#but seeing a canon lesbian couple in a show that was SO important to me growing up even if they're still sorting their shirt out

[cryinhell]

so no one asked for this, but here's a post about my favorite Hazbin Hotel ships ( romantic and platonic) and what I hope they explore with them in the show.

1) Huskerdust/Angelhusk/Casino Hearts (Romantic)

Obviously, I got to start with my favorite romantic pairing in the fandom. Angel and Husk are my favorite characters in the HelluvaVerse, and both mean a lot to me. They are both old men born around the same time with a lot in common, and I know they would be close buds. From everything we have gotten in canon( fake instagrams which are not canon but in character, the fun hunicast streams, viv admitting to shipping them and allowing huskerdust into the merch, the fact that Husk was made to be Angel's bestie, and a lot of unnecessary information I know lmao, I do not doubt these two will be canon. I can't wait to see their friendship grow and all the trials and tribulations they will go through to become better for themselves and each other. And hopefully, the fun shenanigans that they do because I love me some shenanigans.

2) RadioHusk (Platonic)

Okay, so Husk's relationships with everyone interests me, but this one is probably the most after AngelHusk. It's clear these two have a past and that Alastor is comfortable enough with Husk to be incredibly annoying around him. Alastor is Husk's boss and most likely owns his soul, but there's also a strange bond between them I really want explored. I think Al loves Husk in a platonic and weird way because he's most likely his best friend, but Alastor may not be able to always express this normally. Husk is a good guy and a bit complacent, so he just deals with this shitheads nonsense and doesn't seem to fear him. Maybe there's some fucked up things between them and maybe their friendships has cons and pros. I'm not entirely sure, but I can't wait to find out

3) Angel and Vaggie (Platonic)

Okay, most of these are platonic ships, but whatever friendships are important. I love these two judgemental assholes and the way they judge people together. It truly is gay and lesbian solidarity, heh. They are gonna be the best of frienemies, and I can't wait for their relationship to be explored.

4) Voxval (Romantic)

Okay, I hate these bastards with a burning passion, but that doesn't mean their relationship does not interest me. Vox, Val, and Velvette are going to be the main villains of Hazbin Hotel, and without knowing too much about them, I'm excited. I want to know how Val and Vox are going to be as a couple. Since the instagram accounts are not canon, it is hard to tell if Val will be abusive or not. This is a possibility since the accounts seemed to be in character, but I want a different approach. I think it would be interesting for these two to genuinely love and respect each other and no one else. To see themselves as the true rightful kings of Hell and work together to destroy and belittle whoever they deem below them. It's an interesting dynamic that I prefer more than just "Val is abusive to poor baby Vox" cause Vox is also evil, and I want him to do evil shit.

5) Chaggie (Romantic)

There's not much to say about these two. I just think they are cute, and I want to see more of them.

6) The Hazbin Gang (Platonic)

And lastly, I can't wait to see how all of these fuckers get along and interact. As a group, I'm sure they will be very entertaining and I will enjoy every minute of it. Also, I am including Pentious because I know he's part of the main cast now, and I love that. Can't wait for these idiots to try and make this hotel work and hopefully grow together in the process.

#hazbin hotel #huskerdust #angel dust #angelhusk #casinohearts #radiohusk #husk #alastor #voxval #chaggie #hazbin hotel husk #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel vaggie #charlie morningstar #valentino #vox #vivziepop #hazbin hotel niffty #sir pentious #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel valentino #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin ships

[thunderstomm]

I was originally not going to make a post about this, but after seeing a few other posts about it, I wanted to make my own. I have a LOT to talk about.

TW: Transphobia, Homophobia, Ableism

If you don’t know what I’m taking about- there was a post made by a user, who’s name I will not disclose or share, who discussed how they would rewrite the new Monster High G3 Cartoon. While some of the points were mundane, or points of preference, others made me very uncomfortable, as they got rid of much of the diversity that G3 has brought into the Monster High Universe. I want to quickly go through three of the points that I felt were erasing these steps in diversity, and my thoughts on each one, and why I think that it’s iffy, to say the least.

First is the statement “all of the couples from G1 will stay together”. While this may read to some as a preference for the old couples, in the context of rewriting G3- it comes across as the erasure of both couples involving a neurodivergent character being the subject of a crush, and being seen as desirable and loved (Manny x Twyla), and what probably was the intended couples they wanted to seperate, the canonically queer ships. In particular, this is most likely against Clankie (and POSSIBLY an s2 ship which I won’t say by name because some people want to go in blind. Instead I will refer to it as 🧡💚.). In this rewrite context, wanting to take away queer relationships which many writers and designers for Monster High have fought for in many shapes and forms. G1 never had explicit queer characters, the closest things being a scrapped SDCC diary entry (Valentine x Spelldon), Post-Ending 3rd party statements (Clawdeen is a Lesbian, Rebecca x Venus, etc.) and implied characters (Kiyomi). While these are okay, they are NOT the same as explicit queer couples, which are arguably more important to push forward in the talk and scope of present and future representation.

While it is okay to prefer the G1 ships, in the context of bringing them back for G3, it erases these queer couples, and ignores the lore and universe of G3. In G3, Cleo and Deuce are exes. And if you don’t like that, you can still watch G1!! It’s not magically disappeared, the movies and shows and music is all still out there, and most of it is free! But, erasing Clankie, 🧡💚, and other potential queer ships in G3, for the preservation of a m/f ship isn’t okay.

On the subject of erasure, there is the statement “Frankie is still non-binary, but now uses she/they pronouns”. A character canonically using they/them in cartoons, especially ones made for kids, are uncommon. Honestly, I don’t even know if I could name 10, and that says more about the state of non-binary representation than it does about me. While changing the pronouns of a cisgender character to gender neutral ones is often done in fandom, and often not a point of issue, taking a character who is canonically non-binary and solely uses they/them and giving them typically gendered pronouns erases that under represented group, and allows for transphobes to ignore the “they” in “she/they”, and only use “she” for the character. This is an issue in real life too, for many who use multiple sets of pronouns, including myself (they (preferred) / he) ! We deserve both of their sets of pronouns to be used, and people who only use they/them deserve to be referred to by and as they/them. These changes hurt everyone.

Then, we come to the one I see the most talk about, and the one that made me audibly yell “what the f-?!”- taking away Twyla’s canon autism diagnosis, and symptoms & traits, and replacing it with autism coding, so that she is easier to identify with. First of all- easier for who??? Neurotypicals ?? It is incredibly rare to see a character on kids TV outright say “I am autistic”, and Twyla is wonderful as representation. Twyla will not resonate or be relatable to every person- but that is true for all characters, not just autistic ones. Autistic people are not a monolith, it is a spectrum, with many different ways to present itself. Also… taking away all of her traits and symptoms to make her more relatable? These traits and symptoms are what would have made her “autistic coded”, and without them, you have a character who is NT.

Autism isn’t a quirky word you can use to describe anyone, it is a disability, that myself and many others have, and see misrepresented time and time again. And to say that a good example of it is not good, and would be better off to be erased and replaced with coding is insane. Coding is okay, but that’s all it is. Real spoken representation matters so much to me, and so many other people, even if the characters we see are not identical to us in those symptoms and traits they exhibit. These characters should not be changed, but rather, more autistic characters, with different presenting symptoms and traits, should be introduced !

You can like G1, you can prefer G1, but that does not mean that you have to make a sanitised version of G3, that makes it identical to G1. In terms of representation, there is no arguing that G3 has G1 beat. The poster said on their post that “any new characters would be made more relatable”, but… to who? Because I relate to a lot of the G3 characters more than the G1 ones, and I grew up loving G1! It’s not been wiped, all of the media still exists for you to watch, and make headcanons for ! If you like G1- good for you! But please, stop trying to make G3 exactly like it. Because change is inevitable in these kinds of reboots, and it allows for the representation some want to take away.

Thank-You for those who read all the way!

#thunderstomm #monster high #monster high g3 #monster high g1 #okay to reblog #please reblog ! #Tomm talks #is this controversial?? I don’t think so but. maybe.? #Frankie stein #Twyla boogeyman #draculaura #clawdeen wolf #lagoona blue #Cleo de Nile #manny fair #kiyomi haunterly #Kieran valentine #spelldon cauldronello #deuce gorgon #(:

[izartn]

So, about how I see Link Click's Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi relationship:

As it stands in canon? Queerplatonic partners. And it's convenient for the plot that they're like this.

Because of Chinese censorship it can't be explicitly romantic, yes I know it. Let me tell why it's queerplatonic for me. The way these two have intertwined their lives and futures together?!

