#i've thought this before. like an actor saying they think a character is bi isn't the same as the character being canonically bi

[jakeperalta]

* e.g. in interviews/social media saying things like "I played this scene as x character being in love with y character" making it canon that x loves y, or "I view x as bisexual" even if they aren't bi within the show itself, or just general statements on backstory/details that aren't included within the show

[inawickedlittletown]

Oh boy. This is the last text post I write tonight. I swear. I just...I have a theory.

First off, Oliver Stark...what the hell is wrong with you? Those interviews...and the IG story he already deleted. eek.

And okay so people saying he wasn't happy with bucktommy and even with working with LFJ...maybe you were all right about that. But I think this is actually deeper.

I think something changed as late as this week.

We know that 8x06 was shot before 8x05 and every interview coming out after 8x04 about both 8x05 and 8x06 (yes the ones from Oliver) had some pro-bucktommy stuff in them. He was vague and he talked about how much he enjoyed those episodes. He said "if Buck and Tommy were ever on a break" and he talked about not knowing if Tommy was his forever partner or something...everything was there's hurdles and things for them to deal with and it just didn't imply break up or that things wouldn't be worked out...

So here's my theory now that I've had time to think about it.

I fully think the break up in 8x06 was written as temporary. I think we weren't going to see Tommy in 8x07 or 8x08 and we were going to be left wondering about Buck's decision on if he wanted Tommy back over the winter hiatus. And Oliver sort of says that too...that Buck will struggle with blocking his number or reaching out type of thing...so maybe we'll see that.

I think the decision was made...and maybe it came from the network...maybe it was the writers and Tim who knows but I think sometime between last episode and this one they decided to shift paths and not go forward with the bucktommy storyline...the romcom. This could even be as a result of the election. It's possible.

LFJ in his interviews comes off like he didn't expect it to end here. But if those interviews were already set before the decision came down then he had to do them and firmly close the door and explain his exit. It's what he was probably told to do. Doesn't change how odd it is for a non-main actor to do an exit interview. Has anyone else ever done one for a side-character?

As for Oliver...I find it very interesting how he went down the line of Buck is free to sleep around. Like it's such an interesting talking point. In no way am I condoning what he said or defending it, but it is a big switch from how he's talked about Buck being bi before...it feels a little like since bucktommy isn't happening Oliver is jumping at the only non-buddie thing for Buck to do. And as a straight white guy why wouldn't he say something like that without a second thought.

So yeah...I think they pulled the plug on bucktommy for one reason or another and that's why the interviews are like that. But narratively...they'll do some hand waving and make Buck decide he actually didn't love Tommy instead of following the threads they've left there.

[shakespearean-snape]

Hi there! so glad to see you posting again I like a lot of what you have to say about Snape. I noticed you say a few times tho that your visual headcanon for Snape isn't conventionally attractive and I just wondered if you had any reference of what he looks like in your mind? An actor or other famous person? just someone like that?

I'm just curious how you imagine Snape because I admit I just see Alan Rickman as Snape in my head since I started with the movies as a kid and didn't read the books a few until years later. It always interests me so much when people say they read the books before the movies or read the books with the movies coming out and saw Snape as someone else.

Its ok if you can't think of anyone just thought I'd ask. thx!

Hello!

*waves enthusiastically like an idiot with zero chill*

I get so giddy when someone sends me an ask like this so I hope no one thinks I don't enjoy questions about Snape or my headcanons. As anyone who knows me knows, I think a lot and especially about those things I love so I always have lots of thoughts rolling around in my head I can be positively overeager to share with anyone interested.

So to answer your question, I don't have a specific person pinned down that is 100% like how I picture Snape in my mind but some close candidates would be a young Adrien Brody (which I think is common enough among Snape fans as a choice, right there with Adam Driver these days), obviously the man that JKR based Snape around, John Nettleship, someone like Adarsh Jaikarran as a potential Hogwarts-era and early 20s Snape (even if he is more good-looking than I usually lean, in some pictures he just channels Snape vibes for me quite a bit) and a very young Julian Richings if you've ever seen photos of him in his younger years (I have two here for you so you can see my point a bit, here and here).

Ironically, Julian Richings in the later years of his acting career would probably have been my first choice for a Voldemort fan cast back in the day when any Harry Potter reboot was purely in the realm of the hypothetical (I mean, c'mon, look at this and tell me you can't see it too) but as JKR is an unapologetic anti-feminist/TERF I provide no monetary support to any of her projects including any licensed games, the watching of future reboots or purchasing of future tie-in books in the HP universe, officially licensed HP merchandise, or even by giving traffic to what was formerly Pottermore, etc.

All I bring to the fandom now is my fan theories and love for Snape, which she not only does not benefit from but never seemed entirely at peace with given how the character got away from her and took off. I can't think of a better way to spite someone so utterly spiteful herself than to take the character she was most shocked by people loving in any capacity and celebrate him in every incarnation (gay, bi, trans, ace, autistic, poc, etc.) with my queer, gender-nonconforming little heart while she gets zero money off me for it.

