#Some of the ships i've been into lately aren't even “gay” in that way

[kennys-parka-jacket]

Idk, just thinkin'

[solradguy]

Mr. Badguy I have a question as a guilty gear lore baby. I have been told sol/ky is problematic and I do not know why I fear. Could you please explain

Oh boy. I'm probably not the best person to ask about what ships are and aren't problematic because I honestly... just don't have the energy to care about it that much, it's like infinitely easier to block/blacklist and then move on. I don't know how people have the free time to get as worked up about it as they do.

Anyway. So, Ky's age before Missing Link (the earliest in the timeline of the games' stories) is generally the biggest problem. He was 20 in ML and a teenager through the Crusades. I think he was probably at least 18 near the end of the Crusades right before Sol left but that's pushing it. Anything with Ky and Order Sol's bad weird. I won't argue that at all, Ky was a kid and Sol was very much an adult, on top of the physical and mental power imbalance between them. Not good. Luckily, I really only see HOS/Ky stuff from the really early fandom (<2006) and IIRC their ages were still pretty vague back then so I'm just gonna chalk it up to no one knowing, especially in the EN fandom where it was a lot harder to find/get official information.

Between Missing Link to like late GGX/early GGXX I don't see what the problem with shipping them then is; they were both adults at that point and there wasn't even the power dynamic between them that there was during their Holy Order days. This, I think, really just comes down to personal reasons for not liking it. Which is fair.

After GGXX it gets... complicated.... Ky marries Sol's daughter but it's vague on when exactly Sol pieced it together that he even had a kid and that it was Dizzy, of all people. Ky definitely did not know she was Sol's kid until at least like partway through Xrd, when they both kind of put the pieces together and had a crisis over it. So shipping them after this point, between the timelines of Overture through Strive, you've got the issue of Sol now being Ky's father-in-law.

But the canon never straight up says Dizzy is Sol's kid (it is VERY HEAVILY implied though) and Sol and Ky both end up being dads together for Sin...?? It's like ASW is playing gay chicken with whether or not Sol and Ky are still shippable from an ethical standpoint lol Whatever that saying is about having a cake and eating it too, etc.

I saw the email for this ask this morning and I presented the Sol/Ky situation to my mom as if they were real people (she doesn't know anything about GG) and she was like, "That's a hell of a love triangle but I guess if the guy (Ky) and the daughter (Dizzy) got divorced and the daughter is alright with it, and it's consensual between the men, then it's weird but it's not as bad as some other relationships I've seen."

That's kind of how I feel about it too...? It's messy as fuck lmfao But I guess if there's a way to like write it so that Dizzy doesn't end up needing lifetime therapy then like... go for it....? I guess....???

I don't ship Sol/Ky because I think their dynamic is WAAAYYYY more interesting keeping them as rivals-turned-friends, and I like Dizzy too much; there's too big a chance of her ending up getting completely devastated by it. But as far as "problematic" Guilty Gear ships go, Sol/Ky's in the like... "People are wasting time arguing about this?" tier, imo. It being Thee biggest GG ship throughout the series' entire history is something to be considered, too. It's unavoidable, even the official art contributes sometimes. I often wonder why they decided to make it weird by throwing Dizzy into the mix because I know that, from digging through old forum archives, that change made a lot of people furious hahah

Disclaimer because the reading comprehension on this website is abysmal: I DON'T SHIP SOL/KY. IT'S FUNNY AS A JOKE BECAUSE IT'S AWKWARD BUT I DON'T SHIP IT IN SERIOUS CONTEXTS BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT THAT GREAT A SHIP AND THE FATHER-IN-LAW THING MAKES ME A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE.

[axnewxera]

// I've been in a big shipping mood lately so here's some headcanons I have for Rufus and how he'd be in a relationship!

I'm gonna touch on some NSFW material so there's your warning!

Quick disclaimer, this is just how I personally see Rufus and how I will be playing him as my muse. Any and all interpretations of his character are absolutely valid and I'm not here to tell ANYONE how they should view or write the character!!

So like, first off, I really more or less see Rufus as bisexual. But I myself am a gay male, so I'm inevitably gonna be A LOT more onboard and passionate about male/male ships. I'm sorry! Though honestly, with how much Rufus openly flirts with Cloud in the Remakes, I think he does have a preference toward men anyway.

Rufus ALWAYS has his guard up. It's gonna take A LOT of work and effort to break those walls of his down. He is pretty much THE most famous, influential figure in the world and he cares GREATLY about his image and how people perceive him, even if he sometimes claims that he doesn't. He'll flirt all day long, but as soon as things start sounding more serious or vulnerable he will likely shut down unless he is completely trusting and comfortable toward the person.

I do very much see him as a Dominant, both in and out of the bedroom. That's something I kinda struggled with for a while. I think it's pretty common for authority figures to secretly be more on the submissive side in bed, as it's their way of letting go of control for once and getting away from their responsibilities. But Rufus worked REALLY HARD for those responsibilities and seems to genuinely relish the opportunity.

"You're a SOLDIER, aren't you? Which, of course, would mean that I own you."

I think the guy definitely has some fetishes, and is highly into dominating people in the bedroom and holding personal, intimate power like that over someone.

But, weirdly, I think he would also be very sweet and nurturing toward his partner?

Dude's got mommy issues AND daddy issues for days. But since I also view him as a Dom, I think those issues manifest more as being the authority figure he always WISHED he had in his life. He's almost maternal toward his partner. He nurtures them, he cares for them, he cheers them on.

And although he isn't submissive, I think he does also want to be nurtured and cherished in the same way. He'd never ASK for it or say he needs it, but he totally needs it.

Rufus is a Soft Dom: he treats his submissive with respect and dignity, he rarely yells and punishes, but rather nurtures and rewards. He pushes boundaries (and is definitely into some kinky shit), but is respectful about it and makes sure his partner is comfortable before he continues.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk!

[thoseyoulove]

@gayboymolloy thank you for tagging me! And let me say, your taste??? >>> I've been listening to Chappell Roan lately and her music is sooooo great. I've basically only listened to 3 people since 2021, but I have opened an exception for her because she's that awesome. ^^

Tagging: @jaypentaghast, @unhinged-nonsense, @hearfrost, @waterghoulcalamity, @andy4yippee, I tried to tag more people here, but it didn't work so... If anyone sees this and wants to answer, consider yourself tagged because I love finding more about y'all. :)

Anyway, this got too long because whenever I'm given an opening to talk about things I love I lose control... But here we go. :p

9 People You Want To Know Better!

Three ships: I'm terrible at picking a favorite anything, or even a top 3, I have like 12 or 13 ships that I'm equally obsessed with... But these are *SOME* of them. <3

Emisue (Dickinson)

Is it a gay thing to have beautiful kisses that look like a Renaissance painting? They're such a beautiful ship, but they impacted me on a personal as well. This was the first time I saw a queer ship that was beautifully written, had loads of chemistry and was executed with care (the fact they had so many queer people and women on the show, specially Ella - who played Sue - made everything even better). They weren't your subtle and digestible queer ship for conservatives and they weren't overly sexualized for straight people with a fetish. They were something else. The way their problems weren't really about being queer/internalized queerphobia and even individual things like Emily's 'coming out scenes' being full of acceptance, support and even celebration were SO FULFILLING. It was amazing to watch from a viewer point of view, but also really formative to me as I came to find and embrace more of myself.

