#i would argue while he reads as queer he is not queer coded

[entrop-y]

i know it was almost certainly unintentional, but watching season eleven, it really seems like reid just has devastatingly hopeless, unrequited feelings for morgan

the online discussion of ‘queer coding’ in criminal minds often leaves a lot to be desired (and often fundamentally misunderstands what queer coding is) so i am not even arguing that—especially by season eleven—reid is an explicitly/intentionally queer coded character, but the dynamic of their relationship (the specific dialogue, the body language, and how reid handles morgan’s departure) just accidentally, but so clearly, frame it that way

[greenfiend]

The Significance of Lover’s Lake and Byler (Theory) Part 2

Sequel to this post

(Warning: mentions of sex and drugs)

Okay so first of all, if you haven’t seen my previous post on my theory involving Lovers Lake and Byler, please read it first. I go over my theory and predictions for Byler and the heart shaped lake. This is a secondary post to it, outlining some VERY interesting details involving the owner of the lakeside house, the lakeside house itself, and all the romantic and sexual elements present. I’m saving the best for last here.

Let’s start with the owner of the lakeside house.

Reefer Rick

So I recently made a silly post arguing that the most queer coded character in Stranger Things is not Mike nor Will (nor Robin, Henry, Eddie etc), and I stand by this statement. The most queer coded character is: Reefer Rick. Now, I know we never see the guy, but literally all the information we have on him is either queer coding or drug references.

Synonyms of his name are literally f*g Dick, with a shared last name with the famous tea company founder who so happens to have been a homosexual: Lipton.

We know he doesn’t have a family, thus he’s a single man who occasionally has his buddy/fellow dealer Eddie stay over. Hm, not very heterosexual of him.

Then we have his movie list.

Now, as many of us know, the movie “Fast Times” is used within Stranger Things as a way to gage if someone is attracted to women or not. We have Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Vickie all confirmed to have enjoyed this movie… specifically for that shot at 53 minutes and 5 seconds. Sure, Reefer Rick rented the film, but why is it the only movie he rented that was returned on time? For context, he’s the only character who had films listed as “late” returns. So, he obviously enjoyed Cheech & Chong a lot more. Two guys doing drugs is more interesting to him than a sexy lady. Okay, noted.

Now, how is he perceived by the people of Hawkins?

Oooof. Okay. He’s not well liked it seems. He apparently is causing some fear and anger amongst the Hawkins residents. Kind of similar of a reaction these people would have towards an openly gay man during the 1980s.

Also I have to include @/conflictofthemind ‘s excellent point that injectable drug use and unprotected sex (specifically between two men) were both commonly associated with HIV/AIDS… a major epidemic during the 80s and a major subtextual theme within the show.

Now, where’s this guy live while outside of jail?

I don’t blame the guy for “hiding” when the town is not too fond of him. Of course he is a drug dealer so there’s that as well. But interesting they used the word “hide”, which has been associated with queerness within the show already (plus this line was said by Robin (featured in the middle of the shot!!!) who is queer herself).

(Both of these screenshots are from 1x02 interestingly enough.)

Wouldn’t it make sense for these two “hiders” to hide out in “a perfect place to hide” together? Seeking refuge in a fellow gay man’s secluded house?

I will say it’s also worth noting that he does not have any women featured on the walls within his house. Also, he has a phallic shaped bong (we’ll get back to that soon).

Phew okay so that’s Reefer Rick. Are you still with me? Hopefully I didn’t bore any of you with this. I promise you this all leads back to Byler.

So, moving on to his house.

So as @/therainscene kindly pointed out, this poster with the smiley face can be related to rave culture and ecstasy in the 1980s. So a drug reference, in a drug dealer’s house… shocker I know. But I gotta say, ecstasy is also a term often related to sex. I also have to add this little tidbit from one of our favourite directors of Stranger Things, Shawn Levy. Keep in mind, he knows what’ll happen in the next season… and he’s directing episodes after 3 and 4…

Interesting word choice, no?

So, back to the symbolism within (and near) the house.

Let’s talk about the phallic symbolism that appears in pairs in these shots. It’s a choice, isn’t it? With two males in each shot. We know the Duffers love details and foreshadowing… I doubt it’s a coincidence. Also, anyone else notice that phone in the background? Just had to mention it, since our boys are frequently associated with phones and calls.

Then, of course, I gotta bring back this shot.

The bed. Blue meets yellow. You know it! We all heard it a thousand times by now. Let’s look at what else is in the shot. A closed closet. Another reference to our boys. To the right, you’ll see a toilet paper roll. Now, if you have a brother, you might see the same thing in his room. Sure it can be used as a tissue for your nose but let’s just say there’s usually another use for it. I’ll call it “self love”. So, basically, another sexual reference.

To sum up this house: lake/water, drugs, and ecstasy/smiley face. Now, let’s go back to a scene featuring our boys with all these elements in the background.

Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

I must also point out the “Paris” poster in the background. City of love, anyone? Plus the fireworks. They’re really trying to tell us something here.

Also, @/foodiewithdahoodie pointed out how Paris specifically was one of the first places to decriminalize sodomy.

You know, I also wouldn’t rule out every aspect of Murray’s prediction here.

Shout out to the Hylers out there!

Perhaps after a lot of stressful days of fighting interdimentional demons, these boys want to wind down and de-stress in their hiding spot. I can see Reefer Rick as a fellow Nintendo player, leaving his console behind, as well as his weed, for our boys to use. I also wouldn't be surprised if Eddie left a few of his beers behind. I mean… Murray has a pretty good track record for predictions. This would also really double down on the message that Mike and Will “aren’t kids anymore.”

Also, wouldn’t it be fun to look back at Murray’s predictions and realize that they’ve all come to be?

Okay, now let’s finally get to the romance elements!

First thing I want to start with is this shot:

So… they had to show us a mailbox, didn’t they? With that name “Lipton” which as I mentioned in my previous post… is associated with Thomas Lipton who had a lover named William Love.

1 point for #lettergate

And…

“Hope Our Love Lives/Lasts And Never Dies”

WWII solders used the acronym H.O.L.L.A.N.D. to convey a love message in a letter. The whole love letters association with Mike and Will never end, do they?

2 points for #lettergate!

As for the “2121”, I think it’s possible that it’s referencing multiple things… number references are tricky like that in my opinion. But I will say that @/thestrangestthing89 brought up the fact that “2121” could be a reference to “Twin Flames” which is yet another reference to romance.

Continuing on with the romance…

Let’s return back to the scene where Reefer Rick is first mentioned. After Max mentioned him, we are cut to Steve talking about a movie.

A movie filled with action and romance, you say?

So… Doctor Zhivago.

Basically a tale of two people in love during a difficult time (Russian Revolution) being separated, with other people, then finally reunited. Not completely unlike our boys. Notice how the “adult” sign is noticeable in the background. Not kids anymore.

He mentions action, which I’m sure there will be some of as well at the famous lake.

Okay enough with the silly details, let’s stop and look at the bigger picture.

Our beloved lake. Look how gorgeous it truly is. Plus the fact that it’s a literal heart? You can’t get more “on the nose” than that.

Now, who else is known as a heart? (Tough question I know…)

This boy is, without a doubt, narratively tied to the lake. He is “the heart”… he is THE LAKE (symbolically).

Thank you to @/everaster for bringing attention to the fact that after Mike was pushed to deliver that monologue to El by Will, Max “died”, then the gates opened WIDE. One of those gates, as we know, is located within Lover’s Lake… known was “watergate” (term coined by Dustin).

So, as of now in this story… Lover’s Lake is literally broken in two. A broken heart in need of mending.

Who better to accomplish that task than the boy who has known him for a decade and loves him completely and selflessly?

💌📬❤️‍🩹

Hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I enjoyed making them! It’s honestly so much fun looking for evidence and finding such interesting stuff. Some of it may be reaching, and that’s okay because it’s all in good fun! That’s what fandoms are all about.

The level of attention to detail in this show never ceases to amaze me! There’s so much depth and clues to look for and play around with. I hope to have sparked some inspiration and creativity for some people! 💛💙💚

As always, would love to know your thoughts!

[neonscandal]

jjk having queer-coded villains seems to be an intentional choice. what are your thoughts on this

Anon comin in hot today! I feel like this doesn't really need a spoiler warning though it does detail info about characters yet to be animated so read at your own risk.

