#he’s queer Janet

[cryptidsandcatacombs]

I’m going to write a male siren and no one is going to stop me

#yes this one still lures men to their death #he’s queer Janet

[thewingedwolf]

my opinion, like many in the fandom, is that Buck has always been a little bi coded, and I think handling it like the way abc handled Rosa Diaz being bi, by simply having Buck drop some information he’s always known about himself but never been comfortable sharing, would be a decent way of handling it. for one thing, having both buck and eddie go through a gay panic thing would be a lot for one season, and maybe a bit repetitive, and I think it would be perfectly in character, while adding a really lovely layer to Maddie & Buck’s relationship, that Maddie has always known Buck was bisexual, and has attempted (maybe awkwardly) over the years to get Buck to be more comfortable with it. I also think it would add a really wonderful layer to Buck and Chim’s relationship (again, to make the b99 comparison bc this is a textbook “if i had a nickel for every time a beloved, diverse show involving police officers got canceled by fox and picked up by ABC bc beloved diverse shows with a really active fan base are their bread and butter i’d have two nickels” situation lol), the same way it was a natural & moving way to have the first person Rosa came out to be Charles, if Chim finds out because Buck needs to talk to Maddie about how he and Eddie had a stress induced make out on Eddie’s couch and then Eddie had a panic attack over being gay, and Chim is there trying to connect the dots of this conversation & be supportive bc Buck is anxiously mumbling while bear hugging Jee in his kitchen. And “Buck has been bisexual the entire time” leaking out to the rest of the 118 has a lot of potential; we know they’re all gossipy & nosy about each other, and Chim is terrible at keeping important secrets, so Hen & Bobby piecing it together from Buck‘s sudden interest in LA Gay Culture & Chim’s nervous stuttering, while Ravi is like “happy that you’re comfortable enough to come out to me Buck but again, i do not need to know this much detail about your personal life” all of this just seems like a very natural, easy way of getting Buck to come out.

and that leaves the Gay Panic storyline to Eddie, lmao. because whether they decide to go with the common fandom idea of “eddie is gay but due to being a really macho dude from Texas, born into a family of very typically ‘we will always love you no matter if you’re straight or choose to be gay’ esque family, has been heavy repressing it all these years” or they decide to make him bisexual, it’s clear that Eddie’s continued wild misses at dating women, panic attacks over the idea of being with a woman, and naming another man as the caretaker of his child in case he dies, that Eddie is primed to have an absolute break down if he ever comes out. Is it very similar to Carlos’ story? Yeah, obviously, but they’re incredibly different people, and more than that, the type of family they come from is incredibly common in this day and age, and whereas we’ve seen the fallout of all the shame that comes with feeling like your parents love isn’t unconditional wrt Carlos, we never saw the initial, badly handled coming out that prompted this break in the Reyes family, and we would be seeing that with Eddie and the Diaz family! not only that, but we have Hen & Toni there to help Eddie (and his parents & pepa & abuelita) through it, to help them handle what are bound to be difficult conversations on Eddie’s history of dating women his family will like that he has minimal interest in, and what happens now that Eddie is once again testing the unconditional aspect of his family’s love.

And that’s not even touching The Bobby And Athena Of It All, from Bobby once again relating to Eddie’s struggles of “what do you do when you feel like the core of who you are has shifted and everyone else is standing still” to Athena having intimate knowledge of the effect of coming out late in life, after you’ve lived a whole life as an ostensibly heterosexual man. We could get a really touching scene between Bobby & Athena and Buck, discussing how this is something he’s always known but it’s just been easier to let it go unsaid even if he knew Bobby and the rest of the 118 would be loving and supportive if he ever came out. Imagine the jokes re: Buck, Eddie, AND Hen being the messiest gays in LA while Ravi is begging them to Say Less.

I think the storyline potential of “Buck and Eddie impulsively make out after a stressful call in ep 1 and then skirt around their feelings for at least half a season” can be really rich, and also kind of in line for how abc has handled a character who got popular for being bi coded, and I’m not saying i trust them to not be cowards about it, but I am saying they shouldn’t be cowards about it.

#rani makes text posts no one will read #buddie #118 #firefam #like i won’t say jake was ever queer textually but i do think abc let them lean into it a lot and i did appreciate that. and while i wish #that eleanor had said the words ‘i am bisexual’ out loud once again i can appreciate them consistently highlighting her attraction to women #AND letting tahani end up single instead of shoehorning in a male love interest. as well as the climax of jason/janet’s story being hit he #‘let’s go get our girl’ ‘not a girl’ moment. and however i thought the first two abc seasons of b99 sucked they always handled rosa & ray #wonderfully!!!! they literally gave us kevin & ray falling back in love and having a wedding!!! they’re capable of not being cowards! #unlike fox who put a woman who clearly dislikes eddie & the concept of found families in charge of the show 💀💀 #911 #rani attempts meta #this goes in that tag bc it’s long and speculative

[warship005]

I love The Good Place but looking back at it, was there ever in the show a man who was mentioned to be into other men?

Like, most of the female characters were okay with the idea of being with other women and we were shown that numerous times (Eleanor being Eleanor, the "Tahani is your soulmate" timeline where Tahani seemed excited about it, the Simone in the virtual reality leaning in to kiss Eleanor, etc) but when it came to the guys it was always radio silence.

I guess with Chidi they were trying to avoid stereotypes about bi people but it felt more like they were trying to play it too safe. Mostly because they had him outright say that he wasn't mlm.

It would've been fun seeing him go into great detail about why he'd rather go as "unlabeled" because both men and women are hot while adding between the lines that "there are people who identify outside the gender binary which makes this more confusing and--oh god now I have a stomachache"

I dunno, I just wish they would've let the guys be as casual about dating more than the opposite gender as the girls were.

#the good place #eleanor shellstrop #chidi anagonye #tahani al jamil #jason mendoza #this is less of a grand criticism and more of a pet peeve i had with the show #it doesnt take away from how much I love the show and how great it is #but once i noticed it it just sort of became harder to ignore #like we already had jason with janet which was a lovely queer relationship #but it would've been fun if they made a joke where he casually and explicitly mentions sleeping with a guy in his dance crew #and eleanor telling him to keep that to himself because they have important stuff to deal with #but quietly whispering to him to give her the details later with a wink or whatever

[thekidsfromyestergay]

Just saw a video like "um actually rocky horror isn't good queer representation because frank sexually assaults janet" girl he kills and eats people. It's called the rocky HORROR picture show not the rocky cute gay rep tw t-slur picture show

#your first mistake was watching a camp 70s horror movie for the RePrEsEnTaTiOn #sorry that the crossdressing cannibal isnt a genderq****r soft uwu bisexual he/they #modern retelling where instead of killing him riffraff and magenta explain why SA is bad and wrong and frank posts a notes app apology #im not watching rocky horror for the rep im watching it to see transsexual fags kill people

[brokenfoxproductions]

Anyone: so, are you like... A man or a woman?

Me: *rolls D20*

1: my pronouns are he or they, usually

2: neither

3: it's complicated

4: I'm a man

5: I'm non-binary

6: I'm queer

7: I'm demi-masculine

8: I'm a trans guy

9: *shrugs*

10: I'm like a guy, but to the left

11: your guess is as good as mine

12: not a girl, not a woman, and not even a Janet anymore

13: *laughs awkwardly*

14: *completely changes subject*

15: .... What?

16: I'm just trying to get by, fam

17: I'm an experience ✨

18: if boys are blue and girls are pink, I'm green.

19: chaos

20: I am vengeance. I am the night. I am BATMAN.

#lgbt #lgbtqia #trans #transmasc #trans guy #non binary #nonbinary guy #non-binary man #trans man #transgender #the good place #tgp janet #transmasculine #trans pride #trans humor #queer #queer humor #demiguy #demimasc

[schrijverr]

Honestly, I'm a bit in tears, thinking about Jonathan going on to be a famous photographer, bringing out a book of his early work (late 80s/early 90s) in, like, the 2010s or something and it's just full of queer joy and the queerplatonic family they all made together with the Upside Down gang.

Like it starts with Steve giving Robin a piggy back ride, both laughing their asses off. It's 1989, they had just moved to the big city bc most of the kids had graduated. It's late at night and they went to a Rocky Horror screening. Robin is dressed as Brad, Steve as Janet.

There's a full spread of Eddie on stage, he's shirtless save for a leather harness, sweaty and alive, hankerchief hanging out of his pocket. The next page is him with Steve is his normal clothes in his lap, the rest of the band and Robin around them, all stuffed in a booth in a diner. Nancy and Argyle hadn't been able to make it, but that's okay. It was Coroded Coffin's first big gig.

Argyle has a page dedicaded to him, most of them in the early mornings, sharing the bed with Nancy, the place where Jonathan is supposed to be obvious.

One is Jonathan's favorite, Eddie and Argyle are sharing a joint. They're on the roof, Eddie is gesturing with one hand, holding the joint Argyle is taking a hit from in his other hand. They often had these late nights on the roof, before their lives took off, when insomnia got too band and company was needed.

Nancy and Robin are pictured, they're kissing. They had a short fling in 1987, before Nancy got back with Jonathan and Argyle, and Robin found her current wife.

The wife, back then a girlfriend, is more femme than Robin and there are pictures of their 'wedding'. It wasn't legal, but they didn't care. Robin wore a suit, her wife a dress. There is one page dedicated to the most traditional wedding pictures they took as a joke.

Then the following pictures are more like them, posing with their collection of garden gnomes and taking goofy pictures with everyone, as well as more serious ones.

