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triviareads · 2 months

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i love your bridgerton takes and i’m curious - if you had a chance to rewrite s2 of bridgerton, what changes would you make?

ah thanks! you know, it's been two years and at this point I've kinda resigned myself to Shondaland's priorities (unnecessary drama, lady whistledown) and what they're disregarding (people of color, queer rep, the actual historical romance-ness of it all), but here's how I would rewrite Bridgerton season two:

Without explaining exactly what India's role in this post-but-not-really-post-racial world is, I'm uncomfortable with the colonial implications there as well as the fact that that they made the Sharmas from India, as opposed to the casting the exact same actors— Simone Ashley, Charithra Chandran, Shelley Conn— and having them be from Somerset. Hell, they could have kept some of the same customs like the Haldi and oiling hair, but made the Sharmas like allllll the other POCs in the ton; no one knows how they got there, but they're equal now so.... yay.

I also dislike how culturally confused the Sharmas were; they were using words from multiple Indian languages because the writers thought they'd do this weird pan-Indian culture for them. Pick a language, pick a region for them to be from, and stick to it

"Kathani" as a name should never have existed: here's all my research on why it's a name that means nothing, which is the antithesis of Indian culture, where name meanings matter. it's also insulting that her "actual" name was only used once; clearly the writers thought it was too ethnic to be used when she was introduced to us and other characters, but they wanted to pander to desi people so they included ONE Kathani in the end.

I want the Sharmas as a group to have WAY more screen time. I also think the family dynamic was royally mischaracterized. The writers were lazy and decided to make Kate's role in the family echo Anthony's which resulted in her basically.... taking over? And the results were disastrous even though she obviously meant well. A more feminist take, to me, would be this idea of all 3 Sharma ladies doing their part and pulling through together (well Mary and Kate a little more than Edwina) because there is no patriarch to provide for them, and that's something they could really have honed in on. So Kate and Mary would be making a lot of tough choices together, while Edwina is painfully cognizant that she's gonna be the one to marry up and provide for her family.

Because the Sharmas would be from Somerset, I think their backstory would be very similar to the book; dad is dead, they've scraped and saved up for one season, Kate is going to make a *sensible* match in the country (as opposed to having no marriage aspirations at all, which I found so weird considering she was 18ish when her dad died and COULD have married to save her family, regardless of her dowry or lackthereof she's a beautiful woman whose father clearly had some status as a royal secretary so that entire line of reasoning that she HELD OFF on marriage and decided to train Edwina to be the Ideal Debutante is bullshit on the writer's part to me) but Edwina is gonna be the shining star diamond who marries a rich enough dude to save all of them from destitution

Newton makes Anthony fall into the lake while he's still courting Edwina (similar to the scene's placement in the book)

And similar to the book I'd much rather Anthony take his courtship of Edwina only so far, like, honestly I'd be chill if he compromised Kate while still courting Edwina. I think it's unrealistic for Edwina to be entirely fine with this turn of events like she was in the books but the blowout would never have been necessary, and quite frankly, I think Edwina shrieked at Kate about the wrong things in the show. I'd personally be horrified my sister is conducting an affair with my suitor/fiancé and more importantly for Edwina, I think I'd want to know why, if my sister liked this guy, does she not think she's good enough for him and why does she keep throwing Edwina at him?

I'd do an extended study scene where not only do they talk about Edmund, but they also talk about Kate's dad who, when he died, left an even bigger gap in their family because like I said earlier, he was the male figure and it was SO Hard without a male in the family back then; The Bridgertons were actually lucky because Anthony was of age and was able to take over where it mattered most, with Violet's guidance. So that's what I'd want them to talk about and bond over.

I'd LOVE the book compromise moment; I think it's the most hysterical part of TVWLM and I'd want Portia Featherington to utter the immortal lines "Lud, girl, he had his mouth on your bubbies, and we all saw it." But then I think Kate should have refused to marry him because she she can't reconcile her dislike of him with her attraction buuuuuuuut then they have a blowout argument in the gazebo and then he eats her out and dickmatizes her into agreeing to marry him. They should have fucked a lot sooner than episode 7 because the chemistry was THERE and a compromise-turn-marriage plot like the book would allow for it. So less face-breathing, more fucking.

And that would lead to the wedding we all wanted to see except it's fraught with drama because a) the scandal and b) Kate still thinks she's Anthony's second choice

I'd loooooove a wedding night seduction scene

And then the issue becomes similar to the book's conflict at this point— Anthony still fears for his mortality, while Kate is falling for him but feels trapped in this marriage because she can't.... express those feelings because Anthony doesn't want love in their marriage

And then, fine, Kate has that riding accident except this time after she confesses her love and he freaks out and the accident is the nudge they need to make up and finally confess their love for each other

No Cousin Jack— that was such a bullshit plot because a) if he wasn't dicking down Portia while being engaged to her daughter what even was the point and b) he left in such a definitive way at the end of S2 so again, what was the point

We didn't need an episode devoted to the inner machinations of how Lady Whistledown works, nor did we need Marina implicitly endorsing polin which is so fucking disgusting considering Penelope literally shamed her into a botched abortion. I'd also like for Penelope to not microaggress Kate (calling a brown woman a "beast")

I think the Sheffield plot could have been reworked in some way; sure maybe Mary ran from her aristocratic family to marry a poor gentleman and they disowned her and now they're dangling an inheritance over their heads. I think it could have been more neatly done.

