#this isn’t even about his gay arc
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being an eddie diaz hater must be so BORING!!!! like yall keep losing and I get to see eddie be pretty on my screen and be competent and be silly and then immediately be sad…i love winning
#rambles#and like i think if u watch a show with such a strong dislike of one of the main characters r u even enjoying yourself?#like all 7 main characters are so fucking interesting and fun to watch#but you are just MISERABLE#this isn’t even about his gay arc#like HES A GOOD MAN HES A GOOD FATHER HES A SMART COMPETENT MEDIC I LOVE HOM#are there 7 mains? am i missing anyone lol#this sentence makes no sense#but yeah he’s such a pretty boy#EDITING my tags lmao i said complex issues before#they are not complex issues and i regret the word issues#he is gay and repressed
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I really need to stop going into the general 911 tag bc some of y’all are so stupid and that’s ok but you’re also really mean and I’d like you to please keep it away from me (I have blocked so many people already)
#911 abc#anti bucktommy#<- in case anyone wondered what I was talking about#and also so they don’t see this#is there an anti tag for straight eddie diaz truthers too?#bc that was what really inspired this post#venting#tw vent#like the man who had panic attacks bc he imagined a woman (that he was dating) coparenting his child??? that man??? is straight???????#the man who said ‘it’s just that Christopher loves you so much I just thought that maybe [eventually I would too]’#that man??????????#heterosexual?????????#you’re joking right????#the man who said relationships (with women) are like sinking into molten chocolate and yeah it’ll eventually suffocate you but it’s familiar#that man??????#sorry I’m more mad about this than I thought#like sure it might never be canon but you cannot look me in the eye and understand eddie even a little bit and say he isn’t queer coded#like he is frankly the most queer coded character in that show (apart from hen who has been an out married lesbian for the whole show)#his whole breakdown???#gay#the shooting arc???????#the will?????????#but no yeah he’s like so clearly the straightest man ever and those who think he’s queer are delusional totally 100% right of course#anyways#if you’re a streddie truther please block me and also maybe rewatch the show and also what are you even doing???#no hate to y’all but we are watching different shows and I don’t think it would be productive to interact lmao
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One thing that bothers me about a lot of discussion surrounding Kanji and people who have problems with his arc is that a lot of people think the problem queer people have with the writing is simply that “Kanji isn’t gay/his arc isn’t about him being gay and that’s bad” because honestly that’s a really uncharitable way to look at people who have problems with it.
Honestly, to me, Kanji’s canon sexuality is irrelevant to this conversation, rather it’s more about how the game treats the concept of gayness. It’s heavily stereotyped in an extremely unflattering way, used for shock value, and not really ever brought up again after the arc unless it’s for bad jokes. In essence, they used the aesthetic of (stereotypical) gayness for a moment in the story without really giving a lot of care to the implications, which is really not great if the plan wasn’t to incorporate Kanji questioning his sexuality into his character more. I get that being insecure about the possibility of being gay is a very real thing; it’s a product of toxic masculinity (which is what Kanji’s story is actually about) and I literally experienced it myself when I was younger. It’s honestly a part of why I find Kanji relatable in the first place. But the way the game is written, it still treats the idea of Kanji being possibly gay as a bad thing, or at least something to be shocked or surprised by, and even with charitable readings of the story it still rubs me the wrong way.
To me, I can personally overlook all this to a degree. I still think Kanji is an awesome character, I can view a lot of the writing decisions as a product of their time, and I heavily relate to him no matter his sexuality. Would I like it if he was written as more explicitly queer? Of course, but considering the game came out in 2008 originally that was probably never going to happen anyway. That said, it really isn’t unreasonable to have problems with the way the game handles the concept in my opinion, because even if the game isn’t outright homophobic (mostly), a lot of the subtext and imagery as well as the concept itself feels like a product of homophobia in some way, which can understandably be problematic for a lot of queer people!!
#persona#persona 4#sorry for fanning the flames of discourse#i don’t even know if this makes sense#but i care as much about queer people as i care about kanji himself#and i don’t like when our problems with the way we are represented in media are dismissed as being frivolous#i also don’t like when people act like kanji being gay would contradict his arc#cuz i’m literally gay and i’ve experienced basically everything kanji has in this story#this isn’t a poor straight people moment#it’s just how men end up feeling thanks to toxic masculinity
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Are we ready to have an honest discussion about Will and El’s dynamic and possible ending yet?
Two characters sharing a similar narrative in this story. How will things end for these two?
It hasn’t occurred to me until recently just how little we discuss these two.
Over the course of the show, the development of Will and El’s co-existence has less to do with their relationship but more to do with Will’s character arc.
In the beginning (seasons 1 and 2), Will is so hidden that El takes over. Will “hides” in the upside down, and is again hidden when he is possessed. El takes the spotlight in his place.
Then in season 3, Will is physically present but in the background. He’s the side character. El is the leader. They barely interact.
In season 4, Will is starting to come out of his shell. He’s still a side character, but he’s closer to being on an even playing field with El. He’s not in the background as often, and is actually seen conversing with El, and he even confronts her on her lies to Mike. Which is also foreshadowing his lies to Mike later on in the season.
I’m going to be quite frank: El and Will are not actually very close in canon. The “wonder twins” idea is beautiful but very fanon. These two had so many opportunities to grow closer, especially since they were separated from the others in California… but they just don’t? They both seem lonely and disconnected in the other’s presence. But yet, they are connected another way: El is Will’s saviour/protector. She is like his security blanket. I mean this literally (textually), and a sub-textually. Obviously she helps him while he’s trapped in the upside down and when he’s possessed- making her a textual, and literal saviour.
