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vanilla-inkwell · 5 years ago

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Expansive (Non-Comprehensive) List of Playable LGBTQ+ Characters in Video Games

Now edited, polished, and added upon!

My rules/criteria are below the cut, along with individual notes/explanations; if a character has an asterisk+number next to them, they have a note down below.

(All characters in the first two sections are explicitly queer, at least by way of word of god confirmation. All characters in the second section are, by the nature of that section, expressed to be queer in-game. The third section is for characters whose queerness is interpretive, but implied at least semi-overtly, and who I feel are notable enough in that regard to warrant mention.)

Canon

Ellie – The Last of Us: Left Behind, The Last of Us: Part II

lesbian (in-game)

Rivet – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

trans woman, lesbian *0

Aloy – Horizon: Zero Dawn, Horizon II: Forbidden West, Genshin Impact

bi woman (in-game)

Billie Lurk – Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

bi woman (in-game)

Zagreus – Hades

bi man (in-game)

Bloodhound – Apex Legends

non-binary (in-game)

Makoa Gibraltar – Apex Legends

gay (in-game)

Bangalore | Anita Williams – Apex Legends

wlw (in-game)

Loba Andrade – Apex Legends

bi woman (in-game)

Fuse | Walter Fitzroy – Apex Legends

pan man (in-game)

Valkyrie | Kairi Imahara – Apex Legends

lesbian (in-game)

Seer | Obi Edolasim – Apex Legends

pan man

Catalyst | Tressa Smith – Apex Legends

trans woman (in-game)

Alter | YingLing Lui – Apex Legends

ace woman

Max Caulfield – Life is Strange, Life is Strange: Double Exposure

bi girl (in-game)

Chloe Price – Life is Strange: Before the Storm

wlw (in-game)

Sean Diaz – Life is Strange 2

bi boy (in-game)

Alex Chen – Life is Strange: True Colors

bi woman (in-game)

Tracer | Lena Oxton – Overwatch

lesbian (in-game)

Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison – Overwatch

gay (in-game)

Pharah | Fareeha Amari – Overwatch

lesbian (in-game)

Baptiste | Jean-Baptiste Augustin – Overwatch

bi man (in-game)

Lifeweaver | Niran Pruksamanee – Overwatch

pan man (in-game)

Venture | Sloan Cameron – Overwatch

non-binary

Axton – Borderlands 2

bi man (in-game)

Maya – Borderlands 2

ace woman *1

Zer0 – Borderlands 2

non-binary [agender] *2

Athena – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

lesbian (in-game) *3

FL4K – Borderlands 3

non-binary, omni (in-game)

Zane – Borderlands 3

pan man

Madeline – Celeste

trans woman (in-game) *4

(Protagonist) – Undertale

non-binary (in-game) *5

Kris – Deltarune

non-binary (in-game) *6

The Knight – Hollow Knight

non-binary [agender] (in-game)

Tyler Ronan – Tell Me Why

trans man, mlm (in-game)

Birdo – Mario Kart (series), Mario Party (series), Mario Sports (series)

trans woman (in-game)

Venom – Guilty Gear (series)

gay man (in-game)

Testament – Guilty Gear (series)

non-binary [agender] (in-game)

Bridget – Guilty Gear (series)

trans girl (in-game)

Harry Du Bois – Disco Elysium

bi man (in-game)

The Lamb – Cult of the Lamb

non-binary

The Goat – Cult of the Lamb

non-binary

Grace – Stray Gods

wlw (in-game)

Jala – Thirsty Suitors

wlw (in-game)

Ryuji Sakamoto | Skull – Persona 5 (series)

mlm (semi-explicit) *7.2

Aigis – Persona 3 -FES-, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, Persona 4: Arena, Persona 4: Arena -Ultimax-

bi girl (in-game)

Elizabeth – Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, Persona 4: Arena, Persona 4: Arena -Ultimax-

bi woman (in-game)

Kanji Tatsumi – Persona 4 (series)

mlm (in-game)

Barry the Quokka – The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

non-binary (in-game)

Osa | Anja Janković – Rainbow Six: Siege

trans woman (in-game)

Sens | Néon Ngoma Mutombo – Rainbow Six: Siege

non-binary (in-game)

Flores | Santiago Lucero – Rainbow Six: Siege

gay man (in-game)

Tubarão | Isaac Nunes Oliveira – Rainbow Six: Siege

trans man (in-game)

Sundance | Emma Rosier – Battlefield 2042

non-binary (in-game)

Vi – League of Legends (series)

wlw

Caitlyn Kiramman – League of Legends (series)

wlw

Malcolm Graves – League of Legends (series)

gay (in-game)

Twisted Fate | Tobias Felix – League of Legends (series)

omni man (in-game)

Diana – League of Legends (series)

lesbian

Leona – League of Legends (series)

wlw

Rell – League of Legends (series)

bi girl

K’Sante – League of Legends (series)

gay

Neeko – League of Legends (series)

lesbian (in-game)

Kung Jin – Mortal Kombat X

gay (in-game)

Mileena – Mortal Kombat (series)

wlw

Tanya – Mortal Kombat (series)

wlw

Mae Borowski – Night in the Woods

pan girl (in-game)

David King – Dead By Daylight

gay (in-game)

Eden – The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

non-binary

Niles – Fire Emblem Warriors

bi man (in-game) *8

Yuri, Linhardt, Jeritza – Fire Emblem: Three Houses

bi men (in-game) *9

Edelgard, Dorothea, Petra, Mercedes, Shamir, Catherine – Fire Emblem: Three Houses

bi women (in-game) *9

Ladiva – Granblue Fantasy Versus

trans woman (in-game)

Jacob Frye – Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

bi man

Oz – Monster Prom (series)

non-binary boy, pan (in-game)

Sawyer, Abby – Monster Camp

non-binary, pan (in-game)

Zoe – Monster Camp, Monster Prom: REVERSE

trans girl, pan (in-game)

Riona – Monster Camp

genderfluid, pan (in-game)

Amira, Vicky, Dahlia, Isis, Susanne, Modeus – Monster Prom (series)

pan girls (in-game)

Brian, Damien, Calculester, Abdu, Jun-Seo, Noodles – Monster Prom (series)

pan boys (in-game)

Alma – Unsighted

lesbian (in-game)

Ann – ANNO: Mutationem

wlw (in-game)

ELSTER – SIGNALIS

wlw (in-game)

Cherry – Cookie Cutter

wlw (in-game)

Catbat – Crash Team Rumble

non-binary

Bolt – Crypt of the Necrodancer

genderqueer

Clementine – The Walking Dead: Season 2, The Walking Dead: The Final Season

bi girl (in-game)

Javier Garcia – The Walking Dead: Season Three

bi man (in-game)

Poison – Street Fighter (series), Final Fight Revenge

trans woman

Marisa – Street Fighter 6

bi woman (in-game)

Sharon – Street Fighter EX (series), Fighting EX Layer

lesbian (in-game)

Raze | Tayane Alves – Valorant

wlw

Killjoy | Klara Böhringer – Valorant

wlw

Clove – Valorant

non-binary

Wrastor – Rivals of Aether, Rivals 2

mlm

Mollo – Rivals of Aether

trans man

Astarion, Gale, Wyll – Baldur’s Gate III

bi/pan men

Lae’zel, Shadowheart, Karlach – Baldur’s Gate III

bi/pan women

The Bard – Wandersong

non-binary

Caspian – Paladins

pan man

Saati – Paladins

lesbian

Fernando – Paladins

gay

Sam – Last Year

bi girl

Nick – Last Year

gay

El Bastardo – Bleeding Edge

trans man (in-game, semi-explicit) *10

Morgan Yu (Female) – Prey ('17)

lesbian (in-game) *11

Leo Kliesen – Tekken (series)

transmasc non-binary *12

Jill – VA-11 HALL-A

bi woman (in-game)

Nights – Nights into Dreams, Nights: Journey of Dreams

non-binary, genderfluid

April Angelle, Deedee Dawkins, Maegan Mann – 60 Parsecs!

wlw (in-game)

Emmet Ellis, Baby Bronco, Tom Thomson – 60 Parsecs!

mlm (in-game)

(The Entire Roster) – Rolled Out!

trans and/or non-binary *13

(Protagonist) – Dream Daddy

potentially trans; gay or bi/pan man (player-directed, in-game) *14

Player-Determined Canon

Ren Amamiya | Joker – Persona 5 (series), Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

gay or bi/pan boy *7.1

Tatsuya Suou - Persona 2: Innocent Sin

gay or bi/pan boy

Kotone Shiomi – Persona 3 -Portable-, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth

lesbian or bi/pan girl

Ciri – The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

lesbian or bi/pan woman

The Hunter – Bloodborne

lesbian *15

The Tarnished – Elden Ring

trans/genderfluid; lesbian *15

Corrin – Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem Warriors, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Byleth – Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Alear – Fire Emblem: Engage

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Kassandra – Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

lesbian or bi/pan woman

Eivor – Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

lesbian or bi/pan woman

Philip (Protagonist) – Eternights

gay or bi/pan boy

Sol – I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

non-binary; gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

(Protagonist) – Pyre

non-binary

Alys (Protagonist) – 2064: Read Only Memories

non-binary

Warrior of Light – Final Fantasy XIV

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan; trans/genderfluid *16

Tav – Baldur’s Gate III

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Alain – Unicorn Overlord

gay or bi/pan boy

(Protagonist) – Boyfriend Dungeon

non-binary; gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Dovahkiin/Dragonborn – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

The Warden – Dragon Age: Origins

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Garret Hawke or Marian Hawke – Dragon Age II

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

The Inquisitor – Dragon Age: Inquisition

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Courier – Fallout: New Vegas

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Sole Survivor Nate – Fallout 4

bi/pan man

Sole Survivor Nora – Fallout 4

bi/pan woman

John Shepard or Jane Shepard – Mass Effect (series)

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Sara Ryder – Mass Effect: Andromeda

lesbian or bi/pan woman

Scott Ryder – Mass Effect: Andromeda

gay or bi/pan man

The Spacefarer – Starfield

non-binary; gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Ares – Langrisser: Re:Incarnation Tensei

gay or bi/pan man

(Protagonist) – Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

mlm or wlw; non-binary

De Sardet – Greedfall

gay, lesbian, or bi/pan

Jimmy Hopkins – Bully

bi/pan boy

(Protagonist) – Temtem

non-binary

(Protagonist) – BattleTech

non-binary

Ambiguously Canon

Alucard – Castlevania (series)

bi man (arguably canon, explicit) *17

Ekko – League of Legends (series)

bi boy (deliberately implicit canon?) *18

Ezreal – League of Legends (series)

bi boy (deliberately implicit canon?) *18

Chloe Price – Life is Strange: Before the Storm

genderfluid (unconfirmed canon, explicit) *19

Ike – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Super Smash Bros. (series)

gay (evidently canon, in-game, semi-explicit) *20

Wolf O'Donnell – Star Fox (series), Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

gay (evidently canon, in-game) *21

Eagle – Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper/MAX, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

gay (evidently canon, in-game, semi-explicit) *22

Byleth – Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

non-binary man or non-binary woman (unintentionally canon, in-game, explicit) *23

The Glaive – Final Fantasy XV: Comrades

non-binary man or non-binary woman (unintentionally canon, in-game, explicit) *24

Aether – Genshin Impact

non-binary boy (unintentionally canon, in-game, explicit) *25

Lumine – Genshin Impact

non-binary girl (unintentionally canon, in-game, explicit) *25

Specter Knight – Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, Shovel Knight Showdown, Brawlhalla

gay (seemingly canon, in-game, semi-explicit) *26

Kat – Gravity Rush, Gravity Rush 2, PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale

bi woman (interpretively canon, in-game) *27

Raven – Gravity Rush 2 [Another Story: The Ark of Time - Raven's Choice]

lesbian (interpretively canon, in-game) *27

Noteworthy Non-Canon

Shovel Knight – Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope

gay/lesbian and/or trans and/or non-binary (in-game, explicit) *28

Alexios – Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

gay or bi/pan man (in-game, explicit) *29

Eivor (Male) – Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

gay or bi/pan man (in-game, explicit) *30

Rules/Criteria

- I’m including directly playable characters only (for RPGs and strategy games, I'm only counting the player-character, not party members who can just be commanded in battle; Three Houses’ characters are sort of an exception). Also, the games listed for each are only the games in which the character is playable, but many appear in other games in non-playable, though still important, capacities. Another thing worth noting is that there may well be other queer characters in any of these games that aren’t playable.

- I’m not counting licensed characters (i.e., Deadpool is pan, and has his own game, but it's a licensed property, so I'm not including it. Clementine and Javier are technically an exception, but that’s due to them being original to the games, as far as I know; obviously Ciri is too, but the Witcher games have such a distinct identity I felt it was fine).

- Sections are arranged by degree of canonicity, but within each list, the order of characters is totally arbitrary.

- “In-game” indicates the queerness is expressed within the game itself, rather than by just word of god. “Explicit” is being counted as the queerness being clear and undeniable (word of god counts, so long as the statement is unambiguous).

- As mentioned up top, an * means there's a note below clarifying something about that inclusion or classification.

- “Series” indicates the character in question has appeared in three or more games under the same brand; worth noting is that these may not necessarily be the games in which the character’s queerness is expressed, even implicitly, but rather the games they are directly playable in.

- I'm separating “trans” and “non-binary” for classification purposes, but it goes without saying that non-binary people are fully valid in identifying as trans; in the context of this list, “trans” refers to binary-gendered trans folks.

- While very nearly any character can be headcanoned as bi, pan, or omni, I'm only classifying a character as potentially bi/pan if the game allows for them to romance more than one gender.

- The difference here between “mlm” and “gay or bi/pan” is that I’m using “mlm” for characters’ whose attraction to other men is certain, but whose specific identity is not, and “gay or bi/pan” for characters who can be unambiguously played as one of those specific identities; the same goes for “wlw” vs “lesbian or bi/pan”.

- Emphasis has been given to mainstream/AAA games for two reasons: because these are the games with the most profile and renown (and thus it is most significant for them to feature playable queer characters), and because these are the genres I'm personally most interested in (I'm well aware there are countless visual novels, dating sims, and various less conventional indie games that all have a plethora of queer characters, and those are certainly valued and appreciated, but save for a couple high-profile exceptions and direct requests, I'm not covering those).

