#which is decked in rainbow colours and flags

[peaklesbian-look]

.

[noxgold]

The Pride of S.T.A.R.S.

Raccoon City has declared that it was holding its first ever Pride Parade, and a group of friends decide to go together. Chris/Albert, minor Claire/Jill & Rita/Forest - Rated T. AO3 link

~

Chris resisted the urge to squirm in place as Claire carefully brushed the make-up over his cheeks, leaving stripes of purple behind as she went. It was the last finishing touch before she was done, and he had to admit, he was antsy to get going. Raccoon City had declared that it was holding its first ever Pride Parade, and it hadn't taken Jill long to convince them to go together. 

“All done!” Claire's cheerful chirp had him grinning back, careful not to smudge the flag she had etched across each cheekbone in glittery eyeshadow. His little sister was dressed down due to the June heat in dark blue jean shorts, a purple tank top bedazzled with a pink glittery heart, and her hair tied back in a messy bun with a bisexual flag bandanna keeping any stray wisps back off her face. 

Gesturing for Chris to go check himself out in the hallway mirror, Claire ducked past to grab her bag and put on her shoes by the door. The sight of worn black jeans and his grey FREE BEAR HUGS shirt was familiar, along with the rainbow beaded necklace. But what caught and held his eyes were the differing flags on each cheek. On his left cheek soared the six stripes of the rainbow flag, as bright and joyous as any real rainbow. But what really held him was his right cheekbone, four defiant bands of black, grey, white, and purple shimmering in the hallway light. 

That was him. His flags, the confirmation that he belonged, that there was more than just him that felt this way. As he stood there, caught by the mirror, Claire quietly approached him, hand slipped into his to offer a gentle squeeze. “Are you ready to go?”

Casting one long lingering look at his reflection, Chris nodded, still holding his sister’s hand in his. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s get this show on the road.” 

Raccoon Street was a riot of noise and colour, voices singing and chanting as the parade slowly marched on. They had managed to find a parking spot a few streets over, and were now hovering near the corner of Filbert Street across from the zoo as they waited for the rest of the group to arrive. 

Peering over the heads of the crowd, Chris squinted through the sunlight for any sign of his friends as he tapped his fingers against his jeans. The parade was going to start in less than 20 minutes but the place was already swarmed, and he had already given out more hugs than he could count. Apparently, free bear hugs were a siren song none could ignore. 

“Hey, Claire Cakes! Over here!”

Head turning at the familiar sound of Jill’s voice calling to his sister, laughter spilled out at the sight of Jill elbowing her way through the crowd, Rebecca tagging closely behind. Both of them had somehow managed to find a stand selling slushies and hotdogs, with Jill dual-wielding the food in each hand. 

Jill had somehow managed to scrounge up a lesbian flag temporary tattoo for her bicep and a tank top reading Rock Paper Scissors in shades of pink, orange, and red, which Chris didn’t quite get but judging from Jill’s smirk, he very much didn’t want to ask. Behind her, Rebecca was decked out in a short blue dress decorated in bright pink and yellow flowers, along with a matching sun hat with a little pansexual flag sticking out of it.

Rebecca's smile was glowing as she ducked around Jill, glitter sprinkled across her cheekbones like freckles. “Free Bear Hugs? Don't mind if I do.” Passing her neon pink slushie off to Claire, it only took a simple raise of her arms for Chris to sweep her up into a hug. Rebecca’s laugh was like the ringing of bells in his ears, her hands clutching his shoulders as he gave in to the urge to pick her up and squish her in his arms. Offering her one last squeeze before gently dropping her back down on her feet, Chris’ answering grin was wide enough to make his cheeks ache.

As soon as Rebecca was clear, Jill was bounding forwards, handing her hotdogs off to Claire with a “Oh, me next! Hold this for me, babe,” before launching herself forwards into Chris’ arms. The force had him moving with the momentum, using it to whip Jill around in a dizzying spin as she cackled madly in his arms. 

He wasn’t sure which of them were more dizzy when he finally set her down, Jill stumbling for a moment before turning back to Claire to retrieve her food. Only to find his sister with her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s, and one of the hotdogs with a significant bite missing from it. “My hotdog! Treason! Betrayal!” 

Claire’s eyes sparkled with laughter as she ducked away from the swatting hands of Jill, furiously chewing through her pilfered snack. “You're not meant to keep eating it! Claire!”

“You would think by now, she would know better than to hand food to a Redfield and expect to get it back.”

The quietly amused voice from behind him had Chris jumping, spinning on his heel away from the sight of Jill chasing around her gleeful girlfriend. “Captain!”

His captain was dressed in his ever present sunglasses, having donned casual slacks and a button up shirt for the event, the only concession to the heat were the sleeves rolled up to his biceps. The only sign that Albert even knew he was at a pride festival were the woven cuffs wrapped around each wrist. The one on his right side was laced in the same shade of blue yellow and pink as Rebecca's dress, while one on his right boasted shades of black, grey, white, and two differing hues of green, the aromantic to Chris’ asexual.

The responding glance was gently chiding, a pale hand gesturing out at the people clustering around them. “I'm not on duty today, Christopher.”

“Albert.” The man’s name was sweet as honey on his lips, a litany of unspoken confessions. There had always been respect and admiration between them, but recently something soft and tender had nestled behind Chris’ ribs. A feeling unnamed and unsure of its welcome. He had never felt this way before for anyone, and struggled to explain exactly the hows and the whys. Only that being around Albert made him happy. 

He had never found the courage to confront it, to express to Albert his interest, unsure that they would even be compatible romantically or sexually. Sex had never been an interest of his, even during puberty when he figured out that he only thought about other men when the topic came up. He never understood the attraction or the way his peers had spoken about the things they wanted to do with each other. Whenever he thought about touch, it always came back to the idea of snuggling on the couch and exchanging kisses, nothing more. Chris only ever wanted the romance of a partner, but now it was clear that Albert didn’t. Was there even a chance?

But if he never tried, there was no chance at all. 

Jill’s whoop of victory washed over him as she paraded past, Claire swept up in her arms and still holding on to that last hotdog for dear life. At some point Marvin, Rita, and Forest had finally joined them, a gay flag wrapped around Marvin’s shoulders like a cape. Rita’s short hair had been coloured in shades of blue, pink, and purple to match her skirt, while Forest stood nearby in support of his girlfriend as they laughed at the sight. 

All the sights and sounds sweeping around him like a summer storm, yet all Chris could focus on was Albert. Rebecca was calling for them as the parade was starting, and he should say something, yet his brain wouldn’t work, and his mouth couldn’t move, and,

Oh.

Albert’s lips were warm against his, soft yet firm. A hand cupping his cheek to hold him still, thumb brushing against the purple streaks as Albert slightly pulled away with a quirk of his smile. “I can hear your brain overheating, Chris.”

His poor aforementioned brain seemed to finally get with the program, churning out enough words for them to get tangled on his tongue in the confusion. “You- I-?.” 

Albert’s chuckle made his breath catch, offering one last stroke of his cheek before finally stepping back. “You’re not as discreet as you thought you were. I’ve been interested in you for awhile but you seemed oblivious to my attention. So I decided to go with a more overt plan of attack.”

Chris mentally scrambled through his memories, hunting for any signs that he could have missed that Albert was actually interested in him that way. “Really?”

“Really. Now, I believe we should catch up with our friends and prevent poor Marvin from being swarmed. And afterwards, you and I can return to my place and discuss how this could work in depth. Okay?”

Right, yeah. They can do that. Have a responsible discussion like adults about wants and boundaries. But for now, all Chris had to do was accept Albert’s hand and follow him once more into the breach. “Yes, Captain.”

[philza-updates]

Winners’ POV screenie! (Not really, but at least they all got to wear crowns in the end)

Philza was part of the Pink Parrrots group screenie for subbing in to replace Wilbur mid-event. The Pink Parrots ended up in 3rd place by 2 points, but ended up with the winning crown due to the final 21 v 20 dodgebolt, including Philza, in which they were on the Aqua Axolotls and won!

[Image ID:

A Minecraft group screenie featuring the 5 members of the MCC Pride 2021 Pink Parrots. From left to right are SolidarityGaming, Grian, WilburSoot, Technoblade and Ph1LzA. They are decked out in various pieces of clothing and flags in rainbow colours. Each of them has a large crown on their heads, with a rainbow stripe along the bottom of the crown. Their names are an aqua colour with an aqua axolotl head to the left of their names to show their team affiliation, which was changed to Aqua Axolotls for the final 21 v 20 dodgebolt. The five of them are standing at the entrance to the MCC lobby, with many people on the dance floor behind them.

End ID]

[technoblade-updates]

Technoblade ended up in 3rd place individually and in teams this MCC!

[Image ID:

A cropped screenshot of the mcc.live website, showing the Pink Parrots in third place with 22765 coins.

End ID]

[Image ID:

A cropped screenshot of Technoblade's MCC Pride 2021 info box. It shows his team, which is Pink Parrots, and his individual 3925 event coins, which put him in 3rd place individually. Underneath are his lifetime coins, which are at 36192

End ID]

Here is the end of event group screenie of the 5 members Pink Parrots, including Philza who subbed in for Wilbur for Battlebox while Wilbur figured out what set off his fire alarm.

[Image ID:

A Minecraft group screenie featuring the 5 members of the MCC Pride 2021 Pink Parrots. From left to right are SolidarityGaming, Grian, WilburSoot, Technoblade and Ph1LzA. They are decked out in various pieces of clothing and flags in rainbow colours. Each of them has a large crown on their heads, with a rainbow stripe along the bottom of the crown. Their names are an aqua colour with an aqua axolotl head to the left of their names to show their team affiliation, which was changed to Aqua Axolotls for the final 21 v 20 dodgebolt. The five of them are standing at the entrance to the MCC lobby, with many people on the dance floor behind them.

End ID ]

[emilywaters]

2021 Pride Month Oneshots - Day 2

30 Queer Oneshots in honour of pride month

Day 2 - Theyna

Ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/31699466

Wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/story/272023303-2021-pride-month-oneshots

Summary - Reyna is sick. There is a pride parade. Thalia is a bad cook. Thalia makes hot chocolate.

this is very low quality I wrote this at 2am sue me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Which fucking god decided that today was the perfect day to make me sick? I have gone through a war without getting sick, but now I'm stuck in bed for the most important event of the year because of the flu?!"

