#the schitt’s creek special used it

[hippolotamus]

Truth or Dare tag game

Thanks for the tags @underwaterninja13 @tizniz @dangerpronebuddie @kitteneddiediaz @spotsandsocks 💖

Which friends/mutuals would you call to hide a body?

@blackandwhiteandrose @stereopticons @giddyupbuck @watchyourbuck

How many user subscriptions do you have on Ao3?

122 (☺️ thank you)

Do you have a crush on someone? OR If you're with someone, tell us one thing you love about them.

Always saves me the last bite of something delicious

What does the last DM/text you sent say?

I'm so so curious

List the three friends/mutuals with the best takes

always enjoy @gayhoediaz @eddiebabygirldiaz and am continually impressed, bewitched and bewildered by my wife @bidisasterevankinard

also @steadfastsaturnsrings @spotsandsocks

@daffi-990 absolute queen of sending hilarious gifs and jokes/puns

Share one of your favorite fics of all time

One??? Really??? Rude. I have so many, I'm going to list some underrated favs

i wouldn't call it a mission by ASweeterArrangement (I’m sorry I don’t know their current tumblr)

Spanish Lullaby by blackandwhiteandrose

Play me like a fiddle by JamesPearce911/ @diazsdimples

twist yourself around me by @stereopticons (Schitt's Creek)

red life might stream again by Underhung_Aura / @eddiebabygirldiaz

saving you, saves me. by @tizniz

in my head by @your-catfish-friend

Our Love is Like a Storybook Story (But it's as real as the feelings I feel) by Bob_loblaws_lawblog/ @bi-buckrights

[WIP] Three Taps for the Lombardi by Wildgirl93/ @wildlife4life

List three of your favorite content creators

I already know I'm forgetting people but...

Darling Talented Wife @lizzie-bennetdarcy her art and words are unparalleled

@loserdiaz another incredible artist

@loveyouanyway @giddyupbuck @theotherbuckley @djdangerlove your edits are phenomenal

@bucksketch @skyhighrollins911 @nymika-arts I’m in constant awe of their work

Write one thing you love about yourself

My dark, sarcastic sense of humor

Which fandom of yours (past or present) has the best fics?

Don’t get me wrong, 9-1-1 has great fics, but damn the Schitt’s Creek fandom has some of the most outstanding works. Like... dude.

Which creation of your own are you the most proud of?

This Lucy Donato artwork

I'm preemptively naming one of my WIPs, you're where I wanna go as a thing I'm most proud of because, even though the words don't happen nearly as frequently as I'd like, it is the most precious and special to me.

Have you ever read RPF?

And written

Tag the mutual(s)/friend(s) most likely to get away with murder

@blackandwhiteandrose @stereopticons @shortsighted-owl @slightlyobsessedwitheverything

Tag the mutual(s)/friend(s) who know(s) the most about you

@blackandwhiteandrose @stereopticons (are we sensing a theme yet?) @diazsdimples @vanillahigh00

Now tag some friends to play!

@stereopticons @blackandwhiteandrose @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz mi amor @bidisasterevankinard

@elvensorceress @bi-buckrights @loveyouanyway @hoodie-buck @wikiangela

@slightlyobsessedwitheverything @giddyupbuck @daffi-990 @vanillahigh00 @bucksbiawakening

@filet-o-feelings @lemonzestywrites @theotherbuckley @jesuisici33 @rmd-writes

@welcometololaland @wildlife4life and anyone else who wants to 😘

[summerthingsfest]

Day two of Summer Things brings us a hike, a storm, and rockstar Eddie!

Creators: Don’t forget to update your posting date once your fic is revealed so that it goes to the top of the feed. And please remember that the fest is anonymous until reveals on July 27.

****

The Hike (Steve/Eddie, 3,789 words, T)

Steve just wanted to show Eddie a special place. Things do not go as planned.

Inspired by that episode in Schitt's Creek. (Just don't look too closely at Indiana's topography.)

****

Come Back for the Lightning Chase (Steve/Eddie, 1,311 words, Rated T)

For a long time, they didn’t say anything. The thunder continued, arriving over the town with a vengeance. Every now and then the sky would crackle, lightning cutting through the black clouds above them.

Steve looked up at it, his face blank and unreadable, almost as though he were…somewhere else, somewhere other than safe on Uncle Wayne’s front porch.

Eddie knew where he’d gone.

He squeezed his boyfriend a little tighter to his side, pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his head.

“I’ve gotcha, sweetheart,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”

*****

Several years after the death of Vecna, Steve and Eddie return to Hawkins during a summer storm.

****

I wanna be your dog (Sapphic Steve/Eddie, 7,367 words, E)

They’re groupies. Stevie feels dumb; of course girls can have groupies. Still, she’s never really thought about the logistics of such a thing before. “But where do you sleep?” she asks before she can help herself.

Holly smirks. “In a motel if I’m flush. In my car if I’m not. And if I’m lucky…” Holly leaned in and pinches Stevie’s flushed cheek. “In her bed.”

Robin bursts into a coughing fit. Stevie can tell that Holly’s waiting for her to do the same, that she wants to shock her. But once it sinks in, all it really means is that Eddie is interested. Eddie sleeps with girls who come to her shows. And that means Stevie has a shot.

[kiwiana-writes]

Ten Questions For Fic Writers

Thanks for the tags @cha-melodius @orchidscript @firenati0n @porcelainmortal @blueeyedgrlwrites

And a very special fuck you to @rmd-writes for the tag specifically to make me compliment myself. Why are you like this.

