#he is so gay it is not even subtext

[mihai-florescu]

Top 2 images that made me viscerally recoil. Anyway i know in my heart of hearts that if you were a woman and tried to even hit on this man he would pretend to die right then and there. One because he finds it funny and two so you'd go looking for a doctor and he can Run away. Anyway. Thats just my reading of him tho

#he is so gay it is not even subtext #i do think that if wataru said Actually i am a woman now eichi would immediately go 'of course. i shall outlaw transphobia now' #also throwback to when he joked about kissing anzu and then said nah actually id pass out im having a hard time breathing rn #he would not fuck you babygirl im so sorry. hes trying to get out of an arranged marriage with tori's sister to begin with #also. dom!e/ic/hi?? i dont personally see it. anyway #i hope this doesnt end up in any main tag i tried to censor words

[chirpsythismorning]

Some of the evidence supporting Mike not being in love with El is brutal. No, but seriously.

In s3, when El's leg is injured, instead of Mike putting his arm around her waist, allowing him to take some of the weight off her injured leg, he puts his arm around her shoulder, basically having the exact opposite affect of taking the weight off of her, instead just adding more weight for her to have to carry.

Now, I’m not coming at Mike here, I’m actually coming at the writers, because this choice here has everything to do with them using this gesture to signal Mike’s lack of feelings for El, even at the expense of realism.

I say this bc any person with common sense, including Finn and everyone around him and Millie filming these shots, would've known it looked unnatural for Mike to be adding more weight onto El as opposed to taking some off of her.

This means that what Mike did here, Finn was directed to do, and therefore it was for a specific reason.

And we know they could have easily made the opposite choice, because they show us Max AND Lucas doing it.

See how putting an arm around El's waist looks so much more natural? Because homegirl is injured and clearly needs help taking weight off her leg to qualm some of the pain she's experiencing there, which is why Max and Lucas are shown here doing it the correct way.

And so, why can't Mike do the same? Why are the writers making a point to show Mike being incapable of simply taking some weight off of El, instead doing the exact opposite?

I don't think it's as deep as Mike not being able to do something intimate, and that's bc, again we see Max and Lucas doing it.

I honestly think what they're trying to convey with this choice here, is that Mike thinks he's helping El, when he is in fact doing the opposite despite his best efforts. The implications of that and how that sort of aligns with their romantic relationship and what it leads to at the end of s3, going into s4, is pretty spot on.

I do think Mike thinks he's doing the right thing by being with El instead of voicing any doubts at the end of s3, because he is under the assumption that she is in love with him. I do think he believes he is indebted to her and that this is the least he can do after everything they've been through together, which has mostly been riddled with romantic pressures and so continuing that instead of disputing it seems like the only option anyways. Not to mention, he does care for her deeply, so it's not hard to imagine that he's a teenage boy confusing deep care for love (he literally tells us this is his problem when he can only say care and not love to El's face... but that's a whole other conversation).

Still, when it's all said and done, Mike's not actually doing El any favors by being with her romantically, if that is not what he truly wants.

Because that's the sad truth about all of this, which is that you would never want someone to be with you just because you want them. If you knew that they truly couldn't have those feelings for you, you'd want to know, right? You don't deserve someone just because you have deep feelings for them. And I think there's so many layers to this idea, bc many people are capable of not giving Byler a chance bc they truly believe Mike could never return Will's feelings. Will also feels this way atp, so though it hurts, he rips the band aid off, because he would never want Mike to be with him just out of pity or something. No one would want that. And so it all really comes down to who Mike truly loves romantically and wants to be with. And the right thing to do, even if it hurts someone, is to be honest, because being with them just bc you think that will make them happy is never going to be enough if you aren't truly feeling it, or worse, feel it for someone else.

We see how Mike's inability to be honest with El at the end of s3, leads to a season of Mike feeling deeply insecure and undeserving of the love El has to offer him, and even though he does try, he always comes up short. Despite Mike putting up this front that they are the perfect couple, the details are telling us something is off. And it gives him away.

Another example that I think is very similar to this loaded gesture from Mike to El in s3, is the scene in s4 when they hug in the airport.

Common sense ppl, picture this: You're reuniting with your long distance girlfriend. Then suddenly, she runs up to you, with her arms wide open, and instead of opening your arms wide to embrace her properly, you take the bouquet of flowers you brought her as a gift, and shove them against your chest just as she approaches to hug you, effectively squishing the present you got for her (a pretty delicate present at that) for no reason other than to... what exactly?

