#and them starting to fully realize what these feelings and what being queer means for them

[dinitride-art]

hey fisher. thanks for ripping my heart out with that one post

I’m gonna assume this is about the s3 hug gif post. Listen, they didn’t have to make it like that and then hit us with the airport scene. And then s4 is Nancy telling Steve that they aren’t babies anymore and the kids learning about real relationships and feelings. And Lucas and max being like that and planning a date but it feels different from the times before because they’re old enough to start to realize that they mean something to each other.

And then there’s Mike and Will and they’re doing the same thing and realizing what their feelings are and what they mean and struggling. And Mike and Will, for the first time, are distancing themselves from each other emotionally and physically because they’re too old to not know what everything means. And they’re fighting about not keeping contact with each other and they’re trying to be normal and keep a safe distance and be as close as they’re allowed to be and find these new lines that they aren’t allowed to cross. And they can hold a phone at the same time and grab each other when they’re getting shot at but they can’t hold hands just to hold hands like they did when Will was possessed and they can’t be close to each other for longer than they’re allowed to be. But they keep gravitating towards each other and stepping back and forwards and they can’t fully step towards each other because they aren’t allowed to anymore but they can’t pull away because they need each other and they can’t help it. And Will can only reach out to Mike and put his hand on his back to tell him that he’s the heart, to tell him that he needs to save El.

Everything after that scene in season three is different. They’re kids still but they’re too old to not notice what’s allowed and what’s not. They’re starting to realize what real feelings are and what people mean to them. It all changes because Mike and Will can’t not notice their own feelings. They know what they mean now. They know that it’s not allowed. They’re so fucking scared. But they’re also really brave. Will makes Mike a painting, and while it might not go as he originally planned, he still tells Mike what he wanted to say. Even if he says it isn’t from him. And Mike’s questioning his and El’s relationship. He’s been pushing back against making it more serious, saying I love you, and he doesn’t give in when him and El fight about it. He’s trying so hard to be who he is, to be a good person, while protecting himself from what could happen if he was honest with her. They’re both figuring out how much they can have without being in danger. And this was all set up by the end of s3 with that hug. And hoppers letter voiceover. And the Byers moving. And castle byers being destroyed and the rain fight and all of it. Because they’re figuring out who they are now. And that changes everything,

And if they’d just hugged at the airport like normal I wouldn’t have had to write that addition to that post (or… all of this lol)

[jenny-in-a-jar]

🌈 2 Days Until my Surgery 🌈

(Picture taken June 8th, 2024)

I'm very very excited for my surgery (it's my second gender affirming surgery but this one is more significant to me since it'll be top and bottom surgery) and I'm obviously counting the days until it and I thought some people might be interested in my trans journey 🏳️‍⚧️ I finished up most of the story yesterday so today I'll queerness bc it's pride month under the cut! 🌈🌈🌈

But you can read through my journey starting here

First, let's talk about this outfit. Yes, I bought the shorts and top at Spencer's and honestly you can easily find someone who matches it at a large enough pride event. But, it's hard for me to not be sentimental about it. Especially since I wore it at least once the last three years.

(Pictures taken June 11, 2022 and June 10, 2023)

And you can see how it and I have subtly changed these last three years of my transition. (Too bad I didn't have for my first year of transition but such is life 🤷‍♀️). And every year I get excited to wear it again!

Because being queer means a lot to me. I wasn't one of those people who always knew they were queer. But, I never felt connected to my cishet peers either. It's odd looking back and thinking about how my normal group of friends were cishet but at things like summer camp and then college I would quickly make friends with queer people. I really wanted to be like them but couldn't know why because I felt like I didn't deserve to be as cool and free as them.

But, when I let myself dive head into queerness I finally realized that I queer people are mostly awkward nerds and all of them just want to live their lives as fully honestly themselves. And that I could relate to. And that's what made it easy for me "to rip off the band-aid" and transition. It's what let me walk out into a world where I knew I would get hateful stares because I knew I wasn't alone. And seeing how other queer people's eyes light up when they see me showed me I made the right decision because I made them feel less alone too.

And making friends in the queer community is so much easier than in the cishet community. Because there's a lot more likelihood that they'll understand your awkwardness and admire your weirdness. I said earlier that I had gone to a few house parties and actually enjoyed myself for the first time. I think the best way to show why is this anecdote. I remember being in this circle of people standing around awkwardly silent and then someone said "I'm autistic and house parties make me uncomfortable can someone start talking?" and someone replied with how they felt the same way and how they felt the same way and then a conversation started about how hard parties are and social interactions in general but we were glad to be here and to try to connect with people.

And I love studying queer history a lot. Mostly because I'm curious how I would fit in to a time/culture in history. But also I love seeing how we don't fit in existed and how society understood our non-conformity. We have always existed. Queerness is part of the human condition.

The queer community is far from perfect. We all come from very different backgrounds and often have biases we need to work on. But, it's worth it to carve out your place in the community and to find people who understand and support you and to reciprocate for them. Because the alternative is being alone.

And we all deserve to feel loved, in whatever form you need. And because I'm feeling sentimental so here's a picture of me and my love 🥲

(Picture taken June 8th, 2024)

I have one last update before my surgery tomorrow where I'll look towards the future ✨

Next part

[briarlovesclara]

//mismag 2 spoilers

okay guys we did it. We're here. Behold, the official sequels (!) to my relationship chart. the one on the left is immediately after the finale, the one on the right is several years down the line. enjoy ❤️

(as always, details, alt id, and elaboration under cut.)

OKAY VERSION 1:

Sam and Evan: absolutely nothing has changed since the first post, but now they both know about it. Start an undefined relationship but they're both down bad.

Sam and K: I see the light and I apologize for my ignorance because they are BOTH incredibly down bad. They haven't figured it out yet because they're trying to figure EVERYTHING out but it's there.

Jammer and Evan: Jammer's feelings parallel my first post. What does that mean for him? It means locking his wings and coming over every month to see his people. Evan doesn't need to know what they have; he loves it. No notes from him.

K and Jammer: no labels! They are each other's. When someone asks, they respond "that's my K/Jammer". Nothing else needed.

Jammer and Sam: forgot to put the arrow back mutually to Jammer, but I feel like in the last episode they both sort of realized that they could be Something. At least for me, sometimes I meet or know a person and I suddenly think, "oh, I could definitely develop feelings for them". If you know you know and they're aware, but cautious about it.

K and Evan: controversial, but I think they're both down bad in the finale. They still hold that love so close to the surface. You will see where this goes with the next chart.

×××××

okay i was going to finish this last night but tumblr deleted a good chunk of my written out thoughts for the second chart so i got sad so let's do this again

×××××

VERSION 2:

Sam and Evan: pretty straightforward. They became partners of undefined type after the finale, and then one day they started saying "I'm in love with you", and then they both overthought it that night and came back in the morning like "we do need to talk about that" LMAO. probably get married eventually.

K and Sam: more complex. They're best friends who are also dating in the literal sense of they go on romantic dates. When K visits, they have dinners out and alone time at the house, but they just call it best friends (unless someone disturbs them out in public, in which case it's "leave my girl/boyfriend alone").

K and Evan: they're divorced in a romantic way. They make being exes romantic without actively dating. In 7 years they've kissed like 5 times. Their souls have a deep, old connection that is unshakeable and they are also very close friends. They're kinda funny with it too. They're hanging out and someone messes with one of them? "Hey that's my ex-boyfriend you're talking to." Confusion with style points. They love it and cherish what they had.

Sam and Jammer: they are comfortably friends who are in love with each other. Jammer probably has other romantic relationships and stuff, he's just in love with Sam, 1/5 platonically and 4/5 romantically. Same with Sam. She has her partner, her friend she's dating, and her friend Jammer she's mutually in love with.

Evan and Jammer: literal life partners. They will be together for the rest of their lives. They are each other's number ones, best friends, soulmates. In what way, you ask? What are you, a cop?

K and Jammer: more mature version of their version 1 relationship. Fully established and communicated QPR. Whereas most of the pilot program is vibes and unspoken and just love without labels, they are straight up in a QPR. Once they figure it out it's not a big deal, but when either approaches a new romance it's "by the way, I have a queer platonic partner. Here's the boundaries we have in our relationship."

TLDR: happy family :)

[fastcardotmp3]

Steve is the first person Robin ever comes out to.

And it's good, it goes better than she ever could have hoped, it goes miraculously well considering just how reckless she had been about it in hindsight, how nearly accidental and vaguely self-destructive a choice it had been to wield Tammy Thompson's name like that in front of a boy she'd learned to trust within the past six hours.

The thing is, it's good, but she realizes later on that she never actually says the word. The big one, the identifying one, the one that gets thrown around as a slur as often as queer or dyke do towards any girl who dares not present in a specifically feminine way.

It's a bad word, a scary word, a word that drips off tongues like acid and drips drips drips a corrosive hole in Robin's chest every single time because if it's being said in her vicinity that means-- just at any moment-- anyone could figure out--

Robin doesn't care for the act of coming out either in theory or in practice. She believes that anyone she trusts enough to know gets to learn from context clues and anyone she doesn't trust will just never get to know her fully and that's good enough for her.

She doesn't sit her parents down and say, "Mom. Dad. I'm a--"

She doesn't sit her little apocalypse posse down and say, "Just thought you guys should know I'm a--"

She didn't tell Steve.

She doesn't say the word.

