#troubled gay boy of 2022

[genderkoolaid]

holy shit i just found out about the Otherness Archive. its a collection of films by/about transmascs/transmasculinity, with a lot of them free to stream on the site itself. a lot of the videos don't work or aren't available anymore, but some that I've watched:

A Place in Middle (2014): "Eleven-year-old Ho'onani dreams of leading the hula troupe at her inner-city Honolulu school. The only trouble is that the group is just for boys. She's fortunate that her teacher understands first-hand what it's like to be 'in the middle' - the ancient Hawaiian tradition of embracing both male and female spirit. Together they set out to prove that what matters most is to be true to yourself.. This 25 minute film is adapted from the PBS Independent lens feature documentary "Kumu Hina"." (25min, captioned)

Adam (1996): "In this tender clay animation, a little girl is mistaken for a boy and relishes the opportunity. Illuminating the innocence of first sexual experiences and the fluidity of gender identity, ADAM is a delightful reminiscence of childhood. (4min, auto-captioned)

The Misadventures of Pussy Boy Trilogy (2022): "[A] trilogy of short videos subtitled First Love, Sick and First Period, each video's running time is approximately 6 minutes, all videos are animated in a fashion that is very much "do-it-yourself" aesthetic, as told from the point of view of a transgender youth in rural Cape Breton." (5min / 6min (the second video is unavailable), auto-captioned)

Brace (2015): "After coming out and leaving his girlfriend, Adam dreams of finding acceptance within London's gay scene. His burgeoning freedom is soon challenged when he meets Rocky, a handsome stranger who is harboring a secret that he desperately wants to share with Adam. As their bond strengthens and Rocky prepares to reveal his secret to Adam, their fledgling romance is ruptured by a cataclysmic event that forces the truth to come out in the most explosive manner." (24min, no captions)

A Day In The Life of A Bull-Dyke (1995): "A Day In The Life of A Bull-Dyke follows a big boned butcher into skirmishes, drag, and the arms of a beautiful recruit. The public and private lives of this "strange animal" are explored with the reverence and glee found in the educational exposés like Reefer Madness and bad-boy films like Rebel without a Cause. However, because this fictionalized lesbian history is a first-person narrative, it is filled with all the joy, pain, and ambivalence each of us experiences while negotiating a marginalized identity." (10min, no captions although the audio is quite clear)

[raincitygirl76]

I think what frustrated me most in season 3 about the August video plot being wrapped up in the first five minutes wasn’t that August was getting away with it, it was that S2 had specifically created a scenario where he couldn’t get away with it. It had laid groundwork for a plot in S3 that suddenly disappeared, with visible plot holes left behind.

In S1, I wasn’t surprised when August got away with filming and posting the video. Rich, well-connected sex offenders avoid prosecution and public exposure all the time. It felt unjust, particularly because the royal court were protecting a sex offender over his victim who was Kristina’s own child. But I understood exactly why Kristina and the royal court had made those choices, even though I didn’t like said choices. If the video plot had been left there, as it was at the end of 1.06, I wouldn’t have objected. August got away with it, of course he did. That’s just what happens.

But in season 2, the video plot gradually built to a crescendo where it became urgently relevant again and August seemed in genuine danger of prosecution and even prison (both Rickard and Rosh mentioned prison). We saw it from 2.01 onwards, when Wilhelm took every possible opportunity to inflict petty humiliations on August, since he’d been denied real justice.

We saw it in Marcus suddenly taking an interest in Simon. They’d obviously been acquaintances for years, with their moms being friends. And they’re two of the very few out gay boys in Bjardstad. But Marcus never approached Simon romantically until a few weeks after the video was released, and then he approached intensely.

We also saw the video plot building in 2.05 when Wilhelm finally revealed to Simon that August was the perpetrator, and Simon was furious Wilhelm had known this for so long and kept it to himself. Simon felt disgusted and betrayed that his fellow victim of the video had protected the perpetrator. And we saw the difference in attitude between Wilhelm and Simon. Wilhelm pragmatic and cynical, knowing the full machinery of the royal court would gear up to destroy Simon.

Simon determined to press charges and convinced he could somehow hold August to account in spite of the royal court. And the conflict where Simon directly accuses Wilhelm of keeping secrets claiming to protect him, but really protecting himself. And Wilhelm later echoes that accusation in the jubilee speech, although I’m getting ahead of myself.

As of 2.05, on my first watch back in November 2022, I still assumed August would continue to get away with it. August had money and influence, Simon had neither. I already knew how these things so often go in real life. Also, August had Sara, warning him in advance that Simon knew and was planning to press charges. As of the end of 2.05, Simon was planning to go to the police and Wilhelm was doing nothing to warn August or the royal court. I was compelled, but I was also distracted by the curtains scene.

At the beginning of 2.06, we saw August’s desperation, him reaching out to Jan-Olof, and Jan-Olof’s indifference. We could see August starting to panic like a rat in a trap, seeing long delayed justice approaching him. And then August invited Alexander into his room and made his proposal. The rat was no longer panicking, he was fighting back with every weapon at his disposal.

In 2.06, when August and Alexander met Wilhelm at the Society’s party venue, Wilhelm was the one panicking, August had his fear under control again. He used the full force of his personality, and of Alexander’s desire for revenge against Wilhelm, to assure Wilhelm that no matter what he and Simon did, August would slide away from the mess, reputation intact. And Simon would be the one in trouble with the police. A smug August wass back on top of the world, with his twin schemes to discredit Simon and blame Alexander whirring along beautifully.

And then we had the shooting range scene, where devastating secrets came out. In the aftermath, Simon accepted that he couldn’t seek justice from the police without implicating himself for the drugs. For the second time, August had gotten away with his crime. But I was full of questions anyway.

Had August overreached himself by admitting his crime to Alexander? Yeah, Alexander hated Wilhelm, but his arrangement with August wass built on mutual convenience, not loyalty to August. A big question mark for Season 3. Also, nobody at the royal court actually liked August, he was just next in line. If word got out to the media and the public that August was the perpetrator, Kristina & Co. would likely throw him overboard without a second thought.

So throughout 2.06, my mind was awhirl with possibilities. Yes, technically, August seemed to have gotten away with it for a second time, but the video plot had been building since 2.01. I was starting to wonder if August might actually go down for his crime finally. And then Sara pulled out her cell phone and called the police to report a crime, and I yelped so loudly at the TV I scared the cat.

Finally, the crucial payoff for six episodes of build-up. Finally, the police had been involved, and soon after them, I was sure the media would get wind of it. It seemed like the perfect climax to the season, setting up a riveting conflict for S3.

As of the end of 2.06, I wasn’t really expecting August to go to prison for the video, even though both Rosh and Rickard hinted that could happen (earlier in S2). But I was expecting August to be arrested, and probably even charged. I expected the royal court to interfere somewhere along the way and use behind the scenes influence to get the charges dropped. Probably as part of a quid pro quo with August whereby he’d take sole blame for the video. Thus protecting the royal court from the public finding out they had already known it was August.

But I was also expecting the media and the public to be all over August. Once the police were involved (and we’d seen Sara involve them), it seemed impossible to keep it quiet any longer. I was anticipating a scenario where August technically got away with it, but his precious reputation was ruined. And the public was repelled at the idea of making August Wilhelm’s backup. That seemed to be what Lisa was building towards throughout S2. She built up those expectations with every strand of plot laid out in S2.

