#THE FACT THAT HE'S ALSO AN ARMORED-CLOSET BISEXUAL

[stickystarspectrumtroll-ocs]

Thinking about what existing fictional characters your OCs would relate to and identify with the most is really something.

My girl Allets really be out here with a kin list that includes

Adora from She-ra and the Princesses of Power,

Nimona from Nimona,

Adrien Agreste from Miraculous Ladybug, AND

Henry Jekyll from The Glass Scientists.

I love her so much.

[onceafk]

Facts about this portrayal of Arthur in his own 'verse:

Arthur is 6 feet tall, broad-shouldered, and athletic with some muscles. He has some scarring on his torso, arms, and legs from battle and tournaments and such but it's very light. He also has a few on his head that are hidden by his hair.

At best, he is honorable and very trusting. At worst, he can be a stubborn, hot-headed, prat.

He speaks the Old English of his era and may know other languages.

He may be uneasy around magic but can be taught not to fear it.

This version is a Biromantic Bisexual Cisgender man who is usually either very much in the closet or has not explored his identity. His only pronouns are he/him. He's got a big heart, behind any facades he tries to put up, and gets a little touch starved. His father may be the reason he can be stand-offish.

He is neutral to positive towards the LGBT+ but may need some explanations of terms if he doesn't know them.

He wants love but waits for the right person: kind but also honest and spirited. He admires bravery and he likes those who challenge him. He was taught about what he would happen on his wedding night but he'd remain a virgin until then, only going so far as making out.

Arthur follows the New Religion, a mix of Celtic Paganism and Christianity that includes monotheistic worship of a god, angels, and holidays that celebrate the seasons like Beltane.

He is shy around most women and some men but is fine with being completely naked around his manservant, his physician, and possibly his knights. He has to trust the person or be in specific circumstances such as getting medical attention.

He usually goes to sleep shirtless and in trousers.

He has/appears to have trouble putting his clothes on properly. Doing his buckles on parts of his armor gets tricky too. Even so, he does pay attention to his appearance, especially when he has reason to want to look good. This may be due to anything from past concussions, the way he was raised, a genetic thing, or that he likes being tended to.

He respects rank/class but will not tolerate unfairness or abuses. This general rule may apply even to his father, if Uther goes too far and is unable to keep Arthur under his thumb.

He hates the thought of anyone dying for, or because of, him and will put himself in harms way to prevent that.

He regards Gaius as an honorary uncle, even if he doesn't say it aloud. The Court Physician delivered him during his birth had a hand in raising him. He trusts him completely.

He thinks of Morgana as a sister, whether or not he knows they are actual half-siblings, and will treat her accordingly. He is not attracted to her at all.

He shares a connection with Merlin, though he may not realize or fully understand it. They are two sides of the same coin, practically soulmates. Though he has his fun playing with Merlin, Arthur truly does think the best of him.

He also has an impression of his mother, like an imprint of her spirit, as he was created mostly from her.

He secretly thinks Lancelot is a better person than him overall, despite Lancelot lying about his heritage.

He loves dogs and horses but is hesitant to form bonds with other animals unless he is sure he's not going to be eating them or making them into trophies. If they're just pets, it's more likely he'll warm up to them.

Not only is he an accomplished knight, practically the best in Camelot, but he makes a decent diplomat. He is more a tactician than a strategist, because of what he's used to, but he tries his best.

He has an idea of what PTSD is ("horrifying memories"/"harrowing past experiences") and what triggers are ("things that remind you of terrible things that happened"), but may not know them by those terms. He has some PTSD himself.

As a child, he would spar with his father for fun and practice. Uther taught him how to do the sword spinning thing. He would also tell him stories. A lot of those stories were of accomplishments of Uther's.

[archive-of-note]

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Pedro Character HCs🏳️‍🌈

Cause I’ve seen sm ppl worried about HC his characters as LGBT+, and I’ve seen sm others be mad about it. So of course I’m rubbing my grubby gay hands all over them.

Javier Peña

Bi(? He has no fucking clue tbh with you)

Def prefers women, but won’t deny (to himself at least, it is the 80s) that sm guys around the embassy have great asses.

He’s an ass man, there are a bunch of shots of him looking at women as they walk by and his eyes are obviously trailing down

Never really considered getting with a guy until he moved out to Columbia.

One male secretary/file clerk, a few too many late nights, BAM! Now he’s getting blowies in the supply closet on the semi-reg.

Eventually curiosity (and the feeling that he’s being a bit of an ass, never really getting the other guy off.) makes him broaden his horizons.

Din Djarin

Ace (is the place with the helpful hardware folks)

Doesn’t really know it’s an option

Just figures that, since he’s like the only one who can leave the Covert, then being hunted by the guild, then looking for Jedi he’s got a lot on his plate! So he thinks it’s just stress blunting his hypothetical libido.

Usually quite neutral regarding sex, it’s a thing ppl do, so what? But has been thankful for the canvas of his flightsuit and the thick armor of his Beskar

Xi’an makes him uncomfortable, they never had any sort of relationship, she just wanted to push his buttons and when there was no obvious reaction, she kept trying to up the ante.

Isn’t looking for romance but open to the possibility, his biggest worry is that he won’t be enough

@scribbledghost has a sweet Ace!Din fic and you should read it

Also very little concept of gender roles, you’d have basically non either if you grew up surrounded by ppl in armor who cared more about number of people you could lay flat like a picnic blanket

“Is that a blaster in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”

*Din pulls out a gun*: it’s a blaster

Pero Tovar

Genuine affection means a lot more to him then he thinks.

Demisexual feels close but not right(? You know what I mean? Like it’s just a lil off, like horseshoes)

Never factored actual care into his plans for the future, he was fully prepared to live the rest of his days fat with a rotating selection of prostitutes coming and going from his lap.

He’s got low self esteem under all that crusty grime and dirt. He didn’t factor actual affection in because he didn’t think he could have it. He’d always assumed he’d just be tolerated.

Had feelings for William for a while, freaked out about that.

Jack “Whiskey” Daniels

BI! No I will not be taking questions or criticisms at this time.

Married his high school sweetheart, so he doesn’t rlly consider that he might not be straight until after he joins Statesmen.

It initially leaves him a bit off kilter, cause he’s lived his whole life thinking that’s just what everyone was like?

itty bit of internalized homophobia, but deals with it with his THERAPIST!!! (I refuse to believe an organization that has ppl killing in close quarters on the semi-reg doesn’t have mandatory therapy sessions)

Unfortunately(? Depends on your perspective) his first time with another man was for work. Security for a tech firm.

Messed him up a little, cause the guy was real nice all things considered. And trying new things, especially with smth that can get as intimate as sex? (Whiskey is a romantic at heart, I’ll fight you on this) leaves you vulnerable in ways you might not realize until after the fact.

If that guy suddenly got a much better job offer about a week after he hooked up with the slightly nervous older guy with the whole cowboy thing going on? Well those two things aren’t connected in the slightest.

Oberyn Martell

The man, the myth, the legend

The bisexual menace who’s one of the handful of men in GoT with any rights!

He doesn’t care what’s in your pants or under your skirts, he’s here to have a good time!

Look, I saw a gif of when he spanked that male prostitute before he got kicked out and it lives in my head rent free

So does that gif where he’s kissing Ellaria shirtless with her on top and tries chasing her with his mouth, you know the one.

@absurdthirst had him say “I mount a man properly.” In one of her fics and I have not known peace since.

Ezra

Bisexual Menace 2: Electric Boogaloo

@max--phillips said he’s trans, and you know what? They’re right.

Of the longer relationships he’s been in, most of them were with men.

Now yes sm of this has to do with the prospecting and the general demographic of the sort of people willing to skirt the edge of the known (barely) habitable galaxy for money.

