#not really the kind of thing if youre invested in happy gay people

[peridyke]

I think the average unknowing onlooker would not expect nier to be as gay of a series as it is I know that I did not. I mean it makes sense because the setting generally invites it but im not used to stuff being gay if I didn't find it by intentionally searching for queer media.

[eddiezpaghetti]

Hallo! Like many other people, I found you thanks to the incredible piece on why Byler IS GONNA be endgame. In your second/response post on this matter you briefly mentioned Supernatural, Teen Wolf and Sherlock, and I was wondering if you could make direct comparisons to these cases and explain how exactly they differ from Byler. If you knew about these shows while they were still airing, did you also strongly believe or at least had a bit of hope that those ships would become canon? If no, what are the main differences that make ST's pair so unique? If yes, do you believe you overlooked/assumed things back then that you now account for better? And sorry if this is an annoying or repetitive question, I imagine you've gotten a bunch of similar requests and you might want to distance yourself from the topic alr + from what little I know about those 2010s shows I can already kind of predict the answer myself thanks to your definitions of queerbaiting v queer-coding v accidental romance, so I guess this is more of an excuse so I get a chance to read another one of your masterful posts, apologies for that hehe <3

Honestly, I used those examples because they're really well-known in general, not because I'm an expert on those pieces of media. A piece of media I probably know better on a personal level that did queerbaiting isn't even a great example because it was just on such a small scale, but definitely still held true under "We're doing this simultaneously to pander to and make fun of queer people," but no one was too invested because it was with a minor character, so no one cared much, and no one really believed was going to happen. Tonally, though, it matches up with the other examples, and it's another piece of shit that came straight outta Moffat's ass. Uhh...

Yes, that's James Corden. Not relevant. The important thing is that this is a scene that works as an example of what The Queerbaiting Tone™ feels like.

If you haven't seen Doctor Who--first of all, how did you find Tumblr, but more importantly--this character was in a whopping two episodes. Minor character, had a love interest, but his relationship with the Doctor was still remarkably, like, intimate?

The doctor's companions never joined him on the episodes he was with this character, they were roommates for a while (oh my god they were roommates), they had the whole one-sided-rivals thing (Corden's character was jealous of how the Doctor seemed to charm everyone around him while the Doctor just wanted Corden's character safe and happy), there was a goddamn scene where Corden's character got poisoned and the Doctor nursed him back to health complete with staying at his bedside and gently brushing the hair out of his eyes and all that shit... And the second episode Craig (I just remembered the character's name--shut up, it's been a while) was in happened because the Doctor was informed he was about to die and he decided Craig was someone he wanted to see just one last time.

Then the above scene happened.

And you can see that, like, it's blatantly a joke, Craig mentions he has a wife, he's such a minor character that no one actually believes he's going to romance the Doctor and run away with him, but all of the genuine moments between them still happened. This is still a character the Doctor (normally a ~mysterious~ character) chose to have a goddamn Vulcan-style mind-meld with.

And, again, this was a joke. The punchline is the idea of them being gay. Hilarious. Two men being in love. Absolutely ground-breaking humor.

Queerbaiting is just that scene, and those two episodes of Doctor Who, but with a much longer buildup to the punchline. The longer that buildup is, the more real it feels. The more effort is spent on it, the more you want to believe it's too much effort to be a joke. And the more space is spread about between them, the harder it is to remember all the little micro-jokes the big joke is made of.

And again, Byler has never had that. Stranger Things has never had that. I'd love to show every goddamn scene with a queer character or queerness mentioned in the show just to prove that it's not the same, but that's hard because it's harder to show the absence of something than the presence of something. It'd take too long. And the sincere scenes that do make up Will and Mike's love story, those are between the jokes with queerbaiting. Again, there was a scene in Doctor Who where Craig got poisoned and the Doctor stayed by his bedside and made him tea and did his work for him in the meantime so he wouldn't fall behind. But, again, that's between jokes.

Mike and Will have never developed their relationship between jokes. They're not a punchline. There's no joke here. It's only Mike desperately calling Will's name through the radio when he hears him singing. It's only Mike saying that meeting him was the best thing he's ever done. It's only Will tearfully telling Mike that he wanted to play games with him for the rest of his life. It's only Will giving Mike a veiled confession by projecting his feelings onto El. Over and over and over again, it's sincere, sincere, sincere, sincere, sincere.

Their closeness isn't funny, it's just love. And that's the difference.

[cursedvibes]

For the headcanon thing: Higuruma. And in case someone else has already asked about him, then Megumi.

Had fun reading your thoughts on the others! Always cracks me up how wildly different our shipping tastes are 😂

Yeah, we agree on the love for Yuuji and Kenjaku, but as far as ships are concerned, it's polar opposites xD Haven't done either yet, so here we go, hope this will be as entertaining as the rest!

Higuruma

Sexuality Headcanon:

Ace and/or gay I would say. He's in his mid-30s, has a well-paying job, but isn't in a relationship much less married or with kids. Not what's expected of men his age, which makes me think he's definitely not straight. Kinda like Takaba, except he doesn't even have the excuse of not being able to support a family (not that that's necessary of course, but it's what society expects of him). Contrary to Takaba, I don't think he's that involved with the queer community though. Maybe has a couple of queer friends like his assistant and that's it.

Gender Headcanon:

Probably cis man, but I'm not super set on it (maybe he isn't either, who knows).

A ship I have with said character:

Hm, I do like some of the Higuruma/Kusakabe fanart, but there's not really that much there for me to get invested. Kusakabe said one heroic sentence that became pointless 10 minutes later. And he was down about it, but compared to Yaga for example, Kusakabe got over it pretty quickly. People also ship them because of the dark hair and similar age, but I don't really care about that. Honestly, the only one who we have seen Higuruma have deep connection with is Yuuji, he otherwise keeps to himself.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Yuuji. I really like the talk after their fight and when they meet to discuss the Sukuna fight. Especially the second one is really nice. Seems very intimate and fragile. Both want to sacrifice themselves to safe the other, both see their own life as worthless, but they encourage each other while not judging them for being suicidal. (being suicidal together makes everything better :D) I like how they are just kind of silently there for each other without any big gestures. Higuruma doesn't want to look Yuuji in the eyes, but he still likes having him around and enjoys his company despite the guilt that comes with it.

A NOTP I have with said character:

Haven't really seen a Higuruma ship I didn't like at all.

A random headcanon:

Another reason for why he couldn't hit Sukuna with the executioner sword (besides Yuuji having to be the one to execute his death sentence and right his own) is that he's not actually a good judge or maybe it's not a profession he would be really happy with. It gives him an opportunity to take the law into his own hand and interpret it as he sees right, but he's actually much better as a lawyer put in to defend people. He doesn't always succeed, but it's what fits him most. not really a hc I guess, more text, but whatever

General Opinion over said character:

I like him, he's a good character. I feel like there could've been done more with his death, but it was nice for what it was.

Megumi

Sexuality Headcanon:

Pretty confidently ace, but probably bi- or homoromantic

Gender Headcanon:

He often gets interpreted as trans masc because of his name and how he doesn't really like it and I think that makes sense. Could see it. Might even be subtext and not just a headcanon. I don't like how the fandom tends to fetishize him because of that though. Tells me a lot about how they see trans men/trans masc people...

A ship I have with said character:

None really. ItaFushi is okay I guess, but I'm not that invested in them.

A BROTP I have with said character:

With Yuuji. They have a nice bond. Very self-sacrificial and dramatic. Actually quite a lot of similar themes to Yuuji & Higuruma now that I think about it, but I like them more than ItaFushi.

A NOTP I have with said character:

idk, the dude gets shipped with everyone, especially if they have a dick, so there's plenty to choose from. The one who annoys me most is Toji/Megumi probably.

A random headcanon:

He wasn't that close physically or emotionally with Tsumiki and kind of took her for granted until she fell into a coma. Of course they care about each other, but he just didn't allow himself to show that most of the time. And honestly, he hasn't gotten any better at it over the course of the coma. Yorozu should've punched him.