Jonathan's favorites are the one where Steve is dancing with Robin, her second dance, both having been disowned by their parents. It's obvious they're both crying. The other one is Robin covered in lipstickstains, both her and her wife grinning like madmen, clearly a little tipsy.

There are also pictures from that first summer after Hawkins split open. Nancy on Argyle's shoulders, Steve's on Eddie's, the four of them fighting in the quarry. Robin floating nearby on a floaty along with Max. In the background the boys are jumping down, only held in posed in the air like that by El, who had taken an interest in photography after she realized how easy it was to forget.

There is also thanksgiving at the Hopper-Byers, 1986. Murray is there as well and they're all pushed together on the table, far more people than they thought would survive. Everyone is laughing, because Jonathan is sprawled over Agryle, having tripped in his haste to get seated for the timer.

It's the intimate domesticity that Jonathan has gotten good at capturing that makes the book pop.

Steve, dead asleep, head resting on Eddie's chest, legs thrown over Robin's lap. Eddie is pressing a kiss onto his forehead, Robin is holding his hand. The photo is called: Nightmares

A picture taken by El is in there as well, properly credited. It was taken when visiting Nancy, Argyle and Jonathan in 1991, the three of them are all half asleep, sitting at the table, all wrapped up together, but doing their own thing. Nancy is making notes on a notepad, Jonathan is rolling film and Argyle is doing the crossword in the paper.

There is also one of Coroded Coffin sitting around, crammed into the tiny apartment Eddie, Robin and Steve shared when they first moved out to the big city. They're writing lyrics, obviously mid argument about something. What is noteble is Steve in the background, leaning against the doorframe, looking very fond, dishtowel slung over his shoulders.

Naturally there is also one with all the kids around the table, dice scattered about, Eddie in the midst of a dramatic narration, seemingly oblivious to Steve, smiling dopily and nearly sleep, from where he is draped over Eddie's lap.

There are also pictures of Robin painting Steve's nails, because while Steve knew he'd had to take it off before work, he likes the way it looks.

As well as Steve doing Eddie's eyeliner, because Eddie used to be baby about it, before he got used to doing it before shows.

Will is also in there, alseep in the backseat with Mike, draped over the other guy. They're both in the remnants of cosplay, on the way back from a convention.

All the kids are, though they feature less, having been younger and in different phases of life.

There is a picture of Max and El asleep in Max's dorm when she went to college. Her skateboard is leaning against the wall along with her crutches. Max's hands are in El's hair, it's half braided like they fell asleep before finishing it.

Lucas is pictured with Steve, sweating on a basketball court, what is more obvious is Eddie and Max in the foreground. They're both leaning on their knees, oggling the two players. Max's eyes peer out through thick lenses, but that doesn't hide the moon eyed expression that matches Eddie's.

Another intimate moment that Jonathan captured was Steve, Eddie and Dustin, the three of them in front of a mirror, shaving. Eddie is just dry shaving, but Steve and Dustin both have foam beards, by the looks of it, Steve is teaching Dustin how to shave.

There are also just a few pages dedicated to cheek kisses, both platonic and romatic. They have big grins, soft looks, tears and blood in them. All of them look meant.

One double page is Argyle, Eddie, Nancy, Robin and Steve painting protest signs. There is laughter, but a somber atmosphere too. A heartbreaking point in history to be alive.

The next page is Eddie, Steve and Nancy, the three of them black eyes, Steve even missing a tooth. They're on the steps of a police station, Eddie is giving it the finger, his other arm slung around Steve. Nancy is getting checked over by Agryle, looking determined. Robin is running towards Steve.

Furthermore, it's filled to the brim with pictures of them doing dishes, playing games, backstage with Eddie, Nancy interviewing leather daddies at pride, hands twined together on the dashboard.

Nancy has provided the writing, telling their stories of those times. They might not be able to say it all, but they can say more than back then and their stories deserve a space too. Their interlinked dynamics, their ups, their downs. The family they built together.

Just Jonathan's queer photography of the late 80s/early 90s y'all.

On AO3

#rrposts #stranger things #st post season 4 #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #argyle stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #robin buckley #steddie #platonic stobin #nancy x jonathan #jancy #byler #arjancy #idk their ship name :( #argyle x jonathan x nancy #jargyle #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #max mayflied #el hopper #eleven hopper #will byers #mike wheeler #max x lucas #lumax #elmax #max has two hands same goes for jonathan #a collection of queer photography by jonathan byers

[thethirdromana]

LGBT+ Victorians

Since it's Pride Month and Dracula Daily is going to be pretty quiet for most of June, I thought it might be good timing for a little 1890s queer history. Plus I wanted to give a bit more fuel to everyone's queer headcanons for Dracula characters!

Popping this under a cut because it's long.

The start of queer identity This is a massive generalisation, but for most of British history, being queer was about action and not about identity. The idea that people who wanted to have gay sex belonged to a specific group that was different to other people didn't exist for the most part, at least not at a societal level. (This was also true - more generalisation - for much of the western world. It was very much not true for large swathes of the rest of the world who thought about this in entirely different and varied ways).

By the second half of the 19th century, that was starting to change. People like Karl Heinrich Ulrichs in Germany (on the left), and John Addington Symonds (middle) and Edward Carpenter (right) in the UK started to think of themselves as homosexuals - Ulrichs coined the term "Urning" which became "Uranian" in English. This period marked the beginning of organised campaigning for LGBT rights in the UK, though specific campaigning for lesbian and trans rights came later.

This means that in the 1890s setting of Dracula, any characters might think of themselves as "Uranian" or "Sapphic", or they might not yet have picked up that way of thinking. At a guess I'd expect Seward or van Helsing to be particularly aware of the new theory around homosexuality.

LGBT rights in law It was a mixed time for the legal position of LGBT people. The death penalty for sodomy was abolished in 1861 in England, Wales and Ireland (1889 in Scotland), and replaced with minimum 10 years hard labour. In 1871, two amab people, Boulton and Park, were tried for dressing as women, but the judge ruled that this was not an offence under English law (though he also said that he thought it should be).

On the left: Fanny Park and Stella Boulton; on the right, the Illustrated Police News' depiction of their arrest.

And in 1885, the Criminal Law Amendment Act reduced the minimum sentence for gross indecency from 10 years' hard labour to two.

That said, before that act was introduced, there had to be a witness to any sodomy or gross indecency for it to be prosecuted. The Criminal Law Amendment Act changed that, so all private acts, arguably even love letters, could be prosecuted. So despite the reduction in sentences, this change to the law made life harder for queer men in the 1880s and 1890s. From a Dracula perspective, this means that people would be much more careful about what they wrote down - significant for a novel made up of documents.

Lesbian sex has never been illegal in the UK. (The idea that this was because Queen Victoria didn't believe in lesbianism is a myth). But in the 18th century there were a series of prosecutions of afab people who lived as men and married women. They were prosecuted for fraud when their birth sex was discovered, because they were perceived as having defrauded their wives. There were far fewer such prosecutions in the 19th century, possibly because of the belief that it was better not to create the publicity of a trial.

Victorian WLW There are HEAPS of notable Victorian lesbians and bisexual women, including a lot in the suffragette movement. So I've chosen a few examples based on there being good images on Wikipedia.

From left to right:

Margaret Benson and Janet (Nettie) Gourlay were Egyptologists who met at the excavation of the Precinct of Mut. Almost all of Benson's family preferred same-sex relationships.

Louisa Baring, Lady Ashburton, was briefly married to a man, but when she was widowed, began a 25-year relationship with American sculptor Harriet Hosmer. Harriet described herself as Louisa's "hubby".

Matilda Hays was a mixed-race writer and actress who had a relationship with American actress Charlotte Cushman, with whom she's pictured. Hays aimed to use her writing to improve the condition of women.

Victorian MLM Again, I've chosen people to highlight through the very representative method of good photos.

From left to right:

Edward Carpenter was a socialist, poet, philosopher and early gay rights activist who met his partner George Merrill on a train. The two men came from very different backgrounds: Carpenter from privilege, and Merrill from the Sheffield slums. Their 40-year relationship inspired the ending of EM Forster's novel Maurice.

Charles Ricketts and Charles Haslewood Shannon were artists who met as teenagers and lived together for more than 50 years. In the Times' obituary for Ricketts in 1931, their relationship was described as being "as remarkable as any of the great historic friendships, or the finest Darby and Joan examples of wedded felicity".

Ned Warren and John Marshall were art collectors who together were largely responsible for the Roman and Greek Art Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marshall married Warren's cousin, Mary Bliss, but only on the condition that the marriage would not be consummated. All three lived together until they died and were buried in the same tomb.

Trans Victorians I wrote last year about Dr James Barry, a Victorian trans man, in the context of whether Jack Seward could be trans. (The post is from October, but spoiler free).

Eliza Edwards was an actress who died in 1833 at the age of 24. Her body was autopsied, and discovered to be - in the words of the autopsy - "a perfect man", which had apparently not been known to any of her friends or colleagues.

Harry Stokes was a bricklayer in Manchester, who was outed as trans in newspaper articles during his divorce 1838 and again after his death in 1859. He became something of a figure of fun after being first outed, but met another woman who lived with him as his life, and was broadly accepted by the local community as a trans man.

It was only through chance that James, Eliza and Harry were outed (and in James Barry's case, despite considerable efforts on his part). There might well have been hundreds or thousands more people like them.

