#and friends to queercoded enemies

[memelordotherblog]

Hmmmm, I'm starting to think the Goof family have a type

[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!

[queer-coded-tourney]

ROUND 4 BATTLE 1

vote for the character you think is most queercoded, if you don't know either character check the propaganda

PROPAGANDA

Miles - Emotionally repressed lawyer is saved from his darkest moments by his *ahem* “childhood friend” that changed the course of his life and the entire legal system. He is as close to canonically asexual as characters not produced by queer writers get, and yet he is also very gay. Everyone in the Fandom believes he has it down bad for the protagonist and he wears a wine red (looks pink af) suit

Gabriel - Gay angel, questioning God, horny, thinking about sworn enemy 24/7. Honestly, what more could anyone ever want?

[drozdnah]

I'll eat the next person who tells me once again that glados is chell's mom.

because this is just a THEORY, the only argument in defense of which is the difficulty of translating the song.

I don't believe in this theory it doesn't make sense to me. this not only doesn't make sense, but also completely throws away all the character development that glados went through.

I have studied the entire portal lore and I can say that there is no official confirmation of mom theory.

and of course you can believe in any theory you want (even if your theory is a bullshit), but do not take it as a canon. it's ridiculous.

for me, the portal plot will forever remain the story of two women who considered themselves enemies, but after they got into a situation where they finally became equal, they realized that they were actually very similar. they are not enemies, but victims of a capitalist company run by men. and after they realize this, they can no longer hate, now they understand each other. and their feelings become more loving and understanding, maybe not quite romantic, but definitely the kind of feelings that you have for your best friend with whom you have been through a lot.

and mom theory is just like.. "I'm letting you go, Chell, but just because now I've remembered that you're actually my daughter... and that's it...not because our relationship has changed a lot since we got into the old aperture.. no..". this is not only a very lame plot twist, but it just ruins this beautiful super queercoded story.

anyway thank you for reading this. perhaps someone will find my thoughts interesting or useful.

[shy-writes]

📢🏳️‍⚧️📢 new queer sci-fi alert!!!! 🚨🏳️‍🌈🚨

Eterna is an nblw enemies-to-lovers story about magic, aliens, and the terror of falling in love. Interested? Keep reading, and follow this blog for updates and sneak peeks!!

NOTE: my main acct is @shytoadsapphic, so if you get likes or follows from that blog but your post/blog is centered around writing, know that it was for this acct!

Eterna follows two aliens—Chia, who moonlights as the supervillain “Nyx”, and Clay, who struggles against them as the superhero “Eterna”—trying to carve out their own stories after crash-landing on Earth. Unfortunately for humanity, neither of them are particularly good at this whole “good guy/bad guy” thing. And, to make matters worse, they’re discreetly, desperately, and detrimentally in love.

When a covert official from the government sends Clay on a mission to infiltrate a seven-day-long party on a private island, seemingly with the intention to expose the host’s plans to ignite a global war, Chia smells a conspiracy dangerous enough to destroy the world. So, of course, they ambush Clay and crash her party, fully expecting neither of them to walk away with their lives.

Their Romeo and Juliet plan goes horribly wrong, however, when Clay and Chia unearth evidence that the supposed celebration and its host, the mad inventor Dr. Atticus Hartwright, are not all they appear to be. As they discover the dark secrets of Dr. Hartwright’s estate, they’re forced to face the sins of their home planet head-on while digging up old feelings that neither of them ever wanted to revisit—and that threaten to destroy them both.

Inspirations: The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, the Simon Snow trilogy by Rainbow Rowell, and the Gearbreakers duology by Zoe Hana Mikuta, as well as a million different cartoons and movies that had queercoded villains or homoerotic tension that never came to fruition

Praise for Eterna:

"I am feeling destroyed!!!" -director of my high school writers club, Heather

"YEAHHHHHHH this is delicious you COOKED with this one" -my friend basil, who is in medical school and knows everything so you should listen to them

"It sounds like a dream based on a person searching their conflicting perceptions of self." -my grandmother

"I don't get it." -my father

Stay tuned for more!!!

[persona-brainrot-real]

Actually I think that what we see of Akechi in the third semester isn’t an entirely honest reflection of who he is. He’s not a ruthless bloodthirsty finds-power-arousing (pre-showtime dialogue) nor in most other aspects of the game does he mention how openly and explicitly fascinated by Joker he is, the way he does in the third semester. Yes he is fascinated by Joker yes he finds him attractive yes whether you ship them or not there is undeniable homoerotic subtext in their relationship and akechi is queercoded.