Owning a business and living together, that hint in ep2 (comparing them to the subtextually older lesbian couple who also came across as queerplatonic bc censure) where Xiaoshi wonders/fears if years down the line he and Lu Guang will separate/break up implying their partnership is for life as far as he's concerned (the parallel can be taken as a subtext romance too but follow me we're talking text), the way they were already going also on vacancies together three years prev in canon, etc...

Without entering on their complimentary powers and the way the dives need both of them if they want security in not screwing the past, and the inmense trust and vulnerability the dives themselves require?

They're not simply best friends either.

Those aren't the actions of normal, totally not queer friends. Cheng Xiaoshi checks out women on the dives, sure, (and men too when the host is feeling it which I love bc they can't address it directly bc censorship and then it comes across as Xiaoshi being super confident in his own relationship to sexuality/gender) but I don't think he would ever date bc Lu Guang is already there, filling that place in his life minus sex and romance but all that same companionship and intensity of feeling.

These two meet in what, the last year/s of High School and then proceeded to latch onto each other with a commitment reserved for romantic partners.

And I know you want to say, "it's the censorship! they'd be romantic and canon if not for the censorship!"

Are you sure? Are you sure the story would work if there were explicit romance in it? (I mean, if they could I'm pretty sure they would have nailed it anyways but allow me my a-spec delusions) Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang feel so much like an already established pair, they work like one, and Link Click is not about them coming together like many other stories. Are you sure this would work as BL?

There's a distinct difference on the way they start the show already like six years at least since they're best friends and three or two since they live together. That's not usually how it goes. I'm talking not just romances but every buddy or nakama anime/show, where the protag has to learn to work with who will be his best friend or rival. These stories usually have the same kind of plot progression as a romance which is why they work so well when you make the subtext text.

But a story where the main romance is already established and we're following a plot that has nothing to do with it? Much more rare, even stranger to find them well done although there are some very good ones and with the friendships instead of romo they're more common. For example, Soul Eater, which is all about the trials of it and how they hace to truly come to understand each other. That's Link Click a bit, but not even then.

Link Click juggling a budding romance between Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi with all the other stuff is going on?? Messier for sure. I don't know if people would have liked it as much or if the donghua would have been as well done.

As it is, Link Click has the exact level of emotional connection between our protags it needs to have incredibly high stakes emotionally and at the same time not need a detour by romantic scenes/fanservice that would derail the plot or the other charas importance. That it happens to be pretty queer anyways in a platonic way?

Nice for the aroace-spec folks watching the show xD

Btw, I'm pretty sure in season 3 we're going to get more of Lu Guang's PoV, the origins of their powers and the past between him and Xiaoshi. It'll probably dig more into the aspect of "testing their bond and coming stronger bc of it" which is were the romantic subtext usually comes through...

—unless you're very very good at writing like Arakawa in FMA, who nailed the brotherly relationship without tipping into incest subtext which I've seen more than a few writers fumble. or the latest D&D film for the platonic childrearing and partnership for a no familial example between a man and a woman also very very difficult to get right for writers dunno why—

... but until then, for now I'm incredibly satisfied by the canon.

The other read of course it that they're already a couple since well before the start of season 1, and to mentally edit what we saw in canon with that lens (it wouldn't be very difficult honestly) but reading only the text? Queerplatonic partners!

There also how Xiaoshi and Lu Guang don't have that anxiety/insecurity of their bond that makes it so easy to read the want for something, like a romance for shipping purposes. Despite the disagreements on the Dives or the trials of season 2 or Lu Guang keeping secret Cheng Xiaoshi future/past death they read very steady which is fun. I love some good established relationship, you can go to deeper places when the base is already secure and the risk is higher for the characters. Plus I love domesticity! Yes, I do my angsty/Gothic leanings notwithstanding. Don't you know you need a home for the Gothic to be effective?

#link click #meta #link click meta #lu guang #cheng xiaoshi #shiguang #my thoughts #all of this to say that I don't exactly ship them #Although I've been tagging fanart and meta with their shipname #bc I dont not ship them #honestly? #it's because despite it all I'm very much a canon girl so I can't help but see shiguang on that same romo-not romo limbo #canon present us with #loving the fics though #and Lu Guang is so tragic timetraveler for love coded is not funny #which is the reason I'm sure season 3 will give me that shift towards a more romantic lense to their relationship #also the way they made sure to sibling-fy qiao ling and cheng xiaoshi was fun XD #in conclusion: I think Link Click being a danmei wouldn't have worked #precisely bc it wasnt created as danmei the story as it is works almost perfectly #and right now Im not sure if I would want the romance at the expense of everything else the plot is doing #....qiang jin jiu did it well on the second half though #but it had the first part to go from a enemies-to-lovers and establishing the romance #I don't think I've seen a danmei start with a established romantic relationship bc the genre being a romance tells you that's #what's going to be centered #link click would had to be a just a time travel thriller with queer elements (which it is) #and I don't know #I'd love it but I bet we'll have lots of people annoyed/annoying bc they're here for the romance #Instead of taking the story for what it is #but then romance (queer romance) doesn't devalue the storytelling #ah the conflict of wanting a-spec queer stories VS censorship

[aida-sparks]

Buddie fans are relentless (and it's a good thing)

Geez, I was not prepared for the rollercoaster of woe that comes from shipping a pair that is not canon (yet!).

I am not a new fan to the show, 9-1-1. I've loyally watched every week for years, cherished the members of the 118, cherished Buck and Eddie's special relationship. I just hadn't been involved in the fandom of it all up until recently. I was just a tv viewer. But being newer to interacting with the fandom, I admit that consuming social media about 911 and Buddie has thrown me for a bit of a loop. I keep seeing the same recycled tactics to argue why people who ship buddie are delusional and why buddie will "never happen". These arguments are off-putting and frankly quite poor. (I don't like to focus on the negative so this will be my only post dedicated to this.)

Argument One: "There's already a gay couple on the show." No kidding. The statement is problematic in and of itself; people don't go around limiting the number of straight couples on a show, do they? It's fantastic that we have a strong, integral gay couple in Hen and Karen, two beautiful and fabulous lesbians, that are vital to this show, but why can't there be more? One representation alone doesn't cover the spectrum of LGBTQ+ portrayals of different romantic dynamics.

Argument Two: "Why can't we have two guys be close without putting a romantic label on it? It's refreshing to see male friendship." Bro... Platonic male friendship is important (all friendship is). It's not all that uncommon, though. Male friendship is focused on a lot already in many shows. But two adult male friends discovering new aspects of their identify that shift their relationship with each other toward something romantic? That's the more refreshing take here; it's one that we don't get to see in media right now but should. Flip the script, 9-1-1.

Argument Three: "They weren't introduced as gay or bi-sexual. It would be too out of left field to go there now." Not true. The show has the creative freedom to explore this narrative and can do it plausibly. There is obviously a very large part of the 9-1-1 fandom that has already interpreted Buck and Eddie's story as having the potential to become romantic. The pair has many parallels to the other canon couples on the show. There are plenty of moments and scenes from prior seasons (post-tsunami with Christopher, the shooting, the Will, all of Eddie Diaz's fond gazes aimed at Buck, etc.) that can be referenced in future episodes via well-crafted montage/edit that will help shed light on any developing feelings from either or both Buck and Eddie. Besides, not allowing a relationship to evolve into something different just because it didn't start out that way? What kind of stunted outlook is that? We want a story about how individuals can question and explore their sexuality at any age. Heck, during the graveyard scene near the end of season 6, Buck and Eddie talked about how experiences have changed them. They're clearly still growing and changing as individuals. It is not a stretch for them to discover whatever they've been searching for this whole time is actually found in each other. ---- That's it from me on this. I'm going to try doing a better job of ignoring the negative talk out there. I hope all buddie fans stay positive too, and when they call us relentless, we take that as a good thing. I hope we all recognize and resect the other characters and ships of this wonderful, wonderful show of ours too! Most of all, I hope we respect each other.

#buddie #911 abc #911 buddie #buddie canon #buck x eddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie thoughts #tv: 911 #shipping #fandom culture

[thesebookishdelights]

I can’t stop thinking about the scene where Nick stares at Tara and Darcy kissing

I’ve seen a lot of people talking about this scene of the Heartstopper TV show (that released yesterday on Netflix, so WATCH IT. PLEASE.), but as I haven’t seen anyone rambling about it in a way that makes justice to the way I’m looking at it, I decided to write the damn post myself.

Initially, my reaction was the good, old “Nick Nelson, lesbian protector!”, that made my heart stop burst with joy, as a lesbian. Heck yeah, my perfect golden retriever boy supports my existence! Canonically! Staring at people like me in a “good for them! I’m so proud!” way. That alone not only is enough, but also makes this an important scene. But it’s an important show, in general, so I guess it goes without saying? 

