#note to you my friends: they're very gay for each other --this is a romantic board

[humansofstarshollow]

-Spring series-

Blossoming Feelings: a springtime playlist by Lane to Rory

#a note to you my friends: they're very gay for each other #this is a romantic board #gilmore girls #gg #gilmore girls aesthetics #aesthetics #gg aesthetics #humansofstarshollow #gilmore girls edits #gg edits #edits #my works #my aesthetics #my moodboards #stars hollow aesthetics #stars hollow #wlw rory gilmore #wlw lane kim #wlw #rory/lane #spring aesthetic #humansofstarshollow requests #humansofstarshollow spring series

[williamrikers]

okay. fuck. i need to talk about be my favorite. because jesus christ, this might be THE smartest show currently airing, which is a miracle at a time when la pluie is also airing.

so, this episode we learned more about kawi's and pisaeng's family backgrounds, and oh boy, is there a lot to unpack there... and it all works to explain why the original timeline was the way it was, why everything turned out so fucked up for both of them in the beginning.

(very rambly thoughts under the cut)

first of all, it's important to note how much of an impact kawi's father's death had. it was always clear that this was a traumatizing event in kawi's life, literally the first thing he did when he went back in time was to ditch the (supposed) girl of his dreams so he could be with his father, tearfully hug him and tell him "i love you, dad".

now, we're learning that after his father's death, kawi completely gave up on himself. he literally didn't see any reason to pursue a better life or his dreams because his father would never get to see it and be proud of him. i think this also explains to some extent why kawi has so much trouble accepting help from others: he has internalized the idea that he somehow has to do everything on his own, so his father (and others) can be proud of him. it's interesting that kawi obviously loves his father a lot but they're not really close: they don't see each other very often and in the first episode, it's established that they don't usually talk to each other about their feelings, either.

so. everything else that happened to kawi in the og timeline (knot making fun of his singing, pisaeng "stealing" his spot as pear's secret buddy, his falling out with max, kawi being too much of an introvert to make any new friends at uni) was compounded by the fact that after his father's death, kawi saw no hope for himself any more, and he ended up alone, isolated, friendless, depressed and deeply unhappy.

and now that we're learning more about pisaeng as well, it's becoming clear that something similar happened to pisaeng in the og timeline as well, only for him it was not a single event but more the reality of him being gay and having a crush on kawi (come on. nobody can tell me he DIDN'T crush on that cute awkward nerd as soon as kawi dropped his lil notebook in front of the seniors on the first day of uni), but kawi never even speaking to him and completely ignoring his existence... while pisaeng's own mother was adamant about pisaeng staying as deep in the closet as possible because it's bad for her political ambitions to have an out gay son. she basically tells him "you can feel whatever you want to feel but telling people about it is something that you should only do with my permission".

so, pisaeng has been getting told by his mother to stay in the closet since he was 15 years old (JESUS!!!), and since his crush is obviously unrequited and hopeless, why should he risk anything by being honest about it? his family is rich, pear's family too, their marriage is one of convenience for pisaeng, who gets to keep living his good life while placating his mother and spending his life with a person he's friends with, even if he can never love her romantically. from his mother's perspective, pear and pisaeng must be a good match, and pisaeng has no real reason to fight any of it. because coming out as gay would do nothing but cause him trouble and make him unhappy.

but in the new timeline, kawi is there as pisaeng's friend. and pisaeng falls for him so much deeper than he ever could have done in the og timeline. and now he HAS to figure himself out, HAS to confront his own queerness, not for kawi or even with kawi (utterly brilliant choice in the last episode to have pisaeng go on this journey alone!) but for himself, because it is becoming clear that he is living a lie and that he can't go on like this. having kawi in his life changes everything for pisaeng -- even if they weren't in a bl and were simply friends, this storyline would still be incredibly compelling because even while they're not in a relationship, kawi and pisaeng keep challenging each other, keep changing each other, keep making each other better, more honest people.

when they're in bed together and kawi asks why pisaeng likes him, he says much of the same stuff he's said before: that pisaeng is better, richer, more handsome than him, that he can't understand what pisaeng sees in him. but he says it differently this time, not with anger or defiance like in the beginning of their friendship, but so honestly, he's able to open up to pisaeng in a way he never could before just because he has had pisaeng in his life and they have had an impact on each other.

i keep coming back to this because it's something i rarely see in stories and bmf is doing it AMAZINGLY. both of the protagonists go on a journey of growth and self-improvement through knowing each other, they literally make each other better. and even though kawi is not at a point where he can see them as equals, he can honestly talk about this now, can voice his feelings of insecurity in a way he was never able to before -- and so, pisaeng can say, well, i think you're cute, does there have to be anything more to it than that? he doesn't try to talk kawi out of his self-perception, merely states his own perception of him in a way kawi can't argue away. i think this is a smart writing choice because kawi has to accept that pisaeng finds him cute, he can't say "no you don't" without accusing him of lying.

and oh, my baby kawi being so incredibly deep in denial is tugging at my heartstrings. there's a very interesting parallel happening with kawi's singing, something he was obviously dreaming of as a career when he was a child but completely gave up on -- until pisaeng and pear helped him gain confidence to put himself out there once again. i think something very similar is happening with his sexuality: he has shoved the truth of himself so far back in his own mind that it takes a long time and the knowledge that pisaeng is into him for kawi to even entertain the thought of maybe also being into him maybe. there's a certain safety in that, just like there's safety in having pear there while he reads his song lyrics to a room full of people. and that's not a bad thing! this show has consistently shown (and outright told) us that people need to help each other, that literally no one is capable of making it on their own, that everyone deserves love and support. and kawi needs a lot of love and support to be able to even let himself think of pisaeng in romantic terms. i am seriously excited to see what happens next, now that kawi has crossed the line between them, now that he got a taste of what he could have if only he let himself.

there are probably a million things i haven't said that i can't think of right now. but every single episode leaves me more impressed than the last, the story is written SO well and presented in such a smart way, later revelations recontextualizing things we already know, and with every week, everything makes more and more sense. and learning more about their families really explains a lot about all three of them (god, i haven't even mentioned pear's rich upper-class alcoholic father, a lot to unpack there as well!), and how they got where they were in the og timeline as well as in the current timeline.

thanks for reading 😘

#be my favorite #be my favorite the series #*mine

[ftm-megamind]

some general Chad/Ryan headcanons!!

their favorite things abt each other - i think Chad really loves Ryan's smile, like a genuine smile, not a forced one, just an actual happy smile. and Ryan mostly smiles like that because of Chad which makes him even more ecstatic!! and also Ryan's irony and sense of humor in general

as for Ryan, he definitely loves the sorta "hidden" side of Chad (him being really romantic and clingy or sensitive emotionally in general, but also really smart and witty); that usually surfaces when they're alone and they can feel comfortable, and definitely Chad's eyes (they're very expressive i imagine!!)

in class, they probably pass a ton of notes to one another, or when they sit together they just write to each other on a piece of paper and giggle about it (mostly something they find funny - like something in the workbook or something the teacher said) and sometimes they're so hysteric they try so hard not to laugh that they cry

and also when something outrageous or absurd happens they look at each other like at the cameras in the office (if you know what i mean???)

i imagine Ryan is pretty insecure about playing sports because of how he was treated (read: experience with homophobic guys that were so mean that he just gave up whatever sport he was doing, probably baseball) but then when he plays Chad is smitten (lets face it he loves sports and he probably finds the way Ryan pitches or shoots a hoop borderline poetic)

Chad is probably shy to sing but when he does his voice is really beautiful and he puts his heart in it and Ryan is just :heart eyes:

their dream dates - ROLLER SKATING TO DISCO MUSIC 100% AND THEN GETTING MILKSHAKES AFTERWARDS

but also driving somewhere far at night, listening to mixtapes which they made for one another and stopping to look at the stars or maybe dance a little bit under the night sky :)

and also karaoke

Chad had to take a lot of time to come out to the group i think, just because he was a little worried after all

so when they were official and Chad was so happy and excited to announce it, everyone just told them that they been knew, because i mean... what kinda friends hold hands and look at each other with dreamy smiles

also Sharpay's approach to Chad.

at first sharpay was very hostile towards Chad (in a protective way, she just said stuff like "if you break my brother's heart i'll ruin your life") but as time went by and the more Ryan told Sharpay about how wonderful Chad is she warmed up

i think they talk sometimes about the kardashians episodes

and maybe when Sharpay goes shopping she even invites Chad and makes him try on certain clothes, and proceeds to buy them for him, because "if you want to date my brother you have to dress properly"

gabi is defintely a big ally and stands up for Chad and Ryan when needed, and so does Troy, except he just doesn't grasp the concept of being gay, much less HATING someone for being gay. and it took him so long to figure out that there's something going on between Chad and Ryan. Gabriella had to explain to him that Ryan didn't want to steal Troy's best friend all for himself, he just wanted to date him

gabi and ryan are DEFINITELY besties. i mean it was literally shown in hsm2

they frequently hang out and do each others' nails and watch some cheesy romcoms and gush about Chad and Troy

and also they both sit on the girlfriend row and attend all of their boys' practices and gossip so much

as for Chad and Troy... Chad talks about Ryan more than Troy talks abt Gabi (impressive)

they definitely had bro nights since like. forever. but after the lava springs baseball incident Troy noticed that Chad is sometimes distracted by texting Ryan and he would often go on and on about how amazing Ryan is. and troy of course didn't get it and had the "ok but its our sleepover" approach, and he was honestly a bit jealous

Chad had to tell him that "no Troy hes my boyfriend."

so Troy is like OOOOOH and since he's heard so much about Chad's significant other, he asks whether he can tell Chad more about Gabi, and Chad of course says yes and Troy is smiling like a little boy (probably the first time Chad's seen him so head over heels and displaying it fully)

im sure they giggle together a bit too

and they play dumb games like "3 things i like most about them" or something

prom time!!! before everything, Ryan took Chad shopping and bought them both matching suits

and Chad surprised ryan with a corsage the color of Ryan's suit, and when Ryan saw it he probably cried a little bit because he quite literally experienced the teenage dream of going to prom with the love of his life AND getting a corsage

when they got to the party they were both a little nervous at first and had to take a little break, so they went outside and watched the stars together

and they promised each other to be together forever, and they planned their future, like Chad picking a uni that's close to juilliard so they could see each other as often as possible

then after graduating they decided they want a cozy apartment in new york and travel around the world, then of course get married when it would get legalized, adopt a kitty and all of this while still being best friends with Troy, Gabi, Kelsi, Tay and everyone else

and then they probably had some smoochy time but eventually got back inside and danced the night away

bonus: chad being stupid but in a way that he sees Taylor and Kelsi giggling together and acting very obviously gay and he's like "oh i didn't know they were friends!! seems like they're pretty close :))" (clueless)

#hsm #high school musical #chyan #hsm chad #hsm ryan #ryan evans #chad danforth #chad danforth x ryan evans #chad x ryan #this is pretty much taken straight out of my dms with a friend when we were sharing out takes #hi clifford if you're reading this :)

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #585

Febri vol. 40, Toyonaga Toshiyuki x Uchiyama Koki interview

Part 11.

((💀This part can be really upsetting, so proceed with caution. In addition to unfavorable interpretation of Y&V relationship, it's also full of Jp brand of homophobia))

-- Hearing your explanation about that scene, a thought came to my mind that it was like a very realistic argument of a couple (laugh).

Toyonaga: Yes, yes, that's right! One person gets very emotional, but at the same time the other person is the opposite, very composed. That's why I think that the way we acted was closer to slice of life shows than anime. For me it was a bit of a shock, like "I see, so this is another possible interpretation, huh".

-- How do you see the relationship between Victor and Yuuri from your perspective, Toyonaga-san?

Toyonaga: Hmmm... From Yuuri's point of view, the Legend that, in the beginning, he was looking up to, tells him that he's going to be his coach, and is so close to him, so for Yuuri it probably felt as if he was dreaming. And from there, their relationship slowly started to be that of a coach and his student, I think. But from Victor's perspective, I think it all started from a surprise, a place of "what should I do next?". So he's using Yuuri quite a bit - or in other words, I think for him it all started from something like: "It will be interesting if I become a coach and make a Japanese skater win, won't it?". But as the story progresses, he starts to get inspired by Yuuri more and more... That's why I don't think it's a relationship that you can describe easily. They are not friends, and there isn't really a hierarchy in their relationship, so it's not really a master and a student relationship either.

-- And they're not simply rivals.

Toyonaga: Yeah. Having said that, to the question if they are lovers or not, I think that no, they are not. If you call that "love", it a deeper kind of love. I think that for Yuuri, as he said, Victor had a bigger impact on him than his family, so I think that they have a stronger relationship than a family usually has.