But… maybe it’s his vernacular, maybe it’s his grandiose dreams for the future that are based on long strings of contingencies that are so detailed they seem within reach. Or maybe it’s because many of the women he’s gotten with are just looking for smth exciting, not lasting. Those always seem to end in arguments, shouting matches interspersed with the sound of smth breaking.

Those either end in him immediately getting kicked out, or sm very ill advised angry sex. Either way he and his meager belongings (and likely a few of hers) are gone by morning.

He sees himself settling down with a man, maybe a bit younger, or maybe he just looks younger from a life with much softer work. A place with clean air, blooming plants everywhere (not a lot of green, too much of that makes his arm throb and chest ache) a room filled wall to wall with books, and maybe an apiary.

Dieter Bravo

HOE!!!

He’s an actor, you think he hasn’t kissed a guy before? I defy you and that assumption.

Can suck the soul right outta your dick, no one believes it though, he seems too selfish

He’s a queer and he’s a slut, not a slut because he’s queer.

Sleeps around with just as many men as he does women, but the tabloids never talk about those fr sm reason 🤔

[laerrynseelie]

shadowgast in "cowboy like me"

hello and welcome to another episode of Coco projects all of her issues onto Caleb Widogast and also cries about the Other Gay Purple Wizard™. this episode is sponsored by severe sleep deprivation and being in the airport at 6am, which is where I wrote most of this. but this is also something I've been yelling about for weeks, primarily at @theravenkingscourt and @dinah-lance, sponsored by taylor swift and emotions.

I will begin this dissertation with the song "cowboy like me" by Taylor Swift, from the album "evermore." those overlapping in the taylor swift and critical role fandoms have spent a long while yelling about how cowboy like me was MADE for shadowgast, and it is. here is my most recent annotation of the song lyrics (spoilers, obvs):

cowboy like me has many lines that have a direct, literal line to shadowgast, such as "the old men that I've swindled" == Ikithon, etc. but the things I want to highlight here are the themes it presents, and why I hold these boys so near and dear to my heart, and maybe why you do too. (also cc: @shadowgastweek)

many lines repeat but can have various, literal and metaphorical meanings. "eyes full of stars" can be about Rosohna, the dumancy floor of the tower, or ambition and power and desire. the fun thing about this is that they all connect together into a wonderful constellation of pain :) without Essek's ambition, the beacons wouldn't have gotten to the Cerberus Assembly, and they may have never met. without Caleb's ambition, he may have never been at the Solstryce Academy, ended up with a beacon, in Rosohna, or met Essek, or learned dunamancy, or have the floor of endless possibility. and much of this is put aside for the Nein and each other. "never thought I'd meet you here" indeed.

the bridge and third stanza of this song go SO. HARD. I have spent MONTHS yelling about the hanging gardens of babylon and no I will not stop. first of all, it's just a great fucking line. "now you hang from my lips / like the gardens of babylon" bitch are you FUCKING kidding me. the story of the gardens is that the queen missed her homeland, which had sprawling greenery, and so the king made her a garden that went around the palace and over roofs. (hey hey hey, gravity, xhorhaus, tower, you get it.) and I want to focus on the question on if the gardens actually exist. there are no surviving babylonian texts that mention the gardens, and no archaeological evidence that it ever existed. so it is a story that no one can confirm, or something completely obliterated by time and society. (or misattributed and was actually a different garden but shh it doesn't fit as well) for me, that's a strong allegory for the queer experience, and looking back at history and relationships. moreover, let's think about Caleb and Essek's interactions, and the fear of showing affection == being outed. studying together, talking close, forehead kisses. something that is not confirmed, or will be obliterated by their circumstances.

a theme that stands out from "cowboy like me" is this idea of wanting love. as a queer asian immigrant kid and a sociology student, the conditions of unconditional love is a concept that fascinates me. societally, unconditional love is talked about a lot, especially in relation to families, which we know if not always the case, and we fear it constantly. it’s hiding bad grades from your parents, or feeling like you need to prove yourself to earn love. it’s going to a pride parade and removing the stickers and face paint on the train home. it’s the fear of abandonment, of what if this is what makes it too much to love me. there was a post floating around (hehe, floating) about how both caleb and essek skirted around the ACTUAL worst things that they've done when asked about it. throughout the campaign, something that Caleb and Essek have gone through, not just with each other but the rest of the Nein, is hiding the unforgiveable things they’ve done because they think that will make them leave. and they take every unforgiveable thing, and they love them anyway. these things still happened, and that’s not okay, and they don’t dismiss it, and maybe, just maybe, if people can love them despite every unforgiveable thing, maybe they can let themselves be loved. maybe they can love themselves. and maybe, they can love, too.

the fear of love not being enough is also threaded through the song. in the case of shadowgast, it's the question of country, of war, political positions, familial desires, friends, location. (it's the question of if matthew mercer will let shadowgast be endgame goddammit.) in caleb's words, it's complicated. the Nein have defeated a lot "with the power of friendship," but what if it's not enough? what if they don't get Molly back, or they're corrupted by the eyes, or they can't get Veth back to her family? what if Trent gets Essek, or Caleb, or the Dynasty finds out, or Astrid and Eadwulf betray them, or they find their way back to old paths of power and ambition. what if love isn't enough?

"and the skeletons in both our closets / plotted hard to fuck this up" hurts me. taylor swift's bridges never miss. first of all, in closets, gay, obligatory pun, yada yada yada. it's also all the unforgiveable things they've done, war and Caleb's family, "important" but "not good" intentions, and all the people who threaten them now, ex. cerberus assembly, bisexual maelstrom, and the fact that Essek worked with the very people who abused and manipulated Caleb. all these previous fears are present in this line.

and when we see someone who is healing, who is loved, doesn't that give us hope? and isn't that present throughout critical role's history? we get to see full grown adults still enjoy a hobby, with a solid group of friends, tell us stories about growth. tell us healing is possible. Liam is Caleb and the Nein, showing this to us, Essek.

I will leave you with this. there is a theory that every relationship we have is a reflection of our relationship with our parents. every relationship is us trying to get that first relationship right, this time. this is fascinating to look at for each of the M9 (Beau and her aggression and strength and standing up against authority; Jester and her positivity and kindness and acceptance; Fjord needing to be strong and taking control), but of course I'm going to talk about Caleb. think of Caleb and Ikithon. think of Caleb and Veth. think of Caleb's need to prove he is good enough, not just in power and intelligence and ambition, but that he is good. that he is good enough. think of how his intelligence is his armor and his weapons, both literally and figuratively. at making sure Veth gets back to her family. of showing off for Essek, believing in Essek and in Essek's goodness. Essek being Caleb's foil is beautiful, but what if this is Caleb, making sure that this time, they survive.

[tangent101]

Unpopular Opinion Time

I’m going to say something that I know some folk are going to disagree on... but I honestly feel that Max Caulfield is a closeted lesbian instead of being bisexual. And I think there is sufficient information in the game and with Max’s journals to verify this viewpoint.

First, it’s important to explain something: you can be lesbian and still have had sex with men. There are lesbians who were married to men for years before finally accepting the truth about themselves... just as there are gay men who were suppressing the truth about themselves and then after a decade or more and having had kids, divorcing their wives because they were gay all along. You can be lesbian and not know it... all you know is that something is wrong. You know that you should be happy with a guy and can even have the most decent boyfriend or husband in the world... and yet it doesn’t work because you are not wired that way. It happens.

These women (and men) were raised to believe they were straight. They were raised to believe they should be dating someone of the opposite gender. They can end up having families and yet have that niggling sense of something being wrong in the back of their heads. This is because of a concept called heteronormativity or the view that heterosexuality is the default sexual orientation. You can be raised believing you’re straight (or cisgender for that matter) and never quite understand why things feel off. 

