#who knows. gay people happy late pride to them and them specifically

[stikybug]

POLYCULE BRAINROT 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO?

More likely than you think! The Mystery event gave my little gayhearted mind a delight AND spark of inspiration? More polycule hcs , love wins ! Again, under the cut because this did not just run away from me it yanked me and dragged me around like a giant dog breed.

First hc dump post over here

I'm sure after the successful murder mystery party Lars sets up little hobby activities around st shelter for him and his partners to have excuses to spend more time together.

reactions differ.

Clarence sighs and says he's a bad influence at this point, he joins anyway, work can wait a bit for them ( time itself could arguably stand still for them, he wouldn't mind that at all either )

Alkaid makes 'tiny' suggestions when on normal dates as offerings for more ideas, Lars catches on quickly, this becomes a sort of exchange habit they make. Lars jokes how his 'little spy' is good at setting things up.

He'll probably stop after doing that for the first time, a joke really isn't worth the expression Alkaid made for a split second ,,,

Ayn doesn't need to think twice before agreeing, an entire day spent with the people he loves sounds wonderful

Cael can't help but laugh to himself, his boyfriends are more trouble than he bargained for. Though it is 5 against one with little painter taking his other partner's side

Following Cael getting annoyed while also being unable to ignore the mess he got himself into, Ayn's concert has a sequel!

Which is, Lars outside his apartment with his partners in the background to 'serenade' him.

He has half the mind to ask them how they all got here without him knowing, but he's too busy trying to stop himself from laughing due to the sheer silliness of the stunt

Honest to god, he got closer to failing by the second. When he eventually asks Lars why he's doing this the most concrete answer he got was to come downstairs to see for himself

Seeing all his partners around, light glinting in the streetlight catching on their ring fingers he seemed to get it.

Matching promise rings for all of them.

He almost teared up with this also. He has never taken it off unless it's absolutely non-negotiable

Life seems to slow down when he has it on, every day proves itself to be sweeter than the last.

Aside from the very big changes they have all noticed small changes in their dynamics - It's been feeling more comfortable.

Many things have been admitted that nobody but lovers would be allowed to know, not for the sake of taboo, but as a matter of vulnerability.

The breakdown of these barriers probably started when Alkaid sent a message in a group chat

Recalling an odd movie that he's been losing sleep over - Of some sort of awful future that was in store for him.

Everyone knew what he was about, but none of them confirmed it until he finished talking.

He talked about an awful future where he became everything he feared he was; an elusive 'spy' who hides his thoughts and feelings even from the people he cherished dearly. A duplicitous 'wolf in sheep's clothing' of a person.

Maybe he wouldn't avoid becoming like that in the future, becoming an awful partner who wouldn't deserve any of them. Going behind their backs, deciding what's 'best' for them.

Before he has a chance to spiral fully Clarence says he knows what he's talking about.

He saw an odd movie too, where he gave everything for the sake of a future, and a person he wasn't sure he'd see again in a heartbeat, unaware of how much it would break her heart to see him give until his spark was extinguished.

He was also quick to point out that they, unlike movie characters simply yanked around by the plot for convenience, had a say in the matter of how they'd wish their fate to play out.

It's not like those flaws weren't there, his were hidden gracefully where most wouldn't take notice either.

But surely, if they could support each other without any judgment they'd spare all the heartbreak.

It turned into something of an admission session then. Ayn saying he saw the same type of thing, unable to get to the 'future' with how tightly he clung onto the past that was too far away.

Cael said something similar, the movie showing a past he was sure he'd want to remember - That eventually crumbled from it's own state of stagnation.

And Lars lamented how he'd be doomed to loneliness if those movies were real, and surely a lifetime of misery without his partners at his side, roaming endlessly without a companion.

It was a relief for all of them. Even with everything embarrassing laid out in the open, nobody ran, nobody decided that was enough to end it.

Despite their fears, it seemed that did the opposite of what they were expecting. With all the weight off their shoulders just serving to deepen what they already had.

There wasn't a doubt about it, they had each other and everything would be alright.

[thisismyname43]

Okay I know i'm a bit late but I really want to talk about THIS

Now a lot of people have been saying it's 3, which for a lot of the fanbase would be the best case scenario. Now while I do know Luke LOVES to troll us on SMG34 and basically dangle it right in all of our faces, I'm going to look at this on a hopeful SMG34 perspective.

So we all know it's Pride Month, meaning this would be the BEST time to let 3 and 4 have their little gay moments.

I've seen a lot of people mention the Mickey Mouse monstrosity, but I also think the bomb should be noted.

The significance of the gift becomes exemplified when you realize 3 wanted Boopkins to rizz someone up with it. This means 3 sees it as a romantic item, something to potentially give to a loved one. The bomb 4 has in his suitcase also matches the ones on top of 3's cafe, meaning 4 probably got the bombs from YOU KNOW WHO.

So what does this all mean?

What I like to think is that SMG34 is already canon, except it isn't directly stated to the viewer's. I think 3 and 4 are going to show signs of romance, and if you put the pieces together you can code it's for each other. I think 3 confessed to 4 since it's Pride Month and gave him the Mickey Mouse statue plus some bombs because that's what 3 loves, and 4 accepted his confession. But I don't think we'll ever see this really happen, we won't see them kiss or anything but there will be moments throughout the month that can be seen as romantic coming from those two.

If my theory is right then for future episodes we'll be given hints regarding their relationship yet it won't ever be specifically stated. That is of course unless Luke decides to grow some balls and make it officially canon/j (Srry Luke ily)

Honestly I think the main reason why it hasn't become canon already is because of backlash from the community, especially now that OG SMG4 "fans" keep shitting on his content instead of minding their own business.

By making SMG3 and SMG4 have romantic moments/tension yet never be confirmed gay for each other, Luke is essentially making both sides "happy", wanting to please everyone because that's just how he is.

Sorry I got sidetracked! Honestly I understand if you didn't want to read all that, but if you did, kudos to you! I just kinda wanted to talk about this because it's been on my mind for awhile.

Thanks for listening! Oh! And if you made it this far, have a free pic of some plushies

[thekeeperof-thefandoms]

Alastor with a gen z, who is also a doe, who is actually very motherly despite her young age. Yes she's choatic and loud sometimes. But elegant and understanding. Even studied psychology which makes her more compassionate with others.

Usually alastor refuses to interact with the younger sinners for they r annoying and end up killing them but since she is staying at the hotel he can't kill her. But after a while of avoiding her he starts to ca6ch up how caring and doting she is over everyone despite being the youngest in the hotel. She even tried to make him jambalaya and left it in the oven after learning it's one of his favorite.

She slowly start growing on him but he's suspicious on why she's in hell. So later on months later he finds her reading in the balcony late at night with violin playing the background and starts a conversation which ends up with him asking her about why she's in hell she states that she killed her abusive foster parents then herself.

(I have more ideas for this plot if u want)

I love incredibly specific asks like this because its so obvious this is either based on an OC or losely based on yourself and the fact you have more.

That being said, I encourage you to make your own posts about this if you have so much you want to do with the idea. For two reasons.

One, because I know what it's like to have an incredibly specific idea in your head when making asks or talking to other people in the fandom. You're always happy for their input but it's so unsatisfying when their responses don't line up witb your idea.

Two. I'm old. I'm 26. I'm that weird age where I'm not quite gen z and not quite millennial.

However, I will add to your idea.

I don't think Alastor kills newer sinners on sight, he has his own canon moral code on who he does and doesn't kill. And gen z kids from America specifically probably don't view Hell any different from their normal lives. Struggling to get by day to day while everything around them goes to shit. The only upside is no one gives a fuck if you're gay or trans or whatever and you have easy access to alcohol and drugs.

The difference is gen z kids have all the audacity and aren't afraid to start shit and while this can be incredibly amusing for Alastor they're all a bit too much for him so he tends to stay away.

Your motherly tendencies and psychological knowledge endears you to him even if he doesn't understand half of what you say and you get a little wild.

I firmly believe Alastor killed his abusive father so he isn't even going to bat an eye at you killing your parents but he would lecture you about killing yourself. What was the point of killing them if you didn't get to bask in it? Didn't live long enough to enjoy that freedom? He views it as a waste.

He'd probably mentor you instead of be interested in you. Clearly you're young and foolish and too emotional. He's going to have to teach you how to revel in getting even with those that wronged you and taking pride in the fact you've helped rid the world of such tasteless, rude, and insufferable people.

[breakingblorbos]

Heyyy! I read through your intro to your blog and I know that Gus isn’t one of the main characters you mentioned you were fixated on but I was wondering if you could do headcanons for him? Both sfw and nsfw if you’re comfortable :)) I also love the idea that Gus was gay if you could maybe use that to influence some of your headcanons THANK YOU VRO!

Hi!!! 👋🏼👋🏼 Omg yes I'd love to!! Thank you so so much for sending me a request!! 🖤☺️ I'm SO SORRY this took so long, life has been crazy busy for me lately. I LOVE Gus so much even tho he's not on my faves list! (I had to keep the list on my pinned post short because I love all the characters, so listing everyone would've just been silly hdhsns)

This ended up longer than I expected. I hope that's okay!! I'm a rambler and a yapper for my faves, what can I say. I was trying to not let this turn into character analysis but?? Hell, I dunno what I'm doing lmaooo forgive me. I had lots of fun writing it tho! Hope you enjoy it as well! Some of these headcanons are 100% projection on my part, but hey, that's just how it be sometimes. We out here coping through our comfort characters 😌✌🏼 also, happy pride!! 🌈

👔Gus Fring Headcanons! 🐓

Disclaimer: This goes without saying, but these are just my personal opinions & headcanons on this character. I do not claim to own this character, nor any rights to the character or the source material.

CW: death, trauma, canon-typical violence, slight homophobia implied, NSFW content below the cut.

SFW

Gus is autistic! He is very high masking anytime he's around someone else, and he only feels comfortable unmasking when he's alone at home, where he can stim and self-regulate in private. Being high masking to that degree is exhausting, so he really enjoys/needs his alone time after business hours.

I don't know if he realizes or acknowledges that he is autistic; he probably never put too much thought into it. He's been too focused on just maintaining his business and surviving in the midst of the cartel.

Gus has intense germophobia, as well as a contamination phobia and hemophobia (fear of blood, specifically of blood getting on him). Before Max died, he didn't struggle with these issues, but the trauma of seeing the love of his life die horribly and unexpectedly in front of him developed into these phobias.

He repeatedly washes his hands throughout the day whenever they feel unclean, and showers every day. It's one of the ways he can stay in control in an otherwise out of control situation. It's how he can cope, because he never truly healed from Max's death.

Speaking of Max, they were more than just business partners! They were life partners in a romantic relationship. Max was one of the only people who Gus could be himself around and let down his guard.

Max was a big motivation and driving force for creating Los Pollos Hermanos, because Gus wanted to share his love for food to more than just his boyfriend. He wanted to share it with the world, with Max by his side. (This hurt my heart aah 😭)

I headcanon Gus as gay too! And he keeps his sexuality close to his chest. Very close. He's extremely cautious in ensuring that nobody– especially the Salamancas– knows that he's gay, unless he wants to be involved romantically with them.