And Boulton and Park, who I mentioned above, have usually been treated as transvestite men by historians, but could equally - had they had the terms themselves - be identified as trans women. Some contemporary newspaper articles even used she/her pronouns for them.

Asexual Victorians Asexuality is tricky to spot in history, though even in 1896, German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld was identifying it as a distinct phenomenon. What we do know is that more than 10% of women and a little under 10% of men in the 1890s never married, and in some cases that may well have been because they were asexual or aromantic.

From a Dracula perspective, family rumour held that Florence Stoker declined sex with her husband after the birth of their child. That may or may not have been true (and there's a ring of aphobia to some of the family's claims) but it shows how asexual people might also be found in apparently conventional marriages.

Sources British Library: A Short History of LGBT Rights in the UK British Library: A timeline of LGBT communities in the UK Girlfriends of Dorothy: A Timeline of Lesbian Rights UK 1601 - 2020s (note: the site intends to be trans-inclusive, but genders John Barry as female.) Open University: Lesbianism and the criminal law of England and Wales “Constant Companions” and “Intimate Friends”: The Lives and Careers of Maggie Benson and Nettie Gourlay Sapphic sexuality: lesbian myth and reality in art and sculpture British Library: Transgender identities in the past Warp and Weft: The extraordinary life of Harry Stokes British Academy: Happy Families? Coitus Interruptus: Sex, Bram Stoker, and Dracula 'Missing person' Florence Stoker added to DIB

#dracula daily #long post #historical context #lgbt history #queer history

[autolenaphilia]

I’ve recently seen some The Rocky Horror Picture Show discourse. And like people are questioning if Rocky Horror is transmisogynistic. Of course it does. Dr. Frank-N-Furter is intentionally a transmisogynistic villain. That’s the point.

It’s intended as ironic of course, as deliberate camp. The musical is intended as a parody of old sci-fi and horror movies, mixed with a camp drag aesthetic inspired by the contemporary glam rock movement. The mad scientist villains in the movies being parodied were often queer-coded, and vaguely effeminate.

So to parody that, Frank-n-Furter goes far beyond the queer-coding, and is outrageously effeminate and evil. He rapes people, kills them with an axe and serves them for dinner and force-fems them to take part in his climactic stage show. He is a Frankenstein parody, who literally makes an artificial man in order to fuck him (a joke about Frankenstein I’ve seen on tumblr). And does it all while wearing stockings, a bustier and heavy make-up. He is deliberately the ultimate evil man in a dress trope, referencing Psycho and all effeminate mad scientists in media.

That Frank-N-Furter isn’t explicitly a trans woman doesn’t matter. The musical deliberately blurs the line. The line “I’m just a sweet transvestite, from Transsexual, Transylvania” is like a perfect encapsulation of how horror movies treat transfemininity. “Men in dresses” (transvestites) trans women (transsexual) and a symbol of predatory horror movie villainy (Transylvania) are all conflated, making a pun of out how they all begin with “trans”.

Of course, it’s intended to be ironic. It’s a parody of queer-coded villainy in old horror movies by turning it up to eleven, so that you can’t take it seriously. The whole movie has this drag show camp aesthetic that it celebrates, and the supposed representatives of heteronormativity, Brad and Janet are turned in the end. Frank-N-Furter becomes a symbol of a hedonistic queer liberation “Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.. Don’t dream it, be it.”

This is the clear intent of Rocky Horror, and it’s how it became a “queer classic”. Does it work? I’ll admit that I enjoy the movie version. The glam rock aesthetic is fun, the songs are catchy, and they keep coming at a quick pace. A lot of it is admittedly that I love the old horror and sci-fi movies it’s parodying, so my cultural touchstones are similar. I’m the kind of person to get a thrill out of knowing that Frank-N-Furter at one point uses the exact same prop that Peter Cushing used in the second Hammer Frankenstein movie.

That is a different question however from how well it succeeds at subverting the transmisogynistic tropes it handles. Even in the most sympathetic possible account of the musical, it’s doing the equivalent of handling live grenades. Is it the creators tropes to subvert in the first place? Is it the fans?

Let’s talk about Rocky Horror’s creator, Richard O’Brien. He is certainly a weird and contradictory person, he identifies as a third gender and “70% male and 30% female“, and is using estrogen. So arguably he is a transfem enby and thus transmisogyny-affected. But he’s also a transmisogynist who doesn’t believe trans women are “real women”.( I would like to know what exact percentage of “female” as a transfem person turns you into a bad fake trans woman.)

Of course the important thing about O’Brien is that he is rich. He is in a vastly different class position than the majority of transfems. So while he may be taking estrogen and living as a third gender, he is simultaneously isolated by his own wealth from the effects of the transmisogyny he bolsters in the media (see Caitlyn Jenner for another example of a wealthy transfem doing the same thing).

And O’Brien is rich because Rocky Horror is a huge success. The stage show has seen tons of productions, the original ran for 7 years in the West End, and the movie is a slow but certain money maker, with probably the longest theatrical run out of any movie in history. He is swimming in residuals.

This raises the more interesting question of Rocky Horror’s position in the wider culture, and it’s status as “queer media”. It’s a movie which is just not passively watched but celebrated and performed by its fandom. People show up in cosplay to showings, “shadow casts” perform while the movie plays. And of course the original stage musical is still performed.

So we have to ask ourselves, what are people performing? And who is performing it? And I’ve already answered the former question earlier. Rocky Horror is largely an ironic performance of transmisogyny. And the fact is, the majority of people doing that performance are not the main targets of transmisogyny. They are largely TME cishet, queer and trans people. It’s “ironic” transmisogyny to be sure, I think most fans of Rocky Horror who have any understanding of what it is doing view Frank-N-Furter as the true hero of the show. But is it really their thing to be ironic about? Are transmisogyny-exempt people really the people who should reclaim with irony and camp transmisogynistic tropes in horror media? I don’t think so, and that’s why there is so much resentment about Rocky Horror from transfems. And it’s creator doesn’t help, because while he’s arguably transfem, he also spreads transmisogyny in the media.

It illustrates a lot of things, for example how imprecise “queer” is as a description of people. It’s an umbrella term, and does group together people who have much in common. But it also erases the material differences within the community. Queer people aren’t all equally oppressed.

So Rocky Horror status as queer media, as a campy celebration of queerness and parody of anti-queer tropes in genre films is kinda grating. Because it enables TME queer people to perform and celebrate Rocky Horror, because they are queer and it’s about “queerness”, when there are specifically transmisogynistic tropes parodied in the musical. It isn’t really their place to do so.

It appropriates specific transmisogynistic tropes in the media by thoughtlessly subsuming it into the general anti-queerness which it is part of.

Of course there are transfems who got to explore their gender at Rocky Horror showings. But I think the reason they did that is because mtf crossdressing is accepted as part of a camp ironic performance in such a context. It makes it feel safer to perform femininity in public, because you can backtrack and say it’s purely ironic. That’s no different from the comedy crossdressing in American Halloween parties, and I think we can all agree those are often transmisogynistic.

And of course, Rocky Horror is an example of how cis men can perform femininity, and get celebrated for it in mainstream society, while escaping the effects of transmisogyny that transfems experience, and in fact often furthering that transmisogyny. It’s often a (negative) performance of transfemininity, in which actual transfems play no part and are mocked.

Tim Curry is a very good example. He made his career from playing Frank-N-Furter, and he probably couldn’t have done that if he was actually transfem, and not just crossdressing for an ironic performance on stage and screen. Like I don’t have anything against him in particular, quite the opposite, he’s one of my favourite actors, love him in everything from Clue to Muppet Treasure Island to Gabriel Knight. My objection is to the patriarchal and transmisogynistic system that favors cishet men like him.

Speaking of crossdressing on stage, the drag culture which Rocky Horror is inspired by of course has a complex history. It’s deeply rooted in both African-American and queer culture, and transfems have played major roles in drag. But Rocky Horror is if anything even an appropriation of drag culture. It represents drag’s commercialization and recuperation into the mainstream. It took drag out of the gay bars being raided by the police and onto the more respectable West End stage, making a lot of money in the process.

Rocky Horror beyond any qualities it has as a stage and film musical, due to its popularity represents a lot of complex issues. It’s important to queer culture, but it also represents the commercialization and recuperation of queer drag into the cishet mainstream. And within the queer community, it is a shining example of how TME queers can appropriate specifically transfem struggles as their own. It shows how cis men can gain wealth and fame performing transmisogynistic caricatures (even if they are ironic and don’t mean it).

I’m not saying if you enjoy the musical that you should stop enjoying it. But maybe if you are TME, Dr Frank-N-Furter is not your “problematic queer icon” to reclaim.

#my writings #transmisogyny #the rocky horror picture show #the rocky horror show

[fantasybooktournament]

Book Reveals for Round 1 of Mystery Book Tournament

titles and descriptions under the cut

The One with The Obnoxious Legal System is A Conspiracy of Truths by Alexandra Rowland

The world's most obnoxious old man has been arrested for charges of witchcraft by the world's most obnoxious legal system. The story follows him utilizing every tool at his disposal to escape death including his fruity apprentice, his ever-tired lawyer, and most of all stories. Half of this book is the old man telling a story to someone he is either trying to sway, trick, or simply entertain.

The One with the Rightful Heir is Magyk by Angie Sage

A child soldier nearly freezes to death and so must join the escape of the rightful heir, a powerful wizard, and the rightful heir's bumbling dad, brother and dog.

