#I think remnants of this exist in Harry’s fandom too

[alarrylarrie]

Hi. I’m a very new Larrie. I fell down the rabbit hole recently after seeing so many blogs, videos, etc. A question lingers in my mind about Louis tho. He appears to have such a categorized fan base and on such a wide spectrum. I’ve not seen something like this before with other artists. Usually if you like their music, you like their music and that’s where it ends. But with Louis it seems some support is conditional. I’ve seen some blogs even say that if he doesn’t come out in the documentary they’re done with him. Which seems so wrong because coming out is such a personal thing. And then adding a partner with Harry’s visibility in the public, it’s even more personal. A fan thought process like that seems more as if it’s for their own sake versus Louis’ well-being, which was disappointing to read. Then I see other fans say if he has any of “1Dead” in the documentary they’re done, even tho those times were important to him. Other fans say that if Eleanor isn’t in it, they’re done and if “his son” isn’t in it, they’re done. None of the other 1D members had those types of conditions from what I’ve seen, so I guess being new I’m just wondering what makes Louis different? And was it always like this for him and his fans? I just sort of see him as a person who is lost and confused on what to do these days. I know people got angry about the LA pap walk, but what I got from that pre-walk video was that he looked so lost, confused and nervous. It was very different from when he was around Harry in the videos I watched while in the band. He seemed so natural around Harry. That’s what really solidifies my thoughts on Larry, plus all of the obvious coincidences that are present even today. This question turned out to be a lot longer than I intended. Sorry! I enjoy your blog and your opinions so I thought I’d ask you. You give really insightful answers. Thank you!

Hello anon! Welcome to the fandom! We’re so happy to have you here. And I’m so thankful you’ve found any enjoyment from my blog, seriously.

As for Louis… it’s complicated, yeah? He’s a complicated person!

I think a lot of fans were instantaneously drawn to Louis. He’s a very bright, magnetic person, and so a lot of very different people of all different backgrounds love him. And because of the way he’s been treated by the powers that be, combined with a lot of the loss/pain he’s experienced personally that he has frequently discussed overcoming - a lot (most) of his fans feel very strongly about him. Protective of him in a sense, loyal to him in other senses.

His personal life has also always been extremely… odd. It was pushed forward basically from the jump, even as Louis himself was being pushed to the back of the band by the people pulling the levers. That tension, that push/pull dynamic made eagle eyed fans particularly interested- which is of course where his relationship with Harry comes in.

When the band… went on hiatus, lol, there was a LOT of uncertainty. People didn’t know if Louis would do music at all. And… how can I say this delicately? There was a bit of fracturing of this fandom, and larries had a hard time, honestly. Harry didn’t take off like a rocket even though it feels like it now, but he was being set up and rumored to be moving forward with a solo career. This created another level of tension for a lot of people. Unfortunately, there was a lot of resentment and hurt that built up amongst fans. Harry was drawing back into Harry Styles™, we didn’t have a clue what was happening with Louis professionally, and the tension of his public life versus private life was at an all time high.

I think when people say their support is conditional, that most of them are bluffing. I also think that a lot of people will continue to support Louis by purchasing albums/merch/tickets, etc. but they might not take part in fandom any longer. That, to me, is a direct result of the tension around Louis being what it is. This tension has always been there, but the cognitive dissonance and the gaslighting gets exhausting for people sometimes.

It’s super layered and challenging- I haven’t even talked about the push/pull tension between Louis Tomlinson, comrade, man of the people, fierce lover of his fans, and Louis Tomlinson™, who exists and is also sloooowly pulling back into that shell (because he has to!)

As for him being lost… I don’t know if he’s lost so much as I think he’s probably got a lot on his mind. Debuting a new “girlfriend” is always hard on all of us, but most especially him. I can’t imagine how much he must hate having to see all of our reactions.

Anyway! TL,DR: Yes, it has always been like this. No, I don’t think other artists have the same level of “conditions” around then that *some* people seem to put around Louis. I also think it’s important to remember that a lot of people tend to blow off steam and then not follow through on their threats, AND some people are worn down after years upon years of tension and gaslighting.

