Hi! So I just want to ask for your thoughts on Harry's ambiguous image. He very publicly expresses his sexuality, so much that he is accused of queerbaiting. He presents as a gay man. Some things stood out to me last year. His really camp Coachella performance. BHG interview mentioning that his friends know how he identifies. His HH moodboard had some really camp pics which still haven't been released yet. Howard Stern asking about closeting in the industry but it was cut from youtube uploaded clips. Him kissing Nick at Venice. Olivia making comments about the lgbtq+ community and wearing pride stuff to his shows. The LNT vid being about public image vs private. His personal trainer being a Xander 2.0 (with encouragement from HSHQ). Him being really camp on his Europe tour. MP. Lots of things that went unnoticed but the fact he chose to do them interests me. He did reign it in after the RS backlash but then this year he kissed Lewis at The Brits and there were several vids of him flirting with different men.
Looking at the whole picture it feels like a lot of progress. Harry's sexuality is now a hot topic and yes there are many who still automatically view him as straight but there is more speculation than before and it feels intentional, that he wanted this. He wouldn't have done MP otherwise.
Having said all that, his womanizer image is still prevalent in the media and that is what people pay attention to because it's always there. Every few days there are articles about him dating a new woman.
So I'm wondering what your thoughts are. Why did he choose this ambiguous image rather than hiding his sexuality? Is it because he had plans to CO but changed his mind and just stuck with the ambiguity for marketing purposes? Is it laying the groundwork for a CO in the future? Or does he have no intention in CO and is just a gay man living his life while in the closet? Is this image sustainable for him if he doesn't plan on CO anytime soon? A lot of the queerbaiting discourse is being pushed by the media so will he have to face this every time he gets a new beard? He's not going to be able to play another gay role again in a movie, the backlash was bad enough the first time. Will the backlash push him deeper into the closet, does he even care? By adding to a huge list of beards, will it make it harder to CO in the future?
So I have to start with saying I strongly disagree with your starting point. I think 'progress' is a really insidious way of understanding what's going on. Progress suggests a desired end goal and evaluates everything towards it. I don't think it's a good way of talking about someone who is closeted.
As well as that principled disagreement - I also disagree on points of fact. I don't think that what has been happening for Harry has been steps towards being out or being more queer in his performance. I definitely don't agree that the things you list are him presenting himself as a gay man.
First off I don't think a lot of these are about presenting himself as a gay man. So for example kissing men who are understood as being straight is not presenting himself as a gay man. I disagree with your interpretation of Late Night Talking. I have no time for the idea that the fan reaction to either Xander or Brad was something planned for by Harry's team, rather than just fans doing their thing.
Secondly, being out is not the only way of engagin with queer culture. By being a very camp, closeted performer, Harry is part of a long tradition - it's not evidence of some path to being out.
Finally, I think seeing what Harry said when interviewed by Better Home and Gardens as in any way steps towards coming out - completely misunderstands the dynamic. The whole point is that he's stonewalling and trying to avoid talking about things he doesn't want to talk about. The fact that people are pushing and asking him more and more and he's fending that off - isn't a sign of the direction he's stepping in, but a sign of how he's defending himself from taking steps he doesn't want to take.
*******
To answer your question - I think Harry wants to play stadiums and also engage in queer culture in his performances. I think he knows the contradictions in doing this - and there are reason that the character of Tom resonated with him.
We can't know the future. We can't know what he plans for the future now. And we can't know what will get in the way of that. All we can know is what's happening now. And right now Harry is playing stadiums and engaging with queer culture in his performances.
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“Nine would have treated Martha better than Ten did”
I need to talk about this argument that never seems to stop circulating.
Note: Not a venomous/anti post. There’s more than enough of that across fandom spaces as is, and this is supposed to be a place for ✨sweet, blissful escapism✨
When making this argument, people seem to envision a scenario in which Nine never met Rose.
While I can appreciate a good hypothetical, recognizing Rose's significance to the Doctor (Nine and Ten) is essential to understanding why things with Martha played out the way they did in the first place.
