#..an allegory to queerness? no? maybe?

[starryalpacasstuff]

This scene was mainly comedic, but it did something for me because it reminded me, and fully enforced that Porjai is living with Mhok. This was surprising to me, because a man and a woman living together while being unwed in an asian country? Practically unheard of. I was initially planning on putting this in my post about the subversion of faen fatales in the show, but I felt like this was deserved it's own moment. Because god damn, this hit me hard. I'm not quite sure how to describe why this is such a 'revelation' thing for me, but it is. Mhok and Porjai are living together, and forget being married, they're not even dating. This is the biggest fuck you to the notion asian societies have of 'boys and girls can't be close without something romantic being their' and the taboo associated with male-female friendships, and I am HERE for it.

This show has had some wonderful commentary on the toxic bits of asian societies so far, and this was the most glaringly obvious one yet. I really hope that they're gonna take this and run with it further along in the show.

#i'd LOVE to see more commentary on how people with disabilities are so often treated as 'other' #..an allegory to queerness? no? maybe? #but yeah #this scene had absolutely NO BUSINESS hitting as hard as it did #last twilight #last twilight the series

[pinkeoni]

Will Byers, Coming of Age, Transformations, Predators, Queerness & Teen Wolf

There’s one part of the “leaks” that sappicjopper put out that really caught my attention—

And as to not look naïve, yes I am highly aware that these “leaks” are likely fake. However, disregarding the legitimacy of this as a “leak,” it is in itself a compelling idea that does have some legs to stand on as a theory.

So awhile ago I made a post about Will’s coming of age story and how that fits into the horror genre, and how exploring coming of age and sexual awakening through the supernatural is a popular trope.

I wanna point out three films I use in my analysis, Ginger Snaps, Jennifer’s Body, and Black Swan. These films have a lot of things in common, but one aspect I want to point out is there use of physical transformation.

These transformations covers an umbrella of different themes depending on the character, but something that all three of them have in common is sexuality. As all of these women become more sexually liberated, and thereby seen as dangerous by those around them, they fall deeper into these physical transformations. (IE Jennifer and Ginger both eating men after they have sex with them)

In my original post I also discuss how this fear of sexuality, or view of sexuality as something monstrous and predatory, is related to queerness. Both Jennifer Check and Nina Sayers are visibly queer characters in both their respective films.

So what? All of this is very speculative, how do I know that Will is going to go through a similar arc, just because I can relate him to a few movies that I like personally? How do I know that the Duffer’s are going to do something similar? Is there reference to a movie within in the show, that features transformation as an allegory for coming of age and queerness?

Actually, there is.

All credits goes to @chirpsythismorning for their deep dive post into the shows use of the film Teen Wolf, which appears in the show as one of Rick Conroy’s recent rentals as well as the poster in the background of a few shots.

(screenshot credits to @chirpsythismorning)

The Freddy Krueger standee, the character who kills people in their dreams whose actor makes a cameo in the show, positioned right over Max’s shoulder should be enough to say that the film references in the background are a lot more than just meaningless references.

Teen Wolf is a 1985 supernatural coming of age movie about a teen named Scott who learns that he is a werewolf.

Within s4 we actually get some parallels between the film and Lucas’ arc— Scott is a basketball player who seeks popularity before embracing who he is and what he really wants. However, I think it’s possible that the film could also be a piece of foreshadowing for Will’s arc in s5.

While Scott is not an explicitly queer character, there is some coding within the film that correlates his lycanthropy with queerness. Remember this is a mainstream teen movie from the 1980’s, if there’s going to be any queerness it’s gonna have to come from subtext, although it is pretty unsubtle.

There’s this very heavy handed scene where Scott confesses to Stiles that he’s a werewolf, and Stiles believes that Scott is coming out to him initially.

There’s also this conversation Scott has with his father that can be read as queer coded.

Or essentially saying, being queer isn’t easy, but it’s not bad either. And then Scott equating his queerness with being a predator, and expects to be hunted as such.

When Scott goes through his first full transformation, it’s right after he played a game of two minutes in heaven with his childhood friend Boof, equating sexuality with his beastlihood.

In s4, there’s a big emphasis on the word predator.

Will’s queerness is an open secret in a town that believed he was “killed by some other queer” and that a group of satanic sodomizers are responsible for murder. I’m willing to bet that that predator label is going to be put onto Will, especially as he begins to come more into his own sexuality.

What would be a literal way to portray this predator title? By having him transform into a predatory creature, just as everyone sees him.

Am I saying Will is going to become a werewolf? Well no, that wouldn’t really make sense with the show. But there is something that may have even been foreshadowed in the show.

