#this was meant to have a different ending but then they started being really gay

[pinkeoni]

During his emotionally charged speech in the van, Will says one particularly potent line.

"When you're different... You feel like... a mistake."

This line is highlighted visually by the camera shifting positions to outside of the van, a shot that is only used one other time to punctuate the end of the scene. This line holds extra weight and the show wants you to know it.

I already made an analysis on the word mistake and what that means for Will, but I want to look at the word different, which feels emphasized in the delivery of the line as well.

"When you're [pause for effect] different..."

It's popular headcanon among st fandom that "everyone in Hawkins is gay!" which sometimes bleeds from into their belief of real canon. Sexuality headcanon lists suddenly are seen with an air of truth to them, and a number of fanon queer ships are accompanied with evidence of their supposed endgame status.

I realize that this is kind of a... weird post to make. I'm not really making this to tell people to stop doing something, this is more of just a rattling off of some opinions I've had for awhile.

I do wanna start off with the obligatory: Do whatever the hell you want. I'm not here to stop you from doing something or tell you that you are wrong for thinking that a character is gay or for shipping something. You are allowed to ship whoever you want, think whatever you want about any character, any ship I don't like I have filtered. But I'm also allowed to not like these ships, or disagree with how others view certain characters. Just as others are allowed to have and express their opinion, I'm also allowed to have and state my opinions on the opinion website.

I think the important thing regarding Will being different is the fact that he is different. As my good friend @karenchildress once put it, if everyone were queer, it would cheapen the message the show is trying to give. Sure, the show displays a variety of ways of being different, but being gay is, among other things Will has been through re: being taken into the Upside Down, is Will's way of being different in Hawkins.

And of course Robin is gay as well, and while there is some crossover, the lived experiences of a gay man is different from that of a lesbian woman, which the show does touch on. Will's story is part of an extended AIDS metaphor, and Robin struggles to gain the attention of women in a world that seems to revolve around the attention of men.

It might be nice to have a moment between Will and Robin, although that alone won't solve Will's problem, i.e. his belief that being different makes him a mistake. Cause that's the thing: the resolution is that being different is a good thing.

If everyone character were queer, this would cheapen the message. Suddenly the resolution isn't that being different is a good thing, but that he isn't different after all.

So then, are queer stories meant to have only token characters?

I think it depends on the type of story, and what it's trying to say. Heartstopper has an eclectic queer cast, but it's also a show that embraces finding community and other people like you. Sex Education has a variety of different sexual identities, but it's also a show that aims to explore a lot of different perspectives.

And there are also queer stories where the queer character's disposition, and their struggle because of that, is a big part of the story. I believe this is what this show is trying to do— highlight Will's difference and how that pertains to his personal struggle and the resolution of that.

One argument that I hear against Will with powers is the idea that making him more different would be bad for his character, because he hates being different. But the thing is, Will is going to learn that his differences are a good thing, which may include any possible powers.

Of course Will isn't the only one with powers, and he also isn't the only gay one. El, Henry, and Kali all have powers, and Robin, Vickie, and Mike (and maybe Henry? I haven't seen TFS myself so I'm not commenting on that) are all gay. So while he's not alone, these things are still a rarity. It's not a case of a headcanon list with mostly everyone gay and some token straights.

"Characters are not straight by default."

This sentiment isn't unique to the st fandom and also didn't originate within this fandom, but it is something that I hear often. And it's... not really true, although it kind of depends on the piece of media we are talking about. It might be easy to say this about a show made in the 2020's, although this same sentiment is hard to state about, well, most shows made before the 2020s. And even then, it depends on what the show is going for.

People being not straight by default is a true statement in real life. You shouldn't assume a sexuality for anyone, gay, straight or what have you. But characters are made by people, and people have different biases on how these characters should be written. Calling the Duffers "two straight men" would go against what I just said, although I don't think that the show was written with everyone being gay in mind. Aside from the 4 (maybe 5) I listed, the other characters are not written to be queer. They just aren't.

All of the queer characters have arcs that feature their queerness. Will's queerness has been mentioned since season one. Robin's romance becomes part of her plot in season 4, and Vickie is introduced as her love interest. Romance has always been an important facet of Mike's story since season one, and his failure in a straight romance is highlighted in seasons three and four. Chekhov's painting of season 4 seems to solidify a gay Mike.

Elmax and Ronance as endgame options not only have no lead up but are also mean spirited towards Lucas and Vickie. Elmax gets together, breaking up Lumax, which has been built up since season two, and Lucas is supposed to be okay with this because????? Ronance get's together, effectively writing off a queer character that the show had introduced, and she can't even fulfill the reason she exists in the first place? Rockie is not the most well developed relationship out there, but it's the one that the show has decided to go for. Maybe Ronance could work, in an alternate universe where the show actually wrote that in.

For those that argue that both Max and Nancy are queer I simply... disagree. And you can disagree with me too, we'll both just agree to disagree. I'm not against headcanons, which are usually harmless, but also usually driven by the desires of the headcanon-er and less so the canon of the show. Which again, is fine, but it's also these headcanons which are being used to drive an argument for actual show canon. Usually the argument for any character being queer that wasn't already listed in canon rests solely on vibes, not any concrete evidence that may suggest actual attraction to the same sex.

More substantial evidence usually comes when someone applies a queer lens to a certain character, but an interpretation can be different from authorial intent. And sometimes, the viewer may be so focused on the metaphorical, that they fail to see the literal.

I do think that you could easily apply a queer lens to El's story. Her story is about, in her words, "not belonging," in society, having to remain in hiding, and deviating from feminine norms. I can easily see how you can derive a queer message from this, but all of the traits listed above are a result of her having powers and being raised in a lab, not being attracted to the same sex. Metaphor alone cannot prove that she likes girls.

Going back to Nancy, Nancy's romantic options are between Jonathan and Steve, although the show seems to make it clear that it's going with Jonathan in the end, what with Jancy holding hands at the end of season 4. Steve get's brought up in conversation between the two, alluding two some unresolved tension that's likely to be brought up in season 5, and Robin is... at the high school with Vickie. That is the end of the season establishing the arcs and romances for the final season.

"Gay people didn't exist in the 80's."

That's an argument on the opposite end of things that just isn't true, although I've also heard the counter for this argument, that gay people did in fact exist in the 80's, as evidence that everyone is gay. I'm not really here to argue whether or not gay people existed in the 80's (they did) I'm just here to argue what I think the canon of the show is presenting.

That being said, the show taking place in the 80's is still significant. It may not be a hyperrealistic depiction of the 80's, but the show does seem to understand the idea that at that time, it was very difficult for gay people come out and to start relationships. It's the reason that Robin can't just go up to Vickie and ask her out, and it's the reason that Will can't just say that the painting is from him. It's the reason why Mike hasn't quite yet left his relationship with El and accepted himself. It's the reason why Rockie has to discreetly flirt through peanut butter sandwiches. A character who hasn't had queerness built into their plot, or a relationship that has no buildup, isn't suddenly going to become canon in the last season.

I was talking about this once with a friend who used the show Only Murders in the Building as an example. In the shows second season, Selena Gomez's character is revealed to be bisexual and dates a character that Cara Delevingne plays for most of the season. The show doesn't build up to her character being bisexual, she doesn't come out as such, the other characters don't make a big deal out of it, she just is. So why can this show do something like that but Stranger Things can't?

Well, Only Murders is a show that takes place in present day, and is a light-hearted comedy (albeit with murder). A character suddenly being bisexual with no set up makes sense for the tone that the show has established and when it takes place. Stranger Things takes place in the 80's and establishes within it's first season and maintains it throughout that gay people get killed and are seen as social pariahs.

It's not that I don't understand where the desire to have more characters be queer comes from, especially characters that people already like and relate to. I don't think it's harmful to think that these characters are queer, I'm making an argument purely with regard to authorial intent and the actual outcome of the show. Again, feel free to disagree with me and continue to do whatever you want, these are just some thoughts that I have had on my mind for a while and wanted to put out.

[mrwavellswaps]

Appreciating it

(Something a little different to my usual stuff but I hope the gay to straight fans out there enjoy it 🙌)

It’d been a week now and Liam still couldn’t come to terms with what had happened. He always had a feeling that his younger brother Jack was jealous of him but he never could’ve imagined it would go as far as this.

Throughout their entire lives growing up, Jack had indeed been jealous. At first it was just because Liam was always bigger than him and as they grew into adults it was because Liam simply looked manlier than he did. Always able to grow a better beard and more body hair. Always being seen as more handsome. So much so that Liam was always getting attention from women left, right and centre while Jack got next to none. But the thing that really pushed Jack over the edge was when Liam came out as gay! He had all that manliness to attract the kinds of chicks Jack could only dream of pulling and Liam wasn’t even interested in them!

Somehow Jack had managed to get his hands on this strange amulet and one morning as Liam got up to make breakfast Jack used the amulet to switch their bodies! In an instant Liam found himself in his younger brother's small skinny body while Jack now owned his older bro’s bigger, stronger and hairier body instead. Immediately Liam began to freak out at the situation but Jack simply grinned, happy that his plan had been a success.

“Sorry bro but this body and its potential was being wasted on a homo like you.” He claimed before flexing his biceps a little and admiring his chest hair. “You had all those hot chicks nipping at your heels and all you wanted to do was fuck other dudes when you coulda been fucking soooo much pussy.” Jack berated, clearly irritated by how Liam had been living Jack’s dream yet wasn’t at all interested in it. “Homo’s like you do not deserve strong manly bodies like this. They should be used by real men like me. Straight men who appreciate what it was meant for. Plowing pussy!” He smirked victoriously while crossing his arms over his new hairy chest.

Naturally Liam argued against this, calling his brother insane for what he’d done and what he was saying. Screaming at him that it was wrong. He even tried to reactivate the amulet that Jack had used to swap them but it was one time use and was all out of juice. Despite this Liam continued to shout and berate his younger brother about what he’d done and why he’d done it, saying they had to find a way to switch back. But Jack was having none of it.

In one swift movement Jack pinned Liam against the wall with his new strength and sneered. “Look. This isn’t your body anymore bitch. It’s mine. And in a minute I’m gonna get your friend Veronica to come down. I know she’s had a crush on you for a while. Huge fucking tits that you never appreciated. But don’t worry I’ll be using your hands to grab them and that fat ass of hers by the end of the night.” A sinister grin spread across his face as he imagined it. “And if you even think of telling her about the swap, I’ll go right back to the place I got that amulet from and get something that’ll guarantee you won’t be a problem again.” He threatened ominously.

Later that day Veronica indeed showed up after a quick phone call and Liam had to bite his tongue as he watched Jack with her. Using his stolen body to slide closer to her. Eventually telling her that he didn’t think he was gay after all and wanted to explore a little. Liam had been praying Veronica wouldn’t go for it but to his horror he soon watched as his own stolen body began making out with her. Even cringing as he watched his former cock start to get hard as the kiss deepened. Liam didn’t want to believe it but his former body was now acting like horny straight guy now that his brother was in the driver's seat. He didn’t see what happened after that as the two retreated to what was now Jack’s room to continue but Jack made sure to tell Liam all about it afterwards.

“Fuck you should’ve seen her bro. Practically shoving her tits in my face at one point while she massaged my cock with her ass. She kept saying how happy she was that I wasn’t gay because of how wet I always made her before giving me the greatest tit job of my life! And you’d better believe I ate out her pussy afterwards while she moaned about how good my beard felt.” He would taunt.

And that’s how it’d been for the past week. Almost every night Jack had brought someone home. It was usually Veronica but he’d had a few other girls over as well. And every time he’d taunt Liam about it. Telling him that his manly body was finally being used for its real purpose. Not that Liam needed to be told when the fucking was so loud he could hear it from anywhere in the house. Listening as Jack slammed his stolen cock deep into some wet pussy, living the dream of every straight man with the stolen body of his gay brother. And as his balls slapped against her with every thrust he would think to himself that this was how things were supposed to be and this was how they were going to stay.

All the while Liam suffered in silence while watching his brother turn his former body into a typical straight bro who never shuts up about tits and pussy. His reputation as a gay guy was already ruined as news spread about him ‘going straight’. Liam could only pray he somehow figures out where Jack got that amulet from before he ends up using that body to get someone pregnant. If he can find it at all…

[blushweddinggowns]

It had started as a rough few weeks. A rough few weeks that turned into a rough few months. It was weird, because in all honesty when it came to social standings, Will was doing a lot better here than he ever did in Hawkins. There were no Zombie Boy stories following him here, and he even managed to get a few girls to have a crush on him. He…still wasn’t quite clear how that worked out and he really wasn’t a fan of it. But they were also the only people he could talk to at school. He was way too paranoid of getting close to any guys. God forbid he got another crush on a friend, having none of them just seemed like the better course of action. 

