#she's the token heterosexual of the teens

[neuronary]

okay so it's like. a solid five months post-russians and dustin just will not shut the fuck up about how steve and robin would make such a great couple, dude.

which. like. steve gets it, because he guesses that, yes, from dustin's perspective it is kind of weird that they're not a thing. and a solid 50% of hawkins high thinks they're dating at this point anyway. (robin says he can't blame his lack of game on that but robin is also full of shit.) but the thing is is that whenever dustin brings this up it's, like, a mild annoyance for steve at best, right? kind of bullshit that his kid brother the kid he babysits is trying to give him dating advice so he can win over his lesbian best friend, but not such a big deal. the problem is that eventually he gives up on steve and starts saying that shit to robin. and it gets to her. steve doesn't totally get why, exactly, but he can imagine that it must suck when people keep reminding you that they expect you to be fundamentally different to the way that you are. (maybe he doesn't exactly have to imagine, given his parents', y'know. everything.) it doesn’t really matter why, anyway, because it really, really bothers her and that bothers steve because she gets enough shit from hawkins-at-large for dressing a little weird and being a little hyper sometimes as it is. but no matter what he does or says dustin will not shut the fuck up about it. and it all comes to a head when he’s wheedling, again, like he thinks he can get them together by annoying them into it, and robin has had a shitty enough day already because ms. forst won't get off her dick about her math scores and her mom won’t get off her dick about her clothes and steve knows for a fact that she got barely three hours of sleep last night. so when she slumps lower into her seat, she looks so completely miserable that steve just snaps and yells because i'm gay!

you could hear a fucking pin drop, during the split second where all three of them are trying to process what exactly the fuck steve just said. then dustin starts yelling and steve and robin both start panicking and steve has to pull over because he's pretty sure he's gonna hit a tree otherwise because why the fuck did he say that. and henderson is talking a mile a minute asking questions like how did you give me such good advice about girls and how long did you know and what about nancy and steve can feel his chest getting tight as he whiteknuckles the steering wheel and robin makes an aborted gesture of some kind and dustin, for the first time in two years, stops talking. steve sort of feels like he's going to be sick as he grits out an it's complicated as a sort of catch-all answer to dustin’s numerous questions. and then a pair of arms wrap around the seat and his chest and he can feel dustin's hair tickling against his shoulder and steve is man enough to admit that his eyes aren't dry when the kid goes you're still my friend. you know that, right, steve?

and steve’s stupid broken brain chooses that exact moment to give him a spasm and his head knocks into dustin’s as his neck jerks and his arm flies out and nearly hits robin in the face. (nice reflexes, buckley.) and that sets them all off laughing so hard that the whole accidental-fake-coming-out thing gets ignored for another ten minutes. until robin grabs dustin’s wrist before he climbs out of the car and says, urgently, you know you can’t tell anyone about steve, right? and henderson says yeah and robin says no i mean anyone, midget. you can’t breathe a word, okay? and steve is wide-eyed as she holds dustin in place and says, intense like he’s only ever seen her once before, not any of your little friends, and especially not wheeler. junior or especially especially senior, got it? and steve just barely bites back the same question as dustin: why especially not nancy?

so robin brings up some points about steve’s ex-girlfriend that explain why robin has resisted steve’s attempts to get them to make friends: 

nancy wheeler is steve’s ex-girlfriend. 

nancy wheeler’s parents voted, very enthusiastically, for ronald reagan. 

nancy wheeler owns multiple guns.

she’d never do the thing that robin is implying, steve knows that. he says that, but pretty weakly, because the truth is however certain he can be that nancy wouldn’t shoot him, he can’t say she would be... okay. with him. with robin, he has to correct himself inside his head. he’s not gay, he’s just covering for robin. he’s being a good friend.

[hoardlikegoldenirises]

more self-indulgence!!

one part headcanons one part this is just how they are in my AU probably—uh... watching a parade? idk actually. i just. drew them.

because... i felt like it.... there are still missing characters because spider-man has five million supporting characters which is truly both a blessing and a curse (also like, i didn't include any foes or villains lmao but rest assured at least two of peter's rogues are queer...)

i decided this is like 2019 or something for?? no real reason other than i guess a lot of the adults finally being out or whatever... idk... that would make peter and his friends around 30-32 on average (well no felicia would be like 34) so still youngish but also definitely Adults™...

the kids are meant to be late teens early 20s but drawing that very specific age group is like, way difficult... also all the youths are short compared to peter's friend group of exclusively 5'9" to 6' people XD (well gwen and harry are shorter so i guess it's fine XD)

some of these are more firm than others. like. should randy be straight? i dunno. is aunt may straight or are all the alive parkers bisexual lmao? idk. what about literally all of the teenagers except andi? i have no clue and a lot of the stuff with them is waaaay later and I am not anywhere close to, so i just put them all in rainbows cause why not! but i do think janine is a token heterosexual in this instance lmao—see, not ALL of my AU versions of characters are queer, just most of them

also i'm going to put a few close-ups/crops below the cut just because it's hard to see them in the lineup without zooming in or w/e

obviously felicia and peter are bisexual and flash is... probably also bi? but i'm really still not sure... but she is trans :) and they're probably poly together but even after writing man-spider i'm genuinely... not actually sure if felicia is peter and flash's girlfriend or not 😂 they've got SOMETHING going on with the three of them but what it is, idk... i think peter is definitely polyamorous regardless, it's just a question of whether their relationship is or not.

red and blue hearts on peter's cheek technically poly but double as spider-man LMAO—plus earplugs cause pride is loud…

obviously felicia's also into leather and bdsm and stuff (and so is peter...) so i included some little hints of that... but didn't bother including any of the kink flags cause there's only so much i can fit tbh a collar works well enough.

i made his tie teal satin because of the teal ribbon for sexual assault awareness. but just a hint, cause i don't think he would be comfortable being public about that. he's out and proud as a bi jewish dude with a trans wife but he's really not out about being a survivor to anyone except a few very close and trusted friends/family. similar for kaine. so a teal necktie is just something for him. he's been through a lot in his life but he's happy 🙂

anyway i think i made flash's hair shorter than it's supposed to be here but it's fine, maybe she got a trim or something

supportive aunts!! i already established like 3 years ago or something in some offhand line that MJ's aunt is an Eccentric Lesbian (huh wonder where she got that from—) so i'm sticking with the lesbian spinster aunt there. I don't know about Aunt May though. I always kind of waffled there on whether she's like straight, or bi... cause I like the thought of old ladies in love. I think maybe they have some kind of queerplatonic thing going on or something... either way she is proud of her boy :>

MJ I never know so I just go with the umbrella—she's Queer. What kind? Gender? Sexuality? Yes, (relatable)

What matters is that she is always Glamorous.

i don't have any deep reason for making Glory bi, i just thought it would be fun, and also cause I like Glory/MJ... they are so fun... they compliment each other so much... I know that can be a just straight gal pals thing but listen, i like it

Gwen is the lesbian who's a teeny tiny bit bisexual but mostly into women. Also: not dead. lmao.

Harry is 100% gay (and divorced) but I still don't know when/if he ever comes out. Liz will def be out as a lesbian by the late 20-teens though cause I think she starts exploring her sexuality w/in 3-4 years after she and harry get divorced... also cause i thought it would be funny if liz and lily (who i did not draw) hooked up LOL

i didn't draw the babies because i ran out of steam for that but they would be... what... i think normie might actually be in like 5th grade or something at this point now that i think about it... stanley would be like... 5 though

Hobie is bisexual almost entirely because when I read the newspaper strip and the prowler showed up, he and Peter were giving me Flirtation Vibes so he is bi, and also punk because I enjoy the aesthetic Spider-Punk has going on, so even though that's not going to be a thing in this universe, I still like to make some little nods to it. also it just feels like a fun combo. he's a kind of alt guy, he's not very straight, he's not very normal, he's had issues in his life trying to figure out who he wants to be... it feels like it just fits well... i like it

he gets MORE punk AFTER college and shaves half his head etc. (instead of having his twist-out), which is funny to me but you know, it takes time to figure shit out sometimes... i didn't draw his girlfriend Mindy (wife? idk if/when they get married in this AU...) cause like i said, omg, so many people to draw... also idk if she's like, straight or what. probably? there's gotta be SOME straight people XD how does she feel about hobie's fro-hawk...? hmm

ah, cain and abel ben (and janine)

Ben is bisexual... like Peter. They both prefer women to some extent, but they have slightly different tastes (...well maybe not SO different) and Ben is more uh, subby? LOL—at least with Janine. Switchy. Unlike Peter, Ben has/had? a crush on Robbie LMAO but that's more of a like, mentor/mentee admiration kind of thing... not like a "i wanna make out with you" situation. Robbie is far too old for him. and also happily married.

