#the disaster bisexual rep we deserve

[rarilight]

Twilight Sparkle, any other time: -an incredibly intelligent, sensible, respectful, confident mare- Twilight Sparkle, when a pretty girl she likes is involved:

[favcharacterpoll]

ROUND 6 MATCH 3: CECIL VS. C!WILBUR

Cecil Palmer from Welcome to Night Vale faces c!Wilbur from the dsmp. @10piecechickenmcnugget get over here sage

Cecil Propaganda:

"Cecil is not only the Tumblr sexyman, he is the first gay protagonist of a podcast that most of us have ever heard. From the very first episode he was unashamedly queer and no one has ever called him out or given him shit for being gay. He is a gay Jewish fashion disaster who is the mouthpiece for an incredibly bizarre town and plays the whole “this horrifying thing is completely normal”thing so well. If Cecil wasn’t there, I think a lot of people wouldn’t have felt so accepted for just being who they were. Cecil is an inspiration and the queer podcast rep we all deserved as we were growing."

"he’s gay. he’s a dilf. he’s ageless. he has been since there’s was nothing and he’s still here after the world ended. he can summon music. his mother is a oracle his father is a tree. his cat is a man who got cursed and also has wings a stinger and poison??? he thinks a tutu and crocs is formal wear and has talked to god and she said ‘I love you. I’m sorry’. he’s definitely guilty of manslaughter from negligence"

"this is the website Night Vale built!"

c!Wilbur Propaganda:

"Accurate depiction of mental health and spiral, handled delicately and deliberately, every piece of his story was thought and planned and in the end he went home to Utah. Thank you lord."

"Please don’t let the name dream smp effect how you feel about this submission, this character is completely unrelated to dream and I’m pretty sure the person who played him has nothing to do with dream anymore. This man single handedly got me through a horrible patch filled with extreme paranoia by also being extremely paranoid. Genuinely really helped me feel seen and I coped a lot by getting invested in this character. I almost cried when he died :("

"He’s so fucking stupid. I could infodump for hours this man transed my gender. Everything has gone wrong in his life. He’s the definition of a bisexual disaster."

"I didn’t fail 10th grade math bc I was thinking about c!wilbur for him to lose round one"

"I mean look at him!! his Minecraft skin is adorable!!!"

"if you people vote for cwilbur i'll draw him in a bikini."

"A VOTE FOR C!WILBUR IS A VOTE FOR GIRLBOYS EVERYWHERE"

"i should not have underestimated minecraft fans they came together"

"Season 1 changed me. I didn’t know minecraft videos could have good acting, dramatic plots, etc. Wilbur was one of the best there. His plot was so interesting with the L’Manburg and the unfinished symphony arcs. He was funny, dramatic, sad… I fondly remember my dsmp days (though I only saw up to like part of Tommy’s exile)"

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

🩷💛💙 PAN PRIDE DAY 💙💛🩷

QOTD: What’s a book you’ve enjoyed with a pan main character?

Happy Pansexual Pride Day to all my pan pals!

I still feel pansexuality is severely under represented in fiction (and when it’s there it’s often alluded to through wording rather than specifically differentiated from bisexual), but I’ve definitely come across way more (some intentionally and some by pure happy accident) since making my first ever pan post with only 5 books in it, some of the rep in that first post not even being main characters.

So here are some recs and some still on my tbr for you to add to yours if you’re looking for some pan rep to brighten your shelves!

[instagram]

Fantasy

- Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita A Rubin

- A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson

- The Sound of Storms by Anya Keeler

- Evergreen by Devin Greenlee

- A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shittleworth

- Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Romance

- How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall

- Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan

- Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

- Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

- Get it Right by Skye Kilaen

- Their Troublesome Crush by Xan West

Other

- Who Could Love You, Astor Price? by Amy Jane Lehan

- The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

- We Could Be Something by Will Kostakis

TBR

- We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchison

- We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

- In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland

- Summer at the Scottish Castle by Rachel Bowdler

- Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

- For Never & Always by Helena Greer

- Once & Future by AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy

- Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey

- A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow

[bigassbowlingballhead]

Have you seen the craft legacy? The movie is ehhh:/ but woke Timmy is the disaster bi babygirl rep we neeeeeed…Nick deserves another bi role!!!! (one where his character isn’t killed off like bury your gays trope in 2020 is tragic)

i super enjoyed the craft legacy, maybe it was enhanced by the weed but i had a GREAT time watching bisexual woke timmy

let nick play more gays even if he thinks he can't

[letoides]

Apollo: *applying chapstick*

Branchus: What flavor is that?

Apollo: Strawberry

Branchus: Can I try?

Apollo: *handing over the chapstick* sure

Branchus: *kisses him*

Branchus: Mmm, it does taste like strawberry

Apollo: *Apollo.exe has stopped functioning*

Branchus: (ッ)

[pumpkinpaix]

HI! I binged The Untamed and just finished the novel and found your analysis on WWX and LWJ's feelings realization in the live action and agreed wholeheartedly with it. for me their relationship progression in the live action is very different in the novel, like it wasn't as clear to me when LWJ fell in love with WWX in the novel compared to the live action. there wasn't that thunderstruck moment, and it seemed to more start as curiosity/flustered -> admiration/love; what do you think?

It’s actually been like a hot minute since I read the novel and i seriously just BLASTED through it like no joke so there’s a lot of stuff i’m forgetting (i’m trying to do a reread rn in chinese using a voice to text app bc rip my reading comprehension), but I agree that it feels quite different when reading the novel vs watching the live action.

(i… don’t remember how the lantern scene played out in the book i only remember the fight with jin zixuan afterwards hahaha, but even as i’m searching i can’t find the chapter to reread it myself!! aahh)

on the other hand, I also think it’s totally possible that the reason we DON’T see that thunderstruck moment of lwj’s is because the novel is exclusively from wwx, oblivious dumbass extraordinaire’s perspective hahahaha. here’s a man who kissed lwj of his own accord and thought huh wonder why i did that i’m not into men. so. you know. no wonder it wasn’t clear to us when lwj fell in love bc it went RIGHT over wwx’s head lmao

EDIT:

sauntering-down

   the lantern scene isn’t in the novel at all.  i was waiting for it and was sadly disappointed    

AHA okay thanks i had a sneaking suspicion that maybe it wasn’t in the book but i distinctly remembered the fight with jin zixuan so i was like?? wasn’t it though?? anyways there we go

[justlightlysedated]

michael: *carrying a drunk alex on his back* dun dun dun dun

alex: *out of tune and slurring* backstreets back alright!

[violexides]

HI HI HI OMG YOU FINISHED THE ACE ATTORNEY TRILOGY FUCK YEAHHHH THAT GAME IS ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT EVER!!!!!!! TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!!! WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE CASES? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WRIGHTWORTH MOMENT? WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS? THOUGHTS ON BISEXUAL DISASTER INCREDIBLY LOVABLE MAIN CHARACTER PHOENIX WRIGHT?

HEY LOG okay i have to answer quick cos i got somewhere to be in 10 min BUT!!! bro i was so excited to see that u were watching AA too like!!!! we nearly finished it in the same time area that's crazy :o

OKAY YEAH YEHA YEAH OKAY!!!!!!! FAVE CASES obviously all the last cases bc AA slays with ending the games on such a cool note, i'm also pretty fond of turnabout:reunion WHICH DOES NOT GET THE REP IT DESERVES!!!! Such a huge fan of turnabout reunion fr i think it's so fascinating it's such a mindfuck and it's so COOL!!!!

