#i just think that we can and should interpret queer messaging in shows differently than we did 10 years ago

[vaperarmand]

i think some people (especially on this web site) interpret succession the same way that people would interpret, like. glee. or bbc sherlock. or any media in the past decade-ish before queer characters and couples were more common in media. in the way that essentially boils down to “popular entertainment is so heteronormative, i need to hunt for clues that show the creators know gay people Exist beyond homophobic stereotypes” because that validates the queer person watching and any potential queer readings of the characters. and that period of time is still SO fresh, and queer representation in media is still not what it could or should be. 

but it’s just interesting and i think kind of unfruitful when people interpret the scenes of this show as clues or proof that greg is gay irl or something.

not only is that just patently Not The Point Of The Show, it’s also like. we don’t need to see a scene where greg comes out as gay. his dad who abandoned him was gay. logan calls every one of his family members a faggot if they do something he just slightly doesn’t like. tom asked greg the first day they met if greg would kiss him as a power play or plea for affection or a sign of his latent sexuality. etc etc etc. and all of these connect inextricably to the show’s actual themes and message. what exists in the show already is so much more meaningful and complex than any cumulative “proof” could be, and i think interpreting it as such undervalues the show’s thoughtful writing. 

[iguessitsjustme]

I want to throw in my two cents to the conversation I've seen happening regarding Yak asking for a reward from Dee after Ter literally assaults him. And I want to be clear that this is my interpretation and if yours is different, I fully respect it, and I see where many of you are coming from. I just personally see the situation differently.

Yak didn't ask for a reward for saving Dee. He asked for a reward for showing up. And he wasn't being like "I deserve a reward for this." Those are just the words he uses when he wants Dee to kiss him and he's giving Dee a way to separate kissing him from his actual feelings because he knows Dee isn't necessarily ready for that yet. He's saying "I want to kiss you but you have full power to say no." Which is different than "I saved you from your assaulter so I deserve what you wouldn't give him."

Yak is completely different from Ter. He constantly pauses before kissing Dee. He will lean in and get slowly and slowly closer, but Dee always has room to move out of the way. Yak asks things from Dee before doing them. He doesn't need a reward for saving Dee from Ter. He just wants to be close to Dee and that is his way of expressing it while his relationship with Dee is in limbo. Looking at it just as Yak coming and and saving Dee and then asking for a reward of a kiss, yeah, it looks bad. But looking at it in the context of the show and who Yak is and who he has been this whole time, there's a lot more behind it.

I can see how the situation would be upsetting for people. I genuinely and truly do. I just think it's also important to remember that we have had these characters for 9 episodes now and they haven't done anything to break our trust in them. This isn't even Yak's first time asking Dee for a reward. That's just who he is and how he communicates.

Anyway, fuck Ter all the way to hell. He also should have been led away by the cops. I am glad even Kwan has had enough of him. Yak should punch him more. I do think the show should have had Ter face harsher consequences for attempting to kiss Dee without his consent, but the show is not over and I do think Ter will have to face more struggles later (or I hope he does). I am hesitantly going to trust this show and I don't want to do it a disservice by assuming the worst when it has been so consistently good with its messaging. If it falls of the rails later, I will not regret giving it my trust now. Because then the show will have betrayed my trust not the other way around. And with a show that is as progressive and queer as Wandee Goodday, I think it's important that we look at the whole context for scenes and moments like that before jumping down it's throat. I, for one, am going to trust the 9 episodes we've been given so far. I am going to trust Yak and Dee and Yei and Cher and Kao and all of the other characters that have made this show so special.

[autismcats]

what is the real hidden message of frozen 2′s “show yourself”?

so i got the inspiration earlier to finally rewatch that frozen 2 “show yourself” music video on youtube, and i had some thoughts in the middle of doing so.

as a disclaimer, i just want to say that i’m absolutely queer myself. this is not to discredit others’ interpretations of the song, and this is just my own take regarding my life experiences. i’m not claiming to speak for everyone in this post. in fact, i do still believe queerness has a lot to do with the subtext inside of the lyrics.

but anyway, i remember when the movie was in theaters at the end of 2019 and there were plenty of articles written about how “show yourself” has a hidden meaning about accepting the idea of being queer. there are lots of people my age who were new to identifying as lesbian, gay, bi, and/or trans at the time and i thought it made a lot of sense, especially because the headcanon and theory that elsa is a closeted lesbian was so popular at the time. it paved the way to shipping elsa + honeymaren (elsamaren) and made it easy to read frozen 2′s ending with them dating.

and that’s definitely notable ─ i’m not disagreeing!

but something always felt off about how i related to the lyrics personally and i was never sure why.

until i stumbled upon it again today.

in my opinion, i think the song is better heard with autism (or otherwise neurodivergency) in mind. it tells my story of finding the missing piece much better than it does of my realizing that i’m bi + trans, as well as my coming out.

again, i don’t think the LGBTQ+ reading is wrong! honestly i believe it comes down to a mix of both that and the autistic reading. but i see the latter outweighing the former here.

to me, i looked up these lyrics on google and my mind went straight to getting a diagnosis, an answer as to why my social life has always been so wrong:

i've never felt so certain all my life i've been torn but i'm here for a reason could it be the reason i was born? i have always been so different normal rules did not apply is this the day? are you the way i finally find out why?

everyone has something different to say about what part of their identity has impacted their experiences the most growing up. for me, it’s being neurodivergent. my sexuality, probably like most people (but of course not for many others), didn’t show up until my teenage years; same with my internal gender and outer presentation. my autism, however, has been present and influenced who i am for my whole life. i felt elsa’s longing and determination to find answers to her lifelong questions about not just who, but how & why she is in her musical journey throughout the ice caves.

i feel like we can all say confidently that who we are, regarding being queer, is something we can answer with the factual statement that we are queer and that’s just that, unless of course we get into the old debate regarding if it exists as nature vs. nurture. regardless, it’s always innate to some degree, and doesn’t inherently determine our personalities, behaviors, or understandings. autism & ADHD both do; it’s literally what defines autism as we know it.

that’s my argument. as i said, i’m not looking to “prove” anything or present my subjective opinion as objective fact. my take isn’t that the neurodivergent interpretation is more important or valid than the queer interpretation, just that i prefer the second option over the first.

either way, elsa is, without a doubt, an autistic sapphic! this is (part of) what makes her a valuable, relatable character to a lot of young people and we should always celebrate that. ♡

[ladyfromaspookyforest]

ST Season 2 Wardrobe Analysis

Lucas, Max, & Dustin

Hello! I never talked about Lucas and Dustin in season 1, so I'll probably go back and do it at some point, but for now, I'm keeping my season 2 momentum. What we should note about season 1 heading in is that Dustin wears graphic tees and sweatshirts all the time. He also wore the same hat all season, which is also the same hat he wears for all of season 2.

I've talked a lot about characters having a specific color associated with them (Will, Mike, Nancy, Steve, and El all do) but Max, Lucas, and Dustin don't have this.

EPISODE 1

Dustin's graphic tees fascinate me because I feel like there's a hidden message in every one and I'm not smart enough to figure them all out. Here, in his first scene of season 2, he's wearing the periodic table. Dustin loves science. This isn't news to us. But this may or may not hint at the relevance science will play in his storyline this season.

Lucas wears a lot of shirts like this one with a white v-neck and rings on the sleeves. These shirts are a staple to his wardrobe, basics with a sporty accent.

Max is generally associated with bright colors. I know some people interpret this as rainbow imagery and read it as queercoding. Personally, I feel like Max's bright colors represent California. They mark her as an outsider. We do see lots of bright color in season 4 when we actually GO to California, and if you've watched the GQ interview with Amy Parris (costume designer), you'll know they established separate color palettes for their various locations.

Different seasons, different strokes (in both senses of the word). Season 2 and season 4 have different vibes, but also season 2 takes place in the fall while season 4 takes place in the spring. So the Hawkins colors above are bolder than what we see most characters wearing in season 2, but just like this, Max's wardrobe reflects a different color palette than the rest of the cast.

I actually have so much to say about this California color palette thing, so I'll need to cut myself off, but just think about the fact that Will was bullied from a young age for being visibly queer and in the original draft, Joyce mentions that his clothes are too colorful. Then in season 4, we see a girl flirting with him while he is wearing a bright red striped t-shirt. In California, his queerness is NOT visible. The brightness in Max's wardrobe reflects this same culture and now that she's in Hawkins, she is (like Will) standing out. And this is something that's never commented on within the show, but in real life, I can imagine that looking like Max (a tomboy) in Hawkins, she probably WOULD be pegged as a lesbian, despite not being one. But that was probably a bit much to work into a heterosexual love triangle, so it's understandable they didn't go there.

Regardless, the brightness signifies difference and standing out for both Max and Will in Hawkins and both Max and Will have relationships with California in which they would have LOOKED like they belonged, but did not necessarily feel like they did.

Dustin's dinosaur hoodie says "Brontosaurus/Thunder Lizard/The Science Museum of Minnesota." "Thunder lizard" is the loose translation of Brontosaurus excelsus, meaning that this hoodie specifically calls out species identification. Dustin first hears D'art in his trash can this same night. A couple episodes later, he attempts to classify and then name his species.

Also, "Thunder Lizard" makes me think "How do you know if it's not just a lizard?" This sweatshirt is a big nod to D'art, therefore causing my insanity in trying to uncover the meaning of all of his shirts.

I neglected to point out the similarities between Lucas's and Will's outfits in my Will/Mike post, but their outfits are stylistically extremely similar. They're in matching silhouettes, dark wash jeans, similar colors. It's quite obvious after episode 1 that Will is going to be a huge focal point for season 2, and there are a few cues that tell us that if Will is stepping into the spotlight, Lucas is doing it too.

EPISODE 2

I already talked about the Ghostbusters costumes in my Mike/Will post, so get the full scoop there! But I want to talk about the two Venkmans thing for a sec.

Lucas's refusal to be Winston purely because he's black, choosing rather to be Venkman is a big cue that Lucas is determined to no longer be a side character. Mike was established in season 1 as the Main member of the party. So the fact that Mike is the other Venkman tells us that he isn't the sole Main Character anymore. This is another one of those cues I mentioned before (yes, the two Venkmans thing has a variety of other meanings, but I'm not going to get into all those).

Max's tee is a soft yellow in contrast to most of the yellow we've seen from characters like Will, Mike, or Dustin. Her jeans are also a lighter wash than most of the denim we see in Hawkins. She wears either the same jeans or very similar jeans all season, so even when she's wearing a darker piece like this jacket, she still has brightness from all angles despite her tee being covered. Her sneakers are also a bright grass green, which does not match any of the colors in her outfit. This is something that happens often with Max's outfits. Her accessories don't match but rather add yet another bright color to her look.

EPISODES 3-4

This is another one of those shirts I mentioned at the start for Lucas. Something I find interesting here is that Lucas and Mike's outfits tell a cohesive story. Cover up Dustin and Max and we have Lucas's belt going with Mike's pants and the brown in his sweater, Lucas's pants matching Mike's sweater. Dustin fits less so.

Okay, listen. Maybe I just WANT Dustin's tees to be prophetic and they're not, but the brontosaurus one really was. This one has no text, just a green print of a hot air balloon. I'm creative. I can think of plenty of ways this could go and they all feel wrong to me, but I'm gonna spitball for a second:

Dustin is under the impression that D'art is his great discovery and he has big dreams of getting to classify D'art as his own species when he shows up in this shirt; his head is in the clouds (eh? eh?)

D'art is in his hat right now, so D'art's the one up high in an enclosed space.

