#because i feel like having two canon gay relationships is just too much for netflix lol. but why do i care? idk it would be nice to have?

[sockpuppethistorian]

Sex and the City, S1E1 Review from the PoV of an AroAce

Welcome to the show! I've done it. I watched Sex and the City's pilot episode, and I have put my thoughts below. ENJOY.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so it’s starting with this little vignette about… a woman coming to New York from London and immediately meeting a guy to hook up with and getting very invested while they date for (checks notes)(this is a very meta phrase since these are my notes right now) TWO WEEKS. Why do people go on vacation and just decide that they have to hook up with people? When I go on vacation I want to see the sights and do fun things! It seems exhausting to not even be able to take a break from trying to find The One.

Oh, she MOVED from London to New York.

My point still stands.

So for 2 weeks they were having sex and doing all these romantic dates and planned to MEET PARENTS? I just. This English woman hasn’t even joined a gym or met the neighbors yet.

Alright. Now Carrie is talking and using the phrases “The End of Love in Manhattan” and “The Age of Un-Innocence” to describe New York City and the romance scene in the 90s. Okay, besides being dramatic, these are both hilarious. Clearly it’s not the end of love in Manhattan if this entire show is obsessing about love. But age of un-innocence? Yeah I’ll buy that.

This show being about a sex column is so funny. Because like, being aroace obviously sex makes no sense to me. But clearly it also doesn’t make sense to allos. And that’s beautiful.

Now Voiceover Carrie is explaining how love works and random people around New York are complaining about how essentially their entire lives revolve around dating and how everyone’s standards are too high. Let these people rock climb and eat their salads in peace without involving romance, I tell ya!

We’ve moved to the 4 friends (Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda) having a birthday dinner for one of them, and they’re just complaining the whole time about all being single). These people are putting way too much emphasis on needing relationships and men. I have such a hard time understanding why they can’t just live their lives and wait to see when a partner comes more naturally as opposed to obsessing over it like this. Maybe I’m not giving them credit, though, because this level of obsession is like me constantly needing good shows to watch on Netflix. Like, calm down and eat your birthday cake and have fun.

The extremely random drag queens that present the birthday cake is a… confusing touch.

They seem to feel so much embarrassment that they're four women in their 30s who aren’t married. Literally my dream would be an entire friend group of unmarried and uninterested-in-marriage people.

Now I’m confused. Do these people just want sex or do they want relationships and marriage? Even in this conversation between the four of them I’m so confused. They don’t want to be single, but they’re like “boo hoo the sex great but then he wanted to read me his poetry.” ????

Carrie is now having lunch with her friend, and he spots “the loathe of your life.” Real. (This was a description that Carrie’s canonical “gay best friend” used to point out someone she used to hook up with— or are Carrie refers to him, “A mistake I made when I was 26. And 29. And 31.”)

So, this is not a judgment on anybody, especially not real people, but I feel so confused and perplexed by the way logic and rationale goes out the door when it comes to people that one is sexually attracted to. Not that it doesn’t happen in other settings but it just seems like a very scary thing to me. Carrie has decided for some reason that to get back at him for the three times she had sex with him and it didn’t turn into a relationship, she is going to make it a fourth time and also not make it a relationship that way this time she’s the one in charge of… whatever the 90s version of ghosting would be??? I just don’t get it.

And I’m sorry, they scheduled a 3 o’clock sex date?? Why?? I could not possibly be bothered. Carrie and her Mistake simply must have something better to do at 3 o’clock, like getting a snack from a vending machine. Or taking a stroll.

Carrie is now having sex with this man, to prove that women can have sex just to have sex without feelings. And does to this guy what he did to her all the other times before that by leaving without any emotional intimacy. Why????

“I left feeling powerful, potent, and incredibly alive.” (Carrie after she abruptly leaves after having sex at 3pm on a workday) Why?? Like I KNOW that I lack the understanding of this because of the asexuality and whatnot but truly what feels good about that?!?!?

Oh my gosh. Guys. I am meeting the famous Mr. Big. And he’s…

Not… attractive…?????

Also who bumps into someone and immediately starts listing off that they notice that they don’t have a ring and that they’re attractive?? And that for some reason Carrie had an entire pack of condoms loose enough to all spill out when this man very lightly bumped into her. I can’t this feels like if humans were not humans with sex drives but just sex drives that were a little bit human.

I did not expect to have this many thoughts at THIRTEEN MINUTES INTO THE EPISODE.

Carrie is now meeting with her friend who looks like he works in IT in 2024, and said he has to tell her a “shocking secret.” Who wants to guess it’s related to sex?

… … … Guys the shocking secret was that he hasn’t had sex in a year. (Carrie’s response: “I don’t understand that, you’re such a nice guy.”) (Skipper’s response back: “I’m too nice. I’m a romantic. I just have so much feeling.”)

I… I’m actually impressed they’re finding this many different ways to talk about the exact same thing. Is this how allo conversations go??

Skipper says he’s sensitive because he doesn’t objectify women.

Skipper: Most guys, when they meet a girl, the first thing that they see is… you know… Carrie: (confidently as if she is proving some sort of weird point) P*ssy? Skipper: (chuckling like a school girl) Oh God! Hehehehe I hate that word. (Pause for a beat) Don’t you have any friends that you can hook me up with?

?? Y’all, can you name one time the first thing a boy sees in a girl is her genitals, unless he has accidentally logged into PornHub and forgotten that’s what he’s watching and thinks it’s Every Woman He Knows?

And then… HM. Man, this guy moves fast. Embarrassed by the word p*ssy and immediately turns around asking for a hook up. ???

So for some context, the immediate next thing that happens after this guy (SKIPPER) says he hasn’t had sex in a year and then is embarrassed by the word p*ssy, is to tell Carrie that he likes older women (literally this is what he says), and then Carrie decides to set him up with her friend Miranda.

Skipper after she says she’ll set him up with Miranda: “Don’t tell her I’m nice.”

Okay, so the goal here is really just unemotional sex.

WHAT. The. HEEECK.

Voiceover Carrie: “Miranda was gonna hate Skipper. She’d think he was mocking her with his sweet nature and decided he was an a**hole.”

?? Why waste everyone’s time?? Like is the point here for Carrie to get no one any sex or relationships? Like maybe it’s the End of Love in Manhattan because you’re setting up two people on a date that you know will fizzle out.

So now she’s on the phone with her friend Charlotte who has a date with someone that Voiceover Carrie describes as an “un-gettable bachelor.” What does it mean to be an “un-gettable bachelor”? Does this mean he has sex but doesn’t date? Does this mean he dates but won’t have sex? Does this mean he doesn’t usually do any second dates? I can’t even tell what these people want.

Carrie said she had an “afternoon of cheap and easy sex.” I want to psychologically explore this with her. Like did she just like the manipulation part? Did she just need to have an orgasm? What is going on here.

Okee doke, so now they’re in a club, where Carrie says it’s like the bar Cheers where everyone knows your name, except “here they forget it five minutes later.” I can’t tell if this is supposed to entice me or show how sinful everyone is being.

And we have Carrie’s friend Miranda, being very mean to Skipper who in the last scene was annoying me but now I feel bad for him because Miranda is literally interrogating him and trying to prove he’s a pig.

Voiceover Carrie says “I was about to rescue Skipper from an increasingly hopeless situation, when suddenly—“ stop right there, Voiceover Carrie. YOU PUT HIM IN THIS SITUATION. She is playing games. My opinion as of right now is her sex column was too boring so she is stirring the pot, which doesn’t seem to be too difficult since literally nobody knows what they want.

So now Carrie has run into the Mistake from when she was 26, 29, and 31 (and 3pm that afternoon). And he’s like “omg hello! I was pissed at you at 3pm but now I’m relieved that you want the exact same kind of relationship that I want!” Which is… 3pm sex??? And nothing else??

Y’all PLZ.

“Now we can have sex without commitment!” -Mistake (26,29,31,3pm). And now Carrie is disappointed. WHAT DID SHE THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN? Allos be playing mind games, for real.

Mistake: “I like this new you, call me.” Carrie: Depression, regret, anger, pretty much all the 5 stages of grief while she mourns her confidence from 3pm.

Dude, maybe this was not a good idea?? Like did you WANT the unattached sex or no??? Because it seems like it was only good sex as long as he was upset afterwards and now that he wasn’t she’s sad too? Did you retroactively decide you didn’t enjoy the 3pm sex which you said earlier made you feel “powerful, potent, and alive”?? Carrie, WHICH IS IT?

Voiceover Carrie: “Did all men secretly want their women promiscuous and emotionally detached?” Probably not, but if you purposely go for Mistake 26,29,31 with the intention of having promiscuous and emotionally detached sex because that’s what he’s given you in the past, that’s what you’re going to get???? Like??? You’re picking the wrong people to try to do things with?? (I was going to say the wrong people to have sex with but I feel like anyone willing to immediately have 3pm sex is in the same category anyway).

HUIRDFJKNIURGJFNDK Her friend Samantha just spotted Mr. Big and called him “The Next Donald Trump.” Oh my goodness. Laughing.