- Send me an ask if you want further details on the confirmation/nature of certain characters' queerness (or if I got one wrong in some way).

Notes/Clarifications/Explanations/Disclaimers

0* - That Rivet is canonically a lesbian was confirmed by one of the lead writers who worked on her; that she’s trans is a little more complicated, but still technically explicit. Way back when the second R&C game, Going Commando, came out, it featured a female Lombax (the same species as Ratchet himself) named Angela Cross, who notably lacked a tail. After seeing tons of theorizing and discourse on various forums and fielding tons of questions on the matter, the devs at Insomniac explained it simply as “female Lombaxes don’t have tails.” It was a word-of-god statement on a seemingly-inconsequential matter, but it was also a *whole thing.* Fast-forward twenty years or so, and we’re introduced to Rivet, the first female Lombax we’ve seen since Angela, and she has a tail. Apparently, the same writer who confirmed Rivet is a lesbian wasn’t aware of the tail’s implications, but she’s also not been with Insomniac that long, and welcomes the interpretation. And even besides the fact that trans/non-binary folks are known to have worked heavily on Rivet’s character, and in the wake of the original trailer, some devs engaged with fans in a way that strongly implied Rivet was intended to be trans, there’s also the simple fact that someone at Insomniac would have remembered the whole tail issue from years ago; someone would have known what the presence of a tail implied, and to my knowledge no acknowledgement of the tail is given in-game. Because it waws specifically established years ago that only AMAB Lombaxes have tails, Rivet having one is essentially both explicit and implicit confirmation of her being trans. (Also, this note is labeled as 0 because it was added well after the fact and I was too lazy to go through and change every one of the note numbers.)

1* - The lead writer of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has stated that he headcanons Maya as asexual. This particular phrasing adds a slight degree of uncertainty, but there is writing in the game to support it, and of all the people to have a say in the matter, he would be the one who could confirm Maya's orientation.

2* - Zer0 has been repeatedly stated by Borderlands’s writers, albeit outside the games, to be agender and to use they/them pronouns; in-game, though, Zer0 is consistently referred to as he/him, which the lead writer has confirmed is (or, at least, was, at one point) an error and the fault of himself and the other writers for defaulting to cisnormative pronouns. As far as I’m aware, Borderlands 3 continues to have Zer0 referred to with he/him, while current official material outside the game uses they/them or avoids pronouns. I would argue Zer0 could be interpreted as either a) using they/them pronouns exclusively, but for whatever reason not communicating this to others or correcting others when misgendered, or b) that Zer0 simply uses both they/them and he/him (this is the one I prefer). This isn’t a caveat to the character’s canon queer status, it’s just a note I thought relevant.

3* - Although she is not playable in Tales From the Borderlands, Athena is shown even more explicitly to be a lesbian, and in a relationship with another female character, in that game; however, her attraction to women is still unambiguously, if much less prominently, conveyed in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

4* - The final chapter of Celeste shows that Madeline has two pride flags sitting on her personal desk, a rainbow gay pride flag (which, of course, also serves as a broader, more general queer pride flag) and a trans pride flag (the colors of which also form the palette of the Summit self-acceptance transitional cutscenes). Additionally, the photo of her on her nightstand shows her at a much younger age, with drastically shorter hair and seemingly boyish look, which aligns with canonical images showing her as being flat-chested in earlier pictures and not in later. Combined with the game’s themes of identity and self-acceptance, and the fact that the game’s creator is trans and non-binary, and the composer is trans, and the devs have liked tweets referring to Madeline as canonically trans, it’s more than safe to say that Celeste’s protagonist is a trans woman. EDIT: I forgot to add this to this post, but yeah, it’s long since explicitly confirmed that Madeline is trans.

5* - Alongside [redacted], Undertale's protagonist is only ever referred to with they/them pronouns and gender-neutral nicknames. While [redacted] being non-binary is more concrete (since [redacted]'s own brother, who knew them best of all, only uses they/them in reference to them), the protagonist being non-binary is sometimes considered slightly more contentious, as some interpret the character as simply androgynous and free for the player to project a gender. However, this has never been stated to be Toby Fox's intent, and a close friend of his has stated that the protagonist is, at least, not a girl; beyond this, they/them pronouns are specifically associated with non-binary gender identity, and thus the protagonist as non-binary is not only valid, but the simplest and most plausible explanation. (Also, regarding the names... yes, I know, I'm very aware. But for the sake of anyone who hasn't played Undertale, I'm simply referring to them here as “the protagonist” and [redacted]; for those who haven't played Undertale, if you want to go without spoilers, I cannot stress enough how important it is to not look up anything, especially not the names of these characters, and when you do play it, just name the fallen human Chara).

6* - Kris is, like Undertale’s protagonist, only referred to with they/them pronouns and gender-neutral terms, including by their family, close friends, and teacher. In addition, given that Undertale's protagonist (and, more importantly, [redacted]) is evidently non-binary, it stands to reason that Deltarune's is as well (this isn’t merely banking on an arbitrary pattern; there’s an in-universe plot point that backs this up, but it’s a slight spoiler). However, I would say the exclusive and increasingly-frequent use of they/them is explicit enough on its own, especially paired with Toby Fox casually, but pointedly, correcting the usage of he/him for Kris to they/them during the Fangamer Undertale 6th Anniversary stream.

7.1* - While negotiating with certain Shadows, Ren may be asked what kinds of girls he likes; among the options is “I like men.” This is non-binding and narratively unacknowledged, and the player can never act on the homosexuality this indicates, but it is nonetheless an explicit, in-game indication of same-gender attraction. Additionally, the dialogue throughout the game never forces the player to have Ren indicate heterosexuality, always giving just enough, and just the right, dialogue options as to skirt around expressing attraction to women (and even, now and then, allowing the player to implicitly indicate attraction to men). On top of this, the anime adaptation, Persona 5: The Animation, features an OVA specifically for the events of Valentine's Day within the story, comprised of 11 different scenarios. One of these (and, arguably, the most viably canon, for several reasons) is the scenario where Ren romances no one, and ends up spending the evening with his best friend, Ryuji. While the vanilla game leaves the full details of the evening unspoken (and Persona 5 Royal features an alternate version that plays out differently, albeit with some teasing), the anime reveals that the two decide to hang out in Ren's room all night, leading to them clearly kissing.

7.2* - The above-mentioned scene in the anime confirms both Ren and Ryuji’s same-gender attraction. As mentioned, it is the most viably canon scenario (in both the game and the anime, for numerous reasons), but technically it’s only canon if the player makes it so by choosing to spend Valentine’s Day evening with Ryuji. However, Ryuji’s orientation is unaffected by how Ren is played; even if the scenario where Ryuji kisses Ren doesn’t occur, that he would is still true either way, and so Ryuji is firmly mlm. Additionally, much of the themes and dialogue of his arc fall heavily in-line with this. (Whether he’s gay, bi, pan, or omni is up to interpretation; personally, I hold him to be gay, because if he is actually attracted to women, that means his more... unsavory behavior is genuine and not just the overexaggerated, performative heterosexuality of a closeted gay boy trying to convince everyone, including himself, that he’s totally straight).

8* - Niles’ bisexuality is evident in Fire Emblem: Fates, but, to my understanding, not in Warriors.

9* - These characters technically meet my criteria of being directly playable (in battle, you can directly control them, even run around as them), but I grouped them together so as to not oversell their “playable character” status, since Byleth is still the only real player-character. Pretty much the same applies to the characters from 60 Parsecs!, who I’m mentioning here instead of in their own note because I’m lazy and adding a new note means renumbering all the subsequent notes.

10* - As you can see here, El Bastardo seems to have top surgery scars. I can’t for the life of me find any other mention of discussion of this, let alone confirmation, but fuck it, I’m counting it ‘cause those are clearly top surgery scars and we are hard-up for trans rep in games.

11* - There is a player-determined element to Morgan's queerness, but it’s merely the gender of the character, chosen at the start of the game. Morgan is only queer if the player plays as the female version.

12* - Similar note to Zer0′s: Leo evidently uses both he/him and they/them pronouns, by which I mean that, due to unclear intent and localization complicating things, it’s not totally apparent what Leo’s specific identity is meant to be, beyond having a gender identity that is queer in some way. However, it is fairly clear he is transmasc to some extent, and I believe the most viable interpretation is that he’s, as I’ve listed him, a transmasc non-binary man.

13* - Rolled Out! is a spiritual successor to Super Monkey Ball, and all eight of its main characters (all adorable semi-anthropomorphic animals rolling around in translucent spheres) are non-binary and use they/them pronouns. There are going to be binary-gendered characters who can be unlocked, all of which are going to be trans. This is bold and powerful as all goddamn get out, and god I wish that type of gameplay was appealing to me (it still looks totally great, even if it’s not my genre).

14* - The Dream Daddy protagonist's queerness is labeled as “player-directed” only because the player has the choice of the nature of his queerness; it should be noted, whatever approach the player takes, the protagonist is a man attracted to men.

15* - For those unaware, there is a Key Item in Bloodborne, obtainable only in Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice Dungeons, called the Ring of Betrothal. It is functionally useless (though it provides what is, potentially, extremely significant lore), except that it allows the Hunter to propose to Queen Annalise. She will reject the Hunter no matter what, but the option and interaction are the same regardless of the Hunter's gender. Similarly, Elden Ring allows the player to become consort to Ranni. Additionally, Elden Ring also has a fully diegetic means of re-editing one’s character, with all NPCs still regarding your character as the same individual; as such, changing from a female Tarnished to a male one, for instance, means your Tarnished is explicitly a trans man.

16* - FFXIV has no NPC romance options, but players can marry other players, as well as separate and remarry. This isn’t limited by gender. Additionally, players can change their WoL’s gender at any time via a Phial of Phantasia, a diegetic item which allows full re-customization of your character. Like Elden Ring, NPCs will continue to regard and acknowledge your WoL as the same person, regardless of any new gender, making it functionally explicit that your WoL is trans in such a scenario.

17* - Alucard is explicitly bisexual in the (phenomenal) Castlevania animated series on Netflix. However, that series does not share continuity with the games, leaving it unspecified if he is bi in the games as well. That said, there’s no reason to believe he isn’t, and it’s more than viable to interpret that Alucard being bi is the case in all continuities.

18* - League of Legends features a number of skin lines depicting alternate universes, most of which are fully unconnected to the canon. The Pulsefire universe, however, was conceived as an alternate timeline branching from the main continuity (meaning its versions of these characters are, ostensibly, just extensions of the canon versions), and within this universe, it is very overtly implied something non-platonic developed between Ekko and Ezreal. The writer of the story where this occurred then posted a thread about the difficulty of writing overtly queer stories for a global IP, ending it by linking to Ekko and Ezreal’s Pulsefire story and saying “Anyway, completely unrelated, please enjoy this story about Ezreal and Ekko.” He later further hinted at this when teased about the story’s homoromantic tension.

19* - I’ve put this aspect of Chloe’s identity here instead of the Canon section not because I think it’s particularly likely to be non-canon, but because it’s only been indicated through word-of-god (specifically, this interview with Chloe’s VA, Ashly Burch), and it never comes up in the games or comics. I don’t want to give anyone who sees this and hasn’t played LiS false hope that a main character is explicitly genderfluid.

20* - Ike's relationship with Soren is widely interpreted to be romantic. The pair have an emotionally intimate scene together in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn that is officially referred to as “the moment when their two hearts become one,” as well as an ending in the same game that sees the two set off together with the assertion that their only place is beside each other. Beyond that, their bond possesses a repeatedly emphasized and mutual closeness throughout the Radiance duology, which is, for each character, exclusive to the other. Neither character shows any interest in women, and Japanese-only media has (depending on translation) described Ike as either unaware of or actively uninterested in the affections of women, as well as having love for Soren. Despite all this, however, Ike's queerness is not technically explicit. The most overt evidence relies on translating Japanese text in certain ways; within the games, it's up to interpretation, and while the most viable and sensible interpretation is that he's gay and in love with Soren, it's still not entirely concrete. In other words, Ike is evidently gay, and clearly intentionally so, but not indisputably so.

21* - Wolf is very overtly written and designed to fit the traditional Japanese stereotype of gay men, referred to as Hard Gay: a starkly masculine, muscular, showoff-y, domineering, macho figure. That Wolf is a mildly sadistic, eyeliner-wearing, tsundere leatherboy only adds to the heavy gay-coding (his Super Smash Bros. Brawl look must be mentioned for its unbelievably heavy gay-coding). Much of his dialogue, mainly towards Fox and particularly in Star Fox: Assault, is easily read with homoerotic subtext (much moreso in Japanese but to some extent still in the English localization), and to a degree that, combined with how easily recognized his gay-coding is from an Eastern perspective, makes it unlikely the implied queerness is unintentional. In the same vein as Ike, though, clearly intended queerness is not necessarily explicit queerness, and though it's safe to say Wolf is meant to be gay, it can't be said that he's indisputably gay.

22* - Eagle has a plethora of quotes from the games he's playable in that very overtly allude to him being exclusively attracted to men; like Wolf, however, this is almost entirely relegated to his Japanese dialogue, though it is still somewhat true of his lines in English. This, accompanied by his design rather obviously being an homage to bisexual icon Freddie Mercury, clearly indicates that he is intended to be a gay man. Unfortunately, it has never been commented on officially, and is not technically explicit within the games.

23* - While there’s no deliberately official indication of Byleth being non-binary, Three Houses does quite literally refer to them, both in guide/tutorial text and in-universe via actual dialogue, using singular they/them pronouns, and numerous times, no less. Granted, it’s obvious the intent was just to not have to do two voiceover tracks for those scenes for each gendered version of Byleth; but regardless of intent, what that unequivocally conveys (at least in the English version, where singular gender-neutral pronouns carry a different connotation than in Japanese) is that Byleth canonically uses they/them in addition to either he/him or she/her.