It didn’t help that Mike had basically stopped acknowledging that he existed after they moved. He didn’t write to him, he didn’t call him, and it felt like the only time he heard his voice was when he politely asked for El over the phone. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. Especially when he still put in so much effort to get ahold of El all the time. He’d resent her for it if he could, but the only one who was having a worse time than him with the move was her. Maybe Mike was a shitty friend to him, but at least she had someone to talk to. 

But whatever. Lucas and Dustin cared, and so did Eddie and Steve. And when Jonathan wasn’t busy being high as hell, he had him too. Even Max called him more often than Mike did. Even when she was just trying to get ahold of El she’d take the time to ask him how he was, a courtesy that his best friend from freaking kindergarten couldn’t even offer anymore. 

So maybe Will didn’t have many friends in California yet, but he didn’t feel very lonely. 

Just a little heartbroken. 

But he could get past it. Especially when some of his favorite people were only one phone call away. Sometimes it made him feel a little guilty, that Steve and Eddie were his go to for talking about his problems. Especially since Jonathan was always trying to get him to open up. Even when he was zoinked out of his gourd he never failed to ask Will how his day was. Though…he did have a hard time following the plot when Will told him. 

But that didn’t change the fact that Jonathan always wanted to help. But what could Will say? I’m depressed because I’m in love with my best friend who doesn’t care about me? And oh yeah, I’m gay? Yeah, no. That wasn’t going to happen. If Jonathan of all people hated him for that…he’s not sure he could recover. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t think about it.

It was kind of pathetic, but he’d fantasize about it sometimes. Coming out to his family, everyone smiling and saying they’d love him anyway, no matter what. And if he was being honest with himself, it was technically possible, right? His brother had never said a bad word about Steve and Eddie. His mom never failed to shut the homophobic crap down when his crappy sperm donor had still been around. But it was different when it was your own kid, right? Will wasn’t quite sure. But he did know that he couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

So he called who he always did when he had a problem. It only took a few rings before someone was picking up, Steve’s familiar voice on the other end, “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me,” Will sighed, flopping face first into his bed, the phone pressed to his ear. 

He could hear the smile in Steve’s voice, “Hey kiddo, what’s up?”

God, he was such a dad. Will wouldn’t be shocked if he started wearing socks with sandals by the time he hit twenty-three. He went straight to the point, “Do you think that living happily ever after is like a real thing? For people like us?”

Steve laughed, “It better fucking be after all the shit we’ve seen.”

“I don’t mean the Upside Down stuff,” Will sighed, “I mean like…y’know. The gay.”

Steve snorted, “The gay? I’m going to have to tell Eddie that one.”

Will rolled his eyes at the redundant statement. He had learned a long time ago that telling Steve something meant telling Eddie something, and vice versa. He sighed a tiny smile on his face, “Oh what, like he’s not already next to you listening in?”

“...touché.” 

Will laughed, turning over to stare at the ceiling, “I’m serious though. Like…is it even possible? It’s not like everyone gets to magically find their soulmate at eight.”

“Is that such a bad thing though?” Steve asked, “Because no offense dude but honestly? I think you could do a lot better than Mike-”

“Be nice,” Will interrupted, torn between being defensive for Mike’s sake and amused at Steve never failing to find a way to come at him.

“I will when he starts being nice to me.”

“Well that’s just not going to happen,” Will laughed, “I’m starting to think Eddie’s right to call you a brat.”

Steve gasped, loud and scandalized. He’d been hanging out with Robin too much, “Me?! Never!”

Will could barely hear it over the receiver, but he could hear Eddie’s faint voice coming through, Yes he is!

And it was making him laugh even harder. Will missed this, so much. He missed having a place where he could just say whatever he wanted, with no worries. Even now he was looking over his shoulder, anxious at the chance that his mom or a sibling could come bursting in at any moment to catch him in the act of being comfortable. It was a confusing and weird feeling, and probably a little unfair to assume they’d prefer him to be sad and quiet over happy and queer. But he still did.

But for now he was safe. And he might as well take the chance to speak on all the things he couldn’t with anyone else, “But what if I don’t want to do better than Mike? Like…it’s stupid but do you think that um, I would ever have a chance?”

The answer was a strong no, but sometimes Will just needed a reality check from someone else’s mouth. 

Steve sighed, “I think the odds are pretty low bud. All jokes aside, even if he was playing for our team, I’m not sure if he’s the type who could even accept it. Y’know?”

Will did know, unfortunately. And if he’d never met Eddie and Steve there was a solid chance he’d be that guy. The truth stung a bit, but it was necessary, “I know, I know. But…do you think he would accept me? If he ever found out?”

“He fucking better. Otherwise I’ll-”

Will heard a shuffle on the other end, paired with something that sounded suspiciously like whining before he heard Eddie’s voice, “Will? You there? Sorry about that. I had to take the phone away before he started talking about beating up a child.”

Will grinned, happy to hear Eddie’s voice, “You made the right call. Do you think they’ll ever get along?”

“Not in this lifetime,” Eddie sighed, “And I know Mike’s not perfect, but if he’s okay with us why wouldn’t he be with you?”

“But it’s different when it’s a friend, isn’t it?” Will asked, “I’m not even sure if my mom would accept it, let alone him.”

“Well first of all, you don’t have to tell anyone shit, okay? But I can promise you that Joyce would be fine with it. And so would Jonathan for that matter. And I don’t even know if El is aware of what homophobia even is.”

It all sounded a lot more believable out of Eddie’s mouth than what was going on in his own head. But still… “What if they don’t though? What if I tell them and they kick me out or something? Or make me go to therapy?”

“Okay, on the off, off chance that you tell them and Joyce suddenly became a monster overnight, we’ll go to plan B. Steve and I will drive up there to kidnap you and you can live in Indy with us.”

Will grinned. He could live with that, “Can’t we just make that Plan A?”

“No, because your family loves you, as they should by the way. And this won’t bother them, I swear. Plus, telling them on your own terms is a lot less awkward than getting caught in the act.”

Will didn’t even want to know what Eddie was alluding to with that one. Poor Wayne, “But what if we’re wrong?”

He wanted to believe him, he really did, but stranger things had happened outside of gay people being disowned. 

“Will, listen to me,” Eddie said, his voice confident enough to make Will perk up, “I swear on Steve’s life, okay? There is no way in hell anyone in that house is gonna reject you for this.”

Will blinked, a little shocked at just how much faith he had in his family. More than he did, “Really?”

“Really. Trust me on this man, you’re going to be fine.”

They hung up pretty soon after that, mostly because El started knocking on his door for the phone. The conversation made him feel a bit better, but also…nervous. Could he really tell them? Would it all just work out? Just like that? Will wasn’t so sure. 

He decided against doing it right away despite Eddie’s own confidence. But he did start to drop a few feelers. He started with Jonathan, waiting until he was high enough for him to forget the conversation if it didn’t go well. And that wasn’t a long wait. 

He found him and his new friend sprawled out in his room, Fast Times playing in the background as they both stared into space. Though Will wasn’t quite sure he could count what Argyle was doing as staring. He’s eyes were barely open, and Will was 90 percent sure he was passed out. But that was good for him, now was as good a time as any. 

Jonathan smiled at him as he wandered in, his words kind but slurring, “Hey! What’s up? You never come in here. You wanna watch something or…?”

Will shook his head, his heart aching a little at the way it made his brother frown. Maybe he really had been neglecting him, too caught up in his own head to spend time with the closest thing he had to a Dad. 

It made him feel a little bad, but that wasn’t what he was here for, “No thanks. I just wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure!” Jonathan said, way too excited at the prospect of a simple question, but maybe that was the weed, “What’s up?”

Will shrugged, casually leaning against the door. Or at least he hoped it looked casual, because his heart was beating a mile per minute, “Steve said that his and Eddie’s anniversary is coming up soon. Do you think I should send them something?”

Jonathan tilted his head up to look at him, his eyes bloodshot with a tiny smile on his face, “That’s like…so nice dude. You’re always so nice. How are you so nice?”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” Will pressed, hope fluttering in his chest, “To be, y’know, celebrating them like that?”

Jonathan shook his head, “Nah man. It’s like…romance. Y’know? It’s sweet.”

“Yeah dude, gay guys are cool,” Argyle agreed out of nowhere, his eyes still closed,  “Good for Stu and Eggie. Gay people got like, the best hair.”

Will didn’t really know what to do with that one. But Jonathan was impressed. He jerked his head back to stare at Argyle, his voice in awe, “How’d you know he had good hair? I never told you he had good hair.”

“I bet they both have good hair,” Argyle sighed, “They alway do.”

“Are you like, psychic?” Jonathan asked, like that made any sense at all.

“Shit, you think I could be?”

Will watched as the two of them started to debate the idea, his brow raised. God, weed sure was a hell of a drug. He left them to it after that, deciding to slowly back out of the room. But he was going to chalk it up as a positive. 

preview for the next chapter (kind of) of this fic

[demiromanticmickey]

On today's "I am SO not normal about Dead Friend Forever": Discussing Catholicism and Colonization in this gay Thai slasher series

Some background on me: I am from a Latine Catholic family. Raised as a non-practicing Catholic (we didn't go to church or pray). Then my parents enrolled me in a Catholic school that I attended from 5th grade to the end of 7th grade. Today, I am not Catholic and have never really considered myself as such.

Ok, so in the flashback episodes of DFF, I have been noticing a lot of things. My findings under the cut.

Let's start with this crucifix and photo of the Virgin Mary and a baby Jesus.

Screenshot from ep. 5.

The camera lingers here a bit so we're obviously meant to pay attention to the phrase. I put the screenshot through Google translate's image translator and the translation it gave me was, "Think good, do good, be a good person." I didn't think much of it when I first watched the episode other than it was supposed to establish that the boys attend a Christian or Catholic school.

But then there was this image posted on Be On Cloud's Instagram (also from ep. 5): X

Zooming in, we can see there's another picture of Mary in the background. Watching the classroom scenes, it's easy to miss because the series itself is more washed out than the official photos posted. But this emphasis on Mary led me to believe the school is a Catholic one. So out of curiosity, I looked up the schools the writers and directors attended because I felt I was onto something here. And boy, was I!

Source: MDL

Ma-Deaw, if you didn't know, is one of the directors of Dead Friend Forever (he also directed Manner of Death and Inhuman Kiss , and lots of other things).

One Google search later (X) and I learned "Montfort College" is a Catholic school. It started out as a primary school that later added a secondary school as well.

Now let's take a closer look at some of the details of this school:

First, the school's motto "Labor Conquers All Things". This reminded me of the phone conversation Tee had with his uncle:

On my first watch, this sounded familiar to me but I couldn't really place why. It wasn't until I saw this other Tumblr post (X) that pointed out it's similar to a bible quote from the New Testament. The quote varies a bit depending on which version of the bible you're using but it's along the lines of, "He who does not work, neither shall he eat".

This is meant to discourage "laziness". Nevermind the fact that people deserve to eat simply because we get hungry and need food to survive. The idea that we only "deserve" things based on productivity is an extremely colonial one. — Reminder also that Tee is being forced into this "work" in the first place. He's just a high school kid. I don't need to like his character to understand how fucked up his situation is.

Then there's the patron of the school. St. Louis de Montfort was a French Catholic priest most known for his study in Mariology. What is Mariology (X)? The study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I didn't know that was a thing but it's unsurprising considering how prominent images of Mary were in my own religious upbringing. And she's what started me down this rabbit hole in the first place. Mary is a big deal to the Catholics. I'm going to be paying even more attention now if more Mary imagery pops up.

The Garden of Eden and Original Sin

Now I want to draw attention to these images:

Screenshots from ep. 7

Here we have Non and Phee biting into an apple as they leisure around this lush green field. We know they've visited this location more than once because they're wearing different outfits in the screenshots. And I think it's important to note that it's Phee holding the apple and offering it to Non.