Next Donald Trump just did the cringiest little wave. He also waved when he saw Carrie on the street. Big ick.

And Carrie pretends she hasn’t met him. Why <3

Samantha says Next Donald Trump usually dates models. How do people know so much about these random people.

Now we’re back to Charlotte having some sort of date, and the guy asks her to come “back to” his “place.” Voiceover Carrie tells us she had wanted to play hard to get but doesn’t want the evening to end. Why are the only two options Sex on the First Date or Abruptly End the Date??

Charlotte’s date (Capote Duncan, hilarious name) starts kissing her neck and she asks to go home so he gets her a cab….. but then he GETS INTO THE CAB AND ASKS THE CAB DRIVER TO GO TO THE CLUB THE REST ARE AT AFTER HE DROPS OFF CHARLOTTE AT HOME.

WHAAAT.

Charlotte is like “Why are you going to the club?” And Mr. Capote Duncan with no sense of social etiquette for some reason responds “I understand where you’re coming from, and I totally respect it, but I really need to have sex tonight.”

??? HOW DARE HE?? What is this deal. How are these the eligible bachelors. All of these men are as horny as 12 year old boys who just discovered Playboy. None of them can keep it in their pants for 4 minutes and I don’t get anyones motives here. Clearly this dude Capote does not care about a second date with Charlotte after he just pulled that nonsense.

Back to Samantha, who seems to be the very sensual friend. She is propositioning Mr. Big to have a “private tour” of the downstairs of the club they’re in and Mr. Big turns her down.

And instead of being like, “okay he’s not interested,” Samantha takes this as a massive slight.

AAAAAaaand we’re back to Miranda and Skipper, who Miranda is politely(?) turning down, and then they start making out against a building. I do not get this.

AND NOW SAMANTHA IS IN CAPOTE DUNCANS APARTMENT MAKING OUT WITH HIM. Unbelievable. And he says she can’t stay over so the plan is literally thrust and bust.

Is this how normal sex lives work or is everyone in this show particularly amoral.

Ijdfknigfjkgijkthrgf

Carrie is wandering around outside, and Mr. Big drives up and says “well get in for Christ sakes” and she smiles like that’s a very sweet normal thing to say to someone you haven’t had an actual conversation with.

Carrie says she’s a “sexual anthropologist” to Mr. Big, who asked about her job. He gives me the creeps. I assume his long stares and slow deep voice are supposed to be sexy but it’s just bizarre and unnerving.

Mr. Big tells Carrie she’s “never been in love.” Voiceover Carrie then responds “suddenly I felt the wind knocked out of me.” Literally for what, Carrie.

She gets out of the cab, stops, then does a dramatic turn around to ask, “have you ever been in love?” It’s very film noir music and vibes right now. Mr. Big responds “Abso-f*cking-lutely” and then the window goes up and he pulls away in the literal most dramatic way and we freeze frame on Carrie.

Okay. That’s in. That’s the episode.

Most “ALLO SAY/DO WHAT?” Moments, in no particular order:

3pm sex with Mistake from 26, 29, and 31

Getting into the cab with your date so that you can go to the club to find someone else to have sex with

Carrie no longer liking the 3pm sex because Mistake liked it too

Skipper liking older women and being upset he hasn’t had sex in a year but giggling at the word p*ssy

Carrie getting into the cab with a strange man she literally barely knows because she thinks he’s “hot”

2.75/5 I think is my ranking. Too much sex.

#asexual #aromantic #aroace #sex and the city #sex and the city watch #live blog

[non-un-topo]

Biggest fear is that the long-awaited old guard 2 is going to be really disappointing because we've built up years of fandom and headcanons and whatnot, and that a week or so after it's released the fandom just dies

#if i speak the fears out loud they won't happen lol #but i fear it because this happened to me with umbrella academy. season 2 was good but not the same as the first #and season 3 was just off the rails lol #so i kind of have 0 expectations for tog2 except that i expect there to be no andy/quynh. i fear that. but i expect it. #because i feel like having two canon gay relationships is just too much for netflix lol. but why do i care? idk it would be nice to have? #only other expectation is that they're going to try to cram in so much action - #- that there's not going to be a lot of time for reflective moments or character development #or those soft quiet introspective moments that made the first movie so different from any other action movie. #okay fine i have one more fear. that whatever happens in the sequel -- however quynh is represented -- #-- will be totally different from the quynh in my head and i will no longer want to write all the stories i have planned. #we could also always just say screw you to canon material. there's that option. but i like the canon !!

[raven-moon33]

What r some wenclair headcanons you have or things you’d want to see in S2

Ooh, let's see, Wenclair headcanons:

Enid speaking Greek, and Wednesday going feral over it because of a dormant Addams gene that makes them absolutely weak for languages they don't know.

The Gomezification of Wednesday Addams once she's fallen in love with Enid, because I personally find the idea that in her determination not to become her mother she accidentally becomes her father, which is made evident when she falls in love with Enid, too hilarious not to love.

Wednesday doing creepy Addams-type things while attempting to court (ask out) Enid, who doesn't get the message and thinks Wednesday's threatening to kill her. (Gets me every time).

Thing, Eugene, and/or Yoko being the biggest Wenclair shipper(s) in-universe.

Wednesday keeping the majority of their dating relationship relatively chill in public (some light hand-holding, a pet name or two, maybe even a kiss on the cheek every once in a while), but then going all out with grand romantic gestures and midnight serenades and adoring kisses when it's just the two of them.

All this amongst a plethora of others, but since this is already getting a bit wordy, I'll move along to the next bit.

As for things I want to see in Season 2, literally the first and major thing that comes to mind is PLEASE NO MORE FORCED ROMANCES OR LOVE TRIANGLES.

The only thing that made the boring love triangle from Season 1 at all bearable was from how clearly Wednesday did not give a shit about it and how she repeatedly told both Xavier and Tyler that she really did not give a shit about their feelings or their crushes on her, she has more important and much more interesting things to do with her time, thank you very much.

There was an interview with the writers of the show where they mentioned their plan was to focus more on Wednesday's relationships with her mother and Enid, and I am on my knees BEGGING that this will happen.

Wenclair shipper though I am, I adored the platonic friendship between Enid and Wednesday more than anything else in the show, especially since I feel it contributed the most to Wednesday's character arc over the first season.

I am well-aware that Wenclair ever becoming canon is probably a long-shot, despite some of Netflix's recent major, original, and successful works including leading gay characters. (I'm looking at you, Fear Street trilogy, my wonderful beloved).

So if we are never given the blessing of seeing Wenclair becoming canon in a natural progression of their relationsip, I am of the firm opinion that aroace Wednesday is probably the most realistic and best outcome we're going to get in canon.

Besides that, I'm hoping for a mystery just as interesting and complex as the one in Season 1, seeing the character arcs for Lucas Walker and Bianca hinted at in Season 1, and seeing Enid trying to convince Wednesday to use her brand new phone for more than just investigating the stalker, and maybe even trying to get her to download social media. (I also enjoy the idea of Thing either getting a phone of his own to do that stuff with or using Wednesday's phone for it, like downloading Twitter and friending Enid).

#wenclair #wenclair headcanon #ask

[sugarcubetikki]

I don’t usually post for this fandom but let’s just say I’m way too invested and before Vol 2 comes out I really really needed to compile a long list of explanations to why requited Byler being confirmed on Friday would be REVOLUTIONARY. The long-term signifance of this narrative move is just going to be truly amazing and so so meaningful no matter what reaction we get immediately after (and even now it’ll be a big reaction because the gen audience won’t be ready for it).

Stranger Things is a mainstream show, one of the most popular on Netflix, and it’s really rare for us to get a main queer couple on mainstream shows as most of them are fueled by the pure existance and hyping up of straight ships to appeal to a wider audience. It would open up a gateway for more queer representation between main characters on mainstream shows in general because like if a big show like Stranger Things can take such a big step forward, it makes it possible for more shows to do this in the future. It’s like what happened with more lgbtq representation within animation and how it expanded throughout shows as more creators took the initiative. 

Byler is such a nuanced queer ship and subverts so many tropes as well as fighting some of those gay stereotypes. Both Mike and Will as characters are different in their journeys to discovering themselves and their sexualities. The show also incorporates a wide range of queer themes and it’s much more than the obvious ones but also ones that we don’t really see portrayed on tv enough like internalised homophobia and comphet. 

More on Byler being nuanced as a ship in general! It’s a ship that heavily relies on emotional chemistry between characters and the love they share between them is something so pure and realistic, they aren’t dramatised in any way. The buildup between them would feel so natural: childhood best friends to lovers. They already share a very intimate level of comfort and I think later on in S5 when you’d get to see their relationship dynamic it’ll truly be so heartwarming. I know it may come as a surprise to casual viewers after Vol 2 and we might get some very annoying reactions but I think after it being blatantly confirmed once we get to see their relationship dynamic in S5 a lot more of them will warm up to it because I mean these two are adorable and if you’re really looking you can see it!

