Hear Me Out. What If Perpetua Is His Last Name??? Something Like Instead Of Emeritus, Like Dead Or Gone,

Aroace Alastor

Hoo boy here we go- This one might make some people mad at me, so I'll preface by saying I do not want to start a fight and as long as you respect my business, I'll respect yours. But let's get this over with-

First off, I genuinely don't understand how some people can see the Ace-In-The-Hole quote and still believe that Alastor is only intended to be asexual and not also aromantic. Yes, the term Rosie used for purpose of the pun was 'ace', but can we look at the context of that moment before jumping to conclusions?

Rosie, motioning to Charlie: "Oh, who's this you brought with you? Come now, Alastor, she's much too young for you! Oh, I'm just kidding. I know you're an ace in the hole!"

Her original statement implies nothing sexual, only that he's involved in a relationship with Charlie, and she follows it up with why she knows that couldn't be because he's an 'ace in the hole'. I don't think you have to read too far between the lines to see that.

I would also like to say that when Vivienne has spoken about his orientation before, I recall her saying that she didn't want to confirm him being aromantic so that she wouldn't 'ruin anyone's fun', which I just feel like is an odd thing to say if she wasn't already explicitly picturing him as aroace. If she thought he had romantic attraction, why wouldn't she just say that? What fun would that ruin? I also feel like keeping things like this ambiguous just to appease the shippers is a little weird, but I digress-

And to those of you who I know are saying "But aromantic people can be in relationships too!!" *deep inhale* yeah I know. I'm not gonna pretend you're not right about that, but there are also aroace people who have exactly 0 interest in romance or sex at all. This is the part of the post that really is based on how I interpret certain moments, but to me he is absolutely one of those people. I don't really know where people get any vibes of him being interested in that stuff. I have never once looked at him and thought "Yeah I could see him in a romantic relationship with *insert character here*". Even aside from attraction in general, since that's what we'd be talking about at this point anyway, he just seems like the kind of guy who'd rather work and live independently instead of relying on anyone, whether practically or emotionally (which is also probably part of the reason he never joined the Vees, but that's another topic entirely). Hell, I'm pretty sure he's in heavy denial about even developing any kind of care or friendship with the people at the hotel (ie. the episode 8 scene with him and Niffty).

The only ships I see him involved in with people he doesn't hate (so ignoring RadioApple, RadioHusk, and StaticRadio. But to be real, maybe the fact all his main ships are enemies to lovers coded says something about the whole situation, but that's just me-) are Charlastor - which I will not even try to discuss here, people aren't gonna like this post as it is - and RadioRose. Rosie and him would at least be fair, if it weren't for one thing (which is also personal opinion on my end), and I don't know exactly how to word it. I'm tempted to say she has wingwoman vibes? But she knows he's aro, so that's not the right word, but there's vibes of like, she probably did act as a wingwoman before she realized that about him or something.. There's also something about her joking around like "Oh this is the girl? You have a girlfriend and I'm only now meeting her?" is almost giving motherly behavior. Idk man they're just besties to me, I could see them in a QPR though (not that they'd probably label it that way, considering the word queerplatonic is likely just complete gibberish to Alastor lmao).

So to summarize: It feels incredibly likely, if not practically canon, that Alastor was written with aromanticism in mind, even if Vivienne refuses to explicitly state it. Subtext and not-that-subtle implications can say just as much about a character as word of God, especially when that God has explicitly told us why she won't confirm or deny this information. Do I think any of this will stop people from shipping him romantically with literally any other character? No ofc it won't, and that's okay, that's just what fandoms do. I do think there's something to say for the fact the one aroace (or even at the very least asexual) character gets constantly shipped with everyone else in the cast, but this post is long enough I think. The only point of posting this is that I wanted to get information out there in one post to say "Hey, let's look a little bit past the surface for a second before saying there's no proof of him being aromantic"

Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you at least took something away from this

The pure chaos and Bridgerton dumbassery of Anthony walking in on Eloise making out with Cressida is just comedic gold waiting to happen like,

Anthony: You will marry her!

Cressida: Yes, well unfortunately I cannot do so.

Anthony: Have you no shame, Miss Cowper? You have defiled my sister! She is ruined!

Cressida: And I would be happy to make right by her. However—

Anthony: No excuses! You will marry her or we will deul at dawn!

Benedict: Is it not ungentlemanly to deul a young lady?

Anthony: …yes well… you will marry her or… or Kate will deul you at dawn!

Kate: I’m not doing that.

Anthony: Babe, please.

Kate: You’re an imbecile.

Anthony: Fine. Colin will duel Miss Cowper.

Colin: Why must I be the ungentlemanly one?

Anthony: Because someone must!

Daphne: Someone must what?

Benedict: Deul Miss Cowper.

Daphne: Whyever would one of you need to deul Miss Cowper?

Anthony: Because I caught her in the act of defiling our sister!

Daphne: Right… well passion can sometimes get the best of us when we are in love. As long as Miss Cowper does the honourable thing and marries Eloise—

Anthony: She is refusing!

Francesca: Why would you refuse? You both seem so in love.

Cressida: I am not refusing! I am merely confused regarding how exactly I am supposed to—

Daphne: Worry not, brother. I will handle this. *cracking her knuckles* You will marry her or come the dawn our pistols meet and you will take your final breath in the presence of my gleeful victory.

Everyone: …

Benedict: Is anyone else suddenly very afraid of Daphne?

Hyacinth: Cressida and Eloise will make the most beautiful children.

Gregory: Do you think if I ask they’ll name one after me?

Meanwhile

John: Should we maybe… intervene?

Simon: Of course not. When it comes to the Bridgertons it is every man or woman for themselves.

Kate: She must learn to stand on her own. She’ll never survive this family otherwise.