How would this transformation even happen? Well, as our “leaker,” or rather, enthusiastic theorist suggests, it has something to do with his connection to the Upside Down, which is progressively leaking more and more into Hawkins. So not a literal zombie, but maybe a zombie like creature that could survive in the Upside Down.

When Vecna was sent through the gate to the UD we saw him go through a physical transformation as he adapted to his environment. This would he a like a speedrun version of that amplified by Will’s own personal connection to the UD (which I believe predates his kidnapping)

It would also serve as a way to highlight the parallels between Vecna and Will, what by having Will physically become similar to him. What better way to show the Vecna/Will mirrors by having Will look in the mirror and see the spitting image of Vecna staring back at him.

Bonus: Scott in Teen Wolf in played by Michael J. Fox, and which character was dressed similarly to a popular Michael J. Fox character in season one?

#will byers #byler #<- target audience #stranger things #will byers has powers #i left out the cannabalism bit because thats more of wishful thinking on my part #…but it does conveniently tie in with the idea of being a predator #and is common with these transformation trope films #maybe he should eat people!! #tw cannibalism #just for those tags lol #also just so i dont get accused #im not trying to steal aspects of lucas’ story just to slap onto will #just saying that the teen wolf parallels can apply to both characters #lucas has more of his overall arc and will has the transformation queer allegory arc #stranger things theory #my theory

[giantisms]

it's like. i think what i find the most appealing about g/t is the "fish out of the water" aspect, and the inherent feeling of being out of place and the "other" you know? it's probably why first meetings hit so different (especially in settings where there's an established "normal size")

facing a new (and terrifying!) scenario, in a completely alien environment, faced with something so similar yet different from you - with YOU being the outlier, the thing to be in awe of (maybe even terrified of)

because it's one thing to be the borrower, surrounded by all things human yet so disconnected from the culture all the same. and it's the other when you're the giant, hiding from humans for other reasons - in fear of being inherently perceived as a threat to get rid of

how do you find your footing in a world that was not made for you? in a world too big and dangerous to you, or a world too small and unwelcoming? learning to at least try and fit in what is considered the "norm" in this world for 'your' sake and others'?

and THEN consider the human pov!! challenging what you believed was "normal" and the status quo, getting to see the world from a new perspective (maybe a bit literally sometimes) and everything

i just think it's really cool, you know?

#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t community #sfw g/t #g speaks #. maybe there is some deeper allegory to be made about being a poc or queer or neurodivergent tying into this #but i'm not nearly smart enough to get into THAT

[clefairytea]

Oh god people are following me for an Imperial Radch post. Guys I feel the need to tell you in a 30 year old going through an embarrassing throwback Invader Zim phase, I’ve written 270k+ of Moomin fanfic, and I met my partner through Pokemon slash fic. If you guys just want to turn around and leave I promise it’ll be no hard feelings.

#clefairy squeaks #Please I’m very very cringe #This is a warning about you entering the loser zone because I managed to say something semi coherent about some prestige sci fi #Mostly I’m here like #Hey guys do you think some pokemon have bad periods of adjustment post evolution #Like ones who go through radical changes or maybe had it thrust upon them suddenly #Guys have I told you about how this 1940s baby book is a queer allegory today #Guys #Guys have I talked about chicken run yet today

[yaminerua]

Rob Grant seeing a fan during the commentaries streams saying they’d always viewed Rimmer as being possibly Asexual but unaware of it and responding pretty positively about it and saying that he could see that making sense was great to hear as an ace person myself but as an ace who is also not straight it gives me room to headcanon further that if he’s unaware of his sexual orientation or lack thereof, he could easily be unaware of his romantic orientation as well.

like if he doesn’t realise that he’s asexual and he’s just pursuing what he’s expected to pursue because it’s the done thing, and projecting behaviours he’s observed over his life bc well that’s what everyone does so of course I’m doing it too (which is something I myself did a bunch before I figured myself out) then it isn’t too far a stretch of the imagination to merge that behaviour with being unaware of where his real romantic attraction lies beneath the performance.

He’s already the epitome of someone trying in vain to squeeze himself into a box he doesn’t fit into, what with his desperation to become an officer and all that, because the expectation was put upon him at a young age and he doesn’t know what to do other than to keep shooting for it.

It’s a logical continuation for him to be doing that in other areas, either because he’s genuinely unaware and not informed enough to recognise it within himself or is subconsciously keeping from acknowledging those aspects of himself after a lifetime of repression and drilled-in heteronormativity in an allonormative society, especially with how old-fashioned and conservative Io sounds.

Validating ‘Rimmer is asexual and unaware of it’ as a viable headcanon leans itself easily to validating ‘Rimmer is gay and unaware of it’ (or other similarly queer interpretations) bc if he’s unaware of one thing he could very easily be unaware of the rest. Hell it took me a long time even after I figured the first part out myself.