24* - Same as with Byleth, and in fact the player’s Glaive is never referred to with binary pronouns; characters refer to the Glaive with they/them exclusively. Again, assuredly just a byproduct of Japanese language having, as I understand, a more well-established/accepted gender-neutral singular pronoun, while in English they/them is used only for cases of not knowing a person’s pronouns or knowing that they do use they/them. Nonetheless, in the English localization, the player’s Glaive explicitly uses they/them.

25* - Once again, both Traveler siblings in Genshin are regularly referred to with they/them, though in this case it’s weirdly even more explicit, since they’re both intermittently referred to with they/them and he/him or she/her, even by each other. While assuredly the same explanation as Byleth and the Glaive, it still reads overtly as Aether and Lumine both using they/them. (Also, this is currently the only Genshin inclusion on this list because good lord I do not feel like writing the detailed explanations needed to make clear the queerness among Genshin’s playable characters. Suffice to say, there are numerous Genshin characters who are queer in a way that’s almost explicit, but still technically implicit; most occupy a kind of grey area where, to see the full picture of their queerness, you have to consider various scenes, plot points, and lines of dialogue in connection with one another, and read into the implications. There are a few, as well, who are actually outright queer, but I’m not including them because with the way characters in Genshin express affection, I really don’t know where to draw the line of “this is explicit, while this is is technically still interpretative.”)

26* - In Specter of Torment, the closest thing to a romantic element present is Specter Knight being, on several occasions, kissed by a druidic skeleton named Gall, who the devs went out of their way, of their own accord, on Twitter to specify is male. Although Specter Knight is reluctant to kiss Gall, his reason seems purely that it’s specifically a Kiss of Death, a lethal magical technique Gall is practicing and intends to use on heroes (when used on Specter Knight, either he or Gall dies, though obviously only temporarily, since they’re both undead). So, while this is kind of a homoromantic interaction, it’s also kind of not. But, Gall being specified as male seems to indicate that the interaction is meant to confirm Specter Knight is gay; otherwise, I can’t think of any reason why Yacht Club would have bothered specifying. So, I’d say it’s likely Specter Knight is intended to be gay, but not concrete.

27* - Alright, here's my one inclusion that really depends on interpretation. I tried to keep everything strictly canon or official, sticking to cases that didn't require much (or, ideally, any) reading into, but this is one that I feel I have to include, even if it's arguably just a headcanon. Slight spoilers for Gravity Rush 2 ahead: Kat and Raven are two halves of the same soul, split before either was born; cosmically speaking, it could be said they're two halves of the same person, but functionally, they're completely different and distinct from each other. Over the course of the Gravity Rush duology, their bond grows as they end up living together, even sleeping in the same bed, and eventually Raven refers to Kat as half of who she is (though, again whether that's a “soulmates” thing or a “two halves of one soul” thing is up to interpretation, as is whether or not there's a difference between those two things). Indisputably, there's strong affection between the pair, and it's wholly viable to interpret them as a romantic couple, at least by the end of Gravity Rush 2. However, it's far from canon or explicit, and fully unknown what was intended. If you ask me, Kat and Raven are a couple of ultra-powerful cosmic wlw magical girl superheroes, but if you're looking for something official, sadly, that's not this.

28* - Shovel Knight features a function for its original/main campaign, Shovel of Hope, called Body Swap, which allows the player to change the sprites and pronouns (independently) of the main cast of characters. As such, both Shovel Knight and Shield Knight, who are lovers, can be the same gender, and Shovel Knight can have a sprite that is gendered one way (masculine or feminine, though both sprites are fairly androgynous) and pronouns of whichever gender you choose (he/him, she/her, or they/them). However, as neat as this is, it is quite evidently not canon (and it is limited to just Shovel of Hope, which is why I didn’t list the absolute myriad of other games Shovel Knight is playable in).

29* - The novelization of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (as well as subsequent AC content, and I believe even outright comments by the devs) confirmed Kassandra to be the canon player-character sibling, so while Alexios can also be played as explicitly queer, his canon orientation is not in the player's hands.

30* - The canon gender option for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is “Let the Animus Decide.” Simplifying a little, and without going into spoilers, this has Eivor as a woman, which aligns with the prequel comic (there’s no way to explain further without major spoilers; trust me, I’m not erasing any component of the character’s identity). So, like with Alexios, while you can play as a male version of Eivor, he is explicitly not the canon version of the protagonist.

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clairen45 · 5 years ago

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Reaction to D23 trailer

It’s finally here, and it didn’t disappoint. Worth the hype. This won’t be articulate or in-depth...

I love how it starts with the binary sunsets. Because it has to.

Basically this will remain a story of two.Two sides, twins, a love story, master and apprentice, two. It is also interesting that they chose to show us nostalgic clips not in chronological diegetic order (that is to say in the order of the story as it is supposed to be told, so PT, then OT, then ST), but in the chronological order we have received the story as an audience. I found it kind of weird they did...But anyhow.

The clips highlight the bonds and connections between individuals: brother/sister, lovers, master/apprentice, father/son, husband/wife, mother/son, friends, to emphasize the fact that this is, above all, a saga in the truest sense of the word: the story of a family throughout generations (with the voice over doubling on that idea). The one that got straight to my heart is the one that goes right after “this is your fight”. What is the fight about? Love and family. Right. With, not respecting chronology again, that one first.

Followed by a series of hand touch: Rey/Maz, Han/Kylo, Rey/Finn. Holding out hands to a stranger or to a loved one.

The combination of “this is your fight” and the smut hut hand scene was just delightful...

Moments:

1)Pasaana

That’s what we have got the more so far in terms of scenery. This was heavily featured in the teaser from April with the Tie scene, the skiff chase, and the VF photoshoot, and the prince in the desert leaks... The whole gang seems to be here (minus Rose, where are you my love?). This looks somewhat liek a festive place (think summer festival) rather than a dreary Tusken village or whatever. More festive than Tatooine or Jakku. Pasaana system it is, with locals named Aki Aki, that wear colorful clothes and jewelry. Wonder if we could get some music there... and even some dance, rituals? something that got cut out from TLJ. Wonder if this will happen fairly early in the movie, since rumor has it that is where they could meet Jannah... One thing we could expect: a fight between the gang and the KOR, since they were featured in the same location on the VF photoshoot. And these wonderful shots from Rey and Kylo...

2)Jungle queens

Leia in the jungle, whom we have already scene hugging a crying Rey. Why is this a favorite? Because of the Endor vibe, guys!

Leia was rocking a braid around her head that is a bit like the one we got from TLJ and which is supposed to be a mourning style from her home planet of Alderaan. Mourning for Han in a landscape that is very much like the one from Endor adds on the symbolism. Especially when the planet is also infamously home to baby Ben making... Now, is this Endor or a likewise planet? We have Rey training in a similar landcsape in the trailer, and there were leaked photos of the MF on a lush planet... Oh and by the way what is this red thing on her wrist when she catches the saber boomerang style? Interesting choice of color? Is it foreshadowing? What purpose does it serve?

Forests are the real deal when it comes to secret trysts and taboo love (Guinevere/Lancelot; Tristan/Isolde). Hope we get some of that.

3)Massive battle... This is taking the epic scale to an epic level... WOW

4)Nosferatu C3PO

Raising from his grave (sort of) with evil red eyes... What is going on? Is there such a thing as droid pink eye? Should we be concerned? Is it contagious? Is he controlled by the Sith, possessed as we got from the novel Last Shot from last year, is he rebooting his data and finally accessing previous memories, is everyone just effed up? Creepy-O in teh house... Just at the moment when they tell us the story is “coming to an end”... What we know so far is that he has been featured with Chewbacca’s bowcaster... What’s going on with C3P0? Seriously?

5)Weapon of Mass Destruction... Oh boy here we go again...

6)Forget it THIS IS the Weapon of Mass destruction ...

Step on a crack break your mother’s back... Here comes my Supreme Leader

Note that from there they segue straight into the duel with Rey, which is odd given that this is not the same environment at all. He is not necessarily stomping his way into fighting her, then. Except if this is the rumored psychedelic duel that goes through time and space... The Tie seems in rough shape. Could be the other rumored crashed Tie scene, with Kylo emerging alive from a smoky and trashed Tie fighter...

7)No, no, kiss and make up, kiss and make up!!!!

It looks awesome.

8)The one that has everyone going apeshit...

She looks weird... not even like herself.... Heavily made up, borderline CGI. What I love is that she has the same crackled light as Kylo’s. I would personally go with vision on that one, dreamlike sequence or something... It is quite something to behold though, and I am psyched they went there...

That’s all for now.

#reylo fandom #star wars fandom #rise of skywalker #episode ix trailer #star wars episode 9

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your-average-dysphoric-homie · 6 years ago

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One Day

This is a present for Roman or @what-even-is-thiss inspired by this post. Though I’m pretty comfortable as non-binary, I’m due for my period any day now, and I am not ready.

Thanks, Roman for being a legit inspiration through every T update post <3

Maybe one day

Who really knows?

We'll dance on the grave

Of limiting clothes

No longer looked down

When wearin' button-ups

No more need to shave

In that new, snazzy tux

It might take months

May need to wait years

Until wearin' white pants

Is crossed off that list of fears

Role models looked up to

There's a goal to be reached

We can do it, I know

That cis wall breached

Maybe someday

Closer than we think

Our mind and our body

Will be in perfect sync

#eliot speaks #poem #writing #whatevenisthiss #nonbinary #dysphoria

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nehraa-asaaranda · 7 years ago

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Companion Asaaranda

Name: Asaaranda

Race / Class / Specialisation: Qunari Warrior Berserker and Reaver

Gender Identity: Female

Varric’s Nickname for them: Stormy

Short bio: Here

What would their companion tarot card look like?

Recruitment mission: Capturing lightning

How do you get it? When you first get to Val Royeaux after your confrontation with the chantry clerics you will find a group of guards and ladies gossiping. “I told you this place had gone to the dogs” “First the Grand Duke lets that Ox set up shop in his city now (insert derogatory term fitting Inquisitor here) heretics are claiming to start an inquisition!”

A Dwarf walks past them “Talk talk talk and you people still have no idea what's going on.” She walks past them to the Herald “I'm Veronica Varen With the Silverite Smithery in Verchiel ran by Asaaranda head armorer of Verchiel. We have a business proposal for you inquisition folks. You'll have to come by Verchiel to get in on it though. Moving house is too dangerous in this climate without a solid promise. See you lot when ya do!”

Where? Her recruitment mission takes place in Verchiel.

Description: You come into Verchiel a prosperous city under duke Gaspard. It aesthetically seems to have a heavy leaning towards military power than ornamentation. When you come to the forge you see a tall Qunari woman arguing with some Templars. As you approach you hear the woman say “I've already told you. You can pick up the commissions I've finished and have your investment back on the ones I haven't but I'm not making weapons for either side until this whole mess is cleared up.” The Templars shake their heads and walk off with a cart, a horse, and some weapons.

Where they would be in Skyhold / Haven:

At Haven, they can be found wandering between the mounts and the armory.

In Skyhold she can be found in the blacksmith. She expresses her delight at having a place for herself away from Harret's scrutiny. You can also find Lorin and Veronica wandering around there once you finish her quest.

Getting to know them: in her first couple conversations, you can get to know about her time under the Qun and why she left.

Starting Tarot: The tower- her starting card shows her facing away from a falling Qunari fortress.

Personal quests:

Quest 1: The cry of my people

Quest 2: Forged by storm

Quest 3: Roaring thunder

Small side mission: The cry of my people

Asaaranda asks you if you would be willing to help Vashoth as they are being used as scapegoats in this time full of hysteria. In this mission, you have to find and defend Vashoth being attacked by various people in Crestwood and the hinterlands.

After you get the people down to a low hp there is an option to finish them or try and reason with them. (Does not always guarantee the won't just keep taking and have to be killed anyway)

Asaaranda approves of killing them and highly approves of trying to reason with them. Companion quest: Forged by Storm Asaaranda will mention that here is a lack of sophisticated tools at her disposal and that she misses her old forge.

It will also give the option to contact her old crew through the war table which will allow you to go and visit them again reopening her recruitment area. They express interest in where she is now and say that they miss her and things aren't working the same without her even if the pay she sends home is great. You can either ask them for advice or invite them over. (If you invite them they stay here rather than in Val Royeaux and that will grant major approval)

This will unlock a mission to collect stormheart to use in a Skyhold upgrade for her that will give a larger forge and an updated lyrium forge for the tranquil to make more advanced runes.

The effects will be seen on the field. The camps will now have weapon racks and some soldiers will be equipped with enchanted weapons. (Here companions will invite themselves to Skyhold regardless) Tarot card change: her tarot changes to the star. It shows her forging on an anvil as water flows from her work into a pool.

Romance quest: Roaring thunder

Asaaranda's romance quest is opened after you have flirted with her multiple times and you have gained enough approval.

If you have flirted and managed to gain her approval she will approach you in your quarters. She’ll tell you that one of the “Bas” traditions she had encountered as she left Pa Vollen and traveled through Rivain is the lover's knot. A braided thin cord with two round knots that hold a cutting of the lover's hair intertwined. (She mentions that eyelashes are used as a substitute in case of baldness) Cut into two pieces and wrapped around the lover's wrists. The search ability will alert you of an item to be found. After searching you will find a cutting of her hair left on your bedside table.

Should you accept you will need to get gurgut webbing to create the lover's knot. And then you can invite her out, you will meet her in the Gazebo in the chantry gardens and give her the gift. Tarot card change: Courage shows her in a flowing dress walking side by side with a Tiger towards a green light with a hand reaching out.

How to get their approval: Straightforward decisions and following through, helping the needy, respecting other traditions, fighting dragons and wyverns, Siding with Briala through Gaspard or just Gaspard

How to get their disapproval: If you say you will do one thing and then do another, claiming to be the Herald, disrespecting people's beliefs and sacred grounds, Siding with Celine

Are they romanceable? Yes

Orientation: Bisexual, likes Non-binary and Female partners.

If you are smaller than her you’re cute. If she likes your personality a lot your attractive and if you can kick ass you’re hot.

Race gate: No race gate

If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship/relationships with other character(s)? If so, who?

If Leliana was not romanced and is softened Asaaranda will express interest in her and there may be some rumors of courtship happening but Leliana keeps it quiet for the most part. The inquisitor has the choice to encourage and help this pairing or dissuade Asaaranda.