Anyways. The second thing I’ve noticed was the envy/jealousy; in this moment, Nick realises he wants to express his sexuality the same way Tara and Darcy are doing, and admires them for it. He longs for it. It also shows that lesbians and queer men aren’t as far as people make it out to be. We share some experiences, in the way we look at society as queer people, but there’s this idiotic ‘rivalry’ between lesbians and gay men, that plays into the ‘gay best friend’ trope, as if gay men could connect more with straight women than with lesbians, because of their common attraction to men. And this scene, with a boy who likes boys (too), seeing a lesbian couple kissing and recognising his own queerness like a mirror is so important! 

In a more personal note, rather than a general experience, I’ve seen myself in Nick. It felt a bit of a circle, a lesbian feeling seen through a bisexual character who feels seen through two lesbians. I’ve had contact with queerness mainly around the internet, just like many queer kids of the same generation as me, and while I know some queer people (who I can count on my fingers), I’ve never personally seen queer affection in front of me, in real life. I’ve seen it in movies and photographs, I’ve written about it and expressed it myself to several partners I had, but it’s always been virtual, long distance. And watching this scene, I got it. Nick standing there in a party, and while he knew what gay people were, and probably had seen a picture or a video of queer affection, he was now seeing it, in front of him. Those were two people he knew, people from his social circle. 

I don’t know whether I’m making sense here, but I had to ramble about it, because after watching this scene so many times and feeling a thing or two in my stomach each time I played it, it was time to recognise that it needed to be addressed. Well. I’ve had this feeling in my chest, and now I’ve done something with it. Feels refreshing! (And you probably haven’t heard the last of me rambling about Heartstopper!)

#heartstopper #nick nelson #charlie spring #lgbt #queer #queer love #lesbianism #lesbian representation #bisexual #achillean #tara jones #darcy olsson #kit connor #kizzy edgell #alice oseman #osemanverse #heartstopper spoilers

[sendme-2hell]

Ranking the HOTD episodes by how gay they are

10. Episode 3. really very little happened except Rhaenrya and Alicent having their gay little fight in the godswood 5/10

9. Episode 5 this episode isn’t super heavy on Alicent/Rhaenrya other than Alicent having her big green dress moment and angrily calling Rhaenrya “stepdaughter”. But it DOES introduce a very important gay couple: Laenor and Joffrey. If this episode hadn’t violently murdered joffrey in a way that diverged from F&B and made it MORE traumatic for Laenor, making him get married in the same building his love was murdered in, hours afterwards, I would give it more points for having a canon gay couple. I’m not over the change however. I still don’t understand how Criston got away with that .10/10 for joffrey and Laenor before the end of the episode -10/10 after the ending

8. Episode 2. This episode was also homophobic bc Alicent got engaged to Viserys. But it did have a scene of Alicent comforting Rhaenrya in the crypt, which 1) shows Alicent is religious 2) is the beginning of the holding hands motif 3) was sweet 4) also a parallel to them sitting at the table in episode 8 with the candles 5) highlights how they are both two young women who have lost their mothers and neither of them should be anywhere near a certain two targaryen brothers😔 6/10

7. Episode 6. This episode was important because it introduced Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. And the question on everyone’s (my) mind was: now that the younger actors are being replaced, will the homoerotic subtext remain? And the answer is a resounding yes. Episode 6 was an experiment to see how much gay tension you could fit in one small council scene. Alicent was really mean to Rhaenrya in this episode and also accidentally asked for the murder of her baby daddy but I still call it a win 8/10

6. Episode 1. I rememeber having extremely low expectations for HOTD due to GOT disappointment but after watching the first episode there was only one question on my mind: did they add lesbians to game of thrones? Even my extremely straight friend texted me to ask if I thought Alicent and Rhaenrya seemed a little bit in love. 10/10

5. Episode 7. The entire knife scene is one of the best on the show. And really showcased a breaking point in Rhaenrya and Alicent’s relationship. The rituals were intricate I fear. Also Alicent called Rhaenrya’s feet pretty. oops. This is also the episode that Laenor and Quarl avoid death and HBO avoids the #buryyourgays accusation so I’m happy for them 9/10

4. Episode 9. In this episode Otto calls Alicent gay to her face, and Alicent loses her shit at the mention of murdering Rhaenrya. It lays it out for us that Alicent cares a lot about Rhaenrya and it’s messing with Otto’s plans. But also Alicent crowning Aegon is not gonna help her pull Rhaenrya. 9/10

3. Episode 10. In this episode Otto recovers and finds a way to use his daughter’s inconvenient lesbianism to his advantage. Is it gay to keep a ripped out piece of paper your ex-homoerotic bestie-now-enemy gave you decades ago? Is it gay to receive this piece of paper and shed a singular angry tear? The way that Rhaenrya says “Alicent…. asked …..you to …declare ….for Aegon” is the second most heartbreaking line delivery on the show, right after “he is your son, Viserys”. Clearly Rhaenyra cared about Alicent. 10/10

2. Episode 4. First of all this episode contains possibly the gayest scenes in the whole show, when Alicent and Rhaenrya are sitting on the bench. Rhaenyra apologizes to Alicent and says she missed her too and grabs her hand. In interviews, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey said they thought they were gonna kiss and reader, I did too. This scene of almost reconnection is so tender and heartbreaking and it adds to the hand motif these girls got going. But second of all, the way that Alicent reacts to rumors of Rhaenrya fucking daemon. I’m sorry there is no heterosexual explanation for HOW upset she is. None at all. 11/10

1. Episode 8. Rhaenyra and Alicent giving forgiveness toasts. Rhaenrya and Alicent staring at each other while pretending to stare at Viserys. But most of all, Alicent begging Rhaenrya to stay and giving her a death grip and Rhaenrya gently reciprocating as she promises to return, even though I think in some way they both know that if she leaves their tenuous reconciliation will not last. Every time I see a gif of that grip I go feral. All of the shots of their hands touching in episode 1,2,4,7 for it to culminate in this shot of them desperate to find each other again. 100/10

#rhaenicent #Rhaenrya x Alicent #HOTD #did this bc I was thinking about it but then was like well why post to my silly little blog #i love ranking silly little things

[queenofthearchipelago]

The good omens fandom has been disappointing lately, and I don't mean because of Neil. I mean because of the small pocket who lashed out at Neil not long ago.

For those reading my post out of context, let me explain quickly that Neil has always said, very specifically so, that Aziraphale and Crowley are not men, and therefore are not gay. That being gay is a human thing, and angels and demons generally don't even really understand it. (This is not a direct quote from him, but I've read this sentiment from him a few times.) And in response to that, I've seen popular members in this fandom respond in harsh anger because they feel that when Neil says these things, that it comes from a place of internalized homophobia that he's been holding onto like his life depends on it for the last 30 years.

If I may gently offer a different perspective... and please do not come for me, I really genuinely do not want to interact in debate or argument, I simply want to lay out how I see this, and lay it down as a kinder perspective for those it may help.

Neil (and Michael and David) have always used incredibly vague language to determine who and what exactly Aziraphale and Crowley are to each other. The only consistencies are that they are an angel and a demon and they love each other, they're in love with each other.

If it comes to answering any questions more specific than that, like if they're gay, then the answer is that Aziraphale and Crowley are not men, they're supernatural beings.

This is not coming from a place of bias, this is coming from a place of protecting the fandom.

This fandom is such a diverse and beautiful place. I see many people who headcanon them as being gay. I also have met people here who headcanon them as lesbians. As being trans. As being asexual. As gender fluid. As being every different type of orientation and identity possible. The theories and headcanons on who and what Aziraphale and Crowley are, is just as varied as every single person in the fandom.

And that's so important.

For a group of people who know what it feels like to not have representation on screen... for some since the book has come out more than 30 years ago and for some who have only come into this fandom with show 5 ish years ago, you guys know how important representation is.

I can't help but feel that some of this frustration and anger towards Neil for not blatantly saying that it's a gay love story comes from a place of wanting their version of Aziraphale and Crowley to be deemed superior to the others at the cost of erasure of the orientations and identities possible in everyone else's headcanons.

It's a queer love story, whatever that means to you. Before the first season aired, Neil directly said that no one was trying to take your version of Aziraphale and Crowley away from you. And do we not all read the same blog? I see posts from this man celebrating how different members of his readership, young and old, find representation and comfort within this story he AND TERRY PRATCHETT made.

I do wonder if you would treat Terry this way. I sure hope not.

We're never going to get Neil Gaiman saying these characters are gay, because it would crack the very rare and delicate and beautiful thing that's been created here. A couple of characters in a deeply loving relationship where you the audience get to decide what their relationship is? Where you get to decide their gender, because they literally don't have one? A story where the characters could genuinely, canonically, be like you because there's nothing inside the story saying that aren't like you? Where that freedom to interpret is part of the very foundation of the characters?

