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nebmia · 3 months

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Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf: 5, Flying Circus

Flying Circus is a a game by Erika Chappell where you fly planes, have messy dramatic relationships, and find out who you are. Sometimes all at the same time. More specifically you fly *rickety planes from the dawn of aviation* and have messy, dramatic relationships, and find out who you are *in an essentially queer way*.

The first thing I love about Flying Circus is it's sheer audacity in taking pbta (usually deployed for low crunch storygame-y titles) and twisting it into a highly detailed and technical system for running dogfights. I think its really clever how Erika has taken the idea of a detailed combat system are re-appraised it from the ground up in the context of dogfighting.

There is no grid based movement here, it simply is not useful in the three dimensional world that planes inhabit. Instead your positioning is modelled through altitude and air speed, with each being tradeable for the other and spend able to perform maneuvers.

Honestly the whole system is rather intimidating (a fact the book freely admits). Each plane requires a little personal instrument panel sheet (and a few extra side sheets) that resemble somthing you would expect in a euro-game boardgame more than an rpg. The system goes as far as modelling how your plane performs as you use up your modelling fuel and with varying altitude. There are also a lot of fairly involved moves that it feels would be a little tricky to keep aware of while running a dogfight. However, from what I hear, the system works well and, once you understand it, isn't /that/ tricky to run. I think this isn't actually that crunchy when compared to your standard tactical battlers, it's just completely new (and working in a zone most people have less of an intuitive understanding of [although its worth noting that most peoples intuitive understanding of medieval style combat is dead wrong]) so we are unably to draw upon our preexisting assumptions.

You will notice I have to fall back on reports and intiitions here because I am yet to be able to play the game, which is honestly my biggest problem with it: it carves such a specific niche that I think I will really struggle to ever bring it to the table. Anyone I have talked to about the game has always responded to the effect of 'I don't think I'm into planes enough for this'.

I am also not half as into planes specifically as Erika Chappell is. But what I am into is getting deep into things in general, and this whole system excels at letting you get incredibly technical and nerdy about your plane (as far as things like exactly what radiator fluid it has, if you use the advanced rules) and making those choices actually matter in play.

ok, that's probably enough about planes (a phrase I anticipate has never once been uttered by the author of this book), what are you doing when you get out of the planes?

The game follows a cycle of mission and downtime, which you spend relieving stress (in healthy or unhealthy ways) and running upkeep on your company. This is where you do a lot of the character work and bring into focus the 'coming of age' narrative that the game intends.

Which seems a good lead in to talking about the playbooks. Each playbook is focused around a particular thematic idea or experience, which is helpfully spelled out directly in a 'themes' section for each one. This isn't a game where you play as a fighter because you want to solve problems by hitting them but rather one where you play as a Fisher because you want to engage with "a queer reclamation of the monstous", or a scion because you want to engage with "privilege and power, and what obligations come with it", or a believer because you want to engage with "a mindset that thrives on radicalism", or a survivor because you want to engage with "a metaphor for what it feels like to be a transgender person escaping an unwelcome or abusive situation".

Obviously, alongside themes you do also get a load of cool abilities to use.

Of the many games that claim to be ghibli-esque but I think Flying Circus hews closest on account of two things: understanding miyazaki's perspective on war and also due to being absolutely unhinged about planes.

#ttrpg #my stuff #Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf #Flying Circus #pbta

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cognitiveleague · 7 months

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Positive moment of love and queer solidarity that I had today:

For the last couple of years, I’ve been working in admin for a therapy practice that’s very publicly LGBTQIA+ friendly. I mostly do financial stuff these days because it turns out I’m good at math, but in the beginning it was more of a mixed bag, and I did a lot of intake calls and miscellaneous administrative housekeeping.

One of the intake calls I took that will stick with me forever was with a client I’ve only ever spoken to once. The client, an (at the time closeted) trans woman in roughly my parents’ age bracket, was calling to ask about intake with an affirming provider.

I remember her stressing that she wanted an in-person appointment because she was afraid of a family member overhearing her if she did telehealth from home. I remember the pause when I was filling out the scheduling form and moved on from “name as written to on your insurance card, is your middle initial on the card as well” to “and how would you like for us to address you?”, and the vulnerable balance of certainty and trepidation in her voice when she answered. She and I both ended up crying when she told me a moment later that she’d never said it out loud where she could be heard before.

A while ago, I noticed a memo on her file while reviewing her therapist’s accounts - we’ll usually keep a note on the back end to keep track of whether or not it’s safe to use trans clients’ names / correct pronouns around family or roommates, to avoid the risk of accidentally outing anyone, and the therapist had noted that she was out to her family now and her name could be used freely.

Today, while reviewing for accounts that will need something updated around the new year, I pulled up her account and saw that her insurance now uses her correct name and pronouns, which means one of the other admins got to have the pleasure of wiping every trace of her birth name from our records. I’m literally crying because I’m so happy for her right now. It seemed so far away for her back then, and here she is???

#queer solidarity #lgbtqia #lgbtq #queer community #my post #ok to share though #it’s vague enough on the details to be privacy-compliant #queer positivity #lgbtq positivity #🏳️‍🌈 ❤️ 🏳️‍⚧️

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canichangemyblogname · 10 months

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Movie Review: RW&RB

Score: 2.5/5 ⭐ Conclusion: Yaoi Fanfiction strikes again Recommendation: do not watch WC: 1730

I will credit Casey McQuiston, the author of Red White & Royal Blue, for writing a book where coming out is depicted as something that can be stressful and daunting but not life-endangering. Her story actually focused on what Alex and Henry’s relationship would mean for history, each other, and their respective countries. These two characters actually grappled with what it means to be queer and in the public eye. They contemplated the erasure of queerness from history and struggled with the (false) choice between making history and being their authentic selves. In the book, both characters took time to discover what they wanted out of life and their relationship in a way that felt genuine. Alex exploring his queer identity felt organic and unique to his background and social position.

