#a gay little scoundrel if you will

[thegreatyin]

til that mr wines appears in the empress' shadow and it apparently gets really uppity about even the prospect of dating a human. so anyway now i need to play this story with the scoundrel for no reason in particular

[theinfinitedivides]

Deepika and Shah Rukh doing skincare routines with her brand before the Pathaan conference gives off potential post-canon domestic vibes with a side of irl-sponsorship ('i'm glowing' 'you are') and i am f*cking soft

[drchucktingle]

Mr Chuck, wizard of gay romance, I consult ye. Without knowing a damn thing about the plot of the book I'm writing other than it is gay and has themes of hunger, consumption, joy in spite of suffering, and the fleeting nature of life, how should my story end?

well to create we need to consume, this is how we produce energy and multiply and build. since beginning of time from frothing volcanos to tiny microbes CREATION and CONSUMPTION are linked. in addition an act of creation is an act of love, it is filling the empty void with SOMETHING and that is as powerful and important as it gets

i think what confuses MANY buckaroos is they get caught up by the consumption part. they see this equation i have laid out and say 'well if consuming leads to creation and creation is to point then we must consume everything as a moral imperative.' i mean HECK that is capitalism in a dang nutshell right there. if you trot this path it says the bigger fish should eat the little one, and that war and power are sort of innate. you see a lot of goofball conservative philosophers with melted brains stop here and set up shop to peddle their sad wares

THE PROBLEM IS consuming everything that you can DOES NOT ACTUALLY LEAD TO MORE CREATION IN PRACTICE. maybe sometimes in the very short term, but at the end of the dang trot it leads to destruction on a massive scale. if the biggest fish eats ALL the little fish then it is not just the little fish who dies it is BOTH of them. if you seek power through TAKING AND CONSUMING all that you can you will do more harm than good. you may puff up your chest for a little while but eventually you will go beyond your means and crumble.

consuming yields the best results when you do it in sustainable way, when you share with your neighbor, when you build a community. this is because LOVE is the best fuel and love thrives when buds work together to create a greater whole than themselves. even if you use example of TAKING through violence, ten little cave buckaroos as a team will always take down one big cave buckaroo. COMMUNITY PROVES LOVE. TEAMWORK PROVES LOVE. CONNECTION PROVES LOVE.

fortunately, as much as scoundrels want to convince us that fighting and violence and TAKING is the best way to grow as a dang species, it is not. humans thrived not because of some primal hierarchy (as goofball conservatives say) but because we started villages and societies and systems of working together. the buds who put their chips behind the BIGGEST FISH are only seeing one part of the picture. YES sometimes in the animal kingdom the biggest beast will win the fight, but that is why THEY ARE BEASTS AND WE ARE PEOPLE. we evolved to greater heights as we grew bigger brains for sharing and empathy and love and complexity. WE STARTED COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WITHIN COMMUNITY CREATION AND LOVE THRIVE. THE 'REAL' BIGGEST FISH IS KINDNESS.

so hunger and consuming are ACTUALLY an important part of creation. they are part of bringing joy to this timeline, so long as you are not endlessly hungry even after you are full, and so long as you are not consuming what could be better shared with a bud.

hope that helps with your story buckaroo

[babygorewhore]

Texting the Evan’s. They get jealous.

Your boyfriends text you after noticing another male is around. What do they say? WARNINGS! Kai being a dick. And James being a murderer. Requested by @ceramlacrimula

Tate Langdon.

“Hey, babe. You still hanging out with friends?”

“Yes, my best friend and Steve (idk boy names)

“…Steve??”

“Yes.”

“Well damn. I guess you don’t want to talk to me then.”

“Tate.”

“Yeah?”

“He’s gay.”

“Oh-“

Kit walker.

“So-I uh-saw that guy be real close to you in that picture you sent me.”

“Oh yeah, he was being a little shit.”

“I see. He still bothering you?”

“Not really. Just a little handsy that’s all.”

“Handsy? What does that mean?”

“He keeps putting his arm around my shoulder, and shit like that. Nothing that serious.”

“Beat his ass.”

“KIT!”

Kyle Spencer.

“You’re mine.”

“What?”

“Mine.”

“Why are you saying that, babe?”

“The picture. Mine.”

“Kyle, sweetie, that’s my brother.”

“…👀”

Kai Anderson. Oh lord.

“When you get home, I’m going to punish you.”

“For what?”

“You know exactly what. Don’t act so innocent.”

“Kai. I told you. He was just being nice.”

“Yeah, I know exactly what all ‘nice’ guys think. I used to be one of them.”

“Yeah, right.”

“So, now you wanna have a smart mouth. You just want to be punished.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You will always know you belong to me.”

Jimmy darling

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“What? Jimmy, of course not! Why do you say that?”

“You seemed awfully cozy with that guy earlier.”

“It was nothing. He just happened to be in line too. Were you stalking me?”

“No, I was just waiting and I saw you. Does he need a Jimmy Darling ass kicking?”

“Jimmy, you can’t beat up every single man who talks to me.”

“Watch me.”

James Patrick March.

“Darling, I’m afraid one of my best suits needs cleaning. I fear I won’t look as dapper for our dinner tonight.”

“I thought you just had it cleaned?”

“I did, dearest. However, events led to it becoming tarnished.”

“Such as?”