Thalia smiled, listening to her girlfriend rant. After the second giant war, both camps got together every year and hosted a pride event on June second. Demigods from all over the world came to the event, and some of the gods attended too. Unfortunately, this year Reyna got a bad cold the day before. She had been determined to go anyways, but the cold worsened, making her too weak to get out of bed, much less go to the festival. Reyna told Thalia to go without her, but she firmly declined.

Thalia poured her girlfriend a cup of tea and returned to the bedroom. Reyna was lying in bed, exhausted from her rant. It was rare to see the praetor so vulnerable. Reyna usually put up a strong front, an unmovable wall of confidence and determination. But now, she looked strangely defenceless, curled up into a ball shivering from the fever.

Thalia sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing the hair off the brunette's eyes. Reyna mustered a smile, sitting up to drink the tea. They sat in a comfortable silence until Reyna spoke.

"I'm sorry you have to stay with me today, instead of going to Camp Half-blood," She said, her voice rough from sleep and sickness. "You really should go. I'll be fine."

Thalia frowned, "I'm not going, and you don't have to be sorry." She brushed her finger over Reyna's cheek, "I'm your girlfriend. I want to spend time with you, even when you're a sniffling, shivering blanket cocoon."

"It's a burrito, not a cocoon," Reyna corrected, giggling.

"You've been spending too much time with Nico." Thalia snapped her fingers, "Oh right. He asked me to send an IM when you felt better so we could see the festival."

Reyna buried herself deeper into the duvet, "Go ahead. I want to see if Camp Jupiter won the decoration contest again this year."

Thalia rolled her eyes, creating a mist cloud and fishing around for a drachma. "We have Nico and Will. They are living rainbows. There's no way Camp Halfblood is losing."

Reyna stuck out her tongue, "Keep dreaming, babe."

"Do you deny that Nico is an absolute gay icon?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that Camp Jupiter is going to win the float decoration contest."

They continued their friendly squabbling as the IM connected. A misty image of Nico and Will making out formed in front of the bed.

"Eww, get a room, you two," Thalia grimaced.

"It's your fault for IMing me," Nico argued, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

"Hey, Will," Reyna greeted the blonde.

"Hey, Reyna. How are you feeling?" The blonde smiled happily, putting his arm around his boyfriend, who was yelling something in Italian at his cousin.

Both boys wear decked in pride colours, the only time Reyna saw Nico wear any colour other than black. They had rainbow flags hanging from their shoulder as capes. Reyna could see other demigods strolling around in the background, laughing and chattering excitedly.

Nico finally seemed to notice Reyna, "Hey Reyna." His eyes sparked, "Before you ask, according to the leaderboard, Camp Halfblood is in the lead for the competition."

Reyna groaned as Thalia whooped. At the pride festival every year, the demigods voted best-decorated float. Neither camp had managed a running streak. Reyna had hoped that this year Camp Jupiter would win, earning them a two-year streak. But seeing how things are going now, she was sure Camp Halfblood would win.

Nico toured them through the festival, excitedly pointing out the parts that had been Will's ideas. At one point, they saw Leo run off in the direction of the lake, screaming, "RAINBOW FLAMETHOWERS MOTHERFUCKER." Not long after, an annoyed Calypso approached them requesting the location of a particular burnt chicken nugget.

Thalia noticed Reyna trying to yawn discreetly. The sick praetor was probably tired, so they said goodbye and cut the connection.

Reyna flopped backwards with a happy sigh, "I'm suddenly craving those rainbow crepes they had last year." Thalia immediately got up. "Thals don't you dare!" Reyna grabbed her girlfriend's hand and pulled her back. "Last time you tried to cook, you caused a blackout in New Rome."

Thalia pouted, "It was one time," she protested, "I'll be super careful! Please? I want to make something nice for you."

"Fine, if you're so adamant about making me something, I want a hot chocolate." Reyna kissed her cheek and let go. "And I want extra unicorn marshmallows."

Thalia gave a thumbs up and darted into the kitchen to make a cup of hot chocolate. Reyna smiled happily at her girlfriend. Thalia was an awful cook, so Reyna always cooked for them, which is why Thalia loved it when Reyna was unable to cook. It was a new chance for her to prove that her cooking skills had improved. Nine times out of 10, the attempt would end in disaster, but it was adorable to see her so focused and excited.

Reyna awoke to the heavenly smell of hot chocolate and the soft comfort of an arm draped over her. She ran her fingers through Thalia's soft hair as the girl snored gently, lying face down beside her.

Reyna picked up her mug from the side table. Thalia shifted in her sleep, moving her head to Reyna's chest, and the daughter of Bellona mindlessly resumed combing her hair.

Reyna sipped her drink, noticing the half-melted unicorn marshmallows with an affectionate smile. There was a scuffle at the door, and Arum and Argentum trotted in. Thalia had barred the dogs from entering because Reyna needed rest, but now that the daughter of Zeus was safely asleep, the dogs climbed onto the bed, snuggling with the two girls.

Today was not the celebration she had planned, but she felt a sense of peace, lying in bed, sipping hot chocolate, cuddling her amazing girlfriend and dogs.

'I could get used to this,' Reyna thought, sleepily placing her drink on the bedside table. She pulled Thalia closer and drifted off to sleep.

[thecatprince]

I saw the new Logan in a Skirt pics and was inspired to make a school librarian!Logan au so here we are!!

Logan is gentle but firm. His library means his rules, which means no defacing or dogtagging the books (he provides free bookmarks at the desk for kids to use) and absolutely no discrimination under his watch. Everyone is welcome in his library, but the minute someone makes it unsafe for any other kid they are banned from the library for the rest of the term and given a very stern talking to from him.

Because of his strict no bullshit/discrimination policy he becomes a sort of parental/friend/mentor figure for many young kids (especially queer ones because he is very openly gay) who have been bullied or faced discrimination. He will allow those kids into his library at lunch and recess and free periods and let them hang out or talk with him or study and escape from the harshness of other people.

He has a little room off to the side of his library which is a very sensory friendly room, with stim toys and stuffies and blankets and soundproofing to help neurodivergent kids when they are experiencing sensory overload and want a safe space to calm down. It is also a safe space for any kid who is having a panic attack or a breakdown to go for a bit to calm down if they want to. His calm demeanor is very soothing and comforting for many struggling students.

He has a whole section of his library dedicated to queer books, and he always tries to get books that are written by people of colour, disabled people, LGBT+ people and other marginalised groups to help share their stories and raise their voices.

He also has a whole nonfiction section dedicated to matters like racism and other discrimination to help educate people. He will always patiently explain issues like that to help educate people who ask, but only if you are polite, respectful and genuine in your asking. He is constantly making an effort to learn about those matters himself.

He also has many nonfiction books about different religions and LGBT+ identities and cultures to help educate students and himself.

Logan has many posters on Black Lives Matter and how to be a better ally to the black community, as well as other communities, like the LGBT+ community. He has many small pride flags around his library, including a gay pin he always wears, and during Pride month he decked the library out in the big pride flags and wore a different rainbow/pride tie and pride socks for every day of the month.

Logan will always listen to any kid who wants to rant about their favourite books, and has a list of his favourite books up in the library. Sometimes someone will read/like one of his favourite books and that always leads to fun discussions about the book.

He has students come in and talk to him during lunchtime and stuff and fill them in on their life and favourite books and stuff like that. He is a friend to so many kids and will always be willing to listen to them.

Many queer kids will come out to him before they come out to anyone else. He is always accepting of them and validates them, and if in the rare case there is an identity he is unsure about he will research it to help educate himself.

Logan has an abundance of funky ties and socks. While the rest of his outfit is pretty normal, usually a plain (mostly black but sometimes other colours) button up shirt and pants, his tie and socks always make a statement. He has a multitude of space themed ones, as well as many pride ones, but also just ones in funky prints and fun colours. He is also never one to shy away from wearing a dress or a skirt, and wore the most amazing space themed dress when chaperoning the year 12 formal.

Those are just some of my ideas. I kind of discussed this with @manyfandomsonelog (sorry for the tag lol) earlier on discord, but here is the expanded form because I love this idea too much. Feel free to expand on this in reblogs or comments if anyone so desires.

[starting-with-a-taco]

Cusco has been on Courtney’s bucket list for years, have you seen the film The Emperors New Groove? We arrived by night bus and unfortunately Archie had gotten food poisoning in Arequipa that day - so it wasn’t a good bus journey for him at all. Which was a shame as the bus had 180 degree seats that laid down as beds!

The Cusco flag is Courtney’s new fave! The colours of the rainbow, which was from the Incan times. For the first week or so, Archie was recovering in our lovely hostel, Chusay. Whilst he was eating plain foods, Courtney walked around the city and explored some. The views were incredible, Cusco has a few plazas, and is the capital of the Inca Empire. You can feel the history and see the mountains that surround. Once Archie had recovered we went on some walks around the city and close by to prepare for the Inca Trail. During the first week, Courtney was lucky to see the Pisces new moon arise from the hills! It was like a sunrise and could be seen from the hostels rooftop terrace.

We noticed the altitude in Cusco (11,152ft), and made sure to sip coca tea, a leaf from the mountains that refreshes your blood quicker. One of the walks we took was to the Temple de la Luna (the temple of the moon), around an 1.5 hour walk away from Cusco centre. It was a good intro the the many steps we will be taking on the Inca Trail but we made it!

One day, we took the open air tour bus around the sites but unfortunately it rained ALOT on the journey, so we all huddled on the bottom deck and only left the bus for a small ceremony with a Shaman from the mountains. He blessed us and we made wishes for the future. We saw Cristo Blanco also, a large white status of Christ that sits on the hilltop.

Due to wanting the save money and be healthy for the trail, we cooked in most days and wandered around. Soaking up the atmosphere in local markets - San Pedro market being the largest, with many fabrics, food and souvenirs to buy. We also managed to buy some cheap hiking boots for the trek, which we donated to the porters at the end.

2 days before the trail, we headed to Rainbow Mountain - a few hours out of Cusco. The mountain range has many colours, due to the minerals and weathering over time. We were picked up early in the morning and trekked 5km there and back, great practice for the 29th! The site was fantastic and we had a lovely lunch on the way back. Now time to rest before we head to the Wonder of the World.