How many works do you have on AO3? 257

What's your total AO3 word count? 859,434 - but that's a dirty rotten lie inflated by cowrites and podfic text etc. My actual PERSONALLY WRITTEN wordcount on AO3, per my batshit spreadsheet, is 716,633

What fandoms do you write for? Mostly RWRB these days, back catalogue on AO3 is primarily Schitt's Creek. A smattering of other things as the urge strikes (hellooooooo The Pairing)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Absolutely yes! I live for comments and love to respond, though I'm not as on top of them as I used to be.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Several with @ships-to-sail, as well as a few different collabs where everyone wrote a different chapter. In the WIPs is of course the Big Secret Collab with @indestructibleheart

What's your all-time favourite ship? Stop asking pansexuals to choose things.

What are your writing strengths? Everything's a struggle at the moment, but IN GENERAL: Smut/kink as character exploration, banter, dialogue/narration feeling in-character

What are your writing weaknesses? World building, visual descriptions, PLOT OH MY GOD.

First fandom you wrote for? HP

Tagging @agame-writes @affectionatelyrs @anincompletelist @cactusdragon517 @clottedcreamfudge

@cricketnationrise @dumbpeachjuice @everwitch-magiks @getmehighonmagic @happiness-of-the-pursuit

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @jellibuns @junebugclaremontdiaz

@leaves-of-laurelin @lilythesilly @littlemisskittentoes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @matherines

@myheartalivewrites @ninzied @nocoastposts @nontoxic-writes @notspecialbabe

@piratefalls @read-and-write- @sherryvalli @sparklepocalypse @stereopticons

@thesleepyskipper @thinkof-england @tintagel-or-cockleshells @welcometololaland @whimsymanaged and, as always, anyone who wants to play!

[ingravinoveritas]

So Al post always have to make sure she the centre of attention on Ms big night which doesn't come as a shock in that photo michael look tense and stiff and where the smile it exactly same as the other he pulls when he with her georgia one on seems more general and supportive of her friend and husband best friend then his actual parter

Would love to hear ur thoughts on this one

Hi there! Well, my DMs have been blowing up all afternoon about these various posts, and...yeah. A lot to unpack here, for sure.

It's interesting to see the use of two very different pictures here--one posed, one a candid pic/selfie--and how that frames everything else that is going on, and highlights several contrasts that are much too great to ignore. Perhaps the most significant contrast is that in the posed photo, Michael and AL are barely touching, and the photographer seems to have made the choice not to pose them like a couple. There is also no apparent "pull" that is unconsciously bringing them together, in spite of whatever direction they might've been given. In the picture of Michael and David, however, not only are they sitting very close together, but that "pull" is readily visible, and you can see them leaning/melting into each other without any effort. So that by itself on a foundational, fundamental level puts these pictures into two very different places.

The second aspect of the contrast--again, in my opinion--is the impersonal nature of Anna's post vs. Georgia's. Anna is posting a Getty Images picture with a watermark with another generic "Darling" caption (the same as she did in another post when the first episode of The Way aired a few weeks ago). At this point it feels, as @invisibleicewands previously described, akin to a "Best regards" at the end of an e-mail. And again, it's not only a photo shoot pic instead of a personal one--an especially strange choice given that Michael has repeatedly talked about how much he hates photo shoots--but a shot where Michael looks stiff and so uncharacteristically subdued.

In the picture Georgia posted, we see that twinkle in his eye, how relaxed he looks, full of that life and joy that we've come to so strongly associate with Michael, and it makes it even more stark how absent that is from the second picture. And further adding to all of this is what you mentioned, about AL centering herself/how she and Michael look in this post, as opposed to the opening of the play.

If we had any doubts about this, Anna seems to have taken the point home this with the story she posted immediately following this one:

For those who may not know, this is a photo from the show Schitt's Creek, of the actors who play the main family (special shout-out to Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy, my loves). I have not actually seen the show, so I can't attest to anything specific about the characters' personalities, but it appears this is who AL thinks she and Michael look like. I would say, though, that what is apparent to me is that Anna's priority in posting that first Insta story was the aesthetic/the picture, rather than celebrating Michael or the opening night of the play. Putting these two things together, Michael almost seems like the smallest part of the post, which is an odd thing to do when tonight is the opening night of his play.

And this again wildly contrasts with Georgia's post, where the picture is merely a vehicle for something much deeper, and much more meaningful. Just the positioning of the word "Michael" at the center of the picture is a visual cue that lets us know what this post is about, and this is further augmented by the caption for all of the reasons I enumerated here. I also can't help thinking that there was a reason that a picture of Michael and David was used--not a picture of Michael by himself, and not a picture of Michael and Georgia--and given that this Insta story was posted after AL's, it makes me wonder if that was a deliberate choice, for multiple reasons...

So yes, those are my thoughts on these two Insta stories/pictures from today. I'm definitely interested to see what posts or pictures we might get following tonight's performance/press night (and fingers crossed that David actually made it to the show this time). Also glad as always to hear from my followers about your take on these posts. Thanks for writing in! x

[saraminia]

Does it ever just hit you how fucking talented Noah is? Like, objectively you know this. It's nothing new, but then you're listening to a song of his and just get hit with this feeling of.. WOW! This man is a poet! And he's a composer. He's a singer. He's a musician, a multi instrumentalist at that. He's an actor, voice, stage, tv and movies. But most of all I'm in awe of his musical talent. The music he writes is so well crafted and beautifully performed. To think that this man is able to create these perfect pieces of art out of nothing. Like. There's nothing, the song doesn't exist. And then he just. Sits at his piano and. Makes a song. You know? It's incredible. And yeah, I know that's what all musicians do, but let's face it, not everyone is as talented and authentic as Noah and he doesn't have like a huge machinery behind him crafting these songs. And that's why his songs have so much soul you can sense how he makes music from a place of pure joy of creating and he has things he wants to say and get out in the world. And how lucky are we that we get to enjoy the fruit of his creativity. It's easy to mistake him for being just some guy, like any guy you see walking the streets of Toronto or whatever, but once you know of his talent, you'll never think he's just like any other guy. You'll know he's a very very special somebody. A rare talent and a true artist. I hope he truly understands how loved and cherished and adored and appreciated he is. Not just because he's hot or because he played Patrick on Schitt's Creek, but because he creates something that touches his fans and we see the authenticity of his art and the amount of talent and skills that go into making it. I hope everyone who meets him recognizes that they are in the presence of greatness. And I know he probably doesn't think he's that great or special, but it's our job as his fans to remind him of that. I mean, he's chosen show business after all, at least some part of him craves the applause. And we're more than happy to give it to him, because he gives so much to us. Music that lives in our hearts and minds, as a soundtrack of our lives. Like a gift straight from his fascinating wonderful mind to ours. And isn't that just amazing. The way it allows us to connect to a part of his mind. The part that he's willing to put out there for all of us to see, which is pretty damn brave by the way. Anyway, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to write such a long thing. I just wanted to make a silly little shit post, but once I start waxing poetic about Noah, there's no stopping me. I love him so much and am so grateful for every piece of himself he's willing to share with us in his work.