Anyway I hope the visual guide gives you a little more insight into my mind. I've never seen Snape as "ugly" (even when I joke my Snape is "ugly" and I like him that way) but my mental picture of him is of a man whose looks might fall into that unconventionally attractive sphere or what some people call homely. Occasionally I veer off that a bit, as with Adarsh Jaikarran, oh, oh! And also Lee Soo Hyuk, Song Jae-Rim and Kento Yamazaki (ever since I saw him in the live-action Bloody Monday manga series adaptation)!

But yes, my favorite Snape and the Snape I love isn't usually model attractive but also not quite the gargoyle Harry describes (that kid had some ridiculously high standards of beauty tbh, about the only characters he didn't have mentally critical notes on their appearance was the unnamed Veela, Fleur, and Narcissa Malfoy so yeah he totally thought "Draco's mom has got it going on..." Lol!) but somewhere in that "unconventional" categorization of attractive which I feel really suits a man who so often defies easy categorization in general.

(Excuse all the edits. After I gave a few examples more started hitting me and I was like ohhhhh I should have shared them, why didn't I think to share them? So I may come back and make more edits throughout the day, no promises I won't! Lol)

[buddiesmutslut]

I saw a post the other day about someone being pissed that people were calling Eddie gay instead of bi only because they couldn't handle more than one bisexual person on a show. Now, I didn't make Eddie gay/demi, he was born that way, BUT it got me thinking, because the whole crew feels very fruity? SO, I want to get your guys' opinions on what you think the rest of the characters are. (JUST the characters. We're not speculating on the actors. We all know this.) I'm going to put mine below & I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts :) These are by vibes only. As a definite demisexual and probable bi woman, idk how great my gaydar is, but sexuality is a spectrum & straight isn't the default, so let's go!!

Bobby - 0% fruity. That is a straight, middle aged white man (affectionate) if I've ever seen one.

Athena - Also straight.

Chim - Chim feels very straight to me, but that scene with the bachelor had me peering at him a little closer, because I've never watched the Bachelor, but it looked like Joey (I think that was the bachelor's name, right? I've never watched a single episode of that show so I have no idea) had been around before, so I couldn't tell if he was like, starstruck, or "Wow that's a pretty boy and it's making me feel things" -struck 😂

Maddie - I don't get many vibes from her either, but I also have a vague fic idea of Madney breaking up in s4/s5 and her ending up with Shannon instead, so idk, maybe she's just unlabeled but somewhere on the spectrum of queerness?

Shannon - Bi vibes

Taylor Kelly - 100% bi, I refuse to hear any other argument.

Lucy Donato - This is a pansexual woman if I've ever seen one, you cannot convince me otherwise. (Also, the most interesting AND likable of Buck's female LI's, argue with the wall. Lucy, they'll never make me hate you bby 🩷💛💙.)

Lena Bokso - Lesbian vibes, for sure. I don't think there was ANY romantic undertones with her and Eddie (Which, I'm not saying that's the only reason I think she's a lesbian. She can like men and not like Eddie. Even if she did, Eddie wasn't in a place to do anything with those feelings, but I saw a post about that pairing recently & wanted to throw my 2 cents in)

May Grant - May also gives off queer vibes, and I've seen other view her as full wlw, but I think she gives off more bi/pan vibes?

Ravi - This man is soommmeee kind of queer that I just cannot put my finger on. I've seen him HC'd as gay, pan, & ace in some way, and I can honestly rock w/ any of the 3 of them. All I know is that he is not a straight man lol.

Albert - Also unsure about him, but if someone were to tell me that he was bi, I could definitely see it. I think that's influenced by the fic that had him, Ravi & May in a throuple, which was genuinely so cute.

Ana - Dr. Flores doesn't give off queer vibes for me, but that could be bc she was criminally underdeveloped & we know practically nothing about her.

Natalia - See above ^^

Ali Martin - Same ^^ although I could see her just being queer and not being more specific than that. Maybe she's straight, who knows. I literally forgot about her until I was looking up actor/actress names 😂

M*risol - straight & homophobic lmfao

Abby - Literally could not care less about her, but I wanted to include her so I could talk about her possibly being Tommy Kinard's ex-girlfriend and her coming back to LA for whatever reason and finding her ex-boyfriends happy & having totally forgotten about her predatory ass.

Also, obviously not speculating about any of the children, bc they're still children, even if they're fictional. It's icky.

I think that's all the main/reoccurring characters that we don't already know about, let me know if I missed any.

Talk about being the gay firefighter show, how accurate lmfao.

[thelastbraincellofthehive]

Ok so, I was gonna do my thoughts on the new episode Yesterday, but I'm running on little sleep and just .. procesing lol but I I'll share some stuff now~

I gotta start by personality thanking Weiss for keeping me just barely out of the total depression zone after this episode lol I don't know where I would be if she wasn't around being silly and annoyed at everything lol she really made things better for all of us

That said she also really needs to talk about her problems. They all need it. But damn, I almost forgot that yes, this child lost her whole kingdom and doesn't even know if her family made it ok to Vaccuo. God Remnant is a mess!