The time period is something to note: show set in the 80s having one of their main couples being gay! It’s quite iconic because a lot of people use the time period as an argument against to why the show might not make it canon which is just heteronormative and ugh because gay people did exist in the 80s! Their struggles were quite different then however as society was more heteronormative and less accepting so them just casually normalising depicting gay characters even in a show set in the 80s goes against that problematic idea of why it would be unrealistic for shows set in the past to have lgbtq characters. We also really get some interesting storylines about being lgbtq in the 80s as well. Besides, the existance of Robin Buckley already refutes that idea (I love her she’s amazing and iconic) and having two more confirmed gay characters within the main cast IN A RELATIONSHIP would be so amazing in terms of queer representation. Plus, it wouldn’t be unrealistic at all because as a show that focuses on social outcasts and rebelling against social expectations it would make so much sense for them to be depicting exactly that through their range of characters.

The problematic pattern of gay ships being sunk in the favour of the “ultimate straight ship” would be challenged and subverted. People go in expecting that this one ship would become canon because it makes sense on a surface level and fans are just used to being fed the straight ship they’ve rooted for since day one becoming canon eventually. This has been a pattern that media has created that feeds into fanservice and heteronormativity that’s why majority of the general audience are under the assumption that the they won’t go through with Byler and that Mike and El will have to end up together because it makes sense according to conventional storytelling patterns of the past. However, ST making Byler canon is just a complete subversion of those conventional storytelling patterns and heteronormative expectations, it’ll make media history for sure when the gay ship is given preference and made endgame over the highly hyped up straight ship, it’s just so revolutionary and also breaks so any problematic tropes of gay characters and ships being easily disregarded to favour the straights because so many people right now assume that Will is just going to be rejected and this is just all forced representation because Mike and El are endgame, right?

I think a lot of people would go over and re-watch the show if Mike and Will were made canon to look for signs and hints especially because I’m sure the writers/the cast would do so many interviews explaining how it’s been built up for sometime now. I mean Noah, David Harbour and the Duffers have already said that in regards to Will’s feelings for Mike. And watching the show through “romantic Byler lens” there are a lot of things people will pick up for sure like everything about the crazy together scene, the tragedy of the Byler fight and a lot of queercoding too. Mike’s eccentric behaviour in S3/4 would also be viewed in a much different light if you take him being gay into consideration and people would just really understand his character more. Also, a lot of people would go over the many byler proofs the fanbase has collected over the years and that will definitely gear people in! This would just tell people to look deeper into details that shows place as well instead of what’s surface level obvious. Plus, encouraging stranger things fans to look deeper is a good mindset to have going into S5, I feel like with the last season coming, they want us to find as many Easter eggs as possible! As for concerns about people just being negative and ignorant of everything in relation to Byler, it doesn’t matter, I think S5 would truly build up Byler more blatantly as most of the audience would be in on it at this point and fans who may not want to look into deeper details may change their mind after more blatant depiction of Byler.

Ultimately, the ship being made canon is just so so good for queer fans in general. Queer fans who see two characters of the same sex having as much chemistry as two of the opposite and having great reasons for why they should become canon/them becoming canon being a possibility. We have to compile proofs after proofs, explanations after explanations and people who don’t understand see it as delusional behaviour which is not the case. We live in a world where we’re marginalised and deprived of representation. Characters of the opposite sex can intimately look at each other and that’s enough for the fanbase to be rooting for them and for the show to make them canon because heteronormativity is a drug. However, the same isn’t true for same-sex characters, we have to compile reasons and make lists and constantly try to prove queerness and we never know whether we’re going to get the good end of the bargain or not. We can get so much queercoding at times and at times even get queerbaited with the creators actually having no intention to make our ship canon because staying heteronormative is the safe option but rather feeding off of our support which is so frustrating time and time again. (The biggest reason to why I don’t believe the Duffers are tricking us is because of their decision to not only confirm Will as gay and involve a narrative about it this season but also have it center around him having feelings for Mike which is just crazy to think about how that’s confirmed and directly shown after years and years of subtext). 

I do believe based on what we’ve gotten so far from all the narrative evidence, the reactions from the cast, details matching up with Byler so perfectly and them confirming Will as gay after so much queercoding in previous seasons that they are going down the requited Byler route and for all the reasons I’ve stated it will truly be so wonderful and revolutionary and a huge win. If they don’t, I genuinely will be disappointed as it would be so much wasted potential and queerbaiting due to all the promo they’ve done especially this pride month but I am keeping my fingers crossed here and as of now based on all the signs I’m sure we’re heading towards a win! 

#stranger things #st4 #stranger things 4 #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #will byers is gay #mike wheeler is gay #reasons why #mine #sugar analyses #lgbtq #queer representation

[blackbird-brewster]

Thoughts About Tara Lewis (CM Evolution Spoilers)

Tara Lewis is Queer.

I woke up this morning and the SECOND I was conscious, I turned to my partner and said 'Tara Lewis is Queer'. I woke them up two times last night to tell them the same thing. I have echoed this thought back and forth to friends for hours.

It almost feels like if I don't constantly remind myself that Tara is now canonically queer, then maybe it isn't real. Maybe it was a dream. OR maybe it will be taken from us.

The thing about being in this fandom since 2005 is that I've lived a WHOLE lot of life in that time. I have been through relationships and divorces and insurmountable loss. I can't even count how many times I've moved in that time. I have struggled, I have flourished. All the while, Criminal Minds was a constant for me.

If you're newer to this fandom (Welcome!) then you might not FULLY grasp how wildly improbable it is to be able to say: Tara Lewis, a main character on Criminal Minds, is canonically queer.

When the show first aired I was in college, I had graduated HS an entire year early because the homophobia I faced was suffocating and genuinely dangerous. I was threatened all the time in my school. I came out when I was 15, in a small rural religious town. It was horrific.

I graduated HS and started college by age 17. Criminal Minds started around then and I loved it, because I was already a huge fan of crime dramas (SVU, TXF, Bones). It became a comfort show to me.

It continued to be a comfort show to be for nearly the past two decades. I remember waiting week to week to find out what happened next. Or waiting all summer to find out what happened after a cliffhanger. Or waiting each year for news on whether it was getting renewed or not, especially through the 2007 writer's strike when the fate of many TV shows felt so volatile and unsure. I remember watching the Valhalla arc and Emily's 'death' live. As each season came out on DVD box set, I would buy them and re-watch them (This was when Netflix was only dvd rentals and not streaming. Streaming wasn't even a concept then. We all just bough 8-disc DVD box sets and had to change the DVD every 3 episodes to binge a show)

I remember when the interview came out about how Emily was originally supposed to wake up in bed with a woman. I remember how devastating that was to me. Emily was my fave character back then (now she ties with Tara) and she had always felt gay to me and to find out she COULD have been canonically confirmed as gay but they killed that idea, was really hard. We didn't have a lot of wlw rep in media back then. The L Word was a trailblazing show but it's representations of wlw ultimately did WAY more harm than good (imo. I could write an entire thesis about how tLw really fucked up my entire understanding of what it means to be gay, but I digress)

I remember watching the way CBS treated AJ, Paget and Kirsten. I remember following articles talking about why the women were forced to leave the show while the men were celebrated and doted upon. (Reasons why I hate certain characters that are popular here iykyk)

The very first scene with Tara Lewis in S11 made my heart skip a beat. My soul was screaming 'SHES QUEER!!!! SHE HAS GOT TO BE QUEER!' even though I never once held my breath that would ever become CANON.

Here I am, still in this fandom, seventeen years later, and I get to say 'Tara Lewis is canonically queer' on a show that has gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life. On a show I turned to for comfort when everything felt like Too Much.

Because there is something so incredibly magical about seeing my favourite character and saying: Tara Lewis is Queer...and So Am I.

I know people are already like 'Emily was right there!?' or  'Why not make Emily queer!?' to those people I have one thing to say:

Please stop. Please stop and understand HOW important it is for TARA to be queer.

We have A CANONICALLY QUEER BLACK WOMAN IN HER 50s played by a sapphic actor. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IMMINESLY RARE AND SPECIAL THAT IS?!?!? Do you have ANY idea of how IMPORTANT that is for representation?????

Emily Prentiss will never be confirmed queer in canon for many reasons. I have a LOT of thoughts about this, but that's not what this post is about.

This post is about celebrating one, extremely special fact.

And I couldn't be happier.

#criminal minds #tara lewis #cm evolution #cm spoilers #cm meta #queerminal minds #my writing #Aisha Tyler would have 100% been the one to push for this for Tara #We owe her a great amount of respect and debt #I hope Aisha has a very beautiful and queer day #tara lewis is queer #cm commentary

[venice-1987]

TOH Semi-Spoilers!!!

(I say Semi, because its obvious they’re canon at this point)

Can I think Huntlow is adorable, and love their development and the significance of this relationship to both of their characters? Yes! The rest of this post is not anti them. 

Can I be salty that a show with three sapphic relationships, two of which are prominent main characters, and one with supporting cast with a prominent role in multiple episodes, has just thrown in the background gay dads that every children’s animation is doing as their mlm rep? Because I was so sure that Hunter could have gotten what Lumity got? And I would have finally seen myself in an animation that people actually talk about unlike the mlm cartoons that I feel like no one actually cares about that get cancelled by netflix after one or two seasons? Absolutely!