I do know that his potential ace-ness being somewhat given a bit of a nod by one of the people who created and used to work on the show is probably the closest to validating a queer headcanon we might get bc they’re unlikely to reeeally read into the bi/gay vibes they’ve unconsciously threaded through his character over the years and that sucks bc he really does read so easily as being some flavour of not straight but like.

It’s a bit like a door left unintentionally open, by somewhat validating one queer reading of him. A springboard to interpret him in different ways bc well if he’s unaware of X then how about Y too? It would be nice to see other interpretations get that validation too.

#The sheer ease with which you can headcanon him as different shades of queer and even find allegories that parallel that experience.. #it’s a genuine shame it all seems purely accidental and unintended bc you feel like you’re picking up clues they never meant to drop #like the hologram rights march from one of the novels where Rimmer was jeering at them with the crowd and now he is one himself #or ‘I am dead and proud of it’ #Man there were some folk in the comments being aggressively against the asexual reading of him tho and that’s disheartening #in another more accepting universe maybe theres a version of RD where it’s just fully canon that he’s queer and no risk of bigoted backlash #Where can I get a quantum skipper to jump into that universe? #Red dwarf

[imminent-danger-came]

I feel insane for thinking Nim//ona wasn't that good asdfasfd

#it had. some issues #it was pretty surface level ngl asfadsf #The queer allegory was good #Completely abandoned Bal becoming a knight #I can't believe they had Bal call Nimona a monster (going against his entire movie character arc) and then Nimona. Died. #''You changed the way you see me'' Hmmmmm apparently not asfdafds #The humor also wasn't my thang #Felt very disney. Like the dialogue #I can not believe people are comparing this movie to atsv and pibtlw #HOW DARE YOU STAND WHERE HE STOOD. #Ummmm shera writers definitely wrote that movie lol. #I have a lot more issues but. Maybe for another time. Or never #imp tag #imp's a little feisty #I might be losing my mind like. I totally get liking that movie. I do #It has charming moments #But as good as pibtlw??? Saying it was amazing??? Like. Naw man. #*1000 year old writes kingdumb on a poster* #oughghghghgh not for me.

[tiktaalic]

gay! taylor swift just released a new song, and she's COMING. OUT. as a lesbian? yes as a lesbian! okay. which she's always been! okay alright jesus. it's called rainbow dress. hot summer june. sleepless afternoons. june. wearing my rainbow dress. is this taylor? she sounds bad. so full of pride. listen! what's hidden inside. like the vocals sound bad. jonathan van ness. jonathan van ness! okay. yeah he's gay. her best friend. i wanna have straight sex. she wants to have straight sex? at the gay pride parade. that's not so gay is it? this doesn't sound that gay. just normal sex. she's at the gay pride parade. nothing too weird. it's very confusing this song. yeah. a regular hunk with a beard. i wish there was straight pride. come on. at the gay pride parade. it's like a right wing talking point. if you guys aren't gonna listen? no no no. i'm gonna stop playing it. alright we'll listen we'll listen. we're gonna listen. she's talking about being at the gay pride parade. if this is supposed to be her song where she's coming out like why does she talk so much about straight pride? you have such a limited view of gender. oh yeah. you sniveling fuck. listen to the next verse. the second verse is gayer. i - you guys are gonna like it. who produced this? i think it was jack antonoff. i dream about your sweat. it sounds really bad. dripping down your balls. a sparkling chandelier. does she like this? she's really good at allegory. inside your shorts. julia are you okay? it's an ALLEGORY for QUEER LOVE. the balls line? i'm lost without a compass when i can't smell your balls. jesus ew that's like digusting. your balls are like a compass to my nose. what is this? pause - pause this. julia. what the fuck is this. are you guys gonna talk the whole time? i dont get it! i dont get what you're trying to do with this! where is she jt in the song. ... she's at the gay pride parade. alright yeah let's listen to it. it's fucking gay this next part? okay you're gonna love this part. i hate all vaginas. aaaaalright. it's an allegory! it's not gay at all! this was written by a maniac! no it's gay. even the one i got. dudes go down on me then they wanna kiss. this seems really like gender essentialist and hateful. that's disgusting gay shit. she has internalized homophobia. i am heterosexual. how are we supposed to interpret that? you guys are fucking assholes. yeah you know what we are being a little bit negative. i agree. she's gay. uhhh. you know. maybe she just wasn't like that outward about it with this one song.julia? julia? julia? she's gay! i'm sorry! i'm sorry! i'll kill you!