****

The trail is now completed, it was the best experience of our lives. See blog post.

As we arrived in Machu Picchu on Archie’s birthday, we treated ourselves to a fancy hotel for a couple of nights to restore and relax. It had a spa, room service and spa bath! We didn’t leave the room. It was perfect and the most luxury we’ve had since April!

Before we head to Ayacucho, on our way to Lima, we have one more night in Cusco centre! For Archie’s birthday, we headed for our fave - Indian! And enjoyed tasty curries and wine.

Next stop Ayacucho and other overnight bus - I’m sure it will be a better experience for Arch this time round!

[just-give-me-half-a-cup]

Newsies Pride Pt.2

So this one is going to focus more on individual people, and their sexualities, enjoy :)

Jack

So this boy is bi

And he is so proud of it

Like he would just walk up to random people on the street and tell them if Davey wasn't so embarrassed by it

It is pretty much one of the first things he says when making friends

He also has so many flags, because he feels the need to get another one every single year

Jack discovered his sexuality when he was like thirteen

He was told by loads of people he was too young to know

But Jack didn't listen to them, he did know, and idiots weren't going to stop him loving people

Medda was always super supportive and took him to his first pride aged fourteen

She painted his face for him the first year

After that he did it himself, levelling up in extraness? each year

He loves pride so much, and wants all of his friends to enjoy it as much as he does

Crutchie

Okay so Crutchie is asexual

He was super embarrassed at first, as he didn't know anyone else that felt that way

He met a few people online who understood him, and that changed his life so much

He is pretty open about it, and helps a load of people understand themselves

Including Davey, which is their secret

He's also biromantic

This is something he's known for ages

He just loves people, and has always loved men and women in the same way

Crutchie didn't go to pride until he was nineteen

Jack dragged him along, painting some little hearts in the ace colours on his cheek

He's not a big flag guy, just has a little one on a stick

And he met his now best friend, so pride is even more special for him now

Davey

Davey is also asexual

Crutchie helped him accept that part of himself

He's still a little insecure sometimes, but that's mainly his anxiety

He's also gay

Something he pegged pretty late

He always thought it was being busy with school that meant he was never interested in girls

Nope, turns out he likes boys

He told Sarah straight away, after he and Jack had got together

She is super supportive of him, Les is too

Davey and Sarah went to their first pride aged seventeen

Both covered head to toe in glitter and stuff showing their sexuality

It's surprisingly the one place he doesn't feel anxious, despite the whole event being based around loads of his anxieties

He just feels happy to be himself, and feel so accepted

Katherine

Also very bisexual

And proud of it

She has loads of little pin badges and bracelets

Because they make her happy

And even if it's tiny she always has something on her, because it's such a big part of who she is

Kath is head over heels in love with Sarah, who is her first relationship with a female

Like can't form a coherent sentence kind of in love

They went to Kath's first pride together

When she was nineteen and Kath absolutely loved it

She felt like she'd found her people, and now goes to every celebration she can find near her

Kath comes home with a million and one stickers that go on a wall by her pride flag

It's a really big flag, and she loves it

Sarah

A lesbian

And always has been

Never had any interest in boys, mainly because she played with them and always saw them in friend terms

A tomboy kind of kid, stole Davey's clothes all the time

Still does

Definitely gives off more butch lesbian vibes

Because damn this girl can and will fight

Taking Davey to pride is one of the highlights of her life

That and meeting Kath

She took one look at the idiot stumbling over her words, and was like 'yes, I want that one'

The flirty type, and very good at it

Every pride she is always decked out, because it's part of the experience

She also collects stickers on her body because she can

Race

Genderqueer

Prefers they/them pronouns

But doesn't really care about it if people don't call him by his preferred pronouns, he has no real attachment to them

Loves skirts and dresses, and is super talented at make up

Let's be real they are the definition of a gay twink, but is actually pansexual

More towards men, but has yet to rule anyone out

It took them a while to figure themselves out, but they knew from a young age being a man was not it

They worked it out at seventeen, and the sexuality came quickly after

Goes full out for pride, has both their flags on them somewhere, with paint on any visible part of their body

Their first one was aged eighteen, Jack brought him, introducing him to Spot

Race is very in love with Spot, and was super clingy when they got together

Spot makes pride even more special for them

Albert

Gay

Like very very gay

He's been out since he was ten, because he knew

Albert loves wearing rainbows, and will talk to anyone that will let him about why

He went to his first pride aged twelve with his older brother, who was reluctant to take him

It was where he met Jack and Medda, who took him along with them the following year

Albert almost cried when Jack painted his face because he was so happy

He'd been so gutted without all the glitter and paint the year before, so it made the day even more special

Has a pair of rainbow laces, and only uses them, even if it means he has to relace his trainers

He met Elmer when he was eighteen, and immediately fell

So soft when in a relationship, would do absolutely anything for his partner

Elmer is no exception, and regularly wakes up to a romantic surprise

Spot

He's gay

But was brought up in an abusive, toxic and homophobic household

It took him a long time to accept himself

Living with Jack and Medda helped him to not hate that part of himself

And he finally let Jack take him to pride aged twenty

He wore a rainbow vest top, and refused all the paint and glitter

That changed when he met Race

Race helped him fully accept himself, and the second year was so different

He threw himself into the event, and his and Race's apartment became the place to be

Flags line the walls, because Race can't stop himself from buying them, and Spot loves it

He provides paint and glitter and flags for everyone, because he knows what it's like to not accept yourself, and wants to make sure none of his friends ever feel like that

Because Spot is so soft, eventhough he tries to cover it well

Here's the first eight, so because this post is quite long already, look out for part three soon

[elsb-hrngtons]

A Wonderful Day at Pride

Thank you @opaldraws for your prompt of Robin/ Heather/ Carol at pride

for Harringrove for BLM, i went a bit over 1k but i really hope you like it :)

Read here on Ao3

There’s a bizarre thrum of electricity running through Robin’s body right now, a healthy mix of anxiety and anticipation, butterflies that have morphed and mutated into something more akin to angry wasps that refuse to settle in the pit of her stomach. She assesses her reflection one last time, knowing that if she takes even a minute longer Carol and Heather are likely to crash through the bathroom door and drag her out. She worries her lip and stains her teeth with a frankly unnecessary shade of pink lipstick that Carol insisted she wear for the occasion, admires the way the glitter she was attacked with moments ago shimmers in the fluorescent lighting of the hotel bathroom, the hotel bathroom in downtown Chicago, the one Steve insisted on paying for. Taking a few steadying breaths she readies herself, its now or never , and unlocks the bathroom door.

In their hotel room Heather and Carol are lounged on the huge king bed, hair and make up immaculate as always, outfits hugging them in all the right places that make Robin’s mouth water, she can’t believe how many times she’s almost lost her nerve, almost never made it here at all, and now she’s gazing over the stunning pieces of art that are her girlfriends and knows, no matter how scared she is, having the two of them to hold her hand makes the angry wasps of anxiety worth it.

Robin has never been to a Pride march before, wasn’t even really aware they were a thing, not until she started feeling more comfortable with herself, comfortable enough to admit who she is, who she loves to herself. And of course once she started admitting it to herself, it became a little easier to tell the people she really cared about too. Steve was the first one to draw her attention to Pride and what it is, subtly suggesting maybe she should go, offering to go with her for moral support, although Robin knows it was a little bit for himself too. But then the girls got wind of Robin’s desire to go, and as unsure as she was about it, they sensed this was really important to her, sensed it was Robin’s next emotional stepping stone into really accepting who she was, and well that was all the motivation they needed to organise the whole thing with the help of Steve’s wallet, to ensure it was the best possible experience Robin could hope for.

They make it to the parade, follow the endless crush of bodies all adorned in colourful flags, ostentatious outfits and enough glitter and body paint to make the Las Vegas strip look dull. Carol pushes her way through the crowd,  gripping Robin’s and Heather’s hands in a vice like grip until they reach the front, Robin takes in her surroundings with  wide eyes and a childlike wonder, drinks in the atmosphere of hundreds if not thousands of like minded people, all congregated in one place to celebrate, to celebrate their love, celebrate themselves, it’s invigorating, inspiring and as the afternoon goes on Robin begins to buzz with a newfound confidence she never had before. For the first time in Robin’s entire existence she feels free, has been dragged directly into the light after a lifetime in the shadows, and she loves it, is addicted to it.

With her new sense of assuredness she turns to her side where Heather is leaning into Carol, eye’s fixated on the crowd just as in awe as Robin, she brushes her hand gently up and down Heather's bare arm until Heather turns to look at her with a soft and adoring smile on her face. Robin can feel her affection brim over the edge, she’s overcome by it, overwhelmed as she grabs Heather by the face with both hands and kisses her in public for the first time ever, feels Heather melt into the kiss which helps her own tensions, her own anxieties wash away, distantly she can hear cheers and whoops from the crowd, and a small part of her hopes they’re for her. She does the same for Carol when she feels the warmth of Carol’s fingers brush against her shoulder, feels the tickle of her hair as she rests her forehead against Heather’s back hugging her behind, as Heather steps aside she has to bend at the knees and Carol has to stand on her tiptoes so one another lips can meet, gets swept away in the adrenaline of the kiss, of the crowd and hooks her hands underneath Carol’s knees and lifts, makes room so Carol can wrap her legs around Robin’s waist as the kiss deepens and gets more intense. Robin’s never felt more in love, with her girls, with herself, with the world.

The parade dies down, but the party doesn’t the masses of people all keyed up on life and various other substances are raring to continue into the small hours, and the girls are right there with them, Robin has never really been a party girl, but on this occasion she doesn’t want the party to ever end, wishes every day could be like this, is enthusiastic as Carol suggests they follow a couple of revellers they met in the crowd to some party in downtown Chicago, doesn’t question it just lets herself get carried away with excitement.

They find themselves in some kind of abandoned building, practically an empty shell except for the support beams and windows, the whole place is decked out in rainbow memorabilia and twinkling fairy lights, there’s a pop up bar over on one side and a DJ set up on the other. A huge crowd gathers in the middle a mass of sweaty bodies all slammed close together grinding and gyrating their hips, same sex couples everywhere always practically one step away from fucking right there on the dance floor, some men have given in to the relenting heat and have removed their shirts, women have removed as much clothing as their comfortable with, some evidently more comfortable with showing off their superb bodies than others, Heather and Carol practically have to pick Robin’s jaw up off the floor.

