#that scene was genderfluid erasure

[jujianjes]

I just wanna say that this tiktok video is so fucking stupid

that was not "modern feminism"

that was fluidphobia, thank you very much

[flowersbian]

My thoughts & feelings on Loki

Thought I should give my two-cents given the debate occurring right now. I will discuss:

Sylvie

Kevin Wrong

Lokius

Sylki(e)

This is just my thoughts! None of this is objective (none of this is fact, necessarily) it is simply my take on the situation(s).

Sylvie

No sugarcoating it; they majorly fucked Sylvie’s character this season. The writing seemed off, and if you removed every scene with Sylvie in it, the story would still make perfect sense. I hate that, because I love Sylvie. First season she was so badass! She was a strong character. This season she was a filler. She did not have any development, which would be fine if they had written her as a static character this season. But they didn’t. They wrote her dialogue at the end as if she’d gone through some revelation of some kind, when in reality she was literally returning to where she had been at the beginning of the season. They wrote her like shit. I am very upset about it.

Sylki(e)

I would not call myself “anti-sylki.” However, I personally feel uncomfortable by the incestuous nature of the ship (they have the same parents). I am not uncomfortable with it because it “ruins my ship,” because shipping wars are fucking dumb. I can admit part of me just… doesn’t like the ship. That being said, there is something to be discussed with the Lokius vs Sylki ship debate; I have seen a few Lokius shippers being sexist about Sylvie. I have seen many more fetishizing MLM relationships. I hate that. You should not SHIP something and use your ship as an excuse to be a bigot or a creep. Another point I see some people bringing up is related to queerness. There’s this ridiculous argument that Lokius shippers are only wanting queer relationships; that they don’t like Sylki because it’s het. My question is: Is Sylki straight? Because, in my eyes, we have two bisexual genderfluid characters. That is, inherently, queer. Regardless, because of the presentation of the two characters as cis in the show, it also feels a bit like queer erasure. What I’m saying is: if they had explored the identities a bit more, the queerness of both characters? I still wouldn’t be comfortable. It just doesn’t feel right to me. Having said that: ship away! My discomfort should not (and does not) dictate your ship. Not when, in technicality, there isn’t truly anything harmful about Sylki. I may make an entire post discussing the queerness of Sylki, so stay tuned.

Lokius

Heads up— I’m a Lokius shipper. That being said, I also have the ability to go about an analysis without being too biased (I hope). Continue with this knowledge in mind.

I despise the MLM fetishization aspect of this ship. There are a lot of cishet girls doing this in the fandom. If that sentence makes you feel defensive, you might be one of them. Look into that.

Additionally, I want to stress so hard that Loki is not a man. He is genderfluid. Even Kevin Wrong confirmed that much. Lokius is still queer. It was always queer. It is, however, definitely not just MLM. Just wanted to point that out.

Continuing from the Sylvie sexism— while I’m sure some Lokius shippers are indeed being sexist, think about it the other way around, too. Why does Sylvie need a love interest? So many women in film and TV are cast simply as love interests. Sylvie doesn’t need to be. She doesn’t DESERVE to be boiled down to that. She’s powerful, and the writers took that away from her this season, and it makes me angry. Regardless of my feelings, the idea that she must be in a relationship with a “man” (again— neither Sylvie nor Loki are “men” or “women”, but for the sake of simplicity I’m just going to refer to them as such since Marvel&Disney can’t take their heads out of their asses). That idea— doesn’t that feel a little demeaning? Can’t she live her life without a romantic connection to a man? I don’t know. I just think the situation has much more nuance than “Lokius shippers sexist!11!!1!!1!”

Kevin Wrong

I don’t really have much to say about him, to be honest. “We can’t see inside Loki’s head” made me actually laugh out loud. What, in the everloving fuck do you mean by that, sir?! You are his thoughts, in a manner of speaking. You WRITE HIS THOUGHTS. It’s the most bullshit excuse for queerbaiting I’ve ever fucking heard, actually. Absolutely ridiculous. Again, however, this one’s biased because of my Lokius shipper status as a person. It just feels like a lame excuse for lack of representation.

Thank you for reading my word vomit!! Altogether, I loved this show. It’s just flawed, like most shows are. It could have been more inclusive, like most shows can be. Writers are people, too, though, and not everyone has as much freedom of speech in that field as you’d think they do— regardless of what the writers might have wanted, Disney’s S&P most likely would not have okay-ed the queer relationship. Kevin Wrong was one writer; keep that in mind. He’s one cishet writer in the writer’s room with many other people. He might just be a bumbling idiot, guys. He might just be.

ANYWAYS! Ship what you want (as long as it’s not harmful)! Don’t harass other people for their ships!!!!!! BE KIND. ETC. IT’S ALMOST NEVER THAT DIRE— FANFICTION EXISTS, HEADCANONS EXIST!!! I understand it’s disappointing if your ship doesn’t go canon, but sometimes you don’t get what you want. And that’s okay!

[shaftking]

So I decided to watch Nimona (which was thankfully better than She-Ra). Apparently the main character’s story is widely seen as symbolic for being trans, especially based on these scenes:

https://www.tumblr.com/thecindercrow/721794269372874752/nimona

I’m not trans, so this didn’t occur to me, but I’d say it makes sense. However, people are claiming that this also pertains to being nb and genderfluid (and seem to be taking the scenes more at face value). I think the fact that people who identify as such feel legitimately validated by this non-human shape-shifting character saying things like, “I’m not a girl. I’m a shark,” speaks volumes about the current infinite gender movement and what these people think it means to be trans.

https://www.tumblr.com/multigenderswag/721976849446649856/nimona-is-still-nimona-he-says-she-could-be-a

I found this quote from the creator that further proves this point. This isn’t how being trans works. I get people not feeling attached to their gender at all (I certainly don’t) but I don’t think these feelings should be interpreted as being a third gender nor should they be conflated with being trans.

It was my knowledge the the original comic Nimona was based on was being written during the authors self discovery around his gender as an FTM and that bled into the story and character of Nimona. That said, not all characters written by trans authors with trans themes necessarily make the character that story is about literally trans in the narrative. And a trans narrative or theming has nothing to do with genderfluid or nonbinary and conflating those things almost always is done to the erasure of trans people.

Or it contradicts the established work or is done retroactively in order to garner some kind of unearned representation points, like with the Wachowski sisters claiming The Matrix is a trans narrative because they are trans, despite the movie itself not speaking to that.

I don’t think peoples self changes when the transition, it’s that the transition helps for the self that others see to reflect the internal self, if we wanted to get esoteric about it. And a character written as being ambivalent towards their gender is so fucking normal. Most characters aren’t written as having some kind of gender discovery journey, even if their gender is relevant to the plot or setting.

It’s really very telling how nonbinary fans always props up the kind of “I’m not a girl! I’m XYZ!” who is clearly a girl kind of character. It seems very transparent to me why this kind of representation is praised by the same people who think that shit like catgender is acceptable and should not be questioned and that it makes sense to group a person into the “trans umbrella” that is a gender conforming afab person who has she/they in her bio. They want all this representation and all these “trans” narratives when they don’t actually understand transness at all and just think any media that mentions gender or that they can project onto is revolutionary.