However, the book Red White & Royal Blue is prone to conventionality, cliche, dull and brusque dialogue, and heavy-handed political references (oh, the emails). The book features uncreative and baffling political conflict that could rival the taxation treaty debacles in The Phantom Menace, and it reveals the author’s inexperience with the subtleties of U.S. and U.K. history and politics. Additionally, the book's happy resolution feels underdeveloped. The characters got their happily ever after before the dust settled. It felt like the author slapped a bandage over the very-real relationship hurdles Alex and Henry had yet to work through.

Fortunately, the book was written to be a fun, queer rom-com rather than a serious work of fiction with a profound political message. It’s frivolous. It’s charming. The Los Angeles Review of Books called it "calorie-free." Unfortunately, the movie exacerbates the book's faults. The movie’s story is conventional and cliche in the worst possible ways. It tells a shallow and uninspiring story. The writing and performances will not leave the audience with many deep or complicated thoughts about the pressures of conformity, the harms of assumptions, or the benefits of safe spaces to come into one's "self." There was no message to sit with and contemplate when the credits rolled. It's perfectly forgettable. RW&RB is not a story that will stick in your mind or leave behind a profound legacy. In fact, the whole movie feels a little like a series of product placements for condoms and lube. Oh, and PrEP.

Virality leaves no place for nuance, so those online break stories into small and often context-less moments: a series of gifs and a set of expressions. People hyper-focus on a particular moment— often one that is emotional or intimate— in which they wish to be in one of the character's shoes. They want an image or video that can be circulated rapidly and widely that, when separated from its context, allows any meaning or emotion to infuse with the imagery. RW&RB, the movie, delivers on that, and only that. It was made for the virality of the contextless moment where viewers can imprint their wants, desires, and feelings onto the scene. That's why movie promotion consisted primarily of 30-second clips of intimacy and emotional stills, and that's why the movie’s continued hype is primarily seen in a series of fan cams of the characters where their gazes, touches, tears, and smiles are reserved not for each other, but the viewer.

As a result of this hollow, context-less production, Red White & Royal Blue is formulaic and hackneyed, lacks personality, and its plot has been stripped of the messaging and the mental and emotional conflict which redeems the book. Compared to the book, the movie attempted to dedicate one, maybe two scenes to the importance of privacy and coming into your own on your own time in a space and environment where it is safe to explore identity. However, these scenes come too late and have no prior development. For those unfamiliar with the characters, the scenes feel out of place, and the concerns the characters raise in these scenes seem to come out of left field. When Alex confronts Henry about ghosting him near the end of the movie, I half expected Henry to mention something about Alex not keeping things casual enough because he can only “belong” to Alex momentarily, as this is all they had previously discussed. I was not expecting Galitzine to give a very heartfelt monologue about the pressures of politics and existing in the public eye as a queer man because the movie had forgotten to provide us with Henry’s motivations and main goals at any point previously. Production cut too much from book plot lines that focused on the main characters finding themselves and figuring out what they want, leaving them unable to develop the primary conflict later in the story. If the book is calorie-free, the movie is devoid of any nutrition.

The lack of depth leaves this movie feeling more like a Hallmark movie, a Disney Channel Original, or even the intro scene of a porno where everyone is talking and still has their pants on. It’s bland, and the acting certainly did not add any flavor. Zakhar Perez’s performance comes straight out of a Nickelodeon special. As Rachel Handler put it in Vulture, his performance oscillates between “Overtrained Child Star and Did Somebody Order a Big Sausage Pizza.” Gone is the nerdy, studious, earnest, and politically impressive Alex from the book, replaced by an arrogant, cheesy, ripped frat boy. On the exact other end of the spectrum is one of the few decent performances in the movie. Galitzine brought his dramatic background to a tonally inconsistent movie, making him feel out of place for the production quality and the genre and leaving me to wonder why the hell he took this role. And do not get me started on Thurman’s interpretation of a Texas accent.

This story felt rushed and stiff, and the character’s relationships and interactions felt forced and artificial. The production struggles with lackluster writing, exemplified by painfully cliche dialogue (and I thought the blunt dialogue of the book was bad). The story lacks a consistent tone, trying for a somber, serious, and heartfelt tone in a few scenes toward the end, something which felt very out of place for the Hallmark-esque camp of the rest of the story. It's as if the director and writers forgot the genre they were creating for. Scenes intended to be endearing were often flat and stale, while intimate and heart-wrenching scenes were painfully awkward, worsened by a seeming lack of post-production editing that left the characters blinking at each other on screen and very strange lighting decisions that left every scene so bright they bordered on overexposed. The movie has the same quality but none of the personality of a free YouTube movie, exemplified by insipid green-screen backgrounds and visual effects. The sets were tiny, the wardrobe uninspiring, and the crowds were eerily devoid of extras.