“Well remember that, scoundrel who came to the Cortez yesterday? The one who couldn’t keep his hands off you?”

“James. Tell me you didn’t kill him. You promised.”

“But my little mouse, you didn’t hear him speaking after you left. I simply didn’t have a choice.”

“You killed him because you were jealous. James, I thought you were above that.”

“I’m afraid not, my pet. And now for the rest of his eternal life, he will only see that you’re mine.”

[shieldofiron]

Billy had a dirty little secret.

No, not the gay thing. It was 2023 and even if his dad was a major asshole about it, Billy knew in the grand scheme of things he was just another semi-closeted white gay with an OCD diagnosis and a countdown in his head until he could move out of Indiana and back to someplace more accepting.

No, Billy had an even worse secret. He liked romance novels. And not the cutesy ones with cartoon covers. The kindle app on his phone was full of bonkers vampires, mafia bosses, blue aliens, and secret princes. His library card back in California had a 40 dollar fee on it because he had desperately checked out his favorites, the ones with the busty, Fabio, neon covers, before he got sent to Hawk-a-loogie Indiana.

That’s how he found himself flop sweating in the back stacks of the local library, desperate to find the right shelf without having to ask the kindly older lady behind the counter with the cats knit into her sweater. She looked like she had dropped right out of 1983, and she was eyeing him with a too curious look.

“Can I help you, dear?”

He closed his eyes, hot shame pouring over him, “Romance? My uh… stepsister wants some books. Any old thing will do.”

She just hummed, and indicated a door to the right of the children’s section. “In the basement. Shelves F-K.”

Billy didn’t have high hopes, considering that they’d been shoved to the basement. He’d been so wrong.

It was a paradise. Not only older, historic titles he’d never seen in person, let alone had the opportunity to read, but new stuff too. He goggled at an original cover copy of Indigo by Beverly Jenkins and Prince of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase as well as a brand new copy of Cat Sebastian’s latest gay romance, the cover glossy with a fresh library covering, the corners still sharp.

45 minutes later and more than a little late to pick up Max, he crawled back to the counter, the coveted gay romance sandwiched between two straight ones and a random mystery book thrown on top for cover.

The librarian eyed him carefully.

“You know, we have a romance book club,” she pulled out a small pink flier, “If your sister is interested. I host it, once a month.”

He glanced over it swiftly, clocking her name, Claudia Henderson and filing it away.

“I’ll let her know,” more like he would drag the Shitbird kicking and screaming.

She smiled, “I hope you will.”

[echoric]

FIRST OFF I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR FICS!! Secondly I was wondering if I could request a little Drabble? Maybe a “Iceman is openly gay with slider, Hollywood and wolf man. But Maverick isn’t as comfortable with his sexuality and thinks he still has to act straight even though he’s got it BAD for ice”

first off thank you so much!!! :DD im glad you like my writing <3 & secondly of COURSE i can write that, i love a bit of closeted angst (i hope i got everything the way you wanted) this got a bit longer than i expected lol, it is crossposted to ao3 (HERE) if anyone prefers that format

standing face to face with "i told you so"

icemav angst (Word Count: 3,488)

Ice was staring again.

Maverick could feel those intense blue eyes burning into the side of his head as he intentionally stared forward, scanning the crowd at the bar as if he were actually looking for someone or something. He’d already gotten caught twice by the man when he had chanced a glance back to see if he was watching or not, and Maverick wasn’t sure his heart could take anymore eyecontact with the other pilot. Goose had kicked him in the shin in time for him to look away before an approaching lady caught him staring at Ice last time. But Goose had since drifted away to join the other pilots and RIOs in conversation, leaving Maverick alone at the bar and painfully aware of Ice’s attention. His pulse was racing, making his cheeks flush slightly as he thought about meeting his gaze again just to see.

“Right, Maverick?”

He almost jumped. He had forgotten completely about the lady at his arm – Sandra…or was it Sarah? He scrambled, but flashed her a smooth, well-practiced grin, and laughed, not knowing at all what she was asking him and hoping it was the right resposne. She seemed pleased with his laugh, giggling to herself as she leaned into his side to distance herself from the tall, frustrated-looking man who had followed her up to Maverick’s spot at the bar. Maverick gave the man a sharp, teeth-baring grin as he draped his arm over Sandra’s shoulders, leaning into her like a confident boyfriend.

“In fact, everyone keeps asking when we’re going to be engaged. This scoundrel just can’t commit, isn’t that right, Maverick?”

“You know what they say about us sailors. Brandy, you’re a fine girl,” Maverick crooned, half-singing with a wink. He placed a chaste kiss on her temple to keep up the act.

She laughed and put her arm around his waist, squeezing him as she looked up through her eyelashes, “What a good wife I would be?”

“But my life, my love, my lady–”

“Is the sea,” they finished in sync, laughing together. The man at her heels finally seemed to take a hint and walked off with an irritated huff, muttering under his breath.

Sandra stayed close up against his side for a while as she watched the man leave. She relaxed as Maverick leaned back against the bar, sighing and shaking her head. Her arm fell from around his waist and he took his arm back. She smiled at him, a sad look in her eyes and exhaustion in her voice as she spoke quietly enough that the music would’ve kept it a secret from anyone else, “Thank you for being a good man, Maverick.”

“Pete,” Maverick said with a smile, holding his hand out like it was a business deal. Her smile softened and she took his hand in a firm grip.