In my notes I have that Ben was ofc also abused by Warren but a lot of his was medical and psychological (some physical as well), but... i would think there is an undercurrent of medical sexual abuse there nonetheless esp as much of this w/ warren hinges on sexual power dynamics and control, but i won't get into that here as it's partly still being developed and I don't want to get TOO heavy on this post lol

Kaine is, like I mentioned, a little complex and i'm not 100% sure about (also aracely painted his nails) I think that he's ~bi/pan in general? but maybe not? could be only into men? or not into anyone at all. but the thing about Kaine in this universe is that he's got a difficult relationship with sex and sexuality because of what he was put through by Warren, so while I don't necessarily think he's asexual I do think in this universe he's a little bit sex-averse or sex-repulsed and has a difficult time dealing with that stuff. He also just really desperately wants to be loved and he doesn't care who as long as it's someone, which is toxic in a lot of ways i think... being around Aracely would imo help him a lot in coming to terms with having like, normal, platonic, non-sexual, non-romantic, healthy (or at least healthier) interpersonal relationships, and understanding things like that... idk where he's at by 2019 though, mental health-wise... but yeah i wasn't really sure what colors or patterns to put on his clothes so i went with the dark purple and gray tones since they are the kind of common recurring colors on a lot of ace-spec flags including repulsion and related stuff.

as a sidenote as someone who has a kind of aro and ??? relationship w/ my own bisexuality etc. (idk if i consider myself ace necessarily but it's not totally irrelevant) i also don't want to like, Just Make Him Ace because trauma (but obv betty is aro at least) cause it's not that simple etc etc etc but also there absolutely are people who consider themselves asexual from trauma or for whom it's informed by trauma (though trauma would inform any aspect of interpersonal relationships, of course, and for kaine it does)... idk idk kaine is always like, much to think about for me. He's def not like... "normal" in the eyes of cishet patriarchal culturally christian society. I mean he's disabled for one thing,

ofc peter has many similar traumas esp after meeting kaine and HE'S def not asexual (though peter is also disabled)

idk idk i am always thinking about it and never quite sure. kaine has a very complex and largely negative relationship with his body.

i was also considering genetic mosaicism (46,XY/47,XXY) but i did not include any intersex colors etc. because a lot of this wasn't fully hammered out yet when i drew this. I think Kaine is probably intersex though. It's not necessarily obvious to anyone who looks at him, but it's also not something that comes as a huge surprise to him.

obvs the tiny hint of a teal ribbon is the same as for Peter, sexual assault/abuse awareness, and it's small and easily hidden. probably was given to him by someone trying to be supportive (ben and janine maybe? idk)—i mean ALL of it is from other people really. the sticker on the noise cancelling headphones? def from Aracely or someone else. his presence in the first place? dragged out of the house by a 19 year old girl. he didn't even have time to do his hair and he would rather be drinking coffee in a dark room alone :/

Anyway, Janine. Less complicated.

I decided at some point Janine is straight (but not narrow, as they say) so she gets an ally shirt lol. Like Peter and Kaine, I put her in some teal including a little ribbon bow on some satin ballet flats—obviously her history as a sexual abuse survivor etc. is very, very public in contrast to peter and kaine (and arguably ben, though i don't think he necessarily conceptualizes his abuse by warren in the same way, in part because it was very medicalized) but... it's not like she would want to draw a lot of attention to that. but i also do just like teal so i think it looks nice.

like those are just genuinely cute shoes 😂 but also it's to tie it all together.

the kids, the teens, the youths,

i really don't... feel like i know enough about them to figure out sexualities or if any genders are involved, and I'm a million years away from including them in any fics so a lot of that stuff simply has not been built out right now cause finer details aren't relevant to me yet (like. i'm in 2007 rn? miles is like... 8. lmao), so I just put them in some fun rainbow-y stuff. teens like going to pride and wearing rainbows right??? i mean i did.

i'm SURE miles and ganke have got something going on i just don't know What Exactly. nerdy friends...? nerdy boyfriends?? something else??? miles is wearing a tracksuit to hide his spider-man costume lol.

aracely is an enigma, i don't think anyone knows what's going on with her tbh. she is there to have candy thrown at her. she seems to like boys at least a little though.

i actually do know what's up with Andi cause she's actually supposed to first appear in 200...8? when she's like. 10. she is trans, and she is also why Flash was able to accept herself more and also why Flash transitioned. Flash wanted to be a good role model to help Andi feel good about herself and to not make her feel like there was something wrong with her, and then later re: transitioning, Flash saw how happy Andi was and wanted to also... be happy like that even though she was scared. and Andi herself really was (will be, idk i never know what tense to use for this stuff) helped a lot by Flash trying to self-improve, by having a supportive babysitter, and a dad who loves her, and so on and so forth... makes a big difference!

Andi and Flash are kind of intentional contrasts here in that, where Flash took until her late 20s to really fully be able to accept herself, Andi is the kid who goes on puberty blockers in high school and knew right away she wasn't what everyone said she was. (Flash had like, hints of that, but really didn't even realize until around ~19 years old and wasn't able to act on it for like... 9 years whereas Andi just really got motoring lol)

also Andi is a lesbian 💖

As far as Betty! I wasn't sure about her at first but I was chatting with Kita and I was like, thinking about her relationships and stuff and thinking, you know, she seems kinda aro... and then i was like... I can just do that. If I want. So I did. so now Betty is aromantic (at least, in my little alternate universe) and ALSO bisexual 😂 Peter's social circle is just a bunch of quirky bisexuals. bi4bi4bi

also dolled the fuck up. Betty said "overdressed? i don't know her. a pearl necklace goes with everything." (...😜)

I also am not sure about Randy (he also just has not come up yet i guess...) but I was thinking, you know, IDK, maybe he's straight as well. two whole straight people. i know he's dated a couple of girls in 616 (...i mean... so have most of the male characters lol) including like, Norah... but I'm not 100% sure what I would do there. I did end up making him a little bit of a hipster 😂 he's probably like... heteroflexible or smth... 🤔

Maybe Randy is ALSO bisexual??? or queer of some flavor.............. at least seems to KNOW about community stuff

idek what the hell is going on with these four but Robbie and JJJ sure do run a bisexual-ass newspaper (...well now that i think about it peter doesn't technically work for them anymore by 2019 but i'm sure he drops the occasional photo) (still a lot of bisexuals)

jk jk there are plenty of other employees of presumably various sexualities including straight ones AND gay ones (probably?) but like, betty, glory, ben and peter are all bi here which struck me as amusing. Two 60-something year old men supportive by way of having a bunch of homos working at their newspaper. Also because it's funny to me to have Jameson be actually very chill about The Queers. something something "you don't tell me what to do in my private life, and i don't tell you what to do in yours!"

anyway that's it. have a gay day 🌈

[englishknightsky]

Random South Park Headcanons

- Kyle took Cartman to see Jojo Rabbit and Cartman started crying before Kyle.

- Craig names all of his guinea pigs Stripe because when he was younger he walked in on his mom cleaning out Stripe #1's cage and she had to very awkwardly explain 1. death in general 2. that she accidentally stood on Stripe and 3. that she was going to replace Stripe with an identical guinea pig and hope Craig wouldn't notice, Craig offered to call the new guinea pig Stripe anyway, so Laura wouldn't technically be lying to him

- Clyde kisses his homies goodnight and tells them he loves them. Sometimes he goes out of his way to assert his heterosexuality while also loving his homies, but the guys don't mind.

- Butters is the youngest in class and the rest of the class treat him like their little brother. Nobody can pick on him but them.

- Tweek was a teen pregnancy and sickly methbaby and feels a lot of shame about it, even though nobody but Craig knows. The Tweaks don't have any baby pictures of him to keep up the facade of a normal family. Craig tries his best to forget the 'Crack Baby Athletics Association' and feels really, really guilty.

- Timmy lets just about anyone sit in his lap and ride around with him, except for Cartman. Similarly, Jimmy will let his close friends play with his crutches as long as they're careful with them. He has spares, just in case Clyde accidentally flings one through a window, but he keeps that a secret.

- Damien and Pip spend a lot of time together at the cinema, even after Pip dies. They like to sit right at the back and eat popcorn they didn't pay for in seats they also didn't pay for.

- Kenny knows what the delicious flavour packet in beef jerky tastes like, but refuses to tell anyone.

- Cartman absolutely hates Neo-Nazis and Holocaust Deniers.

- Stan's really good at poetry and songwriting, sometimes his metaphors go over his friends' heads, but the Goth Kids always understand his intentions.

- For the kids' senior prank they decided to burn down the school, it was incredibly well planned out and executed, and nobody got hurt or arrested. People called it a freak accident and the kids pretended to be sad that their "actual" prank was destroyed in the fire. They also set off a number of smaller group pranks during the week up to the main event, like releasing three calves into the hallways labelled #1, #2, and #4.

- Mr. Mackey can pretend all he wants that the kids were nothing but trouble and he's glad they're gone, but he cries the hardest during their graduation.

- Damien's phone number is 666-6666-666, it rings at all hours of the day and it drives him crazy. He threatens most people who call him with curses, but never actually curses anyone because he's lazy.

- Damien can also be summoned by saying his name in a mirror three times, but thankfully nobody's figured that one out yet.

- Tweek has a reputation for being unreliable but he's the only person everyone trusts with carrying spare meds. He keeps a big medkit on hand at all times that's full of his friend's medications.

- Stan keeps sneaking stray animals into his bedroom. All cats go to Cartman and all mice and rats go to Kenny.

- Kenny has been officially banned from the weekly sex ed classes, he had to sign a contract to never go near the classroom or share his experiences again. Several people are in therapy after listening to his stories.

- Ike kept the Newfoundland he rode in Splatty Tomato, his name is Tiny and he only behaves for Ike.

- Craig, Clyde, Token, Jimmy and Tweek have completed all the Just Dance games as a team.

- Damien and Pip are the source of all ouija board activity in South Park. Other spirits and ghosts and angels and demons are around, it's just that Damien loves playing with the boards.

- Tweek's signed his name as Tweek Tucker multiple times. Craig hasn't mixed up his surname, but he has been caught doodling hearts with 'C + T' in them in the margins of his books.

- Scott and Jimmy are gym bros. Jimmy appreciates that Scott finds every joke he tells funny, even if he's already heard it.

- Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave run the yearly pride festival with the help of Craig, Tweek, and their highschool LGBT club.

- Stripe recognises his daddies by scent, Craig smells like cheetos and Tweek smells like coffee.

[casually-slips-into-coma]

An Essay (sort of) Explaining the Many Grievances I Have With Debbie Gallagher

Once again, Debbie is the fucking worst.

I’ve been wanting to write out my feelings towards her character for a fucking minute now just so that I have a full concise list. Now, I can talk about how Debbie has a constant need for attention, or how her character has become someone unrecognizable in the past few seasons, or how she’s a terrible mother, but what I really want to focus on is the center of my issues with her: her sexuality. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about to be a homophobic rant or anything. I just think her queer development has been written terribly and that should be addressed.