What other story would you guys be getting that from? Because I don't see any others like that on any bookshelf I've scanned recently.

Neil isn't going to ruin that for you.

And even if he did, he's also directly said that his stories speak for themselves. He isn't Word of God. Neil doesn't pretend that extra information he brings on Tumblr dot com actually adds anything to the story we all watched. That stands on its own, anything extra he may say or not is up to us to decide if we think it's canon or not. Do you, yes you, very specifically YOU... do you care about Word of God? Do you care about Author's Intent?

These are choices you make as a reader, as a viewer of intelligent television.

Aziraphale and Crowley are whatever you want them to be. They're in love. They always have been. And whatever that means to you, is yours and you can have that and share that and no one (not even Neil Gaiman) is ever going to take that precious thing away from you.

So write your fanfics and draw your fanart and participate in roleplays and take your comfort and guard your peace.

It's supposed to be safe here.

#I might delete this later #good omens #thoughtsfromthequeen

[amarionetista]

What is the real problem with ships?

Ships! Okay then, let's have a little venting here.

Ships, everyone has their favorite ships. I know I have mine, Lumity and Lapidot are examples.

However, I've noticed that many, many people are trying to hunt down content creators of ships they don't like just to put that person's nickname on a block list as if they were the exiles of the world.

You know, I was born in 2000, so I grew up watching videos of sapphic ships, and in the comments, someone would appear and say that the ship wasn't canon. What was the response from the couple's fans? "We're not trying to change the canon; we just like this couple, period."

And other responses at that level. It was like "Respect my ships if you want me to respect yours."

Oh, and believe me when I say I've seen nasty people fighting over couples even from the same side I'm on, okay? I've seen a thirty-year-old woman on the internet proudly admit she hunted down fanfics of a heterosexual ship just to insult it in the comments. And she unfairly compared a fanfic of her ship with another heterosexual ship, not picking fanfics at the same level of writing to do so. It was like comparing a top-notch brand chocolate to the cheapest one on the market. It won't be a fair comparison, understand?

And now we've reached the point I wanted. If in the past, we wanted people to respect our ships, if before we fought to defend the right for people to enjoy what they wanted, why are we so closed-minded today to let people enjoy Hunter x Amity or Luz x Hunter, for example?

Will a Lunter fanfic change the main couple of the series? No, it won't.

Ships won't ruin anything in the work, man. I miss those people who defended that you could like any couple you wanted in a work, and the rest could go to hell.

But it seems that now there are only people who can't accept a comma outside their imaginary line.

And I understand why Lumity is so important. It's a milestone that a lesbian couple has been formed with a protagonist character, as we are so used to seeing this only in secondary or tertiary characters, and it's still in doubt, never confirmed.

But we can't also censor the couples we don't like. Just like we didn't want them to do to us back then, we shouldn't do the same to these people now.

This will only make people give up creating content about the couple you like. Because they'll be afraid of how the work will be received.

I myself have given up writing fanfics for Paranormal Order, partly because of Cellbit, but even more so because the fandom is simply insane and made a guy leave the RPG because of the hate he was getting because of a NON-EXISTENT CHARACTER, PLAYING HIS VILLAIN ROLE AGAINST CHARACTERS THAT ALSO DON'T EXIST.

Please stop fighting over this. Meanwhile, the creators of these shows are there, not caring about these fanfics you want to hate with all your might.

I just ask that you respect others as you want to be respected. Please, let's do our part and let's be kinder to others.

#lumity #I like Lumity but the ship isn't all that #no hate #steven universe #lapidot #ships #toh #hunter

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

The Huntlow Question

With the following post, I want to have a nuanced discussion about the possibility of Huntlow as a canon couple in The Owl House and what that could mean for the show. There’s been a lot of toxicity surrounding this ship as of late, but I want to analyze it from a neutral perspective outside of “are they cute or not,” and I really hope some of y’all do too. This is not an “anti” post, nor is it a shipping post. It’s just my thoughts.

So, let’s do this!

With the past couple of episodes, I feel like a lot of us are picking up on the possibility of Hunter and Willow becoming a couple in the show. They’ve gotten very close recently, have shared a few shy glances and blushes, and they have been very consistently rescuing each other in the battle sequences. Given how all of those tactics were used by the show to establish Lumity as a canon ship, it comes as no surprise that many of us are wondering if Huntlow is next.

And, if you’re like me, you were probably very confused about this.

Like, where did this come from? I thought they were just friends! I headcannoned both as queer in a mutually exclusive way! How did this happen????? 

Well, let me try to explain.

First, let’s address those first impulses. I, personally, have been a part of many fandoms for shows that are very similar to TOH, specifically Steven Universe, She-Ra, and Star vs the Forces of Evil, and I think a lot of you have too. Those shows have very complicated histories where shipping is concerned, and they have all been accused of canonizing ships for the purpose of fanservice (or just because a few writers liked the ships), even though they weren’t planned from the start. This created extremely toxic environments surrounding shipping in the fandoms. I won’t go into the credibility of those accusations, but that is VERY important context for the situation with TOH.

Because a lot of us came from those fandoms, and that likely includes both the shippers and people accusing the shows of fanservice. I think we’re all scenting blood in the water with the whole Huntlow situation, and I personally would really like to avoid devolving into toxic cesspools by way of the old fandoms. However, in order to nip this whole thing in the bud, we need to ask ourselves: Is Huntlow fanservice?

And my answer is: I really don’t think so.

Supposing it is meant to be canon, I’d like to give the crew the benefit of the doubt and say that they actually have been planning this for some time. Then, the question becomes, why does it seem so rushed?

Well, why is anything in TOH rushed?

Yup.

It all comes back to the cancellation.

You see, if I had to guess, I’d say the crew had been considering setting up Hunter and Willow for some time, perhaps since the beginning, but they were planning on giving them more focus in season 3. And that would make sense! Seeing as Willow has gained a newfound confidence and Hunter is finally coming into his own, it stands to reason that they’d get more focus next season, and now that we know that they’re trapped in the Human Realm, they’re going to be getting an awful lot more screen time together. This would be the perfect time to set up a romantic relationship if one had been planned.

Unfortunately, they’re not going to get a full season 3. We probably won’t be getting much in the way of one-on-one interactions between Hunter and Willow, which it probably why the crew has included more references to them being a potential couple recently. By the time these episodes were in development, they knew they weren’t getting a full season 3, so they had to do the work to stick the hints in sooner, which has led to the rushed feeling. 

However, this raises the question of why exactly they would have kept Huntlow at all. Given the mixed reaction, it doesn’t seem like a lot of people were really expecting Huntlow to be canon, and I know for a fact that several popular headcanons placed both of them as queer (gay for Hunter, and lesbian or aroace for Willow were both common). So if they couldn’t do it properly, and it wasn’t particularly popular, why do it at all?

I puzzled over this for a while. I will admit that I was kind of disappointed at first to see such an abundantly queer show that prized itself on its friendships and found families go down the path of what I perceived as a pretty generic hetero couple, especially since I was so glad to see them as a healthy example of a platonic relationship between a male and female character. Obviously, they can still be bi/pan/etc. but we haven’t actually seen any in-canon evidence to put them as anything other than straight, assuming their feelings for each other are romantic. And, granted, even I can admit that my personal headcanons don’t have to be true, but that still doesn’t explain why they would forego an adorable friendship for a romance.

And then it hit me:

Thematic Relevance.

What is Hunter’s story arc about? 

Well, at its core, it’s about him breaking a cycle of abuse and coming into his own outside of his toxic upbringing. And that whole storyline is intricately woven with the backstory of the Wittebane brothers. Philip and Caleb were as close as siblings could be, but Caleb stepped outside of his brother’s little bubble of morality and fell in love with a witch, and so Philip killed him. He then harvested his bones and made dozens of copies of Caleb for hundreds of years, desperately hoping that the next one would be the brother he wanted, then relishing in killing them each time they “betrayed” him. 

Hunter is the first grimwalker to break out of that cycle, and how he has done that is by forming the relationships that his predecessors were never able to successfully develop before Philip got to them. The first and most obvious of these relationships is with Luz, who is filling the role of a younger sibling that Philip would have been for Caleb, though in a more healthy and supportive way than before. He is then also able to find a parental figure in Darius in order to replace Belos, something the other Golden Guards were likely unable to do. The only remaining unfulfilled relationship, thematically speaking, would be that of the witch Caleb fell for.

Enter, Willow.