But… what do I mean by a sub-textual saviour? Well, she protects him from having to take the spotlight. He is able to hide behind her in many ways.
For one, she takes the brunt of the bullies in Lenora. Will is able to go around unnoticed even as a GNC guy that he is. Back home at Hawkins, he is, unfortunately, very visible to bullies. Visibly different, visibly gay. But in Lenora? Bullies are too distracted by the girl who’s different instead.
Now when it comes to Will’s love life… El also is protecting him in a sense. He desires Mike, romantically, sexually, and intimately. Due to the rampant homophobia that surrounds him, these desires scare him. El is a safe barrier from these desires. Will is also able to safely express himself through her.
If El weren’t in the picture, Will may have been more bold in expressing this side of himself to Mike. He may just let his feelings slip out more. Perhaps he’d let his eyes linger a tad longer, or he’d be tempted to be a bit more tactile with the boy he’s overflowing with affection for.
El shields Will from having to confront many aspects of himself. That’s the problem. Because of her protection, he isn’t able to challenge himself and grow. This is why whenever El saves the day, it never lasts. She merely puts a “bandaid” on the wound. But this wound will grow and fester if the source of the problem is not addressed.
El’s Possible Origin
This is the first time in the entire show that El is mentioned. The context of this sounds like they’re implying that El also “came from” the upsidedown; precisely where Will was at the time.
Now, I’m aware this is a fairly unpopular opinion, but I do believe El was created from Will in a supernatural sense. I suppose in a similar way to how Eve was created from Adam, minus any romantic undertones.
Our very first sighting of El is of her emerging from the forest, barefoot, in a hospital gown, with very little hair on her head, and a limited knowledge of the English language. Not unlike an infant child. Now, please don’t take this the wrong way… I’m not implying that everyone with limited language skills are babies, there are many possible reasons for it. But within this show, it is implied that her lack of language skills are due to her experiences within the lab, and lack of experiences outside of it.
I do have to ask though, why do the other “lab kids” we have seen have no obvious language difficulties? Unless… El actually was an “infant” in a way…
This quote is interesting for multiple reasons. One I’m focusing on here is the mention of life starting that particular day. Of course I’m not referring to Mike’s life starting that day- I’m talking about the person we are shown in this particular shot- El.
Now, I know what everyone is thinking: how does El have memories that predate this day then?
Well, what I’m arguing is that many of her memories could be an altered version of Will’s memories. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that his memories could have been transferred to El.
This “fake” script of the episode Papa tells us that Will recognized Brenner. There’s a history there! Will likely could not quite pinpoint how he recognized him.
It’s important to note that Will only vaguely recalls aspects of his childhood. There’s gaps. Just like there’s gaps in El’s memory as well.
El’s Possible Ending
I’ve always been surprised just how little people dig into El’s possible ending in the show. I feel like people are somewhat aware of this possibility but choose not to give it any further thought. Truth is- El doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.
I need to remind everyone of this last shot in ST4. Yes yes the couples, we have heard it a million times already… but look where El is standing. She’s on the other side. She’s in the upsidedown. Where she initially came from. Now, I’m not saying she’ll end up in the current unpleasant upsidedown- she will likely live on in a peaceful version of it. An entirely new environment one that exists…
[In Will’s mind.]
I do think this is an important foreshadowing quote- but not in the way most people think. They won’t work together as twins- they will work together as one person. What I’m saying is…
They will combine. Just like what this hug visually foreshadows… El and Will will become one again.
I can honestly make a whole separate post regarding references made in ST to other media involving two characters being one. There’s a lot…
#Stranger things#stranger things theory#Will Byers#Willel#el hopper#oooooh boy I’m gonna get in trouble again aren’t I#byler
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I just finished watching Dead Boy Detectives, and I really, really love how this show handled its queer characters.
It’s so interesting to me, because Edwin died in 1916, and while he wasn’t killed for being gay, his sexuality isn’t unconnected with how/why he died. But his whole arc in the season is about accepting himself and his feelings for both boys more generally and Charles in specific. And by the end of the season, he is able to discuss his crushes with Niko and confess to Charles, and even extend this acceptance to Simon—the boy who bullied and killed him. And in the confession with Charles, I think it is so beautiful that nothing changed— that Charles was so accepting not only of Edwin being gay but also being in love with him.
And I love the scene with Simon, and the moment that the show gives to Edwin, where he is able to accept that being gay isn’t a curse of inherently wrong. And after extending that acceptance to Simon, Simon is able to move on from his eternal punishment in Hell.
So this show does a really beautiful job handling internalized homophobia and repressed feelings, but, at the same time, it also has a really casual approach to queerness. It was never suggested that Jenny’s secret admirer could be a man, and Niko just already seemed to know Jenny was gay. And it was never considered odd or surprising by the characters that Monty and the Cat King could be attracted to Edwin. For a show that really treats Edwin’s journey so beautifully, there is just also a level of accepted queerness without homophobia which I found really interesting and enjoyable to watch.
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I’m seeing discourse on Reddit regarding Tommy Kinard and him not being a good partner for Buck based on him a “bad guy”. I find this laughable because of the recurring characters we get on 9-1-1, Tommy has had one of the strongest arcs. Let’s start at the beginning.
