#how does my moms side live all in California and they’re homophobic

[thxnks4themrms]

did i ever tell you i was raised knowing abt gays/lesbians and it wasn't treated as such a bad thing so like. as a kid i would legitimately think two characters were canonically dating such as draculaura and clawdeen i thought of clawd as the fucking weird third wheel always bWAHAHAH

Woah I wish it was like for me growing up that seems so cool

[youngerdrgrey]

you're it, you're the ultimatum AU // a wildmoore fanfic, chapter 2

summary: in short, Kate gave Sophie an ultimatum, and Ryan gave Angelique one, and soon enough, Ryan and Sophie will spend three weeks in an 'accelerated' marriage for this reality show.

chapter summary: Sophie's pre-show jitters lead her to the gym, but she's not the only one looking for a workout. Time to meet Ryan. + read on ao3

🦇

Two months. Sophie can do this.

She paces the moment that she and Kate are alone in their room. Julia reminds them that she’ll be outside if they need anything, or that a production assistant (“Or P.A., they’re everywhere”) can call her if she’s headed off. No leaving without express permission. Enjoy their final night together as a couple. 

Sophie’s fists clench at the thought. Final night. One night in this gorgeous suite with a California king mattress and a beautiful view of the city. One night with the girlfriend that she rearranged her whole life for already. One night and—

“Soph?”

“One night, and everything we know changes,” Sophie says, picking up right where her thoughts left off. She stills her steps. Darts her eyes to where Kate lounges on the bed before looking ahead into the suite. Sophie’s already tried to relax. She changed into her workout clothes. Did a few stretches. But she keeps coming back to one thought: “How many people will see this?”

Kate shrugs. “I don’t know — couple thousand?”

That’s a conservative guess. Reality shows bring in tens of thousands of viewers, not to mention a queer season of a reality show will bring in extra support from the LGBTQIA+ community, hate-watches and boycotts and subsequent additional press from the homophobes, and then there’s the typical fanbase for dating shows that live for the drama.

Sophie shakes her head. Jordan’s going to watch this. The women at her mom’s church will hear about it. Then her mom will watch it. Then there’s Kate’s family and — Sophie’s head snaps up. “What if our clients watch it?”

Kate sighs from the bed. “They’ll be fine. So long as we make sure to paint the Crows in a good light, then we’re all good.” She finally climbs off the bed and crosses the room to where Sophie’s standing. She takes Sophie’s hand to turn Sophie towards the giant mirror on the wall. It could be romantic, or sexy, if not for the deep set crease between Sophie’s eyebrows. Or the grimace on her lips.

Kate adds, “It’s good press for Gotham too. This way the rest of the world gets to see well-adjusted people, not just criminals and caped crusaders.”

Sophie’s frown deepens before she forces her facial muscles to relax. “I don’t want to have the Batman fight again.”

“I don’t want to have it either. I want my gorgeous girlfriend to come to bed with me.”

For the last time. Definitely for four weeks and possibly forever. 

Sophie shakes her head. “I…. I’m too wound up. And don’t —“ she glares at Kate before stepping out of her hold “— don’t say you can help me unwind.”

Kate drops her hands to her side with a sigh. “I’m not going to the gym, Soph.”

“Then I’ll see you when I get back, alright?” Sophie heads for the door without waiting for a response, then doubles back to give Kate a quick kiss on the lips. She pulls back before her girlfriend can even think of deepening it.

“One hour,” Kate tells her, as Sophie walks back to the door, “If you stay for two—“

“I won’t.”

“I will go to sleep.”

“And miss our last night together?” Sophie taunts.

“Gotta make you miss me somehow, right?” It’s said with Kate’s normal confidence, but there’s a hint of fear underneath it. A vulnerable underbelly that almost makes Sophie turn around again. 

But they’re only here because Kate wanted to do this. Kate thought an ultimatum would force Sophie into an engagement, just like Kate thought that running off together just before graduation was the right thing to do. Kate does not make the decisions here. Sophie does. And Sophie is going to the gym.

🦇

More accurately, Sophie is waiting outside of the gym. There’s a cameraperson a few steps back, and Julia talks in a hushed voice with another producer. His name’s Luke. One of the few other Black people on the production. He seems level-headed, if not a bit jumpy, as he glances back into the large windows of the gym.

“My girl needs more than a few minutes,” Luke tells Julia.

Julia says, “Mine’s pacing holes in the carpet, so we’re gonna need to compromise here.”

Clearly they’re not meant to interact with other participants yet. This section of the hotel’s been closed off from most of the general public. The whole operation honestly makes Sophie itch for her Crows blazer and earpiece. She can handle a protective detail. She can smile and wave for the cameras if that’s what they need. Just let her into the gym.

Sophie steps forward to say as much, and a quick flash of movement catches her eye. On the other side of the plexiglass is a blur of a woman. Curly black hair, warm brown skin, toned arms that flex with each quick hit of her fists to the speed bag suspended from the ceiling. The woman shifts her stance. She drops into lunges, and her full picture snaps into focus. Her body, her clear comfort and command of each muscle in it.

Yeah, no, Sophie needs to get in there before she leaves.

“Hey,” Sophie uses her commander voice to get the producers’ attention. Everyone’s eyes snap to her. “Can’t you just bring a camera in? Ask us questions or something. We’re supposed to meet tomorrow anyway.”