Malina (Shadow and Bone)

Mind you that they aren't even together here, they're just imagining each other, it's just that the chemistry was THAT awesome. First love. Childhood love. Friends to lovers. Linked by destiny. Can just sense one another. They'll always find each other. But they also chose one another and made their own story in a way destiny never could do it for them. The world against them and them against the world. "It was always you". Malina mixed all my favorite tropes and some that I hated with a passion and created a masterpiece.

Royjamie (Ted Lasso)

A lot of their problems stemmed from the fact they were thirst for each other and they would've fixed things sooner if they'd just been grown ups about it and fucked yk. These two were meant to be a big part of each other's arc, but the fact they got even bigger than what it was initially planned because the actors were inseparable and crazy about each other? And the chemistry was that amazing? And how they grew so much as individuals and boyfriends through the seasons? And 3x06 that was basically the cutest and longest date ever with them exploring Amsterdam from morning to late at night, opening up, trying new things, riding a bike together etc? And how Phil and Brett are just one of the cutest, messiest, most insane and chaotic best bros in real life who kind of lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship just makes everything SO MUCH BETTER.

First ship: I can't remember for sure, but if this wasn't the very first, it was the second, tops.

Villadero/Cordueva (Jane the Virgin)

Jane and Michael are really special to me because I think so often couples are about the flirting, sensuality and physical attraction, and it's not that they don't have that because they definitely do, but I think ships usually lack more. And when they do have more, it's usually a will-they-won't-they, on-and-off, love triangles, fights etc, because apparently writers believe dragging things out to the point it gets unbearable is better than just letting them have a stable and deep relationship? Specially back then, now things are getting better (I still think we're taking baby steps, but at least there's some progress), but Jane and Michael were the VERY FIRST couple I saw having that kind of relationship and it was a life-changing moment in television for me. That's not to say they didn't have some of those problems, they did, but they actually worked on them and evolved as people and a couple. I got to see them from their first meet cute (and it was the BEST meet cute ever), him getting a noise complaint about her 21st birthday party and a drunk Jane confusing him for a stripper, grabbing and shooting his gun, only to find out he was a real cop and then not only he didn't arrest her, but spent the whole night talking to her while she sobers up, getting to genuinely know her until it was morning?! Really, doesn't get more wholesome than that. And I saw them become full committed adults who grew together through the years, them working on their careers, Jane starting her first book, Michael getting his first medal, Michael being a close friend to her parents instead of just being a son-in-law to them, the two getting married, living together, being a family, going back home to each other at the end of a long day, going out to have some fun time... Being more than just two people who are attracted to each other, but two people who loved fully each other in every aspect of the word, who were best friends, confidants, who genuinely enjoyed each other's company, who would crack up out loud together, that had a life inside and inside and out of home. It was a gift. And so much of it was the natural chemistry of the actors that got along so well and loved that pairing, too. No wonder the entire cast rooted for them.

Last song: Fur Elise by Faouzia

There are ONLY THREE singers/groups in the world that I'm truly obsessed with and Faouzia is one of them. Her music is out-of-this world, specially her powerful voice and beautiful melodies (she has my favorite melodies ever). Tomorrow she'll be on the finals of a singing competition and she really deserves to win, specially after working herself like crazy making, recording AND releasing new songs, music videos, commercials, doing full concerts and even learning a bit of freaking Chinese ALL IN JUST *TWO* MONTHS! As I get ready to vote like crazy for her tomorrow, I'm listening to all of her songs for good luck. :p And Fur Elise is one of my favorite songs ever and a true masterpiece.

Last TV show: Interview with the Vampire.

Currently reading: Six of Crows by Lady Bardugo, but I'm gonna start The Vampire Chronicles soon. I have no idea if I will like them, let alone love it as much as the show (it's my favorite show in the universe), but I'm so curious to get to know the characters, be able to fully talk about the universe with other fans and know what can possibly happen in the future seasons that I will do it anyway... I just need to figure out where to begin, because I want to skip the first book (for now) since the show has already covered it. I hope it's possible to start with a book that has all the main characters that appear on the show, but I'm still gathering information to know what's necessary to read and what isn't, the best order to do it etc. :p Anyway, I have attention issues so that will surely be tricky, but I'm just so curious about IWTV that I have to do it, lol. And I also can't drop SoC or I'll forget it and will have to start it from scratch all over again... I've read like 3/4 of the book so I can't let that go to waste either lmao. I'll just give certain days of the week to each book and eventually finish them (hopefully in time for season 3), lol.

Currently watching: Still Up, Silo, House of the Dragon, The Purge, The Lazarus Project. I'm pretty early into these shows and don't really know what to think about them yet, though. I do have a soft spot for Antonia Thomas because she played one of my favorite and nicest characters ever (Claire Browne, The Good Doctor), so it's good to see her face. And Silo has Chinaza Uche, who had a supporting role in Dickinson, but he was so charismatic that I wanted to see him have a longer screen time somewhere else. I hear he's been promoted to a bigger role on season 2, so let's hope I make that far and get to see him shine lol. I also have some shows with sapphic and/or non-binary/androgynous/fluid characters people recommended that I'm gonna try. :)

Currently eating: Nothing, but the last thing was steak, rice and potatoes. :p

Currently craving: Also nothing, but the last time I craved anything was a cheeseburger with cheddar. Not even joking when I say it's been over a year since I had one lol. #fml

[goshdangronpa]

Sayaka Maizono!!

Hi, anon! I'm so glad someone asked about her, she's always fun to think about. A character you can really play around with in different contexts and interpretations. It's weird that I haven't written a story about her yet.

Sexuality Headcanon: Sayaka is straight-up gay. I saw that one bit from Danganronpa S, they're no way she could like Makoto as more than a friend!

Gender Headcanon: Cis, but the type who's actually thought a lot about gender rather than passively assuming that vagina = girl. I believe she'd support a transfem idol ... so long as she remains the Ultimate.

A ship I have with said character: I recently wrote about a couple of reasons why I find ikuzono so appealing! It can be a real mutually healing relationship, with two people who've hurt and been hurt finding solace and sympathy and redemption in each other. It can also be a relationship where they bury bodies together. I've also read a truly great (and tragically incomplete) series that anyone who likes Sayaka, Mukuro, and good writing in general should check out: Sing Me a Song of Despair!