I'd bet that the only people who knew were Max, Gale (they dated for a little bit before Gus called it off), Nacho (gaydar mostly. Nacho clocked him during that "find a way" scene in the car. You know the one), and mayyybe Mike. I feel like Hector was suspicious and kinda put the pieces together, and he was keeping it in the back of his mind as potential leverage/blackmail against Gus.

One of Gus' favorite ways to express his love and care for someone is to cook them a meal!

He loves everything about the process of cooking; the planning, the prep, cooking and assembling the dish, and finally (and most importantly), watching the person he made it for eat and enjoy it. It's mediative for him, and helps him calm down and focus when he needs a distraction.

After Max died, he lost a little bit of his passion for cooking, and cooking for anyone else never felt the same as it did for Max.

Gus' other hobbies at home would be anything that involved meticulous, detailed, and careful tasks/steps. I think he'd be into making model train sets or diorama scenes, or something akin to it. He's a perfectionist, through and through, and he feels very fulfilled seeing the finished product after he hyperfixates on a project.

NSFW

Now onto the spicy headcanons! 🫡 I kept it gender neutral in pronouns, simply for the sake of differentiating between Gus and his partner. Less confusing to read that way, but all of his partners will be men. Some of these aren't inherently explicit, but they fit better under this category since they're about his love life/relationships. Also, a little bit of implied Gus x reader if you squint teehee

Gus insists on being the top & the dominant during sex. This, again, goes back to his need for control of a situation and holding power over his lover. He will not bottom under any circumstance.

Max was the one person he was comfortable bottoming for, or letting Max be the dom. They would switch roles often enough so that they were equally both top and bottom. Anyone else is simply too unpredictable, in his eyes.

I would consider him mostly a soft dom, although he can get pretty nasty at times. He definitely has a degradation kink– degrading others, not receiving the degradation. And brat taming.

Speaking of kinks, I think Gus would be into bondage and rope play. He very much enjoys tying his partner up and teasing them relentlessly until they're begging and whining Gus to let them cum.

He doesn't typically have a very big sex drive, but with the right person, he goes absolutely wild with them every chance he gets. (It also helps him get out his frustrations and stress from work.)

He isn't necessarily a sadist (well... maybe a little bit 🤭), he just loves hearing his partner being so loud and needy and desperate for him. He eats that shit up!!

Gus practically never talks in Spanish outside of dealing with Salamancas. However, if he's built a deep connection with his lover (this is rare), he'll call them pet names and say sweet (or nasty) things to them while fucking them, depending on the vibe at the time. Amor, cariño, conejito, cochino, and putito are some of his favorites.

Gus is great at tending to his partner's needs; he listens and pays attention to what his partner is into and what turns them on the most.

Especially if they're trying to tease him in public or at the restaurant. He gets a little frustrated and annoyed that they're not "behaving professionally in a work setting", but that won't stop him from locking his office door and bending them over his desk for a fitting punishment.

"Fine. If you are unable to control yourself and behave properly while you are in my restaurant, then I have no choice but to control you myself. Do not let anyone hear you, understand?" He would growl in their ear as he starts to undo his belt.

He also gives amazing aftercare, but once the morning comes, he quietly puts his clothes back on and slips out the door. If he even stays the night at all.

Gus has a hard time allowing anyone to get close to him like Max did, so he only keeps things casual with his intimate partners. They're hookups and that's about it. He doesn't wanna catch feelings for anyone else, for his safety and theirs. He cut off his relationship with Gale because of his developing feelings.

If he ever did allow a relationship to go into the more serious territory, he would give his partner the same care, dedication, and loyalty that he shows in his work.

He would be the kind of boyfriend that makes sure his partner never wants for anything, as long as that same loyalty and dedication was reciprocated. He expects nothing less.

Gus takes a very long time to establish trust with someone, but once they have that trust, it's for life. He would protect them with every ounce of his strength and resource he has available to him.

Thank you so so much again, anon, for your request!! ❤️ If anyone else would like to submit a writing request, please read my pinned post first! Then you can submit your requests here!

🪐🌠

[ilovedthestars]

it's the first aro visibility day, ever! It's also my first pride month where I consider myself to be part of the aro community. there's something about that that I find very satisfying, almost comforting. this is new for me, but in some ways it's new for all of us. it's nice to feel like i'm not figuring myself out all alone.

i already did questioning round 1, back in middle and early high school, and came to the conclusion that I was queer (i used queer to describe myself more often than gay or lesbian, but that was the kind of queer that i meant.) i figured out that i thought girls were really pretty, and couldn't really see myself ending up with a guy, and could sort of see myself dating a girl someday, and once I got that figured out I thought I was mostly done. orientation solved, check! just in time to join the high school QSA and wear rainbows during june and joke with my friends about how everyone we knew was queer.

in retrospect, i definitely sort of knew that there was more going on, even when i went thru that first round of questioning. i learned about aspec identities in middle school, via the internet. i distinctly remember a late-night text conversation with a friend in which i told her I thought I might be demisexual (i think my own sexual and romantic orientations were tied together in my mind at the time, and still sort of are, although it's more complicated now.) I was maybe twelve years old, and had never had a crush, and had stumbled upon some words that maybe explained why I wasn't even sure what a crush would feel like. My friend pointed out that lots of people don't have crushes until they're older, and it didn't necessarily have to mean i was aspec. I don't begrudge her this--at the time it was comforting to hear. I think I sort of put the idea away on a "more data required" basis, and didn't think hard about it for years.

it wasn't until within the last six months or so that I started seriously thinking about the possibility that i might be aspec again. i found a fandom community that was full of proud aspec people, and conversations with them started to ring some bells. I read Angela Chen's Ace, which also described some experiences that clicked with me. it occurred to me that while girls are pretty, and the abstract idea of a romantic relationship sounds like it could be fun, i still have yet to actually think "i want to date this specific person." it's always been a pure hypothetical, maybe-one-day thing. i started to think--okay, so maybe i might be some kind of aro or ace. possibly. perhaps.

so now i'm still deep in the quagmire of questioning round 2, trying to fit together "girls are pretty" and "i think would hypothetically date someone" and "i don't actually know if i've ever felt romantic attraction in my life" into something that I can understand. i still feel weird about calling myself aro--i don't feel like I'm certain yet. i think i'm just starting to get to a place where i feel comfortable saying that i'm somewhere on the a-spectrums. but i'm really grateful have found a community where I feel like I can be uncertain and still be included. thanks to the people who have helped me down this road so far--you know who you are, and i love you.

happy aromantic visibility day, and happy pride, to all the aros (and possibly-aros, and maybe??? aros, and i-think-i-might-be-aro-but-i'm-not-sures) out there 💜

[voidpidgeon]

Hello! Happy June! It's Pride and I have another question (8/30)

HiHi, today we are again diving into the evolution of another word: queer!

The word queer entered the English language around the 16th century, and initially meant "strange", "odd" or "eccentric". (This is a slightly unrelated sidenote; as someone whose dialect of English is Hiberno-English, the word queer is still very commonly used to still mean this, and has also evolved to the word "quare" which can be used in place of "really" or "very" to provide adverbial emphasis <- like if someone is "quare tall" they're so tall that you're kinda in a little disbelief about it. Anyway just thought this was a fun side note because I really had not realised this word was controversial for people until I was on the internet)

Anyway, onto the late 19th century, the word queer began to have the connotation of "sexual deviance", before then starting to be used specifically about the "sexual deviance" of "feminine men".

The first, or at least one of the first, recorded time that the word queer was used as a pejorative for gay was in a letter written by John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquis of Queensberry, about his son's relationship with Oscar Wilde. This letter was read out in Wilde's trial in April 1895 (in which he was being tried for "gross indecency" or "homosexuality"), and in it Douglas refers to Wilde and other gay men at the time as "Snob Queers". It is believed that American newspapers picked up this phrase and began using it themselves, thus spreading the pejorative to the US's vocabulary.

"The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang" (1937) defined the word queer as "Homosexual. Derogatory from the outside, not from within. US, 1914", which tells us both that by 1914 it was a common pejorative or insult for gay people, but also, that queer people were using the word to refer to themselves as well. Around this time, queer, fairy, trade and gay all signified distinct "categories" of homosexual men. Historian George Chauncey notes in his book ("Gay New York") that queer would've been the self-identifier of ""masculine"" gay men.

We can also assume that this is what was happening in the U.K. as well, as a letter held in the National Archives shows us (you can look up the letter in full, search the full name of the person and "My Dear Billy"). This letter was written by a man named Cyril Coeur de Leon to ‘My Dear Billy’ in 1934. Billy was the owner of "The Caravan Club", a ""disorderly house"" of ""male prostitutes"", and in it he writes "Just a note to say that I am very disappointed about you. I honestly thought you were queer, but different from the others, and I liked you very much […] I have only been queer since I came to London about two years ago, before then I knew nothing about it." This use of queer is arguably ahead of it's time, given that at this point queer was exclusively about gay men, whereas de Leon mentions he "still likes girls occasionally".

Over the years though, queer has evolved from the narrow definition of "gay man" to "gay men and lesbians" to "anyone not heterosexual" to "not heterosexual and/or not cisgender". And despite the fact that for the majority of the time that it has meant "gay" it has been used by the community, some people are still of the opinion that the word is "too offensive" to be used, but thankfully, this argument isn't as common as it was in the 90s and 00s, though still annoying persistent.

And as for my question, today I want to know firstly, if you use the word queer yourself? and secondly, what is your favourite word/way to refer to the queer community? (for example, "friend of dorothy" is funny to drop into conversation, and today I spoke to some who said they were "looking forward to meeting other *limp hand movement* at [pub name] tonight!")

Happy Pride 🌈 🎉

I use queer for myself, though i suppose i also have more narrow labels i use for myself!

And I also can understand why someone might not want to use it for themself.

But honestly the most people i see disliking the use of the word in general are...exclusinists, so it can be a bit of a red flag sometimes.

Of course this is not a 100% correlation!

And Queer community is also my favorite way to address the community! Idk i think it is just a good inclusive umbrella term!

I don't have any fun ones sadge

[9w1ft]

Hi. Maybe this is a bit too personal. I don't know. I'm being forced into a context in which I'm going to be surrounded by antis. I know some of them are just genuinely believing the official story. And some of them just think "Taylor would never be a dirty gay", whether they're aware that's their motivation or not.

And it... sucks. I wanted to ask you. When you're emotionally upset, what helps you? How do you deal? Do you have a strategy? Advice? I'm tired lately and the stuff that I usually could weather affects me more. And I don't know how to handle it, this time. It's not about Taylor. It's not even specifically about homophobia. It's just about when you feel like if this was a movie this would be the time for the crying on the couch montage, you know ?

