#support queer artists where and when you can

[t1gerlilly]

I’ve seen a number of posts dismissing discussions of racism in the new storyline out of hand. To the point where I have no idea what the original criticisms were. And I think that’s really unfortunate. Partly because it feels like there’s a part of our community we’re not listening to and partly because I have some questions on the subject and would really like to hear what people are saying about it, but I’m clearly not following the right people.

I think folks forget how important Eddie is as Hispanic rep. Although 25% of the US population is Hispanic, only 3.3% of lead roles in TV are played by Hispanic actors (source) They’re also only 1.6% of showrunners and 1.9% of directors. And they are also under 5% of executive or management roles in media (source). So there is clearly a systemic problem.

But how does that apply to 911? Well - Carlos on lone star is notorious for having the least screen time of any character, despite the fact that his character is the closest to Athena in terms of role. And Eddie? Well, the latest I could find was season five totals - and Eddie and Chim, the non-white or black men, were bottom of the barrel. To really establish a pattern, you’d want more than two shows, but at least across half a decade of shows, the pattern is pretty consistent. I’m not making an argument about the reasons for that, but those are just the numbers. If I were to speculate, I’d assume it was a combination of who the network exec, showrunner, and executive producer was, since they have the power to make decisions. Just coincidentally, their racial identities mirror the screen time of the characters? Hmmmm

So then let’s look at who does press for the show - making themselves more visible…yeah, that’s largely Oliver. And you can say that’s because he’s a POV character- but you might be surprised to learn that in many seasons either Hen or Athena had more screen time than Buck. Yeah. Really. But you NEVER see Aisha put out to do press the way that Oliver is.

Why is that? Is it because she’s a black woman? Because she plays a queer character? And who is making that decision and why? Because that lack of visibility impacts her personal career. Same thing with Ryan Guzman and Kenneth Choi, who both have less screen time AND less press.

But in particular- and this is the rub - Ryan has CLEARLY been making intentional acting choices FOR YEARS to shape his character and his dynamic with Buck as queer. Oliver played into them, thinking of them as natural chemistry- but it’s clear that other creators on the show - notably the directors and writers, picked up on Ryan’s choices and fan reactions to reframe the dynamics and the characters.

And it’s really clear that Tim originally intended to have Eddie come out, but the poor reaction to Natalia and the fact that the actress was unavailable led him to switch the storyline to Buck. All of which is perfectly understandable.

But if there’s one person most responsible for the reason we ultimately got bi!Buck, it’s Ryan Guzman - for the bravery and perseverance of his choices as an artist. It’s amazing to me that in all the praise for Oliver saying that he “would have” leaned into Buck as queer even without the go ahead…no one has thought to praise the actor who actually DID THAT - for YEARS- when he was in a much more precarious position as a character and an actor. Like really take a minute to look at what that took…he was risking his livelihood with that choice.

And then, when the show DOES finally make it canon…who gets the praise? The buzz? The support? The white guy who was mostly oblivious for the past five years. Like…how is THAT fair?

And OK, the original plan was for the helicopter pilot to be Lucy, and that fell through so they reached out to Lou, because Tommy was a former character- but also quite likely because he looks a good deal like Buck - and the SL was supposed to have that character be a stand-in for the other half of Buddie. When they switched to Buck, they had to make Tommy have similar hobbies to Eddie to establish the similarities, since they couldn’t rely on looks.

But that meant they totally whitewashed the story line. And if you want to talk about firsts - when has a Hispanic lead come out as gay or bi? And how many of them were men? And how many were over 21? And on a mainstream show?

And no, it wasn’t intentional (just a function of having so many more white characters than Hispanic characters), but it was unfortunate. Not to mention the intersectionality of it all.

So…I honestly think there’s a decent basis for critique there. Not a “these people are terrible” critique, but a “not paying attention to diversity systemically” in a way that lets unconscious bias have the same impact as deliberate bias.

And I really wonder at the people who just dismissed the entire discussion - how hard did you listen? How willing were you to hear what people were saying? Because this is an issue that has to do with real people, their careers, their hopes, dreams, and identities. And you should be willing to listen.

[kermiethefroog]

I understand that a lot of people are focusing in on who Hbomberguy was talking about in his new video, which I understand. I watched a couple of those channels and some of this news was in fact news to me as well! Especially with James Somerton, who I put on occasionally in the background and generally found interesting. It can be shocking to learn these things (as mentioned in the video).

BUT

I think that we have a tendency to run away with ideas of scandal and center the outrage and frustration over the other messages at play. I am definitely not the first person to bring this up or mention it, but I wanted to list some of my favorite takeaways from the video.

Plagiarism is ever present and downright COMMON on the internet, especially on a social platform like youtube, but this goes for any form of social media INCLUDING sites like tumblr (I don't think he mentions tumblr specifically, but I think it is fair to loop in most social networks in this case). Harris is highlighting that these things are hard to check and people are (sometimes) good at hiding their wrongdoings.

We can do our part by supporting creatives and people who properly research or speak deeply from their own experiences. Going back to talking about James, that section of the video hit very close to home. Queer solidarity and supporting queer creators is something that is very important to me. I really appreciate Harris highlighting exactly who was wronged, list new people to watch and engage with, and specifying who he will be compensating for creating his video. I really do encourage people to check out the other creatives mentioned AND looking for smaller creators to become connected to. Hell, I recommend reading articles and books by queer authors if you have the time and the means to do so.

The last big takeaway I have is the discussion of the creative process and the struggle of making original material. Creating anything with a semblance of analysis or personal thought in a thorough way is really challenging. Many creators regardless of medium or space have a sort of imposter syndrome about their work. Imposter syndrome is a double edged sword, and in many cases has led people to do the things discussed in the video either out of desperation, but also as a shortcut to success that they desire. Harris breaks down this feeling of being an imposter and highlights is universality. Despite this sense of imposter syndrome, creative and artistic people continue to try and make something novel or something new out of synthesizing the ideas of others. Creative work should ideally be transformative in some way and is why this kind of work can be so compelling AND inspire other people.

[armoralor]

my favourite irony of the current shipping discussion is the folks who allege WolfWren enjoyers sent “threats” to people who enjoy cishet ships (I have asked for ANY examples or usernames of anyone doing this multiple times), have also been calling for Filoni to suffer & die if he doesn’t make their ship canon. but don’t forget, it’s definitely the sapphics and queers who like WolfWren that are the problem

[for82sy]

i am literally. this close. THIS. close. to. fucking. cry. and shout.

my family has a serious obsession w me being gay and keeps forcing me to come out and out the closet. no matter how hard I say no, I REPEATEDLY hear “oh you came out? cant hide now can you?” like no bitch i was basically out years ago at a young age w all those subtle signs of queerness but brushed it off and went w being straight until my queerness became visible to me. i just wasnt so sure and i didnt know this community existed until i was like really old. back then you never knew I was GAY LMFAO.

and they keep saying “you owe me an explanation as to why you’re gay”, “if youre gay why watch kpop boy groups?” (she keeps calling them chinese and i wanna fucking smash a wall omfg), “you owe us a coming out story”, “youre not gay stop lying” etc then I said I don’t owe them shit and they REALLY said “oh but we’re your family? we should know” like.. there’s worser they said but dear god. that house is so lgbtq+ phobic, im suprised. the homophobia, lesbophobia, biphobia, transphobia, etc was REAL and showing in that HOUSE and the whole convo was just utterly disgusting.

i had my own PERSONAL experiences, lemme keep it confidential between me, myself and I.

then she says “oh but do you like 🐱 (down there) or a 🍌 (a guys below)” ? like dont fucking sexualise me??

they kept outing me multiple times,, and keep bringing up that i am a GAY PERSON.

LEAVE ME ALONE?? then my sis had the audacity to say im making up “excuses” like you’re straight? stfu you are not GAY. don’t speak for me. ever heard of unattainable men? oh ofc not cause youre so ignorant lmfao

I hate it here so much...

y’all mfs need to understand, not every person who likes women is a fucking lesbian. People can be bi and have a gf / attraction to girls. and just like how having attraction to men doesn’t mean you’re “being gay” or “straight”. you can be bi, pan, omni, etc even ace and like men. NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS SAME SEX ATTRACTION IS GAY AND/OR LESBIAN. bi, etc people EXIST.