I wasn’t really planning to watch Nimona bc it honestly seems to just be pandering to the same crowd as SPOP, TOH and shows like it and I’m just really exhausted of being faked out on “trans media” that disregards trans people.

[ravenadottir]

I feel like Bobby might be nonbinary - idk whether this is coming from my nb mind, but Bobby seems to have that vibe. What do you think about this potential headcanon?

oh i absolutely see it!!

here's the thing... bobby to me is a bisexual non binary adorable creature, always has been, and for whatever reason, when i talked about this a couple of years ago, people came for me!

COULD YOU HIDE YOUR BI ERASURE AND HOMOPHOBIA WHEN TALKING TO ME? THANK YOU.

he does have a vibe to how he conducts himself. there's a familiar something that makes me think of him as an enby but i can't put my finger on it.

it might be the number of enby's i've met before... maybe it's his history of confidence and how he walks/talks today?

maybe it's the imagery of him on the outside? as in, how he dresses, how he legit doesn't give many fucks about what people has to say about him?

possibly how he often comes across as someone who doesn't follow gender roles?

'cause it's not only about priya's dress, even though it contributes to it, but it's also how i can totally see him in a skirt, on a night out, and it's NOT a kilt. it's legit a cute skirt.

i can see him wearing scene/emo shit back when he had a punk rock band, like... bobby was definitely experimenting with his looks and expressing himself through clothes and hairstyles for sure!

rocking the eye liner and colorful hair (hopefully not straightening it though).

i love bobby's character so deeply, you don't even know how much, and part of my adoration towards him is very this, how he defies gender roles through playful things and glosses over them, because those things are not a big deal.

they're normal. a dress is just a gather of fabrics. a skirt is just fabric wrapped around someone's legs and bum and that's that. but when a dude wears them unapologetically, i have to say, it stands out, all for the right reasons.

if i would guess his pronouns it would probably be a solid he/they. i feel like he would be comfortable with both but get gender euphoria when referred by they/them.

there's a unspoken thing about bobby, along with henrik, being the only ones that truly have thought about, and understood, gender and masculinity. i can't say the other boys in this season have.

or girls, for that matter.

it's kind of like, if someone asked you what masculinity or femininity is, as an enby you would probably have the answer ready to go. me, as a genderfluid person, i do.

bobby and henrik also do, the others haven't been asked about it, so there wasn't any thinking about the matter for them.

[imposterogers]

If marvel were such LGBTQIA+ allies then why’d they greenlight the loki series? 1 missable (arguably transphobic) line about being bi and the complete erasure of Loki’s genderfluidity + fluidphobic selfcest is NOT representation, its insulting. Plus the way they made Valkyrie Bi but deleted the confirming scenes and they’ve still not confirmed Yelena as aroace

for me the real test will be 1. is valkyrie confirmed bi in thor 4 2. how they handle cherik (bc they were the biggest ship in the xmcu and separating/not having them on screen together if the characters cross over to the mcu will be very telling) 3. if negasonic teenage warhead returns in deadpool 3 4. if deadpool flirts with men in deadpool 3 / is openly pansexual

[outrealmbarracks]

50 Questions of FE3H

The ultimate FE3H ask game - Send me an ask and reblog to play!

What drew you to / made you pick up and play FE3H?

Was FE3H your first Fire Emblem game?  If not, which other games did you play?

Who is your favorite FE3H voice actor?

Which route did you play through first in FE3H?

Which route did you play through last?

Which route is your favorite?

Which side quest / paralogue was your favorite?

What storyline threads should have had more development / been further explored?

What is your favorite scene in the game (can be in the main story or a support convo)?

What’s your favorite combat class?

What’s your go-to weapon or spell in combat?

Post a link / reblog your favorite FE3H fanart (no reposting / credit erasure!!).

Post a link to your favorite FE3H fanfic.

If you’ve posted your own fanart or fanfic, post a link to the piece you are most proud of.

If you are an artist or writer, are you currently working on any new FE3H content (art or fanfic)?  If so, will you share a sneak preview?

Rank the Church of Seiros characters from your favorite to least favorite.

Rank the Black Eagles from your favorite to least favorite.

Rank the Blue Lions from your favorite to least favorite.

Rank the Golden Deer from your favorite to least favorite.

What character do you headcanon as bi?

What character do you headcanon as poly?

What character do you headcanon as ace or aro?

What character do you headcanon as trans?

What character do you headcanon as genderfluid?

What character do you headcanon as another sexual orientation or gender identify not listed above?

Who is your overall favorite character?

Which character do you feel “meh” about?

What character do you not like at all / hate?

What character should have gotten more development?

What characters should have more support options and who should have been their support options?

What is your favorite pre-timeskip character design or outfit?

What is your favorite post-timeskip character design or outfit?

What is your least favorite (or hated) pre-timeskip character design or outfit?

What is your least favorite (or hated) post-timeskip character design or outfit?

Which characters would you like to see switch pre-timeskip designs (for fun)?

Which characters would you like to see switch post-timeskip designs (for fu0?

Who are your favorite dining partners?

Who is your favorite teatime companion?

Who is your favorite / most used combat unit?

What character do you always recruit, no matter which route you are playing and why?

What is a favorite character headcanon (can be one you came up with or one you liked / adopted from someone else)?

Do you have / are you willing to share a possibly controversial opinion or headcanon you have about a character?

Who is your favorite in-game ship (meaning they have supports and a confirmed romantic ending card)?

Who is your favorite headcanon ship (meaning they either have supports but not necessarily a romantic ending or they may have no supports at all)?

Who is your FE3H OTP?

Who is your FE3H poly ship?

Who is your favorite Byleth ship?

What is a popular ship that you don’t care for / don’t like?

What is a general (not necessarily popular) ship that you don’t care for / don’t like?

Which ship do you wish was more popular / had more content available?

[make-loki-happy-again]

A lot of people say it is biphobic and bi erasure to be unhappy at the thought of Loki ending up with a feminine presenting character. And I agree. Very, very often it is.

But as a bisexual woman myself, I am unhappy about that too. Not because I think bi characters should not end up in a "straight" relationships or because I have some unhealthy need for gay ships with any character I like.

I am dissappointed because they confirmed Loki as bi/pan but didn't show us any of it. They could have showed us Loki in queer relationships or situations. Then giving him a girlfriend wouldn't bother me at all (even if selfcest seems a bit questionable for the main canon relationship - but you know what? I don't care, they can go for it, she is kinda cool).

Some easy examples:

1. They could have showed us Loki flirting with a man instead of a woman on that plane (don't get me wrong, she was really cute and I liked that scene, but it's just to make a point about how easy it would be to show he can be flirty with men).

2. Even tho I don't think Loki and Mobius would be a healthy relationship and I never really shipped them or wanted for them to become canon, they could give us some obvious scenes of them flirting or even just of Loki trying to flirt to gain his trust/sympathy or to fool him.