Now let’s look at Max Caulfield. Folk like to claim she’s bisexual because of the pseudo-romance angle with Warren Graham and with Max’s claims of being attracted to “skater dudes” but that the attraction isn’t mutual. Yet when you see Max interacting with the skaters of Blackwell, she knows pretty much nothing about them and outside of the whole “I’m into them” never seems to show any actual attraction toward them. It’s a line that falls flat. It’s like the writers decided to check the box “likes guys who ride on skateboards” and never went anywhere with it... or at least it might seem that way until you find out that Chloe Price was into skateboarding... Max’s best friend who she is increasingly crushing on as the game continues. It’s reasonable to ask how much of Max’s attraction to “skater dudes” is because she is into Chloe skating but doesn’t realize for a while that she could be into Chloe. 

Max’s relationship with Warren is more complicated. There has been claims that Warren’s romance angle (which never was that strong a path in the game, especially when compared to that of Chloe) was added in because of a strong positive fan reaction to Warren. Even then, there are enough actions that Warren takes that honestly are disturbing that honestly, Warren is not a good match for Max. The boy photoshops a picture of Max with him and keeps it in his gym locker - a place that Max is unlikely to ever see it, but also a place where other guys will see it and thus give Warren “bragging rights” about Max. He also has a date lined up with Brooke but asks out Max and then if the player has Max accept Warren’s date invite will call Brooke while Max is still around and cancel the date with Brooke and state he’s going with Max instead. He even instigates fights with Nathan Prescott, likely in an attempt to “show off” to Max and to be her “knight in shining armor.” 

A much larger factor as to why I just don’t get a sense of Max being into Warren is her journal. I half-suspect some fans don’t bother reading it which is a shame as it gives a lot of important details about Max and her thoughts and views. Most important to this is her early comments about Warren in which outside of considering him “dark and witty” she shows no attraction to him. In fact, on the first day of the game, her journal has this specifically to say:

We talked about Warren and Dana implied he likes me. Ew.

Damning words. Seriously, she went “ew” over a “dark and witty” guy “liking” her. Another torpedo in the water has this comment in Max’s journal if she accepted the date with Warren: 

Hope he doesn't make a lame move on me... (Not that he would, egomaniac.) Warren and I do have a lot in common, but he's like a supercool geek brother...

First, she doesn’t think Warren is into her. In fact, even entertaining that thought has Max calling herself an egomaniac. But what’s especially damning is the fact she considers Warren a “supercool geek brother.” I’m sorry, but Max went beyond Friendzoning Warren. She brotherzoned him.

The closest her journal has to suggesting Max is at all attracted to Warren is her journal entry if you didn’t kiss Chloe and do kiss Warren: 

Considering how insane my life has been this week, kissing Warren in the middle of a deadly storm didn't seem to be that strange. It felt like we were flipping off the cruel universe... and if I was going to die, I wanted one kiss from a boy I cared about.

Honestly it’s not much different if you also have Max kiss Chloe (though the line changes to “I wanted one kiss from two people I truly cared about”), and honestly if she thinks about Warren as a brother then obviously she’d still care for him. So the whole bit of Max being into Warren really starts to fall apart when you take a long look at the facts and Max’s journal.

Another interesting bit can be found in Max’s journal if the player has Max not kiss Chloe... and it’s this line: 

I would have, but I didn't like being dared like it was some big deal. Maybe I am scared. Of what? I think I'm too young for marriage.

Later, again if Max hadn’t kissed Chloe, when she returns from her first timeline alteration trip she writes this in her journal: 

I've never been so glad to see Chloe in my life. The second I saw her blue hair and that beautiful pissed off face, I kind of regretted not kissing her when she double dared me. Maybe if she had double dog dared me...

And Max’s final entry in the “didn’t kiss Chloe” setting is thus:

Maybe that's why I hated watching Chloe being so cruel in the nightmare, calling me names and trying to hurt me... I was surprised that it was like a physical pain in my heart. Is that the power of love... or friendship?

Is that the power of love... or friendship? Max asks that in both settings, in which she kissed Chloe and where she didn’t. It’s much more obvious when Max is busy kissing Chloe on that third day (and seriously, Dontnod should have included an option for Max to say “then don’t back away this time!” if you have Max Rewind for another kiss three or more times).

The argument for Max being into guys is at its heart as flimsy as that of Chloe being into guys because she has condoms in her wallet. Yet the condoms can be explained away as used to keep sex toys sanitary (yes, women can get STDs from other women if they’re not careful!), and Max’s “interest” in guys can easily be seen as “expected” of her. Given that Max can literally step out of Chloe’s closet to protect Chloe... Life is Strange can easily be seen as Max’s coming to terms with her own lesbianism and stepping away from an easy and expected life to embrace the unknown with the woman she loves by her side.

[hwlnd-blog]

♔ 「  jude law , cismale, he/him, bisexual」 →  we proudly present HOWLAND REED , the RULING LORD of GREYWATER WATCH / THE NECK.  they are 43(?) years old and can often be described as RESOURCEFUL and LOYAL.  but whispers betray that they’re also SOLITARY and SECRETIVE.  many know that their allegiance lies with HOUSE STARK , however , when their songs sing of ARMOR ADORNED BY BRONZE SCALES / AN ANCESTRAL THREE PRONGED SPEAR  and THE PERFECTION OF A DISAPPEARING ACT ; TO BE SEEN ONLY WHEN WANTED.  fate has currently placed them in kings landing due to THE CORONATION. will they win their game? or die trying? ( vulcan , they/them , eighteen, aest )

i.      howland reed is such a good man. he is a calm and well spoken individual, which reflects his inner resolve.  however, howland really is an emotional man and relies on those emotions, trusting his intuition enough to allow it to be a driving force that guides his actions, especially when facts are absent. a sense of loyalty or duty may also get the better of him at times. this is also without regard for his own well being. the lasting intense secrecy of the tower of joy proving that point, as he developed a tight lipped manner and drove him into further isolation. he is difficult to provoke into anger and is a benevolent man by nature. he’s very courageous and empathetic towards all but his guard never wavers, burdens weighing heavy on his shoulders.

ii. howland does not have green dreams but he does have a rather intrinsic connection to his surroundings and an innate range of awareness which coincides with a strong intuition that often startles people. henceforth, the reason he allows such to guide his actions. the earth and nature are their own part of him as he was raised to appreciate and respect it, and has since learned how to survive and use it to his advantage. his survival skills are remarkable and it is that in hand with his stealth skill that has truly saved him time again. he does prefer stealth approaches rather than direct ones. he can adapt quickly to his environments with minimal difficulty. 

iii.  howland doesn’t leave the neck often at all. a self appointed isolation, the man was content with remaining in his little section of the world after the rebellion. he remained with his family and community, the place where he felt he belonged and could live out the rest of his days in peace. this changed after the death of eddard stark and the wars that would come to follow. howland sent some of his crannogmen to the aid of the stark’s and spilt lannister blood that dared enter the neck, although he personally could not remain completely informed as ravens were unable to reach the neck and had to rely on actual messengers ( and jojen’s dreams until he left ?  ). maybe this would be the third time howland has left the neck since, the other times being northern ventures to render assistance? of course, how personally active he’s been will depend on plots with starks so this is liable to change.

iv.  eddard stark was amongst one of the closet friends that howland reed has ever had. the men shared many memories which howland can reflect fondly upon after meeting at the great tourney of harrenhal but the events unfolded at the tower of joy during robert’s rebellion would change both of them.  howland and five other northmen accompanied ned in search of lyanna because of rhaegar. it was only reed and stark who were the survivors in the combat against them and three kingsguard at the tower. howland would go on to save ned’s life from ser arthur dayne. when ned found lyanna and the newborn babe, reed found ned still holding lyanna and he took lyanna’s lifeless hand from ned’s. howland swore an oath to him that he would not speak of what happened, or the true lineage of ned’s ‘bastard son’. after this, he returned to the neck and did not depart from there for years. ned and howland wrote to each other and occasionally saw one another throughout the following years but slowed with time, consumed with their own lordly duties and maintained a mutual understanding of that. when jojen told howland about the death of ned, he could not help but to break down on the spot and cry over the loss of the man he considered to be a brother.

