#and wlw is so powerful and deserves more rep

[george-44132]

For those looking for shows/animes/movies with good lgbt ships, here is a list of ones I personally like. Some of these are canon some are not.

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (animated show) - Netflix - canon wlw ship and has a character with 2 dads. (Plenty of queer coding aswell)

Heartstopper (live action show) - Netflix canon wlw and mlm ship and a trans (mtf) character, asexual character.

Stranger Things (live action show) - Netflix - canon gay, lesbian and bisexual characters as well as alot of queer coding

Arcane (animated show) - Netflix - semi canon wlw ship

Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts (animated show) - Netflix - canon mlm ship, Canon non-binary character

She-Ra and The Princess of Power (animated show) - Netflix - canon wlw ship and canon poly ship, a non-binary character and a character with 2 dads

Sk8 the Infinity (anime) - crunchyroll - 1 canon gay character, 1 semi canon gay character as well as many queer coded ones

Sasaki to Miyano (anime) - crunchyroll - 2 canon mlm ships

My Hero Acadamia (anime) - crunchyroll - 2 canon trans characters, 1 canon bisexual character (not the best rep but as long as you stick to the good part of the fandom there is so many good ships)(personally I recommend the manga over the anime tho :])

Luca (movie) - Disney+ soooo much queer coding, no canon ships

The Owl House (Animated show) - Disney+ - canon wlw ship and a non-binary character + a ship for that non-binary character. Character with 2 dads

The Maze Runner (live action film series) - Disney+ (there is also books) - canon gay character

Venom 1&2 (live action movie) - Disney+ - semi canon monster x human mlm ship I think (idk in the comics they are canon and have a kid tho-)

Camp Camp (animated show) - season 1,2,3 youtube, all seasons on RoosterTeeth - queer coding/ kinda canon bi character, one character has 2 dads

Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 (animated movies) - Amazon Prime Video - canon mlm ship

Marble Hornets (found footage style horror) - YouTube - (the main focus is horror/story and not ships but the creators have confirmed some gay characters) 1 Canon gay character, 1 half Canon lesbian character, 1 Canon non-binary character (in the comics)

Helluva Boss (animated show) - YouTube - 2 bi characters, 1 pan character, 1 character who I think is either gay or queer idk, plenty of canon lgbt ships (Most of the characters are lgbt I don't think I can name them all these are just the main ones💀)

The Goldfinch (live action movie and novel) - Binge - mlm ship but Idk what their sexualities are.

IT 1 & 2 (2017) (live action horror movies) - Binge - Canon gay character, (not great movies for people who get offended though it has some... questionable jokes.)

I also personally like Sherlock and how gay that show was but ik alot of people hated that show due to its queerbaiting so that's why I didn't add it in.

(even if u don't watch Marble Hornets for the ships, maybe it's just my hyperfixation on this show but it's like 14 years old and deserves a bigger fan base and respect cuz its probably the best of its style of horror I have ever seen and the characters are amazing and the story and it makes my writing brain happy :] )

I'll update this as I watch more shows/animes/movies

[sapphicbookclub]

Author Spotlight: Tamara Jerée

Check out this wonderful essay on sapphic, Black, paranormal romances from Tamara Jerée. Tamara is the author of The Fall That Saved Us, a current club read out today!

As writers, we often hear that we should write the book we want to read. For me, that’s meant writing into a niche that feels largely unacknowledged. The more descriptors I stack—sapphic, Black, paranormal, romance—the shorter the list of books becomes. Finding darker sapphic romance by and about lesbians of color is hard. Stepping into a bookstore, I often feel like there is still a narrow range within which the publishing industry will allow us to exist. Readers don’t seek out our books in the same ways. Especially when compared to the diverse range of literary experiences for white women, I feel the lack.

I can immediately think of a few adult titles that fit into the Black sapphic paranormal romance genre. There’s Darknesses by Lachelle Seville, a romance featuring a sapphic Dracula. I was excited to find that Fiona Zedde, whose contemporary romances kept popping up as a recommendation for me, also writes paranormal romance. Every Dark Desire is the first in her vampire series. (If you’re interested in a comprehensive list, Tuesday Harper maintains a searchable database of Black WLW books here. I stumbled upon some new titles for my TBR!)

In lieu of paranormal romance, I often find myself reaching for sapphic horror to fill out my moody reading list. The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan is an F/F erotic horror novel set in Singapore that follows a maidservant and her vampire mistress. House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson is a gothic horror novel that doesn’t call its vampires vampires but nevertheless satisfied my need for bloody, brooding sapphics.

I’m compelled by erotic horror—and horror that winks at the erotic—because it confronts our personal and cultural fears and, in doing so, leaves us with nothing more to be scared of. Here, look at our depth and ugliness and resilience and strange pleasures. Ultimately, look at how we survived. Those darker elements influence all my work. I want the catharsis of safely staring down weird and terrible things. When combined with the structure of romance, the guaranteed HEA reassures. Maybe you’ve been through a long night, but you deserve happiness.

I want to talk about the first novel in the Black lesbian paranormal genre that ever made me feel seen as a writer, the one that sank its teeth into me and made me think this is possible; this is where my work wants to be. Published in 1991, The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez follows a queer Black vampire through the antebellum era and into the present before casting her and her chosen family into a speculative future. The novel isn’t a romance, but it does catalogue Gilda’s lovers through the ages—who she chooses to bring into immortal life and how they care for each other in a hostile world.

In the introduction, Gomez discusses how nervous she was about the book because lesbians in her community were skeptical of the rep. Attaching something taboo like vampirism to a Black lesbian protagonist? It was risky. Their concerns remind me so much of the debate in queer circles today over what depictions of ourselves and our communities are proper. We worry about writing people like us as villains or monsters because it would give fuel to hegemonic perspectives that are already eager to see us as deviant and evil.

As one of those readers and writers who finds power in reclaiming the monster, of being an antagonist to an unjust society, I’m thankful for Gilda. And I’m so glad Gomez took the risk. It’s empowered me as a Black lesbian writing romance that confronts heavy themes of mental illness and healing from abuse through a paranormal and fantastic lens. In my debut novel The Fall That Saved Us, Avitue—the succubus love interest—is an unrepentant villain, a sexy bad girl unafraid to show her teeth to a world that’s hurt her. She’s a monster because others have said so, and she wears the title as a badge of honor. The main character Cassiel, however, views Avitue as a savior—from her scarred past and a stagnant present.

The Gilda Stories expanded for me what we can be and do. There’s an infinite number of Black stories we can tell. Black people can be anything we want, including the hot lady monster who gets the girl.

[whorizcn]

ok your tags on the reblog makes me think we are very similar and should be friends; DARK ACADEMIA IS A GENRE and WLW IS SO SLEPT ON.

akkdaodjaks YES! i will defend dark academia being a genre and wlw until the day i DIE!

also literally don’t hesitate to hmu cause i’m always down to clown and make new friends !!

[tuiyla]

top 10 wlw ships of all time??

All time?? Ahh, good question Anon. I'm sure there's a more objective way to answer this and I could maybe even do a top 10 in terms of milestones in representation but instead, today, this is just going to be my personal list based on my faves.

First thing to know is that I'm actually not that big of a shipper and kinda go all or nothing. Meaning, if I list more than three there's going to be a huge difference in terms of my devotion between the first half and the second half, and for that purpose I'm going to divide this into subcategories.

The top 3 - ride or die, they have my heart ships

1. Korra and Asami, The Legend of Korra

Let’s not even get started on what the Avatar universe means to me and Korrasami in particular because I will cry. They’re comfortably my OTP, if we take One True Pairing seriously and I’ll never forget December 19th 2014.

2. Bubblegum and Marceline, Adventure Time

Dare I say, the OGs? Two years before Korrasami walked off into that sunset I became obsessed with a cartoon vampire and her ex-gf, a despotic piece of gum. Archaeologists will find my many Bubbline posts from before they became canon and see how I was foaming at the mouth trying to tell everyone exactly what the subtext implied. But it’s not just that sense of vindication that will always, always make them so special to me.

3. Brittany and Santana, Glee

Shocker! Lmao, I mean, it is kind of strange that they’re so high because Glee has by far the weakest writing out of my favourite shows and Brittana was treated with the least respect. But, you know, I’m still hooked and I still have a deep love for Brittana’s story. They’re not a pairing I grew up with but one I’m glad I gave a chance to in my twenties. Enough said since I regularly go on about them.

Moving to top 5 - think less about them now but hold dear

4. Laura and Carmilla, Carmilla: The Series

Ahh, Hollstein. I got into Carmilla right after LoK concluded and Hollstein was a milestone couple in terms of my relationship to representation. This little web series created a duo of incredibly complex characters who had an even more complex relationship and one I cherished so, so much. I still think their writing holds up, though I haven’t rewatched in a while. Once upon a time I went as hard for them as the top three, it’s just been a while and Carmilla isn’t a forever fandom for me in the same way Avatar is. Precious memories though.

5. Catra and Adora, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Being as into SPOP as I ended up after season 5 dropped caught me by surprise but it was a very, very solid show and presented a very beautiful story between Catra and Adora. Again, very layered, very complex, very well-written and not the least well (voice) acted. Catradora made me feel so deeply about a ship after quite a while so they deserve to be in the top 5.