This might not be too coherent bcs it’s like 2;30am rn BUT I think one of the most important things to consider is that the Akechi that gets brought back isn’t the same level of Brought Back that Wakaba Isshiki was, or Haru’s father. You can bring back Wakaba because she had all of these connections, all of these people who knew her and loved her. She had a job, a reputation, a social life, and even if Futaba hadn’t wanted her back, Sojiro would have. Her other coworkers, her friends. The point I’m making is that Wakaba, much like Okumura, and on a smaller scale Madarame with the way his personality changed, were social people. To be brought back, Maruki could have used these different understandings of them to bring them back as they were perceived and understood. Wakaba is crafted out of Sojiro’s memories of her as a person, out of Futaba’s memories of her as a mother. Okumura by how he was to Haru as a father, turned into a polished version based on what she wanted him to be.

Those who were alive were changed by the people around them, too. Sae by Makoto, Madarame by Yusuke, Shiho by Ann, even the rude teacher whose name I can’t remember is likely changed because of the wishes of the students, who Maruki heard complain about how cruel or mean or rude he was.

And that brings me back to Akechi. The only person who got close to him for who he actually was, is Joker. The only person who got to peek past the walls he put up, even in a controlled way, is Joker. The only person he was honest with, chose to surround himself with, and opened up about his life with, is Joker. As such, it’s Joker who wants him back when he’s gone (shown by Joker staring wistfully at his ceiling after their fight in Shido’s palace and finding it hard to believe he’s gone) and it’s Jokers wish that brings him back.

And with Joker’s last experience with Akechi being this sudden reveal for what his capacity for violence is, with little time to process, probably spends the next while of his quiet grief trying to wrap his head around this sudden change and it warps his perception of Akechi. It’s not that he’s ruthless, unwaveringly bloodythirsty and takes sexual pleasure from killing people/shadows necessarily, but that as Maruki was pulling from people’s memories and experiences for this, he pulled a warped and slightly inaccurate version of Akechi from Joker’s mind.

And that’s how we end up with a version of Akechi who is attached to Joker at the hip, who is unwaveringly allied with him, who constantly says things like “jokers mad. I kind of like it, but it’s not you” or only gets the ability to throw himself in front of a fatal attack to protect joker/to endure a fatal hit because of his closeness to Joker AFTER he’s brought back in 3rd semester. He isn’t incapable of putting himself at risk for someone if he wanted to, but he has too much to do. He has his plans, his goals to become more powerful than Shido, and for that reason he can’t afford to risk dying.

But when Joker needs him to come back, to be his friend rather than his enemy, to use this tenacity and determination he has to aid the Phantom Thieves, he gets what he wanted and what he needed, and in doing so pulls out and exaggerates a worse side of Akechi because of how his own infallible memory has warped his memory of him.

So he gets the Akechi he wanted (passionate, dangerously loyal, allied to Joker and Joker alone, therefore connecting him with the Phantom Thieves too) while also getting the Akechi he never saw and never wanted to see (ruthless, bloodthirsty, capable of immense violence and capable of enjoying said violence) but being just submerged enough in Maruki’s reality not to properly question how or why he’s back, but indulging in his own feelings and choosing ignorance so he doesn’t have to doubt the one person who listens to, believes, and trusts him, when everyone else (even without knowing better)turns their back on him. That’s what I find so captivating about the third semester and their dynamic within it. I don’t think it’s accurate to Akechi, not even his own deepest and darkest desires, but those aspects of a personality are forced onto him as a result of Joker’s grief.

And that’s something I wish Atlus had been able to delve into in a little more detail.

[straightbaittournament]

may the best bait win! propaganda under the cut

angel and cordelia:

A solid friends-to-almost-lovers dynamic that ends tragically Because the showrunners of Angel didn't go in with the idea of putting these two together, the characters' friendship was allowed to develop organically without the assumption of romance, which then made the realization of their feelings for each other more satisfying. Unfortunately the shadow of Bangel (Buffy x Angel) still held over Angel's character, so I think it was a hard sell at the time and didn't gain a lot of popularity in the years since. Both these two characters grew alongside each other, supported each other, and despite knowing that they loved each other, let each other go to pursue their destinies.

buffy and spike:

Buffy's a vampire slayer and Spike's a vampire. Enemies to Lovers. Absolutely not intended by creators, creators treated it like a joke at first, then some of the writers/producers actively hated it even throughout their canon relationship, they don't technically get together in the end, also he dies (kind of. he's brought back in another show. and the comics. it's complicated). Very queercoded relationship despite being m/f - desire, euphoria, shame, slowburn, keeping it a secret, doesn't think anyone else will understand or accept them, wanting to change for the better.