FAVE WRIGHTWORTH MOMENTS my friend you wound me by making me pick... the part in the last case where Edgeworth says "I leave the rest in your capable hands... partner" which is what Iris had told him but also the usage of partner is so important to me, it's a term of endearment but it also describes the way that him and Wright are, that the two of them have this companionship and have been in each other's lives for that long that of course they're partners, maybe not lovers yet maybe not boyfriends but partners is a term that fits so right. also that parallel with iris was super cool. other moments I liked was Edgeworth realizing the work it takes to be a defense attorney and the toll it must have on Phoenix, and also just the urgency when he found out Phoenix was injured. ur honor they're friends <3 and also in love. yk

FAVE CHARACTERS okay i'm excluding the main crew bc that goes without saying but. I love Lana Skye, Adrian Andrews, Desirée Delite, Godot, and Iris! I really connect with Lana Skye for a LOT of reasons, Adrian is just.... my girlfriend and i also relate to her LOL. Desirée is such a fun character and just makes me happy. Godot made me burst into tears several times yesterday so one could say i'm a fan. and i think Iris is just... a fascinating fascinating character

MASSIVE FAN OF PHOENIX WRIGHT: BISEXUAL DISASTER!!! Talked to my sibling abt this but phoenix wright is such a good protagonist like. he's both relatable but also distinctive and also capable but also not perfect and i think that's what makes him so endearing and so easy to get in the mindset of. he loves his friends and believes so deeply in everyone and he's sarcastic but also an idealist and he just. he's reckless and caring and smart and he's so important to me <3

[mydude]

Books I’ve Read in 2022

-Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (I will forever love it. It’s about a black asexual biromantic college student who’s trying to figure out dating as an ace person as well as just regular young adult stuff as well)

-Nevermoor: the trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (a twelve year old girl who is cursed finds out she will be dying earlier until a man comes and takes her back to an unknown land where she can be herself. I absolutely love this book even tho it’s about a younger kid because it gives me Harry Potter vibes just minus the whole transphobic author)

-Wundersmith: the calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (this is the second book in the Morrigan crow series and I love it just as much, but spoilers suck so I won’t say much because of the previous book)

-Hollowpox, the hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (the third book to the previous series and a fourth book is coming out in the future and I can’t wait for that, I won’t say much tho so I don’t give any spoilers to the previous books)

-Love and Other Natural Disasters by Miss Sugiura (the main character is a Japanese American girl who is spending the summer with her gay uncle with the hopes of finding a girlfriend in California. It’s a super gay book with fake dating people, and there’s great representation and I love this book. It also gives off romcom-esk vibes

-Leah in the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (the sequel to Simon vs the homosapiens agenda but I love this book so much more, probably because it focuses on WLW romance and bisexuality but like I love this book so much more than the Simon one so like 10/10 highly recommended)

-She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen (another WLW story with fake dating and finding your place in the world??? Yes and there’s great representation such as the main love interest being Indian American)

-Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli (this follows all the characters from Simon and Leah on the off best and we get to see their stories progress thru different emails they send to each other. Don’t let the formatting scare you because it is an incredible book)

-Never Kiss Your Roomate by Philline Harms (I absolutely love this book and the main characters are all where, we have two who are bisexual, one pan sexual, and a lesbian so great lgbtq rep and we get to see a wlw relationship and a mlm relationship as well as there being some mystery and like action stuff so like overall, amazing book)

-Her Royal Higness by Rachel Hawkins (beautifully written book that explores a queer relationship between two girls and when one is quite literally a princess. It is extremely entertaining and while technically it is a second book, I didn’t read the first one and I was not lost in any way)

-You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson (I love this book for it shows a black girl trying to win prom queen for a scholarship to he able to go to her late Mom’s college. It explores not only the racism in her school, but also the homophobia/transphobia that doesn’t allow her to take her girlfriend to prom, and leads to amazing examples of standing up to authority)

-A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin (I love this book since the first time I read it in 5th grade and continue to do so. It follows the story of a girl who finds out she has an uncle with mental illness and it explores their growing relationship throughout the summer. Also the author is queer so while the story isn’t necessarily lgbtq+, the author is which is always nice)

-The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins (this book 100000% deserves all of the hype they are receiving and I had such a hard time putting down the book to do schoolwork. I love how it shows even the most straight appearing people can in fact be queer and how closeted famous peoples life would have been during the 50’s. it really is such a unique way of telling an old movie stars life story through an interview type set up. It is not based on a real person tho, but this is one of my favorite books right now, which really says something)

-I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver(this is an incredible book of a teenager coming out as non-binary to their parents, getting kicked out, and moving in with an estranged sister. It really looks at them the complexities of finding love too when you don’t fit in with a gender binary, and when you are not out. I love this story so much)

-The Giver by Lois Lowry (this is such a classic book that it doesn’t really need an introduction but In a place where everyone is made to be exactly the same, a child is given the opportunity to learn the truth and then change how things are. I also get some hidden queer context but I also look for that sort of thing so who knows)

-Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical School by Akutami Gege (this is a manga, which isn’t my favorite style but I read it from a recommendation. It’s about a kid that’s cursed by his childhood friend after she died and he goes to this school to learn to take control of it. Along the way, he along with his classmates, have to get rid of different curses around the city)

-Not If I See you First by Eric Lindstrom ( this is one of my favorite comfort books because the way it is written just makes you feel seen by other people.it is about a highschool junior who became blind in second grade in the car accident that killed her nom. Now three months after her dad died, it shows how she goes about life with extended family now living in her house, and her passion for running as well as even her trying to figure out relationships both as just a teen and someone who is disabled.)

-Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth ( another amazing queer romance that is enemies-to-lovers. The main character lives in very low income household and also has to help her mother who is a recovering alcoholic which gets worse when her father who is around, since they are the side family and not the main one. The love interest however comes from a very wealthy family who has to much pressure so when she uses the main character to push her down the stairs to yet out of some extra curricular, their relationship starts to grow)

-The Mirror Season by Anne-Marie McLenore

-Forward March by Skye Quinlan

-One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

-This Poison Heart by Khalynn Bayron

*I’ve already read most of these books multiple times, so I am going to try to make sure that when I update it, I don’t put any repeats but there’s a good chance I will make a mistake, so I apologize in advance*

[sophsaysstuff217]

After watching like half of season 2 of The Politician, I’m starting to see a trend in how bi/panphobic Ryan Murphy truly is. I’m thinking back to every bi or pan coded character he’s ever written and something they all have in common is that not one has every explicitly stated that they were bisexual. 

Ryan Murphy has created gay coming out scenes like Kurt’s in Glee that was so needed at the time. He is currently creating Pose and giving a well deserved, needed spotlight to trans women of color and ballroom culture. He has, and continues to push and challenge what can be shown on tv in terms of LGBTQ+ rep....But none of his characters can say they’re bisexual?

Pose, I think, is indisputably his best show. it is genuinely good and not a disaster like Glee, or The Politician, or American Horror Story (depending on your feelings about the horror genre). On Pose, Papi is bi or pan (we may never know I guess.) The only reason we even know this is a quick throwaway line to Billy Porter’s character that you could easily miss about being “an equal opportunity lover.” And this is the kind of shit we, and bi and pan people always get, with Ryan Murphy. Never blatant representation. Always a throwaway line that you could miss or write off as nothing. The same happened with Brittany in Glee, though she at the very least was shown in relationships with men and women. And within this whole community of LGBTQ+ people on Pose, are we really supposed to believe that Papi is the only bi or pan character? Really? Every single one of these women is straight?  (Sidenote: Which seems to be another issue. Where are the trans lesbians? Why are they all straight?) None of the other boys are bi or pan?

Now in The Politician he has retconned two, what most people believed to be, canonically bisexual men, while finally actually using the word bisexual just to say that they weren’t. I mean, honestly? What was the point of their relationship then? To me, it was one of the only really interesting aspects of this show and now it is just confusing if that is how they are going to paint it. They even used their bisexuality to market the show! Which is where the literal definition of queerbating comes in. I am just tired and disappointed, but I guess not too surprised, that a gay man can turn around and queerbait the way he has. Anyways, I probably won’t be finishing the rest of The Politician (as much as I love Ben Platt and this is very disappointing) or any of the upcoming seasons but we’ll see if everyone pointing out the biphobia makes any difference but i feel like it won’t.

[haich-slash-cee]

Is the print publishing world picking up online/fandom terms? How they are using them? How do we feel about this?

So this is... attention-getting, for folks who like to follow publishing and meta stuff.

https://twitter.com/sapphicxrey/status/1215065948677443584

https://twitter.com/TorDotComPub/status/1233391556750647299

(2nd tweet -- TW, mentions of non-con)

Are we seeing the beginnings of book publishers directly borrowing from online/fandom culture in promoting their books? How do we feel about these examples?