In the third series, the Doctor is grieving. This grief is deliberately threaded into nearly every script, whether spoken aloud or not (and these are just a few examples):
He's burning in Rose’s wake the entire time Martha travels with him, which is why it’s so frequently called upon: It’s 100% deliberate in framing his grief. He grieved as Nine too, of course— having been fresh on the heels of the Time War — but then he met Rose, which changed everything.
Back then, he was still a rude, traumatized pain in the ass, but we watch Rose soften more of those jagged edges with every episode as they grow closer; as he lets his guard down and forms a deep connection with her.
He falls in love (against his better judgment) and it's game over.
And yes: provided S1E1 had been titled 'Martha', one can realistically assume things might have unfolded similarly to how they did with Rose. However, it wouldn’t have been that way just because the Doctor was Nine and “Nine was different” — it would be because he wasn’t already in love with someone else. The same can't be said for the start of S3.
Think of it like this: if Rose AND Martha had been in that cellar — if Nine had taken both of them along with him in S1 — we’d eventually be looking at the most melodramatic love triangle ever, what with him living in close quarters with two brilliant, gorgeous, compassionate young women... But Doctor Who is plenty “soap opera” as is with just one woman in the TARDIS.
(I certainly wouldn’t object to reading that fic, though)
Now, regarding the unrequited elephant in the room…
His inability to be romantic with Martha isn’t because he thinks her lesser, nor is it for lack of compatibility. It isn't because Rose is any better than her. It certainly isn’t just because he’s Ten.
It’s really only for one reason, which can't be denied — and now I’m a broken record:
He is still in love with Rose.
(cut from a tenrosedaily gif)
Nine is Ten, and Ten is only such a mess in S3 because he’s just lost the love of his life. Martha merely got caught in the crosshairs of a volatile Time Lord in mourning, and yes — it sucks. Absolutely.
But it also feels dismissive to chalk Ten and Martha’s relationship up to little more than some sort of mindless dance of pining, jealousy, and toxicity.
Ten trusted Martha with his life over and over again — and hers, with him. He constantly praised her brilliance, happily carting her around time and space with no intention of letting her go. In the BBC’s extended universe of novels/comics/cartoons/etc, there’s so much depth to their relationship: love and trust and trauma and sacrifice. They had their own special bond as mates, their own complexities — so it’s a bummer that it's forever overshadowed by the other things.
I’m not denying that there was a lot of stuff that sucked/was for sure toxic about Ten's S3 behavior, but so many of the things I've seen him catching flak for can be directly attributed to being A Clueless Fucking Alien Idiot (not a trait that’s unique to Ten) — as well as his flat-out obliviousness to Martha’s feelings.
So yes, I agree: if Rose never existed, he would have treated Martha differently as Nine. He also would have treated her differently as Ten. Certainly.
But Rose did exist, and when discussing canon, it matters.
“He tells me that he absolutely, 100% loves Rose... He tells me how my daughter; my wonderful, beautiful, clever little girl saved him from himself before… And he says that’s all because of me! I made her into the Rose Tyler that saved him.”
-Jackie Tyler, Flight Into Hull!
Martha got the short end of the stick in S3. She came round at the wrong place and time, but that doesn't mean it was all bad. It doesn't mean the Doctor didn’t adore her. It certainly doesn't mean the time they spent together was wasted or worthless. They were brilliant!
Sure, he could be a twat, but let it be known that he was a twat with Rose as well, both as Nine and Ten. I’m sure Tentoo can be plenty infuriating, too. So while I'll defend Ten (and Tentoo) into the ground forever and ever and ever, I'll concede that he's fucked up.
The Doctor is a certified Pain In The Ass. It’s one of the things I love so much about this character — dynamics.
But never forget that Martha was goddamn tough as nails and overcame every bit of it. She moved on with her life, and the Doctor moved on with his. One can only pray that, when they inevitably drag her back onto the show (which feels inevitable if I'm honest), we see at once that she's been living her best life for all these years.
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✦ OC Questionnaire Tag 3 ✦
Following tag from @honeybewrites !
Featuring characters from Sun and Shadow: Freya, Crow, Daleira, Valyarus, Soren, and Grimnir!
As well as a surprise visit from someone else...
