#jean o’leary

[amphibious-thing]

“Oh, yeah, we mixed with lesbians. We always got along together back then. All that division between the lesbian women and queens came after 1974 when Jean O’Leary and the radical lesbians came up. The radicals did not accept us or masculine-looking women who dressed like men. And those lesbian women might not even have been trans. But we did get along famously in the early ‘60s. I’ve been to many a dyke party. And transgendered men back then were living and working. I met many who were working and living as men with their female lovers.”

~ Queens in Exile, The Forgotten Ones by Sylvia Rivera

[goodfish-bowl]

Hounds on Your Tail

Danny Phantom x Percy Jackson

Masterpost

DP Crossover Angst Week Day 3 - Bleeding out in an Alley Way

Warnings: Minor Gore, descriptions of blood, serious injury, blood loss

Notes: God I wrote this whole thing in less than 2 days. Speedrun time, I guess. Apologies for any errors as a result. It wanted to be longer than intended.

Word Count: 4,505

AO3 Link

Whoever the monsters were chasing after, they were after them with a single-minded focus to be envious of. Not even the demigods on their tails were enough to distract them. It was a group of half a dozen hellhounds, and three harpies, all dead set on chasing the same thing. And whoever they were chasing, was giving them one hell of a chase. 

Percy had only noticed the commotion because he was in the city visiting his mom, and had quickly decided to call for backup as fast as he could. Ms. O’Leary had managed to drag over both Nico and Will, both fully equipped. Annabeth had been tagging along on his visit. She was currently trying to figure out where the monsters and who they were chasing were headed. After the fifth double-back, it was clear that the person running was just trying to shake off the monsters, and possibly the group of demigods too. Percy was trying to at least spot who the monsters were chasing but had yet to catch sight of anything other than a beaten, red sneaker around a corner. 

Will had managed to get a lucky shot in, killing a harpy with one of his arrows, and both Percy and Nico had each gotten a hellhound. Sometime between when the group of demigods had first spotted the monsters and now, a hellhound and a harpy had both vanished. Percy wondered if whoever they were chasing had managed to kill both monsters or if they merely had broken off from the rest of the group. But Percy was getting just a bit tired of playing chase throughout all of New York City, he had no doubt that the monsters’ target was beginning to flag too. 

The remaining four monsters quickly darted around the latest alley detour their unfortunate prey had bolted into. Percy skidded to a halt, suddenly having three hellhounds cornered in a dead-end alley, pinned against a brick wall. The harpy angrily screeched and flew over the wall to continue the chase. Between the four of them, the hell hounds didn’t stand a chance, quickly becoming piles of yellow dust. From the other side of the wall, the harpy screeched again, followed by cries of pain and fighting. 

“Shit! How did they get to the other side of the wall?” Percy cursed, before turning to Annabeth. 

Percy didn’t have to say a thing, only crouch down. Annabeth came at him in a dead sprint. It was timed perfectly, as she stepped up onto his clasped hands and he flung her to the top of the wall, pulling herself up the rest of the way. Nico took hold of Will and vanished into the shadows of the alley. 

Percy was left alone on the opposite side of the alley. Luckily for him, there was a pipe clinging to the bricks of one of the buildings. It had just enough foothold for him to quickly climb up it and perch on top of the brick wall. Below, Will was hunched over a small figure leaning against the bricks, with Annabeth standing to the side, and Nico farther back. Percy jumped down. 

Percy winced, finally getting a glimpse at the person the monsters had been chasing for the past hour, possibly longer before he and Annabeth had noticed. It was a teenage boy with a mess and thick, black hair on his head. Blood seeped heavily from his stomach, and Percy recognized the slash of harpy claws. Will was trying to get the teen to stop clutching his stomach so he could at least check the wound. The boy’s jeans looked like they had been torn up even more from the hellhounds, with two large bite marks visible on his legs. There was blood smeared on the bricks he was leaning against, suggesting another wound on his back. 

“No! I’ll be fine, you have to leave before they come back!” The teen pleaded. 

“I told you, we’ll be fine! We killed the ones who were chasing you. It’s you I’m more worried about. You’re practically bleeding out in this alley! I need to make that harpy didn’t gut you!” Will argued back. 

“You really should let him at least check, he won’t stop until you let him,” Nico added. 

Percy frowned, not liking the situation one bit. He turned to Annabeth, who was glancing between their mystery teen-likely-demigod, and the top of the wall. 

“What is it, Wise Girl?”

“I’m trying to figure out how he managed to get over that wall before the harpy could fly over.”

“There was a pipe I used to get over. He could’ve done that,” Percy offered. 

“Not with two chunks taken out of his legs. I’m surprised he even managed to run after taking damage like that,” Annabeth refuted.

Percy winced, “Yeah, he certainly looks like he’s had a pack of hellhounds on his tail for over an hour.”

“Percy!” Will called out, and he snapped to attention. 

Will had gathered the bleeding boy into his arms, finally revealing a mix of wounds across his back from both claws and talons. 

“Nico and I are taking him back to camp! The slash on his stomach is too deep, I need to treat him there,” Will rushed. 

“Got it,” Percy nodded. “Annabeth and I will meet you back at camp.”

“No,” the teen protested, but was unable to fight back, seeming to be getting weaker by the second. Will’s clothes were slowly being soaked with blood. 

“Hurry,” Nico said. 

Will nodded and the three vanished into the shadows. 

“Percy,” Annabeth called out, walking over and crouching down where the teen had been leaning against the wall. “Is it just me, or is there something off about his blood?”

Percy crouched down to get a closer look, and sure enough, there were the smallest flecks of green of all things in the blood. He didn’t like that one bit. Those monsters had to be after that teen for some reason or another, but Percy had never heard of a demigod with green flecks in their blood either. Whatever it was, the monsters really wanted him dead. 

“We should hurry back to camp,” Percy decided. 

“Yeah.”

And the two took off. 

Danny officially banned himself from the big cities, especially places as crowded as New York City. With Jazz off at college and his leash pulled tight around his parents, there was no way he was getting out of not going to their latest ghost-hunter convention. No excuses had worked, and he had tried everything from faking illness to group projects. Danny had been forcibly dragged from Illinois to NYC in the GAV. Sam and Tucker were keeping a close eye on the portal for him at the very least, and he was sure he could fly back within the day if they got overwhelmed. 

Turns out, his parents had misinterpreted ‘ghostbuster’ for ‘ghost hunter’, and ended up dragging him to a comic con instead. That was cool, and his parents were thought to be cosplayers for all of 10 minutes before security refused to let them through due to their weapons. His parents still had a presentation to do, even if people just thought they were method acting, so Danny got sent back with an armload full of weapons to dump back in the GAV. Unfortunately for him, one went off, thoroughly shorting out his powers. Danny wasn’t going to let that bother him though. He had intended to go back inside and enjoy the con, avoiding his parents the entire while, He didn’t need powers for that. 

But then the first dog monster appeared. 

Danny had thought it was a ghost at first, and with his powers shorted out, he couldn’t necessarily rely on his ghost sense. With no powers and a very aggressive possibly-a-ghost dog on his heels, Danny took off running. Before he knew it, there was a whole pack of them, literally nipping at his heels, and doing their best to tear him to shreds. The bird ladies, (harpies if he remembered correctly), joined in not long after, adding in a much harder ‘dodging’ section to the chase. He thought it was weird no one was freaking out about the dogs of the harpies, but maybe New York was just like that?

Danny knew there were people on his heels too, but he didn’t have time to stop and see if they were also hostile or not. Glancing back had earned him harpy claws to the back. Even worse, the more he bled, the more excited his pursuers seemed to get, trying even harder to tear him to shreds. The pot shots he had managed to take at the dogs and harpies were only towards the end, when the steady hum of his powers, as unreliable as they were, started to return. More of them vanished as the chase went on, and Danny was just going to assume he lost them. He had managed to hit one of each, barely catching them collapse into a yellow powder before accidentally cornering himself in an alley. 