[rmd-writes]

Hi!! I always love what you write, so I'm very excited to see whatever this secret project is! But for now I do have a question about beta reading. How did you break into it? For a long time I have thought that I would enjoy doing that for different people, and I like that kind of fine-tooth comb editing work. But I am not a writer myself, just an avid fic enjoyer, so it feels like I can't quite bring as much to the table or meet other authors in a mutual kind of way. And I would never want to imply that an author needed that extra help or anything like that by just cold reaching out to them. Sorry that so much about me haha, I'm not necessarily looking for any advice (though if you had any I would certainly take it) but I am curious about how you got into it and what your experience has been like! Thank you!!

Hi nonnie! Thanks for the ask!

Can I just say to start with, that as an avid fic enjoyer, you absolutely can meet writers and other creators in a mutual way! Everyone has a place in fandom and something to contribute. It would be a very lonely world for creators if people weren't there to enjoy what we make (and hopefully tell us what they're liking those things). Personally, I appreciate readers so much and I especially love seeing regular names pop up in my inbox 💖💖

As for how I got into beta reading, it started back when a pal in Schitt's Creek fandom was writing a fic and worried that she was going to lose motivation to write it so I offered to sit in the doc and cheer her on. Please note that my motivation for doing so was entirely selfish because it meant that I had early access to the fic that I desperately wanted her to keep writing 😅 that eventually turned into me beta reading that fic (and all of her fics after that) for her.

I started beta reading more frequently in RWRB - I'd signed up as a beta reader for an event, but around the same time I also got to know other writers via a discord server. Sometimes people would ask for beta readers and I'd volunteer - I'm still a tiny bit dirty that @three-drink-amy snagged the beta rights to bleedingballroomfloor's baseball boyfriends fic right out from under my nose even though she is far better qualified than I to beta read a baseball fic - so much so that she helped me with the baseball scenes in my rwrb lawyer au lol (please know that I love them both dearly, there is no internet beef here).

You say that you don't want to reach out to writers and imply that they need assistance, but honestly, sliding into people's DMs and letting them know that either I'm very interested in X fic that they're writing and would they like someone to beta read it or that I'm available in general to help if they want it because I love their writing is how I've ended up beta reading for almost all of the writers I do that for!! People are generally just thankful to know that someone is interested in their writing! It can be a lonely hobby sometimes and having someone to live in your docs or send snippets to can help balance the need for wanting to talk about your fics with someone or bounce ideas off someone and wanting to keep what you're working on under wraps.

God, this is getting really long, I'm so sorry. I've been rambling and I'm not even sure that I answered your question.

You asked what my experience has been like and for the most part, it's been very positive! I get early access to fics (I often say that my favourite way to read a fic is in google docs 😂), I get to cheer my friends on and sometimes they even trust me enough to let me throw ideas at them and write them into their stories - sometimes I even get to do this without actually doing any editing and that's just as fun. I love beta reading, I think there's something really special about being trusted with the draft of someone's writing and getting to help make it the best that it can be (what that involves looks different for every writer I work with). 💖

And all of that doesn't even touch on how much I learn from the writers I've worked with - it's definitely helped me improve my own writing!

[mckenziepilled]

“ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴏꜰꜰ, ʜᴏꜱᴇʀ.”

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Seymour’s Updated !! Pinned !!

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Good day! I’m Seymour, my pronouns are he/they, I also use neos, I’m pansexual and a transgender male I’m hoping to start my transition in 3 years (I’m turning 16 this year so at 19) I also have AUDHD, anxiety and ODD. I live in the United States, in the middle of the northern east coast. I’m a fan of 1980s media, music and pop culture. This blog is used extensively for posting my special interests and 80s media !! I’m hoping to make Friends with similar interests to me on here and elsewhere <3

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The Fandoms I’m in currently

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SCTV (Canadian variety show)

Rick Moranis (comedian and actor)

Newsies (Broadway musical)

Little shop of horrors (Broadway musical, Musical comedy Film)

Ghostbusters (Science-Fiction Comedy film)

The outsiders (book, film, Broadway musical)

Bob and Doug McKenzie (Canadian Satirical comedy duo)

South Park (adult animated series)

Smiling friends (adult animated series)

My blue heaven (Drama comedy film)

Team fortress two (Video game)

The muppet show, muppets tonight (Puppet Variety programs)

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Favorite characters in media

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Bob McKenzie (SCTV, strange brew)

Bill needle (SCTV)

The medic (team fortress 2)

Scott malkinson (south park)

Jimmy valmer (South park)

Guy Friday (SCTV)

Seymour krelborn (little shop of horrors)

Walter (the muppets)

Twobit Matthews (the outsiders)

Louis Tully (ghostbusters, the real ghostbusters)

Raymond stantz (Ghostbusters)

Barney coopersmith (my blue Heaven)

David Rose (schitt’s creek)

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Favorite movies [Letterboxd: louistullyirl]

