Stern Men and Power Femmes with Nicole Cliffe

Buttoned Up. Taciturn. No-Nonsense. We all know the magnetism of a stern man, and how it compels thirst. Writer, benevolent internet queen and genteel bisexual lady Nicole Cliffe joined us to discuss her many thirsts, both real and fictional — from her formative crush on Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully on The X Files to Mindhunter’s Bill Tench. We also made a stop at the door of stoic-but-filled-with-rage KGB agent Ilya Kuryakin (played by Armie Hammer) in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Last but not least, we explored the flinty charm of 1920s-but-modern Detective Inspector Jack Robinson from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Both our drabbles are caretaking masterpieces, if we do say so ourselves. You can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Nichole is @tnwhiskeywoman and Bim is @bimadew. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. And you can leave us a voicemail at our new phone number, (510) 9-THIRST. Be safe out there, thirst-buckets… undo your top button and get to it!