#and what they got was an lgbtqia+ love story

[obsessive-dumpling]

Sometimes I forget that "Kacchan of the Bakugos" was a real scene that really happened and not just some fever dream the fandom created....

.

.

.

What the fxck Horikoshi? What was that? For what other purpose would that have been necessary if not to reestablish that yes, Katsuki IS the most important person to Izuku. And Shiggy/AFO were right to target and kill him to hurt Izuku BUT they had not counted on the fact that it was MUTUAL.

Yes, Katsuki is the most important person to Izuku AND Izuku is the most important person to Katsuki. And he needs to bring attention to that mistake by coming back to life, having the gayest fxcking reunion of all time, announcing it on live world wide television and then promptly obliterate said enemy.

Horikoshi is wild. The man has literally no chill and I wish him nothing but extreme happiness and all good things.

he said he's kacchan bakugo because he was claiming his position beside izuku in his life. he's izuku's kacchan. he isn't going to be anything else but izuku's. always and permanently now.

[whats-up-gayboy]

When my partner and I first got together, I hated how I looked.

Constant bullying had destroyed my self esteem, and paired with that I'd had a major injury while skateboarding that prevented me from doing any physical activity, so I was feeling unhealthy too.

Early on, he'd get this dreamy expression when he looked at me, and I'd shrug it off, laugh, change the subject any way I could. I thought he was making it up. Now, sometimes, if I'm very lucky, I can look in the mirror and see myself how he sees me.

He'd send me selfies, just him smiling into the camera, even though I knew he didn't like taking photos of himself, so I started to send them in return. At first, I'd avoid looking at them before I hit send. Then I started taking them more and more. Now, I look at those photos and see my smile, and think they're the best and happiest I ever look in any photos. I don't delete them anymore.

As an artist, I've always pushed myself to do better, falling into the habits of comparing myself with others. I've never given up, but I'd never been as proud of my work as I was when he started complimenting it. He wanted to keep every scribbled sticky note I'd give him, no matter how silly, treating them like treasure and stowing them away. He'd be in awe when I gifted him proper artworks, putting them straight on his wall. Now I post my art online and I'm pursuing a career in art with confidence.

When I first confided in him that, despite being a cis woman, I'd felt a huge sense of dysphoria related to my boobs since a very young age, he was immediately understanding. First, he helped me try sports bras, and I felt a huge weight had lifted off my shoulders. Recently, he's introduced me to trans tape, and this is the closest I've ever felt to being myself.

Too scared to talk to my GP about mental health, my partner helped me come up with a plan of what I wanted to say and finally convinced me to go, coming with me and helping when I got stuck. Hes been helping me through the long but rewarding trek that has been therapy ever since.

Now that I'm nearing the tail end of my physical recovery, I've been terrified to start skating again, slowly chipping away at the fear with my physiotherapist. But my partner has decided he wants me to teach him to skate, so now we're going to learn together.

I've got a long way to go and I'm still figuring myself out, but I'm so lucky and happy that I'm not on this journey alone.

[fandom]

Top 24 of 2024

Well, well, well, look what we have here. If it isn’t 52 weeks’ worth of data drawn from the exemplary original posts you’ve been producing day in, day out, combined with the likes, reblogs, and search data—all of it weighed, ranked, and presented here for your viewing pleasure. In news that will come as a shock to no one at all, 2024 was the year of Artists on Tumblr. But quite right, too, as just a cursory scroll through the fanart, illustrations, digital pieces, paintings, textiles, and more will attest. It’s a goldmine. But this ain’t just any goldmine, this is your goldmine, and we’ve got abundant gratitude for the wonderful work you’ve shared this last year. 

Dungeon Meshi won hearts and minds with its cozy feel, its cookery, its cast of eclectic, likable characters, and a delightfully off-center vibe. Farcille made for the sapphic love story we didn’t know we needed—and the inspiration for endless, exquisite fanart. There was much appreciation for season one, and excitement abounds for season two. But there were endings as well as beginnings, sadly, as the much-loved Jujutsu Kaisen brought six years of sublime storytelling to a close with Chapter 271. Good faced Evil, a nephew faced an uncle, and some really liked it, and others really did not. Discourse ensued, as discourse is wont to do. 

Television! And lots of it! 2024 was the year in which animation ruled supreme with an embarrassment of riches to plunder. Gravity Falls and The Book of Bill became your fall fixations and simply refused to stop trending for seemingly an age (a Good Thing). Bill Cipher and Stanford Pines both made the Top 24 in their own right as you shipped them to high hell, with Billford coming top of Ships for 2024. Speaking of Hell, Hazbin Hotel was the new kid on the block. And, after a five-year wait, the new kid charmed—it was filthier, funnier, raunchier, and more heartfelt than you could have hoped for. 

When it comes to hope, the times continue to be challenging, and the news can threaten to overwhelm. 2024 was no different. But you all painted the dash every color of the rainbow, stood loud and proud, and supported your ever-growing community online and offline in the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights. While folks continue to voice their distress and concern for the ongoing crisis in Palestine, they also fight the good fight with activism and fundraising efforts across the dash. These may be dark days, but you all work tirelessly for the greater good as only you know how.

Looking after oneself is vital in these trying times, and you’ve all done just that in your own inimitable fashion. Cats still rule Tumblr as bears still poop in woods, and everyone has taken essential time to peruse the dashboard’s plethora of cat GIFs, cat art, boopin’ cats, cats of yore, and so on. You’re keeping things similarly wholesome with some more Tumblr mainstays: cottagecore, and its sister aesthetic, naturecore, imagine a simpler, greener, and quieter time. A time where the breeze billows softly through the long grass and gently turns the blades of the windmill; a time where we, too, might poop in woods.

The only thing more important than looking after oneself is treating oneself, and what better way to do that than gaming? Baldur’s Gate 3 made a most impressive leap from #21 last year to #7 in 2024, as the need for sexy monsters and beautiful beasties becomes ever more imperative with each passing year. Pokémon may have dropped a little from five to 11, but these games and shows still hold a dear place in your hearts—as demonstrated by your bountiful and beautiful fanart.

Here are the 24 most-mentioned things on Tumblr in 2024.

Artists on Tumblr

Palestine

Dungeon Meshi

Gravity Falls

Hazbin Hotel

Baldur's Gate 3

Cats of Tumblr

Jujutsu Kaisen

The Batman Universe

Pokémon

One Piece

Good Omens

Marcille Donato | Dungeon Meshi

Laios Touden | Dungeon Meshi

Cottagecore

Hermitcraft

LGBTQIA+

Bill Cipher | Gravity Falls

Naturecore

Doctor Who

Percy Jackson

Falin Touden | Dungeon Meshi

Stanford Pines | Gravity Falls

Jason Todd | the DC universe

Feeling inspired? Want to create a dedicated place to discuss the things you love with the other people who love them? Create a Community here on Tumblr to do just that.

[swficreference]

Introducing the Star Wars Reference Wiki!

Introducing the Star Wars Fic Reference Wiki, a wiki for fic writers by fic writers!

The Star Wars Fic Reference Wiki is intended as a way for fic writers and other fanwork creators to easily look up pertinent information without having to slog through dense paragraphs or comb through categories with dozens or even hundreds of entries with few indicators of what the pages are. Do you want lists? Do you want tables? Do you want easily digestible bullet points? We've got 'em!