Friendly reminder to all shippers, cause I see this too much in Instagram comments on fan art: Let people ship what they want. “But ___ likes ___ in canon” under ship art is a dick move. 

This post was a little all over the place. I’m just tired of mlm being pushed to the sidelines and forgotten to the background in this genre (children’s cartoons) as if we aren’t important enough to care about in the mainstream. 

#THE OWL HOUSE #toh hunter #toh #the owl house spoilers #TOH spoilers #toh willow #hunter owl house #willow park #huntlow #its not really anti #cause I do like the ship #its won me over #I just want to have a larger conversation about the invisibility of mlm in children's cartoons

[777cherry-blossom777]

SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS VOLUME 2

Ok here’s a list of why everyone is saying this volume was bad. (Part 3)

I’ll sort it into categories bc why not (each group is in a different post bc this is way too long)

CALI SQUAD 1

1. Their plot at first was so stupid. There was literally no purpose. They were running around trying to get the message about the military to El, WHO ALREADY KNEW. sure they didnt know that but at least give them a purpose!

2. When they did finally save El, they were absolutely useless. Sure Argyle got them the salt but the whole point of their group was El. Once again, the entire team relied on her. Like I said in part 2, the d&d game at the beginning really had me hoping for a new hero when Dustin rolled an 11 and got out.

3. Byler. I have soooo much to say on this but im gonna start with how the cast and Netflix themselves handled it. For the entirety of June (pride month) and before, they soaked up all the praise they were getting about finally making byler canon. From Netflix’s official account posting videos mocking El and Mike’s relationship multiple times, to the cast always confirming byler and being all giggly like it was going to be some happy ship, this was the type of queerbaiting I was definitely not expecting to see from a sci-fi YA tv show set in the 80s (the whole show is just gay, like not even counting the characters just the idea). In 2022. Do better.

4. Byler part 2. Yes Will is gay. Which means Netflix hinted at every opportunity that their ONLY TWO queer characters would be getting into a relationship and yet not only were they both still single at the end of the season, they were used to further straight relationships!!! Will’s pain and heartfelt monologue was just used to further the toxic straight relationship, and the painting scene was heartbreaking. Not only did we not even get a coming out scene (yes I get hes a kid but seriously with all the homophobia in this show they’ve said so many slurs its a little weird they cant say gay), but will was literally forced to watch as they excluded him from everything. Hes not a punching bag differ brothers, you cant make every bad thing happen to him.

5. Mike’s character. Related to reasons #2 and #3, but what is his excuse? He suddenly switched from a caring, protective friend (s1 and 2) to mean and shallow (s3 and 4). Out of nowhere he was awkwardly avoiding Will, his BEST FRIEND SINCE AGE FIVE, for no reason. Everyone said internalised homophobia, aka Mike using the classic ‘you make time feel things I shouldnt be feeling so im not gonna be around you anymore so I stop feeling this’ tactic. This would also explain why he never says I love you to El, and why the one time he did try to say it before volume 2 (in s3) he was awkward as hell and avoided the word completely. Seeing as this is apparently not the case, WHERE IS HIS EXCUSE?! He suddenly switched from treating Will like the light of his life to treating Will like shit. Ignoring him, excluding him, not even noticing him CHOKING ON TEARS WHILE WILL WAS LITERALLY SITTING NEXT TO HIM? No. That just doesn’t make sense with his s1 and 2 character.

Im gonna make another part for this group because I have more to say.

#byler #stranger things #stranger things 4 #duffer brothers hate squad #why volume 2 sucked #will byers #mike wheeler #argyle x jonathan #they would’ve been cute tbh

[velvethopewrites]

So, I consider you the resident expert (of my blog) on Supernatural. Would you be willing to explain why today is apparently a holiday dedicated to Dean (I think?) and Castiel’s relationship? While also not making too much fun of someone who knows shit about supernatural beyond the first two seasons 😅

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of Destiel (Dean and Cas) becoming canon, because Castiel tells Dean he loves him and that Dean is the thing that he can never have and so therefore sacrifices himself to save the world (and Dean). (Cas had made a deal with a big bad that should he ever experience a moment of true happiness then he would be sucked away. And Castiel realized his true happiness was in the telling of such feelings and not in the having). Fans of the show and of the ship, needless to say, went a bit insane.

It also happened during the week of the US Elections (or as I like to call it the Kicking Out of the Large Orange Turnip, ie Trump) and other various news items which Destiel actually trended ABOVE and was talked about more. So you know, just a small thing, lol

Far from being an expert, I only got into SPN this last February, by starting a binge watch on Netflix. I was of course, on tumblr two years ago and so I sort of knew what it meant beforehand. But I had no idea of the actual depth of it. I saw various discussions of queerbaiting and the ‘kill your gays’ trope that was fascinating from an outside viewpoint. Of course, I was a goner after I discovered all the brilliant fic (and Misha’s blue eyes, ahem). I did a deep dive into fandom stuff after that and I still only barely know half of it, LOL But I do love the fic. Oh, boy howdy how much do I love the fic. Those two idiots falling in love again and again in various situations has become my life blood.

Ironically the fifth of November 2020 helped me with my own story in loads of way I think I’m still processing.

#Ask #destiel #from this outsider’s point of view #what a ride it’s been

[patroclusdefencesquad]

I've never asked a question on here; I don't know how it works. I hope I'm doing this right. Feel free to skip this....

Anyway, proceeding as if I am doing this correctly, regarding the gay noble who's supposed to flirt with Jaskier and the confirmation of a character who's supposed to be a prince.

I've been tentatively excited about the idea of a gay noble flirting with Jaskier. Excited because I'd be overjoyed to see a canonical gay romance and because I'd be absolutely delighted to see Jaskier fall in love with someone who loves him back (I do ship Jaskier with Geralt but I doubt the show will make it canon because it'd piss off the book purists, and I think the way the show will make the most audience members happy is to have Geralt end up with Yennefer and then set up Jaskier with another man [all that said, Geralt/Jaskier/Yennefer is my OT3 but that would require Netflix being brave enough to allow polyamory]). Let the bard be happy!

However, I've been nervous that there will be even more bard whump in S3. When Jaskier was talking to Yennefer about people donating to the cause of helping the Elves, it sounded like he thought that they were all, well, donations. Money sent in good will. But then the spymaster dude said he wanted the bard brought in to pay up and.... I'm nervous about how the payment will be collected. My guess is that, most likely, Jaskier will be forced to be a spy but....

And then, because I haven't yet read the books (waiting on my library hold), I went to TV Tropes. I didn't find a Prince Radovid but I did find a King Radovid and he's apparently about as bad as the Emperor. He's apparently just a terrible person. So if the Prince isn't a separate character but is the same character prior to becoming king, I don't see how Jaskier would be interested in this guy.

So, maybe they are separate characters and the Prince is a much better person than his father and he and Jaskier will just be a sweet couple. But I'm nervous. I'm worried the storyline could get pretty dark but maybe I've just read too many hurt/comfort fics.

you're doing wonderfully don't worry lmao!

in terms of jaskier and relationships (and presuming you don't mind book spoilers since you've had a sneaky look yourself, and if you DO mind spoilers ignore all this and send me an angry ask and I'll answer again lmao), I haven't read the books but I'm pretty sure he ends up with a woman in them? and although the writers clearly aren't sticking to the book content (cough season 2 cough) they are definitely going down the yenralt route (terrible a job though they're doing of it) so yeah, geraskefer/geraskier unfortunately is unlikely to be a thing. I am however surprised at just how blatant they've made the unrequited love between jaskier and geralt, even if they haven't actually stated anything there's so much that can be taken that way, so who knows where jaskier is going to end up relationship wise. i would assume, if it's anything at all, that this "relationship" with the prince guy is likely to just be a fling though.

here's where we differ lmao bc I'm a sucker for jaskier whump, I just hate the lack of comfort we get for him 😔 so yeah if they whump him again i need some sort of resolution to it not just "oh hey let's torture the bard and then never mention it again." but anyway, considering the set up of this storyline at the end of s2, and that I think spy!jaskier is a significant plot in the books (?) i'm hopeful that it's going to be a decent story!

with this information given from twn twitter, and what we already know about jaskier in s3, it's probably reasonable to assume that these two characters are going to be connected, and the "until someone gets hurt" makes me🤞in a vaguely evil jaskier stan sort of way.

but again, this info compared with the book character doesn't seem to add up, especially when taken with the actors "character types" lmao and twn propensity to ignore the books.

basically, we know nothing lmao i'm just speculating and hyperfixating on a random line of a script that may or may not even be real. we move✌️

#el asks

[xo-alie-xo]

