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justgottafinishthischapter · 1 year

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Writing Worlds: Homosexuality in Historical Settings

As someone who loves period romances and craves romantic relationships between queer men, it’s very alluring to write queer romances set against the backdrop of historical settings and time periods. But, due to the treatment of homosexuality for a lot of our world’s history, it can make it tricky to know the best way to handle this topic. Consider this to be a sister post to go along with my Writing Romance: Courting post. The two go hand-in-hand.

ESCAPISM VS REALISM

The first hurdle is to decide whether your story is an escapist fantasy or favors realism. In an escapist historical queer romance, the queerness is simply not an issue. The prince can flat out tell his parents to arrange his marriage to male suitors, and the only real reaction is his mother immediately listing off good matches for him. The conflict has nothing to do with the fact that the relationship is between two same-sex characters, and would work just as well for a heterosexual romance story. With an escapist fantasy, you can show the Count of Yorkshire navigating the hardships of courting by having multiple young men vying for his hand, or the whirlwind romance as he catches the eye of the Duke of Orleans. And this romance can be just as open and public as any straight relationship. This option would fall under Historical Romanticism, the term used for when historical settings are made to be more idyllic and favorable than they likely were in real life. The only media where this approach tends to show up often is Fantasy, in worlds where homophobia simply never really existed. The Elder Scrolls is one such setting where male gods are married to one another, other gods change genders and pronouns as they like, and your player character is free to romance anyone of any gender as well as adopt without anyone making biggotted remarks.

On the other hand, Realism in a Historical Queer Romance is going to come prepackaged with a lot of tension and angst, as it’s automatically a forbidden romance. Because homophobia is a real issue that real queer people deal with, having queer characters deal with these issues can help your queer audience feel seen as these fictional characters can relate to their own life experiences. It’s also just more historically accurate to have queer lovers needing to tiptoe around behind people’s backs and hoping they don’t get caught. However, due to this prejudice, it’s also very easy for such settings and stories to come off as depressing, and can perpetuate unpleasant tropes in queer media, such as Bury Your Gays, Unhappily Ever After, and downer Nomance endings. Because their relationship isn’t “appropriate” for public eyes, it makes it hard for the couple to have a truly happy ending. For someone who’s tired of dealing with homophobia in their own life, or it just being present in almost all queer media, it can be tedious for those who want an escape to enjoy two guys smooching while looking dapper in period costumes.

Homosexuality and Religion

As a medieval historian, I actually did a full research paper on homosexuality in the middle ages as a part of my final for one of my medieval history classes. I still have the paper saved, so let me share an abridged version. Pagan cultures might have had some issues with homosexuality, such as the Norse favoring the “tops” over the “bottoms”, a sentiment shared by both the Greeks and Romans. However compared to later eras of history, these Pre-Christian cultures had little problems with same-sex relationships. Every Greek God but Ares, Hephaestus, and Hades had at least 1 male lover, Emperor Hadrian had his boy-toy Antinous deified after he drowned in the Nile, and the Sacred Band of Thebes was made up entirely of same-sex lovers. The idea that homosexuality was wrong only emerged with Christianity. Just... not as soon as you’d think. Christianity became a wide-spread faith across Europe around about 300 AD, mostly spread by Constantine’s deathbed conversion to Christianity. However, it would not be until the 12th century that homosexuality as a sin would emerge. This shift first started during what is known as the Medieval Renaissance when Christian theologians like St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and St. Jerome altered the theological discourse on sin and virtue. Prior to the Medieval Renaissance, the mindset was that simply being Christian and accepting Christ as one’s savior was all it took to get into Heaven. After the Medieval Renaissance, the focus shifted to individual sin and the worthiness of the individual soul. They came to view Earth as sort of a testing grounds or waiting room, and any temporary Earthly pleasure was a wicked temptation sent by Satan to lead men astray. How you did on the test impacted whether you passed or failed. One thing that was declared a sin was fornication without the prospect of procreation. And this went for everyone. Any sexual act that would not result in childbirth was a sin, because you were doing it for the pleasure, not for the purposes of making a baby. Furthermore, any position except Missionary was also sinful, again in an attempt to limit pleasure. Since cis-gendered homosexuals cannot procreate, any homosexual acts were universally labeled as a sin by happenstance. Later in 1179, Peter Comestor proposed to the Third Lateran Council a link between the biblical condemnation of sodomy with explicitly condemning homosexuals, and not just anal fornication as a whole, even stating that clerks found guilty of this act should be removed from office, and laymen should be excommunicated from the church. It is Peter Comestor and his stance on homosexuality that truly caused homosexuality to be labeled as a sin on principal, and is why so many modern Christians still believe homosexual relationships are sinful by nature. However, it’s worth pointing out that the time from when Christianity was a widespread faith in Europe (approx. 300 AD) to the Third Lateran Council (1179) is a span of 879 years. As of this point in 2023, the time between Comestor’s condemnation of homosexuality and the present is only 844 years. Meaning that Christianity has a longer history of tolerating homosexuality than it has condemning it. I say all of this because in any setting where Christianity is not a part of the worldbuilding, there is no reason to have homophobia, unless you replace Christianity with a similarly homophobic fictional religion, as George RR Martin does with the Faith of the Seven in A Song of Ice and Fire. As for Judaism and Islam, I’m at a loss there. My studies didn’t really lead me to those topics, and I can’t offer much insight there.

Handwaving Escapist Diversity

Let’s be real, we can’t even cast People of Color in fantasy stories without racists crapping their pants, so unfortunately, we’re going to face similar problems having queer couples openly courting each other in a historical setting. But, there are a few ways around this where we can have our cake and eat it too without the homophobes being able to hide behind “historic accuracy” as a reason to have a problem with queer romances in historical periods. It’s all about the genre. Let’s look at some of the genres we can use.

Historical Fiction: This is the base form. Any period piece is going to be historical fiction. However, Historical Fiction comes in a wide array. Historical Romanticism is the lighter approach, simply putting make-up on the era to make it more palatable and appealing. Think of Bridgerton where the dresses are shaped historically and the characters behave historically, but the Queen is a woman of color, and the dress materials are far more colorful and bright than they would have been at the time. It’s still the Regency era, just with a bit of rouge. On the other hand, there’s Alternate History. Historical settings where a major deviation has occurred in the timeline. Whether the Roman Empire never fell, the British crushed the American Revolution and took over the entire world, Christianity never caught on and the Roman Pantheon is the most widespread belief system, or the industrial revolution exploded even harder, resulting in a more Steampunk vibe. A major upheaval has altered the face of history, and your queer romance is set in an utterly changed world with a different timeline.

