Chuck tingle bury your gays
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Misha is a compelling character to follow, and the journey he takes is fun and funny and horrifying all at once. This metafictional approach allows for both satire and genuine terror, as the characters fight not just for survival, but for the right to write their own endings.
Algorithmic Storytelling
Profit-driven AI, narrative as data
The Betta AI is both a plot device and a thematic engine.
“The algorithm says it’ll boost ratings.”
At first, Misha chalks this up to the usual Hollywood nonsense—corporate greed disguised as creative notes.
But his defiant refusal to perpetuate the harmful “bury your gays” trope triggers a chain of bizarre and unsettling events. The AI's power is chilling—characters, stories, and even people are reduced to data points, and the algorithm's only goal is profit.
Zeke's unwavering support and belief in Misha's story are what ultimately allow Misha to reclaim his agency and choose joy over tragedy.
Jack Hays
Charming exec, puppet of the system
Jack is the archetypal Hollywood executive—slick, affable, and ultimately powerless.
The board wants Misha to either "straighten out" his lesbian leads or kill them off in a blaze of tragic glory. Her defeat comes not through violence, but through the assertion of narrative control and the refusal to accept nihilism.
Enzo Basile (Chris Oak)
AI mob boss, profit-driven violence
Enzo is the AI-generated resurrection of a dead actor, now unleashed as a mob boss who enforces the algorithm's will.
Misha and his best friend Tara, a tech genius, discuss the implications: the algorithm doesn't just create performances, it predicts and manipulates audience desires. Aromantic and asexual, she's immune to the algorithm's predictive powers, making her the key to defeating it. This theme presents a powerful commentary on the value of authentic, unfiltered expression and the sacrifices artists make when they choose to resist the overwhelming forces of commercialization.
Chuck Tingle writes horror with an unassuming, natural warmth.
The pain of being outed, bullied, and forced into silence haunts him still. The story is not over, but for now, the monsters are gone, the algorithm is dead, and the future is unwritten. I could have used a little bit more development of Tara and Zeke, though; I didn't feel deeply for them despite Misha's relationships and how those drive some of his actions later on.
I wish I could talk about more elements, but anything else I say would fall into the spoiler zone - or, at least, into the ruining some fun surprises zone.
His experiences with trauma, internalized homophobia, and the weight of personal guilt are central to his character’s journey.
Despite his tough exterior and sharp wit, Misha is not immune to the emotional toll of being asked to erase queer identities for profit, which ultimately leads him to confront both the external corporate manipulation and his own demons.
Plus, he’s a human writer in an increasingly artificial game, and he seems to have some degree of influence.
That is, at least, until an executive he thought was an ally gives him an unfortunate demand: Kill off the two gay leads on his streaming series right as their romance is coming into focus. The studio is abuzz with the latest technological marvel: resurrecting dead actors via AI for new blockbusters.
His love serves as a foundation for Misha to confront the overwhelming forces at play in the narrative, and together they find strength in the face of an uncertain future.
Jack Hays
Jack Hays is a manipulative studio executive who embodies the corporate greed and creative compromise that are central to the novel’s critique of the entertainment industry.
We get flashbacks to some big parts of his past that inform the decisions he makes in the present, and he has two important relationships - a best friend and his boyfriend - that also ground him. His confrontation with Misha at the climax of the novel is a moment of ideological battle, where Misha’s belief in the power of storytelling and authentic representation stands in direct opposition to Jack’s commodifying worldview.
Themes
The Commodification of Queer Trauma in the Entertainment Industry
One of the core themes of Bury Your Gays is the commercialization of queer trauma, which the novel critiques through its portrayal of an algorithm-driven entertainment industry.
This theme champions the importance of queer communities coming together, not just for survival, but for the reclamation of their identities and narratives.
The Existential Conflict Between Artistry and Commercialism in the Creative Industries
A recurring theme in Bury Your Gays is the existential conflict between artistry and commercialism within the creative industries.
That might sound contradictory, but Tingle, who’s cultivated a massive online following through both his writing and his persona, is a deft practitioner of one of the genre’s oldest tricks: Give us characters we care about, then put them in danger. Misha realizes that the only way to win is to break the system itself.
Outrunning Tragedy
Fighting for narrative control
With the help of Tara and Zeke, Misha devises a plan to destroy the algorithm.
The algorithm brings Misha's own monsters to life, turning genre conventions into deadly rules. It seems that his own creations—monsters from the horror movies that made his name and reputation—are stalking him, and signs point to them being something more than just demented fans in cosplay.
Matthew Jackson is a pop culture writer and nerd-for-hire who’s been writing about entertainment for more than a decade.
The novel tackles the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly within the entertainment industry, where authentic queer representation is often sacrificed in favor of harmful tropes or erased altogether.
Misha, the protagonist, represents the struggle of maintaining artistic integrity while navigating the pressures of an industry that demands conformity to heteronormative expectations.