The party’s fun, they spend the night dancing amongst the throng of strangers, strangers who have all become friends for a day, the girls keep plying Robin with more and more alcohol and the more she drinks the looser she gets, the more relaxed, she’s giggly and touchy feely, can’t help the way her hands itch to touch the soft skin of her lovers, gow her body somehow knows the environment she’s in to be able to freely touch and show affection to the women she loves, to pepper them with kisses and whisper sweet nothings into their ears when she envelops them into her arms. But the nights over just as it feels like its beginning when the cops raid the place, at first Robin doesn’t really understand but then figures they were serving alcohol pretty freely this evening and Carol, Heather and herself can’t be the only minors present tonight.

They manage to escape the chaos, narrowly miss getting caught as they run hand in hand down the streets of Chicago back to their hotel, all giggling, all amped up on adrenaline. The journey back takes twice as long as it should, each girl taking turns in asserting their dominance dragging the others into quiet alcoves or pushing them against walls just to get their hands and lips on each other, it strikes Robin for the first time since the day began that this is everything she’s ever wanted, to be able to display her love for the whole world to see, just like normal couples, she doesn’t ever want to return to the cold shadows of her past, doesn’t want to hide who she is anymore.

As they get back to their room Robin flops on the bed utterly exhausted and still riding her high, Carol kicks her shoes off and crawls up the bed next to her, rests her head on Robin’s breast and sighs, Heather isn’t far behind.

“Did you enjoy yourself today Birdie?” Carol asks as she traces circles across Robin’s stomach.

“Yeah i really did”

“Me too” Heather chirps as she plays with Robin’s hair.

“I love you both so much, thank you for today” Robin says not for the first time that evening.

“Aww we love you too baby” Heather smiles as she leans up to kiss Robin’s cheek

“You’re both okay i guess” Carol smirks

“Carol!” Heather squeals

“Kidding. I love you both too”

Robin lies there holding her two girls tightly and listens as both their breathing evens out, too wired to fall asleep but content to just exist in this room, soothed by the feeling of their heart beats steady in their chests and the sounds of the city playing as the backing track to her whirlwind of thoughts. She sighs happily and thinks to herself, best day ever.

[hack-king]

@purepeanutbutter suggested Pride

Elliot is hanging out on the sidelines. For all looks and purposes, he is simply typing away on his laptop as per usual, save for the pansexual and non-binary flag draped over his shoulders. Flipper is sleeping on his lap.

Snafu is in the middle of the parade, Kenny and Marcos at his sides. The older man has his arms around the two of them, the trans flag draped over the trio. Kenny is beaming, and Marcos alternates between looking around nervously and laughing quietly. Snafu himself is wearing a bisexual medal, Kenny a homoromantic asexual ribbon, and Marcos an aromantic asexual pin.

Ahkmenrah is dancing. He’s attracted quite the crowd, and people have started dancing along with him. Today, his cape is the colour of the original rainbow flag, and his crown is painted to represent the genderqueer identity accordingly. Josh and Finn join him, Josh adorned with bisexual accessories and Finn pansexual, and start trying to outdo the other break-dancing. Nate, like Finn, wears the pansexual colours, but is not as decked out as his friend. He watches the two from a few metres away, shaking his head fondly. Steve would dance, but for now he’s high as shit, so he just bounces up and down next to Nate. A pansexual sticker, which he stole from Nate, is stuck to his forehead.

Freddie is singing ‘Somebody to Love’ onstage, decked out in a flamboyant bisexual themed dress. Webb of course is improvising on his violin, making it up as Freddie sings. A ribbon is pinned on his ever-present suit, sporting the demiromantic asexual flag.

Benjamin is drinking something red (he tells those who ask that it’s wine) and shouting in nigh unintelligible joy, his panromantic asexual flag billowing in the wind he’s commandeering. Louis is next to him, one arm around Benjamin’s shoulders. Louis is holding a glass of wine (unlike Ben he has no need to lie) and is definitely drunk, the lightweight that he is. A rainbow scarf is wrapped around his neck, and above him flies a genderfluid kite. He beams and sways, glasses dangerously askew and hair ruffled beyond repair.

Simon has no flags, no memorabilia, no accessories. That doesn’t stop him from cheering on the parade of those that do. Jonah accompanies him, and he congratulating and protecting people of many colours. He himself wears a simple agender wristband.

Seneschal watches the parade, listens to Freddie’s singing and Webb’s playing, scoffs at Josh’s and Finn’s terrible dancing, and waves to all of his friends and acquaintances. In the end he sits down with Elliot and reads a book. Around his finger lies a black ring.

[thephantomofthe-internet]

Rock You Like A Hurricane

Stripper!Billy Hargrove x Reader

Summary: On the whims of a drunk group of bridesmaids and the bride to be, you went to Studz and found your own Romeo...too bad you already knew him.

Word Count: 2,772

Warnings: swearing, drinking, sexy dancing (is that a warning? idk), minor sexual implications it’s not graphic and i’m a little baby at this so be gentle with me

Author’s note: so did I reach 1.2k? No, but Tumblr is trying to censor safe sexuality and I want to see how far I can go writing wise before I start making plans. If this gets flagged, I will make an AO3 and give y’all the user so we can keep getting weird, ya know? Anyway, hope you like this mess! I tried 😫😫😫

Permanent Tag: @hotstuffhargrove @hargrovesgoldilocks @denimjacketkisses @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @casaharrington @moonstruckhargrove (you ain’t usually on this tag but...I LOVE YOU AND WANT YOUR LOVE) @thechickvic @alex--awesome--22

FEEDBACK APPRECIATED AND ENCOURAGED!!!

Your cousin Elizabeth was getting married. Twenty-three years old, barely out of college, and engaged to the richest guy you knew. Your mother was never going to let you hear the end of it. You and her were the same age and practically grew up together and your mother believed that she was the standard every girl should live to. She was pretty, decently smart, and popular. She was a high school cheerleader, an honour roll student; she volunteered at animal shelters and had just graduated from college with a degree social work. You were a mediocre student, a college dropout, and, thus far, a failed actress. You were a failure of a daughter and your mother had seemingly given up on you.

So when Elizabeth asked you to be one of her bridesmaids, your mother wouldn’t hear the end of it unless you said yes. You agreed, begrudgingly, dropping too much money on a magenta taffeta nightmare to wear once and answered every upset phone call from the anxious bride to be. You had been given the highly important role of planning the bachelorette party. Naturally, the large hoard of rich North-eastern girls were only coming to you for this because you lived in LA and they were ready to bask in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, refusing to believe that you didn’t actually live at its centre. And so Elizabeth dragged Vivian, Olivia, Kimmy, Maria, and Amber to your shit hole apartment and tried to not complain about it or your plans, although they were already over it and you before the clock struck eight.

You had decided on one thing and one thing only-you would not take them to a strip club. You’d go anywhere else-tourist traps, filthy clubs and bars- you’d even sneak them onto a movie set if it meant the whole thing would be over sooner. Just no strip clubs.

And you didn’t take them to one. Elizabeth’s maid of honour, Vivian, dragged you all out to the nearest club, advertising the hottest guys in town. You were forced into what was perceived as the hottest dress you owned, a short neon nightmare you bought in college, and pushed out the door despite your pleas. You didn’t want to be in a grimy strip club, certainly not with your cousin and her bridesmaids, all various degrees of drunk.

And Studz was not a nice club. If you had wanted to take them to a club, you would’ve taken them to a Chippendale’s, it would have at least been cleaner and a bit busier. Inside the dingy club, with its sticky tables and tiny stage, you were one of three occupied tables. Vivian had chosen a table at the front of the stage, a prime location for viewing the milk crates the club was calling a stage, but the other two parties seemed intriguing.

One was filled with what you could only assume were regulars, an intriguing mix of tough looking women with buzz cuts and sour expressions guarding a trio of grinning, excited boys each with their own sense of style, all of which your mother would’ve called feminine or, as politely as she could, queer, and your father would’ve called…well, you wouldn’t use that word.

The other table was a group of nervous looking women, all old enough to have children old enough to at least in middle school and surrounded by tall orange drinks, which you’d guess were ‘Sex on the Beach’es, knowing the fruity gradient well enough from the drunk barely-legals who came to your bar. They all seemed awkward and embarrassed, the same feeling you felt sitting in the dark room where drinks were twice as expensive and the music blared in your ears. You might’ve been able to handle it if you weren’t forcefully decked out in bachelorette party gear bought angrily by Olivia, peeved that you hadn’t bought any for the group. You had on a white sash which read in glittery pink text ‘I’m the single one’, advertising you like a prime piece of real-estate and not a broke loser. You felt silly and sad, you wished you had just put your foot down and said no. But still you stayed, nursing an insanely overpriced jack and coke through a penis shaped straw, listening as the girls chattered on.

“So anyway, Y/N, this is how you throw a bachelorette party! We want Lizzie to be surrounded by insanely hot dudes for one more night before she ties Stevie down forever. One last night of sexy adventures for our gorgeous bride to be!” Vivian declared cockily, pointing at the giggling Elizabeth, already drunk from the giant Cosmo in front of her and the five jello shots she’d taken at your apartment, the one thing you’d done right so it seemed.

“Whatever you say…” you muttered, rolling your eyes as you spun the melting ice around in your glass. Suddenly, the lights in the bar dimmed impossibly further and the stage lights flashed on, first in a spinning disco ball of bright rainbow coloured lights.

“Alright ladies, let’s give a big welcome to Armando!” the announcer slash bartender called from the microphone on the rail, barely looking up from his copy of Proust. You clapped politely as the bridesmaids cheered, though not as loud as the mismatched table, where the boys of the group lit up like Christmas trees and hollered loudly. The sultry, sticky sounds of Def Leopard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me blasted from the speakers. A larger man with a beautiful tan stepped on stage. He wasn’t exactly rippling in muscles, but he was fit and his fade was lined up nicely. He was dressed as a construction worker, complete with a hard hat. He looked confident, but you could see the Vaseline he’d used to define and brighten his abs caking in between the muscles; most men would’ve used baby oil, but he was trying to appear fitter than he actual was and the trick seemed to work, Kimmy, Elizabeth’s childhood best friend was already openly drooling over him.

