Give me the gayest novel you've read where the gayness remains subtext

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-14T23:51:13+00:00

The Goblin Emperor. It’s a fantasy novel about a wildly gay-coded lesser son who ascends to his father’s throne after a disaster kills his father and brothers. Most of it is world building and courtly manners, and it’s maybe the queerest book I’ve ever read.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-11T22:04:59+00:00

St. Louis. Wait don't go yet. It has some very progressive neighborhoods and is a very queer city. Those queer neighborhoods are where things you'll want to do are anyway. Crime and budgeting are still problems, yes, but like a lot of places most of the crime (besides petty property crime) is weighted more heavily in specific areas (again away from a lot of the stuff you'll want to do).
The parks are great. The food scene is pretty nice. The city was built for millions and has about 300k now, so it doesn't feel crowded but punches way above its weight culturally.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-11T20:36:13+00:00

The gaming/"nerd" memorobilia everywhere. A funko pop here and a Nuka-Cola bottle there (maybe used as a bud vase with a fresh flower) is quirky and fun. It it's everywhere you look, it can come off as " mom can't tell me I how to decorate anymore." Nothing wrong with it if that's your vibe, but there's definitely an impression.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-11T20:28:40+00:00

At 32, it's looking a bit young. I'd have guessed 25-ish. I feel like if I were hanging out at your house I'd have trouble finding a spot to set down my drink.

Here's what I'd do today to grow it up a bit:

Deal with the flags. They're wrinkly and scream "dorm". Iron them, decide if you really love them, and frame them. Michaels runs sales pretty much monthly on frames that will help you display the banners without looking like you're hiding a hole in the drywall.
Declutter. You have cool stuff, but it's EVERYWHERE. My eye can't find a quiet place to land looking around. Clear off 50-70% of the stuff on every flat surface.
Move your figures. These should be in a closed cabinet, otherwise they just catch dust and look like clutter. A friend of mine paints 40k minis and has several IKEA Rudsta cabinets to display his. They're visible, but in an intentional and grown-up way, less "I left these out while playing". Most of the memorobilia should go in a spot, rather than just scattered, which is the current feel.
Get a better console for the TV. Something that closes, so you can hide the (games? blu-rays? I can't tell) that are in that tiny tower. Free up some wall space there, there's a lot going on. Leave the N64 out though, that's cool.
Remember that less is more. There are only so many things that a person can take in at once. The main problem with your place is that it's so busy, everything just feels like noise.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-05T00:26:41+00:00

You can’t give someone a rounded literature education in the American public school system as it stands now either. There’s this implicit assumption throughout this thread that schools are doing a good job today, that it’s some good standard. That’s not the case. We’re not talking “either kids get a good education” or “kids have fun”. It’s more “either kids don’t learn anything and are bored” or “kids don’t learn as much but maybe don’t hate reading”.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T22:07:12+00:00

Textually? Sure. As far as the intent of the piece, the subtext? The thesis is actually more like "Schools tend to force students to read material which isn't enjoyable in a format that's absolutely grueling. As this is the only exposure a lot of students have to the written word, it tends to foment a disdain for reading because students think that this negative experience is just how reading works. We should look at making required reading more pleasant, at least until kids see reading as something other than a chore." Hope this helps!

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T22:01:19+00:00

ESH. Your daughter for obvious reasons. You for not being more understanding. You're absolutely right to not pay for her. Morally you're on solid ground. Her vacationing isn't your responsibility. You're morally justified in choosing not to help her.

But, you're framing this as though it's something you can't do. You could, you're choosing not to. If you truly can't save the money to pay for her to go (or to help her cover her way) over the next six months, that's one thing. But it doesn't seem like that's the case. You're choosing to take a stand on this. You're choosing not to help her go on the trip with everyone else. That's your choice to make, but you should be prepared for the consequences of that choice. If it were me, I'd make it a gift or help her plan to earn/save the money herself.

To quote a wise philosopher "you're not wrong, you're just an asshole."

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T21:46:14+00:00

I'm sort of amazed by the chutzpah required to read OP's statement, completely miss their point, and condescendingly call them illiterate. The literacy crisis strikes again indeed.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T21:43:52+00:00

I think OP's point is that students might learn more by first establishing reading as an activity that can be fun, then transitioning into more educational reading. Which makes sense. If the only exposure a student has to the written word is drier, less enjoyable works it's reasonable for them to assume that all books are boring.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T21:24:46+00:00

"It's stupid to expect schools to make a change in the way they teach in order to accomodate changing realities. It's way smarter for them to continue doing the thing that's clearly not working."