“Sandy,” she said as she shook his hand once, “but you can call me Brandy, sailor.”

Maverick grinned and tilted his head with a shrug, “It was improv.”

“It was good. Really,” she waid with a grin. She pulled a small compact mirror with an ornate carving of a flower on it from her bag and checked her reflection in it. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed again. “Some men can never seem to understand that some ladies just aren’t interested.”

Maverick raised an eyebrow, slightly caught off guard by the change in topic. He was about to respond when his eyes scanned over the crowd absently and caught another pair of eyes watching them. Ice still hadn’t looked away – or if he had, he was looking again. Maverick felt a thrill shoot up his spine as he locked gazes with the man, dangerous and electric, but it was overpowered by the familiar urge to smother it and push it back down deep where no one might see it. Not even him. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from Ice, looking back to Sandy.

“Mhm. Can I buy you a drink, Brandy?” Maverick asked waving to the bar behind him and pointedly ignoring the stares he was getting from Ice and the other pilots and RIOs. “Just between friends. I understand when a lady only wants to use me for her protection.”

Sandy laughed and snapped her compact mirror shut. She turned to lean against the bar with her forearms crossed. Maverick caught a flash of a white handkerchief in the left pocket of her jeans as she hummed, scanning over the bar’s options. Sandy eventually smiled and waved the bartender over, “I’ll have a whiskey, neat. Put it on the sailor’s tab.”

“Mitchell,” Maverick said in response to the glance from the bartender. He nodded and turned to make her drink as Sandy turned to face Maverick more. “So, Brandy, what brings you here if not to flirt with all the sailors? Everyone knows that’s the main crowd at this dive.”

“My taste is less…salty, more sweet,” Sandy said with a wink. She nodded to the bartender with a smile as he handed her the drink she requested. “If you know what I mean?”

Maverick had no idea what she meant. He nodded anyway, pretending to understand with a quiet hum. He waved to the bartender and he slid Maverick another glass of the tequila that he’d been sipping on all night. He couldn’t resist glancing tot he side out of the corner of his eye as he waited for the drink to be poured, seeing if the attention from the table across the bar was still on him – it was. Sandy lifted her cup when he picked his up, they clinked them together before tossing them back in sync.

“Put it on my tab this time. Tequila,” Sandy called out to the bartender. She ran a hand through her hair again before sliding a shot to Maverick with a grin. “You up for a challenge, sailor?”

“I can drink in circles around you, Brandy,” he said confidently. His mind was already drifting back to Ice even as they clinked their glasses on the bar before tossing them back in sync. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d felt the sharp, nervous edge around the other pilot, but the awareness of that was always muted, vague. He blamed the tequila for how loud it seemed now. Maverick smiled easily at Sandy, feeling easy and in his element even if he could pick up that it was strictly platonic competitive energy between them. He was good with women. He’d dated countless women he genuinely liked; he could talk with them easily, laugh with them, play the part of a flirt without breaking a sweat – it was easy. Comfortable. Ice broke away any part of that comfort with his harsh words and challenging stares. He wasn’t simple or easy to get along with, and it was equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

“You’re not as oblivious as other men, are you?” Sandy asked before their next shot arrived. Her eyes were studying his face intensely, softened by alcohol and maybe a bit of camaraderie that Maverick wasn’t sure why she’d feel with him. Her eyes flitted briefly over to wher eIce was sitting, one eyebrow lifted just slightly out of his neutral resting face as he watched them – watched Maverick. “I mean, you’re clearly aware of your surroundings.”

Maverick shrugged and gave Sandy the grin that had saved him countless times in the past. “Iceman? Yeah, he’s competitive and a good pilot. We’re just…you know, rivals.”

“Oh, is that what they call it now?” she asked, her voice low and teasing as she grabbed two more shots for them from the bartender. For a split second, he felt his heart lurch into his throat and his face felt hot, a definitely blush creeping over his face that he couldn’t blame on the alcohol – an embarrassing reaction to what was likely just a harmless question. 

Sandy gave him a sympathetic smile and pushed the shot into his hand, tossing hers back. “Relax, sailor. Just a friendly observation.” She didn’t look away from him though, and her expression softened a little as he took his shot and forced his eyes away from Ice for what felt like the umpteenth time. There was understanding in her eyes, sad and compassionate. “Listen, Pete, I know we don’t…know each other at all. But if you ever need to, you know…talk through it, or whatever, I get it.”

“Get what?” he asked – too quickly. She gave him a look that let him know that she could see straight through him. A slow grin worked across her face as she ordered another round.

“Oh, nothing,” she said lightly, “just some people like their whiskey neat, others like it with a twist.”

Maverick forced himself to laugh at Sandy’s comment, but her words lingered, stirring something he didn’t quite want to confront. He swirled the tequila in his glass, downing it quickly – he was drinking too fast, too much, he should cut himself off, but he lifted his hand to order another round from the bartender. Sandy simply watched him with a calm, knowing smile. After a moment, she leaned in with a conspiratorial grin.

“You know, Pete, I think I’ve had enough of sailors for tonight. I’ve spotted someone who might be more might type, think she’d be interested?” She nodded subtly toward a tall brunette with a sharp undercut and a black leather jacket, looking just a bit out of place in the sea of Naval whites. Maverick raised an eyebrow, watching Sandy adjsut her hair and straighten her jacket. She looked at him and gave him a playful wink and sly grin. “Wish me luck, sailor?”