Luke and Julia split a glance. Julia’s smirk looks amused, and Luke’s troubled, but as Sophie holds firm in her stare, Luke wavers in his. 

“Fine. But you will absolutely need to be on camera, and we are asking questions.”

He steps to the doors and opens it. Calls out, “Hey, Ryan! Cameras coming in. You’ve got a friend too.” He holds the door open. The camera crew slip in first. One going further back and closer to Ryan, one staying close with their camera clearly pointed at Sophie. 

Julia goes in next, already walking backwards and offering that amused smirk to Sophie. “You’ll introduce yourself. Ask if you can join her. You’re already mic’d, so we’re all good. Just be yourself, but you know, open. Approachable.”

Sophie’s never been approachable in her life. She nods anyway. Luke does not give the same speech to his participant. As Sophie looks back over at her, Ryan meets her eye immediately. 

God, her eyes are so big. And brown, and already laughing at Sophie. But then Ryan smiles, and Sophie gets why Luke doesn’t have to coach her. That smile could… raise the dead, probably.

Sophie leans back on her training. Offers a polite grin and crosses the space between them to hold her hand out. “Sophie Moore, nice to meet you.”

Ryan takes the hand, even though hers are already wrapped for boxing. Warm and a bit sweaty, like the rest of her. “Ryan Wilder. You couldn’t wait for tomorrow?”

Sophie’s sarcasm rears up immediately. “Oh yeah, ran down here to meet you. Huge fan of… what do you do?”

“I teach. Martial arts.”

That explains the muscles and the evening conditioning. “Are you any good, or is this a ‘those who can’t do’ situation?”

Ryan laughs. She lets go of Sophie’s hand. “Pretty good. I can show you, if you wanna pick up the pads.” She nudges her head to where a few pads are. Sophie hops over to pick them up. Ryan calls after her. “What about you?”

Sophie slips the small padded circle onto her left hand. “Oh, I’m more than good.” She uses that to help secure the right hand before making her way back to the center of the mats in the room. “Go for it.”

Ryan throws a soft punch towards Sophie. Sophie catches it quick. Nods for Ryan to go again. They start off slow — mostly giving Sophie a chance to see Ryan’s flow and go along with her. Words fall away as the main sound becomes the thud of Ryan’s fists and their feet shuffling along the floor.

Julia cuts in after a minute or two. “Keep talking. Why are you here?”

Ryan rolls her eyes subtly, which gets the first relaxed smile out of Sophie. Sophie parrots Julia in a tone that’s only a little bit mocking. “So, Ryan Wilder, why are you here?”

“In the gym, or?” Ryan punches with the deflection. She chuckles right after. “I asked my girlfriend on the show so that she would know how serious I am.”

“Oh, so you’re the one giving the ultimatum,” Sophie says. Ryan nods. “How serious are you?”

“Pretty damn serious.” Ryan cringes. She looks to Luke. “Can we cuss here?” He nods. “Great. Pretty fucking serious.”

Sophie laughs. “You have to be to come here, right?”

“Absolutely.” Ryan throws a punch a little faster than Sophie’s ready for. “What about you?”

Sophie shifts back a step to readjust the glove against her thigh. It buys her a moment. Simple answer, long answer. Simple answer? “I’m here because my girlfriend wants a big, gay wedding that I am…” a sigh slips from the depths of her soul “…not ready for.”

Ryan doesn’t make a big deal out of it though. “Which part? The big, the gay, or the wedding?”

Sophie stares down at the mats. “Who knows? All of it?”

Ryan finally breaks her fighter’s stance to stand level. “I’ve been ready for a long time, but Ange.... So I waited, but the longer I waited, the more I felt….” 

Felt what? Trapped? Because sometimes, Sophie feels like the walls are closing in and her life is getting away from her. Like she’s second in command to the father-in-law that she doesn’t even have yet, and her life is Kate’s life, and Kate’s life is the only one that matters.

Ryan finishes, “Powerless.”

Sophie cringes. That sounds a lot better than what she was thinking. She doesn’t think that way often. She really doesn’t. She loves Kate. Kate’s the love of her life.

“So this show, this is you taking back your power?” Sophie asks.

Ryan nods. “Hell yeah,” but the certainty isn’t there. “It’s… kind of ridiculous, isn’t it?”

Sophie hums her agreement. “There are at least three cameras recording us talk right now.” And tens of thousands of people waiting to see how this goes. The thought makes her throat clench. She shakes her head. “Alright, arms up. You don’t have to just punch. I can take it.”

Ryan quirks a brow at that. Her lips tick up too, and she licks them in a way that’s probably instinctive. A natural reflex from someone who has no clue what that can do to a person. Sophie rolls her eyes, which only makes Ryan smile wider.

The shorter woman circles her jaw once before pushing forward with a new combination. A quick set of punches that Sophie deflects easily, then returns, as Ryan dodges from her onslaught.

“See, you’re so close to the ground—“ Sophie jokes. She doesn’t get to finish that before a well-timed kick from Ryan knocks Sophie down to the mat.

An “ooph!” from Luke and an “ah!” from Julia remind Sophie of their audience. Ryan beams from above her, still standing. “What was that about the ground?”

Sophie goes for a cheap swipe of her feet, but Ryan anticipates it, jumping back just as Sophie kicks for her. Ryan smiles even wider at that. Sophie has no choice but to get up then.

“Alright, Wilder, it’s on.”