Notes: Valyarus is Daleira's adopted dad, Lynsmouth nobility, and a faerie; Soren is Freya's dad, strongly hinted to be ageless, and worked as a sailor; and Grimnir is Crow's dad, the famous criminal detective of Lynsmouth, and known to work under an alias and masks to hide his identity.
Featured Questions (not all characters will answer):
- "Sun or moon?"
- "Would you rather drown or be buried alive?"
- "How many people have you killed?" from @the-golden-comet
- "Do you believe in fate?" kidnapped from the-golden-comet's post
"Sun or moon?"
Freya, the MC of Sun and Shadow who's explicitly sun-coded:
Freya: Well... even before I found out about the whole "my dad gave me a magic restraint from a really young age without telling me and I actually have magic" thing... I'd always liked being out in the sun. I'd feel more refreshed, energized. I thought it was just normal, yknow? Like, who doesn't like being out in the sun? But apparently it's A Normal Magic Thing™ to feel better in your element? Even though I felt awful for a while without the restraint... apparently that's something called "magical sickness" from having too much uncontrolled essence? That's what Daleira said at least...
I don't know. Regardless, um, sun, obviously, haha. 😅
Crow, the "shadow" of Sun and Shadow:
Crow: Moon. The daytime is too bright and it's a lot harder to blend in. I mean--(*pointedly wiggles the sunglasses they're always wearing*)--I need these to be able to actually see thanks to my damned curse and how bright everything is. Then, like, I need to stick to the shadows at day because I just feel worse under sunlight, you know? So, yeah. Moon, easily.
Daleira, the OTHER, secret "shadow":
Daleira: Sun! (gotcha 😉) It's thanks to the sun's energy that our world goes round--well, metaphorically speaking--and it would be almost unrecognizable if the sun didn't exist! 😊
Well, I mean, now that I say that... I guess the same applies to the moon, huh? Like, it's thanks to it that we have the tides and-- (*continues rambling about Science*) --wait what was the question again? Oh, right! "Sun or moon?" I would probably still pick sun, haha! 😊
Valyarus: This is an odd question. I would dare to say sun. Nights tend to be much more dangerous, both in the Faewildes and in this world. Criminals adoring the darkness and all, yes?
Besides that, I am also weaker at night. So that should be an easy answer for me, no?
Soren: I'm brought back from the dead and/or a potentially disastrous situation in order to answer arbitrary questions? (*heavy sarcasm*) Interesting. How kind of our all-powerful gods to give me this opportunity. (Look do you want this break or not?)
... fine. Yes.
(*Clears throat*)
My wife and children all had sun- and light-allegiances. I feel that should speak for itself. However... as a seaman, the stars have always been my best friend, and it would be a nightmare to navigate without them.
In spite of that, if you told me to choose between my daughter and the night, I would choose my daughter in a heartbeat.
Happy? (*he asks, glaring at the camerawoman* Very, great job, Soren! 😉 *he scoffs*)
"Would you rather drown or be buried alive?"
Freya, who in the first chapter of SaS got traumatized by nearly dying in a shipwreck:
Freya: Be buried alive. Next question, please and thank you.
Crow: Easy! I'd choose to be buried alive! Being encased in a coffin--or even just dirt--would surround me in shadows and I could just teleport out through them, ha!
Daleira: Crow, you're supposed to take this at face value. There's no way getting out. If you had to die either way, which would you pick?
Crow: (*scowling*) But that doesn't make sense! I could just teleport out!
Daleira: Yeah, well that's not the point! It's supposed to, like, find out your personality and stuff! Which you'd, uh... consider to be the least painful death?... hm, that's actually really dark when you think about it...
Crow: Exactly! Besides, it doesn't say I have to die through it! Just drown or "be buried alive"--not that I die in the process! (*smug birb.png*)
Daleira: Um... actually, "drown" does imply death.
Crow: Wait, what?
Daleira: It's in the definition! "Drown: verb; to die through submersion in and inhalation of water!"
Crow: ... and why do you have the exact definition of "drown" memorized? And where did you get it??? Do you have a dictionary lying around somewhere in your workshop???
Daleira: (*flushed*) Just--answer the question!