The One with No Indoor Plumbing is In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Have you ever thought ‘hey going to a magical fantasy land might suck a little’? Our intrepid hero has been invited to a school for future heroes in a land of elves and trolls, harpies and mermaids…and there’s no indoor plumbing. Also they’re training children as warriors and have little to no respect for diplomacy.

The One with Vampires and Farms is The Queen of Darkness by Miguel Connor

In the far-flung future, the earth is irradiated and vampires rule the world. Humans are kept in farms, and our protagonist is sent to one to learn about an illness that is appearing in the humans which can infect and kill vampires. There he learns about the human cult, and gets told by them that vampires were once human.

The One with Possessed Nuns is Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

A young nun in fantasy-France lets a powerful revenant take possession of her body in order to protect her monastery from possessed soldiers. No one believes she can possibly control the evil creature, but as she uncovers a sinister plot at the very heart of her country, she finds herself growing closer to the revenant by the day.

The One that Becomes Queernormative is A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Protagonist starts off in a queer phobic society and is bound to marry a girl from the neighboring kingdom against his wishes, being gay. When his sexuality is dramatically revealed after he's being assaulted, the political bets seem off, but the other kingdom is queernormative and instead offers to marry him to his bride's brother instead.

The One with Sisters and Unsuitable Men is An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughto

The main character's older sister has run away with an unsuitable man so it's up to her to marry a suitable one. But as she worries for her sister and hopes to find her, she encounters a strange man, rumored to have been kidnapped by the fae.

The One with the Magic Italian Notebook is City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

The main character, a young boy, is seriously ill but his life is transformed when an old Italian notebook gives him the power to become a stravagante, a time traveler with access to 16th century Italy. He wakes up in another time and place during carnival time and meets a girl his own age who is disguised as a boy in the hope of being selected as one of the Duchessa's mandoliers. Political intrigue ensues.

The One with the War Against Colonizers is Fire Logic by Laurie J Marks

The last living member of a border tribe, a deadly philosopher-soldier, a truth-seer, a gentle man, and a man who can see the future form a beautifully queer family around a drug-addicted blacksmith who holds the power of the land itself so that she can end the war against colonizers that has continued for 30 years

The One with the Healer's Quest is Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier

The first in a mystery fantasy trilogy about a wrongfully imprisoned healer and her quiet but strong prison friend who get busted out of prison by an otherworld being. In exchange, for seven years she must endeavor to help anyone who asks for it. A gentle local prince has fallen for his fiance through their sweet and poetic correspondence but is shocked by her cruelty when she arrives, can the healer discovers what has happened and help solve his problem?

The One with Imaginary Friends is Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones

A pre-teen girl who relies heavily on the advice of her four imaginary friends goes into the local patch of woodlands one day and discovers it's much bigger on the inside. There, she meets a depressed sorcerer/assassin who makes a child out of her blood and his to fight against his enemies on another planet. Meanwhile, someone on Earth has started up a machine that's said to be able to make dreams come true, and this is a big problem for the evil interstellar megacorp that's been dumping prisoners on Earth and stealing their flint.

The One with a Time-Traveling Dragon/Furnace is If That Breathes Fire, We're Toast! by Jennifer J. Stewart

A boy moves with his mom to a new place where he meets a girl and a time-traveling dragon/furnace who teaches him about himself.

The One with the Multiverse is Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

An amnesiac man finds himself embroiled in deadly political scheming, thrust into a strange multiverse in the hope of trying to claim from out under his various rival siblings feet the throne to the city at the center of reality.

The One with Mage Trials is Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell

In a magical society one must complete their mages trials by 16, or else become a slave to that society for the rest of their life. The main character is a 15-year-old boy who has one last chance to complete his trials. Only, his magic is gone. With his fate looming, he meets a mysterious traveling stranger who shows him a different path than the one that has been laid out for him by his people.

The One with the Loser Noble Scholar is Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Loser noble scholar shacks up with the best swordsman of the city and makes him fight a bunch of duels mostly out of boredom but also a bit because of politics. Feels slice of life ish though there are stakes

The One with the Nonbinary Cleric is The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

In this novella set in an imperial Chinese inspired fantasy world, a nonbinary cleric investigates the story of an empress and her ...controversial rise to the throne, as told by an elderly handmaiden who knew her.

The One with Geese is Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, the Princess has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince, the princess embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future. When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs the princess of both her identity and her role as princess, the girl seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.

The One with the Teenage Witch Coven is The Scapegracers by H. A. Clarke

Lesbian teenage witch accidentally becomes adopted by popular girls. They form a coven and vow to get revenge on those who have been wronged. Chaos ensues.

The One with the Angel and the Demon is When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

A demon and an angel decide to go to de goldene medina to search for a girl they know who's disappeared on the way over.

The One with an Unsettling Future is Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

High in the mountains, a young girl lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need -- for they have each other. The girl's life is peaceful and protected -- until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But the girl's mother sees the future unfolding -- and she will do the unspeakable to prevent her daughter from leaving her...

The One with the Bioweapon is Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

It's post an apocalypse, that was started by a cult, that twists people into horrible body horror monsters. A trans boy raised in the cult is infected with a bioweapon by them and shortly after escapes. He joins a group of queer teens where he finds friends a community, and he bands together with them to take down the cult.

The One with Arabian Nights AND Hades & Persephone is Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Arabian Nights + Hades and Persephone! A mysterious danger plagues an unexpected kingly visit, and a young woman embarks on a quest to find her one true love before all is lost...

The One with the Lion is Sarah's Lion by Margaret Greaves

A princess longs to travel so is locked in her room. A lion comes to her. Eventually, she has to choose whether she will stay or go.

The One with the War Veteran is The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

War veteran with chronic pain contracted by a goddess to save her chosen queen

#mystery fantasy book tournament #book reveals #fantasy books

[three-drink-amy]

Thanks to @carlos-in-glasses for the tag!

“And how long have you been together?”

They didn’t really come up with a story. They probably should have. Alex glances at Henry, saying, “God, what’s it been?”

“Er, six years,” Henry says, smiling at Janet and then over at Alex. “Six years this fall.”

Alex nods, playing along. “Yeah. We got each other through school. Then Henry graduated and I coached him through an interview at this really cool queer publishing house. And then in turn, he got me through law school.”

Henry lays his hand over Alex’s, beaming. “He just graduated.”

Janet nods her head. “And are you two engaged, married?”

“Oh, no,” Alex quickly answers.

“With Alex being in school, it was the primary focus,” Henry elaborates. “Neither of us wanted him to split his focus.” A pleased, mischievous look crosses Henry’s face before he adds, “Though maybe Spain will be particularly inspiring.”

Everyone gathered at the tables in the lounge gasps or cheers. Even Janet gets excited. Alex turns to Henry, gaping at him. “What are you doing?” he asks, his voice low.

Henry’s still smiling, proud. “I’m leaning into the game. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

No pressure tagging: @rmd-writes @welcometololaland @clottedcreamfudge @indomitable-love @everwitch-magiks @cricketnationrise @dumbpeachjuice @cha-melodius @strandnreyes @reyesstrand @alrightbuckaroo @bonheur-cafe @catanisspicy @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @heybuddy-drabbles @carlos-tk @orchidscript @liminalmemories21 @celaestis1 @celeritas2997

#seven sentence sunday

[addsalwayssick]

Azkaban

Sirius let his head rest against the cold walls of Azkaban.

He looked at his wall of tallies and scratched another one into the muddy stone. He looked at the moon. Night 726. Full moon 23.

He heard a small knock from the other side of the stone walls, and a hushed “Sirius!”

Sirius fought back (Very hard) a groan. “What Barty?” He said, exasperated.

“I was talking with the new person on my left, and he has some new gossip!” Barty whisper-yelled.

Now Sirius was interested. “What about?”

“You know Janet Young? She was a Hufflepuff.” Barty continued.

Sirius nodded, though Barty couldn’t see him. “Yeah, what about her?”

“Apparently she cheated on her boyfriend…with his sister!”

Sirius gasped dramatically. “Her sister? Bloody queer.”

“Aren’t you queer? Don’t you have a bloody boyfriend?” Barty asked.

Sirius sighed. “I used to. Moony was lovely. Was about you and Rosier.”

“I dunno. Obviously we can’t talk”

They both heard a shrill scream from across the Azkaban building.

“Shut up Bella!” Sirius said. “Putain de merde! She can’t ever shut up can she?”