Colin's ponzi scheme crusher arc was unnecessary and dull

I liked where they took Benedict's arc actually; you really got the sense he wanted love but doesn't quite know what it is yet (his poem he gives to Anthony feels like he's worshipping a muse, not loving them for who they are), and he's in a shitty place by the end and doubting his abilities as an artist...... which would be a GREAT time for a love interest for him to come in

Eloise slumming it for a hot minute could have been done wayyyyy better starting with a hotter man, more chemistry, and more exploration

#bridgerton #ask

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moonlightsapphic · 2 years

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This meme is such bullshit. Especially the way it's been going around among South Asian communities is just sooo grossly queerphobic.

Repeat after me:

There are children in rural regions of South Asia who do not have reliable access to basic necessities like safe running water, electricity, food and shelter AND are struggling with their sexual orientation, gender dysphoria, or other LGBTQ+ identity whilst living in countries with colonial British (ie sexist, homophobic, transphobic) laws—at the same time. They don't have basic physical needs OR mental and emotional needs met. And they have always existed among us.

Netflix doesn't always have great queer rep—but it popularized shows with queer rep in deeply bigoted countries. It humanized queer people to a miraculous degree in geographical areas in which progress has been frustratingly slow.

Netflix made western queer people visible and undeniable.

So South Asian bigots are now doing what they do best: They’re trying to gatekeep who can identify as LGBTQ+. They’re trying to reframe queer identity as some sort of privileged activity that only white people can indulge in. They’re trying to force the narrative that it’s, like, so ironic for South Asians in formerly oppressed countries to be watching characters struggling with gender and sexuality. Like it’s the same thing as watching The Kardashians for entertainment. Absolutely irrelevant to Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani lives.

I’m an incredibly privileged South Asian woman. I went to a good school and had access to books to read and learn about the LGBTQ+ community, among other things. (I pirated them off the internet.) My parents have been supportive of my moving abroad and funding my incredibly expensive education. (Fellow desi people will understand that this is a Big Deal.) My family will, however, not be accepting of my bisexuality or my girlfriend, who is part of the healthiest relationship I’ve ever been in and perhaps is the love of my life. Her parents are a lot more conservative than mine. The number of LGBTQ+-affirming people we know from our home country is in the range of single digits. Someday, we will have to decide whether we want to continue being with each other and get cut off by nearly everyone we know and quite possibly put our lives at risk if we ever go back to our hometown again. (There are a big number of bigoted vigilantes there quite willing to gang up on people they don’t like and murder them. Our laws criminalize homosexual acts.)

It’s either that or simply break up and find men that our families favour to marry. (Muslim for me, Hindu for her, well-off and pretty and able-bodied and educated for both of us.)

My identity has the potential to jeopardize my entire life, and my mental health has taken a huge turn for the worst because of all this. We’ve had to overcome so much together. It’s so unfair. As healing as my time here has been for me, I can’t bear living in America sometimes. I can’t bear witnessing all of this freedom and acceptance and not knowing if it can ever truly be mine.

I can’t imagine what it’s like for those less privileged than me, who are alienated, bullied, abandoned. Who have to resort to surviving through any means possible. My heart goes out to you. I think about you. I want to live to write my biography and hope it will reach the next generation. I want to hear all the stories that were never told. I wonder how many of us have been erased, how many more have to be sacrificed for decades to pass and for us to finally be given the dignity and respect we deserve.

You deserve to be here. You deserve to explore yourself and find out who you are. You deserve to exist and be happy. You deserve that just as much as you deserve safety, security, a roof over your head, food on the table, and loved ones surrounding you.

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khaleesiofalicante · 2 years

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Hi , I was wondering if u have any desi movie or book recommendations which have LGBTQ+ characters. I am new to the community and Idk where to start or look . Old movies, romance novels, panchantantra comics, mythology, I don't mess with the horror genre because I am a scaredy cat but I am willing to try it at this point.

I just want to watch a movie or read a book with good desi LGBTQ+ representation and characters which are not just there to be made fun of and go - ahhhh a queer person , like me maybe not exactly but ur in the community and I recognized you ,even after all this time in the cis het narrative I can still see you ,finally. I shall die in peace.

Sorry for the being dramatic but I am desperate and I am not hiding it. I might not know anyone who is queer and desi personally yet but atleast I will know some in fiction.

...Unless it's a documentary.

P.S if u don't have any recs, do u know someone who would have good recommendations?

