#alaska x raja x willam

[pencopanko]

I also want to showcase drag performers who actively/openly show support for Palestine or are calling for a ceasefire:

Willow Pill, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race S14

Lady Bunny (openly criticizes both the Israeli government and the US government for its allegiance with Israel on her Instagram account)

Bosco, RuPaul's Drag Race S14 runner up (constantly sharing posts on Palestine on Twitter)

Eve 6000, RuPaul's Drag Race Canada S2

Halal Bae (Egyptian-Palestinian drag queen), RuPaul's Drag Race Canada S3

Barbi Ghanoush

Tenderoni (drag king)

Irma Gerd, RuPaul's Drag Race Canada S3

The Vixen, RuPaul's Drag Race S10 (retweeted a video edit from the S10 reunion which explains the Palestinian struggle)

Shea Couleé, RuPaul's Drag Race S9, winner of AS5, AS7 (released a statement in favour of Palestine, saying that she would not post her Halloween look and has been sharing news and other updates on Palestine, Congo, and Jamaica since)

Sasha Velour, winner of Drag Race S9 (attended the Jewish Voice For Peace rally at the Statue of Liberty)

Pixie Pixie, RuPaul's Drag Race Mexico S1 (seen attending a pro-Palestine rally)

Lawrence Chaney, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK S2 (seen with a sign in support of a ceasefire at the Scottish BAFTA Awards)

Katya Zamolodvhikova, Miss Congeniality of RuPaul's Drag Race S7, AS2 (explicitly calling for a free Palestine on Twitter, calling out those who claim that queer people would be harmed in Palestine)

Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, RuPaul's Drag Race S5, winner of AS2 (called for a ceasefire and talked about Palestine with co-host Willam on their podcast "Race Chaser")

Willam, RuPaul's Drag Race S4 (talked about Palestine with co-host Alaska on their podcast "Race Chaser")

Kandy Muse, finalist of RuPaul's Drag Race S12, runner-up of AS8 (explicitly calling for a free Palestine on Twitter, also calling out those who claim that queer people would be harmed in Palestine)

Jinkx Monsoon, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race S5 and Queen of All Queens from AS7 (called for a ceasefire and shared footages of a pro-Palestine rally in Glasgow, Scotland during her stay)

Monét X Change*, Miss Congeniality of RuPaul's Drag Race S10, one of the two winners of AS4 (called for a ceasefire, but I am putting an asterix here due to her showing support for Joe Biden a few days prior)

Unconfirmed: Raja Gemini, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race S3 and Queen of She Done Already Done Had Herses of AS7 (seen liking pro-Palestine on Instagram)

Unconfirmed: Bob The Drag Queen*, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race S8 (putting an asterix here due to the fact that she has yet to explicitly call for a ceasefire perhaps due to her connections with Madonna, but she did share a death toll from October 31st and commented that "the revolution would not be televised but it just might be on social media", and also criticizing the USA and the UK for their involvement in current-day conflicts like what is happening in Congo today)

I personally have little to no clue about other Drag Race contestants or any other drag performers for that matter besides past performances at Tel Aviv by major drag queens from Drag Race, but do feel free to add more!

celebrities supporting Israel + celebrities supporting Palestine

I found an absolutely massive 70-page list of all the people in Hollywood who've supported Israel (they signed the “Israel Must Defend Itself” pro-genocide IDF letter, showed support only for Israel, spread IDF propaganda, used “Palestinians are terrorists” language, etc) — but it included tons of people I've never heard of and, like, talent agents and lawyers and non-celebrities... so I went through it and got all the recognizable names + made them into a list (below the cut), because it's important to name exactly who's supporting Israel's genocide of Palestinians.

[EDIT: the doc got taken down, so I removed the link. I included every name I recognized on there in this post. Also, if you're on your dashboard, click on the timestamp below my username to view the most recent version of the post.]

Additionally, I searched for all the celebrities who've supported Palestine (not liking one post while sharing nothing, not saying something vague about both sides, but actually using language like "genocide" and "apartheid" while talking about what Israel is doing to Palestine), and that's below the cut too.

I compiled this not to ~cancel~ anyone (cancel culture does not exist for celebrities) or put anyone on a pedestal, but to document who with power and influence gleefully cheered on genocide, and who decided to speak out against it despite the heavily rumored gag order in the entertainment industry. You shouldn't look to celebrities for morals or politics, but whether we like it or not, these people have millions of followers — the pro-Israel list has more than two billion combined followers. What they say and do matters because of that scope. For better or (usually) for worse, celebrities influence public opinion.

If someone praises Israel's "right to defend itself" (by committing genocide against Palestinians), and they do so in front of 300 million people: that goes beyond just being complicit.

PRO-ISRAEL:

(I tried to include big names + people I know are popular on Tumblr)

Paula Abdul

Jaimie Alexander (Thor movies)

Jason Alexander (Seinfeld)

Gillian Anderson

Jennifer Aniston

Eric Andre

Judd Apatow

Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect)

Ben Barnes

Lance Bass (NSYNC)

Victoria Beckham

Jessica Beil

Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars)

Bobby Berk (Queer Eye)

Jon Bernthal — also friends with Joe Rogan and Marilyn Manson

Mayim Bialik (Big Bang Theory)

Hailey Bieber

Justin Bieber — in addition to pro-Israel posts, he shared a picture of Gaza in ruins with the caption "Pray for Israel" and then deleted it when people pointed out it was Palestine

Jack Black

Selma Blair (Legally Blonde)

Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Tom Brady

Scooter Braun

Alison Brie

Nathaniel Buzolic (Vampire Diaries) — “Those who support Palestinians are the devil” (a direct actual quote + he's said much more along these lines

Charisma Carpenter

Jimmy Carr

Gemma Chan

Kristen Chenowith

Choi Siwon (Super Junior)

Ciara

Andy Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen

Lily Collins

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Lana Condor

Bradley Cooper

James Corden

Courtney Cox

Billy Crystal

Jamie Lee Curtis — sharing aggressively pro-Israel content including a picture of bombed Palestinian children with the caption "Pray for Israel," and then deleted it without a word when people pointed out they were Palestinian and not Israeli

Ariana DeBose

Dane Dehaan

Zooey Deschanel

Zoey Deutch — also openly denying the Nakba and genocide

Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)

Michael Douglas

Fran Drescher

Neil Druckmann (co-creator of The Last of Us) — also: read about how The Last of Us Part II video game is pro-Israeli propaganda

Kirsten Dunst

Chris Evans — starred in a pro-Israel propaganda film and then went on a press tour around IDF military bases, which included him autographing actual missiles

Dakota Fanning

Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay in The Mummy movies) — in addition to signing the IDF letter and being a proud Zionist, he's an Israeli whose parents are from Germany and Spain and yet he's played multiple Muslim terrorists and taken many Middle Eastern roles

Will Ferrell

Stephen Fry

Isla Fisher

Karol G

Josh Gad

Gal Gadot

Neil Gaiman

Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone)

Aiden R Gallagher (Umbrella Academy)

Andy Garcia

Jennifer Garner

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Jeff Goldblum

Jack Dylan Grazer

Max Greenfield (New Girl)

Josh Groban

Jonathan Groff

Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows)

Grant Gustin

Tiffany Hadish

Jon Hamm

Mariska Hargitay

Mark Hamill — made many pro-Israel posts, including saying Israel is like the rebels in Star Wars while Palestine is like the Empire (???)

Chelsea Handler

Lena Headley

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Julianne Hough

Hozier — said something pro-Palestine a few years ago, but is now all "well both sides are bad!!!!!! I just don't understand anything about this very complex conflict!!!!" (and now the entire band that travels with him on tour are all throwing shade at him, including sharing posts about how being neutral only helps oppressors)

Vanessa Hudgins

Sarah Hyland

Hyolyn (Sistar)

Lebron James

Lily James

Kendall Jenner

Kris Jenner

Kylie Jenner

Scarlett Johansson

Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us, Critical Role)

Dwayne Johnson

Mindy Kaling

Kim Kardashian

Harvey Keitel

Joey King

Hayley Kiyoko

Karlie Kloss

Ashton Kutcher

Mila Kunis

Jo Kwon (2AM)

Taylor Lautner

Zachary Levi

Adam Levine

Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

Sam Levinson

Emily Alyn Lind (Gossip Girl)

Lindsay Lohan

Eva Longoria

George Lopez

Demi Lovato

Patti LuPone

(Tumblr wouldn't let me have a list this big, so I broke it up here in the middle)

Madonna

Howie Mandel

Katie Marovitch (Dropout/Collegehumor)

James Maslow (Big Time Rush)

Ewan McGregor

Debra Messing

Seth Meyers

Lea Michelle

Helen Mirren

Alfred Molina

Mandy Moore

Heather Morris

Olivia Munn

Ryan Murphy

Eric Nam (American K-pop soloist) — liked pro-“Israel” posts, then when fans noticed and called him out, he canceled his upcoming tour dates in Muslim-majority countries instead of responding

BJ Novak

Con O'Neil (Our Fl*g Means Death)

Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)

Rita Ora

Sharon Osbourne

Chord Overstreet (Glee)

Gwyneth Paltrow

Danielle Panabaker

Sarah Paulson

Liam Payne

Ron Pearlman

Josh Peck

Jordan Peele

Katy Perry

Tyler Perry

Busy Philipps

Chris Pine

Aubrey Plaza

Jonah Platt

Jesse Plemons

Ellen Pompeo

Billy Porter

Natalie Portman

Will Poulter

Lily Rabe

Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother)

Addison Rae

Bella Ramsey

Andrew Rannells

Lana Del Rey

Joan Rivers

Ruby Rose

Jonathan Ross

Eli Roth

JK Rowling

Ronen Rubinstein

Zoe Saldaña

Adam Sandler

Ben Savage

Kristen Schall

Noah Schnapp — Mr. "You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism" himself

Liev Schreiber

Amy Schumer — made a big post that was like "I've done so much for black people and the gays and now nobody will stand with me because I'm a Jew"

David Schwimmer

Jerry Seinfield — went to the Israeli military base nicknamed "Camp Shoot-A-Palestinian" and played target practice with soldiers, where the targets were pictures of Palestinians

Molly Shannon

Brooke Shields

Sarah Silverman — said Israel has no reason to allow food and water into Gaza and that Gazans should be grateful they were ever “given” water from Israel in the past, and much more

Zack Snyder

Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries)

Song Seung-hyun (actor, former member of FT Island, which currently has another member in prison for rape)

Aaron Sorkin

Jamie Lynn Spears

Regina Spektor

Ben Stiller

Tara Strong (voice actress for Timmy Turner in Fairly Odd Parents)

Harry Styles

Jason Sudeikis

Quentin Tarantino — went on a tour around IDF military bases last week (mid-Oct 2023) to “boost morale” with Israeli soldiers

Bella Thorne

Justin Timberlake

Phoebe Tonkin (Vampire Diaries)

Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody)

Usher

Anneliese van der Pol (That's So Raven)

Taika Waititi

Kerry Washington

Paul Wesley (Vampire Diaries)

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary, Everybody Hates Chris)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Ben Winston (director/producer for most One Direction content, James Corden's show, etc)

Reese Witherspoon

Elijah Wood

James Woods (executive producer of Oppenheimer) — "Bomb the savages who did this back to the Stone Age. There are no grey areas. Kill them all. Every Hamas savage and every Hamas supporter on earth. Bury them with the entrails of pigs."

Constance Wu

why the letter to Biden about "no hostages" is bad (in the thread)

PRO-PALESTINE:

This includes people who've spoken out this week, as well as people who've spoken out in the past.

NOTE: Anyone who used to be pro-Palestine but are now spewing "well both sides are equally bad!!!! i don't understand anything about this very complex situation!!!" bullshit (like Hozier and Will Poulter) will be removed and added to the pro-Israel list.

(Palestinians first, then alphabetical by surname)

Bella Hadid — "This is not about spewing hate on one or the other. This is about Israeli colonization, ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people that has been going on for YEARS!" + she got blacklisted and lost brand deals for saying this and much more

Gigi Hadid — currently being targeted by Israel's official state social media pages for her support of Palestinian civilians

Simi, Haze, and Fai Khadra— on their shared account, they said: "You are watching genocide. 2 million innocent Palestinians in Gaza and 1 million of those are children under the age of 15, all for your "vengeance"…where's your humanity now? Gaza is being bombed to rubble as we post…" + much more about Israel's genocide of Palestinians and current attacks on Gaza

Riz Ahmed — said "If we are on the side of humanity we must urgently speak up to try and avert the loss of innocent life. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza's civilians and vital infrastructure, the denial of food, water, and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. These are morally indefensible war crimes."

Leigh Bardugo (author of Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone) — shared many reports about Israeli soldiers attacking civilians in Palestine, including during the Sheikh Jarrah evictions and attacks

Ally Beardsley (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared info about Israel's attacks on Gaza, attended pro-Palestine protests, and more

Chance Bennett (Chance the Rapper) — said "Fucking disgusting. This is an American funded genocide. #gazaunderattack #palestinianlivesmatter"

Melissa Barrera (Scream) — said "It is so fucking sad and frustrating to see so many people and most western media trying SO HARD to equate Palestinian Liberation with supporting Hamas. When they are NOT the same thing. They want us to believe this so they can continue brutally killing innocent Palestinians, mothers and children, under the pretense of destroying Hamas." + much more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Shirine Boutella (Lupin) — sharing info debunking Israel's lies about Islamic Jihad accidentally bombing the hospital + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

Kristin Chirico (Ladylike) — sharing info about Israel’s attacks on Gaza + info about how Israel’s crimes are funded by the US

Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) — shared the quote: "We may be witnessing the total obliteration of Gaza. Political leaders refusing to speak out should feel eternal shame over the horror they are allowing to unfold. Those of us who believe in peace cannot stay silent. We must say to the Palestinian people: you are not alone."

Liam Cunningham — shared videos of himself at the protest in support of Palestine in Dublin + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

John Cusack — attended a pro-Palestine protest + said "We must free Palestine from a brutal occupation - people concerned for their loved ones, in a hell zone, stuck without food, water and power. Deep anguish over people being told to leave and bombed as they left. I heard people share personal accounts of family members who have been jailed, humiliated, harassed, persecuted, targeted and killed for generations."

Lucy Dacus (boygenius) — repeated support in the past + openly calling Obama a war criminal + sharing humanitarian fundraisers for Palestinians + said Free Palestine must be the part of all global liberation movements

Ziwe Fumudoh — shared resources about calling US Congresspeople about pressuring them to de-escalate, with "SAY NO TO GENOCIDE CALL CONGRESS NOW"

William Grigahcine (DJ Snake) — shared "Stop the genocide of Palestinians, stop the massacre, end the apartheid" + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

Halsey — shared the quote: "Solidarity with Palestinians means little if it only exists when they appear as victims but disappears when they resist. Those who aren't under occupation or refugees from ethnic cleansing have no right to dictate how those who are resisting those responsible for their suffering." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Aabria Iyengar (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared "You SHOULD be watching the Genocide that's happening, BUT while spreading awareness is good but it's NOT the full picture. Work. Get on the phone with your local reps and pressure them. If you give money to any political parties? Pull it and tell them why." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza, Israel committing war crimes, etc

Lauren Jauregui (Fifth Harmony) — said "My heart is with the innocent lives lost to the perpetuation of the vile legacy of imperialism, colonization, apartheid and ignorance. [...] Those who were once the victims of persecution becoming the oppressor and being so cognitively dissonant about the hypocrisy. [...] I deeply condemn the violation of human rights and the violence of the genocidal ethnic cleansing we are witnessing in real time of the Palestinian people." + "Propaganda is a bitch and is the most well oiled tool of the empire."