#james potter #sirius black #jegulus #remus lupin #sirius #regulus and evan and barty #remus and regulus #sirius and regulus #sirius x lupin #wolfstar #barty and sirius #sirius and barty #bro they’re living their best lives

[mephistopheles]

still absolutely gobsmacked, smackgobbed even, by how heterosexuals react to rocky horror. my dad only remembers “the blonde guy in underwear” and “the umbrella.” i was like ‘you mean the newspaper janet holds over her head????’ he was like ‘maybe.’  told my mom that it’s a queer film and has an indelible place in LGBT history and she said “oh, when i watched it i didnt see it through that lens”

#arthur.pdf #gobsmacked. smackgobbed #rocky horror #rhps

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Punk is a thought, not a look. It's a message, not a sound. ________________________

Mariah-Janet Waters

Hobie's 'Mary-Jane' | Earth-138

18 - Any Pronouns - 5'3'' - Aro/Bi - Autistic - Pronounced Mariah-JA-net

Mixed Nigerian and Irish

Police Whistleblower from age 15, publishing anonymous exposés and hosting a local illegal anarchist radio-show

Daughter of Captain Walter Waters

Earned her blue laces off her father at 16 - Doesn't regret it all and still sleeps sound as fuck at night (well... not soundly)

Survivor of 4 assassination attempts - counting on a 5th

Most talkative person on planet earth - but wears the mask 24/7

Hates being called MJ DEEPLY

No piercings, untatted, and doesn't even like punk music

Entirely Punk none-the-less

[unmasked Mariah at the end]

Background:

Mariah-Janet has dedicated her life to the anarchist movement, and taking down Fisk's administration - no matter what it costs. Not that she had much left to spend. Born to Captain Walter Water's, a white police officer, and Barbra, her Nigerian mother, Mariah's mother left her life early - at the age of 4, not bothering to take Mariah with her. Instead she was raised by her father, an abusive cop mad at the world- and out to make it his daughter's problem. Raised in a tiny flat in low-income Tower Hamlets, he spent the majority of her childhood trying to iron the blackness out her hair and beat the queerness out of her soul. Though none of it ever worked much. She says change ain't in her nature. As Fisk's administration grew, so did her father's ruthlessness, and his newly earned V.E.N.O.M symbiote was only fuel to his fire. And at 15, Mariah become 'Red' - An anonymous Anti-Police whistleblower. Publishing dozens of exposes, reports, and zines against the administration - 'Red' rose to infamy through his illegally broadcasted rogue-radio show and his uncensored and ruthless protesting tactics. However, at 16 Mariah came across a story that would change her career - discovering the murder and cover-up of her own mother. Enraged but determined, Mariah leaked the report, at the same time her father uncovered her identity. Consumed by rage and powered by the V.E.N.O.M symbiote, when her father attacked her, Mariah earned her blue laces. And started wearing her mask, living life as the wanted 'Red'. Today Mariah lives in hiding, couch-surfing at the places of other organizers, or squatting in vacant flats.

Personality:

Don't let the bandana and dead stare fool you - Mariah is far from quiet and cold. Being autistic and hyperverbal, Mariah talks A LOT - whether she's actually saying something or not. She's not very expressive or emotive, and her humor is pretty dry and bland (think Dwight from the Office), even though she hates mean-spirited jokes. On the lighter side of things, Mariah is pretty brash and open. She's a writer, not a leader, and she's more interested in going with the flow than being in charge, though she often finds herself there. She fairly laid back - and incredibly confident. Almost outright cocky, even moreso than Hobie. She sits legs spread and burps loud and rolls her eyes and sucks her teeth. She enjoys cursing in front people who think it's 'rude', and she has an accent thicker than Hobie's. But unlike Hobie - she's not a 'typical, actual' punk (yeah right). She doesn't listen to punk music. In fact, she doesn't listen to much music at all. She has no real interest in the clothes, or the music, or the crowded live shows. And when she met Hobie, she had no real interest in the pretty boy who brings a guitar to a protest. Mariah is a punk, because that's how she lives her life. And she'll genuinely laugh in your face if you tell her she isn't, just because she thinks the Sex Pistols are shite. And she's incredibly loyal. To say Mariah doesn't trust anyone (from her universe at least) is an understatement. She can't afford it - what with 4 assassination attempts and counting - but if there's anyone on Earth she trusts, it's Hobie. But her and Hobie don't always see eye-to-eye. On the darker side of things, Mariah lacks the 'radical kindness' that Hobie does. Even though her and Hobie are both hard-core anarchists, 'Red's definition of 'justice' is often far more extreme. Mariah hates cops. All of them, and she genuinely wants them dead - in the most painful way she can muster. Knowing there are more men like her father out there, still sleeping soundly at night, and that there are men out there protecting them, Mariah says the movement isn't over until all of them are either punished, dead, or both. Mariah wants merciless punishment, and she isn't afraid to say it. For cops, politicians, fascists, nazis, racists, and any other bigot still breathing. She's an amazing planner, and a phenomenal speaker, but her protesting tactics often teeter into dangerous and malicious territory. Including arson, and if given the chance, execution. When Spider-Punk saved Mariah's life from a cop torturing her - the third attempt on her life - Mariah insisted he kill the already downed officer. Because it'd be 'One less to worry about.' Hobie didn't. And both began looking at each other a little bit different from that point forward. When they're alone and Mariah talks about how good it would be to live in a world without cops, Hobie can't help but agree. He's just afraid of what Mariah is willing to do to get there. And the more she tries, and the more she speaks, the more dangerous it gets for her.

Hobie & Mariah

Meeting:

Hobie knew his MJ Canon Event was coming - he just didn't know he already knew her. Hobie had met Mariah as 'Red', at an 'unpermitted political protest/performance art piece' - Hobie's words, not theirs. A Molotov cocktail in hand, and a balaclava across his face. To Hobie, to meet the person behind the words was surreal, and only for a few brief moments. Red met Spider-Punk months later. Coincidentally, while staring down the barrel of a gun. Faced with his second assassination attempt, Red comes face to face with the other masked anarchist, and is instantly filled with respect for him. Red's a fan, and Spider-Punk's a fan of his as well. And soon, the two are working together on the regular. Staging protests, running an illegal anarchist-rock-radio-show, and exposing insider information. It isn't until Red's third - and fourth - assassination attempt, that Hobie realized Red was now living in a bullet proof vest. After the fourth attempt, Hobie demasked himself, bringing an injured Red to the boathouse. He somehow convinced Red to stay while he healed. It was only then that Red revealed her identity to Hobie, and switched from ski masks to bandanas, and from Red to Mariah.

Relationship:

They aren't dating. If you even insinuate anything of the sort, Mariah is very likely to either tell you to 'piss off', or she'll (lovingly and playfully) insult him. 'I love charity work, darling. But not that much.' Romance isn't in the cards for them - Mariah's aro anyway. But that's not why this canon event exists. In every universe where MJ and Spidey are together, they are a rock for each other, mentally and emotionally. They're there to keep each other standing. Hobie didn't believe in canon events, and he still doesn't. But it took him a while to understand why Mariah was his canon event. Not to love her, but to protect her. Hobie believes in Mariah's message. And he believes in the power of her voice. 'Red' is loud. And Fisk knows it. She's a threat, because she's the voice of the people. Hobie may not agree with all of her methods. And that's fine. He can live with that. Because he believes in her message - and more importantly, he believes in her power. Hobie and Mariah were never meant to be partners in romance. And they'll forever be partners in crime. Outside of that - Hobie and Mariah's relationship is purely sexual and platonic. They're more than best friends. To them, they're two people who puts their lives in each other's hands every day, and respect each other beyond anything in this world.

Face Claims: Ice Spice /// Erin Kellyman

More about Mariah [Mentions of My Spidersona Disco-Spider Diane below]

Mariah is pretty romance averse. Her and Hobie never kiss outside of sex, and she's not touchy unless she's flirting. (Which she does, A LOT, just not to Hobie. She always tells him she can pick up more chicks than him - which, true.)

If Hobie tried to kiss her on the lips out of nowhere, she would look at him like he was absolutely insane. (She'd be like 'bruv - fuck are you in my face for')

She's not interested in romance at all, either thinking it's bizarre or distracting - and she's not afraid to say it

Though she has no interest in Hobie romantically (and doesn't see the appeal), she's still happy that he has Diane in his life. And she's VERY happy to leave that gushy shit to her.

*Makes retching noises when Diane & Hobie kiss in front of her*

Unlike Diane & Hobie, Hobie & Mariah are pretty open about the fact that they're fucking and nothing more. They're casual about it, but when Mariah is making Hobie sit on her lap at an afterparty - it sends a message.

She also likes to grab his ass at any opportunity, especially in front of people - doing things like pulling on his suspenders (then letting them go so they snap at his back lol)

She's also involved with Diane - originally independent of Hobie, after Mariah and Hobie got together - getting together shortly after Diane came out as bi

She knows Diane is not from their Earth - Hobie told her this before she ever met Diane. They first met when Mariah went alone to go introduce herself to Diane in her universe (with Hobie's blessing)

She went unmasked, and so Diane saw her face when they first met

The three of them are in a soft polycule

Mariah's masc-bi-butch and she prefers masculine descriptors.

Most of her clothes are thrifted jerseys of teams she doesn't back, and jeans 3 sizes up. When protesting, he'll wear all red.

Mariah prefers he/him pronouns when out as 'Red'. When out with unfamiliar people, organizers, or active protests - He's most often in balaclavas and ski-masks

Mariah doesn't wear boots - only trainers, but she still ties blue laces around the shins of her baggy pants every morning, because she feels like she's earned them

Wears her bandana almost constantly, and will wear it even when alone with Hobie - though she takes it off by herself. She has dozens, so it's always easy to grab one.

Very rarely will she take it off to eat or drink. She'll try to eat around it or drink around a straw, which is usually successful. If it isn't, she'll leave the room

She doesn't want people to memorize her face. And it's not that she doesn't trust anyone - which, she doesn't - it's that enough torture could break anyone. And she's not taking the risk.

If she takes off her bandana in front of you (unlikely) and you scan her face, she immediately doesn't trust you. (Why you looking so hard)

She wears her bandana so often around Hobie, that he finds it very easy to tell her emotions, even though Mariah does not emote much in general - besides, Mariah talks A LOT

It took her multiple months before Hobie saw her face, and she only showed him after living on the houseboat for some weeks, after they'd slept together

Raised being called 'MJ' by her father, Mariah highly dislikes it. She'll tell you not to call her it once, and every time after, she'll be a little more pissed

Around Hobie and people he trusts, Red prefers to go by Mariah or M - and uses any pronouns. If you ask Mariah their gender, you'll get an amused smile and bored shrug. What are you, a cop?

