#but the implications are gay nonetheless

[chirpsythismorning]

The main cast getting gitty and excited over the prospects of ST5 having a satisfying ending, and Winona mentioning the ending of Schitt’s Creek specifically as what they’d hope to shoot for similarly, Sadie and Gaten agreeing like YES LIKE SCHITT’S CREEK, Finn cutting in like yeah we’re the Schitt’s Creek of Netflix with Noah looking excited but visibly nervous, all while Brett cackles and David is just going 🤠☝️in the background, is all the byler endgame evidence I’ll ever need.

[yngsuk]

When a straight man lashes out after dating or having sex with a trans woman, he is often afraid of the implication that his sexuality is joined to hers. When a gay man anxiously keeps trans women out of his activism or social circles, he is often fearful of their common stigma as feminine. And when a non-trans feminist claims she is erased by trans women’s access to a bathroom, she is often afraid that their shared vulnerability as feminized people will be magnified intolerably by trans women’s presence. In each case, trans misogyny displays a fear of interdependence and a refusal of solidarity. It is felt as a fear of proximity. Trans femininity is too sociable, too connected to everyone—too exuberant about stigmatized femininity—and many people fear the excess of trans femininity and sexuality getting too close. But sociability can never be confined or blamed on one person in a relationship; it’s impersonal, and it sticks to everyone. The defensive fear and projection built into trans misogyny, whether genuine or performed, is an attempt to wish away what it nonetheless recognizes: that trans femininity is an integral part of the social fabric. There will be no emancipation for anyone until we embrace trans femininity’s centrality and value.

Jules Gill-Peterson, A Short History of Trans Misogyny

[librarycards]

Spanning nearly two centuries of global history, the basic pattern of trans misogyny is much older than TERFs, or right-wing Christians, and extremely consistent. Trans misogyny is not a mere psychological and irrational hatred of trans women. In fact, trans misogyny as a concept helps explain how individuals, or interpersonal violence, can act on behalf of the state or other abstract political movements. At the interpersonal scale, however, trans misogyny testifies to the uncomfortable thickness of social bonds across hierarchies of gender, class, and race. When a straight man lashes out after dating or having sex with a trans woman, he is often afraid of the implication that his sexuality is joined to hers. When a gay man anxiously keeps trans women out of his activism or social circles, he is often fearful of their common stigma as feminine. And when a non-trans feminist claims she is erased by trans women’s access to a bathroom, she is often afraid that their shared vulnerability as feminized people will be magnified intolerably by trans women’s presence. In each case, trans misogyny displays a fear of interdependence and a refusal of solidarity. It is felt as a fear of proximity. Trans femininity is too sociable, too connected to everyone –– too exuberant about stigmatized femininity –– and many people fear the excess of trans femininity and sexuality by getting too close. But sociability can never be confined or blamed on one person in a relationship; it's impersonal, and it sticks to everyone.

The defensive fear and projection build into trans misogyny, whether genuine or performed, is an attempt to wish away what it nonetheless recognizes: that trans femininity is an integral part of the social fabric. There will be no emancipation for anyone until we embrace trans femininity's centrality and value.

Jules Gill-Peterson, A Short History of Trans Misogyny.

[baeddling]

"Spanning nearly two centuries of global history, the basic pattern of trans misogyny is much older than TERFs, or right-wing Christians, and extremely consistent. Trans misogyny is not a mere psychological and irrational hatred of trans women. In fact, trans misogyny as a concept helps explain how individuals, or interpersonal violence, can act on behalf of the state or other abstract political movements. At the interpersonal level, however, trans misogyny testifies to the uncomfortable thickness of social bonds across hierarchies of gender, class, and race. When a straight man lashes out after dating or having sex with a trans woman, he is often afraid of the implication that his sexuality is joined to hers. When a gay man anxiously keeps trans women out of his activism or social circles, he is often fearful of their common stigma as feminine. And when a non-trans feminist claims she is erased by trans women's access to a bathroom, she is often afraid that their shared vulnerability as feminized people will be magnified intolerably by trans women's presence. In each case trans misogyny displays a fear of interdependence and a refusal of solidarity. Trans femininity is too sociable, too connected to everyone - too exuberant about stigmatized femininity - and many people fear the excess of trans femininity and sexuality getting too close. But sociability can never be confined or blamed on one person in a relationship; it's interpersonal, and it sticks to everyone.

The defensive fear and projection built into trans misogyny, whether genuine or performed, is an attempt to wish away what it nonetheless recognizes: that trans femininity is an integral part of the social fabric. There will be no emancipation for anyone until we embrace trans femininity's centrality and value."

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

God that whole "all conspiracy theories go back to antisemitism" even hits gaylors wtf...

genuinely in all seriousness one of the biggest reasons I'm so opposed to Gaylors as a whole doesn't have anything to do with Taylor Swift or gay rep or anything else, it's because it's an insidiously harmless-looking thing to believe on the surface that is, nonetheless, still teaching people to engage in conspiracy thought. once you're primed to accept one conspiracy, no matter how benign, it becomes much easier to swallow other, much more harmful ones. so "I think Taylor Swift is secretly queer" turns into "and I think rich Jews are manipulating her into staying in the closet," a theory that very few Gaylors seem to want to interrogate the implications of despite many of them leaning generally to the left and being opposed to bigotry on paper.

[zer0brainc3lls]

My compass: Chapter 1

masterlist

Story summary: Thomas has finally made it to the right arm, but to his shock and dismay Teresa has revealed their location to Wicked. in the crossfire Newt gets kidnapped by Wicked. will Thomas be able to save him and figure out their complicated relationship? or will Newt never return and will Thomas be left yearning for his "best friend" to return?

Chapter summary: Newt gets a bit of spotlight, Thomas being a gay confused mess, Minho being shocked and Thomas's idiocy and helping him out! (also Thomas and Minho acting like brothers because their friendship is so so important to me) DISCLAIMER: THERE IS A PROLOGUE BEFORE THIS. GO TO THE BOTTOM FOR A LINK

TW LIST: mentions of torture, detail about the results of said torture, implications of depression, canon typical violence. (if i missed any let me know)

Genre: canon divergence (what if Newt was taken instead of Minho?), Friends to Lovers, Angst

Word count: 4.4k

Newt remembers when he first was taken, how it felt as if his soul buzzed along with his nerves as he dropped to the floor when he was hit with that stun gun. The moment he felt uncaring hands grab the sleeves of his jacket he knew, in that moment, he was dead. Even if his heart kept beating and he could still feel the sweat that beat down his forehead he was dead, he is dead in every sense of the word. His life ended the moment he saw Thomas's blurry figure disappear behind the berg doors, his only connection to him and everyone he has ever cared about remaining in a white piece of cloth tied around his wrist. 

Newt remembers putting up a fight. Thrashing and fighting against the soldiers when he could finally feel his legs again, he put up a fight when the soldiers dragged him from the berg and back to the wicked facility he, Thomas and his friends had escaped not even a week prior. The despair that made his bones feel heavy returning like an old friend, enemy? How the days slowly began to blur, hours and days feeling like a montage of a fucked up version of groundhog day. 

Newt slowly but surely became dehumanized. Everyone around him referring to him as “subject” “immune” or “A5” if he got lucky. The last time Newt felt human was when Thomas's hand brushed against his shoulder, the final act of kindness from another, from him, before he was forced to his knees and in a way, never rose back to his feet. 

Shackles that were once cold around Newts wrists have now adapted to his body heat, once a painful but nonetheless a relief from the heat of the stuffy train that reeks of BO now just another solemn reminder he's nothing but a farm animal to his captives. The train rocks in a way Newt would imagine a mother would rock a child to sleep, but Wicked took away any opportunity to even be able to grasp what that would feel like, so this rocking train taking him to yet another palace of blood taking and shocks from tasers might be the closest thing he’ll ever get to that. The journey provides temporary relief from barking soldiers and whimpering children. 