Too often I see people praising queer characters or relationships based solely on the fact that they are queer, and as a member of the community, I get it. I am also starved for representation. This, however, does not mean I’m going to settle for annoying, poorly written characters.

Why Make Debbie Queer?

The first thing I want to address is why suddenly develop a WLW storyline for her. Given that Debbie started as a little girl on the show, this gives the writers a lot of opportunity to give a character like that interesting storylines because she does not yet have a solid personality. It gives writers the liberty to take her story anywhere they want to without the constraints of established character because she, as a person, is still developing into adulthood. The show runners unfortunately dropped the ball with this.

From season 4 and onwards was when Debbie began showing interest in dating, sex, and romance having just turned the corner to puberty. From then up until season 9, she has shown exclusive interest in men. It isn’t until Alex the welder that Debbie deviates from this path. Alex is portrayed as a stud who confuses Debbie. I am inclined to believe that Debbie was originally attracted to her because she was masculine and therefore close enough to the people Debbie had previous experience with.

This arc was treated very much as Debbie experimenting with her sexuality, something that Alex also ends up realizing after Debbie tells her that having sex with a girl is “not that bad” and “like having sex with yourself” (S9E4). Once this storyline wrapped up (with Debbie shouting “you make me want cock again”) the writers powered through, adamant about Debbie now being a lesbian.

I have two theories as to why they’ve been fighting so hard for her queerness.

1) This was around the time that Cam was leaving Shameless. This obviously didn’t end up happening, but I was under the impression that the writers were freaking out at losing their token gay character and needed to fill that position. When Cam ended up staying, they were stuck with a queer Debbie storyline and decided to just go with it.

2) Shameless was planning on doing a WLW storyline regardless of Cam’s choice to leave and were originally going to give it to Fiona and her lesbian tenant that she had a close relationship and a lot of chemistry with, but Emmy Rossum wanted to move on from Shameless, and so they pivoted and gave the arc to Debbie, a character that was not supposed to be moved in that direction and so her new sexuality seemingly came out of nowhere. Fiona as a bisexual character would have made sense. Debbie still does not.

Shameless’s Awkward Relationship With Bisexuality

One of the biggest issues I have with Debbie is her insistence on being a lesbian. Lesbianism doesn’t come out of nowhere. Bisexuality, however, can. When you grow up being told that you are supposed to feel attraction to men, and you genuinely do feel attraction to men (which Debbie has expressed in past seasons/episodes) it’s easy to ignore your attraction to women and write it off as something that either isn’t a big deal, or something that isn’t there. It’s a lot more confusing than being strictly at one end of the spectrum. It would have been so much more believable if they had simply made Debbie bisexual. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t because the show has a history with bi erasure.

Bisexuality has been treated badly all throughout Shameless, used as a vengeful plot device back in the earlier seasons where Monica was only ever with women when unmedicated. Then in Season 7 when Ian’s boyfriend Caleb cheated on him with a woman (enforcing the stereotype of bisexuals being unfaithful) Ian, possibly acting out of anger or ignorance, said things like “only women are bisexual. When a man says he’s bisexual he’s really just gay”. The only semi positive bisexual representation on the show was Svetlana and Vee when they were in a poly relationship with Kev (though I also think that storyline wasn’t handled as well as it could’ve been).

This fight against the bisexual label in media is not a new one but it is also a harmful stance to take when writing a sexually fluid character. Debbie declaring that she is, in fact, a lesbian after waxing poetic about how Matty had a big dick and Derek had a great body and knew what he was doing is not the way to go. 

You could argue that Debbie, like many other queer women, is an unfortunate victim of compulsory heterosexuality, but frankly I don’t think the writers are well versed enough in queer theory for that to be a possibility.

Debbie as The White Feminist

Debbie is the pinnacle of white feminism. It’s an unfortunate thought that has occurred to me a few times throughout the show. She talks a big game as a man hater and someone after the equal treatment of women but she herself participates in a lot of problematic and anti feminist behavior.

For one, she r*ped Matty back in season 5 when he was blacked out and unconscious. This was a point in the story that was glossed over and one where she suffered no repercussions other than Matty no longer wanting to be around her. It was explained in the show that Debbie didn’t realize what she did was wrong until after she was explicitly told so because she was maybe 14 when it happened (not 100% on the age Shameless is very inconsistent about timelines). It was treated as somewhat of a punchline, something that Shameless has unfortunately done more than once when referring to male sexual assault (Mickey’s r*pe, Liam in season 10 ((i think??)) and in this latest season, Carl) but that is a different topic. 

There was also the time in which she lied to her boyfriend about being on birth control so she could trap him into a relationship with pregnancy (which also counts as r*pe!!) Good on Derek for getting out of that.

Debbie has also been pro-life in the past. Now I understand this was when Fiona was pressuring her into aborting her pregnancy, and as a pro choicer myself, I believe that Debbie was fully in her right to have bodily autonomy and go through with the pregnancy. This isn’t where the issue lies. It’s when Fiona finds out that she too is pregnant and tells Debbie that she wants an abortion that Debbie accuses her of “killing her baby”. Again, her behavior could be explained by her age given that Debbie was still a young teen during this time.

When her actions as a White Feminist become less excusable is mostly in the latest season. Her relationship with Sandy is one that I’m not really happy with because Debbie doesn’t deserve her.

Recently, it has been revealed that Sandy is actually married to a man and has a son. It’s explained that she was basically married off against her will at the age of 15 to a man twice her age. This implies that the product of the marriage, her son, was most likely conceived through dubious consent (or worse) at the hands of an adult when she was just a kid. Just because Debbie thinks that Sandy’s husband “seems nice” does not give her the right to try and make a victim of grooming feel bad about not wanting to be with her abuser. While I understand that Sandy’s son has no fault in how he came into the world, I’m still gonna side with Sandy when it comes to having to take care of a child she didn’t want and who is most likely a source of trauma for her. It’s not difficult to sympathize with Sandy and see that she’s clearly gone through something fucked up and Debbie, despite claiming to love and support her, AND despite her dumb white feminist arc about wanting equal pay and all that jazz, turns her back on the girls supporting girls aspect of feminism.

This isn’t even mentioning how shitty it was to just leave Franny by herself and assume that one of her siblings would take her to school and pick her up and stuff as if they don’t all have separate lives. She talks a lot about being a good mother but decided to “let off some steam” by fucking off to a gay bar to get loaded on coke and fuck a gay man (which wtf thats not a thing that really happens with casual coke but whatever I guess). Once she realized she fucked up, instead of taking responsibility she decided to paint herself as the victim as well as spew offensive bullshit about how she “probably has AIDS now” because of her sexual encounter with a gay man. No lesbian in their right fucking mind would ever say that because as members of the LGBTQ+ community, you are at least a tiny bit informed as to how devastating and tragic the AIDS crisis was for queer people.

(I also have an issue with how Debbie capitalized on her felony as a sex offender and her sexuality to start her Hot Lesbian Convict business but I think that’s enough said.)

Blame the writers

The show got almost an entirely new cast of writers after season 7 which is why the show feels more like a sitcom with low stakes and no consequences rather than a drama, but if there is a queer writer on the team it’s not very evident. Even the better half of the queer relationship story, Ian and Mickey, I don’t feel has really been done justice since the change in writers. It’s just become painfully obvious that the actress is a straight girl playing a gay character (not to mention I have never seen any chemistry between her and all of her female love interests). I don’t fault Emma Kenney (the actress) for this. I actually really like her as a person and I like the videos she makes about the cast and such, and I think she does her best with the script she’s given. My complaints with Debbie are targeted entirely towards the writers.

This brings me to my final point. I need them to let Debbie be alone. Her whole thing for the second half of the season has been that she clearly has abandonment issues and is afraid of being alone. It’s why she’s so adamant about keeping the house and fighting with Lip about it (I’m actually on Debbie’s side for that one but that’s besides the point). They had her and Sandy break up which leaves Debbie to spiral further into her loneliness. From a writing point of view, it makes sense to take this opportunity to give her an arc in which she can overcome that and feel comfortable with herself so that she can move on as an adult instead of jumping into a new relationship. This is especially true since this is quite literally the last season ever of the show and any character development needs to be wrapped up. Introducing a new character out of nowhere does not give the viewers enough time to actually get invested in the new relationship. It’s also unfair to Debbie’s character because her arc is going to feel incomplete.

Anyway,,,,,,uuuhhhhh,,,,,feel free to add on if u want lmao

[justgottafinishthischapter]

Writing Romance: Opposites Attract

One of the most widespread among romantic tropes is opposites attract, and with good reason. When a couple are opposites, they’re meant to be one of a few things to each other: 1. An inverse reflection of each other. 2. Compliment each other 3. Cover each other’s shortcomings

In a sense, a good Opposites Attract serves to turn two incomplete people into one solid force. If they’re a battle couple, they’ll tend to fight very well together, often balancing force and finesse, melee and ranged, or physical and magical abilities. If the show or book has a lot of time dedicated to foils and character moments, they are more likely to be the ones that each other lean on, since their opposing characters makes them interesting to react off one another. Their roles, story arcs, and backstories tend to run opposite or parallel to one another depending on the series. If one character’s arc is to mature and become more responsible, likely their partner’s arc might be to learn to loosen up and have fun, learn to trust people, or to face a trauma in their past that made them so mature at a young age.

In terms of design, opposites attract partners tend to be inverse in color schemes. Light and dark hair or eyes, warm and cool color schemes, clashing or complimentary fashion styles, etc. The degree in opposition also varies. Some opposites attract look very similar with only a slight difference, indicating that something small is what set them on different paths in life but are otherwise very similar, almost as two sides of the same coin. Other couples are stark contrasts with virtually nothing in common to really emphasize their differences so that they can better make each other whole, as shown very literally through the character of Garnet in Steven Universe. 

