#a-mere-chaotic-queer

[wavebiders]

Most of the time with media I get invested in I end up headcanoning most of the characters I like as queer in some way

But after 6 seasons of Voyager I am absolutely devasted to have come to the unfortunate conclusion that this is a crew made up of the most heterosexual people in space and the one (1) gay borg they're giving a complex

#this is not an attempt to knock anyone's queer hcs I am merely voicing my thoughts as I experience this disaster for the first time #I wish I could see this as the gay party bus it should be #I want to want Tom and Harry to kiss #and Janeway to be a badass girlkissing captain #and B'elanna especially deserves a girlfriend #but they are all so tragically heterosexual #they are so straight they managed to put their one queer person through heternormativity in the 24th century #star trek #this does add to the comedy of every clip/gifset I've seen from the La Sirena peeps having chaotic gay energy #there is not a doubt in my mind that I'll like Voyager better than Picard in the long run #but clearly those people are the gay friendgroup Seven desperately needed

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

My Two Cents On The “ Is David Tennant Queer” Drama

As some of you know, I spent a solid third of the past year working on a movie-length video essay about David Tennant. This video essay features an eight minute section titled “Gender, Vulnerability, and Why David Tennant Is A Queer Icon”, which does not speculate on David’s own sexuality, but discusses the queer coding and subversion of gender norms in plenty of his roles and his importance as an ally to the LGBT community. At the same time, I was also coming to terms with my own identity as nonbinary and bisexual, and it ended up playing a crucial role in me finally working up the courage to come out to my parents. Characters like Crowley and the Doctor, both in terms of how they present themselves and how and who they love, have been absolutely instrumental in me developing my queer identity, and my comments section was full of people who had had similar experiences, who’d realized they were trans, nonbinary, gay, etc thanks to David and his characters. And as a result, I won’t deny that if David himself were to be queer, it would mean a lot to me.

Do I think David is queer? It’s certainly possible. I see a lot of how I express my queerness in how david chooses to express himself, most prominently through his frequent queer coding of characters who don’t necessarily have to be played as such. This can especially be seen through his Shakespeare characters, such as Richard, Hamlet, and some would argue Benedick as well. When I was 15 I played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, who I chose to play as a closeted young gay man harboring an unrequited crush on Romeo. I think I saw this role subconsciously as an outlet for my own repressed queerness, both of gender and sexuality, as I had experienced an unrequited crush on my female best friend the previous year which I was still in denial about. I’ve described my gender identity as “a girl with a chaotic tortured gay man inside of her that needs to be let out every once in a while”, which has never been more true than with Mercutio- a character who I might add, I took a great deal of inspiration from David when playing! In terms of using roles as an outlet for one’s queerness, I could absolutelt see this being true with David, especially when it comes to Crowley, who seems to have had an impact on David’s style, behavior, etc in a rather similar way to how he’s impacted me. I don’t want to act like David wearing pink docs means he must be gay, I think people should be allowed to wear whatever they want regardless of sexuality, but taken in conjunction with so many other things about him, it does make one wonder, and the fact that a seemingly straight man has been so many people’s queer awakening is a bit puzzling to say the least. I won’t pretend that these “signs” (if you interpret them that way), haven’t been increasing somewhat in the past year, and if I got to share my own coming out journey with the man who inspired it, I would be absolutely thrilled. I also can’t specifically think of an instance where David has SAID he is straight, as opposed to Taylor swift, who has.

With all of that said, where I personally draw the line is when mere speculation crosses into interfering with the subject’s personal relationships and the sense that one is OWED something. I believe that what matters to David more than anything is being a husband and a father. I believe he adores Georgia and his children and would not do anything in the world that he believes would jeopardize his family. As happy as I would be for David if he were to come out (probably as bi) I realize that that would put so much unwanted attention on his marriage and family and I think that’s the last thing he wants. I don’t think it’s IMPOSSIBLE that he and Michael Sheen are having a passionate love affair behind everyone’s backs, but I absolutely don’t consider it my place to insist that they are, because as much as I may feel like I do, I don’t know these people! And besides, if David were cheating on Georgia, he really would not be the person I thought he was.

So many queer people see themselves in David and his characters, and that is beautiful. And I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with having theories that David might be queer himself. However, it must be acknowledged that these theories are THEORIES, and they should not be used to invalidate people’s real life relationships- after all, it’s totally possible to be bi/pan and also be in a loving and healthy heterosexual relationship like David and Georgia at least seem to be in! If David were in fact “one of us”, I would welcome him with the openest of open arms, but unless and until he himself decides to proclaim himself that way, I will not expect anything of him other than to be the incredible artist and person we know and love.

#David tennant #michael sheen #georgia tennant #queer #lgbt #bisexual #nonbinary #Rpf #Personal #meta #I try really hard not to discuss David’s sexuality online #But people are so divided on this topic and I wanted to voice my thoughts seeing as I stand somewhat in the middle #good omens #doctor who #Crowley #The tenth doctor #hamlet #the fourteenth doctor #much ado about nothing #benedick #richard ii

[licensedqueerio]

Gareth Emerson Headcanons No One Asked For

So these are just my headcanons, that could totally be out of character, but idk. I wish we had more content with him

Also, some info isn't correct like their ages, but idc. I wrote this super late at night so it's probably unorganized and stuff, but I hope you enjoy

(i also update this whenever I think of something else abt him)

• His full name is Gareth Benjamin Emerson II bc I said so

• that's where Gareth The Great comes from

• he wants the distinction that he's the great one

• he's the middle child

• his sister, Carys is three years older than him and moved out to go to college

• his other sister, Gwyneth is 8

• his parents are bigshot lawyers in Indianapolis so most of the time it's only him and Gwyn at home

• idk I love the idea of older brother Gareth

• (Gareth puts Gwyn in after school programs, which is how he does Hellfire)

• He matches other people's energies. Like the energy someone gives him is the energy he throws back

• Ex: when Jason yelled at him and Gareth yelled back the exact same way

• The man is brutally honest

• Unnecessarily brutal tho

• He can and will insult someone by complete accident

• He's also super aggressive when he plays the drums

• Slamming on his kit and screaming to their newest song

• As one does

• He breaks his sticks ridiculously often

• (He likes to throw them around, especially at Eddie)

• Speaking of Eddie

• They met when they were decently young

• Around middle school

• Gareth was the kid who was effortlessly cool

• Eddie, on the other hand, was trying SO HARD to be cool

• He was going for the whole punk rock thing when he buzzed his head

• He made it his mission to befriend Gareth at any cost

• But Gareth HATED him

• Well, hatred is a strong word. He didn't care for Eddie like Eddie cared for him

• Gareth just wanted to be by his lonesome, as edgy middle schoolers do

• But Eddie is persistent and will not leave this boy alone

• It doesn't matter that Gareth is two years younger than him

• He wants Gareth to be his friend and that's final

• They eventually become friends when they realize they both like D&D

• When they get to highschool tho

• The dynamic flips

• Since Eddie's older, he has two years to become the Cool Kid that attracts the other freaks and weirdos

• Gareth was kinda scared they wouldn't be friends anymore

• But Eddie doesn't let go of Gareth

• They're besties

• Gareth was Eddie's first bandmate and the first member of Hellfire

• Gareths 'queer awakening' was Eddie but nothing ever happen other than a kiss or two when Eddie was high

• Gareth doesn't do drugs

• He drinks tho

• He has a very strange moral code that only he understands

• Also he was the first one to get a car out of all his friends

• He drives like a mad man

• Do not let this man behind the wheel

• Speed limits are merely a suggestion

• He also doesn't know what it means to gradually brake. He slams on those bitches

• (only when Gwyn's not in the car, he's not an irresponsible brother, thank you very much)

• He gets better eventually

• Eddie learns to drive so he can properly teach Gareth (who taught himself)

• He constantly taps the steering wheel

• Even if there's no music playing

• Gareth is loud and he is chaotic

• He probablys has some sort of undiagnosed adhd

• But y'know, it's the 80s. Mental illness doesn't exist or whatever

• Gareth is just trying to live his life's you know?

