#qaf season 5

[bookdork1]

god michael is so annoying

#qaf #he's annoyed me less on this rewatch because i knew ben would be there to distract him but my god he's infuriating in season 5 #even worse than he is in season 1

[isthatovid]

just found the seasons 1-4 original soundtrack collectors edition box sets of queer as folk in a charity shop in whitechapel….. for £3 each. mine now

#I AM SOOOO HAPPY #they all have coupons inside them for condoms and gay cruises from the 2000s. obsessed #all i need now is season 5 #qaf #issy.txt

[classic-maya]

When do you think Brian fell in love with Justin?

Omg, a QaF fan??? In my DMs??? It’s more likely than you think. Ok I have many a thought and I’m going to work backwards. It might be controversial b/c I think it happened early on in season 1 because…

By 1x10 Brian is so whipped he drives all night to New York to find Justin and even though he is beyond pissed the second Justin gives him puppy dog eyes Brian is falling over himself to get inside him.

Look at Justin’s smug little face! He knows that he has Brian wrapped around his little finger. He starts stripping and Brian doesn’t do anything but Justin is so confident he teases him and asks if he needs help taking his clothes off. Justin is the king.

Before that in 1x08 after Craig beats Brian up outside of Babylon and gives Justin the ultimatum to go home now or never again; Brian storms off yelling an emphatic “fuck!” He thought Justin would go home and in that moment he was mourning the relationship. I think Brian was already in love. It hurt him to see Justin being asked to choose between his family and Brian but really between his true self and being accepted by his family. Brian knows this pain and it’s why he had not yet come out by this point in the show and it tears him up to see Justin go through that.

Two episodes before, 1x06, we see Brian looking at Justin’s drawing while someone under the covers is giving him head. This scene is the first time we see Brian have sex with someone else while actively imagining they are Justin instead. Also he goes to the art show at the center in this ep and he would not have done that just for Lindsay. He is there for Justin and he is sooo in love.

In 1x05 Brian kicks a trick out because the guy was rude to Justin. At this point Justin is already much more meaningful to him than a one night stand. After this Brian tells Justin not to rely on anyone else and the only person you can trust is yourself. I think this scene is so telling because ostensibly Brian is talking to Justin but really he is desperately trying to remind himself of this belief. He is already in love but he is also afraid of what that means.

I think Brian fell in love as early as 1x03 when Justin had the gall to steal two tricks from him. It was a like-recognizes-like moment. Brian for the very first time respected Justin and saw him as more than just some kid. In a scene at Woody’s in this ep Brian defends Justin to Michael and says “Leave him alone…he’s actually kind of sweet.” Justin’s move at the end of the ep was far from sweet and it not only turned Brian on, it had him head over heels. The way he smiles while kissing him on the dancefloor that night and holds him up in his arms like a trophy. I’m certain Brian took him home and couldn’t keep his hands off him the rest of the night.

For the rest of the season we see the tension between Brian’s love for Justin and Brian’s love for his lifestyle. Falling in love with someone is entirely discordant with Brian’s idea of himself and as we know he feels he can’t be trusted to love someone and have them love him in turn. He is terrified of that vulnerability and he doesn’t want to be hurt especially by someone he has allowed to get this close to him.

This follows them until season 5 when Brian finally allows himself to tell Justin that he loves him. He says it’s because of the bomb, but Brian already had to consider losing Justin once before, and instead of telling Justin that he loved him after the bashing he instead pretends that he didn’t even show up to the hospital despite visiting him every day and watching him sleep. Brian loved Justin from the beginning but he had so much work to do healing from his childhood and the walls he built up before he could even consider letting himself be vulnerable enough to admit it to Justin.

Finally, I just want to say that Justin is god’s strongest soldier. Was he perfect? No. Did he leave Brian and misunderstand him a few times? Yes. But jesus Brian did not make it easy on him. It takes a lot to love someone unconditionally even when they refuse to tell you what you both know is true.

Ok, stepping off my soapbox.

#queer as folk #qaf #britin #brian kinney #justin taylor #qaf meta #can you tell i just rewatched season 1 #anon #asks #orig

[britingotmywholeheart]

I asked @britinbliss for their favorite britin scenes and also for their favorite qaf scenes in the whole show, and I am sooo happy that they answered, and they asked me to answer the questions too, so here we are.

My favorite britin scenes:

5. I really love their first time sex scene cause it was so intense and just beautiful and really hot. Especially, I love the rim-job Brian gave Justin. It was so beautiful when Brian's tongue runs over Justin's back and a small drop of sweat caught on her. And Justin moaning when Brian's tongue got in his ass was just so intense. I love it!

