#and I love seeing people being so loving towards the lgbtq+ community

[hornyfor70yroldrockstars]

I never understand why people are so against same sex couples. I never understood it.

I have some friends who are also women, and they are straight, or unlabelled. And I love the beautiful friendships that women have with each other. And while I have always admired that, I also thought about the beauty of a wlw relationship. I always thought about how beautiful it is to be in a same sex relationship. But sadly too I have only seen male friendships and female relationships that are platonic. And what I’m trying to say is male and female friendships are beautiful, but why is it bad for a man and a man to be together, and for a woman and a woman to be together? I just don’t get it because when I talk about the lgbtq+ community, people say such disgusting things about it. They call gay and trans people pedophiles, they say that people who are gay or lesbian shouldn’t act on it, because if they do than apparently they’ll suffer in hell for eternity. And people constantly ask me “when will you get a boyfriend?” It makes me mad. I’m still attracted to men, but I’m saying it’s so much better when someone says person and not man. Because I want to find someone who is like me and someone that I love. And I don’t care what their gender is. And sadly when I say that I get hate for it. And I’m talking about family or coworkers. A lot of them are accepting, but many of them are also very old fashioned. So they think that only a man and a woman should be together. I just hate it because I know that it’s ok to be a part of the lgbtq+ community, but when I hear people only talk about straight relationships, and support these evil people who are spreading so much homophobia and transphobia, it makes me hate myself. And I always feel left out because most friends and people just talk about being with a man. It’s always about a man, hooking up with a man, blah blah blah. It makes me feel lonely because I’m not interested in that stuff.

All I want to say is sadly there are a lot of fucked up evil people in the world. Especially now with all of those evil influencers such as Andrew tate, Michael Knowles who is causing a genocide towards trans people, Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh and many more close minded assholes that sadly have many fans. But thankfully there are many great people out there who are supportive and loving towards everyone and wants everyone to be able to love who they love and be who they truly are. I just hope things get better and that people stop being bigoted assholes and educate themselves about the lgbtq+ community and how amazing they are. Because trans people, gay, lesbian anyone apart of the community should be able to live in a safe place and be who they are. I hope these anti lgbtq+ laws go away because it’s fucking disgusting.

[gyudons]

despicable

updates as of 22 oct

Travis Dermott knew that he would draw attention with his actions in the Coyotes’ home opener against the Anaheim Ducks at Mullett Arena on Saturday. The Arizona defenseman just hoped that the spotlight might shine on the issue that he was addressing, not on him.

“You don’t really want to go against rules that are put in place by your employer, but there’s some people who took some positive things from it,” Dermott said. “That’s kind of what I’m looking to impact.

“You want to have everyone feel included and that’s something that I have felt passionate about for a long time in my career. It’s not like I just just jumped on this train. It’s something that I’ve felt has been lacking in the hockey community for a while. I feel like we need supporters of a movement like this; to have everyone feel included and really to beat home the idea that hockey is for everyone.”

“I won’t lie,” said Dermott, who is playing on a one-year, two-way contract. “From the outside, it’s easy to see that I’m putting my career on the line for something. I definitely went through some emotional ups and downs that night, not regretting anything by any means, but I’d love to have maybe done a couple of steps a little different by making sure that everyone was aware of what was going on before I did it.

“I don’t want to put my teammates or my coaches or my GMs or the equipment managers in any kind of bad light when it’s their job to kind of look out for something like this happening. It was definitely something that I did just by myself and was prepared to kind of deal with whatever repercussions the league decides to push towards that. I’m not going to back off and say that this battle is won, but we’re going to find better ways to do it.”

As Dermott noted, LGBTQ+ inclusion is an issue that he has supported for a long time. Without getting into specifics, Dermott said the issue is personal for him because it impacts people close to him.

“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t shed tears about this on multiple occasions,” he said. “So yeah, it’s something I’m definitely very passionate about.

“I’ve met a lot of people that from the outside, it looks like they have everything going right in their life and they have a smile on their face every time they talk to you. But sometimes when we get closer to people and get comfortable enough for them to open up to you, you can see that there’s some pretty dark stuff happening to some good people. It doesn’t take too many times encountering something like that for it to really change someone.

“I’ve been blessed to have some of those opportunities put in front of me to really change my view of what being a good person means; what being a good father and a good example and role model means going forward. You really see how people are hurting and it’s because of a system that maybe no one’s intentionally trying to be malicious about, but until you’ve really had that first-person experience seeing people hurting from it right in front of you, it’s tough to kind of take steps.”

It would be a surprise if the league handed down any sort of punishment. The optics alone would add to the public relations damage that the original ban created. Even so, Dermott reiterated his desire to bring the entire franchise into the fold before he takes similar actions in the future, but he also made it clear that he will not be silenced on the topic.

“It’s not like I’m shutting up and going away,” he said. “I know more questions are going to be coming. We’re just going to be as prepared as we can be to just spread love. That’s the thing. It’s gay pride that we’re talking about, but it could be men’s health. It could be any war. It’s just wanting world peace. Everyone’s got to love each other a little bit more.

“Like my parents said growing up, ‘How awesome would it be to be the guy that people look up to?’ That’s what really hit home when I was a kid, especially from my mom. You want to grow up and be that guy. You want to be the guy that’s having the impact on kids like NHL players had on you. If they had been racist or bigoted, that’s going to have an effect on you.

“With how many eyes are on us, especially with the young kids coming up in the new generation, you want to put as much positive love into their brain as you can. You want them to see that it’s not just being taught or coming from maybe their parents at home. They need to see it in the public eye for it to really make an effect.”

[cjlouwho]

tags: violence (gay bashing), homophobic slurs, blood, hurt/comfort, angst, healing, heading toward getting back together, happy-enough ending

(ao3 link or read below)

Like Fine China

“Hey, I need you to keep your eyes open for me, okay? You hear me? Try to keep your eyes open.”

He recognized that voice. The last time he'd heard it was just a few weeks ago, at the hospital. Who was it for though? Why was he at the hospital that time?

His brain felt like a jumbled mess. His body felt even worse.

He just wanted to sleep.

“Tommy! Tommy, can you hear me?”

Athena! That's who was speaking to him.

He opened his mouth, cracked one eye open. God, it hurt!

“I- I'm,” the words felt foreign as they escaped him. His voice didn't sound like his own. His mouth was dry, and held a bad taste.

Whiskey and... and metal.

Blood.

“Tommy, paramedics are on their way, okay? I just need you to stay with me until they get here.”

It was dark, but something was shining bright in his face.

“Flash... Flashlight,” he managed to get out, squeezing his eye back shut.

“Eyes- Eye open, Tommy. I'll get the flashlight out of your face, but I need to know you're with me.”

Wait. Had she said paramedics? They couldn't. He couldn't let them- let him see.

“No, no, no,” he mumbled out, shaking his head a couple times until a sharp pain shot through it. “No, h- he can't. I don't-”

“They're not on shift, Tommy.”

He tried to push himself up, away from where she hovered over him. He didn't manage to get very far before she placed a hand on his chest.

“Tommy, you cannot get up. I need you to stay still, and stay conscious. Those two things are your only jobs. You hear me?”

“I can't,” his words were so garbled. He coughed up the blood that'd been dripping down his throat.

I can't let him see.”

“Listen to me, Tommy!” Athena exclaimed, getting right in Tommy's face. He could barely see her, but he could feel her breath on his face. “They're not coming. Buck isn't coming; it'll be someone else.”

In the distance, he heard the sound of sirens. He didn't feel relief. Didn't feel much of anything at all. He was fading, fast. It took all his energy to force out one last sentence before he lost consciousness. “Don't... Don't tell him.”

*****

He just wanted to go out for a drink. Something a little stronger than craft beer.

It'd been two weeks since he broke up with Evan- no, Buck. He was Buck now.

It'd been two weeks since he broke up with Buck and the ache in his chest felt the same way it did the second he walked out of the loft.

He'd thought he was saving himself from future heartbreak, and maybe he was, but it didn't quite make it hurt any less.

Georgie's wasn't exactly a gay bar, but Georgie was gay and the bar itself became a sort of unofficial hang out for older people in the lgbtq+ community. No loud music and everyone left each other alone. A perfect place to decompress while still allowing yourself to be free.

After a couple of whiskey sours, and yeah, a pitcher of craft beer, Tommy was ready to go.

He waited outside, near the alleyway, for his Uber. He found himself going to his messages, hovering over Evan's name. He hadn't had the heart to change it to Buck yet.

He'd been wanting to text him since the breakup. Talk about it some more. Actually give a reason for why it- why he- fell apart so fast. How Buck's words triggered some terrible memories for him. How he suddenly realized there was no way he could be everything he thought Buck needed. Everything Buck deserved. Not to mention they hadn't even exchanged I love you's. And it was insane to think all of Tommy's things could fit in Buck's loft. Buck's things could fit in his house so much easier!

He clicked on Evan's name, started to type something out, erased it, started again, erased it again.

He was usually so aware of his surroundings. His time in the military did that to him. It did a lot of things to him actually, many of which he wasn't very thankful for. However, he prided himself on not being oblivious.

Tonight he was oblivious.

He didn't expect five men to jump him at once. He was a strong guy. Had taken on three men about fifteen years earlier. Did it with ease too.

But not five men. Not when one had a bat, and one had brass knuckles, and one was at least 6'5 and three hundred pounds. Not when they dragged him to the ground and into the alley before he had a chance to react. Screaming slurs at him as they took turns using his body as a punching bag.

He tried to fight. At one point, he was sure he kicked one of the guy's in the face. Heard him yell something like, “The fag broke my tooth!”

It only made things worse.

He wasn't sure when he first lost consciousness, but he knew they were still on top of him. Still laughing as they hit and kicked. He heard the sounds of someone spitting at some point. Felt wet on his face.

Then there was nothing.

Until someone stepped out from somewhere, and maybe they heard him groan? Maybe it was his Uber driver wondering where he was? Maybe it was an employee taking out the trash? He wasn't sure. He could barely hear someone telling him they were calling the police. There was a ringing in his ears, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. Someone said something about wheezing, barely breathing. He wondered what that was about.

Then there was Athena. Then nothing again.

*****

The next time Tommy opened his eyes, he was in a dimly lit hospital room. He was confused. Could barely see out of one eye and everything was blurry out of the other.

His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and maybe some tiny humans hitting his brain with hammers.

“Are you... awake awake or not really awake?”

The sound of a man's voice startled him. He couldn't hardly move, but he was able to focus his eyes across the room at the figure in the corner.

“Ed- Eddie?”

God, his voice sounded weird. Why did it sound like that? Like he'd spent the last 30 years smoking a pack a day.

“Yeah, I'm here.”

He sounded hesitant. Maybe they'd had this conversation before? If they had, Tommy certainly didn't remember it.

“Wha- Why?”

Eddie stepped closer. “You're in the hospital, Man.”

Tommy wanted to roll his eyes. No duh.

He settled for clearing his throat, which turned into a burning sensation running down his chest. “Why're you... here?” he tried. Hoped Eddie understood that much.

“Tommy-”

“I t- told Athena-” he had to pause to take a breath. “Told her not to tell.”

“Actually, you told Athena not to tell him. And she assumed, correctly, I'm sure, that him was Buck. So she called me instead.”

Tommy closed his eyes. “Why?”

“Why'd she call me? Oh, maybe because you don't have anyone listed as an emergency contact and you were nearly beat to death so she figured you might need someone to be here when you woke up.”

Tommy's jaw clenched at Eddie's harsh words.

Nearly beat to death.

He was nearly beat to death.

Eddie either noticed Tommy's heart rate going up on the monitor, or his eyes filling with tears, because he was right beside his bed in two strides. “Sorry,” he said. “Sorry, I- I'm kinda pissed, Man.”

“S'okay,” Tommy replied, swallowing hard. “I deserve it.”

Eddie looked taken aback. “No, I'm not- Tommy, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at this,” he said, gesturing over Tommy's body. “I've never seen...” Eddie's voice trailed off and, through Tommy's own blurry vision, he could see that Eddie was close to crying.

“What'd they do to me?” Tommy asked, barely able to take in all his injuries. His entire body hurt, no part any worse or less than the other. He could feel something on every limb, but he couldn't quite move his head around enough to see what it was.

Eddie took a deep breath. He wiped at his eyes with his fingers, sniffling before getting started. “You've got bruising on about seventy-five percent of your body. You had surgery for a busted kneecap on your right knee. Your left arm has a fracture, and your right one has thirty stitches, I think. They broke a few ribs, so it's gonna hurt like hell when you take a deep breath or cough. Um, you had some internal bleeding, but they got that under control pretty fast. You've got a fracture in your cheek, which may cause some extra pain when you talk. You've got a few broken fingers too, and lost a couple fingernails during your- when you were defending yourself.”