• Oh also, this boy has attitude for DAYS

• Like holy shit

• He can talk shit like no one else

• It's only when he's really mad tho

• He just runs his mouth and he doesn't know when to stop

• But the things he says are genuinely true and his insults hit home and it pisses the other person off

• As a result, Gareth is decently fast bc getting beat up isn't fun

• He's got into his share of fights tho

• But he usually avoids them

• He's more bark than bite. But his bark is totally worse

• He either had a septum or a nose ring

• He's the type to judge movies the entire time it's on

• He makes smartass comments under his breath

• Laughs at inappropriate times

• (Like when a character dies)

• He only drinks red drinks

• Or from red cans

• Dr pepper is his best friend

• He also loves cherry anything

• He'd be the red character

But now onto some dating hcs

• He likes to hold hands

• A LOT

• He's just a big fan of physical contact

• He also loves when his hair is played with

• His love language is gift giving

• Well moreso just giving in general

• His rings, clothes, etc

• He just gives them to his partner randomly

• ALSO ROCKS

• he collects rocks

• He's been doing it since he was a kid

• He probably has one of those jars that you put a rock in when ur happy

• He has a lot of rocks in his jar

• He's given all his friends a rock

• Eddie has several

• His partner also has many

• He would be so happy to find out you actually keep them

• Whenever you guys go on a date, he gives you a rock

• He also has a rock and he writes the date on it

• He starts a new jar just for the date-rocks

• Those are extra special, he finds the best rocks he can for you and him

• But moving on from rocks

• He invites you to his shows

• And band practice

• Eddie hates it bc he gets distracted

• But he gets so happy when he sees you watching him play

• He plays extra well

• Once he can take his eyes off you that is

• But let's rewind to the beginning of your relationship

• You meet him through Eddie

• After a few days of hanging out together he invited you to dinner

• (You order takeout and go back to his place)

• It's nice, it's just the two of you in his bedroom, the dim tv illuminating it

• He confesses to you right when you take a drink of whatever it is you're drinking

• You choke

• And Gareth ofc laughs bc that's who he is

• But you say you like him back and viola

• You're dating

• He's fond of drive-in movie dates

• Even though it's like an hour drive to the next city where the theater is

• He's a movie geek

• It's definitely his sister's fault

• Both of them

• You think it's adorable tho

• HE TALKS THROUGH MOVIES

• THE WHOLE TIME

• HE MAKES SMARTASS COMMENTS UNDER HIS BREATH

• And you're sitting next to him just cracking up at his commentary

• Bc really, it's entertaining

• He calls you all kinds of different nicknames

• He's looking for one to stick

• So he just had a continual rotating arsenal of nicknames that he likes to use

• Your nicknames for him usually revolve around drumming

• He's not amused

• You are tho, teasing him is your favorite pastime

• And he just stares at you with his flat, deadpan look

• His arms crossed and everything

• He teases you back ofc, but sometimes you can't tell when he's joking bc of his tone

• But that's what makes it fun

#ransomswriting #headcanons #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #stranger things headcanon #gareth stranger things #gareth emerson #gareth x reader #gareth emerson x reader #x reader #eddie munson #reader insert #reader #ransomsheadcanons

[brothermouse]

Why Queer Latter-day Saints Don't Like Oaks

So, I keep seeing some variation of the question "Why don't Queer Latter-day Saints like President Oaks." I want to try and give an answer beyond the usual "isn't it obvious?"

In order for the physical human body to survive it needs both food and water. Without one or the other, you die. Our spiritual bodies have two basic similar needs: The Law and Mercy.

The Law is basically a moral code of conduct. This is good, that is bad. Do this, don't do that. This is right, that is wrong. The Law provides much needed structure and clarity to an otherwise chaotic world.

But, because the mere act of existing is hard, The Law is often difficult to keep. If we were fully honest with ourselves we would each admit that we break The Law all the time. That’s where Mercy comes in. Mercy says that it’s okay to keep trying. Mercy assures us that failure is not final. That you can do the wrong thing but still end up being a good person. Mercy is basically the motivator for us to stick with The Law.

Now, if you know literally anything about President Oaks, you can probably deduce that he’s a big Law guy. That’s fine, lots of people like structure. Nothing wrong with wanting rules and order and nothing wrong with asking people to follow the rules. The Law is like food, if you don’t eat you die. The Law is ESSENTIAL to our spiritual health.

But here’s the thing about Queer Latter-day Saints: we are (to put it mildly) familiar with The Law. I would be surprised if you met a Queer Saint who is ignorant of The Law. We are, on that front, very well fed.

What we need is the water of Mercy.

It’s like this: imagine you’re in the desert. You have a backpack full of beef jerky but no water. Then you come across a settlement by an oasis. One of the leaders of the settlement comes out to meet you. He sees you sunburnt skin and chapped lips. He proudly says, “ I know what you need!” Then he presents you with a grilled cheese sandwich.

You try and tell him, “Actually, I’m good on food, my pack is full of it, what I could really use is some water.”

He smiles, nods and says, “Yes, I understand what you need!” and he produces…another grilled cheese sandwich.

So you decide to compromise a little. “Thank you for the sandwich,” you say, “do you think I could have some soup to go with it?”

“Oh, yes, soup, of course! Here you are!” he says, and then hands you yet another grilled cheese sandwich.

Now you’re getting frustrated. Sure the sandwiches are well made with high quality ingredients. The man obviously knows how to make them. “Yes, thank you! These are very delicious, but now I'm a little parched. Could I please have a glass of water?”

“How about another sandwich, instead?”

"No," you say, "I don't need a sandwich, I need WATER, I'm dehydrated!"

"I'm sorry to hear that, may I offer you a grilled cheese sandwich during this trying time?"

This is why Queer Saints get so frustrated with Oaks. We NEED the waters of Mercy, we CRAVE a drink from the well of living water. We LOVE to hear about the atonement and of Christ’s love of us. But Oaks just keeps handing us grilled cheese sandwiches.

This is particularly frustrating because we KNOW there is no shortage of cool, refreshing living water in the Church. We have received sweet servings of it from so many in our wards and families. What we don’t understand is why one who is charged with bringing all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people to drink would be so stingy with it.

Some will probably say something like, “When the prophets repeat a commandment, it’s probably because the people need to shape up and follow it.”

To that I say, We do follow it.

So many Queer Saints are following the commandments Oaks repeats. His grilled cheese sandwiches are not going uneaten. But for many, our throats get too dry to choke down another one. WE NEED WATER. As I said before, Mercy is what motivates us to keep The Law. Mercy is what gets us back up when we fail to keep The Law. Mercy is what gives us the strength to try again.

We dislike Oaks because everytime we try to be yoked with Christ, Oaks calls us back to the Law of Moses. We WANT to live the higher law. We WANT to be one with Christ. We tell him this, over and over. We tell him what we need. And each time he tries to give us the same grilled cheese sandwich.

Again, We know the law. We know what’s expected of us. What we need is the good news of the Gospel to inspire us to be strong.

