#and a ship that was queercoded and not queerbaited

[aro-tarot]

Saw a post come up in tags I follow, and like, ugh, seeing something like that again? Just because a ship isn’t happening that you like doesn’t mean the show is queerbaiting. A queer character is queer without the ship you want to happen. It’s not queerbaiting if the queer character doesn’t end up in the ship that was never going to happen to begin with. They can be with other characters and queer relationships. Not being in that specific ship, that again wouldn’t have happened, is not queerbaiting.

Also, related but not to the specific queer character, people also need to remember that queercoding is a thing.

[windwenn]

Stuff i've been thinking about a lot recently (not unrelated to my feelings about star trek)

[slightlycomicobsessed]

honestly something i find so fascinating is how queercoded/queerbaited relationships are often just. so much more interesting than actual canon queer couples and relationships. like obviously there are exceptions but even then a lot of those exceptions started off as just hints. and i feel like the reason for it is twofold, i suppose. when the queercoded ship is, well, coded, it means that the pair must be implied to be incredibly close, and in a way that is markedly different from how they are close to everyone else. their relationship goes beyond "friendship" and into "something else". the thing is that when they can't "make it gay" by having them actually kiss or state their true feelings, it forces the writer (at least if this is intentional) to write around the truth. they can't kiss, but they can hold hands. they can't kiss, but they can speak to each other in a way that indicates closeness. they can speak in hushed whispers. they can have nicknames for each other, an inside joke long since forgotten. they can't be together, but they can hang out together, cry together, laugh together, in a way that signals to the reader. this is love. it's honestly just good writing advice. think about a lot of cookie cutter couples. they're together, but why? why do they kiss? just because they don't want to be alone? why do we care? why should we be invested, why should they be together?

the problem, sometimes, with a lot of relationships, especialy in fiction, is that it falls into the pitfalls of why are they even together?

with queercoded relationships, the writer constantly has to justify it. why is it them? why are they here? what makes them special? why not someone, anyone else? why is this "friendship" so different from any of their other ones? since they can't write the truth, they have to write around it, and that's why it's so compelling. because there is that constant justification, telling the reader. this is why they should be together. this is why they are special to one another. this is why their bond is important. and honestly, that's why i like it. obviously, writers shouldn't have to justify a queer relationship any more than a straight one, but because they (historically) have been forced to, they make such interesting dynamics. personally i think of you're the only one i trust (mystique and destiny), you make me better (harley and ivy), you are a part of me (rahne and dani), and obviously, the classic, you are my dearest friend (too many examples of this to count).

[smartzelda]

I gotta say it

Bro not everything can be queerbaiting

[blanketforcas]

destiel is canon, queercoding AND queerbait we've already covered this. get you a girl (ship) who can do all three

[theflashjaygarrick]

Hal and Ollie being queercoded as fuck but the Tumblr/tiktok/ao3 gays not giving a shit about either of them is the funniest thing ever to me.

Like it is played into so much more than most actually popular DC slash ships, but I borderline hesitate it to call it queerbaiting because they're so unsuccessful at actually baiting shippers. I swear they get more attention when they just have batman and superman stand in the same room.

[miwiheroes]

If Will were a girl, how do you think the average audience would react? Would they say she's also a homewrecker or a slut? Or that her and Mike make much more sense and chemistry?

I think there would still be a shipping war, like there is with Jancy and Stancy. Therefore, toxic people on the Mileven side of things would likely call her that yes -- but I think that's not the issue brought up by people who are asking the question of : What if Will were a girl?

If Will was a girl, people probably would see Byler as having more of a chance, people would be more receptive of the idea of it happening because it's straight. People would be much much more likely to see their romantic scenes as romantic and the showrunners and interviewers would definitely be asking the actors more about this love triangle.

But a lot of the reason why so many people , including queer people, think that Byler won't happen is because it's a queer ship. These are the common doubts:

Will's unrequited love is realistic. Many gay boys have crushes on their straight best friend.

Will's sadness is realistic because he is a gay person in the 80s.

