#i can very happily say that most of my friends are queer and what a JOY THAT IS

[gayforcarstairsgirls]

People saying the amount of queer rep in Heartstopper is unrealistic have clearly never been to an all girls school

[televised-uhhh-nerdistry]

Cartoon rec of the week:

Craig of the Creek

I haven't seen enough people talking about the show, so I'm mentioning it here. Absolute 10/10 cartoon. Just three kids, running 'round, making friends, running their own semi-sustainable community in the forest (there are some concerns about how much trash they leave there but ultimately they're better than most adults). Literally such a dream. they encourage each other to be emotionally healthy and they protect each other from "danger". Like they'll help each other achieve their dreams as they come (and new dreams show up pretty often because they're young kids).

And they're so funny! Like genuinely these kids are so earnest and intelligent and incredibly humorous and full of heart! They have full lives and they live them to the fullest out in nature after school, on the weekends, and in the summer. It's one of the best representations of found family I have ever seen in a cartoon, and I absolutely love it.

Also several of the writers behind the show are POC and queer (I think the head writers are all Black but I could be wrong), so you know that it was written well and the representation is awesome like I know that it should absolutely go without saying, but representation is much more than just showing BIPOC people on screen, and in terms of cartoons I haven't seen that many shows understanding that fact except maybe the Proud Family, Fat Albert, and a few others whose names will return to me once I've taken my ADHD meds. But the point is that Craig of the Creek gets it right. Most of the characters throughout the show (from what I've seen) are BIPOC, and you can tell that there are caring nods to BIPOC communities (primarily Black American communities), and more than that, that the writers know what they're talking about and are deeply familiar with and are a part of those communities. Craig, the titular character, is a young Black boy, and his family are middle class and ultimately very successful Black people. Kelsey (one of the main characters) is Jewish and Polish, and written with more complexity than having a one and done Hanukah celebration. The Creek's main business, a trading post, is run by Kit, a young Black girl with a love for economy and business. And many other characters are racial or ethnic minorities as well, and it warms my heart to see these characters done justice time and time again.

There's great subtle queer rep too, and you can tell it wasn't written just for the sake of representation, like it was thought out and intentional, and it worked beautifully. There are queer witches, and there are no labels applied to them, they're just allowed to exist with no explanations, happily in love with one another. There's a non-binary character later in the series (I'm only like 10 episodes in so I haven't met them yet but I've read amazing things about them). Kelsey also apparently identifies as a lesbian later in the series (I say "apparently" because I haven't done much reading so as to avoid spoilers, not because I am discounting her identity). On top of that, JP (one of the main characters) has a sister who is dating another girl.

There's also a significant amount of body positivity in the show, at least far than I've seen elsewhere. Not only do they openly say "all bodies are beautiful" and follow up on that by defending one another, there's also very little need to defend one another, because there's a very unspoken and deep respect in the Creek for things like body type, skin colour, disabilities, and so on. The kids of the creek, and their grown ups, are all different body types, and given their penchant for community and uplifting one another, it's no wonder they all seem confident in their bodies.

Not to mention the disability representation. There is a character later on in the series who is Black and deaf, and he not only speaks in Sign Language, but in Black American Sign Language. In addition, though unconfirmed, many of the kids in the creek embody aspects of various neurotypes. For example, the three main characters, Craig, Kelsey, and JP all come across as neurodivergent, with special interests, neurodivergent ways of thinking, and so on. Some have speculated that JP has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a disability often comorbid with ADHD. Not to mention that all the kids in the creek embody different special interests, most of which would be considered weird or frowned upon in everyday society, but that are given the opportunity to shine and flourish in the Creek's accepting culture.

Take the Horse Girls for example, a small clique of girls who roleplay as horses in a pasture near the Creek, and of course many of their behaviours are played as jokes, but ultimately they are accepted and involved in many adventures because of their unique interests and abilities which are ultimately how they aid the rest of the Creek. Every kid is a useful and accepted part of the Creek, with the exception of the ranger scout kids, who are essentially the same as cops, who are often exploitative, rude, and disruptive to the community as a whole.

Ultimately, the show is one of love, friendship, community, and acknowledging differences as a natural and helpful part of life. On top of that, it's not copaganda! What more could you want?

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

The fun continues with three currently airing gems, a new show entering the fray, and an animated story so good I am reading a manga to keep up with it. Four of these are on Gaga and one is coming to us via fan sub. Jump on in to the weekly watch, we're having so much fun and not feeling at all overwhelmed by the deluge of amazing content! *chuckles nervously*

Takara's Treasure

I continue to love this quiet little show. This week I desperately wanted someone, anyone, to answer Taishin's earnest questions. He is doing his best to figure this out but no one is helping him! I like that despite wanting him to figure out his feelings for himself, Takara continues to reach out to Taishin to let him know his attention is welcome. This week we also met Emiri, an instant fav who taught Taishin all about stanning. I appreciate that this show joined other recent jbls in making a clear distinction between being a stan and being in love. Real love is not fanaticism, and the former is what Takara seems to want from Taishin--once he's ready.

I Hear the Sunspot

Ugh this show just gets me right in the heart. As I hoped, we got to sit with Taichi this episode as he worked through his confusion and worry about Kohei. It makes sense for Kohei to back off in the wake of his ignored confession, and it also makes sense that Taichi didn't hear him (metaphorically). And even after having it repeated in a way he can't misunderstand, he still doesn't know what to do with it. He just knows he likes Kohei and wants to be around him, and he seems okay with just leaving it at that for now. I loved, too, that we got to spend time with Kohei as he's coping with his worsening condition and get to know his mother, who is a delightful person who loves Taichi just as much as her son does. I'm so glad we are getting to see this story told properly in full in such a great adaptation.

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko

Finally, the truth!!! Ayaka is a menace and Hiroko is fighting for her life. Like hanging out with a niece, my ass! Most of the office misinterpreting Ayaka's behavior as crushing on Yuya instead of Hiroko continues to be hilarious, as are all Hiroko's friends trying to push her to cross the line. I was sad to learn that Risa has her own unrequited love going on; I want all the girls to end this story happily! I did love their conversation about identity, and that the show gave some space for Ayaka to consider whether lesbian is the right label for her. Checking out the lesbian bar together was a great way to test things out, and I was dying at the other girls hitting on Ayaka. Can't wait to see what happens next now that Hiroko has no more denial to cling to.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

Shoutout to @isaksbestpillow for picking this show up, because it’s an instant fav! Ishida and Mitsuya are fantastic characters, and man are they GAY. This is a food drama and a story of queer men of different generations seeing something unexpected in each other and forming a surprising bond. I was pleasantly surprised by how immediately the attraction and sexual tension arrived in this story, and I want to know so much more about Mitsuya and why he seems to be holding a desperate sadness alongside all his wisdom about life. Very excited to see these two nourish each other. You can find Sirii’s subs here.

Twilight Out of Focus

I don't watch anime (do not @ me, many have tried), but @bengiyo liked the story for this one enough that he told me I can’t skip it, so I am reading the manga along with the show. And I gotta say, I loved this first story with Mao and Hisashi (this is a multi couple series so not sure how the next one will go). Ben is on vacay so I'm tagging @twig-tea to talk about the episode that aired this week.

[blazinghotfoggynights]

I am so happy for episode 7x4. Why? It has already led to lines of communication about romantic and queer journeys that are not typical.

I see Team!Tuck and Team!Buddie have some members that are not happy with the other and think the other team is delusional or doesn't make sense. Only the members of that show's crew know what is going to happen. For all we know, Buck could meet a third party, fall in love, leave the 118, and go off to happily ever after.