To be honest, I wouldn't even say that it's coding, JJK has an assortment of characters with varied identities from our protagonists to our antagonists which includes:

Megumi - a lot of fans interpret his non-gendered answer to what his type is, focusing instead on personality, to mean that he's pansexual.

Mahito - genderless ✨ and/or physically lacking reproductive organs that would typically define gender binary

Tengen - presumably assigned female at birth, has since transcended gender or is more non-binary

Kenjaku - another character who's just.. lived so long that they're just kind of gender fluid? Though, considering their history, intersex may be more appropriate? We know that, as Noritoshi Kamo, he mixed his blood with what would become the cursed womb paintings but she actually consummated with Jin for some extra razzle dazzle

Uraume - canonically they/them

Kirara - assigned male at birth (though I believe canonically referred to as they/them) with an androgynous gender expression

Please note: I don't consider myself an expert on the matter as gender identity, expression and sexual orientation exist on spectrums. Subsequently, if you think any of the above characters belong elsewhere based on canon or headcanon, I get it. If, based on canon, I'm outright incorrect, feel free to drop a comment and I'll edit accordingly.

With the distribution of the above in mind, I don't think it's unilaterally something focused just among the antagonists. Though, ironically, some of my color coding is also debatable at this point, I suppose. I think the more interesting observation is that, with enough time, such labels aren't as binding or lack the need for definition. Like, Tengen has all the time in the world to be whatever they want to be and they simply become. In fact, unrelated but kinda related, you see a similar idea in Hell's Paradise with the mercurial gender fluidity of the Tensens, too. Honestly, that's another show to watch with a curious lens.

All that to say, I think the varied representation is more interesting due to the conversation around the mangaka's own identity. Gege Akutami's anonymity has been shielded by their pen name but, also, I don't believe they have confirmed pronouns. While people argue that they went to an all boys' school previously, they also, during a stint as an assistant on another manga, unveiled themselves with a femme presenting avatar. Seemingly to avoid being defined by visual perception (or to pre-emptively avoid recognition by devastated fans..), they appeared in a video interview dressed as Mechamaru. Couple that with the fact that there is a notable lack of romantic pairings within the story, especially those that would be typical of a shonen story. Arguably, that could leave a lot of Aro and/or Ace characters that I'm too obtuse to have picked up on. In fact, one could interpret Akutami's previous comments about Gojo accordingly.

Subsequently, I don't think the intention is to vilify queerness just because some of the antagonists fit the bill. I think, if anything, there's just representation that isn't necessarily cultivated around "othering" queer characters or using their diversity as a plot line, if that makes any sense? Which isn't just concentrated on the "bad guys". For the most part, these are just subtle realities of the characters... okay, Kenjaku's identity can definitely be charged to the plot though. 👀 Seemingly contrary to what I just said about diversity as a plot device, I'm now having mixed feelings specifically with Kenjaku because their identity does inform the plot but also intrinsically brings nuance to them as a character. The more I think about it, this diversity is actually what humanizes them which, connotatively, still seems like a positive thing. Hm. Maybe I'm a hypocrite? Not sure but I'm curious as to your thoughts so feel free to leave them below 👇🏾

[hesbianspock]

“The (Dublin Castle Scandal of 1884) took on overtones of English immorality versus Irish morality. … Hyde argues that the scandal, and belief that homosexuality was rampant in official circles in Ireland, did much to discredit the British government of the day. Irish Nationalists, especially conservative Catholics, would have been left with the image of British officials, regarded as imperialist occupiers of their island, as immoral and dissolute perverts, sexually preying on young men in Dublin” (Aldrich, Colonialism and Homosexuality).

so, upon reading this, my first thought was obviously fucking outlander.

outlander simultaneously utilizes the traditional homophobic trope of the homosexually-inclined predator and the politically useful historical impression of homosexuality as a symptom of the immoral and dissolute presence of colonizing english perverts while also plainly taking pleasure from this homosexual imperialism, from the opportunity to be voyeur to this predation and physical abuse of Virtuous Celtic Boys while denying them the chance to explore their own sexuality in the wake of such trauma at the price of an englishwoman’s temporary sexual dissatisfaction — an opportunity well-afforded to englishmen enduring the sort of homoerotic abuse and discipline rampant in the english army that undoubtedly contributed to randall’s unseen development into the character known to us.

the audience is intended not only to take voyeuristic sexual pleasure from jamie’s repeated sexual harassment and assault — gabaldon has said as much herself — but also to believe that such sexually charged punishment as jamie takes throughout his life (and metes out, once, to claire) is necessary and justifiable. jamie’s descriptions of his repeated childhood beatings at the hands of his older male relatives are not criticized nor are they even questioned by claire, who laughs at her husband’s humorous descriptions of the abuse that, when meted upon her own english body, she threatens to kill him over. randall reaches orgasmic pleasure at the lash ripping jamie’s primitive and colonized skin, claire laughs at stories of a switch bruising his virtuous body, and the audience is to thrill at the thought of both.

upon learning that randall propositioned jamie prior to these floggings, claire’s expressed horror is not at the fact that randall is a sadistic rapist — in fairness to her, she has been made well aware of that fact already — but that randall is engages in homosexual behavior. she gives no comment on jamie’s apparently relaxed attitude to homosexuality in general (“i considered it” “my father wouldn’t have given the sodomy a care”), but this can hardly be described as the result of an enlightened attitude. she describes frank — a character immediately queered by his profession as historian/antiquarian, a field traditionally viewed as the realm of the homosexual — as having “hands white and hairless as a girl’s,” an unfavorable and gay-coded comparison with jamie’s undeniable traditional masculinity. her reaction to jamie’s repeated torture and rape is one of selfishness — she is concerned for him, but her concern primarily expresses itself in relation to his resulting inability or unwillingness to re-engage her in their marriage bed. out of this desire to have him retake this traditional heterosexual role, to bend to her will as his english wife, claire deliberately triggers him with details of his rape he had confided to her. his role as the virtuous scottish youth preyed upon by the deviant english homosexual is to provide for claire, the englishwoman’s, voyeuristic and maternal pleasure — when his lasting trauma from being the subject of imperial violence interferes with her sexual desires, she chooses to revictimize him in pursuit of her own pleasure. both she and randall utilize the colony of scotland as a frontier within which to enact sexual desires considered deviant and forbidden in england on the bodies of a subjugated populace.

in conclusion outlander is not self aware about any of this and is just breathtakingly imperialist, anti-scottish, AND homophobic all at once.

[burningvelvet]

Thoughts on Charlotte Brontë's Villette so far (queerness and comparisons to Jane Eyre):

- This is my fifth Brontë novel and I'm about halfway through it so far (either thanks to or in spite of finals, Thanksgiving break, and my intermittent insanity).

- This is probably the weirdest Brontë novel I've read so far. "Weird" how? Well, in chapter 14 our expatriate narrator, whose identity is concealed from us, is locked in an attic with rats by her co-worker (and eventual lover) who is a French literary professor directing a theatrical production and forcing her to be the understudy in a leading romantic male role for which she has to practice her lines in this attic, which is also said to be haunted by a murdered nun who she later either sees or hallucinates while wandering around ill, not knowing which country she is in, and resisting Catholic conversion from a priest. And throughout the novel the identities of all the characters are hidden, and the narrator (Lucy Snowe) is extremely unreliable.

- I can say at this point that Villette has more queer subtext than any of the other Brontë novels I've read so far. In second place I would rank Jane Eyre, which is the first and only other Charlotte work I've read (aside from poems/letters). To the non-believers, I recommend 'He is rather peculiar, perhaps': Reading Mr Rochester's Coarseness Queerly by C. O'Callaghan and The Realm of Faeries: Queerness and Neurodivergence in Jane Eyre by Grace Patrick-West; with the expansive, theoretical sense of the term "queer" being a more broad term covering behavior that is not strictly sexual but could be coded for such. Rochester and Jane are both inherent outsiders in society, and for Rochester this is largely tied to sexual problems. He has several quotes on how societal notions of acceptable romance must be changed, and as an outed adulterer who openly admits to engaging in primarily international relationships and presents himself as an aging bachelor, he is already defying romantic conventions in multiple ways.

So Charlotte may have been the most-likely-to-be-LGBTQ+ Brontë of the bunch, although Emily was the known "tomboy" of the family, and though none of the others lived as long as she did and so did not have the opportunity to explore as many topics. From the little I've investigated, I believe there is a world of analysis already done on Charlotte's possible queerness, so I cease here.

