#next queer character semi-finals

[marveltournaments]

[dungeon-meshi-tournament]

To celebrate Pride month, I'm holding the

Queerest Character in the Dungeon Tournament 2024

This is the masterpost for the tournament. I'll pin it and update it with every new round, so you'll be able to find all polls easily.

The rules are very simple: You just vote for whichever character you think is more queer, by whatever metric you personally choose for that. The character with the most votes advances to the next round.

Propaganda is encouraged! Please put it in the body of the post so I can reblog it. I don't reblog propaganda from tags or replies.

Spoiler warning: This tournament contains material up to the end of the manga. If you haven't caught up yet, you may be spoiled.

Finale:

Falin vs Namari

Battle for the bronze:

Otta vs Marcille

Previous rounds under the cut

Semi-finals:

Falin vs Otta (Falin won)

Namari vs Marcille (Namari won)

Quarter finals:

Falin vs Laios

Otta vs Lycion

Namari vs Izutsumi

Marcille vs Senshi

Round 3:

Falin vs Kabru (Falin won)

Thistle vs Laios (Laios won)

Otta vs Mickbell (Otta won)

Lycion vs Gillin (Lycion won)

Namari vs Winged Lion (Namari won)

Izutsumi vs Mithrun (Izutsumi won)

Marcille vs Hien (Marcille won)

Senshi vs Chilchuck (Senshi won)

Round 2, part 2:

Namari vs Pattadol (Namari won)

Winged Lion vs Misyl (Winged Lion won)

Izutsumi vs Rin (Izutsumi won)

Mithrun vs Inutade (Mithrun won)

Marcille vs Cithis (Marcille won)

Hien vs Erique (Hien won)

Senshi vs Brigan (Senshi won)

Chilchuck vs Toshiro (Chilchuck won)

Round 2, part 1:

Falin vs Kaka (Falin won)

Kabru vs Flamela (Kabru won)

Thistle vs Leed (Thistle won)

Laios vs Benichidori (Laios won)

Otta vs Fleki (Otta won)

Dia vs Mickbell (Mickbell won)

Lycion vs Kiki (Lycion won)

Gillin vs Holm (Gillin won)

Round 1, part 2:

Fleki vs Mr. Floke (Fleki won)

Pattadol vs Totan (Pattadol won)

Rin vs Invar (Rin won)

Inutade vs Maizuru (Inutade won)

Cithis vs Null (Cithis won)

Fionil vs Brigan (Brigan won)

Toshiro vs Delgal (Toshiro won)

Round 1, part 1:

Mrs. Floke vs Kaka (Kaka won)

Leed vs Kuro (Leed won)

Yaad vs Benichidori (Benichidori won)

Mickbell vs Doni (Mickbell won)

Milsiril vs Kiki (Kiki won)

Holm vs Zon (Holm won)

[bengiyo]

Love Sea Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Tongrak, a successful romance author, was sent by his friends to an island to relax and work on his next novel. Unfortunately, Tongrak was a complete asshole about this, and took that out on his host, Mahasamut, who seems fully equipped to deal with a spoiled rich kid from Bangkok. Tongrak apparently needs to have sex to work through the scene he needs to write, and is also clearly interested in Mut. We left at Mut accidentally scaring Rak and trying to take care of him.

Lol, I love them opening up with voiceover reaffirming that Rak wants to fuck Mut. This is not one sided.

As charged as that was, sex on a beach is grimy!

Chapter 2: Echoes Across the Endless Blue

Oh right, Mook has to change a light bulb.

Rak is being so dramatic about a scratch.

"This isn't a bad," and, "Open your mouth," and, "Not your turn," are sending me.

Head on the beach in episode 2? Finally, adult gay representation in BL.

I'm with Mut! I would be annoyed as hell if my partner wanted to stop and immediately begin writing as things were getting good.

Man, this apartment gets used semi regularly now for the shows.

Wow, MAME is giving ass now.

Well, I'll give them points for mentioning the condoms, but docking several for using teeth.

Don't act like you ain't have a great time, Rak. I saw those expressions.

Rak is so consistently rude! He's even rude about the social politics of sex! Mut even offered to help with cleanup.

I wonder how long Vie has been crushing on Mook, because she's clearly enjoying having someone like Mook around.

They made this boy play the exposition gossip two shows in a row.

I do love the way Mut is rolling with Rak's aggressive behavior. If the rich guest is sprung and throwing money you already said he didn't need to throw at you, then by all means.

Well well well. Rak showed some consideration there about how public he's being with Mut. I like knowing that Mut is out and still carries so much respect in his community. But also, you gotta know how much you can get away with and where you can do it.

My man got locals jumping into conversations to gas him up. Respect. It's hard when tourism is a big part of your economy, because the finance class does not share.

A queer man kicked out of the home by his dad who has worked hard to build his place in his community? No choice but to stan.

Oh boy, when the writer is the executive producer and the director, they can include a romance author as a lead character to speak to their detractors.

Yes, please eat before more flies show up.

MAME characters are so interesting in that they'll go out of their way to set two people up, and then be damned sure they explain their baggage to each other.

Why would this man jump into the ocean on his own like that?

Whoa, what about this location triggered all this trauma? Seems like he has a friend who got abandoned with a pregnancy, and that connected to his mom's issues with his dad?

Are we gonna end every episode on the boat after a flash of trauma?

A romance novelist who doesn't believe in love. I am invested.

Those reveals came fast at the end, but at least we're seeing where the transactional presumptions around sexual loyalty may have come from with Rak. I like that Mut takes the money in stride, and was plain about how hard the hustle is for local businesses on this island. I'm also so relieved that we have adult, out characters discussing how public they can afford to be with their flirting. There's too much Thai BL in the bubble right now and failing at it. I'm really enjoying this.