-- Listening to you right now, I thought that their relationship is close to a relationship of comedian duo...

Toyonaga: Yeah, it is perhaps something close to that. They don't talk with each other that much, and have separate dressing rooms, but they are tied together with an invisible string. And when the stage curtain goes up, they do their job nicely. I think that this is the kind of relationship that they built as the story progressed.

[Notes: 💀💀💀 Jp brand of homophobia, the kind of "why do you need to have what the "normal" people have?", "why do you need to get married like "normal" people do?" + when it's a man and a woman, then it's just "romantic love", but when it's a same sex relationship then "romantic love" is deemed not "good" enough, all of sudden, it has to be more "noble" and "pure" to be acceptable - you can very often see fujos referring to same sex relationships, such as that of Y&V, as "big feelings"... Even though they draw porn of the characters to get off as a hobby, at the same time a lot of fujos still firmly believe that referring to canon relationships as "gay" or "romantic" or "sexual" is offensive. Toyonaga here does exactly the same thing - "they are not lovers and if you call their relationship 'love', then it's a deeper kind of love😊" - I wonder if he has the same opinion of his own relationship if he has a girlfriend/wife - that it's somehow a worse kind of love, because it's romantic 🤔? I bet, he doesn't.

It's just pure discrimination, for the sake of discrimination, "I'm normal, you're not - you shouldn't have what normal people have" - there is no "religious beliefs" involved, for example.

Also why they suggest that comedian duos are not even friends or talk to each other? 💀 I'm sure a lot of those duos are best friends...

This interview was published March 1st, 2017 - there was a lot of talk about backtracking around that period, and you can see it here, too, imo.]

#yuri on ice #yoi translations #yuri on ice translation

[shitsolkat-theblog]

ME TALKING ABOUT SOLKAT

I can talk about these bitches for HOURS! This is an analysis of Karkat and Sollux (also as individual characters) and their relationship.

Finally I translated and edited this shit!! Let me know if you find any grammar/spelling/etc errors, google translate is my only beta reader and it’s sad.

Before continuing, some notes:

This is around 6,4k long, I told you I can talk about them A LOT.

English is not my first language, be patient :( 

This is a PERSONAL analysis of the characters and the ship, you’re allowed to call me stupid dumbass (only if you then explain why logically after).

The text will be often “interrupted” by extra (important) notes! Read them pls.

Some of the things here written have been already “spoilered/discussed” by me in my other blogs as well (sollux’s nicknames), (solkat horniness), (solkat quadrants)

I will talk/mention other ships that aren’t Solkat!

Johndave

Johnrose (mention)

Johnvris (mention)

Johnkat

Arasol (an entire section dedicated)

Solfef

Gamkar (in the notes)

Other briefly mentioned ships

Please, note that this is a SOLKAT analysis, done by someone who will suck their dicks all day long, so if you see your ship (mostly with Sollux and Karkat) being “be littled” by me, I’m not doing it on purpose and I’m really trying to be nice while explaining why I prefer them over other ships (I like most of this ships too lol).

WARNING! This is mostly a sexuality analysis at first! It’s inevitable to talk about sexuality when talking about them.

Sollux and Karkat have supposedly been friends since forever. It's implied that they've known each other for a long time, but whether that's the case or not, it doesn't take away from the fact that they're definitely close friends — in every sense of the word. But to understand this better, we first need to understand the characters individually and how they manage to be best friends while fighting every five seconds — and then I'll delve into their relationship itself.

Starting from Karkat: he is an insecure, short-tempered boy who loves romantic stories and who often fantasizes about having a relationship. However, the most important thing to keep in mind about Karkat is that he is practically a teenager (puberty can develop from 10-11 to 14 years old, and he is 13) and as such he has the so-called HORMONE SHOOT in his body.

Karkat is proposed as the complete opposite of John — already just the example of their Aspects: Blood and Breath, which are opposite in the wheel of Aspects — and therefore the way in which they both approach adolescence or, even more specifically, sexuality.

John is almost the stereotype of the innocent child: practically always unaware of what is around him, or somewhat careless, remaining as a pillar of purity and lightness — highlighted by his Class Aspect: Heir of the Breath, which makes him the most childish, light and free of all others. All this also applies to sexuality. His first approach is his non-flirts with Dave(1), which are clearly not serious and very superficial; making more jokes about how much "they're gay and they love each other", but in a very clearly platonic and casual way. On top of that, before meeting Karkat, John never really seems to think about things more impure than just pure romance which he also demonstrates to Rose and, to a small extent, Jade, similar to how a child would bring home a girlfriend than how a pre/adolescent thinks of a person to whom they are sexually/romantically attracted. One might comment that he behaves this way because he is not really romantically attracted to his friends, but one sees him behaving the same way with Vriska, with whom he is explicitly in love — the only difference is that he becomes a simp for her.

In the end John is practically "forced" to think about his sexuality — in a less innocent way, I mean — after his constant texts with Karkat, who is not innocent by any means.

1: John and Dave’s relationships contrasts with Karkat and Sollux’s one - important for later

Finally, after talking about John, let's talk about his opposite, Karkat. What makes him recognizable to kids/teenagers who read Homestuck is also his approach to puberty, which isn't as innocent and carefree as John's, but more chaotic and horny, like that of normal people (ironic that he's not even human).

It's not that it's immediately clear that Karkat speaks more with his dick than with his mouth, but he certainly mentions dicks very often in his monologues, always in a way that doesn't appear Horny™ but actually is quite Horny.

Speaking of John, Karkat shamelessly flirts with him AND his sister. John doesn't understand it at first for the simple fact that Karkat was attempting to pitch flirt with him, a concept that isn't really present in human society, but once he recognized the patterns, he immediately told Karkat that he isn’t gay and Karkat panicked, trying to erase everything he said before.

It's not that he flirts on purpose, his sexuality is intrinsic to everything he does and says — like a normal teenager — and so it's reflected in his dialogue whether he does it on purpose or not — and it doesn't help that he's so devoid of shame.

Now, Karkat is HORNY even on a fetish level, in fact he is one of the characters who shows his sexuality the most (along with Damara, Cronus, all those horny-bitches), to the point that it is literally no longer a secret. It is therefore not strange that he has a kink for exhibitionism, perhaps another factor that contributes to his openly, even unconsciously, flirting. Perhaps his is not even a real fetish, but rather an absence of social education, given by his physical isolation from the rest of the world — to protect himself and not let others discover the color of his blood. In the sense: it is possible that Karkat, famous for reading "romantic comedies" without shame, is not really aware of social norms and therefore has never been taught to Keep It in His Pants™, living his sexuality like hell, even at the expense of important situations — like warning John about the future AND NOT FLIRTING WITH HIM. Those who don't help are the people he talks to the most, first of all his best friend: Sollux Captor.

But before talking about Sollux, a small mention about Karkat: it's true that Karkat always seems to hit on different people, a bit at random, but in reality there is a very specific pattern. He doesn't hit on everyone, much more with those who piss him off at a level higher than simple "annoyance"(2),(3). He is always irritated and takes it out on everyone, yes, but there are those who insist and persevere with him specifically — directly (Terezi, Sollux, partly Jade) or indirectly (John and Gamzee) —, which leads him to the end, until you give him a blow and make him fall in love. Contradictory, I realize, but Karkat's entire fucked up sexuality must be taken into account; which we discussed earlier.

2: This is why ships like Kanaya x Karkat, Nepeta x Karkat or Meenah x Karkat cannot work in my opinions. There is no anger, therefore there is no passion. Except for Nepeta's case, there isn't even any trouble between Karkat, Kanaya and Meenah. They are not couples destined to last (in my opinion!!!)

3: His anger could be a true transposition of his passion. Not in the sense that he gets angry because he loves, but he loves because he gets angry.

And in any case NONE OF THIS necessarily has to do with the pitch quadrant.

Now we can move on to Sollux!

As with Karkat and John, Sollux also has a "human counterpart". Not all trolls have this counterpart, obviously, but since John has a best friend, a best bro, then Karkat has it too. For John, Dave is his best friend with whom he talks all the time, for Karkat it is Sollux, only that Sollux IS NOT "the opposite of Dave", but rather "an alternative Dave".

As highlighted by the introduction of the two (Dave) (Sollux 1) (Sollux 2), both have many parallels between them. Both are the "cool guys" of their group, but Sollux is more of a "cool-wanna-be" at the very beginning of the story — then immediately taking the role just a few pages later, because Hussie and Coherence Of The Characters never married. In fact, the only opposite they demonstrate is the management of emotions: Dave is monotone, almost cold, but he talks a lot, almost too much; Sollux is emotional, extremely sensitive (to quote Karkat and Terezi), but of few words. And these are the only substantial differences that lead the two characters into two completely opposite paths; starting first of all from the relationship with "their leader" — because both are their "right-hand men".

I have already spoken extensively about John and Dave, and their very pure and saccharine homoromantic messages and comments, albeit platonic ironically disguised as "romantic"; what's missing is the homoerotic flirtation poorly disguised as "platonic jokes" between Sollux and Karkat, but first I should explain Sollux in general a little.

Sollux, unlike Karkat and what it might seem, is not particularly horny, nor does he openly display his sexuality except when talking to Karkat; rather showing his weak and sensitive side, less grumpy and volatile, with those few with whom he interacts with more than a few messages - as with Aradia, for whom he has an absolute weakness, and Feferi, who caught him in a vulnerable state after the death of Aradia (I specify that he also shows it to Karkat, except that there is also the dick involved with him). Rather, it's The Hoes™ who rally around Sollux — giving him the title of "guy who fucked literally every character in the comic."

However, we must ask ourselves, who is Sollux talking to? Because despite his being a "Double Dreamer" — therefore finding himself on both Prospit and Derse —, in fact he speaks openly and exposes himself only to a very small group of people(4): only two, in reality: Aradia and Karkat, and Feferi if you really want to be generous.

4: It is no coincidence that he is reincarnated in his Dream Self of DERSE, while his Dream Self of PROSPIT is left to die; both after the destruction of the planet (he becomes a ghost), and with Lord English (in which he finally dies).

The peculiarity of Sollux is that he gives a nickname to everyone, and this nickname is made up of two letters of the person's name. However, this actually seems to be more of a fanonical rather than canonical conception, as the only nicknames that Sollux uses are (and are for):

AA, Aradia

KK, Karkat

TZ, Terezi

Priince, Eridan (to make fun of him) 

FF, Feferi

For the rest of the people, either repeat the abbreviation of their chathandles (i.e. Nepeta, AC) or use their full names. Therefore, canonically speaking, Sollux only uses specific nicknames with those he is emotionally close to; with the rest either use their real names or use a nickname that these people have given themselves; and he does it with Terezi too. Yes, Sollux calls her “TZ”, but he also calls her “GC”, the chathandle abbreviation of Terezi, who he is friends with casually, without speaking much to each other on the basis. You might think that this “no nicknames - chathandle as 'nickname' - personal nickname” thing is not very significant because of Aradia, whose abbreviated chathandle is “AA”, exactly as Sollux calls her; therefore the “nickname hierarchy” simply does not exist.

And that is COMPLETELY wrong. Her name is Aradia, she already has a double A in her original name; the fact that her chathandle is also AA, making her nickname a quadruple — or double double — A.

Basically, what I mean is that Sollux has a sort of “hierarchy of importance” based solely on the amount of doubles in people's names. Demonstration:

Aradia, AA (nickname), AA (chathandle) - double double A - Sollux choose her and not Karkat (I will talk better about it later);

Karkat, KK (nickname), CG (chathandle) - doppia K - flirts a lot with each others, are close friends in general;

Feferi, FF (soprannome), CC (chathandle) - double F and double C, but separated(5).

Terezi, TZ (soprannome), GC (chathandle) - no doubles, she’s a friend;

Everyone else.

5: I'm not sure why he’s more attached to Karkat and not Feferi, rationally speaking, but it could be for a simple reason of time. That is, if he had had more time with Feferi, maybe she would have been “more important” than Karkat. Which I don't really believe much in, since 1. they were already friends, they could have been "be close" from the start, 2. I think that Sollux only used Feferi as comfort after Aradia's death/radical change; so just calling her "important in her life" is a bit of an exaggeration, but she's certainly more important than most of Sollux’s friends.

So why, in my very humble opinion, are Sollux and Karkat better than Sollux and Aradia? Simple: because the other person is also important; a relationship has at least two people, not one.

Aradia, at least in death, seems to care a lot about Sollux.

AA: s0llux i actually w0uld like it if you were happy

TA: ok. thank you for 2ayiing 2o.

AA: y0u seem sad and angry all the time

AA: what d0es anger feel like

AA: i f0rg0t

TA: have you ever been angry?

TA: ii dont remember you gettiing angry about anythiing.