Hunter is broken and distressed; he has been exposed to the world of “wild magic,” one he has been told is wicked all his life, and he’s finding that he enjoys it. I imagine he’s in a very similar position to Caleb and the other grimwalkers were when they had their own doubts. Then, here comes this bright, confident, powerful, and kind young witch, who is revolutionizing her field. She’s everything a “wild witch” isn’t supposed to be, and above it all, she believes in Hunter. Of course he’s going to fall for her; it’s kind of a pattern!

Now, this analysis is a bit Hunter-centric, but I think that has more to do with the fact that we don’t know anything about Caleb’s witch girlfriend yet. It is possible that she will be very similar personality-wise to Willow. There’s a reason Eda respects her! And even beyond that, it’s very clear that she relates to Hunter an awful lot, and she truly cares about him. Whether we’ll see that blossom into romance remains to be seen, but it does seem like they are intentionally building many of the main characters of the show into parallels to characters in the show’s history, so including a romance of this sort would make sense. And if this is the case, that would explain why it couldn’t be cut for time from season 3.

I don’t know if Huntlow is going to be canon. I don’t know what it would look like if it was. I don’t know the specifics of the Wittebanes’ backstory. But I do love this show, and I trust its crew. I may not know what’s coming, but I am wholly invested in this show, and I know that all of you are too.

So, thanks for reading! It couldn’t have been easy, I know. Please offer your own analyses if you have them!

And please, I am begging you, stop treating each other like crap over two cartoon teenagers. 

#the owl house #toh spoilers #huntlow #toh hunter #willow park #caleb wittebane

[k0koii-yu]

Just gonna share a CC canon divergence AU I wrote couple years back where Lars is the mole instead of Angela. It has since been deleted because reasons (it’s all chill now dw). Also a few changes because my writing… wasn’t the best back then. VERY Angela centric with not very subtle gay because that’s what 13 year old me thought was a great idea.

So basically;

-Everything happens as it is except that Lars gets exposed as the mole. This, in turn, leads to Angela taking a break as Lars did in canon.

-Initially, I wrote that Lars’s mom was the one who took her in since she still had no parents and had the thought of him joining SOMBRA for shit and giggles. Since that probably wouldn’t make sense, I’ve now decided that she would probably return to Busan for a bit and kinda relax there for the time being, and that the triplets were being taken care of by a distant relative instead of Lars’s mother.

-There, she’d probably start questioning everything at first; since Lars would still kinda be the “artistic” type maybe she’d question the likelihood of hidden meanings in love songs/poems he’s made or even stuff he’s said to her in the past. At this point everyone checks up on her, especially Carmen, Marina, and sometimes Michelle and Ripley.

-Michelle also apologized for “ruining her perfect family”. Angela eventually accepted it; though later on realized something.

-Meanwhile in Antarctica, Grace is hired as the new forensics expert; but just like in canon, did autopsies for now.

-Sanjay got bored and ended up doodling and stuff. He ended up drawing a picture of a typical nuclear family (essentially a mom dad and kid family).

-Upon seeing the drawing, Carmen smiled. At the family part, but not exactly the part where she has to have a husband in order for it to be the perfect family. (Personal hc time: I, too, am a firm believer of lesbian Carmen propaganda 🙏)

-In this AU, she had internalized feelings for a certain someone; which she essentially repressed out of respect for them. Always tried to keep herself busy with other important stuff, but after the whole ordeal happened, she now has mixed feelings about them. Still decided not to tell anyone, though, due to her expecting potential rejection.

-Some time later, they get to Argentina. Angela also comes back from her hiatus (which in the original fic, ended up in her and Carmen confessing and then kissing.)

-I didn’t write anything after that, though, but just imagine Carmen getting out of her comfort zone in order to take Angela on mini dates and them overall just showing a lot of concern for each other when dangerous missions arise. Esp for Carmen, since she used to be a no-nonsense, implied lone wolf character in the beginning. She would also literally punch anyone who messes with her gf fr.

Basically that’s kinda it,,, yeah I’m aware it’s not the best, but it was honestly one of my favorite ideas and fanfics amongst all I have written back then that I felt like sharing. Will I rewrite this? Probably not; but the idea lives on here now.

#criminal case #criminal case game #if you can’t already tell I like Angela #even if majority of the fandom does not #I honestly wanted to post this but was hesitant

[franki-lew-yo]

You know, as a bi person, I really kind of hate the aggressive pissing on hetero ships by virtue of it being hetero and not for the actual faults of the couple or characters.

Mind you; this is not the same problem as homophobes people who insist they don't hate gay stuff but have 0 gay couples and fight headcanons saying that they're gay. Those people, even if they don't know it; are homophobic. Their stubborness to face the fact that they're bigots makes them even more bigoted because bigotry does not inherently = being mean, but is about the inability to accept or think of other people. It's scary how many people earnestly think you have to shout some Westbro Baptist Church bs to be actually homophobic, and all that's before you get to internalized bigotry within the LGBTQ culture. Speaking of which...

I saw a thread where people were hating on Friendship is Magic because Pinkie Pie canonically gets with Weird Al's ponysona. --Obv I'm biased because that being made canon was the only part of the finale I liked as obviously I loved Cheese Sandwich for being his own character apart from Pinkie Pie and Weird Al-- but, BESIDES THAT; The complaint was talking about how some characters were "forced into being straight" by the writers and...really? You're incapable of headcanoning Pinkie and Cheese are bi or in an open marriage or just invalidating Pinkie now because she's the only one of the mane 6 who canonically had a kid with a stallion? Really?

There's being queer baited and wanting more gay couples that are also main characters and not off to the side cyclops police. And then there's getting mad that a character without a canonized sexuality is in a hetero relationship at least once in their life. Not even that they themselves are for sure straight, just that they're married or w the opposite sex.

Naturally, I only have women shippers to talk about. I can't quite talk for gay men or m/m shipcourse. Whenever I see lesbiansapphics be all "even canonically straight characters should be made gay"/"this ship would be fine if it were lesbians"/"this character should have gotten with this character so I can have lesbians", I do know it's all just joking. At least, I'm pretty sure. I know the reason you want more lesbians -I want more lesbians too because lesbians are great! You are right in how and what kind of scrutiny is held against you for liking women and like fiction women liking other fictional women...but...maybe don't be so judgemental of the ladies on your side who happen to like some m/f ships more than your appointed 'good' ship?

"We're not judgemental. You're the one who's judgemental for not being able to take some light rubbing abt your ship being straight."

Am I though? When you hate on a m/fships because seeing people support them in ANY WAY means you have to make fun of them just to validate your own feelings...idk pardon MY autistic arse for feeling a tad bit picked on or lumped in with the really not okay straights. Am I excluded from defending myself because I'm not the ideal lesbian? I'll never survive the sapphic hunger games if I don't have specific standards for my gay couples vs my straight ones?

I've seen people adore The Owl House for being gay because it is but absolutely hate that Willow/Hunter is implied and then be mad that Luz didn't get with Willow because "Amity is a bad girlfriend". It's not Dana's fault that Luz got with the "wrong woman", the show was written with Lumity being endgame and Hunter being an important side character because he's related to the main villain who is a man. Cope. I've seen people hate on MysteryElk because Elktaur/General has a standardly attractive' hunky design; I've seen people hate Edred from Unicorn Warriors Eternal for being an icky 'generic' guy. If you actually know the characters and the relationships in question with their lovers, you'd know that the fact that they're a man is the LEAST problematic thing they got going on! No, the men in these couples being women would not "fix" anything not just for shippers but in the actual show with the relationships. Like, you DO get that the problem is Nowhere King is the aggressor and that Edred is clingy and unsupportive, right? That those are the actual problems with these couples? And GOSH do I now hate Clone High's insistence that JFK is actually a decent person because he's not a 'pick me' like Abe. I hate that, in the wake of the internet realizing how bad tumblr sexymen nice guys really are, we apparently have to pick out the men who are "salvageable" or obsess over the problemed ones problems because they are men. Which- come to think of it, isn't that part of the issue with SnapeWife-types who stan flawed male characters like their the second coming but antagonize women characters for being flawed? Shouldn't we, idk, maybe encourage people to love characters for their flaws and not because we can 'fix' them somehow or hate them because they exemplify a person you hate irl?

Overall, the (hopefully) ironic demand for gay couples all the time like it's a supremacy is kind of irritating to me. I'm just not into living with the "this majority group are all the things wrong"-mindset, or even a "you deserve to feel the bigotry I already experience because that's cathartic for me". I know exactly why people are in pain. I know that pain because a lot of it is the same I have to go through. The reason I'm 'biting back', not at the gay community I'm in but at this specific mindset? Yeah it IS because I'm obsessed with people judging me, but I think it's because I'm self aware of this problem I have that I don't want to indulge the part of me that wants petty payback at all. When and if I like my petty payback, I want to make sure it's not at the people who might be judging me vs the people who actually, honestly are.