Femme and Butch

While typically, you’re mostly going to see this in femmeslash/yuri pairings, this dynamic is actually fairly universal. This divide focuses on a pairing where each couple reflects the values of masculinity and femininity. Although mostly used as lesbian terms, a femme and butch pairing can also be gay or heterosexual. A fashion-loving twink who cries during romantic movies dating a jock who likes sports and drinks beer is still an example of Femme and Butch. Heterosexual is rather obvious, but can also be inversed, with a tough, assertive woman partnered with a sweet, sensitive man, such as Calhoun and Felix in Wreck-It Ralph. A Femme and Butch pairing doesn’t need to check off every box on this list of traits, but these traits tend to be common in these types of relationships.

Brains and Brawn

Also known as Jock and Nerd, this romantic dynamic prioritizes the usefulness of both intelligence and brute strength. Another variation is Book Smarts vs Street Smarts. The Brains will be good at doing research, organizing, and will tend to fight more strategically while the Brawn is primarily going to be good at fighting and likely protecting the Brains from serious harm. Princess and Bodyguard is another possible example of this dynamic, albeit a little less directly.

Hot and Cold

Hot or Warm characters tend to be friendly, outgoing, upbeat, loudmouthed, temperamental, boisterous, and battle-ready. Cold or Cool personalities tend to be shy, calm, quiet, logical, reserved, serious, and emotionally withdrawn. However, while these extreme opposites of hot-head and cold-shoulder balance each other out, it’s worth discussing same heat relationships. Kiribaku is an example of a Hot/Warm relationship, as Bakugou Katsuki is an angry little spitfire with an aggressive streak, while Kirishima Eijirou is a happy-go-lucky sweetheart with a good attitude. This is sort of the same concept, just that both boys are on the warm side of the spectrum, with Kirishima being the cooler counter to Bakugou’s temperamental hot-head. This also works inversely, as the ship Tododeku is a Cold/Cool relationship. Midoriya is a shy, but upbeat young man who tends not to draw too much attention to himself, while Todoroki is stoic, logical, and a bit dense socially. In this case, Midoriya is Cool while Todoriki is Cold, with Midoriya serving as the “Hot” aspect of their relationship as the more friendly and outgoing of the two.  

Light and Shadow

This archetype is often used as a “opposite sides of the same coin” format, where the characters serve as foils to one another. In Teen Titans, Raven’s powers are dark and demonic, while Starfire’s are bright and extraterrestrial. Both girls get their powers from their emotions, but where Starfire revels in her emotions to make her powerful, Raven must suppress her emotions to retain control of her powers. As the only two girls, they stick out as the obvious foils of the group. Many times, when this trope appears, it’s in the form of Classic Paragon Hero vs Cynical Anti-Hero. Superman and Batman are a great example. Superman is a boyscout token good guy, while Batman is a brooding loner. One is the hope for justice and goodness to always triumph while the other acknowledges that people are flawed, and maybe not everyone deserves to be saved. Naruto is interesting because he has two dark reflections. The first is Sasuke. While Naruto is the golden-haired idealist who befriends villains almost as often as Steven Universe, Sasuke is a dark counter consumed by a thirst for vengeance and the power to exact it. Naruto’s other dark counter however is Gaara. Both are Jinchuriki, but whereas Naruto eventually found friends and love in his fellow genin, Gaara was very much still alone when he met Naruto, reflecting what Naruto could have become without that love and support in this life.

Protagonist and Rival

Another case of “two sides of the same coin”, most anime protagonists and their rival tend to either have very similar backstories, very similar motivations, or very similar personalities, if not some combination of the three. Both Naruto and Sasuke were abandoned in the world at a young age with the Hokage looking out for them from afar. Naruto started off having nobody, and was always reaching out hoping to connect with anyone. Meanwhile, Sasuke started with a family and lost it, and decided to keep everyone at arm’s length and isolate himself further. Rin Okumura and Ryuji Suguro are practically the same person. Both lost their families and homes due to Satan, both are strong-willed loudmouthed tough guys with a knack for leadership, and both share the goal of killing Satan. Natsu Dragneel is immature and battle-ready, but while Grey Fullbuster at least pretends to be above it, he’ll jump into a fight with Natsu practically unprompted. The main appeal of the anime protagonist and his rival is that they push each other to succeed, often coming from very similar roots, but where they end up is entirely up to the effort they put in and the path they choose to take. They both refuse to lose to each other, and that propells them to constantly want to out-do each other.

Sweet and Sour

My best friend and I are polar opposites in this sense. When we met, she was far too trusting, submissive, and far too forgiving. Meanwhile, I was a lot more cynical, mean-spirited, and unfortunately, a little more closed-minded than I’d like to admit. After five years of friendship, my friend is far more assertive, has a lot more confidence in herself, is a lot better at handling criticism, and rather than just submitting in an argument, she now has the nerve to get in someone’s face and make her point heard. Because of her, I’ve become less stand-offish, more patient and polite, less of a control freak, more aware of valuing other people’s emotions, and more tolerant of a group I hadn’t realized I’d been intolerant toward. We saw the world in such distinctly different ways that we have managed to rub off on each other, and now we’re both such stronger and more complete people for having known each other.

Serious and Goofball

A classic comedy duo, the comedian and the straight man. The Goofball character tends to be immature, a knucklehead, a jokester, and comes off as a bit inexperienced. Meanwhile, the Serious character tends to be mature, responsible, disciplined, but comes off as a bit aloof. The Goofball reminds the Serious character to have a little fun every once in a while, while the Serious character reins in the Goofball before they hurt themselves or somebody else.

Hero and Sidekick

The hero has their act together and the sidekick is just doing their best. This happens a lot in Action movies where the handsome tough guy and the hapless damsel (who he kidnaps a little too often for my liking) is just kind of along for the ride. The two live in entirely different worlds. Sometimes this comes in the variant of Starlet and Manager where one in the relationship takes center stage while the other is content to help them run their life, promote their career, and help them. Another variation is Superstar and Random Extra, wherein one person leads a very visible life in the public eye being adored by millions of fans while their partner works 9-5 in an office dealing with insurance claims. Although they coe from very different worlds and lead very different lives, that doesn’t mean they still haven’t found love in an unlikely place. Often, the reason the hero or big shot loves this random nobody is because they fell in love with them before they ever became famous, or they didn’t know/care who the celebrity was and just liked them as a person without interest in using their celebrity to climb the social ladder.

Loud and Quiet

She’s quirky, outgoing, bubbly, energetic, and talkative. Too talkative. She never shuts up. He’s quiet, simple, down-to-earth, and calm. Too Calm. He never gets excited. This pairing works to push and pull each other until they’ve harmonized. The Quiet one will be pulled out of their shell and learn to be more open and talkative, while the Loud one will learn to think before they act. This couple is divided along lines of Introversion and Extroversion, and together can navigate the anxiety-triggering unease of a social gathering, and finding joy and pleasure in just enjoying each other’s company without needing to fill the silence with pointless chatter.

To be fair, many Opposites Attract couples will fit into more than one of these archetypes, and there’s probably more I didn’t list. But if you’re wanting to create a couple that balances each other out, I hope you find this helpful to you in your writing.

[hylianremnants-a]

just a quick note whilst i’m wrapping up this meme reply about my portrayal of urbosa, because i know i’ve talked about it in ims / privately with a few people, but i don’t know if i’ve ever mentioned it publicly ?

urbosa’s incredibly gay, lads.

most of my muses here are bisexual ( bar token heterosexual rhoam ) but urbosa is an open lesbian in every verse she has. she’s known this since she was a pre - teen & has never done anything to hide it. she was, of course, close friends with the late queen of hyrule prior to her death, & absolutely in love with her for much of the time they knew each other. she has deep affection for zelda because of the love she had for her mother, & sees her as something between a niece, & the daughter she never had. ( anyone who ships urbosa & zelda can get fucked, just to make this clear. ) urbosa is also affiliated with vagomvndo’s queen of hyrule ! so if you see me mention the late queen in any post, know that it’s kim’s wonderful interpretation i’m referring to !

anyway. just thought i’d make that explicit. we love one ( 1 ) lightning lesbian in this household & think she deserved better

[benisasoftboi]

Unorganised thoughts on the Netflix Babysitters Club reboot:

Before you scroll past this, people who don’t care about BSC - I really, really recommend this show to any little girls in your life (or boys! But girls primarily). It’s good and wholesome and full of positive messages and I know I would have enjoyed it. I don’t really recommend it on its own to adults who don’t have nostalgia for the books - but you’d probably have a nice time watching it with a kid

So yeah! I really liked it

The casting was very well done - the moment Stacy showed up I was like, that is Stacy McGill, how did they pull her out of a book??? Everyone else looks pretty different to how I always imagined (no one more so than Dawn, for obvious reasons. I approve of the change though, adds some diversity, and she always looked too similar to Stacy anyway), but they embody their characters so perfectly

Well actually, from what little we’ve seen of Mallory, she’s pretty different in temperament. That’s okay, though, book Mal always made me sad

Marc Evan Jackson as Mary Anne’s dad, oh my god, I clapped. Perfect choice, I love him. The Queer Eye bit. Amazing

So we’ve got a lot of social issues covered

Though I do find it really funny that people are like ‘of course it’s talking about trans rights and feminism and internment camps, BSC always covered that kind of thing’ - I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia or narrative convenience that’s causing people to leave out the fact that while yes, they did talk about this stuff, they almost never did it well

Tell me you can go and read Kristy and the Secret of Susan (Very Special Autism Book) without cringing. Tell me 

But I think the show does it pretty well? Though there is that weird kid media thing where they’ll very explicitly talk about trans people, but won’t ever say the word (used to be the same with gay, that seems to be changing though). Anyone know why that is?