Because as much as she's able to accept who she is, it's so hard to claim a word that has been used like a weapon her whole life. Because as much as even her parents and her friends love her for who she is, there is something about saying it like that that makes her wonder if it could sully the support.

As if they'd realize oh, you meant like that...? and change their minds.

It's not until IUPUI, a little house in Indy with Steve, and a little record shop next door to the deli where Eddie got a job slicing meat that she starts seeing that word, feeling it anew.

There are zines at this shop, the ones behind the counter that she's offered after a few visits and a few conversations that she later recognizes as coded and questioning in nature.

There are stories and art and poetry and that word is all over them.

And the thing is? The thing that has Steve finding her crying in their living room one afternoon as she reads through the stack like it holds the answers to the universe?

Is that it is written and spoken and displayed like the most beautiful word in the world.

It's a compliment and a blessing and a brag. It's a little bit of magic and a great deal of history.

It's her, in the end. It's her and it belongs in her mouth, deserves to be spoken, because too many people are out there misusing it like a disgusting thing when it is divine, fucking love incarnate.

Robin tucks into Steve's embrace, his instinct to hold her even as he tries to understand what has her sobbing in the middle of the day, whether or not he needs to fight anyone about it.

He holds her and she holds him back and it only feels right that it happen like this when she takes his face in her hands, shaky but oh, so certain.

Steve was the first person she ever came out to.

If she's going to let the scary word become her favorite the way it is for the people writing it out so proudly, this is probably the place to start.

"Steve Harrington," she beams at the furrow in his brow, those big concerned eyes that she knows will be confused about this, but she knows will only hold her tighter once she explains. "Steve. Stevie. Guess what?"

"What's up?" he laughs, gathering the joy in her tears like she knew he would, and Robin feels something click in the moment before she says it to him.

Out loud and real.

Very nearly holy.

"I'm a fucking lesbian."

[spicybylerpolls]

It's a shame how guarded the fandom is regarding sex. First and foremost because sex, and specifically shame around sex, is heavily, heavily tied to Mike and Will's story.

If Lucas can have a 69 sign above his head while he's sleeping, why is it so hard to believe Mike and Will are having sexual dreams about each other? Especially if you ship them and acknowledge the 69 sign was obviously signaling a sexual dream?

If Lucas can have a reference to dirty magazines under his bed, why is it so hard to believe Mike and Will also have dirty magazines hidden around their bedroom?

If Dustin can have a reference to masturbation, why is it so hard to believe Mike and Will are also interested in masturbation as well?

They specifically put these references in the other, ORIGINAL, party members, who are the same age as Mike and Will, while also including references for them too (that people just can't accept), signaling all these boys are starting to think about sex. The difference is, Lucas and Dustin don't have any shame surrounding who they're attracted to.

I don't know about you (however I imagine this is a common experience for many queer people) but before I accepted that I was attracted to the same sex, I'd constantly find myself watching the women in porn and consciously trying to focus on the man. I'd tell myself things like "oh - you're just interested in how your body will look when you're older" or "oh - it's normal when you watch porn" etc - basically anything to reaffirm that I wasn't gay. And this is all between ages 13-16.

This is exactly how I see Mike, specifically. Starting to notice his attraction to men but consciously repressing it, telling himself he's normal and it doesn't mean anything. And I think people forget (or maybe just feel uncomfortable talking about) this part - that the sexual attraction, the shame in the sexual attraction, is a huge, huge part of realizing you're queer and coming-of-age as a queer person.

And that's why Mike doesn't want to hug Will at the airport (or a big part of it). It feels awkward, even if he doesn't know why. It feels awkward because he feels ashamed for liking Will. I mean the first shot we get of Mike setting eyes on Will in Season 4 is of him looking at Will's chest and then quickly averting his eyes. This tells us everything we need to know - Mike is attracted to Will, feels ashamed about it and doesn't want anyone to know (or likely doesn't even fully understand it himself, but at the very least, knows it's not "right").

Point being, his shame surrounding specifically his sexual attraction to men is one of his biggest issues and failing to talk about it is a HUGE DISSERVICE to his character!

It also does a huge disservice to Will's character, too. The repercussions of this shame, a lot of the time, is Will's situation - not having your first kiss, all of your friends growing up before you, hating yourself because you have a crush on your best friend. All because he's romantically AND sexually attracted to men. This is what Will's thinking. If he wasn't such a freak, if he didn't want to kiss boys, if he wasn't starting to feel sexually attracted to men, then everything would be so much easier. He wouldn't feel like such a mistake.

This is why I think they'll absolutely have a sex scene in S5 and also why I think it will be explicit. I previously thought it'd likely be implied and that that'd be enough but I don't see it the same anymore. Now, I don't think this means it has to be racy, obviously, but just that the audience would see some of it. Quite frankly, doing an implied sex scene, while I wouldn't be dissatisfied, is a disservice to the story.

See, with Jancy, the implied sex scene works. The tension between these two characters has been building for a season and a half and we know they want to have sex. We don't have to see it, we just need to know that they do.

But with Mike and Will? That's not the case at all.

First of all, the tension has been building for 5 seasons, which is the entire series. An implied sex scene would ultimately be a tame ending to this storyline.

Second, Mike and Will specifically feel shame about this act, Jonathan and Nancy don't. We don't need to see their reaction but we need to see Mike and Will's reactions because it completes their characters. Because they have felt shame about this specific thing, not showing them feeling comfortable doing this, with each other, would be incomplete.

Third, think about Steve and Nancy's sex scene - we're shown it specifically because Nancy feels uncomfortable.

Ultimately, there's no need to show Jonathan and Nancy having sex because there's nothing left unresolved. That's what the Duffers actually get right - only showing a sex scene when it's important for the narrative and for the characters. Even Hopper and Joyce point to this, despite them being the oldest characters and the most suitable to have an explicit sex scene, opposed to Steve and Nancy. That's because there's nothing else to tell us about Joyce and Hopper through this sex scene - we know they love each other. I don't see why the Duffers would break this pattern now.

And well, even if you don't want the scene, I don't see how you could argue that the moment Mike and Will decide to have sex isn't extremely important for their characters and would tell us A LOT about how they both feel, especially Mike seeing as we don't get his perspective.

You could argue the kiss would suffice but... does it? A kiss isn't really... sexual. And Romantic, sure. But this wouldn't address the shame they specifically feel about sex. Mike starting to cry while having sex with Will tells us so much more about his character than him crying while kissing Will.

Kissing is also a thing children do. Ending a 5 season, 9 year long coming-of-age project, with two characters who have fought inter-dimensional monsters that quite literally represent their shame, simply kissing? Something we've already seen one of these characters do, multiple, multiple times?

Okay, I guess.

Anyway, I know a lot of these points have already been made, and that this was really long, but I just wanted to say them again because it upsets me so much, especially during rewatch when I see all the themes right in front of me. And I know it upsets other people, other young adults, too. Seeing this experience represented so accurately - one that you might even still feel shame about, one that you went through not too long ago - and not even being able to discuss it openly in the fandom, is sad. Being called a freak or a pedophile for simply suggesting that sex is important here and the Duffers are telling us so. Sex... the thing that literally created us all. And that almost everyone starts thinking about between the ages of 13-14.

Sigh. At least we have this blog. Thank you for that. 🫶🏼

[vasito-de-leche]

;R1999 MEDICINE POCKET - General Headcanons

Compilation of headcanons and analysis on Medicine Pocket as a character and other related things.

started going thru my askbox, saw there's an insane amount of medpoc prompts, and then realized I haven't thought that deeply about this feral dog so here we are!

I missed doing analysis like this oooo the feeling of neurons making connections as I go thru the character's entire page oooo. since I still don't have them, screenshots and examples will be taken directly from the fandom wikia as usual!

On the subject of intersex identities, Medicine Pocket's mother and their gender identity.

It's worth noting that as of the time writing this (with GL currently in 2.2 and CN having just released 2.5) the game still has only two characters who have been confirmed to live outside of the gender binary, both released during launch; The Fool, who uses male pronouns but states that he has no gender, and Medicine Pocket, who couldn't care less about pronouns and explicitly mentions being intersex in one of their voicelines.

The game is consistent with this, as Medicine Pocket is often referred to with "they/them" pronouns, and occasionally "he/him," such as a daily tidbit from November 18th 2024.

As far as I know, they've yet to refer to Medicine Pocket with female pronouns.

While Medicine Pocket seems to approach the subject of gender identity as an afterthought at best and a nuisance at worst, never stating which labels they identify with, it's important to note that they're still openly queer. Upon a first reading, I didn't think much of them, but now I realize that a big chunk of their character does focus on their queerness in ways that are just as unconventional as they are.

Their 01 Story allows us to learn about Medicine Pocket's background, namely their mother, as it focuses on her for the most part. This is also the second instance of Medicine Pocket's status as an intersex person being brought up.

While I'm not intersex myself, I'm a nonbinary queer person who is fully aware of the many, many convoluted and cruel ways society has enforced in order to "correct" and assimilate us into the norm, such as conversion therapy and intersex surgeries, all done with the pretense of "helping us adapt." Medicine Pocket seems to be an example of this.

One may interpret this as a misguided but well-meaning attempt from a concerned mother, but I interpret it as a heartless moment of dehumanization.

In this Story, there is a very clear parallel being drawn between the dogs at the kennel she owns and her own child, between money as her only source of happiness and the necessity to pay for her child's operation.