A BROTP I have with said character: Sayaka's goal is to be an inspiration for girls and women. All girls and women. As a transfem Chihiro supporter, I quite enjoy the idea of this embodiment of femininity helping Chihiro reconcile some of her gender hang-ups. Women with strength don't have to be ripped like Sakura, athletic like Aoi, or scary like Genocide Jack. They can be beautiful, sweet, girly, confident, and determined like Sayaka. I think her support would really shake Chihiro's worldview ... though Sayaka might still agree with her that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

A NOTP I have with said character: Sayaka is virtually the only female Danganronpa student I wouldn't ship with Ibuki, mostly because I'm really committed to a rather detailed sayabuki arc that ends in turmoil. Two teen girls hit the big time at the same time, and their managers get the bright idea of pairing their acts in a summer package tour. As they travel across the country and work hard to one-up each other's performances, they show each other the weirder sides of themselves that the public doesn't get to see. They bond over a mutual passion for music ... and, one night, discover a mutual passion for girls. It doesn't take long for them to start exploring their sexuality together, snatching kisses and cuddles in the rare moments when they can evade their bandmates and entourages. Ibuki lets herself fall wildly in love ... but Sayaka's keenly aware that the tour will end. One night, after sneaking onto the roof of a supermarket after hours to have a truly private moment and watch the stars, Sayaka asks, "You know this won't last ... right?" She lays it out: idols aren't allowed to date anybody, much less someone of the same sex, and she won't compromise her career or her dream over a little summer affair. Ibuki’s devastated. It proves to be the last push she needs to drop her own pretenses and be her true, freaky self, ultimately splitting the band and creating the rock iconoclast we know and love. Sayaka would still think about her sometimes, even listen to her new singles when few former fans would, wonder if that girl was right that prioritizing her career over her relationships may bring success but not fulfillment ... She doesn't regret anything.

A random headcanon: Sayaka didn't accept the invitation to Hope's Peak immediately because she feared it would eat up precious time in a career that's already expected to end in her late 20s at most. She eventually accepted for precisely that reason: that Ultimate status will open doors long after the industry stops seeing her as youthful enough to sing on stage.

General Opinion over said character: I'm of two minds, and both are extremely positive. 1) How can anyone possibly dismiss Sayaka as a loathesome snake when the entire goddamn point of that first murder trial is that the killing game, one of the most stressful and extreme situations a human being and especially a literal kid could ever face, could compel even an otherwise kind person to commit murder? You don't have to like her for her attempt at murdering Leon and framing Makoto, but if you don't buy that Sayaka was ever a nice person, I reckon you've missed the point of Danganronpa. 2) Sayaka has a devious and coldly pragmatic side ... and that's fun. I like the idea that she's generally kind and sweet, but a bit of a sneaky bitch when she really wants something or really doesn't care for someone. In a non-despair AU, this would be ripe for drama and especially comedy! Let her be little a snake, as a treat🐍

[spicybylerpolls]

Quoting an anon ask on the bylerconfessions antisex discourse blog:

"Ok, so I decided to bring a point of view that from what I've seen hasn't been brought up yet. The fandom has a lot of adults and we already know that. Some of these adults experienced adolescence in very complicated times, similar to the 80s. Let's not forget that even today in 2024 we have cities where being LGBT is still a huge problem. It wasn't easy for us to live our adolescence in such an environment and I'm sure many of us didn't have a good experience. So, some look for NSFW content related to Byler and not because they are fantasizing about them, but rather to see a better experience than the one they had or even in a more positive way with a ship that they really like and support. I believe there is no problem with this and it does not mean that the person has sexual desires for teenagers, as some people on the tag have said. I myself was the same age as them when I lost my virginity."

Yes!! But, this anon went on to say this:

"However, and here comes my other point, this doesn't mean there isn't a limit to it. Discussing fetishes openly, who has the bigger member between the two or other worse things that I've seen lately is really unnecessary. I've seen people saying that it's normal to talk about sex and I agree, but it's not like the topic is about problematizing sexual relationships between gays or something like that, or representation in the media, but really unnecessary things like "who gives the better handjob?" there is a limit and people are crossing it and using a shitty excuse."

and i couldn't help but agree.

'it's fine to project through fiction, but please don't use that as an excuse to make polls on "who's toes curl more" '

i love the freedom of this blog, but some stuff sadly slides into weirdness. someone should make a freakybylerpolls blog for the gratuitous stuff, and leave the pondering about actual possible healthy sex for byler in s5 to this one.

I understand this as a concept, but I think it would be strange for the fandom safe space for "spicy/problematic" questions to also become filtered and policed. I think it's a slippery slope and a very thin line when it comes to determining what falls into the category of okay and reasonable and what falls into the category of "too far." Especially if one blog is serving as the border control. Everyone has different tastes, everyone has different standards, everyone has different lines, and everyone has different comfort levels. And that's all okay!

I've received asks that are all over the spectrum. Some, like the "Who has more internalized homophobia?" question, aren't even spicy, and some are... um... very far on the other end of the spectrum. On my pinned post I do ask people to use discretion when submitting polls, but as a poll blog, I stay completely neutral. I'm not a preacher, I'm a messenger. I don't endorse or unendorse any specific question.

This blog is for fun! The purpose is for our fandom to explore the potentially taboo without shame. I get that not everyone may be comfortable with every poll even if they support the blog overall, but that's honestly what the "see results" button is for. If someone doesn't want to engage with a specific question, they can scroll past it or press that button to opt-out. Or if they're not feeling the blog as a whole, they can block the tag or block the account. No hard feelings!

Anti-censorship and freedom for all!

[jamesfalt]

the kabru post and then also that farcille post has me thinking about how people do take these gay ships and just completely mischaracterize them for the sake of having ship content. and i could make a whole long ass post or even video essay on this all but i'm gonna try and keep it short here

i feel like ship culture has gotten like....extremely tropey lately? like you have your ships and they HAVE to behave in certain ways or else you can't enjoy content of them. this is like super vague but i've noticed this in like ao3 fics of a lot of ships i'm into where they'll take the ship and just completely mischaracterize one or both of the characters for the sake of the ship

and in some cases i'm like it's bc the fandom is a bit younger, for example naegami is a ship i can't really read fics for bc all the fics are out of character and tropey. they erase how each character actually feels without giving any explanation as to why they would be like that. but i know that the fandom is by default young teenagers bc i was a young teenager when i was really into it.

and a common thread that i see in these types of ships characterizations is taking characters who aren't "soft" characters and making them soft. with naegami it's taking togami, a cynical bougie asshole who although does soften a bit by the end of the first game and is clearly friends and cares for his friends by dr3, and turning him into a guy who's only care in the world is naegi and he loves naegi soooo much and it makes him weak when we know how he interacts with naegi and it's not that.

kabru gets this exact treatment. where the haphazard feelings he has towards laios throughout THE WHOLE series get quickly thrown away to be the guy who is totally on laios's side all the time bc he loves him sooo much

laios isn't much different in this regard in the handful of fics i've read either where a lot of his tenacity and straightforwardness have been whittled down bc "oh he doesn't understand social cues he doesn't know what to do :(" which is so baffling i literally will close the fic the minute i see him portrayed like this.

i'm gonna go through the farcille ao3 tag next it's just taking me a bit to get through the labru one but from what i've seen on just tumblr and twitter alone it's clear to me that they're taking marcille and making her super soft and one track minded when she has other traits that kind of overwrite that? they forget that she joined laios not just bc she wanted to save falin, but bc she knew he wouldn't make it far without someone who could heal him. she's sharp and quick to jump to conclusions

where was i going with this. it's been a hot minute since i interacted with a fandom that's not gacha based (last time was beastars but that fandom wasn't too bad honestly) and so i just see the way a lot of people take characters and i'm just so baffled bc i'm like we have all the content we need why are you insisting they're not that, this isn't a gacha game where we're waiting several months for their story to progress to get a little more info on how they act. we KNOW how they act. you don't need to make up personality traits for these characters if you just read them.