[itsclydebitches]

I hate Silver Eyes. I hate them so much. They’re nothing. Nothing but a deus ex machina except for the times they aren’t. Can Ruby control them or not? A lot of people defended her not being able to use them to save people but then just using them to beat Cinder at the end of V7, but now, in this situation where her friends and millions of innocent people are in danger, and her sister just fell to her “death”, she doesn’t use them. The show even stupidly reminds us of them just before she falls.

I don’t hate silver eyes, I just hate their execution. Most anime/fantasy stories give the main character some sort of OP ability to justify their importance in this fight, otherwise they’d just be some random person and we’d constantly be asking, “Why are they the hero?” Harry survives the killing curse, Izuku has One for All, Ed opened the gate, Frodo carries the ring and is capable of resisting it better than others, etc. The problem is that RWBY forgets that this justification is partly why such OP inclusions exist. I 100% expected Ruby to bring up her silver eyes in Volume 7 as a means of justifying staying to fight Salem and to justify why she should be given responsibility in this fight. “Because I’m the one with the power to (maybe) beat her!” Instead, Ruby has barely asked about her silver eyes, doesn’t practice using her silver eyes, and doesn’t bring her silver eyes up as a possible tool in this war... so she just comes across as a normal, newly minted huntress who is no more exceptional than the other countless huntsmen and huntresses around her. Less exceptional given her age, lack of education, and the fact that (unlike Frodo) she’s not put into a position where she’s the only one willing to step forward and take that responsibility on. Prior to going full crazy villain, Ironwood was a trained General with years of experience in this war saying (correctly) that it was his duty to try and solve this problem and then attempting to do that. So when Ruby breaks with him rather than trying to compromise, denounces him to the world, puts herself into the position of leader but doesn’t do anything to justify that... it’s so weird. Without using silver eyes as that (easy) justification for taking on this responsibility, she comes across as just some random kid playing at being a hero and failing spectacularly. All of Remnant should be horrified by this 17yo running the show. They don’t know she’s the main character! But all that disappears if the show just has Ruby go, “Trust in me because I have the rare, magical power that can defeat the grimm woman threatening us all.” But they’re not doing that. 

That, and the silver eyes’ inconsistency remains a huge problem. First, we establish a pattern of Ruby only being able to use her eyes when someone is in immediate danger (Pyrrha, Blake). Then she’s told to practice and doesn’t do that (go find some low-level grimm to kill!). Suddenly, her silver eyes activate through a much more generalized desire to protect, meaning she can draw on happy memories too and power them up at will. Okay. But then next time she needs them they don’t work (elephant grimm during the first Atlas battle). But then when the plot needs them to work they do! (The Hound.) We establish that silver eyes will hurt anything remotely grimm-related (Cinder with her arm), but Ruby doesn’t think to use them against Salem. Then all this culminates in a season finale where 

a) Ruby sees Yang “die” but her eyes don’t go off 

b) Ruby is desperate to protect the rest of her team, but her eyes don’t go off

c) Cinder is standing right above her, grimm arm in view, ready to kill Ruby, talking to Neo and giving her time to concentrate, her eyes flash... but they don’t go off

So now the fandom is scrambling to justify this inconsistent mess. Oh, there has to be grimm nearby for them to work. Well, that hasn’t been true before and Cinder is right there. Cinder doesn’t count and I’m ignoring/have forgotten the moment when they arrived for Penny and Winter in Volume 7. Maybe she just needs more time to power them up and Cinder made her fall before she could fully charge them? So then how do we explain all the times her eyes have gone off instinctively? Yeah, Yang dying and Ruby nearly dying isn’t enough danger? Well, Yang fell so fast and Ruby doesn’t care about protecting herself as much, so...  

There is no answer here though. Nothing beyond, “The writers haven’t bothered to utilize their OP power in a useful manner, haven’t kept it consistent, and avoided using it in the finale to ensure Ruby fell with the rest of her team” (even though you can easily craft a scenario where Ruby’s eyes go off and she still falls.) It’s a fine idea, even a good one, but it hasn’t been executed well. 

