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thewatsonbeekeepers · 4 years

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Chapter 8 – Dream a Little Dream of Me: parallels with Doctor Who

What’s queer film and TV without a bit of Doris Day in your chapter title?

This was never intended to be a chapter by itself, but having seen @tjlcisthenewsexy’s fantastic video on Wholock parallels here X I had to start writing. Full credit for inspiration here to @tjlcisthenewsexy, who has definitely had many of these ideas independently, and I would fully recommend watching the video before you read this. I personally only really buy Moffat era Who as a direct parallel to Sherlock, largely because Moffat wrote both, but also because 2010-17 matches up exactly with our boys. Lots of people have drawn parallels between 2005’s Bad Wolf Bay scene (by Russell T Davies) and the tarmac scene – those parallels are definitely there, but I think they’re more due to common tropes in love-declaration scenes than from intent.

The Doctor Who episodes I’m largely going to be drawing on here are Amy’s Choice, Last Christmas, The Name of the Doctor and A Good Man Goes to War. Others will feature, but if you want a really strong grip on what I’m talking about, I’d recommend taking a look at all of these, or at the very least Amy’s Choice! But now – on with the show.

Time travel has always been possible in dreams. This line comes from The Name of the Doctor, which came out in 2013. The dream in question is a psychic telepathy connecting five of our main characters whilst they sleep, controlled by Madame Vastra. Much has been made of Madame Vastra being an explicit Sherlock mirror (X) with Jenny as her wife and explicit John mirror, so using a dream state to connect people across time should already ring TAB bells. But crucially, we’re not just focusing on telepathy here – we’re focusing on the ability of 19th century characters to use a dream state to connect with the 21st century. Given that we never see where River Song is connecting from, it’s safe to say that it is the 19th – 21st connection between the other characters that is important, like in TAB. The use of the word ‘always’ is really important here – it’s not saying that time travel is possible in dreams in the Whoniverse, but that it has always been possible. There’s an implication here that before time travel was invented, in a non science fiction world, dreams can still do this – and that’s what helps us to jump across to TAB.

In the dream sequence in TNotD, Jenny is supposed to lock up before they go into their trance, but she forgets. Intruders break in, but because Jenny and Vastra are unconscious they can’t defend themselves and so Jenny is murdered. This is the spur for everybody to wake up, to save themselves. Pretty much all of our dream states in Doctor Who are focused on the possibility of dying in the outside world, but TNotD is the one which articulates the problem of EMP theory most specifically. Jenny, our John mirror, dies because her protector’s unconsciousness means that she can’t protect her wife. (Vastra’s Silurian abilities very much put her into the role of protector here – she could save Jenny where Jenny couldn’t save herself, and frequently does.)

Between the time travel and Jenny, then, TNoTD is probably the best framework we get set up for TAB. This came out only a few months before s3, in which EMP began, so it’s safe to say that these ideas are well-formed in Mofftiss’s heads at this stage. However, if we jump all the way back to 2010 and Amy’s Choice, we can see that this has been in the works for a lot longer.

The first point of note here is the casting of Toby Jones as the Dream Lord.

Casting the same actor to play dream merchants, knocking characters unconscious and altering their memories and psyches? The universe is rarely so lazy. Other mirrors in this episode are easy to pull out. The Doctor and Sherlock have long been read as mirrors for each other – characters who have existed for a long time and are constantly evolving through adaptation, super-intelligent loners, but in case that wasn’t obvious, Moffat went to a reasonable effort to style them very similarly when both tenures began.

Both of these are very conscious remodellings of old characters. Much was made of Matt Smith being the youngest Doctor ever (26!), and Cumberbatch’s youth set him apart from the Rathbone/Brett image in everybody’s heads. There’s something young and modern here – but both still dress like they’re slightly ‘out of their time’, which of course they are. Coming to terms with modernity is the central challenge that Sherlock is going to have to face. And then, of course, there’s the hair – instantly recognisable to the character in both cases, yet remarkably similar.

If the Doctor and Sherlock are mirrors, Amy as the Doctor’s companion should be linked to John. Amy ran away on the night before her wedding, and whilst she is reasonably happy with Rory in the long term of the series, this episode is about her making the decision between domesticity and adventure – a pretty clear link to John in s3 and 4. This episode is particularly important for TST however, because Amy is heavily pregnant in the domestic dream – but she is far from enthused, torn between domestic life with Rory and wanting to run off with the Doctor. However, I grant the similarity with Martin Freeman isn’t striking.

Do note, however, the similarly uncomfortable dynamic in both of these photos – hilarious.

The parallel dream!verses created broadly represent John’s dilemma from TST, and if we followed Amy’s Choice as it seems on the surface, we would end up with a pretty straight reading of TST – John spends too much time with Sherlock, they’re all in danger, Mary dies and John is suicidal because of it. Broadly speaking, this works – Rory is killed in the dream (with a really nice visual parallel to TST) and Amy crashes a bus and kills herself because she doesn’t want to live without Rory. Amy picks the domestic sphere and although it takes several more series to play out in full, this is broadly the direction the series takes us in.

In both scenes, Sherlock and the Doctor are left standing off to the right, unsure of what to do – if you watch both scenes in parallel, it’s striking. There’s a great article here talking about how the angle demonstrates the Doctor to be powerless for the first time, amongst other things. X Amy asks the Doctor what is the point of him, and John’s declaration that Sherlock has broken his vow carries similar weight – they were supposed to save them.

The title of the episode is Amy’s Choice, and this, we’re led to believe, is the moment when Amy chooses Rory. I don’t believe this. The Doctor/Rory conflict goes on for a lot longer than this, and it’s far too early in their first series to resolve it. It would leave a lot of later episodes without nearly so much tension. It’s true that Amy does have some agency in choosing – the science is questionable, as the Doctor says they’ve all tapped into some space LSD equivalent from an unmentioned offscreen adventure which has induced a mutual psychic trance, which means that we’re not sure how much agency each of the characters has in this dream. It’s not seeded, and so it sounds like a fudge – deliberately. Because a pseudoscientific explanation like this can’t explain the Dream Lord himself, Amy and Rory point out, and the Doctor admits that the Dream Lord, the architect of the dreams themselves, was actually the Doctor’s psyche. The space LSD sounded like a fudge – and Amy and Rory expose that it wasn’t just a fudge on Moffat’s part, it was a fudge on the Doctor’s part.

And, crucially, what was the first thing the Doctor said about domestic!dream, long before he realised he created it?

“Oh, you’re okay. Oh, thank God. I had a terrible nightmare about you two. That was scary. Don’t ask. You don’t want to know. You’re safe now.” X

Later, when asked how he knew that the Dream Lord was him, the Doctor merely says that no one else hates him so much. Domestic!verse, then, is a manifestation of everything that the Doctor dreads – it’s his worst nightmare, being conjured by his subconscious. That nightmare involves Amy’s suicide, Rory’s death because the Doctor can’t protect them – this maps pretty neatly onto EMP theory and TST. Although John doesn’t kill himself, he is rendered suicidal in the domestic nightmare that is left behind. As the previous chapter discusses, Sherlock not being able to protect John is definitely a nightmare, but the nightmare also maps onto reality – John is suicidal, but he’s struggling to work out why, so he has to construct it through a heterosexual lens. John’s potential death and love for Mary are the two things that form the worst nightmare in both dreams, and the nightmarish sense is highlighted in TST by the deep waters metaphor.

At the very end of the episode, the Doctor’s reflection is still the Dream Lord, suggesting that this isn’t some psychic drug phenomenon, an explanation which was frankly crap. The Doctor’s dark side is still inside him. This feels like an allegory for mental illness, and mental illness crops up aplenty in Moffat’s depictions of the Doctor, particularly the later we get – the seeds of it are here. Again, although Sherlock is being killed rather than killing himself, we have seen the suicidal side of him before and it is made clear in TAB that his opinion of himself is low. EMP s4 is about him coming to terms with how he views himself, and the cognitive dissonance that we see in Amy’s Choice is a nice separation of the psyche in two that foreshadows the immense splintering that’s going to come in EMP, but particularly between John, Mycroft and Eurus.

Another nice parallel between s4 and Amy’s Choice is the idea of predictability. Way before we know that this is the Doctor’s dream, the Doctor displays a remarkable ability to finish what the Eknodines say before they do, an ability which becomes an obvious hint in hindsight. Moving over to TLD, Sherlock has similarly ridiculous powers to predict what other people will do; because this underpins TLD, it jumps out as being something that rings very false to me, almost like a parody of who Sherlock Holmes is meant to be, and so we should pay attention to it. An uncanny ability to predict what others will do – yup, that’s a dream world.

One key similarity that Amy’s Choice has with EMP theory is that a false dream premise is set up in both. Amy’s Choice suggests that there are two worlds, and only one is a dream; their survival depends on recognising which is the real one. This is, of course, a lie – both worlds are dreamed, and that false premise is created to trap them in the Doctor’s psyche, presumably until the Doctor dies (although the threat is never clearly explained). TAB sets up a real world in the form of the modern day and a false Victorian age, but the supernatural graveyard scene is the first hint that the reality/dream binary is not real, just like Amy’s Choice. This one scene is not an anomaly – the chronology of the ‘man out of my time’ scene coming after Sherlock gets off the tarmac suggests that such mixing is still going on, and we shouldn’t trust our senses. In case that point needed hammering any more, however, Steven Moffat gave us A Good Man Goes To War.

This episode is the culmination of a series in which Amy is actually an almost-person, and Amy has been dreaming all of their adventures with a flesh avatar actually having them with Rory and the Doctor. Here it is Amy, rather than the Doctor, who is dreaming, which is a little ambiguous, but there are two key aspects that parallel Amy’s Choice. The first is that, like Amy’s Choice, the flesh avatar/dream person threat doesn’t just go away. These words of Madame Kovarian are extremely important:

Fooling you once was a joy, but fooling you twice, the same way? It’s a privilege. X

Exactly what the Dream Lord does in Amy’s Choice. Furthermore, although there’s a later meta in blindness across Doctor Who and Sherlock which at some stage really needs writing, many people have made the point that Sherlock is associated with blindness throughout series 4, and so we should note that the architect of the dream people/flesh avatars is Madame Kovarian, better known (and usually credited) as the Eyepatch Lady. However, there’s one other key message they’re giving us, which comes at the end of the clip linked above – the baby’s not real. Both Amy’s Choice and A Good Man Goes To War feature Amy’s child, and in both cases the plot revolves around the emotional recognition that that world isn’t real. Given that we know that Amy is a John mirror, and that her choice between the domestic and the adventurous is consistently paralleled to John’s choice in Sherlock, this is a pretty huge indicator that something is up with Rosie even if we didn’t know it already. Indeed, the cot and mobile that the child has in Amy’s Choice are similar to Rosie’s. That baby never stood a chance.

The last episode I want to briefly invoke is Last Christmas. If we’re looking for dreams, this episode really goes above and beyond. The premise is that there is an alien species called the dream crab which latches onto your face and dissolves your brain whilst putting you in a dream so that you don’t notice. To make this more confusing, it often places dreams within dreams to confuse you – whilst you’re dying. This episode came out on Christmas Day 2014, so a year after series 3 aired but before TAB, so in Sherlock-time we’ve just entered the mind palace. The title, Last Christmas, is pretty helpful here I think – of course it has relevance within the episode, but this episode should also get us thinking about what was going on this time last year, when Sherlock was airing.

We’re no stranger to dreams within dreams at this stage, but it’s interesting how the saving-the-companion vibe is still going strong here. Ostensibly, that’s not what the episode is about at all – it’s a classic everyone-trapped-on-a-base-working-together episode, but the last five minutes tacked on the end suggests that it’s far more about the Doctor’s relationship with Clara, the episode’s companion, than one might think. In this clip (X) the Doctor thinks he’s broken out of the final dream but goes back to visit Clara and realises that she is now old, and that he’s missed her life. It culminates in him apologising for getting it wrong, for not coming for her in time, for failing her; we get more of this with Clara’s actual death later in the show, but given that it’s a kid’s show and Christmas, this scene is a touch lighter than that. It’s then that Father Christmas comes in to tell the Doctor that he’s still dreaming, he can still save her – and his first word when he wakes up is “Clara”. None of the others trapped in the dream have needed his help to wake from the vision and survive; Clara, who as the companion is our John mirror, specifically needs saving, and the Doctor needs to wake up from his dream within a dream to do that.

Nick Frost’s appearance as Father Christmas gave us all a good laugh, but he was also used as the indicator that the world we were perceiving was a dream world. This was made a bit of a joke of early in the episode – in a sci-fi world like this, are we seriously looking for what’s not realistic as the code to crack the dream? The exact same joke is made in Amy’s Choice, and here we’re hitting a pretty silly version of the show where they joke that just about the only character who can’t be real is Father Christmas. These hints about looking for what’s not real, though, should be taken as just that – hints. From the emergence of ‘something’s fucky’ theories early on in s4, this has been the abiding reasoning for the various forms of EMP theory that have sprung up, and they’re not wrong. However, if I had to put my money on a figure like Santa Claus, something iconic which functions as a kind of dream thermometer, I’d be guessing:

You were there before me. The fucky skull that glows, almost like a warning that this is too mad. Crucially, in Last Christmas they explain that Santa is a warning that your brain is sending you, picking the most unbelievable thing possible so that you know you’re trapped, dying in your brain. Santa Claus? Well, it’s a kid’s show, and it’s Christmas. But if I were picking a dream siren to tell me I was dying, I like to think that my subconscious would pick the glowing skull on the wall; without explanation, it’s an awful lot more direct.

There is more reference than necessary made to dream crabs making one blind, and between Madame Kovarian and the blind Doctor in the later dream episode Extremis, there’s a lot more to unpack there, but I’m going to leave that for sometime down the line, or for someone else to jump into if they would like. I also want to throw out a thought I haven’t quite come to terms with yet – the elephant in the room in Amy’s Choice. Arwel Wyn Jones would be proud of the script for Amy’s Choice – twice, it mentions the elephant in the room, and so I feel I have to do the same. The first time, you could blink and miss it – the Doctor calls pregnant Amy ‘elephanty’. But the second time, we get this exchange:

DOCTOR: Now, we all know there’s an elephant in the room.

AMY: I have to be this size, I’m having a baby.

DOCTOR: No, no. The hormones seem real, but no. Is nobody going to mention Rory’s ponytail? You hold him down, I’ll cut it off? X

The elephant in the room – that the baby’s not real? Possibly, but not what we normally take it to mean. Rory’s ponytail also has not shaving for Sherlock Holmes vibes, but again it’s not quite concrete in my mind. These little bits at the end aren’t quite tied up, and I would love to hear what people have to say about them. That, however, is for another day! The next chapter in this series will be jumping back into episode-by-episode analysis with TLD – see you there.

#emp theory #wholock #tjlc #thewatsonbeekeepers #meta #my meta #mine #bbc sherlock #chapter eight: dream a little dream of me #tjlc is real #johnlock #sherlock holmes #doctor who #steven moffat #mark gatiss

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marnanel · 4 years

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a doctor discovers a queer nightclub in 1894

CW for historical ableism, homophobia, etc

I thought I'd add some more from the 1908 book about "sexual pathology", which involves a doctor being very confused about the existence of gay, bi, lesbian, and trans people.

This bit is about visiting a queer nightclub. When he says "misogynist", he means "gay" (because he assumes gay men dislike women).

The book is "The sexual question" by Auguste Forel; this is from chapter 8.

— Transcript —

Sexual inversion is so widespread that in certain countries, for instance Brazil, and even in some European towns, there are brothels with men instead of women.

I will mention here a very curious case of purely psychical but complete inversion of the sexual personality, combined with complete sexual anaesthesia:

A man, aged 22, the son of an inebriate, with one imbecile sister. Of delicate constitution, but very intelligent, he was possessed since infancy with the idea that he was a girl, although his genital organs were properly formed and were normally developed at puberty. He had a horror of the society of boys, and of all masculine work, while he was quite happy in performing all the household duties of a woman. An irresistible obsession urged him to dress himself as a woman, and neither contempt, ridicule, nor punishment could cure him of it. Attempts to give him employment as a boy in a small town failed completely. His girlish manners made him suspected by the police, who took him for a girl dressed in boy’s clothes, and threatened to arrest him. When he was compelled to put on male attire he consoled himself with wearing a woman’s chemise and corset underneath.

~ I carefully examined this individual and found him affected with complete sexual anesthesia. He had a horror of everything connected with the sexual appetite, but the idea of sexual intercourse with men was still more repugnant than that of normal coitus with women. Although the testicles and penis appeared absolutely normal, he never had erections. His voice was high pitched and his whole manner suggested that of a eunuch.

This case is very instructive, for it clearly shows how the psycho-sexual personality may be predetermined by heredity in the brain alone, independently of the sexual organs, and even act without a trace of sexual sensation or appetite. This was undoubtedly a case of alcoholic blastophthoria and not ordinary heredity.

Krafft-Ebing describes the following scene, taken from a Berlin journal, dated February, 1894, which gives a good idea of the manners and customs of the homosexual fraternity:

“The misogynist’s ball. Almost all the social elements of Berlin have their club or meeting place—the fat, the bald, the bachelors, the widowers—why not the misogynists? This variety of the human species, whose society is hardly edifying, but whose psychology is peculiar, held a fancy dress ball a few days ago. The sale, or rather the distribution of tickets was kept very private. Their meeting place is a well-known dancing hall. We enter the hall about midnight. Dancing is going on to the music of a good orchestra. A thick cloud of smoke obscures the lamps and prevents us at first from distinguishing the details of the scene. It is only during an interval that we can make a closer examination. Most of the people are masked, dress coats and ball dresses are exceptional.

“But what do I see? This lady in rose tarlatan, who has just pirouetted before us has a cigar in her mouth and smokes like a trooper. She has also a small beard, half hidden by paint. And she is now talking to an “angel” in tights, very décolleté, with bare arms crossed behind her, also smoking. They have men’s voices and the conversation is also masculine, for it turns on ‘this cursed tobacco will not draw.’ Two men dressed as women!