CLEAR QUEERBAITING IN THE SCHOOL OF GOOD AND EVIL BOOKS 😒

So as a kid, I've read the SGE books and was a huge fan of them.💖 I was a teenager when the first book came out and I started shipping Tagatha....but towards the end, I started LOVING Agaphie?? Like....Agaphie was extremely interesting and so damn layered. I was sooo surprised and mindblown when Agatha kissed Sofie on the LIPS! 😘 Shocker! The best way possible. 🙌🏼 Completely subverted fairy tale tropes.👏🏼 Good loving the Evil. Evil sacrificing for the Good. A Princess and a Witch! I thought it was one of the best fairytale books ever.🧙‍♀️👸

Then, I heard there were sequels. And I read them as soon as they came out for Agaphie. But they never discussed what happened. Like am I supposed to believe a straight girl kissed a girl on the lips in the heat of the moment to show her true love?😅 I was willing to ignore that thinking maybe Agatha wasn't open about her feelings.🤔 And then Sofie was a boy called Filip and Tedros canon fell for him. So Tedros is confirmed Bisexual. Good for him.🤗 Then, Tagatha. Tedros and Agatha was cute. I was like okay, maybe Tagatha is just a plot device like Tedros and Filip. 🤨

But then, Soman went and made them canon SISTERS? INCEST MUCH??🤢 I was pissed with the queer baiting. They didn't have to do that. He could've just progressed with Tagatha. But he made biological half-sisters kiss on the lips?🤬 I'm sorry but that's really weird. Sure, there are some cultures where women embrace with a quick peck, but that's certainly not what happened with Agaphie. It was a True Love's Kiss?? ❤🤧

It could've just been a forehead kiss. Like Maleficent with Aurora. That would've sufficed too.💁‍♀️ But he made them kiss on the lips at the end of the first book and queerbaited the audience? Whyy? He's in the LGBTQ+ community I know, but Queerbaiting is still not right.🚫 He of all people should know that. A POC being racist towards other POC is still racism. Just like how you can be gay and homophobic. 🙄

So, the next sequels came out and I was still interested in reading them to see how the hell he managed to incorporate the half-sister storyline. But it was never mentioned again and Sofie and Agatha never spoke about it. So, it had no relevance to the plot. 😑

Basically what I see is two girls who are polar opposites subverting the fairytale tropes with their romantic love. True love is even if you turn enemies and fight, you can never hate them. Hurt? Yes. Hate? No.💕 But having to move on with heteronorms because of their homophobic community who also shamed Agatha because she looked different. The sad reality in many places.😞 They are also canon bisexual, so Agatha moved with Tedros and Sophie stayed single. Okay, cool. But Soman said, "Nope. I'm gonna make them kiss on the lips, but they are sisters (although they didn't know it at the time AND the sister plot never had an impact on the story so it wasn't relevant). SISTERS SO NO HOMO. Cut the bullshit please.😤🤬

I really hope they changed this awful queerbaiting in the movie. Because people WILL ship them. 2022 will be much more accepting of Queer storylines than early 2010s. But only to find they are sisters who kissed on the lips. Okay, when did this become Game of Thrones?🤣 The audience will feel like they got queerbaited and will be pissed. And bad reviews for an otherwise well written book/movie. So Paul Feig, please fix this huge HUGE error.🤦‍♀️

So dear Paul and Netflix, either:-

1) Let Agatha kiss Sophie on the forehead and establish the sister reveal EARLY ON.👩‍👧‍👧 Because it never changed the plot later. Not really a spoiler alert. So, similar to Maleficent kissing Aurora on the forehead.

2) Make sure someone makes them believe they are sisters, commenting on how close they are and how much they deep down love each other.😍 But only to reveal they are NOT SISTERS. So, indirectly saying not all best friend relationships are "SISTERLY" aka homophobics discrediting wlw.💁‍♀️ And let them kiss on the lips as normal. Because it is normal for two non-straight girls to kiss on the lips.👭😘

But they move on with someone else because they also love Tedros. Good for them. Cuz bisexuality is very much valid.

😁✅

You don't need a label. But don't make them sisters. It's like how Barbie diamond castle handled it. Obviously the two girls were literally dressed in the end in the Lesbian and Bisexual flags, let go of the boys and a chance to live in a Palace so the girls can return to living together in their comfy cottage.🏡👭 Mattel couldn't officially make them canon due to the heteronorm culture at the time, BUT AT LEAST THEY DIDN'T MAKE THEM SISTERS.😂😂 So, it was up to the audience to interpret however they wanted. And when I grew up and got educated, I realized what it was. Romantic love between two women. Aww. 😍

I'm a straight girl who was PISSED at the no-homo-irrelevant-sister-plot in SGE. Because I support the LGBTQ+ community. You can imagine the outrage you will receive from the LGBTQ+ community.

Please don't queerbait in 2022 unless you want to be cancelled or called out. And then no hopes of a sequel due to critisism. If you want to represent an LGBTQ+ plotline, that's fine.🏳️‍🌈 But do it right or don't do it at all! 🌈

#agaphie #agatha x sophie #sge #school for good and evil #school of good and evil #sge movie #school for good and evil movie #agatha #Sophie #Tagatha #Netflix #queerbaiting #lgbtq+ #sofia wylie #sophia anne caruso #paul feig #barbie diamond castle #Maleficent #sophie x agatha

[desidarling123]

Reviewing the Grishaverse Couples (Canon and Non-Canon/Alternate Universe) just because I can, here we go:

These are not based *strictly* on the books, but rather the Netflix show, which appears to have spawned ✨all the ships✨ as of late.

DISLAIMER: I don't hate any ships! And I won't tolerate any slander. Creativity is the core to all fandoms, and that's what shipping (canon or otherwise) is ultimately all about. Cool? Cool.

CANON COUPLES:

Darkling/Alina aka DARKLINA: What I came for TBH, though not necessarily what kept me watching through the end (damn you, episode 5! you got me so confused! ahhh but also corruption arc for Alina? hmmmm) Jessie and Ben have chemistry in spades, and Ben emotes well for an ancient asshat. These two have great fic potential.

Mal/Alina aka MALINA: Sweet! A little boring to me initially tbh, but much better on rewatch. They are each other's safe haven, and there's something really lovely about that. I like them together.

Kaz/Inej aka KANEJ: GOD TIER. THEY'VE RUINED EVERYTHING ELSE FOR ME. NOTHING EVEN COMES CLOSE. THE FUCKING PINING BITCH. HE LOVES HER. SO SO MUCH. 1000000000/10.

Full disclosure: I came for Darklina, but stayed for Kanej. And, at this rate, will happily suffer countless seasons where the most they do is maybe hold hands but also Netflix please let them heal their trauma together and kiss at least once for my poor shipper heart PLEASE

Nina/Matthias aka HELNIK: They're cute. Almost a little too on-the-nose with the tropes for me, personally, but the actors make it work.

Jesper/Stable Boy: Honestly? Good for Jesper. The only person on the show who actually managed to get laid onscreen. He deserves it.

Genya/David: Also very cute, though they don't necessarily occupy much brain space. I like that David is this awkward little dork but he's just. So good for Genya. It's very pure and she really needs that.

Darkling/Zoya: Zoya, baby, you deserve better. That said, I wish the show had explored their backstory a bit more. These two would clearly put the T in toxic (Aleksander largely being the one to blame here, of course).

Ivan/Feydor: As someone else put it, these two can be summarized simply by -- be gay and do crimes. They're real cute. If only they weren't Team Darkling.

NON-CANON/ALTERNATE UNIVERSE:

AKA time for some ✨multishipper controversy✨

Darkling/Inej aka DARKEJ: I am extremely biased since I've written for them, but honestly? I would like to convert you all. This pairing has POTENTIAL. The sinner and the saint, the immortal and the ordinary. Also they both have this elegant, shadowy grace to them. Bonus points? Kaz getting a whiff of this nonsense and meticulously planning how to cut up Aleksander into a million tiny little pieces lol.

Darkling/Kaz aka DARKAZ: Sexy. So so sexy. Not in a physical sense (for obvious reasons' on Kaz' end, unless you go AU with that aspect, too) but more a battle of brains. Would inevitably end with Kaz slitting the Darkling's throat, somehow as he should, lmao.

Kaz/Alina aka KAZALINA: I didn't understand this, initially. They barely interacted and Kaz seemed more the type to drag Alina by the kefta than woo her. However, I saw a bunch of people on TikTok attacking someone who made a fantastic AU video edit, (and by a bunch I mean at least two attack videos amassing 10K+ likes total) -- so now I ship it purely out of spite, LOL. It only works in an AU where Inej doesn't exist or Kanej is somehow still endgame, but you know what? The saint and the nonbeliever has some potential. I dig it.

Kaz/Jesper aka KESPER: There's some basis for it in the books. I do prefer them as friends (and come on! Wylan!) but again, I get it.

Jesper/Inej: I... want whatever y'all are smoking bc it must be AMAZING (I kid, I kid). While I can't fully claim to understand it, I love both characters, want nothing but the best for them, and am not entirely opposed to it given the right premise. And Jesper did say he'd kill a man for Inej pretty much without hesitation...

Kaz/Jesper/Inej: OT3 vibes. I haven't read anything with these three just yet but I think, done right, it could be absolutely perfect.