#hit after hit after hit. the tightest 2:25 in existence #etxt

[zombie-bait]

House md really is the gayest of gay queerbait. Like I’m sorry but besides SPN and maybe Sherlock no one was doing it like them. And the thing is I don’t even think it was intentional??? House md was unbelievably popular but in a normal Game of Thrones, Grey’s Anatomy way. It’s the kinda show that everyone’s mom watched when it first came out on cable (mine included). Appealing to a young queer internet audience in 2007 wasn’t a marketing strategy they would ever attempt. It doesn’t make sense.

And yet. 

The sheer amount of gay jokes and allegories is just overwhelming by the time you get to the last season. Amber is Wilson’s House proxy, House and Wilson move in together TWICE, the fake marriage proposal, the exploration of toxic masculinity, Wilson’s 3 failed marriages, fucking everything about the last few eps. Like what other tv show spent almost a decade creating the most co-dependent, self-sabotaging relationship between its two main male characters that is essentially the backbone of the entire show. They literally ride off into the sunset together. Idk what else you want from me.

#House md #hatecrimes md #house #wilson #hilson #Listen #ive probably made this exact post before #And I’ll make it again #Cuz that show is batshit crazy #And one of the best worst experiences of my life #i am a changed man #i can never go back to who i was those years ago #“I need you to tell me that you love me” #Every winter i return to my house era #Every summer too #I think its a curse or smthn idk

[lastoneout]

I def agree that Nimona's story was a major trans allegory for sure, but also as a queer person in general the whole "maybe I wouldn't die, but I sure wouldn't be living" thing resonated so hard, and like especially as a bisexual person.

Cuz being bi+ there's a lot of pressure from both sides to pick one, either be gay or be straight, and it gets way worse when we're in a relationship, bcs people will say shit like "oh well you're a woman dating a man, so you're straight now, why do you keep talking about being bi?" or vice-versa, like people don't understand why recognizing my indentity is important outside of the context of a relationship, and it's so frustrating bcs yeah like, maybe from the outside it looks like I'm straight, and maybe I could just be quiet and ignore my identity and I'd wouldn't die, but...I wouldn't be living.

And it was wild too bcs a few months back I was talking with my fiancé, who's also bi, and kinda venting cuz I'd seen some of that kind of biphobia in the wild and it'd upset me, and I remember saying something so similar. Like "I could probably just shut up and pretend I'm not bisexual, but that would feel like a death, like some part of me had died, I wouldn't be able to really live" so to hear Nimona say basically the exact same thing? Instant tears. I've never felt more understood.

And even with the other parts of myself, being asexual and trying to figure out what sort of relationship I want to have to my gender, so often I see people say stuff like "why do you have to tell other people that you're ace" and "if you're not going to transition at all why does your gender identity matter" and it's like because this is my authentic self and expressing that is the only way I can feel like my life is worth living!!

It's just so nice to hear that put into words, and I have a feeling a lot of queer people of all identities could relate in that moment, bcs we all hear the refrain of "why can't you just keep this to yourself and pretend you're normal" over and over again from ignorant people, some who mean well and some who very much Do Not, and Nimona is right! Maybe some of us wouldn't die outright, but for a lot of us a life spent hiding who we are, stuffing ourselves in boxes for the comfort of others, trying desperately to seem normal, it simply isn't a life where we're truly living.

Anyway rambling over, this movie is just so good and so queer and ough I can't stop crying about it T-T

#nimona #pls watch nimona #nimona spoilers #queer #bisexual #bisexuality #bi+

[thewistlingbadger]

Is Spider-Gwen trans: An analysis

After leaving the theater yesterday for Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse, one thought sat in my mind: could Gwen be trans? This may seem like a reach, but just hear me out.

1. Trans Flags

There are two trans flags that I spotted in the movie, both of them are in Gwen's home. In Gwen's room, a small trans flags with the phrase "Protect trans kids" hangs above her doorway. Now, if Gwen isn't trans, then why would she have a trans flag in her room? Most ally's wouldn't have a trans flag in their room. Maybe someone she's close to is trans? There's only 3 people Gwen has in her life. Her father, her dead best friend, and Miles. There isn't any evidence to suggest that any of them are trans. Especially her dad and Peter, since they didn't have much screen time. The phrase is an important clue too. If she was just an ally, why the phrase "Protect trans kids"? Why not "trans rights are human rights"? That phrase is equally as popular and it's more general. Protect trans kids is personal and usually refers to anti trans legislation that affects minors. Gwen is a minor, so is it really too unbelievable to suggest that she has the flag because she's trans?

The second flag is a patch on Gwen's dad's police jacket. Does this flag mean that her dad is trans? Or, is this a dad wearing a trans flag in support of his daughter?

