#you know that gay people at brunch post | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hairstevington · 1 year

Text

flowers and ink (part 2)

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eddie and Steve like each other, but unfortunately Eddie thinks Steve is dating Robin, and they're both generally just gay disasters who don't know how to communicate

(part one found here)

Word Count: 3K

Warnings: Tattoo Artist!Eddie, Florist!Steve, fluff, gay panic, Platonic Soulmates Steve and Robin, Will is here and we love him, everybody is a sweetheart and an idiot, it's just cute and funny

A/N: Ha ha, remember when I said this would be two parts? I'm having so much fun with it that I'm making it three parts. I hope you don't mind??? Also this story is officially cross posted on Ao3 for those interested!

“Steve, did you give Eddie a 50% tip?” Robin asked as they walked out of Ink About It.

“Well, I’ve never been that great at math,” Steve mumbled, blushing.

“Uh-huh. I’m sure that’s the reason.”

“He did a great job?” Steve offered. He wasn’t even sure why he was denying the obvious. Robin knew Steve way too well to play these games.

“You like Eddie,” she stated.

“I barely know him,” Steve shrugged.

“Yeah, but his work is permanently on your skin forever,” Robin pointed out.

“Jesus, why did you have to say that?” Steve whined with a groan. “He’s hot, okay? Will you just leave it?”

He knew she wouldn’t leave it. It was kind of her specialty.

“It was just so cute seeing you be all flirty with him,” Robin said.

“God, I hope it wasn’t that obvious.”

“Don’t worry, he was too focused on his work to notice,” she assured him. “Come on, we just did something big, let’s celebrate!”

So, they did.

The next time they worked together, the teasing was relentless. Steve couldn’t escape it due to the tattoo shop being right through the glass. He couldn’t help trying to see if Eddie was in there.

“Oh my god, just go back there and talk to him,” Robin suggested.

“I can’t just go there, Robin,” Steve replied. “I’d have to, like, make another appointment or something.”

“You’re willing to get a new tattoo every time you see this guy, Dingus?” Steve chuckled.

“If I have to, sure.” Robin smacked him playfully on the arm.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Oh, and you’re any better?” Steve challenged. “Remind me again why you started working here.” Robin rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, we’re both gay disasters,” she replied. “I still think you should go over there. I’ll cover for you.”

“Wait, you mean now?” Steve asked, confused.

“Yeah,” Robin confirmed. “It’s been so slow I’m going crazy, Harrington. I need something to spice up the day, and this fits the bill.” She put her hands on his chest and pushed him backwards toward the front door. “Do it. Go.” Steve sighed.

“It’s a good thing I love you, Buckley.”

And with that, he was off to the tattoo parlor.

Bob took the morning off to take Will to brunch, leaving Eddie alone in the shop. He didn’t mind holding the fort, because he could plan breaks and moments to relax based on the appointments he had for the day. Tattoo shops were chill.

Most people generally knew not to walk into a tattoo place without notice. Appointments and communication beforehand were necessary so that the artist could design and adjust, plan their day, etc.

Steve apparently didn’t have that memo. But when he sauntered into Ink About It, Eddie didn’t care about his lack of a heads up.

He was wearing his work polo - light blue with the name of the flower shop over his heart. He looked a bit nervous, but Eddie figured that was because the man clearly did not fit into a place like this.

“Back for more already?” Eddie teased. Steve blushed, and it was cute how nervous tattooing made him. He wondered if Steve regretted getting one in the first place.

“I just have a question,” Steve said. He walked up to the counter and leaned his elbows on it, making the height difference between them drastic enough where Steve had to angle his chin up to make eye contact.

“Shoot,” Eddie permitted.

“Is the damn thing supposed to like - peel?” Steve asked.

Eddie just about lost it. He never wanted to make someone feel bad for not knowing these things, but Steve was just so goddamn cute about it. He pressed his lips together as tightly as he could so he wouldn’t give himself away, then nodded.

“Yup,” Eddie answered. “The first week or so you’ll see it flake off. Don’t pick at it or scrub it or anything.”

“Would it come off if I do?” Steve asked.

Okay. Now the guy HAD to be fucking with him. Don’t laugh don’t laugh be professional do what Bob would do.

“I - uh, well no I’m afraid tattoos are permanent, Steve,” Eddie responded. Steve looked at him dumbly for a second, then shifted back up to standing and burst out laughing.

Eddie watched, confused, until Steve spoke again.

“I’m just fucking with you Eddie. I may not know a lot about tattoos, but I know they’re permanent, okay?” Eddie seeing Steve goof around like this was charming in a way Eddie hadn’t seen yet. He’d really only known Steve with a brave face on, caring for Robin when she got scared. Eddie had already been crushing on Steve, and hearing him laugh now took the crush to new heights.

“Oh,” Eddie said, smiling back with a light chuckle. “Alright then. So yeah, if it’s flaking that’s okay, but I can look at it if you want.” Steve nodded, so Eddie gestured for them to go back to the space where Steve got the tattoo in the first place.

Steve stood there awkwardly, looking at the table he was supposed to sit on, then down at his ankle, then back up.

“How do you want me?” he asked.

Eddie really wished he didn’t say that.

“Uh, you can just sit like you did the other day and pull your pant leg up.” Steve did as told, crossing his left leg over his right so his ankle was in clear view.

Eddie knew at first glance it was healing just fine, but he lingered on his work for an extra few seconds, just to extend the moment as much as he could.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Steve asked, nervously. Eddie shook his head to get himself out of his daze.

“Everything looks good,” he confirmed. “Maybe a bit dry. Are you putting lotion on it?”

Steve nodded, then named a kind of lotion Eddie knew was shit for this sort of thing, but it would do in a pinch. Eddie caught sight of the clock and realized Bob was going to show up with Will any moment.

“I guess I should head out,” Steve said, noticing Eddie’s focus drifting to the time.

“Uh, right,” Eddie said. He really did need Steve to go, but he didn’t want him to. “Yeah, I got - the manager is coming in soon with this kid who I guess is into art. I’m supposed to show him the ropes and -” Eddie paused, realizing he was just about to spill his whole guts to Steve without even thinking about it.

“And?” Steve pressed. Shit. Eddie took a deep breath.

“I guess the kid just came out and Bob thinks he needs another gay person to talk to or something,” Eddie admitted.

“Oh,” Steve replied. Eddie couldn’t read his expression. He definitely looked a bit surprised, but most people did. Eddie couldn’t even count the amount of times someone had said something like, I had no idea. You don’t look it. Like, what the fuck does that even mean? He waited for Steve to say something similar, but instead the door opened.

“Hey, Eds, we’re back!” Bob announced from the waiting area.

“Uh, good luck,” Steve mumbled, fixing his pant leg and standing up. He turned to leave, but froze when he saw the kid. “Will?”

“Steve?!”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Eddie asked, confused.

“Uh, yeah. I kinda used to babysit him,” Steve answered. “How have you been, dude? You’re almost as tall as me now!”

Eddie and Bob watched as Will ran to Steve and hugged him, both of them smiling warmly.

“I’m good! Things are good!” Will said. He separated from Steve and looked to Eddie. “You must be the artist Bob has told me about.”

“That’s me,” Eddie replied with a wave. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Well, I gotta get back to work,” Steve said, knowing that he was no longer supposed to be there. “But you’re in good hands with Eddie. He just gave me my first tattoo and he’s pretty great.”

Eddie had no idea why Steve was complimenting him so much. He could feel himself blushing.

“You work at the place across the street?” Will asked. Steve nodded. “Yup, with Robin,” he answered.

“Oh, how’s she doing?” Will asked.

“She’s good. Same as always. Still the best person I know.”

Aww. That was sweet. But also annoying. For Eddie, anyway. Their goddamn relationship was long term and solid as ever, apparently.

Steve insisted again that he should get going, and then he was off.

“So,” Eddie said, clapping his hands together. “What do you want to see first?”

They started with a tour of the place. Eddie showed Will his tattooing space first, going over the tools and explaining how it all worked. Then, Will started asking Eddie about his own tattoos, so they went over all of those next. It took a long time, because Eddie had a lot of tattoos to explain, each of them with their own backstory. Some backstories were more involved and coherent than others. Some of them just consisted of, “oh yeah, I was kinda tipsy and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Don’t do that by the way.”

“I don’t want a tattoo, anyway,” Will had responded. Eddie nodded, but had an inkling from the way Will was so fascinated by all this that he’d change his mind someday.