- I've noticed some callbacks to Jane Eyre. It's mostly set in France and so there's a lot of French like in Eyre, but not so much that it's distracting imo. For fans of Adèle Varens (like me) you will be pleased to know that there is a comparably fashionable and overexcitable French girl who in terms of psychoanalytic criticism I argue could be thought of as a variant of Adèle within Charlotte's mind. Similarly, a male love interest is compared to Nebuchadnezzar like Mr. Rochester was, and this comparison is made when our narrator is expressing her attraction to the man in blatant terms, which gives us insight into the mind of Jane Eyre via further confirmation of Charlotte's association with Nebuchadnezzar/attraction. I mean, we all know Jane was attracted to Mr. Rochester, but Lucy's attraction is more realized because it is more matured, possibly on account of her being slightly older at that part of the novel than we see Jane when she relates Mr. Rochester to Nebuchadnezzar. Like Jane, Lucy is also a poor, unattractive governess. And Charlotte's classic "dear reader," is a thing once more!

- Charlotte 🤝 totally unrealistic and problematic age-gap romances which aren't consummated until some change in station makes it slightly more socially palatable

[wheelercurse]

Mike Wheeler + Closets

or a brief guide to Mike's queercoding.

Using a closet is the most basic and overused way to queercode a character. This is one of the classic symbolism. Of course, not every time a character is framed next to a closet means that they're queer-coded, it depends on the context, but Mike has this motif when the scene is related to his relationship with El or Will.

The closet is used as a metaphor to represent an LGBT person hiding or repressing his true identity because they conform to society's expectations. Mike's arc has been about accepting his true self and stopping conforming.

Here are some examples of when they used the closet motif to queercode Mike (and Will too):

1.

This is the loudest one of them. El told him she loved him too, and Mike couldn't say it or kiss her back. And that scene happens when Mike is perfectly framed in an open closet. They're telling you what's the reason he couldn't say it.

In the last shot, he's literally left confused, and the closet illustrates his inner conflict: the tension between embracing his true self or conforming.

This scene is after his heartfelt moment with Will, which works as the resolution to their conflict in this season. They promised to keep playing d&d.

During the rain fight, Mike revealed his mindset. He believed that growing up meant stopping playing games and starting dating girls. He clearly was conforming.

2.

The first shot of Mike this season is him reading El's letter while next to an open closet. And then they gave us a shot with a big "one way" sign pointing at his closet. The same way they introduced Will painting his gift to present his subplot this season. Mike's first scene showed his inner conflict this season: embracing his true self or keep conforming.

Then we saw him putting on his Hellfire Club shirt. It seems like he was accepting himself and embracing who he is. That he keeps wanting to play d&d.

But then, he arrives in California dressed as how he thought Californians wear and start acting weird with Will, and he can't even write "love" to El.

3. In the closet (at Rink O' Mania)

I can't believe they got away with this one. The track that plays during their fight at Rink O Mania is called that, and it starts playing when Mike is in the frame.

Yes, it's also called that because El was in the employees-only room hiding, and it's like a closet. But again, who was the one perfectly framed in front of it while arguing with Will that they were only friends? Mike.

Of course, the song is also to queercode Will, who is also in the closet, because this season, his whole arc is about hiding his true feelings for a boy.

Fun fact: This melody is a variant of another called Tribulations, which means troubles and events that cause suffering. It's like they're suffering because they're in the closet.

4. Will's room.

The closet is present when Mike apologizes for his fight at Rink O Mania. You can see Mike sitting in front of the open closet. Again, it’s a symbol for both of them. Mike is opening up more about his feelings, but they still hide their true romantic feelings.

At the end of this scene, Will takes his painting. They’re a step closer to being honest with each other. I talk more about the painting subplot here if you’re interested in reading it.

5.

What if I told you Mike’s queercoding has been there since season one?

This scene alone doesn't give us queercoded vibes because, yes, Mike was hiding El from his mom to protect her. But then... we have this conversation with Karen and Mike.

Karen brought up Will in the conversation and said she didn't want Mike to feel like he had to hide something from her. And Mike was hiding a girl (his future girlfriend) in his closet. It's self-explanatory.

And it's more incriminating that Jonathan and Will's scene, when he's clearly talking about Will's sexuality, it's worded similarly.

Both invited them to talk and assured them they would always be there.

Conclusion: Mike is also queercoded, and saying he's written as straight, it's just plain wrong.

[torgawl]

ur so right ab transmasc wriothesley... thank you for opening my eyes i feel enlightened

you're welcome 😌😌 hitting wrio with the transgender beam like

he's actually so trans coded?? it didn't really hit me for a while but what do you mean this guy changed his name to his own accord and jokes about confusing people/cops with his very own self-picked name?? what do you mean the day this happened is also the day of his rebirth (literal core theme of his character in all aspects), which is consolidated by the fact he considers that his birthday from that day onward?? what do you mean the dude jokes about how he got his mysterious scars very akin to the way trans people do?? 🤨🏳️‍🌈⁉️ of course, his backstory is about his trauma as a victim of abuse and child trafficking but i would honestly argue it can very easily be read with a queer and specifically a trans lense too. transmasc wriothelsey just makes so much sense i swear!!! plus he's hot. every trans person is incredibly sexy. it just adds up!!!!

[cringefagblog]

Mega NoCo post p.1

This is gonna be a 3 part series where I prove the existence of NoCo

Well this should be fun

(Part 1)

It has come to my attention while I love NoCo often time people will point out the fact that they don’t have many interactions however I disagree

Here is the proof I have come across

The first thing we need to get out of the way is the idea of queer coding an idea which will be detrimental in this point essentially queer coding is when a writer who wants to create a character is not allowed to make them gay so they by pass this using coded in stereotypes which allow them to make a gay character while not explicitly saying they are indeed queer some may say this tactic is homophobic and if you think this is the case and cannot take the idea of it I’d suggest you don’t read this

Although I’d argue this is a great way to show off a gay character without explicitly saying it

Starting off however

Already this is prevalent in the show when Noah first enters

He with a very close flamboyant voice complains about the place they’re staying at

It should be noted that a common stereotype is the gay man complaining at the style and decor of an area this of course correlates well with Noah

While one could argue this isn’t the case with Cody I’d say that is a no from the moment Cody comes in he’s acting like a real ladies man most would say that this is clearly a depiction of such however I’d argue that this is depicting of a gay man who is ashamed of his sexuality and hides it, doubly could it be the case he has not yet discovered such feelings yet however slowly does although id argue the former is better for ship structure the latter could be just as much the case

Now many say that there wasn’t a moment in time in which these two interacted before the awake-athon however evidently so by this picture we can see this is false

As we can see this is from the very first episode they are seen sitting right across from each other with this it should be noted that this clearly shows that the writers had intentions with the two before the kissing episode as well as the fact that they are seen sitting next to a straight couple in this case that being Trent and Gwen clearly the writers tried to parallel the two now as you can see friends are sitting across or next to friends such as Justin sitting next to Beth or Beth and Lindsay so clearly these two are at least friends

Now later in this episode….

As you can see here while nobody is standing next to them the writers are clearly intending them to be next to each other so as to show they are friends or rather “friends” and I mean cmon of all the characters that could stand together they made them do it? What are the chances…

As you can see here they sit next to each other again in the same episode and yet again parallel’s ensue

Now in the very next episode the awake a thon there is the famous scene however there is two more key moment before that

It should be noted that Noah lack of want to participate in the running activity is to be taken as queer coding for obvious reasons

Right before the sleeping scene they are seen here

Sitting next to each other it should be noted that Trent and Gwen also sit next to each other so parallels and this slight “friendship” are clearly prevalent

Now of course after this scene something very very famous happens

And here’s the scene that sparked a million fan girls of course it could be noted that Cody did smile which implies he enjoyed it

However I understand that not many people would accept such an outcome and we’d need more objective evidence so while it’s my personal belief that’s this is true I would say that this isn’t a way to show others how NoCo is real

However how they interact afterwards

This is the scene that literally happens in the very next episode look at how Noah looks at Cody if you made such a “mistake” would you ever want to be seen with that person for at least a good amount of time? I guess not for Noah and Cody let alone the fact of how he looks at him and we get parallels yet again between

Now later in that episode we get dodgebrawl in which is a classic example of Noah’s queer coding he refuses to participate in sports which is a traditionally masculine activity classic queer coding strategy and his snide and snarky remarks towards his team mates as well could be read in such a way that could be taken as queer coding as again the main strategy is to show that the queer coded male is emasculated and isn’t as manly as his fellow characters

Now all the gophers are very angry at Noah in this episode

All but one….