I hope it's okay that I asked this.

i went a little freeform with my answer, i hope you don’t mind! also this is what i do but i really think that it’s gonna depend on who you are as an individual (your personality etc). hopefully some parts resonate for you though! and i hope some people share in the comments their thoughts as well because it’s a feeling we have all shared.

i’m writing this assuming by antis you mean you will be in mixed company with people that strongly believe taylor is Not Gay, though somehow i get similarly impassioned when it comes to other groups of people on this venn diagram.

there was a certain time on my journey here where i came to the conclusion that each person will have to find their way to taylor’s truth on their own, and for some people it’s just going to take far longer. and so i try to sit back and appreciate how rare it is and how happy i am to have come to this conclusion at this point in my life.

i remember during lover era, specifically after the yntcd video came out, even seeing a few choice swiftie accounts with a heavily anti edge (accounts known for sending and directing hate to lowercase g gaylors) suddenly begin backpedaling a bit and even making room in their words for the interpretation that she might like women in addition to men.

it was such a wild time… and it gave us a peek, i think, into how things might unfold more completely… someday…

personally i think that scene in miss americana, the one where she talks about the parade in ME! including everything that makes her her, like ***gay pride*** , is all the unequivocal information you need to understand that you are on the right side of history on this one.

with the advent of tiktok, and seeing various young lgbt voices talk about how it’s kind of ingenious how taylor managed to come out only to the people who want to hear it, has given me a sense of hope that this process is long but it’s one that’s moving toward a day when we won’t have to find ourselves in so many of the situations that you describe.

of course it hasn’t been a simple path… we had the back and forth situation with betty, for example, and other moments which have felt like one step forward two steps back. it does hurt, especially when the people you talk about having to hang out with are people you consider your peers or even friends. to feel such a dissonance with people who on other levels you might consider sisters or friends with otherwise shared values.

i myself have revealed too much of my thinking to a few real people in my life and while none of them are anti per-se, i have had to handle looking like a chronically online person to some of those that i love. but i’ve found ways to brush it off and make it a running joke. pulling out the old scooby doo villain voice and going “just you all wait! one day i *will* be vindicated” or like “yeah lmao it’s my one unhealthy preoccupation and it’s AMAZING” or “these are my problematic faves yes, and what are yours??” in other words i try to own it.

but if you’re in one of those situations where you just want to go incognito, or for those teary main character moments on the couch with a glass of whisky or wine, what i have found works for me is taking solace in the notion that you’re on to *something* with this, and that this is something that’s not only special, but has affected your life in positive ways. maybe it’s expanded the way you’ve thought about the world, or maybe it has given you moments of wonder or awe, or motivation to go out there and contribute a little bit more to society in hopes for a brighter future. i know all these things sound abstract but i think it’s important to find ways to treasure what *gestures broadly* all this has meant for you on your life path. beautify it in your mind.

not to turn this into a “maybe kaylor was about the friends we made along the way” type of sentiment but i for one am super grateful for many of the friendships that have come out of this, that have really enriched my adult life. i’ve also become more observant and overall just more agile at finding commonalities and connecting things and in some ways it’s made me a more efficient and creative person in my profession. my views on life and love and marriage and other big ticket concepts have also been enriched by everything that has transpired. when i’m down in the dumps about something or a lack of something i try and find these kinds of things to be grateful for, and it centers me and i find a happiness there. it’s a happy mess.

this is what i found works for me anyways.

[buckleyblueyes]

buddie + coming out

Jess this got...so fucking long. I'm putting it under a cut. (send me a ship and a word and I'll give you a head canon)

Okay, so Buck first. I imagine that Buck first realized he wasn’t straight when he was in high school. He didn’t mention it to his parents because it’s not like they were that interested in who he was dating anyway. But he did come out to Maddie back then. They were driving around her jeep (coming out in cars is Real okay) and there was some cheesy pop music on the radio (it was the early 2000s) and he didn’t have the word “bisexual” just yet, but she asked if he was dating anyone/if he had a crush on someone and he said “uh...yeah. His name’s Jamie.” and she just took it in stride. Just kind of “oh, okay.” and then he added quickly “I still like girls, too, though” and since she was already through college at this point, so she knew sexuality wasn’t just gay and straight, so she didn’t even blink. “So, tell me about him” and he did. When he was done, she grinned, told him she wanted to meet Jamie some time, and turned up the radio. They drove around some more singing along to whatever cheesy pop song played next.

As far as Buck coming out as an adult, at some point in his late teens or early twenties he found the word bisexual. He never really tried to hide it, but he also never went out of his way to broadcast it. He never felt ashamed of his sexuality, per se, but he never felt proud of it either. It was just like...sometimes he dated guys, y’know? Anyways so flash forward to when he joins the 118. He doesn’t make a big deal out of it, but at some point early on Hen describes him as “a straight white boy” and he’s like “bold of you to assume I’m straight” “you’re not?” “not even a little” and leaves it at that. Sometimes he mentions hookups with guys during his 1.0 phase, but other than that he doesn’t really talk about it. He comes out to Eddie sometime in season 3, when he’s bemoaning his loneliness and Eddie says “you’ll find the right girl someday” and Buck suddenly realizes he’s never actually told Eddie he’s into guys so he responds. “Right person, actually.” and Eddie blinks twice. “What?” and Buck sighs. “I’ll find the right person, I’m bisexual.” and Eddie blinks again. “Oh...Cool…” and then they just move on.

Which brings us to Eddie. Eddie does not come to the realization that he’s queer until much later in life. He worries he might be gay in high school, because everyone else is interested in dating and girls, and he’s just. Not. Everyone always tells him that he and his good friend Shannon would make a good couple, and he’s pretty sure she has a crush on him, but he just likes her as a friend. Until one day, the summer after they graduate from high school, he looks at her and his heart starts racing and his palms are sweating but it’s not from the Texas humidity and oh my god. Is this what liking someone feels like? This is terrible, actually. But he was right about Shannon having a crush on him, so they start dating, and it’s great. And Eddie is relieved because falling in love with Shannon means he’s straight. He was just a late bloomer, like his mom said.

Anyways, so flash forward about twelve years and Eddie is starting to think he was wrong before. Oh, God, he was so wrong. He’s not sure when Buck went from his best friend to someone he was falling in love with, but it’s too late to go back now. But it’s fine. It’s fine. Buck is straight anyway, so it’s not even worth getting worked up over because it’s never going to happen and--Buck isn’t straight. Oh, hell.

And then he meets Ana, and she’s, well. She’s pretty, and he likes that she guesses his name right, but then he blows up at her and also she’s his son’s teacher, so that’s kind of weird. And then the pandemic hits, and he’s forced into close quarters with Buck and it gets impossible to deny his feelings to himself any longer. But he doesn’t know what to do about it. The problem for Eddie is that he’s only really had strong feelings for two people ever in his life, and the word ‘bisexual’ doesn’t to fit. More like ‘these two people in particular-sexual’ but that doesn’t really make sense.

So, when Ana comes back into his life, it seems like the easy way out. Nobody has to know that he has all these weird, confusing, not-heterosexual feelings. He’s 33 years old, who has a sexuality crisis at 33? Of course, the universe has other plans. He gets shot, he almost dies, and he realizes he doesn’t really feel anything for Ana and he probably never will, and predictably by the time he’s finally ready to confront his feelings and sexuality, Buck is dating Taylor. Great.

Anyways, so Eddie goes to Hen for help figuring himself out because if anyone would be able to help, his married lesbian friend seems like a very good bet. And he’s right. He explains how he’s only ever been in love with two people and that gender doesn’t seem to be a big factor in it, and she points him to the concept of asexuality and aromanticism, and more specifically demisexuality/demiromanticism and it just clicks for him. He wasn’t a “late bloomer” after all. So, I guess Hen is the first person Eddie comes out to. And he doesn’t really feel the need to come out to anyone else at that point because it’s not really anyone’s business.

Eventually, he and Buck get together. And for Buck, telling people isn’t a big deal because he’s been out as bi for years. Eddie isn’t reluctant to tell their found family, or even the rest of the 118. But he is nervous to tell his biological family. He doubts they’ll be too happy about him being with a man, let alone understand the concept of demisexuality. He starts with Abuela and Pepa, the family he’s closer to (literally and figuratively). He comes out to both of them at the same time, at Abuela’s, over a home cooked meal. He tells them that he and Buck are dating, that he loves him. Pepa puts a hand over his and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I’m proud of you,” she says. “It was about time you put that boy out of his misery.”

Eddie chokes on a surprised laugh. Then he looks at Abuela. Abuela is quiet for a minute before standing and walking around the table to where Eddie is sitting. She pulls him up to standing and gives him a tight hug. “Te quiero.”

Next he comes out to his sisters, who are pretty chill about the whole thing, and lastly his parents. His parents liked Buck when they met briefly, so if Eddie was going to be with a man, at least he picked a good one. And given that the rest of the family already knows and is supportive, it’s not like anyone would be on their side if they had a problem with it, and they want to keep seeing their grandson. So they just say “okay” and accept it in the most passive way possible.

Anyways this got SUPER DUPER long and detailed, so I’m going to end it with this: After they’ve been out (both Eddie coming out and Buck and Eddie being out as a couple) for awhile, Hen drags them to that year’s LA Pride with her, Karen, and the kids, and they end up meeting up with Michael, David, Harry and May there (and Bobby who is wearing a t-shirt that says “Free Dad Hugs” in rainbow letters, Buck takes him up on the offer immediately).

[atlasshrugd]

Hi seeing as you seem to be the only sorta active britin blog I can find lol I wanted to ask you about some of your favourite moments for them, as I'm kinda new to the fandom whatevers around lol, and would like to hear peoples thoughts on them if you don't mind answering 😊

Hey there! Sorry I am answering so late, but WOW this is a big ask because there are SO many favorite moments.

So I have narrowed it down to my Top 5:

1. Prom (obviously)

Okay this is a no-brainer. This is literally the most romantic sequence in all of television history. I still have not found something more beautiful, moving, triumphant, loving, and groundbreaking than when Brian and Justin danced to 'Save the Last Dance for Me' at prom. Obviously barring the horrific events of what followed, this scene transcended all stereotypes and barriers and allowed us as the viewers to feel pure happiness and pride as queer people. I remember seeing it for the first time at 14 and feeling so unadulteratedly happy and validated. This was a scene of two gay people unapologetically showing the world that they did not give a shit what anyone thought of them. The only thing that mattered was this thing between them; this unspoken understanding, solace, love, and pride. I still moves me to this day whenever I watch it, no matter how many times I do.

And of course we must talk about the implications of Brian's character in this scene. Throughout season 1, he has been an emotionally stunted and cold individual who does not believe in love, relationships, or trying to make other people happy. Here, in the finale, we see Brian finally putting away all his ego bullshit ("I wouldn't be caught dead in a room full of 18 year olds"), and going out of his way to make someone he cares about happy. The fact that he even showed up at Justin's prom is a direct U-turn from the moral principles he has been reinforcing all season. And by dancing to a "ridiculously romantic" corny song, waltzing, and kissing Justin in front of everyone without giving a shit — that is pride. That is one of Brian's long-accustomed walls tumbling down.

"And don't forget whose taking you home and in whose arms you're gonna be..."

2. When they make love for the first time after the bashing

Now these scenes...how do I describe the sheer profundity? After Justin's bashing at prom, Brian is left in shambles. He blames himself for everything, and it is just further proof that Brian's love always causes further destruction. Justin has lost all memory of that night at prom, and this is one of the big tragedies. Justin had promised that he'd never forget it, and that it was the best night of his life. That proof of Brian's love that he had for so long been longing to experience — has disappeared as if it never happened. Now, Justin's confidence and surety of the world has been distorted. He is no longer sure of anything, including himself and Brian. He needs reassurance and things spelled out for him.

When Brian and Justin sleep together for the first time after the bashing, it is not like all the other times they had sex. This, in fact, is the first time they make love. Justin is telling Brian that he trusts him wholeheartedly, enough to allow him in his body again after his own agency had been ripped away from him. This is where Justin absolves Brian of his guilt. He takes the blood-stained scarf off his shoulders, lets it fall to the ground. He gives Brian the forgiveness that Brian cannot offer himself.