And then S3 opened with a civil settlement, an NDA, and the police no longer interested. Meaning August had gotten away with it for a third time, even after all the building blocks from S2 that he had finally run out of ways to evade justice. And then it never got mentioned again. Neither was Arnas mentioned, which August presumably had to sell to pay off Simon and Wilhelm.

It all just went away in the first five minutes. All that buildup from S2, wasted. So that is why I disliked the settlement story. Because Lisa spent all of S2 telling one story, then suddenly changed her mind after she’d already laid out all the ground work, reversed, and decided to tell a completely different, much less interesting story.

[patchodraws]

so i’ve been posting a lot lately about paper girls (2022) and it just occurred to me that not everyone actually knows or has watched the show.

SO LET ME AMEND THAT!

paper girls is a 2022 (unfortunately) limited series on prime video featuring four 12 year-old paper girls from small-town ohio who get caught up in a time-spanning war between two rival factions. during this time-travelling journey, they each encounter versions of their future selves in various ways, learning how their lives have gone as they attempt to reckon with who they currently are, who they’ll grow up to be, and how — maybe — they can change that trajectory.

between moments of intense action and lighthearted comedy, the show really shines with its character moments. this is ultimately a coming of age story about erin tieng, tiffany quilkin, kj brandman, and mackenzie “mac” coyle. these four girls each have their own problems to grapple with, and each of them get some really stellar payoff in the series’ first (and only 😭) season, along with some truly and honestly heartwarming or rib-tickling moments of bonding between the group and various pairings within the group.

think stranger things but with a main cast of girls instead of boys and time travel instead of interdimensional monsters. also better, because the show takes the plights of its young protagonists seriously. the 80’s aren’t glorified, the girls face period-appropriate bigotry (while not in abundance, though, thank god), but their futures aren’t always sunshine and rainbows either. they have troubles and feelings that the narrative focuses on and gives proper space for instead of simply sidelining them for the plot, and there’s about an apparent growth over the season but an experience that makes the girls more nuanced and complex fairly immediately than most kid protagonists. god, i seriously can’t get over how good this show is !!

anyways, everyone needs to watch paper girls. amazon unfortunately didn’t renew it, and while legendary is still shopping it around, there’s unfortunately little hope for a continuation (even if it would really only need one season to wrap the story up, if that’s what it needs). that all said, it’s well well worth the investment and an excellent alternative to some other tired series, especially with the strength of its main cast.

I IMPLORE YALL WATCH PAPER GIRLS 😭😭😭

edit: yes there is a gay character who has one of the best on-screen arcs of coming to terms with her own sexuality and an especially beautiful and touching scene of affirmation from a future person. i won’t spoil who it is or what the scene entails but it’s seriously just. so touching and so affirming and beautiful

[pumpkinblossoms]

OK, in the spirit of positivity, here are my top reads of 2022!

A bit in the way of context: I am a librarian, I read a lot, and, for better or for worse, I live and breathe books/publishing buzz/ARCs/etc. The list below is purely based on my own fully biased opinions, though those biases have nothing to do with whether I had early access to a title, a connection to the publisher, etc. and everything to do with whether a book is sad, gory, or gay. And thanks @explosionshark for suggesting I write this up!

DEAD COLLECTIONS by Isaac Fellman: holy fuck was this book good. The whole “trans vampire falling in love and solving a quiet, sad mystery in the archive where he works” angle is catchy, but this is definitely not the fluffy or straightforward story some people are after. I really loved how vampirism is depicted as a life-ruining weakness rather than a cool and sexy superpower. I also really loved the multimedia aspect of including forum posts and TV scripts and listserv chains.

BABEL: AN ARCANE HISTORY by R.F. Kuang: I think some criticisms of this one, like that it’s slow and repetitive and a little didactic, are founded. However, I couldn’t care less. R.F. Kuang excels at unhurried school stories that slowly and brutally dismantle themselves over hundreds and hundreds of pages, and the formula she establishes in the excellent Poppy War trilogy is perfected here. This is what actual dark academia looks like–The Atlas Six could never.

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by Alison Cochrun: I used to read a lot of contemporary romance, specifically f/f romance, but after being burned over and over and over and OVER by bad books I’m incredibly selective about what I read and recommend in this genre. I gave Alison Cochrun a ton of shit for her incredibly mediocre debut, The Charm Offensive, but I am totally willing to say that she’s improved, and this book–while still definitely goofy and even grating at times–was probably the best f/f romance out in 2022 from a major publisher other than Delilah Green (which I read in 2021 and therefore did not include in this list, but also whose sequel sucked so much it honestly made me like the first one less). Do me a favor and don’t even read the back copy because it doesn’t make any fucking sense and will turn you off the book.

THE PALLBEARERS CLUB by Paul Tremblay: hoooo boy. OK. So this one got dismal reviews from the Goodreads crowd, but I believe fully and genuinely in my heart that everybody is wrong about it and should feel bad about how wrong they are. The thing is, Paul’s books are slow and atmospheric (are you sensing a theme to what kind of books I tend to like best) and there are no easy answers or moments of triumph or anything you might be led to expect via publisher-created blurbs or taglines. And going into a book with one expectation and having that expectation remain unmet is one of the quickest and simplest ways to have a bad-faith negative reaction to said book, in my personal experience. Like, could this book have been scarier? Definitely. But I loved it regardless, and I loved that the physical format of the book–Art’s memoiry fiction draft, or fictiony memoir draft, depending on your perspective, plus his best friend Mercy’s commentary written in red in the margins–is the sort of embodied story that I love because it fucking sucks to read on a screen or an ereader. You’re tied to the format, either print or audio (which I hear was well done for this one, though I haven’t heard it myself), and that’s great to me.

THE THOUSAND EYES by A.K. Larkwood: In my opinion this duology is criminally, WOEFULLY underrated. Csorwe is a grumpy butch orc warrior and she spends most of her time getting herself and her terrible frenemies out of trouble and also falling in love with a powerful sorceress. This book is the second one and is gloriously angsty and everyone gets middle-aged and sad and yet they all still pine for one another across time and space. I cried. I’m not sorry. It’s GOOD.

AN ARCHIVE OF BRIGHTNESS by Kelsey Socha: ok, full disclosure, this is my wife’s book, but it came out in August and it’s a lovely group of interwoven weird little gay stories. I would’ve loved it even if I didn’t share a mortgage with the author, I promise. Like, people live in houses made of scorpion corpses. Come on.

Honorable mentions: I didn’t really feel like getting too much into YA here, but I really liked CONFESSIONS OF AN ALLEGED GOOD GIRL by Joya Goffney, which was a really honest and interesting exploration of purity culture and religion; HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART by Jake Maia Arlow, an interfaith winter holiday f/f romance (what a year for holiday romances, sheesh); and HELL FOLLOWED WITH US by Andrew Joseph White, a really gross and sad book that also manages to be incredibly, gleefully YA even as the protagonist morphs into a horrifying monster.

I also didn’t want to mention anything that hasn’t been released yet, so HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix and SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh are both out, even though both were SO GOOD and you should be foaming at the mouth to get your hands on them next year. And lastly, I didn’t think The Locked Tomb series needed any extra hype and if you haven’t picked it up yet it’s not like I’m going to convince you, so I didn’t bother saying anything about NONA THE NINTH although it was really very good.

And finally: I’m currently reading WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY by Sacha Lamb which absolutely fucking rips so far, very much Good Omens meets Spinning Silver, but I haven’t finished it yet so it didn’t seem fair to count. I recommend it based on the first half, though!

PHEW ok that’s it! Send me your recs please!!

