#D.E.B.S.

[padmaddean]

Pride month Day17

Amy & Lucy D.E.B.S. (2004)

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[dailyflicks]

D.E.B.S. (2004) dir. Angela Robinson

[mgktz]

"We conduct a nationwide manhunt for you, and you're boning the suspect!?"

To everyone that clocked the D.E.B.S. references in my last few posts *kisses you on the mouth*

I still can't draw guns but this AU has been on my mind for so long i had to get it out or risk going insane

*zoom for detail!

[stargirlbymia]

Dominique D.E.B.S-

[misandriste]

d.e.b.s. (2004)

[lottienathive]

d.e.b.s. (2004) x yellowjackets ✨ cinematic parallels ✨

[snowbairdd]

I'm here because I feel more like me when I'm with you, than I do when I'm with me.

[queer-media-tourney]

[girlsdit]

devon aoki in 2 fast 2 furious & d.e.b.s.

[bella-gothics]

Devin Aoki as Betty boop by Ellen Von Unwerth for interview magazine 2001

[thexfridax]

D.E.B.S. at 20: a Queer Cult Classic

Bessie Yuill Photo: Sundance/WireImage

There is a secret film hidden within the shadowy sapphic corners of Letterboxd. Some call it escapist trash, some call it an underrated cult classic, fools call it a male fantasy. It calls itself D.E.B.S. As other early-2000s chick flicks like Charlie’s Angels and St. Trinian’s have been reevaluated and embraced for their candy-floss aesthetics and campy wit over the years, the lesbian community was quietly reclaiming its own equivalent with 2004’s D.E.B.S.

The precursor to contemporary high-concept lesbian films like Bottoms, the spy flick is filled with something that queer female moviegoers still often yearn for: fun. That includes Jordana Brewster and her era-defying eyebrows as the impeccably named supervillain Lucy Diamond, John Woo–style fight scenes that parody the action genre in the same way as Charlie’s Angels, and a cheerfully cheap aesthetic where spies run around in plaid schoolgirl skirts.

D.E.B.S. was written, directed, and edited by filmmaker Angela Robinson. While “unapologetically queer” might be an overused phrase, it does apply neatly to Robinson. The Chicago-born director’s first project was a short film called Chickula: Teenage Vampire, calling on the long history of vampiric queer women that began with 1872’s Carmilla.

Her love of playing with genre led her to later put a lesbian spin on the movie musical by writing the underappreciated Girltrash: All Night Long and exploring polyamory in a period biopic about the creators of Wonder Woman, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. On the small screen, she also burnished her lesbian credentials by working on several episodes of The L Word.

When D.E.B.S. started life as a short film, Robinson described it as “a story about a trio of superspies who are all chicks. I love all the comic-book characters: Charlie’s Angels, Batman, Josie & the Pussycats … But I always wanted them to be gay and they never were, so I wrote my own.” Success at Sundance led to Sony snatching the short up and deciding that D.E.B.S. should be a full-length feature.

Two decades later, the joy of this movie lies in the details. The tone is immediately set by a gravelly voice-over telling us that there is a secret test hidden within the SAT to recruit young female superspies (and establishing that, like Bottoms, this is a film aware of genre archetypes and willing to push believability). Our main character Amy (Sara Foster) is an academic overachiever — like many lesbians overcompensating for their perceived failure to live up to social norms. Her perfect score on the secret SAT test makes it even more scandalous when she falls for the aforementioned supervillain Lucy Diamond.

Queer friend groups may delight over the nostalgic frosty eye shadow and lip gloss worn by the D.E.B.S. (which stands for “discipline, energy, beauty, strength,” naturally) at all times. Flip phones, CGI holographic screens, and Goldfrapp’s appearance on the soundtrack will also remind you that you’re watching a film made in the early 2000s. And many will squeal when they spot Holland Taylor, over a decade before she came out, as the academy’s head.

Admittedly, the special effects are goofy enough to cross over into comedy, especially when our girls are abseiling into a restaurant or climbing walls with plungers, and the lighting could be charitably described as resembling teen soap operas of that era. But the chemistry between Amy and Lucy is crackling enough that YouTube compilations of their scenes have racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. Their fun enemies-to-lovers plotline begins with the pair pointing guns at each other and quickly progresses to a whirlwind romance (the other D.E.B.S. think Amy’s been kidnapped and launch a national manhunt, just as many friend groups have had to organize rescue missions for lesbians on weeklong first dates).

You could argue that espionage serves as a metaphor for the closet and that Amy is such an effective spy because she’s used to lying to herself about her sexuality. But that almost seems like too much weight to put on this meringue confection of a genre spoof: Its campiness liberates the characters to inhabit a fun, exaggerated universe with no serious homophobia or consequences. Guns are used, but the so-called superspies have such consistently terrible aim that there are no real casualties. And Lucy Diamond’s supposedly nefarious crimes are all reversible — the murders pinned on her are revealed to be misunderstandings, and she returns all of her stolen goods in order to win Amy back.

When this live-action Totally Spies with a lesbian twist debuted, it only made $97,000 and was dismissed by critics. But there were enough moviegoing gays impressed by its snappy dialogue, fun romance, and stunning supporting cast (including Meagan Good, Jimmi Simpson, and Devon Aoki with a French accent) for its reputation to grow online over time. In forums and YouTube comment sections, young girls were asking, “Are there any lesbian films where they just fall in love and have fun and don’t die at the end?” Their answer was D.E.B.S.

[esqueletosgays]

D.E.B.S. (2004)

Director: Angela Robinson Cinematography: M. David Mullen

[cherubbies]

i wish you roses while you can still smell them 🌹

[buzzcutseascn]

Lucy Diamond in D.E.B.S (2004)

[dedalvs]

Lexember (December 3rd)

Today's Valyrian glyph is quba "low". Back in 2012, I was hired to create High Valyrian for Game of Thrones, and also the "Valyrian dialect" used in Slaver's Bay—specifically in Astapor. I called this Low Valyrian, since that seemed like a logical choice. This was a cover term, since all the descendant languages of High Valyrian would be Low Valyrian. In the books, they're called Bastard Valyrian. Low Valyrian seemed nicer, and the logic was if high and low are opposites, then High Valyrian and Low Valyrian could be opposites, as well, and still capture the sense of what's going on in the books.

This made certain ASOIAF fans super salty, which perplexed me. I was like, "It's called High Valyrian. George R. R. Martin called it that. What's wrong with calling the others Low Valyrian?" One dude high up in the fandom literally said, "Well, you can say that, but I won't call it official unless I hear it from George." It is the absolute lowest stakes beef ever. It's so dumb.

Yet it persists. Astapori Valyrian is now called Astapori Valyrian, which means that Meereenese Valyrian has to be Meereenese Valyrian; we can't just call them all Low Valyrian. It's like all these people calling the Chakobsa in the Dune films Neo-Chakobsa. WHY?!

Fandom is a nice thing. But sometimes it makes me roll my eyes like Lucy Diamond.