AA: maybe i never was

AA: i feel like i was th0ugh

AA: 0nce

TA: why dont you a2k karkat, he2 way angriier than me.

TA: for that matter why dont you get on HII2 ca2e about iit iin2tead of MIINE.

[extract page 2085]

(Notice how Sollux cites (unnecessarily) Karkat even in this conversation with Aradia :3) 

SOLLUX: aradia, s0rry, i can't be a part 0f this anym0re, it's just making me feel dirty.

ARADIA: i understand sollux

SOLLUX: let's catch up again later, h0pefully when this is all 0ver.

ARADIA: yeah :D

[extract page 6045]

This might seem like nothing, and I’m really going to start talking at a personal level here: I hate how cold and distant Aradia feels when interacting with Sollux on later acts.

It might seem like a cute/good thing: Aradia just letting Sollux go to do what he wishes to and all, but I personally didn't interpret it as such.

Sollux openly hates fucking SGURB/SBURB, he wants nothing to do with this game, like at all; that’s one of the reasons he leaves with Aradia in the first place (again, I’ll talk about it better later on). Though, after leaving the meteor, the next time we see Sollux he is, in some way, again involved with the game; all because Aradia is curious and wants to see how it will all end. I think it’s egotistical to put it at least. I’m not saying Aradia should have putted her wantings away for Fucking Sollux (no offense Sol), though she knows that Sollux doesn’t want anything to do with the game and that, now that he is blind, he is very dependent on other people — in fact, if it wasn’t for Feferi and Nepeta, Sollux would have never be able to leave Vriska’s ship.

Although it is implied that Sollux never complained about his involvement with all of that until the very end, when he decides to leave.

I think arasol can still work very well as friends, or, if I really want to stretch it, matesprits; but with all those communication problems, it’s very much impossible for me to see them as moirails, like other people most likely prefer — unless it’s a toxic moirallegiance, that would suit them good.  

Also, I won’t talk about Homestuck: Beyond Canon, because…

ARADIA: he is probably ok

DAVEBOT: so youre telling me you dont even feel a little bad that you ditched him to be a weird death acolyte

ARADIA: no i think he found my wiles both charming and irresistible

[extract HS:BC, page 283]

But, to be fair, HS:BC ruined everything, a lot, most characters and ships. It surely didn’t help to make me like Arasol more (like I liked it at the beginning), but whatever.

Basically, what I’m saying is that, personally, I prefer solkat over arasol because Karkat has emotional involvement in it:

SOLLUX: yeah, i think i'll hang behind here t0o, if that's 0k with you guys.

KARKAT: WAIT, WHAT?

KARKAT: NO COME ON, DON'T BE LIKE THAT

SOLLUX: be like what? a ghost??

SOLLUX: i d0n't think i belong with the living anym0re.

KARKAT: YOU'RE A *HALF* GHOST, ASSHOLE.

KARKAT: WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? HOW ARE YOU EVEN TAKING THIS IDIOTIC "HALF DEATH" SERIOUSLY IF YOU JUST GO HOG WILD AS A FUCKING WHOLE-GHOST, AND SAY STUPID SHIT LIKE, BLAH BLAH, I BELONG IN THE AFTERLIFE NOW LIKE A DUMBASS.

SOLLUX: kk, SORRY.

SOLLUX: i'm just d0ne with this crap, this insane adventure bullshit, it's nothing pers0nal.

SOLLUX: i just want to spend time with aa and chill 0ut and catch up with some 0f our dead buddies, is that 0k?

KARKAT: WHATEVER, FINE.

[extract page 4356]

I’m not sure how Aradia pre-SGURB/pre-death behaved with Sollux, most likely she was very close (emotionally speaking) to Sollux, so much that their relationship is later on described as “ambiguous”, and Ghost Aradia, as I said, shows it! Though I can’t get over the present, which is not great for them… Also (this is VERY personal) I find them more boring than solkat, too fluffy for me, sorry not sorry.

Anyhow, what's different with Karkat, then? Since I'm talking about him so much.

First of all: the "hatred" they throw at each other is non-serious and mutual. This means that if Karkat offends Sollux, Sollux offends Karkat and they don't take it personally, it's simply how they communicate (and flirt).

[extract page 3318 (not working lol)]

It’s simply nothing personal.

Also, if for whatever reason, they are not in the mood for that shit:

SOLLUX: what diid you want me two do get down on the floor and kii22 your faiinted corp2e on the lii2p two wake you up on a nonexii2tent pro2piit?

KARKAT: LET'S NOT DO THIS, OK MAN? JUST THIS ONCE. I DON'T HAVE THE ENERGY.

SOLLUX: yeah ok fiine.

[extract page 2792]

(after this dialogue Sollux simply answers Karkat's questions, without annoying him)

In this case Sollux is the one who respects Karkat's boundaries, but it would be stupid to say that it wouldn't be the same if the roles were reversed.

Okay, so that explains why Karkat is a better choice than Aradia (MY OPINION) and I've talked a little — a lot — about the two of them together, but more specifically, why should Sollux and Karkat be together? After all, Sollux abandoned Karkat (page link again).

This bullshit remark blows my mind every single time it's brought up, so I'm going to analyze Sollux even more before moving on to the two of them together, so as to explain why Sollux chose to leave at the end of Act5Act2.

Imagine that one day — perhaps since birth — you’ve been “gifted” with the ability to tell who is going to die, by hearing their begging, suffering voices screaming in your brain, filled with horrific images. Not only that, you even hear the voices of all the people that are going to die altogether because of one game(6); a game that, you know, will also kill you twice, but not after blinding you, and will also make all your friends kill each other for no apparent reason.

6: “But the end of Alternia would have arrived regardless of the game, the game was ‘a hope’ to save the planet”; not actually. It’s very explicit that, despite the event that led to Alternia’s end, the game was the number 1 influence for that event to happen. So it’s still SGURB’s fault, basically.

So, after dealing with the death of all your kind, yourself included, after dealing with all your friends being killed brutally by other of your friends, after becoming blind and dying right after; when you’re reunited with your now alive close friend/girlfriend(?), not hearing any voices screaming in pain, with the choice of staying in the game that caused all of this or leaving for the better. What would you do?

Maybe it’s a little stretch to say it, but I don’t actually think Sollux’s choice was between “Aradia or Karkat”, but rather between “staying in the game that ruined you and all you knew or escaping it”. Of course Sollux did it for Aradia too, but she was secondary, like leaving Karkat was simply a consequence of his choice and not the choice itself.

Now I can talk about the two of them in more detail (finally).

As I said before, Karkat and Sollux are "the negative" of John and Dave, and of their relationship: where John and Dave's affection is platonic, ironic and cute, that of Karkat and Sollux is romantic/sexual, absolutely serious and they suck at pretending that it isn't, and "violent" in a certain sense.

But having said all this, which quadrant would they end up in if they got engaged? The answer might seem obvious: they flirt pitch, they are kismesis; many chatlogues suggest this:

[extract page 2027 - this page is all gay btw]

[extract page 2086]

Why aren't they kismesis then? referring to each other exclusively as “best friends” and nothing more?

Here the issue of an unshown past comes into play, a bit like for Aradia and Sollux.

It's likely/implied that they've been best friends for a long time, maybe since birth (kind of), but definitely since they were little — as I also mentioned at the beginning. In fact, one of the main tropes they seem to follow is the “friends to lovers” trope, where in their friendship they tease each other, they “argue” but without repercussions, nor without really meaning it — again, things I explained before. I assume that what changed in their relationship after puberty hit is the intentions they have when they "argue" like this. They don't necessarily want to fuck every time they talk to each other, that's not what I'm saying, I'm saying that their closeness, Karkat's being Horny™, teenage hormones have contributed to making their interactions more awkward — to put it simplistically — over time, which then became a habit rather than an intention every single time.

[extract page 2027]

SOLLUX: what diid you want me two do get down on the floor and kii22 your faiinted corp2e on the lii2p two wake you up on a nonexii2tent pro2piit?

KARKAT: LET'S NOT DO THIS, OK MAN? JUST THIS ONCE. I DON'T HAVE THE ENERGY.

SOLLUX: yeah ok fiine.

[extract 2792 (again)]

(Yes, I’ve already used this, but it explains well how it’s a habit for them).

The attraction is there, the desire is there, but what blocks them is embarrassment. I don't think I need to explain why they might feel reluctant to openly confess their feelings and abandon their long friendship for a pitch relationship; especially because like kismesis, these two suck… like, a lot.

:O but why do they suck like kismesis? Don't they have pitch feelings for each other?

Complicated to explain (I’ll try anyway).

I think that they are seriously convinced that they have pitched feelings (I think), but this is actually the result of a natural evolution of their previous relationship — in which they were already pushing and making fun of each other — combined with sexual desires, rather what a real pitch feelings. But I'll get back to this shortly; for now: why would Sollux and Karkat suck as kismesis?

In the comic we had some examples of kismessitude.

[extracts pages 2459, 2381, 6797]

(These are the first ones that came to mind, I don't remember if there are others lol)

Leaving aside Eridan and Vriska — since their past together is only hinted at and not shown — the major examples are Vriska and Tavros and Terezi and Gamzee. What these two couples have in common is brutality: Vriska traumatizes Tavros again and again, first by making him paraplegic, then by dragging him around like a slave, then by showing him her bloody, nearly dead corpse and ordering him to kill her, etc. Gamzee beats Terezi to death until she dies. I'd say it's pretty clear.

In reality, even without giving examples one can still reach this conclusion: Alternia is a violent and cruel place, so much so that not only is one of their quadrants based on hatred and cruelty, but there is also a need for a another quadrant to get between the two to prevent them from killing each other.

ROSE: Think, Lalonde. Think!

ROSE: What did Kanaya tell you about this quadrant?

ROSE: Does it really involve such gruesome fisticuffs?

ROSE: I...

ROSE: I can't remember!

ROSE: I was probably drunk during that particular lesson.

ROSE: What am I saying.

ROSE: I was drunk for all the lessons!

ROSE: Ugh, what a disgrace.

ROSE: I am the actual worst auspistice who ever lived.

ROSE: THE ACTUAL WORST!!!

[Extract page 6811]

Normal kismesis are extremely violent; if they don't kill themselves, they are always on the verge of doing so. There is no understanding, there is no goodness, there is certainly no THIS:

You are relieved to find Sollux is not DEAD. He is merely KO'D.

You don't think you could handle it if this was ROUND TWO of watching your good bro get killed.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]

CG: BRO ARE YOU OK.

CG: HEY

CG: OH GOD

CG: WHAT HAVE I DONE.

CG: SOLLUX?

CG: PLEASE TELL ME THAT'S JUST HONEY.

CG: PLEASE JUST BE HONEY PLEASE JUST BE HONEY PLEASE JUST BE HONEY

CG: HAHA, OK, MAKE-BELIEVE TIME IS OVER!

CG: OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD

[extracts pages 3424, 3351, 2471-2, 2470]

And, if you want to add Pesterquest:

[Horrible screen I stole on google images of Karkat’s Game Over route - yes, I’ve played Pesterquest lol]

NOTE: I’ll use this stuff later too.

Basically: just because they are prickly at each other and insult each other and flirt pitch, doesn't mean they would be good kismesis. Indeed, recontextualizing everything, between the two of them there is practically nothing of pitch apart from the insults and flirting. I'm not saying that an "abnormal kismessitudine" with them couldn't work, on the contrary, but, in my humble opinion, reaching this conclusion would simply be too reductive.

Since I showed them, let's talk about the pages above now!

It's undeniable — whether you want to see them as friends or lovers — that Karkat and Sollux care about each other.

And I know everyone's talking about Karkat carrying Sollux to safety, despite him being a burden while he runs for his life; and how Karkat doesn't want Sollux to abandon him at the end of Act5Act2, but I'd like to take a moment to analyze something I've never seen anyone mention, for some reason.

First, there's one assumption to have in mind before moving forward: characters — in general, any series — can lie. They don't always have to be honest and they don't always have to tell us when they're not; it's up to us to connect the dots. Having said that, HERE ARE THE POINTS I HAVE CONNECTED, you’re welcome :)

PCG: OK SO YOU'RE SAYING THIS FROM LIKE 5 HOURS IN THE FUTURE JUST TO GIVE ME A HARD TIME, NICE.

PCG: WELL THANKS FOR THE HELP, SO WHEN DO I BAN YOU, FUTURE BOY?

PTA: a few liine2 down, after ii pretend liike iim goiing two diie.

PTA: iim 2ure for a laugh on account of my iimmiinent banniing, FUCK how could you even do that two me.

PTA: 2o cold man.

PCG: ARE YOU REALLY STILL SORE AT ME FIVE HOURS LATER FOR RUNNING THAT VIRUS, GOD DAMN GET OVER IT.