"Like the first time?" Brian asks, because it is the anniversary of their first meeting, but at the same time—it is nothing like the first time. Now, they are not strangers. They are more acquainted with each other than they have ever sought to be; know each other in such profound depths. They are forever linked by this thing they have both experienced, but it is not just that shared trauma. It is based off deep understanding and love. They have, somehow along the way, become more each other than themselves. They know that they have become irreplaceable and inseparable parts of each other. And Brian has been holding onto that guilt for so long that it has become rooted deeply within him. SO when Justin absolves him of it, Brian allows himself to truly feel for the first time since the bashing. He gives himself to Justin, in that moment, as Justin gives himself to Brian. It is a brilliant and tender scene of trust, devotion, acceptance, and absolution. Something they both needed to soothe their troubled souls, and a new basis for their relationship.

3. When Brian helps Justin walk down the street after the bashing

Again, this is Brian showing nurturing, care, patience, compassion, and selflessness to another person. Justin trusts him enough to rely on him, and Brian doesn't take this trust lightly. These are some of the sweetest scenes of the whole show, because this is when Brian is completely focused and devoted to Justin. He wants to help him, more than anything, to get better. And he accepts and takes up this role of carer, not because he has to, or because he is obligated or forced to. But because he will do anything to ensure that Justin will be okay, and that he gets the life he deserves.

Specifically, my favorite scene is when the song 'Grand pianos crash together, when my boy walks down the street...' is playing. Justin is walking through a crowd and Brian has his arms outstretched. When they come together, they hug deeply and easily. This scene is so simple and pure, so chaste, but it shows the true essence of their relationship, beyond all the facades and bells and whistles. At the heart of it, Brian and Justin care about each other more than they care about themselves. They have established a stable foundation of trust that they can rely on. And it also perfectly encapsulates just how far Brian has come once again. He is showing such selfless care and devotion to a boy in public daylight, kissing and hugging him and not wanting to let go of his hand. Season 1 Brian would have never even considered that. This just shows how much the events of the prom changed him, and shows how his desire for responsibility of another person has matured him. He had been forced to face his inner feelings, fears, and truths. Now, they are out in the open for the first time and Brian accepts this. This alone is a huge development.

Brian is also afraid to let go of Justin. When Justin says he can walk back himself and says 'Later,' Brian repeats it apprehensively as he holds Justin's hand until he can't anymore. Then, he watches Justin go, walking through the crowds. The look on his face is wistful, a little troubled. He hasn't wanted to face just how much he enjoys Justin's presence and how much happier and content he is when Justin is with him. He hasn't wanted to face just how afraid he is to lose Justin again. Their words of 'Later' are a direct mirror of their last words on prom night, just before Justin got bashed. Brian had watched Justin walk away, too. And a second later, he was gone.

4. Pride

This is probably one of my all-time favorite scenes in television ever. I have cried each time I've seen it. There is something so pure, essential, liberating, triumphant and tender about this scene, and the song that plays (Chiquitita by ABBA) certainly shows it. Firstly, Justin accepts Brian in his entirety and doesn't expect him to change. He knows how much Brian has been devoting to Justin in his recovery, and how strange that role is for Brian. Here, he tells Brian to 'go find a stud, ask him to dance,' — because he knows how much Brian has been sacrificing for him. This alone shows Justin's maturity and inner strength. He loves Brian, so he will not try to change him or shackle him. He wants Brian to be free to choose and live the way he wants, and that is what he fell in love with.

But when Justin shows this sacrifical and detached love for him, Brian realises that there is nothing he wants to do; no one he wants to be with more — than Justin. He is aware of the myriads of choices he has. But he chooses Justin. (Technically, for the first time, perhaps aside from prom. But even at prom, he had been running from something [turning 30]. Here, he chooses Justin without pressure for the first time.)

So, he follows him outside. He ask him "Hey, stud. Wanna dance?" Justin doesn't believe him at first, because he is not used to Brian choosing him by his own volition. He cannot imaging Brian passing up getting laid, especially after being celibate for the whole day. He also feels like a burden; like Justin's recovery has been inflicted on Brian, stopping him from living his life normally. Justin loves Brian enough to let him be free, but the biggest part? Brian loves Justin enough to choose him in that freedom.

So this marks another checkpoint in their relationship. Not only is there trust, understanding, and love — there is also desire. Sure, they have always desired each other. But this desire is not the physical kind or one born out of loneliness. This is desire for the other person as a whole. This is desiring another person's company because theirs is the only company you want. This is desiring to be with someone when there are so many other options. This is real desire — the kind that originates from the heart and not the flesh.

"I promise you won't forget this one." Brian is promising Justin that this dance will be theirs, just theirs. Not to stick it to anyone, to show anyone anything, to make some kind of point, or to make somebody happy. This dance is theirs, for the reason that Brian wants Justin to have this: this moment where Brian only wants Justin, where he dances with him simply because he wants to. And he wants Justin to have this memory, to overcome all the vague blurriness of their past. He wants this dance to be the one he remembers when he questions himself. And so they dance, and they sway, and they kiss, and they press their heads together, and the lights are bright and colored on Liberty Avenue, and everywhere people are free and joyful, and there is nothing to prove, no one to run from, nothing to hide. Their arms are wrapped around each other and the sound of 'You'll be dancing once again...and the pain will end...you will have no time for grieving...' tumbles through the air and all around them. 'But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you.' Now: there is nothing to be afraid of, and everyday life is full of reasons to be alive. To be proud.

5. Their reunification

This is one of their main checkpoints. This scene is the moment they finally become equals. Justin had left Brian for the reason that Brian could not give him what he needed to be happy, which was: reassurance. After the bashing, Justin lost all sense of who he was. There was a huge gap in his memory, therefore a huge part of himself he could not claim. He had lost partial use of his dominant hand which took away the only thing that gave him solace; his drawing ability. He was no longer sure of anything and needed things spelled out for him. He needed to talk about it. 

But Brian was not willing to do that, because he himself was struggling with trauma from the incident that he did not want to face. Where his love language is in acts of service (letting Justin live with him, paying for his tuition, helping him recover) — Justin needed to hear the words. He needed verbal affirmation to prove that he wasn't crazy and just projecting his feelings onto Brian. He could no longer trust his own perception and interpretation of things whereas in the past he could read Brian's mixed signals easily without needing confirmation. This is the part Brian failed to understand. He was not willing to concede his identified notions of 'relationships' and 'love' — no matter how far he came. He had not accepted that his feelings for Justin were love, and that scared him. So he refused to compromise with Justin, believing that his actions were enough when they weren't. But all Justin needed was to be heard, and for someone to love him enough to give hime what he needed sometimes (which was, verbal and emotional affirmation).

So their relationship ended, and Justin thought he could get what he needed from Ethan, which proved to be another big lie. So at the end, Justin still cannot trust his own perception, but — he finally knows what he wants.

He comes to the realization that while Brian could not give him the words, he gave him honesty. He learned from Ethan that words without action had no meaning. So he prioritized what mattered more to him: hearing that Brian loved him? Or, knowing that Brian loved him. So he chose honesty.

And this is when they could get back together without that imbalance and insecurity.

"And you are never to play violin music in my presence again." This single line is the only thing Brian needed to say to indicate to Justin that he was hurt by Justin leaving. Brian has been putting up a front of indifference for their entire break up, only indulging in pain management in private. Justin leaving him irrefutably hurt him more than he could have ever anticipated. But he did not show it.

So, Justin smiles — a little nod of awareness — because that is all Brian needed to say. And he says, "I promise."

"And it's time...that we...grow old and so some shit..." plays in the background (Lover's Spit) as they start to undress each other, because they are now on the same playing field. They have no illusions, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations anymore. They are starting anew; a little older and a little wiser than before. Brian knows how painful it is to lose Justin. Justin knows how skewed his perception had been, because he had been so caught up in his isolation that he could not see the truth of Brian's actions.

But they both know at least one thing: that life is better together than apart.

Tbh I could go ON and write a dissertation about each of these individual scenes, but I hope this made sense and gave a little more insight on these scenes and characters. Thank you for the great question!

[trevor-wilson-covington]

What could have been...

//Saw that the site I use to make mood boards has a CD Cover option and thought it would be fun to do Sunset Curve’s Demo and Unreleased Songs (+Home Is Where My Horse Is) as they would look as singles!!! I may make CD Covers for the other 13 songs in the show...if people end up really liking these ones and if inspiration strikes!

**Gave an idea of what I think the other 7 songs would be about/why they were written (said what we know Unsaid Emily, Now or Never, and Home Is Where My Horse Is are about already of course too)!!

1. Unsaid Emily: Is of course about Luke’s rough relationship with his mom, which was never resolved before his death. It touches on how he knew he should have turned around and come back home but his pride stopped him. All the conversations he had created in his head about what they would say to each other when he finally saw her again stayed that way, thoughts in his head. Wondering if he had been able to say the right things to his mom or made up with her before dying, would time not have erased the memory of him?  

2. Get Lost: I believe it is about the feeling of restlessness and wanting to just take off on an adventure somewhere new or unique. Similar to how Luke finds sleeves (zleeves) restricting, this song is about how life can feel suffocating sometimes and all you want to do is grab a bag of essentials and walk in the mist/ride off into the night to a freer life. 

3. Long Weekend: Is about the band’s friendship/brotherhood/sense of found family and how over many weekends they find themselves going through a lot of struggles and heartache together. These are the weekends that feel the longest because there is so much the four boys help each other through and many times they find they don’t want the weekend to end so they can spend more non-band time together to just be four stupid teen boys navigating all the twists and turns of life. 

4. Crooked Teeth: My thoughts are that it could have been written when he had braces/a retainer in the 90s & was self-conscious of it, so it was written to cheer Reggie up about his braces/retainer & pretty much say "hey, Reggie...people's smiles vary & they're all unique & beautiful"...instead of mocking him, like the show seems to tell us it was written to do.

5. My Name Is Luke: Is a darker, more introspective song about Luke’s struggle with an identity crisis where he feels he’s being pulled in different directions. One side is the Luke who loves his parents and wants to make them happy and have them be proud of him. The other side is the Luke. who is passionate about writing and playing music, who thrives off the feelings and energies of the crowd as they connect with him and his lyrics. Luke finds he can’t be one version of Luke without ultimately giving up the other and trying to do both is exhausting and soul crushing at times. The title is his way of saying ‘Hey, this is my name, it’s who I am, and I can be a loving son my parents can be proud of while also doing what I love and making a difference in the lives of people who listen to my music’. He just wishes his parents could come to understand that he loves music and he’s really good at it, so why can’t he continue doing it and make them proud at the same time.  

6. Now or Never: Is, as we know, about Sunset Curve’s rise to fame and how they can dream as though they’ll never die but they’re going to live their life as though today could be their last day alive. They aren’t looking to the future, because all they need are each other and the energy that is coursing through their bodies in the present. They hear a voice in their heads saying you only have this one life, so make the most of it so when you die you’ll have had no regrets about the things you did or didn’t do. This is their time to shine and even when their lives were bleak or lacking, their days were still the best of their lives because they were making music and gradually making a name for themselves doing so. 

