sillypenguinwitch

[sillypenguinwitch]

[sillypenguinwitch]

(insp)

[sillypenguinwitch]

Okay I love the new rwrb movie but it was kind of funny to me how much they toned it down. Like in the movie you have Alex gently tells Henry "we need to talk" when he confronts him, meanwhile, in the book:

[sillypenguinwitch]

comments from tiktok about siblings

#oh hello is this post about me?

[sillypenguinwitch]

Reminds me of the chapter on the Lascaux Cave Paintings in John Green's book The Anthropocene Reviewed (and the podcast and video versions of it):

There's more to it so you should watch/listen to/read the whole thing if you can but let me just quote part of the video version here:

"hand stencils have been found in caves around the world, from Indonesia to Spain to Australia to the Americas to Africa. We have found these memories of hands from 15- or 30- or even 40-thousand years ago. These hand stencils remind us of how different life was in the distant past. Amputations, likely from frostbite, are common in Europe and so you often see negative hand stencils with three or four fingers. And life was short and difficult. [...] But they also remind us that the humans of the past were as human as we are. Their hands indistinguishable from ours. These communities hunted and gathered and there were no large caloric surpluses. So every healthy person would have had to contribute to the acquisition of food and water, and yet somehow, they still made time to create art. Almost as if art isn't optional for humans. We see all kinds of hands stenciled on cave walls, children and adults, but almost always the fingers are spread, like my kids' hand stencils. I'm no Jungian but it's fascinating and a little strange that so many Paleolithic humans, who couldn't possible had any contact with each other, created the same paintings the same way. Paintings that we are still making. But then again, what the Lascaux art means to me is likely very different from what it meant to the people who made it. Some academics theorized that the hand stencils were part of hunting rituals. Then there's always the possibility that the hand was just a convenient model situated at the end of the wrist. To me, though, the hand stencils at Lascaux say, 'I was here.' They say, 'You are not new.'"

40,000 years ago, early humans painted hands on the wall of a cave. This morning, my baby cousin began finger painting. All of recorded history happened between these two paintings of human hands. The Nazca Lines and the Mona Lisa. The first TransAtlantic flight and the first voyage to the Moon. Humanity invented the wheel, the telescope, and the nuclear bomb. We eradicated wild poliovirus types 2 and 3. We discovered radio waves, dinosaurs, and the laws of thermodynamics. Freedom Riders crossed the South. Hippies burned their draft cards. Countless genocides, scientific advancements, migrations, and rebellions. More than a hundred billion humans lived and died between these two paintings—one on a sheet of paper, and one on the inside of a cave. At the dawn of time, ancient humans stretched out their hands. And this morning, a child reached back. 

#humanity #the anthropocene reviewed #john green #dftba #Youtube

[sillypenguinwitch]

i think popular media culture is poisoned in the following ways:

if you like something, people will make fun of you because you have admitted to experiencing a sincere emotion. this makes people defensive about what they like.

if you don’t like something, people will take your opinion personally and attack you. this makes people feel like they have to have a very good reason to dislike something.

people reach for reasons to like vs dislike things that are serious and often politically relevant so they can defend themselves from other opinion-havers.

these positions mutually reinforce each other until it is assumed that any declaration of liking or disliking something is both personally and politically relevant by default.

i am forced to look at this every time one of my fandom posts blows up.

[sillypenguinwitch]

the sun literally sets and casts a golden hue over everything every single day and we fucked it all up and invented paying rent

[sillypenguinwitch]

[sillypenguinwitch]

amongst all the rwrb talk rn: has anyone heard of this upcoming film?

if i had a nickel for everytime someone from The Kissing Booth starred in a gay film about someone falling in love with a member of the aristocracy I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

#it doesn't actually sound that similar to rwrb but the surface level similarity is there #and it's got the same director as promising young woman so i'm excited!!! #jacob elordi #barry keoghan #lgbt #taylor zakhar perez #rwrb #red white and royal blue #saltburn film #saltburn #emerald fennell

[sillypenguinwitch]

why did they have Alex make the speech before the whole palace situation? like the "we could deny everything and claim it's all fake" scene doesn't really make sense when Alex has already talked about it openly?