“Hm,” Tommy hummed once Eddie was done. “S'that all?”

Eddie shook his head, rolling his eyes. “I'm sure I missed a couple things, actually, jackass.”

Tommy let out a laugh, which quickly turned into a groan. “Thanks for coming, Eddie,” he said, trying and failing at moving himself into a slightly more comfortable position. “You don't have to stay though. I'll be fine.”

Eddie stared at him incredulously. “You're kidding me.”

Tommy shifted his eyes back in Eddie's direction. “No, I- I'll be okay. I've got it. Just,” he paused to take a breath, “don't let Buck know, please.”

Eddie raised a finger toward Tommy. “Well, see, about that. You only told Athena not to tell him before, and-”

“You didn't.”

“-and see he was already at my place when I got the call, so-”

“Please tell me you didn't.”

“I have one with cream and one with sugar and- Oh my God, you're awake!” The sound of Buck's voice had Tommy's head twisting toward the door so quickly that a pain shot from the bottom of his back all the way to the top of his head. “Ow!” he yelped, clenching his teeth and tossing his head against the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Oh my God. Has the nurse come in yet? Have they checked his vitals? Eddie, you said he'd be out for a while! Tommy, do you feel any nausea? Do you remember who we are? The nurses said you might have-”

“Buck!” Eddie exclaimed. “Stop. He's okay.” He glanced over at Tommy, “I did forget to mention the head trauma.”

Tommy groaned, giving him a glare.

Eddie walked over to Buck and took the drink carrier from his hands. “I'll go find a nurse, you stay with him.”

Tommy wanted to yell out to Eddie to please not go, and also screw you, and maybe throw a couple hand gestures in there too. He stayed silent instead.

Buck looked Tommy up and down, hesitating slightly before walking up to the side of the bed. “So, you're-”

“I want to see myself,” Tommy blurted.

“Oh, um, I... Tommy, I don't. It might be better to wait.”

Tommy managed to move his head enough to look up at Buck. He could see the fear- no, the panic- in Buck's eyes.

“I wanna see," he repeated.

“Tommy-”

“Buck!” It took a lot of strength to get his name out so forcefully, and he didn't quite mean it to sound as angry as it did, but this wasn't Buck's decision. It was his. And he wanted to see what he looked like.

Buck pulled his phone from his back pocket, his hands shaking slightly as he pulled up the camera.

Slowly, he lifted the phone up to Tommy's face.

The second it registered that he was looking at himself, Tommy sucked in a breath. He grimaced as pain radiated through his chest but, when Buck went to move the camera away he stopped him. “No,” he said. “Just. Just wait.”

He knew his eyes were swollen by how out of focus his vision was, but he had no idea just how bad they looked. The right was worse than the left, but both were an angry mixture of black, purple, and green. The bruise on the left side of his face ran down his cheek to his jaw, circling underneath his chin like a half moon and fading into his facial hair. There were marks on his neck. Looked like someone's hand. He could understand Eddie's hesitancy on mentioning that. He didn't remember anyone gripping him there, which was probably for the best.

His forehead had more bruises, and cuts too. There was dried blood at his hairline, some stitched up cuts. His curly hair was nearly matted to his head, his scalp a brutal crimson.

“I tried to wash the blood out of your hair with a washcloth,” Buck explained anxiously, “but you have some lacerations on your scalp and I didn't want to bother them until they healed a little more.”

It was all so overwhelming. There was a whirring sound in his ears that made him feel dizzy. His eyes burned as they filled with tears that he didn't have the strength to wipe away.

“Okay,” he said, his voice uneven. He cleared his throat. “Can you- You can go, please. I don't... You can go.”

“Tommy-”

“Ev- Buck, I'm awake, I'm fine, I don't need anyone here.” He stared straight ahead, unable to look Buck in the eyes. “Please.”

“No.”

Tommy really didn't feel like dealing with stubborn Evan right now. “I don't-”

“I don't really care, Tommy. I'm not leaving you here. I've been at this damn hospital for three days now and I'm staying until you go home. I don't care what-”

He was cut off by the sound of footsteps behind him.

“Got the nurse,” Eddie said, an awkward smile on his face. The nurse, to her credit, ignored all the tension in the room.

“Let me get some hand sanitizer and gloves and I'll be right with you, Mr. Kinard.”

Buck sighed. He stepped even closer to Tommy. “I'm gonna go into the hall long enough for the nurse to check you out,” he said, maneuvering himself until he was halfway leaning over the bed, his arm on the other side of Tommy to prop himself up as he forced him to make eye contact. “I will be back in a few minutes. You have people who care about you, Tommy, whether you like it or not.”

With that said, Buck stood back up and left the room.

*****

Tommy spent a few more days in the hospital before he was released. There were only two times that Buck left long enough to get a shower and get a little rest in a real bed. Both of those times, he made sure Eddie was there the entire time.

Athena had come in to get his statement. Asked him all sorts of questions, most of which Tommy couldn't answer. He hadn't really gotten a good look at them. Only had very basic descriptions. He remembered the slurs they had hurled at him, knew they attacked because he was gay. He couldn't really figure out how they knew though. Besides being outside of that bar, it wasn't like Tommy ever did anything that screamed gay. Not that it mattered.

She'd been honest with him. There were no cameras at that part of the street, or in the alleyway. No one got a good description of the attackers, and the person who called the police only saw their shadows as they disappeared into the night. She'd do everything she could, but it wasn't likely they'd find these men. At least, not until they did this again.

Bobby stopped by once with some homemade chicken noodle soup. Buck had to feed him every bite, which made Tommy feel like he was about to cry the entire time, but he managed half a bowl before he had to stop. It was a million times better than anything the hospital had been feeding him, and he was glad to know Bobby had put some in his freezer to give Tommy when he got home.

Chim and Maddie came one evening. He'd been asleep when they got there, woke up some time during their visit, but he kept his eyes shut until they left.

Honestly, every time someone walked through the doors he felt more and more like running out of the hospital and finding a hole to fall into. Then, if he were lucky, someone would just shovel some dirt over him and let him rest.

These weren't his people. They were Buck's people. They didn't need to be there for him. They needed to hate him. They needed to laugh at his bruises and tell him he deserved every last one. They needed to yell at him for breaking Buck's heart to try and save his own.

That'd be a lot easier than this.

Thankfully, Hen and Karen didn't come by. They did send flowers though, and a card that explained both kids had strep throat and they didn't want to risk bringing that to the hospital. They'd come by Tommy's place once he was home.

He and Buck didn't talk about anything that needed to be talked about. All the unsent messages that had swirled through Tommy's mind didn't matter right now. It was like an unspoken rule between the two of them. Right now was not the time to try and fix whatever happened between them. Right now was about Tommy healing.

*****

As soon as they got Tommy home, Buck left Eddie with him so he could go to the pharmacy and pick up his medications. When he got back, Eddie headed out to go home and rest, promising to come back later with a variety of foods that would be easy on Tommy to eat.

The silence felt more... silent at Tommy's house. It was different now that they were at home instead of a hospital with people coming in and out at all times.

Tommy needed to do something, say something, to break the silence.

“I wasn't on a date,” he muttered out as Buck organized his pain meds on his nightstand.

Buck paused briefly before getting right back to it. “Didn't think you were.”

Tommy nodded. “Okay. I just, I don't know, didn't want you to think that.”

“You go to Georgie's when your brain is working overtime and you need it to quiet down.”

Tommy's eyebrows furrowed. “I didn't know I ever told you that.”

“You didn't,” Buck replied, handing Tommy his pills and a glass of water. “I just know you.”

Tommy swallowed the pills, wincing slightly. His throat still felt scratchy even a week later. “I don't know how they knew,” he said as Buck took the water from him and set it on his nightstand.

“Who knew what?”

“Those guys that-” he stopped. “I don't know how they knew I was gay.”

“A lot of queer people hang out at Georgie's,” Buck answered. “They probably took a guess.”

The thought of it made Tommy's stomach lurch. “I've spent most of my life trying to make sure people couldn't guess.”

Buck watched him for a moment quizzically. “Tommy, you're not... You don't blame yourself for this, do you? You know this wasn't your fault, right?”

Tommy avoided eye contact with Buck. He felt so small right now. “I know I didn't do anything to provoke them.”

“That doesn't really answer my question.”

“I just... I don't know what I could have done differently. I know I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I... I should probably go to a different bar, maybe. I don't know.”

“You can't be serious right now.”

“This is everything I feared my entire life, Buck,” Tommy admitted and, God, he wished he could shut up right now. The pain pills were starting to make him a little loose lipped, mixed with him truly being alone with Buck for the first time since they broke up, mixed with an undeniable fear every time he thought about that night, seemed to make it impossible to close his mouth. “I did everything to make sure nothing like this would ever happen to me and it still did. I keep thinking about it and wondering how it could have been different. How I could have been different.”

“Tommy, can you look at me?”

Slowly, Tommy looked up at Buck, his eyes shining with tears.

“This was not your fault. There's nothing you could or should have done differently. You cannot let those five men shove you back into a closet.”

“I-” Tommy cleared his throat. “They're not. It's just... a lot right now.”

“I get that, I- I do. You look tired. Why don't you rest for a bit, okay? I'll be here when you wake up.”

“Buck, you don't-”

“If you tell me I don't need to stay I will force feed you bone broth when you wake up.”

Tommy shivered. “Ugh! I hate bone broth.”

“I know you do.” Buck gently pulled a pillow out from under Tommy, allowing him to lie back easier. “Close your eyes, get some rest. I'm here when you need me.”

*****

They were bound to fight sometime. Tommy had honestly expected it to happen sooner. Buck had been staying with him for three weeks now, only gone when he was working a shift. Bobby had let him work part time for now, with Carla caring for him when Buck was gone.

They'd managed to get past the initial awkwardness. Buck rambled about any and every subject he could think of. They'd watch movies together on the couch, with Tommy falling asleep halfway through due to his pain meds.

Buck would get Tommy tucked in bed, then set himself up on Tommy's floor in case he was needed during the night. Tommy had tried to insist he use the spare room, but Buck wouldn't hear of it. He knew Tommy wouldn't call for him if he needed him through the night.

Then Tommy tried to suggest he sleep in the bed. But that was a no go because, “I kick, Tommy, you know this. Do you really want another knee surgery?”

They'd been focused on Tommy getting better. And they'd been ignoring the many, many elephants in the room.

So, a fight was expected.

What wasn't expected was for the fight to start because Tommy needed to pee.

Buck had seemed a bit more on edge today, but Tommy chalked that up to a shift that ran longer than expected.

Tommy had grabbed his crutches, which he'd just been able to start using to go short distances. He still didn't quite trust himself to use them at night, but he was working toward relying on them more and relying on people less.

When he stood, Buck immediately stood with him.

“I'm fine, Buck. I just need to go to the bathroom.”

“I'll help you there.”

“I'm really fine. I can get there by myself.”

Tommy was sure he had kept his tone neutral. He definitely didn't want an argument tonight. But, before he could even make it two steps, he heard Buck scoff. “Not surprised.”

And maybe it was the full bladder making him extra bitchy, but Tommy couldn't help turning around and asking, “What's that mean?”

Buck shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Nothing.”

“Obviously it's not nothing. If it were nothing you wouldn't have said anything in the first place. What doesn't surprise you?”

“Just you, ya know, pushing people away. It's what you do.”

“Ha!” Tommy laughed out. “If I'm pushing people away then I really suck at it because you haven't left my house in three weeks. I just need to pee.”

“I'm not talking about right now. I'm talking about me telling you that I loved you and you breaking up with me.”

How in the hell did they end up here?

“You didn't tell me you loved me, Evan!” Tommy exclaimed, unbelievably confused. The sudden change in tone caused Buck to take a step back.

He was only thrown off for a second, quick with a retort. “Of course I did!”

“No, you absolutely did not! You asked me to move in with you, but you did not tell me you loved me.”

“Wait. You asked him to move in with you?” Eddie's voice had them glaring in his direction. Both had forgotten he was even there in the first place. He raised his hands. “Sorry.”

“Well, I- it was obviously implied,” Buck argued. “I wouldn't have asked you to move in if I didn't love you.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that?! You were making it sound like I was some gay hero that sewed the first pride flag! I don't even go to pride events, Evan! All the colors are far too bright and the glitter never leaves you.”

“Glitter is really annoying,” Eddie agreed.

Tommy pointed a crutch at him. “Thank you.”

“I was not trying to make you out to be some gay hero, Tommy! I was telling you that I was comfortable with you. I was telling you I wanted to spend all my time with you. I wanted us to be together!”

“You didn't even think it through, Evan!” Tommy motioned around the room. “I own a home. It comes with two bedrooms that have doors, a garage, a back yard, and two and a half bathrooms. You asked me to move into your loft.”

Eddie shook his head. “Oh, Buck.”

Buck's eyes shot over to him. “You're still here why?”