v. the targaryens are a source of agitation for howland. he does not have it in him to support a targaryen rule, not after all the atrocities the mad king committed. while he does not punish children for the acts of the parents, he cannot see any difference in viserys. his mind wanders to a certain bastard whenever the targaryens are mentioned, hence his bristly nature. the targaryens are complex issue for him and something he does not voice his opinions on.

vi. his children mean the world to him and he genuinely does love them with all of his heart. he has always supported their ventures and while it was difficult for him to be so far away from them, he trusted them to keep each other safe. however, that did not stop him from thinking about them every single day. he has had next to no contact with them since their departure and it has been quite painful. i feel like it’s more probable that he went to king’s landing hoping they were going to be there, or at least some of his old friends, rather than for viserys.

vii. when he was sixteen, he sought further knowledge and decided to endeavor on a lone journey. he wished to visit the isle of faces. he had taken significant interest in the isle of faces because of the green men, the children of the forest, and the ties the crannogmen may have with them. he paddled a small skin boat down the green fork, evaded the twins and stayed at the island for a winter.

idk if this made much sense but ! just let me know if you have any questions and please remember that details may change as i plot with others. this was just a rough description of the most important events of his. he’s obviously a lot of book canon.i just am quite terrible at conveying things in intros, you’ll learn much more in ic replies or questions  :)

[barbecuedphoenix]

Crack! Headcanon: Orientation Switch

What happens if Eldarya isn’t a romance RPG targeted at a specific consumer group, and the creators re-rolled the dice for deciding the sexual orientation of the main LIs?

>_> Well, it’s still going to be like a lunatic’s asylum. Just a bit more colorful.

Warning: Below the break, you’ll find rainbow paint on your favorite characters and crack relationships galore. Get your freak on first if you want to read ahead. ;)

Nevra: The Swinger

Nevra has known from a young age (in vampire years) that it’s not only girls he’s attracted to. And once upon a time, he concealed this fact by passing himself off as an (extremely) healthy heterosexual. Because within his conservative clan, where status is currency and reputation means everything, a romance between men is considered an irresponsible and fruitless dalliance. At best. And the participants better shape up soon if they wish to stay in the family.

It wasn’t until he and Karenn moved to cosmopolitan El for work that it finally dawned on Nevra that here, he doesn’t have to give a damn about what his clan thinks. In fact, returning home is optional. And once Karenn was on board with the idea that they would stay in El for good, the makeover began. Nevra is a proud, fiery man with a raging sex drive, and after decades of following the rules imposed on him, he was ready to reprogram the whole game. And have the time of his life doing it. 

Within a few years, he sets new standards of what a swinging bisexual looks like in El: dressing to the nines in tight pants and a muscle shirt that shows off his assets to all eyes, and openly pursuing both female and male partners. And to many people’s consternation, he has no shortage of admirers from across the gender and sexuality spectrum. Which he will casually remind others about. It’s good to be the king.

It’s not all fun and games for this stud though. One reason why he has a reputation for bouncing across relationships is because many longer-term partners, even in El, find it hard to accept that he’s equally partial to men as to women. Over the past several years, Nevra has been through many strange scenes in which his partners insist he’s either a.) actually gay, b.) actually straight, or c.) bound to leave them for someone of the opposite gender. The real answer, in Nevra’s opinion, is d.) sex is sex, but a connection is what clinches the deal. And he can forge a connection on either side of the gender divide, which just makes life more interesting.

Unfortunately, few people share his level of open-mindedness. And since Nevra dislikes ongoing drama in a relationship, he has developed a very simple method of ‘screening for major mistakes’ after his first night with someone new: if his partner keeps throwing a hissy-fit at his jokes about getting checked out by the opposite gender, then they’ll go their separate ways very soon. He won’t put out if they won’t trust him.

Ezarel: The Reluctant Husband      

There’s one joke that Ezarel likes to make about himself that isn’t a lie: he’s perfectly fine without sex. For as long as he can remember, he has never been turned on by naked specimens of any gender. And receiving a kiss or cuddle from others tends to inspire a restraining order rather than raging desire. Seriously, how rude can people get?

Throughout his tender adolescent years, Ezarel loved to exploit his ice cube-cool to show-up his randier male peers. Like walking up to female lab partners with perilous cleavages in view, and telling them with the driest face that they had been blatantly mispronouncing a name for the past several minutes, but he’ll give them a quick lesson to keep them from embarrassing themselves in the future; they can thank him later. General result: every one of his peers hated him on some level, but their primary weapons of innuendo, sex appeal, and sexual put-downs all failed against him. Ezarel was untouchable, literally. And he would tell them with a smug grin that he was simply the evolved one of their generation.

The fun came to end when Ezarel hit his early twenties (in elven years) and finally researched the persistent phenomenon of his ‘inner monk’. At first, he breathed a huge sigh of relief at knowing that he isn’t socially or hormonally impaired, and that his sexuality simply rests on the tamest end of the spectrum. Then he started swearing at how that’s not about to fix his problems for the immediate future. Because as a noble at the prime of his life, he has certain, unavoidable duties to fulfill: like carrying on the family line. Fantastic: now sex is going to be his nightly chore for the next few years at least. The gods have a terrible sense of humor.

So nowadays, Ezarel is more low-key on flaunting his asexuality: it’s a mixed blessing for him. While he’s safely immune to the battle of the sexes, and has no shortage jokes of being one rung up the evolutionary ladder, he just can’t feel the same excitement as some when ‘performing as a husband’ (he’s only left with supreme awkwardness). Worse still, even close acquaintances are prone to misinterpreting what they see as his ‘frigidity’. Like how his asexuality equates to an inability to love. Each time, Ezarel will be quick to correct them: he does have a heart, thank you very much, whereas some people with full libidos are proven to have no empathy. And there is such a phenomenon as non-sexual affection. They’ll all find out when they pass middle age.  

Valkyon: One Foot Out of the Closet

Valkyon never grew up with an adult role-model to take cues from, or who would have furnished him with a road-map on where his ‘urges’ should take him. So it wasn’t until he was in his late teens that he started to realize he has less common tastes than the norm. As in, his eyes are saved quite strictly for fellow men. That was also when Valkyon realized the one benefit of his self-sufficient upbringing: it’s up to him alone to decide how to react to this news. And he reacted with his usual calm, no-nonsense logic: his sexuality is just another harmless quirk of his mental programming; an occurrence of nature that has no bearing on his reproductive capacity or cognitive health. Many species of Familiars too see their share of homosexual relations, with no ill effects on individuals or the species itself. So reacting negatively will be like cursing himself for hitting six feet in height at sixteen: nonsensical.  

Unfortunately, there seems to be a number of nonsensical figures for most of Valkyon’s life. Several of the oldest scars that crisscross his body came from incidents when neighbors, colleagues, and barracks-mates heard about his preferred type of bed partner, and took offense. Though this should be said: the fact that Valkyon is the one left standing every time proves that they’re definitely not that smart. And to his chagrin, each time he survives only seems to worsen his reputation. Now that is just paradoxical. 

It wasn’t until several months after moving to El that Valkyon started to notice the total reduction in the number of sharp glares and sharper whispers at his back. And that it correlated with the number of same-sex couples openly walking on the street and ordering drinks for each other at bars. So. It seems he might not need to walk around in as much armor here on a regular day. Maybe.  

