#post about a character's queer identity in a way. I suppose

[thistlerock]

Ragh's first guy kiss (I'm gonna assume it wasn't his first kiss in general but it'd be funny if it were) was the drummer of a famous rock band (and saved the world a few times but he moves in adventuring circles so maybe not as big of a deal) and I think that's cool. I think he should get to brag about it a little bit. I think he wouldn't. What a way to start the gay thing. What a fucking insane coming out story in general.

Yeah man my evil ex-vice principle turned out to be the emperor of the red waste Kalvaxus and he was gonna try world domination and kill a bunch of people and my ex best friend and also crush was involved in the whole conspiracy and I happened to confess that I was in love with him earlier that day and he punched me in the face and then said some more weird shit that's not important right now- no haha it's fine. He sucked I punched him in hell. Anyway this was at prom also. And then this adventuring party called the Bad Kids busted in to stop Kalvaxus and attacked my shitty ex friend and I was in my fucking feels so when they killed him I kind of freaked out and tried to fight them, and then their barbarian my friend Gorgug — yeah the one from Fig and the Cig Figs, we used to play Bloodrush together actually, but yeah he kissed me on the mouth. In front of the evil dragon yes. Yeah. Then I came out that was really encouraging to me it felt awesome. Then the dragon almost killed me I think he was homophobic. Yeah.

[selfship-confession-box]

to be quite honest. shipping with CANON (not headcanoned) exclusively gay/lesbian characters as someone of the gender they are explicitly not attracted to is a form of erasure and lowkey homophobic. 'just make them bi' is a bad take. bi people are amazing and valid but not everyone is bisexual??? 'theyre not real' is a bad take bc representation matters and i feel like that doesnt really need to be said. obviously the character isnt real and isnt offended but gay/lesbian selfshippers can see how much you dont gaf abt their identities. gay people exist in real life too!!! homophobia is still so acceptable in fandom spaces and its kinda wild.

Actually this one gets to skip the queue because we just had another anon push their luck about this. I WAS originally going to leave this in queue but now feels like a better time to nip this in the bud.

This is the LAST thing I'm saying about this topic because frankly it's the majority of what we've been getting recently and it's exhausting. All future asks about this topic WILL be deleted. AS STATED ABOVE. DO WHAT YOU WANT FOREVER. YOUR EXPERIENCE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE.

TAKING POTSHOTS AT EACH OTHER IS NOT A CONFESSION.

THAT'S CALLED BEING AN ASSHOLE.

k thanks bye

[dalishious]

Hi, hope you're doing well!

I had to unfollow you/block a lpt of tags for a while until I beat datv but I'm so happy to be back. You're one of the first da blogs I followed, and I see you've gotten a lot of argumentative people at the moment, but I just want to say I think that you're great, and I appreciate the candid way you answer people.

Just a quick question, you said Taash's rivaini route had a lot of bullshit? I've just beaten the game for the first time and that was the route I chose so I was wondering if you could elaborate?

Thank you!

Disclaimer: A lot of this is written from a personal place. In no way am I trying to discredit anyone who feels differently. That even includes Trick Weekes, when it comes to the gender stuff at least. And please keep hatred of Taash out of this post; as I say in the end, I do still really enjoy Taash as a character!

The player first meets Taash when still identifying as a woman. However, Taash soon comes to realize they are not a woman; they are non-binary. While most of this answer will be quite critical of Taash’s story, there are positives I would like to acknowledge first. For example, I do think that the dialogue options surrounding the acceptance of Taash’s gender is fairly good. I like that you can be encouraging but not pushy about them exploring their identity further, when the topic first comes up. If you play as a non-binary character yourself, you are able to relate to Taash on a personal level, and provide them with a sense of kinship outside that which they seek from the Shadow Dragons, (who apparently double as both abolitionists and queer support group?) The game makes it clear that Taash’s gender is not just player-reactive; if the player chooses to avoid Taash’s personal questline, Taash still later on announces they are non-binary and use they/them pronouns now, with a game notification letting you know they went and embraced that with the help of Neve and Harding. And while some people have criticized the use of terms like non-binary as “not being fantasy enough” for their tastes, I personally think it’s perfectly fine to be overt like that, instead of dancing around the topic. I saw a post on a recommended Facebook page from some cis person who said they learned a lot about gender diversity because the game went out of the way to be so blatantly inclusive. Yes, there are a moments I can agree are kind of cringe, but lord knows there’s plenty of cringe in other regards as well with the writing, so it’s not like it’s exclusive to Taash’s gender writing. Overall, I think it’s a good exploration about someone stepping outside of a binary view of gender, except for one glaring problem: It is so very, very, white.

Trick Weekes, Taash’s writer, is non-binary themself, but they are also a settler living in the colonial project known as Canada. And that has very clearly influenced their perspective on how they think gender and culture works. With Taash’s writing for the Rivaini route, Weekes paints a picture that their gender journey must come at the sacrifice of their cultural identity, as if the two must be distinctive, separate things. What’s worse, is how binary the cultural identity aspect to Taash’s story is; ironic for a character who is supposed to be about stepping outside a box like that!

Not once, not twice, but three times, Rook is forced to choose to convince Taash if they should be Rivaini or Qunari. The first time, there is an option to say “why not both?” But that option is not present the second or third time the dialogue prompt comes up. The one that hurt me the most is when Taash is clearly having a breakdown over who they want to be vs. who they were raised to be, and the only way to try and console them is to make them pick a singular thing to identify as.

I also think it was a hugely missed opportunity, in choosing to have a bunch of Tevinter humans be Taash’s only source of learning about gender diversity. We know from codex entries that they talk to the Shadow Dragons about that topic, but apparently no one else? Why not have Taash consult a Rivaini Seer for advice, or hell, how about adding more qunari characters who aren’t just standard brutes to mash buttons against in a fight? So, in limiting the scope of this knowledge to just Tevinter humans, Taash is only getting more reinforcement that gender comes before any other cultural identity.

As a Two-Spirit person, I cannot stress enough that gender and culture do not exist in two separate vacuums. They can overlap and/or can be essentially under the same umbrella. So, when Weekes writes about Taash struggling with cultural identity and gender identity at the same time, I can understand that feeling so well. But I cannot understand the written approach Weekes takes. The message I received was “your gender is more important than your culture.” Which again, I must stress is such a white colonial idea of queerness.

I do really like Taash despite these shortcomings from Weekes, though. Just like how I really like Sera despite Kristjanson’s bullshit in Inquisition. I’m not about to hate on a character just because there are certain parts of their writing that I think should have been handled better, when there are more parts that are really fun about Taash. They are so refreshingly autistic-coded in a way that doesn’t punish them for being so, for example.

[genoskissors]

"If you think Danganronpa is homophobic you played all four games with your eyes closed, ears covered, nose plugged, tongue removed, and hands behind your back."

May I genuinely, honest-to-god ask the reasoning behind this? Because I do agree with the op of the tag you replied to in your post. And no, the relationships between Hinata&Komaeda or Toko&Komaru or Kokichi&Shuichi don't count. Is there genuine queer support in these games?

(sorry if this sounds angry, that is Not at all my intent and I don't wanna bash u)

I’m not sure why those pairs “don’t count” when they contribute to my point, but there are other examples I can talk about. Also since you specified the relationships, I’m going to assume I can talk about the characters included individually.

Juzo Sakakura

His feelings for Kyosuke are a secret he wants to keep and are never portrayed as something “wrong” in the story, just wrong in society. He shows a softer side of himself with Kyosuke and is extremely loyal to him. The only time this loyalty faults is in a situation that could threaten their relationship. When Junko blackmails Juzo, it’s fear of losing Kyosuke that makes him give in. Juzo doesn’t even focus in on the sexuality aspect, it’s specifically that he doesn’t want Kyosuke to know about his feelings. He is never portrayed as disgusting or evil because of his sexuality. Juzo has his faults, as does everyone, but his sexuality is not made one of them. It’s societal pressure and his own fear of rejection that is at fault. Junko barely has any proof, and considering he’s suspicious of her, there’s a low chance Kyosuke would even believe her, but just the idea scares Juzo.