Curious he’s staring at him, not only that but smiling clearly Cody reciprocates the feeling Noah has of him whether it’s love or friendship there is certainly something there and whilst everyone else looks uncaring and tired (exception with Justin and Beth although they don’t care either) he seems right and ready to see Noah

Now don’t get me wrong Cody does get mad at him and so does the rest of the team which is why they all unanimously vote for him

Or was it unanimous..?

Well la de da what do you know Cody is seen frowning at Noah’s elimination not only that but he’s the only one who is sad the rest clearly voted for him mind you he’s not even looking at Lindsay he’s looking straight at Noah now if this doesn’t SCREAM bl fanfic idk what does but it’s clearly there right in front of our faces not only that but you can’t argue this was an animation glitch because come on really? Of all the characters it just so happened to affect Cody?after all these scenes pile up the evidence shoots in our faces

For now this post is to long to fit however trust me part 2 is coming out soon I have to get them all out before November ends all these posts claim to achieve is to prove Noah and Cody are at the very least friends although I wanna make it clear I ship NoCo and the evidence as a relationship works just as well

Until then love y’all and bye!

[stormblessed95]

Thanks for answering my ask.....if you don't mind me asking (again), who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hi! Thanks for another fun ask! I actually have one post up about some of my favorite OTPs from books from a little while ago. All are canon couples from book series. But you can find that here in this post:

But why would I NOT take the chance to share more OTPs that I love, especially if I can dip into some of my favorite non canon ships too and now ive got some new ones and from other media as well. 🤣 the limitations of only 10 though is always hard. Here are another 10 of my current favorite ships I obsess over. I won't include any from the post above though even though I'm still in love with ALL of them too. Some of my favorite couples, 10 of them, in no particular order:

Victuuri (Yuri On Ice, Anime)

I watched this anime and fell in love with it and their chaotic but adorable and sweet relationship SO HARD. And the relationship is right there in canon which is SO NICE to see in anime where it's just another small portion of their lives. The way they are both obsessed with each other too 😍

Edwin and Royai (FMAB, Anime)

Both canon. Royai is canon, argue with the wall! Lol I guess Royai is like half canon, but whatever. Explicit confirmation is not needed to know those 2 are married. Ed and Winry are the peak childhood friends to lovers arc in the most adorable. Plus she is a badass mechanic. HIS badass mechanic. The way their love grew organically is adorable and so sweet. They take such good care of each other. And Royai are the epitome of a married couple. They also are both so equally badass and have such infinite and complete trust in each other?? It's AMAZING. The way they literally trust each other with their lives and their mental well being. The way Roy literally trusts her to be his eyes when needed also? He literally calls her his queen. I love them so much

Clexa (The 100, TV Show)

CANON yet they did us dirty with the bury your gays trope. But like the "I'm only soft for you" bullshit they had going on. UGH I ate it up so hard. Lol they are both such extreme badasses, morally Grey anti heroes. OF COURSE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS INTENSELY PERFECT TOO! I love the bellarke ship with the best of them too, but out of all Clarke's relationships, the best and my favorite will always be with Lexa. She loved her SO MUCH and the way Lexa always protected her 😭

SasuNaru (Naruto, Anime)

Not canon, I know, but I'm obsessed with the ship anyway because it SHOULDVE BEEN CANON. I could write whole essays over how painfully gay and queer coded these 2 are. Canonically soulmates and everything. Lol their characters and their relationship was the most flushed out in the show and therefore, them being shipped together just makes sense. Especially with how homoromantic and angsty half the shit they did was.

Shakadolin (Stormlight Archive, Book)

Not canon, but the author said it would've been in a different timeline and that even in the current on, Adolin and Shallan (the Canon couple) probably would've been willing to go for it. Lol you can't convince me otherwise thay they aren't both lowkey in love with Kaladin. They invite him to be their bodygaurd on all their dates for a reason! 😂

HuaLian (TGCF, Donghua)

I've read these books for the first time recently and now these 2 live rent free. Like honestly, the OBSESSION with each other. The adorableness. The respectfulness of boundaries. The ICONIC one liners dropped. The do anything cross any line be wherever you need devotion. The way one of them is the sweetest human alive and the other embodies the "I hate everyone but you" trope. Lol the awkwardness of the positions they find themselves in. The jealousy of each other that they make up themselves. Lol the slow burn is painful!! It's been literally 800 years just tell each other you love each other and get married!!!!

So many ATLA ships lol but I love a good Zukka, Sukka, Zutara, Kataang, Korrasami, Rangshi, Suzukki as my ot3 love too lol (TV Show)

There is a good mix of canon and non canon ships here lol what can I say, I'm easy to please! But I will say that it speaks to my Sapphic soul in the best way that the wlw ships are CANON! Thank you ATLA universe for that blessing. And they are canon in the most amazing of ways. Korrasami will always be my favorite. The bi icons those girls are and they way they are EVERYTHING and are so freaking sweet and cute and BADASS.

Solangelo (PJO, Book)

Loves of my life, this relationship is grumpy x sunshine trope personified. They are so sweet, so cute, so perfect for each other it hurts. I clearly have a dynamic I love here. Lol because they are also both insanely badass. Plus the ghost king who controls death and his medic doctor boyfriend? Yes please. Literally made for each other and the way they help each other heal and be happy 🥺

The Iron Triangle, aka Yizhi, Shimin, and Zetian (Iron Widow, Book)

Love triangles done correctly and ended perfectly, aka bisexually. Lol to quote the author, "Iron Widow is just 400 pages of Zetian and Shimin suffering nonstop while Yizhi has the most bisexual time of his life." Lmfao. They are the morally Grey anti heros and lowkey villains in love badass scifi/fantasy cast of characters who ALL fall in love with each other and are only stronger for it. And it's a true triangle, where all 3 are in love and feel more complete for it. There is no choosing.

Darrow & Virigina, and Sevro & Victra (Red Rising, Book)

Unhinged characters falling in love. What could be better. They both match energies so well, bring out the best in each other and fight so hard for each other or sometimes fight each other too. These books are so good, but so brutal. Lol the relationships follow suit. But I freaking LOVE them. I cried so much reading it all and yet I'm obsessed and have been since I first read them. It'll probably never stop.

[zazzander]

do you think Octavian is queer coded?and if yes can you explain why?I read a post from another person that wrote that he is because of his description in the books (sorry I can’t remember the user or the details),what do you think about that?

I've wanted to talk about something along these lines for a little while, so thanks for the ask! I think I read that post as well, and I generally agreed with it.

While I’m not sure if I’d call it queer-coded, I’d definitely argue he’s got plenty of feminine traits. And a guy being effeminate is often used in queer-coding.

“Don’t you have… I don’t know,” Percy said, “an oracle or something?” [Son of Neptune]

One of the first things we learn about Octavian is that he has the gift of prophecy.

In the Riordanverse, seeing into the future is feminine. While there are male seers, they are usually coupled with a female character, almost as a counterbalance.

The most famous of the seers, the Oracle of Delphi, is always a woman. Rachel, the oracle in the attic, and May Castellan are the sources of prophecy in the original series. Yes, Percy does have prophetic dreams but these aren’t viewed in the same way as a gift of prophecy. They are just your standard "demigod dreams" and not something he can control.

No, the first male seer we have in the main series is Octavian. It takes until The Dark Prophecy for another male to join the ranks: Trophonius.

Halcyon Green does appear in The Demigod Diaries, but I’m inclined to set that to the side. While canon, Halcyon’s character is not featured in the main series. He's not even mentioned in The Trials of Apollo.

However, Trophonius is a bit different to Octavian. He is paired with another: Georgina. They are both tied to the Dark Oracle.

And this trend is not just seen with Trophonius. There is the Arrow of Dodona as well, which speaks in a masculine voice. The Arrow is a branch from a grove associated with Rhea, a goddess.

Prophecy isn’t exclusive to female characters but it is feminine. And when we do have a masculine seer, there is usually a feminine counterpart (Arrow & Rhea, Trophonius & Georgina).

But Octavian has no feminine counterpart.