Before Ryan can respond, they’re back into a fresh round of sparring. Dodging, circling, grappling, laughing — their producers say something in the background, but neither of them listen. Too focused on getting one over on the other. 

At one point, Ryan nearly gets Sophie down with a move to the back of Sophie’s knees, but Sophie uses the newfound leverage to all but throw Ryan down onto the mat. The slam is so satisfying that Sophie can’t help the laugh that slips out. Ryan groans for a moment. Chest heaving as her eyes burn in a competitive glare. She starts to get back up when Julia practically yells.

“Guys, the mics!”

Sophie cringes. Mics are definitely not cheap. She turns to give an apology to Julia, which gives Ryan the upper hand to lock her legs around Sophie and essentially yank Sophie down to the mat too.

“Fuck!” Sophie snaps. Ryan cackles.

“That’s two-one.”

Luke steps onto the mat. “And that’s it. Ryan, we should get back.”

Sophie vehemently shakes her head. “That was a cheap shot. I wasn’t even looking.”

Ryan unwraps her hands. “Get me back next time then.”

Julia’s quick to shoot that down. “You’re not sparring again. If you get injured—“

“We won’t get injured,” Ryan says, at the same time as Sophie says, “It won’t happen.” They catch eyes again, almost like a challenge.

“Nope,” Julia crosses the room towards them, “I don’t like that look. You’re not getting me in trouble because you’ve got a death wish, okay?” She stops beside Sophie and offers her hand. “Now say goodbye to your new friend.”

Sophie lets Julia pull her back up. Luke had said that Ryan had to leave, but Sophie could probably head back now too. At least some of her anxious energy is gone. Now if she could just get one more flip in.

Ryan laughs as she gets up. “Wait until I tell Ange I found somebody to spar with.”

Luke hesitates. “You sure you want to tell her that?”

Ryan’s face scrunches. “Why wouldn’t I?” Luke’s gaze jumps from her to the cameras and back to Sophie. Ryan laughs again. “‘Cause of the show? She’s not like that. She’s not gonna get weird about it.”

Luke meets Julia’s eye over Ryan’s shoulder. His doubts clear on his face. “Alright, if you say so. Can we just get one more shot of the two of you? Shake hands, parting words, and then we’ll call it a night.”

He and Julia back out of the frame and over to the doors. Sophie’s already been facing Ryan, so Ryan’s the one to turn this time. The one to cross the distance and hold out her hand.

Her eyes really do sparkle. “See you tomorrow?”

Sophie slips her hand into Ryan’s. “I’m getting a rematch.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then.” She takes her hand back and turns again. And Sophie probably should’ve just said something normal the first time. Just a quick thanks, or a ‘see you tomorrow.’ Something non-combative. Something approachable, or charming.

“Hey Ryan?” Ryan glances back over her shoulder. Sophie shrugs. “I’m glad I didn’t wait. Until tomorrow.”

The slow smile that spreads across Ryan’s face — it’s worth the embarrassment of feeling like tens of thousands of people are watching her. It’s worth the sting in her shoulders and the ache in her side from the mic pack. Because this smile brightens the whole room, and it doesn’t ask for anything more than what Sophie’s willing to give.

“Yeah,” Ryan breathes out, “me too.”

🦇

Julia is buzzing when she and Luke get into the producers’ bay that night. Absolutely frenetic. Her leg bounces in her seat amongst the collection of desk chairs and the endless monitors of footage.

“You saw that, right?”

Luke nods. He nods again. He laughs a laugh so full of genuine relief that his glasses shake. “Holy shit.” He spins his chair back to his laptop. “What do we have on them again?”

None of their files are ever truly out of sight. He knows as much as possible about Ryan and Angelique. But Sophie, he honestly could know more. He starts scanning as quickly as he can. Homophobic mom, younger rebellious sister, white ex-husband (but not bisexual is underlined twice after that).

Julia still hasn’t stopped bouncing her leg. “I’ve gotta stay on her.”

“Who her?” he asks without looking up.

“Sophie. She’s got a type.”

“White?”

Julia grimaces, but her eyes don’t disagree. “Rigid, unavailable, simple. All signs point to Renee.”

Luke groans. “Shit. They’ve got the cop thing too.”

Julia pushes her chair further back. “You know the fact that I did security made Sophie just... unclench on day one. If there’s an easy out, the shorthand with Renee might cut these two at the knees.”

Luke pinches the bridge of his nose. “Mmm, okay, but, come on, you saw these two tonight. Uh, what about… Kate and Renee. They can bond over how much they hate Batman and love getting drunk. It… it fits.”

“Okay, then we try to direct them towards each other. Keep Sophie out of it.” Julia gets up to grab the pictures from the giant whiteboard along the wall. She plucks Sophie’s from beside Kate’s and brings it next to Ryan’s. “Keep these two talking. Flirting. Fighting. Because these two… they could be our standouts.”

“Maybe even more than that. They’re the story.”

🦇

end chapter notes: Talk to me, Gotham. What's working for you? What are you looking forward to?

read chapter three here!

[withoneheadlight]

oh man that one with billy convincing steve to skip work has got me thinking trophy husband billy

Oh, anon! 💗💗💗💗adkahdshdhdkhkhdYESSS. I LOVE this idea!

And I’m SURE he would be the happiest trophy husband. And also the kind that's showy. Has so much fun going over the top with it, being gossip material. All cliché-y, and Diva-like. Basically confirming what everyone thinks about him (about them) precisely because it’s the diametrically opposed to what it really is.