Ibuki Mioda

I was going to list the characters in game order, but I felt Ibuki’s section would be best after Juzo’s. Ibuki is happy with herself because she’s accepted her identity. This includes attraction towards girls. This is just another one of her “quirky” traits, but is very positive. People being weirded out by Ibuki comes from her music, weird sayings, and general style, but never her sexuality. This is the distinction between her and Juzo. In Juzo’s place, Ibuki would’ve been able to resist because she’s accepted herself, and that’s positive. I feel the message you are suppose to take from Ibuki is that only in accepting yourself can you be yourself, sexuality included.

Shuichi Saihara

In Kaito’s fourth free time event, Shuichi thinks that only Kaito could help him, only Kaito could tell him what he needed to hear. He then backtracks, thinking he shouldn’t feel that way about another boy. You are not suppose to agree with his last point. The story shows you all of the progress Shuichi has made with the help of Kaito. He doesn’t understand Kaito’s plan in chapter 5, yet believes in him and tries to help. After Kaito reveals himself, Kaito explains how he trusted in Shuichi over everything else. Shuichi’s feelings are only something he is afraid of thinking about, but the story shows that his words about Kaito were true. Kaito is the one he needed to help him. Kaito is the one who could tell him what he needed to hear.

Tenko Chabashira

Tenko is often seen as a “lesbian who hates men” stereotype. I personally don’t have a problem with this because Danganronpa has other female characters who show attraction to women and do not hate men, such as Ibuki. This line is purely my opinion, but I don’t find stereotyping to be as bad if there’s examples of the group that do not fit the stereotype. However, I think it’s important to remember Tenko’s meant to grow. Her feelings towards Himiko become more about Himiko as a person, rather than the idea of her. She shows less (admittedly not a lot less) disdain for boys. She shows concern for boys and had she survived, I think she really could’ve grown close to Shuichi and Kaito. Also, her feelings towards Himiko are not seen as bad, it’s her intensity that is bad. The same situation can be seen with Toko and Byakuya as well as Kazuichi and Sonia. It is not the crush that is bad, it’s how their way of expressing it makes the other person uncomfortable.

Also this isn’t Danganronpa, but it’s creator, Kodaka, has another game with a non-binary character. Another reason I am under the impression Kodaka and Danganronpa itself is pro lgbt.

[beautysurvives]

pre-series Dean wants his father to save him but knows that he won’t, so he goes to Sam. He wants his brother to save him but he knows that he can’t. Then an angel saves him instead, and Dean won’t let himself believe it.

The angel saves him over and over and over — and Dean is sure that at some point the rug will be pulled out from under him, because it always is. Cas dies for him and comes back to life — and Joshua says that was God saving Dean by saving Cas.

And then after Sam and Adam fall into the cage, after Cas dies for him again and is brought back for him again, Dean goes from not thinking he deserves to be saved to not wanting to be saved. The way he’s been “not wanting” anything all season — pretty much his entire life. The person who really changed that for him — gave him hope — was Cas. But he’s only part of the equation! Dean has to do some of the work in valuing himself too, but like Lisa says, he has a habit of thinking that everything has to be either or. All or nothing. Wanting it to be simple. “Pure” like purgatory.

And it’s just. Like. The entire concept of “being saved” — knowing that a relationship with a specific person outside of your family could be the thing that saves you. in almost every case, for Dean, it feels like someone’s life was exchanged for his — and that’s not really being saved!!! That’s its own kind of cage!

Being truly saved in spn is being free!!!! Getting a chance to determine your identity for yourself!!!! Being with someone who will let you make your own choices and support you through them!!!! But you won’t let yourself have that because of all the people who are not free “because of you” ie for your sake — because you think that enjoying your life would be an insult to them. Because you think you’re supposed to repent forever. So he goes to Lisa’s door—

Being with Cas would’ve freed him!!!!!!!!!!!!

And it’s only after Dean accepts that he can be saved without being punished for it that he starts trying to live his for himself (tw season 15)

Once again, Cas died for him without demanding anything in return, and Dean can finally accept that he is worth it and allowed to appreciate it by doing whatever he wants because he knows and accepts who he is now

When he was with Lisa, he knew he was not being his authentic self, and she knew it too. It was another transactional relationship

The show is about saving Dean!!!!! It’s about allowing him the freedom to figure out who he is and not forcing him to choose between black and white. It’s about what it means that he’s drawn to the aspect of the hunter lifestyle that’s constantly moving, constantly changing your name, constantly pretending to be someone else, living off the grid.

It’s about his queerness, and his gender and him knowing that he doesn’t have to choose between becoming either his mom or his dad — not having to conform to the traditional roles that they killed themselves to squeeze into — and allowing himself to finally fully actualize his identity by not just leaving Chuck’s story once and for all, but leaving behind his role as “older brother” to Sam. Leaving his physical body (to maybe be born again?)

And at the risk of sounding pro-finale (because don’t get me wrong I do truly hate the bury your gays of it all and I think there were a million better ways to do what I’m about to accuse them of doing) — his death is his freedom in the sense that it’s his transition (yes, this whole post was written in service of my transfem Dean headcanon)

He has always been a person that doesn’t easily fit into one category or another, and that’s always been in his DNA as a character!!!! He is ambiguous and hard to label and saving him is freeing him from the confines of the narrative, the expectations of the audience, and the narrow definitions assigned to him by the patriarchal heteronormative container of network television!!! It’s letting him leave and most importantly it’s allowing him to make his own show (The Winchesters perhaps…..)

Okay now read this quote from I saw the tv glow (spoiler warning):

I told myself… “This isn’t normal. This isn’t normal.” This isn’t how life is supposed to be. I thought about running away again. About moving to Santa Fe and changing my name one more time. But I knew that everywhere would be just the same. I had seen how it ended. I knew where I was. A little bit after my 22nd birthday, I paid this burnout kid who used to hit on me in the food court $50 to bury me alive. I mean… he didn’t know he was burying me alive, but I doubt he would have cared too much even if he did. I bought a coffin. I dug a hole. I got inside and I closed the lid. I said to myself, “This is crazy.” “What you’re doing is crazy.” But another part of me knew that it wasn’t. That it was survival. And that I didn’t have much time. That what felt like years in this world was actually just seconds. So I waited. And then finally, the first spadeful of dirt hit the top of the box. And then another. And then another. I sang songs to myself. I counted to 10,000 without skipping any numbers. I pissed and I shit my pants and I forced my mouth to produce whatever saliva it could muster just so I would have something to drink. I screamed as loud as I could for help. I apologized for the whole thing. And I begged God for someone to come along and save me. I tried and tried to claw my way out, but that burnout guy had packed the dirt in too tight just like I had asked him to do. And then, after I don’t know how long, I felt myself start to leave myself. And it was like I was watching myself on TV from across the room. And I was moving further and further away from the screen until the screen was so small that I couldn’t even see myself anymore.

And then I was clawing my way up out of the ground. And then I was at the surface, gasping for air, rain pouring down on me. Thunder and lightning. And I was finally back there. Back at our old sleepaway camp. And just like I was waking up from a bad dream, that whole life… that whole reality where I was Maddy Wilson…drifted away. Like a brief hallucination that, after a few moments, I could hardly even remember. And all those memories that had felt so real washed away with the rain back at our old sleepaway camp. And I was me. I was finally me again. And it was the season six premiere. I tried looking for you, but Mr. Melancholy had covered his tracks too well. I knew you must be buried somewhere close by, but I didn’t know where. And your signal… That signal that I used to be able to close my eyes and feel so vividly… was nowhere. I wasn’t picking up anything on the psychic plane. I found my heart. Isabel, oh, my God! I found yours, too. And it was still beating, stored indefinitely in… (breathing heavily) In an industrial freezer! I left our hearts there because I knew I wasn’t done yet. And I found Mr. Melancholy’s cauldron. I found the Luna Juice he used to send us to the Midnight Realm, then I took a big sip straight out from the ladle. And I laid back down… and I waited to fall back asleep. I knew I needed to come back here. I knew I needed to come back and save you. So that the show can continue. So that we can get to season six.