Next 2 - less intense but still active shipping

6. Luz and Amity, The Owl House

Continuing my trend of cartoon gfs, I was so happy to watch The Owl House and see how far we’ve come with kids’ shows. Their relationship is allowed to exist well before the finale and it’s so cute and they’re such interesting characters. I admit, I’m a bit behind on TOH at the moment but I’ll catch up by the time season 3 comes out. They’re not quite the same as other animated couples in terms of how personally atteched I am but I’m over the moon about Lumity’s mere existence.

7. Nico and Karolina, Marvel’s Runaways

Deanoru mostly had a hold on me when I first watched the first two seasons and it never crossed into a more intense love for them, but I still really dig the story despite the show’s shortcomings and the premature end. I feel like they got a good enough ending and were treated with respect as a couple. And, you know, that whole sun and moon dynamic? Sign me tf up.

Bottom 3 - still good! just more casual

8. Rachel and Chloe, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm

I was very much anything but chill about Amberprice when I was first playing BtS but in retrospect, and having replayed the game that had more to do with my love for Rachel Amber rather than the pairing. They still made it to the list because they made me feel things in a way most wlw ships in media I casually enjoy don’t. And that whole “run away with me” scene in the second episode? My god. Their tragedy? Fuck I’m a sucker for that.

9. Casey and Izzie, Atyical

I’d say Atypical is by far the show I consumed the most casually out of all the ones listed but Cazzie were such a well-handled couple with adorable and very real scenes. Wlw ships in Netflix shows can feel kinda... forced and like they were just thrown in, but I thought Izzie’s introduction and their evolution felt organic and I enjoyed watching it unfold. They’re top tier, even if they don’t rank higher for me because of personal involvement.

10. Nicole and Waverly, Wynonna Earp

I’ll be honest, there are a couple of ships that could interchangeably place 10th but I think the beginning of Wynonna Earp and Wayhaught’s relationship caught that good time in wlw fandom so I consider them special enough to make the list. My attachment to them is unique to this experience of having watched it unfold and the fact that they were a shining light of hope after everything went down in 2016. Rather than treat it casually, the creators doubled down on Wayhaught’s story and importance and that had an impact. Good show, good ship.

Well, I hope a list like this is more or less what you meant! I’d be curious to hear others’ faves; this is really nostalgic for me for various reasons haha.

[unchartedcloud]

Let me preface this by saying all my friends are part of the queer community. But lately I’ve been having a hard time talking with my friends about why they need to support more wlw shows, specifically shows that feature lesbians. Anytime I bring up a sapphic show to watch (that isn’t animated) it feels like pulling teeth sometimes getting them to watch it. They’re all “too scary”, “too sad”, “not really my type”, etc. Which is fair. Not every piece of representation is going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

But they flock toward any media with mlm.

And don’t get me wrong. There are some great mlm stories out there right now and they also deserve love. And I’m glad that these stories are being told.

But I think that it’s important to acknowledge that this isn’t just a pattern with straight people. It’s also a pattern in the queer community too. It’s become so ingrained in us to shy away from sapphic stories but we normalize mlm stories because they’re more “wholesome” or they have “better representation”.

(I’m also in no way saying that shows like First Kill or The Wilds didn’t have enough of a fan base. Netflix and Amazon’s flimsy excuses are just that. These shows had a huge dedicated fan base and they deserved better)

I think this is a problem that really needs to be addressed but no one wants to address it. How can we as a queer community support the sapphic community if we don’t acknowledge that we have some societal bias in us too that we need to unlearn.

I’m not even sure what point I’m trying to make except that I’m tired of people telling me “be happy with the animated representation you get” but when I point out stories that portray live people I get a million excuses about why it’s “not good” and “xyz mlm show did this trope better”.

I hope the people in the back are listening to you, anon.

It's another instantiation of social power structures. Society assumes white, cis, abled, (affluent) straight men are the norm; when a story is about them, it's about everyone. The more of those identities you change, the more "niche" the story is perceived to be. Change just one (our protagonist is queer now) and it's just slightly less than mainstream. The audience will shrink a bit, but progressive minded folks will still watch it. Yay! Queer rep! But change more, and that audience shrinks even further. You'll cut out plenty of straight folks by making the protag queer, cis folks by making the protag trans, white folks by making the protag Black or Brown, and on down the line. The further away you get from that perceived norm, the more folks are gonna feel like the story isn't for them. And yes, that's true in the queer community too. Just because we have one marginalized identity doesn't mean we don't have others that are privileged. First Kill had a Black, sapphic teenage girl at center stage - that's 3 degrees of "niche" right there. And that's assuming she's cis, neurotypical, and that there's no ageist bias.

The reality is, folks with marginalized identities have had a lot of practice empathizing with characters who don't look or live like them. With representation being what it was up until now (and even then!), it's often the only choice they have growing up. But folks who don't share those marginalized identities haven't had reason to develop that skill set - if most folks you see on screen or in books look like you, you don't have to work as hard to see yourself in the story. It's not about being a good or bad person or whatever, they just haven't practiced empathizing with characters who aren't like them, and as a result think stories about those characters aren't "for" them. Folks with marginalized identities haven't had that luxury.

Not to mention all the internalized misogyny, racism, etc that breeds implicit bias, in turn convincing us that stories about characters with marginalized identities aren't told as well. (Plus any of the other reasons people give that actually translate into "I'm just not interested in that character's story.)

Tl;dr: I feel your pain, anon. If we really care about representation, those of us with privileged identities need to practice empathizing with characters who are different from us. And the best way to do that is to engage with their stories!!

Also, FUCK Netflix.

[fubukiswifenoimnotjoking]

One Punch Man ship reviews bc I’m bored

WARNING: BIG ONE PUNCH MAN WEBCOMIC AND MANGA SPOILERS

GenoSai: do I even have to say it?? They compliment each other so well and are already besties. They make me so happy and I love their love. Genos literally came into Saitama’s life and brought so much new life and excitement when Saitama thought he’d never get any. Genos gives him love and appreciation all the time and never abandons him. Saitama isn’t connected to his feelings, but he cares about Genos and would do just about anything for him, to keep him safe. Genos constantly teases Saitama and Saitama grumbles and takes it with some banter, Genos is super emotional and Saitama does his best to comfort him, they fucking love shopping together and just hanging out period, they talk about the dumbest shit and somehow they still understand each other with the one brain cell they both share. It takes Genos forever to realize his feelings are deeper and Saitama has to be TOLD by their friends that he should fucking realize his feelings already. Just...I could keep going but I’ll stop! 2718873737839439/10 (let’s not talk about the age gap btw, 6 years isn’t bad and Genos is a legal adult.)

FubuSai: the stereotypical straight ship ppl gravitate to. Eh. I can see it, but at the same time I feel like they don’t completely compliment each other. Are they a hot couple? Duh. But I feel like their pride and communication issues would get in the way. 4/10

TatsuSai: hnghhhh. Someone mentioned this before, can’t remember who, but Saitama literally thinks she’s a child in canon. So that just....makes it gross. Same problems as FubuSai but worse. I’d rather see them as hesitant friends w a weird bond. 0/10

SonSai/SonicSai/idk the ship name: eh, toxic. Cant see them getting past communication issues and pride, again. Plus Sonic wants to kill his ass. Also, I just feel no romantic tension?? Even in fanfic it just falls flat for me. 3/10

MumenSai: a favorite!! Wish I saw it more, it’s very cute. Mumen is so kind and would absolutely be there to help him w self esteem and just help him be a better person period. And Saitama would have a cute little kind guy to tease and open up to. I could maybe see Mumen’s kindness getting on Saitama’s nerves when he’s in a bad mood bc Mumen almost never snaps and Saitama feels shittier, or maybe Mumen being mad at Saitama for being kinda lazy at home while Mumen is working his ass off and he’s like babe I just got home, please stop playing the fucking game and pay attention to me I have a concussion again. Prob too nitpicky on this one, heh, but 8.4/10

Genos x Sonic: wtf? As a crack ship, sure. That’s hilarious. But as a serious ship, 1.3/10 bc I could MAYBE see them bond over their love of my chemical romance or sum.

Anyone x Puri: -128382839287473828739219833468282/10. Fuck Puri.