4. The pride party scene at the end of the pride episode is sooo beautiful. Justin accepted who and how Brian is and wanted to leave, so Brian can do what he wants to do, but Brian just wanted to dance with Justin is such a huge step in their relationship. "Hey stud, wanna dance with me?" "Shut up." "I promise you won't forget this one." makes me giggling and smiling every time cause it is just so cute and beautiful. Brian would literally do anything for Justin, and we see this in season two. Season five is so far away, but we can see that Brian really cares about Justin and loves him. Brian is just proud of Justin cause he made it. He showed his pride and he got over the thing with Chris Hobbs. Brian taught Justin so much and this scene shows this and is just lovely.

3. Of course, I really love the scene in s5 ep10 where Brian says "I love you." for the first time. I cried so much when I first saw it because we all waited so long for this moment, and it was soooo beautiful. Brian showed Justin that he loves him for five seasons (not straight lol) but when he said it a new era began.

2. Also, one of my favorite scenes is when Brian brought Justin to Britin and said he would do anything and be anyone to prove Justin that he loves him and that he meant it when he said he wants to marry him. The best part of this scene is when Justin said, "You bought this! This Palace!" and is totally in shock and Brian just answered "It's for my Prince." And when they made love on the floor in front of the fireplace, I was crying again.

1. My all-time favorite scene is their reunification in season three. How they are laughing and smiling while kissing and undressing each other is so beautiful. I can see that Brian missed Justin so much, and he wants him back soo badly. I just love this. And how they dance after this in Babylon is just perfect. Ben was so right when he said, "The biggest reunion since Germany" (which is so meaningful and funny to me because I am German). But I can not stay with my top five, cause my second all-time favorite scene is when Brian and Justin are celebrating that they betrayed Stockwell (of course they are celebrating with sex) and got interrupted by Stockwell and Gardner Vance. The sex in this scene was so intense and how they undressed each other was just beautiful. But what I also like about this scene is that Brian said "Wanna finish?" after Stockwell and Gardner Vance were gone. He doesn't seem to be mad about Justin and what happened. He wanted to go back to Justin and fuck his brains out like he always does, cause he hates it to get interrupted when he has his time with Justin.

To write down my top five was really difficult cause I love nearly all the britin scenes the show gives us, but I tried.

My favorite scenes from the show in general:

5. I really love the scene in s3 ep14 when everyone at Liberty Avenue is celebrating that Stockwell lost the election and Mel and Lindsey had their absolutely cute moment. They were sooo happy together, and I loved them very much in that scene. I also love the britin scene in the last moments of season three when Brian said, "I guess I've lost everything." And Justin answered, "Not everything." to show Brian, he will stay with him no matter what happens.

4. I also really enjoyed the scene in s1 ep1 when Daphne asked Justin where he was, and he just said, "I saw the face of god! His name is Brian Kinney." This scene is so funny but also shows how much Justin felt in love with Brian after one, okay two times, they had sex.

3. And you're right! I love the scenes where the whole group of friends helped for Mel´ and Lind's wedding. It was such so beautiful how they all worked together and Mel was soo happy about this. In my opinion, she wanted to hug Brian, but she knew it would be awkward for both of them, so she just smiled and punched him softly.

2. I really liked much of the scenes with Emmett and George. In my opinion they were a good and cute mature couple. And Emmett was so tough with the thing with George's money to give the whole money back to his awful family just to make his point clear.

1. I really don't like Cody Bell and what he made Justin do, but I love his little argument in the church with the reverent. "What's your point, young man?" "I believe the point is, if you can eat shrimp, we can eat cock!" I love this quote. It's so on the point and so true.

My favorite episode:

I would say my favorite episode in the show is s2 ep9, cause in serious times it's nice to watch it and just laugh about it. This whole episode is just funny and nice. The beginning where Brian fucks the reverent is so cool, cause in first place I thought Brian is just fucking around as always, but then he leans to the side and kisses Justin. And Micheal says they have a date night. Their definition of a date night is so cool. And then the whole thing with Ted taking viagra and the conversation on Mel´and Linds´ veranda, "What do you mean, you still have an erection?!" "Thank you, CNN!" is just so hilarious. Brian's idea to spook Ted's penis and when he said Mel and Lindsay should show him their tits to turn him of is soo funny. And after that, the scene where Justin and Brian really stole Teds viagra and are fucking for the tenth time this day and their conversation "I can't believe you're fucking me again." "It was your idea to steal Ted's viagra." is so fucking hilarious, too. The whole thing with Brian's mum is so shitty, and I hate Joan so much that it's actually funny again. How Brian holds his hands in front of his erection, so his mum can not see it, is so funny. I just love everything about this episode, so I should stop.