[musicalmoritz]

This is the same fandom that praises Hanako and ignores all his bad traits 😭. Like if your ghost boy can trap someone in a painting against their will, and then willingly sacrifice their friend ALSO against their will and then also, before that, try and make you think they’d kill your friend to lure out another mystery is a good person then maybe Tsukasa the possessed ghost isn’t a demonic monster who can’t have good moments. Like, this fandom hates Tsukasa so much that creating AU’s where Tsukasa isn’t possessed and just a chaotic gremlin is somehow advocating and supporting abuse because he’s friends with Mitsuba and Kou or are shipped with them like

Do people forget about the time that Gwen and charm caster was shipped in Ben ten. Or hell, KEVIN AND BEN TEN? Like people have been shipping enemies and god knows what for years and even when the enemies get a redemption arc, it’s like, somehow, all yj3 death threats and stuff are just swept under the rug like Tsukasa’s arc is building up to some sort of redemption. Aidairo wouldn’t start giving us this kid’s backstory and show him in a light we never seen before if it wasn’t. The whole revelation that he was possessed this entire time only adds to this

The fandom often tries to categorize characters as entirely good or entirely bad when in canon it’s way more complicated than that. It’s actually a very prevalent theme that characters aren’t always what they seem at first, stereotypically “good” characters do bad things and “bad” characters are very much capable of doing good. I’m not rly comfortable with any Tsukasa ships but I don’t like putting them in the same category as illegal stuff, or ships that erase queercoding. And I don’t involve myself in what other ppl ship anyway, if it’s a ship I’m super uncomfortable with I’ll just block them. Tsukasa is a lot more sympathetic than fans make him out to be and I wish more of the fandom is the brain cells to acknowledge that (without erasing all of his terrible actions)

[simonxriley]

Skylar "Phoenix" Jackson (r6s) // Liz Walker (cod) Kaiya Kobayashi (oshi no ko) // Homura Kobu (kaiju no.8)

I was tagged by the wonderful @cloudofbutterflies92 to use this picrew and take this uquiz. Thank you! 💜

taglist (opt in/out) @playstationmademe @nightbloodbix @carlosoliveiraa @captmactavish @alexxmason @leviiackrman @illmetbymoonlight @cassietrn @shegetsburned @voidika @inafieldofdaisies @collinnmckinley @dickytwister @statichvm @killerspinal @carrionsflower @chloekistune

below the cut are the answers for the quiz.

Skylar:

So Much Fanfiction

You have so, so much fanfiction, either because you're so shippable, or because you're hot. Maybe both. Probably both. You definitely flirt with everyone, either way. Tumblr and Twitter love you and showers you with queer headcanons. Reddit keeps a safe distance.

Liz:

Bastard (Good)

You're a bastard. A wet cat, if you will. And we love you for it. You're a little shit, but in the good way. You are the baddest babygirl. You killed a man, but you looked good doing it. You flirted with the hero and the enemy. All of Tumblr is madly in love with you. Congrats, I guess?

Kaiya:

Queercoded

Everyone sees how you look at your best friend. Everyone sees the way all your icons are queer. Everyone sees the way you dress. Everyone sees your lack of proper love interest. Well, except for Reddit, but what can you do, really?

Homura:

Morally Grey

You helped the hero's once, but only for money. And you sold them out later, but only to save your daughter from slavers. Your actions and motives are constantly contradicting, with no end in sight. Twitter and Reddit are divided in very different ways. Tumblr wants to eat you raw.

[damianbugs]

saki i'm sorry i don't know much about DC comics, but i have been confused about something recently when seeing fan comics — are Bruce and Two-Face (Harvey?) still friends post-whatever happened to him? I think they were friends before, maybe, but some fanon has been suggesting to me they might still be, so I was wondering about that. Opinions on him, too, maybe? I know fuck all about him but he's so quirky

i wouldn't say they're... still friends exactly. let's do some background real quick.

i think the really sweet and close friendship bruce wayne and harvey dent had prior to his acid attack, that inspires a lot of fancontent — is from Batman: The Animated Show. in this iteration of their history, they're close friends who obviously mean a lot to each other, which is why the guilt batman feels for two-face is only more painful.