General Opinion over said character:

His fine. Not a huge fan of him, but he doesn't bother me either. Honestly, I often forget he's technically still in this story beyond the vague knowledge that Yuuji fights to safe him. I think his submersion by Sukuna and trauma through seeing Tsumiki's body die wasn't handled very well. There could've been done way more with it. It was almost handled like a footnote to Sukuna throwing his power around.

[leohtttbriar]

I've just read the tragedy of how few kiradax fics there are compared to the other ship and it pains me so much, but for the life of me I can't write a kiradax fic because they come out as flat characters whose names could be replaced and it could be pushed off as a generic fic. They compel me when I consume the show and fics about them but I can't reflect that in writing 😭 it truly haunts me.

i don't think you have to be haunted--if the characters aren't who you really want to be writing about (resulting in a flat depictions) then it's all good! i mean, it's fanfic--it's for fun. do what you find fun. i was just complaining about how the trend is for fans to be way more interested in male characters and male relationships than in female characters and female relationships. it is sort of funny that the stats on "how many star trek fics pass the bechdel test" are probably pretty dismal, considering the progressive nature of most of the fic writers. and i'm not saying "your gay fanfic should pass or you're sexist," because if it's about two men being in love or just fucking nasty then, yeah, probably unlikely it'll pass and that genuinely doesn't matter. fics about queer men are awesome. it's just the sort of thing that reveals the trend of what people, as a collective, care about.

but, again, it's fanfic. it's for fun. i may not understand why anyone could write more than a couple hundred words about quark and odo feeling some kind of way about each other, but some people are clearly invested. fascy self-pitying glob with failed-capitalist woman-hater---cute.

i guess i would say if you really want to write kiradax and it's a project you think would be fun, but you don't want to produce something else generic, you could start with over-exaggerating everything about them. pretend like they're not played by super hot actresses. turn kira into a religious nut who hocks bibles and dax into a complete whacko that licks mold--you'll probably arrive somewhere closer to their actual character than most viewers of the show even get as they watch. neither kira or dax are bland, no matter what fans do or how they connect with them. kira once set bombs that killed whole families and dax was once willing to go to prison for a crime she didn't commit. kira is pretty happy to be possessed by a god, willing to support a caste system, and eager to kill off a proto-universe full of potential life while also unwilling to prevent a small colony of people from existing at the cost of her own life. dax once sentenced all her buddies to a lifelong internment in a timeloop on a whim, captained a warship into battle, and had to save her own life by accepting the presence of a murderer living within the worm that lives within her. kira likes "coffee" and dax thinks all aliens are cute. like. there's a lot there.

[tedcicle]

Official Palcove Propaganda Post

[ID: Text with a fire effect that says "WATCH PALCOVE NOW" in red capital letters. /.End ID.] Now you may be asking... Who?

Palcove is both the name of the iconic duo of Ted Nivison (of Rainforest Cafe/Margaritaville/400mg edible fame) and Charlie Slimecicle (professional gay sex roleplayer, at least that's what he should be known for) and the area they lived in during their brief time on EpicSMP (a modded SMP created by, uh... *cough* Matt SuperMega *cough*. You can hazard a guess as to why this SMP didn’t really take off.)

Okay, why should I care?

I shan't lie and say EpicSMP is like, crazy good, or a hidden gem, or YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS — really, it's basically TekkitLive but there's way more people on it. It's a largely forgotten SMP, overshadowed by more popular and successful SMPs that happened before or around it. (OriginsSMP, for example.) There's a bunch of interesting duos trying to start their own businesses, and while nothing happened happened, at the end everybody died, which is interesting to think about. (Actually, wait... yeah, it’s just like TekkitLive.) But it was fun. There were some good bits, some light roleplay, and enough seedlings of a plotline to get an average viewer Andy like me invested in. There was some kind of season 2, but it never took off. I'm sure MCYT fans are accustomed to the disappointment of non-existent fandoms, unfinished stories, or lacking narratives by now (Shadow of Israphel was my first heartbreak, but maybe yours was something else). Another one wouldn’t hurt, right? Why Palcove specifically? Well, as a former SMPLiver— (I am escorted off the stage to a chorus of boos) I just really like Ted and Charlie's dynamic. They’re the perfect comedy duo. Charlie works best when he has someone to bounce bits off of, and Ted knows exactly how to pick up what Charlie is putting down and elevate it to the next level. (The adverb and adjective bit in the first VOD had me DYING.) Story-wise, Charlie had a satisfying character arc. He’s a pivotal character and I liked how he plays off of Schlatt and Swagger, too. Not to mention, this is the last time Ted has uploaded or streamed any Minecraft content... I miss him, chat. Also, it makes me happy. Isn't that enough?

Well, okay, you got me interested. How do I watch?

I'm glad you asked (even if you wouldn't fucking say that, I don't care). Firstly, a primer. Sometimes we start a new thing, but it ends up not being to our liking, and that's fine. Maybe you want to walk around and see how it fits before you commit. That's fine! All I ask for is 14 minutes of your time. That's like, 4 songs.

This video is the first day edited down into a nice, palatable, taste-tester, courtesy of unknown energy on YouTube. It's so nice and cozy and comfy, it's the equivalent of a mug of hot chocolate curled up in an armchair with a warm blanket wrapped around you. As for continuing, I highly recommend starting with Charlie's POV. It's probably who you're most familiar with, and he bothered to edit down his streams (even if the videos are like, an hour long). If you like listening to men argue and make the unfunniest jokes imaginable, then definitely try the full VODs. All of these have been archived by the channel EpicSMPVods.

Charlie's POV Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 VODS Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | End of S1* Ted's POV Episode 1 (Yes, he really only did one episode) VODS Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

*This VOD is Swagger's POV, as Charlie didn't upload the finale at all, and the VOD of it either doesn’t exist or wasn’t archived. The relevant Charlie section starts around 15 minutes in.

And if you want more of the story, well, Swagger has one of the most comprehensive EpicSMP POVs.

Final Thoughts

Like many other “stream only” SMPs, a lot of content regarding them simply gets lost and forgotten. There's plenty of reasons why EpicSMP wasn't very successful (in-depth analysis post pending). I’m just glad that not only did Palcove exist, but it's archived. It just so happened to survive against surmountable odds and even have what I consider a satisfying narrative ending (in-depth analysis post pending). And I’m insane about it. And everyone else should be, too.

[ID: Text with a fire effect "WATCH PALCOVE NOW" in red capital letters. /.End ID.]

[scuderlia]

haircut!anon again: ok. wow. had to slam my phone down in my uni computer lab and wait until i could string together a coherent thought again. first off like au itself on back burner your MIND and the way you construct this narrative is INCREDIBLE and so raw adn true and pulling on the queer (as in deviant and as in gay) hair experince sooo deeply i feel soooooo deeply you are a magician. further. i was PICTURING max in braids and god fuck the tenderness of charles and max setting their mise en place and sitting together and braiding her hair before their prey comes in…. god. jesus. i can't stop re-reading the snippets. FUCK! sorry this isn't coherent thoughts after all. max and control and cutting charles' hair. fuck me uppp….

anon! i spent so long smiling like an idiot because of this ask, at this point you're basically my betrothed <3

but yeah, you get it. at the core of max and charles' relationship is truly their hounded devotion and acceptance of one another. the queer experience really is defined by those you hold close, and it's been interesting (for me) to try and thread that idea through this greater story about desire and hunger in a way that feels genuine. i've pulled on a lot of my personal experiences of being a young lesbian and being guarded about sexuality, but ultimately it all comes back to (like you mentioned) the idea of relinquishing some control and feeling comfortable enough with someone to let go of the safety of doing things alone.

i also love love love giving characters their own little rituals, and seeing as how max and charles both have a lot of emotional connections to their hair/haircuts/etc. the braids were an easy decision.

(more about max and her relationship to hair below the cut)

there's this really interesting article by Amelia Abraham titled 'What butch queer identity has to do with hair' that got put out by Dazed in 2022. it primarily covers a photography exhibition called Close Shave—which centers itself around butch haircuts and identity—but also goes into the cultural relevance of 'masc' hairstyles and their role in queer (mainly lesbian) expression.

i remembered and re-read it when i was in the early stages of fleshing-out max's character. i recommend the article to everyone, but especially people who are maybe looking to better understand the history of butch optics, and kind of where i'm coming from with some of max's characterization.