Michael B. Jordan — shared the quote: "One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT & women's rights, condemn corrupt & abusive regimes and other injustices yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Mia Khalifa — "If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of the Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid and history will show that in time" + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza + she lost her podcast deal for showing support

Kehlani — shared many stories about Israel's attacks on Gaza + attended a pro-Palestine protest + said: "To my peers and people that are in the spaces I’m in, what the f*ck is wrong with y’all? You’re being silent for the sake of money and business… there’s an insane amount of unchecked privilege.” and much more

(Tumblr wouldn't let me have a list this big, so I broke it up here in the middle)

Guz Khan (Our Fl*g Means Death) — said "What the enforcers of apartheid and their enablers have failed to realise is that the plight of the Palestinians is an issue that resonates with the PEOPLE. You can hide behind weapons of war and have the most powerful resources known to man, the PEOPLE will demand justice" + it's strongly rumored he was let go from Our Fl*g Means Death specifically because of his open support of Palestine

Matthew Kim (Big Matthew of KARD) — said "While Im able to celebrate another birthday, there are too many innocent people in Gaza losing that privilege." + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

Kim Namjoon (RM of BTS) — attended multiple art exhibitions by Palestinians in diaspora who made art specifically about the occupation, Israeli apartheid, and Free Palestine, and shared pictures of these exhibitions publicly + he owns a piece of art about Free Palestine and, in the past, has posted this art to IG ~coincidentally~ on days when the media just reported that Israel bombed civilians — NOTE: I would not normally include something like this, but I'm choosing to do so specifically because he's doing all this BEFORE serving his mandatory enlistment in the South Korean military, which is aggressively pro-Israel and known for violent bullying, being full of far-right incels, and abuse from superior officers (and harassment towards enlisted celebrities, who are isolated and cut off from all protection). Him risking his support being made known to the general public (especially since BTS fans are known for noticing stuff like this and blowing it up on social media) has much higher risks than the average Western celebrity.

Zara Larsson — support going back years + "We must call out a state upholding apartheid and KILLING civilians, funded by American dollars." + much more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Dua Lipa — support going back years, frequently mentioning Free Palestine + "The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people must come to an end. NO MORE!! This is a human rights issue!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!"

Macklemore — said "We are witnessing an unfolding genocide in Palestine at this very moment. A US backed human catastrophe in front of our eyes." and more

Zayn Malik — said "I stand with the Palestinian people and support their resistance to colonization and protection of their human rights."

Yoshitomo Nara (artist/sculptor) — shared firsthand accounts from victims in Gaza + criticized Biden's horrible response to all this

Normani — sharing firsthand accounts from Palestinian families in Gaza during Israel's current attack

Dylan O'Brien — shared a video of a young Palestinian girl talking about how Israel bombed her whole street, along with "10 years old. Heart wrenching. #FreePalestine"

Melissa O'Neil (Dark Matter) — sharing statements from anti-Zionist Jewish people condemning Israel's actions + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream) — was targeted by a far-right Israeli site for her repeated support of Palestine, the site attempted to blacklist her, and she continued supporting anyway

Florence Pugh — shared IG stories about Israel's genocide against Palestinians, including: "Bombing a hospital full of children & refugees is not a pathway towards peace. This is genocide." + sharing a lot of pro-Palestine stuff right now, including saying that Israel bombed the hospital

Izzy Roland (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared "We cannot and will not say today's actions by Palestinian militants are unprovoked. Every day under Israel's system of apartheid is a provocation. The strangling siege of Gaza is a provocation. Settlers terrorizing entire Palestinian villages, soldiers raiding and demolishing Palestinian homes, murdering Palestinians in the streets, Israeli ministers calling for genocide and expulsion." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Susan Sarandon — said “Being against the occupation of Palestine does not make one anti-Semitic.” + shared multiple posts about Israel's war crimes, including Israel's use of white phosphorus in Gaza

Emma Seligman (director of Shiva Baby and Bottoms) — outspoken about her support for Palestine + attended multiple protests + is sharing a lot of resources and info about supporting Palestine (also: she said her name was accidentally included on the Zionist "no ceasefire" letter to Biden because she thought it was the other letter (the one asking for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid) and she fought to get her name removed from the bad letter)

Sza — shared infographics about the occupation and Free Palestine, including ones that explained the entire history of Israel's invasion of Palestine since 1948 + spoke out about the violence in Sheikh Jarrah in 2021 + more Israel's attacks on Gaza

Emma Watson — shared a quote about showing solidarity with Palestinians from activist Sarah Ahmed, who was harassed by C*nary M*ssion, a site dedicated to doxxing anyone who speaks out against Israel’s government. 

After Emma Watson made that post, she was targeted in the media by Israel, and in response, a group of celebrities released a joint statement in support of Watson and Palestinians, saying: “We recognize the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid" (excerpt of statement).

These celebrities included:

Gael García Bernal

Peter Capaldi

Steve Coogan

Liam Cunningham

Miriam Margolyes (Prof. Sprout in HP)

Matt McGorry

Michael Malarkey (Vampire Diaries)

Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings)

Mark Ruffalo

Susan Sarandon

Ramy Youssef

(I took all the names I recognized — read the full list here)

Examples of Israel's foreign propaganda machine hitting pro-Palestine influencers:

tiktoker @/thewizardliz (who has 4.8 million followers and is a beauty influencer originally from Chechnya) — made several pro-Palestine posts, but then deleted them all and said in a story: "Guys I didn't want to delete my posts. But I was just called and told that I'm playing with my life by speaking on these things and that I should delete, I shouldn't involve myself in politics, but I stand with what I said."

tiktoker @/carawatsca shares that she lost a brand deal for being pro-Palestine, and that this same brand attempted to bribe her to post pro-Israel content and delete everything pro-Palestine

Celebrities who signed the good letter to Biden — not the Zionist letter, but the one calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and immediate international aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and saying that the US is "aiding and abetting Israel's war crimes":

Riz Ahmed

Mahershala Ali

Mo Amer (comedian)

Rowan Blanchard (Girl Meets World)

Cate Blanchett

Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

Jessica Chastain

Margaret Cho

Ryan Coogler (director of Black Panther)

David Cross (Arrested Development)

John Cusack

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, Bottoms)

America Ferrera (Barbie, Superstore, Ugly Betty)

Andrew Garfield

Ilana Glazer (Broad City)

Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory)

Oscar Isaac

Dua Lipa

Macklemore

Rooney Mara

Rachel McAdams

Natalie Merchant

Miguel

Alyssa Milano

Hasan Minhaj

Victoria Monét

Indya Moore (Pose)

Sandra Oh

David Oyewolo

Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds, Princess Bride)

Florence Pugh

Joaquin Phoenix

Mark Ruffalo

Susan Sarandon

Michael Shannon

Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development)

Rachel Sennott (Bottoms)

Yara Shahidi (Black-ish, Grown-ish)

Wallace Shawn (Princess Bride)

Jon Stewart

Kristen Stewart

Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Wanda Sykes

Channing Tatum

Lena Waithe

Jesse Williams

Shailene Woodley

Ramy Youssef

(I took all the names I recognized — read full list here)

The letter said: "Half of Gaza's two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. […] As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days — resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes. Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. […] The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail."

Celebrities who signed the open letter in the UK calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and condemning Israel: 

Khalid Abdalla

Steve Coogan

Liam Cunningham

Charles Dance

Miriam Margolyes

Maxine Peake

Tilda Swinton

(over 2,000 more people — I took all the names I recognized; after it was released it became an open letter anyone can sign so it's now full of random people's names)

Their joint statement said: "Gaza is already a society of refugees and the children of refugees. Now, in their hundreds of thousands, bombarded from air, sea and land, Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale.  Dispossessed of rights, described by Israel’s minister of defense as “human animals”, they have become people to whom almost anything can be done. Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."

Celebrities who signed the Letter Against Apartheid in support of Free Palestine (2021):

Mahershala Ali

Brian Cox (Succession)

Bella Hadid

Rebecca Hall

Miriam Margoyles (Prof. Sprout in HP)

Yann Martel (author of Life of Pi)

Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings)

Mira Nair (Indian American filmmaker)

Kathy Najimy (Hocus Pocus)

Thandiwe Newton

Boots Riley (director of Sorry To Bother You)

Run the Jewels

Saeed Jones (author of How We Fight For Our Lives)

Stellan Skarsgård (Thor, Mamma Mia)

Ocean Vuong (poet)

(I took the names I recognized — read full list here)

This letter said: "We call for an immediate and unconditional cessation of Israeli violence against Palestinians. We call for an end to the support provided by global powers to Israel and its military; especially the United States, which now provides Israel $3.8 billion annually without condition. We ask all people of conscience to exercise their agency to help dismantle the apartheid regime of our time. We ask governments that are enabling this crime against humanity to apply sanctions, to mobilize levers of international accountability, and to cut trade, economic and cultural relations.  We call on activists, and especially our peers in the arts, to exercise their agency within their institutions and localities to support the Palestinian struggle for decolonization to the best of their ability. Israeli apartheid is sustained by international complicity, it is our collective responsibility to redress this harm." and more

Celebrities who condemned Israel for labeling Palestinian non-profit charities as “terrorists” (2021):

Claire Foy

Peter Gabriel

Richard Gere (has also been very vocal about supporting Palestine over the years)

Ian McEwan (author; Atonement)

Simon Pegg

Philip Pullman (author; His Dark Materials)

Mark Rylance

Irvine Welsh (author; Trainspotting)

(I took the ones I recognized + read full list here + I didn’t include a few who are also in other pro-Palestine lists on this post)

---

Please add more if you know of any, but NOT if it's something along the lines of them just liking a post or trying to say both sides are bad. Please also include what they said/shared — now is the time when speaking out is most important.

Feel free to add any pro-Israel people as well. I'm keeping an eye on the notes and will update it.

HOW TO HELP:

US and Canada residents: find a protest near you here

BOYCOTT THESE COMPANIES — THIS IS ALREADY WORKING AND AFFECTING THEIR STOCKS

contact your local representatives and tell them you will not vote for someone who approves of genocide

text CEASEFIRE to 51905

combat propaganda online, in person, or even by just having a conversation with one person — do not underestimate word of mouth. tell everyone you know how you feel about Palestine; don't just read about it and despair while doing nothing. being on the right side of history has never been popular or easy

support Palestinian art, cuisine, businesses, and culture

donate to Lebanese and Syrian funds or Palestinians in diaspora if you really feel like giving money, but know that nothing will reach the people in Palestine until the blockade ends — and we can end it if enough of us pressure international politicians, particularly in the US, France, the UK, Canada, etc

US residents: Tell Congress to Stop the Gaza Genocide

UK residents: Tell the UK government to Protect Palestinians and Healthcare Workers

[sodomyordeath]

Artist: Kylie Sonique Love Song: "True Colors" Record: Outloud x WeHo Pride 2023

Starring: Kylie Sonique Love 6 Alaska Thunderf*ck 5000 Angeria Paris VanMicheals Aurora Sexton Eureka O'Hara Heidi N. Closet Jimbo Miss Shalae Raja O'Hara Spice Sugar Willam Belli

Executive Producer: Jeff Consoletti Producers: Brad Hammer, Kylie Sonique Love, Bob of Scotland

Director: Brad Hammer Director of Photography: Abiel Isaac Editor: Kade Strunk Art Director: Aurora Sexton Illustrations: Dayton Nelson & Aurora Sexton Gaffer: Dayton Nelson Make-Up: Kalyd Odeh Stylist: Anthony Garza Production Manager: Tricia Tacey Production Assistant: Mason May Executive Assistant: Nico Pizzati Photography: Shaun Vadella Thumbnail & Misc. Design: Devon Veillette

Music Producer: Markaholic Guitars: John Schroeder Backing Vocals: Markaholic & Stefano Langone Mastering: Mike Marsh Mastering

© We Are Outloud LLC 2023. All rights reserved.

[artificialqueens]

Flower Files, Part 3 (Rajalaskam, Witney) - Albatross

AN: The third installment of Flower Files featuring Rajalaskam and Witney

Chapter 5 - Rajalaskam

Step. Step. Squish.

Perfect, Willam thought to herself, Just. Fucking. Perfect.

Even before looking down, Willam knew exactly what had just happened. She had just stepped into a very mushy, very rancid pumpkin. She could feel the gooey, decomposing rind brushing against her bare toes. Gross! 

“Ugh,” she groaned out in disgust as she pulled out her foot from the mess. It was all over her beautiful heels!

“What happened?” came the distracted reply from Alaska, squatting down just a few feet away and examining yet another pumpkin.

It was her fault Willam was in this mess. Alaska had wanted to pick out pumpkins for the autumn display outside their house. Some would be carved, others merely decorative, but she needed at least one other person to help her carry them, she explained to her girlfriends earlier that week. Raja was quick to point out that she had to work that Saturday morning. It was very calm, very mild the way she said it but that slight curling of her lips, as well as the teasing glint in her eyes as she turned Willam’s way, let her know she was anything but sorry to miss this little adventure. So all that was left was Willam, who made sure never to work on weekends, especially in the early morning.

Goddamn it.

She tried to talk Alaska out of it, offering to buy her “one of those pumpkin spice crappuccinos or whatever” instead but Alaska was not having it.

“As tempting as that sounds,” she noted with a hint of sarcasm, “No.”

Willam had sighed, loudly and expressively. She knew she wasn’t going to win this; in the end she’d always end up giving into Alaska, but that didn’t mean she’d go down without a fight. Smiling back at her girlfriend, Alaska tried to entice her with, “C’mon, it’ll be fun. Don’t you remember picking out pumpkins when you were a kid?”

“No.”

“It won’t even take that long, promise.”

“Bullshit.”

The back and forth went on for another five minutes but as expected, Willam eventually gave in. At least, she consoled herself, it’ll just be a quick trip to the supermarket. Alaska can pick out the pumpkins while Willam stays in the nice, warm car and then she’ll help carry them after Alaska has found her favorites. Should be done in 30 minutes. 45, tops.

Or so Willam thought.

What Alaska neglected to mention was that she intended to pick out her pumpkins directly from the patch…and that of course meant walking up and down the endless rows examining Every. Fucking. Pumpkin. 

All while Willam pulled the heavy cart behind her. In heels, no less!

She had rounded on her girlfriend with an intense glare the moment they pulled into the lot and Willam realized what was going on. Of course Alaska would want to do it the old fashioned way but why for God’s sake did she have to pull Willam into this utter ridiculousness?

“Jesus Christ,” she complained, “I’m in heels for fuck’s sake!”

“You’re always in heels,” Alaska pointed out sedately as she exited the car, “And I told you to wear comfortable shoes.”

“These are comfortable!” Willam argued, following after her, “On solid ground. Not this disgusting mess…And is that fucking manure over there?”

Alaska merely shrugged as she led them over to the wagon rental. Though she tried to hide it, a devilish little smirk was curling at the edges of her lips. Willam was so going to get her back for this! And Raja. 

Lucky little bitch!

She had little doubt Raja knew exactly what Alaska meant by picking out pumpkins. Probably arranged to be working today so she’d get out of it.

Oh, Willam was definitely going to get both of them.

She complained for the first 10 minutes, non-stop, loud and annoying as only she could but Alaska was unbothered. She paid little attention to Willam’s whining. After all, it was nothing compared to her own temper tantrums. And she knew Willam would trail off sooner or later.

As the vocal complaints turned to disgruntled mumblings, Alaska felt free to enjoy herself. She loved the thought of picking out pumpkins straight from the farm; there was something quaint and wholesome about it that reminded her of childhood. And she loved that she got to experience this with one of her girlfriends. She would have preferred both but she was sure she could rope Raja into decorating the display with her later. Maybe she could even convince Willam to carve a pumpkin or two with them…

Two hours slipped by, Willam trudging along the rough path with the wagon following behind her and Alaska constantly bending over and examining each pumpkin she thought might belong in her display. There were only two more rows left to inspect and then they could call it a day. By this point Willam was dazed and resigned to her fate. She distracted herself with lazy thoughts of how to get revenge on both of her girlfriends…maybe in bed…maybe not…but when her foot sunk deep into the rotten rind of a pumpkin left a little too close to the path, she was sharply awoken from her distracted state.

A shiver had travelled up her spine as the cold, gooey insides seeped between her toes while Alaska asked her what was wrong. It was here Willam began her complaints anew but to her slight relief, they actually worked this time. Alaska had taken a look back at the wagon and the last pumpkin in her hands and decided this would be enough to at least get her started with the display piece. She might need to pick up an extra pumpkin or two from the grocery store but they could leave the fields now. Willam was being a relatively good sport earlier so it was the least Alaska could do not to force her to continue walking with all that gunk on her foot.