Danny had run into the bricks first, before finally able to slip through them with intangibility. He only had a moment to breathe before the harpy flew over the wall and tackled Danny to the ground, sinking its talons into his gut. He screamed and fired off another desperate ectoblast that missed by a wide margin. 

Danny got to meet his second group of pursuers as two people emerged from the shadows in the alley. One had immediately turned into nothing more than a black blur to Danny’s eyes, forcing the harpy off of him. He had tried to stand up to face the new possible threat, but blood loss forced Danny against the brick wall behind him, sliding down it and likely tearing open the wounds on his back even further. His vision blurred, and Danny was only able to make out golden blonde hair and a bright orange t-shirt approaching him. 

Danny cried out, clutching his stomach while trying to force himself back to his feet. The blonde forced themself between Danny and the view of the fight behind him. There was an impact to his left, and Danny was able to make out another person-shaped blur, also blonde with an orange shirt, who took off to help with the fight. 

“Hey!” The one in front of him tried to get his attention, but he could barely make out the rest of what they said. His head was feeling uncomfortably light. 

Danny struggled for a moment and got his vision to barely focus, but he was able to make out that the person in front of him was a guy and seemed really concerned. 

“Hey, I need you to let me see your wound. I’m a medic, I can help,” the guy demanded. 

Danny immediately recoiled. 

“No! I’ll be fine, you have to leave before they come back!” Danny didn’t want anyone here if there were more possibly-ghosts on his tail. He couldn’t use his powers around other people!

“I told you, we’ll be fine! We killed the ones who were chasing you. It’s you I’m more worried about. You’re practically bleeding out in this alley! I need to make sure that that harpy didn’t gut you!” The medic argued back. 

“You really should let him at least check, he won’t stop until you let him,” a second voice butted in. He sounded like he was underwater. 

The blonde guy said something else, but Danny couldn’t tell what. There was suddenly a hand on his wrist and he attempted to struggle, but the stranger had a vice grip. He forced Danny’s arm away from his stomach, then said something else. It… probably… hopefully looked a lot worse than it really was. Danny had taken hard hits before and still got up. He had to get away. 

Danny felt the hands on him re-adjust and tried to struggle again, but he felt so heavy. He grit his teeth and thrashed as best as he could, but his limbs barely responded. He could feel how absolutely soaked his clothing was though. He was being picked up and the entire world tilted around him. The second person approached, nothing more than a dark blob in Danny’s vision. 

His jumbled senses refused to give him anything else before darkness crept in in more ways than one, and Danny passed out. 

Danny woke up to acute, stinging pain, taking in a sharp breath that caused him to choke. His vision swam in white while he practically hacked out a lung. In less than a second, there was a supportive hand on his back practically propping him up, before slowly lowering him once again. Danny blinked the light out of his eyes, trying to see where he had ended up this time. 

Well, good news, it wasn’t a government facility. Bad news, Danny appeared to be in an infirmary of some kind. The wood interior betrayed it as some sort of cabin, despite its purpose. Danny winced at the familiar sensation of pulling on healing wounds. 

“Sorry, but you might not want to move too much just yet,” a voice apologized. 

Danny snapped to the person standing over him. An older teen with golden blond hair, tanned skin, and light blue eyes. He was definitely familiar, and Danny wondered if this was the same guy from the alley. 

“I just finished with your stitches not that long ago, but now that you’re awake, we can get some ambrosia into you to finish healing the rest of your injuries,” the guy continued. “But you should probably still take it easy for a while.”

Danny just blinked, openly staring at the guy giving him medical advice. He had no idea what ambrosia was. Also stitches, while normally a good thing, was a bad thing for Danny. He was going to end up healing, or burning through them. He prodded just the slightest bit at his core… and good, his powers were back. Which now left his other issue. His caretaker had left his side to go retrieve something from one of the cabinets. 

“Not that I don’t appreciate the medical care, but who are you? And also where am I?” Danny asked. 

The older teen blinked, turning back to Danny. “Oh right! Sorry, guess we forgot introductions due to the circumstances. I’m Will Solace, head of the Apollo Cabin. You’re currently at Camp Half-Blood right now.”

Danny stared at Will, rotating the names in his head. ‘Half-blood’, huh? That certainly said something, but Danny didn’t know what. He wondered if it was a joke of some kind. 

“I’m Danny,” he introduced himself, just giving his first name. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Danny. I’m sure the others are going to be eager to meet you. It’s not often that someone can outrun a group of hellhounds and harpies for that long!” Will praised. 

Danny mouthed the word ‘hellhounds’ in light confusion. Well, at least he got confirmation that other people knew about the dog monsters and bird ladies. He could also rule them out of being ghosts, since Danny had never encountered a ghost that turned into dust after being defeated. 

Will walked back over and placed a small, parchment paper-covered square in his hand. Danny opened it, revealing something that looked like a small lemon square. He sniffed it, getting a citrusy and spiced scent. Weird combination, but a snack was a snack.  

“I know I gave you a whole square but-” Will started, only to yelp as Danny popped the whole square in his mouth without hesitation. 

It tasted pretty close to how it smelt, but had an odd texture, like fudge instead of a lemon bar, but also uncomfortably chewy. It kind of reminded him of ectoplasm in the strong citrus flavor, but lemon instead of lime. The spices were really warm in his mouth like hot cinnamon, instead of the cool tingly flavor he kinda liked from ectoplasm. 

“You weren’t supposed to eat the whole thing!” Will exclaimed, and Danny swallowed. 

Will was on Danny in an instant, checking his temperature with the back of his head. Apparently, he didn’t like what he felt and stuck a thermometer into Danny’s mouth. The thermometer beeped after a moment, and Will snatched it, checking the numbers. His legs and back itched, but Danny couldn’t scratch at them due to his stomach injury, which also itched. 

“Well, you’re not going to burst into flames at least. You’re not even heating up, if anything you’re hypothermic,” Will announced.  

It took him a moment to realize why Will was freaking out, but Danny figured it out eventually. If the terrible lemon square was like ectoplasm, then it was very much not intended for normal consumption without consequences. Will’s words caught up to him then. 

“Wait? Flames?” Danny asked, bewildered. 

“Ambrosia, the food of the gods, can cause normal people to burst into flames. For people like us, eating too much can cause some pretty bad fevers and internal damage,” Will explained. 

That made sense if it was like ectoplasm. But- “What do you mean ‘people like us’?”

Will’s face scrunched up. “Well, um. I’ve only had to give this talk a few times. I’m not normally the one to do it but…” Will made eye contact with Danny. “What do you know about Greek mythology?”

The question seemed a bit left-field to Danny. “A decent amount, I think.” There were ghosts that resembled Greek myths, usually closer to Pandora’s place. 

“Well, it’s not as mythological as it may seem. Everything from monsters, as I’m sure you're familiar with by now, to the gods themselves is very real,” Will said like it was supposed to be some sort of big revelation. 

Danny processed the information. So the ‘hellhounds’, as Will called them, were Greek monsters, not ghosts. Didn’t like that. He liked that they had decided he was a chew toy even less. 

“Okay… and? That revelation didn’t answer the question.”

This time, it was Will’s turn to look gobsmacked for a moment before continuing. “Well, the gods didn’t go anywhere and still exist in modern times. And sometimes they come down and… interact with mortals,” Will added hesitantly. 

Danny remained silent. He still didn’t get where the blonde was going with this. He was very tempted to start picking at the stitches in his stomach. 

Will seemed to give up with whatever subtly he had been attempting. “Demigods. We’re demigods. You, me, most people at this camp.”

“Oh.”

Danny knit his brows together, crossing his arms and frowning, thinking it over. He wasn’t a demigod, that’s for sure. He wasn’t half-god, but half-ghost. Sure, Danny knew there were some pretty terrifying spirits in the Ghost Zone who could easily be mistaken for gods, so it was possible there was a mix-up with him here too. 