TatsuKing: eh. Indifferent on this one too. I can see them getting along and Tatsu being the mean but supportive gf in public, but a sweet gf in private. King could be like her calm oasis of video games and sweet blonde shy bf. I sway more towards ace/aro King and queer non binary Tatsu, but this is still good. 6/10

FubuPsy/Fubuki x Psykos/idk: hell yeah!! This series NEEDS more wlw ships, both for me to project onto and to cry over. Prob my fav Fubuki ship, cuz they’ve known each other since they were young and had a tenuous friendship. I didn’t use to ship it until I saw that scene in the wc after the MA arc (u know the one) but here we are. They’re big personalities so any interaction is bound to be chaotic at first, but I really think they’d work. Pride put to the side, Psykos could be someone for Fubuki to finally rely on other than the Blizzard Bunch, someone to confide in, a badass partner to fight monsters with, talk about nothing for hours with, be a super fashionable #girlboss couple with, and someone who would really see her for who she is-especially w Psykos knowledge of her from the past. Hell, Psykos might even know her better than Tatsumaki. Fubuki could be an anchor to her like she currently is in the wc, providing a quiet comfort and making her open up little by little. Would prob be toxic at first bc of the MA arc and their desire for power, but is a very good ship I think. 9/10

Speedal/Sonic x Mumen: an old fav! Sonic would have a hard time not hating Mumen at first bc he’s the picture definition of a hero, sum he hates. But hanging out with him would show him Mumen is a GOOD guy genuinely and he’d be like ohhhh shit I’m in love w this man. Mumen would thoroughly appreciate someone to make him live a little, break some rules and stand up to ppl when they talk over him. He’d DEFINITELY be upset when finding out Sonic is an assassin, but would prob be conflicted bc he knows Sonic is a good person despite that. Would prob make Sonic give up on killing for them to be together. Sucks bc of the assassin thing and bc they haven’t met in canon! So we’re not sure how they’d interact with each other, sigh. 7.4/10

Okamaitachi x Bushidrill: a very underrated ship! To be clear, I headcanon Kama as a trans woman and so does most of the fandom. Anyway, very sweet and already built as a friendship bc of their partnership under Atomic Samurai. I can’t remember who writes fic and makes art of them on tumblr but AAAAA it’s so good! Very sweet. Basically depicted Bushi as a nervous himbo who’s honest about his feelings but scared to say them and Kama as a sweet lady who’s crazy about Bushi. Very sweet. Want more of them!! 6.1/10

OneZon/Zombieman x One Shotter: never even thought of the ship till I saw @megidolan art work! Very wholesome, and from what little we know of Shotter we know he’s a sort of nervous yet strong willed guy, and Zombieman would totally help him calm down bc he’s so chill. I could see them sharing cigarettes and talking shit on heroes while cuddling u know? 7/10 only because I don’t see enough of it but very good concept.

Mumarou/Mumen x Garou: a lot of ppl are gonna hate me for this but....I don’t like it. I’ve tried! I just—idk. I’ve read so many good fics about them that make me like it a bit, but the concept is just eh. I think their relationship is, in most reps, really cliche angsty stuff. I wish I could elaborate I just...gah! Basically, there’s better ships for the both of them imo. Sorry!! 4.3/10

Sonic x Flashy/SonFlash: yes!! Prob my fav Sonic ship. They have soooo much tension, it’s almost worse than Genos’ tension w Saitama. Flashy LITERALLY poisoned Sonic so that he wouldn’t be forced to kill him at the ninja graduation. He cares. They’ll never say it out loud, but they care. They have someone who understands what they went through in each other and someone they’re both so similar to, yet so different from. Sonic is more vocal about his expressions and let’s people know it while Flashy often keeps things to himself, they could really influence the other to be more this or that. I could see a lot of comfort with these two, and not much is needed for relationship development; they already have so much unspoken between them after meeting for the first time in years. Love it. Wish I saw it more! 10/11

KingSai: wonderful! Out of the few ppl Saitama is close to, def my second fav pick for a ship for him. There’s a post saying how Saitama doesn’t cut King off when he’s going on rants about games and stuff bc he’s talking TO Saitama, not at him like Genos tends to do on accident. They’re already great buddies! Saitama could find a shy gamer man who he can talk to about manga and stuff and also a passionate bf who could break out of his shell w Saitama and be himself with no lies. King can have someone to protect him, duh, someone who finally understands his weird sense of humor, and someone to shower him in the love and kindness he deserves when Saitama is in the mood to be all out like that w his affections. Plus he’s Saitama’s anchor and brings him back down when he’s super anxious and depressed and tells him what’s up that he needs to fix without sugarcoating it. Would def have a bunch of inside jokes and go on dates that are just staying inside playing video games all night. Domestic af. 10/10

Fubuki x Mizuki: my first wlw Fubuki ship! Hard to find but very good. Mizuki is this big ball of kindness, energy, and raw power that would make Fubuki go ‘Ohhhhhhh, big pretty lady make brain go brrr.’ I could see Mizuki grounding Fubuki when she’s in over her head, giving her random gifts bc she saw sum and thought of her, doing a marathon run and wildly waving at Fubuki in the crowd, and all around being a dependable woman confident in herself and in love with a mysterious esper. Prob a little shy when it comes to anything physical bc she loves Fubuki so much and is overwhelmed by the realness of being w her. Fubuki gives Mizuki advice on ‘acting like a proper hero’ or whatever and though Mizuki thinks she doesn’t need it, Fubuki still helps her a lot w her career and being taken more seriously by others. Would give Mizuki someone who loves her for who she is and would go wild on her in private when she can be open about her affection, would be someone Mizuki could exercise with and listen intently to Mizuki’s physical knowledge, and would absolutely bandage her when she’s all banged up. Hnghh love this ship. It’s only behind the FubuPsy ship juuuuust a little bc they haven’t met in canon so we can’t be sure about their interactions and stuff. 8.8/10, I love WOMEN

Batarou: how could I go this far without mentioning them?! They have SOOOO much tension in the centichoro fight, like come on. Both snarky assholes who are huge softies one the inside, Badd being the more logical one (still a himbo, tho) and Garou being the more chaotic one. Probably take forever to admit their feelings bc they’re so prideful and stupid <3 flirt through constant wrestling matches and it takes Genos saying ‘they should kiss already, they’re getting on his nerves’ for them to finally realize what’s up. (@rayadraws has a great au where Garou Genos and Badd are a chaotic friend squad and Genos is the only brain of the group, haha. Very good au y’all check it out!) Would constantly pick on each other affectionately and switch into concerned SO when the other is hurt like the big teddy bears they are. Raise Zenko together for sure. Garou would fumble being romantic and Badd would find it both hilarious and cute. 11/12

Zombie mask/Amai x Zombieman:

So. I don’t like Amai Mask and I used to hate him, BUT the webcomic and fic have really helped me calm down on him (he’s still a dick tho), so it’s easier to want to ship him and stuff. Bc of Amai’s anger issues and controlling behavior, I could see this relationship being super toxic and icky—but I think they have some form of understanding that pulls Amai back from being a complete dick, you know? Start off as fuck buddies and slowly form something else from spending companionable time together other than screwing. Zombieman pulls Amai back from his angry fits and soothes him over with his logic. Talk maaaaaad shit about heroes, but only when they’re alone because Zombieman knows Amai will talk loud af about the heroes they’re roasting and Zombie doesn’t wanna stop a fight from happening. Zombieman loves making Amai flustered and has a secret check list in his head of all the things that get Amai red faced. Loves to listen to Amai rant about things for hours and loves to watch his face go through almost cartoon like expressions as he talks. He won’t admit it, but Zombie loves to be spoiled by Amai’s shit tons of cash and often takes rides in Amai’s limos when he wants to smoke and think to himself. Amai has a hard time realizing how his feelings have changed, but gets hit hard with it when he wakes up to Zombie making them breakfast one morning while wearing Amai’s underwear. Amai also loves to spoil Zombie and takes him out to restaurants and buys him cool new weapons on the weekends. @batneko has pretty much gotten me into this ship and I strongly suggest looking at their works! 7.9/10

DemonKnight/Genos x Zero/Drive Knight: I’m pretty sure this used to be a crack ship before the past like 10 manga chapters—and now here we are! Not a fav bc 1. ZERO LEFT GENOS TO SELF DESTRUCT AFTER THEY COMBINED TO FORM THE FUCKING JET HE WAS JUST LIKE lol bye SO LIKE if he left him to die that’s super hard for me to forgive and ship grrr 2. Disregarding the manga’s canon and looking at the wc, while I love the little trip they went on where Zero demonstrated his abilities and helped Genos kill monsters, it’s super sus. He knew alllll of this info on Metal Knight and was super supportive and understanding when Genos said he needed time to think. Like,,,what are his intentions? We know so little about him—is he trying to trick Genos or was he being sincere? THAT STUFF ASIDE, they’re a really fun ship. They’re both huge fucking nerds and can keep up with their talk on robotics for hours, they’re both cyborgs so they understand each other’s pain, and they’re both super cool and angsty. I think they could really settle into a deep bond that can go platonic or romantic, just depends. Genos needs more ppl in his life so hell yeah! Plus, he can really let go with Zero bc they don’t have that teacher/student relationship and Zero, if he’s really a sincere and kind guy like in the wc, can be there for Genos and listen to him. Don’t have much to say on this ship other than @wellthisisembarrassing makes GORGEOUS art of them! 6.3/10

Webuiko/Suiko x Webigaza: YEAH I KNOW THEY HAVENT INTERACTED IN CANON AND WE DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THEM BUT HEAR ME OUT. Webigaza—cool af determined cyborg idol who’s surprisingly down to earth when talking with Child Emperor. Suiko—sassy and honest fighter who doesn’t take shit and is very passionate. Suiko would go to talk to Web then immediately freak out bc aaaa she’s way prettier than she thought, she can’t do this! Web would have to gently encourage Suiko to talk and at first is like ‘ah man, must be an adoring fan, ugh I’m so tired. At least she’s hot’ but when Suiko snaps out of her shyness Web is like oh! She’s super cool wtf. Always bump into each other during fights and help each other get fixed up, Suiko using her muscle power to lift Web’s pieces (and give Web a great view of Suiko’s muscles holy SHIT) and Web would patch Suiko up. Not to be stereotypical, but they’re def a masc/femme couple. I love the idea of this ship soooo much and I really hope they interact! 6.6/10 only bc they haven’t met 😭😭😭 look them up on here! There’s some great art of them by a few blogs