RW&RB’s terrible portrayal of U.S. and U.K. politics is emblematic of its significant writing, messaging, and direction issues. No one involved in the production understands how an election is run or how British society operates. Why was the first family involved in developing campaign strategies and discussing them on state time with the White House Chief of Staff? What was that mess of an electoral map featured at the end of the movie? (First, discussing a campaign on state time is a crime. Second, the President and Chief of Staff do not handle the development of campaign strategies. Third, a Democrat has not lost Minnesota since ’72, and if they were to lose Minnesota, the election would look more like ’72, where 49 of the 50 states voted for Nixon.) Who allowed a member of the Royal Family to appear at the DNC, practically endorsing the Democratic candidate, and later join her on stage for her acceptance speech? Where are the British tabloids? What is a Hanover-Stuart (also: how and why)? How many times would this movie call the third-in-line for the throne the Prince of Wales and the heir? The British government is homophobic, but the US is a bastion of progressiveness? Texas, blue? MSNBC???

These inaccurate and inadequate depictions of real-world issues and historical systems ultimately distract from the fact that this movie makes no commentary on queerness in modern politics despite that being a theme of the book. This movie critically lacks notice of the social, historical, and political nuances of male same-sex attraction or queerness in U.S. and U.K. politics. So much so that I would go so far as to say the movie is tone-deaf. For example, the main antagonist from the book— a homophobic Republican politician prone to abusing his power— is replaced by a mean, jealous ex-partner who is also a queer Latino and a political reporter. An example of tyranny was replaced by a political minority whose job is a pillar of democracy.

The main characters’ relationship is “gay” only insofar as they're both men, but their relationship often seems to lack queerness. Director Matthew López described the movie as one of the most expensive fan fictions ever made. (What did that money go into because it could not have been the CGI?) The fan fiction tropes the movie employs— enemies to friends to lovers, royalty AU, forced companionship, relationship of convenience, mutual pining, etc.— don't just make the story devoid of any real human connection but also seem to "tame" the characters into a new set of social boxes. It's like these tropes provide an "acceptable" reason to be gay and, in the process, erase a man's queerness so he's gay only in ways that heterosexual people or heterosexist society can imagine. The movie filters queerness through a heterosexual lens and replaces one set of social conventions with another. The main characters become escapist fantasies that are just bland enough for straight women to project onto and conventional enough not to be offensive. Because this movie is escapism and self-indulgence for the straight audience, it has a very narrow view of how queer relationships should be. It's also the perfect escapism for straight women because no woman is featured in the relationship. No woman has to have her heart broken. No woman has to confront social taboos. No woman has to risk anything. It's just two hot guys. I keep returning to what Jackson McHenry said in Vulture: "It smacks of all the tropes of Yaoi-style stories written about gay men.”

I also still cannot figure out what warranted the R rating in this movie.

#red white and royal blue #rwrbmovie #red white & royal blue #rw&rb #rwrb #rwrb movie #Taylor Zakhar Perez #Nicholas Galitzine #No movie with the line 'yucking my yumm' should be rated R #The 1968 Romeo and Juliet featured just as much ass #and it's rated PG

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 4 months

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🦇 Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler Book Review 🦇

✨ The Vibes ✨ ☀️ Summer Love 💜 Bisexual (Questioning) and Aroace Rep ✡️ Jewish (Ashkenazi and Sephardi) Rep 🔎 Self-Discovery ⌛ Past/Present Timeline 🩷 Happily Ever After 💕 Love Triangle

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Brief Biphobia, Underage Alcohol Consumption, Parental Divorce

[ Find my review below. ]

❝ Just because you're telling a good story doesn't mean it's the right story. And I think it's really important to tell the right story. ❞

❓ #QOTD What was your summer anthem last year? ❓ 🦇 For three years of high school, Larissa had extreme heart-eyes for Chase Harding; the sweet, popular, football star any girl would die to date. After returning from summer break, Chase finally seems to notice her, but it's not Lara's stylish blonde bob that catches his attention: it's the newfound confidence she gained over the summer. A summer spent with an enigmatic, too-cool photographer, Jasmine, whom Lara spent all summer beside...and, on more than one occasion, kissing. The girl Lara can't stop thinking about. The first time Chase flirts with her, Jasmine walks through the doors, only to reveal they're completing their senior year together--and that she has no interest in picking up where they left off last summer. Everything about Lara's senior year appears perfect—supportive friends, the most popular boy in school at her arm...so why can't she get Jasmine and their summer together off her mind?

💜 Cool for the Summer is a light-hearted, quick summer read with definite queer Grease vibes. The story's sweet, relatable sapphic spin is bound to hook you from the get-go. Lara is a first-generation Russian Ashkenazi Jew who thought she'd spend the summer working at an indie bookstore, only to travel to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with her mother instead. While staying at her mother's boss's beach house, she bonds with seemingly stand-offish Jasmine. The two bond in little moments we see through flashbacks; snippets that demonstrate even a summer is enough to discover real, life-changing love. Larissa's character development, especially as she steps out from behind the shadows her friends have cast, is a beautiful example of how one moment can trigger metaphoric self-discovery and growth. Though her time with Larissa triggered that development, we see the continuous ripple effect it causes.

💜 Adler doesn't shy away from topics rarely explored in YA, including positivity regarding masturbation and sex. However, I do wish she'd explored some of the emotions behind those moments. Since Lara internalizes a lot of what she's thinking and feeling, there was no real discussion that would have added depth to those scenes. However, I do wish I'd had this story growing up; it possibly could have changed everything.

💜 I can't stress quite how relatable this story was for me. Everything from the three-year-long unreciprocated crush to one summer of stolen moments and unexpected feelings that ultimately led to newfound self-awareness and -discovery were all pieces of my own bisexual coming-out story. Sometimes, the ever-after we write in our heads isn't the ever-after we end up wanting; a realization Lara almost has too late.