I also have to thank Little for being adorable and making my life better lol seriously that 'I always wanted to Be Long, but I'm still just small' lives rent free in my head and I love it lol one of my highlights of the episode.

Bees!!! There were some of the best bees we've ever had!!! And we've had soany great moments before! But seriously, you can taste the happiness on Blake's tone!!! You can see the love in her eyes! And you can also feel the excitement and happiness from both Barb and Arryn and all of crwby on that whole scene! They've worked so hard for this! And it's finally happening!

Also loving the bi and lesbian colored flowers on that scene <3 I love how much crwby does to point to Blake as bi specially, ni characters ar often ignored/missclassified for the relationship they get into and I hate that. Blake's our Bi-Icon and she always will be

I didn't knew I needed Blake doing puns in my life lol but God it was glorious! Also it reminded me of that time Arryn said that she had troible voicing chibiBlake because 'Blake is so...not funny!' that she didnt know how to deliver the lines lol glad to see Blake's character growth, she deserves nothing less, and Arryn is killing it with the voice acting!

Speaking of voice Acting: Lindsay!!! OMG I've always been a huge fan of them as Ruby's voice actor, but theyre really stepping up their game this season! Hearing Ruby's voice being so devoided of emotion Is so painful to hear and Lindsay just sells it! 💔

Ruby has lost so, so much, and she hasn't even had time to mourn or just process... I feel like the moment when she saw the sword and broke was the moment she finally really understood that Penny was gone again... Like, I feel a part of her was still denying it, she wouldn't adress it directly or even accept to talk about It... But I mean, she isn't really talking about anything...

So maybe I'm just proyecting I guess

So it's official that emotions have an effect on Ever After's weather. The guards said that someone was purposefully ruining the king's birthday by making it rain. Yikes, this Is gonna get hard to watch... *Hugs Ruby*

I saw someone talk about The scene where Alice creates a flood with her tears and... Yeah, I can see that happening once Ruby finally reaches her límit. I'm so not ready

I had been sad for most of this episode, but Ruby's eulogy? I have not recovered. I don't think I ever will 😭😭😭😭😭 Penny deserved so much better.

Also as much as I would love to have Penny back again and for good... I think this chapter really made me feel like it's over with her, I'm not ok with it, but 'ces't la vie, right?

The girls asking Ruby is she's really ok with giving up the sword 😭😭 they all knew how important and special Penny was for Ruby and viceversa.

Ruby is definitely keeping that Sword tho, it's not even a question not just because of the tráiler (that I didn't watch but I've seen mentioned lol). According to Blake Alyx knew the object she was looking for because her heart told her and don't get me started on how much this says about Penny and Ruby's relationship 😭 you don't feel a pull on your heart for just about anyone! So that means Penny's Sword is the equivalent of Alyx's knife.

Also, I feel like Ruby will take the sword with her when they leave. Maybe as a second weapon, maybe she'll combine Crescent Rose with it like Jaune did with Pyrrha's armor

And Blake with the gold bit on Gambol Shroud but... Don't get me started on that I was honestly so disapointed on that after seeing the many cool designs the fandom had made lol

Anyways, I think it's important that Ruby felt the pull to the sword but Yang didn't really feel it towards her arm that is literally a part of herself.

The prices are so fascinating too and I think they're important on this point, but I linda want to make a separate post to talk about that because I have a lot to say lol. But the point is, the sword is Alyx's knife, that's gonna be important.

To end on a happy note: I'm never getting over Weiss hitting herself with the rock lol amazing, spectacular, perfect in every way.

And so, I think it's my time to go! I can't believe we're just two episodes in and things are already this good! And terrible! :D next saturday cannot come soom enough!

Next chapter: Ruby chanels her inner Beth Harmon, Lets wish her luck!

[ingravinoveritas]

So I have question and I thought maybe you would have insights. I'm not British or American, so maybe things work differently than I understand. Michael's new drama on BBC Best Interests had started this week. I was surprised there was no interview with Michael about it from what I've seen. Usually when a TV show go on air there are at least some articles or talk shows with the main actors, so why he is so silent? He also didn't post anything about it or good omens s2, which also made me a bit worried. I know he's directing a series now but I expected he would at least post something about them. I don't want to be pessimistic but I'm preparing myself for a letdown with GO s2 promoting. Neil already said something about the fact that second seasons don't get the same level of events if I remember correctly, and he wouldn't be able to promote it due to the strike, and I was really excited about all the new Michael and David content we will get but what if there will be nothing almost? Is it a possibility? If best interests isn't being promoted by him maybe GO will not be promoted too? That will break my heart a little.

(Also I saw one episode of BI and I thought it was interesting, moving and Michael and the actor who played his wife were incredible. It is such a different character for him, his range is truelly incredible).

Hello, Anon! Again, apologies for being a bit delayed in answering this, but I appreciate you writing in to me.

So yes, Michael's show Best Interests did air a few weeks ago (I've seen almost all of the episodes and am hoping to write a review of it as I make my way through all my Anons). I can tell you that he actually did do some interviews for it--this one here in the Guardian, and this one in the Telegraph, and there might have been others that I've missed, though @invisibleicewands would probably know for sure.