[leothil]

The willing turning of a blind eye I have seen the most consistently is amongst buddie fans who have been here for a while though. That violently homophobic post that went around immediately following the finale was reblogged by quite a few people who have been in this fandom for years, who either completely ignored people calling it out or defended the OP/themselves because “it was just a joke.” And then they and plenty others proceeded to continue reblogging posts from that OP despite their unapologetic homophobia. That post is not even the only instance of homophobia I can think of perpetrated by longtime buddie fans and ignored or even supported by their friends. That is where the blind eye is being turned.

You seem very keen on putting the blame on just one side of the fandom. Listen, I've never claimed nor will you ever see me claim that there aren't #problematic people among the buddie shippers or that I don't wish that a certain subset of people would leave the fandom forever because god knows we'd be better off without them. But that specific post you're referencing got blown so wide out of proportion that I honestly can't believe what a shitshow it stirred. And I wrote enough that I'm putting a read more here so people can easily scroll past if they want to.

Yeah yeah people were tired and sensitive and up in arms after a season finale that didn't deliver quite as much as anyone hoped (that bobby/athena/amir storyline... i'm still dreaming of a better resolution to it, rip). But I'll be honest with you, I did not read that post as homophobic. I read it as a hyperbolic post on the hyperbolic website, and I know that's how a lot of other people also saw it. Now what started happening in the tags after a while is a different story, people were being vile as fuck there, and I kinda wish op hadn't posted it just so those comments wouldn't have found a breeding ground. And you're allowed to not like the post or think it was in bad taste (I did, hence why I didn't reblog it). But so much of the shitstorm was completely overblown, and as someone who waded into it a couple of hours late and was newly woken up I was in a constant state of ??? seeing accusations flying all over the place and having no idea what had happened. By the time I saw the post my reaction was more akin to "that's what they're upset about?" because I didn't have the same context of having been within the Discourse as it was happening, nor was I as keyed up as a lot of the people that had been getting increasingly more upset over the course of hours. And I'm not gonna try to say people were wrong to be upset about it because I'm not going to police anyone's feelings, but I can tell you that seeing it all from the outside (coming in hours later) there were at least three strands of discourse that were being tangled into one big ball of hurt feelings centering on this one post, and I stand by my wish that more people had watched the episode right after waking up instead of in the evening and then staying up late at night.

You're allowed to dislike the post and dislike its op for phrasing their dislike of the scene the way they did all you want, but the context that post was made in was not about hating a character for being gay or advocating for violence against gay men and it's disingenuous to say otherwise. *I* don't think it was a post that particularly needed to exist, especially not seeing what happened because of it, but it's since been used the same way people were saying that if you don't ship bucktommy you're biphobic (yes, that's a real take from this very webbed site) and like you're doing here, saying people are inherently bad for interacting with the blog that posted that post. A lot of people have no idea who they are or why other people are expecting them to stay away. They were not part of the Discourse and only saw the aftermath of it, but now it's become some Big Bad that people are assuming Everyone Knows About, and that is simply not true. You have got to be able to see some nuance even when it's about a person you dislike.

[mangle-my-mind]

Slash Ships to Get to Know Me

**Rules**: Name at least five (no upper limit) slash (M/M) ships you love. Each from a different fandom.

Thanks @autumnsup for tagging me! My brain immediately went haywire trying to think of this list. I might steal a few ships that you mentioned ;) also my definition of what constitutes slash is a pretty loose one. Some of these relationships I imagine as & instead of /, but I still froth at the mouth thinking about them so I'm including them here.

Velvet Goldmine - Jack Fairy/Curt Wild. This one isn't explicitly in the movie, but the dynamics of Jack and Curt just make it such a worthwhile relationship to explore. There's so much care and tenderness I can imagine between them, with Jack being there for Curt at one of his lowest points and the two of them working on music together. In my fic "In Berlin," I displayed their relationship as more or less platonic, but that doesn't mean I don't ABSOLUTELY LOVE the idea of them being together more intimately. There are some amazing gorgeous fics of Curt/Jack out there that I have read a million times over! (Close VG seconds are Arthur/Curt and Jack/Malcolm. Curt/Brian is important of course, and I love reading fic about it, but it's just too doomed for me to put my heart behind lol)

Our Flag Means Death - Ed Teach/Stede Bonnet. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. The way this show rotted my brain. The way these gay pirates seeped into my consciousness and won't leave. Their story so far has been so wonderful (and devastating - that goes without saying) and I'm so excited for their relationship to deepen in season 2. There's promise of more drama, more romance, and more spiciness! In the meantime, though, I'm eternally grateful to the literal tens of thousands of Ed/Stede fics that build on this love story. (Jim/Oluwande and Lucius/Pete are also incredible)

Beatles - McLennon. Okay, so this one is kind of wishy-washy for me because of the rpf element. There have been some McLennon fics that have given me everything I'd ever want and more. Then there have been fics that just made me uncomfy. This is a personal thing and not at all trying to hate on any fic writers; sometimes the spiciness gets too much when I remember John and Paul are real-life people. Regardless - McLennon is a love story. It is. They were in love, no matter how you look at it, and their relationship and how it manifested in their music and actions is such an interesting arc to observe. Ugh I just love reading their quotes about each other, seeing their studio interactions, analyzing their lyrics in songs directed at each other. And there have been so many fics that have captured this relationship between them so beautifully (whether or not it was accurate, it felt real enough to me). I've been in the Beatles fandom longer than in any other fandom, and even if I don't approach the John/Paul ship the way I do fictional ships, it brings me so much joy to learn about and read about and see art about their decades-long love story. (Another Beatles-ish relationship I've been loving lately is George/Bob Dylan. They are absolute girlies maximizing their joint slay)

Across the Universe - Jude/Max. This ship is kind of recent, though my love for the movie is years-old. On a recent rewatch, I realized that actually, no, Jude and Lucy aren't really right for each other, no matter how hopeful that ending seems for their story. And I love the dynamic between Max and Jude. And I've read some incredible fics recently covering just that. So yes, give me more Jude/Max please. And all Beatles fans should watch this movie btw. Also fans of trippy visuals and ambitious musical numbers and fun cameos (Bono? Eddie Izzard? Salma Hayek? Joe Cocker? sign me up)

Trainspotting - Renton/Sick Boy. Again a movie that has been a part of my life for so freaking long, but a ship that came a little later. I love their dynamic and how it changes through the films. In the 90s, they're kinda dicks to each other, but "he's a mate" so they tolerate each others' antics. The fics written about this era are so interesting, because on the surface there's a lot of shitty behavior to each other, but underneath there's always care and love. By the time they reach the 2010s, they've been estranged for twenty years, and yet they really do cling to each other. Part of that is just clinging to the past and trying to recreate some beautiful bygone days they're imagining, but still there's love between them. Anyway go read some Mark/Simon fic because it's always a good time.