I feel so annoyed and upset, and they SAW my vents in my phone about everything that happened to me. like don’t go through my fucking phone w/o permission??? and then my friend blocked me cause she got jealous AFTER ALL OF THAT.

and this is ALL on christmas. YESTERDAY.

ffs this christmas is fucked up bruh.

I’m never coming out.

and then the way I said people can change lgbtq labels of their sexuality, nothing bad and then my family goes “but you aren’t cake? how the fuck can you change labels lmfao stop lying”

Well done, thanks for forcing a fucking person to come out and out me numerous times.

the only way I’ll come out in when I leave this fucking dungeon. now I can’t even like women anymore now cause i feel so disgusting....

i really need help to feel comfortable in being queer. im really going through a hard time and I need some support please.

[drchucktingle]

Where is the best place to preorder Bury Your Gays? What is of most benefit to you?

i know other types of media have given the trot of preorders a bad way, but for publishing books i cannot even begin to tell you buckaroos HOW IMPORTANT PREORDERS ARE WHEN SUPPORTING AUTHORS YOU CARE ABOUT. i mean HECK preorders are so important i even wrote three dang tinglers about it

basically preorders are what publishers use to determine how much financial backing they will give a book for advertising and book tours and all that, but that is only PART of this way. BOOK STORES also use a preorder equation to determine how much shelf space to give a book. your preorder does not just mean YOU get a book for yourself, but basically means you are making room for someone ELSE to get the book in a store by putting another copy on a shelf

that is why it is better to put in a preorder instead of just saying 'oh i will just remember to buy myself a copy on the day it comes out'

LASTLY preorders are how books get onto bestseller lists because all the orders leading up to your book release date COUNT AS FIRST WEEK SALES. something like new york times bestseller list is close to impossible trot without preorders

think of it like a handsome surfing bigfoot trying to ride a wave. it is one thing to actually ride on the wave, but what matters most is that initial moment when you GET UP THERE and actually have the strength to pull yourself up when the wave starts. PREORDERS are the climbing up part

NOW LETS GET DOWN TO YOUR SPECIFIC QUESTION

first of all ANY preorder is great. what matters most as far as bestseller lists is actually FORMAT. the best thing you can order for an author is not ebook or audiobook, it is HARDCOVER. personally i am an audiobook buckaroo myself so please understand you should order whatever format you want, but technically speaking the answer is HARDCOVER

next is WHERE do you order. this answer is pretty dang cool actually. the best place to order for the sake of author is your LOCAL INDIE BOOKSTORE. if you MUST order at a big timer website that is fine, but many bestseller lists are weighted towards indie bookstores

so to sum it up. the technical BEST WAY to support chuck with 'bury your gays' is to PREORDER a HARDCOVER from an INDIE BOOKSTORE.

thank you for your question but before you go trotting along i would like to add one more thing

all art is important. when we create things they serve as stepping stones for us to move along our journey as artists and creators on this timeline. i have so much love for every book i have made, from POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY MY OWN BUTT to CAMP DAMASCUS

but i have to say with deep sincerity in my way, BURY YOUR GAYS is something special. i absolutely believe that if you care about fandom, or creation, or love, or fanfiction, or supernatural, or the future of media, or asexual buckaroos, or gay buckaroos, or bi buckaroos or any queer buckaroos, you will love this book. i promise buckaroo

it is the best thing i have ever written, and i think it is going to bend this timeline in incredible ways. i would like you to trot with me into the future, since we have already trotted this far together. i cannot say this enough: this one is special, and the timelines we create from here are going to make the whole dang world look up in surprise and say 'where the heck did that come from?'

so if you are even CONSIDERING preordering, take a moment a do it.

if you are one of those buckaroos who says 'chuck tingle is my favorite author ive never read' then now is your moment

lets trot buckaroos. thank you for reading and thank you for constantly proving to me that love is real

preorder BURY YOUR GAYS here

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Loretta Young (The Farmer’s Daughter, The Stranger, Love is News)— Her cheekbones!! Her lips!! Her big eyes and small nose and not quite classical features!! The planes of her face hypnotize me and her smile clears my mind of anything else. She’s an interesting beauty, not a standard one, almost in a Mads Mikkelsen type way (I repeat: cheekbones). Also I’m begging people to watch The Farmer’s Daughter, a charming rom com where my babygirl Joseph Cotten falls through the ice while skating because he got distracted by how pretty she was, and where Loretta puts on a 40s-bad Swedish accent and runs for Congress! Girlboss!

Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Morocco)—its marlene dietrich!!!! queer legend, easily the hottest person to ever wear a tuxedo, that hot hot voice, those glamorous glamorous movies.... most famously she starred in a string of movies directed by josef von sternberg throughout the 1930s, beginning with the blue angel which catapulted her to stardom in the role of the cabaret singer lola lola. known for his exquisite eye for lighting, texture, imagery, von sternberg devoted himself over the course of their collaborations to acquiring exceptional skill at photographing dietrich herself in particular, a worthy direction in which to expend effort im sure we can all agree. she collaborated with many other great directors of the era as well, including rouben mamoulian (song of songs), frank borzage (desire), ernst lubitsch (angel), fritz lang (rancho notorious), and billy wilder (witness for the prosecution). the encyclopedia britannica entry im looking at while compiling this propaganda describes her as having an “aura of sophistication and languid sexuality” which✔️💯. born marie magdalene dietrich, she combined her first and middle names to coin the moniker “marlene”. she was a trendsetter in her incorporation of trousers, suits, and menswear into her wardrobe and her androgynous allure was often remarked upon. critic kenneth tynan wrote, “She has sex, but no particular gender. She has the bearing of a man; the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.” in the 1920s she enjoyed the vibrant queer nightlife of weimar berlin, visiting gay bars and drag balls, and in hollywood her love affairs with men and women were an open secret. she was an ardent opponent of nazi germany, refusing lucrative contacts offered her to make films there, raising money with billy wilder to help jews and dissidents escape, and undertaking extensive USO tours to entertain soldiers with an act that included her a playing musical saw and doing a mindreading routine she learned from orson welles. starting in the 50s and continuing into the mid-70s she worked largely as a cabaret artist touring the world to large audiences, employing burt bacharach as her musical arranger.

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Loretta Young:

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

"ms dietrich....ms dietrich pls.....sit on my face"

"First of all, there are those publicity photos of her in a tux. Second of all, I have never been the same since knowing that she sent copies of those photos to her Berlin lovers signed "Daddy Marlene." Not only is she hot in all circumstances, but she can do everything from earthy to ice queen. Also, she kept getting sexy romantic lead parts in Hollywood after the age of 40, which would be rare even now. She hated Nazis, loved her friends, and had a sapphic social circle in Hollywood. She also had cheekbones that could cut glass and a voice that could melt you."

Bisexual icon, super hot when dressed both masculine and feminine, lived up her life in the queer Berlin scene of the 1920s, central to the 'sewing circle' of the secret sapphic actresses of Old Hollywood, refused lucrative offers by the Nazis and helped Jews and others under persecution to escape Nazi Germany, the love of my life

Her GENDER her looks her voice her everything

“In her films and record-breaking cabaret performances, Miss Dietrich artfully projected cool sophistication, self-mockery and infinite experience. Her sexuality was audacious, her wit was insolent and her manner was ageless. With a world-weary charm and a diaphanous gown showing off her celebrated legs, she was the quintessential cabaret entertainer of Weimar-era Germany.”

"The bar scene in Morocco awoke something in me and ultimately changed my gender"

"Her manner, the critic Kenneth Tynan wrote, was that of ‘a serpentine lasso whereby her voice casually winds itself around our most vulnerable fantasies.’ Her friend Maurice Chevalier said: ‘Dietrich is something that never existed before and may never exist again.’”