As they arrived back at the stall to pay for their finds, Alaska took the opportunity to pick out a few extra gourds and mini pumpkins to accentuate her display. She was quick about it, knowing Willam’s mood was gradually growing worse, but to her surprise Willam actually picked up one of the small, dark green mini pumpkins on her own. Perhaps she wasn’t as annoyed after all?

As soon as they were in the car, Willam tore off her heels and retrieved a few napkins tucked away in the glove box to properly clean them off. Before Alaska drove off, she pressed a quick kiss to Willam’s cheek and thanked her for coming along.

Though Willam would never admit it, the kiss and heartfelt ‘Thank you’ had mollified her. But she still had a reputation to uphold and continued to act irritated all the way home.

Barefoot, she helped Alaska empty out the car of their purchases and bring a few pumpkins of choice indoors for carving. While Alaska washed them off in the sink and set down newspaper over the table, Willam scurried off to change into something much more comfortable. By the time she returned, in a pair of skimpy, skin tight shorts, a well-loved T-shirt, and her hair done up in a messy bun, she found Alaska already sketching out the first Jack-O-Lantern’s face. A few smaller pumpkins had been left off to the side, misshapen or oddly textured, just the way Raja liked them. She knew Raja would not disappoint in whatever she decided to do to decorate them.

Alaska’s pumpkins, however, were kept charmingly simple. Triangle eyes and nose, scattered teeth in a wide grin, she even sketched out ear holes on the sides.

Willam watched her for a few moments as she completely absorbed herself in creating the perfect cutesy faces for each pumpkin. Then Willam let her attention drift back to the singular pumpkin she had picked out. She knew exactly what she wanted to do with it and after the morning she had, felt it was a deserving purpose for the little gourd.

She made quick work of washing the miniature pumpkin and lightly marking where she wanted to cut. She was unusually careful not to cut too deep, Alaska noticed. Her gaze kept drifting back to her girlfriend out of both curiosity and slight concern. Willam was always a chaotic force whenever crafting was involved, and then throwing in a knife as well? Alaska’s heart never raced harder than when she saw Willam haphazardly cutting into something while ignoring all safety precautions or gentle warnings from her girlfriends.

Alaska was just about to begin carving her second pumpkin by the time Willam had removed a section off the top of hers and cleaned out the innards. She carelessly licked the pumpkin guts off the knife, making Alaska’s stomach queasy in process. But before she looked away for her own sanity, she noticed Willam’s face contorting in the cutest expression of mild disgust. Alaska couldn’t stop her lips from curling as she refocused on her own crafting. 

Her attention was soon divided again by Willam running back to the kitchen and rummaging through the drawers, then off to the bathroom and strangely towards the bedroom as well. She came back with the oddest collection of items; a cheap metal flour sifter from the dollar store, a screwdriver she picked up somewhere, one of Raja’s clogs that Willam regularly made fun of, some kind of plastic tubes, and-

Wait.

Now Alaska realized what she was doing.

She’d seen Raja demonstrate this so many times (though her efforts were always a bit more organized than this).

Willam was making a bong out of her mini pumpkin. Alaska had to laugh, because of course she would. How had she missed the gears spinning in Willam’s head as she picked out the pumpkin from the stall?

“Gonna share that when you’re done, right?” Alaska asked, amusement in her voice, as Willam tried to hammer the screwdriver into the pumpkin with Raja’s clog.

“Maybe,” Willam replied distractedly. 

Read as ‘of course,’ Alaska noted with a grin.

They continued their projects for the next hour in relative silence. The dining room table was a mess of soiled newspaper, pumpkin guts and random disassembled household products Willam had collected for her home-made bong. She was still experimenting with getting it just right when Raja arrived back home. She had immediately made her way towards the kitchen, following the sounds of clatter and clanging to find her partners each engaged in their own tasks at the table. Willam was the most focused and didn’t notice her right away until she felt Raja pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. She didn’t say anything but the hint of a grin as she worked told Raja more than enough. Though she had to wonder why one of her clogs was left laying on the table. Moving on to Alaska, she pressed a kiss to her cheek as well, wiping off some of the dried pumpkin guts Alaska had missed earlier when she tried to clean her face.

“You ladies have fun today?” she asked, arms wrapped around Alaska’s waist as they both watched Willam pouring a half-empty bottle of water into the little pumpkin.

“No,” Willam complained briefly before taking her first hit.

“I did,” Alaska countered. “Wish you were there though.”

“Yeah, you could’ve pulled the fucking wagon,” Willam muttered.

Raja chuckled lightly as she moved over to sit next to Willam and relieve her of the pumpkin. “Next time,” she promised, taking an experimental hit off Willam’s questionable-looking bong.

“Not bad,” she commented as her lips broke free. Willam made a noise of agreement as well as a few mental notes of what to do better next time. But it came out surprisingly effective for a spur of the moment decision.

The pair passed the pumpkin back and forth for another round as Alaska finished the last of her rudimentary cleaning. She laid out a fresh spread of newspaper for whenever Raja started her own carving. She motioned over to the collection of odd and unusual pumpkins before relieving Willam of her bong and taking a few well-earned hits. 

While the two continued to share the homemade bong, Raja’s gaze travelled to the other end of the table to inspect her pumpkins and begin brainstorming for ideas. A few thoughts were brewing but she’d definitely sketch them out on paper first before marking up any of the pumpkins. One thing she did notice right away brought a smile to her lips.

“They’re perfect by the way,” she complimented Alaska. “You know how much I like the weird ones.”

She glanced over to Willam, now taking another hit, and nudged her lightly in the side. Willam stared blankly for a moment, wheels turning in her head, as Alaska struggled not to outright laugh. Then, after 2 or 3 seconds, Willam’s mind caught up with what Raja had said and she immediately stuck her tongue out. “Fuck off,” she laughed out in a huff. “I hate both of you.”

“Yes, and we hate you, too,” Raja murmured, pressing a brief kiss to Willam’s grinning lips.

Chapter 6 - Witney

“Dandelions are kinda pretty, don'tcha think?” Courtney blurted out as she and Willam trekked through the park. Her gaze had been wandering around the huge open space that surrounded them. It seemed like everything was in bloom right now, whether it was the flowers on the trees or the wildflowers off in the distance, but especially noticeable was dandelions scattered in amongst the grass.

Irritably shifting their overpacked cooler from one hand to another, Willam remarked, “I think it’s a weed.”

“Still pretty,” Courtney countered, picking up one just off the dirt trail they were using and holding it out for Willam to see.

Despite Courtney’s usually infectious smile, Willam just looked at the object derisively for a moment, shifted the cooler yet again, and commented, “Still a weed…but not the useful kind.”

Laughing lightly as she bent down to pick up another long stemmed dandelion, Courtney pointed out, “Dandelions are plenty useful. Bees love them.”

“Bees love any kind of flower,” Willam muttered, trying to keep from huffing as she continued to struggle with the cooler. Maybe if she tried carrying it with both hands?

“They’re nutritious too,” Courtney chirped away, plucking up another flower, “…can even be used for medicine.”

It was here Willam stopped in her tracks for a hot second to give Courtney a look of concern. “Please tell me you don’t actually eat them,” she groaned in mild disgust.

Courtney’s laughter echoed through the park as she veered off the path again and replied, “No, but it’s still good information to know.”

“Right,” Willam grumbled sarcastically. Looking up ahead, she was relieved to find the picnic table was finally within sight. Just a few more feet.

Bending down to pick up another few dandelions growing clustered together, Courtney added in, “And it helps that they’re so easy to grow.“

“Again; because it’s a weed!” Willam shouted back as she rushed on towards the table. She dropped the cooler as soon as she was close enough and not a moment too soon; her fingers felt like they were about to break off! 

She shook her hands trying to regain some of the feeling back in her fingers before sitting down and unpacking their weighty lunch. Courtney was still off the path, about 10 or so yards away, picking the blooming dandelions with the longest stems. When she finally had a nice little bundle in her hand, she rejoined Willam at the picnic table. Renewing their conversation, one Willam had hoped was finally done, Courtney stated proudly, “They can even grow through the cracks in concrete. That’s perseverance.”

“That sounds stolen from a motivational poster,” Willam countered with an eye roll. Despite her firm stance that dandelions were just a weed, she could feel a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, especially once Courtney corrected her with a lazy, drawn out, “Maybe borrowed.”

For the next minute or two, Willam focused her energy on setting out their lunches while Courtney fiddled with all the flowers she collected. Willam didn’t pay much attention to her, instead she was sorting through what food was definitely hers so she could finally eat. She hadn’t realized just how starving she was until she could finally see the food laid out in front of her. 

She was nearly finished with her task when Courtney mused out loud once more, “And it’s fun to blow all the little seeds off and watch them float away.”

“If you say so,” Willam replied distractedly. Just about…Done!

“I do say so,” Courtney teased. When Willam looked back at her, ready to announce that they could start eating, she found herself having to pause. Those stupid little dandelions were gone and Courtney’s hands were currently behind her back. Willam eyed her up suspiciously as Courtney maneuvered her way out of her seat and circled the table until she was sitting right next to Willam. She could barely contain her grin, an act that did nothing to ease Willam’s concerns that she was up to something. Then, very carefully, Courtney withdrew her hands from behind her back and announced, “And…they’re the best flower to make a crown out of.”

No sooner had she said it than Willam found a small crown of poorly tied dandelions resting on her head. Immediately, she gave Courtney a withering look, imagining whatever little bugs that hitched a ride on those flowers now crawling in amongst hair, but Courtney just beamed back at her. She looked so pleased with herself, it was a struggle for Willam not to crack even just a little smile.

Sighing softly in defeat, Willam shook her head and shifted around to remove her phone from her pocket. As she unlocked it, she could hear Courtney giggling next to her, saying, “Alright, you can take it off.”

But to Courtney’s surprise, instead of immediately snatching the handmade crown from her head, Willam simply held up her phone, angled just so, and snapped a series of selfies. With her own cocky, satisfied little grin, Willam informed her, “After lunch I will.”

Squealing in delight, Courtney pulled her in for a brief kiss. Just a small way to thank Willam for humoring her, even begrudgingly. Forgetting the food for now, Willam suggested taking just a few more pictures together. “For Instagram,” she reasoned. But by the end of the day both of their profiles had been loaded with multiple stories of them enjoying their time in the park and in a few carefully angled shots, Willam’s flower crown could still be seen resting on her head well into the late afternoon.

[aaronexplainsitall]

'party' fucking SENT me oh my god lmao. I just finished the season and I'm watching the reunion rn (I am SHRIEKING at Detox and Adore talking about just going to town with their fans lmaooo), I think Alaska did well so it was deserved that she won even though her meltdown before the finale was Yikes. The 'Read U Wrote U' number in the Finale was absolutely Iconic. My personal fave will always be Katya so I'm gonna go binge unhhhh now. Who are your favorite drag queens on the show and in general?

!!! Party WHAT A MOMENT A moment that is most pleasing to me in my career 

I think Alaska deserved the win too, even though I’m definitely a bigger fan of Katya as a drag queen in general. I think the thing is that Alaska brought the most to the competition and even though Katya was in the top a fair amount, she felt a little less well rounded than Alaska. But I really, really wish that Alyssa had been top 4 so we could have got a verse from her in Read U Wrote U instead of Roxxxy’s weak attempt. 

My fave queens from the show, in no particular order, are - Raja, Raven, Katya, Trixie, Shea, Bob, Monet X Change, Miz Cracker, Adore, Ben, Willam, Peppermint, Alyssa, Detox, Alaska. I tend to gravitate more towards comedy queens but sometimes I’ll show up to stan for a look queen. And my fave queens who’ve never been on the show are Coco Peru (OBVIOUSLY), Horrorchata, the Boulet Brothers, Hot Chocolate, West Dakota and Miss Toto. 

[ao3feed-trixya]

Reunion

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2MMx1kO

by Mionicov

At a reunion party all the queens play truth or dare.

Might not have energy to include each and every queen but imma try my best!

Words: 1834, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of One shot collections RPDR

Fandoms: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Violet Chachki, Pearl Liaison, Manila Luzon, Sutan Amrull | Raja, Trixie Mattel, Katya Zamolodchikova, Courtney Act, Willam Belli, Bianca Del Rio, Danny Noriega | Adore Delano, Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, Sharon Needles, Airline Inthyrath | Jujubee, David Petruschin | Raven, Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen | Miss Fame, Max Malanaphy, Jinkx Monsoon, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Nina West, Plastique Tiara, Miz Cracker, Giovanni Palandrani | Aquaria, Bob The Drag Queen, Kim Chi, Naomi Smalls

Relationships: Bianca Del Rio/Danny Noriega | Adore Delano, Violet Chachki/Pearl Liaison, Violet Chachki/Danny Noriega | Adore Delano, Violet Chachki/Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen | Miss Fame, Violet Chachki/Max Malanaphy, Courtney Act/Danny Noriega | Adore Delano, Sharon Needles/Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, Jinkx Monsoon/Sharon Needles, Airline Inthyrath | Jujubee/David Petruschin | Raven, Sutan Amrull | Raja/David Petruschin | Raven, Sutan Amrull | Raja/Manila Luzon, Courtney Act/Willam Belli, Trixie Mattel/Katya Zamolodchikova, Violet Chachki/Trixie Mattel, Violet Chachki/Katya Zamolodchikova, Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Miz Cracker/Giovanni Palandrani | Aquaria, Bob The Drag Queen/Naomi Smalls

Additional Tags: Everyone's there, Partying, Party, Truth or Dare, Alcohol, Drinking, drunken games, Yup i made another one, Might be more smut-ish, Daring, Everyone x everyone pretty much, Kissing, Making Out, Lapdance, what not

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2MMx1kO

[alyssa-n-closet]

I am so happy that Aquaria won! I need to see drag all over my dash to celebrate! Please like or reblog if you post:

- Aquaria

- Miz Cracker

- Monet X Change

- Kameron Michaels

- Monique Heart

- Dusty Ray Bottoms

- Mayhem Miller

- Alyssa Edwards

- Alaska

- Sharon Needles

- Chad Michaels

- Latrice Royale

- Willam

- Raja

- Bianca Del Rio

- Courtney Act

- Bendelacreme

- Adore Delano

- Pearl

- Katya

- Trixie Mattel

- Kennedy Davenport

- Trinity Taylor

- Farrah Moan

- Valentina

- Sasha Velour

- Chi Chi DeVayne

[mey-rin-is-fabulous]

She wanted Rebecca to win S1 but figured it was going to be between Nina and Bebe

S2 She wanted Tyra to win but thought it was going to be Raven

S3 She didn't want Raja to win and wanted it to be either Manila or Alexis, she didn't really like Raja but liked Stacey, Shangela, Alexis, Yara and Manila

S4 She really liked Jiggly, Latrice, Chad and Kenya. Wanted Chad to win and didn't want Sharon to win. She wanted either Jiggly, Kenya, Madame LaQueer or Latrice to return when they announced returning queens

And for S5 she currently likes Alaska and Alyssa(I told her we were gonna get Shangie's momma in S5) won't know who she wants to win until we get past halfway currently at the ballet episode

I'm trying to not be vocal about the queens I like until she mentions the ones she likes so far we agree on a lot

For me (If I forget a queen it's because it's late and I'm doing this off the top of my head)

The only queens from S1 I didn't like from both watches were Akashia and Rebecca

S2 I'm neutral on a few like Mystique and Raven but I loved Sonique, Shangie, Sahara and Pandora on my first watch. Still love them (RIP Sahara). Still like Morgan and Tatianna and Tyra (because I enjoyed her growth on the show after the wedding episode) I'm forgetting some but it's not because I don't like them I probably do but it's a lot of names. Sorry I forgot about Jujubee I love her.

S3 Carmen I never liked. Raja I grew to like then rewatching got meh with. Alexis, Yara and Shangie I loved right off the bat and Manila. (I love comedy and just funny queens in general) Alexis upon rewatching was kinda in meh territory for me, I still like her but that season was rough. Mariah and India were in meh/like territory both times. Mimi was in no like territory both times. I liked Stacey and Delta both times

S4 I think I was meh with Sharon on my first watch 2nd time around still wasn't my favourite. I liked Phi Phi and Chad more than Sharon. Loved Latrice both times. Loved Kenya. Liked Willam. Liked Madam LaQueer. Completely forgot about Alisa but rewatching Alisa's outfit actually wasn't that bad no one's was actually awful that first ep. Loved Jiggly. Dita and Milan were in the like/meh territory. I liked Lasha(w/u)n.