Dr. Kuseno x Bang: pretty sure @baldyborg came up with this one! Super cute. Just two old dudes finding a nice friendship in each other, maybe after Bang helps carry Genos to Kuseno’s after a day of fighting. Bang would find Kuseno to be a very cute little nerd man and would be sooo impressed by Kuseno’s mad scientist skills. Kuseno would be super impressed when seeing Bang in action too. They’d prob talk as soon as they meet each other and Genos would be in the background like you guys it’s been an hour, please fix me I’m on the verge of death 🧍🏻Bang would give Kuseno advice on training techniques to teach Genos and advice on making his bodies more martial arts ready or sum, meanwhile Kuseno would give his take on how to be kinder to Garou so that Bang would learn to repair the relationship with a gentleness he’s seemingly lacking (yes I’m talking about the chapter where he and Garou start fighting and Bang is just not doing enough to reach out to Garou, he’s being a callous old man! So yeah I’m still mad about that). Genos and Saitama would prob be out on a date and Saitama would be like oh theres Bang, wonder what he’s doing? Then Kuseno would walk up and kiss Bang and Genos and Sai would be shocked like SIRS 👬 Genos would tell Bang he doesn’t need another adoptive dad and Bang would be like....ok.... I see them retiring in a cottage together and Bang would become a huge softie. Yes I’m actively ignoring chapter 141 of the wc, shut up. 7.6/10

TankTop master x Mumen: they have a nice friendship going on in the manga right now! Just bros supporting bros. Tank is the picture definition of a muscly himbo and Mumen is his cute passionate bf. Also workout buddies af!! Don’t have much to say other than pretty good ship, just not a fav. 5.2/10

To sum it up—

GenoSai: 2718873737839439/10, Batarou: 11/12, SonFlash: 10/11, KingSai: 10/10, FubuPsy: 9/10, Fubuki x Mizuki: 8.8/10, MumenSai: 8.4/10, ZombieMask: 7.9/10, Dr. Kuseno x Bang: 7.6/10, Speedal: 7.4/10, OneZon: 7/10, Webuiko: 6.6/10, DemonKnight: 6.3/10, Okamaitachi x Bushidrill: 6.1/10, TatsuKing: 6/10, TankTop Master x Mumen: 5.2/10, Mumarou: 4.3/10, FubuSai: 4/10, SonSai: 3/10, Genos x Sonic: 1.3/10, TatsuSai: 0/10, anyone x Puri: -1283828319833468282/10

If there’s any ships I left out, it’s bc I don’t know them, don’t wanna talk about them, or just don’t have an opinion strong enough. Also, I know there are some poly ships like Genos x Saitama x Fubuki, but I’ve read only one fic about that (it was pretty good, here’s the link https://archiveofourown.org/works/5406992 ) so I don’t feel like talking about it. Hope no ones offended! All my opinion here :)

[thealexchen]

I’ve heard many people say, “If cishet men asked for a game centered only on them or poc asked for a game primarily about them, y’all would act up”. No hate to those I’ve seen say that, but that’s a false equivalency. Cishet (white) men have an abundance of rep, and poc (especially queer poc) deserve games that center them. LIS & BTS mean a lot to many wlw (me included) bc they’re queer coming of age stories that dealt with first love, strange and scary powers, physical and emotional abuse,

codependency, grooming, addiction, sexual assault, mental illness, and more. But the main characters are still white. And poc (queer or otherwise) deserve games that center them. And colorism & misogyny play roles as well. I can’t name a single game that centers a queer darkskinned black woman, for example. And thanks to misogynoir, we tend to see many more darkskinned black men than women in media in general. And the idea that someone has to be the race of a character to relate to them is callous and idiotic. I haven’t seen that argument used for anything aside from justifying obvious personal prejudice. Inclusivity is essential; if the next LIS game features all poc, and especially queer darkskinned poc, I’ll welcome it gladly. The last thing I should also mention is that I was excluding games like The Sims, The Mass Effect Series, The Fallout Series, etc where you as the player can determine those things about your character(s). Yes they’re important, but people can still opt out if they want to, and there need to be more games that have fixed queer darkskinned characters.)

Thank you for sharing and for your perspective. It really, truly sucks how little certainty I have that a future LiS game will feature a predominantly POC cast, because all of its settings have been so white so far (Thanks Oregon and Colorado! /s). And yes, non-customizable characters are essential to representation because their identities are non-negotiable and can't be changed or ignored. People from marginalized backgrounds have been forced to relate to cishet white protagonists for decades, so when stories feature marginalized protagonists, audiences better shut up and pay attention! And as I've been getting at in my LiS2 critique, POC deserve protagonists who not only look like them, but protagonists in stories that don't serve white audiences. Stories that celebrate, that ask nuanced questions, that show their research and sensitivity, and that don't exist to make white people feel good about how "woke" they are. We shouldn't settle for stories that simplify or cater to what white audiences know or don't know or what they want to hear.

I also really appreciate you brought up colorism and the term misogynoir, because it's really sickening how insidiously colorism factors into portrayals of women of color without us realizing it. Even Alex, for example, is half Southeast Asian, but you'd never know it looking at her light skin tone and very pale Vietnamese mother (not to mention Mrs. Chen taking her husband's last name, which isn't even accurate because Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean women keep their last names when they marry). It's great that we can expect queerness in LiS games now and that the series set that precedent, but it still sucks that six years on, we're still waiting for a non-white love interest in a LiS game.

[evenmywordsare]

NOELLE PLS

sexuality headcanon: lesbian, which is canon! ❤️🧡🤍💗💜

gender headcanon: trans girl! 💙💗🤍💗💙

a ship i have with said character: i like suselle of course. if we’re being completely honest i am not as compelled by their in-game dynamic as i hoped i’d be—personally i’d love to see them develop a solid friendship first before realising they like each other—but i appreciate its place in wlw rep and i love how they’re portrayed in a lot of fanart. both noelle and susie deserve a nice gf and they’ll be good for each other i think. i look forward to seeing how their relationship develops!

a brotp i have with said character: i already talked about noelle and berdly, so i’ll talk about noelle and kris! their relationship is so fun, like siblings almost, and i love how well their dynamic comes through even just off of second hand accounts or noelle’s dialogue. and i always think about that post.. the one talking about how noelle likes to be scared, and how that contextualises kris’ tendency to play pranks on her. yeah. i like them a lot! 

a notp i have with said character: with any male character, or with kris. they are weird neighbour besties to me and i would hate for that to change.

random headcanons: noelle being native—i’ve seen both inuit and sámi—is very special to me and i love it so much. but i’ve also seen japanese noelle with her dark world outfit designed as a kimono, and muslim noelle in a yellow hijab, and jewish noelle, and i love all of those too. really any non-white, non-xtian interpretation of her is wonderful and i love how many there are. i also love seeing her drawn as a gyftrot to make her more monstery!

general opinion of said character: i already liked noelle after chapter one, but she really stole my heart in chapter two. she’s such a cute character and really fun to have on the team, and i love the ways she’s starting to deepen as a character. personally i am also interested in the snowgrave route, and seeing that side of noelle was objectively fascinating. she is evidently very powerful when it comes to magic and according to queen, even when it comes to determination. i’m sure she will continue to be plot relevant, and i’m interested in seeing how this all goes!

[the-necessary-unnecessary]

A list of all the films, series and web series that have been recommended as hidden must sees during isolation and beyond. 

Note: I have divided them into films with happy endings or not, series that haven’t finished so the exact ending is unknown I have put an asterisk (*) next to

Note 2: the descriptions are a mixture of my own and of the reviews I was sent by anons

She gets the girl

A Date For Mad Mary, 2016 (needs a date for a wedding, more about her complicated reconnecting with friends after prison but romance is cute)

Almost Adults, 2016 (centers around the broader themes of growing up and friendship but one of them is a giant gay. There is a happy ending for both the gay one and the straight one, gotta give the straights some food because they so rarely get fed)

Anne+, 2018* (Dutch webseries with fresh and new vibes with a great mid-twenties actress about mid-twenties gay lives. Everyone in it is LGBTQ+ yet nothing about it is LGBTQ+, it’s all just treated as natural and normal)

Bound, 1996 (you can't beat the lesbian noir classic which should one day be inducted into the lesbian hall of fame)

But I’m A Cheerleader, 1999 (camp and a lot of fun despite the very serious themes, starring Natasha Lyonne- one of the gayest straights out there)

Carmilla, 2014-16 (webseries based on the groundbreaking 19th century book. Some great chemistry and a lot of breaking of the fourth wall)

Carol, 2015 (Cate Blanchett movie based on the book The Price of Salt which caused issue when it was realised in 1952 because it gave its lovers a open ended happy ending)

Couple-Ish, 2015-16 (cute Canadian web series, bit on the nose but important gay, bi and enby rep)

Desert Hearts, 1985 (the looks, the emotions, the gorgeousness of them both, the chemistry, oh god it was so good. Vivian Bell deserves all the orgasms)

Elisa Y Marcela, 2019 (A Spanish film based on the true story of two women who got married with one of them pretending to be a man in 1901. A tearjerker but ultimately their love is stronger than the adversaries they face)

Entre Nous, 1983 (a French 1983 film which has Jews & Nazi's but doesn't end in complete horror. There are straights who think it’s a friendship but we know better)

Fingersmith, 2005 (BBC drama based on a book by Sarah Waters)

Fried Green Tomatoes, 1991 (based on a more obvious book, they’re sold as best friends but if you know you know)

Fucking Åmål, 1998 (one of the first films aimed at teenagers about two girls falling in love and getting together.)