3. Instead of the scene with Lady Sif (that was imo performed really well by the way, they both did a great job here!) they could have showed us a painfull memory with a male lover. Maybe getting rejected? Maybe finding out he is dead or even seeing him die in a battle? Maybe even showing that Asgard can be a homophobic place by having someone mock Loki for his interests (and the climactic point, instead of Loki apologising, would be Loki openly standing up against that, proud of who he is). I am just brainstorming, I know those are not perfect queer representation ideas, especially if this would be the only "queer" moment for Loki. But it was still an opportunity to give us something.

Or they could show us some "wlw looking" moment with Sylvie! That would work too even tho she is not the main character here. Maybe some cute moment with Hunter B-15?

Instead, they gave us Loki flirting with a woman on the plane and then hinted that the endgame may (or may not) be Loki and his feminine presenting version and that their romantic love may be some super powerful thing. It is disappointing. It's like they confirmed his bi/pansexuality but are only willing to explore one side of it.

And honestly, I don't even dislike the idea of Loki "falling for himself". I just wish they gave us a bit more of his bi/pansexuality on screen instead of just jumping into the relationship that can be seen as "straight", at least from the outside perspective, immidiatelly after confirming that they are both bi/pan.

EDIT: I realised I called Sylvie a woman and I changed that to feminine presenting character because even tho they didn't mention it in the show, I still believe that Sylvie is genderfluid just as Loki is and that we will get some proof of that in canon.

I also feel the need to clarify: I don't dislike this ship and I won't be angry or sad if it becomes canon. They are cute together and I don't care at all if it's selfcest or not.

And yes, bisexual people are still bisexual, no matter who we date. Our relationships don't define our sexuality. Please don't say they made Loki or Sylvie straight! Instead you can say, for example, that their relationship is straight-passing. ^-^

But it is still sad that big companies always choose to portray only the "safe part" of our sexuality.

It's the same with their genderfluidity. Presenting the way they do doesn't make them any less genderfluid. I just wish they showed us some bigger hint on screen instead of making one of them presenting feminine and using only she/her pronouns all the time and the other presenting masculine and using only he/him pronouns all the time without a hint for anything else and never mentioning it (but I am very cis myself so I feel like this is not my place to be a judge of that).

Still, I am really happy that Loki is confirmed bisexual even if it was only one sentence! I enjoy the show and I have nothing against Loki and Sylvie! 🖤

[vergess]

As a person of color that's also genderfluid, I have a critique regarding this post [Bruh the sheer ease with which people who think of themselves as queer allies will say shit like, “analyzing this disney character through a trans lens is racist because it strips him of his racial heritage” is wild. Like, buddy, pal, friend of mine. You understand that trans people of colour are a thing right?].

The experiences of a white queer and a poc queer are very different bc the cultural context is very different. I'm not well educated on Colombian queer culture, but there is a difference between Colombian queer culture and white queer culture, which the people making these headcanons often ignore. That's the entire reason people are annoyed by them. Additionally, focusing on queer subtext detracts from the nuance and dynamics of this well-crafted POC story, simply because poc queer culture and yt queer culture are different. For example, headcanoning Isabela as a lesbian assumes that poc only marry for love, which in many cases is not true. The film did a great job at representing these poc dynamics, but yt fans are not. That's not to say Isabela cannot be a lesbian, but when headcanoning her, you shouldn't ignore the cultural context the movie gave.

Additionally, I'm not sure if you support the trans Luisa headcanon, but since you posted on the topic of trans Encanto characters, I feel like this comment is relevant to my critique. Historically, woc have been stripped of their femininity because they don't meet eurocentric beauty standards. Also, in my opinion, headcanoning a character as trans simply because they're buff or have a deep message is problematic. Obviously, Luisa being trans isn't inherently problematic, but the problem is that it stems from racist and transphobic perceptions.

Sorry if this ask is very long, I just wanted to get my thoughts related to your post out, and I've been seeing a lot of the arguments to latine people expressing their views just being presented as homophobia. Tl;dr, most of the critique towards queer depictions is just about the lack of poc incluson and the erasure of the movies values/point.

Listen, you're trying to make good points about cultural differences but the youtuber opened with "I'm not trans, but," and couldn't be arsed to ask any trans people around her for input.

And, frankly, if you think someone headcanoning Luisa as trans "robs her of femininity" while she continues to go around in embroidered skirts etc, that is a you problem. You're the one who thinks trans womanhood is unfeminine. You're the one denying women their femininity because you don't think they're doing it right.

What part of a random trans person on tumblr identifying with the way Luisa presents herself manages to "rob" anyone of the way she appears in the film?

No one is fucking stealing representation by pointing out that they relate to the experiences a character has.

What part of a blogger thinking "Isabela seems like she might be exclusively sexually attracted to other women" makes her initial willingness to marry a man for her family line disappear? Does that magically erase the movie's entire plot thread for her? Because I can cue up the film right now and all those scenes will sure as shit still be there.

Or do you think that talking about the possible lesbian implications of her story makes her difficult for you to relate to because you find lesbians alienating in some way?

It does not "undercut the values of the film" if Isabela's feelings of obligation are tied to being used as a breeding cow by her grandmother, being obligated by a crushing case of Eldest Daughter Syndrome to carry on the legacy of superhuman excellence, AND not wanting to marry a man. These are additive fucking traits, not subtractive ones.

Every time someone comes in to talk about how the nasty little queermos are distracting from the wholesome tale of POC family dynamics as if queer POC don't live simultaneously in both those spaces, I become this much more militant.

Did I think Luisa was trans when I watched the movie? No. Do I think so now? Fuck yes I do.

Everyone is trans now. Mirabel is every nonbinary ADHD stereotype you personally despise. Antonio will grow up to be a they/them lesbian even if they have to invent the concept themself. Isabela is the bisexual man-hater of your fucking nightmares. Isabela and then Luisa magically transitioned at age 5 when she got her powers. Pedro and Alma are T4T and Pedro carried the triplets. Camilo specifically has as far opposite a gender as the person he is imitating while imitating them.

And if you don't like me tearing these characters out of your hands by relating to them on a fucking social media website, you're welcome to block me, because no matter what bullshit I say, the movie still exists and your personal interpretation of it has just as much fucking weight as mine.

Take your transmisogyny, your lesbophobia, your total disregard for the bredth and intersections of POC existence, and your need to attack random people of colour for not worshipping fucking Disney the exact same way as you, and get the FUCK OUT.

[lemystical-puffle]

My A3 Sexuality Headcanons that no one asked for!

[These won’t include Gender, only sexual orientation or lack thereof(is that a phrase?)]

Color coordination

Gay

Bi

Pan

Aro

Hetero

Sakuya Sakuma: Pansexual! He doesn’t have any preferences, honestly after his childhood he just wants someone who will love and accept him!

Masumi: Bisexual. I feel like he would love the director whether they be boy, girl, other, all, he just wants someone to give him attention, and that person just happened to be out beloved Izumi Tachibana.