Steampunk: As I just touched on, your world can be more technologically advanced, however, Steampunk can also be a genre for completely fictional worlds, giving you a great way to have a story set in an era with an 1880s - 1910s aesthetic, but easily exist as it own world with its own history and values where homosexual relationships aren’t a problem. Steampunk is also the most optimistic and aesthetically oriented of the science-fiction -Punk genres, compared to the much bleaker and more cynical outlooks of Cyberpunk, Diesel Punk, and Gothic Punk.

Gaslamp Fantasy: Basically, Steampunk but with fantastical elements. It keeps that late Victorian - Edwardian aesthetic, but adds magic, faeries, dragons, vampires, etc. Now, Steampunk leans more Sci-fi, while Gaslamp Fantasy is more well.... Fantasy, so Gaslamp Fantasy does tend to lose some of the technological aspects of Steampunk, but it can also overlap with Magitech, a subgenre where machinery is powered and propelled by magical energy. So, you can very well have a Steampunk Gaslamp Fantasy where all of the steam and gears and machinery is powered by magic. It’ still Steampunk, so long as that train is powered by shoveling magic energy crystals into the furnace, instead of coal. Howl’s Moving Castle is a good example of how the two can coexist. There are normal trains as we see in Sophie’s town, but we also see Howl’s castle which can move because of Calcipher, a fire demon that needs to constantly eat a fuel source of one kind or another. The world is full of witches, magic, and curses, but there’s also muskets, trains, airplanes, zeppelins, and a castle that spews steam and smoke as it wanders the countryside.

Paranormal Romance: Especially common with Vampires, but the fallout of Twilight and Alpha/Beta/Omegas in pop culture has also led to a rising interest in Werewolf stories, and a recent trend has also swept Faeries into the pop culture spotlight as well. All three offer stories where one or both of your characters is an immortal (or very long-lived) individual. Perhaps their world is homophobic now, but when they met and fell in love, it was perfectly acceptable. Perhaps being alive for 800 years piqued the main character’s curiosity and they decided to give it a try. The long history of homosexuals being demonized has led to a large percentage of queer people identifying with the monsters and villains of media, causing them to see themselves in the hated monsters, demons, and vampires that threaten the heterosexual heroes of old.

Historical Fantasy: For everything else that’s not within that Victorian-Edwardian window, Historical Fantasy has you covered. From Cyclopes and Sirens in Ancient Greece to Dragons and Goblins in Medieval France, or a mermaid ending up in an Americana freak show, this pretty much covers ever kind of fantasy romance in a historical setting that’s not covered by Paranormal Romance or Gaslamp Fantasy.

Renaissance Punk: It’s like Steampunk, but the world’s technology resembles the contraptions of Leonardo Da Vinci, as opposed to the clockwork, gears, and steam aesthetic plastered onto the turn of the 20th century that Steampunk offers. Also called Da Vinci Punk.

Space Punk: If you’re wanting to lean more Sci-fi, you can do Space Punk. Think Treasure Planet, though I could also call that Sail Punk. It has a very Victorian clothing and technological aesthetic, but then space is full of a breathable Ethereum, and even Doctor Doppler’s “space suit” looks closer to an old-timey diver’s suit. But the ship has solar sails, the mast charges up with a power source that propels the ship into space, lockets project holograms of still photographs, cybernetic prosthetics are technologically advanced, and aliens are a common sight, even for the poorest commoner.

Same-Sex Courting for Escapist Romance

I touched on this in my Writing Romance: Courting post, but I’ll cover it again because it’s especially applicable here. The rules of courting in the 1800s relied heavily on gender roles. So, how does one make sense of courting rules when the couple are the same sex? The basic rule of thumb is that whoever is higher in status is the one to be chased, while the one of lower class does the chasing. If a Duke is looking for a husband, does the Duke chase Viscounts or do Viscounts chase the Duke? Always, the Viscounts chase the Duke. A Duke is a valuable husband, a prize catch those Viscounts would want to have. What if the romance is between two men of equal class? Two Dukes falling in love? The one who would take the more passive role is likely to be whichever is higher in the line of succession. During the courting phase, an elligible queer bachelor is likely to recieve many gentlemen callers. They would come to the bachelor’s house where his family could keep an eye on him, and judge his prospects. They would bring gifts and trinkets, and sit in the tea room, sewing room, drawing room, or whatever room is used to entertain guests. Gentlemen callers would then talk with the bachelor, recite poetry, play the piano, or whatever else they could to impress the bachelor and his family. Again, as I said before, the one being visited by gentlemen callers is whoever is higher up in the chain of nobility. The Duke’s family is going to scrutinize every gentleman who calls on their son, while the Baron’s family is going to urge him to call on every queer man who outranks him. The other thing to keep in mind is inheritance. The first-born son inherits everything, so a second-born son or third-born son will get nothing from his father, or best case scenario, he will get a small fraction of the family fortune from his father or older brother. In order for these younger sons to stay in the lifestyle they were raised in, they will have to marry someone who is coming into his fortune. In a setting where women can inherit her father’s entire estate, a lesbian would function the exact same as a gay man. Ergo, any queer romantic lead who is not inheriting his father’s full estate must seek a first-born son who will inherit his father’s estate. Meanwhile, if your protagonist is a first-born son, he is far more likely to be chased by the younger sons of distinguished families. Finally, when it comes to the social season and courting at dances, queer nobles would likely wear something to distinguish themselves from the heterosexual nobles at the party. Something to let the other guests know their preference in dance partner. That way, gentlemen know not to ask the Baroness of Agincourt to dance, but that the Duke of Orleans is all too eager to receive male attention.