Getrieben, 2018 (they're ex's and share a dog and then maybe they're not so ex anymore)

I Can't Think Straight, 2008 (cute romantic comedy adapted from a novel about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent preparing for a wedding before events take a gay turn)

If These Walls Could Talk 2, 2000 (some happy and some sad endings in this film which portrays three generations of lesbian storylines from the same house)

Imagine Me and You, 2004 (not my fav but a classic and has Queen Cersei playing a wlw)

Kyss Mig, 2011 (heart eyes, a lovely film, does have maybe a bit too much man in it but he's gone when we get to the nitty gritty)

Our Love Story, 2016 (Korean, subtle nuanced relationship story)

Rosebud, 1996 (a channel 4 short with Julie Graham and questionable fashion choices. Who needs words when you can have such tantalising and vivid visuals? Teeny bit of man but it's fitting in the particular setting and its very fleeting, although admittedly nude)

Saving Face, 2004 (romantic comedy which had less of an impact that Imagine Me and You due to lesser known actors and probably partly to do with race- the main characters are Chinese-American. But it's a gorgeous movie that has a lot more than just rom com elements. The Half Of It is by the same director.

Sjukt Oklar, 2018* (very Swedish, very lesbian, very very funny)

Supervoksen, 2006 (Danish teenage coming of age type thing)

The Carmilla Movie, 2017 (based on the webseries but still accessible to those that haven’t watched it. Quite sweet and the actresses seem very comfortable with each other. Plus there is a great sex scene in it where the muscles on one of the girl’s back are especially sexy)

The World Unseen, 2007 (period film during South Africa's apartheid era with great chemistry)

The Handmaiden, 2016 (extremely nsfw but its got some incredibly powerful meaning to it especially the final sex scene with the bells. It's also incredibly shot and the sex scenes were done very sensitively on set with only women around and the director even in another room.)

Thelma, 2017 (a supernatural thriller about a girl starting college who suddenly starts getting seizures but they don’t know why and she has a female love interest)

Tipping The Velvet, 2002 (BBC series, also has a Victorian era strap on in it and Keeley Hawes, what's not to love?)

When Night is Falling, 1995 (An uptight and conservative woman, working as a literacy professor, finds herself attracted to a free-spirited, liberal woman who works at a local carnival. It’s got quite a lot of a boyfriend in it so its not for everyone.)

Yes or No, 2010 (literally a ‘and they were roommates’ movie as well as an enemies to lovers plot)

Zwischen Sommer Und Herbst, 2018 (coming of age elements, does have a man involved especially at the beginning, who happened to be the brother of one of the girls, but overall it was okay, no lesbians die and it doesn't end in abject misery)

She doesn’t get the girl but neither does the trope

Aimée and Jaguar, 1999 (based on a true story. Beautiful but painful, it’s a Jew falling for a German housewife in Nazi Germany, hence its sad as hell ending)

Bloomington, 2010 (coming of age, teacher student thing which walks that line relatively well without being too icky)

Freeheld, 2015 (an extremely powerful and important story to tell)

Gia, 1998 (Angelina Jolie gets it on with Elizabeth Mitchell in a moving film about model and lesbian Gia Carangi)

Kontrola, 2019* (a masterpiece of a mini web series with a great soundtrack, aesthetic and storyline. Season 2 may present a better future for them)

Mädchen in Uniform, 1931 (German cult classic almost entirely produced by women. Sexual awakening/teenage coming out of her shell stuff, there is also a 1958 redo which is okay. She doesn’t get the girl but it’s still a positive portrayal of sexuality where the object of desire isn't disgusted or weirded out by it)

My Summer of Love, 2004 (At first glance a coming of age movie, but has a lot of phycological elements too. Emily Blunt with a girl, not happy but no lesbians die)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019 (spell-bounding french film with amazing rawness and visuals. One of my best cinematographic experiences ever)

Reaching for the Moon, 2017 (the love story of the poet Elizabeth Bishop and the architect Soares in the 60s)

Snapshots, 2018 (sad ending but great chemistry with no closed mouthed straight girl kisses)

Summertime, 2015 (French lesbian movie- dare I say more? Sad but no deaths)

The Hunger, 1983 (a gothic cult classic, vampires, its got David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve in it)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, 2018 (she doesn’t get the girl because there is no girl, but she does begin to find and accept herself. Based on a highly recommendable book by the same name)

Viola di Mare, 2009 (depressing as hell but beautiful to look and the couple have some good chemistry)

[jubberry]

As great as wlw rep is, and as cute as vanya is in s2, i cant help but feel robbed af on her arc this season. The end of s1 promised a TON of rich character exploration for vanya. Her trauma should've been carefully examined, and her relationship with her siblings explored more because of that because the whole premise of s2 was that they were gonna 'fix her'.

Beyond that, this was supposed to be the season where we find out who vanya really was without the pills, and as a person dealing with powers + her trauma and her guilt for her actions last season. I cant help but feel that the amnesia is just a different set of pills. Sure shes happier and lighter now, but thats because they erased the trauma from her and that was a big, defining part of her character and the plot in season 1.

I honestly wouldnt mind her amnesia that much if it related to her character development more. Like, maybe if she start remembering bits and pieces of herself and talking about it with her sibs, it might create an interesting way to start that conversation. As it is, she literally just forgot everything and is basically a new character tbh.

(does her emotions even affect her powers anymore? if shes so happy shouldnt there be a lot of wind or something? theres definitely scenes where she was very angry or full of emotion so how come... stuff didnt happen?)

I was kinda hyped to see Vanya learning to control her powers. She's a complete amateur but she has to deal with so much power. It wouldve been cool to see how the hargreeves would train her, considering they have such different skillset and personalities.

I've already talked about how her character development was held off for the romance. Vissy is really sweet but I still feel robbed af because... were watching season 2 of a pre-existing series. The fact that her romance doesnt really serve her character development is annoying, I may as well be watching a seperate movie instead of a sequel. Wlw romances are always great, especially since so many people watch tua. But I cant help but feel how rewarding it is to have Vanya's trauma and guilt explored first and create a fleshed out, complicated wlw character instead of heading straight to a romance plot where one of the most important aspects of her character doesnt even matter.

I get that tua wants to appeal to the demographic that doesnt particularly care about stuff like this now and just wants more chaos and fun of the hargs, but i still feel bad. I enjoyed s2, but the end of s1 really got me thinking so much about where they could go. Its hard to get that hype for s3 for me now, considering how much they didnt keep from s1.

Also I'm starting to think people only care about Vanya if she likes girls and is happy, not the messy, angry side of her that deserved to be explored in s2. I liked watching this season, but I cant but feel tua is just gonna be another generic superhero marvel movie. Since what really grounded the superhero aspect of s1 was the human side of childhood abuse and exploring how trauma shapes people in many ways that doesn't neccesarily look good all of the time.

The focus in civil rights and social issues this season 100% matters considering its set in 60's Dallas. But I also cant help but feel that.. considering how much they amped the funny, bloody violence side of tua, they're trying to make it seem like the what 'grounds' tua now is that theyre willing to explore social issues this much compared to other superhero movies. When they really didnt need to do that because what set them apart already in s1 was how they want to talk about trauma and childhood abuse?

S2 really is more of a reboot than a sequel tbh. I'm glad that other people had fun watching, cause I did too. But now I cant help but miss s1 and all the aspects that made exploring the characters and worldbuilding so engaging in the first place. And the fact that they dropped so much of that this season... it just makes me wonder if exploring the characters further and theorizing even matters?

[golden-redhead]

My experience with spop was this - I knew nothing beforehand. saw how the Internet exploded over their kiss and thought "cute LGBTQ couple endgame? I'm in." started binging and I just kept waiting for them to grow closer but all I got was more abusive behavior? Then I finished s5 and just couldn't believe that that was it? That's how they ended up together? That's what got the Internet celebrating? I think knowing the endgame and how people raved over it made the experience worse for me tbh.

Oof, I honestly can’t imagine watching the show knowing how it ends, excited about getting some wlw rep we crave so much and then... that. I think some of the shows issues must get glaringly obvious if you actually watch it all as opposed to those of us who had to wait months before a new batch of episodes and had time to hype themselves out and just enjoyed the contents of s5 in this slight disconnect from the previous seasons. I am not entirely opposed against catradora (although I do not like it and do not ship it, I just dislike this kind of dynamic, it’s very clearly not my thing even if you completely erase the element of abuse and ignore the fact that they don’t hold the same beliefs or values like, at all), but the dedication with which the show did everything to avoid addressing all the shit that they should have addressed in order for the ending and Catra’s redemption to work is just... astounding, really. 

Like, imagine going SO OUT OF YOUR WAY and still not getting it right. 