He grinned back, feeling a strange sense of relief as everything clicked into place. He lifted his new glass to her, “Good luck, Brandy. I doubt you’ll need it.”

Sandy winked again and, with a confident sway to her hips, headed off across the bar with an impressively steady gate for taking so many shots with him so quickly. Maverick once again was alone with his own thoughts at the bar. He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt the full force of Ice’s stare on him again. He tossed back the drink and slid his card to the bartender to close his tab. He’d probably regret his game with Brandy in the morning, but he didn’t care in the moment as he gathered himself and headed over to the table where the other pilots and RIOs were laughing and talking.

“Hey, Mitchell!” Slider called, smirking as he looked to where Sandy was now talking  to her new interest. “What happened to your date? You let a catch like that slip away?”

“Oh, come off it, Slider, she was just looking for help to get away from that creep,” Maverick said, shrugging it off. “She wasn’t my type anyway.”

Slider gave him an exaggerated look of utter disbelieve. “Not your type? That was probably the hottest lady in here, man. You’re slipping.”

“Maybe my standards re higher than yours,” he shot back, crossing his arms defensively and rolling his eyes.

“Please,” Hollywood chimed in with a grin and chuckle. He leaned back with his drink and pointed at Maverick. “Just face it, Mav, you just got friend-zoned by one of the hottest girls in this dive. Maybe she could tell you were already in love.”

“Or maybe I don’t chase after anything with a pulse unlike some people,” he snapped, his tone a little sharper than he had intended – the tequila. He glanced away as everyone went silent, feeling uncomfortable and awkward from the tension he’d accidentally caused. It was broken after a few moments by a low chuckle from Ice, which made Maverick glance over at him.

“That’s bold, Maverick. Those ‘some people’ might be at this table, you know,” Ice said, making intense, pointed eye contact that made Maverick’s cheeks burn before sipping his drink casually – vodka and lime. The usual. Always so predictable, going by the rule book even when they were supposed to be relaxing with friends.

“I’m just saying, I’m not into the…what, all the new-age ‘free love’ shit going around lately. Some of us still have standards,” he muttered – the words tasted bitter even as he said them. It was a cheap shot, a low blow, and not even something he believed, but he felt cornered and couldn’t think of an escape besides digging his way out. The air around the table grew still, and Maverick had the feeling his escape had actually been his grave he was digging deeper.

“You’re out of line, Mitchell,” Hollywood said evenly, his usually easygoing tone long gone. “It’s one thing to tease, but you don’t have to be homophobic about it.”

“Mav, I think we should get going. You’ve probably had too much,” Goose said slowly. He’d been laughing a moment ago, Maverick felt guilty over being the reason why his RIO looked so uncomfortable. “C’mon, man–”

“You know, Mitchell,” Ice said, cutting Goose off with a calm and measured tone. His depression was impossible to read, ice-cool as always but his eyes were sharp, as if he were silently daring Maverick to say something else. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d have such a problem with someone like me. There are so many better things for you to hate me over.”

Maverick’s stomach dropped. He could feel his pulse pounding as he stared at Ice. His mouth felt dry, and suddenly, any bravado and defensiveness he might’ve still had disappeared. He glanced around, trying to gauged if the others known all along, trying to read their expressions – but the tequila was making his thoughts feel muddled. Hollywood seemed to take pity on him and sighed, “If you didn’t know, now you do. Ice here is about as interested in women as that lady was in you.”

“I didn’t— I mean, I don’t care if he’s— If you…I—whatever, do whatever you want,” he muttered in a voice that sounded defensive even to himself. He tried to laugh it off but it sounded hollow even to himself. Goose stood up and grabbed Maverick’s arm in a light grip.

“Let’s go take a breather, man. You’re good, just…let’s go take a break,” Goose said quietly, tugging on his arm gently. Ice’s eyes held Maverick rooted in place, steady, waiting. There was something like pity in his gaze, but there was something else too – a challenge. Maverick couldn’t look at him directly, so he looked away like a coward, mumbling something under his breath that he didn’t understand. Ice nodded to himself and stood up.

“You’re good, Goose, I’ll get him home. I was about to get going anyway,” Ice said, brushing Goose’s hand off Maverick’s arm and replacing it with his own.

“You sure?”

“Don’t play pansy with me, I’m the only one here,” Ice said, making the table erupt into laughter – the tension finally breaking.

Maverick felt like he was on fire, heat consuming him and originating from the spot where Ice’s fingers were holding his arm in a firm grip. He didn’t fight it as Ice tugged him gently to guide him through the bar. Maverick glanced around and saw Sandy with the other woman; she gave him a knowing once over before looking at Ice’s hand on his arm and back to his eyes. There was a glint of pride in her eyes as she lifted her glass to him, and then he was outside.

Outside and alone with Ice.

“Mind if I have a smoke while we walk?” Ice asked casually, as if nothing had been said inside. 

Maverick shrugged. Ice took that as permission and somehow fished a cigarette out of the pack in his pocket, lit it, and took a puff without ever letting go of Maverick’s arm. He blew the smoke out away from Maverick, which he appreciated – the smell of smoke was making his stomach suddenly realize how much tequila it had consumed in such a short amount of time. He was stumbling and swaying as they walked despite his best efforts, making his leg brush against Ice’s with every other step. Maverick felt like if Ice made eye contact or they touched one more time, his head might explode from the amount of blood making his face burn.