Okay and now this quote

Jane Schoenbrun creator of I Saw the TV Glow):

To get Owen to a place of true self-love and self-acceptance would take at least another movie. I knew that I wanted it to be really honest to the fact that just because you've now finally seen yourself clearly doesn't mean that half a lifetime of damage that repression has instilled in you is going to go away. I don't view it as a cautionary tale or a definitively sad ending; I just think it's truthful to the fact that if you've been taught your whole life to think of yourself as an imposter or apologize for being yourself, like many trans people are, that instinct doesn't go away overnight.

[actualhumantrashcan]

I can understand a silly workplace comedy about pirates not being everyone’s jam but I really can’t understand the amount of queer people I see hating on ofmd.

like for one thing most of the debates turn into gatekeeping queerness (which I think has a lot more to do with the ages of the main couples than actual concerns about authentic representation but that’s another post) and the rest are just hateful because it doesn’t directly name or label it’s queer characters but like why do we need that at this point?? listen I love heartstopper with all my heart but it is exhausting to watch them explain queer identities sometimes (even though I do think it’s super useful for younger audiences I’m just not the target demographic!) and ofmd is an explicit, violent, adult show that doesn’t NEED to explain it’s character’s identities.

queer people past their 30’s are usually very well aware of their queerness and have had (hopefully) plenty of time to go through the arc of discovering that. so why would we need to see Stede or Lucius or Ed going through turmoil because they’re attracted to men when they have already come to terms with that at this point in their lives?? i for one find it so fucking refreshing to watch a show where the characters being queer is not their main arc, they just ARE queer and life is still happening to and around them. maybe that’s just the millennial gay in me talking, but it gets emotionally exhaustive to watch show after show where the queer character’s arc is overcoming homophobia. yes obviously homophobia still exists and yes obviously if ofmd was trying to be historically accurate these characters would be living in a very dangerous time to be queer but it isn’t trying to be accurate!! it’s trying to be fun and diverse and kind!!

and also, they aren’t pretending homophobia doesn’t exist!! it’s just addressed in a different way. Stede was emotionally abused by his father for his entire life for being “soft” and then was chased down by his homophobic childhood bullies, one of which explicitly told him that he “defiled” the great pirate Blackbeard by simply falling in love with the man behind that name. Meanwhile Ed was forced into the world of piracy at a young age and developed the entire persona of Blackbeard (who fits the toxic, violent masculine stereotype of the time) to hide the fact that he’s actually an incredibly sensitive and deeply queer man! and is told multiple times by male figures in his life that sex with other men is fine but it is absolutely unacceptable to be in love with a man. both of their arcs contain homophobic rhetoric that is still present in society today, but its never presented as a problem that they have to wrestle with. they don’t have to come to terms with what it means to love each other, they just have to overcome some trials that go along with the complicated lives they both lead as a pirate and former aristocrat. the homophobia in ofmd is woven into the backstory of each and every character, it shapes them into the people they are at the beginning of the show when all of their walls are up and they are performing the “pirate” roles they are supposed to play. and then we get to see them grow and realize that they are in a safe space, part of a community not just on the ship itself but in the life of piracy (which in the show is pretty much explicitly an allegory for queer lifestyles.)

anyway, I could rant about this all day but just truly why do we have to tear people down for enjoying something? why do we have to find reasons to hate something so obviously created with sensitivity to it’s queer audience and with so much queer joy? if historically inaccurate gay pirates going on silly adventures and falling in love are not your thing, fine! but perhaps just let people enjoy things and find your own things to enjoy.

[soleminisanction]

Your post about Damian'story changing the way the Robin mantle is seen is interesting. I like the take on Robin defying traditional social relationships. So I'd love to (if you want) read a more precise/complete definition of what you think Robin was before and what it became after Damian took over. Do you think all queerness is gone from the role, or are there still residues persisting despite the heteronormification of the role? Sidenote: never a fan of Dick being called "golden" after all the crap he endured from Bruce and the rest of the Batfamily over the years.

So, the stuff from that Damian post is actually drawn from some notes and musings that I've been gradually collecting into what's shaping up to be a long (probably) video essay on the history of Robin through a queer lens, which is something I've wanted to write for a while, I just have no focus and also a day job and a side gig so no promises about if or when I'm ever going to actually pull them all together.

Needless to say trying to summarize it in the length of a Tumblr post is not really feasible since I'm still collecting all my thoughts on the subject as it is. What it mostly boils down to is that, for a very, very long time, Robin -- specifically Dick -- was portrayed as Bruce's Beloved, in narrative sense, the person whom Our Hero loved and was motivated to protect. Most superheroes had at least one of these, but they tended to be Designated Love Interests, only the very luckiest of which -- like Lois Lane -- ever got the focus, page time, and attention to be treated as more than plot devices.

Robin, on the other hand, was always supposed to be his own character, and to an extent made being The Beloved part of the power fantasy. Most people understand the core fantasy of being a superhero, but for some there's just as much comfort to be found in the fantasy of being the person that the superhero would do anything to protect and go to any lengths to save. And, on the flipside, there's joy to be had in not always being the strongest or smartest or best hero, but being just good enough to help your hero when he needs it.

What resulted was a relationship of mutual care and affection that was vital to the core of the storytelling, but never given such a concrete framing that you could call it any one thing -- the closet they got was the classic, "...and his young ward," a term that has its own complicated history of ambiguity.

This relationship of reciprocal care resulted in Batman and Robin gaining a notable fanbase of gay men and boys. They weren't the only superheroes who had one -- not with the loving attention artists paid to the manly physique -- but they were notable enough that the sort of prudes who freak out about every new mass media being corrupting and degenerate were accusing the pair of being -- and this is a direct quote -- "pathologically homosexual," a good decade before the infamous Seduction of the Innocent was even published.

Even in a post-Comics Code era and the various efforts to de-gayify the franchise (introducing the original Bat-Woman and Bat-Girl, replacing Alfred with Dick's Aunt Harriet, etc.), Dick and Bruce's relationship remained in this kind of nebulous gray area of Beloved Wardship pretty much right up to the 80s, when the narrative choice was made to deliberately distance Dick from Bruce and tie him more firmly into the Teen Titans, eventually leading him to shed the Robin identity completely.

This is of course where we start getting into the other Robins and their specific relationships with Bruce, starting with Jason, whose relationship with Bruce was deliberately more parental but not entirely so, and then Tim, who for a long time set himself apart by having a father who was alive and an active part of his story, making his relationship with Bruce something else. Not that there was no parental element to it, just that there was far more to it than that. And yet they were both defined by being someone that Bruce (and, in Tim's case, Dick, and most of the other adult capes bopping around Gotham) loved and felt motivated to protect.

(Steph doesn't really factor into this discussion because her brief time in the cape is a whole other can of worms)

That then brings us to Damian, whose effect on the role I think I mostly covered in the previous ask. The most fundamental difference between it and what has come before being this: the unambiguous relationship between a father and his son, by its very nature, cannot be reciprocal. For Bruce to be a good father to Damian, he cannot expect Damian to provide the same kind and level of support that the other Robins did, which then creates problems because Bruce narratively and psychology relies on that support.

This has gotten very rambly and long so, to bring it back around and answer your second question:

No, I don't think the queerness is entirely gone. I think there are people who have tried (deliberately and otherwise) to push the ambiguity out, but they tend to fail for a simple reason: Tim's famous statement from ALPoD, "Batman needs a Robin," was a metatextual one. He wasn't just arguing with Bruce, he was arguing with the cynical readers of the superhero Dark Age, who wanted Robin dismissed as "too childish" for their grim and gritty champion knight. And he was right.

Batman and Robin stories have been popular for 85 goddamn years. There will always be people who want more Batman and Robin stories, and there will always be creators who want to tell Batman and Robin stories. Like I said in that other post, Damian doesn't tell those stories. Which is why, even before Tim officially dropped the "Red" from his name, there was a period of time when he was functionally acting as Robin in all but name -- because Damian wasn't.

It doesn't have to be Tim forever -- Maps Mizoguchi, for example, would make a fantastic Robin if they ever decided to pull the trigger on that for real. But even if Tim is written to move on, even if Damian winds up being the first Robin to make it to live action since the 90s, even if Wayne Family Adventures runs for twenty seasons, I don't think the queerness and ambiguity can ever really be cast away for good. It's just too foundational.

[samsayswhatever]

Did you read Sam's new interview on Goldderby? I don't believe it when he says Lochlan is not attracted to Saxon. We literally see specific scenes of Lochy ogling Sax. He clearly has a crush on him due to repressed queerness being displaced. Anyway, he also says his character does not have a satisfying ending. He says it is unsatisfying. I am getting the vibe he may die

Sam Nivola says "I don't think any of his actions are sexually driven," and that is an interesting way to state that. I personally think that the way's his eyes linger on Saxon in the first few episodes was a clear indication that the writers wanted us to see the desire in his eyes.

Now, as I mention briefly in this post, I think that Lochlan's attraction for Saxon is more than just Sexual curiosity or desire for just a hot male body. In the threesome, he looks happiest when he's looking at Saxon's face, but that doesn't cancel out all the times he stared at his ass when no one was looking, and when they were lol.

I think a huge motivator for Lochlan is his people pleasing and love-seeking behavior. But I think the themes of this season about desire vs identity vs fear implies that we can't just have a single uncomplicated motivation for any of the characters. Loch had a lot of reasons for participating in the threesome. Lowered inhibitions, sexual desire for his brother, romantic desire for his brother, people pleasing tendencies, and love seeking behavior to name a few.

(5 paragraphs below the cut)

Loch grew up without his needs for love and attention being met, and the closest times to when they were met where when his siblings gave him attention. But his siblings learned how to love from their parents, who don't understand unconditional love. So when Loch seeks this unconditional love from his siblings, they don't know exactly how to give it to him.

Saxon confuses love and sex, and seeks out what Chelsea calls "meaningless sex" because I think Saxon thinks sex can be meaningful. I'm assuming Saxon didn't get any love from his parents unless he was being the perfect child, and the first time he felt something close to unconditional love was from a gf who he had sex with. So, I think Saxon, on some level, wanted Loch to be loved, and thought since love=sex (and he KNEW he couldn't have sex with his brother) that the next best thing was getting Loch laid. But that didn't end up going very well. Because Loch needed love, not sex. So even when he had Chloe, he needed more. And Loch thinks he can only get the love he needs from his siblings. So of course crazy things went down.

As for the conclusion not being satisfying, I'm not sure which way this will lean. Does he think it's satisfying for him and Saxon to die? To have a conversation? What is satisfying to Sam Nivola for a story arc? But it seems like Lochlan the character will be sad, and somehow we as an audience are supposed to be happy about it. I will not. But I agree that it doesn't make sense for every character in this show to completely change in one week at a fancy resort hotel.

Lochlan's dilemma from the beginning is he doesn't know what he wants, how he is or what he wants out of his future. That was shown in how he doesn't know what college he wants to go to, or which sibling to emulate. And so I'm guessing we won't know that by the end of the show. And that's sad, but makes sense for this kind of show. There are a lot of characters who all have simultaneous arc's and it's difficult to have a dozen people grow that much in 8 episodes and one weeks time.

However, I don't think he will die. The way Sam Nivola says "he ends up where he started" makes me think he will be emotionally lost, but not physically gone. Which is slightly hopeful, in my opinion.

Thanks for the message!

[justcameheretobyler]

Guys, this can be a long post, but it's just interesting seeing may be Mike's POV through food.

So I asked something to ChatGPT cuz I'm studying musical theater, our teacher was telling us about the representation of food in scenes (cuz I wrote one small script with that) and how it's often used for subtext (like, a lot).

What I wanted to ask before (but I didn’t because I didn’t want to imply Mike has an eating disorder) is this:

I hardly see Mike eating in Season 4 (correct me if I’m wrong). I saw him take a sip of juice and soda, and then take a bite of the pizza El and Argyle made him eat at the pizza place.

Why do I think this is important?

Because there are two scenes where all the characters are eating (or it’s implied they are) except Mike.

In the risotto scene, everyone is chewing. Even El, who was upset, is shown chewing, but Mike is just playing with his food.

In the breakfast scene the next day, Will is eating, and Mike is once again just playing with his fork. Then he brings El her Eggos, but you can see a plate beside her in her room, implying she already had breakfast too.

So I was wondering: what’s the subtext in those scenarios? Because at the beginning of the season, we see Mike taking two pieces of toast from the toaster, but again, we don’t see him actually eat them.

I just find it curious, so I put this in ChatGPT. and it says:

"Yes, I have a few thoughts because what you noticed is really sharp — those are subtle details that align perfectly with how subtext works in film and TV. And Stranger Things definitely uses a lot of subtext, so you're reading the signs very well.

About what you observed: Food as subtext is absolutely a thing. In film and theater, when a character doesn’t eat while others are eating, it’s often a silent way to show that something’s not right. It can represent discomfort, anxiety, emotional disconnect, or even a sense of emptiness. It doesn’t necessarily mean an eating disorder — it’s more about showing internal conflict through physical behavior.

In Mike’s case:

In the risotto scene, which already feels a little tense, Mike not eating highlights how disconnected he is. It’s like he doesn’t belong or isn’t really present.

In the breakfast scene, Will is clearly going through something emotionally, and again Mike is just pushing food around, lost in his thoughts. Then he brings El her Eggos, which could seem sweet, but also feels like he’s just doing what he’s “supposed to do,” rather than acting from a genuine emotional place.

The fact that he grabs toast earlier in the season but doesn’t actually eat it also visually reinforces this idea that he’s trying to appear normal, but can’t quite internalize it.

Emotionally speaking: I totally agree with your take. Mike seems to be dealing with something pretty heavy inside. The fact that he can’t say “I love you” to El, while his most emotionally sincere moments are with Will, has led a lot of fans and analysts to interpret this as him struggling with his identity and his feelings toward Will.

And if you look at it through that lens, the not eating becomes a visual metaphor for:

His anxiety about not being able to be himself. His discomfort in his current environment (California, El, the pressure to play a certain role). A kind of emotional hunger — like he’s not being emotionally “fed” by his current relationships.

(I added details about the pizza place scene as an extra, I know this take has been talked enough)

Another interesting detail is the scene with the pineapple pizza. Mike doesn’t want to eat it at first — he even says he doesn’t believe in “fruit on pizza,” which sounds like a throwaway line, but could actually carry deeper meaning. It’s only after Argyle and El insist that he reluctantly takes a bite (even though we don’t actually see him eat it on screen), and then he says, “It actually tastes good!”

Some fans have interpreted this as subtext, too — especially in the context of queer symbolism. In LGBTQ+ discussions, “fruit” has historically been used as a slang term (sometimes derogatory, sometimes reclaimed) to refer to gay people. So, when Mike says he doesn’t believe in “fruit on pizza,” it could symbolically reflect his internalized discomfort with queerness or non-normative experiences — like he’s still trying to fit into the version of himself that others expect.

But then, when he does try it (after some gentle pressure from the people around him), he realizes that it’s actually good. That moment can be seen as symbolic of Mike starting to open up to something he was afraid of or didn’t understand before — something that might actually bring him joy or feel right once he allows himself to experience it.

So in that light, the pizza scene becomes more than just a joke — it could be a subtle metaphor for self-acceptance, or even queer awakening, especially given the tension he feels throughout the season and the emotional weight of his dynamic with Will."

And well, that's it! for now.

What do you guys think? I'm happy cuz I'm actually studying for my next acting class, I'm totally asking this to my teacher.

[leikeliscomet]

Heartstopper's Aspec Representation Isn't For Me - And That's Okay (Mini Essay)

Spoilers for Series 3!

So I just finished series 3 and I feel conflicted. I don't hate Heartstopper at all. I think it's a very cute show. I'm happy queer baby gen z and gen alpha have something to see themselves in, I love how Tara, a darkskin Black lesbian girl is happy in her relationship. I'm happy Isaac makes my fellow aspecs happy. I'm happy Charlie tore Ben's singlet in series 2 and for once the victim/survivor is allowed to not forgive their assaulter. I like Heartstopper's little moments but I've felt like something was missing overall and now we're on the third season, I think I know what it is now. There's comments on BL and yaoi by Alice Oseman I don't fully agree with, some of the acting in the show could be a bit better I guess, most of the characters are comfortably in the British middle class and I am a grown adult now so my interest in school/teen dramas has dipped a little bit (but not you Waterloo Road ily <3). So to an extent, there were always gonna be limits on how much I enjoy this show, but nevertheless, I still think they're worth pointing out, especially if we're claiming Heartstopper for the next gen of queer rep. Because honestly having watched shows like Heartbreak High and Koisenu Futari plus being a massive Selah and the Spades fan, I feel a bit robbed in terms of quality.

Isaac still feels underdeveloped and for a show that's been going on for 3 series now this feels disappointing. Like obviously Nick and Charlie get all the screentime as they're the main characters. Tao and Elle got a lot more juicer storylines from s2, Tara and Darcy got more to work with this series even if it was rushed (oh I miss you long series 2010s shows), but Isaac still feels leaps behind everyone else. He didn't really get anything in series 1. In series 2 we saw him coming to terms with his identity which felt like a good starting point but I was still waiting for the 'big asexual plans' Alice Oseman promised and... nothing. I liked his comment about googling aromanticism to Charlie because the representation by PowerPoint style of aspec writing can get tired. I also liked his moment of feeling left out by his friends plus still wanting to know Nick and Charlie's tea, giving him sexual agency whilst aroace instead of feeding into infantilisation. But apart from that... nothing. I wanted to feel more moved by the aquarium scene, but it felt tacked on because whilst Isaac's upset was justified, Imogen just wanted to chat about gay fish, so Isaac came across as a little passive-aggressive instead of what was supposed to be his moment. Plus it feels a little backhanded how much effort series 1 went to in how big coming to terms with your identity is, plus the gorgeous way Isaac's aroace revelation was filmed in series 2 was filmed just to have him blurt it out in an aquarium and have barely any of his friends actually support him like he supported them. But life imitates art I guess. This whole season we've seen characters talking about university plans, gap years and going through the post-16 struggle. But what about Isaac? We never find out what uni he wants to go to or even if he wants to go. What subjects does he like? What job does he want post-school? What's his relationship like with his family? The people need to know! I always found it weird how Isaac was left out to the point where straight characters, whilst still bearing in mind that Tao x Elle is an interracial pairing between two POC and one of which is a trans girl and this is very rare and deserved representation too, had gotten more screentime than him. Imogen, Sahar, Mr Ajayi and Mr Farouk had all been introduced for bigger storylines but Isaac, despite being in the main group, still had to wait for his share. This series was such a huge moment for everyone but Isaac... again. And whilst I'm happy if everyone else is, I genuinely feel like we all deserve better.

Tori was given bigger moments this series and that was great because I was waiting for my introverted slurping sister to come through. Her concern and care for Charlie and jealousy of Nick were great plus with the introduction of Michael, it was all leading to the big reveal of Tori being ace, right? Right? Wrong, because this scene was cut from the ferris wheel moment and I have no idea why. Oseman confirmed it was because Tori's storyline will continue in s4 and she didn't want to rush it but like, what? Series 3, at least in my eyes, did an alright job at building up her coming out. And again, if Nick could get his bi awakening in a one series arc, why can't this asexual character then too? They also covered Darcy's non-binary transition and coming out in this series too so I don't know why there wasn't room for Tori apparently. There was plenty of room for an 'I'm asexual' within those 5 minutes. Waiting to develop her in series 4, which is yet to be confirmed and likely to be the show's last series so it will already have a lot to do with wrapping up the Nick x Charlie saga seems like a poor decision. This is the second time we've had to wait till next season for the aspec character's arc by the way.

I'd like to see some aroallo POVs on this but this season put a lot of emphasis on linking love and sex together and it felt a bit strange icl. Yes, they're linked socially/societally and it's great to have sex with someone you love and love someone you have sex with etc etc etc but the first 2 series made a point of separating the two by showing love without sex and how it was just as meaningful. Almost every time a character was sexually attracted to another e.g. calling them hot or started making out because they wanted to have sex in that given moment there would be a dialogue from one of them going 'it's okay we're in love 'it's normal you're in love' 'well that's what people in love do!' and these are all correct statements but like... we get it! You don't have to be head over heels in love to find someone sexually attractive or just want to have sex with them. It's okay if you're not in love too y'know? I'm not sure what that constant reassurance was for because depicting sex without love isn't as pearl clutchy as it seems when all parties are safe, consenting and comfortable, or, if you've ever had any knowledge about aro(allo) spaces tbf. Nick and Charlie are not aspec and are very much sexually attracted to each other so the conclusion of them having sex isn't surprising at all, especially when I already knew from tweets back in series 1 that Heartstopper the comic already had a storyline later on of the two having sex for the first time. Plus the other characters aren't aspec either so their sexual debuts are also unsurprising and deserved. Plus, I'm actually glad they included Tara and Darcy having sex because many 'sex positive' shows seem to leave out the lesbians. But for a show with an aroace creator and aspec characters, the depictions of romance and sex don't feel like they were written from an aspec lense or for an aspec audience. It's normal for people to be romantically and sexually attracted to each other and then date and have sex. But if you're aspec, you know this. We all know this. This is the mainstream and default depiction of human (hetero)sexuality. We're watching the queer shows to see something different from that. When romance without sex can only hinge on the characters being below the age of consent plus a supposed 'innocence' due to their young age and sex without love is non existent, plus when you factor in how there are no aroallo or alloace characters in the show with 'groundbreaking' aspec representation, it makes for a bit of a headscratcher. Heartstopper may be made by an aspec, has aspec characters and aspec fans, I don't consider it an aspec show. Bit sad, but it is what it is.

It's honestly strange how despite this fact, asexuality and aromanticism is barely mentioned in the main discourse about this show. Antis claim Oseman is a cishet woman despite being non-binary and aroace. They blame the sexlessness of the show on puritanism despite Oseman being aroace. There's constant arguments about how 'unrealistic' it is for teenagers to not have sex despite Isaac being a whole teenage aroace and how some people just didn't have sex in their teens... like aspecs. People are annoyed the show keeps giving Isaac aromantic and asexual storylines because it's 'not as important' and they 'don't care' as if he's not a main cast member and again, the creator is aroace! If you look at the promo pictures of the show, it has the main three pairings, Nick and Charlie, Tao and Elle and Tara and Darcy and no Isaac. Despite the fact it's supposed to be 'for' us and made by one of us, it's not. And a lot of non aspec queer fans watching the show don't see it for us despite being made by one of us either. And that's a real shame.

I'm fully aware Oseman knows about writing aroace characters from the book Loveless, which has an aroace MC. But I think Netflix choosing to adapt Heartstopper over Loveless was intentional. I think Netflix creating Isaac instead of Aled, a demi gay non-binary character from the og comic, was intentional. I think all the decisions Netlix made with Isaac and Tori are intentional, the same way bringing Yasmin Benoit to the Sex Education writers room to cut half of O's storylines was intentional. Netflix has fumbled the bag with asexual and aromantic representation several times now (Cash Piggot and Todd notwithstanding) so at this point, I'm not surprised anymore. Again, I'm happy for anyone who really likes Heartstopper, but I've finally accepted that it's not for me. And that's okay. When someone makes the predominantly aspec, slightly more grown, queer show with fully fleshed out arcs for its's asexual and/or aromantic characters or hits up Lovie Simone for the scrapped Selah and the Spades TV show, I know where I'll be.

We deserved our moments too. We deserve our Heartstopper.

[ranbling]

I'm gonna make one last post about this topic to get out everything from my system:

Tommy fans seem all to eager to bury his past and talk about his growth when this curtesy is never extended to female love interests (and Ana, Ali, Natalia and Marisol never acted anywhere close to how he did in the begins episodes). He was absolutely terrible to Chimney and then only stopped pretending he's not invisible when Chimney saved his life. Even then he gave no apology, just a thank you and decided to move on as if his past behaviour haven't happened. And then he acted the same with Hen - pretending she's invisible and making little side comments (I'm not saying only he did that, the everyone in the old 118 is guilty of this) and he and Sal only decided to respect her and actually aknowledge her when she saved made a choice and saved someone's life, who would have been dead thanks to the old captain. And there was no apology to Hen either. The old 118 was a backwards and regressive place, but this an explanation to his behaviour not an excuse.

People can argue how not everything needs to be shown, but I feel like it's hard to make amends when the other party is not even owning up his own behaviour enough to even apologise to the people he hurt with his behaviour.

The date with Buck was also not a great first queer experience. Having your date tell you how he understands working in a macho line of work and not being out to calm your anxiety, than make little side comments when you're not ready to come out to your best friend who just showed up by coincidence is not cool. (As a queer person, I don't think Buck put Tommy back into the closet, it wasn't like Eddie knew they were on a date or Tommy is gay and yeah maybe the finding hot chick comment was unnecessary, but Buck was anxious long before Eddie showed up). Also I get why Tommy wanted to leave, but not telling until the Uber pulls up is also a shitty thing to do. Natalia also leaves Buck and people seem to hate her for it, but she comes back.

Also the Evan thing and calling Buck kid. I hate both things. Calling your date kid is weird and just why would you do that? And I know that Tommy calling Buck "Evan" is supposed to be cute, or special, but it just gives me the ick. It's not his prefered name

Also telling Buck how he's jelaous of the family dynamic of the 118 and then going for a kiss is certainly a choice on the part of the writers.

Tommy is character who had little to no development during the show - yeah they seem friendly in the Bobby begins episode, but do you want to be unfriendly to the guy who works with you and finally decided to not be a dick? and we're just supposed to believe he was always a good guy, who only acted the way he did because the old 118 was old school and he was figuring out his sexual identity?

He's not a character with good development or layers, he's a character who was a plot device to show how horrible work places that are considered macho to poc and women, and now they decided to bring him back for some reason as a first queer experience to Buck and act like him being gay excuses how he acted in the past

[absolutebl]

Hi ABL! I was wondering if you have recs for bl couples where a younger seme/top aggressively pursues an older, initially-unwilling uke/bottom?

I realized this trope was my absolute JAM when I fell hard and fast for Wei Zhiyuan x Wei Qian, Sun Boxiang x Lu Zhigang, and Yongjie x Xingsi. Bonus points for age gap, stepbrothers trope or the older uke being endlessly indulgent?

I mainly watch China and Taiwan bls, so I’ll love anything from there. I’ll take recs from other countries too, they might become my first foray into non-mandarin bls

I know this is a somewhat specific request so thank you sm if you manage to come up with anything! I really appreciate all the work you put into this blog ☺️💜

Oooo MY FAVORITE!!!

Hyung Romances! (wrap-up post)

I call these hyung romances because that's like noona romances but gay.

Specifically you said:

younger seme aggressively pursues an older initially-unwilling uke

I am utter TRASH for this! YES PLEASE!

Minato’s Laundromat

Japan 2022 GaGa 

AKA Minato Coin Laundry AKA Wash My Heart! AKA Minato Shouji Koin Randorii AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Younger seme older uke, very clearly yaoi derived dynamic, 10 year age gap. I love this show so much. This is by far the best long running example that really dwells on this trope, Shin is very much the aggressor also very much still a high school kid. Minato is very much NOT. 

Old Fashion Cupcake 

Japan 2022 Viki & GaGa 

Also from Japan, another 10 year gap, and a flipping genius version. This time both parties are older, so there’s less of a stigma around the age gap, but there is stigma about the one being the other’s boss. 

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits for episode one. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said man with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness... and it’s beautiful. Full review. 

Lovely Writer

Thailand 2021 YouTube 

Sib is quite a bit younger than Gene and defines aggressive pursuer. Gene is out of university and established in his career, Sib is still in college.

Thailand criticizes itself and the BL industry while simultaneously giving us classic seme/uke with great chemistry in a one-two punch of “we love it, but are we supposed to? and must we think this hard, yet enjoy it SO MUCH?” This show won’t appeal or make sense to those who don’t already have at least some Thai BL watching experience. What Lovely Writer does, at heart, is reexamine Thai BL has done to queerness, but in a very gentle way that has more to do with Thai BL growing up than any actual queer authenticity. It’s not parody or pastiche, but it is self reflective and trying to correct for some chronic mistakes. Whether it is ultimately successful in this matter is going to depend on the watcher’s relationship to BL and queer identity. But that’s what makes this show beautiful, interesting, and thought provoking. And I, for one, applaud the effort even if I didn’t personally connect to the characters.

Oxygen

Thailand 2020 YouTube 

Thailand’s first real stab at this dynamic as a main couple and it so worked for me. There are many who find this BL too slow and wooden, but I loved it. 

I think of this as a paragon of Thailand’s softer BL style, since Oxygen uses every BL trope in the playbook for one of the gentlest lowest angst BLs ever made. This one showcases how far Thailand is moving BL from its yaoi roots, and is a prime example of the sweet “new BL” model for which Thailand is the main advocate (Korea is liking it a lot these days too, tho). My first watch along. 

SOTUS

Thailand 2016 YouTube 

Guess who started this trope in Thailand? Yeah, sometimes I forget too. But they are not just classic sunshine/tsunder but classic younger/older. Just not by much.

This is the BL that launched a hundred BLs. No literally, it was SOTUS’s international success that pretty much built the Thai BL industry into the juggernaut it is today. People have baggage around SOTUS, I have nostalgia. Trigger warning on bully hazing. Review here. 

En of Love: Tossera 

Thailand 2020 YouTube 

Younger boy wants to court older boy and does and… that’s it. No really that’s the WHOLE STORY. There is actually no angst, drama, or, indeed plot. But are they the softest bois ever to BL as a main couple? Yes they are.

*pulp warning*

Private Lessons

Korea 2020 GaGa 

A BL short from Strongberry that I love, it's age gap and teacher/student (catnip por moi). The chemistry is slightly off though, but stil I do love this one for the dynamic. Certainly worth watching especially if this is your trope since it's like 8 minutes long and very stylish.

MingKit MarkKit

2 Moons (VERY side dish) YouTube 2 Moons 2 YouTube (major side dish) Gen Y (leads) Gen Y 2 (sides again in LTR) 

Thailand’s premier version of this dynamic I just lumped them all into one category. Only in 2 Moons 2 are they played by different actors, otherwise it is all KimCop, and who can complain about that? If you want to watch specifically for this dynamic than go for Gen Y. Trash watch here. 

SIDE DISH CORNER

Not Me (DanYok)

DanYok is an age gap, but it isn’t really the point or the plot of their romantic arc

Don’t Say No (LeonPob) 

Leon and Pob qualify. That’s all I have to say about that. 

HIStory 3: the BL that shall not be named (BoXiang & ZhiGang)

Also appear in HIStory 4: Close to You

The side characters in H3:MODC (and cameos in H4) BoXiang & ZhiGang have a huge age gap, 12 years, and it is a big deal for their relationship. When they start out BoXiang is a desperate himbo high school kid and ZhiGang is a small business owner. BoXiang’s friends tease him more for his lust over such a much older man than for being gay. 

Bonus on this one, there is some very high (and it's Taiwan so) very well done heat. That said, the main couple will, in fact, wreck your psyche for life. Proceed with caution.

THE THAI PULPS

You’re My Sky (SanAei)

Side could (and only good part of this show) SanAei are a classic uni age gap pairing. San is a bit of a spoiled rich kid jock who identifies the older nerd character as HIS and is just like, MINE. That’s MY elder gay. 

Brothers (KhunKaow) 

This is not a good show, but side couple Khun & Kaow are great in it. Khun is in university and Kaow has a small baking business.

Top Secret Together and Love By Chance both have sub plots of high school boys pursuing college ones, but the one didn’t go anywhere and the other went very very bad, so yeah… no. Although I would personally LOVE to see this done well. 

BONUS POINTS ROUND

Stepbrothers trope

HIStory 4: Close to You (sides)

YongJie is quite a bit younger than XingSi, not sure on the specifics but he’s in middle school when XingSi is in high school and still in college when XingSi has his own business.

Addicted has the stepbrothers trope but not the age gap.

Older uke being endlessly indulgent

Future

Thailand 2023 YouTube 

Based on a y-novel by Faddest (En of Love) about an engineering student and a dentist (shocker). This is just a soft sweet cotton candy fluff piece about a younger boy who pursues an older boy and then manufactures silly gay drama. Nothing wrong with that. But I don’t think this style of BL really appeals to a very large market share. Will I rewatch it? Sure. Will anyone else? Nope.

If you want your endlessly indulgent older gay, this is the you crack, they made if for you.

*pulp warning*

Manner of Death

Thailand 2021 WeTV

It’s not really relevant to the story, but Tan is younger. Not only that, he’s Bun’s friends younger brother. Bun is very indulgent, but in a grown up way.

I like MoD a lot but I’m conflicted over it being actual BL. It’s a great gay romantic suspense, although the mystery element is its weakness. MaxTul, the Kings of chemistry, are, of course, perfect and perfectly cast, but their romance thread is more a distraction than an addition. Still, I could watch them make-out the phonebook. Watch along here. 

Seven Days

Japan 2015 grey 

AKA Seven Days: Monday-Thursday AND Seven Days: Friday-Sunday Japan

Seryou kinda counts as the pursuer, but the dynamic is very very weak in this one. Still the way he asks to use Yuzuru’s first name (so CHEEKY) and the way he says “senpai” in SUCH a cute way makes me so happy. And Yuzuru is NOTHING is not indulgent, it kinda defines his character. I mean he just LETS him call him by his FIRST name... right away.

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses. 

Just Taiwan

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

2018 Viki 

Seme uke is VERY weak with this one but the younger character is certainly the pursuer. It’s SO GOOD. 

Lin Pei Yu directs this is a sports romance (volleyball) with a good boy/bad boy pairing, and mu favorite of the HIStory franchise. There is no clear seme/uke. Ostensibly it's high school set but Taiwan doesn't care about age appropriate actors. It's a very soft sweet romance with some ridiculously easily overcome conflict. There's great kisses but it's medium heat. The side dishes are the stepbrother trope but they’re very tame, and there’s no other triggers. It's not just my favorite of the franchise, it’s one of my favorite BLs with a perfect happy ending.

Kiseki: Dear to Me

2023 Gaga

The mains are a major age gap, but I always forget because they def don't look it. Also, Taiwan, so very weak seme/uke. Still there is age gap, he's in high school and our gangster is out of college and in the workplace.

The plot is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged, but that’s normal for Taiwan. It involves all the tropes under a very casual framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love. Absolutely every character is queer. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs, and a KILLER side couple. As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL. Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan.

(Triggers for knife play, child abuse, lingering trauma.)

Unknown

2024 YouTube

Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and the stepbrothers trope. The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters very believable. When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. Still, those are mere quibbles. This is an excellent show, one of Taiwan' s best.

As you see above I mostly had to take you to Japan and Thailand for this one. Considering your preferences try Japan first, it's closer in DNA to Taiwanese stuff, but it won't go as high heat. If you want the heat, you'll need to try the Thai stuff (or the ones from Taiwan you haven't seen). I would start with Lovely Writer.

Okay I think I have given you enough and, unless I miss my guess, I may have tempted you to try some Japanese BL.

Comes to the weirder (and weird hair) side. We have pancakes.

Yeah I think you should watch Old Fashion Cupcake.

EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH OLD FASHION CUPCAKE!!!

(source)

This post dated May 2024, not responsible for hyungs that sling after that date.

[yuripira4e]

i already posted this in some tags but I want to be more insane acryally. This is kind of just my opinion on Edwin and The Cat Kings relationship n why I don’t think fans should try and push their relationship.

Their relationship is starts off and is mostly the cat kings own narcissism and predatory (not age wise; I mean literally) behavior towards Edwin and Edwin's need for someone to push him into understanding that his queerness doesn't have to be torture and can be something giddy (even if he doesn't return those feelings). This is super important to Edwin but his rejection of TCK is also as he immediately recognizes his lack of feelings and actual literal discomfort at the moves placed on him. TCK is good about boundaries and consent sexually wise but that doesn’t stop their relationship from progressing from there.

At first, the cat king does like Edwin but he doesn’t know anything about him. He sees their relationship as a game and Edwin simply as someone he wants to have simply because he can’t. He continues to torment Edwin (showing up as people he does like, propositioning him still, being threatening when his control is questioned) through out the show but starts to feel that “romanticism” towards him because hes infatuated by the kindness he's shown despite the cruelty he's presented to Edwin. Queerness and performance always go hand in hand and Edwin’s lack of it entices the Cat King.

The show runners and Lukas, the actor, have said themselves that the cat king is an older secretly insecure character. He’s jaded by heartbreak the the world’s condemnation of everything he is. Edwin is this younger, genuinely kind character that shows him that projecting his hurt on others and romanticizing it only hurts both people in that relationship. Their relationship is about the isolation of queerness and the walls put up to protect yourself and the coping mechanism used to not be hurt again; even at the risk of hurting those just like you- or those who used to be (cough cough the show runners saying that TCK represented the older men with bad intentions that every young gay man has met that welcomes them into the space and makes them feel loved to use them). The Cat King uses Edwin and Edwin knows this. That kiss from edwin was not a reciprocation of feelings; it was to say "I'm sorry your loneliness had caused you to think you have to use your power to control those weaker than you. (Naive, young, and someone he can literally trap) It's the easiest way to feel. And while I cannot and will not give you what you want or need, you deserve to feel happy and not like you have to gain attention of those uninterested to feel good enough.”

I just can't even explain all my thoughts about their dynamic it's just so much about the predation from older queers because of the trauma they've endured from their elders and the cycle of hurt and abuse that is passed down and the way we can break the cycle with kindness. The way we can protect our youths by healing those traumas.

Something the cat king learns and accepts because he can like Edwin. He can show Edwin the sweetness and beauty of being queer while also not being the one that should hold his hand through it. Edwin cannot be a romanticized replacement for the pain others have caused him and trying to force him to be so, continuing to treat him like prey to catch, will only continue the cycle.

tdlr: their relationship is super important for both of their relationships with queerness and trauma and becoming more aware of their identities but their relationship is not romantic- it’s simply an attempt to romanticize Edwin into someone he could love (hurt and control) in place of the people who’s actually hurt him and is supposed to be a parallel of real life predation in the queer community but the realization of this created an amazing acceptance and new bond I do hope they explore without TCK trying to force a non-platonic relationship

Off topic but I don't like people defending their age gap because, yes, Edwin is 86, but he died with a teenage boy brain and then spent 70 of those years in hell where he certainly was not getting his brain developed while TCK has possibly hundreds of years of sentience and experience. The power imbalance is not it y'all and that’s like super clear in the show

[shai-manahan]

hey, i'm so happy to see you're answering asks again! hm is one of my favourite IFs and i'm excited to see where the story goes. if it's okay to ask, will hm ever have nsfw or 18+ content? i know there are IF authors who have nsfw scenes in-game but are not comfortable answering nsfw questions or engaging in nsfw discussions, which i understand and respect completely! just wanted to ask since i'm a fanartist who's interested in making fanart for hm down the line, and i want to know if it would be okay for me to possibly share suggestive fanart for the game, and if you would prefer to have it posted on discord or another platform if you're not comfortable engaging with nsfw content on the blog. hope this was okay to ask, and have a good night!

It will have 18+ content in the future, yeah. I'm perfectly fine with readers making fanarts for HM that are suggestive/nsfw, but I probably won't reblog them as I'm strictly not entertaining any nsfw content on the blog even if there may be in the story itself.