Mike loves El meaning he is straight and can't love Will who is a guy.

The showrunners can't make a gay love story the main focus of a huge show like Stranger Things.

The showrunners might be queerbaiting like a lot of other shows.

Doubt number 1 is eliminated if Will was a girl because straight unrequited love is not seen as realistic.

Doubt number 2 is eliminated if Will was a girl because she would be straight and not discriminated against for being gay in the 80s.

Doubt number 3 is eliminated because both El and Will would be girls, meaning Mike can equally have a chance of being with either of them.

Doubt number 4 is eliminated if Will was a girl because the writers would not need to make as big of a social leap to make Mike and Will in love.

Doubt number 5 is eliminated if Will was a girl because.... well it's obvious.

I kind of don't like this argument. Yes, if Will was a girl, people would probably be more receptive to the idea of Byler happening. A lot of the reason people don't see it is because of heteronormativity. BUT a lot of the reason why I think Byler is happening is because MIKE IS QUEERCODED not just because Byler have romantic chemistry. Part of Mike's arc isn't just realising that he's in love with Will, it's realising that he's queer.

This is a gay love story, don't try to water it down by simply asking questions like:

"What if Will was a girl?"

"If Mileven were gay would you like them?"

Ignores the queer building blocks of the story. Byler is the dynamic that it is because they are queer in the 80s. Mileven is the way it is because they are a straight couple pushed together by trauma and guilt.

EDIT: GUYS LOOK IN THE REBLOGS

[chommki]

going in the minecraft movie tag and seeing people complain at how awful it is... of course tumblr users completely missed what the movie was about

minecraft movie garret x steve yaoi. now

[moldybonessmell]

"Deadpool and Wolverine": queercoding analysis of Poolverine in the movie

// SPOILERS

//Disclaimer: This is NOT a hate post to Vanessa/Wade shipp, but if you ship them, this post is probably not for you.

I've seen a few queerbaiting allegations and, frankly, don't agree with them. Now I'll explain why.

Starting with the fact that movie begins as a typical reasoning for a character to get a new love interest: we find out Wade and Vanessa broke up after roughly 7-8 years together.

Either we don't know (or I just don't remember lol) for how long they've been separate, but it was enough time for Vanessa to get in a new relationship.

And we know that the reason for this breakup is the core differences between the two. In the previous movie they wanted to get a child and Wade's entire motivation was based around Vanessa. In this movie tho, it seems like even if Wade is still not completely over breakup, he seems to be compliant with the fact they are not together anymore. You would expect Wade to go and do something silly to Nessa's new guy, but he doesn't. He respects her decidion.

Wade has more of an existentioal crisis than just hurting from the breakup. So I would assume he's not over because he feels like he messed up and keeps giving sad puppy eyes holding on this romantic relationship with Vanessa. Tho they are still soulmates and friends no matter what.

I don't know about you, but for me this exposition doesn't look like a foreshadowing of Vanessa and Wade getting back together. Vanessa is happy and self-actualised on her own, even if Wade is not.

I don't see Wade trying to change as an act of trying to get back with Vanessa. He reacts like this because his family member pointed out his flaws.

Secondly, the only other "hints" for a relationship between Wade and Vanessa is him remembering how they kissed and in the end Vanessa holding Wade's hand. Which, let me point out, is not a typical trope to show characters are back together. You know what's typical? A KISS! Which never happened btw.

Not to be this person, but we all know Disney/Marvel haven't got the balls to show a canon queer relationship. So the only "hints" for Vanessa/Wade seem to either read as platonic, or purely as an attempt of Disney to be like !look! female love interest!.