After that, Eddie showed Will a bunch of designs he’d done in the past, then a few he was currently working on. Will ended up showing Eddie some of the drawings he’d done.

“Oh, shit,” Eddie said, completely blown away. “You’re really talented, man.”

“Thanks,” Will replied with a smile. “I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

“That’s awesome. So, you think you’re gonna get into tattooing?”

“I dunno, maybe,” he responded with a shrug. “I’m going to college in the fall for art, but I don’t really know what I’m gonna do with it yet.”

“That’s soooo normal,” Eddie replied. He’d heard people say as much often, so he figured he’d pass the knowledge along. “I didn’t go to college, but I found my place here. I wasn’t an artist my whole life like you, but it turned out to kind of be perfect for me.”

“Isn’t it weird to have your designs on people’s bodies forever?”

“It’s kind of awesome, actually,” Eddie said with a grin. “It was a little wild at first to work on skin, but thankfully they had me start on oranges, first.”

“Really?” Will asked, amused. “I had no idea!”

“Yeah!” Eddie responded. “You wanna try?”

“You just have an orange lying around?”

“I like citrus, what can I tell ya.”

Will practiced a few designs under Eddie’s watch. He caught a glimpse of Bob in the office, smiling at the two of them bonding.

Will was cool. He was sweet. He was also sarcastic in a sneaky way. Sometimes he’d say something that caught Eddie off guard, just because Will seemed shy and quiet at first. He wasn’t, really.

“I know why Bob wanted me to meet you,” Will said. They’d peeled the orange and were now splitting it.

“Hm?” Eddie asked. “I mean, so you could check out the shop, right?”

“It’s okay, I know he wants me to talk to other gay people,” Will pointed out, rolling his eyes. “Bob isn’t that slick.”

Eddie chuckled. Smart kid.

“Yeah, well I’ll talk about it if you want me to, but figured I’d let you bring it up first. When I was your age, I didn’t really wanna talk to anyone, but you’re a lot different than I was.”

“What do you mean?” Will asked.

“Uhhhhhhh….” Eddie looked around nervously. Bob had closed the door to the office. “I was all over the place back then. I was the school freak - that’s literally what they called me.”

Eddie had gotten over the trauma of high school the last few years. His life stabilized, and he realized all the shit people thought about him were irrelevant. He left all of it behind, and he was a lot happier now.

“People bully me too,” Will confessed quietly.

“People suck,” Eddie said with a sigh. “I guess that much hasn’t changed since I graduated. Maybe we aren’t so different after all, then.”

Eddie didn’t think Will dealt drugs or got into fights like Eddie used to, but people don’t have to go through the same things to feel the same things.

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT.

Eddie’s gay. This changes everything.

Steve did his best to exit Ink About It calmly, and it took everything in him not to fully sprint across the street. He still ended up doing a fast walk that was basically a jog.

He flung himself to the door and opened it, taking a deep breath.

“Robin!” he shouted.

His eyes focused on the absolute chaos happening in the shop. People were everywhere, like what the fuck? Robin was manning the register and answering questions as best as she could, but she was clearly in over her head.

“Help,” she mouthed with terror in her eyes.

Steve desperately wanted to tell her that this was karma for her saying she was bored and sending Steve away. He also wanted to tell her about his time at Ink About It. But there were other priorities first.

Steve quickly swooped in to help her cash customers out. She scurried to the back to handle the many customers who wanted to know about the various flowers being sold.

Steve was able to gather through small talk with the customers that prom was happening at the school down the road, and everyone was getting last minute flowers for their dates.

More accurately, the parents were. Some brave kids showed up, but they looked completely lost.

They continued working until the rush died down, leaving the two of them on the edge of exhaustion.

“That was brutal,” Steve muttered as he splayed himself across the counter.

“So brutal,” Robin agreed. She was lying fully on the ground, starfish style. Bits of stems and flower petals surrounded her. It was kind of pretty, actually.

“Hold on, stay right there,” Steve said, pulling his phone from his pocket. Before Robin could object, Steve snapped a picture from above.

“Hey!” she said, sitting up. “I don’t want this moment of my life documented, Steven!”

“Yes, you do. Look.” Steve bent down and showed her the picture. After a moment, she nodded.

“Okay, fine. Yes. That’s going on my Instagram, thank you.”

“You should put it on your Hinge profile, too,” Steve suggested.

“Good idea,” Robin agreed. She jumped to her feet and sighed. “I’m gonna go clean up the back.”

“I’ll be here,” Steve replied.

Ten minutes went by, and then Steve heard a squealing.

“Shit! Fuck!” Robin didn’t actually curse that often, so Steve knew something must be very wrong.

“Robs? You okay back there?” He rounded the corner just as Robin squatted behind some bouquets, concealing herself.

“Don’t!” she yelled. “Okay, well actually I do need your help, but you have to promise not to laugh.”

“I can’t promise that, but I’ll try,” Steve said with a smirk.

Robin straightened herself back up, and Steve got the full picture of what had happened. Her hair was all kinds of tangled in a watering can.

He laughed so hard he cried.

“I hate you, DIngus,” she muttered, not nearly as amused by the situation.

“This is why you leave the watering to me,” Steve joked. “Come on, let’s get you fixed up.”

This is stupid. This is so stupid. Eddie, you are stupid. Get some help.

He was headed to Flowers for All with unscented lotion. For Steve. Because Eddie had no chill and was a simp.

He didn’t even care if Steve was queer, or if he was taken. Eddie just wanted to talk to him more.

So stupid.

Eddie walked in, triggering the bell above the door. He quickly heard voices from the back.

“Shit! Someone’s here!”

“It’s ok I got it I got it.”

There were more sounds of shuffling for a few seconds before Steve tumbled out of a doorway, blushing.

Oh my god. Did I just interrupt them hooking up?

Eddie somehow felt even more like a dumbass. He wasn’t fazed by them getting it on at work - it’s not like he hadn’t done that before - it’s that he brought goddamn unscented lotion to his client’s place of work, unannounced and unprompted.

“I - shit, sorry,” Eddie said, just about ready to turn and bolt.

“It’s okay!” Steve assured him. “What’s going on Eddie?”

Robin ran out of the room so fast she almost fell over.

“Eddie! What a wonderful surprise!”

There was a teasing quality to her voice that Eddie mistook for her trying to cover up how flustered she was. This was all but confirmed when Steve gently elbowed her in the rib.

“I brought this for you,” Eddie said. He raised the stupid fucking lotion so it was in plain view, then forced himself to walk to the counter and leave it there. “It’s what I use. Your tattoo will heal better. Uh - both of them. For both of you, I mean.”

“Hey, thanks, man.” Steve smiled and grabbed the lotion, inspecting it.

“Do all tattoo artists care this much about their clients?” Robin asked. There was that teasing sound again. Is she jealous or something?

“Well, I - Bob always tells me to be nice so I do my best. Sorry if I interrupted anything.”

Steve and Robin shared a knowing look.

“You didn’t,” Steve said casually. “We’re finally dead again, which is the way we like it.”

“Yeah,” Robin agreed. “It was rough earlier, but we survived.”

“We always do,” Steve added.

They were so friendly and kind, and they clearly loved each other very much. Eddie knew he needed to go. He had to go. He just needs to say goodbye, turn around, and -

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about something,” Eddie blurted out.

Shit.

He didn’t actually have anything to talk about. But luckily, one of his special skills included the ability to never shut the fuck up.

He took a deep breath and decided to do a little improv.

(part three)

-----------------------

Check out my Masterlist!

@paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @justaloadofgarbage-blog @alliemunsonsstuff @undreamingscatworld @thefruityfours @hobbitnarwhal @calivanus @wreckmyplans-thatsmyman @antheia @goodolefashionedloverboi @lillemilly @missmagillicuddy @steviesbicrisis @gamerdano @menamesniall @eyeslikewildflowers111 @callmesirkay @stringischeese @eds-trashmouth

@mnl-enuh @redfreckledwolf @itsanarrum @soulsofstarsliveinyourveins @gregre369 @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @aryakanojiaa @wrenisflying @comicmadlover @lilacrobin @itch-my-b0nez @anonymousbandgirl @disastardly @Dang_Dirty_Demons @daisyellsong @val-from-lawrence @starryeyedpoet17 @taikawaiteatea @clumsiluni @hollysimone @swimmingbirdrunningrock @witchofhawkins @steddiegarbage @suddenlyinlove @ricekristytreaty @eddielives1986

#steddie #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #will byers #robin buckley #bob newby #flowers and ink #modern day au #eddie munson x steve harrington #steve and eddie #writing #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #st fic #st fanfic

193 notes · View notes

wen-kexing-apologist · 11 months

Text

Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

A few months back I was chatting with @bengiyo when the subject of queer cinema came up (unsurprising considering…ya know, the whole being BL buddies thing). As a semi-recent queerness realizer, and a Certified Baby Gay(™), Ben took it upon himself to share a post between himself and @shortpplfedup that inspired @the-conversation-pod and which also included a Completely Hypothetical Queer Cinema Syllabus Build Up to BL for Baby Gays. According to @bengiyo this started as a thought experiment.

But, unfortunately or…fortunately? for him, I constantly crave queer media, and @waitmyturtles and her Old GMMTV Challenge have inspired me to try my hand at working my way through this syllabus. I cannot guarantee that I will finish all these films. I have no idea how long it would even take, but I wanted to at least try!

I have been saying I would do this for months now, but I am inundated with BL content, and getting more every day, so I have been pushing it to the side. BUT! This evening a local movie theater played The Birdcage (1996) and I went and bought tickets and decided now was as good a time as any to get this started, I am hoping to take a page out of Turtle’s book and write notes/thoughts on the movies I end up watching. Forgive me the long winded introduction, but I figured some context would be nice if this ends up being a thing I stick with. So without further ado…

The Birdcage (1996) [Comedy]

Syllabus Unit 6: Gems

Summary: A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing moralistic parents.

Characters: Armand: Gay cabaret owner, played by Robin Williams Arnold: Drag queen partner, played by Nathan Lane Val: Armand’s son, played by Dan Futterman Agador: Armand and Arnold's maid? friend? live in slutty pool boy? played by Hank Azaria Katharine: Val's biological mother, played by Christine Baranski

Overall Reflection

This is a film I had never seen before. Hell, I didn’t even know it existed until around the time Ben shared his syllabus, and someone reblogged a scene from it that ended up on my dashboard. This was an interesting film to experience in theaters, because while watching with an audience made the funny bits funnier, there were also moments that I absolutely did not read as funny that other people did, and I didn’t know how I felt about that.

This film is set primarily in South Beach, Florida and partly in a drag club, which meant that the only thing I could think about whenever the drag club was on screen was Palace, the gay bar, drag brunch, queer club spot in Miami. On the other funny casual note, as a Floridian I feel seen by the moment where Katharine calls and says she’s going to be late, and it zooms out to show she is stuck at the bridge. Real.

I feel like the majority of gay media I have consumed in my life very much centers around two very masculine characters. So it was really nice to watch a story that involved more femme characters, and that the femme characters were not left as the butt of the joke. Which I recognize might be ironic considering this is a comedy and therefore there are jokes abound. But, when you compare the femme character in something like Legally Blonde, to the femme characters here, they are allowed to be dramatic, and they are allowed to trip and fall, but the love that Armand has for Arnold is palpable, they squabble and they get annoyed at each other, and they hurt each other, but they are partners, and they love each other too, and it shows throughout the film.

This sounds fucked up, I guess, but I love the undercurrent of pain that is threaded throughout the story. The way that Val starts off seeming like he is very content with the way he grew up, the parents that he had. The way that Val feels so so loved by his Dads, and he hurts them anyway. Because he is scared, because he loves Barbara and he knows that she is good, and that her parents aren’t, and that he has to hide his family. But in making them hide who they are, he is hurting them and at first you can see and feel the ways that Armand is trying to rebel against it. You can tell that initially he is angry, disappointed, upset, incredulous:

“Yes, I wear foundation. Yes, I live with a man. Yes, I'm a middle- aged fag. But I know who I am, Val. It took me twenty years to get here, and I'm not gonna let some idiot senator destroy that. Fuck the senator, I don't give a damn what he thinks.”

gifs by @hellboys

It is one of my favorite lines in the film. Because Val needs to be called out on exactly what he is asking his father to do for him. Because Armand's pain is visceral in this moment. But Armand loves his son and so eventually he relents.

Arnold’s presence and importance in Val’s life are constantly disregarded and he is allowed to be upset, and Armand is allowed to constantly put his son’s engagement and wedding in jeopardy to prioritize his partner and his partner’s feelings, because Arnold is a part of this family, and to hide him away is unfair.

I certainly had to grapple with some complicated emotions around the character of Val. I could understand where he was coming from, that he loves his fiancee and that their families have to meet, and that it is almost certainly physically safer for everyone if his parents are not visibly and obviously queer around the ultra conservative moralist senator. But the ways he ends up exhibiting casual disdain, anxiety, and judgment around the aspects of his parents’ home, his parents’ friends, his parents’ themselves makes me kinda hate him a little bit. It is hard for me not to see Val as entitled, not to consider him low-key dickish, because of how frequently he seems to get annoyed and disappointed that Armand and Arnold are not acting straight enough, that their house isn’t straight enough, that their family isn’t straight enough. But the film does not shy away from the mental toll it takes.

Were there aspects of the film itself I didn’t like? Honestly, not really. There are some jokes and terminology that do not fully stand the test of time, so if I watch it with a modern lens I think I would give it a 9.5. If I watch it in the context of the time it was written, I would probably give it a 9.8. But watching it in theaters certainly altered the way I engaged in certain scenes.

Mostly with the “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking dressed like this, I’m even more obvious” scene.

gif by @rosalie-starfall

Because people in the theater were laughing during this moment. Which is not to say I am judging them, I’m not mad at them for finding the moments leading up to that scene funny. I can understand how Arnold constantly having to catch himself and change his body language could come off as funny. But there is a weight to that scene for me that made the laughter feel incongruous. It is, in my opinion, an incredibly impactful scene. And it was hard for me to fully embrace that moment the way I know I would have if I was alone, after I realized that not everyone reads that scene as a serious one.

(Side Note: When I was looking for pictures of the movie poster, I found three different versions of it, and I chose the one above because it was the most intriguing to me in the way it presents Arnold. Because it is the only one of the posters that puts Arnold in a suit.)

The other moment, that I think I would have had a stronger response to if I was alone, was the moment near the end where Val takes off Arnold’s wig and introduces Arnold as his mother.

gif by @nicholasbritel

If I had watched this scene alone, I think there is a very high likelihood I would have gotten teary eyed during that moment. Because Val has spent so much time throughout this film trying to hide Arnold away. Wanting to send him off for the evening so they didn’t have to worry, trying to replace him with his biological mother, who he had never really met just for the sake of maintaining appearances.

Arnold LOVES Val. It is glaringly obvious from the first moment they share a screen that to Arnold, that is his kid. And I cannot imagine what it must have felt like for Arnold to literally have his every move critiqued and criticized for acceptable levels of gayness by his son and his partner. To feel unwanted by his son and his partner. To feel replaced by his son and his partner. He deserves to see and hear his son choose him, to know that Val considers Arnold his parent. Especially when Val’s biological mother is standing right there.

And as for the comedy aspect of this movie? I mean, it’s Robin WIlliams and Nathan Lane so it is obviously going to be a truly hilarious film all the way through.

gif by @argentinosaurus

Where does it fall in my By, For, About Queers Categorization?

For and About

Any piece of media that places queer characters at the center of it is something I would categorize as “About Queers”

As far as I can tell, the writers and director are not queer. I consider films to be made By Queers when a queer person has a role in controlling how the story unfolds, usually this means a writer or director for me, actors too if they have any influence over changing the story. (As an example, The Last of Us Episode 3 would be something that I would place in a By Queers category because Murray Bartlet who played Frank is gay and also was consulted to shape the way the characters were written and the story played out.) While Nathan Lane is gay, and I am sure a number of actors who play side characters are as well, I do not know how much influence they had over the film itself. Which is why I am currently excluding it from the By Queers categorization.

And as for the For Queers aspect? That moment where Arnold appears in a suit and tie before the dinner party, where he appears so much more obviously gay when he’s in “masculine clothes” that is written for the people who understand. The undercurrent of pain I mentioned, that exists to be recognized by the people who understand. Also, I watched this at the movie theater and I saw what kind of crowd it drew lmfao.

Favorite moment in the film?