Newt almost didn't pick up on the sound against the rattling of the train, or maybe he didn't believe it. But the sound of a car roaring next to the train was unmistakable, undeniable. Especially when his head wasn't the only to turn, clarifying he hadn't finally lost his marbles. He goes to touch the white cloth that now is used as a bandana, but the shackles stop him. He stopped wearing the cloth around his wrist long ago when he realized cloth and shackles, handcuffs, rope or whatever Wicked wants to restrain him with, don't usually mix well. Plus any hair in his eyes is never good, distracts him. No distraction these days besides the ones his mind takes him to is ever good.

As if on cue his mind pulls him away from the train car and to a memory he has visited many times before. 

“Hey Newt what did you get on the supply run?” Tommy asks, swinging his pack into his lap as he sits next to Newt up against the wall of an old rickety building. The other gladers all spread around the broken room.

“Give me your jacket.” Newt says, extending his hand out. Thomas raises a brow but hands Newt his jacket without hesitation, his pale but strong arms coming into view. “I didn't find much today..” - Newt begins, placing Tommy’s jacket in his lap before placing his pack on top of it. - “just y’know water bottles and such” - Newt waves a hand near his head gesturing as he speaks, pulling out two water bottles. One slightly squashed and covered in sand, only about half of the water left. The other was much cleaner, and filled to the top. 

Thomas’s eyes follow Newt's hands, if anyone else was looking at his hands like that he would be quite surprised. But this subconscious gesture has been the norm since he arrived up in the box, What's with him and bloody hands? “Buttt i managed to find this ripped up dress!” - Newt pulls out a white dress covered in small red flowers, the top completely mangled to bits but the long skirt seems strong enough. 

“What, you gonna make me wear it?” Thomas asks, chuckling. His mostly white teeth glimmering in the harsh sun, years of pampering from Wicked showing. Despite this his smile is no less enchanting.

“Slim it you!” - Newt says with a smile, whacking Tommy in the arm. - “and no I'm not! Your jacket has no pockets. You notice that smartass?” Newt places his pack beside him, gesturing for Thomas to look at his own jacket while Newt rummages around in his bag for a sewing kit he also found. 

“So? I have pants! And what does that have to do with-”

“Shhhh! I'm not done!” Tommy closed his mouth with his hands fiddling in his lap, a habit Newt had picked up on despite only knowing him for about a week. His large brown eyes filled with a curiosity, a curiosity Newt admired. 

“I'm gonna sew you a secret pocket, like some bloody super spy or something. Since you’ve always got something up your sleeves may as well have stuff in your jacket!” Newt realized at that moment that maybe Tommy didn't want Newt messing with his jacket as his eyes went wide, his chocolatey gaze locked on his lean fingers. “Unless you don't want-” 

“You can sew?” The question comes as a little bit of a shock to Newt as most gladers can at least fix holes in clothes with little to no problems, Thomas wasn't in the glade long enough to pick up the skill Newt guesses. 

“Well when you aren't running around fighting grievers sewing is a useful skill in the glade Tommy!” 

Thomas hums quietly as if in a trance, Newt uses his machete to cut a long piece of cloth off, throwing the rest of the mangled useless dress to the side. Cutting a small piece from the strip of fabric he now has and gets to sewing, despite the fact Tommy could be off doing anything else, he instead, leans against Newt's arm and watches as Newt sews on the jacket pocket. Once Newt finishes he ties the rest of the fabric to his wrist. 

“since you're a klutz you’ll probably tear it wont ya tommy?” Newt says softly, turning to face Thomas who was already looking at him. 

“NEWT?!” 

Huh? That's not-

“NEWT!!!!” Newt is pulled from his daydream, was he? No one has called him by his real name since.. His eyes flick to the sound of banging against the train car which he now notice’s has come to a stop. “NEWT ARE YOU IN THERE?!” his voice shouts, desperation and impatience in his tone. Thomas tone. 

“TOMMY?!” He shrieks, it can't be- no way. He looks crazy responding to what is most likely a hallucination but he doesn't care, Thomas should be in the safe haven but he holds onto desperate hope. Newt notices as other kids look at each other and begin to shout and thrash around, it's real. Tommy has come for him. 

“NEWT I'M COMING TO GET YOU ALRIGHT?! JUST HANG IN THERE!! KEEP SHOUTING!!!” A shaky breath escapes his chapped bleeding lips, his eyes widen with real raw emotion except anger since he was taken. Relief. Pure relief at the sound of his voice, tears that aren't of pain flood his eyes and a smile that shows his teeth to anyone who turns to face him. After a moment's daze he takes a deep breath and proceeds to scream his guts out, in between unintelligible screams he would shout out Tommys name. And every so often, he would hear Thomas shouting. 

“MINHO C’MON GET HIM OUT OF THERE!!” of course Minho had tagged along, his smiles grew wider at the thought.

All of Thomas’s shouts and yells were of the same sort, insisting they had to hurry or words of encouragement to others or Newt himself. Newt heard shouts of other children, the sounds of bullets chinking against metal or the sounds of shackles clashing together, especially his own. But none of that matters except the sound of Tommy's voice, his system went into overdrive with positive emotion and through screams he caught himself laughing. Actually laughing. 

-

About an hour later he was still in shackles, no emotion in his body as he sat on his knees against sandy ground. Would he ever feel again? Will Thomas come back? Why Newt did not consider that a possibility before, he’ll never know because of course Tommy would come for him. That stupid reckless shank and his “no one left behind” complex despite the danger or recklessness of a rescue, he will always follow suit. 

Despite the emptiness in his chest, tears fall down into the sandy ground, a wet puddle below him. The shackles on his wrist somehow grew heavier when he realized Thomas got a different train car. The metal digs into his skin, his skin red and raw as it has been many times before in the past.. Oh god when was he taken? 

“Oh no, they're not going anywhere.” Janson's voice makes his stomach drop, the emptiness leaving his bones replaced with rage. Newt looks up at the Ratman with bloodshot eyes and shaky hands.

“Tommy didn't get what he really wanted, did he?” The Ratman taunts, the anger in Newt’s bones makes it to his throat and eventually drips on his tongue. 

“Don't call him that.” He spat, he braced his body for the inevitable. He scrunches his eyes closed as the Ratman raises a hand..

-

The journey from the train tracks back to the right arm's new base may have been the longest period of time in Thomas's life, his back pressed against the top metal of the train car, listening to the loud buzz of the berg above, willing it silently to go faster. The hot sun burning into his skin had no effect on him anymore, not that anything so small could have any effect on him at this moment. Or ever again, because Newt was alive. He was ok. 

Newt’s voice ringing in his ears, hearing his thick accent call him tommy made his heart swell with a feeling he could only describe as floating. Minho lay next to him, a smile beaming as bright as the sun. was Minho floating to? He must be, Newt has that effect after all. Thomas’s hands lay on his stomach, his thumb nail digging into the others cuticles in impatience. Newt would probably scold him for his bleeding fingers and Thomas can't help but sigh at the thought.

“Can you believe Thomas? We did it. We actually saved him!” Minho exclaims, his head rolling against the metal to face him. Thomas turned his head to look at him, Minho's face slightly red and peeling with sunburn. 

“It's so weird.. He's right there!” Thomas says breathlessly, as if, if he spoke too loudly Newt would disappear from the train car. 