In “Chimney Begins”, we do see Tommy somewhat participating in the toxic male culture established at the 118. Knowing what we know now, I can see Tommy doing this as a means of survival. He knows that at this time you can be gay and you can be a firefighter but you can’t be both. He’s doing what he can to stay under the radar.
It is heavily implied in “Hen Begins” that he played a role in the dismissal of the original captain of the 118 and by the time Bobby arrives, the culture at the 118 has changed considerably. It’s clear that he is liked by Bobby, Hen, and Chimney and it’s his departure that paves the way for Buck to join the team.
Even in his absence, he continued to aid his old team and when we are reintroduced to him in season 7, he’s an out and proud gay man who is happy with the direction his life is going in. He admits to feeling jealous of how far the 118 has come since he’s left. The 118 is everything he wishes he had when he was on the team.
Regarding Buck, Tommy has exhibited patience and kindness and understand. He’s taking a step back and letting Buck embark on his own journey of self discovery. He checks in to see if Buck is okay. He isn’t putting any pressure or expectations on what’s developing between them. He’s basically a safe space for Buck.
I don’t know about you all but everything I’ve just described sounds like growth. I never thought Tommy was a bad person when we were first introduced him but I think he’s a better version of himself now. Now, you may prefer Eddie for Buck - which is fine - but saying Tommy is bad for Buck because he’s a “bad guy” is frankly ignorant and disingenuous.
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Something that has always fascinated me deeply is how UNintelligable PrinceZam is when viewed from any pov besides his own.
Because from PrinceZam’s pov, his lore is deep and rich and filled with struggles and worries and regret and fear and paranoia and justifications and good reasonings to do evil arcs. He really crafts the most interesting and sympathetic characters of all of lifesteal. He responds to the happenings of the server with deep lore every time. Pours everything out to chat, giving us the littlest details about his mindset at every moment.
But from EVERYONE else’s pov he just does’t make sense. Like even I feel confused about PrinceZam when I watch him from other povs. There’s something about it that I can’t put my finger on. But more often than not, everyone views him with utter confusion.
But this is the ONLY way other lifestealers interact with Zam. They don’t get to watch PrinceZam streams. They don’t see him like we do. Ever.
And this really applies to every lifestealer ever, none of them get to see the lore from within that person's mind. The can only react to the external view of it.
What a fascinating little conundrum.
Because with the Saturday session and Flame, I could not help but feel like he was actually just doing a Joker arc. Not Abyss, Joker.
Because the Abyss was about player activity, sure, but it was more about the trap, and it grew into a “we will destroy all of spawn” over time.
The Joker arc was about making minutetech and jumper see that pacifism does not belong on lifesteal. This is the killing people server and you should kill people. Kill me. I will blow up builds until you kill me.
Now, Flame does not have the pizzazz of the gay joker. He never will. And he probably will never make anything truly interesting with this lore from his own pov. (and bro keeps not streaming any of it)
But that’s not what intrigues me about it and made me so happy seeing it unfold.
It’s because Zam was walking around saying the same damn lines that Minutetech said about Zam all throughout the joker arc. Some of them lines that were said between Minute and Ash without Zam around. The following are Zam quotes from the Saturday stream.
“they just want attention, if we don’t give them attention they’ll give up” almost word for word from minute about mapicc and zam.
“If he’s going to throw a tantrum we mighteswell just not give him the fight”
Them digging their heels in and not doing the one thing Zam/Flame wanted them to do: kill them. Not doing it because it was the one thing the crazy evil guy blowing up bases told you he wanted.
“if i fight them i give them exactly what they want. It’s so fucked up. There’s no, there’s no winning option here. There’s nothing I can do to win”
“maybe some people can’t feel regret the way I do, that’s fine, i guess, that’s whatever.If that’s how he is, that’s how he is. But i don't believe that for a second” (remember who you were in s3 Zam!)
“He’s just going to blow up more. And that’s okay. I’m willing to let him do that. I honestly don't care. Like, if that’s what he wants to do then that’s what he does I guess”
“YOURE having fun, but no one is gonna log on and see this and say oh I wanna fight flame now. No one’s doing that dude. This isn’t how this works.”
FLAME: “it makes me happy bro, that’s all that matters” How many times did Zam insist that the Joker arc was fun. How many times did Jumper go “why are you doing this” and Zam said “it’s fun” without elaborating the nuanced undertones of the arc.
Zam even dropped the MinuteTech patented "okay"s when Flame and Wemmbu were saying they were doing it for fun.
From the outside the lore was the same. The damn same. But this time we have the pb&j side from PrinceZam. And it fascinates me how similarly they approached the situation.
And then as a final bonus, there’s the question about moral high ground. On the first day of the server, Ash was talking to Wemmbu and the following conversation unfolded (1:38:00)
WEMMBU: “I have done nothing evil this season. Leowook killed me for no reason, then I died to fall damage for no reason, well, because my water glitched out, and then I died to Spoke for no reason… DUDE I’M ON THE MORAL HIGH GROUND THIS TIME! Without having to like, make things up. This is great.”
ASH: “Yea, don’t do that bro. It’s not worth it. Seriously. It’s not worth it and you won’t even get a good video. Do you know how easy it is to be a good guy, and then last second go ‘I want to be an agent of chaos’ and how much that fucks everyone else on your team up?”
