#they prove that yes you can make a queer couple happy

[zentenal]

I’m rewatching schitts creek (from season 3 obviously). 9-1-1 doesn’t want me to be happy, Well Schitts Creek does.

[unclewaynemunson]

Pt2 to this post is here 🤗 | AO3 link

When Eddie stumbles out of his room the next day, still half asleep and purposefully headed towards the coffee machine, he notices a crumpled piece of paper on the table. He frowns when he sees it's the note he tossed in the trash a day earlier. It's folded open again, and there's a mysterious, slightly gross looking stain on it, but the number is still clearly readable.

He takes a good few seconds to stare at the digits, written neatly with a blue ballpoint, as if the guy was doing his very best to make sure that none of the numbers would be unreadable. He can't believe that Wayne is invested enough in this to get the note out of the trash for Eddie, even though Eddie already made more than clear how utterly uninterested he is in this Steve person. He shrugs, crumples the note back up again, and tosses it back into the trash.

It goes on like that for a while: every time Eddie wakes up or gets back home, the number is staring at him from the table, only to be crumpled in Eddie's fist again and again and again. Neither Wayne nor Eddie say anything about it; it becomes a tacid game of who can be the most stubborn, and they both know that both of them can keep that up for a very long time. Eddie knows he could just tear it up, or burn it, or poetically bury it at the base of a tree at the edge of the woods outside the trailer. But something's stopping him. It isn't the guy, or even the idea of the guy – he's sure as hell that this Steve wouldn't be for him at all. No, it's the memory of the look on Wayne's face after he gave Eddie the number, all excited and proud of himself. It's the knowledge of how immensely lucky he is to have an uncle like that, who supports him and loves him exactly the way he is, even actively wants him to be happy with another man. It's the flash of disappointment that crossed Wayne's face that first time Eddie made a whole show of throwing the note away. That's the reason he eventually, after almost a whole week of moving the note from trashcan to table and back again, finds himself standing at the phone with the piece of paper in his hand. The note has become truly disgusting by now, with all kinds of unrecognizable smudges on it, but thanks to Steve's clear handwriting, Eddie can still read all the digits.

It doesn't take long before 'Steve Harrington' picks up the horn on the other side.

'Hey, um, this is Eddie,' Eddie says, suddenly feeling awkward about the whole thing and wondering if he should've thought through what he was about to say to Steve. 'You met my uncle at a baseball game, last weekend?'

'Oh!' Steve sounds surprised. 'Eddie! Yeah, yes I did – Wayne, right?'

'Hmhm.'

'I didn't really expect a call anymore, to be honest,' Steve says.

'Yeah, sorry 'bout that,' says Eddie. 'Listen, to be honest, I'm not calling because I actually think this is gonna be something. From what I heard – not to sound like a dick or anything, I'm sure you're perfectly nice and all that – you just, totally don't sound like my type, you know? But my uncle won't drop it, and it'd probably make my life a whole lot easier if I could just prove to him that not every random queer guy he meets is a good match for me, so... Do you wanna meet up for coffee sometime? We can establish what a terrible match we are, I'll pay for your drinks, and then we can move on with our lives without any gnawing guilt or “what if”s playing around in our minds, and we'll never have to think about each other again. How does that sound?'

'Um...' There's a pause of a couple of seconds on the other side of the line, then a small sigh. 'I guess the free coffee sounds good?' It sounds more like a question than a statement, and suddenly, Eddie feels a bit stupid about the whole thing.

'I'm sorry,' he blurts out. 'I totally get it if it's not really what you expected of this. You met my uncle, and I know he's pretty awesome, and, like, wildly attractive and stuff, but if you expect me to be like him – that's not at all what I'm like, you know. So it'll probably be good for both of us to get that out of the way. To establish that we are not at all attracted to each other and happily move on.'

'Yeah, yeah, sure,' says Steve. 'Sounds good. I can't wait to find out what a terrible match you are for me.'

Eddie is relieved to hear the guy softly chuckling. 

Pt3 Seriously the response to this silly lil AU has been sooo lovely, thank all of you so much for your kind words and hilarious tags, it made my day 🥹 Altogether the whole thing will probably get to +/-7 parts, so if you feel like that’s a bit much to keep following, please don’t feel awkward about telling me you’d like to be removed from the taglist, I don't wanna spam anyone!

Taglist: @phantypurple @love-kurdt @eddiemunsonswife @mackdaddyofheimlichcountyy @swimmingbirdrunningrock @paintsplatteredandimperfect @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @yourebuckingkiddingme @th3-r4t-k1ng @messrs-weasley @moonshadows-13 @im-sam-fucking-winchester @xjessicafaithx @yournowheregirl @henderdads @lwhoscribbles @courtjestermunson @steveisabicon

[camrensrealbish]

Hello, hope you are doing well, I have a theory.

Remember when Camila said she had sex for the first time with that old dumbfuck idiot?(LMFAO). Anyways, this makes sense. Not because it is true of course not, it’s false because 1) that was PR 2) Camila will never fall for his dumbass 3) Camren was actually together during the PR ( AMA, 2018! And number of indirects which were not coincidental) 4) this is subjective because I believe Camila is a lesbian. It makes sense because the narrative made by her team is that she was never in love before Matthew and then again changed it to Shawn( lmfao, they can’t keep it consistent) C being a romantic hopeless fell in love with Matthew and “gave her virginity to him” (🤮) and then she always had a crush on Shawn and ended up being with him after dumping Matthew. That didn’t work out, she tried to move on with a dude who made an app or something (don’t know don’t care) Shawn and C tried again didn’t work out again because he is a person who needs help( lmfao, he does need help with singing especially) and now is in a era of basically just being happy with herself and exploring.

Now, this is interesting(I think), basically the narrative is saying she didn’t explore her sexuality until she was 20( funny how it also destroy the myth of those leaked texts between her and Michael from 5sos) this could be potentially used when she will come out of the closet. Saying, “ I am exploring my sexuality now and I discovered I like women too so I am bi/ pan(whatever her team thinks suits her better)” this also just proves( at least for the GP) there was nothing between Camren back in the band days (sure, Jan), leading to the future where they could come out as a couple without exposing their past. (If they are still together) . I believe this for one more reason as recently in an interview, Lauren said “I was the only queer in the group….AS FAR AS I KNOW” I think it is self explanatory why that is important. Another thing is how much Gaymila has been out. I could be wrong, but then again nothing is coincidence with these two. What do you think?

😅😅 he does need help with singing especially 😭

I love you 😅

Thanks for submitting this, I had a great time reading it. And yes, I think your theory is correct.

Speaking of one more thing that doesn't make sense in this timeline, Camila wrote "Camila" before Matthew. She sings about sex there, and not in a metaphorical sense or whatever nonsense they are trying to call it now, and I'm pretty sure she was talking about it in interviews at the time (Zach Sang interview if I'm not mistaken).

Coming back to your ask, they've been covering the grounds in case she decides to come out one day since 2019. They can keep advising her against it, but ultimately they can't stop her from coming out if she decides to do soq. So they made sure it doesn't turn against them (Epic, managers, etc.) when she does. Lauren saying multiple times by now that there might be other 5H members who weren't queer back then but might be now (literally why would you say that ����) is a big clue for us that they're planning for this eventuality that Camila might come out.

I think she's a lesbian too, but if/when she does come out it will be as bi, to fit all her PRs and everything people know about her so far into this story. And this way it's less risky too, because it doesn't alienate straight people as much 🙄. They really care about seeing themselves represented in media 🙄🙄🙄.

The thing is, I'm not so certain she wants to come out anymore. She definitely doesn't seem as keen on it as she used to be. But I truly hope she does one day, simply because I'd like to see it 🥹.