Doing things like:

Mowing the lawn in mini-mini-shorts. Working on his tan on their lovely backyard on the sunny Sunday Summer mornings (in that exact spot where –coincidentally– Mr. Walker, their blatantly homophobic next door neighbor, would have to get out of his own backyard with his eyes closed not to see). Being reaaaally polite with everyone around (Mr. Walker included), smiling and waving his hand like “Hiiii, Janice! How did that new face treatment go?” because they live in a Nice Place now, six years after Robert Harrington made Steve climb his way up the company ladder right from the bottom “Exactly like everyone else”, both as a punishment and a trial; after working their asses out of their shitty one-bedroom apartment, having to prove themselves in every single step (as Steve and Billy, but also as SteveandBilly), but,

Here they are.

And now Steve has a very good job, one he’s genuinely good at, one that pays for much more than hardly the bills and maybe having dinner out from time to time. And they’re happy and they are together and they fucking made it, despite barely anyone around them given two shits. Now, Steve slicks his wild hair back from Monday to Friday, wears the nicest suits, so fitting and sexy and oh so preppy Billy sometimes gets a hard-on just from seeing them all together in the dressing room, hanging in a perfectly tidy line, made of the same material of sins.

So. 

He just doesn’t see the point in not treating himself every once in a while.  Make Steve run late for work or not getting there at all. In no letting himself enjoy the way those tailored beauties emphasize the shape of Steve’s glorious ass. Enjoy the certainty that in a big, stylish, impeccably neat office downtown, Steve’s dad is rolling his eyes all the way back into their sockets.

And also.

In not letting himself revel in the exhilarating feeling of sliding full into this ‘hot-mess trophy hubby’ persona almost everyone around them assumes he is. Steve’s Harrington boy-toy. “That California scum. Must be real good at sucking dick to get a deal like that.” Make the rumors roll down the small streets of Hawkins and under the door of his own father’s house. Thrive in the knowledge that every time Neil Hargrove hears any or those rumors or gets even the tiiiniest glimpse of them two together, going out and about holding hands,  feels like he’s about to puke his guts out thinking about what his son has ‘become’.

And aside from that, he kind of––enjoys, this trophy husband thing, to be honest. It’s been ten years since they got together now. Billy likes to keep things spiced-up. So when Steve is promoted and they move to be close to the new office, along with the house Billy buys a pair of powder pink slippers, fluffy ball of floating fur on top, and a see-through, fur-riveted robe to match. Some days he goes to his morning cockteling&tanning session in the backyard wearing only that (“Heeeey! How ya doin’ Mr. Walker?”). Kisses Steve goodbye long and filthy at the door, where everyone can see, opening the robe wide to wrap it around them both together, pressing their bodies flush, biting at his ear and whispering “Bring me a diamond when you come back, honey bunny” making Steve snort but say "You deserve a million of them, babe" making Billy melt, feel a bit like he's dripping love out of all the pores of his body, making a puddle that will permanently stain the glamorous white marble of the entryway as he waves Steve goodbye, scratches with feign indifference at the trail of fair hairs coming out his flashy-green pants to counteract the way Steve's killer smile makes him blush as hard as the first time, a whole decade away, that cold November night when he grabbed Billy by the collar of his T-shirt and said "I'm gonna kiss you. And then you're gonna punch me. And I don't care.”

It’s like a fucking fairytale. The way things were going? The most Billy expected out of life was live if fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse behind. But now, he’s got the guy of his dreams. He’s got a life he could have never dreamed of. He’s got Steve, now. Steve, who’s good, is caring. Always fights him back. Doesn’t buy any of the shit he tries to pull off. Steve, who's got lips like that moment the earth forgets about gravity when you’re riding down the hill of a rollercoaster. Got eyes that can rip out of you promises you never thought you'd make (like: I do and forever and not even death). That always see Billy when they look at him.

And now, he gets to wake up every morning before he does, put the Moka pot on the stove. Gets to see Steve’s sleepy face right after rolling out of bed, hair still untamed, pouty lips, bare feet dragging over the floor. See the way he beams, smile wide and devastatingly sweet when Billy tells him “I made you coffee, babe”. Gets Steve kissing him like a daydream, laying him over the kitchen table, fucking him before even touching breakfast with his fancy pink robe on.

And Billy thought he would have to change. Give something, to have something. Didn’t really mind. Too lucky to complain. Thought he would have to stop being mean once they got married. Play the tamed part. Thought he was going to have to behave to fit into the rich and respectable life they had landed at. But. No-No. Rich people? They’re way meaner than regular people, turns out. Billy’s just been upgraded to play for the Asshole’s World Championship Cup.

And he’s always been good at sports.

So he goes to the hair salon the afternoon before any important event. Gets a facial. Does his nails. Buys new clothes. Gets all Pretty Woman on himself just so Steve can show him off. And oh. OH. OHHH. Steve does show him off. To his dad. His mom. The whole party. Doesn’t give a fuck about whatever people keeps on whispering behind their backs. Offers his arm to Billy and Billy clings to him, keeps his chin up. He’s never been as afraid of anything as much as Steve not loving him back. He’s fearless now. Because here they are. So he lets Steve walk him through the crowd as the King he was born like. Brilliant. Proud. Letting Billy to deal with the vultures if he fancies to do that.

“Awwww. But look at you!! Anyone can tell you two are soooo in love!”