Claudia and Janine discussing internment camps was also really powerful. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who cried a little

Speaking of Janine, I’m glad she actually is kind of bitchy in this iteration. She never really seemed to deserve the ire she got in the books, they’re all so mean about this girl basically just because she’s smart 

And on the topic of improved characters, GOD do I like show Karen, they took that unbearable little girl and made her absolutely hilarious. Probably helps that Watson isn’t such a terrible father in this iteration

Which he is, in the books. I love Kristy snarking on Watson having his kids so rarely and still hiring babysitters all the time, because I don’t think there is a weekend in the books where he isn’t hiring the BSC. Feel like that might have been a meta joke

Also really liked that the Brewers’ neighbour actually is a witch, in the religious/spiritual sense. Don’t think I’ve ever seen those practices portrayed positively on a kids show. I’m struggling to think of adult shows

Kristy gets a bit more depth here, with a issues with her dad given more spotlight. She could be a really unlikeable character in the books sometimes (I’m all for strong, confident little girls, but not when it reaches the tyrannical levels book Kristy sometimes did - pretty sure there were some books where the other girls were portrayed as genuinely scared of her). Expanding Kristy a little and having her show remorse for her worse behaviour is good for her character  

Also liked that Claudia is just not academically minded, rather than dumb as a brick like she was in the books (’Me just fin’ - actual quote from a ‘letter’ she wrote to her parents in one book)

I love that, in great BSC tradition, every problem in this show can be solved by adding some plucky thirteen year olds. None more so than the camp episodes, which have the girls point out that the counsellors are doing a bad job, so the director’s like... fine, you can be CITs, rather than doing the sensible thing and reprimanding her employees. (You know she just gave them the title to shut them up and offered them zero actual responsibilities beyond token gestures. Or at least, I hope. They’re children)

Notice how all teens are villains that cannot take care of children? Like, the BSA and the counsellors were right, older people are better equipped to look after little kids. The BSC would have had no legs to stand on if those specific teens hadn’t conveniently turned out to suck

(I know that BSC is wish fulfillment for little girls, these are not real complaints, lol. Just adult snarking)

Though WTF parents of Stoneybrook who were planning on continuing to use a service that sent around a video of a little girl having a seizure???

There’s a moment where Lane speaks derisively of Cats the musical and Mary Anne laughs, which I call BULLSHIT on because Mary Anne canonically loves Cats, and I remember this because there’s a book where she and Logan decide to dress up in Cats-inspired costumes for Halloween 

Yeah, that’s right, a heterosexual thirteen year old boy willing dressed up as the Rum Tum Tugger. Like, Mary Anne, honey... 

Mary Anne and Logan were totally each other’s beards, on an unconscious level

Liked that the final shot was recreating a book cover. That was really cute 

So yeah, this a great adaptation - updates the references while keeping the original feel, and uses the cast well. I’m very happy! 

[juriyuna]

Aimi, for that token heterosexual representation :3

joke’s on you; nothing is safe from my Gayification Beam

Sexuality Headcanon: so deep in the closet she’s probably found Narnia

Gender Headcanon: female (cis)

A ship I have with said character: Natsuki/Aimi has the makings of a plot for one of those “i thought i was straight but Apparently Not” romcoms; it’s good.

A BROTP I have with said character: Her dynamic with Ren is sweet! I love how supportive she is, and how she doesn’t pressure Ren into talking when she’s nervous.

A NOTP I have with said character: I don’t think I have any ships for her that I actively dislike.

A random headcanon: She’s absolutely the kind of person who watches awful romance movies and teen dramas. Not even in a “haha these are so bad they’re good” way; she unironically enjoys them. She probably ropes Natsuki into going to the movies with her when some new chick flick comes out, haha.

General Opinion over said character: I wouldn’t say she’s one of my favorites (just sorta “regular gacha character” to me), but I still like her! She’s a little scatterbrained, but she’s a nice girl. Also apparently very strong of spirit-- she thought she was daydreaming when she made her contract, and thus ended up making a wish that she didn’t think through, but she just went “well that’s that; oops” and carried on with her life. That’s pretty impressive for a PMMM-verse character, really.

and to be honest, I too was like “I guess they needed the token straight girl, huh?” until I played her side story. maybe her reluctance to confess to hayato is partly because she’s gay but hasn’t realized it yet lol

[applesdrowned-a]

PRIDE EDITION !

as  promised   here   are   some   pride   headcanons  .   the  questions  are  from  an   image  i   found  (  revised  for  rp  purposes  )   ,   feel   free  to  use  for  your  own  hcs  !

1. what is your muses sexuality ? : chad is a homoromantic demi-homosexual !

2. what gender does your muse identify as ? : cismale.

3. how long have they been aware of their sexuality and or gender ? : chad knew he was gay pretty much his entire life. he never had to think about it. he just knew "yeah i like boys" and that was that. he got kicked out of private school at age 10 for hospitalizing one of his bullies who called him a gay slur

4. do they have any preferences ? : not sure what this is asking, i assume it means gender preference ? but since my muse is gay it doesn't apply. 

5. share a positive memory of your muse coming out : chad came out to his brother and sister when he was ten. his parents found out chad was being called gay slurs at school after he hospitalized his bully. it was only fair he told his siblings. his sister took a while to wrap her head around the concept being younger, but she just wanted chad happy. his older brother was also extremely accepting of his brothers sexual identity. chad became even closer to his siblings that day.

6. how do they feel about pride month ? : chad loves pride month and is super obnoxious about celebrating it. he suppressed his sexuality throughout high school to avoid ridicule so like once he got away from that and felt more comfortable in his own skin. he is not shy about letting people know he is very happy to be gay.

7. do they participate in pride related events / any other events ? : my boy loves pride events. he went to his first pride parade in los angeles in university with his third boyfriend ( they were friends still at the time ) luca russo. chad wore the flag face paint and carried his little flag around. he was in awe of the festivities. he never had the guts to go to a parade before alone. 

since then chad has attended pride every year. even if he was single at the time. he does not miss a chance to embrace his identity.

8. how does your muse feel about lgbtq+ roles in media ? : seeing his community represented in media is very important to chad. as long as its done respectfully he is always happy to see queer folk in tv and movies. and like pretty much every person in the community, he hates queer baiting with a passion. the second he sniffs it chad will stop watching the program. he can tell  the difference between that and slow burn.

9. do they feel pride in who they are ? : chad struggled with his sexuality for a long time in fear of facing ridicule. it wasn't until he finally left home did he really embrace who he was. there was no reason to hide it anymore. in his adult life chad very much has pride for his sexuality and his community. 

hes heard stories from people in the past who wish they were different if only to stop the abuse. but chad has never wanted to be anyone else then the gay man he is. if given the chance he will provide a confidence booster in this regard. born this way by lady gaga is a huge inspiration for him.  ( yes i know it came out after he canonly died but on this blog we say fuck canon ) but lets clear the room, well chad is not insecure about his sexuality, he is overall stupidly insecure otherwise.

10. who has been your muses supportive idol in their self discovery ? : as chad didn't really have to struggle with finding his sexuality he never found reason to admire anyone. he does however look up to anyone who is comfortable with their identity and or a positive influence for the lgbtq+ community.

11. who was your muses first crush ? : chad was twelve when he started crushing on a boy in his history class. it wasn't anything more then wanting to hold his hand and sit next to him and smile. it was a fleeting fancy that chad got over in a short time. chad would often get soft feelings inside his chest for boys that would even simply smile at him.  but he once again would always suppress his desire for boys, never allowing himself to actually ask one out.

12. what advice does your muse have for lgbtq+ teens ? : if chad could go back and do it all again, he likely wouldn't have repressed himself. he would tell any teen in the community to never be afraid of who they are, if people didn't accept them then fuck those people. you are born who you are, and the real ones will love you for it.

13. has your muse come out to friends and family ? : yes he has. his parents and siblings know. ( see five ) chad never had friends really so there was no need to come out. most people who meet him in his college life onward, could just tell he was gay.

14. how does your muse feel about the phrase "coming out" ? :  chad sees this as letting your colours show. before you were kinda black & white like everyone else, the same, uniform. but then you let your colours come out & were seen as different.

15. do they believe there is a closet to come out of ? :  yes. the closet in his opinion is something you hide in until you feel safe to emerge. like if someone broke into your house, you hide until the danger has past. for some the danger might never pass, but if they stay in the closet forever they won’t have a chance to really live. sure they be alive but you won’t be living your life. being in the closet is safest, but its not really living. 

16. what's your muses biggest pet peeve when it comes to lgbtq+ characterization in media ? : harmful stereotypes. mostly because as a gay man chad can attest to certain things being common, and he knows he doesn't fit into a lot of those commonalities. particularly where sex is concerned. so it makes him a wee bit insecure. 

17. what's their favourite part when it comes to lgbtq+ characterization in media ? : finding someone he can relate too. he likes when gay men are portrayed for more reason then to be a token gay character. he likes a story with an actual backbone. something real. 

18. do they practice safe sex with the same gender ? : yes and no. he is very adamant about both parties being safe and comfortable but chad for most of his sexual career was a sub/bottom. he took it rather than gave it. his first boyfriend didn't like condoms, and chad being naive and fearful of him didn't ask him to wear one. the fact his boyfriend was uncovered was not what was making him the most uncomfortable so it wasn't really on his mind.

his following sexual relationship with boyfriend three fell into a similar pattern. chad didn't give he took,  and when he gave there was no coverage. since they were exclusive neither saw a need for protection. chad didn't see an issue with it.

boyfriend four insisted on wearing one most of the time, but since chad never penetrated him he never had to wear one.

patrick didn't give a fuck, a reason why chad insisted patrick wear a condom in the beginning of halloween part 1 cause he was worried about disease. in fact i hc they were unprotected until chad suspected cheating and got his boyfriend to cover up. although pat never asked chad too.

tldr; chad has little experience with protective sex but will always want to make things as safe as possible for his partner. so boy will wear the condom if asked.