[basic-cable]

Fic Rec Bingo

I saw this making the rounds on Twitter and decided I’d like to try it (mostly because I enjoy going back through my list and reminiscing about the ones I love but haven’t read in a while), but didn’t feel like Twitter was the best place to post mine. I’ve got both Dreamwidth and Pillowfort, but I haven’t really used them. This is probably the kind of thing that should go there, so maybe I’ll post it there, too. We’ll see. 

Anyway, I only read in four fandoms, so maybe my recs will be boring to most people. But they’re good stories, and maybe there are even some people out there who haven’t read them. 

I don’t expect any reblogs or anything, but maybe people will see it and decide they’d like to take part, and then there will be more fic recs out there making the world a better place.

I put them under a cut because the descriptions and stuff take up so much space.

1. A fic you love without knowing the source material Take the Pieces and Build them Skywards by quarterturn Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 44,816 ** Explicit ** Character Death Gerard's not happy with his life, but that doesn't mean he's particularly thrilled when he wakes up dead. To add insult to injury, he finds out that instead of crossing over, he's been chosen to join the ranks of the grim reapers. Things get more complicated when he falls for one of the living, a waiter named Frank Iero. And just when everything finally seems to be falling into place, Frank's name shows up on the list of souls to be reaped. Loosely based on the TV show Dead Like Me.

I don’t know anything about the TV show Dead Like Me; when I first read this fic in 2009, I had never even heard of it. I’ve wondered since then if I like it even better because I don’t know anything about the source material, but I’ll never know.It made me laugh and cry; it’s an emotional roller coaster, and I love it.

2. A fic with a premise that shouldn’t work but does

An Inexplicable Occurrence of Angels by stele3

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 35,192 ** PG-13 ** No Warnings

I've messed with the band timeline, clearly. This is set in summer of 2005... but it ain't the Summer of Like. This is a story about second chances and gutting through your own failures, but never letting them defeat you. Take that, bitches.

Frank (Frank!) is a literal angel, okay, but there is not a thing I don’t love about this story. It’s angsty but still manages to be cute and charming as fuck, and the characterization is great.

3. A fic you’ve reread several times

Seeds by thesardine

Sherlock ** Gen, supposedly ** 5,475 ** PG-13 ** No Warnings

In a fit of boredom Sherlock plants some seeds, may or may not eat one cracker, and definitely waxes dramatic on the sofa for a while.

Sherlock struggles with a bit of depression caused by boredom, and accidentally discovers a hobby he slowly learns to allow himself to enjoy. I love this a lot; the author takes us into Sherlock’s headspace, so you’re painfully aware just how much he needs a distraction, and how much better off he is with John in his life.

4. A fic you still remember many years later

In Care Of by Fangs_Fawn

Harry Potter ** Gen ** 45,319 ** PG-13 ** Child Abuse

During the summer before sixth year, Harry finds an injured bat in the garden and decides to try to heal it...and an unwilling Snape learns just what kind of a person Harry Potter really is.

Between the Dursleys getting what’s coming to them, and the redemption of Harry, Snape, and Dumbledore in each others’ eyes, this story has really stuck with me through the years.

5. A comfort fic

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 203,273 ** Mature ** No Warnings

The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

Thousands of words of fluff. Literally. There’s not a lot of conflict in this story, which makes it a great comfort fic when your mind is too busy or real life is too depressing.

6. A cathartic fic

The Quiet Man by ivyblossom

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 157,369 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

"Do you just carry on talking when I'm away?"

Post-Reichenbach John is walking the line between fantasy and reality, choosing to stay with the Sherlock in his head rather than deal with the reality where he no longer exists. He eventually manages to attempt a normal life, but he’s bored and basically sleepwalking through his days, so when Sherlock finally reveals himself, it’s the best kind of relief. They go after the last remnants of Moriarty’s web, in hopes of a second chance at the life they should have had together.