Her entire world and business revolves around the kennel, it's stated to be a family business with good reputation, and the dogs are described as a positive thing--"man's best friend," and friends who can keep you company--but her reaction to both is of indifference and, at worst, contempt.

The priority here isn't the thriving family business, nor the dogs she's selling to the University of Utah, nor what will come out of the experiments they will go through; the priority is the money.

And what is this money for? Her own child's operation, with the specific intent of helping them become "an ordinary person." Not for their health, not because they asked for this--because she wants them to be normal, thus highlighting the themes of assimilation within society.

As seen before, Medicine Pocket confirms they lack any reproductive organs. I don't know enough to speculate or research what sort of medical condition they have, but the fact that they say "I just don't have any reproductive organs" could imply they did not receive that operation in the end. After all, becoming "ordinary" would imply living within the binary of female or male genitals exclusively.

With the lack of information about their childhood, I personally like to headcanon that this is when the parallels between Medicine Pocket and dogs continues from their mother's perspective; maybe the cons outdo the pros, maybe the procedure was too expensive, maybe she didn't feel like nurturing this specific puppy anymore, regardless of the reasoning, Medicine Pocket's mother simply chose to give them away to someone else who had a use for them. Exactly like the previous batch of puppies.

As agile as usual, her child got into the white van without looking back. That van had taken away countless almost-weaned puppies from their mothers, and on this day, it was doing the same thing to her.

Another personal headcanon I have following that one is that Medicine Pocket was given away for experimentation purposes given their uniqueness--an intersex arcanist child. It certainly lines up with other darker themes within the game, such as the treatment orphaned arcanist children receive within SPDM, the ableism and bigoted mindsets towards arcanists that parallel real issues in real life, and the appropriation of arcanist culture into human society, etc etc.

Of course, in retrospect, there is also something bittersweet in the way that the only thing Medicine Pocket seems to have inherited from their mother is the aspect of money, as a big part of their character is based around finding ways to receive funding for their experiments. Money is the focus of their Insight voiceline, their First Encounter voiceline also involves finding new investors, and there is a distinct focus on how much Medicine Pocket's actions COST Laplace overall, even in the Main Story. Their Story 02 is literally named "The Wrecker of Laplace" and involves their expenses report. This is a very small detail and connection, but I found it quite interesting!

The last thing I want to bring up for this specific bullet point is how Medicine Pocket grew up to be exactly everything their mother did not care about.

The opposite of an ordinary person; they are considered an unconventional albeit irritating genius within Laplace, as seen in their Storyboard.

They are a noisy dog who went out and pioneered an abundance of inventions and research, such as the development of Picrasma Candy shown above, their study of arcanist bloodlines and an arcanist's arcanum that later helps Enigma during Chapter 7 "Vereinsamt," and more. They are a team leader and a renowned, published biological researcher, as seen in the LSCC trailer and another voiceline of theirs.

It is a testament to Medicine Pocket's determination, stubbornness and self-centered personality, the way they were able to thrive in life and in every aspect that their mother did not care about nor support. And this aspect relates heavily to their Beast Afflatus and animalistic themes!

On the subject of Medicine Pocket's self-experimentation, animals and Laplace

We already discussed the way Medicine Pocket has been compared to the kennel dogs sold for experimentation, but we only explored this from their mother's perspective. On a general level, we can understand that Medicine Pocket's animalistic and dog-like behaviour exists because they were raised alongside these very same dogs, and their affinity for Beagles is a direct reference to the "Beagle Club" radiation experiments--it's a very clear motif within their character, but I would still like to expand on it a little!

First of all, we need to talk about Laplace, its ethics and practices. So bear with me!

Over the course of the recent patches, we have seen certain members of Laplace being shown together for most promotional material; this is later on confirmed within 37's Anecdote as a "friend group" consisting of 37, Mesmer Jr, X, Medicine Pocket and Ezra. For this discussion, we are going to set aside 37, an outsider to Laplace, and Ezra, a human character.

Both X and Medicine Pocket both have animals commonly used for experimentation as their Udimos; X has a Laboratory mouse, and Medicine Pocket has a Beagle puppy. On the other hand, we have Mesmer Jr. whose Udimo is not an animal, but a representation of the Artificial Somnambulism Therapy machine. With this, we can trace a pattern within the arcanists of Laplace, which paints them as not only expendable resources, but as something a little more tragic considering their respective themes--X, who harbors a deep-seated hatred for authorities that abuse their power (as seen in his own Anecdote), Medicine Pocket, who is based on the "Beagle Club" radiation experiments, and Mesmer Jr., who carries internalized bigotry for her own kind and is treated as nothing but an extension of her family's legacy.

While I won't be discussing the broad history of animal rights and ethics in experiments from real life, there are lines to be connected between these specific themes and the dehumanization of these characters--which also extends to the rest of members of Laplace like Lucy and Ulrich, by virtue of being Awakened and not being able to comply within the expected "norm" of humans, nor arcanists (the main theme of "Vereinsamt"). As players, we understand Enigma's reaction to Lucy being demoted, and there is a nuanced conversation to be had about the consequences of Lucy's orders even if they led to a great outcome; it is both tragic and inspiring.

But we must also understand this: Lucy's actions are still objectively within the scope of the Foundation's own history and ethics as I've mentioned them before, she is merely being used as a scapegoat due to the visibility of these casualties, which causes the Foundation to lose face.

And how does this relate exactly to Medicine Pocket?

Because their work ethic of self-experimentation follows this very same pattern. In the trail "Experiment Record" from Chapter 6 "E Lucevan le Stelle" Stage 19, which details the process of making Picrasma Candy safe for consumption, the extra addendums indicate that the one consuming all this candy during the experiments is none other than Medicine Pocket.

Their self-experimentation is only considered an issue and a nuisance because they are loud, reckless and take up space and resources. Because this is a coworker who canonically runs on all fours when excited, bites furniture and chases after frisbees, exactly like a dog.

Out of the three characters discussed before, only two are able to subvert the expectations of their respective Udimos: X and Medicine Pocket. The former by putting on an innocent and obedient act while doing whatever he wants behind the scenes, and the latter by being so shamelessly disobedient and self-serving that it is near impossible to stop them.

After a quick and surface look into why beagles were used for the experiments, some articles mention their docile and compliant nature, the total opposite of Medicine Pocket's personality. The subversion is clear there. Rather than being someone else's guinea pig, Medicine Pocket happily uses their own body as their main playground to test their experiments and research; look at their third item, "Beagle 0-1 Fluid Analysis Apparatus," which quite literally turns their own blood as a weapon, aside from monitoring their vitals. They have voicelines urging Vertin to give them a full dose despite the potential dangers, or noting the effects of another self-inflicted experiment--both their "Sleeves and Hands" and "Clothing and Torso" voicelines respectively.

Rather than assimilating within "proper" lab etiquette and polite society, Medicine Pocket is shamelessly themself above all, doing the things they want to do whenever they want to. There are many ways to read their character; perhaps, because their mother took away their bodily agency, they can now reclaim power over their identity by being as chaotic as a feral puppy or by using their body for self-experimentation. Perhaps they have a special connection with dogs because of the way they were raised and thus actively chose to act like one, since they felt more like family than their own mother, etc etc.

This aspect of reclaiming power over their own body and identity, alongside the way others openly disapprove of them for various different reasons, can be seen within the Beast Afflatus--which focuses on the focus of the individual, one's survival and struggle against traditions or systems that aim to contain them, the power and freedom to choose and carve a way for oneself. It's the struggle of one person against the majority. All of these things can be seen in Medicine Pocket!

Round of extra headcanons I didn't have the energy to fit anywhere else

I like to think Medicine Pocket's hair is white (simply because their eyebrows also seem to be white in art) so the brown parts are dyed specifically to look more like a beagle.

Alongside being intersex and nonbinary, they also couldn't care less about conventional romantic relationships--while uninterested in sexual relationships overall, I can see them having meaningless one-night stands for research specifically. They're shameless and very open about it. The only type of serious commitment I can see them having are QRPs, but their partners get bullied even harder by them so no one is sure if this is a good thing or not.

Medicine Pocket has one voiceline which states that they do even more fucked up experiments in the suitcase; I like to think they're the equivalent of the ThoughtEmporium over on Youtube, doing things like getting rid of their own lactose intolerance, creating meat grapes and such.

They just happen to be allergic to most things that dogs are allergic to. In the same vein, they bark but it sounds nowhere close like a proper dog's bark and everyone thinks its sort of cringe, but saying this out loud within their vicinity will only earn you One Huge Fucking Chomp from them.

Unlike Pavia, who does not quite keep track of the names of the wolfpack, Medicine Pocket can tell apart every single dog they meet, no matter how identical or how long it's been since they last saw them. They have a lot of knowledge on how to care for animals from their childhood, and often bring back all sorts of dogs; from rescues to literally stealing someone else's dog just be cause they thought its owner was being a shithead. It's usually a problem, because they often just sneak them into their office without telling anyone and suddenly it's Barbie's Great Puppy Chase Adventure in Laplace.

I also like to think that the dogs they're not allowed to truly keep are given away to people Medicine Pocket personally checks and makes sure will be a good fit for the dog.

[searchingforgravity]

Graceland Experience - PART 10

Fandom: Elvis/Elvis (2022)

Prompt: You are more confused than ever before when you find something you can't explain. You wonder if you will ever get back to your own time, or if you are forever destined to live in the past.