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Strange brew [1983]

Ghostbusters II [1989]

Little shop of horrors [1986]

Ghostbusters [1984]

The outsiders [1983]

BASEketball [1998]

Scott Pilgrim VS The World [2010]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife [2021]

Class [1983]

Asteroid city [2023]

My blue heaven [1990]

Fantastic Mr. Fox [2009]

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Artists I listen to

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Chappell roan (favorite song: red wine supernova)

Rick Moranis (favorite song: pu-pu-pu, parve)

Weezer (favorite song: hash pipe, say it ain’t so)

Taylor Swift (favorite song: Cardigan, picture to burn)

Ween (favorite song: it’s gonna be a long night, the mollusk)

Primus (favorite song: here come the bastards)

Phantom Planet (favorite song: so I fall again, dropped)

Kate bush (favorite song: army dreamers)

Insane clown posse (favorite song: juggalo juice)

Rush (favorite song: closer to the heart)

Big reel fish (favorite song: beer)

Will wood (favorite song: 2econd 2ight 2eer)

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That’s all, thank you for your time !!

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[grapehyasynth]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @lollygirlpops thank you!!

How many works do you have on Ao3? 126

What's your total Ao3 word count? 962,860

What fandoms do you write for? Currently, Young Royals

Top five fics by kudos:

Red White and Blue Jays

Agents of Shield drabbles

obviously

now you see me

your mother should know

Do you respond to comments? I do!! It usually takes me a bit because I have a system... When I am cleaning out my personal email inbox, which I do approximately every three days, I also respond to up to 5 AO3 comments. If you're concerned about my system, so am I. But it works. But I loooooove comments and I love responding to them and I love getting responses when I comment on others' works!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I had to go poking around because I definitely avoid angsty endings, but it would be my little Schitt's Creek fic the ex.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? all of them? 😂😂😂

Do you get hate on fics? not outright hate per se - i've gotten some kind of condescending or disappointed comments, and sometimes people leave rude stuff on their bookmarks (....truly, why??).

Do you write smut? i do, though it usually takes me some getting used to with a new otp.

Craziest crossover - I haven't done crossovers I don't think, but I do lots of aus combining fictional worlds, like young royals and normal people or rwrb and schitts creek. but only one set of characters, if that makes sense.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Kind of - there was someone who took chunks from my fic and someone else's fic, allegedly thinking it was okay to build their own fic around it. Not sure if it was an honest mistake or not.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, but not in a long time!

All time favourite ship? I don't think I can possibly choose hahaa. Wilmon are my current ship so that's where the feeling is strongest, but each OTP has held such a special place in my heart and life.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I started drafting a Wilmon Step Up AU that I think would be fire... I also started writing a Felice and Simon besties fic that I'm sad I no longer feel like writing.

What are your writing strengths? I think/hope I can really put the reader into what the character is feeling and thinking, really immerse them that way.

What are your writing weaknesses? I'm impatient! I hate editing, I hate sitting with a story, I'd rather write it all in one go and post it right away.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I think it's all about context. Why is it in another language - what is that meant to convey? Is one of the characters left out? Is it showing an intimacy between other characters? Is it an emotional outlet for a character? Is it supposed to keep the reader from understanding?

First fandom you wrote in? Harry Potter (Harry/Ginny)

Favourite fic you've written? Oh lord. You're asking me to choose between my children?!?! It might be recency bias but I'll say obviously.

I think many people have done this already, but I'll tag some folks: @bigalockwood @skibasyndrome @earlgrey-lateatnight @petrodobreva @wordthieve

[farm-witches-fic-recs]

TWO WHOLE YEARS OF FARM WITCHES!

The coven cannot believe that it has somehow been two years! We thank you for every ask you’ve sent, every post you’ve reblogged, for the kudos and comments you leave for creators, and for allowing us to be part of this community.

Please enjoy these recs from the witches and click those hearts and kudos for the creators. 

We’ll be out celebrating until the cows come home. Or we fall off our brooms. Whichever comes first.

============================

allegedly incorrect Schitt's creek (@roseapothecary​) **GIF SET**  “We love a "this could have happened" moment and this allegedly incorrect set had us cracking up. Really, though, couldn't it have gone this way?”

Better latte than never (doingthemost/@sarahlevys​) “Absolutely charming AU where Patrick finds himself "accidentally" working at a Starbucks with David.”

Open arms and wide awake (sweetsirius/@wordthieve​)  “It's just so soft! David is a professional cuddler (ew, but he hates that word) and Patrick is a client looking for a new start after upheaving his entire life. They both have a chance to find something special they didn't even know they were looking for.”

Return me to private hunger (MoreHuman)  “This beautifully written fic explores all the queer feelings as it answers the question "What if David were asexual?"”

A splash quite unnoticed ( @middyblue) “This stunning introspective Patrick fic was inspired by The Fall of Icarus, one of this witch's favorite stories from Greek mythology”.

[hellomynameisbisexual]

“I’m not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it’s just a layover on the way to Gaytown,” Carrie Bradshaw famously said in the offensive, misinformed 1998 episode of Sex and the City in which she dates a bisexual man. These words are still painfully seared into my brain. How could a sex columnist, a character written predominantly by gay men, have such a limited view of queer identity? Nearly ten years later, a 2016 episode of HBO dramedy Insecure sees Molly (Yvonne Orji) finding out that the man she’s seeing, Jared, nonchalantly had a sexual encounter with another man. After exposing her biphobia to her friends, another character declares Jared to be gay. Ultimately, Molly and Carrie both decide, despite the chemistry and their attraction, that they could not get past their own compulsory monosexuality to continue dating a bisexual man. Why does television, a medium primed for long-form character development and storytelling, continuously fail at representing bisexual men?