TL;DR: I love me some 'straights are not okay'-jokes, but there comes a point where I can not hear them when you clearly don't mean it as a joke.

No amount of active bigotry in this world will make the toxic absolutism you got as a result of that bigotry something I need to deal with as the butt of your anger. I and other bi/pan/ally people are not your stress dolls, inherently. The straights (a group) are not okay, not the straights (individuals), k?

#rant #vent #shipping #shipping discourse #fandom discourse #lgbtq #lgbtq representation

[hoperays-song]

All LGBTQIA+ Sing Characters Headcanons

Out of all 63 canon characters that we actually get to know a bit about, I headcanon 55 of them are LGBTQIA+. Why? One, why not, two, they told me themselves, and three... this is legitimately a franchise about theatre kids, of course majority are gonna be fruity. 

Anyways, here we go!

---------------------------------

Meena Amari - Bisexual Trans Woman (She/Her)

- publicly came out two years before Sing 1 and her family was extremely supportive

- was a member of a LGBTQ+ support club when she was in school

Darius Andeno - Unlabled (He/Him)

- honestly just never has tried to labeled his sexuality and is too lazy to start now

- dating Harry for around a year and a half at the time of Sing 2

Hobbs Atene - Omnisexual (He/Him)

- happily married to his spouse with three kids

- was the first person Eddie ever came out to as a kid

Ash Batalla - Bisexual Demi-Girl (She/They)

- came out to her bio family as a teenager which went horribly

- has coached several others in the troupe through identity crises

Mike Bianchi - Biromantic (He/Him)

- so deep in the closet that he’s in Narnia at this point

- legit thinks everyone is like this she is wrong)

Nancy Bianchi - Graysexual (She/Her)

- didn’t really understand her own identity until she started doing research in case her future kid/s came out

- also legit thought everyone is like this (she was also wrong)

Clay Calloway - Bisexual Trans Masc (He/They)

- one of the first public LGBTQ+ rockstars

- has gotten into fights protecting queer fans from protestors

Ruby Calloway - Pansexual Trans Woman (She/Her)

- she and Clay are the og T4T couple in this series

- worked as a marketing agent almost exclusively with young queer artists

Jimmy Crystal - Bisexual (He/Him)

- tied with Mike for the character with the most internalized homophobia

- was the only one at Crystal Entertainment to not know about Jerry’s crush

Porsha Crystal - Gender Questioning Pansexual (She/Her)

- came out as a younger teenager to her dad’s bodyguards first as “practice”

- started questioning her gender during the Majestic run of Out of This World

Barry Frost - Bisexual (He/Him)

- was outed as a young teenager and was bullied a lot

- he was the first of the gang to realize that Johnny was queer

Norman Harrison - Biromantic (He/Him)

- he and Rosita both came out in college and to each other first

- pan4bi Rosita and Norman is so important to me idk

Gunter Järvinen - Aromantic Homosexual Trans Man (He/Him)

- came out as a kid and transitioned before moving to the US

- genuinely gets confused and slightly worried when someone tries to describe romantic attraction to him

Klaus Kickenclobber - Gay (He/Him)

- been out for years

- that’s all you’re getting because that’s all I thought of

Suki Lane - AroAce (She/Her)

- realized she was AroAce as a teen but just didn’t come out for a few years due to her family not being accepting

- when she did come out, her honorary cousins pointed out that she dressed like the AroAce flag, which they found way funnier than she did

Buster Moon - Gay Trans Man (He/Him)

- he came out as a young kid and his dad was super supportive

- has been dating Eddie since university

Charley Moon (Buster’s Dad) - Greyromantic (He/Him)

- did not realize he was greyromantic til he was in his 50s

- another prime example of “but everyone’s like this”

Eddie Noodleman - Bisexual (He/Him)

- came out to his family as a university student after coming out to Hobbs as a teen

- legit flipped a coin with Buster to see who would propose

Nana Noodleman - Asexual Lesbian (She/Her)

- she was pretty open with her identity her entire career and was well known for not taking any kind of harassment at her shows

- adopted her daughter on her own in her 40s

Harry Ocheing - Intersex Gay (They/He)

- came out as a kid to their siblings

- super supportive of other performers when they come out

Nooshy Peart - Genderfluid Lesbian (They/She)

- came out as a teenager and left home right after, bit is still in contact with her siblings who are supportive

- Marcus was the first supportive parent they ever had

Rosita Pèrez-Harrison - Pansexual (She/Her)

- came out to her college friends before anyone else

- buys all the troupe pride gear if they want or need any

Stan Phillips - Unlabled (He/Him)

- decidedly unlabeled and happy about it

- he protected Barry from bullies when they were kids, which is how they met

Alfonso Romano-Hassan - Biromantic (He/Him)

- did not realize he was biromantic until talking to Meena about her being bi a few months into dating

- the creator of bi wife energy lets be honest

Mizuki Satō - Nonbinary Lesbian (They/She)

- moved states away from their family after coming out in their twenties

- she has a long term girlfriend of three years

Jerry Swell - Gay (He/Him)

- came out in his late 20s

- had a crush on his boss since he started working for him

Johnny Taylor - Gay Demi-Boy (He/They)

- came out to his family a few months before Sing 2 despite the closet being made of glass with no doors for years

- found out that he was legit the last person to know he was gay out of his entire family

Marcus Taylor - Demisexual (He/Him)

- figured out that he was demisexual after researching how to be more supportive of Johnny

- married an omnisexual woman and was a very vocal ally since he was a teen

Ryan Willis - Gay (He/Him)

- came out to his moms as a really young kid and legit forgot about it until he tried to come out years later and they just said that they knew already

- had a crush on Johnny since meeting him but actually hid it for several months pretty well

Garry Wishmann - Asexual Trans Man (He/Him)

- came out in his late teens

- owns a ton of pun centered asexual shirts 

#sing #sing 2 #sing 2016 #sing 2021 #sing 2022 #im not tagging everyone #it is legit every single character #sing rynny #rynny #sing noodlemoon #noodlemoon #this is a long list #sing headcanons #we love supportive dad and uncles here #and supportive moms #backstory hints are here!!! #as well as the mysterious last names that im gonna keep using #because i actually did research and i'm proud of them #sing darry #darry #pride month #pride month posts #also ryan has two moms #and i will die on that hill #two amazing and loving moms

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

hi sorry just asking about black sails! i think in not watching the full show the message is missed (no shade here - no show is for everybody). the kiss scene between flint & thomas is in the dark for a reason. darkness itself is used continually throughout the show as a metaphor for queerness, yes, but also freedom & discovery. flint & thomas’ relationship is revealed in season 2 via flashbacks and a book with thomas’ handwriting in, telling him to "know no shame" in regards to the relationship. in the finale of the show, flint & thomas kiss outside in broad daylight. flint's journey to accept himself and what he fights for is the core part of his story, and i don't think that will come across in his season 1 scenes & a gif of a kiss.

as for max, most fans of the show i've spoken to had issues with the sa scenes in season 1 & the attempted pandering to game of thrones. when game of thrones' popularity died out, so did a lot of those attempts at attracting the same audience (thankfully). as a lesbian, i do disagree with the take on max & eleanor though. i did enjoy their scenes and story. i think an 18+ show is always going to have more graphic sex scenes for any relationship - as far as i can remember, max & eleanor have one sex scene in the pilot, and then max has a couple more in season 2 with another woman. i didn't see the sex scenes as pandering to the male gaze so much as i saw them as sex scenes from an 18+ tv show that depicts nudity & sex.

my last point is that while i appreciate the fact season 1 especially might look like queer characters have just been added in, the whole show centres queerness as a topic. flint’s desire for revenge after thomas is what drives him to nassau & piracy, and in later seasons to turn that into a violence against the british empire in general. anne’s s2 arc focused on her discovery of being a queer woman & where that fit into her life when the most important person to her at the time was a man. the show depicts 2 canon, on-screen polycules (max, jack & anne, and flint, thomas & miranda), explores their dynamics with each other and how that relates to their stories. i do think a lot of the messages and themes within the show are overlooked if you’ve only seen the first season - not telling you to watch it if it’s not your style obviously, i just think diminishing it to a show where queer characters were just added to differentiate it from game of thrones is misleading when queerness and the love between these queer characters drives the story.

Ok up front I want to say that perhaps you have a couple points and I'm going to sound mean in the first couple of paragraphs but I don't feel any animosity towards this ask I'm just clarifying my criticisms and also letting you know that I do know more than you think I know, I'll come back around to being nice in the final paragraph I promise.

Lets start with the Flint kiss because I have seen the finale kiss. They do that thing where they tilt their heads to an unnatural degree so you can't see that the actors lips aren't touching.