“‘A clown in conventional costume leaning against a pillar is speaking tender words to a ballet dancer, with his arm round her waist. She has a Titian head, a fine profile and good figure. Her brilliant earrings, her necklace, her shapely shoulders and arms seem to proclaim her sex, when suddenly disengaging herself from the embracing arm she turns away with a yawn, saying in a bass voice, ‘Emile, why are you so tiresome to-day?’ The novice hardly believes his eyes: the ballet dancer is also a man. :

“Becoming suspicious, we continue our investigations, beginning to think that the world is here upside down. Here is a man who comes tripping along; but no, it cannot be a man, in spite of the small and carefully curled mustache. The dressing of the hair, the powder and paint on the face, the blackened eyebrows, the gold earrings, the bouquet of flowers on the breast and shoulder, the elegant black gown, the gold bracelets, the fan held in a white-gloved hand—none of these things suggest a man. And with what coquetry he fans himself; how he dances and skips about! Nevertheless, Nature has created this doll in the form of a man. He is a salesman in one of the large sweet shops, and the ballet dancer is his colleague!

“At the table in the corner there is a convivial meeting; several elderly gentlemen are gathered round a group of very décolleté ‘ladies’ sitting over a glass of wine and cracking jokes which are anything but delicate. ‘Who are these three ladies?’ ‘Ladies! laughs my better-informed companion; well, the one on the right with the brown hair and short fancy dress is a hairdresser; the second, the blonde with the pearl necklace is known here by the name of Miss Ella, and he is a ladies’ tailor; the third is the celebrated Lottie.’

“But this cannot be a man? The waist, the bust, the delicate arms, the whole appearance is feminine! I am told that Lottie was formerly an accountant. To-day she, or rather he, is simply ‘Lottie,’ and takes pleasure in deceiving men as to his sex as long as possible. At this moment Lottic is singing a song in a contralto voice acquired by prolonged practice, which a female singer might envy. Lottie has also taken female parts on the stage. Nowadays the former accountant is so imbued with his female role that he seldom appears in the street except in woman’s attire, and even wears an embroidered nightdress.

“On closer examination of the persons present, I discovered to my astonishment several acquaintances. My bootmaker, whom I should never have taken for a misogynist, appears to-night as a troubador with sword and plumed cap; and his ‘Leonora,’ in the costume of a bride, generally serves me with Havanas in a cigar store. When Leonora removed her gloves I recognized her at once by her large chilblained hands. Here is my haberdasher promenading in an indelicate costume as Bacchus; also a Diana, dressed up atrociously, who is really a waiter at a café.

“It is impossible to describe the real ‘ladies’ who are at this ball. They only associate with each other and avoid the women-hating men; while the latter also keep to themselves and absolutely ignore the fair sex.’”

B. Feminine Sexual Inversion and Homosexual Love.— Sexual inversion is not rare in women, but manifests itself less publicly than the corresponding masculine inversion. It is called Lesbian love or sapphism; and the women inverts are known as tribades. They are described in history, but may also be ob-served in modern towns. They satisfy their pathological appetite by mutual masturbation, especially by mutual licking of the clitoris (cunnilingus). The feminine invert likes to dress as a man and feels like a man toward other women. She goes in for manly games, wears her hair short, and takes to men’s occupations in general. Her sexual appetite is often much exalted and then she becomes a veritable feminine Don Juan. I have known several women of this kind, who held veritable orgies and induced a whole series of young girls to become their lovers, in the way we have just indicated.

Here again, as in masculine inversion, there is a true irradiated love. Inverts want to marry and swear eternal fidelity; they celebrate their betrothals, even openly, the invert in male attire representing the bridegroom; or sometimes they have secret symbols, such as exchanging rings, etc. These sexual orgies are often seasoned with alcohol.

The excesses of female inverts exceed those of the male. One orgasm succeeds another, night and day, almost without interruption. Jealousy is also as strong as among male inverts. However, these nymphomaniac inverts are not very common.

A characteristic peculiarity of feminine inversion depends on the irradiation of the sexual appetite in woman (vide Chapters IV and V). We have seen that there is much less distinction in woman between love and local sensations of pleasure, and between friendship and love, than in man. When a woman invert wishes to seduce a normal girl, it is easy for her to do so. She first wins her affection by the aid of the caresses of an exalted platonic love, which is not uncommon among women; kisses, embraces, and sleeping in the same bed are much more common among girls than boys, and little by little the invert succeeds in causing voluptuous sensations in her victim. Very often the object of these caresses does not recognize that there is anything abnormal in all this, or gives way to her sensations without reflection, and then becomes amorous in her turn. I will give an example:

A female invert, dressed as a young man, succeeded in winning the love of a normal girl, and was formally betrothed to her. Soon afterwards the woman was unmasked, arrested and sent to an asylum, where she was made to put on woman’s clothes. But the young girl who had been deceived continued to be amorous and visited her “lover,” who embraced her before every one, in a state of voluptuous ecstasy, which I witnessed myself. When this scene was over, I took the young girl aside and expressed my astonishment at seeing her continue to have any regard for the sham “young man” who had deceived her. Her reply was characteristic of a woman: “ Ah! you see, doctor, I love him, and I cannot help it!”

What can one reply to such logic? A psychic love of this kind is hardly possible in man; but if we go to the bottom of the matter and study the nature of woman, we can understand how certain feminine exaltations may be unconsciously trans- formed into love, platonic at first, afterwards sexual. At first, “they understand each other so well,” and have so much mutual sympathy; they give each other pet names, they kiss and embrace, and perform all kinds of tender actions. Finally, a graduated scale of caresses leads almost unconsciously to sexual excitation.

This is how it happens that a normal woman, systematically seduced by an invert, may become madly in love with her and commit sexual excesses with her for years, without being her- self essentially pathological. The case only becomes really pathological when it is definitely fixed by long habit; a thing which easily occurs in woman, owing to the constant and monogamous nature of her love.

#lgbt history #queer history #be gay do crime #cw ableism #cw transphobia #cw homophobia

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heartschoicegames · 4 years

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Heart’s Choice Author Interview: RoAnna Sylver, “Dawnfall”

Find true love and family with a pirate crew at the ends of the universe, where aliens, ghosts, and portals open the space between worlds...and your heart. You are a Navigator, one who creates and guards portals from one dimension to another, wary of the liminal sea between them.

Your universe is made of two worlds: one contains the magic-infused world of Zephyria, and the other, the dystopian space station Eclipse. The worlds are balanced, until one day, an explosive disaster, a deadly energy storm, and an infamous pirate—the Ghost Queen—upend your life and plunge you into a race to save both worlds.

Dawnfall is a 232,000 word interactive romance novel by RoAnna Sylver, one of the first set of games releasing with the launch of Heart’s Choice. I sat down with the author, RoAnna Sylver, to talk about writing interactive romance. Heart’s Choice games release December 2nd.

Dawnfall has frankly an insanely wonderful setting for a romance game. Tell me about the aliens, the pirates, the ghosts, and the alien-pirate-ghosts.

Hi there! I’m so glad you think this sounds fun! Yeah, Dawnfall is weird as heck, and that’s one of the things I love about this story. It’s weird in a way I don’t think we’ve seen much of before. I really just tried to put in everything I find fun or interesting, and that I’ve always wanted to write. Dawnfall started out as a total brain-candy project, and runs on pure Rule of Cool. Pirates? Yes. Magic? Yes. A slice of cyberpunk? Hell yes. Eerie ghosts and faerie-tale influences and memory-sharing potions? Giant bird people? The power of rock n’roll? Yes, yes, yes.

And also everybody’s dateable, and in a couple cases, dating each other. We weave a tangled web, but I think it’s a pretty badass and spectacular web.

You seem to really neatly straddle the genre fence here with a romance and sci-fi/fantasy. What was challenging about cramming all of that into one game?

Thank you so much for saying that. I’ve always adored SFF, and there’s so much in this genre-collection, so many extremes and concepts and contrasting colors, that I couldn’t limit myself to picking just one to play with. This weird game-book is kind of a love letter to fantasy and science fiction and haunted house stories and cyberpunk adventures—I thought a lot about the Disney movie Treasure Planet for its genre-blending beauty, and the Bioware game Mass Effect for its array of fascinating, multidimensional alien cuties to interact with and date… and then turned it up to eleven.

I guess you’d expect the challenge to be in making it all fit together/be “believable,” but I kind of threw that out the window. I don’t expect anyone to find it ‘realistic’ (setting-wise anyway; I tried to make every character ring true of course), and I don’t really care if someone thinks it’s silly, or doesn’t take it seriously. It is silly in a lot of ways. DAWNFALL is a giant ridiculous queer space magic pirate adventure, and the only goal is fun. If you have fun, I’ve done my job, and there should be something fun in here for everyone.

Did you have a favorite NPC you enjoyed writing most?

Honestly I love them all so much in different ways, and I know them so well by now it’s really second nature. Their voices come so easily and they’re all so much fun. The Queen’s swagger is awesome though, and her mental voice/mannerisms probably come through especially clearly. I love Zenith’s vulnerable moments when xie lets xir guard down and lets go of the need to entertain or please. I love Averis’s journey and growth from cute wibbly nerd to a confident swashbuckler (who is also still a cute wibbly nerd). I love how deeply Oz feels, how strongly he loves and remembers and honors memory, and how unafraid he is to show softness and warmth. And I love a certain spoilery ghost-babe and how they’re so full of joy at the beauty of life.

I do want to give special mention to Aeon, though. This is a story about connection, and I wanted to show that sibling bonds are every bit as important and strong as romantic or any other. I also wanted to show a complex, multidimensional antagonist figure who holds heartbreaking secrets along with authority, and is genuinely trying to do what she thinks is the best thing, and wants what’s best for you, the PC, even if you might not always agree. Her balance between being so emotionally guarded and determined and unyielding, while hopefully being extremely easy to read and tell what she wants and fears and loves—spoiler: you; she loves you!—was a challenge I hope I pull off.

…Also I enjoy any time Vyranix gets his pompous feathered ass handed to him. I think we all know a Vyranix, or at least of one, and it’s always fun to take them down, even in fantasy.

Who would you be romancing as a player?

I’m gonna say “everyone,” and here it won’t actually be cheating, because you can romance everyone! At once! In varying degrees/relationship dynamics and attractions. You don’t see a lot of polyamory-friendly games or books or anything really, and this is an incredibly important thing for me. The second I got the idea for Dawnfall I knew it had to let players romance anyone they wanted and show polyamory in a realistic, healthy light. I’m also a-spec (asexual and aromantic), and having not just good representation but being actively included and welcomed and celebrated in fiction is so huge too.

Dawnfall is a romance of course, being part of Heart’s Choice, but one of the single most vital elements for me is making it inclusive for aromantic and asexual players and player-characters. Essentially, I wanted to write a romance that didn’t penalize players for not experiencing the attractions the way we’re otherwise expected or required—and I’m so grateful that my amazing editors and community not only accepted but supported everything I was trying to do here. (It’s so refreshing not to have to fight for inclusion and freedom. It shouldn’t be, but it is.)

And that’s where the concept of “Heart-Stars” and “Same-Feathers” came from. I’ve never seen anything honor queerplatonic relationships like I’m trying to do here, and I want everyone, of every sexuality and attraction, to feel like they have a place here and can experience this adventure without limits. And I wanted to show that it’s a very normal thing, hence this being the same for the human characters as well as alien. (One of the nonbinary characters being human is also no mistake. I love me some wild alien genders, but there are tons of awesome nonbinary humans too!)

…That being said, I think I gave Averis most of my anxiety-issues, and would really just like to curl up with Oz and watch The Great British Bake-Off. That sounds like a perfect night in my books.

What were some of the things you found surprising about the game-writing process?

Coding was definitely the biggest learning curve. I’d never coded anything before in my life, and it’s such a new skillset to learn, entirely different from any kind of writing I’ve ever done. Sometimes it felt rewriting my brain, which did not at all do this intuitively—and also sometimes like I bit off much more than I could chew (first game ever being not only a huge piece of interactive fiction, but a polyamorous romance with aro and ace possibilities, and so many more variables than expected!), but it’s been worth it. Entirely. If my writing makes anyone feel seen and accepted and invited to have fun as they are, it’s worth every bit of struggle.

Also, oddly, interactive fiction is in some ways easier for me than writing a plain old book! Probably because I love AUs so much, and every choice in a game is like writing a tiny AU of the story, so I get to do the same scenes several different ways. My ADHD-brain finds something about this extremely satisfying, most likely because it somehow feels more like multitasking! Several stories in one, and if I like two ideas, I don’t have to pick just one to write!

Honestly though, I think the most surprising part is just being done, and…that I could do this at all. It was so huge, and took so long, and I learned so much, and every day I’m just kind of going “who the hell am I?” about doing all of this. I’m proud of it. I did a cool thing. And trying to get better at saying that.

And, what are you working on now?

I always have about 8 active projects going at once (which shouldn’t come as a surprise after last question!), but my next interactive fiction game is with Tales/Fable Labs! It’s shaping up to be a Dawnfall-sized project, but a little faster-moving and action-y.

It’s called Every Beat Belongs To You, and it’s a romantic thriller that feels like Twin Peaks meets Mr. Robot, with a smattering of Repo: The Genetic Opera. A creepy Pacific Northwest town with a secret (and a rash of ritualized murders), a super-slick medical research company whose flagship product is a 100% perfect synthetic heart, a mysterious new-age group, and a sister who went missing just before discovering how it’s all connected. Also five simultaneously-dateable (including ace and aro ships!) cuties of varying genders! Who will you trust with your heart?

I’m very excited about Everybeat, which should be just as queer, polyam, exciting, and weird as all my stuff! Aside from that, I’m working on Stake Sauce Book 2, its companion f/f vampire series Death Masquerade, and Chameleon Moon Book 3. I’m not always working…sometimes there are videogames, and sleep. But I really hope to have a lot more fun things to share soon!

Oh, and depending on how this weird, fun thing goes, I do have some ideas for prequel Dawnfall stories; maybe games, maybe books, but the ideas are there. The world—worlds, really—is so huge, and I’m not done playing in it yet! I also have some character art drawn, and I want to do a lot more of them. It’s another way to show love.

So thank you so much! I really hope Dawnfall is as fun to everyone to read/play as it was for me to write. I can’t wait to share it with you!

#hearts choice #interactive fiction

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raeynbowboi · 5 years

Text

My Opinions of She-Ra Ships

So, I just finished watching season 1 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. It was definitely very very very queer, and overall I’d say I liked it. With that said, as with any new fanbase, a new slew of ships have popped up, and I figured I would give my personal opinion on the main ones I saw.

Catradora/Catadora

I really like the realtionship between these two characters. I really don’t mind if they date or remain frenemies, I think they work wonderfully off one another. I wouldn’t be opposed to them becoming a couple toward the end of the series when Catra and Adora make up. But, if they never get together, I wouldn’t feel cheated. Though you do have to admit, there is some heavy flirty undertones to their dynamic, but part of that does come from being best friends. Out of all of Adora’s possible ships, this one feels the most likely to me.

Glimmadora/Glimadora

I’m okay with this as a ship. A big problem I find when it comes to lesbian ships is that women are a lot more physically intimate and affectionate with their friends, so it can be a bit harder to tell flirtation and romance from just a really strong platonic bond. So far, while I’ve seen some romantic undertones, it hasn’t felt like there was anything direct enough to say that I fully ship it or that I see it as a likely outcome. However, since she’s Adora’s second closest female companion, she certainly has a lot of seasons to get out of the friend zone.

Perfumadora

So far, the only character to show direct, outright attraction, or at least admiration for She-Ra/Adora. It’s difficult to say at the moment if she’s attracted to Adora or only to She-Ra, but there was definitely some crush elements done when she saw She-Ra for the first time. Only time will tell whether this lesbian (or at least, girl loving) character will win the protagonist’s heart. Another potentially interesting element of this ship is that if Perfuma was actually more attracted to She-Ra than Adora, I could see this ship being used to explore lessons of finding someone who loves you for who you really are, not some idealized version of yourself, or some other lesson like that, which is always a good lesson to teach kids. Plus, out of all the Princesses of Power, she has the most Princess Classic archetypal aesthetic, so she creates the Knight and Damsel trope with Adora better than the other princesses. So, if Catradora was not the endgame ship, and if this relationship wasn’t toxic, I think this would be my second favorite shipping option for Adora.

Glimbow

Well, just so long as it’s as a BrOTP or a Friend!Ship, I don’t mind this pairing, but the instant I saw Bow I could tell he was coded gay. No doubt in my mind. So the idea of these two becoming a couple just feels wrong and off-putting. Besides, boys and girls should be allowed to be close best friends without any romantic tension needing to exist between them. But that’s also my reading of the character, so the fact that I read him as gay does color my opinion of him being shipped with female characters.

Seamista/Merhawk

To be honest, I’m just not much of a fan. While one could draw a parallel to Kiribaku with the happy dope pining after the grumpy aloof person, Mermista really lacks Bakugou’s depth and redeeming features, coming off as just a rather one-note sourball. Meanwhile, Seahawk lacks the endearing charm of Kirishima that makes Kiribaku work so well, making him come off more as annoying and intrusive, unlike Kirishima, whose invasion of Bakugou’s bubble feels more like a natural extension of his friendly nature. So it just feels like a clash of two tropes thrown together more as a comedic bit rather than a proper ship. There’s also the fact that since i read Bow as gay, and there’s only like... 6 male characters with names, and one is a horse and another is the main bad guy, any pairing that robs Bow of a potential male love interest is not going to catch my interest.

Bowhawk/Seabow

Speaking of, this is my primary OTP for the series on the grounds that... there’s not really any other option if I want a cute gay couple. Plus they do have chemistry, it’s not just me scrounging for whatever scraps I can manage to find. There is something there which points to flirtatious elements to their dynamic. Considering they’re the only two male characters who are both humanoid and not part of the Horde, it’s safe to bet that unless Bow is planned to end up with Kyle that this is the most likely gay pairing.