"Songstress, photographer, fashion icon, out bisexual phenom (notoriously stole Lupe Velez and Joan Crawford's men, and Errol Flynn's wife, had a torrid affair with Greta Garbo that ended in a 60-year feud, other notable conquests including Erich Maria Remarque -yes, the guy who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front- Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Claudette Colbert, Mercedes de Acosta, Edith Piaf), anti-Nazi activist. Marlene was a bitch - she had an open marriage for decades and one of her favorite things was making catty commentary about her current lover with her husband, and her relationship with her daughter was painful- but she was also immensely talented, a hard worker, an opponent of fascism and the hottest ice queen in Hollywood for a long time."

"She can sing! She can act! She told the Nazis to fuck off and became a US citizen out of spite! She worked with other German exiles to create a fund to help Jews and German dissidents escape (she donated an entire movie salary, about $450k, to the cause). She looks REALLY GOOD in a suit. If you're not convinced, please listen to her sing "Lili Marlene". Absolutely gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice."

Gifset link

"Bisexual icon and Nazi-hater. Looks absolutely stunning in the suits she liked to wear. 'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men'."

"Did a bunch of humanitarian work during ww2, pretty sure a shot of her from Shanghai express was the inspiration for one of queens album covers and also her in the suit in Morocco (1930) CHANGED LIVES. I’m sure she’s already been submitted but I wanted an opportunity to submit one of my favourite pictures of her for the poll"

"would you not let her walk on you?"

[incorrectbatfam]

I h3ad cannon athat all the batfam members have had/are still in their emo/goth phases.

Example:

Bruce dressed as a bat and punches criminals at night (I also head cannon that he listens to the rolling stones and MCR)

Anyways thoughts?

Also what were the other batfam members emo/goth phases like?

Dick: He was hella neurotic in his late Robin/early Nightwing days. That plus his mullet and guitar tells me he probably tried to live out of a used van he bought for $700 after a fight with Bruce only to come home a week later when someone knocked on his window.

Jason: He's the theater/classic lit goth. When he was younger he would read by the glow of a candelabra even though the lights work perfectly fine. Post-resurrection, he graduates to the biker anarchist who has no problem launching a molotov at a CEO's mansion.

Tim: He's from the 90s. He's sitting in that Y2K grunge-emo-punk gray area where his playlist is a mix of the Clash, Nirvana, and Green Day. He's coloring his hair with Kool-Aid, playing with makeup, ripping his own clothes, and talking about new songs on AOL.

Damian: He's aiming for dark academia, but that's hard to pull off if you know what American schools look like. He annotates the margins of his books with notes he thinks are insightful but are actually just basic observations. Also he listens to Imagine Dragons.

Duke: This kid isn't emo or goth, he is a punk through and through. Sassing the cops? Jumping off a bridge? Leading a ragtag vigilante team? If he wanted to, I bet he can pull off a leather jacket with some homemade spikes while blasting Bad Brains and Death.

Cullen: Canonically, he watches anime and Supernatural, and I've made a lot of Tumblr references with him. He's definitely your quintessential 2010s emo nerd—Black Parade, fandoms, the whole shabang. He also definitely followed Dan and Phil.

Stephanie: She strikes me as the early 2000s pop-punker—think MySpace and Avril Lavigne. She probably had a Not Like Other Girls phase that she quickly grew out of. I can see her cutting posters out of magazines and sneaking her MP3 under an oversized hoodie.

Cassandra: She canonically listens to Killswitch Engage, so I like to imagine what she was like as a baby metalhead. Maybe she thrifted a Pantera shirt and chopped her hair with safety scissors. And at concerts she's absolutely up front when the wall of death happens.

Barbara: I think she dabbled in a little bit of everything without ever outwardly expressing it. Her playlist is all over the board, from softer rock to screamo. She also experimented with makeup a little, like black lipstick, and is more involved in the activism side of things.

Harper: She's definitely industrial punk with a huge emphasis on the DIY aspect of the subculture. She strings soda tabs into chains, turns old screws into boot spikes, and even learned to give herself tattoos. She also absolutely has a drawer full of patch pants.

Carrie: She's a TikTok e-girl, leaning into the pinks and purples along with black and white. She turns fishnet leggings into gloves and has a bunch of animal ear headbands. She also listens to Melanie Martinez and Tame Impala regardless of if they count as alternative.

Kate: Queer people play a huge role in the punk scene and vice versa. I can absolutely see Kate jamming out to an early Pansy Division track or searching places like Bandcamp to support smaller indie artists. Also she has a jacket that says "Nazi punks fuck off."

Alfred: Before punk and its subgenres, Alfred was canonically a delinquent and in that day, delinquency meant gelled-up hair and moving like Elvis. The hair didn't work out for him, but he was able to catch one of the first shows Buddy Holly played in London.

Selina: Alt cultures are based on not having much and working with what you got. Selina would use the five-finger discount at big-box stores and save her money to support small businesses. She also went around listening to free local rock shows on Fridays.

Bruce: He listened to the Rolling Stones before, but his first real intro to the scene was a handmade zine he found on the floor at school. From there, he explored more underground artists and took up journaling as a way to vent his feelings. And then: Batman.

[indiaalphawhiskey]

I see you and Gina have been flooded with annoying antis who think they can convince us that they aren't together anymore, but honey! I do not care! First there are real world problems going on so trying to find out if they're still together has been on the back burner for me. But also, I've been a larrie for so long that I've reached the plane of existence where antis can't reach me. I truly believe they're still together. So what if I'm wrong? I'm going to get sued? Who cares! And if I'm not wrong, then I hope Harry's getting pregnant again soon <3 I just have no energy to convince other people what I believe in. I just surround myself with other like minded larries and mind my business. And that's unfathomable for antis who can't believe their faves are gay.

Honestly, I know antis love to convince themselves that if definitive proof ever came out that Larry wasn’t real, that all Larries would go into an existential life crisis and forget how to function until all that was left of us was a twitching puddle of tears on the floor.

But in all seriousness, if Larry ever turns out not be real, here are the very real things I’d have gained from this fandom anyway:

Two of my very best, very real, and life long friends (amongst all the others, of course)

The knowledge that I want to be a writer

12 complete literary works that prove I can be a writer + the kudos, hits, and comments to prove my work means something to at least one other person

Approximately 223577895 iterations of my favorite people as semi-fictional characters that fall in love over and over again

The knowledge that there are people, however “delusional”, who will not ask you to water down your passions to a palatable level

The knowledge that there are people, however “resistant to ‘the facts’” that will support and have the back of closeted queer artists for most of, if not their entire, career, however heartbreaking and painful the journey, when they truly have nothing to gain from it

The persistent belief that true love is real and unshakable, however taxing

The knowledge that frivolous interests keep you alive and healthy (yes, even after 30! Shocker!)

And, my personal favorite:

Fucking JOY.

[rthko]

i'm not a gaylor, couldn't care less about that woman, but ngl that thread got me thinking. do you think it would be fair to posit that classic pop fandom presumes heterosexuality from the female stars it consumes? the figure of the diva specifically feels very straight woman centered, the only exception i can think of being maybe lady gaga. well i guess everything presumes heterosexuality from everyone, but it does feel slightly different in this case imo

I think it's a fair observation. A lot of gay men, starting in childhood, strongly identify with women in media. As kids without known queer friends or role models, who knew we didn't relate to most other boys, we often thought of ourselves as more similar to girls. I obviously can't say this is universal among gay men but it's common enough that, for example, I can talk about how badly I wanted to be Anne Hathaway with a group of like minded gays and no one will find it unusual. Others will even chime in with the women they wanted to be! And I think this sort of identification often comes down to identification with women as desiring agents (making it easier to express attraction to men) and as siblings in abjection. Like, the boys are mean to you? Us too. Let's play house at recess about it.

I make it sound very adolescent, and that's where it seems to start, but it's also because there's no guarantee it will turn into any sophisticated friendship or political affiliation with women. I think diva worship, fag/hag relations, and anything similar are morally neutral. It can speak to genuine interest and support, or it can be a patronizing charade that refuses to relate to women beyond an expected shared attraction to men. I can't say that diva worship is any one thing because it can come from a place of genuine respect for a woman's artistry and be a symbolic outlet of gender expression or a parasocial mess.