Eddie stood from his spot on the couch, grabbing his coat. “Yeah, I'm going. Later.”

They both stayed silent until they heard the door open and close.

Buck opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “This is our first fight, isn't it?”

Tommy nodded. “It is.”

“Took us long enough.”

Tommy managed a small smile. “Probably should have fought you that night, honestly.”

“I think I would have felt better if you did.”

“Me too.” Tommy took a deep breath. “I actually really do have to pee,” he said, shifting from one crutch to the other. “Can we pause this until I'm done?”

Buck nodded. “I'll be here.”

They didn't actually fight anymore after that. It was time for Tommy to take his meds, which made him tired, and Buck was tired himself from his shift. Tommy laid in bed, Buck snoring on the floor beside him, thinking it all over. All the things he still felt like he needed to say. The unfinished business they had between them.

The fight wasn't much, but it was something.

It was enough.

For now.

*****

“Are you sure you're good on your own?” Buck asked as Tommy limped behind him toward the door.

“I'm sure. I can successfully do everything on my own now with minimal to no pain.”

Buck turned back to him quickly, eyes wide. “But there's still pain?”

Tommy smiled. “I'm fine, Evan.”

Buck didn't look so sure. “Okay, I... Okay.” Instinctively, he moved forward to wrap Tommy in a hug. He stopped himself before he got too close, but Tommy responded by opening his arms.

Buck's posture relaxed as he gently wrapped his arms around Tommy, careful not to squeeze too tightly. "I was so worried about you," he whispered in the space between them.

"I know."

“You'll call the number I gave you?” he asked.

“I already did yesterday,” Tommy admitted. “When you went out to pick up dinner. My first session is next Monday.”

“Good. That's... That's good.”

“Thank you, Evan. For everything you've done for me. You didn't have to do that.”

Reluctantly, Buck pulled himself away from Tommy.

“Did you realize you've been calling me Evan since our fight a couple weeks ago?” he asked, lips upturning into a smile.

“Oh, um,” Tommy shifted on his feet, taking the pressure off his bad knee. “Sorry. Habit.”

“Don't be sorry. I hate when you call me Buck.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I'll always- I wanna be Evan, to you.”

Tommy nodded, staring into Evan's eyes. “Okay. That's. I'd like that too.”

Buck continued toward the door, stopping again as soon as his hand touched the handle. He looked back. “Hey, Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time you think about texting me... hit send, okay?”

Tommy had never mentioned that before. But he'd caught Buck's near-texts to him too, so it didn't quite catch him off guard. “I'm kinda a mess, Evan. I'm not as comfortable as you think I am. I'm not... I'm still figuring things out.”

“That's okay. I am too. Text me anyway.”

“Even if I'm asking you out for a coffee? So we can talk? Really talk?”

“Date and time, I'll be there.” Buck smiled softly at him as he opened the door to leave. “I'll get your order right this time.”

[writing-for-life]

I’m running a Sandman blog. As such, I feel I can’t not say anything, but I’ll make this short (for me):

I believe victims. I work with them almost every day. My trust in the legal system on these matters is therefore also limited and a complicated affair. I unequivocally believe that the sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman are true. Having said this, I will withhold further commentary as the situation unfolds, because it’s too complex.

I also believe that stories have meaning to us that goes beyond their creators, and that meaning doesn’t suddenly fall away because of their creators’ actions, although it can, and that’s also okay.

Our feelings are allowed to be complicated, and no one deserves any type of harassment because they still love a story while simultaneously grappling with feelings of anger, disgust or simply sadness towards or about its creator. Neither does anyone deserve any hard feelings because they decide they don’t want to engage anymore.

Our feelings are our own, and we don’t have to justify them to anyone.

Fandoms exist because of story and community. And those stories and communities don’t suddenly stop existing, so I hope we can remember to treat each other with respect and empathy moving on from here.

Edit:

On a more constructive note, and also speaking as someone with both personal and continuous secondhand experience of SA who already sees the damage caused by unreflective knee-jerk posting on here:

You don’t have to make repeated public statements to disassociate yourself from works. Once is enough if you feel you have something to communicate to your followers. Not at all is enough, too. Simply do what you need to do. It’s enough if you know what you stand for, and to act accordingly.

Get your information from original sources, not “summaries” and hearsay on Tumblr. The amount of misinformation, both accidental and malicious, I have seen on here is shocking. All podcasts are freely available with transcripts. Stop believing the people who tell you otherwise, because they either don’t know what they’re talking about, or they aim to control the discussion for their own agenda. If you want to partake in discussion, get info from the source, because that’s truly something you owe to the victims. Otherwise, consider to withhold your opinions. We don’t have to add to the noise, there’s enough of it already, and it somewhat disqualifies itself if it adds its own agenda: This is not about LGBTQ+ issues or whether you deem an outlet trustworthy (it’s about the victims). It is not about your own opinions about kink (it’s about the victims). It is not about your disabilities or struggles that render you “unable to listen or read”. It is about the victims, not about you. So consider to stop centering yourself.

You are not a bad person for enjoying the work of a person who did wrong, neither does condemning them automatically make you a good person. How you behave towards your fellow human beings does. So if you feel tempted to judge, or even harass, other people for their love of a piece of media, take a breath first. Because in that moment, it has stopped being about the victims—it has become about centering yourself as righteous.

Don’t read into works, but don’t pretend they exist in a vacuum either. We can’t truly separate the art from the artist, but we can (re)assign meaning unique to us. The moment you interpret a piece of art, it reflects you. It will mirror back your feelings and worldview. If all you feel while engaging is negative, it is time to disengage. There is enough art in the world you can enjoy. But don’t judge those who still find meaning even if you don’t.

Take action in the real world, and step back from online discourse. Put your money where your mouth is, donate to women’s shelters or volunteer, organise fundraisers. In short: Make a difference where you can. Online opinion pieces are not that place, neither is keeping yourself in a state of constant aggravation by obsessively checking the tags. All it does it make you unwell.

Don’t support the creator financially. I know I won’t from here onwards, especially where there is a clear divide between his work and that of others (the creator credit for The Sandman also belongs to Mike Dringenberg and Sam Kieth, as you can see on literally every Sandman-related published work. And the intellectual property belongs to DC/Warner since it was work for hire. The Sandman was never creator-owned). Secondhand books are an option, so are libraries. They’re everywhere, and eBay is your friend in that case. You can also still read and enjoy the works you own, it doesn’t harm anyone. You don’t have to bin, burn or sell them. If that feels right though, go for it. It’s your choice, but don’t expect others to make the same choices.

Most importantly: You have nothing to prove to anyone. You know who you are, that’s all that matters. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

[subarukagami]

Tokyo Debunker Boys w/ a Genderfluid s/o

Frostheim, Vagastrom, and Jabberwock ghouls

Jin Kamurai 🗡

♡ He's aware of what the lgbtq+ community is since there are celebrities that are open about being part of the community (and there are political parties that support it too). Knowing you're part of it. . . does not bother him at all. In fact, it pleases him since his dad would not like that.

♡ Does he know the terms used by the community? Gender identities and sexualities? He really can't be bothered to remember every single one, but you can explain how yours works so he won't end up upsetting you.

♡ If the chancellor hasn't already supplied you with it, he'd definitely buy you the uniform you don't have (boy uniform if you're afab/girl uniform if you're amab) so you can choose whichever one you feel like wearing that day.

♡ He'd also buy you whatever clothes and accessories you want, especially when he'll be extending more invitations to Frostheim events to you (gotta look AND feel your best when you're with him after all).

♡ If you ever need to be comforted when people aren't being respectful towards you, don't be surprised when he silently pulls you into his arms to lie down with him on his bed or couch for a quick nap to take your mind off of it (he'll text Tohma to take care of it, but if the problem persists, then he'll show them why he's considered the king of Frostheim).

Tohma Ishibashi ♟️

♡ He certainly knows of the lgbtq+ community and its rich cultures. Since it's not an inconvenience to him, please do tell him how he should refer to you every morning over some tea so he won't commit a faux pas, dear.

♡ Like Jin, he'd also obtain the uniform you don't have if having just one of them bothered you! He's noticed you work more efficiently when you are most comfortable after all.

♡ If you ever need help getting ready for a Frostheim ball that you've been invited to for the nth time, he wouldn't mind lending you his help, especially if you aren't used to wearing a formal suit/ball gown.

♡ I believe he'd be very good with applying makeup too, so if you've never tried it on before and were curious of doing so (or you're simply exhausted and can't do it yourself), he would help you out/give you pointers on what would suit you.

♡ If people weren't being respectful towards you, he would pull you away from prying eyes to comfort you. After making you some tea to help soothe your nerves, he would leave the room to take care of those. . . nuisances.

Lucas Errant ⚔️

♡ He knows of the lgbtq+ community and some general information, but specifics? Not so much since all of his attention has been on trying to look for his brother and finding ways to subjugate a demon, so please understand! ^^;

♡ By all means, please tell him about its history, gender identities, and sexualities! He wants to be as open-minded and respectful of both you and the people in the community!

♡ If you experience gender dysphoria, he'd let you browse through online stores on his phone to pick out whatever clothes you want while he cradles you in his arms! Whatever you want, he'll pay for it, especially if it'll bring you comfort!

♡ He'll always make sure to compliment you and your outfit every morning when he meets up with you before school (and on the days you both don't have classes)! He loves to see you happy when you wear something that not only brings you comfort but also makes you feel like you're you!

♡ Since he vowed to protect you (and Kaito, but this isn't about him lmao), he would not take people disrespecting or making you uncomfortable lightly! He loves you for who you are, so seeing others treat you that way is unacceptable!

Kaito Fuji 🐧

♡ He definitely knows of the lgbtq+ community (he's on tiktok after all), but I feel like if he dated you and you weren't exhibiting masc behavior before you got together, he'd have to take a moment (maybe like an hour or something) to see if that means he's no longer straight since he's attracted to you (extremely attracted)!

♡ As soon as you both get together, he becomes very committed to you. He's your ride or die. I just know in my heart. He supports you so much and is like your little cheerleader (I bet if you ask, he'll even wear a uniform lmao)!

♡ Okay. We all know his financial situation. Just know that when he's able to save enough money, he'd buy you any accessories that catch your eye! Maybe he can take you thrift shopping to buy clothes that you like (you can find very good clothes for cheap after all)!

♡ If you experience gender dysphoria, he would drop everything without hesitation and comfort you! He'll even let you use his hoodies if it helps you feel better!

♡ He might not be the strongest out of the ghouls, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't defend your honor! Unless it's another ghoul causing you problems. Guess that means more cuddles for you (maybe Luca can tell them off)! ^^;

Alan Mido ⛰️

♡ I don't doubt that he's come across a person or two from the lgbtq+ community, but I feel like he wouldn't know much about it (he's a grandpa, but we love him goddammit). He'd really appreciate it if you took time out of your day to explain stuff to him!

♡ He might not get it all in one day, but he's got the spirit! And damn it, he'll (albeit hesitantly) ask you to repeat your explanations until they stick! He would rather die than offend you, even if accidentally.

♡ If you're the type to express yourself differently when your gender identity changes, he'll notice, especially if you wear a specific accessory, jewelry, perfume/cologne, or even color! It also helps him greatly if you do.

♡ Since you're his partner, he wants you to know that you can always come to him if you need help with anything. Being relied on makes him feel great even though he's aware that you can do things yourself!

♡ He supports you so much and I can't stress that enough. If someone being disrespectful ever became too much for you, he'd definitely give them a piece of his mind. . . if they didn't run the other direction as soon as they saw him.

Leo Kurosagi 🎧

♡ Of course he knows of the lgbtq+ community, he's part of it after all (have you seen the guy lmao)! It definitely shouldn't be that big of a surprise.

♡ He absolutely knows what looks good on everyone, so if you ever need help with an outfit or just your whole wardrobe in general, he's your guy! Just be aware that he'll be expecting payment~

♡ Since you're his partner, he's definitely uploading pictures of you on his social media! He enjoys showing you off to his fans and followers, especially on days you're feeling your absolute best!

♡ If you ever have trouble sleeping at night, he'll invite you over to his room to do his skincare routine with him! If you don't know how or are too tired to do it yourself, he wouldn't mind applying any of the products on you, though he will complain and tease you for it.

♡ There's one thing he would do if someone was being disrespectful to you. Well, maybe two. He's 100% gonna dox them, whether it happens straight to your face or online. He'll also send Sho their way for good measure if it was the former.

Shohei Haizono 🏍

♡ There's zero chance he doesn't know anything about the lgbtq+ community, seeing as he's friends with Leo (that and he's part of the community too). If you wish to go into detail on how your fluidity works, though, he's cool with that.

♡ I need you to know that it always brings a smile to his face when he sees how confident you become when you're able to express yourself the way you want to!