Twenty-five years after that infamous Sex and the City scene, bisexuality (for the purposes of this piece, I am using bisexuality as a term that encompasses all people with the capacity to be attracted to more than one gender, including those who identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and more) on television has made significant strides—from young-adult programming like Euphoria, Riverdale, and Gossip Girl, to adult dramas like Game of Thrones, The Magicians, and obviously, The Bisexual. Bisexuality is no longer relegated to a very-special episode, and is slowly leaving the realm of bad, misinformed jokes. According to GLAAD’s 2021-2022 Where We Are on TV report, queer representation on television is at an all-time high. After two consecutive years of decreases, bisexual representation increased by one percent over last year: nine non-binary characters, 124 women, and sadly, only 50 men. Fifty may seem like a solid number at the outset, but consider the quality of these representations. Aside from a few stand-out examples, like Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) on Netflix’s much-loved Heartstopper, many are relegated to supporting and recurring characters, at best, and stuck in tropes, at worst.

Maria San Filippo is an associate professor at Emerson College whose research focuses on screen media’s intersections with gender and sexuality. In 2013, she published The B Word: Bisexuality in Contemporary Film and Television, a pathbreaking monograph on the state of bisexual representation in both mediums. “Bisexuality was only beginning to be central and recurring, rather than peripheral and episodically one-off or short-lived,” she said over email. “Bisexuality’s representational legibility has been expanded; it’s less easily deniable as ‘just a phase’ when bisexuality becomes an ongoing character trait.”

Broadly speaking, on-screen storytelling has struggled to construct bisexuality in ways that reach beyond the word landing at the butt of jokes or framed through the lens of disgust and abjection. Nowhere does it fail bisexuals more than television, a site of endless discursive possibilities. Television’s long-form narrative offers unique opportunities to watch sexuality unfold over time, but rather than exploring and showcasing every permutation of bisexuality, bi men on television are far and few between.

“Bi+ male representation has always been the biggest challenge,” San Filippo said. “Bisexuality threatens heteropatriarchy and phallic authority, and so must be hidden or, if acknowledged, desexualized and disparaged through mockery or else hypersexualized as in porn (and even then bisexuality is rebranded as ‘gay for pay’).” She said it’s not unlike the uncommon sight of male frontal nudity on screen, which she explores in her 2021 book, Provocauteurs and Provocations. “Dan Levy’s character David on Schitt’s Creek is one high-profile example of recurring, more nuanced male bi+ representation,” she said. “We need more.”

The phallic authority, as San Filippo calls it, is not as threatened when it comes to the representation of bisexual women characters, who were more than double as numerous in the 2021-2022 television season. Nate Shu, a bisexual comedian based in Boston who spoke with me over Zoom, suggests that feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey’s work on patriarchal ideologies in film still applies here. Mulvey’s seminal 1975 essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” uses a psychoanalytic lens to look at the way women have been depicted in film primarily for the pleasure of the male viewer. She coined this theory the male gaze.

“Lesbian and bisexual characters are more attainable when they’re female because there’s something for male viewers to hold on to,” he said. “A bisexual woman is still an attainable woman to a straight man, whereas a bisexual man is both a threat and an anomaly.”

These conventions are sewn into the fabric of on-screen storytelling, a part of the canon of cinema that queer storytellers are working hard to reform. But despite this hard work, bisexual stories are still too-often made palatable to viewers through a handful of storytelling tropes: the coming out story, reasserting the status quo of a relationship or identity, or hinting at a character’s dishonesty or shiftiness (it pains me to bring it up, but Frank Underwood on House of Cards is a great example here).

The CW’s 2015 musical-dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend showcased one of the more fleshed-out bisexual men on television, Darryl Whitefeather, played by Peter Gardner. His unapologetic musical sequence on how he’s “Gettin’ Bi” was an audacious and refreshing moment for a middle-aged character embracing his sexuality—despite his entire storyline being framed around coming out. We tend to see these coming out narratives again and again, to the point where it begins to feel like viewer manipulation. The coming out scene will only lead to the catharsis of Heartbreaker-level tears if it feels earned through a character’s arc of self-suppression and pain. However, the gay blueprint has already been established, and thus the coming out story is relatable and palatable, rather than depicting a character already living their truth.

Shu, who identifies as bisexual and biracial for the sake of alliteration in his comedy (as opposed to pansexual, a term to which he more closely relates), asked me poignant questions: “What is queer representation? Having a character make an off-hand comment and it’s never acknowledged—that is a queer character, but it’s not a queer story.” His ideal bisexual representation allows characters to be authentic people living outside of constructed narratives that are more viewer-friendly like the coming out story. He could only name one example of an Asian bisexual character on television that he felt somewhat seen through—Magnus Bane, played by Harry Shum Jr. on the Freeform supernatural drama Shadowhunters. “It’s tough to get out of the boxes of what culture, film, and TV have defined for decades,” Shu said.

Marvel has been a site of critique around its inability to flesh out queer characters in an authentic way, awkwardly suggesting that all superheroes are heterosexual. The 2021 Disney+ series Loki made headlines for a 20-second scene where the titular character confirms his bisexuality after admitting he has been with princesses and princes in his past. This kind of casual bisexuality has become more commonplace in the streaming era, to the point of forgettability: Bill Pargrave on Killing Eve, playing Eve’s MI5 boss until he was eventually stabbed by murderess Villanelle, also identified as bisexual in a passing conversation. Other examples include Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace) on Halt and Catch Fire and the titular character (Tom Ellis) on Lucifer. Does the off-hand knowledge of a character’s sexual fluidity, without an in-depth exploration of his sexuality, qualify as queer representation? Perhaps a better question would be, does it make bisexual viewers feel seen and understood, and add to monosexual viewers’ understanding and empathy of bisexuality?