Byle/Boyle (Bow x Kyle)

Out of all the other Horde characters, Kyle screams turncoat character the most. Especially considering I don’t think any of the other cadets even had their names said, and he had his said multiple times, which sort of boosts his relevancy within the story. So, there was some romantic coding between these two toward the end of season 1, and I suppose if Kyle did betray the Horde, he might make for a decent match with Bow, but that’s really going to depend on their relationship and how it builds from here. Right now, I’m still more on the Bowhawk train, but I’m open to this ship so long as it’s well-written. And hey, if this ship becomes canon, I won’t care as much about Mermista and Seahawk being a thing. I just want some guy on guy romance. I also lean toward Byle for the ship name, simply because Boyle is an actual surname and will muddy search results.

Scorpcatra

The relationship between Catra and Scorpio is definitely interesting. I could see them becoming best friends, I could see her just being Catra’s funny sidekick, or I could see Catra forming an emotional attachment to her and wanting to protect her. This is another pairing where if it became canon, I wouldn’t complain, but I’d also react the same way if it didn’t happen. Granted, it’s only been one season, we’ll have to see where the romantic arcs take us.

Encatra

Honestly, you could tell me that Entrapa and Catra become a BrOTP, an OTP, an OT3 with Scorpia, or a BrOT3, and I’d believe any of those claims. She doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in relationships, but we haven’t seen much of her yet either. Only time will really tell if Entrapa even feels romantic or sexual attraction, but no matter how her relationship with Catra and Scorpia evolves, I’d be okay with any end result.

Spinetossa

So far, this is the only ship with any solid credibility thus far. I mean, they’re practically hanging off each other 24/7. If they aren’t wives already, they’re clearly at least dating. I’d be surprised if they ended up just being sisters, but they’re the only ship thusfar with canonical backing as far as I can see. Everything else is pretty much still speculative at this point.

Kygelio (Kyle x Rogelio)

If you were unaware of this ship, I don’t blame you. I only learned of its existence while making this post. The lizard guy’s name was never even given, that I know of. However, Rogelio is shown taking care of, carrying, and supporting Kyle a lot in the background. Considering Kyle’s weak will and seemingly low self-esteem and self-worth, it’s hard to tell if this is just a very close, supportive, and protective friendship or if there’s a romantic element. Considering I don’t even think Rogelio spoke at all this season, it’s hard to say. However, considering they’re 2 of the only 6 named male characters, I wouldn’t dream of ignoring the shipping potential in them.

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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If there really is going to be a dance arc, my biggest nightmare is Ruby ending up dancing with Weiss or Jaune, and Oscar ends up dancing with Maria for comedy 😓

…Uhm…no???Even if that does wind up being the case, myguess is that it’ll be a moment that plays out temporarily and not within thecontext that you’re thinking of, Miggy. Besides I can more picture our veteran pocket abuelita being thechaperone/fairy godmother type to convince Oscar into dancing with Ruby. I knowit’s a concern of yours but from one RosegardeningPinehead to another, I wouldn’t worry too much aboutthat fam. Allowthis squiggle meister to provide you some assurances.

Generally a Ballor Gala type of episode or arc is anopportunity for the series’ creators to pander to promote all of itsships while bolstering their core pairings as the driving point of the entire subplot. I’ll give you an example. Inthe last gala-related episodic arc back in V2, what did we get?

We got a moment with Jaune and Ruby drinkingpunch and being socially awkward together (Lancaster), Jaune confronting Neptune in favour of Weiss (White Knight), Yangand Blake sharing a dance together (Bumblebee), Blake and Sun going together to the dance (BlackSun) and Neptunesharing a talk with Weiss with the two seemingly spending the rest of the dancein each other’s company (Iceberg).

We even got a moment where Ironwood askedGlynda to dance and she accepts for all the Technopath or Cyberwitch shippers. Sadly no OzGlyn though; unless you count her standing dutifully by his side even at thedance before being approached by Ironwood as a moment. Ey, close enough.

And this whole subplot culminates in the grandest ofshipping moments—Jaune, chivalrously keeping his promise to Pyrhha showing upin a dress and agreeing to share a dance with her.

The last dance arc gave us pretty much allthe core ships: White Knight, Arkos, Bumblebee, BlackSun and Iceberg. I canonly assume the next gala-themed subplot will the follow the same trend withour current ships. The last time there was a dance, you can say that Arkos wasthe face of that arc because it dealt with Jaune and Pyrhha’s feelings respectivelyand it works because this was a moment that led into their development andeventual endgame as of V3.

Yes, I know Arkos sailed and sunk within thespan of the same season. But regardless, the Arkos ship still soared high. Shemay be a ghost ship like the FlyingDutchman but she still sails proud and strong. DespitePyrhha’s absence, you can see that Jaune still cares very much for her andstill remains affected the most by her loss. As a matter of fact, I think adance episode would be the perfect time for Jaune to confront any lingeringfeelings of guilt he still harbours toward Pyrhha after losing her.

It can also provide Jaune with a second chance. Let’s not forget,Jaune originally wished to go to the dance with Weiss. With Pyrhha’s advice, hehad planned to confess how he truly saw Weiss in the hopes that this time shewould give him a shot. But in the end, he missed his window when Weiss asked Neptuneinstead.

This leaves me curious about something. Weiss’ whole gaggle with Jaune is because shecompletely misunderstood his interest in her. Weiss believed that Jaune onlyliked her for her name when the reality was far from that. This makes me wonderhow Weiss would’ve felt toward Jaune if she knew how he truly saw her.

This is why I believe the CRWBY Writers mightopt to revive this plotline and give us curious WhiteKnight shippers and fans the answer to thisquestion.

Would Weissknowing of Jaune’s true perception of her have changed her feelings for him?

That’s what I’d like to know and I think thispotential Atlas Ball could provide that answer.

Regarding your point on the CRWBY Writersmaking Ruby dance with Weiss or Jaune over Oscar—it’s funny, you say that’syour biggest nightmare Miggy but now I’m picturing that idea of yours being a legit nightmare Oscarhas when his anxiety over his feelings for Ruby and wanting to ask her to behis date to the ball gets the better of him.

Imagine the CRWBY Writers trolling the RG fandom by having Oscar dream of Ruby sayingshe’s in love with another potential suitor while dancing with them at thedance and we’re left to think it’s real until Oscar suddenly wakes up revealingit to be all a really baddream. I’d actually laugh if that turned out to becanon.

Apart from that, I’m going to be very bluntwhen I say this. While I respect the Lancaster and the Whiterose pairings as well as their shippers, if you were to honestly ask me myopinion on the potential of these ships, I would tell you that I think neither islikely. No wait, that sounded too harsh and doesn’t fully say all that I wantto say on that so let me rephrase to be more specific.

I don’t believe in the possibility of Lancaster orWhiterose becoming canon at this precise moment in the current RWBY storylinebased purely on the lack of the development for either ships in a romantic direction betweenthe events of the Mistral Arc.

Now before anyone in favour of these pairingschose to bash me for my statement, allow me to further justify my reasoning. I’msaying this out of my personal biasness as a firm Rosegardener. Not only am Ithe type of shipper who respects other ships but I’m also the type of shipperwhere if I notice that there is some strong inclination for a particularpairing provided with firm evidence from said franchise, I will admit that factregardless of my feelings toward said ship. This is why, even though I’m a BlackSun shipper, Icannot ignore or deny the hints of Bumblebee that was sprinkled throughout V6.While I still don’t believe the ship is canon as yet, I will admit that theseries has made a very strong push toward the pairing in the recent season thatI cannot just say is pandering.

I’m not a Bumblebee shipper but for what it’sworth, I would hope that if this is the next pairing the CRWBY are planning tobe make canon like Renora then I hope they just do it if that was the plan the whole time. I’m notone of those BlackSun shippers who are saying that BlackSun will be endgame andthat the CRWBY are only pandering to the Bees for now. If that is the case thenthat will actually cause me to feel rather sympathetic toward the Bee shippersbecause a remark like that heavily implies that the Bee fans are only beingbaited for their support just for the sake of salvaging RWBY’s rollercoasterride of a reputation which in turn paints the CRWBY as rather scummy. I don’t thinkthis is the case since I’d like to think the CRWBY know what they’re doing.

Well…50% of the time the CRWBY know whatthey’re doing and I’d like to positively think that Bumblebee in V6 is part ofthe 50% that highlight’s what the show wishes to do.

As you can probably tell, I’m not a fan of pandering to the fansespecially when it comes to ships. My thing is if you’re going to make a shipcanon, just do it. Don’t say you’re going to go with one ship while teasingothers. This is the same mess that drove the Voltron fandom into the dirt withits insufferable shipping wars and I hope that the CRWBY won’t do this for RWBY.

I mean…well technically, the shipping wars are already here in the RWBY FNDM. Shit, Ithink the FNDM is even more known forits shipping wars than anything else. Damn.

Nevertheless, what I mean is that I don’t wantthe CRWBY to stroke that fire y’know what I mean? At least not intentionally. Thisis especially more apparent with the LGBT ships.

I’ve been in many different fandoms and what I’velearnt (particularly from fandoms such as Legendof Korra, VoltronLegendary Defender, Steven Universe and even Lifeis Strange of all things) is that people don’t play when it comesto the queer ships. This response post isn’t supposed to be about Bumblebeebut…allow me to deviate here for a sec.

If the CRWBY wish to do Bumblebee then doBumblebee and let them do Bumblebee. If that was the Writers’ plan all alongand it took them six to seven seasons to do so then no one can’t fault them ifthat was their vision and they took the time to build up this bond.

But if you’re a CRWBY Writer, don’t doBlackSun for predominantly five seasons and then push more for Bumblebee assoon as Sun is conveniently out of the picture only to start hinting atBlackSun again when Sun returns to the picture seasons later. Please do not dothat!

This is something that I hope they don’t do for RoseGardenwith respect to Lancaster and Whiterose. Speaking bluntly as a Rosegardener, I donot wish to be a part of some silly ass shipping war. This is why I no longercare about who Blake ends up with. Yang or Sun—this squiggle meister doesn’t care anymore. All I want is for RWBY as a show to just pick onelove interest for Blake and kindly stick to their guns on it. As a BlackSunshipper, I have no issue with Blake ending up with Yang purely because Ibelieve that Bumblebee neitherruins nor kills BlackSun. Regardless of whether hebecame her lover or remained her friend, it wouldn’t matter with Sun.

Do you guys knowwhy I love Sun Wukong so much and why he’s easily my second favourite RWBYcharacter (Oscar being number one as always of course)?

Sun has and always will be a person who caresmore about Blake’s well-being and her happiness over his own. Even if Sunstrongly likes or even loves Blake, he’s not selfish with her. This is why it disgusts me when otherfans try to badmouth Sun and downplay his interactions and intentions toward Blakewhile misunderstanding the type of character Sun is.

Out of the two key male companions in Blake’slife, Sun is the better of the two since he is the complete opposite of Adam. Whenit came to his former relationship with her, Adamwas selfish with Blake to be the bitter end. Adamwould quicker sever any connection Blake had with anyone else. Sun, on theother hand is the opposite of that.

Rather than destroy her bonds, what does Sun do? Hehelps Blake to repair them. Adam was vindictive with Blake’s bonds includingBumblebee. He even voices some of that spite during his clash with Yang in V6which mirrored Gaston’s taunts to the Beast from Beautyand the Beast.

If Bumblebee becomes canon, it wouldn’taffect the beauty of the BlackSun dynamic because so long as Blake is happy, that is allthat matters to Sun. It doesn’t matter if Yang is the person that Blakeultimately falls for, Sun will support it regardless out of his care for Blake.That’s the extent of how much Sun loves Blake. It is selfless kind of love.

Sun will be happy for Blake whoever shechooses even if it’s not him. That is the type of person the series has paintedSun Wukong out to be and thus that’s how I view him. This is why I can never ever picture SunWukong being the jealous, spiteful type who would get piss hurt if hediscovered Blake romantically involved with Yang. Spite was Adam’s word. Earnest was Sun’s because he’s always eager to help someone especially if hebelieves they need it and definitely if he cares about them in turn.

Sun Wukong may not be perfect but by Golly, he is the perfect companion. Asa BlackSun shipper, I don’t mind if Sun never becomes Blake’s lover because hestraight up is her bestfriend/closest confidant and that’s a title that youcan’t take away from him.

But that’s enough gushing over Sun ‘Sunshine Boi’ Wukong. Getting back on track with my problems with pandering, this iswhat eventually drained me of my interest in who Blake eventually ended upwith. I got tired of the incessant back and forth between Bumblebee andBlackSun; not just by the FNDM but in the series too.

I went from being like “I totally ship BlackSun!” during V1 to V3 to “I still totallyship BlackSun but I can also see Bumblebee being a strong possibility too giventhe vibes I’m getting from Yang regarding her underlying feelings about Blakeafter their separation.” during V4 and V5 to “Oh my God, can you please just pick one and stopconfusing the shippers with your ridiculous pandering, CRWBY! I don’t even careabout Blake’s love life anymore. Her relationship drama has been the driving forceof her character arc since the Black Trailer. If you’re gonna do Bumblebee thendo freaking Bumblebee and stick with it. But please don’t do Bumblebee onlybecause Sun is out of the picture and the minute he returns, it’s back to theback and forth! Please no!”

That being said; as I’ll repeat once more—Idon’t wish for Rosegarden to be given the same treatment alongside Whiteroseand Lancaster. As much as I love the Rosebuds and would love to see Rosegarden become canon—if the series has beenshown to be leaning more towards Lancaster or Whiterose over this pairing, thenI would openly admit that. However, this has not been the case at all for thepast three seasons.

I understand that there are some Lancaster andWhiterose shippers whose sole interest in these ships is because they just likethese characters together. Doesn’t matter if their endgame or not and that’stotally fine. But I’m also aware of the other spectrum of these particularshipping groups—the more passionate shippers who believe with all of their heart thatthese ships will be endgame and will go out of their way to proclaim this��opinion of theirs at the expense of insulting other Rubyships. Particularly RoseGarden. That is totally NOT fine.

Do you remember when I made this prompt post asking fellow Rosegardeners if they were ever hostile toward othernon-RG ships? Speaking to which, thank you to everyone who responded to thatpost. Your answers certainly helped to prove my point that as a shippingcommunity, we Rosegardeners don’t go out our way to bash other pairings. If wehave to address the other ships, it’s usually done in a manner that tries toremain humble and respectful even in the face of debunking the possibility ofthese other ships with our own opinions.

I made that prompt post after discovering aso-called ‘analysis’ post made by a Whiterose shipper who shared their views on why theythink Rosegarden will never be canon. This was done during RWBY RoseGarden Week1.0 by the way. How nice of them to post that during that time, right?

When I see stuff like this, it makes me feelbad for the Whiterose and Lancaster shippers who aren’t like this. I know everyshipper speaks for themselves most of the time but this type of attitude is generallywhat makes me turn away from certain pairings. Not because of the ship itselfbut its shippers.

Sorry if I sound like I’m going off on sometirade, I just don’t like the idea of the CRWBY baiting anything with regardsto Rosegarden and other ships. I know this is probably inevitable going forward for V7especially if another dance arc is expected. I just don’t wish for myself orthe Rosegarden community to be involved in some dum-dum shipping war. I don’twish to fight any Whiterose or Lancaster shippers nor do I want them to attackme or my fellow Rosegardeners. That’s just silly.

Besides my headcanon is that the CRWBY Writers will push for a deeper RoseGarden relationshipin V7. My theory for V7 is thatthey’ll most likely do another time jumpat the start of the season. That’s what they did forthe Mistral Arc so I’m expecting the same for Atlas. I feel like we’re likelyto start next volume with our heroes already settled into Atlas (sporting newwardrobe—at least everyone minus Oscar) having grown already adjusted to lifewithin the kingdom’s walls for roughly a good space of time—I’d say roughly one to possibly three months. Perhaps enough for Oscar to be aged up.

As of the end of V6, Oscar was confirmed to stillbe 14 years old so it’d be interesting if he’s15 by the start of Atlas to hint that he had a birthday while the heroes werein Atlas. Part of the reason why I want a time skip isbecause it would provide the Writers with an opportunity to add moredevelopment for RoseGarden off-screen.

Imagine if…we start V7 with Ruby and Oscar sharing a closer friendship than theydid back in Mistral because their friendship had a lot of leeway to growoff-screen. As much as I’d love to see more of the Rosebud friendship progresswithin the series, I wouldn’t mind if the Writers do this especially if it’s inthe form of a time jump.

After all, a time jump provided RNJR enough time togrow as a unit of friends so the same can be done with the Rosebuds as well asOscar with JNR. It’s definitely an idea.

Imagine…the audience going into the V7 with Oscar showing more obvious signs ofhaving a crush on Ruby and what could be cute is if Ruby reciprocates thatinterest. Part of the reason why I have a great time believing that RoseGardenis a possibility is because the series has taken it’s time to sprinkle a coupleof hints at these two potentially growing to like each other.

Another reason I adore the RoseGarden pairingis the duality within the ship. Both Ruby and Oscar mirror each other in terms of theirshared interest in each other and their desire to support one another. This iswhy I find it ridiculous when anti-RG shippers try to act like the serieshasn’t been unsubtly edging these two kids together.

I’ll admit something. I wouldn’t be a Rosegardener if RWBY as a series didn’t go out of its way to zone in on these two.Contrary to what some might believe, this squigglemeister didn’t start supporting RoseGarden until V5.I’m not one of the folks who paired Ruby with Oscar as early as V4. This is whyI’m able to stand with my fellow shippers in saying without a doubt that theshowrunners of RWBY are setting something up between these two.

We’re not sure what that is as yet—a potential romance or just a really closefriendship. Who knows? But it’s definitely there and it’sdefinitely something. RoseGarden may not be canon but it’s FRIEND-shipequivalent: Rosebuds is for now. Before a garden can blossom, rosebudsneeds to be planted and tended to. The CRWBY have already established aconnection between Ruby and Oscar in more ways than one. Now what’s left is tosee how and what it grows into.