PCG: IT WAS YOUR FUCKING VIRUS ANYWAY, YOU'RE TO BLAME.

PTA: eheh no bro we're cool about that, now future you ii2 connectiing wiith me 2o ii can enter the game.

PCG: OH YEAH?

PTA: yeah 2o thank2 for that fiive hour2 iin advance.

[extract page 2543]

Sollux will die immediately after.

No, I won't touch this dialogue for now; let's think first about Sollux, in general. Sollux knows when he will die and how, in a very generic and vague way, at least from what transpires from his dialogues:

TA: ii am goiing two diie.

TA: ii mean we all are.

TA: but e2peciially me.

TA: ii am goiing two get my a22 2erved two me twofold.

TA: double the 2erviice.

TA: liike two dude2 on doublebutler ii2land.

TA: gettiing worked over by a 2iiame2e twiin ma22eu2e.

TA: but before ii diie, iim goiing two go bliind liike you.

TA: iit ha2 two happen liike that.

TA: iim not 2ure why, but ii thiink iit2 liike...

TA: fulfiilliing 2ome requiirement for a true prophet of doom.

TA: iin order for the vii2iion2 two be riight, that ha2 two happen, and the uniiver2e wiill make 2ure iit wiill.

TA: iit2 kiind of liike how a prophet earn2 hii2 2triipe2, by beiing bliind, liike how an angel earn2 iit2 wiing2.

[extract page 2082]

Now, we can be idiotic children and believe that SOLLUX, who told Terezi precisely that he will die twice, that he will become blind before dying in one of these, and that becoming blind and dying is the key to returning to life as a sighted person. according to a strange prophecy he mentions, he doesn't know when the fuck he'll die. It could be, although it is extremely unlikely. It's true that he doesn't say anything about the circumstances in which he will die, but the omission does not imply unawareness, BUT LET'S PRETEND TO BELIEVE HIM WHILE HE SAYS IT!

In any case (later in the comic), the words Sollux uses in his last dialogue with Karkat before his death #1 are strange, too confident and stupidly false.

PTA: yeah 2o thank2 for that fiive hour2 iin advance.

PCG: THIS IS BS ISN'T IT.

PCG: TROLLING ME FROM THE FUTURE, HOW JUVENILE CAN YOU GET.

PTA: no man iit2 true, we are bulge bumpiing pupa pal2 agaiin.

PCG: OH FUCK THIS CONDESCENDING FUTURE KNOWITALL ACT, WE AREN'T BUMPING SHIT, YOU ARE SO BANNED.

PTA: nooooooo, not the ban, it buuuuuuurn2, oh god hahahaha.

In short, even Karkat doesn't believe they are sincere. I don't think the tone Sollux uses is condescending, but I'll talk more about it shortly later.

Why didn't Sollux tell Karkat right away that he was going to die? Simple answer: the prophecy had to be fulfilled. Sollux, who is a Doom player, accepts this and lets himself die because he knows that this will make the game progress.

And it's a good explanation, but it doesn't explain why he chose to say those things to Karkat, when there was absolutely no need to. You could justify it with "Sollux knows he's going to die because of Karkat so he's mad at him", and that might make sense initially, but then it becomes meaningless when you think about it again. Why act so genuinely, like he's having fun, instead of being pissed, being sarcastic, spiteful, or something like that?

THEORY, really, don't take my word for it, BUT I BELIEVE Sollux was trying to calm Karkat down. WEIRD THING I KNOW, but Sollux obviously knows Karkat better than anyone else, so Sollux knows he's going to die, he knows how Karkat will react to his death — because he knows Karkat is sensitive and, in general, cares about people — and he decides to make it funny; pretending to fake his death, so as to get himself blocked and at least delay the moment in which Karkat sees his corpse.

But maybe I'm just traveling in my mind. The other possible reason that comes to mind is that Sollux didn't really think about it; he knew he was going to die and contacted Karkat before doing so, making light of it. Here we could open a whole discussion on why Sollux chose Karkat, but I think the reason is "ironic" (just to see him get pissed off before dying, because it's funny).

Now we can go back to the previous scenes. Whether Sollux, in the dialogue discussed above, acted for ironic reasons or to reassure Karkat, it is equally undeniable that these two do give a damn about each other, but mainly it is Karkat who shows it:

Karkat crying (twice) over Sollux's deaths;

Karkat who feels guilty for his death;

Karkat, who is relieved that Sollux isn't dead, drags him to safety—despite the fact that a killer clown is following them and that Sollux greatly slows their escape.

These are some examples, the most famous - which is why I didn't dwell on them too much.

[PS: Another, very minor example of Sollux “proving to give a damn about Karkat” is this scene here:

TA: KK DO NOT RUN THAT CODE.

TA: hello??????????????

carcinoGeneticist's [CG'S] computer exploded.

TA: oh my god.

[extract page 2086], but I’ll talk better about it NOW:]

The point is (GOD this is getting too long) that they are too “soft” with each other to be kismesis, despite the pitch flirting and insults.

Sending a virus < a kismesis might do it == warning that person right after and trying to “save” them from it after a change of heart < NOT kismesis.

Checking that the other is still alive after he faints following a battle < the comic suggests that this is not normal behavior between kismesis, but it may still be within the norm == carrying his body with you despite risking getting yourself kill yourself < NOT kismesis.

Insulting < normal for two kismesis == stop immediately when the other tells you he's not in the mood < NOT kismesis.

It might be bad for a fan to see that, in the end, kismesis do not have a “moral code and mutual respect” in the original comic, contrary to what has been around in the fandom for ages. It may still be that all the examples of kismessitude we have had are wrong and do not reflect the true troll concept of "pitch relationship", but, ultimately, we have never had any examples other than the ultra-violent ones. And I don't see it as unlikely that, in a society like that of Alternia, the Empire would try to normalize so much violence by labeling it as "romantic".

And Karkat and Sollux are not violent with each other. They’re not kismesis, the end.

But it must be said that they are not even moirails. They are much more likely to become moirails than kismesis, but they are not. The reason is very simple: they suck at talking about their emotions. The problem lies precisely in them as people (/trolls), which does not allow them to form any pale relationship, even with other trolls.

Karkat was in a pale relationship with Gamzee. It lasted two pages(7). Sollux was in an ambiguous relationship with Aradia, which could be either just friendship, or matespritism or moirallegiance — although I’ve already explained why I think they would suck as moirails. 

7: In this specific case -- gamkar shippers please don’t kill me -- I believe that Karkat had never had any LASTING "pale feelings" for Gamzee. Karkat cares about everyone's well-being, and when Gamzee -- an out of control highblood -- started killing everyone, obviously BIOLOGY TROLL and Karkat gave his ass away to calm him down. It wasn't something that was meant to last regardless, unlike other pale relationships like that between Equius and Nepeta, who actively nurse their moirallegiance. (it was a One Night thing, in short).

They could, eventually, find other forms of communication and establish a healthy relationship, actually, but the immutable fact would remain that they feel sexual attraction to each other. The first rule of a pale relationship is DO NOT BE SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO YOUR MOIRAIL — which many translate as “don't fuck your moirail,” but I have a lot to say about that(8). They could be "atypical moirails", but at this point they could also be "atypical kismesis", one is as good as the other and why should I choose one and not the other?

8: OK I'LL SAY IT! Comfort sex is a thing. Moirallegiance is based above all on comforting, helping and protecting the other; so in certain situations, needs, etc., I don't think two moirails would have too much trouble fucking.

Moving forward, the last quadrant is missing — I won’t analyze the ash one for the simple reason that I have already said that they cannot be kismesis, and if they are, they would be too little dangerous to "earn" an auspice — the flushed quadrant.

It might seem like a good compromise: they care about each other and feel sexual attraction. But you only need to see their relationship for five seconds to understand… it doesn't make sense. Too many insults, too many threats, too much teasing, even in this case we would fall into an "atypical matespritism".

Their relationship, in conclusion, hangs on too many sides to give a precise definition:

Too serious flirt to be friends;

Too soft to be kismesis;

Too much physical attraction to be moirails;

Too mean to be matesprits.

There is only one solution, in my mind, that makes sense for these two.

The only solution I personally find is a quadrant vacillation, or even a mix.

In moments of flirtation and insults they are kismesis; in vulnerable moments they are moirails. I find it difficult to see them “mixing the two together” to vacillate red, but it could happen (a lot). Among other things, if they filled two quadrants at the same time, it would further satisfy Sollux's fetish for number two, and we're all happy.

The other idea, that of mixing pitch and pale, makes sense in the context of “atypical moirallegiance/kismessitude” that I have talked about so far, but I find it a little less likely as a path.

[Or they could just be Friends with Benefits, idk, that's likely too].

AND ANYWAY I FINISHED TALKING ABOUT THEM THANK GOD!

(I can still go if yall want to tho xoxo).

#THANK YOU ALL FOR READING THIS TOOK ME A LOT AND I LOVE IT!! #i won't tag the ships that i only mentioned #homestuck #analysis #character analysis #ship analysis #solkat #sollux captor #karkat vantas #arasol #johndave #aradia megido #john egbert #dave strider

[girlstressed]

advice column: my roommate is boy obsessed and it's kind of driving me up the wall. she calls it "husband fever" (like baby fever) and this fine, whatever, to each their own, i support women's rights and wrongs, etc. but she won't stop trying to do the same for me. my guy friend ordered me sushi as a thank you for carrying him through a coding project and she basically kept doing a conversation equivalent of "ooooooooooo do you like him", like the shit they do in middle school. she kept asking me multiple questions like if i wanted to date him or if i thought he was cute (one no should suffice. like stop asking) and it's irritating. i (mostly) like my roommate and i tolerate it, but i can't stand when she doesn't listen to me.

i think the overarching issue is that i hate having to explain myself to people who are so obsessed with romance it's almost inconceivable for men and women to be friends if one of them isn't gay. am i in the wrong here?? i'm so sick of having to be on edge every time i try to talk about a friend that happens to be a dude. not only is is really amatonormative, i just think it's tacky to think of men as some strange separate entity that can only ever be useful for dating/marriage/sex. they're just people. he's my friend. there is nothing else to it.

omg i get you SO BAD anon men and women can definitely be friends without there being an ounce of romance between them even if neither of them is gay! idk why but there are so many people i know that act like everytime i spend time with a guy it's romantic

i'm sure your friend means well (we all have that one matchmaker friend) but i can definitely understand her questions grating on you...i think honestly the best course of action is to be assertive and let her know very very clearly that you don't have interest in the sushi guy (and/or any of your other guy friends)—something along the lines of "hey, on a serious note i really don't like when you insinuate that there's something going on between me and xyz. i also dont feel this way about any of my guy friends, and it makes me uncomfortable when you water our relationship down to something that's leading to a romantic one" -> i get not wanting to be confrontational (i also am not a big fan of confrontation) but i sincerely believe your roommate doesn't hate you enough to continue something you explicitly say you dislike, my best guess is that rn she kind of sees it as teasing but if you make your boundaries clear she wont have issues with not crossing them :)

on the topic of every relationship you have with the opposite gender being like, perceived as romantic...i hate this!!! some of my most fulfilling and closest relationships are with women but equally so men—when i say that i dont have romantic feelings for my female best friend ppl will be way more inclined into believing it than if i said the same about my male best friend, yk? i think like you said it comes down to "having a man" kind of being seen as a status symbol rather than an actual person + the rise of "my boy best friend" content on tiktok and ig...all we can do is keep our intentions clean, my friend, and carry on!

#on a personal note i went to the gym with my male friend and two of my friends who saw us immediately cornered me later...rolled my eyes so #hard they went into the back of my head #like . they mean well and i love them however trust me when i say there is no romance there #anyways hope this works for u anon rooting for u and all ur platonic relationships!!! :DDD #advice column

[snacksizedgates]

How the Boys Don't Cry Reference(s) are About Mike, and Not Will

In this post I'm going to explain the significance of this poster, where else it is referenced besides this one shot and how the motif represents the character of Mike.

So Will, in the first episode is seen painting right next to this poster of "Boys Don't Cry" by the Cure. I know most people have picked up on this but for those who haven't and don't know the context - this song is about toxic masculinity and the internal thoughts men have while experiencing said toxic masculinity. It's also popular in the LGBT+ community.

So let's first breakdown the lyrics and how they apply to Mike; and then I am going to show you what scene it's blatantly referenced in, basically confirming Mike is gay/queer/in the closet.

This is the first verse of the song. It reflects how Mike feels when he treats Will poorly up until his apology scene.

"I would say I'm sorry."

Already this sticks out to me. If you notice in the apology scene to Will, although it is CLEARLY an apology, he never explicitly says "I'm sorry". He says the exact words "I'm sorry" to El in his failed apology scene however. A complete contrast. Very ironic. I don't think I'm looking too into it because they could have easily had Mike say I'm sorry in an apology scene and like why wouldn't he?? He's apologizing lol.