Tsuzuru: okay this ones me projecting but whatever Aro/Ace Tsuzuru. He doesn’t feel romantic attraction, and instead just feels a family-brotherly kind of love towards his friends and fellow actors. He doesn’t really want to romantically be with someone, and yet instead just wants to be there for them when they need it and love them the same way he loves his family at home

Citron: Also pan!! But Pan-Romantic specifically. Citron literally just wants to love everyone ever because he’s just awesome like that, but won’t go pass kissing someone. It just makes him uncomfortable which is perfectly fine because he is Citron Lastname! But yeah, also no gender prefermance

Itaru: Bi with a male preference. I can’t really explain why I think this, I just do. Maybe because most of the woman he has ever shown interest in are his 2D anime waifus. Also I mean come on he totally had a whole thing for Lancelot he thinks knights are hot and that is so valid.

Chikage: he is a gay cabbage. Listen the only time he has said he liked a woman it was because he said they weren’t like his mom and I am just- I’m sorry I don’t trust that. This man is a gay, he is never had a boyfriend but he has definitely thought of hooking up with his boss for a raise, thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

Tenma: Also bi! Bi-Ace specifically. I wasn’t really sure where to put him because on one hand I feel like he has a lot of MLM energy but on the other hand his solo song so I just, bi. I feel like his gay awakening came when he played the token gay best friend in a romcom because gay actor erasure but Tenma didn’t really understand, but later he was in a scene where he was with his boyfriend who shows up for one second to remind the audience he’s a homosexual and Tenma was just: crap he’s not

Yuki: okay at first I didn’t know what to put for Yuki cause on one hand sexuality erasure Yuki has specifically said he likes girl and he defies stereotypes and stuff but on the other hand he never said he didn’t like boys so he’s bi with a female preference. I feel like Yuki is the kind of guy to just happen to fall in love with whoever and just go “oh crap did I just fall in love?” And while he likes girls more sometimes it just. Happens.

Muku: Surprise surprise he’s Pan! Muku totally reads shoujo manga with all sexualities and is very livid about good representation, will write a “negative review” (and in Muku terms that’s him being very polite, 4.5/5 stars and linking research resources) about how inaccurate a sexuality was portrayed. I feel like at first he just thought he was a very active ally and now he is just: “oh crap boys. And girls. And enbys. And genderfluids. And everyone.”

Misumi: Misumi is very homosexual, which at first he was sad about because homosexual has 2 o’s which are circles but then he realized he can just say gay but spell it like: G🔺Y so he got happy again. I feel like it was one of the reasons he was kicked out of his home, he just likes boys Jeez Ikaruga parents no rights. (I also Headcanon him as autistic but that’s not what this post is about).

Kazunari: In Kazunari Miyoshi’s world he never has to make a decision in his life and that includes sexuality. Show him a guy and a girl and tell him to pick one and he will simply overload until he picks the person who knows the most trivia on classical art or smthing. Kazunari just: adores everyone ever, and that’s okay! After a lot of internalized homophobia and fear, he was able to come out to first a small group of college friends and eventually felt comfortable with the label and was able to express it openly, now he wears it with pride!

Kumon: I really don’t have any explaining to go here, Kumon just feels gay to me. My head can’t wrap around him wanting to be intimate with a girl. I do think there was this big moment of him coming out to Juza and Juza just going “s’okay.” Then they hug and get ice cream

Banri: Banri is bisexual with a straight pride flag and a Juza Preference. Catch him at the straight pride parade telling “those Homo’s that they’re going to burn.” While making out with Juza against a wall. That’s canon I don’t take criticism

Juza: Also Gay, I feel like Kumon came out first and Juza did research and was like “oh me too.” And just thought about how he’s never actually liked a girl and thought boys were kinda pretty and oh crap Settsu slicked his hair back oh crap oh crap pretty men.

Taichi: Taichi is bisexual, with his preferences being as random as his hair. Except no weird 1/4 quarters going on. Idk where I was going with that analogy I’m sorry. Taichi just likes the humans and wants to go kiss kiss with them all, and then bring them along on his journey for fame and popularity!

Omi: Listen, Omi is the mother of Mankai, and as the mother he loves everyone unconditionally. He also totally wanted to kiss Nachi I’m sorry. I feel like Omi has a male preference, but only by a bit as he loves everyone! He is a good boy and brings all the snacks and water to the pride parades so his friends stay healthy :)

Sakyo: Sakyo is the straight~ supportive dad who doesn’t care if you’re gay straight bi pan anything as long as you pay your taxes. Was probably a little confused at first just because. Probably said “LGBT? Isn’t that a sandwich.” But he got informed did research and is now a huge ally! After more research he identifies specifically as graysexual/romantic as he feels rarely any romantic attraction at all unless under certain circumstances aka Izumi Tachibana. I akso think he suspected that Azami was LGBT for a bit before he came out so he wanted to do research so that Azami would feel comfortable coming out when he was ready. Also he can’t like, not support Sakoda (who I Headcanon as gay :) )

Azami: Azami is bi-aro. Sex? Nah he won’t even hold your hand before marriage, however he will love you no matter your gender. I also see him with a female preference just from his straight upbringing and it’s the title he feels most comfortable with after some internalized homophobia, especially with how his dad shamed him for liking makeup. He is still getting used to the LGBT community and I feel like he is still taking baby steps, learning about different identities and wanting to do all he can to support both himself and his fellow actors due to simply not knowing where to start. Don’t worry Azami take you’re time! There is no rush, you are trying to figure yourself out and we all love you so much for it, there is no shame in changing your mind later. We adore you all the same. (If you couldn’t tell, I wasn’t only talking to Azami. If you are still questioning yourself it is 100% okay, because honestly I am too. There is no rush to figure yourself out, and I hope you know that we are all here for you!)

Tsumugi: Tsumugi is gay, but I feel like he also had a lot of internalized homophobia. I feel like when he was younger he really liked Tasuku but didn’t really understand the difference between platonic and romantic, and it took some time before he was able to really discover himself and come to the identity he has currently.

Tasuku: Tasuku is gay and homophobic.

Hisoka: Hisoka is homo-demi-romantic asexual. I feel like it won’t want to date anyone without really earning their trust and feeling safe around them, and after that point he still will be pretty shy romantically, but it is very much understandable and we all still love Hisoka

Homare: Homare is pan. He doesn’t really care about gender, he just wants someone who will love him and his poetry without seeing him as broken. I feel like after his last relationship he was hesitant to date again, but after some time and help from the rest of winter troupe he was able to rediscover himself. (Also autistic Homare go brrrr)

Azuma: Azuma is an old gay man who just thinks boobs are neat. That’s it that’s the post sent tweet turn off replies.

Guy: New color who this? This is because I didn’t know what to put for Guy, so he simply doesn’t identify as anything. I don’t know a lot about Guy but I know enough to feel like relationships would be very awkward and touchy for him due to his problems with emotions and expression. He isn’t straight, but he doesn’t really identify as anything either. He’s just: Guy. Which is more than valid

[oh also all of winter is Poly and they’re boyfriends thanks for coming to my Ted talk]

Hope you all liked these! Of course they are all my own opinion and you don’t have to agree with all, they’re just how I feel!! Feel free to reply or reblog with your own opinions or Headcanons!!

[deliciousscaloppine]

Hot takes galore 2: A brief overview of fandom backlashes that influenced fanfiction writing traditions as I have personally experienced them.