🦇 This story was an opportunity to shatter a great number of bisexual stereotypes, especially since Lara is in a relationship when she realizes her feelings for Jasmine. There's a brief comment, made by Chase, that almost delves into and defies those stereotypes of bisexuals "not being able to choose," but Lara bites back her anger and brushes by it too quickly. While I'm beyond grateful that we're getting more bisexual and overall queer stories, I do wish we could have opened that discussion. At the very least, it should have been a conversation Lara had with herself— her constant internalizing provided the perfect opportunity for it.

🦇 Anyone who's read one of my previous reviews knows my biggest rom-com trope pet peeve is miscommunication. The entirety of this story feeds off the miscommunication between Lara and Jasmine. While that fear and confusion are real and relatable (I've lived through it myself), I do wish there was at least ONE attempt from either of them to try, long before that miscommunication escalates the conflict between them.

🦇 With how short this story is, there's definitely room to explore the emotions behind certain scenes in-depth. Again, Lara internalizes almost everything instead of using a friend as a sounding board, leaving this story with more "telling" than "showing."

💜 This quintessential summer read is ideal for lovers of YA, happily-ever-afters, and stories of self-discovery. It's also perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Alice Oseman. Happy reading!

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makeusfly · 11 months

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Book Review: The Fragile Threads of Power

Six years after publishing A Conjuring of Light, the conclusion to her Shades of Magic trilogy, V.E. Schwab returns to London with The Fragile Threads of Power.

I can't think of many things more challenging. While reorienting readers to her world, characters, and magic system, Schwab also has to prove this world's dynamism. Few sequels are as disappointing as those set years later but feel as if nothing has happened in the interval. Plus, the previous trilogy escalated into a stressful, high-octane adventure that tested each of its protagonists in brutal ways. How does one raise the stakes to keep readers engaged, while still giving a new story space to grow?

At an event in New York earlier this year, Schwab and her conversation partner Tochi Onyebuchi decided there are no rules except, "The rule is: do it well." And she does.

When I heard we were going back to London, I reread the original trilogy to prepare, so I can't speak to the experience of reading this new book cold. What I can speak to is the seamless characterization of all our favorites. Kell finds it difficult to adjust to his weakened state. Lila refuses to let him wallow in it. Rhy steps into his new role with the same heart he's always had for both his country and his brother while Alucard adapts to his own new position. Barely 20 when their story began, six years has forced all of them to grow, but they are instantly recognizable with or without the flashbacks explaining how we got here.

The new faces in Red London are equally compelling. I loved Tes from the moment she appeared on the page. I was more skeptical of Nadiya - being the ardent Rhy/Alucard shipper that I am - but she, too, won me over...and provided the last piece of evidence any of us should need to prove this isn't just a book that features queer characters but is, at its core, a Queer Book. (Thank you, Victoria.)

It is also a massive book. Schwab is doing a lot of things to bridge the old series and the new, including multiple flashbacks, developing White London more thoroughly, and giving the reader firsthand insight into The Hand, our new group of villains hoping to depose King Rhy. Even in Schwab's expert hands, this does present some pacing issues. A few sections drag a bit, and I'm still not sure why we spent so long with a man she never names. Meanwhile, though we know how The Hand and the Royal Family feel, I would have like to see more about how the average citizen of Arnes is faring under Rhy's reign.

Overall, the intrigue, adventure, and, yes, romance are spot-on and exactly what brought us to London in the first place. I look forward to all the ways this trilogy is going to emotionally destroy me.

#fragile threads of power #shades of magic #v.e. schwab #book review #trying to get back into this

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wahlpaper · 9 months

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Radio Silence Review

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

CW: Suicidal Thoughts, Abusive Parent, Animal Death, Underage Drinking, School Stress, Depression, Arson, Death Theeats, Toxic Internet Culture, Stalking, Unhealthy Weight Loss, Positive References to Harry Potter and Scott Pilgrim, Anxiety, Racism, Queerphobia, Classism, Fire Injury

5/5

I've wanted to read Alice Oseman's Radio Silence for quite a while, but it was the most recent season of Heartstopper that motivated me to read it now. If you're familiar with Oseman, you might know that all of their stories are set in the same universe. You may also know that they don't always connect to each other. I had assumed that Aled (a character in the Heartstopper comic and Radio Silence) was renamed Issac for the show. When I realized his story was very different, I looked into why. Aled was left out in hopes that Radio Silence will get an adaptation. So, if you were wondering, you do not need to be familiar with Heartstopper to understand and enjoy Radio Silence. The story takes place after and is very much its own thing!

In Radio Silence, Frances Janvier is head girl of her school and achieving top grades. She's on track to go to Cambridge, but she's been missing out on a fulfilling social life because of it. The only two things she does in her free time are art and listen to a podcast called "Universe City". When she accidentally finds out that she knows the anonymous creator of the podcast, she starts to help with the show and get close to him. This is Aled Last, a depressed boy with an abusive mother and a missing twin sister. Time spent with Frances allowed both of them to embrace their true selves. Unfortunately, the problems in Aled's life may be too much for their friendship.