He does this because he knows saying "I'm sorry" to each of them have the same implications. No, he doesn't literally think "Apologizing to El my girlfriend is similar to apologizing to my best friend, Will, because I'm crushing on him". He just feels and intuitively knows that they're both in a romantic context, not platonic, and it makes him nervous.

"If I thought it would change your mind / But I know that this time / I have said too much / I have been unkind"

First of all just note that literally none of this reflects Will's character.

Anyway, this is why while El is still around, Mike focuses on her. He knows how he treated Will was wrong, and we know he already thinks Will has intentionally pushed him away by saying Will never reached out either. We know this is true because Will doesn't deny it. If he had reached out more he would have said so. With Mike, he's typically not afraid to stick up for himself. He'll tell him right out. Boyfriend dynamics.

So they both have not been reaching out to each other in fear that the other doesn't care about them anymore.

So basically the line "If I thought it could change your mind" means Mike feels like their friendship is done and gone and never gonna recover and that it's his fault. This can be supported not only by this line but by his line about El after the fight - that he feels their fight was something you can't come back from. And if you've read my other posts, you'll know that whatever is happening in one ship, the opposite is happening in the other. And immediately too; as soon as one is taken out of a situation, the other is thrown right into the same one.

So in all the scenes before El leaves and before Mike apologizes, he feels as though he and Will will never be close again. The "But I know that this time, I have said too much, I have been unkind" is referencing events in both S3 and S4. As you may know, we never get to see Mike apologize to Will in S3 although he intends to. And then they are swept up in the events of the season so presumably Mike never apologizes and then Will leaves to Cali. They're not on bad terms - we have all the hugging at the end - but that doesn't mean Mike isn't thinking about how and why he treated Will poorly just a year ago.

So Mike comes to Cali thinking their friendship is dead. Why even get himself attached again? If you watch the scenes of Byler in the second episode you'll notice Mike doesn't really start treating him poorly until the end, after El was bullied right in front of them both and they can't find her (so they're both stressed out) and once Will starts bringing up how he feels like a third wheel. Before that, he's basically, just as Will said, third wheeling him, or trying to stay as distant as possible. In the Airport scene, he tries to greet Will but it's awkward because since the end of S3, he's figured/figuring something out about himself. (Finn even confirms this I believe). He doesn't sound mean, or like he doesn't like Will, he's just distant and awkward because he's scared of getting close to Will again, especially now that they're teens, and doesn't want to get attached to someone he can't even be around physically (Hawkins isn't the same without you, I feel like I lost you, etc) -- he misses Will physically being there. He doesn't mind writing letters and seeing El every now and then, cause he doesn't say anything like this to her. (I feel so bad for El when I write these Byler posts 😔 like truly I hate it) But basically, Mike is third wheeling Will because 1) he thinks their friendship is over and 2) he doesn't like or understand the feelings he has for Will and would rather just ignore them. He's feeling guilty, probably missing how they were, wondering why he doesn't feel as strongly for El, etc etc.

We have ALL the context we need for Will, they put it there narratively and obviously. Whereas with Mike it's typically subtext, especially in the last two seasons.

His context is all the subtext, like this song. They put the poster in Will's room so we never even think to personally connect it to Mike, but if you read the lyrics it doesn't reflect Will at all. He's never been unkind to Mike, he doesn't need to say he's sorry, and he cries all the time. This is all the opposite for Mike, suggesting that we can take this poster and apply it to him, since they're a pairing romantically and platonically.

Also, the first time we see the poster it's juxtaposed with Will painting a picture for Mike - the complete opposite of what the song says in the lyrics. Will is being so open this season whereas it's the opposite for Mike.

So the above section of lyrics basically represents Mike because he's feeling guilty about how he treated Will and sad about how they grew apart, so it feels impossible to fix and now he thinks the best solution is to just push him away (toxic masculinity).

Most of this is pretty straightforward and if you just think about it in the context of Mike, it makes way more sense.

"I tried to laugh about it / cover it all up with lies. I tried to laugh about it / hide the tears in my eyes / cause boys don't cry, boys don't cry"

I tried to laugh about it means they tried to not care. In relation to Mike this means he tried to not care about his feelings for Will, as we can see in S3.

Think back to the scene in S3 right before the fight, and the fight. Right before, he pokes fun at Will for still being into DnD. He's laughing at Will. Trying not to care about how he really feels and move on. Maybe if I move on from DnD, I'll move on from Will. Maybe if I get a girlfriend, I'll have less time for Will. He's not actively thinking this (no teenager is) but he's acting out his subconscious feelings. Note that we know from S4 that he actually still likes DnD. So then then they go out into the storm to have their fight, where he starts covering his feelings up with lies. (Or projections.) He says its not his fault you don't like girls, even though Will never suggested it was, he suggested Mike's ruining the party over a girl. He's projecting. but we're not kids anymore, Yes they are, a lie/misperception. what did you think really? we were never gonna get girlfriends? none of them have girlfriends because both Mike and Lucas have been dumped atp, so a lie. we're gonna sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives? In Mike's basement, they only ever play DnD, not just any games, so this can allude to them figuratively playing games with each other and not admitting their feelings. And we know from S4 that Mike still likes DnD enough to wear his clubs shirt to school, so he's projecting. The fact that Mike raises his voice angrily when he says "it's not my fault you don't like girls" can point to the lyrics "and boys don't cry, boys don't cry" they get angry. But as soon as he snaps, he instantly feels bad and says he not trying to be a jerk, meaning he also has a soft side, but it's being corrupted by toxic masculinity. Note that he's "not trying to be a jerk" - he's not trying, he can't help it because he's becoming a teenager who's closeted/doesn't understand his feelings, in 1985. He's "not trying to be a jerk" and then he subsequently does all the jerky things I listed above. He's being corrupted by toxic masculinity which is the main theme in Boys Don't Cry.

He also covers up his feelings with lies/projections in S4. He tells Will "we're friends, friends." First, Will never suggested they weren't or they were something else, he suggested that Mike didn't care about their friendship anymore. Second, he says it twice, to put emphasis, because he knows he doesn't even believe it, projecting how he feels onto Will. He also doesn't say best friends even though in S3 they would consider themselves that. He's trying to distance himself from Will because he has recognized, on some level, how he feels and doesn't want to admit that. And then what happens could connect to the lyrics "hide the tears in my eyes" -- Note that Will never hides the tears in his eyes. There's tons if shots of him crying in front of others. Will suggests they used to be best friends and Mike admits how he really feels, to a degree. He says Will should've reached out more and then says why is this on me? why am I the bad guy? He makes a valid point, and based on his behavior, in previous scenes, he's felt the same as Will since Will left Hawkins. Will has no answer to why he didn't reach out, meaning he reached out probably just as much as Mike did, and Mike knows this. The audience know why Will didn't - he has a crush and thinks Mike doesn't reciprocate therefore he doesn't want to seem like he has a crush. But with Mike, the audience is not clued in on this. We think he's just ignoring Will when really he's wondering where his drawings and letters from Will are. Think back to his last shots in S3. Something that can signal that he was expecting stuff from Will is in the Airport scene when Mike and Will finally are greeting each other. The first thing that is said is by Mike who immediately looks down at the painting and nervously asks what it is. He QUICKLY pivots from greeting Jonathan to asking Will about the painting, indicating he's been thinking about it as soon as he saw Will holding it. He's nervous cause he's hoping it's for him - the precedent is there, Will always gave Mike drawings and Mike knows Will has been working on a painting for someone. Mike is hoping that someone is him. But because of his distant and awkward behavior, Will doesn't give it to him cause he's second guessing himself, making Mike feel even more like their friendship is dead. Now he assumes it's not for him. Neither of them are to blame, homophobia is.

Basically, the rest of the lyrics mirror the same theme but with different words and repeat some of the verses we already went over. The end point is that the theme of the song "Boys Don't Cry" is bottling up your feelings, not being able to treat the person you love right, wanting to apologize and open up but not knowing how to. These are all things we can see in Mike and not just in the context of Byler, but Mileven and other characters as well, mostly since S3. He can't say I love you, he doesn't know how to act in his relationship with his girlfriend, especially when there's not something supernatural going on, there's at least scenes (probably more) where he calls himself or his feelings stupid/not important, and he projects his feelings onto others. And lastly, but most importantly, he doesn't cry. He hasn't actually cried since S2. All of S3 and all of S4 he doesn't cry, even when El is dying on the table. Will can be seen at least tearing up in the background and Will cries all the time. This song absolutely represents Mike Wheeler.

Okay, so now that we're done with lyrics and established Mike's behavior as being related to this song, let's take a look at this shot, where Will is seen crying.

Notice anything? Let me put another picture here for you.

This is, obviously, the Boys Don't Cry Poster.

So let's break how this scene references this poster. This part is the quickest.

So for the poster we have a blue background, a yellow foreground, a red triangle, a sun, the desert and three trees.

In the shot above of Byler, Mike has his blue sweater on in the background. Will is wearing his yellow flannel in the foreground. They are riding through a sunny desert. And Will is crying.

Will crying IN THIS SHOT, absolutely means that the Boys Don't Cry is about Mike. If everything I have theorized thus far, in all of my theories and analysis, is true or even half true, then Mike is queer and is struggling with those feelings, so to mirror the Boys Don't Cry poster in the scene where Will is opening up, means something. He's not crying, he's in the dark and he's not moving, he doesn't look like he's casually sitting there - this indicates he's dealing with something or thinking about something. When he looks over to Will it's just a quick glance and straight back down to the painting. Will on the otherhand is shown in the light not just crying but breaking down, symbolizing he has fully accepted his feelings for Mike and is working on getting them out. That's why some of his face is shadowed, because he's still struggling. But all of Mike is shown in the dark.

The triangle on the poster represents the love triangle they're in with El, and the three trees represents each of them.

Okay now let me show you another shot.

First of all, this is in Jonathan's POV. I've explained this in another post but essentially it indicates both Jonathan and Mike know he's lying about the El commission and everything. I suggest you read at least that part to fully understand this but if you don't feel like it just go with the fact that the above shot indicates hiding something.

This shot is even more coded for Boys Don't Cry - which, going with my theory above that this shot symbolizes untruth-fullness, conveys that both Will and Mike are hiding something.

Now how it compares to the poster; We can already see it in the other so this shouldn't be difficult to spot but I'll explain it anyway. The top background part is blue (the same blue on Mike's shirt) and the bottom foreground is yellow (the same shade of Will's flannel.) They're obviously still in the sunny desert. But between the blue and yellow is a red object, just like on the poster, that says pizza. Pizza is triangular 99% of the time. So this is very very obviously referencing the poster. The entire scene does, and Will crying only emphasizes that, but this shot is the only shot that resembles the poster almost completely (minus the trees.) The one where we can infer that the both of them are hiding something!!!

I posted it on one of my other theories but someone sent me an ask and pointed out that not only is it from Jonathans "i can sense your dishonesty" POV, but visually they switch places, which indicates they are having the same problems. Something I also wanted to point out about that is the fact that they're being shot in a Mirrors. Again, this shot is only on screen when Will references El and both Jonathan and Mike know he's lying. Being shot in the mirror symbolizes they are mirroring each other in this moment. Visually switching places and you can see the mirror that they're shot in. Very interesting stuff imo.

So yeah, that's pretty much it. I know most of the post is just explaining Mike's behavior but I think it's so obvious how the Boys Don't Cry Poster is meant to symbolize Mike, not Will. There's absolutely nothing about the themes in the song that represent Will - perhaps a line by itself but collectively it does not make sense for Will.

The reason I think this is important is that its yet another symbol in the show that has coded Mike as queer. The more people find the less likely it is that Mike turns out straight lol. There can't be this many coincidences.

One last thing I want to point out that others probably already have is that the poster is yellow and blue, and we know Mike and Will are symbolized through blue and yellow.

But that only started in S3 meaning this Boys Don't Cry dynamic has only existed since S3. Think about why we even know about blue/yellow - they meet in the west. The Duffers set that up in 2018 for S4. We already know the Duffers have been planning ahead for years, so at least to me, this means everything in the Byler scenes are intentional and digging into every little thing is worth it! At this point I don't even have a single inkling of a doubt that Byler won't be endgame. It's just too much. Too too much.