Thanks again for tagging me! Anyone feel free to get in on this. I'll tag @moonage-xx-daydream @holy-loki - if you guys feel like doing it :)

[internerdionality]

20 Questions for FanFic Authors

Tagged by @dragonmuse, thank you! 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

39. I've been publishing since 2020, so a relative newbie, and I apparently can't write actual short works to save my life. I'm looking forward to hitting 50 fics, maybe even before the end of the this year, although that might be overly optimistic.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

817,200. Also looking forward to hitting a million! I started writing fanfic in part because of Diane Duane's post about the first million words being for practice, but I've realized as I've gone that fanfic is also just more fun in a lot of ways than original work, because it's lower stakes and more silliness and really all about the community.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly Our Flag Means Death and the DC universe. I have a long crossover plotted out in the Slayerverse but I haven't published any of it yet, and one fic (I think my shortest) that I wrote to expiate my feels for the fourth Matrix movie. Oh! And a few Good Omens, only one published so far.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor? , Our Flag Means Death, Izzy/Everyone + Canon Pairings. I started writing this one literally the night after I finished watching the show in late April 2022 and managed to hit the wave of gay pirate frenzy as the fandom was born. I swear I'll finish it. 😅

A Fucking Duel, Our Flag Means Death, endgame SteddyHands with some strong Sprizzy side-action. This started out as crack, again very early in the gay pirate brainrot, and then turned novella size on me when I wasn't looking.

To Err is Human, to Purr is Batman. DC. Shades of SuperBat but mostly Bat-Family focused. I turn Bruce Wayne into a cat. Pure fluff.

Mutually Beneficial. DC, SuperBat. Classic identity porn romcom with a sugar daddy twist. Nonbinary Clark Kent. My first fanfic on AO3!

Soaked to the Skin. Our Flag Means Death, Sprizzy with a side of BlackHands, my take on how things would go for the Revenge right after the first season ended, doesn't include any of the characters who weren't on the ship during SO1E10. Double the length of any other fic I've ever written!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always! I am a praise-gremlin and treasure every comment I receive. I also include answering comments in my total word count for the day (I made a resolution during the HHD 5781-82 to write more, and while it took me a little bit to get started, I have written at least 250 words a day since mid-December 2021). So answering comments often gets me pumped for writing more fic!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Disregarding the prequels in the big dark vampire romp (which aren't really standalone) probably a tie between the surprise twists at the ends of Untethered and Gently in the Night? Both fics end happily but then have a little angsty setup for the sequel at the very end.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Definitely Mutually Beneficial. Most of my fics end happily but I usually try to leave them somewhat open without doing a lot of epilogueish kind of things. MB was an exception where I wrote two fluffy epilogues with lots of romance and sex because I didn't want to leave my boys! Although honestly now when I think back on it I think it would have been a stronger work if I'd ended it right after the climax and posted the fluffy epilogues as separate works.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

There was this one unregistered user who went through all my SuperBat fics and engaged in this long comment thread where he accused me of not liking Clark Kent? (Which, almost all my DC fics have Clark as the protagonist, I adore him, so). It was very surreal. I eventually just deleted it every time they'd write a new comment and they stopped after like two or three of those.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Lots of smut! It's actually just in the past year that I've stretched myself to write more Gen-ish fics with WDYDWADS and TEIH, and it somewhat surprised me that those became my two most popular fics in their respective fandoms.

As far as what kind, I really try to diversify but the strongest commonalities tend to be strong power dynamics, bondage, pain-play, and consent-play, with my darkest stuff going hard into noncon. I have fluid squicks so I tend to avoid anything in that area.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

The only one I have published is the Our Flag Means Death/Pirates of the Caribbean (which seems pretty obvious, I'm honest surprised there isn't more). I have the whole arc plotted out where the vampire!DCU series is going to branch out into the Slayerverse. Hopefully I'll actually write it one of these days.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. I don't go looking, but my works aren't crazy popular, either.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A couple! I'm always really honored. 🥰 Many thanks to people who labor for fandom.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I did a long entirely cowritten canonized fiction for Steve Stirling's Emberverse—it's published on his site, not AO3, and under my real name, so don't go looking! (Nah, JK, I won't link it but I don't care if people figure it out).

And then I wrote this companion piece to Rimbaud's Give Pearls Away and Rubies. I had nothing to do with his piece, but he consulted heavily on mine. And Dragonmuse and I starting workshopping a Dragonriders of Pern pastiche that we might finish one of these days. 🤣

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Can I say the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one? It's the platonic ideal of a ship, really... 😂

Otherwise I really don't have one, I'm too poly for that. Even the ships I'm most feral about, I'll ship any of them with other people.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I won't say the DCU/Slayerverse crossover because I refuse to doubt that I'll finish it one day. So let's go with the JLA bad orgy crack—I actually posted on that one that it should be considered abandoned. I still love the idea but I kinda just ran out of steam.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Exposition, worldbuilding, delving into character emotions. Metaphors and whimsy.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Having actual plots. Action scenes. Actually finishing/ending anything.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I speak enough French and Hebrew to do either of those (and have).

I've done a very little Spanish for Jim from OFMD, but I tend to just copy actual stuff that they've said in canon. I do have a Puerto Rican friend that I've leaned on occasionally, but she's busy and I don't want to make it her job to constantly write dialogue for me so I usually try to avoid it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Define "wrote." 😂

When I was a teenager I plotted out long self-insert fixits for Star Trek, Harry Potter (look, even then the only thing I wanted to do in that verse was fix its many sins), X-Files, Stargate, and Buffy. I never wrote any of them down, though, just enjoyed the daydreaming.

Well, I lie, I did actually write about 60K eventually in an original novel that was based on some of the dynamics I'd created in the HP one, but that's the only one I ever got out on paper and it was altered enough that its origin was pretty unrecognizable.

If we're counting published anywhere, it's Stirling's Emberverse.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Soaked to the Skin. I'm honestly so proud of the actual! plot! in that one, the narrative flow, the emotional arcs, and like. the fact that I actually finished it. Even now a year later, every time I get a comment or kudo on that fic it sends this thrill of happiness up my spine.

Tagging (only if you want it), @thetardigrape, @sunless-garden, and @jupitermelichios.

[departed-pronouns]

Scrolling through my timeline now is letting me look and see a wide arrange of thoughts and reactions. But something I notice from almost everyone right now that has something to say about 911 and it's lackluster last season and season final. Is that they never expected Buck and Eddie to get together. I don't just mean the people who say they never saw the romance, that's a given, but they are saying it as if it was a forgone conclusion and they're saying that it's because we shouldn't expect to see characters presented as queer.

And then on the other side there are people who really wanted it and believed it was possible. There are people who wanted it but kept their expectations low because there's always a chance that your ship wont sail. There were people that just wanted canon confirmed Bi buck or canon confirmed queer Eddie in any form the show gave.

But in their posts on tumblr, on twitter, reddit or discord. They always have to add after saying they saw the possibility of it, but that they wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen. After 911's last episode people who posted about Buddie were saying they were disappointed but they weren't surprised. There are people posting that they expected to be disappointed and people posting that you should have seen it coming and just accept that it was never going to happen.

And honestly, why not? Tell me why. Things have to change some time for the better. Why not see that change now? Why not be disappointed about this? When really by now we should be to a point where one fan pairing that's queer doesn't go canon should be just as meh as if a fan hetero couple does. Why just accept it's never going to happen.

I mean maybe I wont get to see something like this in my life time. But I'd like to think one day we could do something as simple as watch tv and see people on it being all different shades of queer. See two guys who were only written as straight suddenly show queerness because like, in real life that's something that happens, people realize things late in life. People present a certain image and when you get to know them more you find out hidden depth. Characters aren't even real and this annoying rule that fiction has to be held in this chock hold because people in real life are homophobic/transphobic/just terrible in general and can't seem to handle, well, differences.