[people-are-strange-87]

I posted 62 times in 2022

That's 62 more posts than 2021!

18 posts created (29%)

44 posts reblogged (71%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bloodsoakedtooth

@misslavenderlady

@patient1666074

@xxx-wounded-angel-xxx

@starthelostboys

I tagged 21 of my posts in 2022

#the lost boys 1987 - 12 posts

#tlb 1987 - 12 posts

#the lost boys fanfiction - 9 posts

#the lost boys - 9 posts

#dwayne the lost boys - 7 posts

#poly!lost boys - 6 posts

#the lost boys dwayne - 6 posts

#paul the lost boys - 6 posts

#david the lost boys - 6 posts

#marko the lost boys - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 41 characters

#the things i do for my gay vampire babies

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

David Headcanons

Born as Frederick of Hesse-Darmstadt  on the 21st of December, 1863 in Osnabrück, Germany

Is Max’s nephew (Charles of Hesse-Darmstadt)

Speaks German and English (learnt in that order)

Did not get to choose his name. His uncle chose it for him

Turned into a vampire after the death of his fiancée by Max

24 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

#4

💜Laddie💜

Dream Job - Author

Hobbies - Knitting, Ballet, and Drawing

Dream Travelling - Ukhta, Russia / Naples, Italy / Florence, Italy

Activities with friends - Surfing, Singing, and Dancing

Activities alone - Skateboarding

Favorite sport - Swimming

Favorite TV show - Thundercats

Favorite movie - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Favorite animal - Jaguar

Favorite food - Carrot cake

If he could meet anyone - Emmeline Pankhurst

Free time - Knitting with Dwayne

Goal for 1988 - Learn to communicate better with others

Favorite book - Anna Karenina by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Things that make him happy - Going on rides on the boardwalk with Marko, When Dwayne sings in Komi, Being silly with Paul, Dancing with Star, Pressing flowers with David, Watching Movies with Max, and surfing with Michael

✨ Laddie did a questionnaire at school ✨

30 notes - Posted December 6, 2022

#3

Nicknames The Lost Boys Give Laddie

All

Buddy

Trouble

Tiny

Mini

David

Mausebär

Schnucki

Biene

Paul

Gordito

Peque

Chiquito

Pollito

Mijo

Papi

Marko

Piccolino

Bambi

Bambino

Dwayne

Lev

Bärchen

Grinsebär

Sonnenschein

Herzblatt

88 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

#2

The Lost Boys when somebody hurts their mate:

103 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Nicknames The Boys Would Give You

Marko

Amore

Madre

Caro

Paul

Babe

Pumpkin

Cariña

Dwayne

Sweetheart

Darlin'

Baby

Honey

Angel

Princex

Sunshine

Love

Basically anything but your name

David

Kitten

Cherry

Liebling

Doll

191 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[rudojudo]

Next Episode Trailer

So I figured instead of looking back at the last year, I’d get more out of thinking about my plans for the next one. So here’s everything in the works from me/Rudo Judo Games in 2023! I hate being so transparent about it, but I’d love it if this got shared around a bit for the people who’d be interested.

Giant of Light

This is the big one! My love letter to the modern incarnation of the Ultraman series. This is an adventure game about being someone who either turns into a giant superhero or has access to a portfolio of kaiju. You investigate trouble and when the time comes, the action shifts to a grid-based battle system for the super-sized action. It’s probably 90% written and I want to get some more art for the interior, then it’s out there.

The Hard Way

This one’s less an adoring homage and more a shitpost that came to life. The core concept is playing through an entry in the SAW series, with the intended vibe of the table being friends watching a trashy horror movie with snacks. I thought this one was done, but then I ran a session and realized that it needed refinement, so now I’m refining! Still coming soon, though.

Santa Carla at 4AM

Another joke that possessed me suddenly (shout out to Lil), this is a short, possibly even one-page RPG about being one of the Lost Boys before/outside the narrative of the movie itself. You play as a beautiful, immortal dirtbag looking to amuse themself and help eternity pass faster. Pull big stunts, feed on tourists, get in fights, and most importantly of all, have profound homoerotic tension.

Further Down the Pike

Not projects I’m going to probably get finished this year, but here are the ideas I’m most interested in working on when those three are done:

Free Lunch for Magic Users: in a magical post-apocalypse, players are con-men and odd-jobs using their extremely limited magical powers to make a living. Think Fallout, Cowboy Bebop, and Adventure Time, but starring people on the level of Arataka Reigen or Peter Venkman.

V/H/Essence: play as a movie monster in a world that hates you for existing. Less X-Men, more a thesis statement about being Queer in America. Comes from the fact that almost all the people I know who really, passionately love horror are gay and/or Trans.

Demon Castle Dracula: a team-based game inspired by the Castlevania series. Work together to map the castle, slay the coterie of monsters from world mythology living there, then take on the dark lord and break his curse on the land.

Sentai Squad (working title): each player gets their own team of brightly-colored heroes who work together to defeat monsters, but you’re also making sure that your team is the most beloved, the most famous, and the top seller of merchandise. Maybe being a hero can get a little cutthroat.

Journey to the Quest: an adventure game inspired by Shonen Jump comics like Dragon Ball (not Z) and early One Piece. Play as a heroic child on a quest for greatness, making the world better as you pass through it.

Things That Aren't Games

As though that wasn't plenty. But I do want to try to do more, since hanging all my hopes and dreams on a single hobby/subculture is asking for trouble. But I have three other big goals, things that will probably get priority over a fourth game.

A novel: I have an idea that I've been nurturing for a while and I think it's really coming together. I think I can manage a first draft of a short novel in one year, even working around the games and day job.

A short story submission: this one's a bit fuzzier, but I'd like to have some published fiction I can point to if I'm going to be shopping a novel around for publication, so it makes sense to have more work in print.

Podcasting: I want my games played. I want people to hear how they work and I would love to connect with the massive talents out there in the Actual Play space. So I want me and/or my games to make two appearances on shows this year.

SO! High bar. I know. I didn't get a quarter this much done in 2022. I know I won't do it all unless I really put myself into it, but if I can even come close, this will be my best creative year yet. I hope you can join me.

[hydrangea-bindery]

I posted 70 times in 2022

That's 70 more posts than 2021!

6 posts created (9%)

64 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@renegadepublishing

@agatharights

@sbooksbowm

@greaseonmymouth

@a-gay-old-time

I tagged 48 of my posts in 2022

Only 31% of my posts had no tags

#bookbinding - 43 posts

#inspiration - 32 posts

#fanbinding - 29 posts

#ficbinding - 27 posts

#bookbinding resources - 9 posts

#hydrangea-bindery - 4 posts

#complete - 4 posts

#insipiration - 3 posts

#hydrangea bindery - 2 posts

#booksbooksbooks - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 103 characters

#maybe not interesting or big but i really like the muted color choices with the red of the opening page

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Sorry I haven’t posted any bindings on a while! I’m currently in hospital for a surgery😖😖 but I do want to let you guys know that I now have an Insta, where I post more frequent in-between updates and the like, so please go give me a follow there too! You can find the link in the pinned comment, or on Insta at hydrangea_bindery!

1 note - Posted September 14, 2022

#4

Haha this is silly but I hope you know I really love this blog. I love seeing your projects and I love seeing you reblog other projects. It’s very inspirational and aspirational to me.

No this is not silly at all!!!!! You’re my very first ask!! I always see you reblogging my posts, and it makes me smile. Thank you for telling me that you like the stuff I make, it makes me really really happy to hear that!! I was having a pretty bad morning up until this point, when I saw this, and it made me feel a lot better actually.