(see one of my favorite quotes from the article below)

While having short hair and identifying as butch don’t necessarily come as a pair, for butch people, haircuts can be transformational – getting your hair cut off brings you closer to your gender identity.

like I mentioned in the the answer to your previous ask, max's haircut kind of serves as a physical manifestation of her relationship with her father, and more specifically, how that relationship influences her feelings of shame (and eventually acceptance) towards her own sexuality.

part of the reason that max is so struck by charles saying she'd let her cut her hair is in large part because, for max, hair is incredibly representative of an individual's ability to control how others perceive and relate to them. by breaking the ritual with her mother, charles is essentially showing max that she not only finds comfort with her, but also trusts her enough to have her identity placed in her hands.

i could honestly talk about this forever... since body politics and queerness are things i'm just genuinely very passionate about... but i will save the innocent bystanders of this blog from having to read through all of that in one sitting.

(anyways, i'm so happy that people are as invested in this as i am... keep sending me long asks like this... if you couldn't already tell i'll take any opportunity to talk more about this au)

[respectthepetty]

Another day, another ask, but this time, it's about what are some currently airing shows that you're watching and really enjoying and how would you describe what you like about them briefly?

For example, The Warp Effect: Wholesome and sex positive QL, with so much representation and topics brought up weekly. Nothing like what I was expecting - in the best way.

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day @sliceduplife! I hope it was kind to you because my response is going to be just like me and my favorite characters - problematic and absolute basura!

To begin, I'm actually going to tell you what I'm rewatching instead of currently watching:

Great Men Academy - Much like 3 Will Be Free and The Warp Effect, Great Men Academy isn't a BL, but it doesn't stop it from being queer af. It has a unicorn that grants wishes, a magical lake that requires nudity to activate, a ghost, a school sanctioned Hunger Games, body swapping, and an Elite level moment:

If you don't get the Elite reference, know that this lead-paint-level-toxic hottie, Cruz, delivered the best line ever uttered in the series:

¡No soy gay! Ni bi. Ni tri. ¡Soy futbolista! (I'm not gay! Not bi. Not tri. I'm a footballer!) <- I say "¡Soy futbolista!" all of the time when people ask about my sexuality without clarification and leave them in their confusion.

*moving on to your actual ask*

The Warp Effect - I came for Joy, the cinematographer who also did KinnPorsche, and Jojo, the director who does everything else I love, but stayed to see all the ways people could come... to an understanding about their sexuality. Also, it's very queer.

My Beautiful Man 2 - I do not condone stalking, but when it comes to my idol and his devoted worshiper, I'm trying to invent new ways of stalking, so Hira can always be within a 100 yards of Kiyoi. They should be more red flags than California during fire season, yet they are wholesome and adorable.

Well...in a very kinky way, kinda like these two wild kids from Secretary

Never Let Me Go - It has a teenager becoming the CEO of his family's multi-million dollar company and another teenager being his bodyguard falling in love! How could I not love it?! It's outrageous! And somehow the most unrealistic thing about this plot is there being a genuine good guy who openly talks about bitcoins, and I LOVE HIM! I did not have falling in love with a man who enjoys "investing" on my BINGO card, but then again, look at my very good boy. LOOK AT HIM!

Hit Bite Love - It's so messy. It has stepbrothers in love, open discussions about condom sizes and lubricant, Kinks-R-Us, a bi Burger looking for his King, and so much more. This past episode hid a pivotal scene behind a paywall due to the two characters having sex in the school's locker room, so half of the plot was missing in the edited version. It made NO SENSE, but I didn't care. Give me all the mess, but I draw the line at taking off your sock and putting it in someone's mouth. BAD BOY! VERY BAD BOY!

The End of the World with You - Japanese BLs stress me out. They give me a lot of an anxiety, and I'm constantly preparing for someone to die or for one of them to be a murderer. Even in the "happiest" Japanese BLs, there always exist this undercurrent of malice..and I'm attracted to it. >insert Ritsu aka El Diablo<

Moonlight Chicken - Eff "More than Friends, Less than Lovers!" That's child's play. Give me my HussyVille Gang Gang! Give me the "we've been breaking beds and each other's backs since day one, but I'm not even sure what his name is, and if I'm being honest, I don't really need to know" squad. Then, on top of that, it's EarthMix doing the devil's boogie?! I waited for over a year for this, and I don't say this often when it comes to men, but the anticipation was worth it.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future - I will always show up to a Taiwanese BL. They are like Rihanna at the Super Bowl. They do the bare minimum but are still very entertaining, include all the fan favorites (domestic bliss, high heat, office romances, good side couples, marriage equality), and pop out with a few surprises. Others may be disappointed, but I am ALWAYS pleased.

My School President - Did you read the list before this? There is a common underlying theme. Even if the show isn't messy, I'm going to find the mess and fixate on it, and it doesn't get stranger than Por's obsession with the chinchilla. GMM better get on merchandising this critter ASAP because there is a gold mine behind this, capitalizers.

Bed Friend - It hasn't started yet, but I'll be watching it. It has a Blue Boy and Red Rascal BUT they are not who would normally be coded that way, which means they are clearly going to have to resolve the reasons why they changed their behavior to cover up their obvious colors. Who hurt our Red Rascal that he turned into a nun? Who harmed our Blue Boy to make him the slutty slut he is? I cannot wait to find out!

Chains of Heart - One word: Papi. Wait, sorry. Let me try again: Poppy. The show has a plot, and I care about it, but...Poppy. He is playing a bad guy, which I got a glimpse of in Love Mechanics, so I'm hoping it means we get to see more of him, and I don't mean screen time, although I wouldn't be opposed to that either. Obviously, I have to be interested in the actual plot since he is a supporting character...but POPPY! mmmm, papi!

[fairycosmos]

do you have any advice on how to overcome internalized homophobia? I’m a bi woman but I have a hard time accepting I’m bi, idk I always felt very strongly about gay rights but didn’t realize until recently I actually really like women and it kind of freaked me out….. the dread that wells up within me is actually kind of terrifying. I have conservative parents who are just casually homophobic but I mean they would never physically harm me or directly confront me about being gay but I think their casual indifference and disdain still left a deep impression on me. I had a girlfriend when I was 16 and my then girlfriend’s mom was really homophobic and to this day it’s painful to think about. Also I guess I always pinged as gay to lots of my classmates because at every school I was enrolled in during high school I always got mocked for being gay/into women. Well. I think I’ve always known I’m bi but not until recently did I realize I actually want to be with women. Do you have any advice how to build yourself up after such instances? How do I extend love to myself and accept myself while still remaining closeted and not having any sort of community in my social life…. I want to move out and live with people my age and make queer friends but I don’t even know where to start. I get so jealous seeing other people happy in relationships with supportive communities and families, which makes me a bad person I know but I just wish I had the guts to actually invest time and energy to build the life I want 😭

i'm going to be very real w you i may not be the very best person to ask. yes, i'm a bi woman whose closeted to my family, so we're on the same page as far as that goes, but i think based on this ask thar you're in a bit more of an extreme situation than me. my parents would describe themselves as liberal as far as economic status goes but they've definitely got an implicit bias towards the lgbt community and it has showed ever since i was a kid......i honestly do not know what they would do if they knew i was bisexual, idek if i would have a relationship with them at all. so I find it hard to offer any concrete advice on building yourself up after coming out bc, obviously, i haven't even gotten there myself - i'm out to some friends and stuff but not to family. i think more than anything we're in the same boat, i daydream about moving out and meeting queer friends too, it is a really really difficult position to be in. i wanna say the only thing i've done in the last 2 yrs go sort of expand my horizons is go to gay bars - though i have to get the train for 40 min to get to to one - and try and get in contact with any sort of lgbt support or community, even online.

something i want to impress is that you don't have to talk about your sexuality to anyone unless you're comfortable doing so. for the longest time i felt like i was betraying everyone by not immediately announcing it - being bi - but i've come to learn that is truly just. my business?? and not even a big deal to most ppl??? i often feel so perverted, so wrong, so just like. ashamed of experiencing same-sex attraction, but genuinely - we don't owe that information to anyone unless we decide for ourselves that it's relevant to that particular dynamic. it's really really hard for me to accept, and i still find it hard to even say "i'm bi" out loud. but i think i just want you to know w this message that i at least somewhat get it and that you're not doing anything wrong by just like. being who you are and doing what you can to get by authentically. sending a massive hug your way - if you want to talk about this more, feel free to message me anytime!! x

[sleepy-moron]

I stand before you today good people of Tumblr to answer a very important question: Why gay Mike Wheeler? This isn't going to be an explanation as to what evidence there is to support this claim because many people have covered the topic way better than I could, it's more of me attempting to explain why I personally am so interested by this interpretation of stranger things.