We build pages from common questions we or other fic writers have, such as:

All these fics incorporate events from Jedi Apprentice, but what really happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Legends?

How do the stories in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars mesh together?

Which characters are LGBTQIA+? Who are some LGBTQIA+ creators who have worked on a Star War? How about a timeline of LGBTQIA+ people and content?

BBY/ABY, BrS/GrS, BFE/AFE... what's the difference between these and all those other calendars? What calendar do characters use before the Battle of Yavin?

What are some idioms or kriffing swears this character could use to sound more Star Wars-y?

Does the GFFA have its own version of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup?

What could be used as a pack animal in one of the many, many deserts?

Why does this fic call him "Yan" or "Glamnor" Dooku? Is her full name Padmé Amidala Naberrie or something else?

How many costumes does Padmé wear? What about other SW costumes?

What are some canonical design options for a Kiffar OC's facial tattoo?

Are these the droids you're looking for?

Are you constantly losing those handy tumblr posts compiling useful resources? We have a permanent page for that!

(Swears in light mode; LGBTQIA+ characters in dark mode)

We've only recently started building the wiki, and are creating new pages all the time! We'd love help or suggestions for new pages. Have you never edited a wiki before? No problem! We have a tutorial for that. Are you not super confident about your English? No worries! Other wiki editors are here to help! We have a Discord server for the wiki, and side channels for things like SW fic recs and general fan chat.

Thank you for initial brainstorming and showing us there was an interest in and audience for this wiki, from us (facingthenorthwind and immithrax) to you: @nimata-beroya, @cacodaemonia, @elismor, @genericficerblog, @seth-shitposts, @takadasaiko, and @virusq!

Many hands make great wikis, so please, come on over and join us, and check back to see what new things we have in store! If you find our pages useful, we'd also love if you could spread the word, so other people can make use of the resources we've worked hard to create.

[drchucktingle]

heres to my ace and aro buds

as you know i dont like to talk on my books before they come out but BURY YOUR GAYS will be a little different because it is ABOUT creative process and fandom and it seems fitting to say a little. so this is a THANK YOU post to a specific group of buckaroos: my ace and aro buds

chuck covers a few of the LGBTQIA letters myself, and as my writing expanded and more queer buds wanted to be included i asked a lot of questions and got to know many communities as a letter neighbor. asexual buds have always been so kind and i am always so moved by our talks

BURY YOUR GAYS is about a lot of things. it is a love letter to many people. but one of the many big themes is a tribute to our ace and aro buds who can sometimes feel excluded in queer spaces. i do not agree with this and wholehearted support my ace and aro buds.

ace and aro buds often ask chuck ‘what are the best tinglers for me?’ and there have been quite a few but i would just like to say that NOW my answer will be ‘bury your gays’ it is in many way a tribute to you and your fight and your journey and i am thankful to trot beside you

there are a few co-leads in story and one character, tara, is ace and aro and she is one of my of my favorite characters and i think you will feel a catharsis in her story like many autistic buds felt about camp damascus. shes the dang best and i loved writing every second of her

so this is just be saying to my ace and aro buds: thank you for your support and dont be afraid. you will NOT be forgotten in this story of queerness. i hoist my chocolate milk and say THIS ONES FOR YOU.  i support you now and always heck yeah LETS TROT

BURY YOUR GAYS IS OUT THIS SUMMER

[killertoons]

Bro your art is so yummy😋😋😋😋😋🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Also, your Eddie Dear drag thing you made is so cool!🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑

THANK YOU!!! 🥰🥰🥰 Literally eat up cause I'm cooking in this KITCHEN!!! 🍴🧑‍🍳

I LOVE drawing Scarlett! Shes my little muse of sorts right now and any excuse to draw her is always a fun one!!!

I'm just glad people love her as much as I do, and I work to make sure she's truly representative of queens! Which isn't to talk smack on any other artist versions of drag Eddie, personally I love them all and I have a few favorites I wanna draw in the future!

In my early 20s I was in a production of Xanadu with 3 drag queens, a nearly gay cast- I was the youngest on the crew and absolutely new to the world of the LGBTQIA+ and couldn't explore more because of the environment I was in (Texas/ religious family and job). It's only now I've been able to explore more and made more friends who have the life experience to show me the life I've been missing out on!

(also plan on hitting my first pride festival at the same theater I learned from so yay! 🏳️‍🌈)

So drawing Scarlett reminds me of the queens I got to know and hear stories from, and gives me the key to learn more of the history I wasn't allowed to learn till recently.

It helps me feel at home with myself and the people I connect to, as I myself am a non binary Lesbian who wants to do drag!

I realized I dragged this conversation on (ahhh see what I did there👈🤭) so take this sketch of Scarlett and Frank dressed up and going on the town!

[schattenhonig]

The A in LGBTQIA+ doesn't stand for aspec because they're not repressed!

(please read the disclaimer at the end of this post)

Ummm, excuse me? Would you mind telling me what your definition of repression is, then?

Because I feel repressed when a doctor asks me about my sex life, and if I say I have none, it gets marked down as a symptom without being asked if I suffer from it.

I feel repressed when my gyn tells me I can't get a hysterectomy yet despite losing so much blood on every period that I need to take iron supplements all the time, because I could change my mind about not wanting children (which is a whole other post, I know, but it's most likely linked to sex).

I feel repressed if I can't use dating apps or platforms because my sexuality doesn't even exist there, and the one time I tried, I got called names because I didn't want to meet for because it was clear where this date would go, despite my explicit "what I'm looking for".

I feel repressed when I think about how recently a paragraph was finally abolished in my country that considered sex a vital part of a marriage, basically entitling the spouses to having sex with their partner (both gender neutral, because entitling people to having sex with somebody else by law is wrong. It's basically a rape permission).

I feel repressed when I can't watch any film or show without it being about love and/or sex, no matter if it fits the narrative and furthers the plot.

I feel repressed when I plot my own stories and automatically put a romantic couple in there as main characters, even though I have no idea why this would be important for the plot. Not even my own stories, my own thoughts are mine.

I felt repressed when I was asked accusingly in a relationship if I wasn't missing something before I even knew asexuality as a spectrum was a thing, and having to lie about this being a side effect of my medication instead of genuinely not feeling attracted to someone in this way.

I feel repressed when I can't tell people I'm not sexually attracted to them because they will take this personally no matter how well I explain myself.

I feel repressed when everywhere I look there's advertising relying on naked skin, suggestive posing and objectification. Why are expensive cars still presented by women considered beautiful and tempting? It's not like that's necessary to convince people of spending so much money on a thing that gets you from A to B. Couches with women in smart dresses and high heels. That's not what a normal person looks like on a couch. But the worst is a truck in the town where I live: it's from a small fruit and vegetable stand, so whenever I see it, it comes from the warehouse, delivering groceries. On it is a woman clad in very little, presenting fruit. I'm sorry, but why? Does a misogynistic picture convince you of the necessity to avoid scurvy?

I feel repressed when I tell people and get the answer "you just haven't found the right person yet", because there are two possible assumptions from that point: I'm either not trying hard enough (so it's basically my own fault) or something about me is not right, appalling even (which circles back to I'm not trying hard enough or frames me as a victim of my genetics, upbringing or circumstances to be pitied).

