#ARE FICTIONAL GAYS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU????

[infiniteaugends]

Okay! I need to get this out of my head. I’ve seen some posts that are upset that people are upset about the BuckTommy break up. The core gripe of these posts is that the show still has HenKaren and so we shouldn’t be upset about the handling of the other main queer couple. Which makes no sense because BuckTommy and HenKaren fulfill different niches. One is a bisexual man exploring a new relationship and the other is two gay women who are settled with multiple kids.

However, this post is to talk about HenKaren. Yes I love them! They were the main thing that drew me to the show long before bi Buck became a thing. They are two black women in a relationship. Neither is ‘conventionally’ attractive. Hen is pretty visually queer. I love them. I want more of them in the show. However I don’t relate to them. Almost all of their storylines revolve around motherhood. There is very limited exploration of them as queer women outside of motherhood. Karen is a literal rocket scientist and that has never even been used as any sort of plot point. Like the amount of physics she knows and understands could be used to great effect. Micheal got to help break into a bank vault with Bobby, but Karen has never been used in a similar way. Like the amount of STEM knowledge stored in her brain 100% could have solved at least a few rescues. Can we explore these amazing woman as queer women instead of mothers just sometimes pls.

I read a fanfic that explored how Don’t ask, Don’t tell could have affected Karen. That she couldn’t become an astronaut because of it. I would love more of that energy in the show.

So yes you are right I am bemoaning the way Buck and Tommy’s break up was handled. I am bemoaning the lack of care given to exploring Buck’s bisexuality within monogamy. I am allowed to be upset. I am allowed to not relate to the storylines given to Hen and Karen. What happened to Hen being kinda witchy and blaming the moon cycle for her cheating? What happened to Hen and Karen and Athena’s wine mom nights? Where is our exploration of Karen as partner to a woman in a dangerous field of work? Where is our exploration of their relationship outside of kids?

You want me to appreciate the crumbs of queer representation being tossed my way? Well won’t you’re right we should be angry that Hen and Karen are treated as second class citizens in the narrative. We should be upset that their importance has been reduced to only motherhood. We should be upset that this show is mishandling all of its queer characters and letting Eddie Diaz have freedom and joy while our queer representation suffers.

BuckTommy was the straw that broke the camels trust in 911 ability to craft realistic queer lives and continue to care about them more than a diversity check mark. I will continue to watch HenKaren clips on YouTube and read fan-fiction. I will continue to engage with Bi Buck fan-fiction that heals the parts of me that Glee and this show have bruised. I will not thank them for the stale crumbs they brush from the table. Do I love Hen and Karen? Yes! Is it enough? Not anymore!

Anyway, I got a little heated and upset, but all this discourse is really just rubbing me the wrong way. Let people be upset and hurt. Their feelings are valid whether you agree.

[cookie-nom-nom]

I wasn’t going to say anything but the take was dismal so:

“””the she ra reboot is oversexualized, it’s wrong to sexualize and homoeroticize teenagers. They should have been adults in the show”””

-the reboot is oversexualizing teenagers

Hilarious given the right wing melt down over it too being woke and ugly for *checks notes* giving She Ra shorts to wear, having muscles, and not massive boobs. Did we seriously forget the entire controversy about them not being sexy enough. Y’all. They were seething and whining.

We can have a conversation about sexualizing teenagers! That is a problem that exists, and there’s a tricky nuance to enforcing beauty standards on teens, fetishizing youth in a predatory way, and acknowledging that teens may want to explore their own sexuality and its healthy to do so. Just, I’m not convinced sexualization is happening in SPOP but sure, later outfit designs do start to show more skin. When they’re literally growing up because hey, the show covers a few years and the main cast is in the 20-21 range by the end. And even then like

If that’s the epitome of sexualization you might be a puritan.

-It is wrong to homoeroticize teenagers

Loud incorrect buzzer sound! Rumor has it teenagers can and will be gay! If your problem is with shipping fictional teenagers, say that. I can’t imagine anyone who has ever been in a fandom will agree, but at least it wouldn’t be homophobic.

-The show should have been about adults.

