#representation is representation

[sanriopupwife]

Hey, people are allowed to enjoy something that's bad representation, by the way. Even if it's flawed or even fucked up. People are allowed to see themselves in that representation. You understand that, right? It's important to me that you understand that.

[chestersbraincell]

Piping hot take(like seriously I hope I don’t get death threats for this): as much as I’m aware of the issues behind Jack Black playing Steve(ie whitewashing, Jack’s world-views/him generally as a person), it IS kinda nice to have a fat person be one of the main and most iconic characters in a movie for once

But alas it would be even greater if a plus size POC individual played him instead :(

[girl4music]

You know what? Rather than saying Xena and Gabrielle aren’t textually canon I should just say they’re a romantic friendship or platonic romance. Because - evidently - I see and interpret them as very canon. And yes, sometimes even in a textually written way. But it seems to confuse people when I try to explain that they are an EPIC well-written romance/love story when I follow it up with “even though they’re not textually canon”. And I could understand how that would be confusing if I had never seen the TV show. And many people seem to be familiar with what “romantic friendship” or “platonic romance” is and I’d definitely say Xena and Gabrielle come under that. I mean they do have an amazing relationship and it can be interpreted as platonic just as much as it can be interpreted as romantic. They do always seem to refer to each other as best friends only in a public setting. They never say they’re lovers or are in love. They never have to. It’s written on their faces as clear as day. In just the way they are with each other you can tell that they are. It’s incredibly obvious and beautifully nuanced. But since it’s not confirmed in the show that they’re anything more than best friends,… I think “romantic friendship” or “platonic romance” works. And for me - that a very respectful and affectionate way of understanding and defining their relationship.

So yeah,

They’re romantic friendship or platonic romance. Very much canon to the fans, the creators, and the cast. But couldn’t be confirmed as a textually canon couple because of the severe censorship and restriction for the production and the final cuts for each episode. I mean there is a script where they outed them after all. It just couldn’t be allowed to see the light of day. I’m pretty freaking sure Steven L. Sears has it though and one of these days I will beg him to let me see it just for all time sake. Just to read how they actually were going to shoot that episode before NBC made them rework it. And there was also the Sappho musical episode that never made it to production either although you can find that script and it’s… alright… I guess. Plays like a piece of rushed-written femslash fanfiction but it’s decent. I’ve certainly read worse.

Oh, that’s another thing I forgot to mention in my last post. They were so serious about being in solidarity with the fans about Xena and Gabrielle that they actually commissioned actual FANFICTION writers to write episodes for the show that did make it passed the Final Cut. One of them is actually one of the best episodes of the entire show. Not just because of the representation provided but it’s genuinely a good story. But I’ve waxed poetic about ‘When Fates Collide’ enough (I’ll never wax poetic about it enough).

But yeah - that was something no show with a “non-canon” main protagonist relationship has ever done. Brought in fanfiction writers - actual shippers - and told them “write us a Xena and Gabrielle love story”. That was a big deal and proved just how serious they were about them seeing their relationship as canon.

[perplexedjokist]

★ : about quicksilver or at least when I post about him : ( long-ish post !! )

I do tag all of my pietro posts with movie and comic version because I do see them as the same person because to me they are, for clarification I do and will forever see him as romani and jewish.

★ : for me the movie version is just incomplete because they didn't get the rights and I'm okay with that, I'm used to it and in my head and he's still romani, it's just an interpretation and I take it as that

I've read comics and I see both of them as the same ethnicity, personality, ect. despite the fact I have spoken out (not here) about character interpretation and how it can muddy a character for people;

★ : that being said, I'm not one of those people because that's just not how I work, as a summary - quicksilver to me, movie version or comic or whatever is always romani and jewish, just wanted to say so comic only people don't think I'm weird or dumb or something I guess

[lucyyygg]

not to contribute 911 ship disk horse but it's weird to beg for a character to be confirmed queer for years but disregard and attack the show for it because it didn't happen exactly with who you wanted how you wanted it to

[thousandyearphantombunker]

If you want to fight for representation maybe don't fucking antagonize artists/writers who fight for it because "it's not good enough!"

Entitled people with ridiculous bullshit expectations like this hold back representation so much

Like I could throw all that criticism toward Legend Of Korra and Steven Universe back at TOH and other shows like it when it comes to disabled representation- "its only coding! It's not outright stated! Eda's curse turns her into a monster! Wahhh" I've stated I don't like how TOH handled disability but I'm so happy it exists because hopefully we'll open up more story telling that explores disability through the perspective of disabled characters themselves rather than a bunch of able bodied neurotypical people writing/regurgitating the same inspiration porn bullshit

I'm not saying we can't criticize these shows (SU and LoK have issues that deserve to be discussed) but creators working on them fought so hard just to get moments like Korra and Asami getting together, for the first lesbian wedding on a children's show. New shows get to flex that they have these characters because other shows like Legend of Korra punched through barriers to give them space- they didn't have space so they made some! You can criticize SU and LoK like I said- SU has serious issues with Filler and some botched ass morals and LoK could be shallow in some parts but if you try and flex on them because new shows have an easier time with gay representation your a fucking idiot- your new shows wouldn't exist without these ones

But no. It's never blunt/explicit enough, it's too problematic because xyz', it's not representing every single facet of our experiences so it must be bad.