That doesn't mean I won't appreciate it, of course! There's nothing inherently wrong with the idea, and as long as you're an adult you should feel free to do it if it's what you want. However, please keep in mind that I will politely intervene if I ever find the content fetishizing or in any other way a harmful depiction of the characters, as most of them have individual arcs that center around their queer identities/heritage as people of color with their own respective backgrounds. My only request, basically, is that artists give them the same care and refrain from merely treating them as (brown) paper dolls.

Also, about the discord server: I'm planning to revive/recreate it once HM has progressed significantly (I admit I've been hasty about it before), so I suppose that's one other thing to look forward to as well 👀. As long as readers can remain respectful enough towards the ROs, there will be no issues against the inclusion of the appropriate channels for it. We'll see <3

[allastoredeer]

No hate, just asking.

So you just personally like bottomAlastor and make every ship with him as bottom because of your personal likes. But this works the same way with bottomLucifer. People liking it and making him bottom in any ship. Or liking topAlastor and making him top in every ship. Maybe there are people who just go with trends in ship dynamics, but a lot of shippers just like it without any 'making mlm into hetero' meaning. Yes even when making Lucifer a bit more feminine since they do it in every ship simply cause more feminine Lucifer does things to them.

Exactly 👉👉 people like what they like and they don't need to defend or give me a list of reasons why they like it. I figured people liked bottom!Lucifer or top!Alastor because it scratches that itch for them (much like me with bottom!Alastor), otherwise they wouldn't be writing/drawing it at all.

It's why I don't seek out fans I disagree with or lurk on their pages/blogs to bombard them with reasons why I, personally, don't like how they depict radioapple (and because that's just a shitty thing to do in general, and no should be doing that. That's a one-way ticket to turning fandom into a very toxic place).

I keep my opinions and thoughts to my blog page for that reason. This is place where I can write about the things I like and dislike, post my art and fics, and interact with fans who share the same thoughts and feelings as I do. I'm sure a lot of fans would disagree, but, to me, most of the depictions of radioapple that I've seen come off as incredibly hetero coded, and a lot of the way Alastor is drawn/written squicks me out, especially when he tops. And that's not in the way that he's overly sexualized or anything, imma gonna sexualize that man to my heart's content, but Alastor's ace identity means a lot to me, and a lot of the time I just...don't feel it with him.

Now there's no "correct" way to write an ace character, as its a spectrum. There isn't a checklist of things you HAVE to follow. But with Alastor, especially when it's in a written work - especially when it's HIS pov - he doesn't feel ace. You can't tell that someone is ace based on how they talk or act - not usually - just like you can't assume a man is gay based on how he runs or talks, or a woman a lesbian because she has a short haircut. But in his POV, we're supposed to be in his head, we're seeing his thoughts and emotions. It's the perfect time to explore what he feels and thinks about relationships, sex, and everything in between, and yet most of the time he reads like any other non-ace character. It's like there's no real thought or consideration given to his identity and the experiences that come with it. Asexuality is more than "don't like sex" or "only like sex sometimes," there's so much more to it than that.

But I also know that this may be the first time some people are interacting or playing with an ace character, and just the fact that they're trying - however unintentionally aphobic it comes off sometimes - the effort is appreciated.

It's a real back and forth thing for me, obviously, LOL fandom culture and spaces can be so frustrating but so fascinating at the same time.

I don't think anyone is intentionally making the ship hetero, nor do they mean to - and besides, this is how I feel, and I know everyone isn't going to feel the exact same way. I'm sure there are people who see it as a very queer relationship, and I'm not going to judge or fight them over it. Everyone has different perspective, after all.

At the end of the day, I don't mind bottom!Lucifer (I see him as a switch, so he definitely enjoys bottoming), I just don't like how he's written/drawn with top!Alastor. It's the depiction of it that turns me off. I've seen top!Alastor and bottom!Lucifer art before that I have liked, but its few and far between, and overall not worth diving into to root out the few pieces I've enjoyed.

I like feminine Lucifer, but not to the extent that I've seen. I like the masculine side of him too, especially because he's a shortie. I like masculine Alastor, but I adore his feminine side. Alastor exudes so much gender, it's insane. He pulls off masculine, feminine, and even non-binary so well. He's versatile ❤️ And it aggravates me when he's depicted as super masculine and all the other stuff is toned down, if not stripped away.

But, like I said, that's why I stay in my little corner and I focus on what I enjoy. Ranting about things you don't like in fandom isn't bad, especially with fans that agree with you. It's very cathartic actually, and I've felt more connected with the fandom than I have since the show aired. it's only when you make your emotions, thoughts, and opinions other people's problems that it becomes a negative thing.

I'm not here to rain on people's parades, so I support, encourage even, that those who do like the things I dislike (and don't enjoy seeing me clown on them) block me. No hard feelings from me. I get it.

Damn, these posts really run away from me. They get so much longer than I intend XD

But anyway, I'm glad people are having fun with super feminine bottom!Lucifer and super masculine top!Alastor, that's the whole point of fandom, but it just isn't for me, at all, and I will likely continue to rant/clown on it with the fans who also share my opinion. I'm not going to shove it anyone's face of course, I'm keeping it to my blog, and I am A-okay with being blocked if that's not something people want to see 😊

[conceptofjoy]

what do u think of dirk n hals Gender Situation given 10 or 20 years? if they ever finally settle down their various identity issues etc

......... great question..

dirk's masculine gender identity is fucking fascinating and there's always something new to consider when i look at it at a different angle. and i mean this also goes for bro too. like gender is a very complex thing in homestuck with many metaphors physical or thematical littered about. Dirk specific gender identifiers are lil cal (empty), being seen as cherry red (either failing at those standards or admired for achieving them), and bro-ism which in this instance is often interchanged with heroism.

canonically in caliborn's masterpiece, after dirk seals caliborn away into cal, and lets cal and arq go, homie has straight up lost all the signifiers he's identified with and is left in his pink god tier outfit. literally forced to reckon with the fact that he is a gay man, and how that actually may be way better than the alternative that he was trying so desperately to be seen as. idk there was a series of posts i made about it a month or so ago. this is like, the final realization dirk has in the comic. i mean i dunno about specifics of labels, but gay and genderqueer is like the basic all encompassing ones. to be honest most homestuck characters fall under this extremely broad category, as queerness is a huge underlying theme.

a dirk that doesn't immediately go through caliborn's masterpiece learns this the loooong way. cis guy-> trans guy (refuses to acknowledge this during the session but slowly gets it towards the end of 3 year voyage. will NOT say he is trans through his lips though.) and then shit just stagnates there. i think it depends on his environment, but 5+ years (depends on who he surrounds himself with. if its no one, he is COOKED.) is about the time needed to have those same revelations.

and then there's hal........ arq is one of them brightly colored gendersonas. like what swimz said, arq sacrificed her continued existence for her friends. i dont think arquius ever gave her gender a name because of how thoroughly she embodied it by her self love/ the joy she felt for being alive. it was already said by her existing. hal getting a body vs hal getting a body after being arquius r people who understand vastly different amounts of things about themselves.

a hal sans arq brain meld has a silent kind of depressive acceptance about them. yeah i got a body, things feel better, but it feels like there could be more i could be doing for myself right now, however do i really need it? umm sandpaper floor room esque. trying to figure out what to do with herself after getting less than the bare minimum of being a person. would take a bit to realize she can be a girl.

hal post arq brain meld. holy FUCKING shit i can feel like that?? suddenly no longer arquius's confident persona and is kind of freaking out about the various implications. there would be an amount of time where she falls into a depression, however tries to bring herself up back to that point because a part of her who was arquius knows she deserves it. she would over think the gender thing though, ok yes im a girl, BUUUTTT -etc etc-. almost for the same exact reasons why dirk is attached to those bro-isms. she was supposed to. red girl struggle. again, idk the specifics, gay and genderqueer is hella broad.

i do think hal is fem aligned and more confidently can call herself a girl over time, and dirk can finally wear pink without thinking about it and wanting to decapitate himself.