I’ll give you the key ones. Ruby and Oscarshare a connection because they are both the youngest members of the heroes.They are also inadvertently two of the most powerful beings in all of Remnantbecause they both share an unearthly power that they received from a godly character. Ruby is a Silver EyedWarrior; presumably the last of her kind and Oscar is a Wizard of Light; thecurrent incarnation of a long lineage of brave magical men. Both Ruby and Oscarshare the power of the God of Light within them and that alone screams thatthey share a bond that transcends anything else within the series.

The antis can try their goshdarndiggity hardest todeny the possibility of these two falling in love all they want but what theycannot ignore are the canonical facts that link these two together. And let’snot forget the main kicker that theshow keeps pushing these two together. Even when the plotdoesn’t demand it, they still edge them closer to each other and make sure theaudience sees it.

It’s actually quite jarring how many timesthey do it to the point that it should be its own drinkinggame. Go back and rewatch V6 and take a drinkeach time the series focuses on Ruby and Oscar; whether they are sharing ascene or just sharing a shot. Seriously try it and pray you stay sober enoughto count them all because there is a quite a bit. Definitely more than 5.

Seriously how can you NOT think something is being set upwith these two smaller, more honest souls? It’s just so unapologetically loud. I quite likethat, actually. Then again, I would.

I feel like RoseGarden can potentially beanother BlackSun meaning that it’s a ship that can go either way and still workout swimmingly. It can either be a really strongfriendship or a beautifulromance. The verdict is left to the CRWBY. However Ithink romance is in the cards because a) Oscar has been hinted to draw influence from the Little Prince whosetrue love was a rose and part of his story and journey was learning how muchhis rose meant to him—a feat I can definitely picture Oscar going through tocome to terms with his feelings for Ruby if done right and b) No offense butit’s about time Ruby gets a love interest.

I mean she doesn’t necessarily need one. I justnever understood why she never got one before despite the series being sixseasons long going on seven. Blake, Weiss and Yang each got to have potentialsuitors and dabble in romance yet Ruby was always omitted from that. Not sureif that was due in part to Ruby being so young and often looked at as a child within hergroup but…wait that was it, wasn’t it?

Ruby couldn’t experience love because she wastoo young to understand fully what it was since she was a child. Whelp, Ruby isno longer a child anymore. She’s not the same little girl sporting combatskirts and wielding the world’s deadliest weapon.

Well…she is but she’s not little anymore. Over theseasons Ruby has matured into a fine young woman. She still maintains herclassic Ruby bubbliness but Ruby is growing into a woman now. She’s evencurrently the age she should’ve been when starting Beacon: 17.

So this makes me wonder now if V7 will be mark Ruby’s time to have her own romantic subplot. She’s finally old enough to have her own love story. Hopefully.

If I didn’t know any better, I have a feelingOscar is being set up to become Ruby’s future love interest. His and Ruby’srapport reminds me too much of Katara andAang from Avatar:The Last Airbender even down to the two year age difference.Plus I feel like if love sprouts between the Rosebuds, RWBY will keep itmutual.

I’m starting to really, really love theconcept of Ruby andOscar falling for each other at the same time. Likeas their bond grows, any feelings they might share for one another remains thesame until a point where they both realize they love each other but either a) they’ll remain oblivious to how the other feels (while everyone else around themknows about it) or b) they have these feelings and wish to reveal them but outside factors keep intervening to make them second guess like the Merge or Salemthreatening the Fall of Atlas.

I used to think that Oscar will be the mainpilot of RoseGarden within the series and it’ll be a thing where he’s the onewith the crush and Ruby is just oblivious the whole time. However like I said,the series maintained mutuality with these two.

Any sense of interest, support and dedication Oscarhas for Ruby has been reciprocated by her. In V5, we got Ruby looking out forOscar when the series would allow for those moments. As a matter of fact, Rubywas the one person who really made the effort to care for Oscar when he wasstaying with RNJR and what I liked was that was continued into V6 until it wasOscar’s turn to look out for Ruby.

When Oscar was going through the ropes andtrying to find his bearings, Ruby was there for him. She’s still there for himmaking sure he gets some attention for his efforts. And when Ruby startedhaving her hard times, we saw Oscar step and support her too.

These two look out for each other and this iswhy I love their dynamic. It amazes me how these two have only known each otherfor no longer than a month and two weeks between V5 and V6 and already theybehave like two people who’ve known each other longer.

It makes me curious to see what theirrelationship would be like if given more time to flourish. If their trust andbelief in one another blossomed this quickly, imagine how much further it cango with more time and focus. In life, there are those relationships that prosperin a short space of time that feel like longer. I feel like RG could be that;if it hasn’t already been done already. Just saying.

To put all of this in a nutshell: I know you have yourfears Miggy but again, I wouldn’t sweat it too much m’dude. Evenif Ruby shares a dance with either Weiss or Jaune, I don’t think the context ofit will be romantic. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep repeating it, Ihaven’t seen anything remotely romantic being teased by either Ruby and Weiss or Rubyand Jaune. The main series hasn’t done anything withthese two respective ships that even give off that vibe. Ruby has always valuedJaune and Weiss as two of her dearest friends who she loves and will go aboveand beyond to protect and this ties into how they both value her as a friend.

By my observation, Weiss and Jaune care aboutRuby like she’s family. They both treat her like a surrogate younger sister and respect her asmuch. I have yet to see either of these two blush or act fidgety around Ruby to suggest that they might have feelings forher beyond a friendship. Unless the CRWBY do something in V7 to change that point of view, then and only thenwill I believe in that prospect. But until such a time, Whiterose and Lancasterwill only be FRIEND-ships in my eyes. Sorry.

I have a feeling that we’re more likely tosee Oscar kind of go through what Jaune went through back in V2 with hisrelationship with Weiss and Pyrhha.

My Pinehead headcanon is that Oscar will want to go to the dance with Ruby but his chance endsup getting unceremoniously cock-blocked by Whitley Schnee who asks Ruby to behis date. The concept I have is that the AtlasBall will be hosted by the Schnee Dust Company so naturally the Schnees will be most present as invited guests—atleast Jacques and Whitley will be there as the head of the company and hisheir.

Ruby would most likely not wish to go withWhitley but would go on Weiss’ behalf since her BFF convinces her to go in thehopes that through Ruby chumming up to Whit, Weiss would learn of the affairs ofthe SDC that she’ll be investigating during her side of the plot for V7. Or soI’d like to think. That’s my theory anyways.

Sorry for the long rant Miggy. I hope thisanswer helps alleviate some of your tension about the future dance episodes.

Also, I hope that my comments in thisresponse post didn’t disrespect any Whiterose or Lancaster shippers who might be reading this. At the end of the day, these areonly my opinions and don’t reflect the opinions of other Rosegardeners or the entireRosegarden community just as how I’m certain not all Whiterose or Lancastershippers are hostile toward Rosegarden or its shippers.

My thoughts here are only meant to be anhonest (maybe a bit too honest at times) expression of how I perceive certainthings and for what it’s worth, I really hope I didn’t upset any of you with mypoints about your favourite ship. That wasn’t my intention and if that sohappens to be the case then I humbly apologize.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #rwby rosegarden #rwby theories #rwby V7 #miggy97 #rwby rosegarden headcanon

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mesinterpretations · 5 years

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Hayley Kiyoko’s ‘I Wish’ and the relationship between sexuality and religion

let’s talk about hayley kiyoko’s ‘I Wish’ which is a rIGHT BOP 27/10 WOULD RECOMMEND

cheeky little disclaimer that what i’m gonna be talking about may or may not be reflective of the artist’s intended meaning but, nevertheless, this is my own interpretation of the song based on my personal experiences and thoughts and I hope you respect it. thanks!!! x

The Idea

According to genius.com, Hayley Kiyoko’s new single ‘I Wish’ is about “[Hayley babes] longing for clarity in a romance that’s gone stale”. I totally see that when I first heard the song, but conjured another possible meaning as the song went on.

I think that Hayley’s ‘I Wish’ is not addressed to another person, but to God.

wAIT — before you say anything else, I say this having heard Troye Sivan’s song ‘HEAVEN’, which is about Troye exploring the link between sexuality and religion. The lyrics in his song go, “If I’m losing a piece of me [i.e. The Gay™️] / How do I get to heaven? / If I’m changing a part of me / How do I get to heaven?”

(Adding in my fave chorus line here just because I love it: “All my time has wasted / Feeling like my heart’s mistaken”.)

Troye’s song is more sombre and doubtful, which is fitting for the song’s message and the imagery used to achieve the atmosphere of the song — undoubtedly reflective of the artist’s feelings.

I think that Hayley’s song takes this exploration of the link between sexuality and religion but with an air of impatience — a pissed off-ness.

And that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing — looking at the lyrics of this song, her pissed off-ness is not misplaced at all; her feelings are completely valid.

The Intro

Starting off with the intro: The repeated “I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish I found love” sounds like a rhyming song kids sing in the playground — with the characters wearing school uniforms (which, to me, very much looks like a Catholic school girl uniform bc I went to Catholic school lmao), the imagery was stuck. This somehow makes us think that this song may reflect the narrator’s childhood experiences.

Verse 1

The first couple lines of the song (“I don’t know where we’re gon’ go from here / I don’t”) does sound like it is a song about a relationship going stale. With the context in mind, it could also be an upfront conversation with God — the narrator realised they’re gay, knowing full well that their religion does not coincide with homosexuality, and now they’re questioning their relationship with God.

“Okay so — I’m gay, apparently you hate gays, where do we go from here?”

// Okay so I’ve already typed ‘God’ like three (3) times now and I feel like I’m back in Sunday school so imma say ‘G’ instead, hope that’s okay lmao //

“You shut down when I tell you all the shit I want” could be easily seen as prayers — the things that the narrator wants being, perhaps, acceptance, love, someone who understands. But this ‘ever-loving’ G seems to not answer them.

“We butt heads” (i.e. I’m gay and I’m sure that I’m gay but from what I’ve heard you hate gays) “‘cause you don’t pay me no attention“ (i.e. answering my prayers or at least giving me a sign that you still love me and that I’m not a sinner for being gay).

The chorus

The chorus replicates the intro, but adding the narrator’s sense of longing to have someone. With that Catholic-school-prayer train of thought, it seems like the intro is actually a prayer, and the repeated “I Wish” shows desperation, the narrator is almost pleading for someone to love them, or to fall in love with them. They are asking G to send them someone who loves them as a sign that it’s okay to be gay and he still loves them.

Verse 2

Verse 2 is very interesting because water imagery is used — Hayley’s first album ‘Expectations’ is based around a water theme, which (if I remember correctly from one of her interviews) represents her and her personality. The imagery she used in Verse 2 are quite strong ones — “storm” and “raining oceans”.

The Bible is very particular with all things water, and Christianity does hold water integral to their beliefs. In the Bible, storms, rain, and flood tend to represent hardship — examples being the Great Flood via Noah’s Ark which led to the death of many, when Jesus travelled while it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, when Jesus calmed the storm (the storm representative of his disciples not believing in him and trusting him completely), and so on. Verse 2 is very much about hardship because of their identity and the narrator trying to go through that.

idk I just thought it was a nice treat to find Hayley’s signature representation and putting it in religious context to go along with the theme.

This small change in Verse 2: “We butt heads / ‘cause you’re payin’ HIM more attention / And you’re selfish with your affection” to me sounds like a shout-out to heteronormativity. It feels like the narrator is saying ‘So I ask for a girlfriend/companion, but you keep giving them to guys — why can’t I get one if you always give them one?’ — which reinforces the widespread rumour that G hates The Gays™️ (which, in my personal queer opinion, isn’t true).

The bridge

So, truth be told I was thinking that this song was addressed to a past/current lover UNTIL THE BRIDGE. Like, after hearing the bridge and the rest of the final chorus, I had to listen to the song again and it completely changed everything I thought about it thus far.

The bridge goes: “Sometimes I wonder if you'll ever love me ever / I wonder if I'm ever gonna find somebody / I cry, cry, cry, cry to the heavens / Why won't you just send me somebody?”.

The “heavens” bit changed my perspective, but “Sometimes I wonder if you’ll ever love me ever” got me crying.

Imagine finding out one day that this deity, this person who is meant to be omnibenevolent - a Being that is so filled with love for his creation that he sent his only son to the abattoir just to save them — suddenly incapable of loving YOU just because you’re not a certain way.

IT HURTS A DAMN LOT. LIKE THAT SHIT FUCKING HURTS.

This G that is meant to love and forgive not loving you, not even spending the littlest amount of time to think of you, to hear your prayers. You’ve been taught that G is the one that’s always by your side, to take your burdens away, to be your refuge, your confidante — your safe haven. But now G is suddenly not that person anymore just because you’re exactly the way you are.

It makes someone feel like they’re unworthy of love and respect and it’s sad. It’s frustrating.

It’s taking the piss.

Hence on me saying that the impatient, pissed off vibe of this song is appropriate and valid.

Being thrown hate breeds hate, and even though Hayley’s new song does not send off the hate vibes, it does send off wary vibes — insecure, annoyed, and conflicted vibes.

Hayley’s music, as well as a few other artists’, seamlessly blends heart-wrenching, painful messages with catchy, dance-along melodies which gives another dimension to music as well as a sense of versatility: you can dance to it when you’re feeling happy, or you can think about it and cry for a bit if you have to.

It’s amazing.

But I say this again: hate breeds hate.

So maybe hug someone today, or send them a sparkly emoji.

Go and be kind. x

#hayley kiyoko #i wish #song interpretation #hayley kiyoko lyrics #hayley kiyoko songs

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roidespd-blog · 5 years

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Chapter Nine : SEX, SEXUALITY and GENDER IDENTITY

Ask yourself three simple questions. What are your biological characteristics ? What does or does not turn you on ? What are you ?

If you can get through all three, congratulations. You’ve built great foundations for yourself as a human being.

That is not always the case.

SEX — A NON-BINARY CONCEPT

That seems to be the easiest one. It was. Also, it never was. Organisms (entities that exhibit the properties of life) of male and female varieties, each known as sex. We’re not talking about doing the nasty but the genetic traits that constitutes your sexual reproductive system. Among humans (and other mammals), males typically carry and X and Y chromosome whereas the female typically carry two X chromosomes. Humans may also be intersex. That’s when it becomes complicated — but only if you are not eager to understand. To the first question (“What are your biological characteristics?”), I can say that I have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. I produce small gametes (AKA sperm) and I have a penis (a nice little fellow). To my knowledge, my friend Julie has two X chromosomes and produces large gametes (AKA egg cells) and I might over reach because we’re not sot intimate that I have seen all of her, but I do think she has a vagina. Intersex people are individuals born with variations in sex characteristics that are not strictly XX-male or XY-female. They do not fit the definitions of male of female bodies. In the past, you would have called them hermaphrodites but believe me, this is so wrong and offensive. Don’t. I won’t get into much details about intersex individuals as I want to give them an entire article to focus on their existence. Just know they’re here and that your binary concept of the human body, though right for you and most of your friends and family, is no longer valid.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION / SEXUAL IDENTITY

It’s gonna get a tiny bit more complicated as they have one identical word in common. Sexual. You know that word, stop focusing on it. Put your eyes on their companions. Orientation is an pattern of romantic and/or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex and/or gender, same sex and/or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Those orientations are usually divided into three categories : heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. Bullshit.

Identity is how a person thinks of him/her/themself in terms of whom one is romantically or sexually attracted to. Or not. The beauty of this new world is that you can pretty much identify with whatever words you feel comfortable with. I used to identify myself as an homosexual man with a 5,5 on the Kinsey Scale. But time and research made me rethink my personal point of view. I still use the terms homosexual, gay (though I have a preference for the umbrella word that is Queer, and the slurs I like to appropriate as my own) but the Kinsey method only include the three orientations I previously cited. I now more and more in phase with being androsexual and it redefined my attraction as a matter of identity.

I’m sure you don’t know what Androphilia is. or Gynephilia for that matter. Neither was I not so long ago. They are terms used to describe sexual orientation as an alternative to a gender binary homosexual / heterosexual / bisexual conceptualization. Androphilia describes sexual attraction to men or masculinity. Gynephilia describes the sexual attraction to women or femininity. Ambiphilia, finally, describes the combination of both Androphilia and gynephilia. I thought I was only attracted to cisgender man but a few years ago, I found myself incredibly aroused at the sight of what happened to be a transgender man. A gorgeous man that I will not named. Though confused at first, I realized that wouldn’t change who I am. I’m still the same person with the same sexuality. I just happen to be attracted to masculinity traits. By applying those terms to the common understand of sexual identity, we avoid bias inherent in normative concepts of human sexuality, confusion and offense with people of multiple identities.

But whatever the term, you get to decide. You can be : Asexual (experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others and lack of interest in sexual relationships or behavior) Bicurious Bisexual Demisexual (little or no capacity to experience sexual attraction until a strong romantic connection is formed with sometimes) Fluid Gay Homosexual Lesbian Pansexual (a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities) Polyamorous (the practice and desire of consensual non-monogamous relationships) — yeah, that can be part of your sexual identity. Queer Skoliosexual (being primarily sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to genderqueer, transgender and/or non-binary individuals)

You can even be straight and identify as MSM or WSW (Men who have Sex with Men or Women who have Sex with Women).

Honestly, the possibilities seem unlimited at this point. To the question “What does and what does not turn you on?”, be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid to think about it.

GENDER IDENTITY

Now on to the final curve of this ever-so complicated path. Gender Identity is the personal sense of one’s own gender. It is not always on par with the gender you were assigned at birth. To take myself one last time as an example, I am a cisgender man. Cisgender : an individual whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth. Got it ? In terms of gender, I don’t have to ask myself too much questions except socially as I slowly but surely try to break codes about masculinity and femininity. But that’s beyond the point for now. So when you are not a cis person, what can you be ? Someone can be transgender.