It’s. It’s literally about child soldiers. That’s literally what the show is about. Would it be the same if Catra was an adult? No, because her story is about an abused and traumatized teenager desperate to have enough power she can’t be hurt anymore. She is young and inexperienced and rebelling and making horrible, selfish choices and it’s so deeply tied into her age because she’s just now growing up enough to be strong and clever enough to flip the tables. Would it be the same if Adora was an adult? No, because her story is about the horror of a teenager being turned into an idol, into a weapon of war. We literally watch how that shapes her as she steps into adulthood. Would it be the same if Glimmer was an adult? No, because her arc is going from a rebellious teenager demanding to be taken seriously and have more control, to her struggling when she gets shoved into adulthood and queenhood far too young as she looses her only present parent.

No, the story about teen soldiers crumpling under the war they’ve grown up in would not be better if it was about adults, because it would HAVE to be a different story with different themes. If you want to say they shouldn’t have been hot while doing so, fine whatever, but eviscerating the core premise in order to ‘fix’ it is a disservice to the story.

[chaifootsteps]

The Valentino and Angel Dust section are infuriating and I have to rant about it:

1) Vivziepop can’t complain when people reduce Angel Dust to a sex joke when that’s all the promotional stuff does for him. It’s just “he did porn. Laugh”. His personality is just porn and abuse. This isn’t interesting and honestly just offensive. I actually wish when I thought he was at worst, a 90s gay stereotype

2) The playbills not mentioning Valentino being a serial rapist/abuser is fucking annoying but whatever, it’s meant to be more lighthearted. What annoys me is that all they talk about instead is how hot he is and that’s it. Not his personality or interests, nothing that makes him complex or nuance or just a little bit INTERESTING like his fans pretend he is. Just weird affirmations for a serial rapist.

3) this also explains why Vivziepop is weirdly passive aggressive towards people who hate Valentino. She wanted everyone to see him as a sexy problematic yaoi boyfriend and when a lot of survivors understandably didn’t, and had a massive issue with people trying to woobify a man who’s only lines are about how much he loves murder and rape, she got angry. Which is so telling because she’s so fandom and porn brained that she didn’t realize some survivors wouldn’t look past Valentino’s abusive behavior to find him sexy.

4) The gags about the weird titles of porn films that Angel Dust has starred in aren’t funny but far less funny when you know none of it is consensual. Why is Vivziepop still trying to push this joke about how funny it is that Angel Dust is a porn star and is owned by Valentino. Even in merch like Youtooz they make jokes about it. As if we didn’t see what the porn films actually look like, where he’s visibly in pain and literally beat up LOL.

5) Vivziepop’s obsession with incest and pedophilia, particularly with underaged boys needs to be studied dude. I’m not saying Vivziepop is a pedophile but it’s such a frequent pattern of hers and it adds to that obsession with seeing queer men suffering. Yes porn is pretty notorious for having problematic themes like incest and pedophilia but when you know how she treated some of her underaged male zoophobia characters (cough cough ADDISON cough) it’s just makes me side eye her a bit

6) also want to add that obsession with “the pure boy” plus the script that would go on and on about how Angel dust is a little boy is fucking creepy. I wouldn’t be shocked if Viv was ever exposed as a shotacon

7) if Valentino dies and Angel dust still makes constant sex jokes and still sexually harasses men then Viv no longer has a right to complain when people point it out

Nailed it. "He did porn. Laugh," is pretty much the show's entire philosophy when it comes to Angel Dust, and one they refuse to budge from even when the moment is meant to be horrifying and serious.

There's no need to wait on her being exposed for it -- Viv absolutely used to be into shota. Apparently, she and Dollcreep would sit around RPing all kinds of horrifying stuff with underage Addison. But that said, this was back during a time when maybe one out of ten people in the fandom thought twice about that. It's hard to stress enough how lackadaisical people used to be about fiction.

[demadogs]

as a gay swiftie i need to say it i fucking hate gaylors so much. the news of the split of her 7 year relationship came out yesterday and gaylor is already trending on twitter. it doesnt matter how huge of a status a person has STOP READING INTO THE SEXUALITY OF REAL HUMAN BEINGS!!!!!!

[mbat]

ah, the homoerotic relationship between a human social outcast and an abomination against nature

[alchemiclee]

i know this has been said 473773474833 times by the kavetham/haikaveh shippers and probably even nonshippers, but i'll say it again. I finally finished the genshin summer event and did the little after quest in sumeru and.....every time kaveh is sneaking around trying not to be noticed coming out of alhaithams house it's just such a gay vibe. he's basically screaming "I can't be caught being gay in a homophobic society!" even if that's not what the game writers are *actually* saying. that's just how it comes off and they can't make it come off any other way. with hoyo's gay history, it makes me wonder if it's on purpose and all a cover-up to have a technically different reason for it so they can get away with it lmao but we will never know.