“‘m sorry,” Maverick said when he knew they were alone.

Ice glanced over, taking another slow inhale through his cigarette without saying a word. Maverick almost wondered if he’d even spoken out loud, or if his words had been too slurred for the other pilot to understand. Ice’s hand tensed around his arm and he pulled Maverick to the side, nodding politely to the man he’d almost walked straight into without even realizing. Maverick stumbled from the sudden change in direction, unable to stop his legs as he staggered into Ice’s side. The other pilot reacted faster than Maverick’s drunk brain could track, holding the cigarette in his mouth and catching Maverick with both hands, steadying him until he got his feet back under him.

“You’re a real piece of work, Mitchell,” Ice muttered, waiting for Maverick to start walking before he grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth again and exhaled the smoke. “Dangerous in the air, and dangerous on the ground. Never would’ve pinned you for one of those.”

“Of what?” Maverick asked, wincing at the look that question earned him.

“A homophobe.”

Maverick felt like the air had been punched from his lungs. He didn’t know what to say in response to Ice’s words. He’d said it so simply, so matter-of-factly, as if Ice was completely confident in Maverick being hateful and that he had almost accepted it as a fact just as easily as the sky is blue and Ice is the best pilot in the Navy. Maverick didn’t know how to convince him otherwise, he didn’t know what words could help him. 

So he didn’t say anything.

The rest of the walk was in silence. Ice eventually flicked the stub of his cigarette into a random ashtray. They stayed shoulder to shoulder, and the grip Ice had on his arm was the only thing keeping Maverick from falling into the street in front of oncoming traffic. Maverick didn’t really remember most of the walk, but Ice somehow got them both onto the base and into the barracks. He came back into his body sitting on his bed, swaying in place as Ice helped him pull his uniform off. Maverick blinked up at him when Ice stepped back. The silence felt heavy. Maverick needed to break it, or risk breaking the unsteady beginning of a friendship that he’d only recently felt starting between them.

“Ice–” Maverick staggered when he stood up too fast, feeling very underdressed in his boxers compared to Ice’s pristine and perfectly tailored Naval whites, but uncaring as he caught himself with his hands on Ice’s shoulders. Ice caught him again, hands gentle and firm on his upper arms as he helped Maverick find his balance. “Iceman, Ice, I–”

“Don’t say anything, Mitchell. You won’t remember it in the morning, and I need you to remember this conversation,” Ice said; his voice sounded sad. His eyes were sad. Maverick had made the steady, ice-cold Iceman sad.

“Ice,” Maverick repeated, shifting his hands to hold his shoulders more firmly. He licked his lips to moisten them and saw Ice’s eyes dart down to them before the man looked back in his eyes. “Ice.”

Maverick threw all caution to the wind, leaning in and standing up on his toes. A hand pressed over his face before his lips could reach their target. Ice’s expression was tense, eyes still sad but filled with understanding that made Maverick feel like his soul was laid bare between them for Ice to inspect. He shook his head slowly and pushed Maverick back gently, taking his hand away from his face as he helped him sit back down on the bed. Maverick stared at him with confusion and hurt probably written clear as day in his expression, and Ice gave him a sad smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He cupped Maverick’s face and brushed his fingers through his hair before pulling all of his touch away all at once.

“You won’t remember this in the morning, Mitchell,” Ice said softly, he tilted his head as he studied Maverick. “Go to sleep. If you remember anything, I’ll be at breakfast.”

Ice’s words felt like an order that Maverick couldn’t ignore as his eyes grew too heavy to protest. A gentle hand helped ensure he was lying on his bed as he tipped over bonelessly. He heard footsteps and shuffling nearby, but the world faded too fast. The last thing he thought he felt was a hand brushing through his hair as the sheet was pulled over his chest.

[rei-ismyname]

Iceman Cometh - Bobby Drake Levels Up

As the youngest of the original five X-Men, Iceman was the class clown and the least powerful. Snowboy might have been a better name for him, though that would be a little mean. He definitely experienced growth and came into his own with his powers, but Bobby Drake was closeted for many years in more ways than one.

Snowboy and Iceman, side by side.

All-New X-Men is a great example of an additive retcon for Bobby, revealing that he is gay. His outing is not a model for how to treat queer people, but Marvel sucks at that so it's kinda to be expected. It was nonetheless a quite profound turning point for him and he grew as an X-Man and as a person. 2019's House of X revealed that he was an Omega Mutant of Temperature Manipulation (negative) while also finally defining the term - 'a mutant whose dominant power is deemed to register or reach an undefinable upper limit...' Basically Gods or elemental incarnations for their specific gift, and Iceman was no different.

Iceman terraforming Mars with the other Omegas in Planet-Size X-Men, described as 'creating ice sheets miles wide' - all the ice on Planet Arakko was created by Iceman - the very environment.

Bobby was having a blast in Marauders, taking names and kicking ass on the high seas. In issue 21 most of the Marauders + Emma Frost were flushed into space by a scoundrel trying to rob and kill them. He would have succeeded if not for Iceman's quick thinking, creating a small planetary body to shelter in after being airlocked. Iceman himself could survive space but this feat unlocked confidence we hadn't seen before from him, and something else...