S5 Loved Jinx(x) right off the bat both times. Loved Alaska(still heavy disagree with the judges on Alaskas male drag/also managed to misremember who won the 1st challenge I thought it was Alaska but it's Roxxy who wins it)immediately both times. Detox I like. Roxxy I don't really like. Ivy, Alyssa, Coco and Jade I love/like. I liked Monica but the cast for this season is stacked. Vivienne Pinay I don't really like(it's the attitude) I like Honey Mahogany. Just remembered I liked Serena and Lynesha on my first watch and I still like them. Penny was in meh territory

[trappergirl]

1, 5, 6, 10, 20

1. Best and worst season of all time? 

best are s3 & s5, worst will have to be as1 and s8… i loved the cast but for some reason s8 was just weird idk i enjoy all of them though

5. Most unjustified sashay?

LAILA MCQUEEN !!! i didn’t think she should’ve been in the bottom in the first week (naysha and robbie should’ve lipsynced), and her performance in bitch perfect wasn’t the worst (then again, i also liked dax’s performance, though it wasn’t the best). if there is an as4, and let’s be honest, there will be, laila better be a part of the cast

6. Your ideal top three for each season?

s1; bebe, nina & ongina

s2; tyra, raven & juju

s3; raja, manila & shangela

s4; phi phi, sharon & willam?

s5; alaska, jinkx & roxxxy

s6; adore, bianca & courtney

s7; pearl, violet & ginger

s8; bob, kim & naomi

s9; sasha, shea & valentina

as1; chad, raven & juju

as2; detox, katya & alaska

as3; shangela, trixie & aja

10. Queens you would like to see on season 10? 

well i think we all know who the queens are, let’s just say i am excited to see miz cracker, aquaria and monét x change

20. A queen you think redeemed herself?

trixie, honestly. she was kind of a flop on s7, a lovable flop, but she really didn’t do that well.  i honestly think she’s at the best she’s ever been right now (drag wise). also, phi phi, though she didn’t exactly do it on the show. we definitely see the sweet, kind (and insanely talented) side of phi phi that we never really got to experience on drag race

thank you for asking!

[fortheloveofpearlet]

the list you still have to post 😁

Ah I that case I can do that from my phone 😂 here you go love 😘 -

Biadore - nightmares on tour bus
CLAT girls - sequel where Sasha and Aja run away together
Adourney - smut based off Jump the Gun
Pearlet - Jason calling Matt daddy during sex
Pearlet - Matt jealous of Jason’s friendship with Fame
Biadore - Daddy kink
Famelet - Fame comforting Jason through his depression
Multi ship - sequel to Trixya/Pearlet/Biadore at Disney world
Violet/Pearl/Adore - threesome
ABC - victory sex after s6 finale
Thorcid - sequel to just woken up drabble with smut
Pearlet - rainy day
Biadore - loud sex getting caught
Sashea - Shea comforting Sasha after the argument with Eureka
Sashea - lip syncing against each other
Pearlet - sequel to their first time drabble
Pearlet - sex on stage
Pearlet - song fic of 'She Keeps me Warm' by Mary Lambert
Pearlet - wanting kids
Pearlet - Fame and Max make them realise their feelings for each other
Pearlet - smut in office
Witney - Courtney comes out as trans and Willam supports her
Pearlet - Matt and Fames husband jealous of the Run the Runway video
Multi ship - Bitney and Trixya exposed through Willam’s YouTube video
Sashea - Shea jealous of Alexis’ dream about Sasha
Pearlet - cis girl Pearl meeting Jason’s parents
Sashea - after Shea and Nina’s argument in untucked
Bitney - angst and smut
Pearlet - Matt jealous of Vatya at Dragcon
Pearlet - injury fic
Pearlet - cis girls, Pearl as Violet’s mistress
Naochi - fluff or smut
Pearlet - high school boys, Jason introduces Matt to the drag world
Pearlet - high school, Jason smoking weed for the first time
Biadore - Adore giving Bianca the blow job of her life (at least I think that was a prompt)
Farasha (made that ship name up) - daddy kink/BDSM
Pearlet - date night
April x Adam Lambert - after s6 premiere
Pearlet - smutty texting
Sashea - crazy club kid smut
Pearlet - Vi taking care of Pearl when she’s sick
Pearlet - Matt getting jealous/mad of Jason and Santino’s interaction in s7
Pearlet - barebacking
Famelet - Vi has a crush on Fame during drag race
Biadore - casino fluff
Pearlet - hate sex turning into feelings
Biadore - Mile high club
Sashea - high school cheerleaders
Sashea - smut backstage at BOTS show
Pearlet - friends to lovers
Sashea - when they disappeared in untucked (fluff)
Pearlet - Matt is Jason’s mom’s bf
Pearlet - smut after the leather and lace runway
Saja - Aja jealous of Sasha’s friendship with Shea
Multi ship - s9 truth or dare jealous (Sashea and Farraja)
Pearlet - skinny dipping smut
Sashea - they get together 4 years after drag race
Sashea - dominant Shea
Sashea - smut based around Cool for the Summer
Rajila - in drag smut
Pearlet - expressing their love in a hotel room (I assume this means smut)
Sashea - leaving untucked and confessing their feelings before smut
Sashea - rough sex after Shea’s lip sync win
Multi ship - Sasha and Shea dominating Aja
Sashea - Shea sneaking into Sasha’s hotel room to spend more time with her
Pearlet - explaining how much they love each other
Varrah - smut, Farrah top
Fardore - sequel to Dragcon fic where Adore takes Farrah outRajila - Raja comforting a depressed ManilaVarrah - smut in front of a mirrorUnsure pairing - Farrah daddy kink (Alaska or Alexis of Trixie - who do you guys think?)Faixie (totally made that up) - Trixie topping FarrahFarlexis - Farrah making up for her comments during the reading challengeSashea - revolving around Sasha's 'cum gutter'Pearlet - high school boys hooking up in the bathroomPearlet - proposalBiadore - angst, Adore thinks Bianca is cheatingPearlet - one in drag to meet the others homophobic familyTrixya - married in VegasRajila - Raja comforting Manila after Raja wins s3Pharon - s4 reunion, Willam spills about them hooking upTrixya - Trixie discovering Katya is ticklishPearlet - hooking up during Bettie filmingTrixya - long distanceTrixya - Katya teaching Trixie how to cartwheelPearlet - during the filming of Bettie, Matt discovers Jason is ticklishPearlet - song fic of 'What Would I Do Without You' by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbours

Currently not taking prompts but once I've chewed my way through this lot I may take more

[lavenderek]

Who was your favorite and least favorite queens of all the seasons? I'm curious :)

ok turns out i had more to say than i thought i did i don’t have a lot of friends to talk about drag race with feel free to ignore

so i have never been able to figure out how to get my grubby hands on season 1, lmk if y'all have a way that isn’t those illegal streaming sites because their links are always broken as shit, but i saw tammie brown on all stars and she’s the most bizarre thing i’ve ever encountered so i’ll go with her for my s1 fav, and my least fav is uhhhhhhh pfuuhhhh hhsghjaak rupaul

s2 my least fav was morgan she just never impressed me and i found her sort of irritating. my fav is a tie between mystique and juju. and listen. listen. juju got fucking SHAFTED. every week she came out beautiful and poised and hilarious and charming, and the judges were all, “eh :/ it’s a little costumey.” and meanwhile raven comes out looking like glam golem like she’s never even heard of a teasing comb or padding and the judges like piss themselves about it like she’s skilled im just perplexed about the judges’ repeated dismissal of jujubee and heart eyes for raven like i didn’t get it then and i don’t get it now. and tati? tati was the only one who stood up for mystique. the only one.

s3 my fav is raja 1000% i am obsessed with her runway walk. i remember when that season was airing i told one of my friends that i had a crush on her and somehow neither of us concluded that i wasn’t straight like where are we even. also love carmen like she knows herself inside and out and i respect the shit outta that. least favs were mimi and shangela like have you tried closing your mouths for four seconds ever. god.

s4, i don’t really like that season? phiphi is trash and madame lequeer was obnoxious. willam was skilled as fuck and was funny a lot, but a lot of the time she said shit that was just confusing and strange. it came across as super scripted. she still comes across as offputting to me. but i saw latrice perform once irl. she was a sweaty angel.

s5 i really liked jinkx and alaska. alyssa is a fucking crackup i love her. i love her. serena is trash. roxxxie is really skilled and polished but she came across as unnecessarily and alienatingly mean. to her credit, she knows that and she orchestrated a successful and endearing redemption arc. coco is boring except for the “i’m not jokin’ bitch!!” scene.

s6 adore was really endearing and i frankly didn’t find her as endearing in all stars lol. least fav was laganja like aside from her irritating overuse of the kiki voice i’m super over anybody who bases their entire persona around weed lmao. also? darienne lake. listen. your looks were consistently basic. i have no idea why they advanced her so far into the competition. like i told lamb this a long time ago, at least mystique didn’t have a dressform and was being bullied by her fellow contestants, what’s your excuse? bianca was fun. trinity k bonet grew so much and i was emo about it. studies show that courtney can literally go away.

s7 is my favorite season in spite of how fuckin white it was lmao. trixie mattel is my real dad. katya is the president. pearl is great violet is great ginger is great but super bitter like SUUUPER bitter. my god girl you’re a grown-ass man. kennedy, i was like what the fuck is your problem lmfao like are you not drinking enough water or something like chill. i liked her in untucked though in the ugly dress challenge she was literally just like lying around lmao. jasmine masters was cool but i hate when half of a group of people get together just to be nasty to the other half it was super mean and unnecessary. in s2 that heathers shit was so benign and the fact that all the moron pageant queens were offended indicates how tone deaf they are. when jasmine went i was like bye. nina’s impression of her in s9 was everything.

s8 was an AMAZINg season. the friendships that formed in that season were genuine and unashamed and oh man - bob? i love bob and i’ll tell you why. bob is hysterical and when she couldn’t bring the look, she sold it hard. but what i love most about her? is that she laughs really hard and genuinely at other people’s jokes lmao. she doesn’t pull any of that too-cool-for-school shit. she’s utterly unthreatened by anyone. the brief drama that came up was ALWAYS because of derrick barry, who is boring and annoying. acid betty is the worst and no amount of cynthia being like “:) she visited me in the hospital” will redeem her stank-ass attitude and ugly drag. sorry.

s9 isn’t even done yet but i love trinity and i love peppermint and i LOVED nina and i love sasha? listen. when sasha walked into the workroom day 1 i was like mkay sweetheart we get it you were inspired by alaska yawn. so it took an episode or two but she won me over hard. god she’s so odd and so talented and versatile like i had no patience for charlie, not because old queens can’t compete! just because i will never understand these queens who just go “oh i don’t do x.” like you KNOW what this show entails! why would you even apply! eureka was pointlessly nasty, aja got on my nerves for reasons i can’t really articulate, and alexis michelle was yawnzo. farrah was lmao let’s admit it she was p basic, but something about her just endears her to me maybe it’s that she’s fishy but i LOVE how much she WHINES. valentina’s stumble came as a huge shock to me she was slaying every week. and in the end that was her downfall, she lulled herself into a false sense of security. if she had learned the lyrics to that ariana song she might have been able to save herself.

uhhhh i guess that’s it . sorry i just remembered that post that said “pleakley’s wig was laid” and i’m laughing again

[thunderfvck]

21, 24, 30 and 42? 💞

21. Favorite drag queen song?: killer by alaska is like my #1 fave forever !! but all of her songs tbh and i honestly really love sublime by raja lskjdas and supersonic by detox. ALSO the same parts by tatianna obviously 

24. Favorite friendship?: trixie x katya, katya x alaska, willam x courtney, violet x pearl, raja x manila, adore x bianca, rolaskatox,

30. Meanest Queen?: darienne lake came to mine first alskdjs

42. Sharon/PhiPhi or Jinkx/Roxxy feud?: sharon/phi phi bc jinkx/roxxxy made me sad when i watched it alskjsd

[artificialqueens]

Potluck Challenge Entry (Raja/Willam) - Dartmouth420

summary: Willam only decided to host a potluck for everyone from the office because it’s the ideal situation in which to hit on her unprecedentedly attractive coworker, Raja. But the recipe for vegan canapés she found online is a dud, and no one’s being very helpful… Lesbian AU, Raja/Willam. Featuring: Alaska, Bianca, Adore, Courtney, Latrice, Jinkx and Dela. 2180 words.

A/n: V, this one is for you ;) cw: weed (weed is legal here in Canada but idk what's going on in America so take this with a grain of salt!)

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“A good idea? A potluck is a great idea!” argued Willam, looking frantically from the photo header of the online recipe on her phone to the misshapen and bizarre vegan canapés in front of her. They didn’t look like they were supposed to. “This recipe is obviously defective! They’re getting a one-star rating.”

Alaska, her roommate and official best friend, rolled her eyes, and replied dryly, “Well, I’m not gonna say I told you so… but inviting all your coworkers over for a potluck when you know for a fact you can’t cook is asking for trouble.”

Alaska, of course, had made a truly spectacular grilled vegetable bruschetta, and had somehow found the time to make fresh sourdough garlic bread, and marinara sauce on the side. God damn it.

Willam huffed, but she was completely and utterly out of time, so she just took the tray and put it on their shared kitchen table. Then she rushed to the bathroom mirror to check her reflection, because she knew where her priorities lay. She looked good, her lipstick and eyeshadow were impeccable, her cleavage was industrial-grade, and she fluffed her loose blonde hair.

There was only one reason Willam wanted to host a potluck anyway; as an excuse to get to know her hot new coworker, Raja. Raja was confident, smart, and moved with a subtle intentionality that made Willam really want to get bent over a desk and railed with a strap-on. She was tall, had beautiful high cheekbones, dark sensual eyes, elegant grey-streaked hair, and was incredibly hot. Raja made an office-appropriate blazer look like sex on wheels.

Oh, and she was really fucking funny, too. 

Willam had barely been able to concentrate at the office for weeks, because Raja kept saying incredibly sexy and suggestive things to her like, do you have the wifi password? and oh yeah, I just moved here from L.A., and the coffee is pretty good with oat milk, and hey, can you pass me the stapler?

Clearly, the office element of the office romance was getting in the way. So, Willam’s plan to seduce her at the potluck held in her own home was genius, the only problem was that the canapés looked idiotic, probably tasted terrible, and she didn’t have time to fix them.

The doorbell rang. Alaska mildly walked over and reached for the door handle…

Willam whirled out of the bathroom, darted up to the door and reached around her, “Do not hog my light-!”

Alaska crossed her arms and pursed her lips, stepping back from the door. Willam laughed, leaned sexily in the doorway, and pulled the door open.

“A potluck? What kind of an idea is that, we all know you can’t cook, bitch,” said Bianca dryly, standing on the step, holding a glass casserole dish against her hip.

“Oh, it’s you,” said Willam, disappointed.

“You bet it’s me,” announced Bianca, pushing past her inside, and leaning in to kiss Alaska’s cheek, murmuring suggestively. “Hey darling, haven’t seen you in a while…”

“Stop hitting on my roommate.”

Alaska giggled and purred, “Oh hi Bianca, it has been a while hasn’t it? How’s Courtney?”

“Didn’t you hear? We broke up…”

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, I had no idea..."

Willam made a retching sound.

Bianca came into their home and deposited her beautiful, decorated lasagna, thick with cheese and meat, next to Willam’s dubious canapés. It looked amazing, and smelled delicious.

“Wow, these are… something,” said Bianca, looking up from the canapés with a shark-like smile. “I’ll give you a gold star, honey, you did try.” She noticed the bruschetta, bread and sauce set out. "Alaska, this must be yours, looks fantastic! I can't wait to, ah, get a little taste of it on my tongue."

“And I can’t wait to taste your dish either, Bianca,” said Alaska, fluttering her eyelashes at Bianca and reaching for a plate.

“No, not yet!” insisted Willam, even as her stomach growled. Everything had to be perfect for Raja, who would probably bring something unbelievably impressive. On top of being incredibly hot, she was probably also a five-star chef.

Bianca rolled her eyes.