[whoa-where-did-the-pancakes-go]

The thing abt me is i WILL get too invested in side characters

[lizardperson]

can you feel my bass

[on ao3]

fandom: original work rating: g wc: 695 prompt: #fff270 lights and sirens for @flashfictionfridayofficial

---

"I hate it," Valerie yelled.

"What?" Eli yelled back and moved closer to her.

"I said I hate it!"

He gave her the typical Eli-look. "Oh, come on! You said you'd give it a chance!"

"Well, I did. And I hate it."

He rolled his eyes. "We've been here for a full three minutes! You promised me an hour."

"I hate you," she sighed. He wasn't wrong. And he knew her too well, that's why he had talked her into staying in this stupid club for another fifty-seven minutes before she was allowed to officially label it as a 'once and never again' experience. And she already had regrets.

"No, you don't," he countered - and again, he wasn't wrong. "Anyway, I'm going to dance now. Feel free to join me." Eli turned on his heel and dove into the crowd without waiting for an answer.

Valerie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking after him. "I don't dance," she grumbled to herself.

Instead, she made her way to the bar. Might as well get a drink if she had to kill an hour without losing her mind. Finally holding a beer in hand, she leaned against a wall and let her eyes wander across the room. What a ridiculous idea this had been, going 'to the club'. While the crowd was mostly her age - at least Eli hadn't dragged her to some college club or something - she still felt completely out of place and awkward as hell. And she did hate it. The music overall wasn't bad, but way too loud, the lights were too flashy, and there were too many people.

Valerie had promised Eli an hour, but nobody said she actually had to spend that time on the dancefloor, or anywhere near it for that matter, so she eventually fled outside for some fresh air, and peace and quiet. A few small groups of people stood around, chatting and smoking, and she bummed a cigarette off someone, then found a lonely corner and enjoyed the cool night air.

A voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Hi!"

That tiny word was enough to set off blaring sirens in her head. Valerie looked up and sighed. "Oh. It's you." Great. Probably one of the last people she wanted to see tonight.

Annabelle beamed at her. "Wouldn't have taken you for the club-going type." Everyone else would have said that in a mocking tone - but not her. Why did she always have to be so damn earnest. And what was she grinning about anyway - no, not grinning. Smiling. Like she was actually happy that they had run into each other here. Valerie hated her.

"I'm not. That's why I'm standing around outside, instead of in the actual club," she informed her.

"Yeah, took me a bit to get into it, too," Annabelle chuckled. "But once you manage to let go and just forget the people around you and let the music carry you, it's actually really fun. Almost a bit of a transcendental experience sometimes."

Valerie wanted to respond with a mean comment, to make fun of her in some way, but for inexplicable reasons her usually so sharp tongue failed her. Instead, she just gave a vague "uh-huh".

"You wanna dance with me?" Annabelle's smile grew even wider, making her dimples more prominent. If it were lighter here, her many freckles and the slight wrinkles around her eyes would be more visible too. Why was she smiling so much all the time anyway…

"Doesn't your husband mind or something?" Valerie scoffed, getting a loud laugh in return.

"No, he really doesn't."

"Anyway, no."

Annabelle looked at her for a few moments, still smiling, then she nodded. "Okay. Then I will leave you to your beer. Hope you still have fun tonight."

"Sure. Whatever," Valerie grimaced.

"I'll see you around." Annabelle winked at her and finally left.

"Unfortunately," Valerie murmured to herself, looking after her. What was it with this woman and her ridiculous bouncy walk. Like she was skipping wherever she went. And did she seriously just wink at her? Valerie hated her so much. At least that's what she kept telling herself…

[asurrogateblog]

as a media psychology researcher 85% of my job is figuring out the most horrifically academic way to say "you idiots wouldn't last a day on tumblr"

[djungleskogs]

.

[heartsburst]

WHY MUST I ALWAYS GET INTO THE SADDEST FUCKING SHIPS WHY DO I KEEP DOING THIS TO MYSELF

[android-and-ale]

"FOR ALL MANKIND" SPOILER FREE REVIEW:

Watch it. Treat yourself. It's so damn good.

This is superb Character Driven Storytelling dressed up in a spacesuit. The writing is incredible.