(of course in much earlier comics and harvey's original introduction (detective comics #66) bruce and harvey are friends too. though, it's not often referenced as his origin much anymore.)

in the comics however, the friendship starts and unfortunately ends with batman. batman, (captain) jim gordon, (DA) harvey all work together to try and solve the case in Batman: The Long Halloween.

they grow close and personally, i think bruce was really starting to form a close bond and trust with harvey throughout their partnership. this really shines through when after harvey becomes two-face (which is a long and sad story), bruce still has somewhat of a belief that harvey can still be good.

though, we know now that two-face ends up having a permanent spot in gothams rouge gallery, but i suppose it's because of this history of trust that batman continues to encourage harvey to turn his life around (a sentiment he has with a lot of his rouges, but something that is especially prominent in his relationship with two-face).

as for what their origins are in the new 52? i have no idea! moving on.

for what their relationship is like currently;

the most recent interactions i think they've had is in ram v's current Detective Comics run (which is FANTASTIC) and out of all the harvey and bruce comics i have read, it is probably my favourite. they're not even the main focused relationship, but it is such an important one for the theme of this arc.

in this run harvey is at war with himself, struggling between being 'good' and being 'bad' — but also struggling to simply have a choice at doing either. bruce is also facing a similar turmoil. so we see this really wonderful parallel in the midst of a battle where harvey is debating whether or not he wants to save bruce or leave him to die, and bruce is battling whether he wants to give in or keep going.

two-face does end up saving bruce. this is something very important to both of their characters.

it shows bruce that the man he befriended is not lost and it gives harvey a sense of autonomy that he's been stripped of for a long time. it's a short but very moving subplot about hope.

that being said, harvey isn't doing this because he wants to be friends with bruce again. or well, two-face isn't. it's complicated.

i don't think i could do the writing justice (there is also like, an insane overarching plot going on). once he drags bruces half dead body to safety, he threatens him, leaves bruce there and is currently, on the run.

so friends? not really. enemies? also not exactly. really tragic story about missing someone you once knew, wondering if you ever really knew them in the first place? ABSOLUTELY.

there is also some insanely obvious queercoding taking place in their story, but i focused on their friendship side of things.

it's one of bruce's more complicated rouge relationships, and probably the best one thematically. harvey is such an interesting character and if dc wouldn't use the same green headed dumbass as the villain in all their batman stories, two-face would definitely be the most compelling rouge for bruce.

i don't know if this actually made any sense, and also apologies for taking so long to answer this! here is probably one of the best detective comics covers ever made as an apology (it is bruce standing in the middle of a split two-face carved golden door with a batman shadow in the back. this shit is marvelous).

[ilistentogirlinred]

a bunch of ideas for essays i have

ESSAY IDEAS:

fandom and parasocial relationships with celebs

primarily musicians

KPOP!!!

shipping

how this effects the idols themselves

and the fans perception of idols

“delulu”

competitive nature

groups

positions

obsession

racism

infantilisation

“maknaes”

lisa, jungkook

ONE DIRECTION

fucking larries

obsession

FITTH HARMONY

SWIFTIES

the idolisation

white feminism?

performative activism

NOT SEEING CELEBS AS REAL PEOPLE WITH FEELINGS!!!

mysoginy in fandom culture

internalised mysogyny

mysogyny in the works themselves

how that is internalised

the prevalence of m/m ships

patriarchy!

boo

KPOP!!!

shipping

how this effects the idols themselves

+ their friendships with each other

and the fans perception of idols

homophobia in the industry

“delulu”

competitive nature

groups

positions

obsession

racism

non fans who dislike the industry/fans

infantilisation

“maknaes”

lisa (crazy horse)

jungkook (seven, etc)

DEBUTING ACTUAL CHILDREN

THOSE ARE CHILDREN WTF DUDE

SHE IS BARELY 14

SHE IS 13

SHE WAS 12 WHEN SHE WAS ON THE SHOW

possible human rights violations?

work hours

neglect

mental health issues

suicides

beomhan therapy video (managers)

homophobia in the industry

if an idol comes out, fans will treat it as “proof” that their ship is “canon”

or will just be outright homophobic

FANSERVICE

its not gay but…

influence of fandom on modern media

queerbaiting/queercoding to attract an audience

destiel

teen wolf

bbc sherlock

tropes

enemies to lovers

DONE WRONG

queer rep in media

queerbaiting/coding to attract viewers

supernatural, sherlock

destiel, johnlock

teen wolf

queer coding in disney!

accidental?

