#god i love this scene. nonbinary rep for the WIN | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

itsheartbeat13 · 3 years ago

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Something I don’t think enough people recognize when it comes to making shows more diverse, there is so much going on behind the scene that you literally can’t “just add them.”

Alex Hirsch had to wait until the end of Gravity Falls to show that Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland were in love so that way the show didn’t get prematurely cancelled. And even still, that was censored in other countries.

________

The Owl House has a bisexual afro Latina protagonist that falls in love with a white lesbian. They kiss several times on screen and say “my awesome girlfriend.” It also has Disney’s first nonbinary character (Raine Whispers), their bisexual love interest (Eda Clawthorne), and an aro/ace woman (Lilith Clawthorne). However, because like five people said that TOH wasn’t the “Disney brand” the show is prematurely cancelled. So even with everything that TOH did, it only won battle but lost the war.

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The art crew for Encanto had to fight to make Luisa buff. And when they were finally able to make her buff, Disney didn’t make as much Luisa merchandise because they thought little girls would want Mirabel or Isabela’s since they’re more “feminine.” (I think the same thing happened with Namaari when RATLD came out but I’m not sure. So don’t quote me on that.)

*Also, Luisa out preformed. So that’s a win.

________

Bubblegum and Marceline couldn’t kiss until the series finale of Adventure Time because it would’ve been cancelled. So throughout the entire series, the crew always just had to imply undertones about their past. Since HBO produced Obsidian, they were able to kiss on screen.

________

Korra and Asami’s relationship had to tempt down so that way Nick could continue airing the show and they weren’t allowed to kiss until the comics.

________

Turning Red got so much unwarranted criticism because not only did Mei’s mom say “pads” but she showed them on screen. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if that made you uncomfortable, that’s a sign that we need to do this more and not less.)

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Some countries marked She Ra as 18+ because Catra and Adora kissed on screen. (Once again, I’m not sure if this completely true but Nate Stevenson had to fight to actually show them kissing on screen instead of a fade to white.)

________

Steven Universe is the gayest show I’ve ever seen in my life which was both good and bad. It was good for obvious reasons. Example being that it was the first show that introduced to me nonbinary people in a way that wasn’t “haha, look, she uses they/them pronouns. She’s so funny and quirky.”

And it’s bad because it put a target on it’s back. SU has been censored so much that it’s honestly a miracle that we got an ending. And in most of the countries that censored SU, they usually portray Ruby as a man. So I can’t imagine how bad the censors were when the wedding happened and Ruby wore a dress and Sapphire wore a suit.

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Also, you have to remember the outdated idea that gay/trans topics are “too mature” for kids to handle (there’s an episode of Adam Ruins Everything that talks about this). So it’s easier for shows with an older audience (like Arcane) to have queer/trans rep.

Not to mention, if you ever go on Insider’s website to look at the queer/trans characters in cartoons [here], most of the characters are revealed to be queer only online and not in the actual show.

________

All of this BS because God forbid that kids find out that other people exist.

Representation is important but please, just be aware of the actually struggles that go on that you don’t see and be thankful that this is where we are now because even though it might seem like it at times remember that this is actual progress. We need to keep pushing studios to do more. I’m sure that there’s millions of untold stories that would be made if not for this prejudice.

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mwagneto · 3 years ago

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Oh, I was gonna send you an ask right after watching it but then eh stuff. I don't know where to begin - like the premise? Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet??? Black Pete and Lucius? BUT TAIKA WAITITI IN LEATHER OUTFIT LONG BLACK AND GREY HAIR??? He's tall??? And his arms?! I'm just. They're like a found family dynamic with the two of them as parents co-captains. That scene in front of the moon with Taika's aborted leaning in for the kiss which then turns into a l'tl punch? Cute. Also, Jim is very !!! Esp, with the mischievous gaze sometimes. So them and Oluwande are great. The show was a serotonin boost. Also, the leads of a Thai queer series I watch (it's political in nature; criticizes the Thai monarchy and govt) announced they're dating (they have done stuff together over the years) tonight :D Which was your fav scene so far?

AAAAGHGFGDGD YEAH TAIKA IS SO HOT IM DYINF😭😭 and good GOD the moonlight scene????? i mean i already shipped them before that but that took me out so fucking bad. just. hello???? huh???????? AND YEAH I LOVE JIM SO MUCH 😭 it's literally so cool to just see casual nonbinary rep... beloved....

and OMG epic win?? from what i can tell theres so many thai gay series airing it's so cool to see😭😭 and uhmm oh man good question. i fucking love the bit where Ed gets attacked by a snake and when Stede gets stabbed and says "did you mean to do that? :-(" but for whole scene... aaagh honestly i cant pick there's so many😭 the convo bwn Stede and Jack would be up there but unfortunately they're pissing the entire time so. n

#many thoughts head full #i got mail!