And Zam on Saturday, “Why does it even matter? What the- what does moral high ground get me?!”
Ominous shit man.
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honestly everyone keep talking about how close to canon sasunaru is but i’ve literally never seen people talking about masterpiece like kakairu.
So; PART ONE of my favourite gay dads.
iruka is blushing while he’s talking to kakashi
oh wait, in the manga they’re both blushing
I’m pretty sure he had his bisexual awakening at this moment
His crush is following him, oh no
Kakashi being touchy around Iruka is probably my favourite thing and this isn’t even the best moment of it
lady tsunade knows
OH DAMN SHE DEFINITELY KNOWS (it’s official art btw)
talking about official art I’m gonna just leave my two favourites… Look at the proud dads spending time with their children 🥺
PAIN ARC— LIKE— Kakashi literally— I cried so hard and so much at this point. God, bless them.
#hatake kakashi#kakashi x iruka#irukaka#kakairu events#kakairu valentine's week 2024#kakairu#naruto#naruto shippuden#kakashi sensei#kakashi and iruka are the best parents#kakashi is gay#gay mlm#gay#kakairu is real#irukaka is real#anime#manga
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I can understand a silly workplace comedy about pirates not being everyone’s jam but I really can’t understand the amount of queer people I see hating on ofmd.
like for one thing most of the debates turn into gatekeeping queerness (which I think has a lot more to do with the ages of the main couples than actual concerns about authentic representation but that’s another post) and the rest are just hateful because it doesn’t directly name or label it’s queer characters but like why do we need that at this point?? listen I love heartstopper with all my heart but it is exhausting to watch them explain queer identities sometimes (even though I do think it’s super useful for younger audiences I’m just not the target demographic!) and ofmd is an explicit, violent, adult show that doesn’t NEED to explain it’s character’s identities.
queer people past their 30’s are usually very well aware of their queerness and have had (hopefully) plenty of time to go through the arc of discovering that. so why would we need to see Stede or Lucius or Ed going through turmoil because they’re attracted to men when they have already come to terms with that at this point in their lives?? i for one find it so fucking refreshing to watch a show where the characters being queer is not their main arc, they just ARE queer and life is still happening to and around them. maybe that’s just the millennial gay in me talking, but it gets emotionally exhaustive to watch show after show where the queer character’s arc is overcoming homophobia. yes obviously homophobia still exists and yes obviously if ofmd was trying to be historically accurate these characters would be living in a very dangerous time to be queer but it isn’t trying to be accurate!! it’s trying to be fun and diverse and kind!!
and also, they aren’t pretending homophobia doesn’t exist!! it’s just addressed in a different way. Stede was emotionally abused by his father for his entire life for being “soft” and then was chased down by his homophobic childhood bullies, one of which explicitly told him that he “defiled” the great pirate Blackbeard by simply falling in love with the man behind that name. Meanwhile Ed was forced into the world of piracy at a young age and developed the entire persona of Blackbeard (who fits the toxic, violent masculine stereotype of the time) to hide the fact that he’s actually an incredibly sensitive and deeply queer man! and is told multiple times by male figures in his life that sex with other men is fine but it is absolutely unacceptable to be in love with a man. both of their arcs contain homophobic rhetoric that is still present in society today, but its never presented as a problem that they have to wrestle with. they don’t have to come to terms with what it means to love each other, they just have to overcome some trials that go along with the complicated lives they both lead as a pirate and former aristocrat. the homophobia in ofmd is woven into the backstory of each and every character, it shapes them into the people they are at the beginning of the show when all of their walls are up and they are performing the “pirate” roles they are supposed to play. and then we get to see them grow and realize that they are in a safe space, part of a community not just on the ship itself but in the life of piracy (which in the show is pretty much explicitly an allegory for queer lifestyles.)
anyway, I could rant about this all day but just truly why do we have to tear people down for enjoying something? why do we have to find reasons to hate something so obviously created with sensitivity to it’s queer audience and with so much queer joy? if historically inaccurate gay pirates going on silly adventures and falling in love are not your thing, fine! but perhaps just let people enjoy things and find your own things to enjoy.
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“The show isn’t going to cater to your fan fiction fantasy 🤣.”
Yeah… no. See, that’s not the issue. 1.) I don’t read fanfiction; can also barely write it, 2.) the issue 100% is that this was very clearly intended to come out of the blue, but because it seems increasingly likely LFJ isn’t returning to the show, there is a lack of resolution. This breakup is result of Tommy’s insecurities in the relationship. He feels he’s gonna get left behind; have his heart broken. The breakup even surprises Tommy. It blindsides Buck, a character who has long been characterized by a listlessness and a lack of defined vision for his future. When his boyfriend breaks up with him because he doesn’t believe that Buck can actually see him in his future, the narratively weighty thing is for the characters to later—after processing this breakup and struggling with competing wants—confront that. But that seems so incredibly unlikely, so it feels more like they kiboshed this for some external reason rather than a narrative one.