LUCA!!!

cultural differences?

anime

YOI, SK8, Haikyuu

Naruto

superwholock -> ourgoodshadows

early 2000s/2010s YA dystopia plague, ya books in general

hunger games

marketing

movies

divergent!!!

bad

no second half of the third one lmao

maze runner

technically first!

LOVE TRIANGLES

twilight (either read or consult ms elloy, mya, etc)

hunger games

“big strong guy” vs “childhood friend”

predictable

repetitive

c’mon guys make it gay for once

try a conga line love triangle

that resolves itself with polyamory?

SPORTS ANIME

why is it so popular?

fandom, duh.

ok but why?

easy. gay anime boys

why is sports anime so gay?

power of friendship?

close bonds between people of the same gender

lack of characters from the opposite gender so less heterosexuality and f/m ships

but thats fandomy

the inherent homoeroticism of sharing a locker room

referring back to friendship/close bonds

BLUE LOCK

HOLY CRAP BLUE LOCK

its gayer than haikyuu but there’s no power of friendship really

there are very close bonds and strange definitions of attraction tho

bachisagi, reonagi, ryusae

REONAGI SHOUJO SPINOFF

attraction -> obsession

soccer -> dream -> lack of care about self

RYUSAE FUCKED UP IDEA OF (and perception) ATTRACTION

soccer = attraction, bond, romance/sex, etc.

BACK TO HAIKYUU

rivalries

rivalry -> close friendship

mirrors enemies to lovers very slightly

tis the power of friendship

power of friendship combined with coming of age?

YUURI ON ICE!

the canon gays

SK8 the infinity

queer coding?

QUEERCODING IN ANIME

is it all perceived and unintended due to differences in cultural upbringing?

possibly but the undertones are still very much there

maybe its censorship? who knows

killugon -> possibly find sources

the homoerotic queer-coded rivalry or friendship

established from the start

sasunaru, kagehina, bakudeku, renga, killugon, fucking soukoku, etc

also tsukkiyama, matchablossom, leopika, etc

SOUKOKU (and the rest of bsd)

the irl authors - were they queer?

FIND SOURCES!!!

[sexybabystevie]

I agree with what you said about b/lers viewing the Duffers as their friends and allys and therefore watch the view in a different lense and make it out to be this carefully thought out masterpiece that it simply isn't. Like they forget Stranger Things was supposed to be only one season, b/ler wasn't a thing. Yeah, they queercoded Will but not with the intention to have him pine over his best friend. Plus, like you said, Will is more of a plot point than a real character, esp in s1. In s2, he also wasn't much of a character he was again a plot point, and we never saw his real personality on screen. In s3, he was almost nonexistent, and that's sad, but I genuinely don't think the Duffers know how to write him. So his stans have to rely on the crumbs they are given and then delude themselves into thinking this is all part of a big love story bc that's easier to admit than the show being not that great and Will being a flat character.

Similar with Steve, we also only get crumbs and make the best out of but we can see the Duffers as our enemy because we have no problem to admit that they are shitty writers when it comes to characters. Like we never delude ourselves into thinking he is the main character and the Duffers know what to do with him and the lack of information is this big twist we will get paid off in the last season. I don't think he will die, narratively, it doesn't make sense, especially with Dustin involved (who is arguable one of their faves) so I'm thinking we get a shitty end for him (aka St/ncy). Like I still have hope for Stobin best friend shenanigans in the big city after s5, but it's only slim. I don't trust the Duffers that much, and like you said, b/lers whorshipping them is setting them up for failure if their "clues" turn out to be false.

For b/ler to happen, m/leven had to break up for sure in s4. Like Mike's monolog is a pivotal point in s4. And even if b/lers say he was lying, well that makes it everything worse, because El thinks he loves her. M/leven breakup has to be handled with care in order for b/ler to start.

I hate when ppl say st/ncy = m/leven and j/ncy = b/ler, and they view this as something great. Objectively speaking, the st/ncy breakup was so messy and unfair to Steve that I don't get why people want El to go through the same thing. Because the foundation of j/ncy was cheating and not them being a cute sweet couple, star-crossed lovers style. Every time people joke about the Wheelers not saying I love you to their respective partners bc they fancy someone else I want to puke because it's not a cute parallel and the other person in that relationship is lied to which is horrible. Plus, it already makes b/ler about 3 completely different characters that have nothing to do with it. There should not even be the want to compare relationships because everyone is different. And I need people to realize j/ncy getting together was done in such a disastrous way you don't want that for your couple.