(I so don't want that. But what can a girl do?)

I want to say that as someone who probably has just a teeny bit more of life experience than many people on here and other social media, no I am not sharing my age, I have seen, and experienced, a lot. Remember I mentioned lines of communication opening? They are open now because people are inspired and feel empowered to share their thoughts and experiences.

To Team!Tuck, yes, Team!Buddie is still quite a possibility. How? Did you know you can be so in love with someone you have no idea you are in love with them? Sounds crazy, right? But it can happen. It took many years for me to see that I was head over heels for my best friend. I never considered it. I never looked at him that way. We were just really close and besties.

It took someone asking me if I were stuck on a deserted island and could only have one person there with me, who I would choose. I said his name instead of my then boyfriend's name. I didn’t even think about it. It was reflexive.

The person was staring at me smiling and watching me as I realized what I’d said and then a montage of our friendship played in my mind.

“Oh my god.” That was me.

“Finally figured it out?” That was the other person.

When I thought about it, I compared men to him all the time. The qualities I was most attracted to in my partners up to that point were qualities they shared with him. But it was at that moment, many years into our friendship, that I realized that had been happening.

This leads me to Team!Buddie. Team!Tuck is valid and could very well be endgame. If the writers make Eddie a completely hetero man with no flexibility, Buddie will not happen. However, they have offered a character who is literally an amalgamation of Buck and Eddie as a possible love interest. It is funny to me, because when I look at the Tommy character I see the lovechild of Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley. Buck picked a man who mirrors him physically but shares a lot with Eddie including military background, quick wit, snarkiness, the willingness to say screw the rules when needed, hobbies, etc.

If Buck knows with no uncertainty that Eddie is not, and will never be, an option, wouldn’t it make sense that a man who is so much like Eddie would catch Buck’s eye?

I will also say that it is not impossible for someone who truly believes they are 100% heterosexual their entire lives to realize one day that may not be the case. How do they realize it? They look at someone of the same sex and have an epiphany.

As a young one who was new to this world, I fell for the rhetoric that sexuality is static and does not change. You were either straight or gay. There was nothing else.

This older, wiser version of me knows the only things you can count on in life are change, surprise, and unpredictability. She is also grateful for those who worked hard to explain that sexuality is a spectrum and give those who never quite found a space a label that finally fit.

She is extremely grateful for the brave people who who have the courage to live out loud and raise their voices in pride so others know maybe one day they can do the same.

I will always have my fingers crossed for Buddie endgame. I’m talking big wedding, tears being shed, vows so sweet everyone requires insulin. You get the picture.

However, I also want to see the two characters who never have happiness or a partner who truly supports them find what Hen/Karen and Athena/Bobby have. If that is with other people, so be it.

One more time, I am going to say major respect for ABC and the show writers for flipping off that network that can go to hell and giving this arc life and to Oliver and Lou for doing what is bound to piss off a lot of people who won't be shy about vocalizing their narrowmindedness.

[oldguardleatherdog]

The Comment That Will Live In Infamy

A reminder that we don't have to tolerate being abused on this site.

As a general rule, I don't indulge in callouts of individuals who aren't public figures, but since this is the September 11th Anniversary I'm making an exception today.

Friend to all humanity @thenightmancometh expressed this wish for me in a comment on an absolutely balls-out batshit insane brigading of me on this site in 2022, started by a very strange and misguided 20-year-old girl in Scotland (of all places!) named @commonpigeon who thought it sport to take a stoned 3 AM comment I made on a post by @ding-dong-you-are-wrong and hold it, and me, out for ridicule to thousands of people, picked up and amplified by @baradragon and boosted by none other than the legendary multiply-terminated @were--ralph, who I imagine is happily reaming a pineapple somewhere (iykyk I guess).

As a result of fighting back against this ageist, AIDSphobic, kink-shaming, utterly inexplicable mob attack of vicious harassment and death wishes such as this, my first blog here got mass-reported and terminated, taking with it a library's worth of queer history links and harm reduction resources. I'm still fighting to get it restored.

I live in San Francisco where Tumblr and its parent company are headquartered; they are required by law to conduct themselves in accordance with City regulations regarding human rights, and although two years have passed, I'm still inclined to press my case.

My status as a "Certified Eligible Survivor" of the events of September 11, 2001 under the Zadroga Act of 2010 means more to me than being eligible for benefits and treatment of the PTSD diagnosis I carry. It means that I have standing to fight back against insults like the one depicted in the image here. It means that people who are capable of saying this to a person who was injured in that most heinous terrorist attack ever on US soil should be held to account for their actions, that their lack of basic human decency is not acceptable, that this is not normal online or offline behavior, that abusing injured victims of an act of war (or any other disaster, natural or manmade) will never be tolerated or accepted by the rest of humanity.

I'm not the only survivor of 9/11. I'm certainly not at or anywhere near the top of the hierarchy of victims of the events of that day. I know my place, and I behave accordingly, but that doesn't mean that I get to exist in a vacuum.

As a lifelong activist, I know how to fight for what's right, for myself and for others. Although I get accused of gatekeeping a tragedy, I'm goddamn Cerberus when it comes to guarding September 11th, protecting my fellow survivors from trolls and haters, and doing everything I can to make sure the memory of that day and those we lost will never be vandalized by 20-year-olds from Scotland or anyone else.

[foozle-woesies]

Omg omg omg omg guess whose back? Back again? Dizzy's back. To spam his friend. Okay but like deadass I want to know your most significant angst Hcs. Literally any characters just what have you really thought about with who cause I know I've got a list of them for pretty much every character so I wanna know ur favs. Give me yummy angst I'm hungry.

🍓Genshin Favs Angst Headcanons🍓

Wooooo!!! You have submitted a GOOD ask buddy. This post will include:

Kaeya Alberich

Diluc Ragnvindr

Il Dottore

Tartaglia

I have more favorites than this, but these are the guys I’m always thinking about.

Warnings: familial death, depression, alcoholism, descriptions of s/h, mentions of internalized homophobia and transphobia, and general violence.

❄️Kaeya Alberich❄️

This isn’t even a headcanon, I’m pretty sure it’s very heavily said in the game- Kaeya’s an alcoholic. And that suave personality of his? I really think it’s just a front.

I see Kaeya has having some serious battles with depression. It takes quite a lot of energy to uphold that smooth façade, leaving him feeling unable to do anything but drink and sleep.

I think Kaeya has a horrible time even just getting up in the morning. Like, it physically hurts him to think about. In the mornings he’ll feel such hopelessness and dread that, again, it just hurts.

I think Kaeya is also deeply hurt by how cold he and Diluc are to each other. Diluc is too, of course, but more on that later. He feels abandoned by Crepus, even though he’s aware that it wasn’t his father’s fault he died.

I also think Kaeya was envious of Diluc and Crepus, even if his father loved the boys the same. Crepus was Diluc’s biological dad- something Kaeya also wanted to have.

Not as angsty as everything else, but Kaeya’s always cold because of his cryo vision :(

Another small one- Kaeya has really textured hair imo. But due to his lack of self care, his hair gets matted often. He’s already tender headed, so combing through it hurts bad. He can hardly bring himself to care for it by the time it’s so matted. Not just because of the pain in his scalp, but because of the pure and utter shame it brings. He couldn’t even gather the strength to do something as basic as brush his hair- how weak could he possibly be?