Do not tell me how I feel. Do not try to tell me everything is fine and I shouldn't complain or ask for acknowledgement if everywhere I look, I'm reminded of how odd, how weird and how not normal I am. How much it inconveniences you to even acknowledge my existence, let alone respect any of my traits, views and choices.

And while I can only write from my own asexual point of view, I wrote this with all kinds of flavours of aspec in mind, so I'm explicitly including aromantics, aroace people and every shade of the spectrum in this. Not all my examples may apply to you, but I hope you can find something to relate to.

ETA: please feel free to add your own experiences of repression!

[banjomelodies]

Persona is always so amazing at writing the most queer story arcs ever just to slap you in the face with "No fuck you they're actually fully heterosexual, dumbass"..

Like Yukiko and Chie?? Calling your girl best-friend your PRINCE? Wishing she could SAVE YOU? You both are so co-dependent on each other?!?! That's sapphic as fuck! Ann and Shiho are also sapphic as fuck. The entire section where you get to romance Ann felt more like I was witnessing those two confess to each other more than anything?!?

I can't even BEGIN on Kanji and Naoto, and Akechi. However you want to slice Naotos gender as, Kanji full on was attracted to Naoto either way (I am purposely avoiding gendered pronouns as honestly I haven't even figured out how I want to see Naoto. Especially since I'm not even far along P4G. I only know about the whole gender debate + Kanji's crushing of Naoto). Our Bi-king??? And Akechi just has that "I hate you but I love you, but I can't stand you, but I wish we were friends from the start" doomed gay narrative.

Yosuke was apparently a removed love interest so I mean I don't even HAVE to talk about him.

Ryoji is just full on canonically bisexual but you're just straight up not allowed to accept his confession to you as Makoto, which is stupid. ..They let Aigis and Kotone (by technicality, since she can romance Aigis. But I'm pretty sure I've seen people post actual in-game things that read a little sapphic) be bisexual though, so go girls!

What the fuck is with Persona and throwing so many queer teenagers at me just to tell me I'm the idiot for thinking they were some flavor of LGBTQIA+!! Especially because then they also throw curve balls like the two stereotypical gay men who literally harass Ryuji. Or the really bad trans woman joke during the beach stuff in Yakushima in P3 (don't remember which version, but I know it got removed). This series is both so pro-queer and anti-queer at the same time.

[dancermk]

I’m a little disappointed to see so much discourse, fandom competitiveness, and plain arguing going around at the moment in regards to queer film/TV. People complaining about too much sex, not enough sex, too cheesy, made for the hets, too happy, too sad, too realistic, too unrealistic, and a million other petty issues. I, for one, am a queer person in my 50s and I grew up with practically zero representation! Yes, we want to continue onwards and upwards with quality and varied shows BUT let’s be HAPPY we now have representation! Like, actual shows where the central characters are queer, not just a side character who gets f*cking murdered! There is room for all different types of representation - so enjoy the types you like, and let others enjoy what they like.

And on a side note: progress is progress and film/tv is a business that has to turn a profit! If some queer content is made to appeal to the straight community, and will also act as a means of reducing homophobia and increasing understanding, then that’s a good thing. That means in the future more and more content will include queer stories and representation. If only 10% (ish) of the population is the maximum target audience then shows won’t keep getting made!

There is a huge backlash all over the world right now - a “push back” by conservatives and religious groups that want to wind back the clock, and specifically the last decade of advances.

So stick together queers and LGBTQIA+ allies.

I’m super happy knowing I don’t have to wait years between content anymore. And I’ve loved all different types of shows over the last 5 years, for lots of different reasons!

Interview with the Vampire - is giving me the toxic, passionate gothic love affair I’ve always wanted. And addressing interracial relationships.

Heartstopper - is filling me up with pure joy and hopefulness for the future.

Shameless - gave me Ian and Mickey - unique, anti stereotypical gays with a tragic yet ultimately beautiful love story spanning 11 years

Lone Star 911 - is giving me TK and Carlos whose sexuality barely factors into the storyline! Yay!

Looking - gave me an authentic queer experience and an intoxicating love triangle.

Red, white and Royal Blue - gave me a sweet, cute romcom that allowed reality to be sidelined. Fun escapism!

Young Royals - had me captivated by first love and intense angst.

Fire Island - an underrated romcom that made me laugh so hard I cried.

Sex education - shoved the realities of sex in our faces and provided me with laughter and drama and a range of queer identities.

Gentlemen Jack -gave me historical lesbians with spectacular wit, and feminine power.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg- because there’s SO SO SO many more shows I could mention! Don’t at me because I didn’t mention YOUR favourite. This is my point! There is SO much great content it would take all day for me to include everything. This is just a sample - and that’s f*cking brilliant!!

So maybe we could all start posting/tweeting etc about what WE DO LIKE / LOVE / MAKES US FEEL LOVED AND SEEN and put down the device if we’ve got nothing nice to say.

Sending everyone a love filled week! 💜

[hlficlibrary]

✤ Slow Burn ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find the library's other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ Tired Tired Sea by MediaWhore / @mediawhorefics {M, 113k}

As a B&B owner on the most remote of all the British Isles, Louis Tomlinson is used to spending the coldest half of the year in complete isolation, with his dog and the sea as sole companions. Until, one day, a mysterious stranger on a quest to rebuild himself rents a room for the winter.

2️⃣ got the sunshine on my shoulders by @hattalove {E, 124k}

five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn't have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.

now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he's rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he's forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who's spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.

(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)

3️⃣ Collision by itjustkindahappened / @tequiladimples {E, 226k}

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

4️⃣ Flightless Bird by audreyhheart {E, 97k}

AU where Louis Tomlinson is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. When his rival from ballet school, moody dance prodigy Harry Styles joins the company, old wounds are reopened and old passions reignited. During the company's production of Swan Lake the secret that doomed their love is finally revealed, but will it be too late?

5️⃣ Shake Me Down by @agreatperhaps12 {NR, 208k}

Harry's new to college, fresh out of Catholic school and conversion therapy camp, and Louis runs the campus LGBTQIA organization.

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 This Multiplicity of Powers by @helloamhere {E, 149k}

Maybe in another universe he isn’t different. Maybe he hadn’t been given an impossible choice. Maybe he wouldn’t have lost everything and broken everything and then fallen impossibly, irrevocably in love with the first next thing that was kind. Maybe in that universe he doesn’t feel like he’s never breathing, always pretending, teaching the kids even though they all have to learn alone, trying hard not to read the headlines, and so afraid, every day, that he won’t be a good enough teammate to the superhero he can’t live without. He knows that love isn’t supposed to feel this way, slid secret under your skin like a surgical razor, an invisible war held close over the tender vein that keeps you alive. On the other hand, Louis wonders, had he ever known how to do it any other way?

Maybe there’s a universe where he doesn’t have to keep all his secrets on the inside.

But this isn’t that universe.

//an X-Men AU.

💎 ghost of you by beckywritesthings / @beckydoesthings {E, 109k}

As a rule, Mandalorians and Jedi do not get along.

So when Harry Styles, esteemed Jedi Knight, finds out he has to work with the hot-tempered Mandalorian Duke, Louis Tomlinson, he’s prepared for it to go poorly. But it doesn’t, testing both of their boundaries of what they deem acceptable for a partnership.