Then there’s an issue with the follow through with themes. If this is the end-end— and that seems likely with LFJ’s departure from the show—there’s a lack of follow through on reoccurring themes in the show, like second chances, making one’s own happiness, and how “our people” make life worth it. If the goal is Buck’s return to a 1.0 era, that would be a stark and sharp character regression instead of growth for a character who has come a long way over 8 seasons, which is not narratively satisfying. And when it’s ONLY the bisexual character who ever gets arcs like this, and it’s explicitly because of some “he doesn’t know what he really wants” or “he can’t commit,” then the story isn’t original; it’s a stereotype. There’s also then a very jarring lack of follow through on changes to structure and style they had been planning to explore, like finding ways to integrate a Love Interest into non-romance and non-relationship storylines, being able to expand these characters through professional scenarios together, and that whole thing about Buck getting off the “hamster wheel.” All of these hinted at major structural changes to the way the show writes secondary characters, which would also have major implications for characters like Karen and Josh. This sort of shift, understandably, gets viewers invested in a new era of an EIGHT season show, and disappointed when these structural changes fail (repeatedly, may I add) to manifest.
It’s disappointing because it seems—due to casting changes beyond their control and of no fault of anyone— there won’t be any follow through on this purposefully sudden breakup. Even some upcoming confrontation between the characters could wrap up the tension left in the air. The narrative doesn’t need tropes or some rom-com ending to be narratively satisfying! It can end tragically and still fee resolved.
Most fans’ issue with this is that they did this for the short-term drama, not for the long-term story telling.
—Sincerely, a novelist (a VERY different writing form) who writes tragedies and recently finished a gay romantic tragedy that ends—well—with a break up.
#911 ABC#I also don’t like the rhetoric surrounding the break up#a lot of it reeks of bi stereotypes#Then there’s the fact that NONE of Tommy’s insecurities in his relationship with Buck get resolved either#and they’d been narratively teasing various insecurities about belonging for nearly a season
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I humbly request your dave nonbinary thoughts, we may not be ready but I want to know, I want to be enlightened
okay so here’s the thing.
dave strider is a closeted and repressed queer boy in 2009.
in the culture at the time (especially on the internet where he basically grew up) "gay" is used as a catch-all for basically all things evil, stupid, and wrong. as kids grow up they learn that— because patriarchal privilege is something you can lose the second you’re not performing your masculinity to an insane degree— being gay makes you not a real man. being gay means you’re an effeminate little freak, a subversion, a pervert. something to be scorned and taught a lesson. which is terrifying to these kids.
on top of all this, dave is being abused daily in the name of becoming a real man a hero. his ultimate example of heroism is a hypermasculine freak who physically, mentally, and sexually abuses him. of course dave doesn’t want to do introspection into the idea of liking men. just being a man is a burdenous ideal, and the sexuality of men is something that has been consistently used to harm him.
that’s where we come to the meteor trip. dave seems to be of the opinion that because earth is long gone, a lot of those restrictive social conventions should be gone as well— especially things like toxic masculinity, and gayness as a complete “other” that you have to “turn” to; he claims (correctly) that a lot of these restrictive social boxes are imaginary lines built by prejudice, and less absolute then people assume.
so, dave does not subscribe to the idea of hard labels.
it’s important for him to reclaim the idea of gayness, of course. dave has been agonizing over that for the entirety of the comic. his own sexuality is something that terrifies him, to the point where he cannot even manage to date women he actually likes. even if he really is truthfully interested in women, he cannot really handle that until he’s finally come to terms with himself as “gay”. (which is why i don’t think dave would use the term bisexual. even if he does know what that means, that’s not the word he’s been terrified of embracing for the past 16 years. dave strider is gay. his entire arc revolves around accepting this.)
but i think if dave was contemplating gender as much as he was contemplating sexuality on that trip, he would come to a similar conclusion about labels. and besides, masculinity isn’t exactly something that he’s had a positive relationship with.
this is why i think he’d be some form of nonbinary or agender. dave calls himself gay because of his hard-earned reclamation of that word, not specifically because he is never interested in women. i think if he were to call himself a guy, it would be along those same lines.
(i could also go on a tangent about dave’s existence as a hussie self insert and his arc and dialogue with these concepts as a reflection of someone who eventually came out as agender, but this post is long enough as it is)
basically, gay nonbinary dave strider. he’s real.
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We Are Sucks, and BL Will Be Worse When This Succeeds
We Are the series, the latest empty drivel from New Siwaj, has crossed a line for me that I cannot abide. This show is nothing more than loosely connected setups for BL moments that are easy to gif or clip for maximum virality, designed to fulfill a financial obligation to iQIYI and otherwise keep the B- and C-tier BL pairs occupied with work. This show is saying nothing about the human condition with any verve, and there is no queer subtext or text to pull from any of these characters that the viewer isn’t already bringing to the table.
I had stopped writing Stray Thoughts for this show because it doesn’t really have much of a plot or story to tell, but I am not going to be able to continue this show past episode 5. This show is the BL equivalent of a cumshot compilation. It is designed exclusively as fap material to coo over known BL pairs smiling at each other. I was chatting with @twig-tea yesterday about how after five episodes we still don’t really have anything resembling an arc for these characters and how it’s just a bunch of BL dudes hanging out. Twig described it as “disingenuous to [even] call it a show” and “...a bunch of compatibility workshops strung together.”
I hate this so much. There is no story being told here. This is like watching actor reels on IG or TikTok. There is nothing here to hold onto other than your baseline fondness for the cast. There was a moment in episode 5 that felt completely unscripted between Aou and Boom that felt like Boom reacting to being teased by Aou and not a moment between their characters. They didn’t even let Aou’s character confess the specificity of his feelings because they don’t matter to this show! It doesn’t matter why he likes Boom’s character! Just that he does! Why does Boom’s character respond so positively to these feelings? Why didn’t he take initiative on his own before? What changed at all? What’s the goddamn story here? There’s nothing! We just make it up and enjoy the smiles.