7. A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf

Saving Sherlock Holmes by earlgreytea68

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John Mycroft/Greg ** 139,494 ** Mature ** Underage

Okay. So. This was literally supposed to be, like, three or four chapters as a prologue to the show. Sort of a "what happened in the Holmes childhoods to make them the way they are today." That's why it's set in the time period it is, because I thought I was eventually going to leave them to go on to the show. And then...I got a bit carried away and thought, Here I have established the two young Holmes boys. Now what happens if, instead of making them wait twenty years, I give them everything they need to fix themselves right now? Forty-three chapters later, you have this story.

To be honest, I would like to have most of my favorite fics in book form, with actual pages, that I could pluck from my actual shelf and sit and read without the glare of a screen between us. But I do enjoy the feel of this story, and I do believe it would make a good actual book.

8. A fic you associate with a song

Unholyverse by bexless

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 186,764 ** Explicit ** Violence & Character Death

“He thinks I have stigmata,” Frank said, because what the fucking hell, it couldn’t get any worse. He might as well just lay it out.

“Oh, well,” said Brian into his hands. “Of course.”

Every time I so much as think about this series, MCR’s Heaven Help Us starts playing in my head.

9. A fic that inspires you

Turn by Saras_Girl

Harry Potter ** Harry/Draco ** 306,708 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Frankly, I love every single thing this author has ever churned out, but this one is my very favorite. Harry gets a glimpse into what his life could have been, and a chance to make big changes he desperately needs. 

10. A fic that brought you on board a new ship

So, So Fucked by Anonymous

Bandom ** Pete/Patrick ** 12,565 ** Mature ** No Warnings

Pete accidentally "outs" himself and Patrick on Good Morning America. Only problem? They're not gay. What now?

I was reading strictly in Harry Potter at the time, and wasn’t interested in bandom at all, but my best friend was doing betas for someone who was writing in bandom, and she ended up getting into it and then wrote this one, and kept calling me about it to bounce ideas around, and the story was so cute, and Pete and Patrick were so cute, and I suddenly found myself totally invested. Honestly I think it may have been one of the best things that ever happened to me.

11. A fic you wish could be a movie

The Anatomy of a Fall by novembersmith

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 107,525 ** Explicit ** Violence & Character Death

The unholy union of a high school AU and a ghost story. Gerard's life takes a strange turn when his family moves to a small town in Vermont and he discovers the locals aren't all what they seem to be. Also includes: unexpected nature walks, murder, pining, improper treatment of crime scenes, a number of bone-related puns, high school bullies, and a short-range shrub named Ferdinand.

This story has excellent imagery that I think would work really well on the big screen. Plus I can’t even hear the name of it without my heart doing flip-flops.

12. A fic that led to you making friends with the author

Seven ficlets for Valentine’s Day Part VII by RedOrchid

Bandom ** GSF ** 1,042 ** Mature? ** No Warnings

Panic-as-cleaning-equipment-AU Valentine's Day GSF.

I technically don’t have a fic for this bingo square, but this one comes close, I guess. The author was already in my larger circle of friends, but we didn’t actually talk to each other? She wrote this crack ficlet around the same time we started talking to each other more, and I still vividly remember it because of the genius involved in turning band boys into literal cleaning equipment. The line “Ryan bristled” has stuck with me to this day.

13. free space

Elf ‘Verse by mokuyoubi

Bandom ** GSF ** 103,247 ** Explicit ** Underage

Modern AU where Ryan is a famous poet, and he and Spencer are fiercely private and insular and stupidly co-dependent until Jon shows up and effortlessly breaks down all their walls.

Or

Wherein Brendon and Frank are Christmas elves who, inspired by Will Farrell movies, venture into the real world to become rock stars. Or something of that nature.

I’ve got a lot of love for this universe for various reasons, but it’s also fun and heartwarming and honestly, I don’t really need anything else.