19. what are their turn offs with the same gender ? what are their turn ons : turn ons are older men of authority. chad is very dominant in personality, but also has an extreme submissive side that can come out with the right partner. this part that longs to be taken care of is what attracts him to men in control. he also likes a man who knows what he wants, and has some culture behind him. ( talk dirty to him in another language and he will melt ) oh and praise is another huge turn on, he loves validation 

turn offs are pain. he doesn't like it. anything hardcore BDSM will have him running for the hills. no S&M. and anything demeaning, don't call him slut, whore etc. it makes him uncomfy. in terms of actual personality traits from men, anyone that acts like his first boyfriend ( leather biker, hot shot type ) will have him nopping out.

20. how does your muse feel about lgbtq+ clubs/apps/websites ? : this is a grey area for him as he is certainly in support of gay web content, its how its used that effects him. like, his experience with connecting with the community in any kind is limited to a general kink website which his boyfriend used to chest on him. so his feelings around that are a little uncomfortable. 

21. how do they feel about the term "queer" ? : chad has no issues with this word. he doesn't have anything deeper to say about it, other than it sounds close to queen in his opinion and he wears that label proud.

22. what tips would they give to heterosexual/cisgendered people looking to better understand the community and news surrounding it ? : chad would tell them to be open minded and not look at it with bias. forget about the hetronormative society you live in and just be open to another view. 

23. whats the most annoying question your muse has ever gotten for being lgbtq+ ? :  the most annoying question chad gets is when people ask who is the woman in the relationship. it really grinds his gears as something like that implies either he or his partner isn't a real man. it also makes him insecure as he is neither a masculine or effeminate gay. hes kinda of in between and it really rubs people the wrong way sometimes. because they expect him to act a certain way.

he acts gay, but hes more gay, and less gay depending on what people are seeing. so when people ask him if hes the man or the woman it brings out his rage over the fact that thats a homophobic af comment, and also his dilemma on what type of gay he is.

24. how do they feel about receiving questions about their sexuality and or gender ? : chad is overall not a super friendly person. i mean he can be, but his second language is bitch so be careful lol. so it really depends on who is asking and what they are asking. if a stranger is asking dumb shit he won't be inclined to give more than a "fuck off" but if someone he knows has some curiosities he wouldn't mind, depending on how invasive it is.

[thepapermixtape]

Tell Your Friends, Maddie Ross’s Debut Album is Here and Queer: A Review of Never Have I Ever

By: Gianna Provenzano

Maddie Ross is no stranger to epic love stories. She’s currently living one with her girlfriend/producer, Wolfy, depicting its beginnings on last year’s EP, Touch Hands, Touch Bodies. And now her debut album, Never Have I Ever, soundtracks a fictional love story that would fit right in with She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and all of your favorite ‘90s and early 2000s teen rom coms.

Never Have I Ever is a concept album that serves as the soundtrack for a fictional teen movie, only this time instead of girl meets boy, it’s girl meets girl, i.e. the teen lesbian romcom we all deserve but haven’t quite gotten yet. The storyline of Never Have I Ever is similar to She’s All That—girl meets girl, girls fall in love, girl finds out that it was all a bet, then girl realizes it was real, and girls walk off into the sunset together. Each song embodies a teen movie trope, like love at first sight, house party, first date, that moment when everything goes wrong, and the epic end credits song. Opening track “Tell Your Friends” is inspired by the moment when the protagonist pulls up to their high school for the first time, track 5 “Liv Tyler” is the makeover montage song, and album closer “Take Me Home” is meant to play as the credits roll. While the songs are inspired by teen movie scenes, the lyrical content is inspired by Ross’s experiences with love and coming of age.

From the opening lyrics of “Tell Your Friends,” Ross sets the scene of a high school drama building its foundation on the small details that create this story world. Each song is better than the last, with fun couplets (“She’s got 37 plants/She ain’t getting in my pants”) and sweet details (“Kissing my neck, sunshine/tracing my new tan line”). Personal favorites include “Liv Tyler,” “First Date,” and “Take Me Home.” “Liv Tyler” is the kind of song that you have a dance party with your friends to, and its “ooohs” are infectiously catchy. “First Date” is as sweet as it sounds, with all of the butterflies and hesitancy and excitement that goes into a first date. Album closer “Take Me Home” is my absolute favorite, with a big chorus that you can’t help but sing along to.

The production is stunning, fun, and fresh, a product of Ross’s creative partnership with Wolfy. The album sounds polished and perfectly captures the sounds of teen movie soundtracks with guitar-driven pop rock—think No Doubt, All-American Rejects, Dashboard Confessional, early Avril Lavigne—but with a genuine joy that’s all Maddie Ross’s own. The diegetic sounds—slurping through a straw, dialogue, a siren, record scratches—feel like they’re pulled right out of a movie. There are two perfect ways to listen to this album: either lying on your bed listening through headphones or blasting from your car stereo with the windows down—both straight out of a teen movie. (But you should listen to it any way that you can because it’s that good.)

The lesbian relationship at the center of Never Have I Ever is a big deal because it isn’t treated like a big deal. The subjects of Never Have I Ever just get to be in a relationship, following a storyline that has been seen over and over again with heterosexual relationships, only now a queer relationship gets to be front and center. No more standing on the sidelines, no more being the “gay best friend,” no more being just the token supporting character, it’s just two girls who are in love and “ready now to tell the whole crowd.” It makes me nostalgic for a high school experience I never got to have, but with Never Have I Ever, I get to imagine a world where I did. And that world is pretty incredible.

Maddie Ross’s debut album, Never Have I Ever, was released on May 10, 2019. You can find and stream the album on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, or wherever you get your music. 

[mitchsmarners]

I just can't get into bichie, or any Bill ships for that matter, because Bill is so painfully heterosexual and utterly obsessed with Bev to the point of it being creepy, like Audra is described to look exactly like her. And then he cheats on Audra with Bev. And I dunno Bill is about as interesting and likeable as a wet mop imo, I'm just not here for Stephen King's self insert. Sorry if this upsets you, I hope it doesn't adfhcfhasfg but these are my pleb opinions I felt like sharing im sorry 😭

Girl girl my dude fucking preeeeeaching to the choir honestly thou. Im trying to make this sound informed and intelligent but you literally brought up the IT discourse that IM THE MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT but never talk about because I’m a coward.

So here we go, I guess. Feel free to just keep scrolling and never ever click the read more. I won’t be mad. Because this like isn’t even tea, I’m just throwing around boiling water. BECAUSE I’VE BEEN HOLDING THIS IN FOR SO LONG AND NOW I’M BEEN ASKED SO WATCH ME GO OFF. 

Bill is. So. Straight. The heterosexualiest. You hit the nail on the fucking head calling him Stephen King’s self insert because you’re absolutely right, that’s exactly what he is. Bill is the epitome of a protagonist- (although I’d say that IT has three protagonists, then like two secondary protagonists and then Stozier.) meaning sure it’s his story being told, but other the other characters are actually a lot more interesting.

Bill is basically the worst character in IT that wasn’t meant to be a bad character (i.e Henry Bowers, Sonia Kaspbrak, Pennywise, whatever.) because he’s an extremely bad character. Bland. Bill Denbrough is the most prime example of “i’m the protagonist, it’s my story so i don’t actually need to be interesting” 

You hit the nail on the head when you called him a Stephen King self insert because that’s exactly what he is, especially in the book. Bill’s stutter is one of those things that’s added into the narrative as a way to make Bill an outcast so it would canonly make sense for him to part of the Losers Club, though before Georgie’s death he’s pretty clearly got everything else going for him. His parents grow distant and neglectful after that and that’s when he finally starts to get some common ground with the Losers, a part of him that starts to more so understand them I guess? He’s starting to get on a similar level to them. The Losers all completely hero worship Bill, especially Eddie, and iit’s because he’s not exactly a Loser like Eddie or Stan or Ben or even Richie? Bill’s Big Flaw (his stutter) is the ONLY thing about the written character that wasn’t a damn Mary Sue outline. Self Insert Indeed. 

Bill ships suck? Mike/Bill and Richie/Bill are FOR SURE the strongest with actually book basis and Richie/Bill have A VERY STRONG AND IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP IN THE IT 2017 MOVIE but? If IT was written out like a some sort of teen melodrama K/aspbrough would be that ship with is how Eddie comes to terms with being gay because he’s crushing on his fuckboi best friend and said fuckboi best friend is hella straight and loves the attention he gets from Eddie but never wants to be with but also kinda still leads him so the attention doesn’t end. St/enbrough? Who’s that? Never heard of her. Made eye contact once. 

And B/illverly? Worst. Gross. Probably woudda been okay if it was just twelve year old Bill having a kinda obsessive crush on her a kid but he popped a boner at like 45 years old just from hugging her, cheated on his movie star wife (his movie star wife!! movie! star! wife! Audra Phillips is goddess what are you doing Denbrough? get your shit together!!!) then having sex with her triggered her repressed memories of how she lost her virginity. You go, B/illverly, how cute. 

Bill Denbrough is easily the least interesting member of the Losers Club, and even the interesting things about him aren’t as interesting as the least interesting thing about one of the others. He comes down to One Flaw (that’s not a flaw at all, it’s a damn speak impediment, there’s nothing wrong with that at all.) that Stephen King approved of. 

Beverly actually has this in reverse, where she’s written in as Token Female Character and kinda only has a few small things but are super interesting about her but FANDOM has developed her so much that most of those things are accepted as canon universally (also see: Eddie Kaspbrak) But most of the fandom characterization of Bill is either fuckboi!bill (which is canon??? I don’t understand? Literally canon.) and just equally as much as a hero worshiped Mary Sue so. 

So yeah, I agree with everything you said. I just cannot get into Bill a character like at all in any way and it actually really shows in all my writing tbh. 