TW: Kissing, mentions of unwanted sexual activity, brief sex, smut

Rating: Mature

Word Count: ~4000

A/N: Sorry for the long wait with this one! I hope you guys enjoy!

"A beam expanding in a straight line could travel several miles before the Earth’s curvature made the surface fall away from it sufficiently to prevent further damage, and then it would be ten feet across. After that, flashing emptily into space, expanding and weakening, a queer strain in the fabric of the cosmos."

Well, this book won't seem to be of much help to you. Sighing, you close the book as you lean against a tree outside. You've just started reading Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov, but it seems you'll have more luck with The Sound of Thunder. This book starts of with a scientist and his apprentice accidentally creating a whole in space and time with chemicals. That is not how you got here, at least you don't think so.

Looking back to the Graceland house, you admire its beauty. You still haven't fully accepted that you're here. Or that you drunkenly hooked up with Elvis last night. The more you think about last night, the more you question if it was a good decision or not.

Was Sonny just being jealous this morning, did last night not mean anything to Elvis? You aren't sure, but you decide that's not what's important right now. Looking back into the yard, you gaze at the stables in thought. How in the world are you going to get back home?

Maybe Elvis could help you get back...but how? You've explained to him how you just kind of showed up here on his couch. Maybe it was a chemical thing, maybe the couch is the key to getting back. Maybe there was some sort of electric charge that happened when you sat down that forced you back to 1961...

You sigh in frustration. You face the fact that you just don't know how you've gotten here, and maybe you never will.

"Hey, how's it goin' out here?" a voice calls suddenly, causing you to nearly jump out of your skin as your hands move to hide your book before realizing it's just Elvis.

"You scared me," you breathe, your clutch on the book loosening.

Elvis chuckles as he comes to sit beside you, his body heat instantly making you feel less anxious. Safer.

He hums as he lightly grips the book in your hand, causing you to release it.

"Any luck with this book?"

You sigh.

"Nope. Just a scientist figuring out time travel through chemicals. I don't think that's how I got here."

He opens it as his brow furrows thoughtfully, reading the same passage you did.

"Yeah, I agree with you there," he hums as he turns the book over in his hands in thought.

You look out in the yard, feeling the late summer breeze on your face, glancing over at the stables. The grass is a vibrant green around it as you imagine what the grand horses look inside. Your mind is taken back to when you watched Elvis mount the horse from your room. How beautiful he had looked.

"I spoke to Sonny," Elvis says suddenly, pulling you out of your thoughts before you could get to wrapped up in them.

You turn your head back to him, searching his face.

"What happened?"

He hesitates for a moment, and your heart sinks. You search his face for any signs of a fight but couldn't find any. Elvis sees you searching him and waves his hand, dismissing your concern.

"It wasn't like that, we didn't fight or nothin'. But...well did you know he liked you so much?"

A shock runs through you like a lightning bolt. Your brows furrow as you can only imagine what Sonny had said to Elvis.

"I thought he might've liked me a little bit, but he never told me he did. He didn't try to make a move on me or anything."

"And you didn't- uh..." he starts, but is finding it difficult to finish his thought.

His face flushes slightly as he looks away from you for a moment.

"I didn't what?" you encourage, your curiosity peaking.

"Well, uh- you never...did you ever like Sonny?"

You're taken aback by this.

"You think I like Sonny?" you question, disbelief evident in your voice.

He instantly backtracks.

"Well, no! I mean, it's just that- you know Sonny's not a bad lookin' guy and- and he you know got you that gift and everything. He said he thought or maybe he hoped that you'd liked him," Elvis rambles, his hand coming to toy with a button on his shirt.

"I don't like Sonny, Elvis. I wasn't even planning to like you."

It comes out harsher than you intend it too, but it's the truth. You're kicking yourself for getting yourself caught in a situation with Elvis, but if you're being completely honest, you don't see a timeline where you wouldn't become involved with him given the opportunity.

"So you do like me, do you?" he questions, a small smirk appearing on his face, his embarrassment disappearing as it's replaced with a certain smugness.

"I think last night proved that well enough," you groan in feigned exasperation, waving away his cocky smile.

He hums.

"Oh, I'm not too sure, darlin'. I might need a little reminder. I can get a little insecure sometimes, you know?" he breathes as he inches his body closer to yours, turning so he faces you.

A warmth spreads down your body as he leans in, his eyes softening on yours before looking down to your lips. Reaching his hand out, he caresses your cheek and you lean into it, savouring the feeling. You feel his warm breath washing over your face, causing you to relax further as you lean into him.

"Remind me, honey," he mumbles, his lips centimeters away from yours, you can feel the buzz of electricity between them.

Your mouth opens slightly as a sigh tumbles from you. Leaning forward the slightest bit, your lips connect with his. You release a small sound of pleasure as you feel his warm, soft lips press up against yours, slow and sensual. He hums lowly as he presses his lips to yours with more intent, his body inching all the more closer as his hands come to thread through your hair, grasping your head gently to keep you from pulling away.

"It's startin' to come back to me," he groans, causing you to scoff playfully, pulling him back in for another kiss.

His hands leave your head as he roams them down your body, feeling the smooth fabric of your dress before landing on your hips, giving them a soft squeeze. Sighing into his mouth, you lean into his further, your tongue licking his bottom lip as you ask for entrance.

He instantly lets you into, groaning when he feels your tongue connect with his. Unlike last night, he lets you explore him, allowing you to take control of the kiss as he gives you access to himself. You don't think you will ever get tired of his taste on your tongue as it dances slowly with yours.

You feel yourself warming as the two of you continue, his hands coming back up to your face, slipping his tongue into your mouth now as you move closer, pressing him up against the tree as you move to sit on him, your head spinning. He moans.

"Mhh, be careful. I might have to take you to my room," he grunts, his hips lifting up to meet yours.

Your about to respond as you pull away, your cheeks flushed. You're about to say maybe he should, when out of the corner of your eye, something grabs your attention. Looking to a spot against the tree, your brows furrow. Then your blood runs cold. You pull away from Elvis, shock running through your system.

"Baby, what? Did I say somethin' wrong?" he questions, confusion on his face as he looks to you.

You shake your head, your eyes stuck on the spot on the tree.

"Elvis, look."

He follows your gaze as he turns, looking at the tree. At first, his brows furrow in puzzlement, not understanding what it is he's looking at.

"When did you do that?" he asks, looking back to you.

You heart feels like it's in your throat. There, etched into the tree is your name in bold capital letters, like a message. It doesn't look fresh, it looks like it had been there for at least a few years. Maybe longer. And it's your handwriting.

---

Bringing you inside, he tries to calm you down. Not much is helping as you sit on a chair in his room. You keep getting up, and pacing before sitting back down.

"Honey, I'm sure we can come to some sort of explanation."

"How?" you question, your gaze meeting his.

"Well, maybe there was someone else who lived here by that name years ago."

You shake your head.

"Elvis...it's my handwriting."

At this, he doesn't say anything. He can't argue with that. The slope of your lines in the wood, however old and weathered, were indeed in the same style you write. There was no denying you had written that on the tree. But How? And how long had it been there?

"Alright, well let's not freak out yet. We can-we'll figure this out," he says, but his usual confidence fails him.

"How is this even possible? I mean, that was written years ago. How can we figure this out, I don't even know what's going on!" your voice raises, fear striking you.

Would you ever make it back to your own time or will you be trapped in the past, and maybe go back further in the past? You don't even know what to think with this information.

"(Y/N), you're gonna hafta lower your voice," Elvis states, his voice dropping.

"Why?? Because I'm being hysterical? Well, I'm sorry but I have no idea what I just saw-" you start, a defensiveness creeping into your voice before he interjects.

"No! Because Sonny is in the house, that's why!" Elvis hisses, bringing you back to reality.

Shit. You've become so wrapped up in your own thoughts, you forgot that someone might hear you.

"Oh yeah, sorry," you say sheepishly as you sit back down on the chair, your eyes closing in contemplation.

You hear him sigh as he makes his way over to you, sitting on the chair opposite yours. Leaning forward in his seat, he takes your hands in his, causing you to open your eyes, looking to him for support. You need him to tell you something, anything to help you feel better.

"Right now, we don't know what it means, but if we freak out about it, that won't get us anywhere, right? So we just need to take a minute and relax."

You nod your head as you let a sigh tumble from your lips. He's right, you can't keep freaking out over everything that happens. Maybe you seeing this is a good thing. Future you must've figured out something in order to travel back in the past. At least it's not a step backwards.

At seeing you calm down a bit, he brings your hand up to his lips, kissing it affectionately.

"Good, now what do you say we relax a little bit? We can think about this crazy stuff tomorrow. I'm sure not much will change in a day," he chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.

You agree, but you aren't so sure about not much changing. You have no idea how long that tree was bear outside before your name appeared, etching into it with big, ominous letters.

---

"Oh (y/n), don't stop. That feels real nice sweetheart. I told ya' Elvis couldn't fuck you like me," Sonny groans, his eyes closed in ecstasy.

You find yourself sitting on top of Sonny, he cock out of view inside you. Bile creeps up in your stomach as you try to get off of him. You're body only latches onto him more, moving up and down on him swiftly. Your face contorts in disgust as you press against his chest, trying to push him away from you.

"Did you ever find that letter?" he groans, his hands coming to guide your hips on him.

Before you have time to question what he means, you lurch forward in bed, a cold sweat covering you. Elvis immediately stirs awake beside you, turning to face you.