At the end of October 2022, Kit Connor came out as bisexual in a bitter tweet after months of being hounded and online bullied by Netflix Heartstopper fans, some of whom accused Connor of queerbaiting for playing a bisexual character. The fall-out made me wonder why any actor, let alone a bisexual actor who may still be processing or figuring out his sexuality, would want to play a bisexual character in the social media age. “I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye,” his tweet read.

Not to center myself in the discourse, but I can’t help but wonder how a more thorough cultural understanding of bisexuality would impact my own dating life as a gay man, what the dating pool might look like if there was a more rigorous acceptance and visibility of bisexuality and fewer “discreet” men refusing to send you photos of their faces on dating apps with fear of being outed in their real life. The latest 2021 Census data coming out of the United Kingdom suggests there are currently nearly as many bisexual-identifying individuals as gay and lesbian survey respondents combined. These numbers feel hopeful, to me. Previous generations grew up dissatisfied by the range of representation on television, leading to iconic shows like Pose that shifted the course of television at the intersections of queerness and race. I can only imagine what the landscape will look like in 10, 20 years as the bisexual-identifying Gen Zs—the queerest generation yet—make their way into creative fields. We’ll have to watch and find out.

[filet-o-feelings]

NICE ASS(K) WEEK IS UPON US!!!! 🎉

Hello Dani!!! Huzzah!! Dan Levy has decided to bring back Schitts Creek for one special season. He calls you to help write it. What would it be about? Where are the characters now?

Lemon! Huzzah! I thought this was supposed to be a nice ask? I have no idea how to answer this!

I think the show ended perfectly and I have no desire for more, tbh. I don't really write post canon fic for this reason- I write mostly AUs because I like exploring the characters in new and different universes and situations! So maybe it would be something weird like that? Like a whole season of some alternate universe? Would anyone watch that? I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here and everyone wants to know what happens to everyone, but I think it'd be fun if, instead, we see a season of a world in which the Rose family didn't lose their money but some other circumstances led them to become closer as a family and somehow Patrick and Ted and everyone still enter their lives.

And maybe a happy ending for Alexis and Ted (or, better yet, Twyla and Alexis?)

[popculturebuffet]

Christmas in July: Bob the Builder: Christmas To Remember: the Movie: A Rope of Sand (Comission by LacheyV)

... i'm probably going to hell for that gag. Also Merry Christmas in July all you happy people. Christmas in July snowballs on with Lachey once again having me look at a show for young children. In the absence of Thomas, he'll be back later this year, we're instead looking at Bob the Builder.

Bob the Builder.. is not a franchise I had a ton of experince with but unlike thomas at least knew the theme song, as it was around a lot and I'd ocasinally see maybe a minute while flicking channels but never really stopped to watch it like I would with say Backyardigans or Lazytown. Granted Lazytown is just plain dope while also being insane so that helps it a bit. Point is I knew it existed, had good character design, got a reboot with character design that looks...

Yeah i'm staying far far away from that. After american carol i've had enough deep seated trauma for one year.

No we're looking at the OG which I was shocked to learn was british.. which in hindsight the term "builder" shoudl've given it away but unlike wanker or bloody it's not a term really used in the us. It still sounds neat enough to get a past.

Bob the Builder follows Bob, his common law wife Wendy and his variety of construction equipment/childrne that are alive because he and his brother discovered a fallen star as a kid and each took a piece. He also gave a piece to a local farmer, who tore it in half to use a bit on his tractor and the other bit to turn a scarecrow into his fully living son.

Look you have your bob the builder head canons and I have mine okay?

Point is it was a roaring sucess here and overseas and i'm covering it because about 70% of Lachey's hyperfixations are on old childrne's show. The man narrates the mr men books to me in his spare time and it is delgihtful, i'm not knocking any of this. Unlike my first attempt at doing a preschool show with mickey mouse's clubhouse, he tends to find ones that still have some charm.. or are batshit insane. usually both.

So we've come to the Bob the Builder Christmas special which involves child abandonment, cougars, manequin murder, non sentient jet planes and of course the secret origin of Sir Elton John. Join me under the cut for all of this and Mambo No 5.

The special follows the residents of ... (checks wikipedia) bobsville.. .did.. did he buy the town? It has a mayor... but then again so does Schitt's Creek so i'm saying he bought the town. The town gets ready for christmas in this small english town.. or american presumibly in both the US series an the upcoming film I completely forgot about but given who it's starring

The special is an hour long and has a tangle of plots that all intersect fairly well for the most part. The main throughline is bob getting a message from his brother tom. Tom looks exactly like him, which isn't unusual as A) it was easy to reuse the bob sculpt and they also do so for one of the rockstars in local band Lennie and the Lasers and B) there were five of him int he music video Bob did for his version of Mambo No 5

Now you may think that's a joke I told but no, this.. this is real. You can find it here. Now you may be asking why a children's show decided to put a song about Lou Bega banging as many women as possible on their children's album and making it about building instead, while having 5 bobs in the video and having his child/cememnt mixer Dizzy wear a boa and eye lashes and take the place of the women in the video despite being a children

Also wendy's right there. Use the actual adult for the video girl if you have to do that bit. There's also a video where bob sings the theme song while dressed up like ali g at one point

Point is tom's a coming with his dog whose name I forgot. But whose not coming with him is his Scooter Scoot, who also sounds like a children but is being left in the wilderness because Tom is a terrible father. Seriously Tom is kind to his machines, and his main conflict is the mayor , who we'll get to, keeps piling jobs on him but he's just too nice to tell her "The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit You Old Hag!", so he can't get around to getting his live in girlfriend and various childrne presents. The most Sir Toppham Hat gave his trains is some pretty lights and not putting Henry in the tunnel ever again. Tom has just ONE and abandons her to do his job while he's gone. I get it at FIRST, as you really can't take a sled/scooter on a boat, but he later gets a private plane, we'll get to that, with another power machine on board and can't bother to bring his child along. #JUSTICE4SCOOTS

As I mentioned there's a new mayor in town the er.. mayor. Look if Powerpuff Girls can get away with it, I think Bob the Builder also gets a pass. It's just science. Point is there's a new mayor. The old mayor was in the classic episode

She shows up in a few episodes after this and then never again, being replaced as mayor, looking at wikipedia by her sidekick for the episode and actual recurring character Mr. Bently. His job is to mostly go THIS IS MOST UNORTHADOX at Banger, a long haired unwashed young man who is roadie for Lennie and the Lasers, a local rock group with worldwide acclaim and a certain Rocket Man on the key boards. Banger is the best just having a jolly rocking attidue. Also the mayor wants a banger if you get my meaning...