Lady Gaga is herself an interesting example because yes, she is bisexual, but that doesn't really come up in her diva treatment. But the example of Taylor Swift, as discussed in the thread you're mentioning, is also unusual. The accusation, for the unacquainted, is that gay men aren't sympathetic to "Gaylor" because they want her to be straight so they can give her the diva treatment. But, and I mean no offense by this, that's not really the reason most people like her. Everything about her public image is too personal and "relatable" for her to fit that larger-than-life mold. Clearly that works for her, clearly that has yielded results, but personally I find her most interesting when she knows she's delivering a fantasy. If this seems like a superficial way of viewing art, I would counter that treating an artist as a detached patron saint of glamour and obsessing over every detail of their personal life are two sides of the same parasocial coin.

I think the ideas that are really in conflict in the "Gaylor" vs "Hetlor" debate (and for the love of God come up with a more tasteful name for the latter) is not really whether Taylor Swift is queer or straight. I'm sure you'll agree that not being onboard with Gaylor does not mean someone has a specific investment in her heterosexuality, because most of us don't really care. The conflict is between two different ways of relating to art. Rather, it's about relating versus resonating. Even if Taylor Swift is gay, hardly anything about her life, as might be explained by her wikipedia page, is relatable. But maybe one resonates with the pressures of having to please everyone, to the dehumanization of men's "Madonna-whore" complex towards women, to heartbreak, to dancing it all away. And maybe one specifically relates from a queer perspective. Go for it! It's unfortunate that Creep by Radiohead has a bad reputation, because I and a lot of other queer people find it really resonant. I don't get crushes on straight guys like I used to, but when I did it was humiliating! It wasn't the prospect of their rejection that hurt, but the idea of being repulsive and looking in from the outside at a world you will never belong to. It speaks to a queer perspective, but I don't have to wonder if this was intentional or if Thom Yorke himself is gay to see it.

I think, memes aside, the Internet is excessively cruel to Swifties. Even with Gaylors, I feel for their need to identify with an artist they feel feel expresses an underrepresented point of view. No, James Somerton, a handful of children's cartoons does not prove that lesbians are winning the representation war. But I also want to say to them that, a perceived lack of representation aside, no one is forcing you to speculate about this woman's sexuality. If she is just as straight as she claims to be, that doesn't have to ruin your queer readings of her work. If a straight woman sang the words "you can want who you want; boys and boys and girls and girls," and it came from the heart, good for her.

This was all very characteristically meandering of me and only kind of answered your question. I agree that a lot of gay men's interest in women is stunted by the expectation that they could only bond over shared attraction to men. I think gay men owe queer women the world. I also just don't really think this applies to the Gaylor thing. She is, as far as anyone knows and as far as she herself has stated, a heterosexual woman. That said, I do agree that the lesbian diva is an under-explored archetype that I'd love to learn more about.

[voidpacifist]

things I loved about season four of sex ed (spoilers ahead)

the amount of representation present this season. the disability rep, the queer and trans rep, how not shy the writers were confronting different trans and disability rights issues head on.

eric's arc with his religion and his gayness and how he was able to reconcile the two. this one really hit home for me as someone who is both queer and a person of faith. I love getting to see gayness have a place within faith, it just healed something for me, okay?

otis was so classically otis but he finally (FINALLY) acknowledged his own idiosyncrasies without just writing them off as being the fault of wounds in his life. by the end of ep 8 he was dedicated to making things better for himself and for other people and I'm actually so proud of him for that.

aimee's journey with healing from her SA trauma and how she navigated a new relationship with that. also I know it probably wasn't intentional but she's a very autistic coded character to me and watching her flourish as herself with isaac just did something so special to my heart. I would level cities for her.

and adam too!! him finally getting the closure he needed with eric and them communicating !!!! the scene at erin wiley's funeral when eric is able to tell adam how genuinely proud of him he is, just,,,my heart I love it when people get to heal !! also again with the unintentional neurodivergent rep, like come on - sitting undiagnosed by yourself, handsome? he's just like me fr.

I was worried the writers wouldn't do isaac's character justice, even though he was given a good arc in season three I was still anxious about where they would take it now that maeve was overseas and honestly, they didn't give him very much of a story outside of his history and who he was when he was with maeve. similar to aimee with him, I really liked watching more of his artistic traits pop out and I loved seeing him have a healthy friendship with someone. even better, I love it when the feelings he harbored for that person were mutual with no strings attached. I wasn't expecting him and aimee to be endgame but I'm absolutely not disappointed about it (you can tell he's my fav because I've written the longest paragraph about him so far).

cal and aisha and pk. need I say anything more? my only gripe is that I wish we could have had a glimpse of the three of them on a date or even see if there were other people in the polycule but that's okay !! I also just really loved cal's journey with themself and I loved getting to see them supported for their identity it meant so very much to me.

lastly but certainly not the least, I loved that otis and o ended on mutually agreeable terms with each other, it just really added to the whole theme of trying to heal and open new doors and be okay with things not being in control all the time. it was especially touching that he gave his position as therapist to her because he knew and acknowledged he had work to do on himself like !!! very rare otis w but totally welcomed. had the show continued I would have loved to see more development w him.

[spellbooking]

I can't believe I have to bring this up again, I'm sorry if this isn't anyone's cup of tea so please ignore this if you see fit. But the Baldur's Gate 3 companions are supposed to be seen as pansexual. It's outrageous how sidelined I feel as a gay man who exclusively ships male Tavs with male companions, ESPECIALLY Gale and Halsin, who are explicitly pansexual companions. I will never dictate how people write fanfics or make their tavs or anything. But seeing the blatant erasure of these companions pansexuality is maddening.

I will always use my blog as a way to advocate equality, love, sexuality, freedom of expression, etc etc. My content IS very queer based so of course not everyone can resonate with it, but it can still be supported. It is frustrating to see people talk about Halsin, Gale, Wyll, etc as exclusively heterosexual. Why do we have to gender talking to Halsin about baking? Why do we have to gender Gale talking about BOOKS? As another blog has said: I am not trying to police how people choose to enjoy the game or interact with the fandom. "If you want to read, reblog, and create content with Gale x one gender exclusively, then go ahead. Just keep in mind that he is not heterosexual. Especially when making posts about how he treats a partner, his approach to sex etc. Or when writing about him in general" to quote @dreamingofthewild. This goes for all companions.

These companions like all genders. As someone who HAS a pansexual partner, it is so so discouraging. I'm starting to see more and more stuff indicating that these companions prefer a certain gender EXCLUSIVELY. As inclusive as this game is, this is just so discouraging.

This is meant to start healthier discussions and to be mindful of the fandom as a whole. Support queer artists, queer art, queer content, queer fanfics, etc. between companions and same sex relationships. These companions can be in a relationship with a tav of the opposite gender and still be pansexual, but if we are making content and writing tidbits that INDICATE they PREFER a certain gender, this is where the problem lies.

[that-was-a-bit-stupid-of-you]

I don't understand, what's going on with Taylor and Matt trash being a couple? Could you explain to me?

nothing is really going on at the moment tbh, cuz they broke up a pretty long while ago, but the issue is the album (if that's what you're referring to) and taylor swift herself.

[will add sources and more stuff when I find the links and if I realise I missed something out, cuz this is a general thing based off of memory]

Context: dating history

Basically she and matty had been friends for a few years (there are rumors of them hooking up ig in 1989 era maybe, but I don't really care enough to believe shit like that). Apparently he had also been pining for her (according to stuff he said in interviews and tweets) for years, but again, you can still chalk it up to rumors if you wanna.

The thing is that post her breakup with joe alwyn, she started dating him (in like april I think) [there had been dating rumors of them since 2014 tho, and again in March 2023] and the fandom kinda got divided.

Here is the link to their entire timeline

Context: what matty healy did

Matty healy (you prolly know this) is basically racist, sexist, antisemitic, homophobic and God knows what else I have missed out or not been aware of. He did shit like doing the nazi gesture on stage, mocking asian accents, tastelessly making fun of ice spice on her race and bodyshaming her, laughing and basically confirming that he watches violent rape porn of black women on a site that is known to be highly problematic and force their actors (gender neutral) to do things they dont consent to (there was also an actress who was assaulted or something but im not informed on it). Even when he was called out on stuff like this, he accused people (who were poc, btw) of overreacting.