Fake boobs. Fake Louboutins. Fake Smile. Billy is Queen Bee now. He’s got this.

“Oh, no Miss Treadaway. I dearly appreciate you noticing how good my acting skills are. But it’s exactly as you said to Miss Walton the other day. I only married Stevie here because he’s got a big dick and it’s loaded. And he only married me because of how good I look on all fours. You’re too perceptive to hide it!”

But with Steve’s parents? With Steve’s parents Billy is relentlessly n i c e.  When Robert Harrington won’t even look at him. When Crystal Harrington blows saccharine all over him like in a bad magic trick, deceivingly sweet when she says, “Well William. Maybe it's time you get a real job too now our Steven is running his own branch" cold war buzzing between them when Billy spreads his most honest, open smile, not a millimeter of animadversion showing “But I already have a real job, Crystal. I take care of your son. And there’s also, you know, that side thing I do of running Garage” making her fingers clutch hard around her cup of fine champagne, making Steve’s lips fight to repress a grin, eyes fond, and soft and in love. And Billy will do whatever it takes, endure whatever he has to, if what he gets in return is this:  the way the narrow space keeping them apart feels like inevitability when they're about to kiss.

And everyone thought he was going after the money, when they married. Most still do. But Billy never actually asked for diamonds. Well, not for real. But he gets one anyway. Tenth anniversary and counting. It shines unreal on his finger, as much as this life he has now, as the liquid shine of Steve’s eyes when he says “They come from fire, just like you. I always thought they would fit so well. And looks like I was right” and just a few years before, Billy would have said “This is too much, I can’t take it” too afraid Steve would get the wrong impression too, too afraid to not be up to him. But now, he understands, that this is just another way Steve is trying to take care of him, to show him love. So now, Billy lets Steve spoil him as much as he wants. Take him out for dinner without reason. Hand him a sealed envelope saying, “What about showing me that ocean you love so much?” Kissing him in front of everyone, all the time, ringed fingers intertwined.

Lets him buy them a California King just to make a stupid joke, get Billy Hargrove to blush.

“We can ditch all of this, if you’re not happy. You know that, right? I don’t care about anything else as long as it’s you and I”

Billy shakes his head. “I am happy, pretty boy. Happier than I ever thought I could be” Tickles Steve’s nose with the fluffy, pink fuzz all around his robe until he sneezes and chuckles. “But I wanna know,” he says, tone pouty and tragic “It is true, what everybody says? Am I really a trophy husband?”

Steve shuffles closer, rumbles low in his throat. It’s an early Sunday morning. They’re gonna spend all time left until breakfast fucking in bed. Then cockteling&tanning together ‘till lunch. And then, after, he’s sure he can convince Steve to put on one of those gorgeous suits, let Billy grind against the soft fabric, make a mess out of him. Make him beg and squirm. Pull down his fly real slow, down on his knees. Suck him off. Eat him out. Make him moan I love yous brighter than diamonds when Billy gets inside him. But right now, Steve just kisses him silly, lowers down the covers to take a look down, at his leopard print, see-through, hideous new briefs. The cheapest ones he could find.

Because Billy’s trash. Will always be trash.

“Oh yeah, babe. You are. A fucking trophy. The best anyone could have”

But he’s posh trash now.

💎

The original post (xxxx) xD 💍

[christinaroseandrews]

Part 4

If you want to know what you missed in You Don’t Know Me, you can read Parts One, Two, and Three. Or you can just jump into the deep end and go from here. I should have said spoiler alert, but at this point who cares. However there are Trigger Alerts of Dubious Consent, Alcohol Abuse, Sexual Harassment, and a crap ton of sexist and homophobic microaggressions. Suffice it to say this is NSFW.

This is the last summary bit, I promise. I mean we only have a quarter of the book to go and the shit just hit the fan in a big way. Normally I would say that the last quarter is spent fixing the problems revealed on the way to the happy ending. But in You Don’t Know Me’s case, I would be completely wrong.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

With Alec, Rue, and Jenna all finding their own way back to the U.S. after their adventures in Ibiza, we’re left with Repentant Asshole Jack and Magically Reappearing Sean to follow around.

Sean once again proves he is too good for this world. By calling out Jack and how he’s been behaving.

Unfortunately this is literally all of the discussion that we get because the plane runs into turbulence. It turns out the turbulence is being caused by a large group of thunderstorms in the Caribbean (which most air traffic controllers try to steer around unless there is a more pressing reason not to) and everything goes to hell. Literally.

Since this is a storm, that means the water is going to be choppy which seriously impacts the ability of the pilot to land safely (my uncle pilots small craft and my cousin is a business jet pilot). Not to mention it feels like the only reason that Hopkins threw this in there was so that Jack would get a “get out of jail free” card and not have to be accountable for his actions and what he did to Rue.

The plane starts to go down and we get this.

Who here remembers the safety demonstration at the beginning of each plane flight? One of the things they stress is to not inflate the vest until you’re outside of the plane.

There’s a reason for that. It has to do with the laws of physics.  Namely, that most people aren’t strong enough swimmers to be able to dive underwater while wearing a life vest and people get trapped in the sinking plane because they are floating not walking. I even saw a TV show on this that referenced Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 and the memories of survivors who heard the life vests inflate and then saw people dying because they couldn’t get out.

Mean water.