Inej/Alina: I feel like Inej's piety would actually get in the way of a true relationship but I think it's cute as a one-sided crush, Inej on Alina.

Mal/Inej: This one is probably the most random of the Inej ships, but I'm team "Give Inej All The Love" so I'll let this one slide. Also, Amita and Archie low-key have crazy chemistry off-set so again. I get it.

Mal/Kaz: ... does this even exist? Lol I think Mal would definitely drive Kaz up the goddamn wall

Mal/Darkling: Objectively hilarious to me on several counts LMAO (that fight scene at the end of episode 8 PLS). BUT there's a fine line between love and hate... maybe it's not Alina they were after but each other all along

Alina/Genya: Again, god-tier. Also, makes Genya's later betrayal of Alina extra tasty in my opinion. So yeah, add in a dash of heartbreak why not?!?

Alina/Zoya: Enemies to lovers excellence. Though Zoya clearly has some internalized self-hatred to work through (baby WHAT was that half-breed comment?), I don't hate it. Maybe some day...

#shadow and bone #kanej #darklina #malina #helnik #heartrender husbands #six of crows #darkej #zoyalina #genyalina #inejalina #kanejesper

[fandomshatelgbtqpeople]

mod k’s queer movies of 2021

Will be updated throughout the year.

Note that this is meant to be a list of every movie that was released in 2021 with a significant queer character. I am not necessarily recommending any particular movie that is listed here. If you’d like further information, feel free to send an ask. 

Cruella I was torn about whether or not to list Cruella, because while I think Artie is a fun character who’s portrayed by an openly gay actor (John McCrea), he’s not actually explicitly gay. He’s just very flamboyant. But they did confirm he was gay off-screen, so here he is. A significant supporting character with lines in multiple scenes and an actual personality, which makes him pretty unique among Disney’s other ten “first openly gay” characters. Features one Black person in a significant supporting role and a few less central supporting characters of color, but is otherwise pretty white. No animal abuse is shown. Warnings: attempted infanticide, flashing lights, casual ableism and fatphobia

In the Heights For anyone who doesn’t know, this is a movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical, which was a big Tony winner back in 2009 and is about a Latine neighborhood and Manhattan that is undergoing gentrification. Two supporting female characters, one of whom is played by an openly bi actress (Stephanie Beatriz), are shown to be in a relationship. Features a cast that is almost exclusively Latine, but did get some backlash for not having significant Afro-Latine characters. Warnings: mentions of racism, flashing lights

Plan B In the latest entry into the “teenagers go on a road trip to seek reproductive care” genre, two teenage best friends scour South Dakota in search of Plan B. Both leads are girls of color, one of whom is a Latina lesbian. Features an interracial relationship between two women of color. Was also made by a Latina director. Streaming on Hulu. Warnings: drug use, sexual situations involving minors

Fear Street Part One: 1994 In an homage to 90s slasher movies, a group of teenagers are hunted through their small town by killers. Features a gay Black girl in the lead and has an interracial relationship between her and a white supporting character. Streaming on Netflix. Warnings: gore, drug use, self harm, brief onscreen homophobia, casual ableism, flashing lights

Jungle Cruise Well, we all knew this was coming and here it is. The Disney live action studio’s next attempt at a franchise is here. Features a gay man in an important supporting role. He actually talks about his sexuality, which is a step up for Disney, but in my opinion, he’s also not much more than a bundle of stereotypes who has very little agency in his own life. But I know queer people who liked him so ymmv I guess. Warnings: mentions of homophobia, brief recurring onscreen misogyny

The Suicide Squad I put this on the list because Harley is a main character, but anyone who didn’t see Birds of Prey wouldn’t know she was canonically bi in the DCEU. I’ve seen people say that there was a second queer character, but I think the line they’re pointing to to confirm that is way too ambiguous to consider it canon.  Warnings: gore, onscreen animal abuse, drug abuse, a lot of people of color getting killed onscreen

#movies #mod k

[eliomoons]

I just watched The Mitchells VS. The Machines on Netflix, and hooooolyyyyy heck.

There is so much to unpack in this movie. I won't spoil it because it's too good not to watch it and find out for yourself, but I will talk about the premise and some of my favorite parts to get you interested! :D

First of all, the premise is so quirky but still incredibly captivating. Katie Mitchell comes from a family of 'weirdos': She's a film geek, her brother's a dinosaur need, her dad's really into the outdoors and her mom is overly passionate about having a perfect family. They have a pug named Monchi and are quite dysfunctional in the beginning.

The plot begins when Katie is accepted into film school, the place of her dreams. She's so excited to leave home to be with 'her people' because her dad never appreciated her love for art and film. In an attempt to patch up their relationship, Richard Mitchell cancels Katie's flight to California and organised a road trip instead. Katie is furious, but doesn't really have a choice.

Meanwhile in Silicon Valley, a line of robot products are released by a company known as Pal, which is basically Apple in this universe. The robots obviously turn evil — what else are they gonna do — and attempt to eradicate the human race. It’s up to the Mitchells and their painfully dysfunctional family to stop them, and they might just be successful.

Now for the ✨gay✨

If that wasn’t enough to get you interested in the story, let’s get into the representation in the movie.

It may only be mentioned for a few seconds in the entire two-hour long film, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Throughout the movie, Katie wears a red hoodie with a rainbow pride pin on it and large lightning earrings.

Here she is, pins and short nails in all her glory!

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, there’s canon evidence of her in a wlw relationship.

Read this quote from whattowatch.com:

Fortunately, all of the signs pay off toward the end of The Mitchells vs. the Machines after the Mitchells have successfully saved the world from being overtaken by robot overlords and is happily enjoying her first semester of film school. Her mom (Maya Rudolph) blurts out, “Are you and Jade official?" "And will you bring her home for Thanksgiving?” Boom. Affirming validation of Katie’s queer identity.

The clear LGBTQ+ representation in the movie is just a great addition to its overall style and feel. It’s full of quirky, comedic scenes while also touching on important topics like family relationships and the dangers of technology as well as its benefits. Everything about this is great, and I highly suggest you check it out!!

TL;DR: The Mitchells VS. The Machines is a wonderful animated movie about family relationships and with queer representation and a good sense of humour. You can watch it on Netflix and it deserves more hype than it has now. Go support it!!

#the mitchells vs the machines #netflix #movie recommendation #I wanna cosplay Katie Mitchell so bad #she's so cool #don't even get me started on Eric and Deborahbot #this sparks joy #gay #queer #lgbt rights #lgbtq representation #I just realised cosplaying Katie could be an excuse to buy a pride pin #I'm gonna go feral on my dad to buy one now

[sevensided]

Hello, I was wondering how likely you feel it is that Mike and Will will eventually be revealed to have mutual romantic feelings for each other? You seem very down to earth, I have read many analysis pointing out 'parallels' and deep rooted subtext but in the grand scheme of things do think it's a realistic expectation?

Thank you so much for asking this question! Also, I’m really flattered you say I’m down to earth. I think I am too, so I appreciate you mentioning that. 

So. Let’s real talk.

I think there is a very strong possibility that Will will be revealed as having romantic feelings for Mike. I hold out hope that the same is said for Mike. Let me explain.

As you said, you’ve read the parallels and the subtextual analyses, so I won’t reiterate the points outlined therein. I think the case for Will being canonically gay is very strong. David Harbour has suggested that season one foreshadows a lot of key events in the story, particularly the end of ST. When we rewatch ST S1, we need to be very clear that the relationship presented between Mike and Will is - while platonic because they are children - evidently of a different and more pronounced depth than what exists between the rest of the Party (which is saying something because they are all very close). We are also presented with Mike - who, it’s noted, has never had a girlfriend, is bullied, and is evidently self-conscious of the fact [as noted when Dustin, I believe, calls him out for being overly invested in El because she’s ‘the only girl’ to ever show him attention]) - latching onto El and emulating specific normative rituals and standards (dressing her up in clothes that are girl-coded, describing certain things as ‘normal’) who quite clearly uses El as a way to retrieve his closest friend, Will, and who then becomes angry with her when she doesn’t do exactly what he wants. I’m reiterating these things because I do think they set up a particular queer subtext that subtly codes Mike as gay.

With that in mind, we need to think about the other, more practical elements of making a television show. I know the fandom likes to use the popularity of Mike and Eleven to establish that a romantic relationship between Mike and Will would be impossible. While I think that is a point, I’m not sure it’s entirely valid. For one, while we still live in a very homophobic culture, Netflix has already signed Stranger Things for a multi-season deal, and it is unlikely to be reneged on the back of a romantic subplot, even if it were queer. Second, it does add value to the Stranger Things brand to include queer characters. People have suspected that Maya Hawke’s role as Robin was a ‘testing the waters’, which I disagree with (Maya came up with Robin’s orientation by herself), but it nevertheless played well and added to the Stranger Things brand. Third, Stranger Things, while it plays heavily - and some might even say it uses it as a crutch - on 80s tropes, it is also undeniable that it subverts those tropes. I notice everyone started talking about this again when this gifset did the rounds again, but who cares? It makes an excellent and sustained point. I’ve said before that if ST was made in the 80s, Mike and Eleven would be endgame. While there is still a chance that might happen, I look at the show’s track record to inform my opinion. I know a lot of these parallels like to play Mike and Eleven off against Mike and Will. That’s blatantly feeding the ship war and contrasting two very different relationships against each other. It’s not helpful and it’s not even in the intentions (I believe) of the Duffers to portray these relationships in competition with one another. 