I could write so much more about other (favorite) episodes, so I should stop. It's too much.

I hope you all can understand what I wrote in here. English is not my first language, but I really try.

#queer as folk #brian kinney #britin #qaf #The whole thing escalated a bit #qafus #queer as folk us #michael novotny #emmett honeycutt #debbie novotny #ted schmidt #queerasfolkedit #queerasfolk

[sophsun1]

I found this link with an email from one of the writers on qaf explaining the decision behind the ending they gave Brian in Season 5 and let's just say their version of Brian and my version of Brian differ but I guess this gives you an insight into what their thought process was....

#britin #queer as folk #brian kinney #it was interesting to see their perception of him vs the fans #i say interesting but i vehemently disagree #🙃🙃🙃

[lostcol]

queer as folk rec list (#1)

Wooooo finally, sorry it took so long @bethespark ​ ♥

(This is also... inspiration for @eusuntgratie , but no pressure, we’re all well aware of your completely normal and sedate decent into hockey rpf that has consumed your soul and fic life.)

This will be the first post of a few; when I was going through my QAF bookmarks I came across way too many fics I want to rec. No real theme to these, there’s a variety of topics/themes/vibes.

ALL FICS ARE BRITIN/BRIAN X JUSTIN <3

The One Where Justin Loses His Hearing by LaVieEnRose

Series summary: AU after Season 4. The year Justin turns 23, he and Brian get the news that over the next year he's going to gradually lose all of his hearing. The series tracks the next years of their life as they manage their new reality, after-effects of the bashing, their eventual move to New York, and their ever-evolving relationship. Told in first-person chapters from their points of view and some outsiders, with some angst, a lot of hurt/comfort, and loads of humor. Never any big relationship drama, always disability-positive, and no one ever takes themselves too seriously. This isn't a WIP, per se, because all the stories are their own complete thing. It's just a collection of stories in a universe, so it's not going to have some definite end.

Absolutely my #1 rec. Listen, I know you’re going to open it and go holy shit this girl’s insane; it’s a series of one shots set in a universe, currently at 157 one shots and over 800,000 words. But because it’s a series of self-contained one shots, there’s no need to read it all, rush through, whatever. It’s amazing and so so worth it. Just check out the first fic, trust me. Most fics are M, some T, one or two E.

A Queer as Folk Halloween by Brynneth

Rated E, 4K, canon compliant

Summary:  A Halloween costume party, Brian and Justin style. Which of them will win the bet to decide what costumes they will wear?

This is possibly the first fic I read involving subspace. Funny and hot.

Sunshine is a Fucking Dick by Frayach

Rated M, 4K, canon compliant

Summary: Hurt/Comfort? Hurt/Comfort's bullshit.

Brian has cancer and the only way he’ll accept his Sunshine’s help is if he’s a dick about it. This is so good, I’ve reread it a bunch of times.

Contacts by LaVieEnRose

Rated G, 800 words, canon compliant

Summary: Over the years, they saved each other under different names.

What it says on the tin. How and why they’ve saved each other under different names in their phones over the years. Very cool character/relationship insight.

Fatherhood by PrettyTheWorld and TrueIllusion 

Rated M and E, 94K, 5 one shots (so far), post-series

Series summary: A series of one shots that focus on Brian's relationship with teenage Gus.

Really good series set post-series, Justin and Brian are living in NYC and Brian’s son Gus, who was 5 when the show ended, is a teenager living in Canada with his moms. Brian sometimes struggles to navigate parenting a teen, but he’s grown a lot and is determined to have a good relationship with his son, unlike his father’s relationship with him. On the softer side, some super sweet moments, some angst, some humor. 

#queer as folk #britin #brian x justin #brian kinney #justin taylor #gus peterson marcus #fic #fic rec #rec list #qaf rec list #ao3

[mariunnnn]

💌✨️Send this to ten other bloggers you think are wonderful. Keep the game going✨️💌

I so appreciate having you in the QAF fandom. Your stories about watching the show as it aired as well as your stories about your life are always so interesting. Thank you so much for being you!

I'm a bit behind on this, as sometimes I ignore Messages for my own sake.

But I definitely did watch QAF as it aired with such a good group. One of those people is still my BFF. She's doing her thing and we're still close. We met via having a cat allergy via a slumber party. However, someone that she and I were close to, outside of that group reached out to me randomly (at least to me) and it inspired me to reach out to one of those in the QAF watching group.