In this segment we examine...THE INDOMITABLE MARY SUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, as I was entering fandom in 2008 (Bleach, a manga by Kubo Tite), the hottest, sweattiest discourse pertained perhaps to Mary Sues. I thought the hatred of Mary Sues had completed its cycle and it was dead and gone in our days, BUT I happened upon a post that said that we are all stanning Moxiang Tongxiu’s OCs (original characters), in a sort of admonishing tone, and I couldn’t help but smile.

For back in the day, OCs, were termed self-inserts at best, and if they were a female protagonist that would sideline the canonical cast of characters then they were Mary Sues. And there were as many people hating original characters, and Mary Sues in particular that I remember sitting up all night thinking on whether I should post or not this fic that had some OCs in it that were there to just deliver some messages.

And of course this bled into accusations of writing canonical characters as basically “original characters” or “self-inserts”, by use of the term “ooc” (out of character). Personally, I thought this was over, but recently Riri accused me of disregarding the existing characterization and turning the CQL characters into my own original characters...for KINKY HAVOC IN VOLCANO PALACE!

An unjust accusation, I feel, Riri, because I do my damnedest to maintain characterization even under the wildest circumstances. 

People were looking to extend their enjoyment of the existing characters and story, and for some reason fanfic authors could come under fire for not catering to that, and writing for their personal self-fulfillment. 

And there were as many people writing oc’s and Mary Sues as there were people hating them, and the writers for it. It was chaos, there were journals (i was in livejournal) devoted to roasting mary sues, laughing at authors etc. If you came in fandom after me, you live in much much gentler times, and perhaps you have the Mary Sue to thank for that, because the Mary Sue kickstarted a lot of fandom feminist discourse.

Back in the day they usually determined “Mary Sue” as an overpowered, female character, whom everyone loved even though she might not be particularly charming (by whose standards?), who was adept at everything, knew everything, felt everything etc. 

The thing is that Mary Sues did not seem to exist only in fanfiction, but everywhere around us, whenever there would be a project film/show/comic/book that had a strong female protagonist.

And that was because fandom and male nerd culture were intertwined. Anime, games, comic books were heavily “invaded” by swaths of girls who were not quite fulfilled by corny pop stars, or saccharine rom coms, and seeing that there were no female power fantasies available in these media, they created their own.

It was a very interesting time because if you remember, Marvel Movies started getting made around that time, riding on that convention power, which was dominated by male nerd culture - and that is why they gave so little screen time to female characters, because the demographic was pretty thoroughly examined and they were found to dislike any and every female character that was not there to validate the male character’s cishetero sexuality (YEAH BABY)

I mean women, actresses, female characters had a good portion in media, and the marvel cinematic universe and its imitators pretty much sidelined all these people very aggressively. Male stories started exploding and taking over during this time, exploiting that very vocal male nerd demographic. 

But where is the backlash you ask, because so far we’ve only seen the oppression. 

I saw a lot of writers struggle with the validity of the female character, and then the validity of female writing. They conflated writing female characters, as writing without examining themselves, or attaining a neutral voice and a role of representing accurately reality (lol). Writing Mary Sues was bad writing, and at some point all women were Mary Sues.

...So can you guess what happened?

A lot of these people turned to male slash in order to cope. Before the Mary Sue hate, male slash was a considerable but not dominant piece on the fanfic pie, which was mostly dominated by main het ships. Male slash was already enjoyed by female heterosexual audiences, but it started gaining more and more traction until a term was coined (shipping goggles), and accusations were once more flung: that fangirls will ship any two white dudes - not untrue. 

This audience was not very friendly to actual gay people. There were all sorts of strange views passing before my bespectacled eyes at the time. People proclaiming that they loved yaoi (i was in manga, so this was the term used), but would not watch gay porn, and thought gay people were gross. And in the case where gay people were in fandom these people often complained of not being included/invited in fandom activities, or having minimal readership from groups that promoted male slash, but not gay writers.

This is why I often say fandom is not a friendly place for lgbtq people, because this type of audience still exists, even if it had to suppress their discomfort and assimilate the rhetoric of allyship at some point. And sadly a lot of people who dominated these early discussions about fandom becoming more lgbtq friendly since it consumed such relationships in media, managed to set this climate of dishonesty where everyone is pro-lgbtq in theory, but not in action.

Meaning a lot of stereotyping that is not endemic to actual lgbtq communities. Like top-bottom (most people are verses), whiny bottom, subby bottom, violent top, aggressive sex, hypersexual gay characters, almost complete erasure of bisexuality, lesbians what are they?, a complete and absolute fear in portraying trans characters, suppression of genderfluidity, accusing people of writing male gay characters as female characters as a form of wish-fulfillment or supposed homophobia.

A while ago I saw this article asking why lgbtq people are so mean to each other that confused me thoroughly, until I remembered this call out phase that happened a while ago and still goes on, where everyone blames everyone else of abusing and gaslighting them, friendships falling out etc, which is not at all the reality of older lgbtq scenes, because these were not formed online under this climate. 

And because fandom is a vehicle for self-exploration a lot of people to this day conflate consuming lgbtq relationships through media as being lgbtq themselves, or these “actual” relationships being set as these other fictional “idealized” relationships. Whereas in older lgbtq scenes a lot of people come into them by realizing their attraction to actual, real, live people and not characters, or hot celebrities.

I am not saying that current lgbtq people who discovered that about themselves online are lying, or lying to themselves, but they definitely came out in an environment of fake acceptance, and have a hard time reconciling reality with that lie of acceptance through no fault of their own, of course, because they never developed the language and the understanding that language brings in order to communicate amongst them. The characteristics were set by a group outside of them that might be pro gay marriage, and having a cool gay friend, and the inherent tragedy of homosexuality or something, but are not really for it - as a very wise queer eye contestant once said. 

And so every trespass by their own people, becomes a proof of this generalized rejection with tremendous consequences for young people’s mental health. YOU ARE BEING GASLIT IT’S TRUE - but not by your own people, it’s just a miscommunication going on there.    

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MARY SUE. She changed. She stopped seeking love, sex, and power, or at least pretended that she did not want any of these things, or did not understand them, she stopped speaking, and became more stoic so people wouldn’t judge her opinions, and finally one day she went on to accomplish great things, because women seeking representation was also a pretty set demographic, and somebody could and would exploit that!

The Twilight Saga, Fifty Shades of Grey, even Hunger Games, are the media progeny of the Mary Sue powering through the entirely of male nerd culture. In a whole decade where people wanted Marvel to release a Black Widow movie, there have been three major spy/action girl movies that did very well in the box office, and since producing and releasing a movie usually takes three years, i’d say the audience was heard loud and clear - even though not by Marvel. 

And the side girls in these Marvel movies, or other action movies, became more and more badass - they all went from damsel in distress, to saving the hero, and of course the male characters were subsequently “queer-ified” until everyone was finally happy, and nerd culture was exposed as having been infiltrated by neonazis and that’s why it was making those unreasonable demands for no women ever in the first place.

And everything was right in the world, except that it was not. Because...girls had also been infiltrated by “neonazis”. A lot of these media, and a lot of these “white” Mary Sues, fall under many conservative criteria. Conservatism being a nice word for fascism. 