Despite the more tolerant environment in El and his legendary thick skin, those rough early years left their mark (internally) on Valkyon. Nowadays, he still flash-freezes discussions on his private life, avoids dating, and finds it hard to drop the poker face and physician’s mindset he perfected when looking at a naked body, male or female. Valkyon knows who he is and sees no reason to apologize for it, but he just can’t be sure that there isn’t another idiot somewhere nearby, waiting to pay him unusual scrutiny for his preferences. And has relatives ready to fill his mail box with hospital bills in three weeks’ time.  

But. If there’s one bit of progress he’s making on coming out in El, it’s this: he doesn’t wear shirts anymore.

It’s getting some good reactions.

Match-Ups:

Nevra & Valkyon

Not many people know that they are in fact an item. Valkyon makes absolutely no reaction when Nevra turns his charms on every other pretty face that walks into the building. But little do outsiders know that this is a mutually-beneficial fit: Valkyon doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body and hates attracting attention on his private life, while Nevra is both protective of Valkyon and has a cuckolding kink can’t resist strutting before other people, his lover included. So they’ll keep up this con before the public eye to deflect attention on their relationship… until people notice that they share the exact same mailing address. For the last few years.

There’s no question that Nevra will occupy the more dominant role in this relationship. He’s the more experienced man by far when it comes to sex, romance, and the nitty-gritty of social and emotional maneuvering. Not to mention that he’s at least three times the bossy extrovert Valkyon is. Where does it say that it’s the big, burly guys who should top anyway…? Fortunately, cool-as-a-cucumber Valkyon is perfectly all right with taking the back seat. It’s just not his style to waltz his partner into the bedroom or arrange candlelit dates. And the back seat is the best place to catch his high-flying lover whenever life knocks all the hot air out of him.

Nevra & Ezarel  

It takes a while for Nevra to understand that Ezarel’s toxic sarcasm and ‘untouched, and uncaring’ persona isn’t just a front. And his initial reaction is this: what a tragedy! How can any adult live without sex?! The elf’s counter-reaction is this: I’m the evolved one.

Fortunately, Nevra learns quickly to keep his hands to himself, Ezarel stops threatening to sue him, and they settle for a purely cerebral/emotional connection instead. And that’s when the sparks finally begin to fly: for all their differences, they’re evenly matched when it comes to snark.

Foreplay for them now consists of a friendly argument, a lightning-round volley of wisecracks, and ending with one of them declaring that he hates the other. With no small smile. And sometimes, if Ezarel is in the right mood, he’ll let Nevra spoon him on the couch while he reads. Until the vampire stirs from his nap, gives him a squeeze, and starts joking about how enticing he smells. Which is when the former learns again just how sharp elven elbows are.  

It comes as a surprise to no one that Nevra is the ‘Romantic One’ of the pair: always willing to initiate joke advances and more serious invitations to visit new places or try new activities, when he’s not smoothing over arguments that fall a little past the friendly line. Ezarel, naturally, is the ‘Skeptical Object of Desire’: never without a pithy quip or quirky joke to deflect Nevra’s advances. Though now and again, he succumbs to little shows of affection: like smiling at Nevra when he falls asleep on the couch before squirming out of his arms. And then painting a moustache on his face.

Ezarel & Valkyon

It’s not going to happen.

Valkyon is a resilient guy and not someone who enjoys placing demands on his partner, but he does have a few standards all the same. Like 1.) his beau has to be someone who doesn’t spend his waking life on the run from his feelings and personal problems. And 2.) he has to work out regularly. Valkyon may have a decent platonic history with Ezarel, but he draws the line on being the elf’s lover and babysitter around the clock. Man up, Ez, for crying out loud.

Ezarel in turn is happy to dodge the crossbow bolt that comes with the idea of dating Valkyon. Sure, he’s a solid friend, a non-volatile target for his pranks, and actually one of the formative influences of his (now infamous) sense of humor. But the man still acts like he’s made of clockwork most hours of the day. Who’ll wind up to begin each morning with a blunt fifteen-word lecture on why it’s a good idea to grow up and exercise regularly. Who does Valkyon think he is? His father? Uh, wait a minute…  

So, they’ll be happy just to meet up for drinks every weekend or so. With Nevra sitting in between them as a referee and convenient social buffer. Keeping that vampire in their gang is good for something.  

I had too much fun writing this. Happy Pride Month 2017, dear readers. ;)

As always, read, enjoy (hopefully), and review. Any feedback is well appreciated by my inbox.

[princess-of-the-corner]

I needed to re-make my headcanons list so here we go: Mlp characters with gender, sexuality, and body type headcanons. Also have some ‘what race they’d be as a human’ headcanons and maybe a few other things tossed in too;

Pinkie Pie

Panromantic Pansexual

Genderfluid(DFAB). Depending on the day, it will be either she/her, he/him, they/them, or even sometimes they don’t even know.

5′ 10″(177.8 cm)

Definitely fat, but has plenty of muscle and is active as hell. 

White, mostly Irish, but has a small amount of Native American in there.

Hella ADHD, fidgets with things all the time, messes with her hair, waves arms as she talks, tends to chew on things(pencils/pens, necklaces, headphone wires, etc.), so she keeps lolipops and hard candies on her so that she doesn’t ruin things.

Twilight Sparkle

Biromantic Bisexual

Demigirl(DFAB). she/her or they/them pronouns

As a Unicorn: 5′ 10″(177.8 cm), as an Alicorn: 6; (182.88 cm)

Decent weight, some muscle from sparing with her brother on occasions. She eats a lot but burns through calories like hell because she’s always using magic.Probably a little chubbier in Season 1, since she sat around all day, but she’s become more active since then.

Romani

She used to need glasses as a kid, but refused to wear them. Since since she was Celestia’s student she could take her time to decipher blurs. Becoming an Alicorn fixed her eyesight somewhat.

Rarity

Gray-romantic Gray-sexual

Cis female(never bothered to question her gender though)

5′5″(165.1 cm)

Average weight for her height. 

Chinese and Japanese

Loves making clothes for all bodytypes. Encourages everyone who comes to her shop that they look amazing. Specifically makes things for larger bodytypes instead of the ‘uh, just make it bigger??’ thing.

Applejack

Aromantic Asexual(sex neutral)

Agender(DFAB) she/her pronouns because she’s used to it(but doesn’t mind other pronouns)

6′ 4″ (193 cm)

Lot of muscle from farm work, but it’s the legit muscle and not the defined body-builder muscle. Can lift a lot

75% Native American, 25% white. pretty much looks like a combination of the two.

AJ defies a lot of the ‘country girl’ stereotypes. For example, she’s quite smart. She’s good with math, and stars know how many apple-related facts she could ramble off.Also, she’s, like, the least homophobic/transphobic person(pony?) ever. She will fight anyone who is, even if they’re family members.

Rainbow Dash

Heteromantic Heterosexual

Cis female(has actually explored her gender(and sexuality for that matter), but has come to the conclusion that she’s a girl)

5′ 8″ (172.7 cm)

Obviously athletic with plenty muscle, but not the heavy-lifting ones like AJ has. Rainbow’s more like a gymnast or a dancer. 

Hawaiian

Everyone thinks she’s the gay one because stereotypes, but she’s just a major ally. Honestly it kind of works when she accompanies closeted friends to LGBT events, since it takes the pressure off them. Also, Rainbow’s smarter than everyone thinks. Like, yeah she doesn’t remember things she finds boring, but she can list every single feather in a wing, and knows her way around weather.

Fluttershy

Homoromantic Homosexual

Trans Male(DFAB)

5′6″ (167.64 cm)

Very small and thin. ‘perfect model’ type body. not much boobage but considering he’s a trans guy he’s okay with that.

I don’t have a specific race headcanon for Flutters but probably not white.