Hot air -> freeing Will from the Mindflayer

But here's the one I'm going with if we're using the tees to foreshadow events of upcoming episodes: Dustin beginning to drift away from the party. As I mentioned before, Mike and Lucas match pretty well here. Mike, Will, and Lucas were all in the same colors in the episode before while Dustin was in purple. In episode 1, his bright yellow tee stood out against the others. He, like Max, doesn't really fit the color scheme. And he is about to embark on his two-season-long journey of feeling left out of the party.

Meanwhile Max is decked out in bright colors and she too feels left out or left behind. Mike is absolutely determined to keep her from party participation, her outsider colors not only applying to the school or the town at large but to the party as well.

Max's hoodie is once again this soft yellow and she's paired it with a blue ringer tee underneath. The color combo is very beachy and the sweatshirt has sailboat details on both the front and back (there weren't any particularly good angles to snap this from, sorry).

EPISODE 4

Okay, I'm sorry, but is this an owl? I have no idea. Pretty sure it's a bird with an eyepatch, though. The tee says "Pennville Pirates" which I'm fairly certain is not a real thing. I wasted too much time on a google hunt trying to find out. Pennville is a real town in Indiana, very possibly where Dustin could have moved to Hawkins from, but as for the pirates...P sure they don't exist.

I've thought a lot about why pirates? It's not like Dustin goes on a thieving rampage. The closest he gets to pirate behavior is his dishonesty by hiding D'art and his Attack on D'art in the cellar. But at the end of the day, I think the Pennville part is what really stands out. The fact that Dustin joined the party last was mentioned briefly in season 1 when he mentions to Mike that Lucas is his best friend. He clearly already has insecurities about being less a part of the party than the others and this only grows in seasons 2 and 3, though we never directly address the fact that he was last again. This tee therefore feels like a subtle reminder.

Lucas wore this jacket in episode 2 and he wears it again later. It's clearly a staple item of his wardrobe. He also wore a similar jacket multiple times in season 1:

Lucas is someone who likes a fairly simplistic wardrobe, owning a lot of similar items in various colors (Max does this too only in brighter colors). So when he's wearing these staple pieces, this is something I associate with Lucas being himself. I'll come back to this. The striped sweater has a little more color and character than we usually see on Lucas, potentially a hint at Max's influence.

Max is back in the jacket she wore in episode 1. And she may or may not be jean-repeating as well (they all look the same to me, I'm so sorry). She is an outfit repeater. I talked about Jonathan's outfit-repeating being a sign of his economic status and we know from season 4 that Max's mother has low-income, even after she takes on multiple jobs. But what she has now, financially, we can't really be sure. If the money is all coming from the Hargrove side of the family and Max's stepfather is a violent, controlling piece of fuckass garbage-fire trash, it's completely possible that Max doesn't see much of this money. However, she does appear to have a much more expansive wardrobe than Jonathan. And back to Lucas (and others) wearing the same jackets often, jacket repeating in particular is not necessarily a sign of how much money someone has.

However, a lot of Max's outfits have not seemed quite appropriate for the Hawkins weather. It doesn't look like she's gotten new clothes since the move. Again, this could be a consequence of her not getting much spending money or it could be a personal preference. But we do see her taping up her skateboard (presumably after Billy broke it off screen) later, so it seems likely that she is afraid to ask for things.

EPISODE 5

I couldn't decide if I should include it or not, but I actually do think this "outfit" poses some questions. Like, why does he own all of this stuff? He's clearly not a sports guy. So are these his belongings? Or were they his dad's? We don't know anything about Dustin's father. We don't know why he's out of the picture. We don't know if he's alive or dead; if Dustin's relationship with him was good or bad; if Dustin knew him at all/if he was EVER in the picture for Dustin or if his mother has always raised him alone.

All we know is that someone in this household at one point in time played hockey. Whether seriously or unseriously, poorly or well. Maybe Dustin's mother tried to get him into sports once and it didn't work out. Or maybe this stuff belonged to a father they don't talk about, but whose belongings are still around. But he grabs it from a very accessible location in an indoor closet (though we don't know if he's already put it there ahead of time for easy access). So while I can't draw any conclusions from this getup, I think its existence is curious.

This jacket is very like those tees he likes to wear with the stripe accents. It's also similar to the types of jackets Max often wears, but his jacket is more reflective of a letterman jacket, plus he's paired it with khaki pants. These details give Lucas's outfit a sort of sporty prep look while Max's style is skate sporty. Add in the plaid button-down and I'm actually just confused.

This is kind of a blend of different vibes we've seen from Lucas (i.e. his first outfit/third outfit being on the sporty prep side and his second/fourth outfits being on the smalltown fall vibes side. I'm not a fan. And Lucas is torn here, trying to figure out how to be honest with Max and also respectful of his friends. Maybe this outfit wasn't intended to be as ugly as I personally find it, but it feels like a visual representation of this internal struggle. The jacket leaning towards Max, the shirt leaning towards the party.

And while Lucas is sporting my least favorite of his looks for the season, Max is in my personal fave. She's in that soft, sunny yellow again and stripes, of course, plus a cozy grey sweatshirt. I don't have much to say about it other than that this is the warmest, most fall-colored of her outfits so far, potentially signaling her growing attachment to Hawkins.

EPISODES 6-9

How do we know shit's about to go down? Lucas has a bandana on.

This outfit feels much more comfortable than the last one. He's got his sneaks and his stripey tee and this jacket we've seen him in multiple times. He looks natural. And though I said that bandana thing like a joke, when Lucas puts on his bandanas, generally, we DO know that something dramatic is about to happen. We've been given a couple shots of him putting them on as a very intentional step in the preparations, for example, before he goes to spy on the lab in season 1. Lucas putting on a bandana isn't just a signal to the audience that shit's getting real, but it's something he does intentionally to prepare himself for conflict. I imagine this is a method of hyping himself up, boosting confidence, creating a visual for himself that he associates with bravery and triumph, likely a consequence of movies he's seen.

Max is in a striped tee and sporty-striped jacket again. Sorry for that second pic, but I wanted to get her jeans and shoes in the shot. Her shoes are red and blue and don't match, like at all. But Max is not a fashion girly and their vibrant color still fits her vibe. She and Lucas are both wearing orange striped tees as they grow closer to one another.

Similarly, Dustin is also wearing orange as he and Lucas make up. What is utterly bizarre to me is that the graphic tee Dustin spends the most time in (episodes 5-9), we can't see. His hoodie is zipped in all four episodes. The most I was able to read off it is "Race Yourself." The illustration is of a man on the moon, so this is presumably related to the Space Race, but the entire wording is never revealed. The message we are left with is "race yourself." Why. I don't actually have the answer to that. Try as I might, I am just not that smart.

Our girl wore pants to this dance (queen). And I don't think I'll ever be over the fact that her mom puts ONE barrette in her hair and says "It'll be worth it!" This outfit is low-key a mess, in my humble opinion, but that actually gives it some charm. The sweater has yellow cuffs, blue shoulders, a red waistband, and multi-colored stripes, and then she wore it with coral pants and that ONE barrette plus a watch in yet another shade of yellow. It's so colorful and it just screams Max, but it is not formal in the slightest. And this is an incredible contrast to pretty much all of the boys (and El) who all go out of their way to Dress to Impress.

ESPECIALLY Dustin. Dustin's outfit is actually my favorite out of the whole party's Snow Ball looks, but the effort he put into his hair shows how much he is trying to emulate Steve, a known womanizer, rather than being himself. His friends make fun of it, but god bless Scott Clarke for telling Dustin he looks snazzy. Dustin told Lucas he saw the connection (the "electricity") between him and Max, so he isn't trying to impress Max here, but he spends the dance hyper-focused on girls to the point that he ends up crying alone. Another contrast to note here is Will, who had no desire to impress any girls and yet got asked to dance by one calling him "Zombie Boy" which (first of all, rude) shows that she asked him to dance because he was being himself. Versus Dustin putting on an impression of a knock-off Steve Harrington, and getting laughed at.

This is another instance of Lucas and Mike's outfits looking kind of similar. They're both in grey and stripes with similar silhouettes with their jackets (open) and button-downs, going back to the two Venkmans thing with these boys both being leading lads/love interests. Lucas's shirt is slightly unbuttoned with no tie or bow-tie. His look is the most casual of all the boys, which fits with Max and the fact that after getting over the fear of trying to ask her to dance, he relaxes and these two manage to connect.

Other Season 2 Wardrobe Analyses: Mike & Will El & Hopper Nancy, Jonathan, & Steve

[ineffablegoose]

the ungay good omens petition is funny in a lot of ways but i had some thoughts

so, okay it's very likely if you follow good omens, you must've seen the petition going around. and yes, while I definitely think its satire, on the off chance its not?? i kinda think that's even funnier

I dont think good omens season 1 was subtle about being, very inherently queer, I'll talk about the book in a bit but GO s1 wasn't hiding it at all. they threw much more of the book's subtlety OUT and were much more vocal about it and the themes. and that makes sense. people nowadays like to complain about 'stuff getting too woke' and like?? yeah? so?

activism and agenda is something very inherent in media. id almost venture to say its impossible to create something (especially write) without hampering in some of your core beliefs. an anti-capitalist will write an anti-capitalist story, or at the very least will not have capitalism be idolized. and you can ponder if its deliberate, what it says about us as writers and as readers (because interpretation is a thing), but then id be going off topic so moving on

the difference is that back in the 90s, people were much more subtle about pushing queer narratives. and you can have your own opinions about whether you liked the stories better back then or whatever, but you have to acknowledge that activism and representation in 2023 are much different in comparison.

one can argue that the GO book itself wasn't meant to have the queerer narrative we have in the TV show.. and whether that's true or not will probably depend on what you think and infer. only two people have the answer and I don't remember if Mr Neil had said anything about it (I apologize, i should probably check, but its also 12am and i have an exam tmrw. this is just a rambly text post i don't think anyone is going to see)

i think GO book had some queer elements, but subtle enough that perhaps someone who isn't of a queer background could ignore it. (again the thing about interpretation of media by the consumers, you will see what you want to see)(though how subtle is the f slur line and the legendary monkeys on nitrous oxide line? seriously?) and they could be chalked up as jokes. plausible deniability is plausible deniability.

It is of my opinion (and feel free to disagree) that Mr Neil had chosen to accentuate the core beliefs of the story that was held in the product that he and Sir Terry Pratchett wrote 30 yrs ago. the agenda was there already, but how you write out representation will continue to change and evolve, as did society change and evolve in 30 yrs. how he chose to change and adapt the book, while i don't think is accurate (because its not 1 to 1), is definitely faithful. its faithful to the source material and its core messaging, and i choose to believe the adaptation reflects on what good omens the book has and always been: a critique of religious extremism by way of satire. and again,

feel free to disagree, but i don't know any narrative that can better push anti-religious extremism other than an inherently queer one

[startrekprodigyfan]

I genuinely don’t understand where this whiplash comes from. In my media studies we learned that even if the creators of the media say or had intended one thing, if the media itself contains elements that could be read a certain way regardless then it’s perfectly fine for you to read it that way.

I mean, that’s the basic standard of how most media studies operates. You use different lenses to view the media through. A sci-fi film read through a feminist lens would be interpreted way differently than if you read it through a queer lens. The Matrix, for example, is a violent sci-fi action film, but read through a trans lens it suddenly takes on different meanings.

I studied a lot of older queer media where the creators were deliberately not allowed to include anything confirming that X character is queer or not, resulting in them having to use subtext and symbolism to convey their messages instead. Maybe that’s why when I see these scenes they don’t feel like whiplash to me?

Because all I see when you list these shots, these angles, these fleeting moments, and these glances… I see this all as being part of the text of the media. I read it 100% as them being in love. I don’t need Janeway and Chakotay to embrace and kiss and say out loud “I love you” to get the message loud and clear that they love with each other. Those little moments speak volumes to me.