And I love your stuff!! I love your Pokemon and Disco Elysium art, especially the animation you made. I think I probably listened to Dancing Queen on repeat for like the next two days, and I think i’ve watched it like three times now? I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you!!! For both your support, and for your amazing art. We’re in this together👏😆

8 notes - Posted December 1, 2022

#3

My next binding! I actually started to work on this one concurrently to Browniefox’s copy of ‘The Haunting of Ryunosuke Naruhodo’, but I didn’t have time, and only just finished recently, and apart from the last signature being too small, I’m really happy with this one! ‘Stay the night with the sinners’ by @bodhirookes is my all time favourite shyan fic, and it’s honestly what got me back into the ghoul boys in the first place, and what finally pushed me to finish watching s7, even more so with the announcement of Watcher! Every line feels like a gut punch in the best way possible, and the world feels fleshed out and truly passionately lived in and you KNOW I love me some angel/demon.

See the full post

44 notes - Posted August 18, 2022

#2

See the full post

67 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

THE CASE OF THE MAN WHO TWO-THIRDS WASN’T THERE • @glisteningceruleaneyes (sorry for not tagging you originally, I didn’t realise you had a tumblr account!!)

Three-and-one-third bodies have been found in an abandoned vehicle on the riverbank.

It would be a challenging case even without the bad weather, weapons smuggling, white nationalists, industrial accidents, and the concept of pedigree dog breeds—but over it all hangs one troubling question: What is it that fascinates you about Kim Kitsuragi? Is it working class camaraderie? A sinister hex of mysterious origin? Did you imprint on him in Martinaise, like an amnesiac duckling? If you don’t figure out what’s going on soon, people are going to start to notice. Especially him. And sooner or later? Everything is related to the case.

See the full post

267 notes - Posted September 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[sinterblackwell]

oscars 2022 (book ver.)

there were a lot of books i read this year, a majority of them ones i really enjoyed. even so, it wasn’t that difficult to put together my top ten favorite reads, but i felt very uncomfortable with not getting to talk about books outside that range that still affected me a great deal. so!! this list helps me with that!!

a booktuber (@/Tori Morrow; highly recommend watching their videos, especially if you’re a big fan of sci-fi/fantasy since that’s majorly what they read and talk about) introduced me to this end-of-year activity where i could talk about these books that still stood out to me, even if they didn’t make it to the top 10. i think having trouble wrangling a certain # of stories into a list when you’ve read up to 135 is pretty valid but yeah!!

let the 2022 oscars (book ver.) commence!!

warning: this post is really long :’)

best supporting actress:

- martha wolf from “self-made boys” by anna-marie mclemore

“People always find something wrong with how much or how little women are doing,” Martha said. “We don’t do as much as they think we should, we’re boring or frigid. If we do more than they think we should, we’re easy or fast. There’s no winning. So I kiss exactly as many or as few girls as i want.”

aka my gay awakening. while she’s not the most major side character in this great gatsby retelling, she still has her lines, and she still has a big effect on the story that jumps the gun at times. as sparse as her scenes were with nicolás and gatsby, when she did show up, she always threw me for a loop because i was crushing on her hard lol (still am). also her voice added to the overall message of the novel set during a time where living loud & lavish was the big move but if you were too loud or too honest, you were a pariah. all the rules & expectations are so muddled in their idiocy that even gatsby complains about it, and he’s the one who appears to live the most lavishly of them all!!

but yeah, martha’s character really stood out to me, and the conversations she had with nicolás specifically were phenomenal so i don’t care if she’s seen as more minor compared to daisy or jordan, she’s my supporting character.

best supporting actor:

- alim from “you made a fool of death with your beauty” by akwaeki emezi

“Imagine that, Feyi. We’re alive, and I love you.”

alim will forever go down in literary history as one of the best romantic heroes to date, and it’s all just in how sincere and beautiful his presence in this story is. the moment feyi first lays her eyes on him, there’s this immediate attraction, which just stirs up a lot of trouble and believe me, there is a big storm coming for sure. but alim’s presence in this story is like a steady hand through those rocky waves and he doesn’t just make feyi feel that rush of feeling alive, he makes her feel comfortable in just getting to be in the quiet of the storm, because she knows he’ll always be right there with her if she lets him.

the connection that he & feyi have together when it came to both of them experiencing grief over a lost partner is incredibly profound, and i just loved so much how in a story that was solely in feyi’s pov, we still got to learn so much about alim and see so much of him. the way his love language isn’t just cooking the most heavenly meals, but through his incredible way with words, and how natural and peaceful it feels having him by your side, he’s such a force to be reckoned with.

i wish i could see more of him & feyi, and i wish their romance could’ve gotten the attention it deserved by making it to the finals in the 2022 goodreads choice awards. it was a big big snub to me, but hopefully to heal some of the wounds, their story being mentioned on my part here gives some attention.

best cinematography:

- “city of speed” by alex london

Drakopolis was like one of those dolls that you opened to find a smaller doll inside, and then a smaller doll inside that one, and on and on. You could live your whole life in the city and still discover strange and terrifying new things inside it every day. It was unsettling, Abel thought, but also a little exciting. It was hard to be bored in Drakopolis.

my reading journey with the battle dragons series is one that feels so epic, and yet it also feels so lonely, because no one ever really talks about this middle grade series, and that breaks my heart.

this cyperpunk fantasy with racing dragons and powerful gangs and such immersive storytelling isn’t on a lot of people’s radar and that feels so wrong to me.

one of the best things about it, and especially with this second book here, is how vivid this world feels, how bright & gritty & expansive it is. this story only takes place in this single city called Drakopolis, but it has such a wide impact that it feels like you’re seeing so much of what the author has to offer. the underground races that are considered illegal, the glittering signs of the city and the black markets that sell a vast range of items—all of it so descriptive in this book here that i could see it so clearly in my head, and i loved it a lot.

i loved how cinematic the story felt, and so sweet, and so for that, that’s why i feel it best deserves the winning praise for this category here. hopefully in the future, more readers can see that as well.

best original screenplay:

- “dark room etiquette” by robin roe

If he’s alive, I’ll read his thoughts. If he’s dead, I’ll summon his ghost. Tell me, Daniel, what present do you want?

The big one.

this category speaks to a story that was crafted in a way that makes it stand out, its structure manipulated so as to mimic the story itself. for this book, the start of it felt so monotonous and as if the main character was living in a bubble that was fit to burst. it felt very reminscent of jake from “the taking of jake livingston” by ryan douglass, which garnered some mixed reviews because of how flat the main character read at the beginning. both ya, one horror & one thriller—what both roe & douglass did with these stories was they wrote their characters like that on purpose so that when the tone of the story did shift, when the characters were forced to react to what was happening to them and to those around them, you as the reader were confronted with their break in reality.

it was astonishing to witness how the authors crafted these characters’ surroundings as a nod to how it may have felt for both of them living in a society that acts so completely fake at times and demands conformity but then when there’s a shift, it’s as if the walls fall all around them.