I completely understand your desperation. Queer desi media is not something we are used to or find easily, especially content that is not stereotypical and accurately portrays queer storylines in South Asia.

Here are some stuff I've personally enjoyed. My desi mutuals, please add to this and share the serotonin <3

Books

Funny Boy - Shyam Selvadurai (a fave book about being queer and a minority during the pre Sri Lankan civil war period)

The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar (DESI WLW COUPLE???)

Cobalt Blue - Sachin Kundalkar (AMAZING - also Netflix movie coming up so check that out!)

We are totally normal- Rahul Kanakia (haven't read this one but parental it's very good?)

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali- Sabina Khan (goooood desi muslim queer woman rep)

Movies and TV shows (most of these are from Bollywood)

Fire

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

Kapoor & Sons

Romil and Jugal

You didn't really ask for this, but if you need them, here are some desi queer organisations you can follow on Instagram. They share a lot fo useful resources, stories and information for you to learn more about queer culture in South Asia.

Yellow Dot (Sri Lanka)

The Queer Muslim Project

ILGA ASIA

I'm glad you are trying to find connections in fiction. It personally helped me very much to understand my own identity and my relationship with others around me.

PS - I'm very desi and I am very, very queer. So, please feel free to come talk to me (or ask for any resources) anytime you want <3

#desi queer #lgbtq #just desi things

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desi-lgbt-fest · 2 years

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mod navi plzzzzzz release ur inner rant/ opinion/whatever u wanna call it abt badhai do!!! I loved that movieeeee to every second. As a person whos closeted nd fears to come out just yet that movie really gave me comfort...

-(d-n-j)

today i woke up and i was thinking hey u know what would be good: logging into tumblr and giving my total unsolicited take on badhai do. so, anon, you ask and i shall deliver :3

first of all LAVENDER MARRIAGE!! let's be honest every single one of us living in traditional homes with well-meaning but oblivious parents at some point entertained the idea. I know I did. I still am , and im still in college! The part I liked most was how they handled the theme. Comedic in the right moments and seriously handling sensitive topics in others. Now, I am a person who loves romcoms. LIVES for them in fact. That was why i absolutely lost my shit when SMZS released. Both movies actually do a really good job of keeping their comedic bits to topics we as desi queers can relate to. Somehow, it's not stepping over anyone for laughs, nor is it disrespecting our community for the sake of clout.

I still remember mainstream bollywood dipping their toes into lgbtq movies with Kapoor & Sons and Laxmi (I'm talking lgbtq movies where they are the main point of interest), which were handled honest to God TERRIBLY. I won't spoil it for you guys, but let me say the only thing they did a "great job" at was villianizing us right of the bat. Getting rep like that is like...hey might as well not get any rep at all, you know? Which was why this new surge of lgbtq movies with PROPER and SENSITIVE representation, whether well-meant or not (i mean it's bollywood, come on), is still something to celebrate.

LET'S TALK THE ACTORS! Casting is essential to any movie; and what's more important, especially in bollywood, is reputation. There have been many, and i mean MANY, cases where actors (ESPECIALLY rising actors with zero clout and nepotistic ties) will not take the job despite the high pay, simply because the thematic elements of the movie are too controversial. However, we see time and time again these actors taking on the challenge and controversy, so of course they have to be appreciated.

I'm sure you guys caught on at this point but the faces of our representation in present bollywood media boil down to three mains: Ayushman Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, and Rajkumar Rao. Rao was in Ek Ladki Ko and Bhumi was in SMZS in the first scene! Ayushman Khurrana has always been known to take on comedic and untraditional roles. I became attracted to his acting after watching Dum Laga Ke Haisha (co-starring Bhumi ;) ), which handled double standards and fatphobia quite well imo. He was also amazing in another movie called Badhaai Ho (ik quite on the nose there) that discussed pregnancy in elder women. This guy has got some SERIOUS good acting skills, and I mean it, but he also willingly takes on untraditional roles (effimenate, bald, sex worker, etc) AND PORTRAYS THEM PROPERLY. Also fell in love with Bhumi in Dum Laga ke Haisha, and she does amazing in roles ranging from "the scorned woman" to "best friend to a queer couple and being absolutely supportive" to, you guessed it, "south asian lesbian rep in an interracial relationship". Rajkumar Rao is a surprising addition to this list because his first movies had him as the "traditional main lead falling for pretty women". Quite a shift to "gay man in a lavender marriage". Ek Ladki Ko was him dipping his toes into queer media, so watching him dive head first into such a risky endeavor left me in awe. All in all, the best part about him is his constant growth. He has always been a good actor, but watching his transformation into a great one is absolutely phenomenal.

I do not know if any of these actors are actually part of the lgbtq community themselves, and I will not speculate. The mere fact that they are willing to put themselves in the line of fire in a country and community still coming to terms with it's history and identity is something i will always be deeply and profoundly grateful for.