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bisexualoftheblade-old · 4 years ago

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how many wips do you have? like what are they all, and not the number of wips in a fandom? what are all the names?

okay. fuck you. fuck you so much. fuck you.

i’m putting this under a read more cut no one else deserves to see this shit. a lot of these are requests, and for those i will just write out the request itself

Shadowhunters:

domestic polycule fluff with tem, jessa, and will because im not a coward

Supernatural

- hehe hoho i request destiel hehehe

- request 61/? cai cai cai cai i need you to rewrite the destiel scene but yk. GOOD. not like i'm in the know about the spn fandom or anything, it's been years for me. but DO IT

Bright Sessions

- caleb/adam grisha AU

- mark bryant vs. united states aka sue the AM

- caleb/adam college fluff

Umbrella Acaademy

- request 31/? i want a ben and klaus drabble please spare me some brotherly bickering

- AND SO BEGINS NIGHT 4 with request 13/? oooh oooh can i get a raymond and allison playlist??? i think their vibes together would SLAP

- hi there night 2 is technically morning 3 but who's counting not me anyway request 5/? can i get a ben moodboard? gotta rep my tua bb

Percy Jackson

- request 9/? can i get a percabeth moodboard or quote edit?? like god they're the og couple goals take me back to high school cai

- For the 100 follower things :D Jercy getting caught in the rain

- request 29/? a drabble about literally anything to do with pjo. i’ll be happy with anyone and anything i’m love these children

- *somersaults in like I’m a real fancy acrobat* hello ello ello may I request some camp half blood chaos possible involving *does a flip* ✨side characters✨ <3

Penumbra Podcast

- request 52/? drabble about the penumbra podcast. this is for ren bc ren likes it and i don't actually know anything about it. juno? i think? that's the one ren likes. write it for ren

- Tpp ghost hunting / buzzfeed unsolved au

- sad juno smut

- final resting place fic go brrrr

Marvel

- request 6/? i'm going to my roots y'all can i get a spider-man playlist? if not a playlist then i'd honestly be happy with literally anything involving spider-man

- request 15/? i'm going crazy this is recorded evidence of me actually losing it ANYWAY can i get a quote edit for something from iron man? literally anything that man says is gold so cai's choice :D he deserved better in endgame i'm still bitter

- request 42/? do another spidey thing that differs from the other spidey thing

- request 73/? you have Opinions. rant about infinity way and/or endgame. go.

- request 74/? quote edit for deadpool!!

- spideytorch relationship character study

- peter parker as a tired grad student monitoring the young avengers (send help)

Six of Crows

- okay listen i wasn't going to request anything bc i worry about you but also? if you want to/have the time hit me with a playlist for our girl nina zenik

- request 43/? fuckin give me the ending anya should have had. she is alive and with her new son and having a great time

- request 45/? inej moodboard?

- request 47/? will you make literally any meme of your choosing for six of crows?

- request 48/? write a drabble for kaz, my favorite bastard

- okay so i don't actually like nina or mattias that much but i still wanna hear about your thoughts (and also see if you'll change my mind)

- kaz brekker turning 18 fic. birthday party, everyone singing, whole shebang. i need it stat

- religious trauma fic aka i started shipping kaz/alina/inej and i can’t stop

- kaz trauma soup (he has D.I.D. and you can’t prove me wrong)

- my two redacted fics for @grishaversebigbang

- wesper fake dating

- six of crows bright sessions crossover: everyone gets therapy

TMA

- uhh... s1 gang having a nice time? melanie getting to have some Pride™️? some "fun" horror thing?

- request 7/? spare steph and jason bonding? please sir? spare some for a humble child such as myself?

- okay so this was meant for night 3 but i had midterm shit SO this is honorary night 3 let's DO THIS request 8/? i want a moodboard of extremely out of context magnus archives shit like i mean confuse the FUCK out of me i don't go here i know Nothing about it

- request 11/? OKAY so i need tim stoker meeting tim drake now i need my timmy to meet your tim plus i want to see character differences no i'm not trying to create a tim stoker in my head so i can read a's fic while NOT thinking of tim drake whaaaaaat you're crazy

- request 18(i think)/? i need a quote edit of every time within the first like. 15 eps of tam where jon is like “sounds fake but go off” thank u bb

- request 40/? i challenge you to write a tma drabble based only on the episodes i've heard. i'm currently halfway through episode 23

- Jon being lovingly bullied into taking a break. I'm aware this has been written a million times but it is one of my favorite things.