Now, other important part. If you really think about it, referencing the first part of the post, the movie follows an enemies-to lovers romantic movie formula:

(optional) breakup with previous partner;

annoyance first (previous deadpool movies);

admiration upon actual meeting (even if Wade acts cocky, when you listen to him telling the story about how his universe's Logan saved Laura, you can clearly see he adores the hero, who, as we know, is relatively similar throughout multiverse. Wade knows this Logan has the same morals as other ones, hearing how he regrets not being able to help his x-men);

"having to" go on an adventure/quest together even tho they are annoyed at each other;

enemies bickering and fighting because they have differences (which are actually similarities between the two which drive them insane when they see this mirroring);

the breaking point and confrontation (the Logan monologue in the car scene);

*the close proximity tention* hate fucking as a spicy way to get over the argument (in the car scene they are shown to fight just for the sake of letting out steam);

the cold period when characters ignore each other because they are still pissed (when Laura got the two to her base);

getting over it and working together, trusting that the other got their back;

saving the world with the power of love brotherhood with romantic soundtrack on;

both staying alive and having a heart-to-heart conversation;

one wants to leave, but the other stops them (usually it would be followed up with a kiss but oh well);

officially meeting a parental figure of one of the characters and moving in together as in an established relationship.

I don't think I'm delusional if I say I haven't seen brotherhood media (ones without queerbaiting or actual siblings) that would follow this formula. But I did see romantic storylines.

All in all, Wade and Logan go through a development and establishment of a relationship. And I'm not even talking about the obvious "one being there when other lost everything and giving them a new family and home".

In the movie there are so many romantic tropes of these CANONICALLY QUEER CHARACTERS, which make it safe to assume that queercoding is in fact happening. I would argue about it if both of them were straight in the source material, but this is the best and most important part, they are not :)

And this is why "Deadpool & Wolverine" is actually a romcom. Thank you for reading!

[charcubed]

Doctor Odyssey thoughts after the penultimate episode!

Or more accurately... Doctor Odyssey "worst case scenario crash out" exploration of a sorts, with some thoughts I've been sitting on without sharing for a bit:

• I'm staying in line for ODY3 and hopefully renewal because I'm incredibly stubborn, but more importantly because I personally find it more fun/rewarding to have excitement and "hope" about the shows and storylines I enjoy until the (possibly bitter) end. I don't find it fun to make myself truly miserable preemptively when watching something.

• I don't think it's an accident that this finale storyline involves a "group wedding" in language even if we don't get to see it in practice (more on that later), and also that the ship's got double booking going on as they're overrun with passengers. I think the intent/setup for some possible throuple follow-through is deliberately all there and so close we can taste it.

• However. That being said:

• We all have eyes and brains. I don't need to recount all the ways the throuple has felt like more of a love triangle and less like a throuple for several episodes, even since the absolute emotional peak and gorgeous cinema of Hot Tub Week seemingly put us back on track. Some of that was for episode reordering reasons, yes... but there hasn't been a ton of effort to course correct since, and overall in the back half of the season we also haven't gotten much Tristan/Max interactions either which has fucked with the characters' dynamics.

• Setting aside the boys' side of the triangle though: the bare minimum hope now is for Avery to choose them both, and for the boys' part to be either hinted at or developed in a second season. This is what we've been reduced to hoping for at this point with one episode to go, right? Manifesting it regardless.

• But!

• Look. Doctor Odyssey's been a miraculous gem of a show since day one that drew us all in because it had clarity of purpose about showcasing diversity in different kinds of people, love, and relationships, and because it was very obviously intended to have the thesis of a polyamorous slow burn love story. That is the show's premise and its point, and that's also the reason why it's felt like it's been floundering a bit as that point became decentralized. The reason why it's so miraculous that the show's been accomplishing all of what it's done so far is that it's on network fucking television. Network TV is infamous for the restrictions it operates under (the cast talked about this in interviews in regards to the threesome choreography a little) and the censorship of queer storylines that tends to befall it because of executive oversight.

• Censorship is why we have subtext and queercoding, and also why people's use of the word "queerbaiting" is nearly always bullshit that erases nuance and the acknowledgement of the constraints queer storytelling is often put under. But I digress.

• All this to say: this ain't my first rodeo. It likely isn't yours either. And there is, unfortunately, a non-zero possibility that – despite its miraculous existence – Doctor Odyssey as a show did not get to evade the crush of the censorship boot and network executive interference indefinitely. Especially after coming back from hiatus.