The doorbell rang again, and more people from the office arrived in rapid succession. They were a timely bunch, apparently. Latrice, Courtney, Adore, Dela and Jinkx, everyone was here! And all of the conniving assholes she had once considered friendly coworkers had shown Willam up, each bringing something creative and impressive and homemade. Courtney in particular seemed determined to compete with her ex, having brought a vegan cashew and mushroom pasta casserole in a nearly identical glass dish to Bianca's lasagna. Even Adore brought her home-brewed beer, for fuck’s sake. Between all of them there was enough food for the vegans and the non-vegans, and probably all of Willam’s other neighbours on the block too.

Luckily, people seemed fine to linger and talk and start the drinking early. Several more minutes passed, and Raja didn't appear.

“Who are we still waiting for?” asked Adore, looking around the room.

“Yeah, I’m getting hungry,” added Dela.

“Everything looks fantastic,” added Latrice.

“Except for the canapés,” snarked Bianca.

“We’re waiting for Willam’s crush…” teased Alaska, nudging Willam in the side. 

Courtney rolled her eyes, “You’re starving us because Raja is late? As usual?”

“Hey!” snapped Willam, “She’s probably like, making an actual wedding cake or something. You know her. She’s talented!”

“Now a wedding cake is something I can get behind…” commented Jinkx, looking suggestively to  Dela. Dela ignored her.

"Did they break up again?" whispered Latrice to Willam. Willam shrugged, she had no idea.

But Raja still wasn't here, and Willam was sweating through her deodorant with nerves! Ugh, at this rate she was never going to get laid.

“Let’s just go ahead and start,” said Willam, diplomatic, which she thought was extremely admirable of her given the high-stakes nature of this casual potluck. “If she’s late, then she’s late and she can’t complain if she doesn’t get first choice.”

“And if she’s lucky, the canapés will be long gone,” commented Bianca, nudging Latrice, who laughed along before glancing longingly at Dela, and they stepped up to fill their plates.

People filed around the table, chatting and giving one another compliments on what fantastic creations they’d brought, even Adore’s home brew. Though to Willam, the nine-percent-alcohol beer tasted like a yeasty grapefruit had been left out in the sun for too long.

Willam sighed, and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms with disappointment. Maybe Raja wasn’t going to come to the potluck at all. Maybe she hadn’t picked up on Willam’s highly subtleindications that she wanted to get railed, or worse… wasn’t interested?!

But then the doorbell rang.

Willam leapt up from her slump against the counter, and sprinted to the door. She adjusted her skirt and pushed her tits up a little further in her bra, counted fifteen seconds down, and opened the door.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” said Raja, with a casual grin that could charm a rocket to Mars. Willam nearly fainted with the force of it.

“Oh, uh, welcome!” said Willam, stepping back and holding the door open, noting that Raja had a tote bag over her shoulder. Raja entered, looking around curiously. She wore a very normal outfit of a button-up and jeans, but it was somehow the sexiest thing Willam had ever seen, and she wanted to tear her clothes off with her teeth.

“Nice place.”

“Thank you, it’s cheap,” replied Willam, leading her into the kitchen, and hoping Raja was taking the opportunity to look at her ass.

“Look who’s here!” said Willam as they entered the room, and everyone turned to look. Willam hadn’t expected that. But maybe she shouldn’t have announced it.

“Hey guys,” said Raja, putting her tote bag down on the kitchen island, tucking her long, sensual, elegant hair over one shoulder. “So… an office potluck, that’s a fun idea.”

“It sure is,” replied Bianca, raising her eyebrows, “Why don’t you come over here and check out Willam’s canapés…”

“No!” said Willam, hurrying to change the subject. “Uh… Raja, what did you bring?”

“Let me see…” Raja dug around in her bag, and took out a package of the cheapest grocery store brand chips available.

Alaska blinked with surprise. Courtney scoffed. Bianca and Latrice looked at each other and winced.

“Nice, I love chips,” said Adore, nodding contentedly.

But Raja didn’t seem embarrassed at all, or even aware of the anyone else’s judgement. What a sexy quality. Plus, she was still digging around in her bag.

“Oh yeah, and this,” said Raja. Willam’s heart beat quickly with anticipation.

It was a bottle of cheap chardonnay. Only two-thirds full.

“She didn’t drive here, did she?” whispered Dela to Jinkx. Maybe they were back together?

“Hang on…” continued Raja, giving Willam a knowing wink.

Willam wasn’t sure she could handle the anticipation; her pits were damp, and so was her pussy. If Raja didn’t pull something truly impressive out of her bag, her standing in the office would be ruined forever! But the silver lining, considered Willam, was that her disastrous canapés wouldn’t be nearly as memorable compared to Raja’s chips and wine.

With a flourish, Raja pulled one final thing out her bag and slapped it on the table. 

Everyone leaned in to see what it was.

It was a plastic ziplock bag, full of dense, deep green, rich buds of weed. It had to be at least an ounce. Willam nearly drooled, the weed looked so good; fresh and sparkling with crystal-like feathers on the dried, curled leaves, likely to produce a wonderful, mind-bending high.

“I didn’t have time to make it into brownies,” said Raja, shrugging, “I hope this is okay…?”

“Oh, this is more than okay!” said Alaska, clapping her hands together gleefully. “I’ll get my bong…”

“Wow,” said Courtney, coming over to look at the baggie. “Is that local…?”

“Like so local, I grew it on my balcony,” replied Raja proudly.

“And I thought growing tomatoes on my balcony was impressive,” commented Dela.

“No way, I grow balcony tomatoes too!” added Latrice, turning to Dela with a delighted smile. “But only the cherry vine variety, what about you?”

“Well, I just learned about this dwarf variety out of Florida called the ‘micro tom,’" replied Dela, glowing with Latrice’s attention. "And they’re specifically designed to thrive in pots…”

"I can't grow a vegetable to save my life," commented Raja.

“Don’t talk to me about gardening,” deadpanned Bianca. "I hate dirt."

“But then why do you love telling me I'm such a dirty girl…?” replied Courtney smugly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Bianca seemed lost for words, a rare occurrence.

“This is way better than chips,” sighed Adore, happily.

“Raja, you’re really taking the cake tonight,” declared Jinkx, before looking longingly at Dela again. "But apparently vegetables are the way to go…”

"Pretty sure tomatoes are fruits, Jinkx," said Adore, putting her arm around her. Jinkx raised her eyebrows, turning to Adore affectionately. Romance, or maybe it was just drama, was in the air tonight.

Alaska came back out with her bong, clean and polished and ready to rip.

Willam, personally, had been rendered speechless. Everyone went back into motion at once, the group splitting up to grind the buds and roll joints, and load up food on plates, and they all started talking at once. They complimented the dishes, sampled everything, and successfully kept track of what was vegan and what wasn’t, etc. It occurred to Willam, as she stood there with her mouth half-open and her friends milled around her, that this was actually a really successful potluck. Everyone was eating, drinking, smoking, (or choosing not to drink or not to smoke, whatever their preference) and having a great time. Wow.

“Here,” said Alaska, dryly, pushing a plate of food into Willam’s hands.

“Oh, right,” said Willam, and looked down, remembering she was hungry. She wolfed in what was on the plate. Everything was absolutely wonderful, except her canapés, which were dubious.

After talking to Bianca about an upcoming meeting, complimenting Adore’s strange homemade beer, sliding past Latrice and Dela as they bonded flirtatiously over the nuances of tomato husbandry, accepting a hug from Jinkx, and replying vaguely when Courtney asked in a hushed tone if Bianca 'had been flirting with' Alaska, Willam finally made her way over to the sink to deposit her empty plate. Someone, ideally Alaska, would do the dishes tomorrow.

“The canapés were pretty good,” said a low voice behind her, and Willam turned to see Raja with her own empty plate, and a coy little smile on her mouth. “And thank you for inviting me, by the way.”

“Oh, you liked the canapés? Really?”

“Of course I liked them, you made them, after all… and in case it isn't obvious, I can't cook either,” replied Raja, putting her plate in the sink, and leaning in close to Willam as she did so. "I spent like forty-five minutes panicking over what to bring."

 Willam breathed in sharply, wildly aroused by Raja’s sheer proximity, and the sexy smell of weed and perfume that drifted from her. Multiple crevasses were getting damp again, and Willam might need to take a breather…

Raja plucked a joint from her chest pocket, and held it between her slim, tattooed fingers, and said, “So, do you want to go smoke this in the back yard and make out?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” replied Willam, unable to suppress her delight, and barely able to believe her luck. She took Raja’s hand and quickly led her out of the room, while everyone was occupied talking amongst themselves, enjoying the shared gifts of food and weed.

End

[coronerra]

ranking drag race queens imo season 1-10

1 Manila Luzon 1 Aquaria 3 Yara Sofia 4 Adore Delano 5 Monét X. Change 6 Chi Chi DeVayne 7 Aja 8 Sharon Needles 9 Jinkx Monsoon 10 Alaska 11 Willam 12 Shangela 13 Tyra Sanchez 14 Jujubee 15 BenDeLaCreme 16 Shea Couleé 17 Asia O'Hara 18 Trinity Taylor 19 The Vixen 20 Monique Heart 21 Stacy Layne Matthews 22 Mariah 23 Latrice Royale 24 Lineysha Sparx 25 Roxxxy Andrews 26 Sahara Davenport 27 Tammie Brown 28 Shannel 29 Nina Flowers 30 Coco Montrese 31 Ivy Winters 32 Jessica Wild 33 Blair St. Clair 34 Bob The Drag Queen 35 Peppermint 36 Nina Bo'Nina Brown 37 Tatianna 38 Alexis Matteo 39 Alexis Michelle 40 Chad Michaels 41 Raja 42 Violet Chachki 43 Kennedy Davenport 44 Katya 45 Ginger Minj 46 Miss Fame 47 Max 48 Trinity K. Bonet 49 Bianca Del Rio 50 Jade Jolie 51 Vivacious 52 Alyssa Edwards 53 Detox 54 Mayhem Miller 55 Jaidynn Diore Fierce 56 Thorgy Thor 57 Morgan McMichaels 58 BeBe Zahara Benet 59 Acid Betty 60 Dida Ritz 61 Phi Phi O'Hara 62 Joslyn Fox 63 Jasmine Masters 64 Courtney Act 65 Darienne Lake 66 Gia Gunn 67 Mrs. Kasha Davis 68 April Carrion 69 Milk 70 Laganja Estranja 71 Nicole Paige Brooks 72 Sonique 73 Pandora Boxx 74 Dusty Ray Bottoms 75 Vanessa Vanjie Mateo 76 Mimi Imfurst 77 Carmen Carrera 78 Delta Work 79 Jaymes Mansfield 80 Farrah Moan 81 Kimora Blac 82 Valentina 83 India Ferrah 84 Rebecca Glasscock 85 LaShawn Beyond 86 Milan 87 Jiggly Caliente 88 Laila McQueen 89 Dax ExclamationPoint 90 Kalorie Karbdashian Williams 91 Eureka 92 Kim Chi 93 Yuhua Hamasaki 94 Honey Mahogany 95 Charlie Hides 96 Mystique Summers Madison 97 Akashia 98 Naysha Lopez 99 Naomi Smalls 100 Cynthia Lee Fontaine 101 Victoria (Porkchop) Parker 102 Jade 103 Derrick Barry 104 Kenya Michaels 105 The Princess 106 Monica Beverly Hillz 107 Robbie Turner 108 Tempest DuJour 109 Kandy Ho 110 Sasha Belle 111 Madame LaQueer 112 Vivienne Pinay 113 Magnolia Crawford 114 Kelly Mantle 115 Pearl 116 Venus D-Lite 117 Alisa Summers 118 Penny Tration 119 Serena Cha Cha 120 Miz Cracker 121 Kameron Michaels 122 Ongina 123 Phoenix 124 Raven 124 Trixie Mattel 124 Sasha Velour

[artificialqueens]

The Big Date Night, Part 1 (Ravjanilaskianncadoramey) - Albatross

AN: You read that right.

Ravjanilaskianncadoramey.

This will hopefully become a short series. The AU is that all the women are in a very loose polyamorous arrangement. The main relationships are Ravjila, Willaska, Tatiadore, and Bitney but in the arrangement each is free to ask out/date/whatever anyone else in the agreement at any time the involved parties wish. Once a month, they all come together for a date night where the pairs are randomly selected and the odd woman out can choose who she’d like to tag along with for the evening.

“Alright,” Raja began, flashing a brilliant smile to the group, “Is everybody ready?”

A few eyes glanced down to the phone in her hand but within seconds a number of agreeable murmurs or warm smiles filled the room. There was an air of electric excitement as everyone waited for Raja to press the button on her phone and start the app.

This was the beginning of the group’s special monthly date night; a night where everyone in their poly relationship was to go on a date with someone and the fairest way, as it was soon decided, was to leave the ‘who’ up to chance. Courtney and Alaska had found the randomizer app and shared it with everyone else; after all, it was a bit easier than drawing names from a hat every single time. And most importantly, no one could argue that the results were biased in any way.

Raja gave a showy little twirl with her finger, earning an expressive eye roll from Bianca, and set the randomizer into action. Faster than she could blink, the matches for this evening were displayed on her screen and Raja couldn’t help but take a quick sneak peek. As soon as she read the final match in the listing, she found herself snickering. 

Bianca’s interest was immediately piqued and quite unceremoniously, she pulled Raja’s hand and phone close to her for a look. As she read the results even she was smirking at the outcome. 

“Well, tell us already!” Manila called out, antsy to find out who her match was for tonight.

“Yeah c’mon!” Adore and Willam chimed in.

Alaska remained silent but was wriggling in her seat with anticipation. Even Tatianna was anxious to hear the results. As the odd girl out this month, she would be able to choose who she wanted to tag along with. She already had an idea of sticking with her girlfriend but the matchups might turn her favor to someone else. 

Only Raven sat calmly in her place on the couch. Her expression read as perfectly content or perhaps a bit bored. She certainly liked the potential of going on a date with a different partner each month but so far (and it’d been about 8 months since they all agreed to this collective poly arrangement) she hasn’t really connected with anyone other than her girlfriends, Raja and Manila, and to some extent, Alaska. She liked the other girls well enough...most of them anyway...in controlled doses. But she didn’t feel anything beyond friendly interest and that was quite frustrating, both for her and them.

“Okay, okay,” Raja cut through the growing chatter of impatience. There was a hint of laughter in voice that she was trying very hard (and failed) to fully suppress. “First up, is of course, me,” she began, ignoring the playful kick to her shin, courtesy of Manila, “And my lucky lady tonight, will be...drumroll, please.”

“Raja!” came the collective groan of the group.

Laughing to herself, Raja continued on with, “Bianca!”

“Lucky, my ass,” the woman in question grumbled. Anyone who knew her could see she was quite pleased with the result. Already a smile was forming at the corner of her lips...or maybe she was just thinking of what kinds of wine they’ll be sharing shortly.

Raja glanced down to her phone and read off the next pair, “Next we have...Alaska and...Manila!”

A wave of giddiness washed through Alaska’s body and a happy little sigh passed her lips. Manila wasted no time in bounding over to her spot on the loveseat and dropping herself down into her lap. Slinging an arm around Alaska’s shoulders, Manila initiated a brief kiss before they both turned their attention back to the rest of the announcements.

“Who’s mine?” Willam interrupted. There was an odd feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

“In a minute,” Raja assured her. An unsettling twinkle was present in her eyes that did nothing to set Willam’s nerves at ease. Especially as Bianca stifled a sudden burst of laughter at the statement.

No….there’s no way.

“Courtney,” Raja teased, darting her eyes back to Willam for a short moment, “Tonight you’ll be with…”

Please say me or Raven, please say me or Raven.

“...Adore.”

Damn it! 

Willam let out a huff. She knew who was left. Everyone knew who was left. But still Raja just had to go and say it. “So that leaves Willam and Raven as our final couple of the night.”

Fucking rigged, Willam thought bitterly. But wait...Tati hasn’t made her choice yet!

Willam rushed over to the woman just a few short feet away. Ignoring the way her head was already shaking in refusal, Willam whispered in a hushed, panicked tone, “I’ll pay you.”

Now that caught Tatianna’s attention. “How much?”

“$100.”