The use of the word "bait" in the bts of ep. 7 is quite interesting too. (X)

The Garden of Eden was the paradise in which Adam and Eve resided. In this garden, there were many trees to eat from. The one tree Adam and Eve were forbidden by God to eat from was the Tree of Knowledge. A serpent (Satan), first tempted Eve into taking from the tree to eat it's fruit. And then Eve gave the fruit to Adam. That is Original Sin. And because Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, all humans thereafter are born sinful and bad, and can only find salvation through God.

Of course in the scene between Phee and Non, the sin the apple represents is being gay. And it's after this, and after the bracelet scene, that Non becomes involved with Por's film and his tragedy begins.

Zoomed in screenshot from ep. 5

And I wonder if the bracelet scene is the last time Phee and Non visit this forest location. It would parallel how Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden once they sinned.

Final Thoughts

You give me a story that criticizes Western religion and how it's used as a tool for oppression and colonization, and I'm gonna eat that shit up. I am gonna eat it up. Every. Single. Time.

I really wasn't expecting anything like this from Dead Friend Forever. This level in attention to detail is unmatched. I don't think I've watched a more well planned out show. And no matter where DFF goes from here, these seven episodes will always hold a special place in my heart. 💗

[technicallyverycowboy]

playboyy: no fags, no femmes

okay, so. playboyy meta. thanks to @lugarn, @chaos0pikachu, and @cryptidafter for talking all this out with me <3

i originally started this post with "not to be that guy," but honestly, i do want to be that guy. because so much of the critique and analysis of playboyy i'm seeing is a) grounded in a lack of knowledge about queer history and aesthetics and b) veers unintentionally but wildly into unexamined homophobia.

so, given i'm going to reference susan sontag's notes on camp several times, i've decided i might as well go full queer studies major about it and copy the list style she uses. (i would highly recommend reading notes on camp. it is academic and somewhat dense, but it's a tame 13 pages)

1. so many people are confidently asserting that playboyy is not camp, regardless of what the creatives behind the show think. to which i have to ask: how are you defining camp? what things are campy to y'all?

2. the personal definition of camp that i arrived at after writing a bunch of papers about it is two-fold: camp is exaggeration, treating things that are serious casually and treating things that are casual seriously. camp is about an aesthetic of inhabiting a role, where something is a little bit off or being something that it's not meant to be.

and to be clear, this is a wildly incomplete and simplified definition, because one of the points of camp is that it's a vibe, not something concrete. It’s also something that shifts over time the relationship between queerness and society changes.

2a. camp often intersects and overlaps with surrealism, like in rocky horror picture show. very often media that is campy exits the mundane world and enters a heightened world of exaggeration and stylization. 

3. so, is playboyy campy? i sure as hell think it is. i think lugarn and chaos0pikachu both made really good points about the campiness of playboyy and it being specifically sexwork camp. (both replies are at that link.)

4. a brief list of things that specifically resonated as campy to me: first throwing american dollars in the pool for soong to catch, zouey's fantasy of feeling up teena in art class, every single element of nant's room (especially the projected images), captain's sports plot that involved zero doing the sport and 100% fucking and fantasy, the softly romantic framing of nuth and phob's sex scenes, jump's pleather tank top & coverall combination, prom wearing assless chaps to a rooftop party at 2:30 in the afternoon, the entire concept of investigating a disappearance via a themed party... i could go on and on, but i said this was brief.

5. i think the actual problem a lot of people have with playboyy is that it doesn't care about straight people.

6. what i mean by that is that playboyy is not a universal story. you could not plug different characters with different sexualities into the plot and preserve the essence of the story. the gayness of the characters is integral to the plot. the sex work is integral to the plot. this is not a world where homophobia doesn't exist and being gay is just like being straight.

7. additionally, these characters are all performing gender in a specifically queer way. they are femmes and fags, they are obvious, they are clockable, they're visible. when nice gays talk about the people who are giving gays a bad reputation and making it harder for everyone (to assimilate into heteropatriarchy) they're talking about playboyy gays.

8. comparing playboyy to only friends is low hanging fruit at this point, but i would argue that the reason boston stood out in that cast and was so viciously punished by the ending is because he was a fag stuck in a nice gays narrative.

9. and this is where the fandom homophobia comes in. so, so many people describe these characters and chaotic and messy, watchable as incoherent and vaguely amusing from a distance, but without real substance. the resulting narrative is often that no one could take their characters or their stories seriously or resonate with them.

10. again, why? why was ray and sand's high and low, blow up fights, calling each other whores relatable but soong and first's miscommunications about what they mean to each other unbelievable chaos? why is white taking black's place an acceptable plot point, but nont pretending to be nant is absurd?

11. most bls do not deal with flamboyance except in limited capacities by comedic side characters. flamboyance is a baseline trait for most of the playboyy characters. so if they feel too much, too loud, too out there, consider asking yourself why they do.

12. to a large extent, i think a lot of the criticism of playboyy is rooted in a bad faith refusal to engage with the show beyond a surface level pearl clutching about the sexual content. the unspoken belief here being that sex scenes are inherently vulgar distractions. they can't be integral to characters or their relationships. they can't be vital pieces of a narrative.

to which i say, there are nine thousand other BLs out there where the kissing is chaste and sex scenes are ~tastefully abstracted shots of shoulder blades and hands. watch those instead.

13. if you decide you want to watch it anyway, take a couple minutes to examine what parts of the show make you uncomfortable and why. and to be clear, i think there’s a lot of value in watching things that make you uncomfortable; media is often one of the best ways to dip into interrogating your emotional responses from a safe distance. 

but don’t use discomfort to dismiss the possibility that there’s meaningful artistic and stylistic choices made to serve a meaningful narrative. take a second to sit with your reactions and ask yourself where it’s coming from. 

[johannestevans]

Possibly an odd question, but……do you have advice on how to be a slut? I’m recently out as a gay trans man, in my 30’s, only ever been with straight cisgender men, and I have no idea where to start. Being on testosterone has helped with the dysphoria, but I can’t seem to let go of old habits from when I was a girl having sex with guys. You can ignore this if you don’t feel comfortable answering, I just thought given the nature of your blog you might have some really good insights

It's not an odd question at all, Anon - I think that for a lot of trans MLM and other people who were raised as or spent a long time being perceived as women transitioning to MLM spaces, it can be a really strange feeling because like... The attitudes to sex and pleasure are just so completely different.

In the West, the culture around sexual and dating life for women who have sex with men is obviously heavily influenced by patriarchal sexual objectification of women, and like...

I do want to write a bit more about this at some point, but straight hook-up and casual dating apps like Tinder and Hinge and so on came after Grindr, and while through the 00s and the 10s there's been a sense of sexual liberation for women who have sex with men, like... Many men still think of women as prizes to be won or status symbols and extensions of their reputation; many people as a rule still think of women as sexually disposable and easily exchangeable, and more than that, they think that women are permanently marked or have their value reduced by the amount of sex or sexual partners they have.

While there has been more discussion and awareness of consent within broader society, ultimately we still live in a patriarchal rape culture that positions men as sexual aggressors and women as receivers of sexual aggression, and ultimately like--

There's the obvious safety concerns to be taken into account, the understanding that women undertake a lot of risk of sexual violence in their pursuit of casual dating and hook-ups specifically because of the way that women are viewed and treated, and obviously with everything I've just said, none of it prioritises women's pleasure or even takes it into account unless it's the performance of pleasure for the sake of male viewers' titillation and satisfaction.

How can you meaningfully communicate about consent and pleasure, as someone perceived as a cis woman, with a cisgender man who thinks of you as sub-human, or as a prize or achievement to be won? How can you talk about what feels good and what you want from sex when your pleasure is viewed and talked about not only as an afterthought, but as something that's inherently less important than the pleasure of the men you have sex with?

How can you talk about sex and desire at all, when the culture you live in says in many ways, implicit and explicit, that you are not capable of such things, and shouldn't be? When it claims that women are sexually desirable, but men are not sexually desirable at all, and are merely beasts to be withstood and endured? When sex itself is something you're meant to be on the "receiving end" of, with your pleasure a side consideration if you're very lucky, and not a mutual experience you share with another person?

Cis women who have sex with men have all that to consider, and as trans men (or other trans people), we're also grappling with our dysphoria, our own feelings about our bodies and sex and desire, our relationships to other men, and particularly to the culture that's in MLM spaces.

I have two guides below - one is about vulvar and vaginal stimulation which is intended for masturbation and self-exploration, but is also good to explore with partners. I think one of the most powerful things we can have in our arsenals is understanding of our own body and our own likes and desires, and hopefully this can be a good starting place for that!

The second is a basic guide to using Grindr as a trans man (it should be usable for nonbinary and other trans ppl), and it also discusses some of the specifics in MLM cruising culture in passing.

Ringing The Devil’s Doorbell: A Light-Hearted, Practical Guide — Let’s talk sex! Vulvar and vaginal stimulation for fun, pleasure, and profit. On Medium.

Looking For 🍑🍆💦: A Beginner’s Guide to Grindr for Trans Men — Approaching Grindr and M/M cruising culture as a trans man. On Patreon / / On Medium.

Feel free to mention any specific bad habits you're having trouble with in follow-up asks, because I'm obviously not you and don't know your personal experiences.

I will say that like... If you do feel you have old habits that are things like not communicating your needs and desires or going silent, faking orgasms, going still and letting someone else "do" sex with you, etc, like.

The use of the phrase "habit" here troubles me a bit, you know? I feel like "old habit" might mean "bad habit" and like...

Cisgender women who do these things are not acting in a vaccuum, and nor are any trans people who are or were perceived as cis women. Nor are you. These are things that people ultimately do out of shame, trauma, uncertainty, fear of communicating explicitly, and a lack of confidence that is firmly embedded in us by a dominant culture that ultimately hates us. Hates women, employs misogyny, but also hates any kind of gender variance, as well as sex that's employed for reasons other than cis patriarchal sexual satisfaction and impregnation.

My point being that none of it is your fault. Not being confident with casual sex with men and/or with sex in general even though you'd like to embrace a slut era is not something to be ashamed of, it's not on you - apart from any dysphoria you might be feeling, even if you haven't experienced sexual violence or abuse, pretty much everyone has some ingrained traumas and fears given to us by the culture we live in, especially when we've been perceived as and treated as women.

So, how do we start with it?

Grindr is the obvious place to start for a lot of MLM - it's easy, it's convenient, it's right there. You might have safety concerns, though, because of the relative anonymity of it, especially if you haven't had sex or been in community with other MLM and queer men before, and you don't feel as comfortable navigating and measuring social or suspicious ones, especially over text!

When I went back to using Grindr after like eight years being celibate for Trauma Reasons, I went for fucking dudes who were staying in hotels - they were tourists, a lot of them, so I wasn't necessarily going to see them a bunch of times afterwards, but also, I preferred the safety of a hotel to seeing people at their homes.

Hotels are staffed, in public places, where you're easily within reach of other people, and unlike in apartment blocks or houses in neighbourhoods, people aren't going to ignore any loud noise and go "Oh it's none of my business" - they'll probably come out to see what the matter is. They also have private ensuite bathrooms, which is a nice convenience and not always guaranteed at someone's home.

Honestly, though? That's very much worse case scenario stuff.

One of the benefits of Grindr for me is that we normally talk in quite explicit terms before meeting up what we like, what we might want from the encounter - and when we meet up, it's normally pretty easy to communicate what we want out loud, saying, "let's do this" or "I like this" aloud as we touch and kiss each other.

The thing about MLM cruising culture and casual sex is that like...

For cis men and women, there is a vision of sex that's going to be upheld - they kiss. They lie in bed together. He puts his penis in her vagina. He thrusts until he comes. Sex is complete, because the man has come.

A lot of people will even refer to penis-in-vagina sex as "real" sex, or have ideas that penetrative sex is the only "real" or "full" sex because of its resemblance to PIV sex. Even when we talk about "foreplay", foreplay is considered almost a necessary evil to "ready" yourself for the real sex - the penetration.

Within MLM cruising culture, while penetration is absolutely the primary goal for a lot of people as a top or bottom, there are also sides (people who don't top or bottom), and even within topping and bottoming, there's plenty of other sex acts. Oral sex, nipple play, jacking each other off, massage, kink acts, etc.

I've had guys come over just to suck me off and then be like "thanks, I'm done" and go - and I've also BEEN that guy, because I love sucking dick, and sometimes it's its own reward.

The encounter is not necessarily finished because the top has orgasmed, either - if you are having penetrative sex, a lot of tops will make sure the bottom has come at least once first (just in terms of muscle relaxation, this is actually a good tip for vaginismus and/or tight anal and vaginal muscles), or they'll come and then start going down on you or fingering you because it's your turn now.