If those conditions are not meet or the inquisitor dissuades her, Asaaranda will begin a romance with Veronica and they will be married in trespasser.

Who are they friendly with?

Cassandra is a close friend, she finds a familiar comfort in her presence and they enjoy the same pass times (yes that includes books)

Varric’s stories become a great escape during even the most grueling of missions and she offers her own back.

Though you might not expect it Vivienne’s Wisdom on magic is greatly valued during this time as she tries to learn more on the subject but is also assured safety as she learns

She respects Blackwalls honor and dedication. She finds his presence to be warm and doesn't mind spending time with him even if just in silence. Her opinion of him does not change after revelations.

Iron Bull (conditional read below) She tries to help him learn how to be a true Tal-Vashoth and the find they have much in common through this.

Who do they dislike?

They dislike The Iron Bull until after his personal quest IF made Tal-Vashoth (then she will become good friends with him). If reaffirmed as a Qunari she refuses to speak to him and avoids him as much as she can.

Sera She doesn't understand how she thinks. If she fights for the “little people” why does that not seem to include those discriminated against like the Dalish, Mages, and those of different religions just because you don’t agree with or like them. She also finds her disrespect infuriating. It doesn't matter if you believe something different, be kind.

Solas’ way that he uses magic and thinks that his casualness should be normal sets her edge. She manages to stand him for the most part. And can be convinced to be more amicable with him.

Mages, Templars, Other?:

Asaaranda will vouch for the Templars as a stronger military force and will admit she knows little to nothing about mages but is wary of it. Regardless of choice, she will give Great approval for free allies and Disapproval for them chained.

Something to make them leave the party: An alliance with the Qun will cause a scene where she will want to leave. Her personal quest will have to be completed and you have to have extremely high approval in order to get her to say.

Special Events:

Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your companion holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year? When Asaaranda is found she speaks mainly in Qunlat and broken common. She is eager to fight and no longer fears death but instead wants a quick and worthy end.

At the Winter Palace: Does your companion enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?

Asaaranda stays in the trophy room and has a few comments on people whose ornamental weapons and metal works she made. She fiercely supports Gaspard or Briala being put into power behind him. There is a dance scene with her if you are romancing her.

In the Fade: Your companion’s reaction upon entering the Fade? Archdemon’s taunt, and Inquisitor’s response? Epitaph on their grave?

Asaaranda is stoic but a bit freaked out about the place. She checks to make sure everyone is ok and immediately urges to find a way out as quickly as possible.

Asaarandar will mention that the fearlings look like ben-hassrath when the inquisitor brings up the “spiders”.

Her tombstone says “Qamek”

Trespasser: What is your companion up to two years after Corypheus’ defeat? Any special events with them over the events of Trespasser?

Asaaranda has opened a business on the outskirts of the Val Royeaux market. Her now bolstered reputation has made this possible. (More to add later if I feel like it)

Fighting Style

Asaaranda is a Reaver and a Berserker. Her attacks focus on doing as much damage as quickly as possible.

#darp #dragon age rp #headcanon #Asaaranda

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healingtheblackbody · 4 years ago

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Moe, The H.o.e.listic Health Coach

Friday, January 29th - 3:00 - 5:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAscu-hpjwpG9C7KMNoqxQmHLPAx8ly9Oqi

Join Moe for a workshop on an exploration of magical medicine, self and community healing. A 3 part presentation including a Prayer Energy Medicine Guided Meditation, Ancestral Spiritual Nutrition 101 Intro, and Health & Wellness Q&A.

Moeniesha Richelle is the Hoelistic Health Coach! Serving the community through

Pleasure Based Wellness Coaching for QBIPOC+Allies by -Activating Ancestral Cellular DNA w/Mystical Nourishment, Sexological Shamanism, Creation&Play-

Taja Lindley

Friday, January 29th - 6:00-8:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpf-uorT0sGNJWYUTrs5S2-r8__o58bx87

Join Taja Lindley on an Artist Talk and Film Screening!

Can we grow gardens out of graves? How can we recycle the energy of protest, rage and grief into creating a world where indeed Black Lives Matter? What is the role of memory in our movement building work? And who will be responsible for this labor? These are the questions that haunt the work of visual and performance artist Taja Lindley.

As a memory worker, Lindley explores what has been abandoned, erased, silenced or distorted in our individual and collective consciousness. During her artist talk, she will screen her short film “This Ain’t A Eulogy: A Ritual for Re-Membering” and will discuss her most recent projects: “The Bag Lady Manifesta” and the "Birth Justice Podcast NYC." There will be time for community conversation and Q&A.

Through iterative and interdisciplinary practices, Taja Lindley creates socially engaged artwork that transforms audiences, shifts culture, and moves people to action. Since 2014 she has developed a body of work recycling and repurposing discarded materials. Her 2017 residency at Dixon Place Theater culminated in the world premiere of her one-woman show "The Bag Lady Manifesta" and it has been presented at museums, theaters, and universities nationwide. Her films and installations have been featured at Brooklyn Museum; the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Carver Museum in Austin, Texas; the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California; and more.

In addition to being an artist, Lindley is actively engaged in social movements as a writer, consultant, and facilitator. For over a decade she has worked with non-profits, research institutes and government on policies and programming that impact women and girls, communities of color, low/no/fixed-income families, queer people, youth, and immigrants. Most recently, she served as a Sexual and Reproductive Justice Consultant at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, co-facilitating a community driven process that created The New York City Standards for Respectful Care at Birth. She is a 2019 NYC Public Artist in Residence and a 2020 A Blade of Grass Fellow. TajaLindley.com

LINDA LA

Friday, January 29th - 8:30 - 9:30pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuf-6vqjsuG9S7rz4bxjhaggDsCzphuHN3

Get this healing with LINDA LA’s Performance Ritual!

Adjusting My Crown is a meditative, ritual performance born out of recurring themes exploring self worth and self preservation in combat with societal norms. It is an intimate homage to life before the pandemic, set in quarantine, including original movement, music and poetry. This project is intended to re examine the ways we value stillness, solitude and technology. As well as commemorating queer and trans life in spite of the hardships in love and everyday societal rejection.

Linda La is a multidisciplinary artist, teacher, curator, host and organizer from the Boogie Down Bronx, New York. Born out of the Iconic House of LaBeija, her creative work has been articled in both AFROPUNK and The Fader. She has also been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Timeout New York and W Magazine. This past year, she graciously performed under the direction of Bill T. Jones and Lee Mingwei at the MET and performed in the Obie Award winning The Fire this Time Theater Festival. She is currently working on her first studio project set to include original music and poetry. Her work can be found on all music streaming platforms and archived at the Brooklyn Museum in the “Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall” exhibit. Find out more at Lindala.world

Shanel Edwards

Saturday, January 30th - 12:00pm - 1:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvduCrqTIiHtDeOtB01iKGqHQTiizP4vnV

Get this healing with Shanel’s Workshop, How to build a home!

'How to build a home pt. 2' a co-collaborative creative space that asks participants to remember permission, intimacy, safety, play, and connection in our bodies. We are rebuilding a home that remembers our traumas but does not require them, leaving oppressive systems "at the door". We are remembering interconnectedness, remembering care. All black queer and trans folks are welcome to attend, there movement will be involved. Come with a notebook, pen/pencil, any special items to build an altar, and water.

shanel edwards is a Philadelphia rooted, first-generation Jamaican, Black, Queer, Non- binary, artist, and world-builder. They utilize movement, filmmaking, hairstyling, poetry, and photography as channels. Their creations are birthed through their Black queer and trans existence, tenderness, water, intimacy, and collective dreaming. shanel is a 2020 Mural Arts fellow and was a 2019 Artist in Residence with Urban Movement Arts (Philadelphia). They have choreographed for productions at The University of the Arts (2019), and Princeton University (2020). shanel works closely with spirit and their ancestors through herbal knowledge, divination, and channeling through movement to envoke and envision a world where Black trans women are liberated.

Olaiya Olayemi

Saturday, January 30th - 2:00pm - 3:30pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfuGppjsoH9FWtBGZQTWe__e07N0k7s_v

throwing the bones and working the roots: a (writing for) performance workshop

this highly anti-disciplinary and experimental workshop/seminar uses writing, image-making, movement, and sound-based exercises to create a brave space where students can excavate and craft their own performative conjurations and divinations; this class explores artmaking as a catalyst for social justice and as a healing modality.

olaiya olayemi is a blk/trans/femme/womxn/anti-disciplinary artist/educator/and organizer who centers womxn of the african diaspora in her performative/literary/cinematic/and sonic works of art that explore love/sex/relationships/family/history/memory and radical joy/pleasure. her work is informed by blk/queer/feminist theories/aesthetics/and politics and african indigenous and diasporic spiritual traditions. she has performed at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, JACK, AAA3A, metaDEN, The Wild Project, The Langston Hughes House, Starr Bar, Mayday Space, and Dixon Place. she holds a bachelor of arts in english/creative writing (with a minor in african/black diaspora studies) from depaul university and a master of fine arts in creative writing from emerson college where she was a recipient of the Dean’s Fellowship. she is a 2019-2020 Performance Fellow in Queer Art’s mentorship program, a Fall 2020 Brooklyn Arts Exchange Space Grantee, a finalist in Fresh Fruit’s Film/Monologue Festival, a 2020-2021 American Woman Fellow in Dramatic Question Theatre’s American Woman Lab, and a participant in Gibney Dance’s Black Diaspora group. her experimental screenplay was recently advanced to second round consideration for the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab. she currently lives in philadelphia.

Brother(hood) Dance!

January 30th - 5:00pm-6:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUocOqvrTMuEtaEM6QX8kLd9ItaiUregeQP

Brother(hood) Dance! will offer a movement experience that engages your full sense of awareness and connectedness to past present and future. We will work through African Diasporic techniques to ground and be rooted.

Brother(hood) Dance! is an interdisciplinary duo that seeks to inform its audiences on the socio-political and environmental injustices from a global perspective, bringing clarity to the same-gender-loving African-American experience in the 21st century. Brother(hood) Dance! was formed in April 2014 as a duo that research, create and perform dances of freedom by Orlando Zane Hunter, Jr. and Ricarrdo Valentine. We have performed our works at FiveMyles, Center for Performance Research, B.A.A.D! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance), VCU-The Grace Street Theater, DraftWork at St. Marks Church, JACK, Movement Research at Judson Church, Colby College, Denmark Arts Center and other venues.

As a collective, our work demonstrates how life extends beyond its own subjective limits and often tells a story about the effects of global cultural interaction over the latter half of the twentieth century. It challenges the binaries we continually reconstruct between Self and Other, between our own ‘cannibal’ and ‘civilized’ selves. By rejecting an objective truth and global cultural narratives, we find that movement reveals an inherent awkwardness, a humor that echoes our own vulnerabilities. Brother(hood) Dance! considers movement as a metaphor for the ever-seeking man who experiences a continuous loss. Brother(hood) Dance!'s work urge us to renegotiate performance as being part of a reactive or – at times – autistic medium, commenting on oppressing themes in our contemporary society.

Sasha Schaafe

January 30th - 7:00pm-8:30pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvd-qsrDsqHtzkR93WGC3sl2wurizVcTsJ

Whip your herbs out of the kitchen for this magical herbalism workshop!

Spiritual Healing & Protection with Herbs : Thyme & Bay

With respect to necessary uprisings in honor of black lives, while in the space of a global pandemic, it’s absolutely vital to our whole wellness that we practice spiritual hygiene & empower our spiritual bodies with clarity & protection. In this workshop we will focus on two methods & one medicinal preparation, with the support of our plant allies/“plantcestors,” that powerfully heal, cleanse & protect us during these difficult times.

Spiritual baths & headwashes are healing & maintenance methods that have been employed in indigenous practices throughout Afro-diasporic traditions, with special attention to the “head.” We will bring focus to two easily accessible herbs that provide clearing & protective support in efforts of providing our aura & spirit with clarity, removing energy that isn’t our own. We ask that you enter this space as your full & authentic selves, so that we may co-create & infuse our healing experience with powerful, loving intention.

Workshop Materials:

FOR SPIRITUAL BATH/HEADWASH :

- Bay Leaf (Mediterranean- Laurus nobilis OR West Indian- Pimenta racemoca)

- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

- Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

- Tulsi/Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)

- Freshly boiled water

- *OPTIONAL: Citrus peels (lemon & orange)

- *OPTIONAL: Florida Water or Kananga Water

FOR MEDICINAL PREPARATION:

- Bay Leaf

- Ginger

- White Rum (40% ABV / 80 proof or Wray & Nephew- 100 proof)

- *OPTIONAL: Allspice/Cinnamon/Nutmeg

- *OPTIONAL: Orange Peel

Sasha Schaafe is a spiritual herbalist apprenticing within the Sacred Vibes Apothecary community, under the tutelage of Karen Rose. Her background experience with “food as medicine” is informed by her family’s Jamaican/Chinese roots & upbringing. Her spirituality largely stands on the strength of ancestral connection & veneration. Operating through love & intuition, Sasha commits to being of service to community with a village-mind — honoring her purpose & the purpose of all those who are a part, as we all have a role to play. She concerns herself with being in right relationship with the land & energies within & around nature. She trusts that our planet heals itself & most effectively heals us when we nurture & nourish ourselves with respect to our relationships with nature & spirit.

Kiyan Williams

Sunday, January 31st - 2:00pm-3:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpde-srT0qE9McUbutgFApjaqUmAWvHZ25

Tune into this Artist Talk by the phenomenal Kiyan Williams!

This Bridge Between Starshine and Clay: An Artist Talk With Kiyan Williams

Artist Kiyan Williams will share the development of their art practice, which draws on and is inspired by traditions of Black feminist, queer, and trans creative practice as rituals of self-determination.

Kiyan Williams is a visual artists from Newark, NJ who works fluidly across performance, sculpture, and video. They often work with soil and debris as material and metaphor to unearth Black queer subjectivity.

Ọmọlólù / Ma’at Works Dance Collective / Ricky

Sunday, January 31st, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqf--vrzwqEtxieIjv_kakBkwjK8c9YoYP

Join the finale of our opening weekend with these three powerhouse healing artists!