Tatianna scoffed at the figure. Rolling her eyes, she considered for a moment what she would ask for. Then a thought came to her. “Give me your purse and I’ll go with you.”

Willam’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she asked carefully, “Which one?”

“The blue one.” she said simply.

“That’s Versace!” Willam whispered in indignation. “No!” Then thinking of her situation again, she offered, “I’ll let you borrow it. Whenever you want.”

“Mm,” Tatianna mused, “No.” Still not good enough. “How about those silver heels?”

“The Loubs?” Willam nearly yelled. If there was anything she was less willing to part with than her handbags, it was her shoes. Why couldn’t Tatianna just accept cash...or ask for a dress or something? Willam had no problem getting rid of those. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“That’s my price,” Tatianna smirked. She knew Willam was caught. Either she’d have to pay up or suffer in solitude.

Willam stayed quiet...she really, really did not want to go on this date alone...but was it worth the price of those shoes or handbag?

Ugh, damn it!

Willam let out a defeated sigh and shook her head. “$250, final offer.”

“Have fun with Raven!” Tatianna sang and she flitted away to join Adore and Courtney in their plans.

Fucking rigged!

******* “Mm,” Alaska mused softly, slipping her arms around Manila’s waist as she wriggled in her lap, “How about a movie? There’s a few trailers that looked good.”

Manila loved the idea. It’d been so long since she actually went out to see a movie from somewhere other than someone else’s couch. Not to mention there were plenty of options to choose from right now, whether it be the latest blockbusters as Alaska suggested or even an Indie film from one of the locally owned theaters. 

“And dinner?” Manila suggested. “There’s the bistro on 7th we both like.”

Alaska’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Perfect!" She could already taste their handmade raspberry lemonade.

****** Courtney and Adore were deep into planning their date when Tatianna joined the conversation. A number of ideas had already been thrown around and then quickly shot down. “We need to go somewhere fun...” Courtney reiterated, “Oh! There’s a meditation seminar downtown!”

Adore and Tatianna’s eyes quickly shot to one another. “That’s...no,” Tatianna finally said.

“Beach?” Adore offered with a shrug.

“But we’d only have an hour or two of daylight...” Courtney countered. They were silent for a moment, still thinking of other options, until Courtney added in, “Although, we could move to the boardwalk after that.”

A wicked little grin rose to Adore’s lips as she mentioned, “They just opened a haunted house where that old arcade used to be.”

“Or we could go on the ferris wheel!” 

“And the spinning cups!”

Although Tatianna was all for walking along the beach and even spending the rest of the evening at the boardwalk, she was absolutely and utterly against going on any of those rides Adore and Courtney mentioned. She didn’t like being scared, she didn’t like spinning around at high speeds, and she absolutely loathed heights. Despite how frequently or vehemently someone might assure her that the rides were safe, she just couldn’t convince herself it was true. Instead she just imagined all the ways the ride could go wrong...not exactly a fun night for her. No, she needed to think of something else they could do. And quick.

But soon she was pulled from her thoughts by her girlfriend asking, “Tati, what do you think?”

A moment of panic and dread gripped Tatianna’s heart. She had nothing to offer and Adore was looking at her so sweetly, waiting for an answer. 

Wait...she did have one idea. “We haven’t gone skating in a while,” she said.

Courtney let out a little squeal of excitement and Adore pressed a happy, sloppy kiss to her cheek. “Yes!” Courtney agreed. “Oh, this is gonna be amazing.”

****** It was hard not to overhear some of Adore, Courtney, and Tatianna’s planning, particularly as they grew more and more excited about all of the rides the boardwalk has to offer. Neither Raja nor Bianca had an interest in those particular activities, however, but their conversation did give Raja an absolutely delicious idea.

“Wine on the beach?”

Bianca grinned. “Red or white?” 

****** Within a few minutes of the match results being announced, everyone had finalized their plans and made their way out the door. Everyone but Raven and Willam. Once the cars had disappeared down the road, Raven was the first to break their night-long silence towards each other.

“Delivery?” she asked, already sounding bored to death, as she pulled out her phone.

Willam sighed, “Sure,” and made her way to Raven’s side, keeping a respectful distance between them. 

Raven skillfully tapped away on her phone, already knowing her order by heart, it seemed, and then tilted the screen towards Willam for review. “What do you want?”

Willam stared down at the screen. Something was off at first but she didn’t know what. Then it hit her. These were all drinks...All alcoholic drinks. This was Drizly’s order screen.

Not what I had in mind, Willam smirked as she scrolled through the options, but this’ll work.

****** Alaska was mulling over the menu options long after Manila had placed hers back on the table. She just couldn’t decide what to get. Her drink; that was easy, but food...that required more serious thought. “I don’t want to eat anything too heavy…” she explained with an apologetic smile.

“Saving room for popcorn, huh?” Manila teased. Alaska loved how her eyes sparkled whenever she was having fun.

Unable to keep herself from laughing, Alaska could only shake her head in denial. “Candy?” Manila suggested with a knowing glint in her eyes.

“Maybe,” Alaska replied in that special, vague tone. The devilish little grin that followed confirmed Manila’s hunch.

Manila picked up her menu again and took a closer look at the entrees. “How about a wrap?” she offered after some thought. “That doesn’t look too filling.”

Alaska’s gaze darted back to that section. Definitely some good options there. The chicken, cranberry, and walnut wrap sounded delicious...minus the chicken, of course.

“And we could walk to the theater from here,” Manila added in like an afterthought, “That’ll probably make you hungry again.”

“Oh, right!” Alaska agreed, placing her menu down with relief and satisfaction. “Thanks!”

“Anytime, doll.”

****** With their orders for both drinks and food placed, Willam and Raven returned to their comfortable silence. 

Almost comfortable. 

Each felt they ought to try to talk to the other. Make some sort of effort to get along, for the night, at least, but neither was sure what to say to break the ice. Willam pretended to be occupied with selecting a show from the TV guide while Raven stared at her phone, meticulously tracking their orders as they inched closer to their destination. She sat at the edge of her seat, ready to jump up and meet the driver. 

Oh, well. Maybe later.

****** Bianca and Raja drove with Tatianna, Adore, and Courtney to the boardwalk. It was a bit cramped in the car but the conversation was fun and the ride, quick. While the others busied themselves with removing their shoes, Bianca and Raja said goodbye and made their way towards the entrance of the ‘Wine on the Beach’ section. It was a neatly roped off little area that offered a decent selection of wine, as well as a few mixed drinks. The main appeal, apart from the relative quiet at this end of the beach, was the fabulous view of the ocean. Every so often you could see ships out in the distance or wind surfers but unlike the rest of the beach, this area was uncluttered with sunbathers or loud families. Truly just an ideal place to drink some wine and watch the waves or enjoy some nice conversation. Although in Bianca’s case, the conversation was more amusing than anything else.

She was still working on her second glass of wine but next to Raja sat two bottles; one empty and one well on its way to becoming empty.

“I used to be real scared of you, you know?” Raja said with that cute lopsided grin she always wore when she drank.

Currently she was pointing a fry soggy with cheese at Bianca yet still managed to hold her glass with a certain air of grace and class. It was an odd picture and then combined with that statement, seemingly coming from nowhere, Bianca couldn’t help but laugh.

“What? Why?”

“Cause you were always just sooo,” Raja twirled the fry around, almost like a wand, as she tried to come up with the right words. Failing, she shrugged and popped the fry into her mouth. She contemplated for a second or two until finally offering, “put together, I guess.”

“Terrifying,” Bianca agreed. Her smile was stretched from ear to ear.

“It was intimidating!” Raja stressed before snatching up another fry. “I never met someone that confident before. That could actually back it up, y’know.” Chewing slowly, she studied Bianca. It felt a little too acute for someone who had just finished off a full bottle of wine by herself. Bianca wondered what all was actually going through her mind.

Raja took another sip from her glass and set it back down. Her voice grew more serious as she recalled, “You always breezed through getting your models dressed and ready to shoot. Everyone else was just running around like rabbits on crack. But you’d get them to me, like hours, before anyone else even showed up...I actually had to be on time for you!” She began laughing again and Bianca felt a release of tension in her shoulders. 

Strange, she thought. She hadn’t noticed it was there before. A few early memories of them first meeting, Raja as an established makeup artist and Bianca just starting out as a stylist after a long-overdue career change, filled her mind. She hadn’t thought about that in years. Who would’ve guessed it’d lead to their current relationship? 

Before she could dwell on those thoughts for long, Raja’s voice, now struggling not to laugh, brought her back to the present. “And God-forbid if someone said shit about your models. You made that one guy cry, remember?” She did. “I mean, he was an ass anyway but still. You pointed out for everyone,” she really stressed that word, “everywhere he tried to cut corners. With the makeup or the hair; any place he fucked up on...And you were right! I didn’t even notice until you said something.”

A swell of pride filled Bianca’s chest. To her, those mistakes were so obvious, so why shouldn’t she point them out? But it felt pretty good, looking back on it now, that even someone as experienced as Raja hadn’t noticed as quickly as she did. 

Bianca brought the glass back to her lips as Raja stole another couple of fries from their basket. Finishing her shallow sip, she smirked and asked, “Well, what do you think now?”

“Fuck,” Raja sighed, “I’m still scared.”

Bianca had to set her glass down and hold it firm, she was laughing so hard.

****** The remaining hours of sunlight quietly slipped away as Courtney, Tatianna and Adore walked along the shoreline. Light, easy chatter passed back and forth between them until it was nearly too dark to see the footprints they’d left behind. By the time the sun had begun its descent beneath the waves, they were more than ready to move on to their second activity of the night. The plentiful lights along the strip of shops and rides made it easy to navigate to one of the many entrances of the boardwalk. 

“Ugh, how is there still sand between my toes?” Adore complained as she washed her feet under one of the many leaky showerheads placed just beyond the wooden stairs leading to the beach.

“Sand’s magic that way,” Courtney beamed as she sat on the nearby bench and watched some of the passersby. “You just never get rid of it. You’ll find it days later in your car, your clothes...your home.”

Adore chuckled as she rotated each foot one more time under the spray. Still there was a grainy sensation left over now matter which direction she turned. Sighing, she turned off the water and gave up trying to get completely clean. Tatianna gently nudged her in the side with her elbow. “I think there’s some wipes in the car,” she offered with a sympathetic smile. “Let’s go grab our shoes and check.”

“And go eat,” Adore cheerfully added in, bouncing over to Courtney and helping her up from the bench.

Playfully latching on to Adore’s arm, Courtney agreed, “And go eat.” 

The threesome debated a few nearby food choices as they made their way to the parking lot. They had almost come to an agreement when Courtney thought to ask, “And then...walk down to the rink? Or should we drive?”

A very good question, Tatianna mused. Unlocking her phone, she murmured, “Let me text the others.”

She received a reply from both Raja and Bianca by the time they reached the car. Raja’s text was an indecipherable mess of emojis and almost words. Shortly after a slightly blurred selfie came through as well. “Helpful,” Tatianna noted as she shared the picture with her girlfriend and Courtney. 

Bianca’s reply was much more lucid.

“Bianca said ‘Go ahead, we’ll walk down and meet you later’,” Tatianna announced as Courtney and Adore hunted for the wet wipes in the trunk and backseat, respectively. An amused grin appeared as she added, “She misspelled ‘meet’.”

“Drive it is then!” Courtney laughed out. A mere second later she let out a delighted little noise of triumph and held the Wet Wipes up high like a trophy.

Adore rushed around the side of the car and claimed the container with a sigh of relief and satisfaction. Without these, she was sure the feeling between her toes would have driven her nuts before long. While cleaning off the lingering sand, a forgotten thought returned to her, “But where are we gonna eat though?”

******* “Can’t you find something?” Raven asked impatiently. 

True, she’d been staring at her phone for most of their night together but now that their food had arrived she was ready to watch something else. Willam, however, was still scrolling through all of the channel options for the second or third time. How hard can it be to find a decent listing?

“Got any suggestions?” Willam snapped back. “I’m telling you there’s nothing on.”

Rolling her eyes, Raven picked up the cocktail she made (thank you Drizly) and took a long swig. As she set the glass back down, she grumbled, “Just pick something. As long as it’s not one of those stupid documentaries, I’m fine.” She reached out for one of the take out containers left on the coffee table, hoping food would lighten her mood. Searching through the Lo Mein for a piece of shrimp or pork, she grumbled to herself, “Fucking reruns of Jersey Shore even.”

The guide flipped to a new page and immediately one of the listings caught Willam’s eye. She scoffed as the read the summary out loud, “You mean an ‘in depth review of historical child labor practices and its impact on modern consumer culture’ doesn’t sound like an absolute thriller?”

“Do I look like Courtney to you?” 

“Don’t have to twist my arm,” Willam smirked. She flipped through a few more pages before finally giving up and opening the Netflix app. Glancing back at Raven, she slowly scrolled down the list of new releases, and asked if anything grabbed her attention.

“Keep going…” Raven murmured distractedly. She scanned each new icon until finally one seemed interesting enough to consider. “Stop. Go back one.” Without being told, Willam opened up the summary for the movie. There was a drawn out pause, long enough for Willam to finish the last quarter of her own drink before Raven made her verdict. “This’ll do.”

“Aren’t I considerate?” Willam teased as she pressed the ‘Play’ option.

Raven scoffed but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Sure. I mean at least you asked. Tatianna would just put something on and tell you you’ll like it."

"For like 10 minutes as the movie's playing so you can’t hear shit even if you wanted to," Willam muttered in agreement.

Scooting closer to the coffee table Willam, refilled her glass and grabbed one of the spring rolls from the container. While she munched away, Raven added in, "And Adore would sit here hogging all the lo mein until there’s like 3 noodles left."

"Or Bianca with her ‘fancy’ wine," Willam laughed, nearly spilling her drink as she tried to make air quotes.

Raven let out a burst of laughter before breaking off into a short coughing it as a piece of lo mein caught itself in the back of her throat. After she washed it down with a few sips of her drink, the pair fell silent again. This time it wasn't so uncomfortable. In fact, there was almost a warming sensation in the air…or maybe that was just the alcohol?

When Willam stole a glance towards Raven she was surprised to find the other woman still smiling.

A thought soon formed in her head. "Hey," she asked casually, "What do you think of Pandora? Did you see her last post on Facebook?"

"Did I," Raven huffed, rolling her eyes like dice. Her gaze fell back to Willam and a devilish smirk appeared.

Maybe they'd have some fun together yet.

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 30 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Dramaaaa tonight, enjoy! Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Willam finally got into Fame’s office, and Pearl got back on track with Violet--or so she thought.  

This Chapter: Courtney and Pearl are both in for a very rude awakening, but someone is in the right place at the right time.  

***

Courtney hurried out of Fame’s office, shutting the door firmly behind her.

“Oh, hey.” Alaska looked up from her desk, where she was writing a note. “I thought you’d stepped out, so I was...is everything okay? You look like you’ve been running.”

Courtney hated to lie, and especially to Alaska, who’d been so wonderful to her, but she didn’t know what else to do.

“Oh, yeah, I was just, um, doing some deep cleaning so that everything will be nice when Miss Fame comes back. More strenuous work than I expected…” She gave a nervous laugh.

“Okay…” Alaska pressed her lips together, clearly not 100% convinced, but thankfully willing to let it drop for now. “I came to talk about Miss Fame’s schedule, because we’re starting that campaign and she’s the most important part of it.”

“Right, of course.” Courtney scurried into her desk chair, trying not to worry about Willam, trapped in Fame’s office, just hoping he’d stay quiet until Alaska’s business was through, when she’d hurry him out.

It was a terrible idea, inviting him here, and she already regretted it. When they spoke this morning, she thought that having him come by would be a nice break in the day, something that would make her feel good, but instead the whole thing was just an anxious nightmare, completely not worth it.

Alaska dragged over a seat and pulled out her notebook as Courtney opened her calendar. It took them a few minutes, but finally, she seemed satisfied with the tentative dates that Courtney provided.

“I think we can make it work,” she sighed, sitting back. “I didn’t think about what a logistical nightmare this would be when I pitched the idea.”

Courtney smiled. “It’s a good idea, though. I mean, that’s why people are buying Galactica makeup, right? So that they can pretend, even just for a little while, that they’re as glamorous as Miss Fame?”

