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Anon asked “ Hey do you think you could gif the scene in QAF where Daphne pushes Justin into the pool. Can never have enough Daphne.”

SEND YOUR REQUESTS HERE

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Brian Kinney >> quotes about him.

What is it with Brian Kinney? I mean, sure, he’s good-looking. But a lot of guys are good-looking. And he’s got his fucking charm; but we all have that when we want it. But what is it with him?

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Justin + making Brian laugh/smile

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queer as folk pt. 1 (inspired by x)

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Full video: The Secret About Ted & Justin

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This part ❤:

[...] and Justin needed to experience all of these--and to find himself the one who needed to ask forgiveness. But he knows that he has worth even though he has flaws, which is why he tells Brian:

I know I've made some mistakes, but I think you'd be making an even worse one by not giving me another chance.

This also contrasts Brian’s philosophy, as is demonstrated in the same episode when he fires Justin by telling him “you fuck up, you’re gone.” No one can live or grow by those standards. Brian loving Justin despite his flaws helps show Brian that he can be loved despite his, and Justin meeting his worst self and coming out of it an even better and bolder person was so important to both their relationship and their respective character arcs.

Hey!

I saw your ask in the tag about loving qaf questions so here's one for you.

What are your thoughts on Justin/Ethan's relationship during britin's breakup era? I know that a lot of people don't like that time but I love it. Not so much watching Justin with Ethan lol but it makes an otp for me when they have a breakup era - all the sexual tension, angst and pining. Also I can't really take Justin/Ethan seriously because it's kinda cringe for me and tbh there's some scenes I haven't watched because of the second hand embarrassment 😅.

I think they kinda did Ethan dirty when they had him cheat on Justin the way that they did. It would've made more sense in my opinion to capitalise on the fact that Ethan was asking Justin to lie about who he was. That keeping it a secret especially after what Brian and Daphne said about it started to play and affect Justin's mind. This then would cause tension between them, arguments etc. So that when Ethan does go off to play his concert and cheat on Justin it would've made more sense than just cheating on him the first time he's away from him. They could've played with that narrative more and also made the intern/boss arc longer before reuniting britin.

P.S Please pet your cute dog for me he's adorable!

Hello! Thank you for the ask! I have petted the puppy. He says thank you. (Also, I'm realizing half the gifs I use for metas are made by you? You're amazing!)

My thoughts on Justin/Ethan's relationship is that it needed to happen for the story, for the themes, and for both Justin and Brian to develop as characters. So, I'm in the same boat as you! I kind of love what it does for the story even as I'm obviously not out here like, rooting for the relationship to succeed.

I liked that they had Ethan cheat on Justin, but I do agree with you that they could have done more with the "hide who you are" plotline to make it resonate more. (That's generally my complaint about QaF's weaker plotlines--not that they inherently don't work for the characters or story, but that more could have been--and in some cases needed to be--done). For Justin/Ethan as a plotline, it still works in my opinion even without the deeper dive, though it is less rich than it could have been. I definitely saw it coming because of what Ethan represented in the story: Justin at his very worst.

So why does this work so well as a symbolic (Ethan=shadow Justin) plotline? Well, each QaF season had Justin and Brian’s arcs acting as mirrors or parallels, because their arcs and relationship always embodied each season’s major theme. 

Season 2 had Brian going out of his way to hide his best self:

never telling Justin he visited him every night in the hospital;

pissing on Justin's drawing of himself as a superhero;

literally pushing Justin into other peoples' arms (the hustlers for his birthday even before Ethan).

Brian's self-hatred is at the core of his arc (thanks to his abusive parents). Hence, despite being a supposed hedonist who goes after what he wants, he doesn't go after love or belonging, because he doesn't feel as if he can have those. He stops at sex because he doesn't believe that love, if it exists, could be for him.

His self-hatred bubbles over and spills onto Justin: he spends season 2 in some ways trying to make Justin become more like him instead of more like Justin. Not manipulatively or with awareness, of course, but he does so anyways. Hence, it fits in an ironic sense that the first time Justin breaks the rules of their open relationship he does so by literally imitating Brian in their first sex scene, and when Justin cheats with Ethan, he tries to apologize using the same vague terms Brian earlier used. By trying to get rid of the art of himself as a superhero and pushing Justin into others' arms, Brian was also trying to deny one of the best parts of Justin--Justin's capacity to love wholly and unconditionally.