Weaved in are of course lyrics that seem to foreshadow their 3 deaths with the mention of shock to their hearts (the defibrillators used to try to keep them alive in the alley or ambulance), clocks moving forward but they don’t get older (how for 25 yrs they were in limbo and didn’t age and are now 17-year-old ghosts in 2020), how they kept on climbing 'til their stars collided (floated up out of the ambulance to the dark place until crashing into Julie’s life (she’s a star as Luke says)), and how all that they left in the past was just the just the key to paradise (all the things they left behind once they died were just ‘stepping stones’ to the ‘paradise’ of heaven for most people or in the boy’s case the path to Julie and playing music again).

7. Late Last Night: Is about the late nights the four boys spent out at clubs/venues leading up to the Orpheum, gigs that helped them gain a decent following, and all the crazy things they saw and did. 17-year-olds out late partying, possibly drinking, on school nights. A higher energy song, similar to Now or Never to match the antics of a bunch of teens practically let loose on the music/club scene during the band’s rise in the Hollywood/LA music scene in ‘93/’94/’95. It evokes the feelings of being wild and reckless as a teen, while also somehow capturing the energy of the nighttime as you move from the crowded main strip into residential areas and how quick and jarring the change can be.     

8. Lakeside Reflection: This is a tough one, but I think it would be about the individual experiences most or all of the boys have from going to lakes during summer with their families. There’s of course all the fun time spent with family, but in the reflection on the lake of those moments the boys only see the truth of their family dynamics, what was hidden behind a pleasant façade. 

For Luke, it was the strained relationship and fights with his mom over the band and his dreams. 

For Alex, it was the looks and offhanded comments made by his parents and the looks of sympathy from his sister, ever since he told them he was gay. 

For Reggie, it was the nights spent keeping his brother and sister distracted as the walls practically shook from the volume and intensity of his parents’ almost daily fights. 

And for Bobby, it was the truth that he kept up a façade even with the boys so they wouldn’t know that his family, that the others always believed to be perfect, wasn’t perfect at all. When rarely he saw his parents and they weren’t off on business trips or working late into the night, Bobby found them to be disinterested in his life and any affection or love was relegated to a pat on the back or a quick hand held before they rushed out the door once more. 

The happy summer vibes at the lake could never truly make any of the boys forget their truths, but at least they could let loose for the extent of their trips and finally feel like a carefree teen again.               

9. In Your Starlight: This would seem to be a certain kind of love song at first glance and for some people that’s what it may be, but to me it is a very specific kind of love song. This love song is about relationships each of the boys had, the very few of them, that didn’t turn out well for some reason or another. A passion for music overshadowing the passion to keep a relationship going. The fear of long-term commitment and a short-lived bliss, before the fighting starts, ending the relationship before it ever grew deeper. The smothering of a fire in the soul so outsiders can’t see one trace of its flicker, hidden behind a lie, in case they find out the truth and react with disgust or hatred. Or the overly flirtatious and, at times, clingy antics used to get a person interested in starting a relationship. To keep them invested in the relationship, in an effort to make sure they won’t leave out of boredom or for someone better. This song is from the perspective of those other people, how they saw the relationship, no matter the length, and what they see as the thing that ended it or kept it from growing stronger. How they all in some way felt like they were pulled in by light of each of the boys (the stars) and things were good at first, before the cracks started to appear and reality truly set in.    

10. Home Is Where My Horse Is: It’s an expression of where and whom Reggie calls home. The horse had never really stood for an actual horse, but rather it represented Luke, Alex, and Bobby. The people Reggie considered his family, his home, more than he ever would the house he had grown up in. Horses symbolize freedom without restraint, because riding a horse makes people feel they can free themselves from their own bindings. There is no constraining a horse when it runs with the wind, but they also enjoy the company of family and friends. Reggie wants freedom from the stuff with his parents and his own personal demons that keep him held back. He finds with the band, his real family, he can run free and be himself...enjoying being around the boys and not having to worry about fighting and drama. His home is where he (the horse) is... able to be its true self and go where the wind takes it.     

[stormblessed95]

And add the fact that she has many as young as 10 years old followers, which some of them could be queer and learn what they should do from her, would normalize so many problematic traits, ,jealousy possesiveness cheating on your s/o (for $$$ or for just because) etc. , and this is what they will think of "queer relationship" bc they're in a homophobic environment. An applaud for the crowd pls.

I'm going to add all my TKlies anons and the asks I've already posted here into this one thread. Just so everyone can be well aware as to WHY she is toxic along with some of the toxic narratives tkkrs push. Then I'm closing this topic and won't be posting anymore asks about it. Rainbow text lady gives me such a headache. I tend to avoid the hell out of anything she does or posts. I'll also split up anons with cute jikook pics because we deserve some happiness in this post too

Anon 2: Every time i see "tkr" and "queer" used in the same sentence, i always think of this girl on twt who exposed herself accidentally. She posted a ss of a chat with her friend with the caption "i love this girl so much" but in the chat the account owner wrote "i wish i was gay, that sounds so fun, and you bitch would be the first girl i'd hit up" ??? But if you look at her bio, there was a pride flag. The audacity maam. Homophobia is so fun, yeah. And we believe you, you're a really queer indeed.

Anon 3: imagine your boyfriend making romantic videos for other person and uploading in public platform just to make you jealous. Boy I would break up immediately

Anon 4: Oh you didn't know? She invented some of coming out stages herself. She decides "TK's current stage" acc to how they behave lately. SI=Stay in, CIO=Coming into open, CO=Coming out. Do the editors of run!bts cutting TK content? TK is in SI stage. Are TK being loud? They're in CIO stage bc they dropping "hints". Did dispatch or any outlet shared a TK related thing? OMG THEY'VE CAME OUT ALREADY!!! THE WHOLE KOREAN INDUSTRY KNOWS ABT THEM!!! Her followers always ask her abt when will TK come out...

Anon 5, relating to tkkrs not tklies: I literally cannot believe i'm typing this right now. Have you seen the drama revolving around 🐰🦁? A specific fanartist better not be named literally drew 🐥getting beated up by🐰bc he was jealous how close 🐥 was to🦁?? And those dumbasses cannot understand that jikookers attacking them bc out of all the imaginary ppl they could've drawn,they chose this path to go? Just bcs it's hard for most tkrs to differentiate b/w fantasy and reality, 🐥 had to be dragged to hell and back everyday. ISTG.

The ask that started this conversation... opinion from an anon about how she doesn't believe their are truly queer TK supporters, only fantasy shippers...

Ask posted about tklies on Twitter about telling young army to come out:

Possible false claims of being LGBTQ ask posted:

I don't have much to add expect this all is all just very very sad. These are REAL people. Not fictional characters to create whatever kind of narrative you want about who they are. I'll just reiterate to stay away from TaeKook_Lives on literally every SM platform, block and report. And make sure you are watching original content when you form your opinions over the guys and to always always be respectful. TKlies topic closed to asks for now. Thank you 💜

[shyvioletcat]

I read your Christmas list of prompts

And I feel like these 3, 14, 38, 62 SCREAM aelin and Rowan (mainly aelin to Rowan) lol

This one is late, I know. But here it is! Another fic for my Rowaelin Holiday Celebration. Set in my teacher au, which includes Camp Shenanigans. Please enjoy. Oh and i just went with 1 out of the 4. It’s the card.

~~~~~

Aelin sighed in frustration. She was great at giving presents, fantastic even. She always knew what to get everyone once Yulemas rolled around. But this year she had lucked out, and it was really bruising her ego.

She prided herself on the annual Secret Santa at work, every year the recipient of her gift gushed about how perfect it was. But this year she had no idea what to get, and that was because she had managed to pull stick-up-his-ass Rowan Whitethorn from the moth eaten Santa hat Lysandra had held in front of her. Her best friend and most likely future cousin-in-law had been incharge of the whole thing but had refused to let Aelin swapped when she asked. That’s the name of the game she’d said and sauntered off.

So now Aelin had dragged Aedion shopping with her, just so she could get some sort of help. Aedion had agreed because he’d managed to pull out a dud himself.

“What do you get Manon Blackbeak?” Aedion mused and he browsed a table of holiday inspired knickknacks.

“Bottle the blood of her enemies,” Aelin replied. “I think she’d drink it straight.”

“She probably would,” Aedion agreed and he left the knickknack table.

Manon worked in the science faculty and was honestly one of the most terrifying people Aelin had ever met. So naturally, after a tense getting to know you period, they'd mellowed out into being respectful collegues and eventually some semblance of friends.

“We’ve got a betting pool going on how soon into the end of year party her and Dorian end up in some closet making out,” Aelin dropped casually. “Again.”

“Does Dorian know?” Aedion asked as they walked side by side to go browse elsewhere.

“Dorian is in on it,” Aelin said. “He thinks a half hour tops.”

“Manon would never let him have it that easy,” Aedion added.

“That’s what I told him,” Aelin said. “And then I also told Manon and she said he’s dreaming.”

Aedion scoffed. “Did you just rig it for yourself?”

“Of course not, I never mentioned the bet to her at all,” Aelin replied innocently.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Aelin tried not to smile. “Fine I did, I promised to split the money with her.”

“I knew it.”

The cousins had reached a holiday display, decorations, cards, and holiday specific foods all set out.

“Hey,” Aedion said with a grin. “You could give him this.” He held up a card.

Aelin looked over and saw what the card had on it.

Will you be my ho ho ho?

“What, and end up in the middle of a sexual harassment case? No thank you.” Then Aelin added, “Why would I even get that for him anyway? I hate him.”

“Of course you do,” Aedion said like he knew all the secrets of the universe.

“What?” Aelin snapped.

Aedion gave her a grin that made her understand exactly why people tended to get infuriated with her. “Nothing.”

Aelin picked up a candy cane and pointed it at him threateningly. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it.”

The grin stayed, Aelin wanted to throw something at him.

“Okay, let’s focus here. You’re his friend of sorts. What should I get?” Aelin said, wanting to just get out of the bustling shops by now.

“I dunno, he’s still pretty private even though it’s been six months,” Aedion said.

Aelin sighed heavily. “I’m going to have to do it. I’m going to have to do the mug and pen.” Even just saying it left a bad taste in her mouth. “I don’t know what else to do and you’re absolutely no help.”

She didn’t want to resort to the cliche teacher gift but really she had no other choice. She had to get something. Dragging her feet Aelin walked to the kitchen section to look for the least offensive mug she could find, then she would make her way to stationary and find a nice pen. Why did she have to get Rowan Whitethorn? Her reputation would be ruined.

~~~~

The last day of term rolled around and that evening they had the staff get together in a function room of a local restaurant. They were all standing around snacking, drinking, laughing, holiday songs playing in the background. Aelin held court in the corner with most of her faculty, honestly the loudest group in the room. Although Dorian was off trailing Manon like a lost puppy. The two of them were yet to disappear, Manon holding out to the appointed time. Aelin caught her eye across the room, Manon gave her a wink, Aelin tipped her glass in return.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!”

Fenrys appeared in a very cheap looking Santa suit, foregoing the beard, not wanting to hide his beautiful face apparently. He walked over to the tree and started calling out names, obnoxiously good in his role. Aelin sighed, she was still a little cut up about her more than average present. Maybe she could keep it from getting out, keep her reputation intact. It wasn't likely though, everyone loved the intrigue and gossip of who got who.

“Rowan! Seems that even if you’re a grumpy bastard you still get presents,” Fenrys’ voice boomed in the space.