Lavender Marriages in Realist Romances

A lavender marriage is when a queer person marries someone of the opposite sex to disguise their homosexual dalliances, such as Renly Baratheon marrying Margaery Tyrell, or Laenor Valyrian marrying Rhaenyra Targaryen. In these instances, the woman knew her husband was queer and was willing to work with him to keep the secret. However, sometimes the wife wouldn’t know, and the husband was keeping his sexuality a secret from everybody. However, it was usually hard for a noble to keep his dalliances completely hidden from the court, as in both of these cases, both Renly and Laenor were well-known around court to be fanciful of male attention. Everyone typically knows the wedding is a sham, but tend to turn a blind eye to it regardless. I know I’ve been using male examples this whole post, but this does also work with lesbian romances. I believe the term is still lavender marriage with a lesbian, but I could be mistaken.

Actual Homosexuality in Historical Time Periods

Scholars debate the exact nature of their relationship, but in Arthurian Myth, King Galehaut is conquering his way across Arthur’s Kingdom when he challenges Arthur to a duel for the throne of Camelot. However, upon seeing Sir Lancelot, Galehaut offers to concede to Arthur if he’ll introduce him to Lancelot. From then on, Galehaut and Lancelot became Very Close Special Guy Friends, and it’s suspected that the pair might be lovers, or at least that Galehaut is in love with Lancelot.

Leonardo Da Vinci was involved with one of his male models, Pietri Bandielli, who Da Vinci used as a model for Jesus. Which also means, If you pray to the white version of Jesus with the little beard and long brown hair, congratulations! You’re worshiping a gay Italian male model that used to have sex with Leonardo Da Vinci.

Hans Christian Andersen fell in love with the son of his financier, Edvard Collins. But, when Collins became engaged and later married to Henriette Tybjerg, a heartbroken Andersen wrote the story of The Little Mermaid as an allegory for his unrequited love. Collins was the handsome prince who didn’t return the mermaid’s feelings, Henriette was the Temple Girl who stole the mermaid’s love, and Andersen himself was the mermaid, unable to verbalize her true feelings, and suffering great pain just to be near the one she loves.

It’s mostly speculation, but it’s believed that Richard I of England had a clandestine homosexual relationship with Phillip II of France. The majority of evidence comes from one particular courtier’s writings who described them as eating from the same dish and not being separated by their beds at night. However, it’s hard to say if this is evidence of a homosexual relationship, or just the flowery prose writing of the time describing a very close bromance.

Edward II of England had little interest in war. Hoping to toughen up his son, Edward’s father assigned a squire to Edward that excelled in tournaments, Piers Gaveston. However, this backfired spectacularly, as Edward fell in love with Piers. Gaveston flaunted his sway over the king, being so bold as to wear royal purple and the queen’s jewelry during Edward’s coronation. Gaveston was hunted down and beheaded by a group of barons, and Edward himself was killed with a red-hot poker shoved up his backside.

King James I of England was a well-known bisexual, even having a secret passageway linking his bedchambers with that of George Villiers. James’ male lovers experienced royal favoritism and protection, as James absolved one male lover for poisoning a political rival, and twice protecting Villiers from impeachment for incompetency. Following James’ death, Villiers was struck through by a sword.

Anne Lister was a noblewoman who often dressed in masculine clothing and kept a coded diary which recounted her many and varied lesbian affairs over her lifetime. Lister even earned the nickname Gentleman Jack, and is often regarded as the First Modern Lesbian.

Pirate ships were one of the few places where gay marriage was legitimate. Pirate captains could perform marriage ceremonies, and marriages between male crewmates was not uncommon, even having rules about sharing property and distrubution of goods among crew members with a married couple on-board. As well as the distribution of property following the death of a same-sex spouse.

While we know that brothels and prostitution has existed since Ancient Greece, in the 1700s, it was possible to find a Molly House. A house which featured male prostitutes who catered to male clients.

Women were not believed to have sex drives, so when two women loved each other, they were often called “bosom buddies”, and two women living together without a man in the house was called a Boston Marriage.

In the medieval era, it was believed that a woman’s womb was naturally cold and had to be kept warm with regular activity. If the woman was unmarried, the womb was to be kept warm by hand. But since using her own hands would be sinful, it often fell to the woman’s female servants to do the deed.

Men and women often existed in entirely disconnected social spheres. For a man, he would go to work where he would only work with men, after work he would go to a local bar or club that was exclusively for gentlemen, and following dinner, he would often retire to a private room in his home or another man’s home to sit, smoke, and talk with his male colleagues. Even within a single house, men would retire to the gentlemen’s lounge to smoke, while women would depart to the sewing room, tea room, or drawing room to have afternoon tea with the other ladies. As men would spend their entire days solely in the company of men, and the same for women, many men and women only spent time together in public spaces, during meals, and when going to bed. Even then, it was not uncommon to see households where the man and woman had separate bedchambers, and the woman would only sleep in the man’s bedroom when he desired sexual congress. Even the Palace of Versailles had separate chambers for the king and queen. This gave queer couples plenty of time to sneak around without anyone being the wiser.

This to Keep in Mind

One of the biggest issues behind the AIDS epidemic was the promiscuous nature of gay lovers in the 1970s. Because gay men had to be discreet, they would often have anonymous relations in public spaces like bathhouses and bars. This combination of unsafe sex practices and anonymous lovers caused STDs to run rampant through the community, and allowed the AIDS epidemic to have a devastating impact on the queer community.

In Victorian great houses, the footmen were effectively the “face” of the manor’s servants, so height and attractiveness was favored when hiring them. As such, footmen make for excellent romantic interests in a historical time period, since they’re required to be attractive to be hired.

The mafia has a long history of working with and supporting the LGBT community. In the 1920s, nightclubs in the black districts of Harlem would host drag balls, these events being known as Harlem Nights. The mafia helped these groups to meet without police interference for a kickback fee. Even the Stonewall Inn had Mafia protection. In a world where homosexuality is still seen as a sin, think about what groups are willing to turn a blind eye in the interest of profit.

Homosexuals were among those rounded up the Nazi Party during the Holocaust. Just as Jews were forced to wear the Star of David on their clothes, so too were homosexuals marked with a pink triangle. The Nazi Party also destroyed research on gender and sexuality, which destroyed a lot of evidence that had been gathered of queer existence up to that point in time. Today, the Pink Triangle is among the reclaimed symbols used by the queer community.