Like?? El isn't even squishing the present Mike, she's trying to hug you, dude! Your gf is trying to hug you properly and you threw the gift you got for her in between you so you could throw in a careful! x3??

Again, this has less to do with Mike's thoughts and reasoning behind this gesture in a literal sense, and more to do with the simple fact that this is a narrative choice! Mike is not a real person! There are real people sitting down and writing this and actors are having to do multiple takes to act it out. What feels natural for a situation is going to be what is often chosen 9 times out of 10, because of realism and wanting the audience to see stuff happening that is believable. That 1 time though, when it's not being done the way it would usually be, is usually because there's a specific reason for it.!

So the question really is, not why is Mike doing this, but why are the writers having Mike do this, and what message are they trying to convey about Mike's feelings based on his behavior, in these moments where he's just not capable of committing to El genuinely, one way or another?

#byler #no but most of the gay subtext is just so like... you really didn't have to do all that? #gay subtext at the expense of realism? check #mike thinks he's helping el by not breaking her heart and just being with her despite feelings for will he can't deny #very reminiscent of mike's 'maybe you thought you were helping but you weren't. you hurt me! what you did sucks!' #i do think it would be epic too see that moment come full circle but with el saying it to mike this time #bc i'm sure el would much rather have her heartbroken finding out that mike is incapable of loving her romantically #than to find out he was with her bc he didn't want to hurt her even at the expense of his own happiness #like no one wants to have someone be with them out of pity or obligation #we want someone to love us truly and deeply and genuinely! #we see how much el struggles in s4 bc of all the hints she's getting from mike that he doesn't genuinely love her #bc that's the most important part of a romantic relationship #it being equal #and it didn't feel that way #sure she's gonna be pissed #but she's gonna be more pissed he wasn't just honest #friends don't lie obvs

[ap0110-and-c0]

heiji tries way to hard to impress kudou like- you tried to solve a case in half an hour instead of competing in your match?? because you knew he was on his way?? He could have just solved it while you competed, maybe he would even catch a match or two but no you had to be gay about it.

#/pos btw #hes just so- #gay #dcmk #hattori heiji #heishin #<- id say implied but like- its not even subtext at this point

[mishkakagehishka]

I just . Repeating "characters are tools" you end up erasing so much about arashi's character and motivations and interactions with other characters if you avoid using her pronouns aka avoid showing she's transgender. It's on the same level of frustration with the translators i had when i saw they had Mika speaking standard English, there's a LOT that gets lost if you don't show those little things.

#and sure maybe some things wouldn't matter bc - i don't read many knights stories so beyond what's mentioned ab arashi in stories i've read #like those featuring mika and such #so i can't say for her but i can say for mika - because a lot of it is touched upon in ! which isn't getting translated #mika talks about his accent and dialect and such the most in ! HOWEVER #you still have idol story 3 where he talks with Tsumugi about how people perceive him because of his accent and #about how he feels like he's letting people down by not conforming to the positive stereotypes associated with his speech #and if you make him speak the standard language you completely lose that layer #if you erase the fact that Arashi is transgender you completely lose that layer of her characterisation and motivations #she literally has a story in !! where she talks about how much it hurts her to always be cast as the male character #in princess-knight themed shoots when all she wants to be is the princess #but how are you gonna get the full context of that if the story refuses to give you the context you had in the original #ie. that Arashi uses the (hyper)feminine ''atashi'' pronoun and that her speech pattern is one associated with young women #in ! she has a line where she asks i believe koga to not use the slur used for effeminate/gay men for her #because her name is arashi narukami and if anything she wants to be called arashi-chan or naruko #which is also additional context lost if you don't translate it right - the -ko suffix in a name is traditionally feminine #i'm no expert either but i'm a writer and i plan on working as a translator #and these are things that - if lost in translation - will impact your understanding of the entire story and/or character #whether it will have you completely misunderstanding it or just being confused is irrelevant but it's like #in my opinion as a translator it's your duty to translate even the subtext #if you need to show that arashi is transgender you don't need to say it (even tho #she did once say ''i will never be the woman i want to be'' iirc and #i do have recollection of mika telling her ''i don't really get it but you're a girl right?'') #but you should give us the same chance to come to the same conclusions which is to say. translate naruko to the best of your abilities. #idfk Nary maybe ? i feel like the -y ending is usually diminutive rather than feminine but. #something to that tune. and give her a girly speech pattern. it exists in english too. #slang can be associated with gender too #like you guys get it right.