14. A fic you’ve gushed about irl

Harry Potter and the Battle of Wills by Jocelyn (and her mum)

Harry Potter ** Mostly Gen ** 137,385 ** Basically PG-13 ** Character Death

Harry mourns his godfather as the war finally begins in earnest, bringing tragedy and new struggles for all those on the side of Good. If they hope to win, all quarrels must be set aside, new alliances must be forged, and Harry Potter must find the courage to face down dark wizards, his own emotions, and a destiny he did not choose. Snape blows his cover as a spy to save Harry from Voldemort.

This begins after Order of the Phoenix, and the story and characters read more like canon than any other HP fic I’ve read, so because of that and because it’s so, so good, I like to rec this one to people who are new to fandom.

15. A fic you associate with a place

Stately Homes of Wiltshire by waspabi

Harry Potter ** Harry/Draco ** 57,582 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.

Wiltshire! I’ve never actually been there, but this author is really good about details. The story is also lovely and funny.

16. A fic that made you gasp out loud

Home is a Name by Arsenic

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 39,314 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

MCR Clinic of Love. Companion fic to Wednesday Night Boys.

Okay, so this one is actually a sequel, and the first installment, Wednesday Night Boys, should 100% be read first. It must be said, though, that while the sequel doesn’t have any warnings, Wednesday Night Boys is about the Panic! kids as prostitutes, and has warnings for graphic violence, rape/non-con, and underage sex. The MCR guys work at the free clinic, and Home is a Name focuses on them. They’re honestly both gorgeous stories.

17. A fic you found at the right time

real or not real by thearkdelinquents

Anne with an E ** Anne/Gilbert ** 11,587 ** PG ** No Warnings

“I could do it.” Gilbert said, looking straight ahead.

Anne stopped. “What?”

He turned to look at her; they were just outside Green Gables now. “I could do it. I could court you.”

“What- We- You- I- You don’t like me like that.” Anne sputtered.

Gilbert smirked at her. “Well we could pretend. I could court you and be your fake boyfriend.”

For one of the few times in her life, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was speechless.

-

a fake dating fic but it's basically just a shirbert To All The Boys I Loved Before au.

I really, really loved Anne with an E. When the final season was released, I spent a weekend binge-watching the entire show, and then it was over and I was bereft, so I decided to see what was available on Ao3, and I found this, and it was exactly what I needed. And now I have another fandom.

18. A fic that you would read fic of

Left by lifeonmars

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 45,153 ** Mature ** No Warnings

John Watson is left-handed.

He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible.

In this universe, all right-handed people have some kind of power, or ‘knack’, most of which are mild and easily categorized. Sherlock’s is rare and believed to be the only one like it in the world. John is left-handed, part of the 10% of the population without a knack. I would read all kinds of fics of this fic.

19. A fic that made you laugh out loud

What to do When Your Flatmate is Homicidal by hyacinth_sky747

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 58,650 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

Sherlock takes Molly's advice when dealing with his dangerous flatmate.

Heartwarming and hilarious. I laughed a lot.

20. A fic with a line (or two) that you’ve memorised by heart

A Necessary Requirement by Bexless

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 3,759 ** Mature ** No Warnings

Right, here is the extremely silly storylet I wrote BY HAND on holiday. On PAPER. With a PEN. My god. The things I do when I'm separated from my beloved net. It is set during the Summer of Like (Warped '05, for those of you who don't know) and is basically a product of my reaction to various pictures of Gerard groping himself on stage, which led to me obsessing about his dick and what it might look like. As usual, I chose to work this obsession out through Frank.

This fic could have gone to multiple other squares, but I am not usually the kind of person who can quote lines from things, and I have many lines from this story committed to memory. I’ve read it multiple times, because I read it every time I need a pick-me-up or a good laugh. Or if I’ve read something scary and I need something lighter before I can actually get up and move around my house...

21. A fic that gave you butterflies

Pretty Much A Sex God by adellyna

Bandom ** Spencer/Jon ** 3,985 ** PG-13 ** No Warnings

Jon and Spencer’s first date.

The Jon in this story is so soft and warm and fluffy and his character makes my heart and stomach do weird things.