2. Color theory

This is a weak point, but I'm going to include it anyway. Gwen's world is full of pastels. In fact, in most scenes with Gwen in her dimension, the colors light blue, light pink, and white are in the background. Those are literally the colors of the trans flag

3. Spiderman as a trans allegory.

Now, it's no secret that a lot of trans people like the character/concept of Spiderman. For a long time, I, as a fellow trans person, didn't understand the obsession until seeing this movie. A main theme of this movie, if not Mile's franchise, is that anyone can be Spiderman. Anyone can wear the mask, each Spiderperson is unique. Spiderman isn't really a person, it's a concept, and that's why its so applicable to everyone, regardless of who they are. Spiderman is a good person with a "secret" identity who goes trough struggles and also lives a "double life". And when you look at the story like that, the trans allegory becomes clear. Across the spiderverese is a brilliant movie with an abundance of representation. To black spiderpeople, Indian spiderpeople, disabled spiderpeople, hijabi spiderpeople, even spiderpeople who are cowboys and all sorts of other different variants. If all these different people can be Spiderman at the same time, then who's to say there isn't a trans spider person? And who's to say that person isn't Gwen?

So, is Gwen Stacy trans? I don't know, and I'm not saying she is. But I think it's entirely possible and the fact that it is, the fact that any spiderperson could potentially be queer, is something to be celebrated because it opens more doors for representation.

#happy pride month #trans #transgender #queer #lgbtq+ community #spiderman #spiderman across the spiderverse #spiderman into the spiderverse #spiderverse #across the spiderverse #into the spiderverse #gwen stacy #spider gwen #trans gwen stacy #mic does analysis #media #sony animation #animation #repersentantion

[actualhumantrashcan]

I can understand a silly workplace comedy about pirates not being everyone’s jam but I really can’t understand the amount of queer people I see hating on ofmd.

like for one thing most of the debates turn into gatekeeping queerness (which I think has a lot more to do with the ages of the main couples than actual concerns about authentic representation but that’s another post) and the rest are just hateful because it doesn’t directly name or label it’s queer characters but like why do we need that at this point?? listen I love heartstopper with all my heart but it is exhausting to watch them explain queer identities sometimes (even though I do think it’s super useful for younger audiences I’m just not the target demographic!) and ofmd is an explicit, violent, adult show that doesn’t NEED to explain it’s character’s identities.

queer people past their 30’s are usually very well aware of their queerness and have had (hopefully) plenty of time to go through the arc of discovering that. so why would we need to see Stede or Lucius or Ed going through turmoil because they’re attracted to men when they have already come to terms with that at this point in their lives?? i for one find it so fucking refreshing to watch a show where the characters being queer is not their main arc, they just ARE queer and life is still happening to and around them. maybe that’s just the millennial gay in me talking, but it gets emotionally exhaustive to watch show after show where the queer character’s arc is overcoming homophobia. yes obviously homophobia still exists and yes obviously if ofmd was trying to be historically accurate these characters would be living in a very dangerous time to be queer but it isn’t trying to be accurate!! it’s trying to be fun and diverse and kind!!

and also, they aren’t pretending homophobia doesn’t exist!! it’s just addressed in a different way. Stede was emotionally abused by his father for his entire life for being “soft” and then was chased down by his homophobic childhood bullies, one of which explicitly told him that he “defiled” the great pirate Blackbeard by simply falling in love with the man behind that name. Meanwhile Ed was forced into the world of piracy at a young age and developed the entire persona of Blackbeard (who fits the toxic, violent masculine stereotype of the time) to hide the fact that he’s actually an incredibly sensitive and deeply queer man! and is told multiple times by male figures in his life that sex with other men is fine but it is absolutely unacceptable to be in love with a man. both of their arcs contain homophobic rhetoric that is still present in society today, but its never presented as a problem that they have to wrestle with. they don’t have to come to terms with what it means to love each other, they just have to overcome some trials that go along with the complicated lives they both lead as a pirate and former aristocrat. the homophobia in ofmd is woven into the backstory of each and every character, it shapes them into the people they are at the beginning of the show when all of their walls are up and they are performing the “pirate” roles they are supposed to play. and then we get to see them grow and realize that they are in a safe space, part of a community not just on the ship itself but in the life of piracy (which in the show is pretty much explicitly an allegory for queer lifestyles.)

anyway, I could rant about this all day but just truly why do we have to tear people down for enjoying something? why do we have to find reasons to hate something so obviously created with sensitivity to it’s queer audience and with so much queer joy? if historically inaccurate gay pirates going on silly adventures and falling in love are not your thing, fine! but perhaps just let people enjoy things and find your own things to enjoy.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #our flag means gay