♡ He (and Alan) would prefer if you stayed away from the pit. However, if you're the athletic type and enjoy sparring, he would not be opposed to being your sparring partner. And you can rest easy knowing he won't go easy on you; he knows what you are capable of and is fully aware of your limits!

♡ If you experience gender dysphoria, he would wrap you up in his strong arms and murmur words of affirmation against your shoulder, tracing shapes on your skin with the tip of his fingers to help soothe you every now and then.

♡ Let's be real, most people wouldn't have the guts to demean you if they knew you were dating him. The ones who do, however, learn not to do it again after leaving the pit to hurry over to Mortkranken.

Haru Sagara 🦘

♡ You can't look me in the eye and tell me he's not in the lgbtq+ community. Have you seen him and Towa? He also didn't hesitate to slap Ren's ass for whatever reason?? Like???

♡ Anyway, he's super supportive of you! He loves you wholeheartedly and will do everything he can to make you happy, even if it means he has to work himself to the bone to make time for you in his very busy schedule!

♡ Have you seen this guy's r card? It's definitely an interesting style and it tells me that he dresses that way for himself because he enjoys it, so seeing you express yourself the way you want (if you do it through clothes) always makes him super happy!

♡ He's absolutely shameless when showing you off to others and, if you're okay with it, loves to shower you with affection! He holds so much love for you in his heart, mind, and body that sometimes it just overflows!

♡ On days where other people's words manage to dampen your mood, he'd tell them off for their rude mannerisms. And while he doesn't condone Peekaboo biting people, he might turn a blind eye if they happen to be a ghoul (he'd want to avoid getting into any trouble with the institution if the little one bit a general student).

Towa Otonashi 🌱

♡ He's interested in romance and has definitely come across books with lgbtq+ representation! You being genderfluid and not fitting with the "norm" doesn't bother him at all; he loves you for you, and nothing will change that, alright? (Well, I guess if you hurt Haru in any way, that could easily change, but you wouldn't. Hopefully.)

♡ If you want him to use certain pronouns on certain days, he'd comply, especially since he'd hate making you sad and uncomfortable. Then again, he almost always refers to you by the flower he's named you after!

♡ Like Haru, he has zero shame when showing his affection towards you in public; you're his after all, so there's no need to restrain his desire to hold you and kiss you all over! Plus, you're extremely cute to him!

♡ He'd really enjoy watching you get ready for anything if you let him! The way you style your hair, the way you apply makeup and/or skincare products, and the clothes you decide to wear for the day is all so fascinating to him (seeing you so concentrated is very endearing)!

♡ I believe you already have an idea of what he would do if someone disrespected you at all. Lightning. Or maybe something worse. Anyway, you can always rest easy knowing he'll drag you away for some cuddles once he's done with them. ^^;

Ren Shiranami 🛟

♡ When he's not getting assigned any jobs around Jabberwock by Haru and working at the diner, he's always on his phone playing games, so I'd be very surprised if he's never come across someone in the lgbtq+ community in one of his guilds or something. He also knows the most well-known gender identities and sexualities, but yours is one he's not that well acquainted with.

♡ If you tell him which pronouns you'll be going by every day, it's highly likely he'll look uninterested or like he's not listening. But he is. He may have his hands full dealing with Haru's shenanigans and Jabberwock and the diner (and his phone lmao), but you still matter a lot to him; you're dating after all.

♡ Let's face it, if you didn't put in all the work to make the relationship happen, it probably wouldn't have lasted long between you. You "put up with" his behavior and go out of your way to try and lighten his load, so maybe. . . he can try and do the same for you.

♡ He may be very blunt (sugarcoating is not in his vocabulary) and touch averse, but he's making an effort for you. Baby steps or something, you know? Hey, don't look at him like that!

♡ Whenever people's insults start to feel like too much, he tries to distract you by playing games with him. Yes, he'll carry you in them, just, stay put and let him lean against you damn it.

Author's note: Seeing as it's still pride month and I am genderfluid myself, I wanted to try my hand at writing for these boys and what it would be like if they had a genderfluid partner! I am aware that no one's experience is the same, so I tried to keep it kinda vague? But I didn't want it to be repetitive (I know the first points are all literally the same, please don't nag me), so some of them mention things that might not be included in others'. I'll be finishing up pt. 2 soon if you're interested in reading that too!

Also, genderfluid is not a common thing in Japan? Like, there might be genderfluid people in Japan, but it's not a huge thing there from what I found online. And let's just say that you can wear whichever uniform you want at Darkwick! Clothes shouldn't be gendered, and everyone should be able to wear whatever they want!

-Sonder◇

[m-jelly]

Dad!Levi x Mom!Reader. The Ackerman Family celebrates Pride Month with friends and family that are part of the LGBTQ+ Community. SFW @2moth-anon2

@ladycheesington <3

Love and friends.

Levi x fem!reader

Modern AU, Dad Levi, Mum reader, being a couple, married life, friends, supporting friends.

Levi gets word that your married friends Historia and Ymir will be at the front of a pride parade float as Queens. You decide to make time out of your busy fun-filled family life to support your wonderful friends.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a

@youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn

@bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @levistealeaf @pelicanpizza

@hideandgopeep @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird @searriously

Lilly giggled as you painted her face to make her look like a bunny. "Mummyyy."

You smiled at her. "I know, but I'm almost done." You pulled back from her. "All done."

Your four-year-old ran to the mirror and gazed at herself. "Bunny!"

You giggled. "That's right." You stood up and offered your hand. "Shall we show Daddy?"

She grabbed your hand tightly. "Yes!"

You walked over to Levi dressing up your baby girl, Daisy, in a sweet little onesie. "Honey?"

Levi glanced over. "Almost ready." He lifted Daisy up and walked over. "Here we are, one little bunny done!"

You giggled at seeing your baby dressed as a bunny. "She looks perfect and matches her sister!"

Lilly jumped out. "Ta-dah!"

Levi leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You look perfect. You ready to go support your aunties?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh!"

He hummed a laugh. "Come on, my little bunnies. Time to go."

Daisy ran ahead. "Go, go, go!"

"She's full of beans, huh?"

You rubbed his back as you worked. "She is. She gets that from me."

"She does." He smiled. "Makes me happy."

As a family, you made your way to Levi's car and put the kids in. Levi drove through the town and towards the city as Lilly talked to her baby sister. Daisy just babbled back to her causing a sweet moment between the two sisters.

Levi managed to park up at where he worked. He was CEO of a tea and coffee company that also made biscuits and cookies. Levi was an incredible boss and his products were so addictive, just like him.

When he parked, he strapped Daisy to him while you carried Lilly. You walked out of the parking area to a nice spot on the parade route that was reserved for his company. Levi and Erwin also paid for a float and donated to charities that were at the front of this year's parade.

Levi and Erwin had big hearts. They were strong allies and strongly believed that love is love. As long as it is legal and you're not hurting anyone, you can love who you love. Levi wouldn't know what he'd do if someone said he couldn't love you. Plus, his friends meant a lot to him.

While waiting you were slowly joined by your friends. It was lovely to see everyone together. The younger ones were part of the parade, but the vets hung out together sharing drinks and snacks. Hange was with her lovely husband Moblit. Mike was with his girlfriend and Erwin had brought his wife along. It was nice to gather together and celebrate your friends.

Lilly waved and accepted pretty stickers from people in the parade. You laughed when a drag queen kissed Levi on the cheek. A lot of people were making a fuss about Levi and Erwin because they were so handsome. You couldn't blame them because you fussed over Levi and Erwin's wife fussed over him.

Eventually, Historia was in view with her Queen outfit with Ymir at her side. You all waved and cheered for them. You were all happy for them and couldn't believe how stunning they looked. You danced with Lilly as you enjoyed the music on the float. Even Levi started dancing with Daisy. He lifted her arms and waved gently at Historia.

The parade slowly died down and a few of you were going to a diner later that you'd hired out. You all gathered together and waited for your friends in the parade to join you. As soon as your friends entered you cheered for them and waved rainbow flags.

Historia hurried to you and Levi. "Thank you so much! The float was even better than last year. Levi, you're wonderful."

He played with Daisy's feet. "Don't mention it. You're wonderful friends of ours. You deserve happiness and to be proud of who you are."

Lilly gasped. "Are you a Queen?"

Historia giggled. "Only for a day."

"You are so pretty!"

"Thank you." She squeezed Lilly's hand. "You are an adorable little bunny."

"Thank you!" Lilly pointed. "Daisy is one too!"

Ymir walked over and leaned to look at Daisy. "Ha, that's so damn cute." She looked over at Historia. "We should do that with our kids."

Historia blushed. "Mm, yes."

Levi smiled. "You two will be amazing parents. If you need help at all with adoption or funding IVF, let me know."

You rubbed Levi's back. "We're here for you."

Ymir yanked Historia close. "We appreciate it. I think this one would say it, but she's now emotional."

"Talk to us anytime."

Levi smiled at you. "Let's sit for a moment. I think our two bunnies need food."

You nodded. "Yes. I'm starving too."

You huddled together in a booth and were soon joined by Erwin and his pregnant wife. You all talked as a family and laughed together. The diner was full of love, and no one was judged. Everyone was welcome.

[gatorbites-imagines]

hi! if this make you uncomfy dw but i’ll req billy / stu x reader (could be cis male or ftm ^^) who’s in denial about being mlm/gay? (like reader’s parent’s or peer’s aren’t as supportive of LGBTQ kinda)

if u can’t write or or feel uncomfortable doing so dw, i know it’s a hard topic :3. thank u regardless! 🫶

Billy Loomis x Stu Macher x Male reader

Headcanons

Have some poly ghostface with male reader :) Idk if I got the denial part down as well as I had hoped, but I hope you’ll still enjoy.

-          Now seeing the time the scream movie is set, it isn’t completely unbelievable for people to be deeply in denial about their sexuality or gender. Especially growing up with family who were far from supportive or even hostile towards the lgbtq community.

-          So, when you started gaining feelings for your two great friends Billy and Stu? You denied and denied, shoving all those feelings deep into the deepest parts of your heart and locking them away.

-          You would lay awake at night in far or with tears running down your face, this feeling spreading throughout your entire body and making it hard to even exist. You couldn’t be gay, you just couldn’t. It wasn’t possible.

-          Billy and Stu will notice as you subconsciously pull away from them, too busy denying your feelings and trying your best to stomp out any way for those forbidden feelings to grow.

 -          They both have feelings for you as well but know of your family situation, so they haven’t acted on it. But seeing as you are pulling away from them, they feel like they might not have a chance to confess to you again.

-          It happens when one night when your family isn’t around, they show up to your place and let themselves in because they know where the spare key is. They find you on the couch trying your best to watch a scary movie to find some kind of comfort.

-          That’s when they join you and you tense up, not knowing what to do or say if they ask why you have been avoiding them. They don’t say anything but join you in watching the movie.

-          As the movie goes on, they scoot closer and closer, Stu leant against your side and Billy wrapping his arm around your shoulder. This is a position the three of you have been found in many times in the past, but now it feels dirty or forbidden.

 -          When the credits roll and Stu goes to find another movie to put on, Billy turns you to him and asks you why you’ve been avoiding them. Of course you cant answer, not knowing yourself why except for those feelings that aren’t meant to exist.

-          Soon Stu joins back up on the couch and tucks himself back against you, wrapping his arms around you and resting his chin on your shoulder.

-          They keep trying to get you to answer, but it just makes you frustrated and almost scared, fearing how they’d react if they ever learnt of your dirty secret.

-          Seeing the turmoil in your eyes, the two communicate with one another without speaking. That’s when Billy takes your chin and kisses you, just a short soft peck. It makes you freeze, and before you know it Stu has turned your head so he can kiss you as well.

-          The two confess to you how they have had feelings for you for a while, how they understand if you don’t want them around because of it but they wanted to tell you before you pulled away from them completely.

 -          You break down in tears, feeling sick but also fluttery in some way, knowing the two guys you have been brewing feelings for, for a long time like you back. But you are still influenced heavily for your families’ opinions.

-          This means your scared of what’ll happen, what your family will do to you or the two guys you love.

-          As you cry, they try their best to comfort you, cuddling you close and pressing soft kisses against your face and neck, holding your hands and making sure you know they’re there for you.

-          They wont force you to give them an answer to their confession, they will give you all the time you need, they’ll even wait years, for when you all have moved away from your families and live on your own.

-          The three of you stay wrapped in each other’s arms as the second movie plays out, your anxiety and fear still there but much milder when you are with them, knowing they wont leave you like you fear everyone else will.

[theflagscene]

*gets up on soapbox* Ahem…

BLs and GLs ARE queer media! By placing an arbitrary condition on what is considered a QL and what is considered queer media, you are making it harder for actual queer writers and directors (especially from Asia) to be taken seriously in the film and television industry, which allows Westerners to get away with saying things like this! ⬇️

That is a cis white aroace woman saying that the stories of gay men, written by gay men and directed by gay men, don’t count as legitimate queer media because the stories happen to feature messy adult things such as *checks notes* sex… yep, sex.