Bobby Drake was truly becoming Iceman and internalising what Omega means. Not having to fear death played a part too but he was considering 'undefinable upper limit' when opportunity struck.

One fine afternoon FIN FANG FOOM smelt their aged Krakoan whiskey and acted as gigantic dragons that win galactic combat tournaments often do. The whole crew was terrified and made haste to GTFO. Sure, customers were waiting on their product, but generally dragons do as they please.

Bobby Drake would have been one of them but Iceman just saw a challenge. 'This isn't even my final form' - probably.

Freezing his gums and his initial attack didn't work, with the dragon smashing Bobby into shards. Fortunately that's barely an inconvenience and Iceman was not giving up. Yeah, get iced, idiot!

Still, Ice Pokémon are weak to Fire. Melting him was as effective as smashing him to pieces, so Bobby finally got serious. 'Get big and beat them down' beats even the hottest flame.

Sure, buddy. After a walloping, Triple F fired off some face-saving utterances and turned tail. The rest of the Marauders were gobsmacked and kinda scared, except for Christian Frost who said 'that's my boy.' He still wasn't feeling challenged though, so he went on a little trip...

... to Niffleheim to bare knuckle box Ice Giants. I feel a little sorry for them bc they were just kicking it in their home when this lunatic showed up and kicked all their asses. 'SEND THE ONES THAT FIGHT THOR!'

'WE ARE THE ONES WHO FIGHT THOR.' Yeah he beat the shit out of all the Ice Monsters in the Ice Realm easily. The ones that give Thor and Odin grief. They've invaded Asgard and Earth multiple times, though they might give the latter a miss in future. Tbh he found it unchallenging, but at least they know who's the king of Ice. ICEMAN, THAT'S WHO.

'What did you do today?'

'Pounded Fin Fang Foom til he fled then beat up the entirety of Niffleheim. Kinda slow, wbu?'

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Unscripted Bracket — Round 2

Propaganda

Chine (Friends at the Table: Sangfielle):

”Look at how they grow ‘em here in Blackwick. God damn.”

taz fandom i'm begging to you please listen to fatt: sangfielle and experience chine please duck is an extended bit about wayne newton and he doesn't even try to blow up a carnival to upset mother nature and force a random town to forever be attendants to the aforementioned eternal carnival please oh please...

If Chine eating a mattress has a million fans, I am one, etc. etc.

just LOOK AT HIM

and he can turn into a shrew monster

this guy has great tits, this guy is a monster, this guy is nonbinary and all the bugs love them!! he's a dad, a writer, a macrame artist?? they're a goofball, they're deadly serious, they're shockingly competent! he's a vessel of the chaos of nature itself!! he's an animal control guy that sides with the animals, he's the living embodiment of adhd with a side of depression, and weirdly suspicious of the color yellow?? they swing a rusty poll-ax, they know how to read music and are completely comfortable singing with their co-workers..... which is to say:

vote for chinel <3

Vote for chine hes a wereshrew and morally ambiguous and easily lusted for

CHINE IS A BIG HAIRY EXOTERRORIST WOODSY FAILDAD WERESHREW DOG-GUY DOG-BOY... THEY ATE A WHOLE MATTRESS TO ESCAPE PRISON AND HE ATE A LIGHTBULB TO TOUCH THE GENIUS OF CREATION... AND HE'S REALLY GAY. THEY/HE LEGEND (AS IN ACTUAL LEGEND, PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF THEM)

GO MY PSIONIC WARRIORS!!!!!!!!

Tryst Valentine (Campaign: Star Wars):

Hot shot pilot/smuggler that will hit on anything that moves, but the best possible version of that character in almost a satirical way while also being super genuine. Too sexy to be able to read, to stubborn to admit they can't.

Han Solo but worse! A very funny little scoundrel stuck with a clone trooper and a mercenary (by choice). Mostly spends his time flirting, but gets serious when he needs to.

you know its trystan valentine i know it's trystan valentine what are we doing here? genderqueer freak of a man (the most positive voice in the world)

I wrote the first paragraph of Tryst propaganda. He's "oh no, I'm going to have to sleep with this idiot" sexy. He knows it makes you look bad for thinking he's hot and he uses that power for evil.

Art of Chine made by @wereshrew-admirer.

[lak3flower]

I present to you ao3 tags that have made me giggle out loud

super gentle fancy people dirty talk

i will face canon and walk backwards into hell

They are lesbians herald

this didn’t go with how I wanted it to

can that please be a tag

my personal crack of choice: knuckle kisses

Peter Parker/Peter Parker/Peter Parker

The devil works faster but fanfic writers work faster

The like to play knife games

hiccup u piece of shit

alex is scared of the toaster

we die as hostages to Gibbles

source: im a lesbian and i think katie mcgrath looks hot with a sword

Din's out here saving young gays

the inherent romanticism of parent teacher relationships

no spoilers but luke is dressed like a cowboy

this is uhhhh romeo and juliet except the tech startup version and they're old and no one dies

I giggled like a little school girl the entire time I was writing this

hot showers are orgasmic

I know nothing about warlock anatomy but we manage

Hijinks & Shenanigans

Lunacy in general

but still with a slight canon-typical Sense Of Omen And Doom

Allusions to sexytimes

seriously- check your sugar levels before reading

Birds as really heavy-handed metaphors

Sexy cooking innuendos

its about the comradery of needing a good cuddle

Made Up Science

or so it may seem

convenient blizzard plot device

BEARS!