Queer people found ways to signal to one another. At different points in time, the visual cues have included wearing green ties, having a red carnation in their lapels, and in the 1970s, a bandana in the back pocket was a common way of indicating someone was a homosexual, and the color would even further indicate what they were looking for. Many modern slang words even started out as gay code words so that gay people could talk in public without drawing attention to themselves. Codes like “buns” for butt are still in use today, but got their start as codewords to keep gay conversations undercover.

While we often remember the Red Scare of the 1950s, we often don’t mention that there was also a Lavender Scare at the same time, which hunted down homosexuals just as the Red Scare hunted for communists. It was the belief that homosexuals would be more likely to undermine American policies or spread information to enemy nations, and thus had to be kept down.

Rich men often kept “actresses”, paying for apartments for them, paying for their food, drink, fun, costumes, and whatever else. If they really were an actress or otherwise a struggling entertainer, it was not unheard of for the wealthy benefactor to pay to get the actress roles, pay for tutors and lessons, or even buying them an entire theater. It’s not so hard to believe that a wealthy gentleman could keep a male model, actor, or artist in good stead, especially because artists in particular flourished in periods where rich people would sponsor and commission artists to paint for them. And this can work for either type of story, as a husband or wife would be equally annoyed to learn that the Duke of Orleans is keeping a young actor on the south side.

Gif Sourcing:

1. Bridgerton (2020 - present) 2. Game of Thrones (2011-2019) 3. Mary, Queen of Scots (2018) 4. Downton Abbey (2010-2015) 5. Victoria (2016) 6. Cloud Atlas (2012) 7. A Place to Call Home (2013-2018) 8. Mary Shelley (2017) 9. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

#historical fiction #writing romance #gay romance #historical romance #period piece #period drama #courting #courtship #gay history #gay historical fiction #gay victorian #gay period piece #gay period drama #queer romance #queer history #gay love story

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kahixxi · 1 year

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My fav comedy manhwa / manhua:

Nan Hao Shang Feng (Brownie)

Please Take My Brother Away (You Ling)

19 Days (Old Xian)

Interview with the Crazy Rich (Wooda)

When the Killer Falls in Love (Eresemo)

We Are Peaceful Brothers (Gims)

What Do The Teenage Boys Do (Keotbu, Cutbu)

Match Made in Heaven by Chance (Honey Skein, Damcho)

The NOmance I Need (Magnesium)

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manhwa-reader · 3 years

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#24 The NOmance I Need

Hello ^^

Sorry for not making a post yesterday 😓 I spent the day out and I was tired. Today I've gone to the cinema with my best friend and it's been one of those days with awfully bad luck. I can't even believe it myself all the things that has happened to us, but at least it's been super fun !

Today's recommendation is The NOmance I need

This manhwa is about Ahyeon, a woman who is not interested to be in a romantic relationship. One night she resents God as she fears she might be forever alone. All of a sudden Ahyeon starts getting involved with three completely different men: his friend who has had a crush for her for 10 years (he has always been there for her, so he doesn't count as new 😂), a handsome CEO and an excentric actor.

This summary is very short but that's basically all I can say about it. Still it's one of funniest manhwas I've read. The fact that the FL is sometimes oblivious of the fliratations of the men and that she keeps not wanting a relationship (at least at the episodes I've read so far) makes it absolutely hilarious ! So really try to read it because I'm sure you'll like it as well.

Bye bye ❤

PS. Oh and for those who like otome games, tomorrow we can already play Tears of Themis (a game for the phone from Mihoyo). I'm very excited to try it !

#manhwa #manhwa recommendation #comics #webcomic #the nomance i need

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randommanhwashots · 2 years

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#manhwa #the NOmance i need

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aegissi · 2 years

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Heyyyy, so do you have any light hearted romcom media that you recommend. Or anything with a really good romance like soulmate level where it’s a happy ending?

ooohhhh okay so

📽️MOVIES📽️ : the princess diaries, saving face, always be my maybe, love per square foot, I'm a cyborg but that's okay, gentlemen prefer blondes, music and lyrics

📺SHOWS📺 : the good place (just for the soulmate thing bc it's not romance focused), weight lifting fairy kim bokjoo

🎀MANGA🎀 : gekkan shoujo nozaki kun, sweat and soap (do not get scared by the smell kink u'll get used to it), an incurable case of love (it was 3 stars for me but it's still a fun read), kimi ni todoke

🧸WEBTOONS🧸 : the NOmance I need, I picked up the second male lead after the ending, swimming lessons for a mermaid

#ask #hope you'll find smth u enjoy 😋💕#recs

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bookish-brews · 3 years

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Book Review: Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace

Book links: Review & Aesthetic| Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop.org

At a glance

An orphan of the corporate war, Mallory works streaming the popular VR war game, only to find out that the supposedly “grown” celebrity super humans (which are intellectual property of Stellaxis) are actually stolen children just like her.

💥 Dramatic Ending

💜 Nomance

😭 Emotional

🌺 Friendship Goals

Review & book info below:

Title: Firebreak Author: Nicole Kornher-Stace Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press Publication date: May 5, 2021

Review:

Action packed, anti-capitalist, compelling, well written, easy to follow, emotional, and tense.

Oh man, where do I begin? I really loved this book. When I opened it, I thought “man this is kind of long, I didn’t realize!” And then literally this book doesn’t slow down at any point. It is packed with amazing content. This is going to be a hard review, because it’s packed with so many different amazing things that I don’t know how well I can narrow it down! This book is easy to follow and fast paced, but delightfully anti-capitalist in a way that Ready Player One wishes it was.

Quick Summary: Firebreak follows Mal, who lives with her 7 roommates in an old hotel room, living by the rules of the mega corporation, Stellaxis, amidst a corporate war stalemate. Mal and her best friend Jessa are mildly successful at streaming the wildly popular war VR game modeled after the real corporate war — the war that the corporations have monetized. Everything changes for Mal and Jessa when they get contacted by a mysterious sponsor who tells them that the super human celebrities, that everyone knows Stellaxis grew in a lab, are not lab experiments at all. They’re real war orphans, just like Mal and Jessa.

I have been reeling about this book since I finished it a few days ago. It was done so well, I’m really impressed. The first thing that I just can’t get over was how much action was packed into this book. Not just action, but how so much information about the plot was weaved effortlessly directly into the action. We learned everything we needed to know for the journey through VR battles, mysterious disappearances, rebellion and secrets whispered in the garden. It never slowed down, but it managed to give us so many intricacies of plot weaved in perfectly.