This is a lot more specific to my au but I’ll try and keep it generally related to the actual game. Kaeya knows both his brother and his spouse are trans and is fully supportive. He supports any queer person in Mondstadt. When it came to realizing he himself was gay, though, it was a bloody internal battle. I’m glad to say he was able to accept himself quickly and live happily with his husband <3.

🔥Diluc Ragnvindr🔥

I think, as the Darknight Hero, Diluc’s an extremely reckless fighter. He’s covered in scars from fatui and abyss mage attacks, but also burns. His hands specifically are burnt to the point of nerve damage in his hands.

He hides these burns with his gloves. This is also why he leaves bartending to his employees- it’s hard to not drop the glasses and spill the drinks due to the damage.

He doesn’t ever pay much mind to his injuries and hardly goes to the hospital when he should. He prioritizes his mission as the Darknight Hero over his own safety. Perhaps he just wants to carve a meaning into his life, feeling as though he lacks one.

Diluc is not one who is good at handling complicated feelings. Quite honestly, Crepus’s death hasn’t exactly registered to him. Obviously he knows it’s happened, and he grieved, but… he just pushes it so far down. He’s easily irritated by the topic of Crepus.

This irritation becomes evident whenever Kaeya tries to talk about their father, even though it’s always in a fond manner. In general, discussions between the brothers end in screaming and shouting.

Diluc doesn’t hate Kaeya, though, it’s quite the opposite. Diluc frets a lot over his little brother. His lack of emotional tact, and Kaeya’s unwillingness to open up, just keeps driving the brothers farther apart.

Diluc is trans. Of course this isn’t an angsty headcanon within itself! Rather, I want to talk about the things that can come with it. I like to think Mondstadt is generally a very accepting nation (I choose to think all of teyvat is, really). But once in a while, a drunkard in the bar will make a nasty comment towards this fact. He acts as if these comments mean nothing but it bothers him deeply.

Actually, Diluc feels insecure about being a “real man” quite often. It’s a pretty persistent bother. I’m glad to say though, at the end of the day, Diluc is proud and confident of who he is :3

🧪Il Dottore🧪

Dottore’s backstory isn’t really in the game atp (except for Zandik’s legacy, except it’s not even canonically stated to be Dottore so who really knows at the end of the day?? I def think it’s him tho), but I have my own theories. I feel like Dottore definitely had a horrible childhood. Was he probably kicked out of his village for a good reason? Yea. But still. I can’t help but imagine he had no one to care for him, therefor harboring his bad tendencies.

By the time he got to the Akademiya, I think he was also bullied pretty badly. This worsened his hatred towards people and made him even more of a shut-in.

Dottore is just tired all the time and I mean TIRED. It’s a miracle he’s even functioning.

I don’t have much for Dottore atm… sorry!

🫧Tartaglia🫧

Tartaglia is really struggling while in the fatui. Sometimes, he’s really zoned out. He’s good at keeping up that charming and energetic front for jobs, sure, but if you know him personally or just see him around Zapolyarny palace, he’ll seem like a totally different person. He seems to be… remembering the things he’s seen and done.

Sometimes, he’s totally angry and freaking out. He has a hard time controlling his emotions, all of which seem to appear as anger. This always ends with him breaking something, hurting someone, or even hurting himself. These tantrums are triggered by even the smallest things. I really think he has a ton of resentment, despair, and fear bubbling underneath the surface, resulting in seemingly random breakdowns.

I don’t think Tartaglia really enjoys the fatui. When he crawled out of the abyss, he was a scared, vulnerable young boy. I don’t think he could process what he experienced at the time- I don’t think he can nowadays, either- and I think the fatui used this to their advantage. To try and make him better harbinger material, they stunted his recovery by saying what he went through wasn’t that bad, it was just something that strengthened him. They brushed off any possible mental degradation as him just “being weak” and “needing to be stronger”. He doesn’t realize any of this.

I think that contributes to his need to train more and grow stronger. His over-exertion with battling, and focus on physical pain is a way for him to ignore the mental anguish he’s truly in.

Beyond losing the light in his eyes, I think Tartaglia’s entire face changed. Obviously he grew up, and that changes people’s face, but I mean in a different way. His cheeks are sunken in, his eyes even more so. Around his eyes and the tip of his nose were constantly discolored and red. His lips were chapped and bloody. He seemed tired, even with that fun mask he put on. Honestly he lacks a lot of self care. He wants to focus on his strength rather than such “small matters”. He honestly looks… pretty fucking terrifying, even inhuman when he’s violent. It’s sort of the way a shell-shocked soldier will look different when he returns from war.

About him ending up hurting himself. I think he’ll just grab at any part of himself and scratch and squeeze, resulting in jagged cuts and bruises. He has to take his anger out on something physical. If his anger is directed at another person, when he was a younger man, he’d just hurt them. As he grew, he just broke things around him instead, screaming and shouting all the while. He regrets this every time it happens. He doesn’t know why he lacks control.

All in all, Tartaglia is a deeply troubled individual who’s been manipulated into believing he is fine. He’s been lied to and told his job is a great thing for the world. Maybe one day, he’ll snap out of it and realizes he needs to leave.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

7 Days Before Valentine Ep 6: Stray Thoughts

Sunshine

First of all, Sunshine, @respectthepetty and I are on the way, we've got bats with your name carved in them, so I'd advise you to start running.

Sunshine is one of the characters I hate the most this year, especially as a main character/protagonist. But I do think they are doing an incredible job with his characterization in that this is a man with no one in his life, he doesn't interact with his parents, he has no friends, and based off the way he behaves you can tell exactly why. This is the most impulsive, self-absorbed man I've seen in quite some time.

Sunshine reminds me of the guys in my life I've known who are deeply in need of help, but turn everything in to a joke and absolutely, willfully refuse to talk about anything real. Sunshine absolutely, willfully refuses to pause for long enough to actually think about how terrible of a person he is and how much he is harming those around him as a result of that.

I don't even think Sunshine knows what he wants. He had a chance in his previous wish to just completely try again, in the best possible scenario where marriage equality has been passed and Rain doesn't know who he is, Sunshine has a clean slate, but that isn't good enough, so he ruins society, and that doesn't work, so he hurts Rain in the most fundamentally cruel way by removing his best friend from existence. Sunshine is hurting Rain so that he can be in a relationship with Rain, which is all I need to know to decide that Rain and Sunshine better not fucking end up together in this.

The Flowers

gif by @save-the-data

Okay, I don't know why, but the way Jared talks about his flowers is making me this of this book I read years ago called Daughter of Smoke and Bone where the main character is like living in the real world but has connections to this other fantasy world, and she goes to her friend to make wishes (for example, she wishes that her hair would naturally grow blue) and she only learns way later that every time she makes a wish the wish is paid for with (I think?) someone's tooth. And she realized that people, creatures, etc had died or been tortured to have their teeth removed so that she could make silly little wishes.

I don't know that I want this, I don't know what it would do or what it would say, but for some reason I cannot get it out of my head that these flowers with names that Jared talks about so lovingly are actual people's souls. Especially after that one rose fucking screamed when Sunshine dropped it.

Metaphors

gif by @save-the-data

The back half of last episode and the first half of this episode were really heavy on the theme of conformity. And I don't think I have a lot of words for it right now, but it is feeling very much like metaphors for externalized/internalized homophobia and the closet. Like how the little girl draws this picture of herself in a pink dress and writes SOS, while walking neatly in a line, in the same boring uniform as all the rest of the kids. Like the vibrant ecclectically dressed property manager, also choosing to conform when she goes out in public because she doesn't want to be stared at. Like the busker getting hauled away/punished by the police for breaking free from society's order. Like Jared, bright, happily, bubbly, and (in my opinion) visibly queer man being terrified of being hauled away to be "corrected". And this is all stemming from snap decisions Sunshine is making out of petty bullshit with almost zero intelligent thought behind his wishes.