A few examples is the person of color always dies, or is brutalized, or is admonished constantly even as they shadow the protagonist in order to reinforce their inherent radiance. Characters who might be poc in books or in the anime (hur hur), are whitewashed in the visual media. The women are almost never comfortable with sex or romance, always thinking about the future and amassing power, not for themselves, but for the benefit of the resistance, or the family, or any other entity they belong to. And of course they are forever incredibly flawed - as opposed to idealized versions of male heroes always on the side of good for the right reasons! Also a minimal cast of women, with one woman being the protagonist, and the rest functioning as side characters or mostly antagonists.

So every time you feel a slight trepidation for not being the right type of lgbtq for writing something that is not strictly anal, or fear to include feminine characters, every time you erase yourself from the narrative it is it, the spectre of the Mary Sue coming to haunt you with a “We won, what more do you want?”  

[heyimslightlyobsessed]

good omens

bc while you guys can bitch and moan about how Anathema ended up with Newt because he’s a white boy and apparently you can’t do that anymore let’s talk about the good things in Good Omens

- multiple poc (including asian (and guess what they’re not the generic good-at-math-and-nothing-else character))

- the ‘destined couple’ choosing to stay together because they like each other and actual acknowledgement that agnes predicting they have sex is actually super creepy

- picking one’s own destiny and choices instead of sticking to the plans or the prophecies

- traditionally cruel and malicious characters instead being portrayed as soft and caring

- different body types

- a genderfluid character where a. it’s not their only personality and b. scenes of them in female-presenting attire isn’t a fucking joke

- acknowledgement that the japanese whaling industry is fucked up 

- shadwell, while being a dumbass and could’ve so easily slipped into ‘border-line abusive old white guy(tm) who likes shooting people’, is instead protective of madam tracy and just smart enough to swindle two also dumbass 6000 year old immortals

- portrayal of abusive relationships that aren’t romanced-up and escape from those relationships

- multiple nonbinary characters

- characters that are portrayed by female actresses going by different pronouns

- newt, who helps anathema pick her own path instead of being ruled by an ancestor from centuries ago

- asexual! representation! which is a big deal because while the list of LGBTQ+ characters on wiki is long (not as long as it should be) the list of canon ace characters has like, 20 people on it

- loving, healthy, non-heterosexual relationship 

- characters whose sexuality, gender, gender presentation, or skin color isn’t their only personality trait or what makes them ‘quirky’

- violence not being the answer to everything- something that’s super rare in media right now- instead, it’s love that saves stuff (adam’s love of tadfield and his friends over power, crowley’s love for aziraphale, newt’s love/respect of anathema compelling him to let her choose her path instead of taking the predictable and comfy way, etc, etc)

- a genuinely hopeful and happy ending

- an author/creator who willing went the way of death of the author and who is willing to accept any and all headcanons

- look. i’m not saying that it’s perfect- it’s really not. but ‘cancelling’ the show because gaiman sees aziraphale’s technical genderless-ness as a reason for not calling him gay is nitpicky and ignores the stuff that the show does so well and erases the tons of other representation that it showcases that other media doesn’t give us (and can also be seen as asexual/nonbinary/pan erasure which like i said is super important to me and others because guess what, while you have your love simon and charlie bradbury’s we have a list of 20 characters and many many many people who believe that it isn’t a ‘real’ thing and virtually no mention of us in books or movies)

[evillordzog]

Anyone watching this?

An animated mecha series created by Gray Haddock and produced by Rooster Teeth. It is set in a dystopian future Earth where an international coalition called The Polity fights a hostile nano-tech armed invading force known as The Union. The central conceit is that the hero mecha are driven by the digitally uploaded consciousness of their pilot.

Michael B. Jordan as Julian Chase, a former Polity combat pilot and "All-American guy" from Brooklyn around whom the team forms. Pilots the blue “jet fighter” mech.

Golshifteh Farahani as Yasamin Madrani, a former Union fighter pilot from Iran and second member of the Gen:Lock program. Muslim, wears a hijab and long hair in a virtual off-duty scene. Dreamed about being a physically genderless robot version of herself. Pilots the gold “eagle” mech

Maisie Williams as Cameron 'Cammie' MacCloud, a foul-mouthed Scottish hacker and the youngest recruit of the Gen:Lock program at the age of 17 years old. Pilots the green “bunny” mech.  

Asia Kate Dillon as Val/entina Romanyszyn (roh-mah-nee-shin), a former Ukrainian covert agent. Val/entina is genderfluid, going by the name "Valentina" when female-presenting and "Val" when male-presenting. During a rare moment of downtime, she told the team that she was feeling the need to start presenting as male again. Has physically transitioned at least once, with dialogue suggesting that the process is easier than it is today. and can be undergone multiple times. Pilots the violet cloak-wearing sniper mech.

Kōichi Yamadera as Kazu Iida, a transfer from the Japanese military, where he was demoted from the rank of Sergeant to kitchen duty on grounds of insubordination. Speaks only japanese, but easily available universal translator tech overcomes this. Pilots the crimson “bull samurai” mech. 

Dakota Fanning as Miranda Worth, a standard mecha pilot and "it’s complicated” with Chase.    David Tennant as Dr. Rufus Weller, a scientist from the Polity's Experimental Science Unit. Creator of the gen:LOCK program. Hard not to interpret him as an alternate version of the 10th Doctor.

The animation is cell-shaded CGI, but if that’s not a deal-breaker then the show is well worth watching. There’s some nice mecha design in there (with a clear nod towards the angels from Evangelion) and the characters grow on you fairly quickly. Warning that there is a bit of what some might consider to be body horror at some points as one might expect from a war story but on the whole it’s not terribly graphic. 

Worth noting that the voice talent matches the character’s they depict (Golshifteh is Iranian, Asia is non-binary). This series is ticking a lot of boxes when it comes to representation.

Spoiler rant for episode 4 and 6:

Ignoring the “transference means erasure” trope, my one complaint is the teeth-grindingly stupid decision regarding back-ups of the digital consciousness of the pilots.

They present a setting where the people capable of piloting the gen:LOCK mecha are exceedingly rare to the point they will take criminals and enemy defectors as candidates. They then show us that the Union took their at the time sole piloted mech and that the program would have been fucked if they hadn’t kept a back-up copy of his mind to re-integrate with his organic body. The first time the team end up facing a hostile gen:LOCK mech, it immediately targets the digital brain of one of the pilots, further emphasising the vital but overcomeable Achilles Heel of the program

Except that for some incomprehensible reason, the capture of that first ensouled mech meant the program stopped keeping back-ups of deployed pilots. For no reason at all. The fact that the Union were able to flip the digital brain they caught to the dark side is nothing but further proof that gen:LOCK not keeping back-ups on hand is just murderously stupid.

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[kiev4am]

I just listened to the recent BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness.  I was really looking forward to this - it’s one of my absolute favourite novels - but I have to say, the decision to cast a female actor as Estraven was a misstep I couldn’t get past.  Polite but lengthy rant below.