Am I saying that Heartstoppers needs sex in it? No! Of course not, Heartstopper is wonderful just as it is. Alice is an openly sex-repulsed asexual aromantic, of course she doesn’t want to write messy sex into her stuff. But her claiming that BLs basically fetishize gay culture when she herself is not a gay person, is not her choice to make.

We need to stop saying QLs are separate from queer media, it’s not, it’s a genre of queer media. It’s a genre that the queer community can’t get out of western Hollywood, it a genre that promises you that if you watch this show that you will see a gay protagonist. Not a toss away side character, not some terrible walking stereotype that’s doomed by the narrative, that is destined to die because they’re queer and being queer and happy in Hollywood is not allowed. No, the QL genre promises us that we will see someone we can connect to, we will see someone who represents us, we will see love between people that are not fucking blonde haired, blued eyed, heterosexual, Nicholas Sparks protagonists! The QL genre promises us that no matter what, we will see queer happiness at some point and in a world that is so ugly towards the LGBTQ community, that tiny bit of happiness, however fleeting, is so important.

So please, remember, QLs ARE Queer Media.

And for the love god, never forget the voices behind your media 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[radfem-polls]

Hi. Not a radfem here but I am curious.

Would you say you hate trans people? If not, would you mind explaining your thoughts?

I encourage everyone to write more detailed answers in the replies/rbs!

I personally have many friends with a trans identity (the majority of my friends at university), and I love them very much. All of them are what you would call "afab". I, and many other radfems, don't hate anyone on the basis of their gender identity, however we can see it and still acknowledge sexism in transgender or "queer" communities, and behind the idea of your body not being right.

I think many trans people are vulnerable and need help for their very real distress and dysphoria. Especially for afabs, we're constantly told we need to conform to so many things and look certain ways, and sometimes the first way we find in order to escape that is by taking a gender identity (this happened to me, I ided as genderfluid from the ages of 16-19).

We need to acknowledge that being alienated from our bodies is a common experience for young women, and one we need to understand and address the reasons behind. My heart hurts for everyone in a female body who feels as though their body is wrong and not society for telling them theyre too ugly, sex objects, wont be taken as seriously, hysterical, etc etc etc.

I'm glad you're able to take a small step to learn about what feminists like us believe. I was in your shoes not too long ago, "hatereading". It became clear to me that feminists cared about women more than the lgbtq+ community I had come into contact with up until then ever had. There are so many lies and things made up about us, not the least of which is that we hate trans people. We hate the medical industry for profiting off of trans people's dysphoria, we hate the patriarchy for enforcing gender roles to begin with.

If anyone has further thoughts, feel free to talk in the notes.

-🐌

[tiredgraduate]

You want my honest opinion on some of the election statistics & politics right now? I never, NEVER, like to comment on politics, but I'm tired of being quiet and holding this in. There is no one I can be honest with and talk to other than you lovely people on the internet.

I voted blue as a young white christian woman. I was born and raised in the heart of a red state. My parents were considered super conservative, even to other Christians and conservatives. My extended family is still that way, to the point where asking genuine questions about history and reason is seen and taken as offensive and treacherous to the American good. When I went to college, I was still a very right-wing minded person. Here's the thing: I naturally have a soft heart. I don't like being mean, and I don't appreciate other people being crappy for no good reason. My upbringing in the church and my relationship with Jesus Christ both in and out of the church has only strengthened that part of me.

So, in college, I encountered a number of classmates and fellow musicians that were of other ethnicities, members of the LGBTQ community, and so much more. I learned quickly to see them as my cohorts and friends, and that I had no grounds to judge them based on their life and struggles. As they say, and I take literally, hate the sin, love the sinner. I couldn't care less if you're black, white, gay, trans, struggling with drug addictions, addictions to anything like porn, social media, etc.

I struggle with some of that too, which gives me no ground to judge. As the Bible says, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone." I am no better than anyone else, and I am actively trying to make that evident in my life.

As I said before, my ultra conservative christian family didn't like this. Not one bit of it. I managed to befriend and be a safe place for a number of my fellow musicians, because I knew about their bad experiences with other christians and the church, a recent burn from the church on myself, and their mixed family backgrounds that made my being an older sister that much more important. So, naturally, I started to lean more left, and at the same time, away from the "church."

To say I left the church would be accurate. Christianity, less so. It has been a rough four years in finding my faith again. But in the midst of that, I learned about the world around me from the perspectives of both christian and non-christian. I didn't have a reason to be spiteful or hateful towards a specific demographic (unlike some of my family).

Then I graduated and moved to New York, and let me tell you - blue state living is where it's at. But in stepping away from something you've been immersed in your whole life, you then see the issues within. I noticed this with the church, then with my family, and then my hometown and state. There are some SERIOUS issues with all of them.

This TikTok explains a lot of what I think of the modern "church:" https://www.tiktok.com/@k.t.phillips21/video/7434922467652554027?_r=1&_t=8rGnfwwJxNP

The church condemns so many things, until it applies to them. The burn from the church in my life came from a previous pastor telling someone to do something behind all of our backs, and that led to my family collapsing in on itself and my brother attempting suicide seven times. All because one man thought he knew what should be the case in a situation, and didn't think to bring God into the matter.

For my family, it's the same type of thing. The allowance of certain things, while condemning the same things when others struggle. It's exhausting. So, when I moved to New York, I blocked numbers, deleted others, and had a serious talk with my immediate family about boundaries and what being 20+ hours away meant. I happen to have understanding parents and siblings after the events of three years ago. On the other hand, my extended family is messed up. Constant asking of "are you depressed" or "do you have a boyfriend yet," while not actually caring about the answer, or just blatantly ignoring the truth. Recently, I cut off almost all of one side of my extended family because of a wedding happening in March between a girl who is barely eighteen and a boy (he is NOT a man, he just happens to be my cousin) who is TWENTY SEVEN. The relationship was arranged, and they recently decided to move the wedding up by 4 months because, and I quote: "he(cousin) just couldn't wait 😉." Mind you, his last relationship, he kidnapped from one state under the guise of "meeting the family" but was actually bringing her to another state after dating for three weeks to marry her without her family's knowledge or consent. It's messed up.

My hometown and state? Oklahoma. I think that question answers itself. Considering that it was completely red on Tuesday, and is the top state of searches "can I change my vote."

Anyways - I am disappointed in a lot of people. So many things were on the line in this election, and the fact that people are just now educating themselves on what this means now that they've re-elected Trump is ridiculous.

If a felon cannot get a job in some areas or vote, why the hell should one become president? Second - why is said felon SO quiet after winning? Something is wrong.

To my fellow women who voted blue, I'm sorry for what we're going to see and what we're encountering just days after the election. To the LGBTQ people who see this, I'm sorry too. To all of you blue (and some red) friends, I am sorry. I'm sorry that 53% of white women voted against a reasonable choice, and voted for a literal felon, rapist, and just crappy dude. I'm sorry that all of us are having so much mixed emotion about what the next 4 years looks like while my family and many others are home celebrating the idea of cheaper groceries. I wish I could hug many of you, because it's crappy that we're united and meeting like this.

To the people who voted red - I'm sure you've heard this already, but I really hope you get what you asked for. I hope you get what you wanted. I hope it affects you directly. I hope you see what happens when you don't educate yourself until it's too late. I hope you see what happens when you only look out for yourself. I hope you see how un-loving and un-Christian some of you are acting.

For the little boys (you are NOT men in my eyes right now) that keep saying "your body, my choice" and are saying so many crappy things to the women in and out of your life because you feel empowered by one president-elect: I hope you eat your words. I hope you manage to get your head out of your butt and see what you're doing. I hope you realize you've shoved your head so far up your butt that it came out of your throat and that's why you're acting the way you are. I hope you have to eat your words and get everything you think you're going to get and more.

I am lucky to be considered "safe" in a blue state, but I am still so heartbroken over my friends who aren't considered safe and have to deal with this stuff head on. I wish things were different. If any of you happen to know me in real life, take this to heart. If you don't know me, know this anyway:

I am sorry for how people in America are acting right now. I am sorry that we have to live in a nation so broken and frustrating. In the middle of it all, you are loved, and I pray now that something good comes out of this; that we learn to love and be loved, we learn to be gracious and forgiving instead of angry and condemning. I pray we learn to be people over Americans, that them and us doesn't continue, and that we learn what the right thing is and how we are going to move forward. If you need someone to be an ear or a friend, I hope you find one. Whether that is someone in real life, someone on another site, someone here, or even myself.

You are not alone ❤️

[vigilantempathy]

Headcanon on Daniel Molloy's Sexual Orientation

TLDR: Bisexual (/pansexual/omnisexual/...) people exist. Spoilers for IWTV Season 2!

HC: Daniel Molloy is a bi guy who was comfortable being openly queer and very active in the queer community in the "Free Love" scene of the 1970s. However, the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s led to him effectively re-closeting himself. And his failed marriages and inability to maintain intimate relationships made him choose to be alone, which let him avoid reassessing his sexual orientation/identity.

In the 1970s, Daniel met Louis and Armand for the first time in a gay bar. During the first 1973 scene, in S1E6, the bartender at Polynesian Mary's asks Daniel "Do you have money tonight, Danny?" indicating he's there often enough to have a reputation and be known on a first-name basis, so he's not just there because "it was a good place to score" like he lies to Louis during their present-day interview. (Contrast with the nondescript and anonymous recountings of the blacked-out fragments of memory punctuating the rest of Daniel's drug-fueled escapades.) In S2E5, young!Daniel makes obvious passes at both Louis and Armand, telling Louis "I can cheer you up" and taking his shirt off; offering to Armand, "I could be on my knees in a second".

It's not like Daniel was trying to pass for heterosexual in 1973.

In the ad for Daniel's pay-to-order journalism class at the start of S1E1, the first few news clippings selected to show his journalism cred are about the HIV/AIDS crisis and are oriented towards representing LGBT+ activism in response to it, indicating that this was a focus of Daniel's early journalism. In S2E5, one of 1973!Daniel's interview tapes that Armand grills him on focuses on Kevin, a Vietnam vet and his double-amputee Vietnamese refugee boyfriend who live in the Castro together. (The Castro is the historically gay neighborhood in San Francisco where queer activist Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected official in California.)

Daniel, even as early as the 1970s and throughout the increased stigmatization of homosexuality in the 1980s, wanted to tell the stories of the queer community.

But telling the stories of the queer community in the 1980s meant telling the stories of lives and loved ones lost to the AIDS crisis, before research had yielded medical management regimens or any understanding about how to prevent the spread of HIV. AIDS was still seen as "the gay plague". AIDS was still a death sentence.

And Daniel likes women, too. And had the readily available excuse of any of his queer relationships/encounters/community in the 1970s being about the drugs, or a result of them. He could claim he was an addict willing to do anything for drugs rather than a queer man who had an easier time acting on his non-heterosexual attractions while high. And he's the reporter who catches the stories that slip through the cracks, he made a name for himself getting the angle none of the mainstream outlets can see, so he could still engage with the queer community as an "interviewer" and "journalist" and straight-passing "ally". He could likely publish more articles and books at that time as an ally journalist telling the queer perspective than he would have as a stigmatized/blacklisted openly queer journalist. Being an "ally" would give him access to platforms and audiences that would never hear a queer perspective otherwise.

Even though Daniel re-closeted himself and "passed" for decades as a straight ally, he never turned his back on the queer community or stopped trying to tell queer stories or represent queer lives.

But that let him continue to justify his re-closeting to himself as "I can do more good for the queer community as an ally." And even as the AIDS crisis shifted into AZT, then single-pill ART, then PrEP, even as HIV became a manageable chronic illness, even as decades passed and times changed and LGBTQ+ representation changed, Daniel stayed closeted.

And in that time he fell genuinely in love with Alice, who initially refused to marry him even though she wanted to because he'd given her no reason to trust him, eventually agreed to marry him, and later divorced him. Decades later, he still gets emotional talking about Alice. And then he got married, again, and divorced, again. He says he "ruined two marriages" and "fucked up two daughters." All that mattered was his work. It was his lifeline. It was his legacy. Interpersonal relationships were not.

He ruined all his romantic relationships. He ruined his families. And it was easier to be alone after that, and it was an easy excuse for why he continued to choose to be alone. But it was also a continuation of the logic behind his initial intentional re-closeting during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s: "I can do more good this way."

1980s Daniel: "I can do more good telling the queer perspective as an ally than as a member of the queer community. If I'm just an ally, people will actually read these stories."

2020s Daniel: "I can do more good alone. If I try dating again, I'll just wind up ruining someone else. And there are still stories that need to be told; work can keep me busy."