Click continue reading for content warning, diversity representation & more!

Follow me: Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

this post contains affiliate links, if you purchase through one of these links, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

#bookish brews #book blog #book reviewer #booklr #book review #books #book reviewers #book blogger #bookish #book #book lover #book recommendation #book recommendations #book recs #book rec #diverse books #we need diverse books

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blizabrth · 3 years

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Ben + Vince, Annie + Rhea!

BEN X VINCE

i think: so! we are about mid-rewatch of the first season of cruel summer, so i'm definitely still ~processing all of the connections and stuff, personally. trying to reply to this ask made me realize that most of my feelings based on this pairing aren't necessarily about them as characters/together (which is a weird thing to say) but i'm sort of still stuck on the experience i had, watching the scene at the underground club that they visited together and slow danced. the scene is so touching. and while i watched it the first time i just had this overwhelming realization that, despite how they set the scene up (ben stated he found the place on "that forum", implying it was a safe space), i was still holding my breath, anticipating the moment being shattered by something terrible. i literally did not relax until the scene cut, and i think it was just eye-opening for me on a personal level. how many things must i have watched (that weren't necessarily outright queer, but even just queer-coded) where a tender moment between two queer characters devolves into horror, for me to anticipate it so much, barring all clues given to me on-screen otherwise? so i guess this is a long way for me to say, i need to rewatch it more to focus on the characters themselves (i usually need rewatches of things to really dig in anyway, so that's not surprising to me). but from what i remember and initially thought, i thought they had a lot of potential, and were mostly cute together, but things don't always work out. and i also agree with my gf, who says:

girlfriend thinks: vince deserves better

ANNIE X RHEA

i think: oooooo okay! this is interesting to consider! i think this pairing could be really sweet and tender if not for the ... nuclear disaster zone ... connecting them together in canon. rhea seems no nonsense but not uptight, so she'd be able to have a good time with annie without letting her slip on her responsibilities. and annie would definitely coax out the wild child that rhea obviously has inside her, they'd probably have a lot of fun together. also, height difference! hello! i'm into that! also lowkey think ben and marcus could totally get along (brothers playing sports together come onnnnnnnn) so that's just a cute side-benefit of this lil crackship universe also.

girlfriend thinks: nomance. i don't see it. i don't see them having any reason to talk. i also don't see rhea as very gay, i guess.

send me a ship and i'll give you my (and my girlfriend's) brutally honest opinions of it

#ask games #foxmagpie #tysm for the ask! <3 #this one made me Think #so thank you for that!#special appearance by the girlfriend

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hyunllx · 4 years

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BBSim Episode 3

@analllice @bathroom-sand @bbfloss @bigbrotherbs @bigbrothermermaid @brentrobinson @cirie-sandra-michaela @kayysarridha @nomances @pawn2393 @peterbrownismydaddy @ratkingscottie @remember-caltoru @rockstar-its-real-cute @stanningbb @tylercrispy @whats-bb22

After the eviction of @cirie-sandra-michaela, the houseguests are instructed to gather in the back yard for the next HOH competition. As the outgoing HOH, @bathroom-sand is not eligible to compete. You walk out into the backyard to see another endurance comp set up...

Congratulations @bigbrotherbs! You are the new HOH! Ensuring not only your safety but the safety of the Candidates for the week.

Before Thursday comes to a close, let’s check in on the established alliances:

While most members are remaining loyal to the alliance, faith in @rockstar-its-real-cute is wavering, bringing down the over-all loyalty of the alliance. Perhaps having power will give them the chance to recoup this week?

Very little has changed on the F2s and F3 front.

(I considered that this might happen when I made this event but figured the possibility of it happening was very small rip dkjfskjf)

@bigbrotherbs sits alone in the HOH room, talking to the feeds about a conversation he had with @brentrobinson last week. @brentrobinson wants the extended Candidates to target @rockstar-its-real-cute, but @bigbrotherbs wonders if it’s worth using his HOH to do so.

The house gathers in the kitchen on Friday evening for the nomination ceremony. Members of the Candidates look calm and relaxed, but @bigbrotherbs is visibly nervous when he descends the spiral stairs.

@bigbrotherbs reveals his nominations with a brief speech. @rockstar-its-real-cute has been targeted for “obvious reasons.” He put the greater alliance in jeopardy for personal game and @bigbrotherbs doesn’t agree with that choice. I am told that I am nominated due to my allyship with an opposing alliance.

For some Friday night After Dark entertainment, the houseguests build a blanket fort in the lounge and take turns telling ghost stories. @bigbrotherbs gets the best reaction from the audience.

After a night of laughter and storytelling, the game turns back up bright and early Saturday morning as everyone wakes up to participate in choosing players for the Veto Competition.

3/6 players are members of The Candidates, which doesn’t bode well for @rockstar-its-real-cute. Despite pulling the name of an enemy player, I’m feeling only a little nervous, as the longer I sit next to the house’s biggest target, the more likely I am to stay.

A tragedy for @rockstar-its-real-cute who comes in last when he needed it the most. I manage to pull my way to first, making this the second week in a row a nominee has won veto!

Sunday night before the veto ceremony, @rockstar-its-real-cute decides to pull me aside in the lounge to expose members of his now-former alliance. Knowing he needs a miracle to stay, he reveals that @bigbrotherbs and @nomances work very closely together in the extension of the Candidates.

It’s monday again and everyone gathers in the living for the Veto Ceremony.

It seems @bigbrotherbs has solidified his alliance’s choice to target their former member. Instead of putting up one of my allies in my place, he puts up the well-liked @remember-caltoru as a pawn, someone who no doubt will stay over the intended target.

More cracks are forming among the Candidates as they plan to get rid of one of their own.In the days leading up to eviction, @analllice approaches her allies and tells them how @whats-bb22 has become overbearing and power hungry among the alliance.

Tensions are once again very high in the house as the live eviction rolls around. When Julie arrives on the tv screen once more, the nominees stand to each give their speeches.