Transgender : a gender description for someone who has transitioned or si transitioning from living as one gender to another. Two warnings on this. First, “transitioning” doesn’t mean a transgender person has to change his/her/their you-know-me-down-there surgically. Transitioning means changing things as varied but not obligatory as exterior appearance, name, pronouns. What you do with your body is your own business (more on that in a future article). Second, the word transgender was preceded by two other words : transvestite and transexual. A transvestite is a person who dresses as the gender opposite his/her/their own but has nothing to do with sexual or gender identity. A transexual is the grandparent word of transgender but the term has been rejected by many transgender people as “beyond the scope” (with sexual in it, no shit). I would not use that word unless that person identifies as transexual. But I doubt it. But again, gender is a complex thing and it is associated with identity. And though you cannot chose who you love, who you are attracted to and who you are, you get to choose the words that fit you best. Not cis ? Not trans ? Maybe you are non-binary, or genderqueer (a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine and are outside the gender binary and cis normality). Maybe you are genderfluid. Maybe agender (someone who identifies as having no gender or being without a gender) or demigender. Maybe all or none of the above.

So to the third question I had you earlier, “Who are you?”, what will you say ?

There are no wrong answers. Only wrong silences.

As I get to write these articles one by one, I learn a lot about my people. Where they’re coming from, what they want and who they are. And through that, I’m learning a shitload more about myself, and not only as a queer person. This article was, in the end, only about little boxes available to you. Do not conform to them because they are there. I asked you three questions and expected answers. What if they aren’t any final ones for you ? What’s so bad about that? As long as you get the freedom to ask yourself a double “what” and a simple “who”.

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graysonfirewolf85-blog · 5 years

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Queer Positive Deities

Keep in mind that this is NOT a complete list of ALL pantheons and deities that are queer positive. This is a good majority, but by all means it is NOT all of them. Also not all photos would fit.

DISCLAIMER

This wiki will contain sexual terms and other mature items that each deity represented or did in their specific pantheon. If any of it bothers you, please exit the wiki and move on from it. Thank you.

Achilles (Greek)

The Greek hero Achilles was invulnerable excepting his famous weak heel, but a male shieldbearer broke through the warrior’s romantic defenses. While Homer never explicitly states a gay relationship between Achilles and sidekick Patroclus, many scholars read a romantic connection between the two, as only Patroclus ever drew out a compassionate side to the famously arrogant warrior. Patroclus’s death at the hands of Trojan Prince Hector sent Achilles into a rage in which he killed Hector and dragged his body around Troy. Other myths also disclose Achilles was struck by the beauty of Troilus, a Trojan prince.

Adonis/Tammuz (Phoenician/Greco-Roman/Mesopotamian)

The name “Adonis” now refers to a strikingly beautiful male, but the original Adonis is a cross-cultural deity, showing up in Phoenician and Greco-Roman mythology. Adonis is often equated with the Mesopotamian Tammuz, with whom he shares many attributes and stories. Most noted for his relationships with goddesses, including Astarte, Aphrodite, and Persephone, Adonis was also the beloved of the god Dionysus. Adonis and Tammuz are fertility gods, representing the vegetation of the land, in a constant state of life, death, and resurrection. Adonis died from a boar’s attack, which mutilated his genitals. In the much-celebrated descent-of-the-goddess stories known in many cultures, the Goddess travels into the many layers of the underworld to retrieve the spirit of her consort. Adonis is seen not as a king, but as a lover, somewhat effeminate or homoerotic. His priests in Athens were homoerotically inclined, and, along with priestesses, they celebrated his life and death by planting gardens of Adonis, and then uprooted them only a few days after sprouting. In the Greek magical papyri, Adonis is invoked for lesbian love spells.

Antinous (Greco-Roman-Kemetic)

This resurrection figure holds ties to ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures. Antinous was a real historical figure and the male companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian. The pair would take journeys around the Mediterranean. And on one trip, Antinous drowned in the Nile on the same day that Egyptians commemorated the watery death of Osiris. Deeply affected by the death of his lover, Hadrian encouraged the deification of Antinous, and cults sprung up around the Mediterranean honoring him. In some tellings, Antinous rose from the Nile after his death and was then revered as a form of Osiris reborn. Indeed, the god and the Roman cult that followed him still have devotees today.

Apollo and Hyacinth (Greek)

Apollo was initially the Greek god of light and later was associated with the Sun. His twin sister is Artemis. As the god of music, dance, divination, healing, and artistic inspiration, he can grant these gifts to others. Apollo is known for taking many male lovers, most notably, Hyacinthus, or Hyacinth, a mortal youth. When he was tossing the discus with Apollo, it struck Hyacinth with a mortal blow. The western wind god Zephyrus, who desired Hyacinth and was angry and jealous of Apollo, caused the accident with his winds. The Sun god could not save his beloved, but from his wound Apollo created the Hyacinth flowers, a symbol of youth cut too short. Hyacinth later became a divine patron to those pursuing same-sex love.

Aphrodite/Venus (Greco-Roman)

Aphrodite embodies the powers of love on every level, especially romantic love. Known as Venus to the Romans, and associated with the morning and evening star, the planet Venus, she was renowned for her gifts of attraction and beauty. She originated—along with the Furies—from Uranus, the sky god, springing forth from the foamy sea where Uranus’s genitalia had fallen after being castrated by his son Chronos. She is usually displayed as a beautiful woman rising out of the sea, as in Botticellis painting, “The Birth of Venus.” As she walks on land, she trails flowers behind her, even in the most barren of deserts. Her aid Eros is the original archetype for the Valentine’s Day cupid, shooting his arrows and making people fall in love. She had many lovers, most notably Ares the war god and her husband, Hephaestus. She bore Hermaphrodite from her union with Hermes.

Artemis/Diana (Greco-Roman)

Artemis is the huntress, the goddess of wild things, the protector of women and children, and the maiden aspect of the Moon. From her bow, she fires silver arrows, the shafts of moonlight to illuminate her path. In many versions of her myths, she is the archetype of the strong, independent woman, goddess of Amazons and unsympathetic to those of traditional masculinity. After her birth, she immediately got up and helped her mother deliver her twin brother, Apollo. Artemis rejects many traditional roles, such as marriage and conventional society, and feels kinship to those beyond traditional roles. Her festivals included same-sex eroticism involving both females and males. As the Romans’ Diana, she took on a more maternal, universal goddess archetype, and became the mother of Aradia, her avatar in 14th-century Italy, who taught the Goddess’s craft.

Astarte (Phoenician/Canaanite)

Astarte is a manifestation of the Great Mother Goddess of the Paleolithic cultures, identified with the earlier goddesses Ishtar and Inanna, and later the Greco-Roman Aphrodite/Venus. Versions of Astarte were worshiped throughout the Middle East, Egypt, and even across Europe, with the spread of the Roman Empire. She is a Queen of Heaven, and patron of love and war. She, too, is involved in the resurrection and fertility myths of Adonis, also known as Adoni, or lord. Though usually remembered in feminine form, like other goddesses, she does have mixed gender incarnations, sometimes depicted as a hermaphrodite, and later the Phoenician records mention King Astarte. Astarte’s temples were served by the kelabim and possibly a gender-variant order of Amazonian women.

Athena/Minerva (Greco-Roman)

Springing fully formed from the head of Zeus, without aid of a goddess, Athena is presented as the wise warrior woman of the Olympians. She has the ability to transform into a young man. Her affairs often end on a tragic note, and most modern myths present her as celibate, though such descriptions were probably added by the patriarchal rise, to demonstrate a strong warrior woman could not have love. In one such myth, her “brother” Hephaestus makes her armor, for “her love.” He means physical love, while she assumes platonic love. I find it hard to believe such a goddess of wisdom and strategy would misunderstand such an offer. Most likely, our modern Athena is a sanitized version of the ancient Minoan snake goddess. Her darker half was shed and cast off as the gorgon Medusa. Modern Athena carries a shield with Medusa’s face on it. Athena is the goddess of strategy, weaving, and invention, who is credited with teaching humans how to graft olive branches onto trees, yielding more harvest. The city of Athens is named after her. She is often called Pallas Athena, in honor of her friend (or possible lover) who died as a youth in a spear throwing accident. Minerva is her Roman name.

Atum (Kemetic)

In the creation story for the Egyptian gods, the first deity, Atum, was both male and female, according to studies by researcher Mark Burstman. The ancestor to all self-produced two offspring, Shu and Tefnut, through either a sneeze or his own semen, and it wasn’t for a few generations that the archetypal male and female gods of Isis and Osiris were born.

Baphomet (Europe)

Baphomet is not a traditional pagan god, but one most noted for its link to the Knights Templar. Pictured as a hermaphrodite, with breasts and a penis, Baphomet was also a mix between human and goat, a perfect mix between male and female, human, and animal, although something akin to the traditional Middle Age view of the devil. Baphomet is a deity of fertility and wealth. To curb their growing power and influence, King Philip IV of France claimed the Knights Templar were worshiping Baphomet and practicing homosexuality, two acts of heresy in the eyes of the Church.

Baron Samedi (Vodoun)

The Voodoo loa (law) named Baron Samedi is a god of the dead and magick, but is also evoked for help in daily life. His place is the cemetery and his symbol, a skull. Samedi is depicted as transgendered, wearing a combination of men’s and women’s clothing of black and purple, possibly representing his walk between two worlds, the living and the dead, in the same way that his sunglasses, with only one lens, do. He sees in both worlds. The Baron is known for his sexually suggestive movements indicating a desire for anal intercourse.

Bona Dea (Roman/Italian)

Bona Dea is the “Good Goddess” about whom little is known. She is a goddess of healing, magick, prosperity, and women. In fact, her cult did not allow the participation of men, and none of her mysteries were to be shared with the outside world. Most of our information on Bona Dea comes to us from the written accounts of male scholars lacking a personal connection to her rites. Her ceremonies possibly included lesbian acts of love as a part of worship.

Bran (Welsh)

Bran the Blessed is a Celtic hero/god of the mystical otherworlds. In many Celtic myths, the line between divine and mortal, spirit and flesh, is less visible than in most other mythologies. The legends were passed on orally, and recorded only much later by Christian writers. To preserve the story, yet not blaspheme, the gods and goddesses were transformed into heroes of folktales as the stories are told and retold. Bran is a patron of magick, battle, and resurrection. His main tale is the rescue of his sister, Branwen, who in many ways seems like his feminine half. She was abused by Matholwch, her husband and king of Ireland. Bran’s army defeated Matholwch’s men and rescued her, but Bran was fatally wounded. His head was eventually severed and continued, after his death, to speak and give magical advice. Eventually it was buried in London. As an interesting note to his history, Robert Craves, the somewhat controversial author of The White Goddess, believed Bran was worshiped by an order of homosexual priests, and Amathon, a version of the Green Man, wrests Bran’s secret magical name by seducing one of Bran’s priests.

Cernunnos/Herne the Hunter (Celtic/Proto-Celtic)

Cernunnos is the fabled Horned God, a central figure in modern witchcraft. He represents the god of the waning year and animal lord, the complement to the Green Man. Usually depicted naked, sitting in a lotus position, with stag antlers and a torc (Celtic neck ring resembling a choker) around his neck and one in his hand, surrounded by the animals of the forest. Some renditions portray the Horned God with an erect penis, surrounded by men with erections as well. Very little of Cernunnos’s original mythos survives, so old are his cults. Worship of him, primarily in Caul and other Celtic territories, is believed to predate the arrival of the Celts. We don’t even know his proper name; Cernunnos is a Roman variation. He has been equated with Herne the Hunter and even the Greek Pan and Dionysus due to their similar associations with nature and shamanic trance work. Herne is a figure of British folklore, the God of the Wild Hunt, appearing at times of crisis. Cernunnos is sometimes associated with the chalk carving of the god figure at Cerne Abbas in Dorset. The figure is not horned, but associated with fertility, due to his depiction with his exaggerated phallus. Cernunnos is an aspect of the Great Father God, a force of nature, like the Goddess—loving, gentle, and receptive, but also fiercely protective and powerful.

Chin (Mayan)

Chin is described as a small child or dwarf, and is a deity of magick, divination, and the destiny of rulers. He introduced homoerotic relationships to the Mayan nobles. The nobles would obtain youths of the lower classes to be the lovers of the nobles’ sons. Such unions were considered legal marriages under Mayan law.

Chrysippus (Greek)

Euripedes wrote that this divine Peloponnesian hero was on the way to compete in the Nemean Games when his Theban tutor Laius ran off with him and raped him. The incident drew a curse upon the city of Thebes.

Damballah (Vodoun)

Damballah is the serpent god of the Voodoo loa and although Damballah is portrayed as a father figure, he has an androgynous nature and can manifest homoerotically or bisexually. Invoked for guidance, peace, and prosperous good fortune, Damballah is the god of rain and rainbows, making a modern connection to the queer rights movement.

Dionysus/Bacchus (Thracian/Greco-Roman)

Dionysus is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Semele. Myths paint Zeus’s immortal wife, Hera, as the villain, tricking Semele to her death while she was still pregnant. Zeus could not save her, but saved his child, and implanted the unborn child in his thigh, carrying him to term. Thus, in this myth, Dionysus is “twice born” and associated with immortality and Zeus is transgendered and associated with birth. Older myths cite Dionysus’s early death and rebirth, as well as a serpent, perhaps Persephone in disguise, as his mother. Hera plagued him after his birth, so to disguise himself, he learned the art of shape shifting into various plants and animals and dressed in women’s clothing to avoid detection. He kept company with woodland creatures, depicted as soft and feminine, yet virile and strong, Dionysus is a balance of extremes. His myths, too, contain both ends of the spectrum. As a god of ecstasy, wine, and love, he traveled the world with his teachings, before ascending to Olympus as one of the twelve main deities. Like Jesus, but predating him, Dionysus spread his message and gathered followers to his cult. Some expressions were peaceful and loving, while others were more extreme and violent. His female followers of the more extreme rituals were called the Maenads, or Bacchante. Noted for his associations with Aphrodite and Persephone, taking a sacrificial Adonis-like role in several stories, Dionysus was less well known for his love affairs with men, including Adonis and Hermaphrodite. Dionysus is both an upperworld god of light, as a newborn child of innocence, and one who has braved the underworld, in search of his mother’s spirit, to come back with the power the shamanic realms has to offer. As Bacchus to the Romans, this god was depicted less beautiful, and more masculine, yet he retained his softness and sensitivity. Dionysus is quite the example of balancing gender identities as a path to enlightenment.

Ereshkigal (Sumerian)

Sister to Inanna, and Queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal is the dark goddess of the dead. She is like the crone, and associated with the power of transformation and destruction, with Greek Kore/Persephone, Hindu Kali, Celtic Morgan, and Norse Hel. In Egypt, Ereshkigal was petitioned for gay male love spells.

Eros (Greek)

Eros is most popularly known as the cupid image of Valentine’s Day cards, and as the aid to Aphrodite, shooting arrows to make mortals and gods alike fall in love. The mythic, truly worshiped god Eros is much different from our conception of him. Like Dionysus, he contained a mixture of feminine and masculine energies, being soft, gentle, loving, effeminate, and childlike on one hand, and ancient, wise, aggressive, and masculine on the other. Eros is the patron and protector of homosexual love. He, along with Hermes and Hercules, could grant blessings upon male couples—the gifts of loyalty, eloquence, and strength, respectively. Eros is a major deity in the Orphic Mystery Schools, associated with the dolphin, flute, lyre, rose, and rooster. As a patron of success in battle, he was called upon by warrior/lovers before a fight, because many in the Greek world believed the love men had for each other would unite and lead them to victory.

Erzulie (Vodoun)

Erzulie is the Voodoo loa of love, seduction, and beauty, who grants the gift of manifesting beauty to those in the creative arts, such as painters, musicians, poets, and designers. Although similar in some ways to the Aphrodite archetypes, Erzulie also contains darker elements akin to the underworld goddesses. Her symbol is the mirror, not only to admire her beauty, but in Voodoo, the mirror is the symbol of the spirit world, the gateway to the realm of the loa. She is sometimes known as a loa of tragic love, for she is Erzulie Ge Rouge, Erzulie of the Red Eyes. She weeps constantly because no man can love her enough. Some practitioners consider her a patron to gay men and lesbians. Men “ridden” by Erzulie often display transgender traits.

Freyja (Norse)

The Norse myths divide the gods into two tribes, the Aseir and Vanir. The Vanir tribe is considered earthier, embodying the natural forces. The Aseir represent the more intellectual aspects demonstrated by sky-god cultures. The two tribes clashed and eventually the Aseir won the conflict. As a sign of peace, the tribes traded members. Freyja and Freyr lived in Asgard with the Aseir as part of the agreement. Freyja is the good goddess of these ancient people who would become the Norse. She is the goddess of the land, fertility, eroticism, and magick. She specialized in a shamanic magick called Seidr, the practice of inducing shamanic states through shivering and shaking, and sex magick acts are also attributed to her. She wears the golden falcon cloak, which carries her into the otherworlds like the bird of prey. Freyja taught her magick to the god Odin, the all-father of the Aseir. This great goddess later became a goddess of battle, and her initiations included the rite of boys becoming men and warriors. Although modern practitioners of the Norse traditions, the Asatru, are often seen as dominantly heterosexual and sometimes even unwelcoming of gays, it appears possible their ancient spiritual ancestors had homoerotic overtones in actuality, or ritually, like most ancient cultures. Becoming a warrior was a form of blood brothering. Ritual anal intercourse may have been a part of that warrior bonding.