If you're struggling with character motivations, this is a masterclass in taking a small, personal issue and spinning it up into an international incident one bad decision at a time. The plot is always personal.

For All Mankind also has some of the best female characters I've seen on TV. They get to be flawed yet relatable and compelling. The arcs for both Aleida and Margo Madison are fucking incredible. There are points where both women are totally unlikeable yet you are still rooting for them.

I'm reminded of Nana Visitor saying that when she first read the scripts for Kira all she could think was, "This is a man's character! They wrote her like a man!" And what a delight it was to play someone with that kind of depth.

Knowing that, it's no surprise that For All Mankind's creator and executive producer is Ron D. Moore, who wrote for Star Trek TNG and Deep Space Nine. The man loves his character driven space opera!

You want all the gay representation they couldn't overtly give you in DS9? For All Mankind has your back. You want complex issues with no single clean cut solution? Hoo boy are you in for a treat. You want character driven everything? OH GOD THE CHARACTERS! THEY ALL HAVE DEPTH!

Season 4 just wrapped up. This is a good time to sign up for 1 month of Apple TV+ and watch it all before canceling.

[bisexualseraphim]

I can’t believe this needs explaining but a same-gender relationship by definition cannot be “heteronormative” lmao. The way two WOMEN date or have sex with each other or get married will never be heteronormative because they are not in a heterosexual relationship. And yes, this includes butch/femme relationships.

Like do you really think homophobes are looking at a twink and a bear holding hands and thinking “well the idea of them being inside each other turns my stomach but one is slightly more masculine than the other so I suppose it’s okay. Oh and they’re wearing T-shirts that say ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ which basically means ‘man’ and ‘woman,’ even better.” What world are you living in

[mars-ipan]

sidenote it is so funny to me that ppl are doing komaeda sexuality discourse in the year of 2024. folks…. he’s not real

[the-casbah-way]

why did my ex just like. formally ask me on a date like those men in period dramas courting the youngest daughter of the local duke

[timeisacephalopod]

I've kinda seen some pushback to the idea of representation in media and I don't necessarily think it's bad to point out actual rights are more important than Disney's thousandth first gay character that's fine, but I've had a LOT of people comment on my works about asexual characters and tell me what I wrote changed their life-and it's always that phrase- because they now have the language to describe what they feel. I've had people who ARENT ace or aro comment that what I wrote finally made a concept they didn't understand make sense, or that the way I explained things was interesting and enlightening and I'm kind of a mediocre writer who hasn't written anything in ages.

Like idk, if reading something from a writer who is fucking around and only somewhat talented can genuinely impact someone because they've not seen anything like them reflected back at them in life or media I don't think pushing for representation in media is as "needless" as some people seem to think and caring about that doesn't mean you don't care about more "important" (although if you think seeing people like you in media ISNT important it's because you already have that representation or are privileged enough to not care if you do, in which case maybe pipe down) stuff. Hell, I even got a Facebook message ages ago from someone who found a comment I left in an ace group about QPR's and what they meant to me and how I perceived them and the person no joke said what I wrote two years before they even found it changed their life forever because they finally knew what kind of relationship they actually wanted.

So like sure, of course there's always bigger fish to fry them diversity in media (you know, like diversity in real life lol) but I don't think it's as frivolous as some people are beginning to act like it is. At least not if you're an aspec person it's not, I STILL don't see ace characters almost ever and I'll bet my whole everything if I asked a writer of a show why they'd tell me that EVERYONE has to be in a sexual relationship and characters that aren't won't sell and are boring- I say this because in film school I had a teacher TELL ME every character needed to basically be sex obsessed and when I pointed out a GREAT MANY CHARACTERS are not revolved around sex (Supernatural stars two brothers, I pointed out) and when she asked if I had love interests I was like ??? That doesn't matter- using my aforementioned supernatural example almost all their love interests die or get mind wiped because at the end of the day that's not what the story was about. So actually I think writers who act like that teacher need like 50 reality checks, and representation in stories isn't unimportant and also support indie writers you'll probably find more funky shit there then Disney anyway lmao.

And also even the asexual characters I DO see in media don't remind me at all of myself even if I appreciate the effort, but they never feel real or genuine and their sexuality doesn't get a lot of exploration so 🤷🏻‍♀️ I actually could use more media focused on characters that I can genuinely see my sexuality reflected in in a meaningful and narratively impactful way because I've got nothing.