#Just Because You Don't See the Lesbophobia Doesn't Mean It Isn't There My Guy But Thanks for Showing Your Ass?

[authoralexharvey]

Me: *talking about a real and VERY FRUSTRATING bout of lesbophobia I experienced while attempting to find readers for ASMLP's release*

Some man: Idk this must be some new phenomenon because any time I hear about a sapphic book people are happy about it.

[mischas]

Another long ask 😅 Do you have any thoughts on how Marissa and Alex's relationship (+Ryan's involvement) should've been like? Like obviously Ryan was gonna be in the picture and the one she had a superior connection with overall but what if MA were given time and space to breathe and how it would've looked like with RM's dynamic.

I do feel like the whole discussion around Marissa's sexuality had to be different. It was mostly just fetishizing (Seth) and invalidating (the whole phase talk with Julie- AND Kirsten who's supposed to be the supportive open-minded mom). Yeah it's a product of the time but it's also a product of homophobia (or specifically lesbophobia, with the male gaze thing).

I don't remember her ever finding any of the "gay" jokes funny (like Seth's jokes about Luke for shaving his chest) but she also knew Luke used gay and queer as insults at both Ryan and Seth but didn’t exactly say anything even though she was uncomfortable. I also find it interesting when in Season 3 Volchok makes a comment about something (prom? I can't remember rn) being gay in a derogatory manner and Marissa doesn’t look too comfortable but she also doesn’t say anything about it specifically. I guess what I'm trying to say is Marissa has had to see a lot of casual (and not eo casual) homophobia growing up AND after her realization/coming out but didn’t stand up to it for understandable reasons and that would've been an interesting thing to explore.

I'm in the middle of my s2 rewatch (specifically the MA storyline) so it's interesting you bring it up. I think, first off, that it was never in the cards for Marissa's sexuality to veer off course but I'm really glad it did. The MA arc is mostly done so well so credit where credit's due, but this isn't a show that was mapped out from the beginning. So it can't be tracked in s1 with her facial cues or anything. I do think there's an annoyance but passivity with Luke's bullshit comments that come from being a teen in the 2000s and also living in this conservative, isolated community (that is extremely pulled back in s2 so we don't get that kind of social commentary again, unfortunately). She calls Luke out but only to a certain extent. I think shit like that was just so commonplace in 2003 and especially in an insulated community such as that. 112 really touches on how big of an ~event~ it is that Luke's dad is gay.

Seth's homophobia and biphobia in 209 really tick me off, as does Kirsten's attitude in 214. Kirsten for the reasons you mention and Seth in particular because his schtick is supposed to be seen as funny and it just comes off horrendously offensive now. (As do AB's comments in the press at the time. Basically it seems all the men behind the scenes were getting their rocks off watching the 214 MA kiss.)

As for KV I think his casual homophobic comment and her specific reaction is more her feeling disillusioned with this guy she's choosing to spend time with than a deliberate nod to her identity. But of course it makes no sense that she goes back to him at the end of 322 after realizing she wants more for herself. That whole arc is designed to isolate and punish Marissa/Mischa from everyone else, though, so should be taken with a grain of salt.

I think, considering all the casual homophobia Marissa did in fact hear and see growing up, all that we see when she's 16 at least, it doesn't seem like that's impacted her all that much when it comes to exploring her feelings for Alex. But s2 gives her character so little to do beyond being angry/sad/aggrieved with Julie that it's hard to believe the writers were taking much of her history into context. Marissa's scene with Summer in 211 where she does some thinking about what it means to "graze noses" with someone you never would've guessed you'd want to graze noses with is done well, though.

If MA had been given a longer arc I would've liked to see Marissa move back home while staying in the relationship with Alex and seeing how that works afterward. Pushing that kind of dynamic on them so soon was their kiss of death, but so was making Ryan single again. It would've been cute to see Ryan do the pining a bit longer considering she pined for him until meeting Alex. I think the general framework of 'Marissa feels the emotional, historical pull to Ryan' thing is accurate to her character but it should've been stretched out to at least four or five episodes. Not two!

[orenonahaichigoda]

About My Character

Can range from almost totally canon to a verse I have a grand project of but only a couple of prequel fics so far produced on ao3 under chairdesklamp to whatever me and the people I'm playing with come up with when planning a thread.

Almost totally canon as in the one change is Ichigo's trans, he's been so for a couple of years pre-series, and Issin is his provider. So he can't have kids with a cis Orihime. That's really the only thing I can think it majorly changes.

Also, he's explicitly mixed instead of "big deal not-black hair that's never gonna be explained." If you play a mixed/not Japanese Masaki, I'll match what he's mixed with to you. I do h/c Issin as Ainu, but that's not really a big deal for me.

I really like a *well-thought-out* grimmichi, because they are literary foils, but I'm here for plot. I'm willing to do most any parings that's not with his relatives (including the Isidas) or either lesbian, Soi-Fon or Chizuru. Because that just would read as lesbophobia. Do not like when they're paired with guys in fic. There are some characters I see him with easier (like Chad) or their relationship doesn't read like it could grow into that (Renji), or just ones he doesn't really have screen time with (Shunsui, Rangiku, Kaname) but I'm willing to be surprised.

About me section will include queerphobia in Japan vs. the English speaking world. Don't assume it's the same.

Ichigo's generally not super out, but he will open up to your character if you play your cards right. Or if it's heading in a shippy direction.

He's not stereotypically absolutely dysphoric about everything. I'm not the only trans person I know like that, so I chose to write it as an awareness thing. In the aforementioned project, he's not the only one who isn't, but there's also a few who are.

And yes, that does mean I write him having kids. I can't say whether or not mpreg stuff is intentionally transphobic or just coincidentally without knowing what trans people are, like the Beatles' song "JoJo," which probably was written with no clue, but seriously, trans men who aren't dysphoric about it can do that. There's no one true way to be anything, including trans. Totally open to that.

He's definitely ace-spec. I related to that part before I knew what asexuality really was. They take great pains to make sure you know (at least sometimes?) when Orihime is flirting, but it goes over his head. I'm not 100% sure where I wanna take him. Probably something like panromantic demisexual. I want to keep my possibilities wide open for shipping, and I also want him to take initiative in some situations.

All the same, he would probably have some trouble. He clearly also doesn't know how to discuss emotions and bottles things up, just like he tried his best to bottle up his depression over losing his powers, and probably also trauma incurred at essentially becoming a child soldier and having zero training on how to deal with bloody battles. (Though he'd be hard-pressed to find a therapist he could talk to) I plan to explore all these in the aforementioned project, but I'd love to walk him through all this here, too!

Returning to a prior point, I don't do sex stuff if it doesn't add to a larger plot. In my fics, I use fade-to-black. I wouldn't even feel comfortable with anything else unless he was over 20 (majority age in Japan) and I'm also ace, so I don't get the same thing out of it most people do. It would have to have a reason relevant to the writing itself to interest me. He can wake up the morning after a fade to black. I'm really not sure how to further explain.

I have trouble tracking too much action with words. Fight scenes can be difficult to both read or write. Action via text is not easy. It's an action serie, but it's also visual. This isn't.

I think that's about it. There's also an "about me," check up on that, too.

Oh, and have an '80s song that I think goes well with Ichigo. Artist is Miyahara Manabu. This is the song whose lyrics make the blog title.