Asks people 'What are you, a cop?' or 'You a narc??' quite often. Half the time she's joking. Will also say "Okay, Officer." If you're being pushy and annoying, and laughs if that irritates you (Hobie)

Her laugh is very sharp, and it almost sounds mocking. Even if she isn't

Lots of times people don't trust her, what with the mask. These are the people she likes to take the piss out of most

Mariah experiences a lot of chronic pain, mostly derived from her father, and her 3 & 4th assassination attempts - making protests extremely taxing on her

Though she will hide this at all costs, in front of everyone except Hobie. During times of stress or increased pain, she'll take painkillers in sporadic doses. But being wanted by the state, she can only get her hands on so much.

She doesn't do much but protest and write. She doesn't like music like that, and she doesn't see the appeal. She doesn't draw anymore, though she used to

After years of living in survival mode, she works, plans, chain-smokes, and tries not to get killed while doing it

She doesn't understand Diane's groupie behavior, or Hobie's 'punk' rockstar cover. She thinks it's pointless, and on occasion she'll say this, not realizing how callous that may sound

To her, Hobie is a dork. And she calls him a dork all the time. How someone could see him as cool or rather - 'groovy' - is beyond her.

Has little to no filter - unless it comes to secrets and observations. Either she tells you exactly what she's thinking, or you get nothing at all.

Often has to be told when it's too much, and on occasion, during political planning, she has told Hobie he talks 'too nice'.

Though she does envy Diane, and her ability to just dance. Mariah has no form of escapism - her writing will always be a harsh reflection of reality. And she admires Diane's ability to live in spite of that, without the anger her and Hobie often go through.

The only escape Mariah has is reading, and puzzles. Mainly rubix cubes and things like that.

She loves fiction and fantasy. But her love of books doesn't stop there, and Red's radio show isn't all screaming.

Mariah is extremely versed in political and anarchist literature, being able to memorizes passages from manifestos and books easily, as well as speeches or direct pieces of confidential files she reads

Mainly leads riots - using anti-tear gas safety, road-blocking, and anarchist warfare like molotov cocktails & destruction of surveillance

Whereas a lot of Hobie's protests preach Love & Kindness among the community, Red's radio show and organized riots are backed by rage - telling the people to end the oppression by direct action, at any cost

Red wants revenge and a future, and if that means burning it all down and rebuilding from ashes and graves, then that's what he'll do. Happily.

She has killed in front of Hobie before, and he was not very happy about it (to say the least)

Sleeps in Hobie's bed a lot of nights - mainly because of the nightmares. She doesn't like doing this, and wish it didn't happen, but it is what it is. What helps helps, and she trusts Hobie more than anyone

Unlike how he is with Diane, Hobie is extremely protective of Mariah and worries about Red constantly - to the point that he's hypervigilant

Still has the badge she took off her father at 16. Her most prized possession

________________________________

ART STYLE: [We're almost done I PROMISE]

Less animated and expressive than Hobie - Mariah does not change colors the way he does. Most of the time she is black, white, grey, or the color of aging parchment, detailed with handwriting and lined paper.

Mariah can only turn Red, when enraged or at protest, and Blue, for injured, scared, or upset. As she gets angrier, the handwriting across her becomes more and more erratic and illegible.

INSPO:

Mariah is about being authentic without performance.

She's a punk, even though she 'doesn't look it'. She gets told that a lot. She's black, even though she 'doesn't look it'. Disabled, though she 'doesn't look it'. She's bi, but she 'doesn't look it' either.

Mariah isn't quiet, and she never hides the truth. But because people can't see her face, they act like they can never get a read on her - even though she's brutally honest.

I wanted her to defy the idea of what a punk is. She's not the girl who goes to Hobie's shows and kisses him backstage. That's Diane.

Mariah is the one that follows him into battle and debates him for hours. Even if she doesn't like his music. She still believes in anarchy, and fighting, and freedom.

She's still punk, and despite the anti-blackness of her father, she's still black.

Mariah is the opposite of Diane, although that wasn't really on purpose.

A lot of the time in the comics, MJ and Peter's relationship is about them being on the same side, and facing the world together - MJ always a encouraging force for Peter. And I wanted to boil that down as much as I could. So often that encouraging force is through romance and romantic affection - but unlike MJ and Peter, Hobie and Mariah have everything but that aspect. Both their attraction to each other and their mutal emotional support of each other are divorced from romance - instead being based in respect and care. Hobie wants to protect Mariah, and Mariah wants Hobie to fight at her side. Mariah is the reflection of Diane. She represents his political side, while Diane represents more of his musical side. She represents his enraged determination, while Diane is his radical kindness. Diane and Hobie aren't open about being 'together', but the romance between them is clear. Meanwhile Hobie and Mariah are open about sleeping with each other - and the lack of romance is just as clear. And my favorite part is their reflection of morals. To Diane suffering for the system, and for the Society, is a worthy cause. A necessary sacrifice. Diane is community oriented above all else, something she gained by her communist upbringing. Meanwhile, Mariah couldn't disagree more. No community liberated her. Instead, she liberated herself - not by sitting outside a courthouse - but by direct action - and killing her father when she got the chance. If life was a garden, Diane tries to plant flowers. Mariah is more interested in pulling up weeds. Maybe Diane is naive. Or maybe Mariah is cynical. Or maybe they both know exactly what they're doing. Either way Hobie cares for both of them beyond words. And in return, they love giving him headaches.

If you read this far - THANK YOU SOOO MUCH. Mariah took a while to come to me, but now that she's here she's as hardheaded and smug as can be (affectionately)

Her and Hobie are basically bros that fuck sometimes and their 'kisses' are actually just passionate looks of rage when they lock eyes during a riot lol

And because you made it this far: Here's a rare unmasked Mariah!

As per usual, take this Hobie photo, absorb it, cherish it, and use it in times of weakness for it will give you strength

Bye.

#*muffled sounds of Mariah ranting in the next room* #cause she never shuts up #sometimes hobie is just like 'shut up man!!! (affectionate)' and she starts calling him hobart #SO HAPPY TO FINALLY WRITE HER OUT A BIT #diane is the golden retriever #mariah is the grumpy ginger cat #hobie brown #hobie brown x oc #hobie brown x mj #spiderpunk #spider punk #spidersona #spidersonas #mary jane watson #atsv #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse #no proofread as usu #hobie x oc #hobie x mj #hobie & mariah #discospider #disco spider

[starvels]

starvels' YGMAH gift fics roundup ✨

here are the stevetony fics i did for the yougavemeastocking exchange! featuring rivals with benefits! not actually dead cowboys! avengers kinky stevebang! wolfs in early canon!

getchu some goodies 😈💖

---

forecheck for @thahiree

Rating: 10k. E. Marvel 3490. Tags: Hockey AU, Banter, Rivals With Benefits, Queer Themes, Smoking, Switching, Power Dynamics, Rough Sex, Face-Fucking, Nipple Play, Come Play, Trans Tony Stark Summary: On the first day of the All Star Games, Steve loses the shooting skill challenge, chain-smokes three cigarettes as a reward for doing a half-naked photoshoot, and sleeps with Natasha Stark. All in all, it’s not a bad start to the weekend.

---

copacetic for @dirigibleplumbing

Rating: 7k. E. Marvel 1872 Tags: Post-Canon, Identity Issues, Unhealthy Relationships, Power Dynamics, Breathplay, Painplay, Spit Kink, Intercrural, Semi-Public, Trans Tony Stark, Open/Ambiguous Ending Summary: The man Tony spots across the market square looks just like Sheriff Rogers. When Tony catches up to the man, he moves just like Sheriff Rogers, touches Tony just like Sheriff Rogers, gets spitting mad just like Sheriff Rogers. The problem is, Sheriff Rogers was murdered 4 months ago

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the american way for @sadisticsparkle

Rating: 10k. E. Marvel 616. Tags: Avengers/Avengers, Early in Canon, Polyamory, Gangbang, Kink Heavy, BDSM, Sub Steve Rogers, Switch Tony Stark, Dom Sam Wilson, Switch Janet Van Dyne, Partner Swapping, Free Use, Piercings, Overstimulation, Humiliation, Fantasies, PWP Summary: The Avengers set Steve up in the back room at one of their galas; trussed up to be used by his teammates as a party favor. After everyone else has had a turn, generous host Tony comes in to check on Steve and partake of the Avenger’s party favor, as well.

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wolf like me for @willidothefandango

Rating: 1.5K. T. Marvel 616. Tags: Avengers Vol. 1, Werewolf AU, Scenting, Secret Identities Summary: It's been a busy few days for Steve Rogers: he's been thawed from the Arctic decades after being frozen, battled a villain or two, joined a superhero team called the Avengers, and now been invited to come live at their new base of operations. There's just one little thing they forgot to mention, and Steve can smell it the second he gets inside the mansion: there's another werewolf who lives inside.

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mwah to the ygmah server! thanks for such a lovely 616 stevetony community 🥰

#my fic #stevetony #stevetony fic #616 #1872

[nerdygaymormon]

Queer Religious Songs

I was interested to see the news that a song by the drag queen Flamy Grant was top of the iTunes Christian chart. I listened to the song and really like it. 

There are many religious songs I like, but these queer ones speak to a part of me that the others don’t, they ask questions that are important. 

1983 - Church of the Poison Mind : Culture Club - A religious gay man has found love, but because of what he was taught at church, can’t resolve his own feelings about being gay. The message is if you’re living in a culture distorted by prejudice, take a chance on joy–embrace love, whatever form it takes.