Rowan made his way to the front, even managing half a good natured smile at the joke as he got his wrapped mug and pen. Aelin had to turn away; she was so annoyed. A few other names were called out then Aelin heard her own. She put her drink down and made her way to Fenrys. He was giving her a winning smile.

“I just want you to know your secret Santa had absolutely no help from anyone,” Fenrys said as he passed her a small package.

Aelin took it back to her little corner, shaking it before she started unwrapping it. What she found inside were her favourite chocolates, her all time favourite chocolates. Chocolate hazelnut truffles. These were one’s you didn't just buy from the grocery store. These were only sold at a little store in the heart of the city.

“Okay, which one of you got me this?” Aelin asked her friends.

No one came forward, adamantly denying it was them, it looked like Aelin would be joining in on the present gossip tonight. It took her a while, but curiously it had been Lorcan to give her the answer she wanted.

“It was Rowan,” he snapped as Aelin had been hounding Connall for information for quite a while. “Now, go away. I’m sick of hearing your voice.”

“Happy Yulemas,” Aelin said far too sweetly. She was too stunned to give him any more of a threat, replaying what Fenrys had said in her head. Rowan hadn’t had any help so how did he know exactly what chocolates to get her? She spotted him over by the drinks table, steeling herself she made her way over to him. Not only had he managed to get her the perfect present, but she had given him such an abysmally awful one she hoped he never found out it was her.

Aelin cleared her throat as she poured herself a drink from the punch bowl. “Thanks,” she said lamely.

“It didn’t take you long,” Rowan said.

“Lorcan gave you up,” Aelin told him and she saw Rowan roll his eyes. “I have to know, how did you find out they were my favourites.”

Rowan gave her a wry smile. “Santa told me,” he said cryptically. “And I don’t mean Fenrys.”

Aelin just looked at him, confused, gears in her head working. Before she could figure it out or ask more questions Rowan was walking away.