I think there are a couple of things that happened with these interviews, which is that any promotion to BI unfortunately got overshadowed by the clickbait headline on the Telegraph article that ultimately led to a few clashes on Twitter between Michael and Laurence Fox (Billie Piper's ex, of all people?) about Michael's comments related to non-Welsh actors playing Welsh roles. So that, along with Michael continuously working on The Way (the series he was directing) nonstop is what I think kept him off of social media up until now.

(I will say, though, that it is curiously worth noting that Michael didn't do any kind of promotion for Staged 3, and all of that seemed to fall to Georgia and AL to repeatedly post about on their socials instead...)

As for GO 2, yes, it is true that the Writers' strike and possible impending SAG strike have thrown multiple wrenches into the proceedings (for instance, the GO 2 panel that was to have taken place at SDCC has been cancelled, as has the signing that was scheduled there). But there have already been snippets from an interview with Michael and David in SFX magazine floating around (along with another article in Radio Times that has invoked the ire of much of the fandom). Also, with any luck, you've been on Twitter today, because our Michael seems to have returned to form with a vengeance. His header photo is now one of the GO 2 photos of Aziraphale and Crowley:

And he's been tweeting up a gloriously chaotic storm this evening, after months and months of silence (and probably being locked up in Neil's basement):

My guess is that whatever kept Michael from talking before now--probably an NDA, per the contract he signed for the second season--has expired, and now he's coming out swinging. I've previously talked about the kinds of things Michael tweeted when the first season came out, but if you weren't here for that, it was basically a level of feral that he seemed to strive to surpass with every successive tweet. Given how much has happened since then, I think we are in for fandom-breaking tweets the likes of which probably go far beyond what any of us have imagined.

And--perhaps best of all--we do have one confirmed talk show appearance with Michael and David, on the One Show on BBC 2 tomorrow! (I've gotten an intriguing Anon about that as well, which I will be answering shortly.) So take heart, Anon, for all is undoubtedly not lost. It's likely that these interviews were planned well in advance, which means there could also be more interviews still to come. This press tour may not have the breadth and scope of the first season, but if Michael and David together, it's more than guaranteed to be something special.

I hope this has lifted your spirits some, Anon. Thank you for writing in! xx

[gascon-en-exil]

So, based on your latest video, I'm assuming Derek's your favorite of the love interests for Jock Studio? I have to say amazing taste!

I actually picked him there because his CG hit the largest number of points I wanted to make while also being technically SFW. I do like Derek; he's got that soft Dom vibe and the writing could potentially do some interesting things with his past as a porn star and how that plays into his experiences during the games. However, I don't know for sure if I have a favorite just based on the first demo?

My biggest issue with Derek right now is that it's very obvious that he and Zayne share a voice actor. So do Leo and Bryce - but at least it's less noticeable with them. I really have to wonder why such a high-profile, big-budget game would choose to hire only four voice actors for the six love interests, especially when they have additional VAs doing side character work. Maybe that's something that'll get refined down the line, but...Derek/Zayne is one of the jock pairings we're supposed to be getting as a stretch goal, and as of now I don't know how seriously I'll be able to take any scenes with the two of them when it's going to sound so clearly like one guy talking to himself.

I think I'm most excited to see what they do with Bryce, who's got the whole frat bro gay4pay internalized homophobia thing going on. That has the potential to go to some seriously dark places that BLits's earlier games have never touched upon because they exist in a world where all men are just gay/bi as a point of fact.

EDIT: was going to show off Bryce's CG here to indicate that it definitely isn't YouTube-safe, but Tumblr did some weird censoring on this post just for having it, so...if you know you know.

I thought about doing Avan too, because I've compared his CG before to the notoriously censored Tharja Summer Scramble CG...but I was also worried that one was a little too racy.

I don't think I dislike any of the jocks so far. Leo and Yuuto are the least interesting to me because of their body types, energy, and/or the suggestion of what kinky stuff they each might get tied into, but they're still fine. It'll be interesting to see what we hear about the second demo this Saturday, since it's supposed to be showing off the various new gameplay features. A release date would be great too, since all we know so far is that it'll be out before the end of the year.

[aggravatedanarchy]

It's come to my attention that ONE OF my poor girls here hasn't received any votes yet so. Propaganda! (Couldn't do it in the tags; tags Full.)

KIM PINE:

First off. Just look at her.

(I love her.)

Kim may seem like just some background or side character if you're not paying attention, I guess, but especially as you get further into the series, she's pretty important! No spoilers in case someone reading this hasn't read the comics, but I'd say there's definitely a reason Bryan's been noted to have called her the heart of the series.