#rwrb #am i missing something? #loved the movie but some smaller choices could've been different

[sillypenguinwitch]

#rwrb

[sillypenguinwitch]

I love you. I love you more. I think that's up for debate.

[sillypenguinwitch]

to clarify (and some more thoughts): I'm not saying there's no good wlw media, I know it's out there (albeit few and far between), but there's seldom a lot of hype around it, and that generally means that no strong fandom with fan content (edits, gifs, fanfiction, fanart, discussions, etc.) develops. And to a certain extend I think that has to do with how consumers (aka potential fans) respond to wlw media (that's a whole seperate topic in itself tbh), but it also - to a much greater extend imo - has to do with the specific stories that are being told, how they're being told and the context in which the thing exists, e.g. the marketing, cast, (not being cancelled after one season!), etc.

A big fandom is much less likely to develop around one single film or one book even, no matter how well-written, than a show with multiple seasons or a book + series/movie adaptation or series of movies. There needs to be time for the thing to spread and people to recommend it to each other (while there's still new episodes/chapters/seasons/etc coming out) and overall there needs to be enough of the thing to go off of: to get to know the characters, to inspire discussion and to inspire the kind of content that keeps a fandom going! I also think for something to focus on the main couple and romance in the way the mlm examples mentioned in my original post do, it has to be somewhat clear early on that they're going to get together and neither of them is going to die - this is not something that can be guaranteed for a lot of fictional wlw couples.

Which brings me to my next point: shows with sapphic main characters or shows that are known for their wlw couples often have supernatural or otherwise mysterious elements, which takes screen time away from romance and character development to deal with monsters or murderers or worldbuilding - almost as if studios don't think just their romance alone is interesting enough - and drastically ups the possibility of someone dying. And don't get me wrong, I loove those types of shows! Every show with wlw couples, from Buffy to Pretty Little Liars to Sense8 to Killing Eve to Yellowjackets to First Kill - give it to me! This is not about putting down those shows!! First Kill is probably closest to the teen drama wlw-couple-focused type show I'm thinking of, but even that has that supernatural element. Again, I love the show, this is no shade *at all* and I'm not trying to take anything away from any of these shows I just think it's really noticable how there are hardly any shows that are just... regular wlw teens. I think we deserve it all: fluffy romance with maybe a bit of drama and angst but grounded somewhat in the real world *and* scifi/fantasy/supernatural/mystery plots with wlw love *and* everything in between! In fact, like half of those shows got cancelled way too early, so even the shows I'm saying "this is the only type that we get" we don't even really get. Ugh.

I actually think statistically the number of wlw and mlm couples or characters on tv is somewhat similar (I feel like I read that somewhere?) but that doesn't tell us anything about the type and quality of the representation or the amount of screentime. Heartstopper has sapphic characters (more than mlm characters even?) but Nick and Charlie are the main couple. Love Victor later had sapphic characters, but the main relationships are Victor's. The focus is always clear. Studios had no issue shelling out for 3 seasons of an mlm spin off (Love Victor) of an mlm thing (Love Simon), but couldn't adapt the existing wlw spin off book (Leah on the Offbeat) into one spin off movie? Yeah... although even then it would've been contingent on the mlm thing.

I've seen people mention that the other versions and seasons of Skam have wlw couples! I buried this in the tags of my original post but I know: I've watched the sapphic seasons of Skam España and Druck (Skam Germany) and loved them, they're *exactly* the kind of thing I'm talking about - but let's not act like they would've even been made without OG Evak. And there's no shame in using the popularity of an mlm thing as a jumping off point but it's always this conditional thing, it's always contingent on something else, always a second thought...

idk, call me greedy and bitter and nitpicky, I don't care - I think I (we!) have a right to be pissed off about this. And I know these types of things hinge on so many little conditions, there are so many potential reason something doesn't get made, it's not always purely that they don't think wlw romance is interesting, etc. etc., but don't tell me there isn't a pattern. And these are only a few examples, there are so many more! And if you're now thinking: "she's asking for too much" keep in mind that people have mentioned dozens of wlw things in these tags and replies, and none of them have fit these criteria, but I can *easily* name basically a never-ending list of mlm things that do.