MIKE WHEELER IS GAY END OF STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#byler #byler is real #byler proof #byler theories #byler analysis #stranger things #stranger things analysis #mike wheeler is gay #mike wheeler queercoded #will byers #will byers is gay #byler theory #boys don't cry

[5and3nevermind]

I don't even think the I love you EC said to Yoongi during his concert is even all that noteworthy (it was also said to show support to Yoongi up when everyone at the concert was crying and emotional) just because the simple fact they're friends and friends say that to each other when they're close and have known each other for a long time which him and Yoongi have for about 7 going on 8 years now. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest. We also can't forget about the fact that EC is straight and has admitted that fact several times despite shippers and solos saying he was lying because they think he's bisexual or gay and that means their ship has slim chance of being real. It doesn't even if he were not straight it still doesn't mean or guarantee they'd ever even be a romantic item.

I agree about the “I love you.” I watched that moment again today and was struck by how he yelled it, and it just felt like a very friendly/joking way to say it, in my opinion.

I hate playing “compare the ship,” but in this case I will because to me it is very clear. Compare that “I love you” with Jimin saying “I’m very fond of him” about Yoongi on Ddeun Ddeun.

In one case, it was an on-stage moment with adrenaline pumping and fans screaming. Yoongi was in the homestretch of his tour. EC screamed “I love you” and Yoongi’s reaction was to basically smile and laugh it off. In my opinion, there was nothing romantic about that moment.

In DD, it came up because Jimin had been teasing Yoongi, and Yoongi was taking it in stride. The host noted that Jimin must be very close with Yoongi for them to act that way around each other and Jimin said quietly, “yes, I’m very fond of him” and reached out and touched Yoongi’s leg. Yoongi was rather stoic in that moment, despite seeming comfortable and having fun throughout the show. He didn’t laugh it off or say something dismissive to Jimin. To me, as a yoonminer, I do see romantic undertones in that moment: in the context, the way Jimin spoke, his facial expression, his reaching out to Yoongi, etc.

So, to me the dynamic between Yoongi/EC and Yoongi/Jimin is completely different.

#yoonmin #ask #friends of ym #ddeun ddeun #2023

[kattahj]

Rules: List 10 of your comfort shows, then tag 10 people

Tagged by @katiekeysburg about a month ago. This took me forever, sorry!

Tagging some mutuals from my notes: @minutia-r @sorry-bonebag @re-bee-key @theendofcake @beccaelizabeth315 @anotherlovr @lotesseflower @morathicain @firlalaith @lena221bee

Interpreting this as shows I watch when I want to feel happy and warm and cared for. I don't often rewatch shows, so some of these are ongoing and others are just ones that made me feel good when I did watch them.

Apologies to all the other feel good shows I've had along the way thst didn'tmake the cut. :-)

What's My Line: A game show from the 50s/60s where the panel guesses people's occupations, and also who the celebrity guest is (they're blindfolded for that one). If you want to watch light banter, low-stakes games (extra points are frequently handed out), and hear about jobs you didn't even know existed, this is perfect. Available on YouTube for free, too!

Taskmaster: Another low-stakes game show, this time with celebrities having to perform absolutely ridiculous tasks. This frequently involves not so much thinking outside of the box as thinking outside of the planet. Also, the two hosts have an amusingly dom/sub thing going on.

Queer Eye: Five gay people come to a person, or sometimes a group of people, to fix up their appearance, home, and personal lives. The results can be quibbled with sometimes, but for the most part, this is like a warm hug.

Ghosts: A young couple move into a house that turns out to be haunted. Since they're now so deep in debt that they can't move, they have to make friends with the ghosts. Exists in two versions, UK and US. The UK fans will swear up and down that theirs is the only good version, but the truth is that both are good, and as a comfort show specifically, the US version may be more effective, since it's softer and cuddlier.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: In the future, humans live underground, mutated animals ("mutes") roam the earth, and everyone is at each other's throat. Until a girl named Kipo accidentally ends up on the surface and decides to make friends with all the animals, which she turns out to be surprisingly good at. Also, there's lots of singing.

Press Gang: Childhood favourite show that still holds up, about a group of teenagers making a newspaper together. Good drama, good humour, and also, the editor is a smart, ruthless girl named Lynda, who has lots of Belligerent Sexual Tension with Spike, one of the reporters and resident rebel, in a classic 80s/90s romantic trope. In case that's your kind of thing. :-)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Girl who was stolen by the Evil Horde as a child discovers that she's actually the destined hero of the Princess Alliance, their enemies. Sweet story, very queer, and with surprisingly nuanced villains. Doesn't quite measure up to Kipo in my book (I know most people disagree), but almost.

Julie and the Phantoms: Musically gifted teenager discovers that the ghosts of a dead rock band "lives" in her garage. From the creator of High School Musical, but so much better. Sadly cancelled after only one season (very unfortunate timing with covid).

And since I've been watching all these Asian QLs lately, naturally I need to add the softest of those:

She Makes My Heart Flutter: Short and sweet about a lesbian bar owner who gets her routine changed when her niece comes to work for her. Only takes a little bit more than an hour to watch, and it's lovely the whole time.

Old Fashion Cupcake: Office romance about a 39-year-old manager whose midlife crisis is interrupted with the help of the 29-year-old working for him, who dares him to try new things and experience life like a young girl would. Lots of tasty food in addition to the romance.

#what's my line? #taskmaster #queer eye #cbs ghosts #bbc ghosts #kipo and the age of wonderbeasts #press gang #she ra and the princesses of power #julie and the phantoms #she makes my heart flutter #old fashion cupcake

[ohii-san]

hello can i hear how you think a rinne mayoi dynamic would be 👁👁

okay so you sent this ask like three weeks ago minimum but i am so bad at answering things in a timely manner . i will in fact humor you now though SO sorry i took literally like years :FUCKKK: i'll put it under the cut also i'm going to she/her mayoi because i have a headmate who's a fictive and we don't like to use he/him for her source . jsyk . I HOPE YOU ENJOY SORRY FOR THE RAMBLES

so first off i want to note rinne mayoi and niki are very do not separate to me . putting aside my insanity about rinne long enough to detach hiyori, i think niki is very integral to the rinmayo dynamic whether he's there romantically or not . because niki and mayoi are friends !! but i will try to keep this mostly rinne/mayoi . also sorry this is more like a list of 'hcs' than actually explaining their dynamic . i ramble

"niki-kyun who's thiiis" "this is my friend mayo-chan ! she's in alkaloid with otouto :]" ( mayoi is seen cowering behind niki because rinne is notoriously So Loud and Overbearing )

rinne tries to dial himself down a little- because he's not incapable of it, it's just that his default is sort of A Lot, so he has to make a conscious effort to be gentler to not overwhelm mayoi

at first mayoi doesn't see the appeal but she realizes he must be pretty nice if niki deals with him so much

since mayoi is in the sweets club with kohaku and himeru, i like to imagine she'd hear a lot about rinne through those two complaining about all the shit he pulls HAHAH and she'd warm up to the idea of him through that, probably

"rinne-san seems so scary, but .. he's not such a bad guy, after all ..?" <- mayoi realizing that she and rinne may have something in common

mayoi puts herself down a lot and when rinne hears this, he immediately cheers her up to the best of his ability and praises her sooo much

"i'm so sorry for bothering you, rinne-san .. i'm such a waste of space" "NOT TRUE ! yer a real good friend to niki an' meru, hiiro too !! never a waste of space, mayoi-chan <3"

they hang out together and talk about their cultures .. because they are both indigenous .. mayoi doesn't discuss hers with as much umm openness due to the fact that, if i understood correctly, she's like . undocumented and she doesn't want people ratting on her but rinne talks about his ainu culture with pride and tries to teach mayoi some things when she asks !!!! this is probably similar to what hiiro and mayoi might do too btw :] i think they should bond

mayoi and rinne are both sort of considered strange in different aspects- mayoi has her little freak teeth and rinne is umm . well i have to tread lightly because he's such a bad stereotype of indigenous people, but the fact of the matter remains that he's got a fairly shitty rep and i think they would comfort each other when it gets to be too much . mayoi has such poor self image that even if people aren't cruel to her, i think she'd find ways to believe she's hated, while rinne sort of .. KNOWS that he is because he causes so much trouble for people early in the main story- and i'd think he would continue to do so later, just in more harmless and "fun" ways such as allowing kanata to flood the dorms- so . basically rinne would teach mayoi to try and embrace how she's viewed by others and figure out whose opinions she wants to Actually care for

bonus idea; they are cis guy with no interesting gender x transfem girlthing with a lot of gender . hc rinne saw mayoi and thought she was another producer and she was like oh .. no i'm an idol .. aren't you hiiro's brother .. shouldn't you Know his unit ..

alkakurei jam sessions where they all hang out after the amagis sort of reconcile <3 kohiiai and rinnikimayo do their little gay things and tatsumi and himeru fucking kill each other in the bg

"i'm sorry, i hope my teeth don't bother you .. i know they're odd .." "your teeth are THE coolest thing ever . you should get piercings mayoi-chan" <- conversations that occur a week before rinne and mayoi get matching tongue piercings

kanata and mayoi should also be friends as weird little freaks who love to be in places they should not . i think it makes sense and then mayoi can go to see the hikari dorm and be like omg .. rinne AND kanata .. in one dorm .. best dorm in ensquare ..

#fan letters #glitter-penned journal #rinmayo #rinne amagi #mayoi ayase

[iwonderifthatisart]

Vee!! I saw Top Gun 2 yesterday and would love to hear your thoughts 😍😍

OKAY OMG. you probably weren’t expecting this much stuff, but you gave me a chance to talk about it so here goes.

first off, spoilers for top gun maverick, be warned.

So. lol. I'll preface this by saying that my thoughts on this absolutely arent objective in any way... i waited 3 (t h r e e) whole years for this movie to come out and honestly up until i was sitting in the movie theater i still thought they would push it out again, didnt feel real lmao

now a few of my thoughts, in no particular order:

i arrive at the cinema. i sit down. the lights go out. i lean over to my friend. i whisper: i hope they play Danger Zone. they HAVE to. my friend agrees. the movie starts, and lo and behold, the first notes of Danger Zone reach my ears. My crops are watered, my skin is clear. i look to my friend, we nod at each other. we turn back to the screen. we understand. we know this’ll be good.

Thought 1 flows neatly into Thought 2, which is that they knew exactly what kind of movie they were making. like, the main target audience for this movie were Dads™ and they hit the right balance between making it attractive in terms of nostalgia vs. new stuff. i think i saw a letterboxd review that phrased it like "having references to the original without being distracting" and that’s exactly what i felt like (see re: the Danger Zone example). And also: iconic homoerotic beach volleyball scene set to the tune of "playing with the boys"? turned into fun football scene on the beach set to New Music From Today (which was good, but the whole scene could've been gayer imo.)

sure. it's basically military propaganda, i know, we all know, it is known. It still looks cool as hell, i love people flying planes and say smart stuff and click a lot of buttons that look very complex and professional

AND that opening was so perfectly maverick i love it. he just HAD to push a little further

it was SO FUNNY at times! there were sincere (and at times cheesy) parts, but there were a few really funny moments that worked really well

rly liked all the new young pilots, though i expected them to focus a little more on them? but tbh it worked as it is, i didnt really felt like too much was missing (again, maybe a lil homoeroticism but you cant have everything)

Listen. Jennifer Connelly. Penny. Her character was... well. I liked her! But also. Well, she was a lil two dimensional, but idk? Or maybe its bc she was the love interest of Tom Cruise, who i really cant imagine in any kind of romantic relationship, no matter what movie he's in. I didnt really expect too much and i felt like it was done alright. it was solid.

(also... i kinda dont like tom cruise as a person, mainly bc of the whole scientology thing, but lets not get into that here. no negativity in this ask)

ofc ICEMAN!! RIP my man. Obviously wished he was in the movie more but *waves at the real life complications with Val Kilmer* still though, mav and ice texted throughout the movie and it was. so gay. like, i've read fanfiction that might have had these exact messages in them lmao

also. the whole thing about ice and mav? like we all expected there to be more of a rivalry, but they're just out here texting and chilling with each other. good for them.