Maybe that day when I can log online and say two fictional characters would be cute together and not end up in some online discourse over it will also be the same day me or any other person that's different won't have to live in fear in real life. Can be unique but not considered 'other' and 'wrong' Because yes for a lot of people this may just be 'oh no the pretty people I want to see together on tv didn't get together'. But to some it's another way of pointing out how what a lot of us are is wrong and gross. And to people like me it's another reminder that I don't live in a world where what I am is normal enough to just be on tv. To just be out there and not given a second thought.

In this specific fandom, for this show, lots of people point out there's already Hen and Karen, and there had been David and Michael. As if that fills some quota the queers have that doesn't apply to straight couples. We didn't see anyone saying Buck or Eddie shouldn't have girl friends because there were already too many straight couples on the show. Hell, with this fandom I've had someone tell me if I want to see a gay couple, go watch a completely different show. Cause Lone star has Carlos and TK. It's like a backwards slide, enough queerness on this, move along to something else.

Frankly I think seeing people say 'I know this could never happen' is more depressing than the ship not sailing. And I wish when I or other people brought up our disappointment about this sort of stuff. It wasn't boiled down to us being silly about ship. Right now one of the very real ways I can fight against prejudice is by finding and supporting queer media and trying to support the general medium embracing and celebrating and representing queer people in real ways.

Sure it might not be on the same level as when I protest legislation that is being passed that strips away peoples rights. Which is still happening because we can't change people's misinformed views on real life issues, and we can't do that if we can't even get past token rep in shows.

[emometalhead]

Hey hi bestie I heard you're the local fall out boy expert and I'm thinking of getting into them, any recommendations where to start? I tried listening to them like 6-7 years ago but it didn't stick, so I want to try again now

Hi beloved!! I am the self proclaimed Fall Out Boy expert, and I am very happy to give some recommendations!

I was going to be super in depth about these, but lately I've been too mentally ill and busy to be able to put the brainpower toward it. However, do not hesitate to reach out for more recs or to talk about the band/music. I am happy to do so!!

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend. (2003)

Their first ever album. Rough audio. Sounds like a first album. Not in a bad way, but it is their least polished work.

Song recommendations:

Growing Up

Take This To Your Grave (2003)

Their official debut. A bit more polished, but still with obvious punk influences.

Song recommendations:

Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy

Reinventing The Wheel To Run Myself Over

From Under The Cork Tree (2005)

Still a bit punk. A bit more rock.

Song recommendations:

Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued

Dance, Dance

Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

Infinity On High (2007)

I'm actually giving you the same recommendations and explanations as Alexi for this album. My agenda is to make you sad and to make you believe in Petekey.

Song recommendations:

Golden

Bang The Doldrums (!!!!!!!!!! 😭🖤🖤)

G.I.N.A.S.F.S (Stands for "gay is not a synonym for sh*tty")

Folie à Deux (2008)

My FAVORITE album!! This is the album that most demands to be listened to all at once and in order.

Song recommendations:

w.a.m.s.

I Don't Care

The (Shipped) Gold Standard

20 Dollar Nosebleed

Save Rock And Roll (2013)

I'm not sure if you have access to YouTube, but if you do go watch The Young Blood Chronicles! FOB made videos for each song on the album, and I think you'll like the concept. If you aren't able to access the videos, let me know. I can either screen record and find a way to send them to you, or I'll try to find you a working link.

Song recommendations:

The Phoenix

Death Valley (Tommy Lee is in this video as the devil!! If you can't access the video, in the meantime before I can get it to you, search "Tommy Lee Fall Out Boy" on my blog for content!)

Rat A Tat (Most punk vibes of their later music.)

American Beauty/American Psycho (2015)

The vibes are so fun and loud on this album!!

Song recommendations:

American Beauty/American Psycho

Jet Pack Blues (Not me saying the album is fun and loud, then recommending the slowest, saddest song.)

Twin Skeltons (Hotel In NYC)

Mania (2018)

Disclaimer: If you want a heavy, guitar driven album, this isn't it. However, I love this album with all of my heart, so maybe you'll find things to appreciate in it as well!

Song recommendations:

The Last Of The Real Ones (You might enjoy this one lyrically.)

Heaven's Gate (I feel like this can be applied in some fandoms.)

Young And Menace (Have to include the song that name drops Nikki Sixx.)

I am soooo sorry this took so long. I hope you're still interested!! Thank you for coming to me for this!!

[stupidsexpotflanders]

Opinion only me and 2(?) other fans hold

I really can't see Light Yagami being into guys(at least by reading the manga). Of course,those readings are perfectly valid(and I even enjoyed some of the meta about it),but I can't see him as anything other than straight or aroace(and this one I'm not even invested in,I just enjoy the idea). Disclaimer:I'm only discussing the manga where he's a protagonist,other sources aren't taken into consideration.

A big part of it is because I don't ship him with any male character(other than being mildly amused by Mikalight),and do ship him with some of the female ones(granted - most of it is in non-Kira AU's). Most of my sexuality headcanons are related to shipping(namely,why I headcanon Madoka from PMMM as a lesbian - I only like her with Homura);

I was a casual Death Note fan during the "imagay" jokes,and it contributed to my exaustion. Besides,most of the gay!Light material is related to Læwl1ght,and I've always liked them better as enemies. Besides,Light had almost always been portrayed in an OOC way,IMO(regardless of sexuality,Light just isn't very focused in romance and doesn't strike me as this repressed blushing mess - he'd realize he's into guys by his mid-to-late teens at most,IMO. He'd stay in the closet for pragmatic reasons and have some conflict,but not beat himself up for his sexuality). Light does indulge in denial a lot,but it seems to be all about how virtuous he's,and that he's nor amoral at all. On the other hand,he rarely judges people for being "weird","out of the norm" or "different". Other than some comment about L's sitting pose,Light doesn't really give a shit about alternative ways of expression - L isn't called an exccentric,he looks down on Misa in 97393747 ways but never commented on her aesthetic and interests,he looked at Near and didn't make any comment on his mannerisms nor on his outfits. Despite being the Perfect Japanese Teen Boy in the 2000's and looking down on people on a regular basis,Light Yagami generally doesn't give a fuck about people being odd around him;

Another reason why I see Light Yagami as a straight guy is more or less some of the above - basically,his character archetype. He's supposed to be very much inside the norm,except better. Light is The Best Student of Japan,he's seen as very handsome,has great social skills... You know the jazz. Being gay would throw a wrench in this image,IMO. Not nearly as much as accidental murder,and as I said before,Light wouldn't have a great deal of suffering due to his sexuality. However,there would still be a conflict,since Light is from a conservative family and wants to have a high-powered career in Japan. Pre-Kira Light didn't seem to have any kind of conflict related to his self or public image,and I can't see the same being true for a gay!Light. In fact,he's virtually unchallenged before the notebook falls. To top it all,Light said he had to keep himself from catching feelings for Misa,because "this is how most idiots screw up"(I found this in Chapter 30).

(I don't know if the Japanese version says something different,tho)

Of course,those were my 2¢. I just wanted to express my opinion here.