Crow: I still pick being buried alive. It doesn't mean I can't escape alive, sweetheart. 😘
Daleira: (*groans and puts her face in her hands*)
Daleira: Unlike Crow, I'm actually going to answer this question as intended. 😒 While both are deeply unpleasant ways to die, I'd probably choose to drown just because it's quicker than suffocating in a coffin... or loose dirt. (*shudders*)
Valyarus: (*pleasantly; if not a bit smugly*) I could and would do neither. As a faerie, I could simply teleport out of either situation.
Daleira: 😒😒😒
Daleira: (*takes a slow, deep breath... unlike someone in the situations posed in this question!*) Dad, the point of the question is "imagine you don't have any other choice". Like, if you had to pick one, which would you pick?
Valyarus: (*quizzical look*) Well that's just incredibly dark, isn't it? Who would pose such a question?
Daleira: (*exasperated, throws up her hands*) I don't know! Could you please just answer it, Dad???
Valyarus: (*gives a long, drawn-out sigh... also unlike someone in the situations posed in this question!*) If you insist, dear. I suppose... I would choose being buried alive. In your hypothetical situation, unaware that I was completely doomed, I would likely choose it knowing it took longer and spend a majority of the time I had trying to figure out a way out... only to die.
Valyarus: But, Dally, you are aware that even if our bodies die, we do not, yes?
Daleira: 😃 (*internal screaming*)
Soren: (*completely unaware of the events of the first chapter of SaS in this case--*)
I would choose the sea--or, drowning, that is. I was born by the ocean, was made by the ocean, and lived through the ocean. I see no better way to die. Or a more fitting one.
Grimnir: In those cases, I'd assume I'd be being assassinated by some of my enemies... and so they're planning for it to be as painful as possible. In which case, it would likely look like this: my to-be killers choose to drown me. They repeatedly dunk and pull my head out at intervals maximized for suffering, but just barely below the time my body would force me to inhale. Ideally, none of them would have control over water magic, or they could simply let me breathe it in and draw it from my lungs. Which would likely be doubly as unpleasant as traditional water inhalation. Regardless--they would repeat this process until I finally suffocated or they got bored. And then they would kill me.
Alternatively, my captors could've chosen to kill me through burying me alive. In that case, they'd do so without a coffin. That way, I'd be suffocating, buried within whatever material they thought would make me suffer most. Due to the phrasing of this question, I would assume it could not be anything inherently dangerous, otherwise I would die of exsanguination, poisoning, or whatever else. No, instead, I'd suffocate. In this case, it's unlikely my captors could interrupt or pace out my murder--unless they periodically buried, unearthed, and re-buried me, which simply seems like more effort than it's worth and comes with risk of a coma instead.
Between the two situations, I would choose to be buried alive. Though, I hope you aren't intending on trying anything... I may be a detective, but I have a lot more tricks up my sleeve.
"How many people have you killed?"
Freya: Nobody??? What???
Crow: What do you mean? I'm a detective, not a murderer! Obviously I haven't killed anyone!
Daleira: (*voice uncharacteristically quiet*) It... depends on what you count as a "person." And... whether you're counting accidents... which you probably are. Regardless?... a lot.
Valyarus: I have killed very, very few people. If they even counted as "people" by the time I killed them is a better question. But... if you consider the fact that I, myself, am not human, and that those of us in my position call all of us sentient beings "people"... then I have killed very, very many people.
That's why I'm in the position I am today. I am very powerful. And, sometimes, death is necessary to protect those looking up to you as a leader.
It's been a bit since Elvalen has joined Lynsmouth, though. I think I've gotten a bit rusty. 😄
(note: Valyarus has accidentally killed a lot more people in a similar manner to Daleira, but is not counting them due to it being "part of a faerie's nature", unintentional, and frankly unavoidable to an extent. Up his perceived creepiness/danger level as you deem necessary.)
Soren: Depends who's asking. If this has any possibility of reaching my daughter, none whatsoever. Otherwise... more than I wish. But being what I am, death is sometimes inevitable. Other times, it's simply the only correct choice. Would you rather leave a monster alive, or kill it where it stands to save its victims, both present and future? I think there's only one right answer there, and I have a number of people who'd thank me for it.
... even if my daughter would not.
