you're always mine

Sappho, tr. by Anne Carson

Shabana Azeez as Irene BIRDEATER (2023) dir. Jack Clark & Jim Weir

La Collectionneuse (1967), dir. Eric Rohmer

MELISSA BARRERA The Copenhagen Test - S01E02 "Glass House"

to  be  entirely  honest,  all  of  the  pride  events  in  goshen  were  nonexistent.  or  just  about.  his  family  probably  makes  up  ⅓  of  the  town  itself,  so  he'd  have  to  travel  to  just  find  something  bigger.  that  wasn't  a  problem  until  it  was  –  but  he's  happy  that  palmview  has  it's  own,  right  down  the  road,  no  driving  required.  liberty  jumps  on  sovaia  and  rory  is  almost  embarrassed.  “she's  three  –  ”  facts  about  his  beloved  baby  are  no  struggle  to  find,  always  the  forefront  of  his  mind.  making  sure  she's  safe  and  comfortable.  “she's  kinda  small  for  her  age,  somethin'  ‘bout  percentiles  i’ve  looked  at.”  if  he  fully  got  it  is  another  story.  “her  name's  liberty.  not  after  the  ..  word.  but  'cause  the  statue  is  or'ginally  copper.” or is  was  it  green?

"oh my god you're a small baby, i love you already!" sovaia couldn't resist but coo, talking to the dog with her voice a pitch higher than normal. the artist has such weakness for animals, and at this point, she's dropped what she has been doing to focus on the dog, scratch the top of her head as she does give her licks, which she doesn't mind. "copper, like a penny right? then, you know... i was told at art school some pennies do turn green, so..." it was a tidbit of knowledge she still could remember. "but enough about that, it's such a nice name for a very cute baby!" she slowly stands up. "i forgot to introduce myself, i'm sovaia, by the way, or sov, thank you for this, oh my god...can i actually take pictures of her?"

“  i  have  a  proposal,  ”  cairo  declares,  taking  a  sip  (or  rather,  a  chug)  of  what  might  be  her  third  drink  before  setting  it  down  on  the  table.  she  leans  in  close  like  she's  divulging  a  secret,  eyes  flitting  between  sovaia  and  the  karaoke  stage.  “  you.  me.  we get up there and  sing  a  song  together.  preferably  chappell  roan,  but  i'm  not  picky.  ”

"i am listening, baby girl." sovaia puts her drink down and keeps her eyes at cairo as she spills her idea, humming and nodding, pretending to think about her idea, yet she was already down for it. "you had my heart at karaoke, and absolutely, absolutely, chappell roan... it is so so so hard to pick from her songs though." she pauses to take a long sip of her margarita. "so you're going to have to pick for the both of us."

"keep your voice down, quinn, they can't hear that shit, bro!" indigo gives him a feigned shush as they both make their way in the restaurant. she was starving to the point that all she could thing is dinner, and she had been busy all day long. "holy shit...24-piece, and different sauces....hell yeah, they have cajun sauce back too, man." they sat down, and instantly, she finds herself nodding. "hell to the fuckin' yeah, we're getting the new thing on the menu. you think they have rice too? i am so starved, dude."

“  that  would  be  every  book  if  you're  me,  ”  isabel  jokes,  but  not  really  —  it  was  very  easy  for  her  to  find  queer  subtext  in  every  piece  of  media  they  consumed.  it  wasn't  a  gaydar,  more  like  a  gayfication  beam.  “  the  picture  of  dorian  gray,  ”  they  repeat.  one  of  her  favorites,  if  she  had  to  pick.  they  hadn't  read  it  in  a  while,  though,  maybe  they  were  due  for  a  re-read.  “  it's  about  a  man  who  asks  for  eternal  youth,  and  in  exchange  a  portrait  of  him  absorbs  all  his  aging.  it's  a  really  good  book  on  hedonism  and  self-indulgence,  i  highly  recommend  giving  it  a  read.  ”

"i mean, i believe every person has the gay in them, even just a bit. some just have a hard time accepting it." it still felt new to see content finally being recognized and stories are now shown without hold backs. "back then what i survived on is the l word... wasn't exactly a model show, but, you know, i take whatever i can get." she shrugs. "anything to fulfill my cravings at this point, my brain seems to be craving for whatever fucking knowledge i can get lately." hence the never-ending questions. "maybe i'll have this to read, just gotta make sure it don't get wet..i tend to be around water a lot."

" sorry i'm late ! " evelyn would say as she had rushed over towards the entrance where she had seen indigo waiting for her arrival. " i got stuck in a little bit of traffic as i was just getting off of work. " leave it evelyn to almost barely even make it to somewhere on time. though, she usually made it a point not to be late. yet it seemed to happen very so often, despite her efforts. " so ! are we going in there or what ? now i don't always choose to go dancing.. but the more that i thought about it ? an evening out didn't seem too bad. "

"oh shit, you're lookin' good, goddamn." indigo says in greeting the second she lays eyes on evelyn as she walks in tipsy shores, already nursing a half empty cocktail in her hand. "alright, the only reason i haven't ordered yours yet is 'cause the ice will melt and i know you're gonna fucking hate the water on top of your glass." she takes a swig on her drink, looking around as the crowd starts building up. "yeah, you know, i don't dance much, but it's fun to let loose sometimes...they said it's therapeutic to the brain or some shit."

