#cedar crap

[fruity-phrog]

Headcanon that the eye feeds Jon information about the social queues his autism is missing but it doesn’t change how Jon acts because every time he just goes “What? That is stupid I don’t believe that’s what a neurotypical person would do” so he ignores it.

[fruity-phrog]

Okay, I saw someone say that Nimona, while being good representation, “didn’t take the big step forward in queer rep that everyone says it did”.

That is wrong. So wrong, my dude.

Yes, an explicit and open queer relationship in children’s cartoons is not new, per ce. Hell, just this year, two popular kids’ cartoons had the main character in an open, adorable, plot-based queer romance. But this is different for a few reasons.

Reason number one, it isn’t left in suspense. Yes, they had that split for three odd weeks, but they started the film as a couple. One of the very first scenes is them together as a couple, Ambrosius saying he loves Ballister, them holding hands, Ballister leaning on Ambrosius’ shoulder. Ambrosius says he loves Ballister three times during the film, and none of them are any more than halfway in. It’s very clear, from their very first interaction, that they are an established relationship, which isn’t something I’ve seen...at all in other animation.

Secondly, they are the plot. Ambrosius not believing Ballister, Ambrosius cutting off Ballister’s arm, Ballister trying to get the video to Ambrosius - this is what drives the plot. In any other children’s animation with queer relationships, the relationship is not the main focus. Even The Owl House, which is so amazing with its constant representation, would still make sense if Luz and Amity never happened. But Nimona’s plot wouldn’t make sense without Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship. It, quite simply, can’t be erased. It could work as a friendship, yes, but that’s the point. They could have just been two close friends that fell on opposite sides of a fight, but they weren’t. They were two lovers that fell on opposite sides of a fight. 

Thirdly, they aren’t sanitized for “family viewing”. An emerging trend in children’s animation is to only have mlm relationships as fathers to make them seem more “family friendly”. With the exception of Kipo, there really isn’t many tv shows or films that places light upon an mlm relationship. And if it does, it'll be a teen relationship because teenagers being queer tends to come across as less “dirty” and more “innocent”. But Goldenheart is none of these things. They are adults without the mollifying aspect of having a family. And on top of that, they fight. They wield swords and they get bloody and they shoot at things and get angry and yell. They aren’t “clean” and “innocent”.

As well as this, they are in a film. Films are far more accessible than tv shows. You have to watch twenty seven episodes before Lumity in toh is canon. Troy kisses Benson on the eleventh episode of Kipo. And there are two hundred and eighty three episodes of Adventure Time before Marceline and Bonnie kiss. But with a film, the queerness is much more forward - especially in Nimona, where it’s literally the second scene. Animated films hardly ever display queer relationships, but Nimona did.

Finally - they aren’t perfect. I don’t know about you, but three weeks of thinking your boyfriend/maybe ex is a murderer? Doesn’t sound like a healthy few weeks to me. I have only seen big relationship arguments portrayed in straight relationships in cartoons - think Star Vs The Forces Of Evil - whereas queer relationships either have the massive fight prior to being canonically gay - She Ra - or have conflict, not arguments, that are dealt with quickly - Dead End/The Owl House. But Goldenheart? Goldenheart suffers. Their relationship is pushed to such extreme boundaries as for them to be pretty much exes throughout most of the movie. And yet, they are clearly healthy, happy and very much in love at the end. 

TL;DR - Nimona is amazing with the queer representation, and it is a milestone for LGBTQ+ cartoons. Not only is the relationship romantic for the entire movie, the plot is driven by Ambrosius and Ballister’s sort-of-break-up. In short, they are treated the same way straight people are. They have flaws, they have massive arguments, they have plot importance, they have backstory. They are in love. And that’s what matters more than anything else. 

[fruity-phrog]

Everyone's talking about the links between Pete and Owen, and everyone's talking about the links between Wilbur and Owen, but no one is brave enough to make a venn diagram.

Edit: how could I forget “enemies with Curt Mega at some point” to the center

[fruity-phrog]

A brief list of Joey Richter characters that can be identified by fruit:

[fruity-phrog]

These images are so important to me. Two women who were originally forced together from the pressure given by themselves and their parents. Now close friends, choosing to pursuit their interests together instead of being controlled by others. Look at Amity’s grin, Lilith’s smile. They are genuinely so so happy to see each other. Lilith is the mother figure Amity never had and Amity is the mentee Lilith always wanted - a second chance for both of them.

[fruity-phrog]

Diversity win! These two aroaces are brutally and world shattering messily divorced!

[fruity-phrog]

I absolutely love tv shows that have such an overlap of fans that you just assume someone has watched them both. The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Our Flag Means Death and Good Omens. The Owl House, Gravity Falls and Amphibia. They are like stray cats that cannot be adopted separately.

[fruity-phrog]

Good Omens S1: Here’s a straight relationship, they’re kinda cute, and here’s an older straight relationship, like an enemies to lovers, and I guess if you read into it you could say Crowley likes Aziraphale but it’s really just speculation. Pollution is non-binary though!

Good Omens S2: HERE’S SOME LESBIANS IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THEY KISS HERE’S THIS GUY’S GENDERQUEER SPOUSE BEELZEBUB AND THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL ARE FUCKING IN LOVE BEELZEBUB IS NON-BINARY CROWLEY IS NON-BINARY FUCKING GOD IS NON-BINARY OH AND HERE’S SOME CANON INEFFABLE HUSBANDS FOR YOU-

[fruity-phrog]

Happy Valentine’s Day to aroace people who don’t have partners, and those who do.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people in QPRs.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people in unlabeled relationships.