It’s the start of something, and as the galaxy dissolves into war, they find themselves clinging to each other, even as it drags up things better left in the past. As it turns out, nothing between them has changed.

Or, a Star Wars AU where Harry is Obi-Wan, Louis is Satine, and somehow there’s a love story between the cracks where there shouldn’t be.

💎 don't be afraid to love (and love again) by localopa / @voulezloux {T, 83k}

All Louis’ life, he’s known he’s been different. There’s always been something at odds about how he felt.

As the eldest daughter of seven kids, he knew something was wrong with his body. Something was off, he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. His mum dressed him in dresses and tights, plaits in his hair as he wandered around with the local neighborhood boys. They called him a girl, called him she and Rosemary when his name is Louis. He had told the boys as such, but they would tell him Louis is a boy’s name, not a girl’s.

Louis is a boy. He knows he is.

or the one where louis is trans and afraid, harry is cis and brave, and being 100% yourself is easier said than done.

💎 Gemma's Dad (Could Use A Guy Like Me) by @lululawrence {NR, 83k}

The summer before Louis and Gemma's senior year of college was supposed to be their last big hurrah before they graduate college and become Real Adults in the workforce. They had it all planned and it was going to be filled with mornings skateboarding, afternoons at the pool, and evenings hanging out with as many of the neighborhood kids they grew up with as they can.

Of course, Louis wasn't planning on getting home and learning that Gemma's dad had gotten the house in the divorce and was dealing with things by focusing on work, the house, and his newly planted garden. It becomes obvious early on that Harry is a bit lost and Gemma is worried about him. To help both of them, Louis is more than happy to help Harry find himself again.

As the summer goes on, the adventures and day to day happenings allow Harry and Louis to spend a lot more time together than either of them ever anticipated and Louis finds it more difficult to keep his growing feelings in check than he ever thought it would be. After all, there wasn't a chance that Harry would ever be interested in Louis... right?

💎 When the Lights Go Out by thelarenttrap / @antidotetogo {E, 79k}

“Louis, what do you have to say about how last week ended?” the reporter asks. There’s a moment of silence. Harry is looking at the reporter, but eventually gives in and looks down the table at Louis. He’s looking straight ahead, as if Harry isn’t even in the room. “If you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen.” Harry leans forwards, placing his arms on the table and leaning onto them to get as close to his microphone as he can while looking at Louis. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Louis turns to him, his icy blue eyes meeting Harry's. “Driving is your fuckin’ job, act like it.”

In its near eighty years of existence, Formula 1 has never had an out gay driver. In 2017, Harry Styles signs a contract with Scuderia AlphaTauri alongside his childhood friend and competitor, Louis Tomlinson. The next decade of their careers is some of the most tumultuous press--on and off the track--Formula 1 has ever seen.

aka the one where Louis and Harry are childhood friends to enemies to lovers over the course of 15 ish years.

[hiro-doodlez]

Happy Valentines!! Since it's that sad boy time of year for me (for reasons my aroaceness will explain) I have 2 books about being on the aroace spec that I think anyone looking for, uhh validation would enjoy!! Theyre a joy to read and very very comforting on bad days!! More about them under the cut :3

LOVELESS

Loveless is a novel that tells Georgia Warr's story of finding out she's the A in the LGBTQIA+ community. This book has so many quotes that make me just want to cry, like WHY are you this good.. please mx alice oseman STOP THIS ATTACK ON MY HEART “In the end, that was the problem with romance. It was so easy to romanticize romance because it was everywhere. It was in music and on TV and in filtered Instagram photos. It was in the air, crisp and alive with fresh possibility. It was in falling leaves, crumbling wooden doorways, scuffed cobblestones and fields of dandelions. It was in the touch of hands, scrawled letters, crumpled sheets and the golden hour. A soft yawn, early morning laughter, shoes lined up together by the door. Eyes across a dance floor. I could see it all, all the time, all around, but when I got closer, I found nothing was there.” my fav quote: “I'm at uni for three months and suddenly I'm not straight any more.” “I used to dream of a spellbinding, endless, forever romance. A beautiful story of meeting a person who could change your whole world. But now, I realised, friendship could be that too.”

IS LOVE THE ANSWER?

Is love the answer? Is a manga following a girl named Chika figuring out she's (aro)ace. The entire thing has AMAZING art and just some of the most.. i feel you buddy lines i've ever read. For example: "I see. I just haven't met "the one" yet... yeah. I'm sure that's all it is." "I'm asexual. That's what I am. There might be other possibilities. Maybe a year from now I might identify differently. But right now, that's what feels right to me."

[koneko48]

Queer characters in HxH

btw this is da part 2 and I wanna say tysm to my 4 new followers (hope i'll get more haha ^^ )

we got: @ph4nt0mk4rm4 @satur-no0o @jubilentj @sx44x

And a biiiiiiiiig thank to @musicalmoritz

Anyway....

Is there lgbtq+ characters in hxh ?

Guess what... Yeah !!!!! there's a lot!!!!!

Before I start listing them all, just know this: Hunter x Hunter is a QUEER reference. It’s honestly one of the most respectful mangas out there when it comes to minorities — whether we're talking about LGBTQIA+ people, women, or Black and Arab characters.

P.S.: If you’re looking for Killua — I saved him for last (best for last, lol ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧) And my next post will be all about him x3!!

1.Alluka Zoldyck

Alluka is one of my favorite characters, and in my humble opinion, she's the best trans representation in any shonen manga to date. ^^

But just look at that angel face, hellllllllllllll... she's just too cute!! <3 <3 <3

Actually, Alluka's case is pretty unique, since the fact that she's transgender comes more from headcanon than official canon (to me though, she is clearly a little trans girl 🏳️‍⚧️).

There are several things in the canon that really make me think she's trans:

The Zoldyck siblings are all boys — Kalluto isn’t a girl either (I'll explain that later).

Her whole story (like Killua’s, in a way) feels very coded as a trans narrative.

For example: her family hides her away because she’s “different” (they literally walled her in, the poor thing).

Everyone in the family — except Killua, the only one who truly loves and respects her — refers to her as “he” instead of “she.”

And remember that moment when her older brother told Gotoh: “Alluka is a girl, so she needs a woman to accompany her — not some scary old guy.” 😭

they are so cuuute i can'tttttt

but we also got this:

Illumi keeps calling her "he", and we can’t really check what she was like as a child because her clothes were gender-neutral.

And don’t even get me started on her hair — that’s a trap! Just look at baby Killua, he had hair just as long as hers!

2. Hisoka Morrow

To me, Hisoka is basically a drag queen. I mean, think about it — the guy fights in high heels! That alone is unheard of.

And then there's his body type — it looks a lot like the way women are drawn in manga:

It’s pretty over the top… especially since he wears makeup and crop tops.

And I won’t even talk about Hisogon here, sorry Pdiddy fans.

Also, it’s CANON in the manga that he’s married to Illumi — who is a man — which makes Hisoka a bisexual man (remember Machi?).

3. Pito

In all the stupid debates about HxH (which are super heated and that I often join...), one of the most popular is: Is Pitou male or female?

For those who don’t know HxH, Pitou isn’t human or a cat... Pitou is an ant.