[cavehags]

honestly after Amy Lauren was my one of my fav characters, do you have any thoughts about her arc/her?

i loved her character and her arc! her coming out story with regard to being intersex was nice but underwritten. specifically her inner conflict around whether or not to allow herself to be tokenized - in student government and in college admissions - rang true to me as a different kind of lgbtqi person. her story deepened the show’s ability to talk about the experience of being a non-cis non-straight teen; lauren was up against a lot of issues amy never had to deal with, from her father’s “let’s not talk about it” kind of bigotry to the inevitable social pressures she had to deal with from being a part of the pageant scene. i would have appreciated greater realism with lauren actually dealing with concrete prejudice from her peers, even if they weren’t hester students (blue liberal oasis etc etc). her dynamic with her dad in the pageant episode made me really sad, and ditto the glimpse we got of her homophobic friends from dallas. i wish there had been more focus on lauren overcoming internalized prejudice and confronting some of her ideas about how she HAS to be a certain kind of feminine and hit a certain level of being enticing to men in order to overcompensate.

and of course she should have been a lesbian. so much of the glimpses we got of her performing femininity and heterosexuality - sending tommy nudes and getting upset when he didn’t share them around; breaking up with theo/anthony because their relationship could never be public; using homophobic slurs even though it was clear she never had any real prejudice to speak of - are all textbook closeted lesbian stuff.

[lgbtloudhouse]

Ok, can we just talk about this? So in the first photo, is basically all the times where Luna felt like she had no hope in dating Sam (or surprised). Maybe its just overthinking, but those little moments could mean a big thing: you see, lgbt teens have trouble asking out the same sex for many reasons. She was afraid she may not like girls, could shame her for it, crush her heart, loose hope, or even bully her for it since there is a lot of bullying in lgbt teens. She was scared to ask a girl out. She was in love and was insecure. "Sam's way outta my league." That could mean she didn't think it'll work or she won't like her back. "You're the owner of a lonely heart." She's afraid of getting heartbroken. Luna fears being heartbroken. Just think of that. Many bi, pan, gay and lesbian women are afraid of finding love cuz they might accidentally fall for heterosexual girls, and you know society's views on gay women. Not so breezy. I mean she was afraid to even go and talk to her about it. Not even give her a pick out of fear of rejection. "I didn't give Sam a signal." Nervous. Probs some anxiety and fear of interacting or rejection. Second pic- oh. my. god. Look at her!!! That is definitely a look of someone who's lovestruck. She looks so happy! Looking at it now you can tell she was looking at her but I think that she got so lovestruck that she just froze with a smile on her face. She also tried to wave at her but Sam didn't see her which made her think she didn't care about her and made her loose a lil hope. 3rd- When they think that it's for Luna, she looks very shocked, which we'd expect since she didn't try to ask her out, interact, give her a token of affection, or talk about it at all. You can probs tell what she's thinking. "Woah dude... she actually likes me?? I didn't even give any signs! Has she always liked me? Will I be happy? Will everyone accept it?" Questions. Surprise and shock. Last one- and finally, the moments where she smiled or didn't give up all her hope. I love these pics and especially the ones where she was smiling at her, in love. Luna, taking a stand and saying that you shouldn't have to wait for love, but try to go get it for yourself, is powerful. And she's brave. She takes a deep breath, looks at the letter and smiles. Goes up to it and puts it in the locker, hides to see what will happen, and then when she sees her pick it up, read it and smile, she smiled. It was probs a gigantic realise to get that all out and to see the courage she built up did something amazing for her. She had doubts, but at the end she found love and was finally happy. This show is way more than what you see. I love it. Thank you Chris. Thank you!

[nonbunearys]

Now you do all of them! :D

what is your sexuality?I am Asexual Panromantic

what gender do you identify as?I identify as nonbinary

how long have you been aware of your sexuality/gender?Uhhhh…I wasn’t really aware of either things/didn’t have the terms for them until college.  But I identified as some part of the lgbtq community at 13.

do you have any preferences?Ummm kind of.  Honestly my preference comes out of safety.  So I tend to prefer other trans folks as partners.

share a positive memory about coming out!Probably my best friend.  She’s a very old friend of mine. We met in middle school.  And we kind of grew a bit distant when we went to college. And like…as far as I knew she wasn’t trans and didn’t know anyone who was. I didn’t even know if she knew what transgender was. But in my senior year of college I decided to come out to a wider group of people.  So I sent out a facebook message saying I was making a new facebook and if anyone wanted to be my friend on there, to message me. And of course she did.  And I came out to her and she was probably the best response.  Like she was completely on board. She didn’t ask weird questions or make me feel like I had to defend my gender.  She instantly switched name and pronouns and never messed up once. She’s been the best ally and support and our friendship has been stronger than ever.

how do you feel about pride month?I have a lot of mixed feelings about it.  I think it sucks to reduce our history and struggles to a month.  But PRIDE events tend to be very exclusionary as well.  I tend to feel unsafe and uncomfortable there.  And I do think PRIDE has sold out to big corporations and has forgotten its history.  

do you participate in pride related events? any other events?I do. I have marched in the parade here.  And I will be marching this weekend with my org as well.  I’ll also be tabling for the festival.

how do you feel about lgbtq roles in media?Any representation helps.  More famous people and public figures are coming out. There are more lgbtq characters and stories.  That being said, we still have a long way to go and I am still super critical of how the characters are portrayed and the stories are told. And Hollywood needs to stop with the cis actors playing trans characters.  ESPECIALLY if it’s drag.

do you feel pride in who you are?Sometimes.  I always am proud of my queerness.  But a lot of times I don’t like myself very much.

who has been your supportive idols in your self discovery?My friends.  Laverne Cox.

tell us about your first crush?Gods. He was a crush from kindergarten-fifth grade.  We were both completely infatuated with each other. He used to play with my hair in class all the time. He was gonna ask me out right before I moved but my mom didn’t let that happen. Apparently she keeps running into him and he keeps asking about me and my mom doesn’t know how to tell him that person doesn’t exist anymore. She’s really stressed out by it but I think it’s hilarious.

what sort of advice to have you lgbtq teens? Take your time. Do things at your own pace.  And always keep your safety in mind.  You don’t need to have a label.  You don’t need to know who you are right now.  Sometimes it takes time and there is nothing wrong with that.  And if you are in a situation where it’s unsafe to come out, it’s totally valid not to. It doesn’t make you a bad person.

have you come out to friends and family?Kind of. I was outed to most of my family.  And they don’t know I’m nonbinary.  they just think I am a trans man. And that’s fine with me.  They’re not really worth the effort. To be honest.  I came out to most of my friends. I am really bad at coming out so they’re all in weird areas of knowledge about my identity.

how do you feel about the term “coming out” ?I don’t like it.  It makes me feel like I was doing something wrong before.

do you believe there is a “closet” to come out of?No. I think the concept of a “closet” puts pressure and blame on the lgbtq person. Where we should be looking at why society makes us feel like we can’t divulge who we are.  Or that we need to make a public statement about it.

any tips on coming out?Always put your safety first.  Try to have a good support system in place when coming out to people who may not be as accepting.

what’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to lgbtq characterization in media?I ranted about it above but cis actors playing trans characters. Also 1 dimensional token lgbtq characters.

what’s your favorite parts of lgbtq characterization in media?Probably just seeing how more roles and characters are popping up more and more.

what did your teachers say about the lgbtqa community in school?None of them really said much.  The only like lgbtq reaction I can remember having with a teacher was when one teacher got super pissed that I was participating in the Day of Silence and called the vice principal to remove me from his class. When she came down and he told her what was going on she defended me and said that our school is participating in the Day of Silence and that I was doing nothing wrong.

do you practice safe sex with the same gender?I have never had sex. But if I did. It would be safe sex, yes. lol

what’s an absolute turn off for you in the opposite/same gender?uhhh bigotry and prejudice.

what’s an absolute turn on for you in the opposite/same gender?If they’re compassionate

how do you feel about lgbtq clubs/apps/websites?I think they are great ways for lgbtq people to connect and find community.

how do you feel about the term “queer” ?I reclaim it. I use it as an umbrella term to describe myself.  I don’t call anyone queer without permission.  And I am uncomfortable with people outside of the community using it.

how does you country view the lgbtq community?Some places are really good.  And some aren’t.  I think they’re more tolerant with the LG though. And our government reeeeaaaaalllly hates us.

favorite lgbtq actor/actress?Laverne Cox…Ian McKellen…or George Takei

any tips for heterosexual and/or cisgender people on how to handle lgbtq events/news?Check your privilege. Put LGBTQ voices first.

what’s the most annoying question you have ever gotten?The argumentative “don’t you think you’re over complicating things?”

how do you feel about receiving questions about your sexuality/gender?Honestly, I love talking about it.  So long as it’s not from an intentionally harmful place, you can ask me whatever the heck you want about my sexuality or gender. I’m a professional lgbtq speaker and trainer so I talk about it all the time.

[pulsingvoid]

8, 18, 24, 40, 42 and 71 for the movie buff thing. Sorry if it's a lot and Sorry about your ankle I hope you feel better soon~!

‘sorry if its a lot’ Are You Kidding Me Send Me More. and thanks!! im in a lot of pain!! but its fine!! anyway here i go, this got long and rambly, as is my nature,,

8. What movie are you looking forward to coming out the most?GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE dir. edgar wright even though it’s not even in pre-production yet as far as i know. also, since yesterday, LADY MACBETH which is coming out in the u.s. next month. oh and!! Atomic Blonde, Black Panther, A Wrinkle In Time, the Lupita/Rihanna movie…. so much potentially amazing cinema i cant wait

18. Favorite movie heroine? i think my all-time fave might be Rachel Weisz’s character in The Brothers Bloom. she’s just so enthusiastic and eccentric and yet Absolutely Not the dream girl sterotype at all, yknow? i love her. another more recent fave is Diane Lane’s character from Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains because she was so Harsh and did not waver for a second even though so many people (read: men) tried to discourage her from her goals or tried to tell her how she should live her life. i wish i’d seen that movie when i was a teen–it would have changed my entire life.