Well, I could go sappy with it and pick one of the scenes I referenced above, but I would be lying. My absolute, hands down, no contest favorite moment in this film was seeing Agador in this cropped tank top:

gif by @thevelvetgoldmine

Now, I know that Ben told me that the Units could be done in any order, but I think I want to start from Unit 1 and work my way through from there, so stay tuned for a write-up about Pariah (2011) from Unit 1: Coming of Age Post Moonlight.

#the birdcage #robin williams #nathan lane #bengiyo queer cinema syllabus #wka long post #queer stories #queer #lgbtqia

138 notes · View notes

eds6ngel · 10 months

Text

✎ when i kissed the teacher | part three

summary: post-rejection, steve receives some hard relationship truths from robin and vickie. but, how will he continue to act around you with the upcoming elementary school's easter brunch?

part one ♡ part two ˚⋆｡˚ full masterlist.

warnings: dad!steve. singledad!steve. 90s!au. swearing. fem!reader. mutual pining. slow burn. fluff. angst. hurt. rovickie!! mentions of homophobia/lesbophobia. artificial insemination + adoption mentions [in regards to gay parenting options]. pregnancy mention. post-partum depression mention. mentions of alena's mother walking out. mentions of heartbreak. slight age gap [r is 24, steve is 29]. food and allergy mentions. jancy make an appearance!! more warnings in future chapters! [3.6k].

Steve would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t let a few tears shed on his way to pick up Alena from Robin’s apartment.

But, he remained calm, or as calm as his mind would allow him to. Alena was great at interpreting people’s emotions, she would clock his sadness in a heartbeat otherwise.

As he pulled up to Robin’s apartment, he slowly gets out of the car and knocks three times on her door. After hearing some shuffling and an “I’ll get it!” the door swings open to a pink-dressed Vickie, a small tiara on top of her head.

“Oh, hey!” she smiles, turning back and yelling, “Babe! It’s Steve!”

“Okay, we’re just finishing up in here!”

Steve chuckles at Vickie’s physical state, “Looks like you guys are having fun.”

Vickie signals him in with her arm, closing the door behind him as he treads inside, rubbing his hands together, warming them up from the outside cold that had infected his fingers.

“Christmas tea party,” she simply states, Steve immediately understanding what the young redhead meant. They both walk around the corner together to see Robin and Alena sat on the floor, plastic cups in hand, the pair giggling together. Like her girlfriend, Robin also was wearing a plastic tiara, golden gemstone centered in the middle as her and Alena spoke in posh accents.

“Hello father, will you care to join us for some tea?” Alena spoke, Steve trying his hardest not to burst out into a fit of laughter. God, she was such a character.

“Thank you for the grand offer Princess Alena, but I’m afraid we must head home before it gets too dark outside,” he replicates her accent, folding his arms over his chest.

She puts her hand to her heart, gasping in a faux shocked manner, “I am not the princess dad! Robin and Vickie are the princess rulers!”

“Oh, are they now?” Steve smirks, looking between the couple, “Two ladies leading the kingdom must be super powerful!”

Alena giggles, “Yeah, much more powerful than you would be daddy!”

Vickie looks down to the floor and purses her lips, trying not to let out a laugh as Robin lets it full rip, putting her hands up and saying, “Hey! I’m not arguing with that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, Buckley,” he retorts back with an exaggerated eye roll. “Come on pumpkin, time to go home!”

“But, daddy,” she whines, “We are in the middle of a tea party!”

“I know buttercup, but it’s getting late. It’s already 6PM!”

She huffs, “Fine,” lifting herself up off the floor, kicking her feet, Robin tucking her hair behind her ear and saying, “I’ll clean this up, don’t you worry.”

She cheesily grins, grabbing her bag of items which she bought at the Christmas Fayre and bouncing over to her dad, “Look at all the stuff I bought!” she exclaims, holding her bag high in the air.

He leans down and gives her a quick kiss on the head as she hugs his leg, “Thanks for taking care of her guys. And I can’t wait to see it all, pumpkin! How about you show me on the drive home?”

“Okay!” she says loudly, Robin wrapping an arm around Vickie’s waist as they all head to the door, ”No problem at all, Steve. Call us whenever if you need her to be looked after, we’re always more than happy to look after that bundle of joy,” Vickie replies.

“Dad! Can I get in the car?” Alena whines, Steve shouting over, “Sure sweet-cheeks!” as he presses his car keys, the young girl opening the door and hopping inside. Steve turns back to the couple, “You know, you two would make great moms some day. Wait,” he pauses, “Can you two even, you know… have kids together?” Steve phrases his sentence as carefully as possible, trying to not let his lack of knowledge cross over into offensive territory.

Robin sighs, “We could technically, but it would be an extremely long and potentially dangerous process.”

Vickie nods along with her girlfriend, “One of us could get artificially inseminated, but that is very expensive and not always guaranteed to work. Adoption wise, we can’t just do it. One, like anyone else, you need to be married, which is literally impossible for us. Two, we’d have to find someone willing to allow adoption for us as a lesbian couple, which is definitely not here in Hawkins that’s for sure. So again, more money…”

Steve breathes out heavily in frustration, “It’s just annoying. You got the lasting relationship, you got the stable income, stable house, all of that. If the law just allowed the marriage part, you are pretty much guaranteed to have a kid.”

Robin nods, “You’re telling me. Hawaii’s trying to get us somewhere, but that is very unlikely if we’re being realistic here.”

Vickie purses her lips, “Unfortunately. We’ll just continue living vicariously through your daughter for the time being,” Vickie laughs, laced with an awkward tone.

“I mean, go all for it,” Steve says, buzzing his lips, “You two are the closest thing to a mother figure she’s ever gonna get.”

“Well,” Robin smirks, “Unless yours and Miss. L/N’s lovebird shenanigans go anywhere that is.”

Steve didn’t know that an open wound could get any worse. The rejection was like a fresh cut, and now Robin had poured salt into it. It was an instant sting to the heart.

Steve coughs as he looks down at the floor, his feet scraping across the outside rug that reads ‘Welcome Home.’ He wishes he had the stability the two women in front of him had. His love life was so lost that a worn-out, mud-stained rug with the intention of home made him feel like a failure. Maybe love was as simple as ruining the object that defined your picture-perfect life inside. That rug had six years worth of welcoming kisses and hugs, a constant reminder that when one of the two girls stepped foot in that door, they would feel wrapped in a basket of warmth. They felt at peace.

“Yeah, well, that ain’t happening any time soon,” Steve mumbles in a bothered manner, “Or at all.”

“Are we talking about Alena’s teacher?” Vickie questions, Robin nodding as her girlfriend lets out a small “Ah.”

“You told her about this?” Steve agitatedly asks, pointing over to Vickie with his thumb.

“You think I’m not going to tell my wife about your love life?”

Even with the legality barrier, Robin would still call Vickie her wife. They never let the outside expectations of the world define their use of language. It was their relationship, they could call themselves whatever they wished. Steve, on the other hand, didn’t have a metaphorical use for the term, he had no figure in his life to call that, and with his track record, it seemed like he never would.

Steve sighs, “Look, maybe love just isn’t for me, okay? It never worked with Nancy no matter how many times I tried, Linda didn’t even attempt to make it work, Heidi just wanted sex and Katie—”

The mention of Katie sent chills down his spine. He thought she was the one. After all, they had been together since the end of 1986 until the start of 1990. Their relationship was arguably the strongest Steve had ever felt in his life, even more so than with Nancy. That was until she got pregnant. They were both elated, Steve excited to expand the family he always wanted with the love of his life, her just as much so. But, everything changed once she had given birth. After speaking with Jonathan, Steve knew that his girlfriend had Post-Partum Depression and had suggested to her many times to seek therapy, just like Nancy had been doing, yet she refused, claiming she didn’t have the mental illness. After six months of not actively seeking help, Steve came home from work one day to see her bags packed, her saying motherhood was all too difficult to handle. That night, she had left, leaving Steve with a six-month-old baby to raise entirely by himself.

“Steve,” Robin begins, “I know your love life hasn’t been… the best, so to say. But, let’s not give up hope. Did she give you a reason for you not to date her?”

Steve huffs with a roll of his eyes, “Student confidentiality, all that bullshit. Can’t date me because she’s my daughter’s teacher.”

Vickie sadly smiles, “I mean, in all honesty Steve, it makes sense. It’s like if I started dating the older brother of the kids I used to babysit. It would mess things up.”