- spiral!sasha AU

- extinction martin go brrrrr

- high school era timsasha. they've both been friends for years, and everyone always asks when they will be a couple. they decide to fake date, to prove everyone wrong and show what a bad couple they would be. turns out that's a bit trickier than they thought

- after sasha comes back, tim is broken. he can't let go, scared that if he looks away for even a minute he'll lose her again. sasha suggests shibari as a way for him to give up control

- sasha pov mag 19 au, sacrificing herself to save the others, knows that if she gives herself up to the not!them it will let the others live

- this is the "tim finds a polaroid of sasha" trope

- early archives days,, long nights in research,,, clothes sharing,, somft. late nights and falling asleep at their desks warm and safe in the other's presence

- two parts: timsasha as kids, each picking a constellation that is "theirs". just soft kid antics. tim at sasha's grave glancing up to see their constellations

- continuing your job’s a joke (you’re broke)

DC Comics

- TIMSTEPH HADESTOWN AU,,,

- my redacted fic for @batfam-big-bang

- request for you to get a decent amount of sleep? serious answer, dickkori, SAL's Venus

- request 4/? timsteph morning after 👀 mayhaps?

- a concept: nonbinary stephanie brown

- teehee hi mom, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, but can i request damian angst for your accomplishments 100 followers?

- hi you can ignore my first request if you want, or you can ignore this one. but bls possibly write some bikini ra’s? -the bikini bitch

- request 27/? jay is asking through me for a jondami playlist but tbh i also want it so win win yk?

- "I don't know how to help you but I can help you find someone who does" with bruce and jason? im just craving bruce being a good day to jason for once

- “I am putting you in time out because you need to understand the consequences of your actions.” with steph and jason as dumbass disaster bi best friends pretty please?

- request 32/? timsteph patrol date!!!

- request 33/? timsteph *gala* date? mayhaps??

- request 37/? tim drake drabble but make it Edgy cai

- request 39/? drabble of a prank war between tim and damian

- joyfire cuddly fluff please? or like just any outlaw fluff if joyfire isnt your thing (feel free to add every member of the outlaws, dont feel like u gotta stick with jason, kori, roy i love them all)

- barbara and robin! jason fluff? bonding over books or something?

- request 62/? i need a drabble about the chaotic trio jason, tim, and steph i'm love them ty

- request 63/? batfam x mcu crossover. batfam meets ironfam. give me ALL the cliches. ALL OF THEM

- request 64/? young justice x young avengers - jay cuz idk SHIT about the young avengers

- request 66/? jondami moodboard pls and ty

- request 67/? timsteph moodboard!!!!!!

- request 69/? HEHEHE kinky 😏 i would v much like a timsteph drabble of the almost first time. does that make sense? like i don't want you to go all the way NSFW cuz i know that's against the rules and i'm a rule follower. but like they *almost* go all the way. this could be fade to black or some shit i don't care just make it a lil steamy and have Fun

- i request damian angst! all of it

- hmm... maybe i request? jondami?

- mayhaps,,,,some batfam,,,,,committing crimes? ily be gay do crime <3 - lu

- How about a ficlet with Steph and Cass?

Found Family Bingo Prompts

- no powers au

- tunnel

- first day

- join the club

- hurt/comfort

- experiment

- playing favorites

- hold on

- possession

- 10 o’clock

- singing

- road

- snitch

- curfew

- timer

- fantasy au

- zombie au

- dreams

- campfire

- are you okay

- movie night

- games

- scared

Miscellaneous

- a request: Write A Drabble, Coward

- is it too late to request a moodboard for me?

- request 20/? i’m going off book because i’m in a Chaotic Mood™️ can you just absolutely vibe check me like go off cai demolish me

- request 21/? i formally request that you pick a favorite cai. i don’t care what that favorite pertains to, just pick a favorite something

- request 23/? roast me

- request 24/? can i have a buzzfeed unsolved spoopy playlist but spoiler alert it’s not spoopy bc shane doesn’t believe does this make sense it has been a Day™️

- request 25/50 i want a jake and amy fic make it Soft cai i’m love them b99 is so good

- request 28/? i know nothing about the lord of the rings so make something that will confuse the shit out of me

- request 34/? malvie and jaylos moodboards 😈

- request 35/? a moodboard for the bbb mods!! perceive all of us!!!

- request 36/? moodboard for the tua mods too???? mayhaps??

- request 41/? doctor WHO? idk but i want a drabble of him and the one character i know from doctor who which is rose

- request 46/? make an alignment meme with our group, have fun!!!

- request 49/? i want you to kin assign me a character from every fandom you can/want to. go feral

- request 50!!!!/? this is a special request. the most special request. can you make a bastards tbh playlist? i want our vibes encapsulated. i want us in music form. i want to hear those songs and be like "that's me and cai" and smile.

- requests 51/? i know jack shit about good omens. explain it to me in the most confusing way possible. make me know less by the end than i know now

- request 53/? can you write a mel aesthetic? i'm Curious

- request 54/? give me a list of book recs cai i want some good book recs pls

- request 56/? edit a picture of US together too

- request 58/? oooh can i have a disney edit? like. hm. i just really love disney and i want anything to do with disney. like a quote or an aesthetic or an aesthetic edit i just want disney.