[louisjude]

im a multishipper. i ship buddie and bucktommy. but if im being honest one side is being incredibly more hateful and toxic than the other side. (aka the one thats been around longer) maybe i’ve taken off my rose-colored shipping glasses, but seeing ppl make hate posts abt tommy/lou gives me the ick. it makes me actually realize why oliver left twt. bitterness will get you nowhere. if buddie is meant to happen then it’ll happen. you cannot force it to happen. everything i’ve seen and read tells me buddie was more of a consideration pre-s5 than it is currently. and that fucking sucks but just because things aren’t going your way doesn’t mean you need to get on the internet and be a bully. it’s truly mind-boggling to see people so intense in their hate for a character that has righted his wrongs, who is now friends with the people he wronged, is well-liked among said characters and is now being a positive influence on buck’s newfound sexuality. their dynamic is also nothing new, pessimist/optimist ship dynamics have been around forever and it’s only a problem because it’s not eddie.

i would be happy for buddie to go canon as much as the next guy. getting buck canonically bisexual is mind-blowing enough in itself, i’m glad we’re witnessing it at all. if ryan doesn’t want to do buddie because he feels its important they stay friends then so be it. platonic friendships between a queer man and straight man are important, especially one that runs so deep like buck and eddie’s. sure, their friendship could be read as romantic throughout the show, but partly because oliver and ryan truly share a great chemistry on screen which helps lean into it but also because these shows are not written with an endgame in mind. 9-1-1 is very much a go with the flow show, and if bucktommy is where the show is flowing then that’s what is meant to be. invisible string theory isn’t because ppl think it was always planned from the beginning, it’s because it’s amazing how well buck and tommy becoming a couple comes together so perfectly out of pure coincidence.

we know buck was supposed to be made queer long ago. we also know maddie originally was brought in for eddie but was put with chimney instead. if tim minear hadn’t left after s4 i truly think buddie could have been already established by now, but unfortunately that isn’t how things work. perhaps the idea of tommy and eddie was pitched but ultimately ryan didn’t agree it would work for these character nor the story being told at the time. buck was already supposed to be queer, so turning it to tommy and buck instead makes total sense.

no one is saying you aren’t allowed to continue to ship buddie. most ships in the world are ships that have never gone canon. buddie is valid even if it’s non-canon. god knows i will continue to read and write for them and enjoy them whilst also enjoying buck and tommy together. the behavior i’ve been seeing though is just weird, especially from larger creators who i understand are very passionate for buddie, but it’s weird when you flip it into tommy/lou hate instead of just talking about buddie itself.

perhaps the theories will be true. we don’t know! maybe buck and tommy won’t last and buddie will be endgame. i’m happy either way because buck’s sexuality is so important for him and at the current state of the show eddie is absolutely not ready for anything romantic because he’s still grieving shannon to a point where he is not ready to move on romantically just yet and we’re literally shown this. even if buddie is happening, it is not happening by the season finale nor is it probably happening by the beginning of s8 considering the current storylines and where they’ll be at by the end of this season. lou probably isn’t going anywhere and from the looks of it, we’ll probably be bumped up into a semi-regular character in s8 like karen. he’s easy to write into the plot, he’s got connections to people and emergencies outside of buck that would integrate him well into the plot. their romance is supposed to be “romcom” esque, they’re taking things slow but they’re obviously happy together at the moment.

im just really tired of the nasty attitudes ive been seeing. sure theres are som toxic people on both sides, but to me its obvious which side is being the bigger bully. reality checks needs to be put in place for some people, go outside and realize you are getting way too worked up over a tv show where plotlines are out of your control. if the show is ruined for you over one relationship then stop watching it.

[shoujo-wizard]

love love platonic stobin w all my heart 💖 just have preferences tht I don't often see in fics, like I get why ppl write Robin as not wanting to know abt Steve's sex life & vice-versa but idc I love a stobin tht have so few boundaries they might as well have none at all, the codependency is very real

this got quite long so it's all under the read more, also it got kinda horny at the end

they share the same piece of gum till it runs out of flavor

stobin switch name tags at work often & will only respond to the name tag they wear tht day

they coordinate a normal & sexy costume for Halloween (Steve always wears the sexy one)

they share (clean) underwear

when Robin gets a new swimsuit Steve gets a coordinated speedo/swim shorts

they regularly & will shower together naked style

they get matching booty gym shorts with writing on the ass, they own many pairs of these type of shorts all say different things, their favorite pairs say: you will live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension, the hat man owes me money, menace to society, pretty boy, better gay than grumpy, and queers who riot

Steve taught Robin how to kiss

when Steve got constipation Robin bought the laxatives & held his hand in the bathroom

one of the kids calls for Steve in the other room, Robin walks in to answer

when they go out to eat they'll order different things but will freely eat/try things from eachothers plate

pool parties at Steve's involve a game of chicken tht they ALWAYS team up for & they win 9 times out of 10 bc they use underhanded tactics

in this vein whenever the Party decides to play a board game or card game stobin r on a team together even if the game doesn't call for teams (the only reason they even try dnd is bc Eddie caves & lets them play as one character)

they have keys to the others house but both prefer climbing in thru the window

stobin go to a gay bar in Indianapolis together semi regularly: Robin gets very consensually groped by dykes tht buy her virgin cocktails as Steve makes out w & humps older daddy material men on the dance floor, while Robin gets eaten out by one of the dykes in the bar bathroom Steve is getting face fucked by a daddy of his choice in the other bathroom, at the end of the night/early the next morning they go get burgers from a diner they found by following a herd of drag queens

when Steve & Eddie finally kiss & say they're boyfriend Steve immediately gets up, fully leaves the room, & calls Robin to tell her

when Robin & Chrissy finally kiss & say they're girlfriend Robin does the same to call Steve

stobin bring their partners to above gay bar: Chrissy & Robin make out at the bar then fuck in the bathroom as a few of Robin’s former dykes watch & maybe join in, meanwhile Eddie lets Steve dance with a daddy they choose together & watches as Steve makes out w & humps said daddy before he has both men follow to the other bathroom where he takes out the butt plug Steve had been wearing all night, fucks Steve raw before letting the daddy wear a condom & fuck Steve too

the 4 of them get burgers together afterwards

I'm deeply inspired by this post

[readwithnox]

10 Indie Fantasy Books with A-spec Main Characters

Enjoy some magical a-spec spec-fic.