His set was awkward and jerky, you were certain it was one of his first shows, and he tended to rely on pelvic thrusts instead of a variety of moves. When the bar cut the song, you were able to count the money he’d earned sitting sadly on the stage floor.

The rest of the numbers were about the same. Next came Carlos, who the back table seemed to be a big fan of. One of the boys, decked in a bedazzled muscle tank, screamed out “I love you Carlos!” in a feminine voice with a slight Puerto Rican accent, clapping above his head. Then Julian, Stefan, Emilio, and Cole all decked out in various ‘sexy’ outfits; poor Emilio was stuck in a weak Native American costume as though he was a member of The Village People.  The whole thing was embarrassing and awkward but as Elizabeth and her friends got drunker and drunker, they seemed to enjoy it more and more. Poor Maria had seemingly fallen in love with Stefan and, after running a shaky hand over his greasy, hairless chest, declared that she wanted to have his baby and spent all her cash on him. When he didn’t come around after his set, she pouted and drank more to fill the void.

Then, everything got improbably darker. At one point, Vivian had snuck off to talk to the emcee and returned with a smug, proud smile, which worried you. You were the only sober person left in the group and thus the babysitter of the girls, watching drinks and keeping hold of those drunk enough to pounce on a dancer.

“There’s a bachelorette party in the house!” the emcee called, earning polite claps from the other tables and hoots and hollers from the girls surrounding you. “Well, we have a treat for you! Welcome to the stage, Romeo!”

First, in the darkness, someone brought out a chair and when the lights came up again, The Divinyl’s I Touch Myself began to blast out of the speakers and out from the sparkling red curtains came a man dressed in leather chaps, the most attractive of the group. His back was to the audience, his muscular legs and butt on full display, his right hand reaching up to the microphone descending from the ceiling, taking it easily.

“I’d like to invite the lovely bride to be up for a dance.” He said huskily and your heart stopped. You knew that voice, it stuck in your brain like a thorn. Billy Hargrove. You should’ve recognized him from the still present mullet. But how could you? Why on earth would you believe him to be anywhere near you, in the Valley of all places? Elizabeth was being forced to her feet by Vivian; this was obviously her master plan from the start to give her dear friend one last thrill.

But this thrill was unwanted, as it seemed. Elizabeth was trying very hard to force her thin wrsit out of Vivian’s grasp and begging anyone nearby to help. Naturally, you jumped into action, pulling Vivian away from her.

“Y/N! Y/N I can’t do it! I don’t wanna cheat on Stevie! I don’t wanna do this!” she cried, tears welling in her bright green eyes. You nodded, taking her hand, and squeezing it in your own.

“Okay, okay sit down you don’t have to. We’ll go home, okay? We’ll go, just calm down.” You said sternly as she nodded, teary eyed.

“Don’t ruin the fun, Y/N.” Vivian said crossly, scoffing at Elizabeth’s tears. “Here, if you’re so hell bent on being the centre of attention, you go.” Before you could even try to retort her idea, you were being pushed to the stage the girls were screaming with delight. Billy was looking down at you with a smirk and a hand extended to you. When your nervous expression met his confident leer, his smirk dropped away.

He recognized you.

You and Billy weren’t exactly friends in high school. He’d come to Hawkins, Indiana in your second last year of high school and joined your graduating class with all the anger and hatred of a boy forced out of his home. He took that anger out on anyone who didn’t play his games and you weren’t one to play along. It was all because you wouldn’t do the entire English project you’d been assigned his partner for. You wanted to split the work even, he wanted to do nothing and get a great grade. In the end, he got a shit grade and tormented you for the rest of high school. It wasn’t as bad as what he did to nerdier kids, who’d get pushed around and the shit kicked out of them for the entire year while he was there. Your torment matched Steve Harrington’s; sure he mostly left you alone, but he definitely made his mark on your mind. He called you Blow Pop for a whole year, based on the baseless rumour that you’d sucked off your gym teacher, Mr. Carlson, who while being a young, hot man was a notoriously easy marker and not worth sleeping with to get a good grade. Although in retrospect, that was probably the kicker of the whole rumour.  Your reputation was ruined for the rest of school and even now the kids of Hawkins, now adults, still knew you as Blow Pop.

And you hated him for it, the whole thing left a sour taste in your mouth. He was so hot, you noted it the second he arrived, but his attitude was so awful that it ruined the rest of him. And once you were Blow Pop, you lost all interest in him, no matter how tight his jeans were.

You wanted to run, but you couldn’t abandon the drunken girls cheering you on, so you used his hand to pull yourself onstage and saunter over to the chair. “Well, come on Romeo, give me a show.” You said through a gritted smile, taking your seat in the chair. Billy nodded, matching your uncomfortable expression.

He started into his number, pulling off his ridiculous leather vest, throwing it offstage and revealing more of his well oiled chest. He rolled his body, running a hand up his chest and through his hair, running his tongue over his lips with a smirk. You watched the girls as they hollered, sticking dollar bills into the waistband of his chaps, lapping up his attention. This continued for most of the song, thrusting and grinding into the open air, ripping off the legs of this chaps, revealing his black jockstrap and earning whoops from the whole bar. You wanted to laugh at the whole scene, to find it awful and gross, and it kind of was; here was this guy who ruled your high school dancing in front of you for cash. But mostly, it was hot. Like, really, really hot. He was honestly too good at this, it made the back of your neck sweat and your nerves burst into flames. You mind ran wildly with dirty images and thoughts you couldn’t get away from if you tried; rationale wasn’t quelling the fire he’d lit in your stomach. He only turned back to you when the coda hit, lip-syncing along with the words. He rolled his lips over yours, straddling you gently and running his hands over your arms, bringing your hands to touch his chest and abs.

“This is really weird…” you muttered, more to yourself than him, letting your smile drop away into a look you hoped didn’t come off as completely lustful and desperate, hoping he’d either stop or finally touch you. Of course, he did neither.

“It’ll be over soon, just till the last chorus, then you’re free.” He replied softly, thrusting into you gently. “Just touch my abs, it’ll give your friends something to laugh about and earn me better tips.”

You obeyed, running a hand over him as he got up, coming behind you to give this look of longing in your reach. You let out a heated sigh, which was mostly fake, letting your head lull to the side as you sighed, earning a scream from Elizabeth, who’d long stopped crying.

“You’re really sticky.” You whispered and you swore for a brief moment, Billy broke, his smirk turning into a tiny smile he was working hard to hold back. He came back around, pulling your hands to rest on his hips as he went back to thrusting and wriggling. You chuckled “And you’re wearing glittery eyeliner, what a treat I’m getting today.” Just as he was about to stand, the song coming to an end, you ran your ring finger up his spine. He shivered involuntarily, his gaze coming back down to you, quirking his eyebrow.

Billy didn’t like that you were here. He didn’t like that he was dancing on you. And he certainly didn’t like how absolutely gorgeous you’d become. Sure, he remembered you well enough from high school, but if he hadn’t? He probably would’ve taken you home and screwed your brains out. It left this uneasy tension for the whole dance. Usually, he’d focus on the bride to be, but with you being so…different and obviously not being the bride herself, he found himself keeping a distance to keep him professional. But he couldn’t stop the shiver when you touched him on your own. And you noticed, you smirked at him liked you’d found some secret trick. He wanted so badly to wipe that smirk off your lips.

You shrugged easily as he looked at you curiously, standing as the song ended and pulling the wad of dollar bills Amber had given you from your bra, handing it to him easily as you walked off. You jumped off the stage, grinning as your fellow bridesmaids screamed, coming to hug you and grab your arm, declaring that he was so hot.

“Come on girls, my hands are all sticky now, let’s get out of here.” You said, pulling your purse off the back of the chair, walking off towards the exit. For a brief moment, you looked back, desperate for another look.

Billy was already gone, much to your disappointment, it was as though you’d dreamt him and you’d wake up at home drenched in sweat and soaked. He might as well have puffed into a cloud of smoke and glitter and vanished, the chair was gone too. But you knew it happened. And you felt so stupid-you’d just been played by a stripper.

[thelastspeecher]

💋 with Fidds and Stan in the Spy au, like Ford would go with Fidds if he could but his skills are needed elsewhere for this mission, which takes place at some pride event (which could secretly be the location of where an important package is to be exchanged). Also Angie getting a kick seeing Stan all glamoured up in colours, which Stan isn't a big fan of at all

💋 - Pretend Couple

I’m gonna pretend that the reason I’m posting this now isn’t because I procrastinate, but rather because I was waiting to post it until Pride month.  Here you go.  Some very timely spy stuff.

Send an emoji and one or more characters!

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              “Give mea second,” Ford said, holding up a finger. He dug around in his back pocket, pulled out his phone, and took apicture of Stan.  “Perfect.”

              “What areyou doing?” Stan asked.  He scratched hisarm.  “Damn, these sequins areitchy.”  Ford sniggered.  “What’s so funny?”

              “You’redressed up in sequins and Day-Glo colors, Stanley.  There’s nothing about this situation thatisn’t funny.”  Ford tapped on his phone afew times.  “There.  That should cheer Angie up.”  Stan gestured to Fiddleford, who was deckedout in a similar outfit.

              “Youdidn’t laugh when you saw him! Fiddlesticks doesn’t dress up like this either!”

              “That youknow of,” Ford said quietly.  Stan staredat Fiddleford.  

              “Really?”he asked.  Fiddleford turned as red ashis flamboyant scarf.

              “Stanford,we should get goin’.  Finish the missionas soon as possible.  I’m sure Stan wouldlike to get back to his fam’ly.”

              “Yes,yes,” Ford said.  “We should-”  The theme from Star Wars began to play.  “Oh. One moment.”  Ford tapped on his phoneagain.  “You’re on speaker.”

              “That wasthe best thing I’ve seen all week!”Angie’s voice shouted exuberantly.  “Oh,Lord, that almost makes up fer bein’ benched from field missions fer the nextnine months.”

              “Have youshown the girls yet?” Ford asked.

              “I didn’tthink of that!  I’m goin’ to do that!”

              “Angie-”Stan started.

              “Darlin’,let me have my amusements where I can,” Angie said.  “And don’t pretend like ya wouldn’t have theexact same reaction if Stanford was the one in that getup.”