Context: taylor and activism

Taylor had also, in the past (lover era, and miss Americana the doc) had talked about how she had been too quiet about political issues and politics itself for too long, that she understands her influence and power in society, and that she "needs to be on the right side of history" and even specifics such as that she thinks it's spineless to go on stage and say "happy pride month" and not acknowledge the political oppression that queers in USA were facing (something about a bill or the republican party idk man I'm not american, i dont remember but i did research when i watched the doc tho). She has claimed she was gonna be clear about where she stands (many republicans had considered her to be one, and many thought she's conservative or something, but she was always quiet about it, until the lover era). However, she just stopped that activism after the lover era, and went back to being quiet on where she stands (I've seen many swifties refer to the lover era as the activism era) and hasn't spoken about anything substantial really. She did some things like post a black square with 13 hearts during blm, and stuff that every celeb who wasn't openly a pos did, but that's kinda it. Even as a self proclaimed feminist, she didn't speak up on issues such as roe v wade, or about an issue regarding drag queens despite having them in yntcd, or talking about trans/queer rights until she was in a blue state (im not an American, I just like to keep up a little with stuff in usa cuz it's always up in my face sadly, and thus i cant be specific, but anyways, correct me if I'm wrong, or if I missed something).

So even after saying she'll be vocal, she was just... not. And that's basically her on politics or giving a shit about minority communities.

Context: Fandom's reaction

Swifties were extremely disappointed that taylor CHOSE to associate with a man like this, and there were fans calling her out, and she received backlash, too.

Most of these swifties were poc (myself included) and they felt hurt that an artist that they not just supported and developed such a deep connection with, but also financially supported for years, would have such disregard for them. Not just was she dating him, but she kept saying things such as "I have never been happier in all aspects of my life" or saying "I love you" or "uk who you are" in romantic songs on the tour, which was just adding insult to injury. She also did a collab with ice spice (which was completely out of nowhere, and the collab itself seemed badly made and rushed), which fans and others speculated to be a pr cover up for the fact that matty healy had mocked her (many ppl also believed that it was too quick for it to be a pr cover tho).

Now, in the fandom, when poc swifties were calling her out on dating mh, (mostly) white swifties started harassing poc swifties for doing so, or saying that they are hindering with her happiness or some bs about it being "just a fling" (again, myself included). They said it's the same as seeing a friend get out of a long-term relationship and make bad dating choices, and poc swifties should let it go (as if taylor is our close personal friend). In a mostly white fandom, poc swifties felt alienated and sidelined.

Ofc, taylor never addressed any of this backlash, and after she broke up with him, there were articles saying that sources say (which mostly means her pr team atp) that her breakup had nothing to do with his controversies or behavior.

The album release (lyrics, references and reaction)

Now, with the release of ttpd, contrary to what most of the fandom believed, most of the songs on both the albums are believed to be (and heavily hinted on) about matty healy. These include 4 songs- "ttpd", "but daddy I love him", "I can fix him (no really I can)", and "guilty as sin?"

Ttpd, the title track, talks about mh being "a tattooed golden retriever" (wtf) and about him love-bombing her, and her pining after him, thinking about marriage and shit. But daddy I love him and I can fix him, are basically that no one supported her dating decision and she's claiming that she loves him oh so goddamn much, but more importantly, her talking about her fans' reactions. Specifically, describing her poc fans to be "vipers" and "judgemental creeps" who hate her and them being hurt as "bitching and moaning", and basically took the side of the (white) fans who defended her, indirectly. She described his racist bs as "crazy" and said shit like she could "handle a dangerous man." She also has another song, "Guilty as sin?" and while I genuinely don't give a fuck about what she chooses to do in her private life, unless it is problematic, it is about her fantasizing about being with that racist man while being in a long term relationship with joe alwyn. She sings about how she wants him and wants to be with him... in multiple ways, iykyk. Again, out of context, I love this song so much, but that doesn't erase the context, right?

She also has a song "I hate it here" where she says the following lines:

"My friends used to play a game where

We would pick a decade

We wished we could live in instead of this

I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid"

And while there are many reasons why this line by itself is racist (romantisization of a time that was extremely shitty to many communities, most of which she is not a part of, showing herself to be "oh look I'm so woke I still remember the bad things even when I romanticize bad eras in history" which is something you expect from an ignorant white high schooler maybe, not a 34 y/o billionaire who claims to be well-read, etc.) but taylor swift herself saying these is adding insult to injury cuz she has shown time and time again she has no problem with racism (she kept quiet when antonia gentry, a black actress, received hate and racist threats by swifties because of a line BY NETFLIX that taylor didn't like, and she shouldn't ofc, but it wasn't the actress' fault), or associating herself with them (matty healy, for example). It is hypocritical to write something like that after writing an album about pining after a man and his "dangerousness," which is just bigotry. Way to romanticise racism, sexism, and antisemitism, taylor.

Even now, after listening to the album, she clearly doesn't like mh anymore, NOT because of his actions, but because he broke her heart, showing that she still enables and is okay with everything he did.

And that's kind of it (ig) about her and matty healy. I'm not really sure exactly which part you wanted to know, so this is just a gist of it all. Hope it helps :)

[shorthaltsjester]

if i ever have to see another thought piece on the description of the white picket fence outside of fjord and jester’s place in mighty nein reunited indicating jester’s unhappiness in the relationship i will burn the world to the ground.

a) heteronormativity doesn’t exist in exandria !

b) fjord isn’t your Typical Male Love Interest Guy. if i ever have to read someone say that shit again i’m gonna (correctly) assume they haven’t paid attention at all to campaign 2 and any of fjord’s character arc.

c) perhaps, jester lavorre, woman who was raised on the ideology of romance novels and sexuality as exchange, might just find it uh… not a terrible thing that the white picket fence is falling apart outside since… fjord explicitly does Not feel like those romance novels to her, instead he feels comfortable. the way that a brightly painted but rarely used house might, especially when the couple in question spends most of their time adventuring together… which is an essential part of jester’s motivations throughout the campaign.

d) the reason fjord and jester seem unhappy in the reunion might be because, well, uh, whereas everyone else was getting a “vacation”, jester and fjord’s life together (specifically the fact that Fjord Loves Jester Enough To Risk The World (Momentarily) To Save Her) was the inciting action for an apocalyptic demigod being released - they Were unhappy. who wouldn’t be given those circumstances. jester nearly died, and fjord felt like the god that once saved him had now abandoned him, i am so truly sorry that their romance was not satisfactory for your vision of atypical romance (which, by the way, is literally reinforcing the restrictive romantic tropes you think you’re criticizing, so good job i guess). i would be much, much more concerned if jester and fjord Weren’t clearly dismayed.

e) both fjord and jester are individuals whose entire lives and character are defined by the expectation (both external and internal) that they behave and emote a certain way. that they’re in a relationship with someone who they feel that they can show that they are frustrated with or disagree on the layout of their house with or have different ideas on how to deal with the looming threat of a demigod is incredible. jester and fjord are emblematic of a relationship in which the characters Aren’t meant to be, but they Want to be together and they want to understand and support the other person so they work at it. we wouldn’t have conversations like “you seem disheartened..” “i am very disheartened! you almost died!” if they didn’t take the time and care to communicate with one another.

f) if you want a honeymoon era joyful queer romance, yasha and beau are right there! they are explicitly horny and in love and bright about it! if queerness is your measure of “trope breaking” i am very sorry to tell you that queer people partake in white picket fences, and i’d actually argue that in terms of Lifestyle Metaphor, beauyasha are more adherent to the whitepicket fence, nuclear familyism. this isn’t a detriment to them, just, very literally, beau works a 9-5 where she comes back to her housewife who gardens and cooks dinner and their future includes explicit reference to children. comparatively, fjord wants to address some issues in his past, jester is an artist, and both of them are interested in adventure for the foreseeable future.

g) if you truly think that a single part of laura’s description of the part-time abode of fjord and jester overrides every interaction and choice that both laura and travis make towards fjord and jester caring for each other in a deep and meaningful way that goes beyond the weird fandom constructed Man/Woman characters being portrayed by a married couple i truly, Truly have no idea why you even watch the many hours of content that cr is when you could… play/write your own shit.