Second, it wasn't the graphicness of the sex scene that was my problem. They could have shown me pussy and I would have felt less uncomfortable. I think there should be more sex scenes in media, I just think they should be done better than that one was. It was more about the combination of the context of the scene, the way the scene was shot, the amount of time spent on it. Things like that make up the difference between a sex scene that feels fine and a sex scene that feels fetishy. I don't know about the later sex scenes but the one with Eleanor distinctly felt Weird and I would appreciate it if you didn't assume i was talking about sex scenes in general when I'm talking about that scene specifically.

But otherwise yeah, Flint's arc revolves around his relationship with Thomas, I was aware of that when I criticized Black Sails. I think that's part of the problem with them not showing Flint and Thomas's physical relationship outside of two kisses neither of which you can really see. Flint is a major character, his relationship with Thomas drives his emotional arc, and straight and wlw couples are having sex all over the place, why are Flint and Thomas relegated to these two half assed kisses?

Basically I don't think that Black Sails isn't real queer media but I do think it was written by mostly straight people and while it does show queer relationships, it could do a better job in several places. Which is fine I don't think all queer rep has to be perfect but I also think I should get to point out where it didn't work for me and where I felt a certain way about it. If you felt like Max and Anne's relationship was relatable to you as a lesbian or even just that the show was fun to watch that's awesome. Personally I got driven off by it trying to be a GOT clone early in it's conception and I'm not willing to sit through a season of that to get to the good bit especially if I'm gonna be asked to sympathize with characters who explicitly own slaves in the canon of the show along the way, but that's just where my mileage is at. Just because I criticize something and don't like it that much and state why doesn't mean I have beef with the fans or think nobody should like it. As far as I'm concerned Flint is the rightful king of Tumblr.com. I would just appreciate it if the fans didn't lie and start wars with other fandoms, which I certainly don't think you're doing.

[elekinetic]

making robin’s entire character about #that man and saying she should d!e with him and calling elmax FAMILIAL oh yall really hate sapphics

cool so the way you worded this tells me you have very little interest in a conversation in good faith. normally i'd go ahead and delete this but im feeling patient so i'm going to respond.

so on your first point about making robin's entire character about #that man...where did i do that? i said it would be an interesting choice to have robin die w steve IF they're killing people off because 1) robin represents the future in a similar way as eddie (youth destroyed too soon) and 2) she literally had a conversation with steve where she said "i don't think we're gonna make it out this time," which is foreshadowing if i've ever seen it. no, her relationship with steve is not her ENTIRE character (see: very small arc abt vickie and supporting nancy), but whether you like it or not she was introduced as a character coupled with steve (i mean coupled in the literal, "two people" sense, not as in they are a couple). i love robin but in canon, her role in the story is to further steve's narrative. if you have an issue with that, you gotta take it up with the duffers. don't shoot the messenger. (also, i very clearly specified i liked this choice in an alternate universe where the bury your gays trope doesn't exist.)

on e/max (sorry in advance if this shows up in the tag, the anon message didn't censor it so....): i 100% support people who ship them because i think they'd be very cute together! however, i think their relationship is written platonically and they read more as sisters to me. i don't think there is any romantic coding in canon, though i'd be happy to have a discussion abt it. female friendships are very important to me and i think el & max are a great example of the power of female friendship. calling their relationship familial when there isn't explicit or implicit romantic coding is not "hating sapphics". (is this the part where i have to write the disclaimer that i am a lesbian? that i do want sapphic relationships on screen? that i am literally in college so i can write stories for the screen about sapphic love? cmon). i think lucas and max are a masterclass in telling a story about young love, which is why i prefer lu/max. that's besides the point though.

final point: you don't have to agree with me. me having an opinion that doesn't align with your thoughts is not a personal attack. you can scroll, you can unfollow, hell. you can block me. i'm gonna assume you're my age or younger (based on the fact you censored die [the app isn't algorithm based, you're good] and you were so quick to accuse me of hating sapphics), which is why i didn't respond with "ok lol stay mad" or something. maybe my assumption is wrong and you're getting my patience for free lmao. someone asked me for my unpopular opinions, and i shared. you don't have to agree, but you don't get to come in my inbox and act like i said something homophobic or misogynistic when everything i said was rooted in the canon of the show.

#can't believe i wrote an essay on this #but i am very frustrated with people purposely misinterpreting things and taking the defensive on stuff that was never an attack to begin w #i deserve a medal for not being as petty as i want to be #comic con panel

[starsarefire824]

I know the Duffers handled Robin really well but I have been so burned by other shows and how they handle queer characters. I just. I don't want Byler to blow up like other shows have

Hey anon!

I mean...I definitely have my reservations about how Will and Mike's storyline will pan out throughout season five and the conclusion of the series. For sure I do. And I do wish that a lot of media would be braver in their choices for characters. I would like to see queer storylines in shows that don't center around the topic you know? Like Young Royals and Heartstopper are gorgeous pieces of media--Young Royals is one of my favorite shows of the last couple years, but I would like to start seeing more characters, not even characters, more MAIN characters that are in a story who just happen to be queer, and maybe less of the "media created specifically for queer audiences." Black Sails comes to mind for me as a show that executed that rather perfectly.

And don't misunderstand me, I am SO happy that there are so many more choices when it comes to lgbtq+ media that is made by and for queer people. That is such a fantastic thing that has blossomed a lot in the last few years. I am a younger to middle of the pack age range Millenial and damn if that wouldn't have been lovely for me to have during my pre-teen, coming of age. From my experience, and from a lot of people around me that are also queer, I think it was a much longer and confusing road for a lot of us to get to the point we are now, and I think that we all could have greatly benefited from that type of media. My personal journey was delayed in a lot of ways, and I know media is just one part of the problem, but it really does make me happy to see things like Heartstopper of Sex Education be so popular. 'Cause DAMN if I didn't need those shows when I was 14.

But my real point here is, that I hope the Duffer Brothers really utilize the very rare opportunity they have here. Stranger Things is a very vast, ensemble cast, supernatural family drama that I think has a lot of sociopolitical statements wrapped up into that. But in the end, it's an all-encompassing piece of media that is made up of many genres and has many, many different stories to tell. Will (and Byler) is just one component of that. And so I would LOVE it if they chose to go through with Byler in the end.

I totally agree with you on the Robin storyline. I think that the way they handled that storyline was perfection. It was done in a surprising way, it was done in a sensitive and empathetic way, and it was done in a way that after the reveal it challenged the audience and maybe made people rethink the way they sort of absorb and read media. It inverted tired tropes and it just felt very organic and real between Steve and Robin. It felt like an interaction that really happens to a lot of people. It also gave Steve as a character a lot of growth without having him wrapped up in another love story. I really, really can't tell you how much I love that plot line and how it all turned out in season 3. And even though Robin's romance couldn't be a main focus in season 4 because of what was happening in the overall plot, I thought that they gave it enough attention to make you feel for her and also to root for her and Vickie to be happy. And I mean, how cool is it that there is a CANON lesbian main character in a show that is a cultural phenomena? People of all walks of life, colors, religions, and ages watch this show. People who would never, ever turn on a queer piece of media watch this show. And maybe, just maybe, it might change someone's point of view or bias. Maybe it makes it easier for some thirteen year old somewhere to come to terms with themselves. That's important and it matters. It's reaching an audience that it might not have reached before.

And I one hundred percent think the Duffer Brothers know that. I truly think that it's all intentional on their part and the part of the other writers. They also have characters like Nancy, who goes against most female stereotypes and even plays against a lot of the standard tropes of female characters from the 80s. There's Lucas, who goes against a lot of stereotypes that black characters are pigeonholed into while not white-washing or erasing his blackness in any way. Steve is the jock asshole who went against every trope we thought we were going to get from him. They do a wonderful job of examining cycles of abuse while not necessarily flat out telling you, this is the villain of this story. They like to live in the gray areas and I really respect that. Billy for example, while a very controversial character, is given the same depth and nuance as the "heroes" of the story. Eleven herself, the main hero of our story, isn't good or bad, and her journey and choices are never black and white. Brenner, Hopper, hell, even Henry is highly relatable in a lot of ways. There are sooo many well-written characters, big and small, that are written with care and thought. And this is the reason people so staunchly defend and love and debate their favorite characters. Everyone can find something of themselves in multiple characters and it's why the audience is so attached to what happens to these pretend kids from pretend Hawkins.

And so, when it comes to Will and Mike, and how all of this will play out. I truly trust the Duffer Brother's to write Will's story line with grace and with a lot of care. It seems like they really enjoy writing for Noah Schnapp as an actor and from what I've gathered, they deeply care that his character is given the justice he deserves. So I am of the opinion that whether they write Byler or not, I will be satisfied with his characters final arc. He is my favorite character of the show and that really is what is most important to me when it comes down to it.