[wheelercurse]

Mike’s main inner conflict is his insecurity and low self-esteem, which (in part) was provoked by being bullied all his life. That’s how they introduced his character when they pitched the show.

In s1, he had a hard time admitting to El that he was bullied but, in the end, she understood him, and he felt better for that. But then in s4, when he reminded her that he was also bullied, she shut him down.

In s3, we see how he was trying to leave his interests behind because he had grown up, and mature boys didn’t play childish games. Before the scene with his fight with Will, we have another one with Dustin telling Steve that he should date someone who enjoyed being around and not someone who made him feel cool.  His fight with Will was a wake-up call; in the end, he accepted this part of himself more, but he was still a bit insecure about being childish for caring about gifts and games. We can see this in his last scene with El when he says: “sorry, I sounded like a seven years old.”

In s4, he joined Hellfire Club and embraced his geekiness. He said to Lucas that he was a nerd like it was something he didn’t care about, something that he was proud. But when Mike arrived in California, he was dressing the way he thought people in there dress up, so he could fit in. It was more like a metaphor for how he’s struggling to conform because he isn’t accepting himself, especially when it comes to his relationship with El. Because in the van scene, he opened up about his insecurities with Will. He felt like a random nerd next to El, who he had on a pedestal because she was a superhero. But Will told him that he’s the heart of the party, their leader,  and the one who inspires them. Also, he assured him that he was needed, another of his insecurities. Mike wants to be able to protect the people that he loves. And even Will recognized that Mike saved him.

What is my point of this rant? It wouldn’t make sense that Mike ended up in a relationship in which he tried to conform, and not with the boy who makes him feel better about himself because he loves him just the way he is.

#and I didn’t talk about the queer subtext in his arc #he's dating a girl because he's trying to conform #you Can view him as gay who is misinterpreting his platonic feelings for romantic feelings #because he thinks that dating a girl it’s what society expects of him so he convinced himself that he liked her like that #or as bi and even if he likes El he isn’t in love with her but he’s there because it’s the safest option and also what society expects #byler

[metamatronic]

byakuya is much more tolerable in the dr3 anime

[no spoilers pls i’m still watching]

#i’m probably watching these episodes out of order but whatever #also komaru and toko are so gay it’s not even subtext it’s just text #rip hat guy who i never learned the name of. jin’s friend. he was cool. #aoi’s also being given a lot more time to shine and hiro’s being *peak stupid* #i don’t care about literally anyone else tho #meta talks #dr3 anime liveposting

[eremin0109]

Not to dunk on the worst of evil on the eve of its finale but like gurl, you could never be the absolute whoreslut that is evilive.

#Both of them are gangster/mafia Dramas but twoe feels like it was made by straight men for straight men #while evilive is toxic gay yaoi written by straight (questioning???) men #likw im sorry but i was expecting these last three episodes to build up more on the relationship between Junmo and Gicheol #to make that payoff at the end that much more heartwrenching #but what we got felt so....bland? like Where's the flavour???? #like why were they so afraid to show more scenes like that drinking scene in the finale to show exactly what Junmo thought of Gicheol??? #because it would come off as gay???? come on #they kinda botched the execution of an otherwise excellent concept and premise #good god Gicheol and Junmo you both could've so much more could've been so much messier #sigh #gicheol died like that's gotta count as bury your gays trope #like he LITERALLY died of a broken heart because his boy bestie lover shot him RIGHT IN HIS HEART #smh gay people are not allowed to even take their lives anymore /j /lh #anyway #guys go watch evilive im begging yall for the 78383107382019th time #it's just so much gayer and so much messier & the sexy villian is already balls to the walls GAY obsessed with the protag its barely subtext #the worst of evil #evilive #evilive kdrama

[obstinatecondolement]

I am still in my feelings about that "I didn't transition to look like Elliot Page: I wanted to look like Hank Hill" thing because like?? Very fucking rude to Elliot Page first of all?? What the fuck is the subtext here? That he doesn't look enough like a "real" man and is some kind of dilettante who we shouldn't take seriously until he mans up, or something?

Also like... as far as I know Page is not attracted to men, but it feels vaguely homophobic? "I want to be a Normal Straight Man who looks like a Regular Guy not a fucking [slur redacted]" Like fuck off? And it had so many notes! How is policing the gender presentation of other transmasc people being so roundly fucking applauded, oh my god.