I had known him since elementary school and he got made fun of for being small and Chinese, a minority, and ultimately for being assumed gay. He was and is, and his coming out to me in a Chili's in suburban Atlanta was a moment - I guess I always knew. But I loved him so much for telling me. Not required.

He showed up when my mom was dying. Took me out to take me away from the misery of what I was dealing with, via another person we were friends with in highschool. I will remember that meal always, as it was so kind and I truly remember feeling so blank and anxious.

FF a bit, I got my own place via dead parents and inheritance and had to get a place I could afford. He went to a college at the time and kind of shifted around, and I would drive him places and then he broke away from his negative family, thankfully. He introduced me to his group he discovered, and those two gay men were invited to our decided Sunday thing to watch QAF. My place where was where we watched. I had a TiVO and ALL the fancy cable and the intro was SO LOUD and where I lived had brick walls, high ceilings, cement floors. It would resonate. We had so much fun watching QAF live.

He even grew up a little bit more, more confident, and we all went to a Showtime sponsored event at a club here when season 4 premiered. It was fun!

I'm rambling, but reconnecting - he and his BF have a kid. A boy. I reconnected because other stuff has happened along the way - but he replied that he had thought of me recently too (I started with an email about coffee at Ansley Mall in Atlanta - google it - it's very gay), and he told me he still has U2 on his playlist and thought of me recently (google it - that's me being a very white person in the 00's).

LOVE.

I'm going to pass this on, eventually, but I wanted to share this story.

ETA: Just for honesty and clarity. He became my roommate once with my BFF. He was dealing with a lot and moved out. He took my QAF Season 2-5 DVDs. I still have season 1. And I have season one in a perfect box. But perhaps he needed them more than me. Don't doubt that I had therapy moments about it though. We cleared things up after he went away and paid me back via loan I gave him for a car.

I truly have zero judgement now. I just like that on some level he's good. And perhaps didn't throw those DVDs away. Asking him about those DVDs might be wild now. I'm not there yet, but also who cares? Maybe he watched and still watches. I'm fine.

#the sweetest thing #qaf

[bigassbowlingballhead]

Hi! If you feel like answering more tv show asks: Queer as Folk? (Seeing you reblog qaf gifsets always makes me so nostalgic, i've only watched the show once or twice and that was over 10 years ago but i need a rewatch someday soon)

My rating (1-10): (I haven't finished season 5 yet) 7/10, it's a product of it's time FOR SURE but handles most things pretty well.

My favourite character: Brian, he's such a bitch (affectionate)

My least favourite character: Michael.

The character I think I'd be friends with: Ted <3 sad little loser gay man just like meeeeeee

The character I think I won't hit off with: See above, Michael. he's had a pretty charmed life all things considered but some how it's still never quite enough for him.

My favourite episode/scene: the s1 finale, is unmatched.

Whose clothing style I like best: I've ended up walking around my house in a tanktop, which i've never used to do. Brian Kinney's casual style has infected my brain.

Times I watched it (and if I would again): only on my first! I'll watch it again someday after i finish!

send me a tv show!

#box talk #stratocumulusperlucidus

[hamliet]

So, you said qaf is full of symbolism can you make some examples with some of your favourite imagery? Thank you!

Honestly I could do an episode by episode breakdown but ain't nobody got time for that (and no one would read it lol).

Scarf/Art as Life

One of the best ones that I noticed as I went through for the first time was the blood-stained scarf as Brian's life, which is tied to Justin, and also Justin's art, which is symbolic of his own life. I already wrote about those in depth here. But I do recall watching the episode and as soon as the scarf appeared, I noted that it was a symbol for Brian's life; when it ended up bloodstained, this was even more reinforced. And then, when it reappeared in the second season, I was genuinely shocked--it should have, but that is a detail that could easily have been neglected since symbolism is a lost art these days. Instead it's given its final focus after Justin and Brian make love for the first time since the incident. The art symbolism continues into the series' finale.

Sunshine

Justin is nicknamed "Sunshine" by Debbie and "sonny boy" by Brian, with of course the double meaning since "sonny" is pronounced the same as "sunny" in English. But the idea of Justin as a light appears numerous times in the story: he first meets Brian under a streetlight, and realizes that he wants to be back with Brian post break-up while again sticking his head under a lamp.

The Race

I've also written in-depth several times now about the race symbolism at the end of season 4. I love it. Also, I love how it calls back to Justin working so hard to get out of the hospital to see Brian in season 2... but Brian was always there.

Peter Pan

I've also mentioned how Michael's name is probably an allusion to Peter Pan, since Lindsay constantly calls Brian "Peter" starting from episode 1, and Brian calls Lindsay "Wendy." Of course, Peter Pan syndrome is at the core of Brian's character arc: he's gotta grow up. But it's also reinforced through other ways--for example, Brian's bratty nephews are actually named John and Peter, two other Peter Pan characters.