So now that Jack and Sean are likely dead. Let’s check in with our favorite musician who we’ve yet to see do anything that warrants his celebrity, Alec.

He arrives at LAX and is immediately greeted by people exclaiming that “Yay! You’re not dead but your friends are!”

Which leaves him going “Huh?”

He dashes off to a bar and gets the news.

Alec then takes a page from the Tommy Wiseau school of acting and falls apart.

And there you have the problem. This grief feels overacted. Forced. Like Faleena has never actually lost someone she cared about and is going through the motions of grief.

We flip to Rue who has heard the news and decided that the best thing to do is to go to Jack and Sean’s house and try to comfort their grieving mother. Remember, this is the same woman whose husband cheated on her and Rue is a living reminder of that infidelity and betrayal. But sure, let’s go comfort Mrs. Stone.  That’s a great idea.

Rue goes on and on in her head about how much she loves her brothers. Despite only knowing them a week. And one of the brothers has done his level best to break her and succeeded.  Then we get this.

My parents went from Met to Engaged in literally 3 weeks. So I know it’s possible. But Rue hasn’t had the same kind of “get to know you” experiences. She’s had parties, and more parties, and that’s about it. The real problem is that the author didn’t show the bonding between any of her characters. Instead, she meandered from external plot device to external plot device without any character development. The number of times I can count Alec and Rue actually talking is non-existant. They don’t talk. They lust after each other.

Right now I am firmly on the mother’s side.

Alec shows up about a minute later and lets himself and Rue in.

When he appears, the mother reappears - drugged out - and apologizes to Rue.

We then get some of the backstory of Rue’s father and mother.

Apparently the mother left and despite telling Rue’s dad that she never wanted to see him, he still loved her. He even wrote a note to his wife telling her that he never loved her and that Rue’s mom was his soulmate. The man is a piece of work.

Not to mention, I have concerns about just how much Rue’s mom wanted the affair and how much was coercion.  Because let’s be honest, it’s a power imbalance.

After this, we travel back in time to see what happened when the plane crashed. At this point, I am firmly convinced that Jack and Sean died despite what the author claims, and this is just a huge fantasy spun by Rue as part of the bargaining phase of grief. I mean, it makes as much sense as anything else.

The plane lands and Jack and Sean and the pilots manage to get out despite the rising water.

Once out of the plane they have to swim against the waves to get to the raft with an injured co-pilot.

At this point, I’m just chanting “Nope” so much that my dogs got concerned about my sanity and started bringing me toys in the effort to break me out of my fugue-state.

I have good dogs.

Of course Jack and Sean survive to reach the raft...

How do I know they’re near Cuba? It becomes a plot point later. But you want to know what else is near Cuba? The Gulf Stream.

Look at those water temps... Hmmm It’s almost like it’s warm in the Caribbean or something.

This water is definitely warmer than ANYTHING along the California coast. (LA average water temps in November are in the low 60s. The Florida Keys average water temperatures are in the upper 70s to low 80s during the same time.)

Sorry, my Earth Science degree is screaming. I’ll stop.

While they’re drifting they have a heart to heart and Sean reveals he’s gay.

Seriously, Jack is one of the most horrible people I’ve ever encountered that was supposed to be a redeemable character. There have been villains - Loki, Vegeta, Draco Malfoy, Darth Vader, Spike - who have had better redemption arcs and been better people than Jack.

Then this happens.

I actually went back and counted, from the time traveling reboot it literally was 8 pages from the start of that chapter with the actual plane crash and them being rescued. They were in the water for only a few hours or at least that’s what it feels like. The author is not good with time.

We return to Rue and Alec in California and get this...

Yep, the President calls to tell them Jack and Sean are safe.

There’s some very painful dialogue and then Mrs. Stone wanders off.

And one of Faleena Hopkins’ issues rears its head...

From here on, I imagined the entire scene was being listened to by Obama. It wasn’t pretty.

We start in on a “I am so happy my best friends are alive I must sex you up!” which I will spare you. Then Alec and Rue have a heart to heart and they decide that they can only be friends. Because she loves her brothers and she wants to make it work with them. I can get loving Sean. Sean is awesome. Jack can go rot. Have I mentioned I hate Jack?

Next we have a party to celebrate the return of Jack and Sean and my love of Sean wanes while my hatred of Jack and Alec rises. Jack because he’s a horrible human being. Alec because he spends his time moping about how wants Rue but can’t have her.

Sean wanders away and spends the next few minutes telling everyone he talks to that he‘s gay. Which I wouldn’t have a an issue with if this wasn’t billed as a straight romance. Sean rejoins the group and we get the following “Jack is terrible” things. 

Jack stops with his harassment of Jenna and has a talk with Rue. Revealing that he too tried to commit suicide.

You know. I hear counseling is a thing. Maybe you all should look into that.

Anyway after that, he gives permission for Alec to date Rue.

Because men giving permission for people to date their female relatives is so 2015... or 1915... or 1815. One of those. This is also sexist. I know there’s a bro code, but frankly Jack has been such an ass and literally he’s known Rue for like a week, I’m skeptical.

Alec is relieved and runs off to find Rue. But she’s trying to stick to her vow of only friends.

So when she tells him no twice, he does this.

This is what Faleena Hopkins considers sexy: abuse. Naturally Rue is turned on and they run off to have sex.

Horribly horribly written sex.

Thankfully the scene is short. And by I short I mean WTF short.