I suspect we will have more of an idea of what the end play is by the time S4 is released... which isn’t a helpful answer now, I know, but it’s an honest one. If Mike isn’t set up as having a sexuality crisis in a similar vein to Will, I will have reservations as to the strength of canon Byler. That doesn’t invalidate fandom as it stands, and it doesn’t make Byler fans to be crazy (together... I mean, what?), it just... is. You can’t change canon. That’s why we have fan fiction.

Do I want Mike to be gay and realise his love for Will? Obviously, and absolutely. Do I think that will happen in canon? I am cautiously optimistic. As I said, S4 is going to be the confirming season, at least for me personally. They need that build-up and they need to establish Mike’s: 1) heteronormativity in the context of the Wheeler family and their normative expectations for their only son; 2) his changing feelings towards El; 3) his feelings towards other men; and 4) his feelings towards Will. These are all very complicated and will be difficult to communicate, particularly to such a varied audience (ST has fans of all ages). I feel that what we have been given, there is chance that S4 will be the most revealing season.

But I must caution everyone not to expect too much. That’s why I’ve said that I hold out hope for Mike being gay. Partly because his character is coded as such, and also because I clearly ship Byler. If they’re not canon I’ll still ship them. But I maintain there is a good amount of evidence for me to seriously think that they will go in a Byler direction. It will be hard to pull off from a writing perspective, especially all they’re committed to exploring this season.

Hard, yes. Impossible? Definitely not.

#byler #stranger things #thank you so so much for this question #i really am cautiously optimistic #but i'm not blind to the realities of writing a meaningful (key word) story #answered #Anonymous

[miminiac]

Korrasami had build up, just maybe not one you identified with and that’s okay...

I am tired of the LGBTQ+ community hating on Legend of Korra (LoK) for not being gay enough. The critique that there wasn’t enough build up is (1) not productive at all and (2) honestly, not true. There was build up. It may not be the build up every LGBTQ+ person will like, and it may not relate to the experience of every person’s coming out, but it was there. Korrasami was something the creators had tossed around as soon as Book 1 (not that they necessarily had permission to do anything about it). Take this quote from Bryan Konietzko’s tumblr post after the finale aired:

As we wrote Book 1, before the audience had ever laid eyes on Korra and Asami, it was an idea I would kick around the writers’ room. At first we didn’t give it much weight, not because we think same-sex relationships are a joke, but because we never assumed it was something we would ever get away with depicting on an animated show for a kids network in this day and age, or at least in 2010. (link)

The post also discusses how Makorra was never meant to be endgame after Book 1. Again, the time LoK was airing was at a point where states were passing laws to actively prevent gay marriage (LoK ended in 2014, legalization of same-sex marriage by supreme court ruling wasn’t until 2015––context is important). Did they actively write a romance in Books 1 and 2, no they did not. However, as many creators and writers, they let the characters lead them and they discovered that Korra and Asami were more than just friends. Again, taken from the same post:

The more Korra and Asami’s relationship progressed, the more the idea of a romance between them organically blossomed for us

So what we have with Korra and Asami is not a planned romantic relationship from the very beginning, however, the characters have been leading them there since the beginning, whether they realized it or not. Now, I am a big fan of Barthes’ “Death of the Author”, so I 100% percent think that viewers/readers have the ability to inject their own narratives and that multiple narratives can coexist. However, the point of this post is to explain why a critique of “wish they did more” is not productive when it comes to discussion of LoK of a piece of LGBTQ+ media representation. Therefore, I turn to the creators to show that there was intent and there was subtext and build up within Book 3 and 4 (as Bryan discusses in his post, please read in full when you have time).

A lot of Korrasami was hidden in subtext, and that happened because of homophobia within the industry, which still exists today. Content creators of LGBTQ+ media continue to have to walk a fine line. Take Noelle Stevenson talking about Catradora:

My big fear was that I would show my hand too early and get told very definitively that I was not allowed to do this

And like with Catradora (though a little easier since Noelle told viewers that every character is a part of the LGBTQ+ community by default unless explicitly stated otherwise), people saw Korrasami from as early as Book 2 (if not Book 1 on a rewatch).

At the time LoK started airing, I still thought I was straight; I still thought I was straight when I was watching the third season and telling my then boyfriend how Korra and Asami were going to be a couple by the end (literally, when they interacted in the first episode of season 3 while Asami taught Korra how to drive, I turned to him and said it; he said they would never do that and it was a pipe dream). I continued to see Korrasami’s friendship build into something romantic (even if the characters themselves were unaware of it).  

Come Season 3 Episode 9, where Asami carries away a helpless Korra, mimicking Katara having carried away a helpless Aang. For those who had watched the original series and were big Korrasami shippers, this scene basically made it canon. It could be argued as the point that maybe the friendship switched to something more romantic. The rest of season 3 and all of season 4 only added moments between these two (side note: I came out as bisexual soon after season 4 started airing, though I had been questioning my sexuality probably since the end of season 3).

Now is the Korrasami relationship perfect, absolutely not. Bryke admits as much, but it was a significant step forward. Again, this happened in 2014, so a lot of narrative within media of states passing laws to discriminate against same-sex couples and deny marriage. The hand-holding scene everyone screams about not being enough. Well, they received plenty of homophobic backlash from that.

The critique that they didn’t do enough is not productive. It is a critique that could be said about most main-stream LGBTQ+ media. I get that we are tired of scraps; I get that we are tired of having to read between the lines because creators are still afraid to come out and say it (pun intended). However, to critique LoK as “not being gay enough” ignores the context in which it was created and what that representation meant to many of the viewers (like myself) who were discovering themselves and their sexuality at the time.

Avatar: the Last Airbender (ATLA) was made for 8-13 year olds (from season 1), and I would argue that LoK was made for that same group of people, who would have then been 14-19 years old when LoK first aired. Thus, LoK was being watched by those entering high school and college––a time of self-discovery.

Additionally, a critique that LoK doesn’t do enough leads to an idea that there is “a right way” to create a LGBTQ+ relationship, which I would argue is harmful to the community at large. If you did not identify with Korra’s coming out, that’s completely valid. If you did not identify with the way the Korrasami relationship progressed, that is also valid. But you cannot invalidate the relationship of Korrasami, as a relationship built off a friendship and mutual respect that blossomed by into something more. The relationship was not sexualized with wistful glances and blatant sexual tension, instead, it was built on a friendship and respect for boundaries.

Again, multiple narratives can be drawn given each viewer has a unique set of experiences. One such reading could show that Asami was more in tune with her feelings for Korra than Korra was about her feelings for Asami. And, instead of flirting non-stop with Korra, Asami respects Korra’s space (though we all saw her check out Korra’s back muscles) and recognizes that Korra has a lot on her plate being the avatar, a relationship is not something on the forefront of her mind. It is only after defeating Kuvira (and the healing/growth from a few episodes prior in "Beyond the Wilds”) that Korra is able to truly understand her feelings to Asami, suggesting they take a trip together––just the two of them.

Now, you may not identify with that type of coming out, but other people do. And to argue that “LoK didn’t make Korrasami explicit enough” undermines the experiences of those in the LGBTQ+ who heavily identified with Korra’s experiences and her coming out.

Holding LGBTQ+ media to this higher standard is inherently toxic. I would like to believe that these creators are coming from a good place with good intentions. There is nothing toxic or abusive in the way Korrasami is portrayed. There is nothing unrealistic about the way their relationship progressed throughout the series. It was not a fan service––it was the natural progression of the characters.

And let’s not forget that Korrasami is not only confirming a relationship between two women, but it is also two women of color. Now, it may not seem like a huge deal within the contexts of the Avatar World, but it is important to remember the context of where this show was airing.

There are things we can critique LoK on. It isn’t perfect. We can discuss the hiring of white voice actors (as a way to hold new media that is being created or will be created accountable, not as a way to just hate on LoK); we can discuss the voices within the writers room and the lack of diversity there. These are critiques that can be made of ATLA and LoK and countless of other media produced. This is a valid critique when used constructively. It is not meant to tear down an entire piece of media and everything that it has done for various communities, but rather to point to a flaw within the way media is being produced and the racist, sexist, and homophobic systems in place that determine what and how media is produced.

If we are to critique, we could look to reimagining how we create and consume media, not tearing down media that has already been produced and stands in a pivotal spot of the community. As Audre Lorde says:

For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.

If we are continually operating within the systems of oppression, we will never truly be able to dismantle them. Thus, to operate within the institutions of Nickelodeon, Netflix, Disney, etc. is to be beholden to the rules and constraints of a moderate, heteronormative, sexist, racist society. If creators stray too far from that line too quickly, there will be backlash. The perfect LGBTQ+ representation cannot exist while made within these institutions.