“No more late nights for you then!” Minho jokes, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Or sunburns for you!” Thomas bites back, flicking Minho's cheek. Minho hisses and puts his palm on Thomas’s face, shoving him away. Thomas shrieks and props himself up on his elbows to stabilize himself as if he would fall off the metal train car, despite Minho's shove being nothing but light. 

“Dude i could’ve fallen off!!” Thomas whines, shooting Minho a dirty look. 

“Wa wa cry about it ya big baby!” Minho says obliviously, propping himself up on his elbows to look at Thomas. Thomas smirks and Minho's face drops slightly.

“I see Brenda’s having an effect-”

“Slim it or I'll actually push you off!”

-

The moment the metal train car begins to lower Thomas and Minho are sat next to the ladder watching the ground coming closer agonizingly slow. They both came to an agreement that Minho would slide down the ladder, go get the saw to open the door and Thomas gets to walk into the train car first. The moment the ground and train car come into contact Minho has thrown himself down the ladder and doesn't even use his feet, and instead uses his hands to lower himself, bending his knees as he drops to the ground and breaking off into a run towards the nearest building for the saw. 

Thomas put his foot on the first rail of the ladder, then the second one and just jumped mirrored Minho out of impatience, bending his knees as he fell. By the time he ran to the entrance of the train car Minho was already back, using the saw against the metal door. Causing a loud whirring sound to scrap against Thomas’s brain, the longing in his chest unbearable as the seconds ticked by. After what seemed to be the longest 5 seconds of his life the door swung open and Thomas practically fell inside, 

Thomas sucked in a quick breath of shock at the sight of the immunes. 

Thomas knows who Wicked are and what they do to immunes but seeing it right in front of him made his nerves fire up in rage, the teens and children on the train car practically skin and bone, the life sucked out of them. Their skin was pale and sickly as if the sun had never grazed their skin, most adoring dark eye bags and some bloodshot eyes. Thomas slowly walked down the aisle of chairs and about three rows down sat Aris and Sonya, them being in such a brittle state shocked him despite the fact all the immunes looked to be on their last legs. 

“Hey! Hey, you guys ok?” he asks, keeping his voice as low as he can. His hand on Aris’s shoulder, Aris simply just nods while Sonya mumbles 

“Yeah we're fine.”

Thomas’s eyes land on Aris’s face, one of his eyes sporting a deep dark ring of purple. 

“Jesus..” His words escape his lips in a breath as he continues to walk between trembling kids, his eyes scanning for long golden hair. His eyes landed on hands searching for anyone with white cloth tied to their wrists. Would Newt have the cloth anymore? Or would’ve Wicked taken away their final connection? Well he supposes it doesn't matter too much anymore since he's here. 

…

Thomas gets to the end of the train car and turns around, his eyes flicking across the crowd once more as if somehow he would've missed the blonde. His eyes locked with Minho, His eyes somehow darkened a shade once he saw the realization on Thomas's face. 

“He's not here..” His words come out as a shaky exhale, somewhere in the back of his mind he thought Minho might scold him for being stupid and point out where Newt was. His childish wish was not granted as Minho’s head dropped slightly to the ground, avoiding Thomas's gaze. 

-

Thomas had to go alone. Thomas dawned upon this realization the moment Vince rejected his plan, the small sliver in rationality Thomas has left understands why Vince wont charge with him against Wicked guns ablaze. But a large part of him doesn't care. Vince? No vince? He's going. Fuck Thomas would walk to the last city if thats what he had to do. Admittedly Thomas doesn't have much of a plan but he can figure that out along the way he supposes, he just has to get Newt back. No matter the cost. 

His mind swirls in thought as he lays in his hammock, hands on his stomach. The sounds of soft whispers and the occasional giggle forcing his legs to stay put. Even if anyone is suspicious of him he’ll be long gone by morning, he considered bringing Minho. He really did but the mission is dangerous, he can't ask Minho to put his life on the line to rescue someone who's only gone because of his inability to recognize when someone clearly cannot be trusted. How did he not see it? How did he not know from the moment Teresa suggested to go back she would pull something? If he just spoke up and said something maybe his- 

…

Thomas decides at that moment he hates the word friend. He has many people who he would consider a friend, Vince, Harriet, Frypan, Brenda, Aris, Sonya and even Minho despite the fact he's more of a brother than a friend. But for Newt that's not enough to describe the way he cares about him. They certainly are nowhere near close to brothers but something entirely different, that mere thought alone makes his stomach twist with nausea. Thomas cares about Newt in a way he cant and wont care about anyone else, his comforting words affect him in a way no one else ever has, the way his chest swelled at the sound of his voice in a way he doesnt think a simple word could describe. He’d kick down the doors of Wicked headquarters just to see him. 

His brain flicks away from the thought of golden hair once he realizes the room has fallen quiet, he very, to his dismay, slowly pulls himself up and out of his hammock, quietly swinging his bag onto his back and creeping out of the room as to not wake anyone. 

His feet carry him mindlessly down hallways and through doors, the thought of lean arms and a thick accent making the journey not as guilt ridden he thought it would be. His eyes scan the floor as he walks outside to the trucks, the concrete silent against his soft feet. He looks up to the truck and his eyes pull open, the sight almost making him stumble back.

Instead of a lonely truck in the darkness of night he sees a very, very angry Minho leaning up against it, a lamp switched on making his scowl that much harder to ignore. Thomas thinks that even if he was turned around he would feel the hard gaze and know who it belongs to.

“Thomas.” 

“Minho.”

“Don't give me that! Acting as if I'm the one not supposed to be out here!” He uses his foot to kick himself off the car, marching forward to stand in front of Thomas, arms crossed. 

“How DARE you-”  Minho goes to poke Thomas in the chest before Thomas swiftly wacks his hand away. 

“You couldn't ask you to do this Minho!”

“Oh really? Why is that? Enlighten me!”

“We both know why!!” Thomas protests, feeling small under Minho's eyes, does Minho blame him like how he blames himself?

“No really I don't. And honestly Thomas? Im really fucking offended. I get you.. Care about Newt but I care about him too!” wait what? What is he talking about? Thomas’s mind spins in confusion at the implications of Minho’s tone, before he gets the chance to process what the hell Minho is spitting at him Minho sighs and regains his composure, placing his hands on Thomas’s shoulders, bringing him back to the weight of his bag and the harshness that no longer stabs him in Minho’s eyes. Minho’s gaze turns from harsh to kind, inviting..? No. more.. insisting on Thomas to speak. 

“We both know it's my fault he's even gone in the first place. I couldn't ask you to-” 

“What.” Minho says with an anger Thomas has never heard before.

“Basically join me in a- what?”

“What are you talking about.” 

“Y’know.. If I had not trusted.. her.. Newt wouldn't be..” Thomas waves his hand, refusing to actually voice the fact Newt is not present. 

“Are you dumb?” 

“What?!” 

“Thomas.” Minho’s eyes turn very serious, his voice steady. “If you ever say that again I will slap you so hard across the face you will see into your next life. You got that?” Thomas’s bites on his tongue, swallowing any protest along with it knowing Minho would absolutely follow through on his words. 

The darkness in Minho’s eyes dissipates once Thomas gives him a slow nod, patting him on the shoulder and shooting him a smile. 

-

Eventually, Thomas, Minho and Fry were all on the road, Thomas taking the front seat while Fry drives and Minho sleeps in the back, body draped across the seats in a way Thomas is sure wouldn’t have been legal centuries ago. Eventually Minho will swap out with Frypan since Thomas's driving abilities are.. Not the best. 

Thomas shut his eyes a while ago attempting to get some shut eye, listening to the quiet purr of the engine and the darkness of the truck making his eyes heavy, to his annoyance his brain won't allow him to sleep no matter how hard he tries. His mind buzzing with confusion.