“Oh,” Rowan said, turning back to her. “And thanks for the mug.”

~~~~~

Tags: @fucking-winchester-trash // @literary-licorice // @galyxsy // @tangledraysofsunshine // @highqueenofelfhame // @3am-reading // @soup-that-is-too-hawt // @aelinfire-bringer // @nalgenewhore // @highladyofthesith // @http-itsrebecca // @sleep-and-books // @alifletcher2012 // @westofmoon // @sleeping-and-books // @ttakeitbacknoww // @armixers-unite // @mariamuses // @chocolate-eating-bitch-queen // @velarian-trash // @queenofxhearts // @heroesofterrasen // @highladyofstoriesandmusic // @empire-of-wildfire // @camerooonchiu // @crackedship // @lowhangingtreebranches // @over300books // @yourwhisperingshadows // @thesirenwashere // @tswaney17 // @impossiblescissorspeachpaper // @cat5313 // @judelovescardan // @flowerspringsea // @chaoticskyy // @the-regal-warrior // @fanfictrash3000 // @blueeyes425 // @starseternalnighttriumphant // @bamchickawowow // @thehuntressofmoon // @giorgia-the-trashpanda // @flora-and-fae // @thereaderandfangirl // @illyrian-bookworm // @chemicha // @meltalgel-ig // @gay-book-nerd // @that-odd-puzzle-piece // @i-love-all-books // @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato // @girl-who-reads-the-books // @hizqueen4life // @the-third-me // @queen-of-glass // @bestmelle // @cursebreaker29 // @b00kworm // @superspiritfestival // @aesthetics-11 // @maastrash // @mynewdreamwasyou // @the-last-apprentice // @charincharge // @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln // @scarznstars // @absolute-dissapointment // @thesurielships // @df3ndyr // @trinitybailey2003 // @ladywitchling // @booknerdproblems // @rowaelin-cressworth // @sevenfreckles-for-sevenloves // @rolltide7 // @scandinavianromantic // @tillyrubes10 // @starwarsslytherin // @minaidss // @paytin77 // @jesstargaryenqueen // @anntheintrovert // @starborn-faerie-queen // @loudphantomdragon // @woollycat22 // @claralady // @perseusannabeth // @fangirlprincess09 // @maddymelv // @sierrareads // @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx // @jlinez // @littleboxofthunder // @empress-ofbloodshed // @booksbqueen // @rowanwhitethornisbae // @aelin-queen-of-terrasen // @alyx801 // @amandaswallowtail // @louiseleblancdiggory // @abookishfreak

[coldflame96]

Love me the same

Summary: On New Years of his second year at Kaibara, Hajime comes out to his parents. The outcome is different than what he expects. 

Rating: G 

Also on AO3

Happy Pride Month! <3

Hajime kneeled under the kotatsu, clenching and unclenching his hands. It was his first time being home since summer break and normally, he wasn’t nervous, but today was...special.

After months of deliberation, he had something really important to say and he was terrified of the outcome. His family had been his whole world for as long as he could remember, his parents were the best anyone could ask for. Would they still want anything to do with him after this? Would they be...disappointed? Society in general had become more accepting, but the Sohma's were always traditional. Old-fashioned, even. Did they expect him to settle down with a nice wife? Have kids?

It was late, but he specifically wanted to wait until his younger siblings were in bed. The last thing he wanted to do was to break down in front of them.

He stiffened at a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked into the kind eyes of his mother. “Hajime-kun?” She kneeled next to him. “Is everything okay?”

He gulped. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“You’ve been tense since you got here.” Dad said from his other side and he jolted. Ugh, why does he always sneak up on me like that?

“You had something important to tell us, right?” Mom asked gently.

“Yeah, I-” He trembled, throat feeling dry, and he took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, I-” he started, “I don’t know how to tell you this and I hope that you won’t see me any differently, but-” Another deep breath, nails digging into his palms. He looked down at the table, unable to meet either of their eyes. “I think I might be gay.”

He closed his eyes tightly, holding his breath as the room went completely silent.

“That’s it?” His dad finally said and he looked up in shock, momentarily forgetting his fear as he saw the corners of his dad’s lips twitch

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’ ?!” he asked, voice cracking. I’ve been agonizing over this for months!

Dad shrugged. “Well, the way you were acting, I thought maybe you committed a murder or something.” He was taking this way too casually and it kinda pissed him off.

“You could atleast act surprised,” he muttered and then he was brought into his dad’s chest roughly, hands going through his hair.

“Thanks for telling us,” he heard a gentle voice in his ear, “I’m sorry that you were scared.”

His breath hitched. He wasn’t gonna cry, he wasn’t gonna cry, he was 17 years old dammit, and he was not going to cry in his father’s chest like a little kid.

Mom, who had been suspiciously quiet, grabbed his hand and he looked towards her. She had tears in her eyes.

“You really thought this would change how we feel?” she asked sadly, stroking his cheek, which was wet. So much for not crying... “You’ll always be my sweet boy.”

Like a 200 pound weight had been lifted, he slumped into his mother’s shoulder, releasing the breaths he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She stroked his hair, just like she did when he was little, and he clung to her tighter.

“Do you want some tea?” she asked gently. He nodded mutely and she let go of him, kissing his forehead and he blushed. “Kyo-kun, do you want some?” she asked curiously.

“Sure.” He stiffened at the voice from next to him. He’d almost forgotten he was there and he’d just fallen apart right in front of him. How embarrassing.

He heard his mother shuffle around in the kitchen and straightened up, rubbing his eyes discreetly.

His dad didn’t look judgmental (not that he expected him to), but just curious.

“So, how’s Mutsuki?” His dad asked casually.

“He’s fine,” he answered automatically. “He’s top of his class somehow, charms everyone he meets, and he managed to make vice-president as only a first year. He’s so-” And then he noticed his dad’s grin getting wider and froze, face going red. “Wait, why are you asking?”

The man shrugged, but his face looked way too innocent. “No reason, I was just curious.”

Yeah, right. Did he know? How could he know? He never told him anything!

“You were asking for a reason, now stop being weird.”

“Is it weird? You two have always been close. He even followed you to Kaibara.”

His face felt like it was on fire. “That’s because he’s clingy! He’s an idiot, I never asked him to do that.”

“Who are we talking about?” His mother asked from behind, holding two cups of tea with a curious look.

“No one!” he said defensively.

“Mutsuki,” his dad revealed and he shot the man a glare.

“Eh? Hajime-kun likes Mutsuki-kun?”

“Probably.”

He jumped out of his seat. “Don’t believe him!”

“Hajime-kun,” she patted his head, “It’s really nothing to be embarrassed about. Mutsuki-kun is a nice boy.”

“It’s not like that! Seriously.” Even if I wish it was. He wanted to sink into the floor. “Can we just forget this conversation ever happened?”

His dad ruffled his hair gently. “Sorry, I was only teasing. It doesn’t matter either way as long as you’re happy.”

“That’s right!” She took a sip of her own tea and sat next to him again. “You’re still young and you’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.”

“That’s rich coming from you two,” he mumbled, still embarrassed, “Didn’t you meet in high school?”

She smiled gently. “Everyone is different. Whatever you decide, we’re here for you.”

They all jolted when a loud crack came from outside. New Year’s fireworks.

“Wow, it’s midnight already?” She asked, mostly to herself.

He felt a vibration in his pants pocket and checked it, his dad watching him with interest.

Mutsuki: Happy New Year! Tell Auntie and Uncle I say hi! :D

He smiled softly.

“'S that Mutsuki?” Dad asked knowingly.

“Yeah,” he sighed fondly, “He says hi by the way.”

His mother grinned. “Oh, how sweet of him! Tell him we wish him the best.”

“Will do.” And he felt his dad’s eyes boring into him while he sent a reply and the heat rushed back to his face.

“Shut up.” He said on impulse.

Dad put his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t say anything.” He paused. “Just one question though."

Hajime narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What?" He was gonna regret this…

His dad raised a dry eyebrow. "Of all people and you pick Rat Boy's son?" ...He was right.

"Oi.." It wasn't like he had any control over that...

"Kyo-kun.." His mother scolded lightly, though she still looked fond. .

"Okay, I get it. I'll shut up." The For now went unspoken, but that was a problem for the future.

His mother turned back to him. “Hajime-kun, have you started your student council duties yet?”

“Huh?” And then his brain processed the subject change. “Oh yeah, we started right after summer break.”

He was silently thankful for the topic change, allowing himself to relax. He came prepared for the worst and he felt ten times lighter now.

That was one hurdle out of the way.

Maybe one day he would be brave enough to tell...other people.

He wasn’t quite there yet though.

[thatsamericano]

True Colors Shining Through

Pairing/Characters: America/Romano. Smaller appearances from Germany, Veneziano, Canada, England, France, and Japan.

Ratings/Warnings: Teen, for mild cursing. Brief moment of possible homophobia from an unnamed nation, but it’s up to interpretation.

Word Count: 1647

Summary: America surprises everyone when he shows up to the world meeting in a rainbow colored business suit, including his boyfriend Romano.

A/N: Written for @hetalia-writers-monthly, for the June concrete prompt “rainbow.” Inspired by this post from @bitchapalooza. Title taken from the Cyndi Lauper song “True Colors.”

Germany was grumbling to himself as he arranged a stack of papers in preparation for the world meeting. “It would be nice if people could respect everyone else’s busy schedule and actually show up to the meeting on time.”

“Ve, don’t stress out so much, Ludo,” Feliciano said. “Almost everyone is here, except for America and whoever is supposed to be sitting next to him.”

Romano paused in the middle of his boredom-induced doodling long enough to roll his eyes at his little brother. “It’s Canada. America’s brother.”

“Right, Canada! I wonder why they haven’t showed up yet.”

Savino shrugged as if he didn’t care. “Beats me.” But he was wondering why Alfred hadn’t shown up yet. When they spoke on the phone last night, Alfred had been quite enthusiastic about some “surprise” he had planned for the meeting. He was also thrilled that he’d get to spend some time with Savino after the meeting, because the distance between them usually limited how much time they could spend together in person. Of course, Alfred being Alfred, he had expressed his excitement in the sappiest way possible and left Romano a blushing mess by the time the phone call ended.

America and Romano had only been together a few weeks, and they hadn’t gone public with their relationship yet because it was so new. They were still figuring things out about themselves and each other. Fredo knew he’d probably have to “come out” at some point, but unlike Savino, he didn’t have a label for his sexuality that made sense to him. All he knew was that he was happy with Romano and that anyone who gave him or his boyfriend crap for it would deserve some creative insults (if they were human) or a punch in the face (if they were a nation and therefore able to withstand Alfred’s punches without dying). Savino agreed strongly with Alfred on the latter point, and he didn’t mind waiting a bit until Alfred felt more comfortable telling people about them. For now, it was nice to have their relationship be just between them, without having to face the scrutiny or opinions of any other nations.

Romano idly continued doodling until the door to the conference room opened. He glanced up as Canada ducked his head into the doorway. “Sorry we’re late, eh?”

“It’s alright. Please take your seat,” Germany replied.

Canada turned his head to whisper to someone behind him, and then he walked into the room, followed closely by his brother. Romano’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw what Alfred had worn to the meeting.

It was only a business suit in the most technical sense of the term. The jacket, the trousers, and the tie were all striped with the colors of the rainbow. Or more specifically, the colors of the rainbow pride flag. Alfred’s ridiculously loud outfit contrasted with the darker and more muted suits everyone else was wearing. The only part of America’s outfit that was normal was his white shirt, his normal briefcase, his glasses, and his black patent leather shoes.

A stunned silence fell over the room, and it was only broken by a few hushed, baffled whispers. Alfred glanced over at Savino to flash him a quick smile before he sat down, but he didn’t explain himself to anyone. Apparently, he didn’t feel the need to, just like Savino didn’t feel the need to respond to his little brother poking him in the arm and asking him what was going on. Not that he would’ve been able to tell Feli what the fuck was going on, because he was just as confused as everyone else.

England, who was sitting on America’s right, was the first person to speak. “Alfred, what the bloody hell are you wearing?!”

America laughed and pulled some papers out of his briefcase. “It’s a business suit, dude. I’m pretty sure they have those in England.”

“I think what Angleterre was trying to say is that your outfit today is a bit more… how you say, flamboyant than your usual attire,” France pointed out as diplomatically as he could. “Especially for a world meeting.”

“It’s Pride Month. Being flamboyant is kind of the point, isn’t it?”

France blinked in disbelief, and the whispering from before increased into a steady, background hum. Romano heard someone from across the room scoffing and asking why America had to “show off” instead of wearing a pin like anyone else would have, and Romano turned to glare spitefully in their general direction. Sure, wearing a rainbow business suit to a world meeting was over the top in a way only Alfred would be, but America had every right to “show off.” Savino wouldn’t let anyone talk about his boyfriend like that.

Japan cleared his throat. “Alfred-san, forgive me if this is an intrusive question, but are you trying to tell us that you’re gay?”

“Don’t worry bro, it’s fine. And to answer your question, yeah. I’m not sure of my exact label, but I am into guys, or at least one guy in particular.” A broad grin stole over his face, and then Alfred looked directly at Savino and winked at him.

Savino’s face instantly turned scarlet, because Alfred’s wink and his grin made him flustered beyond all reason, damn it. America’s blatant statement, along with Romano’s reaction, naturally prompted even more gossip. The loud cry of “ha, I knew it!” from Lithuania was not particularly surprising, and neither were Spain’s or Feli’s comments on how much Savino was blushing, but they were embarrassing. Of course, true to form, Fredo verbally declared that Savino’s blushing was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen, which was flattering, but the kind of compliment he was much more accustomed to hearing in private, not in front of literally the entire world. Romano’s face was so warm that he probably could have fried an egg on it.

Savino glared weakly at his boyfriend. “You’re only making it worse, asshole.”

“I’m only being honest, babe,” Alfred said plainly, like it was no big deal. “Everyone here can see how cute and handsome you are.”

Savino couldn’t help it. With Alfred saying sappy things like that and looking at him like he hung the moon, he cracked a smile. Alfred grinned back at him. They continued staring into each other’s eyes as Germany stood up from his chair and attempted to get the meeting back under control.

“Unless anyone has any further surprise announcements, I’m going to begin my presentation.”

America quit staring at him for about half a second to acknowledge what Germany had said. “I think we’re good, dude.”

Once Germany started talking, Romano did his best to pay attention. He took a few notes, idly sketched in his notebook, and glanced up to roll his eyes fondly whenever he felt America gazing at him like the obvious dork he was.

Eventually, it was time for the scheduled lunch break. As Romano was packing up his things, he overheard Poland telling Hungary that he was totally going to wear a pink sequined dress to the next world meeting, because America shouldn’t be the only one getting to wear whatever they wanted. Hungary laughed and said he had a point.

Alfred started to come around the other side of the table, and Feli nudged his shoulder and smirked. “I’ll have lunch with Germany today. That way you and your ragazzo can have some alone time.”

Savino could only stammer out a couple syllables before his little brother was rushing off to catch up with Germany. As Feli was latching onto the macho potato’s arm, Alfred slipped into the space beside him. “Hey, Vinny.”

“Hey, caro.” He glanced up and down Alfred’s body, then smirked as he looked up into his eyes. “Interesting outfit.”

Alfred blushed and smiled, shyer than he would have in front of anyone else. “You like it? I stumbled across it online when I was looking for something else, and it called out to me, like the stuff Billy Mays used to sell in infomercials. I had to buy it.”

Savino snorted. “It is very… you. I wouldn’t have expected to see it at a world meeting, though.”

Alfred fidgeted with the hem of his jacket sleeve and glanced away with a worried look on his face. “It was okay that I told everyone about us today, right? Before we went in, Mattie said I probably should’ve consulted with you beforehand, but I’ve just been so happy and proud to be with you, and I didn’t want to have to hide it anymore. I didn’t even think to—”