Ọmọlólù

Believing in the depth of healing that resounds in blx sonic force ọmọlólù will give a sonic offering. Using harmonized loops and mantras ọmọlólù hopes to welcome folx who bare witness into a state of ease, reflection and blx ecstatix bliss.

ọmọlólù refilwe bàbàtùndé is an educator, african surrealist documentarian, digital griot and blx ecstatix performance artist. A diasporic daughter of blx Southern migration she is in constant practice, reverence and searching for blx sounds in all it’s haptic, visual, sonic, strategic, mobile, logical mutations. Using image, video, prose and sound she attempts to stun whiteness and create a divine glimmer of blx relief, a brief moment of sanctuary for folx to come home into. She is co-founder of rogueTHEIF, an upcycle denim brand/performative gesture which strives to poke holes in capitalist modes of exchange while also being a platform to celebrate ancestors whose memory challenges us to fight for more liberating realities for ourselves and those coming after. She has performed at the New Museum, Northstar Durham, and many intentional DIY spaces. She released her first EP “laiii 222 rest ooo : blx ancestral sonix salves” on Don Giovanni Records in October 2020.

Ma’at Works Dance Collective

This offering is a meditation in nature, a practice of process, tenderness and stillness. A conversation with the tree branches, the stream, the birds and the sky. I'm interested in what helps to heal black bodies and I think mending our relationship with the woods is a great place to begin.

Ama Ma'at Gora is a Philly based dance artist, educator and choreographer. She received her BA from Georgian Court University and her dance MFA from Temple University. She was given opportunities to work with choreographers such as, Kariamu Welsh, Lela Aisha Jones, Earl Moseley, Sidra Bell, Gregory King and more. She now serves as Community Based Learning Director at Drexel University; overseeing artistic civic engagement. She established Ma'at Works Dance Collective, as a way to hold space for controversial dialogue. Her work centers identity, historic trauma and restoration. Thus she intends on crafting spaces which reflect, healing. As co-founder of The Juba House, she’s been able to serve local artists.

ricky

for those in between: a meditation on black mania, magic, and multidimensional living

ricky is an artist, musician, performer, writer, and diviner. last year they released WAHALA, their second solo album as YATTA . the release was accompanied by a theatrical production called An Episode: Ricky’s Room, commissioned by The Shed. this year, they dropped ‘Dial Up’, a collaboratively dreamt up album with philly musician and poet, Moor Mother. ricky has shared a stage with musicians like The Sun Ra Arkestra and Cardi B, creating multimedia performances that tour astrally, nationally, and globally.

0 notes

twdmusicboxmystery · 7 years ago

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Sirius the Dog Star and How it ALWAYS Returns

Okay, let’s talk dog symbolism. We all know how much we’ve seen dogs around Beth. I’ve done posts focusing on how they tend to be around kidnapping victims in the show (X) but the kidnap victims always make it back to TF alive. There have also been rumors of Daryl getting a dog this season, and Emily having filmed scenes with a Rottweiler that we haven’t seen yet. So obviously the dog symbolism is a big deal.

I never really thought the dog represented Beth herself. It definitely represents parts of her arc, such as the abduction, but not Beth herself. Well, I’m officially changing that opinion.

(Picture Source)

Let’s talk about Sirius, the Dog Star.

Sirius is the brightest star in our sky. (Interesting.) It’s even brighter than the sun. (Obviously it doesn’t appear that way to us because of it’s distance, but if put side-by-side, it’s larger and brighter than our sun.) It’s part of the constellation, Canis Major.

This is another thing (like the Bennu/Heron) that was big in Egyptian mythology. Many ancient civilizations (Rome, Greece, Ptolemy of Alexandria, the ancient Polynesians) charted Sirius, but it was most especially important in Ancient Egypt because of the Nile .The star always appeared in the sky each year before the Nile flooded, which the Egyptians needed for their crops to survive, so they watched the sky religiously for Sirius to appear.

Think about that trait: The star Sirius disappeared in the heat of summer before returning later. The scientific reason for that is that the sun’s light eclipsed the stat during this time. They two stars were rising and setting almost synonymously, so Sirius couldn’t be seen.

In fact, the term “dog days of summer” comes from this. During the period Sirius was missing was the hottest part of the year, when things died from lack of water. This was seen by the Egyptians as a period of death and rebirth. Then, after exactly 70 days, Sirius would rise in the east in the morning, just before the sun. The flood waters would come, and life would be given.

And when it reappeared, it gave (in the Egyptian’s minds) life, via water. Oceanside? Beth = Water?

We could go into more detail, such as it being part of a binary system (Canis Major and Minor; just reminds me of the retellings), and a debate over whether it is or used to be RED, but those become their own rabbit holes. Tumble down at your own risk.

Now let’s look at TWD.

There’s obviously the dog that appeared briefly before Beth was taken by the Grady cops. I’ll talk more about that furry dude in a minute. First, lets look at something else. I said in THIS POST that dogs are often seen around characters who are kidnapped or imprisoned. That makes a lot of sense with the Sirius symbol, because the character is separated from TF for a time, but then returns. We saw this as early as S1 with Glenn and the Vatos gang.

And we’ve seen it as recently as this season. In 8x05, when FG had been imprisoned at the Sanctuary, Eugene made a dog reference (”We’ve eaten dog together, so I imagine that joins us in some manner for life.”).

And then there’s Jadis imprisoning Rick. While the wire thing she was making looked like a pouncing tiger to me, there was some implication that it might have been a dog. If that’s true, we have a dog right before Rick is imprisoned and separated from TF for a time.

Everyone remember those pictures Michonne and Carl looked at in that house in 4b? Every single one of them had thematic significance. We saw rabbits and carrots, the scary one of a blond covered in blood that might have been Mary, Beth, or Lizzie. And then there’s this one:

I’d noticed it before, but never totally understood the significance. Obviously I connected the dog in the painting to the dog in Alone. That dog had only 3 legs and 1 eye, so it was mangier, but it was still white and looked a lot like the one in the painting. I’ve always wondered if the fact that it was looking up at the moon was a wolf reference.

I don’t think that anymore. Because Sirius is the BRIGHTEST star, the dog may not be looking at the moon at all. This was the most obvious way for tptb to point to Sirius as the reason for the dogs. Dog. Staring up at the stars. Dog…stars. Dog…star. Put them together people!

And Sirius ALWAYS reappears. In the East. With the sunrise.

The only worrisome thing about this is that it appears after 70 days. Let’s hope they don’t make us wait 7 seasons to see Beth. (Grrh!) Now, I really don’t think that’s the case. I feel like she’s REALLY close. But. Who DID reappear after 7 seasons?

Morales.

I’m wondering now if they brought him back exactly 7 seasons later in order to fulfill the Sirius 70 days thing. They aren’t going to wait 7 seasons for Beth, so they brought someone else back after 7 seasons to fulfill that. Thoughts?

At the very least, both of them were on the cover of that magazine. Morales has appeared. Just a matter of time before our Sirius returns.

Now let’s talk about the dog in Alone.

He had one messed up eye, right? And since then, we’ve seen a lot (I’d even say most) of the blond, Beth-ish walkers, have one missing or seriously messed up eye. Most of us have assumed that means that when Beth returns, she’ll have a messed up eye from the bullet. I’m not so sure anymore. It’s still a possibility, of course, but it also may be more of the Sirius symbolism, rather than a literal thing.

See, I’m not sure why, as I don’t see it anywhere in the ancient mythology, but somewhere along the way, Sirius started to be represented by a dog with one star in his eye. You can even see it in a modern, North American XM radio station. Their logo has a dog with a star in it’s eye.

More than that, Robert Frost (yes, the famous poet) wrote two poems about Sirius the Dog Star, and refers to him as the dog with the star in his eye. More on those poems in a minute.

So I’m wondering if the messed up eyes are just to show Sirius symbolism (again, rebirth or reappearance) but it won’t necessarily be an injury she’ll have. Or it still might be. We’ll just have to wait and see.

So the gist of this is to show that all the dog symbolism around Beth is, by definition, resurrection or reappearance symbolism.

And, as @frangipanilove said, the “serious piggyback” line might have come from an excuse to squeeze the name Sirius into the dialogue, even if the spelling is different. Daryl gave Beth a “Sirius” piggyback through the grave yard and to the other side. She made it.

Now for the poems.

Remember in the funeral home (right after the serious/Sirius piggyback) they drank something called Frosty Cola? That brand doesn’t actually exist. A made up brand for the show.

@frangipanilove’s theory is that it was put there as a reference to Robert Frost and his Sirius poems. Let’s check them out.

This one is called Canis Major. (Source)

The great Overdog That heavenly beast With a star in one eye Gives a leap in the east. He dances upright All the way to the west And never once drops On his forefeet to rest. I'm a poor underdog, But to-night I will bark With the great Overdog That romps through the dark. – Robert Frost

Short and sweet, and it basically gives us the attributes of Sirius. This next one is much longer, but there are some suspicious things in it. It’s about a dog the narrator takes in for the night, who then disappears. I mean, even though the dog didn’t stay overnight with Beth and Daryl, there are a lot of similarities here to what happened with the dog in Alone.

It’s called One More Brevity. We’ll take it paragraph by paragraph:

I opened the door so my last look Should be taken outside a house and book. Before I gave up seeing and slept, I said I would see how Sirius kept His watchdog eye on what remained To be gone into, if not explained. (emphasis mine)

That last line. “She’s just gone.” And think how much about Beth and S4 in general has not been explained.

But scarcely was my door ajar, When, past the leg I thrust for bar, Slipped in to be my problem guest, Not a heavenly dog made manifest, But an earthly dog of the carriage breed, Who, having failed of the modern speed, Now asked asylum, and I was stirred To be the one so dog-preferred.

A carriage breed, by the way, isn’t a specific breed of dog. It’s a dog that’s “bred” to run along beside a carriage and protect the people inside from possible dangers. Only the rich had carriage dogs. Not only are these protector dogs *coughs Beth as protector of children* (X) but it’s yet another link between Frost’s poem and Sirius and the dog they actually used for Alone. That dog was a rescue dog who lost it’s fourth leg and eye rescuing it’s owners.

He dumped himself like a bag of bones. He sighed himself a couple of groans, And, head to tail, then firmly curled, Like swearing off on the traffic world. I set him water. I set him food. He rolled an eye with gratitude, Or merely manners, it may have been, But never so much as lifted chin. His hard tail loudly smacked the floor, As if beseeching me, “Please, no more; I can’t explain, tonight at least.” His brow was perceptibly trouble-creased.

Pretty self-explanatory. This dog has been through a lot. (Foreshadow of both Beth and Daryl.) Also remember Daryl wanted to bring the dog food to try and lure him in, but walkers were at the door. And an emphasis on only one eye.

So I spoke in terms of adoption, thus: “Gusty, old boy, Dalmatian Gus, You’re right, there’s nothing to discuss. Don’t try to tell me what’s on your mind, The sorrow of having been left behind Or the sorrow of having run away. All that can wait for the light of day. Meanwhile feel obligation-free; Nobody has to confide in me.” (Emphasis mine)

Beth and Daryl definitely tried to adopt the dog. And that left behind line. The narrator doesn’t know if the dog was abandoned or ran away, but holy crap! And then there’s the “confide in me” bit. Beth and Daryl definitely became confidants.

‘Twas too one-sided a dialogue, And I wasn’t sure I was talking Dog. I broke off, baffled, but all the same, In fancy, I ratified his name; Gusty, Dalmatian Gus, that is, And started shaping my life to his, Finding him in his right supplies And sharing his miles of exercise. (emphasis mine)

Shaping my life to his. Reminds me of Daryl wanting to stay at the funeral home and build a life.

Next morning the minute I was about, He was at the door to be let out. As much as to say, “I have paid my call. You mustn’t feel hurt if now I’m all For getting back somewhere, or further on.” I opened the door, and he was gone. I was to taste in little the grief That comes of dogs’ lives being so brief. Only fraction of ours, at most, He might have been the dream of a ghost, In spite of the way his tail had smacked My floor, so hard and matter-of-fact.

Like in Alone, the dog runs away, rather than staying long-term.

And things have been going so strangely since, I wouldn’t be too hard to convince, I might even claim he was Sirius. Think of presuming to call him Gus! The star itself, heaven’s greatest star, Not a meteorite but an avatar, Who had made this overnight descent To show by deeds he didn’t resent My having depended on him so long, And yet done nothing about it in song.

All the dog symbolism in TWD = Sirius.

A symbol was all he could hope to convey, An intimation, a shot of ray, A meaning I was supposed to seek, And finding, not necessary speak.

The signs are all there. You just gotta know how to read them.

Okay, all that said, you want to REALLY go down the rabbit hole? Yeah, it’s about to get worse. ;D

Let’s venture back to season 3.

(Once again, let’s remember that we can’t be sure what was and wasn’t planned before Gimple tool the reigns, but we have ample evidence that he went back and built on previous symbols in order to build story lines.)

So in S3, Maggie and Glenn are kidnapped and imprisoned by the Governor. Uh, Merle, actually. So this happened right after the dude who’d been gone several seasons and was presumed dead reappeared. And we’ve seen many parallels between Maggie/Glenn’s imprisonment and Beth’s, and even some between theirs and Daryl’s time at the Sanctuary.

So Rick, Michonne (who is new to TF at the time), Daryl, and Oscar (one of the inmates who survived) head out to go to Woodbury and rescue Glenn and Maggie. On the way, they hit a few obstacles. One of them is an EXTREMELY random character in a cabin in the woods. This dude.

Our heroes run into the cabin to escape a walker hoard and immediately becomes obvious that something in there smells REALLY bad. (Video below.)

youtube

We’re then shown a quick shot of a dead dog. Obviously that’s where the smell is coming from. So we don’t know who this dude is or why there’s a dead dog in his cabin. Maybe he was eating it, but it’s obviously decomposing. The dude is obviously a little strange. They end up having to kill him to save themselves and feed him to walkers as a diversion so they can run out the back door.

Daryl’s flippant comment about the dog is, “I guess Lassie came home.”

Now, we don’t want to necessarily say that they’re following a huge Lassie template here, because the haters will have a heyday with that. But…yeah I think they’re following a huge Lassie template here. Don’t tell the haters.