“dark room etiquette” was such a phenomenal read that deserves so much more praise for its writing and the character work as we observe the three different stages of sader’s life that changes him fundamentally. the way he molds itself when the situation calls for it and is left misshapen because he doesn’t have any real sense of his own identity was just…something else, and it made the last quarter of the book so meaningful once he learned how to try & fit back inside himself. but first, he has to reckon with all the trauma he’s endured as other characters and their traumas are also given a spotlight.

best new author (debut or new to me):

- freydís moon

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” - “with a vengeance”

for this category, i’m cheating just a tad because one of this author’s works is present in my top 10, but i think when your new favorite authors from this year all have a place in your top 10 list, it goes to show how much they deserve to be considered for this category. the reason why i chose this one as the winner here is because i feel i don’t talk about this author nearly enough.

moon’s social media presence (freydísmoon on insta, freydis_moon on twitter) means the world to me as i watch them promote their writing and also open my eyes to a new genre of literature where erotica meets a holiness like no other, and their descriptions of worship as their characters reclaim their bodies for themselves completely takes your breath away. i feel an immense sentimentality for the fact that the characters of exodus 20:3 and with a vengeance are latine, and so the representation is even more powerful because the latine community have our own kind of relationships to the Catholic faith and how our identities can be disconnected from family.

each of moon’s books have such different tones but share similar threads that as a reader, is so completely beautiful because it’s such a versatile experience. with with a vengeance being the one with the most anger & violence, it’s amazing seeing moon release three kings a couple months after, a cozy fantasy set in a small seaside town that has its own power with the forces of magic and exploration of fertility. their writing is like complete chaos but it’s a welcome one that i’m so thankful to have found, and i’m really excited for their new release set to come in early february as i know it’ll be absolutely everything.

best ensemble cast:

- the characters of “fragile remedy” by maria ingrande mora

Keep going, Pixel. Keep going.

i have a very soft spot for this small group who are forced to live out in the Withers, a ravaged wasteland left abandoned after an illness swept through society and tore these characters down into drug-ridden spaces as those with much more power built their own utopia.

while the narrative of the story is mainly told through the eyes of nate, his little found family and the other characters he attaches himself to are bigger than life and make their own home in this dystopian society where it’s every life for themselves. the difference though, is that this group stick together, and in this broken society that leaves others high & dry, sticking together in a group is probably the smartest choice so as to not simply fade away.

there’s one character, specifically, in this ensemble, whose relationship with nate i absolutely adore, and it was such a heartbreaking dynamic that is so unconventional but is a product of how broken this society has gotten. alden & nate’s connection is very significant to me, and is one i’ll never forget; it pains me that not more readers know about these characters at all, but i’m just glad for now i discovered this story the way i did, which was completely by chance.

best book i haven’t read yet:

- “the midnight girls” by alicia jaskinska

i love this category because the pressure i feel to read this book is so strong with how quickly i knew it deserves this spot here.

i really really have to read this book soon. i had the perfect opportunity to read this story of monsters back in october for the halloween season, and if not then, then just reading it during the fall would’ve been fine. but no, now we’re in winter where currently the temperatures are below freezing in my area, and i am barely holding on. i’m certain that with zosia’s comfort in the cold and ice of winter, reading this book in january would be another good opportunity.

whenever i do read this story, i know it’ll be so fun, and so interesting as well because the writing i could already tell is beautiful as hell, and it’s so wicked these characters. i can already feel the anticipation for something guaranteed to be five stars by how good its premise is, so i just need to hop on quick.

best director:

- ryan la sala for “the honeys”

what i like about this category is that “best director” isn’t simply dedicated to an author who had the best writing or whatever. there were a lot of authors i met this year whose stories went in all different directions that took me to some extreme highs & lows, it was mind-numbing as hell. but what this category is really spoken for is when it comes to a certain type of writer who just really took the story to a whole new level that left you completely boggled.

originally, this category felt best directed towards tal bauer with “stars”, whose direction of the story was books in the making and because of that, it felt so much more epic than ever. but since i wanted to exclusively highlight some books that weren’t included in my top 10 favorite reads list, ryan la sala’s debut horror novel was the best contender for this position.

the writing in this ya is so surreal and deadly in its descriptions of an atmospheric setting glowing with light but that is rooted in strange visions and manipulative strings. it’s a compliment i don’t shut up about and never will because the fact that it was so surreal made the direction it went towards in its ending absolutely bonkers, and i still can’t quite wrap my head around it after the two months i’ve read it since.

what i can say is that i very much look forward to more of what this author has planned next in their writing career because it’s clear they have their own visions that on paper will blow readers’ minds, and i’m totally here for it.

best actress:

- mina rahman from “a show for two” by tashie bhuiyan (runner up: cherry neita from “the princess trap” by talia hibbert)

I wish for happiness in whatever form it might be.

tashie bhuiyan has quickly solidified herself to be one of my utmost favorite ya authors because of how much i absolutely adore her main characters. with only two books under her belt, bhuiyan has swept me away with not just some of the sweetest ya romances i’ve ever read, but also some of the most wonderful & hard-hitting narrators that i’ve met. karina from counting down with you meant so much to me when i was reading her story last year in 2021, and now this year i got to read mina’s, and it made me cry just as much as i did last year, if not a little more.

karina’s story filled me with a lot of anxiety because of how much pressure was building on her shoulders due to her desperate need to please her parents who have such high & unattainable expectations for her—and i say unattainable because it means it would cut away at karina’s happiness, and she would have to lose parts of herself in order to make them happy. for mina, she’s much more defiant with her parents, much more poised when it came to holding her head up high against her parents’ disgust of her attitude and just her presence in general. her defiance isn’t one that stems from acting like your usual stubborn & rebellious teenager, but rather one who’s had to grow up way too fast on her own and has had to fight to get what she wants no matter what. her parents have shamed her so much for her dreams and have tried to make her feel stupid for wanting to make it big in film and believing that she does have that chance. to see such a strong character try to beat back against those low expectations but then have moments where they still get so tired, it was incredibly difficult.

i think one of the hardest things about tashie bhuiyan’s stories up to this point is the very very toxic relationship that the main characters have with their parents. the pure shame & disappointment these adult figures hassle on their eldest daughters, even if it’s portrayed in different ways, it is such a heavy & emotional experience to read about. i’ve been made aware how it’s this portrayal that mixes up a lot of readers because of the stigma that it reinforces of how Muslim families interact. i can’t speak on the Muslim representation, i just really connected a lot to karina & mina, and i wished so much for their happiness because i believed so much in them as other characters believed in them, too—what was most important was seeing them get to believe in themselves and their aspirations, and it was a hard journey to get there. i feel very very protective of these characters, and this is one of those instances where i won’t stand for any backlash against them, especially mina, because i’m of the strong belief that they deserve none of it, and that is that on that.

the reason why i added cherry here from the princess trap as like the “runner up” is because she was just such a fun & sweet character that is partly what made my first talia hibbert book such a memorable experience. the way that she’s so confident in herself and her style is what draws the eye of other characters, especially ruben, and i was absolutely obsessed with how obsessed they were with her because she really is that character. her presence in the story was so mystifying but she wasn’t some mirage, this was all her, she was real & she was stunning as hell. she’s very relatable and she’s one of those fictional characters i wish i could have in my life because her voice was absolutely everything, and she’s someone i could genuinely look up to.

it was very important to me to include her in this category because of that.

best actor:

- amastan from “the perfect assassin” by k.a. doore (runner up: reid giordano from “fire season” by k.d. casey)

I choose to believe that your strong sense of justice will prevail among your kind and that you will emerge as their natural leader, even if I cannot believe in what you do.

the funny thing with this one is that at first, reid was immediately my first choice because he was everything!! he was such a brilliant main character who went through such a tough and honest character journey that was so well-developed and he’s still growing!!

but then i thought about amastan from the chronicles of ghadid series, and how my immense love for his voice in the story was enough for me to rate the first book a little higher than i would’ve if he wasn’t the main character. and you want to know something that still blows my mind?? amastan apparently didn’t even exist as a main character in the original draft of this series!!

so yeah, he’s someone that’s stuck with me a lot: and it’s partly because of how he was our first glimpse into this family of cousins who assassinate their targets for the better of their city. i loved his love for history & the way he challenges the idea of what a good assassin is supposed to emulate, and his character in general just hit a sweet spot in my brain that has now had me latch myself to him, and to this world he lives in that made my entire chronicles of ghadid experience such an immersive read.

he has his morals and he wants to believe in the better of others, but he’s still really strict when it comes to crossing that line, and that makes him an absolutely wonderful mentor, as we see in book two. i was really happy to see his pov again in the final book, even if it was pretty brief, but he still had a larger than life role in my heart and in this series. i am very thrilled that it took a random bookstagram post to have given me the opportunity to meet him in the first place.