And I think it works for people who don’t know the history of the show or Kate’s stance on things. This is a kids show after all, and I can’t imagine any kid watching this show and feeling tonal whiplash from these moments. They’ll just see two grown adults holding hands and hugging and think “aww they’re in love.” They won’t have the baggage of the last 25 years that we do. And I think that’s very intentional.

If Katara and Zuko simply sharing the same screen at the same times was enough to spark kids into thinking they’d get together (despite the mountain of evidence the show provides saying they’re clearly not interested in one another) I see no reason why this is any different. If you see Janeway holding hands and looking longingly into Chakotay’s eyes, that should be enough here.

Unless you HAVE to get an “I love you” or a kiss for it to be confirmed 100%. If that’s the case I don’t know what to tell you. I watched Korra and Asami enter the spirit portal together at the end of Legend of Korra only holding hands and that single moment kickstarted a revolution in queer media. There was no doubt in my mind that they weren’t a couple then. No “I love you” was spoken. No kiss. Just two gals looking at each other, holding hands, with sweet soft music playing.

I think you can and SHOULD view those moments in Prodigy as being the show giving you the subtext you need to read the scene as canon confirmation.

But no guys, serious talk now. I'm in the 'they're not canon' group and please for the love of god, do not try to change my mind. I can make my own decisions, thank you. As someone who did films (script writing, script doctor, film sets, festivals and all that jazz) and is my field of study, I am well aware of why I don't see them as canon.

But my question is, what was the audience supposed to take away from the random little J/C moments in the grand scheme of the story?

This is where my J/C narrative whiplash stems from pt 2.

This mess (hall) here. What are these looks after she grabs his hand?? This isn't a normal 'how was your day' conversation. This is some serious silence™ cause it's not like she grabbed his hand playfully in a middle of a convo. They were silent, hand grab, continue to be silent with looks™. What are we supposed to think after seeing this???

Then this weird af camera position/movomenet and blocking:

What are we supposed to think with a shot that starts like this? That she's merely straightening his uniform? But why would she need to do that in the first place? Did he get dressed in her ready room or something (also where the heck is this scene at cause it doesn't look like the ready room)? Then, to have the rest of this scene be a smidge awkward, as if the scene didn't start with this shot is a weird choice.

And then... AND THEN you have this literal blink and you miss it moment where Janeway's being called to the bridge, but it's Chakotay's combadge that chirps.

She looks away from his face to look at his combadge CUT TO

Chakotay with no combadge CUT TO

Chakotay with a combadge, meaning they must have swapped their combadges on the run; otherwise, it makes no sense, it's a mistake or a leftover from an earlier draft that wasn't fixed. But what the heck does this imply? We all know what it implies, but it's weird and can be read as a mistake. There have been mistakes like this in S2 with objects shifting positions from one shot to another.

But you tell me, what are we supposed to think when we see all these little moments, only to go back to the status quo in every other scene (not to meniton interviews)? The Indiana farm scene is the biggest one that doesn't match what we saw here, giving me the biggest narrative whiplash of them all. The J/C scenes often contradict themselves because, as I said and as was confirmed by the Hagemans when they said they could never give a clear answer, the romantic relationship is both trying to be and not be at the same time. It was purposefully written as such to make all parties happy, but this, in my opinion, doesn't work in favour of the story (in this department) cause it reads as inconsistent. It makes Janeway's behaviour inconsistent.

Sometimes I feel there was someone in Prodigy who went out of their way to insert moments like these, either to spite the decision not to give a clear answer or to make things even more confusing.

[madlori]

Thoughts on Buddie

With the weewoo show coming back tonight, I wanted to share a few thoughts on this topic. I got a very thoughtful message from a follower today asking me about it, and it got me thinking.

I love Buck and Eddie’s dynamic. Obviously I’m a fan of the pairing. I’d love to see it happen on the show. I am not counting on that happening, or really even expecting it. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I do think it’s not likely.

I also think that their relationship, as it exists in the canon, is kind of revolutionary in its own quiet way. The show has gone out of its way to depict a loving, close friendship between two (textually) straight men, and firefighters at that, with a fair amount of machismo hovering around them. They express emotions. They support each other. They are loving caregivers to Christopher. They talk about personal things, they hash out emotional problems with each other.

These are all things that toxic masculinity dictates Real Men Shouldn’t Do. They shouldn’t cry, they shouldn’t be nurturing, they should only talk about sports and boobs or something. Buck and Eddie are never shown to be anything less than Real Men (by the stereotypical definition of the term) while doing all those things. Their concern for each other and involvement in each other’s lives is real. They’re not bros. They’re friends, real friends who have a deep emotional connection that they’re not afraid to acknowledge or show.

I love that for them.

Would I love for them to smash their faces together? Absolutely. But if they don’t, I don’t think that invalidates the relationship they do have. It’s valuable in its own right.

Is it queerbaiting? I don’t know. That term has been tossed around a lot for a lot of different shows, sometimes deservedly so, sometimes not so much. The meaning’s been a little diluted. Is it queerbaiting to show two men having an emotional connection? I might suggest that the reason so many of us (and I’m not excepting myself, here) jump right to the interpretation that there must be romantic feelings there is that platonic love between men is so rarely seen. It’s like they’re either just work bros, or they’re desperately in love, and there’s nothing else along that gradient. Us preferring a sexier different outcome doesn’t necessarily make it queerbaiting.

I also suggest that queerbaiting in general, while frustrating, is less toxic than it used to be. When there was such a lack of canonical queer relationships, just those little teases and glimpses were all we had, so when they failed to develop, it was crushing. It still can be so in the context of one pairing, but there are soooo many more canonical queer relationships than there were even ten years ago. We used to watch the most god-awful stuff because there was, maybe, one scene of two guys holding hands or something. Now we can turn on streaming and watch a dozen shows and movies about queer couples whenever we want, and more all the time. Can there be room now for men who platonically love each other, without it being more? I think there can be. Viewers who value queer media, and want to see same-sex relationships, have a lot of opportunity to do so now. Maybe there can be more flexibility in how these relationships are depicted.

Teasing a relationship that the viewers want is a long-standing viewership tactic whether it’s a queer relationship or not. Fuck, the X-Files built half their longevity on it. Doing it to lure queer viewers is no less exasperating, but maybe it’s just putting us in the same category as everyone who waited for David and Maddie to kiss on “Moonlighting.” Queerbaiting was worse when we KNEW it wasn’t going to happen and the possibility felt cruel. Now, it might, at any time, which is both more and less infuriating. The odds are better, but the depth of the need is perhaps less severe given the other options available.

Does “9-1-1″ engage in queerbaiting? I don’t know. Maybe it’s in the eye of the beholder. Some viewers feel baited, so they are. That’s valid. Others don’t, so they’re not. It depends on how you define the term, and I’m not super confident in the definition anymore. Is any close relationship between same-sex characters queerbaiting? That seems over the top. Maybe it isn’t.

When Schitt’s Creek was airing I often spoke about how it felt less like queer representation, and more like queer normalization. Just having queer people around, not Repping the Brand, so to speak, just...existing in the narrative and doing things. Normalization is in many ways more powerful because it feels real, and not like you’re being hit over the head or lectured to. Maybe platonic love between men (as we’ve seen for decades between women) needs to be normalized, too.

My bottom line is that I’d love to see canon Buddie, but I already love who they are to each other now.

[melanccholia]

The Rumor Comes Out: Does Bert and Ernie is Gay?

    Growing up on public television in the early aughts, I, like many children before me and many who came after, delighted in watching the brightly colored and educational exploits of Jim Henson’s puppets on the PBS show Sesame Street. Among them, the famous figures of Bert and Ernie, two “male” puppets who lived in the same house, slept in the same room, and were almost never for a moment apart from one another. Even now, close relationships between men- both platonic and romantic- are heavily stigmatized in American culture, and, despite being inspired by the real life camaraderie between Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the two remain a rare example of gentle affection between two men in media. The first recorded instance of Bert and Ernie being interpreted as being in a homosexual relationship was in 1981, when Kurt Anderson described them as “[conducting] themselves in the same loving, discreet way that millions of gay men, women and hand puppets do. They do their jobs well and live a splendidly settled life together in an impeccably decorated cabinet” in his book The Real Thing. Though he later admitted to making the claim as a joke, the plush couple went on to become gay icons to thousands of queer people who grew up watching them on the screen, maintaining a time honored gay tradition of seeking a reflection where none may be. 

The idea took such firm hold, in fact, that the New Yorker published an issue on the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling with a cover depicting Bert and Ernie curled up in domestic peace on their couch. It caused an immediate statement from Sesame Workshop itself, claiming that they are not gay, never have been and never would be- and it was not the first time they had made such a statement. Later, after writer Mark Saltzman admitted that during his time on the show he had always modeled them after the relationship between his late husband and himself, Frank Oz took to Twitter to finally put the claims to rest in September 2018: They are, most decidedly, not. They’re just puppets. And anyway, why do people care so much? “Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There's much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.”

Why does it matter? If we are all just people, the same as everyone else, why should we need to be pointed out? If we are all equal, why must we be defined as different? In Genre-Queer, Kazim Ali observes that “certain kinds of writing (bodies) are valued more, are promoted and supported and legitimized and that the kinds of writing that are undervalued or marginalized are precisely those which undermine (in both their form and content) traditional power structures and traditional ways of thinking.” This legitimization sends a clear message- even in a children’s show preaching acceptance and equality, undermine the existing structures enough and be prepared to find yourself labeled and discarded as other. In this light, writers would historically couch homosexual and homosical themes in heterosexual language, forming both the safety net of plausible deniability and a queer media culture that to this day remains incredibly sensitive to homosexual subtext… For many, it is this subtext, both real or imagined, that allowed queer individuals to see themselves reflected in their favorite characters. They can pretend, for even just a moment, that when they look up at a beautiful portrait of the world, someone like them can be staring back. 

And yet, some argue, without that intentional subtext, it shouldn’t matter because it is the author who has the final say, anyways. Elena Ferrante once wrote, on her own immateriality as an author, that “I know that my books can only be female… But I also know that female (or male) absoluteness is inconceivable. We are tornadoes that pick up fragments with the most varied historical and biographical origins.” During his online diatribe, Oz doubled down on his position, saying that “I created Bert. I know who and what he is.” I wonder, though, how much a creator truly knows his creation, and how much of life’s detritus can be discovered, blended into the character purely by accident? I can sympathize with the plight of keeping the little creature you have made close to your chest, but once on paper, once on screen, it has no choice but to take on its own life- especially so, for a character designed to be handed off from writer to writer. As well, the character already can only exist in the space between author and reader, and the reader’s role in the birth of the character can’t be discounted. The reader isn’t stupid, after all (no matter how many would try to deny otherwise), and when the fragments picked up by the author’s tornado settles, it is the reader who’s job it is to pick them up and examine the pieces the author themself is blind to. 

 Bert and Ernie, as all facts point to, are puppets, are men, are fictional when held in the hand and real to whom they matter, and most importantly, they have a wonderful relationship. To see them as straight is fine- Sesame Workshop would rather you did. To read them as gay is also fine. Human connection is a universal theme, and whatever form it takes, all that matters is that it touches the hearts that need to be touched. As Oz concludes, “If Jim and I had created B & E as gay characters they would be inauthentic coming from two straight men. However, I have now learned that many view them as representative of a loving gay relationship. And that’s pretty wonderful. Thanks for helping me understand.”