"What's wrong, honey? Is it a nightmare?" Elvis croaks, his eyes opening as he tries to adjust to the darkness.

You are disoriented as it takes you a moment to remember where you are. After you and Elvis had a talk about the tree, you relaxed with him that day, ordering dinner and watching movies. He asked you to spend the night in his room with him. You said yes.

"Yes, God I'm sorry," you groan, the dream flooding your mind as you try to rid yourself of Sonny's face.

"What was it about?" he murmurs, his hands feeling for you blindly.

You hesitate as you allow him to wrap his arms around you, his lips searching yours as he pulls you back to lay down, leaving a soft peck on your lips.

"I don't remember," you lie after a long moment of silence.

His hand comes to smooth out your hair as he leaves a small kiss on your forehead. You're not sure how Elvis would react to you having a sex dream about Sonny, even if it had been a nightmare. You imagine nothing good would come out of you telling him. He doesn't push you on the subject as his arms come to wrap around your waist.

"I'm sorry baby, I wish you didn't have so many nightmares," he hums, sympathy lacing his voice as he waits for you to get comfortable in his arms.

"It's okay. I wish it would stop happening," you sigh your hands coming to thread through his hair, finding comfort in the action as he sighs softly.

"Let me hold you a while," he murmurs, sleep suddenly riddling his voice as you imagine how tired he is.

You turn around in his arms as he glues his chest to your back, his hand brushing the hair from your neck so he can leave a gentle kiss on it. You sigh as you lean back into him, trying to get comfortable.

He hums softly as he snuggles his face into your hair.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to ya', you know that right?" he murmurs, the words getting lost in your hair.

"Okay," you whisper, weaker than you intend as you lace your fingers through his.

Bringing your hand to his lips, he gently kisses your hand. Looking into the dark room, you listen as his breathing pattern becomes slower, until he starts snoring softly. You only wish it could be that easy for you. As you look into the darkness, a lump starts to form in your throat. Why is this happening?

You snuggle your body back into his, trying to get some sleep, but you get the feeling you won't be getting much of it.

---

Waking up in the morning, you are surprised you were able to fall back to sleep. Stretching, you look over to see Elvis still sleeping, a peaceful expression on his face as his palm rests on his chest, his other reaching out in your direction. You admire his face as you scoot closer to him, his outstretched arm instantly wrapping around you. You smile as you see his eye flutter open at your movements, instantly looking into yours.

"Good morning," you breathe, snuggling into him further.

He smiles.

"Good morning, sweet heart. Were you able to get some sleep last night?" he rasps, his morning voice causing a warm feeling to surround you.

His grip tightens around you.

"Yeah, I got a little sleep," you nod, your eyes traveling to his lips as he moistens them with his tongue.

"That's good to hear, baby," he mumbles, his eyes drooping as he looks down at you.

He looks at your lips before dipping his eyes down to your chest which is pressed up against him. You don't have to read his mind to know what he's thinking about. He shifts on the bed as he looks up to your eyes again.

"It's nice to have you in my bed," he mumbles softly, his hands coming to cup your face and his lips dip down to yours, kissing you softly.

You hum into the kiss as you lean into him, a pooling quickly forming in your core.

“It’s nice being in your bed,” you respond, your hands roaming his body before softly landing on his bare chest, feeling his body react to your touch.

“You like being in my bed do you?” He mumbles, that smirk forming on his face. “I wonder if there’s anything else you would enjoy doing with me…in my bed.”

You hum in thought.

“I can think of a few things.”

He laughs softly, his grip tightening on your face before pulling you to him, his lips connecting with yours. He kisses you slow and sensually, with intent. You sigh into the kiss as you bring yourself closer to him, softly licking his bottom lip as you ask for entrance.

Immediately he opens his mouth to you. As your tongue makes its way into his mouth, the kiss is unlike the ones yesterday. This time, he let’s you take the lead as you explore him, your tongue swirling around his with curiosity. He groans as his hands Travel their way down to your waist.

Wanting to be closer to him, you move your body as you sit on him, your core coming to rest on top of his growing erection. Cautiously, your swirl your hips around him, earning a groan from his lips as he brings his hands from your waist to rest on your thighs.

Grinding down on him again, a small whine erupts from you as his erection brushes against your clit in such a way it has you breaking the kiss, your head coming to rest on his shoulder.

“Tell me what makes you feel good, baby. I wanna hear you make that sound again,” he groans, his hips coming to meet yours as you grind on him once more.

You blush. Never had a man you’d been with put in the amount of effort to make you feel good that Elvis has, just by asking you what you like in bed. You’re not sure how to respond. He notes your hesitation.

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I try a few things, and you tell me what feels good for you,” he suggests, the rasp in his voice going straight to your core.

“Okay,” you whisper, breathless.

Bringing his hands back to your face, he leans up in bed, capturing your lips in his once more. You sigh at the taste of him. Humming, he gently works his tongue into your mouth, swirling his tongue around your slowly, with intent. You moan quietly.

After a moment of this, his tongue retreats back into his mouth, his teeth biting on your bottom lip softly, tugging. You moan louder as you grind down on him again, the feeling adding to the wetness in your panties.

“Did you like that?” He mumbles breathlessly, his lips coming to kiss your cheek.

“Yes, I liked the biting,” you whisper, your cheeks flushing at the admission.

He hums quietly at this.

“Good girl.”

The comment goes straight to your core. Your a little embarrassed with how turned on you are, you’re not sure why. Hiding your face in his neck, you kiss it softly. His hands find their way to your hair, leaning his neck into your lips as a sigh escapes his mouth.

“Does it make you feel good when I call you that?”

Your face feels like it’s on fire.

“Yes,” you mumble, the word getting lost on his neck.

He hums again as his hands travel down your back and to the front of your body, softly cupping your breasts. You grind on him again, and this time he meets your thrust, his erection having grown more prominent and a groan erupts from him. The sensation of his clothed cock has your eyes rolling back as you realize the only thing separating your bodies are yours and his underwear, your nightgown having ridden up to your waist.

“I wanna try more, baby,” he grunts, his thumbs flicking your nipples, causing a sigh to escape your lips.

You pull your face out from his neck as you look at him, his eyes blazing with desire. You nod your head as you agree before he connects his lips to yours once more.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Tag List:

@horrorgirl4life @goldobsessionsworld @tantamount-treason @peaceloveelvis @father-of-2cats @sissylittlefeather @elvisalltheway101 @littlehoneyposts @atleastpleasetelephone @ccab @msamarican @presleyhearted

[autismcatboy]

i hear the sunspot is a story about being human first, disabled second and a bl third. it doesnt flow like a bl and has very brief moments of romance because its not intended to be read/watched a romance.

the mangaka did not write it as a BL because she herself wasnt even familiar with it as a genre until after she started publishing. she was writing a story that just happens to also feature queer romance.

the live drama is not going to end with them getting together. its an adaption of just one series within the story and even at the most current series, they only barely got together.

the story is not unrealistic in how it handles communication (or lack thereof). its a lot easier to judge characters (and people in real life) when you think you have all the pieces, but the reality is we know very little about how others truly feel and when you have a lot going on and pulling you in different directions, its hard to know it yourself.

continued below the cut, spoiler free.

taichi and kohei are busy adults. between work/school, family and personal health, they dont have a lot of free time. many people dont have ways to contact friends they made in school because usually, you just see each other and dont think about exchanging contact information until later.

exchanging contact information is a bigger step to take in japan compared to places like the us. taichi uses a flip phone until hes pushed to get a smartphone after it breaks. data plans are expensive and many are selective about when and how they use them, and chatting apps like line are usually the main form of communication method. many people in the us dont like to give out their number or social media (which is also a feature of line) to people they know, like coworkers or classmates.

theres some pretty big assumptions about japanese culture and what its like to be a young adult by fans watching the drama that, in my opinion, just arent realistic. you're thinking like a bl fan and not like what people actually do in real life.

i hear the sunspot is a story about navigating the awkward, the hardships, fumbling and coming to terms with the things we may not like about ourselves. this isnt just about being disabled. able bodied, fully healthy people have things they dont like, push off and ignore. we see this in taichi, and how he continues to push that hes happy, nothing is wrong, he's just a big goofball and doesn't have anything below the surface and a lot of you have fallen for it.

relationships rarely go "we met, we fell in love, and now we are together and everything is perfect with only mild and entertaining drama." in fact id say they almost never do. people get scared to get close to other people, people dont think about if their feelings are romantic love or not when theyve never considered they might be gay. people get busy and distract themselves from addressing the things theyre not ready to look at and understand. all of these things happen much more often and often subconsciously, too.

people are mean and bullheaded when they feel like their comfort zone is threatened. people *run* when they feel like their status quo might change and they dont know what that will look like.

its easy to say someone is being ridiculous when you dont have their full story or dont stop to consider their circumstances. will it be different from how you'd react? absolutely. you lived a different life and had different experiences shape who you are.

but its equally as ridiculous to assume you know exactly how you'd react better than someone in their situation. no one is perfect, and definitely not 20 something year olds figuring out how to be adults after tough moments completely changed their childhoods. your early 20s, especially, is about thinking youre an adult and realizing just how little you know about adulthood. its easy to look back on when i was taichi and kohei's ages and say "oh there is a /lot/ that i fucked up with and couldve done better".

i hear the sunspot is about being human. the mistakes, the drama, the pain and the laughter. it happens to also have a gay love story but its not written to *be* a gay love story or even to be any love story in the first place.

if youre not willing to wait, and consider all the troubles that come before and during their relationship, this is not the story for you. save yourself the time, its got a long way to go. maybe come back in a few more years and see if the story resonates differently.

theyre not going to dive right into a relationship when they still barely know themselves.