“Besides,” Robin butts in, the couple used to their rambling natures constantly interrupting each other, it was practically their love language, “That isn’t a no because she doesn’t like you, it’s a no for safety reasons. What about in six months time when Alena moves to second grade? She’s not gonna be her teacher then.”

Steve thinks for a moment over Robin’s statement. It was true that you weren’t gonna be her teacher forever. But, Steve’s thoughts are disturbed by Vickie’s further input, “She’s still in her vicinity though, right? Alena can’t view her as your girlfriend in a school setting. It’s like when my mom worked in my elementary school, I got scolded so much for calling her ‘Mom’ instead of ‘Mrs. Wilson.’ I think it’s that problem she’s probably talking about.”

“Okay,” Robin shrugs, “So Middle School!”

“Robin, that’s not for another four years!” Steve complains.

“If you were that in love, it wouldn’t be hard to wait that long, Steve,” Robin straightforwardly says, “I waited two and a half years to even ask Vickie out, and I would’ve waited a lot longer if I had to.”

Steve sighs as the sound of “Daddy!” can be heard from behind him, turning around to see Alena’s door open and her head leaning out, “Are we going home now?”

“Just a second, pumpkin! Daddy’ll be two minutes!”

“Okay!” she yells, slamming her door shut again, her shifting through her bag of items.

“Steve,” Vickie says softly, “There’s gonna be a way around this, I promise you. From the way Robin’s described your experiences and just the way you talk about her in general, you really like her. This isn’t desperation from you, you really do feel something for her.”

He breathes out, taking in the girl’s words, “Well, you guys have a lot more optimism than I do,” he quietly chuckles, “Just… thanks for everything. Thanks for looking after Alena most of all.”

“As we always say,” Robin reminds him, “Anytime.”

“It was nice seeing you two. Always a blast hanging out with Alena,” Vickie beams, “And good luck with the potential relationship.”

“Thanks guys. Have a good Christmas.”

The three of them bid farewell as Steve heads over to his car, Alena already holding the first item in her hands as he clicks in his seatbelt. He tries his best to listen to his daughter’s rambles, but his mind is invaded by a million different questions, trying to figure out a way to get you to date him.

It was now his turn to research the same questions you had been constantly looking into for the past two months.

You were currently organising Hawkins Elementary’s annual Easter brunch. Hawkins was unique in its traditions, their Easter brunch being one of the many few events that other schools did not do. The parents would bring in their children at 10AM and would have a brunch-type event with them in your classroom.

You had the added benefit of having an extra hour to yourself with no teaching to set up. However, both Easter decorations and food were a must. You spent the hours of 7:30 until 9 pinning up various strips of hanging bunnies, little Easter egg stickers and sitting little fluffy chicks on the tables. Your next task was to lay out the pink-checkered picnic blanket on the floor and throwing pink and yellow cloths on the tables. The cafeteria staff were bringing food around to the classrooms as the teachers decorated, the platter consisting of ham sandwiches, potato chips, squares of cheese, mini sausages, strawberries, bananas and a little basket full of mini chocolate bunnies — perfect for the Easter spirit.

The first parents to arrive were Nancy and Jonathan Byers, their little girl Ashley wearing the biggest pair of white and pink bunny ears.

“Well, looks like someone’s in the Easter spirit!” you say, the girl giggling as she replies, “I put pink bows in mom’s hair!”

Nancy participates as she shows off her pink bows, twirling around and making her daughter smile, you hyping her up, “Wow! Very nice! They make your mom look very pretty, don’t they?”

Nancy turns to you and grins, “Thank you,” you nodding in response, “Take a seat anywhere you want either on the picnic blanket or on a table. Ash has no allergies to anything if I’m correct?”

Jonathan nods, “Yeah, nothing so far. We’re hoping nothing forever.”

You laugh softly, “Good to know. Yeah, just sit anywhere you want, whatever makes you feel comfiest.”

“Thank you,” they both say in unison, Ashley already seeming to take a spot on the picnic blanket, the Byers parents not having much of a choice in the matter.

Many other parents and their kids arrived soon after, spreading themselves out across your colourfully decorated Easter classroom.

Since many families were arriving at similar times, it didn’t give you much of a chance to interact with them all, which was beneficial to an extent, especially when a certain father-daughter duo appeared in front of your door.

“Hi Miss. L/N!” Alena yelled, holding a stuffed animal in the shape of a bunny between her small hands, you waving back at her.

You tried your best to avoid Steve’s gaze, although you still had to ask him about Alena’s allergies. You were stuck communicating with him in some form.

The past couple of months had been rough. No more conversations when he dropped Alena off in the morning, no more waves through the classroom window, even his friend Robin had gotten added to Alena’s permanent record of people allowed to collect her, which you noticed when the young, dark blonde-haired woman appeared outside of your classroom a lot more regularly.

But, you couldn’t risk your life for a guy. You made that loud and clear, so if he got offended by that, tough luck. Your job was much more important than a relationship right now.

“What a nice bunny you have there!” you brightly say, “What’s their name?”

“Mr. Hopps!” she smiles, “He’s very tough, but he needs a girlfriend. Daddy won’t let me find him one.”

“Oh, will he not?” you ask, looking up at Steve and acting as casual as possible, smirking at him. It’s ironic that he won’t let his daughter get her toy bunny a girlfriend, it’s almost as if that bunny was him. “Well, how about you ask him really nicely and maybe he will say yes? Be extra good for him.”

“Okay!” she shouts, giggling away to herself, you now having to focus your attention to the man who had caused all of life’s recent stresses. “Steve, good to see you,” you awkwardly say, hands held behind your back, “Have to ask, does Alena have any allergies?”

He coughs, “Uh… No. None at all.”

“Great,” you sigh out, “Sit anywhere you’d like. Table or floor.”

He mumbles a “Thanks,” before leading his daughter next to the Byers. You lean against the wall as you see the two families interact. The way Jonathan had his arm wrapped around Nancy, her head leaning on her husband’s shoulder as her daughter played Rock, Paper, Scissors with Alena made you wish that you could fill the empty space that was next to Steve. You wanted to lean into him, you wanted him to hold you tightly close to him, you wanted him.

But, life is unfair. It’s not a straight cookie cutter, it’s hand-crafted. And you had already crafted your life for this job, you spend four years in college to get to this place in your life which you had been craving since you were thirteen years old. If you chose a guy over your dream job, your younger self would be incredibly disappointed. You couldn’t hurt her like that.

The Easter brunch had been a wonderful success. Most of the food was gone, minus a few sandwiches and squares of cheese, every mini chocolate bunny emptied out of the basket, as you highly suspected.

As the parents bid farewell to the kids, they got sent out for recess, the staff organising a small Easter egg hunt for the children to enjoy.

You thought your classroom was empty, until you heard the clearing of a throat from behind you. You jumped a little in your skin, grabbing your chest as you stare at the person who had frightened you, “Jesus, Steve. You need to stop scaring me like that!”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, you noticing that his nervousness around you from before had now turned into something much more somber, as if his body couldn’t decide whether to be near you or not. “I was just wondering if you needed help clearing up?”

You peer around your classroom, realising that you could probably have a helping hand, “Um… Sure. That would be great,” you say, “Need to clear up the tables and the picnic blanket.”

He nods, blinking rapidly as he stutters out, “Yeah, sure… Sure,” walking over to the table closest to him and collecting the fluffy chicks in his large palm.

The room remains in a solemn manner, the two of you getting your task done in silence, before you suddenly speak up, “You didn’t just want to help me, did you?”

It was obvious from his change of attitude that there were ulterior motives than just simply being polite. He wouldn’t have ignored you for so long, denied so many opportunities to speak to you if the politeness was a natural thing. No, of course there had to be something more.

You can hear his sigh from across the room, the one breath filling the atmosphere, “No, not really. I just… I wanted to apologise for how I’ve been acting.”

You remove the fluffy chicks from your second table, “It’s okay. I don’t expect you to act like everything is okay. I hurt you, it’s understandable.”

Sure, it would’ve been nice if he made an effort to be a little kinder in the small moments he spent with you. But, realism was the key to understanding people’s behaviours. You had to understand how it felt from his perspective, not just your own. And, if anything, if you didn’t have to remain professional for the sake of his daughter and your other students, you would’ve avoided him like the plague too.