You and I, anon, are two birds of feather. I am closeted too, and most likely will be for the rest of my life. But it's these movies and actors that give us a chance to open up a conversation. Just the other day my mother watched SMZS, ALONE AND WITHOUT ME KNOWING (I gatekept the movie like crazy from her). She ended up hating it, which is understandable she is, after all, a deeply religious Muslim woman, but she still sat and watched the whole thing simply because we both love Ayushman Khurrana. I know she will find Badhaai Do and sit through it because we both love Bhumi as well. It's these moments, anon, that I reflect on and appreciate the most. One day, when we are both old and weary, I will say to her "remember that gay movie you watched and didn't like, well I am like them mom". I do not know what her answer will be, but at least I know I will have a chance to hear it, all thanks to movies and actors like them.

#mod navi #this totally was not what you asked for I am aware #SO SORRY ANON LMFAO BUT THIS POST WAS GETTING LOONG #I WILL CREATE A MORE COHESIVE THOUGHT ON THE MOVIE I PROMISE #i will make a separate post eventually on each of the actors as well!#seriously they are amazing and i suggest checking out their other works (check tw warnings!!)#THANK YOU FOR THE ASK TOO OMG IT MEANT SO MUCH ILU #watch out for og mod's take as well! she's got it DOWN

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disaster-j · 3 years

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book recommendations?? 👉👈

Yessssss I have so many! You didn't specify any genre/interests but since you're here asking me I'm gonna have to assume you're all about that queer rep like myself so here's some books that I am either currently reading, looking forward to reading in the future, or have read at some point in the last year or two and loved!

Currently Reading

1. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

I've just started reading this and let me tell you it is AMAZING. Some highlights are- majorly queer and/or poc cast of characters, wlw main characters, time travel shenanigans, a magical diner, a very loveable dog and a "twink with multitudes."

Haven't even gotten halfway through yet but I already know it's gonna be one of my all-time favourites.

2. Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

This one I'm only one chapter in but it has me excited already.

The plot revolves around Meddy, an indonesian-chinese woman, who accidentally murders her blind date and has to recruit the help of her Aunties to cover it up, all while they are planning an over the top billionaire wedding. This book is quirky rom com and murder mystery all in one with a surprise queer romance (so I've bee told)!

In my TBR

1. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíkeé-Íyímídé

Now I don't know much about how the plot unfolds for this one because it is a mystery and I didn't want spoilers but I have seen this described as "gossip girl meets get out" and if that doesn't reel you in idk what will.

One thing that I do know is that this book has a lot of hype around it and it's all very much deserved. Also that both the mcs, Devon and Chiamaka, are qpoc.

2. Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

What's that? A desi wlw romcom featuring a bi mc, fake dating turned actual relationship shenanigans and a certified Happily Ever After? Sign me the fuck up. Legit so excited to read this one y'all don't even understand.

3. The Princess Deception by Nell Stark

Y'all ever watched She's The Man and thought this would've been a thousand times better if this was a wlw romance instead? So did I and apparently so did Nell Stark who has made all my dreams come true with just one gender-bent Duke :)))))

A quick note, the book is an adaptation of Twelfth Night itself and not the actual movie so it's a Royal Romance and not a high school based one. It is still set in modern times but Sebastian and Viola are Royals and Missy Duke is a reporter. The football element also remained as it is set in the backdrop of a World Cup that Viola, impersonating Crown Prince Sebastian, is hosting.

Have Read and Loved

1. Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

One of my favourite novels ever. This book was everything I wanna see in a romcom honestly. It was funny, heart-warming, the romance was both passionate but realistic and I never once felt like it didn't make sense for these two characters to be together and love each other so much, which is a problem I have with romances a lot.

Pretty sure most people know about this book by now but here's the highlights anyway- majorly queer and/or poc cast of characters, bi mc, gay love interest, first son of the usa falls for the prince of wales, enemies to friends to lovers, secret relationships, amazing coming out scenes.

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This book broke my heart then built it back up stronger than ever.

I sat down to read a little bit and before I knew it it had been six hours and the book was over. It pulled me in so hard it was almost like a spell. I laughed and cried and felt so many emotions throughout this book and it left me reeling. Gods I could sit here and talk about how much this book affected me for hours. It was a whole experience.

Ari and Dante is a coming of age story about these two boys discovering their identities through exploring their sexualities as well as their relationships with each other, their families and the world at large. It's a story about both queer experiences as well as life as a mexican-american in the 80s.

The book ends on a happy note and has a sequel set to release soon and while not a lot of details have been released so far the author has confirmed that the main characters do not die at the end due to certain rumours going around about the same. There's also a movie currently in development for the first book.