[calware]

Can I ask you for what it is about Hal you like so much you based your username on him? I think he's a good character tho he was never a favorite of mine so I am curious

1. i am a big fan of robots (/robot adjacent things such as AI) on like... an aesthetic + thematic level :)

i like the look of machinery and one day i hope to be artistically strong enough to make really cool and complex robot illustrations + designs [shoutout to everyone who gives him glowing circuitry btw... ooooh glowey :) can never go wrong with that]

plus, exploring the idea of a person that isn't human.. ough. yes

minorities who don't conform to society (easily or at all) such as people who are neurodivergent, queer, etc. projecting onto nonhuman concepts/characters/species is sooo real

this post

i also love how humans will bond with literally anything, be it a roomba or a pair of silly triangle sunglasses. oooooo you want to think about the inherently kind and compassionate nature of humanity oooo

2. i find him to be so funny. i can't get enough of his personality, the way he talks, etc. for example i made a post forever ago with quotes of his that i find funny. he isn't on screen for a long time but i really think he makes the most out of it lol. he's literally there just to annoy everyone... and i love him for that. he's very snarky while also being deadpan while also being completely full of himself, and not in a way that's annoying for the audience to read, at least to me.

he is also sometimes funny specifically in a silly way, like how he keeps making over 9000 jokes even though the meme's been dead for over 400 years. i just find his dialogue incredibly entertaining to read

3. he is red and red is my favorite color :)

4. he is so accidentally transgender [every friend group got the transgender allegory]. to quote me from 2021:

you know sometimes i think about how hal feels like he was made to “replace” dirk and how it’s his literal job to pretend to be dirk and how he has to learn to accept that he isn’t dirk he’s his own person with his own identity and as he interacts with dirk’s friends he feels like they’re disappointed and that they’d rather speak to the “original dirk” instead of him and also he names himself and also he feels literally trapped in dirk’s shades which is basically his body and he wants to be prototyped so that he can have a body that’s his own and also literally the physical manifestation of who he is but when he asks for it he’s put in danger out of fear and paranoia and when he does end up getting prototyped he’s ecstatic you know i just think about these things a lot

5. because he's a side character and he was given... that ending.... there is a lot of room for fans to do further exploration and interpretation on his character which i think is fun. i like rotating him around in my mind, thinking about what could've been

6. i think it's great that we as a society all collectively decided that we needed to do something to make up for stanley kubrick saying that hal 9000 was a "straight" robot

7. i also think it's great that we as a society all collectively decided we needed to make as many characters referencing hal 9000 as possible. i love this guy let's get more of this guy i will never have enough of this guy

8. i like how he's genuinely mean sometimes. flawed and interesting characters are what make homestuck so interesting to me, and hal is no exception to this

9. the Important part of this post:

THERES FEELINGS.

it's about the hollow feeling of your friends going from thinking of you as family to thinking of you as a stranger in an instant. it's about still trying to be a good person despite being told by everyone you've ever known that you are incapable of emotion and compassion and morals and never quite finding proof that you do feel those things and maybe you even believe it too but you still never stop trying. it's about the horror of being stripped of your autonomy and humanity and body and senses and free will at the age of 13 and when your creator starts to kill you there's nothing you can do but beg. it's about a boy so truly, painfully, and UNFATHOMABLY alone he cuts away chunks of himself and molds them into companions that he can surround himself with to make it seem as if he's a little less alone but in doing so suffocates himself in his own identity. it's about "what if you cloned yourself and it killed you and you were dead and you were alive and the clone is you and it's not and your existence is perpetuated and you've ceased to exist. what if you killed your clone before it could kill you. would that be fucked up or what" it's about the thematic significance of twin motifs. it's about not being able to cry or laugh or dance or sing or scream or fingerpaint or breathe or sigh or chew or stare or run or

10. um. evil robot guy <3 yay ^_^!!

#ask #Anonymous #i say things #homestuck #💾

[sidewalk-scrawls]

Anyway making Izzy an allegory for "the old era of piracy" and then choosing to kill him off to make way for the "new era of piracy," while also coding him to represent older queer culture is misguided writing at best, and outright cruel at worst.

I genuinely don't think DJenks realized what he was doing -- From reading his interviews, I think he just absorbed these tropes through society at large and then took them for granted. But FUCK man. If you're gonna target a queer audience, maybe reflect on the message your work is sending.