              “Yeah, well,it shoulda been him in the sequins,” Stan muttered.  Ford frowned at Stan.  “I know, I know.  You’re benched from field missions, too.”

              “Not allfield missions.  Just ones involvingcrowds,” Ford corrected.  “The lastmission I went on was…difficult.”

              “No,Apple, don’t-” Angie’s voice came over the phone.  She let out a loud sigh.  “I got to go. The dog’s gettin’ into stuff. Have fun on the mission.  Bringback souvenirs.”

              “Goodbye,Angie,” Ford said.  Angie hung up.  Ford put his phone back into his pocket andpicked up the manila folder he had set down to grab his phone.  “All right. The debriefing can continue.”

              “Great,”Stan said, scratching his leg.  “Whatexactly are we doing?”  Ford opened thefolder.

              “You willbe picking up an important package at the Pride celebration,” he explained,skimming the contents of the folder. “Try to blend in with the crowds both before and after you haveretrieved the package.  Let us know whenyou have the package in your possession, head to the corner of Mayer andGarfield, and wait for extraction.”

              “Soundseasy enough,” Fiddleford said.

              “It’smost certainly easier than some of the previous missions, yes.  Your cover, as minor as it may be, is thatyou are a couple.”  Ford closed thefolder.  “If you wish, you can use falsenames, should you have to call for each other in the crowd.”

              “Allright, well, I’ll be Tyson, then,” Stan said.

              “Clark,”Fiddleford said.  Stan squinted at him.

              “How manygay guys named Clark have you actually met?” he asked.

              “Three.”

              “Wait,really?”

              “Theywere all paramours of Lute’s at some point,” Fiddleford said with a shrug.  He grimaced. “Oh.  Lute’s in town.  Do we have to worry about him attendin’ thecelebration?”

              “No.  Angie’s already sent him on an errand runthat should take a few hours.  Themission should be finished by the time he returns with what she asked him toget.”

              “What didshe ask him to pick up?” Stan asked, curious despite himself.  Ford furrowed his brow.

              “I thinkshe claimed to have a craving for a very specific specialty food.  I can’t remember what, but it’s onlyavailable in a few stores far from where the celebration will be.”  Ford shrugged.  “But that’s not relevant to the mission.  You best head out now to beat the crowds.  And…” A twinkle appeared in Ford’s eye. “Have a gay old time.”

----- 

              “Allright, package received, heading to the drop-off location,” Stan said, stuffingthe item – which was much smaller than he’d expected – into his fanny pack.

              “Excellent.  Be sure not to lose track of it,” Fordreplied over the earpiece.

              “Won’t bea problem, thanks to whoever came up with these outfits.  I mean, I’m not exactly the most fashionforward person, but even I know fanny packs look awful,” Stan grumbled.

              “I thinkfanny packs are cute,” Fiddleford piped up. Stan rolled his eyes.

              “Ofcourse you do.”  Stan peered around thecorner of the alleyway entrance.  “Coast’sclear.  Let’s get this over with.”

              “Ahem.”  At the sound of Fiddleford clearing histhroat, Stan looked over.  Fiddlefordheld out a hand.  Stan groaned loudly.

              “C’mon, man.”

              “It’s ferthe mission,” Fiddleford hissed.

              “Are yousure you don’t secretly have a crush on me, Fiddlesticks?”

              “Yermarried to my younger sister!”

              “That’snot a no.”

              “Fercryin’ out loud,” Fiddleford muttered, grabbing Stan’s hand.  He pulled Stan out of the alleyway.  They were immediately assaulted by the joyousshouts and thumping music of the celebration. They began to walk down the sidewalk, heading for the drop-off.  Stan’s scowl grew worse with every step.

              “Ford,did the people who came up with these costumes ever actually go to Pride?”he hissed.  “Because there are plenty ofpeople in plain T-shirts.  Seems likethese outfits are only less attention-grabbing here than they would be on anormal fucking day.”  There was noresponse over the earpiece.  “Ford?”

              “He’sprob’ly not responding ‘cause yer throwin’ a temper tantrum over somethin’ hecouldn’t control,” Fiddleford said quietly.

              “Dude, Ihave two kids.  I know what a tempertantrum looks like.  I was not having atemper tantrum.”

              “Whateverya-”  Fiddleford stopped abruptly.  “Hang on, do ya hear that?”  Stan stopped as well and strained his ears todistinguish any single thing from the joyful cacophony surrounding them.  A familiar voice carried above the noise.

              “-well, I’ms’pposed to be runnin’ an errand fer my sister, but it’s not that pressin’, soI figured I’d stop by the celebration on my way.”  Stan and Fiddleford exchanged a panickedlook.

              “Lute!”they whispered.

              “Pfft, nah,I checked with her to make sure it wasn’t time-sensitive,” Lute continued.  His voice was getting louder.  Presumably, because he was getting closer.  “She made me promise to pick up a couplesouvenirs fer my adorable nieces, but since I was already here, she couldn’treally tell me not to come.  Rushed meoff the phone, though.  Somethin’ ‘boutthe dog bein’ trouble, I think.”

              “So thatexplains why you aren’t all dressed up like you usually are for Pride,” asecond voice said.  Lute and whoever hewas with were getting closer by the second. Fiddleford looked around frantically.

              “There’snowhere to go, the crowd’s too thick!”

              “Justcalm down, act normal,” Stan hissed at him. “Maybe he won’t see us.”

              “Usually,you’re dressed up like those two over there,” the second voice said.  Stan and Fiddleford looked over.  Standing across the street was Lute,accompanied by a man much taller than him, wearing a tanktop with multiple heartsemblazoned on it in a rainbow color scheme. The man was pointing at Stan and Fiddleford.  Lute looked in their direction.  He frowned.

              “Yeah, I…hangon.”  Lute stepped into the street.  Panicking, Stan grabbed Fiddleford andplanted a kiss on his lips.  Fiddleford’seyes bulged.  “…Oh.  Never mind.”

              “What?”Lute’s companion asked.

              “Theylooked familiar, but I must’ve been imaginin’ it.  Let’s go find some of those lil flags.  I bet Fidds would want one.”  Lute and his companion disappeared into thecrowd.  Fiddleford pulled away from Stan,his face beet red.

              “StanleyPines-” he started.  Ford’s voicecrackled over their earpieces.

              “Fidds,Stan, be careful, Lute’s at Pride!”

              “No shit,Sixer,” Stan growled.  “We just saw himwith his lay of the week.”

              “…Oh.  He didn’t see you, right?”

              “Right,”Fiddleford said.  His cheeks were stillred, but beginning to return to their normal color.

              “Why thehell didn’t you tell us earlier?” Stan demanded.

              “I didn’tknow!  I just got off the phone withAngie.  Lute decided to stop at Pridebefore he went on the errand, and he only told her after he had arrived, so shecouldn’t tell him not to.”

              “We know,”Fiddleford said in an undertone.  “Weheard him talkin’ to the feller he was with. Even in this crowd, his voice carries.”

              “Well…”  Ford seemed at a loss for words.  He cleared his throat.  “Continue to the drop-off point, and make itfast.  Lute might double back and see thetwo of you.”

              “Yep,”Stan ground out.  He grabbed Fiddleford’shand and began to drag him towards the drop-off point.  “Fiddlesticks, you better not say a wordabout-”

              “Do yareally think I’d mention it?” Fiddleford replied tartly.  “It weren’t exactly somethin’ I’ll rememberfondly later.”

              “Yeah,yeah.”  Stan glanced at Fiddlefordmomentarily.  “I won’t either.  You’re not a very good kisser.”  Fiddleford’s face turned red again.

              “…Stanley?”Ford asked over the earpieces.  Stan winced.

              “Yeah?”

              “Wouldyou mind repeating that?  And elaborating?  I’m very curious as to how you’ve concludedmy boyfriend is not good at kissing.”

[eyebright-iris]

Review: Met Gala 2019

Good morning to girls and gays only.  Straight men can perish.

Well, the Met Gala has rolled around once again and all I can say is: I’m so glad I’m a lesbian. The theme for this year was ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ and my GOD did some men decide that this was the perfect opportunity to come in a bland black tux or worse.

Some of the biggest disappointments of the night for me have to be Rami Malek and Taron Egerton, who, having both just played some of the most iconic men in recent history who lived, breathed and ate the essence of camp, saw fit to turn up in black tuxes.  Taron’s was kinda sparkly though and I still respect the dude for his general lack of typical masculinity elsewhere (more men commenting “phwoar” on their mates’ Instagram, please).  Shout out to Frank Ocean who showed up looking like any bouncer you might find outside one of my local clubs on a Saturday night.  He collaborated with James Charles to prove that while some gays showed their best, others certainly did not.  The theme was CAMP, James Charles, and you still couldn’t deliver.

I appreciated the change in pace from Darren Criss and Harry Styles, but to be honest, Harry’s had camper looks in concert and Darren Criss…well, I loved his look, but it also took me a solid ten minutes to work out that it was him and not just Brendon Urie in his regular concert gear.  Glittery jackets and statement eyeliner do not a camp icon make, I’m afraid, though you certainly did better than so many others.

Kim Kardashian was certainly…there.  I’m impressed with the way she managed to make herself look like she’s just stepped out of the ocean butt-naked and dripping wet, but girl.  You’re rich as fuck.  There’s more than bodycon dresses out there.  Also please smack your husband, he’s a dick and he’s wearing a black tracksuit.  Kendall and Kylie were a little more flamboyant but honestly, they were single-colour knockoffs of things I would say you could find at a Rio street festival, except that would be an insult to Brazil and all the ways Rio festivals embody everything the Jenner looks were not.  And to be real with you?  For all the colour that was there, they were boring.  What is it with these women and being afraid to be #Iconique? It’s sad that all they seem to know how to do is emphasise their boobs and hips in dresses with very little fabric to try and be daring.  If they weren’t so rich and influential no one would pay them any mind because you can see the same look on anyone else.