• That statement ^^^ stands on its own merit, because I think at this point it can be a hypothesis that holds up based on a lot of storyline and character dynamic shifting we've been seeing. It's not a wild thing to think.

• But here is where I also put my conspiracy hat on for a quick second, as a treat. Last episode, when we heard the Captain say to Max, "It got me thinking about the future and life after the Odyssey. Family. Love. But you just can't make someone else want the things that you want. So I’ve taken the next-best course: accept and surrender"... I was like, hmmm. What I'd LIKE for that to mean, in the style of unsubtle typical Doctor Odyssey foreshadowing, is an eventual "accept and surrender" to a throuple scenario. But in the moment, the dark second thing that occurred to me for its potential meaning was a worst case scenario option: that that line is potentially extra-narratively about having to accept and surrender to doing more of a love triangle than polyamory.

• Here's why: The Captain is the consistent mouthpiece of love and support for the OT3 in our show. I adore him. He is the captain of the ship, pun intended. "The three of you take care of each other. I like seeing that," for example. When Captain Massey speaks of what he wants for our trio, it's what we (and likely the creative team behind the story) want too. So him saying he couldn't make someone want what he wanted... It did make me wonder if it was a small warning.

• (Also worth noting that, in a semi-abrupt turn, this was about how the Captain just lost the baby he was so excited to have. The baby and life he accepted he was ready to move forward + embrace in the Hot Tub Week episode, which was also our peak ODY3 indication episode. Captain lost his baby... did we lose ODY3? And so on. He is also about to be removed from his position of authority as Captain in the final episode of the season, based on the promo; whether he'll be reinstated by the end of it remains to be seen, but of course I hope so from a character perspective as part of a happy-ish ending.)

• Yes, this all sounds bananas. But remember, the Captain's lines aside, my point here is that this is still network TV, and there is no end to the amount of things network executives can decide to turn around and stifle when it comes to queer stories.

• Part of this is because I'm still thinking about that Disney exec's quote about a possible Doctor Odyssey renewal. We've all seen it:

"I really love Doctor Odyssey, I think it’s a wildly inventive show, and we’re doing everything we can to support it. That decision ultimately lies with Ryan Murphy, whether Ryan wants to continue to do it, and he feels like there’s stories to tell that he feels confident in."

• I have quietly felt like this quote was some level of bullshit from the moment I read it lol. Again, this is all conjecture, BUT: there is a non-zero possibility that the execs gave Ryan Murphy an ultimatum about no longer doing polyamory, and since that's the premise of the show, he is stuck struggling to figure out where the show can go from here. Which is maybe why it's a decision (but not much of one) that the execs say Ryan Murphy has to make, which positions him as the bad guy who has to take the fallout from fans if he ostensibly ~just decides not to continue the story~ if renewal doesn't happen.

• So. With aaalllll that in mind, this is my Responsible Posting moment before the finale next week (and God I'm tired of having to write this type of post. But this ain't my first rodeo):

• If we do end on some fuckass "Avery chooses Max in the love triangle and Tristan's heart is broken" type of worst case scenario story, and especially if we don't get renewal after that, it will suck so fucking bad. SO bad. It'll be a tragedy after all the potential. In my stubbornness, even as I type this, I still have some level of belief that won't be the case and that even if we don't get explicit throuple we'll somehow get a secret third thing lol. But I'm preemptively holding up the Hot Tub Week episode (and these words from the director of it) and shaking it like a rag doll to remind everyone that that episode was crystal fucking clear and given to us as a gift that works as an optional "I've decided the story ends here" if we need it to be. That is not an accident, or queerbaiting, or whatever-the-fuck-else people will start calling it (and the threesome, and the multiple explicit poly relationships we got on network TV, and all the other queerness this show gave us) if this goes south. I'm saying this now in advance in case it ends up being needed: You aren't insane, this show wasn't stringing you along maliciously, what we did get was still beautiful, shit happens when it comes to network TV even in the big year of 2025, yes we can and will crash out but we can do so with nuance without blaming creatives who fight for the stories we love rather than the people above them who limit their work, Goddammit.