Sidenote people who get mad at Steve stans for giving him trust and abandonment issues after Nancy are not getting the severity of what emotionally cheating does to a person. Steve wasn't aware of problems, Nancy told him she loved him a day prior, and then it all came crashing down. Plus him not committing to anyone because he is scarred from that experience is valid and it's an explanation for his behavior in s4. It doesn't make Nancy a bad person, but her actions hurt him, and he should be allowed to feel that way, especially if she was his first love. If El went through that with Mike, I also think she would develop trust issues (on top of her already abandonment issues).

Anyway, I think b/lers are in this secluded bubble, and if things don't go exactly their way, it will break them, and I'm actually scared. Like even in s4, I had witnessed complete meltdowns over b/ler, and I need everyone to chill bc we talk about two 14 year old kids. Especially when older people (mid twenties and up) are overly involved in shipping children, I get this weird feeling. There's nothing against ppl going into fan spaces, but it's weird obsessing over the love life of two children in such an intense cult-like way.

response under the cut again! <3

yeah, i honestly don't even know where this entire narrative about stranger things being a secret love story started, because the primary theme has always been friendship and the power that people have when they come together platonically. it's bizarre to me too, because i've been in this fandom for years (not always on tumblr, some on instagram or whatever) and b/ler just kind of massively grew up out of nowhere. i'd seen maybe one or two people before talking about it during previous seasons, but there was just this huge uprising of the b/ler community after s4 (which sort of makes sense but is still a little odd to me that they came up out of nowhere? i also don't remember previous b/lers being this exhausting to deal with). anyway, yeah, it all pretty much comes down to the fact that they all believe that the duffers have been hinting at this for years (which, hindsight vision is 20/20 so that's not really a valid point tbh) and fully believe that they're getting this picture perfect endgame.

honestly, i think another thing people are neglecting to think about is all of the stuff that we have to wrap up in 8-9 episodes. there is SO much going on now in this show that plot holes are pretty much guaranteed, not even considering the possibility of b/ler becoming canon. i'm honestly not really sure what they think is going to happen - the show will just take an entire shift into being solely about mike and will JUST to resolve the possibility of b/ler happening? i'm not even trying to be bitchy and put these people down or something, it's just crazy that people think that the show will take this massive shift in direction or that they'll just add in a whole new plotline when we probably won't even have enough time to satisfyingly and properly wrap up everything else.

also, there are so many characters that i think the duffers just don't know how to write or what to do with now. jonathan, will, erica, probably dmitri and murray now that they've basically joined the giant cast. and the sad thing is that fans come up with plotlines and stuff all the time for their fics or just for silly posts online, but the duffers just seem not to know what to do with most of their characters ever. (cough cough st/ncy s4 revival for NO reason).

the setup for b/ler just ISN'T there, like you said. yes, there are a few cracks in the foundation of m/leven's relationship, honestly, but that's not enough to wrap everything up and end AND start a whole new relationship in 8-9 episodes. whether b/lers want to realize it or not, b/ler is NOT the main plotline. defeating the upside down and vecna is. those are just obvious facts, and therefore this is the priority when it comes to things that have to be addressed and finished by the ending. maybe, if we have two more seasons to go instead of one, or if this was a show with 22-26 episodes per season, i could see where s4 was the setup, but it just isn't. we don't have the time to focus on it.

mike's monologue may have been a lie, who knows, but again, like you said, this is just... bad??? like why would you want that. there are already parallels between the whole st/ancy = m/leven thing at this point, but that was so messy and it's still not resolved to this day, and that was from s1!! again, we don't have the time to reenact all of st/ncy's breakup with m/leven because it was a disaster. and also no one ever knows how to hold fair accountability over people, so i'm 100% certain that that happening would lead into people shitting on el even more than they do already and blaming her for everything.

also a small point that's been in the back of my mind lately that i want to point out, as a queer woman myself, is that this ship would not be so popular if it was two girls/women instead of two boys/men (speaking in terms of actor ages since they're adults now). it's a thing that happens where everyone LOVES mlm rep and shits on anything wlw because theres always some bullshit reason to hate seeing a wlw relationship portrayed in the media. i know this isn't a primary issue but it still upsets me so much because it's so obvious, just from the treatment of robin and her literal canonical love interest vickie!! there's some fucked up misogyny in all of this, and also in the way that everyone will throw el to the side, putting this idea onto her that she either doesn't like guys so she can't possibly like mike or that she just is basically "too traumatized to know what love is" and i'm so tired of it. i'm SO tired of it.