“Exactly.” Alaska smiled at her. “So…I believe we owe ourselves a tea party, don’t we?”

“Oh, um…” Courtney’s gaze shifted to Miss Fame’s office, where she knew Willam was still waiting.

“Come on, you can take a little break. After all, it’s almost 9 pm in Paris, right?”

“Yeah, true.” Courtney sighed. Willam would be fine, he’d just have to wait. “I’ll go turn on the kettle.”

She rose and walked towards the little kitchenette, Alaska following her to assist, helping her get cups and saucers down from the shelf, putting everything on a tray. Alaska was truly different than the other executives at this company, who always expected to be served. It wasn’t that Courtney minded doing it--after all, that was her job--it was just that some people had the tendency to look right through her, barely acknowledging her as a person. It got a little tedious after awhile.

Alaska was different, despite being a department head. She always looked right into her eyes when they spoke, always said thank you when anyone gave her anything, and lent a hand whenever she could.

“So...how’s it been going? You’re been here for awhile, are you settling in okay?” Alaska asked.

“Yeah, it’s been...I think I’m starting to get the hang of things.”

“I bet you’re enjoying the freedom of having the boss lady out of town, huh?” Alaska’s brown eyes twinkled conspiratorially.

“Well, uh...actually, it’ll be nice to have them back,” Courtney said honestly. “I mean, I’ll definitely be super relieved when Violet’s back.”

“Yeah, I imagine that running the office on your own is a handful,” Alaska said, stirring her tea thoughtfully.

“Mmhmm…” Courtney took a sip of her tea, wishing once again that she worked for Alaska. She was so kind and understanding.

The sound of muffled, distant clattering made Alaska’s head snap up sharply, and Courtney cringed inwardly.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Courtney asked, twirling a lock of blonde hair in her fingers.

“It sounded like it was coming from inside Miss Fame’s office,” Alaska said.

“Oh, um, I don’t think that’s…” It was no use. The bright pink flush creeping into her cheeks was a dead giveaway, and as Courtney trailed off, Alaska put her hands on her hips.

“Who’s in there, Courtney?”

Courtney gulped, admitting, “My boyfriend…”

“Ugh, Courtney…” Alaska clucked disapprovingly, walking over to the door, using the key card clipped to Courtney’s skirt to open the door. “You!”

She pointed at Willam, who was busily cleaning up papers he’d somehow knocked off Miss Fame’s desk.

“Playtime’s over. Say goodbye and be on your way.” Alaska snapped her fingers and Willam hurried out of the office.

“I’m sorry, Alaska, I know it was stupid, please don’t tell-” Courtney began, but Alaska was scrutizing Willam with narrowed eyes.

“What’s your name?” she asked, and he blanched, but Courtney quickly stood in front of him.

“It’s not his fault. I’m the one who suggested we go into the office. I just wanted a few minutes of privacy, but I know it was dumb.” She turned to Willam, saying, “You should go. I’ll call you later.”

Willam nodded, bolting from the office quickly, practically running to get to the elevators. Even though that’s what Courtney had asked him to do, she couldn’t help be a little annoyed at how eagerly he’d gone, a strange spring in his step, not looking the slightest bit regretful. But there wasn’t time to dwell on that right now.

Courtney faced Alaska again, steeling her shoulders, prepared for the worst.

“Are you gonna tell on me?”

Alaska tapped her long nails against Courtney’s desk, thinking.

“I know that kid.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, but I just can’t remember how…” She squinted, trying to place him.

“Well, maybe you-”

“Oh, shit.” Alaska pulled up her phone, tapping away on the screen, making Courtney grow agitated.

“What are you doing?”

“Hoping I’m wrong, for your sake…” Alaska finally found what she’s looking for, heaving a deep sigh. “Here.”

She slid the phone across the desk, over to where Courtney stood.

“I knew I’d seen him around. His husband is an accountant, he does my taxes.”

“Husband?” A terrible, terrible feeling began to creep into Courtney’s stomach. Willam was married? To a man?

“Yeah.”

Courtney picked the phone up slowly. That was Willam, alright. Willam with his arms wrapped around a handsome older man, Willam with the same man and a group of other guys on the beach, Willam with the man and a huge Saint Bernard.

A million confusing thoughts swirled in Courtney’s head, and she sat down heavily, trying to make heads or tails of them. Was Willam cheating on his husband with her? And if he was, why the slow, chaste, Victorian courtship? Even today, in Miss Fame’s office, she was the one who took things to the next level. She was the one grinding against him, trying desperately to feel something, to prove to herself that this was more than just a platonic relationship.

She’d known, of course, that their (lack of) chemistry was weird. But she thought it was due to Willam being respectful, and to her own hang-ups about guys. She swallowed down the lump in her throat.

“I think you better ask your boyfriend some questions, Courtney,” Alaska said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah.”

What she really needed was to talk to someone about this. Someone who understood her, someone who could help her sort through her confusion. After Alaska left the office, she immediately went to her purse to pull out her personal cell, calling the one person she knew could help her feel less alone.

***

“And this one,” Pearl grinned. She was showing Violet the photos she had taken that day, their legs pressed together.  “Matches her dog perfectly.”

“What?” Violet looked up from her vodka cranberry, a smile on her lips, and Pearl couldn’t get over how sweet she was, how beautiful she looked.

They were sitting at the bar at an overly fancy cocktail hour, both of them waiting for Fame. They were on the outskirts of the party, everyone else rubbing elbows and kissing ass, but Pearl didn’t care about any of that, not when she had Violet’s attention.

It felt great to finally be okay again, to be them. Pearl flirted with a lot of different women, and had slept with quite a few since that fateful night at the Fashion Fund party, but this was something else, something special.

“I’m serious.” Pearl smiled, and Violet reached out, trying to grab the phone, her chest bumping against her arm.

Pearl didn’t want to be too forward in her advances, they had a week in the city of love after all, but if the way Violet’s eyes shone was any indication, if the giggle in her voice held any promise at all, they’d be curled up in bed together soon enough.

“Damn pumpkin, getting frisky huh?” Pearl raised an eyebrow, making sure that Violet saw that she was attempting to look down her top.

“Pearl-” Violet groaned, sitting up straight, holding a hand in front of herself to make sure Pearl couldn’t see anything at all.

“Just wanted to check if you were wearing a bra.” Pearl grinned, the fact that Violet was blushing the exact reaction she had gunned for.

It felt great to be back on track, to be able to play Violet again, the other woman so perfectly easy once Pearl wormed her way under her skin.

“You do know that Galactica has a strict policy about appropriate public behavior.” Pearl reached for her drink, making sure that her leg was glued to Violet’s. She couldn’t remember much from when Violet had fixed her up, but she did remember the other woman nagging her about the company guidelines.

“Please.” Violet rolled her eyes, but Pearl could see the smile lurking in the corner of her mouth. “Like you ever cared for a policy in your life.”

“Oh I care, Violet.” Pearl smirked. “I care very, very deeply.”

Violet snorted, a short laugh leaving her. “Show me the photo.”

“Ask nicely.”

“You’re so annoying.” Violet went for the phone again, but Pearl put an arm around her back, her hand resting on her hip.

“You love me.” Pearl grinned as she tilted her phone, showing Violet the photo of a woman who was wearing an outfit entirely with black and white polkadots, a dalmatian sitting by her side.

“Oh my god.” Violet looked up, a gigantic smile on her lips. “This is amazing!”

Pearl grinned, turning slightly so she could rest her cheek against Violet’s head, the smell of her hair in her nose. It was incredibly intimate, Violet flicking through her phone.

She could stay here forever, Violet commenting on everyone’s outfits, fashion a subject she could discuss endlessly.

“So,” Pearl used her free hand to reach up, gently touching Violet’s hair as she tucked it behind her ear.

“Hey,” Violet giggled, trying to twist away , but Pearl held her close, “that tickles-”

“Violet,” Pearl twisted her upper body, Violet looking straight at her. “Do you want to-”

In that exact moment, Violet’s phone started vibrating, and Pearl groaned.

Violet raised a brow, clearly not understanding why Pearl was acting that way as she reached for her phone.

“You don’t have to take the call.” Pearl tried to put her hand on top of Violet’s, “We’re having fun, right?”

“Pearl,” Violet sighed, evading her hand. “Please.”

Violet took her phone, turning the screen. Pearl had expected it to be Fame, for Violet to look exasperated, but instead, her entire face lit up as she accepted the call.

“Hello?” Violet smiled.

“Who are you talking to?”

Violet ignored Pearl, not answering her question.

“Mmh. Yes. Yes, I’m at the bar. Where are you?”

She stood up, shaking Pearl’s hand off before she turned around.

“Ah!” Violet grinned. “I see you.”

Without as much as looking at her, Violet left, not even giving Pearl the chance to say anything else.

Pearl turned, confused and annoyed at what could possibly have captured Violet’s attention so thoroughly.

Violet was making a beeline towards Sutan Amrull, stopping in front of him, eyes bright as she eagerly chatted. Pearl had no idea they even knew each other, and Violet never talked like that to anybody, barely even her.

Sutan was Raja’s twin though, so Pearl decided to let it go, the two of them probably discussing something boring and business related.

She had decided not to watch, when Sutan placed an arm around Violet's waist, pulling her in, and Pearl felt her body light on fire.

She was ready to get up, willing to make it a fight if she had to, no one else allowed to touch her Violet like that, good reputations be damned, but then, insteading of struggling to get away, Violet leaned in, placing a sweet but quick kiss against Sutan’s lips, causing Sutan to laugh.

Pearl felt her jaw drop, her fingers tightening around her glas.

What the fuck? Was Violet with Sutan?

Pearl bit her lip, hurt rushing over her, her stomach clenching.

Had she been acting a fool?

Pearl Liaison always got what she wanted, but as she watched Violet, a sense of dread settled over her.

Sutan had to have been the man at the bar. There was no other way around it, all the puzzle pieces falling into place.

Pearl emptied her drink in one big gulp, the alcohol burning on its way down. She flagged the bartender, ordering another drink, determined to drown her sorrows.

She had decided on alcohol, had figured that would be the quickest way to forget how humiliated she felt, but as Pearl made her way through her third cocktail, she spotted Adore from across the bar, the other woman in deep conversation with Raven.

***

Adore was in ecstasy, finally getting the attention from Pearl that she’d been craving, not even caring that it was happening pressed against the sinks in a club bathroom. Her mind was empty of everything except Pearl’s fingers expertly working her into a quivering mess, those sleepy, knowing eyes raking over her body as she arched into Pearl’s touch.

It was so hot, the way Pearl had caught her eye and then marched over, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her roughly into the nearby restroom. The dominant, brooding energy she was exuding right now was everything Adore wanted, made her heart pound with excitement and just a perfect hint of fear.

“Someone’s obsessed with you,” Pearl murmured into her ear, making her shiver.

“Mmm?”

“You’re buzzing out of control,” Pearl clarified, gesturing to the phone in Adore’s jacket pocket.

“Oh...sorry.”

Adore pulled the phone out, quickly shutting it off and stuffing it back into her pocket just as Pearl’s fingers curled against her g-spot, making her cry out. Whoever was trying to reach her would just have to understand.

“Omigod, Pearl, yes! Right there…” Adore moaned.

“Come for me, baby,” Pearl husked into her ear, then sank her teeth into a particularly tender spot on her neck.

Adore gasped, hips rolling, fingers tangled in Pearl’s hair.

“I’m coming, I’m coming...oh gooood…”

***

Willam was so screwed. On the subway, he’d gleefully clicked through all of the pictures, only to have his heart fall further and further with every one. The whole mission had been absolutely futile. Page after page of design ideas, marketing notes. The only thing remotely scandalous was a vibrator in the bottom drawer of her desk, a locked part he had to jimmy open with a paperclip, but even that amounted to a big Who Cares.

Certainly not groundbreaking journalism.

But he couldn’t give up. Not when he’d come so far. There had to be something. So he took a deep breath and fired off a few texts to Courtney.

WILLAM: Hey beautiful, so sorry for racing out like that

WILLAM: I hope I didn’t get you in trouble

WILLAM: Are you okay, baby?

The response had been entirely unlike her. ‘Meet me at Radicchio. 7.’

No emojis, no exclamation points - nothing cute or flirty to tell him that things were still good. Which meant that they probably weren’t. That this wasn’t gonna be a nice, normal date, but in fact a Serious Talk, which was just not something Willam had prepared for in this plan.

Part of Willam thought he should just ignore it. Cut ties, walk away, be done with the whole thing. File this one as a loss and move on. But the stubborn part still didn’t want to give up. He’d lost his fucking job over this story, how could he just drop it without a second thought? So she might be mad, he might need to do a little damage control. He could handle that, right?

When Courtney entered the restaurant, he was already sitting at a booth waiting, hands folded in front of him. He jumped up, moving to give her a hug, but she avoided him and instead sat down, stone-faced.

Courtney didn’t remove her jacket or take her purse off her shoulder. More very bad signs.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Willam asked carefully, reaching for her hand. “I’m sorry for leaving you, I didn’t think it would help you to make a scene, I just-”

“Are you married?”

Willam flinched. He’d been so incredibly careful to mask his personal life. He’d deleted his Facebook account, only communicating through that fake Instagram he’d set up to talk to her. How could she possibly have found out?

“Why would you...why would you ask that?” he ventured.

“Oh god.” Courtney closed her eyes briefly. “It’s true, isn’t it? You’re married. To a man.”

“Well, I-listen. It’s not a traditional marriage, we have an open-”

“Then why not tell me?” Courtney demanded, then answered her own question, shaking her head. “Are you even attracted to me? You’re obviously not. I guess I knew, but I just wanted so badly for this to be real, I’m such an idiot-”

“Courtney, listen-”

“No! I don’t get it, is this just some kind of sick game? Why? Why all the lies? Why pretend that you like me?”

Willam shut his eyes. A million excuses were on the tip of his tongue, lies to cover up lies, but none of them would work. None of them would satisfy her. He could see that clear as day.

“I’m sorry. Okay? Really. I didn’t mean for it to go on this long, I thought I’d get something I could use much quicker-”

“Something you could use?” Courtney’s eyes suddenly widened as she put the pieces together, and that’s when Willam understood, until that moment she wasn’t even thinking about his job, about the fact that he was a journalist, about how much she’d told him.

“I would probably have dropped it, but then I got fired, and I needed something, Court, I really-”

“So all of this...all of this was for a story?” she spit out.  

“I...yeah.” Willam swallowed, looking at the horrified expression on her face, the single tear that slid down her cheek. God, what a mess. There was nothing he could say now to win back her trust, so he might as well unburden himself.

“I really thought there was something, something big that Fame was hiding, especially after Detox got so angry, and-”

“Oh god.” Courtney covered her mouth. “And I left you in there, alone. I’m not even supposed to be in there alone. What did you do? What did you find? Oh god, I’m gonna be fired.”

She was starting to panic, gripping the edge of the table, breathing growing shallow. Willam shook his head vigorously.

“Nothing! Okay? I found nothing. Here, look for yourself…” Willam opened his photos and shoved his phone across the table. “It’s just fucking fabric samples and design notes and marketing plans. That’s it. I can delete it right now if you want.”

“And how do I know this is everything? How do I know you’re not gonna fuck me over?” Courtney asked, green eyes red and watery.

Willam hung his head for a moment. He didn’t mean for this to happen. She was just a nice kid, maybe a little too trusting, maybe a little over her head, and seeing her brokenhearted face made him feel more wretched than he ever had.

“You don’t,” he finally said, looking directly into her eyes for the first time that night. “You don’t, you just have my word, which...I guess you already know is worth jack shit.”

Courtney handed Willam’s phone back to him, shaking his head.

“It would serve me right if I did get fired,” she said, voice breaking. “Because I was stupid enough to think you were a nice guy.”

“Courtney-”

“Goodbye, Willam.”

She stood up abruptly and walked quickly to the door, leaving Willam with nothing but his own guilt.

***

Courtney stood in her tiny studio apartment, looking at her face in the old, scratched-up mirror. She couldn’t remember ever being this humiliated. She felt like an absolute idiot. A grade-A fucking moron. And the worse part, the worst part was that she’d known all along that something wasn’t right.

She’d known it, from the beginning, but she’d gone ahead and trusted him anyway, because he said all the right things and told her everything she wanted to hear. That she was beautiful, she was talented, she was going somewhere.