It's not all as simple as "taking turns" or anything, but the thing about MLM cruising culture is that like...

The whole basis of men meeting up to have sex with each other is that we love other men and we desire them. We desire to feel good with other men and to make other men feel good. It's historically been based in anonymity because this desire for each other and the nature of this desire had to be kept clandestine for our safety, but because of its clandestine and simultaneously casual (as in, unattached) nature, it is in many ways extremely sexually liberated.

MLM often explore different kinks and explore different people's desires and their bodies - it's curious and explorative, and a lot of it is about exploring different sex acts, positions, and perspectives of sexuality and relationships, because we already exist in counter to the mainstream cultural shames around sex. Just by desiring men and seeing men as desirable (especially as men ourselves), we're going against the domiannt perspective of the binary as like, women are beautiful, men are ugly.

While there are absolutely people who treat cruising as something transactional just for them to get their rocks off, it's a fundamentally different culture and philosophy around desire and sexuality compared to what exists with casual sex and dating for heterosexual people.

I'm sorry this is so much based in your potential perspective and the cultural aspects rather than specific explicit tips on how to slut around, so I will give a few specific tips on that now! It's just hard to know what angle you're looking for, and I do think a lot of the hardest part is changing our perspectives and exploring what we actually desire and need from our sex life.

So, some practical tips on slutting around:

testosterone is not a contraceptive! if you can't use a hormonal contraceptive like the pill or the implant, there are non-hormonal IUDs that you can use at the same time as condoms. if you want to fuck without condoms and can't use hormonal contraceptives, there's also the cap or contraceptive diaphragm!

you can buy condoms in bulk and it's so much cheaper - even the big brands will have bulk-buy options by the few dozen, and it's worth doing. always try and carry a few in your bag, have a few in your medicine cabinet. never go to a hook-up assuming they'll have condoms - always ask in advance and bring a few along!

regular size condoms will be fine in most scenarios, but your hook-up might need a larger size and/or have a latex allergy, so again, asking in advance is always a good idea

emergency contraceptives are not contraindicated with your testosterone. emergency contraceptives are also not contraindicated with emergency PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), which will prevent you from contracting HIV after exposure. it is important after unprotected vaginal sex that you take both of these into account.

get tested regularly - if you do use Grindr, Grindr can actually regularly remind you to get your STI tests, especially your HIV! otherwise, every 3 to 6 months is a good shout depending on how much sex you're having - even if you never bareback and are on multiple contraceptives, regular STI tests (and pregnancy tests) are a good idea just in case. in ireland (and in some places in the UK), they will even let you do your STI tests for free by post!

use toys while you're having sex if you like them! Use a vibrator, use a vibrating cock ring, play around with it, have some fun! try different condoms - flavoured, ribbed, etc - and try different positions, too. explore, enjoy!

check out local queer and kink groups - there might be local BDSM meet-ups, kink events, raves etc, and it can be nice to be in touch with the local community, and you can pick up skills too, like by doing bondage workshops etc

try and hang out with other MLM, especially other trans MLM! even when you know in your own head that you desire men and to be desired by them, just being in community with other men where that desire is normalised and celebrated does so much to fucking kill the cishetero patriarchal brainworms. it takes a lot of time for any of us to unlearn that shit, and it's a process!

[letteredlettered]

Hi Im sure you answered this already but i sadly cant find it: how did end up shipping or rather writing drarry fics?

I've actually been asked quite a few times why I ship H/D. I never answer, because it's complicated and long and I have an essay on the subject, so I'll answer the 'how' question without addressing the 'why'.

Once upon a time, the internet was becoming a thing that people used regularly. The news kept talking about how the youths of the day were "surfing the 'net" and this was going to be the new normal. As usual, I could not identify with the 'youths of the day,' even though I was one. What could possibly be of interest to me on the internet? Reading books was far better than talking to other people. Then one day in my senior year of high school it dawned on me that you could possibly talk to other people about books, something I had never done before, as I didn't know anyone but my parents and brothers who ever read for fun, and my parents and brothers did not like to read things like Jane Austen. What if there were people on the 'net who liked Jane Austen??? Seemed fake, but I gave it a try.

The first Jane Austen website I found was Republic of Pemberley, which hosted something they called "Bits of Ivory." Through the "Ramble" board on Republic of Pemberley, I found out that there were "Bits of Ivory" elsewhere. It was called fanfic and hosted on fanfic.net.

Almost all of it that I was introduced to was Harry Potter fic, as HP was the megafandom of the time, and my Sense and Sensibility friend was obsessed with Snape, mainly because of Alan Rickman. I was also obsessed with Snape, though I must say that even though I had been obsessed with Alan Rickman since 1995, I never did like his casting as Snape and still don't. Anyway, I ended up getting interested in Snape/Hermione fic, and continued to be interested on and off for over the next five years.

I should pause at this moment to say that I had been writing fanfic since the fourth grade. I didn't know it was called fic. I didn't know other people did it. It never occurred to me to share it. When I found "Bits of Ivory" it actually took me a while to process that the stories there were in a similar vein to the stories I had been writing all my life, stories based on fiction by other people. It was just so wild to me that anyone would share that stuff, as though other people would want to read the different endings that they came up with, the self-inserts and the cross-overs they came up with.

I should also take this moment to say that I didn't really have slash ships. I was aware that slash existed, and I thought it was great. Sirius/Remus was a background ship everywhere at the time, and even though I didn't really see it in canon and wasn't terribly interested in it, I thought it was a nice thing. And when I started getting into X-Men through Wolverine/Rogue, it seemed obvious to me that Professor X and Magneto had a past sexual relationship. I, in fact, had an original story that I'd started writing in eleventh grade that had similar tension between two male characters, and the idea that they were in love and unable to have sex about it explained so much. And I wrote more original stories in college that were gay.

I think my problem was that the canons I was consuming were quite straight, and while I wasn't obsessed with writing canon-compliant fics, I was (and still am, to some extent) obsessed with writing characters who were true to canon. At the time sexuality seemed some kind of immutable thing to me that was deeply a part of who a character was. Also, sex to me was very Other; it meant something really deep and serious about you that obliterated other things you were. For instance, I was frustrated with all the Frodo/Sam porn, because I felt it obliterated their beautiful friendship and made their relationship about sex and being gay rather than the deep pure bond of friendship. So I was maybe kind of homophobic and confused.

Then I fell in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and while that canon has a lot of heteronormativity, it not only has a character who thought she was straight who realizes she's gay, it also has vampires who have lived for centuries and who have broken every kind of social norm that exists. It seemed silly to me to assume that Spike or Angel were straight, which is how I began shipping Spike/Angel, which is how I got absolutely obsessed with slash. It was so liberating to write porn where the power dynamic wasn't influenced by centuries of patriarchy! It was so liberating to write porn where I didn't have to think about my own anatomy or gender or position in a sexual dynamic! It was so liberating to write porn with a bunch of dicks!

Having discovered slash, I turned back to ye olde faithful fandom, which had ten billion fics about everything. I'm not sure I even tried Sirius/Remus, because I was still so uninterested in it, but now I read all the Snape slash, the majority of which seemed to be Harry/Snape. The thing is, I don't ship Harry/Snape. It can be very hot! But while the porn is fine and some of the stories are fun, these are not two people that I want to live happily ever after. I just think that the power dynamic between them, the history they have, and the personalities they are do not make me want to imagine them as a couple with a happy marriage who occasionally have the friends over for games of Quidditch and Exploding Snap. And while I like queer complicated, angsty stories, I also like a happy ending in a semi-heteronormative sense, especially for Harry Potter, who really seems to want one. So, I started looking for other Harry Potter slash.

I knew that Harry/Draco was a juggernaut pairing, but I just hated Draco Malfoy so much. I honestly could not stand him. I used to go about saying that I hated him not only as a person (like, I also hated Snape as a person; he's a dick, and he's cruel to children! But he's a great character) but as a character. I just didn't like the function he played in the narrative. I like big, dramatic rivalries and evil vs good; meanwhile, Draco Malfoy is a little worm. So I kept thinking about reading HP slash, but resisting.

Then, one day, I was sleeping on the couch, and woke up suddenly with the idea that Draco Malfoy could be reformed. He could be sorry for all the shitty things he's done! He could be really apologetic! He could be really trying to make up for his past, and Harry could find this truly beautiful, and they could have sex about it!

Surprisingly, it was hard to find fic about this. For some reason, in most of the fic, it was Harry having to earn Malfoy's approval, instead of the other way around, which I found absolutely bonkers. But I eventually found Eclipse, by Mijan, which was just what I wanted. Then I was obsessed and was reading every Harry/Draco fic I could find.

Eventually, I even read the ones in which Harry was a cad and Draco Malfoy was a perfect snowflake who never did anything wrong. And then I started finding fics that really emphasized that Draco had a very different point of view of what happened, which showed that he really had no way to understand who Harry was, or what Harry had been through. In these fics, Harry had to do some work to understand Draco, which is what really sold me on the pairing. I still want fics in which Draco has to do a lot of heavy lifting to address his past and deal with the hurt he has caused and the violence of his previously genocidal outlook, but I love it when Harry, too, has to adjust. After saving the world and losing most people he loves and protecting the innocent and doing his exhausted little best to be honest and righteous and true, Harry Potter still has to do work, again, to overcome his past and find a peaceful life. And that's what made me start writing Harry/Draco, the end.

[elmhat]

Dreblr Survey Results Pt.3 - Confessions.

So. The time has come. There was a section at the end of the survey where it simply said to "say something unhinged," and you really did! Here are some of the most entertaining ones.

Again, I'm pasting these directly from the form. If anyone thinks I wrote this stuff myself I think I'll go and sit under the sea for several hours.

⚠️ A lot of these are NSFW. I'm serious, please be responsible :)

People being really really funny

something unhinged

Something unhinged

Ur mom is unhinged

penis

Calls for violence against everyone who has ever wronged Dream

I want to blend (with a blender) c!q and c!sam and throw the substance to the wolves

Quackity should have died

I think Tommy should have stayed dead

Dream should have actually tortured tommy

Exile was hilarious. :)

Calls for… forgiveness?

they should've made up with c q in the finale streams

I forgive Q. We don't know what really happened behind the scenes.

Sam, both c! and cc!

Sam is Daddy and I know for a fact he reads AO3 fics that man is NOT normal

cc!sam closeted c!awesamdream shipper

I don't think anything I say can top Sam having a scrapbook of sexy criminals

you know how sam has a bunch of clones of himself to inhabit. alright now imagine him doing that with dream. this is how the awesamdream baby can still win.

c!Sam and c!Dream are fundamentally very different characters with very different wordviews but one of the few things they have in common is praise kink.

I don't think this counts as shipping but that's what I'm calling it

c!dnf gay sex post prison arc happy ending (REAL) (I SAW IT ON THE SCRIPT DOCUMENTS IN DREAM'S COMPUTER)

um um c!dnf in gay love idk they are the only ones for each other sorry

DNF kiss real

CDNF IS OVERHYPEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I SAID IT AND I MEANT IT

If c!dreamnotnap had slept together i think dream would have stayed sane

i think s apnap fucks d ream with his small dick and they both love it and love each amen 🙏

i want to get c!sapnap pregnant

The most superior ship is Dream/Technoblade/Punz/DreamXD/Foolish/Kristin/Philza Because in this household we love big polycules

i think dream should've done more crime and fucked awesamdude

Dream and Sam fucked in that prison

C!DREAM IS A TRANS WOMAN AND AWESAMDREAM FUCKED NASTY IN THAT PRISON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dreblr's overwhelming preoccupation with c!Awesamdream is getting kinda worrying ngl

dream and quackity are what I seek in a relationship

c dreamity is my otp i love those unhinged bastards kissing eachother

Dreambur needs more love and I’m tired of it being pushed aside

is it even unhinged to assume that Dream fucked Fundy, Fundy's dad (Wilbur) and Fundy's Grandpa (Phil) I feel like that's just a regular sentimet on dreblr by now

dreamza prevails

Dnb best ship

Doomsday trio deserves to fuck nasty imho

He fucked that old man

c!Dream needs to get dicked down I think that would solve a lot of problems post nut clarity if you will

NSFW so don't feel like you need to put this in any compilation i completely understand BUT whenever the c!sam cuck chair crosses my dash, in my head it's traditional dynamic omegaverse c!dnb. c!sam's an alpha who wanted to show off to omega c!dream before claiming and mating with him for their mutual first time. he decides to do this by challenging alpha c!techno to a fight, but to his shock, lost. badly. he has to watch alpha c!techno mate with and claim c!dream right in front of him, because watching such a clearly superior alpha demonstrate his abilities causes c!dream to go into heat and c!techno is happy to help him with that. he's been looking for a mate anyway and c!dream just so happens to be his type. meanwhile, c!dream wants to give c!techno as many litters as his body can handle and barely remembers who that other guy in the room even is, even after his heat calms down.