#like I've also been seeing a lot of transition timeline stuff where the subtext seems to be #'oh wow when he started out he was just a silly little girl trying to be an uwu smol bean elf prince #but thank god! now he's jacked and has a big beard! a real man!' #dude!!!! #what your body looks like shouldn't be the deciding factor in whether or not you 'deserve' to be correctly gendered???? #I know guys who've been on t for years and have had top surgery and still do not pass even more than half of the time #and I know guys who passed as soon as they got a haircut and started shopping in the mens section #because of physiological factors beyond any of their fucking control! #even notwithstanding hrt and surgery! #I'm always going to be the height that I am #my hands and feet will always be small #even with body fat distribution changing my hips will always be wide #so if I still got misgendered after medically transitioning would it be because I just wasn't trying hard enough? #because that's what it fucking sounds like these people are saying #also! men don't stop being men if they don't style themselves like hank hill??? #stop talking like someone who'd tell swishy gay guys that it's their fault homophobia still exists #because they keep 'rubbing it in everyone's faces' #I hate you I hate all of you

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

the thing is as i may have mentioned before i'm usually not that animated by reading stuff as gay if it's just like............ nice. you know? like if it's just like two guys or two women who like each other a lot and are very affectionate towards each other, i mean depending on the context i may enjoy that as a ship, but it's not interesting to me as subtext, which is a different impulse. to find it an enriching reading of the actual text, as opposed merely a fun bonus to be silly about on the internet, the fact that these people are gay but no one's saying it like that has to be something that adds color to the portrait of what is wrong with them. so like: rayanne graff's entire Deal falls into a certain beautiful and compelling clarity if you consider she is gay and wants to fuck angela but can't and maybe can't even articulate that to herself. citizen kane, i'm not really ready to talk about this one still but iykyk. in zodiac - i mean, the actual and ultimate peak of this in the history of cinema? perhaps??? (no offense to heat @power-chords it's just that heat takes place over like a week while zodiac spans years like literally these men are being destroyed over the course of decades........). like in zodiac it's not just that robert downey jr. acts opposite every scene jake gyllenhaal so flirtatiously it's literally crazy, like sometimes when i'm lying awake at night wondering if zodiac was gay on purpose or by accident i think it has to be by accident because if rdj was doing that to be gay on purpose it's arguably borderline homophobic, it's that homophobia-induced self-repression makes jake gyllenhaal go so fucking insane he literally (maybe) solves the zodiac killings (which in itself is like i mean the whole Thing of the movie is a lack of closure so reading that thread as gay thematically reinforces what's going on in the rest of the plot which is that your entire life can be ruined forever by this thing you'll never actually be able to put into words or understand completely.......). anyway. all that is a long way of saying this is one of many reasons that succession was the greatest show of all time always and forever hallelujah amen.

#succession #it's a show where like even if no one is gay all the gay subtext still matters. you know? #like it was literally gay of ken to kill that waiter even if he wasn't being gay when he killed that waiter #i mean really that's all because it's a show that's like deeply engaged with cultural constructions of Manhood #which is so attached to heterosexuality you can't interrogate it without getting kind of gay #(this is also for the record the thing going on with citizen kane) #this is also all why the gayness of social network does not interest me the way zodiac does #well. also because zodiac is no offense 1 billionty thousand zillion times better As A Fucking Movie #but it's like... yeah mark and eduardo are exes. sure #but the story is the same whether they're friend exes or sex exes. u kno?

[mbat]

okay i love the emotionally stupid gay men as much as the next guy (clearly) but man it was actually so refreshing to hear, explicitly in repeatable words!, that a character loves the other romantically and undeniably.

like, i get whats happening when characters dont say it in words, right? its been the way of doing things for years for reasons, but nowadays its mainly 'the character hasnt realized how they feel yet' or 'theyre in denial of how they feel' or 'they cant find it in them to say it out loud yet' and hey, those are all fine! theyre so super fun and add to the drama and story

but holy shit to actually hear stede be like 'the man i love is ed' (paraphrasing) like got damn and in the first season too??

just. what an absolute treat. didnt realize i wanted that until i got it. thank you.