“After the monsters and the fact that you didn’t burst into flames after eating the ambrosia, yeah, that pretty much confirms you’re a demigod,” Will said. 

Danny did not want to be involved in whatever this mess was. He had enough problems in Amity Park. 

“Okay, cool. So, um. I’m a demigod, great. What am I supposed to do with that information?” Danny asked. He wanted to leave. His parents would notice eventually he had gone missing sooner or later. 

“Well, Camp Half-Blood exists as a sort of ‘safe spot’, and also a training ground. Monsters can’t get in here. It’s technically a summer camp, but we have campers who stay here both seasonally and year-round. It’s considered really dangerous to be all on your own. You’re probably the oldest new camper we’ve had in a while. Most tend to make their way here between 10 to 12 years old.”

“Do I have to come here?” 

Danny did not want to be forced to attend demigod camp. Being out of Amity Park for a week was terrible, but an entire summer? Yeah, no way. 

Will frowned. “Not… really, but-”

The door to the cabin opened, and another older teenager walked in. Tall, dark hair and sea green eyes. Danny didn’t recognize him at all.

“Hey, Will!” The new guy greeted, before noticing Danny stare at him. “Cool, you’re awake. Did Will give you the whole ‘congrats, you’re a demigod’ speech yet?”

“Percy,” Will practically whined. “I can’t believe you left that to me, but yeah, I did.” Will looked back at Danny. “Danny, this is Percy Jackson, he was part of the group who found you and brought you here. Percy, this is Danny,” Will introduced. 

Danny still didn’t recognize Percy, but he acknowledged that bleeding out on the ground wasn’t especially good for recall. 

“Thanks for the save. I like not being turned into bird food.”

Percy snorted a laugh and Will sighed. “No problem. I didn’t do much. The main people you have to thank is Will here and Nico, wherever he’s at.”

“Probably sleeping,” Will hummed in thought. 

“Probably,” Percy agreed. “By the way Danny, do you have any idea who your godly parent might be? A few of us like to make friendly bets when we get a new kid. I’ve got money on Hermes.”

Danny didn’t get a chance before Will butted back in. 

“Percy, he’s been up just long enough for me to get some ambrosia in him. I literally just explained the whole ‘demigod’ thing,” Will scolded. 

Percy gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry. So, what’d the ambrosia taste like? I know it throws a lot of people off when they first try some,” Percy asked, directing the question towards Danny. 

“Like a lemon bar someone decided to melt an entire bag of red hots in,” Danny described. “So, bad.” 

Both Percy and Will blinked, before Percy snorted, “That’s a new one.”

“It’s not supposed to taste bad. It usually tastes like something you really like,” Will explained. 

“Darn, I guess,” Danny shrugged. “Anyways, I do have to leave.”

“Leave? You’re not sticking around?” Percy asked, surprised. 

Danny shook his head. “Nope. I’m only in New York for a convention with my parents. They’ll probably notice I’m missing sooner or later,” Danny answered truthfully. 

Percy seemed to think about something before asking, “Are you healed up enough to at least get a tour? I understand if you have to go, but it’d probably be a good idea to at least get your hands on a weapon just in case you get attacked again.”

That, Danny could agree to. He wiggled a bitin his bed a bit, noticing that the itching had finally subsided. His stomach was still a bit sore, but other than that, and the stitches that sorely needed to be removed, he was fine. 

“Sure,” Danny said, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side. 

Will seemed dumbfounded but wasn’t able to get the words out before Percy declared, “Neat. Then let’s go!”

And Danny managed to escape the infirmary. 

Percy decided he liked Danny. He was laid back and friendly enough, giving just as much snark as he got. From what he had heard, a lot of new campers tended to freak out for at least an hour, but Danny took it all in stride, more exasperated than shocked. It was a little odd, but Percy brushed it off as just part of Danny’s personality. It wasn’t a bad trait to have. 

Percy made sure to give a decent tour as they made their way to the weapons shed. He asked questions and answered some, learning that Danny was originally from a place called Amity Park in Illinois. His parents were here for the Comic Con, and Danny got dragged along. He said he had always been quick on his feet. Percy really hoped Danny would come back for the summer, even if he couldn't stay now. He told Danny all the demigod basics, from what ‘claiming’ was, how the camp was laid out, and even some of the activities they participated in when there were more people around. 

From the weapons shed, Danny ended up picking a bronze short sword and was given a sheath to go with it. He told Percy that he knew how to use it just a bit from a couple of martial arts classes. He told Danny to come back and he could personally teach him how to sword fight like a pro. 

But throughout the whole tour, Percy picked up on the nonchalance Danny seemed to have, more like he was a tourist instead of someone who had finally found a place to stay. He definitely wasn’t planning on coming back, but he might anyway. Percy knew personally very well that plans rarely went according to plan. They got plenty of attention while walking around, since news of Danny’s chase had already managed to spread throughout the camp. There were some jeers and encouragement from people who tried to recruit him for Capture the Flag. Percy claimed he already called dibs. Danny just laughed. 

They were somewhere near the pavilion when it happened. 

Percy had just managed to convince Danny to at least stick around for dinner. A bright symbol appeared over Danny’s head, causing everyone who had been gathering to pause. Percy recognized the symbol, but never over anyone’s head in a claiming. It wasn’t a symbol that should even be possible to appear.

The air in camp changed immediately, and Danny noticed just as fast. His stance changed from lax into defensive. He knew how to fight a lot better than he let on, or perhaps it was just instinct. Percy hoped it was instinct. 

“What’s that? What’s going on?” Danny practically demanded. 

“You’ve been claimed,” Percy stated, more in horror than awe. 

“Claimed? By who?” Danny was just as confused as everyone else seemed to be. 

But Danny didn’t understand, he didn’t know. It was impossible, it was catastrophic, even. Danny didn’t realize just how bad this was.

“Son of Cronos,” someone hissed. 

Danny finally seemed to get the memo then, his facial expression going from confusion, to shock, to realization, and then to irritation of all things.

“Ancients, of course he did,” Danny growled under his breath. 

Percy had to act fast, he had to- his hand slipped right through Danny’s wrist, who leaped back out of reach at the same time Percy moved.

“Yeah, I’m leaving now,” Danny said. “Thanks for the sword and the tour, but I gotta go.”

“Wait!” Percy called out, jumping towards Danny again. 

He vanished. No flash, no sound, just gone, leaving only footprints behind. 

Percy cursed under his breath in a thorough mix of both Greek and Latin. He took a glance towards the head table, where Mr. D and Chiron were both also staring. Chiron looked like he had just aged 40 years, and Mr. D looked about ready to break his sobriety with something much stronger than wine and deeply, deeply exhausted. 

Yeah, this was beyond bad. 