I don't think she gets the appreciation she deserves in any adaptation really, although SPTO gave us more than I could have thought to ask for, honestly- but genuinely, for the place she holds in the source material? Under. Appreciated. I'm guilty of indulging in it, so no shade really, but a lot of the appreciation she DOES get... isn't really for the right reasons, imo. Like, yeah, Kim's hot. We have eyes. I Understand. But there's a lot more to her character- choke back the horniness and bare witness, please? I'm begging you? We can still be degenerates just- I need to know you Understand Her-

CHLOE PRICE:

Does she even need propaganda? How are you on this website if you don't know who she is?

First off-

Do You Understand?

Seriously, she's just. Vibes. I love her a lot. She goes through so much shit, continually, so yeah she's got a bit of an attitude- so what? At her core Chloe is a good and caring person, you just have to deserve that care to receive it. She's not afraid to stand up for herself, and to do what she feels is necessary.

Plus- canonically bi! Pretty certain! If not confirmed then if you have eyes and are literate, you will Know.

VERONICA SAWYER:

I do specify that I mean both versions, so- left side musical, right side movie (PLEASE go listen to even a single like 10 second clip of the actress who plays her in the musical production. Her voice is INSANE. If you're into musicals, you may recognize her from the STAGE production of Mean Girls, where she played Janis!)

One- Winona Ryder. Like this character got the Actor Boost for me, something that not many characters receive.

Two- Girl is just. Unhinged. Unwell. But trying so hard to be the opposite! If you haven't watched or listened to either version, please do go give it a shot. I don't know if it still is, but the movie was free with ads on yt not so long ago-

But, seriously. Once again this is a girl who goes fucking Through It. A Very Different kind of Through It, but Oh Boy does she go through it.

Plus, she has so many iconic lines. Here's a small taste (from memory, don't @ me)- "LICK IT UP, BABY! Lick. It. Up." "Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullshit now has a body count." "I've got to go home- my mom's making my favorite. Spaghetti! With... lots of oregano..."

HEATHER MASON:

Heather Mason is a 17 year old girl stuck in a horror game (and one movie! But we're not talking about that right now- also I don't mean literally stuck in a game. If you're. Unfamiliar with Silent Hill and following me...) and she acts very much how you would expect a 17 year old to reacts to The Horrors, all things considered.

Like our last two- She Fucking Goes Through It. Like, more than those two combined, tbh, not that they should be comparing their specific traumas...

I love Heather. She's, imo, the BEST Silent Hill protagonist (sorry Murphy) and has some of the best bits of dialogue or text when interacting with items. The line in the image I used here is her shortly after refusing to stick her hand in a very nasty toliet- something the protagonist before her DID do.

If you're unfamiliar with Silent Hill generally, and don't want spoilers, then skip over this next bit, because there's a line that's said to her that lingers on MANY people's minds, especially given her reaction- "They look like monsters to you?"

JEANETTE VOERMAN:

WHERE are my VTMB people? VOTE FOR HER.

Jeanette is one of the characters you get to meet and interact with very early on in the game (tragically early, almost; I wish there was more to her after you wrap up her and her sister's quests.) She and her sister run The Asylum, which is this little night club in Santa Monica- her and her sister are at odds, and navigating their rocky relationship is crucial to getting OUT of Santa Monica and into Downtown, where you meet up with some more key players for the rest of your game.

I love her sister too, just so we're clear, but Jeanette is my favorite, sorry. She's just nicer to you- admittedly because she wants things from you, but hey! In their world? I'll take it. That's leagues better than how some of these vamps treat you. (Plus, depending on your playthrough, you can match eachother's freak...)

make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone's favorite

tagged by @voltfruits

And I tag No One. Use me as your excuse,,, I'll do your poll, promise. I Fucking Love Polls-

[nightfoxproductions726]

Can We Stop Forcing People to Come Out When They Aren't Ready?

I know this isn't my usual content, but this popped up on my feed this morning on Twitter and it has left me thinking about some personal experiences. Especially, now when I came out bi and nonbinary to my boyfriend and our friends. 

But first thing first - stop forcing people who aren't straight to come out when they aren't ready. Also, to fans, you have no right to this information. This applies to YouTubers who don't want to show themselves (which is an entirely different subject, but applies here. Those who don't want to show themselves don't owe you anything either.)

I didn't come out until I was ready. No. This is wrong. It's more like I didn't identify with my sexualities (excluding Bi. I didn't know what Nonbinary, Demiromantic, Demisexual, or Panromantic were until I revamped my Twitter account and started following LGBTQIA accounts. Along with doing book research for several characters who don't identify as straight) or didn't come out until I felt safe (I was around family who literally hated me the day I was born because I wasn't born with dick. Sorry. I'm not mincing words today.) 

Excluding the Demiromantic, Demisexual, and Panromantic, I'm now met with 'why didn't you say anything sooner?' Because I couldn't. 'I always thought of you as a woman' Just because you saw me in feminine clothes, doesn't make me a woman or I identify as such (kind of hard to do when your flip flopping parents wanted you to behave like a boy and wanted you to be a girl they saw fit.) 'Are you going to become trans down the line?' No. And that's a childhood trauma story and a half on it's own. 'I've never seen you with another woman before. So, I'm unsure if you're Bi.' Grr... 

Ok. Here's the thing - a person can still be nonbinary regardless of how they dress or the pronouns they use. Also, to dispel a myth - a person can be nonbinary and not identify as trans and trans doesn't mean they identify as nonbinary*. *Some trans do identify as nonbinary too and they are just as valid as anyone else. 

When it comes to being Bi, a person is still Bi regardless if they've been with the same sex or not. People are/should still be able to feel however they feel and shouldn't be judged for it.

Just let people live and stop forcing them to come out when they aren't ready. Especially actors, actresses, and everyone else in between. No one owes you this information.  

[matchstickdolly]

Lucifer 5B: Cutting off Touch to Spite Your Fans

Spoiler warning: This post assumes you've watched all of Lucifer, season 5, part B.

CW: There's plenty I like about season 5, but this is a negative post. I know not everyone is up for negativity about the things they love. I also generally avoid it and (try to) keep my mouth shut about things I don’t like in most spaces. It’s good etiquette. But this is my space, and I have thoughts specifically about purity culture and the treatment of sexuality and trauma in fiction. You’ve been warned!

---

I'm a professional writer (not in TV). I've worked with enough bad clients, editors, and other writers to recognize some hallmark behaviors in how both Fox and Netflix gave Lucifer's writers incredibly difficult, unfair, and frankly weird situations to create through.

Fox did them dirty, interfering and ordering too many eps in S3. Netflix did them dirty, ordering 10 eps for S4 when it clearly needed ~13. Then Netflix ordered 10 "final" eps for S5—then, just kidding(!), 6 more after they'd done their writing for the 10. (What the fuck?) And then Netflix ordered 10 more for a "final-final" S6 after the writers had done their best to tell their whole story in S5. (MORE what the fuck.)

Talk about whiplash for creators, and half of those who consume content don't even care to understand such creative pain.

So, there are problems on multiple fronts. There's much I'll forgive writers, accordingly. I go into most shows expecting plotting/pacing issues. I look, instead, for characters and relationships that will triumph over those issues.

Heart is what the show Lucifer has always had in spades, both in its characters and in the immensely committed, wonderful ways the actors have tried to realize the characters' humor, love, trauma, and—most importantly—struggle to find healing. Yet, when given the opportunity to show health alongside another in a relationship, the writers/directors of 5B chose to remove most sexual humor and physical intimacy from their female lead and bi/pan characters to, I feel, sanitize them and troll fans. What happened?

Well, for one, say hi to showrunner Joe Henderson bragging about how the writers decided to be colossal dicks to the fans who helped secure their jobs:

From CBR's 'Lucifer Showrunner Joe Henderson Dissects Season 5B's Chaos'

Have we not suffered sidelined/repressed female characters, "bury your gays," and, oh, Chloe fucking a serial killer enough? Must we also say hello to neutered relationships once characters find stable love (whether same or opposite sex)? The result of withdrawing more sexual humor and physical intimacy from paired characters is an uncomfortable suggestion that they're reformed by "pure" love—more chaste and aloof, more acceptable in polite society. This is only done to end-game committed relationships.*

The writers seem to think they're edging the viewers, but the reality is they're taking traumatized minority characters who rejoiced in sexual freedom, but lacked and craved an emotional connection, and showing they can't have both, or, if they find both, it will never last. They've taken hypersexual characters and said, here, even they can have the love and commitment they desire, but some physical intimacy, especially sexual intimacy, is what they must trade for it.

There's always one more case, phone call, or coincidence interrupting intimacy. Traumas or deaths deserving emotional and physical comfort go on to receive none or only one aspect. Done sometimes, it's fine. Done always, it's sick. Dan dies, and there's no hugging? Really?†

Don't craft characters who crave a full range of emotional and physical intimacy, only to rob them of related scenes every chance you get. That's not complexity. That's bad writing. To even achieve this in 5B, they must squash banter and sideline their female lead yet again.

What a gift to purity culture, which tells us to be more palatable by bottling and buttoning up. That sex should be taboo, but violence glorified. That there is no heated desire among "Good Women," that sexual minorities of all genders shouldn't experience it much at all.

5A is so good. At the very least, it's on the right path (clearly, since the plot payoff from 5x01 to 5x16 is great). It shows a couple working through difficulties and trauma, toward each other emotionally and physically. It even pokes fun at people who think an established relationship means the death of romantic and sexual appeal (a tired and hugely sexist trope). And then... And then 5B reverses that, pretending established relationships are barely physical during emotional struggle and that the honeymoon phase doesn't exist. It robs characters of joy and comfort through physical intimacy when they need it to move through or push beyond trauma.

It's telling that so many fan wishes for Deckerstar are about healing touch and existing in each other's spaces: amending Chloe's spicy PDA history with Cain, Chloe caring for Lucifer's wings, soft family scenes a la Monopoly night and shared meals, morning-afters, etc. Reasonable fans aren't asking for porn; they're asking for connection and humanity. They're asking for writers not to forget characters (and, yes, including hypersexual characters) on their way from Point A to Point B.