#our flag means death #ofmd #my post #tropes #sometimes you just need mfs to be like GOT DAMN YOURE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE #and the drama isnt entirely around them just not saying it ajfjsjdjd #i love wwdits and good omens so so so so so much but man #in wwdits its still basically subtext ajfjsjdj like we KNOW but it hasnt been said AT ALL only shown #like we know those bastards are head over heels and painfully stupidly in love and its soo cute but still. not said #and in good omens. ah fuck. those two are so old how can they be this bad at using words JJSBFND #like I GET IT. its so scary to be vulnerable especially like that. and the context! fucked up context #but even during a confession he cant manage to say what he wants and again i get it but oughh #just. to hear 'ive found someone i love. his name is ed.' GO OFF!!!!! YESSSSSS #i love gay old men oh my gosh i want to be a gay old man

[gh-0-stcup]

My thing is that I just do not trust a single person who was involved in the show. It just seems like a lot of PR to fix their image and foster sympathy/goodwill/interest.

#i haven't seen compelling evidence that anybody actually tried to fight for canon (and reciprocated) destiel #just admissions that they played into the subtext #(which we already knew - that's why spn's been considered a prime example of queerbaiting since like 2011) #and non-committal statements about the pairing being compelling #edlund seemed to specifically say he wasn't censored/forced to rework due to the gay #yeah misha said the cw's homophobic and suggested the network was the barrier #but at least half of what comes out of misha's mouth is bullshit #like he also said they tried to pay him to stay bisexual #and as a result there's now a bunch of support being tossed out to the writers and some fans are talking about them like they're heroes #who valliantly fought against a homophobic network and were totally going to make dean and cas a couple #but were foiled by said network which is why the show ended with the gays being buried yet again #you see in the secret unreleased version... #and if we just let jensen make another season he won't let us down because of xyz vague statements #nevermind that he made a new show where cas was also never mentioned - cw censorship #nevermind the straightwashed version of soldier boy he's playing - that's kripke's fault #nevermind the statements he's made in the past about destiel and dean's sexuality - he's changed his mind #you can tell because he's said it's okay for fans to have their own interpretations about the series #idk maybe i'm too cynical and i'm being unfair #there's just too much vagueness from pretty much everybody for me to put faith in their intentions #especially if they are seriously considering attempting to revive the series - this sort of thing is great for drumming up interest #the writers being censored by homophobic execs is a familiar narrative ofc - but i don't see anything solid to suggest this is what happened #and it's not like there weren't queer relationships on tv when spn was airing - the show ended in 2020 #it isn't even like there weren't queer relationships shown on the cw during spn's run - there were more than a few #i just have so many questions #spn #destiel

[jensensitive]

you ever think a lot about things that give you much to think about

[image description: a screenshot from the internet movie car database, Dean at the end of 8x01 holding his phone about to call Benny, there’s a blue truck in the background. It’s described as a 1953 Ford F-100]

[image description: a screenshot from the internet movie car database, Jack in Brokeback Mountain next to a blue and while truck with a scenic view of the mountains and water behind him, It’s described as a 1966 Ford F-100]

(for context, this is Ennis’s truck in the movie. In spn, that’s the only F-100 on screen throughout the run of the show, and it’s in a scene where Dean and Benny decide to go their separate ways. The Brokeback mountain scene is the last time Jack and Ennis see each other)

I don’t have any idea if this was purposeful, but for this truck to show up, taking up half the frame with dean, literally at the start of the brokeback purgatory arc is... something. And that a couple episodes later is the sole Brokeback Mountain reference in dialogue in the show (it’s about Sam and Dean, but w/e).

#spn 8x01 #dean x benny #this show is so good at making me see gay subtext about ships i don't even care about #noah fence to benny i know that storyline was very gay and he was a nice dude #gay subtext #set dressing #brokebacknatural #spn thoughts

[quarklynx]

So I started reading Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

...I get it now. They're gay but they're not, but they're soulmates but they hate each other's guts

#lynx thinks #orv spoilers #kinda #i read the entire webtoon in two days and then started reading the webnovel version when i ran out of that #so all in all im at chapter 183 now #this bitch really does just throw himself at a situation to solve it huh #he just keeps dying and then finding new ways to not die #I'm so invested tho #the webtoon really helped to get me into it bc it's paced so efficiently and compellingly #and the story is fascinating #im now realizing that some other webtoons ive read may have been slightly inspired by this story #but this one is way better than those ones #i do wonder whether it actually gets gay or if it's just the oodles of subtext and more overt implication #i also am curious if it's finished or not?? #questions for morning me to consider tho. this story has kept me up past 2 for several nights now #i work on my sewing commission for most if the day so the evening is the main time i get to reaaaad ovo #... it's so late already tho. how bad could it be to just read one more chapter?