[medium-observation]

NOVEMBER RELEASE

Hadestown - Second US National Tour (Non-Equity)

October 21, 2024 - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Bryan Munar (Orpheus), Megan Colton (Eurydice), Nickolaus Colón (Hades), Namisa Mdlalose Bizana (Persephone), Jaylon Crump (Hermes), Julia Schick (u/s Fate), Miriam Navarrete (Fate), Katelyn Crall (Fate), Randy Cain (Worker), Miracle Myles (Worker), Kaitlyn O’Leary (Worker), Mikaela Rada (Worker), Joe Rumi (Worker)

Notes:

Perfect capture of this incredible new tour! Lots of nice closeups and lots of wideshots to show the new staging and lighting! Sometimes the right side of the stage gets covered with lights and can obstruct faces but its always minuscule. Some washout, shakiness and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: May 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBPi2G

Video is $20

Hadestown - Second US National Tour (Non-Equity)

October 22, 2024 - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Bryan Munar (Orpheus), Julia Schick (u/s Eurydice), Randy Cain (u/s Hades), Namisa Mdlalose Bizana (Persephone), Jaylon Crump (Hermes), Miriam Navarrete (Fate), Katelyn Crall (Fate), Michelle E. Carter (u/s Fate), Jamir Brown (s/w Worker), Miracle Myles (Worker), Kaitlyn O’Leary (Worker), Mikaela Rada (Worker), Joe Rumi (Worker)

Notes:

Fantastic capture of Julia, Randy and Michelles Debut's as Eurydice, Hades and Fate respectively. Due to how far away i was the video is slightly grainy at max zoom. Wideshot to show new tour differences and zooms to highlight the debuts. Some washout, shakiness and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: May 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBPiVg

Video is $20

Hamilton - First US National Tour (Angelica)

October 8, 2024 - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Tyler Fauntleroy (Alexander Hamilton), Lauren Mariasoosay (Eliza Hamilton), Jimmie JJ Jeter (Aaron Burr), Marja Harmon (Angelica Schuyler), A.D. Weaver (George Washington), Hosea Mundi (s/b Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Colby Lewis (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Nathan Haydel (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Lily Soto (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Justin Matthew Sargent (King George III), Devin Tyler Hatch (s/w James Reynolds/Philip Schuyler/Doctor), Alex Dorf (Samuel Seabury), Alex Larson (Charles Lee), Nathanael Hirst (George Eacker), Sabrina Harrison (Ensemble)

Notes:

Incredible capture of this insanely good cast! i think this was hosea's debut? or it was one of his firsts! Some washout, shakiness and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: May 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMYMG

Video is $20

Les Misérables - Sixth US National Tour

October 13, 2024 (Matinée) - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Nick Cartell (Jean Valjean), Nick Rehberger (Javert), Lindsay Heather Pearce (Fantine), Eden Mau (u/s Cosette), Jake David Smith (Marius), Mya Rena Hunter (Éponine), Matt Crowle (Thénardier), Christian Mark Gibbs (Enjolras), Victoria Huston-Elem (Madame Thénardier), Milo Maharlika (Gavroche), Emerson Mae Chan (Little Cosette), Kyle Adams (Grantaire), Daniel Gerard Bittner (Feuilly), Danny Martin (Courfeyrac), Andrew Marks Maughan (Combeferre), J.T. Wood (Joly), Steve Czarnecki (Factory Foreman/Brujon), David Andino (Bamatabois/Babet), Jonathan Young (Jean Prouvaire), Jeremiah Alsop (Montparnasse), David T. Walker (Claquesous), Randy Jeter (Lesgles/The Bishop of Digne), Greta Schaefer (Young Éponine), Paige McNamara (Factory Girl), Ashley Alexandra (Old Woman), Emily Fink (Wigmaker), Mikako Martin (u/s Innkeeper's Wife), Ashley Dawn Mortensen (u/s Ensemble)

Notes:

Fantastic capture of this tour's new cast along with Eden as Cosette! due to how dark les mis can be at times it can look a little grainy. Some washout, shakiness and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: May 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBNuD1

Video is $20

Some Like it Hot (Shaiman and Wittman) - First US National Tour

October 13, 2024 - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Tavis Kordell Cunningham (Jerry | Daphne), Matt Loehr (Joe | Josephine), Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Sugar Kane), Tarra Conner Jones (Sweet Sue), Edward Juvier (Osgood Fielding III), Jamie LaVerdiere (Agent Mulligan), Devon Goffman (Spats Colombo), Devon Hadsell (Minnie), Ashley Marie Arnold (Ensemble), Kelly Berman (Ensemble), Darien Crago (Ensemble), Drew Franklin (Ensemble), Devin Holloway (Ensemble), Emily Kelly (Ensemble), Brianna Kim (Ensemble), Stephen Michael Langton (Ensemble), Jay Owens (Ensemble), Ranease Ryann (Ensemble), Nissi Shalome (Ensemble), Michael Skrzek (Ensemble), Tommy Sutter (Ensemble)

Notes:

First known video of this new tour! Incredible capture that has a lot of wideshots to show the incredible choreography of this show! Some washout, shakiness and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: May 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBNCNt

Video is $20

Both of the hadestown videos can also be purchased in a bundle for $30 Total!

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[cabinofimagines]

Chapter III; friends

I did not forget about this thing that I started. I just wanted to keep it as something I could upload if I ever couldn't write for a bit and I guess we're finally there!

Mind you, I only have two chapters finished so this won't last long. If anything, I might take a bit of a break from the blog because of the many deadlines I have coming up. See me return around the end of June if all goes right.

Word count: 1.6k Warnings: None!

< prev - mlist - next >

-Asnyox

You hadn’t been sure about Nico’s plan. Back in April, he had asked you for help, and after that he disappeared, only showing up to give you a definite date and an approximate where to be. You trusted Nico, or at least you thought that you did. For this plan you had to learn quickly how to heal- you were supposedly going to be a backup if his plan would fail.

Against Nico’s request you had told Will – one of the few campers you were entirely sure you could trust with your life. In the past few months, you had spent almost every minute of the day alongside Will, learning the ways of healing but also mostly finding solace in him. You figured that if you hadn’t told Will, he would have actively hunt you down into the underworld, hence why you entrusted him with your whereabouts for the coming few days. At least, that was the plan because Percy Jackson would turn sixteen in a matter of days and Nico asked you to be the last drop in convincing Percy that he needed to agree with Nico’s plan.

You had only just arrived in the clearing, gaining a small wave from Nico who was seemingly in the middle of a conversation between a nymph and satyr. He was wearing an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a T-shirt with dancing skeletons on it, like one of those Day of the Dead pictures. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. You barely made it to his side when a hellhound pounded through the bushes. You stumbled back, instinctively stepping behind Nico as you felt your throat close at the memories of hellhounds hunting you- the memories of your parent getting out a gun-

Nico smiled as the dog laid its head on the ground, ready to receive ear scratches from the son of Hades. You felt like you couldn’t breathe – it was not the first time you had seen Mrs O’Leary around camp, but every time Will had been at your side to calm you down. Gods if only he was here- if only-

“You alright?” Will had noticed your panicked gaze as you passed the arena. He pulled you away and looked behind him, seeing Mrs O’Leary sitting there, “Hey, (Y/n), look at me. Don’t worry, she’s friendly.” Your eyes were out of focus, seeing a different time, seeing your parents face. Will saw that you were not getting out of your stupor and pulled you away from the arena. He made sure Mrs O’Leary was out of sight as he sat you down on the ground.

“Hey, just breathe- Follow my breathing,” he started guiding you and as you slowly came back to your senses you saw the worried eyes of your friend.

“Care to explain, sunshine?” Will squeezed your arm as you sighed and started your story.

“She’s friendly, (Y/n).” Nico said as he glanced at you. You closed your eyes as you breathed in deep, counting to yourself. This was an exercise you learned quickly after encountering Mrs O’Leary a few times at camp. As you felt your heart calm down, you looked at Nico with a tired smile. He cocked his head to the side as to ask if you were fine, and Mrs. O’Leary copied his movement. “I know, sorry.” You softly said and Nico shrugged, going back to scratching her ears.

Looking at your companions in the clearing you saw the shape of the old satyr. His fur was dust-bunny gray, and a spiderweb grew between his horns. The tree nymph was pretty, wearing a purple gossamer dress and having an elfish face – although something in her eyes seemed off. You noticed a boy – Percy Jackson – entering the clearing, just in time for the old satyr that was there to explode.

"Will someone—what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?" "Sorry, Leneus," Percy apologized, "That's your name, right?" The satyr rolled his eyes.

 "Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly. Now, call off your beast!" Lenues retorted, aggressively pointing at Mrs O’Leary. "WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary said happily. The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!" Juniper turned toward Percy, a hopeful look in her eyes. You felt a bit awkward and left out in the situation, you looked at Nico as he stood up and took in the situation.