[gayloringinplainsight]

"Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn't a straight white cisgender male," she tells Vogue, when asked about why she chose to, all of a sudden, stand up for LGBTQ+ rights. "I didn't realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I'm not a part of."

Source: https://www.out.com/news/2019/8/08/taylor-swift-says-shes-straight-despite-all-bisexual-rumors#toggle-gdpr

I was waiting for this to come through my inbox lol. (There was more then one ask about this but I'm only responding to the first.)

There's lots to unpack here but the first and foremost thing is: She doesn't actually say here, "I'm straight." It was a perfect opportunity. It was the ideal conversation. She punted. Why?

Why did she instead give this vague, circuitous, carefully couched answer?

She calls out communities encompassing sexuality, race, and gender, followed by saying, "a community that I'm not a part of." There are lots of communities that she could have been referring to, but she crafted the sentence in such a way that makes it unclear which one. She could have been talking about the trans community. She could have been talking about the poc community. She could have been talking about the ace community. She could have been talking about the gay male community. There are lots of possibilities. In this carefully worded sentence, she deliberately avoided naming the specific community she's talking about.

Another thing to consider is that many, many closeted people don't consider themselves part of the queer community. They don't feel like they belong because they're not out and proud. And even once people come out, it often still takes time before they feel like they're part of the queer community. That was certainly my personal experience. Cara Delevingne said something similar in her Hulu show when discussing her own coming out.

Let's move on. The link anon provided isn't the source. It's an article quoting the source. The actual source is the 2019 Vogue cover article. And the full article is important because there are lots of interesting things that give context to this quote.

First, there's a great deal of conversation about gay stuff and lgbtq+ rights. And the writer makes a point of saying about this subject matter that Taylor seems to enjoy that part of the conversation "as much as she’d enjoy a root canal." Wouldn't a straight ally be eager to discuss this? They would. And a closeted queer person would be uncomfortable and panicking at the thought of having to talk so blatantly about this subject. The writer also makes a point of saying that once the conversation changes to music, Taylor lights up and her demeanor and speech patterns relax dramatically.

The other important context that the Vogue article discusses is Taylor's very long history of supporting lgbtq+ rights. Everything from the Mean mv of a gay boy being bullied to the "boys and boys and girls and girls" line in WTNY to donations to lgbtq+ organizations to giving out queer awards to queer people to dedicating Dress to Loie Fuller, an openly gay artist. There are plenty of other examples of Taylor advocating for the queer community that aren't mentioned. All the way back in 2008 she participated in the LOGO queer anti-bullying PSA. In 2009 she was in Seventeen magazine taking a stand against the slaying of a teenager for being gay.

Why is this important? Because it proves that Taylor is lying in the quote in question. "I didn't realize until recently that I could advocate…" girl yes you did. You've been advocating for years and years at this point. She's lying. She's lying. She's covering herself up. She's hiding in the closet and hoping desperately that no one notices.

And this isn't the first time she's done this either. During the 1989 press tour she gave an interview where she was asked about the "And you can want who you want / Boys and boys and girls and girls" line. As the interviewer is starting to speak about this, a look of pure panic immediately takes over Taylor's face:

And then she starts stumbling around trying to give a coherent answer. At one point she stutters out, "And also I wrote this song, um, I wrote this song, kind of, kind of following, the, uh, when gay marriage became legal in New York." This interview was in October 2014. Gay marriage had been legal in New York since June 2011. Sooo three years later is "kind of following." Right. Sure, Taylor. Nice closeting. You really nailed it.

Okay let's review. She doesn't actually say she's straight even though this was a perfect opportunity to do so. She doesn't name the actual community she's talking about, giving herself cover if she ever comes out. She's closeted and probably doesn't think she's part of the queer community anyways. She full-on lies about not knowing she can advocate for others. And the writer states Taylor seems deeply uncomfortable talking about lgbtq+ things even though the context of the article was that blondie wanted to make it clear how much of an ally she is.

None of this remotely adds up to hetero. And none of this comes even close to Taylor saying that she's straight.

[rimunagenius]

Best Friends Don’t Kiss

❦ Pairing: Naomi Mcpherson x reader

❦ Word Count: 3.1k words

❦ Warnings: Fluff, a lot of kissin ;) , confessions

❦ a/n: so i’m pretty sure i can speak for everyone when i say that the julien and jo, lucy and katie, kisses, in one concert…broke the internet and the whole munagenius fandom. so obv had to incorporate that into this fic…that’s it. Just those earth shattering kisses and Naomi and Reader breaking the fucking internet.

This was lowk ass i’m ngl LMFAO

Having multiple features on Muna's album, Muna, and as their bestfriend since college, you make a decent amount of guest appearances on their tours. You don't have a music career yourself, and your not even on the featured title, opting to not out yourself out there under the guise of releasing your own music. You stuck to being the bands photographer and part time tour manager when you could, but continuing having your job as a tattoo artist.

But your favorite featured song to perform had to be 'Solid'. You and Naomi may have caused scandals during the performance of that song at any show you have attended. Maybe not scandals but on stage personas. It was speculated among Muna’s fans, and your own friends, that you two had been dating. Ever since college, you and Naomi were not beating the allegations.

Muna’s whole thing was similar to boygenius. Your favorite band besides Muna of course, of course duh, kissing eachother whenever the moment felt right. But the kissing wasn't how you and Naomi happened to attract attention to yourselves.

Recently, for the last 6 shows you accompanied Muna on, either Naomi was caught looking to you when they sang background for the chorus or you were caught being more provocative towards Naomi. That could have easily been misconstrued as you two being inlove and in a secret relationship. But if it wasn't Naomi creating an uproar, it had been you.

The fans have caught onto Naomi but you quickly counteracted by slowly sauntering over to them or Jo, mostly Naomi, and grabbing their face while singing the same lines in the chorus. All too much passion for two bestfriends. Atleast that’s what the fans thought.

Needless to say, your onstage personas were definitely two queers in love with one another. The fans ate that shit up.

Tonight, Muna was opening for boygenius. The concert was moving along perfectly. The energy was alive, and the crowd was jumping. You honestly loved watching your best friends have everything they have ever wanted out of their passion for music. Naomi especially.

You had met Naomi before they met Katie and Josette. Photography being the reason you went to school with them, music or Naomi, being the reason you changed your major halfway through your sophomore year of college. Never having the intention of pursuing it, but full intentions of helping your closest friends get to where they wanted.

Naomi was a special person in your life. Watching them grow and the ambition to pursue the dream they have wanted from a young age was something so surreal and exciting. Which brings you back to tonight. Watching them play alongside y’all’s lifelong friends.

Side stage, a few feet away from Naomi, they smiled at you, signaling your entrance, to sing one of the featured songs you are apart of. Solid.

Moving about the stage, dancing with Josette, big smiles on your faces while Katie took the first half of the song. Singing supporting vocals for Katie, you eventually found your similar path that led you to Naomi. She’s so solid. You sang as you moved your hips to the rythm.

Reaching Naomi, you looked to the crowd, seeing eyes on you, you grabbed Naomi’s face, My baby’s so solid, you sang. The crowd screaming.

As you sang the words into the mic, Naomi looked at you, singing the words right back to you. She’s so solid, My baby’s so solid. They sang. You smiled at them, your noses brushing close together, gauging the reaction from the crowd before kissing their cheek and moving to Katie.

You sang your half of the song, soon turning it into a duet with your bestfriend Katie. Josette occasionally jamming out with you two. The rest of the set was short, Muna ending it with Silk Chiffon. You occasionally in awe of Josette as she played guitar on her knees infront of you and Katie. Performing was so fun when you were with them.

You and the band eventually went back and side stage decompressing while the headliner band, your dearest friends, boygenius, set up for their show.

“You think Y/n and Naomi broke the internet yet?” Josette asked, wiggling her eyebrows at both of you.

“If that didn’t break the internet, this for sure will.” Katie said as she put her phone up, taking a picture of you and Naomi. You again, grabbed Naomi’s cheeks with one hand, softly pinching their cheeks, kissing the corner of their lips. A little too close for best friends.