[shakespearean-dream]

TW!!! — blood, scarring and mild body horror ahead 🥲

benny’s turn!

before i start i wanna clarify i hesitated a bit on posting this because lovely mutual @vor-leser just posted his benny interpretation (go look at it and follow him btw), and idk if we like mind melded or smth but our human benny’s are super similar LOL. i damn near scrapped the whole thing out of fear someone would get mad at me but i Would Not be able to start over and get this done ever so this is as good as we’re gonna get. 😭 my apologies niko love u /p

this has been like a full 7 days in the making 😭😭 the art block that i felt coming on while doing ellen and ted hit me like an optimus prime sized semi truck this week along with a depressive episode so i definitely appreciate that happening and i am not upset about it at all! /s i’m totally good so don’t worry or anything /gen, mental health is just weird and i also wanted to explain the gap in my posts 😔

i do not know how to feel about this drawing if i’m so fr with you; i’m proud of myself for AM-ified benny cause i think i got the slowly rotting from the inside out primal freak energy down pretty good, but on the other hand this feels kinda empty?? i usually have a lot more commentary squished in here but i think my brain’s a little fried 🤦‍♂️ i love drawing me some beautiful buff men though so drawing normal ben was familiar territory. however his wack ass haircut i gave him is his punishment for being a PRICK!!! go sit in the corner and think about ur actions benjamin.

like ted n the rest of the sillies i’m not straying too far from canon with his personality, he’s an ass and a murderer and a hella smart dickhead who desperately needs to be punished by the universe (thank you for that one AM). hot take i did not like his “redemption arc” in his game scenario and i don’t think with how he was throughout the entirety of his life (and also throughout the game, main example his inner dialogue) he would actually go out of his way to help the kid because he means it??? n prove he changed to the guys he killed cause he means it??? i dunno maybe AM torturing him made him have a main character “omg i’ve been in the wrong this whole time!!1” moment like the game suggests i’m just not buying it 💀 i’m sure it’s just cause bennys scenario couldn’t be too long and they couldn’t fully flesh him out which i won’t fault the game makers for. i’m a steven universe fan, i know what time constrictions can do to a plot and redemption arc 😭 looking at you white diamond…

his wife n kids are up top and they’re kinda neat to me— i was considering the hc that part of the reason manya (his canon wife) left him is because she realized she was a lesbian which would be funny as fuck considering benny’s also One Of Them Queers 😭. i think during the brief times he was home and able to parent his daughters they got really scared and tired of him, one because he’s just a very threatening powerful and overbearing man, but also because i feel like he would’ve been on their ASS about everything. grades, extracurriculars, friends, wardrobe, this guy was micromanaging his family to an annoying extreme (ofc because of his perfectionist complex). he probably loved manya and the kids in his own weird way, but it was more contractual to him than any real personal relationship. maybe he inherited that from his own parents?? i doubt he ever talked to them after he moved out.

that’s about the end of my thoughts on this fucker. 🥲 funny storyyyy i just remembered i have laundry to finish so im gonna go do that, lord help me. thank you for reading all this if you did!!!!! we’re over halfway through so who do yall want next? wanna save AM or nimdok for last? i’ll see u guys later :]]]

[ingravinoveritas]

After seeing all those stories of Georgia going shopping with David (I'm honestly surprised that David knows how to drive, I don't know why), I think David is fed up with so much video.

@electronic-chocolate @victorianlonging Okay, so...I have indeed seen all of the stories that are referenced here, and I think a couple of things can be true at the same time. But let's first get the visual up for anyone who hasn't seen it (all in one video, for ease of viewing):

The first thought that I had is how reminiscent this was of what we've seen recently, with Georgia filming David when he seemingly really doesn't want to be filmed (such as at that festival last month).

What also came to mind is something I think at least several of us thought of (if my DMs are any indication), which is that David is clearly, visibly annoyed. There's no real way to not notice it, with him looking incredulous in the car (though I did laugh when he said "I'm not dressed for this," given how adorable he looked without even realizing it), and then when she sets the tone by immediately using the word "content." There's no question that that's what the objective of this was: To have content of/with David that Georgia could post to garner attention.

Once they're in the store, we see him balling up the shopping bags in his hands, which to me came across as a sign of anxiety. And given how non-confrontational we know David is, it's almost amazing to hear him respond to Georgia's "Say hi!" with an immediate "Nope." And the whole thing sort of becomes what you might call a self-narrating zoo exhibit (or "self-paparazzi," as I recently heard someone aptly describe it) where David is literally just trying to shop for groceries while Georgia is sticking a camera in his face.

We also notice that at one point, David is recognized by some fans and stops to take a picture with them, which when you think about it is likely a regular occurrence, since he has one of the most famous faces in the country. But because that is the case, you'd also think he would feel a sense of relief when those interactions are over and he no longer has to be "on"...until he goes back to Georgia and she is filming him. And as good-natured as David is, there's no doubt that it must get a little tiring after a while.

All that said--and in the interest of providing a balanced perspective--it is possible that David was playing things up, to an extent, and perhaps even exaggerating some of the annoyance that we saw. And there was something else about this that stood out to me, and that deserves discussion: His shoes...

Yes, David was wearing gay pride Doc Martens. GAY PRIDE BOOTS, ladies and gentlemen and those of other gender persuasions. And when we realize this is the case, everything about this vlog/series of stories starts to gets very interesting. Because while the shoes were by no means the focal point of the Insta stories, Georgia had to know that David's eagle-eyed fans would clock them right away. And clock them they did (and I also noticed this pair of Pride-themed Doc Martens, and would not be at all surprised to learn that David owns a pair of those as well).

Leaving aside the fact that no straight man on this Earth--no matter how strong an ally--would wear those boots (I mean...come on), I almost saw this as a callback/follow up to Georgia's story from a few months ago where she appeared to use "their" pronouns when talking about David (rather than he/him). Much discussion was had at the time of this being a way to "test the waters" for David to start being more open about his sexuality/identity, and this almost feels like a continuation of that.

Having heard from queer followers of mine who are not fully out to their families/friends, it seems that it is not uncommon for folks in that position to wear things to drop little "hints" around people they are not ready to disclose to yet. And when you think about the number of "hints" from the last few months--the nonbinary pin, the pronoun Insta story, David getting emotional talking about Pride Month on that podcast, and now these new Insta stories wearing those boots--it makes you wonder if it's all building toward something.

Whatever the case may be, it's still difficult to overlook how uncomfortable David looked at times in those videos today--even if he was playing things up. For my part, I would genuinely rather never have Georgia post anything about David again than see him in her posts knowing that he is uncomfortable with it. I also agree that her hunger for content seems to be increasing, but I would also like to hope that if David did seriously ask Georgia to stop filming--for any reasons--that she would do so.

So I suppose we'll have to see what (if anything) this all leads to, and what will happen if/when she films him again. Happy as always to hear others' thoughts in the comments...

[imsogayyippee]

I saw someone post their marble hornets queer headcanons and I love talking about my sillies so I'll make a post like that too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :3333

i basically ship anyone and everyone here so. yeah (except for jay x women n shit yk what i mean)

(under the cut cause it's long as hell)

Alex Kralie

He's bisexual btw btw!! I think he'd have a preference for men but hes definitely had girlfriends. Amy was probably the longest lasting girlfriend he's had, they would have gotten together near the end of Alex shooting Marble Hornets after he broke up with Tim and then they break up when. well. Amy died in 2010. So they were dating for like 3+ years!!!!

I usually play around w his gender cause. he's so gender lets be so fr. But my main headcanon is that he's a trans man, MAYBE not fully (demiboy or smth like that) but the point is that he transitioned and presents masculine >.<

I think he might have had some weird not-quite-dating relationships w Jay and Brian in high school or beginning of college and also dated a few women, but the only serious relationships he's had are Tim and Amy. He knew both Jay and Brian in high school but he met Jay first and besides from "dating" both of them, I think Brian and Jay ended up actually dating each other near the end of high school.

He started dating Tim in college a while after Brian introduced them to each other. They grew close fairly quickly, and Alex helped Tim whenever he was like rlly sick from the operator sickness or whatever, and they eventually started dating. They didn't date for too long, only a few months until Alex started getting affected by the Operator. Shortly after they broke up, Alex started dating Amy and then that's when he moves to go to the same college as her.

If we were to talk about my dear beloved AU where him and Tim survive, then they would start dating some time after MH ended. Obviously not right after because I mean. Alex did kill most of his friends. But after maybe,,, somewhere between half a year to a year I think they'd realize they still have feelings for each other, and that said feelings are even stronger now that they only have each other left and that they have the mutual experience of everything they went through. GOD I could talk about them for hours I love them.

Brian Thomas

Honestly, I mostly see people headcanon him as bisexual or even straight (nothing wrong w that btw!!!!!) but personally I see him as gay lol. Idk, to me he'd have some women flirt w him and he wouldn't even notice because he just thinks they're being nice LOL I feel like even if they wouldnt date women, they would have very close women friends :3 Also kinda weird headcanon but I think him and Jessica would have dated before they transitioned, and then after transitioning Jessica figured out she liked women and Brian liked men lmao

I never really see others headcanon this but to me Brian is non-binary idk. He presents masculine and goes by he/they, but I think they'd be like,,,,,, non binary with a strong connection to masculinity if that makes sense?