Okay so I've loosely followed the stranger things community on and off since around fall of 2016?? While I've had occasional brief periods of hyperfixation on the series, it's never been THE hyperfixation for me. That is until we started getting the bigger promo material for season four in October. I fell into a theory post rabbit hole and eventually wound up binge reading a bunch of byler meta posts.....and now I am extremely invested, as evidenced by me even making this post.

The funny thing is I never really had strong feelings about Mike as a character other than him being an asshole in season 3 prior to this. I thought he was generally a likeable enough protagonist(because he arguably fills the role of an 80s kid hero better than anyone else+ he is always relevant in that part of the storyline for the first three seasons) for the kind of story the show is trying to tell, albeit not a particularly interesting one. But Mike being gay changes that, and not for the "you only like the character because they're gay" reasons some people are going to claim. Well it does have to do with that but it really isn't that cut and dry of an answer.

Mike being canonically gay would make him an incredibly subversive character, and I don't mean that in a "wow it's so rare to have a character realize they're gay gradually over the course of a work of fiction" way, I mean it's arguably a subversion of a lot of tropes and story conventions common to works like stranger things. I'd argue that if Mike being gay is indeed the intended reading of his character, that this makes him one of the strongest links between a characters personal arc and the overall thematics of a show I've seen in recent memory.

This begs the question: what is stranger things even about on a thematic level. I personally believe that the biggest takeaways are about the power of love and compassion in the face of adversity, and that people (particularly people in positions of power) are the real monsters for encouraging the suffering and pressure to conform to societal norms at the price of your own happiness. I think most people who have watched the show would agree on these being major themes so I'm not going to explain how the story shows these themes.

Mike (and his hypothetical sexuality and relationship with Will) tie in with these themes pretty damn perfectly. The bond these two share is always linked to the main supernatural threat of the season, and in the first two seasons Mike caring about Will to the extent he does is a big factor in taking down the physical threat of the season. Season 3 is a little different, as a big conflict of the season is Mike ignoring people in favor of kissing El, and Will is by far the character we see impacted the most by this. This conflict is the whole reason nobody besides Dustin gets involved with the mall Russians, and Mike and Will literally have their big fight right before the characters realize the mind flayer is back.

Now that we know how important their relationship is, let's run through how many themes this arc would connect to. These two deciding to go against the very real pressures of society to do what makes them happy, as which is also an act of love/care, and would likely help them fight against the upside down at an unspecified later point in the series. This even works on a meta level, as this also subverts real society's expectations on how the plot of shows like stranger things go. Mike not ending up with El would be a big subversion already but him ending up with Will instead inverts so many tropes. It means the main girl character in advertisement doesn't end up with the guy she's closest with, a gay character isn't in unrequited pining for a hero who's straight, and it also means that no longer being in a relationship with someone is automatically an unhappy ending. Additionally it subverts the idea of needing a relationship to be happy and the idea that relationship plotlines can't be just as relevant to the story of an action/non melodrama show as any other kind of side plot can be. So this boils down to subverting audience expectations based on cinematic conventions to stay true to the story being told, and that story ultimately being about compassion and love overcoming all opposition.

I just think that's the kind of story people need to see sometimes, and it would be huge to see a show this popular do something like this, and I really think that just how well this storyline would fit the show in addition to all the subtext is really why people are so attached to this idea.

[uweiy]

My Fairy Ghost (2022)

Ok it's already way past my planned bedtime but. I need to talk about this show.

Summary:

Aizawa Riko is a struggling author who wrote a critically acclaimed first novel, but can't seem to find inspiration to write her second. As she walks out dejected after yet another unsuccessful meeting with her Editor, she meets Kei, a ghost.

SO.

The characters

Aizawa Riko: our author mc, who has little self confidence, and thinks the success of her first novel is solely due to luck and that she has no talent.

Kei: Ghost. Bright, sexy, kind,bisexual. Need I say more? No? But I will. She really does her best in helping Riko through her struggles which is super heartwarming to see.

Meanwhile Riko is like. *I am so gay😳*

The Editor: the editor. That's all u need to know.

The show

This show — mini drama— can literally be injected in my veins plz and thank you. It's like, a speedrun of all the emotions that doesn't feel rushed at all.

It has tropes. So many tropes. Outgoing pretty girl falls for nerdy girl. Ghosts. Tilting ur head for a kiss. Cohabitation. Fake dating. AND I AM LIVING FOR IT. Somehow they are very well incorporated and it doesn't really feel like "I've seen this before?". And tbh even if they weren't, I wouldn't care *insert Will Smith meme here* pointing to GIRLS

Like yes please give me what 12-y/o me read in shojo mangas and daydreamed about but with GIRLS.

Now if I say Shojo mangas it's associated — falsely tbh the genre is like every genre diverse— with cutesy and lack of depth. It isn't. It's not cutesy at all for one, or like in a way that doesn't feel over the top. And really it pretty accurately for the short time it has describes problems writers/creative people might have with self doubt, and I definitely think that the writer(s) poured some of themselves into Riko and Kei because. Some lines hit home.

In the super short time it runs, it manages to have you invested and like the characters, be happy with them, feel the heart twinge, and hope for a good ending.

And also, it is so. BEAUTFUL. I mean LOOK AT THIS

Now here comes the crazy thing. Things.

It runs for exactly 4 less than 10 minute-long episodes.

How tf is that possible???

Secondly

It's literally FREE.

No need to create an account. No need to purchase a subscription on a platform you would use for literally no other show . It's just. Here. on YouTube. And yes, it's the official version.

TL;DR:

If you are one of the ones that want more girl-focused stories in the drama framework we all know and love, all I ask is you give 7 minutes — the duration of the first episode — (7 minutes!!!! I can't get over it.) of your time to give this a shot.

That's all 😊

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Merchant Gai being the second most wealthiest Gai to ever exist due to his discovery/ trading salt in a village that never had that much access to it before, (not even he could beat out the riches of a king XD) and using said riches to invest in the village more and get himself a happy but strong crew and to make sure his baby wants for nothing.

Merchant Gai seeing his son stop aging at one point and being all "oh my god... you embody the spirit of youth so well you stopped physically aging!!!! AMAZING JOB SON!" (Or does he eventually figure out he bedded a goddess XD;)

Gai being so incredibly strong and capable he was going off on lone voyages and fighting off pirates, mercenaries, and all matter of bad people alone, but somehow keeping his heart kind and generous through out it all (I almost imagine Rin setting up a test like "you see a 'drowning' and defenseless woman in the ocean...what do you do?" And Gai just being like "I save her of course! No matter the rough seas. Than I give her all the food and fresh water I can, until she is better. And an extra pair of cloths... also let's talk. Tell me your story. I'll also give you the bed to sleep on until you're better. I can go a night or two without sleep. Also where is your home, I will ensure to take you back there, no matter how far the journey may be." (rin:.... *ends up finding him completely irresistible and jumping him XD*)

Merchant Gai learning the uses of salt and how it disinfects and using that to soak wares and medicine, so he can trade outside the village as well, without spreading Tsunade's disease.

Just... a really exciting and hard life for Gai. Who still hopefully has at least a few noticable meetings with Kakashi. (It seems the earlier the lives, the less Gai got to meet him.)

Oh no, Gai’s earlier lives actually have some of the most meaningful meetings with Kakashi.