Within the show’s timeline, Fluttershy is still in the closed about his gender. The only one he’s told is Rainbow Dash who is very supportive. I have wrote a fic with EQG Fluttershy coming out to her friends, and timeline-wise it’s during his senior year at CHS.

Sunset Shimmer

Homoromantic Homosexual

Cis female

5′8″ (172.72 cm)

little bit of muscle

Unsure of race but not white

Remember the fire wings from ‘My Past is Not Today’, and also Daydream Shimmer? She has those, but they’re sort of phantom-like. Basically you can only see them if you look for them. Or if you have Aura Vision. 

Starlight Glimmer

Heteromantic Heterosexual

Cis female

5′6″ (167.64)

average bodytype

white

Has experimented with her sexuality before but no she only likes guys

Spike

Demiromantic Pansexual

Agender(more of ???? really, but uses it as it’s the best label) (DMAB) okay with any pronouns.

His adult height will be 6′2″ (185.42 cm)

average bodytype

Latinx

Really confused by gender but rolls with it.

Sweetie Belle

Demiromantic Demisexual

Genderfluid  (DFAB)

Adult height is 5′6″(167.64 cm)

Little chubby, but has a lot of stamina.

Chinese and Japanese

Theatre kid

Scootaloo

Biromantic Asexual(sex repulsed)

Agender(DFAB), they/them pronouns

Adult height is 5′7″ (170.18 cm)

Athletic like Dash, but also a little extra muscle. 

They do eventually get to fly. It’s nowhere near anything Dash can do, and even by average standards They’re pretty bad. Their speed and endurance are terrible, but they can at least make it to the clouds on their own, and can glide fairly well.

Applebloom

Biromantic Heterosexual

Cis Female

Adult height is 5′ 9″ (175.25 cm)

Not as outright muscular as her siblings, but can still lift plenty.

75% Native American, 25% white, looks more Native than white. 

Best at building. Gives a helping hand to whoever needs something made

Princess Celestia

Demiromantic Asexual(sex positive)

Agender, she/her pronouns

7′4″ (223.52 cm)

Decently muscular. Can kick your ass.

Not sure about her race, but definitely dark skinned

Celestia lets very few others get close to her. She rarely shows her true emotions. 

Princess Luna

Biromantic Homosexual

Agender, she/her pronouns

Normal Height: 7′ (213.36), de-powered(season 1): 6′ 5″ (195.58), Nightmare Moon: 7′ 4″(223.52 cm)

Little bit of chub. 

Japanese

Dramatic as fuck

Princess Cadence

Demiromantic Pansexual

Cis Female

5′ 8″ (172.72 cm)

Thin and light

Unsure of race

Shining Armor

Biromantic Bisexual

Demiboy(DMAB)

5′ 11″(180.34 cm)

Listen, my man, he’s a fucking Guard. He has muscle and can kick your ass.

Technically he’s Prince of the Crystal Empire, but he’s more co-Captain of the Crystal Guard

Discord

Panromantic Demisexual

When asked about gender, he’l just give an unsure shrug and a wiggly hand gesture.Uses he/him most often, but okay with other pronouns

7′ 5″ (226 cm)

Noodle

He’s a mix of, like, every race, and has such an even balance of features that he can pass as whatever he wants to.

Tbh full-human(non-magical) Discord totally fucked up his left wrist as a teen and wears a wrist brace all the time.

Big Macintosh

Biromantic Bisexual

Cis male

6′8″ (210.82 cm)

Lot of muscle. 

75% Native American, 25% white, looks more white

Still always quiet

Diamond Tiara

Panromantic Demisexual

Gendrfluid(DFAB)

Adult height is 5′10″ (177.8 cm)

Little bit of muscle, little bit of chub

Unsure of her exact race but dark skinned

You can pry her metalworking abilities from my cold dead hands

Silver Spoon

Heteromantic Heterosexual

Cis female

Adult height is 5′ 7″ (170.18 cm)

Kinda fat

No specific race headcanons. Possibly white

Best chef 

Trixie Lulamoon

Homoromantic Homosexual

Cis female

5′ 5″ (165.1 cm)

thin

Unsure of race but probably not whiite

Hates that she’s shorter than Twilight. Had internal rage when she showed up after Twilight’s Ascension because she’s now even taller than her.

Prince Blueblood

Aromantic Pansexual

Cis male

5′7″ (170.18 cm)

Average body type

Unsure of race

Less of a dick than he appears to be, but uses his rep to help Aunt Celestia.

Now we’re getting to ‘I don’t want to write a goddamn paragraph for each character’ section, so have bullet points. Maybe I’ll expand if asked.

All three Sirens are gay. Hella gay. Adagio is 5′10″(177.8 cm), Sonata is 5′8″(172.72 cm), Aria is 5′6″(167.64 cm)

Cheerilee is bisexual

Flash Sentry is Bisexual

Derpy is demiromantic demisexual

The Cake Twins are Demiboy and Demigirl (respectively to their assigned Gender) and also hella gay. 

Transmare Snails 

Bisexual Snips is 

Twist and Alula are gay and also dating. 

Pansexual Pipsqueak 

Rumble is biromantic Asexual 

Thunderlane is Pansexual  

Fleur DIs Lee is Aromantic and Asexual 

Gay Breaburn because it’s a classic 

Bisexual Soarin 

Night Glider, Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle are all bisexual

Lyra and Bon bon are gay and dating(but totally make fun of the ‘oh we’re best friends. Just gals being pals’ thing)

Octavia is homoromantic asexual

Vinyl Scratch is pansexual

Indigo Zap is agressively straight

Lemon Zest is pan

Sour Sweet is a gay trans girl

Sugarcoat is AroAce

Sunny Flarre is graromantic graysexual

TImber Spruce is demiromantic Demisexual

Gloriosa Daisy is hella gay

Ask for any others Or for heights of characters I didn’t give heights for

[writinglgbtq]

Hello there! I'm making a fantasy comic actually, and the main character is straight, however she has an older brother who is gay but hasn't come out yet. (He's an important character) He ends up dating a bisexual male. Are there any stereotypes I should avoid? Thank you! 😊

hello!I think that writing for comics is, in most respects, very similar to writing prose. You’ll want to avoid the standard stereotypes such as:

Armored Closet Gay -  a male character that’s a self-loathing gay guy hiding  behind a macho facade. usually depicted as a bully until he gets a redemption, if he gets a redemption.

Bury Your Gays (warning in link for an image of an example where two women are dead and there’s a bit of blood) - killing a gay character for no reason other than because the character is gay, usually with the character’s partner left behind alive but miserable 

Gayngst - having a character’s unhappiness/depression/suicide imply that their unhappiness/depression/suicide was caused by their sexuality. see Bury Your Gays.

If It’s You, It’s Okay - a way to excuse a character’s gay or bisexual relationship as a one-off. 

In fact, I’m going to link you to TvTropes’ Homophobia Index. I would suggest reading through the tropes to ensure that your writing will be as kind to LGBT people as possible. I would also suggest finding a proof reader who is a gay man or a bisexual man to double check that nothing has fallen through the cracks. 

Good luck with your writing!

[poipoi1912]

Barba Theories Part 2

(i.e. a looooooong rundown of your theories, thank you for sending them <33333)

To recap, here is the original teaser/spoiler, and here are my original theories/Part 1:

professional misconduct for political gain

a straight-up political/work scandal 

an inappropriate personal relationship

financial misconduct 

dick pics on his iPhone 

membership to the Pirate Booty Treasure Chest  

Here are some of the responses I got (some via replies, some via reblogs, and some via asks):

Personal Secret

First of all, many of you agreed it’ll be the Pirate Booty thing, which, d’oh. But is that really a secret?