"Percy," Juniper sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something has happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus —" "I told you!" the satyr protested, "You are better off without that traitor."

Juniper stamped her foot. "He is not a traitor! He is the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"

"WOOF!" Leneus's knees started knocking. You snorted softly. Sure you are scared of Mrs O’Leary, but seeing this old satyr basically pee his pants because of her did feel good.

"I . . . I will not answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!" Nico looked like he was trying to not crack up. He looked at me and then back at the group.

"I'll walk the dog," he volunteered as he motioned for me to follow him. He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.

You didn’t walk far before Nico stopped and turned to you, letting Mrs. O’Leary bounce around us. “Are you scared of her?” he gestured to the hellhound, and you shuddered. “Well, you know, you were there,” the last bit was more of a whisper, but Nico nodded his head as he beckoned Mrs. O’Leary over. “Here, just,” there was often this hesitation to Nico when he wanted to help you, you noticed, “Just scratch behind her ears,” he carefully grabbed your hand, and you noticed him shivering at the contact. How long had it been since he had been held with love? 

You let him guide you towards Mrs. O’Leary, accepting your fate. For some reason you started shaking, and you wanted it to stop, you didn’t want Nico to think that you were weak – too weak to help him. You closed your eyes, and as you felt fur beneath your fingers you released a breath. You heart was racing, and your felt your legs give out.

“Woah!” Nico half heartedly tried to catch you, but as you sat before Mrs. O’Leary, eyes half opened as she appreciatively wagged her gigantic tail. Nico felt his heart beat an extra time as he saw how you deflated in front of Mrs. O’Leary. Why did Nico not like it that you were so scared? Why had he felt the need to make sure that you would be alright?

“You alright?” Nico crouched down next to you, his stygian sword’s handle poking uncomfortably in his side as he put an arm on your shoulder. You slowly nodded, continuing to scratch Mrs. O’Leary’s head.

“Just peachy.” You removed your hand from her head, and she whined a little as you let out a breath of air, “You are just like a normal dog, ey? Sorry for being so scared, some of your family weren’t so nice to me,” you felt as if you would not be able to say another word, so you put your hand back on Mrs. O’Leary’s head and started petting her again.

“That was brave of you,” Nico noted as he stood up again, denying himself the warmth of your touch.

“Thank you,” you told him as you looked up at him, “And Nico, you’re a good friend.” Nico’s face filled itself with confusion. “Where did that come from?” he spluttered out.

“Mm, the fact that you just helped me, and the fact that we are friends.” You smiled at him, hoping it looked genuine after everything you just went through, “Whether you like it or not.” Something crossed Nico’s eyes, but you could not pinpoint what it was.

“Well, before attaching yourself to me, are you sure you want to help? It is dangerous, and I do not want you to do this for the sake of ‘friendship’,” he did the quotation marks around the last word. You found the strength to stand up, ignoring Mrs. O’Leary’s whines at the loss of pets. You knew Nico wouldn’t have asked you to go if he didn’t need any support

“Yes, although I would only endanger my life for friends though, so,” you held out your hand towards the son of Hades, feeling butterflies in your stomach. This was stupid – you would go on this mission for Nico either way, but you wanted him to acknowledge you¸ to acknowledge that he had friends in camp. Nico sighed but grabbed your hand.

“Alright,” he shook your hand harshly, “friends it is.” This time you smiled genuinely. Your moment was quickly disturbed Leneus quickly stomping past the two of you. “Guess it’s showtime, let’s go.” Nico commanded and you followed suit.

[psalm22-6]

National Gay Rights Advocates and Friends of Oscar will present a gala evening at the Curran Theatre with the premiere of Les Misérables as an AIDS fundraiser. . . Because it is the policy of the Les Miserables production company to put on an AIDS benefit in every major city where they perform, it was only natural that NGRA and Friends of Oscar split the house in this massive fundraising effort. . . Jean O’Leary, executive director of NGRA, said, “The themes of Les Miserables -- compassion, justice, and courage -- mirror the stated mission of the two organizations." 

Source: the Bay Area Reporter, 20 July 1989

[rabbitcruiser]

National Coming Out Day

For time out of mind members of the LGBTQ community have had to hide in fear for their livelihood and their lives. A constant fear of being rejected by friends and loved ones, as well as the community of which they are a part, has led to many of them remaining in the proverbial closet.

This means living a half-life at best, and hiding who you are from those who should be nearest and dearest to you. Coming Out Day challenges this ancient standard, and encourages LGBTQ people everywhere to stand proud and claim who they are, and thus reclaim their lives and sense of pride.

Learn about Coming Out Day

Coming Out Day is not just a day that has been designed to help people feel comfortable about coming out about their sexuality. It is also a day that is designed to applaud people for their bravery, as well as help create awareness of the struggles and difficulties those in the LGBTQ community experience.

Even if you are heterosexual, you can use this day as an opportunity to let people in the LGBTQ community know that you support them and that you are proud of them. It is a day of unity and respect.

History of Coming Out Day

It all started at… well… let’s be honest it all started pretty much at the dawn of time. Throughout the world people and cultures everywhere have had LGBTQ people in their midst, and in many of them they were openly accepted and embraced as natural, or even sacred people in their cultures. In the last couple hundred years the majority of the world’s leading cultures began to villainize them, growing worse with every passing year.

But in the last few decades all that has begun to change, courageous members of the LGBTQ community fought and worked to help gain their rightful place in the world, accepted as just another person rather than some kind of monster or dangerous pervert. Really, the battle they fight is for something much simpler, the ability to have a safe and normal life enjoying the same liberty as their more socially accepted neighbors.

Coming Out Day was created by Rob Eichberg and Jean O’Leary as a result of the 500,000 person March on Washington DC for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The experience was enough to vitalize them and lead them to establish this holiday, which encourages all LGBTQ people and their allies to stand proud of who they are and to fight for a more equal tomorrow.

Every year there is a different theme, and so we definitely recommend taking a look at the theme for the current year when it is released. Some of the different themes that there have been include Talk About It, It’s a Family Affair, and Coming Out Still Matters. There are also a lot of events that go on throughout the world. You should be able to find out about the events that are taking place in your local area should you wish to join in with any of them.

How to celebrate Coming Out Day

Throughout the world, there are celebrations being held of LGBTQ people everywhere coming out of the closet and loudly and proudly proclaiming who they are and standing side by side with their allies for a more equal and accepting tomorrow. You can get involved by joining them or by volunteering with local groups and organizations working to raise awareness and support the challenges faced by LGBTQ people in a world still struggling to accept them.

If you have been worried about coming out to your parents or loved ones for quite some time, Coming Out Day could give you the push you need to do so. It gives you a good lead into the conversation. You can explain a bit about the day, and use this to help you tell people about your sexuality. You can also use Coming Out Day to provide support to someone who needs it. If you know that someone is going to be using this day to have a difficult chat about their sexuality with someone, then make sure you offer them words of support and that you are there to support them.

A lot of people in the LGBTQ community who have already come out use this day to share their stories with people. If you feel comfortable, you can take to social media and share the story of how you came out about your sexuality. This can help people to feel like they are not alone and it can give people the support they need on a day like this. It can help to hear about the experiences other people have gone through when you are facing the same sort of situation yourself.

You can also use this date to raise awareness about the struggles that people in the LGBTQ community face. Whether it is bullying and discrimination or difficulties in the workplace or problems with their inner confidence, there are many things that LGBTQ members go through. A lot of people are not aware of these issues, and so you can use Coming Out Day to try and change this. There are going to be a lot of infographics, videos, and other pieces of inspiring and insightful content available, so make the most of this and share it with your followers.

Source

[vintage1981]

Celebrating Jonathan Frid

Jonathan Frid (December 2, 1924 – April 14, 2012) was a Canadian actor, best known for his role as vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows.