“Oh, wow. Okay, Katie. Let’s not.” Naomi said as they waved one hand in the air to her, their other hand holding your waist, as you had been seated in their lap.

“I really thought you guys were hard launching whatever this was out there, not gonna lie.” Katie said, pointing towards you both, looking to Josette for agreement.

“No seriously. Thought Y/n was going to start fucking you, Naomi. Was about to have Frankie get you guys a room.” Jo laughed as she looked to Kelli.

“Haha, very funny Josette Maskin.” You laughed before turning to Naomi. “What exactly did she think we were hard launching?” You asked.

“I don’t know but that just means we have undeniable and palpable chemistry, baby. We got the whole world thinking we’re in love.” They laughed, kissed your cheek, and continued talking to Katie.

You weren’t going to lie and say that you weren’t inlove with your best friend. It was pretty fucking obvious to anyone in the room. You and Naomi just always shut it down. You didn’t know if it was because they didn’t reciprocate the feelings or if it was so they didn’t discover a truth neither one of you were ready to admit.

Either way, you’d continue to make the harmless jokes and suggestions, until one day they reciprocate it. Or better yet, admit they love you just like you love them.

Soon, a stagehand found you guys backstage, Julien apparently wanting all of you on the stage to perform with them. You had all been a close knit circle considering all of your age differences. You all just bonded over the same passion for music and doing what you love infront of thousands of people.

The set for ‘Salt in the Wound’ just started, Naomi on piano/keyboard, Josette playing background guitar with Julien, Katie, you, Pheobe, and Lucy all singing.

It got to the chorus and all of you were singing, the crowd matching the volume and energy. Suddenly something had been in the air. Everyone had been loving on eachother. Lucy the first one to make rounds with everyone.

You and Pheobe started hugging Julien and Josette. You letting go with a kiss to both their cheeks, Pheobe pushing them together. They shared a kiss on the lips, the crowd losing their minds. You and Pheobe looked at eachother, you grabbed her hips and pulled her in. Your hand now holding her head against your lips as you two kissed eachother passionately.

Pulling apart, Lucy and Katie were rolling on the ground full on making out. Eventually Lucy had pulled away, Katie scrambling from under Lucy to then snatch you into a kiss and a meaningful hug. Lucy had made her way from Naomi, over to you, kissing your cheek. You looked at her face, her red lipstick smudged, hair tousled.

She then winked at you, as you made eye contact with Naomi, your smile already taking over your lips. You were originally going in for a small kiss on the cheek, knowing how Naomi doesn’t really feel comfortable with the lip kissing since everyone is kissing everyone. Germs and stuff.

What you hadn’t known was that Naomi had dodged any pass that anyone had made on them. But as you were about to stand on your tippy toes, tilting your head to reach their cheek, they grabbed the bottom of your jaw, pulling your lips onto theirs.

The impact immediately set fire to your skin. Warm fuzzy feelings alive and around your stomach as you both kissed eachother. Your hands landing on their hips, their hands on either side of your face, holding you to their lips. The contact not breaking until either one of you run out of breath.

The crowd was losing their minds, your kiss projected on the big screen behind the band. There’s no way no one was missing this, and there was absolutely no way you guys were beating the couple allegations now.

You smiled as you both pulled away. The crowd losing their shit. They had suspected it for a while now, just seeing the passion and affection conveyed through the kiss live and well, was a change for them. A significant change for you.

Before you started to walk away, Naomi had grabbed your hips, yet again pulling you into another kiss. Your lips moving in sync. Your tongues meeting each others. Your hands on their cheeks. You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your lips as you pulled apart.

This concert had to be your favorite of this whole tour. Hands down. Once Muna and boygenius closed the concert, you all had met backstage.

You were all standing in a circle, talking and laughing about what you all had just done and making plans for later after everyone was done. The usual debrief, of course. “Okay, lets talk about Naomi and Y/n. What the actual fuck was that?” Pheobe asked, giggling.

“Yeah, that wasn’t very ‘we’re just friends’ of you.” Lucy looked at you. Her knowing glance towards everyone else and then to you two. The constant deferring you used to do whenever she brought up you and Naomi. Julien laughed as she hid her face in Lucy’s arm as she continued to belly laugh.

“Yeah, explain.” Katie looked quizzically at you both. Her eyes jumping to both of you every second. Josette standing with her arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

“Hey man, I thought we were all just kissing. So I kissed Y/n.” Naomi shrugged their shoulders. Their arm slinging around your shoulders.

“Yeah, totally.” You nodded your head in agreement. “Can’t friends kiss?” You smiled as you looked at your friends knowing they have all kissed eachother. Including the ones who have significant others. You guys do it all the time on stage. Nothing was different about this kiss, right?

“Best friends don’t kiss like that.” Jo pointed between the two of you.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. It was just for the show.” You shrugged her comment off. Really hoping this wasn’t because you two were ‘just friends.’

“Was it just for the show?” Naomi found themself standing infront of the foot of your bed in the hotel room you both wanted to share. You were performing here again tomorrow.

“Was what for the show?” You asked. Putting your phone down, the lock screen of you and Naomi posing in the mirror of your bathroom back home.

“The kiss. Practically the make out on stage.” They sat down near your feet. Awaiting your answer.

“I don’t know you tell me, Nomi. You’re the one that kissed me like you needed me to breathe.” You chuckled awkwardly, sitting up fully, looking at the person across the from you. The person you had been inlove with for soooo long already. It wasn’t normal.

“Because I do. I wouldn’t have kissed you like that unless I knew for sure that I wanted you. I do. I need you. But I just want to know if you need me and wanted me too.” Naomi wasn’t afraid to admit that they had been totally enamored by you to the point of insatiable desire. Granted they weren’t one to publically display their passionate makeouts with a partner infront of thousands of people, but they couldn’t possibly hold back from you in that moment.

“Of course I want you.” You whispered. The confession leaving their lips leaving you shocked and breathless. A weight lifting from your chest as the relief of the years worth of longing, yearning, and desire was matched by the one person you wanted it from. Naomi moved from the foot of the bed, now sitting next to you, forcing your bodies to face eachother again.

“Yeah? No bullshit?” Naomi asked. Suddenly becoming nervous at the thought of you reciprocating their feelings. “I didn’t actually think-“

“Hey, Naomi?” They stopped speaking, eyes growing wide.

“Yeah?” They asked you, their eyes focused on yours. Butterflies becoming an overwhelming sensation in both your bellies. Both your guys’ skin on fire; the cold hotel room blankets and sheets not doing a goddam thing.

“Kiss me.” You said. Immediately there was contact. Your lips found theirs. The feeling a lot more sensual and real. The kiss you had shared on stage was passionate and full of love. But this one; in private with no prying eyes to watch you exchange the love and affection you two had for one another. The feeling was unmatched.

You moved into their lap. Now straddling their hips as they sat under you, in the bed you two were sharing tonight. Your hands enveloping their face. Their arms pulling you in by wrapping completely around your waist.

Another make out ensued but this time, a lot slower. A lot more intimate than before. A moment you knew you’d both cherish forever. No one else, just you two.

Pulling apart, you continued to hold their face in your hands. Suddenly and totally enamored with every small detail about them that you realized you never took the proper amount of time to admire before. The crappy hotel room lamps casting the perfect glow on their face. You started counting all the small freckles across their face, the shiny and polished jewelry of their nose piercings.

Each individual curl that fell onto their face. You just couldn’t get enough of Naomi. They consumed you. Everything to you was about them. “What are you looking at?” They chuckled nervously, as their eyes scanned over every inch of your face.

“You, and how amazing you look.” You smiled, your eyes meeting theirs. Naomi’s nose scrunched, a big cheesy smile, their perfect teeth on display.

“Oh my god, baby. That was so cheesy.” You both giggled, Naomi rolling you guys over so you’re laying on your back, with them hovering over you. Kissing again before looking at eachother in the eyes. “Guess we can’t say we’re best friends anymore, huh?”

“No, because best friends don’t kiss.”

“Uh yeah, they do. Me, Katie, and Jo do it all the time.” Naomi said, giving you a ‘are you serious’ look.