"Have Some Balls"

Minor thing, but during the confrontation where Justin shows Brian he wants to get back together, Brian tells him:

Oh, that is so like you! You don’t hear what you want, so you leave. Try standing up for yourself for a change? Have some balls!

Followed, of course, by a kiss. But that's season 3. Season 4 reuses this phrase by making "Have Some Balls" the literal title of the episode where Justin shows up and tells Brian off for hiding the fact that he had cancer and tells Brian to deal with him being taken care of for once. Standing up for yourself sometimes looks like accepting you need to ask for help (another theme throughout multiple seasons).

Home

Home is a motif really more so than just a symbol, but it's one of two major motifs introduced in episode one of the first season that then continues throughout all five seasons. When Brian's son is born, he tries to kick Justin out so that he can go see Gus, but Justin says "I can't go home." Because he has nowhere to go, Brian allows Justin to stay with him. Justin then quite literally ends up homeless, with Brian unwilling to commit but also not willing to throw him onto the street. But Brian in the end helps Justin find a temporary home with Deb.

In season 2, Brian tells Justin that he wants to "come home to" him every night. In season 4, Brian firstly kicks Justin out of their home because he thinks Justin will split now that he's got cancer, and then makes the big step of asking Justin to move back in, and Justin does in season 5, but it doesn't last. Why? Well, in season 5, Michael and Brian have this dialogue about Michael's suburban life with Ben:

Michael : It’s a home!

Brian: It’s a farce! It’s a freak show!

The point is that Brian mistakes a home here for a suburban life, instead of remembering where home has always been for him. Home being another person. He's Justin's home, and Justin is Brian's. When Brian finally decides to commit, he goes and... buys a home to symbolize it. But in the end, Justin doesn't want the home. He wants Brian, flaws and all.

Religion/God

I'm absolutely going to fumble this explanation because there is a lot of nuance and deeper dives needed into the nature of humanism and empathy and existentialism on the show to fully make this one clear. I just don't have time for that now, so have a messy ramble.

The second motif that's introduced in season one, episode one. For starters, Brian and Justin meet outside Babylon, a rather Biblical name. Yeah, yeah, you can associate with promiscuity and I don't doubt that's why the club is named that, but in terms of symbolism, Babylon is in the bible a place of exile, of wandering, of lamenting for... you guessed it, home. So. It's rather fitting Brian meets Justin outside of it, even if it's not intentional (it might be, though).

But anyways. The motif is then brought up when Justin tells Daphne "I just met the face of God. His name is Brian Kinney." Michael and Emmett also compare Brian to a god at various points--Michael in season 1, Emmett in season 3.

Ted later tells Emmett and Michael that:

I think God appreciates it even more. Because he created you in his image. At least that's what I was always taught. And since God is love and God doesn't make mistakes, then you must be exactly the way he wants you to be. And that goes for every person, every planet, every mountain, every grain of sand, every song, every tear... and every f****t. We're all his, Emmett. He loves us all.

The idea of "God is love" is how the show defines God, regardless of faith (though it does rely more on Christian symbolism unsurprisingly because America's literary zeitgeist is saturated with ideas of sacrifice and resurrection; to its credit, QaF largely rejects the former (but not always) and celebrates the latter). Lots of people use religion to hurt our characters (and frankly, in real life, lots of people use religion to hurt queer people). But love is something all these characters have for each other, and so there's an element of the divine in these relationships, of always finding their way back to one another, of things like forgiveness and grace and rebirth and resurrection (something Justin, Michael, and Brian all explicitly go through, with Justin and Michael's respective near death experiences and Brian's dream of himself in a casket right after he tells Justin he loves him for the first time. This symbolizes Brian finally growing and transcending his childish, petty self to an extent).

QaF is also fundamentally about humanity, and a celebration of life. There's an idea that everyone is put on this earth to love, no matter how that looks, and that's what the show ultimately upholds as its central value. Love is good. Simple, yet radical. Showing people they are loved is even better, and that's again also something associated with the divine in some ways in the show. For example, the moment where Brian tells off his highly religious, homophobic mother by saying God gave him another chance post-cancer so he can fuck every hot guy he sees, and then God actually comes through and he gets hard for the first time since his surgery (and goes to immediately find Justin). It's a funny scene, but it also could be read as having thematic depth in that Brian is given another chance to go and show Justin that he loves him.