[castlebyersafterdark]

i just had a week off fandom because i was away on spooky holiday, and spent some time watching halloweeny things and other shows. then i watched some stranger things, out of order, the early seasons. and i totally got lost in the show and forgot about fandom, it felt just like when i first saw it. and i realised coming back here, that mike and will's relationship is so much bigger and more thematic than byler v mileven. it's meaningful in terms of queer writing, in terms of how trauma is portrayed, its meaningful for them separately and together as characters outside of their sexualities.

i think this sometimes gets lost in the byler fandom, mainly because there is such pushback that it sort of becomes about proving they are real instead of enjoying the story for what it is, and how much more important mike + will as a romantic pair will be in grand scheme of things than just proving milevens wrong. its actually quite jarring to come back and see that so much byler content is people just sassing milevens, or trying to prove something, or being defensive. it gives enjoying byler a strange flavour because it makes it about being on edge rather than just enjoying the story. this fandom is a fascinating case study in propaganda and social influence, how if youre told something enough times ("byler will never happen") you start to believe it despite hard evidence (the show itself) to the contrary.

i still love this small community and check my fav blogs though. but it was a nice reality check, esp at this time of year! spooky season is the perfect time to step back and rewatch the show as a total newbie who just wants a good mystery thriller. i feel happier than ever to wait for s5, our boys are coming together and all we need is patience 😊 and if you can recommend any more blogs who focus on the good stuff like you, please do! i'm sick of being jumpscared by 'milevens say that...' posts lmao

Yes!!! Agree. I also took a tiny break and I'm back, well, I wouldn't say refreshed (still a little bit exhausted from the past few days 😅 Halloween wore me down yall haha) but it's always beneficial I feel to step away for whatever reason and then dive back into fandom when you feel up to it. Brain needs a break from the fandom focus sometimes. Good points in this ask. I haven't actually sat down and watched the show in a while, but revisiting those favorite episodes is a cool idea. Hit the mark on what's important and why the show, and these two characters in particular since that's what I and many focus on around here, resonates so deeply. It's more than just "oh, these two are cute, they should be a couple, this is a ship in the fandom yay" but it's... it's a lot more. It's an important story. Not trying to sound cheesy but I always end up that way 😉

There is definitely a thing in this fandom that I don't really vibe with, the insecurity and constant defense and ship wars. Maybe it's the fact that there technically is a love triangle existing, the slow burn, the impatience, the track record with queer relationships and getting crumbs when there's a gay character. But, there's also been a lot more progress and real canon gay relationships lately. I don't fear as heavily with this show, because the show has given the biggest proof. And I also... don't care what people who hate the idea of Byler or still love Mlvn are doing. I don't care! About Mlvn fans on the internet!! The show is the show and whatever happens happens. I think people would be sooooo much happier if they curated more. Don't seek out spaces of contention! Don't engage with people who are just gonna make you mad ☹️

Little communities are cool, happy here, hope other people are finding their spot, focusing on what's cool and interesting and just - cut out the noise. There's too much going on in the world and online to devote time to getting defensive over fandom, especially one where the source material is so good and there's so much creativity to be found from it. I wouldn't know where to start with recommending other blogs - have to admit I always feel bad if I'm calling people out and leaving others out and there's thousands of blogs in the stranger things fandom! I have friends in the fandom who I really enjoy talking to and who have cool blogs, but we don't 100% agree on theory and character dynamics and other stuff and that's totally ok. Even I have expressed opinions and people have been quick to jump at me and disagree and hey, no one has to be down with every single opinion I have either!! I just hope for kindness in those instances.

So, you really just gotta see where the hard lines are, what you do and don't care to deal with on your blog and see on your dash. Fandom is very imperfect, but all we can do is focus more on what we consider a positive so it drowns out the little negative things we do encounter.

[aronarchy]

(@/eviltothecore13 on 10/10/22 in the replies of this post):

Please, please, stop saying “the homeschooling movement” as if there’s one homeschooling movement across the whole world! this post is so US-centric… there are parts of the world where the majority of homeschoolers are not religious at all. I was homeschooled in the UK after my parents took me out of school because of the abuse I suffered there. We are not Christian or religious at all.

My best friend at my homeschool group was Jewish, taken out of school by his very left-wing mother after he experienced horrific antisemitism as well as bullying for being autistic. Most of the rest of us were not particularly religious, there were a couple of Muslims, and yes a handful of people who were to some extent Christian but that wasn’t their motivation for homeschooling. My parents never hit me. My teachers at school thought they should have done.

Was it ideal? not in every way, no. It costs money, it’s not accessible to poorer families or to families where both parents are out at work all day, and seeing different people every day at various groups and classes but never seeing any one person more regularly than once a week does make it harder to form close friendships (then again, it means you don’t end up inescapably trapped with the same bully every day.)

But we were a group of people who had tried the school system, public and private, been mistreated, been traumatised, had the schools try to blame it on us simply being “bad kids,” and found our parents were our only allies and the only people still willing to even TRY to give us an education. It was a rural county. If you got a bad reputation at one school it would follow you to the next because everyone knew each other and teachers gossiped about their students.

Whereas the homeschool group and the tutors there welcomed you whether you were autistic, ADHD, dyspraxic, dyslexic, dyscalculic, atheist, Jewish, Muslim, a POC, GNC (to my knowledge no-one was out as queer, but only because we were all young and figuring it out and we were in a homophobic area in general—the environment was certainly far less homophobic than school though, and definitely none of my friends who did go to school were out as queer at that age either)

It can be horrible. If the parents don’t have the child’s best interests at heart, if they’re authoritarian, then it can indeed put a terrible amount of power in their hands. If the parents are like mine, who listen to the child and respect them as a person, who consider it their JOB to listen to their child’s wishes and do their best to make them happy, then it gives far more power to the CHILD than the school system does.

If I disliked a tutor or a textbook or anything about my education, I could discuss it with my parents and we’d find a way to change it. It is MUCH harder to do that in the school system—believe me, as someone who tried to express my problems with teachers who abused me to the school system MULTIPLE times and NEVER got the school system to fire someone or even to put me in a different class.

And you say “the homeschooling movement” when you seem to only mean the American Christian one… I’d never heard of the HSLDA before this post, they’re NOT A THING over here, apparently they’re a “Christian organisation” which immediately makes me distrust them, but homeschooling here has NOTHING to do with that movement, please stop acting as if the American experience is universal!

I suffered infinitely more from the stigma around homeschooling (from other kids: “so, why can’t you go to school? is there something wrong with you? are you [r-slur]?” “oh you're homeschooled? I bet you don’t even know the alphabet, I bet you’re stupid”—I took the same GCSE exams as every schoolkid while I was homeschooled and got all A*s) and from feeling like I had to be perfect to prove that stigma wrong than from anything to do with homeschooling in itself.

If I ever have children (which I don’t currently plan to) or ever find myself in a position of responsibility for a child, unless our school system and government has been radically reformed, I could not in good conscience send them to school to go through what I did when I was at school.

And even if under one government things improve… the next could fuck it up again… we used to have Section 28 banning schools from teaching kids that being queer was at all acceptable… imagine if that was brought back…

If an oppressive government comes into power, and the schools are suddenly teaching kids “people like you [your families, your friends, etc] don’t deserve human rights,” I think there needs to be a way for children to still get an education outside of the school system (though let’s face it, an oppressive government would quite possibly make homeschooling illegal anyway, the Nazis did).

Children should not be faced with a situation where their ONLY way to get the qualifications needed to go to university, get a job, etc is to go through an oppressive and abusive school system. They need to have the choice of whether to go to school or not, not be forced to go somewhere that abuses them with no alternative.

.

[beevean]

I find the going around review, of Hazbinhotel believes sex is for men and not women just out right weird, because why do people always demand shows that feature queer men to also include queer women a lot? When hb hotel already does it. Don't get me wrong the vaggiecharlie relationship is pretty vanilla, but they are also the only healthy couple in the entire show. Angel has a complex relationship with sex too. But series who are pretty Heteronormativity don't get the same demand

Like I said: I agree with the criticism that Chaggie is a vanilla relationship (they're cute, I was happy that they kissed, but that's it), and the fact that they're already together might be why it's not "shipped" in the same way as, say, Huskdust which is still developing and have formed a stronger connection. I do believe they are en route to become a healthy couple, maybe not immediately, but I'd be very happy to see it :>

There is also a valid argument that female sexuality is rarely presented in the same way as male sexuality. I haven't watched Tuca and Bertie, but I stumbled upon a clip of Bertie confessing to her therapist that her sexual trauma made her hypersexual/gave her "gross" fantasies (no, it's not a coincidence: it was used as a weapon to "prove" that Angel's hypersexuality was portrayed "badly" 🙃). And yes, this sort of topic is rarely breached.