How I want this to end

gif by @pharawee

I think I want Sunshine to wish Q away from existence. Q's job is very clearly weighing on him, and he deserves rest. For fuck's sake, his clothing gets darker every episode Sunshine needs to accept that Rain is gone from him, that he fucked up and can't go back, and I do not want Rain getting together with someone that really seems to disregard the harm he is causing.

Anyway, I am really enjoying this show, but it is slow as fuck and if it wasn't filmed, written, and structured like a play I don't think I would have had as high a tolerance for it's pacing.

[apollos-olives]

Hi, I appreciate your effort on spreading the words about Palestine on this website that's been suppressing Palestine content so much these days. I've been posting about Palestine and got shadowbanned on my other account. I just want to say something.

Regarding the last ask about white queers, I as an Asian (Vietnamese) queer can definitely tell that the queer liberals are very unproductive. I can tell from many people even my friends, who are staunchly against the West, lumping queerness with Western value (despite our culture is rich of drag queens and homosexuality has always been there) and therefore very queerphobic. Queer liberals cannot and must not stand with the oppressor bc the oppressed are homophobic, which yes so many times the homophobia from the oppressed comes from the oppressor. A lot of queer spaces being this reactionary makes me don't want to join a lot of queer spaces.

I also feel like the conversation around why people support Palestine has been very strange. People using various amounts of idealistic reasoning, but the number one reason that I and pretty much 80% of the world would agree on is that it's the fight of the oppressed against the oppressor, and 80% of the world had been in the place of the oppressed. I was lucky to not live in those times in history, but I was taught and told to never forget our oppressed history, of more than 127 years fighting the colonialists and imperialists. Our hospital was also bombed, our cities destroyed, villagers massacred. When I saw the Palestinian doctors said they will stay here for Palestine, it reminds me of my grandma who said the exact same about Vietnam. Palestinians arguably had it significantly worse than us Vietnamese during our war time with that total blockade, so I as a Vietnamese wants to share the struggle with them too.

Also Idk why an one-state Palestine solution is so hard to imagine to people. We Vietnamese also had been subjected to a two-state solution as well, and what happened after reunification is very simple. Most of the people just stayed and became citizens of the new united Vietnam, some fleed to other countries. If Palestine unification happens it would be similar imo. A lot of arguments against the one-state solution comes from just pure projection bc Israel afraid of what they're doing to Palestinians will be done to them

Anyway that's just my two cent about Palestine from a Vietnamese perspective. Free Palestine now and forever.

hi and yes i'm doing as much as i can to try to spread what's going on. i'm not typically afraid of getting shadowbanned right now, but i understand how much that hurts and affects other people who are also trying to spread awareness.

you're right about the way that queerness is often grouped up with the concept of the west and white majority countries. and that (white lib) queers would happily side with the oppressor out of the fear that they would be further oppressed by the other group that is being oppressed itself. this is just one of the many ways that propaganda twist the narrative and tries to split up minorities, and this entire belief of "us and them" is only going to hurt everyone in the end. we, as oppressed minorities, need to stand together against the oppressor, not be against each other.

i'm not gonna add much onto what you said about vietnam, since you already said pretty much everything, but it is saddening to see how so many people can relate to what's going on in palestine because of how much colonization has impacted their life and own culture and country. it genuinely is so unfortunate, and no one deserves to go through the horrors of colonization and being horrifically oppressed. i wouldn't wish that on even the zionists (and i fucking HATE those guys).

you're right about the one state solution thing. the only reason people fear it is because they are scared that the palestinians will do to them the same thing they did to us. it's a sad delusion.

thank you for speaking up though, free palestine 🇵🇸

[landwriter]

✨️🌹 or x20 ✨️ your pick

Love your writing! And I hope you are doing okay!

Hob loves the way language changes.

He loves how words are picked up and passed along from one group to another, like a lump of unbaked clay taking on a different shape from each set of warm hands that hold it. He only wishes, sometimes, that he could hold onto it for a little longer.

It’s a foolish wish, because if it was granted, he knows he would find himself wishing again to hold it for a bit longer still. Granting it even once would only make him want more, and more, want to clutch a word for as long as his hungry heart beats on from one century into the next.

It would be impossible regardless - he can no sooner speak all his language at once than he can live all his lives at once. It is a gift enough to keep living, he reminds himself, and a gift enough to be able to watch the language changing around him.

Still - he can’t help himself. He misses odd little things. Words and euphemisms and endearments spread out over six centuries and a small slice of the continent, heaped onto his plate next to all the language of the United Kingdom too, clear back to when it was just Engelonde.

Most of them are attached to people he once knew, friends and associates and lovers, which must surely be part of pang of it: the bright wonder of hearing a turn of phrase from someone dear for the first time, whether it was popular or their very own invention; the warm familiarity of associating it with them if he ever heard it elsewhere, after leaving them, as he always did, ever dying off to keep on living somewhere else and someone else; and, inevitably, ending up the last man standing with their words, clinging onto the memory of them by stubbornly using it still, clutching fading ember of it in his bare palms until it's finally too queer and cold and dead within the living blood of language to keep on using.

Sometimes he gets a few decades out of it. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

He’ll share them, of course, if he finds it in a primary source somewhere, but by the time language makes it to print, it’s not on Hob’s shoulders alone to remember it anymore. The dearest ones have no documentation he can dredge up. He’s looked. But he chips in anyways, because it’s the closest thing. He presents them as a little gem of trivia in one of his introductory courses, a weekly Saying Of Yore at the start of his slides, and has the kids guess what it might mean first, to warm them up a bit into participating more, offering their ideas, which are so often refreshing and wildly bizarre that Hob remembers why he puts up with the rest of academia. From a pedagogical perspective it’s all very justifiable. From a personal perspective, he just hopes they’ll catch anew again, that someone will steal it, and breathe it to life again when they tell a friend.

The rest, he stores away. The rest, he slowly forgets. The rest, he translates.

---

i mean u know my pick, u all know my pick lmao. here's the opening (currently) of the death of translation. y'all are draining me of my unpublished words like thirsty little vampires and i am INTO IT!! although the only thing i really have left is yet more of this fic which i should ideally just finish writing and post hahaha. thank you so much, also, the ghost of richard ii, for your kind words!! i am sore today but my heart is full, winter is beautiful, and i am happily taking a day or two of breather before embarking on a car hunt.

[eroticwound]

Maybe part of my resistance to boxing Carmy and Sydney strictly into the “platonic” category is that I’m not even sure, based on what we’ve seen over the two seasons, if they are even friends. Sydney has been at the Beef/The Bear for a little over a year now (?), so maybe the window has been small to get super close, but you look at her relationships with the other characters and there’s imo much more clarity as to those friendships: she and Marcus of course are very good friends, he was probably her first friend at The Beef; she and Tina, it took some time to build that trust but once it was there Tina became her work mom and Syd values her companionship; although not shown explicitly, I also want to argue that Sydney and Nat have built a friendship of sorts since the end of s1 - they came up with CP at some point, meaning Syd felt comfortable enough (and Nat encouraged) talking shit about Carmy with her when he’s being Carmy. And the omelette was such a lovely act of kindness and care. Syd and Richie’s dynamic is significantly better than in s1, but it’s a bit awkward and kinda in the category of work friend that was once your nemesis but now you happily tolerate, if that makes sense? I do think it’s less intense between them by E10, and I’m curious how them working together like that on expo will make Syd more inclined to trust Richie more. The rest of the crew id say are amicable work friends to just associates?