#ask hamliet #qaf #queer as folk #britin #brian kinney #justin taylor #michael novotny #qaf us #overanalyzing is what i do #i should shut up but no #qaf meta

[ohkate]

Gallavich

So I’m way tardy to the party, but I recently marathoned Shameless based on some of the ian/mickey gifsets I’ve seen. A few observations:

1. Mickey Milkovich was the best character on that show. I’m a little bit obsessed with him. It DOES NOT COMPUTE why he was so criminally underused. Any amount of money Noel was asking for they should have just thrown at him like a stripper. I didn’t realize what a good actor he was. The scene where he tells Ian, “Don’t” and his voice cracks, the rape his father forced on him, anytime he talked about his family... despite being so tough-guy on the surface, you could tell how much pain he was in at pretty much all times. Seeing him with Ian sometimes trying to hide letting him see the real guy underneath reminded me of when you take an abused dog into a loving home...it just shakes in the corner for a while because it’s scared and doesn’t know how to handle not being abused. Living in that house he grew up in was like living with an open festering wound that got poked regularly.

2. If they didn’t let Ian and Mickey have a happy ending I swear to god I was going to crack a chair across someone’s face. I felt physically anxious about it. I needed it to end well. In that last scene where I thought he forgot their anniversary and he didn’t...I felt this ball of anxiety I’d been holding just expecting the worst finally let go. And the speech about being afraid he wouldn’t be a good father... I just wanted to dig up Terry and resuscitate him just so I could kill him myself and watch him die again. 

3. Cameron Monaghan is sort of disturbing to look at in the best way. In one scene he’ll look like a literal child and the next scene he’s a beefcake and his face looks harsh and squared up. It kind of freaks me out but he’s got a fantastic body. I feel like he grew 3 feet over the course of one season, lol. One of the hottest scenes is when he’s trying to stop Mickey and he just goes into commando mode and clothes lines him in the neck. Sometimes you forget Ian is  Army/Rotc trained and then he does something super hot like that to remind us. Also when he headbutted Terry-- that was just gravy.

4. The final 3 seasons were amazing for them. I loved so much watching their progression. I loved the way Mickey was so hurt about how Ian was acting after the original proposal. Mickey is always so ‘I don’t care’ and this really hurt him. I love how they kept reminding us of Mickey’s true self in these little moments. He plays the stereotypical tough guy so much and then suddenly there’s a moment where he’s clearly affected by something and Ian comes in to just hold him or calm him. 

5. I’m pretty convinced the whole wedding arc was done entirely just to appease the fans because it was so funny seeing Mickey go bridezilla and it was also sweet and yet another reminder of how much more sensitive he is than he ever wanted to show. But with Ian he could. He felt safe enough to. Not always, but a lot. 

6.They really needed to work a bit more on their kissing scenes, lol. Maybe i’ve just been really spoiled by Brian and Justin from QAF as Gale Harold and Randy Harrison’s kissing game goes unmatched to this day. But good lord you can tell these were 2 straight dudes trying to get through it. 

Love the ship and I’ve been watching lots of music vids and I’m really glad I decided to check it out. 

#gallavich #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #mickey is my deviant soulmate #noel fisher #is a pretty amazing actor

[winderlylandchime]

May I ask what is your favorite to least favorite seasons of qaf arrangement? And what are your favorite episodes?

Hello dear sweet anon! What a wonderful question.

My most favorite to least favorite seasons in order… to be clear this is a little like asking me to rank order my favorite pets (or children if I had any). The margins on this are so slim, except for season 5. But here we go:

1. Season 2 - the aftermath of the bashing and the sweet honeymoon period Brian and Justin have is EVERYTHING to me. I love how we get a disabled romantic lead and Brian, this sex god of gay Pittsburgh, just is… unfazed by that? He still sees Justin as sexy and wants him and cares for him without it Being a Thing. As someone who is a partner to someone with a disability (their preferred language), this is so personal and meaningful. And then we have the angst of them slipping apart and not communicating and then the end… oh my god, the angst. Just seeing them love each other but not trust the other’s love is so heartbreakingly beautiful. For their character arcs, I think a break up is necessary.

2. Season 3 - the angst of them being apart at the start of the season is so delicious. I hate the way Justin and Ethan break up because it’s not a clear rejection of monogamy nor is it Justin saying “I won’t be closeted again” but rather Ethan cheats on him… which plenty of monogamous couples do not cheat! … BUT minus that, perfection. And then, of course, the most historic reunification since Germany and that delight blends right into the Stockwell take down. There are a couple of things that are perfect about this arc - the call back to Jason Kemp/Dumpster Boy from the prior season, using art to enact social justice, the take down of a corrupt politician. Realistic? No. Great story? Absolutely.