- request 59/? i would v much like a recipe for carbonara. i've never had it but it sounds fucking delicious

- request 60/? ooh hey can i get a makeup tutorial? i know you like makeup, i'm shit at doing makeup. teach me

- request 65/? i need the most emo playlist you can make that vibes with dear evan hansen thank you

- request 68/? i want a superwholock moodboard. this can be serious, with the actual fandoms in mind, or literally what the era felt like. the insanity. the horror.

- request 70/? ooh ooh ooh do you have a good bread recipe?? i wanna get that bread

- request 71/? i want a playlist with the vibes of summoning a demon. please don't ask questions. i don't have answers. and if i do, no i don't.

- For the requests, how about writing something based on a friend?

- request 75/? MMMM i want literally anything to do with natasha, pierre, and the great comet of 1812

- request 76/? i want some healthy recipes. help a girl out

- a feral bbb quote or two?

- you perceive my plant but now I dare thee to perceive mine own visage

- okay this is a two for one request. 1. you did the bee movie script so now we need a shrek two script edit 2. sleep please

- Pansexual mb for my lil queer soul?

- my (probably) final request is just for you to ramble about something, i don't really care what

- HI ILY CONGRATS AS WELL CAUSE IM LATE BUT CONGRATS. could i request a pirates of the caribbean (or just pirates) or whatever you what to do, free range.

- mood board for the beluga whales who got brought to the animal sanctuary in Iceland please?

- 100 follower request: Moodboard for my stuffed cow Oaky?

#cai's 200 #asks #mininacl

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penzyroamin · 4 years ago

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Hi I know it’s been a bit but I’m the confused bi anon. I really really appreciated your response and it wasn’t too long. You made me feel a lot better. I was wondering if you could maybe suggest some books, tv, movies with bi female characters. Thanks soo much for the entire last response . You are absolutely incredible and so sweet. This means more to me than you could ever know❤️

of course!! i’m glad that my first response helped <3

disclaimer of course: i’m not bi! so i’m not an Authoritative Source on bi rep and what people want to see more of. i do actively seek out stuff about lgbtq+ characters, specifically girls and women, so i have some recs! however, i’ll also be adding some things that some bi folks i know have recommended because while lesbians and bi women have a lot in common, these are at the end of the day representing them, not me :)

extra-super favorites will be bolded! i’m putting this under a read more because... i read a lot of books. and recommended a lot of them.

books:

her royal highness by rachel hawkins-- this book is a pretty easy read-- don’t expect any massive revelations about life from it, and you’ll have a good time!!! essentially, a bi texan girl named millie, after having her heart broken by her friend-turned-sort-of-gf, goes to boarding school in scotland and ends up rooming with the princess, flora. if this sounds outrageous and sappy, that’s because it is! and i love it! sexuality isn’t a BIG part of this book, but it’s discussed, and it’s just a generally fun enemies-to-lovers story about a bi aspiring geologist and a no-fucks-to-give lesbian princess and them falling in love!

fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe by fannie flagg-- hello this is actually my favorite book! unlike hrh it is... a LOT to read. it essentially follows 2 stories-- one about a housewife named evelyn and her friendship with an old woman named ninny threadgoode who she meets at the old folks home her mother-in-law stays at, and the other about the stories ninny tells her about her sister-in-law idgie and her partner, ruth. the book was published in 1987, and ruth and idgie’s story is set during the great depression, so they aren’t actively labeled as lesbian or bi, but it’s made obvious enough through coding and the fact that ruth has relationships with men prior to idgie while idgie spends her entire childhood pining after ruth. both storylines are fantastic-- they have a lot to say about the lives of southern women in the 30s and 80s, and about race relations at both periods. i’ll warn you that there are depictions of extreme racism and of abuse, but it handles both delicately. it’s a critical piece of southern literature, and a landmark for lgbtq+ storytelling. as a bonus, my copy has a bunch of great recipes in the back, so if you read it you might chance upon an edition with those in it. if you like poignant period pieces about wlw relationships, women losing their damn minds, and abusive men getting what they deserve, this is the book for you! you will sob. this is a fair warning.

you should see me in a crown by leah johnson-- i haven’t personally read this one, but i’ve heard great things about it from everyone i know who has! an anxious black bi girl in indiana has to win prom queen at her mostly-white school in order to get enough scholarship money to go to the college of her dreams, but ends up falling for mack, another girl running for queen.