[lunarflare64]

Tell me about ur OCs ( •̀ ω •́ )

Ajdhwkdj hello! I would love to! But first of all, fair warning, I am definitely not sober rn, vodka is involved, so I shall be long winded and rambley

This is my girl Julie, who will be a regular on my art blog @lunartflare64 for at least a little while

If you couldn't tell, I made her to ship with trans lesbian 2012 TMNT Leo, aka Leonora, because I've been drawing her a lot lately and wanted a big buff girl for her to be gay over

Julie's creation was incredibly vague at first, starting out leaning a lot more into the tough type of butch at first, and as I was going though each individual species of lizard on Wikipedia (as you do) I came across the red eyed crocodile skink

Very fun from a character design perspective, so I took a crack at it (with some aspects of other species of lizards I liked, character backstory forming around them), and proto!Julie looked badass! Very spikey, very fiery. But then I came into a major hurdle. Drawing her repeatedly would be a massive PAIN IN THE ASS

So into the trash that design goes, and back into the lizard species wiki I go. Idk how many species of lizard I looked at. Hundreds would be a given. Thousands is likely. I went through every species of skink first after all, and theyre the biggest family of lizard by a lot. Even when I left the skinks for other families I didn't find anything that appealed to me for a few days. Until.......

The green keel-bellied lizard. Aren't they cool? Look them up, their colour variation is gorgeous. So, after looking at a few more species to make sure this is what I really wanted, I went to start drawing her

Her backstory started to form as I was drawing her. How did she get mutated into this specific species? Well originally I thought about her owning her own green keel-bellied lizard, but I didn't want her character to be that brand of nerd, so...roommate. A roommate in college learning biology and the like, with the focus being reptiles and lizards specifically. And one of their species would be the Gastropholis prasina. And Julie would help with caring for their lizards occasionally because she's a sweet girl like that

Why does Julie live with a roommate in college at such a young age? Guess the parents aren't in the picture. I can see her ditching her parents early if they were shit, so that's what happened. She got emancipated at 14, found her roommate a few months later who helped her out a lot, and two years later the mutation would have happened

I wanted to lean into Julie being the "bad girl" stereotype at some level, even if she's a massive sweetheart, tattoos and piercings would be a given, but how does she get those when she was mutated so young? She couldn't get them before, and getting them after.....the mutant community isn't enough of a community to form even an underground business, and how would they even figure out how to make tattoos and piercings last for mutants? Especially shedding mutants like lizards?

Guess that'll be up to Julie then. Julie is an artist before her mutation, selling a little art every now and then to try and help her roommate out (and just enjoying the art process in general). When she was mutated she had a hard time with it for the first few months, as they all do, but eventually she got tired of that and was ready to find her new normal. Unfortunately, again, the mutant community isn't much of a community. When they do gather its for something very combat focused. Which she's not down for.

While the majority of the mutant community is still fighting, sometimes for good reason, sometimes for bad reason, Julie is ready to do something with her life, which she wasn't even ready for before her mutation. She wants to give something, some form of acceptance, a way to embrace their new forms and take the first step in imagining a life with those forms. And one thing they can't just get now is any kind of body modification. Even if a body mod place didn't freak at the sight of them, they wouldn't be able to help. Scales and fur can't really be tattooed. The normal way, that is. And luckily Julie has a roommate (who has stuck with her through her mutation and has helped big time with figuring out her new biology) who would be willing to help figure out how to make tattoos and the like last for mutants

So Julie becomes a mutant body mod specialist, with her friend figuring out the technicalities of it, and Julie making it happen. In a way, she becomes the start of the first real mutant community

So, what is she outside of her career? Well, from what has been gathered she's very focused, the unknowns aren't a deterrent for her, she's determined and ambitious, she understands that she can't be focused on the present forever, she needs to move forward. She's a trailblazer, but not really a leader. Her ambition has a limit, she doesn't plan on forging a whole community on her own, she just wants to give them something, and that something is what pushes others to find their own places and ways to contribute, even if Julie herself has no real control herself over what they become

But again, outside her career?......what is that? Where is that? Who is she? She went from being a nobody teenager to a driving force in the mutant community, she puts her all into it, she wants to put her all into it, but now she stuggles with slowing down, finding herself and her time, she's focused to much on giving and now she doesn't know where her centre is outside of that

She starts getting pent up, her home and her work are both now restricting for her, there's always something to do now and no escape from that. She needs to move, to do something without a PURPOSE behind it, and so, one day she goes for a run. Obviously mutants can't just go for a run on the streets, they'd be seen, but the rooftops are safe space for them, parkour is an important skill for mutants, so she knows what she's doing. She scales a skyscraper and starts to feel...at home

That would be her mutant parent's influence there. Green keel-bellied lizards are arboreal, they need to climb, and her long tail does give her a decent advantage on the rooftops

Its not much, but parkour becomes her escape, and through that she meets Leonora, a fellow workaholic.

You would think that two workaholics would create a work maniac, but no. They cancel each other out. If they see the other relaxed and in control, then they have no reason to worry or push themselves. They relax each other, sometimes too much. After so long (3 straight years for the both of them, at 18 for Nora and 19 for Julie) of endless work, for them relaxing means appreciating the little things. Very little. You can hear the Mii theme playing as they stare at a goldfish in a fishtank for 2 hours straight. Zero braincells total. They struggle to make date nights actually reach the DATE, they've wasted planned dates talking about nothing for hours in the same spot they met up. They're so dumb together, but its so good for them. Its the only time they can slow down enough to really start finding themselves, and once they get used to being allowed to have those little things they WILL start finding themselves, discovering things together their previous lives didn't let them have, even at the best of times

Okay, I think I'm done for now, this is as far as I've gotten with them. Don't know if the way I went about this said more about Julie or more about the way I go about character creation, but its gotta be informative in some way

[no1monstersimp]

14 and 15

WARNING THIS WILL BE VERY RANTY

Sorry this took a bit to answer haha, I was thinking about these ones for a little bit and I wanted to be able to type it out on my laptop because this may be long(and my laptop is slow). This will be a pretty heavy one.

So lets start with 14 -sigh-

TW rac*sm, h*m*phobia, ped*philia, r*pe, inc*st.

I'm sure this isn't unpopular, but my opinion about the fandom is it's pretty bad. Of course I love most of the users on here and have overall been very pleasant to interact with, but the issues are very overwhelming and become more apparent on the Reddit. You can say, it's just the Reddit, but I've seen these issues on Instagram, Twitter, and pretty much everywhere else. Some of the major issues are homophobia, racism, and the very concerning amount of pedophilia jokes/normalization.

So let's start with the homophobia portion.

As I'm sure everyone has experienced sometime in the fandom, there is an overwhelming amount of homophobia within the fandom. Let's take GenoSai for an instant. Whether like the ship or not, there is definitely a double standard among the fandom. Art where the ship is Genoko(Genos genderbend) x Saitama, it is perfectly fine and little heads are turned, but as soon as you mention Genos x Saitama, everyone goes batshit. They like to say it's because "ships don't belong in the fandom" but then turn around and ship Saitama and Tatsumaki or Saitama and Fubuki. They even go as far as to say "making them gay is disrespectful to the character or it ruins them". I'm sorry but if you're that delusional, I don't even know what to say honestly. Certain users got up and arms about the Batarou ship as of late after the reveal of Kiro in 170. Many users were sent unprovoked abhorrent asks or comments all because they ship them. Some have also downplayed the fact that bisexuality exists as well because of this, just stating "Garou isn't gay" or "Garou doesn't like men". There have been some that have written amazing essays on it so I won't go too deep into it here. Another thing is the downplay of LGBT voices in the fandom. They constantly harass LGBT users for having gay ships or other LGBT ships, when all we literally want is representation. It angers me when they say "well you have Puri Prisoner" and I'm sorry, but fuck that. I literally hate the character. They have no right to speak over us and preach what an acceptable character to represent the community is. No right at all...