I usually don’t want to bitch about shows I don’t like extensively on here, and I especially don’t like spamming tags with negative commentary or musing on shows. However, there are 11 more episodes of this empty nothing, and 30 more episodes of New Siwaj trash on the horizon. He has become the GMMTV BL Babysitter, and I am horrified by what this means for the genre. I try to stay patient with New because usually he captures some form of gay melancholy or angst in his shows, but there is none of that here in We Are. All of these characters know each other and are basically just hanging out for about an hour of TV.
I worry about stuff like this being good enough to monetize. There’s nothing interesting for me in this experience with a queer lens. There is no real story being told, and caring about any details as if they matter leads to questioning the integrity of the characters (are we really doing a slave narrative in a college BL again?). It feels like the end product of giving up on chasing ratings and only chasing virality to monetize the talent for ad spots, concerts, fan meets, and merch. No longer do we even need to make stories about compelling romances between men. We just need to get passably attractive boys on screen together and just ask them to smile.
What does it mean for the genre if GMMTV goes another step forward with this and no longer brings any robust writing to the BL table. Are we satisfied with BL as glorified slideshows of shippable actors? What happens when GMMTV is able to easily milk this over other robust productions? Is this just the filler fluff to keep people engaged with the network between their solid projects to prove their bonafides? BL has always struggled with depictions of queerness, but are we at the point where we don't even try to tell stories that even feel queer? Is just simply putting boys next to each other enough? I don’t like this at all, and it unsettled me as I watched five episodes of We Are only to feel nothing.
I am always half-joking about being over New Siwaj, but I really am at this point.
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The leaks leave me so confused tbh
Ochako isn’t raising her pinkie to avoid floating Deku during that leaked reconnection moment and she wasn’t wearing the gloves that would make that unnecessary. (Also, people are saying it’s the last panel of the epilouge, yet it doesn’t have the usual ending box.)
Jirou has both her ear-jacks in some of the leaks and some characters are missing scarring. There’s one panel where Bakugou’s hand is drawn from an odd angle that lowkey does not look good posing wise (Horikoshi is usually a GOD of drawing and posing hands, so I legit thought that was a fan drawing, until someone said it was apparently a leak?) Also, Todoroki’s face looks like it changes in structure between some of the leaks, but maybe I’m just imagining that?
Then there’s Deku rejecting Bakugou’s offer to join his hero agency so he can keep teaching. It feels like yet again he’s copying All Might to his own detriment, because even if he likes teaching, his arc, focus and drive has always been heroism. All Might becoming a teacher was because his whole thematic purpose was to pass the torch on that would lead everyone into a brighter future. Deku’s motivation has always been to save people as a hero. Furthermore, even if you don’t ship BakuDeku, they have always been thematically tied as heroes.
“Win to save and save to win.”
Wasn’t the whole point of Deku’s narrative was that he was going to destroy himself if he kept going it alone? Yet, he’s pushing Bakugou away after everything is done (Kirishima apparently even jokes that Bakugou got rejected/dumped? Probably not an accurate translation but STILL-!) Izuku feels flanderised, borderline OOC. Bakugou looks so fucking sad and resigned too. I want better for him as a character I watched grow over the years as I read the manga.
To clear things up, I ship BakuDeku, but I wasn’t expecting canonicity.
My problem is that I love platonic IzuOcha. Maybe a part of my reason for liking them was projection, but that’s what media is about. Enjoyment, interpretation and discourse. I can only speak to personal experience.
I lost a friendship with a guy as a young gay girl because people kept joking/insisting I liked him romantically. I pulled away like Ochako did, doubted my sexuality and tried to convince myself the awkwardness was butterflies, before finally coming back to sense. I did not get my friend back after things broke down. I yearned so bad for subversion, for a platonic IzuOcha that overcame the silliness (implanted by a girl who shipped All Might and Midnight because they stood next to each other during the Sports Festival and All for One’s literal spy at the time) to become best goddamned friends and great heroes. It just felt like Ochako didn’t think of Deku like that until someone else said it to her (very much teenaged behaviour).
I initially loved the reconnection scene as their friendship being cemented, as them drunkenly coming together to realise they missed each other. I thought it was so sweet and I was so HAPPY. I read it as drunk but platonic.
Then people kept saying this confirmed IzuOcha canon romantically. I fell down a rabbit hole. I ran through a gambit of all sorts to shitty emotions before I regulated myself to write this.
I’m tired and confused, my dudes. I’m going to stick to my little corner once I got this out. I got exams to prepare for, life to live and a loving girlfriend to hug. Still kinda upset, but my weird, autistic, gay ass can heal.
Stay hydrated and healthy x
#bkdk#dkbk#bakudeku#boku no hero academia#bnha#platonic izuocha#ochako uraraka#izuku midoriya#bakugou katsuki#vent post#class 1a#???#bnha vol 42#boku no hero academia volume 42#bnha leaks#mha epilogu#mha epilogue#bnha epilogue#my hero academia#izuocha#comphet
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My issue with the Hellaverse rulers
We all know the story of Lucifer causing a war in Heaven due to his hatred of mankind, losing and taking a quarter of the angels with him. Those Fallen Angels became the rulers of Hell, essentially torturing the sinners and going to Earth to tempt us or just chill out and give us math lessons (I’m not joking, some do when summoned.) Not in Viv’s Hell though, they were no war so where do the other demons come from? How did these demons manage to harvest such great powers, powers that can give them access to Earth and outrank the lower class? You can theorize that the Seven Deadly Sins were born from the sin of humans or some shit but that’s headcannon territory and this does not explain what created the Goetia. Are we supposed to believe that the second Lucifer and Lilith fell everyone was there to greet them with flowers and a little flag saying “Congratulations! You fucked up but you get a new kingdom!”