That being said, I think that the Duffer Brothers are going to surprise everyone, even us Bylers, with how they write Mike and Will in season five. As much as I like to take care with getting too excited, I'm at a point where I think that the writing, while very subtle, has been leading to no other end than Mike and Will together romantically. The fact that Will has not had a love interest and that there will be no new characters in season 5, the fact that his character has been queer-coded since day one, the fact that they've said season five will directly deal with his coming of age, the fact that Will and Mike have orbited each other since season 1, and literally the entire foreshadowing of season four for me...I just can't see it being written any other way than that.

I think that the Duffers have the talent in the writing room and the general sensitivity of making it no.1: easy to swallow by the GA and maybe even the reddit bros, no. 2: come to fruition in a way that is surprising, heartfelt, and gives you that aha moment of "oh, it really was there all along wasn't it?" I think that they have it in them to write a really beautiful ending for these two characters that would feel authentic and also....just natural. It will be one small but important part of a very complex story involving so many characters and if they do it right, it could be a really beautiful queer story wrapped up in something bigger than that--and maybe open up some people's eyes to how a little boy like Will's life and journey is just as worthy of their time to root for, that his story matters, and what happens to him is just as important as the standard heroes and heroines they are so used to rooting for. It might make people see that queer love can save the world the same as the prince's love for the princess can.

You can't get your hopes up too much, but boy if it doesn't make me smile thinking about the possibilities of that.

#byler #byler thoughts #the duffer brothers #if they manage to pull it off in a well written beautiful way #they'll be the beginning of a major change in media imo

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.75--Episodes 21-22

I have watched through S7E22; there are no spoilers to be had. Spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am, though.

Kinda satisfying that I got an even 75 on that.

—I have been ugly-crying for about twenty minutes.

—Rumple dying because he gave his heart to Hook is the most poetic, beautiful culmination of their stories I ever could’ve hoped for and it’s got me wrecked. And the fact that he did it expecting to never see Belle again makes it even more lovely of him....And the fact that Hook is going to spend the rest of his life walking around with Rumple’s heart inside of him...that’s beyond words for me.

—I’m never going to love like this again. This show is the single best story I have ever consumed and I loved every minute of it, even the parts *looking at you, finale* that emotionally destroyed me. Also, Rumple is the most stunning tragic character I’ve ever met and it is impossible for anyone to ever take his place in my heart.

—That scene where Rumple was fully prepared to kill Rumplestiltskin, to keep any realm from ever having to have him in it, was a pretty poignant personification of self-hatred and it was a really weird, dark kind of beautiful.

—Look at my funky lil lesbians going off to save the world!

—Alice was looking lovely at Regina’s coronation. That blue dress was so pretty.

—I cannot stress enough how much I adore the fact that in the last two episodes of the show, I got to see Rumple and Hook adventuring together as friends.

—Rumple calling Rumplestiltskin “crocodile” was fun.

—I’m rather glad I picked up CaptainCroc as my new hobby, because I think this stuff would’ve hurt me even worse if I wasn’t trying to pick up the little bits of happiness and inspiration between them, and starting to come up with how it goes down in my AU even while it was unfolding in canon. CaptainCroc may be my comfort ship.

—It’s great that the last time we saw Emma, she was wearing her red leather jacket and a full-length dress. V cool.

—Seriously, did they have to make the last shot of the entire show the “Leaving Storybrooke” sign? That is exactly the opposite of what I want to do. I want to live in Storybrooke for the rest of my life and never have to think about being without it again. I want Storybrooke to be a constant presence in my brain and a weighted blanket for my heart and I want to imagine it happy and full of life and with all the characters I adore in it.

—Moving all the realms to one place so nobody can ever be separated again was kind of fun.

—In case you hadn’t guessed, I think I lost a couple more marbles watching those two episodes. I’m also reinforcing my belief that fanfic, headcanons, and fan-life in general is the ultimate form of escapism and comfort and I can’t imagine not turning to it at the end of something great.

—Seeing Henry dark and angry was weird. I’m glad he got out of that without actually killing Regina, because I think would’ve been the end of me. And now he gets an entire family to help him get back on the right path. (Which he appears to be doing, as he’s wearing a sheriff’s badge. Nice to see that’s still in the family.)

—It’s nice that Tiana and Naveen appear to have ended up together.

—In similar news, I also kinda like that wish realm Hook didn’t end up in a romantic relationship. It was his bond with Alice that was important, and even if the writers maybe strayed from that a bit every now and then, it was both nice to see and also, and a parent and child thing, very OUAT.

—It’s great that we got to see Robin ask for Hook’s blessing to marry Alice. I want my girl to have the happiest ending possible, and it looks like she gets it.

—I suddenly realized that the entire time Rumple was in Hyperion Heights, he didn’t seem to have a single problem with his leg, and that’s maybe a little disappointing. Hook had a false hand. Without magic, Rumple still should’ve had a limp, even if made it a bit harder to do detective action sequences.

—Hook and Alice kinda have the same cute ear shape. Iykyk, and if you don’t I’m sad for you.

—Still crying, and it’s taken me about fifteen minutes to write this much. Mostly because I’m crying.

—I like how Hook’s alcoholism is taken seriously in this last season, and in a pretty subtle way. At Flynn’s Barcade, Nick and Henry had beers while Hook had a lemon water (warding off scurvy, I’m sure). In episode 21, Regina and Rumple had a drink and Hook had what I’m assuming is water, but in a mug. (I drink cool/warm temperature beverages in mugs to annoy my kid sister, and let me tell you it’s a fun little way to mess with people. Hook should do it more often.) Also, when Hook and Rumple went to Hook’s old home in the wish realm, the booze there was specifically mentioned in connection with the fact that Hook basically went there to die a slow death. I would give a round of applause for the writers, but the writers have upset me, so I’m withholding the applause. So there.

—As sad as I am, I do love that now nobody has to choose between Storybrooke, their magical realm of origin, or Hyperion Heights *snort*

—I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but Killian is such the beautiful name. I love it. I know what I’m naming one of my next two plushies.

—Yes, I hate, despise, and loathe the fact that Rumple is dead, but it really was the perfect ending to his story. And his story was the most amazing one to come out of this show, which is saying a lot. I’m glad he’s with Belle again, because my head knows that’s how he gets his happy ending, even if my heart doesn’t want him to be gone.

—It was nice to see Snow and Charming again. Especially in such pretty clothes.

—Their little round table was the start of my crying. Three generations of heroes, how does it get better?

—Okay, I hated seeing him again, but good on Rumplestiltskin to have Peter Pan in the stocks. He had it coming.

—Very nice that original Hook had a bit of rubber on his hook so he could hold the baby safely.

—Also, very nice to actually see Hook and Emma’s happy ending. And Hope is the best possible name for their baby.

—I don’t stan wish realm Rumplestiltskin, because I already have the Rumple I love, but hearing him say “dearie” again sure was nice.

—Henry was a bit of an arse. He hit Hook over the head to sneak off and do inadvisable things. He basically told Rumple that he didn’t deserve a happy ending. And you know, that was a particularly arse move with his mother, also an ex-villain, standing right behind him. *shakes head*

—As you’re probably tired of hearing, this show is now my favorite story that I’ve ever experienced. One of the things I love most about it is the theme of hope. That’s hard to find sometimes, in our world, but I find that a lot of what these characters say, and what they go through, especially some of the stuff between Regina and Henry in recent episodes, resonates. It makes sense. And it does exactly what Regina wanted to do for wish realm Henry: it shows that if these people can survive, and hold onto hope, despite the bad things that go on in their lives, so can we. And I love that. Realism has its place, but that place is far away from me. I live in reality, and a dose of fantasy and joy and hope is exactly what I need in my stories, and I’ve found it nowhere better than here. The villains redeemed themselves, because the heroes gave them a second chance. Regina and Rumple and Hook got happy endings just like Emma and the Charmings did. Full marks.

—In other news, I have other stuff I have to do tomorrow night, but on Thursday I will be starting the series over. Which means I get to see Rumple A) alive, and 2) with his suit and long hair. Quite dapper. V dashing. Also, he’s gonna say “dearie” a whole lot.

#once upon a time #ouat #rumplestiltskin #rumple #Captain Hook #wish realm #Alice jones #Alice #Alice x robin #Robin Hood #captaincroc #Emma swan #storybrooke #Henry Mills-swan #tiana #naveen #Killian Jones #the charmings #Peter Pan #leaving Storybrooke? I don't think so #it's my new permanent address #yk #in an emotional/metaphysical kinda way #wish I could live there fr #martianbugsbunny reviews