Good Winter, Antler Queers. As we anticipate the second season of queer cannibal / 90s nostalgia / both grown women and teens getting their due in terms of meaty scripts in a TV show that is Yellowjackets, we are doing two watch-alongs. These are just for us, for fun, not sponsored or anything. But because YOU are our sponsors, our investors, the people who keep us here, we are holding some special events just for our membersa. Not yet an A+ member? Consider joining and in turn joining us for these watchalongs! I know that, on a personal level, as a Yellowjackets fan that I am eagerly anticipating watching along with Kayla as we revisit the first episode of season 1 (in which I realized this was a Serious Deal) as well as the first episode of season 2 which I have no idea about but am salivating over if we are being honest!

The server will open Thursday, March 16th at 1pm PST, and we will have:

First watch-along, a revisit of Season 1 Episode 1, March 16th 5pm PST / 8pm EST with Managing Editor and Yellowjackets Recapper Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Season premiere watch-along: Season 2 Episode 1, March 24th 5pm PST / 8pm EST with Managing Editor and Yellowjackets Recapper Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Okay, so the details:

The A+ Pop-Up Discord is gonna open up for 2 weeks. SO are you a member who is not opening my emails on Saturdays? You should if you want news that is relevant to member happenings! We don’t always duplicate members-only news on the site, but I try to include any relevant updates in our Saturday member e-newsletters. That said, yes, we are going to have a discord server just for A+ members opening up Thursday and going through March 29th or so. It’s a great chance to meet and chat with A+ members…and hang out and watch Yellowjackets together during our two watch-alongs! The link to join will appear on the website for members on Thursday.

How do I get on the pop-up Discord?

First, you’ll need to make sure you’re an A+ member! A+ members support everything Autostraddle does, and they get all kinds of bonus content as thanks — including access to periodic popup Discords where you can hang with A+ members! It’s helpful if you make a Discord account ahead of time if you do not already have one.

A post will re-appear on the day of the event, behind the A+ paywall, with the link and join widget :)

What will the event be like?

So, unlike a permanently run Discord, we will open this Discord, and then close it, so it’s great if you can stop by before it turns into a pumpkin!!! We keep our Discord pop-up’s text-based. They’re essentially like a chatroom or a Slack with different “channels” based around different topics you all might want to discuss such as sports or TV or parenting or crafts. You can use Discord on your phone or on a computer (probably also a tablet) and you’re invited to stop in as much or as little as you like. We ask every member to abide by a code of conduct (best summarized as respect each other and respect consent!). We just hang out and chat and share photos of our crafts or baked goods or leather work, whatever! We also sometimes have events like these Yellowjackets watch-alongs. It’s a good time and a great chance to talk to fellow queers and Autostraddle community members.

Accessibility

We want Autostraddle events to be as accessible as possible and we opted to go with a text-based chatting format via Discord in large part because it was one of the most accessible ways to hold this virtual event, not just in terms of audio/visual accessibility, but also because we know it can be hard to ask a question out loud or know when to jump into a conversation. We hope this helps things go as smoothly as is possible for a virtual event. That said, if there are accommodations that would make it easier for you to attend this event, please reach out to me at nico[at]autostraddle.com to let me know. Also, here’s a link to a guide on using Discord with a screen reader.

When will you have a Pop-Up Discord again?

June, if we make it to Pride!

In Summary

We’re opening the A+ Member pop-up Discord server on Thursday, March 16th at 1pm PST and running it through March 29th at 2pm PST. Join us for Yellowjackets watch-alongs at 5pm PST / 8pm EST on March 16th and 24th!

AND we are resurrecting (lol) our past cocktail and mocktail recipes for a second season:

Kayla’s Cocktail Suggestions

The Yellow Jack & Coke
1.5 oz of Jack (or your whiskey of choice)
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz yellow chartreuse
Cola
Add the whiskey, lemon juice, and yellow chartreuse to a shaker with ice, shake, pour over ice and top with a splash of cola! Feel the buzz buzz buzz!

Smoke & Sting
2 oz mezcal
2 oz citrus juice of your choosing
Water
Hot honey
Club soda (optional)
Dissolve a squirt of hot honey (as much as you want!) in about an ounce of warm water and add to a cocktail shaker with the mezcal, citrus juice, and ice. Shake and pour over ice. Optionally top off with club soda.

The Misty Fucking Quigley Special
2 oz sherry
An entire can of coconut La Croix
Pour ingredients into a highball with ice.

Shauna’s Malibu & Milk
No, I refuse to write a recipe for this or condone it as a choice.

Taissa’s Blood On Your Hands
This is just red wine.

Nico’s Mocktail Suggestions

Virgin Version of Kayla’s The Misty Fucking Quigley Special

In a highball glass over ice, combine:
1 can of coconut La Croix (or whatever flavor sparkling water you have)
A spoonful of the juice from fancy cherries, or a splash of cranberry juice (your choice)
Stir and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Best drunk while eating a box of chocolates.

Shauna’s Terrible Brunch With Jackie’s Parents Fauxmosas

In a champagne flute, combine:
1 part orange OR orange/mango juice
1 part sparkling water

Doomcoming Punch

3 oz strong hibiscus tea (optional: add lavender to the tea)
1-2 TBSP rosemary or spruce simple syrup
Juice of a quarter lime
Tonic water (for the bittersweet flavor of having a mock homecoming in the woods when you cannot make it to your actual homecoming because your plane crashed)
Rosemary sprig for garnish

To make the tea: You are going to want to make this extra strong. So maybe steep it for a half hour ahead of making the drink. Use extra hibiscus when brewing for a bright color. Add the lavender to steep in the last 5-10 minutes. Then remove the tea bags / ball and/or strain the tea.

To make the simple: Take 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup water and a generous amount (about 1 TBSP) of dried rosemary. If you have it, you can use 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Put over medium heat while stirring until sugar is fully incorporated and the mixture appears clear. Take off heat and let cool. Strain.

In an old fashioned tumbler, add ice halfway. Top with 3 oz tea concentrate, 1-2 TBSP rosemary simple (or less to make less sweet — you can adjust this to taste), top with tonic water, stir and squeeze juice of one quarter of a lime over top. Garnish with a rosemary sprig or slice of lime.

Kayla’s Snack Suggestions

Mixed jerky charcuterie board (sorry!)
Mixed berries (just ask Akilah if they’re safe first)
Stuffed mushrooms (NOT Misty’s mushrooms)
Pigs in a blanket (tbt the pig head that haunted Taissa)
Rabbit stew (jk)

See you there, antler queers?

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