From asexual to aromantic and every variation inbetween, these fantasy books have a wonderful selection of a-spec LGBTQIA+ main characters for your next read!

While some of these books don’t outright announce some of the characters’ identities in the story, there are cues that a-spec readers are likely to pick up on either in the first book or later in the series. For the ones that aren’t completely obvious, I’ve received confirmation from the authors.

Structural Integrity

by Tabitha O’Connell Fantasy Romance featuring an a-spec trans mc

Messenger boy Kel never expected to strike up a romance with a government official. But Yaan lacks the self-important snobbery of the others, seeing Kel as more than just a pretty face. Living with him in the city’s plush government complex is everything Kel could want: no more expenses, kitchen workers and resident animals to befriend, and of course seeing Yaan every day. Even if Yaan does spend most of his time working or worrying about work, and seems to have forgotten that they used to have actual conversations…

When the city decides to tear down the iconic theater building in Kel’s old neighborhood, Yaan’s indifference toward his pleas to help save it forces Kel to confront his growing unhappiness. In the aftermath, both will have to decide whether their relationship is salvageable.

Song of Phoenix and Ink

by Margherita Scialla New Adult Portal Fantasy featuring an a-spec mc and a-spec li

All Nadzia Kaminski wanted was to finish writing her novel.

When she finally finished the manuscript for Crimson Mayhem, she did what any writer would: gave it to her best friend to read. Her friend’s reaction, however, wasn’t what she had expected and, upset by her criticism, Nadzia left her at the café where they had met.

Waking up the next morning, Nadzia was no longer in her bedroom, finding herself in a world of her creation, surrounded by dangerous magic and vaguely familiar settings.

With a country at war and no clear way home, time is running out and Nadzia has to find a way to gain the trust of the very people she created and figure out her confusing feelings for two of her own characters.

She soon realizes stories aren’t perfect when there is no one left to write them.

Dirt-Stained Hands, Thorn-Pierced Skin

by Tabitha O’Connell Fantasy Romance featuring an a-spec nonbinary mc and a-spec li

A queer, Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired novella

Heron thought ey wanted to be with handsome, charming Tiel — but the relationship hasn’t quite lived up to eir expectations. With Tiel’s confidence comes a tendency to be overbearing, and now he wants Heron to leave eir farm life behind and move to town with him. And Heron can’t figure out how to explain to him that ey doesn’t want that.

When an accident strands Heron’s mother at a castle rumored to belong to a family of mages, Heron rushes off to make sure she’s all right — only to find the castle occupied by a single man who isn’t a mage at all. Prone to hiding behind his long mess of hair, the mysterious Theomer possesses a long-neglected, semi-magical garden. A job tending it is Heron’s perfect opportunity for some time away from Tiel while ey decides what to tell him.

Heron did not plan to be drawn in by Theomer’s attentive gaze and understated sense of humor. But as an undeniable bond forms between them, ey’s soon going to have a much bigger choice to make…

A Searing Faith

by Audrey Martin Epic Dark Fantasy featuring an aroace fmc

When sixteen-year-old Rena finds herself the sole survivor of the fire that destroyed her home town, the only thing keeping her going is the suspicion that the tragedy wasn’t an accident. She is determined to find those responsible, no matter how far her quest might take her. But no one in charge of the kingdom of Kal-Hemma seems to care that this isn’t the first town destroyed by a mysterious fire. And according to Rena’s travelling companions, there’s a lot the members of the Royal Council aren’t telling their subjects.

If Rena is truly the only survivor of the tragedy, why did she find her sister’s ring outside of their destroyed home?

Who planted the strange bird figurines around the town’s church before the fire?

And what do the old, forgotten Gods have to do with any of this?

A Searing Faith is the first book in an epic fantasy series and based on the award-winning, interactive audio drama The Heart Pyre.

A Kind Voice in Hell

by Ames Mullery Urban Fantasy featuring an a-spec trans mc

What’s a few years of bloody gladiator matches and witchcraft-for-hire when your best friend’s life is on the line?

To cover the soaring costs of his best friend’s life-saving healthcare Lark signs away everything he’s got — his body, his freedom, even his witchcraft — to a billionaire who plays at philanthropy for entertainment. Although Lark may have the heart of a saint, he doesn’t have the patience of one. It isn’t long before he begins to rock the boat and ends up threatening the very people he wants to save in his reckless heroics.

A KIND VOICE IN HELL is a story about an occult-obsessed billionaire looking for away to bring gladiators into the twenty-first century, a trans man with a hero complex who has never known illness a day in his life, and the disabled people caught in the middle. It contains queer love, found family, and a hero who needs to sit down and shut up before he tries to help anyone.

Follow Lark as he forges an unlikely alliance on the inside and weaves masterful spellwork in hopes of changing the world for the better.

Havesskadi

by Ava Kelly Fantasy featuring an a-spec mc

The red dragon is hunting her own. Up in the icy peaks of the northern mountains, Orsie Havesskadi spends his days hiding from her, but eventually he is found and his dragon magic stolen. Cursed to wander the lands as a mortal unless he recovers his magic before twenty-four rising crescents have passed, Orsie embarks on an arduous journey. Spurred by the whispers in his mind, his quest takes him to a castle hidden deep in a forest.

Arkeva Flitz, a skilled garrison archer, discovers an abandoned castle in the woods. Trapped there, he spends his days with his two companions, one cruel, the other soothing. One day, a young man arrives at his gates, and soon they are confined by heavy snowfalls and in danger from what slumbers in the shadows of the castle.

The Thirteenth Key

by Cara Nox New Adult Science Fantasy featuring an ace mmc

The chaotic crew of heisting misfits in Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows meets the familiar yet fantastical, modern landscape found in Robert Jackson Bennett’s City of Stairs.

“The thirteen emblems given to the original rulers weren’t just symbols. They’re keys to the Vault — one that no one’s ever opened.”