With Apologies to My History Professors

When You're In Love With the Anthropomorphic Representation of Dreaming and It Shows

I used so many different words for semen in this I’m so sorry

hey fellas is it gay to venerate your best friend

Horror to Smut to Happiness: the timeless narrative arc amirite

just click on the damn fic

Hades finally goes to his sons ball game

The Blatant Homoeroticism of Death and Dying

Accidental Child Acquisition

Everyone's a scoundrel

[myheartalivewrites]

24 reads in 24

Hey @suseagull04 thanks for tagging me in this! You KNOW books are my favourite thing in the world, and I'm kind of into the idea of writing this list and giving myself a little accountability in tackling the massive TBR pile that lives by my bed 😬. Maybe I'll update it and tick off the ones I've finished as I go.

Here we go then, 24 books I want to read in 2024 (in no particular order):

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (ok, I started this last night but I’m only 10 pages in, so it’s going on the list)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

A Power Unbound, by Freya Marske

Fire Island, by Jack Parlett

News from Nowhere, by William Morris

A Darker Shade of Magic, by V. E. Schwab

Tipping the Velvet, by Sarah Waters

Wolfsong, by TJ Klune

Boyfriend Material, by Alexis Hall

The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood—which means rereading👇

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

The Silence of the Girls, by Pat Barker

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, by Juno Dawson

Hunger, by Roxane Gay

Beautiful World, Where Are You?, by Sally Rooney

Love Marriage, by Monica Ali

Captive Prince, by C.S. Pascat

The Ruin of a Rake, by Cat Sebastian

Friday I’m in Love, by Camryn Garrett

Trouble, by Lex Croucher

Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel, by KJ Charles

The Charm Offensive, by Alison Cochrun

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

BONUS: The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston. It's not on the pile yet, but it will be.

Ok, some of you I know are big readers but I'm not sure about everyone so tagging @cha-melodius @ships-to-sail @stereopticons @missgeevious @nontoxic-writes @kiwiana-writes @indomitable-love @14carrotghoul @zwiazdziarka @orchidscript but if I haven't tagged you and you also love reading PLEASE do this and tag me so we can chat books! 😘

[sonny-boiiii]

Here's my halloween day this year! So i got up and filmed a grwm for my channel in my princess costume. And obvi went to school. The only fun thing we did was watch The Wizard or Oz in STEM class. While we watched it i played concentration with my friends. I won bc i am absolutely godly at concentration. And i let my crush wear my tiara!! And after school i got home and changed into my Ocean costume and straightened my hair (this is very important later) while listening to my halloween playlist. My sister came in the bathroom to get ready too and we just did our own thing. She said she liked The Ballad of Jane Doe and Crazy for You played and when it said "Simon. Dance with me" she started dancing really cringely. And then my two best friends of all time came over to trick or treat. One of them was John Laurens and the other was Napolean Bonaparte. And my sister was a pioneer woman. So we had 3 historical costumes and then just this random musical character. The napolean friend wouldnt stop calling me a British scoundrel and he called me gay multiple times. So remember how i straightened my hair? It rained. A ton. So yeah that 20 minutes was a waste. It started pouring when we were finishing our second trip around the neighborhood and we only had a little bit before we got back to my house so i booked it while the others played it safe under umbrellas. Surprisinly it's easy to walk in these heels. And now im sitting on my bed in my drenched costume and im planning on watching halloween movies for the rest of the night.

[thegreatyin]

The scoundrel has a stat for Masters but all of the "be a Master" checks are either DC 5 (They're humoring you) or 20 (they're not) and instead it just causes a bunch of obsession to pop up in her head via passive checks. +11 Master of the Bazaar makes the game nearly unplayable whenever space bats are on screen.

love this concept wherein the masters are basically walking infohazards to the scoundrel's sanity. your mind is beautiful

[magicalyaku]

Why is it October already and why am I still talking about books I read in April?! I'm like half a year behind in time than the rest of the universe. So let's make this quick, eh? The theme of this part is Gay Adult Fiction series, my comfort food. uAu

The Prince's Assassin series (Ariana Nash): I picked this up on a whim, at the end of April when I was in a slump, and then I read all 3 books and the novella in about a week. It's good! In the beginning, it has quite a few parallels to Captive Prince but I didn't mind and it quickly becomes its own story. There's magic and elves (who are very different from what you usually imagine as 'elves') and some dark themes. I liked reading it a lot and I enjoyed Nico as a character. That he actually walked away from Vasili when it got too much. And that just when I thought "how often will you repeat this?" they worked it out. :D

The Paladin's Shadow & The Sword-Witch's Heart (Radiance 2+3) (Tavia Lark): The easy-going ones, here they are! Not much different to say from the other books I read by this author. Enjoyable adventure, romance that works, good world-building. For the third book, I was very apprehensive to read about the second protagonist because I didn't like him when he appeared in the second book. But suprisingly, he got better and I ended up liking book 3 a lot more than book 2. The series got new covers recently btw. These look a lot better than the old ones. :'D