Nevertheless, parched as we are, I see Queer Saints eagerly awaiting the day when Oaks finally and fully embraces his role as a proclaimer of the Good News of the Gospel and leaves behind his former role as an arbitrator of man’s laws. We pray for him to grow in knowledge and love.

But until our prayers are answered, people shouldn’t be surprised if we turn up our noses at yet another grilled cheese sandwich, and go in search of a cool glass of water.

#tumblrstake #lds #mormon #lds church #ldschurch #just mormon things #mormon church #ldslife #queerstake

[reignof-fyre]

Hotd characters + their sexualities observed by me

Viserys - straight man but also extremely accepting

Aemma - straight queen ally but experimented as a teen

Otto - homophobic straight man

Corlys - straight and uncomfortable that his son is gay and daughter is pansexual and tries (and fails) to support them.

Laena - pansexual queen

Laenor - 1000% gay. The mere thought of vaginas make him nauseous. Bless. Love him.

Daemon - chaotic bisexual

Rhaenyra - bisexual as fuck

Alicent - repressed and closeted lesbian who thinks she's straight and thinks she hates her ex-bestie but it's actually all that repressed love and lust

Aegon - disgusting Chad Straight Boy

Helaena - asexual aromatic. She's all about that platonic love.

Jace - closeted bi (he has a crush on Aemond)

Luke - cute baby pan boy (also has a crush on aemond, once had a crush on daemon)

Baela - straight ally

Rhaena - aromatic bi

Rhaenys - secret bisexual (she's gotten up to some shit in her youth)

Harwin - himbo straight ally

Aemond - closeted pan/repressed (has a crush on daemon but thinks he admires him)

Vaemond - homophobic trump supporter prolifer "let's go back to the fifties" straight man

Larys - bi boy with a foot fetish (gross)

Mysaria - hates labels. Queer.

Jason Lannister - doesn't realise he really isn't exactly straight but also a Chad.

Lyonel - himbo straight dad

Lyman Beesbury - straight but an ally always wearing a pride flag pin and waving pride flags at tourneys

The dragons - intersex genderfluid babies that deserve all the pats.

#hotd #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #rhaenys targaryen #lyonel strong #ser harwin #daemon targaryen #larys strong #lgbtqia #aegon ii the usurper #aegon ii targaryen #rhaenys targaryen velaryon #mysaria #alicent hightower #corlys velaryon #vaemond velaryon #baela targaryen #rhaena velaryon #aemond targaryen #helaena targaryen #asoiaf #lucerys velaryon #jacaerys velaryon

[certifiedsidedish]

Thua is NOT the villain of “The Eclipse”

Let me start this post off by saying that I do not condone Thua outing his friends’ secret relationship. It’s true that he is my favorite character in the series; and I believe he is one of the most well-written BL characters (especially in a high school BL), period. That being said, his actions in EP11—as well as throughout the series—came from a place of pain and suffering. And when decisions are made based on pain, things rarely end well.

But before we talk about Thua (and he is not the villain that some are making him out to be) let’s talk about Akk. While Ajarn Chadok uses Akk to enforce the authoritarian regime of the school, Akk is the one who decides the means in which he is going to carry out Ajarn Chadok’s orders. Akk decides to torment his classmates. Akk sends the truck into the crowd of protesters. And it’s Akk who drops the flower pot from the 4th floor, mere inches from a student’s head. Akk’s tactics rely on the potential of physical harm to affect those who he sees as a threat to his school, and his title as Student Prefect Club President.

Now compare these things to the methods Thua used: Thua created the Twitter account. He used it, as well as the banner, to scare the protesters. He set a mannequin on fire. While both Akk and Thua’s actions caused psychological trauma (yes, I said trauma) to their targets, only Akk’s methods could have directly resulted in both mental and physical harm.

If we look at Thua’s character, we see in the beginning that he is true neutral: the quiet kid who just keeps his head down, does his work and wants to get out of the hellhole that is Suppalo as fast as possible. It’s not until Ayan calls Thua out for not taking a stand and fighting against injustice that we see Thua begin to shift from true neutral to neutral good (with some chaotic tendencies). Now in EP11 Ayan is actively insisting that Thua silence himself. Why? Because it would reveal that Ayan has been covering for Akk this entire time (which IMHO  is just downright hypocritical of AyanAkk.)

Which brings me to the protest—and Thua’s outing of AyanAkk as being in a relationship. As a member of the queer community myself (💗💜💙) I can acknowledge that Thua outing AyanAkk was inappropriate. He robbed them of the decision to be open about their relationship. However, I fully—and I say this with my ENTIRE CHEST—support Thua outing Akk as the one behind the curse. Akk’s actions not only inflicted psychological and potential physical damage to those who were seen as “out of line,” they also encouraged an environment where Thua (and Kan for that matter) was bullied. And as we see in EP5 the bullying Thua endures leads him to feel like he wants to disappear. This could be interpreted as an early warning sign of passive suicidal ideation. 

Had it not been for Kan, disguised as man of mystery Bruce Wayne) there is no telling what Thua would’ve done. The grief of losing his father, the emotional and mental abuse he has had to endure from his stepfather, as well as the bullying and blatant social rejection by his peers, resulted in Thua’s depression—yeah, my little pudding pop is depressed as fuck! 

That depression soon lead to rage and shame. Thua was [rightfully] enraged by the injustices that allowed others to torment him. That torment kept him in his depressive state, resulting in him being “like a robot.” Ever heard of the expression you cannot heal in the same environment that broke you? Thua’s pain was unleashed when The World Remembers began their protests. Because those protests would lead to a version of Suppalo that would not support Thua’s tormentors.

So for those of you saying that Thua should not have been forgiven, I ask you this: why not?

Akk lied to his friends for years about the curse of Suppalo.

And he knowingly put their physical and mental well being in harm’s way.

Why are we as a fandom quick to forgive Akk, but not Thua? Is it because Akk was being controlled by Chadok? If that’s the case, I have to go back to the argument that Chadok did not tell Akk to run that truck into a crowd of his peers; Chadok did not tell Akk to drop that flower pot on their heads. Chadok simply told Akk to do what must be done to keep the protesters at bay. 

Akk’s actions directly contributed to the student body’s mentality of causing harm to those who are “different” including Thua, a boy who is lonely and just wants his pain to end.

TL:DR Thua is not the villain everyone is making him out to be. He is a child who has been directly affected by Akk’s actions as Student Prefect Club President. And he deserves to be forgiven for his actions just as much as Akk deserves to be forgiven for his.

#the eclipse #the eclipse the series #thua is not the villain #because in the eclipse there is no villain #they all do what the have to do #to make the pain stop #to make all the shit go away #what thua did was shitty #but he deserves to be forgiven

[mrghostrat]

im gonna be completely honest, the streamer au reminds me exactly of my streamer rpf days... how people talk about streamer aziracrow is 1:1 how people would talk and write about their streamer ships. so while i am in love w/ your au its giving me Flashbacks to Times..brr

thfhtf UNDERSTANDABLE the rpf days were dark and i have Been There. nobody understands better than me TRUST ME

(and also make sure u remember you can blacklist tags if you need a break bc theres no reason you should suffer if youre feelin squicked out by something, even if it's temporary)

idk why im such a sucker for famous AUs and the idea of being Perceived. (i've been honestly trying to figure this out lately, and i think it's the appeal of writing Ideal Rolemodels that i didn't have, or that i wished we all had more of. so whether it's outsider POV of teachers or celebs or aziraphale being a weird bookseller who gives queer kids a safe space to read, orrrrrrr a chaotic evil twitch streamer who is actually a good person turns out to be secretly married to his roommate, which means safe queer relationships do indeed exist so one day you might find one too, but it's so exciting to see something like that presented on your screen, especially when it's a real person, because you suddenly feel validated for merely existing)

so yea it's just nice being able to go ham on this kind of setting with two extremely fictional characters that suffer nothing for it.