Noa has lived her life as an unsuspecting, ID-burning, face in the crowd that disposes of “problems” for her miscellaneous, secretive employers. So, when Noa’s surrogate father — a Seer — hands her a long-lost emblem, telling her with his dying breath that it’s her responsibility to reignite magic, she laughs at the idea that the fate of their world rests on the shoulders of a killer. Instead, she uses his words and the key he gave her as an excuse to go on one final suicide mission to seek out the power supposedly waiting for her to annihilate his murderer.

Prince Glacier Caelius has lived his life trapped inside a gilded cage, pushed down by the ever-present threat of death as the bastard son of Amarais’s late king. But when the rebels attack during a nationalist party, Glacier’s rescued by none other than Noa and her merry band of thieves, who are scrambling to salvage a failed attempt at stealing his country’s emblem: the Soul of Amarais. When the dust settles, he’s the only person left alive to unlock the palace vault and give the Soul to Noa in exchange for saving his life.

Well, once they’re able to formulate a plan to take the palace back.

Struggling with their tentative, newfound freedom, Noa and Glacier must learn to work together to survive the urban landscape of Avaria’s greatest cities fortified by technology in the wake of dwindling magic. The goal: steal as many keys as they can before their pasts catch up. But the further they go, the more they realize that something worse may be lurking on the horizon, and they may very well be the only ones able to stop it.

Bloody Spade

by Brittany M. Willows Young Adult Urban Fantasy featuring an ace fmc, aro mmc, and demi fmc

Bloody Spade is the first installment in an upper YA urban fantasy duology that follows a cat-eared thief and a softhearted girl as they navigate his wild magic, her hotheaded brother, a sinister plot, and the feelings they’re developing for each other. Suitable for fans of A Darker Shade of Magic and This Savage Song, or anime/manga such as RWBY and D.Gray-Man.

A girl full of heart A thief touched by darkness A hot-tempered golden boy An unwitting servant of evil

The era of magic was once thought to be a myth, but after the Reemergence ushered forces both dark and light into the mundane world, it has since become a harsh reality. Now those affected by this strange power — a specialized group of Empowered called Jokers, known collectively as Cardplay — must protect their world from the darkness that threatens to consume it, all the while fighting for equality in a society clinging to normalcy.

But the Reemergence was only the beginning.

When another influx occurs on the seventh anniversary of that fateful event, an unfortunate encounter at ground zero lands Iori Ryone, a teenage boy in possession of a corrupt and legendary magic, in the care of recent Joker graduate Ellen Amelia Jane. From him, she learns the Reemergence may not have been the inevitable natural disaster it first seemed.

Someone is trying to tear down the barrier that separates the magical realms from the mundane. The question is why, and can Cardplay stop them before it’s too late?

Tell Me How It Ends

by Quinton Li Young Adult Fantasy featuring an aroace nonbinary mc

A coming-of-age cozy fantasy with a queer cast, witches, and tarot. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and Our Flag Means Death.

Iris Galacia’s tarot cards do more than entertain gamblers.

With the flip of her fingers she can predict the future and uncover a person’s secrets. But under the watchful eye of her mother, she is on thin ice for pursuing a passion in the family business, and then cracks start to form until she eventually she falls through.

She is given an ultimatum — a test to prove her worth: earn a thousand coins or leave the business, and the family.

Enter Marin Boudreau, a charming young person who can scale buildings and break off door knobs, who comes for her help to rescue a witch who’s been falsely imprisoned in Excava Kingdom.

And Marin is willing to pay a high sum for her talents.

But saving a prisoner from royal hands isn’t easy, nor is leaving home for the first time in eighteen years.

Now Iris must learn to trust in herself, Marin, and this new magical world, while racing the clock before the royals decide the fate of the witch, and before any secrets catch up to her.

Trick

By Cara Nox New Adult Urban Fantasy featuring a demi fmc and aroace mmc

Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series meets V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with a dash of Disney+’s Loki in this new adult urban fantasy.

WELCOME TO NEW ATLAS: A CITY WITHIN A REALITY JUST BEYOND OUR OWN.

Evie is a nobody. Spending her days in college classes and her nights studying, having a social life has never really been a priority. With her sights firmly set on the future to keep away her thoughts of the past, she loses her grip on the present when her world is ripped out from under her. And it’s all thanks to two mysterious strangers showing up on her doorstep, claiming that she can turn back time.

Cade is a notorious troublemaker. He’s never been afraid to throw around his name to get what he wants as someone who’s clawed his way to the top. But power is quick to change hands in this city, and when he chooses to blatantly disregard an order from his leader, his older brother, he’s tossed back down to the bottom again. He’ll be more than lucky to regain any sort of trust when everyone knows he’s one of the best spies there is, sliding in and out of shadows in the blink of an eye.

Ren is a bored teenager. Always labeled as the “golden child” or “gifted student,” he finds himself writing down cryptic messages and following strange leads, rather than putting on the same old song and dance for his family. Especially once he discovers his little stolen fragments of the future are starting to take a darker turn. Perhaps chasing the life everyone wants him to have isn’t necessarily in the cards for him, but there’s only one way to find out.

So when someone within the secret society known as the Custodians targets Evie for her power, the clock starts in the final sprint to hunt down the culprit. In order to uncover whatever hidden clues are lurking in the past, the three of them have no choice but to peel back the layers of obscurity built up between their factions to figure out why she’s being hunted and how they might be able to fix their bleak futures before it’s too late.

Just remember: time is nothing but a trick.

Follow the divine archivists on twitter for more queer indie lists, reviews, and recommendations.

Where to find Cara Nox: instagram • twitter • writing tumblr • reading tumblr

Disclaimer: anything purchased through the links provided in this article helps me continue writing with compensation through Amazon’s affiliate program.

[painsandconfusion]

Have you ever paid attention to the fact that all the whumping writers are lgbtquia+ and so are most of the characters? at least from what I can see - feel free to correct me.

It's just interesting to me how those two ["not"] mental illnesses align so easily.

For example, are you transgender?

Hello! Please feel free to skip the passive-aggression next time and skip to clearer communication to save yourself some time.

I'll start with the basics. Being queer(and co) isn't a mental illness. Any opinion otherwise is opinion which you are entitled to but is not supported by and scientific basis.