Talking about the Goetia…
How exactly do they work here? The Arc Goetia is listed in a book known as the Lesser Keys of Solomon. Their section contains detailed information about 72 demons and how to summon them, these demons were Fallen Angels. A random King named Solomon who appeared to be a master of witchcraft received a ring from an angel that gave him authority over demons and he used them to build temples.
And then you have the Helluva Boss version, with a Stolas born in Hell, who is at least 35. Why do they even exist in this world? The whole thing with the Goetia is that they were demons at the service of King Solomon around 970 to 931 BCE.
You also have those characters who are classified as such but those do not appear in the book like Stella who’s Andrealphus’s sister and who are their parents you ask? Figure it out. But fair enough maybe they do something that is specific to them like I don’t know:
[Context: Stolas wanted Blizø to kill said a candidate who was causing trouble for his associate.]
Ah! So the Goetia mission is essentially to make life worse on Earth using lower species like imps to do their binding. I would have hoped but… it’s a screenshot from the pilots which isn’t canon anymore. And til now, we have no indication that this is what the Goetia does in the cannon.
Stolas is immortal why does he need to have a child? Maybe it’s for other Goetia duties that will never be addressed in the shows but he’s the only character who is visibly shown to be forced into a marriage. Paimon clearly doesn't care if you are gay, asexual, or whatever if he wants you to make a baby you will make a baby. So naturally Andrealphus will have a wife, right? He’s only a duke and his sister got married to a Prince seemingly to alleviate their family so shouldn’t he marry a Princess or something like that, his parents would certainly pressure him to do so. And since Stolas needs an heir despite being immortal, wouldn’t he need one too?
[Context: God the inconsistency's gonna kill me. This is Stella’s party in ep1 of season 2 and you can see two men dancing together.]
Stolas could have been openly gay since the beginning, so what prevented him from divorcing Stella the second Octavia was born? The girl would have been too young to remember her mother and if she asked questions he could have just explained to her that Stella wasn’t a good person.
“But he played along so she could have a normal childhood.”
That would have been a great excuse if Stella did the same thing.
This woman literally threw their butler at her husband the second she learned he cheated on her with an imps not caring that her daughter was there! Stella is quick to anger and will most likely choose physical violence when she’s upset. How did Stolas though that THIS was a normal childhood for Via?!! And it’s not like he was trapped in the marriage they divorced quite easily… wait a minute…
Does Viv even understand the concept of arranged marriages?! Usually, both families benefit from the union (financially, religiously, and other), but few result in divorce due to the massive social pressure caused by the two families and the constant control and influence the parents have on their children. Realistically speaking, Paimon would have threatened Stolas for trying to leave Stella because there’s no way he married his immortal son just to get a new kid in the family.
Yet, it still happened without any complication and Stella left his castle. So where’s Octavia?! She’s his heir! He’s supposed to learn her fairy dust and star magic or some shit, he should automatically get full custody of the child! We don't even know what the girl's relationship with her mother is but considering Stella is framed as a psychopath, I wouldn't want my kid to stay with her EVEN for vacation, Octavia is 17 she saw her mother throwing a tantrum once I think she’ll understand why her father doesn't want her near Stella.
#hazbin hotel critique#hazbin hotel criticism#hazbin hotel critical#vivziepop criticism#anti vivziepop#vivziepop critical#vivziepop critique#helluva boss critical#helluva boss criticism#helluva boss critique
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We already know the ending of What We Do In The Shadows the show. The movie told us.
Spoilers from both the movie (2014) and the show (2024)
I think it’s obvious when Taika and Jemaine set out to make an American version of their vampire comedy, they weaved a lot of the same storylines into the show. We have vampire roommates, werewolves (not swearwolves) , familiars, an ancient vampire, vampire hypnosis, and a camera crew.
All the same ideas exist from movie to show, just presented differently.
Guillermo, the familiar turned vampire hunter turned bodyguard turned vampire turned back to human, is a combination of the movie’s familiar and vampire Hunter roles. I believe he’s also the love interest, Katherine.
I think the show, while becoming it’s own thing entirely, has a deep connection to the movie. I think they’ve been trying to follow viago’s love interest storyline since the show switched hands from Taika and Jemaine to Paul Simms.
While probably not known to most, Paul was instrumental in bringing the show over to the States, having helped to fund it.
He was already in the world of Shadows, and while I haven’t agreed on the way he’s said things and some direction the show had taken (season 4 had some growing pains), I do believe he’s understood the heart of the show.
Which is why I think they took such a dramatic shift in season 4 to tell and show the audience that Nandor doesn’t want to just date, but to really have a life or afterlife partner. That season had two “coming outs”. Guillermo obviously coming out as gay, and Nandor coming out as pansexual before he was turned.
I think this distinction was really important to build their romantic dynamic. They wanted to show Nandor’s interest in Guillermo wasn’t attributed to just horny vampireness, but actual true love and affection for him.