Yes, Ella is introduced in the same book, but their powers are not linked. Nor is their story. In fact, I would argue that Octavian’s desire to possess the Sibylline book works to counter this pairing.

No, Octavian holds his power independently. And, as if the bridge that disconnect, Riordan makes him more effeminate (often portraying this in a negative light but I wouldn't be going into that much here).

A pretty impressive trick, considering the kid didn’t look like much. [Son of Neptune]

Octavian is repeatedly said to look harmless or unintimidating. Despite warnings, Percy doesn’t believe Octavian could be a force to be reckoned with. This is done to show that Octavian’s power is not physical.

“You’re a warrior. Octavian is a talker. Put him in front of the senate, and suddenly he becomes the powerful one.”

Now, being a good politician isn’t necessarily feminine - it's gender neutral, especially in the "underhanded" portrayal of Octavian's politics.

However, I want to point out Octavian’s favoured weapon. We know that Octavian would be well versed in all the weapons of Rome, and since he’s part of the most prestigious cohort, he should have access to any weapon he wants. But Octavian is almost always using a knife – whether it be his augur’s knife, the iron knife of a pontifex, or something unspecified (I’m assuming a pugio). No other male main character uses a knife as their favoured weapon, but there are two female characters who fight with knives: Annabeth and Piper. Like Octavian, they fight don’t fight with their physical strength. But in the case of Octavian, who is male, this is viewed in a negative light.

Now these things should be seen in the context of Octavian's character as a whole. These could be easily dismissed when we consider that everything Riordan does with Octavian is done to 'other’ him. Octavian often described as a scarecrow. At once point he’s called ‘ghoulish’. So Octavian’s character isn’t just made to see effeminate. All of this is simply done to make him different, regardless of how that need be achieved. That’s why Octavian is often said to be coded as disabled, or coded as autistic, etc. Riordan hit a lot of check boxes when he was creating this character.

Yes, he has the power of prophecy. Yes, his favoured weapon is a knife. If that was it, I think we could all pack up and go home. No coding happening here. But that’s not where it stops.

Let's get into Octavian's voice.

Octavian screamed in a shrill voice – maybe ordering the First Cohort to stand their ground, maybe trying to sing soprano – but Percy put a stop to it. [SON]

Soprano is the highest vocal range and of course ‘shrill’ itself means high-pitched and piercing. If this was a one off thing, we could probably ignore it, but Octavian often showed to have a high-pitched voice.

Time for the shrieking speed-run! (btw, definition of ‘shriek’ is a high-pitched piercing sound or words)

“I was just there!” Octavian shrieked. “I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Surrender to Rome!” Octavian shrieked.

Over by the docks, a familiar voice shrieked over the wind: “Kill them! Kill them all!”

‘You will be destroyed!’ Octavian shrieked.

Bonus:

Octavian made a squeaking sound. “What as that for?”

“Reyna!” Octavian cried. “You can’t seriously be considering this!

Now, this might just be because Octavian yells constantly. He’s almost always yelling or shouting, or in this case, shrieking. But it’s still a very consistent thing that happens with his character.

I want to point out, as well, that Octavian’s voice only goes higher when he lacks control over a situation. In Son of Neptune, he’s fully capable of shouting without his voice being high-pitched:

“Silence!” Octavian’s voice sounded a lot more commanding than it had the previous night on the battlefield.

This comes back to Octavian's feminine traits being considered negative. I'm not expert, but I wouldn't be surprised is this was all part of the "queer-coded villain" stereotype.

Now, let's talk about Octavian and... men.

Reyna had always liked Mike Kahale. Unfortunately, Mike was very loyal to his sponsor. And his sponsor was Octavian. [BOO]

Please note the italics here – why are there italics, Rick? He already added the word "very", but then he put that modifier in italics. Is something more significant is being hinted at?

“That’s one of Octavian’s right-hand men, but he’s a good legionnaire. I may be able to reason with him.” [BOO]

From this line, we learn that Mike is not the only ‘right hand man’ Octavian has. Which is unusual because, by definition, you should really only have one. And it's not "right-hands" but "right-hand men". So we've gendered it. But we do know, from previous scenes, that Octavian is often followed around by more than one burly guy.

By himself, the skinny augur wouldn’t have bothered her, but the two other guys looked like seasoned warriors – a lot bigger and stronger than Annabeth wanted to deal with, especially since Piper and she were armed only with daggers. [MoA]

Two centurions leaned casually on their javelins, chatting with a tall skinny blond guy in a purple toga. Leo stumbled. It was that freak Octavian, the augur from Camp Jupiter, who was always screaming for war. [HoH]

For the second quote, we don’t know the gender of the centurions but, well, most of the centurions are male – so it wouldn’t be so shocking to learn these are men too.

We don't know Octavian's relationship with these people. However, it does feel like the cherry on top of a cake, you know?

Since I'm no expert on queer-coding in media, far from it, I wouldn't want to say "yes he's definitely queer-coded" but he does feel that way from where I'm standing.

[tiredsunrisesmeta]

On Viren, Evil Queens & Queer Coded Villains

In an interview with Cartoon Universe titled Season 3, Runaans Plan, and Aaravos Speech! The Dragon Prince Interview with Creators, Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, talked about how an early concept for The Dragon Prince that they played with was the idea of “not evil step mother” (around the 26:35 mark).

This could relate to the creators’ desires to showcase non-traditional families and not to demonize stepparents. Harrow, for example, while keeping an unfortunate distance from Callum, is a loving stepdad. However, so far in The Dragon Prince we haven’t encountered a stepmother, good or evil. My theory is that “not an evil stepmother” relates to Viren.

In many ways, Viren epitomizes the evil queen/evil stepmother archetype. In fact, there are numerous scenes and aspects of Viren that directly parallel famous evil queens and stepmothers. Here are just some of the examples:

1.     Like the Evil Queen in Snow White Viren has a magic mirror that he demands answers from. Mysterious all-knowing beings inside the mirrors answer back.

2.     Viren orders his own “huntsman” (Soren) to kill a royal heir (Ezran) that has a deep connection to animals. Soren like the Huntsman can’t bring himself to kill the young royal. 

3.     Viren's green voice stealing spell is an obvious reference to Ursula's voice stealing spell in The Little Mermaid.

4.     Like Mother Gothel in Tangled and Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman, Viren hides his true appearance (which is “ugly” and scary) with glamour magic where he takes the life force of younger, beautiful beings and uses them to keep an attractive appearance.

5.     Viren also shares visual similarities with the Evil Queen, Cinderella’s stepmother and Maleficent such as their circle jewel pendant, dramatic collar, black and purple colors, staffs, their scowls, postures, & attitudes.

6.     Like Cinderella’s stepmother Viren has two children that are kind of dopes & are sometimes mean to the princes. He expects a lot from them.

7.     Viren's magic is often visually like evil queens' magic, both are presented as dark & disturbing. 

8.     Like Viren, evil queens make magic with suspicious, “disgusting” ingredients & cast spells w/ staffs. Both seem to take from nature & threaten & exploit youthful & natural "innocence."

I would argue that Viren was the “not evil stepmother” that was one of the starting ideas behind The Dragon Prince. He’s technically not one because he’s a man. But he embodies the role in significant ways. For me, this is another layer that adds to Viren’s queer coding. (If you want to read the other parts of my Viren is Queer analysis, you can read them here (Part 1) and here (Part 2). Here’s why:

Evil queens & villains specifically in Disney films have over time been adopted by the LGBTQ+ community. Intentional or not these characters are popularly thought of as queer coded or as having queer appeal. In his book Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from the Inside Out, Sean Griffin writes "gay culture seems to have a special fondness for Disney villainy. [...] the number of gay men who dress in drag as Disney villains for costume parties or for Halloween testifies to the attraction that these characters have in gay culture". 

Griffin posits that there are two reasons why queer audiences gravitate towards these villains. The first reason is the exaggerated, unconventional way villains perform their gender in contrast to the more traditional gender performances of the heroes. They bring attention to gender itself as performance & thus take on qualities of camp & drag. This connection to drag was made explicit in Disney's The Little Mermaid when it's villain Ursula was modeled after the famous drag queen Divine.