Lassie is one of the most well-known dog stories in our culture. And arguable the most famous installment was the film, Lassie Come Home. In the film, Lassie is taken from her destitute family, including a little boy she loves, and sold to the rich Duke of Rudling. Lassie hates her new owner though and wants to be with her “real” family, so she escapes and goes on a long journey/grand adventure, eventually returning and reuniting with them.

So what evidence is there, other than the obvious parallels to Beth’s journey?

Well, for one, let’s return to 5x10. The dogs TF killed and ate in that episode are the ones Eugene was referring to in 8x05. So they just became relevant again. One of the dogs in 5x10 is a border collie. Lassie was a collie, which is a different breed, but the name is similar. @frangipanilove believes they used a border collie rather than a regular collie because border collies are black and white, which reinforces the black/white/shoelace symbolism.

One of the Doberman in that group of dogs was named Duke. How do we know? Well, the name was visible on the blue dog collar. (Blue = imprisonment.) But more than that, Duke has his own page in the Walking Dead Wiki (source).

This dog was not exactly a huge character, right? ;D But tptb really wanted us to know his name. And combined with the blue collar, we have Duke + imprisonment, right? Lassie was taken and imprisoned by a Duke.

And other than the actual colors, the dog collars from the dog in S3 and 5x10 are strikingly similar.

In this group of dogs we also have a German Shepherd (think Officer Shepherd). So we have the black and white border collie, Duke, and a German Shepherd. Coincidence?

But it gets crazier. Check out this pic. Notice the caption.

The First Escape? Um…remember that Skybound posted this pic

after Slabtown with the caption, “First Escape Attempt.” Then there’s the fact that Lassie is escaping for the first time through chain link.

In 5x09, we have this cabin picture.

Check out the cabin featured in Lassie Come Home:

Like, I can’t believe how similar they are. Right down to the chimney stack being on the outside of the house. Now, I do believe this cabin in Ty’s death episode is part of a larger cabin symbolism that will have to do with the white cabin she filmed at. But Beth is also in this episode. So this may also point to her eventually returning home.

@frangipanilove also sent me one more thing while I was writing this up yesterday. In this latest episode, the painting behind Maggie that has the white horse in it, also features a black and white dog. Much like the border collie. And remember that black and white represent Bethyl. Black = Daryl, White = Beth.

As for the future, there have been spoilers before about Daryl getting a little white dog this season, though we’ve seen no sign of it yet. And I know there were filming spoilers back in S5 (same time as white cabin stuff) about Emily filming scenes with a Rottweiler. So if they both end up with dogs, it’s interesting that Daryl will get the Beth dog and Beth will get the Daryl-dog. Like their perfect companions.

No idea how any of that will play out, but we’re definitely on the watch for it.

Also remember that Beth sang a song to Judith about not growing up. Here’s a mainstream article about it: X. At one point, the lyrics say, “I wish that I could be a dog.” So Beth is wishing to be Sirius the dog star? I don’t think it gets more on-the-nose than that. ;D The article also points out that they changed the lyrics, which actually kind of makes it LESS of a death foreshadow. Just saying.

Okay, I’m really gonna shut up. Let me just end on one more note about the scene in S3. Once again, Gimple may have gone back and used this scene as inspiration for Beth’s arc. Who knows? Maybe he figured out the Lassie thing first and then decided to go deeper with dog symbolism and stumbled upon Sirius. No way to know for sure. But I want to point out one more thing that fits about that S3 scene:

The dog, which Daryl named Lassie, was dead. That much was obvious. TF was sure of it.

They didn’t try to revive it. They didn’t try to check it’s vitals. They left it behind. Because it was dead. And they needed to prioritize the living.

Thoughts on the Dog Star?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here

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thealfanator · 8 years ago

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The Cold-Hearted Thief ~ Chapter 4

“So, how’s it been up north here in Kaer Morhen?” Geralt asked curiously.

“Same as usual, these days. Winter’s been cold – we’ve struggled.” Yennefer explained. They were heading into a large, open room filled with an ambient atmosphere and noticeable echoes. The flames of torches danced in the darkness like a spot of milk in black coffee. Heavy footsteps filled the emptiness as Yennefer, Eskel, Lambert and Geralt entered. The Grand Hall.

“Geralt, why don’t you go down to the food hall with Lambert? You haven’t eaten in ages.” He reluctantly agreed. They both headed through various winding pathways to get to their destination. As Geralt headed down the narrow, streamlined corridors, he touched the ancient stone that occupied the castle’s walls and structures; a merciless cold that knifed his fingertips like tiny ninjas that lined up obediently in rows. They reached another room which was decorated and padded with multiple tools and furniture. There were racks of weaponry that lined the left wall like soldiers ready for war, followed by a door which led to the garden of Kaer Morhen. The swords winked sparks from time to time, shining in pristine condition. The two Witchers made their way to the buffet. Juicy vegetables and flawless bits of meat lie on the table gloriously, dressed up as if they were to be viewed rather than eaten. Lambert began to pluck items and dumped them onto his plate to be recklessly devoured in a surprisingly short amount of time. Geralt held back cautiously.

“It feels like years since I last ate.” Lambert explained. He started to run on lines for hours – talking more than eating. After a while, he forgot Geralt was in the room with him. He turned to quench his curiosity… Geralt stood there, almost lifeless. Lambert became aware at his strange posture. As he looked closer, he realised that the White Wolf’s eyes had because a solid black – absorbing all light. Lambert’s breaths shortened and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. Geralt shook, his body limp. “Geralt?” he questioned, hoping for a response. Geralt’s voice became distorted. Lambert wasn’t even sure if it was Geralt anymore. The voice became gravely and barren; cold. Geralt drew his sword and started swinging at Lambert; thoughtless and out-of-control behaviour. It was as if something had possessed him with severity. Lambert deflected his blows as immediate defence, then fled back through the maze of the castle – locking the bolts and hatches to delay the soulless villain from catching up to him. He heard clashes from the rooms he was in only a few seconds ago. Adrenaline boosted Lambert further.

Yennefer and Eskel were interrupted by the dashing of Lambert. He tried to explain to them what had happened over his heavy breathing from running.

“I feared that this would happen…” Yennefer elucidated. “Follow me.” She led the way, whilst the other two Witchers pursued. They carefully headed towards the library, watching around corners for the threat that followed. They questioned Yen what they were planning to do, but she kept things quite vague. As they entered, Yennefer started frantically searching through pages and pages of books. The library was large and deep with boring tomes. The Witchers would’ve preferred to justify history with a sword, not a pen. The lengthy amount of time that she took researching filled them with dread. The unknown confusion about Geralt’s demeanour took an unnerving twist in the matter. After dead silence, they heard pounding knocks on the dense wooden door at the far end of the library. Hard forces smashed the silence and challenged the locks and hinges. It found them.

“We have to move!” Lambert identified.

“I’ll hold the door…” Eskel started, but no resistive force was strong enough – Geralt burst through the aperture and grabbed Eskel by the throat. The other two stood, unable to move – glued by the fear. Geralt’s lifeless body penetrated Eskel’s stomach with strong forces, ripping the innards and burning them to ash – his eyes had the essence drained out of him as his body uncontrollably fastened to the floor. He became still.

The remaining two, Yen and Lambert darted across corners of bookshelves, trying to escape the wrath of the White Wolf. Lambert tugged at a shelf which was weighed down with books. It fell with force and prevented the pursuing Witcher from keeping on their tail. Ironically, the books were now being used for physical protection. Knowledge now really does mean power! Both hearts raced as they swiftly headed down the infrastructure of Kaer Morhen, with a monstrous entity mindlessly following.

“We need to get to the astronomy tower.” Yennefer shakily expressed. “There’s a shortcut through the cellar.” Lambert agreed, looking over his shoulder frequently to fulfil the doubt he had, nagging in his mind. They descended down stairs into the confined spaces of the cellar. Walls, ale barrels and the significant lack of light blurred and block their vision, decreasing their awareness and perception. Down into the blackout they went; they could hear their own fast heartbeat as their anxiety crept up within them. The only noise they could hear was the dripping of nearby splashes of water. Dripping and dropping far in the distance. Each one ten times slower than the beats in their throats. Sometime later, Yennefer turned to view Lambert. “Up here,” she indicated as she reached the stairs. Moments passed. A sudden screech was heard in the darkness, but before Lambert had enough time to react, his entire body had gone limp and senses had gone numb. It seemed the demon had consumed him. Yennefer watched in terror as The White Wolf slid his sword calmly around Lambert’s throat in a single movement, and dropped the corpse with no deviations. Yen witnessed Geralt’s raw unfeeling smile saw through her panic. She retreated desperately up the spiral staircase – which should’ve lead to the astronomy laboratory. Geralt walked in binary, no emotion shining through the strides that narrowly chased her. Hours seemed to pass as the steps became increasingly difficult to climb. The stairwells winded like the inside of a clock, ticking mechanically, without soul or thought.

Yennefer and Geralt reached the top. They faced each other. “Stop!” Yennefer exclaimed. Geralt obeyed. They stood symmetrically on the other sides of the spherical room. Equally in the centre, there was a vibrant pedestal which she glared at. Geralt also saw the significance and he adapted to her movements and strafes – ready to combat any unexpected fluctuations which may have appeared. The important looking structures glared down at the two as they stood – psychologically battling each other – emphasising their preposterous superiority.

“I know you’re not… you, but you need to listen to me, Geralt.” His head twitched. “You need to wake up.” She continued to persist. Silence. It was as if they parried each other’s thoughts – staying neutral, with no one with a visible advantage. The Witcher seemed to mirror her movements. Then, she dived for it. Both reached for the pedestal in the middle. Blank static choked the room – ringing overwhelmed the area. Nothing.

Geralt awoke from the terror. His head burned like acid consumed it. He woke up in the inn bed sweating from the dream he had almost witnessed. His distress filled his body and it took seconds to fully recover. He looked around the room. Back in reality, finally, he thought. However, his heart skipped a beat when he smelled a burning sensation. He was confused as he couldn’t see any fire in the inn he was currently in. After he heard the blood-curdling screams coming from outside the thin walls and thatched roof, he came towards realisation. In a rising panic, he burst through the door into the freezing night air. The town of Hankala was on fire.

This story is based off The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Please let me know if you enjoy this by following my blog. If you have any feedback please comment. If I find out people enjoy this kind of stuff, I may continue the story. I’m literally just starting out so I would really appreciate it if you reblogged so I can get more recognition. Thanks!

Link to Chapter 1: https://thealfanator.tumblr.com/post/160120934949/the-cold-hearted-thief-chapter-1

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cyclone-rachel · 8 years ago

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@peskyshortcake

Updated Brainysupes playlist

(somewhat based on the Heart of Steel fic, but also just the two of them generally)