Loving Justin is part of Brian's healing--learning he can be loved and can love, and of course, loving the hurting inner child who was abused in his past. Hence, Season 3 forces Brian to accept the best parts of himself (hence why it climaxes with him literally sacrificing everything to save others, and Debbie telling him that he has innate goodness like every other person).

So why am I talking so much about Brian instead of Justin and Ethan? Because while Brian is going through this arc, Justin goes through a mirrored arc: facing the worst in himself. Throughout Justin and Brian's relationship, Justin was kind of the light (sunshine being his nickname). I've talked about Justin being a classic Jungian inner child before, and the danger here is that he could have been pigeonholed as a symbol of innocence. But, like all characters in QaF, he's human and human beings are much more complex than any kind of symbol or ideal. Thus, it made sense Justin fuck up to put them on more than an even plane.

Ethan was very similar to Justin: passionate about art, very romantic, very free to declare he loved someone. But he was also a liar, a cheater, and prone to fear (like wanting to pretend he was straight). Fear isn't an unsympathetic emotion, but it certainly doesn't lead to good things in QaF. Think about how many times Justin ran away from or avoided people who confronted him about--anything. There was:

Jennifer when she asks if he's gay;

Brian after the robbery during which Justin steals his credit card and waits for Brian to find him;

Daphne after they have sex;

Brian when he offers to help him with school.

This isn't to say Justin didn't have good reasons for being afraid or that Jennifer or Brian were entirely in the right in said moments (they certainly weren't). It's just to say that this is a flaw Justin has... but you can't run away from your worst self. You have to accept it if you ever want to grow up.

But yeah. Ethan was all of these things in a person, and Justin needed to experience all of these--and to find himself the one who needed to ask forgiveness. But he knows that he has worth even though he has flaws, which is why he tells Brian:

I know I've made some mistakes, but I think you'd be making an even worse one by not giving me another chance.

This also contrasts Brian’s philosophy, as is demonstrated in the same episode when he fires Justin by telling him “you fuck up, you’re gone.” No one can live or grow by those standards. Brian loving Justin despite his flaws helps show Brian that he can be loved despite his, and Justin meeting his worst self and coming out of it an even better and bolder person was so important to both their relationship and their respective character arcs.

Love means loving all of someone--their worst flaws, their best potential, and encouraging them to grow. It doesn't mean disguising flaws or hiding the best traits (Ethan telling Justin to hide their relationship while also calling Justin his "muse"). You can't love someone if you aren't honest with them about who you are, and accepting love from someone who doesn't know all of who you are isn't really love. That's why it's important Justin meet his worst and Brian meet his best, so that they can see both in each other and find an even deeper, more real love with one another.

I also liked Justin/Ethan in the sense that it emphasized QaF's perspective on love: love is a verb. Brian isn't the only one who went "on loving" Justin (as Justin himself says) after Justin left him. Justin went on loving Brian, as shown through him proving the nephew lied. In contrast, if you compare Justin and Ethan's relationship, it's all about emotions and grand ideals, no practical action. Justin is Ethan's "muse." Ethan wants him to pretend he's straight and his cousin. Justin being worried after seeing Ethan with another guy "just goes to show how much I love him," as Justin literally says to Daphne. There are no actions to back this up.

In contrast, during the internship arc, Brian literally tells Justin:

Oh, that is so like you! You don’t hear what you want, so you leave. Try standing up for yourself for a change? Have some balls!

Firstly, oh look, a callout to Justin’s tendency to run. But Justin’s response is an action, not more words: he kisses Brian. And Brian kisses him back. He can lie in words/run away himself in avoiding saying certain words, but he can’t lie in action. 

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negative space.

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Gale Harold about Brian Kinney

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Six times Brian Kinney is Bambi.

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I could be, if you gave me a chance.

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oh gale

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Anonymous asked you: Favorite Brian Kinney facial expressions.

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The earlier version of the scarfing scene was much less ambiguous.

Final Draft of QAF 1x22 - ’Cause I’m going away