Buuuuuuuuut yes undeniably there is a pattern of works written by minorities held under a much harsher scrutiny than mainstream works, I guess because they're "supposed to know better". I could make the example of a certain Netflix show that treated sexual trauma and other sensitive topics in a much more disrespectful way than HH. But I won't :^)

Eh, overall, I guess it's basically the same logic as the Bechdel Test. Not every work has to pass it to be considered good. But when you notice a pattern, you become increasingly annoyed. HH should not be forced to have an explicitly sexual female couple, Charlie and Vaggie are still noticeable for being a stable couple from the get go, but I can see why others would point out a frequent double standard. It's more about the general picture.

I still think critics misunderstand Angel Dust and his issues, though :\ and after the fiasco of Poison and Loser Baby I don't trust like that anymore

[pholiabanna]

Confession time; i kinda hate the st writers. They are the reason why the pride was ruined during the vol2 waiting, the reason why we face constant homophobia from mlvns and the ga for shipping byler and all bc they refused to break up mlvn and also included that shit ass monologue. Now we have to wait years to see the conclusion meanwhile ppl gradualy start lose their interest. They ruined Nick's career and reputation for no reason when his site was there for years. The way they say nothing against the apparent fandom homophobia even though it is not even a secret since ppl sharw homophobic comments left and right. The way they use Will's car scene as a memeable moment even though many queer fans were devastated when the scene came out. The way they write these characters. The way they treate Will. The way they treated Robin. I have so much spite and hatred bottled in me and i am only starting to realize it after a year. If byler doesnt become canon i hope all st writers and the duffers lose their jobs and never manage to write ever again. I would even support Netlix going full bankrupt. My respect for the writers all depend on whether or not byler becomes canon and i dont care if it makes me stuck with byler or whatever. After everything the writers pulled, yes, my respect all depend on this choice for S5.

Honestly I see where you're coming from, so your feelings are completely valid. I do believe that the monologue and saving byler for the last season makes narrative sense because of the way they've written the story and how best friends to lovers stories usually work (they normally won't get together until the end of a movie, and you have to think of ST as a 5 season long movie).

I think most of those things you pointed out are more of a fandom problem, like Will crying in the van becoming a meme- I believe it was portrayed very seriously in the show and it was a certain sector of the audience who decided to memefy it. Also, the homophobia would happen even if byler became canon in season 4, sadly homophobes are everywhere in every fandom. I also believe a lot of those things you pointed out are more of Netflix's fault, because using Wills scene as a meme was something accounts like Netflix, Netflix geeked, Netflix UK and other did, but I don't recall strangerwriters doing that (but I may be wrong so please if I am let me know). Their executives were probably the ones who decided to split the season as well, and having vol 2 come out right after pride month (being a terrible coincidence because of the byler-Milkvan storyline and the homophobia that subsequently came from maloobans). If I remember correctly, the writers account has stated a couple times that everyone should be allowed to ship whoever they want. But as you pointed out, sometimes I feel like they could do a little bit more. They tanked Nick's reputation (which I can understand up to a certain point if they are trying to protect the show they are working on from getting spoiled, but maybe they should have made a less vague and incriminating statement), and they definitely could address the rampant homophobia in the fandom more frequently.

It sucks that we need to wait so many years to prove we were right, but think about how satisfying it will be once the season comes out and you watch all of those people have a breakdown, and hopefully you see interviews from the duffers explaining how that was the intention all along. If that's the case, then I'll be happy, but as you said, if all of these was for nothing and byler isn't endgame, I'll definitely consider it queerbaiting, because they have built up romantic feelings for Will on Mike's side, even if some people want to deny it. So yeah, queerbaiting in 2023 sucks, and it's totally valid for you to feel like you won't respect them anymore if they go that route. I think more people need to realize this is not a matter of whether the couple I like ends up together over the couple other people like, it's a matter of whether queer people get a respectful and deserved treatment or not. And if they don't, then they're terrible writers, because if the way they fucked up that storyline, and terrible people too.

But hopefully not. Right now, I'm really convinced byler is endgame and they know what they're doing. We have to deal with crazy Melvin stans meanwhile, but the wait will be over before you notice and they'll get really quiet and embarrassed once they realize how wrong they were. But I'd like for them to address some of the homophobic comments online a little bit more often.

[vsaintsin]

Hello! Happy Sunday! Just dropping by with a writing question. How do you approach writing relationships? What are your favorite dynamics to write (in general or between specific characters)?

Sorry for the delay here - I got sick (still, from when I first made this account), and the the meds to make me unsick made me much more sick, and now I'm still sick but experiencing a moment of semi-clarity. Thought I'd pop in to say I'm not dead! Pray the clarity lasts through the duration of this reply.

This is a well-timed question, because book two of the series I'm writing - which is also my current WIP - does feature more "romance" you could call it, even though it won't be enough to really land it in that genre. That does mean that Carlisle's life and relationships have been the predominant thought on my mind as of late.

I always look towards people's needs when I'm writing any relationship, though, and how two people's needs can line up to make a complementary pair. Whether that be friendship or romantic.

I'm not exactly caught up with the common terminologies for most relationship pairings (but through stalking everyone on here, I'm learning), so I guess I'll say I favor pairings that feel like comfort or relief. Like "ah, yes... that's my person, things are better now." Cold drink of water on an oppressively hot day sort of thing.

I like writing relationships that shake off the "change x about yourself for me" thing and focus more on the "i want to be better about x for you". A gentle offer, instead of a harsh ultimatum. I like writing any dynamic where they make each other better people, where they introduce safety and peace into each other's lives. Any dynamic that feels a little bit like home.

I keep losing the train of thought here, the clarity isn't lasting...

I guess I also like showing that people who aren't "desirable" in fact are. I like to take people who feel outcast by society - whether it be disability or otherwise - and reinforce that nothing that's "wrong" with them actually is actually WRONG. (Like, yes, something is wrong, but it isn't YOU. (Additionally, stomping on fetishists who sexualize people who are othered for the odd sake of doing so is fun))

As a disabled person and as a trans person, I've faced a lot of crap that makes me feel undesirable, and been told by a few people I thought I could trust that I should give up wholly on the concept of connections like friendship and romance because of said things. I refute that idea entirely. I like to show and prove, with any dynamic at all, that people like me are just as lovable and whole as anyone else. Just because the love might look and behave differently, and just because it comes with a unique road to walk, doesn't mean it isn't equally as valuable. Nobody is settling for the queer or disabled person, only accepting that loving them means loving those parts, too.

So I guess I accidentally dodge the question during ask-a-thon not for the first time and substitute an adjacent answer?

As the most direct answer I can give - people who act like old married couples bring me joy, because you can just tell that bond is deep.

Thanks for the ask! <3 Sorry for the delay. Hope sick brain hasn't made this too goofy.

[murraybaumandetectiveagency]

I try not to get blinded by my love for Byler and cry "Byler endgame!" without actually going through all the evidence for and against Byler. I am a lesbian, I very much look for queer romance in everything that I watch. I want representation because I relate so much more when it's same sex couples. I can still enjoy shows without it, but my brain is wired to search for the gays. So I know that I am biased when I look at these things.

At the same time I also know that someone who is straight might not see the queer coding and messages in the same light. They don't have the same experience as a queer person. Yes, a lot of straight people ship Byler and might root for them to be endgame, but I still don't think they can understand it as deeply as someone who is queer.

At the same time, I know that for a straight couple to be interesting to me they need to really prove it. Think about the amount of movies where you instantly know that two characters will get together even though they have no chemistry at all or never is shown to actually begin to form a relationship. Action movies does this a lot. Sloppy writing. I'm not saying ST does this but if you compare a couple like Joyce and Hopper, which I've been rooting for since season 1, they really got me engaged in this ship even though it's not really in my nature to ship straight ships. When Robin showed up in S3 I really didn't feel anything between her and Steve and I was so afraid when the moment would come when they would be forced together because it so obviously didn't work. But then Robin was a lesbian and I cried happy tears because finally Stranger Things had a character that I related to. They actually dared to make her a lesbian when the romance angle didn't work (fyi they planned for her to be a love interest at the beginning but changed their minds and made her gay).