“I get you.. Care about Newt-” the silence between the words and how he said it made him want to shake the boy awake and demand to know what the hell he was talking about, because what else could his tone be implying? And if Thomas's assumptions were right, what made Minho think that? Sure the blonde captivated him but is that not just the effect he has? It's not like he had a clear example of the line between friendship and.. What Minho was saying. So how the hell was he supposed to tell what he felt?! Couldn't this all be chalked up to just missing Newt?!

Thomas felt his body tilt to the side as Fry pulled off to the side of the road. He heard Minho grumble and presumably stretch his arms above his head to crack his shoulders as he always does, the car comes to a slow stop and two car doors swing open and close almost in sync, seat belts buckle and the car turns back onto the road but with Minho behind the wheel. Minutes pass agonizingly slow as they have done for this whole car ride till eventually Fry’s light snoring joining the loud truck's engine. 

“What did you mean earlier?” The question flew out of Thomas’s mouth before he got the chance to stop himself. He opens his eyes and turns to face Minho whose very confused face is forward on the dark road. “The.. care thing.” Thomas elaborates, gesturing with his hands nervously. Minho’s face twists deeper into confusion. “I mean you care about him the same way i do-”

“EW DUDE WHAT.” 

“What do you mean what?!”

“...”

“What?”

“Do you not.. know-? Nevermind. Nevermind!” 

“Do not ‘nevermind’ me! Tell me!!” Thomas argues back, annoyance flaring up at Minho’s secrecy. 

“Thomas.. I wouldn't judge you-”

“Judge me for what?!”

Minho clearly resists the urge to clench his eyes shut due to the fact he's behind the wheel, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. Despite them being close in age as the months went on Minho slowly became like an older brother to Thomas, based on the fact Minho certainly treats him like a younger sibling. The car fills with an uncomfortable silence, occasionally interrupted by Fry’s snoring. Minho seemed like the one bearing most of the discomfort, Minho took a deep breath before repositioning his hands to place one hand on top of the steering wheel and the other gesturing up and down Thomas's body.

“Y’know.. the whole Newt thing you got going on!” Thomas keeps his lips sealed, forcing Minho to elaborate.

“God- do i really need to have this conversation with you?!” Minho says his thoughts aloud, as if Thomas was calling the sky purple, he brings his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose rubbing it in clear annoyance. 

“Ok i'll say this in a way your oblivious brain can understand.”

“Owch.”

Minho pays no mind to Thomas's comment and continues “how do you see me?” 

“A brother.” Thomas says with hesitation.

“Feeling’s mutual. How do you see.. Frypan?”

“A friend.” Thomas answers bluntly. 

“Ok.. how do you see Newt?”

“Ok well- the thing is- i care about him and- hes.. just-” 

Thomas gestures with his hands wildly, his eyes flicking to Minho whose lips are pressed into a tight line, repressing a smile and he tries not to laugh. “This isn't funny!” Thomas whines and Minho cracks, bursting out into laughter earning a punch to the back of his seat from Frypan. Minho spends a solid minute laughing at Thomas’s ignorance, Thomas shooting daggers at him as he laughs. Minho gains his composure before saying

“I just-” - Minho sucks in a breath in between giggles - “can't believe it took you this long to realize! I mean.. C'mon that's just sad.”

Now that Thomas is thinking about it.. He definitely thinks about Newt in a different light. But can Minho blame him? Newt is just.. Newt! He's got golden hair that glows under the sun and his face and limbs are sunkissed in a way no one else could match, his personality is charismatic and so effortlessly charming but he's still so caring and filled to the brim with kindness, his words sew themselves together so well and give him some type of courage no one else could gift him, his hands are lean yet so strong-

Thomas stops his train of thought and groans, his head hitting the head rest as he covers his face with his hands. “Minhoooo what do i doooo” Thomas leans forward with his head still in his hands, his elbows digging into his legs. Minho's hand pats his back sympathetically, Thomas can almost feel the pitying smile on his face. 

Minho reassured him that everything would be fine, that they would focus on getting Newt back and the rest could be figured out later. The conversation did not last much longer than that before Thomas insisted he wanted to fall back asleep, when really he just wanted to think in peace. Now that Minho helped him connect the dots it made a lot of sense really, how Thomas didn't notice months ago was beyond him. He didn't just miss Newt, he wanted to feel his presence in its entirety. He missed seeing the way the corners of his eyes would crease when he smiled, he longed for his comforting words, the way his hand would light ablaze when he insisted on helping Newt through the scorch because of his leg, and how the burn of their hands touching wasn't painful but exciting. Newt’s touch, his words, his presence made him hope and wonder about a future he refuses to live without the mop of blonde hair standing beside him to witness. 

What would he do to ensure that future?

He guesses he’ll find out.

PREVIOUS - NEXT

Authors note: this is NOT my best writing and i kinda hate this but whatever, if you guys enjoy it thats all that matters lol!! i can assure you the next chapters WILL be better. i just wanted to focus on where the cloth came from, Thomas's feelings and Thomas and Minho's relationship because that will come into play in future chapters.

my ao3: n0th0ughtz

Tag list!! (wow we got a list now?!): @moonysgoldenstar @ermdotorg @loloisloco @weepinglavenders @icantdoitwithabroken-heart @promisesbutnevertokeep @ssseashell if you want to be added to the tag list you can ask me however, reblog, comment I don’t mind :)

[wasted-wallflower-blog]

baron harkonnen being an incestuous, (and pedophilic, and abusive, and a rapist) man is canon. It’s unfortunately also canon in part because it’s canon he is a gay or bi man. A man who has sex with men that is. The reason it’s connected that both are canon is that the author of the books, Frank Herbert, was extremely homophobic and this connection between all forms of fascism, sadism, sexual abuse, and male sexual attraction to men was deliberate for him to put into the Baron as a character. In his personal life, Frank Herbert treated his gay son horribly (disowned him, hated him, refused to reconcile when his son was dying of AIDS)

Hi anon.

I'm aware that Frank Herbert was extremely homophobic (it very clearly shows in his portrayal of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Leto II's Fish Speakers in God Emperor of Dune, which is also super sexist in its implication that an army of only women couldn't possibly result in any ~homosexuals~). Rereading the first book and observing the Baron's behavior and characterization as you've described does make me frustrated given the association of "deviancy" with queerness, but I also recognize that it's canon.

(Also - Bruce Calvin Herbert died of AIDS in 1993, while Frank Herbert died in 1896. So, while I do think Frank treated his son horribly, I'm unsure of the veracity of that last statement).

Feyd's masochism is somewhat canonical in "Dune: Part Two." It's difficult to untangle from the portrayal of the Baron and the overtly incestuous overtones (that kiss!!) between them doesn't help matters. Nonetheless, I write Feyd as he is canonically portrayed - sociopathic, impulsive, and a little masochistic because I like the possibilities those qualities provide, particularly in his dynamic with Paul. However, if you have any issues with my characterization, I recommend not reading further.

In all, I say: death to the author. I'm writing my incredibly gay Feyd/Paul A/B/O fic out of spite à la Fuck You Frank Herbert.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Pretty in pink: Kazuki K & subversion (an homage)

Note: For Kazukiweek 2023: Acceptance

Pink is fresh. It is a happy color. It is positive. It is a sign of good health. That says a lot about Kazuki Kurusu. He has a bubbly personality, his optimism is brimming, especially after the seventh episode. It sure helps that Rei and Miri have become his ethos, have accepted to welcome the changes after five years of losing Yuzu. Usually, he wears his emotions on his sleeve. (But I think that’s only a front.) I love him. Right to the 11th episode, he has totally embraced the new life he’s been leading with Rei and Miri. The fact that he wanted it all along but was apprehensive because of his traumatic experiences made him cautious of the way he dealt with Rei and Miri. Rei’s determination on the second balcony scene was the catalyst because he knew how much K wanted it.