.

.

.

and that is a wrap!!

[ao3feedzukka-blog]

Forgotten But Not Lost

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43921405 by BlueEyedArcher There was a stranger sleeping under their stairs. Zuko wasn't one to turn a blind eye to a homeless kid, but trouble was the last thing he and Uncle needed here in Ba Sing Se. They just finally settled into their roles and found a rhythm for their day to day routines. Living a mundane life had never really appealed to the former prince before, but he could see the benefits in it in terms of fleeing his father's ire and Azula's dogged pursuit. Stirring the boy awake, Zuko is shocked and alarmed by who it is that had huddled outside of his apartment all night. Confused and in rough shape, Sokka is desperate for answers and aid while stuck in a city he doesn't know. Sokka turns to the one familiar face in the crowded Lower Ring with the fragile hope that he'll find out who he really is.   ----- Sokka has amnesia and that's Zuko's problem now. Feelings ensue. Words: 3386, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Dai Li (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Azula (Avatar), How (Avatar), Long Feng, Hakoda (Avatar), Pao (Avatar), Jin (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: Ba Sing Se, There Is No War In Ba Sing Se, The Dai Li (Avatar), Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Amnesia, Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Memory Loss, Recovery, Sokka is a tea server, Feels, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Domestic Fluff, Mistaken Identity, The Dai Li adopt Sokka, How adopts Sokka and Zuko, Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), iroh adopts sokka, Sokka loses his memories but gains a second family, Long Feng Being an Asshole, Zuko doesn't join the gaang Sokka joins him, Sokka Whump (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Boyfriends, Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling December 29, 2022 at 12:55PM

[bylerschmyler]

Ich habe 625 Mal im Jahr 2022 etwas gepostet

Das sind 625 more posts als 2021!

27 Einträge erstellt (4%)

598 Einträge gerebloggt (96%)

Blogs, die ich am häufigsten gerebloggt habe:

@aemiron-main

@lesbianmindflayer

@dinitride-art

@laozuspo

@wibble-wobbegong

Ich habe 321 meiner Einträge im Jahr 2022 getaggt

Nur 49% meiner Einträge hatten keine Tags

#stranger things – 202 Einträge

#byler – 195 Einträge

#mike wheeler – 160 Einträge

#will byers – 95 Einträge

#stranger things theory – 44 Einträge

#vecna stranger things – 34 Einträge

#stranger things analysis – 29 Einträge

#mike gets vecna’d – 24 Einträge

#st analysis – 18 Einträge

#mike wheeler getting vecnaed – 18 Einträge

Longest Tag: 107 characters

#if they make byler endgame it would be the first meaningful gay couple i have ever seen in mainstream media

Meine Top-Einträge im Jahr 2022:

#5

Still baffles me that in S2 when the Demodogs are outside the byers house Mike is im the most dangerous spot.

In the middle of the hallway.

Accessible from 3 sides.

Away from everyone who can protect him.

Like everyone else is protected or has a weapon.

Dustin by Steve. And Steve has the bat.

Max by Lucas. And Lucas has his wrist rocket.

Lucas and Max are also protected by Hopper who has a Machine gun.

Even Jonathan and Joyce are protected by Nancy who has the rifle.

Mike is the only one without proper protection.

He is so gonna get hurt in S5.

15 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 18. November 2022

#4

Boys don't cry - Mike has to evolve his art

Thanks to the YouTube algorithm Boys don't cry was brought to my attention. I know there are a lot of analysis and theories about it and I am pretty late to that party.

But yesterday I was thinking about instruments in Stranger Things and Mike's Guitar in his room and a probably recently used upright piano in the background of the Wheeler's house (Recently used because it still has music scores on it and I doubt Karen would let those laying around)

It is pretty much in the focus in this shot from S4E7 when they finished interrogating Max and Dustin tells her to come with him. Then the camera tills and boom it is shown to us in this brief moment.

But back to my original thought.

The lyrics of Boys don't Cry fit perfectly for pre S4 Mike who doesn't feel like Will wants to be his friend anymore. I mean

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

19 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 5. November 2022

#3

OMG!!!!!!!

I am just realizing that Chrissy had a Vision every time she tried to get help in fixing her problem.

She had a Vision right after she went to Miss Kelly.

She had a vision right before she met with Eddie in the woods to buy weed.

And her final vision is before Eddie can give her the Special-K.

Her final vision is mere seconds after Eddie told her that the Special-K will kick in pretty quick if she snorts it.

What if Vecna was afraid that the drugs make her "troubles float away" and he doesn't have enough access to her because she is stoned.

You know what else makes your trouble float away? Purple Palm Tree Delight!

AHHH!!!!!

59 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 2. November 2022

#2

The photo between them.

Last shot of stranger things: Mike and Will in a hammock on the beach.

95 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 15. November 2022

Meine #1 des Jahres 2022

Stranger Things Season 4 Finale

Volcanogate?

The fact that the final scene of season 4 is looking a lot like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption keeps me up at night.

I mean….

The clouds

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

247 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 21. Oktober 2022

Hol dir deinen Tumblr-Jahresrückblick 2022 →

[magicalblerdpenn]

I posted 1,595 times in 2022

131 posts created (8%)

1,464 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@localcryptideli

@galaxychorus

@hollabastiongirl

@roxycake

@elphabaforpresidentofgallifrey

I tagged 136 of my posts in 2022

#tp babbles - 56 posts

#youtube - 48 posts

#tp plays - 37 posts

#3ds games - 33 posts

#tp watches anime - 23 posts

#tokusatsu - 11 posts

#persona q2 - 10 posts

#jrpgs - 8 posts

#tales of the abyss - 7 posts

#penn's music musings - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 35 characters

#i ate lasagna & watched sailor moon

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Started watching Revue Starlight for the first time today and this transformation scene + the fight afterwards got me hooked on the series. Who knew that surreal car transformation scene from the Utena movie would be so influential?

19 notes - Posted June 17, 2022

#4

Cool video breaking down Ace Attorney game music

24 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

#3

I've started reading Webtoons again and I wanted to recommend this gay magical boy Webtoon called Magical Boy Troubles. Why?

The premise is creative: Juan's boyfriend Kikyou is a magical boy named Fragrant Rose. Juan is worried that Kikyou is taking on too much by himself, esp. since Kikyou has protected him since elementary school. Juan is unsure how to give back, but can he find the strength to do so anyway?

Juan and Kikyou are main characters worth rooting for because they love and care for each other very much. Also, Juan gets braver as the story progresses and Kikyou is brave when Juan can't be.