My point is that we all have different viewpoints and we have to be careful not to get blinded by our biases. I will see gay before straight and straights will see straight before gay. It's quite natural actually.

So I have decided to make it a point to find arguments against Byler and to some extent even for Mileven. By doing so I can help myself see it from a different angle and see if the proof we have for Byler to be endgame actually holds up. Because as my first ever post on this blog said - I am terrified of being queerbaited again. #johnlocktrauma

[turbo-toast]

Writerly Thumbprint Challenge!

Rules: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. what are five (or more!) narrative elements, themes, topics or tropes that continuously pop up in your work?

@thana-topsy tagged me, and I'm happy to indulge in some self-reflection!

I tag @tafferling, @moriche and @expended-sleeper. Submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known. C'mon.

Monstrous Is Who Does Monstrous Things - I really like writing characters with some aspect that makes others afraid of them, or hate them because they pose an apparent danger. Be it vampirism or having been kidnapped and turned into a killing machine, I like writing characters who through choices and their own principles prove that just because they're capable of atrocities, it doesn't mean they have to conform to the prejudice leveled at them. Yeah, you're a monster, but you're not a monster monster.

You're Lovable - This goes hand in hand with my protagonists often having "monstrous" aspects: They just as often don't think they're capable of love or being loved. I like to make them see they're wrong by pairing them with someone who, either slowly or immediately, goes full-on heart eyes for them (and vice versa).

Power Couples - While we're on relationships - usually, both parties of my couples are highly competent in their fields. Sometimes I think that kneecaps my ability to write character development or throwing actual challenges at my characters, but I think even if a character is nigh unkillable, there's still a lot of anguish they can be put through that isn't mortal combat, for example. I just like the dynamic of a couple kicking ass and figuring stuff out together a lot.

Romance Isn't The End Goal - A famous idea about the Romance genre is that as the author, you have to answer the question "Why can't they be together right now?" until the very end when they finally get together. The story usually ends when the main couple (and it's usually a couple, not a polycule) finally admit their love for each other and get their happily ever after (or something along those lines). The journey to get there is the whole point. This usually leaves me a bit unsatisfied though: I want to know what they're like when they're comfortable with each other. I want to see domesticity and solving problems together. Show me how they work when they can fully rely on each other. So... I write that. The chase is fun, yes, but let me eat the cake I have too, please.

Found Family - Look, I just like this one a lot, okay? It's extremely common in narratives with queer protagonists, and I'm here for it. It crops up in my writing a lot not necessarily because my protagonists have a bad relationship with their blood relatives. As a matter of fact, most of them just don't have any of those anymore. But in any case, they make their own families. Because that's what you do, I guess.

[theboysfromaustin]

July 17, 2015

Gav stared at the cookbook, hands shaking. Tomorrow was the day. The day. Ian looped one arm around his waist, "We trust you absolutely. You and I have spent a lot of time baking together." "Never a wedding cake!" "Doesn't have to be ornate, we're not fancy, don't forget we spent last night on the couch eating bananas wrapped in peanut-butter covered tortillas for dinner."

"Heh…Um, so…cake flavor?" "Strawberry and chocolate, alternating layers since we're doing four." "Hey, queers, I'm out!" Kazuo waved as Maureen pulled up - they were going to pick up flowers. "Bye, baby! Don't wear yourself out!" "Oh, I won't, sex machine!" "Be good, Kaz! Say hi to Maureen!" Kazuo laughed as he left.

"Alright. Step by step. Big task, but we're two very capable bakers." Anders arrived, lugging in cases of drinks - a lot of it alcohol, "You got a dolly?" "Right side of the garage near the back." "Thanks," he went outside. "Okay. Cake first, we have a stand mixer and a hand mixer." "Can I have the stand mixer? Less chance of me getting my goatee stuck." "Go ahead. Chocolate or strawberry?" "Strawberry." "We have fresh ones to puree. And we're doing a vanilla buttercream to frost."

"Thank you for not saying fondant." "God, I hate fondant." Anders dropped off several boxes, "Gonna get wild tomorrow." "Neighbors should brace themselves." "Dad, what advice about marriage would you give to a single guy?" "Live with them for a while. Years, even. If your weirdness doesn't drive each other away, then congratulations." "Married at 76, what's one old guy thing you'll never give up?" "Peaches and cottage cheese," Ian began measuring ingredients, "You got more?" "Yup." "Good. Load us up.""Dad Kaz out?" "Went with Maureen to get flowers."

"He won't be much help."

"Yes, well, the other option was having him in the kitchen. Helping us." "Okay, flowers are better. He does love hanging out with Maureen, though." "Love her." Anders left to get more drinks, "I'll finish this up, then I can help you. Food truck's ready for tomorrow." "Mmmm, barbecue." "Thank you," Ian dug into his pocket, pulling out a couple hundred dollar bills, "For your time and effort."

"Good dad." "I try." "Too bad you're too old to be a ring bearer." "At least we Maureen's pup Robert to do it. And Martha as the flower girl." Anders left to get another load of crates, Ian and Gav focusing on prepping batter.

"How ya feelin'?" "Like I have to puke. But I'm excited," Kazuo grinned, "I was afraid it was never going to happen." "He's been waiting a long time. I wish Shirley were here…Jeremy…his parents, his brother, your mom and grandparents…" "Lot of people will be missing. I wish aunt Ayaka could make it, but I get that she runs a hotel."

"With this, I have everything I ever wanted. A husband, another partner, a kid…well, if Anders gives us a grandkid, that would be great." Maureen looked over, Kazuo's lower lip quivering, "Hey…" "For so long, I was told I wasn't worthy of love. I proved everyone wrong. If they could see me now…"

"Your mom would be proud of you." "I wish she could see me with my family. See how happy I am." "She knows you're in good hands. She loved Ian." Kazuo smiled, "That's always good to be reminded of." They pulled into the flower shop. Kazuo was suddenly aware that he was wearing a Strapping Young Lad shirt, rainbow belt and strawberry-patterned Crocs. "Don't worry, it's all paid, they're not going to turn you away."

"Still probably the weirdest man to limp through their doors." Maureen put her arm around him, "Anyone bothers you, I'll deck 'em, just like Shirley would." Kazuo grinned, pushing open the door. The woman at the counter looked up, "Hello, how can I help you?" Kazuo stepped up, "Hi, we're picking up arrangements for the Mitsuwa-Gabriel wedding." "Alright, two standing arrangements, and a dozen large table arrangements."

She began to bring them out, Kazuo stiffening. The arrangements were ornate, white and blue flowers intertwined. A tear worked its way down his cheek. "Kaz?" "They're beautiful, and…it's happening. It's really happening." "You deserve it. You've both waited a long time." Kazuo smiled, "Thank you so much. Let's get these home."

Ian leaned on the counter, "Okay. They're baking. One part done." Gav leaned on him, head on his chest, hands on his hips, "I'm happy." "So am I. I've wanted this ever since I was a young man." "You two are perfect together." Anders came in from the backyard, Martha in tow, "Once those are out, can you help me set up tables and chairs? I got the lights." "Yeah."

Ian perked up as the screen door at the front opened, Maureen and Kazuo entering, flowers in hand. "I'll watch the oven," Gav let Ian up, the older man and Anders going to unload the car. Ian kissed Kazuo's forehead as he passed, blush immediately coloring his cheek. The arrangements were set on the table. Ian stepped back, hand to his mouth, eyes shut.

Kazuo slipped one arm around him, "You okay?" "I-I'm sorry. They're beautiful, it's what I've always wanted. Everything's coming together, and…." Kazuo pivoted to his front, hand to his cheek, "This is our beginning. Our forever." Ian hugged him tightly, wincing a bit from the healing tattoo on his chest, "I can't wait for tomorrow." "Neither can I. We're gonna run down that aisle." Ian rested his chin on Kazuo's head,

"I can't wait, husband."