He was openly bisexual/queer in the 1970s, then bisexual/queer but intentionally "straight-passing" and in exclusively heterosexual relationships from the 1980s until the show's present-day, and still bisexual/queer throughout his interviews with Louis and Armand.

Bisexual orientation, attraction to multiple genders, and queer identity don't go away when a bisexual person is in heterosexual relationships/homosexual relationships/single. Daniel in a gay bar in the 1970s was bisexual; Daniel in love with Alice in Paris was still bisexual; Daniel married to women and ultimately divorced from them was still bisexual; Daniel in S2E5 being obviously disappointed to learn that he and Louis didn't get it on in the 1970s and making big vulnerable eyes at him in present-day when he jokes, "do you want to [have sex] now?" is still bisexual.

But now it's 2022 and Daniel's ruined two marriages and estranged from his kids and opted to be alone for a long time and may as well have been married to his work, and he's just been diagnosed with Parkinson's and he's anticipating dying alone.

And instead he flies to Dubai, has a bunch of really long therapy sessions with two absurdly gorgeous openly gay vampires (both of whom he has made passes at, back when he was still openly queer), many of which focus on the vampires' respective sexual orientation journeys of self-discovery and coming out, even more of which focus on stupid-hot queer gothic romances between various configurations of stupid-hot gothic romantic queers , and one of which involves him meeting Louis and Armand in a gay bar in the 1970s back when he was still openly queer. Mortal-ass, Parkinson's-impaired, forever-alone, septuagenarian Daniel Molloy brings his factchecking skills and token snark to a duel with an angelically beautiful 500-year-old master gaslighter with superpowers and Daniel fucking WINS, and if that isn't Viagra for the soul, I don't know what is. And instead of dying alone, Daniel Molloy gets to live forever.

Louis comes to see vampirism as a gift because it allows him time to work through his issues and become someone he can learn to live with.

Daniel might come to see vampirism as a gift because it gives him time (and a community, and motivation in the form of an assortment of really hot vampires who are suddenly all single thanks to Daniel's mad homewrecking/therapy skills) to figure out how to live an openly bisexual/queer life.

So it's 2024, Daniel Molloy is newly immortal and invincible and has the virility of a fledgling and wants to explore his queer identity. The rest of the world better hydrate well and buckle the fuck up.

[fvretts]

Very different from my typical posts, but just wanted to compile a few reasons on why I think Trump unfortunately won the American election, as an American student! I posted the same thing on a burner account on twitter (trying not to get doxxed lmao). I'd love to discuss more about this if anyone is interested! 1. Misogyny and gender gap Unfortunately, there are these internal biases that a lot of men and women don't know that they have. People aren't used to seeing a women in power, ergo, they're not going to vote for one. Harris focused way too much on abortion as her main policy, which also only isolated young male voters. Regarding the gender gap, and also the shift right we're seeing within younger generations, I think during COVID and lockdown, there were a bunch of movements like BLM and LGBTQ+ awareness, and just overall things that helped marginalized groups gain a stronger voice and raise awareness to issues. However, time and time again, there was a common issue with all these communities and straight white men. These men were not used to having to take accountability for either their actions or actions that the society had done for them but against other communities, so instead they fueled that discomfort into hate and raised the platforms of horrible people like Andrew Tate. BTW I'm not at all saying that this is ALL straight white men, or it's only white men or it's only straight men. The common factor is being a man. Typically, in my experience, when it's regarding race or gender or sexuality, the men, typically, are either straight, white, or both.

2. Democrats really didn't differentiate themselves. Harris aligned herself more moderate when she should have aligned herself more left. The "undecided" and center votes were going to go to Trump, so she should have taken a more leftist stance, especially on issues like the genocide in Gaza. Most Americans, no matter their stance, are against the the "conflict" (genocide). Had Harris been more concrete about a ceasefire on Gaza and not giving aid to Israel, she would have gained a lot of leftist voters and perhaps convinced others to vote for her. My third, and arguably most influential reason to why we lost. 3. People associate life being better 2016-2020 related to Trump. I'm especially talking about the economy here. To the average American, the economy is the most important thing. Lower income POC voters aren't going to care that Trump is racist towards them, they care about how much it costs to live, and the economy dictates everything from employment and life of living. Trump, very fortunately, had inherited Obama's economy. Hence, unemployment rates were down and cost of living was affordable. In comparison, in 2020, we had a global pandemic, which completely shut down the economy. This is obviously not Biden and Harris' fault--we've actually recovered quite well from the lockdown, but we did have inflation and unemployment rates go up a lot due to this. Lots of people correlate inflation and unemployment rates TO Biden and Harris, rather than the extenuating circumstances there were. As they say in statistics, correlation is NOT causation, but it may appear that way, enough so, that it swings a lot of people's votes. And people are just not educated with what tariffs are.

[godhasatenderheart]

Hello there. As a fellow Christian, I really enjoy a lot of posts on your blog. I think sharing the love of God is very important. But one post on your blog gave me a bit of pause. You see, something that often causes me distress is the idea of people going to hell. I understand that free will and consent is important to God. I know that hell has to exist because there needs to be just punishment for sin in the world and that it's one of the biggest things Jesus has saved us from.

But still, I worry about people going there. I don't want people going there. It's part of the reason why the Great Commission is so important. So, the post that gave me a bit of a pause, as it often does when I see it crop up, was the part about a line being drawn in the sand and the wailing about "Why won't you accept us?" Presumably, this is referring to the LGBTQ+ community and how the Bible forbids homosexuality. I won't get into the parts about whether the translations are correct or not - it is an area in which I have doubts - there are plenty of other areas of which I do not have doubts. Do we not all have our struggles in our faith? I believe Jesus died for my sins, was raised from the grave, that He forgives me of my sins - He is my Lord and Savior. I've confessed this with my mouth and in my heart and to people I don't know and to you (who I also don't know). I think that is first and foremost the most important thing. And also the two greatest commandments as outlined by Jesus: to love God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

With this in mind, can we hold sinners, those who have not yet accepted Christ to our same standards? They don't yet know the love of Christ! Jesus ate with prostitutes and tax collectors - those deemed the most sinful in His day. Didn't Jesus wait until AFTER he saved the woman about to be stoned for adultery before saying "Go and sin no more?" Should we not be throwing our doors open and inviting people in with no expectations - only love - presenting the Gospel "with all gentleness and respect" - teaching the love of Christ first, praying that God will turn their hearts towards them, and then letting the Holy Spirit do His work?

Instead, we say, "No. We do not accept you as you are. Do NOT come as you are. We have nothing to teach you." We say, "Do not come here. You will be judged by us. Our primary goal isn't your salvation; it's to get you to stop being gay / transgender / etc." "You don't get God's forgiveness and love."

The church is in decline for many, many reasons that don't just have to do with a "change in culture." God hasn't stopped working. There are people still seeking Jesus but getting turned away by the workers of the harvest. And I just... I have a lot of feelings about that. I don't think we should discard the Bible.

But does desiring the salvation of as many souls as possible mean I'm living a life of compromise? Am I saying "Did God really say-" or am I saying, "What about when God said this? What about when Jesus did that? Aren't those things important, too?"

Hello, beloved! Forgive me for not knowing which post of mine you're referring to, but I'll try to answer as best I can.

My main goal is to get people curious about God, because once they open their hearts to Him, even for a moment, He reveals Himself, and they become convicted by the Holy Spirit. I think it's okay to bring newcomers to God, help them find their footing, and then allow God to handle the rest. He is sovereign, and will guide them along the way.

The truth is, I am bisexual. I was also an alcoholic and abused marijuana during the time I found God. If, before I gave my heart to Him, someone had listed all my sins, I would have presumed I was condemned to Hell for eternity and not pursued a relationship with Him. Or, if I had pursued it, I would have felt nagging shame, believing I wasn't good enough and constantly fearing for my salvation. For this reason, I believe it's best to establish God's love and mercy first and foremost. Our God is forgiving, and He will forgive us if we come to Him.

If we lead with harsh criticisms when evangelizing, we give people the impression that God is cruel, tyrannical, and abusive. Since finding God, I've been able—by His power—to avoid sexual sin and stop using substances. It wasn't me who did this, but God. We can't overcome our sinful desires without Him, and when we approach people first with criticism, it makes them feel like they have to “fix” themselves before ever coming to God. This is backwards. When you break your arm, you don't try to cast it yourself—you go straight to the hospital. The same is true of our sin and God. We must go to our healer to be healed.

We cannot overcome sin on our own, so why do we, as Christians, expect people to cure themselves or make themselves presentable before coming to God? I believe in going out into the fields, gathering the lost sheep, and bringing them back to the Shepherd. He is the expert when it comes to His sheep. He knows exactly how to handle us, and indeed, He is the only one who truly can.

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

—Romans 5:8 (ESV)

What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

—1 Corinthians 4:21 (ESV)

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

—Luke 5:32 (ESV)

[wombatwisdom]

Words of Love

I would like to dig into the idea of "love" a little bit. This word gets bandied about quite a bit and I fear we all mean something different.

Part 1: Anita

After the oranges but before the cream pie to the face, Anita Bryant (an infamous anti-gay advocate in Dade County Florida) gave us these delightful words: "I love homosexuals. Its the sin of homosexuality that I hate" and "I don't hate homosexuals. I love them enough to tell them the truth: that God puts them in the category with other sinners".

Anita's "love" for the LGBTQ+ community prompted her to advocate against their basic human rights to employment and housing without discrimination in the 1970s. And her "Save the children" campaign was largely successful--at least in Dade County. Her influence can still be felt today in a lot of right wing canards (you can even see her shadow in the 2024 LDS policy of exclusion).

There is something compelling about Anita's version of "love". She loves the "sinner" enough to tell them the truth, to teach them, to coerce them back to righteousness. She loves them enough to hand them the tough realities of life.

Anita could probably point to scriptures and religious thinkers to support her brand of love. Sinners don't fare well according to the bible, so wouldn't our "love" motivate us to try and save them? Wouldn't you want to spare a loved one or even a stranger the horrors of eternal damnation and suffering?

Parents intercede for their children to keep them out of harms way. Isn't it loving to tell kids that cigarettes are harmful? Isn't it loving to remind children of the dangers of drinking and driving? Don't parents owe it to their children to protect them from harm from external or internal sources?

A cogent reader might be able to spot the difference here. There is a difference between loving someone by "informing of harm" and advocating for a removal of rights. Further more, this "love" is being conflated for control (however well intentioned), and learning to love without controlling is probably the most challenging part of parenting. But even more, our positions on cigarettes have shifted as science has provided more insights into their harm, similarly, as evidence has mounted showing the positive impacts of living authentically as an LGBTQ+ person, so to have publicly held stigmas and misunderstanding changed.

But, crucially, to Anita, she would maintain that she loves gay people and was motivated by love. It is not her problem that you may not agree with her definitions.

Part 2: Joanne

Before the Cyber bullying lawsuit and after the wild success of Harry Potter, JK Rowling published her attempt at "explaining" the maelstrom of social media debate that had sprung up around her. In the halcyon days of the early pandemic, JK Rowling tweeted almost-compassionate sentiments towards trans people such as: "I respect the right of every transgender person to live life in a way that makes them feel authentic and comfortable with themselves. I would march with you if you were discriminated against because you are transgender."

And in her "essay" published in July of 2020 (which was at one point entitled "TERF Wars" I'm almost certain, but has since been renamed), she specifically cites a transgender acquaintance whom Joanne calls "wonderful". And yet all this lip service to "respect" and "wonderfulness" has yielded some rather caustic twitter discourses, significant contributions to a increasingly transphobic political culture, and even some good old holocaust denialism.

Joanne's "love" (or she would call it "respect") seems to come if she deems it earned. My read is that for Joanne, transitioning should take a long time, require extreme levels of vetting (both internally and externally), and will only be achieved adequately by a relatively small number of people. Besides, if this population is so tiny, then we shouldn't have to accommodate them at the expense of everyone else's comfort. Love, it would seem, is a numbers game.

I do think Joanne's point about knowing a transwoman personally, should not go unremarked. She herself admits that she has met young trans people who she finds "adorable". And yet, even as we cheer for Brene Brown's "it's hard to hate someone up close", Joanne's behavior seems to suggest otherwise. She does know and respect the wonderful and adorable trans people in her circles, but that does not mean that they should have space to exist comfortably.

Joanne shows us that loving someone on a personal level is not the same thing as loving the group they represent. Furthermore, we all love someone close to us but don't agree with every thing they do. We question clothing choices, food preferences, parenting techniques, movies watched, books read, time wasted. To Joanne loving someone does not mean you need to advocate for then.

To Joanne, love is a limited resource and so who is loved and how they are loved must be chosen carefully. Joanne believes to make space for trans people comes at the expense of woman and girls, and don't woman and girls need to be loved too? There are more cis woman and girls than trans people. When love is scarce, than it follows that certain groups must be dismissed and harassed, I suppose.