More below cut.

Exhibit #1: screenshots of Bonds of Brass promo from Jan 8 2020. (Which is probably going to have reactions of “haha, cute” at most.)

Transcript of blurb: 

“If you like... 

forbidden romances, “there’s only one bed”, cityships, weaponized umbrellas, powersuits, secret princes, best friends, best friends PINING, fake dating between PINING best friends, tactical streaking, the minivan of starships, cigar-chomping cyborg ladies, scary empress moms, galactic-level bisexual disasters, LEGACY (WHAT IS A LEGACY?), rooftop hopping, golden trios, rumblin’ drums, bootleg fireworks, BIG SPACE BATTLES PEW PEW, a surprisingly functional public transit system, mob trouble, one hell of a pilot, the inherent DRAMA of empire, a nice interlude in a river, smoking a joint that’s been on the floor, sick stunts, slick grifts, hiding in a dumpster, or any combination of the above,

 Then you might like 

BONDS OF BRASS”

The Twitter responses seem to be generally enthusiastic. (And also, “FinnPoe! FinnPoe!”)

Personally, I’m intrigued from a meta-view of “oh so that’s definitely pulling from online world and fanfiction world, interesting. I wonder how much fanfiction culture is starting to influence print book culture and promotion.” Maybe I’ve got some questions like, “Ok so moneymaking companies such as Penguin are now using culture developed by the not-moneymaking-world of fanfiction? How do we feel about this?” Anyway, the book looks cute, I’m interested enough and I might get it from the library.

I suspect many people’s reactions are along the lines of “hm, interesting”, “sounds like a lark”, or “haha they’re using AO3 tags as promo”, etc. 

Exhibit #2, screenshots of DOCILE promo, from Feb 28 2020 (today is March 1 2020), and screenshots of Twitter responses so far:

(*CW, non-con discussion)

Tweet transcript:

“DOCILE by @KMSzpara:  

-Dubcon/Noncon 

-Dramatic Trillionaire Content 

-BDSM and then some more BDSM and then a lot more BDSM

 -Hurt/comfort and hurt/no comfort

 -Cinnamon roll of steel 

-The most scandalous kink: love 

-Courtroom, bedroom, & Preakness drama

[Tor book website link]”

So this is getting mixed reactions on Twitter. All dozen or so reactions, so far. Here’s text transcripts and bio info from repliers, below. I’m being a little obsessive, mostly to show that there’s a mix of queer, book-ish people in the replies (including the author).)

Noncon is nonconsentual sex, rape. Even in fandom it's a content tag, not a promotional term. I can't imagine being a rape survivor and seeing this come across my TL. -- @WriteSomeGood [queer rainbow] [Cis queer homemaker, aspiring author, maker of incredible cinnamon buns. She/her] [has a Tumblr page]

I’m not a survivor but it was an instant “no thank you” from me. And I was sincerely looking forward to this prior to. This is the most immediately off-putting marketing push I’ve seen for a book in a long damn time. -- @AGAWilmot [Author, editor, artist. Co-EIC of @anathemaspec. @SFU alum. The Death Scene Artist/W&W 2018. Ace/enby. They/them. Horror is my comfort food.]

Whichever intern wrote this tweet, deserves a full time job. With benefits. -- @simeontsanev [Aspiring writer, post-aspiring musician, and overall geek  He/Him /[queer rainbow]/ To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now! http://simeontsanev.com]

Idk why everyone thinks it’s always an intern writing copy and not a team comprised of extremely skilled social media experts, editors, publicists and marketers, and their assistants  I worked on those tags with my editor and a good friend!! -- @KMSzpara [Kellan. [queer rainbow]  Speculative fiction writer. Queer agenda.  Hugo & Nebula finalist.  DOCILE 3/3/20 from Tor Dot Com Publishing.  He/him.  Rep @suddenlyjen] *The author, bio page and twitter page.

this is CUTE! -- @MSSciarappa  [queer rainbow] I do books. he/him.

I am Extremely Ready for this content thank u -- @JessicaBCooper [Journo ☽ Writer of faerie, villain fuckery & cruel desires ☽ Lestat & Loki's love child ☽ Aleksander Morozova's side-hoe ☽ Rep'd by Kate Testerman @ktliterary]

I’m listening -- @MerynLobb [Government worker. Weightlifter. Nihilist. Aspiring cult leader. Avid user of words, often bad ones. #AMM R6 Mentee. she/her]

Soon! Soon!! -- @castrophony [Geek. Gamer. Cosplayer. Bibliophile. Scientist. She/Her.]

[happy reaction gif] -- @TorDotComPub [Providing a home for writers to tell SFF stories in exactly the number of words they choose. All our titles are available globally in print and DRM-free ebook.]

[throwing stuff in dumpster, unhappy reaction gif] -- @cursedgravy  [name's xavi, im a transman and i like to daydream about making content] 

For more context, here’s the blurb from the author website. Below is the blurb from the publisher’s site:

“Docile

K.M. Szpara

K. M. Szpara's Docile is a science fiction parable about love and sex, wealth and debt, abuse and power, a challenging tour de force that at turns seduces and startles.

There is no consent under capitalism.

To be a Docile is to be kept, body and soul, for the uses of the owner of your contract. To be a Docile is to forget, to disappear, to hide inside your body from the horrors of your service. To be a Docile is to sell yourself to pay your parents' debts and buy your children's future.

Elisha Wilder’s family has been ruined by debt, handed down to them from previous generations. His mother never recovered from the Dociline she took during her term as a Docile, so when Elisha decides to try and erase the family’s debt himself, he swears he will never take the drug that took his mother from him.

Too bad his contract has been purchased by Alexander Bishop III, whose ultra-rich family is the brains (and money) behind Dociline and the entire Office of Debt Resolution. When Elisha refuses Dociline, Alex refuses to believe that his family’s crowning achievement could have any negative side effects—and is determined to turn Elisha into the perfect Docile without it.

Content warning: Docile contains forthright depictions and discussions of rape and sexual abuse.”

So that’s a lot of info and reactions.

Personally: at first glance, I absently skimmed the tweet and “hurt/comfort” popped out, and I was like “What? Mainstream publishing is cool with this now? I was wondering if ‘hurt/comfort’ would one day become commonly used in publishing [related post]. But this is way sooner than I thought.” And then I read the rest of of the tweet and thought, “Wait, what?�� 

And then I started reading through the tweet replies and thought, “OK, at the risk of getting a bunch of Tumblr drama, I want to bring this to the whump community and see how people feel."

As for myself, one of my squicks is non-con, and I’m not really interested in hurt/no comfort. So just from the tweet, I know the book is not for me. The official blurbs confirmed that. In this sense, this is like skimming Ao3 tags on a fic and saying “pass” on a story.

However, I have questions about the specific promotion of the book. So the official blurbs are pretty standard. What about that tweet, which Tor (and the author, who helped put it together) put out? Because I think an official publisher’s Tweet comes with different context than Ao3 tags.

First, the different internet spaces. You can filter tags on Ao3 and Tumblr. I know you can mute words on Twitter, but is that the same thing? Also, would people be expecting these tags on Twitter? Compared to Ao3 or Tumblr or Tumblr Whump spaces?

Within the Tumblr Whump community, from what I’ve browsed, the community attitude (guidelines?) seem to be “Write and discuss what you want. Be sure to tag it, use content warnings, or otherwise clearly communicate if you have things that may be triggering. Respect people’s squicks/triggers. Walk away from what you don’t like.” Like, tumblr whump has a very specific culture of trying to balance discourse/stories about potentially very dark stuff, but also wanting to make sure the IRL people and Tumblr users are okay. There’s always posts going around about how to do this, are we doing this in the right way, ethics, so on. Also -- and people can correct me -- the whump tumblr space might be where tags are content warnings for people to stay away, and also what people might actively look for. So if any space is going to discuss if this promotional tweet checks out, I feel like it’s this space. 

Also, to note again, Tor Tweets are in the money-official-publisher-world, not unpaid-tumblr-people or unpaid-fanfiction-fandom-world.

Maybe I just want to ask, “Hey those first two tweet responses, does they have a point? Tor using ‘noncon’ as official promotion? On Twitter?” I mean, I’ve previously written, “The CW and TW tags that Ao3 writers use, I really wish those were used with published books as well.” But somehow, the Tor tweet was not quite what I was expecting. Maybe for reasons similar to that first tweet response. (I guess one could debate if a tweet is really promotion or just information... you know what someone can correct me, but I’m gonna say that a Tor.com tweet is promotion, compared to information like Ao3, and that tweet was there for promotion.)

Those tags operate within specific Ao3 and Tumblr cultures and infrastructure. I don’t hang around Twitter for whump stuff, IDK what the culture is. Anyway, does dropping these tags into a promotional tweet from Tor.... translate?

The tweet is evidently gathering the people who are there for it, and the people who aren’t there for it are quickly realizing that they are not there for it. But personally, the Tor website blurb does a better job at that, using writing that I’d expect from a publisher for communicating fictional non-con situations. (Maybe the blurb content warnings are what I wanted more of, when I said I wished for CW and TW in books.)

Anyway, there’s no huge drama about that Docile book promo on Twitter, as far as I can tell. So this is a niche thing, right now. But. The promo for Bonds of Brass and for Docile might be the beginnings of a trend of well-known book publishers borrowing from online writing / fandom culture and terminology in order to promote or categorize their books. These two promos might set a precedent or have other significance.

So if anyone has discourse on the tweets or potential future trends... 

[pixelsbichoice]

Ranking Choices series by how Gay they are

A review no one asked for but an important one nonetheless

EDIT: Updated for latest books 6/29/19

The Freshman - While Zack, Kaitlyn, Becca, and Zig make this a sweet Gay Squad, the book has prominent bi-erasure if you date a man and forces you to deal with toxic Het Drama for multiple books that leaves you begging for the sweet release of diamond death to never come - 4/10 Gay but at what cost

The Crown and the Flame - Kenna is a bisexual Queen, but the fact that they don't give Dom a male li until awkwardly at the very end is tragic - 5/10 Could be gayer

Most Wanted - Look Sam is a Lesbian Icon(tm) but the narrative pushes for Sam and Dave - 3/10 Pretty Het

Rules of Engagement - Forces the MC to be with a man, doesn't give Party Twin a female li until the third book, and older brother's het drama is insufferable - 2/10 Some gay but too much straight to try

Endless Summer - MC can be a guy or a girl. Pretty gay, but the female lis are not treated as well as the male ones, also there are a lot of straight couples and the fact that Pirate Queen Yvonne ends up with a man? Tragic(tm) - 5/10 gay but could be gayer

LoveHacks - Points for the bi black man and the lesbians, but the first book paywalls its only female li to shit, only has the MC date men, and has Brooke end up with a man instead of Seerena - 3/10 Gay but too Het to handle

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor - Nothing but love a respect for my lesbian ghost girlfriend, but you have to pay to stay together (but it is only 17 diamonds and that is a bargain these days) - 8/10 Lots of lesbian love but at a cost

The Royal Romance - Largely forced to spend time with a man, has only one female li even though Olivia is literally right there, and has Penelope get with Kiara's brother even though Kiara is literally right there - 3/10 Very Het

Hero - MC can be a guy or a girl. Kenji is a BIcon but it takes a while to meet the only female li, also the Poppy and Dax het drama is too much - 6/10 Decently gay and has potential

High School Story - MC can be a guy or a girl. Besides the fact that we have to deal with the Het Tragedy that are Brian, Max, Kara, the dumb Autumn love triangle, and what the ever loving fuck is that set up your Dad with Emma's Mom nonsense, these books give a lot of LGBT+ rep - 7/10 Gen Z is the Gayest Gen

It Lives in the Woods - MC can be a guy or a girl. Gay Icon right here, we stan our Trans King(tm) King Kang, Ava and Stacy are female li legends, Lily is our beautiful Lesbian Queen, nothing like the raw gay energy of swinging a barbed wire bat at the undead - 15/10 GAY ICON

Home for the Holidays - One female LI, but at what cost? Can't play as a guy and forced to have dated one (1) man. Don't even get me started on Nick Peralta - 1/10 Literally ever Het Hallmark Christmas movie ever so RUN

Red Carpet Diaries - It feels like it should be pretty gay between the BIcon that is Seth, the Lesbian Legend that is Teja, and the absolute QUEEN that is Victoria, but man does it throw that all away to be SUPER FREAKING STRAIGHT between Matt and Hunt and paywalling the fuck out of Victoria - 3/10 RIP Gay potential

Perfect Match - MC can be a guy or a girl. Can choose to have your perfect match be a guy or a girl. A beautiful array of lis to choose from and they can all be yours because PB said Polyamory Rights! Even though there is some Het stuff with Nadia and Steve, it is actually tolerable. The President can also be a black lesbian and that's the America I want to live in - 10/10 Living my best gay thot life

Bloodbound - Even love interests whom? Sure you get two wonderful female love interests, Lily and the ultimate BI QUEEN Kamilah, but forget ever hanging out with them. This is the JAX AND ADRIAN SHOW ONLY BABEEE - 4/10 Not even a cheap Priya scene can help, PB said fuck wlw

Veil of Secrets - MC can be a guy or a girl. Ms. Harlenay is a Lesbian icon. Kate is a true BI disaster and the fact that we can only get with her romantically at the end of the book is the Biggest Tragedy of Choices - 6/10 It's fun and gay until you die alone bc you don't have enough diamonds

America's Most Eligible - MC can be a guy or a girl. You can thot it up and kiss so many people, Mackenzie is the only female li you can hang out with most of the time and there was one weird scene where Adam and Derek were super "no homo"??? - 6/10 Gay potential but oof the Het

Desire & Decorum - Only one female li, but she is Amazing. Mr. Chambers gay ass is the real MVP. God bless our non-homophobic gay ally of a dad (rip). But still this book got a lot of Het nonsense bc of the time period - 4/10 Press F to pay respect to our gay ancestors

Across The Void - MC can be a guy or a girl. Even number of lis with even screen time and your siblings can be gay too if they weren't so annoying and stealing your screen time - 7/10 Gay but it's hard to read

Big Sky Country - MC can be a guy or a girl. If you are a wlw, there is a lot of Het nonsense and it is hard to be with the female lis. If you are a mlm, ooh boy is this book Really Gay. Like literally every guy wants your city dick. Still there is some Het stuff - 6/10 Average; Life is what you Gay it

High School Story: Class Act - MC can be a guy or a girl. You can choose the gender of the li you are forced to have a crush on so that is nice. If you play as a guy your twin can be a Lesbian Icon and Erin can like girls but if you play as a girl it's like super het. Don't even get me started on Natalie and Clint - 6/10 Gay but oof

It Lives Beneath - MC can be a guy or a girl. Great even bunch of lis and our gay little brother is the most wholesome thing - 8/10 Good gay content minus you know all the Gore and Death

The Elementalists - MC can be a guy or a girl. Let’s hear it for Ace rep! Except the imbalance of li scenes and how Beckett is constantly forced onto you continues to put this book on thin ice, especially with the lack of flirting options for wlw - 5/10 Gay but lesbian struggles

A Courtesan of Rome -  Forced to kiss men. Female characters treated like shit. Sabina stans deserved better. But Gay brother can get his happy gay romance. Caesar/Cleopatra/MC threesome said bi rights. Parents are the biggest gay allies. The biggest disappointment is the untapped potential - 3.5/10 RIP to anyone who hoped to romance Cleopatra

The Heist: Monaco - MC can be a guy or a girl. Allows you to choose gender of one your lis. Has the potential to have 3 female lis who are all iconic. But makes you pay for not 1 but 2 women crew members so having an all women crew is a struggle - 8/10 Let's go Lesbians!

Update:

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance - Everyone thinks you and Logan are dating even if you haven’t romanced him in the slightest. Gay rep in minor characters but at what cost. - 3/10 We been knew of the het nonsense since we saw the tagline

Open Heart - MC can be a guy or a girl. If you are guy this book is great. Seriously Dr. ER always down for the BJ (sorry homophobes he BI!✨). If you are woman, HAHAHAHa. Only one female li who is forced to hate you for a few chapters. Seriously Sienna and Aurora and Kyra are right freaking there just give the wlw something!!! - 4/10 Gay but could do so much better

Passport to Romance - MC can be a guy or a girl. Even number of love interests except for the fact that one of the female li has a boyfriend for 75 percent of the book. Still this book is dreadfully boring or annoying which is sad because Sumire and Ahmed are wonderful. - 7/10 Gay but forgettable

Wishful Thinking - Story has MC spend most time with the two male lis, but MC, Anna, and Ellen working together to take down corrupt politicians ala Charlie’s Angels is awesome! The fact that you can sleep with Ellen coming out of nowhere like a dark horse? Amazing! - 5/10 Gay potential

Nightbound - MC can be a guy or a girl. Even number of love interests, but recent changes make it obvious the book wants you to lean towards Nik. Barely any scenes with Vera or Katherine. There is a gay fae and rock troll love story but you have to pay for it -  4/10 A fun supernatural story PB is forcing to be the next great het romance

Platinum - Can choose for your two main love interests Avery and Raleigh to be male or female which means you are not forced to romance men unless you want to! The women are so pretty it hurts. Get to kiss beautiful women for freeeee. Shoutout to non-binary audience. Every song is bop that fills me with gay pride. Only major downfall is you can’t choose to play as a guy. - 9/10 Move over Hayley Kiyoko there is a new Lesbian pop star in town

And Sunkissed is still up in the air while The Royal Heir is on the thinnest of fucking ices.

[paintingwithdarkness]

How and Why Bluepulse Should Be Canon Next Season

So, we didn’t get it this season. With everything that went on, all of the plot holes left unresolved and some general disappointment all round, I suppose it wasn’t the right time. I’m upset, don’t get me wrong, but I can live with it, IF bluepulse can become canon next season. I believe S4 is the prime time to get bluepulse, (if Grandon decides to finally stop jerking us shippers around) and here are the reasons why:

THE TIME SKIP. One of the major reasons bluepulse couldn’t become canon this season (at least according to Greg) was because of Bart and Jaime’s age gap. I know a lot of people expressed concern over the difference of the three years between them (some even going so far as to call it pedophilia) and how that would effect things. Greg agreed that 15 and 18 was too much of a difference. Now that s3 is over however, there is the opportunity for the characters to be aged up yet again with another timeskip. I’M NOT SUGGESTING ANYTHING DRASTIC HERE. I think three or four years would be about right. It wouldn’t leave too much time in between seasons, so there is a chance the plot points that went unresolved this season can be rectified. Additionally, it puts Bart and Jaime into the same age range. Both of them would be in college. Bart would be 18 or 19, and Jaime would be 21 or 22. The three year gap would no longer be problematic. Plus (and I know I’m getting ahead here) I would love to see the boys on the League. As I recall, 18 was the agreed upon age to admit new members. Plus, Barry has to raise the twins! Being the Flash, maintaining his job as a CSI and raising two speedster babies all at once can’t be easy. Let the guy retire! Bart’s a legacy. Seeing him take the Flash mantle would complete his journey!

THE SHOW IS ALLOWED TO HAVE REP NOW. Though I really can’t fathom why special permission was needed. Being gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, or trans, or any other member of LGBTQ+ isn’t explicit, or warrants a mature rating. It’s the same thing as a heterosexual relationship. The precedent that two men or two women having a relationship together is considered explicit is really unhealthy and harmful. Special permission to include LGBTQ+ characters should never have been needed. ANYWAY, getting back to the show, Grandon tried, and fell short. Violet came out as non-binary. Great! But after the three seconds it took her/them to come out, the subject of her/their gender was never brought up again. A discussion about Violet’s preferred pronouns, or even just hearing the other characters of the show switch to using them/they for Violet would have shown viewers that Grandon was actually serious about Violet’s gender identity, and not just throwing that bit in there to make a point. Secondly, we had the Harper/Harper scene. I’m not going to go into it, because we all know why that scene was so harmful, but I do need to bring it up. And finally, we have Seabreeze (Kaldur/Wynnde). THAT IS THE ONLY GOOD REP WE GOT THIS SEASON. Am I happy for Kaldur? Yes. That man deserved some happiness after all of the stress and heartbreak he’s been through. Seabreeze was the ship we didn’t ask for, but the one that we deserved. This however, doesn’t give Grandon an excuse. One good gay relationship doesn’t erase the two previously mentioned mistakes. If Grandon is actually serious about making an attempt to give us good representation and understanding the LGBTQ+ community, they will give us more characters that we can relate to. Also, it will show fans that Grandon isn’t just ticking a box by including one gay couple. It isn’t ‘one-and-done’ with this issue. We have a plethora of cis-het relationships in this show (some of which are really unnecessary). All I’m asking for is that the same respect and consideration can be put into including characters of different sexual backgrounds. (Two white guys have no problem introducing characters of color- they’ve actually done a pretty good job of being inclusive- with a few exceptions. Why is it different for two straight guys to introduce LGBTQ+ characters?)

NATASHA IRONS. We got Steel this season. Why not his niece? Granted, there have been a lot of new character introductions this season with little/no development. I understand that. But one of those characters who got little screen time was Traci. She was heavily promoted pre-s3 and was in two episodes? I know there are people in the fandom who wanted to see more of her. Introducing Natasha next season will give Grandon that opportunity. Having Traci come back next season in a healthy lesbian relationship? Even better. Natasha and Traci were girlfriends in the comics. There’s no reason they can’t be together in the show as well. Going along with that train of thought, Traci dated Jaime in the comics too. I have a feeling that’s why Grandon put them together this season. But, if I’m being honest, Jaime and Traci’s relationship didn’t go anywhere in the comics, and aside from one episode this season, it wasn’t developed in the show either. There’s really no point in keeping them together next season. There is however two excellent opportunities for good rep, if Jaime and Traci break things off. It frees them both up for relationships with Bart and Natasha respectively. If Grandon really wants to impress us and make up for the bad rep from this season, this would be an excellent way to do it. We’d get a healthy gay pairing and a healthy lesbian pairing. Relatable to a HUGE population of non-straight viewers.

THE SHIP IS POPULAR. It’s not a very good arguing point, but it is true. I understand Grandon have never been huge listeners of fanservice, and I don’t necessarily think they should be. Young Justice is their show to write, and if they gave into every fan request, the show would be a disaster. BUT, it’s not like they can ignore the fans either. They have to make a show that we will enjoy watching. If they go around disappointing the fanbase and insulting us at every turn, they’re going to lose a lot of viewers. We fought hard to get this show back. Grandon would be stupid to let it last for only two more seasons. Yj has been trending on DC Universe since we first came back in January. It’s the most lucrative show for the streaming service (I personally only bought a subscription for this show in particular). Including things such as popular ships that the audience will enjoy seeing is just a smart decision to keep people coming back and paying that subscription fee each month. Bluepulse is the third most popular ship in the fandom behind Birdflash and Spitfire. With the bridges Grandon has burned with Wally West at the end of s2 and now again in s3, the two most popular ships are going to be a little hard to continue pulling off. Birdflash fans got Dick’s slip of the tongue in Private Security and his fever dream this season, while Spitfire fans got Artemis’ moment of closure in ep25 today. But how are these ships supposed to be carried on into the future? I really really hate saying this as someone who actually loved Wally in s1, but I don’t think he’s coming back. With all of the teasers and everything Grandon has done with him/his ghost this season, I think it was their way of letting the fans down easy. (Trust me, I was really hoping he was going to come back. I held onto that hope until the end of the season). So that leaves them with bluepulse. It would honestly be stupid not to put Bart and Jaime together. With Birdflash and Spitfire out, it’s the most popular pairing in the fandom. The two have had plenty of time together on screen to grow and become friends (potentially develop feelings) that suddenly having them together when we go into S4 won’t be any kind of shock. With all of the development they got together in s2, it’s a waste to not make them a couple. It’s all there. All Grandon has to do is make it official.

These are the most important reasons and justifications I’ve been able to come up with. Honestly, I don’t know why Greg and Brandon wouldn’t take this opportunity. Bluepulse becoming canon next season would be easy to include, and make up for a lot of the canon relationship B.S. that occurred this season. It should be the top goal for S4.

[rustandruin]

Top 5 bisexual characters in anything? 😘😘

LOUISE. I nearly died laughing when I saw this hours ago, and now I’m laughing in delight all over again. What a perfect ask. (I recently made a list of shows with great bi rep for someone else, who didn’t really ask for it but I am that extra.) But I’m always game to celebrate all the wonderful bisexuals who exist in fiction. (BTW, limiting this list to only 5 proved harder than expected, because we’ve had such a wealth of representation in recent years, even if it’s not all perfect, or some characters may not quite use that label for themselves.)

In any case, here are my current faves:

5. Korra (Legend of Korra)

I loved Korra from the moment I met her and her tiny self confidently declared that she was the Avatar. But while I thought it would be nice for her to end up with Asami, because why would the Avatar, a soul that is not constrained by the bounds of gender, be limited in their sexual orientation, I didn’t actually expect it to happen. Because years of TV watching had taught me otherwise. But then something magical happened, and it actually became canon. Korra and Asami did have feelings for each other after all. And now I get to read a graphic novel trilogy where my favourite Avatar works out her sexual identity while I slowly figure out my own. 

4. Ianto Jones (Torchwood) 

Ianto was always my favourite character when I first watched this series when it first premiered all those many years ago, but it’s only upon a recent rewatch that I realised just how sexually fluid that entire cast of characters was. (Not that I’d expect anything less from a show where Jack Harkness is the lead. But still, this is insane for a show that premiered in the early 00′s.) Nevertheless, there’s something about Ianto Jones in particular that made him my firm favourite early on. I think it has something to do, with the reason why I love him so much now: he has a clear emotional journey from when he loses his girlfriend at the beginning of the series, to being attracted to, and later falling for, Jack. There’s something simple and quite nuanced about the way he explains to his sister that it isn’t all men he’s attracted to (or rather, loves), but rather, just Jack. 

3. Henry “Monty” Montague (Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue)

Monty is the teenage personification of a walking bisexual disaster, and I couldn’t love him more. He’s smart, but selfish, sensitive, but quite rude. Not to mention, privileged, entitled, and utterly insensitive to the plight of anyone else but himself. He’s a complete flirt, but also in love with his best friend. All of this combines to a fantastic journey of growth and self-discovery that sees him transcend his previous tendencies and grow to be a better person who is worthy of the boy he loves. Oh, and the most impressive part? He’s the bisexual protagonist of a historical YA novel, written by a bisexual author who took pains to ensure that everything was guided by modern sensibilities even though it is set at a time when attitudes toward the LGBTQIA community were less than friendly. (Also the sequel features Monty’s most likely asexual sister who might be romanced by a lady pirate captain, as she attempts to attend medical school like she so deserves. I don’t know how I’m supposed to just sit around and wait.)  

2. b) John Constantine (Legends of Tomorrow, Hellblazer) 

John is technically my first favourite bisexual character ever, because I loved him before I even knew what that label was, or that I identify as it. Instead, I just read the Hellblazer comics as they followed the adventures of my favourite smart-talking, hard-smoking, trenchcoat-wearing occult detective. (The only thing I love more than a detective is one that uses magic. See also: Harry Dresden, and Skulduggery Pleasant. I have a type.) But then as talk of the TV series came about, I saw somewhere that he was bi and lost my shit a little (In retrospect, it feels silly that it took me as long as I did to figure myself out). Of course, the NBC show did not honour that aspect of his identity, which makes me only gladder that he’s going to be a regular on Legends of Tomorrow next season because Matt Ryan was born to play him. 

2. a) Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

How do I love Rosa Diaz? Let me count the ways. She’s a fantastic friend and amazing co-worker who has her colleagues’ backs even when they’re at their most stubborn and uncooperative. Stephanie Beatriz’s performance over these last five seasons has imbued her with a growing sense of warmth under that tough demeanour that only emphasises how much she’s grown as a character. (And the journey we’ve gotten to see her go on.) But beyond being a hilarious character with many levels who constantly kicks ass and is also the most relatable, she got to have a coming out arc that has been sensitively crafted, after Beatriz herself requested her own real-life orientation be reflected on screen. It’s a perfect example of how a character’s sexual identity can inform and enrichen their relationships without detracting from who they are. And I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

1. Robert Sugden (Emmerdale)

Look, I love Robert, but I never actually expected him to top this list. But then I gave it some more thought watched Aaron’s reunion speech, and I realised that it actually makes sense that he would. He’s a smart, funny, at times self-serving and flawed character who’s been through a lot. But somewhere along the way, he’s managed to grow and go on a journey of self-acceptance and find love and happiness and a family. (In some ways he’s a grown up Monty.) Like many of the characters on this list, he’s also got layers. He’s schemed and lied and cheated his way in and out of trouble several times over, but that’s only made him a more fun character to watch. (At least for me.) This is of course in part to Ryan Hawley’s performances, which has had to sell various facets of Robert’s personality, while retaining all the things it is that we love about him. 

Also, for me personally, as someone who regularly writes fic about this character, and from this character’s point of view, I feel a bit more of a personal connection to him. I’ve used his feelings and in-show experiences as a launching pad for my own writing and as an outlet to explore whatever it is I might be feeling or headcanoning in the moment. It’s helped me grow as a writer and a person, and sometimes what’s what you need your favourite characters to do for you. No matter which stage of your life you may be in. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:  Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom), Loki (Marvel), River Song (Doctor Who), Waverly Earp (Wynonna Earp), Petra Solano (Jane the Virgin), Dutch (Killjoys), Darryl Whitefeather (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Margo Hansen (The Magicians), Charity Dingle (Emmerdale), Clara Oswald (Doctor Who), Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy), H.G. Wells (Warehouse 13), Bob Belcher (Bob’s Burgers, not confirmed, but would be amazing), Gomez and Morticia Addams (The Addams Family - not confirmed, but come on), Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch - again, not confirmed, but come on) 

[ghostmartyr]

...I have lost my temper, so this is all going under a cut despite the fact that some of it clearly needs to be shouted into people’s ears. This is pure hate for a fandom I am not part of, because I hate it. Reasonableness not found.

It’s about ship hate.

Specifically, shipper hate. And why NO.

Buckle the fuck in.

...So I don’t spend time in the fandom anymore. I hate it.

But I unfortunately have friends. So I hear stuff.

So. Uh.

I despise the Eren and Historia ship with all of my heart.

Meanwhile, the people who also hate it are so fucking loud and obnoxious that I can’t hate it in peace without feeling tainted by their inability to leave people the fuck alone.

(ETA: ...Several hours later, wow. I was not kidding about losing my temper. The below was crossed out originally, and for the sake of continuity I won’t delete it, but good grief, me. Calm down. You’re not helping.)

Stop sending people hate. You take away my ability to peacefully fantasize about my NOTP burning to a fucking crisp, and you make the general perception in the fandom that anyone who cares about queer rep in the fandom is a raving jackass.

Is that remotely true? No. Does fandom perception function on truth? Also no.

Also, when people get hate, spite becomes a motivator.

Thanks guys. You’ve made the fandom even more full of that thing we can’t stand. Wow, gee, why are so many more people in favor of this ship I hate now?

Gee, I fucking wonder.

People do not stop being invested because you send them hate. Or they do, which is actually awful. Fandom’s fun. It is supposed to be fun. Let the people who haven’t completely fallen to the hate in their hearts actually have a good fucking time and leave them the fuck alone.

I hate this ship. So fucking much. But do you know what happens when I try to hate it at the moment? I feel guilty! Because every single person who actually likes it has to put up with this crap! You people being assholes is interfering with my quiet, simmering hate, and it’s annoying.

(I got calmer as things went on, so that’s crossed out in the spirit of giving people the option of ignoring the vitriol. ...There’s. Still a lot of vitriol. But. The above is probably the worst?)

And you know what? If canon were to actually make it a thing, yeah, there would be some very serious reasons to complain. But you know what else? Right now, you’re complaining about something that isn’t canon. Because it is not fucking canon. You aren’t complaining about a worrying trope within a product of mainstream media.

You’re complaining about other fans enjoying themselves in a way you don’t like.

Does it suck that the whole fucking Historia fandom would prefer shipping her with every single male character over her ending up with a girlfriend? Yes.

Does shouting at the people who still know how to have fun change how much that sucks? Not really.

Look. I hate this fandom. With all of my fucking heart. I don’t belong in it. People don’t like me, and none of the things I care about are things that it values. I spend every second I’m forced to think about this fandom consumed with hatred for life in general. Is that healthy? No. Hence the leaving.

Don’t take away people’s joy. Ever. Even if it’s for something you hate. They need it just as badly as you need yours.

Find your joy again instead of trying to tear someone else’s down. If you succeed, you ruin someone’s day/week/life. If you don’t, they’ll probably create more of that thing you hate. Which doesn’t help you in any way, shape, or form.

I would kill to find a reasonable discussion about wanting Historia to be a lesbian and being disappointed that fandom has zero interest in that. I would kill to find a serious discussion on how fucked up it is that the manga appears to have killed her girlfriend off-screen and impregnated her. Regardless of anything else, she is queer. Hell, she could be head over heels in love with NPC Farmer Guy, and she’d still be queer, and the narrative problems with her arc as it appears would still be worthy of critical discussion.

And instead of that content existing, people keep screaming at fans of a non-canon m/f pairing.

Which, even if it were canon, would be a jerk move.

Pairings being canon means that you can shout about them without hating their fanbase. That’s really the only change, but it is a significant one. When a pairing is canon, that means shouting about it is shouting about canon. When pairings aren’t canon, shouting about them means that you are shouting at their fanbase.

One of those is okay. Unless the shouting leads to direct content with the creators. The other is straight up being a dick.

Not everyone who likes m/f is homophobic. Hell, some people just like Eren and Historia together. Is that a fun thought? No. Is Eren the only character Historia has significant canon interaction with? Pretty fucking much. People will ship anything that stands in the same room long enough. It comes down to personal preference.

Most people do not have personal preferences that lead them to f/f. It sucks. Shouting about it is not going to change that. You can talk about why that is, and why misogyny and homophobia combine with discussion of queer female characters and why that doubly sucks.

People will still ship the thing you don’t like.

At best, you might make them feel ashamed about it.

Awesome. More people feeling like they’re not allowed to love the things they love.

Historia Reiss is a queer character. The entire fandom regularly screams about how she never actually had feelings for Ymir. Currently, her arc involves her girlfriend dying off-screen while she herself is coerced into pregnancy.

So, you know. Let’s complain about how people want Eren and Historia to bang. That’s clearly the problem.

Again, I hate the ship! I hate that half its shippers appear to be following me and I have no idea why (....no offense, I’m sure you’re all wonderful people, I just have a lot of hate I’m really sorry thanks for the likes)! I hate that it’s difficult to find fans who want Historia to be gay! I hate that the one person I’ve seen wanting her to be asexual said that Ymir and Historia weren’t canon! I hate that before I left, every single damn fan of Historia who cared about Historia as a person, not an accessory, seemed to be cheering for the possibility of Eren and Historia!

But you know what I hate most?

I can’t find anyone who feels that way who has remembered to treat their fellow fans with respect. The people I know who have my preferences? I know that because they scream and shout at people. They tag their hate, they send anonymous messages, and generally make people feel like garbage for enjoying a thing.

I can’t even want Ymir and Historia to end up together without feeling guilty, because I know if that happens, everyone who happens to like a m/f ship involving Historia is going to get crapped on.

I’ve wanted Historia to be a lesbian since I started this series, and I am now in a place where I feel bad for wanting that, because the people interested in her being other sections of the spectrum get treated so terribly.

The honest truth is that I left the fandom because psychologically, I am a disaster, and everything being shouted back and forth hit too close to home. I can’t handle it. I don’t expect to ever touch it again outside of my bubble, because every brush I’ve had with it since makes me miserable.

What triggered this mess of temper was one of my friends commenting that someone I know got hate for making some kind of graphic. He used hyperbolic language about how “oh so they did this so that means they’re murdering gay people.”

I don’t hold that against him, but the reason it set me off is because the perception is that people upset with Historia being the m/f bicycle of the fandom are whiny brats who deserve to be unhappy and are overreacting to homophobia that doesn’t exist.

And it’s just... anon hate is never okay. It helps nothing, and hurts people. Including the people sending it. Putting that darkness in your soul into action is just going to make it worse.

But part of what that hate has done is... it’s made it so the loudest voices of the people upset over Historia and the problems with her treatment are anonymous haters who make people who like the wrong ship cry.

That. is not a helping thing.

Historia’s portrayal in the manga is a damn concerning thing. The fact that people still argue that she never had feelings for Ymir is a very concerning thing.

The fact that people ship her with Eren might be frustrating, and even hurtful with the reminder that the majority of the fandom definitely does not want Historia to be gay, but it is very much not the thing to be loud and worried over (especially because, again, non-canon, so you’re really just picking on the fanbase itself, which has zero point except for meanness).

Maybe I’m imagining it, since I left. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, since my little corner is so distant.

But what it feels like is that people complaining about homophobia has become synonymous with whiny brats with no respect for fandom boundaries. Because the people complaining about homophobia loudest are acting like whiny brats with no respect for fandom boundaries.

And that is a problem.

Homophobia still exists. Lesbophobia still exists. Biphobia still exists. From my limited contact before I left, I know that those last two are at war instead of holding hands, because they’ve fundamentally misunderstood what each side is upset about.

(Side bar I guess: People upset about lesbophobia are upset about lesbians being treated like crap. People upset about biphobia are upset about bisexuals being treated like crap.

Not wanting a queer female character to like men does not equal hating bisexuals. Wanting a queer female character to like men does not equal hating lesbians.

Meanwhile, at this point, if Historia is ever given a canon sexual identity beyond liking Ymir, a lot of people are going to be hurt for personal reasons that have nothing to do with their respect for various sexualities. Having your hopes dashed sucks. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. You should be allowed to feel however you want about fiction in peace.

Which leads us back to me wanting Historia to just fucking die so that no side will ever have the option of harassing another because “ha ha we were right you all suck.”

Just. Just kill the queer. It will be so much less awful that way. Kill her now.

I need this series to end and the tags to accidentally be deleted. Or on purpose, whatever works.)

Going back to... yeah.

As much as we all like to think we’re reasonable people who use our heads, when something does not actively affect you, it is easy to start taking it as seriously as you take that thing’s spokesperson.

So the fact that the apparent spokespeople for lesbophobia in the SnK fandom are a bunch of rabid anons lacking in basic respect?

That... is really sadness-inducing.

You’ve taken an understandable pain and twisted it into a frothing hate that does nothing but hurt people.

Please don’t do that.

Be hurt. Be upset.

But be kind. For the sake of yourselves, and for the sake of the things you’re trying to champion. It’ll go better.

(...And on that note, I’m really sorry for all the yelling. Which probably made a few people who didn’t deserve it feel bad. I am just a very angry person, and. ...When I say I left for a reason, this is that reason. Every behavior I’m critical of is something I have felt a thousand times worse in my heart. I want to be a bad person more than anyone in this damn fandom.

But sorry for the yelling. I know most of you guys have nothing to do with any of this. Hell, I’m not even in the fandom, so who knows if what I’m screaming about is accurate.)

[deathstrange]

                                         RABASTAN LESTRANGE.                                               twenty five. death eater. hufflepuff.                                                 charming. persuasive. creative.                                                  two faced. passive. sadistic.                                                        healer. chameleon.

                                   i will not be atlas with arms so bruised they are blue.                                                                  PINTEREST BOARD.

BACK TO BASICS.

name: rabastan emory lestrange. occupation: healer. nicknames: rab or rabbie.