martina’s short hair dripped with water as they made their way out of the ocean,  their surfboard under their arm,  their body covered in neoprene.   they spotted indigo from afar—of course, they did—they had done it the moment they entered the beach.   still,  very few things could separate martina from the waves,  so they waited until they were done with their adrenaline fix to approach her.   “   hello,  there,   ”   looking up,  they greeted her with the most sultry voice they could manage,  a smirk as mischievous as the glint in their eyes perched on their features.   “   i didn’t know you would be here,  i would have feigned an emergency otherwise.   ”   it was a joke,  they would never do that,  but their goal was to get a raise out of the woman.   always.

indigo would be lying if she said she did not notice martina the second they've reached the water, as she would strategically keep an eye out on everyone just in case of potential danger. she wasn't catching the waves this time as she took the early morning shift this week. she had a feeling she wasn't just going to watch the surfer, as now they've walked over to her. "good morning to you, too, martina. you know you can get in trouble for faking an emergency, right?" she says as she raised her sunglasses up to her head, raising a brow to the other. "you can just ask me to—nevermind, let's not do that, yeah?"

it's  been  quite  some  time  bryn  dared  to  be  so  bold.  texting  indigo  risky  texts,  sending  even  riskier  pictures.  but  something  about  her  sparked  so  much  intrigue  within  her  very  being  that  bryn  decided  to  play  way  more  than  she  would  with  a  regular  friends  …  with  benefits.  usually,  she  doesn't  let  any  of  her  special  friends  close  as  she's  let  indigo  and  it's  both  scary  and  exciting  to  make  an  exception  to  her  rule.  wrapped  in  a  silky  see-through  wardrobe,  bryn  opens  up  with  a  sly  smirk.  “  i  hope  you  didn't  break  any  laws.  ”

it felt like indigo was in a race against time, riding back to bryn's place as fast as she could, maybe, just maybe, breaking a few traffic laws not to waste any more minute away from her. the second the younger woman opens her down, the lifeguard already had her helmet off, and was just in the process of taking her gloves off with her mouthm, before responding. "i would never... come here, baby..." she welcomes herself in her place, putting the pizza box doing on the nearest surface she could as she grabs bryn by her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. "you don't know how much i've thought about this all day..." she murmurs against her lips, her arm snaking around her to keep her close.

he's  only  here  because  he  likes  the  idea  of  pride  itself  —  parades  are  a  little  disorienting  both  now  and  before,  so  he's  sticking  to  the  beginning  of  the  route.  liberty  is  by  his  side  in  her  proudest  rainbow  flag  bandana,  sniffing  at  the  ground  and  probably  trying  to  decide  what's  food  and  what's  not.  the  peripheral  image  of  someone  looking  for  a  spot  on  the  sidewalk  has  him  pushing  the  golden  retriever  a  little  closer  to  make  room.  “sorry,”  is  how  he  starts,  slinging  his  arm  over  her  front  to  keep  her  from  climbing  all  over  them.  “you  can  sit  –  if  you  want.  she's  friendly.  might  try  to  lick  y'to  death,  but  she  means  well.”  a  shrug.  “i'll  hold  onto  her  so  she  doesn't  bother  you  though.”

ever since she left palmview for the first time years ago, attending pride events wherever she was is something sovaia would do, and she isn't going to miss one now, as this is her second year since she came back to palmview. the artist was walking around, for a while, then sat down for a break, taking photos in her film camera for later, and before she knows it, a very friendly golden retriever was not jumping on to her. "oh hello, you lovely, lovely baby." she immediately slid her camera back in her satchel, hugging liberty, giggling at her enthusiasm. "a cutie like this is never a bother for me, what's her name, hold old is she??"

the conversation had been going well enough that genevieve almost didn't notice the music change. almost. the second the opening notes drifts through the dance hall speakers, however, her attention snaps toward the dance floor, recognition immediately lighting up her features. " oh, my god! " she laughs, shaking her head as if she can't quite believe her luck. of all the country songs that could come up next, it just had to be one of her favorites. glancing back at the person she's been talking to, she points toward the crowd already beginning to form in the middle of the dance floor. " okay, i'm sorry, but this is completely non-negotiable. " setting her drink down on the nearest table before she could accidentally spill it in her excitement, genevieve extends a hand in their direction, her smile bright and entirely too confident for someone who clearly isn't taking no for an answer. " one song. three minutes, max. if you're not having fun by the end of it, i'll personally buy your next drink. " tilting her head, she gives their hand a pointed look before meeting their gaze again. " and before you tell me you don't dance, just know i've heard every excuse in the book and none of them have ever worked on me."

sovaia was already probably three or four margaritas in, hanging out, having fun with her girlfriends as per their weekly scheduled hang. it felt like the drinks just breezed by that she was unsure how much she's had. she had been so engrossed in the conversation she was having with the group when the next song makes everybody turn, and the next thing she knows, genevieve was offering her hand. "oh, mademoiselle..." she says with a smug smirk, taking it hold, standing up from her stool. "if this song doesn't get me to dancing, you better call an exorcist because i would never not turn this one down." she basically turns it around and drags them herself to the dance floor this time.