#queer interpretation

[atomicmonkey1122]

Just watched a video on Jojo and queer interpretations and I totes recommend it.

Even if you don't know anything about Jojo, it does a good job of explaining why the LGBT community may interpret things in media as queer when it may or may not be intended

[badassbutterfly1987]

Okay my thoughts are too scattered to properly formulate it yet but I feel like there's a very valid queer interpretation of the Coldfire trilogy and not just with the Damien/Tarrant subtext. A brief caveat, I'm still on book 1 and know some general spoilers for the rest of the series.

To start with Tarrant: from the prologue we learn that he founded the Unified Church (a religious and political institution), that he at least partly defined their teachings. And what do they do when him being an Adept comes out?

The main religious institution rejects him and condemns him to a very real hell when he's dying (I don't think I need to point out the real-world similarities). Because an inherent aspect of him is revealed, part of his identity that can be hidden or repressed but not removed. And he's immortalized as the Fallen Prophet.

Then roughly 900 years later, we get Damian, who doesn't view the two aspects of himself as irreconcilable. Who doesn't reject this part of him (even if he's wary of elements of the fae) and encourages other Church members to accept it as well, attempting to fix the division from the inside.

Unlike with Tarrant, the Church is a little more open to it this time, at least the Western half is. They set up an experiment that at least one of his superiors (who is suggested to be an Adept himself but one who has firmly repressed it) expects him to fail. If Damian is unable to perform satisfactorly then that's going to limit the unification attempt if the Church continues to treat a specific group as The Enemy.

And then these two form a genuine relationship with each other that's filled with subtext. And I think in book 2 or 3 Damian prioritizes dragging Tarrant out of hell over religious teachings that would say that's justice (which it arguably is for his other atrocities).

[cursed-man-prayers]

i’ll never get over how one of the last low-key surprise performances taylor has done (at least to my knowledge) was singing King Of My Heart for the engagement of a gay couple.

the video was uploaded by the couple in february 2019, shortly before the phase-in of the Lover era, the era that became her ally era (instead of her coming out era, depending on who you ask). and like

i don’t think the performance is proof that KOMH is a gay song (there’s other reasons for that). but it is strong proof that taylor doesn’t give a shit if people view her songs through a queer lens. she (fucking obviously) doesn’t think gay interpretations of her songs are “gross.”

by 2019, taylor wasn’t doing these kinds of performances frequently. and like, in the video, when people ask if it’s okay to film, she’s like “oh yeah, okay i guess” like it’s obviously not a publicity stunt. it’s this beautiful gift she gave to a queer couple in an era where that didn’t happen very often (esp post-2016).

anyway that little performance makes me cry and taylor loves gay people and taylor is a gay people

[rashenditrash]

Friendly reminder that queer-baiting is when creators use queer tropes, markers, or subtext to attract queer fans without actually providing any representation. So if I have two very flirty same sex leads who fall into queer archetypes, but never go so far that the creator can't dial things back and say "no they were always straight, you silly fans are crazy for thinking otherwise", and then end up in exclusively heterosexual romantic pairings in canon - that's queerbaiting. It's the exploitation of the queer community's desire to see people like themselves in media, without any payoff. It's gas lighting fans by making them think they are crazy for picking up on subtext that was specifically meant to market an otherwise cis-het show to a queer audience.

A character that is canonically bisexual is not queer bait - in that case the creators are making good on their promise of queer representation.

The personal lives of actors and public figures have nothing to do with queer baiting, because people aren't creations designed to attract specific audiences.

Hope this helps anyone who is confused.

[fictionalaroace]

Tolerate It is about Allos devaluing and being unappreciative of their Aro friends' platonic love for them I don't make the rules

[ethereal-ocean-eyes]

Why Question…? Could be about a Woman (Part 2 of Midnights Lyrics Queer Analysis)

Some people may think that this song does not have any hint of gay in it. I mean, the song starts with the line, “good girl, sad boy” and anyone will immediately think that this song is about a straight couple. I don’t blame them. The first line does give that impression. However, further along, I realised that this song can have a different interpretation. The focus of this analysis is the chorus.

There are two ways to interpret it. The first one where Taylor is asking another person about a specific experience they both shared. She’s asking whether this person is thinking about this the same way she does. It seems as if by asking, Taylor is evoking this person to reminisce on this memory. She includes specific details and moments but she knows the answer to these things already. She ends the chorus with what seems to be a playful and teasing line “it’s just a question”, as if retracting from her act of inquiring.