Yes, an ant. (When you really think about it, HxH is pretty weird...)

In the anime, Pitou uses the pronoun “boku”, which is usually used by boys, though some girls use it too, but it’s often seen as a tomboy thing.

Really, it’s all about translation and personal opinion, since in French and English versions, Pitou is called “he.”

For me, Pitou’s a girl — because I think she’s just too badass!

4. Kurapika Kuruta

Like I said earlier, the whole MamaPika thing is really funny, and like in many anime, it all comes down to perspective and culture.

How was I supposed to know???!!!

For example, the very first time I read Hunter x Hunter, at first glance I thought Kurapika was a girl (because of the dress).

But actually, no. I know that in the 1999 anime, the pilot of the Hunter Exam boat hinted at Kurapika being a woman. (I couldn’t find the screenshot, sorry hahaaaa...)

Also, Kurapika uses the pronoun “watashi”, which is gender-neutral, so it’s hard to tell his gender...

And honestly, Kurapika is pretty androgynous!

This might be connected to the Leopika ship, which reminds me of the classic BL Togashi loves, like Patalliro (which I’ll talk about later with Killua).

Here, Bancoran (on the left) and Maraich (on the right) — just to clarify (in case) — both are men.

Leorio and Kurapika

5. Kalluto Zoldyck

Killua’s little brother is the youngest in the family.

And yes, I said “brother” because Kalluto is canonically a boy — only his mother insists he’s a girl (but honestly, everyone in that family is crazy).

I think it’s stated in the Data Book that Kalluto is a boy.

Also, in the 1999 doujinshi Weekly Togashi Empire, Yoshihiro Togashi said that Kalluto was inspired by Hotaru from Sailor Moon (another reference... I guess Togashi and Takeuchi really liked each other).

Hotaru in Sailor Moon

Kalluto in Hunter X Hunter 99

A little side note about her plot: she’s looking for her brother (Killua) to bring him home and play with him.

Bad news for Kalluto — Killua hates her, just like all the other family members except Alluka.

6. Illumi Zoldyck

Looks like we’re going to meet the whole family...!

Illumi is the eldest sibling and follows a strange Japanese tradition where the oldest brother is the head of the family.

Well, it’s true Silva has more authority, but still...

What shampoo do you use, please?

My chapter about him will be short because, honestly, I don’t like him btw ^^

Illumi is married to Hiso-Hiso, so he’s either gay, bi, or something else—I don’t really care.

The only interesting thing about him is his psychopath-level powers.

7.Ging Freecss

Guys, since he apparently impregnated himself, I think Ging Freecss is ArOmAnTiC !!!

Just kidding haha!

Honestly, I think he’s gay because... uh... Pariston?

There’s a really weird tension between them. It’s just… creepy.

Honestly, we don’t care if he’s gay!!!

No, the real problem is his son!!! But how???

There’s actually a theory that Gon doesn’t have a mom. Well, he does, but his mom is Ging.

Sounds weird when you say it like that, but you have to remember HxH is weird anyway, so...

Actually, in Greed Island there’s a VERY special card:

So this card lets anyone get pregnant.

And with all the mysteries around Gon, I think his crazy dad must have tested the card for his game and, well... that’s how Gon was born!

It’s hilarious, but I’ll probably talk more about Gon’s weird birth in another post dedicated just to that.

8. Gon Freecss

My favorite character aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

He’s super cute oh my goooood.

But, uh, the IQ didn’t stick with the brain.

So get this: Gon is so dumb that he can’t even tell the difference between “a date with a girl” (I quote) and just going grocery shopping with his aunt (because his dad went out to get milk lmao).

I have questions about him!!!!!! But not right now, I’ll save them for later (or not).

Most of the fandom thinks Gon is pansexual (yep, I know them all heheeeeeee).

Mostly because he doesn’t care about anything (his best friend is literally an assassin).

And also because... he blushes just as much around girls, boys, and dolphins.

But look at him — he’s just too iNnOcEnT!

Oh wait… wouldn’t that be the ant he decapitated with his own hands???

helppppppppppp

9. This Guy...

What is this help me omg

Okay sooo this is a chimera ant ....

he's in love with another ant so he is ... antsexual ???

10. Another drag queen ( or idk what is this )

11. Morena Prudo

She is so cooooooooooooooooool my favorite antagonist all the time ( false )

I pretty sure that she is lesbian becauz she already kissed females and only females...

Okay this was randomer than my whole life btw

So Morena' pretty strange and intelligent. When she was playing with Borksen she was... evil.

Seriously, I think they’re going to be the new-gen Meruem and Komugi! The way she teases Borksen so much about it being her first kiss makes me pretty skeptical, and I can totally see them trying to destroy the world together lol!

12. Killua Zoldyck

So, this guy is my favorite character!!!! I absolutely love his story—it’s incredibly beautiful!!!

I’m really sorry to my first followers because I know his story is super loved by the community, but I wanted to post this Tumblr as fast as possible, so I’ll develop it more in my next post. Sorry again!!!!!

I’ll try to focus on the most important points without getting sidetracked...

So, Killua Zoldyck, one of the Zoldyck kids (between Milluki and Alluka), and his story is EXTREMELY coded as a gay character, and I’ll try... to prove it to you in just a few lines (and by playing with emotions, as always).

First of all, he runs away from home to take the Hunter Exam, where he meets Gon:

Then they become best friends, blah blah blah, BFFs—nothing really interesting there, honestly...

To understand some things and most of the subtext Togashi scattered throughout his work, you have to dig into hidden info, bad translations, and databooks.

Regarding our young assassin, we’ve been more than spoiled:

Romantic birthdate

Romantic theme music

Character design inspired by boys’ love characters

Reactions heavily inspired by shoujo, and so on

The Birthdate

Killua’s birthdate (July 7, 1986, calculated by myself) perfectly matches the Japanese Star Festival (Tanabata). You should check out the official Killugon video (for French speakers) or Sash Mash (for English speakers) that explain this legend in more detail.

In short, it’s the story of two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, who loved each other so much they neglected their work. Orihime was the daughter of the sky god and worked for him every day weaving without ever seeing anyone. Hikoboshi was a farmer in a village on the other side of the river. The king introduced the farmer to his daughter, they fell in love, blah blah blah—boring and cheesy, but it’ll be useful for the next point.

Very angry about them neglecting their work, the king separated them to punish them, each on one side of the river. The only night they could see each other was July 7. So Orihime waits, and finally comes the awaited day...

Except there’s a problem—she can’t cross the river by herself, so she begged the gods, who sent her some birds to build a bridge.

That’s how they meet every July 7, and that’s why the day is celebrated.

In short (very badly explained), that’s the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.

For HxH fans, despite my messy summary, you probably noticed their story resembles Killugon’s... Let's think aboout how I forced with the word canary... what a coincidence! But it’s not over!

Remember that scene where Killua talks with Meleoron, who worries about him and Gon if they ever have to run away? Killua answers that in the worst case, "they’d both die."

Well, that might sound okay, I’ve seen worse in other anime, but...

That translation is wrong, or rather, it was too difficult to translate and explain to readers without spoiling the subtext. Here’s the Japanese version that I’ll of course translate for you:

In the little panel where he’s supposed to say “we’ll both die” in the English version, in Japanese he actually says: “sayaku shinjuu da na.”