And having Guillermo formally come out as gay was more than just the Freddie gag (or the purpose of Guillermo having a boyfriend so that Nandor sleeps with him causing Guillermo to get upset about it which encourages Guillermo to take vampire turning into his own hands, leading to the events in season 5), but to show the audience that Guillermo’s not just a hero worshipper of his boss. He could very well have a crush that could become something more.
And while Simms’ execution of Nandermo so far has not been executed perfectly, (mostly because I think his version of Shadows uses jokes to cover or masque serious moments whereas Jemaine’s comedy often highlights and exposes the truth about life in funny situations), I think Paul’s vision is headed in the right direction.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Guillermo has a far larger familiar role than the one in the movie. Storytelling wise, it’s expected that Guillermo’s ending will solve the lingering vampire question that was halfway resolved in season 5. Because the show is telling the audience, “Wait. There’s more.” There’s more change to be had. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that a part of Nandor’s arc is finding love. And part of his ending will have to be resolving this, as well.
And funny enough, Viago’s ending resolves both of these issues. He finds love with Katherine again and turns her into a vampire, but she got to have a full life first. There’s comedy there (he’s still older than her even though they don’t look it) but also there’s heart. She got to have a full life and agency of her own instead of being robbed of it.
I think Paul wants to set up this ending because it’s funny but also, to highlight his appreciation to the original. We expected from the jump that Nandor would turn Guillermo eventually and we can’t just have that without growth and change and conflict in between. It’s nice to get everything we want, but that’s not what sitcoms do. Sitcoms subvert expectations, and Paul is highly versed in sitcom structure. (Something that I think even Jemaine and Taika had to learn. )
Paul Simms’ isn’t just a writer in the room, he is a writer familiar (haha insert lame reference joke here) with the source material in a sitcom format. The movie wasn’t a sitcom. They could resolve Viago’s relationship because movies resolve arcs at the end of the movie.
Sitcoms don’t resolve anything at the end of an episode or even the end of a season. They resolve them at the end of the show. He knows Nandermo would end the show, because when characters get what they want (whatever their aspirations are) it completes the narrative. In sitcoms, the characters wants drive the purpose of the show.
And all good sitcoms don’t immediately give you (the audience) what you want until the end. And yes it can be frustrating, but when done right, the payoff is worth it. When the arcs are finished, the story ends. Even in sitcoms and comedy shows. So, Guillermo and Nandor being together and Nandor even eventually turning Guillermo, would have to be arc finishers. That would end the show. Which is why I think s6 is ending here, because the lead (Nandor) finished his arc.
Now whether that means Nandor will turn Guillermo on screen or not is yet to be seen. Maybe at some point down the road when Guillermo’s family is much older or have moved on from this earth and maybe when there is a new way to be a vampire without blood, Guillermo will be ready.
#what we do in the shadows#what we do in the shadows 2014#shadows movie#wwdits#wwdits s5#WWDITS s6#WWDITS theories#nandermo#nandor the relentless#guillermo de la cruz#viago wwdits#viago von dorna schmarten scheden heimburg#viago what we do in the shadows#wwdits spoilers
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Re: Pinterest (but also just generally speaking). I don’t get why people think the writers view ships the same way fans do. They are writing a cohesive intentional story, they aren’t setting out to write “plot + ships”. Relationships are a cog in the machine of the story for them. They are not fans. They don’t ship their own show, as Finn put it. No Duffer or otherwise is giggling and kicking their feet over M*leven fanart 💀 but M*leven dating was a big part of s3. If people are creating art based off of where the story was at at the time, as a creator of course you’re going to appreciate that love for your work?
The writers obviously don’t hate M*leven, that would be weird and again, shipper behaviour 😭 Mike and El were sweet kids, they’re puppy love if you will. Those young teen first relationship antics is what their s3 arc was meant to embody. It’s nostalgic and endearing for many, yes it’s also childish and immature and not built to last but that’s the point? It’s multifaceted and realistic. The Duffers see them as what they are: kids. Kids who are growing up and all the joy and confusion and ups and downs that come along with that. ST is about coming of age and s3 especially about coming into adolescence. This idea that Mike and El has to have been secretly intended as this completely fake, empty or even toxic dynamic with no nuance the entire time is just not in line with reality imo and isn’t necessary in order for Byler to be the end point. Mike can even realise he’s gay and those experiences with El still be formative and a meaningful part of his story, and his conception of romance at that point in his life.
TLDR the writers are not shippers, they don’t share our perspective nor the perspective of M*levens. I don’t think they see things as one-sidedly as the fandom does. They’re not writing ship fic they’re writing a complex story. That story at one point included Mike and El dating for the first time. It’s okay for them to acknowledge that and appreciate fan works it inspired at the time! That doesn’t take away from everything that has happened in canon post s3 and the direction they chose to take the story 👍 also if you want to laugh here’s one of the fanarts:
Super romantic. And of the post s4 arts there’s not a single M*leven in sight (but there is Byler holding hands 🙂). Also please read my original tags if you’re seeing this 🙏
#byler#I’ve been thinking this for a while but this Pinterest stuff just sparked more thoughts#major caveat it might not even be a real account but if it is he clearly just appreciates fanart 😭 and it’s all from years ago pls breathe#not to mention the H*rringgrove stuff 💀 like is the argument that he’d only ever save something if it was canon? cause…#the writers also had Elmax art in their offices lmao they just love the dedication of fans! it is not deep to them like it is to us
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