Second, writing whump isn't a mental illness. It's just a semi-niche subset that most art already includes. It's storytelling and a celebration of humanity and the human mind. Making brash, overarching assumptions about the genre and the people in it isn't helpful, especially when you don't know the genre well (we are almost always called 'whumpers' or 'whump writers' - not 'whumping writers'). A little research may do you some good.

Respectfully, my pronouns are in my bio and I'm not discussing with you what is or was in my pants. It's irrelevant.

Finally, if you have a point, feel free to go ahead and make it rather than framing this as a casual conversation. I've had a bit of a long day and dislike the if-then fallacies you're meandering around.

[lowkeiloki]

man the owl house finale left me with such a sense of peace and happiness that i havent felt in forever when finishing a show

all the characters i love got a happy ending, they're all where they wanted to be and where they fought to get, belos got a painful, pathetic sendoff he deserved, everything is just perfect

but most importantly, so many shows feel the need to end with all the characters splitting up and going their own seperate ways leaving you wonder if theyll ever see each other again, but in the owl house everyone is still here. all of luz's friends and family from another dimension are right next door, everyone on the boiling isle is hanging out and in contact, all the ships we were teased to were at the very least implied to be canon, heck even the collector was right at the end mentioned/implied to visit at least semi regularly

i can leave the show knowing that all the characters and relationships theyve build i grew to love are still there, still hanging out, going on cute little dates, studying together, having movie nights, telling stories from their world... they're still here, i wont be there to watch them anymore, but they're still here

and im okay, im okay that the show is over, i wish it wasnt cut short so early and we got more of it, but the ending left me perfectly satisfied

--------------

oh on another note its even more meanimgful that all the characters that got happy ending are queer, poc, disabled and/or neurodivergent, we dont get much representation in media and when we do, the characters are often either villainized or killed off

[junpeijackflash]

Happy Pride Month, lovers and haters of Maximum Ride!

I promised I'd talk a bit more about my rewrite by revealing which members of the flock are LGBTQ+, and now that I've finally finished fixed Chapter 7, now's as good a time as any.

This will be spoilers for stuff I've planned further into the future (as in: most of this is only really relevant from book 2 onwards). This also isn't all the LGBTQ+ characters I have. There's a couple of OCs (and a handful of stolen James Patterson characters). Might talk about them later, might not. Who knows.

Characters are below the cut!

Alright, we're all clear on spoilers? (though I guess it doesn't matter in the case of a rewrite with no confirmed release date lol)

Then, in a semi-particular order, let's start with...

Nudge!

Using a new picrew for all of these. Link can be found here: https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/626197

Nudge is pansexual, which tbh is the headcanon I've had for her for years now, so this doesn't feel like much of a change. I should note here that she - along with the other members of the flock, minus one exception - don't technically use the terms I'm using here to describe their sexuality, for one reason or another.

For Nudge, it's because she doesn't discover any words for describing her experience other than "gay" for a while, and she doesn't really like calling herself "gay" since she doesn't feel like the term fits her.

She doesn't have any romantic relationships, but she does have a crush, and gets incredibly shy and embarrassed about it.

Iggy!

Iggy is, by definition, gay. However, Iggy doesn't particularly like the term "gay". He usually either uses "queer" or just goes unlabeled.

Iggy is also the only character that I have a planned romantic relationship, and it's with a stolen James Patterson character! Place your bets everyone! It's not gonna be who you think it is!

Both Iggy and Nudge are already out by the time book 1 starts. These next two come out after a bit of self-discovery during book 2.

Max!

Maximum Ride is aromantic, realizing this after 14 years of living when she's finally confronted with other people her age and realizes that dating and romance are in fact real things people want to do and not something made up for television.

I haven't decided whether or not she's asexual as well. Feel free to headcanon that, or whatever you want. I'm leaving it up to interpretation.

Of course, Max isn't going to be having any romance, considering she is the last person in the flock who'd want that.

And finally, the last member of the flock, and the only trans member......

...oh come on, like you don't know who I'm talking about.

Fang!

So yeah, I've fallen victim to the nonbinary/trans Fang agenda, and I'm here to make all of you join as well.

To keep things simple, and not spoil all of my Fang Development Plans, here's a basic summary of Fang's pronouns book-by-book.

Book 1: he/him

Book 2: he/they

Book 3: they/he, but in the "Only people very close to me get to call me 'he', everyone else has to use 'they' or I'll kill them" sort of way

Should also note: the flock as a whole is not even aware of the concept of being trans or the fact that people can be something other than male or female until book 2. Finding out helps Fang start questioning their gender.

That about wraps it up. Sorry if this is underwhelming, I never know what I do or don't want to say regarding spoilers. The only two flock members who aren't included on this list are Gazzy and Angel, but that's really just because they're very tiny children and I was thinking less about who they might have a crush on and more about the brand new childhood trauma they'll be getting and living with for a very long time.

[owlbelly]

indie weird-fiction/SFF recommendation

hey remember how about a month ago i found ARCs of these three books in a "free" shed at my town dump

and i picked them up because the back copy really piqued my interest & i thought "okay they're free. let's try it. if the first one sucks i'll bring them all back"

well i am happy to report they extremely did not suck. in fact i absolutely adored them & am now very very invested in this ongoing story (planned as a series of 7, supposedly the 4th is coming out next year). i don't know how much the ARCs differ from the published books - which are available here from the publisher - & i will say that the ARCs were "rough" in the sense that there are typos, grammatical issues (mostly pronoun/tense problems) & very occasional missing or wrong words, but i didn't find it hampered my ability to read very much. i don't know if those are fixed or not in the final copies but i enjoyed the books so much that i don't particularly care - which is a pretty big thing for me, haha.

the blurb on the site & back copy compares them favorably to a mix of authors (William S. Burroughs, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, David Mitchell) but those aren't really my points of reference & so not the comparisons i would make! i would heartily recommend them to fans of Clive Barker (especially if you prefer his fantasy work like Imajica & Abarat but you're still down for some seriously horrific violence/gore). pieces of Shifting also reminded me of reading Joan D. Vinge's Cat series which was very formative for me. there's a madcap element to these that definitely fits the Robbins comp but there's also real emotional depth to the characters/relationships - idk i haven't read that much Robbins but it didn't do it for me like these did.