The second way we can interpret this chorus is that she could be talking to another person and asking them if this experience also happened to them. She is having a conversation with this person but this person is not the one she kissed or had that memory with. Analysing it this way allows for a queer perspective because Taylor is essentially asking someone if they ever had this experience with a woman before.

We can also think about who she’s speaking with. I assume she’s speaking with a man and perhaps they both struggle with being queer. In the line:

“It was one drink after another

Fuckin' politics and gender roles

And you're not sure and I don't know

Got swept away in the gray”

It seems as if being queer is something they’ve talked about before. These lines seem to be self explanatory. Their drunk (or not) conversations seem to revolve around political and social issues, specifically gender roles, in which she concretely states that the other person is unsure about it, and she herself doesn’t know. “Got swept away in the gray” can be interpreted as her not making her mind up about it. Gray here can have different connotations such as sadness, compromise, and perhaps being in the middle where she doesn’t have to immediately pick a side.

Now I said that she might be speaking with a man. How am I convinced of this you ask?

In the line “And what's that that I heard, that you're still with her? That's nice, I'm sure that's what's suitable and right” seems as if it’s hinting to an idea that this man chose to conform to heteronormative values, like dating a woman because it is what’s suitable and right.

I hope this interpretation has opened up a new perspective for you! Feel free to believe anything you want right after.

[genderfluidcrowley]

sitting in my room and crying over my own queer interpretation of Doctor Sleep (2019)

[brainrotarchive]

my brother thought fleabag and boo were lesbian lovers and he's actually right, no notes

[hajimedics]

A BEAUTIFUL MARRIAGE WITH NO DIVORCE

[bixels]

The Ryoko Kui interview's reception is such a disaster over a pretty normal (yet still flawed) interview between a non-Japanese fan and Japanese artistic. This is discourse for discourse's sake, and it's no surprise that almost every Twitter user I've looked at who's using this interview to parade Kui around as a goated mangaka standing strong against Western ideology is anti-trans.

Like, I do think the interview was kinda wonky with its focus on fandom culture, which Kui clearly didn't have much interest in. But sometimes that happens. Sometimes interactions between two people, especially a fan and a creator, two people who view and interact with a piece of media in completely opposite perspectives, don't click. Does this really need to get blown up into a "West vs. East culture war" issue.

Anyways, Kui saying "I don't consider my audience's interpretations when writing. I leave it to their imaginations, but I have my own read on things too" is the healthiest, most normal thing an artist/writer who wants a non-parasocial audience could say. Artists and writers use this line all the time. If Kui didn't enjoy autistic Laius or Farcille headcanons, she would have probably voiced/signalled her discomfort, like she did on the topic of Senshi fanservice. Overall, Kui handled the interview really well. Props to her to sticking to her guns and keeping a healthy disconnect from the fandom. While I think the interviewer could've/should've been more tactful and restrained, the flaws in their questions is not a symptom of the woke mind virus trying to wriggle its way into the pure Japanese psyche. It's the sign of an over-eager fan who sees a piece of fiction differently than its creator.

[uncanny-tranny]

Periodic reminder that unless a person specifically and clearly tells you it is okay to tell others they are trans or queer, you should err on the side of caution and assume they do not want you to tell people (especially random people!) about their transness or queerness.

You have no idea, generally, why somebody doesn't talk openly about their trans or queer status, and you have no idea, truly, how somebody might react to that information. The most progressive person out there is still capable of harbouring incredibly negative thoughts about somebody's queer status.

[whaliiwatching]

one in a million admirers…

based on ofc this prompt

[montypng]

binary stars

[angel-archivist]

I steal a few breaths from the world for a minute And then I'll be nothing forever And all of my memories And all of the things I have seen will be gone With my eyes, with my body, with me

[kkoct-ik]

character design so good i somehow pulled out a fullbody

[foolishlovers]

something something about finding a community in the good omens fandom that celebrates queerness in so many forms, something about finding yourself in characters on screen that teenage you never thought would see the day, something about sharing this experience with people who are just as moved by the queer love story about an angel and a demon, something about the significance and impact of that story that isn’t just fictional