This one got a bit long, clearly I have a lot to say about this book, I think everyone should read this at some point but also it is pretty heavy so please check the trigger warnings before you start.

`````

So yeah those are some books that I have loved/want to read that I'd recommend everyone with similar taste as myself check out. Hope this helps!

#anon ask #answered ask #book recommendations #queer books #red white and royal blue #aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe #ace of spades #one last stop #hani and ishu's guide to fake dating #the princess deception #dial a for aunties #if any of yall want more specific recs hit me up on or off anon #or in dms i dont mind either way

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queerpanikkar · 2 years

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so I just read your last fic, the ravi centric one and I????? am so in loveeee. and then I realized I've actually read a bunch of your works and I couldn't stop the squeal that left my throat. Also, as a queer indian myself, the way you made ravi so comfortable with his sexuality and the way his parents accept him? It's such a refreshing change from the usual "homosexuality is bad" rep that a lot of indian parents get and thank you so much for writing this fic because this has become my new favorite one<333

comments like these are literally why i wrote this fic omg. as a queer indian also i think there's definitely multiple sides to how desi parents stand on homophobia, but at the end of the day, family is so, so important. and i desperately wanted ravi's journey to be more about this concept of found family versus acceptance of something he's felt for like, majority of his life.

#also there are plenty of well done fics on homophobia in this fandom without me adding to the mix #they already gave ravi cancer he doesn't need Any Other Angst tim do you hear me #<333 #captain-im-not-dead-yet #fic: takin' my time #nice things

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mitskibf · 3 years

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hi omg more on ur thoughts on smzs <33

okay so just to preface this and lay all my cards on table I was pretty active about it on here and also irl and i watched it in theatres with my friend too.

during the summer of smzs we were all horribly hyped about it and it was a real fun time. I have made some of my closest friends because of that movie (and later by dunking on it lmao). so subjectively, it's not something I hate.

objectively? it's messy. a one time watch if you can get through it in one sitting. there were lines in the movie which were more than cringey. y'all remember that whole dog metaphor they did? god what the fuck was that.

and I've heard all sides of the argument. from older queers saying that it wasn't good at all because it did zero for representation to younger queers saying we deserve our own fun wacky rom-com. and I sort of agree with both. we DO deserve a wacky rom-com but smzs WASN'T it. it didn't hit the right notes and constantly jumped between emotionally charged moments to comedic relief so there was no tension to the plot? you get what I'm saying? we can write better queer romcoms than that

on the topic of representation. I did see two men kissing on screen like twice? I think it was. but also the whole movie was very ehhh in other things (this is all on very bad memory so correct me if I'm wrong somewhere) like at the end where they play into the man in a dress trope which I look at very skeptically in bwood. so basically net zero in terms of rep shshhsjs.

also the fandom which developed around it....hm. definitely hmm. I wasn't interested in the movie as much after watching it so I don't know the full aftermath but I do know people had moved onto shipping the actor's other characters with each other. take that how you will I guess. also while I'm saying this: do I think Ayushmann Khurrana deserves praise for this? yeah sure but there's something to be said about that man doing social issue dramas and how he doesn't probably understand the actual weight of a story like smzs but I digress.

in conclusion, we desi queer people deserve better than to be reduced to Ayushmann Khurrana wearing a nose ring and having a weird haircut. any desi queer you talk is bound to have a nuanced and interesting story about their journey and smzs didn't make enough of an effort to portray that.

#HOWEVER. if you guys dont support Jitendra Kumar i will be so mad !! because that man literally debuted in bwood with this!!#stream kota factory s2 on Netflix for him <3 #also smzs stans i know youre still out there and you follow me and i know youve all seen my fic so dont kill me #just remembered there was a whole b plot of cabbage. literal cabbage. konsa ganja phooka tha bey.#smzs #asks

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thebigqueer · 3 years

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this is kinda random but every time i see lgbtq+ desi representation it makes me so incredibly excited. like in western media i don't really see that much rep for desis in general, but like to see queer desis at all?? that makes me so excited. its like for the first time in a while i'm finally seeing myself. like ive seen queer rep everywhere but usually theyre of a different race than me, and it's cool that i get to see them, but i just never click with them. but then i see queer desis and it just makes me happy because i finally feel like i've been seen and heard 🥰🥰 there's just a whole new level of excitement because i feel like im identifying myself to the max 🥰🥰

#sunny rambles #desi #sorry that was random but im still thinking about that trans desi ad i saw a while ago

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busysavingtheuniverse · 3 years

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thoughts on (netflix's) shadow and bone from someone who's never read the books but has absorbed peripheral information from tumblr. spoiler warning(?)

overall pretty solid!

they failed to make me care about alina though. i was much more invested in the crows' storyline even though they achieved nothing they set out to do and won anyway, which is always my favorite type of plot