Being used to Heartstopper and Loveless, both by Oseman, I was unprepared for how dark Radio Silence was. While no main characters die, there are feelings of hopelessness and fear that can affect a reader. It's the first book I've needed a reading break from since Jennette McCurdy's memoir. In addition to the topics I've already mentioned, this book covers racism, single parent-hood, mental illness, flaws in the education system, suicidal thoughts, toxic internet culture, and stalking. The topics are all handled quite well, I just wish I had read a content warning going into it. For me, it helps to prepare for what I'm about to read instead of going in blind. All reading needs are valid!

The thing that drew me to Oseman in the first place was their inclusion of asexuality. While you do not need to be ace yourself to write ace characters, I do see it as a nice bonus. Being ace, Oseman tends to include that rep in most of their books. Over the course of Radio Silence, Aled discovers that he is on the asexual spectrum. It's something he's afraid to share as he doesn't know how others will react. I've had this same fear every time I've started being interested in someone new. Seeing realistic representation of my identity will always feel rewarding.

Oseman is great at writing varied and authentic queer identities. Aled is also into guys and potentially gender fluid. The podcast he creates often pulls from his own life and the main character of it is gender fluid. Frances knows she's bisexual before the book starts. She doesn't get a romance arc in this book, so it's not a big part of the plot, it's just a part of who she is. There's also a gay character and a lesbian character. Queer people flock together and it's clear that Oseman knows this.

I think that Radio Silence is mostly written very well! The pacing allowed the book to take up many months and feel like it. Every mysterious part of the story was revealed at the right time. The characters were all complex and interesting. The messages all got across. What I struggled with was how Frances was telling the story. Though it's all from her point of view at some time in the future, this feels uncertain and inconsistent. It's as if sometimes she was just describing it in the moment. She was also annoyingly repetitive at times. I think it would have worked better if she was either an unreliable narrator or if it was all in the present. It wouldn't need to be present tense, but lines like "I would always" or "I never saw [person] again" could be left out. There's always going to be something a book struggles with and that's okay.

Radio Silence is not just a must-read for Alice Oseman fans, but a great book for anyone upset with the school system, wanting a friendship love story, or looking for a serious read that turns out okay. If you decide to read it you'll be treated to bits of the fictional podcast, fashion ideas from the characters, and lots of queer rep! If this sounds like a book for you, trust your gut and pick it up!

#alice oseman #radio silence #aled last #frances janvier #heartstopper #book blog #bookblogger #queer books #queer characters #ace representation #queer friendship #contemporary ya #books about tumblr #queer teen characters #asexuality #bisexual biracial

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vintageandroid · 1 year

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I posted 4,197 times in 2022

That's 1,786 more posts than 2021!

86 posts created (2%)

4,111 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ratsintherosebush

@olliesaurus-rex

@tinsnip

@thatoneweird

@natalieironside

I tagged 4,187 of my posts in 2022

#laugh rule - 442 posts

#dracula daily - 210 posts

#star trek - 202 posts

#art - 183 posts

#queer stuff - 129 posts

#food - 117 posts

#tumblr - 105 posts

#alfred molina - 96 posts

#ds9 - 95 posts

#solid life advice - 91 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i have a bit of it anyway (don't ask me to pronounce the word bag it's stressful) but if i'm working with customers i go full lutheran mom

My Top Posts in 2022:

Book Review Time!

I reviewed @natalieironside's new book, In the Court of the Nameless Queen, on my 18+ blog! I've been wanting to branch out into book reviews anyway (I usually review sex toys) and this was a hell of a way to dive in.

Is this an erotic novel in a fantasy setting, or an erotically charged fantasy novel? I dunno, but there's spider-fuckin'. And I loved it. This is exactly the kind of erotica I've been looking for while complaining about other erotica.

[T]hat’s actually what I enjoyed most about the erotic elements of this story. Almost every sex act really meant something to the characters—sometimes learning things about themselves, sometimes finding freedom or validation as they explored their sexuality. In one case, a character accepts that she’s trans by being dommed into it, and it’s an absolutely beautiful sequence. As someone who has a whole tag dedicated to kink as a coping mechanism, I loved seeing sex and kink used to genuinely improve and enrich the characters’ lives.

Curious? Check out Book Review: In the Court of the Nameless Queen.

(The review does contain affiliate links to Amazon, but this was not a sponsored post.) Thanks again to Natalie Ironside for working with me!

(Queer Earthling is my 18+ sex blog. If you’re interested in supporting a sex-positive, queer, neurodivergent weirdo, check out my support and affiliates page! If you’d rather not see these on your Tumblr feed, feel free to block the tag “Queer Earthling.”)

Aphobes, bi/panphobes, trans/nb-phobes, anti-kink, TERFs & SWERFs DNI

242 notes - Posted January 25, 2022

i may be going crazy rbing dracula daily stuff today because Van Helsing is my favorite, with his zillion degrees and quirky old man charm and his LOLCat syntax. I'm delighted at all the folks finding out that he is not in fact a sexy action hero but rather, y'know. That.

335 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

I hate you ad-friendly censorship I hate you unalive I hate you seggs I hate you numbers in place of letters to the point of incomprehensibility I hate you sanitization of social media to the point of sterility

346 notes - Posted October 10, 2022

Dr. van Helsing is out here giving Lucy brandy, blood, and morphine all in the space of like 3 paragraphs, I love 19th century medicine.

1,481 notes - Posted September 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My first instinct is always to get super pissed at Mrs. Westenra at this point but tbh, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing of 97 PhDs, it wouldn't have hurt anyone if you'd explained the necessity of the flowers to her BEFORE she decided to "help." You didn't have to explain the details.