[lnkedmyheart]

A Harry Potter rewrite but

Someone acknowledges how the school system is built to actively promote the constant isolation of young impressionable children with toxic families and nurture them in an environment that only acts as an echo chamber telling them about how much better blood purity is. Yes, I'm talking about how any child sorted into Slytherin is highly likely to become a Death Eater simply because of the way they are forced into a toxic echo chamber.

Severus Snape isn't a nice guy who takes out his anger at a dead man on his young son and isn't defined solely by his "love" (See: obsession) for said boy's dead mom. He also learns to be happy for her but still actually loves her instead of idk...being a dick to little children.

Sirius and Remus are an actual couple (because I fucking re read PoA and OoTP simply because I saw people saying there was zero subtext and I distinctly remember there being subtext as a gay closeted kid and guess what...it's still there. It's still gay as shit and it's still subtext (and accidental cause Rowling can't write compelling romance for shit).

Which brings me to my other Remus ship. If I were to rewrite this obviously Wolfstar would have become canon and they would have survived and taken Harry in. Tonks, that badass mofo of an icon would have wooed some girl off her feet and been an absolute legend as she did it and all that jazz. BUT since I'm trying to stick close(ish) to canon I guess we're still murking Sirius (poor boi deserved way better). So, Remus still had a romantic relationship with Sirius, but after Sirius' death he falls for Tonks and it's a slow process and Tonks makes it clear that a) he needs to get over himself and his self hatred because it is not his fault and b) he deserves to be happy for himself. Remus falls for Tonks because they share some experiences, they actively interact, Remus is his old self deprecating self and Tonks, instead of becoming depressed puts her foot down and goes "I will always be there for you but YOU need to fight for ME". And Remus is like "oh ShIt! I do love her and I can grow to deserve her" and grow into loving himself for her and then they get together (and not die). And then you have an iconic bi dude marrying a genderqueer bi hottie.

Tonks' patronus doesn't change. Because no, just fucking no. That cool self sufficient baddie will never change her personality or soul to mould herself to a dude. Nope. Fuck you.

James and Lily's romance is also clarified on more and Lily more explicitly falls for him because he proves to her that he is a genuinely good person through an act that is NOT meant to impress her.

The prank has more context because wtf was happening there.

SOMEONE comments on Harry's very obvious bisexuality.

Peter's betrayal is a deeper blow because here he is shown to have genuinely adored the marauders instead of being the "that guy" of the group. Also his betrayal is for much deeper reasons than "aha I just chose to stick with the winning side".

Dumbledore actually gets called out on being a manipulative bastard more.

Harry doesn't name his son after his mom's obsessive nice guy pal who constantly hit and mocked him and a guy who reared him like a pig for slaughter and instead names him after one of the many MANY wonderful people who died in the war and his first name is Sirius because we just HAD to kill the ridiculously queer coded godfather (who deserved better).

Also Remus and Tonks were at the hospital during Sirius 2.0's birth and tried a mini spell to ensure he has some level of lgbt-ness to him. And they both cried when Harry said the baby was named Sirius because Sirius always wanted to be one of the Potters.

[epicene-humanoid]

some trans Jeff thoughts:

he realized he was trans in elementary school and just went fuck it I'll just start introducing myself as Jeffery and see if anyone decides to stop me (as we know, jeff winger can get away with almost anything)

he got top surgery the second he could afford it (around the same time he started at his law firm), and probably bribed someone to keep it a secret

"I'm jeff winger and i would rather look at myself naked than the women I sleep with" are the words of a man proud of his transition

he's really insecure about his fashion sense, which is why he mostly dresses like the douchey guys at his firm in the start of the show, he thought you can't go wrong with the sleazy lawyer look

he will never admit it but he feels super good about the dean hitting on him, because the dean is a (cis) guy, acknowledging that Jeff is more manly than him

i think he starts out stealth and comes out to everyone one by one, probably starting with abed because he knows abed won't judge him and will probably just see it as an interesting backstory.

abed just says it's cool and maybe worth a prequel exploring Jeff's transition, and jeff asks him to predict how all of the members of the group will react to him coming out.

abed's predictions:

britta will be over-the-top supportive and do a ton of research about trans history, probably put together a slideshow just to prove how progressive she is, and jeff will be a little bit weirded out, but also touched that she did all that for him, though he would never let her know that

shirley will be confused, because she doesn't know how someone she trusts and knows so well could be part of a group she was raised to hate, but ultimately realizes that there's nothing actually against the lgbtq people in the bible, and, as a cool character development arch, starts to advocate against use of the bible to justify bigotry

troy will just think it over and decide that Jeff's physique and coolness are even awesomer knowing how much work he'd had to put in to be like that, and respects Jeff's manliness even more

annie will give him a hug, say something sweet about how she'll always love him, and worry about his health, because even she read somewhere that taking testosterone makes you more likely to have a heart attack, jeff will explain that the risk is still only as high a cis guy, and she'll be the one to always remind him to take his shots

peirce will say at best say "jeff winger used to be a chick?" and at worst call him a slur, either way there's sure to be a lot of misgendering from him, and pestering to know Jeff's deadname (needless to say, Jeff just doesn't tell peirce)

the whole group goes out of their way to keep their beach trips a secret from pierce (the girls don't want him there anyways, he's too liable to be creepy) even though jeff knows that even if pierce saw his scars, all he would have to do is make up a story about some childhood accident and pierce would never question it

sorry this ended up being super long. can I hear some of your headcanons for him?

YES ALL THIS!!! yes yes i’m fully accepting this as canon oh my god

i’m about to type a whole ass ESSAY at midnight because i have been DYING to talk about this for months ajfdksljk,,, this is going to be obscenely long and i might end up adding even more to it as i continue to rewatch the show because there is truly no shortage of trans jeff content (especially when you’re trans and see transness in every little thing ajdkslfkjs)

spoiler warning for literally everything about this show under the cut <3

i 100% agree, i feel like he realized he was trans super young, especially since in the show we see him as a little kid a couple of times. 

like look at little jeff with the oversized sweatshirt and little ponytail!! that’s childhood trans fashion. not to be dramatic but part of me thinks that jeff’s dad left before he fully came out to his family (which gives him even more angst about it, because until that one Thanksgiving episode, he’s never able to prove to his dad that he’s a better man), but part of me thinks that his dad left after he came out (which adds that spicy i-should-have-stayed-in-the-closet guilt that he has to work through). 

either way, because his dad wasn’t there, he had to base his concept of masculinity on something else, which was becoming a lawyer!! there’s some line that’s like “after the dust and divorce papers were settled the only man i looked up to was [the lawyer guy]”. like, replacing your father figure in your mind with the concept of “a job where you can talk your way in and out of anything and distort other people’s concept of reality”? that’s trans.

 and the fucking THANKSGIVING EPISODE... i struggle to watch it without crying hehe <3 yeowch! the dichotomy of willy jr. being the “wrong” kind of man because he’s “too soft” but jeff also not being enough despite adhering to all the social standards of masculinity... fuck!! this whole scene of him telling his dad “i am Not well adjusted” and talking about how he gave himself an “appendix surgery scar” when he was a kid and he still keeps the get-well-soon letters from his classmates under his bed? oh my god. the implication of people loving him not despite his scars but because of them?? trans. i can’t think about this episode for too long or i’ll start yelling.

OH and this scene? where he talks about how his mom got him a girl costume for halloween?? and everyone said “what a cute little girl” and after a few houses he stopped correcting them?? and “once the shame and the fear wore off, i was just glad they thought i was pretty”?? THAT’S TRANS... the man needs validation oh my god... and then in all the halloween episodes we see he has these ultra-masculine costumes (a cowboy, David Beckham, one of the fast and furious guys even though he never watched the movies, a boxer with his DAD’S boxing gloves... god) costumes are about becoming something else and he always chooses to be hypermasculine and that is trans.

THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION EPISODE!!!!!!! being uncomfortable during P.E. is a queer experience. period. but him being specifically uncomfortable in the clothes someone else is assigning to him? trans. “are we gonna talk about clothes like a girl? or use tapered sticks to hit balls around a cushioned mat like a man?” TRANS. and him eventually stripping in public? celebration of transness. and the fact that he eventually becomes comfortable in both the uniform and his own style!! trans!! god i love this episode. 