+ charming, persuasive, creative, patient, clever. - two faced, sadistic, passive, entitled, superficial.

age: 25. date of birth: october 23, 1993. zodiac: scorpio. hometown: somewhere in england!!! to be determined!!!! current location: lives in a penthouse apartment in london. gender: cis male. pronouns: he/him. orientation: bisexual. spoken languages: english, french and german fluently. moral alignment: neutral evil / true neutral. element: earth / air. house: hufflepuff.

character insp: peeta mellark ( the hunger games ), achilles ( mythology ), finnick odair ( the hunger games ), lucifer ( mythology ), will halstead ( chicago med ).

BACKGROUND.

child neglect cw.

Rabastan grew up as the youngest of two brothers, the second in line to the throne. The second Lestrange. The backup. The extra, in case the first one broke.

Being the forgotten Lestrange had its perks, though. Rabastan became a golden boy in his own right, growing up in the shadows, with the same access to the riches, the luxury and the reputation that a proper Lestrange deserved. But none of the attention... or the burden of the Lestrange legacy. He was mostly seen as the baby Lestrange, the sweet, sweet boy who behaved like an angel, but wasn’t... all there. Thank god that he’s pretty, right? At least he’ll marry nice.

So maybe Rabastan grew a bit resentful against his parents. Decided that fuck them, I’ll do whatever I want.

But he still remained The Good Son, dutifully attending all his tutor sessions and all his classes. Smiled pretty at his parents’ parties. Was painfully polite to all their guests. Managed to charm the most rugged of dark wizards, weaseled his way in, with that slight smile and those big blue eyes and that weird talent of being scary good at guessing exactly what people wanted to hear. Probably stemmed from him always listening in, ya feel.

Def partly raised by house elves and maids. Was left wondering where his parents were at most of his childhood.

But 100% grew up idolizing his brother!!!!!! Thought he was the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread.

HOGWARTS YEARS.

So homeboy shows up at Hogwarts, and he’s absolutely fucking bursting with rebellion and a wish to do absolutely ANYTHING to fuck with his parents. Maybe.... idk.... to make them notice him for once.....

So what does he do? He pulls a Harry Potter !!!!!!! Asks the sorting hat to place him in any house but Slytherin, which it reluctantly agrees to do. And suddenly he’s sitting at the Hufflepuff table. 

Okay so, he started out as a pretty good Hufflepuff. Really hard working ( eager to prove himself ), very loyal, very modest ( he would get over that one, later. lmao ), so so sweet ( that one too, would not be permanent ) and overall just a good kid!!! 

Arrived at Hogwarts with the good ol’ “Rodolphus Lestrange’s baby brother” label already firmly slapped on him. All teachers compared him to his brother, which was a bitter pill to swallow. Was that all he’d ever be? For how long would he have to chase his older brother’s shadow? Never quite keeping up.

ANYWAYS. His parents weren’t exactly charmed by the fact that Rabastan didn’t follow the Family Tradition™ of ending up in Slytherin. Made for an awkward Christmas dinner, that year. 

Luckily ( or, perhaps, unluckily, for him ), he was quickly forgiven for his faults. The poor boy can’t help that no other house will take him, can he? 

But Rabastan made a life for himself in Hufflepuff. He went home every summer with grades that were almost flawless ( which rewarded him with a quick pat on the shoulder, some brief acceptance, before the family’s attention returned to work and far more important things than the non-heir ). He made friends. Moved in different social circles, quickly becoming a social chameleon, blending in just as well with the Hufflepuff kids as the Slytherin kids. In Hufflepuff, his actions spoke louder for him than his name did. In Slytherin, his name spoke louder for him than his house.

Was a bit of a party boy. Has definitively been found black out drunk in the prefect bathrooms more than once ( how did he get in there, u ask? his dazzling smile : ~ ) what else ! ).

Watched as the Dark Lord slowly rose to power, but never directly involved himself, and was very careful to not mention his own thoughts, instead always steering the conversation towards something else, or back towards the person he spoke to. 

Silently, Rabastan supported Voldemort, though. His agenda was appealing to him, sounded about right. And then there was the influence of his older brother, of course. Everything Rodolphus touched turned to gold, after all.

AFTER HOGWARTS.

alcoholism cw / murder cw / torture cw ( it’s going downhill from here ig)

Rabastan graduated Hogwarts with good grades, plenty of friends and a growing addiction to alcohol. 

Immediate decision after school was to go into emergency medicine, and he thus became a healer for St Mungos hospital. It was the glory he was after, the status. Helping people? Not really his primary concern.

Has sworn to do no harm wHICH HE DOESN’T!!!! WHILE AT WORK !!!!! What he does outside of work is a different story though. We all have our hobbies, guys!!!!

Started getting kinda tired of being known as the Idiot Lestrange after a while. Especially now that he was a healer. Slowly began dropping the dumb act, it rarely benefited him anymore anyways.

Slowly also became more involved with the Death Eaters, and eventually rose to a high enough position that he could be seen as someone to Count On. Which was all he really wanted, really. Homeboy is attention starved and wants recognition!!!! The Death Eaters fed into that, a lot. 

But anyways, he’s very lowkey about it. Even though his name is kinda sus, I guess? But other than that - Stealth mode.

Currently drinking himself into oblivion, when he’s not working :/

Not super into the whole torturing people thing, but has been assigned a lot of That Kind Of Work anyways (within the Death Eaters), because of his medical background : ~) He will slowly get more into it though, becomes a little bit darker the longer the war goes on. More willing to push past his limits, cross the lines he normally wouldn’t cross. We all know how far he’ll go, in the end.

Has lowkey developed two distinctive personalities over the years - two sides of the same coin that can be flipped as easily as you turn on/off the lights. There’s the good guy, the healer, the smiling pretty boy that knows exactly what to say to get you to take a step closer to the edge, and then there’s the very bad man, who’s drunk, trying to kill you and has forgotten who he is. Which one is the real Rabastan !!!! We don’t know !!!!

Deadass reverts straight back to his Hogwarts self whenever he’s at a family gathering. 

REALLY loves his job !!!! Is good at it too and works really hard !!! Loves the kick of the adrenaline rush when he saves someone, or when someone acknowledges his work.

PERSONALITY.

alcoholism cw.

Bit of a disaster, really.

Probably trying to charm u out of ur life savings right now

Typical Bad Influence, tbh

SOCIAL CHAMELEON!!!! 

Never shows his anger and ends up burying it deep down instead until he eventually snaps.

Responsibility? Not his thing. Taking responsibility for his actions? Also not his thing.

He’s really out there repping the whole irresponsible younger brother stereotype!!!

Still a bit of a party boy, tbh.

Kinda vain. Knows that he’s good looking and doesn’t rly understand 100% why other people wouldn’t think that he’s god’s greatest gift to mankind. 

Has deep rooted commitment issues and can’t commit to anything, except work & his brother, to save his life

Also has deep rooted trust issues probably.

Likes plants a lot but keeps killing them :(

Very good at reading people!!!! 

Surprisingly good cook!!!! But can only follow like five recipes. :/

Can go from being a tall dark stranger to a golden retriever puppy within seconds.

There is so much hate in him, but he’s not sure what for. Somewhere deep down, he hates his parents, he hates himself, he hates his family line and what they’ve forged him into. But that’s a little too painful to bear ( and Rabastan has always been the type to run away from his problems, refuse to shoulder the burden of anything that might bruise his arms / his heart !!! ), so he channels all that hatred into something else.

Has Opinions™ about muggle technology but still uses an iPhone. Hypocrite.

Constantly craving attention and will do anything to get it. He’s looking for acknowledgement and praise, tbh? Can def be a textbook people pleaser, too.

Can be so so so cruel and cold, it’s a bit scary really. 

Somehow also the best listener? Gifts from his childhood, I guess!

More of an emotional torturer, than anything. Likes playing with people’s feelings and their heart strings. Favorite hex is the imperius curse.

How to break someone down emotionally 101 by Rabastan Lestrange.

Used to have a heart !!!!!! Lost it a long time ago though. It’s rotting, now.