The chapter ends with Alec and Rue making a promise to try to make things work. And if the story had ended there, it could kind of squeak into romance. But it doesn’t.

Instead the story ends with Rue, Jack, and Sean going on a talk show and talking about their life.

And here’s the final line.

Yep...

Honestly, Sean’s story arc was the most developed and compelling. But when a secondary character’s plot takes over the core plot of your romantic leads, there is something wrong.

Unfortunately, I am literally running out of room so I’ll sum up in another post where I talk about the most salient problems.

If you’re enjoying these reviews, you can buy us a kofi.

[bunchofbooks]

It’s Time for Kyrsten’s Opinion: LGBT+ recommendations Edition

Hello everyone! In case you did not know, October is LGBT history month so I thought I would compile a list of some of my LGBT+ recommendations for you guys! Under the read more will be a list of books I have read that deal with LGBT+ characters. If you have read any of the books I listed or have any recommendations please feel free to shoot me over a message or reblog and add your own. All right well, before I make this intro any longer than it already is, under the cut are my recommendations! Enjoy and let me know what you think :)

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Griffin’s ex boyfriend dies and his entire world seems like it explodes. Theo, Griffin’s ex boyfriend, moved to CAlifornia to attend college and while he was there met Jackson, but Griffin knew that they would end up together one day. Griffin hates Jackson and feels like Jackson hates him back because they see the each other as competition for Theo.

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Shine is about a small southern town that is shocked when a beloved member of the community, Patrick is attacked and left nearly dead, strung up to a gas station pump. The local police chalk up the crime to a group of kids from a neighboring school trying to play a sick joke, however, Patrick’s old friend, Cat can’t help but shake the feeling that there is more to the story than that. ** TRIGGER WARNING for homophobic language and violence **

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Sophie Winters is recovering from an addiction to Oxycontin after a car crash when she was fourteen years old leaves her with scars and a bum leg. When she is confronted with her best friend, Mina in the woods by a masked man, Sophie escapes, but Mina does not. Now, after coming home from a forced trip to rehab, Sophie’s entire world is twisted as she struggles with dealing with the stigma that comes with being a recovering drug addict, being seen as someone who could have easily saved Mina’s life, and on top of all of that grieving the loss of a friend and partner.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd

Dade Hamilton is trying to enjoy his summer before heading off to college, unfortunately it seems that the universe may have other plans for him. He has a job he hates, a boyfriend (if you can even call him that) doesn’t acknowledge their relationship when they’re in public, and his parents are on the verge of a divorce. When he meets Alex Kincaid, a mysterious new boy to the town who makes Dade reevaluate just how awful this summer will be.

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Achilles is going to be a legend. He’s strong, beautiful, and swift. Patroclus is an embarrassment to his father. He’s small, weak and fragile. They come together after Patroclus is banished from his own kingdom after committing a terrible crime. They train together to fight in a war and grow closer as friends and become each other’s first love interests.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Dante can swim, he is self - assured, he gets lost in poetry and art. Ari can’t swim, he struggles with self - worth, Somehow, the two of them are able to come together and develop a bond. They help each other become the person they want to be.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

On a cold night in Chicago, two strangers cross paths, by the fate of the universe they are at the same place, at the same time, and have the same name: Will Grayson. Their lives intertwine even if they run with two completely different crowds. This is definitely not my favorite book, by any means, but it’s still LGBT+ representation in a book and just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean someone else won’t.

Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is “The Chosen One” and Baz is his evil vampire roommate at their school. They are sworn enemies. Baz is evil and Simon is going to die trying to prove that. Simon is a busy body who doesn’t know what he’s talking about and Baz is going to die trying to prove that. It’s essentially a retelling of Harry Potter with new students. If you read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell this is I believe that fanfiction that Cath is working on throughout the book.

We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

This is what Henry knows for a fact: his mom is a struggling single mother, his older brother is a tool, his grandmother is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's, and his boyfriend committed suicide. What Henry is unsure of is why of all people in the entire planet, the aliens chose him to choose whether or not he destroys the planet and why they gave him 144 days to decide. Henry struggles with whether or not the planet is worth saving. Henry struggles with the negative sides of life, his family that’s falling apart, his school life that is only described as Hell and the grief of losing his boyfriend. However, he also wants to live in a world that’s worth saving, a world where he lives with his mother who is trying her hardest to get her family out of their situation, a world where his brother and girlfriend bring a baby into the family that Henry gets to see grow up, and a world where he finds love again in a new boy.

[granvarones]

Louie: So where did you grow up?

Freddy: I was born in West Covina, California and was raised by both my parents in La Puente, California but when my parents divorced my mom moved to Phoenix, Arizona, which is where I spend most of my time now. We moved to a somewhat rural town that has primarily Black and Latinx populations where the white people live in the nice neighborhoods and the people of color lived in the "other neighborhoods." I almost never interacted with white people. My classmates were always people of color with a sprinkle of white people every now and then. However, growing up here was a living hell.

Louie: How so?

Freddy: The first time I was ever bullied was in 5th grade when someone wrote "FAG" in one of my notebooks and it just got worse from there. At that point in my life I knew I was gay but just tried not to think about it and I was also pretty religious so I tried to "pray the gay away.” It didn’t work (lol). 7th grade was the worst year of my life because I was physically, emotionally, and psychologically bullied every single day that resulted in me switching schools. There was not one day where someone wouldn't call me a “fag” or try to fight me because I was "looking at their dick". They would also call me a cocksucker which I never really understood why they called me that because they were just stating a fact. My mom got worried when I came home crying one day from basically being assaulted and we went to the principal and he did absolutely nothing. It was a really dark time for me because even my friends at the time would tell me, "Just come out already" and at that point I just was not ready.