Honestly (some spoilers) a huge number of the issues in this book come from the men deciding not to tell the women what's happening to "protect them" only for that to lead directly to bad things happening. I'm sure there have been papers written on this. Was this an intentional statement on Bram Stoker's part? I really don't know.

1,938 notes - Posted September 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #tumblr #my posts

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itsmyturnonthegender · 1 year

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I posted 16,472 times in 2022

That's 5,290 more posts than 2021!

341 posts created (2%)

16,131 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@itsmyturnonthegender

@yeetus-6942069

@the-mike-est-of-michaels

@kohak-u

@yharnamsnewslug

I tagged 3,155 of my posts in 2022

#cool art - 550 posts

#lucien - 271 posts

#the magnus archives - 137 posts

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#so i figured i could power through the stress and fast-paced atmosphere if i got into a rhythm and worked out the back away from customers

My Top Posts in 2022:

Okay most of the queer history and queer rights discussions/debates that cross my humble dash are US-centric, with the occasional terf bs from the UK, so here's some frustrations from an Australian queer kid

~homosexuality was legalised in 1994. That's right, a whopping 22 years ago

~gay marriage, however was only legalised in 2017. I remember when my parents voted on the issue– mum voted yes, dad voted no, and maintains his stance that legalising it was a mistake and impinges on his religious freedom

~conversion therapy was only outlawed in Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria in 2021. My father signed a petition to overturn the bill. When confronted about this, he doubled down on his 'religious freedom' argument, saying that outlawing church-funded psychological torture of children was another step towards banning open practice of Christianity– gay marriage having been the first. Mum, a known bisexual, took his side in this argument and urged me later to apologise for raising my voice because 'it's the way he was raised' and 'you know he was abused by them'

~Whilst I can change my name without such restrictions, I will not be able to change my gender legally until I have undergone at least two gender-affirming surgeries, with certification from at least two medical professionals of such treatments, and to get these surgeries covered by Medicare, I'd need a diagnosis of 'persistent and severe' gender dysphoria, and well-documented treatment of such spanning at least 12 months. A diagnosis is also necessary to recieve hrt.

~If and when I am able to change my gender legally, it will not be simply corrected on relevant documents, rather my birth will be re-registered and a sex-change noted on my identity documents.

_______

We have a Long way to go.

95 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

I'm listening to Mistholme again and I'm compiling a list of what the Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity and Mortality is not liable for

97 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

The museum is not responsible for any injury, death or yassification that occurs during your tour

100 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

Listening to Welcome to Night Vale now.

Positively unhinged vibes, convinced the writers were on something interesting, already invested, haven't the foggiest what's going on here, Wednesday has been cancelled due to a scheduling error, I think I'm gonna like it here

108 notes - Posted March 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Hi hello

If your children address you like a commanding officer, I do not trust you.

229 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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bunnyblathers · 2 years

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Book Review 1:

Covering a bit of a doozy with my first review here, but I’m going to make a decent attempt.

“Plain Bad Heroines” is probably one of the weirdest novels I’ve ever read, and I mean that in a generally positive way. It’s over 600 pages, so it’s for sure a time commitment, but I believe it’s well worth the read if you are a fan of sapphic, polyamorous fiction with horror elements.

The book follows three heroines who are part of the production of a movie based on a memoir about the tragic deaths surrounding a supposedly cursed boarding school in Rhode Island during 1902. Skipping back and forth between the perspective of the leading ladies and the characters who the memoir was written about, we are allowed to start painting a fuller picture about the events that transpired at this school and the ramifications that the tragedy has left behind. Both plot lines work well together I believe, however both leave many details out and force the reader to interpret how many of the mysteries surrounding the school are true.

The story also markets itself off the bat as a work of metafiction, this taking the form of a seemingly omniscient narrator who consistently leaves footnotes about the events transpiring and also directly communicating with the reader about them. The book has a cheeky tone to it, with some pretty funny lines here and there and a very candid view on the nature of humanity. The book heavily touches on the concept of fame and the consequences that arise from it: the voyeurism, the lack of privacy, the stress and unsteadiness it can cause when your life is taken out of your own hands. It’s a refreshing view and definitely gave me something to chew on.

Pretty much all of the characters in the novel are some sort of queer as well, many with partners or multiple partners at any given time. To me, the representation felt very well done; their sexualities were both one of the most important aspects of the story and also written naturally enough to feel like just another aspect of life.

All in all, I would give the story a 4 out of 5. It has some pacing issues here and there due to the length of it and some of the horror scenes don’t quite make the impact I felt they could’ve, but it was definitely still an enjoyable ride!

#book review #plain bad heroines #emily m danforth

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twelvedaysinaugust · 2 years

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Especially after a few days to sit and reflect on it, I genuinely don't understand why it wasn't one of Harry's team's top priorities to make sure that Harry was not in any kind of bearding or PR relationship with a woman when My Policeman came out. I know there are almost certainly considerations behind the scenes that we don't know about that might affect the decision, but. On a business level, it makes press for My Policeman significantly more difficult, not just for Harry but for the entire group - it's one thing for Harry to talk around why he related to a closeted character, but given the fact that Michael Grandage clearly wanted to stress that he choose queer actors for these roles, Harry having a current beard made it more difficult for Grandage to communicate that message, and it was just catnip for the queerbaiting conversation (which has made it into several reviews of the film). I also think it diluted the strength of Harry's message wearing the green carnation.