3. Season 1 - our boys meeting and falling in love and some peak sassy Justin and Brian being absolutely like a cartoon character who got smacked over the head with a hammer falling for this boy to what is probably one of my favorite episodes of TV of all time, prom with episode 122. Oof, everything about that is perfection. Gale’s acting in the parking garage and the last shot at the hospital? AMAZING.

4. Season 4 - great TV, great season. I love the establishing of Kinnetik, I love the cancer arc. I wish we had more of the cancer arc though. Also, Justice for Vic. No complaints, but also nothing that screams to me the way the first few seasons do. The ending “as for the times you are not here” though will always be so special to me. The series could have ended there and left the viewer with the assumption that Justin goes to LA for a bit and then returns and lives with Brian. Perfect. Lovely ending.

5. Season 5 - honestly, season 5 can jump off a cliff for all I care. We have a some lovely Brian doubting Justin will ever return from LA and cancelling his surprise visit, love that. Totally Brian. Then we have Justin eventually returning and reassuring Brian. Perfect. Totally Justin. And then everything goes off the rails. Brian reverts to behavior we honestly haven’t seen from him since S2. Justin suddenly, at the ripe old age of 22, wants monogamy, marriage, and a baby (???) Like who are these characters and what did they do to our boys? Break up, heartbreak. Okay then we have the bombing of Babylon and the “I love you” heard ‘round the world. LOVE! I love that Brian finally gave Justin the words… but oh my god marriage and Britin? Makes no sense. It fits because Brian of course doesn’t take things to a 7 or 8 or even a 10. He goes overboard, takes things all the way off the scale 11. But then… Justin, bb, sunshine, tell that man that you don’t need monogamy or marriage or a house in the boondocks. Tell him you just want a little bit more commitment than you had. But no. So we have the marriage that was doomed from the start (although the scene trying on tuxes and the golden gardenias scene does things to my soft heart). And then someone guy publishes an article about Justin and that’s enough to send him to NYC to establish himself. With no job, no money, and NO BRIAN. Brian, who, it has been long established, longs to move to NYC. WTF. I get that that’s a bit of raising him to be the “best homosexual he can be” and surpassing Brian is the goal, but c’mon. They were going to get married. I love love love the line “Only Time” because I do think their relationship transcends time and space. They are a true OTP. Absolutely. But even if Brian is going to stay in Pittsburgh for a bit or whatever, at least show Justin and Brian dancing together at the reopening of Babylon. Or at least Justin there. Brian dancing alone at the end of the series is just so heartbreaking for me. Like they truly erased all growth and now he’s more alone than ever. I hate it. I want to yeet it into hellfire.

#dear sweet anon #ask winderlylandchime #queer as folk

[slayerchick303]

Me watching the QAF season 1 finale for the first time: "Well, there's surely nothing that could make me panic and cry more than that in the rest of this show!"

Season 5, episode 10: "Hold my beer."

#the bashing and “i love you” destroy me EVERY time #justin was so happy after prom :'( #it took a literal bombing for brian to finally tell justin he loved him #and brian freaking out that the hospital won't let him donate blood because he's gay #queer as folk #qaf #queer as folk us #britin #qaf us #qaf 2000 #queer as folk 2000 #qafamily #brian kinney #justin x brian #brian x justin #justin taylor #gale harold #randy harrison

[chaos0pikachu]

because you've mentioned it a couple of times i wanted to ask if you would recommend Queer as Folk?

Short answer, no. lol

I watched QAF when I was way to young (like a young teenager) to be watching QAF but gay shit was really hard to come by back in the early 00's which is why queer folks like me turned to BL/GL in the first place. Like, jesus fuck Gravitation is a shitty story but that's all we had ya know?

I think QAF was a product of it's time like Brian is a creep and mistreats Justin pretty badly all things considered as a dumb teenager I was so sad they didn't end up together but as an adult I'm like oh thank god Justin leaving made sense for the narrative and was what was best for him actually. The show is outright afraid of the concept of bisexuality, and has no real concept of poly or open relationships. It's also really freaking white.

I do think it deserves it's place in the conversation about American queer media though, it tackles a lot of relevant problems, it allowed gay men and women on TV to be complicated, messy, and flawed characters. Yes the lesbians also get to be messy on this show! It was also one of the few shows that, at the time, openly and unashamedly depicted sexual intimacy with queer characters. Safe sex, unsafe sex, discussion of AIDS and HIV, sex work, kink, monogamy vs non-monogamy and other topics I'm probably forgetting about.