That leaves her and Carmy. They’ve got crazy chemistry off the bat, their minds operate on almost the same level, completing each others sentences, etc etc. But while that’s great evidence of their strong work relationship, I can see Sydney if asked saying that Carmy is more so just a guy she works (and now is a business partner) with, whereas she’d definitely say Marcus is a good friend, yknow? Syd has huge emotional walls built up, doesn’t like to be vulnerable, though she’s done so when either one of the guys urge her to share more. From Carmy’s end, he actually might (subconsciously) view Sydney as his friend thanks to their easy connection. He also picked Sydney, whereas all of his current “friends” were just inherited from Mikey (sorry Fak). Doesn’t mean he loves them any less or that they aren’t his actual friends — just that with Syd, he’s starting fresh in making a friend. He really wants to get to know Sydney — how she’s feeling, what her former bosses think of her, what Sheridan was like, what her relationship with her parents is like (and he feels guilty for not knowing about her mom) — but his probing always happens in the context of cooking or the kitchen, and so Syd’s default is to be guarded or resort to humor. And I think that there were indications that they were growing closer through the chaos menu, but then he starts to date Claire and that project (and building a friendship) was put on hold for a long time and instead there was big a disconnect cause they weren’t communicating. So like yeah, there are platonic elements, but I say these two are operating as a more ambiguous, “secret third thing”. And especially after E10, I don’t know where their pre-friendship progress stands going forward cause I see their relationship as the one that may need the most repairing post Friends & Family 😔

hey anon! sorry for the delay answering this. i appreciate you dropping these bear thoughts in my inbox :)

i’m not sure what made you think i believe syd and carm are platonic? unless maybe you saw me tag something with “i’m a sydcarmy queer platonic truther.” if that’s the case, let me assure you that puts me firmly in the “secret third thing” camp with you. basically, i think it’s likely carmy is on the asexual spectrum, and what’s more “secret third thing” than a queer platonic relationship?

i agree with your reads on the other, clearer relationships between syd and the bear employees (tho i think there’s also a mentor (syd)/mentee (tina) quality between syd and tina. and marcus obvi feels less platonic/more romantic towards syd)

as for syd and carmy… idk, it’s the most complicated dynamic on the show. i disagree that syd views carmy as “just a guy she works with”—this is a guy she can be *creatively vulnerable* with, a colleague who has serious accolades who is telling her they’re working at the same level. who is telling her out of all the high end chefs he knows, he wants to collaborate with her. like, he believes in her and her food so much that he’s made her his partner in all of this. and that’s in addition to the crazy chemistry you reference! being a chef isn’t just a job for them, it’s an artistic calling. collaborating like they do is more on par with a directing duo than people who just work together in the same department. they make each other better at their chosen art (like that’s straight from under the table scene)

but i agree their friendship is.. in its infancy at the least lmao. and i think your reads for why syd is hesitant are correct. carmy’s only tryna get close and ask personal questions when they’re cooking (because he doesn’t know any other way to bond). that being said, besides her dad, she’s never shown chilling with anyone outside of former or current coworkers. syd clearly forms great relationships with her coworkers, like you point out and as further evidenced by her food crawl in sundae. but it’s heavily implied that syd is just as addicted to work as carm, and might not have a huge circle she hangs out with regularly (yet another syd/carm parallel). she’s got walls, like you say, and is shown to be uncomfortable with a lot of emotion (and can sometimes be a dick about it, like with mikey’s hat <3 ). so there’s allll that at play from syd’s end.

and i do agree that carmy views her as a close friend. i like that you point out everyone in carmy’s life except syd is an inherited relationship. that’s SO TRUE. in general, carmy is really delayed and unaware when it comes to relationships—ALL relationships, not just romantic. fak claims carmy and him are best friends but carm doesn’t think so, or rather he’s not really sure. he hasn’t had enough close friends to say. he thought mikey was his best friend, but then was frozen out and realized he knew nothing about him. he wants to be closer with syd, suggested the palate cleanser, which would have been a great way for syd and him to build their friendship, but then claire came along :\

i *am* super stoked to see where syd and carm’s relationship shakes out next season. like carm’s in suuuuch a bad place, and then syd is SOOO anxious about failing. i fear it’s going to get worse before it gets better… but i do think they’re meant to be together in the best (secret third thing) way :)

[deancasswitchbang]

You, Me, and the Dog Make Three

Author: nickelkeep (@nickelkeep​) Artist: Hexentaenzerin (@hexentaenzerin​) No Major Archive Warnings Tags:  AU - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers to Friends to Lovers, Dean and Cas need to use their words MORE, Dean and Cas raise a dog together, Past Cas/Inias, Brief Cas/Inias, Angst with a happy ending, Comfortably Queer Castiel, Comfortably Bi Dean, Team Everyone Switches forever

Summary: Cas thinks he has it all. He has a great job, he's got some of the best friends a guy can ask for, and the most loving, devoted boyfriend one can ask for.

Until it all comes crashing down.

When Inias dumps Cas to take a job across the country, it'll take a Miracle to bring the pieces back together. A miracle in the form of a four-legged fluff ball, brought to Cas by no other than his best friend Dean. Can Dean and Miracle help Cas heal? Or will something come between them and cause everything to fall apart?

Preview: “Impatient much?” Cas called back as he unlocked the door. “And loud? My neighbors are going to kill you.” He opened the door, finding the spot where Dean should be standing strangely empty. Cas looked down, and his eyes widened as he saw Dean crouching next to something small and fluffy. “Dean? What are you doing? What’s that?”

Dean looked up and smiled before letting go of the mysterious item. “Surprise?”

“Wha—” Cas gasped as a small, tan puppy with curly fur ran to him and started jumping on him, resting its paws on his leg and yapping happily at him. “Dean? What’s this?”

“This is your new best friend, Cas.” Dean stood up, groaning as his knees popped.

“That eager to replace yourself?” Cas laughed as he choked back a sob. “I mean… I don’t understand.”

“Dude. You’ve always wanted a dog. Inias wouldn’t let you have one. That asshole’s gone, and you mentioned last night that you didn’t want to be alone.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled. “I figured, two birds, one stone.” He pointed into the apartment. “Can I come in? I got some stuff for you and your new girl.”

Cas stared a moment longer before nodding. “You didn’t have to do this, Dean.”

“Sure I did. You remember my parent’s neighbor, Missouri? Her dog had puppies, and they needed a good home. Everything lined up perfectly.” Dean bent down and grabbed a bag before walking inside. “I made sure to get you some food and some toys for her. She’s already housebroken, but I got you some pads, too, just in case. She is still a puppy, after all.”

“Dean…” Cas walked over to the sofa and sat down. His smile grew broader as his puppy followed and tried to jump on him again. He leaned down and picked her up, placing her in his lap as he scratched behind her ears. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, I mean, you can say ‘thank you,’ but it’s not really needed.” He reached into the bag, pulled out a small stuffed toy, and squeaked it, causing the puppy to bark excitedly. “She really liked this one in the store.”

“You keep saying ‘she.’ Didn’t you name her?”

Dean shook his head. “No. She’s your dog, Cas. I may have picked her, but she’s all yours.”

“It’s a miracle how everything just fell in place.” Cas felt the proverbial light bulb go off over his head. He scratched behind the pup's ears again and spoke to her. “Hey there, Miracle.”