It’s a beautiful production - the music and sound direction is perfectly bleak and arctic, the acting is excellent, it’s clearly been created with a huge amount of respect and affection for the source material.  Lesley Sharp is a wonderful actor (in fact it’s a wonderful and diverse cast overall, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is outstanding as Genly and there’s also Toby Jones, Louise Brealey, Noma Dumezweni and Ruth Gemmell in the mix) and I can absolutely see the solid feminist reasons why casting a woman as Estraven - and other women as other Gethenians - could be thought of as progressive and fitting.  Le Guin herself acknowledged that her use of male pronouns in the book was problematic in that it derailed the perception of both Gethenians’ female traits and of their genderfluidity, especially when so many of the characters were in roles traditionally held by men in fiction - politicians, leaders, guards, a king (despite that beautiful line ‘the king was pregnant’).  I can see how a female-coded Estraven deftly operating at the highest levels of Karhide statecraft, singlehandedly rescuing Genly from the prison camp and hauling that sledge across the ice with him addresses that issue specifically and brings a crucial piece of Le Guin’s vision of Gethenians into focus.

But.  That's only one strand of the book’s exploration of gender and sexuality, and it’s the most mainstream strand - the one that relates to gender roles and Genly’s ingrained sexism, his reductive view of women.  There’s an entire other aspect being erased here, something which for me was integral to the story and its themes, namely the book’s powerful queer subtext - introduced via the choice of those same male pronouns and skilfully expanded on through Genly’s unconscious stereotyping and homophobia, the way his initial mistrust of Gethenians, and Estraven specifically, is rooted in his perception of them as ‘effeminate’ or ‘incomplete’ men.  It’s impossible to read Genly’s emerging acceptance of and love for Estraven without understanding that, in order to reach that point emotionally, Genly had overcome not only his assumptions about women but also his prejudices against men who did not act socially and sexually according to his own norms and any unease at thoughts of intimacy with them.  That’s virtually a blueprint for a literary journey of gay self-discovery and I can’t imagine the producers of this adaptation could have been unaware of that.  Hence my profound problems with the casting.

I could almost have accepted it if the producers had chosen to cast female actors for every Gethenian character - that would at least have been consistent, implying a conscious choice to use womens’ voices to emphasise the very telling overlap in Genly’s thinking between the alienness of Gethenians and the alienness of women.  But they haven’t done that; at least three Gethenians including King Argaven are voiced by male actors, which means the casting was driven not by thematic motives but by whatever the producers were comfortable with.  I could still mostly assume good faith in these decisions until the final scene, where Genly meets Estraven and Arek’s child Sorve.  In the book, Sorve is introduced by the grandfather as “my sons’ son.”  In the radio version, the grandfather’s line is changed to “my childrens’ only child” and Estraven is called the mother of Sorve not once but twice in the short scene.  At this point, I lost my goodwill.  Everything else had been in keeping with the book with merely a change to the perceived gender of the actor’s voice; this was a deliberate change to the text that didn’t feel organic at all.  The erasure not only of gay pairings but of gay parenting - the choice to alter Le Guin’s words to favour a heteronormative reading and exclude any other - is too explicit for me to ignore.  It’s just... so timid, so disappointing, and so against the spirit of the novel.

[jade-basicity]

Review for Game of Trolls

Today, we live in a Philippines torn between the horrors of its past and the fear for its present. With the dawn of issues such as th EJK and the resurfacing talk of Martial Law during the Marcos regime, for the modern youth, it’s not that easy to put these problems into perspective. We were born at a time before we could remember it, but were born in its aftermath. The Philippine Educational Theater Association, with their production “Game of Trolls”, sought to do just that.

“Game of Trolls” revolves around the life of Hector (TJ Valderrama), a modern milennial working for Bimbam (Vince Lim) the son of an Apo loyalist. There, he earns money by fighting against SJWs like his friend-zoned flatmate Constance (Galang Fernandez) by means of hacking, covering up Martial Law, and alternative facts under the pseudonym HecklerBelter on different sites. He also holds an angsty grudge against his mother, Nanay Terre (Galang Fernandez) who, ironically, also happens to be a former Human Rights activist during the Marcos Regime. After attempting to bury the casualties of the Martial Law under the “Cloud” (a software that masks information), he gets visits from ghosts of Martial Law past that open his eyes to the tragedy of Martial Law, and the falsities of his beliefs, in game shows and moving musical numbers.

I appreciate that it was a story that needed to be told. We cannot deny the reality of historical erasure. Many people beside me, and myself included were genuinely learning new things. But, having labeled itself as a “musical for millennials”, perhaps came a little to its detriment. It pandered too heavily to its target audience, and it showed. It assumes a lot of the generation it markets itself to, and sometimes dumps information on our shoulders as if a more sparse telling that did not require an info dump would suffice.

It at times (most evident through the unappologetic and sometimes

tiring use of pop culture sound effects) uses pop culture reference so much in an attempt to be relatable and hip to its audience that it risks being contrite. But, I still appreciated the other instances where pop culture is used cleverly as a lense with which to make martial law relevant to today.

That being said, I admired the play and its respect for its subejct matter. It was made in cooperation with the National Historical Commission, and it showed in how much facts they were able to teach us (or at times, simply tell us about, which is a huge difference).

I loved the main screen and the animation they utilized! I also ALWAYS appreciate PETA’s minimalist and yet creative set designs. They also used the theater to its full usability to tell the story, I loved the moments like when Nanay was talking about her experience during the martial law, how the sound effects were cleverly used to put us in the right astmosphere.

I also loved scenes Like the rap battle and the game show. The lines in these scenes were so artfully crafted, enjoyable, and yet directly addresses the problems, in a way I wished the rest of the script had consistently done. Whenever they explicitely spelled out the message they were trying to impart when it was already obvious, i found myself taken aback.

The play at times either treats us as one of two things: Ignorant angsty youth or smart individuals able to process complex information. This lead to an incoherence when it came to how they relayed the themes and messages. As I said, at times they found it necessary to spell out the message instead of visually telling the story??

I found myself disliking the romance portion (the one specifically crafted for the apparent sensationalism that creating for MILLENNIALS apparently required) the most. ESPECIALLY THE AMBIGOUS LGBT/GENDERFLUID CHARACTER WHOSE SEXUALITY WAS ONLY EVER PLAYED FOR COMEDIC PURPOSES !!!

NO, NOT ALL LGBTQ+ CHARACTERS NEED TO BE FLAMING SJWs BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT OK TO USE A CHARACTER’S SEXUALITY ONLY AS A MEANS TO STAY RELEVANT, RELATABLE AND SO YOU CAN BRAG ABOUT HAVING REPRESENTATION. WE DONT NEED MERE REPRESENTATION, WE NEED ACCURATE AND M E A N I N G F U L REPRESENTATION.

I understand that they wanted to keep us engaged and through focus groups found out that millennials responded best to romances (though I believe personally that Filipino culture could tell you this, without having to focus-group it) It is not an excuse to make a romance that I saw as trite and shoe-horned in.

There were moments where the “kilig” was completely unearned. Especially when the graohics at the back unambigously spelled their relationship out for me, that i at first wouldnt have gotten. Their romance served no actual movement to the plot, it was so background and unnecessary. I WISH they didnt have those grpahics at the back that spelled it all out for you because then we wouldve had to genuinely earn and realize for ourselves the chemistry they have.