back to the st/ncy = m/leven thing, i REALLY appreciate you pointing this out, "Every time people joke about the Wheelers not saying I love you to their respective partners bc they fancy someone else I want to puke because it's not a cute parallel and the other person in that relationship is lied to which is horrible." because that's exactly how i feel. it's not cute or funny, it's immature and deceitful. and yes, they're all children/barely adults at this point, but still. it's not some parallel that you should be happy about. i've been in that situation, i've been the steve harrington of the st/ncy & j/ncy love triangle, it's not fun. it hurts, someone is quite literally saying they don't love you (or perhaps worse when they CAN'T say they love you because they don't) and it's traumatic and everyone yet again ignores that.

j/ncy's getting together WAS chaotic and messy and honestly i'm not even surprised that they're falling apart in canon right now because you can't start out like that and then expect a good, happy, fairytale ending. it just doesn't work that way. everyone's mad about them having issues and raged about them being "couples goals" and the "best ship of the show", whatever, but honestly it was quite literally just someone cheating and lying to try and escape a relationship she didn't want instead of having proper communication. and i get it, it's hard to do that, but the show and the fandom never hold nancy accountable and always blame steve for everything, so i'm honestly annoyed with it. seeing all this mess, how could you possibly want that for your ship?

LOVE your steve sidenote there, because you're so right. everyone ignores the fact that steve has trauma, both from nancy and the upside down (seriously, how can we agree that EVERYONE ELSE except him has UD related trauma but he doesn't?? i don't get it). and i get it to an extent because the duffers ignore it just as much, but still. for some reason steve fans adding onto his character with realistic things is just a horrible thing to do, despite the fact that will fans have to do this as well and it's fine when they do it. i don't know how any of the st/ncy fallout was 100% steve's fault, and i will defend it until the very day that i die, honestly. the show has a narrative, and then it was to equate being popular and being a jock to being a villain, so they tried to make the audience take nancy's side and sympathize with her. which, again, is fine, but don't go and attack other people for wanting to see from multiple perspectives here.

i quite literally saw a post the other day that was like "the people who go and add all this stuff to steve's character are so annoying because none of that would happen in the show." well sweetheart, it's not happening in the show because the duffers don't care and also don't know what the hell they're doing lol.

"Plus him not committing to anyone because he is scarred from that experience is valid and it's an explanation for his behavior in s4." THIS. why are we all just glossing over this??? the pining after nancy again for old time's sake, the serial dating that never develops anything intimate - some people for some reason think it's just "proof" that he truly wants/belongs with nancy, but no! it's literally him being afraid to commit to anyone again, and honestly i don't blame him. and like you said, it doesn't make nancy a bad person, but honestly i just wish canon would at least have them talk about it so he can have actual closure or something for once. that's the best ending for him i can think of - st/ncy closure and stobin platonic besties forever.

absolutely agree with getting the weird feeling about shipping two children. it gives me an odd feeling too, honestly. which, i'm not taking it too seriously, it's just a little weird. other than that, they definitely are in their own little bubble of delusion and when that bubble inevitably pops, i'm not even sure what to expect, because it is a little scary. they attack anyone who disagrees and are genuinely so rude for no real reason, so who knows what they're gonna do when they realize that they don't get this happy ending that they've manufactured? honestly this is just another solid reason that i'm glad it'll take a while for s5 to come out.

[queer-coded-tourney]

ROUND 1 BATTLE 13

vote for the character you think is most queercoded, if you dont know either character check the propaganda!

PROPAGANDA

Gabriel - Gay angel, questioning God, horny, thinking about sworn enemy 24/7. Honestly, what more could anyone ever want?

Kaveh - Blond twink whos hopelessly in love with his roommate and while they argue a lot, they have been shown to care for each other, like the fact that they bring home leftovers for each other. In the 3.6 event, you can choose to tell Kaveh about the truth regarding his father or not, and if you don't, Alhaitham tells him instead, and he feels better than if you tell him yourself afterwards. They were also very good friends in the past and share an idle (Alhaitham finds a pair of keys, while Kaveh looks for his keys but couldn't find any).

[fanby-fckry]

Now it's happened once or twice

Someone couldn't pay the price

And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals

Yes I've had the odd complaint

But on the whole I've been a saint

I could honestly match a good deal of the song line for line, but that’s the part that stands out to me most.