@landlessbud wanted me to shout out red, white, and royal blue by casey mcquinston-- you’ve almost definitely heard about it before (first son and prince of wales, enemies-to-lovers with a side dish of political drama), and it is primarily about a mlm romance, but nora is a fabulously fun bi girl side character and there’s a lot of great stuff about figuring out your sexuality in it.

leah on the offbeat by becky albertalli-- i’ve read a lot of complex thoughts on this book, and mine are... i like it! it’s flawed, sure, and i wish it had handled a few things a little better, but you know what? it’s cute as fuck! leah is a fat bi drummer, and she’s super cool! abby is a great love interest, and she goes through a whole bi realization throughout the book. all in all, it’s just a fun wlw high school romcom with a couple solid dramatic beats and a lot of goofball shenanigans. also, if you were an american girl kid??? one scene in this book will make the entire experience worth it for you.

harley quinn: breaking glass by mariko tamaki and steve pugh-- hey, we’re in graphic novel territory now! this book is RAD. a really neat look at gentrification, community solidarity, giving people what they deserve, and fantastic lgbtq+ found families. teenage harleen quinzel is taken in by a group of drag queens, and is caught between two sort-of love interests-- mysterious vigilante the joker and classmate and community activist ivy-- and the different forms of protest and resistance they represent. the art here is STUNNING, and it’s a great read!

laura dean keeps breaking up with me, by the great mariko tamaki with art by rosemary valero-o’connell-- the vast majority of the characters are lgbt, with a lesbian main character, and the supporting cast including a bi nonbinary character, a bi girl character, and two mlm characters! this is mostly a piece about modern lgbtq+ teenagers and the way toxic relationships take over our lives. it’s one of the most cathartic things i’ve read in a LONG time, and especially if you’re at a point where your sexuality feels kind of vague, this is a great read because it embraces that vagueness by not needing to clearly label the characters and celebrates whatever point of clarity the characters are at. probably some of the most gorgeous art i’ve ever seen in a book, with a beautiful black-white-and-pink color scheme and a really neat approach to visual storytelling.

movies:

i don’t watch many movies, because i get bored really quickly hskdhskhds. but the movies i DO watch are usually gay!

wowie zowie its fried green tomatoes again!-- fannie flagg came back to adapt this into a film and HOT DAMN is it just as good. the plot is primarily the same, with some stuff obviously cut or trimmed to make it a two hour movie instead of a 450 page books fhsjdhsjhds. mary-louise parker plays ruth!!! it got a GLAAD award and an oscar nomination, and god it’s good. there are a couple scenes in here that i think are going to be in my mind until the day i die. the level of pure butch energy that idgie radiates in this film is a one-hit k.o. and it KILLS me.

birds of prey-- listen. this is not a profound movie. harley’s bisexuality isn’t emphasized, and romance is basically nonexistent in this movie. there is some... quite graphic violence. that said, this movie is so fucking fun. it’s mostly just a bunch of women fucking up everyone who crosses them while margot robbie gives a gleeful performance that you can just TELL she enjoyed the fuck out of. the last 20-30 minutes of this movie are the absolute best part, with a long sequence that kind of reinvented what an action/superhero movie could be for me. again, bisexuality isn’t a massive part of this-- it’s mentioned, and then harley just continues on in her gloriously campy outfits and breaks peoples’ knees. again, i CANNOT overemphasize just how fucking good the last 20-30 minutes are. this movie knows what it is and it embraces it. also, women beating people up in costumes that don’t horrifyingly objectify them is always a plus!

imagine me & you-- i’d be remiss if i didn’t mention this one, considering it’s probably one of the most iconic wlw romcoms. a woman named rachel, while at her own wedding, meets a florist named luce, and they fall in love. it’s a very sweet look at questioning your sexuality when you were already secure in it, and rachel’s husband wins “most genuinely understanding guy in a wlw movie” award. it has a lovely happy ending, and articles have been written about the importance of rachel being a bi character who a) gets a happy ending and b) isn’t shamed for figuring out her sexuality later on or slutshamed. this is just... a sweet movie. it’s the romcom a lot of us need in our lives. also, a LOT of floral imagery.

tv shows:

ok, i’ve got a confession. i reaaaaaaally don’t watch much tv. seriously, the only shows i’ve watched a substantial amount of recently have been parks and rec, schitt’s creek, the good place, and gilmore girls. i have a really REALLY short attention span.

that said, eleanor from the good place is bisexual!! the good place is a really wild ride, it’s half afterlife comedy half philosophical musing, and it will almost certainly make you gasp, laugh, think, and also probably cry. also, eleanor is just buckets of fun and she, like many of us, is often blown away by tahani (jameela jamil) and her beauty.

ummm shows i haven’t watched entirely or at all but that have bi women in them and seem pretty good: black lightning, sex education, jane the virgin, arrow.

if you haven’t already watched it, do not believe what people are going to tell you about watching glee. it will drag you into a pit of despair and white men rapping, and it’s quite biphobic to top it all off.

i hope you enjoy at least some of these!! i tried to include some of my own favs and some that were pointed out to me, so i hope that at least a couple connect with you and make you feel better. again, the bolded ones are my 100% favorites. i love you and i’m glad you reached out again!!! feel free to send some more asks later on <3

#asks #anon #bi anon #ily <3 <3 i hope these help #if anyone wants to add please do!! specifically bi women of color since theres a shortage of them in fiction and media #dont talk abt b/9/9 though id like to not praise diversity in a show glorifying cops

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scarletwelly-boots · 2 years ago

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Books Read 2022

I read 30 books this year, which is sadly sixteen fewer books than last year, but I read an additional 15 graphic novels that I did not factor into the challenge. So not counting those graphic novels, I completed 60% of the challenge, much less successful than last year. This is my seventh year doing the Popsugar Reading Challenge. Let’s get into it under the cut.