i know that malina vs darklina is a Very Important Debate in the grishaverse community so here's my opinions on it: the age gap definitely has a very weird vibe but mal has basically no personality aside from simping for alina so we ship darklina for the juicy dynamic and malina for the healthy childhood friends to lovers content

there's usually One Ship i center myself around for every fandom and for the grishaverse i've decided to dedicate myself to kanej

SPEAKING OF KANEJ. finally some good south asian (specifically desi) representation! i can't tell you how much it means to me. of course alina and mal are important too but INEJ MY QUEEN!

i can't comment on the queer rep because it's not my place but they pulled it off pretty casually - it didn't feel forced to me so +1 point

i can't decide if freddy carter's good-looking or not. what's going on with his face fam

they didn't do a very good job with properly showing the passage of time. logically i know it must've been at least a few months based on how many letters alina and mal sent but it felt like a few days ngl. it needed more episodes or longer episodes, just more room to breathe in general. i wouldn't have minded if they cut nina and matthias out entirely ngl

now for thoughts on each character individually!

like i said i didn't really care about alina? idk she has very generic protagonist vibes and she gave up mal pretty quickly for someone whose last sight of him was him hobbling after her screaming her name lol. also she was pretty reluctant to destroy the fold for someone whose parents it killed? it feels like they were going for the 'cinnamon roll who could kill you' vibe but since that's the personality of Every Female YA Protagonist Ever they failed to add that touch that would give her her own personality

mal! like i said, no personality aside from simping for alina. unrelatable, but his determination is sweet. they really romanticized his tracker abilities, didn't they? he managed to find the legendary stag no one had been able to find for hundreds of years What

i will now be simping for inej forever, thanks. queen. legend. her hair is literally so pretty

kaz… truly an exasperated dad. i love him. exactly my brand of Angsty Traumatized White Boy. beat the crusty old darkling with a magic trick. an icon

genya! ngl i wouldn't've been too pressed if she'd been the main character - someone so consumed by rightful revenge they're willing to hurt the people they care about to get it? overdone but still spicy with an added newness of rape survivors finally getting some healthy representation

jesper. a queer king. he and mal fight for custody of milo sometime off screen i don't CARE it wouldn't fit in universe that's what happened

zoya. her redemption felt a little rushed to me; like i said, they needed more time for stuff like this

matthias. we love a redemption and then nina accidentally destroying all that hard work lol

nina! queen! apparently she was supposed to be plus-sized though and that would've been very important so >:( to them cutting that. we love her changing matthias's mind on grisha by just being herself and then undoing that by also being herself

the darkling! mixed feelings. on the one hand he's an old man creeping on someone who barely looks legal on the other hand he's v pretty and his motives are very grey

and those are my thoughts on shadow and bone! i'll definitely be reading it but apparently six of crows is better so i won't get my hopes up (i even heard some saying the show was better)

#grishaverse #sab netflix #sab

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representativecharacters · 7 years

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What characters can be submitted?

In short, whatever groups are underrepresented in the media. This includes, but is not limited to, the following groups:

LGBT+ members

POC characters.

Characters with disabilities

Characters with mental illnesses.

Addiction

Religious characters*

*This will be on a case by case basis; if the character is, say a Christian in America, they will not be accepted as they are already thought to be the norm. However, if a character is from a region where it is underrepresented (ex. Christians in India) they may be included.

Are there any characters that can’t be submitted?

Yes. representation has to be canon, number one. Non-canon examples, such as queerbaiting, will not be accepted. Please remember that fanon =/= canon. Although some headcanons are popular within a fandom, they do not count as actual representation - and this doesn’t mean the blog doesn’t love those headcanons, but this blog is about canon rep that people can watch and explicitly see rep in/is known for this representation. Examples include:

Dean Winchester from Supernatural - not a canon mlm character

Harry Potter - not a canon desi character

Peter Parker from the MCU - does not canonically have ADHD

Characters who are heavily represented - if a character is a white Christian man, for example, they are already represented heavily in the media. While they can obviously be important to you, they are not meant for this blog.

Characters who have threatened, attempted, or did rape another character.

Pedophilic characters, including “non-acting” characters.

Characters involved in hate groups (such as Nazis, KKK, etc.). For superhero/fantasy groups - if the character had to do it for a job, or was brainwashed, or realized they were wrong and stopped, they may be submitted, but characters who knowingly and willingly went along may not be submitted.

These are submissions that I will not accept under any circumstances; if I am aware/made aware that these characters fall under any of these categories, the submission will be deleted. I also reserve the right to deleted submissions that may also be triggering/offensive that aren’t mentioned here.

Does the representation have to be canon?

Yes. There are many blogs who will take non-canon submissions (who will be added soon), but we want to celebrate the characters who are canonically representing specific groups. Therefore, we will not accept queerbaiting, or any other implied subtext - we would like canon examples as a reference for people who want to see themselves represented.

In this case, canon counts as:

Explicitly stated in-canon: If the content specifically has the character say: “I am ____”, that is the most ideal form of canon representation, or if it’s stated by another character (*in terms of they know the character is this, instead of speculating). This tends to supersede all other forms of representation (ex. if a character says in-show they’re pan but an actor or writer later says they consider them bi, the pan label stands, as that was what was shown/portrayed/stated to the audience watching).