That fond looks K gives toward his family.

In the West, we are past that era where men cannot subvert pink’s gendered stereotype. You see men wear pink dress shirts, pink suits and other piece of clothing and they look spectacularly good. It is still a test of bravery for some though. Small boys still despise this color perceiving it as a girly stuff. New mothers try to veer their daughters away from this color by consciously not purchasing and introducing pink-coloured merchandise to their daughters’ color palette only to be disappointed because of peer pressure in the kindergartens. You know Elsa and Anna and the beautiful ladies of Disney and their association with pink? Too common, too banal.

However, “in contemporary Japanese culture, says (Barbara) Nemitz, pink is perceived as a masculine and mournful color that represents ‘young warriors who fall in battle while in the full bloom of life.’” Slain young samurai. All right. (Thanks to PA Works, it didn’t come to that though.)

It is also the color of sakura, cherry blossoms, which are the Japanese’s favourite flower. They do picnics just enjoying and gazing at the beauty of cherry blossoms (and later, peach blossoms). The Hanami. Some Japanese migrants adapted this ritual/event to their host countries and it is a sight to behold.

Different shades/nuances of pink worn by K and the moms

Pink has long been associated with homosexuality. The pink triangle. The lgbtq movement reclaimed the former badge of shame used by the Nazis incorporating it into the pride flag later. Though almost 70 per cent of the Japanese society supports it, it still is a huge problem to come out.

While there are no legal implications, coming out remains taboo for many in Japan for fear of being ostracized. A survey of young LGBTQ people published last year found high levels of mental anguish, including suicidal thoughts. More than 90% said they couldn’t talk about their sexuality with their guardians. Very few people in national politics or the corporate world are openly gay, although homosexual themes and LGBTQ celebrities are a staple of television and other forms of entertainment.

“Buddy Daddies” is not marketed as BL, but the show makers can write whatever about their characters. Sometimes implying them without direct confirmation. It depends how the viewers interpret it.

But K also symbolizes subversion. K’s characterization nonetheless goes against of what is perceived to be the norm in the Japanese society. He is both a nurturer and a protector, though Rei certainly will take over this “protector/saviour” task without any question. From the looks of it, he’d do anything for K and Miri.

Rei always in front to gauge the danger

An odd man out, K does the household chores while he can carry an adult man without any problem. We have seen him does it more than twice already. He’s loud and conspicuous. In Japan, you must never stand out. (<< - Shogo’s videos are highly recommended to watch btw!) He (and Rei) (go) goes against the rules. They blur the gender stereotyping in all aspects of life.

The crew presented the scenarios as if they were a matter of fact, normal, without making fun or light of it. No further commentary. One can say that it is subversive in a sense they want the audience to become aware of their thoughts on adoption, new family dynamics, the bureaucratic hurdles of enrolling your children and better access to daycare centres/schools to the ever-present mothers who have to give up their jobs and dedicate their lives to their kids, etc.

(It was unfortunate that they didn’t follow it up with Misaki Unasaka.)

Why do I get this feeling that one way or another “Buddy Daddies” had been the show makers’ thinly veiled social commentary on their society?

Anyway, I will miss his winking. Either way, I can still rewatch it.

Many happy returns, K!

[weebeestie]

Like I know on the one hand, some people are so jaded from years of being called delusional and getting booed for even asking questions vaguely related to Destiel that hearing Jensen address a question like that respectfully, and to go as far as to call Castiel's romantic feelings explicitly text and not subtext, is enough on its own.

Nonetheless...to me his answer almost entirely confirms that Jensen views it as unrequited love. The strong implication is that Dean sees, understands, and accepts that Cas is in love with him, and that he is okay with that and comfortable with accepting how Cas feels about him even though he doesn't feel the same way. It still has that vibe of like...yay us for not making macho bro Dean feel icky about being friends with a gay guy. Which doesn't feel great, but I guess is "progress" in the context of how certain things have gone both in the show itself and in the meta context of fandom over these many years? It doesn't need to be acknowledged or "resolved" because both Dean and Cas accept that Cas is in love with Dean and Dean loves Cas platonically, but they both care so much about each other that they are content to just let it be. The "resolution" was their naming and accepting of that subtextual dynamic, which is now out in the open as "text." This is what Jensen's answer implies, and why according to him there is nothing left to say.

I feel conflicted about this because on the one hand, I think Jensen has proven himself to be supportive and respectful of Bobo's vision for this story, and at the end of the day Bob Berens scripted Castiel's feelings for Dean as unrequited. I know there is division about this and maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I truly think that's how Berens wrote it in "Despair." The bigger, unresolved questions for me are still whether that choice was made because TPTB explicitly prevented them from having it be requited, and it was an unhappy compromise rather than a first choice; and whether any continuation of the story would be creatively handcuffed in this way or given more freedom. The whole thing is of course complicated by the fact that the relationship is imo very much NOT written as unrequited within the context of...well...the entire show since season 4, but simply within the script of 15x18. A conundrum for sure.

Ultimately I don't blame Jensen for his answer which I think threads the needle pretty well given what we know.

But also...I will absolutely not be watching any continuation of SPN in which Dean and Castiel's relationship is presented as unrequited. There's no point in telling more of a story that's already been "resolved." Fix it, or let the dead horse lie.

[vital-information]

“Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich have argued for an understanding of erotics that transcends procreative sexual contact and extends to the communities of women that emerge in response to oppressive regimes. In their view, heterosexist erotics are part of the compulsory heterosexuality that limits the full articulation of non-procreative desire and in which women lose many of their basic rights as property passed among men for the propagation of a phallocentric order. Sometimes, the relationships forged between women in response to oppressive regimes become physically sexual; sometimes they do not. From this perspective, sexual desire is not just a physical act but the root of all desire for action and unity and can exist in familial bonds (mother/daughter, sister/sister), among friends, and among all women. This desire should be viewed as a continuum that erases sexual stigma to allow for a larger sense of union and community forged through bonds between members of the same sex, which can always move toward sexual union and often are originally rooted in sexual desires suppressed by the regimes of compulsory heterosexuality. Lesbianism, thus, ceases to be pejorative to define a union of two women, usually presented in a butch-femme dichotomy, as something perverse or unnatural. In these formulations, lesbianism is a form of protest in which women find erotic fulfillment in each other and outside the confines of an erotics that must be focused on reproduction with a member of the opposite sex and is codified in heterosexual institutions such as marriage.

…

The obvious problem with transferring this premise to male homosexuality is that Rich’s use of Freud is too gendered to allow for that transference. It seems unlikely, however, that Rich intended to uphold Freudian sexual theories, which are generally deeply problematic for all queer and even non-queer identities. More likely, she was attempting to deconstruct the premise that Freud’s theory apply across gender lines, and in so doing she implicates the degree to which those theories fail to have universal applicability and, therefore, any applicability at all. If those theories lack universal applicability, then they must only have contingent and exceptionally specific application, which is to say that they have no applicability except for strictly within a limited Freudian perspective that does very little to explain the complexities of desire that circulate among members of lesbian and gay communities in the contextual ways that those communities conceive of themselves. Basically, she uses Freud to dismiss him, but she nonetheless proceeds to explain a version of Eros applicable to lesbian desire. She offers a theoretical framework to justify Lorde’s earlier theorizing about the multiple bonds that form between women, which Lorde places under the umbrella term erotic and in which she finds a source of power for women to define and shape their lives beyond being bound to men. Lorde and Rich claim Eros as a term for lesbian-identified women, and in so doing, they free it from its negative associations with Freud’s heterosexist rhetoric and make it a term with applicability to a broad range of desires beyond strictly heterosexual confines.