1. The School for Good Mothers, by Jessamine Chan (a book published in 2022). This was okay but a frustrating read. A mom gets in trouble for leaving her infant daughter home alone for several hours and goes to a rehabilitation of sorts to learn how to be a better parent in the hopes that it will allow her to win back custody of her child. I didn’t like how I was unable to anticipate subtle genre shifts, but as I didn’t really read a summary ahead of time, it’s possible I could have prevented being blindsided by this. (This was the first book I read in a book club I joined this year, so I didn’t choose it myself. Normally I would read the synopsis before starting, and I probably wouldn’t choose to read it on my own.)

2. The Tea Dragon Society, by K. O’Neill (a sapphic book). This was a trilogy of graphic novels. The art was gorgeous and the world was so interesting I wanted there to be more to interact with. There are a bunch of queer characters, gay and lesbian and bisexual (if I remember correctly) and trans/genderfluid. The story is so sweet, and I definitely recommend.

3. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, by Benjamin Alire Saenz (a book by a Latinx author). Oh, god, this book was excellent. It’s a sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and it was a perfect follow-up. I loved how sweet Aristotle and Dante are, and it also wrapped up some somewhat loose ends from the first book. The ending made me cry and replay it (I listened to the audiobook, because it’s read by Lin-Manuel Miranda again), and it’s so wonderful. Highly, highly recommend.

4. In the Ravenous Dark, by AM Strickland (a book about a found family). I’m still trying to figure out if I liked this book. I certainly loved all of the queer rep: pan protagonist, poly relationship, gay characters, nonbinary character, etc. It was a very dark fantasy though, and the main character was super dark-gray morally. I felt like the world building was messy, especially after just finishing the author’s first book right before reading this one. I also think it could have possibly been several chapters shorter. Some scenes seemed unnecessary. If you like queer, dark fantasy with some slight late-oughts YA fantasy tropes (spoilers if I get more specific than that, but it involves some things a lot of YA fantasy at that time had) then you might enjoy it.

5. Beyond the Black Door, by AM Strickland (a #BookTok recommendation). I am not on TikTok, so I’m not really privy to the BookTok books, but I imagine this one has probably come up before. If you look up books with ace characters, it’s like the top of every list you find. It’s been on my To-Read list for about a year now, and last month was my month to pick the book club book, so I used that as an excuse to force myself (and a couple of my allo aunts and cousins) to read it. This book is so fucking good! The world building in this Strickland book is so organized and thoughtful and just fascinating. Kamai is fantastic ace rep (in my experience), and I think the book helped affirm my own identity a little bit, since I am struggling somewhat to come to terms with being ace myself. There are also gay and trans side characters. Highly recommend!

6. The Great Divorce, by CS Lewis (a book about the afterlife). So I listened to this book on my commute, and I didn’t really follow most of it. I also don’t totally remember what happened other than a guy visits the afterlife (and CS Lewis is Anglican I think, so it’s a very Christian afterlife, but not like the stereotypical pearly gates and angels in clouds stuff). I’d say it was okay, I guess, but I genuinely don’t remember how I felt about this. If you’re looking for Chronicles of Narnia, though, read Chronicles of Narnia. This isn’t that.

7. A Home at the End of the World, by Michael Cunningham (a book set in the 1980s). A little bit botched, as it follows two boys from when they are very small in the 60s, when they meet in middle school, and then through the 80s as young adults. I started this book at the end of last year (did I include it in the list last year? Don’t remember). I mostly liked it. I liked the polyamorous co-parenting angle of it, but it didn’t last long enough (I don’t know if that’s a spoiler). It was a little too slow for me, if I remember correctly. Like I was trying to finish it before 2022 but it was not engaging enough to hold my interest to finish on time.

8. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum (a book about witches). Another book club book. My dad has been trying to get me to read this book (and the rest of the series) for most of my life. I think I’ve only seen the movie once, when I was very little, but I’ve read and seen Wicked and love it, and really like the Cowardly Lion. I liked this book a lot. I felt like the parts that were not included in the movie were really interesting and even the parts I remember from the movie were good to read, too. The Scarecrow and the Tinman are gay, I don’t make the rules. Recommend.

9. Where the Past Begins, by Amy Tan (a book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022). So I may have botched this. I watched a documentary on Netflix about Amy Tan and it at least was added to Netflix this year, but I don’t know if it aired on PBS this year, too. It included a lot of quotes from this memoir and moments that this memoir covers, so I figured the book was the jumping-off point for the documentary, though I don’t think the memoir and the doc share the same name. It was really interesting, since I know very little about Tan. I’ve only read The Joy Luck Club and Sagwa, and both a very long time ago. Recommend.