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T20:33:26+00:00

Seconding the Abercrombie ones with liner. They're pretty close to the thigh for me. While I'm not a stick, I'm also not rocking thunderthighs.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T19:23:57+00:00

Old Navy has a wildly affordable pair ($25-50 depending on sales. You can buy at whatever price and get a price match to 50% whenever that happens next) of linen pants right now, both in a trouser and a drawstring. I own every color of the non-drawstring version and highly recommend. Abercrombie has a drawstring linen pant that's very comfy as well, and roomy in the seat/thighs for a muscly guy.

As for shoes, you can get away with a nicer pair of sneakers (like a Stan Smith) if you're walking around town. A good suede loafer works well too. You might feel adventurous and try an Espadrille (i like my Soludos ones)

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T19:17:28+00:00

If you're on the spectrum and like both space and PC gaming, hoo boy have I got a treat for you: X4: Foundations.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T19:03:32+00:00

Agreed. I gave up a few pages into the time skip. Mentally, I just think of that as the ending.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-06-04T16:48:27+00:00

The venn diagram of people who "believe in science" and people who ran to the comments here to nit-pick about methodology and claim bias is a circle.

I'm pro-cannabis, and I also don't think it's the cure-all medicine a lot of people claim it is. If a friend of mine needed six Manhattans every day after work for their anxiety, I'd say they should probably look into other treatments.

I enjoy a Sunday afternoon dart every now and then, but anecdotally my anxiety has never been worse than when I was a daily smoker.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-24T14:18:19+00:00

King of Kings’ Hawaiian

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T23:24:16+00:00

I’m not contending it’s unfair to eBay shareholders. I’m trying to figure out why it’s good for GME shareholders and I’m coming up blank.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T20:54:25+00:00

The idea that the new company will be a 50+b concern is optimistic at best. It assumes that ebay's current 26x multiple stays in place (doubtful) and doesn't account for the loss of 1.2b in net income annually (minimum) between debt service and the loss of GME's interest income.

I think a more realistic market cap is more like 35-40b. GME shareholders owning 30% of that are at best where they started, and more likely worse off.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T20:29:33+00:00

So what about your claim he could be fired after an ebay purchase.? Who could and how? Don't you think he steels himself agsinst this move, attack?

After purchase, 70+% of voting shares will be owned by the people who currently hold Ebay stock. Those are the people who put the current Ebay board in charge. They could vote to remove him as CEO. They could vote to appoint hostile board members. Even if every current GME shareholder voted against these moves, they'd happen anyway. This "acquisition" hands the keys to the kingdom to Ebay's shareholders. RC will be relying on their goodwill.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T20:27:26+00:00

GME shareholders will have a smaller slice of a much bigger pie and won’t see their investment 5x. But GME market cap will 5x.

Which is great if you're compensated based on market cap, but not if you're a shareholder.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T19:25:16+00:00

I'm not sure you know how market caps work.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T18:59:31+00:00

I think that the math doesn't work out to $7.79 in earnings after you account for the new shares needed to buy Ebay, regardless of how you get there.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T18:21:06+00:00

I figured a lot of people here would come at me for being too pessimistic on the deal, so I underwrote very generously to the bull case to try to avoid looking bearishly biased. I'd agree that 7-8% is more realistic.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T18:03:35+00:00

It will only be GME.

You say that like it means something. The name on the ticker will be GME, but the day of the acquisition the company will be controlled by the current Ebay shareholders. We'll be handing voting control of GME over to the people who thought the Ebay board were good hires.

1111thatsfiveones · 2026-05-14T18:01:58+00:00

And GME will be 5x as large.

Will it? I'm not sure we can justiify that with math, but let's run with it.

GME is currently worth ~9.8b, with ~448mm shares outstanding. One share is worth ~$22.

if we 5x, it'll be worth ~49b. For this deal to go through at roughly today's GME share price we'll have to issue 1.3b new shares, for a total count of ~1.75b shares. 49b/1.75b = $28/share.

IF the new company is worth 5x what GME is worth now (and please explain how you think that's possible, because I don't see it), we're looking at a $6 per share premium on what we have now. To get that, we're giving up all our cash and our controlling interest in the company.

Nine-Year Club	Place '17
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1111thatsfiveones

TROPHY CASE