1987 - It’s a Sin : Pet Shop Boys - This song is about a person’s lifelong feelings of shame and guilt, presumably for being taught that being gay is a sin. For everything I long to do, no matter when or where or who, has one thing in common, too. It’s a, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a sin

1988 - A Little Respect : Erasure - In this song the gay singer is calling to a lover not to leave and asks the question, what religion or reason could drive a man to forsake his lover? So often the religions we’re raised in are anti-queer and people have a tough time breaking from the prejudice when they have their first romantic relationship

1991 - Losing My Religion : R.E.M. - Lead singer Michael Stipe had declined to address his sexuality, so when “Losing My Religion” came out, people assumed Stipe was coming out as gay. Consider this the hint of the century. Consider this the slip. It stands as a classic example of queer coding in the era of “don’t-ask-don’t-tell.” The song was interpreted as the struggle of a closeted gay man coming to terms with what his religion taught about gay people.

1992 - One : U2 - Bono explained that “It’s a father-and-son story. I tried to write about someone I knew who was coming out and was afraid to tell his father. It’s a religious father and son… I have a lot of gay friends, and I’ve seen them screwed up from unloving family situations, which just are completely anti-Christian. If we know anything about God, it’s that God is love.” Knowing it’s a gay son who is talking to his unaccepting dad, the lyrics really hit hard. Did I disappoint you or leave a bad taste in your mouth? And also these words from the chorus, We’re one but we’re not the same. Well we hurt each other then we do it again. It seems eventually the son decides to draw a boundary and remove his father from his life - I can’t keep holding on to what you got, 'cause all you got is hurt. I like that the lyrics say We get to carry each other, carry each other, we are different and may not agree on everything, but we choose to help each other, like it’s asking us to find ways to have our relationship work even though we’re different

1997 - You Have Been Loved : George Michael - George Michael wrote this song about Anselmo Feleppa, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1993. While an intense song about grief and death, it also involves a spiritual struggle. Anselmo and his mother both say that God is not dead, George counters by challenging What’s the use in pressing palms, if you [God] won’t keep such love from harm? It’s a cruel world. You’ve so much to prove.

1997 - Together Again : Janet Jackson - The album notes include “I dedicate the song ‘Together Again’ to the friends I’ve lost to AIDS.” It’s a sweet song with hopeful words. Everywhere I go, every smile I see, I know you are there smilin’ back at me

2011 - Born This Way : Lady Gaga - Many songs hint at queer identities and acceptance by using metaphors, but not this one, it is direct. No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life, I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive. The song is a real celebration of who we each are made to be. God makes no mistakes

2011 - We All Try : Frank Ocean - Frank Ocean sings of losing faith in mankind as the LGBTQIA+ community struggles to find acceptance. I believe that marriage isn’t between a man and woman, but between love and love, and I believe you when you say you’ve lost all faith, but you must believe in something. He reassures and offers hope to listeners and the LGBTQIA+ community that I just don’t believe we’re wicked, I know that we sin but I do believe we try.

2012 - Same Love : Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert - Macklemore sings against the homophobia taught at church. When I was in church, they taught me something else. If you preach hate at the service, those words aren't anointed and that Holy Water that you soak in is then poisoned. The song concludes with Mary singing I’m not crying on Sundays, which I think means not letting religious intolerance and churches harm us anymore, not subjecting ourselves to those words anymore

2012 - Origin of Love : MIKA - Mika said this song “talks about my life, it talks about the church, it talks about falling in love and it talks about being happy and proud about falling in love with whoever you fall in love with, even if it’s a man. So in a way, this is my statement and my thank you to the man I love.“ To his partner he sings You are the sun and the light, you are the freedom I fight, God will do nothing to stop it.

Mika contrasts the goodness romance brings to his life with how the Bible introduces heterosexual relationships: Like stupid Adam and Eve, they found their love in a tree. God didn’t think they deserved it. He taught them hate, taught them pride, gave them a leaf, made them hide. Let’s push their stories aside. You know the origin is you

2013 – Take Me to Church : Hozier - The lyrics are against church-fueled homophobia and persecution of queer people, and instead Hozier finds meaning by worshiping in the bedroom. Many queer people can identify with these lyrics: Every Sunday’s getting more bleak, a fresh poison each week. "We were born sick", you heard them say it. Hozier explained that churches undermine humanity by teaching shame about sexual orientation by saying that it is sinful, or that it offends God. Hozier is an outspoken LGBTQ+ ally and the music video depicts two gay men being ripped apart by homophobic violence in Russia. It brought international attention to the anti-gay laws in Russia.

2015 - No Place in Heaven : MIKA - Mika is singing about how religion teaches there’s no place in heaven for gay people because the way we love is sinful. Father, won’t you forgive me for my sins? Father, if there’s a heaven let me in

2016 - Son of a Preacher Man : Tom Goss - This 1968 song gets a gay update. The video tells the story of two gay teens struggling to understand their feelings for one another while operating within the confines of an evangelical church.

2016 - Trash : Tyler Glenn - In response to the Nov 2015 Policy of Exclusion by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tyler created this video denouncing the Church’s restrictive view of same-sex relationships. The pain and anger are so raw in this video, it hurts to watch. These lyrics are an indictment, that he’d repent his days away if we wanted him to stay, but we throw him out like trash. If this is God’s church then there should be room for ALL God’s children.

2016 - Shameless : Tyler Glenn - The video has an old man in a black suit & white shirt tied up to a chair as Tyler sings You judge, but I don’t give a damn. I live a life so shameless. He lists things he does shamelessly now that once he would’ve been judged for: porn, one-night stands, alcohol. Tyler has now left the church and is not letting old men in suits make him feel shame.

2016 - G.D.M.M.L. Grls : Tyler Glenn - Despite the best efforts by this gay man to make church work, it didn’t because God Didn’t Make Me Like Girls.

2016 - Heaven : Troye Sivan feat. Betty Who - Troye sings candidly about what it’s like for a religious teenager to come out as gay. Without losing a piece of me, how do I get to heaven? Without changing a part of me, how do I get to heaven? All my time is wasted, feeling like my heart’s mistaken, oh, so if I’m losing a piece of me, maybe I don’t want heaven? Troye explains “When I first started to realise that I might be gay, I had to ask myself all these questions—these really really terrifying questions. Am I ever going to find someone? Am I ever going to be able to have a family? If there is a God, does that God hate? If there is a heaven, am I ever going to make it to heaven?” The video features footage from LGBTQ+ protests throughout history.

2016 - Sudden Death (OMG) : Tyler Glenn - In this song, Tyler expresses the initial shock of his faith crisis. I never asked to fall from grace. Catch me I’m starting to fall! Don’t know what all this is for! Keep comin at me with your disrespect. You went and started a war. Now I don’t care any more. I keep on living like it’s sudden death.

2016 - Devil : Tyler Glenn - A song that highlights the conflict between religious belief and queerness. I found myself when I lost my faith and not being able to pray the gay away. The constant in his world, what he’s anchoring himself to, is that his mom still loves him, and that’s important because studies show the acceptance & love of a parent makes a huge difference when someone comes out.  

2016 - Queer Gospel : Erin McKeown - This song is a response to the ongoing trend of "religious freedom" legislation being passed by some US states. Love us as we are. See us and we're holy. In this shall we shall ever be, wholly ourselves

2016 - Midnight : Tyler Glenn - The Neon Trees frontman gives an emotional song about his departure from the Mormon church but not from God. The ballad is accompanied by a video that shows Glenn removing his religious garments and replacing them with a glittery jacket, which is such a powerful metaphor.

2017 - The Village : Wrabel - There are lyrics in this song of what religious people have told him, and boy do they hurt. They say, 'Don't dare, don't you even go there, cutting off your long hair. You do as you're told' Tell you, ‘Wake up, go put on your makeup, this is just a phase you're gonna outgrow.’ There’s a line in the song that hits me hard: One line in the Bible isn’t worth a life. The video is beautiful, very poignant, it breaks my heart and gives me hope. But these lyrics of what people 

2017 - Pray : Sam Smith - You won’t see Sam in church, but they say they’re a child of God at heart and they’re begging God to show them a way. I'm not a saint, I'm more of a sinner. I don't wanna lose, but I fear for the winners.

2017 - HIM : Sam Smith - This is a song about a boy in Mississippi coming out and the conflict between his sexuality and his religious upbringing. He is grappling with the feeling that there’s no place in church for him because he’s gay. The “Him” being sung is used both for God and for a boy he likes. Holy Father, we need to talk. I have a secret that I can't keep. I'm not the boy that you thought you wanted. Please don't get angry, have faith in me

2018 - Explaining Jesus : Jordy Searcy -  Jordy grew up playing music with his family and in his church. In 2014, Jordy landed a spot on NBC’s The Voice. In this song, Searcy is apologizing for how poorly we have been “Explaining Jesus” to others. He begins by singing If you're gay and over 85, you've felt for your whole life, that when God made you, he just messed up. 