10. The Startup Wife, by Tahmima Anam (a romance novel by a BIPOC author). Another book club book. This book was really interesting. I really wanted the app the characters created to be real, and I know very little about startups, but the trajectory of how the company went just seemed pretty realistic for the most part as far as I’m aware. It was okay, but I’d look up an actual summary to see if you want to read it. I don’t not recommend it, but again, it’s not a book I’d choose to read myself.

11. I Kissed Shara Wheeler, by Casey McQuiston (a book that takes place during your favorite season). Casey McQuiston continues to write excellent books. I also read One Last Stop this year (see further down). I would say this book is her second best so far, after Red, White, and Royal Blue. I liked all of the rep in this book as well as the enemies to lovers trope. It kind of starts out similar to John Green’s Paper Towns, if the boy in Paper Towns hated the girl in Paper Towns (I don’t remember their names; I read that book fifteen years ago), but was still determined to figure out where she went. And also if the boy in Paper Towns was also a girl, because Bas doesn’t read anything straight anymore unless I’ve been forced to by book club. Definitely recommend!

12. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman (a book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read). I don’t remember what my previous read was when I read this, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t botch this. Movie is better (sorry Neil), but the book is still really good and clarifies some things the movie doesn’t have time to show. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, though, so I am still obligated to recommend.

13. Can’t Take That Away, by Steven Salvatore (a book about a band or musical group). I kind of botched this. The two main characters are singers, and they both star in their school musical. This was hard to get through because of the anxiety the protagonist has (and I read some of the rougher patches on an airplane, a setting which gives me major anxiety) and definitely TW for homophobia and transphobia and bullying. But ultimately it was an uplifting story, and the main character is genderqueer. Each chapter is titled with their pronouns for that chapter, so I was excited that their pronouns change like mine do. It’s difficult in some parts if you’re sensitive to queerphobia, but I highly recommend.

14. ACE, by Angela Chen (a book with a character on the ace spectrum). This is a little botched, since this book isn’t fictional, but it’s written by an ace person who interviews several different ace spectrum people throughout the book. It’s really interesting and covers many different aspects of asexuality and intersectional challenges for asexuality. This is another book this year that helped me come to terms with my own asexuality, and also gave me a better understanding of allosexuality. More than once I texted my allo friend like, “Wait, this is how you experience this??” Or “THIS is what that means??” It was pretty eye-opening for an ace with the few times the author compares the ace and allo experience, so I think allo people could probably learn even more. Recommend.

15. Doctor Strange: God of Magic, by Donny Cates (a book about a secret). I don’t really remember what the secret is, but the entire premise is Loki ends up Sorcerer Supreme, so like, he’s clearly up to something. This is the only comic graphic novel I included in the challenge proper, so I think it was the first comic graphic novel I read this year, before I realized I was devouring Loki and Loki-adjacent comics at an ungodly (ha) speed and if I wasn’t careful I was going to botch half the challenge (not that I haven’t already done that in previous years with other books). This comic run was pretty good, if I remember correctly, and I think it’s my first introduction to comic book Strange, so that’s cool.

16. One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston (a book with a misleading title). I mean, I imagine this title could be misleading. I came into this a year and a half after it was published, and I follow the author on IG, so I knew what this book was about well before pre-ordering it. I thought it was pretty good, but I wasn’t super into it. I at least wasn’t as into it as I was into RWRB or I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Jane, though. Jane I’m super into. I’m also super into the way the audiobook narrator reads Jane’s dialogue, and maybe the narrator’s voice herself (pretty sure that’s the right pronoun), since I listened to a different audiobook with that narrator this year, too. Recommend all the same, or maybe just because I’m gay as shit for Jane.

17. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (a Hugo Award winner). Another book by my favorite author. This is actually a reread, but the last time I read this book was fifteen years ago. This is a retelling of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, except the Mowgli character is adopted by ghosts in a graveyard instead of wolves in a jungle, and the villain is a Jack the Ripper-type murderer rather than Shere Khan the tiger. It stands the test of time (I mean, it’s Neil Gaiman, of course it fucking does), and so so so good. Highly recommend.

18. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, by Mackenzi Lee (a book set during a holiday). Botched a bit. Not a specific holiday, just a holiday as in a trip. Still just as excellent as it was last year, still highly recommend. See Books Read 2021 for more information.

19. Husband Material, by Alexis Hall (a different book by an author you read in 2021). This is the sequel to Boyfriend Material, which I read last year. The boys are still very cute, but they’re still having trouble communicating, which is very annoying TWO YEARS after the events of Boyfriend Material. This one was a lot more dramatic than I remember the first one being, and I didn’t like the ending. So stick with the first one, which was very good.