THEY CLEARLY LIKED EACH OTHER FROM THE START so we never have any moments where the two love interests build an understanding and a genuine romantic bond with each other because FROM THE BEGINNING they were already crushing hard on one another and the only thing left was to say yes. We never got enough actual time devoted to setting up their romance BECUASE IT WAS SO BACK BURNED, IT DIDNT EVEN NEED TO BE THERE! They couldve stayed friends and it would have been almost completely the same.

For the review: Maybe something like: Some quote from the creator about millenials tas “And that’s exactly what you’ll get, so dont expect it to be much more than the romance put in for millenials’ attention spans than they intended,”

they spent way more time HECKLING EACH OTHER ONLINE than as actual friends, much less love interests !!! The plot was also quite… unclear at times? Not because they werent being explicit (THEY WERE) but beause the flow and the tonal shifts of each scene were so drastic that at times they were left feeling like two peices of completely different parts of the story.

We would go from crying to kilig to laughing in no time flat. We had no scenes where we were left to just appreciate the serene BECAUSE THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING HAPPENING. Which is good for spectacle, but breathing space is something we would appreciate.

also, you cant be primarily motivated by angst and apathy. These are thibgs that usually lead one to non-action rather than TAKING A JOB AT THE ACTUAL MOST POLAR OPPOSITE THING YOUR MOTHER STOOD FOR. His motivation was to be a horrible person to his mom.

That does not make for a good and likeable character. What saved him though, were his jokes, and the humor thatvthe script peppered around him. As well as the excellent acting that hid the character flaws well.

THE VILLAIN HAD NO ACTUAL PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS. the script lacked an awareness of how motivation works in real life, so they created characters with often flimsy motivations that did things simply because the plot or situation called for it rather than because of any decision they conciously have to make.

MOST OF THOSE ACTUAL DECISIONS where made before the play even started, so this device that couldve been used to visually show character was instead poured into actual monologued lines. SHOW DONT TELL.

But ultimately, it’s something we had to see, especially for those of us with little to know knowledge on the Martial Law, it really helped but the play into perspective.

It did what it was set out to do, show Martial Law’s horrors while also being appealing to millennils. At its core, that’s what matters the most.

I remember my classmates and friends gushing about the play with fondness as we went put of the cinema. For all its flaws, it was able to imbed itself in the heart of its target audience.

It did not skirt around the issue with deep allusions and metaphors, it showed us how it was without holding back. And, in true José-Rizalian fashion, bared Martial Law out for everyone to see. And for that, I leave it a good 3.5 star rating and a hope to rewatch it again, that I may perhaps understand more and appreciate it.

[angstsplatter]

AAWFC

Hey, this is my AAW Fandom Challenge post: https://asinclinationleadsme.wordpress.com/2017/10/28/1835/

Sorry, I was away without internet for a few days. But OH MY GOSH!!! You are awesome! Thanks so much for participating! Everyone, go check out this amazing AAWFC content! 

Ace headcanons (and a TV pitch)

Coming in late to Asexual Awareness Week, but I had to jump in on the AAW Fandom Challenge! Since I only just discovered the challenge, I’ll do a few days at once (cherry-picking the ones where I had something to say).

Sun 22nd, Day 1: Post about canon and headcanoned asexual/spectrum characters in books and comics.

Canon: Jughead, obviously! I might do a post later about Riverdale and ace erasure and trying to watch the show with my Wishful Thinking Ace Goggles on. But comics!Jughead is an ace representation treasure.

Headcanon: The Fool, from Robin Hobb’s Farseer/ Tawny Man books. He/ she (the character is canonically genderfluid) clearly has a massive thing for Fitz, but gets really offended when Fitz construes that as being necessarily sexual. I think the Fool is asexual and Fitz-romantic, which kind of sucks because they keep running headlong into Fitz’s wall of heteronormativity, allonormativity, and transphobia, none of which their universe has words for yet. The later books, where the Fool spends more time in their female identity of Amber, have some painful scenes of Fitz Tries and Fails At Allyship.

Mon 23rd, Day 2: Post about canon and headcanoned asexual/spectrum characters in shows and movies.

Canon: Sadly thin on the ground (see my earlier lament about Riverdale), but apparently I need to watch BoJack Horseman.

Headcanon: Adrian Monk. It’s been a while since I watched Monk, but I remember him being very sex-repulsed. He clearly had a loving relationship with his late wife Trudy, but there’s a scene with his therapist where he refuses to discuss their sex life that I choose to interpret as evidence that their relationship was non-sexual. I’ve just learned the term acevague (asexuality influenced by neurodivergence), which I think applies here because it’s likely his sex-repulsion is tied up with his OCD and germophobia.

Sat 28th, Day 7: Post about asexual representation in general. What does it mean to see asexual/spectrum characters in the media you consume? Why is it important to you to see asexual/spectrum characters in the media you consume? What sort of stories/plotlines would you like to see about asexual/spectrum characters? What genre do you really want to see asexual/spectrum characters in? How would you like to see asexual/spectrum people represented?

I’ve written this post already, but it bears repeating: asexual representation is how we normalize asexuality. It’s something for aces to latch on to for validation of our identity, but it’s also for the benefit of people who don’t know much about asexuality–like, say, that it exists. I also think that wider awareness and normalization of asexuality might help challenge some of our toxic cultural narratives about sex, which hurt both aces and allos. (And hoo boy, has this been a month for confronting the consequences of our culture’s fucked-up ideas about sex and consent.)

For example, compulsory sexuality. In the older post, I mentioned the asexual relationship at the heart of Pushing Daisies. Even though neither Ned nor Chuck is asexual, I love that their inability to have sex with each other isn’t really an obstacle to their relationship. In contrast, I had soooooo little patience for Richard and Kahlan’s angst over not being able to have sex in Legend of the Seeker.* Ned and Chuck can’t even hug each other! Stop whining about your lack of orgasms when you’re supposed to be saving the world! I want to see more fictional relationships that aren’t centered around sex, and having ace characters in the mix is a great way to bring that issue to the surface. I would love to see ace/ace couples in fiction, but I’d also love to see long-term ace/allo couples who have figured out something that works for them.

But hey, the aros can come join the party too! Let’s have some plots about aro characters dating and figuring out that it’s not really what they want, or dealing with the social expectation that they’re supposed to date.** Let’s have some gray-A and demisexual characters. The more I think about it, the more I think there needs to be a rom-com anthology series about every shade of the ace spectrum. Love, Asexual Style?

* Yes, I watched Legend of the Seeker. I also watched every episode of Heroes Reborn. I hesitate to use the term “pop culture junk food”, because I hate genre snobbery and that kind of judgment gets disproportionately aimed at SF and fantasy, but it really is a bit like eating a whole bag of potato chips when you know you should have a proper meal.

** For example, the story in Jughead where aroace Jughead goes on a date with Sabrina the Teenage Witch, thanks to a misunderstanding and Archie’s misguided attempts to play matchmaker. Sabrina tries casting a love spell that will amplify any tiny bit of attraction someone feels. On the one hand: that’s perilously close to date rape. Not cool, Sabrina! But I appreciate that in this case all that happens is that Jughead feels hungrier.

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