2019 - Hey Jesus : Trey Pearson - Trey made headlines in 2016 when, as the lead singer of the Christian rock band Everyday Sunday, he came out as gay. Three years later and Trey has a question: Hey Jesus can you hear me now? It’s been awhile since I came out, I was wonderin’ do you love me the same? As a person who struggles to reconcile faith with sexual orientation, I find this song quite moving. The song ends with And I'm so sorry for all the wrongs. We're broken singers with broken songs. We paint our pride and call it truth. I'm sorry no one explained Jesus to you

2020 - God Loves Me Too : Brian Falduto - Brian played the gay kid in the movie School of Rock. Now as an adult, Brian is back and singing a song that no one has to earn God’s love. Brian wrote the song after visiting a church that was welcoming and accepting of queer people. I look around and see I’ve found a place where peace and love abound. I’ve waited my whole life for the truth. It is true, God loves you. It don’t matter if you’re LGBTQ

2020 - Chasing Rainbows : Big Freedia feat. Kesha - Freedia is a gay Black man who wears women’s hair and carries a purse and uses “he” and “she” pronouns. Kesha is bi. Together they put out an uplifting song. Freedia lists the various ways she’s been put down throughout her life by schoolyard bullies, religious figures and record labels. Kesha makes clear we won’t be put down any longer when she sings You know me, bein’ free. Won’t be silent, I pray for my enemies. 

2020 - Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America : The 1975 - This song has Matty Healy pondering religious faith and love from his perspective as a queer person and describes hiding his sexual identity because of his religious beliefs. Phoebe Bridgers, who is bisexual, contributes a fragile and vulnerable verse. She sings of her love for the girl next door. Her love is unrequited as she is unable to reveal her true feelings to her neighbor.

2020 - Orphans of God : Ty Herndon & Kristin Chenoweth feat. Paul Cardall - The message of the song is that there are no orphans of God. We are all loved, we are all thought about, we are all created equally and God loves us all just the same. Ty Herndon is a country singer who came out as gay in 2014

2021 - I Know it Hurts : Paul Cardall & Tyler Glenn - This makes me think of a queer person coming to recognize their insecure place in church, how all those negative teachings were about you. I just wanted to believe, but how am I supposed to believe this about me? And then we find each other, queer members of our church who can understand what we’re going through, who know the hurts and the teachings and comments. For most queer people, they leave church and go on a different path. They’re not lost, a faint light at the end is guiding their way, they’re finding another way back home.

2021 - It’s a Sin : Elton John and Years & Years - This arrangement of the 1987 song by the Pet Shop Boys was recorded by the gay icons Elton John and Years & Years for the 2021 Brit Awards. The words are about a person’s lifelong feelings of shame and guilt for being taught that being gay is a sin. 

2021 - Born this Way (The Country Road Version) : Orville Peck - For the 10th anniversary of this iconic song, gay singer Orville gives it a country music makeover

2022 - Good Day (feat. Derek Webb) : Flamy Grant - Matthew Blake was a worship leader for 22 years who has become a “shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen” named Flamy Grant. The lyrics talks of coming back to church after having left for feeling oppressed. They’ve come back to church because despite what some say, God’s love is expansive enough for everyone. God made me good in every way, so I raise my voice to celebrate a good day. This song hit #1 on the iTunes Christian chart.

2022 - If I Was Gay : Andreas Wijv - 29 year old Swedish singer and model Andreas Wijk wrote this song and debuted it in a TikTok video where he plays it for his parents as his way of coming out. It’s a vulnerable song that many will relate to. If I was gay would I be what they say, just a stereotype. If I was gay how do I get to heaven when there’s “no church in the wild”

2023 - Faith : Semler - Grace Semler Baldridge performs by the name Semler and is genderqueer and non-binary. She grew up with a dad who was a pastor in the Episcopal Church, and sings of how the rejection of her identity by the church left them scarred. When my religion turned against me, they said my hopes and dreams were faulty. I showed these holes inside my hands, and they claimed they couldn’t see. Even as they struggled with the church, Semler kept a relationship with Jesus and found she flourished far more than she did in church. And now the thought of going back to a church is unappealing. But I don’t wanna get small to be in those rooms. After singing about their religion turning against them and that Semler wasn’t holy, we hear the lyrics Our God is good and able, and our God is flipping tables at the mess of love we made a religion that often didn’t accept her identity. This song was released in June and before Pride month was over it reached the top of the iTunes Christian music chart.

2024 - Hell Together : David Archuleta - This is a song of David’s experience at church as a gay person: Bow your head, don’t be bold. You’ll survive by doin’ what you’re told. It became too much and he worries what his mom would think if he leaves the church: All I want is to make you proud. If I would run, would I let you down? In response, she replies: “If I have to live without you. I don’t wanna live forever in someone else’s heaven. So let 'em close the gates. Oh, if they don’t like the way you’re made, then they’re not any better. If Paradise is pressurе, oh, we’ll go to hell togethеr.” A beautiful story of a mom supporting her queer child. In response to his mom, he answers that he’s worried about what’s ahead but is confident to take those steps together: You and me, that’s all we need. Blood is thicker than the pages that they read. I’m afraid (I’m afraid) of letting go, of the version that I used to know. I’m not crying, you are.

#queerstake

[softlytowardthesun]

Wich are your favorite fairy tale couples/romances and why?

*cracks knuckles* I'm excited for this one!

It's important to note that not all of these are necessarily "canon" to the story, whatever that nebulous word means in the context of oral traditions. Still, the fun of fairy tales as a genre is the audience participation aspect, allowing you to fill in our own imaginative gaps.

Gold-Tree, her husband, and her wife from "Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree": in this Celtic variant of "Snow White", the handsome prince fills the role that the dwarfs occupy in Grimm. She marries him and temporarily escapes her mother, but the wicked Silver-Tree finds Gold-Tree and poisons her. Thinking her dead, the prince takes another wife, and in a total reversal of "Bluebeard", the second princess walks into the forbidden room where Gold-tree slumbers, finds the thorn, and breaks the spell. The second princess then kills Silver-Tree when she makes her third attempt on Gold-Tree's life, and " prince and his two wives were long alive after this, pleased and peaceful."

The Peasant and the Soldier from "The Grave Mound": A comical story about two poor men who win their fortune through conning the Devil, which ends with them co-habitating and "living in rest and peace...as long as God is pleased to permit". I fell in love with this story after reading the dedicated chapter for it in the terrific academic anthology "Transgressive Tales: Queering the Grimms".

Betushka and the Wood Maiden: Every day at noon, a mysterious and beautiful maiden appears to the farm girl Betushka. They dance together until the sun goes down, and I'm just so moved by how it's described: "Betushka's cheeks burned, her eyes shone. She forgot her spinning, she forgot her goats. All she could do was gaze at her partner who was moving with such grace and lightness that the grass didn't seem to bend under her slender feet." Ultimately, Betushka succumbs to an Orpheus-style moment of weakness that separates them forever. Tragic, but undeniably beautiful.

The Clever Farmgirl and the King: I love a battle of wits where the two parties challenge each other but clearly respect and love one another. You listed this as one of your favorite tale types, and in hindsight, I'm inclined to agree.

Tam Lin and Janet: these two need no introduction. A haunting ballad of love and the transformations that it always entails. (Just please, never the non-consensual variants.) I have to shout out Overly Sarcastic Productions on YouTube for introducing me to this story, and the "Which Fairytale Lady Are You?" quiz, which assigned me Janet. I hope to be as bold and confident as this heroine, in love and in life.

Prince Yousif and Louliyya, Daughter of Morgan: An Egyptian relative of Rapunzel, I love their fierce and undying commitment to each other, and their resilience in the face of the many challenges between them and their happy ending.

The Lady and the Lion from "The Singing, Springing Lark": A "Beauty and the Beast" variant where the heroine knows about the curse from the word go, and they actually live happily in spite of his back-and-forth between his human and lion forms for a while, even having a child together. Of course, circumstances force them apart, and she travels to the Sun, the Moon, the Four Winds, and the Red Sea to get him back. It's a relationship built on honesty, communication, and willingness to sacrifice for one another. When people talk about wanting a fairy tale Prince Charming, this is the guy I picture.

The One-Handed Girl and her Prince: A lovely (if at times gruesome) Swahili story of a woman deprived of everything by her wicked brother, she finds love in a charming prince and they start a family together. When her love is out warring, her wicked brother rears his head and persuades her in-laws to banish her to the wilderness, and tell the prince that she and her baby died. I'm always moved by the makeshift funeral her husband arranges when he hears the wicked brother-turned-royal-advisor's lie, and their reunion at the end.

The couple from "The Nixie of the Pond": When her husband succumbs to a mysterious nixie, the heroine conducts a series of moonlight rituals, offering a comb, a flute, and a spinning wheel to the water spirit in exchange for his safe return. Of course, the nixie doesn't play fair, but they eventually get their hard-earned happy ending, finding each other under the moonlight listening to the same song she used to bargain for his rescue.

Broadening the definition of "fairy tales", I have to include Dorothy and Ozma, Clara / Marie and her Nutcracker, and Ahmed and Pari Banu. There are also stories with pairings that, while I can't honestly say I support, I still find compelling: Shahrazad leading Shahryar through the most intense talk therapy session in world literature, whatever the heck is going on with Velina and Tayzanne, the quasi-erotic dynamic of this proto-Little Red Riding Hood. Plus there's some terrific villain couples I love to hate, like the witch and her lover in "The Tale of the Ensorcelled Prince" (sorry, Burton's translation is all I could find online; if you have the chance, read Yasmine Seale's version of the text).

As you can tell, I've thought about this stuff a lot and I'm eager to talk about it. What are some of the romances and relationships you love / find compelling in fairy tales?

#ask response #ariel seagull wings #fairy tales #1001 nights #nixie of the pond #gold tree and silver tree #the grave mound #the wood maiden #the one handed girl #jack the master and jack the servant #the singing springing lark #tam lin #louliyya daughter of morgan #the farmer's clever daughter