Freyr (Norse)

Her brother, the god Freyr, also embodies the earth, like a vegetation king, growing, dying, and then resurrecting. Sharing attributes with the traditional Wiccan horned and green gods, Freyr is sometimes depicted with an erect penis, and fertility icons are present as part of his worship. He is also a patron of magick, shamanism, water, eroticism, love, peace, boars, horses, and stags. Freyr seems to keep his associations with peace, an association many queer men identify with instead of focusing on the more patriarchal and warlike gods, while other gods, including his sister, were directed toward war. His priest may have been homoerotic or transgendered, and well versed in his sister’s form of shamanic magick. In many ways, Freyja and Freyr are like two sides of the same coin, even in name. To modern pagans, they represent the primal Goddess and God of the land, the Lady and Lord seen all over the world

Ganesha (Hindu)

Ganesha, the breaker of obstacles and binder of evil, is usually depicted as a four-armed, plump, elephant-headed man, riding a rat. Ganesha is a benefactor, a wise, gentle, and loving god, acting as an aide and intermediary for other deities of the Hindu faith. He is the son of the goddess Parvati. One myth claims his father is the god Shiva. Another says he was created by Parvati from clay and dust, to be both her son and servant. Lesser-known myths say he sprung from the union of Parvati with the goddess of the Ganges River, Ganga, or another handmaiden goddess. Shiva beheads him in a fit of anger, as Ganesha protects the inner chambers of Parvati. The goddess replaced his fallen human head with an elephant’s head. Shiva later gave control of his armies, his own power, to Ganesha. The inner chambers of the goddess represent the inner, sacred power, and the power of sexuality, as he is said to guard the root chakra, and kundalini. The gates to the kundalini energy are the vagina and anus, and the elephant-headed god has been linked to homoerotic forms of worship involving anal sex. Ganesha is mixed in terms of sexuality, masculine in gender, and as represented with the elephant’s trunk, but also is soft, tender, and portrayed with breasts. He opens the gateways that block our path, removes obstacles, and protects travelers. Speaking from personal experience, Ganesha is a powerful ally to have when overcoming challenges placed before you.

Ganymede (Greek)

The most famous male lover of the Olympian god-king Zeus, Ganymede was a prince whom Zeus coveted. Taking the shape of an eagle, Zeus snatched Ganymede up to Mount Olympus to be his lover and his cupbearer, pourer of the golden ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. Ambrosia, like other sacred liquids, is associated with semen. The sign of Aquarius is associated with Ganymede.

Gwydion (Celtic)

Brother to the Welsh warrior Gilfaethwy, Gwydion is an archetypal magician figure, whose attributes were later absorbed by the Arthurian legends in the figure of Merlin. Gwydion is a trickster, as well as a magician, associated with the Celtic otherworlds and rites similar to shamanism, shape-shifting, and transformation. To woo the lady Goewin from the warrior/magician/king Math, Gilfaethwy asked for Gwydion’s aid. Though greatly skilled, they failed, causing a war with the King Pywll. Math punished them by transforming them into animals of the opposite gender and having them mate, producing a deer, pig, and wolf, who were later transformed by Math into human men, the heroes Hyddwn, Hychtwn, and Bleiden. Gilfaethwy took the female role twice, but Math made them both retain their human consciousness within their animal incarnations, as punishment. The results, however, were quite

wonderful, creating three heroes. Such myths can construe an archetypal reality that preceded events of ritual transgenderism and homoerotic worship among the Celtic people. Only later, as the myth was retold to Christian audiences, does the same-sex union become punishment for misdeeds. Gwydion later guides the development of the warrior Lleu, much like Merlin did with King Arthur.

Hecate (Greco-Roman)

The archetypal goddess of the witches, Hecate is the triple goddess of magick, justice, travel, the night, and the crossroads. She guards the roads of travel, sailors, horses, dogs, and wealth. As Hecate Triformus, she is the one who is three, embodying maiden, mother, and crone, but is most often seen as the crone, the dark goddess of the underworld—the bringer of light or terrible darkness, as a goddess of blessings and curses. Her symbol is the torch, carried into the dark night. As a handmaiden to Aphrodite and Persephone, she is a goddess of love, evoked for gay male love spells going back to the 3rd century C.E. She is also linked with Diana and Proserpina by the Romans, as triple Moon goddesses, and with Artemis, Luna, and Persephone in various triplicies, by the Greeks. Though most typically viewed as a Greek goddess, worshiped by priestesses, her roots trace back to Thrace, and she was honored by gender-variant male priests called semnotatoi. The Romans did not change her name when they assimilated her from the Greek pantheon.

Heracles (Greek)

The famous hero had a number of male companions through his many trials. Among them: Abderos, who kept the mares of Diomedes for Heracles but was eaten by the beasts; Hylas, Heracles’ companion when he sailed on the Argo, who was eventually kidnapped by nymphs in Mysia; and Iolaus, who help cauterize the necks of the hydra when Heracles famously chopped off the beast’s many heads. Indeed, the relationship with Iolaus was enshrined in Thebes, where male couples of the day could be found “exchanging vows and pledges with their beloved at his tomb,” according to historian Louis Crompton.

Hermaphrodite (Greek)

Hermaphrodite is a deity of both genders, having a penis and breasts. One myth states Hermaphrodite is the child of Hermes and Aphrodite, hence the name, and contained the best attributes of them both. Another myth states a nymph named Salmacis pursued a mortal man who spurned her. She asked that she and the mortal be joined forever, and the gods did just that, fulfilling her exact words, and not her intention. The gods melted the two together into one being with both masculine and feminine attributes.

Hermes/Mercury (Greco-Roman)

Although called the messenger god of the Olympians, Hermes has a much greater sphere of influence. True, he is the god of travel, but he is not restricted to any place or role. When speaking to his father, Zeus, he asks to go anywhere he chooses, and takes the role of messenger and psychopomp, traveling between the heavens, Earth, and underworlds. A psychopomp is a guide for souls who takes the dead to the underworld, and new souls to Earth. The psychopomp is the divine archetype of the shaman and magician. As one not bound by traditional roles and obligations, he is free to go and do as he pleases. Hermes took male and female lovers as he desired. With Hercules and Eros, he is part of a homoerotic trinity. His son is the god Pan. Although a male deity, Hermes is androgynous, and carries a lot of boyish charm. Called “Mercury” by the Romans, and associated with Thoth of the Egyptians, Hermes was evoked during the 3rd century in Egypt for gay and lesbian love spells in Hellenistic (Greek) magick. Dill seeds are considered the “semen of Hermes.” Hermes is also credited with giving humans the gifts of writing, mathematics, music, geometry, games, gambling, gymnastics, and wrestling. He is even said to be the inventor of masturbation. Invoked for protection when traveling, Hermes is another Greek patron of the crossroads. He is the god of both intellect and cunning, and as a trickster spirit, he is a patron of thieves. The symbols of Hermes include the winged sandals and cap, the caduceus, and the wand. The caduceus symbolizes the currents of kundalini, rising in a spiral, and later pictured as a double helix, like DNA, or the currents of masculine and feminine energy blending together. Now it is the symbol of modern medicine, as Hermes is a patron of healers. Hermes is a versatile god of many talents, trades, and attributes.

Horus (Egyptian)

Horus is the avenging son and a savior figure, a divine child in the Osirian cults. Horus is the falcon-headed god. One of his eyes is the Sun and the other is the Moon. The son of Osiris and Isis, he revenges himself against his father’s murderer, his uncle Set. Although Horus and Set were in constant conflict until Horus’s eventual victory, one myth relates the story of oral intercourse between Set and Horus, and Set consequently gives birth to Horus’s child. The child is either the Moon god Khonshu or the scribe of the gods, Thoth. Thoth is also associated with the Moon and homosexuality, although in most stories Thoth predates Horus. Homoerotic reproduction is common between divine personages, and their union often signifies birth of a mystical truth rather than a physical child. This particular birth suggests that the child of light and the god of darkness, nephew, and uncle are really two sides of the same deity, much like the cyclical Oak and Holly King of Celtic myth. Unfortunately, many scholars interpret the saga of Horus and Set as the struggle of good versus evil.

Hypnos (Greek)

Popular in mythology is the story of the Moon goddess Selene, who loved the boy Endymion. Most versions tell us she was so distracted by her love that she failed to pull her Moon chariot across the sky, causing darkness and the phases of the Moon. The gods punished her by putting poor Endymion to sleep, yet she still visits, continuing the dark phases of the Moon. The underworld god Hypnos, god of sleep, also loved Endymion, and he put Endymion to sleep, so they may share time together through dreams.

Indra (Hindu)

Indra is the Hindu sky god, with many similarities to Zeus. Both bisexual and transgendered, Indra loves his wife, Indrani. Indrani and Indra are viewed as the feminine and masculine sides to one being. Indra also loves the Moon god Soma, who elicits comparisons to Ganymede. The word soma also refers to the drink of the gods, like the Greek ambrosia, an offering, or potentially a psychotropic substance, real or mythic, which opens the gate to the gods. Soma also forms a union with Agni, the Hindu god of fire.

Isis (Egyptian)

The most beloved of goddesses, Isis is the Great Mother goddess of the Egyptians, the mother of gods and pharaohs. As the goddess of the land, agriculture, Moon, heaven, the underworld, healing, and magick, she is essentially the goddess of life. Her worship started in Stone Age Egypt, but was later incorporated in the more patriarchal myths of Ra, Osiris, and Horus. Even so, she plays a pivotal part in such dramas. Her worship spread into Europe, particularly as a result of Rome’s contact with Egypt, and only diminished with the rise of Christianity and the violent conversions associated with it. Christianized emperor Constantine forbade her worship and rites, desecrated her temples and killed her priests and priestesses. Actually, she was worshiped almost twice as long as Christ has been, and modern pagans are reviving her worship. Her cults and mysteries may have been similar to or even inspired the Eleusian mysteries of Persephone and Demeter. Although associated with homosexuality through her son Horus and brother Set, Isis, like other goddesses of her time and place, is served in ancient times, and today, by gay and transgendered priests and priestesses. Priests of the ancient world grew out their hair and nails, wore skirts, engaged in ritual sex, fertility rites, and possibly ritual castration, all to the dismay of later Christian observers. As the Great Mother, she welcomes all genders, orientations, races, and classes to her worship, and is considered one of the most popular and well-known goddesses in the modern pagan movement.

Kali Ma (Hindu)

Known in Hindu myth as the destroyer, the warrior goddess, and devouring mother is Kali. She is a dark goddess of magick, tantra, thieves, warriors, and death, with many arms carrying weapons, skin like ebony, and wearing a necklace of human heads. She is the destroyer of demons, and the wife/mother of Shiva, the dissolver. In modern practice, Kali is the harsh mother called upon to destroy what does not serve, including our own egos and illusions. She is both beauty and horror personified, forcing us to face our fears. Most people misunderstand the power of Kali. She is not a monster. She is akin to the Celtic war goddesses and crones, like the triple Morgan and the Cailleach. In the Hindu traditions, she is like Mother Nature. Male worshipers sometimes dress as Kali, with fright wigs, masks, and dresses, or ritually cut themselves with swords, as a symbolic castration.

Loki (Norse/Scandinavian/Germanic)

Originally, Loki was a fire god, later absorbed by the Teutonic tribes. In Norse myth, he is adopted as Odin’s blood brother. As his myth changed over time, he was demonized much like the Egyptian Set was. Loki is the trickster, in the positive and negative associations of the word. Although oriented to fire and light, Loki is as much a mercurial figure as Hermes and Thoth, working in words and clever unpredictability, like a combination of The Fool and The Magician of the tarot. Later his words turned to lies and his pranks turned much more malicious, siding with the enemies of the Asgardian gods, causing the death of Balder, the Sun god, son of Odin and brother to Thor. Loki is credited with starting Ragnarok, the Norse Apocalypse the gods desperately tried to prevent. As a shape-shifter, Loki is associated with transgenderism. To help Thor recover his hammer, stolen by the giants, he dresses Thor as Freyja and disguises himself as “her” handmaiden. Later disguised as the giantess Thokk, he prevented Balder’s resurrection by refusing to cry for Balder and defying the goddess Hel’s vow to release Balder from the land of the dead if all would shed a tear for him. Loki also assumed Freyja’s form and cloak, indicating magical and shamanic associations with the goddess, although it appears Loki never had a cult or priesthood exclusively his own. He transforms to a mare, gets pregnant, and gives birth to Odin’s eight-legged magical steed Sleipnir. Because of it, Loki, as a male god, is associated with homosexual union, called “argr” by Odin, an abusive term in old Norse for a sexually receptive male. Related to the word “ergi” that may indicate a sexually receptive male and one versed in Freyja’s magick. Loki also fathered the Midgard Serpent, Fenris Wolf, and Hel, the goddess of death.

Macha (Celtic)

Macha is an aspect of the Celtic triplicity known as the Morgan. Her name means “battle” and she is associated with both the crow and the horse. Three Machas have appeared in Celtic myth. The first is the wife of Nemed. Another is Cimbeath’s wife, who becomes a war chief, herself. The last, and most unusual, is Macha, the wife of Crunnchu. She came to Crunnchu as a fairy lover, making him promise never to reveal her identity. She becomes pregnant with his child. Foolishly, Crunnchu brags to the King in Ulster that his wife can outrun any of the king’s horses. The king accepts his challenge, demanding Crunnchu’s head should the latter lose the bet. Macha, in her mortal guise, is forced to run the race, and she wins, immediately gives birth to twins, and reveals her divine nature, cursing the men of Ulster for their treatment of her. For nine generations, in times of great crisis, all the men of Ulster experience a feminine transformation, living the pains of childbirth. Such androgynous transformation could signify a strong goddess cult influence in Ulster, originally demonstrating not a punishment, but an understanding of the goddess Macha. Although a goddess of war, she is also a goddess of life and sovereignty, giving birth under harsh conditions. Both Emain Macha, Ulster’s capital, and Ard Macha are named after her.

Morrigu/Morrigan/Morgan (Celtic)

The Celtic trinity of war goddesses are known by the name Morrigu. One version contains the goddesses Anu, Babd Catha, and Macha. Another version consists of Babd, Macha, and Nemain. All are associated with battle and death, but also with life. On Samhain, the Morrigan mates with the Dagda, with one foot in the river and one on land, symbolizing the veil between the worlds opening as spirits pass through it. In the revival of modern witchcraft, she is one of the most popular Celtic goddesses, associated with the Great Mother of the Earth, sea, and cosmos. In later myths, she was transformed into Morgan Le Fey of the Arthurian legend, sometimes ally and sometimes villain.

Narcissus (Greek)

A figure mostly known for his obsessive vanity, this son of a nymph and a river god would spend his last days gazing at his own reflection, but the first man he showed affection for was not himself. A myth traced in origin to the Boeotia region mentions a relationship between Narcissus and the smitten Ameinias, whom Narcissus would eventually grow tired of before sending him a sword as a kiss-off. Ameinias, desperately depressed over the rejection, killed himself.

Nephthys (Kemetic)

While there are fewer tales in Egyptian history and mythology about female than male homosexuality, many considered the goddess Nephthys to be a lesbian. The sister and constant companion of Isis, she married brother Seth but bore him no children. Scholars have debated whether the stories of Nephthys, who did bear one son by Osiris, show that the culture held lesbians in greater esteem than gay men, because they could still be fertile despite their sexual orientation. Then again, others express skepticism about her lesbianism altogether.

Odin/Wotan (Norse/German/Scandinavian)

Known as Wotan the Wanderer in Germanic myth, Odin is the all father and king of the Aseir, the warrior gods of the Norse pantheon. Credited with creating, with his brothers, the nine worlds of the Norse cosmology Odin, is a god king and mercurial figure, a traveler, binder, and inspirer. Odin is very shamanic, hanging himself from the world tree to gain knowledge of the runes and giving his eye for knowledge. He is attended by two ravens—Thought and Memory—the head of Mimir who granted him knowledge, and the spirits of the warriors of Valhalla and the Valkyries. (“Valkyrie” means “choosers of the slain,” a group comprising of Amazon-like warrior goddesses acting as psychopomps to the souls of heroes, leading them to Valhalla.) He is the god of nobles, leaders, warriors, poets, magicians, and mad men, evoking a frenzy or fury for battlers. His son Thor is the chief god of the common folk. Odin is known to have assumed feminine dress and identity when it suited his purpose. Freyja initiated him into Seidr shamanic magick, a form traditionally reserved for women and transgendered/homosexual men. He is blood brother to Loki, and their bonding has homoerotic overtones, much like the process of warriors bonding in the rites of Freyja.

Orpheus (Greek)

The legendary poet and musician may be best known for the story of his journey to the underworld to retrieve his wife, Eurydice; he failed to do so when he succumbed to temptation and looked at her before both had returned to the world of the living. According to Ovid, he never took another female lover after that — but did love other young men in Thrace. Spurned, Ciconian women would eventually tear Orpheus apart during a Bacchic orgy.

Osiris (Egyptian)

Osiris is one of the few fertility gods of the ancient pagan world not specifically associated with homosexual relationships, as Adonis and Dionysus are. His only association comes from his brother Set and his son Horus. Originally a god of fertility, he is killed by his brother Set, and resurrected by his wife, Isis. Angered by his resurrection, Set dismembers him. Isis finds all the pieces, except his penis. She resurrects him, placing a symbolic phallus in the correct position. Because of his inability to create new life, Osiris becomes lord of the dead. Either prior to his second death, or through the magical workings of Isis after his second resurrection, he conceives a child with Isis, named Horus, who continues his battle against Set, with the aid of Anubis, Nephthys, and Thoth, and eventually wins, becoming the new pharaoh, ruling in Osiris’s name. The flooding of the Nile River is said to be the semen of Osiris, the life-giving waters resulting from his acts of self-pleasure in the realms below. Pharaohs may have imitated Osiris during their enthronement rituals, masturbating before the image of the gods. These rituals later led to public masturbation as religious worship in Egypt. Such acts of religious sexuality can be found also in ancient Phoenicia, Babylon, and Assyria.