[psychotakublabs]

“Through the Looking Glass Ruins” definitely gave us more Lumity than we all expected and the B-plot of Amity and Luz’s story in this episode was written very well. Their awkward interactions and new found feelings for each other pave a way for LGBTQ young love in animation. It also gives us Luz and Amity character development, small hints at insecurities and conflicting emotions, and normalizing queer teen romances. I have seen multiple interpretations and analyses of their plot and I wanna analyze Luz and Amity from the three important scenes: Inside the Library, Outside the Library, and Blight Manor.

Inside the Library

First we have Luz knocking on Gus’s door to use Gus’s library card. It seems this is not the first time as she admits she isn’t hiding her crush very well and Gus agrees. Although she is going to the library to find Philip’s journal on the portal, she does get sidetracked with her crush on Amity. Even the twins notice both have a crush on each other but instead of teasing them about it, they just leave them alone. It seems everyone knows Luz and Amity have feelings for each other except those two and not because they are oblivious about it. It’s because Amity is still trying to figure out her own feelings and Luz isn’t sure if Amity likes her back or is afraid of losing her friendship because of these feelings.

Amity and Luz’s interactions are awkward and anxious because they have a crush on each other. That is completely normal in young love and it’s done very well here. They become flustered and weird when seeing each other and once in close contact with each other immediately separate. This is very well written and boarded becaused it normalizes queer crushes. Usually it's either the two characters fall in love immediately with no development or it's one sided. Not with Amity and Luz as they are confused lovestruck teenagers who are navigating these new found feelings for each other. Like a lot of teens, having a crush is confusing and awkward and having two queer characters (Luz is bisexual and Amity is lesbian) having developing feelings and normlazing those interactions shows queer teens and kids it's normal and okay to have these feelings.

Most interesting in their adventures in the library is the Amity and Luz character development.

First off Luz becomes less impulsive of her actions because she worries about Amity losing her job. While at the doorway to the Forbidden Stacks, Luz reassures herself and says she will find another way. After her conversation with Amity in the Forbidden Stacks, she says they should head back and doesn't want to push Amity. Usually Luz is impulsive in her actions. In the Human Realm, she does things without thinking first and that's caused a lot of trouble for others. Because she knows Amity could lose her job if caught, Luz thinks before diving into danger so she doesn't hurt Amity. This is development for Luz because it shows her thinking about her actions before doing so and how it might affect others. This isn't the first time either she has shown this development but it's very prominent in this episode and shows how much she cares about Amity.

Amity has become more impulsive in her actions lately. Despite knowing she could lose her job in the library, she still helps Luz in getting into the Forbidden Stacks. This irrational behavior is because of Amity's feelings towards Luz. When Luz mentions a possible date with Amity to the Human Realm, she ignores Luz's hesitation to go further and rushes to get the diary, dragging Luz with her. Amity is worried about losing her job but pushes through because she knows how important this diary is to Luz and her feelings for her cloud her rational judgment (not ignoring her development throughout the series that has also impacted her but just focusing on the episode).

Outside the Library

After Amity is fired, Luz immediately apologizes but Amity stops her. Both have become upset from the incident but for different reasons. (This analysis/interpretation mostly comes from halcyonhyacinth on Twitter and Tumblr. I highly recommend following her. Awesome writer!) (https://psychotakublabs.tumblr.com/post/656478634193928192/all-of-this-this-scene-was-so-powerful-and-well)

Amity is upset because she did lose her job but also because of her conflicting emotions and actions. "Being around you makes me do stupid things and I wish it didn't." Amity was raised in a family environment that emphasised high standards and perfection. Before Luz showed up, she had to be perfect to live up to her parent's expectations and had to think about her actions as well as control her emotions. However, Luz has changed her perspectives on life and Amity's new found feelings for Luz makes her become more impulsive to help Luz. Because Luz is her first crush, she is still navigating these feelings that make her do the opposite of what she normally does. Amity has every right to be upset because she lost her job and somewhat blames Luz for it because of her new found feelings. It's not till she sees Luz cry and hears her say she does the same does she realize her feelings may not be strange and one sided. Now lots have interpreted this interaction as a confession which is a part of it. But it is more of a confession of vulnerability and confusion than love, but that doesn’t mean it could have come out as having feelings for one another as well. Another part of Amity’s reactions is how Amity has affected Luz to the point she is upset as well (maybe even thinking her words hurt Luz) and that her feelings and actions are similar. Instead of taking her frustration out on Luz, she decides to go home to calm down and think more about her feelings. Amity is still dealing with her budding feelings towards Luz and it's understandable why she is so upset both from being fired and her conflicting emotions.

Luz is afraid she will lose Amity because she got her fired. After Amity says she does stupid things when around Luz and wish she didn’t do them, Luz is so upset she cries. This is probably related to her experiences in the Human Realm. In the Human Realm, Luz’s impulsive actions have freaked out others and is used to others pushing her away. Luz is starting to develop feelings for Amity and she is scared she has pushed her away because of her reckless behavior. This is different from the Human Realm because Luz truly cares for Amity and doesn’t want to lose her as a friend. Luz tries to reassure Amity she is not the only one who acts rash. When Amity leaves, Luz pushes her insecurities and sadness aside to get Amity’s job back. We are seeing more of Luz’s insecurities from the Human Realm throughout Season 2. For example, Luz feels guilty about Eda losing her powers and goes on a life threatening journey to make it up to her in “Separate Tides”. This probably stemmed from her experiences with her mom in the Human Realm whenever she got in trouble and burdened her mother. In “Through the Looking Glass Ruins”, fear of losing Amity comes from her experience of others pushing her away and is afraid it will happen with Amity. Luz has a lot of self-blame because of her prolonged experiences in the Human Realm. However, Luz pushes those feelings down to make it up to Amity by getting her job back. Although Luz did mess up and cost Amity her job, she is willing to amend her mistakes not only to make Amity happy but because she truly cares for her even if she loses her as a friend.

Blight Manor

Amity and Emira have a heart to heart conversation about Amity’s feelings towards Luz. She confesses that these new feelings towards Luz are confusing and scare her because she has never had these thoughts and emotions before. Emira reassures her it’s okay to have these feelings since it makes her happier. After brushing her hair, Emira notices Amity is still conflicted and brings up her roots showing and offering to re-dye her hair. Amity decides to cut and dye her hair purple. This is important in Amity’s development because she wants to be independent from her mother’s control and become the person she wants to be by doing something she wants. Even if she will get in trouble or others don’t like it, she is willing to have a fresh start as the person she wants to be. In fiction and real life, changing hair styles can be symbolic of changing one’s self and a powerful message of being who you want to be. What may seem like a small step is actually a huge achievement for Amity because changing her hair, that was once being forced to dye green for color coordination by her mother, to a shorter cut and purple color is her way of acting on her own and being the person she wants to be.

Luz was ready to face rejection from Amity but was willing to at least give her job back. Luz has shown time and time again how far she will go to help her friends. She even understood why Amity would want to push her away and was prepared for it. What she was not prepared for was seeing Amity’s new look. After explaining how she got Amity’s job back, Amity notices the echo mouse and Luz catches the little pest. After seeing the echo mouse shows Philip’s first diary entry, Luz thanks the mouse and hopes they can be friends. It’s great to see how far Luz will go to help her friends, even if she is the one who caused the mistake.

After Amity notices Luz’s kindness (looking at her library card), she decides to be bold and give Luz a kiss on the cheek. Both are shocked at what just happened. Amity becomes flustered, bids Luz farewell “forever”, and wonders why she kissed Luz on the cheek. Again, Amity is still confused with her crush on Luz and needs time to sort those feelings out. Luz becomes more smitten with Amity and falls to the ground. She probably never thought Amity would reciprocate her feelings or think Amity may have the same feelings. In the Human Realm, Luz is used to being pushed away and Amity kissing her on the cheek is so shocking, she goes weak and falls on her knees. This is a first for Luz as well as she is navigating her feelings towards Amity. Both may know they have feelings towards each other. However, neither one is going to admit it for a while because these feelings are new to them. For Amity, her crush is entirely new to her and she has to figure out what they are and how she wants to move forward with them. With Luz, her feelings towards Amity are mostly about accepting the fact it’s not one-sided and to figure out how she wants to act on these feelings. Both need to navigate their own feelings first before moving further in their relationship. I am curious as to how they will interact after that scene, because both have to realize that kiss was beyond platonic and it may get more awkward for them later in the series. We will have to wait a while before getting more Lumity progress in “The Owl House”

The Lumity in this episode was written and animated very well and is important for viewers and future animated series. First off, is the fact a Disney animated series shows a main cast progressing as an LGBTQ couple in the middle of a series. LGTBQ couples/soon-to-be couples/characters in children’s animation are usually confirmed at the end of the series, never confirmed at all but hinted (queerbaiting), background characters with little screen time, villains, or killed off. It’s both unbelievable yet wonderful to see an LGBTQ couple, especially with two teen characters, become canon. Not imaginative from fanfiction or made canon in comics but in the series at the beginning of Season 2. This is huge because not many networks, let alone one as big as Disney, have confirmed an LGBTQ character and couple early on in a show. I have hope that it will give inspiration to other major studios to follow suit with more stories with representation like “The Owl House”. One of my favorite aspects of Lumity in the series is it normalizes queer young love. This includes the complexities of newfound feelings of young love and navigation of first love. There is little to no animated series, at least in children’s animation, that have characters like Amity and Luz having feelings for each other and navigating those feelings in the middle of the series. It shows queer children and teens it’s okay to feel this way because it’s normal! Just like how it is normal for heterosexual teens to have the same feelings and actions to young love. To some it may not be a big deal, but as someone who came out as a lesbian at age 13 (2006-2007) and lives off of cartoons, anime, manga, comics, and books, there was basically nothing that felt close to how my high school experiences of young romance were. It is very refreshing and hopeful to see young LGTBQ youth see a Disney show have canon queer characters and the main cast a canon queer couple with normalized and realistic experiences. How it’s confusing but wonderful to have these feelings like everyone else. “The Owl House” continues to push the boundaries of children’s animation and the queer representation is continuing to be phenominal and wonderful!

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

Just read your post and agree with everything, esp about bad ship theories. One thing you said, kinda stuck out. The voting argument where Jimin went without JK, so therefore they seem to live in different areas. Then does this mean you think Vmin live in different areas? I mean, if they have been together for years, why would they not be living together? IDK, I just always kinda felt Vmin low key live together this whole time, but now your answer has me doubting that. You don't think Vmin do?

Admin 2: Hello anon,

In my reply I will try to convey to you my personal point of view in regard to Vmin and their relationship and in this case, how I see the question of them of living together.

The fact that four BTS members voted at the polling stations of their district shows that not all of them are registered in Hannam in their shared dorm.

We know, and it is no secret, that Taehyung bought an apartment in autumn 2019 in which, as you can see, he also seems to be registered. We know that Hobi and Jungkook bought their apartments at the end of 2018 in the same building and supposedly even on the same floor. Taehyung has posted photos from what looks like his apartment more than once and it is no secret that he owns and stays in this apartment. During some program on TV, one of his Wooga squad friends talked to Taehyung on FaceTime, who seemed to be at home in his apartment and wondered what he should eat.

Of course, there is more information from illegal sources, but we will not touch any of that.

It is known about Jimin and his living situation that his apartments (building) are under renovation.

Ok that's official facts of things we know. However, we do not know what the actual living situation of the individual members looks like.

Actually, all options are theoretically possible, but based on some logical considerations, some arrangements can be deduced. The fact that Taehyung is not registered in the dorm does not mean that he does not live there, or at least that he does not stay for a long time.

Jimin likely being officially registered as living at the dorm does not deny that he could also spend some time at Taehyung’s apartment. Do you understand what I'm going for? However, I exclude that officially Vmin or any couple could officially be live together. We have heard more than once about the obsessiveness of fans, about the stalking of the saessangs, about them occupying whatever buildings BTS are staying at, about the way they even go after the members families to get their hands on any kind of information’s.