Near the end of high school, he started dating Jay and this went on to college, but eventually Brian met Tim and started liking him, so they figured out some sort of polyamorous relationship where Brian (consensually ofc. i do NOT fw cheating) was dating both Jay and Tim :3333. Not long after, Tim also figured out that he liked Alex, and this turned into like,, jay dates brian who also dates tim who also dates alex (already clarified this but just in case THIS IS CONSENSUAL!!!! NOT CHEATING!!). Eventually, when Brian sort of like disappeared?* and Alex moved, the whole thing kinda fell apart lol.

*(tim mentions in entry 15 that he hasn't heard of brian in a while)

Jay Merrick

Obviously he's gay cause,,, well,, that's canon. He "dated" (weird flirty friendship who occasionally kiss but won't admit it) Alex in high school and then, kind of out of the mutual experience of having """dated""" Alex, him and Brian grew closer and started dating. This man was down BADDDD for Brian I know it. Bray is cute as hell idc IDC!!!!!!

Later on, during Marble Hornets, he dates Tim maybe since like,, around the time of entry 69 or something like that?? and until he. well. dies. Idrk if they ever labeled it as dating, but even if they didnt, deep down they knew they were dating lmao.

Jay is so trans man to me. I could also see some sort of like non-binary for him but to me he's mostly a trans man. I think he'd go by any pronouns except for she, I don't think he'd care much as long as people aren't referring to him as "she".

Also I feel like he'd be asexual or maybe demisexual idrk lol

Tim Wright

YAY!!!!!! THE SILLY >__<

He is gay to me. He's probably had a girlfriend at some point, but he quickly realized he did not like women in that way lol. He obviously didn't care much about any of this for a while cause he didn't really have the chance to figure this stuff out until like college, which is when he got out of the hospital. When he met Brian, he was not only the only friend he had, but also he was super nice. Like they were such a good friend. Because of this, they became best friends and eventually started dating. Some time after this, Tim met Alex through Brian and also kind of grew close to him, since Alex would be with him if he was having a bad (operator sickness) day and stuff, and eventually started dating him too. They broke up when Alex started acting like an asshole bc of the operator n shit, and then when Brian disappeared he was back to being alone :(.

He's such a trans man to me. I cannot see him as anything else I'm sorry. I think he also wouldn't really care about pronouns as long as it wasnt "she". He started transitioning when he started college, mostly with the help of Brian. I think the most he would have done in the hospital was cut his hair tbh.

Also hes asexual!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe demisexual/greysexual (I'm totally not projectinf. at all). Also he's demiromantic (guys I am not projecting I swear).

Jessica Locke

She's a lesbian btwwww. this is half canon but still!!!!!!!!!!!!! She used to think she was bisexual before transitioning but then realized she only liked women. She was dating Amy since the last year of high school and then Amy also started dating Alex in late 2006 (CONSENSUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). They stopped dating when Amy went missing in 2010 ☹️☹️.

I'm not gonna make headcanons of the comic characters since, even if I've read them, idk that much abt them, but Jessica also started dating Taylor after MH :3

Jessica is so MtF to me. if you even care. She goes by she/her and has been out since she was little :3

Amy Walters

She's pansexual :3333333 she's had both girlfriends and boyfriends throughout high school, but eventually started dating Jessica. Then, in late 2006 she also started dating Alex. She dated both of them until she died :(

To me she's also MtF :3 she goes by she/they ^_^

Sarah Reid

She literally only shows up once but idc!!!!!!!!

She's bisexual and hear me out. intersex. She goes by any pronouns but mostly she. I don't have any dating headcanons for her, maybe Seth?? Idk I've seen people ship that I think, I don't usually think about either of them😭. I feel like her and Tim would have really gotten along during the shooting of MH lol

Seth Wilson

He's bisexual :3 I feel like they'd be agender?? Idk why lol. He goes by any pronouns. I think maybe he would have dated Sarah, idk lol. I also feel like they'd be demiaroace or smth like that, and based off that for some reason I kinda like the headcanon that maybe Sarah was like a childhood friend? ^_^

---

I LOVE YAPPING!!! Sorry if any of the shipping doesn't make sense, I usually make different like,,, timelines for each ship instead of fitting them all together in the same one lmfao

[hhave-a-nice-day]

ripping my hair out screaming throwing up being spiderman as a metaphor for being queer the essay is writing itself okay okay okay. so the metaphor is more interpretation in the first one but not this time baby!!!!! they fully went into it okay okay listen. being spiderman means being queer. gwen doesn’t come out to her father because she fears rejection the same way that miles does. they both fear their parents asking why they “lied” to them about who they are which queer people sometimes get when they come out, that they have been hiding and lying to their loved ones. when gwen does come out she does not get a good response and therefore she runs away to be with more spider people (i e more queer people). miles has been feeling alone and once gwen is back he no longer feels like he’s alone and when he sees the life she gets to live with all these other queer people, he wants in. HOWEVER. his experiences of being queer are not the norm, they’re not what everyone else experiences, and he doesn’t want the experiences to be the same. he doesn’t want to be in pain and he doesn’t want others to be either. as a result, he’s shunned by the people who should be a part of his community and should be the ones to accept him no matter what. it could be argued that this is a metaphor for assimilationist queer and radical queers. the people who believe you have to fit in/suffer to be accepted and the people who are loud and angry and won’t stand for that. when gwen comes back it turns out that her father was going to accept her after he reflected and realized that she was more important than any preconceptions he had about her based on who she was (also do not get me started on the trans colors in the scene where she’s talking to her dad. something something trans (color) coding on a scene where a person demands respect and demands that the other person know that they are not a danger and simply doing their best to be good in a massive movie that many people are going to watch in the midst of horrifying anti trans violence i Will cry). as a result of realizing that they don’t need to conform and be what anyone tells them to be both inside their community and out, they create their own community where they can make the change that they need to. i think that’s most of what i have to say. i need to watch this movie several more times.

[earthmixsclowderofcats]

In my opinion, ZNN are the most omegaverse coded couple. I noticed that many people who don't know them and see them for the first time comment "perfect alpha and omega". And Nunew has joked about getting pregnant in the past. So I'm voting for ZNN omegaverse. But let's be honest, I don't think they would do that lol. They both seem to be determined to advance in music (Nunew has already come really far and Zee is getting started) and they both have a fully booked schedule with many other jobs. On top of that, I feel like omegaverse is still seen as a joke so a serious artist like Nunew probably wouldn't do it. I'd LOVE to be wrong though, I would totally watch it.

I mean... I have already positied by theories.

I am totally supportive in that tbh. I've gotten that vibe since the first time I watched Cutie Pie and I realized that the story would be almost perfect to adapt to that sort of universe. It would make the arranged marriage plotline make a bit more sense tbh. It would also make the subplot about how Kuea and Diao are so worried about being "bad" make more sense. I know it's a cultural difference, but I just don't think playing the drums and knowing karate makes them bad boys, lol. But as omegaverse is an excellent setting to explore traditional and untraditional gender dynamics, the whole "bad boy/bad omega" thing would really hit. (Like, any afab person knows the sort of "sit still. Look pretty. Don't make trouble" kind of energy we grew up with)

And I saw 👀 those jokes Nunew made. Love when they're horny little freaks on main. Love that energy for them and for us.

Speaking with other fans I have the feeling like zeenunew are shifting into the next stage in their careers. Nunew really is focusing on his music and Zee has been very entrepreneurial. I feel that while Cutie Pie was what gave them more widespread recognition their brand is more or less their image as a couple. They do so many events and are self proclaimed workaholics.

So I don't think they'd do an omegaverse show but never say never, those two would work really well for it. And obviously I'm not the only one.

But.

🙈

I was actually thinking about MaxNat.

Wherein I accidentally make a case for giving Maxnat an omegaverse show. 🔻🔻

They're the type of queer couple people either think are cute and charming or "problematic and stereotypical," which also happens to display classic omegaverse tropes and dynamics.

Max is big. Nat is tiny.

Max is older. Nat is younger. (Which has caused them a lot more grief than other pairings with age gaps, interestingly.)

Max is more dominant. Nat is more submissive.

I see a lot of complaints about how Nat/Diao is infantilized (another word I'm putting up on the shelf. Just because an adult man acts cute does not mean he's acting like a baby or being treated as such).

Which, again. Like. You do you, you don't have to vibe with everything but it feels awful judge-y and police-y to me, especially given how stable and happy they seem as a shipped pair.

Like, as cool as Pit Babe was for putting an alpha4alpha couple out there, especially as the first omegaverse outing. I feel like these two are the traditional blueprint, which is why the trope would be controversial lmao.

The term daddybaby gets used a lot in the bl fandom, but they're the most truly daddybaby pair I've been made aware of personally. And it's not just the whole "smol and toll" thing. It's not just the age difference.

Their entire working relationship has always been about learning from one another and taking care of one another. Max has said that he promised Nat's parents to be his guardian, to take care of him. Max has also said that he used to not be very mature, but that being paired with Nat made him grow as a person.