This hits hard for Japanese readers, who are now pretty much convinced that Killua is in love with Gon... For English speakers, that phrase carries a very romantic undertone.

If we were to translate it accurately, it would be something like: “At worst, we’ll commit double suicide.” Yeah — definitely not the same vibe anymore.

So, what is shinjuu? (I’ll keep it brief.) It’s a word that comes up a lot in Japanese literature, especially in romantic contexts. Shinjuu is basically the Japanese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet — a tragic love between two people who can’t be together in life, so they die together in the hope of being reunited in the afterlife. (It’s super heartbreaking, I know, ughhh (╥﹏╥))

That’s why I really don’t think this line was a joke or something to brush off. I believe the author did this intentionally.

Because Killua grew up being told that he’s not allowed to love — that no one would ever love him.

I won’t get into all the details (you’re probably familiar with the series anyway), but the way he’s manipulated and made to fear his own feelings by his family really mirrors how some real-life families reject or even demonize homosexuality.

Then there’s his character design — which is very clearly inspired by Maraich from Patalliro.

Here is Maraich Juschenfe from the manga Patalliro. And yes, he is a man.

By the way, the author even said that Hiei was inspired by a character from Patalliro! and so he even said that killua was inspired by Hiei — which happens to be his favorite manga, and yes... it's a BL.

Mariya Ise's Interview

Mariya Ise is the official Japanese voice actress for Killua. In a 2022 interview (if I’m not mistaken), she responded to a fan’s question:

— (a woman asking): “For those of us who have same gender fiance, we love Killua, we love Gon, we see ourselves in their relationship. So my question is: Do you think Killua is in love with Gon?”

— (Mariya Ise, translated): “Of course he is! I mean... if he wasn’t, why would he go that far for this guy?”

So that’s the point of view of the woman who literally became Killua for years — and worked closely with the anime staff.

Hiroshi Koujina’s statement

In this interview, the director of the 2011 anime, Hiroshi Koujina, says that he sees Gon and Killua as a married couple, with Gon being the impulsive husband and Killua the smart wife who keeps him grounded. (Those are his words, not mine...)

I'm sorry, but I had to cut the article short because of the large number of images...

Anyway, I know I forgot a ton of other characters, and you can remind me of them in the comments. Have a great day, and thank you for reading!

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

Ok so I decided to write some... parody representation of how I felt after years of not paying attention to DC comics:

Me: Ah is so good be back into the comics after a long time! 😊 I hope you didn't make any more dumb decision like the last time I checked... 🤨

DC: yeah welcome back! I think you're going to love the things we've been doing 😇

Me: oh let's see, let's see... What? Tim and Stephanie broke up? Why?😥

DC: eeeehhh... No particular reason 🙂

Me: no reason? There was no reason? Who breaks up for no reason? It's says in a panel he doesn't even know why he did it? 🤨I'm not about to see another disgusting cheating situation like when you destroyed the beautiful Dickory romance when Dick cheated on Kory with Barbara and then gave her an invitation to their wedding that never happened right?😭😠

DC: no, nothing like that and don't judge me, we needed a way to break dickory so dickbabs could happen 🤷

Me: why did you need them to happen anyway? Babs has always been too old for Dick...😬

DC: i know but we aged her down so now is ok 👍😁😇

Me: yeah of course you did...🙄 * Quick check* Was it necessary to make Dick be with so many girls before getting back to Barbara? I'm seeing he was with Kory, then Babs, then a girl with blue hair, then... Huntress?🤦‍♀️ Then he Loses his memory and has a romance with a black girl he dumps after recovering his memories... Ok enough with this manwhore, why the other younger manwhore Broke up with Stephanie?😑

DC: aaaaah it's complicated. 🙃

Me: "complicated", sure...😑 * Keeps looking* oh! He came out as bisexual? 😲Oh I see! So you guys decided to pair him with Kon? Well is a bit sad for Steph but being Kon and the story he has with Tim I suppose is undertandabl...🥺🤔

DC: oh sorry! Is not Kon.🙂

Me: i beg you pardon? 🙃

DC: i said Is not Kon. 🙂

Me: * checks out the guy* oh is true... Kon is not blonde... A blonde dude.... 🤨🤔Oh! Is Cullen Row? Blue bird's brother... Ummmm, Ah! now I get it, yeah I remember how he stated he was gay and very into Tim in his introduction... Well is not Kon but giving the context it could make sense... 🤔 he even got along with Steph... Wait no! Cullen wasn't blonde...

DC: is not Cullen.🙂

Me: Then who is this blonde dude?!🙄😤

DC: im glad you're asking, you're going to love it he is... Bernard!😁

Me:..................???😐

DC: Bernard! 😃

Me: WHO THE FUCK IS BERNARD?🤬

DC: oh come on of course you know who he is, he was Tim's classmate 😌

Me: * Angry checking* uhu... Ummm I see.....................😠This guy is a fucking background character that appeared for the first time in 2004 a few times and then disappeared for years😑

DC: yes but he was our only option... 🙂🤷

Me: no, he wasn't.😑💢

DC: But we couldn't pair him with Superboy it was too risky and only a few people remembers Cullen.🤷

Me: even less people, close to ALMOST NOBODY remembered Bernard 😡😡😡, at least Cullen explicitly stated his gayness for Tim the moment he was introduced and also he is Bluebird's brother, Bernard was just a normal classmate.😑😤

DC: coooome on don't be like that! Just read how they got together, you'll change your mind 😇

Me: why do I doubt that so much?🫩 *checks * wait, Bernard came back after so many years and go together with Tim in ONE especial??😦

DC: not any kind of Special! A LGBTQIA+ pride especial! Ahhh see? we are so inclusive and progressive 😎😎😎 so you can't be angry...

Me: and so unbelievably TACKY and LAZY as FUCK too 🙄🤦‍♀️

DC: but they had a lot of chemistry, people wanted bi representation with a Robin so Tim and Bernard were the best option!🥺

Me: eh no, they aren't 🙎‍♀️. Good representation is always nice but people simply wanted him and Kon to be bisexuals so TimKon would be canon but you just picked up the most cardboard irrelevant background character you could 🙄 and forced them to be together in the most rushed tacky way possible!🫩 You don't just do that in one special issue! You were supposed to reintroduce Bernard in a believable way, make Tim see him again after so many years and start talking, make them have some romantic tension that makes Tim be confused and then let them have a date and you have to visually show us ALL that in more than one issue not just put a text saying: "we reconnected out of no reason and now we have a date" 🤦‍♀️and just show us that date without seeing the process before that. A pride special issue is to create special stories for already established LGBT couples that people know beforehand not to start a new one, because then it feels rushed and out of nowhere!😤😮‍💨

DC: wow how toxic and homophobic you're being...😒

Me: im not sorry to inform you 💢💢 that the "you are just something -ist or something -phobic" card is not working anymore as a shield to cover your ass🤡 from getting criticized for shitty writing bitch 😤😠. Also what the hell did you do with poor Stephanie??🤦‍♀️ What kind of person who has been dumped without a reason and then ghosted for months without explanation and then gets introduced to her new boyfriend of the ex (that dumped and ghosted her) without asking her or warning her says: "I finally meet you!this is the best day ever!"???? 🫠🫠🫠 Check this shit twice before saying something so cringe and degrading is cute and wholesome 🤮🤮🤮. Who wrote that? A 13 years old Wattpad writter fujoshi? 🤡🤡🤡

DC: in my defense we couldn't risk making Stephanie look homophobic 🙂🤷

Me: being angry or sad that your ex boyfriend that dumped you and ghosted you has a new boyfriend that he introduces you without warning is not homophobic🤡, is a basic normal human reaction after been treated like shit, damnit!🙄😤

DC: yeaaaah but it was a pride issue so it had to have a happy ending, we couldn't have a heartbroken Stephanie...😇😇😇

Me: so you just gaslight readers trying to convince us that cringe "happy" reaction is normal and totally on character.💢🤨

DC: come on, don't be mad we still have a bisexual superboy too!😅😀

Me: i don't see what's the point of confirming Kon's bisexuality if you weren't going to pair him with Tim...🫩

DC: oh no no we don't mean THAT Superboy😬

Me: what do you mean not THAT 🤨 Superboy the only other superboy is a just little kid...