Prince Gai knew Kakashi all through childhood. Kakashi only left cuz Prince Gai married and it was hard for him to keep seeing him after realizing he had such strong romantic feelings for him.

Rin definitely went there just trying to be playful trying to test Gai, only to have him ‘rescue her’ (she was never in true danger) and take her back to shore to recover.

Girl definitely jumped him. She finally understands why Kakashi is so head over heels in love with Gai. Who wouldn’t be? (Ok she’s not head over heels for him but he def got her). She also has to sneak away while Gai is sleeping because he is very determined to make sure she gets home safe and sound, but what he’s doing is actually taking her away from her home.

She wants to go back to the sea.

Does he question things when a baby suddenly appears on his doorstep a while letter with a letter claiming it is his son? No. He doesn’t really care if they’re blood related or not, this is his son now and he will take care of him.

Also love Gai not realizing he bedded a goddess and starting to wonder why his son seems to have stopped aging at 20. Seriously the kid is 30 he should have aged even just a little, but there’s nothing at all. He looks exactly the same.

There are a few people who suggest that Hiroki might be a demi god, or at least the son if one of the gods, because of his specific skills in medicine. Gai doesn’t pay those people much attention though.

His son doesn’t need to be the child of a god/goddess to be wonderful. He just is.

Of course there’s also other things that people notice which hint to Hiroki being a demi god.

His ability to sense when someone is sick and in need of aid.

The fact he has never been sick himself, or that he always seems to avoid danger (Hiroki himself knows that on the sea his mother protects him, and on Land The god of Storms protects him)

[inevitably-johnlocked]

BBC Sherlock and Breaking Bad: these are two fandoms I'm really invested in, nowadays.

The fact that johnlock isn't canon pisses me off everyday, just like everyone else (but I'm coping with this through reading and writing fan fiction).

On the other hand, to balance this frustration, it makes me so happy that we have a multi-faceted canonically gay character in Breaking Bad, i.e., Gustavo Fring.

Breaking Bad was aired almost at the same timeline as Sherlock and the matter about Fring's sexuality was so obvious in the show. Majority of the people in that fandom thought that Gus being a gay man is so obvious.

But thing is that the creator was being unnecessarily coy about it at that time.

He had confirmed it a few months ago, explicitly, without any ambiguity or doubts.

It's such a simple thing but it makes me happy every time I think about it.

So, while I wait for Holmes/Watson to become canon in some future adaptation, I keep consuming my blorbo's content, i.e., Gus Fring lol.

(I'm being silly right now. XD)

Hey Nonny!

I know nothing about Breaking Bad so I’ll take your word for it lol! That said, yeah, I think the frustrating thing about the Johnlock situation is that it was clear that it was going that way, and the Showrunner — in interviews — kind of played on that aspect… until S4 happened and they act like that was never the intention. It bothers me, but obviously there’s nothing I can do about it other than consume fandom content from other people.

And given that I don’t think we’re getting an S5 anytime soon, here’s hoping the rumors are true and RDJ Holmes goes that route with Sherlock Holmes 3. But in the meantime, we have the BEAUTIFUL Furtive Festivity that we can fawn over until mainstream catches up.

And it's not silly at all! I think about my blorbos non-stop, LOL.

[allkinds-oftrash]

Magic Jake

A/N: Hey everyone, first off shout out to @cassiopeiaeuropa for the amazing prompt that can be found here! While our MC does have a name, it can be read as a WoC!Reader fic :)

A HUGE thanks to my beta reader and dear friend Trivia @hptriviachamp who has never seen the film but was really invested in this fic and helped me hone this fic over the last week and helped write a few of the lines! Also shouting this out to my new found Top Gun friends @magneticghouls and @mavswife for hyping me up and always listening to me gab about our little gay pilot movie. Anyways this is my first time writing something steamy so go easy on me - happy reading everyone!

[Note: So I wrote this way before I got fully invested in backstories and ages so in my mind Hang is 25 and the crew are 20-something year olds in their mid 20s to early 30s]

EDIT: Can’t believe I didn’t add this to the fic the first time around but this was the song I had on loop and have a listen while reading for the vibes:

They say your 21st birthday was one you never forget. Sahara most definitely had one for the ages. While it wasn't his 21st, she knew Hangman certainly remembered hers. 

As any great best friends would, they threw her a party at a Go-Go club near their local Naval Air Base. It was your usual club scene: music blaring so loud you could hardly hear yourself, warm bodies sliding over each other and drinks sloshing in their cups as the patrons swayed back and forth in a boozy haze. She wasn't much of a party girl but hey you don't turn 21 everyday. 

Letting her friends navigate, she was careful not to bump into anyone or get drinks spilled on her. This was her favourite dress after all. She loved how the gold brought out the glow of her dark brown skin and how it fit perfectly on her. Best of all, it had pockets!

The group of girls made their way to the bar and she couldn't help but gawk at the Go-Go dancers on the bar top. They had every kind of first responder there in skimpier versions of their uniforms. She always did have a thing for men in uniform. Her friends were cheering at the men and they came armed with dollar notes to stuff in the dancers’ underwear while she went to get them drinks. 

***

It had been a long day at training on base today and the Young Guns needed to unwind. They usually go to the Hard Deck but Payback was told about this up-and-coming Go-Go bar nearby. Fanboy said all the girls loved them in their uniforms and there were dancers for Phoenix. To which she had responded she preferred the women at the bar. 

Hangman was just always looking for a good time so, of course, he agreed. He scanned the room, to see who he would bring home tonight. He got his friends' order and started to head to the bar. He made his way around the club stealthily. He had an artful way of avoiding physical contact with people until he wanted to. 

Both Sahara and him made their way to the bar at the same time and ordered in sync. She chuckled softly and offered to let him go first.

“No, it’s alright," he said with a shake of his head and a heartstopping smile, "Ladies’ first.” He moved aside for her to go ahead. She hated to admit it but coupled with his warm eyes and grin, it worked. He really did have a charming smile that made her breath hitch for a moment. At this point, she took a moment to really look at him. He looked like the Popular Jock archetype from a teen movie. Everything about him screamed All-American Ken doll to her from his side-slicked hair, clean shaven look to his bright green eyes. She was willing to bet that he was a quarterback back in the day, the kind of guy who thought he was a hot-shot in some Texas - she had detected a slight accent - high school in the middle of nowhere. 

Finally the bartender came over and snapped her out of staring at him. She dipped her head gratefully at Hangman and ordered. She turned to him after she had prattled off the group's drinks. 

“Why don’t we order together. What would you like?” She offered so he wouldn’t have to wait either. He quirked up the side of his mouth in an amused grin and gave her the crew’s orders for her to pass along. He had seen her staring moments ago and had a smug smile. Now, he was certainly interested in getting to know her. Just maybe, he had found the person to bring home tonight. He returned the favour of staring back at her as she relayed their orders to the bartender. 

She had the kind of beauty that required a second look. He studied her for a few moments, to take all of her in. She certainly took him by surprise as he was checking her out. She seemed very friendly, even with strangers like him and the bartender. Her eyes were a brown that radiated warmth and he could feel her full attention when she talked to him. It was the way her nose scrunched up trying to remember the order and the disarming way she smiled at him when asking about his drinks. His eyes then sweeped down the curve of her neck leading right to the main event. 

Her breasts were hard to miss. It was a very nice pair if he could say so himself. Voluptuous and seemed very snug, resting comfortably in her dress' bust. Of course, who could miss the birthday sash across her chest? It came with the territory. He forced himself to look into her eyes when she turned to him. 

“That’s a lot of drinks for one person.” She joked after she had placed the order. He couldn’t help but how her eyes glittered in amusement. She did have gorgeous eyes. She was beautiful, what else could he ask for in a one night stand? 

“Oh, I usually can drink anyone under a table but no, those are for my team back there.” He gestured to a group of uniformed men and women. She followed his eyeline and a few of them caught her eye. She waved at them to be friendly. As the drinks came, they split their drinks between them and Hangman paid before she could get her wallet out. For an All-American hotshot, he was pretty generous. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” She smiled as she took out her own cash to pay him back. 