Dream harems? I guess?

c!Dream has/should have a harem

Dream is a pretty boy and should have taken off his mask to start a harem to prevent war.

Things that I really don't think are that unhinged around here, given their competition

i was such a crazy c!dream apologist in 2021 i actually had a dream about it

I have a spreadsheet with every tag, character and relationship tag for every dsmp fanfciton I read and liked/found interesting.

I know people will say it is/was kinda cringy but I will never think that or regret being part of the fandom (that's not really unhinged I couldn't think of anything sorry lol)

I know its delulu beyond belief and i will never say this not anonymously but sometimes i fantasize about if i was able to be friends with dream team

Wilbur wasn't a hero or "good guy" at any point in his storyline.

Doomsday was 100% justified. (...is that unhinged enough or do I need to pick something else?)

People being too polite for this question

Sorry I am not THAT unhinged

no, but i thank you for the opportunity! I am sadly to hinged, normal even

And more!

George is the main character and we got robbed by not having him meet c!Dream again!! but in meta it is because they are together in real life and who needs their depression character anymore in that senario.

c!DTeam reconciliation arc was always intended

c!drunz are necrophiliacs.

Okay. Okay here me out here OK. So. Imagine Norman (bald guy) is c!schlatt and Pat (white haired dude) is c!Phil OK yw ENJOYYYYYYY : https://youtu.be/b7Bj1dBMYBE?si=Cz79CEISAg6EcMYS

Techno's age of 3 is actually canon and New L'Manberg comitted infanticed

C!Tubbo is the best faction leader. The bar isn't high but I think Technically he did well

c!foolish rights unlimited forever. he deserved blood sacrifices

Cc Sam and Dram were the most normal about the prison

I think quackity should have gotten to do more on screen cannibalism

If c!Quackity had taken hormones to balance his insane lust (Wilbur, Technoblade, Schlatt, etc) he would never have gone crazy send post

I think a Daedalus arc with Quackity instead would've been such a downhill for Dream's sanity. Send tweet.

in a server where we have a c!dream made of oreo cream au . quackity eats him in prison . there is fanart .

Please sir please sir please no more

✨️truama ✨️

all of dreblr contains more competency in media literacy than the rest of tumblr combined

i love how these characters hate each other, keep hurting each other, but tied to each other in a way they just can't shake off.

the only way for c!Dream to be properly Redeemed is to live out the worst thing he subjected another person to: *cue his tropical island paradise getaway arc, sunbathing on the beach with no one to bother him except for friends occasionally visiting* #trust

c!Dream was building an underwater stone temple to satan in order to pray for the apocalypse change my mind

C!Dream is very anthy himemiya coded

c!dream is a cow hybrid and has 4 beautiful tits

I feel like the only cc!dream enjoyer who's also a c!tommy enjoyer

C!dream eggs Monday is the flag of dreblr 🥚

Reminder that C!Dream is a stripper

Dream spoonfeeding post

i think dream should've been worse. as a treat. let him murder more minors please.

Prison feels like cc!Dream’s little whump arc. Also, prisontrio favorite grouping. The best angst and whump in town.

Whenever I write whump fanfics it feels like I’m sticking my blorbos in an empty pickle jar and shaking it like a kid holding a snowglobe for the first time

Todo es un invento del gobierno

Today's culinary special is teeth cake

i think we should all collectively gaslight people/edit the wiki to try and convince people omegaverse was canon to the DSMP. or make a fake second wiki.

*grabs you by the shoulders* ok so after wilbur died and fundy was alone and grieving he kept getting picked on for being an orphan by the rest of the server, for example puffy built an obsidian box around his house in new lmanburg and labelled it an orphanage. fundy was already dealing with the loss of his dad + the appearance of a ghost that was supposed to be his dad but didn't remember half of his life, and now he had to deal with this too. so he starts to mine it meanwhile jack manifold is trying to cheer him up, not helped by the fact that ghostbur keeps hanging around despite fundy not wanting him there. Jack tries to get fundy to look on the bright side, he says that the obsidian box around his house could function as protection from tnt, and so, to prove that's bullshit, fundy places a tnt beside the house he spent so long building and blows up a portion of it. Destroys his own work, a part of his home just to prove a point. It's a self destructive act of defiance. Ghostbur and jack both agree that was unnecessary and jack maintains it could protect the house from outside attacks. fundy continues to take the wall down. Ghostbur fixes the hole in fundy's house, but leaves evidence of the explosion. He puts a sight down saying "-CAUTION- Fallen debris". Now, I need you to know how insane I am over the fact that after doomsday, after the entirety of new Lmanburg was decimated, that sign was the only part of fundy's home that remained unbroken. A sign, surrounded by the rubble of a fallen nation, destruction as far as the eye can see, warning of fallen debris. A sign for a self destructive act of defiance. I am going to eat drywall about this

Okay, one more. People I'm hugging

i miss technoblade

I really want to be a part of dreblr but I feel like they're all cool kids and I'm the quiet weirdo kid hiding in the corner. It feels like if you weren't there for the Founding of the Great Dreblr, there's no way in now. Kinda like you can't get hired as a restaurant janitor as your first job if you haven't already owned the place for 5 years prior

I am in your walls

Thanks everyone for forcing my eyeballs to see this! Reading your responses was certainly an experience I'll be stuck with!

[kokomos]

*°; 𝙄 𝙒𝘼𝙉𝙉𝘼 𝘽𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘽𝙊𝙔𝙁𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙉𝘿 ✦ ‧˚.

dylan lenivy relationship headcanons

+ As the self-proclaimed 'master of music', Dylan is always sharing songs with you. He gets so excited when he listens to something new and it makes him think of you, he has a long ass playlist of songs in your name.

+ He kinda dreads the serious stuff in relationships, he wants everything to stay upbeat and lighthearted.

+ This means you're probably gonna have to take the lead communication-wise, it makes him super uncomfortable to talk about his real feelings.

+ He's such a good support system, though! He appreciates the balance between you two and it affirms his belief that you two are "meant to be".

+ Good at hiding it, but he is riddled with anxiety most days. Some handholding and a couple kisses would help him a lot though (his words, not mine lol).

+ PDA makes him nervous!! He tries to put on a tough face but you really should go easy on him if you guys are in front of other people, even his friends.

+ While working at the camp together, he'll use up most of his energy trying to get you to goof off with him, it doesn't matter how hard you try to stay committed to your responsibilities, you always end up somewhere secluded with your hands all over him. This results in a lot of reprimanding from Chris and too much teasing from the counselors.

+ "I can understand young love, Dylan, but your job comes first! The kids are counting on you, your friends are, I am… blah blah blah"

+ Chris makes such crappy arguments you're leaving your cabin that night to meet up with Dylan again.

+ He loves the thrill from disobeying authority, it makes him feel like a carefree kid again. It's why he likes to tease you a lot! He just loves playing around and wants to make you laugh.

+ Speaking of playing, the kids at the camp see him as one of their own since he's one of the few counselors who will take full part in their shenanigans. It's pretty cute until you find yourself being targeted by a child army under Dylan's command.

+ Takes the most pride in his humor, he adores the sound of your laugh so he'll do anything to hear it again and again.

+ Not necessarily the jealous type, but he can feel threatened if he sees you laughing a lot at someone's jokes.

+ Absolutely loves that he's taller than you even if it's only by a couple inches, he'll take any opportunity to remind you just how small you are compared to him. His signature move is coming up behind you and stretching his big arms over your whole frame to get what you were reaching for.

+ If you're taller than him, he's constantly standing on his tippy toes to close the gap. He secretly likes being smaller than you because he's usually the biggest person in the room and this lets him take on a different role for once.

+ He wants you to take the lead when you two get intimate, despite the attitude he can catch with the others, he's always been more than eager to do whatever you tell him to.

+ He's really so sweet, he loves being good for you.

+ Dylan's also got that secret smart side he likes to keep tightly under wraps unless he gets to flex in front of you lol. He's can't help but get cocky when he sees how impressed you are with his random quantum physics facts/rants.

+ A man who needs a lot of reassurance. It's hard for him to believe you actually want to be with him considering the fake personalities he plays into in order to 'protect' himself.

+ Needs someone who can see him as he is, who really likes him for him and not the persona he created to get through his nervous start at the camp.

— ♡☆

a/n: this was written with a male or gn reader in mind, dylan is gay!!

[thestrangestthing89]

I really don't like how terms meant for adult relationships keep getting applied to children. It happens a lot with the Mike/Will/El dynamic. I think it's often being done by really young parts of the fandom trying to sound more mature or trying to legitimize the Mike/El relationship. But it's really problematic and overlooks a lot of what's going on here. Some of it is obviously absurd - like calling Will a home wrecker. This term is for married couples and they are fresh out of middle school. Mike and El don't have a home to wreck. But some of it just simplifies the issue at hand - like saying Mike and Will are emotionally cheating. This implies there is an affair happening and they are young teens so it just sounds silly. Affairs are for adults. Not to mention that Mike and El's relationship is not deep. It's a silly middle school relationship that basically only qualifies as a relationship because they say that's what it is. They don't have the dynamics of a romantic relationship. No one is cheating here. Mike and Will are two scared kids who have heard their whole lives that being gay is bad and wrong. We know Will at least got bullied his whole life for this, both at school and by his father. It's likely Mike was too, but if he wasn't he still heard Will getting abused for this through their whole childhood. They've been taught their feelings are wrong. So they are pretending not to have them or trying very hard to ignore them. Mike and El are only together because they both think they are supposed to and they are trying to be normal. They want to fit in with the other kids. This doesn't mean they don't care about each other but there is a big difference between that and having a serious relationship. Mike and Will have known each other since childhood and have always had an emotional bond and close relationship. It didn't just start suddenly when El came into the picture. It's just how their relationship is. So Mike isn't suddenly emotionally cheating on El. He's acting the same way he's always acted with Will. Nothing about their dynamic has changed. There are a lot of implications when terms like this are used but my main problem is the one that says El's feelings are the only one's that matter. As if Mike and Will are horrible people for having feelings when El exists. They aren't and Mike isn't using her any more than she's using him. They both want to feel normal and use this relationship to accomplish that. There is this outcry of "what about El" whenever people bring up Byler and it's not ok. El's feelings are important but they aren't the only ones that are and no one is required to suffer to make her happy. She also doesn't love Mike or want to be in a relationship with him so it doesn't even matter. But Mike and Will are allowed to have feelings for each other even when Mike and El are together. There is this idea that they can't because it will somehow ruin the "purity" of Mike and Will's dynamic and this is so, so problematic. There aren't always clear lines drawn when one relationship ends and another starts. It in no way means that peoples feelings in the second relationship are less legitimate. No relationship is perfect and expecting them to be is unfair and unrealistic. It doesn't make their relationship less serious because Mike was in another one first (I would argue he was with Will first anyway just because he's known him longer).

A label doesn't need to be attached to this dynamic at all. They can just be confused and scared kids who are figuring out how to navigate their feelings. That's all it is. There is no need to judge them for not navigating this perfectly. No one ever does.

[geekfanficwriter]

I Want You to Want Me- Robin Buckley x Fem!Reader

Summary: Ever since Robin came out to you, you haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. Words: 2.9k Warnings: SMUT 18+ (Minor dni), oral (f! recieving), fingering, slight dom! reader, language, mentions of homophobia

Author’s Note: I should probably be working on my Eddie fic but I had this idea and had to write it.