Part 3: Dallin

Before his inevitable ascent to become the next prophet and after worriedly writing in the 1980's that "one generation of homosexual "marriages" would depopulate a nation...Our marriage laws should not abet national suicide", Dallin H Oaks gave a rather love-focused address in the most recent general conference (Oct 2024, Saturday morning session). He urged for us to remember the first two commandments and to avoid political contention by being peacemakers, despite the fact that he was involved, at least in part, with the recent transphobic policy put in place by the Church a few weeks ago.

My fear here is Dallin, lawyer that he is, has left a lot of words to be defined by the listener. What does it mean to be a peacemaker? What does it mean to avoid contention? And what does it mean to love?

From talks given in the past, Dallin's position seems similar to Anita and Joanne. Dallin's concern is getting people to the celestial kingdom which means that certain people need to be reminded that the way they are will not be compatible with that place. This is a thought birthed from love--he loves people enough to tell them what God expects from them! He's also keenly aware that there is a gulf forming in society and he's got to choose which one to protect because love is scarce, and given the voices he chooses to amplify (see the letter he reads in this young adult fireside), he stands with his more conservative base.

Dallin's love may be short sighted and biased, but he probably doesn't think so. He thinks his motivations are on the side of the angels and who am I to disagree, arguably he knows heaven better than I do.

But you may not find Dallin's version of love very uplifting or meaningful. You may find it motivated more from fear or bias, and perhaps your version of love has space for inclusion and multiple paths, but here is the kicker: your definitions and positions on love have limited reach.

Dallin's love is amplified in multiple languages all over the world every six months at least. When he speaks, people listen and to some degree internalize what he's saying. Dallin knows gay and trans people, he has a grandson that is openly gay, and still he shows his love this way.

Dallin has power and influence in this community and so his version of love gets elevated and replicated. Every six months we get the privilege of grappling with his love and decide what to do with it. Dallin's love comforts a certain subset of the audience while alienating others. His influence will eventually fade, but then we will need to move on to someone else's version of love and that is always a gamble.

Part 4: You

In queer spaces the individuals I have mentioned are often heavily criticized. And from my perspective rightfully so. Their actions and words have costs and inflicted damages our community routinely has to bear. But we need to be aware that our criticism that they should be more "loving" might not land where we would hope it does. They do, in their own definition, act out of love.

Their definitions certainly don't align with most of ours, but we don't often take the time define what we mean by love. And in writing this, I have come to realise that love contains multitudes: both good and bad--and holding people to my definitions just leads to unmet expectations.

What I have learned from this review is to acknowledge the differences in what love can be--I am less interested in love now but motivation and impact. Much of what I do in "love" is actually more motivated by a desire for "safety", "acceptance" or "belonging", which can have mixed results. I need to demonstrate, not to Anita, Joanne or Dallin, but to those in my life that the outcomes of certain "love" can be damaging and negative for me. I now know to avoid or be skeptical of the outcomes of Anita's, Joanne's and Dallin's love, but I also know that they don't think themselves unloving, so trying to convince them to "love" more is a fruitless exercise.

Perhaps, we become peacemakers when we hear the heartbreak of our neighbors and find ways to partner with them to build solutions. But ultimately, all of these words are up to you and how you wield them is your choice--but the fruits of your love will be decided by those who stumble across them and you cannot control how they will be received.

[bada1girlfriend]

Marry Me? | +18 (??) BADA LEE

Dom!Bada Sub!reader

WARNING: Age difference (4 years), homophobia on the part of the family, narration in the third person, very mild, almost zero, marriage of people of the same sex.

Btw: This is my first one shot of Bada, if you want me to do more you can tell me!

Bada and Jiaen have known each other for a lifetime, Bada's mother and Jiaen's mother were best friends so the older one could witness all the growth of the youngest, Bada was 4 years older than little Jiaen, despite the age difference her mothers always tried to make them together and so it was.

When Bada turned 15 she realized that she liked women, her parents at first did not support her, they wanted her daughter to get married and form a good family, without forgetting that in Korea it was very frowned upon to see people from the LGBTQ+ community and she knew that this could affect her career as a dancer, she still decided to follow her heart.

On the other hand, Jiaen from a young age showed her disgust towards other children, a day after her first day at school Jiaen confessed to her parents that she liked a classmate but she didn't know if she was right, her parents never accepted that, her daughter's sexuality shouldn't be a "wrong" so they always tried to make her like the boys, without achieving it.

When Jiaen turned 11 years old, she realized that she felt a certain attraction towards Bada, but would she feel it too? She was very younger for her, Bada was 15 years old and she will never be attracted to someone 4 years younger than her, especially if it was her "younger sister" as she sometimes said. Bada and Jiaen got together every day to dance, they were both attracted to the dance and liked to share it between them, but Jiaen was no longer attracted only to the dance, dancing with Bada gave her a strange feeling, she did not know if it was that entering puberty would give her these feelings or if Bada really liked it, she was afraid of how her parents would react when she found out that Bada Lee, whom they have always called her "older sister" liked her, she was afraid of her reaction.

When Bada turned 17 she started dating a girl who Jiaen didn't like, maybe it was the fact that she liked Bada or maybe because she was her bully in the first school being 4 years older, that girl knew about Jiaen's sexuality since then and always made fun of her for that, I couldn't believe that now she was dating Bada

One night when Jiaen stayed at Bada's house, he decided to make a confession

"You know Bada.. I like a girl," Jiaen said with fear in his voice.

-JIAEN!! Wow, that's great, who's the lucky one? - Bada said excitedly, she was happy that her younger sister could love someone.

-It's you Bada.. I've liked you since I was 10 years old- I couldn't look her in the eyes, I really didn't have the courage to do it.

-JiJi.... Y-I don't umm... I can't accept you.. I'm dating Hyonri and emm.. you're much younger for me...- he said trying to make the girl understand the situation.

-I know, I just wanted you to know..- none said anything for a few minutes.

-Bada... if you get to end up with Hyonri and when I turn 20 and I'm still single... would you marry me?- He said hopelessly in his voice.

"I will marry you when you turn 18 Jiaen, I promise," he said promisingly, Jiaen could only smile at the emotion he felt in his heart, he knew that they could not get married in Korea but he also knew that Bada would do his best to do it.

In a few days Bada ended up with Hyonri after she told him to get away from Jiaen, despite wanting her he didn't love her, Jiaen did love her, but he knew it was wrong, Jiaen's parents are very homophobic and he wouldn't want them to do anything to his JiJi, in addition to that the age difference was very noticeable, Bada was 17 while Jiaen was only 13, it was a very big difference, he couldn't go out with someone so younger. Neither of them touched on the subject again for years.

On Jiaen Bada's 17th birthday he offered him to create a dance crew, Jiaen feliz told him that yes, thus forming Team BEBE, both had been so focused on forming the Crew that they had forgotten their feelings. The crew was growing, now of 8 members, Lusher, Tatter, Soweon, Cheche, Kyma, Minah, Bada and Jiaen. Since Jiaen turned 15 and began to develop more Bada began to generate more feelings towards her, and not feelings of sisters as everyone used to believe.

Months later Bada decided to talk to Jiaen, he could no longer resist not being able to kiss her, touch her or not be able to call her his girlfriend, he always wanted her close and for a strange reason he began to feel the need to kiss her, Bada rented an apartment and decided to tell Jiaen to get there because he needed to talk to her, after a few minutes he arrived and Bada didn't give her five minutes when he started talking.

-JiJiJi.. for several years I realized that I liked you, I don't know why or how it happened but I started to like you and I remembered when you confessed and I decided that I should do it too, I also want to know if you still like it and if not I will understand completely- Bada said nervously

-Bidi.. I still like you and much more than I liked you before-Jiaen was really happy that Bada finally told her what she felt.

-Kim Jiaen.. would you let me be your girlfriend?- Bada asked

-Of course if Lee Bada- Bada was about to kiss her when Jiaen told her

"Ah, not yet, miss, I'm still 17 years old and you're 21, I'm still illegal," she said mockingly.

"I won't be able to wait to kiss you," Bada said this as she pursed her lips.

-Wait five months Bada- that night Jiaen stayed to sleep in Bada's apartment.

For 5 months his love was flourishing more and more, Jiaen's parents still did not know about his love, on the other hand Bada's parents did know, at first they did not like the idea, some time later they accepted it, Bada's mother told him that sooner or later they had to tell Jiaen's parents, they both knew that their relationship would not be accepted by them but they could not and did not want to hide their love. On the other hand, the girls of Team BEBE already knew about their relationship and joked that it was the mothers of the Crew.

Jiaen's 18th birthday arrived and the most excited was Bada, she was finally going to be able to kiss her beloved girlfriend, the last few months had been very difficult for her. Jiaen was in her room after the big birthday party that her parents had organized for her, that night she had asked for permission to go to sleep at Bada's apartment, as her parents didn't know about their relationship, they let her go without problems.

Jiaen was taking off the dress he was wearing, it was red, short and with short sleeves that fell down his shoulders. He couldn't remove the lock until someone knocked on the door of his room.

"Love, I'm Bada, can I come in?" Said his girlfriend.

-Yes honey- Bada entered and realized that Jiaen could not take off her dress, with a look he asked her to help her do it and Bada helped her, it was not the first time he saw her only in underwear, previously he had already seen her, and it was normal for both of them.

"I can't wait for us to be in my apartment, in my room specifically," said a Bada with morbidity in her voice.

-BADA!- She knew that Bada was no longer a virgin, she herself confessed it to her, and that was one of the many reasons that made her nervous in her relationship, she knew that Bada would always treat her well and that she would never do something that would make her uncomfortable but Jiaen herself was afraid and ashamed, she was embarrassed not to have the same experience as Bada.

-What?? "I want to be able to kiss my girlfriend," said Bada sitting on Jiaen's bed while grabbing her by the waist.

-You can kiss me now- Bada, upon hearing these three words, approached Jiaen and kissed her, she was finally able to taste her lips.

-WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING?- The voice of another woman was heard in the room.

"Mom," Jiaen Said.

-Mom? Do you have the nerve to call me mom? - Jiaen's mother said angrily.

"Mrs. Kim, this is my fault, I was the one who told you to kiss me," Bada said, trying to calm Jiaen's mother.

"You shut up, I can't believe that after so long you come and have the nerve to kiss my daughter, she's a good girl and you're just manipulating her," he said approaching Bada.

-Mom noo- Jiaen got in the way of his mother's fight and his girlfriend-

-Bada I've liked it since I was 10 years old, we started dating months ago and I don't expect you to understand it because I know you won't- Jiaen couldn't hold back the tears anymore

"You're ungrateful, how dare you," none of the three said anything.

-If you want to go out with a woman, go out with one but not under my roof, get your things ready because you're leaving my house-

-What? "Mom, no, you can't do this to me," he said as he watched his mother take out the suitcase she kept in her closet.

"Of course I can, you're old enough to become independent," he said, leaving the room slamming the door. "Jiaen could do nothing but cry.

"Love is very calm, come and live with me," Bada said, trying to reassure his girlfriend while hugging her.

-No Bada, I don't want to be a burden to you-

-Of course you're not, honey I do it because I want to, I can't leave you like that- Jiaen accepted after so many pleas from Bada.

Weeks later Jiaen managed to find a job where he gave dance classes, earned very well and could help with the expenses of the apartment. She didn't talk to her mother again, she regretted having kicked her daughter out of the house, she sent her messages every day, she called her every hour, Jiaen was tired of her doing it, so she decided to block her contact, she would never forgive her mother, she really couldn't believe that after everything she said she dared to write to her, on the other hand her father had written to her several times asking her to see each other, her father never said or commented on anything about the relationship he had with Bada so she decided to accept her invitation.

"Love," Bada called as he entered his small but cozy home.

"I'm in the room, honey," Jiaen replied, Bada entered the room.

"Where are you going, honey?" His girlfriend asked, watching Jiaen put on makeup.

-My father asked me to see him and me-

"I understand," Bada said as she approached to hug her in the back, "can we talk before you leave?"

-Of course, did something happen? Did I do something? -I ask nervously-

"No, no love, I just wanted to ask you something," he said laughing at his girlfriend's reaction, she didn't say anything waiting for his girlfriend to speak.

"Do you remember when I promised you that we would get married?" Bada asked nervously.

-Yes, what about that?

-Do you want to marry me?

-What?

"I was thinking, we are girlfriends, we have an apartment together and I thought it would be nice if we got married, I would like to call you my wife," Bada said nervously.

-Aww Bada, do you want us to get married?- she said tenderly while Bada nodded her head- Of course I want to marry you but... in Korea it's not allowed.

-I will look for the solution, we can get married in the United States if you want.