"it was a nice moment, dont ruin it" lmao.

phoenix...loved her :) my girl :) also loved that they didn’t make a big deal out of ~oh shes a woman among men~ and she has to be the Strong Female Character, because that just falls flat 90% of the time

when they explained the mission to maverick and mentioned that there are still a few f14 tomcats there i was like *cocks checkovs gun* that'll come in handy later! and it did and i loved it!!

the scene where they had to fly the route in 2 mins 30 seconds and everybody’s like “thats impossible” and maverick is like “hold my beer” and does it in 2:15 and yeah i’m LIVING for that shit! call me a basic bitch i dont care!!

maverick and goose vs. maverick and rooster. we love cinematic paralles in this house

“talk to me dad” CRYING IN THE CLUB RIGHT NOW

so yeah. theres probably a lot more but i didnt want this to get so long slfksjlks.

i know its not a perfect movie, it has it’s flaws, but i enjoyed it so much! there were a lot of scenes and tropes that could’ve easily been super cliche but i thought they worked really well. or maybe i'm just biased.

please!! enlighten me with your own hot takes if you feel like it. id love to hear them <3

#top gun #top gun 2 #top gun maverick #top gun maverick spoilers #i hope i tagged all the relevant spoiler-y stuff #and sorry for rambling here #i didnt get that much sleep in the last few days #so i hope this is somewhat coherent #asks

[phtalogreenpoison]

riddle of ages gay update (reading through the queer lens)

Hello, my brain is cooperating so I am reading riddle of ages for the first time since the agust d concert. And I am flipping through a little bit, getting back up to speed, when I reread this paragraph:

"Reynie heard Sticky's familiar footstep in the doorway. Reynie started to turn, but something checked him, and he remained as he was, thumbs hooked in the straps of his backpack, regarding the empty room. After a moment he heard Sticky walking quietly up beside him. He hadn't needed to turn. Sticky knew that Reynie knew he was there. And he knew that if Reynie had wanted to be left alone, he would have done something different. They had been friends a long time. Still, Reynie found that he wished he had turned, had gestured for Sticky to join him." (page 210)

And maybe I'm just projecting being queer and insecure onto these two, or maybe I've read too many Merlin fics with this premise (of friendship that never blooms into something more), but oof. Especially because literally on the page before, when Reynie is reminiscing, Mr. Benedict had said you can lose something before it's lost if you don't reach out and work for it. The more obvious context is obviously the possibility all of their friendships being strained by possibly moving away, especially since they're at the age where they either start moving out (to a dorm or apartment), and instead focusing on the loss instead of how that friendship can grow to be different. Which is beautiful in and of itself, and something that I have experience both ways (that being changed, stronger friendships or ones that collect dust and fade away). BUT. If you think about who feels like they are making the furthest leap, it seems to be Sticky and Reynie. Sticky to direct a chemistry institute, Reynie to a (probably) grad program at a university.

And then if you remember Constance's inner monologue about the older three all having crushes on each other, she notes that they were most afraid to change things in fear that it would ruin their friendship. And this seems to me to be a very Sticky or Reynie line of thought, and it also would make sense in this theory as they seem to be the ones with the most frustration between them for wanting to leave the Benedicts' house. In my perspective, it reads like they may be aware on some level of this romantic tension, but do not want to address if they're just going to move out anyways.

Now where is Kate in all of this? I always viewed her to be more practical, and though sometimes that can be a front for her vulnerability, I headcanon that though she can be reticent on emotions, she would eventually act if she wanted to. So in my headcanon, I think her crush on one or both simply faded or she thought about it and felt they were better as friends.

Regardless of how you feel about this (I just think it's fun! also looking back at this point in my life this interpretation would be very relatable to my dumb gay ass), I love both of their characters so much (I still need to make an analysis post on Reynie!), and I hope they resolve the frustrations in their tried and true friendship. I could also see this as a very qpr type deal, but I just want all my blorbos to be happy.

Anyways, however you picture this friendship, I read many MBS characters as queer simply because they are delightfully, sometimes painfully, not normal. And much of the series is about found family, which is familiar as a queer concept, and learning to love yourself for who you are and others as they are.

#mysterious benedict society #mysterious benedict society and the riddle of ages #mild spoilers #reynie muldoon #sticky washington #character analysis #the queer lens #reading through the queer lens #queercoding #oh now i wanna make a post where i go through all my queer hcs for all the mbs characters #ngl im a little nervous about this post please be kind

[bluewaterhigh2005]

hii i know this is random but bear with me. ive never read the vampire academy books but i have seen the movie for the first time last week and ive been like COMPLETELY insane about it ever since. the absolute craziness of psychosexual obsessive girlbestfriendism has captivated me and now i live breathe eat roselissa. spent a lot. of time on vampire academy wiki...thinking abt reading the books even but that seems a little excessive plus i dont wanna read about rose dimitri relationship i dont condone it. BUT i am getting desperate ive seen bad fanart on pinterest ive even venturend into some bad fanfic territory theres nothing in the roselissa tumblr tag and your blog is the only light in the darkness. im so obsessed with them its really bad. NOBODY does it like them theyre so insane. okay so-> i was thinking you could use this ask to dump some roselissa opinions/headcannons/notes app essays etc or like literally anything🙏. also sorreee for how long it is & thank you & also should i watch the show? ok ok have a nice day byeeeee❤️

i am so fucking glad that it's 2023 and people are still watching this stupid perfect lesbian camp masterpiece of a film. okay first of all you are soooo real not wanting to read the books because of fuck ass dimitri like what a pathetic flop. *i* love the books like i would love my own children but keep in mind i did read them for the first time as a 12yr old and even now when i reread it's mostly to warmup before rereading bloodlines which i think is the most perfect magical romantic series ever written. heterosexuals won that round.

anyway i think everyone in the world should watch the show it's so much fun and the roselissa necromancy reveal goes soooooooo crazy like it's gay excellence. also a) australian rose hathaway is INSPIRED, b) the rose/dimitri of it all pisses me off significantly less in the show purely because he's like. not even a teacher he's just lurking and hanging around and i find that very funny. no friends no job he's just like me fr, and c) lissa wears funky little hats and that's so special to me she is my baby girl princess sweetie pie forever and ever and ever

okay moving onto actually talking about roselissa it is first of all very important to me that you know the 3rd book opens with rose inside lissa's head during a lissa/christian sex scene and she's very much like "i don't want to have sex with lissa..... BUT-" and it sends me every time especially because that was actually the first book i read so my literal introduction to this series was rose being weird and psychosexual about lissa which kind of coloured my view of them forever. roselissa above everything of course but i AM a roselissachristian throuple truther i think they're very fun and rose and christian best friendisms are very dear to me.

i do keep a running list in my notes app of songs that i would put on a roselissa playlist (like an insane person.) and the #1 entry is mitski's i don't smoke because well literally if you need to be mean be mean to me i can take it and put it inside of me..... that's literally their whole entire thing for a while there like rose spending an entire book like. siphoning off lissa's mental illness and making it her own SOUNDS like a joke but no it's #real and #devastating. bonus i also have a list of lissa songs which is topped by BRUTAL by olivia rodrigo because nobody has ever suffered the pains of being a teenage girl more than my perfect bisexual vampire princess.

my post-series thoughts /headcanons are often pretty depressing on the roselissa front but i don't want to get into depressing shit so i will instead talk about my current favourite idea which is that after they break their bond at the end of the series. you'd think they'd start being normal about each other. but NO they get even more freaky and codependent. i like to picture people coming to court and just sighing when they see them sitting in each other's laps on lissa's throne like not AGAIN. and dimitri idk dies in a fire or something. idk if you've ever seen grey's anatomy but there's this bit where a guy is like "my wife and her friend have sleepovers together in our bed with me in it" and TO ME that is soooo roselissachristian core. he's THEIR third wheel and he knows it.

also sidebar it pisses me off SOOOOOO bad seeing how people on the internet so fundamentally misunderstand lissa and her relationship to rose like for literal years now like they're always out here calling my girl self-centred and saying she doesn't love rose as much as rose loves her which is crazy because hello she brought rose back from the DEAD with her mind powers. her whole flop family was dead in that car and she brought back her girl best friend like what more can you even say about that. she's gay and she's insane and she's so completely Not Normal about rose

#okay i put a read more because this got long as fuck and i am so sorry for anyone seeing this if it didn't work sdkjdjd #THANK you for sending me this va is my favourite thing in the world i could talk about it for years #basically. absolutely watch the show it's perfect i have no notes #and i Won't tell you to read the books but. they are very fun and easy to get through if you do decide to #and while the rose dimitri of it all is. gags. i DO think roselissa is very clearly the core relationship #it's so funny that ms mead accidentally wrote a crazy gay masterpiece for the ages like. roselissa will ALWAYS be famous #answered #anonymous

[dittomander]

Do you have any LGBTQ+ headcanons for EoA?

heck yeah I do 😎 and yes they change all the time lmao.

(second anon: I'm assuming you mean for EoA - you didn't actually specify, but that *is* kinda my brand of answered asks, so if you meant something different you'll have to let me know)

I don't know if I've actually talked about this in a post before, but it's actually very rare for me to have "true" headcanons in the sense that I treat them as "canon" in my head, for sexuality or gender or anything else. I'm prone to rotate ideas around at a moment's notice if I want to explore something else. I like alternate interpretations, y'know? That said, I do still have some common patterns that I tend to fall back on, and some of these are definitely more concrete than others:

Main Cast (in no particular order):

Gabe: bisexual, with a tilt toward women. He kiiinda knew he liked guys as well when he was younger, but sort of put it on a back burner until he joined the guard and very abruptly found himself having to confront it. Pretty casually out to most everyone, except for his parents. (Blanca knows - she’s also bi. Roberto hasn’t figured it out yet, though post-Olaball he’d be very supportive, if a bit confused, if he were to find out.) He's a little in love with all of his best friends.

Naomi: also bi, also with a tilt toward women. she thought she was gay when she was younger and initially came out to her parents as such, and then again later when she realized she was actually bi. the first time was very carefully planned out and rehearsed and maybe a little defensive, which it didn't need to be - she hadn't been subtle, and her folks had already figured. The second time was a blunt and casual "so turns out - 'm bi" through a mouthful of eggs at breakfast one morning. She and Gabe joke about having very similar taste.

Elena: aspec, and that’s about how much I can narrow it down, because the particular variety of aspec I hc her as changes pretty much daily, if not more often. The two I toggle between the most often though are demi-pan (romantic & sexual) and aroace. she's not especially tethered to her gender and wobbles along a line between demigirl and agender, but still generally uses feminine terms for herself - sister/granddaughter/prima and princess/queen are titles, not genders. despite being aspec (or perhaps because of it), she always ends up being the person her friends go to for dating advice.

Mateo: a roulette wheel full of question marks, and I don’t mean that I haven’t thought about it; I mean that I’ve thought about it a lot and I still have no idea, and honestly I don’t think Mateo does either. I think he thinks he’s straight. I doubt that he is, although I do have transhet Mateo on the aforementioned roulette wheel, so I haven't ruled it out entirely. I've got his gender on rotation as well - my most common take is "his gender is Wizard", because let's face it, that's a more significant part of his identity than anything else ever will be.

Isa: a true scientist at heart, she feels the need to both A: experiment, and B: categorize. she does a lot of research into microlabels and neogenders and rotates through several, taking notes on how she feels about each one and trying to codify the distinctions between how she feels about different people so that she can get the exact precise label to describe herself. Elena initially assumes Isa is doing it out of anxiety, but the specificity is part of the fun for her. I'm not sure what she settles on, if she ever does, but whatever she's into includes girls.

Esteban: gay and/or aspec. Definitely had a thing with Victor when he was younger. Definitely ended badly. The two of them were just getting on speaking terms again when they met Shuriki, and, uh, we all know how that one ended.

Francisco & Luisa: bi and closeted & the ultimate straight ally, respectively. They're the Cool Grandparents when it comes to their grandkids' and their friends' identities. Raúl's side of the family was a bit more traditional than them back in the day, but Francisco and Luisa's own marriage was considered "non-traditional" once since Francisco married outside of nobility, so they're very open to a lot of very queer stuff just on principle.

Assorted extras/recurring characters that I have opinions on:

Victor: very bi, with historically very terrible taste. Also as the only non-acespec of the pre-Shuriki amigos, he was the resident member of the friend group that was always like "isn't so-and-so the hottest person ever?" and all his asexual friends were just like "Victor this is just some guy. what."

Carla: aromantic allosexual - she treads a line between wanting a romance and feeling uncomfortable with the concept. she likes it in theory and used to fantasize about getting swept away by a prince when she was little, but realized as she got older that that was more about the comfort and stability than anything else, since when she was actually being presented with romance she was feeling uneasy (the sheer vibes from her little grimace when Elena is telling the romantic sunflower festival story, and from how quickly she jumps from the novelty of her parents being back together to thinking they're being gross...)

Marisa & Marzel: listen.... if you line up Elena, Marisa, and Marzel in Song of the Sirenas, their outfits make the bi flag.... I’m just saying.... that said! they'd be bi/pan by human standards, but sirenas don't exactly operate on the human gender binary and are generally much more fluid with their gender identities than humans, and by extension, with their sexualities. there are chemical signals in their tails that are visible to other sirenas (and possibly under UV light? undecided if this is a science thing or a magic thing) that change with their current gender to communicate information about it to others.

Feli: heteroromantic asexual. she thought she might be gay when she was younger since she knew she wasn't quite into guys the same way her straight peers were, and pre-Shuriki, she and Elena briefly experimented with a romantic relationship. It didn't work out, for obvious reasons, but ended very amicably, and Feli eventually figured out what her deal was. Ricardo was straight, but respected Feli's boundaries, and her asexuality was a big part as to why the two never had kids.