the worldbuilding (focused on psionics, multiverses) & the characters are both incredibly unique & super memorable. i don't like to lean on lists of "representation" in book recs BUT on the other hand i don't generally connect with things that have absolutely no queerness in them, so. is there queerness here? yes! transness? debatably. is it "good rep"? totally beside the point. no. yes if you're like me & you prefer things to be messy & weird? whatever

these books are raunchy & explicit. they're hilarious. the first one horrified me & the last one made me tear up. this traumatized fantasy found family has wormed its way into my heart & i am going to be in love with a cockroach ("fairy") & a blood-sucking miniature machine planet (which is also sort of a cat?) for the rest of my life. other excellent characters include psychic plants & fungi, vicious paper people, sentient stuffed animals with semi-automatic weapons, a lesbian fire dragon & the scariest unicorns you've ever seen.

no one i know has ever heard of these books (though someone in my town owned them! who are you. where are you. why did you give them up). please, please some else read them & talk to me about them. give the first one a try - about halfway through it, i could not put it down.

[marveltournaments]

[dungeon-meshi-tournament]

To celebrate Pride Month, its the

Queerest Character in the Dungeon Tournament

This is the masterpost for the tournament. I'll pin it and update it with every new round, so you'll be able to find all polls easily.

The rules are very simple: You just vote for whichever character you think is more queer, by whatever metric you want to use. The character with the most votes advances to the next round.

Feel free to add arguments for why you think a character is more queer if you want.

Finale:

Namari vs Falin (Falin won)

Battle for the bronze:

Otta vs Marcille (Marcille won)

Previous round under the cut

Semi-finals:

Otta vs Namari (Namari won)

Falin vs Marcille (Falin won, just barely)

Quarter finals:

Lycion vs Otta (Otta won)

Namari vs Senshi (Namari won)

Falin vs Izutsumi (Falin won)

Thistle vs Marcille (Marcille won)

Round 3:

Laios vs Lycion (Lycion won)

Otta vs Mithrun (Otta won)

Chilchuck vs Namari (Namari won)

Gillin vs Senshi (Senshi won)

Falin vs Dia (Falin won)

Hien vs Izutsumi (Izutsumi won)

Thistle vs Winged Lion (Thistle won)

Kabru vs Marcille (Marcille won)

Round 2, part 2:

Falin vs Mickbell (Falin won)

Dia vs Holm (Dia won)

Shuro vs Hien (Hien won)

Inutade vs Izutsumi (Izutsumi won)

Thistle vs Yaad (Thistle won)

Leed vs Winged Lion (Winged Lion won)

Kabru vs Rin (Kabru won)

Fionil vs Marcille (Marcille won)

Round 2, part 1:

Laios vs Milsiril (Laios won)

Lycion vs Fleki (Lycion won)

Otta vs Cithis (Otta won)

Pattadol vs Mithrun (MIthrun won)

Chilchuck vs Mrs. Floke (Chilchuck won)

Kiki vs Namari (Namari won)

Gillin vs Totan (Gillin won)

Null vs Senshi (Senshi won)

Round 1:

Mr. Floke vs Mrs. Floke

Kaka vs Kiki

Brigan vs Totan

Invar vs Null

Mickbell vs Kuro

Hien vs Benichidori

Maizuru vs Inutade

Yaad vs Delgal

Zon vs Leed

Fionil vs Doni

[stfu-im-thinking-abt-blorbo]

Thoughts on each TDI Reboot episode, finally the finale at 13! SPOILERS UNDER THE READMORE.

This also has my final thoughts for the season!!

Feels unreal that this is the last episode. 7 years of nothing besides Dramarama, and now I've watched an entire new season fresh out of the oven.

Millieeeee noooooo ;n;

The bracelet!!!

Bowie I love you (platonic), but the bestieesssss nooooo

Priya calm down please, Millie is a wreck, can't you tell she's not proud of what she's done?

RAJ IS BACK THE BOYFRIENDS ARE BACK IN BUISSNESS!!!

Raj is so happy to see Bowie again.

Eewww Chase and Emma making out ickkkk

Bowie immediately picks Raj :'D

Ohhhhh the wheel feels like a callback to the semi-finals in og Island. But without the torture

Zee is still my sweet dumb boy

Let's go Damien!!!!

Die Ripper Die Die Die

Nooooo let Bowie have Raj, not Julia

Omg they're making a contract. Hope it's not legally binding for Bowie's sake 😬

Ripper go away your plan is shit

MILLIE NO DON'T GO WITH HIS PLAN

RAJ SAY FUCK THE RULES AND GO HELP YOUR BOYFRIEND

Lava lake. Fr, how is the EPA not all over Chris again.

Bowie use your little twink arms and go go go!!!

Chris leave Bowie alone

Damn Priya actually gonna kill Millie.

Raj!!! He's so adorable how much he cares for Bowie.

Wayne stealing Raj's popcorn while his bestie's bf might die. Lmao

BESTIES ARE BACK TOETHER YIPPIEIE

CHRIS STFU AND LEAVE THEM BE

Oh noo where Chef Hatchet's Chris Leash.

They need a snack, Bowie, let the goats be.

Chef what happened to you. I thought you were the good one.

Wonder what Zee's reaction to the goat milking is.

CHASE STFU

Ohhh the milk balls is how they're gonna do the alternate ending.

Raj crossing his fingers for Bowieeee

PRIYA NOOOOO

At least now she can go to med school hopefully.

Firstly, Raj comforting Bowie over his loss while Priya is celebrating her win is so sweet. Second, yipiiieie new season confirmation!!!

A short but sweet ending!!! Excited to see what the alternate ending for Bowie will be like. Hoping it's the canon ending lol.