Therefore, the best solution for Vmin is that they have access to Taehyung’s apartment. I think that in the dorm, and anywhere else (except for their bedrooms within the dorm), it would be impossible to lead any kind of relationship in peace.

There are all sorts of people at the dorm, their staff (like their managers) have success to the dorm and could just walk in at any time. The mere fact that Vmin (we assume they are a romantic couple) is in a fragile relationship and therefore any kind of leak, so to speak, would lead to a catastrophe. Antis and alike are just waiting for such "interesting" details from the private lives of the BTS members.

I believe that it is not possible to have any romantic relationship in a classic way within the group, and it is completely impossible for two members suspected of a romance to live together. (The same applies to J/k/ok etc.)

However, I am personally convinced that Vmin spends a lot of time together, even if only because they study together for their now master’s degree. I suspect they stay a lot together because Jimin wears Taehyung's clothes (especially his oversized boots) because even after work he was supposed to go to Tae (or Tae to Jimin) during the Billboard H100 # 1 night. We have screenshots of conversations with fans during games where Tae said he had to stop because Jimin had just made ramen, some other time he’d mentioned he was planning on doing something with Jimin the next day etc. Jimin said during Vlive in April 2020 that him and Tae like to go driving at night and many other things.

"Someday, when these cheers die down, stay hey

Stay with me by my side"

And that is also my opinion: A normal relationship will only be possible for Vmin when they are no longer the most famous musicians in the world living in a very conservative Korea, especially since they (and other members as well) still have to go to their military service in the VERY conservative Korean Army. Actual suspicions of a queer relationship within the group could and likely would only endanger the members during their service, just like I previously mentioned in my reply to an ask about Jin’s reaction to Taehyung’s “Jiminah I like you the most”.

I would also like to add some observations and thoughts to members speaking about their situation in life.

I have a strong impression that it doesn't matter so much to the fans whether Namjoon or Yoongi or even Jin live at the dorm or anywhere else.

What obsessive fans care about is where and with whom the maknaes live.

Therefore, I often get the impression that some dialogues, some scenes in RUN or interviews or other shows are shown in such a way that there is some confusion about who with who and confusion about where the maknaes live and whether they live together or not. I may be delulu, but I often get such an impression, especially when it comes to Jimin, that he deliberately says certain things in a way that can be interpreted in multiples ways, or like they mean something, even though likely it doesn’t mean anything at all.

We know Jimin is very private and doesn’t readily share private information’s, so it just seems like he “feeds” obsessive shippers, of whom I’m sure he’s well aware they are listening and just waiting for it, something that really is empty just so they have something to do, like JK saying he wants to make pizza at the end of some RUN episode to which Jimin asked “at home?” which was asked (or at least translated by weverse/vlive) in such a manner that shippers spent the next two weeks discussing what home he meant and if that means they do live together. Because of that, really, Jungkook can keep his privacy, as can vmin, since shippers will hold on to those empty phrases (fanservice) while the members can do whatever they want away from the cameras. Does that make sense? So, in the end, even if it seems like Jimin shared some insight into their living arrangements, we really still know nothing at all about where the maknaes live and with whom. It’s very smart PR and fits with the media training Idols in general seem to receive.

Edit: I read your comments and I want to clarify what I meant with the above part about Jimin, since I really didn’t mean to shift the blame for bad shipper behavior on him in any kind of way: 

I’m sure we’ve all seen bad shippers make the argument that the members that are part of their ship supposedly purposefully say certain things to send them “secret/hidden messages” or “hints” that “only they will understand” which in turn are meant to prove their ships. That’s what I meant by “seems to “feed””, not that he’s purposefully “lying” in their favor or feeding into their weird fantasies, but rather that the vague things he sometimes says, or his occasionally cheeky/teasing comments made in good fun with the other members, are taken by shippers and interpreted in ways to fit their narratives, even if what Jimin says has nothing to do with ships at all, he’s obviously just joking/teasing, or it’s just a vague “empty”/deflective statement to keep private info private. 

In all those cases the blame is on shippers and their bad behavioral habits of twisting the members words instead of listening properly and realizing that Jimin is joking or that what he said isn’t a hint or anything at all.

After all, Jimin said so much, supposedly, and yet we know nothing, not even about him and Taehyung studying together, which was quite literally never mentioned by them. Not even once in passing.

Of course, everything I've written is just my personal opinion and point of view. I could of course be totally wrong.

From anon: I agree that "Feeding the Schipers" isn't the happiest phrase, but I get what is going on. I think what J/m says and how he says it is like fodder for ships. I don't think he's doing it on purpose, however. Definitely not. J/m has this style of teasing, joking and shippers buying it as "secret confessions or notices" but a cool comment in general.

Admin 1: I’d like to quote myself from my asks post yesterday as reply to this ask, since it fits here as well:

Besides, at the end of the day, their living arrangements are not something we are privy to and that we shouldn’t try to figure out either. The members say they still live at the dorm, and if that’s the version they want us to believe, that’s the one I’ll stick to, unless they tell me otherwise.

[no-its-betty]

long story short – a queer reading

Okay, first of all – this is my interpretation of the song and everyone is absolutely entitled to their own. I’m not saying my view is the right one or the only one, you’re welcome to read this song in any way you feel like, apply it to your personal life, think of toe when you listen to it or literally do whatever you want with it. Feel free to add your own ideas to this post, but please keep it respectful. Just because someone thinks this song means something different than you do, that does not give you the right to attack them. Be nice, people <3

Second of all – this is the first time I’m attempting to do one of these detailed interpretations, so please bear with me.

That being said, I think it’s important to focus on how she uses male pronouns during the verses, but then switches to addressing a “you” in the chorus. It’s similar to what she does in “I think he knows”, where at first glance she is singing about one person, but when you take a closer look, she’s actually singing about two different people.

A really great point that @loversreputation​ just made and where I want to start this post: If someone were to ask Taylor why she didn’t come out after the mess that was kissgate, her reply could look like “well it’s a really long story and a lot of decisions factored into it, but long story short, it just wasn’t the right time for it”, and then this song is the long story. So here we go.

Fatefully I tried to pick my battles Til the battle picked me

Taylor was used to picking her battles, to deciding which sides of herself to show the public. Her image was under her control, until the night that kissgate happened (“til the battle picked me”). Misery Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep And you passed right by I was in the alley surrounded on all sides

I’m sure the aftermath of kissgate must have been terrible and Taylor had trouble sleeping, because she was facing the decision whether to come out now, or whether to deny everything and push herself further into the closet. She felt “surrounded on all sides”, like there was no other way out of it than to start bearding again. The knife cuts both ways

She is able to “slice” the incident out of her life, but in turn she gets hurt as well. If the shoe fits, walk in it Til your high heels break

She starts bearding with Calcium Harvest, because it works with the narrative (“the shoe fits”) and she decides to do it until her high heels break, until she can’t keep up the fancy show any longer. And I fell from the pedestal Right down the rabbit hole Long story short, it was a bad time

She fell from the “pedestal” that she built herself, her public image of her and Karlie being “best friends” was completely falling apart. I agree that “rabbit hole” could be a major nod to Dianna, but I don’t really see how to incorporate this into my interpretation of the song yet. It is also a phrase often used by Kaylors when they describe how they first found out about Kaylor and how they then fell down the rabbit hole of easter eggs and secret messages, so it could also be alluding to that. But, “long story short” (lol) – having to beard and to shut herself back into the closet was a bad time for both Taylor personally and her relationship with Karlie. Pushed from the precipice Clung to the nearest lips Long story short, it was the wrong guy

Taylor was so rushed to make a decision that she “clung to the nearest lips”, aka Calcium. But in the long run she realized that he “was the wrong guy” for this. I won’t go into detail here, but I think we can all agree on the shitshow that was their bearding relationship. Now I'm all about you I'm all about you I'm all about you

Taylor reassures Karlie that even though she had to do what she did with Calvin, she is still “all about” Karlie, and that Karlie is her number one. Actually I always felt I must look better in the rear view

Taylor always knew that one day something like this might happen. It’s her way of telling herself that she should have been more careful and should have double checked the “rear view”, or maybe the audience at the concert to see whether there were any cameras on them. Missing me At the golden gates they once held the keys to

“Golden Gates” gives me major 1989 era feels, like how they partied openly and everything was in full color. Kind of like she sings in TIWWCHNT. The gates could also be a reference to Karlie’s garden gate though (see Cruel Summer). When I dropped my sword I threw it in the bushes and knocked on your door And we live in peace But if someone comes at us This time I'm ready

Maybe for a short while after kissgate happened, Taylor was fighting her own feelings for Karlie; she was unsure how they should go on after that. But she eventually “dropped her sword”, she stopped fighting it and promised Karlie that even though they are now protected by both of their beards, she will be ready the next time, should something like kissgate ever happen again. [Chorus]

I feel like the “long story short, it was the wrong guy” in the second chorus could also be a nod to Hiddleswift, another bearding relationship that brought more complications with it than it actually helped protect Kaylor. The way I see it, the “wrong guys” in this represent her bearding history since kissgate, and how she on the one hand tried to find a beard that would help her protect her true lover, and on the other hand constantly tried to reassure both Karlie and herself that they were fine. No more keeping score Now I just keep you warm No more tug of war now I just know there's more No more keeping score Now I just keep you warm And my waves meet your shore Ever and evermore

This, to me, sounds like Taylor being absolutely sure that she will do whatever it takes to protect her relationship. No more playing games, they’re both in it for the long run, because Kaylor is end game (no this post will not interpret what “happiness” might be about, I’m not ready to go there yet, pls don’t come at me). Past me I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things Your nemeses will defeat themselves Before you get the chance to swing

Taylor is talking to her “past” self here, telling herself that everything will fall into place, that the issues with her nemeses (Sc**ter? Jerk? The media?) will eventually be resolved before either of them (Kaylor) even gets “the chance to swing”. And he's passing by Rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky And he feels like home If the shoe fits, walk in it Everywhere you go

Taylor starts bearding with Toe and he seems like a “rare” find, because he is not known at all and there’s less danger of something in his past coming out that discredits their bearding relationship. She clearly has the upper hand in it and he follows her orders. Bearding with Toe “feels like home”, because it feels safe. Remember that in this verse, she is once again singing of a “him”, whereas in the chorus she is back to “you”, so it’s not the same person she is talking about/to. Pushed from the precipice Climbed right back up the cliff Long story short, I survived Now I'm all about you

The change in the chorus at the end is the first time she doesn’t sing “it was the wrong guy”, but instead she sings “I survived”, because in this regard, Toe is the right guy. He is perfect as a boyfriend for her, because the “we both value a quiet life, away from the spotlight” works so well with him. He could never stir shit the way Calcium did. Long story short, it was a bad time Long story short, I survived

All the beards that led them to where they are now were a “bad time”, bad decisions. But ultimately, in the end, they survived. It was truly a long story (just like this post is), but the outcome was positive. I like to think of this as the other side to DWOHT, the one that is not quite so shattering and heartbreaking, but tells the story of how the world fell apart around them, but they made it out on the other side.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to add your thoughts to this! But like I said, please keep it respectful.