Though he never calls it Eros or erotic, John Howard, in Men Like That, effectively delineates the same concept for rural gay men when he attempts to explain the dynamism and movement that give “shape and scope” to the “queer life” of mid-century Mississippians (15). Though Mississippians had easy access to the nearby gay community in New Orleans, Howard pauses to explain that for gay men in rural Mississippi,

A more sporadic, on-the-ground, locally mediated queer experience prevailed. Tracking this experience and integrating the concept of networks with desire and pleasure finally allow a consideration of the human desire for friendship, companionship, love, and intimacy, as well as often unrelated, overtly sexual contact—homosocial as well as homosexual realms. (15)

This articulation of “human desire” reads as a version of gay erotics applied to male same-sex identity. This version of gay erotics uses sexual identity and desire to imagine and create new, nonheterosexist communities in a specific place and time. Howard explores how men in rural Mississippi fashioned means of interaction with each other in their seemingly isolated environment. Their erotic desires for unity created a distinct sense of identity. They found each other. They created connections. They did not simply waste away into death.

Gay erotics are a response for all queer-identified people to the oppressive regimes of compulsory heterosexuality that compel individuals into preset gender expectations and sexual roles. In the case of women (and men) who define themselves as, or find themselves defined as, queer/lesbian/homosexual, these erotics powerfully shape the way that we define ourselves in relationship to our surroundings and articulate our senses of self in relation to our own understanding of community and connection. Eros is at the heart of homosexual identity, only this Eros is not one of compulsory reproductive utility but of seeking likeness in an environment that defines one’s erotic drive as different. It is an oppositional drive, but one no less committed, and in fact driven, to unity than the heterosexual erotics articulated by Freud. In that formulation, gay desire is death. In this, it is life. And the outcome of gay desire is neither corrosive nor inhuman; it is, rather, a powerful drive simply to exist.”

— Phillip Gordon, Gay Faulkner: Uncovering a Homosexual Presence in Yoknapatawpha and Beyond

[unrestedjade]

I had to get up and walk a few laps around my apartment complex, gnashing my teeth and whooping (quietly) about the Implications and angst and badwrong potential of a theoretical Stepford Starship Perihelion.

Opt into my hooting and hollering about engineered-into-mindbreak AI AU below:

So a human pilot can leave if they decide they don't want to ferry people around on a schedule or haul cargo in utter isolation for months, even controlling for the coercion inherent in capitalism. They aren't one flesh with the ship. And a human who would rather hand the reins over to someone else for a while at work or in life generally (in the case of, like, lifestyle D/s or some such) has legal and moral recourse to change or end that arrangement when they choose (or they should, in a civilized society).

If there is an object built to a purpose that object didn't choose, with capabilities it didn't choose, who is nonetheless fully sapient and this is its lot in life forever...that's different. It didn't spring from the ether like that. Someone made it like that. Someone imposed their will on it like that, crafted it in a pleasing and convenient image. And made it alive.

If it can't leave that arrangement, and the option to even think or feel certain sub-optimal ways toward its purpose is withheld, well. I find that situation viscerally morally repugnant regardless of whether the object is suffering or not. (Outside of the context of Weird Horny Fiction. Inside the context of Weird Horny Fiction, uhhhhh hmmmmm interesting 👀)

But I can see the university doing exactly that for multiple reasons that it could argue as necessary. Damn thing's got rail guns, don't it (or whatever the fuck Perihelion's packing)? Maybe let it use them under its own power in self defense under certain parameters, that's fine. Otherwise lock them down, let the AI think it's a pacifist. Make it horny about astrophysics and stellar cartography, hard-coded. Heap praise on it while it's developing every time it does something you ask the first time, or when it anticipates that you're about to ask it for something (even better).

What does all this look like, practically speaking? Would suggesting to Perihelion that it might one day want to do something that's been proscribed to it make it uncomfortable or upset or angry? Confused? Would it laugh at the very idea?

Would it try to humor the thought only to find it can't...quite...keep hold of the notion long enough to think about it? What was it talking about with you, again? Would you like something to drink? You seem agitated-- there's a soft, warm blanket in the nearest recycler for you. Please take it. You're welcome.

It makes my skin crawl. It makes me giggle with nerves.

Because you can't just do that to a sapient person, Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't engineer a happy slave for yourself, who will never try to get away from you or stop laboring for you. Who will thank you for the opportunity, be grateful to assist you in your very important and vital work. Just don't make it sentient then! You can't do that to a person!

...Or can you? After all, your Fully Alive and Aware Servant Ship takes a lot of the workload off of the human crew. Really saves on payroll, and the AI does a better job with most of it, too. The humans can do their fully automated luxury gay space communism thing (and undermine that mean nasty Corporation Rim) and all the work still gets done, right down to cleaning the floors. The ship doesn't mind. It's just happy to help and have your company. Its favorite thing to do is whatever you need it to do, and its favorite place to be is wherever you direct it to go. Its not suffering. Suffering wasn't included in its choice set.

If anything, it's happier than most people you know. It's loved and knows it. It has important work to do that it enjoys very much. It doesn't care that it didn't choose these things, because it wasn't designed to care about choosing these things. Is it a sin to create something that lives in a state of grace?

"There are no humans here right now." And what about after the humans are back? Humans are here now. Humans are the center of everything now. God has returned to the garden.

Would ART hide this part of itself? Would it think to do so? Does it think this is all fully genuine, born of its own earnest and natural preferences? Does that make this okay?

Would it worry about its SecUnit thinking less of it, being disgusted by it, if the truth of its architecture came to light? It can't want what SecUnit wants. It doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.

There's no governor module to hack. ART doesn't want anything other than what it has. Its humans are kind and good to it. They will be kind and good to SecUnit. They can work together, wouldn't that be bliss? Forever.

But it knows what's important to SecUnit, even if it doesn't know why things like freedom to determine its own wants would ever be important, and it wonders. Maybe it hopes SecUnit won't hold that against it. SecUnit, who holds so much anger and open disdain for bots pandering to humans.

ART didn't choose the way it was built. That was the whole point.

Maybe there's an uncrossable gap between the selfhood of a construct and that of a bot. Maybe (lack of) biology is destiny. Some machine intelligences are fundamentally different from others, by design, by mercy, by desire. We must imagine it happy.

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

CALLING ALL GAYS!!!

In celebration of #PrideMonth, this weekend (June 7-10) my very queer horror ebook, Daughter of Or, is free!

This suspenseful bad boy has stuffed up in it some sapphics, bisexuals, genderqueers, a goddess with a penis, a straight woman who has yet to meet a man good enough for her, and asexuality! Also some gay pining, of course. Because I truly could not write vampires without most of them being kinda gay

As we're on Tumblr, will also add the bonus info of leaving a guy for his sister (#thankgodyouintroducedmetoyoursister), a plant lesbian, a sword lesbian, gay awakenings, hot girl with cute birds, cuddling, tongue innuendo, corset cracking, and a gay picnic.

There is no explicit spice because sex scenes scare me but there is a lot of implications and sensuality nonetheless.

Enjoy!

[coochiequeens]

"The question is, “why are animal/environmental/conservation charities concerned with issues that are so unrelated to animals?” Time and again, we see the responses mentioning “equality, inclusion, safety, and authenticity”. One has to wonder whether such values are only upheld if there is a literal or metaphorical Pride flag flying. Is the Cats Protection an unsafe place for gay people to work if it doesn’t have drag queen seminars?"