Also the gems being nonbinary/genderless just adds another layer to LGBT representation

Are y'all gonna attack TOH because Raine is nonbinary and their relationship with Eda "doesn't count"

I'm done being polite. You can criticize rep and call out harmful things in fiction without erasing the importance of these stories

Steven Universe: Eh, I don't really feel like saying "girlfriend" or "wife". Maybe they're together. They have a special connection...

(gets violently shoved aside)

The Loud House/Craig of the Creek/The Owl House: Pfft, amateur. "My GIRLFRIEND Sam and I..." "I'm texting my GIRLFRIEND, mind your business." "Luz's new GF showed her..."

[saszor]

[ID in alt]

Tutorial on drawing characters/OCs who have some sort of facial paralysis. It doesn't cover all possible variants because I was using mirror as my main reference lawl

Keep in mind that this is an introductory drawing tutorial and has some generalizations in it, so not every “X is Z” statement will be true for Actual People 👍

Consider supporting me on ko-fi if you find this to be helpful.

[hamletthedane]

Thinking about him (the soldier in Poynter’s Faithful Until Death painting watching an apocalypse unfold around him with horror in his eyes as he tries to keep himself standing beneath a doorway, based on an actual 19th century archeological find of a man in full soldier’s garb under a doorway at Pompeii)

[dionysus-complex]

look I know it’s supposed to be a joke but that “irradiated wasteland” is the unceded homeland of the Paiute and Shoshone peoples and consists of fragile Mojave and Great Basin desert ecosystems that are actively being exploited and destroyed by mining interests who utilize the perception of desert as wasteland to justify their destruction of indigenous lands and communities. the joke's not funny. fuck off with this.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

kinda hard to take it seriously people complaining about "toxic yuri" this, "toxic yaoi" that. i grew up on toxic comp het; in my day we called them "cartoon sitcoms"

[abigails-ear]

Only been watching The Pitt for a few days but Mel King is THE best autistic character ever written in a medical drama. She doesn't "make connections no one else can" or "just see things differently" or any other Savant with Special Abilities stereotypical bullshit, she's a resident physician who's exactly as intelligent and capable as any other resident physician in the same year. She hates unnecessary yelling because it's loud and annoying, not because she's completely incapable of handling conflict. She usually keeps her stimming subtle enough to hide but sometimes she can't. She loves having a furry critter to pet. She accommodates an autistic patient by lowering the lights and closing the doors because she understands the sensory nightmare of an active medical setting. She speaks in a straightforward and honest way but she isn't an overtly rude inconsiderate asshole. She misses some jokes and takes things too literally on occasion but she does have a sense of humor and she is funny. She speaks up against misinformation and parent panic about autism and other developmental disabilities. She has emotions. She looks at a video of a lava lamp on her phone to chill. Doctor Mel King you have my entire heart

[girlsloveupdates]

Western lesbian representation is so bad. It’s either the series gets cancelled, a character dies, they don’t get screentime, or the storyline only focuses on the homophobia they face.

Meanwhile in Thai GL, there have been over 30 series announced in 2025 alone. And let me tell you, there’s something for everybody. Childhood best friends to lovers, period drama lesbians, boss x employee trope, space lesbians, multiple couples and love triangles, mafia action lesbians, idol x bodyguard trope, lesbian with powers to control time, prisoner lesbians, black cat x golden retriever trope, crime-solving lesbians, messy sapphic friend groups who are all in love with each other, high-school sweetheart fluff, weddings, happy endings and so much more. And this is just the beginning. There will be many more great series to come in the future.

The only thing that’s stopping more western people from watching is because of subtitles. Which is such a pity because these people say “there’s no good lesbian representation”, but there is. You just have to be better at looking for it. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment anymore, don’t watch something for the bare minimum representation.

As Bong Joon Ho once said:

[spacebubblehomebase]

Crazy how the person you've been following for Team Rocket memes suddenly reached for the stars. But to celebrate another artist's success, I present to you another AU! Because we need more of those in this new fandom and I like the cliché trope of a traitor love interest. XD Though I admit this small doodle idea got way out of hand. Still, do you see the vision??? (🌕v🌕) -Bubbly💙

[annabelle--cane]

her pronouns are HE/HIM

[wolfythewitch]

👁️