Frid was born of Scottish and English ancestry in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His birth name was John Herbert Frid. He was the youngest son of homemaker Isabel Flora (née McGregor) and Herbert Percival "H.P." Frid, a construction executive.

Frid served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. He graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton in 1948, and the following year was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He moved to the United States in 1954, and received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama in 1957. As a student at Yale in 1956, he starred in the premiere of William Snyder's play A True and Special Friend. He went on to star in the first productions at the Williamstown Theater in Williamstown, Massachusetts and stage productions in Canada, England and the United States.

He began using the stage name Jonathan Frid (rather than John Frid) in 1962, and made his Broadway debut as an understudy in the 1964 play Roar Like a Dove.

Early television roles with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation included parts in Julius Caesar, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Our Town, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Frid is widely known for the role of vampire Barnabas Collins in the original gothic serial Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966-71 and in which he appeared in 594 episodes. He also starred as Barnabas in the 1970 movie House of Dark Shadows. In 1967, Frid had made plans to move to the U.S. West Coast to pursue a career as an acting teacher when he won the role that ultimately made him a household name. As Frid explained on his Web site, he had barely entered his apartment as the phone call from his agent came informing him that he had won the role of Barnabas Collins. He agreed to accept it after being told it was a short-term one that would provide him with extra cash while he prepared to move. As the character's popularity soared, Frid scrapped those plans.

After Dark Shadows ended in 1971, he returned to performing in live theatre full-time with starring roles in the Broadway plays Murder in the Cathedral as Thomas Becket and Wait Until Dark as Harry Roat. Frid had previously played the role of a psychiatrist on the CBS Television soap opera As the World Turns. In 1973, Frid appeared in the TV movie The Devil's Daughter, starring Shelley Winters, and the following year starred in Oliver Stone's directorial debut, Seizure. In 1978, he returned to Canada for a time and later returned to New York City in the early 1980s.

In December 1986, Frid joined the Broadway cast of Arsenic and Old Lace co-starring with Jean Stapleton, and subsequently spent over a year with the show on the road. Earlier in 1986, he formed his own production company, Clunes Associates, with producer Mary O’Leary to tour universities and performing arts centers in a series of readers' theatre entertainments, principally Fools & Fiends, Shakespearean Odyssey and Fridiculousness. "Frid makes the tales live with the wonderful instrument of his voice and his zest for entertaining" went one of his noteworthy reviews.

Frid retired to his native Canada in 1994. From time to time he would perform his one-man shows for charitable and fundraising events.  In June 2000, he returned to the professional stage in a limited engagement of the play Mass Appeal, first in Hamilton, then at the Stirling Festival Theatre in Stirling, Ontario.

In 2010, he returned to the role of Barnabas Collins for the first time in 39 years in a Dark Shadows audio drama, Night Whispers. The following year along with his former Dark Shadows co-stars David Selby, Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott, he filmed a cameo appearance for Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows film, which became his final film appearance. Just a few weeks prior to the film release Frid died at the Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton on April 14, 2012 following a fall at the age of 87.

[andydrarch]

I wish I had 1/8th the rizz Jean O’Leary from Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence had

[butchpeace]

Powerful speech by Jean O’Leary, that I believe occurred just after Silvia Rivera spoke at the same event.

[riverdamien]

Coming Out Day--Oct. 11,2023

October 11, 2023

"So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone, and a new being is there to see. It is all God's work". .2 Corinth.5:17."

Celebrated annually on October 11th, this day commemorates the journey of self-discovery and the courage it takes to openly embrace one’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. This observance traces its roots back to 1988, when Jean O’Leary and Dr. Robert Eichberg chose this date to coincide with the first anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. National Coming Out Day now stands as a beacon of support and acknowledgement for those who have bravely shared their authentic selves with the world. It is also a reminder that many individuals within LGBTQIA+ communities face ongoing challenges in the journey towards self-expression.

Recently the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said: "A man is a man, a woman is a woman," Uganda have made being queer illegal and thousands have been executed, and in our country politicians are saying anti-gay comments.

I have known countless men and women, of all ages who lived in the pain of rejection, isolation,  and struggling with their sexual orientation; I have been lucky I came to San Francisco, or I would have never found myself, and would have been a  lousy minister; I remember one fifteen year old who committed suicide in front of me, and many others who died from suicide--all because of their struggle with "coming out". "Coming out" is a very painful process, like giving birth to a new life. It took me years with much therapy  to feel comfortable with myself.

In God's family there are no outsiders. All are insiders.  Black and white, rich and poor, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, questioning, brown, yellow, Jews, Palestinian, Roman Catholics, Independent Catholics, Buddhist, Hindus, Indian--all belong..

National Coming Out Day is a day in which all of us can come out and say that all of us are equal, and that LGBTQ individuals are simply human beings who are a part of the kaleidoscope of life.

The Trevor Project is supporting Queer Youth, and are finding that Transgenders are suffering more than ever before. We are walking "Forty Miles" this month, and have raised $420.00 so far. We invite you to join us on this hike in spirit by donating or walking!

Please send money to: (Mark it with our name Temenos Catholic Worker or you may send to us as well and we will add to our donation at end of month):

The Trevor Project

PO Box 69232

West Hollywood, CA 90069 US

2126958650

Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!

===========================

Fr. River Damien Sims, sfw, D.Min., D.S.T.

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

415-305-2124

=================================

Let Love Ache

Father, give me the courage to keep on loving.

when others keep on hurting.

help me to live an achy love, a gritty,

persistent and emptying love;

a love that’s not afraid to flow toward the other

who has little left to offer in return.

And may I tread faithfully with heaven

through the unfinished work that surrounds me.

Commoners_Communion

Strahan Coleman

[atlanticcanada]

Halifax transit union says assaults against drivers are on the rise

The president of Halifax’s transit union says assaults against transit operators are increasing and is calling for security measures to be fast-tracked to stop it.

“Since the start of November from last year, I think I’ve recorded 28 serious assaults or threats to life,” said Shane O’Leary, the president of ATU 508.

The latest incident took place on Thursday night.

“An operator had a young person jump on his bus, pull open his flimsy shield and punch him in the face numerous times,” said O’Leary.

It happened the same day that Halifax Regional Police said it was investigating an assault against a bus driver that occurred last week.

Police said on May 19 that Halifax Transit staff asked a group causing a disturbance to get off a bus at the Halifax Transit bridge terminal. According to police, two teens from the group ran ahead to the next stop and hopped back on the bus as other passengers exited from the back.

Police said the two passengers assaulted the driver.

“Punched the driver numerous times and that operator ended up in the hospital for most of that evening,” said O’Leary.

Police are now looking for two teenagers. HRP said a Black male youth in his late teens had short dreadlocks and was wearing a white sweater, blue jeans, sunglasses and a medical mask.

The second suspect is described as a Black teenage girl wearing a black top and pink leggings.

Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Cst. John Macleod confirmed calls for service at transit terminals are up.

“This is relative to what we’re seeing with a lot of crimes across the board,” said Macleod.

The transit union said a third bus driver was assaulted earlier this week. Police said they did charge a 29-year-old man in relation to an assault on a transit driver earlier this week on Mumford Road.

Currently, drivers are shielded from passengers by plexiglass installed during the pandemic to protect them from COVID-19.

The union calls the shield flimsy and wants a heavy-duty safety barrier to protect operators from aggressive passengers and members of the public.

“Later this year, we’ll be installing new operator safety barriers on all of our buses and all of our electric buses will also have safety barriers when they arrive,” said Maggie-Jane Spray, an HRM Public Affairs Advisor.

The city is also hiring four new transit supervisors but the union wants to a new bylaw brought in to grant supervisors more power.

“We need supervisors out there that can actually remove people from buses and have the authority to do so under this bylaw. And charge people. People need be fined, charged,” said O’Leary.

Spray said the city will be bringing forward a new bylaw later this summer that will help address some of those issues.

“Including exploring new tools that we’ll be able to use for enforcement,” said Spray.