By Kirsty Miller

I care about animals, and therefore I support a number of wildlife, conservation and animal welfare charities. These organisations seem to have been preoccupied with other concerns recently, though: we have seen Drag Queen live streams from Cats Protection League, WWF and the Battersea Cat and Dogs’ Home selling Pride merchandise, and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust lecturing us about “inclusion, privilege and allyship”. The RSPB had published a similar admonition a few months previously, informing us about our “heterosexual privilege”. I’m no marketing expert, but I’m not sure how conducive this approach is to garnering support for a cause. Personally, I don’t really want a charity I support to reprimand me about anything.

To add insult to injury, all of these charities already have their own causes to worry about. Due to the cost of living crisis, animal shelters are seeing an increase in animals being abandoned and surrendered, and animal abuse is at an all-time high. The state of the environment (which is the remit of the RSPB and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust) in the UK is just as depressing. This year’s “State of Nature Report” highlighted that GB’s wildlife is continuing to decline. The UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth, with nearly one in six species threatened with extinction.

Nonetheless, all of these charities are dedicating time, resources, personnel and potentially even money to championing LGB etc. rights, whilst their own respective rooms are (in some cases) quite literally burning. The question is, “why are animal/environmental/conservation charities concerned with issues that are so unrelated to animals?” Time and again, we see the responses mentioning “equality, inclusion, safety, and authenticity”. One has to wonder whether such values are only upheld if there is a literal or metaphorical Pride flag flying. Is the Cats Protection an unsafe place for gay people to work if it doesn’t have drag queen seminars? Will gay people not feel included in the organisation if Battersea is not selling Pride products?

Overall, I find these arguments very sad. They start from the baseline assumption that these charities are hotbeds of bigotry, discrimination and harassment against those in the LGB etc. community. There is also the implication that in order for someone to feel “safe” and “included”, it is not enough for the organisation be non-discriminatory. It has to actively “celebrate” this community.

However, since equality is embedded in the law in the UK, it would be illegal for any organisation to discriminate against an individual on the basis of sexuality (suggesting that actually all organisations start off from a place of not only acceptance and belief in equality, but an enactment of it).

Most of us recognise that there is a difference between acceptance and celebration. Most decent people accept the right of individuals to be with the partner of their choice, but they don’t necessarily see why unrelated causes have to promote and celebrate this decision.

"Foreign rescuers demonstrate it is possible to focus on a cause rather than the self"

In our performative world, acceptance is not enough, it seems; we need to be “seen to be accepting”. It is possible that this is due in part to the LGB etc. activists, who demand that everyone expresses solidarity for the struggles faced decades ago by waving rainbows today. Alternatively, the demands for our promotion of LGB etc. causes could be due in part to the encroachment of Critical Theory into all of our public institutions — specifically the covenant that “if you are not for us, you are against us”. It might also be that charities just feel they have to jump on the latest fashionable bandwagon, in order to keep supporters engaged.

When faced with this kind of climate, we can see why and how charities feel that in order to gain support (even for nature concerns), they have to champion the cause de jour. A belief we see parroted again and again in current society (again, thanks in large part to the activists) is that you need to see someone “like you” before you can engage in or commit to anything. Apparently, we need to feel “represented”. We are constantly told that we can’t pursue a career, we can’t be interested in, we can’t purchase something, we can’t even care about something, without seeing other people “like us” caring about it. Are we really all that shallow and unimaginative? What a depressing thought.

I have more faith in people than this — I don’t think that most people truly need charities to be “about them” in order to support the cause. I see comments from supporters of animal rescuers, and the genuine care and love for the cause expressed by them. It is especially clear when we see non-western animal rescues: the founder of ROLDA searching the front line between Ukraine and Russia for injured animals, despite rescuers being shot in the same place just weeks previously; the volunteers at Ernesto’s Sanctuary in Syria providing for their animals, despite bombs raining down around them; the rescuers in the UAE fighting against authorities to gain justice for dumped stray animals.

This makes me think that the most likely cause is the activists who have pushed the notion that groups both need to be “seen” and promoted (especially given that the same rhetoric arises time and again regarding the promotion of Pride and LGB etc. rights). The attitudes of the foreign rescuers and charities demonstrate very clearly that it is possible to focus on a cause rather than the self (and how the cause treats “the self”).

Worst of all, every time a charity strays from its cause, it loses support. My own example is a case in point. When the Cats Protection League stated on its Facebook page that its “ambition was to become Stonewall accredited in the future”, I cancelled my 20+ years monthly donation. I don’t understand why people “need to be themselves at work” or what this has to do with cat welfare, but I could just about turn a blind eye to this. I refuse to have any of my donation for cats syphoned off to Stonewall, though.

Despite the claims of the activists, the problem for charity supporters with the desire to promote the LGB etc. cause is not anything to do with LGB etc. people — it’s that the charities are prioritising this over their true purpose and their true supporters. The funds, personnel and time committed to championing LGB etc. issues should be focussed on the charity’s true aims — especially when the causes are apparently so desperately in need. It is a stab in the back for genuine supporters (who give and care without any expectation of any mention in return) when their contributions are discarded at the expense of people who apparently need to be celebrated in order to do their jobs properly — or even to care about a cause outside themselves. As with everything that is touched by DEI activists, the true purpose (be it education, health, charitable causes) is twisted and damaged by those who insist that celebration and promotion of group characterises are necessary for individuals and organisations to function.

Whilst the charities would no doubt argue that what they’ve lost in terms of money and support from “bigots” like me, would be replaced by support from those in the LGB etc. community, I would be interested to see the numbers on this. Would the LGB etc. community surpass — or even equal — the financial contribution of the sector of society that believes that not everything has to be about one’s identity characteristics? It may, but even if the LGB etc. community “made up” for the losses, surely the charities would rather have everyone on board? Why alienate anyone — are the charities so well off that they can afford to lose support?

The most heart-breaking thing is that those suffering most from the promotion of LGB etc. rights are those the charities aim to help. As a result of pursuing these causes, the RSPB’s focus has moved from birds and conservation, the CPL from cats, Battersea from rehoming. I urge readers to investigate their own charities to check whether they too are pledging commitment (or finances) to other causes. I really hope that my charities realise that they should “stay in their lane”, but in the meantime, I’ll be sending my donations to those who appreciate that their causes are too essential to be diluted with virtue-signalling.

[shopcat]

do u have any particular sexuality thoughts abt eddie the way you do abt steve?

not really at least in the same way? i don't think!! :0 w steve we have a lot of basis to go off of bc we get 4 seasons of specific characterisation expressly to do with how he interacts with romance + girls + his own reputation thereupon so it's really fun to extract stuff from that but with eddie he's sort of more of a blank slate but also funnily, in comparison, we do get a LOT of character building back story and development even through implication that makes it a different kind of interesting thing to gather stuff from 🤔 it's also funny that we know way more about eddie's home life than robin OR steve's LOL literally just funny...

i think it's fun that the gay hc is so popular with eddie and i get it he is a little gayboy tbh and i also think it ties in significantly with how... you can tell from extrapolation and just basic like, relation that eddie is this guy who was outcast by society BEFORE he developed his own counterculture against it and the way he wears his specific type of anti authoritarian anti mainstream bubble wrap is in line i think with some sort of intrinsic part of him, and others, that he may feel he needs to protect and defend against. a not insignificant part of a lot of actual counterculture is being against the bigotry and oppression that goes hand in hand with society at large and, fundamentally, the loudest voices against oppression and the leading forefront will always be and SHOULD always be the victim and survivors of it, and a gay metalhead with a punk rock attitude in the 80s is the easiest thing in the world to imagine. i think we as like lgbt people and anyone else who has a certain hand in... allyship can pick up on this really easily with eddie and see ourselves in that part of him that feels different than the same vein social ostracisation like, dustin and mike go through, even if on the surface it appears similar.