While I don’t like Cardi B, I can appreciate her attempt to get into the spirit of the Met Gala, which she pulled off so well last year.  I only wish her skirt hadn’t ended up looking like rows of theatre seating.  Katy Perry was there as both a chandelier and a hamburger, which, while a step up from the Jenner-Kardashian contributions, leads me to wonder if she knows what ‘camp’ means, or if her foray into queer culture stopped once she was done appropriating sapphic sexuality for male consumption in 2008.  Special mention must go to Benedict Cumberbatch who saw fit to show up dressed like some bizarre visiting cousin of Colonel Sanders who maybe definitely owned a plantation.  It wasn’t a black tux but somehow I just wish it had been.

To get to the real stars of the night, I think it’s only fair to start off by saying this Met Gala was once again, Black Excellence.  I cannot BREATHE for the number of incredible, powerful black icons taking to the pink carpet in works of art.  Let’s begin, shall we?

Billy Porter showed up (and showed everyone else up) with six hot half naked slave dudes decked out in gold carrying him in on a black-and-gold chaise-lounge like a modern-day Cleopatra and, once he had both feet firmly on the floor, threw up the massive golden wings of Isis and owned the entire space around him.  The crown.  The wings. The copious gold sparkly shit. The gold bedazzled stuff on his face. Every other man should be ashamed of his failure to measure up to the king. Also every man in a tux found DEAD by the side of the road thanks to our Lord and Saviour Billy Porter.

If Billy Porter is the king, then surely, there are too many queens to choose from.  From Laverne Cox’s strikingly shaped black dress with her brilliant blue-white hair and statement makeup, to Lupita Nyong’o showing up in the full neon spectrum of the rainbow, black women showed up to take the crown every single time last night.  Janelle Monáe’s stunning artsy dress blew me away, from the Picasso-like features to the multitude of hats that I have no idea how she balanced, she’s a masterpiece.  Lizzo stepped out looking like the Empress of Flamingos and I am absolutely here for every second of it.  The colours are loud, bold, and the outfit is as large-as-life as Lizzo herself.  Her hair was so stunning, I swear I thought it was a crown at first.

Black hair certainly had a starring role on the red carpet as well, from Tessa Thompson’s insanely long braid (she was carrying a WHIP to complete her outfit RIP all wlw) to Lupita’s impressive afro with its many golden combs.  I adored Danai Gurira’s hair and especially loved her Oscar Wilde-inspired outfit: here is a woman who understands her brief and works from it to great effect, and I loved Keiynan Lonsdale’s gorgeous hair and butterfly gown – seeing him embracing his queerness with both arms since Love, Simon led him to come out has made my heart big.

I can’t move on from the black dominance and excellence of the night without mention of two of my favourite looks: Zendaya and Lena Waithe.  If Billy Porter is the king and there are too many queens to count, then Zendaya stands out yet again as the living, breathing princess of the lot of them. I can hear the white tears over black girl magic Cinderella from here.  She arrived in a whole Cinderella dress that expanded and glows from within, a pumpkin-carriage purse and her own fairy godmother to transform her with a little bibbity-bobbity-boo?  She even lost her damn glass slipper on the stairs. A true artist.  As they say in the LGBT+ community: um, wig.

Speaking of which: Lena Waithe.  The lesbian icon herself, who showed up to last year’s Catholic-themed Met Gala in a pride flag cape, and who went hell for leather this year as well, putting every man in a tux to shame by not only out-classing them in how fantastic she looked in her lilac suit, but also paying homage to the origins of camp, with the back of her jacket boldly stating “Black Drag Queens Invented Camp” and the pinstripes on the suit actually being cleverly displayed lyrics to iconic drag queen songs.  She really Did That yet again and I’m knocked dead.

This review is already long as hell and it’s about to get longer because there are more looks that I want to mention.

First of all: Lady. Fucking. Gaga.  My girl did four outfits on the pink carpet in the space of 15 minutes and holy shit did she kill it.  Starting out in a voluminous hot pink ballgown, followed by a more sedate but still impressive black one with a matching umbrella, then down to a slim hot-pink number, huge sunglasses, and statement telephone, and finally ending up in an iconic mesh and underwear set, all while sporting the most gorgeous gold false eyelashes that made the whole thing pop.  The creativity and flair of everything Gaga does has made her iconic throughout the years and this event was no exception.

Ezra Miller FUCKED IT UP. Pinstripe suit with the sweeping train, glittering cage corset on top and a myriad of imitation eyes all over his face, carrying an eerie mask of himself on a stick?  Phenomenal.  The confidence in his walk as he moved and the way he displayed his look was so striking and seeing him own it so much made my night.

I loved Jordan Roth’s take on Billy Porter’s wings, allowing him to show up as a literal whole theatre. I loved Ryan Murphy’s sparkling pink champagne tux and high-collared cape.  Florence Welch absolutely slayed in her glittering wing-collared cloak.

However, one of the standout looks for the night was Hamish Bowles.  The embodiment of camp, with that magnificent fur-trimmed patterned cape. The look is absolutely dominating even when he’s standing still, and when he moves, the whole thing comes alive. Watching some of the dynamic shots taken of him having fun with his outfit, I felt like I was watching a bullfighter in a lion’s mane – and all of that is good.  I can’t quite put my finger on why I felt he looked like a fabulous Mrs Doubtfire (maybe it’s the shoes) but the outfit was one of the best and definitely set a bar that so many men fell short of.

Final Words:

Can someone please tell cishet men to step their game up?  Or men in general (I see you Frank Ocean and James Charles letting the damn side down)?  They can stay boring if they want, however.  The rest of us will be having far more fun without them, and the plain black tuxes certainly are no talking point of the evening.

[ammusvlog]

Top 10 Most Amazing Places In Asia you should visit

#1 : Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest Temple)

Paro Taktsang, is a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and the temple complex is located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley in Bhutan. Country : Bhutan Address: Taktsang trail BT, Taktsang trail, Bhutan Dedicated to: Padmasambhava

#2 : Siem Reap

Siem Reap, a resort town in northwestern Cambodia, is the gateway to the ruins of Angkor, the seat of the Khmer kingdom from the 9th–15th centuries. Angkor’s vast complex of intricate stone buildings includes preserved Angkor Wat, the main temple, which is pictured on Cambodia’s flag. Giant, mysterious faces are carved into the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom.

Country : Cambodia

*Siem Reap is the fifth-most-populous city / town in Cambodia by population (189,292)

#3 : Bokeo Nature Reserve

Bokeo Nature Reserve is located in Bokeo Province, Laos. The protected area was created to protect its population of the black-cheeked gibbon, discovered in 1997 which was previously thought to be extinct. The protected area, 475 square miles in size, is characterized by a mix-deciduous forest and mountainous terrain.

country : laos

#4 : Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. Its modern skyline is dominated by the 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers, a pair of glass-and-steel-clad skyscrapers with Islamic motifs. The towers also offer a public skybridge and observation deck. The city is also home to British colonial-era landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

Country : Malaysia

* Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia

* Kuala Lumpur is the largest city / town in Malaysia by total population (1,588,750)

#5 : Hạ Long Bay

Hạ Long Bay, in northeast Vietnam, is known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped by rainforests. Junk boat tours and sea kayak expeditions take visitors past islands named for their shapes, including Stone Dog and Teapot islets. The region is popular for scuba diving, rock climbing and hiking, particularly in mountainous Cát Bà National Park.

Country : Vietnam Area: 1,553 km² Province: Quảng Ninh Province Bridges: Bãi Cháy Bridge

* There are 450 different mollusks and 200 different species of fish in Halong Bay

#6 : Danxia Landform

The Danxia landform refers to various landscapes found in southeast, southwest and northwest China that "consist of a red bed characterized by steep cliffs". It is a unique type of petrographic geomorphology found in China.

Country : China

#7 : Rainbow Village

The Rainbow Village is a street art in Nantun District, Taichung, Taiwan. It was created by former soldier, Huang Yung-Fu, who was born in Taishan county, Guangdong province in 1924. The eldest of four brothers and two sisters Huang's artistic talents were revealed early on. He began painting houses in his settlement, now known as Rainbow village, to save them from demolition. Over the years his colourful artwork, which includes birds, animals and people, has spread over the remaining houses in the village, which once contained 1,200 homes.

Country : Taiwan

#8 : Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan, the builder.

Country : India Location : Dharmapuri, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh Height : 73 m Construction started : 1632 Architects : Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, Ustad Isa

*Ata-ullah was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the main designer of the Taj Mahal.

#9 : Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe with an eye to expansion.

Country : China Location : Huairou Length: 21.19618 million m Size: 21,196 km (13,171 mi)

#10 : Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Shinjuku Gyo-en is a large park and garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naito family in the Edo period. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan.

Country : Japan Location : 11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0014, Japan Area: 58.3 ha (144 acres) Plants: 20,000 trees; 1,500 subtropical and tropical plants

* Shinjuku Gyoen has three large gardens: the Japanese Garden, English Garden, and French Garden.

#Travel #Amazing #Top10 #Asia

[gefdreamsofthesea]

The Luna Sol Tarot is here!

I ordered mine directly from Liminal 11 so it comes with a really nice bag with their logo on it, a postcard with the Ace of Wands, and a little catalogue with some of their current and upcoming products. The deck itself comes in a tuck box with a LWB. The cards themselves are tarot sized with white borders, nothing special in terms of card stock. The Hanged Man is the Hanged One, Justice is 8, Strength is 11 (I personally prefer the reverse}. The court cards are Page, Knight, King, Queen (in that order).

The colour palette is warm and soft, dreamy pastels, lots of yellows and oranges and pinks. The artwork is very RWS so you should be okay if you know the system or are learning it (besides the bit of role reversal with the king and queen).

There is a lot of interesting symbolism in this deck and it’s a shame that the book doesn’t discuss it. The Hierophant, for instance, is a Hindu or Buddhist teacher, lightning bolt in one hand and book in the other, but in front of him is a Lady of the Lake like figure (with a crescent moon on her forehead and a sword) both smiling. I think there are a few different ways of interpreting this. Another interesting card is the Lovers, which has familiar elements: there’s a man, woman, and angel, but some major differences: the angel has six arms and there’s a beam of light going from the angel to the woman and then to the man (who is bowing, with hands clasped together), the woman also has her hands clasped and raised above her head. When I saw this image it reminded me of some Gnostic texts where Eve takes the role of instructor and teaches Adam about the true nature of the world. The guidebook talks about one soul helping another to “shed its leaves, rest, re-blossom, and repeat”. I do think it’s unfortunate that the person in the position of helper/instructor is a black woman though. I also love that the Hermit is a Buddhist monk with both an outer light (his lantern) AND an inner light (in his chest).