Seriously it's a runner the Mayor is really into banger despite being a decade or two younger.. and i'm here for it. Let the mayor get it.

What she won't get.. is that bob needs a break, making a playful joke about him taking a tea break and piling more shit on constantly. I was forgiving a little as I figured we'd have her realize she was overworking him.. but nope. She gets to overworking Banger instead and just.. never cottons on while Bob's workaholic tendenices will have to be handled with an intervention down the road. The bulk of bob in this special is just him being too polite to say

While nothing gets resolved and it's easily the weakest part of it

Thankfully the other subplots fair better, as Spud, who came to life from that metorite I mentioned.. because not even wikipedia knows how he came to life in canon

He's as human as any of us though... in that he fucks up a lot. Judging from this that's just his lot in life.. showing up, fucking up the day and feeling bad about it, in this case because santa's coming. So he first fucks up the clocktower, then murders a manequin in the basement and dresses up to replace it. Good on his dad whose also a farmer for not carring he's in a dress though. I mean it's the basic decent thing to do, but I get it wasn't that common a thing in 2003. Also yes murders: he dances with the manequin but before he can do a sex to it in a reverse pearl situation, he accidentlyt akes an arm off and hides her body in the closet. How many have you killed Spud? HOW MANY.. HOW MA...

Meanwhile Lennie and the Lasers are preparing but OH NO LENNIE HAS A COLD. Luckily while his band prepares, their keyboardest colabs with Rollie, Bob's steamroller who he gave permission to go see the band and then got to see them recording because Lennie is a peach and also possibly Rivers Cumo. Their Keyboardest? Elton John. I must've gone to the bathrom when the sentient steam roller showed up in rocket man, curse my active bladder.

You can probably see where this is going: Elton John is unsure of himself, Rollie encourages him and when Lennie goes down right before the show, and he performs Crocodile Rock... suprisingly not cleaned up like Mambo No 5 for kids. It dosen't really need much but it is fun to hear it all.

So yeah the special has a lot going on.. but it works. It's an hour long, we still get plenty of bob doing builder things, and all the plots have room to breathe.

They also come together nicely in the climax: Lennie lends Wendy his plane and they go get Tom when he can't come because reindeer got stuck in a hole. yes really. It's a great sequenc eand all and the arctic bits are beauitfully animated, especially sicne they had to make an entire winter wonder land just for this one special. Tom never shows up again as does scoots. MAYBE CHILD SERVICE CAME FOR YOUR NEGLIGENT ASS TOM. Also dizzy sees santa on the way home.

So at the concert, Elton John performs, Banger prepares to bang her.. honor, and tom shows up as santa because bob does that every year. it's a sweet ending.. if a bit aburbt as we just get a bunch of photos afterwords of the party.

As a whole.. I really enjoyed this special. It sounds kind of insane when I retell it because it is. Murders were had, banging was done off screen, planes that are not sentient because they don't hav ea metor chunk won't take children, it's great. But ther'es also a lot of charm to it too: the series is warm, earnest and looks gorgeous, using plastic stop motion that looks like clay... I coudln't figure out quite what they used, may be something similar to aardman but it looks spiffy.

This special is nuts.. but damn if it isn't cute. It's charming, has a lot going on and dosen't wear out it's welcome despite being an hour long, quadruple the length of a normal episode from the looks of it. It's fun, breezy and very british. While I do think Scoots needs a new home, I also think this special needs a look as on it's own merit it's warm and charming, and on the merit of being hilarous. .it succeds. Mostly by being kind of nuts, but in a fun way. Check this one out soon as you can and thanks for reading about bob the builder man.

[sweatersinthesummer]

aw, my bff sent me this poster, which will go very nicely with my other Schitt's Creek artwork. i'm not quite as hyperfixated as i used to be, but it's still very very special to me.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (24-30 Dec 2023)

*delighted* this show went straight to full musical episode in only the second season. amazing.

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Hither, Page (Page & Summers #1) (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reread; christmas-set post WW2 cozy mystery (vibes are basically 'agatha christie but queer')

🥰 The Missing Page (Page & Summers #2) (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reread; the further adventures of Leo & James

😍 We Could Be So Good (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reread; this was one of my fave books of the year tbh; loved the setting and the characters and the vibe

😍 Bells Are Ringing (A We Could Be So Good Holiday epilogue) (Cat Sebastian) - so grateful that Cat S gifts us a holiday epilogue every year!

🥰 The Things We Hide (ThePirateStorm) - 109K, stucky no powers omegaverse/accidental mpreg with fantastic amounts of pining and a great cast of fully realized supporting characters; I fucked up my sleep schedule to finish reading this and had zero regrets.