• And! And. If we do get a fuckass ending, I will personally also be perceiving and witnessing and pointing to whatever throuple crumbs we may get in between the fuckery. Because if NOTHING ELSE, I do have faith those crumbs will be there despite any bullshit. The creators of this show knew what they were making, and if they weren't allowed to make it properly anymore, then... it may be a situation where they did what they could, and so I'll be doing what I can to glean the hints at that.

• I hope this makes sense.

• TL;DR: if they leave the throuple behind for a love triangle "resolution" type of ending in the eleventh hour, remember how we got here and understand how we got here and know where to direct your ire.

• Thank you for coming to my TED talk. This was written out of caution and minor foreboding but hopefully it'll all become unnecessary.

• Now let's get this ODY3 + renewal anyway despite it all. Yes? Yes.

[agentoffangirling]

I feel something that fandom needs to understand is that it is very common for creators to claim a queer relationship is familiar when it gains popularity

Like for every queer ship out there, there's always going be the head honcho on the crew saying "um actually they see each other as siblings". Despite cries from fans and many of the crew believing otherwise, the creator usually claims that they're supposed to be brothers/sisters. Merthur, JohnLock, Lokius, Supercorp, you name it. And now Jayvik

I'm not gonna go ahead and say that Arcane is queerbaiting, bc 1, I don't believe that's what's actually happening here, and 2, there are numerous openly queer characters/relationships in the show. CaitVi is the show's biggest relationship and it's sapphic. I doubt the intention behind many Jayvik scenes is queerbait

But it is important to acknowledge that there was a sizeable portion of writers and animators who saw Jayce and Viktor's relationship as romantic. Seriously, what do you call this?

That's not something "brothers" usually do, and definitely not in contexts such as that. Far too many of their scenes and quotes echo these sort of things, at the very least, it is obvious that they are queercoded in some way. I don't doubt that the popularity of Jayvik in s1 influenced the process of season 2, to the point that crew members likely began seeing it in a similar light

All of this reminds me of the situation around Cassunzel (Cassandra x Rapunzel) from Tangled: the Series. Cass was queercoded from the very start, and several animators and producers confirmed that she harbored romantic feelings toward Rapunzel, yet Chris Sonnenburg, the creator, went to every possible length to make them be seen as sisters

(In my opinion, it didn't work, bc in no universe is this not romantic):

My point is that show creators often pull this trick. Sometimes it's to reinforce a certain view, sometimes it's to appeal to a group of people, but almost always it's to dissuade people from shipping it. It's obvious that Christian Linke and the rest of the Arcane team were not on the same team in regards to Jayvik, and in this case, the subtext is more than what Linke says

So yes. They're gay

[sarachidouinsbae]

guys i need more noncanon queercoded/queerbait couples with the vibes of hilson/jackieshauna in the sense of before watching people dismiss the ship and think they cant be THAT gay and then you watch it

[buddiesbuddiess]

Just wanted to say I agree with you on 911 already being queer. i want buddie to go canon as much as anybody with eyeballs but i get kinda sick of ppl saying if it doesn't happen that's "queerbaiting." Your otp not going canon is NOT queerbaiting. Even if u don't like bucktommy, or u do and it's not endgame, it's still main cast! Buck is still bi! And I know lesbian storylines are historically much easier to air on mainstream tv and fandom cares a bit less about women but what is Hen a chicken?? If the fact of buddie won't be canon it's a question of poor writing choices not anti-woke cowardice

sorry for the mini rant, really enjoy your blog and takes <3

No need to be sorry I love reading rants ❤️

And yes, you’re right, and I think the disconnect comes from the fact that I think the definitions of ‘queerbaiting’ are getting a bit murky. It used to be relatively straightforward back when it was far more common for shows to have little to no queer characters, but would string queer fans along by teasing queer relationships they had no intention of going through with. Supernatural is a good example - there was at least one minor queer characters in that in that show if I remember correctly, but none of the mains were queer and they ultimately had no intention of making them so (at least until Castiel got sent to superhell LOL) but baited Destiel so unbelievably aggressively while simultaneously being actively hostile to fans who dared to believe the ship was real.