“Interesting choice of name there.” Dean handed the toy to Cas, a smile on his face. “I’m glad I wasn’t entirely presumptuous when I got her. It was kind of a last-minute decision.”

“You got me a Miracle when I needed one, Dean. That says a lot about you.” Cas squeaked the toy, causing Miracle to yap and pounce at it. “While she doesn’t heal everything, she’s a very welcome balm.”

POSTING BETWEEN APRIL 23rd AND MAY 6th, 2023!

[roguewallenthusiast]

Second blog masterpost

So I’m finally using the second blog for something, my main has cemented itself as the fandom chaos blog so here’s where I’m gonna post more personal stuff like my art and fursuiting pics

Main blog: @snackhouse

Other stuff:

Also keeping this place way more organized with tags so here’s the main ones you’ll be seeing and what they mean

#snackary’s mind random thoughts and personal posts

#fursuiting fursuit pics and videos

#reblogs from main posts from the main blog

#friend art!! art by my friends!

#fandom containment breach fandom posts from the main fandom blog that ended up here anyway

#art commissions art I’ve commissioned

#oodles of doodles my own art

#buggy bois pictures of bugs

#my leggy babies pictures of my bugs

#misc reblogs random things I reblog

#obligatory cicada repost posts about cicadas that I’m legally required to reblog because I’m The Cicada Furry

Various character tags posts with those characters in them, can be art, fursuits or lore info. Example: #imago the cicada

I’ll probably add more as time goes on so keep an eye out here

Warnings:

I raise, keep, and work with insects, arachnids and other creepy crawlies. While all bugs posts are tagged please be aware you will see animals like spiders, centipedes, scorpions and cockroaches on this blog!

While I never make/reblog anything more then (very) mildly suggestive stuff in regards to sexual stuff, I’m a big fan of things like body horror and sometimes include it in my art.

DNI

This should go without saying but this is a TERF and nazi free space, this blog is run by a queer Jewish woman with no tolerance for bigotry. This is non negotiable, hate is not welcome here.

People who say stuff like “ew squish it” or “kill it with fire” on pictures of people’s bugs. It’s completely fine to be uncomfortable/have a phobia of bugs and creepy crawlies. This is NOT an excuse to joke about killing people’s pets. Most of the bugs I post here are the animals I personally keep and raise, they are my babies and joking about harming them will not be tolerated. I will happily educate people about these animals or help people with their fears but please be respectful.

People who hate on furries. You are not funny, grow up.

DO NOT FLIRT OR MAKE SEXUAL COMMENTS ABOUT ME EVEN AS A JOKE!! I’m a sex repulsed aromantic asexual and I’m NOT comfortable with any sort of sexual/romantic advances! Please respect my identity.

A little about me!

Hello! I’m SnackHouse but you can also call me Snack, Snackary, AJ or by any of my sonas! I do not use my real name online.

My main sonas is Marianas the sea monster and Leah the cockatrice. Peʁes the bearded vulture and Imago the cicada are also sonas.

My pronouns are she/her/hers

I’m a 23 year old aroace jewish woman from Colorado who’s very active in the local fursuiting scene.

I’m a writer who’s spent the last decade building a massive world in my mind that I someday hope to share!

I’m a newbie fursuit maker who someday hopes to do commissions, specializing in weird and uncommon species.

I work with both birds and bugs! Keeping chickens, finches and all kinds of insects and arachnids.

I’m most well known for my primary fursuit, Imago the cicada, I have yet to encounter another cicada fursuiter and I heavily encourage anyone who’s interested to make/get bug suits and join the small but tight-knit ranks of bug furries!

[dirtyalpha-rat]

RAT (THEY/THEM)

24 years old, Capricorn, neurodivergent

Verse and switch in theory.. stone top in practice. Preference for doming— rediscovering my sub side!

Most of the posts I reblog, I’m day dreaming of being the dom &/or top. If that’s not the case, it’s normally marked

Loving Mate and owner to my very bratty dog ( @omegapuppyslxt ) and proud protector of my obedient little bunny!

Non-binary, trans masc, Butch. Mostly t4t, poly, Violently pansexual.

DNI: MINORS! And no rape threats.

Please for the love of gods be LGBTQIA. If you’re not that’s cool but I am queer and this blog is about queer sex. I post about all genders, so feel free to come vibe.

Mutuals, Followers, and blog visitors are always welcome to stop by asks and say Hi! Looking to make kink friends, happy to flirt. Not looking for new partners, or serious play.

DM’s open for mutuals and approved asks only! Mutuals.. come get a lil kiss!

more info under the cut for the curious.

You may call me…

Rat, Sol, Sir, Alpha or Mutt if you’re looking for some trouble.

Open to others, just please refrain from using terms that lay claim (mine, my, etc.)

Terms I enjoy being described with: Cock, hole, (t)dick, cunt, chest. Strap!

Terms I’m not comfortable being described with: Tits, breast (we love that chest dysphoria!)

Things I adore…

(incomplete always expanding)

- Impact play (hitting, spanking, punching, slapping)

- Biting, marking, bruising, hickies!!

- Primal play, Chase, rough housing

- pet play!

- Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, knotting

- Roleplay (knight, goddess, cowboy, horror older then time, etc. I hold multitudes)

- complete power exchange, devotion, 24/7 dynamics

- Leather

- Humiliation, Degration, Praise, Embarrassment

- Bondage, rope work

- Corruption, soft somo, soft cnc, Intox (weed)

- Punishment, Rules, Chasity (happy no nut November!)

- Care, pleasure, and leaving a scene feeling good

- And much more

Common headspaces

Sir (He/They)

Strict. Hard on rules, ready to train. Will devour you. Has already thought about how. Happy to get my leather gloves out to hit you, and even happier to have you clipped to my carabiner. Don’t forget to clean my boots down there, while you’re at it.

Alpha (They/Them)

Primal, Alpha/Beta/Omega-verse, smells like rain, woodsmoke, deep vanilla, and weed (probably). Soft dom. I am currently nesting with my Omega, Kander.

Knight (They/He)

A bounce between devoted, selfless knight who lives to protect their prince no matter the cost, and knight who will happily help a royal to mind their manners. I devote my love, and my life to my prince. I am loyal not to the crown, but to him. Always him.

Sol (They/Them)

Soft dom, or service top. Not mutually exclusive. Lay on my chest and let me pet your hair. Let me press against you, let me feel every inch of you. Realize you are safe in hands that know and love you, and that if you ask nicely enough you’ll get exactly what you want. Or you can bully me, perhaps put up a fight— maybe I’ll fold or maybe I’ll remind you why you love being mine.

I’m a writer, and I love role play so there’s probably about 5000 others. Inquire for more if you’re interested!

Boundaries 

- No DDLG/Age play, No scat, No hard cnc or rape fantasies in my asks and dm’s. We all have lines and we all have trauma. It’s fine for you, it is not welcome here.

- I will block ageless blogs. I’m being so fr ya’ll keep poking and I’m not playing!

- I love to be violent! Please do not be violent with me out of nowhere (get my consent first.)

- Do not force feminize me! I present masculine in my daily life and I’m still figuring out my relationship with my femininity. Don’t complicate it.

- MAPS, Pedos, terfs, antisemitics, actual real life fr misogynists, racists, minors, DNI!

If you made it this far I applaud you. Send me an ask and I will reward your thoroughness!

