So many fandoms, so little time

"Vancouver has long been nicknamed the “city of glass” for its shimmering high-rise skyline. Over the next few years, that skyline will get a very large new addition: Sen̓áḵw, an 11-tower development that will Tetrize 6,000 apartments onto just over 10 acres of land in the heart of the city. Once complete, this will be the densest neighbourhood in Canada, providing thousands of homes for Vancouverites who have long been squeezed between the country’s priciest real estate and some of its lowest vacancy rates. 

Sen̓áḵw is big, ambitious and undeniably urban—and undeniably Indigenous. It’s being built on reserve land owned by the Squamish First Nation, and it’s spearheaded by the Squamish Nation itself, in partnership with the private real estate developer Westbank. Because the project is on First Nations land, not city land, it’s under Squamish authority, free of Vancouver’s zoning rules. And the Nation has chosen to build bigger, denser and taller than any development on city property would be allowed."

NIMBYs are VERY CONCERNED about "Indidgenous/Native Ways of Being" or some bullshit

In 2022, Gordon Price, a prominent Vancouver urban planner and a former city councillor, told Gitxsan reporter Angela Sterritt, “When you’re building 30, 40-storey high rises out of concrete, there’s a big gap between that and an Indigenous way of building.” 

I want to write something thoughtful but before I do, I need simply say: fuck that noise.

Good Omens is a queer allegory, and if queer people excel at anything it is existing despite the bigotry in the world. We have always been here. We always will be. Despite what religious and corporate over Lords desire. Queer joy is an act of rebellion in our current world, and is one that should be embraced rather than met with the message of the only way we can find happiness is to exist in a perfect world.

Aziraphale and Crowley both know that, too. I cannot believe our guardian angel and demon could co-exist with us for thousands of years and come to the conclusion that utter destruction is the only way to find your joy.

Enjoy the ending if you want. I am happy for you to do so. But don't go spouting destructive nonsense like this is the only path.

Book summaries below:

It wasn't that long ago that banks and companies would refuse to serve gay people. People are going all the way up to the Supreme Court to enshrine the right not to serve LGBTQ people in their business. Rainbow capitalism showed which companies were safe to do business with and it pressured other companies to do the same.

Likewise, companies did and do try to discrominate against LGBTQ employees. Rainbow capitalism let employees be open about their identities and feel safe. The 50 year old gay man marching with Bank of America may have hidden his sexuality for decades because it wasn't safe to come out at work.

It helped set top down societal values and norms that LGBTQ people are a welcome part of society.

It pressured companies to adopt nondiscrimination policies and DEI policies.

It made companies donate to pride celebrations and LGBTQ causes.

with mixed success, it provided powerful and visible allies for political change, like the Respect for Marriage Act. Businesses pulled out of North Carolina and forced it to go back on a bathroom bill.

The drawdown of rainbow capitalism has real consequences. Pride celebrations losing corporate sponsorships means they are not able to hold those celebrations. DEI programs are being rolled back. Companies are buying less from queer owned businesses. Support for gay marriage is actually decreasing in polls.

Are these all cause and effect? No. Is it sometimes just a lagging indicator? Yeah. Are fair weather allies like big corps really not great? Yeah.

New illustration by me on the final chapter of Mirjam ’s fic “be still my soul : the rift”!

Full pic (non sexual nudity) at @mirjam-writes ‘s fic.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42083205/chapters/105653838

I dare you to try to tell me antizionism is anything other than hate.

Bro I really wish Aziraphale had said something about his discomfort with the decision while they were at the tree. Even if it was only to say, "but I think you chose best, dear" or Smth. Because listen, speaking up is super important no matter what. For him to have just swallowed his feelings, sealed his death, and made no motive of actually saying what he wanted or trying to barter with Crowley... That's a really fucking weird messege.

Before I even start: @quitequaintrelle has leapt aboad the Throwback Thursday bandwagon with a post inviting us to a pre-season 3, E-rated fic about life in the cottage! Mosey over to the post or directly to how do you like them apples? for crack, snut (that was a typo but could it be short for snake smut? I think I'll keep it), cottage togetherness, a David Attenborough commentary on the Horny Shenanigans, and Crowley snarling at a very large plant indeed.

As it happens, the theme running on my mind this week was indeed The Ineffables Getting Their Cottage, because, dammit, they deserve it, not two guys with bad haircuts who kind of look like them several billion years in the future. FFS. So here, from my 2020 and early 2021 files, are fics specifically about how exactly, following the end of the book/season One (which I'm increasingly treating as the only real canon), they make their way from "to the world" to the South Downs.

Close Your Eyes (E) is my first ever full-on broadside of smut. Aziraphale accidentally discovers that submission agrees with Crowley, and feels his way into being a soft Dom. Their progress from London to house hunting to moving in is threaded through the story.

The Temptation Thing and The Thing About Temptation (E) are also smutty, with a humorous inflection: Crowley can tempt, and does, but Aziraphale is a quicker study than he expects. Breakout horrible estate agent OC.

And Crowley's Herbal blends through-the-ages vignettes with Crowley's wistful, hopeful planting of a garden in the Downs ("it begins, as it will end").

Do you have a favorite fic about how they made their way from London bachelors to householders in the Downs? Drop a link in a reblog or reply!

Throwback Thursday is my occasional look back at older fics, mostly Good Omens, mine and others', usually with a theme. Now joined by @curiouspupsicle and @rogue-bard as well as @quitequaintrelle above!

I write mainly Good Omens, along with occasional ventures into Sherlock Holmes (BBC and ACD), Doctor Who, and my first love, Star Trek. Find my fic here on AO3.

[ID: a rectangle flag made to mimic the progress pride flag. The flag is horizontal, equally sized, and 9-striped with the colors lavender, magenta, red, orange, yellow, green, teal, indigo, and purple from top to bottom. There's a layered Star of David on the left of the image with the colors black, brown, blue, pink, white, and yellow from outside to inside. The yellow part has a small purple Star of David that makes the yellow part mimic the intersex flag. /End of ID]

The fans who were so furious they orchestrated an entire letter campaign, wore black arm bands in mourning, cancelled their subscriptions en masse to the magazine Sherlock was published in it almost destroyed it, until the magazine was like shit that was a stupid fucking thing to do Doyle, why the fuck would you do this, fix this right now. We've always been like this, huh?

There's a very good post someone made that pointed out that Season 3 Crowley represents NG in many ways: portrayed as a selfless heroic figure who is unjustly persecuted and makes a noble sacrifice for the good of the universe.