“It’s still not an excuse though,” he lets out, “I used to do it in high school. I left fucking Nancy in a bathroom drunk alone because she told me she didn’t love me anymore. I don’t want to become the asshole I was ten years ago.”

“Steve,” you softly say, the pair of you approaching the middle table in sync, “I promise you, you will never be like that again. You’re becoming self-critical of yourself for a simple mistake. It’s simply heartbreak, of course you wanted to avoid me as much as possible.”

As you finish your sentence, yours and Steve’s hands connect over the same fluffy chick, the both of you about to grab the small decoration, yet, Steve’s hand suddenly linked between yours, your breath hitching in your throat before you can say another word.

He turns to you, a mere few inches apart between your bodies, Steve looking you deep in the eyes, letting out, “I never want to avoid you. I wanna always be near you.”

You can see his eyes flick down to your lips, you breathing out his name as he leans in, your body involuntarily doing the same, before your lips connect in a soft kiss. He places a hand on your cheek, as if that’s where it was made to belong as you hold onto his bicep for support. You lost yourself in him, the feeling of his lips on yours melting away everything around you.

You hear him hum into the kiss, the sound bringing you back to reality as you quickly pull away. Shit, what were you doing?

“Jesus,” he mutters, you covering your face with your hands as you shake your head, “Look, I didn’t mean to do that. You just looked so beautiful and I couldn’t resist—”

You cut him off, pointing towards the door and harshly saying, “Get out of my classroom, Steve.”

He begins to ramble, “I’m sorry, all right? I promise I didn’t mean to—”

You uncover your face, full-blown rage presented across it as you shout at him through gritted teeth, “Get the hell out!”

He tries to say something, but nothing comes out, him simply huffing in defeat and turning towards the door. Once he’s exited, you try your hardest not to let the tears spill, not allowing yourself to go through that shit again. What the hell was he thinking?

More importantly, what the hell were you thinking? It was obvious by the look in his eyes what he was about to do. Why didn’t you stop him?

But, that’s the problem. It’s not that you didn’t have the capacity to stop him, you didn’t want to stop him. And if anything, for the amount of time it lasted, that was the best kiss of your life.

i'm sorry guys, but it's just rejection after rejection in this fic :')

taglist: @livsters @bakugouswh0r3 @nix-rose @ihatepeanutss @cats00089 @suitelif3 comment if you want to be added!!

→ next chapter.

140 notes · View notes

pjulian · 1 month

Text

Lilac Patisserie - Aptly named for gay nerds

In the mood for some gay brunch and pastry, Saturday morning brought us to the ever fancy “lilac patassery,” as julian calls it.

Like many white people coffee spots in the area, I had been wanting to try it out for a while. A decently long line of people awaited as we got there.

They seem to have a large collection of cakes and tarts and things that made me want to pee myself or something. Truly tempted by the lemon cheesecake but the lemon merengue tarts captured me more. Lemon will always be seductive to me.

Anyways, a cute $80 pricetag for two mains, the tart and two lattes and we were seated.

A wonderfully gay man informed me and julian that he would “recommend that we cut the tart” after he watched us nearly break our forks trying to take bites. Tart pictured here, post destruction:

Things came out pretty quickly, lattes following soon after. I always enjoy cute latte art, although they gave me the GIRL design. Just kidding. The lattes were a decent size, julian’s was his coveted mocha, mine was a caramel latte.

Unsure if caramel meant sea salt caramel? A sip of mine tasted almost salty, however it was quickly fixed with a sugar packet. Very good afterwards.

Post-latte was only another few minutes until the food came out. I got the classic breakfast, something delightfully american. julian got his favorite french toast.

The breakfast was good. Being a bakery, they had some thick fluffy bread for toast which was its own experience. A little sugary for my taste but, good nonetheless. The potatoes were my favorite part, mostly nice and soft and well seasoned (with the exception of one half raw piece). That being said, Lilac makes an interesting decision to pair the potatoes with a sea of roasted onion and bell pepper. Honestly I didn’t even touch the onions, not wanting to deal with the monstrosity of onion breath for the rest of the year. The apple chicken sausage offered was a little bland, but good. Not an exceptional amount of flavor but I just love sausage. Overall the food was decent but not spectacular.

Most of the points for this place come from the atmosphere. Nice lavender walls and a really clean and dainty french feel. I don’t know how often i can justify a full breakfast at the price point but it’s definitely a place to return to. Campy and gay enough for me!

★ ★ ★ ★ / 5

Warm wishes,

Read julian’s thoughts on his food below ⬇️

i was most surprised by the speed of the service as pj already pointed out, everything was delivered to us pretty quickly and paced out well. the tart itself i enjoyed but im also not really one for messy food and the gay guy telling me how to cut the thing was embarrassing so i cant really give it too glowing of praise but its also a pretty personal thing, if you like creamy desserts and gay men humiliating you then its probably great. the mocha was good just a little too sweet, i prefer it a bit more bitter but again thats personal taste it was still very good. i liked the leaf on it was very sad when i drank it to the point of complete dissolution.

the french toast was served with a cup of butter, syrup, and a side of assorted fruit. pretty average presentation but strawberries with french toast is like crack to me so i cant bring myself to care too much, dont need anything too exotic to enjoy the meal with.what definitely surprised me though was that i typically hate blueberries but the ones served here were actually great with a very consistent ripeness and sweetness to the point that it may have turned me around on the fruit a little. like sorry blueberries i didnt realize you could taste like that. the toast itself was pretty decent too although i wish it was served with a little more syrup, it was like a tiny cup i need the whole gallon.

despite lilacs pattassery not entirely aligning with my autistic inclinations id say it was a pretty good dining experience overall especially if youre normal. you got to hand it to white people. but only sometimes. id give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

best regards,

julian

Lilac Patisserie: 3.75 ★

3 notes · View notes

lonestardaily · 2 years

Photo

Each week Lone Star Daily looks to provide you with a decent (not comprehensive) list of the fanfics that have been posted for the week. The week runs from Friday - Thursday, as that way it does give us an opportunity to put the list together. There’s no requirement to tag us as we will check the tags #911 lone star fic and #911lsfic while also combing through ao3. We currently are only going to post new fics, not updates. You can check out this week’s fics below the cut.

Thanks to the wonderful @lutavero, all our past recs can be found on this page.

Please feel free to give this post a boost to give our writers a chance to receive some love for the work they do for the fandom.

(if your fic is not tagged with a tumblr, it’s because we couldn’t find one - feel free to send us a message and we’ll be happy to add one)

TARLOS FICS

every breath you take by @rmd-writes

↳ (TK x Carlos | Hurt/Comfort | E | 4.2K)

So he’s back in turnouts, a paramedics kit slung around his waist, running into a burning building to find his husband. The roar of the fire is nothing compared to the thundering voice in his head shouting at him to find Carlos, to save him.

Nothing else matters.

He’s not sure whether he can do this – live – if his husband doesn’t survive; he needs to be there when they find him. TK needs to know that his love is coming back to him.

shape-shifting in an endless sleep by @terramous

↳ (TK x Carlos | Whump | N/R | 9.3K)

He tried to look out the windows, to figure out who had come to their rescue, but all he could make out was a blur of faceless people who seemed to know him and kept talking over each other, a haze of black hanging behind them.

They were here to help, but TK couldn’t figure out what was going on, or what they were trying to do. All he knew was that Carlos needed their help.

“You have to get him out,” TK gasped, panting at the effort it took just for him to speak. “He’s bleeding.”

you can’t hide from time by @marjansmarwani

↳ (TK x Carlos | Hurt/Comfort | T | 8.2K)

When TK left New York in the wake of everything, he cut all ties completely and never looked back. 3 years later while in New York to visit Jonah and Enzo, TK and Carlos run into some of TK’s old crew members from 252. Given everything, he’s not exactly expecting to be received with open arms. But it’s time for the prodigal son to face the music and with Carlos by his side, he knows there’s nothing he can’t do.

He only hopes they can find it in themselves to give him the one thing he knows he doesn't deserve: forgiveness.

blind date by @chaotictarlos

↳ (TK x Carlos | Blind Date AU | E | 2.6K)

The one in which Carlos lets Michelle talk him into going on a blind date with a handsome stranger.

big love, small moments by @doublel27

↳ (TK x Carlos, The Reyes’ x The Strands | Coda | G | 3.7K)

Andrea and Gabriel arrive at the loft for a relatively impromptu brunch. Conversations are had. A 3.18 Coda.

You’ll Always Be Home to Me by @flickerthenflare

↳ (TK x Carlos | Fluff | T | 3.8K)

TK and Carlos visit the Reyes’ ranch and stumble into a conversation on wedding venues.

Stood Up by @chaotictarlos

↳ (TK x Carlos | First Meeting AU | G | 3.8K)

Carlos and TK are both stood up… or are they?

If I ever can tell how much I love you by Road1985

↳ (TK x Carlos | AU | T | 1.9K)

TK has a major crush in Carlos but he's sure Carlos straight... until they meet at a gay bar

The journey to myself by Road1985

↳ (TK x Carlos | Future Fic | T | 1.5K)

The night before the wedding Carlos stays with his parents and a lot of memories come back

Learning to be Proud by Child_Of_Wonderfland

↳ (TK x Carlos | Fluff | G | 2.2K)

Carlos has never been the kind of person to flaunt his achievements, not the straight As or the winning championship in high school. He never was someone who was proud and loud about it, instead choosing to fade into the background in hopes that it hid the way he truly felt. Something about that was easier, hiding out in that mix of obscurity where everyone knew who you were but never quite knew you.

There is a first for everything by @sapphire11

↳ (Carlos x OC, TK x Carlos | Fluff | T | 2.4K)

A series of firsts for Carlos Reyes and how he comes to discover and love himself. 1. First Crush 2. First Kiss 3. First Boyfriend 4. First Hook-up 5. Love at first sight

Love, Immortal by LolaLand

↳ (TK x Carlos | Hurt/Comfort | T | 2K)

We love a mortal being, as if it were immortal.

Carlos and TK find their way back together.

(A missing conversation in 3 x 04)

A Love Like Theirs by noxsoulmate

↳ (TK x Carlos | 5+1 | G | 8.3K)

Between their engagement and the time they finally buy their rings, five friends and one outsider gain a glimpse into TK and Carlos’ happiness and the love they share for each other.

my heart’s heavy as these nights are long by @terramous

↳ (TK x Carlos | Hurt/Comfort | N/R | 1.8K)

As TK was closer to Carlos, he extended a hand to curl around his boyfriend’s bicep, a firm and grounding hold. One that was often the other way around, Carlos usually being the one to provide comfort. It was enough to pull Carlos out of whatever trance he had spiralled himself into, wide dark eyes flicking to TK’s own as he staggered.

TK was quick to follow the motion, his other hand coming up to grab his boyfriend’s elbow, offering a stabilising hold as Carlos regained his footing. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you, you’re okay.”

OTHER PAIRINGS/CHARACTER FICS

what we do in the dark by @marwani-strickland

↳ (Mateo x Nancy | Coda | E | 2.1K)

nancy and mateo make up, in more ways than one.

heartbeat, my heartbeat by @marwani-strickland

↳ (Marjan x Paul | Coda | N/R | 794)

an outsider witness the love marjan has for paul.

not one or the other by @maxbegone

↳ (Nancy x TK, Nancy x Tim, Nancy x Tommy, Nancy x Mateo | Coda | T | 5.6K)

It’s borderline haunting, because she sees this and then the rig, and there’s Tim and the effing volcano and the night she couldn’t leave the firehouse. And then she sees TK, happy and healthy and smiling and remembers how fucking scared she was in the snow despite maintaining decorum.

And then she looks at Tommy and remembers that she’s lost people, too. A lot of people, and not just at work.

Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it.

“My two best friends died on the job,” she blurts.

mvp by @marwani-strickland

↳ (The 126 | Coda | T | 1.6K)

owen and tommy rouse the 126 to talk softball strategy.

your struggles, are my struggles, too by @marwani-strickland

↳ (Judd x Grace | Coda | T | 1.3K)

grace attempts to solve a case on her own.

utmost importance by @marwani-strickland

↳ (Marjan x Paul | Canon Divergence | T | 2.3K)

marjan and paul have a conversation in the aftermath of paul's surgery.

Observing Heartbreak by @ramblingdisaster73

↳ (Catherine x Owen, TK x Carlos | POV | G | 1.9K)

Catherine’s life had become a bit crazy with Owen Strand in her life, but everyone needed some crazy sometimes. Unfortunately, she is also a witness to another time that Owen’s heart breaks.

#ls daily ff #911 lone star #911 lone star fic

30 notes · View notes

sakebytheriver · 2 years

Text

Okay, here we go. I'm currently rewatching the original How I Met Your Mother and I am having thoughts on how to rewrite How I Met Your Father in a way where it matches the energy and quality of the original while also modernizing it and leaving the more problematic ellemnts behind so here is a post that no one asked for or cares about, thank you

Okay so the characters of Valentina and Charlie, instead of being two flakey straight people who just got together and decided to move in after a day are now instead a pansexual polyamorous couple that have been together for years and go to all the niche gay clubs and underground raves and out of the box fetish parties and fancy secret orgies happening in the seedy underbelly of New York City. These two would effectively fill the Barney Stinson role from the original series. They would make references and inuendos and have wild stories, rules, and lists all about their wild NYC sex lives. They would also act as Ellen's gurus and mentors in discovering the lesbian scene of New York and they act as everyone else's wingmen just like Barney would while leaving behind Barney's problematic overt sexism replacing it instead with two sex positive queers for the modern age of love and dating in 2022

Sophie would stay pretty much the same but she'd be Valentina and Charlie's little straight project, however we would make her way more of a spaz, because that is where Hillary Duff thrives comedically, make her go on bad dates where she panics and blurts out excuses to get out of it which are obvious lies like her grandmother is giving birth and she has to cut the cord or are like "I have chlamydia! K bye!" And she has horrible petty rivalries with other photographers to bring her character down a peg personality wise, she's too perfect in that 'im just a quirky girl' kind of way and I want her to actually be a person and save Hillary Duff from the cardboard she is forced to inhabit. I wanna make this girl really interesting, she's an immature party girl who falls over her own feet, she's sweet and looking for love and kind of quirky, she left a dead fish inside a rival photographers camera bag, just girly things you know

Sid and Hannah are honestly so useless to this show, their long distance relationship does not work, I'd write it out of the show completely instead the two of them own the bar together and most of the comedy and conflict in their relationship comes from how each think the bar should be run, with different gimmick ideas and visual gags to match the energy of How I Met Your Mother's wacky visual gags and weird cutaways. There's also a running gag where Valentina and Charlie say they're going to convince Sid and Hannah to swing with them one day *wink wink* with very heavy denial from the engaged couple. However after meeting the four of them immediately schedule a weekly couple's brunch date and they each give tips and updates on how to help out their three little disaster children, Jesse, Sophie, and Ellen

Jesse's backstory and mannerisms can stay basically the same, but he should be bisexual, he and Sophie will bond over having the same taste in guys, crappy (pause for laugh), and they come to the same agreement they do in the show to be each other's wingmen. Making Jesse bisexual would just make him more likeable to me, as it stands I just find him very unlikeable his charm feels forced and insecure, personally I feel like if he was bisexual I would feel less like Jesse acts the exact same way Ted would whine without also having the charm of Josh Radnor to cover up how annoying it is. Not to mention him being bisexual would be an opening for conflict between him and Sophie when their relationship develops romantically and it also deepens the connection between him and Ellen because now they're two disaster queer siblings roughing it in NYC together, they would be pure mlm wlw solidarity, disaster lesbian sister and disaster bisexual brother, that's a dynamic I wish the show would have had

And lastly I'd honestly leave Ellen completely alone, my girl is carrying that show on her back and the weight is crushing her, these changes are just to help take some of it off her shoulders

#ignore me #how i met your father #how i met your mother #himym #himyf

2 notes · View notes

flirting-with-psychology · 1 year

Text

Animated character that was your gay awakening?

Eris from Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

Grilled cheese or PB&J?

PB&J

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on?

Friends

Your go-to bar order, if you drink?

Depends on the bar, but a reliable one is a white russian

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own?

My pink platform heels

Top three cuisines?

Italian, American, Mexican

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)?

Don’t know

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had?

No one who knows me is surprised by my jobs, but strangers are sometimes surprised that I worked on movies and TV shows

Look up. What’s directly across from you?

The door to the porch

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general?

A signed copy of a Warrior Cats book and some signed stage play programs

Preferred way to spend a rainy day?

Inside watching tv

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted?

Cream cheese

Brunch or midnight snacks?

Brunch

Fruity or herbal teas?

Fruity

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless?

Riverdale

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying?

The Great Gatsby

Do you match your socks?

Yeah

Have you ever been horseback riding?

Yes

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc)

Harry Potter, wolves, cats

Have you ever been to jail?

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)?

I think they’re clever and can be used for board games so no one has to look at it upside down

Puzzles?

Not that big a fan of traditional picture puzzles but I like puzzle games like escape rooms

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it?

Orange juice

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore?

YA fantasy

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now?

Sewing a costume

Where could someone find you in a museum?

Idk

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to?

My fox dress and leather boots. Got them soon before covid, then I gained weight and now they don’t fit

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds?

Sunset coloured clouds

How do you dress when you’re home alone?

Super comfy

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)?

On the right side of the couch

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie

Zenon

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online?

Explanation caption

Name a classic Vine

Road work ahead? Uh yeah, I sure hope it does

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store?

Chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, or ice cream

How do you top your ice cream?

Chocolate syrup

Do you like Jello?

Yeah

How are you at climbing trees?

Very bad

#survey

1 note · View note

alsjeblieft-zeg · 1 year

Text

247 of 2023

Animated character that was your gay awakening?

Lol none. I’m pretty sure my “gay awakening” was one certain Dutch rapper, not anything animated. I’ve never been interested in fictional characters.

Grilled cheese or PB&J?

There’s no such thing as PB&J in Europe. I’d go for croque-monsieur, it’s the proper way to make your American “grilled cheese”.

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on?

The Big Bang Theory. I’ve watched it many times before.

Your go-to bar order, if you drink?

I don’t drink anymore, but it used to be beer.

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own?

These black platform boots from Pull&Bear.

Top three cuisines?

Dutch, Polish, Italian.

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)?

I don’t remember that.

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had?

Cleaning guy in the library XD but I was a student then.

Look up. What’s directly across from you?

The screen of my laptop XD Up there? Staircase.

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general?

One signed book, I think.

Preferred way to spend a rainy day?

I don’t care, I want to travel.

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted?

I don’t eat bagels.

Brunch or midnight snacks?

I don’t eat at night either.

Fruity or herbal teas?

No tea, thanks.

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless?

Gossip Girl.

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying?

The Catcher in the Rye.

Do you match your socks?

Always. I don’t care what pattern they have as I like colourful socks, but they’re always matched.

Have you ever been horseback riding?

No, and I’m not interested.

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc)

Goth, apparently.

Have you ever been to jail?

No. Not even as a visitor.

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)?

What? I’ve never heard of something like that.

Puzzles?

I quite enjoy them.

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it?

Orange with no doubts. And with no pulp either.

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore?

Office/planner supplies.

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now?

French language lol.

Where could someone find you in a museum?

The Torture Museum in Bruges.

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to?

I wear everything I have.

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds?

Sunset coloured clouds.

How do you dress when you’re home alone?

If it’s warm, then I don’t even bother dressing.

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)?

On the right side of the couch.

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie

No thanks, boring.

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online?

All three, plus unrelated comments.

Name a classic Vine

What? I read wine first.

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store?

Frozen veggies.

How do you top your ice cream?

I don’t, I hate it.

Do you like Jello?

What is Jello even?

How are you at climbing trees?

Used to be great, now probably not anymore, with my hand.

#survey #q&a survey #random survey

0 notes

imran16829 · 2 years

Text

Who is Anderson Lee Aldrich? (Suspect accused of Perpetrating a Mass Shooting at Club Q) Wiki, Age, Bio, Family, Facts

What You Don't Know About Anderson Lee Aldrich?

Anderson Lee Aldrich was identified as the suspect accused of perpetrating a mass shooting at Club Q, a gay club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to Colorado Springs Police Lt. Pamela Castro, the active shooter opened fire inside the LGBT nightclub just before midnight, leaving 18 people injured and five people dead. She added that a gun was used in the shooting, but she didn't specify which one. "It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that we had a shooting at a local club this evening," she said. There was not a shooting involving an officer. At the press conference, Castro stated that "it came in as an active firing." The victims' identities are still unknown. On November 19, 2022, at around midnight, a mass shooting occurred in a nightclub that was hosting a drag show. Become the best shape of your life with coaching Continue reading at Heavy Become the best shape of your life with coaching Police are "working tirelessly," according to Police Chief Adrian Vasquez, to ensure that justice is served, he said at a news conference on November 20, 2022. Vasquez asserted that Club Q is a safe haven for Colorado Springs' LGBTQ residents and that all residents have a right to feel secure there. According to Vasquez, "the suspect entered Club Q and started shooting individuals inside right away." According to the chief, at least two "heroic people confronted" and stopped the suspect, preventing him from inflicting harm on others. No names of the witnesses were given. On the scene is the FBI. According to him, police are still trying to identify the deceased victims. He claimed that Aldrich used a long rifle. Read Also: Colorado Springs Gay Club Mass Shooting: 18 people were injured, and five people were dead The Suspect Was Injured & Is in the Hospital, Police Say Police released few details, but they did say the suspect was in the hospital. The call came in just before 11:57 p.m. of an active shooting at Club Q. The suspect is in the hospital, but Castro said she did not know the gunman’s condition or how the shooter sustained the injuries. In a press conference on November 20, 2022, Castro said police responded within seconds, and, by 12 a.m., the first officer arrived at the scene. By 12:02 a.m., the suspect was in custody. The suspect was located inside, Castro said. “We had numerous people transported to multiple local hospitals” by ambulance and police vehicles, she said. The FBI is on scene and assisting, according to Castro. She would not answer how the suspect, who was not identified, was stopped. “We did get numerous calls on this,” Castro said. Castro said closing time in Colorado Springs is 2 a.m. Numerous homicide detectives are processing the scene. Vehicles at the scene need to remain until they are fully processed. Club Q Referred to the Shooting as a ‘Hate Attack’ Authorities have not released the gunman’s name or motive. However, in a statement, the club referred to it as a “hate attack.” However, on its Facebook page, Club Q, which is a night club, wrote: Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our prays and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.

The Club Promoted an ‘All Ages Musical Drag Brunch’ & Held Another Drag Show the Evening of the Mass Shooting

This past weekend, the club held a number of drag performances. According to the club's Facebook page, a drag show was held the evening of the attack. On November 19, 2022, at 9:00 p.m., the drag performance began. A forthcoming drag show was mentioned in a Club Q post just around the time of the assault. The club posted on its Facebook page, "Let's get ready for a wonderful Sunday Funday! For our 12:00 ALL AGE DRAG BRUNCH, doors open at 11 a.m. Come enjoy our incredible drink deal and even better drag show! Then stay for an all-star cast featuring our newest actors! With a range of gender identities and performance types, we're honouring Transgender Day of Remembrance! Showtime is 8:00 p.m.

Brave Individuals…Blocked the Gunman,’ the Governor Says

Video captured a massive law enforcement response to the scene. The governor, Jared Polis, released a statement on Facebook: The Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs was horrific, sickening, and devastating news to wake up to. My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this horrific shooting. I have spoken with Mayor Suthers and clarified that every state resource is available to local law enforcement in Colorado Springs. We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting. Colorado stands with our LGTBQ Community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn. People Offered Prayers & Expressed Anger Over the Mass Shooting On social media, people expressed heartbreak over the shooting. “Heartbroken for my people of the springs lgbtq community,” wrote one man. “I would drive by Club Q every day on my way to work at Brewer’s Republic.” A woman wrote, “This is devastating. Club Q is a favorite for many friends here in the Springs. I’m not even sure how to process this, but I need to- before the names are released. God bless each and every person involved.” A man wrote, “To all the victims at #ClubQ last night I am sorry our Country refuses to do better, & last night you had to join a growing list. My condolences to the families of the 5 that passed & their friends. May they Rest in Peace. 🕊️💔🏳️‍🌈To the 18 I pray for your full recovery. To all the victims at #ClubQ last night I am sorry our Country refuses to do better, & last night you had to join a growing list. My condolences to the families of the 5 that passed & their friends. May they Rest in Peace. 🕊️💔🏳️‍🌈To the 18 I pray for your full recovery. 🙏🏼 — Ken Preston (@unKleBING) November 20, 2022 Read Also: Who is Landon Glass? (Accused of Running Over and Killing a Girl During the Raleigh) Read the full article

0 notes