That 5B lacks these things isn't a "tee-hee frustrating" slow burn or a cockblock. It is, in so many scenes, excising from characters a core part of what nearly every human and fictional monster craves. And it's a slap in the face to the "found family" trope. When you remove or tamp down a casual physical intimacy that was previously there, characters and their relationships fall flat, even if only partially. They become blunt weapons creators wield against watchers or readers begging for scraps of warmth.

Minorities shouldn't be killed off with ease, and they shouldn't be stifled with ease, either.‡ And maybe there shouldn't be deep trauma driving a wedge in a romantic relationship if you're not going to explore it through that relationship, too—physical intimacy included.

I'm still reserving some judgment. I loved the family drama and the end. (Although, again, where was the physical intimacy? No intimacy when Chloe or Lucifer return from the dead? Really?) I see where they could do awesome things, and could have done more if not for network BS.

But I no longer trust Lucifer's writers and directors. They thought S5 was the end. And what they gave us of Deckerstar, of the relationship that symbolizes health and healing in their fictional world, is this: cold distance. And they got a kick out of doing it, apparently.

If this is a "love letter" to me as a fan, I'm burning it. I can only hope S6 course corrects. If not, the writers who made these choices shouldn't write sexual minority and/or traumatized characters again. If you don't understand most of us, you should stop fucking using us.

---

* If you don't believe me about the differences between casual/short-term relationships and end-game relationships in Lucifer, go back and look at how Lucifer and Maze are with strangers in all the other seasons. Look at Chloe's sex dream, her propositioning of Lucifer in a library, her sex with Pierce in the evidence closet. Look at how much physical intimacy there is between Lucifer and Eve, and then between Eve and Maze (if only as a ploy). Across seasons, there are sex/kink jokes and scenes galore.

Compare this to how these same characters are portrayed when with their end-game loves. Notice the gentle pecks on the lips and the huge general drop in sexual humor between 5A and 5B. How boring. Where's the spice these characters had? Also, give me a damn break. Buttoning up in a relationship is contrary to four and a half seasons of emotional character work that's been communicating security in our relationships is personally freeing.

† I'm not just talking about sexual intimacy in this post, though that is a big part of it because of the characters. 5B lacked crucial found family scenes, too.

Chloe should have been at God's family dinner, but being so would have prevented more ham-fisted angst. Chloe never even has a one-on-one with God, probably because that would demand a straight answer about her miracle status, which I would guess will be used to drive yet another wedge between her and Lucifer next season, but we'll see.

In multiple before- and after-work scenes, there was no reason for Lucifer and Chloe to be apart more, even, than they were in S1 and S2. Monopoly night was in S3, for crying out loud. Most horrifying of all? No one touches Chloe after Dan's death, but Trixie. Meanwhile, Linda, Amenadiel, Ella, Maze, and Lucifer all receive physical comfort. No wonder Chloe's tired of being strong.

‡ If you don't think it's offensive that they stuffed all their wlw content for two hypersexual characters into a few clunky, irrational, and chaste scenes that rushed I love yous, a marriage-like proposal, and the mention of soulmates, I don't know what to tell you other than get off my lawn.

[markantonys]

Domina was crazy good. Central female relationships, appropriate and equal (non-gross) nudity, and gay characters who, while still crazy/creepy, wasn't the only f'd up one (lookin at you Tiberius)

i enjoyed it a lot too! tho idk if i would go so far as to call it crazy good myself haha and i actually was really bugged by its female relationships. with the exception of the main livia-antigone relationship pretty much all the other female relationships were shallow and needlessly antagonistic with soooo much cattiness (i'm so exhausted by rival sisters-in-law livia vs. octavia why can't an adaptation just let them be friends for once? and the show's lack of empathy towards scribonia's suffering despite purporting itself to be a Feminist Show™ was astounding) there were hints of a nice relationship between livia and julia but they only had a couple brief scenes together. we barely saw the other girls but marcella is shaping up to be a needlessly catty bitch as well so that's a wonderful take we can look forward to if there are more seasons -__-

and i'm torn about marcellus. i'm not saying that all gay characters must be flawless and morally pure because that would be boring and unrealistic (especially in an ancient roman setting), i'm just asking that the one (1) gay character not also be by far the vilest, cruelest person on the entire show lmfao like yeah tiberius had some shit going on too (which, given that iirc they implied he has some kind of mental illness, opens a whole other can of worms) but he was afforded lots of empathy, very much an "aww poor baby tiberius gets bullied by the others uwu" whereas marcellus was a spoiled brat right from the get go with very few, if any, redeeming qualities. they did humanize him a little right before his death and the actor did a fantastic job with those moments of vulnerability, but it was too little too late. (and while we're on the subject, marcellus shouldn't have been the only gay character seeing as it was very common for roman men to sleep with men as well as women, the majority of the male characters in any ancient rome-set media should be bi (to use an anachronistic modern label) if you ask me (female sexual behavior isn't discussed much in our male-authored primary sources so it's harder to speak to that))

all this being said though, i really appreciate how much this show did with the family dynamics and marriage shuffling of the augustan household and how many of the kids they managed to include - just about all of them, which i never thought i'd get to see in an adaptation! and while the details were obviously sensationalized, the show was actually quite accurate in terms of the historical events included (i was particularly impressed that they bothered with the primus affair, and i remember while i was watching that trial scene i was thinking "wow this is playing out EXACTLY like how it was described in what i've read"). and of course MY BOY IULLUS ANTONIUS he's tied with his dad as my most beloved historical figure and for years i've dreamed of seeing him portrayed onscreen and never thought it would happen, but this show gave him to me and made him a himbo and included his relationship with julia and acknowledged his suffering with augustus destroying his whole family and his fragile position in the household, and i will never ever get over it