On a personal level, it just seems cruel? I mean, I know Harry is an adult, he's making the best choices available to him, but it must be incredibly difficult and probably painful to have to speak about Tom in the way that Harry did while actively being closeted. Not to mention how painful it must be to see the reactions to the film marred by his own bad press around queerbaiting, knowing how personal this role was to him. I'd like to think that Harry's team care about him and would have tried to avoid this outcome for him, but it's really hard to believe that this was inevitable and they couldn't have done anything differently. I mean, I don't think Holivia has done anything positive for DWD, box office numbers-wise, in at least weeks if not months. And if they still think it's more important that Harry be with Olivia publicly so that while maybe queer people pick up on the carnation and speculate about Harry being closeted, the gp continues to think Harry is straight or at least not closeted, then they are severely misreading the room.

I do actually have thoughts about this. I don’t know that I’ll share them, but I get what you’re saying. There’s like… a very profound contradiction in some of the choices Harry makes and the queer symbols he chooses to engage with.

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mariacallous · 2 years

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total aside on "comforting media" and indeed YA media. There's a LOT of stress on "queer joy" and particular "trans joy" without defining what that means. And I've found a lot of the time it's more about declaring at a thing "gay/trans joy" than in fact really avoiding queer pain, for example, famous "gay fluff" "for kids!" TV program Heartstopper has a pretty upsetting sexual assault in it that no one talks about because reasons. I remember reviewing a YA book about a trans male character who is attacked in the bathroom by a bully and is left bloody and having pissed his pants in school, and all the reviews raved about "trans joy" and "trans positivity" vs a different book about a trans male character, written by a cis author and not using the right code words was savaged "It’s full of trans pain" which its full of the ups and downs of being a trans student, much like any of the other books I've reviewed and the MC suffered a lot less (he wasn't bullied into peeing his pants for example) indeed most of the "trans joy" books I've reviewed over the last 2 years have had a horrific moment of over the top transphobia, that never gets mention in user reviews...

I mean, apart from the relative subjectiveness of "queer/trans joy", and while I think there are plenty of media (and news) sources out there covering "queer/trans pain" and almost gleefully highlighting problems and issues therein, so many people want to just gloss over stuff like that, unless they don't like it or can use it to boost "clout" and whatnot.

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deadlinecom · 5 months

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dorireads · 10 months

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The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun || Book Review

Star Review: 3.5/5⭐

Tropes: Dating Show ????

This was another read I got from booktok! I wish I would learn my lesson, for real. This book was, like, some people's #1 read ever, and very very highly praised, so I set my expectations high and began to read it.

Honestly, it didn't meet my expectations. Not from a this-is-literally-a-piece-of-shit standpoint, but from the way that the story was told and the way the plot developed. If you like a very easy and very blunt read with characters that have blatant nuance rather than subtle and developing nuance, this book is for you. It's not a bad book by any means, it just felt kind of amateur in the way it was written. Which isn't a criminal offense.

To put positives first, this book is an amazing gay romance with a diverse cast of characters, commentary on misogyny and biphobia, a very fun setting of a dating show (this was probably my favorite part of the book! it was so fun to see these characters having to work on a set as someone with no experience in doing that!), and a generally sweet love story.

This book also includes self discovery and talks about finding their genuine passions, meeting other's expectations, and finding parts of themselves that they didn't know existed or had repressed. There is representation of anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, and destigmatizing therapy.

Honestly a very sweet and lovely book, definitely recommend for an easy read romance! I'll talk about parts I disliked under the cut, spoiler warning!

When I talk about reading being a very solitary and personal experience, this is what I mean. This book has been super widely liked, but it just didn't hit all the marks for me.

When we talk about the diversity of this book, it kind of fell flat in the way that everything was written so blatantly instead of developing over the span of the story.

This started when Skylar was introduced, the paragraph describing her reads: "As a queer black woman, Skylar Jones did not become the lead director of a reality television juggernaut by having chill. When she developed early female pattern baldness before forty from the stress of this job, she simply began shaving all her hair off."

I genuinely love and understand the sentiment of wanting to have representation in your writing, but I do feel like these points could have been expressed in better ways rather than just one paragraph in the beginning of the story telling you everything about this character. Because of this, it feels like it was added specifically and only for diversity, which isn't the coolest.

Another point in the book is Charlie having anxiety and OCD. I don't have OCD nor have I researched it very thoroughly, so I can't comment on the way it's been shown here, but I do have anxiety so I feel like I can talk about it.

It felt like Charlie's anxiety was kind of just an excuse in the beginning to push him away from interacting with the show. He signed a contract and consented to the show, but when he got there he consistently walks off set and refuses to participate in the beginning. Later in the book, he is able to participate and talk to the girls almost completely okay, but this is only after he realizes his feelings for Dev. This bothers me because his anxiety isn't dealt with or expanded upon much later in the book, and is only really used as a plot point in order for him not to have to get close with anyone on the show.

Also, Maureen's entire character was an L. I have nothing more to say about her. Cochrun succeeded at making a genuinely unlikeable antagonist, and she didn't even have that major of a role.

The last point that I specifically didn't like very much was the ending. The time skip fell flat because we didn't see anything that happened in between, we just jumped to when Dev's issues had already been mostly solved and when Charlie had already figured out what to do. I wish it had been talked about more so that we felt as though we were looking at a character that had developed and shown development, rather than just being told that he worked on himself and is over it now.

That's all from me!