[jojotichakorn]

GunCher for the ask game 🤗

thank u for sending them in, dear anon 🥺

when I started shipping it if I did: i was into them from the very beginning - i know some people have had their doubts etc. but idk, i was in from the moment they were introduced

my thoughts: i think they are pretty perfect for each other tbh. first of all, that's an autistic (gun) x autistic + adhd (cher) duo if i've ever seen one. second of all, i just love how they communicate - i honestly think one of the most important things people in a relationship can have is good understanding of each other's communication styles, because at the end of the day, if you can talk about anything, you can deal with anything together. that seems to be the case with them, which thankfully is never forgotten about for the sake of drama either (though i say this before the penultimate episode). idk, i think they are just great together.

what makes me happy about them: i really love how much they know and understand each other, how affectionate they are with each other, how they aren't afraid of asking each other questions, making requests, sharing silly thoughts, etc. they are each other's comfort zones and that's beautiful.

what makes me sad about them: i guess just people meddling in their lives. specifically the way it makes cher feel because he is definitely most affected by it, but it's not easy for both of them :(

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: now that's a hell of a question wow... i think cher would fit really well with thi and zo, making the most wonderful little throuple. though i feel like maybe zo would have his hands full with those two gjjfdgkfjkg. as for gun, i don't think anyone else that exists on the show fits him as well as cher. but if i absolutely had to choose (under gunpoint etc. etc.), i'd go for porsche (even though they clearly didn't work out and are better as friends, which is why i would only choose him if i had to).

my happily ever after for them: gun continues being the ceo of the company with all the things that cher taught him along the way, cher becomes a popular gaming streamer, they definitely live together, probably have a cat, are incredibly in love no matter how many years have passed and are just very happy together. they meet up with jack, thi, zo, and tubtab every week to eat food and enjoy each other's company (i'd also like to think porsche and his boyfriend join the friendgroup eventually, thus forming our little queer found family), thup also visits them from time to time and - though he's less dependent on cher now - they have a strong bond with him and gun as well.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: tbh i think they alternate depending on the mood, but if neither of them is necessarily seeking comfort that day, i'd probably say gun is the little spoon (perhaps controversial opinion idk).

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: i think they'd really enjoy just going out in general or maybe even travelling together a lot.

questions from this fun ask game

[innytoes]

I got a little carried away for the charity toy drive and you’re the very overwhelmed but happy volunteer for Sunset Skater, please?

The day had been bad so far. Hell, the week had been bad so far. It was getting harder and harder to keep a cheerful smile on his face. They'd pulled out all the stops earlier in the day (and by that he meant some sick-ass yoyo tricks and juggling), but a lot of people had walked away once they got a better look at his table. One lady had told them he should be ashamed of himself.

He was thinking maybe he should just give up. He could get the money some other way. Maybe even crawl back to Caleb and admit they did need their trust fund after all. Not for him, but he couldn't bare the thought of any of the kids not getting presents this year.

Then, he heard it.

"Hang on guys, Alex is being drawn to a rainbow flag like a gay moth to a fabulous flame!" a guy in a leather jacket called over his shoulder, following a cute boy in a hoodie and a fanny pack.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that," the guy complained, even though he was heading right Willie's way.

"Hi!" he said in their most perky volunteer voice. "I'm here on behalf of the Ortega Home for LGBTQ Youths, for our charity toy drive!"

"Oh my god it's one of those wish trees!" the guy in the leather jacket said, bouncing up to the tree next to the table. "I've always wanted to do one of these! And now we have like, money!" He looked so excited, it was adorable. At the last second though, he pulled his hand back. Oh no. Not again.

But the guy just turned to them and said, shyly: "Can I?"

"Yeah, totally!" Willie said. "We have wishes from kids of various ages in the tree."

"There's so many of them," Fanny Pack said. "Are the ones that have already been filled still up there?"

The perky volunteer voice slipped. "I'm afraid not. A lot of people see the flag, or read the cards, and suddenly the giving spirit leaves them." Perhaps this was the wrong mall to set up in, or something. But it was the only one he'd been able to get a permit for. The blonde guy looked sad, then squared his shoulders.

"We'll take five," he said, before turning and whistling. Out of nowhere, three other people popped up. "Each."

"To start," Leather Jacket said happily, already plucking cards out of the tree. "Oooh, this one is mine." He held up a card decorated in little trans and heart stickers. "B, age seven, wants a puppy and sparkly nail polish. Same!"

"What are we doing?" A guy with very impressive biceps said. "I thought we were going to the music store?"

"Wish tree," Fanny Pack said. "Queer wish tree."

With a tiny pout, Biceps muttered how he guessed the music store could wait.

"This one is for Alex," Leather Jacket declared. "Because it's written in sparkly pink gel pen." He passed it over. Fanny Pack, or Alex, read the card.

"No, this one is for Luke," he said. "K, 17, wants a guitar, a record player, and Julie and the Phantom's new LP." Biceps pretty much vibrated out of his skin, snatching up the card and practically running over to where the music store was. Willie didn't even have a chance to explain they didn't need to purchase everything on the card.

"Aaaand we've lost Luke to the music store," the exceptionally pretty person in red suspenders said. They were wearing a pleated leather skirt and torn leggings and amazing eyeliner and Willie kind of wanted to steal their entire look.

"If we find any more music related cards, I'll take them over to him later," the girl said, joining Leather Jacket at the tree. "This one's for you, Bobby. E, 15, nonbinary, wants a pretty, flowy skirt size 8, some dark lipstick, and a cool necklace."

"Bobby knows what's cool," Leather Jacket agreed.

They picked over the tree, more and more cards being handed out among the friend group. They all introduced themselves, asking Willie about the charity. He told them about Ortega House, about the support groups they had, the art therapy program he volunteered at, and the kids who lived there permanently after being kicked out for being, well, not-cis, not-straight.

Julie grabbed her phone and started texting someone named Flynn for a 'consult on the best make-up for dark skin tones' for J, 16. She had two neat stacks of cards on the table, a few with make-up and clothing requests, and a few music related ones for Luke.

Bobby ('he, they, she, please' she said when she noticed Willie’s he/they name sticker) got all the 'cool and edgy teen' cards, according to the others, and Alex grabbed a few that requested books and art supplies. Reggie ended up picking every single card for kids under ten, before running off to the toy store and shouting at them he'd 'be right back!'

"It's because he's never grown up," Alex said fondly.

"It's because he finally has an excuse to sneak in that new Star Wars Lego Set while we're not watching," Bobby grumbled.

One by one, the people left, and he ended up sitting next to the nearly empty tree, texting Kenny, Dante, and Fuego about what had just happened.There were a lot of emojis and exclamation points.

Alex was the first to arrive back. He had several bags filled with books, along with two rolls of... sparkly unicorn wrapping paper. He looked embarrassed. "You don't have to use it," he said. "I just saw it and thought it would be nice. I still need to hit up the art store for the rest, but..."

"This is amazing," Willie said. "You guys are... I mean... I thought we wouldn't be able to do it, that I'd failed, and you and your friends totally saved the day. Thank you."

Alex flushed rather prettily, and gave a sweet smile. "I wish I'd had a place like Ortega House when I came out," he told Willie. "I think we all do, probably." He made an exasperated face. "And Luke will take any excuse to spend more time in the music store."

"Your boyfriend?" Willie asked, because he was stupid, because they couldn't not, because he'd rather know now than before he made a fool out of themselves in front of this cute guy by slipping him their number and never getting called.

"One of them," Alex said, before looking flustered and hurrying off to the art store.

Oh. Well, maybe that meant he still had a shot.