AND AND AND!!! the gay dean coming out episode!!! where it’s the three of them discussing the best way for the dean to come out as gay despite not entirely identifying with that label!! so we have both frankie and the dean who are sort of ambiguously queer, and jeff who’s a stealth trans man who’s probably only out to only the study group at this point. this scene where the dean and jeff have this like eyebrow communication while frankie is talking is just so cute. queer-to-queer communication. “I am so curious” “oh?” “intellectually.” “oh...” ajfdksljfk this scene just screams high school GSA to me and i love it so much.

and SPEAKING of the dean!! i totally see you on that. i feel like jeff has some internalized homophobia/biphobia (like he’d throw punches over someone else, but when it comes to himself he has a lot of shame). and also seeing the dean so confident in all his different outfits/costumes has a weird affect on him bc it’s like “okay, the dean, a cis guy, can do that, but i as a trans guy could Not because that’s Breaking the Rules”. which, like, throwback to the halloween thing. of course there’s no right way to be masculine, but mr. winger does not know that.

another thing!! the episode where their emails get leaked? that includes his emails with his therapist. fuck!! he was outed to the whole world in that episode!! no wonder he was so fucking angry!! this whole episode (and really any time he mentions his therapist) is so interesting when you think about them as a person he talks to about his transition. OH which adds to the thing with the dean!! “and you told your therapist you wanted to be alone this weekend” and “not you jeff, i know you’ll be visiting your dad” ”I told you to stop reading my emails”. luckily his study group has his back and just makes fun of him for emailing astronauts lmao

and WHO can forget “they’re giving out an award for most handsome young man!!!!” what else is there to say about this line besides: he’s trans. you know he didn’t get awarded enough for being a handsome young man when he was a kid, and no amount of compliments when he’s fully-grown can really make up for that. some people crash a kid’s bar mitzvah to cope with the fact that they struggled to be seen as themselves when they were a teenager <3

also his weird relationship with pierce? where he kind of hates him (understandably lmao) but at times has this almost-friends-almost-father-son relationship with him? especially in this episode where he’s forced to bond with him and ends up having a good time by accident (at a barber shop no less, the perfect place to Be A Man with your Man Friend). idk what to say about him besides the fact that pierce says his mom wanted a girl when he was born and made him dress like a girl (and his middle name is anastasia!) so if they’re gonna do any bonding over transness it’s gonna be that. 

okay one last thing and then i’ll shut up for the night. this episode kills me (and almost kills jeff hahahahelpi’mcrying). it’s a very Trans thing to not be able to visualize your future self, it just is. growing up trans at the time he did? i don’t know what kind of future he saw for himself, but i’m so happy that he ended up with a group of friends who became his family and love him the way they all do. i’m so emotional over this asshole it’s ridiculous. 

in conclusion:

they’re trans, your honor <3

[alastorseye]

About Remadora

When I say I really hate the HP fandom, I'm talking about the "fans" that hate everything about the saga, but still having Harry Potter accounts. They change the original story, claim that fanonical facts are canon, and launch hatred and death threats at those who simply like HARRY POTTER JUST THE WAY IT IS. Yes, I'm mostly talking about Marauders fans, which I joined after reading the books because I thought it would be interesting and funny. I suddenly realized how toxic and hateful that fandom was, it's like a cult dedicated to deifying Remus, Sirius, James and Regulus, and it seems that hating Snape, Dumbledore, and Remadora is a requirement to be a part of it.

At the beginning I used to consider Wolfstar as something funny, a bromance, it never bothered me, I mean... every fandom has fanon ships and I respect that, but the way they always hate Remadora and their shippers is something that MUST stop.

"You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

"It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely -"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front ofLupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times. . . ." And the meaning of Tonks's Patronus and her mouse-colored hair, and the reason she had come running to find Dumbledore when she had heard a rumor someone had been attacked by Greyback, all suddenly became clear to Harry; it had not been Sirius that Tonks had fallen in love with after all."

"And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes,staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor . . . too dangerous. . ."

When I read this part of the HBP I realized that Remadora was my favorite Harry Potter ship. Of course I wasn't aware of the death threats I'd receive later. I've read some "reasons" why some fans hate Remadora.

"Tonks forced him!"

We all know how insecure Remus was. I don't have to explain what's written in Wizarding World (Pottermore). This is the Remus bio:

Well, we can read that Remus was really attracted to Dora.

"Remus, so often melancholy and lonely, was first amused, then impressed, then seriously smitten by the young witch. He had never fallen in love before. If it had happened in peacetime, Remus would have simply taken himself off to a new place and a new job, so that he did not have to endure the pain of watching Tonks fall in love with a handsome, young wizard in the Auror office, which was what he expected to happen. However, this was war; they were both needed in the Order of the Phoenix, and nobody knew what the next day would bring. Remus felt justified in remaining exactly where he was, keeping his feelings to himself but secretly rejoicing every time somebody paired him with Tonks on some overnight mission".

This is so sad and cute, and that's undeniable. I cried when I read it. If someone still thinking that Dora forced Remus to marry her after reading this paragraph... I mean... they're probably talking about another book series.

"The age gap!"

I'm so satisfied to know that some Remadora shippers have explained this. When it's about a kid and an adult... OF COURSE IS HORRENDOUS! Because children are not physically and mentally prepared to have romantic relationships. Wizards are legally adults at 17, REMUS MET TONKS WHEN SHE WAS 21!

I mean, many old people abuses of young people innocence, or something. But we all know that Remus wasn't one of those! He really loved Tonks, and that's canon. I don't know what's doing in the fandom people who denies canon facts.

Remus and Tonks were two physically, mentally, and legally adults loving each other.

"Remus didn't love her!"

He was an introvert, Tonks was an extrovert, she made his life better. And of course, I loved the way he introduced himself when he was trying to prove he wasn't a Death Eater:

"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag." (Remus Lupin, DH)

Maybe I'm not the only one who perceive he was proud to be Nymphadora Tonks husband.

"I.. I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and have regretted it very much every since". (Remus Lupin, DH)

This phrase makes more sense after reading Remus bio. He used to think that he was "too poor, too dangerous" for her. He thought he wasn't enough for her. He never imagined that she would love him back. He was a werewolf, and of course he knew he was dangerous, you only need to be emphatic to realize he tried to get away from Tonks because he loved her, he didn't want to hurt his beloved woman!

If you don't believe me, read this again. It's in the chapter 11 of Deathly Hallows:

"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!"

So, if Remus was trying to escape it's because he loved them, he thought he spoiled their lives. And of course, no one likes to feel that their influence is bad for someone they love!

"Their relationship came from nowhere! They don't have a development"

Well, the saga's name is HARRY POTTER, not The Love Life of Remus Lupin. The story is about the tragic life of this kid and everything he went through to save the world of a cruel and dark villain. I know many readers are young people in love, and they only want to ship everything, but that's not the main topic here, maybe mother's love would be the topic. Of course Ron and Hermione had a development because they were HARRY'S BEST FRIENDS, and they were always with him, from Philosopher's Stone to Cursed Child. Remus and Tonks are minor characters, and it's funny the fact that this usually comes from Wolfstar shippers, so... is Wolfstar more developed than Remadora?! I mean... they can ship whatever they want, Snape and the Sorting Hat, Dobby and Voldemort, anything, but that does not give them the right to disrespect such a cute, tragic and beautiful canon ship as Remadora.

"They are queercoded! Their relationship is homophobic!"

It's surprising to hear this. It's like... people gets angry just because the author doesn't make queer their favourite characters? I will explain why I don't think Remus and Tonks are "queercoded":

Whether through their dress, their behavior, their language, or other subtle forms of implication, queer characters were written or designed to communicate their unstated queerness to those who were searching for representation.

And this is the definition on the website Pride.com:

"Using LGBTQIA tropes and stereotypes to allude to a character's sexuality without explicitly confirming it in the text."

We all know that Disney used queercoding on characters like Ursula, Scar, Jaffar. And why do we know that? Because DISNEY WANTED TO PORTRAY THEM LIKE THAT, get it? Disney, THE CREATORS MADE THESE CHARACTERS INTENTIONALLY QUEER. How? BASED ON STEREOTYPES.