For one, Catra never apologizes, not really, because I can hardly count her saying “I’m sorry for everything” as an apology. One of the rules of sincere apologies is that you actually acknowledge what you did wrong, apologizing for unspecified ‘everything’ is lazy and disrespectful and makes it look like some way to just take it off the list and be done with that part of Catra’s redemption. 

Two, talking with other fans really made me wonder how the supposed target audience, so kids aged 7 and older, perceive that ending, because I have an impression that they might have a hard time wrapping their head around it. I’ve heard that some kids are actually scared of Catra? And, honestly, I can see that, yeah. Not to mention just the message that all your abuser needs is for you to prioritize them and stay... Yeah. Um, nope. 

Three, my biggest issue as someone who genuinely loved the shows and the characters, my biggest complain is how everything had to be tossed aside in order to make catradora happen. Everything. Quite literally.

Scorpia getting over Catra, getting friends and appreciation she deserved? Accepting her role of a princess? Forming meaningful and healthy friendships and finding her place in the world? Fuck it, let’s chip her for like, half the season and ignore her conflict with Catra entirely. THE FUCKING DISRESPECT OF THAT.

Adora and Glimmer’s argument? You know, the driving force and main conflict of the entire 4th season? Yeah, yeah, let’s have Adora dismiss Glimmer’s apologies and never address that ever again, shall we?

Angella? Pff, who? Never heard of her!

Micah interacting with Glimmer for like, all of 2 minutes. 95% of that time fighting her while chipped by the bad guy. Um... okay. So much for the reunion with a daughter you didn’t see since she was, um, 5 at most?

Glimmer’s powers? The ones she’s been mastering and being insecure about episode one? Which were a huge part of why she even trusted Shadow Weaver in the first place? Yeah, they’re useless 3/4 of the season and then given to Melog. You know, that new character who is ridiculously overpowered and is basically Catra’s glorified moral support cat, despite being a sentient, intelligent being, the sole survivor of its planet. Of-fucking-course.

Oh, speaking of Shadow Weaver! The fucking HYPOCRISY of having a full season of Glimmer and Adora arguing over Glimmer choosing to work with her only to... Have Adora work with her. The entire season. And never mentioning it again. SURE. BECAUSE THAT MAKES SENSE.

(btw, I love how the show framed their conflict as something where Adora is basically 100% in the right... but when you think about it, Glimmer actually made much more solid points that actually turned to be true. the more you know!)

Mermista lost her entire kingdom because of Catra? Yeah, better let’s get her chipped too, before she has a chance to question why they’re working with the kitty lady who was about to murder them only 2 minutes ago. 

Adora spent 4 seasons trying to learn more about her past? Let’s drop it. Just because. Don’t question it, folks. Seriously, don’t.

Adora was about to die? Well, now she doesn’t! Why? Uh, um, what do you mean why, don’t you know that magical gay kisses fix everything? Smh. 

I just... This is bad writing, okay? 

And it feels like such an insult, because up until the last season I think the writing was really solid, the themes of abuse were handled very well, with respect and realistically, Adora’s conflicted feelings about She-ra, her destiny and her choice in all of this were interesting and believable, Glimmer was a great female character allowed to be (and do) things that female characters aren’t usually allowed to be, the supporting cast was strong and loveable and Prime... God, the way Horde Prime was set up as this intimidating, scary, bigger than the universe villain was genius. Hell, even at the beginning of s5 I had chills every time he was on screen. I was so excited about him, but every episode he was getting worse and worse until he became so meh I felt like crying.

And don’t even get me started on Catra saying that she saved Glimmer for Adora. This? This is when I knew there’s no saving this season. This was a slap to the face and the clearest sign that it was never about properly redeeming Catra at all, just getting her what she wanted.

And it’s a shame, too, because in a lot of ways Catra is a very interesting and compelling character who, despite what it looks like, in a lot of ways got the short end of the stick, because instead of telling a realistic, mature story about personal growth, they chose what was basically a instant forgiveness route and never showed Catra actually dealing with both what she’s gone through and what she’s done. Which is a shame and a huge disservice to Catra’s character.

So... yeah. Sorry about that rant, you are so valid, Anon, and I’m sorry. 

[nymph-of-books]

reading the midnight lie for the first time

FAIR WARNING; i am not going to be spoiler free!

— it’s one of em books that are like. really confusing to get into at first, and you’re just spiraling a bit. this is also because of nirrim not being fully aware of what’s happening to her, bless her heart. but once you get into it !!!!!!

— fuck aden. fuck that little shit. he is so gonna be dead. i will fucking end him.

— raven too. that nasty little woman!!! i cannot believe the shit she pulled. a middling little rat. manipulative and the worst of all worst. nirrim, that isn’t your aunt, that’s a monster.

— SID! at first i, too, was confused, as i didn’t exactly read much of the synopsis and thought, like nirrim, that sid was a man. i was not very happy, since i thought, oh, that must mean the romance is secondary. but the flirting in the cell was so damn good i couldn’t help loving this ship, which is saying something. i don’t like the straights unless they’re golden. literally, i have spent barely any time in the past YEAR reading non-wlw books. anyway, back to sid!!! sid is so neat. butch loml. knew she was royalty straight from the “your-“ comment by the guard. it was funny watching her avoid the truth. i don’t often fall in love with white girls (especially not blonde ones!!!) but sid is the exception and she damn sure knows she is. also, side note, i can’t stop thinking of sid from ice age??? like that’s half what i imagine sid’s voice to be like even though i know that’s ridiculous.

— i’m so, so glad that nirrim had so many friends in the ward. that little bean deserves it. nirrim is also exactly what i once wished to look like! i imagine she looks exactly like me (dark brown bob, light brown skin, little tiny bit of freckles) but then with green eyes, which i LONGED for as a child. every one of my protagonists had green eyes. lmfao. but also (SPOILERS TO END ALL SPOILERS) her powers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the coolest!!!!!

— what the fuck. drinking bl**d. like, i know you think you’re better than everyone, high kith. but what the fuck!

— the caste system was reminiscent of my home country so although it should have been abolished in both fantasy and reality i loved the commentary on it!

— i know un-kith aren’t supposed to matter but like. can we know more about them? how is one strapped of their kith? are they just homeless, or something more?

— uh, that one scene of men kissing. that’s not mlm side characters enough to include in y’all rep lists, that’s like barely a paragraph!!!!! thats not rep, at least not enough to praise a book for its rep.

— i see so many people calling nirrim lesbian... like, i see why you want to call her that, but she should be able to decide her own label??? also, she knew she liked sid in her subconscious BEFORE she knew sid was not a male. so like, she may not be lesbian. she is sidsexual. that’s all we know!!!!

— i do wish there would have been some more. like different identities, you know? that are touched upon. this is published as an lgbtq+ read, but where’s the other gay? WHERE’S THE FLAVOUR???! no but seriously a trans or bi or non-binary or something else character would be awesome. and more poc!!! and more disabled!!! sorry i get excited when speaking about diversity!!!!

— the writing was. chef’s kiss.

— uh. the ending?????? girls of flame and fury AND hollowed heart in like the same month. i cannot wait. it’s like. 169 days since i wrote this, according to twitter. i cannot wait that long. give me it. now. also, why the fuck ADEN, if you know what i mean????

okay that was it ty for listening to my rant (review?) edit: some reason i thought aden's name was amin so i had to call him out properly !!!

[beclynn-herondale]

Thoughts on Cassandra Clare ? Are u pro cc ?

dear Anon,

So I am gonna start this out with I wouldn't say I am pro CC,

do I enjoy her writing? Yes

Do I think she does ignorant and hurtful things? Also yes

Do I think it is okay to criticize her In a non hateful way? Yes, i don't approve of hating on someone that's something you can never take back, nor do I support pulling people apart cause let me tell you it fucks people up I have experienced this it is one of the worst things you can do to a person, you make them doubt everything about themself and for some you can fuck them up mentally and it can lead to more extreme measures.

Criticism doesn't need to be hateful or mean, it can be civilized and educational instead, in my opinion we need to educate and explain why it's wrong not hate them or cancel them that's not gonna solve anything, it's not gonna erase what the person said or did, you're only causing more pain and hate and let's be honest there's enough of that already.

Do I agree that she doesn't handle her POC well? YES

Do I acknowledge she said some islamophobic things? YES

Do I agree she may fetishises? Yes

Do I acknowledge she mistreats her wlw ships? Yes but also I do understand that LGBTQIPA+ rep is harder to get in cause publishers can be assholes and the world is still not as accepting of LGBTQIPA+ as we wish it would be.

Do I think it's wrong that most of her POC are half white? YES, and she needs to acknowledge it and give better representation.

Do I think her incest fetishization is wrong? YES, but also I wish you all would stop bringing Clace into this I have my reasons on why I love them but also keep in mind they were teenagers who Valentine manipulated and tried to take away what they loved most, he saw how much they loved each other and used it to try to destroy them cause he knew how powerful they are together and that together they could take him down, but also he saw that he was losing control over Jace and an abuser can't stand that, I know cause I have abusers and everytime I do something that's out of their control they do something to get it back. I saw through it from the beginning and maybe that's why, but it was never a story about incest, was some of it wrong? Yes but also they loved each other so much and you can't just stop loving someone with the snap of a finger, if you did then It wasn't really love, it would be lust, so the fact that Jace and Clary never stopped loving each other proved how much they did love each and that it wasn't lust. Listen I'm not saying it was right or that CC handled it well but I am saying that I get Clace and Valentine knew what he was doing, also CC is who you should be criticizing, as you can see Clace is actually later on a healthy couple and we need that for Heterosexuals just like we need healthy mlm and wlw relationships, the world is so negative right now so why do we have to make it more negative?