Grimnir: Depends on what you mean by "killed". Does it count to put them in prison, knowing people can and might target them there? If so: I don't know. Definitely more than I can count. Otherwise... only a few. And only when necessary, in self-defense.
"Do you believe in fate?"
Freya: You mean the idea that our lives are predetermined from the beginning, that our decisions are set in stone before we're born, and that nothing we can do will ever change that? Of course not. And even if it did, I'd assume magic itself would interfere with how Fate wanted to make things.
Crow: I'm... not sure. I've never thought of it before to be honest. I'd guess there's probably some god out there capable of it?... though if you think of it that way, wouldn't all gods be Fate in one way or another? Like, they're all always just... sitting in their godly domains or something, watching us, seeing everything and making decisions off of it right? So from our point of view, wouldn't that make them the puppeteers of our fates?
So I'd say it depends on what you consider "fate" to be. Is it an active force keeping things to a certain "timeline" or set of events? In which case I'd say no. Or is it a set of actions carried out by beings that can see so much more than we do, that are capable of comprehending things that we can't, and actively try enforcing their wills on us? In which case... I'd say yes.
Daleira: Fate? Like "things are destined to happen a certain way"? I wouldn't know! Haha, there's so many things in this world that it's impossible to know! Like, there's billions of lifeforms breathing, existing!, making decisions all at once! Could there possibly be a reason behind it, some sort of consciousness pulling everything in a certain direction to make sure different events come true? Possibly!
... what do I think of that?... hm. That's a great question. I... don't know honestly. I like the concept of free will, would like to think we all have complete control of our lives and where they go... but that just isn't realistic! Even if fate didn't exist, our lives are all still pushed and pulled in every direction by those of the people around us. And by nature! The world constantly throws things at us, and all we're able to do is react to it! Even if we make our own decisions, they're based on our life experiences and the examples we've seen of others... so it's impossible to say "free will" truly exists, either.
Valyarus: Fate? (*snickers*) Which kind of "Fate", the idea that Grand Destinies follow people, that some people are destined to come together and "complete" one another", or something... Or the cold and merciless goddess known for doing whatever it takes to achieve her goals?
Don't misunderstand me--most gods are "cold, cruel, merciless" and all those good things. But I've heard special things of Fate. She sees everything that has happened, everything that is happening, and everything that will happen at all times. She's able to make decisions with more information than anyone else. She's been able to plan out her actions and puppeteer everyone else from the very beginning of time. She's known for acting irrationally, having her son carry out the most out of place things... for what? What cause? What purpose? We don't know. We can't.
What we do know is that she's willing to do anything. She and her son--acting on her behalf as all avatars do--have done some things even the other gods wouldn't dare do. Although, I don't think it's for a lack of willingness so much as it would otherwise get in the way of their goals to actively commit atrocities.
Regardless, oh--I do believe Fate exists. It's very hard not to when you've spoken to her son firsthand and he responds to you before you can even speak. I wouldn't recommend it, by the way. I've met some very disturbing creatures before, but he was... different.
Quinn: Well, that's just rude.
Valyarus:
Quinn: After I helped you and everything.
Valyarus: How... how did you get in here?
Quinn: Not telling. 😉 Want to apologize?
Valyarus:
Valyarus: (*indignant!*) I see no reason to.
Quinn: Of course. No problem, then. Just... be careful around birds.
Valyarus: (*silent, confused panic???*)
Soren: I believe Fate exists, yes. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on the day... and if you're in her way. Thankfully, it does not seem like I've done anything to cross her... at least, not for a very long time.
Grimnir: (*deadpan*) I would assume so. Otherwise, I'd worry who I gave my eyes to.
Your questions:
- What would you do if you watched a starving child steal something expensive without anyone else noticing?
- If you could go back in time and say anything to your younger self, what would you say?
- What would you sell your soul for? (Metaphorically speaking, doesn't have to be literal. In other words: "What is the most important thing to you, that you would do anything for?")
Tagging (with no pressure) @darkandstormydolls @yourpenpaldee @.honeybewrites @fantasy-things-and-such @themboty @the-letterbox-archives and whoever else wants to join!
Divider from @cafekitsune
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