Secondly, the tags used by @lambnoire speak to me:

#barba's secret is giving me anxiety tho #idk what im going to do if they compromise his morality as a character

Thirdly, most of you feel it will be a personal secret. Which might be wishful thinking, because we all thirst for more details about Barba’s personal life:

sunshine-and-the-catsuit answered: I’m kinda hoping for the relationship thing, personally. Maybe he kept emails that he shouldn’t have…or something like that. Or hid information he shouldn’t have..to help a friend.

I feel this might be accurate. Barba bending the rules (more on that below) for a lover or a friend (say, Alex Munoz or Eddie etc), out of loyalty. That would compromise him somewhat, but his motives would still be relatively pure. Depending on the rule/law he broke, of course.

revolutionarynerd answered: A sexual secret. Even in NYC a bisexual ADA for instance would raise eyebrows. My money is on Barba’s personal private life getting spread all over the news/internets in the course of a hacking operation targeting someone higher up.

@leaper182​ said: That's a really good point. Hmm. I wonder if maybe Rafael had an affair with a politician who's married or something. I can't see Rafael himself being in the closet -- he comes across more as someone who doesn't advertise that he's bisexual, but he wouldn't deny it if he were asked point-blank about it either. But maybe if he made the mistake of having an affair with a married man or something, and it's this big ~shocker~ because this guy was all about straight marriage or something...? Hmmm. :\            

an anon who likes to toy with my emotions said: Barba theories/plot bunnies; 1. It's a revenge porn ep and when the suspect('s allies) find out Barba is prosecuting they threaten to leak sexts/nudes/dating profiles b/c they do not know who they are fucking with. Barba goes ahead, out for blood & maybe even using it to score some points in court. But then after sentencing we see his private self; humiliated, confidence wilting. Not helped by the media hi-lighting his humiliation rather than his victory.

Re; Barba being in the closet: there are valid arguments on both sides. If Barba is not straight (just for speculation purposes, of course, because we’ve never seen him with a romantic partner) it’s possible he would be out and proud, because he seems like he doesn’t give a fuck about what people think of him. But it’s also possible he’d be in a glass closet, just for the sake of his job (and/or his future aspirations. I touched on this in my fic Running, btw, which involves Barba running for the DA position). So he may, in fact, want his “secret” to stay a secret.

I must say, the idea of forcibly outing Barba is interesting, because it would allow for an intense but not necessarily preachy Very Special Episode, plus we might get some awesome Raul acting in the process, but would the current writers care enough to do that well?

The idea of a forbidden affair (with a woman or a man who’s married or otherwise problematic) seems a little more likely. Especially if it’s someone else at the DA’s office, and they both get exposed. Maybe Barba would choose to fall on his sword to protect his partner? This could give us some juicy moments for sure.

At any rate, I’d love to see Barba with a crack in his armor. Either because he feels exposed, or because he’s willing to be exposed to protect someone he cares about.

Professional Secret

its-bucky-bitches said: Hi just looking at you questions & answers about what the potential threat to Barba could be & I know a lot of people are saying it's a hack like they took something from his life & released it but what if he's being set up? Framed in some way? // Like what if the "secret" is something incriminating the hackers planted into Barbas computer and that the team find & then in the end use Barba to lure them out of hiding to capture/kill them?             

I love this. It might not necessarily fit with the concept of a “secret” (i.e. something Barba has been hiding) but I LOVE the idea of a frame-up. Barba would be indignant, and the squad would be supportive, they’d reassure him they don’t believe the hackers and they’ll do anything in their power to restore his reputation. That would give us a much needed glance into the SVU team dynamics, and it would show us just how much Liv and the squad value Barba. So it definitely won’t happen.

OH HELL NO Secret

an anon who likes to toy with my emotions said: (I'm paranoid it might be something like this) Barba commited/is accused of commiting a sex crime & evidence points to him doing so. If he did, he defends himself, saying he knows now it was wrong, it was long time ago, he's a different person, he's grown since then - but it alienates him from the SVU squad when they find out. The hacked info is used to discredit him and his work with SVU, & by extension squad themselves.            

NOPE.

I do like the idea of a secret which would compromise his work/the convictions he’s managed to get in his career, BUT NOPE. Like, you might be on the right track re; a secret which would paint him, the DA’s office and the squad in a bad light, and that’s the reason they all need to solve the case, if not make sure the secret stays hidden, but HELL NO.

More Hell No Secrets

an anon who likes to toy with my emotions A LOT said: Turns out he may have actually killed his Dad. 4. Barba is in fact innocent (excluding withholding of evidence) and it's information that somehow threatens his mother. Or else, shows him burying something harmful to his mother. 5. The hacking reveals something with his health - I'd bet on psychiatric, maaaybe rehab of some kind.       

On another show, I might appreciate topics like these being explored delicately. On SVU, nah. I would love a reference to Barba’s mother/family, but the fact the DA’s office is hacked, and that’s how Barba’s secret is revealed (via his work email, basically) probably means it would involve either Barba’s work or his personal life (because he may have foolishly used a work account for something non-work-related). 

Actual Secret

@webbgirl34​ has what is probably the most likely theory, though:

With the way this season has gone, I’d be willing to lay money it ends up being something to do with Liv. Like him covering up for something for her or him doing something on the gray side to help her out.

I can just see that happening. Barba will reach out to Liv, not to reveal a personal secret which might give us some insight into his character (God forbid!), but to tell her something she already knows. Like, “Hey, Liv, remember that time I helped you with (X)? It’s back to bite us in the ass. We need to fix this, or both we could both lose our jobs.”

Imagine if Barba’s secret involves, like, Johnny D (remember, lol?) i.e. Noah’s paternity, i.e. the time Barba was perfectly willing to bend the rules to help Olivia? Or, if the writers are unwilling to rewatch their own show and revisit actual past events, what if they come up with another instance of him possibly even breaking the law, just to help Liv?

Last season, we did see a Barba who followed the rules and ratted on Liv/Tucker, but arguably that was because he was mad/jealous. Or, because he really was that stringent about the law (lol). Maybe we’ll go back to rule-bending Barba? In a ret-conned way (since we won’t actually witness said rule-bending)? We’ll hear about a made up past incident, a plot contrivance, to better sel the “secret” angle?

Again, I can totally see this happening. I just hope it doesn’t. Even though it would likely be better than a potentially compromising, salacious and deeply personal secret.

Lastly, my own tags:

#omg now that i read the barba spoiler #i feel like it'll be totally anticlimactic #the da's office is hacked #so like barba's work email #watch as his secret is totally boring 

Fingers crossed it’s something which showcases Raul's talent.

[nightcoremoon]

looking for input on something

so currently in one of the fantasy series I'm writing the first installment of, I kind of noticed something... queer

so 7 of the characters are pyromancers and I accidentally made all of them gay. except one. we have:

-bisexual disaster dad, O

-steamship pilot lesbian, K

-florist panro ace, P

-armor knight lesbian, A

-royal guard twink, T

-a moth man, S

-the token straight, L

...

O is the kind of guy who encounters orphan kids and immediately adopts them-kinda like Bruce Wayne- because of a tragic backstory that killed his family- again, like Bruce Wayne- and he's bi but doesn't really think too much about romance- oh oops he's just Batman. and he is a pyromancer, but only in one arm since the other arm is prosthetic looking like sekiro.

K and P are sisters, major red oni blue oni but their palettes are more orange and green, and live a frugal life alone after losing their parents. K is soft femme awkward lesbean while P is a pan ace social butterfly. they're pyromancers.

A is the "oh shit we're being invaded" button, deployed via zeppelin airdrop with a fuckhuge flame claymore and emerald green armor; like if flame swordsman and gearfried the iron knight had a baby. she has an Eowyn reveal but it's when she kisses her wife. also she's trans. the sword's fire is powered by pyromancy.

T runs fast and leaves walls of fire behind him. he exists because he's part of a group whose names are based on the 8 horses of Helios so since he was Phlegon he... has fire magic. I coincidentally made him gay because why not.