Anyways... back to double standards, lesbian ships are more accepted because they are fetishizing them. Some of the most popular are Psykos x Fubuki, Fubuki x Do-S, and...ugh...Fubuki x Lily. So they ignore a literal 14 year old and 23 year old and think it's okay but somehow two consenting male adults in a relationship is worse??? Same thing with incestual relationships such as Fubuki x Tatsumaki.

A smaller section is the way they excuse Darkshine. I understand the intention may not have meant to be racist, but at the end of the day we can't keep excusing it. I feel awful when I remember his backstory because he's not a bad character, in the sense that he's a good guy.

Ah the pedophilia jokes and the normalization. I can't tell you how many times I've seen really disgusting jokes about the child characters in sexual situations. The thing is, they aren't even funny. As mentioned before, they already normalize the relationship between a 14 year old and someone she looks up to, who is 23. Well, let's dive into their favorite thing, One Hurricane. There is a volume of this lovely series , I say sarcastically, in which Child Emperor( a 10 year old) is raped by Fubuki (yet again, a 23 year old) and I sadly laid my eyes on a panel. Fubuki is sexually assaulted by Saitama multiple times throughout the series as well as Do-s in one volume. They still celebrate the series as "so good" when it literally excuses rape ad pedophilia. It pisses me off so bad. There are many users who draw or post incest, pedophilia, rape and are celebrated. It's sad I can think of so many off the top of my head, BY NAME.

I have some other things I want to talk about but the post is getting long...

I'll do a briefing of things I don't like about the manga itself. I don't like the way Kama is treated, she's way too beautiful to be presented the way she is. Especially in the webcomic when her name was "Slicing Shemale". I understand that there is apparently some translation issues, but sometimes I wonder.

I already talked about Darkshine and Puri.

[rainbowsky]

Hey rbs, Happy holidays! Sorry to bother you but there has been something on my mind lately. Are there any moments where either GG or DD supported/showed support to LGBT?

That's a more complicated question than you might think.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Because of the political situation in China, it's not safe to appear to be a part of a political movement, especially one that seeks to fight against official positions and policies. It's part of why Pride parades aren't allowed in China anymore. It's a big part, I'm sure, of why there's been a crackdown on queer organizations and queer university groups in China.

The official position from the regime is that every citizen has a patriotic duty to enter a heterosexual marriage and breed as much as possible - they have a '3 child' policy they've been pushing - and it seems that in their minds, being queer directly runs against those goals (as I've said many times, there's no reason why being queer should prevent people from having children if they want to, except the unjust laws that stand in their way).

People can and do express support for or acceptance of queer relationships, but top celebrities can only do so within a very limited narrow interpersonal parameter. There are a few reasons for this:

There is a stated policy that celebrities must express ideas that align with the regime's positions. Any artist who fails to do so could face blacklisting and/or 'reeducation'.

The censorship laws in China forbid homosexuality being presented in a favorable light (or really, at all) in any significant way.

As I stated previously, in China it's not safe to appear to be part of a protest or political movement.

Queer celebrities are especially ill-advised to show any political leanings in support of homosexuality, because it would put them at extra risk. It's also part of why there are so few gay men in China willing to openly admit they are turtles. They don't want GGDD's ship to be given a political tone by the conspicuous presence of queer men in the fandom, so they keep any support low-key and under the radar.

Having said that, GG and DD have both shown alignment with the LGBTQ community from time to time.

They both have been known to frequently wear brands from LGBTQ-led design houses including DSQUARED_2, Charles Jeffrey, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, Christian Louboutin, Martine Rose, Jacquemus and others.

GG posted popular gay anthem Somewhere Over the Rainbow for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia back in 2017. (He also sang the song with Zhao Lei live on 2016/11/19, a date turtles believe might be GGDD's anniversary.)

DD's famous sneakers and ice cream post, which led some gossip sites to claim he had come out of the closet. @potteresque-ire did a great analysis of that post here. There was also good analysis from @untamedconnotations back when the video was posted, and you can find that here.

A 2011 Weibo conversation where GG showed support for a gay friend who had posted about having a new boyfriend.

GG wearing Pride sneakers for an interview.

A Pride flag showing up in the foreground of a Kai Xiao Zao ad GG appeared in this year. This one is ambiguous because it could have been chosen by the brand, but considering that's a photo of Jianguo next to it, it's possible that it actually came from GG (the kadian on the clock - 23:00, 'Love Zhan' is also cute).

GG selecting a rainbow watch to represent romance for a Zenith Qixi Festival ad campaign.

GG singing gay anthem Post Coital Tristesse on NYE last year.

Endorsing some queer-friendly brands, especially Budweiser, Bubly and some other international brands that have been known to be vocal supporters of LGBTQ rights. Budweiser has even done some queer-friendly advertising in China.

When he was in Milan, GG posted a photo (3:50 in video) of a cathedral where people had gathered to celebrate gay marriage being made legal. It's not clear that he posted it because of the queer context, but a lot of fans made note of it. He posted another photo of it during his February 2023 Milan trip. More on this CPN here.

GG sang Tempting Heart when he was on Our Song, which is a song from the 1999 film of the same name. The film is about a love triangle involving a lesbian woman, and the lyrics of the song allude to that.

Some fans believe GG may have posted in reference to the anniversary of Leslie Cheung's death on 4/1/22.

On 23 April 2022 GG posted a Douyin where he read a poem by celebrated queer poet Edith Södergran.

DD mentioned Brokeback Mountain in a video clip

GG and DD are both Spongebob fans.

GG mentioned in an interview that he'd like to see The Whale.

DD chatting happily with queer icon Dan Levy at the Loewe show in Paris.

There's also their frequent association with rainbows.

The rainbow watches in their lives (including GG choosing one for a Zenith Qixi Festival ad campaign, not on that list).

GG appearing next to a rainbow rabbit in a Roseonly ad.

GG wearing a rainbow stars jacket and Pride colors rainbow belt for his live performance of Running to You With All I Have last year.

GG wearing a rainbow fox hoodie to interview Wan Fang last year.

GG wearing a rainbow watch and using a rainbow badminton racket for photo set he posted on Weibo.

DD wearing a rainbow Thrasher logo hoodie during rehearsal for his Just Like Sunshine dance performance.

GG including a set of rainbow colored chopsticks in his annual PR gift box.

DD wearing pants with rainbow patches for a Chanel event on the first day of Pride (not Chanel pants).

I’ll keep updating this post as I think of more, or as more references occur. If you think of one that I’ve missed please let me know.

DD wearing a rainbow colored outfit for the Loewe show in Paris during Pride month.

GG posting a vacation picture with a Pride flag hanging from a balcony.

Bottom line: It's unrealistic for international fans to expect to see overt expressions of Pride from GGDD, like we would see from North American or European stars, but I think they show what they are able to safely show.

Edit: More on DD's Pride rainbow connections here.