24. Movie that makes you cry every time?BIG HERO 6. literally. every. time. i’ve seen way sadder films but nothing tugs at my heartstrings the way that movie does for some reason

40. Directors you’d like to see work together?i thought abt this for a solid 10 minutes and couldnt come up with anything but then i remembered that my dream director duo is already a reality and its THE DANIELS (SWISS ARMY MAN) + THE RUSSOS (CA:TWS) and im p sure the russos are just producers but HEY IT COUNTS AND IT WILL BE AMAZING 

42. Films you wanted to watch, but never got around to watching?MOOD INDIGO, i have it on my hard drive but my mom told me it was super sad so now i’m scared. it’s michel gondry though so i’m inevitably gonna bite the bullet. THE COLOR PURPLE, also bc sadness. LAURENCE ANYWAYS bc i keep falling asleep? i always play it way late in the night idk something abt xavier dolan’s movies makes them a 3am #mood for me. theres pleeeeeenty more but these are the ones that plague my waking thoughts nowadays

71. A movie that made you ache for love.this doesnt specify what kind of love and im glad bc while i do actually enjoy the romantic plotlines of some movies i dont think a single one of them has ever made me Ache or Yearn. i do catch myself Yearning for a life full of laughter and friendship and made families and creativity; the sense of belonging, the Something More™. you know like in… THE GET DOWN (this scene in particular) :( and SENSE8 :(:( and B99 and TRC and i am very aware none of them are films but its not my fault movies abt friendship never cater to my interests. there’s specific bits in some movies like the funeral scene in Big Fish or some parts of August Rush and Across The Universe and Pride and Rent, or!!! that scene at the end of GoTG when Groot tears himself apart to protect the team and its so. beautiful, but also sad. oh and the Star Trek reboots, though flawed, give me similar ‘made family’ feelings and i cry everytim PLUS they have that Something More™ aspect bc duh, space exploration. but sadly i find most films abt friendship too boy-oriented either bc its a story about boyhood and has a tonne of male characters, or it has a Token Girl or two but its still too male-heavy, or bc its about women that are obsessed with their heterosexual love prospects, so i find it hard to relate to… all of that.

uhh consider this a plea for movie recs actually im kinda desperate for something to fill some gaping sense8/tgd/trc/b99-shaped holes in my heart bc, as you probably already know, 2 of them are cancelled, one is relatively over, and the other one is on a 5 month-long hiatus :-(

[colethewolf]

The many times Jeff Davis has stolen from Sterek & The Sterek Fandom:

1. The “I missed you” scene:

Back in 2013, Dylan told us that he pitched an idea to Jeff Davis about a future Sterek scene, specifically for the fans, that would take place after the whole Alpha Pack situation was done and over. The scene he pitched detailed a moment where Stiles and Derek take a moment after all of the drama, where Stiles says, “I missed you” to Derek, after an entire season of not having that much interaction with him.

“There aren’t any Stereky scenes so far, but I had an idea for Jeff, that when we do finally meet, and if we have a scene that’s very expositional—like if we come together and something’s going on we have to converge and discuss something—then we should kind of stop at the end of it and before we walk away, Stiles should just say, ‘I missed you.’ Just to acknowledge it for the fans in little, funny ways.” [source]

Well, Jeff Davis refused to go with that idea for Sterek, but he must have thought it was a good idea, because in episode 304, he rewrote Dylan’s idea into a scene between Danny & Ethan (Dethan). Apparently, the scene would have been too much for Sterek, and was only acceptable for the show’s token gay couple.

2. Punching Bag:

Back in 2014 at AlphaCon, during the Hobrien panel, Hoechlin explained that he too had pitched a Sterek scene to Jeff Davis. The scene that Hoechlin pitched involved Derek allowing Stiles to punch out his emotions regarding his father being kidnapped, and to be that momentary punching bag, because Derek understands what it means to release anger, and since he’s a werewolf, he would be able to heal afterwards.

“There is a scene that I always wanted with Derek and Stiles, that we never did. [...] I always saw a scene at one point, there was a time in the show where [Sheriff] Stilinski was very much in danger and [Stiles] was always really worried about him. And I kind of always envisioned this scene once [Sheriff] gets taken by the Darach in season 3, I was imagining in a future season, or even in that season, that Stiles would really freak out because that’s his dad. That’s the time you really see Stiles lose it. [...] I really, really wanted a scene where it was Derek and Stiles in the jeep, going out and trying to find [Sheriff], and Derek’s always the one that dealt with his anger--that’s been a huge part of him, and he really understands that. And I thought it would be really great to have a scene where Stiles is so upset and so anger about what’s going on, that he needs to get that anger out. And Derek would basically let [Stiles] beat the crap out of him, and let [Stiles] hit him over and over again, to be that punching bag because Derek’s a werewolf and he can heal and he can take it. I thought it was a really great scene where [Derek’s] just like, ‘it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay’ [...].” 

and then Dylan chimes in with: 

“It would be a really sweet moment between the two characters. I’m serious, too. Like, in a really cool way like that. [...] Eventually, Stiles is all exhausted with the motion and then eventually, like, y’know, [Derek] puts the hand on the shoulder.”

[video source]

Although, just like the other Sterek scenes that Dylan & Hoechlin pitched to Jeff Davis, they never made it on-screen. However, Jeff reworked the idea into a scene between Stiles & Scott in S5 following Sheriff Stilinski’s hospitalization. Albeit...the sentiment didn’t actually transfer from script to screen. In Jeff’s version of the scene, it’s not heartfelt. Rather, Stiles’ wrath is directed towards Scott for his insolence. Not because Scott understand Stiles’ feelings.

But here’s Posey’s quote regarding the scene:

You definitely see a different side of Scott and Stiles. Now you see them getting physical. Scott lets Stiles kick his ass a little bit because he can take it. [source]

3. Stiles/Cora:

Of course, it’s always something to look at when a gay pairing doesn’t happen, yet a heterosexual with the same dynamic as the gay pairing ends up getting put into the works. In this instance, Jeff Davis thought he was slick when he brought Cora (Derek’s mysterious younger sister) into the show and immediate worked to make Stiles/Cora romantically involved. 

Basically, Cora was the female-version of Derek. She’s his relative, has the same tragic backstory, has the same grumpy personality, shares similar scenes with Stiles, and even wears the same kinds of clothing as Derek. The only difference was that Derek is male & Cora is female. 

So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that whilst Jeff Davis & the show baited for years about Stiles & Derek becoming romantically involved, Jeff decided to plan for Cora to be the one to take Stiles’ virginity in S3. In fact, Adelaide Cane--the actress that played Cora--confirmed at EYECON that Cora was supposed to “pop Stiles’ v-card”. [tweet] [tweet] [post]

4. Derek/Jennifer: 

Jeff Davis has actually pushed out a couple heterosexual versions of Sterek. Including: Stiles/Erica (originally planned), Stiles/Cora, Stiles/Malia. Even Derek/Paige--a sassy brunette with beauty marks, who didn’t take Derek’s bullshit, and coincidentally had a last name that derived partly from the Polish language....interesting. 

Especially since we know that Stiles is a sassy brunette with beauty marks, who didn’t take Derek’s bullshit, and had a first name that derived from the Polish language. 

But in S3A, Jeff Davis took multiple Sterek scenes and rewrote them into the Derek/Jennifer relationship. The parallels are glaringly obvious. Long ago, I actually made a post with side-by-side comparisons. There’s also a video showing the scenes to provide you with a better understanding about purposeful parallels. 

[Editor’s note]: Sorry, guys. I originally posted a link to the video that showed the parallels between original Sterek scenes & what Jeff rewrote to fit his Derek/Jennifer narrative.

Unfortunately, the creator of the video saw the post and made her video private so you guys couldn’t watch it. If you’re asking why, I don’t really know for certain. She used to actually be very active in bringing attention to the terrible way that Sterek shippers were treated, but she recently turned Pro-TW and has gotten somewhat salty towards me & other anti-TW bloggers.

Instead, I’ve decided to just show you the parallels I posted about years ago.

5. Everybody forgets Stiles:

This is actually the current plot of S6A, although if you’re a Sterek fan, then you might recognize the story from a fanfiction that was published back in 2014. The fanfiction is titled, “Tabula Rasa”, and it’s an amnesia fic with Sterek presented as the main relationship throughout. 

It seems hardly coincidental that the current season of Teen Wolf revolves around Stiles being forgotten, with blank spaces of his existence left behind in the minds of people he knew. The biggest difference in Jeff Davis’ “Sterek-less” reiteration of this 2 year old fanfiction, is that the whole thing is set up to promote Stydia (Stiles/Lydia), with Lydia being the only one to actually remember that Stiles existed. 

6.  Mieczyslaw “Stiles” Stilinski:

Everybody forgetting Stiles wasn’t the only thing that Jeff took from Sterek fanfiction. In the most recent episode of Teen Wolf’s 6th season, and after 6 years of not knowing Stiles’ real name, we find out that his first name is actually Mieczyslaw.

The only problem is that Mieczyslaw has actually been used as a headcanon first name for Stiles Stilinski in Sterek fanfiction for years and years, dating back to at least 2015 2012. Now, Mieczyslaw certainly isn’t a common name, and it’s definitely not one of the most common Polish names. So, why did Jeff Davis pick this name of all others? Pretty suspect.

[Editor’s note: New receipts for just how long this name has been used in Sterek Fanfiction]

[Mieczyslaw used in fanfic before Jeff put it into the show.]

And there you have it. Well...you have some of it. We’re not really going to touch base on some of the other familiar Sterek related things that have magically found their way into the actual show. *ahem*

De-aged!Derek

Werefoxes (kitsunes), especially with Stiles being one (Nogitsune).

Dark!stiles

Stiles’ main weapon being a baseball bat.

The suspiciously familiar dynamic between Theo/Stiles.

Stiles’ jeep originally being his mother’s.

Just saying.