This season has been so much fun to watch, and has been soooo refreshing compared to previous seasons. As much I love Revenge of the Island (my favorite season overall) and enjoy All-Stars (my childhood favorite season), they can feel a bit... much, at times. This season kept everything simple by going back to basics, using the old formula from og Island, while still using everything the writers have learned from every other season. And then improved all of that. Despite the characters being based on stereotypes as always, most of them have been shown to be waaaay more than what they were based on. And it creates good representation for more groups of fans like queer and disabled people, as well as adding even more good bipoc representation. And for me the cherry on top of the writing is making the main couple of the season be a friendship instead of a romance. I won't deny potential lesbianisms are afoot with Priya and Millie, and I'll probably looking for fic of the two when I'm not scouring Ao3 for RajBowie lol, but their friendship is so sweet and wholesome and such a breath of fresh air.

The art and animation are the best they've ever been for the series. I can feel the amount of love and care that went into making this season and am very excited to see what's in store for the next season. So many of the drawings and perspectives have blown me away. And the 3D!! Genuinely it's some of the best bits of 3D work I've seen incorporated into 2D animated TV. They matched the style to the 2D artwork so well that it just blends in, and without a keen eye or closer inspection, you wouldn't even know it's 3D. Really hoping they experiment with more 3D and even try bigger scenes in the next season.

Despite my praise for this season, there's still a few hiccups. As much as I gush over Raj and Bowie, their relationship still feels a bit shallow. The characters themselves are great, much more fleshed out than I thought they'd be for their introductory season. But Raj's elimination felt like it cut off all development between the two way too soon. I know they agreed to put any relationship at all on hold until after the show ended, which is the smartest thing any couple in this series has ever done, but I still feel like they could have developed a bit more of a hook to get viewers invested and wanting more for next season. Instead of the hook mainly being them sharing some looks and a few kisses, and that RajBowie is the show's first canon gay romance, y'know? Beyond that: the entire farting episode is just disgusting toilet humor at best and a poorly disguised fetish at worst. Emma's entire arc was thrown right down the drain at the last second when she went back to Chase (TWICE). And the early boots, as always, didn't get any chance to shine. Rip all Caleb, Axel and Nichelle fans, y'all were robbed as soon as they handed you something.

All in all, setting my biases aside for my personal favorite season, Island Reboot has probably been the best season of the series since og Island. Personally, I don't think it tops Revenge of the Island for me, but its pretty darn close. I haven't felt this much joy watching Total Drama since I watched ROTI and All-Stars for the first time. It still feels unreal that we have a new season of the show AND another one on the way. My hyperfixation of the show came back at the perfect time and I can't wait to make and reblog fanart and fics!!

[kira-the-whump-enthusiast]

sorry this took me a while to get to!!

Historical or Futuristic

Defff prefer historical stuff. Idk I’m not really into sci-fi? Usually I write/read semi-modern or fantasy stuff. I have a soft spot for dystopian settings tho :D

Opening or Closing Chapter

I’m gonna be honest here, I have never written an ending chapter. And I don’t know how to! I’m bad at finishing things! It’s much easier for me to begin. And not even at the beginning. I just write something from the middle of a silly plot in my head and post it and just be like “here’s 3 sentences of explanation, have fun” and that’s my idea of an opening chapter woohoo.

Light and Fluffy or Dark and Gritty

Seriously, mad respect to the people who can write fluff. I can’t. I am anti fluff. All characters need to be in situations. Dark and gritty stuff is great but I think my tastes lie a bit in between. It can’t be all dark and gritty. Gotta be a little light stuff in there. Something to hope for. Otherwise I get depressed. 

Animal Companion or Found Family

I have a cat. I do not have a lowkey kinda shit family forcing me to rely on friends for all my family needs. I think my OCs usually end up with nice friend groups rather than like found family stuff specifically. Also one of my OCs has a time kitty who can control time. I think that’s really cool.

Horror or Romance

Look. Cocaine Bear vs Hallmark movies. I know which I’d rather watch. Obviously cocaine bear is not peak horror lmao but girl I am literally so tired of the romance genre and it’s 6 million cishet white man and cishet white girl fall in love Twilight-ass bullshit 😭 Also I’m aromantic. Romance isn’t cool unless it’s dysfunctional and toxic as fuck but not in like the heterosexual way in the queer way. If you get what I mean. Or they eat each other. Idk man. Horror is better. Honestly I think whump could count as a form of horror itself--some of the most horrifying stories I’ve read have been other people’s whump pieces. Horror is fucked up and owns it and I like that. I could go on but let’s leave it there.

Hard Magic System or Soft Magic System

Look I am so bad at making consistent rules. I just get a silly idea and I’m like “yeah I’ll make that work.” I could never make a comprehensive system for all this unless I bullshitted it. It feels like inventing math.

Stand Alone or Series

Literally can’t consistently write a series for the life of me. The devil grants me my writing skills and he gifts me motivation at completely random times for completely random ideas. The shit I post? That’s up to Satan, baby. Also I’m bad at making series so everything ends up being stand alone anyways just in case I never write the next one. I love love love reading series tho. Shoutout to writers who can do that I love you all very much.

One Project at a Time or Always Juggling 2+ 

Just look at my masterlist. My WIPs folder has like 10 projects in there. Never, ever have I been able to do one project at a time. Too many silly ideas in this accursed brain.

One Award Winner or One Bestseller 

I’d get embarrassed if so many people read my book,,, also I feel like winning an award is easier to brag about. Actually no if I do become a published author, I would ideally like to have a small but dedicated fanbase that makes a fuck ton of video essays and dissertations about my book. Also they have to be at least 10 years late.

Fantasy or Sci-Fi 

I like the silly things you can do in fantasy. Like immortality and curses and stuff. Idk how to explain it man. Also fantasy outfits are cooler sorry.

Character Description or Setting Description 

I am so bad at settings. Theyre all kinda vague in my head. Characters I’m better at. Also cuz I usually get a visual reference for them so it’s easier to describe them.

First Draft or Final Draft 

If I can get to it, that is.

---

tagging uhhhh anyone who wants to jump in cuz I am become Tired and I cannot do a thought rn. have fun guys :D

This or That Tag

Thanks @verkja for the tag!