Both Juan and Kiyou are unabashedly magical girl genre fans, soft, and emotional when they need and want to be, even if other people make fun of them.

The artwork is vibrant and cute

34 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#2

Watching this clip & then watching the Kamen Rider Jeanne x Aguilera Girls Remix web series has brought me so much joy & reminded me why I love Kamen Rider despite its flaws

35 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

So last night, I finished reading this great Kingdom Hearts fanfic called an "An Unlikely Alliance" by Cait_Sidhe and it's not only a great sequel to another fanfic by them I like, but also ends up being a good alternate take on Kingdom Hearts III. Here's why:

Vanitas learns there is more to him than darkness by defecting from Xehanort and joining up with Sora, Riku, Kairi and the others

Young Xehanort and Replica Riku also defect and get into shenanigans with Sora and the gang

Kairi becomes an even more well written character by learning more her orientation (yay for asexuality rep) while being in a polyamorous relationship with both Riku and Sora. She also fights and does it well.

Sora's mental health journey continues and we see how his darkness impacts his magic and fighting abilities.

More world exploring shenanigans

People learn to ask whether a bunch of traumatized teenagers actually want to participate in the battle against Xehanort instead of assuming they'll just go along with it.

58 notes - Posted January 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fivedollarradio]

I posted 1,783 times in 2022

788 posts created (44%)

995 posts reblogged (56%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hard-yearned-wisdom

@a-froger-epic

@freddie-mercury-rising

@idontknowhowthisworked

@quotespile

I tagged 639 of my posts in 2022

#freddie mercury - 252 posts

#brian may - 27 posts

#jim hutton - 19 posts

#peter tork - 14 posts

#new to me - 13 posts

#roger taylor - 13 posts

#queen - 10 posts

#freddie's boyfriends - 8 posts

#rip - 6 posts

#cutie - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 125 characters

#and i'm going to keep posting pictures of my hands holding things until you all see the entirety of my nail polish collection

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Marc Almond on clubbing with Freddie Mercury:

“I went down to Heaven nightclub, and Freddie was there. And he came over to me and said: ‘Cheer up, girl! You always look so bloody miserable, dressing in black and writing all these miserable songs. Come with me, girl. We’re gonna go for a dance.’ And he threw me over his shoulder and carried me on to the dance floor.”

I know all stories about Freddie are apocryphal, but I really want this to have happened exactly like this, with Freddie heaving Marc over his shoulder. (Well according to Phoebe, he did like to pick people up, literally.)

And on Bowie:

I wonder how he felt when Bowie recanted his claims of being bisexual in the early 80s. “Oh, I never really thought he was,” he says. “Bowie was an artistic free spirit and he probably did dabble a bit. It was the saying it that was great; no one had ever said that before.”

I agree with this, and what writer Simon Reynolds has said about Bowie walking back being bisexual. He’s important to LGBT culture, sure, but I think fans need him to be a bi icon more than he was one.

link

18 notes - Posted May 14, 2022

#4

Freddie deserves a better biography. Not another Lesley Jones book or any of the cobbled together “journalist” penned bios, but something sensitively written that could introduce him to new fans in a proper way. A while ago I went looking for a particular book about Bowie, and even in my branch library, there was an entire shelf devoted to him. Freddie? Lesley Jones’s book was there, and the one Mark Blake book about Queen, but that was it. It’s baffling that there isn’t anything better. The best ones, of course, are the memoirs written by Jim and Phoebe and a few others who knew him, but they’re hard to find (I have an e-book of the Minns book and link to Jim’s in a PDF file that I can no longer find), and the language in them is dated. And even those feel... incomplete? 

One of my favorite bands for the past twenty years is the Replacements. I know American indie bands of the 80s have little presence here, but I spent an inordinate of my time and dedication to a band that a whole lot of people haven’t heard of. But in 2016, Bob Mehr wrote a really excellent bio of them called Trouble Boys. Before that there was a middling “oral history,” one photo collection and a documentary about their fans. For a band that stayed a “cult” favorite, that’s more than I could have asked for. That no one can seem to get an artist as big as Freddie right is really unfair.

24 notes - Posted January 26, 2022

#3

The reason why Mary’s comments that Freddie “saved her” from getting AIDS by leaving her sounds selfish either way it’s interpreted is that she, a woman, and straight woman at that isn’t “supposed to get AIDS,” as was the prevailing narrative at the time. “Innocent victims” were children and women with closeted partners who were HIV-positive. Gay men, IV drug users were “asking for it” with their “risky behavior.” Casual bigotry is still bigotry. Generational context can only take you so far.

27 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

#2

Image of Phoebe shopping at the cosmetic counter for Queen’s makeup. “I said vital beige, not soft beige!”

32 notes - Posted January 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Now, I’m not a barbarian. If I am entering the home of someone from a culture in which wearing street shoes inside is a sign of disrespect, or if my shoes are covered in snow, mud, blood, condiments of any sort, lava, excrement, concrete dust, or biomedical hazardous waste, I’m of course going to take them off. And I don’t really need to be told to do so.

But barring shoes outright just to keep your floors clean is bringing a gun to a pillow fight. Turns out there’s already an effective old-fashioned way to achieve your goal of a clean floor while neither insulting my hygiene habits nor endangering my delicate, vulnerable, long-suffering feet: It’s called a doormat.

How sensitive of you to acknowledge different cultural values, but don’t wear shoes in someone’s home if they ask you to remove them because IT’S NOT YOUR HOUSE. Your delicate. long-suffering feet? Seriously? Baby.

44 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[dangergays]

I posted 3,317 times in 2022

That's 895 more posts than 2021!

1,668 posts created (50%)

1,649 posts reblogged (50%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@batz-zzz

@cottagecorexboy

@dangergays

@elytrians

@phantomofthelibrary

I tagged 2,724 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#shut up lucas - 1,810 posts

#lucas.asks 💌 - 902 posts

#benji wenji - 502 posts

#mars bars - 251 posts

#mac shack - 249 posts

#lucas.ocs 💫 - 157 posts

#lucas.yearning 💞 - 117 posts

#lucas.d&d🌕 - 117 posts

#benjamin wenjamin - 114 posts

#lucas.redacted 🪐 - 86 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#it baffles me that some people don't know how much i love percy jackson??to be fair i dont talk about it much but fuck i love percy jackson

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

i love all of shakespeares gay little subplots. like yes bae give hamlet that line about kissing men. give him that close homoerotic relationship with horatio. give ophelia that bisexual girlboss energy. give mercutio that relationship with benvolio and then make him die tragically in his boyfriends arms. give macbeth that bi wife energy. give those three witches so much fucking gender

546 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

#4

thinkin about how looking into a vamp's eyes is probably a big sign of trust

and how darlin' probably took a long time before they really looked into sam's eyes

and how lovely probably had trouble holding eye contact with vincent (or anyone, for that matter) after their time with adam

and how sam still doesn't trust alexis enough to look her in the eye when they cross paths

just. thinkin about vamps bein soft when their partners look at them because it means that they trust them and they love them and. hhhnnnggngn

800 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

#3

i am suffering from severe boy cuddle deprivation rn i need some pretty boys to come and cuddle me right this second and maybe also play with my hair and give me kisses

1,108 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

#2

god i love boys. i love holding and kissing boys. i wanna hold a boys hands and see him blush. i wanna make a boy flustered so he gets embarrassed and trips over his words. i wanna look at a boy and tell him i love him just to see him light up. i wanna hold a boys face in my hands and look him in his pretty eyes and kiss him on the nose to make him giggle. i wanna cuddle a boy while watching his favorite movie and listen to him tell me little trivia about it and then watch him smile and get excited when i ask him questions about it. i wanna hold his hand and kiss his cheek and UGH I FUCKING LOVE BOYS

(edit: this is about gay boys. this is about me wanting to kiss boys as another boy. not strictly mlm/nblm only BUT str8s r on thin fucking ice)

1,169 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

we all know about the red and blue gays what about the sun and moon gays. sunshine and dark goth gays. gays fucking love celestial aesthetics i am living proof

1,247 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[your-mom-friend]

I posted 2,816 times in 2022

That's 1,549 more posts than 2021!

