. So it's possible that the movie was still made, but it's still odd. Especially when the same characters don't recognize that the story's lead is heavily based on Walter White. Shaved head and everything.

Except he's using his chemistry potential for good, not evil.

And it's not just media. It's also Current Year memes, like V describing certain people as a "corpo bros who watched too much American Psycho", or himself as a "disaster bisexual".

Oh look, a segue.

Problem 2: Rainbow connection.

The story puts a lot of emphasis on LGBT characters.

There's Judy Alvarez, obviously. But also, V's in with Meredith Stout is Stout's explicitly non-binary ex who, you guessed it, is they/them.

Adds nothing to the story. The SI provides that info, and Meredith tries to trip V up, but he sees through it.

Since Meredith is a Militech Corpo, and V is an Arasaka ex-Corpo (who still isn't over it), why doesn't V…just use that connection, somehow? Militech and Arasaka are rivals. There could be some friction there. Or V could sympathize with how Stout would do anything to keep her job.

Why are non-binary characters always just they/them? Why not he/she/they? He/She? Xi/xir? or Lunagender? Or using regular He or She interchangably while IDing as enby? Why is it always the basic, simple, "normal" version? Got a Rochester's Wife situation going on?*

Also, in fanfics, things like this often suggest even more awkward left-wing political insertions, down the line.

Problem 3: even more awkward left-wing political insertions.

Well, just one.

Panam Palmer just didn't fit. This wasn't rare in Night City. Lots of people who didn't fit in, were awkward, had no social groups, didn't choose to be loners. She expected to be alone in the city and no one cared. But it was personal hate. Her skin color, nomad markings, speech, just being a woman. The list went on and every day there was some new jerk who needed to find out, because they messed around.

Panam is canonically native American, according to the devs, but she looks like a random white biker lady wth a tan. Wouldn't be the first white-passing Native woman I've seen.

Also, she lives and works around Night City. Which is extremely diverse.

Judy Alvarez and Jackie (both Hispanic) were both POV characters, and race wasn't really mentioned. You'd think ex-Arasaka V or someone would mention Arasaka's racism, but nope. River Ward was a viewpoint character, and he's much more visibly non-white, down to his necklace and dreamcatcher (if romanced).

He only brings it up in the fic when Misty asks him if he ever had his fortune told. Apparently his granny did a "spirit walk" when him and his sister were born.**

I've seen playthroughs of the game, and I don't remember sexism really being a thing. Why would skin color matter much when anyone can change that and other ethnic features at will?

Why did race only come up as a significant thing now?

I'd expect Panam to get the most stick for being a Nomad, not brown, or a woman. Especially in a city where any woman could sprout mantis blades and go Cyberpsycho at the drop of a hat.

This feels…reductive. Like the writer wanted to give Panam challeges to overcome so she could be a Tough Woman™, and just…piled too much on, like a Chicago hot dog.

I would've gone with something more subtle. "Her back itches without her Nomad tribe behind her, and she's uncomfortable in a city instead of a desert, or a road. Even the echoes sound wrong."

So, yeah, this was the last straw.

Also, I checked the writer's profile, and, very stereotypically, she's from Portland.

*Also, you might recall that there was a nontroversy over an soda ad in the game featuring a lady with, ahem, a rather substantial bulge. Based on an actual trans woman. Somehow, portraying a (possible) trans woman in the same sexually objectified way as ads featuring non-trans people is transphobic.

I never worked out that logic.

My best guess is that some people were uncomfy with it, and it's about a trans person, so it's must be *phobic somehow.

Wouldn't it be ironic if the ad was just Photoshop in universe? Or the in-universe model was a non-trans woman who strapped on the junk just for the ad?

(Though depending on who you ask, that still counts as being a trans woman, somehow.)

**Come to think, that kind of feels like it's stereotyping. I can't find evidence Pomo Native Americans do spirit walks, but maybe my Google-fu is just weak.