@rockstar-its-real-cute opts to expose his former alliance to the rest of the house, calling each member by name. He claims they believe they’re running the game. @remember-caltoru gives a bunch of shout out before quickly reminding everyone he is sitting next to a massive threat. The house sits in shocked silence as they are called one-by-one to vote in the DR.

While @bigbrothermermaid is sticking to the plan for the extended Candidates to evict @rockstar-its-real-cute, it seems @analllice has her own plan.... 2-2

Two more Candidates voting out the pawn instead of the target. Will the pawn actually go home this week? 4-4

Absolutely shocking. at the last moment it seems the Candidates have saved their own... and we have a near-tie. 6-6 with one vote left....

@remember-caltoru, I’m sorry, but in a shocking turn you have been evicted from the BBSim house.... I guess the saying “pawns go home” still rings true.

#bb22 #bbsim #flopbbsim22

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evanescentdawn · 3 years

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(16th july)

today’s writing:

—Hi, new orv wip. A SCENE I HAD IN MY MIND FOR A LONGG TIME. didnt go as well, but i Love. its biyoo & kdj.

—Inspired by Nomance, we’ve got a sort of otome orv wip which I am having so much fun with.

—inspired by art I saw, I wrote a very little thing about kdc which was fun. i need to write more kdc. i kinda want to expand on this.

—I wanted to do some more writing but instead we did lots of planning. maybe “lots” is not the word for it. firstly, because for the Nomance au. it was all over the place which ended up me writing kindaaaa outlines for other stuff. like that knw/kdj I was planing to start today, and and for that doksung warehouse au from yesterday. at

#ignore me; im rambling #highlights

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maxdoesbb · 4 years

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BIG BROTHER LIN FINALE!!!

@analllice @captain–steve–rogers @charlchen-moonves @davonne-diaz-twine @djm2991 @dominiquecooper @flirtyspy @flopbb-22 @jackieibara @maxdoesbb @nomances @paras-atashnak @remember-caltoru @unproblematicwinston @vanessacries @welcome-to-bb

HELLO HOUSE GUESTS!

We finally did it ya’ll we got to the finale!!! @charlchen-moonves @flopbb-22 and @remember-caltoru fought hard to get here, now they must fight for the final HoH to get a seat in the finale 2!

Part one of the HoH

oh no it’s a rotating comp sadjkhsajd

In 3rd place...

@remember-caltoru you still got part 2 Icon!!!

In 2nd place...

@flopbb-22 part 2 is for you dsjkahkd!!!!

that means In 1st place and moving onto part 3!!

@charlchen-moonves did THAT!!!!

Now... @remember-caltoru and @flopbb-22 will compete to win part 2

The winner of part 2 is...

@remember-caltoru meaning he will face @charlchen-moonves in part 3

@charlchen-moonves and @remember-caltoru it’s time for

PART 3

the winner of part 3 and the FINAL HoH of Big Brother Lin is...

@charlchen-moonves!!!

@charlchen-moonves will now evict either @flopbb-22 or @remember-caltoru one will join the jury and vote for the winner, the other has a chance of winning Big Brother Lin. this is a tough decision and could cost @charlchen-moonves a bbsim win!

@charlchen-moonves please cast your sole vote to evict...

by a vote of 1-0...

@flopbb-22 you are the last person to be evicted from the big brother lin house!

@flopbb-22 you made it far and were a great player probably on a Danielle Reyes’ level of great! but some great players have come 3rd in their big brother careers hold you head high king, you could still win LMMFP!!!

THE FINAL 2

The jury returns!!

please give a warm welcome to @djm2991 @analllice @unproblematicwinston @nomances @paras-atashnak @captain--steve--rogers @welcome-to-bb @jackieibara and @flopbb-22!!!

We will now count the jury votes! With 9 voters you need 5 in order to win Big Brother Lin 1! if your name is called that is a GOOD thing...please nobody pull a BBCAN 1 Topaz!

That’s 2 votes @charlchen-moonves

1 vote @remember-caltoru 3 votes @charlchen-moonves

@charlchen-moonves needs 2 more votes to win!

CONGRATULATIONS @charlchen-moonves ON WINNING BIG BROTHER LIN !!!! lets see how the final 3 jurors votes

@charlchen-moonves congratulations on beating the other 15 cast members and making it to WIN a bbsim!!! Also congratulations on 2nd place @remember-caltoru you did that!!!!

Now there is ONE more prize to give away! Lin Manuel Miranda’s Favorite Player

Lin Manuel Miranda’s Favorite comes down to...

@flopbb-22 @jackieibara and @unproblematicwinston

The winner of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Favorite Player is....

@flopbb-22!!! congratulations on winning Lin Manuel Miranda’s favorite player!!! Because you did that you are able to tell me to go to sleep when ever you want asjkdhksaj

Again congratulations to our final 2 @charlchen-moonves and @remember-caltoru ya’ll did THAT!

Also thank you everyone who took part! even if you were evicted early you had your mark on this season and you’re iconic!

I hope ya’ll enjoyed this, it took me like 7 hours to complete ajhkdhsja and it’s now 4am!

here are some stats if you’re interested

and here is the voting chart!

Again big shoutout to the cast for taking part and AGAIN THE BIGGEST SHOUTOUT TO @charlchen-moonves GO SPAM HER WITH BOB GELDOF EDITS DSAJKDSAKJDSJ

From outside the big brother lin house...My name’s Julie Manuel Miranda (maxdoesbb) thanks for reading

END OF BIG BROTHER LIN

#bb22 #bblin #bbsim #half ya'll asleep jkfjhkdsfjhk #i wanna do this again one day dskjadsjk #not now tho #it's 4am

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2dtakeover · 3 years

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Switched to the Black Clover sub

Broke down and started watching the Black Clover sub since who knows when the dub will come back. Wow, what a great and sophisticated story so far and

I love the focus on Commoners and how they live their lives. The director of the dub really did a great job matching voices to the Japanese I think, except for Magna. It throws me off every time he speaks. Ian Sinclair plays him with so much warmth and humor his is the only one I haven’t gotten used to.

And the part that tickles me the most is that two women were able to fall into a romantic relationship like normal people while the hetero nomances like Noelle/Asta and Yami/Char can’t get off the ground because they don’t have the emotional maturing to get it together! Ha! (No but seriously I need both those foolish couples to make it happen damn!) This is the first actual relationship on the show and I love it.