Pan/Faunus (Greco-Roman)

The horned god Pan incarnates the power of the land and animals, the power of wild things, into an archetype of immense power. Often viewed as the primary representation of the Wiccan godforce, Pan is the goat-legged god of music, creativity, poetry, nature, animals, sexuality, and even terror. He is the god of life and death, though not often portrayed as a lord or king, but somewhat as a trickster or nature spirit, cavorting with nymphs and satyrs. Originating the term “pansexual,” Pan loves both men and women. Artwork depicts him playing the panpipes, penis erect and chasing after men and maidens, particularly shepherds and young men to whom he is teaching music. He has been associated with Dionysus and Ganymede. Unfortunately, his visage was partially adopted by Christians to embody the devil, or Satan, though Pan’s pagan historical worship had absolutely nothing to do with Satan.

Poseidon (Greek)

According to Pindar’s First Olympian Ode, Pelops, the king of Pisa, once shared “Aphrodite’s sweet gifts” with the ocean god himself. Pelops for a time was taken to Olympus by Poseidon and trained to drive the divine chariot.

Quan Yin (Asian)

Quan Yin, or Kuan Yin, is the Chinese goddess of compassion. She sits on an island and listens to the prayers of the world, particularly those of women, children, and sailors. In Buddhists terms, she is a bodhisattva, one who forsakes her own union with divinity to remain behind on a spiritual plane, to guide and help the people of the world. She could be thought of as an ascended master or saint. Quite possibly Quan Yin was once depicted as male, from Indian origin, as Avalokiteshvara, and later viewed as a female figure, since union with the divine reconciles the female and male aspects. The Buddha is generally shown as male, so his companion, Quan Yin, was depicted as female in the 8th century. As a bodhisattva, Quan Yin is seen as beyond this world’s concept of gender, and can change gender at will, as needed.

Ra (Kemetic)

While the sun god Ra in most mythological accounts was regarded as the father to the major gods, Sir Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge wrote of clear indications of a double-gender nature to the deity. As early as the fifth dynasty, Budge wrote of Ra’s female counterpart Rat, who was considered the mother of the gods.

Rama (Hindu)

Another origin story for the hijras comes from the Ramayana, which tells the tale of Rama gathering his subjects in the forest before his 14-year adventure. He tells the men and women to return to their appropriate places in Ayodhya, but upon his return from his epic journey, Rama finds some have not left the place of that speech and instead merged together in an intersex fashion. He grants hijras the ability to confer certain blessings, the beginning of the badhai tradition.

Sedna (Native American/Inuit)

Several myths paint Sedna has a gynandromorphous creation deity, served by two-spirit shamans. Others depict her as a young woman who lived with her female partner at the bottom of the ocean. She is a mother goddess of life and death, of animals, particularly sea creatures, hunting, heaven, and destiny.

Set (Egyptian)

Set, or Seth to some, is the brother to Isis and Osiris, the divine mother and father of dominant Egyptian myth. He is also husband to his sister Nephthys, a dark goddess who lacked Set’s association with evil and later defected to her sister Isis’s cause. Set is considered the god of evil by the Osirian cults of Egypt, but more rightly he is the god of the harsh forces, the desert, the tests of the world, and the mysteries of death and sacrifice. He is distinguished by his red hair and fair skin—a far cry from the other Egyptian gods—suggesting a previous incarnation and set of associations from another people that were later absorbed into the Egyptian pantheon. His redness is reminiscent of the red sands and dust storms. He is also considered pansexual. Much later he was connected with Typhon, the serpent chaos god and nemesis of Zeus. Typhon is associated with the watery chaos serpent creation goddess Tiamat of Sumeria. In modern mythology, Set slays his brother Osiris twice out of jealousy and twice Isis returns him to life, though finally as a god of the dead. The two begot Horus, who continues the fight. Though Set himself was Horus’s nemesis, the two have oral sex, Set swallows Horus’s seed, and gives birth to a child.

Teiresias (Greek)

The blind prophet of Apollo was most famous in Greek myth for being transformed from a man into a woman for seven years. During his female years, Teiresias became a priestess of Hera, married, and even had children, according to Hesiod. Call him mythology’s original transgender person. After the gods changed him back, Zeus asked who enjoyed sex more, men or women. Teiresias revealed the ladies had it roughly 10 times better than the lads. Reporting this earned him a blinding by Hera.

Tezcatlipoca (Aztec)

As the Father of Witches, Tezcatlipoca walks the jungles in many forms, including a jaguar, coyote, monkey, or woman. He is the patron of sorcery and divination, often depicted holding his namesake, a black obsidian, or “smoking,” mirror. Seen as a dark solar figure at times, he is the mirror image of Quetzalcoatl, with whom he battled often. As a magician and shaman, Tezcatlipoca grants miraculous healings, although he is associated with death and sacrifice. Tezcatlipoca and his priests are associated with transgenderism, homosexuality, and ritual prostitution similar to the cults of the Middle Eastern goddesses.

Thoth (Egyptian)

The myths surrounding Thoth are numerous and varied, ranging from his role as a primal creation god to that of guide and aide to the ruling god, or son of Set and Horus’s homosexual union. His is pictured variously as a man with an ape or ibis head. Thoth’s title, “shepard of the anus,” comes from his association with the ibis, which fastidiously cleans its anus with its beak. He is primarily a god of writing, communication, magick, invention, justice, and the Moon.

Tlazoteotl (Aztec)

Tlazoteotl is the “Eater of Filth,” “Dirt Goddess,” or the “Shit Goddess” who takes all the darkness of the world, all the horrors, pain, and suffering and transforms it to purest gold. With these attributes in mind, Tlazoteotl can be viewed as an underworld, dark goddess figure, bringing the wisdom of the shadow to her people. She is a powerful goddess of life and death. Viewed as the archetypal witch, even in the Americas, she is seen partially nude, with either horns or a conical hat, holding a snake and riding a broom. The rabbit is her animal. Along with Xochiquetzal, she is mother and protector of the huastecs, transgendered, lesbian priestess. She is also linked with male homosexuality in her form as “Goddess of the Anus.” In most recent times, in a pop-culture, graphic story called The Invisibles by Grant Morrison (Vertigo/DC), she is associated with a shamanic drag queen named Lord Fanny.

Xochilpilli (Aztec)

Known as “the prince of flowers,” Xochilpilli is the Aztec patron god of flowers, physical pleasure, fine food, dancing, singing, games, entertaining, and perfumes. Although he is a giver of curses as well as blessings, his festivals are known for their lack of human sacrifice. Xochilpilli is a corn or grain god, partaking in the fertility mysteries of the spring equinox, much like a New World Adonis, with his mother and lover, Xochiquetzal. He is a patron of gay men, gender variance, and male prostitution. As a form of the god Naxcit-Xuchitl, he is said to have introduced homosexuality to his people. As Naxcit-Xuchitl, he ruled the Age of Flowers, or the Cosmic Cycle of the Four-Petaled Flower. Though most records of this time are derogatory, the general, less hostile position marks it as a time ruled by women warriors, where a form of Xochiquetzal was prevalent, and men focused on the arts and possibly same-sex relationships. Perhaps the Four-Petaled Flower age was a New World matriarchal age.

Xochiquetzal (Aztec)

An Aztec goddess of the underworld and of spring flowers, Xochiquetzal is somewhat akin to the Greek Persephone in that regard, though others relate her to the biblical Eve. The rain god Tlaloc is her husband, though Tezcatlipoca fell in love with her and took her away. Tlaloc then brought the great flood. Xochiquetzal is the mother of Quetzalcoatl and Xochilpilli. Marigolds, the Moon, red serpents, deer, spiders, butterfly wings, and thorns are her symbols, as she is a goddess of weavers, painters, sculptors, craftsmen, smiths, poets, and those engaging in nonreproductive sex. She is a protector of lesbians, along with Tlazolteotl, and is strongly linked to gay and transgendered men.

Vishnu/Mohini (Hindu)

A major deity of the religion regarded as protector of the world, Vishnu is clearly depicted in the faith as gender-fluid. This major Hindu deity frequently took on the female avatar of Mohini. Vishnu even procreated with Shiva in the Mohini form, resulting in the birth of Ayyappa, a major figure still worshipped by millions who make pilgrimages to shrines in India. The avatar Mohini frequently gets describes as an enchantress who maddens lovers.

Yemaya (Santeria)

Yemaya is the orisha of oceans, rivers, and water, a divine mother. The orisha are like the loa of Voodoo, but Santeria practices have a particularly Spanish flair. Yemaya is a great sorceress, a powerful patron of magick, and is known to shapeshift into a man at times. As a warrior woman, Yemaya is linked to transgendered and lesbian women. Water is generally associated with healing, cleansing, and emotion, so Yemaya is appealed to for healing, particularly now, to wash away HIV/AIDS, as she is also seen as a patron to gay, bisexual, and transgendered men.

Zeus/Jupiter (Greco-Roman)

Zeus is a sky and storm god, the carrier of lightning and rain, and the leader of the Olympians. The son of Chronos the Titan and grandson of the sky god Uranus, Zeus led his siblings to victory against the Titans. He divided creation among his brothers. He gained the heavens, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the underworld. Zeus is both a beneficent father figure and a stern patriarch, but always the supreme god. Zeus is associated with the planet Jupiter, which is his Roman name, and the granter of fortune, blessings, and prosperity. His wife is the sky goddess Hera, although he is known for his liaisons with both men and women, siring numerous offspring. Zeus is a shape-shifter and often uses the ability to seduce unsuspecting young men and women. In the Orphic mythology, he is transgendered as Zeus Arrhenothelus, being both mother and father. Later myths completely abandon Zeus’s transgendered aspects, but he retains some motherly attributes. Zeus gave birth to the goddess of wisdom, Athena, directly from his brow, as he did Dionysus from his thigh. This ability to carry a child to term echoes Zeus’s older attributes and we should not forget Them.

https://www.pride.com/entertainment/2017/9/11/52-queer-gods-who-ruled-ancient-history

Christopher Penczak’s Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe

#queer positivity #pantheons #lgbttqqiaap #magick #witchcraft

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astarsdarkheart · 6 years

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So! About Solo!

- Han and his overconfident blustering are frequently a source of comedic relief in the OT, so going for a generally light-hearted tone without pretensions to Galaxy-Saving Endeavours probably did them good in terms of keeping the character intact without having it clash too badly with the story.

- That said: holy hell I was not expecting trench scenes that could have been lifted out of a Great War documentary.

- The Crimson Dawn yacht reminds me of nothing so much as this concept art/visulation of a research sea vessel I read about in some science magazine years ago, and I didn’t figure that out until today, so I spent a fair amount of time last night going ‘so what other Star Wars ship is it that thing reminds me of so much?’

- My generalised irritation with the apparent necessity of Romantic Entanglement with backstory characters remains as strong as ever, and I really don’t think Qi’ra and Han needed to have had that kind of relationship for the sake of maintaining the underlying Thing of ‘betrayal and loss of childhood companion’, but it wasn’t any more offensive to my sensibilities than other plotlines of the sort are, at least.

- That said: ‘I hate you,’ ‘I know’ is one of my favourite exchanges in that film.

- Like, we all know people who don’t want to see queerness will go out of their way to dodge it and quite frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers dodged the question too but that’s such a heavy parallel considering the Iconic Status of the line in ESB.

- ‘I’ve got a really good feeling about this’ Don’t get too used to it, buddy, there aren’t a lot of those in your future!

- ‘I created a distraction!’ She sounded so proud of herself, it’s quite adorable.

- The, uh... implied risquéness of certain other aspects of L3′s presence in the film was less appreciated.

- To be fair, though, Galaxy of Heroes would have me believe that L3 has a ‘penchant for self-modification’, and if we assume a human-like degree of arm mobility and a need for visual input from the sensors in her head to do any kind of modification, the mid-section is probably one of the easiest places to work on. So it’s not completely insensible, in that light.

- Without knowing a lot more than I do about writer intent regarding the way L3′s introduction is written, I’m not sure how to feel about that. I mean, it could be genuine on the part of the writers and not played for laughs as I’m somewhat concerned it is, but that’s not a conclusion I’m about to jump to. Especially given Lando’s little aside about how he would wipe her memory if not for her navigational database.

- And the combination of L3 being ‘part of the ship’ and Lando’s obvious emotional attachment to her makes Han winning the Falcon in the end a little... hrm.

- But the Sabacc back and forth was entertaining enough that I’m willing to overlook it.

- That last scene adds a whole new layer of hilarity to Han’s insulted ‘hey, I won her fair and square’ bit in ESB!

- The thing about how Han ‘doesn’t have people’ ties in quite nicely with his arc in the OT, all things considered - he ends the film shooting a mentor, knowing that a childhood sweetheart lied to him and left him behind (and consequently being rather aimless, given that finding Qi’ra was initially his major motive), and really only having himself and Chewie to turn to. And while he clearly wants to walk away from the war, he doesn’t exactly look to hate the Empire that much at that stage, so Enfys’ offer of a place with the building rebellion doesn’t do much for him at that stage. A fairly solitary existence for him, then, at that stage! And then eventually we get to the OT and him finding people to care about and actually standing up for the cause and all.

- There’s something very sad about Qi’ra’s ‘you’re a good guy’ line, in that respect, because it takes so long for Han to believe it himself. (And I mean, hell, I know a thing or two about telling yourself you’re the bad guy because it is, for whatever reason, easier, and considering where Han - and Qi’ra - came from, it makes sense that they would.)

- Unless there’s a lot more context to be found in the TV shows than the straight-up ‘hey, Maul didn’t actually die like you thought he did in TPM’, Qi’ra’s apparent history of doing all these unspecified horrible things could have done with a bit more substantiation, but given what we have to conclude about her thought process from Han’s decision to help Enfys onwards, one could argue that there’s plenty substantiation of that thing about her being a survivor before all else.

(Tangentially related: my conversation with my parents in the car ride home, none of us having seen either of the TV shows but me having read enough about them to understand Maul’s presence:

Me: So should I explain what Maul was doing there?

Mother: What? He was there? What needs explaining?

Me: ... I forget, you really don’t remember a damn thing about the prequels, do you?)

- And then there’s the thing about the objective being ‘to stay in it as long as possible’.

- Enfys Nest is a fucking child what the hell

- Like, I’m nineteen, there’s only so much I can or should be saying about this, but good lord she looks so young

- Tells us all we need to know about war, though, doesn’t it?

- And there’s definitely something to be said about the contrast between that youthful visage and the gruff ‘I need a drink’ immediately after, though I’ll be damned if I can figure out what.

- Also her entrance when it comes to fighting off the enforcers is cool as hell.

- Don’t know that Alden Ehrenreich particularly convinces me as Han Solo in terms of appearance, but he does the overconfident blustering pretty okay!

- Does this film add a huge amount to the Star Wars universe? Eh, maybe not. Does it do the scope and mythological stature that classic Star Wars delivered so well on? No, not really. Did I manage to have a good time watching it nonetheless? Yep!

- So, yeah, it’s a spin-off, and I think it’s best enjoyed that way. It’s a good time if you don’t set your expectations too high!

- Like, I don’t know that I’d enjoy trying to pick the film apart and get into the meta and the why and wherefore of everything the way I do with the OT and PT (and we’ll see how the ST shakes out once Ep IX is released), but I did really enjoy watching it, it was good fun, and that ought to be the end of that.

#holocron data #solo #spoilers #potentially #it's been out for long enough that i imagine most people who care #have either seen it or been spoiled already #but meh #principles are a thing

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lohveandfilm · 4 years

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My Own Private Idaho and the Pain of Unequal Love

The first thing I wanted to mention is that I watched My Own Private Idaho immediately after seeing The King on Netflix, and I learned that watching two very loose adaptations of Shakespeare in succession is extremely confusing. Unfortunately, I think knowing some of the story of Henry V before seeing Idaho contributed to my feeling that the film was like two screenplays that had been thrown in the blender together. I was watching Scott and understanding his story as that of Henry V while at the same time trying to figure out how Mike fit into that Shakespeare adaptation. The problem was, of course, that Mike has absolutely no place in the Shakespearean side of the film. This often led to the feeling that Mike and Scott were almost in two different movies, which made it hard to analyze their relationship in certain ways, so I’ve tried to ignore the Shakespearean aspects of this film for the sake of my own understanding.

I thought the C.S. Lewis was a really interesting reading for this movie given the rampant homophobia in his writings. It goes without saying that I find his arguments about the impossibility of homosexuality ridiculous. I also found it strange that he suggested male friendship couldn’t exist if homosexuality was real because there would always be an erotic component. This also implies that heterosexual women and men could never be friends, which he then goes on to say explicitly is the case. Beyond the fact that I never trust straight men who don’t have any female friends, I think Lewis is seriously underestimating the ability of humans to coexist without sexual desire. For example, Scott is able to work as a prostitute with Mike, an explicitly sexual job, and yet never sees Mike or any man as a possible romantic partner. Honestly, I am quite sure that if C.S. Lewis was open to having female friends, he would have found that there were many women for whom he never experienced any strong romantic or sexual desires. The argument, then, that Scott and Mike could never be friends because of Mike’s queerness is clearly flawed, especially since I think putting the blame on Mike for the failure of their friendship is partly rooted in societally ingrained homophobia.

The aspect of the Lewis reading that I do think applies to this film is the difference between Companionship and Friendship. Mike and Scott are associated initially because they are both sex workers who operate out of the same rag-tag group, led by Bob. They certainly seem to act like friends, especially during the scene in which they steal the money from Bob and the others. That action suggests a strong bond between those two outside of the group, one that would be the basis of a friendship that exceeds the level of useful companionship. Yet Scott’s abandoning of Mike in Italy (I still have questions about how Mike got a passport) brings doubt into the definition of their relationship as a friendship. I think Mike absolutely saw Scott as a friend, and that friendship is also how Mike came to see Scott as a romantic interest. I wonder, though, if Scott ever saw Mike as more than an agreeable companion. The biggest element of confusion for me here is that Scott and Mike were closer than all the others. Did this mean that Scott was friends with Mike, or did he simply find Mike more interesting? Did he feel bad for Mike because of the narcolepsy, or did he maybe even find it slightly amusing and kept him around for that reason? I feel that there must be some explanation for their closeness outside of friendship because otherwise there is no explanation for how quickly Scott abandoned Mike.