#you want dark times with a happy ending?: i used to write and draw rpf for a youtuber and now we're FRIENDS and WORK TOGETHER #I HAVE 👏 BEEN THERE 👏 AND I LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER 👏 #ask a rat

[iwanthermidnightz]

Sad to hear that Rebel was practically forced out the closet because she was tipped tbag an Australian media outlet was about to OUT her. 🥺

So gross and incredibly upsetting, especially during pride month! Just read this article that made every single point to make. Read every word.

Rebel Wilson dating a woman shouldn’t be divisive news. It should be a time of celebration of love in all its forms. Instead, it’s become a troubling tale of malicious jokes, biphobia, and “outing” – a bleak reality given we’re a week into Pride month.

Since the Australian actor and comedian revealed she is dating a woman via an Instagram post on Thursday, there’s been little time to enjoy what should have been a tender, candid moment. Despite an outpouring of love from the LGBT+ community and its allies, the joy has been matched by hatred and attempted humiliation.

In a shocking move that, as journalist Megha Mohan puts it, feels reminiscent of the “gutter press” days in the Nineties, The Sydney Morning Herald has revealed that it gave Wilson two days to respond to a story that it planned to run about her relationship prior to her own announcement, effectively threatening to out the actor via its article.

Even more absurdly, the publication also wrote that Wilson chose to “gazump” its story by coming out on her own terms on social media.

Given only two days to come out, it appears that Wilson was forced into a corner. Her right to choose whether she felt ready was taken away from her. She could sink or swim – there were no moves left to make.

Regardless of whether you like her or not, Wilson’s sexuality shouldn’t be weaponised, nor should it be the butt of a joke. Yet, within hours of the story breaking, the heteronormative mobs gathered their pitchforks.

Their cries, screamed into a hateful void, talked of two very specific things: her authenticity, and her looks. Wilson was either coming out to further her career, or she came out because she was too ugly to date cis men. Why is it still such a persistent belief that women need a reason, other than their queerness, to date other women? Why can’t we just be LGBT+ on our own terms?

The way in which people dissect queer romance reveals an all too familiar, deep rooted ideology that coming out is for attention seeking purposes. Even when we do it to take control of a chaotic situation, we’re criticised. Wilson chose to come out herself, attempting to take back some of her agency from the press. They wanted her “out”, but now that she is, they’re throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get to break the news first.

We truly can’t win. If we come out when we’re teenagers, we’re too young to know what we want – we’re trying to be cool. Yet, if we come out later in life, we’re seen as disingenuous – we can’t really be LGBT+, otherwise we’d have done it sooner. And if we don’t feel able to come out at all, the decision is made for us – be out and proud or not at all.

It’s baffling that our sexualities can be portrayed as so linear, when in reality they’re anything but. Just like life in general. How often do we joke and share memes about life merely being a machine of chaos, picking us up, churning us over, then spitting us back out; it’s the meme. We know our experiences are different, and we know that life follows few rules save for birth and death. In between those two absolutes, there’s an endless array of possibilities, of which sexuality and its exploration is a single, but complex, thread.

Throughout our lives, we’re shaped by both internal and external factors, and during this continuous moulding we grow as people. We’re forever progressing as we discover new things. Put simply, we’re not who we were a year ago. In all honesty, we’re not who we were last week – that’s how quickly moments impact us.

In knowing this, you’d think we’d accept that we can learn about new facets of our sexualities as we age; it’s hardly a bold leap of faith. But for some reason, the idea that growth includes sexual identity is still too shocking for some to grasp. As is the reality that dating women isn’t the easier option.

The misconception that we come out to be cool is indirectly connected to the myth that we choose queerness because heterosexuality won’t have us. When I came out in university, cis men kept saying “you’re pretty enough to get a man, you just haven’t found the right one yet”. By being with a woman, they’d decided that I thought myself too ugly to get a man. The idiocy of it still makes me laugh to this day.

But within that laughter is the sorrow of knowing that our sexualities and looks are deemed as interlinked: if we’re hot, we’ll be heterosexual because we can get the guy, but if we’re not conventionally attractive, well, we’ll have to be queer because men won’t have us. I must have missed the memo that says queer women only date the rejected, while cis men seek out perfection. It’s utter rubbish.

Few LGBT+ women think being queer is easy. The amount of abuse we get without our appearance being dragged into the mix is staggering enough. Our rights are scrutinised, taken away from us, and treated as an afterthought, as we constantly fight for what little rights we do have. As much as I celebrate my queerness, I have to fight to prevent people from trying to take it away from me every single day.

Does that sound like the easier option? No. Nor does it become any easier if we’re not good-looking – whatever that ideal is meant to be. The media’s handling of Wilson’s announcement further proves that coming out as queer is hardly an easy option. Far from it, in fact.

Rebel Wilson isn’t with a woman to stay relevant, and she isn’t with one because every cis man on the planet turned their nose up at her (she’s dated plenty of men, by the way). She’s queer. It’s about time we started accepting that queerness isn’t just something to do, it’s who we are, no matter when and if we make it known to others. Give us the right to be ourselves, on our terms.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hello

I am here to rant and lose my mind because of Park Jimin for a while and I want to know if I'm the only one feeling this....There are people who are extremely quiet since Tailor of chaos dropped....no comment,no acknowledgement at all....I can't help but keep on wondering if people are intimidated by Jimin....I know I'm not the only who connects with what Jimin is saying 🌈🌈🌈People in this fandom are full of internalized homophobia, fetishizers,ignorant people.....and I just...chapter two is definitely different....it's like to me...at this point....I prefer quality over quantity Army....the more people join...th more it gets stained and nasty and people aren't even trying to understand the people they claim to love....I see people are uncomfortable....I am talking about this from how I've seen my country's fan base reactions....it's just....they are mostly tiktok Army's ,y/n and fetisherzers...and as much as they like to pretend they are okay with everything that represents lgbtq....they cower away and build walls not wanting to understand Jimin's concept....

To be honest....I haven't been okay since the glove hand dropped,and connecting the dots of his process......and this just....I was so elated and anticipating his photofolio to drop but I wasn't ready for that....the thought provoking concept....challenging you...the watcher...jsjskqkskskskiss.....HIS MIND....HIS FREAKING GENIUS MIND 😭😭😭😭😭THE DETAILS..KDKSKAKKSKWKQQK.....I AM JUST A MERE INSIGNIFICANT HUMAN BUT HE HAS ME ON TRANCE LIKE EXPERIENCE....HE'S RENDERED ME SPEECHLESS, HIS LEFT ME STUNNED,AND WRECKED AND RAVAGED AND CONSUMED.....I CANT LOOK AWAY....I can't stop wanting for more and more and just get lost in him😭😭😭😭😭😭😭I wanna hear your thoughts on this.....from a queer lense🌙💛EVERYBODY IN EARTH SHOULD BOW DOWN AT HIS FEET‼️

Anon 2

I am getting more and more intrigued by Jimin's photobook and I might have to try to buy it, lol. The way the photobook is described:

"This photobook created based on Jimin’s own ideas, unveils different moods Jimin creates from the same costumes, the strength Jimin has discovered in himself, the meaning of light in his confusing consciousness, the moment Jimin’s inner self and persona finally met and his chaotic and finally, an immature journey to finding the true “me”."