So instead of focusing on the bad parts (I'm not saying to not acknowledge them cause I do, but i also acknowledge people grow and change ) let's focus on the good parts as well like how much they love each other, Jace showed me that I can heal from my abusive past and that I can love and be loved in return. They showed us to never give up. Jace showed us Family isn't Blood. Clary showed us that you can be both a warrior and still be whatever hobby you like. Even Simon said in City of Heavenly Fire that they are a team and that's development and in my opinion what a relationship should be. Emma Carstairs said that they are girlfriend and boyfriend but also best friends again an important part of a relationship. Let's acknowledge the fact that Jace went from and Ignorant, angry, broken, mentally unstable boy to as he says a happy man and he isn't who he was at 16, he has grown a lot and it's time to acknowledge it, you wouldn't hold other characters to their past mistakes so why do you do it with other characters? And yes in order to acknowledge the growth we need to acknowledge the mistakes but I have done that myself and I love Jace cause he wasn't perfect, he wasn't automatically a the best person, he had to grow, he had bad qualities and that is human, and I don't think we are gonna hate people for being human? Jace showed abuse victims they can be happy and heal. And honestly I hate how I have to explain personal things for people to understand how important he is to me, and I am tired of hearing how I should find a different character to love this much cause Jace is shit, well I will say I am very much like Jace so i guess I'm shit too then, but also I have sadly tried to not but I can't help but love this character cause he came into my life when I was not great and I needed him and he's always there for me in my darkest moments along with Clary, I could be having a panic attack and guess what I see fanart of Clace and I feel better and it calms me down. Also of it weren't for Clary's bravery I would have had something really bad happen to me recently but because I remembered how brave Clary was and still is I made the brave decision and saved myself from bigger trauma then I already have. Recently Clace is one of the only things keeping me going. So just be respectful and try to understand. Also again it wasn't incestuous. Also when you say Jace is terrible it makes people like me who love him and relate to him feel evil and like we are terrible people for liking him, at least for me it does, i am constantly doubting myself after someone told me Jace is shit and a terrible person. Keep in mind when wording things what you are saying and how it will effect others. (Please be civil about this and remember that we all interpret the story differently, I saw things a lot of people didn't see) also we need to keep in mind that TMI Gang were all teenagers except Magnus and Alec and Alec was a young adult at the time, when they all went through all that stuff and had to save the world, they had to things Teenagers shouldn't have to do and make decisions they shouldn't have had to, and let me tell you as someone who has had to do things as a teenager that I shouldn't have had to, it sucks and you don't know how to feel about it or how to act about it.

Do I think some of her POC are stereotyped? Yes, but also some people like the characters for that, and some see other things in them that. I am no way saying your opinion is invalid, you can be offended and hurt by the stereotyping and feel unrepresented, that's your right. And I really do hope she does better in the future, cause I want POC to feel as represented as i do, and you all deserve it.

No CC's books are extremely important to me, but I can also acknowledge she can be problematic, but everyone can in their own way, and sometimes we need to be called out. So we should criticize her in a none hateful way. Hate Breeds Hate.

And do I think she should give her LGBTQIPA+ couples explicit scenes? Yes but I can understand how CC may not want to mess it up and maybe she is trying to handle it right, and publishers don't always allow LGBTQIPA+ explicit scenes. CC did have to fight for Alec to be Gay in the time she was writing him. Am I hoping for better rep? YES!! And maybe TLBOTW will give us that but I don't know.

Also even if you don't agree or don't understand, Listen To POC When They Say Something Is Racist! Hear their opinion and take their opinion and thoughts into consideration.

I would also say to stop whitewashing characters and find models, actors/actresses, singers, that are the same race and ethnicity and use them for reference for art and edits, and writing descriptions in fanfics and books. Educate yourself on it and ask people, get other prospectives.

But no I wouldn't say I am Pro CC but i am not Anti either, I acknowledge her mistakes and ignorance, I acknowledge her mishandling of POC and wlw and her problematic ways. But I also enjoy her books, I can criticize the author and still love the books.

So in conclusion Listen to POC when they say something is Racist and take it into consideration. Acknowledge that you may not know why someone loves a character, and respect them. Try to be more sympathetic towards others. Remember you can criticize the author and still love the books. Educate yourself and try to learn. Try to understand others. Ask yourself if what you are saying is the right way to be going about things. Just try to be nice and respectful and listen, try to see where the other person is coming from.

( again like I always say you don't have to have the same opinion and you don't have to agree that is your right however you can be kind and respectful and civil)

( I will add more later )

[smol-lydia]

Fandom asks... obvi Beetlejuice musical but I have a feeling I know the answer for a lot of them lol. Just want to see what I'm right about

14)I’m gonOkay so I wanted to answer this when I wasn’t on mobile bc fuck mobile 1) Lydia. Not in a sexual or romantic way like some antis think bc I am not into an adolescent as a grown ass adult. But more like, I saw myself in her and that made me get into the fandom.  2) Hmmm. I don’t think there’s anyone who I dislike. I am salty about what they did to Juno in the musical though 3) Antis pretty much ruined any wlw Lydia ships for me which is a goddamn shame because I do headcanon her as a bisexual queen. Maybe I need to reclaim this idk  4) Still Lydia lol however I also have a soft spot for Delia because I feel like she’s very underrated 

5) Miss Argentina. She was a beauty queen and Leslie Kritzer deserves everything 

6) Maxie Dean is really fucking gross and why people don’t talk about that more is beyond me. 

7) My OTP is beetlebabes but this does not shock you. I only ship it with an apropriartely aged Lydia though because having her younger just....does not sit right with me. I kind of prefer her eventually coming to care for him once she’s old enough to make those choices of her own volition and empowerment 8) My NOTP is absolutely Beetlelands, aka BJ/Adam/Barbara. I find it super queer-baity and any portrayal i’ve seen in fanon always shafts Barbara in favor of some mlm stuff with Adam that feels fetish-y and doesn’t sit well with me as a queer person. Not all queer rep is good rep especially with Beetlejuice involved.  9) I’m gonna interpret this as favorite song, which is Say My Name. It’s such a fun dynamic between Lydia and Beetlejuice and I love how she’s just not having his bullshit, while lowkey stringing him along.  10) The fandom is the saddest death lmao but real talk the exploration of grief in the musical was incredibly relatable and realistic to me as I went through my own grieving process last year 11) favorite part in the show-- I really like the effects at the end of Act I. Like holy shit they did awesome with the lighting. I also love Big Sandy bc who doesn’t 12) least favorite part in the show: hmmm I don’t like Juno being shoehorned in as Beej’s mother. That’s doing her an incredible disservice.  13) Okay so...I don’t hate Adam Maitland but I find him incredibly boring.  14) Beej is absolutely trash but he’s my trash demon so it’s fine 15) Honestly? Skye. She didn’t deserve that.  16) also beetlebabes, lol what a lot of people don’t want to see or understand is that the ship is not something I would want or condone irl (which seems absurd to even have to verbalize giving demons aren’t real). Like Beetlejuice is a slimebag. I don’t want someone like him in any capacity in my actual life. However, him and Lydia have a dynamic that is really interesting. He’s soft for her. And she, ultimately, carries the power in being able to see him and banish or summon him at will. And he knows that.  17) Deetzlands, aka the poly Delia/Charles/Adam/Barbara. It’s cute but I’m not, like, super invested in it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to read fics on it but I don’t mind it as a background ship, 

[charlieism]

OK WHATS UP FUCKERS IM HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED MOVIE OF OUR TIME

POWER RANGERS (2017)

YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT A MOTHERFUCKING POWER RANGERS MOVIE IS GREAT AND AMAZING AND DESERVES MORE RECOGNITION AND HERES WHY

FIRST OF ALL THE DIVERSITY IN THE CAST IS A-FUCKING-PLUS. WE HAVE:

A BILINGUAL CHINESE TEEN BOY WHO LOOKS AFTER HIS ILL, BEDRIDDEN MOTHER AND LOVES HER UNCONDITIONALLY. 

A LATINA WLW WHO MIGHT BE A LESBIAN BUT HASN’T ENTIRELY FIGURED OUT HER LABEL YET (WHICH IS ADDRESSED AS BEING OKAY IN MOVIE!!!) 