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

tagged by @jivewise; thanks!

rules: tag nine people you want to know better.

three ships: Steve/Loki might be my favorite ship; it’s one of very few I’ve actually written for. definitely fond of Loki/Valkyrie. and I guess I do genuinely ship Loki/Sylvie--for various reason I might’ve been happier if the show hadn’t made it explicitly romantic, but it’s a canon queer ship for my boy, and they’re both so cute, and the fanart is great, and also there’s pain, and the anti-Sylki stuff from disgruntled Lokius shippers is, uh...well, I did say their behavior would make me start genuinely shipping Sylki out of sheer spite, and here we are. 

last song: apparently, “You Are The One” by A Place To Bury Strangers, because it’s in my huge playlist of completely random songs I got from completely random places

last movie: uhhhhh. I...don’t know? I mean, the last movie I saw in theaters was Birds of Prey...and the last disc I stuck in my Xbox was the show recording for Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, which is not actually a movie (and I was only playing it because I wanted to drown out my asshole neighbors’ noise and we were close enough to our data cap that I didn’t want to stream anything)...I think it might have actually been Haywire, which was months ago, and I only watched it because I’d been vaguely interested when it came out and it was about to leave Tubi or one of the other free streaming sites. no, wait, around the end of July I watched Burrow, a short film on Disney+. and a couple weeks before that I watched Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, a different and longer short film on Apple TV+. does that count?   

currently reading: The Night Manager by John Le Carré, because I liked the show a lot (primarily for...reasons that I imagine are obvious) and had some mild fic/headcanon ideas about a specific scene, so I figured I might as well read the version that actually lays out Jonathan’s thoughts about various events to see if I’m totally off base. (verdict: nah, I was dead on about some of it, and I still had a reasonable interpretation for the part that wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the book.) in general it’s, hmm, in that genre of media that I’m pretty sure I’m too stupid to appreciate entirely because apparently I need a lot more things spelled out for me? (if the word “intrigue” shows up anywhere in a plot description, I’m probably lost. or even if it doesn’t but it could.) and of course there are various passages that make me roll my eyes about cis straight dudes, and I’m partial to the show (again for reasons that are probably obvious, but also because we don’t get Jonathan’s internal monologue in the show and sometimes he thinks some shitty straight-dude things about women), but it’s still interesting, and there’s the occasional passage that makes me sit up and go “well okay, dude can write, damn.”

currently watching: nothing, I guess. I’ve been meaning to rewatch the whole Loki show now that it’s all out, and I still need to watch the behind-the-scenes episode for it, plus several other things on Disney+ (WandaVision, TFatWS, The Mandalorian, What If I guess, behind-the-scenes stuff about Disneyland/WDW that my dad mentioned yesterday, probably other things I’m forgetting), but I don’t have Disney+ right now and I don’t want to use the 30-day code I have until I think I’ll make better use of it than I did the two months I bought. which is impossible to know because I’m just...very bad at TV, somehow. I was watching Earth At Night In Color, See, and Ted Lasso with the last few days of the free year-and-a-half Apple TV+ subscription I ended up mostly wasting...and that’s definitely not “current” because it was over a month ago. uh, I’ve also had an anon message in my askbox for a week or so recommending Crash Course Mythology’s videos on tricksters, so that’s something else I’ve been meaning to watch.

currently consuming: just ate some lasagna 

currently craving: if you mean a food item, 95% of the time when I’m craving something, my brain and body very helpfully refuse to tell me what it is, and the other 5% of the time it’s something that isn’t available to me. for non-food, I don’t know, I’m always craving more Loki merch.

gonna tag, um... @ladylowkeyed @taaroko @bedlamsbard @simuran @aurorawest @swinging-stars-from-satellites @adreamer67​ @iamanartichoke @scintillatingshortgirl19 but only if you feel like it, of course. and/or anybody else who sees this and wants to do it should consider themselves tagged

[m143ui]

A MESSAGE TO THE PJO FANDOM

so hello friends on the other side

I understand some of the major concerns regarding characters like piper and the feather and hazels description but when you bring Leo and Reyna into the fucking conversation I have lost all respect.

ANYONE CAN BE ABUSED, ETHNICITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT

LATINO CHARACTERS

Reyna is not a negative stereotype, she isn't defined by being latina and neither is Leo, he isn't a stereotype simply because he’s latino and was abused. also him being called an elf was because he was short, which had nothing to do with him being latino. also the mamacita comment like y'all hide under the label “progressive” but ignore that mamacita has been a thing in Latin American communities for a fucking while. its not an insult dammit. its something that happens in our communities!!! its like saying muchacho y'all don't see men bitching about that.

also shocker I read the mamacita comment and I can proudly say I didn't go

“RICK YOU RACIST BITCH”

things that actually happen in communities aren't racist

and before any of y'all come at me with the usual you’re white excuse, hello friends im Peruvian and Paraguayan.

I don't think he’s perfect but bitching about characters like Leo which gave many of my Latin American friends hope for similar characters destroys your “listening to minorities” argument

also the lol “hes Mexican taco bad” argument like I live in Mexico we eat tacos like every fucking day. its literally a fact. and Leo isn't just defined as taco man.

believe it or not us latinos respect rick because he gave us role models and characters like us. we don't define a character by one line and instantly call discrimination. like yes a asian character can be snobby it has nothing to do with ethnicity. y'all are making this about ethnicity. an asian character can be anything, just like a white character or a black character or a gay character. people are not simply defined by their labels like ya’ll think. y'all are just a bunch of easily triggered snowflakes that can't live with that. they can be influenced but in the end labels are labels we are all human and should be treated as such.

LGBT REPRESENTATION

another thing Reyna was never officially a lesbian that was YOUR interpretation not riordans. IF HE DIDNT STATE IT , SORRY HONEY IT ISN’T CANON! I don't care about how she was “lesbian coded” if he didn't state it it isn't canon. 

I am so sick, as a lesbian, to see people use ALL QUEER DEATHS as a bury your gay tropes, what happened to seeing us as humans? why can't we be treated like any other character? if we die we die, it isn't always “haha gay evil boom death”. sometimes fully fledged characters have to die friends.

Nico isn't a bad gay character, he’s just a normal character who happens to be gay and has suffered major trauma. HIS TRAUMA WAS CAUSED BY HIS UPBRINGING, Nico isn't a 2000′s character, he’s from the 30′s, so obviously he woudn’t be perfect with his sexuality for gods sake it was the 30′s. the exact same thing happens with hazel, she isn't a modern black woman, she's a 30′s black woman. Nico’s coming out isn't him as a 21st century teen its from the time when the GOVERNMENT KILLED YOU FOR BEING GAY

also saying there are no lesbian characters? like wow look emmie and jo don't exist. Lavinia doesn't exist. poison doesn't exist. thanks fam you really make yourselves look smart here. simply because rick never said the word gay doesn't mean the gay characters don't exist friends. they are just labeled as what gay characters should be labeled as.... human.

LESBOPHOBIA & RACISM

im not educated in muslim or black culture so I won't mention characters like sam and hazel and piper because I respect and I am highly critical of what rick put in his books to describe these specific minorities.

HOWEVER saying rick is a lesbophobe, a homophobe, a racist a sexist cis guy is like do y’all wanna be taken seriously? use arguments don't hide behind words.

rick isn't a perfect writer but y'all really don't know how to criticise, y'all just hide behind big boy words and back it up with no evidence, just opinions.

rick doesn’t have the best minority rep out there but he is damn well trying and I respect that unlike all you fucking idiots.

SHIPS

now onto ships.... yay

frazel: im not gonna censor it like you pussies, believe it or not 13&16 year old relationships exist. they might not always be healthy but they exist. to deny this is to be stupid

solangelo:  another ship that is censored..the main argument I've seen is that it isn't developed and will isn't even a character... he was in last olympian and lost hero not my fault y'all have fish brains. I don't care if you dislike it but don't be like “ANYONE WHO SHIPS THIS IS AN ABUSIVE WHORE” like wow you always preach about accepting all ships and then throw this? also if you hate solangelo because of the “abuse” but ship percico like hi friends Nico is 4 years younger than Percy.. if y'all hate frazel because of the 3 year age difference y'all should hate this too.

CONCLUSIONS AND SHIT

not every character minority or otherwise is gonna be the way you want them to be, believe it or not any character can be anything, black characters can be loud, white characters can be loud. if they're only loud because “haha black” then THATS an issue not the simple existence of a loud black woman who has a loud personality.

y'all be here bitching about drew and I've never heard the asian perspective of this? just a bunch of black and white people telling asians they should be offended. was that just an uno reverse?

also last point stereotypes aren't always a negative thing and y'all need to get that in your heads.

anyway stay mad hoes <3

from a sane Peruvian <3

EDIT

I saw this beauty and had to comment on it

“having LGBT characters experience abuse and violence. nicos forceful outing rubs me the wrong way, especially because hes called a coward for being in the closet. its violent and kind of disturbing to make your gay character come out of the closet by force. maybe write better. additionally, alex's abusive father and subsequent homelessness because of her being trans is badly written.”

oh noooo gay characters can't deal with homophobia anymore ! like I can tell you have never been punched for being gay. is it bad to showcase how trans and gay ppl are 40% of homeless youth? or is even mentioning that discrimination? believe it or not some of us live in countries where people try to kill us. you have an advantage and it shows. about the coward thing... 

was FUCKING CUPID A GOOD CHARACTER? NO? I REST MY CASE. CUPID IS NOT SEEN AS A GOOD PERSON THEREFORE HE IS NOT A GOOD PERSON GET THAT IN YOUR THICK SKULLS.

 YOU HEARD IT HERE FOLKS LGBT FOLKS DONT GET FORCED OUT OF THE CLOSET 

#NEVER HAPPENS IN REALITY. 

JUST BECAUSE YOU WERENT FORCED OUT OF THE CLOSET DOESNT MEAN OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THAT SAME LUXURY. 

maybe stop spewing bullshit <3

(so I get that this scene can remind people of being outed and it can hurt them however this scene was never intended to be a good thing it literally says Nico is scared of facing his emotions)

EDIT NUMBER 2

oh boy rick really pissed off the snowflakes that I share a fandom with

“give Nico to the gays” no? he would be a femboy and they would yeet his trauma like ssrsly?

also hate rick? bitch no one is forcing you to read his tweets.

death of the author is such a toxic thing like the mans is alive boo he aint going nowhere..like What the fuck 

EDIT NUMBER 3

anyway final thoughts on this :

nico insn’t Uwu gay and its an insult to his character

Reyna is not a lesbian canonically (neither is Thalia)

Leo and Reyna are not racist

none of ricks characters are  written as insults to their communities

and if I see one more “but ....phobia/ ...ism I will do very illegal things

peace lol

RICK RIORDAN UPDATE:

congratulations rick antis! you have successfully harassed a  56 year old man into leaving social media! wow so progressive!!!! this totally won't backfire or anything!!!

all jokes aside all of you who harassed rick to the point of someone else taking over his social media should feel ashamed

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Understanding Qanon

Both left and right politics have seen surges of conspiratorial thinking, but without question the most organized and politically salient conspiracy theory at the moment is Qanon. In The Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance dives deep into Q and its context.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/

As comprehensive as LaFrance's account is, there's one blank spot: why is belief in conspiracies is surging in the first place?

The main explanation - a subtext running through LaFrance's excellent piece - is that algorithmic persuasion is to blame.

That is, the systems that Big Tech built to convince us to buy refrigerators and acne cream are now being hijacked to convince us that pizza parlors are harboring pedophile rings in their (non-existent) basements. I am very skeptical of this account.

First, because the best evidence we have for Big Tech's power to perform these persuasive miracles comes from Big Tech's own marketing puffery, what they tell potential advertisers to justify their rate-cards, and what they tell investors to buoy their share prices.

Neither the source nor the claim is particularly credible. If there's one thing we know, it's hard to convince people of stuff. That, in fact, is the hard problem of advertising, religion, politics, art, and social change. No one has systematized it in an enduring way.

What Big Tech does VERY well, however, is find people. It can find people who are thinking of buying a fridge (a diffuse, hard-to-locate cohort) by targeting people who've shopped for fridges or kitchens, or perused reviews. This isn't a persuasive miracle, it's just spying.