“Oh, my bad. They don’t make out in each others arms in the bed that they’re sharing. That’s something couples do.” You replied, pushing loose curls out of their face.

“Oh, so we’re a couple now?” Naomi asked, semi serious look on their face, in a joking tone. Full intent on making you their girlfriend whether you were suggesting it or not.

“I don’t know, are we?” You wanted them to say it. To hear it come from their lips, looking at you, is something you have fantasized about for the longest time. The better part of your friendship. You obviously never saw yourself making it official…why do it now? You wanted to so bad but you wanted them to. Selfish, but you wanted it. You were gonna make them your partner, whether you had to act like you already were or for them to say it.

The little game of back and forth was eating you both up alive. One of you needed to say that you were together. Your eyes daring eachother to.

“You wanna be my girlfriend, gorgeous girl?” Naomi’s eyes grew soft, their long lithe fingers pushing your hair behind your ears. Naomi loved that they could see all of your face like this. They loved you like this. You, lying under them, them asking you to be their girlfriend. There was nowhere else Naomi wanted to be then right here over you. Looking at you like you had hung the moon and the stars.

“I would love to be your girlfriend, baby.” You kissed Naomi, smiling into the kiss. Rolling over again, you ending up back in their lap, straddling their hips. Pulling apart, your foreheads resting on each others, you simultaneously whispered ‘finally.’

Unbeknownst to you both, the sudden synchronous exclaim had you in a fit of giggles before you decided to take a picture of Naomi. To announce that what you two shared was real and not some show for the fans or some way to express your love for eachother while being completely and utterly in denial of the other loving you back.

Your hand pinching their cheeks, because when did you not take pictures of them like this…literally never. You still straddling their lap, Naomi smiled widely. We’re talking the biggest smile you have ever seen grace their handsome face. You put your phone up, making sure to get your legs wrapping around their hips before taking the picture. You changed the filter to black and white, captioning it ‘my baby💍💋’ before posting it.

You set your phone down, and kissed Naomi passionately once more. Turning off the big lights in the room, the small lights creating a nice calm, romantic ambiance. You both layed in eachothers arms. The total bliss you felt to be together—officially. It was amazing.

You two turned on the TV, and about ten minutes after turning it on, fifteen minutes after posting your hard launch, Josette, who happened to be sharing a room with her girlfriend next door, started yelling.

She was so loud you could hear her through the walls. It didn’t take any longer to gather what she had been yelling about. “Fucken finally! They’re finally official!”

You and Naomi both laughed at your bestfriend before interlocking your fingers together and enjoying the rest of your peaceful and romantic time together. As a couple. The allegations definitely got to you and were in no way gonna be beat now.

[tangibletechnomancy]

Neural Nets, Walled Gardens, and Positive Vibes Only

the crystal spire at the center of the techno-utopian walled garden

Anyone who knows or even just follows me knows that as much as I love neural nets, I'm far from being a fan of AI as a corporate fad. Despite this, I am willing to use big-name fad-chasing tools...sometimes, particularly on a free basis. My reasons for this are twofold:

Many people don't realize this, but these tools are more expensive for the companies to operate than they earn from increased interest in the technology. Using many of these free tools can, in fact, be the opposite of "support" at this time. Corporate AI is dying, use it to kill it faster!

You can't give a full, educated critique of something's flaws and failings without engaging with it yourself, and I fully intend to rip Dall-E 3, or more accurately the companies behind it, a whole new asshole - so I want it to be a fair, nuanced, and most importantly personally informed new asshole.

Now, much has already been said about the biases inherent to current AI models. This isn't a problem exclusive to closed-source corporate models; any model is only as good as its dataset, and it turns out that people across the whole wide internet are...pretty biased. Most major models right now, trained primarily on the English-language internet, present a very western point of view - treating young conventionally attractive white people as a default at best, and presenting blatantly misinformative stereotypes at worst. While awareness of the issue can turn it into a valuable tool to study those biases and how they intertwine, the marketing and hype around AI combined with the popular idea that computers can't possibly be biased tends to make it so they're likely to perpetuate them instead.

This problem only gets magnified when introduced to my mortal enemy-

If I never see this FUCKING dog again it will be too soon-

Content filters.

Theoretically, content filters exist to prevent some of the worst-faith uses of AI - deepfakes, true plagiarism and forgery, sexual exploitation, and more. In practice, many of them block anything that can be remotely construed as potentially sexual, violent, or even negative in any way. Frequently banned subjects include artistic nudity or even partial nudity, fight scenes, anything even remotely adjacent to horror, and still more.

The problems with this expand fractally.

While the belief that AI is capable of supplanting all other art forms, let alone should do so, is...far less widespread among its users than the more reactionary subset of its critics seem to believe (and in fact arguably less common among AI users than non-users in the first place; see again: you cannot give a full, educated critique of something's failings without engaging with it yourself), it's not nonexistent - and the business majors who have rarely if ever engaged with other forms of art, who make up a good percentage of the executives of these companies, often do fall on that side, or at least claim to in order to make more sales (but let's keep the lid on that can of worms for now).

When this ties to existing online censorship issues, such as a billionaire manchild taking over Twitter to "help humanity" (read: boost US far-right voices and promote and/or redefine hate speech), or arcane algorithms on TikTok determining what to boost and deboost leading to proliferation of neologisms to soften and obfuscate "sensitive" subjects (of which "unalive" is frequently considered emblematic), including such horrible, traumatizing things as...the existence of fat people, disabled people, and queer people (where the censorship is claimed to be for their benefit, no less!), the potential impact is apparent: while the end goal is impossible, in part because AI is not, in fact, capable of supplanting all other forms of art, what we're seeing is yet another part of a continuing, ever more aggressive push for sanitizing what kinds of ideas people can express at all, with the law looking to only make it worse rather than better through bills such as KOSA (which you can sign a petition against here).

And just like the other forms of censorship before and alongside it, AI content filtering targets the most vulnerable in society far more readily than it targets those looking to harm them. The filters have no idea what makes something an expression of a marginalized identity vs. what makes it a derogatory statement against that group, or an attempt at creating superficially safe-for-work fetish art - so, they frequently err on the side of removing anything uncertain. Boys in skirts and dresses are frequently blocked, presumably because they're taken for fetish art. Results of prompts about sadness or loneliness are frequently blocked, presumably because they may promote self harm, somehow. In my (admittedly limited) experiment, attempts at generating dark-skinned characters were blocked more frequently than attempts at generating light-skinned ones, presumably because the filter decided that it was racist to [checks notes] ...acknowledge that a character has a different skin tone than the default white characters it wanted to give me. Facial and limb differences are often either erased from results, or blocked presumably on suspicion of "violent content".

But note that I say "presumably" - the error message doesn't say on what grounds the detected images are "unsafe". Users are left only to speculate on what grounds we're being warned.

But what makes censorship of AI generated work even more alarming, in the context of the executive belief that it can render all other art forms obsolete, is that other forms of censorship only target where a person can say such earth-shaking, controversial things as "I am disabled and I like existing" or "I am happy being queer" or "mental health is important" or "I survived a violent crime" - you can be prevented from posting it on TikTok, but not from saying it to a friend next to you, let alone your therapist. AI content filtering, on the other hand, aims to prevent you from expressing it at all.

This becomes particularly alarming when you recall one of the most valuable use cases for AI generation: enabling disabled people to express themselves more clearly, or in new forms. Most people can find other workarounds in the form of more conventional, manual modes of expression, sure, but no amount of desperation can reverse hand paralysis that prevents a person from holding a pen, nor a traumatic brain injury or mental disability that blocks them from speaking or writing in a way that's easy to understand. And who is one of the most frequently censored groups? Disabled people.

So, my question to Bing and OpenAI is this: in what FUCKING universe is banning me from expressing my very existence "protecting" me?

Bad dog! Stop breaking my shit and get the FUCK out of my way!

Generated as a gift for a friend who was even more frustrated with that FUCKING dog than I was

All images - except the FUCKING dog - generated with Dall-E 3 via Bing Image Creator, under the Code of Ethics of Are We Art Yet?