Shown in-canon: Unfortunately, most shows don’t have characters explicitly stating their rep. But, they do at least show it - for example, Tony Stark clearly has signs of a panic disorder throughout the Marvel series (not in a one-off episode like procedurals or superhero shows may show). There can be speculations on what it is, and signs point to PTSD, but it’s not explicitly mentioned. So, a submission for him would be “mental illness”. Or, a character who’s expressed attraction to men, women, and/or nonbinary people may be largely considered bi in fandom, but a submission would say “mspec”, “mlm”, or “wlw” as we do not know the specific label used.

Actor-stated: if the content shows the character as [xyz] and the actor gives a specific label, it is fine to submit the character as what the actor says (ex. Sara Lance in Arrow wasn’t stated to be bi until years later on LOT, but she was in a relationship with both a male and female character at points in the show, and her actress specifically stated that she is bi throughout this time).

Word of God: There may have to be an “issues” section in these submissions due to the fact that many Word of God (aka creator-stated) rep isn’t explicit to the audience, but it still counts as canon as it comes straight from the creator

Coded representation: This is the one I want to be most careful with, especially because there are many coded characters - of all types, but I’m going to go with characters coded to be gay/ace/lesbian/etc. in this example. I don’t want to accept say, queerbaiting, as representation. I generally reserve this for shows/books/movies/etc. that had to censor their representation due to the network they were on (ie. Leverage, Legend of Korra) or had to be careful due to the time period (ex. queer-coded characters in Old Hollywood movies).

We prefer canon examples that explicitly show or state the representation in the piece itself; however, we understand that certain types of representation can be hard to find, and will accept a writer’s words to be canon.

Can I submit a character with [x] representation?

In most cases, absolutely. Historically on this blog, submissions tend to fall under these umbrellas: religious, disorders, disabilities, sexuality, race, and abuse survivors. However, there can definitely be other characters submitted who don’t “fit” into any of those umbrellas, and if you’re unsure, shoot me an ask!

Are there other blogs I can submit to?

We accept all characters, but we would love to suggest other blogs that also take in character sheets/submissions - and who will take both canon and non canon sources.

@c-ptsdcharacteroftheday

@bi-characters

@transcharacters

@jewishcharacteroftheweek

@acecharacters

How do I submit?

You can either use the submit button (while following this template) or this submission via google forms.

I want my submission to be anonymous

If you submit via submission box, please specify that you want to be anonymous! If you submit via Google forms, there’s an option right there on the form.

Can I request [x] character?

Absolutely! Just double-check that they’re not already on our requests list

Can I submit a character with [x] representation?

What’s the posting schedule?

As of right now, the submissions have been on Mondays & Fridays at 1 PM, and should the schedule change; I’ll update it.

I submitted a character, but they aren’t in the queue. Should I resubmit?

Please give me a 1-2 week waiting time. I’m currently in school, studying for two boards, and will be starting rotations in the summer, so I’m not always on Tumblr, and when I am, it’s to relax on a break. If I haven’t updated anything within 2 weeks, please shoot me an ask or chat!

I don’t think [x] counts as representation/Why did you allow [x] to be submitted/Other clear discourse asks:

Discourse will not be tolerated on this blog, and if you send it you’re literally just wasting your time. I’m not going to argue with people on what representation is the “most” important or valid, and this is about celebrating the different and varied types of rep out there.

There was a mistake/update on [x] submission:

Please message or PM me for this instead of commenting on the post, as I might miss that notification. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible (again, please give me a grace period for responses) and update/correct a submission if needed.

#FAQ #don't mind me this is just for any potential questions anyone has

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habibialkaysani · 6 years

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okay, let me preface this with a little note about my identity. I am a queer, mentally ill muslim british cis woman of colour. specifically, I was born in britain and my parents both hail from bangladesh. I am not white or black or latinx. so my opinions will - understandably, I hope - be from the perspective I am offering based on the intersecting parts of my identity.

so, let’s start with that. as a nonblack woc, I think it’s pretty patronising to be told that you don’t have to be black to be a person of colour. I know that. I don’t need that explained to me when I am literally not even black to start with. nowhere in my post did I say a mixed race pairing requires a black person. of course it would be interracial if someone was latinx. rene/thea is interracial. so is cisco/caitlin, and amy/jake, and those are just off the top of my head. pairings involving asian people are also interracial - wally/linda, for instance, and lena/jack. and while not latinx myself, I am aware of the issues latinx people face, enough for me to know that of course they are people of colour. I never said that latinx people face the exact same struggles as black people. I know they don’t, although they do overlap at least insofar that they’re groups that deserve far better.

my focus on black people in this post, btw, was partly to address the antiblackness I see in my own racial community. but also, me making the focus on antiblackness in my post does nothing in and of itself to dismiss other poc or, as you’ve suggested, throw other poc under the bus.