All of it had been a lie.

And now, she was back to square one, but it was even worse, because she’d allowed herself to voice her deepest fears, about what if she really didn’t have what it takes, what if she’d never make it, what if she was doomed to be a mediocre girl in a mediocre job for her whole life? She’d allowed those thoughts, the ones that used to be buried deep, to come to the surface and rear their ugly heads and now she had to face all of it.

She wasn’t an aspiring actress, or on a path to becoming a musician. She wasn’t anything but an assistant, and even that wasn’t guaranteed, if anyone at Galactica even got a whiff of how majorly she’d fucked up by allowing Willam to get so close. Or if he’d been lying, if he really had gotten something to use and publish--it would immediately be traced back to her. So there was something to keep her awake at night, as if she didn’t have enough.

She closed her eyes, hot tears burning down her cheeks, feeling more alone than she ever had. She was lucky, actually, that Adore didn’t answer earlier, because once she found out Willam’s real reason for playing her, she realized that she could never ever tell Adore, or their other mutual friends, for fear that it would get back to Miss Fame somehow.

That was when Courtney made a promise. She would do whatever it took to make this job work. So she wasn’t Violet, she wasn’t some robotically perfect assistant. Well, she wanted to be an actress, so she’d act like the perfect assistant. She’d show all of them that she could do this job, that she was valuable, and if she really took it seriously, maybe there was a snowball’s chance in hell that she wouldn’t be fired, deported, and sent back to Brisbane a miserable failure.  

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 21 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Hello darlings! So, this chapter marks us getting through 10% of the story. Yay? Yay! We are so grateful for people who are following along and giving feedback. Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Fashion Week began with no major crisis in sight (well, except for Courtney’s pink hair).  

This Chapter: Someone gets fired, someone gets lucky, and the Galactica collection gets presented to the world.

***

Willam took a deep breath before knocking decisively on Detox’s door. To say that he was not excited about being summoned to an unplanned meeting with his boss would be a huge understatement. But here he was.

“Come in!”

Detox was on the phone when Willam entered. He gestured for him to sit, receiver still pressed to his ear. Willam obeyed, rolling his eyes internally. That was such an amateur power move. Oh, look at me, Mr. Big Bad Editor, I’m so busy and important.

Willam’s eyes drifted towards the window. OK! Magazine was on the 10th floor of their midtown building: not the best view, not the worst. Everything about this place was middling to Willam. Including Detox, who was now finishing up his oh so important phone call. In his ugly green sport coat.

Detox hung up the phone, then leveled his gaze directly at Willam.

“I assume you know why you’re here.”

“‘Cause I’m getting a raise?” Willam asked hopefully.

Detox trained his eyes on the ceiling for a brief moment before saying, “No. What did I tell you about Galactica and Miss Fame last week?”

“You said that there was no story and that I should drop it, but-”

“So why the fuck do I hear rumors that you’re still nosing around?”

Rhea. That fucking bitch.

“Because! I know you’re wrong!” Willam exclaimed. “You know that in all the years Galactica has been in business, there is not one tiny shred of bad press? Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

“Will-”

“I know she’s your friend, okay? And I don’t know what you’re trying to hide, but I will find it.”

“Great,” Detox said. “Find it for someone else.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re fired, Willam. Clear out your desk by the end of the day.”

Willam opened his mouth, then stood up in a huff.

“You know, when you hired me, you said that you wanted tenacious reporters who would challenge you.”

“I did,” Detox said, his tone bored as he opened a folder and began to scan through it. “I guess I changed my mind.”

“Fuck you, Detox!” Willam spat, storming from the office and slamming the door behind him. He strode down the hall to his own office, righteous anger rising as he went. There was a story, a good one, Willam was sure of it. And when he found it, he would make Detox eat his fucking words.

***

DETOX: Hey, I know you’re busy right now, but just wanted to give you a heads-up. I had to fire a reporter today who’s been poking around Galactica looking for dirt. (A futile effort, I know, but still annoying.) His name is Willam Belli.

FAME: Thank you darling. Don’t worry, my staff knows better than to talk to reporters without approval.

DETOX: Good girl. See you Thursday.

FAME: XO

***

“Hey baby.” Katya smiled, crawling on top of Trixie’s lap. He had come home from the second day of Fashion Week, practically collapsing into the bed the second he had opened the door. Katya had taken one look at Trixie, grabbed the phone, ordered pizzas from Trixie’s favorite place and found their collection of Disney films before Trixie had even kicked off his pants.

“Ouch, careful!” Trixie laughed, trying to move so he could shift Katya’s weight, taking the pressure off his stomach, but it only held him down. The two of them had watched Beauty and the Beast and then The Little Mermaid and now they were just lounging around, half-naked and lazily kissing.

“My big, strong designer man.” Katya leaned down to kiss Trixie’s cheek before pulling away slowly, her hand trailing down his face, gently caressing it.

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” Trixie smiled, his eyes filled with love as he looked up at Katya.

“Even after you’ve spent the day looking at models?” Katya’s tone was teasing, but Trixie could see the insecurity in her eyes, which broke his heart.

“The most beautiful woman in all of the world.”

Katya leaned down again, kissing Trixie, her hands buried in his hair as she started to slowly rut against him.

Trixie moaned, letting Katya take complete control of their movements, letting her grab his hands and hold them above his head.

“Let me see you, baby…” he whined, but Katyas simply smiled, biting Trixie’s lip.

“Say it again.”

“I want to see you, please, let me see you.”

Katya laughed and straightened her back, Trixie keeping his hands above his head without her having to tell him. She pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor.

“Please- Katya.” Trixie felt like he was about to vibrate out of his skin, he wanted her so badly, wanted to be inside her.

“Sssh, ssh.” Katya smiled. She felt powerful, so beautiful, she felt like she could do anything as she looked into Trixie’s eyes, saw the love in them as she guided Trixie inside of her, took him all the way in before she leaned forward again, crashing their lips together.

Trixie moaned, drowning in the scent and feel of Katya. She rode him and he dug his hands into her hips and grabbed her perfect tits. Trixie felt pleasure crash over him and he finished with a roar, Katya slapping her hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

She sank down on his chest, giggling uncontrollably, panting with the aftermath of her own silent orgasm.

“Ssh, ssh baby, ssh, Pearl is home, ssh.” Katya’s laugh sounded like the sweetest music in Trixie’s ears. He felt drunk on happiness, sleepy and completely at peace with the world.

“I love you so fucking much” he groaned.

Katya gave him a wet, messy, final kiss. “I love you too.”

***

Pearl stood outside, leaning on the side of the building, a cigarette hanging from her mouth as she scrolled through her phone.

There was a light rain, more like a gentle mist, collecting in her hair and on the outside of her leather jacket, even as she clung to the side of the building, a narrow eave above her head offering little. Adore watched her, her own hair protected by a big fur hood, trying to stop her stomach from doing flips.

She’d known Pearl casually for a while now, and known of her even longer. She knew all the stories, was well aware of her reputation as a player and a heartbreaker, but Adore didn’t care about any of that. Especially when Pearl looked up, catching her eye as she strolled through the courtyard, the smile she flashed at her making her insides twist with excitement.

Pearl was fucking hot, and even though Adore felt like a basic bitch for pining after her, she couldn’t control herself. She wanted her. Wanted to taste her filthy smoker breath, wanted Pearl’s face buried in her pussy.

“Hey, Adore,” Pearl said as she approached.

“Hi Pearl,” Adore replied with a smile. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m waiting for Max, Max Malanaphy.”

“Really? That’s dope.”

“You know him?” Pearl asked, head cocked.

“Not at all.”

Pearl laughed, which made Adore blush, lowering her eyes demurely.

“Do you want a cigarette?” asked Pearl, and Adore nodded, relieved for the distraction.

“Yeah, sure, hit me.”

Adore took one of the cigarettes from Pearl, placing it between her lips, patting her pockets to look for a lighter, but Pearl was already one step ahead.

“Let me get that for you.”

Adore could practically feel her stomach do backflips as she leaned in, Pearl’s hands so close to her face as she protected the flame from the wind. Adore knew it was dumb, knew it was embarrassing, but what was she gonna do? The heart wanted what it wanted.

***

Willam paced around the courtyard at Bryant Park, trying to look inconspicuous and casual, waiting for Courtney to arrive at the tent where Galactica would be showing that afternoon. He wore his press badge from last year, hoping that she wouldn’t notice the difference.

After fuming and pouting about being fired for almost a day, Willam had gotten down to business. He found Courtney’s social media accounts on every platform, following her and doing a deep dive into her posts going back several years.

He learned everything about her: her aspirations in life, the names of her family, her favorite foods and music and books, her college major, and who her friends were.

Random things that could be meaningless found grave importance, stored away for future use: that she was a vegetarian who frequented the kind of music festivals where basic white girls wore flower crowns, that her brother was a mildly successful Sydney-based drag queen, that her longest relationship in college had been with an insufferable-looking football player (he made a point to butch it up a bit today, as much as he could) and that she apparently had some kind of psychotic habit of eating kiwis whole, skin and all.

He felt prepared, armed with a bouquet of her favorite pink roses.

Luckily, the pink hair made it easy to spot her out of the corner of his eye, and as she climbed the steps towards the tent, he beelined straight for her, a big smile on his face.

“Hey there, I was hoping to find you here!” he exclaimed, holding out the roses.

She looked shocked and predictably delighted.

“Hi! What’s all this for?”

“Well, I know you’re probably having a stressful week, and didn’t want you to forget about me.” He winked at her, careful not to seem too soft or feminine. She liked cocky assholes, after all.

“That would be a bit tough,” she laughed, twirling her hair, inhaling the scent of the roses.

“I love the new hair, by the way. You look like a pop star.“ Willam knew that it was cheap to use her own hopes and dreams against her, but he was a little proud of himself regardless.

“Really?!” she asked, face lighting up with joy.

“Totally,” Willam said. God, she was putty in his hands.

“Um...are you coming to the show?” she asked, gesturing to the tent.

“No...unfortunately, I have to cover Naeem Khan. Maybe we could hook up later?”

“Oh,” Courtney bit her lip. “Well, I have the afterparty...I’d try to get you in, but only have one extra ticket and I promised it to my friend Tati. She’s a model, so it’s really important to her, and-”

“Loyalty is very important,” Willam said with a grin, and she gave a relieved sigh. He knew that showing up at a Galactica party would be risky--Detox would probably be there, after all, so better to stay away and work her from behind the scenes. It also probably helped for him not to seem too terribly eager. “But when am I gonna see you again?”

“Maybe Saturday?”

Excellent. Right into his trap.

“Um, sure. I was actually planning to catch this show in Brooklyn. There’s a band I love playing this little club in Williamsburg.”

“What band?”  

“You’ve probably never heard of them,” Willam said, chuckling softly before carefully saying the name of the weird Icelandic band that he’s been practicing in the mirror all morning. “Sólseturstríðsmenn--they’re this kind of-”

“I love them!” Courtney squealed, eyes wide. “Omigod, my and my best friend saw them at a festival a few years ago, I had no idea they were in New York!”

“Yeah? You should come.”

“That sounds amazing!” She glanced towards the tent, clearly anxious about work.  

“I know you probably have more important things to do than talk to me right now,” Willam said, hanging his head with false modesty. “I’m sorry to be hounding you at work, I just...I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

He was going too far and he knew it. But her face softened. Compliments were obviously the ticket.

“I, um...I’ll message you later, okay?” she asked, and he nodded.

As she turned to leave, he exclaimed, “Wait!”

“Yes?” She turned back toward him, her expression one of total naive innocence, and it almost made him feel guilty. Almost.

“I just...needed to see your face one last time.”

She giggled, then leaned forward to kiss him. Uh oh. This was escalating way too fast. After a slight, momentary panic, he took hold of her shoulders and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. Pulling away, he tried to assess if that had been the right move. She was smiling, her green eyes soft and dreamy. Perfect.

“See you Saturday.”

***

“Done!” Alaska smiled at the model she had just finished painting, and raised her hand, flagging down Fame who was walking around the backstage area of their Bryant Park tent.

“Yes?”

It was Thursday at Fashion week, and Galactica was one of the last shows to happen that day, which meant that everyone was trying their best to get it all together and end the day with a bang worthy of their brand.

“Approved?” Alaska had just finished with the first model, her hair and makeup all done. While a lot of other department heads would probably have left the actual makeup application to someone beneath them, Alaska loved creating, and never passed up on a chance to use her skills. Not to mention the fact that with their staffing nightmare, she wanted to make sure that she was as hands-on as possible.

Fame scrutinized the model carefully, then nodded.

“Looks good.” Fame said, then huffed slightly, fanning herself. “Violet!”

Alaska couldn’t help smiling to herself when Violet immediately appeared at Fame’s side as if by magic, Courtney on her heels, both of them looking like they belonged in Page Six, though they were in vastly different styles.

“Yes, Miss?”

“Can you please explain to me why it’s hotter than the surface of the sun in this tent? I’m sweltering.”

Courtney opened her mouth to reply, but Fame held up a hand.

“Don’t answer.” Fame flicked her wrist, clearly dismissing them. “Just fix it!”

“Yes Miss!” Violet exclaimed, then scurried off, pulling Courtney with her.

Fame’s attention was already gone, but Alaska continued to watch as Courtney leaned in, doing a very bad attempt at whispering.

“Maybe we should have told her to just take off her cape-”

The blonde was cut off with a squeal, as Violet pinched her, and Alaska shook her head, not envying them in the least.

***

“Trixie!”

Trixie felt his blood freeze as he heard Blu wailing from the other side of the tent, the noise cutting through everything, the entire room stopping for one, long, dreadful moment.

“Here!”

Trixie ran, Blu’s eyes filled with tears, the young designer standing beside a model who looked just as pale, her dress ripped.

“It all happened so fast-” Blu pointed to her busted zipper and torn seam, the fabric still caught in the model's heel.

“Shit!” Trixie exclaimed, surveying the damage to the dress, his hands touching the models hip.

“I-”

Trixie looked up, meeting the gaze of the young girl. She looked like she wanted to die, her expression filled with absolute mortification, and Trixie tightened his grip slightly.

“You’re okay.” Trixie held her gaze. “We’re fixing this, and you’re okay. Okay?”

The model nodded, and Trixie did as well.

“Gia!”

The designer was already at his side, the woman one of their fastest sewers when no one from tailoring was available. Trixie was grateful for her efficiency. He’d learned early on with her that she held up better than most under pressure, and boy had she been under pressure many times in this job.

“Blu, help her if needed, but Gia has this one.”

“Yes!” Gia wasted no time, moving the model a few feet before she grabbed her kit and got to work.

Trixie left her side, fairly confident that she had the situation under control but making a mental note to check back in a few minutes.

He resumed his final checks, walking around and examining every garment on every girl, making sure that there were no loose threads or unfinished seams showing, checking the styling carefully, giving out last minute instructions to his team.

He’d just finished speaking to Alexis when he looked up and noticed Violet gazing at the commotion wistfully.

Trixie smiled to himself; Fame had informed him over a month ago of her plan to move Violet to design, and after taking a look at her spectacular portfolio, he was 100% in favor of it.

Seeing how longingly she looked at them scrambling to get everything done for the show simply confirmed to him that design was where she was meant to be.

***

Fame took a deep breath, watching the models on the backstage monitors. No matter how many times they did this, she always had butterflies as if it was her first time. But objectively , she had to admit that she was more than satisfied with this collection.

Beside her, Raja let out a soft chuckle.

“What?”

“Well, it’s just...when you said you wanted to redo the whole collection, I thought you were nuts,” Raja said.

“I know.”

“But...I have to admit, this is a spectacular show.” Raja slipped an arm around her shoulders.

“I know.” Fame grinned wryly up at her, and Raja laughed, laying a kiss on her forehead.

Fame sighed happily, smoothing down her skirt, getting ready to step out onto the runway. Kim scurried over to her to touch up their makeup, making sure that they were as flawless and dewy-fresh as they’d been this morning.

After they were both powdered and fluffed and declared finished, Fame took Raja’s hand and walked with her to the head of the runway, waiting for their cue. She exchanged a happy glance with Raja before they stepped onto the runway. They’d done it again.