Likewise, Big Tech can help people with fringe ideas locate each other. This is true irrespective of how much you like those fringe ideas: it doesn't matter if the idea is #BlackLivesMatter and gender is a spectrum or white nationalism and the Earth is flat.

I believe what we call "persuasion" is primarily "targeting." If the major barrier to the spread of your message is that you can't find the people who would be receptive to it, Big Tech's people-finding systems can supercharge your ideas.

This works especially well for ideas that invite social disapprobation if you publicly embrace them - which is why the internet is such a godsend for queer kids who fear discussing their sexuality with intolerant friends or parents.

It also works great for conspiracies.

Which raises a different question: why is it so easy to find people who want to believe in conspiracies. My answer: because so many of the things that have traumatized so many people ARE conspiracies.

The opioid epidemic was a conspiracy between rich families like the Sacklers and regulators who rotate in and out of industry. The 737 crisis was caused by Boeing's conspiracy to cut corners and aviation regulators' conspiracy to allow aerospace to regulate itself.

Senators conspire to liquidate their positions ahead of coronavirus lockdown, well-heeled multinationals conspire to get 94.5% of the "small business" PPP fund, Big Tech conspires to fix wages with illegal collusion while fast food franchises do the same with noncompetes.

In a world of constant real conspiracy scandals that destroy lives and the planet, conspiracy theories take on real explanatory power. This is beautifully discussed in Anna Merlan's 2019 book, "Republic of Lies."

https://boingboing.net/2019/09/21/from-opioids-to-antivax.html

All of this is the context for Qanon. Add to that the fact that Q is also a literal industry whose superstars make fortunes - and not necessarily cynically, because, after all, what better proof could you ask for of the truth of Q than the fact that it's making you rich?

Another consequence of making it easier to find people is that groups can coalesce around loosely defined principles. Pre-internet, the high cost of group-forming meant that you would be wasting a lot of effort by grouping with people who disagreed with you on fundamentals.

Eventually, those disagreements would drive you apart and all your group-forming work would be wasted. But lower-cost group forming makes it easier to take risks on making common cause with people you disagree with.

People who criticized Occupy for the lack of a crisply defined program missed this point: by refusing to narrowly define its cause, Occupy could be a broad tent.

Q's gnomic utterances are perfectly suited to exploit this increased appetite for risk in group forming.

Q's nonsensical utterances become an oracle that different kinds of conspirators can project their own fears and aspirations onto, creating multiple, irreconcilable interpretations for these pronunciations.

And that very vagueness and imprecision allows Q followers to find post-facto interpretations that show that Q was right all along (a favorite pastime of mystics from Revelations to Nostradamus).

Q is both a rehash of historical conspiracy pathologies and utterly of this moment, then. It's a phildickian phenomenon, a conspiracy whose gospel reads like the cryptic notes I get from stalkers who are having terrible, paranoid hallucinations.

Q is both a rehash of historical conspiracy pathologies and utterly of this moment, then. It's a phildickian phenomenon, a conspiracy whose gospel reads like the cryptic notes I get from stalkers who are having terrible, paranoid hallucinations.

One of the milestones in my understanding of conspiracists was this outstanding interview with a leading Flat Earther by the Oh No Ross and Carrie podcast:

http://ohnopodcast.com/investigations/2018/7/20/ross-and-carrie-traverse-flat-earth-part-7-the-jeran-campanella-interview

He describes his satisfaction with Flat Earth as compared with other conspiracies.

By which he means that the community bonds and his ability to have high stature in it are satisfying and that makes it feel true.

These feelings, along with the trauma of real conspiracies, make conspiracism a powerful temptation. That should guide our thinking on Q.

Not the junk science of the nonreplicating, discredited "backfire effect" (which is a polestar for Facebook's approach to conspiracy despite its lack of rigor):

https://pluralistic.net/2020/05/14/everybody-poops/#backfire-effect

Meanwhile, if you want to get deeper into the bizarre mythology of Q, I highly recommend this "Qanon exit briefing."

https://violentmetaphors.com/2018/12/04/your-q-anon-exit-briefing/

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - You're Kidding Me

So we’ve finally come to the last of season two’s filler episodes. Let’s see if we can knock this one out real quick. 

Summary: The front door of the mysterious seashell estate vanishes, trapping the group. They try to find another way out but find a spinning top whose magic regresses Cassandra and Lance into toddlers and Shorty into a baby.  They’ve only have an hour to find the top and reverse the effects or the changes become permanent. Unfortunately neither of Rapunzel’s or Eugene’s parenting methods keep their now childish friends on task. 

So Why Did No One Stand Watch Last Night?

They were all sleeping right next to the entrance, and after the run in with the mirror monsters, you would think that they would have taken turns standing watch. 

But nope, the front door vanishes when no one was looking cause they don't have any foresight. 

A Low Budget Doesn’t Excuse Filler

Like most of season two, this is yet another episode that adds very little to the overall story. It’s slightly better than the Return of Quaid or Curses, but not by much. I put it on the same level as The Forest of No Return, as I do like the mains’ development, but there’s really no reason why such episodes exist to begin with. 

The meta reason for staying in certain places for three episodes, instead of only one or two, is because of budgetary reasons. The crew have to build new sets and models for every new location or person the cast comes across. This costs money to make, so the higher ups wanted to reuse assets. Which is understandable, but not an excuse for utilizing them poorly.  

If you need to stay in one area or have characters reappear, then you need to give story reasons for that. Ones that tie back to the overall narrative and/or the mains’ character arcs. 

The shell house and Matthews should be more important than what they are as they both have connections to the ultimate big bad of the series.Adria shouldn’t be wasted for a whole episode when she’s the only one driving the plot in season two and has limited appearances. Vardaros and its people shouldn’t be a one and done thing if you’re going to spend so much time setting them up. And there’s still one off episodes, locations, and characters who aren’t brought back and add nothing 

Not only does this make for a weaker story, it also undermines the cost saving measures that you tried to implement to begin with.  

This Isn’t Representation! 

Get it?! 

She’s a top! 

She’s totally gay, but like not really, cause this can also be interpreted as a dominatrix joke, and there’s no other real indication of her orientation outside her like smiling at her best friend/crush/sister sometimes and keeping that rose her creepy ex-boyfriend gave her. 

And don't give me any bullshit excuses about Disney not letting the crew make Cassandra canonly gay/bi. 

The Owl House aired just this year, the same year as Tangled’s final season. Also Globby and Carl from Big Hero Six were both confirmed to be a couple on screen a month after this episode came out. Both shows would have been in development at the same time as Tangled was. Both would have been subject to the same regulations and restrictions while writing their stories. 

It isn’t “Disney” that stopped the storyboard artists from having Cass be a confirmed lesbian, it’s Chris and Ben, the head writers themselves, who failed to write it into the story properly, if at all. 

Chris is the one who made Raps and Cass “sisters”. Chris is the one who wouldn’t tell the crew about his ‘twists’. Chris is the one who had Cass crush on Andrew, even after he tried to kill her. Chris is the one who made Cassandra ‘straight’ and has since used gay baiting to keep her fanbase in his pocket. 

Like I am really damn sick and tired of Casspunzel stans defending Chris on twitter, when he’s the very one who sunk thier ship to begin with. I’m also really fed up with certain fans trying to bully others for not accepting their “Cass is a lesbian” headcanons as fact because what the storyboarders say on twitter after the show is over with isn’t gospel and isn’t real rep. 

I don’t care if you ship Cass with Raps or headcanon her as being gay. Ships and headcanons are great and can be a lot of fun. But fuck you if you ever try to shame people for not sharing your ships/headcanons. Not only is it biophobic and acephobic to insist that there’s only ever a binary option when it comes to orientation and shipping, but it also reinforces harmful stereotypes and tropes about people in the queer community. 

Like, yes, I personally may be an introverted angry bitch who’s an LBGTQA member and activist, but that doesn’t mean that every introverted bitchy woman in media is a lesbian. What kind of message does that send people when that’s the only character archetype that’s given representation or is loudly proclaimed as ‘gay’ by the wider audience? Fuck that noise! 

I Know Humor is Subjective but...WHY?

Why did we give the baby a beard? How does that logically work? Did anyone outside of the crew actually find this funny? 

TTS has like this one out of touch dude throwing out jokes that don’t really land with the target audience. Fans have called it ‘boomer humor’ but it’s actually ‘Gen-X’ humor. Not only because Chris and Ben are Gen Xers but because this is the type of crap my older brother would find hilarious. 

Gen Xers are between Boomers and Millennials and so their humor is this weird blend of gross out shock humor, ironic nihilism, and out of date stereotypes that are only mildly better than those of the previous generation before them. They’re the generation who gave us Beavis and Butthead, South Park, and Clerks. 

That’s not a criticism of Gen X as a generation, but rather just an acknowledgment that they’re worlds away from the neo-dada absurdism, more socially conscious, and globalized humor of Gen Z.    

So Why Is the Bad Guy Telling the Heroes How to Foil His Plans? 

Like he not only tells them how to fix their problem and how long they got in order to do so, but he also informs them how it happened in the first place. This goes directly against his plans. Had he simply said nothing and stayed out sight, then Raps and Eugene would have been lost for the full hour and most likely not have saved everyone on time. 

I like to headcanon that Mathews is just “that asshole” that loves to taunt and tease but in a that manner that gives him plausible deniability. He also may just be bored, since he’s a ghost trapped in one place all the time. Yet that still doesn’t change the fact that he shot himself in the foot here. 

Raps and Young Cass’s Relationship Is the Same as Raps and Adult Cass’s, and That Is a Problem. 

Condescending, manipulative, hypocritical, and bossy is the way Rapunzel treats everyone. She doesn’t understand the actual difference between a child and an adult. She only understands who she who she can and can’t boss  around. And those people that she can’t place under her thumb are labeled antagonists by the show. 

Nor does she actually care about what either kid Lance or kid Cass has to say. She’s just being proformative, and young Cass can see through that BS, which why her methods do not work. It’s not because she’s not ‘strict’ enough; it’s because she’s not being honest. 

Meanwhile Child Cassandra is just as combative, rude, bullying, and entitled as Adult Cassandra. In season three she regresses even further and becomes more violent than before.

Unlike Rapunzel, Cassandra wasn’t trapped in a tower for 18 years with zero human contact outside of her abuser. She escaped that fate and was raised in a loving home. That doesn’t mean that there won't be scars, but I still expect her to be more mature than her seven year old self. Just because she’s whining about not being special enough at 24 instead of screaming about the floor being lava doesn’t mean that she’s still not throwing a temper tantrum.  

Like I should not be seeing a replay/foreshadowing of their main conflict here. They aren’t children. They’re dynamic isn’t that of a mother and child. It’s not even a big sister looking out for a little sister type relationship. Its two immature women dragging innocent victims into their bitchy cat fight for dominance over the other.  

If you want me to take their issues seriously then give them real stakes to disagree over, mature behavior that I can root for, and a resolvement that doesn’t reverse any potential development that they could have had.    

Matthews Plan Makes Zero Sense

For starters, half the group being kids isn’t enough of a reason for Rapunzel to stay at the shell house. Even if the effects of the time top became permanent, then Raps and Eugene could just leave and take the kids with them. Either to finish the road trip, or go straight back to Corona. Not that there’s any real reason to get the Dark Kingdom anyways, nor is there a ticking clock stopping Raps from trying again later if she chose to. 

Rapunzel also is not obligated to become anyone’s mother. If she took them back to Corona than Cap would undoubtedly raise Cassandra all over again, and Lance and Shorty could be adopted by someone else. Any of the pub thugs might take them or even perhaps the King and Queen since they missed out on raising their actual daughter. Though for my money I’d get Monty or Xavier to take them in. They seem the most mature and both are shown to be good with kids. 