Val: I waffle between bi and lesbian for her, specifically. she tends to process her attraction as frustration, of the "get out of my school" variety. she likes someone? okay, so she's gotta be better than them- She mellows out with age and with a more robust friend group.

Alonso: I generally hc him as bi as well but honestly I do kinda think it'd be hilarious if he was the royal friends' Token Straight. He took his lessons about honesty from A Lava Story to heart, but it does take him a bit to realize that what he would consider impressive might not be to someone else.

Chloe: bisexual, with a preference for men. she tends to be very over-eager in romantic relationships the same way she is with friendships, and needs someone that is both very clear about defining their boundaries, and also very clear about confirming hers.

Rebeca: pansexual. she often gets very anxious before dates as her perfectionism starts to get the better of her, especially for big events like holidays or anniversaries.

Tomiko: oh, well she's just a massive lesbian, isn't she? she's got a pen-pal girlfriend at Cariza's science academy that she met when Isa and Cat decided they needed more hands on deploying the gondola project. Elena is very much her and her girlfriend's celebrity crush.

Vee: she's a demiromantic lesbian with a big 'ol childhood infatuation with Naomi that she'd been hanging onto for years. She fully expected to show up in Avalor and completely sweep Naomi off her feet, sail off with her into the sunset, all that jazz, which didn't quite go as planned. Having seen how Naomi changed over the years, she was finally able to let go and move on to seeking a different partner.

The Royal Guard: Rico is gay and Miguel is bi. In a sort of inverse situation to Gabe's, Antonia used to think she was bi and then after joining the guard and being around men far more frequently than she had been she was kinda like, "hm. maybe not," and now identifies as a lesbian.

Ixlan: nonbinary and sapphic. they mostly use gender-neutral language to refer to themself, but typically won't correct people on using gendered language unless they're directly asked. It's not that big of a deal to them to be considered one gender or another or multiple, they just won't talk about themself that way. There's a specific word in Maruvian for the gender they consider themself, but it doesn't really translate into modern Avaloran.

Rafa: oh, the possibilities! I like the idea of aroace Rafa, who never wanted a partner but did want a kid and so recruited a friend in town to help (or else just dug around in the basement for stuff to make a Potion of Spawn Child); I like the idea of lesbian Rafa, who figured that out from the tryst that resulted in Mateo and didn't exactly have time to get into a new dating pool before she had a kid to take care of and is getting to start fresh and really embrace her identity now that he's moved out; I like the idea of mspec Rafa and the wide range of possible backstories and post-canon stories it affords her; I just like the idea of Rafa lmao

Julio & Carmen: the more business-minded and methodical Julio is pansexual, while the more artistic and outspoken Carmen is asexual.

Doña Paloma: aroallo, like Carla, but she's had a few more decades to sort herself out and find her sweet spot as far as relationships go. she likes a good time but her heart will always belong to her business.

Antonio Agama: despite being something of an idealized, masculine sex symbol by some Avalorans, he's actually asexual. while he likes the adventuring in its own right, it was also always a convenient excuse to not have to spend the night with one of his admirers. "ah, but I can't resist the call of adventure! you'd only miss me in the morning - it's not meant to be, señorita." ...also he has an unrequited crush on Mendoza, who mostly finds him annoying.

#elena of avalor #eoa #headcanon #ditto answers #lgbtq headcanons #long post

[mercurie-and-me]

ok a definitive rating of all dance academy couples i'm 100% right on this don't even try me

tara x christian - always have been and always will be the no 1 christara slut on this planet like i'm sorry but for me they are truly a romeo and juliet, rose and jack, once in a lifetime relationship, they will always belong together and always find their way back to each other, even if they fuck up and hurt each other sometimes

abigail x ethan - i never truly appreciated their relationship until i got a little older but they are so good for each other, just completely on the same level regarding their wants and needs and i'm so mad that they weren't endgame

sammy x abigail - especially in s1 they just hit different like they are so cute together and i'm obsessed with their dynamic and i truly think if sammy hadn't died they could have become a really great couple in s2 as well because they had both matured so much

tara x ben - although imo benstara wouldn't really have worked out in the long run, they're still really good for each other and i like that tara gets to live out her sillier, more carefree side with him. ultimately though, i don't think that 100% fits her so they're definitely better off as friends

sammy x ollie - i absolutely adore ollie in s3 but i think in s2 he definitely still had a lot of work to do on himself. again, if sammy hadn't died their relationship would have been good to revisit in s3 after he's grown a bit and i think they could have become really awesome together

kat x christian - they were cute while it lasted (and i do think they make a very attractive couple, not that that's important), but you could tell christian's heart was never truly in it and kat just deserved better than that

abigail x wes - i mean i guess they're fine but tbh i just don't like abi ending s3 with someone who's not a part of the main squad, it just doesn't feel right. i love that they have some history in barcelona though, and the scene where he was dancing shirtless under the bridge and abi breaks down does get me

grace x ben - i think if grace has to be with anybody in the group, ben is the best fit and i do like their dynamic in s3, but tbh i think grace has a lot more work to do on herself before she can actually enter a serious relationship. on another note, my aroace grace (arograce?) headcanon just doesn't allow for this

ollie x rhys - terrible. rhys is a fine enough character (even though he's such a non-character like i couldn't name a single thing about him) but imo it was just so obvious that they were scrambling to have everyone end up with someone by the finale and also they didn't want to make anyone of the main cast gay so they did this. their chemistry was fine i guess but it just felt so rushed and underdeveloped

tara x ethan - i think tara x ethan were never meant to last more than a couple episodes, this was more for narrative purposes, so all of what i'm saying is very much canon but they just never fit together. when they were together they were at completely different points in their lives and they could never have given each other what they needed and deserved

kat x ben - also out of nowhere, i don't think their storyline should have gone any further than ben having a crush on kat in s2 and her rejecting him. this is one decision they made in the movie that is truly baffling to me, like what 👏🏻 was 👏🏻 the 👏🏻 reason 👏🏻 ? imo ben should have realised during the pas de deux with ollie that he is actually bisexual and then gotten together with ollie (still mad we didn't get to see a single second of them dancing together), and kat is the biggest lesbian anyways which is why all of her relationships on the show were so shit

kat x jamie - suffering from the ollie x rhys problem, jamie is just very transparently a character they brought on so kat could end the show in a relationship. i actually love that he's so goofy and i love his and kat's dynamic as weirdo besties but he doesn't fit with her romantically at ALL

kat x myles - stupidly terrible, i mean not only was myles like in his mid-twenties at the youngest and kat was like 16??? hellO how did no one think that was weird?? their relationship was also so fanfic-y and myles was just really not likeable to me. i kinda love that the show broke with that in order to not have him in s2 and were like 'actuallyy he's still annoying and everything he said about himself and his goals in s1 is not true, he's actually just a whiny bitch' gotta respect that

kat x the dude from the movie, i can't be bothered to look up his name - that tells you all you need to know

kat x lukas - do i even need to say anything, like this was obviously only a thing to show that kat was not doing well and holy shit it worked, babygirl i KNOW you're a repressed lesbian and can't choose good comphet relationships for shit but really?? that piece of toenail? jesus

#dance academy

[kakashihasibs]

Out of curiosity, why do you feel like you’re aromantic? I only ask because I’ve been very seriously thinking that I’m aro, but I keep second guessing myself. I think it would help to hear why another person is aro, but I just don’t encounter a lot of people or bloggers who talk about it.

Feel free to ignore if you want, people irl and on this site are still really weird about aros, so I totally understand not wanting to get into it

Ooougha okay so i have thoughts™ and you are about to get them all good luck lol i get to how i feel in terms of being aro towards the end. I promise this is all building up to that even tho it'snot gonna seem like it at 1st x_x.

(tl;dr: it took me 5 years to feel like i loved my husband and I'm not even sure the love i feel is romantic or not bc it feels the same as how i feel for my friends but overall I'm not even sure what benefit there is for me, personally, to ID as aro bc what's even the purpose of labeling our sexualities, political or personal? (it's a mix of both)

There's, from what I've seen, really two purposes to labeling one's sexuality.

1) political coalition building. -> Hi i am a Gay man and you are a Lesbian we are not The Same but we have political interests that are The Same and we are more powerful and safer together let's have each other's backs. And when there's an issue that affects only you I'll still show up for you and when it's an issue that affects only me you'll still show up for me.

And

2) community and communication. -> hi i am a gay man and you are a man also interested in men (gay/bi) lets be in a community and/or relationship

(Please dont come at me these are both huge over simplifications! I'm build up my thought process to a more complex idea!)

Neither of these things are mutually exclusive, of course, and these are only sorta loose ideas I've seen some people express here and there.

I only note them bc people who focus on number 1, political coalition building, are more often (not always!) a little more down on "micro labels," whether they are exclusionist or not, bc it, they argue, in some way muddies the waters in terms of coalition building. If there's so many niche labels now and we're creating more and more niche labels then we're creating more and more divides and not focusing on keeping each other safe under the same umbrella.

I've also seen the argument that making more and more niche micro labels is related to individualism and commoditization under capitalism. Like "look you too can have ur own special flag and identity! Now buy all this merch to show it off! Give us money!!!"

Which, for both of these concerns, i am sympathetic to to an extent. (Except out right exclusionists, fuck them.)

People who focus more on number 2, community and communication, are generally, in my experience, much more in favor of micro labels. Say ur like me, I'm asexual but I'm also gay but maybe aromantic, but then where does the gay fit in? Oh geez idk. But wait! There's a sexuality that breaks being gay while also aroace down! I have a word(s) for myself! Which inarguably feels good. It makes me feel understood and normal. And now i can find other people who experience sexuality just like me. I can find a small community to feel at home in. Right?

---

i have laid out these two general ideas. The possible purposes i might have for naming/labeling/understand my sexuality.

I approach my sexuality from a political standpoint AND from a personal standpoint which I think most people do bc again they're are not mutually exclusive.

I am in some way not straight (and not cis but not talking about that right now). I have faced violence and discrimination for my sexuality. I want to name my sexuality in order to identify myself with a political movement. I name my sexuality so when I take political actions or make political demands, it is understood by others that i am doing so in solidarity with other people who have face similar oppression. I want to name my sexuality so i can better articulate the problems I face. So other can go to bat for me (and I will go to bat for them even if the issue isnt mine!)

For example, back in the day when ace ~discourse~ was much much worse, I was threatened with corrective rape (irl for the record) but instead of anyone standing in any sort of solidarity with me, i was told i was misappropriating corrective rape. (Which still just fucking blows my mind but besides the point.) This is why exclusionist can fuck off btw. Instead of anything productive they just were yaknow evil. Ugh anyway

I also faced discrimination at the doctors when asked my sexuality. I was honest and said asexual which lead down a whole rabbit hole of bullshit. The coalition building purpose would look like, "i have faced discrimination at the doctors for my sexuality and so have you so lets team up and support a bill that protects patient autonomy and rights"

And on the personal side i can talk to other asexuals who have faced the exact same problems i have. I can find empathy and understand in a way i might not from an allo cis gay guy (that's not dunking on any allo cis gay guy! For the record. We just have different experiences and very similar ones too!).

So you can see the benefit of either approach right? Maybe i just wanna call myself just queer or just gay or just ace and be done with. I have my coalition and maybe my community it still very broad but it is there.

Or maybe i wanna figure out why it took 5 years to feel like i loved my husband. Or why maybe my love for my husband doesn't really feel any different than my love for friends? Should the love i feel for my husband even BE different from the love i feel for my friends? Am i actually even feeling love? We've been together for 12 years what different does it make now anyway?

I feel like I'm probably aro but i also feel like I'm not and I'm "only" asexual.

Things that affect aros affect nearly all of us. We're all impacted by amatonormativity. We all struggle with getting next of kin rights with our chosen family, just to name a couple things. Discussing and supporting aromantism will benefit us all.

But what about discussing someone who is ace aro and gay? Maybe? Idk? Does being aroacegay bring anything new to the table? Or is it just another flag to profit off of for some fucking corporation? I dont know!

For me, is there even any separation between being ace and aro and gay or is it just the same part of me being looked at through too many lenses?

And all of this is what i think and feel when i think or feel like I'm aro x_x which is to say bud i have no fucking clue lol.

All i really know is i will fight for anyone under the queer/lgbtq+ umbrella regardless if it impacts me and i hope and pray that when people like me need the same kind of support everyone else will also fight for us too.

I think I'm done now. Sorry u got this whole ass mess lol. x_x if you have any questions comments or concerns you can DM or anon me any of them :3 I'll happily address them

#rape mention #ask #anon #ben replies #idk how else to tag this x_x