Above the Bridge- AFI

Afraid of the Dark- Phildel

All I Want- Kodaline

Angel, Please- Ra Ra Riot

Alienation- Morning Parade

Alive- Superchick

Alone- New Years Day

And the Snakes Start to Sing- Bring Me the Horizon

Arms- Christina Perri

Awake and Alive- Skillet

Bad Blood- Radical Face

Be There- Seafret

Believe- Skillet

Believer- Imagine Dragons

Be More Chill part 2- Eric William Morris

Be Somebody- Thousand Foot Krutch

Best Thing- machineheart

Beta Love- Ra Ra Riot

Binary Mind- Ra Ra Riot

Black Eyes- Radical Face

Bleeding Love- Leona Lewis

Blood Infections- Frank Iero

Breathe- Superchick

Burn- The Pretty Reckless

Champion- Fall Out Boy

Chromosome- Remy Zero

Church- Fall Out Boy

Comatose- Skillet

Comfort Me- Phildel

Coming Down- Halsey

Control- Halsey

Cosmic Love- Florence + The Machine

Crawl (Carry Me Through)- Superchick

The Crooked Kind- Radical Face

Cry- Carly Rae Jepsen

Cyborgs vs Robots- Ludo

Dance With Me- Ra Ra Riot

Dark Side- Bishop Briggs

Dark Side- Kelly Clarkson

Dead Inside- Skillet

Devil in Me- Halsey

The Devil’s Back- The Pretty Reckless

The Devil Within- Digital Daggers

Disconnect- Clean Bandit feat. Marina and the Diamonds

DNA Bank- Freelance Whales

Don’t Deserve You- Plumb

Don’t Wake Me- Skillet

Dream- Tessa Violet

Drown- Seafret

Everybody Does- Julien Baker

Everything You Do- He is We

Exile Vilify- The National

Family and Genus- Shakey Graves

Feel Invincible- Skillet

Fifteen Minutes- Mike Krol

Fire and Fury- Skillet

Forgiven- Skillet

For Good- Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel

For Once- Ra Ra Riot

From Eden- Hozier

The Gift of Love- Stars

The Gilded Hand- Radical Face

Give Me Something- Seafret

Gone, Gone, Gone- Phillip Phillips

Good For You- Rachel Bay Jones and others

Guillotine- Jon Bellion

Hardest of Hearts- Florence + The Machine

Hard to Find- Skillet

Heart of Steel- Barry Manilow

Heart of Steel- Lykke Li

Heart of Steel- Manowar

Heart of Steel- Raiden ft. Bright Lights

Heart of Steel- A Flock of Seagulls

Heart of Steel- Galactic ft. Irma Thomas

Heaven’s Gate- Fall Out Boy

Heavy In Your Arms- Florence + The Machine

Hello Darkness- New Years Day

Hercules- Fly Away Hero

Hero- Skillet

Hero- Christopher Wilde

Hold- Superchick

Hold Me Tight or Don’t- Fall Out Boy

Human- Colton Dixon

Human Emotion- Digital Daggers

I Am Not a Robot- Marina and the Diamonds

If You Feel Better- Emilie Autumn

I’ll Never Be Lonely Again- Ludo

I’m Not Calling You a Liar- Florence + The Machine

I’m Not Made of Steel- Michael Bolton

In Binary- Lamb

In Space- Ludo

In the Sun- Joseph Arthur

In Tokyo- Studio Killers

Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls

I Shut Off- Ra Ra Riot

I Think I Like You- SirenXX

It Runs in the Family- Amanda Palmer

It’s Not Me It’s You- Skillet

It’s Only- Odesza

I Want to Live- Skillet

Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down

Land of Confusion- Hidden Citizens

The Last of the Real Ones- Fall Out Boy

Leave My Body- Florence + The Machine

Lifeforms- Daughter

Light- Sleeping at Last

Like a Star- Mike Krol

Love Like You- Rebecca Sugar

Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone- Lykke Li

Love Stinks- The J. Geils Band

Madness in Me- Skillet

Make Me a Robot- Tessa Violet

Malevolence- New Years Day

The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts- Sufjan Stevens

Mechanical Planet- Veridia

Monster- Skillet

Mothers- Daughter

Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)- Aurora

My Dear- New Years Day

My Demons- Starset

My Eyes- Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day

My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon- Fall Out Boy

My Religion- Skillet

My Type- Saint Motel

Neptune- Sleeping At Last

Never Gone- Colton Dixon

Never Let Me Go- Florence + The Machine

Never Surrender- Skillet

Nobody Else- Lamb

No Good Deed- Idina Menzel

Obsolete- Regina Spektor

One Day Too Late- Skillet

One More- Superchick

One More Time With Feeling- Regina Spektor

Only Our Skin- Lamb

Only Son- Shakey Graves

Out of Nowhere- Seafret

The Pitiful Children- Eric William Morris

Pray (Empty Gun)- Bishop Briggs

Resurrection- New Years Day

Rewrite the Stars- Zac Efron and Zendaya

River- Bishop Briggs

Roots- Grace Davies

Runs in the Family- Amanda Palmer

Ruthless (The Calm Before)- Emma Shepard

Sad Robot- Stars

Save Me- Remy Zero

Save Myself From Me- New Years Day

Say Goodbye- Skillet

Say Something Loving- The XX

Saying Goodbye- New Years Day

Scum- Peta and the Wolves

Sex Machine- James Brown

Something Just Like This- Coldplay feat. The Chainsmokers

Something To Believe In- Young the Giant

Sometimes- Skillet

Spend Some Time- Tessa Violet

Stranger Than Earth- Purity Ring

Suffer- New Years Day

Switchblade- Phildel

Tear in My Heart- Twenty One Pilots

There’s a Light- Seafret

This I Pray For You- Tessa Violet

A Thousand Years- Christina Perri

Tornadoland- Regina Spektor

Trouble Is a Friend- Lenka

We Fall In Love- Lamb

What I Believe- Skillet

What Kind of Man- Florence + The Machine

What Makes Us Human- Lamb

What You Mean To Me- Sterling Knight

White Light- Amalee

Who Are You, Really?- Mikky Ekko

The Wolf- Phildel

Words Fail- Ben Platt

Would It Matter- Skillet

You Are My Sunshine- The Civil Wars

Your Ghost- New Years Day

1000 Times- Sara Bareilles

#rachel talks about stuff #legion of superheroes #brainysupes #peskyshortcake #losh #clark kent #superman #brainiac 5 #playlist #yes i know there are a lot of nyd songs #and songs called 'heart of steel'#but they all fit #also: almost the entirety of skillet's 'awake' album #aaaand the theme song to smallville #because obviously

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writings-of-a-hufflepuff · 8 years ago

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Imagine Masterlist Part XII

Marvel/Avengers:

General:

Princess Bride

Bucky:

Rock Climbing

Bashful

I’m Bi

Dinner

I’ll Walk You Home

The Hufflepuff And The Slytherin

1 Step, 2 Step, 3

Cereal Thief

A Little Reminder

Open

Surprise

Oblivious

Pet

Old Man

Sims

Music

Natasha:

Clint’s Sister

Steve:

Boy Trouble

Theatre

Stuck

Surprise

Old Man

Peter:

Sorry

Nerves

Clint:

Energy Drinks

Darcy:

Scream

Wanda:

Ghost Hunting

Sam:

Adopted Sister

Peggy:

Colleagues

Howard:

Party

Sharon:

Snow Day

Thor:

Adjust

Fantastic Beasts/Harry Potter:

Newt:

Sweethearts

Companion

Bonding

Whole New World

Non-Binary

School Friends

The Twins

Care

Luna:

Adventures

Queenie:

Little Sister

Tina:

Little Sister

Marriage

Jacob:

Baker’s Assistant

Fred and/or George:

Quiet

Remus:

Full Moon

Harry:

God Parent

House Divides

Clumsy

Ginny:

Partners

Percival Graves:

Transfiguration

Hermione:

Love

Neville:

Tutor

Scorpion:

General:

Horoscopes

On The Move

Happy:

Cousin

Practically siblings

Cleaning

Ralph/Paige:

Step Parent

Teach

BFF

Sylvester:

BFF

Peaceful

Cabe:

Parent

Walter:

Family Visits

Teen Wolf:

General:

Mr. Harris

Trampolining

Stupid

Movie Night

Derek:

Smile For Me

Anxiety

Quiet

Lydia:

Check Mate

Languages

Stay

Fine Ass Nails

Allison:

Archery

Pool Side

Poems

Stiles:

Comic Con

Food Run

Mother Nature

Kira:

Dinner

Isaac:

Ice-cream

Study Buddy

Scott:

Another Year

Homesick

The Mummy:

Evie:

Long Time

The Outsiders:

Darry:

Lunch

Dragon Age:

General:

Adviser

Anders:

The Clinic

Cole:

Riddick:

Challenge

Tag A Long

Firefly:

Inara:

Companions

River:

Friendship

Scream:

General:

Pact

Emma:

Safe

Home

Romantic

Stavo:

Library

Eli:

Study

Zoe:

Paper

Audrey:

Mornings

Lucifer:

General:

Home

Maze:

Spring Break

Surprise!!!!

Amenadiel:

Dinner

Pranks

Star Trek:

Kirk:

Mistletoe

Jurassic World:

Owen:

New Alpha

Kingsman:

Eggsy:

Missions

Musketeers:

General:

Snowball Fight

Medical Help

Injured

God Parents

Aramis:

Riding

God Parents

Porthos:

Dance

Assassin’s Creed:

Jacob Frye:

Rise

Supernatural:

Dean:

You’re Allowed To Feel Good

Bullies (TW: Bullying, angst)

Gabriel:

Watching

Sam:

Cuddling

Magnificent Seven:

Faraday:

Mourning (TW: Death)

Impress

Maze Runner:

General:

Oldest

Too Much Moonshine

Newt:

Parallels

Deadpool:

Wade:

Funny Pictures

Cheeky Nandos

Star Wars:

General:

Portraits

News

Poe:

Friendship

Too Close

Skywrite

Obi Wan:

Tears

Ghostbusters:

General:

Horror Movies

Daredevil:

Frank:

Alongside

Brooklyn Nine Nine:

Rosa:

Introductions

The Hobbit/LOTR:

Thorin:

From Childhood

Bilbo:

What Cousins Do

The Martian:

Chris Beck:

Every Morning

Doctor Who:

Doctor:

Accents

The Internship:

Headphones:

First Day

Criminal Minds:

Reid:

Hamilton

Rambling

Crossover:

Devil For A Dad- (Teen Wolf + Lucifer)

Comfort- (Teen Wolf + X-Men) (TW: Death)

Trio- (Indiana Jones + Marvel)

Past Lives- (Lucifer + Avengers)

Introductions- (Supernatural + Deadpool)

#masterpost

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pussymagicuniverse · 5 years ago

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Werewolf Heart, a Hallow's Eve #meowlist by Jessie Lynn McMains

This year, for Pussy Magic’s second Hallow’s Eve: SCREAM issue, our music-lover, Jessie, compiled a spooky list of tracks for you to enjoy with some details below about the songs and musicians, why she chose them, and lyrics that she loves. Enjoy, Kittens, and we’ll see you later for the special upcoming issue!

1. Tom Waits — Dirt in the Ground

I could easily make an entire Halloween-season playlist using only Tom Waits songs, and it was difficult to narrow it down to just one. I chose this one for two reasons. One being that it is both spooky and sad, a perfect ode for this holiday which is all about honoring the dead and accepting death as a natural part of the life cycle. The other being my own personal associations with it—at a Halloween party in 2003, while in costume as a fallen angel, I performed an a capella version of this song.

The quill from a buzzard The blood writes the word I want to know am I the sky or a bird? ‘Cause hell is boiling over And heaven is full We’re chained to the world And we all gotta pull

2. Johnny Cash — The Man Comes Around

This song isn’t so much creepy-sounding as it is lyrically terrifying. If anyone can make me believe in a Biblical-style apocalypse, it’s Johnny Cash. It also gets Halloween bonus points for its use in Dawn of the Dead.

The hairs on your arm will stand up At the terror in each sip and in each sup Will you partake of that last offered cup Or disappear into the potter’s ground? When the man comes around

3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — Red Right Hand

Nick Cave is another artist who could fill up an entire Halloween playlist all on his own. Be it with the Birthday Party or the Bad Seeds, the man can write a scary tune. This is by no means his scariest song (as far as I’m concerned, that titles belongs to “Song of Joy”*), but it does have a definite foreboding feeling; particularly during the organ solo. Ultimately, I chose this one for the playlist because of its use in the Scream franchise.

(*Fun fact: in “Song of Joy,” Nick references the same passage from Milton’s Paradise Lost that “Red Right Hand” was drawn from.)

You’ll see him in your nightmares You’ll see him in your dreams He’ll appear out of nowhere but He ain’t what he seems You’ll see him in your head On the TV screen Hey buddy, I’m warning You to turn it off

4. Puerto Muerto — The Hangman’s Song

A sad and beautiful apocalyptic death-song. This is another one I once performed, at a Halloween show in 2009. And, like “The Man Comes Around,” this song is also on the Dawn of the Dead soundtrack.

The days will turn black, you soon will see. Soon we’ll all be swinging from a tree. Pray your neck breaks when the rope is taut. Pray your mother isn’t there to see.

5. Delta Rae — I Will Never Die

Fleur suggested this song and as soon as I heard it I knew it was going on the playlist. It has a powerful, witchy, incantatory feeling to it, and the imagery in the lyrics is perfectly eerie. And I have a weakness for any song that uses chains as percussion instruments.

Hickory, oak, pine and weed Bury my heart underneath these trees And when a southern wind comes to raise my soul Spread my spirit like a flock of crows

6. Nina Simone — I Put A Spell On You

This tune is a must on any Halloween playlist. I adore the original Screamin’ Jay Hawkins version, but I think Nina Simone’s version is the sexiest and witchiest. Her deep, commanding voice and the jazzy sway of the music will put a spell on you for certain.

I put a spell on you ‘Cause you’re mine You better stop the things you do I ain’t lyin’ No, I ain’t lyin’

7. Eartha Kitt — I Want To Be Evil

In this fun little tune, the inimitable Eartha Kitt (aka Catwoman) asks why bad boys get to have all the fun. C’mon, good girls and non-binary babes, cast off the shackles of gender-based behavioral expectations and be evil!

I want to be horrid, I want to drink booze And whatever I’ve got, I’m eager to lose I want to be evil, little evil me Just as mean and evil as I can be!

8. Jill Tracy — Evil Night Together

Being bad can feel so good. This vampy dark cabaret number is the love song a femme fatale would sing in a film noir. It’s the kind of song you’d use to seduce the person you want as your partner. And by partner, I mean partner-in-crime.

I’ll hold your hand while they drag the river I’ll cuddle you in the undertow I’ll keep my hand on your trigger finger I’ll take you down where the train tracks go Let’s wile away the hours Let’s spend an evil night together

9. Lana Del Rey - Season of the Witch

This is another seasonal classic. Hole’s cover is my favorite, but it’s not available on Spotify, and this version by Our Lady of Vintage Cool, Lana Del Rey, is really good, too. (Also, it appears on the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark soundtrack.)

When I look out my window, many sights to see. And when I look in my window, so many different people to be. That it’s strange. So strange.

10. Austra — Spellwork

Dark and danceable witchy synth-pop. Thanks to Cassidy Scanlon for the suggestion.

You must be the call The evil at night Speaking words of grace While spellwork delights Feel my desire, it burns like a fire

11. World/Inferno Friendship Society — One for the Witches!

The World/Inferno Friendship Society is another band that could easily fill up a Halloween playlist all on their own. Hell, their biggest show of the year is their Hallowmas show every October the 31st. I chose this one because it is an anthem of mine (so much so that I have a tattoo relating to it); it is an anthem for all witches and weirdos and misfits. You know? I mean, do ya know?

“Supposed to be? I never gave it any thought Never gave a damn about what I’m supposed to be But if you’re asking what I am? I’m a fucking walking question mark I am a walking fucking time bomb!”

12. Hag Face — Witch Stomp

This short instrumental tune sounds something like if Elvira had a garage band, and you combined their music with a tape of spooky sound effects. It’s fuzzed-out grunge, dark and hypnotic, and full of screams and howls.

13. The Distillers — I Am A Revenant

In folklore, a revenant is an animated corpse that is believed to have revived from death to haunt the living. In this loud-fast-rules punk song, Brody Dalle reminds us that even if the bastards kill us, we can return to haunt them for the rest of their days.

We are the revenants We will rise up from the dead We become the living We’ve come back to reclaim our stolen breath

14. Against Me! — Dead Rats

This isn’t specifically a Halloween song (in fact, the only holiday it references is Easter), but sound and image-wise, it’s perfect. It’s a heartbroken rager, a love song for a fucked-up goth girl. It reminds me of so many girls I’ve known and loved; so many girls I’ve been.

Dear succubus, I miss you more than the rest But there’s a little bit less divide each time I look back In the eaves of your attic, I know how to haunt Shallow graves for all dead rats I like the dark clouds the best

15. The Cramps — Sheena’s in a Goth Gang

I had to include The Cramps and their brand of horror-surf-punk-psychobilly. In this song, Sheena’s not a punk rocker no more...she’s in a goth gang, now.

Mixed up women Do you have one in your house? She’s in the forbidden Vampire underground In the cult of the cobra Snakes in her hair She looks so macabre With her cobweb stare

16. The Damned — Nasty

This song is such a rollicking tribute to horror and slasher flicks. Listen to it, then go watch the performance they did on The Young Ones, with Dave Vanian at his vampiric finest. Only pop music can save us now!