“No, think of it as a birthday present.” He smirked, brushing her hand aside. Before she could ask how he knew, he gestured to her sash. “Hard not to notice it. Happy Birthday.” He wished her before sauntering away to his group. She just stared at him as he walked over to his table. It felt like a dream. A guy buying her a whole round for her birthday and not expecting anything in return? It felt too good to be true. She gave her head a small shake, not going to overthink it anymore, and headed back to her own group. 

Her friend nudged her playfully, “That was a really cute guy, did you get his number?” 

She couldn’t help but laugh but shook her head no. “Come on, today is about us, I don’t need a guy intruding on girls’ night.” Sahara declared, holding her drink up and had everyone clink their glasses together. 

“No, but we DO need some dancers here!” Another one of her friends cheered as they went to get some of the dancers for their group. Sahara needed a few more drinks before she could work up the nerve to want a lap dance, so for the first part of the night, she redirected the men to her friends. 

As the night wore on, Sahara saw her friends get more sloppy and very much inebriated. One of them started to wander off, her eyes lighting up as she spotted Hangman. She recognised him from earlier but couldn’t quite place how she knew him. Seeing him in uniform, she immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had to be a dancer.  Sahara’s friend downed another shot and made a beeline for him to ask him to give Sahara a dance.

Hangman was just shooting the shit with his friends as they did every Friday going into their weekend off. The night was still young, and this was around the time he picked up the girl and headed back to his place. But he wasn’t going to go over to Birthday Girl to beg. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin never begged. He loved it when they came to him. Besides, his part was done - buying her drinks. Now, it was her move. Unfortunately for him, she was taking longer than they usually did. He had been sneaking looks at her all night to see if she was ever going to come over, and the constant glances didn’t go unnoticed by his friends. 

Coyote was the first one to notice - of course, his ex-turned-best friend knew him the best. He playfully teased Hangman, “Found your target for the night?” Coyote was loud enough that the whole crew turned to look at her across the room. 

Oblivious to the attention, Sahara was just sipping her drink and smiling at her friends enjoying themselves with the dancers. She genuinely seemed to delight in their joy. Her dark hair swayed as she bobbed along to the thumping bass of the generic EDM that was playing through speakers. Hangman was personally a country music man but he took personal satisfaction in going one night without Rooster unplugging the music to play Great Balls of Fire. It was a good song, a great song even but to hear him play it every other weekend was ruining the song for everyone. 

There was something endearing about the way Sahara was more than happy to let her friends have the fun on her birthday. Maybe he could show her some fun. 

Halo and Phoenix were the first ones to pick up on Hangman practically undressing her with his eyes. They clicked their tongues disapprovingly at the boys.

“Bagman, leave her alone.” Phoenix piped up warningly while Halo finished the sentence, “Yeah, it’s her birthday, Hang, I’m sure she wants to be left alone on a girls’ night.” 

“Hey, birthday sex is always great. Don’t knock on it until y’all have tried it.” He said smoothly as a drunk girl stumbled over to their table. She had a toothy grin directed at him. This was clearly someone on a mission. 

“Are you lost, sweetie?” Halo nevertheless asked in her gentlest voice. Hangman couldn’t help but smile softly. Halo was honestly the nicest person he had met at Top Gun, but she was ruthless in the air. The stranger shook her head and then pointed at him. Hangman gestured to himself as if to say ‘Me?’, slightly confused.

“Hiiii,” She slurred in a high pitched voice, and took a moment to get out the words. She was drunk drunk. “I know you’re on your break right now, but I think my friend would love a dance from you! It’s her birthday, so you can’t say no!” She pouted as if that would help her case. As if sad drunk girls pouting were men’s kryptonite and well, she wasn't wrong. Hangman couldn't say no to that face. The moment she mentioned birthday, he knew exactly who she was talking about. Just to make sure, he looked over at where the drunk girl was pointing. Sure enough, it was Birthday Girl. 

The crew was too stunned to speak. They couldn't believe that someone actually mistook him for one of the dancers. Rooster was the first one to break the silence with a snort. 

"Oh honey, he's not-" 

"Shut the hell up, Bradshaw." Hangman hissed at him immediately, shutting Rooster down. He was flattered to be mistaken and more than happy to try to live up to the expectation. Now, even more so to prove Rooster wrong. He turned to the girl and put on his sweetest smile. 

"Of course I can, sweetheart. Lead the way." He stood up and started to follow her. He gave his friends a cheeky grin and two finger salute as he walked away. This burst their bubble of shock and Phoenix was the first one to laugh. 

"He's going to crash and burn." 

"Care to wager on that?" Payback asked the team, his eyes bright. Fritz took off his baseball cap to serve as their winnings pot and everyone started to toss their bills in. 

"My question is how the hell did he get asked?" Rooster folded his arms, huffing in annoyance. Coyote elbowed him playfully. 

"Jealous it wasn't you?"

"God, you sound just like him." Fanboy teased. 

Yale was the one who ended up shushing them.

"Hey guys, shut up! He's actually doing it." He pointed across the room where Hangman was chatting her up. Instantly, 10 camera phones came up and were recording. With the exception of Bob who was mortified for everyone involved. Yet, he couldn't look away. None of them could. They watched with bated breath as Hangman went over to make his move. 

*

Hangman strutted over to the birthday party, his eyes gleaming. He's never done this before but there's a first time for everything. As always, he's going to be the best at it. It was going to be so easy having her be his first. I mean look at her. She was hot. He could already imagine running hands down those curves. He saw the exact moment she realised he was prowling towards her. Her eyes were wide and her lips parted as she flushed. Her long, toned legs flexed in front of her as though she was bracing for him. He imagined them wrapped around his waist, her high heels digging into his back as she urged him on. 

"Saharaaaaa, look what I got you!" Her friend excitedly presented Hangman to her with jazz hands. Sahara looked up from her drink in surprise. 

"So we meet again, sugar." He had on his shit-eating grin. There's that Southern charm, she thought to herself. 

"So we do." She echoed before looking at her friend curiously, "What exactly did you get me, babe?" 

"A stripper!" She cheered and raised her glass with their other friends. They all started to egg Hangman on. He flashed her friends a dazzling smile at their encouragement.

Barely able to contain himself, he positioned himself in front of the Birthday girl. He leaned in close to her. Her hair seemed shiny and soft to touch. He could already imagine how they'd feel between his fingers pulling them. His fingers playfully tapped up to his zipper as he took his time to slowly unzip his jumpsuit. He was already teasing her. Her friends were eating it up and cheering for them. 

She couldn’t tell if it was the tantalising way he dragged the zipper down or how close he was to her, but she felt herself getting hot under the collar. There was just something about the way he looked at her with those intense green eyes. It made her blush. It was the kind of intense blush that went down to your neck and you felt yourself go warm all over. It made her still in her seat, curious to see what he was going to do next. She honestly didn’t know what to do with herself. That was the main reason she had declined lap dances all night. She didn’t want them to feel awkward just because she was. 

Hangman recognised the nervous look in her eye. Hell, he didn’t even know what he was doing. But he had watched Magic Mike and Burlesque, and figured he knew enough. He did his best to move his body against hers - dancing sensually while shrugging off his jumpsuit. Those strippers made it look so easy. Having those rippable velcro costumes most likely helped. He scoffed to himself. 

He finally had his jumpsuit off, leaving only his undershirt and boxers on. He pressed his body against her, his hips flushed against hers. He leaned over to whisper to her. His lips were so close to her ear, his warm breath tickled her, earning a giggle from her. 

“Just relax, I’ve got you.”

“What do I do with my hands?” She whispered back as her friends cheered once more. 

“WOOO SAHARA GET IT GIRL!” She cringed at their shamelessness and shot him an apologetic look. 

He waved them off, and made her focus on him. He took her hands and guided them to his undershirt. 

“You can help me take this off.” He smirked as she started to lift it, “And feel free to look at them, I don’t mind. It’s a part of the job description.” 

She snorted at his last line. "I'm fairly certain real strippers don't have this many layers. " She murmured as she pulled off his shirt. 