Ever since Robin had come out to you, you couldn’t stop thinking about her. It had been after being drugged by the Russians. Steve had confessed her feelings for her and she had told him that she liked girls, all while you had sat there in silence. You should’ve said something there and then. About however since you had started working at Scoops Ahoy you had thought she was the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen. About how the sailor uniform that would look ridiculous on anyway else looked so hot on her. Even if you could’ve told her that you also liked girls without admitting your feelings. But instead, you kept quiet, not even the drugs in your system making you admit your biggest secret. Now the two of you, alongside Steve, worked at the Family Video store and you spent every single shift trying to not stare too much at her. Your feelings for her were a million times stronger than they had been previously knowing that she also liked girls. You wanted to say something and it got harder to keep quiet every day but you couldn’t. She thought you liked boys and even if she knew you didn’t even know if she would like you. It was best if you kept quiet about your feelings. ‘Well, that was hilarious to watch.’ You laughed as another girl walked out of the store after rejecting Steve. ‘What’s that? The fifth this week?’ Robin laughed along with you. ‘Yeah, and it’s only Tuesday.’ You grabbed a couple of videos and walked over to the shelves, placing them out. ‘I don’t know why you two are laughing. You’re both even more hopeless than me. Besides, I have a date this evening.’ ‘Okay, first of all, we’re meant to be having a movie night at mine this evening. Second of all, why are you hitting on girls if you have a date?’ You spoke, jumping up to sit on the counter. ‘Keeping my options open and I’m afraid the two of you will have to spend time together without me.’ You were freaking out. You hadn’t been alone with Robin before, well not since you had found out she liked girls. ‘Oh, okay.’ Your voice came out higher than normal. ‘I don’t have to come over Y/N. I can reschedule if you want Steve there.’ God, if Robin could tell that you were freaked out with her ability to pick up on social cues then it must be obvious. ‘No, no it’s good.’ You nearly ran when you heard the door open and a customer came but Steve beat you, helping the customer first. ‘Are you sure you’re okay with hanging out alone with me?’ Robin asked. ‘Yeah, honestly, it’s totally cool.’ ‘You sure cause ever since the thing with the Russians you’ve been distant with me and I understand why. It’s uncomfortable for you to be around someone who likes girls. But I promise I won’t-‘ ‘Robin, no I promise that’s not it.’ You hated the idea that Robin thought you hated her for being gay. That was worse than anything else. You’d rather her know the truth than think you were disgusted by her. ‘Are you sure? Because you just seemed really freaked out by me.’ ‘Robin, I’m not. I really promise that I would never be grossed out by you.’ You jumped off the counter and placed your hand on her arm. ‘Look, we can discuss this at mine later. I’ll let you pick the movie, we can even watch one of those artsy foreign films you like. And I’ll pay for snacks.’ ‘Yeah. That sounds good.’

You left 10 minutes before your shift ended to go get snacks for you and Robin. You grabbed a bunch of different stuff, making sure to grab both your's and Robin’s favourite snacks. You walked back over to Family Video as Robin and Steve were locking up. ‘I got all the good snacks. So what film did you pick?’ You asked walking over, holding up the grocery bag. ‘Suspiria. I figured I’d pick something we’d both like.’ ‘A mix of artsy and horror. Perfect.’ It was true that it was perfect for the two of you. You loved horror films whereas Robin loved arthouse cinema and you felt like any film that combined the two was practically made for the two of you. It was just an added plus that Suspiria was one of your favourite films. You walked over to your car which was parked next to Steve’s and opened the passenger door for Robin. ‘See you tomorrow, Steve. Don’t completely fuck up your date.’ Robin said climbing into the car. ‘Yeah, I won’t. Have fun you two.’

The car journey was completely silent, both you and Robin thinking about the conversation that the two of you were going to have. Should you tell her the full truth? Or would it just be easier to tell her that you also liked girls and leave it at that? Then again that wouldn’t explain why were avoiding her. Maybe you could just avoid the conversation altogether and watch the film and pretend like everything was okay. You pulled up in front of your house and jumped out of the car, grabbing the grocery bag from the back seat. You unlocked the door and walked inside, holding the door open for Robin. ‘My parents are out for the night so we can use the TV in the lounge.’ You walked through to the lounge and indicated for Robin to sit on the couch while you put the film in the VHS player. ‘Y/N.’ Robin said, the tone of her voice apprehensive. ‘Yeah.’ You turned around from the TV to look at her. She had taken off her jacket and work tie and she looked absolutely beautiful, perched on your couch with her legs crossed. ‘You said you were going to tell me what’s going on. And I just want to know what’s going on. I felt like we were becoming close friends and then you suddenly started acting weird. And you say it’s not because I’m gay but I can’t think of any other reason you’d be acting this way.’ Robin was rambling now and you felt guilty that you had caused her this much distress. You stood up and walked over to her. You sat next to her and took her hands into your own. ‘Robin. I’m sorry that I’ve been avoiding you. It’s nothing to do with you, I’ve just had a lot on my mind and it’s been throwing me through a loop. I just- I guess I.’ You sighed and let go of Robin’s hands, turning around so you weren’t facing her. ‘What are you doing?’ Robin asked, laughing slightly. ‘I just can’t look at you while I say this.’ You took a deep breath and started to speak. ‘The reason I’ve been acting weird since we were drugged is because of what you said, but it’s not because I think it’s disgusting. It’s because I’m the same. I also like girls and I’ve never told anyone because I was afraid, I am afraid. But that’s not the only reason I acted weird around you. It was because I don’t just like girls, I like one specific girl. She’s so smart, like incredibly smart. And she’s funny and she likes these movies that make no sense but I would watch them a million times just to spend time with her. And she’s so beautiful even in that stupid sailor’s uniform that she had to wear. Ever since the first time I saw her in it I wanted to kiss her and be with her but I didn’t think it would ever happen.’ You stopped speaking, still not turning round to look at her. You just stared ahead at the wall until you felt a hand on your shoulder. ‘Y/N, can you look at me?’ You turned around and faced Robin who had tears in her eyes. ‘Robin, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to make you cry.’ You panicked, you thought maybe she might reject you but you didn’t think she’d cry. ‘Y/N, I’m crying cause I’m happy. I thought you were avoiding me because you hated me and I didn’t want you hating me because I like you. A lot.’ ‘You like me?’ You smiled. You couldn’t believe that Robin actually liked you. ‘Yeah. I mean you’re cool and funny and you listen to amazing music. Not to mention how beautiful you are, your hair, your eyes.’ You couldn’t take it anymore. Robin was so close to you and she looked so perfect so you leant over and kissed her. You felt her kiss back and butterflies erupted in your stomach at how soft her lips were. She wrapped her hands around your neck pulling you on top of her as she lay flat on the couch. You slid your hand under her shirt leaving it on the smooth skin of her hip. You pulled away from her slightly, moving your lips to her neck and leaving small kisses all over. ‘That tickles.’ She laughed her voice coming out raspy. ‘Sorry, you’re just so beautiful.’ You said kissing her lightly on the mouth. You moved your hands up to her shirt. ‘Is this alright?’ She nodded slightly and you started unbuttoning her shirt. You leaned down, kissing her, sliding your tongue into her mouth as you continued to undo the buttons on her shirt. Once you reached the last button you moved your hands back up to her breasts, squeezing them through her bra. You felt her hands move down and grab your ass. You moved your hips, grinding slightly on the leg that was between yours, the friction causing you to moan. Robin moved her hands up, pulling your shirt up. You disconnected your lips for a moment as she pulled your shirt over your head. You reached your hands back and undid your bra throwing it on the floor. ‘Wow.’ She said looking down at your bare breasts. You felt yourself blush under her gaze and moved your head down to kiss in between her breasts. You heard her lightly moan as you moved your mouth over, kissing all around where her bra sat. You pushed your leg up, moving it against her clothed pussy. The movement caused some relief for you as your own cunt ground against her leg. You pulled the cup of her bra down and moved your mouth to her nipple, flicking it with your tongue before taking it into your mouth. Robin’s moans spurred you on, the sound making you want to keep pleasuring her. ‘You sound so perfect, baby’ You removed your mouth from her breast and kissed her stomach resting your head there while you undid her jeans. ‘Lift up your hips.’ She did as you asked and you pulled down both her trousers and underwear leaving her completely bare in front of you. You moved your hand down, kissing her stomach again and you run your hand over her pussy, feeling how wet she was. ‘Is this all for me?’ You asked, moving your fingers up to your mouth, tasting Robin on them. ‘Yes.’ She let out a breathy moan, watching you as you sucked on your fingers. You moved your head back up, leaning down to kiss Robin, her juices still on your tongue. Your hand snaked down her stomach, moving to rub her clit. She let out a loud moan against your mouth causing you to smile and you moved your hand in circles. You felt her moving her hips against your hand, begging for more. ‘Tell me what you want, baby.’ You mumbled against her lips, continuing to move your fingers. ‘Y/N.’ She moaned, her head leaning back against the pillow being you. You moved your lips down to her exposed neck, biting down lightly, before sucking gently. You stop moving your hand, leaving it completely still against her. ‘I’m not going to continue if you don’t tell me what you want.’ She groaned slightly, her hips rubbing against your hand. ‘I want your fingers.’ She moaned out. ‘Where do you want them, Robin?’ You moved your hand that wasn’t on her pussy to her breast, squeezing and pinching her nipple. ‘Inside me, please.’ She begged you and you obliged, slipping one finger inside her causing her to moan loudly. You moved your finger in and out adding another one as you felt her walls clench around you. You curled your fingers inside her as you continued to move them. ‘I love the feeling of your pussy, babe.’ You told her, gaining a moan in response. You moved your thumb up to play with clit, flicking it lightly as your finger continued to move in and out of her. You pushed yourself against her leg, needing some release of your own. Watching Robin underneath you, her head thrown back, her mouth open in pleasure, it was better than anything you’d ever seen. She was absolutely perfect. You continued to kiss all over her neck and breasts as you felt her hands dig into your thighs, gripping the fabric of your jeans. You could tell she was close as you kept moving your hand at a steady pace. ‘Are you going to cum for me, baby?’ You asked her. She nodded and you moved her lips to hers kissing her furiously. You felt her legs shake slightly under you as she clenched around your fingers. She threw her head back in a loud moan and came all over your hand. You slowed your pace down, still moving your hand as she came down from her orgasm. You pulled your fingers out of her as she shook beneath you breathing heavily. You moved your fingers into your mouth, tasting her properly this time, moaning at the taste on your tongue. ‘That was amazing.’ She whispered, pulling you down to her and kissing you. ‘Sit up.’ She told you. You followed her instructions, sitting up on the couch. She pulled herself out from underneath you, kneeling in front of you on the floor. ‘What are you doing?’ You asked looking down at her. ‘Repaying the favour.’ She grabbed your legs and pulled you towards the edge of the couch. She kissed your thighs lightly, undoing your jeans as she moved her head up. She gripped the edge of your jeans and you lifted your hips up slightly as she pulled them down, leaving you in just your underwear. She kissed you lightly on your cunt through your underwear causing you to moan at the feeling. You could feel how wet you were and all you wanted was for her to touch you more. She placed some more kisses on you through your underwear before sucking slightly, taking your underwear into your mouth. ‘Fuck. Robin please.’ You breathed, wanting more. She grabbed your underwear, pulling them down, not giving you a chance to think before she licked all the way up your pussy. You groaned, moving your hands down to her hair. You lifted your legs up and placed them on her shoulders. She kept licking at you before moving her mouth to suck on your clit. The sensation caused your eyes to roll back in your head. She knew exactly what to do to make you feel good. You felt one of her hands which was on your leg move towards your cunt, two of her fingers pushing inside you. You let out a loud moan, the feeling of her sucking on your clit while her fingers were inside her was too much. You pulled even harder on Robin’s hair as you felt the feeling of your orgasm building inside you. ‘Robin.’ You moaned, tugging at her hair. She moved her fingers in and out of you at a fast pace, while her mouth sucked on your clit. You moved one of the hands that were in her hair to the hand that wasn’t inside you intertwining your fingers. You felt your orgasm wash over you, gripping her hand tightly and screaming her name. Your chest moved up and down as you took deep breaths, still not letting go of Robin’s hand. She pressed light kisses to your thighs as she removed her hand from you. She pulled herself up off the floor, lying down on the couch. You moved on top of her, resting your head on her breasts. You interlaced your fingers with hers as you felt her other hand start to play with your hair. You felt yourself getting sleepy as you cuddled up against her and fought to keep your eyes open. ‘As cute as you look right now. I don’t think your parents would appreciate coming home to find you naked on the couch with a girl.’ Robin mumbled. ‘Not my fault you’re so comfortable.’ You mumbled with your eyes still closed, not wanting to move. ‘Babe, you have to get up. We can cuddle once we’re dressed.’ ‘Fine. You whined, but I’m holding to that.’ You sat up stretching out. ‘On one condition though.’ ‘And what is that?’ She said gathering her clothes up off the floor. ‘You agree to be my girlfriend.’ You smiled at her. ‘I think I can live that.’ Robin said leaning over to kiss you.