Again, I'm not trying to be divisive, all of the things mentioned are great, please don't be upset at me for mentioning them in this way! My issue isn't with the things that do exist, my issue is with the things that don't: the seasons or existing shows that aren't getting made because something got cancelled prematurely, the pitches that aren't being greenlit because studios don't want to give their money to wlw stories, etc. I'm not angry at the mlm things, I'm angry that there aren't also similar wlw things (with the budget and fandom to match).

And maybe I shouldn't compare mlm and wlw media so directly and just accept that there's a different style to them, idk maybe that's what it is, but should we really have to accept that the fluffy, unapologetic, teen (or early 20s) main character romances are only for (mostly) white, (mostly) skinny, (mostly) ablebodied, (mostly) cis boys? Personally, I don't think so.

Sorry this turned into more of a rant than I intended for it to be.

okay so i'm not trying to make this a ~thing~ or a hot take or whatever, but can we talk about how all the hyped up queer shows still predominantly feature mlm couples? i'm not saying there aren't wlw shows/movies or the mlm-focused shows don't also feature wlw characters/couples, just... they either get nowhere near the same amount of hype, have some other main plot, end with at least one of them dying or experiencing something traumatic, get cancelled after one season in the middle of their arc, or they're not the main couple. And that's not to discount the representation you can get from secondary characters of course but just... ugh I want a heartstopper or rwrb or young royals or skam or love, simon or i don't even know... with girls. And I know I'm not the first person to bring this up and I know it's not that simple, but seeing all the hype for heartstopper and rwrb this week makes my heart ache a little bit so i needed to say this somewhere.

#you deserve a cookie if you read all that #does any of this make any sense? #heartstopper #rwrb #young royals #first kill #killing eve #skam #love simon #love victor #sense8 #leah on the offbeat #gay media #wlw media #lgbtq+ media #keep the wlw media recs coming though i loved seeing all of your suggestions!

[sillypenguinwitch]

isaac's books in heartstopper s2

episode 1:

Tillie Walden: I Love This Part

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé: Ace of Spades

episode 2:

Nina LaCour: We Are Okay

Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest

episode 3:

Ocean Vuong: Night Sky with Exit Wounds (the one he is carrying under his arm, I'm assuming that's his and not for the display?)

has read: Ritch C. Savin-Williams: Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, and Nonbinary Youth

Emily Henry: Book Lovers

episode 4:

Victor Hugo: Les Misérables

Antoine De Saint-Exupéry: The Little Prince

Kate Chopin: The Awakening

Nina LaCour: We Are Okay (again)

episode 5:

Albert Camus: The Outsider

episode 6:

Martin Handford: Where's Wally? The Great Picture Hunt

Meredith Russo: Birthday

Jules Verne: Around the World in Eighty Days

Sara Pennypacker: Pax Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, Sophie Mas: How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are ? ? ? Damian Dibben: The Color Storm Alice Oseman: Loveless Susan Stokes-Chapman: Pandora Katy Hessel: The Story of Art Without Men ? Evelyn Waugh: Rossetti Arthur Conan Doyle: The Hound of the Baskervilles A.O. Scott: Better Living Through Criticism ?: Then We Came to an End (?) Ruth Millington: Muse Dr. Jaqui Lewis: Fierce Love Charlotte Van Den Broek: Bold Ventures - Thirteen Tales of Architectural Tragedy ?

Richard Siken: Crush

episode 7:

Garrard Conley: Boy Erased

George Matthew Johnson: All Boys Aren't Blue

Samra Habib: We Have Always Been Here

episode 8:

Akemi Dawn Bowman: Summer Bird Blue

Angela Chen: Ace

bonus:

Truham school library pride display (seen in ep. 3 and 8):

top to bottom, left to right: Angela Chen: Ace Andrew Holleran: The Kingdom of Sand Mary Jean Chan and Andrew McMillan: 100 Queer Poems Scott Stuart: My Shadow Is Pink Lotte Jeffs: My Magic Family Tucker Shaw: When You Call My Name Ritch C. Savin-Williams: Bi - Pansexual, Fluid, Nonbinary and Fluid Youth Alok Vaid-Menon: Beyond the Gender Binary George M. Johnson: All Boys Aren’t Blue Mason Deaver: I Wish You All the Best Alex Gino: George Melissa

on top of shelves (left to right): Kevin Van Whye: Nate Plus One Xixi Tian: This Place is Still Beautiful Becky Albertalli: Leah on the Offbeat Mya-Rose Craig: Birdgirl Bernardine Evaristo: Girl, Woman, Other Connie Glynn: Princess Ever After Saundra Mitchell: The Prom

Charlie's choice at Shakespeare and Co (ep. 6): Allan Hollinghurst: The Swimming Pool Library

That's it for now.