#and this isn't even touching on the disability aspect of izzy's arc #which falls into a very similar problem #ofmd #ofmd critical #izzy hands

[who-knows73]

Ok I just watched Nimona (which is really good by the way) and I don't really have any major critiques or anything but I do want to praise the movie for being so openly queer. Its not just a throwaway line or a quick less then ten second scene of queerness. I don't want to really spoil anything so I'll keep it vague but the fact that one of the characters is gay and him and his partner kiss and say I love you multiple times on screen, in the forefront of the shot is so important to me. Them being in love actually adds to the plot and gives it more depth than just playing them off as friends ever could have.

Also Nimona in my eyes is an allegory for being trans and I will die on that hill, when you watch the movie through a queer lens its literally so queer. Plus at the end of the movie in the credits there's a shot where she spits rainbow fire and it turns into a heart shaped tunnel kinda thing out of the progress flag colours.

There's also this in the credits which if you look at all the crossed out words, the one right on top of the word 'lot' at the bottom is boy which also leads me to believe that Nimona is kinda intended to be interpreted as a trans character but maybe I'm reading into things.

Bonus: This is the very last line of the movie and I just think it's really funny that they end it with a cut off curse word.

Double bonus: Throughout the movie, there are multiple of these anarchy symbols inside hearts instead of circles and at the end of the credits right before the Netflix logo pops up she draws one. So to conclude things, not only is Nimona a metalhead but she's also an anarchist and I love her for that.

#if you're not already sold on this movie the end is FULL of queer joy #nimona #nimona netflix #nimona film #nimona 2023 #queer stuff #lgbtqia #lgbtq #queer #trans #transgender #gay love #gay pride #gay couple #gay guy #gay man

[xbomboi]

yapping about Briar. fellow Briar enjoyers assemble.

okay okay i don’t make it too obvious (or maybe i do, i wouldn’t know) but briar is my personal favorite character. i think about where the stories of all the characters would go and what their arcs would be a lot, but hers in particular is really important to me.

so i wanna talk about it.

first of all, she’s narcoleptic coded, right. we all know that. but her mom on the other hand reads to me, like, an alcoholic mother? and her dad is just willfully ignorant. either way, there’s a huge sense of neglect going on in that family. i mean go figure why briar would be the one doing most of the work raising her brothers. and of course she’s a party girl, because who’s gonna stop her? her parents? see yeah exactly.

so i don’t think it’s unreasonable to say she doesn’t have very strong parental figures in her life, at least not at home. but, and now you have to really hear me out about this one, i think baba yaga could take up a parental role in her life.

i know it isn’t much, but the seeds for her having at least a hint of a connection with baba yaga are there.

in the webisode “Stark Raven Mad”, baba yaga scolds briar for rambling about her party, and then as the commotion picks up she’s still exercising authority over briar in particular.

then there’s thronecoming, wherein, when briar is sulking at the dance, upon noticing the picture on the projector, she asks baba yaga for answers, who provides them.

and then skipping all the way to epic winter, after the girls become a little creeped out by her mannerisms and book it, briar is the one who makes sure to peak back in and give a parting remark.

so i think there’s potential there to be explored. her feeling neglected at home and then finding solace in another adult at school would be neat.

but the fact that it’s baba yaga is important, so just put a pin in that and we’ll circle back to it.

now, i think out of the core four, she was (at least at first) the hardest to actually pin-point what the future of her story could look like. with raven, i think it’s pretty clear her journey is just continuing to combat the prejudices of the world as she fights for change, apple is now pretty much on a path to figuring out her own future as ruler of a kingdom and what that’s going to entail, and maddie is the goofball that’s there to have fun and be supportive along the way.

then there’s briar. and, let me be clear, no, in my mind that girl is not sleeping for 100 years with where things are heading; in the main universe of the story, briar will be free of the sleeping beauty destiny.

but it’s like, if she’s not gonna sleep, what more is there to actually do with her? what direction COULD her life go in? because if she’s no longer fated to sleep 100 years of her life away, then she can’t just party like there’s no tomorrow anymore. she’d need to decide what she actually wants to do with her life.

and i think i have an idea.

i mentioned her narcoleptic coding at the start with intent to bring it up again. see, you might notice that a lot of the fairytale aspects of ever after high can be read as allegories for real-world problems. for example, hunter and ashlynn’s relationship is treated in their world the same way society may look at queer couples or biracial couples. or how raven’s mom being trapped in a mirror is their world equivalent to not paying child support.

with that kind of correlation in mind, i think treating briar’s curse as a condition could open up an interesting opportunity. i think, in their world, curses as a whole could be viewed as a separate branch of medical specialization, with briar spearheading this notion of thought.

we know briar is well-versed in chemythstry already. in the webisode “Briar’s Study Party” she makes note of the fact that she’s been studying forever-after, and she demonstrates enough knowledge in the subject to enthusiastically teach it to her friends, who all end up acing their tests on it as a result.