Savino gently took hold of his hand, which stopped his boyfriend’s nervous babbling. “It’s okay. I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to come out today. And knowing you, I figured that loud, public declarations would be part of the deal sooner or later.”

Alfred chuckled and laced their fingers together. His smile was equal parts relieved and adoring. “Okay, cool. Glad I didn’t mess that up too badly. Are you free for lunch?”

Savino huffed out a laugh. “Feli just ditched me for the potato bastard so I could have ‘alone time’ with you.”

Alfred giggled. “That’s really nice of him. I feel like I owe your brother a million dollars.”

They continued chatting back and forth, and Romano wasn’t sure if it was Alfred’s gleeful, lovestruck tone, his sweet words, or the fact that they were holding hands, but he felt warm and content as they went into the elevator and as they left the building and walked down the sidewalk together. He held Alfred’s hand until they took a table at the restaurant, because he was just as proud to be in this relationship as Alfred was, even if he was more inclined to show it with body language than rainbow colored business suits.

[kamorth]

I've seen a lot of concerning, thinly veiled anti-microlabel/neopronoun posts coming across my dash lately so I just wanted to clarify some things.

Neopronouns are good actually. They help people figure themselves out and find their own identity. Not all neopronouns are new and using neopronouns is not a passing fad that sprung up on tumblr. It's been happening for a long time, the internet just let more people know it was an option. A living language changes and evolves to suit the needs of the people who use it to communicate, and a huge part of that is people making up new words. All words were made up by someone at some point. As our understanding of sex and gender grows, so does our need for new words to explain the new things we've learned.

Microlabels are good actually. They help people figure themselves out. They show people that that one specific thing they think makes them broken is actually an experience that other people have too. They help people find community and support. Sometimes people don't realize they're queer until they find that microlabel and learn more about it - "I can't be ace, I DO experience sexual attraction sometimes, it's just only with people I already know really really well. Wait what does demisexual mean?"

You don't have to use the same microlabels to find things in common with people, that's where umbrella terms come in - "You're lithromantic? Oh so you're arospec, like me!"

The only problem comes when people start gatekeeping. We are a community. We are fighting to be heard. More voices means we can be louder. What purpose does gatekeeping solve other than keeping us quiet?

I remember reading somewhere in the last 18 months that more than half of teens now identify as part of the queer community with the largest percentage being under the bisexual umbrella. I cried so hard because when I was a teenager in the 90s that would NEVER have happened. There was one very flamboyant gay guy who got bullied constantly in my year and a girl who everyone whispered about ("apparently she's a *lesbian*") and anyone else hid it perfectly, probably even from themselves. I know I tried to. I'm from a country that prides itself on its own perceived progressiveness and parents waged letter and complaint campaigns against the curriculum because our one Sex Ed class a year had a paragraph about how about 2% of the population, possibly as high as 5%, were gay, lesbian, or bisexual. The closest we got to being educated about trans people was the 5 minute discussion one guy (I wonder if he's still a guy) had with the teacher about crossdressing during a question session. She called it a sick kink. It makes me so unbelievably happy that it's not like that anymore. I didn't get it then but I now understand that the Gay Pride people were fighting against that because they didn't want us to be afraid. I remember hearing my dad say "letting a guy stick his dick up your arse doesn't make you a hero, where's my straight pride parade" and because we didn't have the internet I supposed that made sense at the time even if I didn't like that it made sense. Now I know better and I disagree with every word he said. The people who marched in those parades are my heroes, genuinely.

And there were so many of them. Topless butches on Harleys, sparkling twinks wearing nothing but a speedo and a feathered crown and painted head to toe in blue glitter, bears in fairy costumes and pink tutus, Amazon goddesses who all played on the same men's rugby team. and my absolute favourites, people who I couldn't sort into a box because I had no frame of reference for anything about them. They intrigued me. I was too scared to then, a 14 year old who had managed to tag along with friends to the city and snuck away to watch the parade that was only for adults, but I wanted to talk to those people. I wanted to know if any of them were somehow like me.

So I read about how more than half of teens are now comfortable, even proud, of their queerness and I cried because that means it's working. People like me don't have to hide and try to force themselves into these stupid arbitrary boxes anymore. Kids like me don't have to spend years, even entire lifetimes, feeling broken anymore. The world has started getting better.

More than half of kids were just like me and now those kids don't have to feel the way I felt. How could I not cry? Tears of joy and relief and finally feeling real.

The community flag is a rainbow because we're fighting against the black and white thinking that trapped us all in heteronormative, amatonormative boxes that made us miserable. That's what we've got in common, and the status quo is scared because now there are more of us than them.

Our community and our differences ARE our strength. Gatekeeping only hurts us all.

Gatekeeping makes no sense unless the people doing it want to keep us miserable.

[sonnetthebard]

Sypaul getting ice cream?

You know that SAF Horror Movie post that was supposed to be headcanons and I wrote it into a oneshot instead? Yeah, I'm back at it. Look, there's nothing I love more than those two wholesome gay werewolves. Genre: Fluff/ Romance Words: 2054 TL;DR: Paul and Sybilus go out to get ice cream? Is it a date? Not officially. Could it be? Very possibly. TW: There's literally none. It's all wholesome. It’s just a lot of gay panic.  ________________________________________________________

Paul sighed, walking down the streets aimlessly. He was back in Connor Creek, just for a visit. He liked to visit as often as he could- especially around the full moon. It made things a *lot* easier on him. Because even if he hadn't gone full werewolf yet, he did still experience a lot of the struggles that came around that time of month. It was good to be around other wolves- especially Desmond. And of course with the silver reserves, most of the less-than-ideal urges that came up that time of month were kept at bay. The full moon happened to be in two days, so... here he was again.

He wasn't quite sure where he was going. He was just walking, a bit bored. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he pivoted... so quickly that he fell flat on his ass. Smooth, Paul. Even worse: It was Sybilus. Sybilus, the one person he didn't want to see anything like him flat on his ass. Paul had developped feelings for Syb. He had always though Syb was cool, but... he'd started to catch himself daydreaming. He was good looking, sweet, smart, and... god, he had the coolest name! Paul hadn't meant to fall so hard, but... damn. Both men blushed at the situation they found themselves in. Paul felt bad, reacting like that. He was a bit jumpy... especially with the full moon so soon. Sybilus offered him a hand gently, and Paul took it, standing up.

"T-terribly sorry to have startled you." Sybilus blushed. "I, um..."

"Nah, my bad." Paul chuckled softly. "I'm just jumpy."

"I only meant to say hello... and ask you if you had any t-time- ah! P-p-plans?" Sybilus bit his lip nervously.

"Well... hello." Paul smirked. "And no I don't. Why?"

"I-I was thinking p-p-perhaps we could go into town." Sybilus proposed. "Not this town... the r-real city. M-m-maybe get something to eat?"

"Oh... I actually just had lunch at the Dead Canary." Paul told him. Shit. What was he doing? He actually wanted to go out with Syb.

"We could get ice cream, then. For d-dessert." Sybilus offered.

"Oh yeah! I would be so down for that!" Paul grinned.

"I only say we go into town b-b-because... I-I was going to suggest ice cream anyways. W-w-we don't have a-any real i-i-icecream places here." Sybilus sighed, walking with Paul. They now knew where they were going. To his car. "I-I would start one myself, but I'm rather busy with my other work."

"Maybe I should move here and start one." Paul thought aloud.

"Oh, Paul... y-you've got a very important job." Sybilus shook his head. "We need people like you t-t-to keep sharing the important news with the world."

"Oh yeah, but... I could podcast from up here. Drive into the city to record when I need to..." Paul theorized.

"Well... if you wanted, we could live together." Sybilus offered. "I-I mean you could live a-at my house. You're welcome."

"You know, I'm genuinely considering this." Paul chuckled, climbing into the car. "This could be fun. And it makes sense for me to be here, right? Why just... keep visiting for full moons?"

"You make a v-v-valid point..." Sybilus considered.

"Are you actually cool with me crashing with you?" Paul checked. "Because like... it makes sense, with the two of us being wolves."

"O-of course." Sybilus assured him, starting the car. "And you're right."

"Well that settles it. I'm moving to Connor Creek, running an ice cream shop, and working on my podcast from here." Paul decided.

"M-maybe you should think it over a little bit m-m-more." Sybilus chuckled, driving down the road.

"Yeah, you're right." Paul chuckled nervously.

There was silence in the car for a bit. Neither Paul nor Sybilus knew what to say. Paul had honestly just kept talking about the ice cream shop because he didn't know where to stop. It was awkward, but not tense. Overwhelmingly, if either one had been paying attention, they would have noticed the romantic tension. Both were very evidently interested in each other. But they weren't even able to look at each other with nerves. Paul tapped his fingers nervously. God, now he’d committed to *living* with Syb. He was so nervous that he couldn’t look at the guy but apparently he was going to live with him now. God, he was an idiot. Paul rested his head on his hand, looking out the window. 

“So... have you any idea w-what season three of Wayward G-guide is going to look like?” Sybilus asked. 

“No clue. Lesly hasn’t even told Artie and I that we get to do it yet.” Paul chuckled. “Who knows who it’ll go to.”

“Oh.” Sybilus frowned. “But you and Artemis did so well with it!”

“Yeah. Lesly’s weird like that.” Paul sighed. “Last I heard he’s looking for siamese twins. Who are also podcast hosts.”

“Have y-you considered podcasting independently?” Sybilus suggested. 

“I mean... kinda.” Paul shrugged. “But like... I don’t know. There’s something about Wayward Guide specifically that I just... I loved it.”

“Do you know what in specific that s-s-something might have been?” Sybilus tried to help. 

“I... not really.” Paul admitted

“Could it have been the s-story you were t-t-t-telling and not the actual podcast itself?” Sybilus pointed out. 

“You know... you could be right.” Paul realized. 

“Well... m-m-maybe you could do a podcast on the h-history or Connor Creek while you’re here. S-s-set up a little studio. My office is always rather quuiet, so you could use that.” Sybilus suggested. “M-maybe you could do a podcast on p-paranormal and s-s-supernatural histories throughout our country!”

“You know, that would be really cool.” Paul agreed. “I’ll talk to Artie about it. You know, since... we’re a pair.”

“Oh, of course!” Sybilus nodded. 

“Yeah...” Paul bit his lip. He looked to his feet. “Hey, Syb, can I ask you a kinda weird question?”

“Of course.” Sybilus assured him. 

“Is there anyone in Connor Creek who’s LGBTQ+ other than Donny?” Paul asked. Oh god. What was he doing? Where was he going with that question. How was he going to play that off? He got an idea. “I mean... just in case APN wants to use that kind of information to celebrate during Pride month.”

“Well... let’s see...” Sybilus thought aloud. “I believe that C-Crispin and Odie Doty were seeing each other before Odie’s unf-fortunate demise. Madison once brought a girlfriend to town council. They’d met at a ‘S-Small Town Law Enforcement Summit’. I always wondered what happened t-to that girlfirend- she was l-l-lovely. And, erm... I’m gay.”

“You are?” Paul started to beam. He caught himself too late, a blushing mess. Goddamnit he was giving himself away!

“Erm... yes.” Sybilus blushed. “I-I’ve never technically come out... no one really d-does in Connor Creek. You just sort of show up with a p-p-partner or two and everyone knows.”

“Huh.” Paul hummed. “I’m bi.”

“Oh.” Sybilus nodded. Paul nearly groaned at what he’d just said. He was real smooth, wasn’t he? Both drove in silence again for a moment. Sybilus pulled into a driveway. “We’re here! T-this is the ice cream shop.”

“So I can get the scoop on my competition.” Paul smirked. 

Internally, he was killing himself. Why was literally everything he was doing and saying to this man today the cringiest, most embarassing stuff in his playbook? Seriously. As far as impressions went... he was not making a good one, and he was sure of it. Well at least Sybilus was gay. He had half of a chance. Maybe if he could just calm the fuck down (or whatever it was he needed to do to stop acting like a total dumabss) he could talk Sybilus into getting dinner with him sometime... or maybe he would somehow manage to drive Syb away after he had made the first move. Paul froze. Oh god. Syb had made the first move.

“Are you okay?” Sybilus checked, already out of the car. 

“Hm? Oh, yeah!” Paul blushed, getting out. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be s-sorry.” Sybilus chuckled. “I get lost in my head sometimes too.”

“Right...” Paul sighed, walking into the ice cream shop with him. Even though it was a hot day, it was just the two of them and the teenage girl behind the counter. Sybilus walked up to the counter ahead of him, knowing how things worked there. 

“H-hello... I was h-hoping- ah! liking- ah! I-I would like two d-double scoop waffle cones please.” Sybilus stammered out. 

“Sure thing.” The perky sales attendant smiled knowingly. “What are the flavours on those scoops?”

“Y-you go first.” Sybilus blushed, looking at his feet. 

“Um... I’ll take one scoop rocky road, one scoop chocolate chip cookie dough.” Paul told her. 

She got to work scooping that. And that’s when Paul found himself doing somethign far too quickly to stop himself: he patted Sybilus’ back to comfort him. He could see how distressed the werewolf was, and... he felt bad. He shouldn’t have to be ashamed of his impediment. Both men blushed, looking to the floor. The tension was high. Paul was frozen, unsure of whether to own his actions or... retreat as fast as was humanly possible. But... he decided to own it, going further and rubbing his friend’s back. Sybilus was blushing even harder. Oh god. Had that been too much. He thought so until... a small smile creeped onto the werewolf’s face. Paul smiled back softly. What in the actual hell was going on with those two?

“Alright, here you go hon.” The attendant smirked, passing an ice cream to Paul. She turned to Sybilus. “What about you, sweetie?”

“One b-birthday cake and one cotton candy.” Sybilus told her. She scooped those two fairly easily. 

“Those ones are always so soft.” She told him, still smiling brightly. She handed him the cone. “Here you go.”

“H-how much d-do I owe you?” Sybilus asked, reaching into his pocket. 

“Those are on the house guys. Happy Pride.” The ice cream scooper winked. 

Both Sybilus and Paul blushed, looking at each other. They seemed to be silently asking each other if they let the girl do that for them. Paul shrugged as if to say ‘why no?’, and they both looked back to her. Paul smiled softly. 

“Thank you.” He sighed, taking Sybilus’ hand and walking back outside the shop. There was a little table out there, and he sat them down at that. 

“Well...” Sybilus chuckled nervoulsy. 

“Yeah.” Paul blushed, chuckling with him. 

“I suppose it would be appropriate to wish you a happy pride...” Sybilus smiled shyly at Paul. “I-I... suppose we’d make a handsome couple- o-or at least she thought so.”

“I mean, she’s not wrong...” Paul shrugged, before freezing. Him and Sybilus just stared at each other for a second, and Paul immediately felt guilty. “I am so sorry if that made you uncomfortable, it just-”

“I agree.” Sybilus cut him off. Both just stared at each other, a look of mutual realization hit them. 

“So, um... maybe she wasn’t so wrong then.” Paul tested. “Thinking we were a couple...”

“M-maybe she wasn’t.” Sybilus sighed. There was a pause. 

“So... is this a date?” Paul checked. 

“I-if you would like it to be.” Sybilus bit his lip. 

“Yeah... I think that would be great.” Paul smiled softly. 

“I-I know of a walking trail nearby i-if you would like to go- ah! W-walk for a bit.” Sybilus offered. 

“I’d love that.” Paul beamed. 

And so the two men got up and started down the road, still eating their ice creams as they went along. Paul hesitantly reached out and grabbed Sybilus’ hand, squeezing it. Sybilus blushed, looking over and him ans smiling softly, squeezing back. Paul supposed now that he had a boyfriend he’d probably have to come out to Artemis... if she didn’t already know. He was like 99% sure she was a lesbian though, so he should be fine. Twinsense... he supposed it made them both gay. He was pretty sure that he couldn’t be any happier than he was in that moment. And he was pretty sure Syb felt the same way. It must be the pride month magic, bringing them together- or maybe it was always meant to be this way. Who knows? Paul was just excited for the journey.