“It’s a slow-moving process and every day we wait for these things to happen is a risk to the life of not only an operator but it’s a risk to the life of a pedestrian that’s around when a bus driver gets attacked behind the wheel,” said O’Leary.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/VjPmC3F

[todaysdocument]

Midge Costanza, assistant to President Carter, met with members of the National Gay Task Force on 3/25/1977 [detail of contact print]. This was the first White House meeting with LGBTQ+ representatives. 

Series: Jimmy Carter's Presidential Photographs , 1/20/1977 - 1/20/1981

Collection: White House Staff Photographers Collection, 1/20/1977 - 1/20/1981

Image description: Seven images on a contact print of a partial roll of film. There are three images of people seated around a large conference table; one image of Midge Costanza and a member of the Task Force at the end of the table; two images of Midge Costanza and a person who may be Jean O’Leary; and one nearly-black, underexposed image.

[serifsans]

Shifty Business

Jean-Paul lit his third cigarette of the day and scowled thinking about the bullshit O’Leary pulled him into this time.

“John, we’re sending you because if the mark winds up beating the shit out of you, who cares, right? By the way, he’s known for beating the shit out of people. Oh, John? We’re trying to make nice with the alien fucks in Maroa, so they’re sending a dumb little baby fucker who’s probably going to get himself killed. Of course you don’t mind, right, John?”

Fuckers.

Someone told him once that smoking was a dirty habit and smoking inside even dirtier, but hey, fuck that noise, if they didn’t want him to smoke inside his own damn car, it wouldn’t have built in ash trays. Anyway, who gave a shit? He drove a 1960s Oldsmobile still clinging to life by sheer willpower (which wasn’t actually his, legally speaking, but the stolen face and ID said it was his and that’s what matters), so it’s not like he was driving a Rolls-Royce over here. Pity. Mauro’s drove like a dream and he’s still pissed as fuck that he had to sell the thing to pay off the debts that asshole left behind for him. Anyway, so what if people thought he had dirty habits, huh? Jean-Paul knew he wasn’t anything but a nasty little dog deep down.

Whatever, maybe this wouldn’t go as bad as it could go They said he was good at his job -good, because if he wasn’t, Jean-Paul wouldn’t lift a single finger if things went south- and while he knew you could rarely trust the integrity of criminals, it’s not like it was in their best interests to lie here. Of course, they also said he was a lovestruck little idiot who might get his ass in trouble because of that, so he was either going to have to deal with a liability or he was going to have to listen to some fucker pine over some human. He wasn’t sure which was worse.

Fucking vampires. He couldn’t wait to get the job done so he could crawl back to his shitty little apartment over the laundromat where the only bullshit he had to deal with was was keeping his accounting creative.

Jean-Paul parked the car, shifted back to his customary form instead of that of the unfortunate owner of the car he stole, checked his reflection to make sure he got everything right but of course he had. He always did. Alright, showtime. Time to pick up this criminal “Romeo” and get the show on the road. This mobster wasn’t going to rob himself.

In later years, Jean-Paul would be a delicate, dainty thing with flowing white hair, perfectly manicured nails, and a wardrobe bursting with pink silk, but right now? He’s laugh if you suggested that’s how he ended up. Jean-Paul was scrawny and mean, red hair sliced back to keep it out of his face, brown suit ill-fitting on his frame in case he needed to transform into someone larger. Hid the knives better that way too.

He took another drag of his cigarette to prepare him for this complete nonsense and strolled on out like he owned the place.

“Jean-Paul. O’Leary sent me,” he said, the clipped Transatlantic accent he spoke in when trying to impress people replaced with the Southern drawl that came natural to him. “And you’re my man, I assume, hm?”

[antiterf]

 I knew that the tensions would be running high that day because a group of radical lesbians were opposed to a couple of comic drags scheduled to be a part of the entertainment program.  

Drag was high on their hit list. So I began working on Bette Midler weeks in advance to come and sing to sort of calm things down.

Well, the lesbians heckled the drag queens throughout their numbers, and when it was over, Jean O’Leary [the founder of Lesbian Feminist Liberation] got up and made a very angry speech in which she said that men who impersonate women for profit insult women.  

Source

[Lesbian Feminist Liberation worked with New York Radical Feminists at some point in 1974. This speech was made in 1973 and the inter community conflict was a lot different at the time. As of today trans rights are talk outside the community as well, and I want to insist that terf does not mean lesbian. The group was important in regards to the rights of women and lesbians, but it of course wasn't perfect.]

Her speech was made right after Sylvia's "Y'all Better Quiet Down" speech.

I want to say that Jean O’Leary is incredibly important to LGBTQ+ history and was one of the founders of national coming out day. She regrets her decision on making that speech today.

But I'm posting this to say that the beliefs of TERFs aren't new. They had been after trans women since they've been drag queens. They've been after them before they could even truly get on their feet.

We may have different names and a different atmosphere today, but this has been an ongoing thing.

So when terfs say that they're only part of this because they think the transgenders are taking it too far, know that the rhetoric has been around while it was still illegal to even cross dress. When the profit they received was because it was impossible to get a job due to cross dressing at all.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Coming Out Day

For time out of mind members of the LGBTQ community have had to hide in fear for their livelihood and their lives. A constant fear of being rejected by friends and loved ones, as well as the community of which they are a part, has led to many of them remaining in the proverbial closet.

This means living a half-life at best, and hiding who you are from those who should be nearest and dearest to you. Coming Out Day challenges this ancient standard, and encourages LGBTQ people everywhere to stand proud and claim who they are, and thus reclaim their lives and sense of pride.

Learn about Coming Out Day

Coming Out Day is not just a day that has been designed to help people feel comfortable about coming out about their sexuality. It is also a day that is designed to applaud people for their bravery, as well as help create awareness of the struggles and difficulties those in the LGBTQ community experience.

Even if you are heterosexual, you can use this day as an opportunity to let people in the LGBTQ community know that you support them and that you are proud of them. It is a day of unity and respect.

History of Coming Out Day

It all started at… well… let’s be honest it all started pretty much at the dawn of time. Throughout the world people and cultures everywhere have had LGBTQ people in their midst, and in many of them they were openly accepted and embraced as natural, or even sacred people in their cultures. In the last couple hundred years the majority of the world’s leading cultures began to villainize them, growing worse with every passing year.

But in the last few decades all that has begun to change, courageous members of the LGBTQ community fought and worked to help gain their rightful place in the world, accepted as just another person rather than some kind of monster or dangerous pervert. Really, the battle they fight is for something much simpler, the ability to have a safe and normal life enjoying the same liberty as their more socially accepted neighbors.

Coming Out Day was created by Rob Eichberg and Jean O’Leary as a result of the 500,000 person March on Washington DC for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The experience was enough to vitalize them and lead them to establish this holiday, which encourages all LGBTQ people and their allies to stand proud of who they are and to fight for a more equal tomorrow.

Every year there is a different theme, and so we definitely recommend taking a look at the theme for the current year when it is released. Some of the different themes that there have been include Talk About It, It’s a Family Affair, and Coming Out Still Matters. There are also a lot of events that go on throughout the world. You should be able to find out about the events that are taking place in your local area should you wish to join in with any of them.

How to celebrate Coming Out Day

Throughout the world, there are celebrations being held of LGBTQ people everywhere coming out of the closet and loudly and proudly proclaiming who they are and standing side by side with their allies for a more equal and accepting tomorrow. You can get involved by joining them or by volunteering with local groups and organizations working to raise awareness and support the challenges faced by LGBTQ people in a world still struggling to accept them.

If you have been worried about coming out to your parents or loved ones for quite some time, Coming Out Day could give you the push you need to do so. It gives you a good lead into the conversation. You can explain a bit about the day, and use this to help you tell people about your sexuality. You can also use Coming Out Day to provide support to someone who needs it. If you know that someone is going to be using this day to have a difficult chat about their sexuality with someone, then make sure you offer them words of support and that you are there to support them.