And going back to Remadora, I was really happy to see by first time a bada*ass woman, with short hair who wasn't portrayed as a lesbian just because the way she looks. This character didn't follow the: "Straight women have long hair and are girly", and "short dyied hair is for lesbians". I'm very very very surprised the fandom follows these stereotypes.

About Remus: I don't know how the phrase "being a werewolf is a metaphor about people with HIV AIDS" means "he's gay". Fenrir Greyback bit him when he was a kid. Many people interpret this as "r4pe". Okay, even thinking that it is the meaning of the "bite", I still cannot understand how being "r4ped" and "infected" makes him queer. Is this (again) a stereotype about people with AIDS and gay?

"JK Rowling created Remadora because she didn't like people shipping Wolfstar!"

It is true that fans love shipping everything, they queerbait and queercode everything. That's great, that's not the problem. The problem is when people starts bashing fans who ship canon straight couples. A very good example is the polemic on Falcon and Bucky relationship, some fans wanted them to be a gay couple, Anthony Mackie said that two men can only be friends, and there is no need to always give them a romantic connotation. People cancelled him, they called him homophobic. Yes, just because a person with authority (on the story they're following") didn't like the fact of queercoding their favourite characters. It's the same about Remadora.

Grindeldore is a very interesting and underrated couple by the way. You can love or hate JK Rowling, but the truth is that Harry Potter story is hers, and even if Remadora was "because she didn't like Wolfstar", she is the author, it was her mind where these characters first appeared, as a big Harry Potter fan I respect and like the original story, that's not a sin. An author has the right to make some changes if some characters were misunderstood by the readers.

(Yes, I wrote this a bit angrily since I've seen too much hate towards Remadora shippers)

[back-to-louis]

Hey, I’m the anti who asked you how u would react if the larries are right. First of all, I just called them crazies because it makes me SOO furious that they don’t see how harmful and blatantly stupid it is to ignore everyone occurrence of Louis(and Eleanor’s) life just because there’s one clip of Louis leaning into harrys touch and a couple “matching” tattoos that don’t match anymore than Harry and zayns(who are very much not together, you get what I mean). Plus, they’re the same people who keep changing the theory that Freddie isn’t his kid just because god forbid Louis was with a woman, yk? Even though, like I said, I think it’s near impossible that they’re right about everything being a coverup; it’s such an interesting scenario to think about. I just wanted to know how you think us antis (the respectful level headed bunch of this fandom who don’t make baseless conspiracies) would react IF Harry and Louis have been secretly together and forced to hide that by fake dating other women this entire time. And also like you said, share mutual friends, family relationships, private occurrences, etc, with those girlfriends; and even somehow managed to build a very real relationship with a child that isn’t his. In a world where conspiracies with no logic behind them could come true, how would you react? In a world where one of the many absurd babygate theories is correct, how do u think we’d react? But specifically, in a world where somehow Sony/Syco/Columbia forced them to build this whole “narrative” ,as they call it, just to cover up that relationship, how would you react? Would you feel that you were in the wrong this whole time? Would you think it’s a Ricky Martin/Elton John situation(because I have read about them, it’s what made me realize how blind larries are to the possibility of being queer ☂ and still having kids/past opposite sex lovers)? Or would you simply not care too much and go “good for them, hope they’re happy”? I personally would just think the last one, like I said, because I’ve never been the type to get too involved with this conspiracy until recently(even if at one point I did think the concept of that ship was cute, very cute, I was never a tinhat thank god). I don’t even think it’s far fetched at all to think it’s possible that Louis can be part of the LGBT community. But since he’s said he’s not, I’m going to respect that and not try to “prove” otherwise with clips from 2012. I do think the other scenarios are near impossible though, because of all the reasons you’ve stated here on this blog. Which btw, I love your blog <3 Thanks for the reply lol 💜

Thank you, thank you, for coming back and clearing this up! I am sorry I sometimes feel I have to respond to asks like yours with an "I'm taking this in good faith.... OR AM I???" approach because in many cases, the person never comes back and I feel like I have to make my response for the readers I have rather than the ones who never really return to see what I had to say. Thanks for the kind words about my blog and thanks for being a reader!

I kind of (?) addressed a similar question to this in this post , aka, if we were in an alternate universe where all of these impossible things were possible. In that post, I concluded (?) that it's hard to define what "supporting Louis" would look like, but also noted that in this universe where Larries are correct about what's happening, they are by definition making things harder for Louis.

I'm so sorry, I can't give this a "yes or no" kind of answer because I'm me and that's probably going to be annoying. I TRIED! I was lying there in bed the other morning, giving this real thought, thinking, "right, okay, so, in this world larries were right about this whole situation. So, how do I find out that they're right?"

Wait. How do I find out that they're right? We have to start there, don't we?

Some morning, in the near or distant future, I'll wake up, and check my phone even though that shouldn't be the first thing I do when I wake up, and since I live in the US I'd probably have a ton of messages from one of my UK or EU friends due to time zones, and they would be telling me... what would they be telling me?

That there's an article in the SUN or TMZ or Hello! where Louis and Harry came out and told their whole story? Louis wrote a twitlong? Briana posted a confession to her instagram stories? Like, what would that LOOK like? What would finding out Larries were right look like? Because from what I last saw, Larries think the "story" will break in phases:

a) Either with a story about how Louis just found out his child isn't his, followed by breaking up with Eleanor over his devastation (or that order reversed)

b) followed by some stories about how Harry reached out to support Louis and they renewed their "friendship" so start to be seen interacting online and in person (I guess there's some element to take care of HARRY's current relationship with a woman as well by now, who knows)

c) followed by them "officially" becoming a couple, and then a very public and activist couple, which will result in

d) them blacklisting any questions about any prior girlfriends or children which will "make clear" to the public that those elements of the past were all fake anyway and the "true believers" will of course know and keep dear the fact that "they have loved each other since they were 16 and 18" etc.

* So I guess for the sake of brevity (too late), I'll say that if I read an article (well-sourced, not a tabloid, ofc) in the near or distant future that Louis just found out Freddie isn't his son, so he's not going to have anything to do with him any longer, I'd first take that at face value and think he's an ass, lose a ton of respect for him, and I don't really see myself being interested in what he has to offer as an artist because at least part of my interest in him as an artist is the persona he has as a generally caring person who tries to do his best.

* But if the article was about how Louis admitted that he engaged in the pantomime of being a father, signed a birth certificate, involved his family, etc., because of (?) contracts (?), I think the shock of realizing he just killed his own career would have me reaching for the popcorn.

Like, can you IMAGINE the press around that? Can you even see that being the story and TMZ being like "yeah, wow, record labels, huh, they sure do be making people make their moms pretend to be grandmothers on their death beds sometimes. Bad record labels! Poor oppressed boybanders!" Can you IMAGINE twitter and YouTube drama commentary in the wake of an announcement like that?

* I will entertain a third option! In the event that one day in the near or distant future, Louis and Harry either break contract and are sued by "[entity]" or initiate a suit against "[entity]" or press charges (?) for doing these things to them despite the fact that they're unenforceable and illegal, so basically saying "these entities are the mob and terrorized us and our families for a decade and we are taking them to court to air our grievances" which, to be sure, would probably be an ideal scenario for Larrie vindication, no? Then, yes, I would be like "wow, that's really fucked up, and I'm really glad they got to go public with all of this and "[entity]" receives the full penalty the law allows."

In that case I can imagine myself still being interested in Louis as an artist, and I would have no issue with whatever relationship(s) he's in, with Harry or otherwise, although I'd probably feel like he'd need uh, therapy. Like, I don't think he'd be ok. That would be like them admitting they were in an oppressive cult of two, for ten years.

And also, larries would have still have made all of that harder for both Harry and Louis. So.

[swiftgronmasterpost]

Late Stage Swiftgron Part 1

Update from November 2021 - I really don’t believe much of this is meaningful at all.  I don’t think they’re sitting around referencing one another on social media or anything but some of Dianna’s interactions with Karlie are interesting Dianna shows up explicitly in Taylor’s life a couple more times so I’m leaving these sections here.;

From here on out everything but the 2014 AMAs and Dianna’s somewhat shocking appearance at Taylor’s 2019 SNL performance are just odd social media shenanigans (or subtweets) between the two, and Taylor appearing to release at least one more song about Dianna (Babe in 2018) (and let’s be honest you can make a strong argument for The 1 being about Dianna as well other post 1989 songs.)