The axe is sharp And the blade is keen Creature features spill from the screen Shadows fall and all is gloom You’re not so safe In the safety of your room

17. Siouxsie and the Banshees — Halloween

This would be a poor excuse for a Halloween playlist if I didn’t include a song by the Queen of Goth herself, Siouxsie Sioux. It was a toss-up between this one and “Spellbound,” but I chose this one for the drive of the drums, the angular slash of the guitars, and the surreal and atmospheric lyrics.

A sweet reminder In the ice-blue nursery Of a childish murder Of hidden luster And she cries “Trick or Treat” “Trick or Treat” The bitter and the sweet

18. Bauhaus — Bela Lugosi’s Dead

I almost feel like I should apologize for including this song, but listen: this year’s Hallow’s Eve edition of Pussy Magic has a pop culture bent, and I’m currently working on a chapbook inspired by Bela Lugosi (amongst other classic horror actors), so I couldn’t not include it. Not to mention it’s a goth classic with the clattering-bone percussion, the reverb, the mesmeric bass line. Every time I listen to it I feel like I’m in a goth club in the ‘80s, all decked out in black lace and too much makeup, smoking clove cigarettes and dancing.

White on white translucent black capes Back on the rack Bela Lugosi’s dead The bats have left the bell tower The victims have been bled

19. Oingo Boingo — Dead Man’s Party

Another Halloween classic by my favorite new wave/rock/ska/whatever (seriously, how does one classify Oingo Boingo’s music?) group of weirdos. It’s one of those great songs where the lyrics can be read into really deeply if you so choose, but it’s also just a hell of a lot of fun.

I got my best suit and my tie With a shiny silver dollar on either eye I hear the chauffeur comin’ to my door Says there’s room for maybe just one more

20. The Gun Club — Death Party

Poor old Jeffrey Lee. He had a lot of devils, and nowhere can you hear that better than in the yowl of this song. Musically, it’s something akin to Jim Morrison having psychedelic visions in the L.A desert, combined with blues, country, and punk. Lyrically, it’s about being drawn to self-destruction.

Throw down your heartache, throw down your worldly blues They’ll tear your heart out, lookin at you wail the blues Come to the death party, you ain’t got nothing to lose

21. Concrete Blonde — Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)

Concrete Blonde always had a dark side, but with the album Bloodletting they went even deeper into goth-rock territory. This, the title track, was inspired by Anne Rice’s novel Interview with the Vampire, and has a sexy swagger perfect for a creature of the night.

There’s a crack in the mirror And a bloodstain on the bed Oh, you were a vampire And baby, I’m the walking dead

22. Sonic Youth — Halloween

According to Kim Gordon, the lyrics to this song were inspired by watching Henry Rollins perform with Black Flag, which makes me chuckle. But in any case, this is a strange, creepy, and yeah, kinda sexy tune. There’s something ritualistic about it, like the incantation of a priestess as filtered through the lens of Sonic Youth’s noisy art-punk.

It’s the devil in me Makes me stare at you as you Twist up along you Sing your song and you’re Slipping up to me and you’re So close I just uh Want to touch you

23. Pixies — On Graveyard Hill

This track off the new Pixies album definitely has that off-kilter rock’n’roll Pixies sound I know and love. And the lyrics make it a perfect fit for a Halloween playlist.

In the poisonous forest, Donna lights up her torches Her eyes are flying saucers Her hair is black and gorgeous I see her down at the crossroads She can lead you to madness She’s leading me into darkness, in the witching hour

24. Tempers — What Isn’t There

As I’ve been writing these descriptions and listening to the playlist again, I’ve realized a lot of the tracks are long—like, between five and ten minutes long. I think that’s fitting for this season and this holiday. Imagine the long songs on this playlist as aural films to get lost inside. This track by Tempers makes for a very dark and moody piece of ‘cinema.’ Thanks to Cassidy Scanlon for the suggestion.

25. Sigils — Samhain

If all metal sounded like this I would listen to more metal. I love the heavy drone of this song, so eerie and mysterious. And the lyrics make me picture teenagers sitting around an autumn bonfire, stoned, telling scary stories.

Everything is gold The wind a sickly sweet The smell of rotting leaves Bathe in ashes from the fire

26. Dax Riggs — Ghost Movement

Yet another artist whose entire oeuvre, from Acid Bath to deadboy & the Elephantmen to his solo stuff, lends itself well to this season. This one’s a personal favorite when I’ve got those haunted blues. (After you’ve listened to the playlist, go listen to Dax’s cover of the Misfits’s “Skulls,” which he turned into a ballad.)

Kissed a blue girl While it rained broken glass Rode a bolt of white light With Satan on my lap

27. Queens of the Stone Age — Mosquito Song

With imagery straight out of Hannibal Lecter’s cookbook, this song is a gorgeously scary ode to the cycle of life and death.

Cutting boards, hanging hooks Bloody knives, cooking books Promising you won’t feel a thing at all Swallow and chew, eat you alive All of us food, that hasn’t died

28. Rasputina — Gingerbread Coffin

I would be remiss as a former creepy little girl who totally held doll funerals and as an overly dramatic goth who totally had a Rasputina phase if I didn’t include this song.

We brought, but not used A collection of knives We’ll remember this moment Through all of our lives She’ll rise

29. Dead Man’s Bones — Werewolf Heart

I’d never heard of Dead Man’s Bones until I was looking for songs for this playlist, but I love this song so much that I went to find more about the band and discovered... Ryan Gosling co-wrote this album with Zach Shields. Like: “Hey girl, I heard you liked ghosts and monsters and love stories, so I wrote you this monster-ghost-love story...”

You’d look nice in a grave I smile at the moon, death is on my face And if you wait too long Then you’ll never see the dawn again

30. Cat Power — Werewolf

I've had a long-time love for this eerie and beautiful Cat Power tune.

Oh the werewolf, oh the werewolf Comes stepping along He don’t even break the branches where he’s gone Once I saw him in the moonlight, when the bats were a flying I saw the werewolf, and the werewolf was crying

31. Neko Case — Deep Red Bells

This song was one of the inspirations for my poem which is appearing in the Hallow’s Eve issue. (The other inspiration was Seanan McGuire’s book The Girl in the Green Silk Gown.) It is a sad tribute to the murdered girls who are often forgotten.

Does your soul cast about like an old paper bag Past empty lots and early graves Of those like you who lost their way Murdered on the interstate While the red bells rang like thunder?

32. Nina Nastasia — In the Graveyard

This season is all about honoring our dead, but sometimes we’re just not ready.

Someone told me that I should visit you in the graveyard Pull out all the weeds But I’m still lonely and I’m not ready You scared me when you hid behind the trees

33. Hozier — In a Week (feat. Karen Crowley)

This is another song, like “Dirt in the Ground” and “Mosquito Song,” which is about the cycle of life and death (we’re all gonna be dirt in the ground / all of us food that hasn’t died / after the foxes have known our taste). And call me weird and morbid, but I think it is one of the most romantic songs ever written. These lovers will not be parted even in death; death will only bind them closer together.

And they’d find us in a week When the buzzards get loud After the insects have made their claim After the foxes have known our taste After the raven has had its say I’d be home with you

Jessie Lynn McMains (they/them) is a poet, writer, zine-maker, and small press owner. They are a queer and non-binary mama to two wild kiddos. Aside from words, music is their favorite thing in the world. They’re also obsessed with tarot, the Midwest/Great Lakes/Rust Belt, ghosts, and the undying spirit of punk rock. You can find their website at recklesschants.net, or find them on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram @rustbeltjessie.

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robinsoncenter · 6 years ago

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ASUW QSC updates

Welcome to Winter Quarter! The ASUW Queer Student Commission would like to officially welcome you to 2019, as well as the Winter Quarter. We recognize your resilience, determination, and hard work and we hope you've all had a well-deserved break! We are so happy to have you back, this quarter we have so many exciting things coming up. Unstoppable by Borders (2017) Protest art by queer Asian-Canadian filmmaker, public artist and Pushcart-nominated poet Jess X. Snow (These migration posters are available for free download and non-commercial use for protests or wheatpasting. Please print credit and tag @jessxsnow on Instagram and Facebook.)

A message to bring us into our new year advocating for justice and community: Our community is one composed of powerful immigrants, refugees, black, and indigenous trans, intersex, gender non-binary, and gender non-conforming folks and during this time we must protect and fight for our friends and families by all means necessary. As those we love are endangered, we stand with QTPOC's to abolish I.C.E, borders, prisons and to fight against U.S militarism in order to create a more just world for all. On behalf of the QSC, we are honored and grateful for the opportunities we will have this year to celebrate you, to heal with you, and to work in solidarity with you.

The Queer & Trans People of Color Alliance (QTPOCA) will be meeting this Friday in the Asian Room at the ECC!

Transgender & Gender Diverse Support & Social Group

[trans] ACTION is a support/social group for sex workers that is held every first Wednesday of every month. It is an opportunity that provides sex workers a safe space to engage in topical discussions relating to their life and/or work. This gathering is open to transgender and gender diverse sex workers with current or past experience in the sex trade.

Discussions include topics such as:

*Safety and self- care

*Decriminalization and Destigmatization of sex work

*Know your rights training

*Legal assistance

*Employment & housing

[trans] ACTION promotes and values confidentiality regarding interactions within the group.

The undisclosed location has ample parking, all-gender and ADA-accessible restroom. Come and build community with us! For more information please email Ara-lei at [email protected] Upcoming Dates :

Wed JAN 11 (6-8pm)

Wed FEB 13 (6-8pm)

Rally Against Deportation, Defend Vietnamese Refugees!

Join us as we come together to fight deportation of ALL people, and defend the 8,500+ Vietnamese community members at risk of deportation against separation from their families and loved ones. Say NO to the attempt to change the Repatriation Agreement between the US and Việt Nam. In solidarity, we acknowledge those who been separated from their families, those currently in detention and those who have died in ICE custody. We are calling on the administration, elected officials, the media, and community members to defend our refugee and migrant communities and to keep our families and loved ones home and together.

TRAFFIC NOTE: SR 99 will be closed at 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Our event is at 12 noon and while we do not expect this closure to heavily impact us, please check wsdot.com to plan your route. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/realign99

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:

Public Transportation: Hing Hay Park is served by King County Metro public transit, bus routes 7, 14 and 36. The closest bus station is the Chinatown International District Station, at S. Jackson St. and 5th Ave. Central Link light rail stops at the Chinatown International District station. The Seattle Streetcar line runs through the neighborhood with stops along S. Jackson St. King Street Station at S. Jackson St. and 4th Ave is served by Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail.

Language and viewing: Vietnamese interpreters will be available. The program will be available in Vietnamese and English. The event will be livestreamed. There will not be ASL interpretation or live captioning available. Wheelchair accessibility: Hing Hay Park is wheelchair accessible. The march from the park to Little Saigon will be completely on public sidewalks. Bicycle accessibility: Bicycle lanes run along S. Jackson St, S. Dearborn St, 6th Ave S, Maynard Ave S, and 7th Ave S in the International District; and 12th Ave S in Little Saigon. Bicycle racks are available at the park (confirm) and throughout the neighborhood. Public restrooms: There are no public restrooms at Hing Hay Park or along the march route. The nearest public facilities would be at the neighborhood branch of the Seattle Public Library, at 713 8th Ave S. (cross-street S. Weller St), and at Starbucks at 505 5th Ave S. (cross-street S. King St). Childcare: Childcare will not be available. Amenities: Hing Hay Park has public outdoor seating and tables, and a water fountain. Restaurants and local businesses are immediately surrounding and along the route of the march.

And Then I Got Fired: On Being Trans, Unemployed, & Surviving

A show that gives space for Trans Artists of Color to share the reality of (un)employment for Trans people.Through performance and stories, we will address the various ways Trans folks get shut out of 9-5 work and still make a living. Each night we will spit poems, share stories, and dance on the graves of broken promises from the mainstream LGBTQ community.

Featuring: Scarlett D'Giacomo J Mase III Déjà Baptiste Jade Vogelsang

This event will be taking place at Gay City: Seattle's LGBTQ Center

Upcoming Times :

Thursday, Jan 17 (7pm)

Friday, Jan. 18 (7pm)

Saturday, Jan 19 (7pm)

Welcome back to winter quarter with the D Center! Join us for our New Years Social Wednesday January 16th from 1pm - 2pm. We will have scent free crafts available. Come sip some tea, make some art, and hear about all the awesome plans the D Center has for the new year!

MGH 024 is mobility aid accessible and scent free space. Please do not wear any fragrances.Please contact [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Thank you!

Let’s Talk is a free program that connects UW students with support from experienced counselors from the Counseling Center and Hall Health Center without an appointment. Counselors hold walk-in hours at two sites on campus (Hall Health Center & Q-Center at the HUB) every Wednesday from 1-4pm. Let’s Talk offers informal consultation – it is not a substitute for regular therapy, counseling, or psychiatric care. Let’s Talk is available during autumn, winter, and spring quarters, and does not run during breaks.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION: The Husky Union Building is near landmarks such as Allen Library, Padelford and Sieg. For a map, search HUB on the campus maps:http://www.washington.edu/maps/. The HUB’s front entrance is wheelchair accessible and the common area is to the right of the main desk. An all-genders restroom can be found at the 3rd floor, down the hallway from the Q Center. Gender binary bathrooms with multiple stalls can be found on each floor of the HUB. The HUB IS not kept scent-free but we ask that you do not wear scented/fragranced products (e.g. perfume, hair products) or essential oils to/in the Q Center in order to make the space accessible to those with chemical injury or multiple chemical sensitivity. To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 (voice), 206-543-6452 (TTY), 206-685-7264 (fax), or [email protected] preferably 10 days in advance. Have questions about the QSC? Just want to get involved? Find our office hours online at hours.asuw.org.

Thank you for being a part of our community <3 We are so glad that you are here, and we are so glad to get to know you! To hear more from the QSC be sure to like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter & instagram to stay up to date with all queer and trans related happenings on campus and in Seattle! With love, Mehria Ibrahimi, Outreach & Engagement intern for the ASUW Queer Student Commission.

#qsc #events #d center #let's talk

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