A lot of people in the LGBTQ community who have already come out use this day to share their stories with people. If you feel comfortable, you can take to social media and share the story of how you came out about your sexuality. This can help people to feel like they are not alone and it can give people the support they need on a day like this. It can help to hear about the experiences other people have gone through when you are facing the same sort of situation yourself.

You can also use this date to raise awareness about the struggles that people in the LGBTQ community face. Whether it is bullying and discrimination or difficulties in the workplace or problems with their inner confidence, there are many things that LGBTQ members go through. A lot of people are not aware of these issues, and so you can use Coming Out Day to try and change this. There are going to be a lot of infographics, videos, and other pieces of inspiring and insightful content available, so make the most of this and share it with your followers.

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[comfy-whumpee]

Kieran

TW: discussion of abuse (partner and child), slavery, inferred noncon.

Sequel to Ash’s post Queen of Underland, here. Savvie and Izzy are her characters. No extended Silver Chair metaphor in this one, sorry!

Dad Jax Taglist: @iaminamoodymoodtoday, @wildfaewhump, @ishouldblogmore, @lektricwhump, @that-one-thespian, @raigash, @burtlederp, @rosesareviolentlyread, @whumptywhumpdump, @eatyourdamnpears thank you all for the amazing commentary.

He’s not been around long, and Jax shouldn’t really, but fuck it. He needs someone. He needs to talk about this. And clearly… It’s going to be a thing, with him, going forwards. He needs to explain.

So he makes arrangements, and after the kids are in bed, he steps outside in his jacket and sees the simple silver car. After one glance up and down the street, and a check of both the number plate and driver, he gets in. He leans across the handbrake and drops a kiss on the waiting cheek of the man inside.

Kieran O’Leary-Ahmed is a gorgeous man. Jax loves the light tickle of his shaggy hair, the gentle softness to his smile and the light that sits in his eyes like a shaft of sunlight on a deep ocean floor. He always wears simple, loose clothing, like today: black hoodie, black T-shirt, back jeans; the only accessories are his watch and his septum ring. He’s perfect. Jax is nowhere near good enough for him.

But Kieran likes him anyway.

“Hey, love,” he greets Jax with a soft, slightly high voice, tinged with a Dublin childhood. “How’s things?”

Jax settles back into the car seat as Kieran pulls away, heading for one of his countless green spots around the edges of Manchester city. Jax doesn’t know where they’re going, and for once, doesn’t feel the need to find out in advance. He’s safe with this man.

“Some trouble at school today,” he says after a long moment. “Izzy apparently shouted her head off in class.”

Kieran’s eyebrows rise. “Izzy?”

“Right?” Jax agrees with his disbelief, chuckling weakly. “I don’t know what happened. Apparently one minute she was working as normal, teacher steps out, and when she comes back Izzy is swearing at this kid.”

Kieran doesn’t ask why his nine-year-old daughter knows how to swear. It’s obvious enough. “And…are we proud of her?”

Jax blinks, looking again to his boyfriend. It’s a good question. “Yeah, we are.”

“Good,” Kieran smiles. He knows, of course, how Izzy struggles with letting things out. Jax has talked about it before. He’s even met the little girl a few times.

But he doesn’t know the story.

“So, what happened? How did she get to that point?”

Jax sighs slowly, rubbing at one of the scars on the side of his thumb. Kieran pulls up at the edge of a car park, a tiny gravel affair with no marker lines, abandoned at this time of night. All around them are trees.

Quiet falls as the overhead light slowly dims itself to black. Leaves rustle softly outside, and there’s nothing else to disturb them.

He breaks the silence like a man stepping off a ledge. “You know their mother?”

“Of course.”

“And she was… She was abusive.”

“Mhmm.”

“I didn’t tell you much, I know, but… Well, she was – she wasn’t great to Izzy either. A lot of what she’s like…comes from being raised that way.”

Kieran turns to him in the evening light, resting his temple on the headrest. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah…” But that’s not the story. Jax looks down at his hands and rubs his thumb along his bare ring finger, remembering what sat there. Never again.

Kieran didn’t look him up. He said he wouldn’t, when Jax mentioned people had. He said he didn’t care about anything that didn’t come from Jax himself. Jax almost wishes now that he had.

Five years, and it didn’t get easier.

“When I was, uh… Twenty-one. I got abducted into modern slavery.”

Kieran doesn’t reply. Jax waits for the reaction, and all he gets is a slow nod.

“The guy who…sold me. Uh, I was – auctioned. My ex, she – her uncle bought me for her.”

There is, maybe, a soft inhale, hissing through Kieran’s teeth. He’s smart, smarter than Jax. The pieces come together quickly for him.

The words feel so small for how big it all was. They’re all he has. “For the first – the first time, I mostly cleaned, and… She treated me like a captive best friend. I got out, I – escaped, got a message to my dad… That’s when she went to prison. But after she got out, not long after, she – her family, they work as, as slave catchers. She had them take me back. And that time, she decided I-I was her – her t-true love.”

He can almost feel how much Kieran wants to touch him. He can imagine the hands moving towards him in the dark to rub circles on his back or take his hand. What Kieran actually does, though, is turn and look out of the windscreen at the shifting shapes of trees in the dark.

Jax glances to his side. The doors are locked. Safe.

“She kept me there for…years. With the, you’ve seen the…” he gestures at his neck. His hand is shaking. “…It was a shock collar. I couldn’t, if – if I left, she said she’d kill my dad, and I was still trying, but…”

It’s the most he’s talked about it since court. His heart is beating too fast for sitting in a car. The way the shadows move make his teeth itch and his mind spin shapes.

“Sh-she… She got pregnant,” he forces out, voice cracked.

Kieran breathes out, slowly, as if the breath he took had been trapped in his lungs.

“I couldn’t, after that, I couldn’t – I couldn’t. Maybe she would have – if I’d escaped, maybe she wouldn’t h-have kept it, but, but there was a – a chance she wouldn’t sh-she’d keep it as a-a punish-ment or t-to get m-me back—” He tries to inhale, and the air clogs in his throat. He jerks slightly, and it’s not quite a sob. It’s something mistakable for the shudder of an aftershock. They all are.

He covers his face with his hands, and Kieran doesn’t look. Not looking helps.

“When I… I saw how sh-she treated Izzy, I couldn’t. I couldn’t leave. And then Jamie… F-Four years, till I managed to get us out. And Izzy, she – I-I couldn’t keep her safe. She doesn’t kn-know how to be safe, really, even now, so…”

A really bad aftershock. Consistent tremors through him, twisting up his breaths. Kieran must be able to hear, but he just listens, nods occasionally, and lets Jax speak.

“Today,” Jax says, finding the point amongst all the chaos in his head, “t-today, she heard these boys talking about kissing a girl when – when she didn’t want to. And she’s s-seen that happen, to, t-to me."

The light that glimmers in Kieran’s eyes disappears as he closes them. He understands.

“And then they talked about me, and her, and her in prison and all of that and Iz yelled at them, and, so, I’m – I’m so fucking p-proud of her, b-but, she – she shouldn’t, sh-she shouldn’t have to do that, do a-any of it.”

He swallows. He needs a moment, needs a moment to breathe, he can feel it in the rising panic in his head and the tightness of his chest, even though nothing more is happening than words and glimpses of Savvie standing outside the car, pale skin and dark hair in moonlight, telling him that he’ll always be hers.

When the silence has stretched for minutes or more, Kieran opens his eyes and brushes a hand over his cheek. He turns his head back to Jax. His voice is the same steady, soft tone as before. “It’s not your fault.”

The words pierce straight to his heart, and finally, a sob breaks clear of his self-control. He buries his face back into his hands, and Kieran’s hand settles, finally, between his shoulder blades, and stays there, his anchor in the depths.