[maddy-ferguson]

one of the reasons why i was upset after volume 2 wasn't even because i wanted will to come out or thought it would've made more sense for him than what we got it was because i wanted it to be clearer that he's gay because now people are still saying he isn't actually gay in the show which i knew was gonna happen and is just...so upsetting to me...

#it went 1) why would they do this to will 2) why would they do this to mike 3) oh so people can still deny that will is gay that's great #1) why would they do this to will was the more intense grievance. #and i've said he isn't actually technically gay in the show because like obviously he is but in a way people are still able to call subtext #and yk they still say he's not like that's what i meant when i said that and i know that they shouldn't have to dumb it down or whatever #but i mean that someone can watch the show not know about noah's interview and think he's straight and in love with el or whatever #(or aroace! there's people who still say that...) #which like i said i know they're dumb and the show is smart blah blah blah but it's just so annoying to me that people #can be like oh but it's subtext TECHNICALLY robin is the only queer character in the show :) like she's literally not #when people are like oh it's only confirmed outside of the show that doesn't actually mean much it's funny to me because like. are the #duffers jk rowling. who confirms a character's sexuality in the middle of a show and then retcons it? do the people who say this just think #they're gonna make him straight in season 5 like what #strangernews11 this is all your fault #this is about a qrt of their byler fanart tweet that was like 'and nothing for the canon lesbian' with a reply that said one is straight #and the other is subtext like DIE oh my god #sorry. i would never wish harm on anyone over a fictional character......... #i know i shouldn't care but i do. byler hate is bad enough i can't handle people saying will isn't even gay #byler hate actually doesn't really faze me anymore i'm just like i'll win in the end... #and like i say: brf slt

[bylertruther]

so crazy to think there was a time in this fandom where saying "idk guys i think the character that gets called multiple gay slurs, bullied specifically for that reason, and whose own mother suggests he's gay, and who other people say his disappearance was also for that reason might, like... idk... actually be gay :/" would get you ridiculed and talked down at and now we're here talking about how will is in love with another male main character, his bestest friend and scene partner that he's now spent two entire seasons with, and had multiple mike-will specific subplots with, and who he's literally in a love triangle with, and whose art for him is real actual merch that you can buy in 39483 different formats. like. 😳 fucking FINALLY

#we went from In Your Face Undeniably Gay Without Saying The Word Gay levels of 'subtext' #which tbh i don't think it can even count as subtext bc they have every other character except will say it but it's not a secret... #they just don't ever Say The Words but they tell you in 93804948039 other words from 39048309480 other characters #to FINALLLYYYYYYYYYY making will say in other words Yes I'm Gay Yes I'm In Love With The Boy Who's Been By My Side At My Best And My Worst #And Who Never Once Gave Up On Me Even When It Was Dangerous And Would've Been Understandable And The Smart Thing To Do I Love Him So Much #That I'm Willing To Break My Own Heart Into A Million Pieces If It Brings Him Even A Single Second Of Peace Because I Just Want Him To Be #Happy Even If That's Not With Me #liek. oKAY WILLIAM!!!!!! OKAY!!!!! ALRIGHT!!!!!! COMING OUT SWINGING IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO CONFIRM THE GAY ALLEGATIONS HE HAD TO #TURN THIS SHIT INTO A ROMANCE COMING OF AGE STORY LIKE. SPEAK UR TRUTH KING !!!!!!

[earlgreybocchan]

Actually Actually so sick of Shinji being a meme and not even in a taking a character so personally I can't even take a joke kind of way but it's really annoying how one of the main points if not THE main point of Evangelion, at least the anime series by itself, is about how isolating and terrible and repetitive that depression and negative self image feels and for some reason all I ever see is Shinji in that chair and people making jokes that are basically just like Shinji's depressed 🤣 he's the most depressed guy in the world 🤣 depressed cartoon guy in chair because he's so depressed 🤣

#and also!! also!!! shinji being gay has a lot to do with his depression. that's not even subtext. and there are more people that just... #...make fun of him for that too. one of the eva accounts i follow on twt that just posts like screencaps had to come out and say to stop... #...calling shinji slurs in the quote tweets #it's so so fucked that he's turned into like the face of anime depression when this show is literally about how bad depression feels #how do you watch that series that uncritically and come out of it like. depression is so funny. #it's not even just shinji that's depressed literally every character is another facet of how depression feels. #all of the girls are depressed too but i don't think anyone thinks anything of them outside of being sex objects for some reason #but that's a separate post. #like i wish anime fans were actually funny. #neon genesis evangelion