And the "Jimin’s never-seen inner self visualized in four topics – black, light and darkness, white, color : freedom."

The color:freedom is... I just have more and more questions at this point. He really makes you want to know everything. (And as being part of the lgbt myself, I can't help but draw theories I probably shouldn't, I'm projecting, I know, but it is still very interesting the way Jimin talks about his inner journey. He hasn't shown much, but what he has, has been quite relatable.)

The level of enthusiasm, intrigue, confusion is through the roof here, so I decided to answer both of you in one post because you're touching on the same subject.

First anon, I had no idea that some parts of this fandom are more silent about Jimin's photo-folio. It doesn't reflect the reception I saw, but I guess it all depends on what we follow and what shows up in everyone's curated timeline. Either way, I think that overall, the release of the teasers was a success and had quite an impact, at least for those who are open for appreciation.

As to the second ask, I think that looking at a photoshoot and the message that is trying to convey, along with the photo-folio description, it is bound to be interpreted through whatever lens the audience sees fit. This is a concept focused entirely on identity and how Jimin wants to be perceived. So, in this case, it was made quite clear that the art is a reflection of the artist. That much we know because Jimin said so. But as with all art, and here we have photography, the meaning is also created through interpretation. At least that's my approach and one that I've talked about in the past in various occasions. And if you, second anon, can relate to it in connection to your identity and Jimin's own inner journey, then that's one legitimate way of looking at it. I'm also not denying that projecting is definitely a thing and let's say, it can be detrimental in some cases, especially when it takes away the possibility of that piece being either about something else, or it conveys a multitude of meanings and it's much more complex. But as long as we, the audience, keep that in mind, I see no harm. The message might as well be just that, especially if there are recognizable elements that can be interpreted through a queer lens.

We also need to keep in mind that no artist needs to be completely straightforward when it comes to the methods used when they want to express something. A work based on one's identity can take many shapes and forms and the message doesn't need to be spoon fed or served on a silver platter because the only way everyone will get it is if they're hit in the head with it. Some will have no issue with accepting something that at the end of the day, will remain open to interpretation and not see that as a bad thing and others will not. The best approach is to listen and observe what Jimin has to say and I believe that adding this recent photo-folio into a larger context and everything else Jimin did in connection to art, identity and his own words about his journey, should be sufficient.

#bmt asks #jimin #jimin photofolio

[shimaira]

He smiled deviously. "So just because I have a blade, you assume I'd want to kill you with it?"

Meya nodded again, repressing the urge to take a step away from him or to even run out of the room entirely.

"You do realise that if I wanted to kill you, I could do so with my bare hands."

She swallowed and her feet acted on their own accord, taking a step back.

"Such a well-behaved, hard-working servant… Now, why would I want to kill you?" He took two steps in her direction.

"I…I don't know… m-my Lord," Meya stammered. Unable to stop herself, she took several more steps away from his threatening form.

Lord Deminas moved towards her, shaking his head. His eyes gleamed with mischief, the grin tugging at his lips slowly becoming bigger. Just before Meya's back met the stone wall, he placed his hands on either side of her, locking her in. Her eyes widened with fright, panic clearly visible in them. She contemplated ducking below his arm and making a run for it, but the lord pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the wall.

She whimpered and closed her eyes, turning her face away from his. "Please, I don't want to die…"

The lord's fingers enclosed her chin and turned her face back towards his. Meya opened her eyes, her curiosity of what he was going to do stronger than her fear—or heightened because of it. To her surprise, she saw him lean in a fraction of a second before his hot lips touched hers.

Her already chaotic mind seemed to shatter. Every thought of the impending doom that had plagued it mere moments ago was now silent. His lips moved against hers hungrily, and without knowing why, her lips answered just as passionately. She closed her eyes, lost in ecstasy. When his tongue asked for entrance, she opened her mouth, allowing it, but to her surprise, he pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open, confused.

Lord Deminas smirked. "Nice to see you're enjoying yourself."

~*~

Love the tension in this scene 😈

For anyone curious, it's from my book MY LORD, which is a queer, slow-burn erotic gothic horror novel about rediscovering yourself after trauma—with kinky, blood-drinking immortals and polyamory 😏😏

#writeblr #booklr #queer books #gothic horror #book quotes #gothic fiction #dark romance #lgbtq books #horror #kinky stuff #polyam books

[imminentinertia]

Apparently I have some last things to say about Step by Step.

I'm mad, and I happen to think that's a really stupid and unnecessary reaction to a show, so I have some things to say about myself, probably more than about SbS, to be honest.

Sorry if you read this and really liked SbS! I definitely don't want to take that away from anyone. I liked a lot of it.

First of all, how come I, an eternal loather of the token Camp & Chaotic Gay Side Character (especially because he's treated so terribly most of the time, cough cough 2gether and Gap, for instance) went and started adoring Pat? It took a while for me to realise which mold he's made in, partly because he's the one everyone in the office relies on, but when I did I realised why I hadn't taken to him - and then I evidently went full on Pat Fan, because his more dramatic scenes in episode 12 were the scenes that didn't just bore and/or baffle me.

Well, Man's acting when Jeng discovers that Pat unblocked him was also quite a treat.

We did get a fully formed Camp & Chaotic Gay Lead Character, didn't we, and Pat was true to his expanded type to the very end, messy and dramatic and drinking too much when he shouldn't, as well as a hard worker and an intelligent and competent marketing officer.

I loved that. I may even detest the side character archetype a little less now that I've seen one properly fleshed out to lead.

But second, how the fuck is it even possible to phone in a finale like that. It's tempting to believe SbS was shot chonologically and Tee Bundit lost interest halfway through. Of course it wasn't, but surely he must have lost interest at some point in the editing, or maybe even before that.

But why am I getting angry?!

Usually I bitch a bit to an unlucky friend or two about the things I don't like, and then I move on, but I'm so angry with how SbS bellyflopped and I can't let it go. Why do I feel so let down by a mere entertainment production?

I think it's because it really looked like it was setting out to do something well thought out and clever, and it somewhat did, and then it went to the mall to gossip and get grass jelly instead of polishing its presentation and getting ready for Khun Nadia.

The office "work" was better done than usual, Jeng is a great manager character and Man acted well and looked the part a lot more than managers in BL tend to, Ying got to have more than one dimension, Chot was a really good and really queer character, there was so much that was nice and to have that fizzle away... And I haven't even mentioned the binning of several plot aspects, notably Jaab/Jen (why the fuck was that arc left to rot). Also the whole Zee/Nunew debacle which Dee Hup should have fucking owned insted of flopping over - that, or made the BL couple in that scene a fictional one.

I really hope the actors will get other roles where they get to shine more, if they have more to shine with. For some of them it's difficult to tell.

All in all, I feel let down, much more than I did because of the shall we say uneven season 4 of SKAM or the new Persuasion adaptation that turned out to be the cringiest mess, because I was fed so many really sweet and tasty tidbits and then they took it away from me. The new Persuasion signalled horrifying shit well before it opened, and with SKAM S4 I already knew that the showrunner had writer's block.

Now I'm going to take several deep breaths and go outside and water my plants, and then I'm going to watch some nice BL that doesn't set itself up to be better than most only to throw itself into the shallow end of the plot pool. Something where my expectations are low already should be nice.

#step by step

[xoxo-bunnydumpling]

Eli and his scene partner met up at the house today to rehearse for their performance tomorrow and I swear that no matter where he goes or what he does he ALWAYS collects the fellow queers.