#bookblr #book rec #book recommendation #the charm offensive #alison cochrun #book review #reading tumblr #book tumblr

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reviewsthatburn · 1 year

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Clement (Clem) and Cristina (Cris) are twins, Gen(erational) magic users living in New Orleans. Cris has recently pulled away from her magic because she thinks a spell she performed is responsible for their father's death. It's a secret so terrible that she hasn't shared it with anyone, leaving Clem adrift and frustrated, not understanding why his sister refuses to do this thing she's so good at and used to love. Their family has been displaced from their previous position in the Gen Magic Council, of which their grandmother was the queen before she was killed and blamed for someone else's death. BLOOD DEBTS deals with trauma from racism, cultural appropriation, and self-interested cruelty, and how connection and family ties can help the Trudeau family withstand everything hurled against them.

Clem and Cris are the two main narrators, but occasional sections follow other perspectives, such as the girl who used to be Cris's best friend. Echoing what played out between their grandmothers decades ago, she turned cruel and seems to have made it her mission to wreck Cris's life. Clem has his own problems, frustrated with how his sister has pulled away since their father died, he's trying to feel connected with her seemingly revolving cast of brief links. He doesn't understand Cris dating a white boy and she doesn't understand him dating so many boys. I love the way their dynamic is written, because it really feels like teenage siblings who want to connect to each other but don't have the experience to understand the way that their mutual teasing is alternately a barrier as much as it's a connection. They're also stressed out by their mother's illness, but almost as soon as the story begins they discover it was unnaturally caused and the only way to protect their family is to get all of their aunts to come home and help cast a protection. There's a wonderful mix of showing and specifically processing the way the ways that the discord and difficulty communicating between their mother and her sisters has then made it harder for Clem and Cris to navigate their relationship with each other.

Full Review at link

#BookReviews #Audiobook #Fantasy #Highly Recommended #blood debts #terry j benton walker

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whimsicaldragonette · 1 year

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ARC Review: Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky

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Publication Date: May 3, 2022

Synopsis:

Dear (never-been-quite-over-you) Crush, It's been a few years since we were together, but I can't stop thinking about the time we almost... Wren Roland has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. Feeling nostalgic on the eve of his birthday, he sends emails to all the boys he (ahem) loved before he came out. Morning brings the inevitable Oh God What Did I Do?, but he brushes that panic aside. Why stress about it? None of his could-have-beens are actually going to read the emails, much less respond. Right? Enter Derick Haverford, Wren's #1 pre-coming-out-crush and his drive-in theater's new social media intern. Everyone claims he's coasting on cinematic good looks and his father's connections, but Wren has always known there's much more to Derick than meets the eye. Too bad he doesn't feel the same way about the infamous almost-kiss that once rocked Wren's world. Whatever. Wren's no longer a closeted teenager; he can survive this. But as their hazy summer becomes consumed with a special project that may just save the struggling drive-in for good, Wren and Derick are drawn ever-closer...and maybe, finally, Wren's dream of a perfect-kiss-before-the-credits is within reach. A feel-good summer LGBTQIA+ New Adult RomCom, perfect for fans of Red White & Royal Blue, Boyfriend Material, and What If It's Us.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was suuuuuuper cute. Wren does come across as very young at first, but as the story settled into its groove I felt like his reactions and thought processes were actually very accurate for a 22-year old. He starts the novel fairly immature and at loose ends, but through the course of the story he gains confidence in himself. This is helped along by his managerial position at Wiley's Drive-in (where he has to find the line between working with his friends and being responsible for his friends' mistakes), his blossoming friendship with reclusive former film star and director Alice Walker, and his rekindled friendship and burgeoning relationship with his high-school crush Derick.

What begins as a terrible drunk decision - sending emails to all his former crushes and almost-kisses - ends up with a real chance at happiness.

Wren's friends are adorably quirky - sometimes a little too much so - and sweet. Reading the scenes of them together took me back to my college friendships. Derick is a bit of a mystery for pretty much the entire book and I think it could have benefited from some Derick POV chapters. The mystery does add drama and move the plot along in places, however, so I can understand why the author chose to do it this way. I also really appreciated how many of the characters were LGBT+ and how matter-of-fact it all was. There was a little bit of drama between Derick and his family but it wasn't too much and didn't detract from the sense of queer joy that develops throughout the book.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and really like the way the narrator chose to read it. His voices for all the characters were easy to tell apart and fit the characters very well.

I was fully invested in the story from beginning to end, and came away with a lot of nostalgia and also a real appreciation for how the author handled the story.

Also! It was SO nice to see demisexual rep in this story! Ace rep of any kind is hard to come by in fiction, and demisexual rep even more so. It was also explained really well without taking the reader out of the story and really fit Wren's character and experiences. As someone who is demi, I really appreciated the rep. It made me feel that much more connected to the story and more sympathetic to Wren. Especially when he decides that "queer" is how he's going to identify, with the knowledge that he's also gay and demisexual. It was very relatable. Society doesn't know how to handle asexuality for some strange reason, and it can feel very alienating.

The best parts of the story, hands down, were the scenes with Alice Kelly, reclusive film star and brilliant director - and cantankerous old lady. She really came to life in my imagination and quickly became my favorite character. The way Wren approached his friendship with her, slowly drawing her out while making sure she is always comfortable with what is happening, was wonderful to see.

I loved her story that was slowly revealed even more than Wren's and Derick's tbh. I would definitely read a book about her life. I'm glad she became such an important character and her story interwoven so thoroughly with Wren's and Wiley's Drive-in.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing an e-arc for review.

#timothy janovsky #never been kissed #new adult rom com #lgbt+ books #queer romance #drive-in #summer romance #netgalley #arc review #shilo reads #sourcebooks casablanca

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