#This is defintely kind of controversial I would think but at the same time it’s something I’m gonna stand by

[mossy-paws]

What R your hottest takes when it comes to gaming

MMMMMM I think the hottest and most controversial take I have is that young kids should not be allowed within a mile of any time of shooter/pvp game unless they have parental supervision- And no that is NOT because of the stupid “video games cause violence” sort of thing but it’s because of other people either being mean, rude, creepy, or just generally bad. This also applies to older kids being weird and uncomfortable as well- not just adults. People now a days are way way WAYYYYY too comfortable being gross on the internet and it defintely applies to games as well.

[evangelineartemiasamos]

Before I say this, really don't mean it to be rude, but why do you think Victoria decided to inject homophobia into a fantasy series which didn't have to mimic the world we live in? I really don't mean to start discourse, but as a bi girl who uses books as an escape, the pattern of straight authors putting homophobia into a book that takes place in a different world kind of bothers me.

I can totally see your point as I’ve seen this argument before, in other contexts. But I,as a straight person, cannot relate to this personally. I can only make arguments about what I’ve learned. Aveyard does use homophobia as a plot point and the question is whether or not this was a good decision. It was certainly a controversial and problematic one that could’ve been approached better.

I think she uses homophobia to show how intolerant and power-fixated the Silvers are even among themselves and to each other. I don’t think she wants to mimic the world we live in this way, but to portray the Silvers. There are certainly other ways to show this, though all would’ve been triggering in one way or another. Be it the child soldier part, or how Silvers might treat rape survivors, or the general child abuse that is alluded to. Red Queen isn’t supposed to show a happyland to begin with, as more or less metaphorical racism is the main conflict of the series, though that doesn’t excuse including homophobia as well.

Please note that the Silvers aren’t homophobic in a forbidding way but in forcing their children into arranged heterosexual marriages. Same-sex relationships aren’t a taboo, though Aveyard defintely doesn’t do enough to show this. Look at Mare not reacting to the Evane relationship at all when Aveyard certainly could’ve found a place to give Mare an opinion or have her feel compassion. Maven seems ashamed of his former relationship with another boy, though that has probably other reasons as well (taking blame for his death, the general mind-control via his mother, Thomas being Red) whereas it seems like Evangeline has to make a secret of her relationship with Elane though if you look closely at the text, she is not exactly trying to hide it either.

Aveyard could’ve been more plain about these characters not feeling ashamed of their sexuality. And while Evangeline isn’t ashamed or trying to suppress her sexuality, the whole point of her being forced into a marriage with a man when everyone, most of all her family, knows she’s lesbian, is indeed used for drama, as in letting the lesbians suffer. Generally, as I’ve said often, before, I’m very upset that we don’t get to see Elane’s feelings for Evangeline and about the whole arranged marriages. All we get to see is Evangeline who agreed to the marriage with Cal before, who then changes her stance after she gets to have a fulfilling relationship with the person she loves. Maybe Aveyard will remedy this part in the last book, giving us more info about Elane while Evangeline dares to speak up to her parents with them actually agreeing with her, that she doesn’t need to marry Cal if she doesn’t want to. Give her a choice to decide over her life by herself. This sounds like she needs her parents’ approval, I know, but this relates to the point of your question - is the world of Red Queen homophobic and why can’t it be less so? If her parents, and other Silvers, showed a different opinion on this than we assume now, it would shift the problem a little.

Honestly, here I am listing points how Aveyard could’ve done better, but of course, I cannot know if this really makes anything better. I’m straight. Maybe it would help if the canon gay characters presented in the books so far weren’t all Silver, and I hope the canon Red gay characters, confirmed as spoilers, Davidson, Rafe (though she hasn’t said he’s gay but lgbt+) or Saraline from Steel Scars, get more page-time and positive representation but this is just an assumption.

I hope my rambling has been helpful in any way. But it’s out of anyone’s hands if people already felt offended by the first three books of the series and don’t want to read on this reason. It’s the general problem of series, that these books might improve after you’ve decided to drop them about which is nothing wrong.