190 posts created (7%)

2,626 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theonlythingimfuckingisstupid

@identitycrisis-electricboogaloo

@passion8alot

@obsidiancreates

@guardianrex

I tagged 643 of my posts in 2022

#rem rambles - 184 posts

#tma - 49 posts

#the magnus archives - 43 posts

#ask and ye shall receive - 17 posts

#tma s5 - 16 posts

#tma s5 spoilers - 15 posts

#wtnv - 15 posts

#tma s4 spoilers - 14 posts

#family stuff - 14 posts

#tma s4 - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#but this was too good of a point and “gay sex will always be a stronger force in the world than transphobia” is too excellent to not reblog

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Jon facing the entities: hey there demons, it’s me, ya boy

Jon showing up in people’s nightmares: hey there boys, it’s me, ya demon

Jon becoming The Archivist: Hey there me, it’s ya demon boy

957 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

#4

So in love with the idea that very few of the ghosts actually want to attack or hurt anyone and are kind of their as glorified personal trainers for Danny.

Like this newly formed half-ghost child is insanely powerful and no one understands why but what they DO know it that ghosts shouldn't go withhout using their powers for very long or it causes problems so they all show up to Amity to cause problems so that Phantom has a way to actually use and train with his ghost powers and release energy before he explodes or something.

And all his villains are so tired like god damn the kid has a new power one of you go handle it.

And after he defeats Pariah Dark and is technically in line to be the new Ghost King when he dies, his villains become INVESTED in making sure he lives as long as physically possible because no one knows how an untrained, over powered teenager is going to use the powers that seemingly show up at random.

And it is BECAUSE he is a child that they don't use his civilian identity against him because come on the kid does not need us outing him to his parents when they might KILL HIM (yes I'm aware they wouldn't but the ghosts don't know that)

I've seen this or a version of this covered in a BUNCH of fics (can't remember which ones so if you do feel free to mention them)

Idk just, the concep of Ghost Children being valued and protected as well as Phantom's Rogues Gallery just being there to make sure his powers don't blow his city off the map

1,476 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

#3

me going from social to social documenting how the different environments are reacting to a drastic unexpected change to the internet landscape that they cohabit:

1,717 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

#2

Ah yes, Jonathan Sims. He plays many famous and fantastic characters. Namely Jon Jonny and John

2,181 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

No but like one of the BEST tropes in fanfiction is definitely "local Hero's community definitely knows their identity but refuse to say anything" it's hilarious. Particularly when the hero is young, like Danny Phantom or Spiderman or Merlin.

This is ESPECIALLY true when the characters kinda just come together to make life easier for the hero

Like Amity Park having collective amnesia over anything Phantom related whenever the GIW come around, or the residents of Queens learning self defence so they can handle some petty crime so that Spiderman has time to actually do his homework, or servants and knights in Camelot making up excuses for Merlin or taking over some chores so he doesn't get in trouble

Any attempt to out the hero is quashed immediately on pain of total social ostracisation

Just give me people protecting the local teenage hero because god damn it he's doing good and he doesn't deserve all the shit he's getting

2,640 notes - Posted March 31, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[hiisheart]

( happy pride fellas !!!!!!! here's ur reminder that mike is Not Straight™, a very queer guy who has a very strong preference for dating men !!!!!! and me, the mun, is a very, very proud bisexual genderfuck transmasc guy!!! also, something that's been on my mind for this pride month & is very important to me in particular is that one tweet that's been going around saying that there should be less of a 'love is love' vibe and more of a 'trans & queer people are in danger' vibe. as much as i want this month to give us the space to celebrate and be proud in our identities and who we are and who we love, the second part of that also definitely rings very true. last year, in 2023, over 500 anti-lgbtq+ bills were introduced all across america - the country i live in - and so far this year the number appears to be about the same, and it's only june. and, iirc, rates of hate crimes have also increased - recall the 2022 club q shooting in colorado springs, armed civilians showing up at drag queen story hours to intimidate patrons, the tossing of fucking molotov cocktails into gay bars. this problem is not unique to america - anti-lgbtq+ sentiment has unfortunately been seemingly normalized and been growing these past few years in a lot of western countries who are touted as progressive for queer rights in particular. there's also been a troubling rise in hateful rhetoric with little to no consequences - remember that video of m*chael kn*wels saying that the only way for there to be a sane america moving forward is to completely eradicate transgenderism entirely? if that shit isn't a genocidal statement, then i don't know what the fuck is. like, mf stood up and said that shit to thunderous applause at CPAC (iirc). what consequences came about, might you ask? none (at least as far as i know). this shit is fucking dangerous. this rhetoric mobilizes & radicalizes people to do violence. basically, my point here is that pride month is and definitely can be a celebration - watch me fucking flaunt the streets at pride with my fucking 'proud boys club' flag and every little piece of rainbow garb i have sitting around my room here in my apartment - but it's also a protest. it started with a riot. and i ask us who plan to celebrate, especially the allies among us, to carry that in your hearts as you celebrate. and, another note to any non-queer allies who may be reading this - be sure to be loud and unapologetic about your support for our community, but don't drown out the voices of people in the community. make sure you keep your listening ears on!! anyways, that's my spiel for now. happy fucking pride, we all deserve it, i love you all <33333 )

[worldofwardcraft]

That boy's in a heap o' trouble.

July 10, 2023

Elected in 2022 from New York's 3rd district, openly gay congressman and sometime drag queen George Santos (pictured above no longer in the dog business) seems to have built his political career, not to mention his entire life, on a foundation of flimsy lies and flagrant crimes. However, since he's now facing at least five criminal investigations, the proverbial poultry are returning to the hencoop.

Santos's calling as a crook began in his native Brazil, where he was formally charged in his late teens with forging stolen checks in order to buy clothes. Fleeing the country, he landed in the US, where his talent for check finagling got him charged in 2017 with using thousands of dollars in bogus checks to buy puppies from Pennsylvania dog breeders. The case got dismissed when he claimed someone had stolen his checkbook. But Santos soon discovered that politics was a far more lucrative field for the feloniously inclined.

To get elected to Congress, Santos fabricated an entire life story and job résumé with which to hoodwink the voters of Long Island. Here's the Associated Press.

He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

But now the law's catching up with him. In May, federal prosecutors hailed Santos into court where he pleaded not guilty to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos stands accused of a variety of offenses, including deceiving donors and stealing from his campaign by diverting its funds to pay for personal expenses like designer clothes and credit cards. Also, lying to Congress about his finances and obtaining unemployment benefits while receiving $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm which the SEC later shut down, calling it a "classic Ponzi scheme." Again, from the AP.

In a House financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges…allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Altogether, these charges could fetch this GOPer scofflaw up to 20 years behind bars if convicted. Which appears highly likely since prosecutors say they have more than 80,000 pages of evidence against him. In case you're wondering, the legal term for Santos's situation is "deep doo-doo."