Penelope: Survive this family? Do you actually believe they’ll make it to the wedding before realising two women are unable to wed?

Kate: No. But when love is involved the Bridgertons will find a way and love most certainly is. I called this six months ago.

Simon: Agreed. Though if they are to marry someone must first hunt down Eloise.

John: What are you talking about she's right… where the hell did she go?

Penelope: Oh she’s long gone. She snuck out as soon as Anthony brought up marriage.

gross old people

I love these two idiots

Hellraiser 1: we'll kill you if you screw us out of this deal, kirsty

Hellraiser 2: NO DEALS, KIRSTY. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

Hellraiser 6: I'm gonna drag you into hell with me kirsty and NOTHING WILL STOP M-- oh a deal? Of course babe whatcha got

GHOST: RITE HERE RITE NOW (2024).

Sparkly golden disco lizard - ha! That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.

I had similar thoughts, especially because i prefer Rumplestiltskin when he’s scaly (and actually has a personality), because he’s so much more fun.

We all know that Rumple's got lots of self-loathing, among other things connected with the way he looked in the EF because it represents how inhuman and monstrous he is.

Now imagine for some reason he and Belle end up back in the EF at some point in the show... or maybe EF 2 in S7...

And Rumple grows scaly and golden and sparkly and lizardy again and he hides from Belle because he is ashamed, because he can't bear to see the expression on her face when she sees the reminder of who he truly is...

But when Belle eventually finds him - because she always does - she takes one look at him and just... smiles and runs up to him and envelopes him in a tight hug and has the audacity to sigh contently against a very baffled Rumple.

Because as much as she loves his human form, as much as she loves him in any form, period, this Rumple - the sparkly golden disco lizard - is her Rumple, the one she met first, the one she got to know first, the one she fell in love with first.

And she missed him... she really did.

Queer Horror Stories to Celebrate Mary Shelley’s Birthday!

Today, August 30th, is Frankenstein Day and Mary Shelley’s Birthday! To celebrate the first horror novel, we decided to ask our contributors about their favorite queer horror novels and ended up with 28 titles for a very spooky end of summer. Contributors to this list are: Shadaras, D.V. Morse, Nova Mason, Terra P. Waters, Rhosyn Goodfellow, Nina Waters, Meera S., Shea Sullivan, Owl Outerbridge, Sanne, Tris Lawrence, boneturtle and an anonymous contributor.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

The Devourers by Indra Das

Into the Drowning Deep & Rolling in the Deep (Rolling in the Deep series) by Mira Grant

What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier series) by T. Kingfisher

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zi Xu

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin

The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles series) by Anne Rice

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren

Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

Make the Exorcist Fall in Love by Aruma Arima & Masuku Fukayama

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Fate/Stay Night by Type-Moon

Umineko When They Cry by Ryukishi07

Case 00: The Cannibal Boy from Sounding Stone

Welcome to Night Vale

The Silt Verses

What are your favorite queer horror novels? Tell us in the comments!

Want to chat your favorite reads with us? Join our Book Lover’s Discord server!

Update your Goodreads TBR with any of these books by visiting our queer horror shelf on Goodreads!! Or, jump onto Bookshop.org and browse these books on our queer horror list!

Jekyll is inventing HRT

It must be said that the Nurse Ratched of the ‘75 film had some villainous tendencies. She was condescending, unfair and used her patients as an excuse to keep things the way she liked them. She was on a power high, and most certainly had a sense of superiority. While her treatment of her patients was not quite abuse, medical abuse - especially that committed by nurses - is not acceptable and should not be ignored.

That said, her treatment of McMurphy was entirely justified, at least in my mind. McMurphy - who was known to not be mentally ill - was a misogynist and an arse, who never once respected any of the nurses (even before she gave him any reason to dislike her). I believe him to be entirely unsympathetic. This warped my watching experience, and caused me to actually enjoy when Mildred belittled him. A story that should have been the uplifting tale of disabled men rising up against their domineering nurse is watered down by how unlikable it’s protagonist is.

Just finished Ratched 2020, and I’m conflicted. I loved it for the most part, but Mildred was clearly a completely different character to that of the film.

So yes, Mildred Ratched is, most certainly, a villain. She just isn’t as bad as Michael Myers or Count Dracula or Hannibal Lecter, but she is a villain. The manner in which she is viewed by the original audience presents her actions as worse than they are, focusing on the more trivial - such as her emasculating of McMurphy - over her heinous manipulations of her actually disabled patients.

Once again, the patriarchy would present Mildred Ratched as a bitch, and a liar, rather than the cunning, selfish, horrible person that she is, and the depth that comes with it.

Hot Take: Mildred Ratched is not a villain. She’s just a woman in a predominantly male field prescribing to the accepted medical practices at the time. It was the treatments and McMurphy’s (Jack Nicholson) reckless endangerment of other patients that were the problem, not her.

Yes! Yes! I totally agree with this hot take 100% Especially in Milos’ version he mentioned how it would be more “evil” or “disturbing” if Ratched didn’t think that she was in the wrong, that she truly and wholly believed that what she was doing was intentional to help them. She was most certainly is a woman (a woman with immense status) working in a male dominated feild, running a male dominated ward. She certainly had to leave her own opinions, ideas, and parts of herself at the door on the Outside. She wants to make sure that her authority and station will not be questioned hence why she is seen as mechanical, stoic, and “evil”

She’s most certainly not that, perhaps, even with my own interpretation, Mildred Ratched might be inclined to keep some people under her control out of a sense of superiority but ultimately that superiority is acceptable as she is a successful woman (and when during the book and movie being published or premiered) there was the second wave feminist movement. Something I’m positive that Mildred would pay close attention too.

[muttering feverishly] I need to chase that man around my gothic manor in a silk nightgown