A MIXED INDIAN GIRL SUPERHERO (WHO MAY ALSO POTENTIALLY BE GAY BUT ILL COME BACK TO THAT)

AND WHAT I ADORE THE MOST: A BLACK CANONICALLY AUTISTIC WELL-REPRESENTED TEEN BOY SUPERHERO. WE HAVE A BLACK AUTISTIC HERO BITCH AND ITS NEVER USED AS A JOKE OR AN INSULT!!!!!!!

and then our one nice white boy who said fuck blue lives

ANYWAY SO HELL YEAH REP BUT TO GET INTO SOME VERY VERY GOOD THINGS AND SCENES FROM THE MOVIE WHICH I LOVE

1) THIS SCENE. THEYRE STRAIGHT UP HAVING A CAFE DATE NO I DONT TAKE CRITICISM I JUST THINK ITS CUTE AS FUCK (ALSO I THINK THE YELLOW AND PINK POWER RANGERS LIKE EACH OTHER. SUE ME. ITS P MUCH CANON ANYWAY)

2) THE FACT THAT THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH......IS BURIED UNDER A KRISPY KREME

3) THE FACT THAT THE MOVIE STARTS WITH JASON PUTTING A COW IN A LOCKER ROOM FOR NO FUCKING REASON AND THAT THIS IS THE FIRST JOKE IN THE MOVIE??? I LOSE MY SHIT

4) MOTHERFUCKING DINOSAUR ROBOTS. I DONT CARE HOW DUMB THIS IS. LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME YOU DONT WANT TO CONTROL A GIGANTIC TYRANNOSAURUS REX ROBOT WITH HUGE DESTRUCTIVE CAPABILITIES. TELL ME THAT THEN ADMIT YOURE FUCKING LYING. THERES ALSO A PINK PTERODACTYL ZORD AND IT FLIES SO FUCK OFF

5) JASON BITCH-SLAPS THE FUCK OUT OF THIS GUY FOR BULLYING BILLY AND ITS ICONIC

5A) IN THE END THEY BITCH-SLAP THE VILLAIN RIGHT INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND SHE FUCKING DIES ITS SO GOOD

6) IMMEDIATELY AFTER KILLING THE VILLAIN THEY MAKE THEIR WHOLE MEGAZORD DO A LIL VICTORY DANCE BECAUSE WHAT ELSE R 5 HAPPY DUMBASS TEENS GONNA DO 

7) BILLY DOESNT REALLY UNDERSTAND JOKES OR SARCASM THEY KINDA FLY OVER HIS HEAD AND ALSO DOESNT LIKE BEING TOUCHED MUCH AND ITS FULLY RESPECTED AND NOT MADE FUN OF HELL FUCKING YEAH

8) THERE IS A LITTLE ROBOT. THIS DOESNT MEAN ANYTHING BUT EVERYTHING IS MADE 10X BETTER BY HAVING LITTLE ROBOTS AND I LIKE HIM SO

DONT AUTOMATICALLY HATE THE POWER RANGERS BC U THINK IT MIGHT BE DUMB BC YES SURE THERE R SOME LOWKEY CHILDISH SCENES BUT OVERALL ITS GREAT AND DEFINITELY WORTH WATCHING ITLL MAKE U HAPPY

TL;DR GO WATCH FUCKING POWER RANGERS (2017) ITS GREAT ITS FUNNY ITS DIVERSE AND RESPECTFUL, YOULL ENJOY IT AND IT DESERVES MORE LOVE

[elliepassmore]

The Winter Duke review

4/5 stars Recommended for people who like: fantasy, magic, lesbian characters, power struggles, political intrigue, mysteries, LGBTQ+ representation I really enjoyed We Rule the Night and so was excited to see this author had published another book, albeit not in the same world. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one nearly as much as I liked Night, even though it did follow through on its wlw potential. For starters, Winter Duke starts off very slowly. I really struggled to get into the book despite its premise and despite the fact that there is some action in chapter 2. However, chapter 1 and many of the chapters that followed were rather slow going and involved a lot of discussion and not a lot of action. Even the parts when Ekata gets to travel Below were somewhat meh (though I will say that the worldbuilding was fantastic and I very much enjoyed the descriptions of Below). Nevertheless, I feel like even with the tension in some scenes, most of the action occurs in chapter 2 and in the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book. Another issue I had is that Ekata lets people push her around too easily. She is grand duke and, yeah, sure, maybe she didn’t want the position, but she was still raised as a princess or whatever the duchy equivalent is, yet she lets people bowl over her like its nothing. Ekata then complains that people don’t listen to her and do things without her knowledge, but she barely stands up for herself. Maybe the things that happen in the book would have still happened if she had asserted herself, maybe not, but she wouldn’t have been so passive about it at least. Further, though she admits she’s unsuited to the position of grand duke, she allows her ministers to not tell her things and doesn’t even read the documents she signs about trade agreements and what not. If she wants to at least be a good provisional grand duke and get people to listen to her, you’d think she’d put a little effort into making herself knowledgeable. To be fair to her, she does start trying to remember the dignitaries present, but that’s only halfway through the book. My third issue, which is also still kind of my second issue, is that Ekata doesn’t like her family and wants to be better…but then she tries to act just like her father and brother as soon as she becomes grand duke, even when people suggest to her that maybe she shouldn’t try to replicate them. She uses her brain to try and sort through the curse, but she doesn’t use it to try and rule and instead attempts to mirror her despotic father. Her behavior even impacts how she interacts with the people Below, who she’s long wondered about and loved and wanted to study, and the people she loves, and not in a good way. I get making mistakes and mirroring the behavior of people we know, and I get using stuff like this for tension, but my issue with this comes in when so many of Ekata’s problems would’ve been solved if she used her own brain for five minutes instead of trying to be her father and brother (or even looked over the end of her own nose). Like, she’s complaining that she doesn’t want to be grand duke, then refuses a parliament. Like…why? Just why? She’s afraid of the absolute power her father and brother would have to kill her and believes in her family’s right to rule instead of ‘peasants,’ but she doesn’t see the irony in how parliament would take away that absolute killing power and in how the woman she says is more a mother than her own is a freaking peasant. So many of her issues and tensions in this book would’ve been avoided if Ekata had just stayed herself the entire time. For things I do like, I enjoyed the focus on science + magic. Bartlett does a good job combining the two in a way that makes sense and doesn’t contradict one another. Magic in this world is less understood than science, but there are still rules and ways to study it alongside more concrete things like anatomy and chemistry. There is a more heavy lean on magic in this book than there was in Night, but I liked the different balance and found the exploration of it interesting. In this same vein, the worldbuilding was excellent as well and I enjoyed the little details that didn’t have much to do with the plot, but made it feel more real. There’s good LGBTQ+ rep in the book as well. Ekata is, obviously, gay and Inkar is as well. Sigis, one of the antagonists, is at least bi, if not pan, as is Lyosha, Ekata’s oldest brother. Several other named characters are nonbinary and at least one or two is asexual. There are also unnamed characters who are gay or bi as well. I think there’s also probably a lot of fluidity allowed in the world in terms of gender representation, since there are some women in the book called ‘prince’ and Ekata herself is called a grand duke, not a grand duchess. I also really liked some of the side characters. Aino, Ekata’s nursemaid and quasi-adoptive mother, is an absolute powerhouse. That woman manages to not only take care of Ekata and protect her from literal dangers that may creep into her room, but she also manages to fend off some of the ministers and dignitaries, steal Ekata’s mother’s jewelry, and plot to help herself and Ekata escape. Truly a background hero. Aino clearly cares for Ekata and wants what’s best for her, and she seems like an excellent person to have as a friend and defender. Further, Aino often provides some snippy commentary that I enjoy. Inkar, Ekata’s trial wife, is also a character that I enjoyed, but she, like Ekata, is stuck up in certain ways from being raised royalty, which causes some issues between her and Aino. To Inkar, the world of Kylma Above is completely foreign to her and her interactions with everything are as new as ours, making her one of the vessels for worldbuilding. Despite her view on servants, she doesn’t have the same problems Ekata seems to sympathizing with more common people and she gets on splendidly with the guards of the palace. Actually…aside from Aino, PM Eirhan, and Sigis, she seems to get along swell with everyone around her, even those who were once held hostage by her or her father. Overall, Inkar’s a very enjoyable character to read about. As for the main character, Ekata, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I listed a lot of the problems I have with her above, which led to me thinking I just wasn’t a fan of her character until around the last fourth or so of the book. On the other hand, she has some very funny lines throughout the book and I enjoyed how she was focused on science and used it to calm herself. I also liked her obvious love for Kylma, even if a lot of her thoughts about it are coated in ignorance or memories of her family. Overall I don’t think I entirely like Ekata, but I definitely don’t dislike her. I feel bad for her, honestly, since, as mentioned, a lot of her problems could’ve been circumvented if she’d just decided to be herself the entire time (and maybe extend herself a little to learn about the duchy, the dignitaries, and the agreements she’s signing). There are a lot more bad guys than good in this one, and it seems like one is around every corner. Eirhan is perhaps the most slithery of them, and it’s hard to tell whose side he’s on, though it largely seems to be his own. I found him to be an infuriating character, but didn’t hate him the same way I hate Sigis. Sigis, Ekata’s foster brother and a king in his own right, is just downright horrendous and deserves a sword through his back. Slimy and conniving, Sigis revels in others’ discomfort and is the picture beside the dictionary term ‘toxic masculinity.’ He does not, I believe, know the meaning of the word ‘no’ and simply thinks the world is his for the taking and by right. Overall I feel pretty much the same way about this book as I do about Ekata: I don’t dislike it, but I don’t entirely like it either. The worldbuilding was good and I really enjoyed the two main side characters, even if I didn’t like a lot of the other characters (though with them being antagonists, I’m going to say that was on purpose).