#black clover spoilers

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marcdjr00 · 5 years

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Total Drama Big Brother - Episode 6

@nomances, @realityfanatic, @jackieibara, @ravenspacemaker, @chaengscutie, @bigbrother-trash, @oviskobir, @ashleaevans, @thegabisback18, @bb-survivor-tar, @whats-bb21, @big-brother-who, @cirie-sandra-michaela, @skyhawkstragedy, @justiceforjuliechen, @bathroom-sand, @ratkingscottie, @kemiifakunle, @paymeincashnottears, @stdavinityslonglostdaughta, & @brentrobinson

With 17 campers remaining it has become clear that it’s anyone's game. And I realize what a fool I am for picking a sim with 24 episodes cause...WHY, there’s so many, but I don’t want to just post results so this is just my life now lmao. But with a shocking elimination of bigbrother-trash, campers can no longer know what to expect in this game.

Following the last elimination ceremony, the campers decided that they should all hang around the campfire and get to know each other a little more. At some point, things take a turn...and they all begin to tell each other their biggest fears, growing closer than ever before.

As the morning comes, their breakfast is interrupted as Chris McLean informs them that the cameras are ALWAYS watching and introduces the next challenge.

@skyhawkstragedy is up first and suffers from Scoleciphobia- the fear of worms. In order to earn a point for their team, they must sit in a tub of worms for 5 minutes to earn a point for his team. He fails to complete the task, however, he will be the one to receive another shot at the challenge later on.

@paymeincashnottears is up next and has Parturiphobia- the fear of childbirth. They are hooked up to a childbirth simulator and must experience active labor simulation for 6-8 hours (average time for childbirth) to earn a point. They fail the challenge.

@jackieibara competes next and suffers from Iatrophobia- the fear of doctors. Her task is to undergo a medical exam checking all of her vitals and even get a couple of shots. She fails this challenge.

@bb-survivor-tar steps up to the plate and suffers from Blennophobia- the fear of slime. They must climb up on a diving board and jump into a pool FILLED with slime. She fails to overcome her challenge.

@oviskobir is next and suffers from Ophidiophobia- the fear of snakes. Their task is similar to the first one and must sit in a tub full of snakes for 5 minutes. He fails the challenge.

I’m up next and I suffer from Monophobia- the fear of solitude or being alone. I am sentenced to spend 6 hours alone in the woods and manage to complete the challenge, coming back in tears for this torture. Grandpa Lou now leads by 1 point.

@ratkingscottie is still sore from the talent show, so knowing that her fear is Rhabdophobia- the fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod, they simply pass. #NotWorth

@big-brother-who is next and suffers from Bathmophobia- the fear of steep slopes, and has to sled down the giant hill from the first challenge on a cardboard box. She completes the challenge and scores another point for the Grandpa Lous putting them even further ahead for a score of 2.

@thegabisback18 and @realityfanatic suffer from the same fear. Taphophobia- the fear of being buried alive. They must be buried alive in a tank for 30 minutes in order to earn a point. @thegabisback18 completes the challenge and earns the first point for the Hilton Heads, but @realityfanatic also completes the challenge and allows the Grandpa Lous to keep their 2 point lead.

@whats-bb21 suffers from Wiccaphobia- the fear of witches and witchcraft and must undergo some spells with some of the witches. Too afraid he will be cursed by one of the witches, he ends up punching them all in a face and disqualifies himself from being able to complete the challenge.

@stdavinityslonglostdaughta never said what her fear was during the campfire. But production pays close attention to people’s reactions from things and based on her reaction to the first challenge, she also suffers from Scoleciphobia- the fear of worms and must sit in a tub of worms for 5 minutes. @skyhawkstragedy also utilizes this time for his second go-around and they both score a point for their teams. This means the Grandpa Lous still maintain their 2 point lead in this competition.

@nomances is next and suffers from Nudophobia- the fear of nudity. They must pose in the nude for an artist to create a painting. But, that’s weird and she refuses to even take off anything.

@kemiifakunle suffers from Katagelophobia- the fear of ridicule. The show ships her parents to the camp where she must withstand 10 minutes of her parents ridiculing her without crying to win the point...but who in the world is capable of that? They fail the challenge.

@bathroom-sand is next and if she completes the challenge she will win her team the challenge. She suffers from Ballistophobia- the fear of missiles or bullets and must be shot at with paintballs. She earns yet another point for the Grandpa Lous, for a score of 5-2 which means...

The Grandpa Lous has won invincibility and forces the Hilton Heads to send yet another one of their members away on the Boat of Losers.

@nomances and @ravenspacemaker get into a fight for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It doesn’t have a lasting impact because even they forget what it’s about.

@big-brother-who shows off some extra skills she has and shows that she is capable of helping the team in the future.

@bb-survivor-tar has a major meltdown cause seeing all that slime in the pool is burned into their memory and they wish to forget.

@oviskobir and @thegabisback18 get into a major fight about the challenge. @thegabisback18 thinks @oviskobir could've handled the snake tub and thinks he is holding back to appear as less of a threat.

@chaengscutie and @kemiifakunle have a minor disagreement about the challenge. @kemiifakunle wishes that @chaengscutie at least had a chance to prove herself during the challenge but now they have nothing.

@ratkingscottie targets @skyhawkstragedy because if they could complete the challenge the second time then they should've been capable of doing it the first time.

@whats-bb21 targets @thegabisback18 because he thinks thegabisback18 is a wimp...even though they overcame their fear.

@skyhawkstragedy targets @kemiifakunle because they are one of the main causes for brentrobinson’s eliminations.

and @jackieibara targets @whats-bb21 because they’re very aggressive and she fears for her safety..haha...fears...

As the Hilton Heads enter the campfire ceremony, none of them know what to expect as marshmallows begin to fly...

@jackieibara, @kemiifakunle, and @thegabisback18 are the last three without marshmallows. 1 of them will be boarding the Boat of Losers.

and like that it is @kemiifakunle who will walk the Dock of Shame and board the Boat of Losers. But lets see the votes...

@kemiifakunle refuses to move. As security comes and begins to drag them down the Dock of Shame she warns her ex-teammates that @skyhawkstragedy is targeting anyone involved with brentrobinson’s elimination and they need to get him out as the boat takes her away on Boat of Losers...