DC: ehhh about that...🙂

Me: no... No you didn't... * Checks * oh you fucking did it YOU BASTARDS!🤬🤬🤬

DC: why are you angry? we gave the fans a half gay superboy like they wanted!🤗

Me: YOU GOT THE WRONG SUPERBOY ASSHOLES!🤬🤬🤬 JON WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CUTE BABY SUPERBOY AND YOU FORCED HIM TO GROW UP UNNATURALLY AND ROBBED HIS CHILDHOOD! No to mention that it looks like you basically casted Kon aside to favor one superboy over other 🙎‍♀️💢

DC: calm down calm down!!! Look! Is not that bad... He even has his own boyfriend and this one has superpowers!😃😃

Me: * furiously checks* .....I see, a half Asian guy with a hell ugly pink haircut and very unflattering glasses that casually wants to be a journalist and is "superfan" of Lois lane... So superboy is with a journalist like his dad, so he is just a copy-paste of his dad... 🫩🫩🫩

DC: yeah but more progressive!😃

Me: and he never has to worry that much about his love because this ugly hair dude Jay has the power of intangibility so nothing can touch him.🫩🫩🫩

DC: isn't he super great??😃😃

Me: you know? Bisexual representation isn't that hard to make, you just need to take the character and make it blush or flirt with women and men. You don't need to break up his current relationship with a girl and made writing gymnastics 🤡🤡🤡 to put him with a random boy to prove his bisexuality (unless you pair him with the actual boy people wanted).Seriously, blush around both sexes! People get it! People isn't dumb! 🙄🙄🙄

DC: well what's donde is done 🤷

Me: Ok,this is giving me a headache... Let's see what else you screwed...

DC: you're are being dramatic we are not that bad 😒😒

Me: we'll see about that... Oh Helena?? Helena Wayne??😍 In the main canon?? But not from other universe but from the main universe future????? She is main canon now?? Omg omg omg!! 🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳

DC: see? I'm glad you're happy😁

Me: yaaaiiiii...😆 * Keeps reading*😶😐 eh... That's not the reunion with Batman I expected...☹️ I mean he has been cold before but that was with a Helena from another universe, this one is actually her daughter... He casted her away???😠😠😠😠

DC: yeah you know Batman, he is complicated and her existence could mess with the future 🙂

Me: but her future has been erased,😠 she erased her future and became a living paradox to save Batman's, her FATHER'S life!!😫 Why is he such a jerk??😤 This is his biological daughter with the love of his life!! Grumpy as he is this is too much!😤😤

DC: nah still in character 🙂

Me: aaaaaaaarrrrjjjjj well I'll just wait to see how is her reunion with her mom and her siblings...😑

DC: oh yeah about that... 🙃

Me: what now?🫩

DC: sorry that's not going to happen😅🤷

Me:....Why exactly is not going to happen?💢💢😬

DC: well, bringing her to the main canon was more of a mess than we thought so... We send her to a more advanced future... Yeah now she can't actually meet the whole bat family, that would be too messy... Sawwwrry 😘😘

Me: you are so the fucking worst! So you made her exist in the main canon but she can't stay with her family???🤯 You made her exist just to make Batman be a fucking cold asshole with her after she saved his life and showed him how much she loves him and then throw her away in another future so Batman can pretend she never happened???🤬🤬🤬 Do you understand Helena Wayne was created before Damian Wayne right?😤😤 I don't care if in the main canon she would actually be a little sister but this disrespect to the first remarkable biological child Batman had is outrageous! How did Alfred allowed this!?😠😠

DC: oh uhhh well...😬😅

Me: wait, now that I mentioned him, where is Alfred? I didn't see him in the recent comics...🤨

DC: je je well, you see... It looks like you skipped an important arc to understand what's happening...🙂 You would have noticed if you didn't stop looking at Dicks story...

Me: hey, you are scaring me... Why is not Alfred on the recent comics... What happened in that arc?😰😰

DC:........😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

Me: * checks very afraid* eh? Oh, no... Nononono NO wait... This isn't happening...🥲🥲🥲 You didn't right? This is a joke...🫠🫠🫠

DC: yeah well, no it isn't sawwrry 🥺🤷

Me: you just didn't fucking killed Alfred, he is coming back right? HE IS COMING BACK! Omg... Dick didn't have his memories back when he died...😰 Bane snapped his neck in front of Damian...😨 This is beyond cruel😭😭, you have to resuscitate him! YOU HAVE TO!😭🤬🤬

DC:.....🙃

Me: you listen to me I don't care if you use a magic wishing lamp or if Deadpool himself walks backwards on the comic pages and cuts Bane's head snd hands to save Alfred but you're going to REVIVE ALFRED!👹👹👹🔥🔥🔥

DC:ummmm......NOPE 🙂‍↔️🤪 * smoke bomb*

Me: YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!🤬🤬🤬 THAT'S IT, MAIN CANON HAS OFFICIALLY BECAME IRRELEVANT, YOU HEAR ME?💢💢💢ALFRED WAS UNTOUCHABLE AND YOU CROSSED THE LINE! MAIN CANON IS OFFICIALLY BULLSHIT,🔥🔥 NOTHING HAPPENING AFTER HIS DEATH COUNTS FOR ANYTHING... YOU SON OF A BITCH GET BACK HERE AND FIX THIS DISASTER!👹👹👹🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

YOU RUINED THE COMICS!!

[thememoryofthatday]

A few miles from my house, there is a church where I take my daughter to get pumpkins every fall. As an atheist, I normally don't support churches, but this one doesn't bother me. My husband and I call it the gay church because they proudly fly a bunch of LGBTQIA+ flags out front, and their slogan is "A Place Where All Are Welcome." Their pumpkin patch proceeds don't go to missionary work; they go to supporting homeless teens and other actual charitable causes.

When we first moved here, the gay church would host various fundraisers for those charitable causes. One of these events was a family-friendly drag bingo night. Remember not too long ago how there was a big push by conservative groups to ban drag shows all over the USA? The gay church got caught up in that, suddenly becoming a target for far-right protests.