[doki-doki-lesbians-club]

hello! please rant about the comphet subtext in ddlc. i wanna hear it so bad please please please please please

Hi! I think I've written on this before, but I can't recall when or where, so I'll try and recall as many points as I can!

This'll be a long one, so under the cut!

For starters, let's talk base game. Obviously, all four girls fall for the MC and that's that. However, watching the ways that the other club members interact, it's pretty clear to many players that they have feelings beyond just friendship.

Namely, I sight Natsuki's poems. First off, the poem "Amy Likes Spiders" can be read as Yuri's love of horror (which is how I initially read it when I first played). However, it's also pretty easy to read this as either Natsuki's experience being trans, or being gay. Either way, that makes the entire narrative of the poem make sense, and also explains lines like "I tried not to let her touch me. She likes spiders, so her hands are probably gross." as well as "It doesn't matter if she has other hobbies. It doesn't matter if she keeps it private. It doesn't matter if it doesn't hurt anyone.

It's gross. She's gross. The world is better off without spider lovers."

Seems pretty clear, right? These lines may feel intense and out of place with other readings, but when you imagine Natsuki being outed to her shit friends as gay, or trans, it all starts to make sense.

Have you ever read the poem "I'll Be Your Beach"? Because it's gay as all hell!

We're led to assume that the romantic poems Natsuki and Yuri write are about the MC, but that would be odd to imagine when reading this poem. Natsuki writes about "your heavy thoughts", "your insecurities", and "your memories" and ends by saying "You'll learn to love yourself again." When, exactly, did the MC express any of these sentiments? Let alone to Natsuki?? But I think it would be pretty easy to connect all of these points to another girl: Yuri.

It's easy to see some strong subtext here for gay Natsuki (and maybe trans too, if you wanna see that). But when we break into the Side Stories, this is where it gets real interesting...

MC is not there. The Side Stories are purely scenes to read through to watch the Literature Club form for the first time as all the girls meet each other and get to know one another. Because of this, we get to see more of them and their feelings toward each other than we could have ever dreamed of in the base game!

Without giving too many spoilers for some of the best scenes in the entire game: the Side Stories are pretty gay. It's nearly impossible to ignore. These girls are clearly imagining each other as more than just friends, are going through some feelings. Each pairing even gets their own spotlight, and we see how each and every one of them has some interest in each other, which is a stark difference from the base game.

The main difference? MC is not there.

The base game has a lot of themes surrounding control, reality, and choices (or the lack thereof). Not only are all the girls destined (or "programmed") to fall in love with MC, it can't be avoided, even by Monika, who wasn't meant to have a route at all. They were already playing with the ideas of fate, and programming, and free will, but what happens when you remove the object that decided their fate?

Well, when we removed MC from the scenario altogether, we see the girls happier, getting along better, and showing interest in one another that we only got in subtext in the base game. To me, this leads to another theme of choice and control: compulsive heterosexuality. If part of the "generic dating sim" frame of their reality is forcing them to express interest in the male protagonist, even if they couldn't care less and really are interested in each other, that's the same themes but on a whole new level.

Left to their own devices, the girls are happy and expressing interest in one another. In the "game" they are forced to play roles in, we see their problems exacerbate, their situation spiraling, as they all desperately cling to the MC as the object of their affection. Seems pretty comphet to me.

Thank you sooo much for this ask! It's been a while since I wrote a long post like this! :D Speaking outside of my own trans/gay perspective, it seems pretty hard to imagine any other future for these girls in light of the Side Stories. And to that extent, I think the Side Stories gives us a window into a happier world; one where they are all free to grow and thrive as who they are, regardless of what that means for each of them! I think that's only further fueled this wonderful fandom: seeing them happy.

and gay.

Thanks again for the ask~!

[itsactuallycorrine]

9-1-1 7x05 Wild Theories

Just to be totally self-indulgent for a moment

When Buck tells Tommy he’s never dated a dude before, Tommy asks something along the lines of “Nothing’s ever happened with Eddie?” And is even further surprised when Buck splutters that Eddie isn’t into men.

(This will lead to the natural conclusion of BuckyTommy next episode—I think we’ll only get one more from him—since he really likes Buck and doesn’t want to set himself up for heartbreak, but he won’t do it until he’s relatively certain that Buddie is requited)

Eddie fully spirals over BuckTommy date—but mostly because he already knows he’s in love with Buck and what’s so special about Tommy that Buck would give him a shot and not Eddie???

The poker date actually WAS meant as a date—it was Eddie shooting his shot and Buck being oblivious to it. Eddie will be crushed to realize that if he’d just gone for it and kissed Buck like he’ll find out Tommy did, then maybe Buck would’ve realized he’s bi sooner & wouldn’t have dated Natalia

We’ll get demisexual!Eddie confirmation—implicitly or explicitly—when Marisol tries to sleep with Eddie and he reminds her (bc I’m sure they’ve discussed this offscreen) that he’s not ready to take that step until he has a deep emotional connection to someone. She’ll call him out on not being able to love her because he’s in love with Buck and he’ll admit he’s known for years (my guess is the well or shortly thereafter, although we may not hear that for a while). They’ll fight, she’ll claim that Eddie was using her as a beard to cover the fact that he’s gay, and Eddie will defend himself by saying he loved Shannon but he also loves Buck and he doesn’t know what that makes him. I think this will be a nasty confrontation very different from the Eddie/Ana breakup

Eddie starts avoiding Buck after he witnesses the date and Buck confronts him (gym scene?) to either apologize again (first one was offscreen) about basketball or call him out for being shitty about Buck dating Tommy, but Eddie is just protecting himself, though he doesn’t tell Buck that

The loft scene is Eddie apologizing for taking a beat and he tells Buck he’s proud of him and there’s nothing that will ever break up their friendship. He decides to let Buck and the idea of more go, and the episode ends on a positive note for BuckTommy and an angsty one for Eddie, now single and seeing someone else live his fantasy

[ladyfromaspookyforest]

Lumax vs Milevn

One thing that I absolutely love about contrasting Lumax and Milevn is that they followed such similar paths up to a point at which they diverge. And that point of divergence is EVERYTHING.

For starters, Lucas and Mike start off as each others' love interests biggest haters. They try to shut El and Max out of the party respectively.

Next, Lucas and Mike are the only ones who treat Max and El with full respect and acceptance right off the bat. They develop a closer bond than the others, Max and El confiding in Lucas in Mike more than they do the others.

This one's obvious...

And then we get into the absolute ridiculousness of season 3. The girls break up with their boyfriends, laugh about it, the boys bemoan. It's all humor. It's the epitome of youth. Teenage drama.

Sidebar: I hated both of these ships when I first watched this show. I could not get over the ick factor I felt watching children kissing. I kept being like EVERYONE STOP! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR THIS! Am I really meant to LIKE this??? IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC???

*cough* Anyway, that was my first impression. So the fact that I am a hardcore Lumax shipper now really demonstrates just how phenomenally that story was told in season four. Bringing us to the divergence.

Breaking up versus staying together. I'm not even going to talk about El lying to Mike for six months in this post. This is just about the breakup.

Breaking up Max and Lucas for real (as opposed to how she used to break up with him every so often for the fun of it) while simultaneously entering these characters into high school allowed them to evolve separately from one another and confront more adult struggles. Max distances from her friends as a consequence of trauma and Lucas distances in an attempt to fit in. The conversation between Lucas and Mike

shows how much Mike is taking for granted. Lucas's desire to belong is due to his experiences with bullying and we have canonically seen that for Lucas, this was rooted in racism. Maybe he joined the basketball team because he's just good at basketball, but I think it's worth mentioning that he joined a team with at least three other black boys on it. I'm not going to write a whole article about Lucas's struggles with racism here, but my point is that what Lucas went through with Billy probably had some lasting effects on him just like it did on Max.

So both characters struggled with finding out what they wanted and who really mattered in season 4 and ultimately, this led them back to one another.

On the other end, we have Milkdud doing the exact opposite. Lumax is physically near one another but broken up. Mildew is physically apart but still together. They struggled alone and pretended things were the same between them, not allowing themselves the opportunity to reassess.

THIS STEP WAS NECESSARY. Maybe that's just opinion, but they are not the same people in season 4 as they were in season 2, especially since a lot of the trauma of season 3 has forced them to mature quicker than they otherwise would have.

These relationships parallel one another in seasons 1/2 to demonstrate how boy-meets-girl might play out. How a crush can evolve into a friend and into a relationship. Then in season 3, they parallel to show how shallow the relationships BOTH are at this stage. How inconsequential young romance is in the grand scheme of things. And they diverge in season 4 to show us that trying to continue on as though you are still the same people in the same relationship as you were when you were kids is not going to grow your relationship into a healthy and mature one.

Personally I think Mike is gay, but IF HE'S NOT, Mike and El could have strengthened their relationship had they allowed themselves distance from one another. I didn't ship Byler yet when season 4 came out. Had Milelevator been executed differently, I fully believe I could have shipped them. Lumax is proof of that. The fact that I don't is a consequence of the INTENTIONAL differences between the ways these two relationships were written.

[that-irishman-fan]

night at the museum jedtavius as dads to a daughter headcanons!

[ Full credit to the owners of the GIF and Night At The Museum, none of these characters are mine in any way! ]

FANDOM: Night At The Museum, 2006

GENRE: Headcanons, parenting au, LGBTQIA+, and fluff!

SYNOPSIS: What's its like being the daughter of Jedidiah and Octavius!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Female coded reader, angst at some parts, and minor swearing, this is meant to be fluffy!

Notes: I started these headcanons with a daughter/female reader in mind, since that's how the idea popped into my head—but I am already planning out two other parts for a son/male coded reader and for a gender neutral set in the future. I realize it would be unfair to not follow up with similar ones, since I understand my audience is absolutely not exclusively women. So, keep a watch for parts two and three to come soon!

I also want to note quickly that there will be some worldbuilding sections I've included—just adding in some extra exhibits we don't see in the first movie as a sort of behind the scenes slash for plot thing. With that said, let's dive right in!

• Let's start by establishing your role in this situation. You'd be one of the full sized models on display, much like Teddy Roosevelt and Sacagawea ( take your choice as to what historical period, it doesn't really make a difference ). You arrived a while ago as a part of a brand new exhibit meant to reignite interest in the museum. Discombobulated, frightened, and frankly lonely, you searched for friends in this strange new place. It ended up being Jedidiah, the cowboy, and Octavius, the Roman general. Both were already lovers when you came around.

• Jedidiah and Octavius wanted to try their hand at raising kids together. But because of their plight of being tiny models, they'd given up on it. Your arrival was a dream come true. You three quickly had a found family dynamic, and sure enough they took you in as their daughter. You are perfect in their eyes in every way, an answer to all their prayers.

• They'd be your gay dads, with Teddy as a grandfather, Ahkmenrah an older brother, Sacagawea a mother figure, Attila the cool uncle, and all the others your friends. Soon, you found your place amongst the others.

• Both have their own pet names for you. Jedidiah calls you little lady, missy, and pumpkin. Octavius calls you mea columba ( my dove in Latin, since I have two years of it under my belt ), darling, and my princess. You call them by their actual names, or 'daddy' for Jed and 'father' for Octavius.

• I like to think they'd put emphasis on immersing you in their respective cultures. Giving you the best of both worlds, the Wild West and the Roman Empire.

• Jedidiah would show you all the classic cowboy staples— gunfights, rodeo, catching robbers, and playing songs by the campfire. You love it when he dazzles you with stories of outlaws, broncos, and especially cowgirls.

• Octavius would let you watch his army train, teaching you military strategy; not only that, but also attending senate meetings, participating in banquets, and telling you Roman myths and legends. If you gave your best shot at any of it, they'd be so proud of you. Just having your interest is reward enough, but if you actually did it yourself? They might just die of happiness right on the spot.

• Your dads love to hear about anything and everything that you're passionate about too! Please talk to them about whatever makes you excited, and they'll be as enthusiastic as you. They make a point to be interested since you try so hard for them.

• I get the vibe that Jedtavius are more free range parents in the sense that you're allowed to go anywhere in the museum you like. Outside is off limits, of course, which you understand. However, they are old fashioned. Not to the point of chaperoning, but cautious regardless. Jedidiah and Octavius are believers in women being treated with the utmost respect, they're very chivalrous. As such, they'll be on top of things to make sure you don't get hurt. With that said, they trust you to be responsible in your own right. They're just protective, you're their sweet baby girl after all. And God forbid anyone dare to lay a finger on you the wrong way.