22. A fic that embodies something you value in life

A Marauder’s Plan by CatsAreCool (Rachel500)

Harry Potter ** Harry/Hermione ** 865,520 ** PG13 ** Violence/Death/Underage

What if Sirius decided to stay in England and deliver on his promise to raise Harry instead of hiding somewhere sunny? Changes abound with that one decision...

ALSO

Harry’s New Home by kbinnz

Harry Potter ** Gen ** 318,389 ** PG-13 ** Abuse

One lonely little boy. One snarky, grumpy git. When the safety of one was entrusted to the other, everyone knew this was not going to turn out well... Or was it? AU, sequel to "Harry's First Detention". 

In these two stories, Sirius and Severus throw everything they have into creating the best possible world for Harry, as he is their number one priority, because that is exactly how parenthood should be. 

23. A favourite AU

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 156,714 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?

This has got quite a bit of schmoop, which isn’t usually my thing, but this story is so, so good, and I always love stories that describe Sherlock realizing and appreciating how extraordinary John is.

24. A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading

Collared by VelvetMace

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 83,028 ** Explicit ** Violence & Rape/Non-Con

In a world where the British Empire is still strong and slavery is her economic backbone, John has become a terrorist for the abolitionist movement. He is caught by Mycroft, enslaved, and given to Sherlock for training. The goal: To test a new kind of slave collar with the power to break even the strongest willed fighter. One that will make even John learn to love being a slave.

Dubious consent, and humiliation. I remember staying up very late reading this one, even though I had to work early the next morning. I just couldn’t put it down. 

25. A fic that made you feel seen

Buy Handmade by jjtaylor

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 18,755 ** Mature ** No Warnings

He knows something else is going to happen; his life isn't always going to be this. He just doesn't know what has to happen for that change to come, for him to wake up and become an artist with an Etsy page and a home studio, and to never have to see a cubicle again.

This is the story of my heart. I have felt Frankie’s feelings and thought his thoughts, and I love that he does something about it, and I love Gerard so, so much. I first read this in 2009, and my love for it has never wavered. I could have used this one for a good half of the bingo squares, but it’s the only one that could go here.

[probablyintraffic]

On deleting fics, going pro, and poetry and dreams

I admit that this is a very self-centered post, but the whole point of it is to tell you to not delete your fics unless you absolutely must. 

The rest of us of course have no say over this. As writers you (and I) should be able to scrub our writing off of the earth, for whatever reason we wish. But I beg you, for the good of all of us, and no matter how terrible, regressive, atrociously written you think your fic is, please don’t delete it.

Just today, I have spent an upward of 2 hours looking for the remnants of Adelaide’s Freudian Slip, a rare novel-length Harry/Ron fic, trolling the Internet Archive, ffnet, livejournal, etc., etc., etc. I had chapters 1-5 and 10, 11, 14, but not the rest, which are tantalizingly out of reach. It’s not only frustration on my part, though that is there, but also this sense of loss that I can’t help but feel, this sense that try as we might, try as we must, the message in the bottle never made it to land. You may not want anyone to read your story now, but you may no longer be the person who first set the message to sea. The fifteen-year-old you, the twenty-two-year-old you, she was trying to reach someone, was she not?

A lot of us was half raised by fandom, leaving pieces of ourselves scattered across the net. There is something poetic in letting the raw fits and starts of our teenage-hood stay for someone else to find, someone in the midst of their own fits and starts. Though there is poetry--and sadness--in ephemera too, so who am I to say. I just thought, there is enough uncertainty in the world, so let this be something that lasts. 

Of course, I don’t begrudge anyone filing off the serial number and going pro, because for one, part of the story is still out there for us to find, and for two, if it was me about to be able to reach a whole new group of people, I would take the chance in a heartbeat. And writers do have to live. 

But beyond living, sometimes we dream. Fandom is nothing but fantasies, the best of which being the fantasy that we can exist communally, on the margins, outside the market. The worst thing that can happen to that fantasy and shatter the dream is professional publishing, which though necessary, is a necessary evil. Someday the communal dream can come true, and like stories, that dream will live longer than you and I, but that dream can’t reconcile with this world.