(I would say that these two, along with zeenunew, are examples of positive, healthy age gap relationships. It is clear that all parties respect one another. It's clear that the age difference is definitely an important part of the relationship, but not the cause for the relationship. There's no weird power dynamics. As Max said that Nat helped him to mature, I also often see it mentioned that he and Nunew add more energy to Max and zee's life. They "keep them young" in a sense. And I think that's an example of a couple using their differences to even each other out rather than try to trample over one another. Which is usually the culprit of toxic age gap relationships. The older partner is looking for someone easier to control. )

He quickly grew into a caretaker role that is more traditionally seen in the "daddybaby" dynamic which easily carries over to the alpha/omega dynamic.

There is no doubt about the fact that Nat is spoiled. Even the author of Cutie Pie has said so.

Of course their ages factor into this dynamic link but are not the sole factors whatsoever. I think it's more their personalities, and the way they've grown with, and into one another. There is a sort of trust and intimacy (I mean, there are multiple examples of them picking food out of each other's teeth) that you see with these two. (That often gets credited as being the reason why they have some of the best NC scenes in the business, and also why, sometimes, being a branded pair is good!)

Nat is possessive

As is Max

And clearly I'm not the only one who sees the energy, given the increasing regularity with which I see such comments.

These are not the only examples of course, just the ones I had saved to my phone already.

...

I'm ngl I entirely forgot where I was going with this but my crack theory is basically just *look at them.* Respectfully, you cannot look at this energy and say they wouldn't make a textbook perfect example of an alpha/omega couple and i triple dog dare Domundi to do it.

[prince-liest]

How did you figure out you're aromantic?

Oh, god, what a short question for such a long process, hahaha. First off, didn't figure it out until recently, age 27, but here was the approximate (and very truncated in the amount of internal conflict and introspection involved) step-by-step process:

Figured out I was queer in high school because I felt the same way about women as I did about men! Spent about 5 years thinking I was bisexual.

Figured out that I'm not actually attracted to men when I read a post describing the experience of compulsory heterosexuality and related with it intensely, which was a very freeing experience. Spent 6 years thinking I was a (nonbinary) lesbian!

Hooked up at parties a couple of times out of curiosity and then took up my best friend's offer to fuck and realized that I got the same amount of skin-crawling distaste about that as I did about sexual contact with men, thus realizing I was ace.

Let that domino tip over into the, "Actually, identifying as gay has for a long time given me the same anxiety as I used to feel when I thought I'd have to date a man, and also I'm 27 years old and have never, ever actually wanted to date another human being. When people ask me what my ideal partner is like, I start listing off ways in which they should not bother me or demand my time or be part of my life. Maybe I just don't want... anyone." domino, and the subsequent "I'M FREE!! (from trying to date women)" euphoria was identical to the "I'M FREE!! (from trying to date men)" euphoria, so.

That's where I'm at!

I'm a generally introspective person, but I'm also really great at gaslighting myself into ignoring my own discomfort, so largely it's been, haha, a diagnosis of exclusion. First I excluded men, then the discomfort with women grew large enough that I was able to exclude them as well. Reading about other people's experiences and realizing where they paralleled my own was immensely helpful! So was being close friends with a very poly person who slowly and fully unintentionally changed my perspective on how I view relationships in a very poly-and-relationship-anarchy-as-default way, which incidentally is extremely compatible with aroace queerplatonic ideals and definitely softened me up to be ready to accept that particular realization.

Also, please let this be a sign that just because you identify with one "thing" doesn't mean that you're committing to it forever! <3

[dreamonminecraft]

I mean, George’s been showing an attraction for men (fictional and real) for ages, not just Dream. Those thirst traps he used to watch.. his fascination (not just jokes) with dicks over the years. Also he went from being very awkward/careful about any gay mention (remember how upset he got over the ’bottom’ comment?) to fully embracing that now. He even got upset when the sidemen thought he would be bad at head like? For me, in the past two years, he (seemed to at least) fully accept himself. That obviously doesn’t mean you’re ready to be out about it. But going out to gay clubs with Larray, being in their ’twink’ tiktok thing they did and all other moments.. they bonded over *something* surely. So yeah, I was shocked about this whole thing, not gonna lie. It’s the first time ever we’ve heard about him in connection with women, in a non-platonic way. Like remember when he went on that girl trip with the Botez sisters in 2022? Just him and the girls and them talking about that ’Zaddy’ waitress or whatever it was 😂 And all the moments of him seeming uncomfortable about talking of girlfriends and boobs and yeah, I don’t know. He’s always been just gay in my eyes (based on the things he’s done/said and not stereotypes or looks just to be clear.) Or even about just dnf either. Like take Dream out of the equation and I would still think that. Now sexuality can be fluid of course. Maybe he realised he could feel something for women too? Maybe it was an exception to the rule? Or maybe, he experimented a bit and what do we know what he really felt about it? People try things sometimes, for many different reasons. Maybe he had a little crisis or something. Maybe he was heartbroken over Dream flirting with someone else in the same room like? Or maybe he is bi/pan ( not trying to deny the possibility, I’m bi myself so.) But yeah, just my opinion, not some actual truth here ofc ❤️

I think that's a really fair assessment. From what we knew of his private life (up until a few weeks ago) he was attracted to men (real and fictional) and never shared details of any prior real life experiences with anybody (women or otherwise - first kiss, past partners, etc)

He's fine with the perception that people have of him being gay (obviously it doesn't hurt his career. not saying he's queer baiting) but Dream was very 'im straight. I kiss girls. I date girls' before he knew he wasn't straight, and when he started to realize that he wasn't, he still acknowledged that he liked girls while recognizing his changing feelings. George is just very private in general.

There's a clip from one of the very first dsmp streams where Dream calls George gay "he's like that one closeted friend who doesn't say I love you because he doesn't want to out himself" (my least favorite Dream joke ever, thanks) and you know how he justifies it to the (rightfully) uncomfortable chat? "I wouldn't say that if I wasn't 100% sure George was straight."

George's response: "Straight outta Compton"

I mean this guy has been actively denying any sort of public labeling of his sexuality by anyone for almost four years. Maybe he's in the same position as Dream and he just doesn't want a label (doesn't know/doesn't like the pressure/whatever) or maybe the public perception is something that he doesn't want. Whatever he is, I think it's pretty clear he's some sort of queer.

[pagesandpothos]

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

Official Blurb:

Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together. Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics. He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic. That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic. Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together. Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

My Thoughts:

Sorcery and Small Magics might be my absolute favorite read of the year! I absolutely devoured this book and loved everything about it.

First, the worldbuilding and magic system are both creative and really well done. Locations include a prestigious magic school, a rural countryside filled with people who use magic to make simple livings, and a dangerous forest filled with terrifying monsters. All of these settings are lush and described well. I felt fully immersed in this world while reading! The magic system is also unique and ended up being one of my favorite parts of the story. Sorcerers are divided into either Scrivers (people who can write spells) or Casters (who cast spells). This division was inventive and it added a lot to the story. There's also some music-based magic that plays a really cool role in the story.

The characters are also really great. At the start of the story, Leo is a loveable screwup who lacks confidence in his magic abilities. He's from a wealthy and esteemed family that has high expectations for him. Sebastian, on the other hand, is from a working-class family and is an excellent student and spellcaster who takes his abilities (and most things) very seriously.

Their opposite personalities have caused conflict between the two at school and they start the story as rivals. A spell-gone-wrong demands that the two work together and their story truly begins to develop here.

I adored their dynamic from start to finish. Their dynamic in the first half of the book reminded me of the Harry/Draco fanfiction I read as a teenager. Their evolution in the second half was even more interesting and led to a lot of depth and complexity in their relationship.

I will caution that this is a true slow burn! So don't go in expecting feelings to be fully realized or spicy scenes to happen. Sorcery and Small Magics lays the groundwork for what should become a really amazing relationship in later books but there are a lot of misconceptions to overcome and growth that has to happen first. This series feels like it could finally be the amazing queer slow-burn love story that so many queer fans in so many fandoms have longed for. I, for one, am fully on board this ship and I'm ridiculously excited to see where it goes!

Along with the relationship growth, both Leo and Grimm have great character moments. Both young men are more complicated than they seem and I loved slowly discovering more about them.

In addition, there's also a whole cast of supporting characters that I enjoyed and look forward to seeing more of in future books. Some interesting political and moral issues are also set up.

I can't recommend Sorcery and Small Magics enough. I enjoyed reading this immensely and I can not wait for the sequel. If future books in this series match the quality of this book, I think this could easily become my new favorite series!

Honestly, I need everyone on Tumblr to read this and start making fan art and writing fanfiction because it's going to be a long wait for book #2 and I need more of this world and Grimm/Leo!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tropes/Tags: Achillean, high fantasy, romantasy, slow burn, rivals to allies to ???, magic, forced proximity. You can see a trope graphic from the author here!

Content Warnings: If you have emetophobia there are a few scenes where a character vomits due to a curse or other magical influence.

If you liked this I think you will like Sorcery and Small Magics: The Last Binding series by Freya Marske, The Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell, anyone who has ever enjoyed Harry/Draco fanfiction, anyone who has ever wanted a good queer slow-burn romance

Other Notes: Maiga Doocy posted some beautiful art of Leo and Sebastian on her Instagram!

Links: Storygraph | GoodReads | MaigaDoocy.com

Sorcery and Small Magics will be released on October 15, 2024, and is available for pre-order!

I received an advanced copy of this book for free thanks to NetGalley and Orbit. The above are my honest feelings on the provided book.