Sorry about the ones i couldn't identify and sorry if i missed any! Might try and do some of the ones in Isaac's room later but that'll take a minute

#hearstopper #heartstopper s2 #isaac henderson #books #shakespeare and company #lgbt #charlie spring #alice oseman #aspec #aroace #aromantic #asexual #heartstopper season 2

[sillypenguinwitch]

okay so i'm not trying to make this a ~thing~ or a hot take or whatever, but can we talk about how all the hyped up queer shows still predominantly feature mlm couples? i'm not saying there aren't wlw shows/movies or the mlm-focused shows don't also feature wlw characters/couples, just... they either get nowhere near the same amount of hype, have some other main plot, end with at least one of them dying or experiencing something traumatic, get cancelled after one season in the middle of their arc, or they're not the main couple. And that's not to discount the representation you can get from secondary characters of course but just... ugh I want a heartstopper or rwrb or young royals or skam or love, simon or i don't even know... with girls. And I know I'm not the first person to bring this up and I know it's not that simple, but seeing all the hype for heartstopper and rwrb this week makes my heart ache a little bit so i needed to say this somewhere.

#and tara and darcy are super cute and great but they're not the main couple #and this isn't a dig at heartstopper or rwrn or any of the other things mentioned *at all* #i love them all i promise #i just also have more room to love a cute queer sapphic teen show too #oh and i know they're not teenagers in rwrb but y'all know what i mean #like the cutesy hyped gay media #that could have some angst but ultimately it's cute and about the main couple #so like something like yellowjackets is great but just not what i'm talking about #and i know some skam universes/seasons have had wlw main characters - i love fatou and kieu my on Druck (Skam Germany) #but og evak and some other evak versions clearly got the most hype #heartstopper #young royals #rwrb #skam #druck #gay media #queer media

[sillypenguinwitch]

heartstopper season 2 thoughts (SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY!)

the couples are all adorable!! elle and tao museum date? cutest shit i've ever seen tf, and the teachers too ugh i'm so single

the hotel was super unrealistic for a school trip lol (but they made up for it by "there was only one bed"-ing us

why would you run into your teachers room to throw up smh

it's so hard for me to see them suffer (especially charlie)

nick's instagram posts? 10/10 soft launch, perfectly executed, and then the couple pic at the end i love them so much

the explicit bi rep!!!! i love it!

literally so many iconic moments of everyone standing up for themselves

isaac reading *several* books within one day everyday apparently? mood.

i ADORE tao's mum!! she's so supportive and just radiates love

OLIVIA COLEMAN. Need I say more?

the outfits???!! SO CUTE ESPECIALLY ELLE'S DRESS AT THE ART EXHIBITION

great music choices!! falling in love with a girl fit that moment so perfectly! and seven? and crush culture by conan gray when isaac learned what aro ace meant? PER.FEC.TION.

where can i get elle's bag? the one with the individual slots for pens/pencils/paintbrushes

isaac hugging that ace book was so cute

actually all of the hugs were so cute! no matter who is hugging who on the show it always looks so genuine and heartfelt

(please don't kill me over this but i feel like they were trying to do *a lot* this season... like a lot of relatively heavy topics in a relatively short time... i know there'll be more in s3 and it's kinda like this in the comics too but still idk, i feel like they could've engaged more deeply with stuff if they hadn't tried to tackle so many topics, like the darcy stuff felt a bit rushed and nick's dad stuff and charlie's ED and other mental health stuff like what he talked about at the end idk i feel like they just sort of left us with that? and i know the show in general is supposed to be more lighthearted so idk but i have thoughts)

#heartstopper #heartstopper s2 #heartstopper season 2 #heartstopper spoilers #heartstopper s2 spoilers #heartstopper season 2 spoilers #i have like a million more things to say but i'll leave it at that for now

[sillypenguinwitch]

don’t think i can call it a hyperfixation anymore fam im afraid im just long term insane about this piece of media