-Of course I want Bada- Jiaen had a smile on her face, Bada kissed her for that answer.

"Ten, I got them for both," he said, taking two rings out of his pants, "they are engagement rings and I thought we could both have one," the rings were gold, possibly pure gold, with diamonds around them.

-Bada, they are beautiful love- Jiaen at that moment felt the happiest woman of all.

-I love you Jiaen- It was the first time that Bada told her that he loved her.

"I love you too, Bada," he said and then kissed her.

Jiaen was entering the restaurant where her father told her to see each other, she was nervous and could not deny it, when she saw her father sitting at a table she began to walk towards him.

"Hello father," he said, sitting in front of him.

-Daughter, I'm happy to be able to see you again, you don't know what I've missed you- Jiaen didn't answer and her father understood that I should talk- Daughter I cited you here to talk about your relationship with Bada, first of all I want to apologize for not having accepted that you liked women from the beginning, but I think you must understand that I was raised at a time when these relationships were not common, that my daughter told me that she is bisexual was one of the things that shocked me the most and I want to apologize for that- he said totally regretfully-

"Father, I thank you for the apology and of course I understand your situation," he said, trying to calm his father.

-I want you to know that Bada is totally accepted on my part, I am happy that she is the one who takes care of you and loves you.

-Thank you father, I have to tell you something- She said a little nervous- Bada and I will get married, we will go to the United States to get married.

-Daughter, that's incredible, I congratulate you, you have my blessing completely.

-Thank you dad, you are invited to the wedding, you can go if you want, we don't have a date yet but I know it will be in two months.

-Of course, daughter, but... your mother?

-I don't want mom to go, she made me feel too bad and I don't want her to be present at my wedding, if you like you can come alone, but mom won't go.

-I understand daughter- Jiaen and Mr. Kim spent the whole afternoon together, his father did it for his ring and said that Bada was very lucky to have her in his life.

2 Months Later

Jiaen was entering the altar with his father, he had agreed to attend the wedding.

Jiaen wore a white dress, it was short, she said she didn't want anything extravagant, after all the wedding wasn't going to be so big, Bada wore a white female tuxedo, she herself said that she would not like to marry a dress because she preferred the comfortable, Jiaen's father gave his daughter's hand to Bada, asking her to please take care of her. After the ceremony and the party they were finally in the room of a cabin on the beach that they had rented to spend the wedding night.

"My wife," Bada said, opening the door for her.

"Thank you, wife," Jiaen said with a smile.

-It's a pleasure Mrs. Lee Jiaen- Jiaen decided to have Bada's last name after she begged him to do it.

Already inside the room Jiaen knew what was coming, he knew that that night he was going to have sex with Bada.

"Can I?" Bada asked, referring to helping him take off the dress.

"Yes," Jiaen replied nervously, when Bada took off her dress, she could notice a white lingerie.

"JiJi," Bada said, looking at her body, she had never wanted someone's body as much as his now wife's.

"Bada, make me yours," Jiaen asked, looking into her eyes, Bada without warning began to take off the suit she was wearing, staying in her underwear, after this she began to kiss Jiaen, Bada lifted Jiaen while she rolled her legs around her waist, Bada sat on the bed while she began to touch Jiaen's body everywhere.

-B-bada- Jiaen moaned while Bada kissed her neck and touched her breasts, she had never felt so desired in her life, if they had had sexual moments where they kissed obscenely and once again they touched each other slightly, but knowing that this time it would be different, that this time they were going to have sex was much more exciting.

Bada began to take off her lingerie little by little as she looked into her eyes, she could notice how excited she was.

-Oh Jiaen look at you, so excited wishing that your wife touches you and makes you hers, is that what you want?-

"If Bada, please make me yours, touch me," he said, trying to regulate his breathing. In that same position Bada began to touch her pussy slightly, Jiaen began to moan by making Bada understand that she wanted more, she pleased her and began to exaggerate her movements.

"Do you like it?" Bada asked.

-Yy-yes- Jiaen said without being able to speak, when she was about to cum Bada stopped, he turned to see her with an angry face while Bada laughed, he laid her on the bed and began to kiss her as she went down slowly until she reached her pussy, which began to lick slowly, Jiaen could only moan at this, she grabbed Bada's head to deepen the licks, Bada put a finger in her pussy, she knew that Jiaen was a virgin and she didn't want to be so hard on her at first. After getting Jiaen to come, Jiaen grabbed Bada and put it up "It's my turn" he told her as he climbed on Bada's lap, he began to kiss her and touch her, taking off her bra and panties, she had never eaten a pussy in her life but she was anxious to be able to try one, more if it belongs to his wife's, Bada began to moan when Jiaen inserted his tongue into her pussy, it was the best oral sex she had ever received in her life and she couldn't believe that it came from the girl she used to call sister Minor, after a few minutes Jiaen was able to make Bada come, Bada grabbed Jiaen by his waist and put her under her to then intertwine his legs and thus begin to rub each other, Jiaen was surrendering himself to Bada, his wife, his wife. After both of them came, Bada got rid of Jiaen.

"You look pretty when you put on an orgasm face," Bada said, making Jiaen put on a face of shame and shyness.

-BADA! Why do you say that??!!- he said as he watched his wife take out a wet towel.

"Haha, because you are my wife and I can flatter you after making you come," she said while cleaning the girl's thighs and then putting on her panties, after finishing with her he did the same with myself and then taking a shirt out of her suitcase, Jiaen put on a Bada shirt to sleep, Bada smiled, his wife looked so pretty with her shirt, it was exaggeratedly big thanks to the height difference. They both lay on the bed, Jiaen on Bada's chest.

"I love you and I will love you all my life," Bada told him, trying to show his most sincere love to his wife.

"I also love you and I will love you all my life, until death do us part," Jiaen said, smiling at him and then giving him a good night kiss and resting.

End<3

This is a translated version of the original

You can find the original version in Spanish in my Wattpad account: @JiJiaen

[foreverrandomwritings]

happy pride cutie💗💜💙

i was curious if you could write, someone being mean to reader for being bi, saying they’re faking it, them just being biphobic.

and from a character of your choice, have them be all protective, and comforting the reader while they’re upset. i’m a sucker for hurt/comfort 🥴

Summary: The moon boys are amazing boyfriends to their bisexual girlfriend.

Pairings: Steven Grant x afab!Reader Marc Spector x afab!Reader Jake Lockley x afab!Reader

Warnings: harassment, blood, insecurity. Thats it?

Word count: 1397

Masterlist M's PMC Masterlist

~I love me some bi pride. Also really want someone to protect and comfort me. 

~I’m gonna do MoonKnight mostly because I want an excuse to write for all the boys.

~We’ll start with Steven first. I know he’s not very confrontational but I think that after everything happened that completely changed. 

~He’s the one to use words to protect you. Even though he’s shy and pretty reserved anytime someone comes after you he becomes bold and confident. This had been shown on many occasions. 

~You had come in to visit him at work one day. He was on lunch so you guys walked through the exhibits with you asking him occasional questions about them. Which he did gleefully. 

~You had just asked him the name of one of the statutes when you felt a tug in your backpack. You turned around and saw one of your pins in a middle aged woman’s hand. 

~She had a scowl on her face and gave you a disgusted look as she looked over you, head to toe. 

~You squirmed a little under her gaze, quickly growing uncomfortable with the way she was glaring at you.

~ “Can we help you?” Your boyfriend pipped up, looking at the pin he had gifted you clutched inside the woman’s fist. You were glad he spoke up because your voice was gone as you looked at the women.

~ “I don’t think it’s appropriate to show something like this in public. Let alone somewhere that has so many children present.” She spat out. 

~ “Well, I don't think that’s any of your business and I think you need to return the item before I go and get security.” His hand extended towards her expectantly. You knew that Marc and Jake had to have been fighting to front as Steven shook his head glancing at his reflection in a shiny statue momentarily. 

~ “Being a part of that community isn’t something that needs to be displayed.” Her voice had venom in it. 

~ “Don’t worry lady, I'm definitely not interested in you.” You told her, finally finding your voice.

~ “I was not worried about that.” And for some reason she sounded offended at the fact you weren’t attracted to her.

~ “This is your last chance to give her back her pin before I get security.” He said more sternly, his accent thick as his glare darkened. She handed him the pin with a huff before turning around and running away. 

~ “Thank you, Steven.” You told him as he pinned the object back in place. 

~ “It’s alright love. No one deserves to be treated like that. I really don’t understand why people are twisted up by people in the lgbtq+ community.” He was standing in front of you now. Looking at the ground sheepishly. You kissed his cheek in a thank you causing a blush to bloom along his cheeks. Then you both continued on your walk.

~Now for Marc. 

~He is the one that comforts you. Reassures you constantly that you are valid, loved and supported. 

~You had told him of your desire to go to pride. He had reluctantly(not that reluctantly because he was actually super excited to share this experience with you) joined you in your time there. 

~He had even bought you matching shirts. Yours said I’m the bisexual girlfriend. His said I’m here with my bisexual girlfriend. The words were written in the bi pride colors. 

~You were so excited the day of, you showed up to watch the parade that morning with a beaming smile on your face. A large group of people passed you by and you could see a few of them reading your shirts. 

~You had always been a bit shy when around other people in the LGBTQ community. There had been many different instances that they had shamed you in the past. This time wasn’t any different. When one of the women started talking to someone else in the group. 

~ “How can she even say she’s bi when she’s in a relationship with a guy.” She snickered as she passed you. 

~ It didn’t seem Marc had heard, however, to focused on the parade going on in the street in front of you. No one here posed a threat to either of you in his mind so he had let loose a little. 

~ He had however noticed the way your hand slipped out of his. He looked at you quickly and saw you fiddling with the ends of your shirt. 

~ “What’s wrong?” He asked as he scanned the crowd to see if he could spot what happened.

~ “It’s nothing Marc. You can go back to watching the parade.” Your hands wrung together as you spoke. 

~ “Tell me what happened honey. Did someone hurt you?” His eyes scanned your body looking for injuries. Though he didn’t know they could’ve laid a hand on you with him standing right there. 

~ “Just someone invalidating me again. Nothing new.” He knew that you had insecurities surrounding your sexuality. Having been told many times you were faking it, that it didn’t exist or that you weren’t actually bisexual since you were with Marc. 

~He had always done what he could to reassure you that you were validated and that you shouldn’t listen to what everyone said. This time was no different as he brought you into his chest squeezing you to him. Your arms came around his middle as you hugged him back. 

~ “You are such an amazing and wonderful girlfriend babe. Your sexuality is valid. No matter what anyone else says you and I both know you’re bisexual. Steven and Jake know you are bisexual and we love you so much. We are comfortable with you exploring both sides of your sexuality as well. You just have to sit us down and talk about it with us.” He kissed the top of your head as you squeezed him tighter. 

~It was always comforting to be in his arms. He smelled like a combination of the three of them. The three that would love and care and protect you until their last breath. 

~Now onto Jakeeeeeeee. 

~This man will let fists fly with no hesitation. Very very very protective. 

~This one will be more violent than the other ones of course. 

~It was routine for one of the boys to be standing outside of your workplace waiting for you when Jake didn’t have a mission for Konshu. 

~So as you exited the building you weren’t surprised to see a familiar hat placed atop a familiar set of curls. 

~ “How was work today mi amor.” Jake had asked you as he usually did. Taking your hand in his. 

~ “Fine.” Was your simple answer, even though work had been super annoying due to one specific co worker. 

~ “What happened?” He asked you as he scanned your face with his eyes. 

~ “Why do you think something happened?” You asked him surprised.

~ “You normally won’t shut up about your work day. But today was just fine. So what happened?” His demeanor changed as he finished his sentence, now in complete protective mode. 

~ “Chad from accounting was going on again about me being bi. Told me that it was a sin. That I would feel the wrath of hell. Told me I didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as him. Just the normal gist and what not.” You shrugged simply as though the words didn’t sting you. As if you didn’t feel a deep hole within your chest as though he had stabbed you repeatedly with every word he spoke. 

~ “Where is Chad now?” Jake was seathing as you spoke. The boys were all talking loudly within his head wanting to find the guy and put and end to him. 

~ “He’s probably out back. He takes a shortcut through the alley to get home.” You knew he was going to find him anyway so you figured you’d save him some time. 

~ “Go Home. We’ll be there shortly.” You nodded your head, giving his hand a squeeze. 

~ “Just don’t kill him okay?” You gave him a peck on the lips before you were slipping away. 

~It was almost an hour later that Jake slipped through the doors. Hands and shirt bloodied and you knew his point had been made to Chad. You cleaned him up and thanked him for helping you. 

~ “I will always protect you amor.” Was his response. 

A/N:I love the moon boys with all my heart. Oscar Isaac puts me in a chokehold with every role he plays. Happy Birthday Bestie❤️

Tags(open): @wkndwlff @sylviebell