By some weird chance, I didn't drive past the gay church the day it happened. I drive past it most days, so I was surprised the next day when I saw the news. Neo-Nazi groups, including the Proud Boys, Patriot Front, and the Aryan Freedom Network came out to protest this tiny little church where we buy our pumpkins. Many of them were armed with assault rifles; some waved Nazi flags and gave Nazi salutes. Counter-protesters stood in front of the church with signs and pride flags, too. Police in riot gear had to keep them apart.

The local news reported that the two sides were at odds over "providing a safe place for all" vs. "advocating for children in the community," which is an absurd way of putting it, but sure. What struck me most about the reports, though, was not that they ignored the presence of the Nazi groups or carefully edited their footage to avoid showing any swastikas that were present. It was the non-Nazi protesters who came out to picket the church, themselves representing churches or other religious groups. Those protesters complained about being grouped in with the Nazis, whom they found despicable, and it made me laugh because... I mean, you chose your side of the street, didn't you? You might not be able to control who else was on that side, but you sure as hell had control over whether or not to join them.

That's how I feel about the people who voted for Trump in this election (and the last one, and the one before that). Trump himself has told us that there are very fine people on both sides, and to be honest, I kind of understand that. Everyone wants to think of themselves as a good person; even those who don't think they're particularly good still think they're at least right in their beliefs about the world. Everyone is the protagonist of their own life story, and few ever think of themselves as being on the wrong side of anything.

Maybe most of those Trump voters are very polite. Maybe they love animals and do charitable work and donate to causes that those of us on the political left would happily donate to. Maybe they make the best brownies you've ever had and always tip well. Maybe they're friendly with their neighbors even though their neighbors are immigrants. Maybe they are immigrants themselves.

But whatever else they might be, they picked their side, and it wasn't the side of inclusion or kindness. They crossed the street and stood next to the Nazis.

So to all the very fine people out there who voted for Trump, whether you did it because you sincerely believe that public schools are performing sex-change operations on children or whether you just wanted another fucking tax cut, recognize that you banded together with the worst elements of our society in order to achieve your goal. We on the left get taken to task for lumping you in with Nazis, but you lumped yourself in with them by choice. The Nazis are celebrating right now because of the decision you made. They couldn't have won without you.

Go sit in that for a while.

[heathersdesk]

Our lesson in Relief Society today was on Words Matter by Ronald A. Rasband. It was taught by our Relief Society president.

One of the sisters brought up a conversation she had with her daughter about pronouns, being confused about it, and trying to understand and ask questions. She talks about her relationship with her daughter a lot and how she wants to understand and love her as her daughter navigates her place in the world. When her mother was trying to understand how to decouple personal pronouns from a person's genitalia, that this isn't how pronoun choices work, her daughter took offense and shut down the conversation.

It's a one-sided version of the story, of course. My sense, however, from hearing this Sister speak many times is that she leans towards more inclusion, rather than less. I think it's reasonable to think she was trying to understand and doesn't know how to have the conversation.

The Relief Society president, trying not to give space for any disagreement or contention on the subject, said she didn't want to dig deeper into that complex subject in that moment, but that we as members should always do our best not to give or take offense.

It's a difficult subject in a lesson full of grandmothers, which was the primary audience here. Distilling down pronoun use into the invitation not to give or take offense, especially when handling new and unfamiliar subjects, is probably what they were most prepared to receive in that moment. And I deeply appreciate how well our Relief Society president handled the situation.

Never take for granted what others in your church congregations understand, or assume they don't have a desire to understand. There are those who want to understand, and who will bring incorrect understanding they've absorbed throughout life and need guidance on how to understand correctly. They may use verbiage and ask questions now considered offensive. They're more open to correction than you might realize. And if they can't go to you to obtain that understanding, you leave them to go elsewhere to obtain it.

Never be so quick to correct and take offense that you squander an opportunity to create understanding. Imagine if this Sister had been able to say that even if you don't understand someone's pronouns, respecting what someone wants to be called is a kind thing to do. Instead, she came to us with questions that couldn't fully be answered in that moment.

Nevertheless, I appreciate that a Sister was able to bring this subject to a discussion to get guidance, and she got something of worth. The Relief Society president may or may not know the intricacies of gender in the LGBTQIA+ community, but she understands kindness. She understands the importance of creating unity for those who think and feel differently on a variety of subjects. I was deeply impressed by how masterfully she handled this.

Trust the capacity of Sisters in your wards and branches to be wise and loving, caring and kind. Trust them to be capable of preserving dignity and respect in our meetings. And trust that they receive revelation in difficult moments and on sensitive subjects in the moments when they're needed, exactly as they're needed.

[dropintomanga]

You Can Learn Something from Banned Manga

For those who haven't heard, Sho Harusono's Sasaki and Miyano got banned in the state of Florida because a parent didn't want their child exposed to LGBTQIA material at a public school out of fear of exposure to porn. This ban got a lot of attention from the manga and education worlds because one misinformed parent's words suddenly became statewide authority - which is nutty as the parent only read the description and based their decision off of that.

If you've read the manga and/or watched the anime, you know that this series is pretty wholesome. BL stories are fun to read, like Sasaki says. So why does it matter, right?

That made me think about the Florida government right now. They have shown how anti-LGBQTIA they are with their "Don't Say Gay" mantra. There has been pushback against their policies, but it's sad to see what the state is like now. There are still parts of the state that are trying to quell anything related to LGBTQIA topics.

I think back to something I listened to in 2019 about Americans accepting gay marriage. Gay rights advocates pitched the idea that gay couples are just like heterosexual couples. They valued love and commitment and family. Linking those common values allowed for greater acceptance of gay marriage. The podcast talked about anti-gay bias has dropped considerably over the past two decades.

But here we are now. A big reason why Florida is falling down the cracks is because it's being driven by organized religion in a very conservative sense of the word. They think "left-wing rhetoric" will ruin society. About Sasaki and Miyano, it's about two young men who are trying to find themselves in an all-boys school. It's about the two of them learning what does love truly entail and how it's not always constrained by sexual/gender norms. More importantly, it's about two teens who are gaining agency without being bound by authority. The beauty about BL stories is that they're often written as a ways to express oneself against an authority that thinks sexual relations should be heteronormative.

The freedom to express yourself with no qualms is frightening to those who want to control others' ways of thinking. America, to be honest, loves to emphasis strict control in a Puritanical sense in the guise of freedom. Their whole history has been linked to organized religion in awful ways. I think some people really don't want to think for themselves because TRUE freedom is scary when you have only yourself to rely on.

And we still have so much trouble talking about sex of any kind here.

In any case, we have to fight against unjust bans of books of all kinds because books are kind of a last bastion against poor education. There's bad influences that want us to be unable to criticize anything that puts people in harm's way. They want people to fight each other via discrimination tactics as a distraction from serious issues caused by poor institutional oversight.

If you haven't read Sasaki and Miyano, go read it. I I love the relationship dynamics between all the characters. I love the humor. I like how the story is about learning how to slowly embrace your weak side with confidence in order to gain the love you need. Reading is fun. Manga is fun. People have fun enjoying these types of stories.

If someone of a certain community wants to ban fun that enriches lives because their definition of fun doesn't match, that's a community no one should be a part of.

What I got from reading a banned manga wasn't pornographic. What I got was a message that while we've come a long way, the fight for marginalized groups and feelings to exist is never truly over. We all got to be like Sasaki and stand up for our Miyanos in the best way we can.