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen & The Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books 1+2) (KJ Charles): Omg, so much fun. I loved reading the first book, so 4 days waiting for the second volume to be delivered was testing my patience really hard. yAy It's fun and at times suprisingly dark (as in people die) and I really like the portrayal of the marsh, as a place, as a home. That was the one piece I missed a little in the second book, but otherwise I liked that one just as much. Can't go wrong with KJ Charles. :)

Running Close to the Wind (Alexandra Rowland): As it turns out, we started with the darkest and end with the funniest book. :'D This one is not exactly a series, but set in the same world and slightly connected to the events of the author's previous novel A Taste of Gold and Iron. This one took me by surprise. It's hugely different than its predecessor but so much fun! It's a comedy, really, and a smart one at that, despite it consisting 70% of dirty jokes. (There are no explicit scenes, though!) I enjoyed reading every second of it. It's just great. Good characters, smart writing and dialogue, adventure, absurdity. Highly recommended.

There's still 4 more books on my list but I just decided that I don't to need to talk about them much, so have one (or three) sentence(s) for each and then be done with it:

Snow Boys (Simon Doyle): Cute, contemporary story with coming out drama and family drama. Why does it change covers so often?

A Spark of Magic (Tari Riley): Self-published fantasy story with a budding romance between a teen witch and an accidental merboy, first book of a series, was pretty okay. The only thing that irked me was how they were constantly grabbing things (instead of taking them or picking them up or fetching them ...). :'D

Only Mostly Devastated prequel novella (Sophie Gonzales): Of course, I've already forgotten everything about the main story except the main points and that I enjoyed it, yet it was easy enough to get into the prequel.

The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa): I didn't like it, because it's not about the cat but the usual Japanese teenage manga protagonist, but because it's a novel instead of a manga suddenly it's great and serious? My ass. It makes some good points about our modern reading habits but is very simplified, and if you let me talk any further, I will only rage about every single point that annoyed me, so I stop. :)

[yallemagne]

I'm so fucking sick of "uwu baby poor baby gay man his wife is not good enough for him!! he needs a big bad man to fuck his ass because women are sooooo gross and icky"

grow up, you sound like a child whining about cooties

it's a trope always fucking applied to bisexual men because of the disgusting idea that if you've ever even deigned to glance upon a man in your life oooo you're tainted! you're deflowered! no woman can satisfy you! just fuck off, your meat stick isn't a goddamn magic wand

EDIT: you know what fuck it i have more shit to say--

like yeah fine whatever you're a dirty little scoundrel and you just really get off to the idea of a man cucking his wife with another man, what the fuck ever, but like keep in mind that it's exhausting to afab people to constantly have their bodies be seen as lesser than for not being born with a dick. To be constantly told "hey! you will be left by your partner the moment they find someone who has a biiiiig cock because that's what makes or breaks a relationship"

jesus fucking christ.

[whatever-the-fucky-i-reads]

Remy LeBeau (Gambit)

Tumblr was freaking out on this post, so I assume I hit a limit for links in a post or something again. So (like it is for Bucky), I've split the Oneshots into their own posts.

ONESHOTS - Part 1

ONESHOTS - Part 2

SERIES

Once We Have Known Love, That Can Only Ever Be The Answer by GypsyArt (on ao3) (16/16)

We Lucky Few by sun-snatcher (7/?) Last Updated: 07 Sep 2024 (Series on indefinite hiatus)

In the Wake of Destruction by cemeteryspider (2/2)

Part 1

Part 2

Heart of the Cards by ShadowPhoenixRider (on ao3) (28/?) Last Updated: 04 Oct 2024

Two Thousand Years of Chasing Taking Its Toll by dusterbishop (4/4) (also on ao3)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Ma Chere, You are Mine by cera-writes (7/?) Last Updated: 06 Jun 2024

Untitled Mini-Series by gay-dorito-dust

Part 1

Part 2

Then Show Me, Scoundrel by cera-writes (2/2)

Part 1

Part 2

In Between the Shadows by TheFandomFires (on ao3) (22/?) Last Updated: 29 Oct 2024

Love You by wh0re4gambit (2/2)

Part 1

Part 2

Like Real People Do by BetaTheCyberNinja (on ao3) (3/?) Last Updated: 20 Aug 2024

Cards of Life by Andromedas_Ace (on ao3) (3/3)

All We've Ever Known by blackberry-gingham (2/2) (also on ao3)

Part 1

Part 2

Noone Will Hurt You by wouldyoulookatthatarat (on ao3) (3/3)

Nights by RoseInIvy (on ao3) (3/3)

A Jealous Confession by classypiratevoid (2/2)

Part 1

Part 2

Farewell Kiss by importantangels (3/3)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Untitled Mini-Series by xxgoblin-dumplingxx

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Don't Look at Me While I Look at You by HorizonDemise (on ao3) (5/?) Last Updated: 19 Sep 2024

Taco Tuesday by taintandviolent (3/?) (also on ao3) Last Updated: 26 Oct 2024

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? by thirtysomethingloser92 (8/10) (also on ao3) Last Updated: 20 Oct 2024

[fictionaltwinks4eva]

Welcome You Dirty Little Scoundrels to The Fictional Twink Appreciation Society!

Who doesn't love a good twink? They're adorable, soft, mostly gay men that I love to look at and fantasize about cuddling with! This blog is dedicated to talking about and cataloguing these gay bois.

Feel free to use the askbox to suggest anything or ask a question! Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoy!