#the same way they beef w the male villains

[puppiekit]

sorry sorry sorry sorry I cannot go a day without thinking about how frequently I see "I support womens wrongs! give us more female villians! give us more complex female characters!" in the fandom when these same people hate on Mapleshade for literally just existing . . . ARE YOU SURE you want more female characters who are genuinely bad people . . . "Mapleshade is so horrible! she was a liar!" yeah shes a villain. shes a villain. why are you dissing her for being a villain and having a villain backstory. I see soo many people like fr hate her just because she isnt a good person when she isnt supposed to be a good person because she is a VILLAIN like I am going to shed a full head of hair

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

do you have any opinions on the hazbin critical and vivziepop critical tags?

tw // mentions of sexual abuse and sucide

I have a personal beef with them. And not because I love Hazbin and Vivzie so much but for more presonal reasons so the following opinion won't be measured at all.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are some legit criticisms out there. Like, the show could definitely do better with body diversity and giving us more varied sapphic relationships instead of just throwing a ton of male/male couples at us. And, yeah, Vivzie's response to some of the criticism has been... questionable. (I still cringe when I think about that one time she explained that Raphielle can ship ValAngel because they are sa survivor, but Raphielle explicitly admitted to not be one).

But then, there's stuff that's just... pulled out of nowhere. Like the whole thing about Valentino being a "fetish character." Come on, the world of villains is filled with queer, flamboyant baddies. What sets Valentino apart is how his abusive behavior is shown in the open, making us rethink our love for villains. If it weren't for Mascarade, people would worship this moth daddy gangster in a dress, much like they are with Vox now. It's hard to root for the bad guy when you see the fallout of their actions. Like, Loki committed war crimes and no one was outraged when he got his own TV series and dragged creators for supporting atrocities.

Constant Valentino/Angel Dust discourse actually leads to the more serious issues I have with this "community", more harmful than just "bad media literacy" like the way they handle the topic of sexual abuse and weaponize it, without ever listening to victims. There is this constant shitstorm about Angel being a "bad sa survivor rep," that the way he's written is insensitive because "he shouldn't be horny, he's sexually traumatized." Like, do these people not understand that making Angel unable to enjoy his sexuality the way he wants would essentially mean acknowledging that it's no longer his but belongs to his abuser now? Also, the argument I keep seeing that drives me BAT SHIT CRAZY aka "I can enjoy this media that is centered around murderer, you cannot enjoy the media that treats rapist as a nuanced character because rape is objectively worse than murder." WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU THAT? Reading this makes me feel so angry and sad and guilty because frankly, I was raped, and of course, it was horrible but still I'd choose it any time over being murdered. Because I have my life, I'm loved, and I love, I pursue my dreams, and I can still experience so many good things in my life. Painting sexual assault as this worse-than-death experience is not the feminist take they think it is and does not do victims any good.

Or accusations that Vivzie's support of fandom bullying led to someone taking their life. It's such a ridiculous and harmful claim. Honestly, this thing always makes me heated because suicide is not an easy decision, ask any person who ever faced it. It's not like "ah, this stranger told me to kms, I guess I gotta do it now." Of course, any kind of bullying and abuse adds to the suffering and can be the final trigger, but to me, it's just so disrespectful and harmful that someone could have experienced prolonged, intense suffering and all of this is omitted, their death labeled as a result of "fandom bullying" and weaponized in fandom drama. Also, it's simply cruel to put the blame for it on one, uninvolved person.

Also, it always annoys me when people hold small creators to immensely high standards while not doing the same with others. If we keep lynching and canceling every media that is not objectively morally pure, we won't be left with only perfect media. We will be left with media produced by white, privileged billionaires who might be real-life rapists, abusers, and thieves but are too powerful to be taken down by social media outrage. Hazbin's success is a major W for the underappreciated medium of animation (we saw what WB did to 90% of their animated shows), unpopular genres like musicals (Wonka creators were literally too ashamed to market it as one??), and unapologetic queer narratives that are not written for a heteronormative audience or centered around queer oppression (ofmd, the other medium I can think of in that realm has just been canceled). I can't stand people so desperate to put it down driven by their black-or-white sense of morality. Kant won't be patting your back for being the Moraliest Person because you bullied an indie creator and her fans.

Also everyone who feels the need to explain me hazbin critical agenda - save your breath. I'm very emotional about it and I frankly don't fucking care why you think you are right.

[foryoumyheroes]

Celebrity C-C-Crush

[Bakugou + Todoroki + Amajiki]’s crush has their own crush on another Pro-Hero.

A/N: 

I know that this is obvious, but I thought that I should reinstate that the “reader” is depicted as being in high school and all of their crushes are over eighteen. While they are nice to the reader, they are in no way reciprocating, pursuing, or even entertaining the idea of being with a minor. It is purely one-sided. Happy reading! 

Warnings: slight OPM crossover. 

Bakugou Katsuki: 

Bakugou probably spends so much time to get you to notice him. I headcanon that when he’s attracted to someone, he just has the urge to show off 100% more to silently tell his crush that he’s capable. 

Whether it be by teasing you more than others, shouting at you to fight him, or getting your attention by being such a tsundere he obviously puts in a lot of time and effort to get you to look at him, so when others are able to get you to notice them easily, he becomes pretty petty. 

That’s why when he sees you across the street over the weekend his eyes immediately follow your figure and a soft smile appears on his face despite the fact that he’s surrounded by the “dumbass” Bakusquad. When he sees who you’re with however, that smile immediately drops into a scowl. 

You are the complete fangirl/fanboy image. You’re stuttering and blushing as you shyly go, “H-Hi, Mumen...” You’re hanging off every word he says and you even hand Mumen a homemade lunch (Bakugou notices that it’s a reusable bento so you have to see him again). Bakugou nearly rages. 

What’s worse is that Mumen easily accepts your kind words and the lunch you made for him. And he’s nice to you??? Mumen’s able to hold a conversation with you without one of you getting annoyed?? 

“Heya, [Name],” Mumen says with a small smile, and Bakugou fumes. Why are is this second-rate Hero so familiar with you? “I saw you during the U.A. Sports Festival! Congratulations on getting Top Ten. I was rooting for you! I know you’ll get them next time.” 

Inner Bakugou is just screaming. Why the FUCK are you so uwu baby eyes 👉👈 right now?? What was there to blush for?? You’ve never blushed for Katsuki, and every time he steals a morsel from your lunch you always get annoyed with him, but you’re here giving out lunches!! The double standard!! he thinks. The audacity of this bitch!! 

Obviously the Bakusquad sees all of this unfold before their eyes, and they all glance at each other knowingly when Bakugou rants about “What’s so great about Mumen Rider?” and that he can beat the Pro-Hero “to the fucking ground.” 

“Maybe he has something called a nice personality,” Kaminari jokes and Sero snorts in response. 

RIP them ig. 

Knowing that you have this celebrity crush, Bakugou would immediately go to you the next day and start talking about how weak Mumen is, how shitty of a Hero he is, how he’s ten years older than you guys, etc. etc. 

Of course you don’t hear any of it. You insist that Mumen is a well-liked Hero in the community, and most importantly he’s nice. 

Bakugou nearly gags. Nice?? NïCë?? That’s all it takes to get to you? He spent all this time trying to get your attention and the secret was kindness this entire time?? Well, fine then. 

Tries to win you over by sheer Pavlovian response. 

You think Mumen’s glasses are cute? BAM. The next day he’s wearing his dad’s spare glasses even though they have different prescriptions. 

Mumen once saved you and got you [favorite snack] while you waited for your guardians to come? Every time he sees you he gives you [favorite snack]. Just outright slams it down on your desk without a word. 

He’s going to beat you at your own game. You think you can make Mumen these cute bentos? No bitch, he’s going to be making you BETTER bentos. 

He’ll even ride a bike to school every day if that’s what it takes. 

It’s clear that what you have for Mumen is admiration, and when Bakugou matures and changes he doesn’t mind you stanning another Pro-Hero. Once you guys are older and are in an established relationship he even willingly buys you Mumen merch and supports your obsessions, even if it is grudgingly. 

He tells himself that it could be worse. You could be like Deku and All Might. 

Todoroki Shouto: 

To Todoroki, your appeal comes from your strength and your composure, He acknowledges how strong you are and doesn’t see it as a challenge to him, so his admiration and affection for you is through the roof. 

So when you guys are walking down the street together and Genos, AKA Demonic Cyborg, crashes down in front of you due to a villain attack on the city, he expects you to stand your ground. 

Of course his first instinct is to hold out his arm to protect/guard you, but instead he finds that he’s just swatting empty air and when he looks over at your figure, question marks just fill the space near his head. 

You’re strangely huddled behind Genos with a large blush on your face and you’ve left Todoroki’s side completely. You’re clutching on the older male’s bicep with a strange nervous look on your face. 

[”G-Genos, y-you’re here!” you stutter uncharacteristically, and Todoroki’s head is calculating at the speed of light at your behavior. 

Genos barely spares you a glance as he readies another heat blast. “Be careful, [Name]. Stand back if you have to.” 

“T-Thank you...! I feel so much safer with you!”] 

What, is the only word that Todoroki is able to say. When Genos is done saving the day and leaves, the boy immediately confronts you about it. He’s blunt to a fault, so he has no problems asking what the hell was that while you avoid his gaze and poke your fingers together.

You look cute, he thinks, but your display is not for him. 

Obviously what he feels is irritation, because that was a side you reserved solely for this stranger, he thinks, but he’s more confused than anything. You never look at Todoroki like that.  

“W-Well... I just think he’s so cool and his Quirk is really amazing. His fire abilities are really something else... A-And on the weekends sometimes I see him at the supermarket and he helps me pick out groceries...” 

You talk about how dreamy it is that Genos helps you get the best bargains at the supermarket and Todoroki sets out the next day with his dad’s credit card. 

He doesn’t see the appeal of Genos’s actions, but if that’s what gets your attention, then he’s willing to try. He can do better than bargain meats. 

For the next couple of weeks your eyes absolutely bug out when you open the door to your house and see premium meat and vegetables are just sitting on your doorstep. 

He gets you the 7600 yen beef and this is Japan, the vegetables are expensive.  

When you try to get him to stop, he’s just like, “Well, do you like them?” or “Is there something wrong with the produce? I can return it and get you new ones.” 

You two end up going to the grocery store together on weekends because you try to physically stop him but it ends up as a supermarket date. ^^ Inner Todoroki is like take that Demonic Cyborg. 

Your celebrity crush encourages him to do better with his fire side. He watches Genos’ powers online and recreates the same power the older Pro has, since that’s what made Genos so cool in your eyes. 

High-key petty. He doesn’t throw away your Genos merch, but rather he constantly moves them around your shared home so your always taken back. 

Amajiki Tamaki: 

Of course, he thinks. Of course you have a crush on Hellish Blizzard. She’s prettier than he is, a lot stronger, more confident, if he were you he would choose Fubuki over Tamaki any day. 

She does so many impressive things with her Quirk and even though his own is versatile, he’s never able to recreate the feats that she does, so he has no hope of grabbing your attention. 

That being said, he encourages your interests and would find more excuses to talk to you without making a fool out of himself by talking about her most recent fights or about her in general. 

If you guys do meet her in real life and you’re just there freaking out because you’re her biggest fan, he’s going to be just standing off to the side like yea ;;; I deserve this. 

He does watch her videos too and maybe he would recreate some of her “coolness”? He would be revving up for a fight, and the climax of the battle is near, he’s about to win and he’s going to pull those witty “one-liners” to make you fall for him in a way that Blizzard does but then he remembers that you and other people are watching him and just ;;; fumbles. 

He made a fool of himself, he totally did. He’s a complete loser in your eyes, he thinks, especially compared to your Hero. 

Once you guys get together he’s completely over the moon, but thinks back to your celebrity crush and he’s like honestly? Even if he is the rebound, or the “placeholder” until you’re going to date Fubuki, because he has no doubts that you will reach any goal of yours, he’s fine with that. 

Or at least, that’s what he tells himself. 

He thinks his temporary happiness would be worth it. 

When you come to him saying that you’re going to be working underneath Hellish Blizzard, and you’re so giddy with excitement, he just gets so sad all of a sudden. His shoulders sag and shake and he sighs so deeply. 

“O-Oh... I-I knew this day was coming... D-Do you want to break up with me first? P-Please make it quick and painless t-though...” 

And you’re just like, “What.” 

He eventually explains that he thought you were just dating him for a while until you managed to date Fubuki and you’re just like ??? 

[“I mean--I like her, but it’s just a celebrity crush.” You grow sheepish at this point. “I-I do like her, but she’s just a figure in my head. I like you most of all, Tamaki!” 

“B-But if you had the chance you would choose her over me, right? S-She’s strong and cool...”

“But I think you’re cool and strong too, Tamaki!”]

If you get stronger and she’s still going around doing the “rookie crushing” rounds, Tamaki is the only person strong enough to hold you back as you yell at her. 

[“FUCK you, Fubuki! I followed you for years! I swore by you! I supported your career--I talked about you nonstop to my friends. My boyfriend was insecure for years--!” 

“P-Please calm down, [Name]!”]

It turns out that Tamaki was the only celebrity crush you needed. 

[phoebehalliwell]

how would you rank the seasons from least to most favourite?

alright okay right off the bat worst season season 7. for starters i think this season has no staying power i mean like since i’ve been running this blog 4 so long now my knowledge of charmed is encyclopedic and insanely vast more than like it ever need be but for the longest time. i could not remember season 7. like wtf even happened there?? evidently leo became human??? cole returned? the avatars??? like all of it was just. it’s not even necessarily forgettable it’s just i straight up could not remember it for the longest time. and i’ve said it before the concept of utopia was way to advanced for a show like charmed to tackle i am not watching charmed for moral philosophy i am watching bc i love these girls ♥ hee hee hoo hoo magic adventure ✨ tho if i am to offer a single comment on utopia: it’s awfully rich for a show to go on about destiny and fate and then take a stand against utopia in the name of free will. but w/e. i don’t like leo in the avatars i don’t like his dynamic with piper in this season i don’t like whatever phoebe’s doing this season there’s like leslie?? maybe there’s someone else? boring & flavorless they should have been setting up her endgame instead of puttering around. and kyle. zoo wee mama. could have been a great antihero. morally gray. duplicitous. self serving. but no. they gave him all those traits and called him hero/love interest. s7 left a lot to be desired out of the characters and their relationships also gave us phat L’s such as the charmed ones are werewolves don’t worry about it and feminism peaked with naked women. shout out to zankou: demon, dilf, dub & the noir episode.

you know what? fuck it i’ll say it second worse season 5 genuinely fuck season five. this is probably a Very Specific beef 2 me But. i hate what they did to the charmed universe. this was the season that marked the transition of charmed from supernatural drama to campy soap which like. i love camp! i do! but fr. fuck this season and what it did to the worldbuilding. the early season have Such A Vibe to them man with warlocks and witches and just a couple niche monsters from assorted lore that the show took and made their own. season five opens with mermaids goes directly into fairytales then gives us superheros whatever the fuck was going on in that mummy episode the sandman leprechauns and nymphs. and i hate it for that. it takes away from this urban fantasy things that go bump in the night what lurks in the shadows of the back alleys of san francisco in favor of the ugliest cinderella dress ever put to television and an onslaught of horrible irish accents for a full episode. other issues with season five: cole’s still here? why? they don’t know and neither will you! we’re not redeeming him! phoebe’s not getting back together with him! yes he died we just refuse to let him go! the cherry on top of course being a cole-centric 100th episode. shout out to. hmm. lemme think about what i actually liked about this season. i like jason dean as a love interest i don’t remember what he did in s5 but i know he was there. the season finale i’ve talked about how stupid & shitty it was but idc i still love that episode and then shout out to bacarra the only original villain this season that was a proper serve. the crone gets second place.

next on this come on we all saw it coming season 8. it’s a bad season! and i get bts there was a whole lot happening budget cuts missing actor etc. but it goes beyond that. it was a bad season. billie and christie were bad. and i’ve said this before but billie in herself is not an inherently bad character. she was just the literal worst for the show. she was a dollar store buffy blonde confident cocky skilled and ready 2 fight evil But. we are not following her like we followed buffy we are following her mentors. it’s like if we had a show called giles that aired for seven seasons And Then buffy showed up. billie was insanely irritating to watch from our perspective and in general wasn’t like. well written. attempts to humanize her / give her more depth often fell flat. and then christy. oh nelly. oh my god. barely a character. not well acted but hey it would have been a miracle if she was. negatives include dumain who was a mess omg bringing back the triad bringing back the source billie & christy obvi and also involving homeland security. which is season 7′s fault which is why it’s the worst. dubs on the other hand include both coop and henry i really liked them the shoehorned love interests weren’t great but i like their characters i though the way the got rid of leo to save on the budget was really creative and gave us a great piper episode and of course the sugary sweet finale i love it i do what can i say.

yet another controversial choice aptly coming in fourth is season 4. i respect what season 4 set out to do. i think it was a good idea. long form narratives, keeping a darker tone, focusing on character-driven drama and growth. too bad it fucking failed miserably at all of this. cole as the source and phoebe as the queen of hell was just so so botched. they had a very unique opportunity following the death of prue to explore these characters and what it means to them to be charmed, to be witches. they saved the world but the cost is insanely high. they’ve lost an older sister. they’ve gained a new sister. how do you even begin to cope with all this? episodes such as hell hath no fury and brain drain fuck so hard because they work with exactly that. had the whole season been like those episode season four would sit at number one with flying colors absolutely no competition. but alas. we can’t have nice things. the show got so bogged down with phoebe & cole, in a way that was just so, so messy. for starters, whether you loved cole or hated him before, we can all agree source!cole sucked. he was such a strong 180 from what we had seen that the show had to make the source some type of possession to justify half the shit they were trying to pull. and then to pit phoebe and paige against one another over a man was just. disgusting. and the ending of course felt rushed because it was! they wrapped up that entire issue in a nice little bow much faster than they reasonably should have been able to. it could have been a great season. it was definitely not. shout out to the seer an iconic mastermind on barbas levels, as previously stated brain drain and hell hath no fury Specific shout out to piper’s scene at prue’s grave shout out to paige as a character i like what they did with her and um. yeah that’s it.

okay we’re exiting the shit tier in favorite of the good tier welcome to the upper half. kicking us off is season 6. season 6 did what season 4 could not in that it gave us a long form plot that still left plenty of room for like. normal demon of the week episodes. i love phoebe early in this season with her faboo haircut her brand new empathy power and her relationship with jason dean. obvious strikes against for whatever the fuck that baby crazy stint was and also the mata hari episode. yikes. i love paige’s hair color in this season nothing paige as a character necessarily stands out to me however i like how they seem to have hit the blend of work-magic with paige where she wants a life and career outside of magic however she still loves the craft and embraces is with an open heart and mind. season six also gives us chris who was a very fun male lead imo we really didn’t have many like him he’s bitchy. he whines and bitches a lot he’s got an agenda he’s a bit secretive but at the end of the day he just wants a family i like him. i like the character growth we see out of piper i like seeing her try to move on from leo i love seeing her get back together with leo i like her dynamic with chris and her fears about motherhood. i also liked richard but that one takes a lot of justification. L’s are witchstock hyde school reunion used karma off the top of my head also the paige/richard/addiction plotline was so tone deaf. also the girls were mean to darryl : ( he deserved so much better. dubs were chris as a character, tbh the episode little monsters, phoebe with empathy specifically saying i love you too to jason i could write a dissertation on that line alone also the courtship of wyatt’s father and i thought the reveals of evil wyatt and chris being piper and leo’s son were both fun and interesting plot twists.

coming in third is actually season 2 a season i really do love it’s just. it lacks structure. imo there is a lot to love about season 2 morality bites and pardon my past are both delightful time travel episodes we get jack sheridan and bane jessup two of my personal favorite prue love interests we get p3 h2o and a great prue plotline regarding the death of patty we get the super cute cupid episode it’s a great. collection of episodes. it’s not a great season. there’s just imo not a strong enough thread connecting the stories together it’s mainly held together by having the same characters in it over and over again i really liked dan personally but like. i knew we were wasting time there. he was just an obstacle. a super cute loving and caring obstacle who’s great with kids but lbr piper and leo were always endgame. wasting our time on dan was stupid. i do love the sister dynamics in season two “gotta hand it to those pesky little demons they sure have brought us closer together” but again. this season could have benefitted from a rex and hannah type or even like a cole or zankou. this season is less of a season and more of just like a handful of episodes, and while there are some fat dubs, there are also some definite swings & misses. shout out to the time travel episodes the prue centric episodes phoebe’s character growth and maturity throughout this season (e.g. her going back to college) and i also think the fashion got a lot more fun this season.

second place i’m saying season one season one was a really strong start and gave us these really compelling characters with interesting relationships between one another But. a lot of it just kinda falls flat. and credit where credit is due it was a brand new show getting its feet under it but the fourth sister feats of clay which prue is it anyway they just simply aren’t dubs imo. also i don’t like that 70′s episode bc again i am an asshole concerned about The Lore i can’t believe one bitch ass warlock caused the Charmed Ones to grow up without powers. it just really bugs me. all in all the plots as a whole like aren’t great imo they’re nothing to write home about (save for from fear to eternity) it’s really the characters that make this season so goddamn good.

first place congratulations to the one the only season three. this is just because it kinda hits all my requirements in that it has some banger one offs (e.g. all halliwell’s eve, the good, the bad, and the cursed) it has an overarching plot at the exact same time as the source becomes more prominent and obvi cole is also there with murderous intent i like the character growth we see especially from prue i like piper and leo finally get married overall i really like the aesthetic of this season that blends a darker urban fantasy tone with still some charmed fashion and whimsy. strikes against tbh phoebe and cole’s relationship i am insanely picky with my enemies to lovers and the do not come remotely close to cutting the mustard in fact they are almost immediately disqualified however from afar i can see and respect The Drama. shout out to recasting victor prue with pistols death as a character and shannen directing episodes

[ailuronymy]

Hello Grey! I was messing w/ the character generator, and I got "Callous apprentice molly with a grey-and-white pelt who is good at tricking others and doesn't make promises." Now, this would be *perfect* for an antagonist in my fanfic, who confesses her love for the main char, so maybe when they're warriors they can be mates, but the main char doesn't want a mate, and rejects her. She gets angry and calls out main char's BFF, convinced that she was lying to not hurt her feelings, and (cont.)

(cont.-callous grey & white molly) challenges the tom to a fight in secret, and he accepts. soon after the battle begins, main char 2 realizes she’s out for blood. now, after a scar, the fur can grow back white, and in her clan’s culture, white pelts are believed to be unlucky, & therefore unattractive. she plans to scar him badly, and that all his fur’ll grow back white, leaving the main char to choose her over him. now here’s the problem: main char is also a molly. I don’t want -cont again :I--cont. grey and white molly- I don’t want people thinking I’m putting gay chars in an evil light, but I find I prefer her as a molly than a tom. What should I do to establish I have no beef with gay/lesbian people/cats?

Hello, Ruddles! Thank you for writing in. This one is going to be a long answer, and most of it is going to be me asking you questions, I’m afraid. I’d like for you to consider them as carefully and truthfully as you can, but don’t worry, there’s not going to be quiz! They’re the kind of questions that you only have to answer to yourself, and I believe by asking these kinds of questions–whenever we’re creating–helps us become better writers and more self-aware people in general.

First of all, I’d like to ask are there other gay characters in your story? Is the protagonist gay/same-gender attracted? Is her best friend? Are any non-villainous supporting cast (with central speaking roles) gay? Having a gay villain in an otherwise straight story portrays a very different picture–and ideology–than a gay villain in a story that has a variety of other gay, non-villainous characters. The former inherently aligns gayness (and queerness) with deviant or evil behaviour–and that’s really not great. It’s also been a blatant long-time staple of Western media and a fundamental part of how character archetypes are conceptualised in film. (If you wanted to read more about that, I can recommend following up on the concept of “queer-coding.” It’s a built-in aspect of a lot of traditional mainstream television/film these days, and features prominently in Disney productions as well as many other franchises). 