Also, don’t delete your fics.

[itsclydebitches]

Wait what was the mess with Ilia/queer representation? I don't usually look into these things so I probably didn't hear or see people talking about it

Happy to explain! First, the obligatory disclaimer: Ilia is a complicated case and, like anything else in RWBY, her place in the show is very much up to interpretation. I think her character arc, particularly in relation to her status as a queer character, is an absolute mess but I know others are of the opposite opinion. Many of the “flaws” I point out are perceived as her greatest strengths. So it’s subjective.

That being said, I wrote a little bit about this during Volume 5 when it was all going down. A simplified list of the primary issues includes:

Introducing your first, long-awaited queer character as a villain (even a sympathetic one)

“Redeeming” her in the span of one episode in a way that provides no punishment/responsibility/growth in the face of the horrific acts she committed

This character is left behind by the story at the end of the volume, presumably never to be seen again outside of, perhaps, a final battle that includes the whole cast

Tying her queerness directly to her villainy

It’s this last point that I take the most issue with. See, the fandom is right to point out that Ilia has motivations for her actions established throughout the volume, namely the death of her parents and the general racism that is still pervading Remnant. Ilia says multiple times throughout Volume 5 that this is why she’s going after Blake and her family. Because she honestly believes that they are a threat to the faunus’ progress. However, just because a character says something doesn’t make it true. Take Yang in the same season. She says she doesn’t want/care if Blake ever comes back to the group, which anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the show knows is BS. Rather, Yang’s emotions are functioning on multiple levels. A part of her really doesn’t want Blake to return because she’s still furious with her, whereas a larger part of her wants them to reconcile. Now, apply that logic to Ilia. It’s absolutely true to say that she’s motivated by activism and the death of her parents, however, her confrontation with Blake reveals that this isn’t the only reason for her attack. It is, arguably, not even the primary reason. Ilia gives a speech about how they need to be doing more for the faunus, how she doesn’t like to hurt people but she can’t deny that it has gotten them results. Yet when Blake challenges this part of her identity - you’re not a killer - the conversation unexpectedly takes a turn. When pushed to explain how she became this way Ilia does not reiterate her thoughts on racism or the trauma of her parents’ deaths. Instead, she starts talking about her unrequited feelings for Blake: 

Suddenly, Ilia’s motivations have changed. Or rather, they’ve become more complicated. Both sets of motivations exists, but this is the one she admits to under duress, framing it as more “true” than what she’s been saying prior to this conversation. Now, Ilia shows personal motivations rather than just the generically good rhetoric of I Want To End Racism Because It’s Bad. Having Blake down on her knees, shipping her off to Adam, and killing her parents is explicitly connected to the (perceived) problem of, “You didn’t love me.”  Blake is positioned as responsible for who Ilia became: You want to know why I’m like this? You were too busy looking at Adam. I wanted you to look at me that way but you didn’t. That’s how I learned that we can’t always get what we want. So now you don’t get to have what you want (your parents’ safety, distance from Adam). You get to feel what I felt when you didn’t love me back. When Blake poses the question of, “Why are you like this?” Ilia’s answer is “Because I’m queer, have unrequited feelings, and that taught me that life sucks. Now I’m returning the favor.” 

Suddenly, Ilia’s actions are removed from the (already ethically dubious) logic of treating Blake this way because she believes it will help the faunus in the long run and instead are implied to stem from a desire to punish her for not reciprocating those feelings. In this moment Ilia moves from a misguided activist-turned-terrorist and instead becomes a misguided lesbian seeking revenge. She might not admit it - she never explicitly says that she’s punishing Blake for not loving her - but that’s the implication by taking the conversation in this direction; by having Ilia answer with her sexuality rather than her activist views. By drawing such an overt connection between these actions and Ilia’s admission, these things - the impending death of Blake’s parents, kidnapping her, sending her back to her abuser - are framed as things that she “deserves” according to Ilia. If you’d just looked at me with love from the start we never would have ended up here. This falls into a number of horrible tropes including, but not limited to, The Predatory Gay, The Psycho Lesbian, and The Queer Character Falling For Their (Presumably) Straight Friend.