This time, it's a loud, chaotic lesbian with Robin Williams vibes in a Hawaiian shirt named Liz...who greeted me with a bear hug and said "holy shit, it's the wife!"

I didn't know she was coming, so I'm in some terrible and very short pajama shorts and feeling really awkward so the first thing I say to her is "yes, hello...uhhh, are you hungry?"

😬😬😬

Eli picks me up and whispers into my ear that he's sorry, that he forgot she was coming, and it's just Liz so it's fine to not go overboard with whatever I'm about to make.

Liz asks him if he picked a short wife on purpose so he could pick her up and he doesn't deny it, but offers that most people are short to him...to which she rolls her eyes and tells me he's "a trip".

So...naturally I cook a full lunch. I can hear them from the kitchen...and they're both doing a lot better than I thought they'd do. It sounds so familiar...but I just can't place it yet from here.

I've taken acting classes before and everyone sucked the whole time but we had fun so it was kind of whatever. But they're doing such a good job, I wonder if their instructor knows some secret that I need in on.

Over lunch, Liz tells me she wasn't really expecting a female wife when she got here because Eli tends to use the word partner and with her gaydar activated she expected a twink instead. He very casually mentions that she may get to meet Moses today and he and I go back and forth over whether Moses achieves twinkdom or not, and Liz enters the discussion with a musing of whether "twink" is a pejorative term or merely descriptive. I've missed LGBTQ+ round tables, much harder to have here than where I'm from where I'm pretty sure fully half the population is queer to some degree.

I also learn that Liz will call him Diet Misha to pick on him, and that he has started ignoring her requests for him to say "hello Dean".

"He didn't used to but now that we're friends he feels more free to just roll his eyes. I like that."

"I think he prefers Misha Zero."

He squints at me. "Do I?"

When I'm allowed to come watch, it hits me that they're doing the scene from Angels in America where Prior reveals his KS and calls it the "wine dark kiss of the angel of death". I wait for that line with bated breath and remember the first time I saw it and that line hit me like a ton of bricks. I was much much younger then and the subject matter was all new to me. To say they both nailed it would be an understatement. Such a heavy scene for a fair to middlin' acting class and I'm a little annoyed that my husband is good at everything.

Their choosing of roles was interesting to me. I'd expect Eli to take on Louis...but Liz tells me she insisted he not, that it would be too easy and he wouldn't learn anything from it.

"He's already butch and stoic, what's the fun in that?" When he laughs, she walks it back a little. "Not really stoic, but he is very quiet until you get to know him. He's no Andrew Scott but I'll take him."

His rapport with her is easy...it's always easy for him to lead people into conversation but it's always an infodump by them to which he typically adds nothing unless it's emergent. He would have been a great counselor...but with Liz, it's the give and take that it should be.

He asks her if she thinks their instructor will let them just do all their scenes together going forward.

"We paid for the class, we should insist on it."

I really like her.

#hot librarian chronicles #husband material #misha collins #diet misha #not actually misha collins but close #acting #angels in america #queer stuff

[achronicleofblasphemy]

Here is the Prologue to the book I'm publishing piecemeal online!

It's titled "A Chronicle of Blasphemy" and is a fantasy based in two worlds, one modern day urban fantasy, the other more medieval fantasy. The world is extremely queer friendly. Discrimination due to sexuality and/or pronouns is non-existent.

Hope you enjoy!

A Chronicle

Of Blasphemy -

Prologue.

Notes on Final Research By Absalom Wren.

Magistrate of The Sacred Circle. Second Hand of Grand Master Theylis Ophram. Beneficed Theologian of the Church of Divine Order.

             I am not myself. Not as you've known me. Just as the eternity I entered millennia ago has changed, I am no longer what Transcendency has created me to be. I do not believe I can escape what it is I have become. Not escape, that does not seem right. I should be careful what I say and who I portray myself as in this exposition. I suppose that is what I am trying to relate. In accordance, it would be wise to note my feelings on Ealheim’s blasphemy, before relaying my methods in my research. Since his desecration of The Tabernacle, the violation of stepping foot in the holiest of holies without the permission of The Divine has left its taint in the minds of us all. It had never seemed possible. If anything, because we could not imagine it, it wasn’t. The mar of it has ired the faces of our brethren. Which I now must look upon with a seed of suspicion taking root with every passing glance. I have looked upon the feelings of doubt and violation in their faces and felt mistrust. This veiled paranoia has scarred me with a ruin I cannot come back from. Few of us were righteous before we began our journey in the afterlife. Even if millennia had made us forget that, the memory of it now breathes a new life in the planes of divinity.

What was thought impossible is now possible. I believe this is a good place to begin. The Divine seeing it fit to place Ealheim’s thread of life into The Baptismal Pools, was seen as an act of grace after his annihilation. We could finally witness his movements through the different planes of existence firsthand. After his escape into the Mana Wastes from The Realm of the Profane we had seen mere shadows of his actions. How he was able to survive in the Mana Wastes for so long remains a mystery, but our suspicion that he carried an aura of interference from it was confirmed. Seeing his life first hand allowed us to fill in the gaps and cement the understanding of his influence throughout the centuries. I will not reiterate what we all found. We are all aware. It lives in us now. Feeding the seed of mistrust among us.

After this shift in spirit, I set my sights back on the instigators we had been previously studying in our most recent research. With this newfound knowledge of Ealheim’s influence, it allowed me the opportunity to fill in the gaps of Cyrano and Evie’s present actions. I had offered them my whole attention before Ealheim. It was to be a petition to The Divine to reopen the channels of Transcendence to the Afterworld of Serenity. Therein those who accomplished nothing of any repute in the living world, would again be able to transcend through the hierarchy of the Afterworld. Since Jaimor’s subjugation of it millennia ago, and after his children consumed him and began their chaotic rule, I had repeatedly pleaded with The Divine in my supplication to deal with the treachery. Despite my efforts, The Divine never saw it fit to respond to my supplications. A result, I see now, to be expected. In response to Ealheim’s Blasphemy they have repeated the same castration. All Channels of Transcendence between the Afterworlds of Divine Order are severed. Something I feel needs repeating.

It is the first decree of the Clergy of Divine Order to not concern ourselves with the emotive discourse of the past and present lives we document. These fleeting feelings cannot fathom the eternity that awaits them, and in the end, are tempered away by the steps of transcendence to higher realms of eternity. When I returned to the reflections of Cyrano and Evie's lives, my view of their movements held the knowledge of Ealheim’s intent. The pain of now knowing their naive culpability tore at me. Looking over their lives and the lives of their comrades, their innocence wounded me. Or rather, pressed mercilessly against the wound of Ealheim's blasphemy. For the first time since my bare feet touched the warm earth of this church, I questioned The Divine's intent. 

I must tread carefully now. While I do not intend to stay within the safety of The Divine Realm, I am fully aware of the reach of The Divine’s influence. However, I will not go back and remove what I have stated previously. It is important this seed of doubt be known so you may understand why I have cataloged this research in the manner it is presented. It is not chronological. It is also not removed from the emotive transference that exists in living souls. When I returned to Cyrano and Evie, I allowed myself to be enveloped in their mortal understanding. Or maybe, I was swept under? Truthfully, I am uncertain. What I do know is after allowing myself to be immersed in their mortal lives I felt the touch of time again. A memory burned away millennia ago. Their urgency became my own, and their feeling of loss and triumph reconnected the threads I had long allowed to be severed. I felt shame.