He clicked his tongue as he hovered over her. "Appreciate that I'm the real deal, sweetheart." He then bent down to her eye level as she completely took his shirt off. The intense way they stared at each other did her blushing no favours. It took a moment before she was able to tear her eyes away from him. His abs easily caught her eye next. They were extremely well defined, as though they were sculpted from marble. All she could think about was running her hands over them, taking in every single detail of them and committing it to her memory. 

In short, they were gorgeous and nothing short of perfect that she couldn't stop staring. 

In one smooth move, he took the top from her and put it around the back of her neck - closing the gap between them. She couldn't help but marvel at his body up close. He did say she could stare and then she decided to take it one step further. She looked up at him with a mischievous grin as she reached out to touch them, feeling like Peggy Carter in the first Captain America film. She grew more self-assured as she started to drag her fingers down to his happy trail. This elicited a soft, satisfied moan from Hangman. She grinned at the reaction and became more bold. Pulling him by the waistband of his underwear, she encouraged him to grind on her. "Well, Mr. Real Deal, show me what you've got." 

"Tell me what you like, sweetheart." His voice was low and he dropped the shirt in favour of sitting on her lap. He started to move his hips against her. His fingers ran down her arms, giving her goosebumps. 

"This is a good start." She said breathlessly, holding his hips and guiding him at the speed she liked. She could feel warmth pooling in her underwear. 

He held her firm by her waist, his large hands fitting perfectly against her curves. He kept going at it for a few more minutes, her hips slightly bucking up to his to close whatever was left of the space between them. He saw the way she was hungrily taking in his abs. He did her a favour and lifted himself ever so slightly to show them off more. She whimpered softly at the loss of contact and pulled him back down before he could. 

"No, keep going." She gasped as she was getting close. A smug grin made its way onto his face. He loved it when they wanted more of him. He wasn't going to stop anytime soon. As she held him in place, his hands started to wander. He wanted to explore every inch of her before the night ended. 

"Happy to oblige, sugar." He flashed her his best smile and got to work. He then grabbed her thighs and had her wrap them around him. Just as he was pressing his length against her, he felt someone pull him back. Both Hang and Sahara groaned at being ripped apart. The sudden coolness of the air took them by surprise. She sucked in a breath as she looked up at the stranger. 

Rooster cleared his throat, snapping them out of their bubble. "Pack it up, Hangman. It's starting to look like a porno." At his words, Sahara's cheeks started to turn a deep red once it hit her they were in public. 

Hangman groaned but relented. Rooster was right. It was a public space and his flight suit with the Navy patches was discarded on the floor. It wasn't a good look. He was quick to put on the jumpsuit and zipped it up as if their little strip tease hadn't happened. 

He turned to Rooster with a sour look, "A porno, really? What, were you filming on camera?" He scoffed, being sarcastic. What he didn't expect was for Rooster to hold his phone with the video. 

"We got you on 10 different angles, Hang." He gestured to the rest of the team. 

"Fuck you Rooster." Hangman flipped him off then narrowed his eyes at his team. Turning to Sahara, he gave her an assuring smile. 

"You alright, sweetheart?" 

"I'm fine." She mumbled and had a hand covering her face in embarrassment. She was desperately trying to cover up how violently she was blushing. Hangman shooed Rooster away as he perched himself on the armrest of her chair. He lazily dangled his arm around her. 

"I'll tell them to delete the videos." He promised her. She shook her head. 

"No, it's not that - I bet you looked hilarious." She chuckled. Rooster joined her, having overhead it. 

"She's a keeper, Hang."

"A little privacy please, Brad Squared." Hangman knew how much Rooster hated being called that. It was enough to get him to leave after glaring. 

"I'm just surprised at how much I enjoyed that." She admitted to Hangman quietly once they were finally left alone. He gave her a teasing grin.

"Don't get lap dances very often?"

"Well, I suspect you don't do them very often either." She countered. 

He clicked his tongue in agreement and then reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it, darlin', I did too.” 

There was just something special about him and the charismatic way that he drew her in. She definitely liked him and didn’t want their night to end. She snuck a look at her friends to check in on them. They all looked done for the night. This emboldened her to make her proposition. 

“Hey, do you want to go back to my place?” 

This caught him off guard, it was usually him asking the question of the night. He had to admit it: it was pretty hot when the other person made the first move. He was not going to complain, he accomplished his mission for the night. 

“I would love that.” He said, doing his best to be nonchalant. Then gestured to their group of friends, “We should probably tell them, and maybe in your case get them home?” 

Sahara glanced over at her friends, most of them already passed out in their seats. She nodded, agreeing. “I’ll meet you out front in 15?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” They split off as Sahara called Ubers for her friends. 

Hangman strutted back to his crew with a smug look. The whole gang groaned when they saw his face. Money was being passed around from most of them with defeated looks and most of the cash going to Coyote, Yale and Payback. 

“Always bet on Hang to get the person!” Coyote hollered while Yale high fived him. Payback just snickered, “I don’t know how he does it, he always ends up taking them home, y'all.” He was relishing in being able to live up to his name. Everyone always paid back Payback. 

He shook his head amused at the gang, “Any of you want to front me cash for the Uber?” He asked the three who won the bet. Of course, his boy, Coyote came through and fished out a couple of bills. Hangman took them gratefully and tipped an imaginary hat at him.

"Thanks, buddy." 

“Thank you for always scoring, Hang.” He snickered and Hangman left his friends behind after bidding them good night. 

***

When he exited the club, he immediately clocked her standing by the curb. She was smiling sweetly at the last group of friends as she sent them off in the Uber. She gave them one last wave before wrapping her arms around her coat, trying to keep warm. Then she started to look around for him. Her eyes lit up the moment it met his. 

“Hey stranger.” He came up to her with his signature cocky smile.

“After what we did back there, I think we’re a little more than that. And we haven’t even exchanged names.” She laughed lightly. They did all that and he still didn’t know her name. 

“It’s Sahara, right? That’s what your friends were calling you.” 

She was pleasantly surprised he remembered. That Rooster guy did call him Hangman but that had to be his codename or something. 

“Bingo.”

“Like the desert?”

“Hangman, like the game?” 

“Touché. Actually, I’m Jake Seresin but you can call me anything you like, sweetheart.” He winked at her and she couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Are you always this cliché?” 

“I am.” He then draped his aviator jacket over her shoulders to prove the point further. “And I’m even going to cover our cab fare.” He said as he flagged down a cab. Her eyes softened at how kind he was being. 

“God, you’re a dream.” She said in awe and couldn’t wait to get him back to her place. She gave the cabbie her address before turning to Jake. She grabbed the lapels of his jumpsuit and pulled him closer to her. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this all night.” She closed the small gap between them and kissed him. 

Part 2

[anghraine]

Not to be super sappy or anything, but I was just thinking about fandom vs meatspace friendships, how they're discussed, and how they form—

And it struck me that some fandom friendships don't just live up to the substance of meatspace friendships, but in some ways, can actually be more substantial, because they form under relatively consistent conditions.

In "real" life, people can become friends for a huge variety of reasons, but an intrinsic part in general is being in fairly close physical proximity at some point. Sometimes you become friends because you were roommates, or your parents were friends first and you played together as kids, or you met in college, or at work, or whatever. But you do have to meet in person for some reason or another, and usually that meeting is a happy byproduct of some coincidental reason you happened to be in the same place at the same time.

But being a friendly neighbor in fandom terms isn't precipitated by physical proximity, but by caring about the same kinds of things.

And sometimes it's really nice not to have to justify why X matters to you, because even if your fandom friend has moved on, they usually remember caring about the thing, and are familiar with a lot of the details that you'd have to explain (or often, would choose to never explain) to a friend you met because you walk your dogs in the same park.

And part of it is the basic fact of being in fandom, even if it ends up being different fandoms, because you don't have to—you know, justify writing/reading fanfic, tone down your investment in certain characters or dynamics, or pretend to be cool and fun (some people in fandom try to be cool, but uh. lol). It's not that you know a more "real" side of fandom friends than the people you know in person, but you do often know a different side they aren't always going to show many others in their lives.