Louie: How did you sustain yourself during that time?

Freddy: I've always used humor to deflect my feelings and emotions so I would just laugh because it was all I could do. In high school it got better but people still would call me a fag and other annoying ass terms. I also dated girls, which blows my mind now but it was the easiest way to deflect rumors. I came out to my friends as bisexual my junior year and my senior year of high school but when I got my first boyfriend and I came out as gay. My friends weren’t surprised but were happy I was living my truth. I came out to my mom October of 2015, which is pretty recent, and while it didn't damage our relationship she doesn’t acknowledge my queerness but it'll take time and I know she'll get there.

Louie: Who was the first person you told actually told?

Freddy: My senior year of high school when I had my first boyfriend. I was so in love with him and because of him I realized that I was gay. I had dated girls before but being with a boy was just so different. I loved this boy, truly, and because of that I wanted to come out and tell everyone I was with him because for once in my life I was happy. One of the most important people in my life is my Grandma on my dad’s side and I decided to tell her first. She did not react the way I expected her to. She told me I was a disappointment to the family and that my family had high hopes for me and now they were gone. She also told me to keep it a secret forever and to never ever tell anyone else. It hurt. It hurt a lot. I cried for a while and told myself I was not going to tell anyone else until I graduated college and had a career. I didn’t talk to my grandma for a while and talked to her for the first time a couple months ago. I do want to have a relationship with her again but every time I see her, her words echo in the back of my head, so it’s a work in progress.

A couple months later I came out to my little brother because one: He is one of the most important people in my life and two: I wanted him to know so I could hookup with guys easier in my room. I told him in the car when I picked him up from school and I remember being so nervous and feeling my heart beat so fast. So I tell him “I’m gay" and he just looked at me and said "Yeah, that’s cool, can we go eat?" I was in shock because it was big secret and he just like curved it completely. Later on he told me he loved me and I lowkey cried because it was the first time a family member had said that. I always look back at that moment because I feel like that’s what coming out should be, not a big deal because I would've reacted the same way if my brother came out to me as straight.

Louie: Did you have any Latino gay men to look up to when you were growing up?

Freddy: I had absolutely zero gay Latino men to look up to. No one is gay in my family except for yours truly. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I found out that I did have a gay cousin but he was kicked out of the family for being gay so he moved to Spain. He reached out to me in 2013 and we talked for a bit but at that time I didn't know he was gay. Unfortunately, he died of AIDS complications a couple months after. I still wish I could have gotten to know him better.

Oddly enough even though my mom is a cis-heterosexual woman, she took a part in developing my queer identity because I felt like she always knew and lowkey supported it. My mom is a very religious woman from El Salvador who fled her home country because it was going through a violent civil war. She came to the States and married my dad but they divorced after 7 years and she raised me as a single mother. Growing up, she always took me shopping and I always helped her pick her outfits and she would always ask me for my opinion. She would always sit me down after her long work shifts and gossiped about her coworkers which I lived for because Latinx chisme is the absolute best. I also remember she would always tell me "Los hombres no sirven para nada" which basically is "men ain’t shit" and would warn me to be watchful of men. Which is why I now have IMPECCABLE fashion (not really), a big ol chismoso, and have always been watchful of the men that try to enter my life.

Louie: What did you think we as a community need to do to survive the next four years?

Freddy: There is so much we need to do as a community to survive the next four years. First we need to talk about anti-blackness in the Latinx community and start by talking to our racist ass family members who are contributing to the problem. The fact that we stay silent when our Tia'sbe saying racist shit is a problem. Also acknowledging our privilege for those of us who are citizens of the United States and stand up for the rights of undocumented immigrants. The easiest thing to do is to stop referring to immigrants as illegal because it paints them as criminals which contributes to this rhetoric that immigrants are dangerous when they're just trying to escape from their home countries that in most cases the US has fucked up. I'm also going to need gay men to stop with this obsession with performing masculinity and femme shaming because its toxic as fuck. I fucking hate it when guys ask me if I'm masc or femme and I’m just like “the fuck???” What does that even mean? Also destigmatize HIV and stop othering those who are HIV+ because it’s dehumanizing as fuck. I’ve heard some pretty ignorant shit about HIV and it’s something that we need to work on. We need to stand up for Trans women of color because the LGB+ community be forgetting that T especially when they are out here dying with a presidential administration who doesn't give a fuck about people of color and even less about the LGBT+ community and even less about our trans siblings. I mention all these problems in our community because in order to survive an oppressive, fascist, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic government, we have to be able to dismantle these in our own communities so we can come together to resist combat and survive the Trump Administration. We literally cannot afford to be silent any longer. This country hates my existence but my existence is also resisting and I am absolutely proud of being a Queer Ecuadorian/Salvadoran man living in a country that despises me. To survive these next four years, we just need to keep living, keep resisting, keep protesting, keep dismantling systems of oppression, keep holding our government accountable, keep being unapologetically Latinx and of course keep being unapologetically queer as fuck.

Freddy Christian Bernardino, Phoenix, AZ

Interviewed and photographed by: Louie A. Ortiz-Fonseca