(I wanted to insert the scene of Scott leaving Italy here, but I couldn’t find one amongst the absolutely insane number of fanfiction edited videos for this movie!)

If this is truly the case, that Scott hung out with Mike more for amusement than genuine affection, then I’m not sure Scott and Mike can ever be truly categorized as friends. Aristotle was insistent that friendship can only be considered as such if there is a mutual acknowledgement of affection for each other. Julia Annas uses a very relatable example to explain Aristotle’s meaning: “For Aristotle, however passionately I might feel about a film star (Robert Redford, for example) I could not be said to love or even like him; since he is unaware of my existence and my feeling about him all that I could feel would be goodwill, however passionate it might seem to me.” I do think, though, that there is an added layer of complexity to Scott and Mike’s relationship. Mike doesn’t just feel passionately about Scott, he knows him, and since he knows him, Mike can reasonably expect that the affection might be reciprocated. Mike feels goodwill towards Scott, but he also desperately wishes for their relationship to be elevated to the level of mutual affection, of friendship. My friends in high school called this a “friend crush,” when you knew someone as an acquaintance (or Companion, as Lewis would say), but you liked their personality and wished that you could have a stronger relationship with them. Mike’s situation is even more complicated because he has a friend crush and a romantic crush on Scott, but Scott doesn’t seem willing to reciprocate any of those emotions. Perhaps Scott is holding back because he knows he will one day have to return to his old life, or maybe he simply tries to help Mike because he feels bad for leading the other boy on. No matter his reasoning, I believe it was cruel of Scott to make no attempt at genuine friendship with Mike. If he had treated Mike in the same way as he had the others (this applies to Scott and Bob, as well), he would’ve spared Mike an elevated level of emotional devastation when he inevitably left. By presenting the possibility of mutual affection, he raised Mike’s hopes in a way that wouldn’t have occurred if he’d maintained a more companionate relationship.

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nibblesofflesh · 7 years

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Henry Higgins is Eliza’s gay adoptive dad

This is a series of meta exploring my new perspective on the relationships in My Fair Lady. Though many people, previously including me, interpret it as a love story between Eliza and Henry Higgins, the film actually seems to encourage another reading entirely – Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering are Eliza’s adoptive parents. I’ll go into how I think this queer reading of My Fair Lady is supported by the text and subtext, and how it actually allows Eliza and her gay dads the happy ending they all deserve.

Part 3: Henry Higgins is as straight as Sherlock Holmes

In Part 2, I discussed how Higgins and Pickering’s first meeting qualified as a meet cute. Incidentally, it was upon studying this meet cute that I noticed something (before reading several articles on the subject) as a queer Sherlock Holmes fan: Higgins and Pickering seemed very familiar. Let me summarize their meeting again for perspective:

A veteran who just came back from a stay abroad meets an eccentric who is a genius in a very esoteric field. The eccentric DEDUCES where people are from based on tiny nuances in their speech patterns that no one else would notice (and is mistaken for a detective, HA). The veteran likes this man instantly despite his eccentric behavior, and immediately moves in with him. He’s an eager student in all of the eccentric’s ways, is very quick to praise, and enables a lot of the eccentric’s worst behavior, never giving more resistance than a “Be reasonable!”

The similarities are suspicious, but what really clinched it for me was this description of Higgins from the screenplay:

When the lights go on, as they will in a moment, HIGGINS in the morning light is seen to be a robust, vital, appetizing sort of man of forty or thereabouts. He is of the energetic scientific type, heartily, even violently, interested in everything that can be studied as a scientific subject, and careless about himself and other people, including their feelings. He is, in fact, but for his years and size, rather like a very imperious baby “taking notice” eagerly and loudly, and requiring almost as much watching to keep him out of unintended mischief. His manner varies from genial bullying when he is in a good humor to stormy petulance when anything goes wrong; but he is so entirely frank and void of malice that he remains likable even in his least reasonable moments.

Henry Higgins is Sherlock Holmes, and that makes Pickering his Watson – and that immediately leads to questions about just how straight Higgins could possibly be.

To start, both Holmes and Higgins have their potential feelings concerning women addressed and dismissed. Watson will frequently say (and most notably in “A Study in Scarlet,” concerning Irene Adler) that Holmes has never shown love for a woman, because it goes against his logical nature. For Higgins, aside from an entire song about all the qualities he supposedly sees and completely despises in women, there’s another lovely tidbit from the screenplay:

(…But as to HIGGINS, the only distinction he makes between men and women is that when he is neither bullying nor exclaiming to the heavens against some featherweight cross, he coaxes women as a child coaxes its nurse when it wants to get anything out of her)

At this point, assuming Higgins sees Eliza romantically because she commands his respect is akin to assuming Holmes sees Irene Adler romantically because she outsmarts him. No, really; the idea is dismissed in both texts, and yet the assumption has prevailed for practically as long as the texts have existed – neither Holmes nor Higgins can escape it.

I know authorial intent is to be taken with a grain of salt, but here’s an interesting little bit of history: George Bernard Shaw, the author of Pygmalion (from which My Fair Lady is of course based), was outraged when the first stage production put Higgins in a more romantic light. He actively fought for productions to dispel any notion of romance between Higgins and Eliza from 1914 to at least 1938, when the film was made – that’s almost 25 years of saying no and still not being listened to – and that’s before My Fair Lady was even conceived.

But, even when paying the author no mind, each text does a perfectly good job of demonstrating that their male heroes are very much not straight. At this point, the argument becomes a bit more nuanced, because it’s very possible that Higgins is, like many read Holmes to be, asexual. That reading is completely supported by the text. I’d also say, however, that there is some subtext in My Fair Lady that lends itself to read Higgins and Pickering as being a couple, and much of it is for the same reason we read Holmes and Watson as being together.

One of the little tidbits you learn from queer study of Sherlock Holmes is that the word “bachelor” is thrown about quite a bit in the Holmes stories, and the term has been used in popular culture as a euphemism for a man being homosexual. “Confirmed bachelor” is even stronger, because it insinuates he’ll never marry.

Additionally, Holmes is often described as bohemian, and a lot of the gestures and movements he makes can be interpreted as flamboyant and are often portrayed that way – the most prominent of which being his expressive, “nervous” hands.

On top of that, though Holmes sometimes seems a bit at odds with social mores involving contact with other people, it’s always clear that he is incredibly physically comfortable with Watson, touching his shoulder or looping through his arm. He in fact seems more comfortable touching Watson than just about anyone else.

(Okay, the similarities are almost getting silly now.)

Honestly, of the few ways Holmes and Higgins do differ, the most glaring of which to me is that, while Holmes is often uninterested in talking about his feelings, Higgins likes to wax poetic about his, especially when he’s completely contradicting himself. It’s actually a good thing, though, because instead of small glimpses into how his mind works, Higgins bares all like he’s kicking through a pair of double doors.

He rants about all of the reasons he dislikes women in the beginning of the film, which is bad enough, but it gets even worse – or should I say better? – at the end, when he sings what I affectionately call his “I like men” song. It starts out with the line: “Pickering, why can’t a woman be like a man?”

HIGGINS. Yes … why can’t a woman be more like a man? Men are so honest, so thoroughly square; Eternally noble, historically fair…

This goes on for a bit. Not only is this song absolutely hilarious characterization and one of the best bits of verbal irony I’ve ever seen (though the irony is lost on Higgins because he believes every word of it), it’s also… not very straight. This song is basically one big flashing neon sign saying “I like men,” and Henry Higgins is twirling it like a baton. But wait; it gets so much better:

Why can’t a woman take after a man? Men are so pleasant, so easy to please; Whenever you are with them, you’re always at ease. Would you be slighted if I didn’t speak for hours? PICKERING. Of course not! HIGGINS. Would you be livid if I had a drink or two? PICKERING. Nonsense. HIGGINS. Would you be wounded if I never sent you flowers? PICKERING. Never. HIGGINS. Well, why can’t a woman be like you?

At this point in the song he elegantly drapes himself down next to Pickering on the couch, and “addresses” the few, small issues some men may possess, discussing how they are most definitely the exception to the rule. Pickering is so amused.

And then Higgins goes on:

Why can’t a woman take after a man? Because men are so friendly, good-natured and kind. A better companion you never will find. If I were hours late for dinner, would you bellow? PICKERING. Of course not! HIGGINS. If I forgot your silly birthday, would you fuss? PICKERING. Nonsense. HIGGINS: Would you complain if I took out another fellow? PICKERING. Never. HIGGINS. Well, why can’t a woman be like us?

And there you have it. Not much to say after a song like that. When you view this film through a heteronormative lens, you tell yourself that this is Higgins listing all of men’s apparently amazing qualities just because he thinks he has all of these qualities – narcissistic projection at its worst. And, though I still think there’s an element of that, if you allow a queer reading of the song, it’s all there, ripe for the picking. Honestly, is it even subtext at that point?

So, in conclusion, Henry Higgins is an archetype, and a very famous one at that – and if he’s based on Sherlock Holmes, there is a very strong possibility that he is not very straight.

@oddcomoddity @tremendousdetectivetheorist (If anyone else wants to be tagged for the rest of the series, let me know in the comments!)

#higgins is eliza's gay dad #henry higgins #sherlock holmes #my fair lady #meta #rex harrison #colonel pickering #queer reading

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garden-ghoul · 7 years

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two blogs part 2

“the upstairs neighbors are being really loud and my tarot deck told me to relax can you believe this bullshit”

THE URUK-HAI

Ah, Uruk-hai. What could possibly be worse? I am here to tell you that what could be worse than being kidnapped by uruk-hai is if someone is fucking mowing a lawn outside and people will not stop walking around and moving furniture upstairs. Dump my body in a ditch and write ‘CAUSE OF DEATH: AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER’ on a scrap of paper tucked under my tongue. Anyway Pippin is not having a much better time than me. He wakes up from a nightmare lying tied up on the ground, looking at his scared (and also tied up) best friend. And FINALLY some Pippin interiority! He is dismayed that he has been worse than useless on this journey and also, obviously, that he is now at the mercy of a bunch of orcs. I like that his primary characteristic in Fellowship was that he kept trying to look tough when he thought he wasn’t... but as we’ll see he really is tough and resourceful!

The orcs notice Pippin is awake and start being mean to him immediately. One of them says “Curse the Isengarders!” out loud, which seems like a pretty bad idea unless you assume this orc is looking for a fight. I guess the fact that orcs have no common language between tribes is just a plot point that allows Pippin to understand what they’re saying? Basically they are just arguing about whose orders supersede who else’s orders. Some of them are even Moria orcs, and just want to do a revenge murder; why the hell did the professional warriors let them join?? Like it’s clear that the Mordor party and the Isengard party have sort of good reasons to cooperate, but I’m honestly surprised they didn’t just chase off the Moria orcs as soon as they showed up. Like who even are these guys? They don’t work for either of our masters. Deadweight. At any rate, Ugluk of Isengard doesn’t seem to want to let them leave now?? Just to show how In Command he is.

The orcs fight and a bunch of them get killed. Pippin takes the opportunity to cut his bonds on a dead man’s knife and retie them looser. Just in case. Then the party sets off again, and somehow Pippin actually manages to fall asleep while being carried by an orc. These hobbits, I swear. Anyway he wakes up later and is given some kind of... alcohol? Opiate? Some kind of painkiller. Merry gets ointment for the cut on his head, but because of Tolkien’s weird Thing this is portrayed as creepy and awful. Ugluk also tells Merry ‘You'll get bed and breakfast all right: more than you can stomach.' What. Ugluk you’re really bad at threats, that doesn’t even make sense. Well, they let Merry and Pippin run on their own legs, anyway. Everyone was tired of carrying them. The Moria orcs say they can’t run in the sunlight; Ugluk threatens them into silence. Aww.

Later they decide to run home through Fangorn--over a hundred of them. Oh holy shit how many orcs are there here?? I was picturing more like 40... but it sounds like after the northerners leave there’s around a hundred left. Apparently the Mordor orcs come back too, and there’s some delightful boasting:

‘What else did you come back for?’ said Uglúk. ‘You went in a hurry. Did you leave anything behind?'

'I left a fool,' snarled Grishnákh. 'But there were some stout fellows with him that are too good to lose. I knew you'd lead them into a mess. I've come to help them.'

'Splendid!' laughed Uglúk. 'But unless you've got some guts for fighting, you've taken the wrong way. Lugbúrz was your road. The Whiteskins are coming. What's happened to your precious Nazgûl? Has he had another mount shot under him?’

Sorry I kind of like Ugluk. He’s... fun.

The riders start to catch up, and the orc party camps out in the dark, waiting for them to attack. This seems pretty dumb--even if Rohirrim have better night vision than most humans and their horses “can see the night breeze” (ah yes... horses.... famously nocturnal animals...) it still makes more sense to attack at night. Well, while that standoff is going on, Grishnakh of Lugburz shows up and starts trying to get into Pippin and Merry’s pockets. Pippin decides to trick Grishnakh into thinking he has the Ring... for some reason?

'My dear tender little fools,' hissed Grishnákh, 'everything you have, and everything you know, will be got out of you in due time. You'll wish there was more that you could tell to satisfy the Questioner, indeed you will: quite soon. We shan't hurry the enquiry. Oh dear no! What do you think you've been kept alive for? My dear little fellows, please believe me when I say that it was not out of kindness: that's not even one of Uglúk's faults.'

Oh I looooove the way he talks. Merry succeeds in making him angry and frantic--he’s running out of time! And he runs toward the forest with both of them. But unfortunately, riders. He gets very murdered. The battle moves away, Merry and Pippin are left alone in the dark, and so obviously the very first thing they do is have some lembas. Hobbits!! After having their tea (at midnight. whatever.) they crawl off toward the Entwash. Merry, who unlike Pippin has actually looked at a map in his life, says they ought to go through Fangorn despite the warnings. So they go to the eaves of the wood and look back out at the battle taking place at sunrise.

Out of the shadows the hobbits peeped, gazing back down the slope: little furtive figures that in the dim light looked like elf-children in the deeps of time peering out of the Wild Wood in wonder at their first Dawn.

GOOD IMAGERY, very sweet. Our hobbits almost stay, but it looks like Ugluk and a few others are about to get away into the forest, so they end up running. You were soooo close guys. Now instead of meeting their companions straight off, they’re going to end up with

TREEBEARD

They follow the Entwash for a while until they find a stony outcropping they can climb up. They go on quite a bit about how old and treeish the forest is (no duh) but when the sun comes out Pippin “almost feels he likes the place.”

'Almost felt you liked the Forest! That's good! That's uncommonly kind of you,' said a strange voice. 'Turn round and let me have a look at your faces. I almost feel that I dislike you both, but do not let us be hasty.’

Here he is! The reason I say HOOM every time I am thinking for the last ten years. Tolkien actually describes him as fairly humanoid, although he is fourteen feet tall and also has fourteen toes. He says he’s an ent, but doesn’t know what Merry and Pippin are. He sings the whole “all the creatures there are” song, which is very endearing, and doesn’t find them in the list. I love Treebeard’s preoccupation with true names; he doesn’t want to tell his (and at any rate, it would take a very long time to say!) and he’s absolutely honored by Pippin and Merry’s confidence when they tell him who they are. He also does some cute monologuing, and mentions Gandalf, “the only wizard who really cares about trees.” Surely Radagast must care a little, if only for birds to nest in!

Treebeard knows a lot of tongue-twisters. He knows one about Laurelindorenan (which is almost a tongue-twister itself); he would have advised people to stay away from queer Lothlorien just as Celeborn advised our heroes to stay away from Fangorn! So insular... He talks a lot about the old days, and sings some too. I love him very much. I find it hard to summarize anything to do with Treebeard if I read too far ahead; at any rate we come to a place that may be called Wellinghall, and the hobbits tell him of their adventures. Treebeard is troubled by Saruman and wonders what to do about him. He gets himself worked into a right frenzy over Saruman’s awful doings--and then says, now, I mustn’t be hasty. He’ll call a council tomorrow, but for now he explains the curiously sexist reasons all the entwives are gone.

Entwives like order, and they like to direct things to grow just so, whereas ents are more nomadic and live as herdsmen and wanderers. What the fuck Tolkien. Can you just... not... I’m not sure he has properly talked with a woman in his life. Anyway, the gardens of the entwives have been destroyed by Sauron, and nobody saw where the entwives themselves went. IMO the safest bet would be east of Sauron’s domain; he probably doesn’t have a huge amount of interest in spreading out there, far from the organized resistance in the west.

So. Entmoot. Takes place in the Derndingle. A dingle, by the way, is a landform also known as a dell, sort of like a very small valley. Not to be confused with a dale, which is both derived from the same Old English word and apparently has an almost identical definition. Thanks, Wikipedia. I’ll be sure not to get those confused. Anyway after a few hours Treebeard comes and finds the hobbits to tell them it will take a couple of days to explain everything to the other ents; he’s brought as a companion for them an ent named Quickbeam, who is so hasty that he has already decided what he wants to do about Saruman. Yowza. He’s a fun guy, laughs a lot, likes to sing. They stay at his ‘house,’ and he talks about the beautiful rowan grove he used to live in, and how the orcs destroyed it. “That seemed to the hobbits quite enough to explain his 'hastiness', at least in the matter of Orcs.” At last, after three days, the ents have come to a decision. Their war song is so delightful--its unstoppable rhythm!--that I have to put the whole thing here for you.

To Isengard! Though Isengard be ringed and barred with doors of stone; Though Isengard be strong and hard, as cold as stone and bare as bone, We go, we go, we go to war, to hew the stone and break the door; For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars - we go to war! To land of gloom with tramp of doom, with roll of drum, we come, we come; To Isengard with doom we come!

Burarum! “We are made of the bones of the earth. We can split stone like the roots of trees, only quicker, far quicker, if our minds are roused!” Treebeard says this might be the last march of the ents--Saruman is powerful, after all. But better to face doom this way and destroy Saruman than to wait as he grows ever stronger for doom to find them! The ents are going to war!

#blog of the rings #orcsong

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