I was thinking back, and it was fandom friends like @brynnmclean and @ladytharen and @incognitajones who encouraged me when I was writing a f!Cassian Andor fic in which the core Rogue One cast are all queer (Cassia herself is lesbian). That project was what I'd work on when I was dealing with the homophobia of my Mormon/Catholic families and background, but also felt Not Gay Enough pressure from more progressive types in my life.

It meant a lot to me to hear awful shit and then be able to turn around and write an emphatically gay fic that culminates in a clearly established romantic relationship and marriage proposal. But also, I wasn't about to talk about it with RL friends who don't get fanfic, much less genderbending fanfic, much less gay genderbending fanfic.

Like, the last and most substantive part was written mostly for myself but also for a prompt from @ladytharen and with that encouragement from other fandom friends—it was tied up in processing homophobia and with online friendships with people who could understand why doing this mattered so much to me, and who intrinsically cared about at least roughly similar things.

And sometimes irl friendships or relationships are with people who Get Fandom, or maintained by having equally substantial common interests or whatnot, for sure. But for me, at least, that's really nice when it happens, but definitely a perk, while I virtually never become fandom friends with people unless we actively shared interests and activities at some point. And ... idk, I think people who dismiss online and especially fandom friendships don't get how significant common interests can be for some of us.

[wildcreativemastermind]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Review

Based on what bits I had gleaned from pop culture, I had expected this book to be very different than it was. I was expecting it to be simple. I was expecting it to really try to be scary. Possibly good if you're into monster stories, maybe some content to make you sad, but really not much to make you think.

What I got was very different. On scary, it's a terrifying situation, but the book is honestly more of a tragedy than a horror. I didn't come away from it scared, I came away from it more contemplative (and pondering happy aus).

For my thoughts without spoilers, this book was better than I had thought it would be. I'm generally not into horror, but it's a compelling story. It's pretty easy to read. If you have any amount of interest in reading the book I suggest you do so. The one thing I will warn you about is that Victor (the main character) gets into a relationship with his cousin/adoptive sibling (so a bit of incest tones).

some advice if you haven't read the book 1. don't rely on (or honestly even read or watch) a summary before checking out the book. everyone who's read it has certain opinions about the characters (I'm mainly talking Victor Frankenstein, but this applies to the other characters too) and I think the experience is better if you don't have your opinion on the characters influenced by others beforehand. 2. be prepared for it take awhile to get to the monster stuff. 3. there are 2 versions of Frankenstein (story is basically the same, but the later publication was heavily edited) it was first published in 1818, and an edited version was published in 1831. The later one tends to be the more popular one. If you want to read the original version, you may have to specify like "frankenstein 1818"

My thoughts with some spoilers are under the cut. I strongly recommend you do not read anything under the cut unless you have read the entire book already.

Characters

Victor Frankenstein

A self-centered asshole with no regard for consequences. I applaud Mary Shelley for being able to get me invested in Victor's life. I do not usually get invested in asshole protagonists. I generally want my protagonist to be a good person, but Victor Frankenstein is not a good person.

However, he is interesting and honestly, pretty understandable. He's not the most relatable protagonist in that he's far more privileged than the vast majority of people (he's part of a wealthy and very accepting of him family, he's extremely scientifically intelligent) though there were a couple of moments where I found him to be a relatable character.

I understood why he was making terrible decisions, but I still wanted to slap him.

the Creature

I was kind of surprised about his character. He's beautiful and intelligent, which I did not expect when I started the book. While he's sympathetic, he very much is a monster. I did feel sorry for him, but also he's a murderer and he knows murder is wrong, so it's not like he's really someone to root for.

Henry Clerval

best boy, he deserved better

Elizabeth

Was she even really a character? Ok, I didn't really care about her. Her death was sad I guess, but I wasn't really sad about her dying so much as annoyed at Victor for not thinking of someone other than himself for two seconds. She seems to exist to show us what the Frankenstein's are like (only willing to adopt her because she's blonde) and to be murdered to hurt Victor. She is Victor's canon love interest, but she didn't really have chemistry with him. Normally I don't really do the 'going for non-canon gay couple over canon straight couple' thing fandom likes to do, but in this case there is actually more chemistry between Victor and Henry than there is between Victor and Elizabeth. Plus Victor and Henry aren't related and weren't raised as siblings so...

We don't really get Elizabeth's thoughts on her relationship with Victor, which is basically her entire character once she's been taken in by the Frankenstein's, and what little we do get I'm not sure can be entirely trusted.

Non character stuff

I was slightly annoyed at how long it took to get through Robert Walton's section at the beginning. I don't dislike him, but I knew this wasn't his story so I spent chunk of his part thinking 'get to the story already!' I get what Shelley was doing, though I think that part could have been a little shorter.

Aside from that, I don't have any complaints. The book is really good. I felt for both Victor and the creature. While I'm not gonna want to read it all the time, I do think I will revisit this book more than once.

[republictrooper]

The Elysian Kingdom Spoilers

“It begins, like all good stories... once upon a time.”

THAT. THAT. THAT RIGHT THERE IS WHAT STAR TREK IS FUCKING ABOUT.

It’s 55 minutes of a rollicking good story and then 5-10 minutes that absolutely RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND CRUSH IT TO PIECES.

And that final line is just, so peak episodic fantasy sci-fi Television, just the POV character for the episode making one final wistful statement about what just happened.

It’s those old classic ST episodes where they somehow stumbled on the Greek Gods or the TNG Episode where the Holodeck went weird or Q turned them into Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

THAT. THAT is what Star Trek has been missing,and why SNW remains the best new trek since the DS9/VOY era, hands down.

But seriously.

Ortegas. Carrying on the tradition of Sulu by both turning into a dashing sword fighter when she loses her mind AND being gay as hell.

Spock, playing the role dark wizard way too damn well.

Pike just being the exact opposite of what he is and hamming it up as a simpering little traitorous chamberlain.

La’an. Oh my GOD La’an.

And then Hemmer realizing he needed to play to type to push the story along and just absolutely SLAYING the powerful wizard act. Abra-cadabra INDEED.

Ugh. It’s so good. SO. GOOD.

And then that last scene. See, this is why SNW gets it. 90% Episodic Hyjinks, but then it gives you that 10% of giving the characters compelling personalities and trials and storylines so that you are invested in what they do and what happens to them in all those hyjinks, and when they finally pay off, when they finally hit that final arc... it just floors you.

Honestly, only 2 real complaints, and both of them are like, really minor.

1. I wish they’d just go the hell ahead and make Ortegas confirmed queer as herself and not as a character written by Rukiya (but also, kudos to Rukiya for writing in that rep. Like, hell yeah, girl).

2. I wish they’d had at least SOME characters remember.

I mean, mostly because I feel so sad for M’Benga, even as he made the right choice and gave Rukiya the life she couldn’t otherwise have, but it would be nice for him to have that sympathy, that compassion, from the people who remember, who know what he felt and gave up and are ready to stand by him to help him as he finds his happiness again. I mean, Hemmer. Hemmer just reaching out to him and offering to help broke my heart.

But also, imagine:

 Ortegas teasing La’an about her little run as the Princess and yelling “Totally Worth It” and she chases her down a corridor.

Christine greeting Ortegas everytime she walks into the Sickbay with “To what do I owe the pleasure of this vist, Sir Ardya?”

Actually, just half the people on the ship doing flourishing little bows to each other and calling each other “My Liege” and stuff.

Uhura just absolute owning Queen Neve’s poise and grace to crush whatever department they give her next.

Also, that last little scene with Hemmer like... “Am I in your quarters?”

...I... I kind of might ship Hemmer/M’Benga now. Not gonna lie.

Like, imagine Hemmer enjoyed being a Wizard so much that he wanted to understand more about human literature featuring wizards, and M’Benga points him towards TH White and Tolkien and Prachett and others, and sometimes they just meet in his quarters to talk about it and, like, after they kind of realize they like each other’s company, and one thing leads to another, and the first time M’Benga wakes up in Hemmer’s quarters, he looks up at him, and says with a smile, “Chief... am I in your quarters?”

Anyway, Silly little injokes are my love language and there’s so many that could come from his episode is all I’m saying.

Also, please. Please. Paramount. Just give me more episodic trek like this forever. It’s all I want.