20. The Measure, by Nikki Erlick (a book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page). Little bit botched. The author in question is Laurie Frankel, who wrote This Is How It Always Is, a trans book I read a few years ago. While a good book, the author is not among my favorites specifically. This was another book club book, and really good. I think this is my favorite book from book club this year that I didn’t pick myself. It’s a vaguely sci-fi book in which everyone over the age of 21 receives a box with a string representing the remaining length of their life, and then follows several characters as they navigate the (mostly American) world that changes in the aftermath of the receipt of the strings. It was really interesting, and neither unrealistically hopeful nor unrealistically cynical (in my opinion). Definitely recommend.

21. The Queer Principles of Kitt Webb, by Cat Sebastian (a book set in Victorian times). Holy shit I forgot how fucking good this was. I think this was the second book I read this year. A rich heir hires a retired highwayman to teach him how to rob his father and also they’re gay. I can’t remember much that isn’t spoilers, so that’s all I’ll say. But it was so interesting and hot and I highly recommend.

22. The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez (a book you know nothing about). I’m still finishing this book. Another book club book, but I’m not loving it. The narrator loses her best friend, and in the midst of navigating her own grief also takes in her friend’s also grieving dog. It feels very stream of consciousness, and I’m glad I’m listening to it, because I don’t think reading it myself would hold my attention for very long. I don’t really like the character of the friend either. So I don’t really recommend it.

23. Both Can Be True, by Jules Machias (a book about gender identity). Very good. A dual-perspective middle grade book. One of the characters is genderfluid (like me!). The two kids become friends because the other character ends up secretly taking care of a dog who was supposed to be euthanized at the vet office he volunteers at. (Spoilers, I’m sorry, but I think many people are concerned about this the way that I am, the dog does NOT die in the end). I was a little distracted through much of it because someone find an adult to help these children oh my god. But it was very sweet and I liked the genderfluid rep. Recommend.

24. She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan (an #OwnVoices SFF book). Another book club book, and the other book I picked this year. This is a fictionalized and queer-ified retelling of a historical Chinese dynasty. Many of the characters are inspired by and named after actual historical figures, but there is also a paranormal and supernatural element, and the character that becomes the emperor is gnc in this telling. I really liked this. I found it very interesting. I think the sequel is supposed to come out next year maybe? Recommend.

25. Walk In Love, by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe (a book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite place—church). This is the book we read in my Adult Formation class when I started attending Episcopal church last year, and we finished it this year. It was very interesting, and lays out the central beliefs of the Episcopal denomination. If you’re interested in different denominations or the Episcopal church itself, I recommend it. If not, it probably won’t be interesting to you.

26. Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas (a book that features two languages). Still so good. A reread, because it was so good the first time around. See last year’s Books Read for more information.

27. Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson (a book about someone leading a double life). This was a really interesting book. I liked the dual timelines and the changing perspectives. I didn’t really like that one of the characters’ bisexuality has such a central influence on her narrative arc, yet neither she nor the book itself nor any of the other characters ever name her identity outright. That was frustrating. But other than that, I did really like this book.

28. Peter Darling, by Austin Chant (a book featuring a parallel reality). UGH, still so freakin’ good. See last year’s Books Read for more information, and if you haven’t read it yet, READ IT, and if you have, READ IT AGAIN.

29. Lake Lore, by Anne-Marie McLemore (a book with two POVs). Oh my GOD, this book was so good. You’ve got neurodivergent rep, trans rep, enby rep, Latinx rep, so much rep. Plus magical realism. The book is dual-perspectives, so the audio book is narrated by Avi Roque (who narrates the Cemetery Boys audiobook AND voices Raine in Owl House) and Vico Ortiz (Jim from Our Flag Means Death). I loved it so much. Highly recommend.

30. The Living Great Lakes, by Jerry Dennis (a book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship). Botched a little. Part of the book takes place on a yacht, and part on a sailboat. I loved this book. It covers the geology, history, ecology, and the changing face of the Great Lakes. The introduction sucked me in, because he put into words exactly how I feel about my piece of the Great Lakes. Definitely recommend.

Okay, so it’s not that I think graphic novels aren’t real books. They certainly are, and I included a couple above and in previous challenges. However, I read so many this year, and many were difficult to fit into categories before I gave up and kept them separate. So below are the 15 graphic novels I read. Because I read them quickly and a long time ago, I don’t remember much about them, if I liked them or would recommend them, so I’ll say I remember that I do recommend Young Avengers. Great queer rep, as well as filling in some holes between Journey into Mystery and Loki: Agent of Asgard. That’s not to say I wouldn’t recommend anything else on this list, just that I remember that run better than anything else I read.

1. The Trials of Loki, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

2. The Mighty Valkyries, by Jason Aaron

3-6. Journey Into Mystery 1-4, by Dougie Braithwaite

7. King Thor, by Jason Aaron

8-10. Young Avengers 1-3, by Kieron Gillen

11-13. Loki: Agent of Asgard 1-3, by Al Ewing

14. Original Sin

15. Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth, by Oscar Bazaldua

My top ten new reads this year will be coming in another post.

#books #Book Recommendations #book recs

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