I think 911 and buddie is an odd one. There have always been multiple queer characters on this show, so to say that the show is hostile to queer fans I think is wrong. But, I think particularly around seasons 3 and 4 buddie still would have fit a broad definition of queerbaiting. At that time both characters were straight in canon but there was enough hints and teasing placed in the show to give fans JUST enough hope they might go somewhere with it. Even if you have queer characters in your show, I do think there’s a difference between having queer characters who are in established queer relationships, and TEASING a romance between two characters of whom neither are canonically queer. The nature of shipping makes it so that the ‘will they/won’t they’ aspect of a ship makes it more likely that fans will be encouraged to ship them and hope to see a queer romance develop in front of their eyes.

We’re in a different landscape now. Buck is canonically queer and has dated a man. The majority of season 8, though, has pretty obviously led us to believe something will develop between Buck and Eddie, who currently is considered straight in the show. Now if they don’t go ahead with buddie, what’s happened is that we have most certainly been baited. More specifically, we have been ship-baited. Have we been queerbaited? It’s a harder question to answer.

I think you could possibly make an argument that we’ve been queerbaited with Eddie. Eddie’s queercoding has been HEAVY this season. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. For queer fans who see themselves in Eddie, if it turns out they have no intention of making him queer, such fans are probably going to feel they have been queerbaited.

It’s a hard one because on one hand this show has always been queer and celebrated its queer main characters. On the other, we have been quite clearly this season encouraged to see queerness in a character and relationship that is not canonically queer. If they don’t go through with that, is it still queerbaiting? I think it honestly depends who you ask.

TLDR I think this question is a super hard one because it depends who you ask and the definition of queerbaiting is pretty murky bc it’s such an emotional thing for people and depends on how they personally feel/their experience with how they feel they have been baited.

Sorry this went on longer than I was expecting it to lmao

[misinterpretingcannon]

kirishima's queer coding

i could write essays and essays on this-- and i plan on it-- but for now, let me outline some bullet points.

though I am not Japanese and do not claim to have ever spent any significant amount of time in japan, I have heard from multiple sources across the interwebs (hehe) that western stereotypes for gay men are not the same as Japanese ones. However, what i have heard, is that one of the stereotypes for gay men is a hyper fixation on "masculine" things. I am pretty sure this stems from the general idea "oh they like masculine things because they like men". obviously, Kirishima fits this stereotype.

There are many examples from BNHA smash that showcase homosexual behavior on Kirishima's behalf, but i will summarize since we cannot go through all. He does many romantic things with Bakugou specifically in these comics. He tries to, at least-- the majority of these acts seem pretty one sided (my poor kiribaku heart). He also sees Inasa and blushes in these comics, before saying (translated from japanese) "who is that hunk?"

if any of you have seen the movie... you know where this is going. He, as he often is depicted doing actually, wears matching clothes with Bakugou. They share a room and mysteriously get lost. when he explains to mineta, it seems awkward, as if they had something to hide. It very much gave "we caught you two together" energy.

Kirishima has two "favorite things." translated into english, the first is "hard-liners." this doesn't make much sense, but it will be explained in the next bullet point. The second of his favorite things is "tough guys." Not anything else we could have imagined like the colour red, crimson riot merch, his manly posters, etc. etc. No, we are given "tough guys." In comparison, what mineta likes is listed as "girls"

So, "hard liners", at first glance, appears vaguely and ambiguously gay, but not enough to base an entire bullet point off of. well, before the translation, it was "Kouha." What is kouha??? i had no idea. but, now i do because wikipedia!! what wikipedia states is that "Many of the Kōha students, especially those from southwest Japan, took up the nanshoku culture from the Tokugawa period and engaged in male-male sexuality since they believed that relationships with females would feminize them and make them 'soft.'" Their sources for this statement seemed legitimate.

also, of course, in the dorm room tour scene (anime), Eijirou is one of the only guys who seems to have no interest in the girls' perception of his room, or their rooms themselves.