🥰 I'd Swing With You for the Fences (nontoxic) - 86K, Schitt's Creek AU with MLB player Patrick and David (who's still mostly canon David) - very warm and sweet and absolutely DELIGHTFUL

🥰 Third Eye (Felicia Day, author; full voice cast) - comedy fantasy audio drama about Laurel, who 15 yrs ago was the Chosen One and who…failed. Now her life is sad but she gets a 2nd chance when a terrible teen (who may also be the Chosen One) cannonballs into her life. Had a lot of fun listening to this, great voice cast featuring FD, Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, London Hughes

💖💖 +186K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

[PODFIC] A Nativity of Oranges (Tanouska) - MCU: stucky, 9K - great podfic, reread, great Stucky holiday fic

How The Elf-King Stole Khuzmus (DeHeerKonijn, PointlesslyPoetic) - LOTR: 1.3K - a The Hobbit/Dr. Seuss mashup, very clever, great art

[Podfic of] Spaceships & Laserswords (blackglass, klb, luvtheheaven (VioletEmerald), reena_jenkins, Shmaylor, silverandblue, wordsaremyfaith) - Star Wars: finnpoe, 4K - great podfic of a short but hilarious & very sweet fic - modern AU where weirdo hermit Luke joins the (college-age) 'kids' D&D game & volunteers his sister to DM

[Podfic] Mission Impossible (quietnight) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 20K - hilarious shrunkyclunks fic, great podfic version of it

flow through (rainbow_nerds) - Stranger Things: steddie, 6K - a gift for me! I requested @rainbow-nerdss continue in the universe created by sharp temporary walls and it was everything I could have wanted!!!! 💜

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2023

The Legendary Rick Perry and the Art of Dimension 20

D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - s4, e21-22

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - s1, e7-10; s2, e1-10

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (2023 special #4)

Midsomer Murders - s24, e1-2

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Hit Parade - Second-Chance Hits Edition

Vibe Check - 2023, Don’t Let The Door Hit You…

Ologies with Alie Ward - Alieology (YOUR HOST): an Ask-Me-Anything Goofy Hang

It's Been a Minute - Why grief sometimes looks like a hyphy party

One Year - The Making of One Year: 1990

⭐ Code Switch - The Fallout of a Callout

Hit Parade - The Posthumous Hits Edition, Live from Seattle

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2024 Pop Culture Predictions

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Fun Christmas Oldies

my Dolly Parton Christmas playlist

Swingin' Christmas

Presenting Lindsey Stirling

Power Ballads Forever

[captain-gillian]

NICE ASK WEEK IS UPON US!!! 🎉

Jessica!!!

Some Nancy headcanons questions for you:

Would she call herself brave?

When does she feel the safest?

Does her family have any big traditions?

Is she a good gift giver? What’s the best gift she’s given to a member of the Catan Crew?

What’s her favorite tv show?

What was her most recent birthday party like?

Does she wear a bathrobe/housecoat 😉

oh i love these questions, thank you lemon

always love an excuse to think about her

I think, mostly based on her hesitation in 2x02 when the kid had the lava in his chest, she wouldn't describe herself as brave even if her actions and the way she's unapologeticlly proud of her bisexuality suggest she very much is a brave person.

I think she would feel safest at home with her dog (she has a dog fight me tim minear) or at the firehouse with the 126.

I have never thought enough about her family (because canon has given us zilch to go on) to have a good answer for this. But I get the impression despite them never being mentioned, they're quite close knit.

I think she'd put a lot of thought into gift giving and I see her as the type of person who gifts books. I could see her going to a lot of effort to find the perfect book for Paul's birthday given they both love reading. Either a book he's not read but she know's he'd love or a special/signed edition of one of his favourites.

I could definetly see Nancy as loving brooklyn nine nine or schitt's creek, they seem like they'd really gel with her sense of humour. Or if Parks and Rec exists in the 911 lone star universe, she'd love that, and love teasing Captain Strand about how much he looks and acts like Chris (which he would deny but secretly be chuffed about)

Her most recent birthday party the Catan Crew surprises her, she thinks it's just a regular 126 hang but they pop out and surprise her with cake and balloons, a bit like the surprise trophy ceremony.

7. I personally see Nancy as more of an oodie person 😉

[tyfinn]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @smblmn @apothecarose @a-noble-dragon for tagging me when I need it. I think my toxic work environment is rubbing off into other aspects of my life, and I've been doubting so many things lately. I hate feeling this way- I'm usually pretty self-assured about myself. So it thrills to me to no end when someone wants to know more about my writing. Thank you, lovelies!!

How many works do you have on Ao3? 91

What’s your total AO3 word count? 390,497

What fandoms do you write for? Schitt's Creek and I did one other for another fandom under a different pseud that I'd rather not discuss here

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Rings Around Your Heart Man about Town What Happens in Vegas Can last Forever Lost Time

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or Why not? I do! If someone took the time to comment, I want to do the same. I remember the first response I received after leaving a comment, and it was so exciting. And, some of those first authors I read I now consider friends. Also, if I'm having a bad day, seeing a notification that someone commented makes that day not so bad.

6. What is the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I think I specialize in humor, fluff, and HEs. I want someone to feel good after reading one of my fics, or to have a good laugh. But, in Breaking Down (the prequel to Rings), Arielle has the baby. You already know what will happen to her, so, for me, it was sad because I really liked her as a character, and she was just what David needed at that time in his life before his world was turned upside down.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably the epilogue in Rings. David and Patrick finalize Patrick adopting Maddy and she changes her last name to Rose.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, but I did get a criticism on Open Wide because I did not use the right anesthesia on David! LOL

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Not really, but I have dabbled in it. I don't feel particularly good at it, so I tend to keep it to soft kisses, tender moments, fluff.

10. Do you write crossovers? No. I do have an idea of Marcy meeting Sarah, Nick's mom from Heartstopper. Not sure if anything will come from it, though...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? No

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! One A-maze-ing Night with @mallpretzles

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? For writing- David and Patrick

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't want to think I'll never finish something I've started, so I'm not gonna answer...

16. What are your writing strengths? Introspection, dialogue, and humor? IDK Those are what the most positive comments are on.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description, probably. I also use a lot of italics, ..., -, But would we call that a weakness?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I do not think about that...

19. First fandom you wrote for? Schitt's Creek

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Probably Rings. It led to an entire series and I was able to create Madeline, who I love with my whole heart.