            After reliving life through their eyes, I removed myself from the church to a quiet and nearly unused section of the Baptismal Pools. In an act of disobedience, I relived my own life. I ate. I slept. I celebrated and mourned with my tribe. I remembered my name, Ishraq.  I saw my children and remembered my love for them. All my successes and failings came back to me. Including the knowledge, I did not know where my children were within the planes of eternity. So, I followed them. I do not know how long I spent in the pools, but several lifetimes passed through me, and I ached with longing for them all once I left. In my mind, scattered in thousands of memories, I felt my family as a part of me again. I forgot Ealheim. Strangely, I did not forget Cyrano and Evie. My theory is the familiarity of their love for each other, as chosen siblings, weaved itself into the pattern of my blood.

            I fear by publicly admitting to the cardinal sin of reliving my own life in The Baptismal Pools I have forced my intended exile. Even if I may survive existing within the chaotic ether of the Mana Wastes, I fear I may no longer be welcome on the holy grounds of the church. My reasoning in this act was my own I suppose. Removed from the single goal of the church to document Divine Order within the ever-evolving workings of creation. Despite my inescapable suspicions of my brethren, I have become the one to sever my right as a member of this church. I will enact my own punishment in the hopes that my journey through the unshaped ether of provenance may reveal to me what is left after this willful act of disobedience. As a last act I present to you my findings of the events leading to Ealheim’s desecration of our most sacred realm of eternity. Within them the presence of time and the fragility of a living soul remains intact.

            It should be mentioned before I end this final entry that there was an anomaly in my research. While someone managing to stay hidden from the oversight of The Divine is well known during the years Ealheim escaped to the Mana Wastes, a being having the ability to exist wholly outside the will of The Divine has never been known before. How this being has managed to do so and whether it is an act of their own accord I cannot say. It appears as they reached a certain level of being they have managed to remove themselves from the curtain of Divine Omnipresence. What they are and how they came to be I do not know for certain. All I can gather is that if they are possible, there are wonders of creation we have not yet known.

#writerscommunity #writing #author #writers on tumblr #writer #fantasy #online writing #chosen family #female lead #male lead #two main characters #multiple timelines #fantasy story #fantasy books #online publishing #writeblr #writers and poets #creative writing #creative work

[myprofessormadememakethis]

The Erotic and Emily Dickinson: The Power in Sex Part 2

Emily Dickinson throws caution to the wind in her short poem Wild Nights from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. She shrewdly hides her message in a metaphor about ships and docks, but a raw truth lurks beneath her clever wordplay. While describing the utter joy she experiences on wild nights with her lover, she mentions that dangerous winds blow around her, but they are “futile” to her who is docked “in port.” She throws out her compass and her chart, items that sailors use to seek a destination, for she has already found the place where she will settle. The port, or her lover, is her home. When she evokes the imagery of Eden, she once again references traveling through the sea, presenting a paradoxical dynamic of both a calm and chaotic environment, which gives two meanings to the next line, "Ah, the sea!” It could both be a cry of fear and a hum of pleasure, but these simultaneous emotions are at the core of the narrator’s attraction. She embraces this feeling as she requests another night with her lover.

Dickinson, being queer and a woman, knows the dangers of passion, an emotion that women, especially from her time, are expected to suppress, but still, she exposes the full charge of her sexual desire, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, to enjoy one more night with the person she references as her “port.” Unlike Walt Whitman, this poem fully understands the power of the erotic that Audre Lorde describes in her book The Uses of the Erotic. Because Dickinson refuses to look away or even degrade her attraction, she manages to connect with her partner in a way that quells the fear of the tempestuous waters around her. She is known and loved completely in this space, and that love secures her against all hardship. This is the value of sexual revolution, it is "recognizing the power of the erotic charge within our lives...(to) give us the energy to pursue genuine change within our world, rather than merely settling for a shift of characters in the same weary drama" (Lorde 91). Many other poems from Dickinson's collection explore themes of blunt sexuality in a way that scandalizes even the modern American mind, but these examinations of sexuality are inherently different than pornography, which is for mere pleasure. They are meant to unveil the beauty of sex in a world that wishes to hide sex's existence altogether.

Part 1

-Ysabella Porche

[curtainsfell]

AND INTRODUCING a young and bright-eyed newcomer to the stage, STERLING LECLAIR!

STERLING LECLAIR, a young man in the prime of his life! Born right here in our proud   c ity   ‘bM  ▐iN    ne ghberhood we     — ! ,  LeClair grew up with an absent father and an overbearing older brother. He spent his childhood playing baseball in the dusty streets, doing odd jobs, and hanging around our beloved Theatre. Once he’d picked up his reading, writing, and arithmetic, LeClair  nixed his classroom education in favor of learning from the genius of the Bard, and from the great works of our modern Ameri c n playwrights. The folks at the Empyrean will tell you hhe pic ked up on setcr aft from his keen                   eye for the stage. Self taught, a true self-made m an. Everyone’s kid brother! OUR SHINING LITTLE STAR! 

MR. LECLAIR has been working in stagecraft since his boyhood. His ascension to the sta gₑᵢₛ ᵤₙ ₚᵣₑc ₑ dₑₙₜ d his ahsnce n, js his Mr Sterling LeClair is a mere twe nty-one yearsof age. His impressive set work has been seen in such splendid works as      ,       , & mg       █       ! LeClair claims a lot of his talent is merely a side effect of his understudy with another renowned young stage actor you shou ld know, one  Marcus Barnum!  Quite a claim to fame for LeClair. Be sure to applaud for them both in their upcoming projects. 

AGE: 21

PRONOUNS: he/him

HEIGHT: 5’5

BODY TYPE: Lean & wiry

EYES: dark brown

HAIR: dark brown/black

ETHNICITY: German (father) & Korean (mother). Sterling is unaware of his mother’s heritage. He passes as white and looks at anyone askance if they suggest otherwise. 

SEXUALITY: bisexual

ALIGNMENT: chaotic good

MYERS-BRIGGS: ENFP

FACECLAIM: Ricky Kim

POSITIVES: spirited, passionate, amicable

NEUTRALS: impulsive, daring, determined

NEGATIVES: defiant, stubborn, irritable

HOBBIES: dancing, carnivals, baseball, arguing as a pastime, whittling, the arts, finding new speakeasies & dance halls

QUIRKS: fiddles with his shirt sleeves, “berries” is his “swag”/“poggers”

FEARS: helplessness, becoming his father

DREAMS: to be a well-known actor, to make a change in the world

MORALS & VALUES: Sterling’s preoccupied with justice & fairness. He’s a proud member of the Empyrean’s union and involved in grassroots socialist activism. He’s active in the queer scene of the time. He has no qualms with being a loud-mouth or resorting to violence when he deems it necessary. 

See, it’s his temper that would get him. But what a gas! He’d dance you all night long. And not afraid of anything! Oh, he’s awfully short compared to most fellas, only sta nds a few inches abo ve me, but you wouldn’t know it. He’s got some kind of presence, like a real stage star. And he’ll punch any man in the nose about, well, over nothing really. But you’d think he was made of sugar half the time. And he’s a terrible flirt. I think that’s what got him in the most trouble, at the end of it. Everyone knows  you don’t get mix ed up  with those big shot celebrity actors, and didn’t we all tell him. Men like that are trouble. But Sterling was the sort to go out and find trouble, anyway. Maybe he got what was coming to him. Oh, that’s awful to say, isn’t it? Don’t print that bit!

CAST OF CHARACTERS *These relationships are closed. Doubles of listed characters are welcome to take new roles or curate a new story with me.