Historical or Futuristic

Hm…I prefer to write in a setting that’s loosely based on irl historically-inspired timelines. It serves as a sort of backdrop I can manipulate into an entirely different setting— which works great for writing fantasy. But if I’m reading, I love a futuristic setting.

Opening or Closing Chapter

Okay I love both but an opening chapter sets the stage— it can have so much tension and I love it when a story hits the ground running.

Light and Fluffy or Dark and Gritty

Dark and gritty! Serious undertones and desperate characters and the snap of a lighter in the background? Yes please.

Animal Companion or Found Family

Well, I’ve never written a character with an Animal Companion before, so we’re going with Found Family.

Horror or Romance

Eh, neither. Romance stories really aren’t something I enjoy and Horror may be slightly better, but if I had a choice, I wouldn’t read horror either.

Hard Magic System or Soft Magic System

I like the creative license a soft magic system gives me. I have tried to write a hard magic system but I often box myself in with rules that contradict themselves…so soft magic system it is.

Stand Alone or Series

Cannot for the life of me write a stand alone. The stories always drag on way past the ending I had planned so I usually try to write in trilogies or in interconnected stories.

One Project at a Time or Always Juggling 2+

Oh lord, I wish I wasn’t juggling so many. But my brain refuses to just work on one WIP— always bringing in different ideas, like the jerk it is.

One Award Winner or One Bestseller

If I was ever traditionally published, then I’d have to go with the award winner. I feel like it would be more satisfying, but idk.

Fantasy or Sci-Fi

Fantasy. Yes. That’s all >:D

Character Description or Setting Description

I struggle more with setting description than with describing my characters. I guess I’m worried I’ll bore my readers by over describing the scenery, and so by default writing setting also bores me.

First Draft or Final Draft

Ha it would be great if I could finish either. But yeah, final draft— I can’t think of anything I want more than holding a completed manuscript in my hands.

tagging: @kira-the-whump-enthusiast, @another-whump-sideblog, @whump-queen, @whither-wander-whump— if you want to, no pressure!

[vertebrae-entertainment]

Wow, it sure is late 2022!

A lot of things have happened since the last time we used this blog. We’ve actually been talking about booting this old thing back up for a while, but current events at twitter have really kicked us in the butt.

Here’s a quick list of whats new!:

We have a new project- introducing the UNTITLED FISHING GAME!

We’ve been in the news and on TV!

We have an office now!

Have you tried our game protesting the state of trans healthcare in Norway yet?

We have a couple of free online games out!

Liquid State is back on ice

Read a more in depth update under the cut!

Introducing UNTITLED FISHING GAME!

A 2D fishing action-rpg about life after environmental destruction. Play as a fisherman turned monster hunter, fighting to survive and thrive in the era following the fall of man.

This is our newest project, and we’re very excited about it. Its currently in early alpha, and we’re running semi-regular online playtests on it over in our OFFICIAL DISCORD! (come hang out with us!)

As usual, we’re a queer team making queer games- and this time our project features a gay trans man main character.

At the point of writing, we’re aiming to finish a vertical slice and gauging publisher/funding interest. We’d like to publish this within the next year, but as of yet no definite release date has been planned. We maintain regular development updates on our Twitter, but because of recent events we’re looking for other platforms to get in touch with our audience.

This is definitely the project of ours that’s been getting the most attention media-wise... which brings us to my next point:

We’ve been in the news!

Norwegian state broadcast NRK reached out to us following an office visit from the minister of culture, expressing an interest in our point of view as queer developers making a queer game. This was originally supposed to just be an online article, but quickly turned into us also appearing on TV!

Read here! (Norwegian) // Watch here! (also Norwegian)

In this interview we talk about our new project, express the importance of representation in videogames, as well as have a little chat about our experiences as LGBT+ developers.

But wait! Whats that in the background of those pictures?

We have an office now!

We finally got around to joining Hamar Game Collective, a collection of Hamar, Norway-based game development companies in a shared office space! Here we’re surrounded by a star-studded cast of experienced industry folks with multiple titles under their belt. So far the experience has been lovely- and a bit intimidating!

We planned to set up office here as early as 2017, but various sticks were put in our wheels every time. Now they’re out, and we’re hopefully here to stay. The free access to meeting rooms, coffee, various showcasing opportunities and whiteboards have been especially nice. (I like drawing on the walls, it makes me feel like a caveman.)

ANTIDOTE - We made a RPG-styled critique of transgender healthcare in Norway!

A short 15 minute adventure game about a Hero on a quest to... buy an antidote? Playable in browser and on Windows!

Play it here!

This game was originally made for the YeetRiksenJam, a game jam arranged by the Norwegian queer developer social space Skeive Spillutviklere, in response to our country’s poor treatment of transgender patients. It later managed to land an article in Norwegian digital arts & media journal Subjekt.no!

Free games! What’s up!

Since last we used this blog, we’ve made a couple other of smaller projects that we’ve released for free on various websites! They’re both playable in-browser, and linked below!

Stepping Stone

a short, frustrating 2D-platformer about making sacrifices

Lifeline

1-2 player endless shooter designed around minimal input. bring a friend!

Liquid State is back on ice...

After being rejected for funding multiple years in a row, we eventually ended up in a bit of a situation where we found ourselves extremely discouraged and weary. It ended up being a matter of necessity to switch project, to get some fresh air under our wings and keep the team alive. So far its worked very well, and it was probably the best decision we could have made, given our situation.

Liquid State will remain dormant for a bit, i’m afraid- which saddens us, as we know a lot of you were very much looking forward to this game. Rest assured, we see you- and we’re still making plans for this game! In fact, we frequently talk about it, and we’d love to come back to it at some point!

________________________________________________________________

That’s about it from us for now! There’s of course more that’s happened between everything else, but this was just a post to quickly sum stuff up for the crowd that’s just around for Tumblr. Sort of like a ‘here’s what you need to know!’ type deal. Thanks for sticking around with us for so long, we really appreciate it! We’re hoping to do more posts here going ahead, should time allow it.

Until next time!

-Hauk, games graphics guy at Vertebrae Entertainment