• When morning comes, its hard for you to return to your place. You feel empty, almost lost, knowing you'll be gawked at come daylight. By yourself without them there. Sometimes, this can bubble up into small episodes. You'll feel resentful, crying bitter tears at times or just angry on others. Jedidiah and Octavius wouldn't leave your side until you were calm, both comforting you without a hint of judgment.

• " Aw, pumpkin, don't cry. S'alright, yer Daddy ain't goin' nowhere. We'll be right back where ya found us, ya hear? " Jedidiah would coo to you.

• " No more tears, fear not. It will pass once again as it always does. Our brave girl, my little princess. " Octavius would add on, gentle as his husband.

• Every night, the minute you'd come to life, you'd run as fast as you could to the Diorama Room to be reunited with them. They're your haven, your home, your safety net. After long days of noisy crowds and superficial cares, you're revitalized in their presence. And Jedidiah and Octavius are delighted to see you again, the hole in their hearts filled when your face appears.

• On to happier things now. Jedtavius are always ready to shower you in affection. I feel Jedidiah is the gruff type, his love language being praise, affirmations, and encouragement over physical gestures. Octavius is the opposite, being very tactile. For him, it's offering you hugs, soft touches, and gentle kisses. It's really ironic considering these guys are warriors in their own ways. Two macho men who are such softies for you.

• If you don't like physical contact, though, they respect that boundary completely. They're both so loving and supportive that you never have to worry about feeling neglected.

• The size difference poses an issue. You three have learned to work around it through trial and error. They may be small, but they have big hearts and an endless amount of love to give. You're definitely their soft spots, one could say weaknesses, but they have no shame over it. Not when it's you.

• I can imagine them being saddened by your insecurities, not able to understand why you don't see how special you are. It's not disappointment at you, rather pity for you. And they're quick to reassure you, genuine in every possible sense of the word.

• " Why's our precious lil' Y/N so down in the dumps? Ya know I hate seein' a frown on that dad gum pretty face of yers. Talk to us, why're ya beatin' up on yerself so hard? " Jedidiah would say, sitting you down in front of his diorama. At your shoulder level, he'd stand next to you, putting a tiny hand on your cheek.

• And you'd tell them everything on your mind. All the things bothering you. Neither of them would interrupt you once, letting you speak. Nor would they try to discount any of your feelings. But it does pain them to see you so sad.

• " We would not lie to you, daughter. When I say you are fairer than Venus, cleverer than Minerva, and braver than Diana, I mean it. For you are beautiful, you are intelligent, and you are strong. Most of all, you are you, as you are meant to be. " Octavius would tell you, his dark eyes adoring. His lips would touch your hand as if to further make his point.

• " And yer our girl no matter what. Yer daddy and yer father love ya, missy, even when ya go gettin' yerself into trouble. We wouldn't want nobody else as our daughter, yer all we could ever ask for. " Jedidiah would grin, patting you on your shoulder.

• Okay, now onto the stuff relatively separate from Jedtavius. In your free time when you're not hanging out with your dads, you get into plenty of mischief on your own with your fellow museum residents.

• Playing with Dexter and Rex in the Hall of African Mammals, surrounded by the jungle setting. The lions, elephant, gazelles, ostrich, and zebras don't mind you for some reason, and they're quite tame around you. You like to climb the display trees, cuddling with the snakes or swinging around with the monkeys. And playing fetch with Rex in the front lobby is always fun too.

• Teddy would take you on hunts, throwing you on the back of his horse. If you really wanted to, he'd even teach you to ride. Jedidiah was enormously proud when you showed up in the Diorama Room like an equestrian show rider.

• Sacagawea and you communicate through sign language. She likes to tell you many stories of her travels with Lewis and Clark, as well as legends from her own culture. You intently listen to each one, always raptured by the brilliant way she breathes life into the old tales.

• One time you tried to help the Neanderthals light their fire. It wasn't successful, but they welcomed you as a member of their family. You don't understand most of what they say, though you're always kind to them.

• Attila would teach you swordfighting, passing down all his wisdom as a master warrior. You two love to spar, often quite viciously to the point that Larry Daley has to tell you two to knock it off before you lop off each other's heads. Both you and Attila would be fascinated by magic tricks too, eager for Larry to show you a new one every shift he takes.

• Before he released Ahkmenrah from his sarcophagus prison, you made an effort to visit the pharaoh so he wasn't lonely. You two chatted well into the night about whatever came to mind; but you had a penchant for stories of his past in Ancient Egypt. You two have a platonic relationship characterized by him being wiser, more experienced, and far more worldly than you, your big brother who you've got wrapped around your finger.

• You also like to hang out in the other exhibits too. Watching the blue whale float idly in the Marine Room, singing its beautiful songs and you doing the same for it. You've danced to many a sea shanty with the model pirates, the favorite of Captain Blackbeard. The Kushite kings, Babylonian priests, Celtic bards, noble samurai, and Viking chieftains also enjoy your company, fascinated by your wits and amicable nature.

• I headcanon that the models can hear and see their surroundings during the day, they just can't interact with them in their frozen states. You've seen thousands of faces before in all your years in the museum, but the one you always like to see is that of Dr. McPhee, the curator. He's fussy, arrogant, and pompous from what you've heard, but you couldn't help your crush on him. You wished to get to know him more. For him to see you.

• Overall, life is fantastic for you in the museum. You've got Jedidiah and Octavius, all your friends, and a great big world in one small place to call your own.

Well, that's all I've got for right now! I hope I've done this justice. It was such a cool idea, and I couldn't resist dropping everything to jot down my thoughts on it. Once again, I am planning two other parts so as to be more inclusive to my fellow menfolk and out of the binary peeps! If you want to be included in a tag list for anything Night At The Museum or my other content, please drop a comment, and I'll add you from now on! Please have a fantastic rest of your week, and thank you SO much for all your likes, reblogs, comments, and interactions. It means the world to me!

[owmylasagna-blog]

Headcanon: I guess post-BPS, Eddy would be really depressed and in a indetity crisis for at very least two weeks (it's too much of a drastic change to him), Edd would do his best to be a sensitive, empathetic friend and help him out while struggling with his own flaws and his bitchy side (I figure they would stop bickering SO THAT MUCH after BPS, at least for a while). tbh I guess Ed would be too happy making friends with the kids or rebulting a sibling relationship with Sarah to notice for some while (He always had been somewhat oblivious to the others' problems, and I figure him being the most popular, beloved, accepted one post-BPS).

What do you think?

Oh yes let’s talk about it! I could see quite a lot of what you’ve mentioned happening for sure. I’m just gonna go into more detail because I can’t help myself and you asked so…

BPS obviously is meant to be THE groundbreaking moment for Eddy’s character. So let’s get into it.

Eddy is a survivor of abuse. And a fighter. He’s got a little of that Childhood Trauma™️ and it does in fact “build [his] character”. See what I did there? Anyway, the point is that just because Eddy has this major turning point, his trauma isn’t going anywhere overnight.

Rachel Connor, one of the writers of the movie who worked specifically on the scenes with Bro, wrote a post where she described Eddy as the Great Pretender which… BIG OOF! As the show progresses Eddy loses sight of who he is more and more as he digs himself deeper into the Bro hole: emulating him more, wanting to impress him more, lying about him more (or perpetuating lies. Who knows!). The whole Great Pretender act isn’t exactly fulfilling. It’s putting more stress on his actual friendships with his pals. His depression in the 5th season (@book-o-scams has written about this) feels like a result of all this.

So when Eddy’s scam goes so horribly wrong that he and his friends are run out of PC, he almost loses Edd’s friendship, only to get publicly abused by his big bro, Eddy is faced with the reality of the person he could become. And that’s when he knows it has to end. This epiphany should be liberating for him in some ways but also sets off a whole self discovery journey. Of course he’d feel a little lost at the start, trying out lots of different versions of himself, before ultimately embracing his multifaceted self into adulthood. Aren’t we all a little lost in our teen years?

After all he’s been through with his brother, the guy has major trust issues. It's clear that Eddy is anxious to belong and be popular, but attempting to fleece the other kids for quarters at every turn isn’t exactly the best way of making friends (except that it’s a bonding activity with the other Eds). And that feels intentional whether he’s conscious of it or not, that what he’s really after is status instead of acceptance. Because if he doesn’t get too close with others he can’t get hurt. Trust issues are really hard to shake. That’s always going to impact his relationships and specifically his interactions with the other kids immediately following the events of BPS. It’s going to take him years to work through that. And I think he will, with time, get better at trusting and getting close to others.

My interpretation is that Eddy would be pretty bummed and depressed for a while despite all the new acceptance from his other peers, just because he’s having to analyze his own behavior more, question his relationship with his bro, with his family at large, with his best friends, with everyone else around him. I often add a layer of him struggling with the realization he might be gay during the year or two following the events of BPS, and that's not the easiest pill for him to swallow either. I think he’d still put up walls to protect himself and try to find ways to be liked and accepted, to be entertaining or prove himself. I don’t see him immediately being as outgoing with the other cul-se-sac kids as he is within the Eds, but I think at his core he is actually a cool and interesting guy and that comes through. On the flip side, I think he’d mostly work on being more honest and vulnerable with Edd and Ed in the months and years following which just strengthens their bonds more and together they learn to be better people to each other! Woohoo!

We’re moving on: Edd. BPS is a trial of his friendship with Eddy and they came out the other side much more sympathetic to one another. The tension that grows between them during the series run is as much a result of Eddy’s desperation as it is a result of Edd’s anxiety getting way worse. So yes, where I do see Edd helping Eddy through some of his depression following BPS, I also see Eddy helping ground Edd with some of his own issues that are percolating to the surface more. Just two little emo outcasts being there for eachother. Couldn’t be a recipe for a little gay awakening. No chance. (I’m being sarcastic, y’all. You know my schtick). I still think they’d bicker, though. Like a lot. It’s just core to their personalities. Fights just wouldn’t come to blows in the same way. It’s a lot harder to stay mad when you can see the clearly labeled buttons you’re pushing, you know?

Outside of his relationship to Eddy, Edd also seems to be shifting away from being blindly obedient towards authority like in the series. Nothing like seeing a man-child beat on an actual child to really wreck your world view. Up until that point, Edd is a textbook rule follower. I think there is an interesting perspective shift, seeing the world as Eddy has, that will shake his idealism and optimism ever so slightly. Thus starting a tiny little rebellious streak. Again, can’t reiterate enough that turning 13 is such a bitch. The mental toil.

Ed. Oh, Ed. Ed kinda has his whole thing figured out already. I sometimes describe Ed’s heroic act in BPS as him getting his brain back a bit after the school season episodes. I think the kid just dissociates especially hard when he is at school which makes him seem extra random in these episodes. We all gotta cope somehow. Anyway, I do also weirdly think Ed would get on with the other cul-de-sac kids pretty well on his own: he already has decent rapport with the likes of Jonny and Rolf so it would be interesting to see these relationships explored more. In the show he already seems the floater type. Maybe Ed becomes Jonny’s only friend when he becomes the new “outcast” of the cul-de-sac.

I think his consistency is really going to help Edd and Eddy through whatever ups and downs they go through. He’s the type to lighten the mood or give a sympathetic ear or listen to a rant without judgment. He has and always will accept them just as they are, and himself just as he is, and that does wonders for the group’s morale. Also, with Eddy dialing back on the Bro act I can see Ed also being kinder (he’s often feeding off the bad examples) and really embracing the surrogate big brother role for Eddy. I’d love for that relationship to be strengthened more too, and Ed to come to his defense and protection more readily in the way he does with Sarah. At first it would probably annoy Eddy to no end but he’d reluctantly get over it because deep down it feels good to be cared for. Soft like mashed potatoes indeed.

More than Ed rebuilding the relationship with Sarah is Sarah sticking up for her brother to her parents. I think she’d definitely come around to recognizing she’s abused her privileges as the favorite child and also grateful that her brother didn’t turn out That Bad considering. While she’s mending things with Ed I think she’d still take out her younger sibling rage on Eddy (I like to think she sees him as a bonus brother she never asked for). I don’t think they necessarily hate each other or anything, they just have that energy of two scrappy alley cats who have to hiss and swat before parting ways.