@actliving as Marcus Barnum, the Actor

@lifetaking as Dorian LeClair, the older brother

Penny, the best friend

Clémence, her lover, abroad in Paris

Jonathan, the housemate

Amelia, his fiancée

STORIES & VERSES

MAIN CANON.   Exclusive with @actliving.   Sterling falls for his idol, one Marcus Barnum, and never stops falling. Canon is connected with the larger Markiplier Cinematic Universe & directly follows into @jumpinagain. 

ROARING CANON.  Sterling never meets the Actor, and the curse never falls on him, leaving him free to adventure in any direction he chooses.  Set in the year 1925 by default, but this can be adjusted at request. 

MODERN VERSE.  You already know what it is. Comes in several flavors, including but not limited to college era theatre major, professional set designer, and aspiring documentarian. 

ENTITY VERSE.  Exclusive with @actliving.  Sterling survives.  Or, the Dark finds its host before the events of WKM. 

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS VERSE.  Exclusive with @actliving, @the-actor-himself, & @splittinghares. 

& MORE TBA. For now, I am only listing fully developed verses I anticipate interest for. But one of my absolute favorite things about writing is putting my characters into new situations and verses, so please do make suggestions, no matter how odd or obscure. I would love to hear it! 

#🎞️ — navigation.

[concerthopperblog]

The Best of Americanafest 2022

Even if Concert Hopper sent every writer we had, there's no way we'd be able to see everything there is going on at Americanafest. The long-running Nashville festival isn't held in one location like most fests but in clubs, parks, and bars across Nashville. Throw in over 300 bands and you're looking at a sisyphean task for any journalist. So this is in no way a comprehensive list, just the best things I saw in the tiny fraction I was able to catch over four days.

Best of the Fest- Tami Neilson After the fireball that was her Kingmaker album, there was always a good chance of Tami Neilson bringing the best set of Americanafest. What I got exceeded any expectations I could have had. Flanked by her brother Jay and teenage guitarist Grace Bowers, Neilson delivered a full run of songs from that album as well as a few favorites in a dynamic display of feminist fury. Neilson's genius is that she tackles these heavy topics with so much joy, never becoming “preachy” or trite, but throwing a joke or a smile that can de-fang the patriarchy and disarm her audience simultaneously. It's appropriate that Neilson played the last slot Saturday night, closing out the festival, because Americanafest was a Tami Neilson concert with four days of really good opening acts.

Best Place to See Star-Struck Musicians- Taj Mahal and Friends It's always fun to see famous musicians struck dumb in the face of a music god. That was the beauty of the opening night “Taj Mahal and Friends” set at Basement East. You'd think veteran artists like Jim Lauderdale, Keb Mo, Will Hoge, and Kaia Kater would be immune to starry eyes but performing with a legend as accomplished as blues/jazz/folk/Americana/calypso/a dozen other genres artist Taj Mahal, all seemed about to pinch themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming. All the guest shuffling could be chaotic at times but Taj held court with such humor the crowd never became bored.

Best. History. Teacher. Ever- Jake Blount Did you ever have that one teacher who had so much passion for his subject, he made it come alive for you? That's Jake Blount. A talented vocalist and banjo player, Blount is also one of music's more accomplished historians in the field of black string music and his set at The Basement was the world's coolest history lesson. Playing songs from his forthcoming album, The New Faith, Blount showed a bit of the album's concept, an apocalyptic future rent by global warming, all through old, sometimes ancient, gospel and black string ballads.

Best Diversity- Queer Roots and 8th Fire Sessions Americanafest dedicated itself to diversity long before it became cool for festivals to do so. This year, they crossed two more underrepresented groups off the list with the Queer Roots Party at The Groove and the 8th Fire Sessions from Ishkode Records at Dee's. Queer Country has existed for decades, with Lavender Country paving the way in the '70s, but this was the first true showcase of queer country artists. With dynamite acts like Secret Emchy Society, Crys Matthews, and Ever More Nest, the party proved that Queer Country was merely good music that happened to be performed by gay artists. It shouldn't even have to be a genre but, with mainstream country shying away from anything not white, male, and straight, it is and it's glorious. It was as fun a party as I've been to at Americanafest in years.

If Queer Country has been underrepresented, indigenous roots music has been almost forgotten. If you think about it, you can't get much more “roots” than the music performed by a group of people who were in North America long before a bunch of people from Europe became the continent's first illegal aliens. The 8th Fire Sessions presented by Ishkode Records featured acts like Digging Roots and Amanda Rheaume who brought their message of systemic persecution wrapped in some of the best pure Americana musical talent I've seen in years. Grass dancer Trenton Wheeler also put on a memorable display for the audience.

Best Dressed- Henry Wagons While conflicts kept me from seeing Henry Wagons' full set at City Winery, I was able to see him sit in for one song at Exit/In with Tami Neilson, filling in Willie Nelson's vocals on “Beyond the Stars.” I've seen Wagons previously at both Americanafest and Bonnaroo so I knew he was one of Australia's best comedic musicians. It therefore, came as no surprise that he showed up at Tami Neilson's set dressed in a shirt than can only be described as something Porter Waggoner would wear if he started using Earth, Wind, and Fire's tailor.

Best Satire- Will Hoge Americana is home to some of music's best satire. The thing that drew me to the genre in the first place was my professor in a satire class bringing John Prine's “Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” so I've got a soft spot for artists who can use humor to shine a light on the world's wrongs. With his song “Whose God Is This?,” Will Hoge weaves a tale of a bar (tended by John the Baptist, natch) full of the world's gods who socialize amiably until a gun-toting god with a red hat and a superiority complex saunters in, leading to an attempt to find someone to take him home. The capper is an attempt to “grab” Lilith that ends with the god laid out and vowing to “go back to where they worship me in the good ole' USA).

Rookie of the Year- Miko Marks Some of my favorite Americanafest performances over the years have been artist I didn't know who played in the same venue as the one I came to see. So when I ventured to the WMOT Day Stage to watch BJ Barham of American Aquarium, I was not surprised to discover my favorite set of the day came from Miko Marks. A mix of soul, country, and pure rock and roll, Marks and her band had an energy that flowed over the crowd. Catching her set is going to put a dent in my bank account as, upon getting home, I immediately followed her on Bandcamp and will be purchasing her music next Bandcamp Friday.

Best Unofficial Americanafest Performance- Anana Kaye and Irakli Gabriel Because 4 days of 300 bands isn't enough for some people, many venues in Nashville put on “unofficial” Americanafest parties throughout the week. One was the “Get Fried” Fish Fry at Dee's where I finally got to see Anana Kaye and Irakli Gabriel. Their collaboration album with the late David Olney, Whispers and Sighs, was my favorite album of 2020 and one that has kept a spot on my turntable since. Kaye and Gabriel did not disappoint, with the set highlight being a performance of the Rolling Stones-esque satire “Last Days of Rome,” with Kaye ably filling in the spoken-word breakdown supplied by Olney in the original.

Best Group Sing- A Tribute to 1972 Group “tribute” concerts risk becoming an edition of celebrity karaoke, only mildly entertaining in seeing famous people cover other famous people. That's been my problem with all but one of the Bonnaroo Superjams I saw. It wasn't a problem with Americanafest's Tribute to 1972, the sets all connected by a superb band. Highlights included an energetic sing-along of David Bowie's “All the Young Dudes” by Jon Latham and a surprisingly metal Foghat breakdown by Lauren Morrow.

Enjoy a selection of pictures from this year’s Americanafest and be sure to check out the full gallery on our Facebook page!

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