This deck is very diverse, so much so that I think it would be easier to count the unambiguously white people in the deck than the reverse, mostly black and East Asian, some of them strike me as biracial. I do like that there’s a little variation in the skin colour of the black characters. In terms of gender you have butch women and feminine men, you have people who are more ambiguous. The guidebook uses gender neutral language throughout (courts cards are “person with _____ energy“. The Hanged One’s shoes strike me as very feminine but they are wearing a baggy sweater in trans flag colours. The guidebook talks about not seeing people as they truly are. Another card I really like is the Moon, the face in the moon looks a bit more masculine. I also love that the Two of Cups just shows hands grasping the cups and a rainbow going from one cup to the other.

The one thing that bugs me about this deck is that some of the faces are a bit creepy. The Star kind of looks like she’s on drugs (or in trance), I don’t want to go anywhere near Judgement. I really like this deck but some of the faces are just the opposite of uplifting for me.

I’m going to put a full review of this deck up on my blog because it was requested so these are just my first impressions.

[aubrey-plaza]

I hope you don't curse me for this, but can I request a W I L D N I G H T au? Messed up Staubrey and high Aubrey and all disaster? And the aftermaths. Thank you 💕

here we go, Vee, a proper wild night au that has somehow also turned into a Pride AU:

Aubrey is studying abroad in London and her assigned roommate is a girl called Fat Amy and Aubrey very quickly learns that this study abroad year is going to be w-i-l-d

Amy has zero filter and a love for life that is honestly a little refreshing for Aubrey and Amy represents everything that Aubrey had been looking for in a year abroad

When Amy finds out that Aubrey likes girls, she almost shakes with excitement and decides that they’re going to go to Amsterdam Pride

“What about London Pride?”

“Yeah we’ll go to that one too!”

Which is how they end up in Amsterdam in August. Amy is decked head to toe in rainbow flags, like a walking Pride store advertisement and Aubrey can’t stop smiling. Aubrey’s wearing a Pride flag bodysuit with white shorts and sneakers and she feels like a whole different person but Amy says she looks awesome and Aubrey doesn’t know a single person in Amsterdam so what the hell, right?

Stacie is a study abroad student at Delft University, the best engineering university in the Netherlands that is an hour away from Amsterdam by train

Stacie grew up hearing about the legendary Amsterdam Canal Parade so she tags along with some local students and they all head up to Amsterdam for Pride. Stacie wears a short rainbow romper and gets her hair braided and lets one of her friends cover her in glitter

Amy asks Aubrey if she’d like to try weed while they’re in Amsterdam because it’s legal there, and Aubrey lets it slip that she’d rather not, but that she’s always wondered what MDMA is like and Amy runs with it. While Amy contacts a local friend, Aubrey googles all the symptoms and side effects because she knows it can be reckless and dangerous but then Amy promises not to do any drugs, her eyes wide with excitement when she says “seeing you do drugs will be enough of a high for me”

Stacie’s getting bored of just watching the Canal Parade, so when one of her local friends Johan says he’s gonna go roam around the city, Stacie joins him

Turns out, Johan is meeting up with Fat Amy to sell her some MDMA and while that whole interaction goes down, Aubrey and Stacie strike up a slightly awkward conversation

“Have you ever done it before?”

“No. Have you?”

“Yeah”

“How is it?”

“Amazing, everything will be more.”

“More what?”

“Just… more. But you can’t do it too often, like once a month at most.”

“I’m not sure I’ll do it again, I just want to try it once.”

“Well then have fun and drink a lot of water.”

Johan and Amy go from business transaction to full on flirting, so even after Aubrey takes the tiny white pill, they hang around and Stacie doesn’t know this blonde stranger but Stacie’s drunk enough that watching Aubrey get high is eternally amusing

Especially when Aubrey gets to the everything-feels-good phase

She doesn’t stop touching Stacie’s skin and mumbling “so soft”

Stacie tries to give her water but “that doesn’t taste like anything” and Aubrey pouts so Stacie buys her a soft ice cream from McDonald’s and Aubrey moans throughout the whole experience and Stacie is suddenly really turned on but Aubrey just feels light and good

Amy and Johan are making out now and Aubrey wants to go dancing and Stacie’s sobering up slowly, teetering more on the edge of tipsy and she offers to take care of Aubrey while they go dance the day away in one of the Pride street parties

at this point Aubrey is rolling hard, touching strangers left and right and Stacie gave her a lollipop earlier to prevent her from grinding her teeth and Stacie turns away to look around the crowd streaming towards the street party and when she turns back, Aubrey is making out with a cute short redhead. Stacie chuckles but doesn’t intervene, and after about ten minutes the redhead bids them goodbye with a lingering look and Aubrey careens into Stacie

“Are you having fun?” Aubrey asks, eyes bright as she shimmies along to the music and touches Stacie all over

“Definitely.”

“Even though you’re not drunk or high?” Aubrey asks guiltily and Stacie nods reassuringly

Aubrey is suddenly fascinated with the glitter on Stacie’s face, staring with wide eyes and occasionally brushing her fingers against Stacie’s skin and it’s driving Stacie insane

A really tall Dutch guy bumps into them and as an apology offers them shots and Aubrey lights up, gasping as she says yes so they go over to one of the bars and Tall Dutch Guy suggests a bodyshot and Aubrey quirks her mouth at him and says she only likes girls but the guy is the opposite of offended as he points out that Stacie is a girl and Aubrey’s smiling again

Stacie knows she has no choice now but she doesn’t exactly complain when Tall Dutch Guy lifts her onto the bar and she lays back and squirms when the bartender pours tequila onto her stomach and then Aubrey is lapping up the alcohol and grabbing the lemon wedge from between Stacie’s boobs

Stacie has barely hopped down from the bar before Aubrey is kissing her and Stacie kisses her back, lets Aubrey set the pace as their mouths move over each other

“That feels so nice,” Aubrey moans

Five minutes later, Aubrey breaks away with a small groan

“What’s up?”

“I’m hungry.”

Stacie laughs and leads them out of the bar and on the hunt for food. They end up in a crammed pizza place with Aubrey in Stacie’s lap happily munching on a slice of cheese pizza and occasionally feeding Stacie a bite but mostly enjoying the life-changing experience of pizza while high

Once Aubrey is fed, Stacie takes her to a nightclub even though Aubrey protests at first. Stacie says “I really think you’ll like it” and “if you don’t like it we can leave” so Aubrey gives in and true to Stacie’s words, she really, really enjoys it. The thumping bass feels so nice in her body and the strobe and laser lights are driving her wild and Stacie’s dancing with her and touching her and Aubrey feels so fucking good

She tells Stacie she needs to go to the bathroom and Stacie goes with her, and it’s not until they’re locked together in a cubicle stall and Aubrey’s kissing her that Stacie realises she’s been tricked

Stacie’s wearing a romper and Aubrey’s wearing a bodysuit so it gets complicated fast but Aubrey whines against her lips as she grinds down against Stacie’s thigh and that’s enough to spur Stacie into action

Aubrey tells her where she’s staying and Stacie’s relieved to hear that she’s sharing a hotel room with Amy and not staying in a hostel so they go there and there’s a second moment of relief when they find the room empty

Once they’re in the room Stacie grows hesitant, because Aubrey’s a total stranger and she’s rolling pretty hard and even though Stacie knows MDMA doesn’t really mess with the whole ability to consent thing, she’s still a little worried about it, but then Aubrey presses her whole body against Stacie’s and says “you’re really hot and I really want to have sex with you” and Stacie’s not made of stone and when a hot blonde is begging for sex, you don’t say no

Aubrey giggles when Stacie undresses her and trails kisses over her skin and leaves glitter everywhere and it feels so good when Stacie touches her and Stacie goes down on her and when she climaxes Aubrey almost cries at how amazing she feels

She’s eager to return the favour, licks at Stacie’s skin and feels with her hands and Stacie’s a little impressed with how quickly Aubrey gets her to come

Hours later they’re a sweaty jumble of limbs, cuddled up to each other in bed and Aubrey can feel that she’s coming down from her high and Stacie suggests a shower

By the time they get out of the shower, Aubrey is crashing hard so Stacie forces her to drink a glass of water and puts her to bed. Aubrey surprises both of them by clinging to Stacie and begging her to stay, so Stacie stays

Once Aubrey is knocked out, Stacie gets dressed and swipes Aubrey’s room card and quickly leaves to go to the night shop. She’s not sure why she’s suddenly so invested in this girl but she gets fresh orange juice and a bunch of food and treks it all back to the hotel, letting herself back in and getting undressed before sliding back into bed with Aubrey

Aubrey wakes up a full 8 hours later with a soft groan, turning further into Stacie who wakes up at the sound and movement.

“You’re still here,” Aubrey says, surprise heavily colouring her tone

“I promised your friend I’d take care of you so yeah,” Stacie says with an awkward shrug and Aubrey wants to smile but even that hurts and she whimpers.

“You need to eat,” Stacie urges and even though Aubrey protests, Stacie gives her the orange juice and makes her eat and then they go back to sleep for a few more hours

They stay in bed the whole day together and even though they’re both naked, nothing happens

“It’s nice to know that I can actually feel emotions. I’m sorry you’re stuck taking care of me,” Aubrey says grimly and Stacie knows it’s the come down talking

“Eh,” she says with a shrug. “I got to spend the night with a wild blonde so I’m not complaining”

Aubrey laughs softly. “I’m not usually that wild”

“Could have fooled me”

The curtains stay firmly closed all day as Aubrey and Stacie cuddle and talk for hours on end. Aubrey gets a text from Amy saying she’s alive and in Rotterdam and to have fun with her new friend

“You know, there’s a Pride parade in Prague next week…” Stacie says offhandedly

“Will you be there?”

“Probably.”

“Hm…”

The next Saturday morning Aubrey catches an early as fuck flight to the Czech Republic and when she gets to the city, she waits by a weird Franz Kafka statue for five minutes before she sees a long pair of legs stop in front of her and she smiles

“You made it!” Stacie says with a wide smile that Aubrey mirrors

“I did,” Aubrey says and then Stacie’s kissing her

send me a Staubrey AU and i’ll tell you 5 of my headcanons for it