Female villains like evil queens & stepmothers often have strong sharp facial and body features in contrast to the heroine's soft features. They wear visible makeup as opposed to the heroines’ more "natural" beauty. They are audacious, sassy, powerful & imposing in contrast to the more demure, modest heroines. Many evil queens are motivated by the pursuit of beauty that remains out of their reach such as the Evil Queen, Ursula, & Mother Gothel. While Viren isn’t motivated by the pursuit of beauty, vanity and physical appearance are important enough to his character to warrant nods such as his glamour spells, obsession with mirrors & fancy clothes, almost as if the show is aware of the tradition Viren borrows from.

The camp & the theatricality of gender expression of male Disney villains are often shown via their archness, sassiness, foppishness, particularly fancy sense of style, & impeccable overly cultured manners, speech & mannerisms. They're often "represented as using their cultured dandyism to hide their evil design[s]". Viren borrows heavily from Jafar & Scar. Jafar & Viren both have magic staffs, snake motifs, and even have parrots in common. Like Jafar, Viren is his monarch's most trusted magical advisor who ultimately betrays him. Like Scar, Viren is a usurper. Griffin writes "Both [Scar & Jafar] are overly refined, fey and seething with frustration for feeling that their talents and abilities have been overlooked." That’s literally Viren! Scar & Jafar were notably designed by out gay character designer Andreas Deja. Griffin writes that in an interview "Deja admits to conceiving of [Jafar] as a gay man “to give him his theatrical quality, his elegance.” It is these characters’ qualities & legacies that Viren borrows from.

Griffin writes "Traditionally, Disney’s animated villains move and speak with enormous style and panache—so much so that they often “steal” the scenes from the supposed leading characters in the stories. In this way, they more overtly “overperform” their gender roles and readily become the targets of camp readings." I would argue Viren fits this description. He too can be audacious, imposing, & occasionally sassy. He's impeccably well dressed (Amaya even derisively comments on the fanciness of his clothes) & seemingly impeccably well mannered. Theatricality & performance play into Viren’s role as a manipulator and persuader. He uses his panache, speech, & manners to seduce people to his point of view or at least he tries to. This contrasts him against the earnestness of the heroes.

This takes us to the second reason why queer audiences gravitate & identify with Disney villains. According to Griffin "on a more basic level, gay culture’s appreciation of Disney villains is a humorous cheering on of those forces within the narrative that disrupt and frustrate heterosexuality’s dominance.”

Examples of this are Evil Queens trying to separate young heterosexual couples such as Ursula & Mother Gothel. Griffin uses Maleficent as an example: "Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent actively works to spoil two generations of heterosexual coupling. […] During [the] overtly narrated introduction, strong emphasis is placed on procreation, particularly on the king and queen’s difficulties in having a child. The story proper begins with the countrywide celebration of the birth of the princess Aurora. When Maleficent arrives, she is informed quite bluntly that she is “not wanted.” Maleficent retaliates by placing a death sentence on the child to be fulfilled on her sixteenth birthday. In this way, she attempts to take away the procreative success of the king and queen and kill the princess just at the moment when she herself would be about to explore heterosexual courtship."

Similarly, Jafar actively tries to separate Aladdin & Jasmine as opposed to the benevolent campy & queer coded Genie who uses his powers to bring Aladdin & Jasmine together. Of Scar, Griffin writes: "The most obvious gay figure in the film is the villainous lion Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons, who archly portrays a physically weak male who makes up for his lack of sheer strength with catty remarks and invidious plotting. Animated by Deja, the character fairly swishes, disdaining the concept of the heterosexual family in his attempt to usurp the throne for himself." Scar "refuses to support the heterosexual patriarchy that Simba and his father represent" & challenges its dominance by killing the patriarch Mufasa & preventing Simba from gaining his rightful place on the throne with Nala as his queen by his side. Scar is contrasted by Zazu, Timone, & Pumba (all campy & queer coded too) who support Simba's divine right to rule.

So how does Viren "disrupt and frustrate heterosexuality’s dominance" when he himself used to have a wife & has two children? Firstly, he is a divorced single father. While that in of itself does not code him as queer it does preclude him from the ideal patriarchal, heterosexual nuclear family. It also complicates Viren’s status & role within Katolis Castle in relation to King Harrow (a single father himself) & his family. In Callum’s Spellbook, Callum writes “Lord Viren and his children, Claudia and Soren, were kind of like my second family.” Thus, once Queen Sarai dies, Viren becomes the only other quasi parental figure to Callum and Ezran & becomes the closest adult to Harrow living in the castle. Viren is placed in a unique position that is much like a “stepmother”. (I suspect this subtext is one of the reasons why the theory that Viren murdered Sarai persists despite little evidence for it).

If looked through the narrative framework of the evil queen/stepmother trope, Viren and Harrow’s relationship takes on a symbolically queer quality. Viren essentially acts as Harrow’s second “wife” and second “queen”. Their families co-inhabit the castle & Viren has ready access to Harrow’s private rooms and occupies them with familiarity. In their first scene, Viren enters Harrow’s bedroom & wakes him. He is the first-person Harrow sees when he wakes up, symbolic of how a wife would be the first person a husband sees upon waking, or how Sarai used to be the first person Harrow saw.

What really drives home Viren occupying the archetypical role of evil queen/stepmother is how Viren connects with queens in The Dragon Prince itself. In flashbacks, Viren’s story connects him tragically to the queens of Duren who he tried but failed to save & to Queen Sarai who saved him at the cost of her life. He lives, they die. Viren carries out their legacy when he casts the Magma Titan Heart spell & ends the famine. Later in the narrative Viren is challenged by Queen Aanya & the Sunfire queen.

The parallels and connections between Viren and Queen Sarai are the most telling (In addition to the parallels I explore in my other analysis). The first parallel is in their respective first scenes. In her first scene, Sarai stands on a balcony alongside a newly coronated Harrow, looking out at the citizens of Katolis. The King and Queen gaze upon their shared kingdom. Similarly, by the end of Viren’s first scene he too stands on a balcony alongside Harrow as they look out at the land of Katolis, like two co-rulers. 

The second parallel is that both Viren and Sarai pose for portraits with Harrow. Sarai's portrait is an intimate, family portrait but a subtly royal one. They pose on a dais between their respective thrones, clear symbols of royal power. For the second more official portrait, Harrow invites Viren to join in on this expression of royal power by inviting him on to the dais, between the same two thrones. When Sarai leaves the throne room with her children, Viren bows to her then takes up her place beside Harrow (though on the left side as opposed to Sarai being on the right). Viren becomes more than a servant, he visually takes on the role of co-ruler and co-royal, the role of a Queen.

After Harrow’s death Viren further frustrates heterosexual dominance by becoming a usurper. Traditionally, evil queens/stepmothers are framed as usurping the role of queen and mother from the protagonist’s biological, dead mother. When their husbands/kings die, they take sole control & power of their kingdom/household, power that is not "rightfully theirs".

Viren becomes a usurper when he tries to get himself coronated as regent (& later takes the crown in Book 3) and attempts to have the princes assassinated. Furthermore, he tells Soren that he will be next in line and will become king once Viren is dead. Viren is essentially making his children the heirs of Harrow instead of Harrow’s own child with Sarai. He spoils & challenges the concept of heterosexual marriage & family much like many evil queens & figures like Scar & Jafar. It's a rather uncomfortable, potentially homophobic trope if presented at face value with no subversion. This discomfort extends to Viren’s "death".

Disney villains that transgress & disrupt traditional idealizations of gender & sexuality are almost always defeated by young heterosexual love. It is no coincidence that Viren’s “death” has many of the same tropes as Evil Queen deaths. He falls to his death like the Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel. In the face of their deaths Snow White & The Prince ride off into the sunset. Aurora & Prince Philip dance the night away. Rapunzel & Eugene fight off Mother Gothel, save each other & kiss. Similarly, Rayla goes down with Viren off a cliff (just prior Viren was consuming the lifeforce of an innocent baby with the help of Aaravos, with whom he has a coded & charged relationship). Callum saves Rayla by declaring his love & unlocking a new magic flying ability all while Viren plunges to his death. Rayla declares her love too & they share a kiss. Young heterosexual love triumphs yet again.

In most fairy tale media this is the end for the Evil Queen. But The Dragon Prince subverts this by reviving Viren which opens the possibility of a new direction for his character. Ultimately, there's a reason why a sizeable part of the self-proclaimed Viren fandom tend to interpret Viren as bisexual, gay, or queer. His character borrows heavily from a history & tradition of queer coded villainy. Hopefully, this unique queer appeal of Viren is still a part of him & his story in the next seasons.