Now, the takeaway here is not “You can never write villainous queer characters.” More often than not any statement beginning with “You can never write ____” is going to be a bad take. Indeed, there are tons of queer/queer coded villains who I adore. That doesn’t mean I want media to perpetuate that long, stereotyped history though. “But Clyde,” the world says. “That doesn’t make any sense. How can you both want and not want this setup?” To which I respond with the iconic words of Jane Lynch:

People’s identities are made up of multiple parts and those parts can read the same writing choice in different ways. As a queer person who loves the ~drama~ of a flamboyant villain I want that entertainment (like Watts). As a queer person who is disgusted by the implications tied to that trend (you’re evil, you’re unnatural, you’re sick, you deserve to be punished, to be killed) I don’t want to see our only queer character be a villain. Which is what Ilia was at the time of her reveal. She was all we had and we didn’t know if RT would ever going to give us anyone else. That was just awful to watch and worry about. It didn’t make me happy. Which sounds like a shit thing to say - This isn’t your story! It doesn’t cater to you! - but after years of waiting for queer rep it felt like a kick in the teeth to get this character in this way and leave her behind when we had a cast of five main women right there, any of which could have been queer. Ilia’s reading was made worse by the lack of rep surrounding her, but to be frank things haven’t improved much. I adore Saphron and Terra, I think they were really well done as characters, but they’re still very minor characters and we can’t ignore that, like Ilia, they were left behind by the story. Blake and Yang are not canon yet, leaving all the hints at their relationship sitting in the limbo of, “Is this just queer baiting?” If you’re someone who pays attention to queer coding, a lot of queer-coded men have been killed off in this show (Roman, Ozpin, Clover). We supposedly have one trans character… whose identity thus far only exists in a tweet.

Kudos to RT for hiring a trans voice actor - they absolutely deserve recognition for that - but it’s still not enough in this day and age. It’s 2020. Queer coding, queer minor characters quickly shuffled off screen, and queer “rep” in the form of paratextual info simply doesn’t fly. We decided that in the most vocal terms possible during the Harry Potter era, a fandom that took over most of the world and, thus, had one hell of an impact on media going forward. No, it’s not rep if you say Dumbledore is gay in an interview but never work that into the story. It’s not rep if you say May is trans on Twitter but don’t work that into the story. Not unless both characters are supplemental additions to a canon already filled with a variety of queer rep. “It’s so cool that this character is also queer! I get why you didn’t have time to work that in, so it’s a good thing we have those five other characters to identify with.” RT might do that in the future. Blake and Yang might become canon in Volume 8. May might be confirmed in the show. Saphron and Terra might unexpectedly arrive to become a part of the story again. We simply don’t know. But as of right now Ilia is one of only three in-canon queer characters out of a cast of ten bajillion (approximately lol) and out of those three she is the only one who was developed into a well-rounded character. That means nearly the entirely of RWBY’s rep rests on her shoulders. I think her queerness is fine for a cast already full of queer characters. There it functions as good diversity - “Some lesbians do join extremist groups and blame unrequited love for their murder plans!” - rather than representation for lesbians/queer people as a whole - “It’s a good thing we have these three other heroic lesbians in RWBY to balance out the message Ilia sends!” But since we don’t have that the takeaway is just what we’ve seen for decades: Queer characters are villains. Queer characters are violent and predatory. Queer characters are written out of the show.

Historically, Ilia’s characterization has problems on its own, but those problems were very much exacerbated by making her the first and, at that point, only queer rep. I - and no doubt others - would have been far more receptive to her as representation if we’d already gotten queer heroes prior to her introduction. And again, that’s a preference. Some fans want more queer villains as a way to say, “Anyone can be queer.” For me though, I’ve seen enough Ilias throughout my life. I’ve seen enough versions of my identity painted as unwanted and dangerous. I was expecting RWBY to do better and I hope that they will do better in the future.