S is not mothman, he is a moth man. he's an anthropomorphic man sized moth man from a race of anthropomorphic man sized moth men. but with that being said since mothman is an LGBT icon I decided to make him LGBT, which stands for Let's Get Bright Things. but also he has a husband. and he can throw fireballs. this is because that would be very fucking cool.

L is a merchant's daughter who has a strong affinity for dragons and it eventually gives her fire magic and the ability to

all of these were completely coincidental means of settling on their sexuality. them also all using fire magic and also being the only ones who use fire magic I am considering...

what if I used fire magic as an allegory for gay?

like, I'm not gonna make some huge political "being gay is okay" big deal about it because homophobia never existed in this universe so that's normal n shit like it is now without all of the fuckin post-british-colonialism degens. it's just a fact of life that some people are gay oh well who cares. which is i guess itself a political statement in this modern hellscape, you can't take five steps or say racism is bad without some boomer getting mad and crying because they can't be evil misogynists without getting criticized anymore. but I'm not gonna have an extensive preachy segment because we don't want that, we want dame archer and the pride knights fighting eldritch horrors. but but BUT!

what if I... sneak in some social commentary? like the only good part of x men 3, which used bobby telling his parents about his ice powers as a euphemism for coming out of the closet, except instead of being good in screenplay but clunky in execution and also brian singer being yucky, it's actually good because I wrote it? it's conceited to say that, yes, but I'm confident in my abilities. I already have there being distaste for magic users sorta like with korra's equalists and a segment where O takes a ride on K's air ship (the city is built in the side of a crack in a cliff and they use hot air zeppelins as public transport and pyromancers use their fire to work the hot air stuff) and she's all nervous because he's comin from the antimagic part of town but he sees that she's kinda uncomfy so he starts a fire and uses it to light his pipe and she kinda relaxes because oh thank god he's just like me, which as I was looking over that I was like. well shit that might as well be allegory for gay especially since I thought of mckellen's interview where he was nervous about telling this cab driver he was gay bht the dude was like "oh cool me too". and that prompted me to look at the rest of the pyromancers before i wrote this.

now obviously I know that the answer is most likely going to be a resounding, oh that may be cool if you somehow manage to not fuck it up. that's me using logic and common sense. but. at the same time, things like flaming and flamer being used as insults towards pyromancers is a natural consequence, and it will not end well. and there may even be a group of people who find it offensive to use the allegory, and even saying that it trivializes the struggles that gay people have gone through to just reskin it with something fantastical like magic. or whatever. because at this point I'm not sure what is or is not offensive anymore since 12 year olds will just say random shit on twitter and everyone goes along with whatever dumb shit they have to say for 5 minutes before moving onto the next thing to send death threats to people over. so I'm only asking this on the off chance that this actually is offensive in some way that I've not thought about because I genuinely want to seek out other people's perspectives on this.

TL;DR

would it be cool if I used the social struggles of those who use fire magic in a fantasy novel as an allegory for gay people in the real world,

or would that be dumb and stupid and harmful and bad?

[typologycentral]

[ISTJ] Does This ISTJ Like Me or Not?

So I'm a bisexual INFJ and have been decent friends with this straight-esque ISTJ for about two years now. Thing is, he's so charismatic on the surface to the point where you wouldn't even begin to think he was an ISTJ at heart. He was eccentric, witty, smart, stable and even soft-hearted at some points. Everybody in our class loved him as the class clown; like as if he was some entertaining gadget to fiddle with. :wubbie::wubbie: Our friendship sparked out of his attraction for my articulation in English and our shared interest in music. Apparently I came across off as different from most high-schoolers at time, so he was stimulated whenever I was in his presence. At first, it was all a gimmick for the both of us; poking fun at how we were obsessed with each other like some bro-magnet of sort. Before I knew it, it started to gradually get more serious. Our online convos would take place during the latest/dead hours at night about the most confidential and intimate topics; things such our dreams, fears, passion, family and even who we liked. One time he asked me to analyze his favorite song, in regards to how it resonated with his feelings. The lyrics suggested that he was heartstruck with someone and it felt so bittersweet knowing that he was probably directing it towards a girl but confided in me to share the sensitive side of himself. Whenever our intimate moments took place he'd always go along the lines of, "Btw this chat is only between us" or "This will always be a safe place for the both of us". Wasn't until then that my heart was stimulated at the fact that I had a guy friend that I could be personal with, which was genuinely new to me at the time. I felt so secure and safe with him. For each time that I was facing an adversity, he'd be there to message and comfort me through virtual hugs and reminding me why I was amazing to him. I had officially become a puppy attached to my new owner. :hug::heart: Suddenly there had been a downward shift in our bond. He'd leave my messages on read and barely acknowledge my presence in person. Our convos began to feel ingenuine and rushed. Classwork was all that we were limited to talking about. I got the vibe that I was irking him with every text that I spammed, hoping to get a mere response out of him. I'd be so downbeat at the sight of watching him interacting with everybody and winning their heart while his indifference broke mine. Perhaps he lost the spark with me and wanted to seek seemingly more interesting friendships. I was so confused, for it felt like I had lost a special companionship within the blink of an eye. I became a ghost to him. A sad, yet non-existent ghost. :(:( However that wasn't the end of my magical friendship gone incomplete. My ISTJ would occasionally still message and talk to me, but supposedly only on his terms. Whenever I laid in bed with my lifeless heart thinking about him, he'd send an article or video of his favorite movie/song for us to have a short-lived discussion about it, only for him to leave me on read and return back to the abyss. At this point, I felt like I was gasping for air. As if I was receiving CPR after drowning in water, just for me to be thrown back in again. Rinse. Repeat. :shrug::unsure: As much as there was strangeness in the new way he communicated with me, he showcased it in his actions as well. I'd passed by him and he'd walk in the opposite direction or seem overly busy or preoccupied when I tried to talking to him. Then he'd corner me for what felt like slightly scripted conversation whenever it was just the two of us alone. There'd be times during class where he'd make a goofball out of himself and I'd be only person he'd look at for a reaction, as he'd gaze into my eyes with his mischievous, seductive smile. He would also make light jokes at my expense, which would soon be followed by him apologizing to me in private. If he caught someone giving me a hard time or opposing my ideas, he'd show up out of nowhere to my rescue like a knight in shining armor. Overall, it was like as if he was making up for the times he wasn't there for me, yet he'd go back to simultaneously ignoring me when there were groups of people around us. My mind began to dismiss it as him just looking out for me like a little brother but my heart truly wanted him to desire more than a friendship. I had officially become a hopeless romantic; waiting for my prince charming to show some limerence. :wubbie::doh: Wasn't until after our school musical (that I acted in and he played guitar in the pit orchestra for), he casually asked me, "who did you like this whole school year?". It around the time I had given out a few hints to my friends on whom I liked so I played it off by saying I knew the person for a few years and really wanted to confess to them. He wanted to know for the sake of 'hearing entertainment to use up his energy' and that 'his heart was aching for me' out of sympathy. Part of me still despises myself to this day for not telling him the truth. Even if it meant scaring him off. :doh::boohoo: So I wonder...could he like me back? Or is he still wanting to stay intimate friends with me? Also could there be a chance that he's a closeted bisexual? He has seemed so unsure of himself for the past few months. Like as if his future comprises of a blank canvas. I know that ISTJ's are usually susceptible to staying on the down low about these kinds of stuff. I've seen him act flamboyant and sarcastically flirt with other guys, but it's typical for a straight male to do that kind of stuff in high school. However he's been really ambivalent and gentle with me lately. Should I confess to him? And how so? I wanna know if there could be a chance for me. For 'us'. :wubbie::smile: https://www.typologycentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96883&goto=newpost&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr