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richincolor · 1 year

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Title: She is a Haunting Author: Trang Thanh Tran Genres: Horror, Contemporary, LGBTQIA Pages: 352 Publisher: Bloomsbury YA Review Copy: Received eARC via NetGalley Availability: Available 28 February 2022

Summary: When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

Review: [SHE IS A HAUNTING is a horror novel that involves a lot of body horror, insects, and colonialism. Please check the author’s website for a full list of content warnings.]

SHE IS A HAUNTING, Trang Thanh Tran’s debut, has so many of the elements I love in a horror book: family secrets, past wrongs, compelling descriptions, and a desperation to protect people you love. Trang does a fantastic job of allowing the dread to collect around Jade in an uneasy slow burn that kept me turning pages, worried all the while that Jade wouldn’t realize how much everything was escalating until it was far too late. (The body part interludes were delightfully creepy and incredibly worrisome.) There were so many complicated and intertwined layers of what was happening (and had happened) inside the house, Nhà Hoa, that the reveals felt earned even if I had guessed some of them ahead of time.

I really liked Jade as the main character. She had nearly as many secrets as Nhà Hoa did, and having Jade uncover the house’s secrets while her own escaped her grasp was a great way for the story to unfold. Jade’s first-person narration was very well done, and I appreciated how much character Trang could pack into Jade’s internal thoughts and observations. There were some very lovely (and sometimes also horrifying) bits of prose in SHE IS A HAUNTING that helped establish Jade’s character in fantastic ways.

Sometimes romance can undercut the narrative in a horror story, but I very much enjoyed Trang’s development of Jade and Florence’s relationship. Jade and Florence served as foils for one another in many ways, and I looked forward to them falling for each other just as much as I looked forward to uncovering more about Jade’s family secrets and learning about what had happened in Nhà Hoa. Where Ba’s character had to be kept more mysterious to preserve tension and Lily’s served more as the person Jade had to protect, Florence was the one Jade could be messy and honest with—and be believed when things started going very wrong.

There’s so much going on in SHE IS A HAUNTING regarding colonialism in Vietnam, diaspora feelings, and identity, but a lot of it I can’t talk about without going deep into spoilers. I’ll just say that this book grapples with big, important ideas, and the author used horror to better explore them. That kind of complicated exploration is one of the strengths of good horror, and Trang did a great job of it.

Recommendation: Get it now, especially if you are a horror fan. Trang Thanh Tran’s debut novel is filled with secrets, past wrongs, and the repercussions of colonialism. Jade’s struggles to sort out her present while she tries to unravel the secrets of Nhà Hoa make for a tense, compelling read. SHE IS A HAUNTING (and its haunting prose) is going to stick with me for a long time.

Extras: Revealing She Is a Haunting, the Atmospheric Horror Debut From Trang Thanh Tran

Four Questions for Trang Thanh Tran

#she is a haunting #trang thanh tran #horror #lgbtqia #contemporary #book reviews #young adult books #get it now

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calware · 1 year

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Opinions on one of the most boys ever Karkat Vantas?

(karkat)

Sexuality Headcanon: pansexual aromantic Gender Headcanon: trans man Ship: he's both in a qpr with dave but if a qpr could vacillate between red and black and a moirallegience with jade that somehow also vacillates but it's between pale and black. it's complicated BROTP: tie between karkat + rose and karkat + egbert because i like his dynamic with egbert better but i think his dynamic with rose is tragically slept on NOTP: dirkkat Random headcanon: his eyebrows are always super messy General Opinion: he's the most specialist boy to me

(dave)

Sexuality Headcanon: bisexual Gender Headcanon: cis gnc man HOWEVER i am a big fan of nonbinary transfem dave Ship: again, red/black qpr with karkat AND he has a relationship with aradia that's somehow <> with benefits. again it's complicated BROTP: again tie between dave + egbert and dave + vriska but this time it's just because i like them both equally NOTP: davesol Random headcanon: he has older sister energy regardless of the gender General Opinion: i love him but fanon dave is dead to me

(feferi)

Sexuality Headcanon: lesbian (to clarify i hc that orientation doesn't factor into conciliatory relationships) Gender Headcanon: cis woman Ship: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ BROTP: feferi and calliope NOTP: rosefef Random headcanon: in humanstuck AU's she's the type of person to name her car General Opinion: interesting, but unfortunately i don't think about her all that often 😔

#ask #saturnsocoolioyep #anonymous #ask game

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ebp-brain · 3 years

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the wolfstar fandom and the problem of gender policing

To begin with: some gay men are femme, and that’s okay. Some are not, and that’s also okay. When someone is telling you that only a certain gender presentation is allowed from a fictional character, that’s not activism or advocacy; that’s gender policing. Even if you’re a woman or nonbinary person writing about cis gay men, it’s still gender policing—you are allowed to explore the full range of gender and sexuality in your own life and art. It’s easy to be taken in by statements on Tumblr about How To Write Good Queer Representation, because we want to be good people, and we understand that the language we use and the stories we tell are important. But our desire to be good people can be manipulated until we don’t recognize that we are participating in harmful behavior, or that we are being impacted by bullying.

If you’re in the Wolfstar fandom and you’re feeling alienated, lonely, confused, hurt, or angry because of things you’ve been hearing about what Sirius’ gender presentation “should” look like: you are not alone. There has been a longstanding problem in this fandom (for at least two years as of early 2021) with some vocal, active, popular fan writers telling other people how they should depict Sirius’ and Remus’—especially Sirius’—relationship to gender and sexuality. Generally, they suggest that depicting gay men as femme or feminine is homophobic. In particular, they say that writing/drawing Sirius as femme, feminine, flamboyant, short, “whiny,” or a sub or bottom is Bad. The logic is that because there’s a stereotype about gay men being feminine, all depictions of feminine gay men are homophobic. Because these voices are so loud and have such intense, aggressive support, it is easy to feel that you are Bad if you disagree with them, or to think that you’re alone in your disagreement. You’re not.

It’s important to recognize that this group of people is engaging in bullying. Not “wank,” not “discourse,” not “drama”—bullying. When you see them targeting other people’s work, it may seem like a petty personal dispute, or on the other hand like a legitimate conversation about gender and sexuality; it is neither. These folks are friendly, welcoming, and supportive right up until the moment someone disagrees with them—and then they attack that person and demand an apology. Because they use the language of social justice, and because they’re only antagonistic to people who question them openly, it’s easy to think they’re courageously protecting vulnerable people and standing up for what’s Right. But they aren’t. They are using their own identities and feelings to dictate how everyone else should behave while disregarding other people’s identities and feelings.

They claim that Sirius shouldn’t be written as “stereotypically gay” (i.e. feminine) because it hurts gay men; they claim that they are fighting homophobia. What they are really doing is gender policing. Awhile back, they started off by saying “Sirius shouldn’t always be feminine or always bottom in all fic.” Sure, true enough. But then it became “Sirius should never be feminine and never bottom.” And then it became “Sirius should never be short and whiny” (because those are apparently feminine traits). And now it seems to be “no one should ever depict cis gay men as feminine.” Allegedly because that’s “stereotyping,” but in practice this idea shames femme gay men, nonbinary femme folks, and any trans men who can’t or don’t want to present as masculine. It is gender policing disguised with social justice language.

Here are some red flags to look out for in the Wolfstar fandom—phrases that signal that you might be reading something that’s participating in gender policing, even if it doesn’t seem like it on the surface. They include:

“short, whiny Sirius”;

“let Sirius top”

“stereotypical gay man” (in the context of men being written as femme, not in the context of like…shitty mass media representation from the 90s)

“let men be men”

“women writing m/m” used in a derogatory way

and a couple that seem totally innocuous, even good, but mean something different in this context, like:

“being gay shouldn’t be your whole personality”

“topping or bottoming shouldn’t be your whole personality”

I’ve heard quite a few people talk about their feelings of isolation, confusion, self-doubt, frustration, and shame as a result of the bullying that’s been happening over the past few years in this fandom. Lots of people have left Wolfstar or Tumblr because of it. The good news is that a lot of Wolfstar folks are still out there: much of the fandom is flourishing on Discord, on Ao3, and in private messages. You can find your people! They’re the ones who actually listen respectfully to what you say, don’t shame you for mistakes or disagreements, and practice kindness and care.

And please look out for yourself. Try to recognize when your feelings of shame or guilt are a result of coming into contact with bullying and manipulation. Try not to accidentally spread transphobic and effeminophobic (anti-feminine) ideas and language; really think through what a post is saying before liking or reblogging it. And if you’re feeling hurt by what’s been said about gender expression within this fandom, know that you have lots of support and solidarity. We’re still around—we’re still around, and we love all your gender-related headcanons: we love a burly bearded biker Sirius; we love a five-feet-in-socks Sirius with a tendency towards dramatic temper tantrums; we love Sirius in lipstick and Sirius in crop tops and Sirius in ripped jeans. We love power bottom Sirius and ace Sirius and dom Sirius in high heels and Sirius who doesn’t care about how he has sex as long as it’s with Remus. We love Sirius who thinks being a trans man is the most important part of who he is and Sirius who thinks being a trans man is simply a basic fact of life. We love your fics and art and posts that explore your own weird complicated messy queer relationship to gender and sexuality. Of course we do. <3

(Also: I’ve got Big Anxiety and may or may not respond to comments on this post. I definitely will not respond to comments purposely misrepresenting my argument. I feel no particular need to defend myself; everyone can decide for themselves whether they think what I say is valid, and if I’m silent in response to criticism it’s not because I can’t think of a solid response—it’s because I don’t think responding is going to help myself or anyone else have a better experience on Tumblr and in this fandom. I’ll try to answer genuine, in-good-faith questions if I have the wherewithal to do so, and if you want to just message me and chat or say hi or share headcanons, I’d love that!)

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canonicallyanxious · 3 years

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last year i posted a list of some of my favorite queer lit recommendations in honor of pride (which i still stand by, just ftr) and i thought it might be fun to try to make this into a bit of an annual tradition and keep the list more or less updated as time goes on and i (hopefully) read more queer books. who knows if i’ll be able to keep it up lol but we won’t know unless i try so here we go!

As per last year, recs will include links to the goodreads page (if applicable), any thoughts i have on the books, and any trigger warnings i can remember (please be forewarned that I do not have the best memory so I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to catch everything). Including a mix of YA and adult, and excluding books i consider to be staples of the queer lit community (like Aristotle and Dante by Benjamin Alire Saenz is one of my favorite books of all time but i’m sure it’s the favorite of many of the people who are reading this list lol). Organized roughly by genre, then by author.

Contemporary

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

I’d like to preface this recommendation by saying the premise of this book originally had me quite hesitant. Like full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of the catfishing trope unless it’s done very carefully. That said, without spoiling anything I think it’s actually really well-handled in this story, and in a way I didn’t necessarily expect (in a good way). The main characters are very likeable and overall this is a book with a lot of heart. Highly recommend for those looking for a heartfelt story about a trans teen learning about love!

Features: gay trans protagonist and a variety of other queer characters in the supporting cast

Warnings: transphobia/misgendering as a significant side-plot, outing/deadnaming

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

First of all please mind the trigger warnings on this book (of which I’ve probably missed some rip it’s inevitable). I wouldn’t consider this an easy read by any means. That said it is also probably one of my favorite things I’ve read this year so far. It’s a modern retelling of a Greek myth (the tenth labor of Heracles if I’m not mistaken) melded with an original coming-of-age narrative, woven together seamlessly in poignant verse by the brilliant Anne Carson of the Sappho fragments translation fame (as well as infamous tumblr aesthetic quote “not to me, not if it’s you” etc. etc.). The interplay between ancient myth and modern themes/tropes is so fascinating, and the writing is just one punch in the gut after another (imo the verse makes it a bit easier to digest, your mileage may vary tho). i recommend this book for anyone who wants to be emotionally destroyed via quietly devastating poetry.

Features: mlm protagonist

Warnings: pedophilia/sexual assault of a child, incest

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

What is this?? Another modern retelling of a famous story??? I have a brand lol. Yes this is a (loose) retelling of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (AKA 17th century She’s the Man) but if you’re hesitant to give it a shot because of that let me tell you i did not even realize this was based on Twelfth Night until after I finished it and I don’t think that detracted from my enjoyment at all. The parallels are there for sure but this book is so much more than a retelling, it’s also a very compelling story about a complicated female protagonist who’s allowed to fuck up and have messy feelings while still being thoroughly sympathetic. i really love the relationship between Violet and her brother Sam, it’s so complex and heartwrenching, but of course the love story kicks ass too and also this book is just really well written!! the writer does a lot of cool things with narration and point of view and stylistic choices, definitely worth checking it out just for the writing imo! happens to be a nice bonus that i think everything else in this book is very good too.

Features: bisexual/pansexual (honestly I can’t remember exactly what label she uses sjknfskjnfs) wlw protagonist with male and female love interests

Warnings: themes of mental illness/depression, various portrayals of self-destructive behavior, hospitalization for suicide attempt as a significant sideplot

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Let me preface this recommendation by saying I wouldn’t consider this the most accessible read. I suspect the prose style isn’t one that would work for everyone as it might feel overly wrought/purple to some which is completely understandable. That said, personally I devoured this book in one sitting so I had to give it a shout out. It’s basically this sprawlingly epic story about two mysteriously powerful agents fighting on opposite sides of a millennia-spanning war who eventually fall in love, and I just think the world building and concepts in this book are so enchanting. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not usually one to gravitate toward epistolary narratives but I’ll give anything a shot if it’s well done and I think the letter format of this story is exquisitely well done. like of course the content of the letters and how they develop these characters’ dynamics is very good, but i also really enjoyed reading about how they delivered the letters to each other and in what contexts they received the letters because I feel like those situations in themselves really helped flesh out the settings and characters. anyway i just think this is really beautifully written, would recommend if you’re in the mood for some truly wild storytelling!

Features: wlw protagonists

Warnings: violence/body horror and major character death

The Imperial Radch Trilogy (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy) and Provenance (standalone sequel) by Ann Leckie

With these lists I’ve more or less tried to limit myself to one book per writer so I’m definitely cheating with this one but I can’t not recommend this entire series in all its excellence. I truly feel that these books are now the benchmark of sci-fi for me, like never have i encountered an exploration of gender in a sci-fi context that was so richly drawn and satisfying to explore. The different conceptions of gender as explored in these stories are quite different from the typical western conception of the gender binary but Leckie does a really good job of fully immersing you into these new ways of thinking about gender, like it feels so seamless and organic. That aside the world-building in these books is very good - lots of complicated politics and such made more accessible through Leckie’s clear writing. And they’re all just thematically so complex in terms of questions of morality and justice and agency/autonomy/humanity, it’s been a long time since I had a reading experience that was as rewarding as tearing through this series.

Here’s how I would sum them up: if a sprawling series that thoroughly deconstructs questions of humanity/agency and justice from the perspective of a once-powerful military-grade AI intrigues you, I recommend starting with the trilogy! If a standalone story that more resembles heist shenanigans with a plucky heroine, complicated family dynamics, and unlikely friendships at its core is more your speed, I suggest giving Provenance a shot! If those both sound good why not read all of the above!

Features: Trilogy focuses on the Radch, a race of humans who do not have a conception of a gender binary (the author denotes this by referring to all Radchai characters with she/her pronouns); Provenance focuses on a different culture that recognizes a third gender (denoted with e/eir pronouns) with a tradition of not choosing one’s gender until adulthood; in general just some very interesting explorations of gender and sexuality in a sci-fi context

Warnings: genre-typical violence, prominent themes of imperialism/colonialism/genocide/war, consent/autonomy issues

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

I mostly recommend this one as a very sweet and feel-good queer story about superheroes in a vaguely futuristic society (as I know my taste in stories tend toward the tragically maudlin I’m trying to balance it out at least a little bit skjdnfskjnfs). The main character is very well-drawn and sympathetic, and her character arc in terms of coming to terms with her identity and agency is definitely one of my favorite parts of this book. my other favorite part of this book is the main romance which I think is just so, so sweet. Personally I found this read a bit predictable but that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it was also just an absurd amount of fun!

Features: bi wlw protagonist with a female love interest, trans character in the supporting cast

Warnings: genre-typical violence

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Okay so I have absolutely no doubt this book will become a staple of the queer lit community (and if it doesn’t we will be having Words but seeing Red White and Royal Blue’s fanbase and the hype this book is already getting in the days after its release I would genuinely be surprised if it doesn’t) but I read it on the first day of this month and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since so I couldn’t not put this one on the list. i won’t say too much about it because if i let myself go i’ll probably never stop but i just. i’ve been waiting for a story like this. it feels so wonderfully self-indulgent in the best way, so warm and genuine and full of heart. it’s one of those books I feel like I read at the right time in my life - I also happen to be a 24 year old disaster queer with so much uncertainty about the future it hurts! - and it feels like the most sincere love letter to the queer community and reading this book felt like getting the best hug in the world by someone telling me I have a place in this world and I deserve it. It’s that kind of book and I have a feeling I’m going to be thinking about it for a really, really long time.

Features: bi wlw protagonist with a butch lesbian love interest and a supporting cast of trans/queer characters

Comics & Graphic Novels

Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda (note: this is an ongoing series; as of my writing this there are currently five volumes out but I believe individual issues/chapters are also available on a more regular basis)

Okay so this one is kind of an intense read and honestly I’m not sure that I would recommend it for everyone but I personally like it so much I wanted to give it a shout out. I really love the world-building in this series, it’s so intricate and well-thought out, and I love that the story is so female-centric. Like the society in this world is matriarchal with strong roots in asian culture and it shows, with such a rich and diverse cast of wonderfully complicated female characters and female relationships. Also the art in this series is just exquisite. i recommend this series for lovers of comics with rich steampunk-esque world-building and deeply flawed characters who also have a high tolerance for blood/gore.

Features: a wlw lead and other queer characters in the supporting/background cast (please note that sexuality/romance is generally not a major part of this story)

Warnings: body horror/gore (like… a lot of it), themes of imperialism/colonialism, cannibalism, child slavery/death

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

Love the breathtakingly beautiful art in this, love the heartfelt coming of age storyline, love the focus on friendships and how to get out of a relationship that might not necessarily be the healthiest for you, love everything about this book. Absolute winner of a graphic novel.

Features: a wlw lead and other queer characters in the supporting cast

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

I’m telling you this book has everything. Sweet pining across years in a boarding school setting? check. a vibrant supporting cast that basically hits the found family trope on the head? check. a captivating sci-fi setting with carefully detailed worldbuilding? check. themes of loneliness and connection across galaxies? check. Hauntingly gorgeous art that pulls everything together? check! Hands down one of the most beautiful graphic novels i’ve ever read.

Features: a wlw lead with a female love interest, a nonbinary supporting character and wlw in the supporting cast

Warnings: genre-typical violence, bullying, brief instance of misgendering

The Beechwood Helm by Letty Wilson (note: link goes to publisher’s website)

I am aware this is quite a niche pull, also the comic itself is very short (like under 50 pages) but I wanted to give Quindrie Press (a relatively new indie comics publisher) a shout-out because I recently backed a kickstarter they did to print some of their comics and I’m super impressed with their collection already, like i definitely think this is a publisher to keep your eye on. Personally I would recommend all the comics Quindrie Press currently offers (check out their site!) but I’m shouting out this one in particular because I think there’s just something so captivating and haunting about it. It’s an Arthurian-style story about a pair of knights who one day encounter a mysterious knight in a red helmet who challenges them to a duel to the death. I think this comic does an excellent job of quickly and effectively establishing its characters, relationships, and themes in such a small space, and I’m super into what this comic has to say about perpetuating the cycle of trauma/violence and how love/tenderness can help one break out of it. Doesn’t hurt that the art is gorgeous either! Please consider checking out and supporting indie creators/artists if you can!

Features: mlm protagonists

Warnings: violence/blood

Poetry & Non-Fiction

Drowned: A Mermaid’s Manifesto by Theresa Davis (note: link goes to publisher’s website)

Another very niche pull but I wanted to take this opportunity to shout out a poet/writer from my own local community. I found this collection in my favorite local bookstore and was immediately entranced by its simple yet evocative language. Please consider checking out and supporting indie creators/artists if you can!

Personal favorites: After This We Go Dark, Hypocrisy, Suite Movements

Devotions by Mary Oliver

This is basically a collection of Mary Oliver’s poems throughout her career so if you want a comprehensive primer of Mary Oliver’s poetry this is one I’d definitely recommend checking out! I mean what can I even say about Mary Oliver’s writing that hasn’t already been said. It truly is the epitome of tenderness and comfort; every time i read a poem by her I feel my heart grow a little lighter.

Personal favorites: I don’t want to be demure or respectable, Oxygen, You are standing at the edge of the woods, Singapore, One or Two Things, Wild Geese

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeannette Winterson

I’ve always loved Jeannette Winterson’s writing - there’s just something about it that feels so punchy and poignant all at once - but I truly feel that this memoir is her writing at its very best. Heartwrenchingly honest writing, haunting ruminations on how complicated the concepts of family and love and grief can be, beautifully drawn atmosphere that seeps the whole narrative with a heaviness that aches but is also somehow breathtakingly accessible. This too ranks among some of my favorite reads this year.

#literature #book recs #pride month #lgbtqia #can you tell poetry is not my forte skjnfksjfns #i tried my best #sarah.txt #e: it seems posting this from mobile did something weird to the read more big rip #i hope this fixes it!...

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laurelnose · 4 years

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Hello! I'm your Witcher Secret Santa (and very excited about it) here to ask if you have any particular tropes/likes/genres you'd like to see for your Geraskel fic!

hello!! thrilled to have you here!! 💛

i’m just gonna...kinda follow the wishlist outline the secret santa blog laid out here. cutting for a lot of talking about my personal geralt/eskel likes & dislikes lmao. hopefully this helps give you some ideas & if you need clarification on anything just let me know!

my eskeralt tag is #like two drops of water (this link doesn’t work on mobile but i will put it in the tags of this ask). what appeals to me about eskeralt is…aside from vesemir, there’s nobody either of them has known as long as they’ve known each other, and like, there’s nothing really that could ever make them reject each other. whatever happens short of death, there will always be eskel for geralt and geralt for eskel. also i just love both of them individually & it makes me happy to see them in the same place :’D

that said, i have never shipped a fully emotionally functional relationship in my life and eskeralt is not an exception—some of the most interesting points of conflict between geralt and eskel for me include:

their relationship is difficult to maintain; enough contract work for two witchers together is difficult to come by & two witchers are seen as intimidating by townsfolk! also, they’re both men, but ymmv on how much homophobia you want to feature in your version of the Continent. one of the few times they can be freely together is back at Kaer Morhen, and three or four months out of the year is…not a lot.

there’s a significant asymmetry between them where geralt has a much wider social network (both platonically and romantically) than eskel does. while geralt can always go to dandelion or yennefer for what he needs, eskel doesn’t have the same freedom… and eskel is clearly unhappy about yennefer when he and geralt speak to each other in the forktail cave. is there some bitterness there about geralt chasing the attention of sorceresses and whoever else all over the continent when eskel, the ugly, unfamous one, has always been right there for him? methinks the answer may be yes.

geralt is…not a functional emotional support network. like, he barely qualifies as a single emotional support pillar. he’s definitely 100% there for his friends but he’s not fantastic at divining when they need support without them actually out-loud asking, and tbh eskel isn’t necessarily great at this either. both of these boys were seriously failed as children when it came to identifying and communicating their own emotional needs. i love geralt and eskel knowing each other without speaking, the familiarity of presence and body language, but that kind of wordless communication breaks down when it comes to more complicated things like “hey i feel like you don’t value me as much as your many other more attractive friends”!

re: yennefer—yenralt and eskeralt are both OTP and as far as I’m concerned, yen & geralt are in an open relationship that is sometimes on-and-off but never completely finished. you do not need to mention or include her but if you do she and geralt should not be permanently broken up.

genres—as may be obvious already, i like the complicated messy horrible feelings people have about each other and themselves and the difficulties inherent to making space for another person! angst is my favorite. i...basically never read pure fluff. i crave conflict and feelings. it doesn’t have to be conflict between them but there’s gotta be something in there makin’ life complicated.

i’m also a fan of whump. i’m pretty hard to squick when it comes to gore and various traumatic possibilities. if you are not so inclined, you do not need to include a happy ending. of course, if you are so inclined happy endings are also excellent!

tropes—in no particular order: casefic, confessions/first times, hurt/comfort (or hurt no comfort), miscommunication, mutual pining, relationship negotiation.

canon/pairing-specific tropes, still in no particular order: baby witchers, geralt & eskel being kaer morhen’s partners-in-crime, monster nerds (especially eskel; you may find #kaer morhen biology of monsters 101 useful. in the tags of this ask for mobile), eskel’s self-esteem issues, self-loathing for both of them, eskel calling geralt “wolf” (canon!!!), geralt kissing that notch in eskel’s lip.

i like a lot of different versions of the eskeralt first time; usually people have them figure it out as kids/teenagers, which i like very much, but i also like ‘back at kaer morhen for the first time as an adult witcher and oh shit he grew up hot’ and ‘it’s been decades and we are just now working thru all the emotional garbage that kept us from admitting to each other that we are not just friends’

& if it happens to be relevant, i’m not married to a trans headcanon for either of them but if only one of them is trans, i strongly prefer it to be eskel.

AUs—i usually go for canon or mostly-canon settings, but i’ll give almost any AU a try & i’m a big fan of canon divergence! when it comes to mermaid AUs, college/modern AUs, soulmate AUs, & daemon AUs, i am so incredibly picky that it’s probably not worth it though. i like roleswap AUs like sorcerer!boys a lot, and royalty/royalty-adjacent AUs are definitely my jam but please no warlord!geralt.

...very much here for warlord!eskel though. 👀

on NSFW—it’s cool! the things that really press my buttons are specific and niche, but i’m also almost impossible to squick, so feel free to include as much or as little sex as you want! i just want there to be emotions. my favorite is sub geralt and bottom eskel (yes at the same time) but i am not picky at all in that regard.

DNW—i immediately hit the back button at any mention of kaer morhen’s library. suicide-related angst not preferred.

also, no worries about spoilers, i have read or played everything relevant to the above ships!

#watch socks laurelnose tell on himself #i don't like to publicly talk about what i DON'T like in fandom too much #but i uh. wasn't sure how to avoid it here.#couple of unpopular opinions here OH WELL #*queues this for when i am not awake so i dont have to think about it*#like two drops of water #kaer morhen biology of monsters 101 #(for navigation purposes)#secret santa stuff #asks #anonymous

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whatiobsessabout · 6 years

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The Ultimate List of LGBT Kpop Songs/MVs

This has come about because whenever I come across queer kpop lists I am disappointed by how short and repetitive they are. My goal is to have THE MOST comphensive list of songs and music videos with any sort of lgbt themes.

Each song or mv listed will have a little (or not so little) description explaining how gay it is or why it is gay. This does mean I’ve let some more questionable songs and mvs on the list but from the description I shouldn’t be leading people astray or getting their hopes up. (I decided against including covers of songs eg. where the artist hasn’t changed the gender in the songs. bc I feel that would become too messy and complicated. Also there are artists and songs I dislike on this list, and some artists can be considered problematic however I felt that if I excluded anything based on personal opinions it would make the purpose of this list invalid).

Hopefully kpop fans can diversify their playlists and discover new bops, as well as giving comfort to lgbt+ kpop fans. I plan to update this list as new gay content is released :)

PLEASE GIVE ME MORE SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS LIST

Playlist of this List

UV & JYP - Itaewon Freedom Itaewon is the multicultural district in seoul, also one of the prominent “gay” areas in s.korea. this song is a gay anthem in korea.

Baek Ji Young - I Won't Love Again/Sarang Ahn Hae a beautiful lesbian romance

K.Will – Please Don't the ultimate plot twist mv and is THE gay kpop mv

Sistar – One More Day, I Like That, I Swear In One More Day shows when friends turn into lesbian lovers, but one is still in a relationship with an abusive man. The latter two mvs have fanservice based touching plus those gay vibes

ANDA – Touch a very lesbian mv

Baby Soul & Yoo Jia – She's a Flirt Feat. Jang Dongwoo a lesbian relationship but one of them is still with a man

After School – Because of You love triangle between 3 women

Red Velvet – Wish Tree a one-sided lesbian love. I will mention ‘Bad Boy’ for having some fanservice moments and the rainbow outfits in ‘Peek-a-Boo’ is peak gay culture

Holland – Neverland Holland is described by many news outlets as “The First Openly Gay Kpop Idol” make of that as you will (Because you can argue about being first and whether he is actually an idol, despite being a Korean person making pop or alternative pop music). Regardless he is openly gay and his song is most definitely gay and his mv is explicitly gay. Bless him

4L – Move in the aftermath of a massive breakup, the female character ends up having a lesbian one night stand which further confuses her while she deals with her heartbreak. This mv is more in the fanservice and objectifying females/lesbians category.

Loona – Chuu: Heart Attack, Yves: New light lesbian themes, up for interpretation

10cm – Help The male characters struggle with their relationship as they worry how society view them

DIA – Seoraksan In October light lesbian themes, up for interpretation

VIXX LR – Whisper light gay themes and touching, symbolic based and possibly just fanservice. Some consider their other hit ‘Beautiful Liar’ as gay, however, despite the homoeroticism in that mv, the plot is about struggling with your two inner selves rather than a male & male relationship.

Day6 – What Can I Do in a very messy love triangle (or octogon, who knows??) Wonpil has a one sided love for Sungjin, the plot is somewhat continued in their mvs ‘I Loved You’ and ‘When You Love Someone’.

Sweet Revenge – Cry to Your Heart's Content lesbians, lesbians, lesbians

INFINITE – The Eye some scenes of this could fall into the category of fanservice and skinship, even though it is very emotionally charged

Gugudan – Chococo Sejeong experiences a gay and chocolatey epiphany (a minor scene)

San.E – Story of someone I know Depicts an ex-girlfriend dumping him for a girl

Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra Queens of sexual freedom, there is an almost kiss at the end.

Girl's Day – Female President an almost kiss scene, in a feminist bop (a song made not too long after s.korea elected their very first female president, Park Geun Hye. Note: this was made well before she was exposed for being the worst™ and consequently impeached, which is a shame for the first and so far only female leader in s.korea to leave such a ignominious history.)

BTS – Blood Sweat and Tears, I need you, Run In Blood Sweat and Tears Jin kisses the male demon statue that seems to represent Taehyung. The other 2 mvs have light gay themes with skinship type moments

Imfact – Lollipop kissing on the cheeks and other skinship for fanservice

Wonder Girls – Why So Lonely a sort of but not really kiss scene

Crispi Crunch - Thumbs up a very questionable mv but does include a trans woman, or crossdresser, near the end. Also the teasers for this mv included the two dudes kissing, nowhere to be found in the actual mv though (or on the internet now.... ???)

Lim Chang Jung – Open the Door Includes a gay kiss

Glam – Party XXO a bi anthem, lyrics specify about not caring about gender when searching for love

N.O.M – A Guys, Nature of Man the group were less of a kpop group and more of a gay club act who then released 2 singles

Orange Caramel – Catallena more so in the lyrics than mv but not completely ignored in the mv, Catallena explores how women are supposed to compete with each other in society and how that becomes confusing when females look up and idolise other females, and even further complicates when you fall for a female. Additionally, the meaning can also be about how girl groups are pitted against each other but they also admire and love each other

Nell – The Day Before Deals with homosexuality and suicide

Harisu – History (with Turbo), Liar, Shopping Girl, Reaction, Foxy Lady, etc. A transgender model and actress who also had a pop career for a period of time

Mercury – Don’t Stop, Let’s Party a girl group which has one member, Hanbit, who is trans

SNSD – Dancing Queen, Divine (Story Version), All Night, Love & Girls, etc. Dancing queen has lowkey gay lyrics. Divine is one big lesbian drama. In All Night Sooyoung and Yuri have major gay vibes towards each other. Both All Night and Love & Girls include drag queens. GG’s discography is so large so there’s plenty more lowkey gay songs.

Lee Hyori – Miss Korea, Going Crazy Miss Korea critics beauty standards for women in korea, and includes drag queens. In Going Crazy Hyori crossdresses as a man and then sleazily flirts with tons of women

Mamamoo – Um Oh Ah Yeh plays with crossdressing and gender identity, and kinda gay. And they have a song called “Girl Crush” which is supposedly platonic by Korean pov but worth a mention

Monsta X – All In Hyungwon and Minhyuk are shown to be together, this is possibly why Hyungwon’s dad beats him

GFriend – Navillera Eunha and Yerin are confirmed to be depicting a couple throughout this mv. There are hints that the rest of the group are also coupled up but aren’t as far into their relationships yet.

Suran – Sad Pain two differently disabled women find comfort with each other

Triple H – 365 So Fresh heavily implied polyamorous relationship and threesome between 2 guys (Hui & e.dawn) and 1 girl (Hyuna)

Mad Clown – Love is a Dog from Hell Feat. Suran the story of a trans woman and her wife. Side note: interestingly enough Mad Clown asked his brother to play the trans woman, which brings up some questions about their personal lives – how close to this story are they?

Bestie – Excuse Me in this mv the girls have a magical pair of glasses that reveal the true intentions of men, the final group of men they come across are revealed to be gay

Maman – Obvious Story a lesbian song by a lesbian singer in a lesbian mv

Kriesha Chu – Like Paradise a lovely and trendy lesbian date

Song Jieun – Don’t Look at Me Like That depicts how gay people feel in conservative korea, feeling judged for their love

XIA – Tarantallegra, Even though I already know crossdressing and gender identity, plus gay vibes especially with the dancers

Heechul & Min Kyung Hoon – Sweet Dream a love triangle including Kyunghoon’s one-sided love for Heechul

Planet Shiver & Crush – Rainbow an anti-discrimination song

CoCoSoRi – Mi Amor the kiss at the end, otherwise pretty het

SVT JUN & THE8 – My I in the realms of fanservice, male duet song and performance

U-KISS – Quit Playing threesome scene including 2 men (Kiseop & Hoon) and 1 woman

Kangta (H.O.T) – Polaris deals with gender identity

Super Junior D&E – Still You, I Wanna Love You, etc. In Still You Donghae and Eunhyuk find each other, “bromance” or just plain gay vibes. I Wanna Love You could be a gay duet or not. Most releases from these guys are lowkey gay so.

Jo Kwon – Animal a gay diva delivering a gay bop

Beenzino – How Do I Look? has a couple scenes (not many) where gay men/couple are depicted

Bebop & Humming Urban Stereo – MAEM MAEM looks like they are on a date

WJSN – Secret some minor gay vibes, gay staring, hand holding etc.

9Muses A – Lip 2 Lip an almost kiss (in a pretty het mv)

9Muses – Wild, Sleepless Night Wild has fanservice based touching plus vibes. Meanwhile Sleepless Night has a scene which heavily implies lesbian sex

History – Psycho yet again fanservice based touching plus those gay vibes

Luizy – Baby Ride feat. Hyunsik of BTOB just two bros being bros on their bro date y’know

Uhm Jung Hwa – Dreamer, Watch Me Move, Ending Credit, House Mix Performance, etc. QUEEN OF THE GAYS

HA:TFELT (Yeeun of Wonder Girls) – Truth shows a lesbian couple

Jo Sung Mo – Immortal Love depicts a heartbreaking secret gay relationship

Z.Hera – D Island depicts a powerful interracial lesbian love story

Yuri & Raiden – Always Find You fight me this is lesbian af as long as you cut out the last 3 seconds

MISS $ – Just Let Me Live feat. Skull complex love triangles, and possessive love, with plenty of lesbian themes

Chaness – SeSeSe dark mv with lesbians doing what they can to be together

Lee Jung Hyun – Michyeo Lee Jung Hyun becomes crazed when she learns of her boyfriend’s affair with another man

Homme – Still Eating Well it’s a bit of a stretch but 2 dudes and 1 girl scenario, dedicated to more of the “bro” time than the hetero plot

Lady – Attention, Lady’s Night A girl group made up of transgender women (Sinae, Sahara, Binu and Yuna)

Shinhwa – This Love a massive stretch but voguing is gay culture so we can’t ignore that, plus the use male back up dancers is… interesting

Kim DongHee – I Feel Like I’m Dying Lesbian storyline

Seo In Young – Scream (19 Ver.) there’s some gayish scenes in there, nothing major

Aoora – Body Talk, grab or bite, heartfreak, etc. he tries to pretend his stuff isn’t gay but he isn’t that good at it tbh. it’s pretty transparent how gay everything is even if he does include shots of boobs. he could be bi???

May Doni - Molla Ing feat. 2AM has some gay scenes

Cheetah – My Number Includes a male dance team which are very femme, or are drag queens (?? If someone knows please tell me)

Yu Mei – Suddenly cute lesbian love

Risso – OMG cute lesbian couple

Luna – Free Somebody not necessarily gay but you can understand lyrically how this connected to the lgbt community in korea and how it is now one of their staples at pride

f(x) – Chu, Pink Tape Art Film In Chu Krystal wears a marriage equality shirt that says ‘Legalise Gay’. Pink Tape Art Film has light lesbian themes. Amber in general defies female gender roles in both western and eastern cultures.

진주 – 미로 Feat. 엄지원 & TBNY a lesbian storyline

Gangkiz – Honey Honey a girl gang run amuck being troublesome and having the times of their lives. Has possible lesbian themes.

UP10TION – Attention some gay fanservice choreography

Sweet Boy – I LUV HER feat. NUVO This falls into the category of men objectifying females and lesbians, an almost kiss

Stellarjet – Guiding Light the main character spies on her neighbour and falls for her

Brown Classics - Nostalgia Feat. Yozoh & Eric has a gay storyline

Rainbow Blaxx – Cha Cha minor lesbian themes with skinship and fanservice

Epitone Project – Hate a delicate lesbian love story

4Men – First Kiss The female character is devasted when the man she loves falls for another man

toheart (Key of SHINee and Woohyun of Infinite) – Delicious Key and Woohyun might think they are trying to win over the same gal but in reality they are winning each other over

Taemin – Move I was struggling whether to put him on the list as he is lowkey a gay icon eg. Move where he finally threw off the shackles of gender based choreography and fully embraced his androgyny. he has plenty of songs and performances that all exist in this realm of androgyny, and a lot of his discography, both Korean and Japanese, could be gay but it could also be straight, it’s very easy to interpret whichever way, which I do think is intentional. (please refer to Ten’s section further down where I share my conflicting feelings about referring to people like Taemin as a gay icon if you are interested)

Seeya – Shoes, Crazy Love Song heavy drama plot with lesbian themes, the mvs are connected

Park Jungmin (SS501) – Not Alone an anti-discrimination bop and includes a drag queen

Pentagon – Critical Beauty All the members are coupled up, and there’s a very questionable scene with e.dawn and a banana. A small mention of their mvs ‘Like This’ and ‘Runaway’ which has some very minor scenes of guys together but it’s very ambiguous and a major stretch to even label it as fanservice.

CS Numbers – Cry Out With My Heart two girls go on a road trip

Bumkey – Bad Girl The female character keeps on flirting with the male character but in the end it turns out he’s into guys

4minute – Whatcha Doin’ Today? Jihyun may have accidently made two guys go from fighting each other to kissing each other, not to mention Gayoon has some lesbian vibes throughout the mv

i11evn – Porn Star Feat. Suprema in the lyrics he talks about being bi (watch out for Suprema using, rather seemingly misusing the dreaded term “no homo”)

Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) – Two Women some interpret this song to have lesbian themes

Infinite Flow – Rainbow Feat. Kim Jong Wan of Nell the lyrics depict the depression and desperation of being gay in korea (sidenote: a personal favourite of mine that I discovered years and years ago and it still has a very emotional effect on me)

Dynamic Duo – Heartbreaker Feat. Kim Jong Wan of Nell the anger and sadness of struggling with homosexuality in korea in the lyrics, the mv’s plot ignores the song’s meaning

Epik High - AMOR FATI Feat. Kim Jong Wan of Nell In the very words of Tablo “I wrote 'Amor Fati' for people who are mistreated because they were born the way they are.”

IU – Peach, Red Queen, Everyone has Secrets feat. Gain of Brown Eyed Girls Peach was written in dedication to former f(x) member Sulli. Red Queen’s lyrics also romanticise a girl and it is said to yet again be about Sulli. The lyrics of Everyone has secrets can be very relatable to the lgbt community.

Nam Tae Hyun (Winner) – I’m Young a love song where the lyrics only mention a masculine pronoun

2YOON – Why Not these lyrics can be interpreted as gay

EXO – Playboy, They Never Know The lyrics of Playboy make more sense when you interpret as a secret gay relationship. The live performances of this is the opposite of heterosexuality. (note: Jonghyun wrote Playboy). In They Never Know the lyrics have moments like “Love is Blind” and discussion an unconventional love, it is widely accepted to have a strong gay theme. Also special mention to their 2017 winter album “Universe” for being completely 100% gender neutral

Oh My Girl – Knock Knock Girls singing about girls

Black Nut – Beenzino Black Nut takes his fanboying for Beenzino to the next level

Jonghyun – 02:34, Monodrama, Cocktail, most of these songs have light gay themes, and make more sense when interpreted as gay. You delve even deeper into his discography and interpret them in a gay light.

Gain & Minseo - Imi Oneun Sori (The Footsteps of My Dear Love) From the OST of the Korean film The Handmaiden, which itself has lesbian themes.

NCT’s Ten - Dream in a Dream This is a bit of a reach but the inclusion of Lucas in some of the scenes of this MV is an interesting choice. Also I would like to give a shout out to NCT U (Ten & Taeyong) - Baby Don’t Stop, for being a lowkey gay tune even if nothing about it can be pointed out as explicitly gay. He has released a song called New Heroes, which lyrically talks about standing up for what you believe in and working hard to get successful whilst facing adversary, which is a great message, but with Ten’s almost meme-like status of being a “confident gay” (despite not actually being out) this song has definitely made a lot of people claim it as gay anthem, make of it as you will (I feel conflicted about this; 1. he’s not standing up for the gays as a gay person if he isn’t out and people shouldn’t pressure him to do so, especially when he is a foreigner in s.korea; 2. it’s all well and good to quietly within the fanbase to joke about confident/panicked gays, or gay icons, but it can go too far, especially when it becomes their branding and only personality trait to both fans and the broader (western) kpop fanbase. these issues also apply to many like Sunmi and Taemin.)

Twice - What is Love? The girls take turns in depicting and parodying famous cinematic couples, so fanservice based crossdressing and gayness.

and hopefully plenty more to come ~

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camryndaytona · 4 years

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Books with Queer Happiness

Since today marks the last day of Pride Month, I thought it might be fitting to share a list of LGBT books that have happy endings.

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on September 8, 2015 Pages: 352

Seventeen-year-old Aidan Lockwood lives in the sleepy farming community of Temperance, Ohio—known for its cattle ranches and not much else. That is until Jarrod, a friend he hasn't seen in five years, moves back to town and opens Aidan's eyes in startling ways: to Aidan's ability to see the spirit world; to the red-bearded specter of Death; to a family curse that has claimed the lives of the Lockwood men one by one…and to the new feelings he has developed for Jarrod.