Charlie and Alastor’s dynamic is extremely similar to Ariel and Ursula’s.

Using flashy musical numbers to enthrall/manipulate them.

Dubious, technically-the-truth claims of wanting to help them achieve their impossible dreams.

Supporting Ariel/Charlie where their fathers failed to do so.

Comparing themselves to religious figures to gain trust (even though, culturally, neither Ariel nor Charlie really have a connection to nuns/saints?).

Taking on a sort of twisted mentor role, offering questionable advice that they likely believe, themselves on some level.

Ursula: The men up there don't like a lot of blabber / They think a girl who gossips is a bore! / Yet on land it's much prefered for ladies not to say a word / And after all dear, what is idle babble for?

Alastor: A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control.

The constant use of pet names/endearments and physical touch is another similarity.

I mean…

Both Ursula and Alastor target down on their luck individuals, and have a particular taste for targeting people who hold a position of power. Princesses with lofty dreams (Charlie, Ariel), and Overlords/Kings who are desperate and about to lose it all with or without the Deal (Husk, Triton).

Deapite their claims of wanting to help, they’re both fairly transparent (although Alastor more-so than Ursula) about viewing the poor unfortunate souls as being beneath them.

Ursula: I use it on behalf / Of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed (pathetic)

Alastor: No, no, no. I don’t think there’s anything left that could save such loathsome sinners.

Alastor: I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment, only to repeatedly trip and tumble into the fire pit of failure.

@moonrose91 pointed out in the replies that Niffty and Husk are Flotsam and Jetsam.

I also think that there’s something to be said for Ursula’s queercoding and her cynicism regarding romance vs Alastor’s canon aroaceness and his attitudes towards romance, both in regards to himself or others (e.g. his face when Charlie’s venting to him about her relationship with Vaggie in Hello Rosie! Man looks like he’s at the end of his rope with this alloromantic nonsense).

Yeah, just��� Alastor-Ursula parallels.

Alastor-Dr. Facilier comparisons this, Friends on the Other Side that. *slamming fists down on table* Where are the Ursula comparisons? Poor Unfortunate Souls is incredibly Alastor-coded!

[trans-witch-cauldron]

Two characters in a fic: *hate each other and are in a physical altercation*

Me: okay but that’s h-

[imjustheretodomyjob]

bkdk is the most unrealistic relationship and here's why:

bakugou has shown no romantic or sexual connection with anyone except kirishima. he literally hates deku with a passion, but deep down we all know he cares deeply for midoriya and thinks of him as a brother. a BROTHER, nothing more. most animes don't support incest bc it's creepy as hell and should be illegal (and in some places it rightly is so).

and sure, you could argue they're not biologically related, which would be the truth. HOWEVER, they view each other as brothers, they have a kind of sibling rivalry that is beautiful because it shows that even though katsuki is a "tough guy" he really does care and respect most of his peers. he views izuku as a proper enemy, a rival, someone to defeat. they're each other's motivation.

they started out as best friends and that's how I think they should end. it would be perfect for things to come to a close and them to end up as friends. i don't think anyone is a queercoded character in bnha, because it's not a romance anime. its an action/adventure anime, possibly a coming of age one too.

i already know what's gonna be in the comments and that this post won't receive a lot of kudos. people will say im homophobic and ask "did we watch the same show?" yes we fucking did, but you're delusional and reaching so far to make this stupid ship believable.

i do think the ship is interesting, though not possible and not believable either. which is why i have written a one shot of it, just to try to get into my characters heads and figure out if there could be a true connection between them in the actual anime/Manga.

there is none. grow up and deal with it. the only ship that will be Canon is izuocha, but no one cares about it anymore because it's heterosexual which is apparently something "basic" and "cliche."

bakudeku is basic. bakudeku is a cliche. it's the stereotypical crybaby who has a crush on a jerk who bullies him.

at the end of the day, 80% of relationships in fantasy or fiction is a basic cliche mess. deal with it. shipping was just invented to make these cliche ordeals a bit more appealing.

shipping is for fun. bakudeku was a pairing created for simple, harmless fun. but i think it's really degrading to horikoshi, who laid out this whole, complicated situation between two (hetero) males that explores inferiority and superiority complexes and other things like that.

all in all, i think bkdk is a fun and interesting ship that's practically harmless... but unrealistic, stupid, poorly made, and not Canon at all.