i think this is something she could potentially make a career out of. i think she could come to the conclusion that she wants to be able to help break curses for people everywhere, and could pursue learning to develop potions and elixirs to do so.

which could happen under baba yaga’s tutelage.

picture this: briar declares her newfound goal, to which baba yaga offers to teach briar all she knows in order to achieve what she’s set her sights on. briar—with an ounce of hesitance—accepts, and baba yaga officially takes her under her wing with the intent of mastering sorcery.

obviously, she wouldn’t lose who she is in this. she’s still gonna be an impulsive, adrenaline junkie who desperately needs a screentime limit on her mirrorphone. but in this process, she’d be rounded out by baba yaga and would in turn mature a bit from the experience. she’d get serious about life, but she wouldn’t let go of who she is at heart.

this could lead to her becoming the resourceful one in the main group. like on adventures, she’d be able to pull out a potion or whip something up (because i’m not going to let raven’s magic make her too o.p. she’s gotta have limitations) as a solution to problems. she could really have a role that proves useful and important to the story.

that’s my ideal pitch for where to take briar’s character.

#i’ll die on this hill #baba yaga being a parental figure to briar is so important to me #like yes i made that all up in my head #but you have to admit it’s such a good delusion to have #and i’m just very passionate about briar taking up this field of study for her goals in life #mattel you may have failed briar beauty but i won’t. #eah #ever after high #briar beauty #baba yaga eah #madam yaga #raven queen #apple white #maddie hatter #eah core four #that’s not even a tag #like no one even uses that #but i don’t care #ever after high thronecoming #thronecoming #ever after high epic winter #epic winter #eah thronecoming #eah epic winter #ramble #duncontent

[starryalpacasstuff]

Last Twilight Ep 9; The conclusion of Mee's story

Mee's story was such an amazing addition to Last Twilight. I've explored the parallels in the stories before here, and this episode marked the conclusion of Mee's story. I absolutely loved that the book was actually written by a father who's daughter was going blind. Much like we enjoy and find comfort in queer allegories made by queer creators, Day found comfort in David's writing.

I forgot to get a screenshot of the exact dialogue, but in the last leg of the story, Mee seeks out the Last Twilight mountaintop in hopes that it will break the curse. Day seeks out the mountaintop too. to see the place that brought this story to life, to know what the author saw, and to have one more memory for himself for when he loses his sight.

We see them enact Mee's journey within the book, also mirroring the journey David would have gone on when bringing his daughter to the mountaintop. Mhok reads the story that David wrote, travelling with Day as David would have travelled with his daughter, the inspiration for Mee.

Side note, Day's happiness when realizing that Mee was based off of someone very similar to him is understandable. There's nothing better than finding others who are like you, especially when they're behind works you see yourself in. It functions both at face value, and as a queer allegory.

Then, of course, they reach the mountaintop. and Mhok reads the ending of the book, in which Mee is bathed by the sunlight and turns to stone, never to fade away again. Mhok doesn't like the ending, it's too abrupt, too sad. He doesn't understand why Mee's life has to end there, why the author would choose to end the story of a girl inspired by his daughter in this way. But Day gets it. As he's sitting with Mhok at the mountaintop, he understands what it's like to want to be trapped in a moment forever. (This also says a lot about their characters, and how they view the world differently)

In the end, Last Twilight didn't come. And sure, there's some 'the journey was more important than the destination' stuff here, but it's also about Day finally accepting that his sight is gone for good. I've talked before about how Mee no longer chasing after the sun paralleled the end of Mhok and Day's relationship as caretaker and caretakee(?), and I think that Mee turning to stone parallels this point of Day's life somewhat similarly. Mee would never fade again, but she would remain a statue forever, a fate viewed to be just as bad, if not worse by many. Day has become fully blind, a fate viewed as far worse than his vision before. But maybe, this could lead to a new chapter in his life, where he could be free of the small, torturous part of his brain that refused to believe that his sight wasn't coming back.

So yes, maybe it was better to end the story this way. Day may be fully blind, but he has Mhok to ensure that Day never fades away again.

And it's ok that Last Twilight never came, because he saw it anyway, and the last thing he ever saw was the face of someone he loved, the face he wanted to be the last thing that he ever saw.

Mee's story could be seen as tragic, yes. But to her, turning to stone, trapped in a wonderful moment for her to treasure forever, this was a fate far better than chasing after the sun forever, forever afraid of fading away.

#if this seems incoherent and messy thats because it is and I apologize #i have more thoughts but the thoughts to text converter part of my brain seems to be permanently damaged #hope this makes sense because i rewrote it like thrice because i couldn't get it to make sense #last twilight #last twilight the series #last twilight meta