Some of this might be complete crack or coincidence but as you all know I want this to be the most thorough Swiftgron document possible.  

If anything it proves they both certainly still have similar interests and they really do seem to be in touch.

There are some interactions claimed by others to be Swiftgron related that I’m not going to include because they’re just a bit too reachy for me (though I completely support the theorizing!) but in general, if I personally can see the hint of a Swiftgron connection, I’m going to include it here. Draw your own conclusions and take everything, particularly the alleged subtweets/social media shenanigans, with a grain of salt.

And yes there’s tons of Kaylor and other Gaylor/Gaygron content that will be left out of this segment because this masterpost is focused on Swiftgron.  Someday it would be cool to make a giant masterpost/timeline that documents all of it, but for now it’s just going to be Swiftgron stuff. August 26, 2014 - Dianna tweets, and then deletes “Withdrawals, clearly…we had fun.” 

There’s no screen shot of this tweet but some retweets/responses of it remain:

If Dianna is indeed referencing the song Clean (in which their relationship is compared to an addiction hence, “withdrawals” from it) then Taylor would have had to give her advanced knowledge of the song since 1989 did not come out until October 2014.

Taylor did claim she ran 1989 by the muse that inspired it and they were both in LA in late August 2014. Maybe this is when.

November 1, 2014 - Taylor posts about Clean

November 19, 2014 - The 2014 AMAs Kaylorgron Explosion Extravaganza:

Taylor, Karlie, and Dianna are at the event.  Taylor and Karlie are clearly on a date and Dianna is there to present Sam Smith’s performance of I’m not the only one.  Dianna seems a bit out of her element/gloomy when interviewed on the red carpet and Taylor flexes Karlie hard, dancing with her throughout the night and even sitting on her lap during an interview.

Click here for photos, video, gifs, and a live L chat reaction to the night.

December 28, 2014 - The writer for the tv show The Originals, Carina Mackenzie, tweeted that 1989 was about Dianna:

It’s of course notable that someone in the industry is “confirming” Swiftgron on main (particularly before gaylor went mainstream with Kaylor being so obvious in 2015/2016) however what’s even more interesting and notable about this tweet is that an actor named Michael Trevino was on the show The Originals and he dated Jenna Ushkowitz from 2011-2014.

Not only that but Michael was at Dianna’s 26th birthday when Taylor was in attendance as well.

It’s possible that Michael witnessed Swiftgron in real life and spilled a bit to the writer of the TV show he was on.

January 5, 2015 - Taylor likes a Swiftgron related post on Tumblr of Dianna saying she’d go on the road with Taylor and carry her bags at the Giffoni Film Festival in 2012:

February 9, 2015 - Style is released as a single

February 13, 2015 - The Kaylor “Best Friends” on a road trip Vogue Spread comes out.  You’re probably familiar with it but if you aren’t google it.  It’s incredibly romantic and pda filled.

The Style music video is released on this day as well.

We don’t have to go through the whole video but one egg I just have to note is the cave pictured in the MV is in Morocco the same country Dianna seemed to flee to after Swiftgron was outed:

February 14, 2015 - Dianna tweets 143 remember those days (for some reason it has not been deleted) seemingly in response to the Kaylor vogue shoot:

143 is a code that means “I love you” that originated from Mister Rogers.  Both Taylor and Dianna have publicly shown that they are fans of his.  Taylor has even made certain songs 3 minutes and 41 seconds long seemingly referring to this number and wore a Mister Rogers pin on a jacket for a photoshoot once.

Here’s a bit more in depth analysis on the significance of the 143 post.

This tweet is how we know that it is 100% in Dianna’s character to occasionally subtweet Taylor and why a lot of this social media analysis has been done.  

February 16, 2015 - Just two days later Dianna attends a fashion show in which Karlie walks and is noted to “have kept a smirk on her face” during.  Dianna doesn’t clap at the end of the show and looks miserable in photos of the event:

February 17, 2015 - Taylor releases Wonderland

I’m going to pause here and discuss the song Wonderland for a brief moment because it is some of the most incredibly airtight evidence for Swiftgron available.

Dianna’s favorite book of all time is Alice in Wonderland.  She brought it up in interviews all the time, tweeted about it, auctioned off a signed copy of it for charity, her private Tumblr and instagram account are called whosirmesir which is a reference to it, her private Tumblr is filled with reblogs about Alice, and her public Tumblr was called fell down the rabbit hole.

So the fact that Taylor writes an entire song describing a relationship through the lens of and packing full of references to Alice in Wonderland is incredibly interesting.

Let’s take a look at some of these lyrics:

Flashing lights and we, took a wrong turn and we Fell down the rabbit hole (literally Dianna’s tumblr name and url)

Didn't you flash your green eyes at me (Dianna is famous for her beautiful almost hypnotic green eyes and yes they are green)

Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds (queer coded)

Too in love to think straight (queer coded)

But there were strangers watching And whispers turned to talking And talking turned to screams (seems to reference when they were outed) You searched the world for something else (Dianna very publicly went travelling around the world right after April 2013 when they seem to break up)

Taylor literally put Dianna’s Tumblr URL in the song.  Frankly I’m kind of shocked she released this song at all it is so obviously and clearly about Dianna.  Truly a Swiftgron anthem!

Back to the timeline...

March 8, 2015 - Taylor posts Flamingos for her dad’s birthday:

The caption was “Happy Birthday, Dad. Thanks for all the unconditional love, sarcastic comments, and interesting Christmas presents.”

May 1, 2015 - Dianna posts a flamingo for her birthday (post is now deleted):

The caption was “This is 29. Spoiled rotten. Funny enough, at work they were painting the hallways white and the roses (hallway doors) red, then I actually went to Wonderland (@AliceUnderLdn) and came home to a surprise flamingo. Here we go. Another year around the sun…feeling lucky and loved and loved and lucky.”

Taylor also gave Emily, another rumored ex, a flamingo bandana for her birthday.  i also think it’s odd that Dianna mentions Wonderland specifically in the post.

January 15, 2016 - Dianna’s engagement to Winston is announced and Kaylors notice Taylor is liking sad posts on Tumblr including several posts related to Clean:

November 7, 2016 - Lorde’s birthday party where Kaylor is together in public for the last time for 20 months.

January 5, 2017 - Claire (who is still very close with Taylor) comments on one of Dianna’s Instagram posts):

March 2, 2017 - Dianna posts her James Dean inStyle UK photo to Instagram:

This is actually the second time she has posted this as a throwback photo.  She also posted it on February 4, 2016 with simply the caption “TBT” and did not include the “rebel without a clue” bit which is a reference to James Dean (Rebel Without a Cause). She’s never posted the same TBT photo twice before or after this (as of the writing of this post in October 2020).

It I may be permitted to go real far out on a limb here it’s almost as if she wanted people to connect that photo of her in the UK InStyle magazine to James Dean.  James Dean is of course the way Taylor describes her lover in the song Style.  

At any rate it’s very odd that it’s the only photo she’s posted twice whether it’s related to Taylor or not.

April 25, 2017 - Fans notice Dianna is having her script tattoo removed:

This is significant because a part of the tattoo was dedicated to Alice in Wonderland - it said “We’re all mad here” 

Tattoo removal is a years long process:

So it’s possible she started getting it removed around the time that Wonderland came out.

It’s also possible part of the tattoo was dedicated to Lea (the part that said “here I am”) so this whole removal situation is very interesting.

In 2019 she was still getting it removed and commented this at a Cafe Carlyle session:

"i was like i don't know i wanna explain all my tattoos or the one that i'm getting removed on my side...you know you're like...WHATEVER we're stopping we're moving on"

February 13, 2018 - Dianna attends the Carolina Herrera fashion show, so does Karlie. Dianna is introduced to Karlie by Derek Blasberg and very audibly calls Karlie “gorgeoouusss” as they meet. 

Kayda play “Gorgeous” by Taylor Swift.

Click here to keep reading!