I would like to mention this statement is not to say that we cannot critique or boycott movies or shows that are performative in their diversity. There is no excuse for Hollywood after the successes of Black Panther (2018) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018) (and others) to not fill the crew and writers with the same representation being shown on the screen. We can, and should, hold production companies accountable––and given the internet, it is something we can do even early on in the production process.

I have gotten a little off track, but my point is, think about your critiques. Really ask yourself if it is a productive critique, or if it is critique that actually harms or is toxic to the community. Critiques are hard, I understand that. When we first start to think critically, it is easy to just jump on these “low hanging fruit” type critiques. It takes practice and comfortability learning and expanding your world view to construct a critique that looks at context from various point of views and experiences.

#korrasami #in this essay i will #let's talk about critiques #korra #asami sato #asami #legend of korra #tlok #lok #avatar #atla #avatar the last airbender #bisexual #lgbtq community #lgbtq representation #lgbtq #lgbtq+ #bisexuality #women loving women #sorry for the wall of text #i had to remove links because tumblr marked them as spam but you can message me if you want links

[maggiecheungs]

2020 ~everything~ wrap

i finally have time to do all of the tag games that people have tagged me in over the past month or so! i cannot for the life of me remember who tagged me in which one, so i’m just putting ~everything~ in one huge post. if i tag you anywhere then consider it a standing invitation to do whichever of these you haven’t done :) in fact, this is me issuing a standing invite to any of my followers who wants to do it :) also, thank you all!

Creator Wrap: Favourite Works

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

this collection of philosophy quotes paired with thai bl series, (and its sequel) which is possibly my favourite thing i’ve ever made. for, uh, nerd reasons.

these gifted text post memes i made still make me laugh sometimes

this fic about green from 2gether, which i wrote in the notes app on my phone and published the same day. not my absolute best writing but i am very fond of it <3

i have a bunch fof friend zone dangerous area edits/shitposts which i like, but i’m particularly fond of my fzda as satire headlines (which now has a sequel!)

i also love my crisgood-walmart-lesbian post. i might send it in to gmmtv to try and convince them to do a crisgood-bffs spin-off

+ bonus: since i wrote this list i made this gifset (my first ever!) of jennie panhan in the shipper and i love her too much not to include her on here

+ extra nerdy bonus: this niche meme about Chinese philosophy, which still makes me crack up whenever I think about it

Favourite Creators/Follow Forever

i’ve completely lost track of who’s following who from which blog, so this is just going to be a haphazard, non-exhaustive list of people who i adore/admire/am vaguely intimidated by, mutuality be damned. maybe we talk all the time! maybe we’ve never interacted! maybe i am constantly there in ur tags... lurking... 👀... but if you’re on this list you have made me smile at least once this year and i love you for that alone <3

@wjmild kylie!! you make gifs of arm & tay & lee (separately or in various combinations) & the shipper & and kapook & random fluke pusit cameos & school rangers so i don’t have to <3 ilysm

@janeramida vianey, you have such impeccable taste in general, but your sizzy gifset in particular is so gorgeous it lives in my mind rent free

@applelapis bri, this post was a callout and i want you to know that it haunts me at night as i lie awake staring at the ceiling :((((( i hope you are happy

@gigiesarocha cata, i love it when you show up on my dash bc you have!! such taste!! also, every time you gif gigie i gain five years of life <3 pls continue doing the Good Work

@pvrrish​ eleni, i remeber legit thinking that this was an official poster when i first saw it, it’s so beautiful

@ahysopae​ juliette your khaithird fic is so good and it literally changed the way i think about khai (not an easy feat)

@kurosawadachi angel, whenever i think about grace’s speech i remember your gifset and get literal chills

@doctorbahnjit alexa, you have no right to be as funny as you are. your friend zone edits give me life

@khaotungthanawat sam, you’re probably sick of getting tagged in these lists by random strangers, but i just had to bc your gifsets are Pure Art

@tanwirapong roa, all your gifsets are so ✨iconic✨

faiza @asianmelodrama and rahul @petekaos! yours were the first two thai drama blogs i followed and for ages i lowkey thought of you as my fandom parents.

and some more blogs that make me happy: @curlykytta / @lee-thanat  / @fck-inspector-m / @pangwave / @tichawongtipkanon / @tawanv @kimmonv (violet istg i have spent more time this year trying to figure out how many blogs you have than i have spent admiring your gifsets. & i spend a lot of time admiring your gifsets) / @taytawan / @1akorn and @yihwas (and your radiant lovechild @lakornladies ofc) / @teh-ohaew / @vihokratanas (mel your gifsets are just so gorgeous) / @tootiredtoosadtooangry / @headcompletelyempty / @demiromanticmickey​ / and there are definitely more but my brain is a sieve so apologies if i’ve forgotten anyone!! i love you all!! 

2020 HIGHLIGHTS ✨

rules: list your top 10 shows (bl or not) you watched in 2020 (doesn’t necessarily have to be shows that came out in 2020 though!)

1. 2GETHER & STILL2GETHER

my first thai drama, and even after all the amazing shows i’ve watched this year, it still has a special place in my heart. watching 2gether was the first time i’d ever seen a queer romcom that just... was. for me, by the simple fact of its being, 2gether was revolutionary. and then still2gether came along and took all the best things about the first season and gave us something beautiful and quiet and lovely and just proved to me, once and for all, that queer happiness doesn’t need to justify its own existence. there can be gay cuddles on the beach for no other reason than that we want them. 

2. UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

i don’t really have the words for this one but. it makes my heart so very soft.

3. FRIEND ZONE 2: DANGEROUS AREA

season one was mindless fun because everyone was an absolute trashfire and it was hella cathartic to watch, but season 2... wow. i love it for so many reasons: it has messy and authentic queer rep; the characterisation is excellent and i somehow care about all of the characters; amazing women taking centre stage(!); a wlw relationship with lesbian, ace and bipolar rep; multiple interesting plotlines; actual character development; arm weerayut as a chaos gremlin... absolutely one of my favourites of 2020.

4. CHERRY MAGIC

i don’t think i need to explain this one, which is fortunate, because i have no idea how exactly i’d describe the happy-warm-fuzzy-queer-seen-loving-affirmed-profound feeling that rises in my chest whenever i think about it. 

5. THE GIFTED: GRADUATION

confession: i liked season 2 more than season 1 (with the exception of the ending, which we don’t talk about). season 1 was enjoyable and interesting, but for me it was season 2 which made me love this series. it did some incredibly interesting and complicated things (even if it didn’t quite nail the landing): it pushed characters to the breaking point and wove so many layers into the story and questioned its own underlying themes. plus, watching it alongside everyone in the fandom made it 200% better. i love all of you and i love this show. egg girl 5eva.

6. THE SHIPPER

i 100% understand why so many people didn’t like this show, or found it problematic, but through some fluke it absolutely worked for me (even the ending). one day i will write an essay explaining my rationale, but for now i’ll just say that it’s one of my favourite shows about adolescence and queerness and identity and compassion and friendship and love that i’ve ever watched. 

7. YYY

this series is absolutely off its rocker, and it somehow managed to be one of the most affirming shows i’ve watched. it shouldn’t have worked by it did, and i love it so much.

8. 3 WILL BE FREE

absolutely iconic. amazing plot, stunning visuals, great characters, canon polyamory, jennie being incredible... what a series.

9. MANNER OF DEATH

i love the fact that this show exists; i love the mix of crime and romance; i love maxtul’s acting; i love the central relationship; i love bun. i know we’re not even halfway through yet, but this show is doing something special and i’m so grateful that i get to watch it unfold in real time. 

10. CHIHAYAFURU (SEASON 3)

odd one out on my list, but I had to include it. chihayafuru is my all-time favourite anime and it finally got a third season, which is somehow even better than the first two. mashima taichi is one of my favourite characters of all time and his storyline hits me on such a profound level. plus, in the years since i first say this show i’ve fallen in love with classical japanese literature (particularly heian poetry) so i had newfound appreciation for the karuta matches (aka i cried every time someone recited one of my favourite poems)

other favourites: together with me, he’s coming to me, sotus and sotus s, my dear loser: edge of 17, why r u, theory of love, wake up chanee!, gameboys, pearl next door, uta koi (anime), three kingdoms (2010), blood and water (netflix). (itsay would almost certainly be on my list if i’d had time to watch it. same with dark blue kiss, which i had to pause so i could do my assignments)

Final Thoughts

well, it’s been... a year (i don’t think anyone needs a reminder of the details) but writing this post has reminded me of all the amazing shows and people I discovered over the course of it.

thank you to everyone for being so lovely and creative and funny and quirky and kind and passionate. you’re all incredibly awesome people and i wish all of you the very best xx

#tag game #I think I was first tagged in one of these like three weeks ago? but I’ve been super busy #happy new year everyone #ellis talks #also I tried to keep this as short as possible bc otherwise I could have gushed for hours about you all #and this post is long enough already #but if any of you are in a low mood or want the unabridged version of my praise then message me & I’ll compliment you profusely to your face #:)