The second thing I’d like to ask is what is it that makes you prefer her as a molly? What we like and dislike–and especially why–can be slippery to grasp, and harder to articulate, but as a creator, it’s something that you should ask yourself from time to time. What is it about this character in this story that makes you feel the role must be female? Because characters in stories are playing roles, and I think people sometimes forget that. Often we get attached to them (which is normal and part of the creating process for many people!) but they are still only non-living creations which we place in situations we’ve invented. We are making decisions, and that makes us responsible. Therefore, much like how we might play a game of Cluedo if finding the motive was the goal, intermittently asking yourself, “Why this person, why this place, why this action?” is a good way to interrogate your own habits, biases, goals, and assumptions, and that can only help you make informed creative choices. (You can even consider it practice for the questions people–especially critics–would eventually ask you about your story and your creative process). 

That’s not to say I’m encouraging you to turn her into a male character, mind you! If you did that, you would have the same story, albeit one that (unhappily) looked much more familiar to most people: an envious scorned man who acts out revenge on a woman who won’t date him, through violence against her friends/family. Although the exact details might change, I think we’ve all heard these stories in real life, about men who don’t know how to accept the answer “no.” I believe Warriors’ canon story of Ashfur isn’t too dissimilar either?–although, I admit, it’s been a very long time since I’ve read any Warriors book and my memory is foggy on specifics. Perhaps an additional question worth asking in this light is, to borrow a quote of Stanisław Jerzy Lec, is it progress if a cannibal uses a knife and fork? Or, a more relevant version, is it feminist/equality/progress/[whatever word you prefer] if a woman is the one abusing other women, instead of a man? (My argument would firmly be no). 

The third question I’d like to ask is what is your reason for this story? In other words, do you believe it needs to be told, and told in this way? Importantly: what is this story doing that isn’t adding to a history of homophobic narratives and cultural perceptions? What is it doing that is adding to those narratives and perceptions, and what can you do to change that? How will you feel and how will you react if you write this story, put it out in the world, and receive feedback that it is, in fact, hurtful or offensive? If you’re concerned that you might not be able to tell a story in a way that isn’t going to be offensive (or your worry about the possibility of criticism is greater than your conviction in the value of your story), that might be a sign that you shouldn’t tell that particular story and should instead change it to something that doesn’t hold that fear for you. It’s not failure to evaluate your work and adapt when you feel out of your depth, or uncertain, or don’t believe in what you’re doing as much as you want to, or you’re not creating to the standard you want to be. That’s self-awareness, and it’s a valuable skill. It takes humility and maturity to make mistakes (or any kind of creative misstep) and learn from them. 

As far as advice goes, I feel that posing these questions to you is the best that I can offer. The short answer to the question of “how do I avoid being called homophobic for my writing?” is “don’t write homophobic narratives,” but I’m hoping that by asking these questions back to you, you–and anyone else with similar concerns and questions–can develop a practical way of thinking through these issues now and from here on. The solution isn’t not to write about gay characters: it’s to learn how to write about gay characters in a way that doesn’t mimic and perpetuate straight narratives, beliefs, and prejudices about gayness and gay characters. Learning how to do this is a skill, and it’s one I believe everyone can learn–just like learning how to use punctuation properly, or write snappy dialogue–and, like most skills, it can start off being a bit rough and difficult if you’re not used to it and things you make will probably not be perfect first go. But keep going anyway, because that’s how you become a master pianist or an athlete or a great writer. Good luck with your writing, Ruddles. I hope this helps.  

[lgbooknotes-blog]

Dune, Homophobia, Artists and their Art

Catchy title, eh? Literally Geeky just had its January hangout; while discussing this month’s pick things took a turn for the serious...

I didn't enjoy Dune. I didn’t mind the lore, or the gross stillsuits​ (blergh), or even that every other word required cross-checking in the glossary, and yet the great sci-fi Messiah went by the unassuming name of Paul.​ Paul - saviour of the galaxy. Paul! Run and get him a better nickname. Paul.  I mean, really? But, there were bigger problems...