Then again Rapunzel has been shown twice now to not give a damn about abandoning orphans, so even the ‘dump them at an orphanage’ or ‘leave them alone in the woods to fend for themselves’ isn’t entirely off the table either. I wish I was joking, but I’m not. Sadly, only Eugene’s love for Lance might be the one thing to stop her from doing just so, and even that’s iffy. 

As for the missing door from earlier, if that was all that was stopping them from leaving then the time top shenanigans were fully unnecessary altogether. 

I Actually Like Eugene and Rapunzel’s Conflict Here; I Just Wish It Was In a Better Episode. 

Each of their viewpoints stem from their upbringing. 

Rapunzel is unique in that she was simultaneously emotionally abused and neglected while being physically spoiled. Especially once she found out that she was princess, where she was then handed nearly anything and everything she wanted. She doesn’t recognize that getting your every possible whim come true can be damaging. Nor does she have any comprehension of what living in poverty is like and how this many toys is wasteful to someone like Eugene who had so very little and stole to survive. 

She does however associate limits, boundaries, and orders with abusive behavior because she’s been denied autonomy and respect her whole life. She’s never seen what healthy parenting looks like and how rules can be applied correctly.     

To Rapunzel no orders is ‘freeing’ and ‘validation’ is all that is needed to get a child to listen to you. Which doesn’t work for her because she doesn’t understand that real communication is more than just giving a compliment now and then. 

Meanwhile Eugene lacked any sort of anchor at all. He was left to his own devices at a young age and had no one to rely on for emotional needs and, after leaving the orphanage, no one to provide physical needs either. 

It’s telling that he and Lance latched onto Quaid as the only authority figure in their life, despite Quaid never out right adopting them. He was the only sense of stability that they had who they could trust wouldn’t hurt them, despite being strict with them. 

And now that Eugene has gotten older and is reformed, he can probably understand why Quaid was so harsh on him and Lance. Quaid probably did more to try and help them turn from a life crime than even Rapunzel did. Like meeting Rapunzel was the inciting incident that inspired Eugene to make that leap, but the groundwork was already laid out for him to do so elsewhere. Things like his good communication skills, respect and empathy of others, and understanding of boundaries had to be learned from somewhere, and if not from the Sheriff of Vardaros than who? 

What I’m getting at is that, while Rapunzel rejects her parents methods but then fails to break her learned habits from them anyways, Eugene is the reverse. He’s come to embrace his mentor’s teachings, but he fails to implement them correctly because he’s not Quaid. Being authoritative isn’t his strong suit. It goes against his usual nature as the easy going person that he is and so any attempts to come across as forceful fail as they’re hollow. 

Kids know authenticity and genuineness when they see it. The children reject Rapunzel because she’s not being real with them, yet they also reject Eugene cause he’s not being honest with himself. 

It’s a complex and mature conflict. Neither person is fully right nor wrong, and only by learning from each other and adopting both methods can they achieve their goal. 

TTS can be deep when it wants to be. There’s a good foundation here for mature themes and complex characterization. It’s just the series doesn’t ever commit to it. 

Whatever personal drama going on here about two young adults trying to cope with their past traumas and how that affects their current life and future goals is completely lost in the magical goofy antics and low stakes situation. Even the stuff about Eugene and his relationship with Quaid is reduced to nothing but a one off joke rather than being genuinely explored as a point of development.  

Imagine how much more powerful things would have been if Angry and Red were brought along on the trip. If this argument was over them and whether or not they should adopt the two girls themselves or consider other options. That would be something with real weight. Something with a choice that had actual consequences attached to it. Something that would permanently affect all involved parties. Something that wouldn’t make the two leads look like outright dicks for abandoning two children for a second damn time in a row.    

You Have 70 Feet of Magical, Indestructible Hair! Why Are You Afraid of a Bunch of Dogs!?

You’ve fought off giant monsters, killer robots, and supernatural beings with magical powers. What do you mean you can’t hold off a pack of guard dogs while busting down a stuck door? Why is Eugene the shield for everyone and not the actual unbreakable hair that you use as a shield all the damn time? And Why did we have to rely on Shorty again to be the deus ex machina of the episode? 

At this point the writers should have just made him Demantius instead of the monkey.   

What Happened To This New Dream? Where Did It Go In Season Three?

Most fans who do enjoy season two happen to be big New Dream fans as this is by far and away the best season for them. I’ll admit that the series, up to this point, had me actively liking them together, despite being originally lukewarm to the pairing in the movie. 

Their conflicts were for the the most part mature and real. They learned from one another equally and had open communication when it didn't involve ‘marriage is a trap’ BS. Things, like compromising on differentiating future goals, honesty and communication, and making time for one another and extending effort into a relationship while being true to yourself are all relatable issues. 

Even today's episode featured the topic of having kids and parenting. Which is a discussion you absolutely need to have with your prospective spouse before entering into any long term commitments and signing any legal contracts. For real, I’ve seen marriages fall apart because they didn’t agree on whether or not they wanted children. 

I don’t know what went down between writing season two and season three, but things quickly took a sharp turn away from this dynamic and nosedived into a pit of uncomfortable bullying and gross sexist implications here after. 

Matthews Plan Goes Against Zhan Tiri’s Plan 

Yeah so Matthews is one of Zhan Tiri’s disciples, but he apparently doesn’t know of her goals/plans, cause she needs Rapunzel and company to reach the moonstone, not stay stuck here. 

The meta reason for this that the Zhan Tiri’s story was altered at the last minute and the writers failed to make sure there was any sort of consistency between what they already set up and where they actually wound to actually taking the plot.  

The in universe reason is that Zhan Tiri is an impotent moron, but that’s not what the writers were going for so it’s a fail. 

Conclusion  

I like the New Dream stuff, and Matthews is at least entertaining despite being incompetent. Everything else about the episode is ‘meh’ tho. 

[mrswhozeewhatsis]

In the hours since I made THIS POST HERE, I have received two anon asks that I will address here. I’ve taken this time to nap, watch Jessica Jones (I really need more self-control or I would have been back here three episodes ago), eat, play with my cats, and -since you brought up the Pond- notify the other Pond admins that the Pond was brought into this. Here are the asks:

First, I have no idea if the second anon is the same as the first. If y’all are not the same person, then I’m sorry if I imply that you are, and vice versa.

Now, to address what was said. (Under the cut.)

The first anon must not have read my entire post. That’s okay. It was long. I babbled a bit. I do that. At no point did I heft a pitchfork or demand the lynching of all things SPN. In fact, I’m pretty sure I said I wasn’t really hefting much of anything, just doing the very, very least I could do to support my friends. I suggested that sending a message to the CW that they done fucked up was not a bad thing. 

(Side note: Yes, I now know that Misha has come out and told us that there was a rogue translator. This means that the CW did not fuck up the way I thought. I made my determination after reading several posts from folks who claimed to be in the know about such things, and based my feelings on those. Now that someone official has made a statement, I will abide by that statement.)

Nor did I say that I hate all things SPN. I talk about issues with the last two episodes, and my very low expectations for a network to allow a certain storyline, and suddenly y’all think I want to burn it to the ground? Is there no middle ground? Did you miss the part where I said they had good bones, it was just the details I thought failed? Maybe I just haven’t expressed my love for this show enough, lately. I’ve been critical, recently. More critical than usual, I’ll grant. I wrote an entire novel about an earlier s15 episode, too. But I still love this show. Loving the show does not mean I don’t see it’s imperfections, though.

“...your response is so gross against everyone who might see Dean as straight as Jensen does.”

Honestly, this statement right here kept me from my nap. This was before Misha came out and said that there was never any reciprocation on Dean’s part. This means, I’ve had to think this through twice, now.

BM (Before Misha): The whole reason why Dean responding in kind to Cas is important, is because it establishes Dean as queer. If this is true, then it’s canon that Dean has, at the very least, romantic feelings for one male-shaped being. I can’t help but be blown away by the hypocrisy of those who have screamed for years, “BUT HE’S CANONICALLY STRAIGHT,” and yet now deny canon because it says he’s queer.

AM (After Misha): Okay, so Dean is now back to being canonically straight. This means, there was no bait and switch. Everything that ticked me off has now not actually happened. Okie dokie. But apparently, I’m gross for saying he was queer when I thought canon stated he was queer? Would this person be as angry if I stated that Jo Harvelle had feelings for Dean? Because that, too, was canon. Maybe someone thinks that me thinking it meant they had to think it, too?

I have NEVER tried to force ANYONE to think ANYTHING about ANYONE’S sexuality. No matter how I may feel, those feelings are my headcanons, and I would NEVER force them on someone else. Ship and let ship. Love and let love. I don’t think I have, but I may have reblogged a post or two about Dean being queer in the past. If I did, I in NO WAY expect the people around me to believe the same things that I do. The idea that you think I’m forcing ANYTHING like that makes me physically sick.

*breathes deeply and pets a kitten* 

 Even in the case where, before Misha’s video, Dean was believed to be canonically queer, the most I would ever say is that he was canonically queer, but think what you like. Now, he’s canonically straight again, so those who want to think he’s queer can go off and keep thinking it, as far as I’m concerned. Personally, I will go back to sitting on the fence, enjoying thinking of Dean as simultaneously all sexualities, because then I can enjoy all the different stories about him on this hellsite and AO3.

As for stepping down from the Pond because I “hate all things SPN,” I will not because I do not. Like I said above, I have some issues with episodes, but I also love other episodes. I love the fandom, even though sometimes it gets a little toxic. I love the cast, the crew, most of the writers, the fan art, the fan fics, and most of all, the fan fic writers. I love reading everyone’s headcanons and stories. I love hearing other people’s interpretations of canon. This is the first show I’ve ever just crawled into and studied like this, and then wanted to go out and talk to other people about. This show has brought me so many friends that I would now do anything for. I’ve learned SO MUCH about how the world works for people who aren’t like me, and it’s all because we all love this show. It hurts that you think that, just because I might disagree with you or the network about something, that I hate you or the show. That WOULD be cancel culture. I don’t work that way.

To the second Anon, I saw Misha’s video and tweets, and they break my heart. I imagine him spending this whole week watching us be upset about something he loves, wanting to make it better for us, but not understanding why we’re upset. And then, today happens, and he has to respond, but he’s feeling so many different things. He’s proud of what he did with Cas. (I feel he should be.) He’s proud of being a part of 15 years of awesome television. It’s his baby. I mean, he shares it with hundreds of other cast and crew, but it’s a thing he made. And now, people who have always loved it, are protesting against it? The thing is, I don’t think anyone is mad at Misha or Cas. People are mad at the network, and possibly the writers, for taking us on a hike up a mountain and leaving us there with a broken camera. Yes, we got to see the view, but there was no little shop where we could buy a souvenir or a snack, no way immortalize the view like we wanted, and now we have to walk home alone without provisions. It was a nice hike, but we didn’t get the payoff we expected.

Seriously, I would love to sit down with Misha and have a long talk about how I loved 18 and everything he did in it, and then the (totally non-ship-related) reasons why 19 and 20 bug me. And then I’d like to hug it out with him. He’s a good hugger, I bet.

Finally, one last point, that has been unmentioned, but I can’t help but wonder if it is fueling some of this. Cas telling Dean that he loves him in a big, gay, romantic way is my definition of the good ship Destiel having sailed. Dean doesn’t have to love Cas back in a big, gay, romantic way for the ship to exist in canon. Becky and Sam is another canon ship, and that shit was definitely not reciprocated. Reciprocation is not necessary for a ship to be considered canon. So, when I say that Destiel is canon, I am NOT saying that Dean is queer.

I think that addresses everything, right? Sorry this post is so long. I’m a wordy bitch.