[lucifers-perfect-angel]

Dear lord the Mark P hate is starting again. Just cause it's possible he's coming back. (This little rant is not for the person who answer that ask)

For the record-

Actors are allowed to have political opinions and Mark is just as vocal about Misha with it. If you don't agree with them, then don't read them or don't follow him. I dont agree with some of the stuff but other things are really interesting.

The man loves to debate. There are some people I know of who have difference in opinions and look forward to debating with him on a post.

He posted one thing once that I didn't fully understand, and I commented what I thought it was saying and Mark politely corrected me and explained it better.

He's made some mistakes years ago. (Hello. He's human. Actor or not he makes mistakes just like everyone else) Which he has apologized for repeatedly. He comes from a generation where "retard" was okay (my mom comes from the same generation as him, though she's a few years older, and as she told me, the things that were okay back when she was my age, aren't okay anymore. And she realizes now that they could be considered wrong.) He openly apologized for using it and strived not to use it since. Which he even apologized to someone who commented on my tweet, personally apologizing to her despite it being years ago (cause she was a special ed teacher)

Oh and some people say he's homophobic.... Well he's played gay characters before, has supported LGBT fans that were getting married (there was a woman who tweeted him about her marrying her gf and he was super supportive of them) his step son is gay and he loves and supports him. Oh and I love that he was wearing the gay pride sticker at pittcon! (Misha was wearing the Bi pride one)

Mark Also isn't racist. He was explaining some thing across several tweets and one of them ended in a weird way and without seeing the tweet before it, you wouldn't know. People took it out of context in order to make people think he's a racist. He's really not.

Also people saying he's rude and shit? That man is the sweetest fucking person i've ever met. I thought he was more approachable than Misha. I got to talk to him and have a conversation with the man and he is really intelligent and kind. He was running on some serious jet lag but he still went on with the convention (pittcon 2018. He had been at purcon(?) The weekend before. So he went from paris(?) To LAX to PA) he's also a bit on the shy side.

It was also really adorable to see him all surprised that someone fan girled over him and not Misha. (*clears throat* innocent until proven guilty....... But he wanted me to tell Misha.... Dear Lord was I not going to...)

People have tried to get him removed from conventions just because they don't like him. I mean, if you don't like him, just don't go see his panels and don't get his ops??

Some people immediately don't like him because he played Lucifer. So they try to vilify him in any way possible in order to make their hate of the actor for the character more valid.

I'm really tired of this. People flip their shit over Misha and the others getting hate but will stand by and let another spn cast member get hate.

MP is a douche. He shouldn't be brought back on the show. I can only see a douche when he's on my screen.

Well…douche he may be – though I honestly don’t care enough to do the research and form a legitimate opinion on the guy – that doesn’t mean he can’t be employed to continue working on spn. When it comes to working in the entertainment business (or really any business for that matter) being a good person is not a prerequisite to be employed.

Just like we have our own opinions on things, so to do these actors we care about. They’re people just like us and sometimes our opinions compared to theirs don’t line up. But that doesn’t really bother me. I don’t idolize actors. I don’t put them on pedestals. I admire some of them sure, but I’m also cognizant of their humanity as well, they do have flaws. It doesn’t mean I’m going to turn my back on them. I admire Misha Collins but sometimes he does say things I don’t agree with. It doesn’t detract from my admiration nor does it sully me on how I view his acting. We’re all humans and we’re going to have disagreements. I would caution heavily against idolizing as that sets unrealistic standards on the person you’re idolizing and is setting you up to inevitably be disappointed.

We’ve been blessed with this show that so many kind people have found their way onto this show but that doesn’t mean that everyone who works on the show has to be a good person. They just need to do their job and that’s it.

The issue you’re having here based on what I’m getting from this ask is you’re having difficulty with separating the actor from the acting. But also, if that is the case, there’s nothing wrong with that. The difference between you and me is how we prioritize things. You’re clearly more interested in the people so you prioritize that above everything else and because of your personal issues with Mark P, Mark P coming back is a problem for you. Whereas, I’m more interested in the craft. The art of story-telling and acting is what I really care about when it comes to my enjoyment of Supernatural. So even if I had a negative opinion on Mark P (and my opinion on him is apathetic, really) I don’t really have an issue with him being on the show as long as the show tells a good story. Again, there’s nothing wrong with either of our opinions on the matter. They’re just reflections of us as people, how we look at situations. As humans, we prioritize things differently, that’s just how it is.