Will alliances actually be formed in this competition? There were like 20 in my practice run! Is this the end for the Hilton Heads wins as the Grandpa Lous appear to grow stronger with each competition. Find out next time on...TOTAL! DRAMA! BIG BROTHER!

#bb21 #bbsim #bbsims #this was a fun one #Picking the most random of fears #Except mine was real #but i randomized it so it was wild #hope you all enjoy this episode

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borisbubbles · 5 years

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Eurovision 2010s: 195 - 191

195. Ilinca ft. Alex Florea - “Yodel it” Romania 2017

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[2017 Review here]

Is this a shock boot? Well, “Yodel it” kind of slaps but it’s not without its problems, sadly enough. It’s one of those over-the-top, ridiculous genre fusion entries that sap your fucking soul if overexposed to their overpowering loudness. Fortunately, I didn’t listen to “Yodel it” for over a year, so I’m fully able to embrace it shittasticness. “Yodel it” is a geiser of mirth in a fruity folk/schlager package. It has a silly, but relatable message about burn-outs buried underneath mounds of yodeling and a language that vaguely approximates coalminer’s English <3 It’s not a song that I would listen to on repeat (which is something I greatly care about), but it slaps. However, the best part of this entry has to be dynamic between Alex and Ilinca. You know how the greatest ESC duo’s of our time, such as ZalaGasper and The Common Linnets had amazing onstage chemistry. Illinca and Alex, otoh-

- actually have so little chemistry it circles back into hilariousness .There’s a strong sexual undercurrent here, where it’s clear that Alex is desperately trying to get into Ilinca’s lederhose panties and she is 100% not interesting in doing anything non-platonic with this insectoid creep. This nomance’s glorious conclusion came during Selectia Nationala 2018, the Ilinca-fronted jury mercilessly shived Alex’s song in the heats. True love really runs deep, y’all~

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194. Victor Crone - “Storm” Estonia 2019

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MORPH! I’ve actually somewhat warmed to Victor and I don’t feel the least bit sorry!🤭 Naturally, the song is still counterfeit Aviicii material that should be pulverized underneath a hydraulic press.

However, somewhere between the semifinal and grand final I realized that Victor, the arguably the Whitest Dude in the history of White Dudes (you know the type: handsome dopey face, no discernible personality, offensively inoffensive, leather jacket, guitar, the Lisa Rinna hair, handkerchief hanging from the belt), was middle-aged spinster catnip, resulting in a sudden, hilariously bloated televote score for a song that was ignored on both Youtube and Spotify <3

And I’m, sorry but that’s just hysterical to me. The idea that, out of the myriad of hot guys in this year, the catladies fainted in droves for Victor is beyond hilarious. It’s fucking hysterical. Older women and nobody fucking else.🤣 Did I mention his surname is the poetically appropriate “Crone”? MILK THAT CAREER OF SINGING AT RETIREMENT HOMES, MY SWEET WHITEBREAD PRINCE! MILK IT TO THE LAST NOTE!!!

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193. Moje 3 - “Ljubav je svuda” Serbia 2013

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Speaking of catnip, “Ljubav je svuda”’s trinity of campy drama, female-fronted trash and ethnobop is a trap for the unassuming Eurovision-obsessed homosexual. Naturally, upon selection many, myself included, instantly started the pyramid-building and human sacrifices at the altar of Moje 3 and their hilariously literal interpretation of shoulder angels. 🤭 Sadly, for some fucking reason, Serbia decided to dress them like Indonesian fertility demons and it all fell apart as a mildly amusing, but utterly NOT-wigsnatching hot mess. 🙄 Is it unfair to blame NevenaBore for the floppage? Well, considering that Mirna single-handedly carried the song and Sara is a facial expressions goddess...

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192. Anmary - “Beautiful Song” Latvia 2012

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Welp I guess I lied when I said I wasn’t cutting Anmary soon, lmfao. 😂 Anmary’s placement on the list appeared a lot further away in the spreadsheet, don’t @ me!!!

Like Moje 3, Anmary was a force of hilarity upon her selection. NF Beautiful Song is.. a thing of beauty. It’s unfiltered Baltic INSANITY at its peak. Sharing this wonderful caption with you because it’s too iconic to hold back:

Beyond the general cheesy schlager we find on display: crazy eyes, unfathomable hubris, a dress change from an ugly dress into an even uglier dress, terrible ‘English’ (omg the Mick Jagger line, kills me every time. “JAGGERMICK”😂 holy fuck i am deceased. Refering to him as if he’s like.. the antagonist of a Lewis Caroll novel <3) it has the full fusedmarc package!!!

Un-very-fucking-fortunately, Latvia decided to lather Beautiful Song up with the Dettol brush and the end result was... still pretty funny, lol? It served some ~Real Housewives of Daugavpils ~ realness, with its cocktail party-chic aerobics as Anmary’s disaster notes echoed through the void of the Crystal Arena.

However, it was significantly less funny than the original, which is killing for an entry whose entire appeal rests on its hopeless, cheesy incompetence. At least she got a call from the Jaggermick out of it~ ________________________________________________________________

191. SuRie - “Storm” United Kingdom 2018

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[2018 Review Here]

Storms don’t last forever, remember~

You’d be inclined to believe that SuRie ranks this high ONLY because of spillover sympathy due to the stage invader and well... that certainly DID factor in my final ranking. Not everyone is able to recover from *that* blatant display of FUCKING ASSHOLERY as unscathed as ms Susanna Marie Cork did. What a inspiring display of professionalism.

However, by that time I had already warmed to “Storm” itself, whoops! You see, as generic as “Storm” is (are “Storms” the new “Shines”?), SuRie is one of those performers that just has tonnes of natural charisma and manages to brighten any shitty song by her mere presence. 🤗 That she turned that stage invasion into a moment of self-empowerment is only the cherry on top of the sundae. BRING HER BACK BBC!!! She may not be the artist the UK deserve, but it’s artists like her that they need.

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#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #United Kingdom #Latvia #Serbia #Estonia #Romania #Ilinca #Alex Florea #Yodel It!#Victor Crone #Storm #Moje 3 #Ljubav je svuda #Anmary #Beautiful song #SuRie

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