#also related question: PJO fans did you enjoy the show

[thelastspeecher]

okay I have a genuine question

people who have seen the Percy Jackson Disney+ show, do they EVER mention dyslexia and ADHD, bc in the first three episodes, there was no such mention, and the roommate and I will not be able to get through any further ones

like, the first episode we see Percy's dyslexia, but it's not explained what it is, and Percy describes things that as someone with ADHD I recognize as ADHD symptoms but again it's not explained what it is

and just showing/describing something is not enough imo, esp given the source material

[mariaiscrafting]

Yooo, this actually makes a lot of sense. It's weird for me bc I actually get a lot more attached to mlm ships than others, even though I'm a bisexual woman. When I first learned what fetishization was a few years ago, I spent a lot of time questioning why that was and if it was for the wrong reasons, and I think for me it's probably a couple of reasons.

One, the first ship I ever saw a lot of fandom culture about when I was a young teenager was Klaine from Glee, so I've always had that association of fanworks/fandom shipping with that initial ship, which just so happens to be mlm. Second, mlm ships were the first ships I ever found content for that wasn't just stigmatized or typical. Like yeah, there were some books I read and movies I watched when I was young with straight couples that weren't super trope-y and actually really well done, like PJO/HOO (I got so attached to percabeth haha), but they weren't romantically-focused works. I was always a sucker for romance in all forms of media, but every YA novel and movie that was focused on romance was just some shallow representation of romance between a het couple, in my opinion. The first time I came across romantic media that truly hit home for me and made me feel so much attachment and emotion was Klaine fanfiction and fanart, which led me to all these other mlm fan works and eventually conventional media that was another factor in the creation of that attachment to mlm ships. Third, I think I usually shied away from romantic works with women because they were almost always reliant in some kind of misogynistic trope or other, and once I was exposed to this world of mlm ships where everyone was equal in a relationship dynamic and everything seemed to be so much more freeing, I didn't want to go back. Like, I was super into The Selection when I was young, but then I came back to it a few years ago and realized I probably fell out of touch with it because I had some underlying discomfort at the lack of self-awareness those books had about just how fucked it is to have a bunch of women essentially compete for this man's hand in marriage, putting each other down and relying in a man for their eventual livelihoods. Like, even when the media is created by women, it so often was pushed by some kind of 'women are different/lesser' ideal that's ingrained in heteronormativity, and I just... did not vibe with it. Eventually it made me too uncomfortable to enjoy het media at all. Fourth, I've always questioned why I didn't turn to wlw ships in that case, and the answer is, I have, but they're so rare. The only fandom with substantial wlw fan content that I ever was a part of was Life is Strange, and I fucking ate that shit up. It had the same freedom as mlm content for me, it was just as fulfilling and enjoyable, and I ate up every bit of content I could. But eventually that fandom died out, and I think I just have such a hard time finding enjoyable wlw content now because they're so much less popular? Like, the most popular wlw ships on ao3 are from the 100 and Supergirl, two shows I never had any interest in. Within mcyt, there's so little content for wlw ships, and so few fans focused on wlw ships. It's just so rare for the media I get into to have canon wlw ships, so it's just a matter of less content. At least, compared to mlm ships, which are so fucking common, yk?

Anyways, I get what you're talking about 100% OP, I just find it interesting that I'm like the complete opposite from you, in that I actually get super attached to mlm ships even though I can technically relate better to wlw/het ones. Your point makes a lot of sense, too, and I'm sure it's why a lot of queer people in the MCYT fandom also are so attached to DNF. And you're 100% right; it's so much more than just simple shipping vs. fetishization. This is a complex issue & everyone is so unique in the reasons they have for making/indulging in the content that they do.

Ty for your reply <3

About dnf and mcyt homophobia...I think people should ask themselves if they would feel the same way if one member was a woman. Take GNF for example. Same personality, same skills, same background of friendship etc. Just as a woman. Would ppl still watch her for "sitting pretty infront of the camera"? Would people find it cute when D brings her up at every chance? Would they find it cute when he spends a lot if money on her on stream and openly praises her shows affection? Probably not.

I have... mixed feelings about this ask.

So yeah, I agree that there are lots of double standards to be addressed with dnf, as in many other aspects of media and life. Imo, for true equality to be achieved - that is, for all relationships with any combination of people of different gender identities to be seen as normal, capable of the same criticisms and respect, without degradation or special treatment of any kind - we need to each individually question, how do we treat and perceive certain relationships? Are we treating some ships in real life and in media differently than we would if the orientations were different? If so, why? There’s this notion that homophobia is solely based on hatred or degradation, which isn’t true. Homophobia isn’t just seeing mlm/wlw relationships as lesser, less valid, or gross. It’s also the treatment of those relationships as Other, which includes treating them in ways you wouldn’t otherwise treat heterosexual relationships. 

So yeah, a good practice to eradicate this kinda treatment of relationships as “Other” is active thinking. When we ship things, ask ourselves if we’d do the same thing if GNF were a woman, rather than a man. But, I think that your assumption that “probably not,” in regards to whether or not most people would be treating him the same, is a bit presumptive. Some of the things you listed are things most of my peers on the Internet are against when it comes to women, and I think is unjust. Like, I’ve made a post on my main blog ranting about how the immediate assumption that any man who calls a female CC pretty/beautiful that day is misogynistic? That kinda peeves me and I think is an attack on the femininity of a woman and contributing to society’s derisive attitude towards female CCs who try to present themselves as sexually attractive and/or put efforts into their appearance. First of all, this is just my opinion and personal take on the topic. Second of all, I think this speaks to how we need to understand both sides of the coin when we’re talking about what exactly is oppressive/bigoted. We might think we’re helping the purproted victims of certain forms of bigotry, but to claim that things that aren’t actually wrong are wrong can actually be really detrimental to those vulnerable groups, rather than helpful.

But I’m getting a bit off-topic, so back to your original examples. The first one is really, really valid, imo. The first point brings up, not a point about homophobia exactly, but more about male objectification. I know current Internet culture is focused more on the objectification of women and criticizing it. But there’s this giant double standard, in that so many women and people attracted to men excuse the same behavior when it’s targeted at men or non-women. There’s nothing wrong with watching streamers because you think they’re attracted. But when you’re using language and having discussions about their attractiveness, always keep that same mentality in mind of; would you be okay with the same thing if it was directed towards a woman? Are you crossing lines you wouldn’t cross when talking about female CCs. There needs to be this balance, between understanding that it’s okay to watch women for their attractiveness and to comment on it because it’s not inherently a bad or objectifying thing, and not being super creepy and objectifying of men in those discussions on attractiveness.

To your second choice... this is really subjective, imo. Like you seem to not think this is okay, while I personally am okay with it? I point out when people in non-mlm relationships/ships bring each other up all the time, too, because I think it’s cute. But that’s up to you, really.

To your third example.... uh, this is an... opinion. Like yeah, I genuinely do think most people would be okay with those things? I’ve seen examples of female streamers receiving a big amount of money from someone they’re being shipped with/have romantic connotations with in their relationship, and frankly, I don’t think either is more or less weird than the other. Maybe that’s just because I don’t have this mentality of women versus men being the breadwinners in relationships, but I understand how some people might see that as another form of women being financially dependent upon men in relationships, which is Problematique, yeah. But... openly praising someone and showing affection? Like.... even when a man is doing that to a woman, is that a bad thing? I still think it’s cute? I think most people would treat this the same, whether George/Dream were a het ship or not...

But again, these are all ~my opinions~ warped by my personal biases and experiences, so to each their own, anon. Ty for the ask <3