[just-another-frender-blog]

Do you think that the Hulu revival is going to correct any of the issues that the other seasons had, like the queerbaiting and "Haha Leela and Amy secretly hate each other because they're women!"? I have a liiiittle hope because the cultural landscape has changed so much. Unfortunately, I feel like the writers are a little set in their ways, and some of the fans definitely are. Can you imagine the meltdown if the show outed Bender? (Which would make it even better.)

I personally don't believe that Futurama had any queerbaiting. Like most other Western cartoons in general, I believe it has queer coding with many of its characters. Queerbaiting has a more negative connotation, while queer coding is much more neutral. And it's possible a lot of what I would consider queer coding is on accident, or me reading into things as a queer woman. The main reason I don't think Futurama has any queerbaiting is that it wouldn't make any sense at all. An adult cartoon that came out in 1999 for the more conservative Fox network would not try to market itself toward queer audiences at all. Hell, I would argue that one of the reasons Futurama got canceled back in the early 2000s was because it was too liberal for the network.

I would also like to consider Matt Groening's history as an artist. Before he did The Simpsons, he wrote a comic called Life in Hell. This comic was about funny-looking rabbit creatures, and I believe two of the characters lived as a gay couple (the rabbits cameo a few times in Futurama). Not to mention Smithers in The Simpsons who was clearly meant to be gay back when characters like these weren't portrayed in mainstream media. I just can't believe that they would put queerbaiting into the show with malicious intentions. I have to wonder if he wanted to put more LGBTQ characters into his projects like The Simpsons and Futurama, and was held back by Fox. However, there are a lot of people who worked on both shows, so I can't say for sure.

I don't even think that queer coding has any malicious intentions (for the most part). For example, when Fry acts as though Bender is cheating on him in The Honking, I don't think that the joke is that they are acting like a gay couple. I believe the joke is that Fry's reaction is so out of the left field for the situation at hand, to the point where it circles back as charming. I see this goofy, playful type of queer coding in a lot of cartoons, such as Wander Over Yonder or Looney Tunes Show. It doesn't bother me, but I also respect that it might bother others. The fanservice with Amy and Leela bothers me, but it would bother me less if they had a closer relationship like Fry and Bender. 

I'm not sure if I would say the writers of Futurama are "set in their ways" as much as I would say that aspects of Futurama have aged very poorly due to the time it came out. That's not to say that these aspects shouldn't be criticized at all. I think that it's important to warn people when recommending the show, and it's important to discuss negative portrayals of minorities in fiction. I don't know much about the writers of Futurama so I have no idea what their beliefs are and I also have no clue how much freedom they were given with the show. It's possible that they had the best intentions and they fumbled with certain aspects.

Futurama is over 20 years old and it ended nearly 10 years ago. I think that this is a lot of time for the people who created the show to reflect and grow as writers. And I think every good writer wants to improve their flaws and listen to feedback. I've seen incredibly famous writers state that they could've done better. And then they take strides to improve on their older mistakes. I could definitely see the writers for this show reflecting on the way Amy and Leela's relationship was handled or the trans jokes made in very poor taste. Not to mention, it's very possible that they may bring new writers on board to get a more diverse writing room and a fresh perspective.

I admit that I have a great deal of respect for the writers of Futurama as an aspiring writer myself. Comedy is considered to be one of the most difficult genres to write, and Futurama has some of the tightest writing I've seen on TV. I think that can only be achieved by a great deal of effort and a strong writing team. The dialogue is fantastic; each character has a very distinct voice. I was impressed by the continuity in an episodic format, as well as the complex concepts they executed so well.

I adore how this show is "smart" but it never talks down to its viewers. I like how it can take jabs at itself from time to time without being too overt about it. I've always felt that even through all the dark humor, the heart of this show is kind, and you don't often get to see that with adult cartoons. There were so many instances when I finished an episode of Futurama and thought "I hope I can write like that one day." Maybe this is naïve of me, but I really do think the writers can fix some of the older issues that the show had now that time has passed. And maybe they will want to push for queer representation this time.

As for Bender being portrayed as queer; I definitely would like it if some of the more bigoted fans were pushed away from this show. I have to admit, seeing bigots get something they enjoy taken away from them always fills me with this vengeful glee. I would love it if Bender was confirmed queer; I fully welcome an unhinged and morally dubious queer character. However, the idea of backlash makes me incredibly nervous. This is mainly due to the way I've seen people talk about the LGBTQ community online and in real life, especially recently. I always want more representation in media, but I'm starting to feel worn down and depressed by the constant backlash anything remotely queer (or anything with minorities at all) receives.

[minamotosousuke]

“mitsukou is queerbait” is a sentiment I see a lot when I venture out into the depths of the fandom (yes, reddit, I’m looking at you), and honestly I find that assessment insulting. 

let’s look at the individual characters first, specifically mitsuba. mitsuba is queer- not queer-coded, not implied- it’s pretty damn explicit. the bullying he suffered as a child was due to homophobia, and this is something that can’t really be argued. even if mitsuba did somehow end up being straight, bullying a boy for “being sassy” and “looking like a girl” is rooted in homophobia. but I personally think it’s safe to say that mitsuba defies expectations of gender and sexuality. his response to homophobic bullying wasn’t to make himself more masculine, but to make himself look even more feminine while completely tampering out his personality. one could read him as being interested in nobody at all, due to his rejection of girls... but that isn't the case. even in making a joking jab in his “boys with lame earrings aren’t my type,” he’s implying that there is a boy who is his type. furthermore, we know he “wants to fall in love.” it’s canon. he’s said it. 

mitsuba is queer.  

“queerbaiting” is when a work of media refers to the practice of implying non-heterosexual relationships or attraction to engage or attract an lgbt audience or otherwise generate interest without ever actually depicting such relationships or sexual interactions.

mitsukou being queerbait would have to meet two requirements. first, that kou and mitsuba’s relationship was intentionally made to attract and engage interest, and secondly, that it has never been depicted. 

given how few fans of tbhk ship mitsukou (and the large majority that do being outside of japan), saying that a major chunk of the overall plot was only added to attract lgbt or general interest... is a stretch. 

but the reason mitsukou gets called queerbaiting is due to believing that a genuine romantic interest/relationship has not been depicted in canon, likely due to the fact that in the beginning kou had a “crush” on nene, but honestly it’s mostly due to a refusal to engage with the text on behalf of the audience. 

If mitsuba was a girl, we wouldn’t be in a perpetual debate over how “canon” their relationship is. 

this is where I’d go and show everything that makes mitsukou a real legitimate relationship, but I already know everyone reading this will be a mitsukou shipper. but tsukasa leveraging kou’s feeling’s for mitsuba to mold him into the perfect supernatural is crucial to tsukasa’s plans, and the depth in which mitsuba and kou feel for one another is instrumental to the plot. kind of hard to call that bait... 

[deanismysavior]

Can’t everything that suggests Mike loves Will romantically also just mean he is super close to his best friend in seasons 1 and 2? I’m struggling to see how his actions are definitively romantic. I’m not looking to discount the potential of it being romantic, because I think Byler is a cool idea. I just feel like everything has a strong degree of plausible deniability and his actions in season 3 and 4 could just be him becoming a jerk and/or being in his head about different things, not necessarily being gay. It’s only gay if you read it that way, but I feel like the duffers are reading a different book. Some people really are unusually close to their best friend, especially in 80s media like stand by me