Julie was back next, along with another girl, the infamous Flynn. She started grilling him about the Ortega House social media presence almost immediately, satisfied when he gave her a little pamphlet with all their information on the back. She disappeared off to the food court, declaring she would be back later with donuts.

"I'm going to go bring Luke his other cards now, before he buys out the entire store to give to K, 17," Julie said, amused, and left.

Reggie was the next person to arrive back, carrying so many bags he was waddling slightly.

"I may have gone a little overboard," he admitted. "But there was so much cool stuff, and really, who doesn't want a colour-changing dinosaur, huh?" He showed Willie the box. "Also, can I hide this Lego set under your table so the others don’t see it?"

Willie grinned, lifting up the table cloth and miming zipping his lips when Reggie slid the Star Wars Lego set under it. Reggie happily flopped down in the chair next to him and started helping him sort out the gifts, arranging them on the table behind him by the little cards. They chatted, and Reggie told him all about the others, about how they lived together, how they were in a band.

Willie subtly tried to figure out who was dating who, and if he maybe had a shot with Alex (or honestly, any of them). Reggie just happily rattled off a bunch of names. “Sometimes Alex says we need some kind of flow chart,” he said, gently placing the floppy stuffed dog on top of a pile. “But I don’t think it’s too hard to remember.”

“That’s because you’re literally dating everyone, Reginald,” Bobby said as they came back to the table, dropping her bags on the table. Reggie beamed, leaning over to bat his eyes at her. “These are all sorted by card, the card’s in the bag with the items. Now where’s the box?”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Reggie said, trying and failing to look not look guilty.

“The Lego Star Wars Set,” Bobby said, leaning over and giving Reggie a Look. He didn’t even flinch when Reggie leaned over to kiss his forehead. “I know you have it.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny,” Reggie said. “Oh look there’s Luke and Julie!” He pointed excitedly, and when Bobby looked away, nudged the box a little further under the table.

Luke, and Julie, who were not just carrying bags, but had stolen two shopping carts from a nearby store. There was a hot pink electric guitar (he was guessing for Katie), an amp, thee acoustic guitars, a keyboard with stand, a flute, a whole stack of ‘for beginners’ books, two record players, a radio slash CD player, and more CDs and records than Willie knew what to do with.

“Oh my god,” Bobby whispered. “I knew we should have sent Alex with him to keep him in check.”

“I dunno, I think this is exactly what these kids deserve,” Alex said happily, grinning when Bobby jumped and then punched him in the shoulder. He deposited the three large bags of art supplies on the table (sketchbooks and paints and brushes and the Good coloured pencils and oh god those were so expensive, these people were insane or angels or both.)

“I got some extra stuff,” Luke said. “You know, just some music I thought the kids would like, based on what they were asking for.” Next to him, Julie rolled her eyes.

“This is amazing,” Willie whispered. He wasn’t sure if anyone heard him, though, because Luke started to accost Alex, who pushed him away and fished a bunch of markers out of his fanny back with a ‘you could just ask!’

Then, he spread out a bunch of records on the table and started... defacing each one? No, not defacing. Signing them with a blue marker. Alex handed out the other markers (red for Reggie, white for Bobby, purple for Julie, and he kept a pink one for himself) and followed suit. Willie squinted at the records.

“Oh,” he managed. “You’re Julie and the Phantoms.”

“Tell your friends!” Reggie chirped, throwing him a wink.

“If Luke got too many and not all the kids are interested, a fully signed record can net your charity about 500 bucks on eBay, last I checked,” Bobby said. “Just space them out a little.”

“Also,” Julie said, checking her phone. “Flynn posted the links to your online donation drive on our socials, and she’ll be back with donuts and to take some pictures of us all, it’ll be good publicity for you.”

Oh my god Katie was going to flip. Kenny was going to flip.

“Oooh, I want sprinkles,” Reggie said. “Tell her I want sprinkles!”

“She knows, baby.”

“I just...” Willie said. How was any of this happening? He knows he should be like, channeling his inner Caleb, glad-handing and maybe securing a yearly donation, or a charity concert, or a freaking meet-and-greet with the kids. But they were just a lowly art therapist and honestly they were about to start crying and...

“Hey, we’re sorry,” Alex said. “We should have asked first.”

“No it’s... this is perfect.” They wiped at their eyes with a sleeve furiously. “This is all so perfect, the kids are going to be so happy.”

“You know,” Reggie said. “If you give Alex your number, we could maybe keep in touch. Hear what the kids thought.”

“Maybe set up a charity concert or something!” Luke piped up.

“And a date,” Bobby said, smirking when Alex went as pink as his hoodie.

“Really?” Willie whispered, awed.

At the end of the day, he sent out several texts. One in the Volunteer group chat, of him and the piles and piles of donations, and a request to please come help him get this all back to Ortega House. One to Kenny about the whole ‘so I met a famous band and they posted the charity to their socials, you’re welcome and also call this nice lady called Flynn to discuss a charity concert’ and one to Dante and Fuego in all caps that just said I’M GOING ON A DATE WITH THREE OR MAYBE FOUR PEOPLE and seventeen different emojis.

[alexissara]

Lesbian Visibility Day

So a lot of these queer days happened really close to each other and I wanted to talk about being a lesbian because it's to me the most important part of my identity. A lot of the labels I have feel like a fact of life, not really something I feel actively. Being a lesbian to me is probably more core to my gender then being a woman. Like I feel like I speak another language from hetero women, like there is a world between us. It's really only in community with other lesbians that I feel like my sexuality and gender and the relationships to womanhood are really understood. Being a lesbian is something I actively get joy from, seeing lesbians, being around lesbians, sapphic art, in general lesbian shit is just very core to who I am down to working on hit TTRPG Thirsty Sword Lesbians [which you should play].

Being a lesbian is something that I took a lot of time to personally place as a label on myself. Also being asexual and being trans both were things that made me worry about claiming the labels Yet, the first community I truly felt embraced by and cherished by is lesbians. When I first started playing with my gender it was lesbians who were happy for me to go to whatever stage of transition I wanted, that told me stories of trans partners and friends, that accepted my gender without question and my sexuality. We made lots of amazing art together telling stories about lesbians of all sorts from non binary lesbians to cis lesbians to trans lesbians. It's in this community that I find myself thriving.

I am in many ways a professional lesbian in that I have committed myself to every inch of my craft being made for lesbians by a lesbian. My comics work in anthology always included lesbians, I've got rejected from video game work for saying I am only interested in jobs I can make lesbians in my writing, my TTRPG work has been to push stories for lesbians and other sapphics. It's am devoted to making art about women who love other women. I don't care if I never have a stable income because making art is only worth it to me if I am uplifting my community. Otherwise I'd rather work a normal job, art is about expressing myself and I can't reflect myself without at least a taste of sappho.

What I do for fun also revolves around lesbians. Even when I am not playing Thirsty Sword Lesbians I am always playing a lesbian character when I roleplay and when I GM I create tons of Lesbian NPCs. When I am looking for video games to play I am looking for explicit sapphic representation as a massive factor to decide if I am going to buy a game or not. I often am gay modding games that don't have that or having my own lesbian headcanons of characters I talk on and on about while I play.

So in conclusion, being a lesbian is my whole personality and honestly, that isn't a bad thing. I think being a lesbian is great and that existing as a lesbian as women and queer rights are under attack, happily, thriving and refusing to let the men in power strip it away from us is important. I am here for all lesbians who aren't bigots and I hope I can make you feel seen and loved in my work, thank you for being you other lesbians.

[You can support me here on patreon if you wanna help a lesbian out .]