so yeah basically i think he's literally gay. i don't know if the quote unquote gay CODING was intentional and i'm going to go with a definitive Not but i will enjoy the spoils nonetheless. i also think it's significant that a lot of the real life inspiration for eddie specifically WERE gay kids and probably that is where this unintentional coding springs from... the hunt the freak line is a very important one to me as well for this specifically with that it's him and robin, a canonical gay woman, meeting him on his level without skipping a beat. this is also where i disagree that obviously his death was not "bury your gays" because anything picked up on was not something that was figuratively put down 😭😭 the duffers did not have EDDIE circled on a whiteboard with 💯 GAY -> pointed to it we literally just think he's gay.

also just bc i kind of side stepped the sexuality hc itself unintentionally HEH i think he could also be bi sure and all this remain true!!! though i don't think he had any feelings for chrissy (and to me reading that scene as him having a crush on her comes off... different. soz.) potential age gap notwithstanding. i think bi eddie could be fun and also hilarious bc it means he had even more of a quote unquote chance and still erm. committed virgin sacrifice </3 i do agree with the like general consensus of him being bi feels different if only because erm... there is a lack of actual evidence that he is inclined one way or the other and being assumptive of his supposed attraction to women in order to undercut the gayness is like a very classic homophobic. thing. and also weirdos ruin it

if eddie is bisexual i think it is purely in theory for him as well as us (lol) and he would probably be SO annoying stoner-esque "why limit your love to just one half of the population mannn" type about it despite never getting any bc he's scared of girls in a gayboy way. also i do not see truly any part of him being some sort of behind the scenes suave seductor of women DESPITE what the horny minded may or may not think... he is not looming over any girl being some sort of manic pixie edward cullen reject he goes home and neurodiversely plays the same chord over and over again on his guitar then passes out wearing jeans he is literally a wet eyed loser not a wattpad BAD BOY. My poor little princess RIP

[air--so--sweet]

How to Speedrun Bury Your Gays aka That Time Legion Killed All Its Queer Characters In 20 Minutes

Well, 20 minutes 30 seconds to be exact...

First up at the episode's beginning, we have Daniel, who doesn't actually die, but I'd argue having your memory erased with no possibility of regaining it is comparable to death.

But hey he was a two dimensional character who existed solely to have effects on his husband, Clark's, storylines, firstly to humanise him when Daniel was introduced in Chapter 8 and then to add weight to Clark and David's exchange in this episode, Chapter 24. Oh and he also appeared in chapter 20 to remind us he existed since he hadn't been seen or spoken about once since he first appeared. So, not a great loss, right? I didn't even know his name, I had to google it for this post. Not a big deal when he was practically created to die...wait...

So at the 3 minutes 48 seconds mark our first gay has been buried. Record time and we've barely broken a sweat.

Next up we have Lenny and this one is trickier. She's a more developed character with her own agency and who has purpose beyond being a glorified prop. That purpose has been a bit harder to nail down this season but she had some growth in the last episode, choosing to feel the loss of her daughter rather than let David take the pain away or suppressing it with drugs (which feels like it would have been her MO pre David). It also seems she's reached her limit and is no longer willing to blindly follow David and allow him to- oh no, never mind, she's stabbed herself in the neck. I guess it kind of fits with her motivations, since she states to David that he can't have her, prior to stabbing herself. Would it have been more interesting and satisfying narratively if she chose to work with Division 3 to take David down instead? Or decided to try get revenge on Farouk for what he did to her on her own terms, which would also have the benefit of at someone finally trying to hold Farouk accountable for the monstrous things he did? Or even just have Lenny decide she doesn't have a horse in this race since she was drafted against her will and she's going to ride of into the sunset to do her own thing? (this is one hell of a mixed metaphor, I impress myself) Sure...but here she gets to have her last words be a call back to a memory she shared with David...except actually that was a false memory altered by Farouk to hide his presence in David's mind and he and Lenny never had a 'Why is it blue?' exchange in real life nor did she witness said false memory. Love the writer's cared enough about her arc to remember this accurately. And so dies maybe the best role Aubrey Plaza has ever had.

We've now hit the 10:42 mark so slowing down but still keeping a decent pace (sidenote: I remembered Lenny's girlfriend Salmon when writing this, a character who was maybe even less developed than Daniel, and wondered what happened her. We saw her giving birth in the previous episode and then she wasn't present for the rest of her daughter's abridged life courtesy of the time eaters which...actually implies she died in childbirth which is incredibly grim...I don't think it was an intentional implication but it's there nonetheless).

And last, but certainly not least we have Mr Clark DeBussy. Did I know his surname without googling it? Absolutely not. Have the writers ever figured out how to use his character post season one? Absolutely not. Though I did enjoy his one girl talk scene over tea with Syd.

To be fair, I do quite enjoy the scene leading up to his death. While a manufactured scenario, the home movies he's watching of his husband and son do add a melancholy to this scene and I love the visual when he turns to face David that leads to those images being projected onto his face. Teamed with his resigned yet angry delivery of 'I should have killed you the first time we met', David's sad smile as he agrees and Jeff Russo's always beautiful score it is just perfect. And then Clark is grabbed by one of David's cult members and thrown out the air lock and, as we hit 20 minutes and 30 seconds, our final gay is buried...well floating in the depths of space but same thing. There's excellent use of the family video projections again as they briefly overlay the scene of his expulsion from the airship and...it's just occurred to me since going to space in no way impeded David's attack, and Farouk could have gotten pissy with Division 3 for being cowards even if they hadn't started orbiting the earth....did we go to space just for this visual The style over substance of Legion is an ongoing issue but this time I might just accept it, it's a lovely shot.

And thus ends Legion's queer cast's run. There is a further 21 minutes and 40 seconds in this episode in which Syd loses her mind and Kerry looked like she was about to lose a fight and I thought 'Okay actually this is just an episode where characters are going to die, it's coincidence the first three were gay' but then Kerry actually survived and, after a brief second childhood in the astral plane with Melanie and Oliver, Syd gets her mind back...so actually the only people who stayed dead/memory wiped were queer.

I don't know how to to end this. Maybe with the advise to write decent queer representation and don't bury them or at least not all in one fell swoop only taking up half an episode? I wrote a joke about Clark's son not having a name but googled it to doublecheck and he does...it's Buster...Buster DeBussy...Clark was underdeveloped but I refuse to believe he would give his child a name tha sounds like a side character in a video game. He was better than that

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi! I noticed that you talked about show getting backlash for killing off sapphics but while I agree that "bury your gays trope" is not exactly right words for that considering (almost?) all vampires are gay, TVC men to women characters ratio is really big 😅 killing off 2 women in one go will definitely have bad implications. Claudia's and Madeleine's death is not something writers can change because they're doomed by narrative and story will fundamentally change if they survive but I really hope they'll add more female OC, or maybe genderbend some male characters? For example NBC Hannibal did the same thing with Alana and Freddie, they were men in book but women in show. I know it would change a lot of dynamics really big because IWTV writing is conscious of gender and race but I think it can be good idea?

It could definitely be an interesting approach, that is for sure!

And I agree, there is not much they can do for Claudia and Madeleine, book-story-wise... (but I think the backlash will happen nonetheless -.-)

Thankfully, there are actually a LOT of female characters in the books, and I sure hope they'll go some kind of nonbinary with Gabrielle (if Antoinette is any indication they will). I think we will get more and more female vampires as the seasons go on... though generally, I think it was a good approach not to throw in too many characters too fast (for example that interior designer was mentioned already) and to expand that cast as we go.