Of course there's always room for deniability when a character has yet to be confirmed queer, I mean Noah had to literally release a statement to the press that Will was gay and in love with Mike for some people to catch on and believe it. While I think Mike's queerness, at least as we see it, is less overt to the audience, there are still key contextual clues that you can pick up on to point you towards this conclusion. Of course close friendships do exist, and I don't think that every close friendship, even if it includes a certain amount of physicality on screen, denotes romantic involvement or attraction, but it's rather the way that this story is highlighted in the context of the rest of the show that implies these scenes romantically. I would agree with you in that season 1 and season 2 certainly display a narrative that could have easily just fallen under close friendship, and I think had that been all we'd been shown, I wouldn't have read anything more into it, but when we then begin to see this relationship heavily parallel and contrast other established romantic relationships in the show, it makes you consider the development of Will and Mike's relationship differently, where it starts crossing into a territory that looks like something more than friendship. Some of the best examples of this are how the fight in the rain in season 3 is framed in this dramatic and romantic way, directly paralleling the imagery from the 2016 TV series Eyewitness, which is about a closeted gay kid (who has a girlfriend) developing a romantic relationship with another guy. This scene also narratively parallels the dramatic fight scene from Brokeback Mountain, but even if the audience were not to be aware of these allusions while watching the scene, it stands in stark contrast to Mike and El's breakup that occurs earlier in the same episode. While El's breaking up with Mike is played off as funny and light-hearted, Mike's fight with Will looks like something more out of the Notebook, and the dramatic framing of this scene makes you really set it apart from Mike's other friendships. We also see more internal parallels within the show that code Mike and Will's scenes together as romantic through their association with other relationships, such as the parallel between the season 4 love confession and the season 2 memory recall that break's Will's connection to the Mind Flayer. We've also seen a lot of music and color theory being used to tie together romantic relationships throughout the show, most notably in season 4, we see the use of [tender, emotional music] being played during scenes only between already established couples, and then Mike and Will. These are just a few of the examples from off the top of my head, but I guess the point here is that we can establish how we, the audience, are meant to interpret these scenes based on the rules the show sets up for itself. If there is consistently positioning, music, imagery, or tone that suggests that is used when establishing romantic couples, if the same structure is used here, I think it tells us a lot about how these scenes are supposed to be read. You could argue that they might use these anyway to show Will's feelings, but we generally don't see this sort of cohesion within the pairings where one side is unrequited. I'll link an additional few analyses down below that I think illustrate this really well, but I hope this helps to answer how subtext is important in these cases.

[azarothsoren]

I noticed you’re a big fan of Del Toro’s Pinocchio cuz I keep seeing you in the tags a lot. Do you have any pairings? And also, what do you think of the following ships: Wood Sprite × Candlewick's mom, Pinocchio × Candlewick, Sebastian × Geppetto, etc. ?

Yeah, I am.

I do have some pairings yes but not among those you listed. But since you asked nicely enough I guess I’ll give my two cents.

Wood Sprite x Candlewick’s mom — I’ve seen a fic of this… I think it’s ok in terms of the age and the fact it’s not connected to weird porn art, but I personally think that Candlewick’s mom, if we have to pair her with a lady, would be best suited with the Dottore’s wife since they’re usually close to one another. That and the latter blushes when she and her “husband” (read: beard) go visit the blacksmith’s.

Pinocchio x Candlewick — this is contentious for me. They’re both ten years old, firstly, and not only that but distinctly Pinocchio doesn’t age in canon terms. Candlewick, if he lives, would age and be a young adult by the time Pinocchio loses all his family. There’s red flag number one.

° Another red flag is that most people don’t age them up when writing romantic fics or ship art, or only Candlewick’s aged up but Pinocchio’s left 10yrs old. Which is yikes? But even then, this ship was spear headed by someone who dabbles in shotacon – you know, one of THOSE people. And another thing, the most “evidence” used to argue for this ship comes from taking a scene where two boys tortured by nazis bond over their father-related issues and trauma — forming a co-dependency, which usually isn’t something healthy romantic relationships have mind you — and the fact they both defend each other (no shit they defend each other. They’re facing the fucking Podestà. Ride or die, quite literal in this case).

° I understand the want of queer fans to see one’s self in certain characters, but if you want an example of queer youth, Luca would probably be a better example… Also not fond of the fact the majority of people who make content of this ship on other platforms lean towards suggestive art. It’s fucked up.

Sebastian x Geppetto — LMAO WHAT? WHERE IS THIS FROM? Is it because they’re both Pinocchio’s dads technically?? Anyway this ship is so bizarre to me. Mainly because of the vast height difference being that Sebastian’s pocket sized, and then the fact Geppetto’s human and Sebastian’s a literal insect. I do support the idea of Sebastian being queer coded, but I’d rather have him being in an mlm ship with another insect and not… a old ass widower…

Also speaking of widower, I ship Geppetto with my own version of Carlo’s mother so with all due respect, I’m too engrossed in the idea of him loving his late wife so much he never truly moved on, hence why his first son’s death hurts harder because he had her features (and Pinocchio’s got her personality). I also ship Sebastian with my own OC so. /shrug/

But if you like these pairings, I guess, more power to you! I personally just have my own thoughts and that is: these pairings don’t spark anything within me, and don’t carry enough logic or true chemistry in terms of romance — platonically, I consider Candlewick and Pinocchio a BROTP and Geppetto and Sebastian make the perfect case of two men raising a child together while having a close bond — to invest myself in shipping them.

(plus my idea of Candlewick is he grows up, gets married, and becomes a better father than his ever was… soooooo)

[spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub]

SO's Bookclub : The Name of the Game was Murder

Title: The Name of the Game was Murder Author: Joan Lowery Nixon Genre: YA Mystery

Goodreads Summary :

Novelist Augustus Trevor has written a manuscript that reveals the darkest secrets of his guests. Whoever can solve Trevor's clues can have his story removed from the book. But when Trevor is bludgeoned to death, the survivors (along with the reader) are challenged to find both the manuscript and the murderer.

Review:

Okay - back to finishing up reading all of Joan Lowery Nixon's canon YA mysteries. (Because I'm close to the end on these.)

So - this particular book holds a special place in my heart. It was my favorite JLN and quite possibly the first one I bought (if it wasn't On The Other Side of Dark - which, who knows, maybe I bought them together). This is the one that I reread the most -- though upon reread, I had shockingly little memory of what it was about.

And I may have to argue this is the best one that I've read so far.

Interestingly, the thing about this book is that, other than our plucky heroine, there really aren't any of our normal JLN tropes here. No one is from Texas, no matriarch with overlaying Christian values, and no love interest. And while I can tell it's of the same ilk as the rest of Nixon's novels, it does stand out at being a smidge better writing than the rest of the novels.

I'm not sure, though, that it's necessarily good? Just better than what's come before it.

The story is one part Agatha Christie, one part Clue, and one part Westing Game (which -- I can see why I was initially drawn in by this one.) However -- all three of the above are much better in quality, and this almost feels generically mundane in comparison.

Sam comes to a secluded island off the coast of California in hopes that her famous uncle (through marriage) will give her writing tips. It's kind of hysterical that a fifteen year old thinks she can bounce in on a nastier GRR Martin and expect to be given the time of day, but this is also a book where Sam is the only one smart enough to even figure out what is going on.

Sam isn't so bad -- especially when compared to most of the other heroines of these books. She's still a bit altruistic at times, and I find it a little hard to believe that she's the smartest person in the room at all times. But there's nothing egregiously bad about her. I think she's a blank enough slate that the reader could probably put themselves in her shoes without too much trouble.

Her uncle, Augustus Trevor, is a complete asshole -- including to his wife Thea (Sam's aunt being her only friend and ally on the island) and is writing a manuscript that he's using to essentially blackmail famous people. He also put a scandalous story in about his own wife. I realize you're supposed to not be upset about this guy's death but honestly, he is a huge creep - and you have to wonder how and why Trevor and Thea were ever married in the first place.

The famous people are a collection of stereotypes usually found in these kinds of things. A fragile, aging movie star. A Danielle Steele type novelist. A fashion designer (whom I was worried would be gay coded - but even though he was the most vicious of the guests, was not at all painted as queer). An older football star. And a senator (whose politics some what remind me of today's politics.) They aren't all that interesting, tbh, and react to things in the exact manner you'd expect. But mostly they're idiots there because the story needs them to be.

The foundation for the mystery is intriguing enough, but maybe now that I'm older and have read so many more (better) mysteries, it feels stale and standard. The clues given you might be able to figure out if you're very clever - but feel like they're stretching. And I wish the backstories of everyone weren't info-dumped a few chapters from the end.

The ending was as abrupt as usual - and while the book mostly hints at who did it, I wish there had been just a little more to go on. And I wish there had a bit more closure.

Just wanted to make a final note about the atmosphere and setting of the book. Now that we're in the 90s, it doesn't have that same dated feeling as the earlier books did. But I have to add there's a hilarious sequence where everyone argues about how little they know and use computers.

Anyway -- I won't be surprised if I walk away with this being her best book. I think I may like A Deadly Game of Magic a little more due to the creepy atmosphere - but this is probably the best written. I suppose that's as close as a recommendation you're going to get for one of these books.

Rating : 3.75 Stars