Let’s start by saying that Dune is​ misogynist​i​���c. For all that the ​female characters, and Jessica especially, were ​interesting and ​​well rounded, they had still had limited and asymmetric access to power. Even the secret order of religious superwomen, the Bene Gesserit, are busy trying to breed the ultimate man. Then there's the issue of Paul ... (Paul, eyeroll Paul) a T.E Lawrence-like white figure, who rescues natives from their terrible desert fate. The oil, spice, whatever, must flow. Good old white Paul will show the way. 

T​he deal-breaker was Frank Herbert’s homophobia,​ all the more so because it was of an insidious, dogwhistling nature. Lawrence of Arabia might have been gay, but there’ll be none of that for the good guys. ​No. Roll up, roll up! Come take a gander at evil ol' ​Baron ​Harkonnes; a grossly fat, murderous, hovering​ sex​ pest who ​enjoys buggering​ male youths! Harkonnes’ homosexuality was inextricably tied to his paedophilia in a subtle attempt to equate sexual preference with sexual deviancy. I found it distasteful to say the least. 

Dune was written in the 60s. ​Not only that, i​t's a highly influential masterpiece,​so ​should it get a pass?  Great artists can be​ unpalatable​, but they make contributions to high art and popular culture​ (and Mussolini made the trains run on time ((Except he didn’t)). I​t’s all too easy to overlook​ or gloss over​ the unsavoury​, especially when it's just a couple of lines here and there, and, as many would argue, the bigger picture is a rich, complex weave of Dostoevsky, the Orestia, Cold War allegory, and Shakespeare with a couple of maddened sandworms. 

It’s ​​easier to critically evaluate ​or ignore an artist's ​prejudices and flaws when we're separated from them by six feet of sod and a significant passage of time.​ Death is the ultimate get-out clause, in more ways than one.​ Caravaggio murdered a chap on a tennis court (top that, McEnroe). ​​Lord of the Rings ​is racis​t. So ​is Sherlock Holmes.​ And can you dance to Thriller without a twinge of conscience? It's all your call.  There's probably an equation: prejudice/date of death = potential for unfettered enjoyment. 

Tolerance for the intolerant is a personal preference based on experiences and identity, but always ask yourself why a prejudicial piece of art sits above the bigot plimsoll line? 

In Dune the poison is disguised, woven deep within the garment of the text in barely expressed yet potent sentiments. The book is replete with achievement​, but in recognising the author’s embedded prejudice I lost faith in Herbert’s story. Did being gay make Harkonnes’ evil? No. However, the reason Harkoness was gay is the same reason that he was a paedophile, and the same reason he was he was monstrously fat: all to make the villain as noxious as possible to the reader, and to separate him. To classify him as an other. Harkonnes’ is awful, driven by greed, vice and lust for power. His plots deserved to fail. He deserves to be thwarted. Does his sexuality matter in the grand scheme of things? Yes, to Herbert. 

Convenience and individual gratification​ -​ ​​privilege​ -​ all too often supersede empathy, especially when that empathy requires walking in shoes ​so different to your own that the context in question can't be imagined without great and specific effort. ​​​​​​And no one is perfect: I can be downright beef-witted when it comes to subtext. Is it possible read more into a character than is actually there? Yes​, of course; it can be argued that any reader's opinion is relative up to a point. In the case of Dune and homophobia I'd argue that relativism ends where Herbert's treatment of his gay son begins. 

​​Dune's complexity​, ​ecological prescience​ and​ ​skillful world building are​​ marvellous​ achievements, but I'd rather ​spend my time reading inclusive stories​ that celebrate diversity​​​. If we give breaks to genius without calling out its flaws, then in some small way we are giving permission for artists' sins to continue and flourish. Dune is not for me - it’s legacy might be, but I won’t give the book itself any passes. Especially in this current climate, where difference is a disgustingly large target. 

I want stories where minorities don’t have to hold their heads in their hands whenever they find themselves stereotyped, caricatured and maligned. Stories where women are equal and have agency​, w​here​ saviours come in all shapes and colours, and where​​​ sexuality is not exploited and denigrated all for the sake of a creating one man's idea of the most venal and craven villain possible. Stick a twirly moustache on Harkonnes because he's done. When it comes to ​Frank Herbert, so am I.