Happy Valentine’s Day to asexual people who still have romantic partners.

Happy Valentine’s Day to aromantic people who still have sexual partners.

Happy Valentine’s Day to m-spec people who are dating the opposite gender, and those who are dating the same gender.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people who are in hidden relationships.

Happy Valentine’s Day to closeted people.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people who cannot be with their loved ones.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people who have been rejected by their crushes.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all trans and non-binary people.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people scared to celebrate for whatever reason.

Happy Valentine’s Day to people with multiple partners.

Happy Valentine’s Day. You deserve it. I love you. You are loved.

[fruity-phrog]

I am going to scream and cry

[fruity-phrog]

Yes of course I’m still thinking about Alice and Sam getting silly about Chester and Norris:

It starts off as a joke because Chester reads one side of an angsty break up turned supernatural case, then Norris reads the exact same event from the other person’s side, and Sam and Alice’s eyes just Light Up

After seeing that it annoys the hell out of Gwen, they gleefully continue.

Sam does shitty doodles and Alice writes even shittier fanfics - at first, it’s just stupid, often them making out using cable wires or whatever just to make Sam squirm, but after a while she starts writing actual domestic fluff or angst.

Celia quietly offers designs for them both and Alice and Sam both agree it’s impressive how well they match the voices almost as if Celia had met them before-

Whenever Chester or Norris read something out that could be seen as romantic, Alice ignores her work until she’s written at least 500 words on it

They call them Chestris

Alice actually starts a fandom tag on AO3 just called “OIAR” and somehow her fics (which she posts quite regularly due to the aforementioned) have a few dedicated readers and fanbase

Sam elects not to publish his drawings

The canon they decide upon is that they live in an office not unlike OIAR and randomly are overcome with the urge to talk about some guy’s trauma, but other than that they chill and just chat and be gay

They sometimes get bang on about the characters in a way that creeps Celia tf out - Norris makes tea, Chester is a cat guy and also a bit of a bummer, etc

Gwen by this point refuses to even be in the same room as the others while Chestris is being discussed, it annoys her so much. She’d never admit it, but whenever she gets Norris or Chester talking her mind immediately jumps to the ship

Augustus doesn’t play a huge part, and his character fluctuates, but the common idea is he gives them the cases

[fruity-phrog]

Grace’s “wow” when she first shoots him. Man. She’s. She’s like this in every universe huh.

[fruity-phrog]

I don't know which part of this line is the funniest bit to me - the fact that it was Bubblegum's yaoi counterpart that got to say it, the fact that Adventure Time canonically referenced SpongeBob, the deadpanned emotionless way he said it, the fact that I knew gay shit would happen the second I saw Scarab's Pose or the fact that it happened in the first place. Either way, great job all around guys. You had me literally on the floor. Literally.

[fruity-phrog]

Listen. I love Richie with all of my heart, of course I do. But everyone is so obsessed with how tragic his death was, that no one is talking about how tragic Ruth's death was.

One of the main reasons Richie's death is so sad is because his life was beginning to look up. He was happy, he liked school, he liked his life. Ruth didn't. Just For Once was literally about how she felt like she'd never amount to anything, and she'd always be overlooked. She was depressed, bullied behind the lighting cue desk when she just wanted to be on the stage. In addition to that, one of her two friends had been murdered. She hadn't been able to experience the joys of Max being gone the way Richie could. Richie died immediately after finally being happy - Ruth died immediately after feeling her lowest ever.

Another reason I think Ruth's death is overlooked is that her actual death scene was used for comedic effect. Richie's death actually was Nerdy Prudes Must Die - not only was it dramatic, painful and amazing, it was the song designated to having the show's title, much like Lex's "death" song was Black Friday. But death by wedgie is a lot less dramatic than Richie's death, and her death being used for comedy I think overshadows how painful it was.

And everyone talks about "Pete was the only one to acknowledge Richie's death" but Ruth's death received the exact same treatment, even down to the same line. Pete saying "Wait, Richie's dead?" is exactly what Steph says when Grace says "[Ruth's] bisexual and dead, where else would she be?"- and then, just like Richie's death, they have to immediately fight for their lives and just ignore Ruth's absence.

[fruity-phrog]

Something I’ll always love about The Owl House is how there are three canonical non-binary characters. Out of them, Masha is feminine-presenting:

Raine is masculine-presenting:

And the Collector is pretty androgenous:

I love how, on top of having three non-binary characters with canonically used they/them pronouns, Dana and the crew expressed them in very separate ways, showing how being non-binary isn’t just “in between”. And on top of this, the age range - The Collector is (mentally) like seven, Masha is a teenager and Raine is in their thirties/forties. Queerness isn’t just a fad and it isn’t a teenage trend.

[fruity-phrog]

People who are pissed off that Ozzie isn't a "proper embodiment of lust" are honestly just pissing me off. Because lust is a sin, but it isn't bad. Every single fucking character in this show is lustful at some point. However, greed is a famously evil sin, and - unlike lust - is having extreme consequences on the world right now. Ozzie is the embodiment of lust bc he runs the biggest and most famous strip club in Hell, because he manufactures sex products on the mass and because his literal job is to promote sex. That doesn't mean he has to be a bad person! Meanwhile, Mammon's greed does in fact make him a bad person, because he exploits people for money and fame and doesn't do anything himself while wanting everything for himself. Christianity and the formation of the seven sins is centered around forcing people to be obedient, and therefore has taken things like lust and pride and convinced the masses that they are bad. A sex drive doesn't make someone a bad person, and Ozzie being loving and caring to his boyfriend does not mean he isn't the "proper embodiment of lust".