and that brings me to my main point. as far as I was aware, for a character to be considered racial representation and thus a person of colour onscreen, I thought the person portraying that character had to be, at the very, very least, a person of colour also and preferably also at least the same race as the character purports to be.

let me put this another way. as a desi woman, I would not have considered jack spheer to be desi if he was portrayed by a white actor who’s a bit tanned, calls himself bengali onscreen and calls his mother “amma” and, idk, eats rice and curry every day, and thus I would not consider him bengali representation because he was whitewashed. I was under the impression that a similar logic could be applied here, because, yes, maggie calls herself nonwhite and andrew kreisberg called her latina and she spoke spanish to her father, but floriana lima is still white. if you personally feel like whitewashed representation counts as representation, fine. but to me, sanvers is just another white wlw ship that the racist white non straight fandom flocked to because god forbid they give an interracial ship, irrespective of genders, a chance. I listed it because I was trying to make that very point - and, absolutely, if maggie were portrayed by an actual latinx actress, I would never suggest that sanvers is the same representation wise as clexa, wayhaught, cophine, avalance, etc., because there would be a person of colour who could potentially make the pairing important and groundbreaking and different. but she’s not. floriana is white. chyler is white.

now, I don’t know a lot of latinx people on here, so I’m not sure what the general consensus is on this. but I have seen latinx people speak out against maggie being whitewashed. at the same time, I fully acknowledge that I am not latinx myself, so if you think that representation that is so watered down and in your own words flawed is still adequate, fine. but put simply, me slighting maggie sawyer or sanvers with regards to racial representation isn’t me slighting latinx people at all. because maggie, to me, at least, and to a fair few others, isn’t truly latinx when she is portrayed by a tanned white actress. just like an ~exotic-looking white woman does not desi representation make. *coughamyjacksoncough*

I feel like poc should be in solidarity with each other. and if I said anything against samantha arias, rosa diaz, amy santiago, cisco ramon, rene ramirez or any of the other latinx characters on tv who are genuinely portrayed by actual latinxs, I do apologise. but in this instance, I can’t in good conscience consider maggie a woman of colour when the actress portraying her is white and she is clearly whitewashed, and therefore, I don’t see sanvers as a truly interracial relationship when they clearly are not in reality.

fandom racism is a huge problem, I agree. but you pointing this out doesn’t help. in this instance, I’m pretty sure it was supergirl and floriana lima who whitewashed a character who was meant to be a woc, not the fandom. the fandom whitewashing actual poc played by poc is what you should be calling out - zari tomaz, for instance, is often whitewashed in edits, and people assume sameen shaw is white even though she’s persian. people lauding chyler leigh and caity lotz, two straight white women, for being lgbt ~allies when maisie richardson sellers and keiynan lonsdale, two non-straight black people, are right there being as straight and white as a rainbow, is fandom racism. the 100 fandom practically starting a riot over a fridged white lesbian who wore brownface and a bindi and then staying radio silent or, worse, defending poussey washington’s death is what you call fandom racism.

I get that you mean well, but I did not say anywhere in my post that I felt nonblack poc were in any way less important than black people. me focusing on one race of people in no way diminishes the importance of other (nonwhite) races. if you truly consider maggie sawyer a woman of colour, good for you. I don’t, and I won’t until they decide to recast her with an actual latinx person (which is highly unlikely). so please don’t assume all other poc share your view, and don’t label my behaviour as ignorant or careless.

- same anon as before, that's understanable. and i'm sorry for the racism that you do get. i'm glad you're able to just ignore it, and that most people respect you. (and for the a*dena,l*xa,s*ra thing) that makes sense. i like them all as characters. but the fandom saying that l*xa is wearing the helm of awe? (not sure if that's what they call it, but it is a bindi, that's just awful. s*ra being shipped with only white women, makes sense. i haven't watched lot for awhile. - p1

p2. but i did hear about the fandom shipping her with “new” character called a*ya? ev*? i’m not sure. and i was a bit confused, if they had like 5 lines together. (if ev*) now that i think about it, she is white right?

yeah, her name is ava, and they’re clearly building up to it and that’s - whatever, but just. five white women and one fleeting poc (leonard) and one woc who isn’t even mentioned by name this season does not diversity make.

it’s sad that that more subtle racism exists, but what’s sadder is that fandoms on the whole don’t want to admit that it’s a thing and that we’re complicit in that racism. and I say “we” because I’m guilty of it too. I remember when I was watching poi and I was for some reason reluctant to ship carter with reese. just like how I was initially reluctant to ship sara with jax romantically. even tho in both cases the ships had wonderful dynamics. I’m not saying that everyone who brotps them is racist. but this refusal to view black people as love interests for white people is definitely a worrying trend - look at finn in star wars, for example, or even iris west with barry allen and to some extent amaya jiwe with nate heywood. it’s this less blatant racism that most if not the vast majority of us are guilty of to some degree that I think we need to recognise in ourselves and try to do better with. and that doesn’t mean you can’t ship sara with ava, or kara with lena or cat, or, hell, even maggie with alex, but I just think we also have to recognise that that racist bias exists and is a real thing, and, I don’t know, just try to do better by taking a step back and seeing where that racism inherent in all of us is manifesting itself.

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