also, i think i briefly mentioned this but idk, he never really has any attrition to girls. I know, I know- kirimina shippers go ahead, i'm expecting the replies, but there is no EXPLICIT ATTRACTION he has toward girls. does not being attracted to girls make you gay? no. has he shown any explicit attraction to guys? ehhh... depends on what you'd call explicit attraction... BUT THE POINT IS THAT paired with all this other information, this piece is important. There is a scene where his face is SHOVED INTO momo's chest and he has zero reaction. While kaminari seems to be VERY close with kirishima, he always is talking about girls w mineta, never (in a reciprocated convo) w kiri. there are more examples of this but again, im lazy as fuck. but you guys will probably get an essay on this so uh dw.

lastly the stage play is really gay. i didn't think that really affected canon like at all (because lmao) but i just wanted to throw it in there. he is really gay.

ALSO THIS CHARACTERIZATION IS BLATANTLY HOMOPHOBIC. FIGHT ME. he is NOT characterized as gay for representation. he is NOT coded this way because like horikoshi ships kiribaku or something. HE IS CODED THIS WAY (in the shonen at least) AS HUMOR. he is queercoded with bakugou in the movie AS QUEERBAITING. and YES I AM FALLING FOR IT!! but the blatant disrespect towards lgbtq ppl doesnt stop there. i could go on and on about other disrespectful representations of lgbtq people in mha, but i wont. I didn't expect it to be some revolutionary thing talking about queer struggles or anything, but i just wanted to point out that like... the fact they CODE him as gay but never say it or talk about it is... pretty weird. fight me. (OR DONT IF YOU GENUINELY AGREE W ME THATS SUPER COOL TOO TELL ME THAT BECAUSE I'D REALLY LIKE TO HEAR EVERYONE'S OPINION ON THIS FRRR) also- this post isn't a promotion but ik this it's probably gonna get to some kiribakuers so

its my server. trust, it's hype.

[nomattertheoceans]

I'm sorry, are we not supposed to be pissed about this?

The queerbaiting could not be any clearer, they could not be shouting it any louder.

It's a valentine's day themed official merch, for characters that, while being the two leads in the story, are refered to as sharing a sisterly bond and being best friend, and not a romantic bond. A valentine's day set.

Yes there is subtext, yes we can talk about queercoding to some extent, but ultimately, the potential romantic feelings between them are not canon. And they are not going to be canon in the movie because we know how the story goes. We've had the musical for over twenty years to show us how the story goes.

And frankly I find this disgusting. Universal is not your friend. They're not being cuties that love the ✨ gay vibes ✨ of Gelphie and want to create cute stuff because of this. They're a corporation, queerbaiting their LGBT+ audience into spending money on products like Valentine's day Gelphie Funko Pops while knowing full well that they are not going to canonize the ship come November.

And frankly I wish there was more talk about this in the fandom, because maybe I'm old but I've been in various fandoms for almost twenty years and I'm tired of seeing queerbaiting alive and thriving in fucking 2025.

[olderthannetfic]

Since we're bitching about anime I'll add my 2 cents on another fandom I shall not name.

I don't think people know what queerbaiting VS queercoding is anymore.

I see soooo many people jumping onto mlm or wlw shippers in anime (all kinds really Shonen Sienen etc) and yell they are queerbaiting people in the fandom by their ships and fanart.

Like that's not a thing. You gotta realize that queerbaiting is something corporations do for marketing purposes. Sorry for bringing Sherlock BBC in here but they were 100% baiting and that is what baiting looks like.

At the same time because Japan is the way it is I can totally see elaborate queercoding of some characters outside of BL/GL genre. For fucks sake Yuri on ice that people hail for being gay... the relationship is implied there and the marriage proposal isn't even called marriage proposal. So let's not pretend that 'implied romantic relationship' is not a thing in anime.

We accept now that a lot of queercoding happened in hays Era in Disney movies but when it's in anime suddenly you're reading too much into it. Okay okay cool cool cool.

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