It showcased the weight of discrimination, hate crimes, gay bashing, along side the joys of pride and drag culture, and the innate joy of being queer.

It was very genuinely a drama with gay characters, highs and lows and mess and flaws. It's not a romance, it's a drama first and foremost. I don't think it's for everyone, I don't think I'd like it much if I watched it again as an older adult tbh b/c the Brian/Justin relationship would make me uncomfortable.

I would read up one the show, and then decide for yourself if it'd be something you'd be interested in picking up. It's like 5 seasons, seasons 1 and 2 have about 20 episodes, while seasons 3 - 5 have 14 episodes each and all episodes clock at an hour long.

When I mention QAF in comparison to Only Friends I mean more of the aesthetic, tone, concept and overall vibe of the shows or at least what Only Friends was originally sold as anyway.

#chaos pikachu speaks

[susieskinner93]

nostalgia hit me hard so I rewatched a couple of QAF episodes and you know what I just absolutely LOVE?

the way Brian and Jennifer's relationship developed over those 5 years.

I never would've thought back then when I first saw her basically forbid Brian to even see Justin that in the final season she would say that she was sorry that Brian won't be her son-in-law.... I mean COME ON what a brilliant turnout that was

#qaf us #qaf #queer as folk #brian kinney #jennifer taylor #it's still my all time favorite show

[nick-nellson]

Laura, I finished it...I finished QAF....and immediately ordered the box set so I can watch it again soon. I miss it already and it's only been two minutes 😭

Also, I had very mixed feelings about season 5 (as I assume most people did), but I didn't actually hate the series finale. I feel like Brian's "it's only time" speech was actually the most romantic thing he's ever said and even more impactful than finally saying "I love you". I mean, remember at the beginning of s5 when he thought Justin had abandoned him for LA just because they'd been apart for a few months? And now he's saying that time isn't a barrier to their love for each other, literally nothing is, because they actually love each other that much. Romantic af.

I mean, if I'd been a writer for the show, I wouldn't have ended the series that way, but I have literally no doubts whatsoever that they are endgame. And even though season 5 was pretty messy, they did make a lot of strides in their relationship. Brian actually proposing and being willing to get married showed a lot of character growth on his part and I think finally convinced Justin how serious he was, which gave him enough confidence to go to New York. Idk, I'm rambling now and I'll stop, I just have a lot of feelings and no one else to talk to 😭

you did it!!!! i love the restraint you had to finish it before buying it cause i did that when i was midway through watching hahaha!

oh i’m so glad you hear you didn’t hate the finale because i also didn’t hate the finale! it wasn’t over for them, they so totally saw each other all the time and maybe in the future they did tie the knot! ITS ONLY TIME!!!!! i’ve never recovered tbh and you’re right it’s romantic af!!!

i think every season has a storyline i don’t love but that overall it was a solid run and it did its job well. i fully support you rewatching it as soon as you get it!

#ivysunna #q and a #queer as folk

[sophsun1]

I hope it's okay to keep coming into your ask box but I have another question about QAF. I've just started my watch of S5, got thru 5x05 last night, send help please I'm scared lol, but why does Brian say only 4 weeks when the couple from Britin's 4-way in 5x04 asks them how long they've been together? Does he think he and Justin were on a break while Justin was in LA? Also, really not loving whatever the fuck is happening with Justin. I've seen a lot of tags and analysis about it, but seeing it on screen hits different I guess. Ugh. Thank you kindly for humoring me!

Hey!

Welcome to the fandoms most disliked season - Season 5!

I would say that for the most part you kind of just have to sigh and shake your head at the contradictory characterisations which swing wildly from one point of view to another.

Justin definitely suffers from this a lot and he was kind of sacrificed for their overall story arc. All in all the writers wanted a conflict to split britin up again and giving Justin a personality transplant and wanting to be a happy homemaker was the route they took.

They were trying to go for a more mature, grown up Justin who was ready to settle down played against Brian's regression to season one commitment-phobe. So there had to be a disconnect between them like the breakup in S2 the rehashing of old plots was such a weak and unnecessary decision.

I would say that's why Brian said they'd been together 4 weeks to Justin's 4 years, which is the *correct* answer as when they were apart they still orbited each other and were just as connected tyvm. The scene in question has the couple saying they got married and were together for 10 years and Justin is really impressed but then they go on to say monogamy wasn't for them and they decided to be open and Brian agrees that monogamy sucks and you see Justin's face kind of fall. So it was just to further the conflict between them in my opinion.

This season is the one I rewatch the least but there are some beautiful moments to come so it's not all bad!

#britin #queer as folk #soph asks #you've got to endure the worst of it before it gets good